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Amplifier:Lepai T Amp
2 Attachment(s)
The Project
The Lepai TA-2020 is a classic ebay china low level amp. But as user Pano said:
"This is about the junkiest built T-Amp I've seen. And the only one with all thru hole components. Real cheap Chinese stuff. The insides are like a bad trip back to the 70s.
But it does sound pretty good! Surprise, surprise."
Over the last 5 years many mods were done to this little amp. So this wiki serves as a repository of information to all those interested in the amp.
Trusted Ebay Sellers
DIY Audio users have bought from these sellers and they are trustworthy.
Power supply requirementsFrom datasheet of TA2020, we can obtain the following values:
Then we need at least a 12v Power Supply Unit and preferably not above 13.5v (because above of that the Lepai zenner diode for protection will reduce it, and will be useless, and some users reported that sound quality decreases). The higher the Voltage supplied, the more power will be able to output the amp, so 13.5V are desirable.
It will also should be capable of at least 3.7A @ 13.5V (13.5 * 3.7 = 50W, which is the needed for 4Ω loads), or 2A @ 13.5V (for 8Ω loads).
For a 12V PSU will need 4.1A @ 12V (12 * 4.1 = 50W, which is the needed for 4Ω loads), or 2.3A @ 12V (for 8Ω loads).
Amplifier Revisions
There are at least three revisions of this amplifier the main differences between them are:
First, second, and third version respectively
Project Modifications
Do you have some small modifications to suggest for the project that could improve it? Please list them and tell us why they improve the design. If this is discussed in a thread, please link the thread URL here....
Power input related
Replace the big capacitorCan be clearly seen on each version, it's the biggest capacitor present on the left side of the board.
Recommended replacement, the biggest value you can find, at least 4700uF 16V, it's recommended to get a low ERS one. Some people also recommends putting another small capacitor (200nF for example) in parallel, to help filtering the irregularities from power source.
What will improve: general improvement, deeper bass response, and could help with switch-off caused at high volume with low current power sources.
Cost: very cheap, that kind of capacitor will probably cost about 2$.
Difficulty: low, changing the capacitor is easy, there is a lot of space between solder points.
Power source noise filtersSome power There are a few things that can be done:
What will improve: noise that come from power source, if you have.
Cost: low.
Difficulty: easy.
Inductor removeAll versions of the Lepai have a small coil after the power socket, some users recommend removing it and simply change it to a solid wire. That's because of its utility is to help filtering power source noise, but it mostly causes a restriction in current that could reach the amplifier.
You could even replace it by another similar 10uH inductor with higher current capability, and you may be able to find a suitable inductor from an old recycled computer motherboard, or else it will cost money better spent on other mods.
Instead of replacing the inductor, it is possible to put a fast soft switch diode in parallel with the factory inductor to bypass "as needed" which is quick and easy, and thereby you get to keep your beneficial filtering except for moments of loud bass (which will turn on that diode rather than allow inductor loss). Dynamic filtering sounds dynamic, so you may or may not prefer that option.
What will improve: Reducing the inductor losses could help to improve sound if your power source is powerful and your amp requires lot of power.
Cost: 0
Difficulty: easy.
Power source noise filters, etc.
Sound input relatedLike decoupling capacitors swap, potentiometer, dc offset correction...
Sound output related
Output InductorsMarked L2, L3, L4, and L5 on the LP-2020A+ PCB.
The output inductors on tripath based amplifiers play a big hole on in the sound quality. Tripath docs and the majority of users here on diyaudio agree that by choosing the right inductors you will certainly improve the sound quality and this may put your tripath based amplifier on another league.
On the Tripath based amplifier produced by lepai it happens that almost any inductor rated 10uH 3.8A is better than the stock ones .
For best results you should look for 10uH inductors that have a low permeability core and can handle atleast 1Mhz. T60-2, T68-2, mpp cores etc.
Some people have reported that wurth XXL work's great for the Tk2050 as you can see here and I see no problems trying those with the TA2020.
Air Cored Inductors
Due to its price and excellent properties, most people prefer Air Cored Inductors over all the above. He go a few tips on the topic:
Best material for air cored inductors/coils ( not taking into account silver, gold etc) :
1- Copper Foil
2- LitzWire
3- Insulated OFC copper wire
4- Standard insulated copper wire
You can buy 0.01mH ( 10uH ) baked multi layer air cored inductors from Jantzen ( EUR 1.65 on ebay ) . The other companies like Solen and Mundorf offer air coils in higher values but you can always unwind non-baked coils to the desired value.
Once you choose the type of material the first thing you wan't to take into account is the cross sectional area of the wire you want to use since going above the wire current capabilities is not an good idea.
Usually the thicker you go the better is the result. But be aware that a single layer conical air cored inductor wound with solid copper or litz wire 23 AWG wound to 10uH will end as a very tall passive component, aprox 60mm tall with an OD of 16 mm.
If you're going for self wound inductors remember to take into account that litz wire is made of multiple individualy insulated strands and follow a little different wire gauge table.
For example:
Litz 23 AWG 100/44 is a wire 22 AWG made from 100 strands of 44 AWG wire.
Also notice that this type of wire is hard to work with while the copper foil is one of the more expensive options but the easier to work with once you know how to do.
To stop the vibrations of the coils you can coat them with varnish.
Air Cored Single Layer Inductor Calculator
Air Cored Multi layer Inductor Calculator
For more info on the output inductors you can refer to tripath ta2020, tk2050, ta2022 technical docs and also do a search on this very forum and you will find alot of info in a much more technical approach .
Tone control related
How to bypass tone controls, op-amps and volume potentiometer:
This mod is that will make you change from "this is a good amp" to " that's alot for $ 15,00".
For V1 check schematics here. Basically you need to replace C4 and C5 with better caps, and if you want to bypass the tone control desolder C2 and C3, and wire to C4 and C5 (don´t know exact which lead needs to be solder, but you should easily follow the traces from the chip).
For V2 check here
For V3 check here, here and here for details on how to bypass everything and how to engage the volume pot again after the op-amps and tone controls and volume pot bypass.
Tone control improvementIn this post, DrLex suggest other values for components that affect tone control in first revision of the board (Could someone check it for other boards?).
General improvements
Power on pop suppressorOne solution is to sleep the amp during power-on using this circuit:
SLEEP pin needs to be isolated as is connected to ground, drilling around with any cutting tool.
What will improve: no power on pop sound, but the amp will take a few seconds to turn on.
Cost: cheap components, about 1$
Difficulty: a little soldering skill needed, medium.
V1 noise from Volume potentiometer removeUsers report that grounding the case of the volume potentiometer (like could be seen on later revisions of the board) will remove noise that comes from it.
Just solder a wire from any ground point to the metal case of the potentiometer.
Others also do the same with tone control potentiometers, but not sure if its really needed (as their shaft is in contact with metal case that grounds it, not like the volume, that contacts with plastic).
SchematicsForum user Danerius provided a schematic for the first revision of the amplifier in the original thread
Stock Photos
Will be fine to leave here interesting links to mods before rewriting them to the wiki
Also will be a good idea to get high quality image of stock PCBs, and remark in them interesting points so we can use one image to explain all the mods.
djnemesi's hand-drawn schematic of the first version:
DrLex' tone circuit mod:
my own:
including the Eagle CAD schematic:
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Sixty-something woman shares ruminations as she plys the latter third of her life with the caveat that age entitles her to be absolutely outrageous whenever possible.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Thinking too much is my dilemma.
One fine day, I made this painting, with big brushes on little canvas, very impasto, very joyous in the doing of it. Then I decided it was too loose and tightened it up. The plate became white, the pears brighter, the background smooth and flat. Oh, I sold it, at the Art for Life auction last year. It was there because I didn't like it any more. I like this one. Well, it would have had a better chance if I had done it with my new pigments, which are artist quality and very prismatic. That is why I am so excited about my current process. I am on the verge of finding that way that is all mine. Some hues had to be ordered online. When they arrive, watch out!
Posted by WomanwhoWavesatCows at 8:42 AM
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subset: commoncrawl


text: First day back at work today and I was woken up at 4.15 this morning with the most awful gripes and trapped wind. I assume the culprit is the peas I ate last night with my roast dinner. The pain was horrendous and hubby was convinced that there was something seriously wrong and couldn't believe that a few peas could cause such pain, The pain eventually subsided enough at 7.00 for me to get into the shower and get ready for work. I nearly didn't go in but thought it would look really bad if I cried off on my first day back. I then dropped my son off at school and went to catch the bus into town to find it was running late due to the snow. I then decided to walk and eventually arrived at work half an hour later with a very bloated and sore tum and wet feet as my boots had leaked. My first day back didn't go as well as I hoped but hey ho at least I made it and yes, peas are definately off the menu for now.


text:
It seems like too many of my posts start with something like, "its been awhile since I posted...". I'll try to be more disciplined, but I have an excuse if you need one. This has been DSL hell week. The home network went down for about the fourth or fifth time in the past 10 days. The last time it took the router with it and it hasnt been working since. Each of my attempted fixes somehow led to additional issues with the desktop or other devices. The periferal called a refrigerator was still working around 10pm last night so I quit while I could still get a cold beer.
Let me take this opportunity to apologize to my family for too loudly expressing my anger at the AT&T automatron lady who each time after the help line went dead, patiently led me through 4 more minutes of voice mail hell to reach tech support. FYI, their voice recognition program doesnt respond to certain words that usually get a big rise out of real humans. It's looking like the DSL will be switched back to cable soon but for now I want a few days return on all my spent fury.
The painting above is new and part of my work for the upcoming the Decatur Art Festival, May 23-24 in Decatur GA. The painting measures 10x20" oil on canvas, gallery wrap, $1,175.


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A handy piece of equipment that optimizes your ability to communicate and disseminate information in a timely manner. You can fax appointment reminders, announcements and press releases.
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Post a sign offering a free session to members who have made a verifiable hole-in-one.
This is a "grand" way of letting people know who you are, where you are and what you are all about.
These are a good method of connecting with clients, networking associates, and referring professionals, just to wish them good tidings.
Submit a proposal for the health club to purchase gift certificates to give as an incentive to new members who pay in full upon initiation or when members reach a milestone goal.
Share a booth with other practitioners, and together create an informative, attractice display. Offer short demonstrations of the work you do. Hand out discount coupons, brochures, business cards, pens or other paraphanelia (magnets) which display your name and business.
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Send letters to allied health care providers to develop mutual referrals. Send at least two letters each week until you have amassed your desired network.
The focus is introducing your services/products to prospective clients. Having introductory prices available helps "fence-sitters" make a move in your direction.
Invitations can be verbal, hand-delivered or mailed. Invite people to see your facilities, come to a free demonstration or call for information. Warmly given or nicely printed on paper, make sure your offer is inviting.
Avoid using jargon unless you are certain your market and clients know the terminology.
Create a catchy tune and phrase that easily identifies your company (particularly for radio and television advertising).
Advise your professional associations and community organizations that you are available as a keynote speaker.
Post promotional materials on kiosks at malls, colleges and pavilions. Check for regulations first.
Design a kite with your logo and fly it prominently.
Ascertain your current and potential clients' needs, desires and goals.
Giving lectures on your service/products provides credibility to you as a professional, educates the public and becomes a vehicle for sales.
Make doing little things for clients a matter of business policy. These "little" things help establish client loyalty.
Location is an important component to the success of a business. A poor location can break a business even if the service and products are good. If you are in an area that is inconvenient or unsafe, people will seek out your competitors.
A graphical representation of your business that helps people quickly recognize your company.
Mailing Lists should be kept accurate and current. Include clients, prospects, other professionals, networking associates and companies/individuals in related fields. Trade lists with others who provide services or products to your target markets.
Join appropriate professional associations, local business groups, and service organizations. Being a member of a professional association gives you greater credibility. Aligning yourself with local business groups and service organizations provides increased visibility, gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your skills, and is a core from which to network.
We all make them. The best way to handle them is with no excuses - just plain honesty. Create a "Goof Gift" to give to clients when you or a staff member makes a mistake. People appreciate the integrity of an honest apology and honor it. Making it right is one of the best marketing tools available. Clients who were unhappy leave with a good feeling and oftentimes return even though they may have decided otherwise at the time.
Networking is a very important part of marketing. Join networking organizations, community service organizations, clubs, and participate in community special events. Networking is a great way to establish trust and build professional relationships.
Include several business cards, brochures, pertinent information, product samples, and educational or promotional materials on the benefits of your services or products.
When used as a consistent marketing tool, newsletters establish your expertise and educate the public. It is an excellent format for offering specials, coupons and announcing special events. Newsletters can also be sent to other health professionals and potential clients for marketing purposes. Another idea is to write articles or place ads in other's newsletters.
Submit opinion pieces, articles, letters to the editor, press releases and calendar listings. Get a newspaper reporter to interview you. This is an excellent way to become known and and recognized in your community and to establish yourself as an expert in your field.
Hold quarterly and special holiday open houses for colleagues, businesses in your community, prospects, and clients.
Don't let an impulse sale get away because you didn't have your order forms handy. The elements to successful product sales are quality, availability and convenience. Having a client wait a few extra minutes while you rummage may cost you a loss of revenue.
Putting together packages for services and products that save clients money can improve sales without increasing marketing costs.
Provides great coverage as you go through your day; draws attention since it is unusual to see unique, eye-catching things on cars.
Create pamphlets which contain detailed information about you, your services, philosophy, mission statement, benefits, specific techniques and health tips.
This is another underutilized method of reaching the general public. Place ads on benches that are seen by your target markets (e.g., in front of stores they patronize).
Plan theme parties. One idea is "Fluid Motion." Decorate with pictures of sea creatures (or stuffed toys), play ocean music and show videos of underwater life moving gently, easily and fluidly. You can also have clients sponsor parties where you demonstrate your services to their friends.
Pass out imprinted pens to clients, colleagues and people involved with your target markets. How about giving out two pens so they can pass one on?
Also known as premiums and specialty advertising. Keep an assortment of inexpensive, fun, useful items to give away.
How the phone is answered can either foster or damage a relationship. Remember warmth, enthusiasm and helpfulness are key marketing tools. Answering the phone with "Yeah, what do you want? I'm tired and you bother me" attitude doesn't work!
Postcards are a fast, easy and inexpensive way of reminding clients of follow-ups, appointments, announcements or just saying hello. Also a good technique for generating new clients.
Have posters made to put in windows or on bulletin boards at related businesses (e.g., health food stores, sports facilities and fitness clubs).
Generally used by large companies and firms to relate information affecting the general public.
Short statements for publication in magazines, newspapers, newsletters and journals regarding your services, products and publications. Advise your "net" of exciting events such as hiring someone, forming an association, expanding your services, adding new equipment, hosting an open house or facilitating a workshop. Also send press releases to clients and colleagues.
One of the main factors clients use in choosing services/products. Find out what the going rates are in your area and set your prices accordingly.
This is not only a good place to advertise, but to write articles and make yourself known. Writing adds to your credibility as a professional. Contact the editors of various journals to find out topics they are looking for or to present your ideas for articles.
Visit VistaPrint for a great selection of inexpensive full-color business cards, postcards, stationery and promotional items. You can choose designs from their library and customize them with your personal information or upload your own design. You can even get free business cards!
Make your business card a magnet for the refrigerator.
Especially in Arizona and New Mexico, make labels with your logo, a fun photo, an inspirational quote or saying, and put them on water bottles to hand out, particularly during the hot seasons.
Join with other people in your specific field and create a public awareness campaign through advertisements, articles, interviews and public speaking.
Sponsor the blood donor mobile unit, police fingerprint unit for children, or fire department home safety seminars.
Give talks at business associations, clubs and public service organizations. Join an organization like Toastmasters to learn platform speaking techniques and gain confidence.
Inform the media about anything newsworthy concerning your business.
Design your marketing materials so that they actually pre-screen clients.
Use quotes from people who are prominent within your target market.
Radio is an advertising medium that reaches large numbers of people. Take an ad, sponsor a program, become a guest speaker on local talk shows, or hosta health care talk show.
Providing services or products for special events for raffles and prizes helps in getting your name out to the public.
Often given to welcome and introduce new employees, associates and mergers. This allows your clients, allied health care providers and networking associates to get to know new people in your business and vice versa, in an informal and comfortable setting.
Referral cards encourage clients to promote your practice. Traditional referral cards offer the recipient a discount (e.g., $10 off the initial session). If you really want to inspire enthusiasm from your clients, offer them the same discount whenever a card is redeemed.
Essential as a marketing tool: it not only benefits you, it offers you the opportunity to assist others with their growth and prosperity.
Offering healthy tidbits (e.g.: bottled water, juice, tea, fruit) to clients creates an atmosphere of warmth and caring. A small gesture as this can produce a dramatic effect.
Advertising is costly and articles appear in print only once. You can inexpensively reprint them so they're available for mailings, handouts and signs.
Place a display with your cards and brochures next to the cash register (and put coupons from the restaurant in your waiting area).
Either sponsor a retreat or provide your services at retreats held by local companies and associations.
Attend class reunions and let people know what you are doing. Host a reunion for all your clients who have completed a treatment course.
Submit proposals for companies to offer your services for customer or employee rewards. They could offer certificates:
For patient (client) referrals, give out dinner coupons, hats or t-shirts with your logo on it, bibs for the toddlers, movie certificates, etc.
Sandwich Boards direct the public to your products and services at your location. Make sure they are colorful and easy to read from a distance.
One of the most valuable marketing tools is a customer who is satisfied with your quality of service and its value. They are your greatest ally and the impetus for your word-of-mouth campaign.
Sponsor an academic or sports scholarship for children, young adults or members of your target markets.
Providing your employees with scripts for various circumstances helps guide them in representing your business to its optimum and deterrs the disasters "winging it" can create.
A flashy, unique way to direct people to your location and draw attention to a special event.
Seminars establish you as an authority in your field, lends credibility, provides a catalyst for your services and products, and educates the public.
Service is one of the main reasons clients select and stay with a business. Good or poor service means client retention or loss, and ties directly into marketing through word-of-mouth.
Many people are in a hurry and stressed when shopping--especially after work. Create a sign that makes them think about how good they would feel after utilizing your service or products.
Learn to communicate in sign language so you can offer services to the hearing impaired.
Your location sign should be clear and large enough to be easily seen. Include your logo if economically feasible. Your sign needs to be easily and quickly identifiable.
Hang signs and posters announcing specials. Also emphasize services such as "Gift Certificates Available."
How often do you see writing in the sky? Gets your attention, eh?
These are not often thought of as a marketing tool. Yet reflect on how often you go back to a business where no one smiles, no one greets you warmly, and no one says "Good-bye, I hope we helped you and look forward to seeing you again."
Solicitation Letters are sent to prospective clients asking them to try your services/products, or to professionals seeking mutual referrals.
Encourage publicity by being a sponsor of (or participating in) local events, or holding unusual events at your place of business.
Boost marketing efforts with "in-store" displays featuring your products; and cards, brochures, and fliers that explain your services and benefits. Attract business by providing discount fliers that can be redeemed at the time of the appointment.
Print T-shirts with your name and logo for the team to wear. Attend the games to support your team. Place a display sign in your office that says "Proud sponsor of the ABC Cycling Team!"
It involves your business in the community and helps you meet potential clients.
Volunteer your services at local sporting events, Senior and Special Olympics.
Include information about specific products or services whenever you send out statements to clients. You can also place your brochure in other people's billing statements (just make sure they go to your target markets).
Stationery is a visual representation of your business; make sure it conveys your desired image.
Surveys and questionnaires are a great way to get the "pulse" of your clients and discover what you are doing right and what needs to be changed. Find out what clients want, like, dislike and their opinion of your services.
A sweepstakes is an interactive method of calling attention to your business and getting additional names for your mailing list.
Become a guest on local television shows. Place commercials which demonstrate your services or products and their benefits—fully utilize the dynamics of music, words and pictures.
Nothing hits home like a personal account of the success of your products and services. Use them in marketing tools, advertising and seminars. Always use full names and if possible, the title, company and city.
Ban together with nearby businesses and hold a gala event such as "Spring Festival" or "Winter Warm-Ups."
Devote a week to a particular activity, for instance Mobility Week, and set up activities centering on mobility issues. Coordinate with your local government to sponsor city-wide events.
Volunteer short treatment sessions for participants. You can also sponsor a refreshment stand; be sure you have a large display sign or banner. Offer free sessions to the winners or even propose that the tournament coordinators purchase a number of certificates to be given as prizes.
Advertise in local trade directories. They are usually the first place people look when they want your specific service or products.
Training other professionals establishes your credibility and expertise. They range from an evening class to a week-long intensive training.
Transit Advertising (buses, taxis, depots) directs the public to your services and products as your image is driven all over town and seen by those who wait for their rides.
If you live in a rainy city, purchase a stock of umbrellas with your logo imprinted on them and loan or give them to clients who forget their own.
Create a unique, professional image by putting your logo, position statement or favorite design on clothing.
Let your clients know when you have completed a seminar, class or lecture, that enhances your service to them.
Sponsor a "health" vacation with guest speakers, activities, drawings and show slides (e.g., spa destinations, great places to hike and boat).
A unique method of presenting and demonstrating your services and products. They can be left with other professionals for marketing; have clients view them while waiting to see you; used as part of a proposal for a corporate contract; and shown as an educational tool for the public.
Turn your customers into VIPs. Give them the opportunity to avail themselves of special sales and promotions. Each time a repeat client visits, treat him/her with the special care you gave with your first session. Provide filtered water (or special teas/juices) for clients to drink before or after the session, have a bowl with hard candies (sugarless also), and keep a blanket handy in case clients become cold or a fan should they become warm. If you are a massage/bodywork practitioner be sure to offer clients towels to wipe off with and use attractive sheets (if you find out a client likes a particular color or mentions they like a particular set of sheets have that ready for the next massage).
A Voice Mail Service can be your primary message service or as a back up to an answering machine in case of mechanical failure.
Send a welcome kit to all new clients as soon as they book their first appointment. Include the following: a brochure describing your services, benefits and features; financial and appointment policies; a business card; and educational information. This allows the client to know what to expect and feel more comfortable and welcome!
Create an inviting display showing your services or products; make it colorful and catchy to grab the public's attention. Change it frequently.
These can also be created at related businesses, not just your own. Some malls rent "Window Display" areas in front of vacant stores or have special display alcoves.
One of the most powerful resources for business: satisfied and dissatisfied clients talk and talk.
Conduct workshops or classes in your area. Advertise in newspapers and local magazines, mail fliers and hang posters. Do free lectures which you can advertise at no cost by sending out Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to print media and radio stations.
If you are a chiropractor or dentist, offer free x-rays upon a client's initial visit.
Yellow Pages are used extensively by the public for locating services. Place your listing under the most logical category if you can only afford one listing. Otherwise list under each applicable category.
Sponsor an animal or event at your local zoo. Sponsorships are often published in the society's newsletter and if the contribution is significant, the zoo might even place a plaque with your name on its premises.


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100 Bloody Acres: movie review
Failing at both humor and horror, this throwaway Aussie genre flick concerns two hillbilly brothers (Damon Herriman, Angus Sampson) who make their special organic fertilizer with—wait for it—human blood. That booming business is threatened when one of the siblings picks up three young adults whose car has broken down. Severed limbs, gunshot wounds and bodies put through meat grinders provide over-the-top gore but no gross-out laughs, while the usual rural-versus-urban and misogynistic undercurrents typical of such a backwoods-horror scenario get trotted out to no effect. It's a film that's about as funny and/or scary as a lump of sod.
Follow Nick Schager on Twitter: @nschager
Release details
|Release date:
|Friday June 28 2013
|91 mins
Cast and crew
|Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes
|Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes
|Damon Herriman
Angus Sampson
Anna McGahan
Average User Rating
4 / 5
Rating Breakdown
- 5 star:0
- 4 star:2
- 3 star:0
- 2 star:0
- 1 star:0
Once you read this review, you HAVE to read this one!!! http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/100-bloody-acres-2012
Could not agree LESS! The audience I was in laughed from start to finish. Not sure what movie you were watching!


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Guys, please be aware of the harmful effects of soy and its products (like tofu, soy milk, soy yogurt, sausages, hot dogs etc). Just google 'Truth about soy' or 'Harmful soy' or similar, and know more of the other side of soy.
Link to start with - http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/soy.htm
Bottom line..there is no substitute to cows milk.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Truth about Soy
Posted by Shweta kannan at 12:31 AM
Labels: Health info 4 u
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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499582472153091139.post7742458520491035320..comments2018-06-18T04:20:46.881-05:00Comments on The young people enjoy it when I get down verbally: Lil Wayne's "Mrs. Officer"LAZLO HOLLYFELDhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499582472153091139.post-54543975448726207392009-01-06T10:24:00.000-06:002009-01-06T10:24:00.000-06:00Good work. I sort of picture the recording of thi...Good work. I sort of picture the recording of this song being some kind of drunk & stoned comedy hour that Lil' Wayne struggled to get to.

The best part of the song is the the end of the chorus where he says "When I'm in that thing / I'll make your body sing".davatron5000https://firstname.lastname@example.com


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Hey trusty Blog peruse-ers!
I have a cool opportunity for teens ages 13-18 to be a part of! How many of you have taken part in the Summer Reading Program? Welllllll, the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP for short) is hosting a competition for young people to make videos for the Summer Reading Program.
How fun would it be to enter the contest by making a video?? You could make one with your friends, by yourself, or you could join the Teen Advisory Board and we all could make one as a group! Maybe you could be the winning video from Vermont!
The video has to be awesome! Use the theme, "Own the Night." Be educational/promoting reading and using the library!
Think about doing it! I dare you to!
Here's the link for the contest:


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Wow…. this could have far-reaching consequences for Canadian citizens seeking help through income assistance or welfare. Click here to read the full post or an excerpt below. Learn more about it in this article.
"After a campaign against the backbench member, the government moved the provisions of Bill C-585 into Bill C-43, a bill that implemented the federal government's 2014 Budget. That bill was passed in the House of Commons and came into law in December 2014.
So far, none of Canada's provinces have implemented residency requirements as allowed in this law. And with a new federal government, there may be an opportunity to have this law changed."


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When you decide to "get healthy," there is always a place in your mind that thinks, "If I can only do this for ______________ (days, months, weeks, years), then it will be easy to maintain."
The problem is, it doesn't happen that way.
There are sick days that get you out of your exercise routine.
There are stressful times and group gatherings that push you off the eating well wagon.
And when these things happen at the same time – pow – you are knocked down and can't figure out how to get back up.
Then there are just the monotonous times when you are bored with your workout routine and bored with the healthy food choices, and it is so tempting (and easy) to slack off.
And then you feel guilty. And you feel like it should be easier since you have been doing it for so long.
That sometimes happens to me. But it helps when I remember how hard it was to make the changes in the first place, and realize that it is a little easier now. Some because I know better about what good choices look like and feel like.
But the truth is, I have to make choices every day to stay healthy. I have to decide to get out of bed to exercise. I have to decide to walk away from the tempting foods. I have to decide that even though my whole family may be eating something I really want to eat, but shouldn't, it's okay to say no. I've come too far to go backwards. I don't want to put the weight back on. I don't want to lose the endurance I have built up.
And while some days are easier than others, I have to make those good choices every day. Even on the ones when it takes everything in me to make the right one.
Every day.
Are you making good choices today?


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User Reviews for Erythra-Derm
The following information is NOT intended to endorse drugs or recommend therapy. While these reviews might be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgement of healthcare practitioners in patient care.
Reviews for Erythra-Derm
No reviews have yet been submitted. Be the first to review this drug.
More about Erythra-Derm (erythromycin topical)
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Other brands: Romycin, Staticin, Emgel, Erycette, ... +7 more


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Some URLs are not only long, but unpleasant, like links to products on ebay:
To solve this problem, services that shrink URLs appeared. They're useful when you want to give a friend a link like the one above over IM or email. Short URLs are also handy in services like Twitter, where messages are limited to 140 characters. A short URL leaves more space for the actual text.
So far we tried three services that provide short aliases to redirect long URLs:
This is probably the most known service of its kind. It's been around for a long time, since 2002, and there are some funny stories related to its early algorithm for generating the short URLs' identifiers.
One neat option of TinyURL is that you may create aliases like: tinyurl.com/teamness-uptime-public or tinyurl.com/inboxdiet.
Here is an article about TinyURL and his creator, Kevin Gilbertson.
When we started using Twitter, Tweetburner came in to help us generate short links and keep track of user clicks. They offer some basic analytics and daily graphs of the clicks you get on the links. We generated 35 Twurls (this is how they name the short URLs), which have been clicked 669 times until now.
Tweetburner did a good job, until it started being quite slow for us. Then we switched to Cligs. Behind the funny name, they're offering:
- real time analytics
- rules you may define to direct people to different web pages, based on their geo-location
- a world map with the hits for a clig
- an API on which several tools were based
When doing reasearch for this post, I came across gog.is. It's an URL shortner for Google search. If you put the keywords in the query, like http://gog.is/easy,team,collaboration it will redirect you to the Google search for "easy team collaboration".


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Steve Areen, who was previously a flight attendant for Delta Airlines, had built his own dome home on an organic mango farm in Northeastern Thailand. At first, he created a perfect sphere using a revolving arm technique, and then built his little Dome House using locally made bricks. In fact, his in-law's brother had inspired him with some ideas on this project. Amazingly, with a couple of helpers, he constructed his tiny home in just six weeks. He spent $8,000 in building is glorious tiny home.
Source - Link
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George loves to golf, and we were talking about it recently while we were out there. He said that he would be out on the course every day if he could because practice is key, and he really enjoys playing.
I challenged him to teach me how to play. After working on my grip for a few days, we headed out to the driving range. Jared and I split 108 balls between the two of us, and we took turns playing with the baby. I tried putting her in the Ergo on my back while I was playing. It was pretty successful, but it restrained my arm, so I kept hitting balls really oddly.
I must say that I at least was able to hit the ball, which is more than I can say for my previous golfing experience. I hit quite a few of them up and straight and they went about 100 yards!
I think we will be doing more golfing in the future.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Golf Game
Posted by Christibale at Monday, June 02, 2008
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Long Beach Comic Expo is an annual event held at the Long Beach Convention Center each spring. It's a celebration of comic books and pop culture that showcases the exceptional works of talented writers, artists, illustrators and creators of all types of pop culture. At Long Beach Comic Expo you'll find exhibitors promoting and selling all types of related products, as well as entertaining and educational programs, guest signings and meet & greet sessions with celebrities.
Advance Rates:
$52.24 through Feb 20, 2016
• Dino Andrade (Voice Actor)
• Soni Aralynn (Cosplayer)
• Michael Bell (Voice Actor)
• Steve Cardenas (Actor)
• Jim Cheung (Comic Book Artist)
• Amanda Conner (Comic Book Artist)
• Ivy Doomkitty (Cosplayer)
• Gigi Edgley (Actress)
• Tony Fleecs (Comic Writer / Artist)
• Alé Garza (Comic Artist)
• Paul Jenkins (Comic Writer)
• Dan Jolley (Author)
• Aaron Lopresti (Mystic Artist)
• Jim Mahfood (Comic Artist)
• Jonboy Meyers (Comic Artist)
• Jimmy Palmiotti (Comic Book Writer)
• Dan Parent (Comic Artist)
• Peter Steigerwald (Vice President, Aspen Comics)
• Alan Tudyk (Actor)
• Meg Turney (Cosplayer)
• LeeAnna Vamp (Cosplayer)
• Greg Weisman (Writer / Producer / Story Editor)
Photos and Reports:
Submit a link to your report
Tweets by
Update Information for Long Beach Comic Expo 2016
Last updated: 2018-04-14


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Grab your coffee or tea and let's get started!
Thank you so much for stopping by, Jennifer, and congrats on releasing Don't Kill Dinner!! When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
The day I started writing. It was never really something I thought about until I did it. Then I was hooked.
That's awesome :) What has been the most difficult part about being a writer?
Timelines… I am a HUGE advocate for proper timelines and it is so hard to keep everything straight when your characters are hundreds of years old.
Haha, I can definitely see how that would get complicated! Who are your favorite authors?
That's a hard question… Indie authors I would die without include Jessica Sorensen, Catherine Converse and CM Stunich… Theres also this author Lindsay Avalon, shes amazing too.
SQUEEEE!!! I mean, those are all wonderful authors ;) What authors inspire you?
Creatively, Anne Rice. Authors that inspire me TO write, CM Stunich and Catherine Converse. They have been with me since the beginning and they are always willing to help me when I get a little doubty.
Love those authors! Are you a plotter or a pantser with your writing?
I don't know what a pantser is but it sounds like way more fun than a plotter so I want to be that. I don't really have more than a main character when I start a story I just close my eyes and type what shows up.. I tried outlining Don't Kill Dinner and my story is completely different from the outline.
I think that means you're a pantser then :) What type of books do you like to read?
I love reading paranormal and New Adult books. I love the ability to escape to new worlds.
That's what I love most about reading <3 What do you like to do in your free time?
I play with my 4 puppies.. I wouldn't trade my fur babies for anything.
Aww, fur babies are the best!! Where is your favorite place to vacation?
Las Vegas, New Orleans or DC. More so the first two. I could settle for a visit to DC but I would give an ovary to live there.
LMAO that's an awesome way to put it. If you were stuck on a desert island and could have only three things, what would they be?
My hubs, a flint stick and my kindle.
That's about what I'd need too :) Why did you choose to write new adult paranormal romance?
It wasn't really a conscious choice. I started with Kenna and she decided to make it all romantic on her own.. I just reread a few scenes and was thought to myself "Oh, whoops. Looks like this book just went romance ;)" but I really wouldn't change it for anything. The New Adult genre is amazing and I love it because I it still has the same feel of a YA without making me feel like a pedo for having book crushes on the boys. :)
LOL! That's awesome how that happens! What has been the most fun about working on your books?
The journey. I have discovered so much about myself through writing. It has made me realize a lot about myself. I love being able to create something for people to enjoy.
I couldn't agree more, Jennifer. What has been the hardest scene for you to write?
I can't say because it sooo gives away plot.. but I cried like a little baby… Lets just say it's a life changing scene for the character Becca.
Aww, now I'm dying to know what happened lol! Do you have any favorite characters?
I love Kenna!!! She is everything a woman should be. She is strong, assertive, kind, thoughtful. She doesn't take crap from anyone and so often in books women are the damsels in distress… Kenna throws that stereotype straight out the window.
She sounds fantastic! How did you come up with the premise for Don't Kill Dinner?
I wanted a new take on vampires. Something that stood true to most of the history but still create something new that people would enjoy reading. The more I wrote the more it changed and morphed.
I can't wait to read it! Tell us about Kenna and the three rules to being a vampire please. Why does she have such a hard time following them?
The three rules are imperative to keeping the vampires safe. If you follow the rules, vampires can live hidden with the humans and stay safe from the Vampire Hunters and fanatics. Kenna has issues with them because of her love. She has the power to change things but the rules forbid her for doing good things for the people she loves. That is where her issue stems from.
Well I can certainly see why it would have been difficult for her. Tell us about Arthur and his relationship with Kenna.
Arthur is a knight in shining armor and a true gentlemen. He loves Kenna more than anything and wants to protect her but knows and accepts that she has to work some stuff out on her own. If you read Actor for Hire (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B7LBFIW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00B7LBFIW&linkCode=as2&tag=boobroandbar-20) you get to see the night that started it all. He loves her fire, tenacity and outlook on life. He wants her from the very moment he met her but knew she had a life to live and that she deserved that right.
Wow, love how he sounds! Is this part of a series? If so, what can we expect from future books?
This is part of a series! It is the first (full) installment of The Rules Trilogy. Each book will focus on a rule. Don't Feed is the next book in the series and should be out this June. It will focus on the war between the Sirens and the Vampires and there will be some new romances blossoming. It is going to be different from Don't Kill Dinner because it will focus on the growth and rebirth of Kenna and her friends after losing everyone that was important to them.
Yay!! So glad it's part of a series because it sounds like I'm going to love it! If you had the chance to become a vampire, would you? Why or why not?
In a heart beat, well my vampire at least. I would love to be able to live forever and visit anywhere I wanted. The whole consuming blood thing I could learn to deal with.
I think I'd want to be one too :) What's next for you?
Obviously, Kenna still has a bit of story left in her. Other than that I have started writing my YA book Blossom which will come out this summer and am working with a super handsome and talented illustrator (named Josh Martinez uh huh yep… that's right…) on a children's book called the Adventures of Sammy the Shark which will teach young children about oceanic conservation and hopefully help dispel the myths surrounding great white sharks.
I can't wait to read more!! Anything else you want your readers to know?
Please don't stop reading at the end of the book. Read the prologue to Don't Feed. I've had a few beta readers yell at me until they read the prologue for book two. Also, Actor for Hire is a companion to the series. You don't have to read it and it doesn't affect the story except for a few quotes and inside jokes but it will give you an insight to why Kenna is the way she is. Finally, Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! Without readers this journey would not be nearly as fulfilling. Thank you for supporting indie authors and for reading and legally purchasing our books.
Thank you so much for joining me! Lovelies, be sure to check out Don't Kill Dinner and Actor for Hire!!
Don't Kill Dinner...Buy it Now!
There are three rules when it comes to being a vampire in New Orleans. 1) Don't kill dinner. 2) Don't feed from people you know. 3) Don't tell anyone. Not too hard, right? Wrong. Kenna is a new vampire filled with a passion that has turned into an uncontrollable lust for blood.
Will Arthur be able to stop her feeding spree before the coven comes after her or is Kenna beyond saving?
Arthur has been watching Kenna for years, wanting her to try her own hand in life before he gave her the ultimate proposal. Now that she has accepted, will his love be enough to save her?
Buy it Now:
Meet Jennifer!
One day while slaving away at her monotonous day job, Jennifer Martinez found her true calling. Like a firefly in the night, the pages called to her. Once she caught the bug there was no stopping it. Her fingers flew furiously across the keyboard winding tales of love, mystery and anger. She snapped out of her reverie to find herself still behind the desk but at least she knew who she was… Author Jennifer Martinez.
I like to think of myself as a beautiful conundrum. When I am not writing, I can be found surrounded by my amazing family and 4 dogs or volunteering at a local animal rescue. I love who I am and don't mind at all when I get strange looks from people. I am a tattoo covered, child and animal lover who looks forward to destroying peoples preconceived notions of what "someone like me" would be interested in. You only live life once… you may as well make it interesting.
I love to get lost in a good book and hope that everyone will get lost in mine.
Connect with Jennifer!


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Discover what the University of Liverpool in London can do for you at our Open Evening.
We're opening the doors of our impressive London campus to the business community at this event. We'd be delighted if you could join us to explore how the campus can work for you and how partnering with us can give your business the competitive edge.
Bringing Liverpool to London. Find out why we've opened a campus in London
Partner with us to give your organisation the competitive edge. We are a powerhouse of knowledge and ideas and we want to share this expertise with you to support your business ideas and development
Talk to us about your Degree Apprenticeship workforce development plans. The University of Liverpool is currently investigating potential demand for Degree Level Apprenticeships, and is keen to talk to potential partners.
Find out how you can access our highly skilled graduates or work with us to develop courses that create 'work ready' graduates equipped with the skills and knowledge required for your sector
Meet and hear from expert academics
Listen to inspirational 'TED-style' talks
Meet specialists in developing training programmes for businesses
Explore CPD opportunities for you and/or your staff
Network with a variety of graduates, academics, professionals and employers at our drinks reception
Discover how you can utilise the exceptional facilities we have
Tour the high-end facilities.
This is a drop-in event starting at 5pm. Businesses are welcome to join us from the start or from 6pm when the programme talks will begin.
Find out more about the University of Liverpool in London here www.liverpool.ac.uk/london


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Injury-prone David Beckham had to retire from a Wednesday game against a Mexican team after he collided with an opposing player. Contrary to what you might think happened given the picture above, the owie ended up being a sprained KNEE, and not a sprained wee-wee.
I'm still looking for a report on whether these two became extricated from one another. I'll keep you posted.


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Underdogs bite Upwards has a blog about the neodymium used in magnetic devices such as generators, including wind turbines.
The highly un-green background to what the eco-loons proffer as green technologies is something they like to sweep under that carpet and hope you won't find out. I've already pointed out the vast industrial processes that go into converting mined Lithium into a rechargeable battery. As battery powered cars take off, so will the demand for Lithium and huge swathes of the world will be blighted as Lithium is extracted. Not very eco-friendly.
Neodymium is also used in.... you guessed it, electric motors; the same electric motors that power battery powered cars.
You see, there's always a downside to any technology, but the eco-nutters still want to force us to get our electricity from vast, useless windmills that consume huge amounts of neodymium, want us to drive lots of cars that use both neodymium and lithium in large quantities and both require vast amounts of energy to refine all of the stuff that goes into them like steel. Energy that would be saved by making existing technology a little bit more efficient and cleaner. Not to mention all the other "rare earth" minerals that are used to produce modern-day sensors and other devices and materials.
But no, we have to completely change our lives around, because the great quasi-religion that has sprung up around CO2 has deemed our current lives unfit. We must not be allowed to continue with existing technology, we must consign our old technology to the scrapheap and renew, we must consume all that is deemed to be worthy.
Hardly eco-friendly.
A clattering of Jackdaws. - When we bought this house, we noticed that there appeared to be a pair of Jackdaws living in the chimney. We had to block off the chimney, so felt rather b...
11 months ago


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Santa's North Pole Workshop will have a satellite location in December at the Downtown Branson Main Street Association office, 119 W. Pacific in Branson, Missouri.
All children age 12 and under may have their picture taken with Santa and tell him their secret wishes. In the Workshop children may also decorate cookies and make an ornament to take home. Santa will visit with children while the Workshop is open on Saturday, December 13, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m . Admission is free.
The Downtown Association also decorates the "Giving Trees" in December to collect gifts for the Boys & Girls Club and residents of local nursing homes. For more information on Santa's Workshop or the Giving Trees, call 417-334-1548.
Information courtesy of Downtown Branson Main Street Association


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Researchers document eelgrass wasting disease in Washington
By KIMBERLY CAUVEL
Nov. 12, 2017
ANACORTES, Wash. (AP) — Squatting on a muddy beach on the north end of Fidalgo Island, Morgan Eisenlord untangled several slippery strands of eelgrass.
Most of the strands were a shiny green, similar to giant, damp blades of grass. Some bore patches of brown — a sign of eelgrass wasting disease.
Eisenlord — a Cornell University doctoral student doing her dissertation at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Labs — is searching for the disease in areas on Fidalgo Island and on the San Juan Islands.
"We know it's here, it's prevalent and it's affecting eelgrass," Eisenlord said of their findings.
The primary goal of Eisenlord and others working on the research is to document where in the region the disease is found and how much of the eelgrass in those areas is affected. That baseline data is needed in order to watch for changes in the future.
The researchers also hope to eventually answer questions such as how big of a threat the disease is in the Pacific Northwest, whether global climate change will amplify that threat and if anything can be done to prevent or stop the disease in the Salish Sea, which includes the Puget Sound, Strait of Juan de Fuca and Georgia Strait.
"We care a lot about eelgrass ... In our waters it's essential for both herring and salmon. A lot of herring spawn in eelgrass beds and a lot of salmon feed in eelgrass beds," researcher Drew Harvell said. "Given that it's such a really, really important marine habitat, anything that is contributing to its decline is a problem."
Eelgrass wasting disease has long affected the important marine plant in parts of the world. The East Coast of the United States saw a steep decline in eelgrass beds during an outbreak of the disease in the 1930s, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
More recently, the disease was documented in the Pacific Northwest. The disease does not appear to have caused a major decline in area eelgrass beds, according to research being led by Harvell, a Cornell University professor.
After studying the impacts of other diseases on coral reefs, Harvell said she developed an interest in eelgrass wasting while working at Friday Harbor Labs on San Juan Island.
In 2012, she began teaching a graduate course there on marine disease ecology.
It was through that course — during which students surveyed eelgrass beds at 11 sites in the region for signs of wasting — that Harvell realized the disease was prevalent in area waters.
"We were impressed to see how high the level of infection was at some of our sites," she said.
Since they started investigating eelgrass wasting disease in area waters, Harvell's students have helped determine the disease is caused by a type of single-celled organism called protozoa and that there are multiple strains of the disease.
Affected parts of the leaves die, turn brown and can cause the portion of the leaves above the affected areas to break off and float away.
"We haven't observed it actually killing the whole plant, but we are seeing it limiting growth," Eisenlord said.
The data collected over the years has also shown that the presence of the disease increases during the summer.
Eelgrass wasting disease is caused by a microscopic organism that is always present in marine water.
In February 2014, a research paper by Harvell, her former student Maya Groner and others concluded that more research was needed to determine why the disease only sometimes affects eelgrass.
In addition to large outbreaks, the disease is found at higher rates in some areas than in others, including within some bays in the Salish Sea.
The disease is known to affect eelgrass plants when they are not strong enough to fight it off.
"It's opportunistic, like a cold, so if you have ... other stressors, it can take over and the plant can become overwhelmed," Eisenlord said.
It's unclear what conditions allow the disease to take hold.
Using data collected in 2013, another research paper by Harvell, Groner and others in 2016 suggested that older eelgrass and denser eelgrass beds are more susceptible to the disease.
It also showed that of the 11 sites surveyed, Padilla Bay in Skagit County had the highest rate of eelgrass wasting disease in plants sampled, at about 79 percent.
The other site surveyed in Skagit County, at Ship Harbor on the north end of Fidalgo Island, was at 43 percent.
On average, wasting disease was present about 34 percent of the time across all sites sampled, including the two sites in Skagit County and the nine in San Juan County.
Some suspect the disease may worsen in certain conditions such as warmer water.
Eisenlord and Jude Apple of the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve said if warmer water does correlate with higher incidence of the disease, it could be problematic in the future.
"There's a potential for it to have a big impact if conditions change ... Just a few degrees can make it more prevalent and severe," Eisenlord said.
Padilla Bay has seen an increase in water temperatures in recent years, according to data from the reserve. Apple said while that could be a temporary trend due to short-term climate cycles, water temperatures are expected to increase in the bay due to climate change.
While continuing to collect data from those 11 research sites — now as part of a partnership with Western Washington University's Shannon Point Marine Center in Anacortes — Eisenlord has seen signs of eelgrass wasting increase and decrease at different locations.
Beach Haven on the north side of San Juan Island recently saw an increase.
"We only know for sure this year that that is not normal," Eisenlord said of the need for long-term data.
Western Washington University graduate student Tyler Tran, who is also studying eelgrass, helped Eisenlord gather leaves from plants at Ship Harbor and other locations this summer for further analysis in the lab.
While at the beach July 25, Tran slid leaves between his fingers to clear them of mud before winding them up like ribbon and placing each in labeled sandwich bags.
Many students have helped collect those types of samples in recent years in an effort to find out whether eelgrass beds such as those in Padilla Bay — one of the largest on the West Coast, according to NOAA — are at risk of declining or disappearing due to the disease.
The data shows the disease appears to be most prevalent in Padilla Bay.
Eisenlord said Padilla Bay is also one of the sites where the disease has increased since the research began.
Although the disease is present, researchers have not seen a steep decline of eelgrass in Padilla Bay.
Additional research involving students at Friday Harbor Labs and Shannon Point Marine Center is being done to determine how much area eelgrass beds are declining and how much of that decline may be directly related to the disease.
Information from: Skagit Valley Herald, http://www.skagitvalleyherald.com


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Tasawwuf is the name of two qualities: First [quality] is that [the slave] should be obedient to Allah, i.e., he/she should be acting on the Shari'ah (the outer laws of Islam including obligations, commandments, and prohibitions). And second [quality] is that [the seeker] is the one who is sympathetic and a doer of good towards [all of] Allah's creations [which is not possible without purifying one's soul from all evil qualities and then embellishing one's soul with all good qualities]. One who has perseverance in acting on the Shari'ah and has the qualities of [desiring] betterment (true success) for the entire humanity is a "Sufi" (this actually is the correct use of this term as opposed to the wrong uses of the term that are prevalent today). Loyalty [and obedience] to Allah is that [the seeker] sacrifices his own happiness for the sake of Allah. Sincerity to [all] people [of the world] is that [the seeker] does not keep relations with the people for his/her own motives [but instead is selfless towards them and performs selfless duty to them] and refrains from selfishness. But instead should dedicate himself/herself for the good (welfare) of [all] the people [of the world], however the condition is that, this welfare should be in accordance with the Shari'ah (the Divine laws).
Imam Ghazali (RA) To One Of His Disciple


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Today we will begin creating our infographics.
If you are using Photoshop
- You will create a black and white drawing of your infographic and go over the design with Sharpie. Everything must be solid black and white, and you should make sure you close all shapes and lines like the example below:
- You will then take a high-quality photo of your drawing and post it to your blog.
- You will complete the tutorials on how to manipulate hand drawn lettering in Photoshop. You will post your completed tutorial to your blog. (This means that if you work quickly, you will create two blog posts today.)
If you are using Illustrator
- You will follow the steps below to begin creating your infographic in Illustrator.
- If your design requires a colored background, or you have any objects with holes in them, read the post about compound paths and backgrounds.
Steps to creating the actual infographic file in Illustrator
- Open Adobe Illustrator
- Create a new file. File -> New.
Set the dimensions as follows (flip the height and the width if you want a landscape orientation):
- Place the image of your layout sketch. File -> Place. It may not fit the dimensions of the paper exactly.
That is ok. You can scale and distort it to fit by dragging the top, bottom, and sides of the layout sketch image.
- In the layers palette, double-click to rename Layer 1.
Then press the new layer button to make a new layer, and name it "images to vectorize."
You may also want to create a new layer for each image you plan to vectorize.
- Place any reference images you plan to vectorize. File -> Place.
Hold down on the shift key and scale from the corner until each image is the correct size.
- Use the rectangle tool to create boxes.
- Use the text tool to add text.
- Use the pen tool to trace create vector illustrations.
- At the end of class, save your file as a PDF (File -> Save as -> PDF) and upload the PDF to your blog.
Also, create a new folder with your project PDF file and any images you are using, and back it up to your Google Drive or USB drive.
Today we will:
- create a new 11×17 or 17×11 file in Adobe Illustrator
- place our layout sketch in this file
- begin vectorizing our layout sketch
- save our file as a PDF and upload the PDF of our progress to our blog


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After "Lost's" oh-so-deep finale last night, I thought it was time to lighten things up a bit. Hence, this hilarious clip from "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" featuring Matthew (Jack) Fox. Enjoy!
Feeling a bit "Lost"? Try this
May 14, 2009 at 11:28 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: abc, ava gacser, jimmy kimmel, jimmy kimmel live, lost, matthew fox


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True confession: I own several books on parenting. They are really mostly books on sleeping. How to get your child to sleep, how to get them to stay asleep, how to get them to nap, when naps are too long/short, etc. Hence the name of this blog, I guess. I acquired these books shortly after we came home from the hospital. Those first few weeks were smooth sailing but right about the time our boy was 5 or 6 weeks old, he forgot how to sleep. And he cried. And cried. And cried. And, of course, this was during the time that my in-laws were in town visiting the new baby. I can't begin to describe the level of anxiety I was experiencing at any given point in my day. Let me also just say that my in-laws are actually very nice people, but nothing adds to that feeling of incompetent parenting more than having it witnessed by someone else whose been there and done it successfully. So my husband stopped on his way home from work on a couple of occasions to pick up the necessary instruction manuals for how to encourage our infant to find his way back to Slumberville. Unfortunately, I am also one of those people who has a problem with TOO much information. I would read one book and feel settled on a plan of action to soothe my child and then read something else and think "No, that's not right. This must be it." and in the end, I was running in circles like a dog chasing it's tail. This is also the reason I try to stay away from Google and avoid browsing the internet for all sorts of random parenting issues from eating to napping to walking, etc. In any case, the problem with our offspring ended up being not related to sleep at all but actually acid reflux. Once he had some baby Zantac, things started to calm down. As much as they can anyway.
I must also confess here and now that we did do sleep training with him when he was older. It was one of the tougher things I have ever had to do, but I do believe that it helped him sleep better at night and he does go to bed without a fight typically. *knocks wood* And no, I am not advocating it for everyone because it was super hard and if there are other ways to deal with a cranky kid that are more comfortable for parents, I say "Go for it!" In any case, we have recently begun that transition from two naps to one. The dreaded "yuck zone" as one book calls it. Where two naps is almost too much and one nap is not quite enough. This is also a transition that our pediatrician said wouldn't happen for a few more months. Which has caused all sorts of doubt and anxiety in me wondering if this new desire to sleep only once per day for a huge chunk of time is more related to a schedule issue than actually being physiologically ready to only have one nap. So, I have started hitting the books again. And Google. And it's hard to stop. What I have found is that most resources agree with my MD but also that every baby is different. I have also read that when a baby is over-tired they throw more tantrums, which might explain why World War III occurs whenever the tot is denied something. Oddly, that makes me feel better that my child isn't turning in to a brat but is really probably just tired a lot of the time. So, that's a relief.
But it's also somewhat disappointing for me. I wish I had more confidence in myself as a parent. I would love to be the mom who just knows "That's not my kid" when the doctor, friend, grandma, reference material, etc. says that your baby should be doing "x" by the age of "y". But, typically, I am not. Especially when the information comes from an authority figure or (for some reason) a book. I don't know why that is. Any yahoo can write a book, right? In fact, there are thousands of parenting books out there with thousands of different ideas and suggestions for raising a kid. So, it really is silly for me to give any one idea any more weight just because it's in print, right? I wonder if parental confidence is something you develop as time goes on. Or is it something that you just have or don't have? If you tend to be a more confident person does that make you more confident in your parenting? I wonder if there is a book about this...maybe I will Google it.


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To the Editor:
In response to last week's letter, "The Ocean Needs Sharks," it was so relieving knowing there are so many people from all over the world who want this brutal, savage, degrading tournament of the massive slaughter of these magnificent creatures of the sea stopped once and for all.
It's so unbelievable how adults are teaching our children how to hate, kill, and destroy rather than to protect, nurture, and respect all life.
Wouldn't it be nice if this were taught in the home by the parents and in the schools by the teachers?
Keep up the good work VAST. We are behind you all the way.
George Vanzant and Family
West Tisbury and Kodiak Island, Alaska


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Lucid Media is leading in Viet Nam.


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PHENIX CITY, Ala. - An east Alabama jury took just minutes to convict a man of beating and strangling his pregnant girlfriend to death.
The Russell County jury on Thursday found Curtis Durall Newsome guilty of murder in the June 2013 killing of Caneya "Candy" Webb.
The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports that Newsome has said he "snapped" after learning that another man had contacted his girlfriend on Facebook.
Authorities say Newsome punched her so hard in the back of her head that she lost consciousness, then strangled her until she was dead, bound her ankles and wrists with computer cord and left her face-down in the bathtub of her Phenix City apartment.
Circuit Judge Al Johnson set Newsome's sentencing for Aug. 22.


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Download EBOOK Nonfiction Reading, Grade 1 PDF for free
Category: Society & Social Sciences
The author of the book: Ruth Foster
Format files: PDF, EPUB, TXT, DOCX
The size of the: 613 KB
Language: English
Edition: TEACHER CREATED MATERIALS
Date of issue: 1 March 2011
Description of the book "Nonfiction Reading, Grade 1":Quick, easy, effective activities support standards and help students improve skills they need for success in testing. Sound too good to be true? Not at all. Thats just what each book in this series offers.
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Lawn and Garden Equipment Parts Repair
When the motor on your lawn mower breaks down, Hite Parts Exchange can replace or rebuild it, often in 24 hours so you can get right back to work. The same goes for many parts of the equipment you use to care for your lawn and garden. Call us today for more information on our lawn and garden parts services.


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listen to the radiator making broken sounds
I used to not go out on Friday nights in Austin. Not because there weren't things to do (there is ALWAYS something to do in Austin), and not because I was feeling anti-social. No, the reason I made it a point to stay home on Fridays was Bill Moyers and his program NOW. NOW is still the best news program that I've ever seen on television - Moyers covered subjects everyone else ignored, with attention to detail and actual analysis (instead of screaming matches between people who barely know what they're talking about). It was so good, and it was so sad when he left, and the new host is fine, but it's not worth staying in for anymore.
But now, at least for a few weeks this summer, there's a reason to stay home on Friday nights again: the new Moyers program Faith and Reason. He interviewed Salman Rushdie on Friday night and will be speaking to lots of other figures in the worlds of faith and, well, reason in the next few weeks. There's a nice interview in the DMN on Moyers and his topics here. Happy day!


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On Saturday we went to the Korean Festival here in Calgary. We braved the rain and the possibility that we might feel like unwanted foreign invaders all for a taste of galbi and dukbogi. Now, dukbogi is a street food and not one of the Korean foods I ever thought I would encounter again, but we relished every chewy cabbage-covered bite of it.
Koreans use the word waygook to describe, well, everyone who isn't Korean. American soldiers are waygooks, so are white people, and Chinese and Japanese and probably those of Korean descent who live in other countries. The Korean ability to categorize others so easily is a perfect example of their xenophobic and insular approach to the world. Here's a better example: they were still calling us waygooks here in Calgary! The festival, advertised in English, was obviously geared for Koreans since the entire festival was in Korean (and Chinese for some reason) and the signs were in hangul. This was another thing we encountered a lot of in Korea...a map or a pamphlet with an English title or introduction and then nothing else. I can't tell you how many times we picked up an English booklet only to find the inside entirely in Korean. What a pump-fake. Anyway, we got such a kick out of the fact that they were still referring to us as "foreigners" in our home country...I guess it's all a matter of perspective and some people's perspectives never change.


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I have always loved reading not only novels but also poems or scribbles. I have always admired how words, when put together can mean something, and sometimes it even just depends on how one understands the piece. I have always adored how feelings could lead someone to write.
That or just plain boredom.
This week I got captivated by pieces that start with "She". These reminded me that women are beautiful and powerful. I'm not saying this because I was born with a female reproductive organ. I am writing purely because I believe these pieces are lovely. Oh and I got the pieces from Pinterest.
"She is
as all
open hearts
are, but she
is wild
and free
and can handle
a few scars."
"She was chaos
and beauty
A tornado of
from divine."
"She was beautifully.
Out of place.
Sometimes I believe.
She intended to be.
Like the moon during the day."
"She is a
beautiful piece
of broken
pottery, put
back together by
her own hands.
And a critical world
judges her cracks
while missing the
beauty of how she
made herself
whole again."
"She is beautiful.
But you really cannot
comprehend it until
you understand that
she is the result
of the pieces that
she refused to let
life take away from her."
And once again here I am unsure of how to end this post. But a lot happened yesterday (not only in my country but in others as well) so, KEEP SPREADING LOVE AND HAPPINESS! Let us celebrate life and stop the hatred.
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