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About me
The answer to all your questions about me and anything else is 42
A taste of biography
From unpatched XP computers of my high school to Unix servers in the NECST lab, my passion for IT security was born and developed. Malware and botnets were my first interest with their eternal fight against antivirus. I spent months fixing friends' PCs, recovering lost data, and removing trojans (because everyone wants everything for free from the Internet). Soon I discovered the world of programming and with 5 years of challenges, wonderful experiences, and people I got my Master's degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Politecnico di Milano (Italy).
A 3-years abroad working experience in Germany gave me a new point of view of the world, and now, after coming back to Italy, I joined the security team of Fastweb.
Ask me for more details or my CV


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Open the Door to Blessing
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…" – Ecclesiastes 9:10.
Did you know that when you do something to the best of your ability because you want to honor God, it opens the door to His blessing? That means it will be easier, it will go better, and you will accomplish more. That's why no matter what we do, we should give it our best. This is especially true even in the little things.
For example, when you're doing the dishes or helping the needy, don't drag around sour and frustrated. Do it with enthusiasm! Do it like you're on a mission from God. With every step, thank God that your legs work. Thank Him that you're healthy and strong. At the office, don't just do enough to get by. You're not working unto people, you're working unto God. Do it with your whole heart. When you volunteer at church, don't wake up and think, "Awe, man. Why did I volunteer? I want to sleep in!" No, serve Him with all your heart because that's what honors God. When you honor God, He'll honor you. He'll give you His life, peace, health and blessing now and forevermore!

subset: commoncrawl


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Posts Tagged 'Factsheet'
infographic: can we afford to live in the GTA?
Over the last few years there has been a lot of discussion about housing affordability and availability in the GTA. People are concerned about where they will live, or if they will be able to afford to live in the GTA at all.Read More


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When most people think of paper crafts they automatically think of cutting, folding, gluing, etc. but how often do you think of crushing paper? Today's project is a novel way to create with paper with surprisingly strong results. Paper Pulp Pendants are made from mashed up tissue paper (you can also use crepe paper streamers) and water. That's it.
These are really durable. I did add Mod Podge to make them more water resistant and bind them together for a long time but this project shows that the humble material paper (and better yet leftover crumpled paper) can be turned into something beautiful!
This post contains affiliate links.
How to Make Paper Pulp Pendants
NOTE: You can use other silicone candy mold shapes for this!
- Tissue Paper or Leftover Crepe Paper Streamers
- Scissors
- Bowl
- Heart Ice Cube Mold– I bought mine at IKEA
- Water
- Mod Podge
- Paintbrush
- Pushpin
- Metal Eye Jewelry Pins
- Needlenose Pliers
- Elastic Cording
Paper Pulp Pendant Instructions
Make your paper pulp heart
- Step 1 Cut your crepe paper or tissue paper into large pieces.
- Step 2 Soak the paper scraps in a bowl of warm water for several minutes.
- Step 3 Remove a handful of wet paper, gently squeeze some of the water out, and begin pressing the paper pulp into one of the ice cube tray molds. As you push the paper into the mold excess water will rise to the surface. Dump the water back into the bowl.
- Step 4 Continue pushing the paper down into the mold to squeeze out as much water as possible.
- Step 5 Add more paper pulp into the mold. Continue squeezing out the water as described above.
- Step 6 When your heart is the thickness desired, gently turn over the tray and press on the outside of the mold to pop out the heart.
- Step 7 Let your heart dry out. This will take 1-2 days.
- Step 8 Once the paper pulp heart is dry, clean up the edges as necessary with a pair of sharp scissors.
- Step 9 Paint the entire paper heart with Mod Podge Paper formula. Let dry.
Make your necklace
- Step 1 Once your pendant is dry make a hole through the heart near the top center dip using a long push pin.
- Step 2 Push a metal eye pin through the hole and twist the end of the pin around itself using an all-in-one jewelry tool. Clip off any pointy metal edges.
- Step 3 Trim a piece of lanyard or cord, and thread it through the eye of the metal pin. Tie a knot in the end of the cord and trim the ends as necessary.
Looks Like
Sergio Bustamante. Sergio Bustamente is a Mexican artist famous for his paper mache sculptures. I know his work well because my grandparents loved his art and collected it! We had a life sized paper mache alligator hanging in our home when I was growing up. Though he also works in metal I found a parallel between his work and this project because of the use of paper.
Paper is an incredibly strong material in its pulp form and made even stronger when combined with an adhesive like glue or paste. Though most of us associate paper with flimsiness it really has the potential to carry incredible loads. Check out our post on paper building blocks here to see how strong it can be and find out about paper buildings!
The next time you are tempted to throw away all that used tissue paper wrapping or streamers from your last party, save them and try making paper pulp. It's a wonderful display of the inherent strength of fiberous materials like paper and an example of unique paper crafts!


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Tell us where to ship
your exclusive trial bottle
Hurry! Only 237 trials left
Patented EMH formula repairs the fragile UV demand skin. Smooths wrinkles, evens tone and increases elasticity.
Dark Circles
WitchHazel and Rosehip Extract activates the elimination of blood originated pigment responsible for DARK CIRCLES and loca inflamation.
Puffiness & Bags
HaloCel's active ingredients also decreases the capillary permeability & increase lymphatic circulation, reducin puffiness.
Patents EMH formula repairs the fragile UV damaged skin. Smooths wrinkles, evens tone and increase elasticity.
All-Natural Ingredients
No unnecessary fillers whatsover
Made in USA in GMP
compliant manufacturing plant.
Premium Quality Formula.
Gentle & Effective.
Safe to Use Daily on the Face.
The Benefits of HaloCel
When applied daily for several weeks, HaloCel Eye Serum will help reduce the size and appearance of wrinkles surrounding the eye area.
Here's to a younger looking you!
By stimulating the regrowth of skin cells, the skin will appear brighter and more even-toned. The serum also works to smooth out rough skin and decrease the appearance of dark under-eye circles.
The signs of aging can be intimidating, but HaloCel is exactly what your face needs to stay healthier and younger looking.
Only pay shipping*
Great Feedback From Our Customers
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- Linda D, New York, NY
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- Donna M, Witchita KS
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- Sarah F, San Diego, CA
HaloCel took 10 years off of my face. Over a short period of time I have seen a transformation I haven't seen with other serums that claim to do the same thing. -Tracy M.
HaloCel is by far the best eye serum I have ever used. When I first heard about it was skeptical but it truely is amazing. -Brenda R.
"HaloCel is by far the best eye serum I have ever used."
Natural Age-Defying Ingredients
Helps prevent and fight bags
under the eyes
Improves firmness and elasticity,
decrease inflammatory phenomena
Decrease the capillary permeability
Increase lymphatic circulation
Showed a 70% improvement
on test subjects in clinical
Matrixyle 3000
Smoothes wrinkles and fine
Improves tone & elasticity
Repaires phote aged skin and
defragmented collagen network.
Decreased crow's feet
wrinkles by 33% after
applying for two months
Lessens Under Eye Dark Circle
Lessens Under Eye Dark Circle
Activates the elimination of blood
originated pigment responsible for dark
circle color and local inflammation
19% reduction in dark spots
and bags in Clinical Trials


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Nate Silver's 538 site said the final unreleased Iowa Poll had Biden in fourth place behind Sanders, Warren, and Buttigieg. CNN and the Des Moines Register paid for the poll and censored it.
The Iowa Democrat Party did the same with Monday's caucus results.
It is likely 538 got the results with the understanding it would not release the results until the caucuses ended and the information was useless. That is how journalism works.We can confirm the final results of the unreleased Iowa Poll:— Clare Malone (@ClareMalone) February 4, 2020
Sanders 22%
Warren 18%
Buttigieg 16%
Biden 13%
No one should surprised by the clumsy attempts by CNN, the Des Moines newspaper, and Iowa Democrat Party to rig the election. In 2008, the fix was in for Obama. In 2016, the fix was in for Hillary. And in 2020. the fix is in for Biden -- except the Iowa Democrat Party does not have enough Fixodent to seal the deal. Pelosi's Impeachment Folly has made Biden too toxic to win the nomination.
The DNC does not know what to do. Biden bombed in the caucus but they do not want the public to know.
And so the party blames bad software.
HuffPost reported, "A tech company affiliated with, and funded by, ACRONYM, a Democratic digital nonprofit group that has rapidly expanded in recent years, was responsible for building the Iowa caucus app that contributed to delays in reporting Monday night's results in the first vote in the party's presidential race.
"Multiple Democratic sources, including one of the presidential campaigns, confirmed the app's creator. State campaign finance records indicate the Iowa Democratic Party paid Shadow, a tech company that joined with ACRONYM last year, more than $60,000 for website development over two installments in November and December of last year. A Democratic source with knowledge of the process said those payments were for the app that caucus site leaders were supposed to use to upload the results at their locales."
Shadow. ACRONYM. The DNC is treating donor money like it came from Ukraine. Maybe it did. Maybe Hunter Biden sits on the board of the company. Only the Shadow knows.
The New York Times ran a piece on Friday, "Iowa Will Be the First Test Case for 2020 Election Security. The good news is that caucuses are inherently safer than traditional elections. But campaigns remain dangerously exposed to hackers, and election systems in many states are still vulnerable."
Some would say the Iowa Democrat Party failed. I think they succeeded quite well in their attempt to sabotage the results of their own caucus. By withholding the results, Iowa Democrats rendered the caucus results meaningless, therefore keeping Biden viable as a candidate. There are only 3 tickets out of Iowa, as they say. Finishing fourth (likely fifth) would have killed Biden. But this way, everyone gets a ticket so everyone lives again.
The Iowa Caucus was all a dream. Biden was just taking a shower.
As a bonus, Democrats killed the Iowa Caucus. I predict it will become another primary state in 2024, and likely will fall later in the nomination process. Democrats are done with Iowa because it is too old, too white, and too American. If only Obama had colonized Iowa with refugees as was done in Michigan and Minnesota.
The Iowa Democrat Party fell on the grenade for Biden in scotching the caucus results, just as CNN and the Des Moines newspaper fell on their grenade in scotching their poll results.
It is for the greater good, comrade.
The irony is that Democrats and their handmaidens in the media do so to protect their party from the first openly communist member of the Senate.
Republicans meanwhile counted their votes quickly and moved on.
UPDATE: Please vote. Encourage them.My father always says he has 95% Republican support... Last night he was proven wrong — in fact, @realDonaldTrump has 97.1% support and broke ALL-TIME records for turnout for an incumbent president! The energy here in #Iowa is electric!— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) February 4, 2020
The poll we need on Iowa at Rantingly (remember when Drudge used to do stuff like this?)https://t.co/mhHqXXapcx— Don Surber (@donsurber) February 4, 2020


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Slate is a fantastic material for a house sign. Rustic Slate is a thinner Slate at 6-8mm thick so easier to mount.
These rustic edge slate house signs are excellent value for money. They are made with a rough edge finish. The letters are carved into the slate by sand blasting and then painted with a very tough and durable external paint.
The softer colours such as Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone or Lichen look very effective on this type of slate house sign.
The Sign Maker – Signs designed the way you want them


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Tomb of Ioannis Kapodistrias
The Tomb of Ioannis Kapodistrias is located in the Holy Monastery of Platytera, in the boundaries of the city of Corfu. The family of the first governor of Greece, who was descended from Corfu had developed special relations with the Monastery, as a result of this, apart from the Tomb of Ioannis Kapodistrias the tombs of Antonios-Maria Kapodistrias (father of the Governor) and of Augoustinos Kapodistrias (brother of the Governor) are also there. The Count Ioannis Kapodistrias (10th February 1776 – Nafplio 9th October 1831) served as first governor of Greece during the transitional period. Descended from an aristocratic family and as governor of Greece, he promoted significant reforms to rebuild the state. After his assassination in Nafplio which was the capital of the Greek state then, Kapodistrias' corpse was transferred by his brother to Corfu to be buried in the Monastery of Platytera where, the Tomb of Ioannis Kapodistrias is found until today.


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A friendly door opener
I'm working from a coworking space in Toulouse, France called Tau. People working there are called "Taunauts" and we are about 15 people using it every week.
One problem we face was to open the main door of the building : it uses a wall mounted intercom with a button or RFID cards. Trouble is we don't have 15 rfid cards and we wanted to make something fun.
The idea was simple : be able to click on a link or tell a bot to open the door.
The intercom is just a switch : you press a button, it closes a circuit and send happy electrons (they are always happy) toward the electromagnet's relay to switch it open, releasing the door.
The idea is then simple : use a relay to do the same thing the button does when pressed.
- To command a relay from a computer you need some kind of controller and a cheap and nice one is the Arduino Board : http://www.arduino.cc & http://snootlab.com/lang-en/arduino/142-arduino-uno-rev3.html.
- To be able to trigger an action on of the Arduino pins from a network you need a network extension for the Arduino (called shields) : an ethernet shield : http://snootlab.com/arduino/163-ethernet-shield-r3.html.
- To simply handle a relay you can order a 2 or 4 Relays shield : http://seeedstudio.com/wiki/Relay_Shield_V1.0.
To have something really working with those you need :
- a 9V power supply (to power the arduino uno and then the relays)
- arduino raisers to be able to add the relay shield on top of the ethernet shield without causing short circuits
You then need a basic web server listening on a TCP port on the ethernet running on the Arduino. Based on an example available from Arduino website, @madflo own code I wrote one with what we need, it available on one of my github accounts : https://github.com/Arbousier/tau_door.
This gives you a simple url to go to and to trigger the relay. A simple port forwarding from your router, a little web app and voila you can open the door with a click.
This is not enough
This solves our problem, but it's not a plain simple for everyone. Authenticating via a web form, clicking a link, you need a phone for that, and it's not that easy. Everyone got a phone, not everyone got a web friendly phone.
Wait, everyone got a phone ?
So yes the next step was to jump to Twilio, read the FAQs and write a simple sinatra app :
- Twilio receives a call and send a request to the app passing some params like From (the calling number)
- The app check if the number is white listed, if it is, the door is opened and a message is played back to the caller; if it's not the door stays shut and the caller is asked if he wants to speak to a human.
This app is quite simple in fact and I was surprised to see how easy it is to handle calls with Twilio. It's a sinatra app, under MIT license, it uses Cloudant to store the phone numbers but obviously with some little tweaks any database could do. You can find the code on github : https://github.com/Arbousier/Door-Opener-Twilio.
The two apps work together nicely, through a private router. The Sinatra app is hosted on heroku using a 1 dyno setup. The thing is fast enough and you don't wait more than 5 sec in front of the door ...
Have fun.
Written by Thomas Riboulet
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Eimskip's Bespoke London Offices
Icelandic transportation company Eimskip recently moved into a new London office space designed by MSL Interiors.
Here's a bit about the project from the designers:
"We were appointed to create a bespoke office space for a division of the Icelandic firm Eimskip in Golden Square London. The client wanted to move away from the more corporate look of other offices we have completed for them and wished to incorporate design elements from typical elements found in Iceland.
To achieve this we incorporated lava rock (imported from quarry in Iceland) to create a stunning reception desk/workstations and conference tables combined with double laminated blue glass work tops.
Curved features walls were created and covered by original artwork or bespoke storagewalls – covered with battens (designed to illustrate icicles as the business was refrigerated transport company) separated common areas from work spaces.
Seating throughout was Interstuhl Silver chairs and reception seating was Artiforts C905 sofas in leather with Little Tulip chairs used for ad-hoc meeting spaces."
Photography: Jono Spence


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Business Objects is the highest riser in the top-teir of the Lighthouse Software Index this month. It has jumped up 6 positions. Its standing has certainly been helped by news of SAP's proposed acquisition of the firm. Salesforce.com which has just announced entering the 'Application Performance' market has also gained 3 spots. With a modest gain of 1 position, Sage is the only new entrant to the top 25 this month.
However, the open source database provider mySQL is the star this month as it is the biggest mover in the top 50 of the Lighthouse Software Index. The firm, which is increasing its presence in Italy, has shot up 17 positions this month and is now ranked at the 28th spot. Entrust (+15) is the second biggest mover as it extends its portfolio by adding support for e-passports. SAS Institute has moved up 12 spots as it gains attention for its renewed focus on performance management applications.
The biggest loser this month in the top 50 firms is i2 which has just announced that quarterly net earnings were $5 million less than the same quarter last year. The firm has dropped 12 positions and is now at the 45th spot. Compuware has also dropped 10 spots, even though it announced a much better performance this quarter. Informatica, the biggest loser in the top 25 firms, has fallen 7 positions even though it has been mentioned as a leader in its Magic Quadrant for Data Integration Tools report. Mercury, which was acquired by HP last year, has lost 6 positions as its brand continues to lose its strength. The firm has dropped out of the top 25 and is now at the 26th spot.
If you wish to be sent the top 25 firms in Software Index each month, email us at analysts at lighthousear dot com. You can also read how we do our Analyst Index rankings, subscribe to our Spotlight service for new and interesting analyst research or register for our monthly Advisor Spotlight Webinars.


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Extracting tar is a common thing to do and everybody familiar with unix and linux knows how to do it. Usually the files will be extracted to the current directory. There is although one small trick to do to send the files to the desired location. Use the below command:
# tar -xvzf filename.tar.gz -C /desired/path
This command will extract(-x) verbosely(-v) tar gz(-z) file(-f) to the desired location. Hope this will help. Cheers
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Extracting tar into chosen directory
Extracting tar is a common thing to do and everybody familiar with unix and linux knows how to do it. Usually the files will be extracted to the current directory. There is although one small trick to do to send the files to the desired location. Use the below command:
Resizing qemu image
Qemu uses its own type of file which is qcow that stands for Qemu Copy On Write. Sometimes after you have setup the image, you suddenly find that you need more space. Below are the proven steps on how you can add more space to your image.
- Convert qemu image to raw
- # qemu-img convert -f qcow imagename -O raw imagename.raw
- # dd bs=1 if=/dev/zero of=/path/to/imagename.raw seek=10G count=1 conv=notrunc
- # qemu-img convert -f raw imagename.raw -O qcow imagename
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Installing subversion with apache on centos
A step by step guide on installing subversion with http support on centos and redhat machine
- First of all, install apache/httpd
- yum install httpd
- /etc/init.d/httpd status
- chkconfig httpd on
- vi /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
- yum install mod_dav_svn subversion
- cd /etc/httpd/conf.d/
- vi subversion.conf
- This is the most basic configuration where anyone will have unrestricted access to the repos. Location is the name that will be used in the browser address bar. In this example it will be 'http://localhost/svn/repos' (Click for larger image)
- This is a configuration with username and password for the client (Click for larger image)
- htpasswd -cm /etc/svn-auth-conf --- This command is not needed for the first configuration. To create the first user with password
- htpasswd -m /etc/svn-auth-conf --- use this command to add another user
- mkdir /var/www/svn --- create folder svn
- cd /var/www/svn --- change diectory to the newly created svn directory
- svnadmin create repos --- create svn repository named repos
- chown apache.apache -R repos --- change ownership of 'repos' to apache
- /etc/init.d/httpd restart --- restart apache
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Fedora 8 additional repository
If you are using fedora linux, here are a few additional repositories that you might want to install in addition to the official repository and the installation instruction.
- Livna rpm
- Download the installer from here
- Install the repository
- rpm -Uvh livna-release-8.rpm
- Download the installer from here
- Install the repository
- rpm -Uvh freshrpms-release-1.1-1.fc.noarch.rpm
- Import the atrpms signing key
- rpm --import http://ATrpms.net/RPM-GPG-KEY.atrpms
- Create atrpms.conf in /etc/yum.repos.d/
- touch /etc/yum.repos.d/atrpms.conf
- Add the below lines to the atrpms.conf file
name=Fedora Core $releasever - $basearch - ATrpms
Monday, February 11, 2008
Accessing data on xen lvm guest image
Accessing xen guest image is very easy if the image is not lvm partitioned. But the main problem arise when the image is of lvm format and normal mount command cannot be used. Here I will show both the way. The first is when ext filesystem is used, and the second is when lvm is used.
To mount xen guest image (without lvm)
1. check the partition on the image
# fdisk -lu
The result will be something like this:
2. Mount using offset option
# mount -o loop,offset=106929152 /path/to/image /mnt
where 106929152=208846*512, 208846 is the start of the partition. Using this way, you only mount the second partition and not the whole image
3. You can now access your image at /mnt
To mount xen guest image (with lvm)
1. Check the partition on the image
# fdisk -lu /path/to/image
2. You have to install kpartx to handle lvm partiton
# yum install kpartx
3. Run kpartx on the image
# kpartx -av /path/to/image
4. Run vgscan to scan volume group available
# vgscan
5. Run vgchange to activate the volume group in the image
# vgchange -ay VolGroup00
6. Use lvs to see what is the name of your low volume group
# lvs
7. Mount the low volume group
# mount /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol01 /mnt
8. You can access your lvm image at the mounted directory which is /mnt
9. To unmount it, a few commands have to be executed (umount for unmounting, vgchange -an to deactivate volume group, kpartx -d to delete device map and losetup -d to delete loop device used)
# umount /mnt/
# vgchange -an VolGroup00
# kpartx -d /path/to/image
# losetup -d /dev/loop0
Hope this will be useful
Friday, February 1, 2008
Text viewer
To view text in linux, there are several tools that one can use. The purpose of the text viewer is to view the text file and not editing it. Some of it also equipped with search function to ease reading.
If you are using GUI, you can use gedit, which is available if you are using gnome desktop environment. Gedit works as both editor and viewer. If you are using KDE desktop, you can use KEdit.
In the absence of GUI, a few tools can be used, such as less and more. These 2 tools is quite similar with only the difference in name.
To use less:
# less filename
and similarly to use more:
# more filename
Another tool that can be used is cat. Cat's purpose is to concatenate 2 file into one, but if used to a single file, cat will display the file to standard output. To use cat:
# cat filename


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23 April 2015
What the Different UK Political Parties Really Think about DFID
This lack of election fever debate is good in the short run and reflects a consensus that having a sizable international development budget is the right and smart thing to do.
But in the medium run it would be good to have a discussion of when and how the aid budget changes and evolves. An election is exactly the wrong time to do this because everything in the discourse becomes binary, simplistic and shrill.
However, we do need a debate on the long term future of UK Aid and I hope the new Government starts thinking and consulting about it.
In any case, a friend asked me if I was going to do a blog on the different parties' views on DFID--as I did back in 2010. I told him I thought there was not enough grist for a decent blog.
But behind the harmony of the public positions, what are the UK political parties really thinking about DFID?
Here is my entirely non-serious attempt to read their minds (apologies to non UK readers for the in-jokes):
Conservatives: well, that was a real vote winner!
Greens: we'll double the 0.7% to 1.0%. Er, hold on..
Labour: blimey, I hope we're not supporting zero hours jobs overseas
Plaid Cymru (Welsh Nationalists): it already sounds like a Welsh town & Wales is international, right?
Scottish Nationalist Party: it supports strong national governments all over the world ;)
UK Independence Party: nuke it, nuke it, and then nuke it again
Liberal Democrats: what they said...
Posted by Lawrence Haddad at 15:51
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End Premenstrual Tension - Binaural
Script Used In This Audio
End Premenstrual Tension - Binaural
$39.99 39.99
Do you have pain and cramping every time you have your period?
The more times you experience discomfort with your period, the more times you expect to feel it and this pattern becomes a vicious cycle.
When you start feeling discomfort from your period, you hold tension in your body.
It's difficult to relax but you can train yourself to relax and stay calm when you feel the start of your period.
Stress-related events can make your period worse than usual, especially if your relationship has been rocky lately or if you are feeling indecision related to whether you want children or not.
This type of stress impacts your uterus and ovaries and can make menstrual discomfort worse than usual.
It's important to work toward balance when you're feeling erratic.
PMS can bring on those feelings.
Take warm baths and try to get some downtime during this time of the month.
In addition to consciously trying to relax, you can use this subliminal audio to train your subconscious mind to keep you relaxed and calm.
This audio will also reinforce that your body is strong and filled with energy.
Purchase this audio today and you'll notice that your premenstrual tension starts decreasing and may eventually completely disappear.
Script Used In This Audio
I can end premenstrual tension.
I can end premenstrual tension forever.
I am less exposed to premenstrual tension.
My thoughts are balanced and in harmony.
My mind is smooth and relaxed.
I am free from premenstrual tension.
My premenstrual tension is becoming less.
I am always calm and feel great.
I am in control of all my actions.
I think when I speak.
My body supports me in ending premenstrual tension.
I am always aware of other people.
I am always free of tension.
I experience my period positively.
Premenstrual tension is away from me.
I always feel comfortable.
My abdomen is strong and full of energy.
I am away from premenstrual tension.
I am happy at all times.
I am free of pressure.


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Hundreds of activists from throughout South Korea have gathered in force on Jeju Island, off the country's southern coast, to hold a "peace event" aimed at halting construction of a naval base slated to be used by US forces. The event, including a concert and cultural activities, opened Sept. 3—one day after riot police dispersed protesters at the island's Gangjeong village, who held a sit-in to block construction equipment. After the blockade was broken, and 38 arrested, work crew commenced construction of a perimeter fence around the construction site.
On Aug. 28, the Jeju District Court ruled in favor of the Korean navy, upholding an injunction barring protests at the site and imposing a fine of 2 million won (roughly $1,900) for each violation. The base, slated for completion in 2014, will accommodate some 20 naval vessels. Opponents fear local ecological and cultural impacts, and say it will heighten South Korea's tensions with China. (Yonhap News Agency, Sept. 3; Korea Times, Aug. 31)
See our last post on South Korea.
Please leave a tip or answer the Exit Poll.


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Court deal ends standoff over feds' access to crashed limo
SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (AP) — Federal investigators will finally be able to examine the stretch limousine in an October crash that killed 20 people, ending an increasingly testy impasse with local prosecutors over who has priority to probe the nation's deadliest transportation disaster in nearly a decade.
Under the deal reached Tuesday in Schoharie County court, prosecutors bringing charges against the limo company's operator will be able to remove auto parts potentially crucial to the criminal investigation before National Transportation Safety Board inspectors begin a hands-on inspection within the next two weeks.
The modified 2001 Ford Excursion blew through a stop sign at a T-intersection on Oct. 6 in rural Schoharie and crashed beside a country store, killing the driver, 17 passengers on a birthday outing and two pedestrians. The damaged vehicle has sat for months beneath a tent behind state police headquarters outside Albany.
"All I'm interested in is making sure everyone is able to do what they're charged with doing," Schoharie County Judge George Bartlett said during the hearing.
NTSB lawyers had argued that federal inspectors were prevented from getting within 15 feet of the crashed limo, and that their inability to make a detailed inspection unnecessarily delayed potentially crucial safety recommendations that could be applied to limos nationwide.
Schoharie County District Attorney Susan Mallery argued that criminal trials take precedence and that her office dictates access to all evidence.
Under the deal, the NTSB can visually inspect the limousine as early as Tuesday and take photographs. After that, police experts will be clear to remove the limo's transmission and torque converter as part of the criminal investigation. The NTSB can then proceed with a hands-on inspection, which is expected to begin within the next two weeks.
NTSB investigators will be able to perform their entire post-accident protocol "except take brake fluid, because there is an insufficient amount available," according to the agreement read in court after lawyers for the prosecution, state police, the defense and NTSB met privately.
Instead, state police will send a report on the brake fluid testing to the NTSB investigators, "who have agreed not to make it public until completion of the criminal case," according to the agreement.
NTSB spokesman Eric Weiss did not have an estimate on when the board would release those findings, stressing that the agreement applies only to brake fluid testing.
Agency inspectors will be able to examine components removed from the limo, along with defense experts, "later in the criminal process," the agreement said.
The cordial, low-key hearing contrasted sharply with critical barbs local and federal officials have traded recently.
Mallery had accused the NTSB of spreading "legal and factual inaccuracies" through an "extensive press campaign" and of putting politics ahead of "justice for the victims and grieving families."
NTSB lawyer Kathleen Silbaugh argued that the nearly four-month delay could cause critical evidence, such as brake fluid, to be lost or degraded.
Bartlett called for Tuesday's hearing earlier this month, writing that "this standoff must come to an end."
Just weeks before the crash, the limo had failed a state inspection that examined such things as the chassis, suspension and brakes. Prosecutors allege the limo company's operator, Nauman Hussain, allowed an improperly licensed driver to operate an "unserviceable" vehicle. He has pleaded not guilty to criminally negligent homicide, and his lawyer has said investigators rushed to judgment.
"The big problem was that defense experts and state police have all had access to the vehicle, we've been able to touch it, take photographs of it," defense lawyer Lee Kindlon told reporters after the hearing. "But the NTSB until today's agreement hasn't been able to take part in that investigation. Now we've got a framework and timeline in terms of who gets to see it, and when."
The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.


text: The following reply was made to PR pkg/45337; it has been noted by GNATS. From: "Thomas Klausner" <wiz%netbsd.org@localhost> To: gnats-bugs%gnats.NetBSD.org@localhost Cc: Subject: PR/45337 CVS commit: pkgsrc/mail/evolution Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:54:23 +0000 Module Name: pkgsrc Committed By: wiz Date: Thu Sep 22 11:54:22 UTC 2011 Modified Files: pkgsrc/mail/evolution: Makefile Log Message: Fix build on NetBSD-4. From Robert Elz in PR 45337. To generate a diff of this commit: cvs rdiff -u -r1.174 -r1.175 pkgsrc/mail/evolution/Makefile Please note that diffs are not public domain; they are subject to the copyright notices on the relevant files.


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We advised you to buy it, you did, now we'll sue you
Facing the threat of criminal indictment and a torrent of civil lawsuits over its marketing of abusive tax shelters, KPMG LLP is fighting back against the very customers to whom it sold the deals.
Lawyers for KPMG recently filed court papers in connection with a Texas case signaling that they will seek to ask plaintiffs and their personal tax advisers what they knew about the shelters and why they failed to disclose them on their individual income tax returns.
These of course are the very same tax shelters that KMPG marketed to them.


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The ice jams have been tearing up properties along the river. The ice has stopped moving on the Kankakee River for now. But the concern is where the chunks of ice, deeper than a foot and wider than a football field, will go next.
"I was walking up my sidewalk and all of a sudden it all lifted and just came in. And I thought it was going to take the house out then," said Eric Meinke.
On Saturday, Eric Meinke says the ice jam broke free upstream and some of it ended up on his lawn. This Kankakee River ice jam now rests near a residential area in unincorporated area of Will County, north of Wilmington.
Dave Zinanni of Kankakee County's emergency management authority, says the highway department has closed the Warner Bridge to pedestrian and vehicular traffic, however emergency crews are still able to use the bridge. They've called a structural engineer to examine the bridge, although there are no signs of damage.
There are ice jams along the Warner Bridge and upriver as well at the Kankakee River State Park and Wilmington. Closer to the Wilmington area ice jam, steam coming from the Dresden cooling lake is evidence of the warmer body of water. Officials say some of that warmer water is being siphoned to the Kankakee River, but it seems it's not enough to battle Mother Nature.
"The cold temperatures for so many days and the snowfall together creates a combination that just increases the possibility and risk of a significant jam, and that can bring flooding with it," said Harold Damron, Will County emergency management.
The Kankakee River is shallow and difficult for boat navigation. Zinanni says they haven't seen the river this jammed with ice since 1978-79.
Zinanni says it's good that it's this cold; it stops the flooding, but drains are also frozen, the ground is completely saturated and there is nowhere for the water to go.
There are other road closures, mostly in rural areas - Route 45 from Bourbonnais to Manteno and Route 17 west of Kankakee to the end of Warner Bridge.
Will County emergency management authority director Harold Damron says there are two significant ice jams affecting the Kankakee River there. The first ice jam is located along the Will and Grundy County line. The second ice jam is further upstream along the Will and Kankakee County line.
No blanket statement or warning has been issued, authorities say, because it is different in each place. Some residents have taken measures and moved out of their homes temporarily.


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Why did "The Rational Male – Preventive Medicine" by Rollo Tomassi make the Amazon.com top 10 along with Tony Robbins and Timothy Ferriss? Read this truthful post, and you'll understand. No one has written truths that show the realities men face, until now.
End of Life Issues
Why am I using my real name for the project, it's because of posts like this by Rollo Tomassi. The truths and true science he and his vast research has discovered is the only hope for the concept of marriage between two people, and it's the only hope for the literal long-term health and survival of most men that choose to be in a loving relationship with a woman.
"She turned on me"
Rollo Tomassi writes
"As I'm finishing up the final edits of the next book, I'm once again reminded of its main purpose – a cautionary explanation of what men can expect of contemporary women at the various phases of their maturity."
If the next book lays out these chilling truths with with the kind of enlightened clarity you've written in this post, we'll be buying the #1 best-selling book for the next 11 years.
The Cardinal Rule of Relationships
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text: 18 Nov 2016 What if Financial Planning Was More Inspirational and Fun? Posted at 14:22h in Briefs about our Process, The Friday Brief by Sam Bass Jr. For most folks, the idea of financial planning sounds like as much fun as doing lab work, going to the dentist, or creating a budget. And in truth, the way it is widely practiced only amplifies the perception that it is a painful exercise in all things uninspiring. As sensual creatures, we enjoy things that appeal to our senses and instinctively avoid the things that affront them. Read More


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Feed Scape
The Feed Scape is a Arius Blaze and Ben Houston collaborative work.
The Feed Scape is a polyphonic touch based synthesizer which relies almost exclusively on feedback. The feedback, therefore, determines the range of decay which can result in straight synth tones or in longer decay mode, can result in exteremely odd modulation that is ever changing. The "keys" can be played to determine the attack and sustain in conjunction with any of the five primary touch points. There are several modes to allow for various effects over the oscillators which are highly unusual, anything from underwater tonality to odd modulation and LFO. The noise section is outstanding and can be used to provide subtle bursts, backdrop texture or all out insanity. This work creates a vast field of variations on noise and can be mixed with any of te primary notes to expand on the initial depth of pressing one noise key. There are two time modes, from very tight to about two seconds of decay. The latter allowingto actually create verses which repeat into a decaying and ever-changing eternity. there are additionally controls for effect mode light or hard and level. The internal amp has an on/off switch and the piece runs on a 9v battery so t is fully portable. Also has 1/4" output and onboard lighting. A very unusual piece, perfect for textural synthesis and NOISE. one of one.
- More instruments in the Symbiotic Family.
- Other works by Arius Blaze, Ben Houston.


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NBA 2K13 heading to North America on October 2 and Europe October 5.
NBA 2K13 will release October 2 in North America, followed by a European release on October 5, 2K Sports announced today.
Users who pre-order the title for Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 will receive a new downloadable NBA All-Star content package featuring add-on content set in Houston, the setting for the upcoming 2013 NBA All-Star game. Players will be able to stage their own NBA All-Star events including the Foot Locker Three Point Shootout, BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, and the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.
NBA 2K13 is set to release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii and PC. A version for Wii U will be available at a later date.


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In recent months, prominent introductions of new sandwich selections at major food service outlets have been identified as a promising sign for grain-based foods. Even as supermarket sales of commercial sliced bread have flagged, the introduction of products, such as the expanding line of breakfast sandwiches at Dunkin' Donuts, has offered anecdotal evidence of energy in the U.S. bread market.
Now data have been released affirming the striking strength of the restaurant sandwich market. A report by the analyst group Technomic indicated that 49% of consumers were purchasing sandwiches from food service locations early in 2012, up from 44% in 2010. Given that U.S. eating habits tend to shift gradually rather than abruptly, the jump is startling, suggesting that the figures ought to be studied in further surveys (Technomic conducted an on-line survey of 1,500 consumers). Respondents also told Technomic they were eating more sandwiches than in the past, with 43% eating four a week, up from 39% in 2010.
The results showed a sharp increase in purchases of "grab-and-go" sandwiches at restaurants and that the preference for toasted sandwiches was edging upward versus non-toasted. The data seem to indicate the volume drop in commercial sliced bread should not be analyzed entirely as a result of chronic economic softness (a theory that did not make great sense to begin with). To the contrary, a growing number of consumers seem to be demonstrating convenience and added value are accounting for shifts in their purchases away from the supermarket bread aisle.


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Send your sincerest condolences with this beautifully sculpted cross of white carnations, adorned with one dozen premium white roses, white dendrobium orchids, bells of ireland, green hydrangea, loops of tropical leaves and flexi grass woven throughout the design. ***Appropriate for the services, approximately 42"T x 27"W. To be displayed on an easel (banner is optional, for custom banner requests that are not listed please contact us at 617-269-7271).
All prices in USD ($)
As Shown
As Shown - $400.00


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Hi, I'm Alice.
When people look at me now, they see a highly successful business strategist with everything going for her, with a beautiful apartment in downtown Toronto and a life filled with abundance.
I'm in the best health of my life, surrounded by loving family and friends, and know that I can make just about anything in my life or business happen.
But my life hasn't always been this way.
20 years ago I was where you might be right now…
Stressed out, sleep-deprived, spending more time with my work colleagues than with my own husband, and constantly living on my nerves.
My entire life as a corporate CPA completely revolved around my job.
My husband sat at home alone most evenings, waiting for me to shuffle in the door then watch me inhale my late-night dinners before collapsing into bed, asleep. The next morning, I'd be out the door well before him, ready to do it all over again.
Most young women don't dream of working 12-hour days.
Being at the beck-and-call of your Blackberry and never seeing your husband… nobody tells you that this is how your life will wind up when you're at business school.
The never-ending cycle of always putting my career first invariably led me to lose sight of what was truly important to me.
As my career took off, my relationship, friendships, and health all suffered dearly.
I had no energy or time to spend doing the things that we loved, like traveling or hanging out with my husband, and my dream of one day starting a family was slipping away from me.
Eventually, I came to the conclusion that the only logical answer was to leave the corporate world and start my own consulting business.
It was the only way I knew to take control and get my life back on track.
Working for myself, I finally felt like I was making a real impact and getting the recognition I truly deserved. It was exhilarating, liberating, fulfilling, and terrifying, all at the same time. And now I'd have more time to spend with my husband and friends, and finally start a family.
But as my business grew, it became clear that my life was in a downward spiral.
I was depressed and ashamed, I lost control of my health, my marriage, my family and my clients. In desperation, I started reaching out to local businesses, but I couldn't even convince myself I'm good enough, and it shows.
I'll never forget the day I looked at my bank account and realized I had only $75 to my name.
It forced me to face up to everything I'd been avoiding. I realized I couldn't keep hiding from the world and that if I wanted my life to change, I had to be the one to change it.
With next to no money, I couldn't afford to buy books so I'd read for hours in bookstores and on the internet, learning everything I could to turn my life around.
As my mindset improved and my depression started to lift, things began happening that made me realize that my life was finally starting to turn around.
It was small things at first: I'd visualize myself getting a great parking spot right outside the supermarket and it would be there waiting for me when I arrived. I'd find money on the street just when I'd realized I'd left my house without my wallet, or I'd get free tickets to shows that I'd been waiting to see, and I also started getting invitations to free dinners and social events.
Through a chance meeting one day, I met a man who went on to play a significant role in my journey.
He opened up to me, telling me stories of his tortured childhood, his addiction to drugs and alcohol and his fight to stay in recovery. He told me the biggest shift had happened for him when he started practicing Reiki and spiritual meditation.
So I immersed myself in the practice of Reiki, spiritual meditation and mindset work. Soon after, it started to pay off.
Then one day, out of the blue, my phone started ringing with consulting offers again.
I was getting referrals, offered contract after contract, and money began flowing into my bank account again.
With each phone call, the opportunities got bigger and bigger, and soon I was juggling multiple clients, and had the pick of opportunities to accept. I started making multiple six figures and was having the time of my life.
It's been 15 years since that terrifying day when I realized I only had $75 to my name.
Since then I've worked with many business startups, from small businesses to those backed by high profile public companies. I've worn just about every hat; creating business strategies, building business alliances, designing business processes, setting up operating and financial systems, building teams and developing leaders. And best of all, I got to help entrepreneurs turn their dreams into thriving businesses.
That's what I want to help you do too.
Let's be honest…
Life's too short to stay trapped in the belief that you'll only ever be successful when you work for someone else.
Your time is too precious to waste on office politics, power-struggles and chasing someone else's dreams.
If you've read this far, it's because you're a talented, intelligent, and right now exhausted career woman who's stuck in a world where she doesn't belong.
Take it from someone who's already found it: there IS a far better way.
Time to talk about your Get Away Plan.
Sign up for your complimentary call today.


text: tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1837788668443543592.post1269136958346610107..comments2023-09-19T05:06:13.472+02:00Comments on Kenzo the Hovawart: The Bumpy Road To The BeachTeam Kenzohttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1837788668443543592.post-26720394086141325982022-07-22T04:12:21.451+02:002022-07-22T04:12:21.451+02:00Hi nice readiing your blogHi nice readiing your blogCarl Hardyhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1837788668443543592.post-56120968228703863752015-07-22T17:23:48.935+02:002015-07-22T17:23:48.935+02:00You are? Baxter at the West-coast? The world is sm...You are? Baxter at the West-coast? The world is small isn't it. I remember discussing with Andra's mom how much Baxter and Kenzo looked a like a long while ago. Now Kenzo is 8 and Baxter 12. Time sure flies. If you are ever in the neighborhood of Henne Strand, I'll look forward to meet you and Baxter:)Team Kenzohttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1837788668443543592.post-42168005268615911272015-07-21T18:28:01.562+02:002015-07-21T18:28:01.562+02:00Except the perfect heel, Baxter behaved 6 years ag...Except the perfect heel, Baxter behaved 6 years ago just the same as Tilde. Now he is 12 years old (thank you for the congratulation on Andra`s Blog) and still loves the West-coast beaches when we are there for Holidays. I hope you all enjoy the time you spend there. Please excuse my bad english, (School is so many years ago)<br />Katrin und Baxter der Baxterhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com


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People are at the core of our health system. But right now, we don't have a comprehensive, system-wide understanding of the people power needed to care for patients, or a plan to keep our system running efficiently while delivering excellent care. This needs to change.
If we want to continue to build a 21st-century health system that responds to the needs of Ontarians, government needs to work in partnership with health stakeholders toward a comprehensive and integrated health human resources strategy.
The view from the front lines is crucial to make this a success. Only by collaborating will we be able to make sure we have the right complement of health professionals to respond to the demands and challenges that lay ahead.
Recommendation: We are asking the government to work in partnership with health organizations and stakeholders to develop a robust long-term vision and strategy for health human resources to ensure we have enough people – and the right professionals – on the front lines of care.


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Inside the Vault: Spike Lee's New Heist Film Steals the Show
Tae Andrews | Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Pair two industry veterans with impressive portfolios and savvy to match, then throw in an up-and-comer for good measure, and the result is more than a sound investment – it's a blockbuster. Actor Denzel Washington reunites with director Spike Lee for their fourth collaboration in "Inside Man," a heist film in which Washington plays Detective Keith Frazier, a cop trying to catch up with a bank robber (Clive Owen) who always seems to be one step ahead.
As one of the finest actors of his generation, it's no coincidence that Washington's surname is identical to that of George Washington, the founding father whose visage is printed on the dollar bill – Denzel is money, plain and simple. Washington's currency as an actor is his versatility, as his talents include recent turns as an embattled football coach in 2000's "Remember the Titans," a blue-collar father in 2002 "John Q," and a bodyguard with a tortured soul in 2004's "Man on Fire." In addition, his atypical heel performance as a hard-nosed corrupt cop in "Training Day" earned him an Academy Award in 2003.
Prior to "Inside Man," Washington's collaborations with director Spike Lee were nothing short of excellent. After teaming up for "Mo Better Blues" in 1990, the pair met up again two years later in "Malcolm X." Washington put in one of the best performances of his career as the titular and incendiary civil rights leader. In 1998, Washington starred opposite NBA star Ray Allen as an incarcerated felon in "He Got Game."
Taken separately, Lee and Washington are more than capable of cornering the market, but when placed together, the duo is the most powerful union since American Online merged with Time Warner. Put simply, the Spike-Denzel combination is money in the bank, which provides for an interesting scenario when actor Clive Owen is added to the mix, precisely because he is a bank robber trying to make off with money from a bank.
In "Inside Man," Owen seems to have taken a cue from rapper Juicy J of the Oscar-winning hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia when J raps, "I ain't Denzel but I know I'm a star." As one of the best emerging actors in Hollywood, Owen holds his own opposite Washington as Dalton Russell, a criminal mastermind who has seemingly crafted the perfect crime.
Owen's stock has risen sharply as of late. After developing a cult following in a series of short films produced by auto manufacturer BMW in 2001, Owen made his debut as a lethal assassin opposite Matt Damon in "The Bourne Identity" in 2002. He followed "Bourne" with "King Arthur" in 2004, and "Closer" later that year. Owen then played the character Dwight in "Sin City" in 2005, a ladies' man who takes on a corrupt cop.
Throughout all of his roles, Owen belies his proper British accent by playing characters who are a walk on the wild side- he's English, but with enough rogue in him to let viewers know that he's no gentleman. In "Inside Man," Owen is no different – he is menacing under his dark sunglasses and painter's attire. As a smooth customer with insider information on the business of knocking over seemingly impregnable banks, he stars as an intellectual criminal mastermind.
At the beginning of the film, Owen stares directly into the camera with that penetrating gaze of his and declares, with perfect conviction, that he will execute the perfect crime, a heist so flawless that he will be able to simply waltz out of the bank's front doors when he's "good and ready."
Herein lies the fun of the heist genre – unlike mystery or "whodunit" films, the caper film eschews the rest of the "who/what/when/where/why" spectrum in favor of the "how." During the film's cat-and-mouse game of cops and robbers, the true fun lies in seeing if Owen can elude Washington and deliver on his promise to execute the perfect crime. Unlike good magicians, the quality heist film always reveals its secrets. Hopefully, it will impress the audience with its clever plot twists as well.
Jodie Foster and Willem Dafoe also put in quality performances during "Inside Man." Dafoe is such a talented actor that he could easily portray his character, Police Captain John Darius, in his sleep, but it is Foster who really breaks the mold here. Portraying an ice queen and power broker. Foster is extremely convincing as Madelin White, a woman who is willing to use anything, including a pair of seemingly endless legs, accentuated by power heels, to get what she wants. Having sold her soul to the devil a long time ago, White brings a ruthless and intelligent player to the table.
As clever as it is slick, "Inside Man" is a fun movie to watch and an entertaining example of the burgeoning heist genre. Here's some insider information: for the relatively low price of $6.00 (with student ID) at the local Cinemark, Spike Lee's latest film,"Inside Man" is a strong investment.


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Dog attacks and dog aggression are one of the most common reasons why dog owners seek out the help of their friends, dog coaches/trainers and veterinarians. A dog that exhibits aggressive behavior towards either humans or other dogs can quickly devolve to create a nightmare situation for pet parents. They may become afraid of taking their dog out in public or even of having their dog hang out near their own children or other pets. Make no mistake about it, a dog that has shown aggressive behavior even once, if not closely watched and corrected, can become both a liability and a heartbreak.
What is Dog Aggression?
The first thing that needs to be understood is saying a dog is "aggressive" not helpful for the dog. There is more than one reason for a having behaved in an aggressive manner. There's no such thing as a "bad dog" simply being inherently bad. Usually, there is a 'lead up' to the final vicious attack that spells doom for the dog if its owners are not knowledgeable about canine behavior. Many of these signs can be missed by owners who don't understand their dog, its needs, its breed qualities and its psychological needs.
Understanding Dog Aggression
- Fear Based Aggression
- Protection Based Aggression
1.) Fear Based Aggression
When a dog is fearful, they respond with aggression if they are cornered and cannot run away. This fear based response can occur in even the most mild-mannered dogs. If a dog is hurt and feeling pain or a tender spot, they tend to become more aggressive and to lash out, even if they are normally a docile dog. If a dog does not understand what is going on, it can become fearful and attack the source of its fear.
2.) Protection Based Aggression
A dog that has recently had a litter of puppies will show dog aggression and will be protective over their little ones. This is normal and natural behavior and does not indicate any serious issues or underlying illness in the mother dog. A dog that sees a threat to its owner, property, itself or any other loved ones will also lash out aggressively in order to protect them. This again, is normal behavior, and the onus is on the dog's owner to train and teach it to realize what actual threats are.
Many people are quick to judge dogs and blame dog aggression incidents based on particular breeds. Conversely, many believe that a dog's breed has no bearing on its behavior. The reality is that it is often a mix of genetics and environment that can lead up to dogs being labelled as aggressive, but not in the way you would think: Rather than being inherently vicious, some dogs are simply genetically larger, stronger and more powerful than other breeds. These dogs can have devastating effects after aggressive attacks which lead to hospital visits, whereas smaller dogs that bite or attack may have little or no damage inflicted on their targets. Therefore these incidents are typically under-reported.
Fight or Flight
Some dogs are generally more prone to flight based responses, whereas some dogs, irrespective of their breed, will attack when confronted with what they deem to be threatening situations (this is similar to the fight or flight response seen in humans). This is more personality based – if you have an alpha dominant dog, it is more likely to stand its ground. If you have a submissive dog, it is more likely to run away with its tail between its legs.
Recognizing Warning Signs
The biggest problem is when people don't recognize the warning signs of dogs who are likely to attack. Some parents allow children to harass, hug and bother their dogs without paying attention to the dog's signals and efforts to disengage. Many human behaviors, like hugging a dog around its neck, are actually interpreted differently in the dog world – clutching a dog around its neck is seen as an attempt to dominate or immobilize it.
Dogs do not attack out of the blue. Many of them give plenty of cues and warning signals that are ignored, misinterpreted or unidentified before an incident of dog aggression occurs. These are ways in which the dog says "Please, back off. I am not comfortable." If the undesirable interaction continues, the dog can eventually lash out with its teeth and bite or attack the person or other animal invading its personal space.
Look for any of these signs, and back off immediately if two or more are present at the same time:
Signs of imminent or potential dog aggression brewing:
Dog breaks off eye contact, turning its head away from whatever is bothering him, or closing its eyes
Dog yawns
Ears flattened against its head
Whale Eye or Half-Moon Eye – you can see the white portion of the dog's eyes at the corner or the rim
Licks its own lips or touching its nose with its tongue
Lick's person's hand or face continually during the interaction (not in the same manner as an excited greeting towards its owner)
Barred teeth
Raised hackles
- This is a section of fur on its back and neck that rises up, sometimes on the back as well, when the dog is warning it is ready to attack if threatened further. Usually accompanied by growling and/or barring of teeth.
Tail Tucked in between its legs or tail is stiff and wagging.
- Many people think a wagging tail always means that the dog is happy. This is untrue. If the tail is held high and only the tip is wagging, this means the dog is aroused and may not be friendly – they may need to be calmed down. If the tail is stiff and wagging, it may communicate tension or hostility (a loose wagging tail or a dog that wags its tail in wide sweeping motions with its whole butt moving is generally a happy wag).
A dog displaying full aggression and ready to attack:
A dog displaying signs of Fear and Submission:


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Appeals court: Cowboys for Trump is a political committee
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal appeals court has turned away a constitutional challenge by the support group Cowboys for Trump and co-founder Couy Griffin to New Mexico election laws and registration requirements for political groups.
In a written order obtained Wednesday, the Denver-based U.S. 10th District Court of Appeals declined to reverse a lower court ruling that upheld state registration requirements for Cowboys for Trump as a political organization.
Griffin, a Republican county commissioner from Tularosa in southern New Mexico, sued New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver in 2020 in response to mounting pressure on Cowboys for Trump to register as a political committee in New Mexico, and Griffin's concerns that might lead to other disclosure requirements about contributions and spending.
Chief Judge Timothy Tymkovich of the 10th Circuit cited several shortcomings in Griffin's legal appeal, while declining to reverse the lower court's dismissal.
Contacted Wednesday, Griffin said the latest court decision was unfair and that he is discussing how to respond with his attorney Sidney Powell, a former lawyer to the Trump reelection campaign.
"It's a tough decision and an unfair decision because all I've tried doing is supporting Trump and standing up for our freedoms," Griffin said in a text message.
The secretary of state's office prevailed in a June 2020 arbitration decision that ordered Cowboys for Trump to register, file expenditure and contribution reports and pay a fine of $7,800.
Griffin forged a group of rodeo acquaintances in 2019 into the promotional group called Cowboys for Trump that staged horseback parades to spread President Donald Trump's conservative message about gun rights, immigration controls and abortion restrictions.
Separately, Griffin is confronting misdemeanor criminal charges in the Jan. 6. insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, where he appeared on an outdoor terrace and tried to lead the crowd in prayer.
Griffin denies allegations that he knowingly entering barricaded areas of the Capitol grounds with the intent of disrupting government as Congress considered the 2020 Electoral College results, though he has openly ascribed to unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the 2020 election.


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AAWP Insight #151: flagship leaks, security, and more
Published by Rafe Blandford at
In AAWP Insight #151, hosted by Steve and Rafe, we talk about Windows 10 Mobile performance on lower end devices (build 10512), Windows 10 Mobile compatible phones (and upgrading low storage devices), and the leak of upcoming flagships (Cityman and Talkman). We also touch on ARCHOS' recently announced Windows 10 Mobile device and Steve's most recent camera head to head (Moto X Play versus Lumia 930).
Download the MP3 file for this podcast (Size: 31.0MB)
Duration: 00:43:02
Show Notes
This podcast was recorded on August 18th 2015.
Topics discussed in this podcast include:
- Lumia 630: Living with Windows 10 Mobile and only 512MB of RAM
- Living with Windows 10 Mobile (10512) - mid August 2015
- We did tell you - 4GB smartphones are a '10' no go
- Those flagship images leak: Cityman and Talkman, plus dock
- Windows Phone safer by virtue of smaller installed base?
- ARCHOS announces Windows 10 Mobile contender
- A 16MP/£270 camera head to head: Lumia 930 vs Moto X Play
You can see more of our podcasts in the Media section of the site.


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Another remake of the popular 36-foot tall gorilla-like monster was released on March 10th, 2017. Kong: Skull Island is a 2017 American monster film directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and written by Dan Gilroy, Max Connolly, based a story by John Gatins. Kong: Skull Island is produced by Warner Bros, Legendary Entertainment, and Tencent Pictures.The cast includes Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, etc.
Filming began on October 19, 2015, in Hawaii and various locations around Vietnam. Kong: Skull Island premiered on February 28, 2017 in London and was later released in the United States on March 10th.
The story begins with a team of scientists and Vietnam War soldiers who travel on helicopters to an uncharted island, "Skull Island," in the Pacific Ocean. The scientists decided to drop explosive bombs to determine if the ground is hollow. The helicopters were suddenly attacked by a 100 foot-tall bipedal gorilla, known as Kong. The group then encounters the local Iwi natives and meets Hank Marlow, a missing pilot that crash landed on the island in 1944. Marlow explains that Kong is the island's guardian and is worshiped as a god by the natives for protecting them from the Skullcrawlers, underground reptilian monsters who have slaughtered Kong's ancestors, leaving him as the last of his kind. Marlow reveals Kong only attacked the helicopters to prevent the bombs from awakening the largest of the Skullcrawlers, known as the "Big One." The scientists and soldiers unite to help Kong fight the Skullcrawlers.
This film immerses audiences in the mysterious and dangerous home of the king of the apes. It has a different spin on the traditional King Kong movies. Freshmen Tina Gu says, "I'm excited for this movie because it seems very different from other monster movies. Usually humans are fighting them, but this time humans are actually fighting with the monster."
On the other hand, Junior Christina Banh says, "Honestly, after watching Planet of the Apes, I realized I'm not that interested in monster films."
Everyone has different movie tastes, but Kong: Skull Island is a perfect monster film to indulge in.


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A majestic 88-foot spruce that traveled all the way from one Washington to the other Washington lit up the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday night.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, presided at the lighting of the Capitol Christmas Tree, which will continue to be lit each night from dusk until 11 p.m. through Jan. 1.
The Engelmann spruce was harvested from the Colville National Forest in northeast Washington state. As it traveled across the country, it made stops in 26 communities along the way.
The Associated Press reported that it is the second-tallest tree ever used at the Capitol.
The tree is decorated with 5,000 ornaments handcrafted by residents of Washington state to reflect the theme "Sharing Washington's Good Nature."
Boehner was assisted with the tree-lighting by 6-year-old Giovanni Gaynor, a first-grader from Colville, Wash., whose father served in Iraq. As the tree began to glow brightly, Giovanni smiled widely and the U.S. Marine Band played "O Tannenbaum."


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Guess what… I'm back with a package of 50 stunning Vector Halftones with an old school, vintage feel.
The first half of this beautiful, easy to use package consists of rougher, smaller and more subtle Halftones while the other half is packed with perfectly rounded, bigger and more polished ones.
Trust me Buy Scabo Stromectol , the chance of not finding a single one you like is basically zero.
You'll get these textures both in .EPS format and in high resolution (3000x4000px) .PNGs with transparent background – so you can use them in any graphic software you like without any hassle.
And boy, what a bargain! You get all 50 of them for the low cost of $10 ($20 extended license).
Feel free to browse through the collection to get a glimpse of what you can expect.
What you'll get from this package:
- 25 rough Vector Halftones both in .EPS and .PNG format
- 25 more polished Vector Halftones both in .EPS and .PNG format
- My foolproof Step-By-Step Guide on how to use the textures PuTTY SSH tunnel X11 forwarding , so you won't have to waste your time on watching super-boring video guides
Alternative:Download @CreativeMarket
Hey, like this Product? Why not share it with a buddy?Tweet


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This training focuses on developing skills for executives to more effectively meet the needs of their internal clients. Executives will learn the same cutting-edge techniques professional consultants use to propose solutions and solve problems for their clients.
- Understand the differences between operating as an "internal consultant" versus an "employee"
- Define your target market and internal marketing message
- Develop effective communication skills to more effectively engage and serve internal clients (e.g., listening, articulating, asking effective questions, redirection, handling client objections, etc.)
- Learn how to apply the Influential Conversation ModelTM to thoroughly understand internal clients' needs before solving problems
- Effectively write and present business recommendations
- Learn strategies and skills to proactively pursue your internal clients and add significant value
- Place undue burden on the team leader as the sole source of accountability?


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All over dusky pink bird print baby bloomer shorts, with elasticated waistband and leg openings to make dressing easy and keep them nice and secure. These are the cutest summer baby and toddler option and highlight those adorable thighs! Add a bodysuit or t-shirt in matching designs, or get creative and go for a bold colour clashing print!
All bonnie mob garments are machine washable at 30 degrees, unless otherwise stated on the garment label.
We recommend that you do NOT tumble-dry bonnie mob products. The heat from tumble-drying can cause fading, shrinkage, and may reduce the lifespan of the garment's quality. Any products that can be tumble-dried will indicate so on their care label.


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Quelle: WFB/JUA
Every day, the Bremer Strassenbahn AG operates around 380 modern trams and buses, which keep the city of Bremen moving.
Every day, Bremer Strassenbahn AG operates around 380 modern trams and buses, which keep the city of Bremen moving. The company prides itself on its service and quality and provides convenient, punctual and safe transport to well over a quarter of a million people a day. None of this would be possible without the 2,000 or so employees who work day and night – behind the wheel, in the workshop, in customer service and in the offices.
If you want to find out bus or tram times whilst on the move, you can simply download the VBN timetable to your mobile. Simply enter the addresses or bus/tram stops that you want to travel between and the connections will be shown.
VBN App TripPlanner
VBN Connection Query
You'll find information panels at prominent locations throughout the city centre. These should help you find your way to all the main sights without getting lost.
For those who are in a hurry and for those who carry a lot of luggage, one of over 400 local taxis is always available in Bremen. The taxi costs for a taxi ride will be shown by our taxi calculator. For online orders of taxis and airport transfers, the booking portal of BetterTaxi is recommended.
How to find us and tips for visitors travelling by train, coach, car or air.
Quelle: WFB / Studio b


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1997 - Swiss T<25 Black Dial - Rolex Explorer II - Ref. 16570 - Box and Papers
We ship watches worldwide, tracked and insured under our goods in transit policy.
We aim to ship any product purchased within 24 hours of receiving payment.
N.b. for international orders where local duty and/or import taxes apply, these are to be borne by the client.
UK – Free shipping.
We send using Royal Mail's Guaranteed before 1pm service.
Tracking details provided upon postage.
Rest of world – £40
We ship with FedEx's International Priority Service.
Tracking details provided upon postage.
If you would prefer for alternative shipping arrangements to be made, please contact us.
We Are Sorry But This Watch Is Now Sold -
If However You Are Looking To Buy Or Sell Something Similar Then Please Email firstname.lastname@example.com Or Whatsapp/Call +44 7831 454658.
Rolex Explorer II Ref. 16570 40mm with a black Tritium 'T<25' dial - 1997 watch with box and papers
With its highly legible dial, tough, durable and corrosion resistant Oyster case in steel with the solid link Oyster bracelet and waterproof capacities, the Rolex Explorer II is a reliable, high-performance timepiece - even in the toughest of conditions hence the 'Explorer' name.
This pre-owned Rolex Perpetual Explorer II (Model Reference Number 16570, from 1997) is a self-winding automatic men's wrist watch with a 40mm stainless steel case encompassing a stunning black dial with the signature Rolex Mercedes style hours hand and steel engraved bezel with beautiful sunburst finish.
This particular 40mm version was produced for 22 years by the brand, between 1989 and 2011, and is famed for its low-key design, dual time zone functionality and near indestructibility - truly a timepiece for the most extreme conditions.
The watch is powered by the robust Rolex 3185 self-winding movement, offering a 50-hour power reserve and COSC-Chronometer Certification. This movement also allows the wearer to easily and independently configure the hour hand. If you're jumping between time zones, all you need to do is unscrew and pull the crown out to its first position to change the hour forwards or backwards without disturbing the minutes and GMT hands.
What's on offer:
As photos should show, this watch is in excellent condition. There is hardly any evidence of it having been worn on the case body itself, and the watch has been well cared for as is also evidenced by the completeness of the box set which even includes the original calendar!
It is sold with its original box, booklets, calendar card, service and instruction booklets etc. It will also be supplied with a handmade leather presentation pouch from us, along with a 12-month warranty.
Additional information
Made from
Case: Steel
Crown: Screw-down crown.
Dial: Black.
Crystal: Sapphire Crystal.
Bracelet: Steel Oyster link, with folding clasp.
Date, GMT (dual time zone).
Technical specifications
Winding: Self-winding.
Movement type: Automatic.
Calibre: 3185
Jewels: 31.
Waterproof: 100 metres.
Power reserve: Approximately 50 hours.
Purchase details
Condition: Stunning condition, like new. 9/10
Model Reference: (Rolex): 16570.
Date of issue: 1997.
Supplied with a 12-month Vintage Watch Specialist guarantee.
Width: 40mm.
Lug width: 20mm.
Lug height (lug to lug): 47mmWrist size: Adjustable.


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Bear Lake County Airport sits just north of Bear Lake along the Utah / Idaho border. It averages 200 hops a month, with only four GA aircraft based an the field full-time. This strip is a nice stopover for your flights from the mountains and National Parks of Wyoming and Idaho to those UT. To use this scenery you will need these libraries:
- OpensceneryX
- MisterX
- x_Prefab 6 (the library only, not the entire package)
- Flags US
It also benefits from Airport Environment HD, as do all X-Plane airports.
This scenery is good for XP 10 and 11. The attached screen caps are with my own orthophoto tile underneath and World2XP America / HD Mesh 3, but note that this scenery has no embedded ortho images.
This scenery is freeware and may get it here at the .org. Thanks for looking and happy flying.


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Summer's Necessities: Festival Essentials Returns!
With the great weather and Summer here, it can only mean one thing – time for festivals!
Pump up your summer with the sounds of great music from thousands of artists who'll be taking to the stage across the UK (and the world!) over the next few months – and do it with a range of great hats, bags & more from Festival Essentials for your perfect experience!
Here's the list of the main festivals to look out for in the UK this summer:
- Isle of Wight Festival (Today)
- Download Festival (Tomorrow)
- Glastonbury Festival (22nd June)
- T in the Park Festival (8th July)
- Wireless Festival (8th July)
- Latitude Festival (14th July)
- Reading & Leeds Festival (26th August)
- Bestival (8th September)
With thousands more local events too, you'll need to look the part as well as having all the essentials: by clicking here, you'll be able to find over 50 products to suit your style (and with ponchos, protect you from the inevitable rain that will come) – so why not get shopping and ensure you have everything you need prior to your days/weekends out this summer!
(NOTE: Items from Festival Essentials are not available for next day delivery)
Ashley Redman
Comments are closed here.


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Graduate Student Admission
Graduate Overview Video
Learn more about the value of a graduate degree from Marist College and our innovative approaches for online learning and instructional technology in the classroom.
Watch Video
Online Professional Teaching Certification: Special Pricing
Marist recognizes the importance of providing affordable educational opportunities to the men and women working in our nation's elementary and secondary schools. The following benefits only apply to students who are interested in the hybrid version of the Master of Arts in Educational Psychology program.
- The Master of Arts in Educational Psychology program helps students meet the academic requirements for their New York State Professional Teaching Certification: Featuring discounted tuition for the hybrid format only.
- Flexible programming includes 100% online courses offered during Fall and Spring semesters, with a brief one-week on-site residency at our beautiful Hudson Valley Campus during the summer.
Please contact the Graduate Admission Office for more information. Books and all related expenses are the responsibility of the student.
Marist College Online Professional Teaching Certification: An Accessible and Affordable Cohort Degree Program
Two tracks of the Master of Arts degree are offered with both leading to New York State Professional Certification. The first track leads to Professional Certification in Childhood Education (1-6) for students with initial teacher certification in this area. The second track meets the needs of those students who possess initial certification in one of the Adolescence Education areas and leads to initial certification in Middle Childhood Extension (5-6) in addition to meeting the Adolescence Education professional teaching certification requirements.
Program Structure
Marist's online Master of Arts in Educational Psychology resulting in Professional Teaching Certification program is designed exclusively for K-12 education professionals and combines accelerated scheduling and a reduced pricing structure with the flexibility and convenience of Marist's online course delivery system. Students in this program represent a diverse mix of education professionals from all corners of New York and throughout the Northeast and Tri-State regions. This combination of experience provides for an intensely rich and beneficial learning experience and allows students the opportunity to widen their professional networks.
The Master of Arts program is comprised of 36 credits of graduate coursework (12 courses). Fall and spring semester courses delivered online with two short summer sessions held at the Marist College campus in Poughkeepsie, NY. During the first summer session, students will be trained in effective strategies for online learning and electronic research. Semester breaks are included. The entire graduate degree program can be completed in just over two years of part-time study.
Prospective students are encouraged to contact the Marist College Office of Graduate Admission at 888-877-7900 to learn more about programs, tuition, and application requirements.
NOTE: This is a unique opportunity for NYS Educators to earn their master's degree. Unless you are affiliated with one of our other corporate partnerships, the only discount options available are for the Educational Psychology summer hybrid program.


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Sending you wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Thankful Today
By Kate Riley • November 26, 2009
By Kate Riley • November 26, 2009
Right back at you! Have a wonderful day enjoying your blessings of good food, health, life, and family. Thank YOU for sharing your many gifts and talents with all of us.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Hope you have a great day.
….Oh…And to you! Right back to you!
Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
Happy Thanksgiving Kate! We all have so much to be thankful for!
I love Snoopy!!!! Happy thanksgiving to you too!!!
lol, CUTE photo! Hope you had a fabulous holiday!


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With Frame - Rolled Canvas (Picture size + 3cm white border for stretching the canvas onto the frame). High quality and brand NEW canvas AAA+. This painting is PRINTED ON CANVAS, NOT HAND-PAINTED. Painting Style & Technic: Modern Decorative Canvas Art Prints. Use for: Bedroom, Living room, Home Decor.With Frame - Stretched, framed, & ready to hang! The color and luster of the actual item might be slightly different from the picture shown, which mainly lies in different light effect and computer monitor. Please give us your understanding. This item is in the category "Sports Mem, Cards & Fan Shop\Fan Apparel & Souvenirs\Football-NFL". The seller is "suzhou-6336" and is located in this country: US.
This item can be shipped to United States.


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|USB-UIRT Getting Started
WELCOME to the USB-UIRT Getting Started page. This page is a work in progress, but is intended to get you up and running quickly with your USB-UIRT.
Your USB-UIRT is a Windows Plug-n-Play device. However, for Windows to be able to use your device, it needs to load the appropriate drivers. To download the latest USB-UIRT Windows Drivers, click the driver link for the appropriate operating system below:
The driver .ZIP file contains multiple files which are needed by the
Windows Operating System for proper operation of your USB-UIRT. You may
Once you have downloaded the USB-UIRT drivers, you are ready to plug in your unit for the first time. Once you plug in your USB-UIRT, Windows will begin the driver installation process. Here's what you'll see:
Once your USB-UIRT Windows drivers have been installed, your USB-UIRT device is ready for operation with third-party software.
INSTALLING GIRDER and the USB-UIRT GIRDER PLUGIN
A software plugin for Girder 3.x is available for download by clicking here. If you do not have Girder installed on your system, you will need to go to the Girder website and follow the download and installation instructions prior to installing the USB-UIRT Girder plugin. Girder 4.x users will already have a USB-UIRT Girder 4.x plugin installed as part of their Girder 4.x installation.
To download the USB-UIRT plugin for Girder, click here.
The plugin .ZIP file contains a plugin .dll file named 'USBUIRT.dll'. To make this plugin available to Girder, this file needs to be extracted to the Girder 'Plugins' directory. On most installations, this directory is something like: "C:\Program Files\girder32\plugins".
Once the USBUIRT.dll plugin file has been copied into the Girder Plugins directory, you're ready to launch Girder to enable the plugin. Note that is Girder is already running, you need to *completely* exit Girder (i.e. File->Exit) and restart it.
1. Launch Girder:
2. Choose 'Settings...' from the 'File' menu.
3. Click on the 'Plugins' tab.
4. Scroll down through the list of plugins until you see 'USB-UIRT driver'. Check the box next to this item and click 'Apply'.
5. Click 'OK'.
The best place to start if you're having technical difficulties is the USB-UIRT Forum. Here you can post questions, read tips and FAQ's, and read up on solutions found by other USB-UIRT users. Also, a wealth of knowledge about HTPC (Home-Theater PC's) and IR integration can be found at the Home Theater Computers forum on AVS Forum.
I will do my best to answer your questions and offer basic product support. Email firstname.lastname@example.com with your questions.
|©2017 Jon Rhees, All Rights Reserved
|Home Top


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The Homegrown Local Food Cooperative (Website) is hosting a summer art fundraiser on Sunday, July 16 at their Health Village venue, 2310 N. Orange Avenue [GMap].
The evening will include local art, a coloring contest, and refreshments.
Individuals who would like to exhibit their art must bring it hang-ready. There is a $10 donation fee to display and if sold, a 10 percent commission will be donated to Homegrown.
For more information, contact Sarah Downs at [email protected].
Editor's Note: Extra parking is available at the McRae garage at Florida Hospital across the street. Insider's tip, grab a coffee from the Downtown Credo before you leave and they'll validate your parking ticket.


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SAN DIEGO—A wireless device that decodes brain waves has enabled a woman paralyzed by locked-in syndrome to communicate from the comfort of her home, researchers announced this week at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
The 59-year-old patient, who prefers to remain anonymous but goes by the initials HB, is "trapped" inside her own body, with full mental acuity but completely paralyzed by a disease that struck in 2008 and attacked the neurons that make her muscles move. Unable to breathe on her own, a tube in her neck pumps air into her lungs and she requires round-the-clock assistance from caretakers. Thanks to the latest advance in brain–computer interfaces, however, HB has at least regained some ability to communicate.
The new wireless device enables her to select letters on a computer screen using her mind alone, spelling out words at a rate of one letter every 56 seconds, to share her thoughts. "This is a significant achievement. Other attempts on such an advanced case have failed," says neuroscientist Andrew Schwartz of the University of Pittsburgh, who was not involved in the study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
HB's mind is intact and the part of her brain that controls her bodily movements operates perfectly, but the signals from her brain no longer reach her muscles because the motor neurons that relay them have been damaged by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), says neuroscientist Erick Aarnoutse, who designed the new device and was responsible for the technical aspects of the research. He is part of a team of physicians and scientists led by neuroscientist Nick Ramsey at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Previously, the only way HB could communicate was via a system that uses an infrared camera to track her eye movements. But the device is awkward to set up and use for someone who cannot move, and it does not function well in many situations, such as in bright sunlight.
Devices that couple neural activity to computers have been used experimentally before to help patients with a range of neurological disorders, including locked-in syndrome. In pioneering work in 1998 neurologist Phillip Kennedy, of Neural Signals, Inc., implanted an array of electrodes into a patient's brain who was paralyzed by a stroke to control signals in an on-off manner, and in 2015 a team of researchers led by neuroscientist Leigh Hochberg of Brown University implanted a 96-channel electrode array into the cerebral cortex of a 58-year-old woman with locked-in syndrome. Those brain implants helped patients communicate by enabling them to select words displayed on a computer screen, and similar tech has helped patients accomplish other tasks as well.
Schwartz's team at Pitt recently demonstrated that a paralyzed man could use a robotic arm controlled by electrodes implanted in the man's cerebral cortex to shake hands with Pres. Barack Obama. But surgically implanting electrodes into the brain carries inherent risks. "Anytime there is a wire penetrating the skin there is risk of infection," Schwartz says, and previous attempts at brain–computer interfaces could only be performed in the laboratory because of the bulky instrumentation required. "This new study is an advance because the implant uses wireless communication with the computer. It is really important to bring this capability home, and they have done that."
For HB, Aarnoutse and his collaborators created a simple, minimally invasive implant that she can use at home or outside to communicate using a familiar computer notebook. To achieve this, doctors lifted a small flap of her scalp in surgery and drilled two finger-size holes through her skull. Then they slipped a thin plastic strip, which looks something like cellophane tape with four tiny dots on it, through the holes to rest on the surface of the brain. The four spots are miniature electrodes that do not penetrate brain tissue, but because they are beneath the skull, they make good electrical contact with the brain to record brain waves with high fidelity.
The surgeons then threaded tiny wires from the electrode under the skin to a small electronic control device that was implanted in HB's chest. The device, made by the biotech company Medtronic, communicates wirelessly by a radio transmitter to an ordinary tablet computer. (Medtronic provided partial support for the research, and one of the study's authors is employed at the company, although the study states he was not involved in interpreting the results.)
Surgeons placed the electrodes over the part of the brain's motor cortex that becomes activated when HB imagines closing her fingers. Analyzing the brain wave patterns, the researchers observed a simple but reliable pattern. Every time she imagined pinching her fingers, the power of certain frequencies of brain waves abruptly changed, as low-frequency "beta" brainwaves abruptly ceased and higher-frequency "gamma" brain waves whipped up.
By measuring the ratio of gamma- to beta-wave power in ongoing brain waves sweeping through HB's motor cortex, the computer could detect when she was imagining closing her fingers. In this way HB quickly learned to operate a cursor in a video game, mastering that task only two days after the surgery. Next the scientists presented her with an alphabet arrayed in rows and columns on a computer tablet. As the display swept over individual letters in sequence, the woman imagined selecting the appropriate letter as if she were clicking a mouse.
The technology is not without controversy, however. Some experts believe that only noninvasive methods should be used to help people with locked-in syndrome communicate, for example by recording brain waves from scalp electrodes. "Implantations like the one reported here may carry an unknown risk for advanced ALS patients," says Niels Birbaumer, an expert in brain–computer interfaces at Tübingen University in Germany who was not involved in the study.
Recording brain waves through the skull, however, currently lacks the sensitivity needed to tap into the neural circuits that control fine voluntary movements. Moreover, that approach is not a practical solution, Aarnoutse says, because it takes a team of highly specialized technicians to attach the electrodes to the electroencephalography (EEG) cap and operate an EEG recording station. This is beyond the capabilities of most caretakers that assist people living with locked-in syndrome. Furthermore, the EEG cap, which looks like a swimming cap with dozens of wires sprouting from it, is something patients would likely never use in their everyday lives. "It would inhibit their interaction with others, and they would never use it outside their home," Aarnoutse says.
Still, some experts say the wireless new device may not justify the risks. "One to two letters per minute is not justifiable [for doing a craniotomy] unless they can improve it," Kennedy says.
Indeed, when HB was first learning to use the device, she told Aarnoutse, "Trying to communicate like this is like tacking a sailboat." But many patients with locked-in syndrome choose not to use ventilators to breathe when their disease reaches an advanced stage because they cannot communicate and they feel they are a burden on their loved ones, according Schwartz. Studies suggest that locked-in people can lead meaningful and productive lives if they can communicate in some way. "We need to do anything we can to help these people," he says. "We are talking about life and death."
Now, more than a year after the device was implanted, HB lives at home with her husband and one of her children, and she has gotten much faster at typing out her thoughts. Also, the device works outdoors in the sunshine where her eye tracker fails. "She's happy," Aarnoutse says. "The ability to communicate has given her more freedom and made her more independent."
Scientific American editor Tanya Lewis contributed reporting.


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Presenting your school's Educational Framework doesn't have to be done in a boring and lackluster way, there are many ways fun ways to share it and get your staff working together as a team! Below are some inspirational ideas to help get you started:
1. Puzzle
Turn your school's Educational Framework into a puzzle and make multiple copies. Divide your staff into groups and see which team can correctly put all the pieces together faster.
2. Scavenger Hunt
Divide your school's framework into pieces and hide them in various areas of the school. Break your staff into groups and provide them with clues as to where to find each piece, and have them go on a scavenger hunt. Once all the pieces have been collected, have each team attempt to piece the framework together. Note: You will need to make a separate copies of the framework for each team to find.
3. Mural
Have your staff create a mural of your school's Educational Framework, and encourage them to be as creative as they can using a variety of supplies – paints, glitter, markers, etc. Take things one step further and personalize the mural using staff names and/or photos alongside subject areas so all can see how everyone connects.
4. Blind Drawing
Hand out blindfolds, pencils and paper to your staff. Tell them they will need to listen to your description of the school's framework and draw it as best they can while wearing a blindfold. See who can draw the image closest to the actual framework!
5. Team Puzzle
Divide your staff into teams and provide each team with a set of blindfolds and two sets of the Educational Framework that has become puzzle pieces – one puzzle should be in pieces, and the other put together. Each team will need to choose a leader, and this person will need to distribute the blindfolds and organize the members in a semi-circle at the table. Once ready, all team members (minus the leader) will put on blindfolds. The leader will then instruct the team on putting together the puzzle pieces using the completed puzzle as an answer key.
6. Partial Reveal
Display a portion of your school's Educational Framework on an interactive whiteboard or a poster with sections covered. Divide your staff in teams and see if they can guess what the completed framework looks like. The teams can do this orally, or by drawing it out on paper.
How will you be sharing your school's Educational Framework? We would love to hear your ideas!
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