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About Notes on Fiction
With a thoughtfully curated, fiction-inspired program, each Notes on Fiction concert captures the spirit of a book in sound and features short readings of passages that inspired the musical program. Performances are followed by a wine reception, where the audience can mingle with the musicians.
Notes on Fiction: Orfeo by Richard Powers
Friday November 21, 2014
07:30 pm
Photo credit: Kholood Eid
MacArthur Fellow and author Richard Powers joined The Nouveau Classical Project, a hybrid music ensemble and creative production hub that is putting "a new face on classical music" (NPR Deceptive Cadence) and the newly formed Kamea String Quartet. Part reading, part concert, this event took the audience through the adventure of Peter Els, a composer turned scientist whose attempts to find musical patterns in living cells arouses the suspicions of Homeland Security. The Nouveau Classical Project and Kamea performed a wide range of music, such as classics by Barber & Messiaen as well as music by contemporary composers Philip Glass and Stephen Taylor. Orfeo was longlisted for the 2014 Man Booker prize.
This event took place at The DiMenna Center, 450 West 37th St.
About Orfeo (W.W. Norton & Company)
In Orfeo, Powers tells the story of a man journeying into his past as he desperately flees the present. Composer Peter Els opens the door one evening to find the police on his doorstep. His home microbiology lab—the latest experiment in his lifelong attempt to find music in surprising patterns—has aroused the suspicions of Homeland Security. Panicked by the raid, Els turns fugitive. As an Internet-fueled hysteria erupts, Els—the "Bioterrorist Bach"—pays a final visit to the people he loves, those who shaped his musical journey. Through the help of his ex-wife, his daughter, and his longtime collaborator, Els hatches a plan to turn this disastrous collision with the security state into a work of art that will reawaken its audience to the sounds all around them. The result is a novel that soars in spirit and language by a writer who "may be America's most ambitious novelist" (Kevin Berger, San Francisco Chronicle).
About The Nouveau Classical Project
The Nouveau Classical Project (NCP) is a hybrid music ensemble and creative production hub that is putting "a new face on classical music" (NPR Deceptive Cadence) and "leading [the] unlikely intersection of classical music and fashion" (The New York Times). Spearheaded by Artistic Director and Pianist Sugar Vendil, NCP's mission is to re-imagine the concert experience in modern and dynamic ways through adventurous projects, new repertoire, and collaborations with fashion designers, dancers, composers, and more. NCP began by collaborating with fashion designers to create music-inspired looks to be worn by musicians and has since expanded to creating imaginative projects that go beyond the traditional concert format.
Their unique fashion partnerships have garnered interest from new listeners as well as exposed emerging composers to new audiences. Through modern and innovative ways of presenting new music, NCP hopes to reach diverse audiences that will become enthusiastic supporters of new music.
They have performed at many exciting venues, including (le) poisson rouge, Galapagos Art Space, Korea Gallery, Symphony Space, The Center for Fiction, Issue Project Room as part of MATA's Interval series, as well as the fashion shows of CFDA winner Pamela Love, Project Runway winner Gretchen Jones, Tanya Taylor, and more. Performances for Spring 2014 included a concert at SubCulture in New York, a performance at the fashion show of 2014 Ecco Domani award-winning designer Novis, the Kempner Collection launch party, and the sold-out premiere of Potential Energies at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Fishman Space.
About Kamea
The new and enchanting string quartet Kamea offers programs rich in diversity, presenting multicultural works in addition to the traditional classical repertoire. The group engages audiences with its unique charisma and verve and inspires listeners to expand their musical tastes. The members of Kamea began playing together during their graduate studies at Stony Brook University, where they discovered a shared love of eclecticism and stylistic eccentricity. They now play a range of music that includes original arrangements of ethnic folk music, reinterpretations of the western canon, and creative approaches towards contemporary works. Currently living in the New York City area, the group's members originate from Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and Sofia, Bulgaria.
Susanna Mendlow, cello


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Here's a great post over at $5 Dinners showing how to use all parts of the split chicken breast. It's just so cheap to do it this way.
Saturday: Roasted chicken, asparagus, couscous
Sunday: BBQ pork (slow cooker does the work overnight on Saturday), corn, potatoes
Monday: Leftover chicken and veggies
Tuesday: Leftover BBQ, green beans, potatoes
Wednesday: Taco night
Thursday: Fish, peas, broccoli, brown rice
Friday: Spaghetti, leftover peas and broccoli
Looking at this list, it's a pretty boring week. But, it's a cheap one! I'm also planning on making cabbage soup for my lunches next week, since cabbage is extra-super-cheap this week with St. Patty's Day coming up.

subset: commoncrawl


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When Port Adelaide announced last year that it had struck a three year "partnership" with Chinese business, the dominant reaction was probably confusion or derision. With a game now having been played for premiership points in Shanghai, now is a good time to try to get to grips with what exactly is going on.
While expansionism is often at the forefront of the minds of many ambitious footy fans who are keen to prove that the Australian game is the best game in the world, a much simpler answer is likely afoot: soft political power and raw cash.
A brief history of the AFL in China
The AFL-China linkage hasn't come out of thin air. The idea of connecting foreign sports with Chinese money and audiences has been around for a while. Those with a long memory may recall that in 2010, China-linked Russian company Kaspersky paid Melbourne $300k to play a preseason game in Shanghai. Woodside, a then-Fremantle sponsor who export gas to China, also came on board as a sponsor of the game.
China's history with the game before then was minimal, with the first local amateur championship played in Beijing in 2009 – just a year before the Melbourne-Brisbane preseason game. Since the mid 1990s, local leagues and Auskick programs (with some limited AFL support) have been springing up across the country – but on a relatively small scale to other international sporting programs in China. China had the 15th strongest national team at the 2014 International Cup, a standing that has not changed much since their first entry in 2008.
The AFL has long nurtured dreams of substantive international expansion, but they're not naïve enough to think it starts with spending a lot of money to play games in China. As best as our research shows, the AFL isn't footing much of the bill in China, and even groups like Tourism Australia have kicked in. The South Australian Government has even contributed $250,000 for a 25-part TV show on AFL for the Chinese market. For Port Adelaide, six staff members are listed as currently working in their "China and Government Relations" division – a substantial investment commensurate with the financial gain they are obtaining from the project.
Broadly it could be said AFL ventures overseas have three interests – financial gain, intergovernmental relations, and actual expansion of the sport. Initiatives like playing games in New Zealand and drafting from the United States seem to be far more serious ventures for expanding the reach of the sport. Those things are really what international expansion means to the AFL right now, not so much Port Adelaide playing in Shanghai.
Who is Shanghai CRED?
This deal certainly isn't an isolated or random measure for the Chinese partner, Shanghai CRED. They are a real estate company with about $3 billion AUD in assets, led by a billionaire named Gui Goujie who is described in at least one article we've read as "affable". Shanghai CRED seems to be a private company that used to be a state agency. Like many business elites Gui is embedded in the government establishment. He sits on the Shanghai committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and "has been assigned by the Chinese government a major role in linking state and private companies, and in building Chinese investments overseas."
Make no mistake that this sort of philanthropic engagement by expansionist Chinese business interests has official blessing. Many private businesses are of course closely linked with the state in China, and the Premier of China himself attended a game with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull earlier this year, during an extended Australian visit.
The company has a lot of other interests in Australia and elsewhere in the western world such as New Zealand and China. Last year Shanghai CRED was a minority partner with Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting in a joint venture bid to take over large swathes of S. Kidman and Co. cattle group land across Australia, a move approved by the Treasurer Scott Morrison in December 2016, after earlier bids by other foreign interests were rejected. Rinehart, naturally, attended the match at Jiangwan Stadium yesterday.
The key thing to note here is that the Shanghai game happened because of sponsorship of Port Adelaide by Shanghai CRED, and other firms to a much lesser degree. The money is substantial in AFL terms – reportedly worth $6 million in new revenue so far with more expected – but a rounding error compared to a major agricultural property deal or CRED's $3bn asset portfolio.
The AFL as subject, not object
There's been a lot of pretty funny press around the match, rather justifiably making the AFL and its teams look like absolute rubes in over their heads. From Port's captain Travis Boak being roundly mocked for claiming to be the first western pro sport to play for points in China…
Riiiiiiight… 🙄 https://t.co/yf3cysPFFb
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) May 11, 2017
…to the truly weird spectacle of the Age's photographer chucking a murky yellow filter over their photos, making them look smoggy…
Imagine @theage using filters to make the 'Chinese' air look dirty 😂 pic.twitter.com/DqyqwfzT6B
— Ali Soufan (@asoufan96) May 11, 2017
…to antiquated racist jokes on Fox Footy, and the reporting of the Suns bravely surviving minor flight delays, it's all been a bit of a cringe-fest as a resolutely local sport discovers the joys of long haul international play.
The amateurishness, the ill-preparedness, the earnestness, the boorishness, all make a lot more sense when you realise that the push isn't really being led by the AFL or its clubs, regardless of how they like to spin things. The AFL are very much the acted-upon party here, offered a bunch of free money in exchange for the chance to showcase their product and, most importantly, to build local links and a better image for Chinese businesses. We're not used to thinking of the AFL – locally imperious and powerful – as a passive subject going along with other people's plans, but that's what's happening here.
So Sunday's game is probably not a hubristic attempt by a major sporting body in Australia to expand its game into foreign markets, and they're not about to be smacked down by the cold hard reality of world indifference. The adventure is easy to mock, but there's not much AFL investment and there's little risk here. Port have made millions off this deal. They don't really need to suddenly develop Shanghai into a Canberra or Launceston-style second home. Their financial rewards are upfront and concrete.
The game was a success when it was played without significant incident, and when the cheques cleared the bank.
Sport diplomacy to support the 'Peaceful Rise'
This event is best read within the context of Chinese policy of smoothing a "peaceful rise" towards superpower status and everything that entails. The AFL and Port are the lucky recipient of a downpayment of goodwill and trust-building by the business interests of a huge and rising foreign power.
It is a small component of a much broader policy. The foremost example of Chinese soft power through sport is of course in the Global Game, where the state has plans for China to become very good at soccer and invest in other countries' leagues in order to improve its image and create a conduit for connecting with other countries' cultures. But a parallel logic applies here, too.
China is a rising superpower, keenly aware of the potential conflicts its expansion could cause. It is interested in deepening its foreign ties to guarantee its economic interests. Part of the way to manage this rise is by establishing networks of linkages with other countries' business, government and cultural elites in order to increase understanding, trust and reciprocal obligations. Gui and his company are an example of this; he is a business elite with political connections running a former state asset. Gui is tasked with engaging overseas in order to expand and facilitate his business and country's investments.
This push makes perfect sense – American soft power is no doubt what China would like to emulate. Think about it. American culture is enmeshed everywhere in Australia and elsewhere around the world, and that enmeshment tends to make American business and policy interests very intelligible and more acceptable to others. We all know roughly what Americans think, what their government is like, what their culture is like. Chinese diplomats and businesses would love to achieve that sort of normalisation in the minds of others.
Initiatives like the Port Adelaide one make sense in this context. Connecting Chinese commercial interests with local sporting competitions – the logic runs – will surely increase Australian familiarity with China and make us more inclined to view Chinese economic power benignly. They hope it can make Australian governments more familiar and friendly with China, and reduce the political cost of policy concessions to Chinese interests. Ultimately, the hope is more cultural linkage would make Australian governments less likely to block future asset sales out of fear of bad publicity.
At the end of the day, we're a football blog, not a foreign policy or business blog. All we're really suggesting here is that we should view the Shanghai experiment through the correct lens. That is: the AFL and Port Adelaide are a slightly bewildered and certainly eager vessel for diplomatic exchange. Meanwhile, Shanghai CRED (and perhaps the wider Chinese political machine) wants Australian trust and goodwill because they hope that will make their own interests easier to pursue. At least one major Chinese business with political links sees our most-attended sport as a tool to help with this goal.


text: This 18th Century Baroque palace, reminiscent of Versailles, is just a little over an hour out of Riga and only a tiny detour on the main route between Riga and Vilnius or it can be visited as a day trip from Riga while you're staying there. There's an interesting story behind its construction. It was… Continue Reading


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This is a post about surprisingly well dressed cyberpunk dudes, blog memes and books. I haven't written anything for a while here and once again Berry's Monday meme helped with my writer's block. This time you have to answer a few questions related to your literary preferences and since I'm a big fan of the cyberpunk genre, I thought it was quite fitting for the pic I had ready.
- Are you a bookworm? I used to be quite the bookworm when I was younger (I started reading really early as a kid) but nowadays not so much.
- Which do you prefer: hardcover, paperback or electronic? Hardcover. They look better, smell better and they need no charging. I'm old school like that.
- Which book is your favorite? I don't really have a favorite book because I've liked so many over the years. I could say Lovecraft's works for their influence over their genre, Gibson's Neuromancer for pretty much the same reason and anything by Arthur Clarke but still there are so many more.
- Which children's book is your favorite? This is easier to answer because despite all the books I 've read as a kid, two book series were my absolute favorites. The first was Three Investigators, a kid detective book series (prologued by the man himself, Alfred Hitchcock) that I was in love with. The second were of course the infamous Goosebumps.
- What's the last book you've read? An old horror fiction classic called The King in Yellow. Blame HBO's True Detective for that.
- Name your top five favorite writers: This one is hard. I'd say H.P Lovecraft, Arthur Clarke, Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne and Philip K. Dick. There are many modern day writers I like but I prefer mentioning the classics since they pretty much defined their genres.
- Name a book that had a strong impact on you: Fifty shades of grey. I kinda knew people are stupid but 90 million copies later I was sure of it.
- Favorite & least favorite book genres? Well as you can tell from the answers above I'm a big fan of science fiction, mystery and horror. Non fiction bores me and I would choose torture over having to read any kind of romance novel.
- Favorite & least favorite book-to-movie adaptations? Despite many claims to the contrary I really liked the way Lord of the Rings was adapted to the big screen. I'm very lenient with book-to-movie renditions because I realize the difficulty behind them but I have to say War of the Worlds was a really bad one (even as a loose adaptation). I just hate Tom Cruise too.
- Have you ever bought a book based on the cover alone? Yes, especially as a kid.
- Where do you usually buy your books? From the biggest bookstore in the city center. My parents used to take me there as a kid and it just stuck.
- Do you go to the library? No.
- How many books do you own? Several hundreds but I haven't read them all. I have a bookcase the size of a room wall which includes many of my late uncle's books. I don't think I will ever manage to read everything in there.
- If you were to write a book about Second Life, which topic would you focus on? SLex, duh.
Skin : ~Tableau Vivant~ David skin
Hat : Epia - Fedora "NEW"
Mask : Contraption - Mono S-23 visor "NEW" @ Futurewave
Coat : FATEwear - Dave
Pose by Del May


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The Company
Best Restaurant Training was founded in 2006. Since then the company has delivered hospitality training such as VET in Schools and short courses in Victorian Secondary Colleges. Best Restaurant Training also delivers to a variety of members of the general public including many bars, restaurants and sporting clubs.
Best Restaurant Training is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO Number 40777). Best Restaurant Training is accredited by Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) to issue nationally accredited units. SITHFAB002 Provide responsible service of alcohol is one of these and is issued upon completion of the course. This is recognised as evidence of RSA in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania.
Best Restaurant Training is also accredited by Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) to issue the Victorian RSA certificate. This is a legal requirement for anybody working with alcohol in Victoria.


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Dear Basketball
2017, Glen Kine, US, 5 min.
Directed and animated by Disney veteran Glen Keane and scored by legendary composer John Williams, this moving short film brilliantly brings to life a poem written by Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant on the occasion of his imminent retirement from the sport he loves. Chronicling Kobe's journey from a young boy shooting baskets with rolled-up socks to his arrival at the pinnacle of basketball celebrity, "Dear Basketball" pays tribute to the ideal of pursuing one's dream, as well as having the wisdom to know when it's time to move on to the next challenge.


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Long lost love rekindles in such interesting ways. Tracy Lindsay and Vanessa were a couple briefly in their lesbian past, but much of that romance happened before either girl got in front of a camera or had earned a single fan. Now, their paths converge again and older more mature feelings overflow as their libidos bring out emotions they thought they had forgotten. More than anything, this sexy video shows, if you love a woman well - she can't forget you!
1881 22372


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Jack Vance's To Live Forever
Sat Jan 7, 2012
I believe that the following scenario is comparatively rare in science fiction: humanity has developed viable interstellar travel and has discovered habitable planets but has not colonized any of them because of a static social structure. The social stasis of Jack Vance's To Live Forever has been produced by a combination of artificial intelligence central planning and population control. A relatively small geographic region of a future Earth has sealed itself off from barbarous tribes and has separated its population into strict castes: brood, wedge, third (arrant), verge, and amaranth. Each caste provides a slight extension of life-span, which is constantly adjusted by a computer to maintain the desired ratio. The quantity in each "phlye," as they are called, is strictly controlled. So whenever someone achieves the next status, which is awarded by the Actuarian's estimation of their contributions to commonweal, a certain amount of those in the lower castes are visited by assassins. The upward progress is referred to as "striving," and the rate of increase as "slope." Once members of the community (which is called Clarges) achieve amaranth, they become immortal. Scientists had discovered how to preserve human life forever, and this social structure evolved as the only way to prevent violent revolution from below, as before only the very wealthy and privileged had access to the life-extending technology.
If this is sounding like an anti-planning, anti-socialist document of its times (mid 1950s), it certainly is. But Vance, even in an early novel such as this, which I suspect may have been edited beyond his preferences (the Vance Integral Edition, which I very sadly do not own, calls it Clarges. It may also have significant textual variants.), engages in considerable anthropological speculation and social satire. The Wodehousian dialogue flourishes seen in The Dying Earth books are almost wholly absent from To Live Forever, and the interactions of the Amaranth Society with each other and those from lower phyle provided ample opportunity. The hero of the novel is in the Vancian rebel/rogue mode. Gavin Waylock had achieved Amaranth as a publisher. He was known as the Grayven Warlock, and he committed the worst crime of all: he took the life of a fellow Amaranth. Once citizens of Clarges have achieved Amaranth, they protect their immortality from the vagaries of chance by sequestering clones throughout the city. Each clone takes time to grow and to become invested with the personality and memories of the host. So those who take life of any type are referred to as Monsters, since the taking of life is now a far greater crime (even with clones) than it would have been for mortal humans.
The qualities that allowed Warlock to make Amaranth also allow him to escape the assassins, and he now inhabits the liminal era of the edge of the city known as Carnevalle. This perpetual carnival provides release and an elimination of social distinctions, as the psychological pressures associated with striving overwhelm a substantial part of the population. Warlock has escaped the further attentions of the assassins by impersonating one of his clones. Since the clone would not have been fully empathized, it would not share the crimes of Warlock, so he has taken the similar name Gavin Waylock and plots ways to recapture his former status. A recent Amaranth, the Jacynth Martin, who achieved her immortality through anthropological fieldwork and academic distinction, is enjoying Carnevalle, when she meets Waylock and eventually guesses his identity. Waylock is forced to have her killed to prevent discovery of his secret; and the remainder of the plot involves her clone's attempt to bring him to justice pitted against Waylock's own striving to survive and regain his former status.
The culmination of Warlock's elaborate plot for revenge is that a revolution is triggered, and the phyle system and the Actuarian are all destroyed. Warlock knows that he has no future at Clarges or on the planet at all, so he invites the masses to follow him to the stars. It is easy enough to see that the individualism which led Warlock to murder fellow human beings in order to gain his objectives or satisfy his pride is the same instinct which causes humans to be perpetually unhappy (the scenes describing Waylock's work at the palliatories where depressives are treated contain some interesting remarks about Vance's understanding of psychoanalysis, which are typically respectful given its cultural prestige at the time) in a system where their achievements are bounded at mere immortality. Vance often takes a very distant and detached view of human endeavor, and he certainly does not expect much in the way of ethical sympathy for Waylock/Warlock. The John Clute-authored entry on Vance in the Science Fiction Encyclopedia describes To Live Forever as dystopian, which I am not entirely sure I agree with. (Clute also notes that prevalence of revenge plots in Vance's work, which might simply be a lazy way of touring the worlds he creates without having to engage in overly long exposition; anger blinds, after all.)


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A customer from Oregon commissioned me to make this beautiful quilt (from a picture she had seen).
(My quilting framed are 14' long! This quilt covered the WHOLE thing!)
For the quilting I used a lot of ruler work and free motion quilting.
I am so in love with this quilt!
Enjoy the pictures!!!
The quilt measures 115"x110"


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Hacker Intelligence Initiative (HII)
Issued approximately six times a year, the Imperva Hacker Intelligence Initiative (HII) reports go inside the cyber-underground to provide in-depth, forward-looking analysis at trending hacking techniques and interesting attack campaigns. These provocative, creative and innovative research papers aim not to solely understand what has happened in the past, but to deep dive into what is ahead and what's needed to proactively stay ahead of hackers' next moves.
Phishing made easy: Time to rethink your prevention strategy?
In this report, Imperva researchers expose how cybercriminals are lowering the cost and increasing the effectiveness of phishing by leveraging compromised servers and turnkey phishing services, which are the key drivers of the overall increase in phishing attacks.
The Secret Behind CryptoWall's Success
Our Imperva Defense Center team peeled back the layers in the financial transactions to see how far we could trace the money trail behind one of the most successful Ransomware—CryptoWall 3.0—with information available in the open. Are there many criminals behind this ruthless ransomware or just a handful of very organized gangs? Read the report to find the surprising answer.
Phishing Trip to Brazil
This report offers a detailed look at a cyber attack targeting consumers, a banking Trojan, and shows how consumer-centric cyber crimes can compromise the enterprise. The report also demonstrates that despite potential anti-malware defenses, attacks that direct individual employees can easily enter the enterprise network.
Man in the Cloud (MITC) Attacks
In this report, we demonstrate a new type of attack we call "Man in the Cloud" (MITC). These MITC attacks rely on common file synchronization services (such as GoogleDrive and Dropbox) as their infrastructure for command and control (C&C), data exfiltration, and remote access. Without using any exploits, we show how simple re-configuration of these services can turn them into a devastating attack tool that is not easily detected by common security measures.
Since most organizations either allow their users to use file synchronization services, or even rely on these services as part of their business toolbox, we think that MITC attacks will become prevalent in the wild. As a result, we encourage enterprises to shift the focus of their security effort from preventing infections and endpoint protection to securing their business data and applications at the source.


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Unfeelability Cloak Protects the Princess from the Pea
Mechanical metamaterials open new dimensions
Author: Tiemo Bückmann - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
|Mechanical invisibility cloak: Metamaterials protect objects on the lower side from touching.
(Photo: T. Bückmann, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, KIT/APH)
3D galvo-scanner dip-in direct-laser-writing optical lithography using Nanoscribe´s Photonic Professional GT system allowed for the fabrication of mechanical metamaterial architectures with deep submicron features yet cubic millimeter overall volumes at the same time. Using these we have designed, fabricated and characterized polymeric core-shell elastostatic unfeelability cloaks composed of as many as 1024 extended face-centered cubic unit cells. The high precision of the fabrication was needed to adjust the mechanical properties of the surrounding and the cloaking shell to guide the forces around and let the solid cylinder vanish from being felt. On the other hand the millimeter scale overall volume was essential to characterize the cloak optically and get in reach of possible applications.
It is like in Hans-Christian Andersen's fairy tale about the princess and the pea. The princess feels the pea in spite of the mattresses. When using the cloak, however, one mattress would be sufficient for the princess to sleep well. The cloak shows that mechanical metamaterials are a growing field using direct laser writing as only here the true three dimensionality and interesting size scales can be covered opening the door for interesting applications.
To date, cloaking has been demonstrated experimentally in many fields of research, including electrodynamics at microwave frequencies, optics, static electric conduction, acoustics, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics and quasi two-dimensional solid mechanics.
The results are now presented in the Nature Communications journal.
(DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5130)
left: With the finger or a force measurement instrument, no information is obtained about the bottom side of the material. (Photo: T. Bückmann, KIT/APH)
right: Design of the mechanical core shell cloak showing the red cloaking shell and the fabricated surrounding in white. (Image: T. Bückmann, KIT/APH)


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we feel before we think
yup-it's true
So,what makes you feel good?
Isn't it time to get back to who you are and what you need?
I am so excited to hear your story and help you heal, thrive, and come alive.
It's time to put yourself first by listening to what you really want and learning how to favour your feelings.
Interested to see if we're a match made in heaven ? Drop me a line so we can find some time to chat.
Wondering if I'm a good fit for your company or business? I'd love to hear what you have in mind!


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Total War - 15 Years of Total War
Revisit the last 15 years of the Total War franchise in this new trailer.
Revisit the last 15 years of the Total War franchise in this new trailer.
Napoleon: Total War - Imperial Eagle Pack and Heroes of the Napoleonic Wars are both available for download now.
This trailer provides a giimpse at the content in the Heroes of the Napoleonic Wars and Imperial Eagle Pack DLC packs
Check out the latest trailer for Napoleon: Total War - The Peninsular Campaign!
See what's new in this Community Trailer for Napoleon: Total War's multiplayer modes.
This week's forecast calls for Heavy Rain.
The team shows you what's new in Napoleon: Total War on the PC!
In chapter one of the community trailers, we get an overview of the playable factions in Napoleon: Total War.
Take a look at some of the multiplayer action in Napoleon: Total War.
Check out some gameplay footage from the latest in the Total War series.
James Kozanecki talks to director of communications Kieran Brigden about Napoleon: Total War's new deformation features, the mod community, additions to naval combat, and possibilities for a multiplayer campaign.
This week on Crosshairs, we chat to the developers behind Dante's Inferno and Napoleon: Total War, talk about our most anticipated games of 2010, and end the year with a ...
Take a first look at Napoleon: Total War in this brand new trailer!
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"Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for love, and then for a few close friends, and then for money." --Moliere
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Movie Review: Captain America: The First Avenger
6 comments:
Terrific review!ReplyDelete
What is it with Marvel heroes showing off their pecs? Oh, right, it gets the ladies into the theatres.
And it's good that you're not expressing fondness for the Ghost Rider adaptation, of course...
Great review! I probably wouldn't go to the theatre to watch it, but I would if we rented it or saw it on tv. I'm more of a Thor fan....or maybe more like Iron Man....mmmmm, Robert Downey Jr....*drool*...ReplyDelete
Please be kind to people from other planets who never read any comic books but love the photos as well as this review. I think I was following along fine-but the Red Skull thing and Odin reference lost me completely. I did enjoy Ironman. Nanu-nanu.ReplyDelete
Wonderful review. I've been wanting to see this movie.ReplyDelete
I want to see this movie but I will wait till it comes to my little $3 cinema or netflixReplyDelete
What a great review.
cheers, parsnip
Cannot wait to see this.ReplyDelete


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Joanna Mastroianni's tropical show tonight captured the style of a chic international jet-setter. Her line had European influences mixing many exotic prints — mainly florals — and making me feel like I was at a very glamorous garden party.
In terms of hair, I liked that there were many different types of styles featured on the runway, ranging from slicked and coiffed to twisted buns.
Although Mastroianni featured styles that I would not necessarily wear myself per se, her pieces captured an elegance that I have not seen in other shows.
Furthermore, her show was the only one I have seen that a dog was carried down the runway. Come on, who doesn't love dogs?


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Centre for Integrated Marketing
Welcome to the Centre for Integrated Marketing website, a centre for knowledge, insights and excellence in the new discipline of Integrated Marketing. Integrated Marketing is a holistic discipline that involves the whole organisation in developing high-value brand experiences for all stakeholders.
The Centre was based at the University of Bedfordshire from the end of 2001 until June 2011 and was the first in the world to be focused on this domain. It is now independent but continues to share insights and strategic tools for senior marketers and their agencies. It also undertakes funded research, capacity building and change management projects with commercial standards of ROI, practicality and innovation, but academic rigour. Angus Jenkinson, a world authority in the field, has led the Centre since its foundation. There are case studies, papers, presentations and more.
Our research suggests that almost any firm or brand could achieve a 10-25% improvement in marketing performance though practice of the methods we discuss here. He had developed a number of practical tools and processes that make this feasible and efficient to achieve.
Please sign up to get occasional advisory briefings and news of new material, which we send every one or two months. Angus Jenkinson also writes a blog. We are also very happy to add and credit your relevant content if you would like to submit it.
Finally, you will find a growing number of links to interesting and useful sites and material on the 'Contact Us' page. Give us your suggestions too.
Latest News
JOHN F KENNEDY thought01/12/2011
"We believe that if men have the talent to invent ... More
One extraordinary man01/10/2011
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Thought for the month - September 201101/09/2011
The system of Descartes... seemed to give a plausi... More


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June 6–8, 2019, Hilton Downtown, Portland, Oregon
The constructivist tenet that knowledge is not a copy of reality is especially useful and generative in exploring questions of adaptation to global change. In the context of current global visibility, how do we construe culture and its role in human development? What contemporary research on cultural aspects of development hold and which change, and under what conditions? And how can we use rich, culturally-instantiated findings to influence policy and effective intervention?
The plenary and invited symposia speakers in this conference will consider cultural phenomena as mechanisms for development in the context of globalization using complex, field-based, mixed methods. The invited program will be a conversation about how we can use developmental theory and innovative methods to understand change in a changing world.
Plenary Speakers
Invited Sessions
View the Call for Papers


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"Enlighten what is Dark in Me - Light Overcomes Dark"
"Strengthen what is Weak in Me - Through Our Weakness HIS Strength is made Perfect"
"Mend what is Broke in Me - As We Yeild HE Will Heal"
"Bind what is Bruised in Me - HIS Healing Love Soothes Each and Every Wound"
"Heal what is Sick in Me - Though our Yeilding His Power is sure to Make us Healthy, Healed, Whole and Well"
"Revive what ever Peace and Love has Died in Me - At the moment One Yields ones Whole Being to HIM, the Process of Moment by Moment, Restoration, Rejuvenation of Peace, Hope, Faith and Love begans in ones Whole Being"
Believing that all has and will continue to go in your favor today and your day has and will continue to be safe...
-Lead Instructor Dr. Campbell/Soke
KBD KEMPO KARATE; HopeFaithLove! Success! Respect! StaySafe! "SPIRIT WARRIOR WAY" www.KokoroBushiDo.com


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I'm not a good writer. My first drafts are wretched. Not unreadable, really, but not anything you'd actually WANT to read. Honestly. But I fortunately have a very patient editor. She reads what I've sent and after a few weeks, sometimes months, I get a letter that almost always begins the same way: "Dear Carolyn, I have read (fill in the blank) and I love most of what you have written." MOST??? I want her to love all of it! But she does not. It takes me a little while to adjust to this news. I'm always surprised at what she doesn't love. I feel wounded. I can't at first imagine how I will ever turn these unloved pages into something we can both live with.
But here's the good news: I am a very good REwriter. I catch on fast. Once I get over my injured feelings, I get to work, tear the thing apart, perform major surgery and minor cosmetic facelifts. I obsess over it. I nurse it back to health. I begin to feel hopeful as my wretched draft begins to look and sound good. I read it aloud. Sounds good, too! Maybe it will work.
Last evening, after several weeks of obsessing, waking up in the middle of the night, I finished the rewrite of BEAUTY'S DAUGHTER and sent it off to Editor Julie. Shortly after, I received an email from another editor, forwarding the first review of VICTORIA REBELS, to be published January 1st. "This absorbing, fictionalized first-person of Queen Victoria's early life..." it begins, and goes on, glowingly, from there.
It's good to remember that the early draft of that novel was pretty much of a mess, too.


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My story is quite simple. Paul Doucette
lived in the same neighborhood
as my family. We became friends somewhere around 1986. We did the normal
things guys our age do. He always talked of being in a band and starting
one. I always told him he was out of his f**king mind. Well wouldn't you
know who i'd see on MTV in the PUSH video!!!! Although our friendship
faded away into our high school years ( as most boyhood ones do) it's
really great to see him make his dream come true. No I have not
attempted to contact him in any way, but inside I guess I would really
like let him know that after all these years i'm really proud of Country
Hills' own Paul Doucette.
Jason, Thanks For The Story!


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Previously, I wrote about the use of neuroscience in the courtroom as a defense for criminal actions. I asserted that these arguments hold water only insofar as they can demonstrate a clear causal connection between the brain injury and the criminal behavior, and that it was not possible for the defendant to control himself in the presence of such a brain injury.
Although I am a card-carrying pinko, I am enjoying the new book by Gene Heyman, Addiction: A Disorder of Choice. (A longer review post forthcoming once I finish the book). Heyman challenges the view that addiction is a compulsory chronic and relapsing condition. By illustrating historical, cultural and individual differences in drug reactions, he shows that drug dependence can be overcome with will (and massive amounts of effort and motivation). This brings us right back to the question we left off with last time: under what circumstances can we reasonably expect a person to demonstrate self-control?
A common model of self-control posits that exhibiting self-control is an effortful, resource-consuming process. According to this model, a person has a set amount of self-control that can be exhibited before failure and/or "recharge". A common source of evidence for this model is the fact that exhibiting self-control appears to consume a good deal of glucose. (Of course, this is a very interesting idea for those whose self-control is being directed towards dieting!) Another measure of self-control failure are mistakes on a Stroop test.
A compelling new study examines the limitations of the resource-limitation model of self-control. A first experiment demonstrated that people who do not agree with the resource-limitation model made fewer mistakes on the Stroop test following a cognitively demanding task than did those who professed beliefs in the model. Even stronger was a second experiment where manipulation of participants' beliefs in the model had the same effects. Of course, like many things in psychology, William James was here before us when he stated "The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes".
Job V, Dweck CS, & Walton GM (2010). Ego Depletion--Is It All in Your Head?: Implicit Theories About Willpower Affect Self-Regulation. Psychological science : a journal of the American Psychological Society / APS PMID: 20876879


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So it is done. We moved back to Paris after 23 years living abroad. It was epic moving for wich we worked nearly 9 months.
Here are some personal experiences how yoga helps me during the transition:
1. You don't get used to it.
It does not matter that you moved 11 times in 20 years ( not counting the appart hotels before each move), you don't get used to it, you only get more experienced and organised. But it is always physicaly, mentaly and emotionaly draining.
How yoga helps? First, I breath. Morning, evening, and everytime I felt overwhelmed. Conscious deep breathing calme the nerves and recharge your body with energy. Pranayama is the must.
2. Say Goodbye to Friends is not easier
Actually, it is harder with each move.
I came to the point that I was seriousely thinking NOT to do the Farewell party. There is an effect of the " snow ball", at least for me: each Goodbye brings up from my memory and subconscious mind the previous " separations". I realised that it triggers as well the memory of my parent's divorce decades ago; something to work on.
How yoga helps? No, I will not go into Detachment and Equanimity. Unless you are higly evolved yogi, which I am not, with this concept you will probably go to the repression of your emotions and denial.
To stay present to my emotions and observe them without telling myself stories about them helps. Going from engaged sad mind to neutral observer mind back and forth smooth the process.
Hugging persones you leave and sending them Love during your practice or just whenever you feel sad helps as well. Then there is always FB and Viber, right?
3. Even when you are exited about a new destination, there is always a process of grief
For our kids as well as for us, adults. We have to grieve our loss: ex-home, ex-school, friends, job, city, habits, comfort zone. Telling us that we are lucky or we must be happy and content ( or telling it to our kids) does not help.
What helps is to be aware of the necessary grief and its 5 stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptence. It is not linear process, we migh or not experience them all or even more.
Yoga practice gives me the awareness of what is happenning inside of me. But I need to take an obligatory time for deep relaxation, in the evening time, to settle down and bring my attention back to myself as the days are full of extra demandes and distractions. Yoga Nidra can be the answer.
Being present for my children and give them space for their own grief is a bonus, but to be honnest it was a challenge for me this time.
4. The moving itself is physically exhausting
Of course, we had a moving company and they did a great job. But moving 5 members of family and 20 years of life involved a lot of carrying, bending, lifting and twisting. It involved constant mentale focus on What, Where and When. The end of the day was richer of some muscle tension, inexpected hematoms, broken nails and heavy legs. Shoulders and neck are overextended and the brain feels like burned scrambled eggs.
Gentle Restorative Asanas in the evening and " Bed Yoga" in the morning keeps me going.
5. The universal remedy is Love
Looking back I feel like I spent considerable time in my life by planning, organising, packing, unpacking and adapting to " a new". If flexibility and open mind are requiered, Love is the fuel and remedy behind the curtains. Love of and for my husband, family, friends and myself is the motivation beyond borders. And Yoga is Love in its multiple forms.


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Living With Life Changes As We Grow Older
One day follows another and, all of a sudden, weeks, months, and years have passed in busy lives. Those busy days and months have led to skin and other body parts showing age and wear and tear. That gorgeous tan a person worked so hard on ended up aging the skin. Smoking or drinking alcohol took a toll on the skin's appearance. Diet and stress may have added a little age. In other words, just living can make facial skin age, discolor, wrinkle, and sag. Even if life changes as we grow older, steps can be taken to look great.
How To Age Gracefully
Each person has their own idea how to age gracefully. Some women just don't want to show signs of aging at all for as long as possible. Some women want to slow down signs of aging a little bit. Others just want to correct inconvenient and unattractive spots around the eyes or mouth. Yet another person will hate how their skin sags by their jaw and neck. If only it could be tightened up just a little.
Some people would be perfectly happy if those age spots would disappear and the forehead wrinkles would smooth out. Everyone would like to look their very best as they grow older. Many people have heard the many horror stories about surgical facelifts gone wrong. Now, there are many non-invasive or less invasive ways to get that look of youth. People can hold back time with modern techniques such as Botox injections, eyelid surgery, Juvederm and other dermal fillers, laser skin resurfacing, and Kybella, which is injected under the skin to destroy fat cells under the chin.
Even Surgery Has Become safer and Less Invasive
Then, there are limited surgeries such as brow lifts, forehead lifts, neck lifts, and … Read More..Read More →


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Created in 1979 by Professor Jean Pradel and regularly published by Cujas editions since then, the collection of the ISC works attests the quality and consistency of the research activities lead within the fields of criminal law and criminal sciences at the University of Poitiers. It currently counts 26 volumes.
Most of them constitute the acts of the study days organised by the Institute.
The bibliography can be consulted here (in French).


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Название: Houses with Charm: Simple Southern StyleISBN: 0847840077 ISBN-13(EAN): 9780847840076 Издательство: Rizzoli USAРейтинг: Цена: 18540 T Наличие на складе: Есть у поставщика Поставка под заказ.Описание: This volume celebrates the warmth and easy elegance of traditional Southern architecture and interior design, featuring houses of unpretentious and old-fashioned grace that showcase the talents of the South s finest design professionals. Comfort and hospitality are words that express the spirit of simple Southern style. Featured in tantalizing photographs is a discerning selection of residences decorated by Bobby McAlpine, Ken Tate, Ryan Gainey, Jackye Lanham, Amelia Handegan, and others. Located in old Southern cities such as Atlanta, Charleston, Savannah, and New Orleans, as well as seaside and mountain retreats, these intimate dwellings are steeped in architectural tradition. The residences profiled illustrate fresh design interpretations of romantic Southern style, such as a New Orleans double-shotgun with a modern all-white palette, a nineteenth-century summer cottage with updated coastal decor, and a Louisiana plantation house with handsome Creole antiques. Two sections, "Pure and Simple" and "Simply Elegant," explore the varied ways that Southerners express their love of comfort and gracious living. Dating from the eighteenth century to the present, the houses featured exemplify historic styles that evolved in response to their natural settings, inviting families to live in harmony with their surroundings. Integrating time-honored lessons of the past, these cozy dwellings also incorporate contemporary design sensibilities, making them especially appealing for today s lifestyle.
Автор: Cleary MarkНазвание: 200 housesISBN: 1864704365 ISBN-13(EAN): 9781864704365 Издательство: ImagesРейтинг: Цена: 18200 T Наличие на складе: Поставка под заказ. Описание: Featured in this massive 800-page collection of residential architecture are houses as diverse in range and style as the countries in which they are located. From country estates to beachfront holiday retreats, lakeside houses to hip urban dwellings, the one thing all these houses share is quality design. Accompanied by floor plans, text and lush full-colour photography, 200 Houses is not only a beautiful coffee-table book but a valuable reference and source of inspiration.
Название: 100 of the world`s best housesISBN: 1864704357 ISBN-13(EAN): 9781864704358 Издательство: ImagesРейтинг: Цена: 10380 T Наличие на складе: Поставка под заказ. Описание: Includes a variety of architectural styles - from urban villas and country homes, to ranches and beach houses, designed by architects from around the world.
Название: 21st Century Architecture: Designer HousesISBN: 1864704411 ISBN-13(EAN): 9781864704419 Издательство: ImagesРейтинг: Цена: 13000 T Наличие на складе: Поставка под заказ. Описание: This latest addition to IMAGES 21st Century series brings together more than 45 of the world's most stylish contemporary houses. From the Adriatic Coast in Greece to the rugged mountains of Switzerland; from the suburbs of Japan, to the glittering views from the Hollywood Hills, this diverse selection of modern houses have all been designed by some of the best residential architects working today. Complete with stunning professional colour photography, floor plans, and informative project descriptions, 21st Century Architecture: Designer Houses will be of interest to those who love beautiful houses, are looking for inspiration, or just like to dream. Designers featured include Caramel, idea, Humberto Hermeto Arquitetura, Parque Humano, Balance Associates Architects, Abramson Teiger Architects, alterstudio, LineBox Studio, Drozdov & Partners, Axis Architects, Mac Interactive, McClean Design, Marsh Cashman Koolloos Architects, Minarc, Buerger Katsota Architects, bento + azevedo arquitetos associados, Takashi Yamaguchi, Steinmetzdemeyer, Fran Silvestre Arquitectos, David Jameson Architect, Mojo Sumer, Belzberg Architects, Centerbrook Architects and Planners, Arkkitehdit NRT, Yasutaka Yoshimura Architects, Barilari Architetti, Feldman, genius loci, Bates and Masi Architects, CplusC, Paramita Abirama Itasadhya, Morris Partnership, Saaj Design, Base Architecture, Creative Arch, JVA, Connor + Solomon Architects, Godwardguthrie, clavienrossier architectes, 123DV, Paddle Creek Design, Zecc Architects, BBP Architects, Nervegna Reed Architecture, Paul+O Architects, stanic harding and atmos studio.
Название: Interiors Now - 80 Of Worlds Best CbISBN: 1920744673 ISBN-13(EAN): 9781920744670 Издательство: ImagesРейтинг: Цена: 20970 T Наличие на складе: Есть Описание: Interiors Now is a collection of the world's most up-to-date and inspiring interiors. Including the luxurious and the practical, corporate and residential, the work of the best and most influential architects and interior designers from Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, is showcased in this comprehensive, single-volume book. Divided into four categories, Corporate, Hospitality and Public, Retail, and Residential, each project is accompanied by a 200-word text, a brief biography of the firm, and contact information. Firms featured include Claudio Silvestrin, Fox & Fowle, Dominique Perault, OMA, Karim Rashid, EEA, Attilio Stocchi, SCDA, Studio Daniel Libeskind, VOX, Valerio Olgati, SARC, Behnisch, Diller & Scofido, Pugh + Scarpa, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Gehry & Partners, and Ron Arad.
Автор: Laubier Guillaume deНазвание: Most Beautiful Opera Houses in the WorldISBN: 1419709615 ISBN-13(EAN): 9781419709616 Издательство: AbramsРейтинг: Цена: 24630 T Наличие на складе: Есть Описание: La Scala, the Bolchoi, le Palais Garnier--opera houses are mythical places that evoke dreams and creativity. For centuries, these temples of the arts have been dedicated to the creative work of Mozart, Verdi, Tchaikovsky and Nureyev, and have been designed to allow brilliant performers to display their talents amidst sumptuous costumes and sets. Created by some of the most talented architects, builders and designers of their generations, opera houses have inspired veneration from audiences for centuries, from royalty and commoners alike. Moving from Sydney to Covent Garden, from Beijing to Saint Petersburg, from Oslo to Manaus, from le Petit Trianon to New York and San Francisco, photographer Guillaume de Laubier and journalist Antoine Pecqueur explore twenty-five of the world's most beautiful opera houses. They offer us a greater understanding of their architectural role, as well as their place in history. Whether baroque, romanesque, or minimalist, opera houses bear witness to the tides of history and to the ideals of those who built them. In addition to the sweeping views of ornate auditoriums and facades, the book opens doors normally closed to the public, entering the artists' dressing rooms, rehearsal halls, scenery workshops and more, presenting a wide-ranging and compelling look into the spectacular world of the opera.
Автор: Michelle GalindoНазвание: Beach Houses: Living at the SeaISBN: 3037681322 ISBN-13(EAN): 9783037681329 Издательство: Thames & HudsonЦена: 24600 T Наличие на складе: Поставка под заказ.
Автор: Robyn BeaverНазвание: 21St Century Houses: 150 of the World`s bestISBN: 1864703814 ISBN-13(EAN): 9781864703818 Издательство: ImagesРейтинг: Цена: 13000 T Наличие на складе: Поставка под заказ. Описание: Offers a selection of contemporary house designs in colour spreads. From modest to massive, this title features 150 of the world`s most prominent architects, including US architects Swatt Miers, Marmol Radziner, OSKA, and LPA Inc; European architects Jarmund Vigsnaes; and, South American architects Marcio Kogan, Una Arquitectos, and FGMF.
Название: 21St Century Beach HousesISBN: 186470375X ISBN-13(EAN): 9781864703757 Издательство: ImagesРейтинг: Цена: 13000 T Наличие на складе: Поставка под заказ. Описание: Presents a variety of acclaimed, contemporary beach houses from regions including Australia and New Zealand, North and South America, Europe, and Asia. This title offers a glimpse inside remarkable waterside retreats located in some truly spectacular environments.
Название: Designing Worlds: Best Children`s Hospitals 3 HbISBN: 1864703393 ISBN-13(EAN): 9781864703399 Издательство: ImagesРейтинг: Цена: 20540 T Наличие на складе: Есть Описание: Following the success of 'Designing the World's Best Children's Hospitals' 1 and 2, this new publication provides an up-to-date reference guide for healthcare teams, design professionals and community members, who together engage in the exciting process of creating new healing environments for children's hospitals or paediatric units. With chapters focusing on exterior design, lobbies, art and gardens, the role of the community, the role of the parent in inpatient and specialised care areas, and project management, this book recognises the outstanding efforts of teams throughout the world for their contributions to healthcare and design. Featuring more than 300 colour photographs of exteriors, lobbies, gardens, patient rooms and other healing environments from hospitals around the world, this book brings together the many new facilities that have been completed since the publication of the previous book in this series, and demonstrates the significant progress made in recent years.
Название: Another World: Dali, Magritte, Miro and the SurrealistsISBN: 1906270309 ISBN-13(EAN): 9781906270308 Издательство: ACC-distribution titlesРейтинг: Цена: 8050 T Наличие на складе: Поставка под заказ. Описание: This Catalogue, The First Of The Gallery'S Dada And Surrealist Holdings, Reproduces And Catalogues More Than 100 Of The Best Works.
Название: A Classical Journey: The Houses of Ken TateISBN: 1864702907 ISBN-13(EAN): 9781864702903 Издательство: ImagesРейтинг: Цена: 23400 T Наличие на складе: Поставка под заказ. Описание: Following the success of Ken Tate's previous two books with images, this new collection of houses illustrates a splendid diversity of stylistic approaches and
range of creative possibilities. The common language is decidedly Classical, yet American architect Ken Tate's personal interpretation and intellectual rigours allow each building to
stand apart as an individual work of art - beautiful, livable and utterly engaging. Tate's designs spring from intensive study of his clients and the locales in which they have chosen to
build. The character and the preferences of his patrons have led him to create residences in a wide range of styles. "A Classical Vision" explores the most recent private
houses designed by Ken Tate and his colleagues, whose architectural philosophy draws on the vast lineage of architectural styles and conventions throughout history to produce
gorgeous contemporary homes.


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Paris, France – At last a historic international agreement on climate change has been finalized. Now it's up to citizens and their governments to ensure a safe future, free from catastrophic climate impacts. And that means Canada has work to turn its strong words in Paris into actions at home.
The agreement sets essential goals for protecting our climate, such as striving to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, so that globally carbon pollution peaks (and then descends) as soon as possible.
While we are pleased an agreement has been reached, our work is far from over. There is a gap between the laudable goals in the Paris agreement and the actions needed to attain them.
Current pledges made by countries to reduce emissions are too weak to stay below the safe 1.5 degree warming limit. We are in great danger of being locked into dangerous climate change, as the Paris agreement has no requirement for these commitments to be reviewed or strengthened in the near future.
Over the next year, Canada must strengthen its own emission reduction commitment and work with other countries to create a plan to ensure governments will review and update their commitments to reduce carbon pollution and provide climate financing.
The financing package in the agreement remains inadequate in ensuring developing countries have the ability to adapt to the worst impacts of climate change, while following a cleaner path to development. Canada must work with other industrialized countries to ensure that at least $100 billion in climate assistance is delivered to poor, vulnerable countries by 2020, every year, with mechanisms to increase that annual commitment.
With the adoption of a final Paris climate change agreement, it is now up to citizens in Canada and around the world to mobilize, to demand faster and greater action on climate change.
The Canadian government needs to show that it is serious about tackling climate change at home by acting on its promises in the recent election and its commitment here in Paris to strive to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.
That means developing a new federal climate framework in the next 90 days which establishes more ambitious measures than have been attempted by previous governments. Success requires an all-government approach to cut emissions reductions quickly, with a goal of decarbonising our economy by 2050.
Some of these measure should include:
- Ensuring a high price on carbon emissions for all of Canada
- Creating a new, strong, credible process to review all high-carbon energy projects, including a climate test
- Establishing regulations to reduce carbon pollution from industry
- Investing heavily in clean public transit, clean energy, and more efficient buildings
- Developing national strategies to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles, enable energy efficiency, and attract clean energy investment
Our world is already transforming, with investments in clean power surpassing those in dirty fossil fuels, with the acceleration of the development and use of clean energy technologies, and with millions around the world mobilizing to say no to more dirty energy and yes to safe, prosperous communities, resilient ecosystems and a stable climate.
About ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is Canada's most effective environmental action organization. We challenge, and inspire change in government, business and people to ensure a greener, healthier and prosperous life for all.
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Naomi Carniol, Environmental Defence, +1 416-570-2878 (cell); firstname.lastname@example.com


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How do I sign up for America's Next Author?
Go to the Sign Up page and enter all required information.
If I already have an eBookMall account, do I need to create a new account for America's Next Author?
No. You can use the email address and password that you use to login to your eBookMall account.
When is the deadline for entries?
Submissions will close November 26th at 8 PM EST.
What kind of story can I enter?
A short story between 2500 and 5000 words. Stories must be written in English, be original, and not previously published. All fiction genres are accepted. No poetry or nonfiction. See the official rules for more details.
I sent in my story but realized it has some errors. What can I do now?
Due to the large amount of submissions, we can not honor reformatting requests unless you've noticed a textual error in your story. For example: typos or a missing sentence or paragraph.
If you have this kind of edit to make, you may email us at [email protected] with the corrected full text of your story and we'll swap it out.
Important notes:
Please send your file as either Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), rich text (.rtf) or plain text (.txt).
We can only update your text once, so make sure that you thoroughly proofread your story. We will not make any textual edits after the story has already been online for a couple weeks, because this could give your story an unfair advantage.
Cosmetic formatting like italics or bold text can not be shown. This is something that we'll take into consideration for next year's contest.
When will my story appear on the website?
New stories are reviewed during the week before the next nomination round begins. Rejections usually go out sooner than acceptances. Acceptances start the day before the next round starts and continue into the first day of the next round, depending on how many stories have to be processed. Each new round starts on Tuesday.
I would like to send you an author photo or change my current author photo.
Login to your eBookMall account and click on the "My Author Page" tab. You can upload a new photo, update your author bio, and enter your Facebook and Twitter information.
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Login to your eBookMall account and click on the "My Author Page" tab. You can upload a new photo, update your author bio, and enter your Facebook and Twitter information.
Note: You won't see the "My Author Page" tab until your story has been reviewed and accepted into the contest. You will get an email notifying you when your story has been accepted or rejected.
What is going to appear on my Author Page?
Your name or pen name.
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How are the Author Rankings calculated?
America's Next Author uses an Author Ranking system that calculates each author's position based on a large number of different factors. These include social media activity, reviews, and votes cast on each author's page. See this news article for an outline of how the system works and answers to common questions.
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Your Author Page gives you an opportunity to share your story with the world and gain exposure for yourself as an author. You should use it to represent yourself in the best way possible. Many people will be reading the stories at America's Next Author, including agents and representatives from publishers. You can add a banner, author photo, autho bio, YouTube video, and answer author interview questions.
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We'd like to stress that this is a non-exclusive agreement, so you can still publish your story elsewhere. And we do not have any intention of using your story in ways that are not connected to this contest.
Why would I submit a story that I could sell elsewhere?
If you're a successful author, this might not be the thing for you. Having said that, we've already seen some established writers amongst the contestants so far. America's Next Author is about getting exposure and getting direct feedback from your readers. It's a different, fun way of participating in a writing contest. For those willing to take the risk, there might be great returns!
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What are the prizes?
Grand Prize: $5,000 and support in getting a book published
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Second Prize $500
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Is the contest open to people who don't live in the United States?
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Yes. Security is in place that will prevent visitors from voting multiple times. We will not accept votes intended to subvert the voting process or those generated by script, macro, or other automated means. Finalists are prohibited from obtaining votes by any fraudulent means, including offering prizes or other inducements to members of the public.
This sounds like it's just a popularity contest. What if I can't get people to vote for my story?
Our panel of judges will be reading all entries and choosing four wild cards that will be sent straight to the finals. If your story isn't voted through by the public, the judges might still recognize your talent and choose your story as a wild card.
What if someone just enters a bunch of gibberish and then gets a ton of people to vote for it?
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What Storm?
A weekend in Swansea did deliver clouds and a bit of rain but despite sleeping like a cat on a hot tin roof anticipating squalls and fallen trees in our room in Mumbles, zero, zilch, nothing. That Monday was a 20 minute down pour at 8am with barely a leaf out of place followed by sunshine as we drove back up the M4 to London. It was obvious the following day as I walked the dog that a battering had taken place but I didn't experience it. Oh well I had a very nice Joe's ice cream instead.
Excitement always abounds in our household when it comes to Halloween and this year was no exception. We had high hopes of the superman costume sent to us by Tesco's Pet Insurance for Patches to wear but aside from the cape it was too small, more Chihuahua than Parsons.
But being a good family dog he happily mooched round with myself and the petit garcon whilst we managed to trick and treat as well as be tricked and treated on. Hence Dracula mummy and Were Wolf son.
Revving Up
As I plan my strategy and think about my clothes fast next year, inevitably I'm lead to a few missing items that seem to have become wardrobe staples. It is exasperating how much I NEED a leather pencil skirt in my life. My research - asking twitter yes or no, resounded in an emphatic yes which has left me with the task of getting in a purchase before the 31/12/13. Who knew leather skirts were such a mind field but my best option is between a Dixie and Suzy both priced at £195 from Whistles (gulp). The rather wonderful reasonable priced £149 M&S Autograph one has sold out. Folks you are warned get in there.
But more importantly is the fact I'm looking forward to working my wardrobe hard and not spending money on clothes. I know my magpie instincts will be challenge but I have a distraction plan in place that mainly entails sorting our my wardrobe and gardening! Apparently gardening is the new fashion.
Plus there is the ever helpful Penny Golightly and her highly useful ebook series of which How to Live on £10 a Week is a great motivational tool.
Christmas - gah, humbug!
I love Christmas, all the festive fun but this year I'm finding it hard to focus on presents. All I want to do is dress up and drink mulled wine. Are you prepared for Christmas? And please Mrs Fab, Style at Any Age don't answer that because not doubt you are wrapped!


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CampfiresShare the warmth, and conjure a tale from amongst the flames.
Nights were long, cold, and dark on the steppes. Bringing everyone in a group together around a large fire kept them warm and allowed hot meals to be shared, ensuring everyone got their fair share. This in turn engendered a sense of community, kept most predators at bay, and instilled a feeling of safety amongst the tribe members. In practice, a large fire was constructed in a circle, and everyone sat around it, talking, eating, drinking, and huddling together for warmth and companionship. Of course, communal spaces also served other important purposes. Stories were passed down from generation to generation this way; tribal histories and legends gradually melded together until they became one and the same. A gathering of the entire tribal group also gave its leaders the opportunity to reveal their plans to everyone at once, and deal with any questions or concerns they may have.
Building NameCampfires
Level Nameatt_bld_nomad_community_cooking_2
Building ChainCommunity
Building Level2
Create Time3
Create Cost3000
EffectsWealth: +5% from animal husbandry buildings (force_to_force_own)
Food: +30 from reserves (force_to_force_own)
Growth: +4 when encamped (force_to_force_own)
Provides Garrison Army
No Garrison Units
Recruitable Units
No Recruitable Units


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HEALTH bosses have reacted with shock after a charity announced it is building a dossier of evidence about risks to patient safety at Stoke Mandeville hospital.
Independent disability charity BuDS said officials had approached it in recent weeks in confidence with serious concerns about patient safety.
But hospital chiefs accused the organisation of being irresponsible.
Bucks Healthcare, in charge of the hospital, said in a statement: "We are both shocked and concerned to learn from the Bucks Free Press that Andrew Clark of BuDS is encouraging local people to contact the charity direct rather than our organisation with issues about care in Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Also that BuDS is allegedly in receipt of "concerns about patient safety" of which we are unaware.
"Patient safety and clinical quality is our utmost priority and we work hard at being an open organisation that listens and responds to all feedback. We have had no direct contact from Mr Clark and will be in touch with BuDS today to encourage the immediate sharing of any specific information with us.
"In light of the scrutiny the NHS is currently under, it feels irresponsible of BuDS to potentially worry patients by hinting at issues in this way while keeping the Trust in the dark. We will again be reminding all our staff of their duty of candour and the many ways in which they can raise concerns if they have them.
"We would also like to remind anyone externally that we strongly encourage direct contact about issues so that we can take action on their behalf."
The Charity stated after receiving alarming reports from various sources at Stoke Mandeville, it had decided to build a dossier to send to the Care Quality Commission.
Andrew Clark, Chair of the BuDS Trustees said: "In the last few weeks, a number of sources at Stoke Mandeville hospital have approached BuDS in confidence, expressing serious concerns about patient safety at the hospital. These concerns range across many departments and areas of clinical practice.
"According to some sources, these serious issues have been raised internally with senior managers at Stoke Mandeville hospital, only to be frustratingly ignored. In these circumstances, remembering the incidents at Stafford, BuDS has decided to build a dossier of evidence with the intention of submitting it to the Care Quality Commission.
"I need to stress that BuDS is looking for specific 'hard' evidence we can present to the CQC, such as details of a situation where patient safety is at risk or compromised through lack of resources or a bad clinical or administrative system."
The charity said all information will be treated in absolute confidence and details of individuals or information which might identify them will not be released.
Mr Clark said: "Anyone - patient, relative or staff - who comes forward will have their identity protected even within the BuDs organisation, or evidence can be sent anonymously via our website."


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Rio Ferdinand believes that Manchester United youngster Phil Jones should have been given more of a chance to star for England in Euro 2012, with the defender claiming that the side played it too safe.
Ferdinand wasn't selected to partake in the tournament, and made his feelings of displeasure clear when he still wasn't chosen after Gary Cahill sustained an injury.
And the United star, who played alongside Jones for the entirety of last season, believes that in order to see how good England's youngsters are, they need to be experimented with rather than playing it safe.
"Phil Jones is one of the most adaptable players we have in our country and where was he?" he told The Sun.
"When we need to take the ball from midfield, run 40 yards with it and put the other team on the back foot, he is the man for the job.
"Instead, we stayed cautious and Jordan Henderson was used instead. That's not a criticism of Jordan, he is a different player to Phil, but I thought it showed we were being too conservative."
Ferdinand called on Hodgson to give young players such as United's Jones a chance to show how useful they are in the lead up to the 2014 World Cup.
"I'm reading a lot of stuff about how it's time to get the youngsters in and all of that but you only find out if they can do it when you throw them in there," he explained.
"What did we learn about Alex [Oxlade-Chamberain] and Phil at this tournament? Do we know how much influence Alex can have on a game in a finals?
"He did fairly well against France, so why not persist with him and let him grow into it?
"As for Phil, we will now have to wait until the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, provided we qualify, to see how good he can be at the highest level. Expectations were low so the manager had a free shot to find out about our youngsters and I feel it was a missed opportunity."
Hodgson commented yesterday that the likes of United's Chris Smalling and Tom Cleverley would be given more of a chance in England's remaining fixtures this year after the pair suffered from injury problems, while Kyle Walker and Jack Rodwell are also believed to be in the manager's plans.


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Even though registration for summer classes has been open for four months, there are still quite a few sections open for both Psychology and Human Development classes this summer. In fact, at the time that this was written, there was at least one space available in every one of these classes.
Here's what is being offered:
Community Sciences: COMM SCI 205 Social Science Statistics
Human Development: Introduction to Human Development; Infancy and Early Childhood; Middle Childhood and Adolescence; Dying, Death, and Loss (in person); Developmental Psychobiology; Family Development
Psychology: Drugs and Behavior (in person); Social Psychology; Psychology of Women; Psychology of Cognitive Processes; Psychology of Emotion; Abnormal Psychology
Note that all of these classes are expected to be Internet/Online unless "in person" is specified. Most are offered through our departments (not Adult Degree), so you won't need to be one of their students to register as you do in Fall and Spring. Just make sure the section number begins with a "0." If not, you may need permission from an Adult Degree instructor to register for the class.


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"Jacy is extremely knowledgeable in her field, the best I've seen so far. Works very hard, is reliable and stays focus on the tasks at hand. Working hours are not an issue, finishing the job and doing a professional job is a priority and I really appreciated that quality in her. I wish she was here working with me!"
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We had a bargaining session on Thursday, August 3. Here is where we currently stand:
Stipends: FSU proposed a minimum stipend of $13,750 for 9-month GAs on a 0.5 FTE, and a 1.75% pay increase for all GAs already earning above the minimum. This is a slight increase from their previous offer of $13,500 and 1.5%.
GAU countered by asking for a minimum hourly rate of $18.46 during the academic year or Summer Session A. For an academic year appointment at 0.5 FTE, this is a minimum stipend of $14,400. For a Summer Session A appointment at 0.25 FTE, this is a minimum stipend of $3,600. For Summer Session B and Summer Session C, GAU asked for a minimum hourly rate that would translate to a minimum stipend of $3,600 for an appointment at 0.25 FTE.
We strongly believe GAs deserve a better raise than the University has offered. This is especially true given significant increases in GA stipends at other public Florida universities and a national inflation rate of roughly 2%.
Health Insurance: Despite an increase in premiums for the coming year, FSU has once again proposed status quo language. This language would mean a subsidy of $1,662 for GAs on a 0.5 FTE, and less for those on 0.25 FTE or mixed appointments.
GAU countered by asking for a student health insurance subsidy of $2,110 for domestic students and $2,125 for international students on at least a 0.25 FTE. This subsidy would be 90% of the premium. This is down from our previous proposal of a 95% subsidy.
Since the cost of coverage is increasing and benefits such as dependent coverage have been cut for the coming year, we feel our subsidy should likewise increase.
Additionally, GAU asked what FSU is offering to compensate for the expected loss of dependent coverage. We are waiting for FSU's response.
Leave: GAU proposed 7 weeks of unpaid leave for any 12-month period, as well as 5 days of paid personal time each semester. This paid personal time would not be cumulative.
FSU did not counter our proposal. FSU's previous proposal was for 7 weeks of unpaid leave for any 12-month period.
Thanks to the GAs who showed up to the bargaining session. By attending, you help show the University we are invested in our contracts.
What Can You Do?
- Attend the next bargaining session — the date and time will be announced soon — at the FSU Training Center (493 Stadium Drive).
- Email Dr. Judith Devine, Senior Associate Dean of the Graduate School, at email@example.com or University President John Thrasher at firstname.lastname@example.com and tell them why graduate assistants deserve a raise.


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LOWELL -- It took over 300 years to grow, and about two hours to come down.
All that remained of the historic Pow-Wow Oak tree late Wednesday morning was its stump, with the limbs and trunk torn down by contractors wielding chain saws and operating a crane.
"It's not a good day," said Dave Desmarais, a surveyor who did work on the tree for the Pow-Wow Oak Protectors.
The protectors, led by George Koumantzelis, spent years working to identify the tree as public property and ensure its survival. In September, they celebrated the city's grant of a Covenant of Protection for the site and the dedication of a granite monument.
"It'll be forever there," Desmarais said. "It's marked out on the ground, so it'll be forever protected."
Once a meeting spot for the Wamesit Native American tribe and the stepping-off point for colonial minutemen bound for Lexington and Concord, the tree became a safety hazard on Tuesday, when a large limb fell across power lines and onto Clark Road.
The fallen limb exposed extensive decay in the trunk, and an arborist's assessment later determined it would be unsafe to let the tree stand.
Clark Road resident Joyce Sullivan, whose property abuts the small strip of public land around the tree, was among a handful of neighbors who gathered to watch the tree removal Wednesday morning.
"Everything he touched was practically sawdust," Sullivan said, watching a worker lift crumbling limbs.
Sullivan and Desmarais both said it was for the best that the decaying tree come down so a potential fall wouldn't endanger any of the people who stopped daily to read the markers and take pictures with the winding, gnarled branches.
But they said they wished some of the trunk could have been preserved for a sculptor to turn into a carving honoring the tree's history.
Desmarais said he'd heard of local Native American tribes who wanted to reuse discarded branches into drums. Others nearby talked about converting hollow branches into planters or scattering the wood chips across the site.
According to a statement from the office of City Manager Bernie Lynch, the timber will be saved for future use by the Pow-Wow Oak Protectors or others who wish to preserve a piece of the tree's history.
Koumantzelis was out of town, helping a friend move, when the limb fell down on Tuesday, Desmarais said. He hadn't made it back to Lowell before the full tree removal.
"He was trying to protect that tree, to make it live," Desmarais said of Koumantzelis. "He probably gave it a couple more years."
For more on this story, read Thursday's Sun or visit http://www.lowellsun.com.


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As a preview to his presentation at this year's Consumer 360 conference, Joe Uva, CEO of Univision Communications, discussed the diversity and the growing influence of the Hispanic market.
"Latinos are finally starting to exercise their scale," said Uva. "Whether that's through civic engagement - they certainly had a voice in electing President Obama - or whether it's taking a more active role in education and local community issues."
Joe Uva will speak Thursday, May 14 at Consumer 360. "It's a great opportunity for us to talk about just how important a growth opportunity and engine the Latino population in the United States can be for marketers and retailers," Uva said.


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Frans Pop wrote:
Hi all,Dave Beckett is preparing a new release of libcairo2 (see [1]) after a request from the Debian Installer team to add a udeb compiled against the directfb backend and not against the X backend. This udeb will be used by the d-i team for the graphical installer.
This is also where it gets really complex as compiling pango specifically against libcairo2-directfb would imply that we also need a separate variant of pango, but so far we've been running a "normal" pango library against a cairo2-directfb library in the graphical installer without any obvious problems (like missing symbols).It may be that we're missing obvious stuff here, so comments/suggestions from experienced library wizards are very welcome.
i'm not a library expert at all, so i may be wrong or missing something important, but pango should be totally indipendent from specific backends used by both cairo and gtk.
attilio@attilaptop:/usr/lib$ ldd libpango-1.0.so linux-gate.so.1 => (0xffffe000) libgobject-2.0.so.0 => /usr/lib/libgobject-2.0.so.0 (0xa7e9b000) libgmodule-2.0.so.0 => /usr/lib/libgmodule-2.0.so.0 (0xa7e97000) libdl.so.2 => /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libdl.so.2 (0xa7e93000) libglib-2.0.so.0 => /usr/lib/libglib-2.0.so.0 (0xa7e0b000) libm.so.6 => /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libm.so.6 (0xa7de5000) libc.so.6 => /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc.so.6 (0xa7cad000) /lib/ld-linux.so.2 (0x75555000)we always used gtkdfb 2.0.9 library with the pango library provided by existing pango udeb, and judging from experiments both davide and i made with GTKDFB 2.9.x and GTKDFB 2.8.17, current standard pango udeb works well with more recent GTKDFB libraries too.
A libcairo2-directfb library deb could also be generally useful for other projects based on directfb.
i think embedded linux applications developers will greatly benefit of precompiled [gtk|cairo]dfb libraries


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http://www.law.virginia.edu/html/news/2 ... wships.htm
An interesting part:
The Law School provides ongoing career counseling aimed at securing post-fellowship employment tailored to each graduate's career objectives. A recent follow-up study of the Class of 2010 found post-fellowship employment information for 35 of the 40 fellows. All 35 are now employed in permanent, full-time positions — 32 as lawyers, two in jobs for which a J.D. was an advantage, and one in a position that did not require a law degree.
Also, the fellowship provides a salary of 30k for the year (not huge dough, but not nothing). Does this calm some of the terror about UVA's school funded positions? I'll admit, I wish they were more transparent about the whole process, but it doesn't seem like it's entirely trying to game the numbers.


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Detroit, Michigan - Newly-appointed Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen - the brand's third boss in two years - faces a daunting task that his predecessors failed to complete: How to reposition General Motors' 112-year-old premium brand as a true competitor to BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
De Nysschen will have more autonomy and authority than previous Cadillac chiefs. He may need it.
In a rising US car market, Cadillac is being pummeled by the German luxury marques, which have blanketed the sector with mainstream and niche models and are outselling their Detroit rival by 2-1.
GM has labored for years to rebuild Cadillac into a global brand, but it has constantly stumbled to re-establish Cadillac's stature in its home market.
De Nysschen needs to douse several fires immediately that have bruised the brand's image.
There are too many cars sitting in US dealers' showrooms - but not enough of the right cars to blunt the Germans' assault. He also must contend with heavy discounting by Cadillac dealers - and, on top of that, the company has issued a plethora of safety recalls this year on virtually every model that is currently available in Cadillac showrooms.
These and other issues have fueled a revolving door at the top of Cadillac. De Nysschen was recruited from Nissan to replace Robert Ferguson, who's been named senior vice-president of global public policy.
Ferguson had headed Cadillac since October 2012.
Cadillac dealers on Friday said the brand needed two things to succeed: Consistency of leadership and the opportunity to function as a stand-alone entity within GM.
Howard Drake, owner of Casa de Cadillac in Sherman Oaks, California, and a member of Cadillac's national dealer council, said the brand needs "its own team, its own resources, its own profit and loss accountability".
"Cadillac is struggling with some brand perception issues and Johan is a master brand builder," Drake said, adding that GM President Dan Ammann told dealers he planned to give De Nysschen "a lot of autonomy".
One of the new guy's first tasks will be to revamp Cadillac's sales and marketing efforts.
Tin the first six months of 2014, Cadillac's US sales fell two percent while BMW rose 12 percent and Mercedes eight percent.
Cadillac is getting several new products designed to broaden its appeal, especially to luxury European buyers.
The most notable of the future Cadillacs is the LTS, a flagship sedan due in late 2015 and aimed at the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S-Class sedans.
Cadillac also plans to add a small crossover in late 2017 that is targeted at the BMW X3 and the Mercedes-Benz GLA.
Cadillac's Chief Marketing Officer Uwe Ellinghaus, a former BMW marketing executive, pointed out: "There are no great brands without great products; but even the greatest products in the world do not sell themselves."
Rebuilding the brand's image and Americans' perception of it could be the biggest challenge for de Nysschen and his team.
A former top GM executive said bluntly: "Cadillac has had trouble figuring out who its audience is.
"I hope they give De Nysschen the authority and leeway he is going to need."Reuters


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Kathleen A. (Ball) Gaudet, age 85, of Narragansett Street, Cranston, passed away on Monday, August 14, 2017, at Rhode Island Hospital. She was the wife of the late Mark A. Gaudet.
Born in Providence, the daughter of the late Martin C. and Catherine M. (Mooney) Ball, she lived in Lincoln for 40 years before moving to Warwick in 1976 and to Cranston in 2001. She earned a bachelor's degree in education from Rhode Island College, and her master's degree in education from Boston University. She was an avid reader. Mrs. Gaudet was employed as a teacher in the Lincoln Public Schools for 9 years, and as a supervisor of reading programs in the Warwick Public Schools for 23 years. After retiring from the public schools, she taught at St. Timothy School and St. Peter School in Warwick for another 20 years.
She is survived by two cousins, Barbara Burns Sullivan of Seekonk, MA and David Shea of North Providence; several very close friends; and her beloved cat, Fiona.
Her funeral will be held on Friday, August 18, at 8:45 a.m. from the Barrett & Cotter Funeral Home, 1328 Warwick Avenue, Spring Green, Warwick, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter Church, 350 Fair Street, Warwick. Relatives and friends are invited, and may visit at the funeral home on Friday from 7:45-8:45 a.m. Burial will be in the Rhode Island Veterans Cemetery, Exeter.
Contributions in her memory may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, or The Wounded Warrior Project. www.barrettandcotter.com


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Learn all you need to know about basketball at Jump Ball 2018! A sports camp for 2nd-6th graders, Jump Ball 2018 will teach kids shooting form, offense, defense and fundamental skills. Cost is $10 per child at the door. Pre-register at tbchp.org or call the church office at (248)541-8070. An awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, July 1st at 10:45am!
Ages: Entering 2nd- Leaving 6th grade
Cost: $10 (Due on first day of camp)
Dates: June 25-29, 2018, 6:30pm-8pm
Sunday School: 9:30 am
Morning Service: 10:45 am
Evening Service: 6:00 pm
Wednesday Prayer Meeting: 7:00 pm


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aesthetics parade from Kira Blazek on Vimeo.
GoPro: De Lux – LA Threshold (Official Music Video) from GoPro on Vimeo. Official Music Video directed by David Harris Choreography: Kira Blazek
5 Seasons is a contemporary interpretation of the Wu-Xing. Nine performers transform over the course of a metaphorical year through movement, sound, and video. This evening-length dance work explores the Wu-Xing, the Chinese fivefold conceptual schema that has been practiced over 2,000 years. Used to explain a wide variety of phenomena, it describes states …
Remix | Reorganize premieres at the Austin Dance Festival, March 5th 2016 at 5pm TBXS is bringing me back! Open Countertechnique classes offered Valentine's weekend on UT's campus, registration required. Click HERE to register and be my Valentine. Schedule: Feb 12th, 5:30-7pm Feb 13th, 3:30-5pm Feb 14th, 12-1:30pm


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Is your dog scared of storms? don't worry … there's gear for that!
Last week's patient was a pro. Actually, Arkana's a retired pro — a forever-homed military working dog who's been back from Afghanistan a couple of years now. Yes, after workin g for years in the field as a bomb dog, this 13-year-old Belgian Malinois is now living in the lap of luxury as yet another pampered Florida retiree.
With that kind of intro, you'd think it unlikely I'd be using Arkana as an example of any kind of phobia — much less a noise-based anxiety like thunderstorm phobia — but like so many other dogs, this war hero turns into a quivering mess of nerves at the first sign of a storm.
In Arkana's case it's more about the storm and less to do with the noise itself (Fourth of July fireworks don't faze him, for example). The drop in barometric pressure, intensifying winds, and prevalence of static electricity probably play an outsized role. But for most storm phobia sufferers, the sounds of the storm are a big deal too. In fact, for some dogs, this extreme response to a normal feature of everyday summer life is all about the noise itself.
Address the fear early
Regardless of the exact trigger, treatment of dogs with thunderstorm phobia focuses on changing each canine patient's individual response to the presence of storms. Though drugs can be had (and are sometimes appropriate), the ideal approach is to intervene early on — before this typically progressive condition becomes severe enough to warrant a pharmacological component to the solution.
The goal is to teach storm-phobic dogs to relax during thunderstorms. But that's easier said than done. Especially since the key is to get them to chill –– without inadvertently rewarding them for exhibiting anxious behaviors.
So what's an owner to do?
For starters, every owner needs to know how to identify a thunderstorm phobic dog: pacing, panting, hiding, seeking human company, and shaking quietly are common early signs worthy of early intervention. Indeed, the condition need never be allowed to progress to chewed blinds and broken teeth to warrant serious attention.