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Top Items:
Jane Martinson / Guardian:
Google faces copyright fight over YouTube — Dick Parsons, the chairman and chief executive of Time Warner, fired a shot across the bows of Google, saying his group would pursue its copyright complaints against the video sharing site YouTube.com. — Google paid $1.6bn for YouTube …
Discussion: Don Dodge on The Next …, IP Democracy, Search Engine Watch Blog, Mashable!, Screenwerk and DV Guru
Cynthia Brumfield / IP Democracy: Time Warner Rattles GoogleTube's Copyright Chains
Danny Sullivan / Search Engine Watch Blog: Time Warner: YouTube Copyright Negotiations To Be "Kicked Up" To Google
Pete Cashmore / Mashable!: Time Warner To Sue YouTube?
Greg Sterling / Screenwerk: The 'Litigation Negotiation' Strategy
Brian Liloia / DV Guru: YouTube faces copyright complaints from Time Warner
John Battelle / John Battelle's Searchblog:
SOUR GRAPES: TIME TO SUETUBE? — Surprise: Time Warner is rattling copyright sabers (BoingBoing) over Google's acquisition of YouTube. Let's pull back and take a look at this, shall we? Time Warner not only owns a s**tload of content that is now playing on YouTube, it also owns AOL …
Discussion: Techdirt
Ed Bott / Ed Bott's Microsoft Report:
No, there's no ban on virtual Vista — There's a lot of confusion going around about the new Windows Vista licenses. I wrote about the two-machine limit earlier this week. Now I see Gregg Keizer at TechWeb and Robert McLaws of Windows Now arguing that the new license bans the use …
Discussion: Paul's Down-Home Page
Gregg Keizer / TechWeb:
Vista Licenses Limit OS Transfers, Ban VM Use — Microsoft has released licenses for the Windows Vista operating system that dramatically differ from those for Windows XP in that they limit the number of times that retail editions can be transferred to another device and ban …
Discussion: TechSpot, Open Sources and Neowin.net
Justin Mann / TechSpot: Microsoft talks about Vista's new licensing
Dave Rosenberg / Open Sources: Windows Vista archaic licensing strategy
Nwhite / Windows Vista Team Blog:
Virtual PC 2007 Beta: Free and Available Now
Virtual PC 2007 Beta: Free and Available Now
Discussion: Teching It Easy and MSDN Blogs
Astebner / MSDN Blogs: RC2 build (5744.16384) …
Christian Zappone / CNNMoney.com:
Help! YouTube is killing my business! — An Ohio company's sales get 'killed' as YouTube surfers cripple utube.com, a pipe equipment seller's web site. — NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — One place where YouTube's success isn't being celebrated is in the offices of Universal Tube and Rollerform Equipment Corp. near Toledo, Ohio.
Dimmerswitch / digg: YouTube is killing my business!
Tom Neumayr / Apple:
Apple Announces iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition — Portion of Proceeds Contributed to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS — Apple® today announced the iPod® nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition. (RED) was created by U2 lead singer, Bono and Bobby Shriver to engage business …
Discussion: O'Grady's PowerPage, InterActive Home, The Unofficial Apple Weblog and The Apple Core
Jasonogrady / O'Grady's PowerPage: The Apple Core: Apple announces red iPod nano
Martin Lynch / InterActive Home: Red iPod launches today
Jason D. O'Grady / The Apple Core: Apple announces red iPod nano
Kasper Jade / AppleInsider:
Oprah and Bono to unveil Product Red iPod nano tomorrow
Oprah and Bono to unveil Product Red iPod nano tomorrow
Discussion: Infinite Loop, Tech Digest, The Unofficial Apple Weblog, Engadget, Digital Music News, Gizmodo, Gadgetell, Alpha.CNET.com, CrunchGear and digg
Jacqui Cheng / Infinite Loop: iPod nano announced in red to fight AIDS
Dan Pourhadi / The Unofficial Apple Weblog: iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition officially official
Evan Blass / Engadget: Bono, Oprah introducing iPod nano Red tomorrow?
Jasmine France / Alpha.CNET.com: Red iPod Nano to benefit HIV/AIDS charity?
Gavin Robinson / CrunchGear: 'RED' iPod Nano Coming Tomorrow?
Koregaonpark / digg: Oprah and Bono to unveil Project red iPod nano tomorrow
Inside AdSense:
Introducing multiple custom channels — As of today, it is now possible to assign multiple custom channels to a single ad unit. This feature enables you to track your ad performance with greater flexibility and view more granular information. When generating your ad code …
Discussion: ProBlogger Blog Tips
Darren Rowse / ProBlogger Blog Tips: AdSense add Multiple Custom Channels
Palm Announces Low-End Treo 680 — As expected, Palm has just announced the low-end Treo 680 for GSM markets sold unlocked in four colors: crimson, copper, arctic and graphite. In non-marketing speak, that's red, orange, white and silver. Each of these phones come with a 320x320 color screen …
Discussion: CrunchGear, Shop Talk, Engadget, Alice Hill's Real Tech News and Phone Scoop
Erin Kandel / Shop Talk: Palm Treo 680: An Entry-Level Smartphone
Chris Ziegler / Engadget: Palm announces Treo 680
Jimmy Daniels / Alice Hill's Real Tech News: Treo 680 Smart Phone for the Casual User
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
The PayPerPost Virus Spreads — Two new services that are similar to the controversial PayPerPost have announced their launch in the last few days: ReviewMe and CreamAid. PayPerPost, a marketplace for advertisers to pay bloggers to write about products (with our without disclosure) …
Discussion: rexblog
Andy Hagans / Link Building Blog:
EXCLUSIVE: Announcing ReviewMe!!
EXCLUSIVE: Announcing ReviewMe!!
Discussion: SEO Book.com and WebMetricsGuru
Marshall Sponder / WebMetricsGuru: Announcing ReviewMe!
Ryan Naraine / eWEEK.com:
How Do You Secure 100 Million Laptops? — If the plan is perfectly executed, Nicholas Negroponte's One Laptop Per Child project will deploy 100 million laptops in the first year. In one fell swoop, the nonprofit organization will create the largest computing monoculture in history.
Discussion: Computerworld Blogs and Slashdot
Martin McKeay / Computerworld Blogs: Keeping the $100 laptop secure
Kablenet / The Register:
EC boosts open source — Sets up consortium for software pooling — The European Commission has taken steps to promote the use of open source systems and software in the public sector. — It has selected a consortium led by Unisys Belgium to create and manage the Open Source Observatory and Repository …
Discussion: Open Sources and AC/OS
Matt Asay / Open Sources: European Commission pushing open source
Kevin Dean / Microsoft Higher Education:
Internet Explorer 7 is coming ... Are you ready? — The final release of Internet Explorer 7 is fast approaching ... and I mean really fast ......and will be delivered to customers via Automatic Updates a few weeks after it's available for download. Are your Web sites, extensions, and applications ready?
Discussion: CyberNet Technology News, MSDN Blogs, Microsoft News Tracker and Alice Hill's Real Tech News
Josephcr / MSDN Blogs: IE7 is Coming... Fast...
David Hunter / Microsoft News Tracker: WMP 11 due on Oct. 24, IE7 in two weeks
Michael Santo / Alice Hill's Real Tech News: IE7 Release on October 18?
Jonathan Lumb / 1up.com:
Xbox 360 granted Good Design Award — A truly international design wins over Japan's judges. — Japan's Good Design Awards are handed out each year to well-designed products across a wide range of industries. Past winners in the game industry have included Nintendo's DS lite and Game Boy micro and Sony's PlayStation 2 and PSP.
Discussion: Xbox 360 Fanboy, You NEWB, Aeropause and digg
Richard Mitchell / Xbox 360 Fanboy: Japan awards 360 for Good Design
Curtis / You NEWB: Xbox 360 wins design award in Japan
Biffsputnik / digg: Xbox 360 granted Good Design Award..in Japan!
Christopher Grant / Joystiq:
The ECA, a consumer advocacy group for gamers — In addition to having a great alliterative name, Hal Halpin likes to start things with acronyms. He started the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA) which merged with the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) to form the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA).
Discussion: GamePolitics.com, Neowin.net and Blue's News
Todd Weiss / Computerworld:
Could a 30-in. monitor help you do your job faster? — A French IT consultant says yes, but productivity experts disagree — October 10, 2006 (Computerworld) — Providing employees with 30-in. computer monitors can boost worker productivity at companies where 17- or 19-in. monitors are typically used …
Discussion: InfoWorld Tech Watch, Techdirt, Gadgetopia and Slashdot
Deane / Gadgetopia: The Value of Big Monitors?
Dan Fost / The Technology Chronicles:
Looking Sharp — How many startups show me their stuff, and I think: Maybe that's interesting, but I'll never use it. (Answer: Most of them.) — It was almost unsettling, then, when Sharpcast CEO Gibu Thomas put me through the paces of his product demo. I could think of numerous situations when I needed something just like it.
Discussion: down the avenue
Robert Scoble / Scobleizer:
Microsoft and Adobe developer/designer death match — I was just adding stuff to my linkblog, cause we missed our plane to Greensboro (got another one that leaves at 1 p.m., we'll be spending the night in Chicago) and I saw a couple of things that got me to write about the coming Microsoft/Adobe developer/designer death match.
Discussion: The Universal Desktop, JD on EP and Labnotes
Ryan Stewart / The Universal Desktop: Scoble on the Microsoft/Adobe showdown


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Our Mission
At MarCo Rural Water Company, Inc, we are committed to providing safe, high quality water services to our community, while maintaining a standard of excellence in customer service and environmental conservation.
Bill Payment Options
Online Bill Pay Has Arrived - MarCo Rural Water is excited to announce online bill pay is now available for the convenience of our residents! Click Here for all the information. Pay your bill anytime online through our secure payment portal!
Conservation Tips
There are a number of easy ways to save water, and they all start with you. When you save water, you save money on your utility bills. Here are just a few ways... Learn more...

subset: commoncrawl


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Introducing a flawless Australian luxury lounge and travel wear brand 'SASSIND'.
Founded by Tamara & Chris Ryan, I am told it was 'only a matter of time' before the duo embarked on their own business venture, Tamara shares with me. After a life of both engaged in very demanding work roles, inclusive of a lot of travel, who knew such life experiences would lead to the development of their own business a few years on.
SASSIND the brand.
Designed in Melbourne, their ranges are stunning, with all components sourced ethically and responsibly from all over the world. Their collections feature luxury fibres such as; cashmere, merino, silk and the finest of cotton. Their designs or ' silhouettes ' as they are called in-house, are designed to flatter all body shapes, taking luxury travel fashion to a new level. Think flowing natural fibres, comfort with a touch of luxury. I love a bit of layering and the pieces in their collections are stunning! Their pieces are both diverse, ageless and universal; in the sense that 'no matter what your size and shape we guarantee you will be wrapped in style, comfort and luxury', I'm told.
Tamara shares with me "The idea for SASSIND came to us on a trip to Paris 2 years ago. I had spent the months in the lead up to the trip trying to find the 'ultimate travel wardrobe', determined to do my best at fitting in with the effortlessly stylish French. It was really hard. I wanted classic, stylish, comfortable garments which I could mix and match to create different looks. I also wanted quality, so that I was not just purchasing for the one trip."
Following a 'passion for fashion', the duo already had an appetite for beautiful fashion pieces and admit in recent times have been more conscious about buying only from "brands that demonstrate ethical awareness and have a proven track record for top quality." So, with the idea of creating a product and range which suited all their criteria, they spent over 12 months travelling the world in search of suppliers who shared our vision, and building on those relationships. " We now have 3 key suppliers who we've dealt with from the beginning. All are family run businesses. We visit each factory every 3 months working on new developments, sourcing, and quality control checks," they share with me.
The couple now both work in their successful business full time are achieving a fabulous work / lifestyle balance. They are supported by an an amazing team who they say have been incredibly instrumental in creating the SASSIND brand. "We made a rule from the beginning to only work with people who we genuinely like, and who value our vision for SASSIND."
I asked Tamara what is her favourite part of working in SASSIND ?
"It has to be working on our campaign shoots with the photographer Nikole Ramsay. I work as the stylist on the shoots and spend months in the lead up scoping out locations, and working on different looks for each new collection. The shoots form the most recent collection (featured here) completed is my favourite. It was shot at We have a family beach house at Aireys Inlet, so I loved being able to use the stunning contrasting landscapes along the Great Ocean Road." When I saw the campaign shots I immediately knew the location, which is also on my doorstep, such a stunning spot & working with Nikole is amazing too!
What is Tamara's favourite piece from the SASSIND Winter '17 Collection?
"My favourite piece from our winter '17 collection is the Cashmere Poncho. It's so snuggly and warm, and goes with everything. It's also easy to dress up or down, so it's super versatile." I have to say this is my favourite piece too!
Head to the SASSIND website to view the entire collection.


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Mazuma Loves Nokia!
Of course we don't like to play favourites, but Nokia phones are amongst the most sought-after in burgeoning mobile phone industries such as those in China, India, Pakistan and Africa. Our phone recycling scheme aims to bring efficient, reliable old mobile phones (fully refurbished of course!) to those who need them most, at a price they can afford.
So, why does everybody love Nokia?
• Arguably the original user-friendly template, Nokia still prides itself on simple continuation of design. Take the menu for example, the typical Nokia menu is perhaps one of the easiest to use on the market (and has been for years!) and similarities span across models, making it easier to use other's phones or adapt to upgrades.
• The overall user-friendly interface of Nokia mobile phones (e.g. easily identified icons, network bars etc) makes them ideal "first" options. In simple terms, almost everybody can navigate an unfamiliar Nokia phone with relative ease.
• Easy personalisation (e.g. operator logo, welcome message, ringtones etc) might be something we've come to expect from the likes of iPhone and Android models, however it was Nokia who arguably pioneered the most practical personalisation tools.
• Compatibility of components plays a huge role in the ever-growing popularity of Nokia. Everybody has an old Nokia charger knocking around somewhere!
Are you one of those folks with an old Nokia lurking in the shadows? Your faithful old Nokia could make you some lovely cash! Sell your phone to us and we promise to take good care of it on its journey from trash to treasure!


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Rackspace Cloud has a very nice and cozy small forum for all their customers and users to submit and vote for ideas and feedback, such as features they want but are currently not available, or improvements / fixes that need to be done to make the cloud a better product.
Check out the feedback forum here: http://feedback.rackspace.com/
You can read through all the ideas and requests as well as the comments to get an idea of what Rackspace Cloud is like and how it is doing in the eyes of their current customers and users. How the company is responding to these invaluable input is also an important factor in deciding to go with them or not.
A great move by Rackspace.


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Follow these tips to protect yourself and your baby from toxins.
Q: Now that I'm pregnant, I want to go green for my baby's sake, but I'm overwhelmed by all the stuff I'm supposed to avoid and do. What are the most important things I should do now?
A: Protecting yourself and your developing baby from toxins doesn't have to be terribly complicated or expensive. here are the most important steps to take:
• If you smoke or drink alcohol on a regular basis, quit and do your best to stay away from secondhand smoke.
• Focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods with minimal additives, as well as brightly colored vegetables and fruits that are high in antioxidants. For details, go to drweil.com and search for "the anti-inflammatory diet."
• Opt for organic or locally grown produce whenever possible. Find guidance from the Environmental Working Group on the foods you should always buy organic.
• est your home water supply and, if necessary, install a water filter that removes any harmful compounds present. Visit NSF International for information about different types of water-filtration systems.
• Consider placing a hEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter in your bedroom. Further limit your exposure to air pollution by observing air advisories; visit AIrNow (airnow.gov) for air-quality reports.
• Be cautious about using plastic products, especially those marked with the numbers 3, 6 or 7, which are harder to recycle.
• When you start decorating, paint the baby's room with low- or non-VoC (volatile organic compounds) paint, and use hardwood or washable area rugs instead of carpeting.
Have a question for Dr. Weil? Email him at email@example.com. Answers are not intended to replace advice from your doctor; always consult your health care provider before making any changes in your prenatal routine.


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Amal Ltd., until recently at Holford Works, Perry Bar, Birmingham, UK. was a conglomeration of several carburettor manufacturers from the 1920's , such as B & B, AMAC, Binks and I don't intend to get into the reasons, date etc for this amalgamation, rather to discuss the model AMAL used on most British Motorcycles from 1933 into about 1955.
Why you may ask....?
Well I had purchased all the literature of a Sydney Motorcycle accessory house when they closed in the 1990's after trading from onwards from the 1920's.
W.F.Omodei Pty.,Ltd, more easily known as Omodeis.....
There was a lot of Amal stuff and when I got it, a cursory glance through it revealed catalogues for the many Amal Carburettor types and I intend to feature these types...Amal TT, Amal GP, Amal GP2 and the earlier Amal type 27 track carburettors in later blogs.
Recently I noted some correspondence that had been overlooked until then...I've included the seven pages below which is a letter from Amal to W.F. Omodei dated 30th December 1946, together with Carburettor Service bulletin no.1 and no.2.
These are a sort of "Rosetta stone", in that they reveal why Amal changed the design of what we will call the 276 carburettor, although pre-war they were know as "76" type, then the "276" type.
More importantly there was a change of where air was drawn into the pilot system of these carburettor types and as such they are not fully interchangeable with the body or the internal jet block.
Many of these carb.types are found in autojumbles in pieces ...I had a heap of dismantled bodies, jet blocks etc, of both types and was unaware of the difference, although I noted holes around the body below the induction area on some.
Mismatch and you have the problem of getting the carburettor to run properly.
It seems various motorcycle manufacturer's war departments, who had started into war work early had requested special carburettor bodies without holes so that air would only be drawn through the main venturi into the pilot air holes and with their special air filter for the expected desert use of the bikes, would ensure clean air into the carburettor and thus the engine.
Omodies noticed this on their first shipment of spare parts from the UK in 1946.
Interestingly, the other Sydney firm, Allparts had started making Amal copies with spare parts in brass during the WW2.
Below are Amal sectioned drawings of the two types....
Left click on images to enlarge.
Letter to W.F.Omodei...
Service Bulletin No.1....
Service Bulletin No.2, 26.03.1947....
July 1936 parts drawing and caburettors,showing holes in the body.
Illustrations from a Velocette war edition instruction manual for the MAC 350cc.
Illustration from a 1954 Amal catalogue.
Monday, August 24, 2009
The 276 Amal Carburettor, from the early 1930's into the early 1950's......
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The 2016 Presidential race heats up as primaries and caucuses are closing across the country. Trump maintains his lead over the other GOP candidates in seven states, though Ted Cruz did win in Kansas. Trump's rally in Florida had its usual occurrences: protesters ejected, Trump making promises that he will "Get it done," and believe it or not, he had his supporters raise their right hands in a Hitler-salute-type fashion, and recite a pledge that, no matter what, they will vote for Donald Trump.
Is he for real? And moreover, are these supporters for real? Truthfully, the whole campaign is beginning to transition from the ridiculous to the sublime.
Trump supporters hurting protesters
If you look back over the current Presidency, you'll notice that Obama has met resistance from the Republicans with the introduction of every new policy. They've opposed big ideas like the Affordable Care Act, though thousands of Americans have gained the ability to obtain healthcare and screenings.
They've also opposed small things like the fist-bump that Obama shared with his wife in recognition of his win. The Republicans spent his whole first term trying to prove that he was neither Christian nor American, and the list goes on and on. But somehow, Trump has gotten away with such acts as claiming that Latinos bring drugs and crime to the states, and more recently, he encouraged his followers to escort protesters out of his rallies, explaining that if they hurt them he would "defend them in court." Trump added that when protesters are "swinging and punching, it is amazing to watch." How can it be that a person who hurls racial epithets and publically defends his penis size be the favored choice of Americans to represent them? The only conclusion is the scariest one: he is saying what these people are thinking.
Romney and McCain speak out
There is hope, though. Finally, an established Republican, Mitt Romney, has come out publically against Donald Trump. In his opinion, "He's playing the American public for suckers and he has neither the temperament nor the judgment to be president," he added. More importantly, Romney is not the only former Presidential candidate to speak up against Trump. John McCain strongly denounced Mr. Trump as a candidate who was ignorant of foreign policy and has made "dangerous" pronouncements on national security.
Of course, The Donald was quick with a Trump-ism, and called him a "failed candidate," "choke artist," and "loser" for his loss to President Obama in 2012.
Lawsuit may take Trump down
It remains to be seen how these comments will affect Trump's campaign. Apparently, Donald is being sued by New York's Attorney General, Eric T. Schneiderman. Scheiderman's suit is based on his claim that Trump University was fraudulent. He says that Trump "bilked" students of more than $40,000, collectively, according to Rick Rojas of The New York Times.
It is promising that Trump has recently lost two states, and if Kasich wins Michigan and Ohio, he could be in trouble. It just may be that the vulgar remarks are beginning to take a toll on Trump's credibility.


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Monday, April 25, 2011
Kour Magic Gymnastics
This is not exactly a new project, but I've been super lazy with posting. This is for a documentary class I am taking this quarter. I have no idea where it's going right now so if anyone's got suggestions feel free to comment!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
the trip....
So overall the trip was..........good. I think. I learned a lot anyway. I think it was really helpful to meet with everyone, an awesome opportunity. It was both exciting and stressful. Exciting to go to all the places we went and see what it's all about. Some of the places we visited are ones I never thought I would have the chance to see in person and meet with people from there. However it was a little nerve-wrecking and stressful hearing what they all had to say. It makes me nervous I'll never get to the point they are at, but after hearing over and over again how if you really want something, you will get there eventually, I have some hope.
And I'll write more about this when I catch up on sleep a little!
Friday, April 1, 2011
NYC Day 4
ICP-Mexican Suitcase exhibit was pretty unbelievable, I had heard of it and sort of knew a bit of the background but to actually see all the negatives and get to read about it was awesome
TIME was probably my favorite place we have been to all week. If I did have the chance to work at or with any of these magazines, papers, organizations, it would most definitely be Time. The thing that seemed to really be stressed there was having your own style. You want people to recognize your photos as yours. Got to see all of Yuri Kozyrev's photos which were amazing.
Sports Illustrated seemed to cause a little drama within the group, but I'm glad we got to go. I realize my dad has a better chance of getting a job with SI than I do, but it was really great to see such amazing photos and listen to Steve Fine talk about the business and how important it is to make pictures that tell a story. That wasn't really what I was expecting to hear at a sports place, but that gives me hope!
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Pièces de Fantaisie (Fantasy Pieces)Begun in 1926 and completed the following year, the four suites of Pièces de Fantaisie are an elegant synthesis of the art of Louis Vierne and a perfect reflection of the composer's personality.Modest and tormented by nature, of delicate health (his problems of eyesight were stationary at the time, but he was experiencing his first cardiac alerts), Vierne uncovers here every aspect of his art: we can admire the virtuoso organist in the Toccata or the Carillon de Westminster; the architect in Hymne au Soleil or Cathédrales; while the man of melancholy and suffering is present in the Andantino or the Feux Follets (Will o' the wisp) – no facetious little sparks here, but a phantasmagoric B minor, whose shafts of light project ghostlike shadows.Conceived for the organ of Notre-Dame cathedral Paris, the ample harmonies, contrasting layers of sound, and all the melodic richness are faithfully reproduced by the organ of Saint-Ouen. The foundation stops, the celestes and the reeds have an inimitable range of colour, the admirable tutti is a model of tonal balance."Applause for the delirious energy unfurled by Susan Landale, ever master of the situation ! The Cavaillé-Coll of Saint-Ouen (what a machine!) obviously transports her to the organists' paradise; one can hear this in the musician's radiant communication. Force and flexibility, the joy of performance, without which music cannot come alive in the listener. The organ is perfectly tuned to her aspirations. One will listen intently to the "release" at the end of each piece to enjoy to the full the presence of the organ in the abbey. Really superb ! (Diapason)
Composition Orgue


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Academic institutions play a key role in addressing the challenges facing the agricultural sector.
Academic institutions play a key role in addressing the challenges facing the agricultural sector by providing science-based content and understanding how to best use the diverse range of ICT delivery channels.
Every night, a billion people go to sleep hungry, and 70% of these are small-scale farmers and their families. Lack of credit and access to markets and information often lie at the core of their problems. To try and fix these problems, millions of dollars are provided each year not only to help poor farmers, but also to protect the environment and promote broad economic development.
What may not always be clear is that universities like the University of California, Davis, and The University of the West Indies (The UWI) in St Augustine, Trinidad, play an enduring role in global development. Today these universities are focusing on using ICT4Ag to address the vexing challenges of food security and the environment by expanding information access and connecting small-scale farmers and fishers, vendors, markets, policy-makers and natural resource users.
Research institutes as ICT4Ag service providers
Universities provide long-term threads of disciplinary and cross-disciplinary research that underpins agriculture policy, best practice and programming. In many cases, they have research, education and outreach mandates at all levels. The establishment of the World Food Center at UC Davis and the rebranding of UWI's Faculty of Food & Agriculture (FF&A) with existing units such as the Cocoa Research Centre are examples of the type of institutional commitment many universities make to contribute globally. These facilities work to improve food access, reduce poverty and protect our fragile environment. Focusing on agriculture, UC Davis has worked with over 100 countries to strengthen technical, extension and information development and delivery services. Many recent initiatives involve ICTs. For example, in response to the often-observed farmer knowledge gaps, UC Davis has established online information repositories such as e-Afghan Ag (see page 11 in this issue), e-China Apple and e-Pak Ag. Indeed, 'content is king' is the catchphrase – these information assets are developed to provide credible, relevant information to those helping farmers. Several related activities have worked to understand how to best use the diverse range of possible ICT delivery channels. The principles of effective communication leading to behaviour change so developed are then shared to strengthen national capacity and information delivery.
In addition to a long and rich tradition of research and extension by UWI FF&A, the university's computing and information technology (DCIT) and electrical and computer engineering (ECNG) departments have developed a variety of ICT applications for agriculture and fisheries. DCIT has applied intelligent decision support around agriculture data in the development of AgriNeTT, a mobile application for small-scale farmers to enhance crop management, for example. The Caribbean ICT Research Programme (CIRP) in ECNG has developed the mFisheries suite of mobile applications for at-sea safety, navigation, a virtual marketplace, and various information and communications services using different media. CIRP is also collaborating with the Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Organizations on the use of multimodal web channels for regional engagement with the ultimate aim of participatory governance.
How to achieve greater impact
We have identified successful underlying principles for ICT interventions for farmers and fishers. While these principles may not appear particularly new to those working in the ICT field, they are all essential for success. For example, programmes need to start by clearly knowing their audience's needs. Information must be widely available and is best delivered through multiple channels appropriate to the audience. The information needs to be clearly, concisely and attractively packaged so that it delivers evident and compelling value at a logical and aspirational level. Underlying all this is the need for trust – trust in the message and the messenger. Delivery is not a 'fly-in fly out' activity. Local partnerships with trusted intermediaries are critical for long-term success.
Universities play a key role in the ecosystem of agents necessary to address the many challenges faced by the agricultural sector. While their unique strengths lie in areas such as teaching, training, research and analysis, operationalising interventions requires a great many other agencies whose strengths lie in complementary areas. Partnerships within the ecosystem are essential. For example, while some partners can promote joint knowledge resources at the target group level, others can facilitate greater interaction with target groups. These target groups themselves must be key partners in the provision of ongoing feedback essential to improving the tools, materials and delivery channels. Improved strategies and channels for building relationships and engagement amongst partners are essential for synergy, efficiency and increased impact.


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Ancestor Seekers by the Root Bound is a group of people that meet at the Lemon Grove Library once a month to share their genealogical data. We welcome beginners to advanced to attend. We meet the 3rd Wed of every month at the Lemon Grove Library from 6 to 8 pm. All are welcome to attend.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Did you share, record or write about this day for prosperity?
The day is done, gone is the sun.
The dark has fallen, the night is calling.
Did you share after dinner, an heirloom that the family should know something about in case your taken away? They won't keep it if they have no story to know why you even still have it.
Did you take the time to remember past family members and what their Thanksgiving Day may have been like with family?
Be aware, Christmas is coming and maybe you will remember to share some of this with family at that time. Even watching American Pickers, you learn if the seller has a story with the item it generally will generate more interest than a non knowing piece of history.
You may want to capture some of your thoughts on the day to save for the toddlers that ran around today that will not remember you when you are gone. The more sharing, the more caring and remembering tidbits here and there.
Amazing to learn it was 42 degrees coming in from our oldest son's home at 10 pm.
Posted by Susi's Quarter at 10:56 PM
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July 16, 2012 - Engagements
erin + raff
We've had a string of awesome people willing to get together with us first thing (and we definitely mean first thing) in the morning to run around and play photos, and Erin + Raff were our latest awesome couple. We're shooting their wedding first thing next month, and we can't wait. They are absolutely adorable, and the wedding is going to be so rad.
This was the first time we'd met Erin + Raff which actually happens quite a bit for us with the amount of WNY couples we have coming back from out of the area for their wedding, but they were super cool, relaxed and just killed their photos.
I think I'm gonna shut up and just let the photos do the talking. :)
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MEUKLENBURG-SCHWERIN, 1847. 469 A1u·1oLn· VI. No higher or other duties hall be imposed on the imi . · . the United States of any articles the grgwth, produce ogomhiatdttliictiiig u¤Idg»"o'h1p;3nrrglf of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg·Schwerin or of its,iisheries and no °f °"h°" °°"""`Y· higher or other duties shall be imposed on the importation mto the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin of any articles the growth produce, and manufacture of the United States and of their iisheries ,than are or shall be payable on the like articles being the growth, prdduce, or manufacture of any other foreign country or of its ilsheries. No higher or other duties and charges shall be imposed in the United Equality in sx- States on the exportation of any articles to the Grand Duchy of Meek- P°'°"°*°""· lenburg—Schwerin, or in Mecklenburg-Schwerin on the exportation of any articles to the United States, than such as are or shall be payable on the exportation of the like articles to any other foreign country. No prohibition shall be imposed on the importation or exportation of Equality or proany articles the growth, produce, or manufacture of the Grand Duchy h"'*'*°"°· of Mecklenburg-Schwerin or of its fisheries, or of the United States or their fisheries, from or to the ports of said Grand Duchy, or of the said Suited States, which shall not equally extend to all other Powers and rates. Anrrcnn VII. The high contracting parties engage mutuall not to rant any ar- F""°"' i¥F""**°" tieular favour to other nations in respect of naviggtion andgdnties of Bus- toms, which shall not immediately become common to the other party, who shall enjoy the same freely, if the concession was freely made, or on allowing a compensation as near as possible, if the concession was conditional. Anrronn VII I. In order to augment by all the means at its bestowal the commercial U°**°¤» *l°°» *****1 relations between the United States and Germany, the Grand Duchy of t°°"°°°' Mecklenburg-Schweriu agrees, subject to the reservation in article eleventh, to abolish the import duty on raw cotton and paddy, or rice in [See Article Xl.] the husk, the produce of the United States; to levy no higher import duty upon leaves, stems, or strips of tobacco, imported in hogsheads or casks, than one thaler and two schillings for one hundred pounds, Hamburg weight, (equal to seventy cents United States currency and weight ;) to lay no higher import duty upon rice imported in tierces or half tierces than twenty-five schillings for one hundred pounds, Hamburg weight, (equal to thirty-seven and a half cents United States currency and _ weight;) to lay no higher duty upon whale-oil, imported in casks or bar- Wh=¤l¤-<>¤l- rels, than twelve and a half chilliugs per hundred pounds, Hamburg weight, (equal to eighteen and three-quarters cents United States cur— rency and weight.) The Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin further agree sto levy Transit duty, no higher transit duty on the aforementioned articles in their movement on the Berlin- Hamburg railroad than two schillings per hundred pounds, Hamburg weight, (equal to three cents United States currency_and weight,) and to levy no transit duty on the abovementioned articles when conveyed through the ports of the country. _ _ It is understood, however, that nothing herein contained shall prohibit the levying of a duty sudicient for control, which in no instance shall exceed on the two articles imported duty-free or those on transit one schilling per hundred pounds, Hamburg weight, (equal to one cent and a half United States currency and weight.) Aarrcm IX. The high contracting parties grant to each other the liberty of having, C°¤¤¤l¤' ¤m°°'¤- each in the ports of the other, Consuls, Vice-Consuls, Commercial Agents, and Vice-Commercial Agents of their own appointment, who shall enjoy the same privileges and powers as those of the most favoured
Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 18 Part 2c.djvu/476
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Who is Muammar Gaddafi and Why Libya?
Who is Muammar Gaddafi and Why Libya?
The Illuminati Satanic Psychopaths always control both sides in a conflict.
Take the Libya situation. Gaddafi has been an Illuminati pawn from the beginning. As his "Little Green Book", required reading for all Libyans will testify, he patterned his ideology on Mao's "Little Red Book". (Source)
"The Green Book rejects modern liberal democracy, "free press", and capitalism. Democracy in Libya is based on direct democracy in the form of popular committees. (However this system is limited by the fact that Gadaffi himself appoints a cabinet and departamental ministers, and the influence of unelected revolutionary committees throughout the government.) Freedom of speech is based on state ownership of all book publishers, newspapers, television and radio stations, on the grounds that private ownership would be undemocratic. Libya's economic system is based on the premise that all employees must be "partners not wage-workers", and forbids paying employees a wage in return for labor." (Ibid)
Who is Muammar Gaddafi and Why Libya?
4 Responses to "Who is Muammar Gaddafi and Why Libya?"
Gaddafi is an Illuminati pawn and the illuminati is a jewish pawn.
Great post. Just a heads up – I am running Ubuntu with the beta of Firefox and the navigation of your blog is kind of broken for me.
It's time the world stand against the illuminati,and it's evil agenda, and fight the New World Order,it is not that the people don't see what is happening around them but is because they are afraid of the unknown,the Illuminati
Hey There Endtheilluminaticonspiracy,
I know what you mean, What Gaddafi never did to Benghazi, the NTC army is now doing to Sirte. I know that Sirte is considered a Gaddafi loyalist city, but how much of the 80,000 civilians being bombed by NTC rockets and NATO missiles could really be considered Gaddafi loyalists. I guess that's another question, but with the NTC's support, under R2P (the right to protect), NATO's so-called humanitarian mission seems to be destroying Libya in order to save it. There is no denying Muammar Gaddafi was a brutal dictator who deserves to be tried for war crimes but is his leadership worse than this NTC-NATO alliance for regular civilians in Libya?
BTW great blogpost


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You never forget your first encounter with an evil person…
…and of course, you can only hope it's your last.
Evil is defined as 'profoundly immoral and wicked.' I was thinking about this following viewing of the finale The Walking Dead Season Six; the dialogue from the arch-villain was bone-chilling as you knew it indicated 'game over' for the lead characters. It pulled my mind to the topic of evil people – is there such a thing?
It then reminded me of a moment I describe in Taking off My Shoes (MORE ABOUT TAKING OFF MY SHOES HERE) where protagonist Christopher Charles makes a harsh judgement about an individual based off his body language, mannerisms, and speech pattern. Christopher Charles' exact thoughts are: I would never be friends with this man and I would never want to work for him.
This man later becomes his employer and Christopher learns that his 'judging a book by its cover' was dead-on accurate as his employer turns out to be a spiteful man, who appears to enjoy power over his staff. Further, he laughs at situations where he's deliberately cruel, prompting Christopher Charles to start describing the man as the first evil person he's met in his life.
I think it's extremely rare to find someone who is actually evil, but if I were to define it, I would say it's someone who takes extreme pleasure from the suffering of others like this character does in the below video – they love the pain their inflicting past the line of any saving grace:


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The Amarillo Bulls notched another lopsided victory Friday night.
The Bulls, with four goals by four players, topped Topeka, 4-1, in Topeka, Kan.
All five goals were scored in the first period.
Tyler Gernhofer scored in the first minute. Brett Szajner scored on a power play less than five minutes in.. Topeka scored with a little more than five minutes left in the first period. Roman Ammirato (2:50) and Brady Ferguson (0:22) each scored with less than three minutes left in the period to give the Bulls the 4-1 lead.
Amarillo improves to 20-4-1 on the season. Topeka falls to 14-10-3.


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Nottinghamshire continues to keep crime down despite an overall national increase, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics.
There were a total of 72,345 recorded crimes in Nottinghamshire in the 12 months to 31 March 2016, equating to a zero percentage change when compared to the year up to March 2015.
The national figure for England and Wales shows a nine per cent increase in overall crime.
Domestic burglary continues to fall significantly across the force area to 3,372, a 17 per cent fall.
There was a 14 per cent reduction in drugs offences to 3,021 and an 11 per cent fall in theft from the person offences to 1,090.
Robbery also fell by ten per cent to 908 offences.
Bicycle thefts reduced by nine per cent to 1,927 offences.
There were increases in offences including possession of weapons which rose by 27 per cent to 735.
The figures also show the proportion of crimes which involved knives or sharp instruments. A total of 580 offences, around four per cent, of all crimes in Nottinghamshire involved knives of sharp instruments.
The number of recorded sexual offences in Nottinghamshire rose by 10 per cent to 2,075.
Offences of violence rose by ten per cent to 17,822. Of those, 7,641 were non-injury incidents.
The number of anti-social behaviour incidents was 36,752, almost 1,600 fewer than in the previous 12 months and almost a third of the figure reported in 2008/09.
Chief Constable Sue Fish said: "It is pleasing once again to say that Nottinghamshire is bucking the national trend and keeping crime and anti-social behaviour in our force area down.
"It is also important to look at where crime has increased to highlight the work being done by the force and its partners in the local authorities and other emergency services. For example, the increase in possession of weapon offences can be attributed to the focus we have placed on the use of intelligence to identify individuals who carry knives with the intention of committing crime.
"We have a dedicated knife crime team in place and have made our stop and search policy and practice more effective and accountable, enabling us to detect weapon possession and to prevent further offences, but also working hard to improve engagement with our local communities.
"Our zero tolerance approach to all sexual offences means that anyone who reports such a crime knows that we will investigate their case and provide the appropriate support to them all the way through the criminal justice process. The increase in reporting reflects that continuing confidence in our policing and the determination of victims that they should be heard.
She added: "The decline in domestic and commercial burglary, vehicle crime and theft is testament to the excellent work of our neighbourhood policing teams and their response to priorities identified by their local residents.
"The reduction in bike theft is also encouraging and achieved through clear crime prevention messaging, as well as identifying prolific offenders and ensuring that we bring them before the courts."


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WHS Daily Bulletin
Friday, March 14:
Lunch: Loose tacos or Fish taco, sweet Mexican beans, tortilla chips, shredded lettuce & diced tomato, diced mango, ½ pint of milk
IHSA State 3 Point Contest – Good Luck Ben Kovacevich! He will shoot at approximately 7:45 pm.
Youth & Government: State Assembly
Saturday, March 15:
Youth & Government: State Assembly
8:15 AM – Girls Track & Field @ Charleston High School (Charleston Invite @ EIU) Bus leaves 5:15 AM
9:00 AM - Scholastic Bowl Sectionals at PORTA – Bus leaves 8:00 am
New Berlin Art Fair March 15-18 at the Sangamon County Fair Grounds Exhibition Hours: Saturday, March 15, 10am-2pm;Sunday, 12pm - 4pm and Monday, 9am-2pm
General Announcements:
University of Spa & Cosmetology Arts and the University of Spa & Massage Therapy invites the public to attend an open house Saturday, May 3, from 10:00am to 1:00pm at 2913 West White Oaks Drive in Springfield, Illinois.
Campus tours, financial aid guidance, program information, refreshments and much more will be available during the open house. The event is free and open to the public.
All Academy Night: Hosted by the Office of Congressman Aaron Schock and representatives from all five US Service Academies. Tuesday, April 22, 2014 at 7:00pm at the Springfield Air National Guard. Those interested in attending must RSVP no later than April 15 to firstname.lastname@example.com
Orlene Drobisch Moore scholarship applications are available in the guidance office. Deadline to apply is April 25, 2014. This is a local scholarship open only to WHS graduates.
Capital City LaCrosse in Springfield is looking for more players - Flyers available in the office
Congratulations to Ben Kovacevich for advancing in the IHSA 3 point contest! He will compete Friday night in Peoria.
Congratulations to the students that competed in the IHSA Solo & Ensemble Contest. ALL 24 instrumental entries received I - superior ratings. This is the highest rating possible for this contest. Three students received "Best of Day" awards for having the most outstanding performance of the day in their performance venue. They are:
· Tucker Hirsch, tenor saxophone solo
· Lynzie Emerson, trumpet solo
· Mary Walden, flute solo
Congratulations to the 33 new members who were inducted into the National Honor Society last night!
Brooks, Hunter
Krebs, Robert
Luckhart, Grant
Mayer, Kaitlyn
Meister, Kendal
Redpath, Seth
Beal, Johnathan
Bergfeld, Abigail
Blomberg, Ethan
Burton, Kaylee
Calvert, Caileen
Caspar, Lane
Cordum, Brenna
Emerson, Lynzie
Foster, Chloe
Frintz, Elizabeth
Galusha, Abbey
Hergert, Emily
Higginbotham, Quinn
Hirsch, Tucker
Leblond, Zachary
Lillard, Katy
McCarty, Tia
McGann, Mackenzie
Nichols, Kaylee
Pensabene, Sophia
Priester, Edward
Reed, Eric
Thompson, Andrea
Tiarks, Skyler
Tiarks, Summer
Weiss, Colton
Wells, Christina
Also congratulations to the new members of the National Honor Society Executive Committee who were elected last night:
· President - Catherine Buescher
· Vice President - Thomas Weiss
· Secretary - Kelsey Jones
· Members-at-Large - Abigail Clayton and Brianna Parada


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A bitter, emotional and defiant Tony Bennett took to the podium at the Florida Department of Education today and resigned as Education Commissioner of Florida saying that "when education becomes about the adults, it's time for the adult to get out."
Fair enough. Too bad more ed reformers, like say, Michelle Rhee, don't leave when they become the story.
Bennett insisted that the decision to leave was his and that both governor Rick Scott and former governor Jeb Bush encouraged him to stay amid the allegations he fixed grades for the charter school of a financial donor. Bennett called the story "malicious and unfounded," in his opening remarks, but failed to adequately clarify when probed by reporters only saying that there was a pattern and politically motivated. He did not field particular questions about specific emails but said that he would be making a request to the Indiana inspector general for a full investigation.
He indicated that two top aides, Will Krebs and Dale Chu – both part of the email chain and decision-making in the grade change, were not resigning. Bennett did say, however, that the decision to retain them would be up to Florida.
Tallahassee Democrat reporter Travis Pillow asked a poignant question with respect to his role as fiscal agent for the PARCC testing alliance. Bennett had his head down as Pillow was asking but raised his eyebrows at the inquiry. He assumed that the next commissioner – he recommended former interim commissioner Pam Stewart – would take on the role.
Bennett apparently decided to resign sometime last night. His carefully crafted reasoning – nothing can distract from what Florida's children are doing – Bennett's quick surrender is out of character. Moreover, if the story that has evolved out of his emails is indeed "unfounded, malicious and politically motivated," he would have been vindicated in soon order. Especially with the powerful education reform industry ready to go to the mat for him.
The emails provided a paper trail which Bennett knew he couldn't run from. He and his supporters have attempted to spin that someone "leaked' the emails, but emails from government agencies are only released after a FOIA request which was done by Associated Press investigative reporter Tom LoBianco. While the reporter could have been tipped off by a member of the new IDOE, Bennett was being counseled by his staff that the grade changes may not be legal. The staffer tasked with making the final changes that Bennett pushed for, Jon Gubera, resigned soon afterwards. What's likeliest is that whomever tipped off LoBianco was more whistleblower than anything else.
Bennett probably knows that more will be coming out and couldn't tell Scott and Bush the entire story last night. Remaining would embarrass them and quite a bit of damage has been done already. Today was his last day in the sun he used the opportunity to beat his own drum with sanctimony.


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- Basic Info
- Canon History: Canon Update #1 & 2
- Canon History: Before Wake
- Nautilus History
- Personality
- Abilities
- Relationships
- Misc.
Continuity: Sonic the Hedgehog (Games)
Age: 16 (Canon) 20 (Nautilus)
Species: Echidna
Fur Color: Red
Eye Color: Purple
District: South
Journal: Knuckles' Journal
Player: Nikil
Theme Song: Unknown from Me
First Canon Update
Sonic Unleashed
After Solaris was erased from the timeline, Knuckles lost his memories of the event. Nothing is really known about what Knuckles was doing during the Dark Gaia incident (the planet shattered and an evil being called Dark Gaia awoke early, causing monster to appear at night and make some people act strange), but it's pretty safe to assume he was on Angel Island during this time watching over the Master Emerald. It's unlikely the event had any effect on the island itself due to normally floating in the air.
Sonic Generations
Tails asked him and several others of Sonic's friends to throw Sonic a surprise birthday party for his 20th birthday (it's not clear if it's actually his 20th in-canon but for simplicity's sake, let's go with it). During the party, a monster called the Time Eater showed up and kidnaps him and the others. They get pulled into time holes and somehow he ends up stuck as a living white statue in a huge white limbo as a result of the Time Eater messing up the timeline.
Once Knuckles was restored by Classic Sonic (or Modern Sonic), he mostly waits around and cheers the Sonics on during the final battle. Once that mess was fixed, the party resumed but this time with more guests.
Sonic Lost World
During a normal fight with Eggman, one of the capsules full of kidnapped little animals dropped to the ground and both him and Amy happened to find it. They get into contact with Sonic and Tails, who have chased Eggman to a place called the Lost Hex. They both get assigned to watch over the animals and wait for them to get the rest of the kidnapped animals from Eggman.
Sometime after that, life energy suddenly started getting pulled from the planet. All life around them start dying off and it's sometime after that before even he and Amy get their own life energy taken from them, seemingly killing them.
While they and the planet do get restored to life, Knuckles gets pulled back to Nautilus before he could be brought back.
Second canon update
Years later, he went back home, but this time he had Tails and Rouge come with him.
He returned as a ghost, confirming that he had actually died. It wasn't long before they found both his (teenage) body and Amy's body. Thankfully everything was restored to normal and both Knuckles and Amy were brought back to life. Though in Knuckles' case, he briefly got trapped in his own body as his non-Wakened self took control.
Once Sonic and Tails (the one native to Knuckles' world) returned and Sonic took a nap, Tails explained what happened up there. After that, his Wakened self's spirit exits his body and returns to Nautilus with Rouge and the Tails from Nautilus.
Early History
Although his early history isn't really known, he was born and raised on Angel Island, but it isn't known how his parents died. He's been assigned as Guardian of the Master Emerald for as long as he could remember, and as the last remaining member of his kind, it's something only he can do.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles
One day while guarding the Master Emerald, the Chaos Emeralds near the alter began glowing and causing tremors, eventually getting to the point where he was thrown out and lost consciousness. When he woke up, he discovered the cause was the crashed Death Egg, which Knuckles mistakes for a dragon in a prophecy about bringing disaster to the island. He spent the next few days trying to investigate until he runs into and meets Dr. Eggman, then known as Dr. Robotnik. Robotnik tells Knuckles that he was a researcher on the Death Egg and that Sonic and Tails were trying to steal the Master Emerald from him. Believing him, Knuckles worked to slow things down for Sonic and Tails and prevent them from reaching Robotnik, including forcing Sonic out of his super form. All the while not realizing that Robotnik was using him.
Eventually after a fight with Sonic at the Hidden Palace Zone, Knuckles finds out Robotnik's betrayal after another tremor hit and he went to check on the Master Emerald. He tries getting it back, but he gets electrocuted and Robotnik escapes. Realizing that Sonic and Tails are on his side, Knuckles helps them get to the Sky Sanctuary Zone so that they could get onto the Death Egg. There, they witnessed the re-launch of the Death Egg (which Sonic and Tails previously had made it crash before). He was too tired to help them fight, so he could only lead them. Later, Sonic and Tails returns the Master Emerald to the island.
The peace didn't last as RoboEgg ambushed him with a bomb and Knuckles survives it. Pissed, he goes after the RoboEgg and later get kidnapped by the robot. He was taken to Mecha Sonic, who had stolen the Master Emerald and tries to kill Knuckles. He manages to escape and defeat Mecha Sonic while it had gone into a super form by using the Master Emerald's energy. Knuckles and the Master Emerald ends up falling through the ground, but he and the emerald gets saved by Tails and Sonic by flying a plane up to catch him. The Master Emerald then gets restored to it's rightful place.
Sonic Adventure
One night, Knuckles was dozing off when he was awoken by Chaos, a water creature having shattered the Master Emerald. He attacks Chaos, but Chaos dodges and takes off with the pieces, causing the island to fall into the ocean. He goes onto a search for the pieces of the Master Emerald, during which he runs into Robotnik, now going by Eggman and fights Chaos 2 when Eggman gave Chaos a Chaos Emerald. Eggman tricked Knuckles again by claiming that Sonic was after the pieces of the Master Emerald too.
Confused, he went off to find Sonic to speak to him (along the way finding more pieces). When he spots that Sonic has something shiny in his hands, he mistakes it for the shards and attacks him. After the fight, he makes Sonic drop the two Chaos Emeralds he has and Eggman steals them, giving them to Chaos 2 so that it transforms into Chaos 4. He goes off to find more pieces while Sonic and Tails go after Eggman. During the whole time he's been searching for the pieces, he keeps receiving visions of the past and about Tikal, another echidna, which confused him.
Eventually he gets all the pieces back and restores both the Master Emerald and the island. However it sinks again and Knuckles goes looking for advice from Sonic before getting ambushed by Chaos again. He ends up at a destroyed Station Square where he found four de-powered emeralds. He was there to help the emeralds get their power restored and watch Super Sonic defeat Perfect Chaos for good. Once Chaos was defeated, it returned to a more peaceful state and leaves with Tikal, who's spirit had been with them all along.
Sonic Adventure 2
Some time later, the Master Emerald gets stolen again, but this time by Rouge the Bat. He confronts her but then Eggman shows up to steal it. To prevent it from getting stolen again, he shatters the Master Emerald to pieces. He goes searching for them again. During his search, he gets lost and ends up in Central City, where he runs into Tails and Amy. He goes with them to help stop Eggman once they told him what was going on, which was that Eggman was trying to use something called the Eclipse Cannon to try to take over the world. During this time, he's forced to face his fears of ghosts and fights King Boo Boom. Eventually he, Sonic, Tails and Amy manage to get onto a space shuttle and goes to the abandoned Space Colony Ark due to where the Eclipse Cannon is located.
There he runs into Rouge and gets into a fight with her. When she slips, he catches up and pulls her up, almost accidentally kissing her in the process. She gives up her emerald shards to him, and he apologizes to her if he had hurt her.
After the Eclipse Cannon was stopped, the Ark started heading towards Earth for collision. He witnesses a recording of Gerald Robotnik and after banding together with Eggman, goes to help stop the colony's crash course. He uses the completed Master Emerald to try to stop the Chaos Emeralds from powering the core, but this doesn't work. He watches Sonic and Shadow go super with the Chaos Emeralds and after that, both Sonic and Shadow stop the Ark from crashing, though not without Shadow's sacrifice.
Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic '06
Sometime after that, Knuckles teams up with Sonic and Tails when Eggman challenges them to defeat him. He travels with them, gets into fights with Team Rose (Amy, Cream & Big) and Team Dark (Rouge, an amnesic Shadow and Omega), and later helps fight Metal Overlord with Super Sonic and Tails with some borrowed chaos energy.
A few months later, the Earth is hit with an alien invasion and he helps fight the Black Arms. Ultimately Shadow is the one to defeat and destroy all of them before they could become alien food.
Later, Knuckles receives a message from Eggman to give to Sonic. Eggman had kidnapped Princess Elise of Soleanna and demands the Chaos Emerald Sonic has in his possession. Knuckles goes along with Sonic and Tails and ends up being thrown 200 years into the future. There, they run into Shadow and Rouge. After fighting Iblis, Sonic and Shadow use their emeralds to get everyone back to the present.
When Sonic gets murdered, Knuckles and everyone else gets caught into a space-time distortion due to Iblis being released and Mephiles re-joining with it, becoming Solaris once more. There, they discover Sonic dead and after Elise senses Sonic's spirit, he and six others go through what's left of time to get all the Chaos Emeralds. After Sonic is brought back to life, Sonic, Shadow and Silver go super and defeat Solaris. This adventure got erased from the timeline when Elise blows out the candle containing Solaris. This timeline would be temporary put back on Sonic's birthday sometime later after the Wisps Incident and much later than the Dark Gaia Incident.
Nautilus History
Knuckles first appears in Nautilus in the worst possible time, having successfully found the Light Blue Chaos Emerald but blacking out before he could take it. So when he discovered himself in a strange new place without being able to glide and that Sonic's alive here, he felt very confused. Eventually he, Tails and Sonic came together and to the conclusion that they are all from different zones, not times. While it didn't completely clear up the confusion, at least they were on the same page. Or at least as much as they could be.
His time has been rough for the most part. First he got fooled by Sonic into pranking Nott, then he became a victim of one of the Mouse Kings and getting a cold for a week after that. Then he temporary lost his sense of responsibility and got drunk a lot. He had even tried to offer Tails booze during that much to his later horror.
After a few months of having trouble, he learned how to bend from Hei during some sparing. During the Village Storm, he was among the unaffected but he ended up in rough shape as he spend the week trying, and failing, to rescue those trapped and then he turned to drinking when Sonic went back home. He was greeted by a man named Relius Clover, who seemed to be a bit of kindred spirit to Knuckles at the time.
During a sparring match with Relius, he was able to bend back his strength but he had re-learn how to handle his old strength at first. He's even agreed to let Relius mentor him.
When Knuckles went home, it took him two weeks time to come back. When he did, he collapsed outside of the Southern gate. Relius found him first and after a random sparing match, Knuckles loses. Relius then proceeded to shatter Knuckles' soul and brainwash him into becoming more loyal to him, though this caused the unintended side-effect of Knuckles' devotion to the Master Emerald translating into a puppy-love type crush. After sending Sonic through a wall and nearly killing him, he went into hiding and not too long after, transformed into a Battle Doll. It took over a month before he could get returned to normal and the brainwashing removed.
Thanks to Elias' prep talk, he started focusing on being a protector in Nautilus as his new purpose in life. However, this new focus and obsession with stopped Clover has started to blind him in terms of his hatred towards Clover. When Knuckles got into an argument with Augustus, it put a strain on their friendship. Even before things were slightly uneasy.
During Genesis of Nature, Knuckles ascended to Angelii status but then Irene warned him of what was going on. He took a couple days to think about it, but he ultimately resolved to accept the status despite the risks. He figured that since some of the ascended were immune, then he would be. Unfortunately it didn't take long before he started getting sick too, and started sprouting plants. That included Globe Amaranths in his dreads, and a Star of Bethlehem on his chest where his heart was located. On his birthday, during the invasion of plant and chaos monsters, he transformed into a tree next to where Sonic transformation at Tails' workshop. He was cured a few days later and received belated birthday gifts from the city when he returned to his apartment.
While the Gag Reel Storm was going on, Knuckles got his first kiss stolen by Shadow, due to the effects of both Chuck switching Shadow's personality with Sonic's, and the Spectacles of Eros that Knuckles was forced to wear during the storm. It wouldn't be until later after Sonic stepped down and had Shadow take charge of the team was when the awkwardness was resolved. It was also that point when Knuckles was assigned to be second-in-command.
When Klement snapped due to stress from everything plus Areva refusing to take responsibility, Knuckles was one of the victims of Klement's punishments by being transformed into a beast Echidna. The experience (plus helping Maria deal with her shadow) opened his eyes and he realized what Klement was trying to tell him. He managed to get back to normal with Maria's help and he visited Klement in jail to speak with him.
After Shadow had kidnapped Tikal and went back to Sleep, Knuckles got left with a lot of baggage. Hurt by Shadow's betrayal, guilt over failing to protect Tikal, sadness due to Amy, Sonic and Antoine going back to sleep, and the heavy weight of being leader to the Freedom Fighters. Which didn't last when the final meeting made it clear that not many of them were left, Tails was planning on leaving and Knuckles' argument with Nott caused the fox to leave. Which pretty much spelled the team's doom.
For a while he feel into a depression, even after moving in with Tails to make sure the kid was okay, but he eventually snapped out of it. Several months later, he lead a team to Shadow's world to fix the flaw, which resulted in his daughter coming back from the dead (since her death was a result of the flaw). Then, he was turned into a human teenager with false memories and smoked several cigarettes for one week. As a result, he had to deal with the consequences of smoking. He vows never to smoke again, which he is more determined to keep than he had with drinking.
When Tails tried to make himself go into a super form using fake Chaos Emeralds that Calex made and gave him, Knuckles got caught in the explosion. This resulted in him in a super form himself. It didn't last as most super forms back home worked and he scolded Tails for his mistake as well as express anger that Calex was so irresponsible as to allow this to happen. Should the cat Deva return, he'll give him a piece of his mind aka punch him in the face.
During the eclipse, Knuckles went out despite being sick and he ended up getting injuried trying to protect Alya who was trying to help him. After they got away, he got patched up and scolded at himself for being careless.
During a day when Knuckles was feeling really homesick, Papillion sent out an Akuma and he gets Akumaized into a "friendly" Akuma to try to improve Papillion's image. After Ladybug and Chat Noir meet him, they manage to get his gloves away and purify him. This resulted in anger as Knuckles could remember what happened and left after that.
Then during his third Wake anniversary, he gets his old Hammer Gloves back, which makes that homesickness worse and he breaks. He get re-akumaized and this time is more of a standard Akuma. Ladybug and Chat Noir face him again and manage to defeat him and re-purify him. This time, he doesn't remember what happened. He realizes that he really needs to go home, but he'll wait until after Christmas. Christmas passes, after him gaining a reindeer after befriending one. He spends a couple weeks planning out the worst case scenerio and was planning on going back with Tails when the next storm came and went.
Some time after Knuckles returned from his trip home, he gets caught up in another Akuma mess. This time, he got minioned by an Akumaized!The Spire, though thankfully he kept his mind and didn't have to fight the two Chat Noirs and Ladybug!Alya.
Recently he has become an Ashura, which he accepts. Time will tell if he starts gaining any Angelii or not.
One thing about Knuckles is that he's a very independent and loner type of person, as well as being a bit anti-social. Part of it is due to his strong sense of duty and responsibility as Guardian of the Master Emerald, but also due to his social awkwardness due to having been separated from society most of his life. He can be rather shy around strangers (especially women), though he usually hides it by acting tough. It's because of that, he tends to be blunt and not care about what others think.
He will however leave the island if his help is needed or when he feels the Master Emerald and the island will be safe. He has developed other hobbies such as treasure hunting, practicing his fighting skills, or hang out with his friends. He also sometimes does Extreme Gear races.
Like how Sonic is like the wind, Knuckles is the mountain, unmoving and stubborn. Once he makes up his mind, he won't be deterred from it. He prefers to do things his own way, regardless of whenever it makes it harder for him or not. He has been prone to do rash and ill-advised actions and isn't one to do complex strategies. He can be sneaky however when in the right element such as setting a bunch of traps for Sonic and Tails.
Despite how cool and collected he could be in battle, he has quite a short temper and it's not hard to set him off. He has learned to channel it in his fighting style.
Due to his isolation, he can be a bit on the naive side and has a strong belief in seeing good in everyone, which can cause him to be rather gullible. He's been tricked by Eggman multiple times, though he has gotten better at that such as finding him more suspicious. Past his tough facade, he has a softer side to him. He's heroic, brave and kind-hearted. He cares a lot about his friends and in a good mood, he can hold a nice conversation with someone.
Knuckles is as physically strong as Sonic is fast, so he has superhuman strength. He can smash large boulders, punch holes into tough steel and lift objects several times his own size and weight. He's even able to lift 100 metric tons. The majority of his strength lies in his upper body, most notably his arms and fists. He's been known to be able to throw things hard enough to ignite and can make an explosion by punching the ground hard enough.
He's also pretty tough in that he can take a lot of punishment. He can even survive a bomb blast in front of him. He can also handle fighting an army of robots without rest. He can be fast on his feet when he's running, but he's sadly not as fast as Sonic, Shadow and Tails and his movements in battle can be slow.
His spiked knuckles can allow him to attach himself to all kinds of walls and climb them up. It also helps with digging huge holes and tunnels. His dreadlocks can lock in air so that he can glide in the air over a long distance.
He has the ability to sense the chaos energy from Chaos Emeralds, as well as objects similar to them like the Sol Emeralds. While he does have a super form, it requires Super Chaos Emeralds (powered up versions of the Chaos Emeralds) and like all super forms, it has a time limit where if he runs out of rings it'll wear off.
As an expert treasure hunter, he has quite a bit of knowledge concerning ancient cultures, ruins and legends, and has once translated ancient text in Sonic Riders Zero Gravity. He's also an expert swimmer.
Bending Abilities
- Create shields. So far only the normal one but in time he'll learn how to bend up other types like bubble shield and fire shield.
- Firey Fist attack. Basically the combo attack from Sonic Heroes. He punches fast and hard enough to lit his fist on fire.
- Bend himself into a dog form (Afghan Hound), an earth pony form, a human form (though he needs to wear clothes during it), and disguise himself using bending.
- Although it was more from an accident, he can go into a super form, but he can't control when he does and it's temporary like in canon.
To Be Decided
Current CR
Tails - Another one of his best friends, even if he's clearly from the past. Much like with Sonic, it started out rather rocky, but once things were cleared up, things were much better. He originally thought of him like a little brother, but after the latest storm, he now thinks of him like a son despite his real memories being restored. So he has become a bit more protective than before of him. Especially after Sonic hurt the poor kid's feelings after Sonic's return.
He feels horrible for hurting him as a Battle Doll, and wouldn't blame him if the fox hated him now. It especially hurts him due to his father instincts.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng - Someone he's talked to sometimes. She seems nice enough and perky, but he doesn't have much of an opinion of her yet though he was surprised she called him a friend.
Ladybug - One of the superheroes from Paris. He has mixed feelings about her (especially with the time she tried to attack him with love arrows), but he is slowly understanding her a little. He's now nicknaming her "Bug Girl" in light of being purified after he got akumaized the second time.
Irene - One of the (now fellow) Ashuras and his current boss as well as a former member of the Freedom Fighters when it was still around. He doesn't know her that well, but he can respect her no-nonsense attitude and having a level head.
Sunset Shimmer - A human who's usually a unicorn pony. She's nice and he admired her trying to stand up to help out with the Endos situation when that was going on. Not sure if he considers her a friend yet, but he's getting there.
Chat Noir - The other superhero from Paris. He can fight pretty well and he respect him as a fighter and superhero, though the later half he has more mixed feelings about him. Like with Ladybug, he's slowly understanding him a little and is now nicknaming him "Cat Boy".
Alya Césaire - A girl from Paris that he's saved/spoken with. She reminds him of Amy in some ways and she seems like a nice girl like Marinette. Not quite a friend yet but so far he feels he can trust her.
Dirk Cadwell - Haaaatttee. He hates him about as much as he did Clover between being a battle doll, and being turned into a beast by Klement (that time where he was still hurting from the aftermath and felt anger towards Clover for what he had done to him). This guy is a Grade-A a-hole that for some reason likes to blame him on stuff (or at least he did for "jinxing" it and supposedly causing the monster invasion to happen). He's ready for him in the likely event Dirk tries to kill him. He won't kill the guy, but he'll break several bones in Dirk's body in the process of defending himself.
Antovil - One of the Devas and his new teacher. He doesn't have much of an opinion of him yet, but considering it's either him or Areva (since Lixue wasn't around at the time), he chose him instead. There's no way he could deal with Areva's craziness.
Dropped CR
Hazama - He never interacted with him, but he was very wary of him thanks to Nott warning him. He's glad the creep's gone.
Blaze - Silver's friend. He didn't have much of an opinion on her other than "don't piss her off". Something which only Amy Rose had been able to do in the past.
Miko - She reminded him a little of Amy but other than that, he didn't have much of an opinion on her.
Elias Acorn - Another Mobian and what he thought was a fox was actually a squirrel, as well as a former king. Already it felt like they had some things in common and he helped him out while he was still recovering from the Battle Doll fiasco. He's thankful for the help as well as giving him exactly what he needed sadly it didn't help him when Sonic confronted him a few minutes later. He's not happy that Elias went back to sleep, but not much you can do there. Just a shame they didn't get the chance to have that talk.
Scott Summers - A human that he spoke with a few times. He had tried to help him while he was a Battle Doll, but he was among those to help him while he was in Medbey recovering from the ordeal. He didn't know much about him, but he seemed nice (and apparently liked wearing sunglasses).
Maria - Gerald Robotnik's Granddaughter. He felt sorry for her, even if he didn't know her that well other than when she was in that video that played during the invasion of the Black Arms. She seemed like a nice kid either way. He wasn't sure how to feel about her crush on Shadow. Part of him felt disgusted due to the idea of a human and a mobian dating to be taboo back home, but at the same time, he figured she'll get over the puppy love crush eventually. He's a bit sad that she went back to sleep and passed onto the afterlife, but it's for the best.
Amy Rose - Another version of a friend that died back home. He was originally got shook up by seeing her in Nautilus, even if she looked different from the Amy he's familiar with due to his grief. While he's not completely over his grief of his version of Amy, he had gotten over his initial feelings he had before towards this one. He did find her interesting due to how different she acted and how she even fought differently. Too bad her world sucks and it's also too bad she went back to Sleep now. Which is hitting him a little hard at the moment since he still has issues of back home and what with others he knows having gone back to sleep too, he's feeling really crummy.
King Shadow - He was a different version of Shadow, but he had trusted him. In light of the truth coming out and finding out he had murdered his future daughter, he is quite angry with him now. He'll still treat a different version of Shadow like before and he'll defend him, but he won't hestate to stop him should he prove to be the same or another evil Shadow. At the very least he's actually glad he's gone now.
Sonic - Although neither of them would admit it so easily, they were close friends (even a best friend to Knuckles), as well as friendly rivals. Things started out rather rocky, but slowly he has since learned to trust Sonic, and is always willing to help out when he's needed. They tend to banter and fight a lot due to their polar opposite personalities. Part of Knuckles is jealous of Sonic's freedom but, again, this is something he wouldn't admit.
When he ran into Sonic in Nautilus, he was quite happy to see that he was alive and well, even if he's not the same Sonic that just died recently. Sonic's death back home really hurt him a lot more than he would like to admit. He was furious at Mephiles for killing Sonic, even if he hadn't witnessed it himself.
Before going through his own canon update, he had been simply mad at Sonic for hurting Tails. Due to Relius' brainwashing, he felt sheer hatred for him more than he ever had. It didn't help that he partially blamed Sonic for his death and Amy's death. Now that he's broken out of the brainwashing however, that hatred is gone and replaced with huge guilt. Things were strained between them for a while but it went back to normal eventually. Even if he did get mad at him for not telling him about what happened to his mom and his people in his zone.
With him, Amy and Antoine now gone, Knuckles is not having a swell time at the moment.
Antoine - One of the Freedom Fighters from Sonic's zone, though he seemed to be farther in the future than Sonic. Aside from being jumpy and having some strange accent, he didn't seem that bad, though it was hard to tell from the first meeting. He had been slowly warming up to him and after Antoine supported him in the aftermath of being a Battle Doll, his opinion of the coyote had improved. Even having started to consider him a friend. Even if he side-eyed the poetry thing that happened at the Talent Show.
He's sad that he, Amy and Sonic are all gone now.
Brentwood - A gargoyle that seemed rather slow though seemed to have been getting smarter. At first he thought of him as nothing more than a pet, but after the brainwashing was removed, he worried over the gargoyle and hoped he can be saved from Clover. At least he's gone back home where Clover can't reach him.
Relius Clover - When Knuckles tried to drown his sorrows, he was encountered by the strange man, but just from their meeting he has already gotten respect from Knuckles for seemingly being able to understand him in a way not many others do. He helped him get the focus he needed to get his strength back, and after showing him what souls look like and brainwashing fixing his Red Flicky problem, his respect for him greatly increased. He's agreed to let him mentor him and help him get stronger and become "perfect".
Due to Clover' brainwashing, he had become devoted to him in the same way he used to be for the Master Emerald. Somehow that translated into a crush. After he was broken from the brainwashing however, Knuckles' heart was broken and he felt betrayed. It was clear he was nothing more than materials for a weapon to be used to him.
For a while, he hated the man and considered him a bigger monster than Eggman and Black Doom (which he didn't think was possible), but after Klement punished him, that hatred disappeared. However, he didn't trust him at all and would never forgive him for what he did to him. Thus when he went back to Sleep, he actually felt relief. One less threat to the city and he can close that chapter in his life.
Kale - Odd fashion choices aside, he seemed friendly enough though he didn't know him that well. While he didn't agree with his anti-Deva views, he did seem like a reasonable guy and he could respect that. A shame he decided to go home and back to Sleep.
Augustus - Nott's boyfriend. He didn't know the cat well, though he did feel bad for him due to Nott having had rejected him at first. After Augustus had hurt Knuckles during the Monster Mash mini-storm, he disliked the cat even though he apologized. Especially what with his continued use of that same power he used against Knuckles made him think Augustus wasn't really that sorry after all.
He's also the reason why things were strained between Knuckles and Nott, but Knuckles didn't blame the cat at least, though eventually he asked him to let it go with Nott. Which Knuckles had (mostly) agreed to as a favor for helping him while he was an amnesiac Classic!Knuckles. While he did still not like the cat and found him creepy, he didn't detest him like he used to. He was not surprised that he went back to sleep and honestly it was a good thing since who knows how bad things could have gone if the cat went completely in the deep end.
Klement - Was one of the Devas and Knuckles' first Deva teacher. He seemed the most approachable of the Devas and the one who seemed sane. He gained respect for him when he publicly apologized for their silence during the plant disease crisis. Despite having gotten punished by him by getting turned into a beast, he forgave him for what happened. If anything, he cared about him since clearly the Deva was having a hard time with things and thus have a real, for lack of a better word, human side to him. Plus the Deva was right in that he was letting his hatred for Clover blind him and turn towards a dark path again. He was a decent teacher and now he's sad that he left for good.
Hei - A (former) Freedom Fighter and a (now former) Angelii, he helped Knuckles figure out how to finally bend after having had months of trouble with it. He didn't know him that well but he appreciated the help he gave him (as well as giving him material to bother Sonic with). He never did talk or interact with him again after that, and now he won't be able to. Oh well.
Birthday: February 2nd (un-official; same date as NA release of Sonic 3)
Ascended: (Ashura) April 2018
(Angelii) December 2015
Deva: Antovil
(Formerly) Klement Devereux
Angelii: N/A
(Never bonded with any Ashuras)
Ascended Abilities: Teleportation (Needs training to fine tune for attacking)
Currently working on: ???
Offensive Teleportation
Weaving and Unweaving
Stabilizing Chaosflow
Original Angelii Essay
Former Angelii Abilities: Sight and Flight (never learned Speed).
Pokemon Team: Hitmonchan (Male, name pending), Sandslash (name and gender pending), Carbink (genderless, name pending), Numel (name and gender pending), Riolu (male, name pending), Meditite (name and gender pending)
Kept Pokemon: Carbink and Riolu
Pokemon that got lost post-Pokemon Storm: Hitmonchan, Sandslash, Numel and Meditite.
Currently has: A plushie of the Master Emerald, a birthday card with brochures for Alcoholics Anonymous, a plushie of himself with plastic chaos emerald, Dr. Finitevus' cape, a glass replica of the Light Blue Chaos Emerald (new one from the Nautilus Zone Storm), Shovel Claws, model of Angel Island, Life-size Master Emerald, Triple Snowball Blaster (aka a toy gun), some clothes such as several pairs of shirts, a hoodie or two, several pairs of pants and a brown jacket, Light Mobius outfit that his counterpart used to wear, Fighting Gloves, a set of prom favors including a a large sparkly STEAMPUNK Nautilus shell with "PROM 2013 2017" stamped on it, Hammer Gloves, Nautilus Badge plushies, his Sonic Mania & Knuckles book
Used to have: A glass replica of the Light Blue Chaos Emerald that originally belonged to Sonic (gave back to him), a wedding dress from Valentines day 2014 (gave to Marinette), the same dress Elsa from Frozen wore (same thing), a pink tutu (ditto).


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Established in Malta in 2013, Luke Azzopardi is a luxury design house specialising in bespoke couture. Creative director Luke Azzopardi studied at Central Saint Martins in London and the University of Malta where he remained to launch his brand. The Luke Azzopardi studio focuses on the idea of timeless elegance, and reflects a sense of a researched and applied aestheticism stemming from the director's academic background in fashion & costume history. Its mission is to push artisanal design as a self-sustainable local industry through concept-based fashion that embraces beauty, individuality and style.
Luke Azzopardi was awarded the Premio Cultura e Moda 2016 by L'Istituto Italiano di Cultura.


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In order to get a better idea of what emotional/well-being challenges are going on in workplace environments I've decided to ask for some feedback. I would love it if you could spare a couple of minutes to fill this in.
*UPDATE: The Survey is providing really important data on the real challenges people face at work. So, just to try and look at this in a bit more detail, we're now asking for your location and the sector you work in.
In your view, what are the 3 main emotional/well-being challenges in your current place of work?
e.g. Staff sickness, unachievable workloads, lack of understanding by managers, bullying etc.


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NAMI DuPage Gives Hope to Families
Downers Grove | Website
This event occurred in the past.
Map | Find Parking
Every community struggles with mental illnesses. As some of the most stigmatized and misunderstood of medical disorders, common illnesses such as depression, anxiety, personality disorders, bipolar, and schizophrenia often go unspoken and unsupported. The needs of the family members and friends of those with mental illness are typically overlooked, both as key elements of treatment and as persons with grief and pain in their own right. That is why NAMI DuPage (The National Alliance on Mental Illness) offers a unique education course specifically designed to meet the needs of those who love and care for persons with mental illness. Called "Family-to-Family", this evidence-based class covers topics such as mental illness recognition and diagnosis, medication, brain basics, communication and advocacy techniques, and self-care for the caregiver. The class is taught by trained family members of those with mental illness, allowing attendees to connect personally while they learn. Call or visit the website if interested in attending.


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The Alamo offers several options for private group and after-hours tours.
To book your tour, or for more information, contact us at (210) 225-1391 ext. 4005 or fill out the TOUR REQUEST FORM and our Tour Program Coordinator will contact you within 48 hours to confirm your tour.
Private Tours
$40 per person | 5 – 20 people
Skip the lines: with the Alamo Private tour, individuals and small groups are guided through the Alamo and grounds at their leisure. This personalized tour creates a more intimate experience for you and your small group, at the time that works best for you. Tours should be booked a minimum of two weeks before your visit.
After-Hours Tours
$25 per person | 20 – 75 people
Retrace the footsteps of the past in the solitude of an Alamo after-hours tour. Your exclusive visit will include a personalized tour of the Church and the Long Barrack Museum after normal operating hours. The after-hours tour offers an unforgettable experience for out-of-town guests, corporate groups, private ceremonies and receptions, and more. Tours should be booked a minimum of two weeks before your visit. During peak season hours, after-hours tours are limited to one tour per night, beginning at 7 p.m.
Group Tours
$20 per person | 20 – 30 people
Our public Guided Tour can be reserved for private groups of 20 – 30 people during normal business hours. This 1-hour guided tour explores the heroes and events that have made the story of the Alamo captivating for generations of Texans and visitors. The tour walks along the original footprint of the Spanish mission and ends inside the Alamo Church.
School Groups & Field Trips
The Alamo welcomes thousands of students to the grounds each year. We offer several different packages for school groups to help you plan the trip that best suits your learning objectives. Please visit the Plan Your Field Trip page for more information and to schedule your trip.


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Major Australian banks have made mobile payments a priority tech initiative and are in various stages of rolling out technology that lets customers pay with smartphones. Commonwealth Bank and Westpac are so far leading the pack, but ANZ Bank and National Australia Bank (NAB) say they are planning to make their own moves soon.
Mobile payments in Australia are largely based on near-field communications (NFC) technology, which can be embedded either inside a smartphone or a smart sticker that can be attached to the phone. NFC is included in many major Android, Windows and BlackBerry phones. However, Apple so far has not included NFC in the iPhone.
In this feature, which will be updated as the situation develops, Computerworld Australia takes a look at the status of NFC rollouts at Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, ANZ Bank and National Australia Bank (NAB).
Commonwealth Bank
CommBank has been the fastest mover on NFC. While the Samsung Galaxy S4 is currently the only phone the bank supports for embedded NFC payments, the bank also offers PayTag stickers for users to attach to other smartphones.
Customers can make contactless mobile payments of up to $100. The smart stickers cost $2.99.
CommBank rolled out the app update supporting NFC payments to Android and Windows Phone 8 users in December 2013. The iPhone followed, receiving the update on 16 January.
CommBank CIO Michael Harte has said the bank's foray into NFC will "deliver a whole new level of trust and convenience to the way consumers make mobile payments and manage their everyday mobile banking".
Westpac has announced plans to roll out mobile payments early this year through a partnership with Visa. The mobile payments service uses NFC chips embedded in Android smartphones, but Westpac has not said which specific devices will be supported.
Users will be able to store all of their Westpac debit and credit cards--Visa and MasterCard--in the existing Westpac banking app.
The impending release of the service follows a successful internal trial at Westpac.
Unlike CommBank, Westpac rejected the idea of using smart stickers. "Westpac has trialled the use of stickers for mobile payments but has decided not to roll them out to customers," Westpac chief product officer David Lindberg said in December 2013.
"Westpac continues to support all handset providers and will be excited to support them when they do develop payment solutions for their phones in the future."
ANZ Bank
ANZ announced an NFC pilot for Android devices back in October 2012. The trial began with 25 ANZ employees.
More than year later, an ANZ spokeswoman tells us that the "pilot is progressing well and we're continuing to work with industry partners to ensure that ANZ Mobile Wallet is available as soon as possible".
"Demonstration of the wallet at the Australian Open and the NRL Grand final confirmed customers want a simple to set up, easy to use and secure mobile payments solution," she said.
But ANZ fears the market may not be ready for NFC payments, she said.
"The NFC market is still evolving and has yet to reach a level of maturity that we would feel comfortable to launch a product that would meet our customer expectations and is available to as many customers as possible."
NAB is working on mobile contactless payments for iOS and Android, but has yet to announce specific details.
"Contactless payments on mobile devices represent an exciting opportunity for NAB to meet our customers' growing and ever-changing needs," an NAB spokesman told us.
"NAB is working towards a secure storage solution for devices so that consumers can shop online or in-store with their iOS (iPhone) or Android devices in a convenient and secure way."
"NAB has long recognised the importance of small business to our business and to the Australian economy -- small businesses are the lifeblood of Australian communities. That is why NAB has decided to prioritise its efforts in this area on innovative ways for mobile businesses to accept payments via their smartphone."
Other banks
Smaller banks who have announced mobile payment trials include Bendigo Bank and bankmecu.
Bendigo Bank is trialling a mobile payments service called Redy with two small communities in Victoria. However, rather than NFC, the bank has relied on QR codes for greater universality among devices.
At the same time, bankmecu has an ongoing mobile payments pilot with 100 customers using NFC stickers. In the future, bankmecu would like to enable mobile payments without the tags, using NFC chips embedded in certain smartphones, according to Chris Newey, the bank's general manager of corporate services.
Adam Bender covers telco and enterprise tech issues for Computerworld and is the author of a dystopian novel about surveillance. Follow him on Twitter: @WatchAdam
Follow Computerworld Australia on Twitter: @ComputerworldAU, or take part in the Computerworld conversation on LinkedIn: Computerworld Australia


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New paint, drapery, and carpet were just the start of this master bedroom renovation.
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Kris Jenner's master bedroom was the inspiration for our client's project. The goal was to create a warm, comfortable, elegant space that's not formal.
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