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A true design icon
One look at an Airstream and you know exactly what it is for: it's meant to be lived in, it's meant to be travelled in, it's meant to help people discover their world in a unique way that transcends its functionality. Eight decades after its introduction, art historians and design experts are still enthusiastic about its appearance, about its simplicity and its nonetheless emotionally appealing design. An Airstream embodies a special attitude to life and combines luxury and timeless design in a way that no other vehicle can match.
An Airstream embodies an own lifestyle and combines luxury and timeless design like no other vehicle. With up to 20 real glass Windows, our European Airstream models offer unparalleled ambience. In an Airstream, you are always connected the outside world and will never feel locked up. It's aluminum scinn reflects sky, beach, sun and earth and let you discover the world in a whole new way!
Semi Monoquoce design
Airstream trailers are worldwide known for their semi Monoquoce lightweight design. The outer and an inner aluminium skin are hand riveted with thousands of rivets on a lightweight skeleton. This unique design creates strength and rigidity paired with low weight and durability.
Unique Production
The production of an Airstream is unique in the industry. Not only because of the high-quality materials, but also due to the special production process. In the first step, a lightweight but stable aluminium framework is planked by clear lacquer coated aircraft aluminium and several hundred rivets by hand. After the installation of the windows the shell is mounted on the chassis.
Protection against wind and weather
Before installing the interiour skinn, each trailer is weather tested in a special test cabin. The weather simulated in this cabin equals a category 2 hurricane. Using this method Airstreams quality control can find possible leaks and permanently eliminate them. After a successful leak test, workers install the the harness and the insulation made out of recycled glass, before closing the inside with another skin of aluminium
Everything comes through the door
Once the interior skin has been installed the interior built out begins. All furnishings and equipment are brought through the door into the vehicle. This also means: in case something needs to be serviced or repaired all parts can easily removed again through the door. This production process is significantly more labour consuming than for vehicles in large series construction. In a typical series production the furniture is first built on the chassis platform. After that walls are closed and sealed. This special way of building Airstreams is one of the main reasons why so many vehicles built in the last 85 years still exist.
The design that makes an Airstream so special, also helps saving fuel. Compared to a square box, towing an Airtreams gives you about a 20% better fuel efficiency. Airstream founder Wally Byam already knew decades ago that this design has significant advantages in terms of aerodynamics, crosswind susceptibility and directional stability. Today, saving fuel increasing safety when towing trailers is more important than ever.
Safety and comfort with European technology
To provide highest level of safety and comfort also to its European customers, Airstream has designed a special European models range. European models are developed in accordance with European regulations and adjusted in size and weight to match European requirements. All appliances are supplied by European manufactures to makes sure service and spareparts are available in a reasonable time frame. The central heating system provided by Swedish manufacturer ALDE ensures a comfortable climate even in colder regions of Europe. Remote controlled electric manoeuvring systems help parking on narrow campsites and a fully automatic satellite system let you watch TV in any European country in your native language.
Further information about the differences between US models and European models are available on our FAQ website


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July 12, 2014
You have probably heard about it, ASCD ( Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) is one of the popular and leading platforms that provides teachers and educators with various opportunities and resources to empower them to support success of each learner. ASCD is one my favourite go-to platforms when searching for resources on professional development and educational technology and several of my finds from this platform have been featured in previous posts here.
Another great feature that I like about ASCD is the number of webinars and conferences it provides. If you are looking for some opportunities to grow professionally this summer then here is a list of some great conferences and webinars you should definitely consider attending :
- Digitally Speaking: Creating Exceptional Podcasts, Videos, and More. Erik Palmer (July 16, 2014, 3:00 p.m. ET)
- Digital Learning Strategies. ( Mike Fisher July 31, 2014, 3:00 p.m. ET )
- Flipped Learning: Gateway to Student Engagement. (Jon Bergmann and Aaron Sams August 26, 2014, 3:00 p.m. ET)
- Embracing Flipped Learning Tour. (Jon Bergmann and Aaron Sams September 3, 2014, 3:00 p.m. ET)
- Technology Integration to Meet the Needs of the Common Core. (Andrew Miller Recorded June 9, 2014)
- 2015 Anual Conference
- Conference on Educational Leadership

subset: commoncrawl


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Dangerous crossroads: Threat of pre-emptive nuclear war directed against Iran
For more than a decade, Iran has been doggedly accused without evidence of developing nuclear weapons. The Islamic Republic is relentlessly portrayed by Western media as a threat to the security of Israel and of the Western World.
In a bitter irony, the assessment of America's Intelligence Community concerning Iran's alleged nuclear weapons capabilities refutes the barrage of media disinformation as well as the bellicose statements emanating from the White House. The 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE): "judges with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program." (2007 National Intelligence Estimate Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities; November 2007, See also Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI))
"We assess with moderate confidence Tehran had not restarted
its nuclear weapons program as of mid-2007, but we do not know
whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons.
- We continue to assess with moderate-to-high confidence that Iran does not currently have a nuclear weapon.
- Tehran's decision to halt its nuclear weapons program suggests it is less determined to develop nuclear weapons than we have been judging since 2005. Our assessment that the program probably was halted primarily in response to international pressure suggests Iran may be more vulnerable to influence on the issue than we judged previously." (2007 National Intelligence Estimate Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities; November 2007)
In February 2011, The Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper - while presenting the 2011 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence - intimated - with some hesitation - that the Islamic Republic was not seeking to develop nuclear weapons capabilities:
"we do not know if Iran will eventually decide to build
nuclear weapons." The 2011 NIE largely confirms the findings
undertaken by the US intelligence community in the 2007 NIE, which
remains, according to The New York Times, "the consensus view of
America's 16 intelligence agencies."
Post 9/11 pre-emptive nuclear war doctrine
First formulated in the Bush administration's 2002 'Nuclear Posture Review', the pre-emptive nuclear war doctrine - integrated into the Global War on Terrorism - started to take shape in the immediate wake of the war on Iraq. A pre-emptive 'defensive' nuclear attack on Iran using tactical nuclear weapons was envisaged to annihilate the Islamic Republic's non-existent nuclear weapons program.
So-called 'mini nukes' were identified as the 'deal
weapon' to conduct a pre-emptive nuclear attack.
In 2003, the mini nukes, consisting of bunker-buster bombs with nuclear warheads, were re-categorized by the US Senate as bona fide conventional weapons. The new definition of a nuclear warhead has blurred the distinction between conventional and nuclear weapons.
Senator Edward Kennedy, at the time, accused the Bush Administration for having developed "a generation of more useable nuclear weapons."
Through a propaganda campaign which enlisted the support of'authoritative' nuclear scientists, the mini-nukes were upheld as an instrument of peace rather than war.
"Administration officials argue that low-yield nuclear
weapons are needed as a credible deterrent against rogue states
[Iran, North Korea]. Their logic is that existing nuclear weapons
are too destructive to be used except in a full-scale nuclear war.
Potential enemies realize this, thus they do not consider the
threat of nuclear retaliation to be credible. However, low-yield
nuclear weapons are less destructive, thus might conceivably be
used. That would make them more effective as a deterrent."
(Opponents Surprised By Elimination of Nuke Research Funds, Defense
News November 29, 2004)
In an utterly twisted piece of logic, nuclear weapons are presented as a means to building peace and preventing 'collateral damage'. The Pentagon had intimated, in this regard, that the mini-nukes are 'harmless to civilians' because the explosions 'take place underground'. Each of these mini-nukes, nonetheless, constitutes – in terms of explosion and potential radioactive fallout – a significant fraction of the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
Estimates of yield for Nagasaki and Hiroshima indicate that they were respectively of 21,000 and 15,000 tons. Mini-nukes have a yield (explosive capacity) between one third and six times a Hiroshima bomb.
Following the 2003 Senate Green Light, which upheld mini nukes as 'humanitarian bombs', a major shift in nuclear weapons doctrine has unfolded. The low-yield nukes had been cleared for 'battlefield use'. In contrast to the warning on a packet of cigarettes (see the proposed Food and Drug Administration label below), the 'advisory' on the 'dangers of nuclear weapons to human health' is no longer included in military manuals. The latter have been revised. This'new' generation of tactical nuclear weapons is considered 'safe'. The dangers of nuclear radiation are no longer acknowledged. There are no impediments or political obstacles to the use of low yield thermonuclear bombs.
The 'international community' has endorsed nuclear war in
the name of World Peace.
Mini-nukes: Preferred weapons system of 'pre-emptive nuclear war'
While reports tend to depict the tactical B61 bombs as a relic of the Cold War era, the realities are otherwise: mini-nukes are the chosen weapons system under the doctrine of pre-emptive nuclear war, to be used in the conventional war theater against terrorists and 'state sponsors of terrorism', including the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Concrete plans to wage a pre-emptive nuclear attack on Iran have been on the Pentagon drawing board since 2004. A pre-emptive nuclear attack would consist in the deployment of B-61 tactical nuclear weapons directed against Iran. The attacks would be activated from military bases in Western Europe, Turkey and Israel.
In 2007, NATO confirmed its support for America's nuclear pre-emption doctrine in a report entitled 'Towards a Grand Strategy for an Uncertain World: Renewing Transatlantic Partnership'. The report (authored by former defense chiefs of staff of the US, UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands, and sponsored by the Dutch Noaber Foundation) calls for a pre-emptive 'first strike' use of nuclear weapons, against non-nuclear states as "the ultimate instrument of an asymmetric response – and at the same time the ultimate tool of escalation. Yet they are also more than an instrument, since they transform the nature of any conflict and widen its scope from the regional to the global. Regrettably, nuclear weapons – and with them the option of first use – are indispensable, since there is simply no realistic prospect of a nuclear-free world." (Ibid, p.96-97, emphasis added).
According to the authors, Iran constitutes a major strategic
threat – not only to Israel, "which it has threatened to
destroy, but also to the region as a whole." (Ibid, p.45) What
is required is for the Atlantic Alliance to "restore deterrence
through [military] escalation."
In this context, the Report, endorsed both by NATO and the Pentagon, contemplates the notion of "escalation dominance, the use of a full bag of both carrots and sticks—and indeed all instruments of soft and hard power, ranging from the diplomatic protest to nuclear weapons." (Report, p.96. emphasis added)
In December 2011, less than a year following the publication of the 2011 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), which underscored that Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program, a 'no options off the table' agenda directed against Iran was put forth by the Obama administration. What was envisaged was a planned and coordinated US-NATO Israel military posture with regard to Iran. It was understood, as intimated by former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, that Israel would not act unilaterally against Iran. In the case of an attack on Iran, the green light would be granted by Washington.
"Any military operation against Iran by Israel must be coordinated with the United States and have its backing," said Panetta.
The various components of the military operation would be firmly
under US Command, coordinated by the Pentagon and US Strategic
Command Headquarters (USSTRATCOM) at the Offutt Air Force base in
Military actions by Israel would be carried out in close coordination with the Pentagon. The command structure of the operation is centralized and ultimately Washington decides if and when to launch the military operation.
In March 2013, the 'all options' resolution in relation to Iran was on the agenda during the president's official visit to Israel. While an integrated US-NATO-Israel approach in response to 'the perils of a nuclear-armed Iran' war was reasserted, the tone of the discussions was in the direction of military action against Iran.
Obama's visit to Israel was preceded by high-level bilateral consultations, including the visit of IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz to Washington in February for discussions with the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey pertaining to Iran and Syria. Benny Gantz was accompanied by Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, director of IDF Military Intelligence, at the meeting with his US counterparts. The new head of the Pentagon Chuck Hagel will be visiting Israel in April in a follow-up meeting.
In the course of Obama's visit, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated the need for "a clear and credible threat of military action [against Iran]," while intimating that Israel could act unilaterally. In this regard, it is worth noting that in August 2012, a few months prior to the US presidential elections, a leaked IDF briefing document (translated from Hebrew) revealed the details of Netanyahu's proposed "shock and awe attack" on Iran.
"The Israeli attack will open with a coordinated strike,
including an unprecedented cyber-attack ... A barrage of tens of
ballistic missiles would be launched from Israel toward Iran ...
from Israeli submarines in the vicinity of the Persian Gulf. The
missiles would be armed with ... high-explosive ordnance equipped
with reinforced tips designed specially to penetrate hardened
targets. ... A barrage of hundreds of cruise missiles will pound
command and control systems, research and development facilities,
... among the targets approved for attack— Shihab 3 and Sejil
ballistic missile silos, storage tanks for chemical components of
rocket fuel, industrial facilities for producing missile control
systems, centrifuge production plants and more." (Quoted in
Richard Silverstein, Netanyahu's Secret War Plan: Leaked Document
Outlines Israel's 'Shock and Awe' Plan to Attack Iran, Tikun
Olam and Global Research, August 16, 2012).
The strike details mentioned in the leaked IDF briefing above pertain solely to the use of conventional weapons systems.
Michel Chossudovsky is an award-winning author, professor of economics (emeritus) at the University of Ottawa, founder and director of the Center for Research on Globalization (CRG), Montreal and editor of the globalresearch.ca website. He is the author of The Globalization of Poverty and The New World Order (2003) and America's 'War on Terrorism' (2005). His most recent book is Towards a World War III Scenario: The Dangers of Nuclear War (2011). He is also a contributor to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His writings have been published in more than 20 languages.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.


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NJ Asset Protection: How to protect businesses and personal assets in New Jersey
Protecting your assets for both your business assets and personal ones for the state of New Jersey is similar to other states in America. We learn how you can protect them and keep them to pass on to your beneficiaries.
A business in New Jersey, if organized correctly, can offer asset protection. A limited liability corporation ("LLC") is ideal, but generally not considered complete asset protection. An LLC takes a business that is generally a sole proprietorship (owned and operated by one person) and, by filing with the New Jersey State Treasury, turns it into a corporation. The idea being that the corporation is now a separate entity from the person and as such, is responsible for its own debt, taxes and lawsuits. Shares of an LLC can be owned by one person or several, but a solely owned LLC may not share full asset protection.
The LLC that is owned by multiple partners gets its main asset protection advantage from what is known as "charging orders" [Title 42. Chapter 2C. Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, 1-94 – C.42:2C-1 to 42:2C-94, (March 18, 2013). A single owner of an LLC may or may not take advantage of charging orders because they are meant to protect other owners from creditors attempting to liquidate the LLC. A charging order is a court order, in favor of a creditor of one of the LLCs members, stating that the stocks or shares of the LLC are responsible for the amount owed. This means that the creditor does not have any control over the LLC and can only collect from the distributions to that single debtor. In other words, it protects the other LLC partners from having to deal with a new partner. This allows the other partners not to be subject to any financial loss stemming from one partner's financial distress.
Although this is a good method to protect a business and separate the business from one's personal assets, it may fall short. There are many cases where an LLC officer is held personally liable for acts, such as consumer fraud [Root Jewelers v. JDR Contracting, 233 N.J. Super. 125 (App. Div. 1989)], misappropriation and conversion [Hirsch v. Philly, 4 N.J. 408, 416 (1950)], negligence [Duffy v. Bates, 91 N.J.L. 243 (E & A 1918)], negligence of omission [Francis v. United Jersey Bank, 87 N.J. 15 (1981)], and negligent contracting [Saltiel v. GSI Consultants, Inc., 170 N.J. 297 (2002)]. The best way to ensure that personal assets are separate from business assets are through the use of a well crafted irrevocable trust, such as the UltraTrust®.
The use of irrevocable trusts can be a two level shield against would be attackers. First, placing the LLC into a trust can add another layer of protection. Anyone trying to get through the protection of the LLC will run into the issue that a trust owns the business, not the individual. Also, when an owner is sued and the creditor attempts to attach a charging order against the business, they will likely be unsuccessful, as the trust owns the business, not the individual. A creditor cannot collect something that the debtor does not own. A well written trust, such as the UltraTrust®, includes language allowing the trustee to withhold funds in the event of a lawsuit. This trust, being irrevocable is out of the control of the debtor, so the creditor cannot force payment.
The second level of protection involves placing the bulk of one's personal assets in an irrevocable trust. Again, when a creditor or successful lawsuit plaintiff attempts to collect, they will not be able to collect from the irrevocable trust. The assets and property in the trust will be safe and able to be used for the benefit of the family or other beneficiaries. A creditor cannot collect from someone who doesn't own anything. This is the same strategy that can be used to protect assets from medicaid and nursing homes.
Putting all of or a significant amount of countable assets into an irrevocable trust more than five years before entering a nursing home, saves the assets from the astronomical cost of nursing home care. In New Jersey, a one may still retain the use of various assets, including $2000, a car, a home (if they intend to return) and various burial assets, among other minor assets. Any countable items or assets (those items or assets not carved out by medicaid as non-countable such as the one's listed below) will be subject to a "spend down" until the person qualifies for medicaid.
So, if a person has $102,000 in countable assets when entering a nursing home, the nursing home will collect until there is only $2000 left (less than 1 year of nursing home care). These funds will be lost and not passed on to the family. In fact they can't even be gifted. If one were to take that $102,000 and place it in an UltraTrust® more than five years before entering a nursing home, those assets would be owned solely by the trust and would not count towards the medicaid spend down. All $102,000 would be passed on to the beneficiaries.
Another method, which may work much closer to the time someone is to enter a nursing facility, is the purchase of an actuarially sound annuity. Although this method does not protect as many of the assets as an irrevocable trust, it will protect more than simply doing nothing. An annuity is a contract, bought and paid for, where the entity selling the agreement agrees to pay out sums of money as income over a period of time. New Jersey, in particular, makes an effort to make sure that the payment is actuarially sound, meaning that the payments are consistent with life expectancy. By making sure they are actuarially sound, New Jersey is attempting to thwart people from abusing these annuities solely to qualify for medicaid.
The methods outlined above, although relatively simple to explain, may be quite complicated. One should contact an expert in LLCs, irrevocable trusts and medicaid annuities, such as those at Estate Street Partners. If the annuities, LLC and/or irrevocable trusts do not contain the correct language, one may not be afforded the protection that they expect. Estate Street Partners and the UltraTrust® can help meet and exceed expectations for asset protection in New Jersey.


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An enquiry, you say? We also deal in those, regarding anything from updates on your order, a collaboration opportunity, or a book recommendation – the latter will likely come at length!


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Brooklyn pols speak out against racial disparity in murder cases
Brooklyn politicians held a press conference last week to bring awareness to and discuss solutions regarding amount of unsolved murder cases in Brooklyn and New York's other outer boroughs.
A report by the New York Daily News revealed that outer-borough homicide cases have received less staffing and resources than those cases in precincts throughout Manhattan. Brooklyn leads the unfortunate way in understaffed homicide cases.
According to the report, the three outer-borough neighborhoods with the highest number of open cases, according to reports, are East Flatbush, Crown Heights North and East New York. Last year there were 77 open murder investigations in Brooklyn — Manhattan only had 15.
Despite having a higher number of open murder cases, Brooklyn North's homicide division — by way of example —has five cases per detective, while Manhattan South's ratio is one case per detective. The Daily News report also factored in race, stating that roughly 86 percent of homicides involving a white victim have been solved, compared to 45 percent involving a black victim and 56 percent involving a Hispanic victim. The races of 34 victims are unknown.
At a press conference held at New York's City Hall, Council Members Jumaane D. Williams (D-Brooklyn) and Daneek Miller (D-Queens) and Public Advocate Letitia James were joined by some victims of gun violence to speak out against the information contained in the Daily News report.
"There are many of us who have pointed out these disparities, there are many who have routinely said that there is a feeling that Black and Latino lives are not viewed the same and given as much weight as other lives across the city," Williams said Thursday.
James commented that "[a]lthough we recognize the strides that the NYPD has made in decreasing crime throughout the city, the disproportionate number of unsolved homicides in outer-borough precincts is deeply disturbing. It is evident to me that precincts in the outer boroughs need additional officers assigned to homicide," James continued.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams also joined the conference, addressing the issue as specific to Brooklyn. "It's clear the previous administration put value on real estate, not New Yorkers in need," Adams stated. "I believe that Mayor Bill de Blasio and Commissioner [William] Bratton will address these inequities head-on in the weeks and months ahead. It is my hope that the clearance rate in Brooklyn precincts will rise as a result, bringing criminals to justice and providing families and loved ones with much-needed closure."
Donna Rayside, who lost her son, Dustin Yeates, on May 27, 2013, in Brooklyn, spoke about the personal effect the disparity has in the real world, as opposed to the theoretical. "[My son] was just 31 years of age and had dreams of become a law enforcement officer," she said. "Finding my son's killer and bringing him to justice would be much more a reality if more resources are allocated to doing just that."
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Am glad I took the evening off , a good nite sleep and with my favorite (read huge) cup of coffee am back with renewed enthusiasm and fresh ideas threatening to overflow. I will still welcome hugs, so don't hold yourself back:)) hope you are all having a great weekend.
Jamie is very passionate about his minestrone and recommends 'soffritto' meaning slowly frying vegetables to give a strong intense flavor base. For the broth he recommends a bollito misto (mixed boiled meats) he also recommends a light chicken broth or ham (though it is very British, but popular in Tuscany too) but... since am a vegetarian my only option was vegetable soup and loved the intense flavors.
7 oz. cannellini or borlotti beans, if dried soaked overnight. (I used kidney bean)
1 bay leaf
1 tomato, squashed
1 small potato, peeled
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
olive oil
2 small red onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped
1/2 head of fennel, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
basil small bunch leaves and stem separated
2 14 oz can of plum tomatoes
2 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
a glass of red wine
1/2 lb. swiss chard or spinach, washed and roughly chopped
2 cups of vegetable stock
2 oz. dried pasta
extra virgin olive oil
block of parmesan cheese to serve
crushed red pepper (optional)
While the beans are being cook, make the soffrito. Heat some olive oil in a pan, add onions, carrots, celery, fennel, garlic and finely sliced basil stems. Sweat slowly over low flame, with the lid ajar for 15-20 min until soft, not brown. Add tomatoes, zucchini, and red wine, simmer for 15 min.
Add chard or spinach, stock and beans. Put the dried into the soup, stir and simmer till the pasta is cooked.
If the soup is thick add more stock or reserved cooking water. Season with salt and pepper, I got tempted and had to add crushed red pepper ( u know my thing for spice ;)) Serve hot with torn basil leaves, a dash of olive oil and some freshly grated parmesan. Enjoy with your favorite bread. While you enjoy this soup, I need to head back to get my kitchen in order, there seems to be props everywhere.


text: Segovia's Plaza Mayor has a special meaning for the history of Spain. In 1474, when it was still called San Miguel Plaza, the Catholic Queen Isabella of Castile was crowned there. Otherwise, it is a typical Spanish square. Nonetheless, in an urbanistic sense, it offers an unexpected yet at the same time visually interesting performance. A massive cathedral building, one of the latest Gothic cathedrals in Europe, is found on one of the square's sides. But Plaza Mayor manages not to let itself dominated by this cathedral. Seen from the square, the cathedral does not appear so monumental, and the square maintains an intimate air, relatable to human height.


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Recap Map: Western MA Weekend Summary & Family Guide for Feb 9th, 2013
Here's a recap of news and information posted on Hilltown Families this past week, along with a map for finding out what's happening this weekend and upcoming week throughout Western MA!
Peruse our list of Suggested Events for February 9th-15th, 2013 for a comprehensive list of events happening throughout the four counties of Western MA, including Best Bets, Mark Your Calendars and Bulletin Board. Also check our weekly column, Learn Local. Play Local. for 22 Community Highlights: Victorian Valentines to Mardi Gras. Winterfest to Fire & Ice. and our bi-weekly column, Berkshire Family Fun for Mid-Late February, 2013, for a list of premier educational and cultural highlights in Berkshire County for families!
February 9th-15th, 2013
Saturday • Sunday • Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday
History • Valentine Celebrations • Animals • Community Events
Outdoor Adventures • Mardi Gras • Fiber Arts • Science • Theater Studies
- Under the Hat: Exploring Tempo in Music
- Be Mine: Chocolate and Valentines
- Photography of Ansel Adams Comes to Western MA!
- Victorian Valentines Workshop & Era Days at Wistariahurst Museum
- Fashion from the Gilded Age: A Local History
- One-Minute VidFest Welcomes Youth Participants
- Warm Up this Winter with Easthampton Fire & Ice Art Walk!
- 10×10 Upstreet: A Weeklong Winter Contemporary Arts Festival in the Berkshires
- Ticket Giveaway: Family 4-Pack of Tickets to "The Popovich Comedy Pet Theater" at The Colonial Theatre
- Hindsight Parenting: Special People
- Indian Potato Fritters for Dinner Tonight!
- Underground Railroad History & Quiz
- Q&A: 12 Suggestions for Including Babies During Family Dinner
Visit the Hilltown Families Facebook page and Twitter stream for more news and information!
- HFVS Valentine's Day 2012 Episode with Guest DJ, Charity Kahn (Radio Show/Podcast)
- Where to Dine in Western MA for Valentine's Day with Your Family
- Swedish Paper Hearts For Valentine's Day
- Valentine's Day Tips for Dads and Daughters
- Valentine's Day Links


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Vi på Villa Dagmar kan erbjuda följande paket och erbjudanden just nu. Kontakta gärna vår bokningsavdelning vid frågor om weekendpaket, kampanjer eller bokning av grupper.
Villa Dagmar / Hotel Diplomat AB is processing information about your e-mail address to send newsletters and offers. For us, your personal integrity is important and we work to maintain a very high level of security in our processes. Therefore, we only share your information between Villa Dagmar / Hotel Diplomat's companies and a few selected system providers operating within the EU / EEA.
Data privacy is very important for Villa Dagmar and we want to be open and transparent with our handling of your personal data. Villa Dagmar is owned and operated by Hotel Diplomat AB, Stockholm Strandvägen 7C, 114 56 Stockholm, Sweden. Company number: 556119-0751.
Rates are inclusive of VAT and service charges. Cancellation must be made latest 6 pm one day prior to arrival in order to avoid late cancellation or no-show charges. In event of late cancellation or no-show the rate for the first night will be charged. Advanced Purchase, full prepayment at time of booking: No refund, cancellation or modification.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by writing to firstname.lastname@example.com


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The Earlham 7th & 8th grade boys competed in the annual Iowa Association of Track and Field Coaches statewide meet on Saturday. The 7th graders took home the state title and had state champs in: high jump - John Humphrey, 100 meter dash - Jacob Ridgely, 200 meter dash - Jacob Ridgely, Shuttle Hurdle Relay - Slater Goff, Jake Willem, Alex Caskey, Caleb Swalla, New meet record and champion in the 200 meter hurdles - Caleb Swalla. Other athletes who competed well and set many P.R's were: Gavin Goodrich, Wade Feltner, Nick Wilson, Darrin Sesker, Chris Gadbaw, Cameron Terry, Ashten Winey and Sam Kasap. The 8th graders only had a team of four but managed to earn medals in the distance medley - Keenan Volz, Carter Yettmar, Grant Peterson, Michael Allen. Keenan also medaled in both the 100 & 200 meter hurdles.
District > Announcements >


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Thirty-five vegetable farmers were hailed as "farmer heroes" by leading tropical vegetable seeds company East-West Seed recently to commemorate its 35th anniversary, with Sen. Cynthia Villar as guest speaker.
The awarding capped East-West Seed's three-month nationwide search for 35 "farmer heroes" who have achieved success, made significant contributions to their communities, demonstrated innovativeness in adopting new technologies, and could serve as role models of other farmers on how vegetable farming can enrich lives.
The search spanned 18 regions with over 800 farmers recognized as "Regional Champs". From the pool of "Regional Champs", the 35 Farmer Heroes were selected.
The farmer heroes were earlier featured in the November 2017 issue of Agriculture Magazine.
Celebrating the Success of Farmers
"We want to express our gratitude to the Filipino farmers who have supported us all these years by celebrating their success, innovativeness, entrepreneurial spirit, and hard work. Their remarkable qualities uplift not just the lives of their families but also the whole local vegetable industry," said Henk Hermans, general manager of East-West Seed Philippines.
Through their stories, we also want to inspire others, especially the youth, to engage in farming and become successful vegetable farmers" Hermans added.
During the event, East-West Seed also recognized 35 outstanding distributors for being East-West Seed's loyal partners in improving the lives of Filipino farmers.
For more information, visit the East-West Seed.
This appeared without a byline in Agriculture Monthly's January 2018 issue.


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BUSHNELL RANGE FINDER 4x20mm Bright, crystal-clear optics BONE COLLECTOR EDITION. The item "Bushnell 202208 4x21 Bone Collector Laser Range Finder Real Tree Hunting Golf" is in sale since Tuesday, November 9, 2021. This item is in the category "Sporting Goods\Golf\Golf Tech\Rangefinders & Scopes".
The seller is "bsiusa" and is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Dominican republic, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, El salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Viet nam, Uruguay, Russian federation.


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About our tutoring services in Marlton and surrounding south jersey areas
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Tutor Doctor Marlton is committed to helping students not only do better in school, but also regain their confidence. Too often, when children fall behind in class, they feel powerless and causes them to lose interest in their studies. Our skilled tutors in Marlton provide them with the tools they need to succeed.
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The BlackBerry Bold smartphone can combine email and text messages into the phone's Messages section. Though this feature is convenient for some, business owners who use the phone for business and personal correspondence may want to separate the message types for better organization. Separating the two types of messages makes visible the Text Messages section of the phone, which is accessible from the home screen.
Step 1
Click the "Messages" icon, which looks like an envelope, to open the Messages screen.
Step 2
Press the "Menu" button, which has the BlackBerry logo on it, select "Options" and then "Inbox Management."
Step 3
Click "Text Messages" to remove the check mark in the box next to the selection.
Step 4
Press the "Menu" button and select "Save." The Text Messages icon, which looks like a cell phone, now appears on the home screen.
- Information in this article applies to the BlackBerry Bold models 9900 and 9930. It may vary slightly or significantly with other versions or products.
Writer Bio
William Pullman is a freelance writer from New Jersey. He has written for a variety of online and offline media publications, including "The Daily Journal," "Ocular Surgery News," "Endocrine Today," radio, blogs and other various Internet platforms. Pullman holds a Master of Arts degree in Writing from Rowan University.
Image Credit
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images News/Getty Images


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The Big East announced the preseason coaches' polling for men's soccer yesterday, and much like the women's polling, things are expected to stay the same around the league. Marquette's squad is picked to finish 6th in the Blue Division, which is the same spot they finished last season. But that's what happens when the defending Big East Player of the Year plays for a team in your division, as is the case with first place favorite Connecticut and senior midfielder Tony Cascio.
Over in the Red Division, 2010 NCAA runner up Louisville is the unanimous pick to finish first. The Cardinals went without a loss last season until the National Championship game, and snagged hardware in all three individual preseason awards: Forward Colin Rolfe shares the preseason offensive player of the year award with Connecticut's Cascio, while Austin Berry was named preseason defensive player of the year and Andre Boudreaux was tabbed as preseason goalkeeper of the year.
No Golden Eagles made it to the preseason All Big East Team, so we'll wrap up here with that complete list:
GK Andre Boudreaux, Louisville
B Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Connecticut
B Austin Berry, Louisville
B Aaron Maund, Notre Dame
B Raymon Gaddis, West Virginia
MF Carlos Alvarez, Connecticut
MF Ian Christianson, Georgetown
MF Dillon Powers, Notre Dame
F Tony Cascio, Connecticut
F Antonio Aguilar, DePaul
F Steve Neumann, Georgetown
F Colin Rolfe, Louisville


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See Through a New Lens
Photographers Without Borders showcases images from select photographers who have volunteered their time to capture the work of grassroots charities around the world. Through the collective voice these images are shared worldwide both in print and online, as well as by the organizations for fundraising and awareness campaigns.
These inspiring stories of community, collaboration, and positive change reinforce open dialogue, public education, and peaceful relations, encouraging a humanity that would rather help than discriminate.
Presented by Photographers Without Borders
See the Photographers Without Borders website for artwork location details: photographerswithoutborders.org


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Metabolic diseases
Cushing's Disease
Diagnostic Tests Limitations
1. Mid Night Salivary Cortisol: Excitement can cause increase in midnight salivary level although not on all the patients.
3. Cyclic CS may give normal UFC results. Cyclic CS can occur at all age.
4. LDDST (1 mg Dex ST) Upto 30 % false positive rate. 5 % false negative rate on patient who metabolize dexamethasone slowly.
5. Drugs may interfere with DST: Dexamethasone metabolized through CEP3A4 pathway.
6. ACTH level may overlap between different cause of Cushing's syndrome
7. Only 1/2 patient with CD have no tumors on conventional T1 MRI. False negative MRI of brain is possible. Not all pituitary MRI are the same. Field of view and TR/TE ratio matters.
8. IPSS : 95 % sensitivity and specificity of the tests. False negative IPSS can occur. 4/501 patients with surgically proved cushiness had false-negative IPSS. Likewise, cyclic CS may be missed.
9. IPSS insufficient suppression of ACTH is a concern.
10. No single imaging study can identify and localize every ectopic adrenal tumor. Gated (EKG based gating) Imaging may be of help at times.
11. Surgical technique affects results. If any cells are left behind tumor will recur.
12. Ensure gastric acidity when using Ketokinazole.
1. < 10 HU = more lipid content. Adrenal gland use cholesterol for making hormones, and is stored as cholesterol ester, which is lipid. More likely it is adrenal adenoma. > 10 HU, could be anything.
2. Ald/ PRA > 30 AND Plasa Aldo > 12
3. Sex steroid tumor are never incidental. They will have symptoms. Female: Hirsutitism, Cliteromegaly, amernorrhea, acne,
Male: Gynecomastic. DHEAS: > 8000 ng / ml (Not DHEA). DHEAS is adrenal.
4. Pheochormocytoma: Plasma metanephrines and Plasma normetanephrines (for incidental findings you do not want it as it has 99 % sensitivity). For symptomatic patients use.
Adrenal Crisis in ICU
1. Patient with SIRS in ICU have more cortisol than patient without SIRS
2. Such increased cortisol in ICU patient is due to decreased metabolism.
3. Tests of adrenal insufficiency in ICU
Endocrinology / Metabolism > Adrenal >


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Team BlackHawk pilot Rex Pemberton and his amazing wife Melissa Pemberton are featured on the TV show 60 Minutes
Home / Latest News / Team BlackHawk Pilot on 60 Minutes
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Pacific Great Eastern BC-10, North Vancouver, July 3, 1961. Here we find BC-10, an RDC-1, awaiting her run "The Whistler Northwind" to Whistler, BC, a popular ski and tourist destination up at the end of Howe Sound.
And "ditch lights" have been applied to the top of the "cab" for canyon and mountain railroading.
Two 300 horsepower Detroit Diesel 6-110 motors power the RDC through an Allison Division of GM torque converter. The "tray" slide in/out motors could be changed in less than two hours!
I regret never having ridden the Pacific Great Eastern. At the time, you never think, "Will this ever end?" If you have the opportunity, research on Google for PGE videos. From the moment they whistled off at North Vancouver, they had a 700 mile ride to Prince George though spectacular scenery, with 2.2% grades – described in a "Trains" magazine article as "The PGE Rollercoaster."
The Budd-RDC BC Rail "Cariboo Prospector,"nee PGE "Cariboo Dayliner" trains ended October 31, 2002. The service was unprofitable, partly owing to BC Rail's heavy dependence on their fleet of aging Budd Rail Diesel Cars.
Railroad Stuff: Pacific Great Eastern BC-10, Budd RDC-1, built 8/56, sn: 6319, 2 x 275hp. Renamed British Columbia Rail (name change) BCR-10, 1972. To Portland, Oregon as the "Lewis & Clark Explorer" train in 2003. That ended in 2005. Fate unknown.


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Sale on canvas prints! Use code ABCXYZ at checkout for a special discount!
Boundary: Bleed area may not be visible.
Click and drag to re-position the image, if desired.
by Melanie Alexandra Price
Image Size
The image is near the edges of the product but doesn't cover the entire product. Some of the background color may appear around the outside edges of the image.
Background Color
Product Details
Purchase a tote bag featuring the photograph "Bronze Seashell Paris Door Knocker" by Melanie Alexandra Price. Our tote bags are made from soft, durable, poly-poplin fabric and include a 1" black strap for easy carrying on your shoulder. All seams are double-stitched for added durability. Each tote bag is machine-washable in cold water and is printed on both sides using the same image.
Design Details
Classic Paris door - Paris, France
Ships Within
2 - 3 business days
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Greeting Card
iPhone Case
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Classic Paris door - Paris, France
I'm a fine art photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I've always been intrigued by the magic of photography. Although times have changed from processing black and white film in the darkroom to digital processing in Lightroom and Photoshop, trading my Canon AE-1 for Canon full frame DSLRs - my love of photography remains constant. I'm honored my images have found their way into hundreds of private collections around the world as well as hotels and film and television production sets. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.


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Aug 14, 2018
The critical theorists and social justice warriors are trying to do to medieval studies what they've done to other disciplines, and if you don't get on board, you're a white supremacist. Over the past two years or so, the mob has targeted University of Chicago professor Rachel Fulton Brown, calling her a fascist, trying to intimidate her department into censuring her, and banning her from conference sessions. She joins me to discuss her ordeal, why even tenured professors are willing to stand up for unpopular truths, and the stakes of the battle for medieval studies.
Rachel Fulton Brown's academic homepage http://home.uchicago.edu/~rfulton/
Milo Yiannopoulos's essay "Why the Battle for Medieval Studies Matters to America" (profanity warning) https://www.dangerous.com/45111/middle-rages/
Rachel's fascinating Professional Self-Portrait http://home.uchicago.edu/~rfulton/Professional%20Self%20Portrait.pdf
Mary and the Art of Prayer: The Hours of the Virgin in Medieval Christian Life and Thought:
Purchase https://amzn.to/2MPrGFf
Read Chapter 2 https://issuu.com/columbiaup/docs/mary_and_the_art_of_prayer_ave_mari
2:56 Rachel Fulton Brown
3:41 The initial blog post that made Rachel's colleagues angry
10:15 Rachel's friendship with Milo Yiannopoulos
15:19 The progressive witch hunt within medieval studies
28:25 The letter 1,500 academics signed attempting to get her department to censure her
34:40 Rachel's defenders in academia
36:49 Why even tenured academics fear the mob
41:23 Critical theorists coming from English literature into medieval studies
45:27 What will be lost if medieval studies is taken over by progressives: the study of Christianity
51:02 This week's reading: Bl. John Henry Newman
This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio


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Snippet: Spotlight Search in OS X Yosemite Exposes Data to Spammers ☇
Dan Goodin for Ars Technica:
The potential privacy glitch affects people who have configured the Mac Mail App to turn off the "load remote content in messages" setting, as security experts have long advised. Spammers, stalkers, and online marketers often use remote images as a homing beacon to surreptitiously track people opening e-mail. Because the images are hosted on sites hosted by the e-mail sender, the sender can log the IP address that viewed the message, as well as the times and how often the message was viewed, and the specific e-mail addresses that received the message. Many users prefer to keep their e-mail addresses, IP addresses, and viewing habits private, a goal that's undermined by the viewing of remote images.
Like Mozilla Thunderbird, Microsoft Outlook, and many other e-mail clients, Mail allows users to block remote images for precisely this reason. But even when remote image viewing is disabled in Yosemite-based Mail app settings, the images will be opened by Spotlight, according to two recent media reports. The feature is used to search a Mac for files or e-mail containing a specified search term. When spotlight returns a preview of e-mails containing the term, it loads the images, overriding the option. Images are loaded even when the previewed message has landed in a users' junk mail folder.
Although this is a very specific use case, I hope Apple gets it patched sooner than later. Until then, I removed Mail & Messages from search results on Spotlight (uncheck it under the Spotlight preferences).


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All of our free web templates have been released under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. This allows you to adapt, copy, distribute and transmit the work as long as a link back to our website remains.
The attribution (link back) condition can be waived by making donation for a template (below) of £8.00 on a per domain basis.
If you are looking to use our templates on 10 or more domains, or would like rights to an unlimited license (e.g. to use one of our templates in a piece of software that may be used hundreds or thousands of times), please contact us for discounts and options.
ZyPOP is the new name and owner of spyka Webmaster/spyka.net's web templates. Any licenses dontains will apply to those older templates and links to spyka.net as well.


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September 4, 2011
the ghosts you draw on my back
More from the first Bronica-roll.
36 comments :
I had to hold my breath when I see these photos :) These are really breathtaking.ReplyDelete
bronica fits you very well. great pictures and a wonderful song.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous04 September, 2011 16:53
wonderful! where are the dresses from? :)ReplyDelete
Lovely picture I like the dress tooReplyDelete
Great shots!ReplyDelete
You have the best photo blog i know!ReplyDelete
múm. så himla fantastiskt band alltså, åh.ReplyDelete
Gorgeous pictures, as always <3ReplyDelete
Beautiful photo's!ReplyDelete
- Anonymous04 September, 2011 20:07
Always wanted to ask. Where do you buy your beautiful clothes?ReplyDelete
I wonder how many pictures of your own back do you posess already:)ReplyDelete
anyway, these are beautiful.
you have lovely weather in sweden!ReplyDelete
i LOVE these photos! :)ReplyDelete
beautiful pictures!ReplyDelete
Väldigt, väldigt fint.ReplyDelete
i love the arrangement of pattern in these.ReplyDelete
xx kaitlyn
beautifully peaceful.ReplyDelete
åh, känslan i sista rutan. bitterljuvt.ReplyDelete
these are so lovely.ReplyDelete
Wow bones and florals, these are gorgeous and so sophisticated :)ReplyDelete
Amazing photo's! I really love them!ReplyDelete
ohh, i love your pictures! <3ReplyDelete
I bought the second volume of 1Q84 Haruki Murakami. I am delighted with this story. You will be enjoy when read these books!ReplyDelete
Love the photos and amazing blog :)ReplyDelete
Love this !ReplyDelete
- Anonymous09 September, 2011 22:40
Medium format. I love it.ReplyDelete
Hej, dina fotografier är helt fantastiska!ReplyDelete
Jag undrar bara, eftersom du fotar mycket analogt, hur har du råd att framkalla alla bilder eller har du ett eget mörkerrum?
visita-me e se gostares segue-me publicamente :)
du er så inspirerendeReplyDelete
They are beautiful, theese photos!ReplyDelete
amazing! i just loved your blog :)ReplyDelete
Splendid photos!ReplyDelete
These are some nice photos!ReplyDelete


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Kaliningrad. Notes on the Beginning of the Short 20th Century
March, 1 – April, 9, 2017
"Notes on the Beginning of the Short 20th Century" aims to show the historical traces of the First World War in the present, and reflects on their treatment. What does that time mean, what do those long past events mean to us? What is behind current opinion, and elicits contemporary artistic engagement? How and where is the historical impact tangible in artworks? What are the intentions and the image politics behind different forms of engagement with the past? The exhibition pursues the extent to which it is possible for contemporary art — between construct, reference and depiction — to expand the cultural memory, to correct or even contribute to finding the historical facts. At the same time, the exponents show altered rather than socially compliant images of history, highlighting differences between national narratives about the war and cultures of commemorating it.
Curated by Frank Eckhardt (GER) and Dr. Andrea Domesle (SUI).
Kader Attia (FRA),
Marcin Berdyszak (POL),
Nin Brudermann (AUT/USA),
Martin Chramosta (SUI),
ETAGE (GER, Stefan Bombaci & Daniela Dietmann),
Tatiana Fiodorova (MDA),
Thomas Galler (SUI),
Karen Geyer – Grauton (GER/SUI),
Group San Donato (RUS, Oleg Blyablyas, Alexey Chebykin, Evgeny Umansky),
Ruppe Koselleck (GER),
Olga Alia Krulisova & Jana Morkovska (CZE),
Anton Kuznetsov (RUS),
Jerôme Leuba (SUI),
Małgorzata Łuczyna & Jacek Złoczowski (POL),
François Martig (BEL),
Mladen Miljanovic (BIH),
Yves Netzhammer (SUI),
Jo Preußler (GER) & Axel Töpfer (GER/SUI),
Joachim Seinfeld (GER),
Deborah Sengl (AUT),
Belle Shafir (ISR/GER),
Yury Vassiliev (RUS),
Martina Wolf (GER).
On photo: Joachim Seinfeld . When Germans are having fun, 2014


text: For Sale: Vladimir Cervenka Cavalry Sword -- myArmoury.com About • Links • Search • Contribute Features Reviews Collections Albums Forums Books Info Favorites Register Log in myArmoury.com Discussion Forums Forum index Memberlist Usergroups Spotlight Topics Search Forum Index > The Marketplace > For Sale: Vladimir Cervenka Cavalry SwordSOLD This is a standard topic Author Message J.T. Aliaga Location: SATXJoined: 19 Aug 2007 Likes: 1 pageReading list: 4 books Posts: 52 Feedback score: None Posted: Sun 05 Jul, 2015 3:32 pm Post subject: For Sale: Vladimir Cervenka Cavalry Sword This listing is marked SOLD and is no longer available Vladimir Cervenka Cavalry Sword for sale. Second owner. Some faint rust at a couple of spots on pommel and guard (curse your humidity, South Texas!). Asking $770 USD. Free shipping in CONUS. Paypal or MO. Will Will consider trades (full & partial) for Albions, A&A and ATrims. Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Forum Index > The Marketplace > For Sale: Vladimir Cervenka Cavalry SwordSOLD Page 1 of 1 All times are GMT - 8 HoursView previous topic :: View next topic Jump to: Select a forum Discussion and Research----------------Historical Arms TalkmyArmoury.com Features Talk-- Suggestions, Requests and Support-- Testing ZoneMakers and Manufacturers Talk Miscellaneous Discussion----------------Off-topic Talk Special Interest Area----------------The Marketplace-- Marketplace Feedback You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forumYou cannot attach files in this forumYou can download files in this forum All contents © Copyright 2003-2023 myArmoury.com All rights reserved Discussion forums powered by phpBB © The phpBB Group Switch to the Basic Low-bandwidth Version of the forum


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There are few things as satisfying as seeing your hard-work come to fruition. So putting the shovel in the ground and beginning the placement and construction of my vegetable boxes is something I have been looking forward to for months. As satisfying as it is, this has been the most gruelling, labour-intensive task so far. I have literally spent hours with a mattock (pulaski), getting dirty and sunburnt.
I'm going to show you how I built the boxes, and explain what mixture I put in them, where I put them, and why I am doing all this crazy stuff.
If you have been following me, you will already are aware of the box design from "My Garden Plan". My yard is 82' across. So I planned for four 15' boxes across the yard. This allows for 3' paths (4' down the centre isle) and 3' gardens against each fence. There are a few reasons for making them 15' and not 30' or 16'. I didn't do 16' because even though it would have required fewer cuts, I would have ended up with paths too small for a wheelbarrow or lawn mower, or sacrificing some other space. The reason for not going to a bigger dimension is because as it stretches out, the likelihood for bowing increases (or the cost of material to prevent it increases) and because it would require joints throughout the length, creating a weakness. Furthermore, for the variety of plants I hope to grow, having a physical barrier can help control soil depletion, and give my plan more spacial organization (as opposed to sectioning off beds…which I will do otherwise, but with plants within a family.
The width of each bed is 5 feet. The reason for this is simple. Stretch your arms out wide; your "wingspan" is likely very close to your height; Therefore, half your height is likely pretty close to your single arm reach. So I designed the boxes so that a smaller person than myself could reach to the center, and therefore access the entire bed without ever stepping into it. As I am six feet tall, I can reach at least 3' (likely more, leaning into it), meaning I will tend to the gardens with ease.
The depth…..well here is where I have had to make some changes. I originally held up a measuring tape and measured 3' off the ground. That was high. So I dropped it to two. That seemed better. So my plan was to build boxes three feet deep, and sink them into the ground one foot. There were reasons for this. First, compacted soil is the enemy. Walking on soil near your plants guarantees a more stunted growth. (according to Jeavons). Second, the three foot depth would provide an enormous amount of loose soil for plant roots to explore. So, my thinking was: dig down, get the native soil up, and loosened and mixed with compost and other soil and put it back in. The raised box would benefit from being above ground – protected from weeds – warmed earlier in the spring – and protected from compacting. The one foot of loosened soil below grade would benefit from being mixed with regular soil for continuity and moisture retention.
Anywho… the best laid plans…etc So, one Friday I was violently ill with the flu. My in-laws (father and uncle) decided to help me out and build one of my boxes. I was so ill, that while I could hear them discussing how to build them I couldn't even get up to put my two cents in. So, instead of my plan to use 8' 2×8's, one cut to 7' for the 15' side, they drove back to the lumber yard and bought 16'. While I was, at first, annoyed (because I was paying for it), I new better than to doubt two men who have spent a life time building things and are also skilled gardeners. They also built up to the two foot mark and called it good. When I saw the two foot high box, I thought "Holy crap! Three feet would have been a monstrosity." So there you have it. New box design is 15' x 5' x 2'. I have 4×4 posts 2' high in each corner, except some boxes have an 8' post in one corner. (more on that later…but consider it utilitarian for the moment). Also, my father-in-law did say (after my uncle left), that it was silly not to use some of my 8' pieces, so he suggested taking one 15' length out to replace with an 8' and a 7'. Those were jointed with a 2×4, 2' long. And a few more 2' 2×4's were used to prevent bowing. So, by using my 8' boards, and having found a deal (50% off) 33 Douglas fir 16' 2×8's. I have enough lumber to make 10 boxes! That's half the yard! Woot woot! (Don't tell my wife, but I spent a lot of money….it's an investment however.) Here is what I used, per box:
4 x 16' 2×8's, with 15" cut off, so they are 14'9" long.
2. x 8'. 2×8's uncut
2 x 8'. 2×8's with 15" cut off, so they are 6'9" long.
3 x. 10'. 2×8's cut in half so there are 6 x 5' pieces
1 x 8'. 4×4 post cut into quarters for 4 x. 2' pieces. (or make them 10.5")
- x. 8'. 2×4 cut into quarters. (or make them 10.5")
Lots of screws 3" long and some 2 1/2" screws (for the 2×4's).
Place one 5' side vertically and place a 15' (14'9") inside the 5' edge. Square it. Drill two 3" screws through the side of the 5' into the length or end of the 15'. Square and plumb a 2' post into that corner. Drill each 2×8 to the post using two screws each. Connect all for corners this way.
Prepare the bedding area and carry this base piece to location if you do not have the help to move the heavier complete box.
Attach the second 5' end to each post on it's side. Then prepare the long side by using the 8' and 7' pieces. Alternate. On one side start with the 8', and the other start with the 7'. Screw these to the post and then the other piece to the other post. The 7' and 8' will be snug near the middle. Cleat them with a 2' 2×4 upright like a post. Drill two 2 1/2 screws through the cleat into each short 2×8. Then screw the long 15' board to the cleat as well. Repeat this on the other side. Use the other two 2×4's as similar cleats but between the first cleat and one end to help stabilize. Do that on both sides.
Again, move the box now, if it will be too heavy to move later.
Do the final layer of 2×8 boards exactly as you did the first layer (with 15' boards).
The outside dimensions will be 15' x 5' and about 1' 10 1/2" tall. The posts and cleats will stick up an inch or so, or you can flip the box, or cut the excess off.
For the 8' post, simply replace one 2' 4×4 with the 8' one and ensure it is plumb when screwing it in place.
Place box in location, and level it. (I dug it level, but still needed the odd stone to level it.)
The first box went into my taped off area, but dug only a few inches into the ground (just the sod removed.) I can't blame the in-laws here, it was hot and they aren't young bucks. Also, that particular spot required the 8' post, so when I recovered, I decided to move the box.
So the next plot was dug, and it was dug deep. Because it was on a slope, one corner was not dug at all, so the high corner was close to 18" deep. I dug nearly all of the soil out to that depth and piled it next to the box. My friend Chris and I dragged the box into place and levelled it.
The next day I had a work party to build a wood shed (love the in-laws!) However, other helpful family members decided to start wheel borrowing my pile of peat-based compost into my garden box. When we finished the shed I quickly started to add back the soil and mix it with the compost.
My intention had been to use the original soil, but mix the compost throughout it for better soil structure. I was also given bags of aged horse manure, which I had planned to mix in. So my entire two pick-up loads of compost was put into one single box, mixed with some soil (from that area and I started to dig down the first plot, moving the soil into the new plot) and with a bit of horse poop mixed into the top layer. Maybe not ideal, but free labour is fantastic!
The second box was placed in the original space. Now I could do it as I wanted. I started to dig the third plot, and used the soil to fill the unfilled box. First, all the sod went in. I flipped it upside down and put it in first in hopes that it would not grow back through the 2' of soil that was going to end up on top. Next, I used all the soil dug out of the third spot, and the fourth (but just the trenches for the frame of the box) and a bit of compost to completely fill the empty box. A few bags of horse manure were raked into the top inches and the box was done.
Lastly, I placed the next two boxes, empty for now.
The first box (being mostly peat-based-compost) will be acidic. So, I transplanted my two potted blueberries (which had been on my deck in Vancouver) and bought four more. I popped a couple of over-wintered cabbages in the spaces in between, lined the box with crocus bulbs and sprinkled poppy seeds before watering it in.
The second box had the full 15' length, but only 2' in seeded with giant sunflowers and black beans. Of the remaining 3' x 15' I cut in half; one side amaranth, and the other bush-type kidney beans. This bed next year will be a perennial bed (like the first box) and will be planted with raspberries.
Lastly, as no planted area is complete without it, I sprinkled stratiolaelaps scimitus across the soil at dusk to ensure a healthy balance of pest and predator in the soil for the life of the garden.
A little less exciting but equally enjoyable was the planting along the fence-line. A bit a mattock work, a mixing of manure, soil and peat-compost, a "three sisters" mix of corn, and sunflowers, black beans and chick peas, squash and a few flowers, and my little helper, dressed to impress!
This yard is coming together! A few more boxes, a ton (maybe literally) of soil to move, lots of seeds, lots of fun!


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How Did Nationals and Dodgers Get Knocked Out?
So far it's been an exciting and interesting postseason. I have to say, though, I'm surprised that both the Nationals and Dodgers are sitting home, as they seemed to me to be the best two teams in the NL — on paper.
Maybe there are advanced stats that disagree with my thought that Los Angeles and Washington were the cream of the National League. But gee whiz, the Dodgers appeared to fit in with their Hollywood digs — a star-studded cast. Even the often unpredictable and occasionally disinterested Hanley Ramirez stepped up his game when the postseason began (maybe he was reminded he was playing for a big winter payday?), and, Matt Kemp was once again Matt Kemp in the final weeks of the season (1.047 OPS in September), and Carl Crawford was perhaps the best he's ever been heading into the playoffs (.473 OBP and 1.187 OPS in September!). With those three surrounded by the likes of Yasiel Puig, Adrian Gonzalez, Juan Uribe, and Dee Gordon, and led on the mound by Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, the NLDS should've been a slam-dunk.
What the heck happened?
Similarly, how in the world did the Nats lose to the Wild Card Giants? Again, when you look at the two clubs on paper, it seemed like no contest — the Nats should've swept. The usually pitching-rich Giants were not looking marvelous, other than Madison Bumgarner. Then former Met Yusmeiro Petit comes out of nowhere and Brandon Crawford turns into the 1969 postseason version of Al Weis and next thing you know, the Nats are sent home for the winter.
I look at both the Dodgers and the Nationals and think, "what could they have done, who could they have added to better prepare for the NLDS?" I'm at a loss. MAYBE the Dodgers could have added another bullpen arm, so that Kershaw and Greinke didn't have to feel like they needed to go 8 innings every time out? What could Washington have improved going into the postseason? I can't think of one position player, bench player, or pitcher I would've switched out from that team. For pete's sake, Ryan Zimmerman was relegated to pinch-hitting and he wasn't missed!
But to me, that's what makes baseball so beautiful — you never know what's going to happen on any given day. If there's a stud on the mound, a college team can beat a MLB club. In a short series, a lesser team can get hot and take games from champions. A team full of sluggers can be hoodwinked by a team that scraps and executes. The littlest things can turn into the biggest things. David can beat Goliath. No matter how many stats are analyzed, they can't necessarily predict what will happen over the course of a week — weathermen are more reliable.
Along the same lines, for the first time in many years, I'm watching the playoff games played by the teams in the Adulterated League. Why? The Orioles. A team of no-names that ran away with the AL East and swept the previous class of the AL, the Detroit Tigers. And they did this despite losing star catcher Matt Wieters early in the season and star infielder Manny Machado halfway through. And despite big free-agent signing Ubaldo Jimenez being a complete bust. And they keep rolling without slugger Chris Davis. How did the Orioles do it? Smoke and mirrors?
No. They execute. They're fundamentally sound. Everyone "buys in" to the goal. Manager Buck Showalter instituted a winning program in 2010. There wasn't a "rebuilding." There wasn't any talk about payroll flexibility nor fiscal responsibility. There wasn't an expectation of losing seasons while they got their s*it together. There wasn't any yakkety-yak about building from within nor over-hype of prospects to placate the fan base. Rather, Buck Showalter joined Baltimore and changed the focus of the organization. It was not unlike Vince Lombardi's influence on the Green Bay Packers way back when — winning was the goal, and winning isn't an outcome, it's a process, it's a habit. Yes, the Orioles had one rough year in 2011 while making the conversion from whatever was happening before to winning. Now, though, they're a juggernaut, despite a cast of characters that changes every year, every month, and every week. Parts are interchangeable because everyone knows the goal, knows what they need to do, and are put into situations in which they can succeed. Pitchers make pitches, fielders execute, batters put the ball in play. It's baseball at its simplest, much like we witnessed in Atlanta during the Bobby Cox years.
I'm sure someone will want to point out one stat or another that explains why the Orioles are so good this year. Maybe it has something to do with Nelson Cruz being a beast. I'm not terribly interested in paper-based arguments, mainly because I believe that the on-paper, measurable, individual results may not have just "happened," but because those individuals were put into optimal situations, were properly motivated, and well-handled (these are all things that successful business managers do). How did Yusmeiro Petit come out of nowhere? Were the Orioles really "lucky" to have received great performances from Steven Pearce, Cruz, and, most recently, Delmon Young? Why do so many has-beens rekindle their careers when they put on pinstripes? I sincerely believe it has something to do with the environment, the attitude, and the process. I have to believe that, otherwise baseball becomes a soulless, black and white form of entertainment.
OK, I've gone off someplace far away from Flushing — my apologies.
What's your thought on what's happening thus far in the postseason? Are you enjoying it?
Sound off in the comments.


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Diddy: Biggie Wasn't Supposed To Be In LA That Fatal Day
In honor of the release of 'Notorious', Sean 'Diddy' Combs talked about how Biggie's death has affected people as a whole and how the film is giving fans their spirit back. "It changed me," Diddy said of B.I.G.'s murder. "It broke my heart. it took my spirit. I can honestly say and confess, me making music, me producing music hasn't been the same since Biggie passed away. It hasn't been fun for me… I was still doing my thing at 80%, but a major part of me was gone and I just wasn't having fun." Diddy said seeing the movie "made me want to get my spirit back."
In part two, Diddy says Biggie wasn't supposed to be in Los Angeles the day that he was killed. He was supposed to go to London, but instead wanted to stay around to hang out with Diddy to celebrate the release of his new album. "It was a call that I'll always remember," Diddy said. "There wasn't a way for me to talk him out of it. I didn't run Biggie. The call just plays over and over in my head. What if he just got on the plane?"
In part three, Diddy said that despite all the talk, there was "so much love and admiration" between Biggie and Tupac Shakur. "The whole east west thing started, we were caught off guard, and that broke my man's heart," Diddy said. "He did not make 'Who Shot Ya' about Tupac. That freestyle was done a long long time ago. The crazy thing about music is that things come to fruition. You got to watch what you put out." Diddy added that when Tupac got shot, he could feel Biggie praying everything was alright. "We didn't care about nothing that was done before, we were like, c'mon, pull through, pull through. After that, Big was depressed for days."
Watch the three part commentary below.
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One thought on "Diddy: Biggie Wasn't Supposed To Be In LA That Fatal Day"
Um,words can't express as a true fan from the beginning and infinity for real how devastated and torn I am behind the lost of two fallen soldiers (angels even). Tupac was a lyrical genius and phenomenon that I don't think anyone will ever truly understand. He had no fears or inhibitions and just lived life to the fullest not ever taking in consideration the consequences. I believe we all have that carefree, bold side to us but think twice about it therefore, we don't act on those impulses. I admire him, he was eccentric and political and in some ways, I believe that his tragic death could be linked to officials or some wrong doings in the past that caught up with him or even that the person involved is no longer among us. Its hard to believe that someone could hold something such as murdering him a secret for so long and no leak it to anyone but who knows for the right price they might. Nonetheless I love him and it just brings tears to my eyes every time I hear his named mentioned. I feel such a deep connection to him and that's amazing when I wasn't blessed with the opportunity to have met him. I look in his eyes and they are so mysterious and saddened, there was lost and traumatized aura that illuminated from them that pleaded with the world to love me; honor me; and never ever forget me. "Look past my faults and just take me for who I am and the many talents that I have bestowed upon you". I don't believe Notorious B.I.G. had anything to do with his murder at all and fully accept P. Diddy's synopsis of how they actually loved and admired one another it was just "business". Unfortunately Tupac's fate was sealed the moment he signed on that dotted line whether directly or indirectly and as for B.I.G. he was a victim of circumstance which in itself is just so utterly sad. God have mercy on their souls. And whoever was responsible the only thing I can say to that is you will pay repentance for ending the young lives of these two gifted, free-spirited individuals.


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Washing Machine: What you need to know?
We use a washing machine in our homes every day. It is now part of our routine to put clothes for washing in the washing machine. You ever wondered, how it cleans our clothes? We have covered it here read on.
First of all, the washing machine is a device used to clean the laundry in our household. In the machine, you don't need to physically rub the clothes and do the repetitive tasks. The machine automatically does your job. It
Brief history of the washing machine
The early washing machines first appeared in 1700 in Europe. First, the idea of rotating drum washer came into reality. The advancement in washing machine technology began with the invention of a closed container with grooves or paddles specifically for rubbing the clothes. The person sitting outside agitates the clothes inside the container with the help of a stick. Hence, this technology was hand powered.
Furthermore, the advancement in technology led to a new form of a machine. It had a rotating drum along with a cranking mechanism to rotate the drum by hand. This simple mechanism became a milestone in history as it brought the idea of powered machines.
The electric washing machines came into existence in the 19th century. Bendix Home Appliances introduced the first automatic washing machine in 1937. Automatic washing machines was again a milestone as it technically removed any manual intervention in clothes washing and drying process.
How does washing machine work?
The working of a washing machine is simpler than you thought. First of all, you need to consider the overall load of clothes. In accordance with the load, you need to select water levels, the temperature of the water, wash/rinse cycle and its timings. In addition, you need to decide agitating levels according to the types of clothes such as soft cloths or heavy cloths.
After selection, the washing machine automatically fills up the water to the desired level. Then, it starts rotating the clothes by using an agitator. After some time, it drains the water and refills the drum with fresh water in order to remove all the soap. It starts rotating again and drains the water after some time.
Furthermore, the next phase is the spinning of clothes in order to remove all water. In this phase, the whole drum rotates in a circular motion and removes all the water, making them dry. Although these clothes may not be completely dry, we need to air dry them for routine use.
Types of washing machines
Top loading washing machines are those where you need to put the clothes from the top and in a vertical drum. The agitator is located at the center. The agitator moves the water towards the edge of the drum and then again, it moves back further to the center at the bottom; creating circular motion. It also has a reverse movement in order to break the circular motion of the water and forcing it to move in round shape motion.
Front loading washing machines are those where you need to put the clothes from the front in a horizontal drum. In this type of washing machine, the agitation is done through the back and forth movement of the drum and gravity. The clothes are lifted up by the wall of the drum and then dropped by the gravity. As a result, the water is forced through the clothes for efficient washing. So, the water requirement is less in these kinds of machines.
The top loading washing machines are further classified into semi-automatic machines and fully-automatic machines. The semi-automatic machines have two different drums for washing and spinning. Besides, you need to interchange the clothes manually from the washing drum to the drying drum. The fully-automatic washing machine has a single drum for both washing and drying. In this type of machine, all the processes are automatic and doesn't need manual intervention.
Watch working of washing machine here
Read on: What is a digital wallet? >>


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After getting a typically good pitching performance to go with a just okay hitting performance on Friday, the TCU bats came to life yesterday as the Frogs scored more than 6 runs for just the second time in Big 12 play in a 7-3 win over Tech. Today TCU has a chance to do something that they've yet to do this season- sweep a three game series, which would be an excellent starting point if this season is going to be anything but a total writeoff. The fact that we'd finally have a bragging card over Tech fans in the Big 12 would just make it sweeter.
Go Frogs!


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Uncle Shar
Disoriented by the bustling crowd, Egan gets separated from the others and finds himself alone on a strange street. The mass of people abruptly parts as another palanquin carrying the child-goddess parades past, held aloft by zombie bearers. Egan notices that whatever is inside the windowless steel box appears to be throwing itself against the walls of the container.
Before he can investigate further, a hand reaches out from the crowd and plucks him up by the collar. The hand belongs to a drow male in simple robes, who sets Egan back on the ground away from the procession.
"This is no place for lost little gnomes," he chides. The drow introduces himself as Shar, a friend of Faunra's who recognized Egan based on his description. When the gnome asks how Faunra came to be connected to a drow, Shar cryptically explains that he was the reason that Faunra and her father left the elven settlement in the Mierani Forest for Korvosa.
Shar helps Egan find his way back to the Sorry Excuse, though he warns that the inn makes most of its money by gouging first-time visitors to Kaer Maga. He says that he will be traveling down to Korvosa in the next few days to visit his niece and offers to carry any messages for Egan and his friends.
Before entering the Sorry Excuse to wait for the others, the gnome thanks Shar and promises to be in touch.
Rolth's Ambush
After their failed pursuit of Raven, Arlynn, Slim and Zandu walk back towards the Sorry Excuse. However, as they round a corner, Arlynn and Slim notice someone lurking up ahead watching them. While Arlynn marches forward to to challenge the stranger, Slim slinks into the shadows. Zandu disguises himself and steps out onto the street.
The lurker casts a spell, stopping Arlynn in her tracks with suffocation. As Slim creeps forward, he spies what lurks in the nearby alley: two surprisingly well-equipped zombies in the garb of Korvosan street toughs and a hulking flesh golem.
Stick to the shadows, Slim sidles up to the spellcaster, who proves to be none other than their old nemesis Rolth the Necromancer. The rogue deftly stabs the pale, rat-faced man.
"I'll turn your skull into a sock puppet!" Rolth howls. "Minions, kill them!"
The two zombies, each armed with short swords, lurch forward to attack Slim. With the Varisian shadowdancer thus occupied, Rolth casts another spell consigning the breathless Arlynn to a deep, hungry pit with rippling walls that threaten to crush the life out of her.
Abandoning his own attempt at disguise, Zandu jumps down the hole, feather falling to the bottom, where he casts fly on Arlynn. The paladin then grabs the sorcerer and flies them both back up to the street—before blacking out from lack of oxygen.
Rolth crooks a finger at Slim and sneers. "Lights out!"
The rogue is stricken with blindness as he still struggles to fend off the zombies. The flesh golem, meanwhile, moves forward to attack Zandu and the unconscious Arlynn.
Despite his lack of sight, Slim closes to attack Rolth once again. The necromancer tries to stab him with a dagger and instead skewers himself, his furious cursing giving away his position and allowing the rogue to strike true with a devastating blow. Zandu flees past the golem and blasts Rolth with a lightning bolt. Arlynn's condition worses, though the golem so far is able to do little more than pound her armor.
Bleeding profusely, badly singed, and with his hair standing on end, Rolth commands his minions to finish off the trio and then steps through a dimension door with a snigger.
Meanwhile . . .
To Rolth's great misfortune, he staggers out of the dimension door into the common room of the Sorry Excuse. He trades surprised looks with Egan, Ashla, and the others waiting at the inn.
"What in the Nine Hells?" Rolth splutters. "I'm never staying here again!"
Egan swiftly calls down a flamestrike on the necromancer, putting an end to his evil once and for all. Ashla picks through his stuff.
Mopping Up
Rolth's death causes the two zombies to lose interest in Slim and abandon the fight. The golem, however, zeroes in on the blind rogue, who has great difficulty hitting it.
Desperate to help the dying paladin, Zandu retrieves wand of cure moderate wounds from Arlynn's bag and uses it to revive her.
After healing herself, Arlynn taunts the golem, trying to provoke it into attacking her. Zandu enlarges the paladin and she lumbers over to battle the construct with her divinely infused sword. Striking hard and true, she cuts the creature down with a devastating blow.
She and Zandu then help Slim make his way back to the Sorry Excuse.
They All Meet in a Tavern
Upon returning to the inn, the trio is shocked to learn of Rolth's demise, particularly Slim.
"What? You're saying the fucking gnome killed him?" he blurts out.
"What do you mean 'the fucking gnome'?" Egan demands.
Remmy is able to diffuse the situation with a bit of humor, telling Slim "I know 50 percent of what you're going through."
"And I know 200 percent of what you're going through," Slim responds. He dictates a letter for Shar to take to Field Marshal Cressida Kroft, bringing to light the ambassador's misdeeds.
Irabeth conveys the results of her interrogation of the half-orc prisoner. A local tough hired to provide some backup for Raven, he doesn't know where the Ambassador's man was staying but he does know that Raven and the wizard don't know each other well.
Kyra, meanwhile, has learned something valuable from the barflies.


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How do you come up with a symbol that reflects who Jack LaLanne was? The modern symbol would be a juicer, I suppose, but that doesn't go to the heart of the man. I could've drawn a juicer with...no. I don't even want to go there.
Anybody who's remotely interested in staying physically fit owes a lot to Jack LaLanne. He was the first exercise guru on TV. I remember when he had a half-hour program in the afternoon. It was a show for housewives, so I didn't feel like I needed to get off the couch, but he was talking directly to the viewer. I also remember the annoying organ music in the background. It seemed like every TV show then had an organ playing softly in the background.
My wife remembers her mother doing exercise with LaLanne. He was having an obvious good time, too. You can still hear the crew laughing at his jokes behind the camera if you go to YouTube and check out some of the old shows.
Importantly, what my wife remembered was that LaLanne used only a chair and a towel for his exercise. No modern gizmos that look like torture devices, or Medieval siege weapons, just a towel and a chair. That's what I decided to draw in black and white like his old TV show, his simple approach to fitness. And how it's gone.
"Drawing Fire: Bob Englehart's 30 years at The Courant" at the Mark Twain House and Museum, Thursday, February 3rd, 2011 (snow date, February 10th.) It's a fundraiser for the Mark Twain House. Tickets are $15 per person. Reception from 5:30PM to 6:30 PM and the illustrated talk, suitable for all ages, is in the lecture hall at 6:45PM. For more information or to order tickets, call the Mark Twain House and Museum at 860-247-0998.
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A UNIVERSAL BANK has disposed of P113 million in soured loans to clean its balance sheet under remedies provided by the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act, a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) official said.
"Based on latest data as of end-December 2021, the amount availed by a universal bank with an approved COE (certificate of eligibility) is around P113 million," Richie L. Suguitan, deputy director of the BSP's Supervisory Policy and Research Department, said during an organizational meeting of the Senate Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies on Tuesday.
"This is trivial when compared to the total loans of that said bank, which stood at around P17-18 billion," Ms. Suguitan said.
She said as of Aug. 18, 15 banks are in the process of getting COEs to transfer their nonperforming loans (NPLs) and ROPA or real and other properties acquired.
"Of these 15 banks, there were seven banks that were issued final master list applications. And then in addition, there were actually four COEs or certificate of eligibility issued as of Aug. 17," Ms. Suguitan added.
Republic Act 11523 or the FIST Act was signed in February 2021 and allowed for the creation of Securities and Exchange Commission-registered asset management companies or FIST Corporations (FISTC) to help banks clean their balance sheets after the rise in nonperforming assets (NPA) like loans during the coronavirus pandemic.
Assets that will be recognized as nonperforming until Dec. 31, 2022 will be eligible to be sold under the law to FISTCs.
Under the law, financial institutions need to secure a COE from the central bank as documentary approval so that their determined assets can be sold to FISTCs. This will also allow them to avail of tax incentives and fee privileges for the transaction provided for under the law.
Based on the BSP's guidelines, financial institutions should first accomplish a master list of eligible NPAs before applying for a COE. Once validated by the BSP, the regulator will give the concerned BSP-supervised financial institution a copy of the final master list of NPAs as reference for its COE application.
Soured loans held by Philippine banks fell for a fourth straight month in June, latest data from the central bank showed.
The gross NPL ratio of the Philippine banking industry dropped to 3.6% in June, from 4.48% a year ago and 3.75% in May.
Loans are considered nonperforming once they remain unpaid for at least 30 days after the due date.
As of end-December 2021, the industry's gross NPL ratio stood at 3.99%. — K.B. Ta-asan


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SHANGHAI (AFP) - The world today is enough to make some people want to get up and just run to the ends of the Earth, so that's what Kai Markus decided to do.
Troubled by what he sees as growing bigotry and division in the world, the German management consultant gave up a successful business to run the ancient Silk Road from Hamburg to Shanghai in a Quixotic quest to show that we are all one.
Nine months, eight countries, 12,000 km and two fractured heel bones later, Markus hobbled across a symbolic finish line in Shanghai on Saturday with a feeling of mission accomplished.
"OK, the world is turning crazy, you have to do something," the 45-year-old said.
"If I want to talk about prejudice, I'm nobody, who will listen to me? So I thought about what I could do to wake up some people." Others have driven or biked overland from China to Europe. But Markus, whose wife is Chinese, could find no one who had run the route from sea to sea.
"Why not connect Europe and China along the Silk Road, which is in all people's minds at the moment?" he said, referring to Chinese leader Xi Jinping's promotion of a revived east-west trade and cultural corridor.
But Markus - who won't specify his politics to avoid riling sponsors - is not a runner, and he got far more than he bargained for on an odyssey chronicled via Instagram, Facebook and his website runmysilkroad.com.
Road blocks
Markus set out in March followed by friend Victor Neubauer, who drove a black 1984 Volkswagen Beetle towing a camper-van stuffed with protein powder, thousands of nutritional supplement pills and other supplies.
He ran in a freezing Russian spring and 52 deg C in China's Taklamakan Desert, through painful shin splints and stomach ailments, and four dozen pairs of running shoes.
Markus once ran through the night in a Chinese sandstorm when there was no accommodation available, and he nearly turned back several times when unforeseen costs or suspicious border officials blocked the way.
"They check more because we came in with a fancy car and a stupid idea," he said.
The first time he heard his now 18-month-old son say "Daddy" was on a bittersweet video call.
Halfway through China, their faithful Beetle's exhausted engine finally died. The car's corpse will be shipped back home.
Then, in late September, a freak stumble while running in China's central Hubei province broke both of Markus' heel bones. The incident made Chinese state news broadcasts, sent some sponsors fleeing and seemed like the end.
"But that's not my style, and Victor, that's also not his style," said Markus, who spends most of his time in a recovery wheelchair.
Soldiering on
With Neubauer gamely stepping in to run, they continued with a mix of running and other transportation, but only after the mulish Markus insisted on having his foot surgery in China, resisting family pressure to return home because he felt it would betray the spirit of his "culture bridge" run.
The generosity of strangers kept Markus going, like the poor Belarus couple that slept on their sofa so the Germans could have their beds.
"No German would do that," Markus said.
There were the imposing Russian police who pounded on their door one night, only so they could lead them to a safer parking spot for their camper van.
There were countless offers of accommodation, meals, supplies, and many eager conversations with locals about the world.
Pictures from March show Markus with far more pepper in his now salt-and-pepper hair, but he has no regrets.
"Most importantly, (the run) brings us closer together. In a world like we have now, I think we need many, many more projects to bring people together instead of (separating) them," he said.


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Can I tell you how excited I am by the latest toothbrush heads my wife has got for our electric toothbrush? Well, tough, I'm going to anyway. Rarely has my life been improved so greatly for such a tiny increase in financial outlay. In fact, possibly never: I really am THAT excited. I feel rather as an Allied tanker might have done if in December 1944 he'd gone to look for where his Sherman was parked and found a brand spanking new Tiger there instead.
"So THAT'S what a proper tank looks like," he'd have gone. "One that doesn't have armour thinner than a Kit Kat wrapper and has a proper gun and looks really big and scary. And has cool black crosses on the side too!"
Yes, that's pretty much how I feel about these new toothbrush heads. They're called the Oral B Pro White and they polish your teeth and grind through your gummy crevices with the precision, vigour and raw mighty power of Kampfgruppe Peiper
thrusting through the Ardennes. "Why did I not have this killer-weapon-in-the-war on plaque at my disposal before?" I wondered. And the answer is that, up till very recently, my wife had been buying the Oral B toothbrush heads for sensitive teeth. They were crap. The worst thing of all was, the brushy bits were not broadly spaced enough to let the tiny food bits escape which meant that all too quickly they started to smell rotten.
Now readers: over to you. Can you name other examples of things which you can buy which aren't very expensive but which, in your experience, have improved your life immeasurably?
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