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Publication Details
© 2018 Hulu, LLC | all rights reserved
Hulu, LLC | 2500 Broadway, 2nd Floor | Santa Monica, CA 90404 | (310) 571-4700 | hulu.com
1.4 | last updated September 6, 2018
Frequency of Updates
Owner of Update Process
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, translated into any other language in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, for any purpose, without the express permission of Hulu, LLC.
This document is provided for informational purposes. The information is provided "as is" and without warranties of any kind. Due to continuing product development, the information is subject to change without notice. Hulu, LLC shall not be responsible or liable for any inaccuracies, errors, or outdated information.
This document is intended for advertisers. It provides a summary of the video-streaming measurement processes employed by Hulu, LLC (Hulu). It includes a general description of Hulu's measurement methodology, filtration processes and reporting procedures. Issuance of this document is in accordance with Hulu's accreditation conferred by the Media Rating Council (MRC).
Service Overview
Hulu provides an Ad-supported streaming digital video service that offers a selection of TV shows, clips and movies via its video players at hulu.com, embedded Hulu video players hosted at other internet sites, mobile devices via the Hulu mobile application and over-the-top (OTT) internet-connected devices via device-specific Hulu applications. Users of Hulu's digital video service may elect to view content on hulu.com and through external sites such as yahoo.com. To view Hulu content on web, or any Mobile or OTT internet-connected device, Hulu users must subscribe to the Hulu service.
Video Ads are served within the Hulu player at pre- and mid-roll positions. Companion display Ads may also be shown within these placements, or adjacent to the player, in close proximity.
Hulu partners with Content Providers (CPs) and distributors to provide digital video content to users. Hulu also produces certain original video content available through its streaming video service. Regardless of the origin of the content, Hulu maintains control of its streaming digital video players and content pipelines, and encodes all video content and advertisements prior to distribution within Hulu's proprietary video players on Web and within Hulu applications.
Access to Hulu content is limited to users within the United States, including US territories and military bases overseas, based on IP-address geolocation as determined by a third-party vendor; other regions are blocked.
In most situations, Hulu's first-party Ad server performs Ad decisioning. However, Hulu also supports third-party Ad serving in certain situations involving pre-established relationships with specified content providers.
The following Hulu metrics are included in MRC-accreditation scope, on the Web, Mobile Web, and Mobile In-App platforms:
- Impressions, which are fired by Hulu clients once a video or rich-media Ad begins playing, or once a display Ad renders.
- Completions, which are fired after a video or rich-media Ad finishes playing.
- Their derivatives – Completion Rate and Delivered Percent.
The following Hulu reports are included in MRC-accreditation scope:
- Post-Buy
- Device
Excluded from Scope
The following items are excluded from MRC-accreditation scope:
- All Hulu metrics not mentioned above in Accreditation Scope.
- All Hulu reports not mentioned above in Accreditation Scope.
- All metrics on the OTT platform, including Impressions and Completions. As of the time of this writing, MRC-accreditation requirements for OTT have not been published.
- Akamai, a content-distribution network used by Hulu.
- Third-party Ad servers that are sometimes involved in Hulu's Ad serving are excluded. These third-party Ad servers may possess their own MRC accreditations.
- Third-party metrics, including those that measure Hulu-served Ads.
Client-Initiated Beacons Only
All Hulu beacons originate directly from the client. No server-side beacons are used. No proxies are intentionally used.
No Sampling
Hulu does not use sampling. Measurements are counted directly from client-initiated beacons, after filtration processes mentioned below.
Content-Distribution Network (CDN) Usage
Clients send Impressions and Completions to geographically-dispersed CDNs provided by Akamai. Akamai's CDNs then forward these beacons to Hulu's measurement servers.
Client initiate Impressions and Completions by firing a beacon via HTTP GET request.
The measurement server returns a 200 to indicate successful reception of the beacon, and writes a line in its log file to record the Impression or Completion.
The above is true of Impressions and Completions for all video, rich-media, and display Ads.
Workflow Limitations
Network latency may result in beacons not arriving at the server around the moment an Impression or Completion occurs, but rather at some point afterward. If this is case, the Impression or Completion is counted upon receipt.
Network issues may also cause beacons being duplicated somewhere along the way (e.g., by a third-party proxy server) between Hulu's client and server. Hulu addresses this risk in two ways. First, by never performing beacon retries on any accreditation platform (i.e., Web, Mobile Web, or Mobile In-App). Second, by performing beacon de-duplication on the server side.
No Compound Tracking
Hulu does not compound or grouped beacons. Measurements are counted directly from client-initiated beacons one at a time.
Cache Busting
Hulu uses a combination of beacon parameters, including a client-generated auto-incrementing "seq" (i.e., sequence) value, to create uniqueness of Impressions and Completions.
Also, in the 200 response to Impression and Completion beacons, the server uses the following Header Controls:
Cache-Control: max-age=0, no-cache, no-store
Pragma: no-cache
These values instruct the client to not cache the GET request, and always fire a new instance of the beacon.
Hulu does not engage in auto-play of Video or Interactive Ads. Playback is never initiated without an explicit user action (i.e., click or tap).
Hulu engages in Continuous Play, which is automatic advancement to a new piece of Content after an existing piece of Content comes to an end.
Hulu uses a threshold to determine when to show an "Are you still watching?" confirmation. After four hours of continuous play without user interaction, the dialog is presented, and if no confirmation (i.e.,'Yes') is received from the viewer, further playback is stopped.
Based on a preliminary study, ~18% of Impressions on Web was generated by sessions that included 1+ hour inactivity. ~1% of Impressions on Mobile In-App was generated by sessions that included 1+ hour of inactivity. Hulu is developing and conducting improved studies on viewer inactivity in order to update its continuous-play functionality.
Impression and Completion beacons received from Akamai are immediately written into log files. The log files contain raw beacon data. They undergo processing before they can be consumed by reporting mechanisms.
Daily processing allows Hulu's reports to include the previous day's data, but not the current day's.
Hulu's Mobile application is available to all mobile devices on the platforms mentioned below in the same geographical region as its Web and Living Room offerings. Namely, the U.S. and its territories.
Hulu's Mobile application runs on iOS and Android.
Downloaded Applications
The use of Hulu's Mobile application is possible only when the user has proactively downloaded and installed the application. Ad delivery and measurement techniques across application versions have not changed meaningfully in the past several years.
Opened and Initialized Applications
The use of Hulu's Mobile application occurs only when the user has proactively opened and initialized the application after downloading and installing it. Multiple versions of the same application cannot coexist.
Applications in Use
The use of Hulu's Mobile application occurs only when the application is in focus. Playback automatically stops when the application loses focus. This means that no Impression or Completion beacons can be fired while the application is background'ed.
Furthermore, during situations when the device goes offline, playback will stop due to the application's video buffer emptying. At this point, no Impression or Completion beacons can be fired as playback of both content and ads is halted.
While generally no latency issues are particular to OTT devices, there is one exception in that Roku devices have been noted to experience network issues. Further detail is provided in the SSL section below.
Roku devices have been noted to experience network issues. On these devices, it has been observed that having a large queue of beacons to be fired can sometimes result in some queued beacons simply not firing and eventually being discarded inappropriately. Also high volumes of network activity create latency issues and generally slow processing that are particular to these devices.
As a result, as of September 2018, SSL protocol is not available on Roku devices.
Continuous Play
Hulu uses a threshold to determine when to show an "Are you still watching?" confirmation. After three hours of Continuous Play without user interaction, the dialog is presented, and if no confirmation (i.e., 'Yes') is received from the viewer, further playback is stopped.
Studies are performed on an annual basis, to understand viewer patterns and inform decisions on whether adjustments to improve experience are necessary.
Continuous Play is used more frequently on OTT, as compared to Web and Mobile. As a result, Hulu's studies on Continuous Play are conducted on a subset of OTT devices.
Detection of TV-off state, and accordingly pausing playback, is entirely dependent on the capabilities of hardware. Where detection is possible, Hulu apps pause playback. However, there is a population of devices that do not communicate the change of hardware state to higher levels in the tech stack. In these cases, Hulu apps are unable pause playback, although Continuous Play thresholds apply as normal.
Hulu has conducted research to gain a general understanding of the aforementioned hardware capabilities and limitations. A study was performed on a broad sample of devices running Hulu's OTT app. This sample included devices from manufacturers Amazon, Apple, Google, LG, Microsoft, Panasonic, Roku, Samsung, Sony, Tivo, and Vizio. These devices running Hulu were paired with a variety of TVs from manufacturers that included LG, Panasonic, Phillips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, and Vizio. The study was also ran with and without an AV receiver between the Hulu device and the TV.
A summary of study results is as follows:
- The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) is a setting on hardware that, when turned on, produces a minor advantage in allowing TV-off state to be communicated upstream.
- Making an input change on the TV usually results in failure of communication of TV-state change.
- Performing a hot unplug of the HDMI cable usually results in success on Roku devices, but failure on other manufacturers' devices.
- Turning the TV off (i.e., true TV-off) produces mixed results that largely depend on the manufacturer.
- Having an AV receiver between the Hulu device and the TV did not have tangible impacts.
In conclusion, there are many permutations of hardware, settings, and use cases to consider. Improving detection of TV-off is a complex industry issue that will require consistent commitment from TV manufacturers.
Inactivity Rules
Please see the Continuous Play section above.
The methodology for measuring clicks is identical to that of Impression and Completion measurement. A client-side beacon is fired whenever the user performs a click action within Hulu's application. On the server side, this beacon is logged and undergoes processing, eventually being included in reporting.
General Limitations
Ad-blocking software is capable of preventing Hulu's Ads from being displayed.
When these situations occur, because no Ads are loaded, no Impression or Completions are fired.
Ad stitching (i.e., using a single manifest with pre-set content and ads for each stream) is performed on the server side, with the result being delivered to Mobile and Living Room client devices to facilitate smooth playback.
Hulu employs a suite of techniques in an attempt to identify and filter invalid activity. These techniques include but are not limited to known and suspected non-human activity and suspected invalid human activity.
Because user identification and intent cannot always be known or discerned by the publisher, advertiser or their respective agents, it is unlikely that all invalid activity can be identified and excluded from report results.
Below, Hulu's various techniques are summarized strictly at a high-level for security purposes.
General Invalid-Traffic Filtration (GIVT)
Hulu practices GIVT.
Sophisticated Invalid-Traffic Filtration (SIVT) is not performed.
No Third-Party
Hulu performs its own filtration without the assistance of any third parties.
Hulu removes all internally-generated traffic.
IAB Blacklist and Whitelist
Based on User Agent, Hulu performs the IAB dual-pass method to remove all traffic that doesn't appear on the international lists of spiders and bots, and valid browsers.
Activity-Based Filtration (ABF)
Hulu employs ABF to identify anomalies. The specifics of its ABF techniques are kept confidential for security purposes. They are disclosed only to MRC auditors as part of the audit process.
No Pre-Fetching
Hulu does not employ any pre-fetching mechanisms. Impression and Completion beacons are fired in real time. This also applies to ads shown as a result of Continuous Play.
100% Coverage
Filtration is applied against Hulu's entire traffic across the Web, Mobile Web, and Mobile In-App platforms. No subsets or sampling techniques are used.
Data Inconsistencies
When Impression and Completion beacons are received by the server, they undergo validation to ensure critical parameters aren't missing. They are also evaluated to see whether parameter values are contradictory. Any beacons that fail either type of validation are discarded ahead of any further processing.
In the unlikely event Hulu's log files are corrupted, Akamai is capable of resending beacons for Hulu to reprocess.
An analysis of IVT during Q4 of 2016 shows that IVT typically fluctuates at immaterial levels.
Client Disclosure
When significant changes to Hulu's filtration methods and / or technology are implemented, Hulu issues a statement to clients with active or upcoming Ad Campaigns. This is reserved for situations where notification provides a discernible benefit to clients. For security purposes, Hulu discloses as little as possible when it comes to its filtration techniques. Disclosures will be accordingly high-level.
Hulu reports a variety of metrics to clients on a per-Campaign basis.
The reports in accreditation scope – Post-Buy and Device – are presented to clients at multiple points in the Campaign, depending on Campaign length and client preference. The Post-Buy is always presented after a Campaign ends.
Estimation is not used. Report metrics are composed solely from actual data collected in the measurement process.
While report data accumulates on a day-by-day basis, it is considered final as, once processed, a day's data is official and generally unchanging. Data revisions are possible but rare.
Accredited Metrics
These are Impressions and Completions, and their derivatives – Completion Rate and Delivered Percent.
Impressions and Completions are segregated in three ways:
- Platform. This breaks down into Web, Mobile Web, Mobile In-App, and Living Room. The breakdown allows clients to quickly identify MRC-accredited numbers (i.e., Web, Mobile Web, and Mobile In-App).
- Position. This breaks down into pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll.
- Gross (i.e., pre-filtration) vs. net (i.e., post-filtration) numbers.]
Non-Accredited Metrics
Non-accredited metrics are also presented. These include, but are not limited to: quartiles, Clicks, Clickable Impressions and Completions, Click-Through Rate (CTR), Time Spent Viewing, and Unique Users.
Placeholder Columns
Open columns with no metrics or data can also be presented. They are meant to reserve space conveniently for manual data entry. These include Estimated Spend values, Third Party and Discrepancy.
Reports can be:
- Run against a specified date range. Typically the entire duration of the Campaign is used.
- Grouped by day, week, or month. Reports use the time zone Eastern Time (ET). A day is defined as the 24-hour period that begins at 12:00 a.m. and ends at 11:59 p.m. ET. A week is defined as the seven-day period that could span Sunday to Saturday, or Monday to Sunday, depending on client preference. Specific dates are provided in reporting for reference.
- Broken down at the Creative (i.e., individual instances of an Ad type) level, or grouped at the Placement (i.e., Ad type) level instead.
Companion Ads
Per Hulu's product options, static companion ads like banners and logo are often displayed alongside video and rich-media ads. These companion ads are segregated in reporting as distinct products.
Campaigns parameters are entered by Hulu's Campaign Coordinators. Before being set live, every Campaign is subject to full review by a Campaign Manager.
After going live, Campaigns undergo pacing monitoring by Campaign Managers to ensure they're delivering as expected. Optimizations and debugging are performed if necessary.
Data Reissuance
Revised metrics, including Impressions and Completions, will be communicated when excluded or invalid activity is detected for a Campaign after initial reporting and within three days after the end of the Campaign. The methods of communication include e-mail statement and / or updated reporting.
IVT Discrepancy Resolution
Campaigns billed against Hulu metrics are never billed for IVT traffic. In other words, Ad Campaign targets are always met after discounting any traffic identified as IVT.
However, as mentioned above, clients are always notified of gross vs. net numbers. After reviewing these, clients may contact their Hulu Campaign Manager to discuss any general questions around IVT volume and classification.
Source data for Hulu's reports is retained indefinitely without expiry.
Records of data reissuance are also retained indefinitely.
At the time of this writing, Hulu maintains an important relationship with Akamai.
Akamai provides CDN services, playing a pivotal role in beacon gathering, and consequently has a material impact on Hulu ad delivery. Other business relationships exist but are not listed due to having no influence on Hulu's ad delivery mechanisms.
Per MRC regulations, Hulu has worked with Akamai to complete a qualification process whereby Hulu ascertains Akamai's stance and progress against anti-IVT measures. While Akamai relies on its clients to make their own IVT policy decisions, Akamai offers a suite of tools to counteract IVT. This suite includes Bot Manager, which allows clients to configure appropriate responses to requests from bots, and use white and black lists. Another tool offered is Kona Site Defender, which provides rate control and analytics, as well as IVT-behavior detection.
Akamai has also granted Hulu access to its SOC 2 security-based report.
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The Importance of Being Liberal & Serving a Military Community
A little over 2 and a half years ago I accidentally started a business. I decided, through my private practice, to provide some services for local military personnel. It blossomed into a full-fledged program, with employees, an advisory board, business and marketing plans - all the bells and whistles.
The program, RFM, provides local service members, active and retired, and their families with services and support options not covered by Tricare. It's primarily designed to serve that community by aiding with stress management, pain management, and mental health support. I could talk forever about all the innovative ways we support those with high stress lifestyles, but I'll spare you (for now, at least).
I started this program to provide affordable and needed care especially for our active duty service members - soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines. I was married for 5 years (plus a few on the front end, pre-nuptials) to a nuclear engineer who was in the USN submarine service. I lived the life 100%. Dixie cups, dress blues, deployments, learning to iron various uniforms, changing duty stations, rotating shift work... all to serve queen and country. No, hang on. Not that. All to serve the people of this country and fight to preserve the liberty of all. That's the one.
I'm also a ridiculously vocal liberal, socialist, feminist, hippie chick. I participate in marches and protests, most recently the March for Science. I wore red on January 21 to support women everywhere since I was unable to join in The Women's March. I very loudly and proudly supported and voted for Bernie Sanders in this past election (I still have his campaign sign by my house). I participate in environmental groups and clean ups. I join in community political action and letter writing campaigns. I donate to science and the arts. I support Planned Parenthood and healthcare for all, definitely including women. I rant about climate change and the absolute necessity of science-based policy making at least once a day.
It has more than once been pointed out to me that this "me-ness" doesn't jive with my running a (very successful and quickly growing) business specifically working with a stereotypically conservative, republican demographic. I suggest that it does jive. Here's why.
The people who are serving in our military are just that - they're people. They're people who work insane hours, deal with physical, mental, and emotional stressors that most people can't fully imagine. They give 100% every single day. They have their lives uprooted regularly, and they often face very real danger. The rates of PTSD, anxiety, depression, other mental health disorders, as well as physical struggles and chronic pain conditions are ridiculously high amongst service members and their dependents compared to their civilian equivalents.
Sure, they volunteered for their job. But think about it - who do you know who didn't volunteer for their job? No one, because that's not how jobs work in the 21st century. You may not particularly like your job, but you still applied for it, accepted it, and stay in it. But I digress. Some people do volunteer for military service because they believe in the war effort, or have ideologies that I personally disagree with. But lots of people enlist because it's one of the only ways they can afford education, or because they need a way out of a bad home situation, or because they want to fight to try and create a better country for everyone, or a thousand other reasons.
Their reason for joining the service doesn't really matter. It doesn't matter whether I agree with them, or support their employer. The fact that we disagree about politics, or economics, or anything else does not make them less human. As a crunchy liberal gal, I fight daily for equality, for everyone to be treated fairly, to get the care and support they need, and I try to provide aid in whatever way possible. Political differences aren't the exception to the "everyone deserves to be cared for" rule.
It's important that I am a strong, liberal woman who serves a military populace because caring for our service members is not a Republican issue. It's not a conservative issue. It's a human issue. As long as we are providing highly stressful, traumatic, and dangerous lines of work, we also need to work hard to meet all the needs of those whose lives are impacted by those jobs.
Because we are a community. A national community. A global community. I strongly believe that we absolutely cannot allow ourselves to be divided by race, gender, politics, or religion. We don't have to agree. We can even argue! But differing affiliations, opinions, preferences, and points of view should NOT stand in the way of providing the best possible care for everyone we encounter.
I repeat, for emphasis. It is important that I am a politically liberal person serving a military community because caring for our service members, active or retired, is not a Republic issue, or a conservative issue. It is a human issue.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia)
Press Service
12 Neglinnaya Street, Moscow, 107016 Russia;
On personnel appointments
Effective 15 May 2018, the Bank of Russia Governor appoints by her order:
— Philipp Gabunia as Director, Insurance Market Department. Mr Gabunia currently holds the position of Director, Collective Investment and Trust Management Department;
Kirill Pronin as Director, Collective Investment and Trust Management Department. Mr Pronin currently holds the position of Deputy Director, Insurance Market Department.
22 March 2018
The reference to the Press Service is mandatory if you intend to use this material.


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Like any self-respecting professional team, Cassidy, Stacy and I have a group chat. We bombard each other daily with intensely strange combinations of emojis. Almost every convo ends with a new series of emojis (usually in sets of 3 or more).
It all started with:
And the fun has only grown since then.
Some are spontaneous choices like:
Others, are very premeditated and intentional. Like this one:
You can just see so obviously that immense thought went into THIS combo of emojis. Remarkable, really.
Apparently Stacy has been working on an emoji set for days now. She plans on revealing it to Cassidy and me only at the perfect moment. The anticipation is REAL people.
And on that note,


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The administration curriculum helps prepare students for careers as managers and supervisors in items-producing and repair enterprises. Applicants should present full and correct data pertaining to their private profile and skills, including but not restricted to, their training, work expertise, and language skills, according to the directions supplied on inspira. Applicants will likely be disqualified from consideration if they don't show in their utility that they meet the evaluation standards of the job opening and the applicable inner legislations of the United Nations. Applicants are solely liable for offering full and correct info on the time of application: no modification, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to functions which have been submitted. Candidates beneath critical consideration for selection will probably be topic to a reference-checking process to verify the information offered in the software.
As someone who works commonly to help people perceive RBM in other languages, defining a outcome as a change" is one thing that may be easily translated into any language, not just for authorities officers or field staff, however for villagers and different beneficiaries. However "Outputs" and "Outcomes" are both phrases used in English in many various types, which causes problems of understanding even for native English audio system working on RBM, including those in donor businesses. In another languages, whereas change" is at all times understood, special phrases should be devised to explain Outputs or Outcomes. As I have argued elsewhere, clear language is always preferable, if we wish individuals to actually use Outcomes-Primarily based Management in practice. I doubt, given the organizational context, that there's anything GAC RBM specialists can do about this, nonetheless.
The graduates are anticipated to gain their potential to become future chief that may address business challenges by way of the following competencies, such as: skill to develop and manage the business, ability to use info expertise purposes in business, ability to pursue the digital financial system business, capability to optimize the aptitude and capacity of the organization and its sources, the power to optimize with using administration info systems and readiness to work in varied area both nationally and internationally. Management Curriculum also gives schematics and platform via the 3 + 1 Program, that allow the scholars to improve their sensible and managerial capabilities as required by business and to maintain its suistainable growth, and empowering the society and the nation.
In brief, do not create a free blog, particularly if you're critical about beginning a blog. Later migrating to a greater choice from a free running a blog platform will be very time consuming and tough. Last year I made the swap from conventional morning work to utilizing Morning Tubs. These have grow to be a priority in my classroom. It allows students to "play" whereas actively exploring studying for a couple of minutes before we start our day. That is the park in my small city. On the left is a the Civil War Monument, one of the first couple put up in Pennsylvania. The massive constructing in the again is our County Courthouse. And on the suitable, our band stand, the place I've played summer live shows with our 161-12 months-previous town band for nearly fifty years. That band in fact marched within the parade immediately; you may see a few members in our fake Union Army uniforms in this shot. Some are people I graduated from high school with, and others are former college students. When I say I reside and educate ins a few of postcard small city, I am not kidding.
The BSBA-MGT curriculum focuses on the structure and habits of organizations, the management of human sources, and the creation, use and evaluation of strategies that help organizations achieve competitive advantages. The BSBA-MGT degree prepares college students for a broad range of occupations in nearly every sector of the economy. Graduates can even pursue graduate studies in enterprise, hospital administration, urban and regional planning and the social sciences. In case you are an international pupil and your school skills usually are not accepted for direct entry to the College chances are you'll be eligible for admission to this diploma programme by means of our Worldwide Foundation Programme. The College of Management at Swansea University is building on long-established foundations as one of the UK's high suppliers of Management, Accounting & Finance and Financial education.


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Working or living in the White Marsh area? We've been invited by Mariner Financial to serve lunch from the parking lot of their White Marsh Town Center offices! We'll be in the parking lot of 8211 Town Center Drive from 11 am till 2:30 pm! Bring your appetite!
Click on the calendar for more details!
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: March 21Charm City Roller Girls
Later Event: March 25250 South President St.


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BEIJING – China criticised US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday for giving tacit backing to the Philippines' stance in a tense maritime dispute, stressing again that it rejects Manila's attempt to seek arbitration.
The Philippines, a US ally, has angered China by launching an arbitration case with the United Nations to challenge the legal validity of Beijing's sweeping claims over the resource-rich South China Sea.
The United States has refrained from taking sides in the dispute, one of Asia's biggest security headaches, but has expressed a national interest in freedom of navigation through one of the world's busiest shipping channels.
Kerry told leaders at the East Asia Summit in Brunei, including Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, that all claimants "can engage in arbitration and other means of peaceful negotiation".
When asked about Kerry's comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that "non-parties to the dispute should respect the efforts by relevant parties involved to peacefully solve the dispute through direct and friendly negotiation . . . instead of doing things that could harm regional peace and stability".
"I also want to add that as everybody can see, the South China Sea has been calm and tranquil, so if some country really wants to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, it should stop stirring up waves," Hua said.
China claims almost the entire oil- and gas-rich South China Sea, overlapping with claims from Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam. The last four are members of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. (Reuters)


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Universal USB Installer Ubuntu: Users of Ubuntu are everywhere. With a rate of 20 million users everyday,this open-source linux distro is an important running platform for Uber, Netflix, Snapchat and a great start for non-linux veterans.
For those who enjoy this open source Linux Distribution, Universal USB Installer Ubuntu has brought glad tidings. They can now create a live Linux bootable USB and easily use it. Simply boot from this USB drive while keeping all your customizations saved on the drive.
Universal USB Installer Ubuntu
Having a bootable copy of Ubuntu in hand is one of the best things in terms of preparing for problematic situations prior to their occurance. The flash Drive works as a system rescue as you can easily fix the broken copy of your operating system. And if you are aware of the dangers of online banking through Windows, then choosing Universal USB Installer Ubuntu is the safest available option.
Besides, using a flash drive is much faster, practical (as more and more computers have USB ports than optical drives) and its upto you whether you want to save the system changes or not. Creating a Universal USB Installer Ubuntu doesn't take much time and expense and ensures huge safety and portability.
Universal USB Installer Ubuntu Server
Typically, a persistent storage space is used while creating Universal USB Installer Ubuntu. This allows the user to save data changes to the USB storage helping them to recover and use data on further boots on same or different machines.
The persistence feature ensures benefits of greater storage space and lightening the load and wear on the USB drive.
Installation and Requirements of Universal USB Installer Ubuntu
- A Flash Drive of at least 2 Gigabytes formatted with FAT 32 file system
- Presence of ISO file for Ubuntu.
- Before installation, Universal USB Installer needs to be downloaded and run. The installer runs under Windows XP, Vista and 7.
Please note that the files currently saved on the flash drive will remain as such after the installation.
Steps to create a Universal USB Installer Ubuntu can vary depending on the present Operating System you are using.
- From the Universal USB Installer Setup, choose Ubuntu.
- Select the iso file.
- Select your USB Flash Drive
- Use the option of persistence to select how much space you want to use for persistent storage on your USB Drive.
- Click Create and installation will be done.
Read More – Universal USB Installer Windows 10
You can also clap your eyes on Canonical Ltd., the leader of Ubuntu project. The company has endorsed Universal USB Installer Ubuntu. The ubuntu download page also contain instructions for installing the operating system to a USB Flash Drive.
Universal USB Installer Ubuntu Studio
Universal USB Installer Ubuntu comes with the convinience of a flash drive that can be carried even in a key ring. You also have the option to configure Ubuntu on the drive to save the changes made. So create one and enjoy its trouble-free performance. Universal USB Installer Ubuntu.
Related Search Terms: Universal USB Installer Ubuntu Gnome, Universal USB Installer Ubuntu 16.04, Universal USB Installer Ubuntu 14.04


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Introducing: RAZOR
Here's a new band full of names that you'll probably recognize. RAZOR is a five-member band that will officially kick off activities on November 30th with a one-man show and the r ...Read More »
BORN's Best of Album "Independence BLACK"
BORN shocked fans when they announced their upcoming disbandment in May. Their last single will be released next week, but they'll also release a best-of album before they break u ...Read More »
BORN Members Comment on Disbandment
Many of you were surprised by BORN's unexpected disbandment announcement made yesterday. As promised, here are the comments each member made on the breakup (translated by yours tr ...Read More »
BORN to Disband in May
Despite BORN's full schedule for the next few months--including a brand new single "SUICIDAL MARKET ~Doze of Hope~", a three-man tour with DIAURA and MEJIBRAY, and a VS tour--it a ...Read More »
BORN's….. Secondary Arachnid? Backup Arthopod?
"Alternative Tarantula" is the name of BORN's latest DVD, due out December 23rd! This is their oneman live that took place at Akasaka BLITZ on September 6th, and the tracklist is ...Read More »
PS Company Tour 2016
Wanting to catch some of your favorite bands under the PS Company label? How about a bunch of them? An awesome tour starting up next year may be more than a solution for you! The ...Read More »
BORN's New Year, New Single, New Updates and Details!
A while ago, BORN announced some exciting things for the new year. With the wrap up of their most recent tour, BORN can now focus on the busy upcoming year! First, BORN has finall ...Read More »
Details on BORN's New Mini-Album
The 「オルタナティヴ・タランチュラ」(Alternative Tarantula) is heading our way! In just a few weeks, BORN's new mini-album will be hitting the shelves in Japan, or, arriving at your doorstep if y ...Read More »
BORN: Not Your Average Arachnid
It's been a while since we heard from BORN, between all of the touring they've been doing. This time around, they have a new release and a new tour for us. BORN will release their ...Read More »
Details on BORN's New Single
BORN announced the release of their latest single, "Son Of A Bitch", way back in July. S-T finally has all of the details on the upcoming December 3rd release. "Son Of A Bitch" co ...Read More »
New Years Live Digest
Are you in Japan this holiday season and looking for a place to party when the ball drops? Japan isn't particularly known for Western-style parties on New Year's Eve. In fact, it ...Read More »
BORN's New Single is a Son of a…
BORN continues to push boundaries this winter (and beyond). ...Read More »
Nico Nico Nama – July 21-27
Readers, what do you watch in between Nico Nico Nama streams? Ernie's been bingeing on Netflix and just finished the entire Battlestar Galactica series in, like, two weekends. And ...Read More »
Nico Nico Nama Weekly – May 26-June 1
Hi diddly ho readerinos! Guess what time it is? Ernie knows you've been eager to plan out your viewing schedule according to what's streaming this week, and don't you fret, becaus ...Read More »
BORN and Lycaon's European Rampage
This September, Europe isn't just getting one popular vkei band - they're getting two. ...Read More »
Nico Nico Nama Weekly – April 28-May 5
Good evening readers! Can you believe April is almost over? Ernie just can't wrap his little mousey mind around it. This month really flew by, but Ernie sure got his fill of Nico ...Read More »
Nico Nico Nama Weekly – April 7-14
It's been a long week for Ernie this week, but it is Sunday already, and you know what that means... Let's rewind for a second first! Last week, Alice Nine (warning: autoplay), Sa ...Read More »
Nico Nico Nama Weekly – March 24-30
Ernie's back (and he's better than ever!) with another installment of Nico Nico Nama Weekly, keeping your ears perked and your calendars updated with the next seven days according ...Read More »
BORN: Final Farewell Comments and BORN's Future
It was no shock, but certainly heartbreaking, last week when BORN announced after a year of inactivity that bassist Kifumi, who had taken a break from the band due to family-relat ...Read More »
Kifumi Finally Says Goodbye
It has been a long, sad, and hard wait for fans, but at last there is an end in sight. Unfortunately, for BORN fans, it's not the ending they were hoping for. ...Read More »


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I recently placed first in the sports and multiple category in the Loyalist College Photo Contest for the month of November. I am now sitting at second place with 300 points, tied with my roommate, Paula Trotter.
Bren's Bakeshop
Belleville, ON. November 4, 2008 – A hand reaches for a cookie in a haze of warmth and sweetness.
Bren's Bakeshop and Café, situated on 394 Front St., opened in April 2000 after a solid month of trying to erase signs of the hemp café that was supposed to be there. Bren's offers home cooked fare as well as an assortment of baked goods made daily.
Sharon Sinnett says that when she steps into the bakeshop, she feels at home. "I think a lot of our customers feel that way too," says Sinnett.
Brenda Flunder and Sharon Sinnett don't use recipes. "We don't have any. They're here," says Sinnett, pointing to her head. Her measuring cup doesn't even have any measurement lines.
Sharon Sinnett gets up early every day to start cooking in Bren's Bakeshop and Café at 7a.m. She has been baking since she was two years old with her mother and grandmother.
The secret ingredient to their pastries and pies is the homemade quality. The bakeshop goes through 40 pounds of sugar and flours a week, says Sinnett.
For Sharon Sinnett, every step in her daily routine has been refined into a fluent dance. Her hands and limbs move with an incredible grace, clearly perfected over time.
The cafe boasts an array of mismatched wooden chairs, each of which seems to tell a different story. Brenda Flunder, storeowner, said it took a few of years to build a solid customer base in the city: a place where people can feel at home.


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Mar 23, 2018 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM PDT
Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival
Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High Street, Sebastopol, CA 95472, United States
Feedback-Giver/Observer Spot (Peer Pitch IE1-1271)
Sale Ends: Mar 22, 2018 5:00 PM PDT
You may pay either by credit card or PayPal via the "Paypal" payment button or you may pay by check. If you have a film in this year's festival or are a festival passholder, you may attend this program for free. Please use the Promo Code which was provided to you by the festival.
You may pay either by credit card or PayPal via the "Paypal" payment button or you may pay by check. If you have a film in this year's festival or are a festival passholder, you may attend this program for free. Please use the Promo Code which was provided to you by the festival.More details
|Sale Ended
Pitching Slot: General (Peer Pitch IE1-1271)
Full payment must be RECEIVED to get a pitching slot. You may pay either by credit card or PayPal via the "Paypal" payment button or you may pay by check. Since we have a limited number of pitching slots, no discounts or waivers can be offered. Up to two people can represent each project.
Full payment must be RECEIVED to get a pitching slot. You may pay either by credit card or PayPal via the "Paypal" payment button or you may pay by check. Since we have a limited number of pitching slots, no discounts or waivers can be offered. Up to two people can represent each project.More details
|Sale Ended
Please note: While pitching spots are now on waitlist, you can still register to provide feedback to other filmmakers. If you also want to pitch, please join the waitlist but, keep in mind, that the only cancellations we have had in the past have been due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness or a death in the family, so notifications of getting off the waitlist may be very last minute.
Are you a documentary filmmaker with a work-in-progress at any stage of development? Are you looking for a supportive environment to give your pitch a test run? Or do you want to help support your fellow filmmakers by providing them feedback?
Docs In Progress, in partnership with the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival and The D-Word, is pleased to present the seventh annual Peer Pitch West, a project dedicated to extending the craft of documentary filmmaking by giving filmmakers access to creative feedback in a supporting and collaborative environment.
This program will give up to eight documentary filmmakers of all experience levels the opportunity to present new projects to fellow filmmakers and passholders for feedback, and for all attending to gain valuable insights and new connections which can guide their own filmmaking.
Peer Pitch takes place at the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival on Friday, March 23 from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. While it is being programmed as part of the festival, you do not have to have a film in the festival to participate. Sebastopol is only 90 minutes drive north of San Francisco and Oakland. Travel to the festival would be at your own expense, but we highly recommend it since it is an excellent documentary festival, a town full of hospitality, and in the midst of beautiful Sonoma County.
Constructive feedback from other filmmakers in a nurturing environment will help to identify strengths and areas for improvement in projects. Participants will also develop skills and comfort in verbally describing their projects among peers before trying their pitches out on industry.
Films which have been presented at past Peer Pitch workshops when they were in their early stages have gone on to be funded by Sundance Documentary Fund, ITVS, Garrett Scott Development Grant; been accepted into industry pitching opportunities such as IFP's Independent Film Week, HotDocs Forum, DocsBarcelona, and Points North Pitch; and have gone on to play festivals, television, and community screenings around the world. Participants have also made connections with other filmmakers which have led to later collaborations. Some of the films which have come through Peer Pitch have included Let the Fire Burn, Slingshot, Kandahar Journals, Sweetheart Deal, Big Sonia, Out in the Silence, Deej, Indivisible, The New Woman, The Lost Dream, and Uranium Drive-In.
New in 2018: One or more promising pitches will get an opportunity to pitch again at an industry event in Washington DC in Fall 2018 with travel paid for one member of the pitching team to attend and pitch for industry.
Participation is open to any filmmaker who has a documentary project he or she would like to discuss. Projects may be at any stage of development. In the past, both experienced filmmakers and first time filmmakers have pitched their docs in progress. In true democratic fashion, pitching slots are available on a first registered, first accepted basis.
There will also be spots for filmmakers who want to attend and give feedback to their colleagues or observer the process, but don't necessarily have a project to share. If you are a filmmaker with a film at the festival or a festival passholder, you must register separately for Peer Pitch, but will receive a fee waiver. Due to the limited number of pitching spots, we cannot offer a waiver if you wish to pitch.
Those pitching will need to provide an .mp4 or .mov file of their film one week prior to the program. We will follow up with you on how/where to send this.
We will send an e-mail to everyone signed up with the exact building and room number close to the date.
Fee includes coffee. Lunch will be on your own (there are places within easy walking distance).
This program is made possible in part through the support of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Full payment must be received in order to hold a spot in Peer Pitch. If you are paying by credit card or PayPal, please select "PayPal" as the option (you do not need to have a PayPal account). If you do not feel comfortable paying online, you may send a check made payable to "Docs In Progress" with the title of the program noted in the memo line. Mail to Docs In Progress, 801 Wayne Avenue, Suite G-100, Silver Spring, MD 20910. We cannot hold pitching spots until payment is received.
If your circumstances change and you must withdraw from a class after registering, please be aware of our refund policy:
Withdrawal 30 or more calendar days before the first day of a program: 75% refund
Withdrawal 11-29 calendar days before the first day of a program: 50% refund
Withdrawal 10 or fewer calendar days before a program: No refund
In the event of inclement weather which would impede safe travel, we will make a decision by 6 pm the prior day on whether to cancel the program. If you have not received a notification from your instructor, call our office at 301-789-2797 (we will have an outgoing message on voicemail).


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Rovman Powell struck a stunning maiden ODI century under pressure and Jason Holder spearheaded his second consecutive recovery effort to help the Windies to a third straight win that confirms their place in the Super Sixes.
The duo guided Windies to 257/8 in 50 overs after they had been 83/5 in their Group A match, before four wickets apiece for Kemar Roach (4/27 from 10) and Kesrick Williams (4/43 from 8.2) handed Holder's team a 52-run victory.
Powell's hundred came with a massive six into the press box window. It was the best score by a Windies No.7 and pushed his side up to a match-winning score - and, in the process, a strong position in the tournament.
Afghanistan cruised to an easy and much-needed win over Nepal in their Group B game at Bulawayo Athletic Club, to just about keep their hopes of Super Six qualification alive.
Chasing just 195 for victory, Afghanistan wrapped up their first win of the tournament by six wickets with 11.2 overs to spare.
Captain Rashid Khan sprung a surprise by walking out to open the innings
and got things off to a lively start, hitting five fours during a 14-ball stay that reaped 21. His partner Javed Ahmadi was more sedate, building his way to 26 off 54 balls and from 93/2, Nepal really needed to force a dramatic collapse if they were to achieve an unlikely victory. It never came.
Despite a spirited 85 from Anshy Rath, Hong Kong were comfortably beaten by Zimbabwe in the teams' Group B match at Queens Sports Club.
Defending 263, the hosts put in a strong all-round bowling display to complete their third successive victory, beating Hong Kong by 89 runs by of the Cricket World Cup Qualifier.
Not for the first time, off-spinner Sikandar Raza was perhaps the pick of the Zimbabwe bowlers, his three wickets costing just 30 from his 10 overs as Hong Kong's run rate never looked like reaching the level necessary to mount a realistic challenge. But the wickets were spread around, with Kyle Jarvis (2/20) and Tendai Chatara (1/18) making early inroads with the new ball to make up for the loss of Brian Vitori.
The Netherlands completed a comfortable 57-run victory over Papua New Guinea in their Group A clash at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 at Old Hararians Club.
Defending a relatively modest 216, the Dutch then ran through the PNG batting line-up with experienced left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe taking 4/46.
PNG skipper Assad Vala was the only top six batsman to offer meaningful resistance to the Dutch bowling effort, compiling a 58-ball 44 punctuated by five boundaries.
(With inputs from ICC)


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Here's what you can do to bend your brain into submission
So, we did our part. The rest is up to you. These tips are a starting point; listen to your brain and figure out what works for you and what doesn't. Try new things.
1. Slow down. The more you understand, the less you have to memorize.
Don't just read. Stop and think. When the book asks you a question, don't just skip to the answer. Imagine that someone really is asking the question. The more deeply you force your brain to think, the better chance you have of learning and remembering.
2. Do the exercises. Write your own notes.
We put them in, but if we did them for you, that would be like having someone else do your workouts for you. And don't just look at the exercises. Use a pencil. There's plenty of evidence that physical activity while learning can increase the learning.
3. Read the "There are No Dumb Questions"
That means all of them. They're not optional side-bars-they're part of the core content! Don't skip them.
4. Make this the last thing you read before bed. Or at least the last challenging thing.
Part of the learning (especially the transfer to long-term memory) happens after you put the book down. Your brain needs time on its own, to do more processing. If you put in something new during that processing-time, some of what you just learned will be lost.
5. Drink water. Lots of it.
Your brain works best in a nice bath of fluid. Dehydration (which can happen before you ever feel thirsty) decreases cognitive function.
6. Talk about it. Out loud.
Speaking activates a different part of the brain. If you're trying to understand something, or increase your chance of remembering it later, say it out loud. Better still, try to explain it out loud to someone else. You'll learn more quickly, and you might uncover ideas you hadn't known were there when you were reading about it.
7. Listen to your brain.
Pay attention to whether your brain is getting overloaded. If you find yourself starting to skim the surface or forget what you just read, it's time for a break. Once you go past a certain point, you won't learn faster by trying to shove more in, and you might even hurt the process.
8. Feel something!
Your brain needs to know that this matters. Get involved with the stories. Make up your own captions for the photos. Groaning over a bad joke is still better than feeling nothing at all.
9. Design something!
Apply this to something new you're designing, or refactor an older project. Just do something to get some experience beyond the exercises and a problem to solve… a problem that might benefit from one or more desigh patterns.
Head First Design Patterns中的几点建议


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Top 12 Wedding Planner in the World by Elle Magazine
I remember when we learned about this press. I'll never forget it. We were tagged in a Facebook post, first and foremost, leading us to check out an article where everything was in Italian except for our business name. Our friend translated. Months later, we were hopping a plane to head to Milan, where we were honored in a palace by 42 editions of Elle worldwide in a feature that is still hard for our minds to fully grasp. So, here's a glowing cell phone photo.
We wore what we could fit in a backpack (that's how we travel these days). We drank a ton of prosecco and marveled over the surreality of it all. We held hands and reminded each other to take it in, because experiencing a dream come true together was really just the best part.
Afterward, we went to Lake Como and celebrated. Thank you so much to Elle Italia for hosting such an incredible awards ceremony and occasion, and just for your support in general. We can't wait to come back to Italy.
P.S. Who wants to get married there? We would love to plan it...just saying...


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If you still have not upgraded to Windows 10, you should think of doing it soon since their free upgrade program ends on July 29. Another great reason why you should upgrade is because of Windows 10's new security features. These enhancements offer user protection way beyond what Windows 7 or 8 offer.
One interesting technology being introduced is biometric user authentication. Dubbed Windows Hello, this new layer of security employs facial recognition, iris scanning or fingerprint authentication for user sign-ins. Newer machines with the infrared and fingerprint scanning hardware should all be compatible with Windows Hello since Microsoft built it directly into Windows 10 with a wide support for biometric devices.
Another Windows 10 security enhancement, Microsoft Passport, makes use of two-factor authentication to verify users. With this technology, users can register another supported device, such as another laptop or a Windows phone, then use it to unlock a Windows 10 machine via a PIN or gesture.
This, combined with Windows Hello's biometric user authentication, could make the archaic character password system a thing of the past.
Under the hood, Windows 10 also employs enhanced security features even on the firmware level. Digital signatures are verified on the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) level, even before the operating system is loaded. If the OS loader, components and driver digital signatures have been tampered, the machine will not boot. This will protect users from malware that installs stealthily in the machine's boot loader.
Microsoft also re-enabled Control Flow Guard (CFG) in Windows 10. Basically, CFG prevents hackers from hijacking an application then redirecting calls to an invalid address. This will help protect the system from exploits such as code spoofing and memory corruption exploits and even zero-day attacks.
With these Windows 10 security enhancements, it is definitely a notch above its predecessors, offering a more secure and protected system experience. But as more and more users adopt Windows 10, hackers will start focusing their resources on finding ways to exploit it by developing newer malware.


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£12.95 750ml
Millton Crazy By Nature Cosmo White 2013
Winemaker's Notes:
Having gained experience in the wine regions of France and Germany, James and Annie Millton returned to New Zealand in the early eighties and set about replanting the family's grape growing vineyards in Gisborne. Putting their environmental beliefs in to practice, they became the first producer in New Zealand to gain organic status in 1989 and first for Biodynamics in 2009 - one of the 10 original grape growers in the world to do so. Their simple philosophy is to produce the best possible wine in a truly natural state, with a 'sense of place'. Emphasis is placed on building the biological activity of the soil and cultivating species of flora and fauna to improve vineyard health. The wines have amassed countless awards around the world but the Milltons are adamant that the wines are made to be drunk rather than judged. The 2013 harvest produced ripe grapes and full flavours. This wine in a fruit-forward style with the freshness of an ocean breeze and the texture of fine silt loam. Aromas of white peach and acacia flowers give a pleasing brightness and energy. A hint of oak adds a wave of texture. The alluvial soils are reflected in the wet-stone minerality of the finish. A glass of Gisborne Sunshine! A versatile food wine, particularly suitable with seafood, cheeses and summer salads. Drink now to 2019.
- 2013
+ Vintage
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Surbiton, UK (5,200 mi)
Millton Crazy By Nature Cosmo White 2013 »
£12.95 USD $ 750ml GBP 12.95
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This charming four bedroom stone-built semi-detached farmhouse is set in a superb rural position at the end of a 3/4 mile track, on the southern tip of the Kintyre Peninsula, and dates back more than 100 years. Surrounded by beautiful farmland, and offering easy access to superb beaches, walking and cycling opportunities from the doorstep, this is an idyllic holiday destination. The Dunaverty links 18-hole golf course is two miles away (clubs available to hire from the owner), and the attractions and amenities of Campbeltown are just nine miles away.
Four bedrooms: 1 x ground floor double with en-suite shower, basin, WC, TV, 1 x ground floor adult bunks, 1 x double, 1 x twin (doubles can be made up as twins by prior arrangement). Bathroom with bath, shower cubicle, basin & WC. Fitted kitchen with dining area & gas log-effect fire. First floor sitting room with gas coal effect fire.
Oil central heating with gas fires in kitchen/diner & sitting room. Electric oven, gas hob, microwave, larder fridge, freezer, washing machine, 2 x TVs (1 with Sky, 1 with Freeview), 2 x DVD, radio/CD, WiFi. All fuel & power inc. in rent. Bed linen & towels inc. in rent. Cot, highchair & stairgate. Golf clubs available to hire at additional charge, by prior arrangement with owner. Off road parking for 4 cars. Lawned front garden overlooking sea, with furniture & BBQ. Two well-behaved pets welcome. Sorry, no smoking. Shop & pub 2 miles. Note: Access via a farm track - please drive with care. Note: Owners also runs a small number of static caravans on site.
The pretty village of Southend and the sandy beach of Dunaverty Bay sit at the southern end of the Kintyre Peninsula, on the outermost West coast of Scotland. Southend's 18-hole golf course is located between the village and the bay in a splendid setting with amazing sea views. Southend offers its own shop with tea room, and a Post Office conveniently located in the pub! Two miles south of the village you will find Sanda Island, which can be reached by taking a boat trip from Campbeltown, also known as 'The Wee Toon', which offers shops, two supermarkets, a leisure centre with swimming pool and library, a heritage centre, museum, and the oldest operating cinema in Scotland. Nearby are the 40 mile long Kintyre Peninsula hills, forests, lochs, rivers, sea views, sandy beaches, archaeology and fascinating history.
From the lush green farmlands of the Borders to the ruggedness of the Highlands, the Scots are proud of their land and identity. Scotland also has some of Britain's best beaches with glorious stretches of clean sand over which to roam.


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A thoughtful and detailed take on the very different world of planning and executing a large modern website. First, a thorough inventory of planned content, second a content planning matrix where the site architect learns to "match content with your website's users, their needs, and your purpose", then finally a content production matrix where "you can get into the tactical work of figuring out how that content is going to be produced". Proof that web design is a very different beast than print design, though designers such as Erik Spiekermann would argue that the fundamental constraints of readability and typographic restraint are universal.
Hustle your Smartphone
If your app-overladen smartphone is fading by midday, this triple-funded Indiegogo project might be worth your attention. Its backers have embedded a phone charger in a trendy handbag (for ladies) or wallet (for those of the male persuasion). So the user charges the bag at home overnight, and by morning it has enough charge to take your exhausted smartphone from 0% to 100% not once but four times before finally giving up the ghost. A clever, well executed idea.
Map Your Email Connections
If you and gmail go back a ways, MIT have created a very interesting online tool. Immersion can show you who you communicated with, at what times, who introduced you to whom and how your various contacts are interrelated. Data is displayed as a web of connections, and clicking on the individual nodes/people drills down into their specific statistics. MIT do not scrape your email content, just the from, to, CC and timestamp fields, and that seems to be enough to generate some fascinating information.
Thinking About Your Website
Some interesting thoughts about planning for your new or updated website, and from an Australian perspective. Given the tendency of website implementation to stretch out to infinity, a little bit of forethought has the potential to save a lot of money and aggravation.
Text from your Desktop PC
If you spend much of your day in front of a computer, and also reply to innumerable texts on your mobile, Mighty Text provides a workable solution to bringing the two together. Sign up to the free service and "send & receive SMS and MMS from your computer or tablet, using your current Android phone number. Messages stay in sync with your phone's SMS inbox." Imagine typing texts on a full sized keyboard — as they say in the classics, OMG!
Quotes in the Cloud
This interesting service not only helps you to put together an attractive, potentially complex quote, it also enables you run some analytics on the customer response at the other end. How long did they spend reading your introduction, or scanning your folio? Did they look at your pricing page. Proposals can be sent as either html based or PDF.
Flat is the New Black: How Google Designs Itself
Users of Google (is that now officially everyone?) will have noticed in recent times a distinct improvement in the visual presentation of their various services. Use of white space is more sophisticated, icons eschew drop shadows and embrace unadorned flatness, and the typography is much more refined and readable. One of the people responsible for this design sea change at Google has posted at some length on the topic at Behance.
Everything Social, all at Once
If social media makes your head hurt, here's an interesting way to conceptualise/categorise the whole field. Brian Solis has been renewing this impressive diagram each year since 2008. His diagram ranges far beyond Facebook and Twitter, encompassing photo sharing, crowdsourcing, business networking, location based services, social curation, service networks, social fitness and much more. Not only does it show a vast and increasingly influential array of services, it might help developers intent on trailblazing new subdomains within the social sphere.
Cutting Edge Companies
From Fast Company, a compilation of companies intent on 'disrupting' their particular niche. Conspicuously absent from the list are Facebook and Twitter. The Fast Company website is an exemplar of the new trend of sites designed primarily for mobile. One day it will seem odd that an inferior viewing experience (tiny mobile phone screens) is driving the viewing experience for everyone else.
A Thousand Words
Icons Times features cleverly designed icons that attempt to encapsulate a specific news story. It's a fun idea, and interesting for design types, but pretty limited. Every icon requires an explanatory line just to make sure we know what the story is.
Sumopaint a Middleweight Contender
While unlikely to supplant Photoshop, Sumopaint is a surprisingly smooth and powerful image editor. Unlike Photoshop, Sumopaint operates in your browser. Powered by Flash, the program sports many of the same tools as Photoshop. The program also supports layers and filters. The filters are available only if you pay a one-off fee, and for slightly more, users can download an offline app version. The interface is very clean and professional. Now to search for a browser based image editor that runs on html5...
Cloud of Words
Generate a cloud of your own words online at Wordle. Not sure what any given word cloud reveals (beyond one's tendency to overuse certain terms). Too many polysyllabic words might be a prompt to use plainer language. Or not.
Every Dot a Person
Cue dropping of jaw. Clever geek takes US census data and renders it to a online map where each dot (341,817,095 in total) is a single person. Keep on zooming in and grey splotches and stipples gradually break down into tiny irreducible dots. The concentrations of said dots/people subtly reveal the presence of roads, mountains, rivers, rainfall patterns, soil types and more. Really amazing, and leaving one wishing for a whole world version.
All the Books in the World
If the resources of your local library just aren't enough, would ten thousand libraries do? WorldCat allows you to conduct meta searches of the "collections and services of more than 10,000 libraries worldwide". This amounts to a total of more than 1.5 billion searchable items. Perfect for finding obscure items in specialist libraries, or conducting in-depth research from remote locations.
Taming the Word > HTML workflow
Quite a bit of web content was originally created in Word for Windows. Word is infamous for creating messy html. To cut time spent on fixing tags, try this free service. Word2cleanhtml "strips out invalid or proprietry tags, leaving clean HTML behind for use in web pages and ebooks". Now to find a similar service for cleaning word docs for use in page layout programs...
Flatland on the Internet
Down with faux fur, ersatz stone, chiselled letters and imitation wood! Designers rise up against illusion and visual misdirection! A designer makes a good case against the current vogue for making interfaces look like physical objects. Pare it back, leaving only the absolutely essential .
"Remove the unnecessary embellishments and keep stripping until you've almost gone too far. We believe that elegant interfaces are ones that have the most impact with the fewest elements."
Manipulating PDFs online
The full version of Adobe Acrobat is fairly expensive. Most desktop PC users have the free Acrobat Reader installed, but Reader offers few tools to manipulate PDF files. Sejda (currently in beta) is working to bring a fairly full feature set of browser based tools for PDF editing. Features currently offered include encryption, merging, splitting, rotating and combining. Future tools will include cropping, page transitions, text extraction and more. Potentially a very useful and public-spirited tool.
What the Web is Made Of
Even casual users of the Internet will have noticed its constant evolution. Sites are vastly more sophisticated, attractive and responsive than they once were. Usability has evolved into a fine art and ecommerce has finally come of age. If you are interested in the underlying machinery that makes the modern Web hum, this website will be of interest. Displayed as a timeline, the site charts the arrival and growth of various protocols, security initiatives, programming languages and browsers. The early days of the Web are revealed in all their primitive glory and the sophistication of the current moment (with much more to come).
Principles for User-Friendly Web Services
A creditable attempt by the UK government to enshrine a list of simple principles for constructing user-friendly web-based services. The ten items listed are:
The website then goes on to enlarge on each point, giving concrete examples. The site authors promise to continually refine the list of principles.
There Was Life Before Google?
This fascinating project maps the correspondence-based connections between the key thinkers in the enlightenment 'project', whereby 18th century intellectuals helped realign the church and state, gave science tremendous impetus and create the modern world. The graphics on this site effectively illustrate the flow of ideas and influence and gives us some perspective on our own massively linked world.


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House rejects payroll tax cut compromise
Updated: 3:19 p.m. ET
The House on Tuesday voted to disapprove a Senate bill that would have extended the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance for two months, seeking instead a conference with the Senate to work out differences between the two chambers' bills.
The motion, which dictates that Congress go to conference with the Senate on the payroll tax package and disagrees with the Senate bill, was approved in a 229-193 vote falling largely along party lines: Seven Republicans voted against it, as did all Democrats.
By declining to vote on the actual Senate-passed legislation, House Republicans avoid voting "no" on the popular measure - theoretically making it harder for Democrats to target them for opposing a payroll tax cut bill. Because House Republicans passed their own bill addressing the payroll tax cut, they were then able to vote for a conference on the House bill and the Senate bill while avoiding a vote on the Senate bill altogether.
In a surprise announcement in the White House briefing room following on Tuesday afternoon, President Obama blasted a "faction of Republicans in the House" for "refusing to even vote on the Senate bill."
"Even though Republicans and Democrats in the Senate were willing to compromise for the good of the country, a faction of Republicans in the House are refusing to even vote on the Senate bill -- a bill that cuts taxes for 160 million Americans," he said. "And because of their refusal to cooperate, all those Americans could face a tax hike in just 11 days, and millions of Americans who are out there looking for work could find their unemployment insurance expired."
House Republicans argue that the Senate bill - which was negotiated by leaders Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Harry Reid, D-Nev., and which sailed through the chamber with broad bipartisan support - is a short-term fix for a long-term problem.
"As we approach the Christmas holidays and the prospects of a new year, what we're saying is, we want to provide families with some certainty," said Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., in an interview with MSNBC shortly following the vote. "I think everybody in the town agrees that 60-day extension on tax policy is not the way to legislate. Everyone from the president to the Democratic leaders in the Senate as well as we in the House believe that's what we ought to be doing, and that's the position that we've taken on behalf of the hard-working taxpayers of this country."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has indicated that he will not bring the Senate back to conference on the bill, warning in a statement yesterday that House Republicans would be held responsible -- at least by Democrats -- if Americans saw their taxes go up on January 1st.
In a statement following the vote, Reid said it was "unconscionable" for Republicans to block the legislation.
"It is unconscionable that Speaker Boehner is blocking a bipartisan
compromise that would protect middle-class families from the tax hike
looming on January 1st -- a compromise that Senator McConnell and I
negotiated at Speaker Boehner's own request," Reid said. "I have been trying to negotiate a yearlong extension with
Republicans for weeks, and I am happy to continue doing so as soon as
the House of Representatives passes the bipartisan compromise to protect
middle-class families, but not before then."
A spokesman for Reid suggested that the Democratic leader would stand by his decision not to call back the Senate. And on Monday night, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she would not appoint any House Democrats to participate in the conference.
"I need the president to help out!" he exclaimed, to Republican applause, in remarks to reporters.
"We have done our job. All we need now is to resolve our differences," Boehner said. "A two-month extension is nothing more than kicking the can down the road. The president has asked us to do this for a full year; we did it for a full year. We offset the costs with reasonable offsets. There's no reason we can't do this."
Boehner also suggested that, contrary to reports, he never indicated to Senate leadership that he would support the bill they came up with.
"When they were getting ready to pass this [bill]... I made it clear to them at that point that I was uncomfortable with where they were going -- and I expressed my displeasure," he said, referring to negotiations between Reid and McConnell over language for the legislation they thought both parties could support.
Mr. Obama argued that House Republicans, despite advocating for the passage of a payroll tax cut extension, are attempting to "wring concessions from Democrats on issues that have nothing to do with the payroll tax cuts -- issues where the parties fundamentally disagree."
"We have more important things to worry about than politics right now. We have more important things to worry about than saving face or figuring out internal caucus politics," he continued. "The clock is ticking. Time is running out. If the House Republicans refuse to vote for the Senate bill or even allow it to come up for a vote, taxes will go up in 11 days."
Whether or not any or all House lawmakers will be allowed to leave town for the holidays remains unclear - but Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer on Tuesday suggested that Democrats will hold their ground on the matter and hope that Republicans cave to increasing pressure.
"Pressure every day is mounting on Republicans," Schumer said in an appearance on MSNBC. "All you have to do is let the pressure mount, day in and day out, and they will come back and support the two month. Not a majority of Republicans, but enough Republicans added to the Democrats to pass the bill by a large majority. In a few days, they will fold."
In the meantime, Democrats continue to lay blame at the feet of House Republicans for blocking legislation they argue has broad bipartisan support, while Republican lawmakers contend Democrats are seeking a band-aid solution that fails to adequately address the problem at hand.
"Don't blame Congress for not working together," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., in comments on the House floor Tuesday, before blasting Republicans for their "sanctimonious rhetoric." "Blame the House Republicans - who can't even work with each other."
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., on the other hand, argued on the floor that voters are "sick and tired of this absurd action from Congress" - and that they want long-term solutions rather than a "two-month patch that doesn't even fix the problem."
"Pelosi said she will not appoint any House Democrats to participate in [conference] negotiations," he continued. "In the spirit of Christmas, you've got the minority leader saying she'll just take her toys and go home."
Cantor's office announced Tuesday that House members will get 24 hours' notice before the next vote. Consequently, most members are expected to go home after subsequent votes this afternoon.


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"By words one transmits thoughts to another, by means of art, one transmits feelings." - Leo Tolstoy
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text:
Incarcerated with multitudes of emotions
All rolled up into one big ball of imbroglio.
The ball rolls further and picks up grime,
And comes underneath my foot to be kicked!
I kick it with a thud
And it straight reaches the goal post of emotions again!
The ball loses its geometric design
And blends into a colourful cocktail of thoughts and emotions...


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Made in Canada.
|Article number:
|Colibri Reusable Snack Bag-Arrows-Small
|In stock
Small: Measuring 4×6″, these bags hold 1 cup and are great for sliced fruit/veggies and other snacks.
Wide: Measuring 3x9 inches this unique size is perfect for storing utensils, or use as a multi purpose bag for pencils, toothbrush and toothpaste or even make up brushes.
They're also handy for organizing business cards, storing loose change etc.
Machine wash cold / Low dry or hand wash and hang to dry.
Made in Canada.


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Call Number
|TEEN FICTION Wein, E.
|TEEN FICTION Wein, E.
|TEEN Wein, E.
|TEEN Wein, E.
On Order
Oct. 11th, 1943-A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun.
When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.
As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?
A Michael L. Printz Award Honor book that was called "a fiendishly-plotted mind game of a novel" in The New York Times, Code Name Verity is a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other.
Author Notes
Elizabeth Wein was born in New York City in 1964. She went to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia where she earned a PhD in Folklore and held a Javits Fellowship.
Elizabeth Wein first five books for young adults are set in Arthurian Britain and sixth century Ethiopia. The Mark of Solomon, was published in two parts as The Lion Hunter (2007) and The Empty Kingdom (2008). The Lion Hunter was short-listed for the Andre Norton Award for Best Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction in 2008.
Elizabeth's novel for teens, Code Name Verity, published by Egmont UK, Disney-Hyperion and Doubleday Canada in 2012, is a World War II thriller in which two young girls, one a Resistance spy and the other a transport pilot, become unlikely best friends. Code Name Verity has received widespread critical acclaim including being shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, it is a Michael Printz Award Honor Book, a Boston Globe/Horn Book Awards Honor Book, and an SCBWI Golden Kite Honor Book. It is also a New York Times Bestseller in young adult fiction. She is also the author of Black Dove, White Raven.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews 6
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Wein's award-winning novel (Hyperion, 2012) is a brilliant story of two young women during World War II who are brought together to support the British RAF. Though from opposite stations in life, Maddie and Queenie (Verity) are both brash, confident, and beautiful, and their friendship is heartfelt. The story unfolds gracefully through written confessions of one of the women who was captured by Nazis after their plane went down in France. The friends are separated after this tragedy, and they (and listeners) are left to wonder if both of them have survived. The prisoner's testimony is crafted to confess the truth, while misleading her Nazi interrogators. At times details about airplanes, mechanics, incendiaries, and such leave listeners feeling woefully inadequate. Graphic accounts of torture and death are put forth in explicit detail. Wein is a master at recounting both horrible events and the emotional subtleties which define the lives of these two heroines. Narration by Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell is superb, especially with Scottish, British, French, German, and English so beautifully spoken. An excellent choice for thoughtful, mature listeners.-Robin Levin, U.S. Holocaust Museum Teacher/Fellow (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Wein (The Empty Kingdom) serves up a riveting and often brutal tale of WWII action and espionage with a powerful friendship at its core. Captured Scottish spy Queenie has agreed to tell her tale-and reveal any confidential information she knows-in exchange for relief from being tortured by Nazis. Her story, which alternates between her early friendship with a pilot named Maddie and her recent sufferings in prison, works both as a story of cross-class friendship (from an upper-crust family, Queenie realizes that she would likely never have met Maddie under other circumstances) and as a harrowing spy story (Queenie's captor, von Loewe, is humanized without losing his menace). Queenie's deliberately rambling and unreliable narration keeps the story engaging, and there are enough action sequences and well-delivered twists (including a gut-wrenching climax and late revelations that will have readers returning to reread the first half of the book) to please readers of all stripes. Wein balances the horrors of war against genuine heroics, delivering a well-researched and expertly crafted adventure. Ages 14-up. Agent: Ginger Clark, Curtis Brown. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Weins exceptional -- downright sizzling -- abilities as a writer of historical adventure fiction are spectacularly evident in this taut, captivating story of two young women, spy and pilot, during World War II. Wein gives us the story in two consecutive parts -- the first an account by Queenie (a.k.a. Lady Julia Beaufort-Stuart), a spy captured by the SS during a mission in Nazi-occupied France. Queenie has bargained with Hauptsturmfhrer von Linden to write what she knows about the British war effort in order to postpone her inevitable execution. Sounding like a cross between Swallows and Amazonss Nancy Blackett and Mata Hari, she alternately succumbs to, cheeks, and charms her captors (and readers) as she duly writes her report and, mostly, tells the story of her best friend Maddie, the pilot who dropped her over France, then crashed. Spoiler: unbeknownst to Queenie, Maddie survived the crash; part two is Maddies "accident report" and account of her efforts to save Queenie. Wein gives us multiple doubletakes and surprises as she ratchets up the tension in Maddies story, revealing Queenies joyously clever duplicity and the indefatigable courage of both women. This novel positively soars, in part no doubt because the descriptions of flying derive from Weins own experience as a pilot. But its outstanding in all its features -- its warm, ebullient characterization; its engagement with historical facts; its ingenious plot and dramatic suspense; and its intelligent, vivid writing. deirdre f. baker (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Breaking away from Arthurian legends (The Winter Prince, 1993, etc.), Wein delivers a heartbreaking tale of friendship during World War II. In a cell in Nazi-occupied France, a young woman writes. Like Scheherezade, to whom she is compared by the SS officer in charge of her case, she dribbles out information--"everything I can remember about the British War Effort"--in exchange for time and a reprieve from torture. But her story is more than a listing of wireless codes or aircraft types. Instead, she describes her friendship with Maddie, the pilot who flew them to France, as well as the real details of the British War Effort: the breaking down of class barriers, the opportunities, the fears and victories not only of war but of daily life. She also describes, almost casually, her unbearable current situation and the SS officer who holds her life in his hands and his beleaguered female associate, who translates the narrative each day. Through the layers of story, characters (including the Nazis) spring to life. And as the epigraph makes clear, there is more to this tale than is immediately apparent. The twists will lead readers to finish the last page and turn back to the beginning to see how the pieces slot perfectly, unexpectedly into place. A carefully researched, precisely written tour de force; unforgettable and wrenching. (Historical fiction. 14 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* If you pick up this book, it will be some time before you put your dog-eared, tear-stained copy back down. Wein succeeds on three fronts: historical verisimilitude, gut-wrenching mystery, and a first-person voice of such confidence and flair that the protagonist might become a classic character if only we knew what to call her. Alternately dubbed Queenie, Eva, Katharina, Verity, or Julie depending on which double-agent operation she's involved in, she pens her tale as a confession while strapped to a chair and recovering from the latest round of Gestapo torture. The Nazis want the codes that Julie memorized as a wireless operator before crash-landing in France, and she supplies them, but along the way also tells of her fierce friendship with Maddie, a British pilot whose quiet gumption was every bit as impressive as Julie's brash fearlessness. Though delivered at knifepoint, Julie's narrative is peppered with dark humor and minor acts of defiance, and the tension that builds up between both past and present story lines is practically unbearable. A surprise change of perspective hammers home the devastating final third of the book, which reveals that Julie was even more courageous than we believed. Both crushingly sad and hugely inspirational, this plausible, unsentimental novel will thoroughly move even the most cynical of readers.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
I'M in a bit of a predicament. Oh, it's not the predicament of a girl pilot who has crash-landed in occupied France during World War II, or of a girl spy who has been captured by the Gestapo, but it's still problematic. I have to review a book in which even the hint of plot summary could ruin everything. "Code Name Verity," by Elizabeth Wein, is a fiendishly plotted mind game of a novel, the kind you have to read twice. The first time you just devour the story of girl-pilot-and-girl-spy friendship and the thrill of flying a plane and the horrors of Nazi torture and the bravery of French Resistance fighters and you force yourself to slow down, but you don't want to, because you're terrified these beautiful, vibrant characters are doomed. The second time, you read more slowly, proving to yourself that yes, the clues were there all along for you to solve the giant puzzle you weren't even aware was constructed around you, and it takes focus and attention to catch all the little references to the fact that nothing is what you thought Especially while you're bawling your eyes out. "I am a coward. I wanted to be heroic and I pretended I was. I have always been good at pretending." This is how the book opens. Soon we learn our narrator is Queenie, the girl spy. She's Scottish, and she's been caught because she looked the wrong way (left, Britishly) while crossing a French street. She might have talked her way out of trouble - we quickly see she's charming, funny, flirty and has great nails - but for reasons that will become clear, she has no identification papers. She's imprisoned in the Château de Bordeaux, a once elegant hotel in a small city by a river in central France, now serving as a Gestapo headquarters. Captain von Linden, Queenie's captor, forces her to write her confession between bouts of torture carried out by a pale, pinch-mouthed deputy named Anna Engel. For as long as Queenie writes, she will be allowed to stay alive. So Queenie unfurls the story of her friendship with the pilot, Maddie, interspersed with enough information about codes and airports to live for one more day, and another, and another. Commander von Linden, whom she compares to Captain Hook ("in that he is rather an upright sort of gentleman in spite of his being a brute"), is a cultured man who gets wrapped up in Queenie's story. When Fräulein Engel becomes impatient with what she sees as Queenie's pointless literary fancies, von Linden interrupts her. "'Fräulein Engel, you are not a student of literature,' he said. 'The English flight officer has studied the craft of the novel. She is making use of suspense and foreshadowing.' . . . Engel dutifully slapped me into silence and said: 'She is not writing a novel. She is making a report.'" Well, yes and no. Through Queenie's writing - first on creamy hotel stationery, then in increasingly frantic scribbles on prescription forms bearing the name of a Jewish doctor, on sheet music once owned by a Jewish flutist and on recipe cards cadged from the Nazi cook - the reader, too, learns the story of the girls' blossoming friendship. Unlike the aristocratic Queenie, Maddie is a commoner. She's not gorgeous or smooth with men. But she's ethical, fierce and loyal, and we find out as Queenie does that she's a skilled pilot and a genius mechanic. "It's like being in love, discovering your best friend," Queenie writes, and Wein conveys that love gorgeously. "We're still alive and we make a sensational team," Queenie says. And they do. This is a rare young adult novel entirely about female power and female friendship, with only the faintest whiff of cute-boy romance. I'd tell you more about the "Usual Suspects"meets-" If on a Winter's Night a Traveler" plot, but then I'd have to kill you. I do think "Code Name Verity" will appeal more to adults than to teenagers. The cover is unfortunately off-putting (with its stark image of two girls' wrists bound together with twine, it looks like a lesbian version of "Fifty Shades of Grey"); the torture scenes are fairly graphic, and the period detail is dense. I could have done with a little less information about vintage airplanes and ballpoint pens (though an author's note indicates that some bits that seem far-fetched are based in reality). I doubt most teenagers will get the references to "A Thousand and One Nights," Rudyard Kipling's "Kim" and the death of Admiral Hardy, all of which make the book challenging in a lovely, bookish way. (Wein's earlier novels are set in Arthurian Britain and sixth-century Ethiopia. She has a doctorate in folklore and a pilot's license. She met her husband at a dinner dance for hobbyist bell ringers. Nerd.) But every reader will get the "Peter Pan" references, and they're what's most important A smart book about the power of female friendship is like finding Neverland. Marjorie Ingoii is a columnist for Tablet magazine.


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By Stephen Lemons
Tucson pissed over Hamlet 2 diss. Shaq better stay away from that Maryjane. Matt Leinart out as starting QB. Kurt Warner in. Cards kill Raiders. Marlins eat up D-Backs. Olympics finito. China grabs most gold. U.S., most medals. Redeem team trounces Spain in b-ball. Why you shouldn't golf off of "A" mountain a la Animal House. Dem convention begins in Denver. Da Brat in da pokey for three years. Told her to leave that rum bottle be.
Anti-God billboards hit Phoenix.
Shaq ordered to steer clear of Maryjane.
Tucson pissed, dissed by Hamlet 2.
Warner scores Cards' starting QB position over Leinart.
China garners most gold, U.S. most medals in Beijing.
U.S. beats Spain in b-ball for Olympic gold.
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ASU student golfs from "A" mountain, causes $30K in damage.
Dem convention begins in Denver.
Slideshow of closing ceremonies in Beijing.
Da Brat gets three years for assault on Atlanta Falcons cheerleader.


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