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While big-name museums tend to house the most famous works — and, usually, they're famous for good reason — I love the lesser-known places for the up-close access you get. Sure, it was fabulous seeing artifacts from Tutankhamen's tomb when the tour came to the Franklin Institute, but you can see comparable finds in just as good condition at The Oriental Institute in Chicago, where you can stare as long as you want, or even take a picture (as you can see).
On one of our pilgrimages to places connected to people we admire, Hubby and I trekked to the Bournemouth area in southern England to visit Mary Shelley's grave and a minor museum called The Shelley Rooms. It was one of those places where you walk in, you have the place practically to yourself, and an old guy who's holding down the fort comes over and talks to you fondly about his favorite topic. (At this point, I always wish my grandfather had done that kind of thing.)
The Shelley Rooms, once the home of the Mary and Percy Bysshe Shelley's son, housed a small collection of memorabilia, once belonging to a friend of the family. The item I remember most vividly is a generous lock of the poet's hair, taken when his flowing childhood locks were cropped for good. Talk about a personal effect! Considering that he was cremated, this is about as close to the man (physically) as you can get.
The experience was moving — more moving than seeing Mary's grave, and I'm generally more an admirer of hers than his. (In fact, Mary makes a short appearance in my book For the Love of Lila, advising the heroine not to forsake love for liberation.)
From what little I can glean on the Web, The Shelley Rooms have been sold and are now part of a doctor's office. ("Despair!") So for an alternative Shelley experience, check out Vincent Price's reading of his poem "Ozymandias" here.Tweet this


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Coating Unit
Folacomp PA, compressible Underpacking, self-adhesive
The Folacomp range was specifically developed for use underneath Folacoat coating plates and offers a wide range of thicknesses of underpacking containing a high percentage of compressible components. The content of smash-sensitive fabrics is considerably reduced in comparison with conventional compressible rubber underpacking blankets. The large number of thicknesses available makes it possible to use just one layer of underpacking in combination with the respective Folacoat coating plate. Packings made up of several sheets of paper belong to the past. The Folacomp PA is a self-adhesive version of the standard compressible underpacking. To improve its dimensional stability and increase the service life, the compressible underpacking material is reinforced with a dimensionally stable polyester foil.
Cut sheets
|Art. Number
|Nominal thickness (inch)
|Nominal thickness (mm)
Technical data
- Compressible foam
- Polyester-basis/ -carrier
- Adhesive light
This product is not available in rolls.
- Underpacking Compressible
Before mounting the underpacking on the cylinder, please make sure, that the cylinder is clean and free of contamination such as dirt and grease. Folacomp PA is applied to the lead or tail edge of the forme cylinder in accordance with the type of coating unit. Peel back approx. 30 cm (11.81") of the silicone backing paper from the adhesive film. Carefully place the sheet alongside the edge of the cylinder, apply pressure from the middle of the sheet to both sides and make sure that no air bubbles are trapped. Working like that guarantees a perfect adhesion around the cylinder. We recommend to install a coating plate on the cylinder directly after the Folacomp PA was mounted, as this will ensure a good contact of the adhesive to the cylinder. The new material tends to sink about 0.05 mm (.002") after a period of about 5000 printed sheets.
Downloads (PDF)
COATING PLATES - System Solutions for the coating unit (EN) (PDF)
COATING PLATES - Special products for the coating unit (EN) (PDF)
COATING PLATES - System Solutions for the coating unit (DE) (PDF)
COATING PLATES - Special products for the coating unit (DE) (PDF)
COATING PLATES - System Solutions for the coating unit (US) (PDF)

subset: commoncrawl


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Crystal Cave can refer to:
- Legends:
- The Crystal Cave on Dantooine.
- The Crystal Cave on Naboo.
- The Crystal Caves on Ilum
- Canon:
- The Crystal Cave on Ilum.
This is a disambiguation page—a navigational aid that lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. If an article link referred you here, you might want to go back and fix it to point directly to the intended page.
In other languages


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This era has been another level to technology. Start from something in our house, public places, even whatever we've done daily is technology-related. This year, apparently, has become smart environment ideas for taking the next level of technology. It is not actually this year, It has been going for couple ...Read More »
Home / Tag Archives: iBeacon in hotel
How iBeacon Works in Hotel
Thing such as technology is unpredictable. It can grow faster that anything else when you have not even notice it yet. It turns to be something more powerful and addicting to everyone. iBeacon, one of the most fast-growing technology, has been implemented in many places. Another chance of people getting ...Read More »


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People might tell you that there are several methods of creating cash about the web and you don't truly have to deal with search engine optimization, linkbuilding and so on. but by money they mean a couple of bucks correct here and there. If you're preparing on generating a complete time earnings on-line, you should focus your curiosity on search engine optimization and arrive up with a great seo link building strategy that functions for you. On this write-up, we will speak about some search engine optimization link developing suggestions which will assist you price higher in nearly no time!
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Finally, to spread the phrase, you could go for the marketing of your website more than social media this kind of as Fb and Twitter, to distributing it to search engines, to ads in print and digital mediums. The sky's the limit right here.


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An interview with Pye Hastings by Alessandro Freschi (Distorsioni), originally published on 26 January 2016, in Distorsioni web magazine in both Italian and English. Continue reading
Author Archives: caravan
Review: Ropetackle Shoreham -15 March 2016
Please visit the link for a review, by Jim Cornall, of the concert at the Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham, Sussex on 15th March 2016. Continue reading
Review: Union Chapel Islington – 14 March 2016
25 years ago I was fortunate to catch the original quartet playing a one-off reunion gig, some fifteen years after having previously seen the line up which made the 'Blind Dog at St Dunstan's' album.
Having criminally neglected to follow the band's progress since that memorable performance in 1991 I approached this show with some trepidation, afraid that my fond memories might be tarnished by something that couldn't possibly live up to understandably cautious expectations. Continue reading
Confirmed gigs in Japan: September 2015
Caravan will be playing two concerts in Japan in September 2015, both at the Shinjuku Blaze, Tokyo.
Continue reading
New T-shirts
We would like to announce that we have new Caravan t-shirts on our website paradisefilter.com
There are two designs and 4 colours and both are Caravan logos from the mid 70's.
We have produced a limited edition dark grey and pink Caravan T-shirt, which will be available to pre-order in sizes medium to XXL.
These will take around 2 weeks to deliver as they will be produced to order.
The black, light grey and white t-shirts are in stock. These sold out on the last three gigs so we now have new stock.
We hope you like them.
Acoustic spoons in the dark
During the power outage at St. John's Church Farncombe, the band relaxed and discussed an acoustic set list. Geoffrey explained how playing acoustic spoons is easier and less painful than the electric ones. Continue reading
Sound check at Farncombe 6:05 pm
Caravan during their sound check at St. John's Church, Farncombe. Continue reading
Pledge for our new Live at RoSFest DVD, special packages & more!
"Honest, I Did" Article in Prog Rock Magazine – March 2014
What happens on tour usually stays on tour. However with Paradise Filter Caravan reveal how crowdfunding gave them a new lease of life – and the real stories behind what they tell the WAGs! Continue reading
Monday 10 March 2014 – The Stables, Milton Keynes
What a pleasure to see Caravan again, and with new material from their new CD as a bonus!
Review by: John Hutton. Continue reading


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By guest blogger Danny Rosen, geologist and poet, for Accretionary Wedge #45, Geological Pilgrimage. Photos by Hollis.
I wanted a trilobite. I wanted to find one myself. I was prepared to go a long distance. My buddy Bert, a fellow federal garbageman, told me of a friend whose brother had a rock shop in Delta. I drove to Delta. Lyle probed to find out if I was a seller in disguise. Nope, I just wanted to find my own trilobite, and I knew Bert. Lyle drew a map. I filled my water jug and drove out of town on Highway 6, turned onto gravel west of Hinckley, headed over Marjum Pass toward the Wheeler Amphitheatre in the heart of the House Range.
I spent a couple days walking the sharp ridges, turning over detritus, finding many fragments, sleeping under Cambrian skies. The only other people around were a couple of Lyle's men, working a quarry. At last, I found Trilobite Jesus, Elrathia kingi, one-eyed and quiet, segmented and frozen, beautifully imperfect. I asked the man what it was worth. He eyed the jagged hard shale and said, "Well, if a Texan wanted to give fifty bucks for it, I'd take it." We've been together ever since, almost thirty years, Trilobite Jesus and me.
|Danny and friend.
He didn't die for my sins,
but from a sudden build-up of ash,
a thickening weight.
The last new level of the sea found him
awash on a hardened beach, by a river,
burrowed in, covered over, fast asleep
in far Utah, able to send one last signal,
as the mud thickened about his lobe,
all his work turned to stone, he lost hold
of every belief. Trilobite Jesus.
He did not die for my sins,
but He came back,
and I am drilling a hole in His head
with a carbide hammer-drill bit,
to wear Him around my neck
like an albatross, to mark this moment,
this moment on the cross.


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Lifeboat Network has great merchandise they sell, one of them being t-shirts. They're known for running treasure hunts on their servers all the time that allow players to win free t-shirts. Earlier they announced a new way you can win one.
We love the Minecraft PE Community, and those who participate and play on the Lifeboat network. We have a tight-knit community and want to give back to you.
Winning a free Lifeboat tee is simple, and includes very basic steps.
- Upload a YouTube video with "LBSG" or "Lifeboat" in the title and description (the video must be about Lifeboat).
- Your video must exceed 100 views before submitting a form to receive your free shirt.
- If your video happens to reach 200 views, you have the ability to receive the all new black Lifeboat t-shirt (which looks awesome by the way).
Lifeboat includes additional details in their post that you can read here, which also has the form you submit to-to receive your tee.


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Connie (my business partner, whom I really need to introduce to everyone on the blog) and I get to see the real upside to the whole foreclosure mess. Many of our clients are buying homes well below market value. Years from now they will be in a great position to sell and move up. I can't wait to list those homes in a few years.
Every now and then you see sellers who understand the opportunity, taking a hit on their smaller house to take advantage of a great deal on the move up home. We saw one seller who had to bring 6k cash to closing but was delighted, because later that day he was buying a new home 50k under market. He said he felt as if he was netting 44k on the trade up.
Not bad for a days work.


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Blood Echoes are a form of currency in Bloodborne.
In-Game Description
- When your character dies, all Blood Echoes are left behind at that location. These Blood Echoes can be reclaimed by traveling to that location, unless they are claimed first by an enemy. In that case, search for the enemy with glimmering blue eyes, and defeat it to reclaim all Blood Echoes.
- If your character dies again before reclaiming lost Blood Echoes, those Blood Echoes can never be retrieved.
General Information
Blood Echoes are obtained by killing enemies or consuming blood echo items. The amount of Blood Echoes an enemy drops is determined by the strength of said enemy. The player starts out with a different amount of Blood Echoes, depending on their Origin.
Blood Echoes are the echo of someone's will. Like a ghost is the lingering image of a person, Blood Echoes are the lingering presence of the will, after the person has long passed away.
Blood Echoes can be used to purchase items from the Bath Messenger in the Hunter's Dream. They can also be used to level up via The Doll.
Echoes can be used to fortify and repair weapons in the Hunter's Dream as well.
Recovering Blood Echoes
Blood Echoes can be recovered in two ways. The first is by returning to where the player died. A blood stain will appear containing the echoes last held if there are no nearby enemies to absorb the echoes. Upon death, however, enemies can absorb the blood echoes if their spawn location is close enough to the player's death location. The closest enemy will absorb all previously held echoes if there are multiple enemies within the range; this is determined without account for height so enemies that spawn below and above can absorb them. Enemies carrying echoes are identified by their glowing eyes, which also signifies that they have become stronger by absorbing the blood echoes.
If a death is incurred and the save reloaded, then the blood stain and echoes (even if an enemy absorbed them) will be relocated at the Lecture Building just before the library hall outside the lamp room (1st floor).
The following are methods to farm Blood Echoes. They are organized on a hierarchy of difficulty and progression of the game.
Equip Heir and Moon Caryll Runes if the method involves Visceral Attacks. Equip only Moon runes, if not.
- Witch's Abode - The Executioners can be staggered easily, making use of the Heir rune (since they will be the bulk of Blood Echoes here). Run back to either the lamp in the area or use a Bold Hunter's Mark.
- Hypogean Gaol - Kill all of the Kidnappers nearby. They are easy to parry and drop plenty of Blood Echoes at early levels, as well as some fortification materials.
- Lecture Building - First players must find the Lecture Theatre Key and unlock the door it opens, as well as the shortcut that leads to the lamp in the area. Simply go to the room filled with Slime Scholars and kill them. Using non-Arcane elemental damage (fire or bolt) will help.
- Mergo's Loft Middle - Go further through the area, killing the Shadow of Yharnam encountered along the way. Kill the first Maneater Boar with a visceral attack and then run past the other two, into the Shadows of Yharnam congregation further up ahead. The Maneater Boar is hostile towards them and will attack them. Aid either the side so that there is a minimum of enemies aggravated at any given time. Head back to Lamp through the lift.
- Ailing Loran Layer Two (Ailing Loran Chalice) - Go to the optional area before the Lamp of the 2nd Layer. Kill the Labyrinth Rats and the Beast Claw NPC, and then kill the Scourge Beast hidden behind the caskets. Use a Bold Hunter's Mark to repeat the process. This method is extremely effective and nets about 66k+ with all Moon runes.
- Blood Echoes dropped increase the more the player ventures into further "New Games" but stops after the eight, the same with enemies difficulty.
- There are only two Caryll Runes that affect Blood Echoes received: Moon and Heir.
- Use of the Hunter Mark will forfeit all blood echoes and return the player to the last lamp used. Enemies will respawn.
- Use of the Bold Hunter's Mark does not forfeit any blood echoes. However, it still returns the player to the last lamp used.
- Blood echoes embolden your sickly spirit the doll said, blood echoes are the cure to the disease perhaps.
- The icon for Blood Echoes is the symbol of the Hunter's Mark and the Hunter oath rune.
- In Japanese version, it is called "Dying Wishes of the Blood".


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Symphony and Mass: Two Poles in the Sacrament of Music
What is the mystery of Mozart? Few people would question the assertion that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is the most beloved of all composers today, as he has been for almost two hundred years. This is true not only among audiences but for musicians, many of whom treasure his operas, piano concertos, chamber music and orchestral works above all others. So it may be surprising to speak of "the mystery" of this apparently universal genius. Many of us feel we know the man and the musician, especially after Amadeus. But unlike such near-contemporaries as Haydn and Beethoven, Mozart, relatively unacclaimed during his lifetime, lacked the worshipful followers who might have recorded his day-to-day activities and, like all composers at that time, was not given to explaining his music - not until Wagner did composers begin to feel that their music required explication. Mozart lived in a common-practice era: the language of (Western) music was a vernacular among all educated people; the superficialities of musical discourse were readily understood.
Composers' lives are not often very interesting, nor should they be: what's left after they are gone is the music, and in retrospect that was the purpose of their existence. Not knowing what Mozart liked to eat for breakfast should matter little to us, apart from trivia quizzes. But understanding why a composer decided - without any motivating commission - to write a particular work at a certain moment can lead to insights into its performance. The mystery we are concerned with is why two great masterpieces - Mozart's supreme creations in the genres of sacred music and the symphony - came to be written, and why one of them was never finished.
On the 4th of August 1782 the 26-year-old Mozart married Constanze Weber over his father's strenuous objections. He is understood to have vowed to produce a mass in thanks for his marriage. There is a strong likelihood that the C-minor Mass was begun in fulfillment of that vow, and Mozart did perform a votive mass in Salzburg on the 26th of October 1783, when the couple traveled there to pay court to his father Leopold (the younger Mozart having more or less forced the Prince-Archbishop to dismiss him in mid-1781 so he could realize his destiny in Vienna).
In those circumstances, it seems strange that Mozart left the C-minor Mass incomplete. At least the Requiem's unfinished state can readily be excused: dead composers do not usually continue to write (though others sometimes attempt to channel them). Unlike Schubert, who left unfinished torsos of many pieces when he lost interest in a project or decided he had reached a dead end, Mozart normally appears certain of his direction from the beginning of a piece to the end, even if, contrary to legend, he did sketch works out before embarking on a complete draft. His music never sounds exploratory. So, though we may conjecture that he found the scale of this mass growing unexpectedly to enormous proportions as it developed - had it been completed it would match or exceed the dimensions of Bach's B-minor Mass and Beethoven's Missa solemnis - making it unsuitable for liturgical use or impossible to complete on time, this is unlikely, as is the possibility that the pressure of other work or the birth of his first child kept him from finishing the mass on schedule. Mozart was no Beethoven: he did not miss deadlines, and in any event was under no obligation to perform it that year; he could easily have substituted one of his earlier masses and may indeed have done so on that occasion.
The music itself is on the grandest scale right from the onset, mixing the high classicism of Mozart's maturity with a newly-developed interest in by-then archaic polyphonic richness: the Cum sancto spirito and Osanna fugues are Mozart's most involved, learned and virtuosic. The Kyrie begins ominously - we sense the awesome responsibility of marriage and fatherhood rather than their bliss - and though the operatic Christe (which like the other soprano solos may have been written for Constanze to sing) relieves some of the tension, we are soon wrenched almost violently back into C-minor darkness. The clouds lift only with the onset of the Gloria, a comparatively conventional - albeit extended - expression of praise.
Masses consisting only of a Kyrie and Gloria were common in Mozart's time; they were the usual practice in Salzburg except on feast days, the remainder of the service being chanted. If Mozart had stopped there eyebrows would be raised only by the vast scale of the two movements. But he went on, completing two sections of the Credo and composing a Sanctus and Benedictus complete in their essential features though lacking stretches of inner voices in both choral and orchestral parts. The Credo, too, is missing necessary inner string parts in a number of spots, and there is no evidence that Mozart ever began an Agnus Dei. That he simply abandoned the mass is patently obvious, but the reasons escape convincing explanation. Two years later, asked by the Vienna Society of Composers to compose a cantata for a benefit concert for musicians' widows, Mozart adapted the mass music to a new text; Davidde penitente at least shows us the composer's thrift.
So here the mystery involves non-completion. With the Jupiter symphony the mystery is in the origins of the piece itself.
The summer of 1788 was a difficult time for the Mozart family. Although the opera Don Giovanni had been enthusiastically received in Prague the previous year, opportunities in Vienna were drying up and money was scarce. At about this time Mozart wrote his first of a series of letters to his Masonic brother Michael Puchberg requesting a loan. On the 17th of June the family moved house, and on the 29th his six-month-old daughter Theresa died of an intestinal illness. Yet during that summer Mozart composed, within a span of eight to ten weeks, three symphonies - his most substantial - as well as two piano trios, two piano sonatas for students and several smaller-scale works.
It is not in itself strange that he created music in such volume: Mozart was always a fast worker, able to keep several projects in his head simultaneously as he developed them. Had he been commissioned to write three symphonies there would be little wonder at his efficiency. But there was no commission; Mozart seems atypically to have written them "on spec," for contemplated future concerts that in the end never took place. Though Mozart revised the middle member of the trilogy (in G minor) to include clarinets, there is still no evidence that it or the others were ever performed during his lifetime. Beyond this, there are suggestions within the texts that the composer may have conceived them in relation to each other. Each appears to be a demonstration of some ideal aspect of symphonic craft. K. 543, in E-flat, is warm and lyrical; K. 550, the Great G-minor, ferociously dramatic. The final symphony, K. 551 in C major, is a tour de force of orchestral counterpoint, taking the polyphony derived from the church-music tradition into the realm of the concert hall.
Composers in the Baroque and Classical periods often produced sets of works in a particular genre. We need only think of Vivaldi's concertos in groups of six or twelve, Handel's concerti grossi or even Haydn's and Mozart's collections of string quartets - also in the traditional packages of six. Bach raised that practice to a didactic level, using the opportunity provided by an anthology of works to show not only the range of his capabilities (as in the Brandenburg concertos), but to explore the potential of what might be done, as in the Art of Fugue, the Musical Offering and the Well-Tempered Clavier. In these three uncommissioned symphonies Mozart seems to be aspiring to Bachian territory, offering to posterity a summation of the High Classical symphony. This is, if anything, an uncharacteristic posture for him, in its appeal to an imaginary audience beyond the immediate one in the theatre. But Mozart goes even further in his idealization of the symphony, especially in the Jupiter (a name, by the way, that has all to do with marketing and little to do with Mozart).
The symphony began as entertainment music, in the opera overtures and suites of stylized orchestral dances that accompanied guests' getting settled in their seats before the main event - which always involved vocal or instrumental soloists - commenced. Haydn in particular began to expand the reach of the symphony toward something that would itself demand an audience's attentiveness, but Mozart's earlier symphonies on the whole retained the characteristics of an overture, with a peremptory call to attention leading to a brilliant resolution, without the emotional depth of his piano concertos among his instrumental music. In these three final symphonies, though, Mozart seems to be insisting on the symphony's priority, anticipating later generations' veneration of the concert hall as a place of cultural ritual, as a medium for intensified feeling, as the secular equivalent to a church. Signifiers include the increased use of sonata form (along with fugue the most "serious" mode of musical discourse then in use) not only in the first movements but in their successors - three of the Jupiter's four movements are sonatas. Sheer length also implies importance, and Mozart expands the G-minor and Jupiter symphonies to unprecedented dimensions not only through their contents but with the increased use of indications to repeat sections. But in the Jupiter Mozart strives for and achieves heights of grandiosity in two new ways: by introducing a level of complex polyphony until then restricted to sacred music (the holy realm and the traditional vehicle for a composer's highest aspirations), and by restructuring the symphony's architecture so that the finale becomes the destination of the entire journey, rather than simply the third of three successive resolutions, in varying forms, to the challenges posed by an imposing opening movement.
The first three movements of the Jupiter are, especially in comparison to this symphony's two predecessors, ordinary in conception - deceptively so. The first movement even begins and is built on a standard call-to-attention pattern familiar from two previous C-major symphonies by Mozart - the Paris and K. 338 - and the D-major Haffner. There are hints, though, of contrapuntal activity in the earlier movements; these smooth the way for the finale's eruption into polyphony and keep it from being a complete surprise. Even the finale begins in deceptive homophony, counterpoint interposing itself gradually into the texture, appearing at first only in a transitional section. But the central development section is all about the contrapuntal interweaving of voices as well as the usual migration of tonalities, until, after a normal recapitulation, a new journey begins, mysteriously falling away in an inversion of the main theme's melodic contour, in a transition to Mozart's final coup de théâtre: the contrapuntal combination of all the finale's motifs, a summary gesture astonishing in its daring and its sound. Hearing this coda, we understand Mozart's decision to write unremarkable (though brilliant) music in the first three movements: the trajectory must be upwards. In effect, Mozart creates a secular continuation to the great mass he had begun but not realized five years earlier. Perhaps he had an inchoate sense that in doing so he was anticipating later generations' elevation of music to a plane equivalent to that of religion.
In the presence of two such supernal masterpieces as the C-minor Mass and the Jupiter Symphony, the early Dixit and Magnificat, composed by an eighteen-year-old Mozart for Vespers services at Salzburg's cathedral in 1774, are at a particular disadvantage. In company with those later works, however, they do show us the vast musical distance he traveled in his life. Their machinelike fluency is typical of the composer at that time and of any number of his contemporaries, remarkable only in his precocity in attaining it. (In contrast to this, Mendelssohn by a similar age had already composed his string octet and the overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream.) The final mystery, then, is how Mozart rose above that level, to a mastery not only of the materials of music but of its essence, mastery that has few parallels in history.
- Jerome Hoberman -
As in The Hong Kong Bach Choir and Orchestra's 2002 performance of Mozart's Requiem, in the C-minor Mass we use an edition, by H.C. Robbins Landon, that meddles least with the work as Mozart left it. Landon has limited himself to filling in missing voices in both choral and orchestral parts in movements otherwise completed by Mozart himself.


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My name is Barbara Zmich and I am the Post-Graduate Counselor at Collier High School. I assist seniors (and juniors upon request) in their exploration and actualizing of their career goals. I have information regarding colleges, vocational schools/technical institutes, financial aid and gainful employment. While undergoing this process with the senior, I collaborate with the family, the child study team and our teachers and administration to help ensure a smooth transition. Students' requests to meet with me individually regarding their post-graduate plans are always honored as soon as possible. Seniors with early application deadlines are initially met with more frequently. It is our goal that every effort is made for each child to have a solid educational or employment plan upon graduation.
Students have the option of attending a group that addresses the application process to a four year college. This six week group explores topics such as essay writing, dorm living, college visits and interviewing and the differences between high school and college. Tentative plans are in place to offer a test prep placement exam for students applying to a community college. They too, will be offered the opportunity to attend a group to discuss the application process.
It is our hope that we be able to offer periodic workshops in the new year that would include such topics as independent living and money management. As always, there will be a senior retreat in spring that will provide the seniors with some time and space for reflection and sharing to help transition from Collier High School.
My name is Ashley Crean and I am the Post-Graduate Counselor Assistant at Collier High School. I work with 9th through 12th grade students in exploring their interests and developing post-graduate plans. Students complete career interest inventories, which assist them in researching careers that are in line with their interests and work environment values, as well as discovering what it takes to become a professional in a desired career (e.g., required education and training, personal characteristics, etc.). We explore potential careers and I provide students with the opportunity to research colleges or programs which emphasize training in their desired occupations. I also collaborate with teachers, counselors, administrators, and the community to run a Career Cafe. The Career Cafe provides students with the opportunity to meet with some professionals who are currently working in their desired career group.
Current high school students and Collier High School alumni may request to meet with me individually or join one of my job assistance groups to get help with finding a part-time or full-time job. In individual and group sessions, I work with the students on how to find job postings, create and update their resumes, apply to jobs for which they are eligible, learn and practice how to interview, learn job skills needed to maintain employment, and upgrade their existing job skills.
I have also been working with Barbara Zmich to put together a group for juniors. This group will assist juniors in signing up for the College Board website, allow time to research colleges, and assist them in signing up for the SATs. We will also explore college search engines, the college application process, and the transition process from Collier into college or the work force. Juniors and seniors will also be offered the opportunity to take part in a SAT prep course to prepare for and practice taking the SATs.


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It's been far too long since I presented with Dr Schestowitz on the TechBytes show. Over the last year many things have changed, most notably that I am now almost completely living my digital life in the Cloud. On that note we cover topics relating to surveillance, GCHQ and why you've already given up your right to privacy as soon as you come on-line. Want to know more? Listen in! This is one of a series of shows covering a topic which could not be dealt with in a 1 hour slot.
You can visit the umbrella BytesMedia here or go straight to the TechBytes episode here.


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BANGALURU : UL (Underwriters Laboratories) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) have announced a three-year partnership to promote road safety initiatives in Bangalore. Under the partnership, UL, a global safety science organization, will support WRI's EMBARQ project implementing key initiatives to improve road safety on Indian roads, one that intends to have far-reaching effects on the city of Bangalore, as well as for the country.
Every year, traffic accidents claim over 1.2 million lives, and road fatalities are set to become the fifth-leading cause of death worldwide by 2030. India accounts for approximately 10 per cent of all fatalities worldwide. In 2013 alone, 130,000 deaths and 50,000 serious injuries were recorded in traffic-related accidents. By building safety into a city's infrastructure design, and prioritising the needs of people on the roads, over vehicles, many of these injuries and fatalities can be avoided.
One of the initiatives of the UL and WRI partnership involves a popular, open-streets road-safety campaign pioneered by EMBARQ. The campaign now draws over 150,000 people to participate in car-free Sundays, where road safety is a key message. In addition, the campaign aims to promote non-motorised modes of transport in cities in order to reduce air pollution and encourage healthier lifestyles.
"We were involved in the launch of Raahgiri in Gurgaon in November 2013 and saw an overwhelming response, with over 10,000 people participating on the first day itself. Since then, the campaign has expanded to several cities with our support. Some cities have localised the name to their unique situations.
Through our partnership with UL, we will develop a toolkit that will aid the implementation of this concept in other cities. Our experiences over the last year and a half will serve as a guide to civil society and local authorities toward promoting non-motorised transport modes and infrastructure in Indian cities" said Amit Bhatt, strategy head – Urban Transport, EMBARQ/WRI.
The toolkit will be first piloted in Bangalore, and then used to scale the campaign nationally.
The second initiative under the partnership between UL and WRI involves engaging with the private sector in promoting road safety in cities. The programme recognises that businesses not only contribute significantly to the traffic congestion and movement in a city, but also have an economic impact that is often not quantified.
By working closely with enterprises in developing and piloting a road safety programme that can be implemented with corporate support, the partnership hopes to make a positive impact on the awareness of corporate stakeholders. These would include employees, vendors and contractors, among others.
"The participation of private enterprise in road safety initiatives is an extremely positive step forward since this sector has a big stake both in traffic volumes as well as technologies that can help in road safety.
At UL, we are committed toward road safety by increasing risk awareness. Through this partnership we look forward to working very closely with corporate entities to help ensure higher safety standards on Indian roads" said R.A.Venkitachalam, Vice President of Public Safety, UL.
Through these projects, UL and WRI hope to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities, and make Indian cities safer, healthier, and economically productive.
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text: Business Directory Back to Search Avalanche Appliance Service Share: Commercial & Household Services Avalanche Appliance Service Visit Website 209B-1200 ALPHA LAKE ROAD Whistler, BC V0N IB1 (604) 962-2099 www.avalancheappliance.ca Map What's Nearby? Distance: 5 10 15 20 25 50 km. MembershipIt's Good to be a Member Join / Renew New Member Application Business Directory Business Savings Member Login Member Benefits Promote Your Business Coffee Talk Member Info Sessions Employment Resources Service Canada Working in Whistler Job Board Recruitment and Retention Toolkit Blog The Big Idea Tweet


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/// May 16, 2017 | EPISODE 184
Below are the news stories that may not have made the headlines today but are worth reading!
Gamers never die…..
Just like the Games of Our Lives…
►Oceanhorn 2
►Accel World VS. Sword Art Online
►LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2
►Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock
►Far Cry 5
►The Crew 2
►Resident Evil Revelations
►Destiny 2
►Sonic Forces
►Ace Combat 7
/// Oceanhorn 2 First Gameplay Video!
/// Ubisoft E3 2017 Showcase Set for June 12!
Sony Interactive Entertainment America announced it will hot it E3 2017 press conference on Monday, June 12 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET / 2am UK.
Here is the current schedule of E3 press conferences:
June 10
- 12pm PT / 3pm ET – Electronic Arts (EA Play 2017)
June 11
- 2pm PT / 5pm ET – Microsoft
- 7pm PT / 10pm ET – Bethesda Softworks
June 12
- 10am PT / 1pm ET – PC Gaming Show
- 1pm PT / 4pm ET – Ubisoft
- 6pm PT / 9pm ET – Sony Interactive Entertainment
June 13
- 9am PT / 12pm ET Nintendo
/// Accel World VS. Sword Art Online for PS4 and PSV Launches in the West on July 7!
/// LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Launches November 14 for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC!
/// Ubisoft teases next Assassin's Creed!
/// Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock Announced for PS4, Xbox One, and PC!
/// Far Cry 5 and The Crew 2 Announced!
/// Resident Evil Revelations for PS4 and Xbox One Gameplay Videos Released!
/// Destiny 2 Devs Are Already Playing the Game at Home!
Game Director Luke Smith said:
We have the whole game at home, in a private test realm, and we're playing the s*** out of it. That's actually pretty motivating because you can see the things that are going amazing and the things that are still rough. We're not done, we've got plenty of work in front of us. If you were playing right now you'd see unnamed items and missing icons, but having a version of the game where you can sit on your couch and relax is great.
Top of Page
/// Sonic Forces Reveals 'Custom Hero' Gameplay Style!
/// Arms Nintendo Direct Set for May 17!
Tune in tomorrow at 3 PM PT for an #ARMS Direct + see a brand new trailer for #Splatoon2! https://t.co/sVsqDLEOcv pic.twitter.com/35v8upExGb
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) May 16, 2017
/// Ace Combat 7 Delayed to 2018!
Dear Ace Combatants,
I wanted to take this opportunity to speak directly to you, our loyal Ace Combat fans, and give you a first-hand update on the launch timing for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. The Project ACES team and I have been working hard on Ace Combat 7 and we're determined to achieve the vision we have set for the game. In order to reach that vision, we have decided to move the launch of Ace Combat 7 to 2018.
We would have loved to launch Ace Combat 7 at the end of 2017 as we originally intended, but doing so would compromise our goal for the game. We take our art very seriously and that means we have instead chosen to devote additional time and effort to perfect and optimize this newest chapter of the Ace Combat saga.
The combination of the Unreal 4 Engine and the power of current generation consoles and PC hardware have literally opened the "skies of opportunity" to us to develop the best Ace Combat experience to-date. At no other time in Ace Combat's 20+ year history has gaming technology allowed us to deliver the minute details of flight combat – such as cloud cover and air currents – or give players a new way to experience dogfights and attack sorties through hardware such as the new PlayStation VR.
We'll have a lot more information and details to share with you in the coming months, starting at E3 2017 where we plan to reveal a brand-new demo showcasing one of the non-VR missions in Ace Combat 7 for the first time ever!
On behalf of the entire Project ACES team, I want to thank you all for your patience and for your continued support.
Kazutoki Kono – Ace Combat Franchise Director


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Overall Target has a 4.4 star rating based on 170 user reviews.
Read these Target reviews from real customers. BestOnlineCoupons.com allows our users to submit real ratings and reviews of the best online stores and Internet services. You can do it too.
In addition to customer ratings of stores and services, we also list online coupons, promotion codes, clearance bargains, discount deals and other special offers. Use our coupons site to save money on online shopping and Internet servicces.
Target is where I aim for when I need stuff.
IPOD Touch
Mommy/Daddy"clause" gave this to our 15 year old daughter as a x-mas present. She absolutely loves loves it. She did have the IPod 64g but in her words "this is way sooooooooooo cool." We did purchase the IPod @ Target and we did appreciate the sales clerk helping us with information, etc. Thanks Target
Target.com-Spot-on for best stuff at best price
I'm a believer! Target.com has changed the way my family shops. We love, love, love Target! We get all the coolest designs, all the big name brands, quality and most important in these tough economic times - value! There is always something on sale. Coupons are readily available - and I get better deals by combining coupons I find online than what I would pay even at my wholesale club! I can't recommend Target enough - and returns are a breeze - just take your item to your local Target store. No hassles, it's simply a pleasure to shop at Target. Best stuff, Best prices! You really hit the spot for my family! Thank you!
target is better than ever, thanks to walmart
I am an avid shopper, and frequent target and walmart frequently, especially for clothes for me and my kids. Target fashion for women is so ridiculous and out of touch now! But the good news is that thanks to walmart constantly offering all things cheaper, target is forced to keep their prices lower. Still, they are about the same price as old navy, which I think is too high. I will always be a target shopper but they need to offer more realistic clothing for a suburban soccer mom and at a lower price!
Great Place
We just moved and we did most of our shopping here for the house. The prices are right and the service is good.
Who doesn't love Target?
Where else can I pick up salon shampoo, a birthday card, a picture frame, tonight's dinner, some fun jewelry, and a DVD for family night? It's awesome one stop shopping for all of life essentials.
Great return policy
I do the majority of my shopping at Tar-jay and have found great deals online as well as in store. Returning is a breeze!
Great online and offline
I regularly shop at Target in-store, and have never had a negative experience. Most of their merchandise is reasonably priced, they have a wide variety of price points, they frequently turn over merchandise, and there are generally some pretty great clearance deals going on.
Shopping at Target online, I have found, to be just as pleasurable of an experience. The shipping is quick and reasonable, they have a lot of merchandise not carried in the store, and the site loads and functions quickly.
Wish my Target had better deals!
I have lived in many different states, due to we are military. And I can always count on Target to have the items that I always need. the only thing that I find this time now that we live in Kansas, is that the prices are much higher than on the East coast. And they don't as great as deals as other Target stores have. Along with there clearance items.
target is great!
target always accepts coupons...you can even stack them! they have great sales too.
Return Policy
Not that I make a habbit of returning, but I shop there so much that I have to from time to time. If I have a problem I have never had any problems returning anything they are great. As for the quality of there clothing is absolutley wonderful. I love Target so much I go there atleast once a week.
prices on merchandise
I would just like to congratulate Target for doing such a good job on maintaing their items priced where you don't have to look all over the store to find prices.I just love shopping in your stores ...you just can,t keep me out of them....
Love The Target Online Experience
I have enjoyed the online shopping @ Target amongst other stores. I like the sales and speedy checkout. Will be shopping more.
Great return policy
One thing that I love about Target is their 90 day return policy, plus many, if not most, items ordered online can be returned to your local store, saving you the expense and hassle of shipping the item back. Before you order, check the details on the item that you're looking at.
I've ordered many items from Target, including much of my bedroom furniture, and it has all held up well over the past 3 years. One drawer in my dresser didn't fit well and they quickly sent me another one free of charge. The furniture is from the mission collection but it's no longer sold on their site. The headboard piece to this collection received many negative reviews related to it arriving with broken pieces, so maybe that had something to do with it. Too bad for me since I was waiting for them to improve the shipping process so that I could order that piece. In fact I had written to them about the problems with that piece and they assured me that the shipping process was fine. I've deducted one star for that issue.
Target is one of my favorites
99 out of 100 of my retail interactions with Target have been positive. They have a 90 day return policy, a competitive price point and great discounts when items are placed on clearance! Their extended warranty costs are extremely reasonable! 1/3 the cost of Best Buy and other big box stores.
They are an excellent retailer.
Everybody's favorite!
Great hours, great prices, great selection and easy returns. What more can you ask for? Target generally has the cheapest prices on toys, cleaning supplies and food items. Returns are easy, even without a receipt if you used your charge card. Sales make the bargains even better.
I love using the on line photo shop
First time use
It was very easy and clear to find the television I was looking for. It was less than what I exoected and it helped to have free shipping.
This was the first time I have used Target.com and found it easy and clear cut. I will definitely come back again.
Target online shopping
User friendly FAST shopping. I am 100% pleased with Target's online services and quality products. Will do business again.
Way to Go Target
Target is an awesome store. I love their sales and I always have my eyes open looking for those red clearance stickers. Target's clearance rocks! The employees are always helpful but NOT overbearing. I appreciate that. The only bad experience that I have had with Target is regarding a return. I had my receipt for a bedding set and curtains. I live almost an hour away so I was not able to get back to the store in the alloted time for a return...90 days, I think. When I finally got to the store to return the bedding, the items were clearanced and that is the price that they wanted to give me. I thought this was ridiculous since I clearly had my receipt and had paid considerably more for the items. I elected to keep the bedding set and give it away to a friend rather than give the bedding and my money to Target. This is my only bad experience with Target. I did learn to buy things from Target that I was sure that I would not return. So, other than a stinky return policy, Target is an awesome store where great bargains are to be had!!!
Fast and Friendly
I stopped by Target last night, just to pick up a couple of items. I was the third person in line waiting to checkout. They opened another register! Thanks Target!!!
Spot the savings
I love Target, they have great deals and exceptional products. I have shopped at target since one came to our town and love it. The atmosphere inside is very inviting and everything is so well organized. I have issues with unorganization and this is one of the only stores I can go in and not feel over whelmed. Thanks to TARGET!
I have always been a huge fan of Target. They have high quality home furnishings for a low price! I am never let down when I shop for children's and adult clothing as well. My daughter loves to get her shoes from here. I would recommend anyone with kids or looking for an affordable way to decorate any room in their house to shop at Target. You will not be disappointed.
Good prices, variety, some natural products
Target has a wide variety of different products at very good prices. They currently have a net book on sale for $100 less than it costs at Costco. They have nice quality towels and bedding and nice housewares.
Target - the best place to find toys
I love shopping at target for toys, games, movies and clothes. I love the one stop shopping for special deals and for food items. It is easy to return items with your receipt. The cashiers and other employees are very helpful and friendly. Target has the best selection of clothes for the right price. My grandkids love to go there. It is easy to find the merchandise. I love the store arrangement.
More Target Reviews


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June 29, 2016—On this episode of The Libertarian Angle, Jacob Hornberger and Richard Ebeling of the Future of Freedom Foundation discuss Brexit and its implications for liberty. Though they both generally support the vote of Great Britain to leave the European Union, there are also associated risks to liberty to assess.
"We need to keep something in mind," Ebeling says. "If one is an advocate of individual liberty and limited and decentralized government as an institutional companion to preserving liberty, as classical liberals and libertarians do, it is very easy to become euphoric."
"'Oh, these centralized structures are falling apart. Oh, first Britain leaves the EU. Maybe then some other countries, then so on and so on,'" Ebeling portrayed.
"But we have to remember this, that there are two undercurrents going on right now, and one is people who resent this unrepresentative centralized power controlling their lives, what seemingly, when people have been asked, what is a prime mover in the leave vote in Great Britain in this referendum," he continued.
"But there's another undercurrent here. And that is there is an emergent hyper-nationalism and protectionism, because for many people who have been chafing under these centralized rules and regulations of the European Union structure, they say this elite, this unrepresentative body of managers and bureaucrats. 'They talk about neoliberalism and an open world, and look what this is doing. They're screwing over our lives with all these controls, imposing this upon us from Brussels.'"


text: The New Paradigm: The Nurse as Family DoctorKennedy, Maureen Shawn MA, RNAJN, American Journal of Nursing: January 2014 - Volume 114 - Issue 1 - p 7 doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000441773.96850.48 Editorial Free Abstract Author InformationAuthors Article OutlineOutline Article MetricsMetrics American consumers and policymakers seem in favor of NPs as primary care providers. Maureen Shawn Kennedy, MA, RN AJN Editor-in-Chief E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Abstract Figure Welcome to AJN's 113th January issue (the first issue of the journal was published in October 1900). Over the last 10 years or so, the January issue has included a special news section highlighting the top health care and nursing news from the previous year. In 2013, many of the top stories revolved around certain ongoing, major changes in health care, especially those brought about by the continuing implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), advances in technology (think electronic health records and telehealth) and treatment, and changing models of care. One significant trend has been the growing acceptance of NPs as independent primary care providers. Since the development of a pediatric NP program in 1965 at the University of Colorado, the movement has grown to include virtually all specialties and settings, though the NP's forte is still primary care. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) notes that 68% of NPs are involved in a primary care practice. There's no doubt that the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine's report The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, the reforms of the ACA, and a health workforce shortage have dovetailed to push the NP role into the forefront of changes in the health care system. In the November issue of Health Affairs, which focuses on "Redesigning the Health Care Workforce," two articles support the use of NPs as primary providers on care teams or in nurse-managed health centers. The authors of one study conducted by the RAND Corporation note that while more medical home and nurse-led models could do much to mitigate the primary care physician shortage, restrictive scope-of-practice laws would need to change. The authors also suggest that "patients' perceptions of nurse practitioners" might slow acceptance of these new care models. But a national survey commissioned by the AANP and conducted last September by the Mellman Group found that the public is familiar with and accepting of the expanded NP role: 80% of respondents indicated they had received care from an NP or knew someone who had, 70% said they supported legislative efforts to make it easier to choose NPs as their primary care provider, and 62% said they supported allowing NPs to practice independent of physician oversight. After 40 years of providing cost-effective and high-quality care, NPs are finally coming into their own. Although there are still major challenges, a "snowballing" of successes in recent years is noteworthy. For one, NPs now have prescriptive privileges in all 50 states and the District of Columbia—no small feat, given that this achievement required an arduous state-by-state battle (see In the News, March 2013). Currently, federal and state legislative efforts are focused on removing restrictions that prevent NPs from practicing independently. And securing the use of provider-neutral language ("primary care provider" instead of "physician") is important in legislation that governs fee-for-service payment under Medicare, which is a major factor in the sustainability of NP practices. As a nod to the significant progress NPs have made, this month's cover offers a new image of America's family doctor: the NP. (And NPs will indeed be "doctors"; the American Association of Colleges of Nursing has endorsed changing the level of education required for preparation as an NP from a master's to a doctoral degree, beginning in 2015.) The cover illustration is in the style of Norman Rockwell, the American artist whose work graced the Saturday Evening Post for decades. Rockwell was known for his portraits of everyday American life, and one of his favorite subjects was the family doctor. But Rockwell would be hard pressed to find that physician now—according to an American Medical Association survey, in 2012 only 18% of physicians were in private solo practices, down from over 40% in 1983. In primary care, especially in rural settings, Americans are turning to NPs.© 2014 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.


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Reroute or redirect IP traffic from one data center to another for disaster recovery
Many organizations have a business continuity or disaster recovery plan and have even implemented multi-data center redundancy with servers and other critical infrastructure at a separate location to that of their primary site. But the challenge every organization faces is how to easily and seamlessly redirect traffic from one site to another when disaster strikes.
While researching options, many IT professionals come across concepts for implementing BGP or GSLB (Global Server Load Balancing) but both of these solutions require advanced technical knowledge, capable ISPs or both and are not trivial to configure and maintain.
At Total Uptime, we have two solutions that can help with this common challenge.A DNS-based solution that can automatically change IP addresses attached to 'A' or 'AAAA' records when a monitor detects that your primary site is down, and a network-based solution that simply redirects traffic without having to update DNS… much like a hardware router or load balancer would do.
The secret behind both of these solutions is based on one thing: an advanced monitor. More than just a PING test or a GET request, our advanced monitors check the availability of your servers, devices or applications from multiple points around the world. 3 checkpoints in the USA, 1 checkpoint in Canada, 1 checkpoint in Europe and 1 checkpoint in APAC. By checking from multiple locations around the world and by checking real-world application availability (like whether specific content shows up on your home page, for example) you're guaranteed the ability to accurately detect when a device is truly down.
When we've confirmed "DOWN", we redirect traffic. With DNS, an automated change to the IP address is all that is required. And because we run a low TTL of 60 seconds, users around the world will be directed to the new IP address within 2 to 3 minutes. With our Networking solution, users are almost instantaneously redirected to the alternate device(s) without an IP change. That is all done behind the scenes, in a similar fashion to changing the NAT address on your firewall. The public IP remains the same, but the back-end IP has changed, seamlessly routing traffic without the user knowing.
The solution that best fits your needs depends entirely on your requirements.For some clients, the delay of 2 to 3 minutes is perfectly acceptable. For others, speed is of the essence, and changing the IP seen in DNS is not an option. If you have a unique situation you'd like to discuss with us to understand which solution may be the most appropriate, just reach out to us via our contact form or telephone number at the very top of this page. We're happy to dialog with you as much as necessary to better understand your unique requirements and to see if we can help.
Ready to make your applications highly available?
Access to our platform starts at just $23/month. Continue learning about Cloud Load Balancing or jump right in and try it free now.
Access to our platform starts at just $23/month. Continue learning about Cloud Load Balancing or jump right in and try it free now.
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Full Disclosure: I received a free PDF copy of the Midgard Bestiary after providing feedback and a playtest report of the draft version.
Kobold Quarterly and Open Design should be familiar to a lot of you by now, and those kobolds just keep going! Currently underway is one of their biggest projects ever: the Midgard Campaign Setting. If you're interested in collaborative worldbuilding and shaping a new setting, you should check it out.
Lots of Open Design projects in the past have been for the Pathfinder RPG, but Green Ronin's AGE system (used for the Dragon Age RPG) is enjoying a surge of popularity these days too. Hence, the Midgard Bestiary. It's packed full of 50 monsters and adversaries newly statted up for the AGE system and is a very welcome addition to any AGE GM's tool kit. I highly recommend it.
Layout & Art
Including covers, the PDF is 58 pages and other than the monsters there is a table of contents, an introduction from Jeff Tidball (AGE System Lead Developer), and a brief 'How to use this book' section. After that, it's on to the monsters.
Overall the book is very well laid out with one monster per page, all with a neat, clean stat block in the style featured in the Dragon Age RPG itself, which is very easy to reference in play. Keep a list of the Standard Stunts handy and everything else you need to run the monster is there in the stat block. Two of the monsters have an extra box on the page: one about the Gypsosphinx's riddles and how they affect combat, the other about the Harem Assassin's courtesan weapons which appear to be fully usable by player characters.
As well as the stat block and description, each monster entry features black and white art of the monster. While much of the art is familiar, it is all beautiful and evocative and it's great to see it all collected together like this from across the many Open Design patron projects. Each piece gives you a great sense of the monster being detailed and all are perfectly serviceable for holding up to players and saying "You see this". I should also mention the coloured cover art, which features a cool action scene of an elf and centaur fighting a dragon. Some cover at tends to be very passive, but there is real action here.
The Monsters
Most of the beasties here are drawn from past Open Design products and converted to the AGE system, though there are a handful of brand new creatures from the Midgard campaign setting. This isn't a bad thing at all, just a point for clarity. It's actually really great. It's like a 'Best Of Open Design' Bestiary with old favourites given new life in a new system. I've used the bone crab before but seeing the AGE version in action during our playtest was a lot of fun. It was so easy to run a few of these guys at once and their hive tactics worked perfectly. I can't say enough about how much fun it is to use these monster's stunts!
It really shows in the monster entries the care and dedication taken in crafting their stats. The AGE system is used to full effect in this book with tonnes of powers and stunts new to the AGE system. One notable exception is the Alseid Hunter which has no special powers. I asked author Josh Jarman about this during the playtesting process and as I suspected the Alseid has purposely been left without unique powers to make it easily usable as a player race. It's a great foe, specialising in ranged attacks and I could easily see it as an NPC or PC.
Josh was great during the playtesting process and based on feedback I provided the Death Butterfly Swarm was tweaked. It's a challenging threat, but in the earlier version my players found it near impossible to kill without a mage. Non-mages felt a bit useless in combat against it. Now players are still in for a tough fight but creative ones have a good shot at taking the swarm down even without magic. The monster is a lot more fun to fight. I was a little worried about this one before, but I feel that it's now a more versatile foe and I'll definitely be using it in my AGE games. Again, the changes made from playtest feedback are a testament to the consideration put in by Josh and the other designers; they really wanted this book to be the best it could be and they've done a great job of getting it there.
As I mentioned above the stunt system really shines with these Midgard monsters. Running them as a GM is almost as fun as fighting them as a player! Even if you're on a cold streak with few to no stunt points the monsters hold their own. And there are plenty of them. One thing that's been missing from the Dragon Age RPG is a big book of beasties; and now we have one. These monsters obviously suit Midgard, but I can easily imagine a lot of them feeling quite at home in Thedas. With such fun stat blocks, they'll be great for reskinning, too. Whatever you do with them, 50 new monsters appropriate for a wide range of PC levels will provide endless opportunities for excitement in your AGE game, regardless of the setting.
Speaking of setting, while these monsters would work in most worlds, the bestiary is a great peek into the world of Midgard. The descriptions of the monsters flesh them out beyond their stats and really make you want to run them, giving you further ideas about how, when and where to spring them on your players, as well as what their habitats and behaviours are like. Some of these, like the dust goblin scavenger and Arbonesse exile are specific to Midgard and their descriptions speak of empires and wastelands and other elements of the campaign setting. It should get you excited for Midgard or at least provide inspiration for your own settings.
Potential Downsides
This review has been pretty positive so far, but there are three things that you should know before you make a final decision about whether to purchase the book. These aren't bad, really, just important to be aware of.
First, this is a book for GMs, not players. Also, it's a bestiary, not a gazetteer. Now, these points might seem obvious, but I think they bear mentioning. While there are some juicy titbits of Midgard setting information in this book, its purpose is to present foes for GMs to stack against players. If your primary goal is to learn more about Midgard, this isn't the product for you. Join the Midgard Campaign Setting project instead; that's where the real meat is. That said, if you really want every single piece of information there is about Midgard, you should also pick up this book.
Secondly – and I've already mentioned this, but it's worth repeating – there aren't that many new monsters here. If you've been part of several Open Design projects before you may be familiar with a lot of these monsters. That should be fine, because they've never been statted up for AGE before. However, if you're grabbing this book just for art, descriptions and inspiration, just be aware that you may have seen many of these foes before. Again, not a biggie, just something to note.
The third potential downside is more important, especially for new AGE GMs. None of the monsters in the book have "levels" or "challenge ratings" or the like; no indication of which ones are appropriate foes for PCs of different levels. Now some you can sort of tell because they have crazy powers that would wipe out lower level PCs, but it's not always obvious.
This is more a symptom of the Dragon Age RPG and AGE System itself, rather than any fault of the Midgard Bestiary's. For those of you unfamiliar with AGE, there is no real ranking or indication of challenge rating of monsters. This fact could make the Midgard Bestiary – or any AGE bestiary or monster list – far less useful for new AGE GMs who are unsure which foes to throw at their players.
The Game Master's Guide of Dragon Age RPG Set 2 has a partial solution. Page 17 has a section called Combat Math which talks about the mechanics of constructing appropriately challenging encounters. It goes on to point out how complicated this can be and follows up with a simpler method of guesstimating and getting the challenge somewhere in the right ballpark of difficulty. This goes a long way to helping AGE GMs present encounters that aren't too hard or too easy.
That said, if you are the type of GM who is comfortable tweaking the monsters' stats on the fly that could help you while you get a feel for how these monsters fit in. Proving too tough to hit? The next near miss strikes the foe's armour and knocks part of it off, making them easier to hit from now on; or you just take a few hit points away, secretly (or add a few if the fight is too easy).
Another useful aid is to look at the adventures included in the Game Master's Guides for Sets 1 and 2 and compare those monsters to the ones in the Midgard Bestiary, to get an idea of about how challenging they are. Experience, here, will also help over time. It'll get easier.
So, that's all the 'negative' things I have to say about this book, really: it's a book of monsters for GMs (not a setting guide or a player's book) and you'll have to do a little prep and a bit of thinking before using the monsters.
Midgard Bestiary Vol. 1 is a great product. If the potential downsides listed above don't bother you, you'll enjoy this book. While many of the monsters may be familiar to Open Design patrons, they are all interesting and engaging challenges and statted up for AGE they feel brand new and are a pleasure to use. Midgard Bestiary Vol. 1 is a must have for any AGE GM. 50 new monsters to throw at your players as well as to use for inspiration and insight into how to build your own. Great art and great descriptions, coupled with AGE monsters that are just a whole lot of fun to run! Your players will be constantly surprised by the versatility of these foes thanks to their unique powers and stunts.
There's plenty here to love and the Midgard Bestiary is a great addition to any AGE campaign. The book only costs five dollars; that's a lot of bestiary for your buck. This book has gone through extensive playtesting and has had lots of love and talent poured into it. $5 is an absolute steal. In fact, grab the free Dragon Age RPG quick start rules and Open Design's Midgard Bestiary Vol. 1 and you're set for hours of action-packed monster bashing, stunt rolling fun! See you in Midgard.


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Spanish Short Stories For Beginners: More Than 500 Short Stories in 10 Easy to Read Stories by Charles Mendel AZW3, PDF
This book contains 10 enjoyable short stories of about 1,000 words each along with their respective vocabulary lists of relevant words translated into English.
Each story also includes instructions on how to start reading them, improve your comprehension skills, and figure out the vocabulary before consulting the glossaries.
In this book you will find:
Carefully chosen vocabulary to help you learn in an easy, fast, and enjoyable way.
The new words are repeated in the subsequent texts. You will eventually get to the point where you won't need to look them up in the list: imagine the instantaneous full satisfaction!
Strategically written stories for you to acquire vocabulary belonging to different thematic fields: food, animals, clothes, body parts, colors, family members, climate, and school.
This is a pedagogically proven method to learn a second language.
Fully effective educational processes underlying the different grammatical and lexical choices all across the book.
Many genres, including texts with properties of narratives, plays, scripts, or even interior monologues. This allows for a wide range of uses in grammar: tenses, word formation, and verb types.
Easy to understand Spanish grammatical structures.
Glossaries translated by a professional. Find the different meanings one word can have as you go on reading.
Various styles with traits of:
- Impressionism: learn about colors, nuances and climate.
- Expressionism: learn how to express your feelings.
- Symbolism: immerse into a world full of metaphors that share the same domain, creating semantic relations in your brain whilst you read.
- Transcendentalism: learn about nature and technology.
Enjoyable themes concerning family, friendship, love, social relationships, technology, nature, and society, i.e. globally extended concerns you will be able to talk about in another language and speak your mind freely and accurately with no language difficulties.
Useful vocabulary related to the common purposes behind the willing of learning a new language, such as traveling, landscapes, means of transport, legal procedures, or food.
Unexpected ends that will trigger a wide range of feelings, including happiness, joy, pride, and even a couple of stories with an open end that you can intuitively discover with hints back in the story and will probably keep you thinking for a while.
Stories written by an actual bilingual native Spanish speaker.


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KOLKATA — "My mother thinks I am impotent. She wanted to see me develop a relationship. This is why she used to send a maid servant to my room…"
These lines, allegedly from the diary of a 44-year-old man who was living in an apartment in Kolkata with the skeletons of his sister and pet dogs for the past six months, have the police investigating the possibilities of incest and a history of mental illness in the family.
Police have ruled out homicide in the death of 77-year-old Arabindo De who died in a fire inside a bathroom which had the door bolted shut from inside, according to reports.
The house on Robinson Lane is now being called the 'House of Horror' in the local media after secret after dark secret kept tumbling out in preliminary investigations.
Take, for example, how the family communicated with each other.
The police found numerous handwritten notes that were clearly meant as communication between the father, son and the daughter inside the house, according to the Times of India. The family spoke to each other -- consoled each other and raised questions about their future -- through these letters.
Some letters revealed that the writer was quite depressed.
In one note, son Partha wrote "All men and women are dancing. Either to (the) tune or out of tune..." and then went on to describe a sexually explicit scene. He alleged in his notes that his mother, who died of breast cancer in 2007, was jealous of his sister.
Forensic tests on the skeleton, allegedly that of Arabindo's daughter Debjani, are being conducted, police said.
"The forensic department is yet to send its final report, but going by the initial probe it is a case of suicide by burning and not homicide," Special Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Pallab Kanti Ghosh was quoted by PTI as saying.
'Diaries' kept by Partha consisted of about 10 exercise books. Partha called these notebooks, frequently used by students for school work, his 'autobiobiography' and reportedly filled them with lurid descriptions of sexual acts, the TOI report said.
There is a strong indication that there was an incestuous relationship between Partha and his sister Debjani. A team of psychiatrists are now ascertaining Partho's mental condition.
TOI quoted psychiatrist Sabyasachi Mitra, who examined Partha, as saying that he may also have had necrophilia -- a pathological condition where sexual arousal is triggered by a dead body.
Police have recovered eight laptops, desktop computers, paper notes and letters written by family members and diaries from the apartment, PTI said.
A report in the Asian Age also suggested that Partha tried to connect to the spirit of his dead sister through planchette. He had even set up a 'control room'.
"Partha told us that Debjani had said there was some evil spirit on their house and she started fasting to ward off the evil and please the gods. She fasted for over a month and died in the process on December 29, 2014," the report quoted a senior police official as saying.
The story gets darker.
Partha kept the bodies wrapped in sheets and "fed his sister regularly" even after her death.
An IT executive, Partha allegedly installed a sound system inside the house on which he constantly played Debjani's recorded voice, Asian Age said.
Doctors suggested that no chemicals were used to preserve the skeletons inside the apartment. It was also baffling why none in the locality smelt the stench of the dead bodies although the doctors have ruled out use of chemicals to preserve the skeleton.
Regarding the skeletons of the pet dogs, police said that opinions of doctors at the SSKM was sought before sending them to veterinary surgeons to ascertain the cause of their deaths.
Police said that forensic experts would conduct radiology and DNA tests to ascertain the identity of the person whose skeletal remains have been discovered in the house.
Police have also spoken to Arabindo's brother Arun, who lived next door, besides the security guard of the building.
"The De family had no connection with the outside world. They had no maid and had severed connections with their relatives as well. But we are probing all possible angles in this case," Ghosh said.
Meanwhile, a medical team comprising three psychologists and two doctors has been formed to check on Partho's mental health.
"We have kept Partho in an isolated room. He is hardly speaking to anyone. In fact, he said he was spiritually connected to his father, sister and the two dogs. He even asked us to shift him to Mother House (of Missionaries of Charity)," Ganesh Prasad, superintendent of Pavlov Mental Hospital where Partho was admitted yesterday, said. (With PTI inputs)
Contact HuffPost India


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- Home
- Doing Good Daily
- Current Page
- By John Kitsco
- Published 10/26/2012
- Doing Good Daily
- Rating:
In this case, a bearded man about 50, lying on the floor, with his medication, a bottle of liquor, a spare jacket and a bag, perhaps with some lunch?
The bank manager, a young 30 something gent came in just minutes after I got there (the door to the main bank area still locked) and he promptly announced aloud that the police were called, he would issue charges for trespassing and open liquor. The bearded man lie quiet, his eyes now open, trying to understand what all the excitement was about. The manager told me the bank basically opened this outer entrance at 6 a.m. and this gent had been making a habit of bedding down between 6 and 8 for the last few days. The well dressed
manager then headed in towards his office. I inquired with the homeless man if he had a good sleep and what sort of work he liked to do. Rather astonished I would even talk to him he told me that he was once a carpenter until someone hit him in the back with a steel pipe, breaking his back. Thats why he had the pain killers. The liquor was simply there to wash down the medicine. As for a good sleep, he said it was better than outside. Then in walked two young police officers, treating this gent polite and gentle, asking him to gather his life belongings and come along with them. He was not able to stay any longer here in the bank. And away they went. And just moments later, there was the homeless man outside the bank and he apologized to me for any trouble he may have caused...saying...he just wanted a quiet place to sleep for a couple of hours. And he smiled and walked away.
Obviously the bank manager did not press charges and the homeless man realized he was not welcome anymore at the bank, that is, unless he was a customer....but just as he walked away a young mom with her young son walked past the homeless man and the little boy quietly said to his mom....
"That looked like Jesus, Mommy....."
And I could not help but wonder how many folks are out there, just at the very edge where prosperity
finds its way to poverty.....
...and perhaps all they need to help them along is a kind word, after all, as Dad used to say...it doesn't cost extra to be nice....


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The first International Shinbudo Games
Memorial tournament of Slobodan Saric
Požarevac, Serbia, February 2007
SHINBUKAN school, headed by Shinbudo founder Dr. Ivica Zdravkovic, hosted this international tournament organized in memory of late Slobodan Saric sensei, Shinbukan member and instructor. Memorial gathered over 150 participants from five countries: Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy and Sweden. Competitors participated in goshin jutsu competition (demonstration of self-defense), japanese fencing (sport kenjutsu) and jujutsu fights uner Mix Kumite rules.
Jujutsu kata
Jujutsu Mix Kumite
Sport Kenjutsu
End of Page


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As is tradition after big American achievements or tragedies (such as, earlier this month, Michael Phelps' 19th Olympic medal and the Sikh community's tragic loss), President Obama reached out to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory this morning over telephone.
You'd think the big White House phone call could have upgraded to Skype technology by now, seeing as we just landed on Mars. But in the end, the crackly 1950s-era telephone reception and Godlike omnipresence of Obama's voice over the enraptured laboratory (video below) only amplified the sense of heart-warming and history-making in the room. "You guys should be remarkably proud," said the president. "It's really what makes us best as a species..."
"... this Curiosity that we have."
NASA live-streamed the congratulatory call on its website at 8 a.m., just hours after the world watched the U.S. take home more Olympic medals than any other country at the closing ceremony last night. (Really starting to think America's London sweep and Mars landing may have been not-so-accidentally aligned.)
"If in fact you do make contact with martians, please let me know right away," joked Obama between his trademark stammers, some awkward silences and a self-promotional winning-the-future speech. "Because uh... I've got a lot of other things on my plate, but I suspect that that will go to the top of the list. Even if they're just microbes, it will be pretty exciting."
He also took the time to recognize Bobak Ferdowski, the Internet's all-time favorite land astronaut:
"I understand there's a special mohawk guy that's working on the mission?" said the president. "You know, he seems to have been one of the many stars of the show last Sunday night. And I in the past thought about getting a mohawk myself. My team keeps on discouraging me. Now that he's received marriage proposals and thousands of new Twitter followers, I think that I'm going to go back to my team and see if it makes sense."
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Obligatory giggles from the control room only egged him on.
"It does sound like NASA has come a long way from the white shirt, dark-rimmed glasses and the pocketbook," said Obama. "You guys are a little cooler than you used to be."
Guess that's what you get when you set up a space center in artsy-fartsy Pasadena. Congratulations, dudes.


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When your birthday arrives, you wish the cake would too. This happens not just for you and me, but for almost everyone. There are those who do not celebrate birthdays, they are too busy working. Isn't that crazy? Everyone should celebrate, life revolves around it.
Practice of gifting cakes
To make a special event, you need a special food item, like a cake. The cake is the Jack of all occasions, you can fit the cake into a wedding celebration, a birthday party or any get together and everyone feels that it is okay. So, if you live anywhere across globe, you can use the online cake delivery in Sri Ganganagar on the birthday of your friend.
Gifting is an old tradition
The birth of gift shops has spawned a spate of gift-giving. This practice is not new, man has given gifts ever since they became settlers from hunters. This glorious tradition remains in our festivals today when we exchange sweets with each other and then have fun. This is one of the ways human civilization has maintained sanity. They have fun.
Add fun to the party
You can make the party as hilarious as possible. Choose drapes that show some theme. Or, come as your favourite cartoon character or a hero to the party. Theme parties have more excitement since they are out-of-the-way. You need to play a part and this makes it more fun. They could be wild, they could be tame, they could be anything. For instance, one could be one where you bring something that begins with T.
Starting with Tea in a thermos flask, one could bring toast, a trident, or a thermometer. Of course, they must remain relevant to the party mood and so you must not pick wild things or those that are too tame either. Another idea for a theme could be to recreate the mood of a play, such as Romeo and Juliet. Here everyone dresses as characters in the play. This could lead to lots of excitement.
Pick a good cake
Send cake to Sri Ganganagar and make your friend happy. After all, it is his birthday and you must do something to make it memorable. And the cake is universally accepted, for all occasions and all age groups. There are a few who do not eat cake either because they have sugar or because they have eggs. Check with the gift shop for eggless cakes and sugar-free cakes. Every respectable gift shop has them.
Choose the gift your friend likes
The modern gift shops have everything from chocolates to flowers to fruits and more. Make the day special for your friend or relative, they deserve it. And since these gift shops have an online presence, you do not have to stir from your chair to make the gift. Pick up the phone and place your order and the day comes through.
Picking the gift is an exciting event. You can picture the things your friend likes and then find something special for him or her. Make sure they reach on time, gifts lose their value when the date has passed.


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1. We've learned all 26 letters of the alphabet and their sounds!
2. We've learned numbers 1-10!
3. We've learned to blend letter sounds together to make 3 & 4 letter words!
4. We have started to WRITE, what successful writers we are!
5. We had our annual BIG Easter Egg Hunt. The kids LOVED it. We all ate too much candy!
6. We've celebrated a few birthdays!
7. We've completed our Reading Street Reading Program!
8. We've started learning sight words in preparation for Kindergarten.
9. We're counting down the days until our graduation and last day of school (moving to Kindergarten) (using 1st grade skill of unifix cube graphing! :)
10. We're studying our last units of the year- this week oceans, next 2 weeks Eric Carle, then final end of the year crafts.
Where has the year gone? These kids have been precious this year and so has my wonderful aide, Carol Ann Trentham. I will be sad to see the year end but look forward to a summer of relaxation and preparation for a new group of 4's in August. It's such a joy having a job that I love at a school I love. So blessed!


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Jewish World Review April 2, 2012/ 10 Nissan, 5772
The cynicism of it
By Paul Greenberg
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
To read this week's press coverage, you'd think not just a landmark
"If the law is upheld, it fundamentally changes the social contract. It means the effective end of a government of enumerated powers -- finite, delineated powers beyond which the government may not go, beyond which lies the free realm of the people and their voluntary institutions. The new dispensation is a central government of unlimited power from which citizen and civil society struggle to carve out spheres of autonomy."
If the court sides with the administration, all is lost.
On the opposite but equally fervid end of the political spectrum,
It may be a journalistic convention to present both sides of a legal controversy in neutral fashion, she concedes, "without the writer's thumb on the scale." But, "free of convention, and fresh from reading the main briefs in the case," Ms. Greenhouse is here to tell us that the constitutional argument against the health-care law is "so weak that it dissolves on close inspection. There's just no there there."
If the court strikes down this Signature Achievement of the Obama administration, all reason is lost.
Now that Justices Krauthammer and Greenhouse have weighed in on the law, it's a wonder the country needs a
Only it doesn't work that way. Time, not the justices, and certainly not the pundits, will be the ultimate judge. History, contrary as ever, will deliver its own verdict. And there is no escaping its jurisdiction.
The great precedents of the past may prove not so great after all.
Except that it wasn't. The next year, a gawky ex-congressman, ex-Whig and -- who would've predicted it? -- future president of
History had intervened. Soon enough the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword would be loosed. And another decision was reached.
A new accommodation would have to be reached with destiny. Once again, the
Only one justice, a Kentuckian by the name of
The moral of the story: Nothing is as certain as the too-certain say it is. Whatever this court rules, its decision, too, will be appealed. Before the bar of history. And in that court, nothing is ever settled till it's settled right.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Paul Greenberg, editorial page editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, has won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. Send your comments by clicking here.
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By Ransdell Pierson
Oct 15 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson reported better-than-expected third-quarter results, as strong growth for prescription drugs overshadowed weaker contributions from its medical device and consumer products businesses.
"The company's pharmaceuticals division is really well placed with lots of new drug launches at a time when the company is not facing many patent expirations on its other medicines," Morningstar analyst Damien Conover said. "And we expect to see more of this strength in the next several quarters."
Global drug revenue jumped almost 10 percent to $7.04 billion, repeating the strong performance seen in the prior quarter, on soaring sales of its Simponi and Remicade treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, Stelara for psoriasis, its Zytiga drug for prostate cancer and other medicines.
But sales of the company's medical devices were hurt by patients' continuing reluctance to undergo elective surgeries and other procedures in a weak economy. Division sales fell 2 percent to $6.93 billion.
"The weakness in devices appears to be broad based, with not just one thing bringing them down," Edward Jones analyst Judson Clark said, adding that the unit's weakest category was medical diagnostics. All things considered, Clark said J&J is one of the best-performing companies in healthcare.
J&J's shares have risen almost 30 percent for the year to date, compared with a 17 percent gain for the ARCA Pharmaceutical Index of large U.S. and European drugmakers.
Chief Financial Officer Dominic Caruso, on a conference call with industry analysts on Tuesday, said there has been a pickup in overall economic activity, "but certainly not to the level we had hoped."
Caruso said J&J was interested in acquiring or licensing new prescription drugs to sustain strong growth of its top-performing business. He said J&J was also on the hunt for new medical devices, including those that treat structural heart defects, if they can be bought at reasonable prices.
The diversified healthcare company on Tuesday reported net earnings of $2.98 billion, or $1.04 per share, for the quarter. That compared with $2.97 billion, or $1.05 per share in the year-earlier period.
Excluding special items, J&J earned $1.36 per share. Analysts on average, had expected $1.32 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. The company took special charges of about $900 million in the quarter, related largely to legal expenses and merger-related costs.
Sales of consumer products edged up 0.8 percent to $3.61 billion, held back by disappointing demand for oral care and wound-care products. Within the consumer division, sales of over-the-counter medicines rose 6.4 percent to $975 million, as recalled brands such as Tylenol and Motrin began returning to U.S. drugstore shelves.
J&J over the past three years has recalled dozens of OTC products made at its plants in Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico that were shown to have foreign particles or incorrect concentrations of active ingredients. Costly plant upgrades are still under way, as J&J strives to make the affected products at other plants.
Overall company sales rose 3.1 percent to $17.58 billion in the quarter, above Wall Street expectations of $17.46 billion, but would have risen 4.7 percent if not for the stronger dollar.
J&J said it expects earnings this year, excluding special items, of $5.44 to $5.49 per share, up from its prior view of $5.40 to $5.47. The company earned $5.10 per share last year.
J&J's stock rose 35 cents to $90.15 in midday trading on the New York Stock Exchange, amid a moderate decline for the drug sector.