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Starting two weeks ago, you might have noticed some shiny new objects on the site. In fact, some of you have already been distracted by them. Others of you might not have noticed at all. So we're making sure.
We finally added share buttons to each article. Specifically, we added buttons for Twitter, identi.ca, reddit, StumbleUpon, and Facebook.
The suggestion came during our first Open Your World webcast series with Stefan Lindegaard. During the pre-call, Stefan said something to the effect of, "Why don't you just put a big Twitter button on the page so I can share this content." So we did.
We didn't rush out and do it the next day, though I wish we could have done it sooner. We waited so we could examine our stats (yay, analytics!) and determine which buttons we should add. We guessed that Twitter and Facebook were givens. Our data told us we were right, but added that we get a good amount of traffic from reddit and StumbleUpon as well.
Although we aren't seeing a lot of usage or traffic from identi.ca compared to the other social media outlets, it's the open source equivalent to Twitter, and we felt it deserves a spot. For now.
We also decided to keep the "Share" button that's all the way at the bottom. To be honest, we don't think it gets used very often. But it has got about every single social network site on it known to man. We wanted to cover all the bases.
It could be that it's in a bad place on the page, or it might be that it simply has too many choices. We're hoping that by putting the options that are used most frequently in a more prominent place, it'll make it easier for us to share more often.
We can't guarantee that we'll keep each button. You'll notice there's room for probably one more. For right now, though, we like having five. It looks good and it's not too distracting or crowded. In the future, we may swap them out or we might go with something else entirely.
Fact is, the buttons are there for you and other community members. We think we've got good content and we want to make it easy to share what you like with your networks. Feedback, as always, is welcome.
Does this format work for you? Do you prefer something different? Who does it best or better? Let us know in the comments.


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Hair extensions require more care than your own hair. Your real hair receives nourishment through the roots, which your extensions do not. It is therefore important to take care of your hair extensions and use moisturizing products to prevent them from becoming dry and frizzy or lose their shine.
Don't wash the hair for at least 48 hours after attachment.
Keep the hair braided when you sleep or work out.
Untangle and brush the hair morning, evening, and before showers.
Use moisturizing products intended for hair extensions.
Avoid salt water and chlorine water.
Use hair treatments or hair oil.
Do not use shampoo for oily hair, use shampoo for dry hair.
The shampoo should not contain alcohol or sulphates.
Wash the hair with lukewarm water and moisturizing shampoo. Do not rub the hair.
Follow up with a moisturizing conditioner and a deep conditioner.
Gently squeeze the water out of the hair and pat/flatten it carefully, using a towel. Do not rub the hair dry with the towel.
Let the hair air-dry.
Then straighten, curl, and style your hair any way you want!
Since the hair is already dyed at the factory, we do not recommend that you dye it again. All dyeing is done at your own risk.

subset: commoncrawl


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Marriage is one of the hottest social issues right now. And there is good reason: it's a social institution that touches nearly every aspect of our lives.
We realized that we had a mountain of superb information about this subject, but that it wasn't organized very well. So we sat down to organize it. We took colored post-it notes and brainstormed on all of the different topics related to it, and then we brainstormed about which articles we had that would fit under these topics.
After we finished this paper creation, the more we looked at it, the more we realized that marriage is like an ecosystem. An ecosystem is a functional unit consisting of living things in a given area, linked together in a particular way. One of the wonderful things about an ecosystem is how it can be perceived as a unit, with each creature contributing to the welfare of the entire system. If one of the species dies in an ecosystem, the entire ecosystem is affected.
This critical social institution is more than the sum of many parts. When one part is removed or altered, the entire ecosystem begins to wobble and threatens to collapse. It plays a stabilizing role in society, both in people's day to day lives and also in our society as a unit. We hope by reading our site, you will understand why we call it an ecosystem. We also hope you'll understand why it's important to treat it as we might treat any other ecosystem: with respect, care, and appreciation.
About the Ruth Institute
At the Ruth Institute we are devoted to educating people about the value of marriage. We have a unique perspective because we approach the subject from a large scale perspective. This means we view it through a lens that encompasses all of society, not just individual people. Of course individual people's experiences are important, and there are many other sites and resources to help people with their individual marital issues.
Our focus is different. We call it a sociological perspective, since our focus is society as a unit. It's like viewing a rainforest from an airplane. You can't see the individual trees or animals, but you can see the whole rainforest, and can better understand the forces acting upon it, such as the weather. This is our role. We educate from this perspective, and we hope to make a difference in the lives of future generations of everybody by so doing.
The Ruth Institute is a project of the NOMEF, which is a 501(c)(3) organization. Your contributions to the Ruth Institute are tax deductible. We rely on the generosity of people like you, who understand our mission and believe in us to carry it out. Click here to donate now.
Our goal is to help everybody think about marriage in a new way, from a holistic, organic, and natural perspective. This perspective supports a free society for all, including future generations.
Personal reasons for marriage (such as love) are valid as personal reasons, but they serve as a poor foundation for public policies about marriage.
Donations from people like you help defend the ecosystem of marriage! Your tax-deductible donation gets you:
Click here to donate
1. Part 5 of the Libertarian Case for Man/Woman Marriage: Marriage Laws & the Proper Role of the State
2. Part 3 of the Libertarian Case for Man/Woman Marriage: Gay Marriage Facts
3. Our page about Preserving the Ecosystem of marriage
4. Our page about how contraception harms the marriage ecosystem
5. Part 1 of the Libertarian Case for Man/Woman Marriage, Definition of Marriage
Marriage EcosystemAround the Globe


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Amazing Race 7 winner Joyce Agu was a recurring cast member of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She hid this from producers because, as she tells TV Guide, "I didn't want to be known as 'the actress' on the show."
Joyce played Ensign Gates, who sat on the bridge but didn't talk too often. She says that, "In one scene, I did tai chi with Worf (Michael Dorn) and in another, they asked me to [speak] a couple of lines when Data (Brent Spiner) thought they were out of context for him."
Joyce also appeared on Silk Stalkings, and served for many years as a casting director; she was credited as Joyce Robinson. Joyce will return to acting for a cameo with Uchenna on the June 15 episode of Guiding Light.
Joyce Agu [IMBD]


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The benefits of a hot tub..
1. Improves sleep
Have you ever noticed how quickly you tend to fall asleep after taking a late night bath or a dip in the hot tub?
When your body is cold, your normal sleeping pattern can be disturbed. When your body is comfortably warm, you tend to fall asleep quicker and rest through the night with fewer disruptions.
It is widely accepted that getting quality, REM sleep has a multitude of positive effects on just about everything – from your mood to your mental alertness and even the way your body metabolizes food.
To improve your chances of getting a good night's sleep, try spending some time in the hot tub before getting into bed.
2. Reduces stress and anxiety
Along with making you feel temporarily relaxed, studies show that the combination of the hot water, the massage of the jets, and the feeling of weightlessness can significantly reduce both mental and physical stress and decrease anxiety.
Experts note that when you're not feeling physically and mentally stressed, you're less likely scowl at your loved ones , which means you're less likely to get broken sleep in the middle of the night.
3. Reduces arthritic and chronic pain
Arthritis Hand
For people suffering from skeletal ailments such as arthritis, carpal tunnel, tendonitis, and other types of bodily aches and pains, spending time in the hot tub will typically provide some much-needed relief.
Due to the buoyancy from the bubbles created by the tub's jets, we feel our own weight disappear, our blood circulation increases with the heat, the tightness in our muscles relaxes, and inflammation in our sensitive joints is reduced.
In this state, an aching body can experience heightened flexibility, strength, and a wider range of physical motion. It's no wonder so many people see significant benefits from hydrotherapy when recovering from back, knee, or other joint problems.
4. Lower Blood Sugar
While further studies are still recommended, initial research indicates that spending time in the hot tub may actually lower the blood sugar level of people suffering from type 2 diabetes.
In one study, published in The England Journal of Medicine, subjects with type 2 diabetes spent a half hour, six days per week for three weeks submerged to the shoulder in a hot tub. By the end of the three weeks, the subjects saw an average drop in blood glucose (BG) levels from 182 mg/dl to 159 mg/dl.
Essentially, the hot temperatures in the tub simulate some of the effects of physical exercise – which has proven to be an effective form of treatment for sufferers of type 2 diabetes.
5. Lowers blood pressure
In addition to lowering levels of your blood sugar, relaxing in the hot tub can also lower your blood pressure.
When you get in the tub and the temperature is hot, your heart works harder and faster so that your body can disperse excess heat. In the process, your increased blood flow is producing extra oxygen and your cells are being revitalized. While there may be an initial uptick in blood pressure, your increased warmth will cause cells to dilate, decreasing resistance against the heart and lowering your overall blood pressure.
6. Promotes Healthier, Younger Looking Skin
If you're pondering ways to get your skin looking its best, soaking in the hot tub might not be the first strategy that comes to mind – unless it's a hot tub filled with Neutrogena.
What you may not have considered is that some of the effects of using the hot tub have a direct influence on the health and appearance of your skin.
As mentioned above, regular use of a hot tub has shown to lower levels of stress and anxiety. Stress and anxiety are leading causes of premature aging, which means the hot tub can be a tool to help combat premature aging.
Furthermore, when you're experiencing increased circulation in the hot tub, that means your blood is more efficiently delivering vital oxygen and nutrients to your skin – giving you a healthy, youthful glow.
7. Decreases Frequency of Migraines and Tension Headaches
When you suffer from chronic headaches, like migraines, there simply aren't a ton of treatment options, so relief is a hard thing to come by. Fortunately, there is some evidence to suggest that regular dips in the hot tub may in fact help to prevent certain types of headaches.
How can sitting in a hot tub possibly help with headaches? Well, consider some of the more common triggers of headache, like tension.
Migraine sufferers often report experience tension headaches right before the migraine. In the hot tub, you're muscles aren't contracted, your aches and pains subside, and you feel overall more relaxed – thus decreasing the chance of experience a tension-triggered migraine.
Also, sufferers of sinus and cluster headaches experience episodes when they're stuffed up; spending time in the steamy hot tub – along with using nose drops and drinking fluids – is a good way to fight congestion and prevent these types of headaches.
The Health Benefits of Soaking in a Hot Tub
Hot tubs not only provide an excellent way to relax with your friends and family, but it is also beneficial to your health.


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Bienen fliegen
My brief excursion to Berlin is at an end and I'm back in Brighton.
The prize-giving ceremony for the BIENE accessibility awards went well. It was a very professional affair in nifty surroundings. Champagne, canapés and short films from the folks at Ehrensenf made for a most pleasant awards ceremony. After the ceremony itself, a plentiful supply of food, beer and music ensured that the whole evening was enjoyable.
The highly valued prizes went to some very deserving websites. I can vouch for the fact that the jury was pretty strict in its judgement. Even as the prizes were being handed out on stage, the sweet taste of victory was tempered by some words advising where improvements could still be made.
Most of the winners sported valid markup; usually XHTML Transitional, sometimes even XHTML Strict. Quite a lot of the sites offered text-resizing facilities, though I wonder if that's something best left to user agents. Joe will pleased to note that many of the sites also offered zoom layouts.
The Pfizer website, winner of a golden Biene, includes a remarkable section that sets out to translate those bits of paper you get with your prescription into plain language… and sign language! The whole thing is done with Flash and it works wonderfully well with screenreaders. From a technical viewpoint, I'm really glad that I now have an example I can point to, should I ever find myself in one of those "Flash is inherently inaccessible" arguments.
I also felt that it was very important that the prize-winning websites should be well-crafted with strong visual design. The Barmer website is not only accessible, it looks good too. It's extremely bulletproof with a semi-liquid layout. There's more semi-liquid goodness to be had at the site of the Bundesrat—the federal council of Germany. I'm really impressed with the clarity and cleanliness of the design.
My personal favourite is the website of the Media Management department of the Wiesbaden Technical College. I like the nice clean design. They also offer material in plain language and sign language. It scales nicely, it's usable and it's accessible. But what impressed me most was the story behind the site.
The website was created by students. A small group put the whole thing together in three months. They did this as just 12.5% of their coursework, so there was a ton of other work they needed to attend to at the same time. Under the guidance of professor Stephan Schwarz, they learned about structuring documents with markup and styling with CSS. The end result is something that would put many "professional" agencies to shame. What a debut! An accessible, good-looking site from people who have learned Web design the right way, without ever having to nest a table.
I'm just blown away by their achievement. I requested, and was granted, the honour of awarding them their silver Biene on stage. That meant I had to speak German in front of a roomful of people (and television cameras) but I made it through without stumbling too much.
At South by Southwest earlier this year, Andys Budd and Clarke gave a talk on Web Design Superheroes. The students from Fachhochschule Wiesbaden are my heroes. If they represent the next generation of designers, the Web is in very good hands indeed.


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This article comes to us courtesy of California Watch.
By Michael Montgomery and David Downs
One of California's biggest medical marijuana establishments – embraced by local officials as a model business that donates to the poor and pays millions in taxes – has become the latest target in a statewide crackdown by federal prosecutors.
Berkeley Patients Group, founded in 1999 by leading names in the state's medical marijuana movement, will cease operations at its current location later this year, according to an agreement between the dispensary's owners and the landlord. The document was signed on Feb. 28 by Alameda County Superior Court Judge C. Don Clay.
"Berkeley Patients Group agrees to cease all cannabis-related activities and remove all cannabis-related property from the premises by May 1, 2012," the document states. Legal experts said agreements of this kind can be revised, but it was unclear if that was possible in this case.
The decision to shutter the outlet on San Pablo Avenue was triggered by a warning from Melinda Haag, the U.S. attorney for Northern California. In a letter sent to the owner of the building that houses the dispensary, Haag said federal prosecutors would file a forfeiture action if marijuana continued to be distributed at the location. Berkeley Patients Group has leased the property since 1999 and operates under a city license.
The letter cited violations of federal law and the fact that the outlet is within 1,000 feet of two schools: the Center for Early Intervention on Deafness, which also houses a preschool, and Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley, a French bilingual grade school.
"Marijuana dispensaries are full of cash and they're full of marijuana, and everybody knows that," Haag said in an interview. "They are at risk of being robbed, and many of them are robbed."
While marijuana is illegal under federal law, Haag said she doesn't have the resources to target all the medical pot outlets that have proliferated in her district in recent years. So, she said, her office is focusing on protecting children.
"When a dispensary comes to my attention that is close to a school, a park or a playground or to children, that's a line I've decided to draw, and those are the dispensaries that I'm looking at," Haag said.
Since federal prosecutors announced a statewide crackdown in October, Haag said her office has sent letters to a number of dispensaries, including Berkeley Patients Group and an outlet in Santa Cruz that was robbed by armed gunmen in February. The outlet is next to a preschool.
"People in the community may be supportive of the dispensary," Haag said, "until there's an armed robbery and people come running out of the dispensary shooting guns."
Berkeley Patients Group's owners declined interview requests, but supporters said the outlet has never been the scene of violence or an armed robbery. The group issued a statement reading: "BPG remains committed to providing safe and affordable access to its patient-members, while working to preserve the jobs of its 70+ employees. We are grateful for the level of support we have received from the Berkeley community over the years."
The dispensary enjoys widespread support among local officials. In 2009, the Berkeley City Council proclaimed a special day to honor the group.
"I tell people that the Berkeley Patients Group is the Brooks Brothers of medical marijuana dispensing," said Polly Armstrong, co-CEO of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. She said the dispensary has donated thousands of dollars to the chamber and other civic groups over the years.
That sentiment is shared by Jill Ellis, executive director of the Center for Early Intervention on Deafness, one of the schools cited in the warning letter from federal prosecutors.
"They really have been caring, supportive neighbors, concerned neighbors, clearly very interested in our mission, our families," Ellis said. "Their security provides a great asset and enhancement to ourcommunity. We've never had any incidents at all."
The order to vacate comes at an inopportune time for the dispensary. Berkeley Patients Group still owes the state about $6.3 million in back taxes, interest and fees for marijuana sales from 2004 to 2007.
And the group faces a tough real estate market. Adam Peterson, a real estate agent for Cassidy Turley BT Commercial whose expertise includes the Berkeley market, said the dispensary has wanted to move for three years due to redevelopment on San Pablo Avenue, but the owners haven't found a location.
"It's almost impossible to relocate, especially under the rules and regulations that the cities and state have in place right now," he said.
Only one property in Berkeley meets both state and local guidelines, Peterson said, and it's not for rent to a dispensary.
But Dale Gieringer, state coordinator for the California chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said he thinks the dispensary will find a new home and outlast the latest crackdown.
"That's what we've seen with previous federal crackdowns," he said. "They're disruptive at first, then people move somewhere else or change their business plans."
Prominent Oakland medical marijuana activist and businessman Richard Lee has been forced to move his dispensary twice due to warnings from federal prosecutors.
A version of this story aired on KQED's "The California Report," where the audio is available. Michael Montgomery and David Downs are investigative reporters for California Watch, a project of the non-profit Center for Investigative Reporting. Find more California Watch stories here.


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See behind the scenes as two South African veterinarians and a group of students and faculty from the University of Missouri's College of Veterinary Medicine attempt to perform an ovariohysterectomy on a lion.
In July 2010, a group of 10 veterinary students and two faculty members from the University of Missouri's College of Veterinary Medicine traveled to South Africa. Their objective: To experience firsthand the day-to-day lives of two South African veterinarians who work with lions, buffalo, elands, and other animals at private game reserves.
What was the students' favorite part of their trip? Attempting to spay a lion in the back of a pickup truck.
Click "next" below to read more about this adventure—and learn why the procedure was unsuccessful.
Photo by Rachel Squires
Front row (left to right): Students Lisa Najarian, Kim Doller, Stephanie Carle, and Crystal Garnett
Back row: Student Meagan Brophy, Dr. Ron Cott (associate dean of student and alumni affairs and director of development), Vicki Miller (fiscal manager), and students Anna Stewart, Addie Cable, Rachael Squires, Colleen Risinger, and Josiah P. Sanabria Noriega
< Previous: The team | Next: Darting >
Date: July 22, 2010
Location: Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, situated in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Kwandwe means "place of the blue crane" in Xhosa, one of the official languages of South Africa.
Assignment: Locate, tranquilize, and transport a female lion back to the Kwandwe work area to perform an ovariohysterectomy.
The MU students and faculty, two South African veterinarians, and a capture team start searching for the lion early in the afternoon. Her transmitter isn't working, so it takes the team until dusk to locate the lion. As nightfall blankets the African wilderness, the temperature plunges toward freezing.
Photo by Dr. Ron Cott
< Previous: The assignment | Next: Vitals >
Using a combination of medetomidine and zolazepam with tiletamine, Dr. Peter Caldwell darts the lion from a Land Rover and watches as she lets out a growl, leaps into the air, and runs out of sight down a hill. The vehicle follows the lion, keeping its distance, until she becomes immobilized.
The Kwandwe capture team loads the 450-lb lion into the back of a pickup truck to transport her to the work area.
Photo by Dr. Ron Cott
< Previous: Darting | Next: Lion's age >
Student Colleen Risinger checks the lion's vitals on the way into the reserve work area.
After immobilization, the lion is sedated but still sensitive to the external environment, and loud noises or bright lights could awaken her. In addition, the tiletamine causes an initial mydriasis, and any bright light—whether sunlight or artificial light—could cause retinal damage. So lions' eyes are routinely covered after immobilization.
Photo by Dr. Ron Cott
< Previous: Vitals | Next: Students' tasks >
Using teeth to estimate her age, the group established that this lion was 12 to 14 years old. Although the average lifespan varies depending on the environment, lions can live up to 20 years.
Photo by Dr. Ron Cott
< Previous: Lion's age | Next: Prep >
Each student has his or her own responsibility:
Photo by Dr. Ron Cott
< Previous: Students' tasks | Next: Scrubbing in >
"We clipped, cleaned, and prepped for surgery just like you would for a housecat," says student Crystal Garnett.
African lions are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List of Threatened Species. So why did the reserve manager request the spay? Lions are allowed to hunt at Kwandwe in an effort to keep them in the most natural wildlife habitat as possible. But to keep the carnivores from overtaking other game, such as antelope, the reserve management had to prevent further population increases. In addition, this female had lived on the reserve long enough that most of the males were her sons, and her advancing age was making pregnancy considerably difficult on her overall health.
Photo by Dr. Ron Cott
< Previous: Prep | Next: Surgery begins >
Peter Caldwell, BSc, BVSc (right), who led the surgery, and Brendan Tindall, BSc, BVSc, scrub in. Dr. Tindall places an intravenous catheter for the delivery of fluids and maintenance anesthesia throughout the procedure.
Although Dr. Caldwell had proposed that the surgery be done off-site in his sterile surgery suite, the reserve management said the cost was prohibitively expensive. Despite the conditions, the veterinarians take every available precaution to keep the workspace sterile.
Photo by Dr. Ron Cott
< Previous: Scrubbing in | Next: Restraint >
Dr. Caldwell begins the surgery while students continue to monitor the lion. She is maintained on intravenous propofol and medetomidine and intramuscular injections of zolazepam with tiletamine.
The team soon learns that the lion's pride had made a kill that day, and her stomach is full of food. Dr. Tindall taps the stomach to relieve the bloating.
Photo by Dr. Ron Cott
< Previous: Surgery begins | Next: Adhesions >
Two of the lion's paws are tied down, and students hold the other two.
Twice during the three-hour procedure, the lion becomes light on anesthesia. Student Rachel Squires had just notified the veterinarians that the lion's heart rate had increased and had already started drawing up propofol to top her off. "I was shaking trying to get the propofol out of the bottle," she says. "It was intense!"
Dr. Tindall injects the propofol into the catheter and increases the fluid rate. Within seconds, the lion relaxes and the procedure continues.
Photo by Dr. Ron Cott
< Previous: Restraint | Next: A second opinion >
As the surgery progresses, Dr. Caldwell discovers multiple adhesions from the lion's ovaries to her kidneys and body wall. The adhesions prevent him from being able to visualize the uterus and ovaries well enough to remove them.
Dr. Caldwell also discovers three internal transmitters, which likely contributed to the adhesions. He suspects that as the lion moved from reserve to reserve, each location inserted a new transmitter. "As a predator specialist, I would have to criticize a veterinary colleague that does this," Dr. Caldwell says. He removes the unneeded transmitters.
"I have developed a technique where one can use the omentum to make a pouch and surgically suture the pouch with the inserted transmitter implant in it to the lateral ventral abdominal wall." Dr. Caldwell adds that this technique:
Photo by Dr. Ron Cott
< Previous: Adhesions | Next: Sutures >
Dr. Caldwell requests a second opinion from Dr. Tindall, who agrees that the adhesions are too numerous to exteriorize the uterus and ovaries.
Since the procedure is not successful, the veterinarians decide instead to use a contraceptive on the female. They plan to dart her again in the future and place a microchip-like device by her shoulders that will release a hormone (GnRH) to prevent it from cycling. This method lasts up to 18 months.
Photo by Dr. Ron Cott
< Previous: A second opinion | Next: Outcome >
Since it is likely the lion or her cubs could pull the sutures out, Drs. Caldwell and Tindall use a three-layer closure with simple interrupted sutures. Because of the stomach bloating, it is very difficult to oppose the edges of the incision.
Photo by Stephanie Carle
< Previous: Sutures | Start over >
The lion is loaded back onto the truck, and Dr. Caldwell and a small group travel back out into the field, unload her, and administer the anesthesia reversal agent. Despite looking weak, she is walking and getting around well.
The purple spray visible on the lion's abdomen is Necrospray (oxytetracycline), which a student had applied both to the incision site and dart wound to prevent infection.
"This was by far the best day of our entire trip," Garnett says. "It's not every day you do surgery in the freezing cold on the bed of a pickup in a garage at 9 p.m. at night!" says Garnett.
Photo by Stephanie Carle


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Specialized's S-Works Tarmac may be the optimal bike for winning a Grand Tour, but chances are, you're not going to be competing in Southern France this season. But when you need a bike that's ready to annihilate the competition on your training rides and local races, the S-Works Tarmac Ultralight Frameset is pretty damn hard to beat.
To get the weight around 800 grams, Specialized utilized advanced aerospace composite optimization software to revolutionize the construction and layup of their new FACT 12r carbon. The material optimization allowed them to shed nearly 200 grams. That's right, a 20% reduction in frame weight—the perfect recipe for your next hill climb PR.
While stiffness aids in the aforementioned, compliance must also be utilized for an optimal ride quality. That's why Specialized designed a seatpost that builds compliance into the upper 120mm where clamping doesn't happen, dropped the seatstays, and altered the seat tube shape. They also added tire clearance up to 30mm, which translates to a 28mm Turbo Cotton on a Roval SLX 24 rim. This allows lower pressures for decreased rolling resistance, increased traction, and more comfort. Altogether, these additions still have the Tarmac riding like a true race-machine, but just takes a bit of the sting out of those road imperfections.
Specialized knows that aerodynamics are the most important thing they can do to make you faster. Bora-Hansgrohe and Team Quick Step Floors Pro Tour riders, after all, are demanding aero improvements on every bike. With this, the aero goal was to discover where they could essentially "add aero for free," by not taking anything away from the hallmarks of the Tarmac design. During the six-month iterative process, three areas were discovered where they could do this—a new fork shape, dropped seatstays with aero tubes, and a d-shaped seatpost and seat tube. The result? A bike that's approximately 45 seconds faster over 40km compared to other lightweight bikes in the same category. A speed savings that you'll feel when you're attacking off the front of the peloton.
- Featuring Rider-First Engineered design that ensures every frame size has the same legendary climbing responsiveness and descending prowess you'd expect from a Tarmac, the S-Works FACT 12r frameset is their highest quality carbon frame, offering the ideal blend of light overall weight and targeted stiffness. This Ultralight iteration also features 10g paint finish that saves every possible gram.
- S-Works full FACT carbon fork with a tapered construction provides incredible front end stiffness and steering response for instantaneous accelerations and high-speed descents.
- With its high-modulus construction, the S-Works FACT carbon Tarmac seatpost provides impeccable power transfer, while still allowing for ample compliance for long days in the saddle.
|S-Works Tarmac SL6, FACT 12r carbon, Rider-First Engineered, OSBB, full internal, electronic-specific routing, internally integrated seat clamp, 130mm rear spacing
|S-Works FACT carbon
|Bottom Bracket
|OSBB, CeramicSpeed bearings
|S-Works FACT Carbon Tarmac seatpost, 20mm offset
* Subject to change without notice.


text:
- Redeveloped global headquarters in Yokohama heralds new era for NISMO
- NISMO to create a range of affordable performance Nissan models from small cars to flagship sports cars
- Juke NISMO is the first, followed by new 2014 370Z NISMO
- New GT-R NISMO confirmed, the ultimate Nissan performance supercar
- Nissan's global motorsports program to be managed by NISMO
Related Articles:
Nissan Confirms New, Higher-Performance GT-R NISMO Model for 2014
Nissan Poised for Return to Le Mans 24 Hours in 2014
Nissan Reveals Expanding Global Motorsports Program for 2013, Led by NISMO
Nissan Motorsports Press Conference (Ustream)
YOKOHAMA, Japan – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today kicked off a new era for NISMO, confirming it as Nissan's exclusive global performance car and motorsports brand and officially opening the new NISMO global headquarters and development center in Yokohama, Japan.
NISMO is already well-known to motorsports and performance car enthusiasts in Japan and to millions of global gaming enthusiasts. Now, NISMO is poised for accelerated global impact, enhancing Nissan's reputation for innovation and excitement with a new line-up of sporty Nissan production vehicles.
In a special ceremony today, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn declared the new headquarters open and explained how NISMO will play an even more prominent role for the company's performance car and motorsports activities.
"NISMO will bring new excitement to the Nissan portfolio with a broader range of affordable and innovative performance models for more markets and more people," said Mr. Ghosn. "Whether it's a small car or a sports car, if it's wearing the NISMO badge it offers something special – quality, functionality, and efficiency, with NISMO's distinctive styling, sporty handling and dynamic performance capabilities."
The first new Nissan production vehicle to get the NISMO treatment, the Juke NISMO, is already on sale in Europe and Japan and launches in the United States in the spring.
A new version of the 370Z NISMO for European markets is the next NISMO vehicle, which made its world debut earlier this month and builds on the platform of Nissan's most popular and accessible sports car. The 370Z NISMO is now in its second generation in the U.S., with a revised 2014 370Z NISMO set for sale this summer.
Nissan is promising a rapid pace of introduction of even more NISMO models – at least one model every year during the Nissan Power88 period, encompassing the breadth of the Nissan model range. This will include the flagship of Nissan's performance and technology efforts, the Nissan GT-R.
"It would be unthinkable for us to develop a range of NISMO road cars without including the GT-R," said Mr. Ghosn. "The standard production model is a global supercar and the GT-R's performance on track reflects the passion and talents of the NISMO team. The GT-R NISMO will be special and I can't wait to drive it."
A New Home for NISMO
Nissan has invested in an entirely new facility for NISMO's operations, redeveloping a former production site to give it the resources for expanding beyond motorsports engineering to encompass performance car development alongside Nissan. The new headquarters facility allows the NISMO team to be co-located in one place, bringing together the functional areas for NISMO's key activities and technical and competition expertise under one roof.
The 180-strong team is now located inside Nissan's Powertrain Engineering complex. The workshop, engine shop, rooms for fabrication, grinding and carbon composite processes are consolidated into the same floor space along with the parts warehouse. A new larger showroom allows up to eight vehicles to be displayed, while the retail area is now almost twice the size of the previous store in the Omori factory.
"This is a great move for NISMO as we can now shift gears to operate more efficiently and expand the brand globally," explained NISMO President Shoichi Miyatani.
"NISMO is a key element in Nissan's future global vehicle and motorsports strategy and we will quickly establish it as Nissan's exclusive performance brand," he added. "This is the first time that all of our team has been located together, and the entire facility will become a hothouse of passion and performance."
The NISMO Spirit
At the heart of each new NISMO model will be a consistent DNA focused on delivering quality, functionality, and efficiency in everyday driving with NISMO's distinctive styling, sporty handling and dynamic performance capabilities.
Nissan's new range of NISMO performance models will be built on the same production lines as their standard counterparts, which combined with inspiration taken from decades of racing and tuning expertise means that the NISMO brand ensures fully integrated performance enhancements.
Every modification NISMO makes to a production car will be functional and targeted to improve on-road performance and presence. The spirit of NISMO relies on its proud motorsports heritage and a maverick engineering philosophy. This spirit will be reflected in every new NISMO model with efficient performance, accessible and advanced technology, and bold, smart design, all of which embody Nissan's philosophy of "innovation that excites."
Connecting the Virtual with the Real
NISMO is known around the world by millions through the virtual world of driving simulation games. In fact, the first opportunity to drive a Nissan Juke NISMO was provided virtually through Gameloft's Asphalt 7: Heat.
Now, at the same time as NISMO is moving from race track to road, it is also moving from the virtual world to the real world as, for the first time in many markets around the world, a range of affordable NISMO-badged cars will be available from Nissan dealers.
"For many would-be NISMO customers, the only way to experience a NISMO performance car has been through a game like Sony's Gran Turismo® series," said Simon Sproule, Nissan's corporate vice president for Marketing and Communications. "Now we can bring them into the family of Nissan owners with exciting, real NISMO cars created by a dedicated and experienced team that is fully linked to the digital world and well aware of what these new customers are looking for in a performance road car."
Performance for the Road and Track
The spirit and inspiration for NISMO started with a group of maverick Nissan engineers almost 50 years ago.
In their efforts to boost car sales through racing success, they shoehorned a powerful engine into an ordinary Nissan sedan to create the first of a legendary line of sporty road cars with the Nissan Skyline 2000GT. What came next was a run of highly successful competition and performance vehicles in Japan, culminating in the birth of NISMO itself in 1984.
With the digital generation, Nissan realized the power of the NISMO legend by working with game creators to create both real and virtual stars and expose a whole generation to the potential for tuning and winning in these cars. Last year alone, over 500 million virtual miles were driven in Nissan vehicles on Gran Turismo®5 for PlayStation®3.
Now, as NISMO accelerates to become a global performance car brand specializing in delivering affordable, exciting and innovative performance versions of Nissan cars, the lessons learned from almost half a century of racing can be applied consistently to give drivers a surprising and rewarding ownership experience.
NISMO Expands Role in Motorsports
NISMO's new charter will also impact Nissan's future motorsports activities, where it is expected to boldly enhance Nissan's reputation for excitement and innovation. NISMO is taking on global responsibility for managing Nissan's motorsports program, which includes top level competition in every region of the world.
"Nissan's commitment to a variety of motorsports programs around the world from the Altima in the Australian V8 Supercars to Super GT in Japan continues, but we also intend to surprise people by exploring advanced forms of motorsports," explained Miyatani. "Our spirit of pushing the boundaries even further helps us to raise awareness of NISMO around the world but, more importantly, it means we can transfer the lessons we learn into tangible benefits for our customers, whether for NISMO production cars, race cars or tuning parts."
For further information, visit: www.nissan-live.com/NISMOglobal
# # #
For more information, contact:
Dan Passe
Product Communications, Nissan North America
Steve Yaeger
Technology and Motorsports Communications, Nissan North America


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Speech Therapy
Edwardsville Care Center prides itself on its success stories. The role of the Speech Therapist is to improve functional communication and cognitive skills of all of our Residents. They also monitor and modify swallowing techniques and introduce diet modifications and special feeding techniques when necessary for Residents who have decreased abilities in these areas.
Speech therapy involves
- Developing an effective plan of care to reach maximum level of function
- Utilize appropriate evaluation tools and accurately complete evaluations in swallowing and cognition
- Set up appropriate diet for each Resident with the lowest risk of choking or aspiration pneumonia
- Determine each Residents' level of safety at home
If you or a loved one have been recently hospitalized and feel you may benefit from speech therapy services, please contact our Admissions Director at (618) 692-1330


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Modeling Workflow Engine (MWE)
Welcome to the Modeling Workflow Engine wiki. the modeling workflow engine (MWE) supports orchestration of different Eclipse modeling components to be executed within Eclipse as well as standalone. Based on a dependency injection framework, one can simply configure and wire up 'workflows' using a declarative XML-based language. The project provides the runtime used to execute workflows as well as the IDE tooling used to edit, start and debug them. You can find the MWE(2) documentation in the MWE Github Repo at [1]
It is mainly used to configure the Xtext's code generator. For more details see the corresponding section in the Xtext Documentation [2].


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Sketchpad is a brand-new class from Kelly Purkey, spinning off from her series of successful Sketchbook classes. Sketchpad is a downloadable, self-paced class featuring 12 original sketches, 35 exclusive layouts from Kelly + and her talented contributors (including yours truly!), 35 MORE sketches made from those layouts, and 12 amazing cards based on the sketches from the talented, Kristina Werner... all in a full-color 75 page PDF. Visit Kelly's blog for more details on the class and how to purchase (or keep reading for your chance to win a copy of the class!).
The One with Kelly Purkey's Sketchpad Class (+Giveaway!)
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Sketchpad is a brand-new class from Kelly Purkey, spinning off from her series of successful Sketchbook classes. Sketchpad is a downloadable, self-paced class featuring 12 original sketches, 35 exclusive layouts from Kelly + and her talented contributors (including yours truly!), 35 MORE sketches made from those layouts, and 12 amazing cards based on the sketches from the talented, Kristina Werner... all in a full-color 75 page PDF. Visit Kelly's blog for more details on the class and how to purchase (or keep reading for your chance to win a copy of the class!).
62 comments
Oh my goodness, Thanksgiving huh?ReplyDelete
It is November isn't it? I think I had better start making plans!
Goodie!!! Love it!!!ReplyDelete
cheryl131091 at yahoo dot com
que interesante!aquí no celebramos acción de gracias...un saludoReplyDelete
Love your weave! For Thanksgiving, we'll be in town, but celebrating with my side of the family, although we haven't decided if we'll be hosting, or having the meal at my parents' new place. Looking forward to seeing everyone though, and meeting my new nephew!ReplyDelete
I am looking forward to some serious family time this Thanksgiving. Thanks for the shah ce to win.ReplyDelete
we're hosting this year! just the 3 of us, my parents and my grandma!ReplyDelete
Really like the weave! I'm the family cook, so everyone comes to my house to eat (followed by a nap! lol) for Thanksgiving.ReplyDelete
every year for thanksgiving we have lunch at my aunt's house and then i start decorating my house for christmasReplyDelete
Celebrating with family at my cousins home. She bought a 33lb. turkey raised by a local FFA student.ReplyDelete
I will be making dinner for the family at the in-laws house!ReplyDelete
My plans are to eat and eat. We have a couple of places we could go, but we haven't RSVPed anywhere.ReplyDelete
We had thanksgiving last month up here in Canada. We had a great family meal! During US thanksgiving, we are going to be in ND shopping our heart out!ReplyDelete
omgosh...i would totally die and go to scrapbook heaven if i won this sketchpad giveaway...i just love kelly and all of the other ladies involved with the class! it's so awesome that you are contributing too!ReplyDelete
for thanksgiving we are going up north to our hometown in indiana (where all of our family lives) to eat and eat and eat and show off our newborn son! :)
I am planning to get togetherReplyDelete
with the family :) eat eat
and eat again maybe? haha
my mom, ants, and mom's friends
cook LIKE CRAZY! yummy food
all the time. I can't wait
to see all the family together
at the dinner table!
what are you doing gorgeous?
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I would love, love, love to take Kelly's class! Thanks so much for the chance!ReplyDelete
We haven't sealed our plans yet, but for sure it will involve lots of food, family, and fun!
Thanks for the chance to win!! I would LOVE to win!! Thanksgiving- spending it with family. We do a thanksgiving lunch with my in laws and a thanksgiving dinner with my parents. Way too much yummy food but that's why I wear my stretchy pants :)ReplyDelete
oh wow that looks like a great class!!! and your LO sneaks look great!!!ReplyDelete
For Thanksgiving, I'm going to be hosting here and having my family come and I can NOT wait!!!
We're having Thanksgiving at my place. :)ReplyDelete
I'd love to take KP's class! Thanks for the chance!
We do not celebrate Thanksgiving here in France...Sooo i do not plan anything ;)ReplyDelete
Ahhh I love your sneaks and those colors would be great for my boys!!! Thanks for the chance :)ReplyDelete
What a talented group to be a part of! :)ReplyDelete
I would LOVE to take this class!!ReplyDelete
My plans for Thanksgiving are to go to my mom's house for yummy dinner! I can't wait. :)
Thanks for the chance to win a spot!
- April W
Love that LO and as soon as I saw that CHAP line I immediately thought of you and your precious baby boy! He is TOO adorable!ReplyDelete
Thanksgiving, hmmm I'll be home with my family and studying for finals!
Oh I would love to take this class! We don't have thanksgiving her, so I will just read instead about all the yummy things you have for yoursReplyDelete
Woa, awesome paper-weaving in this layout!! You are amazing!ReplyDelete
Since I live in Canada (eh?), we celebrate Thanksgiving on the first weekend in October. We stayed home and spent some time relaxing, having friends over and appitizer supper.ReplyDelete
Your sneaks look gorgeous Paige - love that weaving!ReplyDelete
I think we are hosting Thanksgiving but not sure how many people yet.
Thanks for the chance to win!
We do two dinners - one at my family's house and one at my boyfriend's. So much good food! I also started the tradition a few years back of going around the table and everyone saying one thing they're thankful for.ReplyDelete
Hi Paige!ReplyDelete
My plans for thanksgiving, i mean besides eating too much pumpkin pie, are to see the fam & take a ton of photos :)
Thanks so much for a chance to win!!
I love KPs sketch classes! My entire family is getting together at my parent's house for Tday. It's been a long time since we've celebrated there, so I'm very excited! Thanks for the chance.ReplyDelete
My family will be all together for the first time in a couple years! Can't wait!ReplyDelete
Plans for Thanksgiving include riding the Polar Express Train with Grandma and going to see Zoo Lights with Grandma along with Thanksgiving dinner with our newest addition to the family -- our 1 year old newphew!ReplyDelete
My mom and I are going to spend some quality time together, cooking & chillaxing & playing with our new Cricut! :D Thanks for the chance to win! :)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 3, 2011 at 8:05 PM
you make amazing layouts!ReplyDelete
we're having thanksgiving at my aunts house this year, and it's also the day i start housesitting for a week.
thanks for the chance to win a spot in kp's class! :)
Spending the day with my in-law family!ReplyDelete
Oooo... We don't have Thanksgiving here Down Under, unfortunately. Would still want to win the class, though.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 3, 2011 at 8:54 PM
Turkey Trot in the morning and lots of eating all day after that! Have to replace all those calories burned right?ReplyDelete
I'm not sure what our Thanksgiving plans our. Maybe we'll even host this year? That might be fun. Either way, looking forward to spending some wonderful time with family and going shopping on black friday!ReplyDelete
Hi Paige !! thanks for leaving sweet comment on my blog.You asked me regarding those felt flowers...yup they are handcut and handmade.ReplyDelete
No Thanksgiving plans here as I live in Australia....although would love another day during the year to eat lots of yummy food and spend time with family!! Hope you have a great Thanksgiving with whatever you plan to do!!ReplyDelete
We're cooking our normal Thanksgiving Day meal... we're just still not sure if any additional family members will be joining us.ReplyDelete
We're still working out our Thanksgiving plans!ReplyDelete
Thanks for the chance to win!!!
I think it will just be my husband and me. I'll make a small turkey and some sides. It will be a nice, low key, relaxing day.ReplyDelete
I'm cooking for Thanksgiving this year and we'll have a houseful! But one of the guests offered to make all the pies - woo hoo!!ReplyDelete
Thanks, Sandy
- AnonymousNovember 4, 2011 at 11:10 AM
Thank you so much for the chance to win! :)ReplyDelete
Paige, you are totally should be a part of this class! I am inspired by all your creations!ReplyDelete
Thanks for the give away and I hope I win!!
hey Paige!! this sneaks are yummy!! would love to take that class! and it is something that ships easy to France!!:):):)thanks for the chance to win!ReplyDelete
Thanksgiving normally involves quite a bit of driving ... all around to different family gatherings. Lucky to have family all close by, but it makes holidays a challenge to see everyone!ReplyDelete
We haven't finalized our plans! It'll definitely involve some driving-either to a waterpark or to a cousin's whom we haven't seen in awhile!ReplyDelete
OHHH! Paige--I love the sneaks!!! I hope that I can take this class--I need all the inspiration and help I can get!! I wanna be just like you---SUPER amazing:)ReplyDelete
As for Thanksgiving--Trav is working so I will be in my studio all day crafting away:) LOOOOOOVE when I get to spend hours and hours in the studio:)
- AnonymousNovember 4, 2011 at 3:19 PM
Thanksgiving - I'll be soaking up family time and sopping up giblet gravy with homemade rolls. : )ReplyDelete
Thanks for the giveaway!
Celebrating Thanksgiving in our new home and with friends and family coming to visit! thanks for the sneek peeks!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 4, 2011 at 6:52 PM
oh... love that Chap line! ... as for Thanksgiving, I believe we will be chillin' at home :)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 4, 2011 at 7:53 PM
Looks like a FABULOUS class!!!!ReplyDelete
Paige just wanna congratulate you for winning the Twinery facebook contest!!! :) you are one lucky ladyReplyDelete
No plans at all for Thanksgiving as we don't celebrate it over here. We are planning on squeezing in some family time!ReplyDelete
no thanksgiving day from where i live but would still love a shot at this (: thanks for the chance!ReplyDelete
thanks for this great giveaway paige!!! i can't wait to see it!!ReplyDelete
That class looks awesome! I better get me one of those. For thanksgiving I will be cooking for the first time....at my Mother in Law's house! Yikes! I am scared for that!ReplyDelete
Super unexciting! I will be spending the night of Thanksgiving clearing my last exam paper! That said, the sketchpad would be something i'd look forward to after my exams to get all the awesome inspiration i'll need after becoming so fried from all that mugging! Thank you for the chance to win! ;)ReplyDelete
I'd love to win! I'm in law school right now, so for Thanksgiving I'll just be heading home to spend it with family and (hopefully) not doing any reading over that weekend!ReplyDelete


text:
teachable moments
76 comments:
That skirt ROCKS!!!ReplyDelete
My dad always brings me wax prints from Ghana. They are the norm from what I understand even though not produced there.Replies
yes, i love that your dad always brings you yardage!Delete
I love your Ghana skirt, and the facing is perfect. Teach me some print matching plsReplyDeleteReplies
if you teach me some couture skills!!! :)Delete
This is an amazing skirt! I also love that wall you found to take the pics, absolutely mental!ReplyDeleteReplies
i actually blended a crazy awesome colored wall over a regular brick wall. the crazy awesome wall is usually too populated for pictures, so i thought i'd get it in the sneaky way...Delete
- AnonymousAugust 29, 2014 at 3:03 PM
I love the sentiment of your last paragraph. You are a very wise woman, Oona. And gorgeous!ReplyDeleteReplies
thankya beautiful lady.Delete
So are you saying you photoshopped in that wall? Great look! Great pics!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you for your teachings! Love the skirt and love the wall and love that I may be off shopping for some Dutch wax prints very soon.ReplyDeleteReplies
oh debbie, i'd LOVE to see you in 6 yards of print...Delete
I live in the Netherlands and though the papers have had a few articles over the past few years of the "didn't you know that the so-called-African fabrics are made in the Netherlands" variety, those prints are not available on the regular market here - which is a shame. Regardless of where it's available, I'm not sure there's another human being on earth who can pull of the sewing or the joy of wearing/modeling the fabrics quite the way you do. Lovely and outlandish as always!ReplyDeleteReplies
- AnonymousAugust 30, 2014 at 8:23 AM
You can buy the Vlisco fabrics online, but for most of them you need to buy 6 meters at once. http://www.vlisco.com/home/en/page/305/Delete
christine, what a lovely compliment, thank you!Delete
that's so crazy, so it's made solely for export? you'd think they'd have a homebase shop, like liberty of london. that would be fabulous.
It is kinda weird indeed, how they produce here even though 'we' are not the market. On their website it even says 'all prices are based on shipping to Ghana'.Delete
Awesome skirt! And awesome post!! Such a great read!ReplyDelete
Ah, your photoshopping! And you skirt! Both so, so cool.ReplyDeleteReplies
thankya! i thought the skirt needed a contrast wall :)Delete
That print is such a happy one! I love what you did with the Charlotte pattern.ReplyDeleteReplies
the marriage does make me smile. thank you!Delete
Pretty, pretty fabric. Now a great looking skirt!!ReplyDelete
I have mad love for Vlisco, but I have been stymied at every turn when considering how to use it. After your Anna, that was a go, and now I have another prospect. Oonspiration ;) And I loved the story....SO know what you mean, those are the little whites that don't hurt a thing.ReplyDeleteReplies
oonspiration?! YEAH! like i need another play on my nickname, way to add to the brat. i knew i liked you. what about a full length blazer, like the victoria, in contrasting wax print??Delete
I absolutely love the print! The sexy slit in perfect! so yummy!ReplyDeleteReplies
thank you sharon! and for once i left the height at a "walkable" reach :)Delete
- AnonymousAugust 29, 2014 at 7:45 PM
The thing, it is in the mail to you. Watch the mailbox.ReplyDeleteReplies
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!! watching it like a hawk!Delete
my local fabric store has a table with piles of these wax prints. never bought any since i haven't a clue how to use it! you find a way, and it just looks so right. great post!ReplyDeleteReplies
oh, don't you love those sections? PS fabrics downtown has a small rack of them, all folded up for 15 bucks a pop. so tempting.Delete
Oh this made me so sad for her! But so happy for you...because dang this skirt is hottttt.ReplyDeleteReplies
i know, right? i've seriously considered going out to brooklyn and wandering around until i run into her. could be a lot of wandering. but i feel i deserve it.Delete
Yes, I be happy! It could be your mad techie skillz! It could be your fabulous skirt! But, I think it's mostly seeing you so happy in the sunshine! Love those painted bangles too!ReplyDeleteReplies
You're brilliant! I love your version of the Charlotte skirt - the fabric is perfect for it. And thumbs up for the newly acquired Photoshop skills!ReplyDeleteReplies
what's terrible is: i didn't pre wash it. EEK. i just love that waxy feel! i just she's dry clean...Delete
Teachable moment? You sound like a certain radio entertainer whose name shall not be mentioned here, but clearly the Oonaballoona has been influenced...it sounds like she might be listening to this entertainer but doesn't want to mention this entertainer's influence because actors and actresses aren't supposed to listen this man's words...ReplyDeleteReplies
WHOAH NELLY! okay, no clue who you're talking about... googling & wikipedia bring up progressive schools, the populizar of the concept robert havighurst (circa 1952) and a speech by president obama (circa now).Delete
but actually, i was influenced by a man, one mr. ethan iverson, a dear friend who loves the phrase, also the most awesome male feminist and jazz pianist i know, who accidentally stepped onto a landmine that i accidentally placed:
thank you for reminding me of that amazing post!Delete
the comments section especially :)Delete
Beautiful! I'm dying to get my hands on a wax print, but I'll have to wait until the school year starts and I have the expendable funds for it.ReplyDeleteReplies
right?! these things are 'spensive! i'm giddy that latrice sent me some :)Delete
Love the beautiful colorful skirt and fantastic photo!ReplyDelete
The wax print garments you are putting up here are just great. I often wondered whether the African wax prints had some connection or roots in Indonesia, as the term 'Batik' is Indonesian. Now you mention Holland, and I just had my aha moment. You've inspired me to ask my Mum, who lives in Indonesia, to send me some batiks to sew with. But nobody pulls off loud prints like you, clearly.ReplyDeleteReplies
- AnonymousAugust 31, 2014 at 6:29 AM
Definitely ask you rmum to send you some. I have a friend who regularly goes to Indonesia, and I've asked her to get me fabrics. the batik sarongs are beautiful, especially if you like big bold prints like the African wax prints :-) But there are smaller, very detailed styles as well. And if your mum can get you some ikat, well that's a work of art, in a fairly subtle way. Also every piece of ikat I've ever owned lasted and lasted and lasted and lasted, and looked as good the day I finally retired them as the first day I used them.Delete
oh man, i hope your mom sends you goodies. so i wonder, are batik and wax print the same technique?Delete
This might be one of my favorites garment you made. The print matching is pure genius. GENIUS! And dang it, it is so sexy!ReplyDeleteReplies
thank you rox! i cackled when i put those two prints together :)Delete
LOVE the skirt! And the lean-in wall!ReplyDelete
Just rcently discovered an African textile only store in my Belgian hometown, two storeys high and truly overwhelming. Looked them up on the net now and whadyaknow.... They're US based! hee's the link: www.sonna.com
But beware Oona.... dangerous print on display there, featuring cubist red heels on a yellow background...Replies
- AnonymousAugust 30, 2014 at 2:48 PM
Look at you getting all fancy in Photoshop. Have you played around with blending modes? If not, do it. Go ahead, I dare you. If we were in the movie, The Sandlot, I'd triple dog dare you.ReplyDelete
I used to curse at my old serger as well. Literally every day. Even if she didn't do anything bad, I still yelled at her. When she ate one of my undies, I had enough. Unfortunately, I had just bought a condo and was house broke. I couldn't afford to make another giant purchase. In came my Juki MO654DE. Relatively inexpensive and a freaking workhorse. Maybe look into it?
Oh, and I love the skirt.Replies
dare already completed, my friend... that's what i did here!Delete
bookmarking that model...was also eyeing the pfaff coverlock 4.0. but, let's face it, those are daydreams for the time being :)
Oona, you are always such a great read and I couldn't help but feel a bit emotional with this one. Love it. And the skirt is ace.ReplyDeleteReplies
thank you kirsty. makes me sad to think about it too!Delete
I love how BHL designs are so recognizable yet so adaptable. That skirt is so fun and so wearable! I'm totally inspired (and may also be planning to possibly copy or not copy it). :-DReplyDelete
Love the skirt.You look fab!ReplyDelete
I'm afraid to cut the African Wax Print in my stash in case I ruin it.
Face the fear, FACE THE FEAR!!!Replies
face it, embrace it, do whatever you have to to GET CUTTING... there's always more fabric...Delete
Loving the wax print, look gorgeous.ReplyDelete
The wall and the skirt go so well together! And I was seriously cracking up at this whole post lol. #okbyeReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 2, 2014 at 11:28 AM
Bravo! As usual beautiful, vibrant, and oh so funky! I think you have a gift with patterns and fabric where every time you make them ... they are completely different from the last. Love this version of the Charlotte and paired with the graphic T ... PERFECT!ReplyDelete
Cool disappearing arm! And Ghana skirt! According to my man who loves every corner of hyperbole, every fabric I use is French. And please keep adding fun photoshoppy backdrops. I love when we get double-Oonas!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 26, 2014 at 9:32 AM
Just noticed this. Commenting now that my jaw has returned to its normal position. That slit, though!ReplyDelete
i thankya truly for taking the time to comment, i love a good conversation-- and hope you know my thanks are always implied, if not always written!


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Kettering's Temples are devoted students in the ways of psychedelia. This is a band who know their shit when it comes to getting the keyboard sounds just right, double tracking the vocals just so, letting the guitar sit in the mix just here, and creating rolling moods through the rhythm tracks. They've listened to 'Tomorrow Never Knows' a hundred million times (probably backwards, which would make some sort of sense), they know the differences between the crunchy, darker sound of British psych, of early Floyd and Soft Machine, Arthur Brown and Their Satanic Majesties, and the freewheeling, acid rock of the American bands, of the Doors and the Seeds, Electric Prunes and the Grateful Dead. On Sun Structures, their debut, painstaking work has been put into recreating the textures and the moods. Which is a problem. Sun Structures is the sound of a band playing psychedelic-style pop music - it's not the sound of psychedelia. There are solid pop songs here, bulletproof melodies and hooks abound, but that doesn't seem to be enough for the midlands quartet.
Unlike, say, Tame Impala, Temples never feel like they're really lost in this music - psychedelia is supposed to pinwheel, it's supposed to swell and evolve as the bodies producing it 'turn off their minds, relax and float downstream'. You get the feeling turning off their minds is the last thing anyone in Temples is doing: they're concentrating very, very hard on making sure it sounds right; and that would be fine if everything else about the record, from its sound palette to James Edward Bagshaw's hippy-drippy poetry weren't trying so self-consciously to capture the instinctive and the spiritual. The record tries so hard to sound fluid and spontaneously creative, but in truth hangs on three or four good ideas that are milked to death. Maybe they're just not doing the right drugs?
Sun Structures is a solid indie album with way more in common with the second hand psychedelia of the Charlatans, Kasabian and -whisper it- late Nineties mystic muppet revivalists Kula Shaker than with the trippy scenes of the swinging Sixties. And, actually, that's fine. There's no shame in that. These are decent tunes. 'Shelter Song' opens the record with a breezy summer chorus and big, boomy, baggy drums, little accenting plucks on the chord changes dappling like light on a pond. It doesn't need its we're-dead-mystic-we-are "ahhhhhhhhhhhh" outtro. The title track owes a big debt to The Seeds in its spooky keys and garage riffery, which is no bad thing. Everything contributes melodically here, with big hooks dripping from the guitar and organ, but it's all undermined by Bagshaw's none-more-hippy drivel lyrics, all references to "sacred ground" and the "resting place of the echoing young". It's not profound - it's bollocks, and he should be above it. ""Paradise is alive in the conscious of the brain" he sings on 'Mesmerise', like a bad parody of a psychedelic poet.
The reason we're ragging on this so much, is that the none-more-trippy window dressing is spoiling some corking songs. There's enough completely valid ideas here, whether the stonking, honking horn and 'Jean Genie' stomp of 'Keep In The Dark' or the spookypop of 'The Guesser' to make a punchy rock record, but the band insist they need to break every song down and build it back up again while they go "ahhhhhhhh". What's worse it that you become so familiar with the trick that the material towards the end of the record, particularly their wannabe-epic 'Sand Dance' feels tired and samey, which does perfectly decent songs an injustice.
Sun Structures is a record made with flair and skill by a band who know exactly what they're doing - and that's the problem. Temples are trying so hard to be something else that we lose track of who they actually are.
5Marc Burrows's Score
5User Score


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Ottawa Redblacks defensive back Jonathan Rose has been suspended for the Grey Cup game.
The CFL announced Tuesday that the Redblacks starter has been assessed a one-game suspension for pushing an official during Ottawa's East final win against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last Sunday. As a result, Rose won't be eligible to play in Sunday's CFL final against the Calgary Stampeders in Edmonton.
Rose was flagged for unnecessary roughness and ejected for contacting an official with 37 seconds left in the first half following a sideline melee after a Tiger-Cats reception.
"We are extremely reluctant to take an action that could prevent an athlete from joining his teammates for what may be the most important game of his life," the CFL said in a statement on Tuesday. "But there is an another principle at stake, one which has very significant implications for our league and sport in general.
"If we fail to send a strong signal when there is physical abuse of an official, whatever the circumstances, we risk sending the wrong message to not only the athletes in our league but young and aspiring athletes, coaches and even parents throughout sport. Officials are an important part of athletic competition, responsible for its integrity. While their contributions too often go unsung, we cannot allow them to be disrespected or, worse, abused."
The Canadian Press


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Story highlights
NEW: A logging truck driver is killed in the crash, a hospital official says
NEW: 66 are hurt, including at least 12 seriously, another official adds
NEW: The logging truck also hit two cars, authorities say
The crash prompts authorities to close part of a road in the area
A logging truck collided with a passenger train on Friday afternoon in West Virginia, killing the truck driver and injuring 66 others, a local emergency official said.
At least 12 people suffered serious injuries, said Randolph County emergency management director Jim Wise.
The truck struck the train around 1:30 p.m. in the county of about 30,000 people in the east-central part of the state, said Shawn Dunbrack, the emergency management director in neighboring Pocahontas County. That county is one of two that were helping Randolph County respond to the incident.
Two cars also were struck by the logging truck, authorities said.
The truck driver was pronounced dead at the scene, said Tracy Fath, a spokeswoman at Davis Memorial Hospital. The identity of the driver has not been released pending notification of next of kin.
A total of 21 people were taken by ambulance to Davis Memorial Hospital in Elkins, according to Wise. Another 45 with less severe injuries were transported to the same hospital.
The crash prompted authorities to close parts of U.S. 250, from Huttonsville to to the Pocahontas County line, a post on Randolph County's emergency management Facebook page said.
CNN's Maria White contributed to this report.


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US Military Equipment in Iraq (2007)/Money counters
From WikiLeaks
In the year after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the U.S. Army shipped nearly US$12 billion in cash, weighing 363 tonnes, to Baghdad for disbursement to Iraqi ministries and U.S. contractors. The funds were drawn from the Iraq Development Fund, which had been formed from U.S. seized Iraqi assets. Using C-130 planes, the deliveries took place once or twice a month with the biggest of $2,401,600,000 on June 22 2004, six days before the legal handover of the fund to the new Iraqi government. [1] The cash payment system has continued as there is no functional Iraqi banking network. With so much cash flowing into the country it comes as no surprise to find that the U.S. Army has deployed 39 bulk cash counting machines.


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The Independent Film Channel is teaming with Lionsgate for a TV movie based on the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter books, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The project is the network's first-ever feature-length production and could be the basis for more Blake projects if successful.
In the books, Blake is a vampire hunter with a lousy dating life who also works as a police consultant investigating supernatural crimes. She attempts to come to terms with her own abilities and navigate romantic and political relationships within the vampire community.
The 16-books-and-counting Blake novels by Laurell Hamilton include elements familiar to fans of True Blood (vampires are part of regular society) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (tough young female fights supernatural forces). The project will be adapted by Glen Morgan (X-Files, Final Destination), who also serves as executive producer along with Courtney Solomon (Dungeons and Dragons). IFC is targeting the movie to its core base of men ages 18-34 and plans to air the movie next year.
"The popularity of the network in this demographic indicates that there is a clear demand for films that delve into provocative topics, and nothing is more classically provocative than vampire lore," said Jennifer Caserta, executive VP and general manager of IFC. "Anita Blake fits perfectly with our successful original programming."
Laurell K. Hamilton's site has confirmed this information as true as well.
Okay, I am a huge Anita Blake fan!! I love all those vampire hotties and sexy shifters with hair so long and silky you could curl up in and Anita gets involved with each and everyone, and when the ardeur overcomes Anita--look out!! LKH writes fantastic paranormal/urban fantasy with a kick-ass herione, Anita Blake, and Jean Claude as her hero. But many characters have their own stories and books in which their stories are told, they all involve Anita as the heroine. And the Anita Blake graphic novels are just as good as the books.
The downside is that I read on SciFiGuy.ca's blog @ http://www.scifiguy.ca/ (also where this great graphic can be found) that the series will be targeted to 18-34 year old males and it's confirmed in SciFi Wire as well! I would question if this is the correct target audience, unless it's going to be an anime. I'll just have to wait to see.
Thanks to SciFi Wire and SciFiGuy.ca for relaying the news!
I hope the movie is as great as the books.
Dottie :)


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The streets of Ecuador remained quiet today, a day after a dramatic standoff left President Rafael Correa holed up in a hospital for 12 hours and claiming that a coup attempt was underway.
A state of siege is still in effect, meaning the military is temporarily in charge of Ecuador.
Although President Correa was rescued late Thursday night by the military, after protesters had trapped him in the hospital where he sought refuge, many are wondering about the ramifications of the revolt and how to heal some of the divisions that have been growing in the country.
"We had a very tough situation yesterday, and I am very happy that it has ended with the president alive," Ecuadorean Ambassador to the United States, Luis Gallegos, said in a phone interview. "Now is a moment for reflection to look into what happened."
Calls for Normalcy
Unrest began when disgruntled police, angered over a new law that limits bonuses, sprayed Correa with tear gas and roughed him up as he sought to resolve a protest that erupted Thursday. Officers across the country soon seized control of police barracks, blocked highways, and shut down the international airport in Quito.
Correa says officers are now facing scrutiny, sanctions, and even purging. Gen. Freddy Martinez, the chief of the national police, resigned Friday, according to the Associated Press.
Most residents have faith that the worst is over. "I think that for the moment the situation has calmed down. It was a shock for all to see that you could take down a democratically elected government, but for now even the opposition is calling for normalcy," says Paola Vallejo, a consultant in Quito.
Clinton: 'Full support for President Correa'
But the crisis is not over. Correa has said that yesterday's revolt was not a matter of simple salary issues and that he is the victim of a larger political effort to undermine him. Some Latin American leaders, including Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, reiterated that sentiment.
Leaders from the Americas, including those in the United States, have rallied around Correa and voiced support for Ecuadorian democracy. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement Thursday: "The United States deplores violence and lawlessness, and we express our full support for President Rafael Correa, and the institutions of democratic government in that country."
The group UNASUR, a South American body, sent foreign ministers to Quito on Friday and released a statement to "energetically condemn the attempted coup and subsequent kidnapping of President Rafael Correa Delgado."
'Not a Coup Attempt'
Some observers in Quito say the claim of a coup is overstated and being utilized for political gain. "There was not a coup attempt," says Augusto Tandazo, a political analyst in Quito. "The police were not asking for anything more than not putting the law into effect."
Tensions could flare anew, too. The turmoil has divided institutions in Ecuador. "What is lamentable about this is the deep gap that will now remain between the police and the military, who shot against one another," Mr. Tandazo says. "These things take time to heal."
While some members of the Air Force had participated in the closure of the airport, the armed forces chief, Gen. Ernesto Gonzalez, put the military's support behind the president.
But he said the law that generated the revolt – which takes away bonuses and medals associated with promotions and also increases the years that police and military members must work before receiving promotions – should be modified or nixed.
Test of Correa's Flexibility
Correa, who was elected in 2006, is known for his fiery rhetoric. Yesterday he claimed that the law was not read or understood by the police and will not reduce their overall compensation. "When they demanded that I revoke the law to let me out, I told them, 'Don't waste time with me. I leave as president of a dignified nation, or I leave as a cadaver,' " Correa said Thursday night. "Of course, the law will not be revoked."
The ultimate decision about whether the law is published, which puts it into effect, or revised could dictate the way the issue is resolved. If it is not changed, says Tandazo, another conflict could flare in the near future, he says. "The style of [Correa's] inflexibility can bring things to a breaking point," he says.
Santiago Peralta, who produces cacao in Quito, agrees. "I fear that these protests could repeat themselves. Not now, but in a matter of time," he says. "Many people hate the way that Correa governs. He acts like a dictator, dominating the national assembly … prohibiting journalistic information that he does not like."
But Ambassador Gallegos says the event has solidified the resolve for Ecuadorian democracy, and many Ecuadorians agree. The country had seen eight presidents in the decade preceding Correa's election in 2006, including three ousted by protest.
"I believe that democracy can come out reinforced by this coup attempt," says Ms. Vallejo, the consultant. "We have witnessed how rebellion and violence are incapable of taking down a president."
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Testing completed on James Webb Space Telescope backplane
(Phys.org) —NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has reached another development milestone with the completion of static load testing of its primary mirror backplane support structure (PMBSS) moving the telescope one step closer to its 2018 launch.
The PMBSS is the stable platform that holds the telescope's science instruments and the 18 beryllium mirror-segments that form the 21-foot-diameter primary mirror nearly motionless while the telescope peers into deep space. The primary mirror is the largest mirror in the telescope—the one starlight will hit first.
"Static testing demonstrates the backplane has the structural integrity to withstand the forces and vibrations of launch and is the final test prior to starting the integration of the backplane with the rest of the telescope," said Lee Feinberg, NASA's Optical Telescope Element manager at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The Northrop Grumman Corporation and ATK of Magna, Utah, completed the testing before delivering the structure to Northrop Grumman's facilities in Redondo Beach, California.
"This is the largest, most complex cryogenically stable structure humans have ever built," said Scott Texter, Optical Telescope Element manager for Northrop Grumman. "Completion of the static testing verifies it can hold the weight it is designed to hold. Now the structural backbone of the observatory is officially verified and ready for integration."
Despite its size and complexity, the PMBSS is one of the most lightweight precision-alignment truss structures ever designed and built. When fully deployed, it measures approximately 24 feet tall by 19.5 feet wide by more than 11.5 feet deep, and weighs only 2,180 pounds. Once fully assembled and populated, the PMBSS will support a mission payload and instruments that weigh more than 7,300 pounds. With a full launch load, it will support the equivalent of 12 times its own weight.
The PMBSS is designed to minimize changes in the shape of the telescope caused when one side is hotter than the other. While the telescope is operating at a range of extremely cold temperatures, between -406 and -343 degrees Fahrenheit, the backplane must not move more than 38 nanometers, approximately 1/1,000 the diameter of a human hair.
Under contract from NASA, Northrop Grumman is the lead contractor for the design and development of the Webb telescope's optics, sunshield and spacecraft. ATK designed, engineered and constructed more than 10,000 parts for the PMBSS at its facilities in Magna. They used composite parts, lightweight graphite materials, state-of-the-art material sciences and advanced fabrication techniques to build the structure.
The next step for the space telescope is to integrate the composite structures with the deployment mechanisms to create the overall Optical Telescope Element (OTE) structure. The OTE structure will then be shipped to Goddard for integration with the mirrors. NASA and Northrop Grumman will perform cryogenic testing of the PMBSS structure after mirror integration is complete.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world's next-generation space observatory and successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Designed to be the most powerful space telescope ever built, Webb will observe the most distant objects in the universe, provide images of the first galaxies formed and see unexplored planets around distant stars. The Webb telescope is a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
Provided by NASA


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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama announced unexpectedly on Monday that chief of staff William Daley was quitting and heading home, capping a short and rocky tenure that had been expected to last until Election Day in November.
Obama budget director Jack Lew, a figure long familiar with Washington's ways, is to take over one of the most consuming jobs in America.
Daley's run as Obama's chief manager and gatekeeper lasted only a year. It was filled with consequential moments for the White House, like the killing of al-Qaida terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, but also stumbles with Congress and grumbles that Daley was not the right choice to coordinate an intense operation of ideas, egos and decisions.
Obama said he reluctantly accepted the news and at first had refused to accept Daley's post-holidays resignation letter last week.
Daley did not waver, expressing to his boss a desire to get back to his family in Chicago, where Daleys have dominated local politics for decades. He offered no explanation on Monday about what accelerated his decision; he had committed to Obama that he would stay on through the election.
It apparently became clear that the fit was no longer working for either side. Senior adviser Pete Rouse already had taken on more of the day-to-day management.
Stepping in is the mild-mannered Lew, who began his career as a staffer in Congress, where he spent almost a decade as principal domestic policy adviser to House Speaker Tip O'Neill. Lew has worked for Obama as a deputy secretary of state before becoming budget director, the same position he held in the President Bill Clinton's administration.
Daley had been brought in for his political savvy, business ties and experience as Commerce secretary. Yet as an outsider, despite his background with the top political family in Chicago, Obama's hometown, Daley did not personally know Obama well. That meant he had to figure out the president and run his operation simultaneously. He did not seem to mesh as the one, more than anyone, charged with ensuring a smooth operation.
The president delivered the other side of the story, describing Daley as highly influential and effective.
"No one in my administration has had to make more important decisions more quickly than Bill. And that's why I think this decision was difficult for me," Obama said in a State Dining Room that was nearly empty except for the assembled media.
The mood was decidedly more low-key than other transitions involving the top staff job at the White House.
Obama now plows ahead in an election year with his third chief of staff — one of the most crucial positions in the U.S. government and national politics. Daley had replaced the colorful and involved-in-everything Rahm Emanuel, who left the job to run for Chicago mayor, a position he now holds. Rouse also served as interim chief of staff for a stretch.
Those following Washington politics had seen this day coming, especially since Rouse took on more of Daley's traditional role in November. Although Obama praised Daley at length for his help on major decisions in 2011, the West Wing presidential section had endured private struggles with coordination and communication, particularly with Congress.
Daley was not pushed out the door, said a Democratic strategist familiar with the decision The timing was driven by Daley's personal reflection, yet it also would have become more awkward for the White House had he not left before Obama's tone-setting State of the Union, said the strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the personnel matter.
The State of the Union speech is Jan. 24, followed closely by the release of his White House budget proposal in early February. The chief-of-staff transition is expected by the end of the month, with Lew staying on at the Office of Management and Budget until the budget plan is released. It is unclear who will lead the agency after that.
Lew and Daley stood with the president on Wednesday but did not speak. The White House said neither man was giving interviews.
Lew's private sector experience includes a stint as managing director and chief operating officer of Citigroup's global wealth management division.
Daley, meanwhile, will serve as co-chairman of Obama's Chicago-based re-election efforts, said a campaign official, who requested anonymity ahead of the official announcement.
Unlike Daley, Lew comes with deep connections to Congress, where Obama's relationship with lawmakers is a source of constant debate.
Coming after Emanuel, a former congressman and a leader of his Democratic Party caucus, Daley's relationship with congressional Democrats was hardly smooth.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the top Democrat in Congress, sent out an upbeat statement on Lew ("a consummate professional with intimate knowledge of Congress") and Daley (for "handling crises few chiefs of staff have had to face.")
Associated Press writers Erica Werner and Julie Pace contributed to this report.


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Do you take your gutters for granted?
Many older houses have poorly designed roof drainage systems. Is your home one of them? A properly installed gutter system can protect your house from costly water damage.
Gutters give you BIG protection for a SMALL investment.
Gutters direct rainwater from your roof AWAY from the base of your house. Gutters lead rainwater into a downspout, which carries water away from your house.
Without properly installed gutters and downspouts, rainwater falls over windows and doors and collects near your foundation. Your door and window frames rot from the water; your masonry cracks; and, worst of all, your foundation suffers structural damage.
At Katy Gutters we have the professional skills and experience to install your gutters the right way. We'll help you chose the best gutters for the style of your home, the harsh Katy weather, and your budget. Just like we've been doing for your neighbors for over 20 years.
Gutters need cleaning? We can do that also. Even with gutter guards, your gutters can get clogged. Annual cleaning will keep your gutters working perfectly.
Don't take your gutters for granted; call Katy Gutters today.


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Billiards is one of the few sports that's as taxing on a computer screen as it is in real life. It's played in pubs, after all, and its legendary star was named "Fats."
Unfortunately, most virtual billiard games are behind the eight ball in terms of quality, with poor physics and convoluted controls. What's so hard about replicating a stick hitting a damned ball? Dunno, but the latest attempt, Pool Party for the Wii, chalks up and breaks but mostly just scratches.
The Wii's motion controls and cue-like appearance lend themselves to pool — no wonder there's a billiards minigame packaged with Wii Play. But that barebones 9-Ball match left pool fanatics craving more, like Wii Sports golf compared to Tiger Woods.
Happily, Pool Party offers 13 game variations, from Straight Pool to 9-Ball to 8-Ball, as well as novel games like Snooker and a timed race to clear the table. Unfortunately, the hustle is on all too soon: Rather than being able to create an avatar of yourself, you must choose a goofy-looking hunk or babe, each with a dumb backstory that has no bearing on anything. Ronald, for instance, is a "So-Cal surfer who knows his way in the waves and on the felt."
Perhaps you'd give two craps about Ronald if each match weren't a one-off affair, but Pool Party offers no career mode or achievement records. Additionally, the "extras" — like new tables and racks — are worthlessly cosmetic and have no impact on play.
Even worse, Pool Party makes disappointing use of the Wii's controller. Hitting a ball in Wii play meant pulling back the remote and thrusting it forward with as little or as much force as you'd like. Simply setting up a shot in Pool Party, by comparison, takes longer than a match with Stevie Wonder.
The motion controls are way too touchy to line up tricky angles, forcing players to use a cumbersome (though more effective) combination of the analog stick, traditional direction pad, and buttons. A wrist flick to hit the cue ball is the extent of the motion ability, with the joystick (instead of a good ol' arm thrust) used to fill a "power gauge."
The mechanics of actual billiards feel spot-on, but overcoming obstacles — say, your character's giant head, which crowds the left side of the screen — to plan each shot becomes maddening. For a game designed for parties, Pool Party all but ensures that your gathering will consist solely of extremely patient billiard junkies. And with no online-play option, you'll be squaring off against Ronald the Surfer more times than you'd like to imagine.
But if you like to win, you're in luck: The computer, it turns out, is a moron. After computing every possible angle and option, your auto-opponent will invariably smack the ball seemingly at random around the table. It's like watching a chess player consider his move for 15 minutes, then choose to eat one of his bishops.
(Note to the wizard who designed the game's sound effects: If we ever meet, I will use my cue stick on you Sopranos-style. The teeth-grinding tunes are appalling, as is the jarring clang of a fight bell, which lets you know when your turn is up. Every time.)
If you love billiards, Pool Party's variety of games and accurate table physics are good for the occasional lazy afternoon alone. Then again, so is the pub.


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Probe or Insert Probe - Built-In Microwave
Possible Solutions
Verify meat probe is fully inserted in meat probe jack.
The Control is "looking" for an input from the Meat Probe.
Insert Temperature Probe into food. The probe should be inserted into the center of the fleshy or thickest part of the food. If cooking meats with a bone, avoid inserting the probe too close to the bone, as it might result in unfavorable cooking results.
Insert Meat Probe is fully inserted in Probe Jack / Receptacle.
Typical Meat Probe orientation, Meat Probe Jack / Receptacle, location may vary:
Reset power to the product:
- Power unit down by turning off the circuit breaker(s) for one (1) minute.
- Power unit up by turning on the circuit breaker(s).
- Monitor the oven for one (1) minute to ensure the error code does not display again.
- Verify oven operation.
Still need help? Contact us or schedule service.
Please contact us or click below to make an appointment from our preferred list of service providers for service on your appliances.
United States
Still need help? Call or schedule service.
You may need assistance from a qualified technician. Call 1-800-JENN-AIR (536-6247) or click below to schedule an appointment.


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The Taste of Water: While the taste bud distribution may not lie according to the map of the tongue at the right, the buds still do perceive these taste sensations, which can be added to the chart above:
Distilled water is tasteless and makes no significant contribution to your a diet's daily mineral needs. Aquafina and Dasani are examples of distilled waters to which minerals are added.
Texture & Mouthfeel
The Mouthfeel of Water: Although it may be one of the most important properties, a food's mouthfeel is probably the least understood and most neglected by food writers and the most overlooked aspect of describing the flavor of water. Carbonation—or its absence—together with the size, amount, and distribution of the bubbles, is a significant contribution to the mouthfeel of water. The FineWaters Balance describes the mouthfeel of water in five levels, based on the level of carbonation:
Here is a brief comparison of the tastes of wine and water based on the Flavor = Taste + Smell + Mouthfeel formula:
Water 101 is just the beginning of understanding how to evaluate and appreciate fine bottled waters. In other articles we will continue to explore connoisseurship and the components of water.
Lifestyle Direct Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. Images are the copyright of their respective owners.