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Yes, contrary to popular belief, I am still alive and kicking (and lurking here from time to time) even though I haven't updated my profile or my blog here in the loooooongest of time. I have a couple of great reasons for that which basically just involved life, work, and the book that I'm having published...
Anyways, I've got a couple of emails asking the status regarding the "witch" in my "epic" chronicles. So, here's an update on her. She's laying low. She's keeping quiet right now, but somehow I have this weird feeling that it's just the "calm before the storm". I do hope I'm wrong about that, though...as interesting as ranting about her is, I don't really want every day to be such a drama.
So, some of you--those who are a wee bit interested--might be wondering what's new. Well, remember that whole deal about me getting a new phone? Well, I finally got one and it's a BlackBerry Phone. I have to say, I'm enjoying it and I've been using it mostly for social networking stuff like Facebook, Twitter, and the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) since the phone plan I have with it is unlimited everything--text, calls, even BlackBerry services! XD
I've also started my quest in searching for an epic MMORPG since I've once again began playing .hack// and wanted to go and experience online gaming once again (last time I played an online game was about...hmm...I think three years ago). Right now, I'm playing Eden Eternal...although I *might* download Lucen Heart and see if I get into it. Any suggestions for an online MMORPG? I'm kinda open for suggestions right now. XD
So, yeah...that's basically everything in a nut-shell right now. Of course, there's that book I'm having published, but I just got the recently proofread copy of it so...it might take a little while longer (already have a publisher, though)...so...yeah...
Anyways, that's that. I'll try to update my blog here as frequently as I update SnK (my personal blog). Can't make any promises, though.
Well, until the next post!
Dream on; Fly on!


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Kothimbir Vadi Recipe | Crispy Coriander Vadi Recipe
Kothimbir Vadi is a one of the popular Maharashtrian Starter Snack. It is a crispy snack made from coriander leaves and besan (Gram flour). A very appetizing and party snack! Besan flour along with onion, coriander leaves and spices are cooked and then deep fried in oil to crunchy, munchy fritters. Conventional Kothimbir Vadi is made only of coriander leaves, but, I have added peas, carrots to make it much tastier and richer. Instead of deep frying, we can also add oil to the cooked besan-coriander mix and bake it in oven. Here, I have used the conventional way of cooking. I will post the baking method soon. Lets see how to make this traditional Maharashtrian Kothimbir Vadi…
|Kothimbir Vadi Recipe | Crispy Coriander Vadi Recipe
Preparation and Yield:
|Preparation time
|5 mins
|Cooking Time
|40 mins
|Setting Time
|30 mins
|Recipe Category
|Recipe Cuisine
|North Indian
|Kothimbir Vadi Recipe | Crispy Coriander Vadi Recipe
|Coriander Leaves
|1 Cup*
|Gram Flour / Besan
|1 Cup
|Rice Flour
|2 tablespoon
|Sour Curd
|1/2 Cup
|To taste
|Green Chilli
|1 inch Piece
|Green Peas
|1/4 Cup
|1 small size
|For Deep Frying
* 1 Cup = 250ml
For Seasoning:
|1 tablespoon
|Mustard Seeds
|1 teaspoon
|Omam / Ajwain
|1/2 teaspoon
- Wash, peel and grate the carrots and set them aside. Boil the peas and mash it coarsely and set that aside
- Take the green chillies and ginger to the mixer along with curd and grind it to a nice paste. Take a mixing bowl and add besan, rice flour and mix well
- To that mixing bowl, add salt along with ground green chilli-ginger and curd paste and mix everything well with a whisk. Make sure there are no lumps. If you have a hand blender, you can use that to churn the mixture.
- Heat a pan with a tablespoon of oil and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add omam and saute it for a second. Then add finely chopped onions and saute them for couple of minutes. We don't need to saute the onions till they become brown color. We are going to fry the vadi in oil so we don't need to saute the onions nicely. Now add the besan batter to the pan and mix well in low flame
- Keep cooking the besan mixture till they become thick. Then add boiled peas, grated carrot and chopped coriander leaves to the pan and mix everything well. We can also add sweet corn along with peas and carrots.
- Switch off the flame and take the besan mixture to a oil coated square or rectangular tin and pat it well with back of a spatula or spoon and nicely spread it. Set this tray aside for half an hour. Then flip the tray on a plate after 30 minutes.
- Make square or rectangular pieces out of the cooked besan mixture. Now our vadis are ready to get fried in oil. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. When the oil is hot, add a small piece of vadi to see if it sizzle in oil. Then gently drop 4-5 vadi in oil and fry them till they are crisp and turn golden brown color. Repeat the frying till all the vadi are fried. Place the fried vadi on a tissue to drain excess oil
- Crispy and yummy Kothimbir Vadi is now ready to serve. Serve with green chutney or ketchup and enjoy the crunchy snack!!!
|Kothimbir Vadi Recipe | Crispy Coriander Vadi Recipe
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This is a maharashtrian receipe. The word kothimbir implies so. Since coriander leaves mean kothimbir in marathi

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Additional Book Info
Date Added: 2001-01-31
Rating: [Rate this book]
Table of Contents
Reader Reviews
Add your own review to this book!
A true classic
I believe this book is a heart warming classic for all of the family could share, I was happy to read it and i could never put it down. I recommend it to everyone and I am glad to say so for it is unputdownable and I felt emotion and the sense of a story growing to a new start from this beautiful described horse black beauty.
By akshaya on June 1, 2008
I liked Black Beauty because of his colour and patience. The book is very exciting and has suspense.
It's very imaginative and emmmm....... very realistic
I learned many new words and got many ideas of real life
If anna ma'am was alive I'd love to say a big THANX!!!!!


text:
Articles tagged "contemporary fiction"
Teen Talk Tuesday (2/22/2018 Edition)
Happy Thursday, YA Librarians, and welcome to today's special *Thursday edition* of Teen Talk Tuesday!
Check out our latest & greatest teen titles out this month, then join us today at 3pm EST (*special day and time!*) for Early Word YA Galley Chat (hashtag: #ewgcya) and tell us what you've been reading and loving.
FADE TO US by Julia Day
Ages 12 to 18
Brooke's summer is going to be EPIC. But then her new stepfather announces his daughter is moving in. Brooke has always longed for a sibling, so she's excited about spending more time with her stepsister. But she worries, too. Natalie has Asperger's—and Brooke's not sure how to be the big sister that Natalie needs.
"A book for readers who like romance that flourishes against the odds and characters who learn and grow." —Kirkus Reviews
"This is a sweeter-than-sugar summer love story, and the behind-the-scenes theater setting is evergreen." —Booklist
FLIGHT SEASON by Marie Marquardt
Ages 13 to 19
From the author of DREAM THINGS TRUE and THE RADIUS OF US comes a story of two teenagers learning what to hold on to, what to let go of, and that sometimes love gets in the way of our plans.
"This poignant story of grief, healing, and finding balance and purpose is told through alternating narration by the three main characters. Whether navigating financial hardship, family tensions, or precarious immigrant rights, the protagonists come across as well drawn and engaging . . . This new offering from Marquardt will resonate with readers looking for a mature coming-of-age story." —Booklist
DREAM THINGS TRUE by Marie Marquardt (ages 13 to 18) is also available now in trade paperback.
THIS HEART OF MINE by C.C. Hunter
Ages 13 to 18
When seventeen-year-old Leah MacKenzie gets a heart transplant, she's given an amazing second chance at life. Then Leah discovers who the donor was—a boy from her school—and people are saying he killed himself. Plagued with unsettling dreams since the transplant, Leah realizes she may hold the clues to what really happened.
"THIS HEART OF MINE is an emotional and captivating novel about love, loss, and the connections between people . . . [it] will make a solid addition to most young adult collections, and should be recommended to fans of John Green and to those who like murder mysteries with a twist and a hint of romance." —VOYA
"This story will definitely appeal to students who enjoy realistic and identifiable characters, thrilling fast-paced plot twists, and mature adolescent romantic interactions." —School Library Connection readmoreremove
Happy #BookBday (5/2/17 Edition)
Oh what a lovely day for a #BookBday!
NO ONE CAN PRONOUNCE MY NAME by Rakesh Satyal
A humorous and tender multi-generational novel about immigrants and outsiders, those trying to find their place in American society and within their own families. "Through his beautifully crafted characters, Satyal's second novel explores identity, sexuality, family, immigrant life, and Indian and American cultures. Satyal expertly describes the everyday struggles that define his characters, and he elevates the extraordinary moments of normal life in his skilled and thought-provoking novel." — Booklist, starred review
THE BEST OF ADAM SHARP by Graeme Simsion
From the bestselling author of THE ROSIE PROJECT comes a romantic novel about true love, second chances, and decades of great music. "Sensitive, witty Adam is a terrifically chummy narrator for fan-favorite Simsion's funny, sexy, and above all musical portrayal of the roles memory and fantasy play in midlife's yearnings." — Booklist
FEN: Stories by Daisy Johnson
A May 2017 Indie Next pick! With a fresh and utterly contemporary voice, Johnson lays bare stories of women testing the limits of their power to create a startling work of fiction. "Centered in the depressed flatlands of eastern England, the stories in Johnson's debut collection straddle the drama of transformation in both the uncanny and the everyday." — Publishers Weekly
BEFORE WE SLEEP by Jeffrey Lent
The sweeping, intergenerational story of a Vermont family, from WWII to the dawning of the '60s. "Lent has been compared to Faulkner, and the parallels between the cultural divides of the 1960s and current events make this a solid choice for readers of literary fiction." — Booklist readmoreremove
Af/Am Fiction
From contemporary to urban fiction, these three new books by African American writers are perfect for patrons who love romance and drama:
AND THEN THERE WAS ME by Sadeqa Johnson
The story of Bea, a woman wrestling with motherhood, an unfaithful husband, and a friend who may not be who she seems, all while trying to make sense of her new neighborhood. "Combining the warmth and sisterhood of Terry McMillan's novels and the tragedies and healing of those from Kristin Hannah, this book should find a wide, satisfied readership." — Booklist
THE STREETS HAVE NO KING by JaQuavis Coleman
After 7 years of prison, multi-millionaire drug mogul Kane Garrett is back on the streets, but this time he's teaching a college class, infusing business principles with his signature ruthless edge he developed in the streets. When a student—and heavy heroin dealer—named Basil catches Kane's eye, Kane takes him on as a protégé and together, they build the biggest, smartest drug trafficking business the state has ever seen. But when Basil meets Moriah, Kane's only daughter, lines get crossed and their dominant business union becomes a deadly rivalry. readmoreremove
What Are Your Patrons e-Reading?
Based on our stats, your patrons are downloading mystery, history, and contemporary fiction!*
Here are their top ten picks:
KILLING PATTON by Bill O'Reilly
ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell
BETRAYED by Lisa Scottoline
LANDLINE by Rainbow Rowell
THE LONG WAY HOME by Louise Penny
BEING MORTAL by Atul Gawande
LILA by Marilynne Robinson
THE PERFECT WITNESS by Iris Johanson
ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card
THE ANDY COHEN DIARIES by Andy Cohen
The rest of the best:
THE RED TENT by Anita Diamant
DEEP DOWN DARK by Hector Tobar
THE SILENT SISTER by Diane Chamberlain
STILL LIFE by Louise Penny
KILLING JESUS by Bill O'Reilly
FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell
KILLING LINCOLN by Bill O'Reilly
WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE by Oprah Winfrey
LOCK IN by John Scalzi
KILLING KENNEDY by Bill O'Reilly
SAVING GRACE by Jane Green
WOLF HALL by Hilary Mantel
Add all of these titles to your e-shelves today!
Labor Day Weekend Reading
Hip hip hooray, it's Labor Day! For us (and hopefully you) that means a nice, long, relaxing weekend with plenty of reading time (we're out tomorrow and Monday).
Here are the books topping our TBR pile:
ON THE EDGE by Edward St. Aubyn
On Sale: October 14, 2014
Shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Award, St. Aubyn's take on one man's search for enlightenment as a cure to modern malaise is "razor sharp and maniacally clever."
— Publishers Weekly
TEXTS FROM JANE EYRE: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters by Mallory Ortberg
On Sale: November 4, 2014
From the co-creator of the cult-favorite website The Toast comes a whimsical collection of hysterical text conversations from your favorite literary characters. Check out samples from Jane Eyre, Gilgamesh, and Medea.
THE LAUGHING MONSTERS by Denis Johnson
On Sale: November 4, 2014
A post-9/11 literary spy thriller from the National Book Award–winning author of Tree of Smoke. One of Barbara Hoffert's Library Journal pre-pub picks!
We heart Lisa Scottoline!
If you've been lucky enough to meet her, you know why we love Lisa Scottoline. She's HILARIOUS, yet incredibly down-to-earth, a super talented writer, and very outspoken about how her books belong to several different genres.
Lisa is the cover story of the October 2014 issue of Writer's Digest (on stands now)!
She talks about early success with her Rosato & Associates series, yet didn't want to be known as "the female John Grisham." That led her to write standalone novels about emotional justice, including LOOK AGAIN, and most recently, KEEP QUIET.
Meanwhile, she's relaunched her bestselling Rosato series with last fall's ACCUSED (BETRAYED is the new Rosato book due out November 25) and has written several essay collections with her daughter Francesca Serritella based on their Philadelphia Inquirer columns. Their most recent book, HAVE A NICE GUILT TRIP, was a People Magazine pick.
Lisa also gives great advice to aspiring writers:
"The world is really tough on people who want to be writers, and there's precious little support for it. You have to nurture this dream. I visualize it as a candle. You're the person in the movie walking around in the dark scary house, and you have the candle in the little dish, and you have to protect it with your hand. It can blow out very easily. And the world is not going to help you hold the candle. You've got to protect the candle.
Books BY Librarians
We love books (duh). And we love librarians (umm, duh!). So that means we double-love these books by librarians (and you should, too):
FATAL ENQUIRY by Will Thomas
Thomas's Barker & Llewellyn series, set in Victoria's England, have won him a devoted following and his latest has the duo trying to figure out a reluctant ally's real motives. "Recommended for historical mysteries enthusiasts, Anglophiles, and Sherlockians. Fans of Alex Grecian, Anthony Horowitz, and Charles Todd should take special note." — Library Journal, starred review
Thomas works as a librarian in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
CRADLE TO GRAVE by Eleanor Kuhns
On sale June 17, 2014
In the "intriguing" (Publishers Weekly) third entry in the late-18th-century historical mystery series, Will Rees is stunned to learn a Shaker friend of his has been accused of kidnapping and murder.
Kuhns is the 2011 winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel competition. She is currently the Assistant Director at the Goshen Public Library in Orange County, New York.
E-galley available on Edelweiss
SWAY by Kat Spears
On sale September 16, 2014
In this hilarious and often poignant debut YA, a young man who avoids emotional connection at all costs, is forced to open his heart when he meets the girl of his dreams in this Cyrano De Bergerac story with a modern twist.
Spears works at the Library of Virginia where she organizes author appearances and other literary events.
E-galley available on Edelweiss
MURDER AT THE BRIGHTWELL by Ashley Weaver
On sale October 14, 2014
An exquisite seaside resort, an eccentric group of British aristocrats on holiday, and rich 1930s detail lay the setting for this fantastic Golden Age–style debut mystery by young librarian Weaver. "An elegant Christie-esque 1930s romp that will delight fans of Rhys Bowen's Lady Georgie series with its wit, charm, and strong independent heroine. With its dash of romance, Amory Ames and her rakish husband Milo might just be the new Nick and Nora Charles." — New York Times bestselling author Deborah Crombie
Weaver is the branch manager at Oberlin, the headquarters branch of the Allen Parish Libraries in Louisiana.
E-galley available on Edelweiss


text: This is a salsa that you have to prepare, you have to try and you have to experience to feel the true flavour of the authentic Mexican food. The seasoning of this salsa identifies perfectly well the Mexican fresh, sour and a slight sweetness . All this in the same salsa.


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The vaccination of pregnant women does not affect the subsequent development of their children during the first year of life, a large Dutch study has found.
A total of 1,739 pregnant women took part in the study, which was carried out during and after the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009.
Those who were in their second or third trimester at the time were eligible for the Novartis-produced influenza vaccine Focetria.
"We continue to recommend that pregnant women have the flu vaccination"
Louise Silverton
Just over two-thirds of women participating in the study (68%) were vaccinated with Focetria, while 32% decided not get vaccinated.
All women gave their permission for the researchers to gather information on their child's growth and development, and 1,671 women also allowed them to collect data on infection-related contacts with a doctor during the first 12 months of life.
The team, led by Dr Nicoline van der Maas, from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in Bilthoven, focused on the infants' weight, length and head circumference, as well as their overall development.
They found no statistically significant differences between the children of vaccinated mothers and those who did not get vaccinated.
Louise Silverton, director for midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives, said: "This is good news as it confirms the results of previous studies on the safety of the flu vaccine for pregnant women and their unborn baby.
"We continue to recommend that pregnant women have the flu vaccination during the flu season (autumn and winter) to protect themselves and their baby from the effects of flu."
She added: "We also urge midwives and other health professionals to have the vaccination to protect themselves, their family and the people they care for from the infection."
The findings of the study are to be presented at the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases' annual meeting in Dublin from May 6-10.
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Summer is winding down and reviews appear to be picking up. We hope you will consider reviewing for Story Circle Book Reviews (SCBR), if you haven't already. You can get started by submitting a review here.
SCBR welcomes strong reviews of stories by, for and about women. We regularly receive wonderful books about a vast array of topics relevant to women: memoir, creative life, relationships, history, spirituality, romance, thrillers, anthologies, and young adult, just to name a sampling…
Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and share our tweets!
Reviews this time out include:
BURYIN' DADDY by Theresa Nicholas is an elegantly crafted memoir about the effect of early loss of the author's father. (Reviewed by Trilla Pando)
WRITE A MARKETABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK IN 7 WEEKS by Shirley Raye Redmond and Jennifer McKerley is an easy to follow writing course in book format. (Reviewed byJudy Miller)
Sharon Lippincott says "exquisitely intimate thoughts and reflections combine with a skillful rendering of social conditions of the seventies to evoke a hauntingly complete sense of that age in both calendar and human development sense." in author JoAnn Beard's IN ZANESVILLE.
A CRACK IN EVERYTHING by Angela Gerst is a classic containing politics, love, hate, and greed; nothing is as it seems. Reviewed by Judy Alter.
MARCUS OF UMBRIA by Justine van der Leun is a love story about bond between a woman and her dog. (Reviewed by Laura Strathman Hulka)
Encouraging quotations, probing questions and journaling prompts lie within the pages of SOULISTRY by June Mack Maffin. (Reviewer Sharon Lippincott)
WHAT WE HAVE by Amy Boesky Dynamics chronicles generations of family dealing with the tragedy of living and dying with a legacy of cancer. (Reviewed by Janet Caplan)


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Jun. 30
Bloomsday in Dublin
Originally published in WANL's Word newsletter, Summer 2016.
It's June 16, Bloomsday, and Dublin feels underwater. Low blue clouds undulate like the surface of a pond seen from below. Ha'penny Bridge arches across the river like the spine of a whale, its white bones picked clean by swarms of tourists and their cameras. I move more slowly than the river. A single drop of rain dabs the back of my neck.
Yesterday evening, when the sun cracked through, the city took a joyous breath. The shadow of the Millennium Bridge slanted sharply into the Liffey, the shadows of pedestrians crossing it seeming to slip beneath the green water. I watched a man on a ladder spraywash a bus shelter, sunlight transforming the water into honey that oozed a long puddle into the street. Every cobblestone was suddenly covered in gold leaf. But overnight all the colour drained away, and the morning light is dilute and dim.
You could spend the day in Dublin and not realize it was Bloomsday, the annual celebration of James Joyce's Ulysses. It's something you seek out, although you might spot a few people in costume, men donning black-banded boaters and women in Edwardian finery and feathers. There are various walking tours, lectures, breakfasts and pub crawls, even a Bloomsday Cruise. Many excursions set out from the Martello tower in Sandycove, site of the novel's famous opening scene, which is now James Joyce Tower and Museum. But I haven't booked anything, preferring to ramble around the city on my own. Twelve years ago, on this exact date in June, I visited the city for the first time. I remember passages from Ulysses in blue chalk on the pavement, dissolved a little by rain. I remember a busker serenading the Joyce statue just off O'Connell. I remember asking someone what Bloomsday was.
Today, wandering around Trinity College, I recall stumbling through the first few episodes of Ulysses, so thick with idiom and allusion, with almost abstract description, with words that aren't in any dictionary. I remember the heaviness of the tome in my hands. It contained so much, but I didn't know how to communicate with it. It was like holding a human brain.
I only really enjoyed Ulysses when I read it aloud. Like an overcast sky, its dense pages diminish the visual, but enliven other senses. As my tongue tapped its way through unfamiliar territory and inventive language, the book entered my head through backchannels. I started to relish the strangeness of it, the saltiness of its words, the way Joyce's liquid sentences lapped against my ear: He climbed over the sedge and eely oarweeds and sat on a stool of rock, resting his ashplant in a grike. Even so, I didn't finish the book. I have strolled through Ulysses, but I haven't lived there. I have a tourist's impression of it. I think of it as a place.
In a bookshop called Hodges Figgis, I overhear two French women ask a clerk which Joyce book to read first. He wards them off Finnegans Wake, explaining its inscrutability, reading the first sentence to demonstrate: riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs. He recommends Dubliners.
"You have to read it like music," advises David Norris, an Irish activist and senator, Joyce scholar, and one of the readers at the Bloomsday performances at Meeting House Square. He begins with the passage of Ulysses that introduces the day's namesake: Mr. Leopold Bloom ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls. He liked thick giblet soup, nutty gizzards, a stuffed roast heart, liverslices fried with crustcrumbs, fried hencods' roes. An opera singer performs "The Ballad of Persse O'Reilly," a song Joyce composed for Finnegans Wake, followed by a reading by the American ambassador to Ireland. The performances continue all afternoon, and Ulysses comes alive in the interplay of voices and music, the juxtaposition of different scenes from the book, and in Joyce's sumptuous descriptions of food and drink.
After the readings, I put my camera away and try to take in Dublin through my ears, nose, toes. Temple Bar is a labyrinth of sound and smell, with guitar and Guinness spilling out of every doorway. There are bottlecaps between the cobblestones, and bronze sculptures cold to the touch. In St. Stephen's Green, I linger on the stone bridge for a while, listening to the ruckus as a couple tosses entire slices of bread into a frenzy of pigeons. A group of younger people walk past and I overhear one ask her friends a riddle: what is a chest full of gold but has no lid and no hinges? I walk away before she gives an answer.


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After the excitement and surprise of Myanmar, Laos turned out to be a totally different adventure again. From Bangkok, we caught the overnight sleeper train to ChangMai in Northern Thailand, a pleasant slow paced 12 hour journey that reinforced many of the aspects of travel that you miss when simply jumping on an plane. I had been reading a fantastic book by Tiziano Terzani called " A Fortune-Teller Told Me", which narrates the tales of a year spent traveling around Asia by land and boat (after a fortune teller told him he would die if he caught a plane) and his subsequent embrace of time, mystics, distance and the experience. Sitting on that overnight train and later on a 2 day boat trip down the Meekong, these ideas resonated strongly within me. Somehow watching the cities slowly give way to villages and the farms, fields and rice paddies fading into mountains is immensely satisfying. You absorb these transitions to the rhythms of the journey without thinking, your subconscious celebrating the minor changes. Reaching a destination has such a greater sense of expectation and arrival that way.
After a few days enjoying the relaxed city, food and magnificent markets of Chang-Mai we then took a minivan to the Thai border with other like minded traveling brethren. From that moment to crossing the Laos border at Houei Xay (via boat over the Mekong River) until reaching Vientiane and heading back into Thailand, Laos felt like a strange, alternative travel, SE Asia backpacking theme ride. We seemed to follow a route so defined by Lonely Planet and others as the "backpacker adventure trail", that we rarely felt we had an original experience, even when out "trekking" amongst the Hill Tribes or kayaking down a river. Thankfully though, it was not Contiki or P&O and we had a great time doing it and of course there were several fantastic exceptions.
From the border, we took the 2 day slow boat down the Mekong, stopping for the night in Pak Beng before arriving at Luang Prabang. We had heard conflicting tales alternating between the glowing and the horrific about this trip (mostly referencing the wooden seats, nightmare accomodations & drunken revelry), but actually found the experience to be a lot of fun. Packed onto a large boat with about 70 other like minded souls, the Mekong banks, eddies, fishermen and occasional village flow by at a steady, almost dreamlike pace. You have little else to do but read or interact with fellow passengers. (Typically an interaction that becomes more boisterous towards the end of the day, as the beer flows more freely). One tip if you do ever take the slow boat though – its definitely worth making the effort to be at very least friendly to the other travelers; we spent the rest of our time in Laos crossing paths – sharing tours, restaurants and transport with them.
Arriving in Luang Prabang, we shored up in a cheap guesthouse room, just back from the old city centre. Luang Prabang is a wonderful city, sitting at the junction of two rivers it is the ancient capital of Laos, home to its former kings and royalty. As a result, the place teems with temples, style and good food and is so unexpectedly civilized, orderly and relaxed for South East Asia, that it would be more at home in Europe, made more pronounced by the distinct french influence on the food and architecture. Several days flew by simply soaking up the markets and many shops showcasing wares of the Hill Tribes, cycling around the town and trialing the wonderful delights of the Laotian cuisine. We also did a single day trek out through a Hmong village, some jungle and a spectacular waterfall before moving on with some regret.
Reluctantly dragging ourselves away, we endured the nightmarish, 7 hour bus trip along the treacherous winding roads to the bizarre tourist oddity that is Vang Vieng. Set on a river, with a spectacular backdrop of limestone cliffs and caves, Vang Vieng is a once beautiful undiscovered village oasis, evolved into a tubing and adventure sports wonderland. Full of cheap, garish guesthouses and bars – it attracts with the triumvirate of traveller offerings – low cost, parties and adventure. Not that we were any different mind, all across Asia you will see people wearing singlets with the logo "In the Tubing, Vang Vieng", equally you will hear tales of 'tubing' as being the most fun to be had in Asia. Big claims and despite our reservations and initial horror at the circus we were now joining, we found a somewhat secluded guesthouse with a view and signed up for the ride.
Tubing refers to a big day out on the Nam Son river. You rent a tractor tire tube in town and jump in a mini truck for a lift up to the river. Once there you jump into your tube and float down the river to one of the 20 or 30 bars that dot the shore especially for this purpose – each with its own range of activities, swings, drink specials, shots and "mystery" shakes. The goal is really to get back before 6pm or lose some of your deposit on the tube. Tacky perhaps, but without doubt a lot of fun, if not simply because its something you just don't get to do anywhere else!
After couple of days of this, we decided to Kayak our way to Vientianne, a pleasant outdoorsy break from the constraints of bus travel. Vientianne though was really very simply about the food – we spent a couple of days working through the menus at some nice Laos and fusion restaurants – incredibly cheap for the quality. While most of the Lao food was great, I can especially recommend the Lao salads (Laap) – vegetables and / or meat minced together with mint and other herbs, highly addictive and refreshing and goes perfectly with Lao beer which was also very good.
All told, with more time and flexibility we would have loved to get off the track and probe Laos further, especially in the far North where the hill tribes and mountains remain largely untouched. While our trip felt quite shepherded it did not really detract from the experience, the people are friendly & relaxed; beautiful vistas and the food fantastic. Very hard to complain, but we were quite happy to move onto the real travelling.
Recommended Reading:
- "Ant Egg Soup", By Natacha Du Pont De Bie (A fantastic travel guide to Laotian cooking)


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|By Admin1 (admin) (188.8.131.52) on Thursday, November 18, 2010 - 6:43 pm: Edit Post
1965: Barry Sprague served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malaysia in Saratok beginning in 1965
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Barry Sprague can be contacted at ibanaaoldcom
Country of Service: Malaysia
Training Group: Malaysia XII
Cities you served in: Saratok
Arrival Year: 1965
Departure Year: 1968
Work Description:
Science Teacher
Bring us up to date on your life after the peace corps:
Now retired from education
Any thoughts you have now looking back on peace corps days?:
Best days of my life
Anyone you are looking for or would like to hear from?:
From all Malaysia XII volunteers from Sarawak
Any message for returned volunteers?:
Any Malaysia XII volunteers interested in returning to Malaysia in 2011?
Originally posted: 11/18/2010
Related Links:
Peace Corps Annual Report: 1965; Peace Corps Malaysia; Directory of Malaysia RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Malaysia RPCVs
Looking for another volunteer who served with this Group?
If you know this volunteer or someone from his or her group and are looking to reconnect with them,
leave a message above where it says "Create New Conversation."
If this is your profile, post any additions, updates or corrections to your profile below where it says "Add a Message."
RPCVs: To add your own RPCV profile click here.
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The New Sexy: Upgraded (2017)
Here's The New Sexy: Upgraded.
(If you're coming from my old site please scroll down to where it says, new.)
Until recently, when a woman over 40 checked out my dating profile, the first thought that automatically popped up in my head was too old–and then I quickly moved on to the next profile.
I would literally think, Why is she checking me out?
We're not even in the same generation.
I shared this with my friend, Heather, who's in her 30's. She said: You ARE over 40, Alex. Why do you date younger women, but not women your own age?
But they're not my own age, I said under my breath. They're old–and I'm not.
Based on our conversation, and just for kicks, I decided to up the age range of my dating search to 45. Lo and behold, it was like entering a secret vortex of hotness:
Women over 40.
These women were confident. They were bold. And they were liberated.
1) Confident: They have some major life experience under their hoods. Many have already been through a divorce. They no longer need a man to fill some void in their life. They know what they want, and they're not afraid to go get it!
They are also comfortable in their own skin. They don't do the whole bullshit routine that unmarried women do in their 20's and 30's. They're no longer trying to be the woman that will attract the man.
2) Bold: Many women in their 20's/30's allow men to constantly trample their boundaries. You will NOT see a woman over 40 do that very often.
Also, both groups of women deal with anger, but in very different ways. Women in their 20's/30's usually try the grin and bear it approach, hoping their guy gets the subtle hints and psychic messages that are being sent in his general direction.
But as time goes by and their needs remain unmet, the resentment builds and builds until–BOOM–they over-react, often passive-aggressively. Let's just call this the indirect approach; it works about as well as you might think.
Women over 40, by contrast, use the direct approach. When something doesn't work for them, they lay down the law and set clear boundaries for the future. But here's the real beauty: after they've spoken their peace, they're done. The slate has been wiped clean.
No future backlashes.
No re-hashing it a week (or several) later.
No drama. Just… communication.
3) Liberated: Since most women over 40 have previously been married and are now single, they've usually had an experience of taking charge of their lives by ending a bad relationship.
That's huge. It's so easy to stay comfortable even when, admittedly, we're not very happy. Why? Because ending a relationship involves a major upheaval of our lives: moving out, figuring out what to do with children, splitting up finances, etc.
It takes a lot of courage to leave a bad relationship–
even more so, a mediocre one.
And there is no greater joy than leaving a cage that one has lived in for too long.
Once a woman–or anyone, for that matter–has gotten out of their cage, the last thing they want to do is get stuck in another. And they have zero desire to put someone else in a cage. Their liberation is liberating.
She no longer feels the need to follow societal norms about sex, love or dating. She does what she feels is right, and what works for her.
How liberating! And isn't someone who is liberated–almost by definition–super-sexy?
Have you ever met someone who was so self-expressed and full of life that even though they weren't your type–not even a little bit– you still saw them as sexy?
It happens to me all the time! Especially black women with lots of curves. Society wants to tell them they're overweight, but they're not having any of it!
No matter their shape or size, they believe they're ridiculously sexy. And though they might not be my type, I love seeing such boldness.
One of my favorite questions to ask a woman on a first date is:
would you do yourself?
Partly, just because I like the shock value. But it's also incredibly telling. Does she squirm? Does she hesitate? Does she smile? Does she say, duh? Does she–my personal favorite–bite her lip?
It tells me about her self-esteem. And I am only looking to be with someone who really loves herself.
The truth is that the only person whose opinion actually matters on the issue of sexiness is our own. And that's a beautiful thing!
We get to tell the world whether or not we're sexy,
and not the other way around.
The new sexy isn't about age or even looks; it's about attitude.
Owning all of who you are, instead of trying to be someone you think other people will want. When we cultivate that, the right people will take notice.
Here's to rocking YOU.
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"Big" Reveals miss A Suzy's OST Title and Release Date
As previously reported, miss A's Suzy has recently participated in the OST for "Big," singing the theme song for her character Jang Mari. It's been finally revealed that the title of her track is "I Still Love You" and will be released next Monday, July 16.
News of Suzy's participation with the already stellar soundtrack has attracted much media attention. This isn't the first time the talented singer-actress recorded an OST. Suzy sang "Winter Child" in KBS's "Dream High" and "So Many Tears" in MBC's "Me Too, Flower." Suzy's" "I Still Love You" is a ballad piece and reflects well with Jang Mari's heartbreaking one-sided lovestory.
A representative of OST production team stated, "Suzy is currently engrossed with her character. As such, the recording session went really well because she was very expressive. It'll be interesting to see how this song will play a role in showing Kang Kyung Joon Mari's feelings. " Suzy commented, "Thank you for supporting Jang Mari. Because this song represents Mari's heart, I was able to focus more on it. Please continue to love 'Big' and 'I Still Love You."
"Big's" OST has already made headlines for topping various music charts with hit songs by Huh Gak, Noel, Davichi, BEAST, and more.


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HOUSTON — The notion that everything is bigger in Texas held true last week when power prices jumped as a winter chill blanketed the nation.
Texas power prices increased more than 1000 percent last Tuesday over the previous day. That was a much larger jump than in East Coast markets, where power prices increased by just 200 percent to 400 percent, according to an analysis by ICF International.
When cold temperatures swept across the state on January 6, Texas, like other electric grids, experienced a number of power plant outages, which forced emergency alerts and a call for reserves.
But because of its market structure, the shortages in Texas caused greater price increases than the grids in New York City, Massachusetts or Illinois. In Texas, the power price cap is $5,000 per megawatt-hour. In the PJM market, which includes 13 states in the Midwest and Northeast, the cap is $1,800 per megawatt hour.
Blame game: Interest groups point fingers over Texas' near-blackout
"The highest prices in the U.S. occurred in the ERCOT region," the ICF International report noted, referring to the state's grid manager, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
Real-time power prices soared more than seven times higher than the day-ahead market had forecasted on Jan. 5. The day-ahead market typically provides a fairly accurate prediction of how electricity will be priced on the spot market the following day, based on expected supply and weather conditions.
While East Coast electricity markets had higher real-time prices during the first week of January, they were only about double the prices on the day-ahead market.
For example, New York City's Jan. 6 power price on its day-ahead market was $108 per megawatt-hour, but the real-time price shot up to $197 that day. Even on Jan. 7, the coldest day of the polar vortex, New York City's power price rose to $419 per megawatt-hour, compared to the day-ahead price of $204 per megawatt-hour.
These price increases were attributed mostly to high demand and pipeline constraints for natural gas supplies, the report said.
"This raises the question as to whether the [Texas] system operated reasonably well under extreme circumstances," ICF International wrote, recommending that possible changes in the resources used to generate electricity should be reviewed, as well as possible market structure changes.
The report also recommended reviewing how peaking generation, which is typically only used in the summer months, is scheduled for use.


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Super Eagle left full back Stanley Amuzie emerged as the match winner for his Portguese side scoring his first professional goal on the dot of regulation time to help them to a 1-0 victory over Farense.
Amuzie capped twice by Nigeria during the ill fated AFCON 2017 qualifiers games against Egypt moved to Europe from Flying Sports Academy of Lagos and after an injury scuttled his chances of joining Italian side Sampdoria, he is presently making an impression with second division Portuguese side Olhanense.
So far he has made 8 appearances with no caution yet to his name for 11th place Olhanense and aside been a member of the Nigeria senior team, he is expected to be among the players to defend Nigeria's flag at the summer Olympics in Rio.
Still only 20 years old, they are reports he could still return to Sampdoria after this season although the player and his management team are yet to react to the speculations.


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History of Updates: Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, Pigeon
2017 Google Algorithm Updates & Changes
"Fred" (Unconfirmed) — March 8, 2017
Google rolled out what appeared to be a major update, with reports of widespread impacts across the SEO community. Gary Illyes jokingly referred to is as "Fred", and the name stuck, but he later made it clear that this was not an official confirmation.
Unnamed Major Update — February 6, 2017
Algorithm changes beginning on February 1st continued for a full week, peaking around February 6th (some reported the 7th). Webmaster chatter and industry case studies suggest these were separate events.
Unnamed Major Update — February 1, 2017
There was a period of heavy algorithm flux starting around February 1st and peaking around February 6th. It is unclear whether this was multiple algorithm updates or a single update with an extended roll-out, but anecdotal evidence suggests at least two updates.
Intrusive Interstitial Penalty — January 10, 2017
Google started rolling out a penalty to punish aggressive interstitials and pop-ups that might damage the mobile user experience. Google also provided a rare warning of this update five months in advance. MozCast showed high temperatures from January 10-11, but many SEOs reported minimal impact on sites that should have been affected.
2016 Google Algorithm Updates & Changes
Unnamed Major Update — December 14, 2016
Multiple Google trackers showed massive flux around December 14-15, including a rare MozCast temperature of 109°F. Webmaster chatter was heavy as well, but Google did not confirm an update.
Unnamed Major Update — November 10, 2016
MozCast detected a major (106°) spike on November 10th and another on the 18th. Industry chatter was high during both periods, with some suggesting that the second spike was a reversal of the first update. Google has not confirmed either event. Many people reported bad dates in SERPs during the same time period, but it's unclear whether this was causal or just a coincidence.
Penguin 4.0, Phase 2 — October 6, 2016
The second phase of Penguin 4.0 was the reversal of all previous Penguin penalties. This seemed to happen after the new code rolled out, and may have taken as long as two weeks. Post-Penguin activity had one final peak on October 6th (116°), but it is unclear whether this was Penguin or a new update. Algorithm temperatures finally started to drop after October 6th.
Penguin 4.0, Phase 1 — September 27, 2016
The first phase of Penguin 4.0, which probably launched around September 22-23, was the rollout of the new, "gentler" Penguin algorithm, which devalues bad links instead of penalizing sites. The exact timeline is unconfirmed, but we believe this rollout took at least a few days to fully update, and may have corresponded to an algorithm temperature spike (113°) on September 27th.
Penguin 4.0 Announcement — September 23, 2016
Image/Universal Drop — September 13, 2016
MozCast recorded a nearly-record 111° temperature and a 50% drop in SERPs with image (universal/vertical) results. The universal result shake-up opened up an organic position on page 1, causing substantial ranking shifts, but it's likely that this was part of a much larger update.
"Possum" — September 1, 2016
While unconfirmed by Google, MozCast recorded extreme temperatures of 108° and a drop in local pack prevalence, and the local SEO community noted a major shake-up in pack results. Data suggests this update (or a simultaneous update) also heavily impacted organic results.
Mobile-friendly 2 — May 12, 2016
Just more than a year after the original "mobile friendly" update, Google rolled out another ranking signal boost to benefit mobile-friendly sites on mobile search. Since the majority of sites we track are already mobile-friendly, it's likely the impact of the latest update was small.
Unnamed Major Update — May 10, 2016
MozCast and other Google weather trackers showed a historically rare week-long pattern of algorithm activity, including a 97-degree spike. Google would not confirm this update, and no explanation is currently available.
AdWords Shake-up — February 23, 2016
Google made major changes to AdWords, removing right-column ads entirely and rolling out 4-ad top blocks on many commercial searches. While this was a paid search update, it had significant implications for CTR for both paid and organic results, especially on competitive keywords.
Unnamed Update — January 8, 2016
Multiple tracking tools (including MozCast) reported historically-large rankings movement, which Google later confirmed as a "core algo update". Google officially said that this was not a Penguin update, but details remain sketchy.
2015 Google Algorithm Updates
RankBrain — October 26, 2015
Google made a major announcement, revealing that machine learning had been a part of the algorithm for months, contributing to the 3rd most influential ranking factor. This is an announcement date – the actual launch was closer to spring 2015.
July 17, 2015
Panda data refresh which will roll out over the course of months. Has not had major effects to this point.
The Quality Update
May 3, 2015
Core algorithm shift focusing on "quality signals". Little more is known.
Mobile Update AKA "Mobilegeddon"
April 22, 2015
Mobile rankings improve for mobile-friendly sites.
Unnamed Update
February 4, 2015
Major flux in SERPs. Possible e-commerce or mobile usability update.
2014 Algorithm Updates
Pigeon Expands (United Kingdom, Canada & Australia)
December 22, 2014
Major local algorithm update expands to the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
December 10, 2014
Penguin updates will now take the form of continuous updates.
October 21, 2014
Update to fight software and digital piracy. Highly specific change that only impacted a small number of websites – but in a major (negative) manner.
October 17, 2014
Penguin refresh. Less than 1% of US/English search queries impacted.
"In The News" Box
October 2014
Display change to News-box search results. News links from a far bigger set of potential sites. News results in web SERPs increased substantially.
September 23, 2014
Major Panda update. Estimated impact was 3-5% of all search queries.
Authorship Removed
August 28, 2014
Google remove authorship markup with near immediate effect.
HTTPS/SSL Update
August 6, 2014
Preference is given to secure websites.
July 24, 2014
Pigeon brought the local algorithm and the core algorithm closer to each other. Some viewed it as a mere extension of principals already brought in by Hummingbird.
Authorship Photo Drop
June 28, 2014
Authorship photos are taken off SERPs.
June 12, 2014
Payday Loan 3.0 targets low quality search queries. Should only really impact you if you are involved in the short term financing or online pornography realms.
May 19, 2014
Major Panda update. 7.5% of English-language search queries were impacted.
Google Payday Loan 2.0
May 16, 2014
Targets spammy queries.
Unnamed Update
March 24, 2014
Many sites see ranking changes, but this update was not confirmed.
February 6, 2014
Refresh of January 2012 algorithm that penalizes websites with ads above the fold.
2013 Algorithm Updates
Authorship Changes
December 19, 2013
Authorship mark-up removed from 15% of search queries.
Unnamed Update
December 17, 2013
Huge ranking changes across the board. Company did not confirm an update or even a refresh.
Unnamed Irregularities with DNS Errors
November 14, 2013
Wholesale DNS errors picked up on Webmaster Tools.
October 4, 2013
A data update. Allow some to recover from harsher earlier renditions of Penguin.
August 20, 2013
A core algorithm update effecting semantic search and the Knowledge Graph.
In-depth Articles
August 6, 2013
News result for long-form content. Appeared in 3% of the search queries.
Unnamed Update
July 26, 2013
Shake up in search results – company offered no confirmation of an update of any sort.
Knowledge Graph Expansion
July 19, 2013
Knowledge Graph entries increase dramatically.
July 18, 2013
Panda update that lessened previous Panda penalties.
Multi-Week Update
June 27, 2013
Company tested changes that were later reversed.
"Payday Loan" Update
June 11, 2013
Algorithm update which targeted low quality websites especially in payday loans and porn.
June 11, 2013
Matt Cutts said that Panda was updating monthly, with each update taking 10 days to roll out fully.
Penguin 2.0
May 22, 2013
4th Penguin update had a moderate impact. Focused on page level.
Domain Crowding in Deeper SERPs
May 21, 2013
Update to ensure more domain diversity in deeper pages.
Google "Phantom"
May 9, 2013
Many sites report traffic loss although no update is admitted to.
March 14, 2013
Last update before Panda got inculcated into the core algorithm. Google Panda stopped low quality sites from ranking prominently. It is heavily influenced by (human) Google Quality Raters. One of the questions these Raters had to answer was "would I trust this site with my credit card?"
Panda/Unnamed Update
January 22, 2013
Impacts 1.2% of queries affected. Not confirmed at the time.
2012 Algorithm Updates
Panda Update #23
December 21, 2012
Data refresh impacts 1.3% of English search queries.
Knowledge Graph Expansion
December 4, 2012
Knowledge Graph added to non-English versions of the search engine.
Panda Update #22
November 21, 2012
Data refresh only.
Panda Update #21
November 5, 2012
Impacts 1.1% of English search queries.
Page Layout Update #2 aka 'Top Heavy 2'
October 9, 2012
Targets pages with ads above the fold.
Penguin Update #3
October 5, 2012
Minor Penguin data update impacting just 0.3% of search queries.
August/September 65-Pack
October 4, 2012
65 updates include 7-result SERPs, Knowledge Graph expansion & local search changes.
Panda Update #20
September 27, 2012
Major Panda update affecting 2.4% of search queries.
September 27, 2012
Devaluation of exact-match domains. Impacted 0.6% of search queries by volume.
Panda Update 3.9.2
September 18, 2012
Panda refresh. Minor impact on global rankings.
Panda Update 3.9.1
August 20, 2012
Tiny Panda update with very small impact on rankings.
7-Result SERPs
August 14, 2012
Top 10 becomes Top 7 results for many search queries. 18% search queries returned 7-Result SERPs.
7-Results SERPs by Category as of February 2013
Travel & Tourism 36.2%
Retailers & General Merchandise 29.6%
Sports & Fitness 28.6%
Dining & Nightlife 27.2%
Vehicles 26.0%
Apparel 23.6%
Jobs & Education 21.4%
Home & Garden 20.0%
Finance 19.2%
Arts & Entertainment 16.8%
Computers & Consumer Electronics 16.8%
Law & Government 16.2%
Food & Groceries 13.4%
Family & Community 13.2%
Real Estate 13.2%
Beauty & Personal Care 12.6%
Internet & Telecom 12.6%
Hobbies & Leisure 11.0%
Occasions & Gifts 7.8%
Health 3.8%
June/July 86-Pack
August 10, 2012
The June and July Search Quality Highlights were announced simultaneously. There were Panda data and algorithm changes and targeted ranking boosts for certain websites deemed highly trustworthy.
DMCA Penalty (aka Google "Pirate")
August 10, 2012
Company start penalizing websites with a history of copyright violations via DMCA requests. If you are curious as to whether you have incurred such a penalty the search company offers a page dedicated to transparency outlining the latest reports of DMCA violations.
Panda 3.9 Update
July 24, 2012
1% of queries impacted.
Link Warnings via Webmaster Tools
July 19, 2012
Google send unnatural link warnings via Webmaster Tools.
Panda 3.8 Update
June 25, 2012
Panda data refresh with a very small overall impact.
Panda 3.7 Update
June 8, 2012
Panda data update with a relatively large impact on SERPs.
May 39-Pack
June 7, 2012
39 updates in May. These include a Penguin update, link-scheme detection and updates to News.
Penguin 1.1 Update
May 25, 2012
First data update after "Penguin".
May 16, 2012
Company implement "Knowledge Graph", a SERP display providing supplemental options about certain people, places & events.
April 52-Pack
May 4, 2012
52 updates in April.
Panda 3.6 Update
April 27, 2012
Panda data update. The impact was small for most but not all…
April 24, 2012
An "Over-optimization penalty" Penguin focused on spam factors like keyword stuffing. 3.1% of English search queries were impacted as a result.
Panda 3.5 Update
April 19, 2012
Panda data update. Small impact.
Parked Domain Bug
April 16, 2012
Company admits a data error had caused some domains to be treated as parked domains by mistake.
March 50-Pack
April 3, 2012
50 changes in March. These focused on anchor-text, image search, and local search.
Panda Update 3.4
March 23, 2012
Impacted 1.6% of search queries.
Search Quality Video
March 12, 2012
Google publish a video of a search quality meeting.
Google Venice
February 27, 2012
Local search update.
February 40-Pack
February 27, 2012
40 changes in February.
Panda Update 3.3
February 27, 2012
Panda update that had a small impact.
February 17-Pack
February 3, 2012
17 updates in February 2012. Focused on freshness & integration of Panda into the main search index.
Ads Above The Fold
January 19, 2012
Devalues sites with excessive ad-space above the "fold".
Panda Update 3.2
January 18, 2012
Panda data update.
Search + Your World
January 10, 2012
Google+ data suddenly used in SERPs.
January 30-Pack
January 5, 2012
30 changes in January 2012 focusing on image search, site-links, rich snippets, and related-queries.
2011 Algorithm Updates
December 10-Pack
December 2011
10 updates in December. Updates focus on parked domain detection & freshness.
Panda Update 3.1
November 18, 2011
Another Panda update with minor impact on SERPs.
10-Pack of Updates
November 14, 2011
Matt Cutts shares 10 recent algorithm updates. Most updates were small in magnitude.
Freshness Update
November 3, 2011
Algorithm change rewards freshness & impacts 35% of search queries. Huge shift toward recency of content.
Query Encryption
October 18, 2011
Google start encrypting search queries for privacy. This disrupted data, returning "(not provided)" for organic search traffic at a staggering rate over a short amount of time (see below).
Panda "Flux" Update #8
October 5, 2011
Effected around 2% of search queries.
Panda Update 2.5
September 28, 2011
A handful of websites reported major traffic losses as a result of this Update.
516 Algo Updates Divulged in Congress by Eric Schmidt
September 21, 2011
CEO Eric Schmidt tells the US Congress that the search engine made 516 updates in 2010 alone. Additionally they tested a total of 13,000 updates.
Rel="next" and Rel="prev" Pagination Elements
September 15, 2011
Google introduce rel="next" and rel="prev" link attributes. Google announced that they had worked on improving consolidation for "View All" pages.
Expanded Sitelinks
August 16, 2011
Google rolls out expanded site-links focusing on brand related queries.
Panda Update 2.4
August 12, 2011
Google implement Panda near globally. Impacted 6-9% of queries in these countries.
Panda Update 2.3
July 23, 2011
Update to Panda data and ranking factors.
June 28, 2011
Company launches Google+.
Panda Update 2.2
June 21, 2011
Panda updates outside of the main index.
June 2, 2011
Major search engines support structured data.
Panda Update 2.1
May 9, 2011
Relatively minor changes implemented.
Panda Update 2.0
April 11, 2011
Panda update extended to all English search queries globally.
The +1 Button
March 30, 2011
Google rolls out the +1 button on the SERPs themselves.
Google Panda
February 23, 2011
A major algorithm update hit sites hard, impacting 12% of search results. Panda clamped down on low quality content, content/link farms & sites with lots of ads but little content. Panda reached Europe in April 2011.
Content Author Attribution Update
January 28, 2011
Aimed at preventing content scrapers. Impacted 2% of search queries.
Overstock.com Penalty
January 2011
Google expose & penalize black hat SEO practices by Overstock.com.
2010 Google Algorithm Updates
Negative Reviews
December 2010
Google adjusted the algorithm to target sites using black hat tactics such as those used by e-commerce site DecorMyEyes.
December 2010
Company admit that they now use social signals in their ranking algorithm.
Instant Previews
November 2010
Search visitors could now preview landing pages whilst still on SERPs.
September 2010
Instant launches showing results as a search query was being typed in.
Brand Update
August 2010
Google now let one domain appear several times on the same SERP.
June 2010
Google finished the role out of Caffeine. This made the index 50% fresher.
May 2010
May Day was an algorithm shift that impacted long-tail search terms.
April 2010
"Places" pages was initially rolled out in September 2009, but only on Maps. Places (for Business), infused pages with local search results.
2009 Google Algorithm Updates
Real-time Search
December 2009
Real-time search used Twitter feeds, News & newly indexed content on a real-time feed on certain SERPs.
Google Caffeine (Preview)
August 2009
Preview what would ultimately lead to faster crawling & larger indexation capacity.
February 2009
Major update that favored larger brands.
Rel-canonical Tag Gets Support of Search Engines
February 2009
All of the major search engines announce support for the Canonical Tag.
2008 Algorithm Updates
August 2008
Google rolls out Suggest, which shows suggested searches in a dropdown in real-time as one searched.
April 2008
Suspected, but unconfirmed case of the search giant plugging their own wares.
2007 Google Algorithm Updates
Google Buffy
June 2007
Matt Cutts claimed Buffy was a collection of tiny changes.
May 2007
Integrated standard search results with News, Video, Images, Local, and other verticals, changing the face of search.
2006 Algorithm Updates
Supplemental Update
November 2006
Widespread uncertainty over the status of the Supplemental Index & implications of being placed there for search results going forward.
2005 Google Algorithm Updates
Big Daddy
December 2005
Big Daddy was concerned with URL canonicalization, redirects and sundry technical issues.
Google Local & Maps Merge
October 2005
Local Business Center & Maps merge.
October 2005
Updates concerned with low-quality links: reciprocal, link farms, and paid links.
September 2005
Unconfirmed & suspected to have never taken place at all.
XML Sitemaps Allowed Via Webmaster Tools
June 2005
Webmasters are allowed to submit XML sitemaps via Webmaster Tools.
June 2005
This version of personalized search used your own search histories to adjust your personalized search results.
May 2005
Bourbon is thought to have changed how duplicate content and non-canonical URLs were dealt with by Google.
February 2005
LSI might have been altered with this rather mysterious update.
January 2005
The "nofollow" attribute is introduced. Blog commenting was never the same again. This change would over time go on to have a significant impact on SEO.
2004 Google Algorithm Updates
August 2004
Company list with a market capitalization of $20 billion.
Google Brandy
February 2004
Index expansion, Latent Semantic Indexing, anchor text relevance, and link "neighborhoods" are all involved in this update.
Google Austin
January 2004
Google fights against spammy on-page tactics: invisible text and Meta-tag stuffing.
2003 Algorithm Updates
Google Florida
November 2003
Major algorithmic update with far reaching impact that ushered in modern SEO.
September 2003
Google splits index into Main & "supplemental". The index is later recombined.
Google Fritz
July 2003
Google's index started changing daily.
Google Esmeralda
June 2003
Esmerelda saw widespread infrastructure changes.
Google Dominic
May 2003
Changed the way Google counted inbound links to a domain.
Google Cassandra
April 2003
Focused on mass linking from domains owned by one person or company. Cassandra penalized hidden text and links.
Google Boston
February 2003
First named Google update.
2002 Google Updates
1st Known Update
September 2002
Major shift in late 2002.
2000 Google Updates
The Google Toolbar is Introduced
December 2000
Google launches a browser toolbar which came with Toolbar PageRank.


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Debra Gambino
Academic Advisor
Office:(269) 387-6171
Location:3117 Dalton Center, Mail Stop 5417
Mailing address:Department of Dance
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5360 USA
Debra Gambino is the academic advisor for the Departments of Theatre and Dance. She previously acted as academic advisor for the Lee Honors College and as advising assistant in the School of Music.
Debra received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and vocational education certification from WMU. Her three children are WMU alumni as well, one earning a marketing degree and two graduating from the Department of Dance.
Debra enjoys spending time on Crooked Lake and golfing.


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I took this title from a song I wrote. The name of the song is "The Realization-this song will be be going on my next CD. This is the 3rd step of what we "New Thinkers" call Affirmative Prayer. Actually I believe it is technically called "Recognition". This is the step you are declaring that what you want in your mind is already here. When you name it and claim it-it is yours. I was telling a friend the other day that I feel as If I walked through the door of good fortune and many, many things are coming into my life. I have a wonderful job making a good income and working in a wonderful location-my home. In this job I utilize all my talents in fulfilling ways. I work for people who I respect who respect me. This is a dream job. I am also pursuing my interests as a singer, painter, writer, animal activist, photographer and videographer and getting paid. I have a loving marriage with a man who is fun to be with-has a good outlook in the world; he loves and respects animals as much as I do. He still knows how to make me laugh and can make me feel shy as if we were first dating (although we have been together almost 13 years. We have a close-knit multi-species family. Besides humans, cats and rabbits living in our house we have many plant babies. As I have gotten more tuned in, my plant babies will call me when it is time to water them.
I am not writing this with an intention to brag but to declare that when we realize that all good things deserve to come to us, that is what we receive. In Science of Mind, Reality means, your personal truth. So if I believe I can make money doing things that I love-I do. If I believe I deserve to be loved by a loving, sweet, sexy man with a generous heart, then he shows up (he did 34 years in high school and then reappeared in December 1999-I married him in 2001). If I can believe I can meet interesting people for my TV show, I do. If I believe that when ever I have a challenge I will be led to a solution-it comes in at the perfect time. This Reality is not only for the "chosen few" it is for anyone who is willing to go out of their comfort zone and open up to the possibility that you truly can create a life you enjoy. This consciousness came in for me in little bits and pieces at first, then as I got comfortable recieving, more and more things came in a consistent flow. Yes I have so much to be grateful for, I Realize this, accept this and claim it. And so it is!


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[I am gratefully syndicated by iheartsl, Metavirtual, and Virtual Fashion Feed. If you're not getting all of your Second Life Fashion news from those sources, you should probably rethink that decision.]
It has been a little over a year and a half since I last released any Shoe Report Cards. And while I've never been known for being the most regular or up-to-the-minute blogger, those posts were certainly some of the most popular posts I've ever published. Over the past year and a half, many residents and even other bloggers have contacted me to ask whether or not I'd be issuing more Shoe Report Cards. I always said that I was planning to, but was unsure when I'd be back in the saddle since my real life has been quite full and tumultuous over the past year.
I'm happy to report that I am back with a new list of what I consider to be the 10 most relevant cobblers in Second Life and at least one Shoe Report Card ready to go. As always, no ass-kissing, no Photoshop magic, and no bullshit; just me and the naked truth about what's on your feet. So without further adieu, I give you my current list of The Top 10 Most Relevant Shoe-Makers In Second Life (in no particular order.)
The Top 10 Most Relevant* Shoe-Makers In Second Life
1. SLink
2. Maitreya
3. N-Core
4. Orange Creations
5. NX-Nardcotix
6. LeLutka
7. Bax Boots
8. Stiletto Moody
9. Lynx
10. G-Field
*I use the term "relevant" because I believe that these are the shoe-makers that must discussed and acknowledged in any serious discussion about shoes. While most cobblers make it to the list for exceptional quality and corresponding sales or large followings among Second Life users, at least one business is on the list for being relatively famous (or infamous,) and yet another is an often-overlooked, underrepresented "dark horse" in the Second Life shoe world.


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Monday, May 14, 2012
20 years ago ....
12 comments:
Congratulations you beautiful thing you! xxReplyDelete
Aaaw, good on you guys, here's to many more.xx.ReplyDelete
Wowza! Look at you guys! If only we all had that great skin elasticity again! Hope a glass of bubbles is on the cards. xxReplyDelete
Congrats, you look fab!! xxReplyDelete
Congratulations! Really, what a beautiful couple. How proud you should be of all you've done and your beautiful children!xoReplyDelete
Wow! Congratulations!!!!! I love that wedding photo of you both. You look so gorgeous. Have a great night. Cheers to another 20.xxReplyDelete
Ahh that is so lovely congratulations to you both ;-)) dee xReplyDelete
Congratulations, you're very lucky. I love your wedding photo! xxReplyDelete
Sending a biggest congratulations guys! You both look gorgeous! Wishing you many, many more. I hope you have a great night, Tam xReplyDelete
Congratulations! You're gorgeous!ReplyDelete
Congatulations! What is the 20th anniversary symbol - silver? It must be something significant. Wishing you every happiness for the next 20.ReplyDelete
Love your style! maybe we can follow each ohter?:XReplyDelete


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#313 11519 BURNETT Street, Maple Ridge, British ColumbiaMLS®#: V1091143
Listing Overview
- Property Value$164,900
- Sold on 2014-12-17
- Property Address#313 11519 BURNETT Street, STANFORD GARDENS, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, V2X 6P3, Canada
- TypeCondo
- StyleInside Unit
- Parking2 SPOTS IN SECURED UNDERGROUND PARKADE
- Year Built1995
- Taxes$1,870
- Living Area833 sq.ft.
- Bedroom1 BDRM & DEN
- Bathroom1 full
- School DistrictSD #42
- Maintenance Fee$248.00
East Central
#313 11519 BURNETT Street, STANFORD GARDENS, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, V2X 6P3, Canada
Clothes Washer/Dryer/Fridge/Stove/DW, Drapes/Window Coverings, Windows - Thermo
Elevator, In Suite Laundry
Listing Provided By
Sutton Group - 1st West Realty
Copyright and Disclaimer
The data relating to real estate on this web site comes in part from the MLS Reciprocity program of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. Real estate listings held by participating real estate firms are marked with the MLSR logo and detailed information about the listing includes the name of the listing agent. This representation is based in whole or part on data generated by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver which assumes no responsibility for its accuracy. The materials contained on this page may not be reproduced without the express written consent of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. Copyright 2019 by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board, BC Northern Real Estate Board, and Kootenay Real Estate Board. All Rights Reserved.
- Phone: 604.942.7211
- Mobile: 604.250.4175
- Office Phone: 604.942.7211
- Fax: 604.460.0049 HOME FAX
- Email: email@example.com
- Sutton-Grp-1st West Rlty
- #118-3030 Lincoln Avenue
- Coquitlam, BC


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Date: Sep 18th to Sep 21st
Places covered: Vellore, Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry.
Transport: 3 cars - My first trip outing in my Ritz.
People: Pallavi (wife), Divi (younger sis), Mom in my car.... jeeju, hema (elder sis), nieces - Aditi and Bhoomika, Sis parents-in-law, Anand bhaiya, Jaya bhabhi and their daughters - Dimpi, Anjali.
Stay: Mamalla Beach resort in Mahabalipuram and Hotel Sooriya International in Pondicherry.
Didn't cover Gingee fort or the Tiruvannamalai temple as it was getting already very late.
Took leaves on 18th (Fri) and 21st Sep (Mon). Since Friday was also Mahalaya Amavasya, we took head bath and planned to do Pooja in the morning itself. Pallavi and mom got up even earlier and finished up cooking too before 6. After finishing pooja, we did start at 6:30 in the morning. Jeeju was driving his Wagon R, Bhaiya his Alto and me the powerful Ritz :). Took NICE Road and hit NH4 road. The road was too good and for the first time in my life I crossed 100 km/hr while driving myself and did clock a speed of 160 Km/hr.... Hoo hooo.... !!!!
Stopped only in Krishnagiri to fill up the tank. We continued and planned to stop at Vellore for breakfast, but didn't find any sign boards which said vellore and we continued further until I found sign board for Ratnagiri. So we took a U-Turn and went back 20 kms to hit a restaurant on the highway. After having masala dosa, we went to Vellore fort and Jalakanteswara temple. The temple is an old one and has good architecture. Fort around, we couldn't walk around as it was already very sunny and hot. After taking few snaps, we left for the Sripuram Golden temple. It is an enormous temple with a golden mandap. yes the whole structure is made of pure gold and is said to have cost more than 6000 crore to be built. We had a nice view of the temple and then headed to Mahabalipuram. We had lunch in vellore itself and jeeju got an indigestion. So couldn't travel that fast. We stopped for some rest in Sriperambadur on the highway itself. Reached chennai at around 7 and we did 2 hours intercity route finding. Every damn person we asked on way to Mahabalipuram gave us different routes and with 3 cars in the heavy traffic, we did all kind of circles and finally found ECR at 9. Reached Mahabalipuram - Mamalla beach resort at around 10:45 PM.
{Traveler's note: GRT and Sterling Resort were the choices jeeju initially suggested. With cost of around 5k/day for 5 rooms, it just didn't seem worth and hence I suggested - Mamalla beach resort or Silversands/Ideal beach resort. we checked some reviews and found silversands/Ideal beach resorts weren't upto the mark, but mamalla look to be good one. We spoke to one Rajeev, who is the manager I think and his gentle assurance made us decide on the place. our package was Rs 20K for 5 rooms for 2 days with breakfast and one bon-fire :). }
Mamalla beach resort is a good picturesque resort. Well maintained and neatly done but rooms are okay and definitely not worth the 2k/room rates. Since the restaurant was already closed, we went to a nearby local restaurant and got some egg biriyani's parcelled. Had that and dozed off. Oh yeah, before dozing off, since it was my sis bday, gave some gifts to her at 12 sharp. Got up early in the morning with a call from Aditi and we headed to the beach which is just behind the resort. The beach here is little harsher and the black soil for some reason doesn't encourage getting wet :(. But with the joyous attitude of the kids - Aditi and Dimpi, we ventured into it and played nicely. After breakfast, headed to Crocodile park - This is really worth a visit. The sheer number of crocs grown here are mind-numbing. Some of us did experiment holding a baby crocodile, a baby python and a tortoise. It was fun. we also went to poison removal session and heard a nice lecture on snakes. After finishing this, we headed to Tiger's cave. Don't mistake it for another wildlife park. It's a hill carving of a tiger den and has good carvings. Lie down and enjoy a break here :).
We headed back to our resort and had lunch. It started raining, so we couldn't venture out, but went to the swimming pool and had nice fun. Evening, we played in the beach and then we arranged for a cake cutting and bon-fire. Sis cut the cake and had a nice view near the bon-fire. Had dinner outside and returned to hotel and slept off.
Next day, again we spent some time in the beach and the swimming pool. We had our breakfast and left at around 9:30. Shore temple is a good magnificent old temple on the shores and we went around other places like Krishna mandapam, Arjuna's penance, Krishna's butterball etc. we came back to our hotel and refreshed. Left back at 2 and had lunch at Anand Bhavan. It was a chaotic experience with self-service and huge queue/rush. After spending nearly 2 hours there and with raising tempers, we left and went to Pancha ratha. it's again a marvelous place and must visit. Beautifully done. Had lot's of icecreams and coconuts there.
We left for Pondicherry at 4:30 and reached the place around 7. we had not booked a room here as most of the beach resorts were very costly and we planned to stay at a decent hotel in the city itself. We took some time to hunt down a decent hotel and after that the crap people took 2 hours to ready the room and hand it over to us... (they had told rooms have to be cleaned up - it would take 30 mins)...
Pondicherry is a decent place. we first went to the so called beach in the main town. This is full of big rocks and good to take snaps but you can't venture in the sea. So, we headed to Auroville beach around 10 kms from the city. This is a nice one and the beach here is calm too. Played well here. Didn't visit the Auroville town though. Went back to the hotel, got freshened up and headed to the Aurobindo Ashram. Has his samadhi and worth a visit. Had lunch on the way back (Anamalai International).
We left Pondicherry around 4 PM. Since it was getting dark, we didn't cover Gingee fort or the Tiruvannamalai temple but took coffee break there. Stopped in Krishnagiri for dinner and had nice roti's. The road from Pondicherry to Tiruvanamalai is a good state highway. Not much potholes but 2 lanes makes it difficult to overtake especially in the nights. We reached back Bangalore at about 12:30 AM on Tuesday.
Overall a great trip. Main intention was to spend lot's of time in beaches and we accomplished that very well !!! :)


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We are a century-old nonprofit organization of 100-plus motivated and mission-driven employeeswith offices in Madison, WI, and Oakland, CA.
At NCCD, we value and look to support diversity and inclusion, both in our external work and among staff. While we take pride in the serious impact of our work, our casual workplaces inspire teamwork and offer balance to the workday. Through monthly staff lunches and other regular events for learning and socializing, NCCD offers opportunities for staff to have fun and build camaraderie.


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Phone : +91-181-2651715, +91-181-2650997
Mobile : +91-9814122329
Call Us : 08045132450
Avail from us an ample assortment of qualitative rollers and pulleys, which is manufactured from the genuine quality raw materials. We stand in the midst of major industrial rollers manufacturers and machinery pulley exporters from India. These pulley rollers are highly appreciated in national as well as in the international market for their brilliant performance. They are available in varied sizes and dimensions. Their robust structure and high durability make them perfect for various industries. We provide them at very brisk pace and that too at moderate price.
Troughing Idlers : shape the belt to support a moving load without spillage or damage to the belt.
Impact Idlers : absorb the shock of falling material at loading and transfer points to protect belt from damage. Discs are hammerhead shaped and spaced to allow deflection for shock cushioning. Individual discs can be replaced as required.
Return Idlers : support the empty belt during the return run.


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Check BNN and Bulbanews for up-to-date Pokémon news and discuss it on the forums or in the Bulbagarden Discord server.
| This article is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Needs more information and technical details of how Magnagate Dungeons are generated, including what names they use..
A Magnagate (Japanese: マグナゲート Magnagate) is a portal in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity that leads to a Mystery Dungeon or to a different area. Alternatively in "Discover a Magnagate!" mode, they can be found by scanning round objects in the real world, leading to a randomized dungeon.
In the main story
|Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
An Umbreon arrives in Post Town and collapses and all the Post Town residents gather to see the fainted Pokémon. After Umbreon is rescued by the Timburr Brothers, Virizion knows him and tells everyone about Umbreon. After Umbreon recovers slightly the next day, Umbreon explains to the player and their partner about Magnagates and how they are created. Everyone then goes outside and heads to the top of the hill in Post Town and Umbreon then places two Entercards into a box, which then a partial Magnagate opens up. Umbreon explains that it is an incomplete Magnagate and that his partner Espeon holds the other two Entercards. The partial Magnagate closes and then the player and their partner head off to the Crags of Lament to rescue Espeon.
In the Crags of Lament, Purugly and Toxicroak both corner Espeon. Espeon still refuses to give the Entercards, and then both Purugly and Toxicroak check Espeon to suddenly discover that Espeon doesn't have the Entercards. While both Purugly and Toxicroak assume that Espeon has hidden them somewhere, they try to force Espeon to tell them. But then, the player and their partner appear and then step in to protect Espeon. After Purugly and Toxicroak are defeated, they run off. Then, the player, partner, and Espeon all head back to Post Town, where Espeon and Umbreon are reunited again. Then, Swadloon and Leavanny appear; Swadloon gives back the Entercards to Espeon and explains to everyone that Espeon entrusted the Entercards to him, so that they wouldn't fall into Purugly and Toxicroak's hands. A flashback is shown and Espeon says that Swadloon found the Entercards she buried before she gave them to him. Umbreon and Espeon tell them that they need to get things ready before opening a path to the Great Glacier.
A few days later, everyone wanted to go to the Great Glacier, but then Quagsire explains that HAPPI doesn't allow more than six Pokémon to travel during expeditions. Then, during the next day, everyone gathers at the hill of Post Town and then Umbreon and Espeon both put in all four Entercards, which summons a full Magnagate to the Great Glacier. The player, their partner, Virizion, Umbreon, Espeon, and Emolga enter, but at the last minute, Emolga pushes Dunsparce into the Magnagate before it disappears. Emolga stays behind at Post Town. Meanwhile, the team arrive in Telluric Path, a dungeon path created by a Magnagate.
Then, at the crevasse of the Great Glacier, another Magnagate is summoned, which creates beams of light to appear, in which leads to another dungeon path created by a Magnagate, called Glacial Underpass.
A few days after the expedition though the Glacier Palace, Umbreon and Espeon summon another Magnagate for the player and partner to travel to Mt. Kilionea, where Munna is located. The player and their partner arrive in Kilionea Road, a dungeon path also created by a Magnagate.
Before the journey back to the Glacier Palace, Emolga summons a Magnagate successfully, which the player and their partner enter, and leads to a dungeon path called Tyrian Maze, which is created by a Magnagate. Virizion thinks that the activities caused by the Glacier Palace lifting into the sky has caused changes to the appearance of the dungeon, resulting in Tyrian Maze instead of Telluric Path.
After defeating Salamence, Umbreon and Espeon call out to the player and their partner. They explain that they have found a different set of Entercards, which they begin to think that Keldeo made them and was an Entercard user. Upon explaining that the new set of Entercards are used for traveling into the sky, Umbreon and Espeon use the new Entercards to create a Magnagate one last time and they all arrive at the entrance to Glacier Palace - Eastern Spire.
|Spoilers end here.
- Main article: → Entercard
Entercards are cards used in the main story by Umbreon and Espeon, which adjust the ley lines to summon a Magnagate.
Discover a Magnagate! (mode)
The option to "Discover a Magnagate" becomes available in the main menu once the story progresses up to the part where the partner Pokémon buys the land from Quagsire to start Pokémon Paradise.
The help description states that the dungeons vary by color of the scanned object, and vary in difficulty based on size of the scanned object. However, this is incorrect, as a random type of dungeon terrain will be chosen and the difficulty will also be chosen at random, right after the object is scanned. Magnagate dungeons with a difficulty of 6 or more stars will only start occurring after the player's partner reunites with the player at the Hill of Universal Order, in the main game.
Dungeons found by Magnagates are played like normal dungeons, but the player does not necessarily play as their original character and partner. Rather, they will play as either Axew, Servine, Dewott, Pignite, or Pikachu. Depending on the dungeon, players will also have one or two of the above Pokémon as partners. Players will only be able to use the features that have already been unlocked in the main story of the game, which means players will be unable to use Team Skills, change Tactics or change the leader until the player reaches the point in the main story in where the feature is unlocked. At the end of a Magnagate dungeon the player is required to fight the dungeon's leaders, who are generally more powerful than the others in the dungeon. Money and items received in these dungeons will be sent back to the player's save file.
Like with all Mystery Dungeons in the game, if the leader Pokémon faints in the dungeon, or if the team gets blown away by strong winds due to staying on the same floor for too many turns, it will result in a failed trip. If the team fails in their adventure, half of the players items and money are lost. If the team succeeds in defeating the Pokémon at the end of the dungeon, all items will be kept. Anything obtained or leftover will be sent to the deposit box.
Magnagate Dungeons
| The contents of this section have been suggested to be split into Magnagate Dungeon.
Please discuss it on the talk page for this section.
The dungeons are randomly generated and named, and vary in difficulty level from three stars up until 13 stars. The bosses also vary on the type of dungeon entered.
Unlike the regular dungeons, Magnagate Dungeons do not have a set list of Pokémon that appear in the dungeon. Furthermore, the number of different types of enemy Pokémon that appear in the dungeon can be anywhere between 5-20, any type of Pokémon (except for legendary or mythical Pokémon) will be selected. The levels of the Pokémon will vary, depending on the difficulty of the Magnagate Dungeon. All enemy Pokémon cannot be befriended in Magnagate Dungeons, and the "Pokémon Who Can Appear" option is disabled and cannot be selected in the Others menu.
There is no set names of Magnagate Dungeons, the name of the dungeon is determined by two name groups that are used, both chosen at random. While the first part of a Magnagate Dungeon's name (such as "Alluring") won't effect on what the dungeon appears or has, the layout and map models used for Magnagate Dungeons will always depend on the second part of the dungeon's name (e.g. "Alluring Crevasse" uses the same layout models as Glacier Palace, since it has the word "Crevasse" in it). Meaning there will always be a dungeon with a different name every time a Magnagate Dungeon is discovered using the Augmented Reality function on the Nintendo 3DS.
Monster Houses make a frequent appearance, mostly on the first floor of the dungeon. Quicksave also cannot be used.
In order to enter Magnagate Dungeons with a higher difficulty, the player must complete a certain number of Magnagate Dungeons. To enter Magnagate Dungeons above four stars, there is a required amount of Magnagate Dungeons that have to be completed. It is unknown how many need to be completed at this time.
The playable Pokémon are Pikachu, Axew, Dewott, Pignite, and Servine. What the player controls and will receive as partners are randomly chosen from all five Pokémon, regardless of who the player's character is and who the partner is in the story mode. If the player re-enters a dungeon (either from being defeated or completing it), the player will be able to choose which Pokémon to control.
Special Pokémon
Some Pokémon can only be found in Magnagate dungeons, appearing only in specific dungeons.
In the demo
In the demo released for the Nintendo eShop, Magnagates also make an appearance. When scanned, the demo doesn't take size or color into account and instead sends the player to a random Magnagate dungeon.
Since the demo is a trimmed-down version of the full game, the demo will only use the same map layout models from Ragged Mountain or Stony Cave, since only the words "Maze" or "Cavern" are used for dungeon names. If it's "Maze", it'll have the same music and map layout model as Ragged Mountain. Same thing applies for "Cavern", which looks and has the same music as Stony Cave. There is only a total of 54 Magnagate dungeon name combinations.
The playable Pokémon in the demo are Pikachu, Axew, Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott.
List of words for Magnagate Dungeon names
The words highlighted in green are also used in the demo.
|First word
|Second word
|This article is part of Project Locations, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every location in the Pokémon world.


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A few of us from SupraForums decided to have a little get together on Sunday. Mother Nature wasn't cooperating all weekend so a pretty small turn out. Hope you enjoy. Please be sure to leave a comment or sign my guestbook. Thanks.
And there has to be a Vette at every meet =)


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What is Cultural Mapping?
Cultural mapping has been defined as:
a systematic approach to identifying and recording cultural resources. It can identify and record tangible cultural resources using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools, but can also use community identity mapping to explore intangible cultural resources, such as unique histories, values, traditions and stories that combine to define a community's identity and sense of place.
(from Greg Baeker:
This website includes both types of cultural mapping: tangible and intangible. Under "Map Search" you will find Ottawa's tangible cultural resources on a map. These are things that can be located on a map, such as cultural facilities and spaces, built and natural heritage sites, cultural organizations and businesses, cultural events and festivals, and public art. In the "Z Space" you will find stories. This is a way of sharing intangible cultural resources – things that cannot be neatly pinned to a map, but that shine a light on the identity and unique culture in Ottawa.
This is a dynamic website that will be continuously updated. Anyone is welcome to contribute to the map.


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Does this story sound familiar? You (or someone you know) buys every new personal development book that appears in the bookstore. As you diligently begin to read each new book, you tell yourself that this book is THE ONE. It is "the one" that will have the hidden wisdom that will wake you up, motivate you, inspire you, and get you out of your ever-present "funk."
The "funk" is what I call those feelings of mild depression, disinterest, and a constant state of mild sadness. Your doctor may have even offered to prescribe a pill to help get you out of this state. These feelings don't have any real cause or "reason" for being but yet, you can't seem to shake them off. Maybe you've even made a list of all the reasons that you shouldn't feel so miserable.
Your job is fairly great.
You have friends.
You have a nice family life.
But, you can't deny that something is lacking in your life, otherwise you wouldn't feel so down. Right?
Well, have you ever stopped to think: maybe the crappy way you're feeling is directly related to what you're putting in – or, more importantly – what you're NOT putting in your mouth?
That's right! More and more scientific studies are proving your grandmother right; we really are what we eat. Broken down scientifically, there are certain necessary nutrients that without, your body & mind simple cannot fully or properly function. Specifically, let's talk about some of the nutrients that your BRAIN craves. It's the wonderful world of B vitamins! What's so special about B vitamins, you ask? Well, for starters, they're commonly referred to as the "happy vitamin." Unfortunately, they are difficult to find in today's modern daily diet of processed foods. Additionally, your body does not store excess B vitamins in its tissues. Whatever is not used by the body is removed through the urine, so these vitamins must be replenished every couple of days, or so.
B vitamins, among their many functions, aid the brain in metabolizing (building) neurotransmitters. Essential neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin are responsible for maintaining a positive mood. People deficient in B vitamins are more prone to depression and other mental diseases, even to the degree requiring medication. Expensive & potentially addictive medication, I'd like to add. It's my opinion (and one shared by health professionals around the world) that many diseases result from long-term nutrient deficiencies– mental health diseases included.
All of the self-help books in the world will not help you reach your true potential if you aren't aiding the process by a healthy diet and balanced nutrition. It would be like trying to climb a mountain with one arm and leg tied behind your back. Yes, theoretically, you could make it to the top, but good grief! It would be much, much more difficult to reach your goal. That is, if, by some miracle, you managed to keep yourself motivated to keep climbing.
Why not make it easier on yourself (and, everyone around you Ms/Mr. Moody-pants) by providing your body with the tools it needs to function properly? Just as in the above example, if you untied that arm and leg, your progress would be more natural and easier to attain. Start by taking small steps, such as making a daily goal to add healthy, unprocessed foods and raw veggies to your diet at least once per day. Naturally, you'll be more aware of the way foods make you feel, and in more ways than just satisfying hunger.
If a change in diet is a bigger step than you're ready for, simply find a great vitamin supplement to start. Potentially, you could see your moods & emotional state improve. (Personally, several of my friends and I saw a radical positive enhancement in our moods and emotion states by adding a daily B vitamin supplement!)
On a side note, to be honest, I have never liked taking vitamin supplements. Throughout the day, I would tend to burp up the gross vitamin taste and generally felt that they were disgusting little rocks that smelled. But in my search for a great B vitamin supplement, I eventually stumbled across one called Hair, Skin, and Nails by Nature's Bounty.
I've taken them now for years, and they've never failed to give me a great mood lift. And, even better, no burps and they don't stink! Score! They sell for about $14.00 a bottle in most drug and grocery stores.
Good luck, and happy eating (literally)!