text:
Photography might be a beautiful art form. No really, it might be. With regards to taking better photos and showing some skill in the use of various techniques to make the photos be noticeable extreme lightning, it is truly a beautiful thing. To start learning some basics as to learning to make this do the job, refer to the tips below.
Learn about composition rules. Practice and experiment with these rules to create unique pictures. As an illustration, organizing a photo around diagonal lines gives an impression of depth. You can also have fun with colors and gradual nuances to provide an impression of movement to some picture. Usually do not keep to the rules blindly, but learn the best time to rely on them.
Be selective concerning the elements that you simply use in your photo. Go ahead and remove everything from the picture that doesn't belong there or helps to make the frame seem unbalanced. Use panning shots that make your subject in focus but blur the background should you can't remove all unwanted distractions from your shot.
Use manual white balance to enhance your photos. It can be easy to permit the camera decide the proper white balance for the given environment, but sometimes your camera will receive it wrong and also the photo will look washed out. Employing a manual white balance also enables you to take artsy photos with sepia tones, for instance.
Sunlight will usually provide you with the best quality photos. Cloudy days are actually better for shooting than sunny ones, as the clouds serve as an organic diffuser, spreading the light out and eliminating shadows and harsh contrasts. Opt for your next photo shoot outside with an overcast day.
A good photography tip is always to not get too carried away with having the best and newest equipment. Technology's always likely to be improving and unless you're a millionaire, it's hardly realistic to concern yourself with having the best camera. Attempt to make good consumption of whatever you have.
Learn about composition rules. Practice and try these rules to generate unique pictures. As an illustration, organizing a photo around diagonal lines gives an impression of depth. Also you can fiddle with colors and gradual nuances to give an impact of movement to your picture. Do not keep to the rules blindly, but learn when you ought to make use of them.
Sunlight will always offer the top quality photos. Cloudy days are better for shooting than sunny ones, because the clouds act as an all natural diffuser, spreading the lighting out and eliminating shadows and harsh contrasts. Opt for your upcoming photo shoot outside with an overcast day.
Invest in a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) camera if you would like take professional-looking photographs. While you are looking for a camera, tend not to be concerned about how many megapixels this product has instead, concentrate on the image sensor. Most professional photographers buy full-frame DSLR cameras, which take incredibly clear pictures of your material.
When you find yourself taking a picture, your arms must be near to your sides. This will aid retain the camera still and be sure that your picture ends up clear and crisp. Your non-dominant hand also need to be underneath the camera lens to support it steady while you snap the photo.
Make sure you frame all your shots. Unlike a photograph frame, but something more natural that focuses the attention. Be aware, and you can likely create a "natural frame" for the main topic of your picture with neighboring elements. This is an ideal technique to use if you want to practice obtaining a photo's composition right.
Pay careful attention to backgrounds when composing your photographs. Jumbled, messy rooms can ruin a graphic which will help prevent your subject from standing out. Also, including the smallest item within array of the snapshot might be a distraction, taking away from the central focus. Always produce a quick scan of the room or landscape, then remove items that will detract from an otherwise perfect shot.
An excellent tip that can help make your photographs more interesting would be to start utilizing patterns. Patterns is surely an excellent design motif when you use them correctly. You will discover patterns on almost anything. You will discover them on lots of clothes, in architecture, as well as in nature.
To obtain a great photograph, be sure to notice the surrounding objects when framing the shot. Lots of times you will find distracting, unwanted elements like trash, telephone wires or even your fingertip intruding in to the shot. Frame the photo which means that your subject and a non-distracting background would be the only elements because.
An effective photography trick which will help you out is to hold your breath before you take an image. Holding your breath will help you to require a clear shot. Ideally you should use a tripod but this simple trick will help keep you from getting blurry pictures.
Fiddle with the shadow of your respective object. Each time a shadow is projected on a distorted surface it adopts interesting shapes. You can also have an original shadow become the subject of your photograph. Arrange the lighting as well as the background to help make shadows change and adopt a shape you would like to deal with.
An incredible photography tip that can really help you is usually to begin to use sandbags to weigh down your equipment. If you're using big studio lights, you must weigh them down with sandbags. It would be a disaster if the expensive equipment were to suddenly fall and break.
Decide if you are considering an issue before you photograph it. Recognize that if your subject is seeming boring for you, it is going to be boring to future viewers in the image. Take a moment to create your shots interesting, and you will definitely be rewarded with better shots.
Try not utilize your camera's red-eye reduction. This normally does a pre-flash that shrink's the subject's pupils to reduce the reflection. Even if this works, additionally, it provides the person a stern warning and might either cause them to flinch when the actual photo will be taken or they'll pose more to the photo. You're more well off using computer image editing software to edit out of the red-eye later.
Use a large amount of different methods to take good shots. Anyone can wind up useful photographic advice, however, many people may benefit more from certain techniques than others. The information included in this article are a fun way to get started taking memorable photographs.


text:
This section contains 1,322 words
(approx. 4 pages at 400 words per page)
Chapter 7, Year of the Rat – It is New Year's Eve. Wang considers the story of She-Brat, and imagines it must be plagiarized. At home, Yida cleans out the apartment in the superstitious custom of cleansing the house of last year's dust. After fireworks, Wang and his family go to bed, but he cannot fall asleep.
Chapter 8, The Wedding Photo – Wang contemplates a photo of his father and mother on their wedding day, May 3, 1975. He remembers what he can about his biological mother, Shuxiang, including that she was very good at reading people, that she did not like people, was agoraphobic, smoked a lot of cigarettes, and drank all the time. He remembers his father being intimidating, a rising star in the Department of Agriculture, and disliked any emotion shared between mother and son. Over time, Wang remembers, Shuxiang's agoraphobia faded, and...
(read more from the Chapters 7 – 13 Summary)
This section contains 1,322 words
(approx. 4 pages at 400 words per page)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
C Eileen M. Hall, Meriden's first policewoman and a former elementary school teacher in the city and in Warren, died Tuesday at Westfield Manor in Meriden.
She was 87 and a lifetime Meriden resident.
Hall worked as a probation officer in Meriden and in the Meriden Welfare Department. She also was a police officer, retiring in 1969.


text:
Posted on May 23 2018
Aug 16 2018
Aug 09 2018
Aug 08 2018
Local writer and V&V friend, Jamie Williams, sat down with Dr. Mai Nguyen, an Associate Professor in the Department of City &...
Our stylists are here for you! Call or email us. We will reply shortly.
Be the first to know about sale, exclusive offers, new arrivals + more!
Sign up for our newsletter and enjoy 10% off your first purchase.
Your cart is currently empty.


text:
Get More Bonus Coins On Members' Day2017-12-11 07:39
Still looking for the way to get more free coins? Join our "Members' Day" program!
On every Wednesday in April, you will enjoy more free coins for each order as the form shows. The more coins you buy, the more free coins you'll get. It's easy to join. Pay attention to the details below before you start:
When: Every Wednesday, April, 2017 UK
Where: Robo Auto System 2.0 PS4, Xbox One, PC
Order requirement: Above 300K on each console
1. How much bonus coins can I get from different order amount on Wednesday?
2. How to get free coins?
The free coins will be divided into 3 parts. To get the whole free coins, please do the following steps:
1). After you finished the payment on Wednesday, turn to the top of any page, you can see the available coins on the button and simply click it, you'll get the first part.
2). On the next two days, Thursday and Friday, sign in FIFACOIN.COM, simply click the again, you'll get the second part and the third part.
3). If you make two orders or more that all reach the requirements, you can enjoy both times of the bonus coins. And just do the same as the first time you did. The rest of the coins will be counted together and will available for the next two days.
Attention: Don't forget to log in and click the button in one of these days, or you'll lose that part of the coins.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Live Chat
Mrwpmaster:I used to use a different website but it never really felt safe. When I use fifacoin.com I feel safe buying as much as I need. They're also VERY fast with delivery. I would recommend fifacoin.com to any of my friends in need of a little help. :)
The customer has bought: FIFA 18 Coins
Daioner1986: They are quite quick with their delivery. First, I feared I was scammed as they said I didn't pay, which I did, but that was just a delay! So give it some time before you suspect anything. They are fast and reliable. :) I highly recommend this website for anyone who loves this games. They have reasonable prices and it's 100% legit.
The customer has bought: FIFA 18 Coins
Uixpider: When I found fifacoin.com, I didn't set about buying 100K coins right then and there, I needed more confirmation.I went ahead and bought the lowest amount and then I found that they gave me a coupon, I could buy more coins with confidence.
The customer has bought: FIFA 18 Coins
Mariagrig: I am a customer who has been constantly patronizing from this site. Today i have made a mistake of forgetting to switch from PS4 to PC when i bought coins , and i immediately messaged their Live Chat support. I received an immediate friendly reply that reassured me that my queries are heard and they'll settle it immediately. After less than a minute of wait , i got my coins. I totally recommend this site to anybody! Cheers
The customer has bought: FIFA 18 Coins
Lukemev: I've used fifacoin.com for buy FIFA 18 coins and play FIFA 18 packs. Their service is in one word, excellent. When I've had questions for them, their "chat now" never let me wait for more than three minutes. If you need coins for fifa 18, this is the service you need to go. I had friends on my friend's list and I with my friends join affiliate program so that we can make more money and I can enjoy more commissions which feel really great.
The customer has bought: FIFA 18 Coins
2017-12-11 Share FIFACOIN.COM To Friends, Get Free Coins! 2017-05-01 Lucky Draw In May! 2017-05-01 See Who Won The Prize On The Last Saturday! 2017-04-24 See Who Won The Prize For The Suggestions 2017-04-19 Get More Bonus Coins On Members' Day 2017-04-18 Welcome To FIFACOIN.COM New Look! 2017-04-16 See Who Won The Prize On The Third Saturday! 2017-04-15 Win Prize On Our Crazy Saturday!


text:
Is Simon Cowell courting Whitney Houston for The X Factor?
The diva has been approached to join the Season 2 judging panel, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Neither Houston nor Cowell have commented on the report, while Fox declined to comment.
Simon Cowell sounds off on X Factor shakeupHouston could take one of the places vacated by Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul, who were fired last week along with host Steve Jones. Cowell and L.A. Reid will return for the second season.
Report: L.A. Reid signs contract for Season 2 of The X FactorCowell has already shot down reports that Beyoncé, Elton John and Mariah Carey are on the short list of candidates, but he has not mentioned Houston, who performed on the U.K. version of X Factor in 2009. He did, however, say that Katy Perry would be "fun" and "feisty."Houston can next be seen opposite Jordin Sparks in Sparkle, which hits theaters in August.Would you like to see Houston on the panel? Would she make a good judge?


text:
CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. heavy-duty truck orders fell 27 percent last month versus the same period a year ago, marking the worst September since 2009 amid ongoing uncertainty over the economy among truck firms, according to preliminary data from industry forecaster FTR.
"Fleets are cautious due to an uncertain economy and slow freight growth," Don Ake, vice president of commercial vehicles at FTR, said in a statement."Class 8 (truck) inventories also remain high and this also restrains new orders."
FTR said orders for large trucks hit 13,800 units in September, a number not reached for that month since the height of the Great Recession.
Class 8 trucks are the workhorse of America's economy, hauling around 70 percent of the country's freight.
Sales have been weak this year amid lackluster retail sales and industrial output. Industry officials and analysts predict sales will start to rebound in 2017 as long as the U.S. economy grows at a more stable rate.
"Large fleets are expected to begin ordering replacement units for 2017," Ake said. "If the economy does improve and the trucking outlook brightens, then medium-sized fleets and others should feel confident enough to order also in coming months."
(Reporting by Nick Carey; Editing by Matthew Lewis)


text:
American Dad Picked Up by TBS, Renewed for Season 11Matt Richenthal at . Comments
American Dad is on the move.
The Seth MacFarlane-produced sitcom will kick off its 10-episode 10th season on Sunday, September 29… and then move to TBS in 2014 for a 15-episode 11th season.
"American Dad is a great fit for TBS, a favorite of comedy fans who like smart, irreverent humor with ample doses of biting wit and skewering satire," TBS/TNT/TCM boss Michael Wright said in a statement. "We look forward to welcoming Seth MacFarlane and the rest of his team as they bring this iconic show to TBS."
The cable network is also home to Cougar Town, which is rescued from cancelation last year after it ran its course on ABC.
Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.


text:
Primarily designed as a self-study reference and practice text, but can also be used for classroom work. Includes 100 easy-to-use units, an answer key, a detailed index with phonemic transcriptions, and illustrations.family. and. friends. Ia#39;ve got two brothers and a sister. My brothers are twins (= two children born to one mother at the ... trust) your best friend (= the one friend you feel closest to) classmates (= other people in your class) flatmates (= people you anbsp;...
|English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and Intermediate
|Stuart Redman
|Cambridge University Press - 2003
You must register with us as either a Registered User before you can Download this Book. You'll be greeted by a simple sign-up page.
Once you have finished the sign-up process, you will be redirected to your download Book page.How it works:


text:
Actress Kate French seems to have her finger on the pulse of the lesbian zeitgeist. First, she showed up on our radar as Jenny Schecter's love interest (and star of Lez Girls) on The L Word.
Then she played a cute college co-ed on South of Nowhere. She may have been nowhere near Spashley, but she was involved with the show nonetheless.
Continuing on her quest to guest on shows lesbians love to watch, French has signed on for a three episode arc of Gossip Girl this season.
Now I realize that Gossip Girl has just as many straight viewers as it does gay (the same could arguably be said for The L Word), but I'd really like to think that we make up a good chunk of the audience, and the casting directors know it. They have to — or else they're just really, really good at their jobs.
French will reportedly play a "nanny with a mysterious past" and will somehow be involved with Chuck Bass, which I'd like to read into as "shares heated scenes with Blair." No word yet on when the episodes with French will appear, but she will be back on The L Word for its final season, so she's going to be on our TV screens again sooner than we know. (Actually, I'm sure you know — it's only a week from this Sunday.)
Until then, I'd like to appreciate Kate French as a Women's Health cover model.


text:
Main Content:
Ballet Flats
Banana Republic Ballet Flats
Nothing is as comfortable as walking on ballet flats from Banana Republic. The exclusive padding system features memory foam and cushioned insole that imparts all-day comfort. Don't shy away from standing in line for a concert or going to the outdoor wedding where chairs are limited; with this beautiful, comfortable collection you'll be the first to stand. You can polish your look with any of the flat shoes for women for a day at the office. When you get ready to go out that evening, all you'd need to add is an edgy accessory to your ensemble. The ladies flat shoes are always there to complement your look from day to night with little effort. Discover womens flat shoes from Banana Republic and adorn yourself with personal class and elegance.


text:
Cisco Systems ( CSCO), the networking giant, announced Sunday it was buying cloud computing company Meraki for $1.2 billion. Meraki, based in San Francisco, will form Cisco's new Cloud Networking group, which will be led by Meraki CEO Sanjit Biswas. Cisco shares were rising 1.3% to $18.22 in premarket trading.
Retailer Urban Outfitters ( URBN) is expected to earn 41 cents a share in the third quarter on revenue of $692.4 million. Clues to E-Commerce Success
Tyson Foods ( TSN) posted fiscal fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of 55 cents a share on sales of $8.37 billion. analysts forecast earnings of 44 cents a share on sales of $8.49 billion.
Earnings are also expected Monday from Jack in the Box ( JACK), Krispy Kreme ( KKD), Agilent ( A)and Brocade ( BRCD).
BioMimetic Therapeutics ( BMTI)shares rose 82% to $7.57 after it announced Monday an agreement to combine its business with Wright Medical ( WMGI).
News Corp ( NWSA) is expected to announce this week that it will acquire a 49% in the YES Network from the New York Yankees and its partners, according to Reuters, which cited a person with knowledge of the talks. The deal would would value the sports channel at $3 billion, Reuters said. An Assault on Yield-Oriented ETFs
-- Written by Joseph Woelfel >To contact the writer of this article, click here: Joseph Woelfel >To submit a news tip, send an email to: email@example.com.


text:
Facilities and Amenities for Postgraduate Research Students
The university and faculty offers a range of facilities and amenities to Postgraduate research students
University 'Information for Research Students' Page
Summarises a range of services available to research students.
Postgraduate Arts Research Centres
'PG ARC; spaces provide physical resources and a stimulating research environment for research students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Sydney. There are special spaces for people who are completing.
Funding Support and Scholarships
Postgraduate Research Support Scheme (PRSS)
Eligible students may apply for a minimum amount of $200 and a maximum amount of $1,200 (up to $2,000 to support presentations at conferences in overseas countries) in each application round.
The PRSS can be used for
- Conference expenses
- Visit or use of specialist facilities
- Field expenses
- Purchase of specialist materials
- Purchase of computers or other equipment that are essential to the students' research and are above and beyond the normal infrastructure provided by the School or Department.
- Thesis production expenses to a maximum amount of $600 for a PhD thesis or $300 for a Masters thesis. Only students who do not hold a scholarship which provides such expenses and who will submit their theses in the current semester or calendar year can apply under this category.
University of Sydney Grants-in-Aid
Grants-in-aid (GIA) are available to provide students with travel grants to support short-term periods of research overseas; applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of Australia; most grants are open only to full-time students enrolled in a research degree, although some are offered to undergraduates. Individual grants vary in value and purpose with most approximately $1,500.
PhD Research Travel Grant Scheme
This scheme is for full time PhD candidates only and covers expenses incurred for essential research during the specified period that cannot be completed without significant travel outside Sydney.
For further scholarships information please see the FASS scholarships page.
International students may be interested in the Scholarships for International Students page.
Financial Assistance Office
The University of Sydney has a number of loan and bursary funds to assist students who experience financial difficulties. This assistance is not intended to provide ongoing income support or payment of fees but to help in emergencies and to supplement other income.Students are eligible to apply for assistance more than once during their degree.Financial Assistance is available for any undergraduate student or postgraduate student enrolled at the University of Sydney who is making satisfactory progress and who is experiencing genuine financial hardship. Non-degree students are not eligible. Contact the Financial Assistance Office for further information.
Document Delivery
The Library's document delivery service is designed to support staff and students of the University engaged in research activities. Eligible students and staff include:
- Staff
- Students currently enrolled in PhD, Masters and Graduate Diploma
- Final year honours (Please contact your home library for details)
- Distance Education students (For eligibility, please contact your home library)
- 3rd and 4th Year Students located on placement
Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association
SUPRA is the postgraduate student organisation at The University of Sydney and is run by postgrads for postgrads. SUPRA provides student advice and advocacy, printing/binding facilities, free internet & computer access, events. They publish the Postgraduate Survival Guide.
Student Services
Many of the services available to undergraduates are also available to postgraduates, including health and welfare (including counseling), disability services, the equal opportunity unit (offering support in cases of harassment and discrimination) and Learning Services courses in postgraduate research skills. A comprehensive website details services offered.


text:
Matchmaker.com provides great new features for contact single Winter Haven men. Use our icebreaker feature to let Winter Haven guys know you are interested in getting to know them a little better. There are thousands of Winter Haven men in your area so create a free profile today.
Winter HavenJoin Now Free!
Winter Haven | Winter Haven Girls | Winter Haven Gay | Winter Haven Lesbians
More Winter Haven Links:
Senior Dating | Catholic Dating | Christian Dating | Muslim Dating
Black Singles | Asian Singles | Latin Dating
While Winter Haven men and women in Winter Haven might find dating to be more annoying than nice, it'simportant to get past this by breaking the ice. Write an introductory email that's worthy of a response, you probably find that it's easier than delivering a tired line in a darkened bar. After taking a good look at a number of local Winter Haven guys, you'll know that the person you are attempting to get to know will have plenty in common with you.


text: 21 December 2010The approach of the festive season has seen a rise in the number of people buying cosmetic surgery gift vouchers. The number of people choosing to give their loved ones the opportunity to choose a cosmetic procedure or non surgical solutions as a Christmas gift appears to be on the rise, with recent figures from The Harley Medical Group showing a 200 per cent rise in year-on-year sales of gift vouchers.The cosmetic surgery provider also revealed that Botox and dermal fillers were topping Christmas wish lists this year, as well as skin care products, with many thinking about improving their looks in the face of inclement weather. Liz Dale, Director at The Harley Medical Group said: "Many patients are favouring the non-surgical gift vouchers over 'traditional' beauty gift vouchers as the effects are longer lasting so they feel they are getting more bang for their buck. "A lot of people are also visiting us to enquire about treatments which help tackle the harsh effects of the cold weather, which can play havoc with the skin. Couple this with the busy build-up to Christmas, leaving people looking forward to relaxing and pampering themselves in the New Year." Recent news that music mogul Simon Cowell gifted Botox vouchers to his fellow X Factor judges when celebrating the end of the season is also likely to have an effect on the number of vouchers sold, as awareness of the products are sure to be raised among the general public - who may not have previously realised they existed.


text:
Elijah's smile lights up his little face, framed by a full head of thick, dark hair.
"He's just silly; he's a love," says Erica Harmelech of Glastonbury, who once wondered if she'd ever become a mom.
While trying to conceive, with help from a high risk team, she suffered a pulmonary embolism. Since pregnancy was no longer an option, she began to think about surrogacy.
"It was terribly strange to me," says Erica's husband, Etan. But after research the Harmelechs decided it was the right choice, became matched with a surrogate and embarked on an IVF procedure with her eggs and his sperm . The next year was filled with nerves, gratitude and, ultimately, joy.
"It's weird, it's complicated, it's a variety of feelings," says Erica, remembering the moment when she heard the surrogate was pregnant, admitting she felt "terrified" until after the first trimester.
While a lot of mothers change their lifestyle as their belly grows, Erica struggled to figure out how to prepare: "You can't change your eating habits, you can't change your social habits, so I knit! I knit, like, four-thousand hats!"
The couple only saw their surrogate, living in Kentucky, two times during the pregnancy, but they were in the hospital room when Elijah was born.
"She wanted us to do 'skin-to-skin' in the room with her," says a grateful Erica. "We have a very open relationship." The baby hadn't heard his parents' voices, but he took to them right away.
"When I held him, for me, that was the moment I was like, 'Oh my gosh, that's our kid. That's our guy," remembers Etan.
See Sarah Cody's interview with the Harmelech family below:
"Sometimes it's stressful," says attorney Victoria Ferrara, founder of the matching agency, Worldwide Surrogacy Specialists in Fairfield. "You're dealing with people's hopes and dreams of having a baby."
Insurance can be a complicated issue. The Harmelechs' plan was used for fertility treatments, and the surrogate's insurance covered the pregnancy. Surrogacy's huge price tag — about $100,000 from start to finish, including clinic services, legal fees and the surrogate's payment — can also be an obstacle.
"We couldn't afford surrogacy," says Erica. "So everybody in our family and everybody in our community gave whatever they could."
Ferrara helps people understand the complexities. "It's like a puzzle, putting the pieces together for establishing legal parentage for the 'Intended Parents'," she says. "Every state is different in terms of figuring that out."
Elijah, now 5 months old, will always be 100 percent aware of his birth story.
"I think it's a great lesson for him about kindness and giving," says Erica. "He literally is a child of love, and I think that's cool for him to know."
The Harmelechs saved an embryo from their first IVF procedure and would love to give Elijah a sibling, but they remain overwhelmed by the financial commitment. For now they will keep playing with their son, their dream come true.


text:
Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Owner Message
Do you own Manchu Wok? Contact us to connect with your diners.
Be the first OregonLive.com user to add photos or videos of Gateway Dry Cleaners
SMS Email Print


text:
2 Bedroom, 2 bath Apartment for Rent (Dallas)
Apartment is located near Spring Valley and Preston Road, with easy access to freeways 635/LBJ, the Tollway and 75/Central. It can be furnished if needed, or not.
Pool, exercise gym and tennis courts on property. It is a two floor apartment with two separate entrances, so it is perfect for roommates or extra private if you have visitors. It is 2 bedroom, 2 bath with living room, dining, kitchen and an office space.
Call Cindy for questions: Protected content


text:
The ARIS practices are very poor in Arab World such as Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and so on. So why ARIS Community do not increase its activities in this area of the world, specially there are 1000s of organizations are ISO 9001 certified and its time to adopt ARIS as a good tool for processes mapping and improving.
Hafiz Ibrahim
Sudan: 00249-123110029


text:
You know that big shark back in the province? I ATE THAT!
One of Rex Navarrete's funniest comic bits is when he describes his uncle watching Animal Planet and pointing out the fact that the he claimed to have eaten all the animals shown on TV. Recently, life immitated Rex's art off the Burias island in central Philippines when a few of our kababayan fishermen accidentally caught a rare megamouth shark… and ate it!
Credit: Elson Aca – World Wildlife Fund, Philippines
Rare megamouth shark caught, eaten in Philippines – AP, Yahoo!
Here are the beginning sentences of the Wikipedia entry for the Megamouth shark:
The megamouth shark, Megachasma pelagios, is an extremely rare and unusual species of deepwater shark. Discovered in 1976, only a few have ever been seen, with 41 specimens known to have been caught or sighted as of 2009 and three recordings on film.
Yes folks, our fisherman accidentally stumbled upon one of the rarest animals on the planet and instead of seizing the opportunity to advance our understanding of this creature, they decided to make supersized pulutan. That's 1,100 pounds of a potentially endangered species served up deep fried with rice, tomatoes, salted egg and San Miguel beer.
I wasn't there but I can only speculate some of the rationale behind eating the 41st encountered specimen of this shark.


text:
Press Release
Caltrans Performs Controlled Explosion on State Route 26
Caltrans News Flash #129
Date: April 25, 2017
District: District 10
Contact: Skip Allum
Phone: (209) 984-7176 Contact: Tamie McGowen
Phone: (916) 657-5060
STOCKTON - In this News Flash, Caltrans takes us on location as emergency maintenance contractors perform a controlled explosion to remove potentially hazardous rocks and debris while repairing State Route 26 (SR-26) near the Amador/Calaveras County line.
On February 10, 2017, a roadside slip-out occurred on SR-26, followed by a rockslide on February 11, 2017, less than three miles apart. SR-26 was immediately closed in both directions as crews began to assess the damage and begin repair efforts. While addressing these two slides, workers discovered a small sinkhole located between the two slide sites, leading to the replacement of a culvert pipe approximately 40 feet below the surface.
Heavy equipment operators at the rockslide site experienced a small amount of falling debris from overhead and determined that a controlled explosion was necessary to remove this debris
Contractors used approximately 20 pounds of explosive materials during the controlled blast to remove these safety hazards so work could resume to restore the roadway.
This video can also be viewed at: https://youtu.be/p-RnMDMvN_c.
This Caltrans News Flash is the 129th in a series of videos highlighting Caltrans' activities that present the wide-ranging and critical work that Caltrans does to enhance California's economy and livability.To see more of these and other videos, search for #CaltransNewsFlash on Twitter or visit Caltrans News Flash on YouTube (http://bit.ly/1ez3LYz).
Statewide Alerts and Other Information
Plan 2050
Cone Zone
Public Affairs Links
Contact Information
|General Information:
General Information Line: (916) 654-2852
Media Inquiries:
Submit a Customer Service Request
You can also call
Physical Address:
California Department of Transportation
1120 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mailing Address:
California Department of Transportation
1120 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814


text:
In light of Liverpool's 6-1 demolition of Southampton in midweek, and their upcoming Premier League clash against Newcastle United, a Reds website have explored the depth of Jurgen Klopp's squad.
Liverpool fan site Empire of the Kop have produced a cracking in-depth report which explores the true dimensions of the Reds squad.
It makes for encouraging reading for fans of the Anfield giants.
For the rout of Southampton, a number of key players were rested—including James Milner, Nathaniel Clyne and Simon Mignolet—yet the Reds appeared to lack none of the cohesion or understanding that has characterised their recent away showings in the Premier League.
Even with Philippe Coutinho rested completely, and with Roberto Firmino and Christian Benteke–£60 million-worth of attacking talent, as EOTK point out—left on the bench, Klopp's outfit lacked none of their offensive venom and irrepressible attacking threat.
It was, of course, great credit to the manager, but what cannot be overlooked is just how deep Liverpool's resources run at the moment.
Paul Pogba transfer update
Chelsea wonderkid reveals how he snubbed French giants
Arsenal transfer news: Wenger looks to sign £45m rated defender
Check out Empire of the Kop's Missing Liverpool XI—of starts who didn't start against the Saints—and put yourself in Klopp's shoes. How can he possibly choose who begins the match against the Magpies on Sunday…and how can he not guarantee victory?!


text:
RJO Futures provides all the decision-making tools necessary to invest and open a separately Managed Futures account or a pooled investment through RJ OASIS.
At RJO Futures our commodity brokers work with individual and institutional investors to define their ideal risk/reward profile to understand which Commodity Trading Advisors (CTAs) offer the most potential to help you achieve your unique investment goals. When added to a portfolio of traditional assets, studies indicate that Managed Futures can enhance return and lower overall risk through their positive diversification effects. CTAs are professionals disciplined in actively following a specific trading methodology enhanced with prudent risk management practices in the futures markets. Several investors add Managed Futures to their portfolio because they are:
A comprehensive introduction to Managed Futures, what it can do for your financial portfolio, and what to look for in a Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA).
Watch Webinar Now


text:
Rose was born William Bruce Rose, Jr. in Lafayette, Indiana, the oldest child of Sharon E. (née Lintner), then 16 years old, and William Bruce Rose, then 20 years old. When Rose was two years old, his father abandoned the family. His mother remarried to Stephen L. Bailey, and his name was changed to William Bruce Bailey. He has two younger siblings—a sister, Amy, and a half-brother, Stuart. Until the age of 17, Rose believed that Bailey was his real father. He never met his biological father as an adult; William Rose, Sr. was found murdered in Illinois in 1984.
The Bailey household was very religious; Rose and his family attended a Pentecostal church, where he was required to attend services three to eight times per week and even taught Sunday school. Rose later described his upbringing as oppressive, stating, "We'd have televisions one week, then my step dad would throw them out because they were satanic. I wasn't allowed to listen to music. Women were evil. Everything was evil." In 1992, after undergoing past life regression therapy, Rose claimed he had uncovered memories of being sexually abused by his biological father at the age of two. He also stated that his stepfather had physically abused him and his siblings, as well as sexually abused his sister. Rose found solace in music from an early age. He sang in the church choir from the age of five, and performed at services with his brother and sister under the name the Bailey Trio. At Jefferson High School, he participated in the school chorus and studied piano. A second baritone, Rose began developing "different voices" during chorus practice to confuse his teacher. He eventually formed a band with his friends, one of whom was Jeff Isbell, later known as Izzy Stradlin.
At the age of 17, while going through insurance papers in his parents' home, Rose learned of his biological father's existence, and he unofficially readopted his birth name. However, he referred to himself only as W. Rose, because he did not want to share a first name with his biological father. (Four years later, after moving to Los Angeles, he became so engrossed in his band AXL that his friends suggested he call himself Axl Rose; he legally changed his name to W. Axl Rose prior to signing his contract with Geffen Records in March 1986. Following the discovery of his true family origins, Rose became the local juvenile delinquent in Lafayette; he was arrested over 20 times on charges such as public intoxication and battery, and served as long as three months in jail. After Lafayette authorities threatened to charge him as a habitual criminal, Rose moved to Los Angeles, California in December 1982.
Shortly after his arrival in Los Angeles, Rose joined the band Rapidfire, with whom he recorded a four-song demo in May 1983. After the group's disbandment, he joined the first line-up of L.A. Guns, before forming the band Hollywood Rose with his childhood friend Izzy Stradlin, who had moved to Los Angeles in 1980. In January 1984, the band recorded a five-song demo featuring the tracks "Anything Goes", "Rocker", "Shadow of Your Love", and "Reckless Life", which were released in 2004 as The Roots of Guns N' Roses. While struggling to make an impact on the Hollywood music scene, Rose held down a variety of jobs, including the position of night manager at the Tower Records location on Sunset Boulevard. Rose and Stradlin even smoked cigarettes for a scientific study at UCLA for the reported wages of $8 per hour.
In March 1985, Rose and his former band mate Tracii Guns formed Guns N' Roses by merging their respective bands Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns. By June, after several line-up changes, the band consisted of Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. The line-up debuted at The Troubadour in Hollywood and proceeded to play the L.A. club circuit, eventually building a devoted fan following. The band attracted the attention of several major record labels, before signing withGeffen Records in March 1986. The following December, they released the four-song EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide on the Geffen imprint UZI Suicide.


text:
Click here to see all items added to My Favorites.
71846 104784725964
In Stock!
Rain predicted? Whether you're headed out for a run or walk, or making a quick trip to the store, Banjees Water-Resistant Wrist Wallets keep your cash, credit card and keys handy and protected with no jingling and jangling, and no purse to keep track of.
• Wrist wallet
• Water-resistant materials helps keep valuables dry
• Stash valuables in a secure zipper pocket
• Machine washable
• One size fits all
Delivery time estimates do not apply to personalized, large or heavy items (over 20lbs.) that require special shipping, items shipped directly from the manufacturer, or out-of-stock items.
Delivery estimates only apply to the contiguous United States. Saturday, Sunday and national holidays are not considered business days for these estimated transit days.


text:
We have a team of more than 600 experts, who know their stuff. We use common sense more often than we use the procedures. And most probably, we play the most fierce table football matches in Wrocław. We develop Enterprise-class software in the atmosphere full of the English sense of humor.
To support software development projects you need knowledge of software development lifecycle. The closer to the project team – the better. Experience in Scrum methodology is vital – as we do Scrum ourselves. We work mainly using MS Office so we are looking for Excel enthusiasts that will help us to automate some of our processes. We cooperate mainly with UK and Irish Clients so good knowledge of English is a must. Rather than delivering systems we build relationships – our clients and teams stay with us for years – so we hope to employ not only an expert but also a good, supportive colleague.
dni płatnego urlopu dostajemy każdego roku, bez względu na staż pracy


text:
The End of an Aura: Replicant Memories
Early in the 21st Century many media technologies and their attendant corporations advanced cultural co-option to a nostalgic phase. With the spread of mass media and technological artifacts, memories once firmly rooted in places in the past now float free of historical context, their auras lost, their eras unknown. "By replicating the work many times over," writes Benjamin (1968), "it substitutes a mass existence for a unique existence. And in permitting the reproduction to reach the recipient in his or her own situation, it actualizes that which is reproduced" (p. 221). Benjamin argued that the reproduction of art democratized its experience but also rid a work of its aura. With the mass mediation of cultural artifacts since Benjamin's time, nostalgia has become its own aura.
The memories are priceless. You lean on the memories.
— R.L. Osborn, Generation F
In his book Culture Jam (1999), Adbusters Magazine founder Kalle Lasn describes a scene in which two people are embarking on a road trip and speak to each other along the way using only quotations from movies. We've all felt our lived experience increasingly slipping into technological mediation and representation (Debord, 1994). Based on this idea and the rampant branding and advertising covering any surface upon which an eye may light, he argues that our culture has inducted us into a cult. "By consensus, cult members speak a kind of corporate Esperanto: words and ideas sucked up from TV and advertising" (p. 53). Indeed, we quote television shows, allude to fictional characters and situations, and repeat song lyrics and slogans in everyday conversations. Lasn (1999) argues, "We have been recruited into roles and behavior patterns we did not consciously choose" (p. 53).
Lasn writes about this scenario as if it is a nightmare, but to many of us, this sounds not only familiar but also fun. Cultural allusions invoke a game of sorts. They create a situation that one gets or one doesn't. To get it is to be in on the gag. Our media is so saturated with allusions that we scarcely think about them as such. A viewing of any single episode of popular television shows Family Guy, South Park, or Robot Chicken yields references to any number of artifacts and cultural detritus past. Their humor relies in large part on the catching and interpreting of allusive references, on their audience sharing the same cultural memories. Hip-hop, with its rife repurposing of sounds via sampling and lyrical allusions, is a culture built on appropriating cultural artifacts and recognizing shared memories.
Memories… You're talking about memories.
— Rick Deckard, Blade Runner
In Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982), the advanced humanoid androids, known as Replicants, base their "human" past on implanted memories. Their intelligence is impressive but not grounded in a larger cognitive context. They are programmed with memories to make them more human (Bukatman, 1997). As CEO Dr. Eldon Tyrell explains to Deckard,
We began to recognize in them strange obsession. After all they are emotional inexperienced with only a few years in which to store up the experiences which you and I take for granted. If we gift them the past, we create a cushion or pillow for their emotions and consequently we can control them better.
The cushion of nostalgia buoys us all. We often feel not only justified but emboldened by superior claims of previous times, even if we don't quite remember them the same. "Of course things used to be better!" we think. "The past is not the issue at all," writes Norman M. Klein (1997), "it serves merely as a 'rosy' container for the anxieties of the present" (p. 11). In the face of current complications, much like the Replicants in Blade Runner, we long for times we never knew. Lasn argues that this makes us victims of corporate commodification of culture. We're no better than Replicants, walking around with implanted memories courtesy of the mass media, and its rampant reproduction of artifacts. To most of us though, the sharing of memories, of cultural allusions, bonds us together, gives us a sense of belonging. A lot of this togetherness is due to the technological reproduction of media. As Benjamin (1968) writes,
…technical reproduction can put the copy of the original into situations which would be out of reach for the original itself. Above all, it enables the original to meet the beholder halfway, be it in the form of a photograph or a phonograph record (p. 220-221).
Replicants are obsessed with photographs. Where the Replicants can't be sure of what they know (Tosca, 2005), the pictures provide a visual totem, a physical connection to the implanted "cushion" of their memories (Bukatman, 1997; Heldreth, 1997). Where such photographs, as well as phonograph records, are reproductions of scenes and sounds respectively, those forms have given way to digital reproductions of both. Another layer removed lies the manipulation of the digital to replicate its previous analog form. Their remediation represents a crisis of context when filters on digital photos that make them look old and a digital effects that make recordings sound like scratchy vinyl (Katz, 2004). It's not only longing but also the undermining of that longing.
Because the search for authenticity is a well without a bottom.
– Vanessa Veselka, Zazen
Like Lasn, whether mass culture is a site of exploitation or emancipation was a crucial concern for Benjamin as well (Scannell, 2003), but he was equally concerned with authenticity. "The presence of the original is the prerequisite to the concept of authenticity," he writes (1968, p. 220). The empty nostalgia of our implanted memories holds no original and no original context. Benjamin continues,
The whole sphere of authenticity is outside technical–and, of course, not only technical–reproducibility. Confronted with its manual reproduction, which was usually branded as a forgery, the original preserved all its authority; not so vis à vis technical reproduction (p. 220).
All of these tribulations may seem trivial, but, as Jaron Lanier (2008) writes, "…pop culture is important. It drags us all along with it; it is our shared fate. We can't simply remain aloof" (p. 385). If pop culture is just recycling plastic pieces of the past, where exactly it is dragging us? Simon Reynolds (2011), who calls our obsession with the past, "retromania," draws a parallel between nostalgic record collecting and finance, "a hipster stock market based around trading in pasts, not futures" (p. 419), in which a crash is inevitable: "The world economy was brought down by derivatives and bad debt; music has been depleted of meaning through derivatives and indebtedness" (p. 410-420). In such a scenario the "original" is even more revered (i.e., maintains its aura) not only in spite of but also because of its replication. It's hard to be a purist when nothing is pure.
Popular culture is the testbed of our futurity.
– Kumayama in William Gibson's Idoru
Nostalgia is now its own aura. The digital reproduction of cultural artifacts, images, sounds, events, and moment-events has rendered authenticity irrelevant. With an empty past to fill with greatness unattainable, context has become a floating concept. Technological mediation does a great deal of its work by manipulating context through the replication, reproduction, and circulation of moment-events. For example, quotation, which, by definition is to use something deliberately astray of its original context (Schwartz, 1996), is the most transparent form of allusion. All of the pieces of the process are present: the allusion itself, its source, and its appropriation. Allusions work by mapping one context to another. By translating something from one context to another, a new meaning is brought to bear. All meaning is in some way mediated by a mapping as such (Hofstadter, 2007). The new meaning is dependent, however, on recognizing both the original and new contexts. George W. S. Trow (1980) writes of television, "The work of television is to establish false contexts and to chronicle the unraveling of existing contexts; finally, to establish the context of no-context and to chronicle it" (p. 82). Debord (1994) said the same about mass media, that it had no historical context, no stable memory. Now media has gone not only digital but also global via the internet, the web, and mobile technologies of all kinds. The aura of the artifact is all but completely disconnected from the artifact's historical context.
Below the surface of these new media, distinguishing context is even more dodgy. As Clay Shirky (2010) writes, "Since all the data is digital (expressed as numbers), there is no such thing as a copy anymore. Every piece of data… is identical to every other version of the same piece of data" (p. 54). Unlike most analog media, there's no such things as an original in the digital. And like some technological "Funes, The Memorious," our digital archives hang around to haunt us. They never forget.
With this in mind, Abby Smith (1998) emphasizes,
…the need for preservation experts to develop a keen understanding of the context in which non-object based information is used, in order to ensure capture of all the vital data necessary to meaningful retrieval. When all data are recorded as 0's and 1's, there is, essentially, no object that exists outside of the act of retrieval. The demand for access creates the "object," that is, the act of retrieval precipitates the temporary reassembling of 0's and 1's into a meaningful sequence that can be decoded by software and hardware. A digital art-exhibition catalog, digital comic books, or digital pornography all present themselves as the same, all are literally indistinguishable one from another during storage, unlike, say, a book on a shelf (p. 6).
Analog media show their wear through patina of use. Books show "shelf-wear." Vinyl records–even compact discs–display gouges and scratches. Scratches, scrapes, scars, stretches, tears, marks, and grooves: These are analog concepts. Digital artifacts black-box their wear, hiding their story and its context from us. We have to hold it all in our heads.
Implants! Those aren't your memories. They're somebody else's.
— Rick Deckard, Blade Runner
If we are to avoid being or becoming mere Replicants, we have to be more mindful of the contexts floating around us. Being able to translate data into meaning requires our paying closer attention to the banks it bridges.
Benjamin, Walter. (1968). The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Illuminations. London: Fontana, pp. 217–252.
Bukatman, Scott. (1997). BFI Film Classics: Blade Runner. London: British Film Institute.
Borges, Jorge Luis. (1962). Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings. New York: New Directions.
Debord, Guy. (1994). The Society of the Spectacle. New York: Zone Books.
Heldreth, Leonard G. (1997). "Memories… You're Talkin' About Memories": Retrofitting Blade Runner. In Judith B. Kerman (ed.), Retrofitting Blade Runner. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 308-313
Hodstadter, Douglas. (2007). I Am a Strange Loop. New York: Basic Books.
Lewman, Mark, Jenkins, Andy & Jones, Spike. (2008). Freestylin': Generation F. Wizard Publications/Endo Publishing, p. 19.
Katz, Mark. (2004). Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Klein, Norman M. (1997). The History of Forgetting: Los Angeles and the Erasure of Memory. New York: Verso.
Lasn, Kalle. (1999). Culture Jam: The Uncooling of America. New York: William Morrow & Co.
Reynolds, Simon. (2011). Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction to Its Own Past. New York: Faber and Faber.
Scannell, Paddy. (2003). Benjamin Contextualized: On "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." In Elihu Katz, John Durham Peters, Tamar Liebes, & Avril Orloff (eds.), Canonical Texts in Media Research. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Shirky, Clay. (2010). Coginitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age. New York: Penguin, p. 54.
Smith, Abby. (1998, May/June). Preservation in the Future Tense. CLIR Issues, (3), 1, 6.
Tosca, Susana P. (2005). Implanted Memories, or the Illusion of Free Action. In Will Brooker (ed.), The Blade Runner Experience: The Legacy of a Science Fiction Classic. London: Wallflower Press, 92-107.
Veselka, Vanessa. (2011). Zazen. Brooklyn, NY: Red Lemonade, p. 31.


text:
Transfer high-res RAW images, HD and 3D videos, MP3s & other files quickly across virtually every memory format on the market with Delkin's USB 3.0 Universal Memory Card Reader. With transfer speeds reaching up to 5Gbps, this UDMA, SDHC and SDXC capable device offers convenient plug & play installation, simple drag & drop between desired locations, and hot-swapping. It is also compatible with 17 memory card formats from Canon, Fuji , Kodak, Konica Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Sony and more. Backed by Delkin's trusted five year warranty, this RTU unit comes equipped with a USB 3.0 cable for desktop or on-the-go use.
Assigned slots for CF Type I & II (UDMA), SD (all classes), microSD, Memory Stick, MicroDrive, MMC and more allow this transfer unit to respond to virtually any storage device. Plus, all slots can be accessed concurrently for efficient card to card transfer. This device is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1 ports, but will transfer data at slower rates. Proficient SDXC capabilities drastically lessen input & output time with your large capacity memory card, especially apparent when relocating RAW images and HD & 3D video.
Convenient installation entails simply inserting labeled plugs on the included USB cable into their respective ports on your PC and rear connector of the reader. With the insertion of your memory card, an LED will remain illuminated and blink repeatedly when a transfer is in process. This indicates that a read/write operation is taking place and disconnection may cause data loss or damage to the card.
Never run out of your favorites! Select our replenishment service to automatically receive a new shipment of your favorite items in the preferred frequency. Frequency can be selected from the available drop-down on each product page. Replenishment Service is easy and convenient. We offer the following cycles:
Monthly – every 30 days*
Bi-Monthly – every 60 days*
Quarterly – every 90 days*
Semi-Annually – every 180 days*
Your credit card will be charged for each order only when the item is shipped. You may cancel the service at any time by logging into your account.
*The number of days is calculated from the date of original order.
As a premier photo and video outlet, we are full line dealers for the entire range of photographic equipment and
supplies. Whether you are a leading professional or new to photography, our expert staff are always ready to
assist you in finding the perfect equipment at great prices.
Tel: (403) 234-9935
Toll Free: 1-888-539-9397
802 - 11th Ave SW
Calgary, AB
T2R 0E5 Canada


text:
How to Get Local Media
Getting local media to cover your Repower pledge event is a fantastic way to spread the word and empower other people to take action on climate change. Download this template media release you can fill out with details of your event and send to your local radio station or newspaper! Download Template Media Release


text:
- Home
Baby Boutique (0 - 2 Yrs)
Room Decor
- Gifts
- Women
- Brands
- Sale
- Blog
Superhero Personalised Boys' Library Tote Bag By Kylie Loy
A kid's personalised library tote bag to keep their library books inside, as well as many other uses.
Perfect to carry their favourite things, also an overnight bag, travel bag, or something to fill up with toys on a long trip in the car.
Product Description:
- Made of 100% cotton.
- Turn inside out & wash in machine on a normal cold cycle.
- Line dry, Iron inside out, Do not tumble dry.
36cm high x 29cm
Side bag gusset expands to 7.5cm wide
Total handle length 68cm & 2.5cm wide
- Child holding the bag is a 9 year old boy.
Keywords: tote bags, personalised bags, library bags, boys bags


text:
I write science fiction, and read plenty of it too. My favorite places are always alternate worlds or timelines. I love the idea of there being many versions of something, whether it be the universe or a single being.
As an illustrator, I create one portrait first and foremost. However, I always take time to play with the concept before deciding on how the final should look. Even once I have a finished piece, I'll try different effects on it to see what happens.
This is the fantastic part of digital art over traditional (not that I don't love to play with real paint and ink too)—not just the undo button but the vast array of color-play, texture, filters, and brushes that can be tested on a design.
Experimentation and exploration. It makes work fun.


text:
The Top 10 Best Under-25 Players in FIFA 16
Are you looking for a young but powerful player to add to your team? If so, then we have a list of the ten highest rated young players (under the age of 25) for you to choose from.
10. David Alaba – Bayern Munich
Overall Rating: 84
Best attribute: 87 rating in Pace
Alaba is just 23, but has managed to become one of the best in his position in the world. The left back has won almost everything with Bayern Munich. He progressed a lot last year, which is reflected in FIFA 16 as he is rated 84.
9. Christian Eriksen – Tottenham
Overall Rating: 84
Best attribute: 88 rating in Passing
Eriksen is one of the best ball passers in FIFA 16. With 9 assists, he was one of the most influential player in Spurs' squad last year. The Dane, also aged 23, has a potential of 87, which makes him the best Tottenham player in FIFA 16.
8. Antoine Griezmann – Atlético Madrid
Overall Rating: 84
Best attribute: 87 rating in Pace and Dribbling
Griezmann was one of the finest midfielders in La Liga last season. He scored more than 20 goals and assisted a ton. He has awesome stats in Dribbling and Pace making him suitable for a fast game play.
7. Isco – Real Madrid
Overall Rating: 85
Best attribute: 89 rating in Dribbling
The Real Madrid midfielder was brilliant for the Los Blancos when their top midfielders were out injured. He played an outstanding role to cover up their void that he could possible grab a starting role next season. His performance has also increased his FIFA stats from 83 to 85.
6. Paul Pogba – Juventus
Overall Rating: 86
Best attribute: 89 rating in Physical
Pogba is probably one of few bright midfielders who of which we are sure that they will grow into a great player. His constant improvement each season has seen him become close to among the best in the game. In his FIFA career however, he has almost doubled his stats having started at 47 in FIFA 11.
5. Mario Gotze – Bayern Munich
Overall Rating: 86
Best attribute: 91 rating in Dribbling
Gotze has always been lucky. He scored the last minute World Cup final goal, he moved to Bayern Munich in just the right time to win the treble, and he has an almost constant rating in FIFA series for three years. With 91 rating in Dribbling, the German midfielder is among one of the most expensive in FUT 16.
4. James Rodriguez – Real Madrid
Overall Rating: 87
Best attribute: 86 rating in Passing and Dribbling
After his brilliant World Cup performance, EA sports increased his 85 rating to 88 in FIFA 15. In the latest version he has an 87 rating because he was out injured most of the season. He however has a lot more potential than he had in FIFA 15.
3. Thibaut Courtois – Chelsea
Overall Rating: 87
Best attribute: 90 rating in Reflexes
The Chelsea goal stopper has managed to kick Cech out of the club because of his game changing goalkeeping. He helped his side win the Premier League this season making him one of the best players in the Premier League last season. His FIFA stats has boosted from 84 to 87 with a potential rating of 89.
2. Neymar – Barcelona
Overall Rating: 89
Best attribute: 93 rating in Dribbling
The former Santos' attacker won the treble with Barcelona this year. He was very influential as he managed to score more than 20 goals. He will be one of the best attackers in FIFA 16 who is going to be sold probably hundreds of thousands of times.
1. Eden Hazard – Chelsea
Overall Rating: 89
Best attribute: 94 rating in Dribbling
Finally, the best young player in FIFA 16 is Eden Hazard. The Chelsea winger was at his absolute best last year for the Blues winning the Premier League and Capital One Cup. His FIFA stats has boosted from 86 to 89 making him one of the best in the game. Because he is young and dynamic, he will likely be the most sold player in FUT 16.


text:
Does Rafa Benitez deserve more credit for his Chelsea stint?
It is obvious just how unpopular Rafael Benitez is amongst the fans at Chelsea Football Club and it is highly unlikely that he will ever win them over – whatever happens between now and the end of the season.
But has the Spaniard done a good job?
In an immediate retort to this I'm expecting people to say 'no' and point to the fact that the team were just four points behind the Premier League leaders Manchester United after a dozen games which would be correct, but doesn't really cover the whole story.
When the former Liverpool and Inter boss took over at Stamford Bridge there were already signs that things were slipping away from Roberto Di Matteo, with the Champions League capitulation being the most obvious, while the Blues' blistering form in the early part of the season was slowing down.
It's impossible to say whether or not Di Matteo would have been able to steady the ship but what we do know is that any manager would have had a job on his hands competing on so many fronts with a squad that has proven itself unbalanced and wasn't looking the fittest around the middle part of the season.
This forced the manager into an unpopular rotation policy and I don't believe there was any other way to go as Demba Ba was the only recruit in the January transfer window to help ease the burden on Fernando Torres.
The wrongs of the season cannot be blamed solely on him
Both Juan Mata and Sir Alex Ferguson have recently spoken about Benitez's work during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Mata believes that Benitez is a big part of Chelsea's march towards the Europa League final and is confident that the club will finish in the league's top four, whilst his adversary Ferguson says that you cannot deny what Benitez has done and argued that the ease in tension between the manager and fans has been to the benefit of the club.
Chelsea have made their second successive European final following their semi-final victory over Swiss outfit FC Basel and are in the driving seat to finish in the Champions League places. Coupled with the win at Manchester United they look more organised, the players seem happy and he's done a huge favour for David Luiz, who has been a revelation in central midfield as well as significantly improving as a defender this season.
Let's not pretend that this is an endorsement of Benitez as being the right man for Chelsea or that it has been a harmonious relationship.
There are many things that he should be criticised for. Some of the things he's said about the club previously, his team selection, tactics and sometimes bizarre substitutions are among them but the wrongs of the season cannot be blamed solely on him. It's also disingenuous to deny him any credit for what Chelsea have achieved – in spite of a turbulent campaign.


text:
News items about CSIRO Chile.
Inauguration of CSIRO Chile office
Inauguration of CSIRO Chile Office by Australian Foreign Minister
HyLogging™ Workshop with Dr Jon Huntington
Two day hands-on HyLogging™ workshop at AMTC and CSIRO Chile
How to obtain and maintain a social license to operate
National Survey of Perceptions Towards Mining Launch
Dr Dave Robinson participates in two day CSIRO Chile industry workshop
CSIRO Chile hosted a two part Industry Workshop.
Chile at the cutting edge of mineral identification and characterisation
HyLogger™ 3 unveiled today at U. of Chile's AMTC, technology that will improve mining productivity in Chile
Inaugural meeting of CSIRO Chile Foundation Board of Directors
The first official CSIRO Chile Board of Directors Meeting took place Nov 26
CSIRO Chile Centre of Excellence
The CSIRO Chile International Centre of Excellence will benefit both Australia and Chile by supporting greater linkages between the vital mining equipment, technology and services sectors.


text:
Aliphatic and aromatic urethane acrylates with photoinitiator grafted into the oligomer backbone. These custom oligomers can incorporate a variety of different Type I photoinitiators (PIs). Formulations can be designed to produce coatings, adhesives, and inks that exhibit little or no PI fragments and benzaldehyde.These LS® oligomers are suitable for FDA applications and offer benefits including reduced PI leaching, faster curing time, enhanced film properties, and more uniform cures.
|Bomar® Oligomers Selector Guide


text:
You have a deck of 52 cards , guess what the next card will be higher or lower than the previous one. Aces are the smallest . Press UP if you think it will be higher or DOWN if you think it will be lower . When you guess correctly , sexy Katie Meeks (Catie Minx) will undress for you.
Powered by


text:
- Home
- Shop
- Community
- Galleries
- Blog
- Contact
Unlike boat sea scattering services where the cremated remains are placed on the water, we offer a true scattering. The cremated remains are released into the air, allowing the currents of the winds to take them where they may.
A time and location can be chosen so that you and your loved ones can all witness the scattering from a pier or the shoreline. The airplane is clearly visible and the scattering can be seen easily. (See the photo to the left.) Each scattering will include a certificate commemorating the scattering with the latitude, longitude, altitude and time the scattering took place.
Choose from two gorgeous sea scattering locations:
Southern California Coast: Flight is between Huntington Beach and Palos Verdes
San Diego or Ventura Counties: Flight is along the coastline in the county of your choice.
Choose how you would like to witness your scattering from these three options:
Unwitnessed - Come to the airport and watch the plane depart. You are welcome to bring flower petals to scatter with your pet's cremains.
Witnessed - The flight will be scheduled for a special day and time to allow for an unlimited number of family and friends to share in witnessing the scattering from the ground.
Private - Your pet's cremains will be the only ashes scattered on your flight and you have the option of being the one to release the ashes into the air. Additionally, up to four family members may ride along in the aircraft during the scattering.
|Southern CA Coast
|SD or Ventura County Coast
A Journey with Wings will perform scattering services anywhere along the Southern California Coast. For a specific location, please call 877-738-7322.
Once you place your order, we will contact you by phone to arrange all the details of your flight. So please make sure you give us the best phone number to reach you at when you enter your personal information during check out. For further details about Aerial Pet Ash Scattering, visit our FAQ's.


text:
|Per capita income:
|Population density:
|11k per square mile
|Median household income:
|Total population:
|51,878 people
|Median age:
|38 years old
|Square miles:
|4.70 square miles
|Percent renters:
|Median rent:
Only seven miles west of the Chicago Loop sits Oak Park, a historic village where Frank Lloyd Wright spent the first 20 years of his career, and where Ernest Hemingway once lived. In addition to being famous for its Wright-influenced architecture, the village of 52,000 residents is known for its great schools.
An astounding amount of Oak Park residents—over 66 percent—have four-year degrees or higher. An affluent neighborhood with a per capita income of over $47,000, Education and health services are the top two industries. Oak Park shares a symphony and a high school (Oak Park and River Forest High School) with its neighbor, River Forest, while the village's only other high school is Fenwick . In total, there are 12 public schools in Oak Park and 13 private schools. In the public schools, the student-teacher ratio is 15:1, which accounts for the village's high reputation for education.
Oak Park is known for its nice apartment complexes and cul-de-sac-filled suburbs. Though Chicago's urban culture has a slight influence on the community, the village vibe is peaceful and family-friendly. An expansive public transit network supports Oak Park commuters, but owning a car is the norm. blue and green lines provide easy access to and from Chicago. With bike paths, bike clubs and bike-sharing initiatives in place, Oak Park is considered to be very bike-friendly.
Residents looking to enjoy a traditional night out can head to dinner, a play or a movie in town, while those eager to party all night can always escape to Chicago for thrills. Oak Park's active arts community is centered around Harrison Street, which is lined with boutique galleries, shops and restaurants. Families enjoy the farmers' market on Saturdays, and residents and tourists alike explore Frank Lloyd Wright's historic creations.


text:
Science Park tenants encouraged to have their say on County Council budget
- Date 7 Oct 2013
Cambridgeshire Businesses are being asked to give Camnbridgeshire County Council their views on where they should be investing and saving money, through an online survey as well as face-to-face surveys/interviews.
Cambridgeshire County Council is expected to make further savings over the next year of around £39 million. This is following savings of £42 million last year, and a further £32 million this current financial year. These savings have to be made whilst supporting and investing in services such as adult social care, protecting children, boosting the economy and looking after roads and transport.
It is important to the County Council that decisions made on how our budget is spent are informed by the views and priorities of its many stakeholder groups.
As such a consultation exercise is being undertaken in order to listen to the views of stakeholders and the survey below is aimed specifically at businesses.
The County Council would be grateful if local businesses could complete this survey (which should not take longer than 10 minutes) by Monday 21st October.
Join an ambitious, supportive community of world-class scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs
Read more


text:
The contest has ended. Thanks for entering.
In this contest, we're giving away one of Cisco's mainstay SMB VPN routers [reviewed].
All you need to do to enter is to tweet or retweet the message below:
#Win a Cisco RV082 V3 from @smallnetbuilder in our #snbgiveaway http://t.co/RdUK19M
If you're already signed in on Twitter, you can just click this button Tweet
One tweet or retweet per person, please.
Sorry, but the contest is for U.S. entrants only! If you win, you'll need to provide your full name and U.S. mailing address (no P.O. boxes) in order to claim your prize.
The winner will be chosen at random from all valid tweets and retweets and will be notified via Twitter. If we don't hear from you within 24 hours after we notify you, we'll give the product away to someone else.
Like all the stuff we give away, the product is a new unit that has seen light use for our review. All prizes are provided "AS IS" and without warranty of any kind.
Contest ends this Friday, 12 August at 11:59 PM EDT. Enter now!
Support Us!
Most Read This Week
Over In The Forums
Don't Miss These
Wi-Fi Roaming Secrets Revealed
Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes when Wi-Fi devices roam, or more likely don't? We'll show you why the "seamless" roaming Wi-Fi gear makers promise is still as elusive as a Yeti.
2x2 AC Access Point Roundup
Updated - Our roundup of 2x2 802.11ac access points shows top performance doesn't have to cost a lot.
Build A Wi-Fi Performance Analyzer For $75 - Part 1
Updated - Think Wi-Fi analyzers that can show network activity are expensive? Here's how to build one for well under $100.
How To Buy A Wireless Router - 2018 Edition
Our 2018 guide to choosing a wireless router finds 802.11ax not yet ready to play.
- 1
- 2
- 3


text:
FREE USPS Priority 2-3 Day Shipping in the U.S.!
100% Handmade in Florence.
The Pedal includes three controls Level, Gain and Gas (level "dirty" distortion).
The pedal is part of the trilogy of effect series known as "The three naked men." The series is inspired by the 3 statues found in Piazza della Signoria in Florence: David by Michelangelo, Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini and the Neptune by Ammannati.
The pedal package contains the following:
-Research component with vintage: integrated circuits and transistors of the series belonging to the batch production of the '70s.
- Manual Routing circuit to carefully adjust the treatment of the slopes of the audio signal.
-Mechanical strength is guaranteed by mount components on the board. TRUE BYPASS switch high quality, signal integrity with pedal off and eliminates any additional distortion effect.
-Carbon resistor/High-brightness LED with steering to ensure the visibility of the state of ignition including conditions of direct reflection on the pedal.
Technical details:
- Selected electronic components.
- True bypass.
- Full analog.
- Jack input / output 6.3 mm 1/4″ on the sides.
- Three knobs allow gain, tone and volume adjustment. The LED indicates the effect is on.
- Power supply 9 volts DC via battery or external power supply unit. Battery replacement is possible by removing the four screws on the bottom cover.


text:
Since many webmasters take team communication seriously, they long for a great platform to this end. Thus, we make this guide on how to integrate Slack with WordPress, which is made for readers who wish to have a taste of Slack but lack understanding about it. Before everything, we would like to brief you on what is Slack and why you need it. And then, an effective method on how to enable Slack team communication by using Slack plugin is shown to you.
Why Choose Slack?
Slack, as a team communication platform, is designed for companies who desire for effective teamwork, especially for people working on a remote team. Besides, the rich features enable more flexibility for group exchange. Here, we would like to explain the main advantages of this rich-featured messaging service one by one.
Get Everything in One Place
The most mentionable feature of Slack is that this tool has the ability to get all communication in one place no matter where the addresser is. Featuring an intuitive interface, Slack enables all your members to keep up with the latest communication. There are multiple channels shown on the interface, which include messages, feeds, comments, and some other information.
Integrate with Various Third-Party Service
Slack integrates with many common-used services, like Twitter, Google Docs, Dropbox, and so on, thereby enabling more possibilities for you. In this way, this team communication tool makes social media integration, files management, email support, and some other operations much easier to handle.
Make File Sharing and Search Much Easier
Slack features internal and external sharing options, which make it easy to share files with others. This is also a great way to promote the communication among all members and get to know the latest status of each other. And also, Slack enables advanced search function for all users, which make it much easier to filter files according to personal needs.
In addition to the above-mentioned highlights, Slack can provide you with more function in deed only if you have integrated it with your website and give it a try. And now, let's get started to do this by following the guide as below.
Integrate Slack with WordPress by Using Slack Plugin
The most effective method for Slack integration valued in the following guide is the use of Slack plugin. This plugin makes it easier for you to send notifications to Slack channels once an event happens on your website. For example, if a post is published, this event will be sent to Slack automatically and all members of a group are informed in time. Here, we are going to make this plugin into effect via your WordPress dashboard.
Go to WordPress dashboard > Plugins > Add New and enter the name of Slack plugin. The search result should be like the following screenshot. Click "Install Now" and activate this plugin immediately.
Since you have successfully installed the Slack plugin, an item called Slack appears on the dashboard. Move your mouse onto this new item and go to Slack > Add New. And then, you come to the "Add New Slack Integration" interface, which includes various settings for integration customization.
The first field requires you to enter an incoming webhooks URL, which can be acquired since you log into your Slack dashboard. If you have already registered a Slack account, you can skip the steps of account signup and continue to get the incoming webhook token as required. If not, you have to sign up an account on Slack at first.
Go to the homepage of Slack and target the field that requires you to enter email address and company name. Fill out your information in the blank as required and click "Sign up for Free". And then, you will receive an email from Slack, which includes a magic link called "Get started" for account activation. Click it and access to the welcome page of Slack.
Check if the email shown on the page is the correct one. If so, click "Yes, that's the right address" to confirm all information. Later, you are required to enter a team name for your group, which will be shown on menus and headings. Set the left processes one by one and make sure all information is real and effective. Finally, you come to your Slack dashboard.
Move to your company name and click the arrow to open a drop-down list. The first option "Configure Integrations" is where you should go.
Here you come to the Integrations interface and that shows you a list of services to be integrated. Move to the bottom of this page and target the service "Incoming WebHooks". Click the "Add" button next to this item.
Go to the Incoming WebHooks setting page and select a channel where the Incoming WebHooks post messages to. "Add Incoming WebHooks Integration" and go to the next page.
This page shows you several options under the Setup Instructions, including Webhook URL, Sending Messages, Adding Links, Customized Appearance, Channel Override and Example. Focus on the first option and copy & paste your webhook URL to the WordPress dashboard.
After filling out the incoming webhooks URL in the Service URL field, you need to select a channel that accepts all notifications. Here, we pitch on #general channel. And then, complete the left settings including username, icon, events to notify and active.
Note that, there are multiple icons available for you if you click "here". You just need to copy and paste the shortname of a selected icon to the Icon field. Besides, the "Event to Notify" is where to determine when to send a message to your Slack team communication. Finally, click "Save" button to confirm all settings.
Since we have checked the option "When a post is published" under the Events to Notify mode, we are going to receive messages if there is a post published on the website. To check if the Slack plugin works for our website smoothly, we newly publish a post called "Test Post" and then go to the Slack interface. As expected, a message as the following screenshot is shown in the specific channel.
If you want to make some changes to the created Slack integrations, then you need to go to Slack > Slack Integrations and hover on the item to be modified. Note that, there are three options available for you, including Edit, Trash and Deactivate.
In addition to Slack plugin, there are many other options designed for Slack integration, such as bbPress Slack Integration, Slack EDD, Slack WooCommerce, and so on. All those recommendations are easy to handle and come with a lot of possibilities. We hope that this guide can be a part of your success.
If You Plan to Turn to a New WordPress Hosting Provider
There are many reasons forcing you to change your mind and turn to a new WordPress web host, such as insufficient resource allocation, bad performance, poor customer service, and so on. Thus, we list the best WordPress hosting companies in the following table for you reference, which are recommended by the majority of people in the market.


text:
For plastic chess sets please see the Chess Starter Boxes section.
This is the non-electronic DGT Timeless chess set with the same design as the popular electronic version.
Great for tournaments that want to have matching boards and pieces alongside the electronic boards.
But it is also a beautiful chess set for use at home or club.
Use in combination with the non-electronic Walnut Chess Board
DGT supplies a non-electronic Walnut chess board with the same design as the popular DGT Walnut e-Board.
Great for tournaments that want to have matching boards and pieces alongside the electronic boards.
But it is also a beautiful chess board for use at home or club.
Use in combination with the non-electronic Timeless Chess Pieces.
This beautiful chess board bears the Judit Polgar signature. It is made from Maple and Cassia Siamea.
These very beautiful chess pieces have been handpicked by Judit Polgar, the world's best female chess player of all time.
The pieces are made from high quality boxwood and presented in a very fine Walnut case.
Two black and two white queens are included and all chess pieces are weighted.
King height is 95mm.
This is a magnificent limited edition chess set made from real coins. The eye-catcher of both your coin collection ánd your chess collection.
The coins are real currency from Andorra and the value for each coin is 1 Andorran Diner (pre-euro value!).
The pieces are made of gold plated brass and nickel and weigh 11 grams each with a 25 x 25 mm size.
You can play chess with this set, as each coin bears the image of a chess piece. A chess board is included and all is presented in a high class gift box.
A certificate with unique serial number is included with each set.
Only a limited number of these Andorra Coin sets were ever produced. Limited stock may be available from selected dealers.
December 13, 2017 by Digital Game Technology
New high quality timer with Japanese Byo-yomi timing options especially designed for the ancient games of Shogi and Go.
November 14, 2017 by Digital Game Technology
The DGT Smart Board is a great new addition to our range of electronic chess boards.
August 16, 2017 by Digital Game Technology
The travel timer with surprisingly many options!
December 21, 2016 by Digital Game Technology
A new DGT Chess Starter Box that includes chess board, weighted chess pieces and the great little DGT1002 chess clock.
October 27, 2016 by Digital Game Technology
DGT is proud to add the Official FIDE Chess Set to its range of electronic chess pieces suitable for all DGT e-Boards and Revelation II.
October 17, 2016 by Digital Game Technology
DGT Pi is a chess computer that turns your DGT e-Board into your strongest sparring partner.
October 04, 2016 by Digital Game Technology
DGT1002 is the simplest chess clock with bonus options available anywhere. Simply press + or - to set the times and the game can begin! Easy to understand and fun to use!
July 25, 2018 by Digital Game Technology
An important maintenance release of the free DGT LiveChess software, including new features, was released in July 2018.
February 09, 2018 by Digital Game Technology
This is a chess computer like there has never been before and it will revolutionize the way chess is experienced.
September 21, 2017 by Digital Game Technology
Read the DGT1002 review in the 130th edition of the Spanish chess magazine Peon de Rey.
June 12, 2017 by Digital Game Technology
DGT LiveChess software for tournament broadcasting and management is completely new and greatly improved! It offers many new features for tournaments and home use.
March 20, 2017 by Digital Game Technology
DGT clocks are used for chess, draughts and many other games. But did you know that DGT clocks are also programmed for Go?
July 19, 2016 by Digital Game Technology
The DGT1001 received the Seal of Approval and Editor's Choice Awards from the Family Review Center.
June 17, 2016 by Digital Game Technology
DGT Product Development found a way to increase the weight of electronic chess pieces that adds around 220-260 gram per set!
As a leading electronics and digital company we develop innovative ideas into quality products and unique services.
We take play seriously and want to add fun, fairness and excitement to all games.


text:
Trevibban Mill Black Ewe Rosé
Excellent as an aperitif or with an antipasti.
This refreshing crisp young rosé presents salmon pink in the glass, with aromas of wild red berries and a hint of mint and eucalyptus. On the palette there are flavours of tart cherry, red currant, blood orange and grapefruit. There are soft creamy nuances and hints of mint, red pepper or even tomato. Perfect on it's own or with light plates over the spring and summer.


text:
Festive Greetings from Higaonna Sensei &
Message from Nakamura
End of year message from:
Sensei Tetsuji Nakamura – IOGKF Vice-Chief Instructor
At the end of the year, I would like to look back over this year and see what happened in IOGKF International.
In February, Higaonna Sensei visited New Zealand to conduct the
Oceania Gasshuku. He and I also visited Fuzhou, China for
the grand opening of the Kanryo Higaonna Sensei Memorial Hall built
by IOGKF China. In April, he went to the Ukraine for the Euro-Asia
Gasshuku where Kuramoto Sensei and I assisted him. In May,
Higaonna Sensei went to Cancun, Mexico to teach at the Miyagi Chojun
Festival. On the way back from Mexico, he stopped in Canada
and came to my dojo's grand opening. In July, Higaonna Sensei
went to Portugal to conduct the European Gasshuku. He then
taught at the IOGKF Japan Gasshuku in August, the South American
Gasshuku in Venezuela in September and at a Gasshuku in Azerbaijan
in October. In November, he taught at the IOGKF Chief
Instructor Gasshuku in Fuzhou, China.
Many senior instructors in the IOGKF, such as Sensei Bakkies, Terauchi Sensei, Sensei Ernie, Yamashiro Sensei, etc, also travelled to various countries to teach at national and local Gasshuku. I believe that the IOGKF is the best Karate organization because it has so many talented instructors who not only produce great seminars, but also posses the highest level of skill and understanding of the art. This is all due to Higaonna Sensei's teaching that "Goju-Ryu is a lifetime discipline". All of the senior instructors spend many hours of their own training working on improving their skills.
In last 5 years, Higaonna Sensei has reduced his overseas seminars due to his age, as well as his wish to focus on his research on Goju-Ryu history. However when I look back over this year's schedule, I see that he was still quite busy. This was mostly because Higaonna Sensei wants to promote the World Budosai being held next year in Okinawa. The World Budosai is the special event, for all IOGKF members, which is held in Okinawa - the birth place of Karate, once every four years. Higaonna Sensei wishes that many Karate-ka will come to this event, train under the top masters of the world and experience the culture, music, food, beaches and great hospitality of Okinawa and its people.
All staff members in IOGKF Okinawa are working very hard to make this event a life time experience for all visitors. I encourage everybody not to miss this great opportunity.
At the end of my message, I would like to wish all IOGKF members and your families' health, wealth, and all the best for the coming year 2012!


text:
(Bloomberg) -- The Federal Reserve has made it clear that short-term rates are on lockdown until the unemployment rate drops from its current 7.6 percent to 6.5 percent. That gives ammo to money managers who say "cash is trash." A federal funds rate stuck near zero means cash will continue to deliver negative real returns for some time.
Who in their right mind, the standard Wall Street taunt goes, would own cash when its a guaranteed losing proposition?
Some standout value fund managers, thats who.
Cash's Value
The $1.1 billion Weitz Value and $980 million Weitz Partners Value funds each have cash stakes that are close to 30 percent. At the $10.6 billion Yacktman Focused fund, cash has crept up from 14 percent a year ago to 19 percent. The $1.3 billion Westwood Income Opportunity has about 16 percent in cash, more than double what it had at the start of the year. Cash makes up about 28 percent of assets in the $8.9 billion IVA Worldwide Fund, up from 10 percent a year ago, and is 33 percent of the $508 million GoodHaven fund, up from 19 percent a year ago.
Those are some seriously contrarian positions. The average diversified U.S. stock fund has less than 5 percent in cash, according to Morningstar. For funds such as IVA Worldwide that fall into the "world allocation" fund category and invest globally across a wide range of asset classes, the average cash stake is below 15 percent.
Theres no big macroeconomic prediction fueling the move of these value managers into cash. Just some simple investing discipline as managers pare positions in stocks they bought at deeply depressed prices. The Leuthold Group reports that the median price-earnings ratio for large-cap value stocks is 13 percent to 25 percent above its long-term historic norm; large-cap growth stocks trade at an 8 percent to 10 percent discount to their historic norm.
After taking profits on stocks that have risen close to what we believe is their value, we arent finding enough mispriced securities to redeploy that cash into, says IVA Worldwide co-manager Charles de Vaulx. He'd rather know with certainty that he'll lose a little by holding cash than stay invested in stocks I dont think offer enough value and lose a lot.
"All-Time High"
The managers at Weitz feel much the same way. Investing nirvana is a stock that trades at a 40 percent to 50 percent discount to their estimate of its market value. As holdings have rallied Weitz Partners Value is up more than 32 percent over the past 12 months, three percentage points ahead of the S&P 500 the value proposition has dissipated. Wally Weitz estimates that the current price-to-market value for the remaining stocks in Partners Value is in the high 80 percentage range, which is probably close to an all-time high for us. Thus, so too is the funds cash position.
We tell people that to do the best we can means there will be times we will opt to wait in cash for the next opportunity, says Drew Weitz, Wally's son. Over the past 15 years both Weitz funds have outpaced the S&P 500's return by more than two percentage points.
These managers aren't permabears. Tom Forester, who has 25 percent of his Forester Value fund in cash, is quick to note that in 2009 his fund had a 4 percent cash position. I think equities are phenomenal, at the right price and in the right environment, he says. It's just that he sees little of either right now: Central banks are driving the markets higher, not fundamentals.
Theres always a constant intellectual dance deciding whether to own something that is fairly valued or hold cash, says Dowe Bynum, co-manager of the Cook & Bynum fund. In his fund, which prowls for stocks that deliver the classic "margin of safety" that is a cornerstone of value investing, cash is winning at more than 40 percent of assets.
Cook & Bynum managers aren't selling out of positions, but as new money arrives they arent adding to existing positions that include Microsoft, Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola and Berkshire Hathaway. Nor is their list of potential new stock holdings trading at buy-worthy valuations now. Bynum says it would take a 10 percent to 15 percent drop in any of their existing holdings to consider putting cash to work.
Waiting Game
Its not just rising stock valuations pushing some managers to hold more cash. The Westwood Income Opportunity fund has a mandate to invest in both stocks and bonds, and it deems bonds too pricey. The only way for value to be created in fixed-income right now is for rates to rise, and I dont want to be there while the value is being created, says co-manager Mark Freeman. He expects this transitional market for bonds to last six months to a year. His solution: Use cash as a proxy for bonds.
That means Freeman is giving up some current yield, which is not easy for a manager whose fund has 'income' in its name. Yet while others lament the opportunity cost of holding cash that negative return Freeman sees positive future returns. It not only helps me manage volatility, but as we progress through this transitional market that cash will give us the flexibility to take advantage of new values once they're created.
As the saying goes, "the time to pounce is when there is blood in the street," says IVA Worldwide's de Vaulx. Were not nervous Nellies. We are waiting to pounce.
Register or login for access to this item and much more
All On Wall Street content is archived after seven days.
Community members receive:
- All recent and archived articles
- Conference offers and updates
- A full menu of enewsletter options
- Web seminars, white papers, ebooks
Already have an account? Log In
Don't have an account? Register for Free Unlimited Access


text:
LTC giant had one fatal flaw: bad timingJanuary 10, 2014
A bizarre thing happened when ESPN named its Athlete of the Century. The self-proclaimed world leader in sports apparently forgot that the 20th Century also included years predating 1990.
The naked truth about aging is quite an eye openerJuly 26, 2013
The great South African golfer Gary Player has found an interesting way to gain additional media "exposure." The septuagenarian was recently seen gracing the cover of ESPN The Magazine. And by the way, a golf club was apparently the only thing he was wearing.


text:
In a game of few genuine goalscoring opportunities, Nurnberg had to rely on goalkeeper Daniel Klewer to earn a point as the 31-year-old pulled off several crucial saves.
The draw leaves the visitors a point from safety, having played a game more than their relegation rivals.
Copyright (c) PA Sport 2008, All Rights Reserved.
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms