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The past year was a very interesting time for me in Forex trading. In 2014 I had already started moving away from the traditional algorithmic retail trader notion of only trading a few manually designed automated trading strategies and I started developing what would become the core of the system mining technologies we currently use to generate trading systems. However it wasn't until mid 2014 and 2015 that our mining effort exploded and we were able to find thousands of trading strategies that we now trade on live Forex accounts. On today's post I want to talk about some of the lessons we have learned from attempting to implement this massive mining and system effort and what I see within the future for our development team and trading community.
In the beginning our GPU based mining was really shy. It came from developments made in price action based mining – what you can now get for free as OpenKantu on this blog – and implemented some large improvements that were aimed at generating better systems faster instead of making prettier graphs (as OpenKantu is more oriented at doing small research experiments rather than full-fledged massive mining). Our GPU mining is 1000x faster than the CPU based mining we had before and can use a variety of different trade management mechanisms not present within the OpenKantu software.
Our system building effort really started with the creation of cloud based mining which allowed all of us to contribute our GPU time to the same system finding effort. Doing this we were able to start validating systems through data-mining bias analysis and started creating what is now a trade system repository with more than 3500 strategies. The first system came in June 2014 and it took us nearly two months to add the following 6 systems. There were lots of initial problems at this stage, we had a very small amount of GPU processing power and the mining process was not entirely automated. The manual steps involved in some parts of the process – mainly the part that involved system correlation analysis and repository addition – made the process quite slow although this was not a limiting factor given the slowness of the mining operation at this point (and we were already mining millions of potential systems per day!).
At the start of 2015 we already had 52 systems and we were well in our way to formally establish a solid methodology for automated system creation within a cloud centered effort. Mining continued to evolve and pick up speed as we were able to get our hands on more GPU mining power, meaning that by July 2015 we already had more than 300 trading systems available within our repository. During 2015 we also added 4 new pairs to our mining effort which implied that portfolio diversity increased quite substantially. Our mining finally exploded in the second half of 2015 thanks to the entire automation of the entire mining process. The implementation of entirely automated mining space generation (automating the answer to the "what to mine now?" question) and the automation of the entire system correlation analysis and repository addition steps meant that we were no longer bound by my ability to process mining results – at least partially – by hand. These changes created a mining boom that generated many more systems and by January 2016 our repository had already gone above the 3000 system mark.
Of course an entirely different issue was to trade those 3000 systems on real accounts at the same time. In order to do this we implemented an order execution engine based on the Oanda REST API. We created stripped down software that was streamlined to execute just the mined strategies and we implemented a powerful virtual order manager based on powerful dedicated server based mysql implementations. Currently we can execute our 3500 strategies across more than 70 live trading accounts in less than one minute. Another reason why we decided to use Oanda was their ability to fraction lot sizes down to 1 USD sizes, meaning that we could effectively trade a 3500 system portfolio on an account with less than 2000 USD with a total risk of 6%. This is amazing if you think about it as it means that on an equally weight portfolio we currently trade at a 0.0017% risk per trade. Talk about fine risk management!
From this journey in mining we have learned many important lessons. The first is that it always pays to reduce your computational costs, if you can optimize your code and reduce your time by 1% per system simulation then that can mean days when you're mining billions of strategies. If you have to go through a lot of effort to develop something much faster – as we did with GPU technology – then by all means do so, the time you spend may seem like a lot at first but what are a few months if you can then save years. We also learned that it is critically important to be able to centralize your efforts so that you all focus on the same thing. If everyone uses mining software to do their own thing then the effort is dispersed, to reach our current portfolio status cloud based mining where everyone could contribute to the same thing was essential. Along this same line of thought it is also tremendously important to make sure you automate everything, manual steps introduce bottlenecks that you won't want when you're building something with the potential to become massive.
On the execution front we also learned many lessons from trading massive arrays of strategies. We learned that broker-side limitations are something very important to account for when you're trading so many things – for example how many rate requests per second you can make – and that things such as rate requesting and bid/ask loading have to be tremendously optimized to be able to trade a wide variety of systems in a manner that is fast enough. We also learned a lot about MySQL transaction limitations and database optimization since there were some substantial problems when handling the transaction volume you expect from +3500 systems. We currently have an average of around 600 new trades per day and eagerly hoping to expand to higher volumes as our mining becomes more and more powerful.
Our mining currently continue to increase in power and our horizons continue to expand. Presently we have implemented new trailing stop mechanisms and continue to look for additional Forex strategies worth mining but there are certainly some additional avenues that we're seeking to explore (left for a future post!). We are also repeating this same process with machine learning systems, where we are now at the 98 system mark and hope to continue evolving as we gather more momentum and mining power. Increasing our mining capacity in machine learning mining is much harder – another future post will explain why this is the case – but we are now looking into some massively parallel options that may help us tremendously.
All in all we are now expanding into unexplored territory for the average retail trader, with a capacity to trade thousands of strategies and mine hundreds of new systems per week there is simply nothing in the retail sector that compares to what we can do now (at least that I know of). If you would like to learn more about system mining and how you too can learn how to generate trading strategies please consider joining Asirikuy.com, a website filled with educational videos, trading systems, development and a sound, honest and transparent approach towards automated trading in general.


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Deuel Delivered to West Side in Florida
Deuel Delivered to West Side in Florida
Seminole Pro Tour / Jacksonville, FL
by InsidePOOL Staff
Bankshot Billiards in Jacksonville, FL, welcomed 48 players the weekend of October 10-12 for the latest installment of the Seminole Pro Tour. This $10,000 added, 10-ball event tempted some of the best players in the South to vie for the top prize and bragging rights.
The featured match of the first round was between Gabe Owen and Corey Deuel, who won the last tour event in September. The two former U.S. Open champions kept it close all the way to 5-all, when Owen nabbed the last two racks to win 7-5.
Only one match went hill-hill: Felipe Caraballo sent Jerome Brockwell west after besting him 7-6. Many players received a bye in the first round, including Jeremy Jones, Neil Fujiwara, Tony Crosby, Ron Park, David Howard, Dave Grossman, and Tony Ruberto.
Steve Moore, who did not receive a bye in the first round, sent Brian Gross packing 7-2 and will play Darrin Brown in the second round. Hunter Lombardo bested dealt David Vaughn a 7-4 loss and plays Ruberto next. Johnathan "Hennessee From Tennessee" Pinegar defeated Eddie Cabrera 7-3 and moves on to face Park, while Tommy Kennedy bested T.F. Whittington 7-2 and will next play Walter Blacker.
View the Seminole Florida Pro Tour tournament brackets
Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

subset: commoncrawl


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I've lived in Ohio my whole life and for 30 years, I've mostly disliked winter. I say mostly disliked because it really is beautiful to watch big, fluffy flakes fall from the sky like you're in a snow globe. And there is something magical about the way the snow covers the tree branches. That picture above was taken of my backyard! Gorgeous, huh?! And I will admit that I would rather it snow than rain, especially if I'm walking outside. But I hate being cold. Although, if I'm being honest, I'd choose being cold over being hot simply because you can always add more layers and blankets to warm up. You can only take off so many layers in public...
I realize how contradictory that whole paragraph seems...maybe I don't hate winter? Nah. Trust me, I am still harboring a fair amount of animosity toward it.
During the winter, I don't usually venture out if I don't have to. And I'm not really into winter sports. Meaning I've only been skiing two or three times in my life, and I grew up a half hour from a ski resort. So because I don't like being cold, here are eight things you can - and I plan to do - this winter that don't require being outside:
// DIY projects. The top three projects on my list are making my own jewelry organizer, pet pop art and old t-shirts on canvas. {check out more of my favorite DIY projects on my DIY Pinterest board.}
// Organize a closet {or two}. Why wait until Spring when you're cooped up now? First up: our linen closet.
// Plan a vacation. It's so easy to dream of being in a warmer, sunnier place when it's freezing and snowing outside.
// Have a movie night. Catch up on the latest releases with your main squeeze. Or get together with friends and have each of you pick out your favorite movie. Audra and I are hoping to schedule a chick-flick movie marathon this winter.
//Re-decorate a room in your house. Since you're spending a lot of time indoors and staring at your home decor, re-decorate! DO NOT tell Shawn I said this! He thinks I change things up way too much in our house. It's not that I change them up per say, it's that I haven't gotten them just right yet ;)
// Try a new recipe. I will be the first to admit that I do not like cooking. But Shawn and I have decided to try this whole meal planning thing in our attempt to eat better. It probably won't last long so I need to check this one off quick.
// Read. I love to read. My girlfriends and I have a book club, which doubles as wine club which makes it less nerdy, and this winter, we're reading Martin Short's I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend; Defending Jacob by William Landay; and Betty Smith's classic, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. My goal is to read all three of these books and FINALLY finish Gone Girl! If you need me, I'll be on the couch in my sweatpants, with wine, surrounded by a library. Nerd alert.
// Clear off your DVR. I don't know about you, but I have several shows on my DVR begging to be watched, including Gotham, Criminal Minds and How to Get Away with Murder. And maybe I'll rewatch this fall's episodes of Scandal because it's going to feel like eternity waiting for it to come back on at the end of January. I need my Olivia Pope - aka Jake Ballard - fix! Who's with me?
What's on your winter bucket list?
Also, here is how my fall bucket list turned out:
// Blog every day in October. FAIL. I didn't pretty well during Blogtober14 {hosted by Helene and Taylor} but didn't make it the whole month.
// Make a burlap wreath or some other fall-inspired DIY project. FAIL.
// Tailgate on campus for an Ohio State game. FAIL. We didn't tailgate, but we never missed a game. Hard to leave the house to stand in the cold when you have a projector screen in your basement on which to watch every game.
// Finish Gone Girl and see the movie. FAIL.
// Go hiking in Hocking Hills. FAIL.


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Our best selling Oversized Tunic has had a little face lift. The sleeves are slightly longer to hide the tricep dips we didn't do and it is now longer through the front, so we can wear it as a dress.
Composition: 100% Cotton
Washing Instructions: Gentle Cold Machine Wash, Warm Iron. Do not Tumble Dry.
Lucy is 181cm tall, a size 8 with a 30" bust, and wears a size small in the image
Fits true to size: XS = 6-8, S = 8-10, M = 12, L = 14


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The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, it is inspired, infallible and inerrant (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26).
There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and co-eternal (I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11).
Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for mankind and thus, atoned for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory. (John 1:1,14, 20:28; I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; I Timothy 2:5).
Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) in the virgin Mary's womb; therefore, He is the Son of God (Matthew 1:18, 25; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:27-35).
Man was created good and upright, but by voluntary transgression he fell; his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Gen. 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21).
For anyone to know God, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential (John 6:44, 65; Matthew 19:28; Titus 3:5).
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ: His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human efforts (Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22).
Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption and to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Thus, through repentance we receive forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation (Acts 2:21, 3:19; I John 1:9).
Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God's Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ's character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life (I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; II Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18, II Thessalonians 2:1-3, Romans 8:29, 12:1-2, Hebrews 2:11).
The Blood that Jesus Christ shed on the Cross of Calvary was sinless and is 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. Jesus took on the punishment that we all deserved enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death (I John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29).
Christians are people who have invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come and live inside them by His Holy Spirit. They relinquish the authority of their lives over to him thus making Jesus the Lord of their life as well as Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus accomplished for them when He died, was buried, and rose again from the dead (John 1:12; John 14:17, 23; John 15:4; Romans 8:11; Revelation 3:20).
The church is the Body of Christ, the physical representation of Jesus on earth today. The church's mission is to carry out the Great Commission the Jesus gave us. The church is made up of followers of Jesus that make up it's "members". There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23).
Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus, and included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It is also a part of Jesus' work on the Cross. (Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:14-16; I Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans 11:29).
Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. (Luke 24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; I Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:21).
Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John 17:24; II Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 11:16; I Peter 1:4).
After living one life on earth, those who choose not to put their faith in God will be eternally separated from Him. (Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8).
Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures (Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; I Thessalonians 4:15-17; II Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7)


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NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - Local elected officials in New Rochelle have broken ground on a $100 million development that will sit in the heart of the city's waterfront.
New Rochelle officials joined developers from National Realty and Development Corp. to mark the groundbreaking of WatermarkPointe, a 72-unit waterfront residential community that will sit on the Long Island Sound on the Davenport Neck peninsula.
WaterPointe continues "the most ambitious redevelopment in New Rochelle history," which officials say will bring more than $4 billion in new investments to the city and will continue to draw premier developers to the area.
The development includes nine four-story buildings of condominium residences with "panoramic water views" and private beachfront access. Twenty-five units at WaterPointe have already been sold in the first phase, with the second coming onto the market this winter.
"National Realty and Development Corp. brings to New Rochelle impressive vision, wide-ranging experience and a proven commitment to quality," New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson said in a statement. "We look forward to strengthening our partnership with this capable team as New Rochelle pursues the most ambitious development objectives in our history."
Officials said that "WatermarkPointe's condominiums will include contemporary and elegant two-bedroom plus den and three-bedroom residences each with open plan great rooms with sleek fireplaces and gourmet kitchens complete with generous islands, luxury cabinetry, and top-of-the-line appliances. Additionally, residents can enjoy year-round views of the sound via private 30-foot-wide terraces which span the great room on the waterfront side of every residence."
"National Realty & Development Corp. is excited to create a high-quality waterfront community on the shores of New Rochelle, a City that is quickly becoming an ideal location for those seeking a suburban lifestyle with all of the benefits of a large city," Jerry Bermingham, Executive Vice President of Development the company added.
"With a hands-on approach, NRDC is fully dedicated to building communities that encompass a high-end residential lifestyle, and we're thrilled to see the first residences of WatermarkPointe selling out in record time."
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Be creative!
Good morning. Be creative with your approaches this week. Creativity, by its very nature, often explores off the beaten path and goes against the grain..(Remember) It's the dull man who is always sure and the sure man who is always dull !- H. L. Mencken
God is Love
Rev Run
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
REV RUN: Words of Wisdom - Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
Labels: rev run, words of wisdom
Posted by YSL at 5/28/2008
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If you are looking for Couples Counseling Upper Arlington, consider Foundations Family Therapy
Successful relationships do not occur by chance. They require skill, awareness, and understanding of how relationships work. Couples counseling Upper Arlington is an excellent source to learn these skills. A marriage counselor has a great depth of understanding of what makes relationships work. They also have experience helping partners develop these skills. Each marriage counselor at Foundations has great skill repairing damaged relationships, rebuilding broken trust, and rekindling distant relationships.
Our view of couples counseling at Foundations
Foundations views couples therapy as collaborative, therefore, we use a team approach to get quick results. We are very involved in the session at all times. As a result, we will honestly communicate to you what we see, feel and think. The first step in couples counseling Upper Arlington is establishing a vision for the relationship. Here the marriage counselor helps the couple incorporate the ideals of both members. Use our marriage counseling offices as a sanctuary and discuss problems without fear of blame, judgment or retribution. Likewise, feel free to use couples therapy time as a living laboratory. We can explore different styles, interventions and techniques. These can be used to change hurtful and destructive patterns in the relationship and create a stronger connection.
A serious commitment to couples counseling
As a client in marriage counseling, we expect a serious commitment, an ability to be open about contributions to the relationship (both positive and negative), to let down your defenses and commit to change. When you meet these conditions in couples counseling Upper Arlington we have an excellent chance to not only help you get back on track but help you build a strong and lasting relationship. We aim to help you build the relationship you may never have imagined was possible, but was achievable through our couples counseling Dublin Ohio.
If you would like to begin couples counseling Upper Arlington, please call us at (614) 504-4466 to schedule an appointment today. Couples counseling Upper Arlington can make a difference.


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Welcome to Wild Roses Bed & Breakfast!
Wild Roses B&B presents unsurpassed Newfoundland Hospitality in a genuine country setting to the business traveler and tourist alike. Your host/owner, Mary Ridgeley's home offers four bright, spacious bedrooms. Guests will enjoy the living and dining room with complementary home style breakfast. You can also take advantage of a large family sitting room (featuring library, board games, wireless Internet, TV, VCR and DVD player) as well as a large patio deck with barbecue.
Laundry facilities are available as well as an ironing board and iron. All this in a non-smoking, pet free environment.
A great place to make new friends, relax the body and refresh the mind.
Wild Roses B & B in Goulds, Newfoundland is located within minutes of some of Eastern Newfoundland's most popular destinations and attractions including the East Coast Trail, downtown St. John's and the Irish Loop.
Wild Roses B & B is a member and proud supporter of Canada Select, B&B Canada, B&B Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador and The Irish Loop Tourism Association.
Wild Roses B&B offers:
- A non-smoking, pet-free environment
- Wireless Internet
- Bright spacious bedrooms
- BBQ facilities
- Off street parking
- Laundry facilities
- Iron and ironing board


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AccuDeck Featuring Wolf PVC DeckingWe offer a huge variation of decking choices for your floating dock including but not limited to a wide range of PVC deck board colors, variations of pressure treated wood, knurled heavy duty aluminum decking and more through our AccuDeck™ product line.
AccuDock prides itself on offering the highest quality products and customer service at a competitive price and our floating dock decking options are no exception. Whether you need decking for your porch, patio deck or floating dock, we have the decking option that will meet all of your decking needs.


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Wiring methods have changed over the years from knob and tube to flexible armored cable (Greenfield) to nonmetallic cable (NM), conduit (EMT), and underground feeder (UF) cable. From about 1890 to the present, wiring methods have become much safer due to the installation types of wiring and the addition of ground wires. Between 1890 and 1910, knob and tube wire was all the rage in home building.
Individually insulated wires were held in place by porcelain insulating brackets.
They also passed through wood in porcelain tubes that protected the rubberized cloth fabric from damage. This practice had a hot wire and a neutral wire that were run separately for safety and so they could be spliced together. To do this, the insulation was stripped back, a wire was wrapped around the exposed bare wire, and the splice was soldered together before being taped to cover the splice. The downfall was the wire was exposed to everything and there was no ground wire utilized.
In the 1920's to 1940's, electrical took a turn to a more protective wiring scheme, flexible armored cable. Flex, also known as Greenfield, was a welcomed addition to home wiring because the flexible metal walls helped to protect the wires from damage. Even then, this wiring method had its troubles. Although the wire is protected and the outer flexible metal cover acts as a ground, there still was no separate ground wire.
If the flexible covering didn't make contact with the next piece or it was cut, the ground connection was severed.
In the 1930's, a quicker installation method was developed. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable was born and it incorporated a rubberized fabric coating sheath, much like knob and tube wiring, but a hot and neutral wire were run together in this one sheath.
It also had its drawbacks due to the lack of a ground wire.
Luckily in the 1940's, finally came the age of metal conduit. This invention allowed users to pull many wires in the same enclosure. The conduit itself is considered a grounding method, but also leaves the possibility of space for a ground wire to be pulled. Conduit has been in use ever since those days and comes in many different types and sizes to be used inside and outside of your home.
The newest addition to wiring was introduced in the 1960's around 1965. It was an update to NM cable that incorporated the use of a third wire, a bare ground wire run with a hot and neutral wire. These three wires are all concealed in an outer sheath made of plastic vinyl. This update made the cable inexpensive and very easy to install. It is very flexible and is used still today.
Along with NM cable for interior use, a similar type cable was also invented. Underground feeder wire(UF) was invented to be buried directly under the ground without having to be placed in conduit. This type of wire has a hot, a neutral, and a ground wire embedded in a solid plastic vinyl sheath that protects it from damp areas, water, and materials underground.
This was an inexpensive addition to running power underground to things like yard lights and outbuilding feeds.
As you can see, things have certainly changed over the years for the better! You see, the rubber-coated wire would only hold up for 25 years or so before the rubber would dry out and start cracking. This left exposed bare wires that could cause a multitude of problems. Plastic vinyl has been shown to last the life expectancy of your home and is a much better method of wiring.


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Super Furry Animals – Hometown Unicorn – Cover (Partial)
Isla makes Griff Redundant.
Cover, Coverversion Hometown Unicorn, Songcover Pop, Coverversion Rock, Coversong Super Furry Animals, Fuzzy Logic, Hometown Unicorn,
Isla makes Griff Redundant.
, Coverversion BritPop, Interpret Demons, , Songcover Super Furry Animals, Ice Hockey Hair + Live at Sound City, Radiator,
Emma and Jonas performing the first of three of Marks favourite songs for his surprise birthday get-together.
, Coverversion Pop Rock, Cover Rock, Coverversion Slow Life, Cover Super Furry Animals, Phantom Power, Songbook Vol 1,
The BBC broadcasted coverage of the 'T In The Park' Festival in 2006. This included 3 Super Furry Animals tracks of which this is one. A good example of a …
, , Songcover Mario Man, , , , Fuzzy Logic [RE 2005 CD 1],
A live performance of this track from their performance at the V96 Festival (Chelmsford leg) which included much of Fuzzy Logic and their cover of Meic Stevens' …
, Coverversion Drawing rings around the world, , Coverversion Super Furry Animals, Rings Around the World (DVDrip, CD copy),
Another 100% Live video….
, Songcover Receptacle For The Respectable, , Cover Super, , Coversong True Gentlemen, Forum, London 08-08-2001, Rings Around The World,
One of my favorite tracks by the Super Furry Animals. if you haven't heard it, have a listen. Piano and back up vocals – Ron Ansara.
, Coverversion Fragile Happiness, Songcover Rock, , , Rings Around The World (Promo),
, Cover Juxtapozed With U, , , , , ,
Super Furry Animals – Juxtapozed With U … Piano played by my laptop …
Songcover Hair, Coverversion Ice Hockey Hair, Coversong Musical, Coverversion Soundtrack, , Hair, Songbook,
Great cover of the Super Furry Animals, as heard on Stop Us if You've Heard This One Before, Vol 1. First on YouTube, it looks like. Support the band …
, , , , , , ,
Gruff Rhys came to play in Detroit, made me want to play some SFA tunes on my baritone. This is from their Fuzzy Logic album. Played on a Kala KAA-15B …
, Coverversion Alt. Rock, Cover BritPop, Coverversion frisbee, , , ,
Gruff Rhys came to play in Detroit, made me want to play some SFA tunes on my baritone. This is from their Fuzzy Logic album. Played on a Kala KAA-15B …
, Coverversion Drygioni, , , mwgn, Mwng & Mwng Bach (Bonus Disc),
Drygioni – (Super Furry Animals Cover) feat. Band Pres Llareggub Brass Band.
, Interpret Receptacle For The Respectable, , , , ,
A cover of Super Furry Animals' 'Receptacle for the respectable' I'm doing the London marathon for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH.org), Donate 20 or …
, Coverversion Juxtapozed With U, Cover Pop Rock, , , , ,


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Time: During McCain/Obama Presidential Debate.
Setting: In the car on the way home from dinner. Listening to the debate via NPR.
Players: Me (Moderate. Obama supporter.), Hubs (Depends on the setting; in DC: Moderate. In Utah: Hard-core liberal. Obama supporter.), Opa (My pops. Republican. McCain supporter. Listens to Rush Limbaugh "for fun."), and Lil' E (Undecided).
Earlier in the car ride, while passing the White House, Marc successfully trained little E to say "Bush" on command. This brought Opa great delight, and it was so dang cute, even the "liberals" had to smile. Marc wouldn't let this stand though, and tried to rectify his doings before things could get ugly. He was too late.
Marc: Erich, say Bush!
E: Bush!
(cheering and laughter ensue)
Marc: Bush!
E: Bush!!
Opa: Erich, say McCain!
E: Cane!
(cheering and laughter again, and Marc cuts in)
Marc: Erich, say Obama!
E: Bush!
(we look at eachother, laughing with our jaws on the floor)
Marc: Erich, say Obama!
We couldn't help it, we were all roaring. Of course, little E thought he was quite the comedian and laughed right along, repeating his punch line a few times to see if it still worked.
I just love that little man - even if he is a Republican.
September 29, 2008
Time: During McCain/Obama Presidential Debate.
September 20, 2008
Quintessential E & J
Poor dog.
And yes, E was victorious in his refusal to sleep, so we let him stay up to watch America's Got Talent. Go Nuttin' But Strings!
Labels: Cuter than Shizz, Erich, Fly Vids, Jaeger
September 14, 2008
Fey Nails Palin (on network tv)
Just in case anyone hasn't seen this SNL clip of Poehler/Fey as Clinton/Palin, I'm posting it here for your amusement. It's absolutely hilarious - Tina Fey nailed it!
And was I the only one convinced that Amy Poehler was pregnant after she covered her belly with a pillow in that "ugly children" sketch (and during her closeups on the Weekend Update)?! (Her face looks smooshed - I wonder if it'll be a girl!). Hubs confirmed my suspicions this morning, and apparently she's 8 months along. She didn't look THAT pregnant, but I defintely think she carried the weight better in Baby Mama. That's some pretty dang good breeding though, and you gotta admit with Poehler and "Gob" Bluth as parents, this kid is going to be pretty rockin'.


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1. Predatory Skin
2. Engine Of Deceit
3. Grime Maiden
4. Shrieking Infestation
5. Tapeworms
6. World Lament
7. Cult Of The Cross
8. Traitor Internal
Chris Angelucci – Vocals
Luke Tobias – Guitar
Ryan Kasparian – Guitar
Jeremy Pyrzynski – Bass
Brian Kutanovski – Drums
Produced by Andrew Ragin [The Atlas Moth]
co-mixed and mastered by James Murphy [Testament, Death, Obituary]
Review-Remember when you first heard the cd Cowboys from Hell from Pantera, or the song For Whom the Bell Tolls by Metallica, and you just knew that minute, this band one day is going to be so huge. That what you just listened to transcended the cd into your life. Metal and every genre and subgenre releases millions of cds, but as a fan you hear those certain cds that just stick with you long after you listened to it, and you have to play it over and over. That cd you have to call your friends over to play the songs, and see their faces. This my friends is that cd. The debut album from Encrust seems so mixed and varied in its sound that I was not sure what genre of metal to call it, or even what subgenre to classify it under.
Certain songs on here like Tapeworm and the growls and the southern doom metal feel comes across like Goatwhore/Soilent Green. Then songs like the progressive sludge metal slab called Predatory Skin comes across like Blind inspired C.O.C. Other tracks range from High On Fire influenced, Down, Mastodon, and the 90's southern sludge metal scene in New Orleans. This cd sounds like old school thrash metal with a sludge feel to it. This cd has a groove and catchiness to it that will have you hooked from the first note on.
This cd is 8 tracks and clocks in at 31 minutes and it is just from start to finish an all-out brutal assault of a cd. The musicianship on this cd is very tight, and each instrument compliments the other, and lets each musician showcase their talents without drowning out the others. This cd has some amazing death metal growls throughout and some insane and fucking brilliant guitar riffs.
They have a vocalist in Chris who comes across like a pissed off beast who can roar with the best of them. The shock to this cd was how catchy and the melodies were so infectious, and how accessible the sound of the band is. Which means if you are not a fan of thrash, or this kind or that kind of metal, but are a metal fan, you may find something in this cd that appeals to you. I just see this cd being such a launching pad for this band in the upcoming years. You will be hearing major things from this band very soon. On one side of the spectrum this cd is intense, brutal and heavy as all fuck and on the other it is catchy, infectious and has major crossover appeal. This cd is a kick in the balls of metal music, and lord knows we need quite a few of those. A must buy.
10 out of 10


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An email workflow is a series of steps and actions that you can automate to make your email marketing and fundraising more effective and efficient. A workflow isn't just a "one and done" email blast or campaign. For the purpose of this post, you'll want to think about the entire flow of the email series, your goals, how many emails you want to send, and the end goal or action that you want your donors, members or contacts to make. If you're familiar with the business marketing concept of "lead nurturing" you can think of it like that—donor nurturing.
If you're fortunate enough to have a robust automated marketing platform, you can get super detailed with your workflow. If not, no problem. You can use various tools and systems to piece together a cohesive email workflow that can be tracked, measured and analyzed. It will take a little more time and resources, but it can be done.
So, let's get started planning and creating a fundraising workflow to your donors.


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Changes to service user transport services
03 Oct 17 - 01 Jan 01
Private Ambulance Service, the company which runs non-emergency ambulances and takes our service users to and from hospital, has closed down.
The Clinical Commissioning Groups, which buy in services like this, are working with a number of different organisations so that patients can continue to use the service to attend medical appointments.
We're trying to keep disruption to an absolute minimum, but the service will have to prioritise service users who are at high-risk, so those who are attending cancer appointments, dialysis, or being discharged from hospital, will be given first priority. This means that some more routine appointments may be cancelled at the start of the week, until the new service is fully operational.
We are very sorry for any inconvenience or distress that this causes.
If you are concerned, please contact the hospital or the place where you have your appointment. Alternatively, if you can arrange your own transportation to your appointment, we would advise you to do so this week.
We will provide more information about the new service as soon as details are available.
If you have any problems, please call the Transport Helpdesk on 01727 897484.


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But it's eating at me that I've had to compromise and reduce some of the time I'd had for other things. Namely, writing. I'm impatient to finish these projects, which are exterior goals for others, and get back to writing- an interior goal for myself. Even though on the horizon, there may be a full-time job opportunity, which will have me rearranging once again.
But I think my impatience is good. It keeps me striving to do more and be on the lookout for opportunities to forward my writing career. It's an outward indication of the passion I feel for becoming a published author. So even though my mother always told me that patience is a virtue, for me, it's the impatience that will get it done.


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FULL SESSIONS: These sessions take place in your home, or at an outdoor location in the area. We'll have conversations prior to your session about your goals, and what kind of environment will work best for your family. We will spend 60-90 minutes together, and if desired, we will allow time for a location or wardrobe change. 2-3 weeks following your session, you'll receive a link to an online gallery of 25-30 fully-edited images, all of which will be made available to you as full-resolution download. Full sessions start at $450. Please contact me for a detailed rate sheet.
MINI-SESSIONS: These sessions take place in an outdoor location within 10 miles of 78759, and are perfect for holiday cards, invitations, and greeting cards – or if you like to do smaller sessions more frequently. 2-3 weeks following your session, you'll receive a link to an online gallery of edited images, and you will receive a full-resolution download of 8 images. Mini-sessions start at $275. Please contact me for a detailed rate sheet.
FOUR SEASONS PACKAGE: Are you someone who likes to document your family at more frequent intervals? This is the package for you! This package includes 4 quarterly –mini-sessions, and is priced at $950. You'll receive a digital download of 8 fully-edited images per session.
DOCUMENTARY/LIFESTYLE SESSION: These sessions take place either in your home, or in a location where you and your family engage in a favorite activity. We can work with something as simple as a family game night, or get more elaborate and document a family outing to miniature golf. Whatever we choose, it will reflect the vibrant personality of your family, and the pictures will be looser, unposed, and capture a slice of your family's life. These sessions are priced at $500.
HEADSHOTS: Corporate/professional headshots begin at $300, and include retouching + 5 digital files.
ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS: These sessions take place in multiple locations around town. We'll spend 2-3 hours shooting, laughing, and creating special memories. Sessions start at $450. Please contact me for detailed pricing.
FILM PORTRAITS: Embrace your inner luddite and do a portrait session shot exclusively with medium format film. Sessions start at $400, plus the cost of film, processing and scanning.
CHILDREN'S BIRTHDAY PARTIES, GRADUATION PARTIES, FAMILY PARTIES: Rates for small events start at $350 for one hour of shooting time + digital download of all edited files; additional time and special setups (photo booths, formal portraits within the event) are available as add-ons. Please contact me for more accurate pricing for your event.


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Availability: In Stock
Product Code:
These Flex hoses are perfect for connecting your fireplace burner or fire pit burner and getting them in the exact right position. Made out of Stainless Steel and coated black, they remove all whistling from the gas flow.
Make sure and get one of these, all other manufacturers sell the standard stainless flex hoses, or get ones from the local hardware store, and they will make an annoying whistle when you use your fireplace or fire pit since they are not made to flow the gas requirements that a burner needs, they are made for standard gas appliances. Don't install a cheap flex hose to just have to dig everything back up and do it the right way, purchase our Industry leading Whisper Quiet Flex hoses and do it right the first time.
For Most fireplaces, the 12" flex hose will do. For Fire Pits, we recommend the 18" flex hose to give you more room to center the burner.
This is our new line of Arc Burners! They are the highest quality and the best in the industry.
This is a new style of burner featuring an Arc to give a much better flame pattern than a standard H-style burner.
These can be used in a fireplace or fire pit.
They are 12" long and 6" at the widest part of the Arc.
They have a 1/2" pipe thread and work perfectly with our new Whisper Quiet Flex Hoses
This burner should last a lifetime,
All holes are drilled and not punched like most manufacturers burners which when punched, causes a whistle.
These have the most amazing flame pattern due to the Arc in the burner instead of a flat H-burner.
The shorter inlet allows you to connect our flex hose and make your bends without taking up more room.
You will not be disappointed!
This is our new line of Pan Burners! They are the highest quality and the best in the industry.
They are 16" long or 22" long and they have a 1/2" pipe thread and work perfectly with our new Whisper Quiet Flex Hoses
This is our 18" Dual Ring Stainless Steel Burner Ring.
Our Stainless Steel Burner Rings are the Highest Quality and Heaviest in the industry!
It has a 1/2" Pipe Thread Center Hub with a Flush Hex Key Plug and the Hex Allen Key included so that you can plug either side to have your burner holes either face up or face down.
The center hub is also offset slightly so that if you install this burner with the holes facing up if any water seeps in, it won't get into your gas line.
All holes are drilled and not punched like other manufacturers burners. Punched holes cause whistle and mean that the burner is made out of thin material.
Unlike other manufacturers burners, our burner has the rings evenly placed. Most manufacturers just add another ring to the outside of their smaller rings and the rings are not even.
You won't be disappointed in the quality and performance of this burner.
They are 18" long and 6" at the widest part of the Arc.
This is our 24" Dual Ring Stainless Steel Burner Ring.
They are 24" long and 6" at the widest part of the Arc.
They are 30" long and 12" at the widest part of the Arc. Much better flame pattern for larger fireplaces than the skinny H-burners most companies sell


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Prices listed below includes:
- The shoot
- Basic post-processing, including cropping and colour correction
- Passworded online gallery to view and proof the work
- Electronic delivery of images via email (wetransfer.com)
Not included:
- Travelling costs charged at £0.45 per mile over 10 from the studio
- Post production Photoshop work £50 per hour for additional work.
- Hotels, flights and expenses (for UK and non-UK commissions) are charged at cost.
- Additional prices will be incurred for the services of script-writers, voice over artists, models or makeup artists where required.
Commercial Photography
For website, social media, catalogue, newsletter, press release and general use the prices are as follows:
Half day (4 hours) £300
Full day (7.5 hours) £500
Please Note
Where the images are to be used for posters, advertisements, product packaging or worldwide usage additional costs will be incurred. This will be agreed before commencement of the assignment.
Commercial Portraits
£100 for 30 minutes shoot. (£50 per person if there are a minimum of 6 people taken during the same shoot)
- Beyond the Bounds of Auto course – £95 (per person)
- Property Agents Photography £100 for the first person and £75 for each subsequent person within the same organisation
- Workshop – prices available on Facebook and our Newsletter
Please contact us for more information


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To all Tucson contradancers: the Saturday, September 19 contradance with Traditional Blend has been canceled due to the failure of the air conditioning system at First United Methodist Church. The location of our upcoming events will be posted as soon as we can make arrangements. Sorry for the inconvenience. Tucson Friends of Traditional Music.
Introductory lesson at 6:30, music begins at 7pm.
$10 general admission, $5 for 25yrs and under, $5 gets you a membership button (show your button and get $1 off general admission ) Cash or check at the door. You do not have to pay for parking in the church parking lot; ignore the signs about paying.
For more information visit tftm.org


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Being a chamber member has always provided my business a valuable exposure to both the community and the local government that would be impossible to achieve otherwise.Read More
Elias Audy, Audy's Mobil/Cypress Automart - Brookline, MA
I always appreciate your assistance. I feel as if you are a member of my team.Read More
Frank Shear, Brickwall Kitchen - Brookline, MA
My membership in the Brookline Chamber has played a major role in helping me grow my law practice. As I became more active in the Chamber and accepted additional responsibilities, I noticed that I was expanding my exposure to an entirely new clientele, namely the business community. The investment of my time taking on responsibilities in the Chamber paid off in many ways, bringing me new friends as well as new clients.Read More
Roger Lipson, Attorney At Law - Brookline, MA


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3/3: Cover Reveal
Danger Deception Devotion: The Firsts
by Lorhainne Eckhart
Genre: Romance/Mystery-Thriller/Women's Fiction
Genre: Romance/Mystery-Thriller/Women's Fiction
HTML and a media kit will be sent out as soon as they are available.
Click here for the sign-up form or fill out the form below.
Click here for the sign-up form or fill out the form below.
3/3: Cover Reveal
- Flame Resistant Undies Romance Reviews*
- Nicole Smith*
- Em & M Books*
- Lynn's Romance Enthusiasm*
- Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents*
- Queen of All She Reads*
- abibliophobia anonymous book reviews*
- Marie's Cozy Corner*
- Girl with Pen*
- Nerd Girl Official*
- author sandra love*
- Amanda's Blog*
- Nat's Book Nook*
- Room With Books*
- Just the Write Stuff*
- A Book Addict's Delight*
- A Closet Full of Books*
- Indy Book Fairy*
- ByoBook Club*
- Obsessed by Books*
- Trina's Tantalising Tidbits*
- Pinky's Favorite Reads*
- Those Crazy Book Chicks*
- Twinkle Sugandha Varshney*
- Fictional Rendezvous Book Blog*
- Book Groupies*
- Cover to Cover Book Blog*
- Naughty Book Eden*
- Bex n Books*
- Murder with a Touch of Romance*
- Word Forward*
- Can't Stop Reading*
- Reading, Drinking, Relaxing*
- Ramblings from Beneath the Sheets
- Chica's Love to Read*
- My Book Addiction and More*
Words Turn Me On


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Hello and Happy Monday! Today on the Paper Camellia blog I have a layout using this month's Main Kit! There are lots of My Mind's Eye and Dear Lizzy's Documentary included for October! Definitely loving the soft pinks and bright yellow!
I love these black foam Word Script Thickers from Dear Lizzy! I used the word "wish" for my title! I think the black pops against the softer hues of the patterned papers.
I used some of my American Craft roller stamps from my stash, as well as paint splatters and black enamel dots to accent my page.
The Main Kit includes both pink and yellow ribbon...here I attached a pink bow to one of the Pink Paislee Memorandum gold foil frames.
You also include a mixed bag of ephemera from My Mind's Eye's My Story. I layered a few of the pieces at the top of my photo.
I also used these cute pink Elle's Studio letter stickers on the side of my photo. You can also spy some gold enamel shapes from Pink Paislee's Memorandum collection. I love the little spots of gold!
Thanks for stopping by! Check out the available kits at Paper Camellia's shop by clicking here! Have a great day!


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Friday, March 29The Walking Dead Friday - 'This Sorrowful Life.'
Season 3 - Episode 15: 'This Sorrowful Life.'
The penultimate Walking Dead Friday is upon us. We have much to discuss; I'm limping all over the house.
A couple of days ago, I started experiencing pain in my left instep. I've been doing a lot of general walking around over the last week in a feeble attempt to stave off the Reaper for another pointless year, so I figured I just overexerted myself a bit and it would heal on its own with adequate rest. Then I promptly forgot all about that and spent the entirety of Wednesday afternoon briskly sauntering around downtown Madison.
I'm an idiot when it comes to pain. Once something that was hurting me stops hurting me, I sort of assume it will never come back again, and that's how I treated my foot on Wednesday. I was pinwheeling, grapevining and Electric Sliding my way through the city (as is my custom), eating expensive cupcakes and sampling the most disgusting of cheeses. It's how I prefer to spend my afternoons alone.
When I went to sleep Wednesday night, I felt okay. When I woke up and stepped out of bed Thursday morning, my entire leg nearly collapsed as if it were ravaged by termites. My left foot was nearly useless, and I had to spend the entire day Tiny Tim'ming it up just to get from place to place at work.
I guess I tore a muscle in my instep or arch or something. All I know is that it hurts like hell and my limp is borderline scary to see; if I went to the doctor they'd probably give me crutches, or in true Tiny Tim fashion, one short, crudely-cobbled crutch. Oh, and one of those adorable newsie caps that old people and lesbians wear.
"Wow," my wife said on Thursday morning. "You're really limping around."
"Yeah, I think I tore a muscle."
"That happened to me once. In both feet." (Advantage: Missus)
"Oh yeah? What did you do for it?"
"Nothing. Just rest and aspirin."
So, that's where I'm at. If you happen to see me gangster-leaning down the streets of Sun Prairie this weekend, please don't make fun of me, and please don't ask me to run down to the Poulterer's and buy the prized turkey that's 'as big as me whole body.' Let's move on.
This week's episode of The Walking Dead was fairly unexpected (to me, at least). In a season filled with the predictable (the death of T-Dog) to the pleasantly surprising (a phenomenal episode centered around Morgan), we got a set up for the finale that we wanted, but not in the way we predicted.
I mean, we knew that Rick was going to have a change of heart regarding giving Michonne up in exchange for a truce (although I cannot believe he actually thought it would work). We knew that the battle lines would be perfectly set for a final showdown between Rick and the Governor (although there are others who have a bigger gripe and justification for being the one to actually murder the Governor).
What we didn't know that this would be the week we not only mourn the death of a major character, but get one of the all-time best TWD acting performances from a Mr. Michael Rooker. And goddamn did he deliver.
Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer is one of the bleakest, rawest and most disturbing serial killer movies ever made, but it's also probably the best (I say 'best' considering the subject matter). If you've seen it (and you should for historical purposes), you'll understand immediately why there was nobody else on Earth more equipped to play Merle as Rooker. I remember renting the VHS from Express Video as a kid (they didn't give a shit about ID in my hometown), and it broke my brain for a few days. Good movies do that sometimes, although I don't own it nor do I have any intention of ever watching it again.
Rooker's filmography is absolutely massive, but I still don't understand why he hasn't been handed more critically-acclaimed and potential award-winning roles (the Mickey Rourke parts, if you will). This man seemingly does well in everything he touches, and I'm hoping his time as Merle Dixon refreshes the collective memories of casting directors the next time they're looking for a demented older guy. On a zombie show that somehow put together a classically-trained group of powerhouse actors, Rooker could roll with any of them in any circumstance.
RIP, Merle Dixon. In your honor, I drank straight from a bottle of Jack Daniels last night while blaring Motorhead from my 1986 Buick Somerset (I would've done this regardless, however). Now let's get to The Green And Leafy!
Merle died.
Smash cut, whiskey drank, episode over. Now let's Break It Down!
1. Sunday's episode did a 10.99 rating, which is still astronomical but lower than their all-time series high of 12.26. Even in the face of March Madness, this show is still watched by more people than any other on cable television. To once again put this into perspective, WWE Monday Night Raw normally pulls in a rating of 3.5, which until the premiere of The Walking Dead, was enough to make it the highest-rated show on cable nearly every week. It's a statistical anomaly to say the least.
2. 'This Sorrowful Life' was written by Scott Gimple, who will serve as the showrunner next season, replacing Glen Mazzara (who replaced Frank Darabont). Mazzara was heralded for being the guy that finally got Rick and company 'off the farm,' and here's hoping that Gimple keeps things moving at a breakneck pace once they flee the prison and hit the road.
3. Andrea is the only main cast member to not appear in this episode, which by proxy makes it the greatest episode of any television show in history so far.
4. This episode also marks the first death of a main character since Lori Grimes bit it (and got bit) in Season 3, Episode 4.
5. The Season 3 finale, 'Welcome To The Tombs,' will air on Easter Sunday, which I find highly entertaining for a number of reasons. First off, on a weekend where no other new shows are airing (for fear of a holiday ratings hit), The Walking Dead couldn't give a shit less. Secondly, I like the connotations of a 'dead rising from the grave' show airing on a holiday where that supposedly happened in real life.
That's all I have for you this week. Sound off in the comments section and enjoy your weekend. Next week on the CDP, I'll have more new stuff and an extra Walking Dead Friday post as we celebrate the Season 3 finale.
Later, 'taters.
Season 1 - Episode 1 Review.
Season 1 - Episode 2 Review.
Season 1 - Episode 3 Review.
Season 1 - Episode 4 Review.
Season 1 - Episode 5 Review.
Season 1 - Episode 6 Review.
Season 3 - Episode 9 Review.
Season 3 - Episode 10 Review.
Season 3 - Episode 11 Review.
Season 3 - Episode 12 Review.
Season 3 - Episode 14 Review.
Wednesday, March 27We're Making Bank Tonight, Baby.
Miss Carly Casper, a CDP Alumni if there ever was one, has recently picked up a guitar and started writing songs. Swarming Things is the culmination of about six months of guitar practice and (I assume) a lifetime of singing and writing lyrics.
I wasn't entirely sure what I was in for when I listened for the first time, but you know what? I really like it. Her guitar playing will only get better and eventually catch up with her voice and songwriting, and I can't imagine she won't be ten times as good a year from now. Check it out and give her a listen; I always have encouraged peeps to use any available outlet to express yourself, and the fact that she's only been putting stuff together for six months is quite impressive, in my opinion. Good on you, little lady.
This has also reminded me that I need to add CDP Alumni links over in the sidebar again, and I'll get to that soon (before the end of the year, at least). It'll totally happen.
Sound off in the comments section and enjoy your day. The Walking Dead Friday arrives in less than 48 hours.
Monday, March 25Give Me All The Pomade You Have (Again).
(Busy couple of weeks; I'm refinancing the house, the Missus got a new job, my Photoshop won't work for some reason, and I've got a SECRET AWESOME THING to show you once I jump through all the hoops in which to obtain it. So I've got to lay sort of low for a bit. Until I'm back on the bike, enjoy this Wayback Essay from 2010. Thanks!)
It took me until about the age of 20 before I realized that you could get your hair cut at places that were stationed outside of a mall. As a man that didn't pay attention or care too much about the quality or well-being of his hairstyle, I had always just gone to the easiest, cheapest place.
For the better part of a decade, this destination was exclusively Cost Cutters.
Going to Cost Cutters deep into in your teen years feels similar to the last few Halloweens you celebrate before you start to become acutely aware of your age. You begin to take notice of the clientele around you; notice the relative age of the stylists versus the customers. Once the realization hits that maybe you should start frequenting a different barber (say, the Master Cuts by the Aqua Massage kiosk, perhaps), it feels akin to being naked in public. All you want to do is disappear.
I remember the last time I ever set foot in a Cost Cutters. I was alone, reading a magazine in the red-and-yellow waiting area (it always looked like a McDonalds in there), when a grown man came shuffling through the door. He looked to be in his mid-to-late 40's, wiry-thin with glasses and a ragged outfit on.
"Hello," he said to the pre-teen working the counter. "Is Sarah working today?"
"I'm sorry," she replied, "But Sarah has the day off."
"Good," the man muttered back, turning slowly to his left to reveal a massive bald spot that was seemingly gouged out of his scalp by accident. Presumably by Sarah. He took a seat next to me and exhaled deeply.
He was defeated. He didn't care. He was me in ten years.
Without making a scene, I gently set the Store Copy of People magazine on the table and hit the road. It had been a decent enough relationship, but at that moment, I knew that Cost Cutters and I were officially through.


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Michigan aims to spoil seasons for Wisconsin and Ohio StateNov 14, 2017 - 1:03 AM ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan has won three straight, scoring 35 points each game, since its midseason slump. The Wolverines (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten) won easily over Rutgers, Minnesota and Maryland to climb back to No. 19 in The Associated Press poll . They had same ranking after getting routed 42-13 on the road to No. 2 Penn State, a second loss in a three-game stretch that hurt their chances of winning a Big Ten title for the first time since 2004. "We can still be a 10-win team and kind of ruin people's seasons," Michigan center Patrick Kugler said Monday. "That's kind of what my goal is right now." The Wolverines have an opportunity to spoil hopes and plans for two teams. They play at No. 5 Wisconsin (10-0, 7-0) on Saturday, facing a team with a clear path to the Big Ten championship game and a shot at being in the College Football Playoff. They close the regular season the following week at home against No. 8 Ohio State (8-2, 6-1), a rival still holding national championship hopes. Even if Michigan can close the regular season with two upsets, though, it needs the 13th-ranked Nittany Lions and No. 22 Michigan State each to lose a game to avoid tiebreaker scenarios that wouldn't favor the maize and blue after losing to both schools. "Our goal is still to go to the Big Ten championship and that's still a possibility," receiver Grant Perry said. If the Wolverines can't celebrate a championship, they want to mess up plans other teams have over the next two weeks. "We've kind of taken on the role of the villain a little bit," Kugler said. "People have been doubting us, saying we haven't beaten a team with a winning record this year. That's kind of the big one that is going around right now. The next two games, two big ones, Wisconsin and Ohio State. If we can come out on top of both of those, the villain wins. That's kind of a fun role to play." The Wolverines' eight wins are against teams with .500 or worse records, adding to the argument that they haven't beaten any quality teams this season. On the road, that hasn't happened in a long time because they don't have a victory over a ranked opponent on its home field since Lloyd Carr's 2006 team won at No. 2 Notre Dame. Mike McCray believes Michigan has momentum going into its game against the Badgers after bouncing back from a humiliating loss at Penn State. "I think we're a lot more confident," the senior linebacker said. "We went through a little bit of adversity. We know we can fight through that adversity. Since then, we're closer together." Wilton Speight is closer to coming back to potentially playing, coach Jim Harbaugh said. The quarterback, who cracked vertebrae Sept. 23 at Purdue, has been cleared to practice without contact. Running back Karan Higdon didn't finish the game at Maryland because of an ankle injury, but Harbaugh sounded encouraged about the chances he will play against the Badgers along with running back Ty Isaac, who has missed two games with an injury. ___ More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
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Related News
- Michigan's Winovich returning to Wolverines Jan 3
- For Michigan, a step back in third season under Harbaugh Jan 2
- Bowl roundup: Wisconsin wins Orange Bowl Jan 1
- Bentley leads South Carolina past Michigan 26-19 in Outback Jan 1
- No. 6 Wisconsin looks to build on record 13-win season Jan 1
- Miami coach Richt apologizes for actions towards officials Jan 1
- Michigan, South Carolina eye 9 wins, solid finish in Outback Dec 31
- Michigan, South Carolina seek strong finish in Outback Bowl Dec 31
- Hornibrook's 4 TDs carry Badgers over Miami, 34-24 in Orange Dec 31
- Meltdown by Richt, Hurricanes in 34-24 loss to Wisconsin Dec 31
- Hornibrook's 4 TDs carry Badgers past Miami, 34-24 in Orange Dec 30
- No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 11 Miami match up in Orange Bowl Dec 29


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Now that I am back in the business of reading and using a lot of PDF files, I have a nice system in place. I thought it time to share it. Some of the PDF files are ones that I already have on my hard drive. Others are ones I need to pull from the internet. Others, still, are ones I make by "printing" a web page and saving it as a PDF files. In all of these cases, the end result is a PDF file that is saved to my hard drive (well, to the Google Drive account
Education / Iraq / Research
Google Searches and Alerts
I just created another Google Search today. I thought I would share with you what I used and how. As background, I have an ongoing interest in the Shia (and Sunni) militias in Iraq. The Shia ones have a long history of being supported by Iran, directly and indirectly. In 2014, the Iraqi government rolled many of the Shia ones into an umbrella organization, in response to the fall of Mosul and the need to officially bring these groups – armed – into the fight. Think of that action as mobilizing a well armed militia, in accordance with the US's


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Rosoboronexport Deputy Director Sergei Goreslavsky said that India is willing to develop its own defence industry in accordance with the 'Make in India' programme and could cooperate with Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport plans to discuss Russian-Indian cooperation in modernizing India's defense industry within the Make in India program, the company said on Wednesday.
"India is willing to develop its own defence industry in accordance with the 'Make in India' programme. We are ready to propose new large-scale projects for implementation in the interests of all military services with the most extensive involvement of Indian businesses, of relevant technology transfers and organisation of joint and license productions," Rosoboronexport Deputy Director Sergei Goreslavsky said in the company's press release.
Discussions will take place on March 28-31 during the Defexpo India 2016 international land and naval systems exhibition to be held in Naqueri Quitol in India's state of Goa.
Rosoboronexport will present the T-90MS main battle tank, the BMP-3 infantry combat vehicle, Kalashnikov assault rifles of the 100th series, air defense systems, including those mounted on Indian-made Tata chassis, as well as numerous navy vessels, according to the press release. Russia and India have enjoyed mutually beneficial strategic relations, especially in the field of defense and military cooperation, since the 1960s.
http://sputniknews.com/military, 24.03.2016


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For today's kids, wireless devices and services offer significant value and benefit in education, health care, commerce and social interactions. The inherent value that wireless now offers has flourished under a light regulatory touch that allows new products and services to be made available without unnecessary government intervention. For these reasons, one of the leading nonprofit organizations focused on online child safety, the Family Online Safety Institute, recently stated that the U.S. has been a major pioneer in both Internet technology and online safety.
At the federal level, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has established rules under the Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) to restrict companies from knowingly collecting personal information from children under 13 online without parental consent. The Federal Communications Commission requires schools that receive federal funds to offer technology to create online safety plans and place filtering software on computers that are used by children. Federal law also requires any provider of an electronic communication service or remote computing service with knowledge of any violation of certain sexual exploitation and child pornography laws to report those facts to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children CyberTip Line.
At the state and local government levels, there are a number of laws and policy initiatives enacted so kids are appropriately and safely using wireless.
Similar to the continued evolution of the Internet, experts from the National Telecommunications & Internet Administration's Online Safety & Technology Working Group recognized that there is "no one-size-fits-all, once-and-for-all solution to providing children with every aspect of online child safety. Rather, it takes a comprehensive 'toolbox' from which parents, educators, and other safety providers can choose tools appropriate to children's developmental stages and life circumstances, as they grow."
CTIA and its members have stayed ahead of the curve by voluntarily addressing online safety and consumer protection. Learn more about CTIA's voluntary consumer initiatives.
Recent Reports:
Additional Policy Resources:


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My sister Kim found this adorable and EASY pattern online that she wanted to try. If you notice the emphasis is on easy because these were such an easy pattern. I should say it's easy depending on what material you choose to use. She had this wonderful idea of cutting up an old purse of hers and they turned out adorable so that's the route we decided to go. I headed to Salvation Army, one of my favorite places to go and browse around lately, and purchased a couple of purses. The first one that I bought I thought would make such cute little booties for a baby girl. That they did although it took about half a package of needles before I figured out how to make it work. In the end they turned out just how I liked them but they were a little bit more work than the ones I made with a softer material.
This is the purse that the pink ones came from. I unfortunately didn't take a picture of the purse that the silver ones came from but you can probably just imagine what the purse did look like. This was the tough material to work with because it wasn't very flexible. Like the saying goes the best things don't come easy...right? I think that's how it goes.


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The Amazing Clark Comedy Magician performs at
the Detroit Historical Museum, October 26, 2014,
for the 2nd year in a row!
The Amazing Clark, Comedy Magician, performs over 300 shows a year in theaters, night clubs, corporate events, trade shows, cruise ships, casinos, and television. Having performed in New York City, on Broadway, Las Vegas, & Fox TV, he has been called the "Jim Carrey of Magic", the Enquirer, for bookings: 313-658-9181, www.amazingclark.com


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"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Habakkuk 3:17-18
Basically, though all livelihood was destroyed, he rejoiced in the Lord and His salvation. How often do menial things keep us from rejoicing in God? Things that, in a month, we'll forget about -- yet today we allow it to steal our joy and keep us from rejoicing.


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a resource war by any other name...
In the past six months or so, there's been a concerted push by the Congo activist community (it does exist, believe it or not) to focus on the exploitation of natural resources by the various armed groups and foreign governments operating in the region. Roughly modeled on the campaign to end the use of "conflict diamonds," the idea is that it's possible to end (or at least slow) the conflict in the Congo by cutting demand for minerals like tin, cassetterite, and coltan in the global market. Because many of the armed groups rely on access to the mines to earn money with which they buy weapons, the reasoning goes, getting consumers in the West to push electronics manufacturers to stop sourcing these minerals for their products will choke off the money flow to the armed groups, which presumably will convince the soldiers/rebels/bandits to go to UN demobilization camps, turn in their weapons, and return to life as peasant farmers. Et voila! Peace.
The worst of these efforts suggest that shutting down the conflict mineral trade will more-or-less immediately end the use of rape as a weapon of war. Others take a more nuanced approach, recognizing that shutting down the mines or transferring control will create all kinds of livelihood problems for the families who depend on salaries from the mines, among the host of other challenges. What all of these efforts have in common is a view that the resource dimension is a central engine of the Congo conflicts.
I disagree. I don't view the wars in the eastern Congo as resource wars in the academic sense. Violence over access to resources is one dimension of the fighting there, but the roots of the conflict are much more about land tenure and citizenship questions than they are about who gets access to minerals like tin, caseterite, coltan, and gold. The fight over the minerals is an effect of these underlying crises; not the primary, or even tertiary cause of most of the fighting.
Compounding the fight over who gets to be a legal citizen and what extremely fertile and therefore valuable land belongs to whom is the total lack of state capacity in the east, especially in highly contested territories like Masisi and Rutshuru. It's not a coincidence that population density is highest in these areas. The land produces harvests up to three times per year and, when the situation is calm, serves as the regional breadbasket. Ranching operations also supply the region with meat, coffee plantations grow the distinctive central African aribica Bourbon coffee bean that should be a hot commodity on the world market because it's freaking delicious, and the dairy farms produce the best cheese on the continent, hands down.
There's no question that the mineral trade finances the operations of some of the armed groups in the region and that some people are getting very, very rich as a result of their involvement with the mines.
But fighting would continue even if the mines were empty. Cheap weapons will still flow freely through the region's porous borders. Women will still be raped. That's because the fundamental problem in the eastern D.R. Congo is the total breakdown of law and order. Soldiers from every militant group rape and loot and burn down villages because they can. It's a way of terrorizing innocent civilians. Sometimes the motive is access to minerals, but more often, it's about land ownership disputes. Or ethnicity. Or the fact that when you give drunk teenage boys weapons and don't feed them regularly, they're likely to behave badly.
Nicholas Garrett and Harrison Mitchell explain the problem that develops when there's too much of a focus on the resource conflict in the Congo quite nicely in this piece. As they write, "the fundamental problem in Congo is governance failure." Little things like the fact that soldiers in the national army aren't regularly paid tend to complicate matters.
All of the people involved in Congo advocacy are rightfully horrified at what happens to women and girls in the east. But presenting the solution in stark terms ("If we just end the resource trade, the rapes will end.") is misleading, inaccurate, and dangerous. It suggests that the Congo's problems are simple. It suggests that there's a remote possibility of slowing down worldwide demand for the superconductors that power our mobile phones and LCD screens, a prospect I find highly unlikely. And it makes it easier for policy makers and those in positions of influence to continue to ignore the land conflicts and citizenship issues that started the conflicts to begin with. The international community has tried that approach for ten years now, and it hasn't worked.
Maybe these efforts will help. Belgian mineral merchant Traxys announced earlier this week that they will avoid buying minerals from the D.R. Congo. But there are a myriad of problems. How Traxys will manage to actually avoid buying Congolese minerals is unclear. Congolese minerals have a way of acquiring new states of origin en route to the international markets in Dubai and Hong Kong. That's why you probably own something that was cut using Congolese industrial diamonds, despite the fact that those "conflict diamonds" are supposed to be off the market.
What will happen to families who lose their jobs because of Traxys' move is another question. Enough says that there have to be alternative livelihoods programs, but it's not at all clear what these would be. As Garrett and Mitchell note, the international community can't tell poor Congolese people that they just need to change jobs. There aren't any other jobs. Then there's the issue of what happens to the mines. Enough proposes having MONUC secure them until the governance and security situations improve. But given MONUC's track record on issues involving peacekeepers and corruption, I'm not convinced that's a good idea.
At its heart, the focus on conflict minerals is a Western effort, not a Congolese one. Is another internationally-proposed solution that ignores the ideas of the very people advocates purport to help really what the Congolese people want and need? I have discussed security issues with hundreds of Congolese individuals over the years. Not one - not ONE - has ever said, "You know, the best way to solve our problems would be to shut down the mines." No one ever mentions the mines. (Even when I lived next door to a casseterite processing plant, no one ever mentioned the mines.) Instead, they talk about the need to develop effective policing and security forces. Or the fact that trying to secure the World's Worst Spot with 17,000 peacekeepers when 300,000 troops weren't enough to subdue Iraq is just insane.
Why is it so hard for the international community to listen to these well-informed, local voices?
(Image via: Africa is a Country)
UPDATE: David Sullivan, one of the authors of the Enough report, informs me that I misunderstood their call to have MONUC secure the mines. They're actually calling for joint security that would involve MONUC but that would also include the FARDC. My apologies for the error.