text:
In the last episode, Mathilda—a cat who does biblioresearch on antiquarian and rare books—had told the bookseller he should make the house call that the odd visitor named Athelbert was urging.
Well, she did not exactly "tell" him. She couldn't speak. At least not English. But her body language had made it clear she felt the bookseller should say yes.
"Yes," the bookseller told Athelbert.
"Well, well, I am certain that this will be a profitable evening for you both."
Mathilda raised her head and made eye contact with Athelbert. Her eyes glowed gold and brass and bronze all at once.
That apparently disconcerted the fellow, and his head set to wobbling prodigiously.
"Here now, Athelbert," the bookseller said softly. "Settle down, please. You're making me dizzy."
"I am quite sorry. But her eyes! They glowed like rare coins. I have never seen that except in drag…except…well, I have never seen the like in mammals."
"Have you tried holding your head in your hands to stop it…wobbling so?"
"It would only make it worse, I am afraid. Likely it would set everything into motion. It can take a great deal of time and mental effort to settle everything down. Besides, I have never lost my head…thus far."
Mathilda gave a solid shake of her head and sneezed.
Athelbert's eyes widened with pleasure as all his parts ceased moving!
"Gracious sakes, Mathilda. Thank you! And bless you too!"
With that, he reached into his vest and retrieved a pale blue sheet of paper. With barely a tremor, he laid it upon the counter before them both.
"I have made detailed instructions…umm, directions for you. If you follow them to the letter, you will arrive in practically no time after you leave this state."
"Mary…oh, geography." Athelbert chuckled. "No. I mean after you have left an entirely different kind of state. I will leave the catalog of books with you. Mathilda can study it further for the rest of the day. You must bring it with you, however. MUST. If you do not, I will be… He will…"
His body gave a great shudder. Every part shook briefly and then settled back into place.
"You must bring this list with you!"
With that, he turned and headed toward the front door. His yellow boots clicked and clacked across the black and white tiled floor. He paused and turned after a few steps.
"I see that you close at 6 this evening. If you depart immediately, you should arrive at 7:11. Barring misadventure, naturally."
Both the bookseller and Mathilda leaned over the counter's edge so they could follow the rest of the man's progress. With each step he took, he tilted 23 degrees to the right or 19 degrees to the left. However, his body parts did not wobble.
He pushed the front door open and disappeared when it closed behind him.
The little silver bell above the door trilled tremulously.
"Why, he barely wobbled at all. You cured him, Mathilda—with your sneeze—like curing hiccups!"
"Pffft," she uttered derisively.
"These directions seem pretty clear. 'At the exit of the parking lot, turn east. At the third stop sign, turn east. In 1.3 miles when the road splits, bear east.' How can we continue going east without going in circles? There must be 29 turns on this sheet. Wait! Look at the final instruction: 'When the road ends, keep going. You will arrive shortly thereafter.'"
Mathilda stood, stretched languorously and then peered at the directions. She looked at the bookseller. Her eyes glowed like old gold coins. They then became silver.
"'When the road ends, keep going.' What can that mean?"
Mathilda sidled over to the list and continued perusing it. Periodically she would extend a single claw and prick a hole with it into the paper beside a book's entry.
"You think they actually exist and are that good?"
She gave a deep and rumbling purr.
"Do you think there is any risk? I mean Athelbert has said some very strange things."
Mathilda made a soft chirping noise that lasted a few moments.
"Yes, I agree. It is the things he ALMOST said that are even more troubling."
He started to turn from the counter and then brought himself up suddenly.
"How did you speak to me?! I understand exactly what you…chirruped!"
Mathilda turned her head over her shoulder and cocked it at him. She contorted herself and groomed her left hip with her tongue. She then turned back and continued scanning the list.
"I suppose I'd better put empty boxes into the van. I'll go get it fueled full as well. Though the trip may only last 1 hour and eleven minutes—according to Athelbert—I suspect we may be going a lot further."
He sauntered over to the door, rocking right and left a bit as if Athelbert's gait had been contagious. When he exited, the bell above rang chill—as if it was shivering.
When he returned from filling the van, there was a young woman with a stack of books before her on the counter. Mathilda was tapping the keyboard before the screen that acted as the cash register with one of the pads on her left forepaw.
"Good afternoon," the bookseller said. "Did you find some treasures?"
"Oh yes! Some Roycroft classics. They are all hand-illuminated throughout."
The bookseller stepped to the counter and picked up one of the limp suede books.
"Really?" He gently opened one. Indeed, the title page and all the engraved capitals beginning each chapter were meticulously colored.
"I wonder how I missed that."
"Only one of them is signed." The young woman picked up a thin Emerson. "See!"
She opened the book to the colophon page at the rear and pointed a long delicate forefinger to the page. The finger was lengthened another 31 millimeters by a carefully tapered fingernail. It was painted in a color he could not place. It was a kind of blue somewhere between turquoise and robin's egg blue.
"Nellie signed it!" she spoke with pride of discovery.
"You speak as if you knew her." The bookseller chuckled.
"Nellie? We keep in touch."
"This work was illuminated 121 years ago!"
"Yes, it was. I am glad I found them all. And so reasonably priced!"
The bookseller looked at the penciled prices.
"What was I thinking!?" he exclaimed. "I must have missed the illuminations and believed they were just trade editions!"
Mathilda snickered. If you have never heard a cat snicker, you will just have to use your imagination.
The cat then placed a paw on the screen to indicate how much was owed. The young woman inserted a credit card in the chip reader on the counter. In a few moments, there was a "Ping" indicating the transaction had gone through.
The bookseller tore off the receipt and placed it inside the topmost book.
"Would you like a bag?"
"Do you need any help here?" the young woman asked. She was looking around the place. "You have books all over the floor. It is kind of a mess."
"I…we do hire sometimes. What were you thinking?"
"I wasn't." She laughed like a roiling stream flowing through infinite wind chimes.
"Oh. I don't understand."
"I thought I might like a summer job."
"But it isn't sum…"
"It is somewhere."
"Would you like an application? It is just a formality. We need certain information for the accountant—taxes, you know."
He brought out a sheet of paper from below the counter. She took it from him.
"I will think about it. I do not like being tied down in one spot too long."
"Oh, you like to travel?"
"I suppose you could call it that."
"Well, here's the number. Call if you have any questions. May I ask your name?"
There was a pregnant pause.
"Ummm…well, thank your for your purchases. You found some nice treasures."
"Nellie will be so amused that I've found some of her old work. You should see what she is doing now. It's, it's…celestial!"
"Nellie. Yes. 121 years old."
"141 next June. Annirosa."
"My name is Annirosa. At least one of my names."
"Nice to meet you. I'm…"
"I know. I will consider the summer job. Are you flexible? There are times when I need to fly."
"I…think…if you can give me a little notice, we can work things out. I'm here all the time. It would be nice to have any help right now. Mathilda is of great assistance. But there are tasks which she is incapable of."
Annirosa reached across the counter to shake his hand. Her fingers were very, very long and overwrapped his hand entirely. She looked at him, and her eyes were the same unplaceable blue as her nails.
"Well, it sounds like my cup of tea. Old books speak to me."
"They do to me as well."
"Really? None have said so. Perhaps I will start tomorrow."
With that, she turned and headed along the aisle to the front door. As she passed each aisle, a book fell from a shelf and dropped to the floor in her wake. When she pushed the door open, the little silver above it trilled like a mountain stream roiling through infinite wind chimes.
"Well, I'll be… What are your thoughts, Mathilda?"
She purred softly.
The rest of the day proceeded apace.
The bookseller bought 23 boxes of books from 7 different sellers over the course of the afternoon. He sold the equivalent of 3 boxes to 11 buyers. A typical ratio.
As the afternoon aged, he began planning for their departure.
"Should I bring boots and a coat, Mathilda?"
The feline leapt off the counter and trotted to her bowl. She rattled it with her paw.
"Early supper, eh?"
There were no late customers. When 6 pm approached, he went into his office to flip the Open sign to Closed.
He reached for the light switch near his desk. The golden ring which hung from a pin in the wall above his desk glowed warmly. Without thinking, he reached for it and squeezed it in his palm. It was quite warm. He pushed it into his trouser pocket.
'Just in case,' he thought, though he didn't know what he meant by that.
He stepped out to the counter.
"Are you coming, Mathilda?"
She trotted out from her tiny private area. Her coat was…different.
"Wow! You look great! What did you do with your hair? I mean fur."
She paused, bent and groomed her left thigh with her tongue.
"Let's go."
She started trotting at his heel but thought better of it and accelerated to lead the way.
He pushed the door open, and the bell tinkled with great apprehension and concern.
They crossed the porch and descended to the parking lot.
He opened the van door, and Mathilda bounded up to the floor, to the driver's seat and across to the passenger seat.
"Riding shotgun?"
The old van sprang to life, rattling and wheezing and shaking.
He headed for the exit. Stopped. Removed the sheet of directions and spread it out on the console below the dashboard between the seats.
It was getting dusky. He pulled the knob to turn the headlights on. When he got to the street, he put on his blinker and turned onto it.
He followed the directions. Turn after turn. But always heading east.
Southeast, northeast, south-southeast, north-northeast…and just plain east.
For the first 45 minutes, the roads were familiar.
Then they were in some part…was it still Maryland? It had to be. But nothing looked quite right. The fauna was odd.
"I don't recognize those conifers, Mathilda. They are kind of like hemlocks. I don't recall hemlock forests in Maryland.
"They are enormous. Almost like redwoods."
It became misty. Night was falling. The sun was down…somewhere. Drops of water fell from the branches high above.
"These remind me of the coastal groves in California. I would so much like to go to there again. This forest…it must be a state or national park I've never heard of…it feels prehistoric."
The turns continued.
Southeast, northeast, south-southeast, north-northeast…and just plain east.
They continued in the forest for some miles. The trees towered over the van from both sides of the road.
The last instructions but one read:
"Turn east on the unmarked road in 1.11 miles. There is an old rusty sign on the corner that reads: 'Bookshop.'"
A narrow break in the forest appeared up ahead on the left. The bookseller slowed the van and turned on the bright lights. There was a mere sliver of a road there. And a battered rusty pockmarked sign "Bookshop" was visible amongst the roadside weeds. It tilted precariously eastward on its decaying posts.
"What happens next, Mathilda?"
She replied with soft growling purr.
"So we turn onto this, eh?"
He was no longer surprised that he understood her.
"It's little more than a path. Not much wider than the van. If that," he whispered.
He turned and entered the lane. It was paved, but the ancient asphalt was cracked and potholed. Branches scratched both sides of the van. He stopped and peered as far as the headlights would let him. Beyond the last illumination, it appeared like a dark tunnel and gloomy.
"I wonder how far this goes? There's no mileage on the instructions. And is there still a bookshop? I would think I would know a bookshop that was only an hour or so away."
He started slowly down the road. Very slowly. The light, what remained of it, became strange. It was as if it was breaking up on either side of them.
"Mathilda, when I was young and foolish, I once chased a rainbow down a side road. I drove very fast trying to catch it, trying to get inside it's base the foot of the rainbow. The light became like this. Fractalizing."
Mathilda made an inquisitive purring growl.
"What happened then? I was within a sea of color for a few moments. And then the rainbow moved off the road, and I could only look up at it in the sky."
"Very funny. You're right, I AM no longer young, but I'm still…"
They drove on and on. The road got narrower. It then turned to gravel.
And then it ended.
The bookseller stopped the van.
Off to the right was a decrepit old clapboard building. The gray wood had long ago lost its paint. The whole building sagged toward the east. The door was ajar. The windows were vacant and black. They looked like empty eye sockets. A rusty sign dangled precariously from the front porch. It read "We Buy All Books."
"I don't think it is open, Mathilda." He chuckled nervously.
She purred softly.
"They haven't bought or sold books here for many, many years."
Then he stared ahead. He turned on the bright lights again. There was no road. No path. Just the forest floor covered with dun colored hemlock needles.
"What do we do now?"
The cat made a sound.
"Go on? The van doesn't have four-wheel drive."
She reached and placed a paw on the instruction sheet. One claw pointed to the final line:
"When the road ends, keep going."
She repeated the sound.
He put the van into low gear and crept ahead very slowly. Very, very slowly…
To be continued…


text:
Finding the right weight loss formula for yourself can be tricky. Metabolism, genetics, how much you exercise, your eating habits - all these things come into play, especially as you age. But what if you try and try to lose weight doing all the "right" things, but you still can't seem to make the scale budge?
Sleep and Weight Loss: The Two Are More Connected Than You Think
What are you missing?
There's one piece of the weight loss puzzle that's often neglected. And that's sleep.
Believe it or not, sleep and weight loss have a lot to do with each other. If you're not getting enough high-quality sleep, you're sabotaging your weight loss efforts.
As a matter of fact, according to research, not getting enough sleep is one of the risk factors leading to obesity.
Studies Show, You Need Good Sleep for Weight Loss
How much sleep you need depends on several factors, but one of the major factors is age. And typically, adults require seven to nine hours of sleep per night to be considered getting "enough" sleep. Unfortunately, many adults aren't getting anywhere close to that.
So if we're subscribing to the idea that you need adequate sleep to help you lose weight, that alone isn't supporting your weight loss efforts. But there are a couple of studies inarguably linking sleep deprivation to trouble losing weight.
One study had participants participate in a calorie-restricted diet and had some sleep eight and a half hours while the others slept a mere five and a half hours per night for two weeks. Guess who lost more fat?
Yup.The eight and a half hours crew.
Not only that. The folks sleeping only 5.5 hours per night lost muscle mass. That's not something you really want to do.
Another similar study also had participants on a calorie-restricting diet. Some of them reduced their sleep by one hour per night for five nights of the week. The other participants slept at least eight hours every night.
The results? Pretty much the same as the first study.
So what does this mean?
Well, it means you could run yourself ragged dieting and not prioritizing your sleep during the week. Then you could try to play catch-up on your Z's over the weekend. But that still isn't going to help your weight-loss efforts. You need to get enough high-quality sleep every night for optimal weight loss.
Lack of Sleep Affects Your Appetite
Before we get into the more in-depth information about how sleep and weight relate to each other, we have to define a couple of key appetite hormones affected by sleep:
- Leptin: decreases appetite; when leptin is high, you feel full
- Ghrelin: increases appetite; when ghrelin is high, you feel hungry
So when you think about not getting enough sleep and its direct relation to weight gain or lack of weight loss, what do you think happens to these two hormones when you lack sleep?
You guessed right again. Your "I-feel-full" hormone leptin decreases while your "I'm-so-hungry-I-could-eat-a-horse" hormone ghrelin increases. In plain English, when you don't sleep enough, you're more likely to crave food. And when you eat more food than you need, you gain weight.
That's not all the bad news, though. There's more to this sleep and weight conundrum.
Studies show when you're sleep-deprived, the part of your brain responsible for rewarding yourself is more active. That means when you're sleepy, you're more likely to choose "rewarding" foods like carbs and sugar-laden treats.
Again, no good for the waistline.
*No copyright infringement intended
Lack of Sleep Affects Your Metabolism
When you eat, your body releases insulin, the hormone that helps you process glucose in your blood. But when your body is sleep-deprived, your metabolism gets on the slow boat to processing that glucose.
But your body still produces insulin when you eat. So if you eat lots of junk (see above) because you're tired, your body won't process the proper amount of glucose. This leads to high insulin levels and higher body-fat storage.
Higher insulin levels also put you at risk for developing diabetes and heart disease.
Lack of Sleep Affects Your Motivation
Let's face it. When you're exhausted, you don't want to do much other than lay on your couch, bed, Papasan, or other comfy surface and chill. The last thing you want to do is strap on some sneaks and get your exercise on. And planning healthy meals? Pssshhh. Nah.
You already know physical activity and eating right can help you on your weight loss journey. But if you aren't getting enough sleep, you're less likely to get off your couch and actually do those things. Instead, you'll continue sitting and order takeout.
Those aren't such great weight-loss activities, now are they?
Get Better Sleep and Weight Loss with These Tips
Before we start listing off things you can implement into your life to help you sleep better, the first thing you have to do is prioritize sleep. If you look at sleep as an afterthought, your uphill battle with losing weight is going to be even more challenging.
Write it down. Put it on a post-it note. Set an alarm on your phone. However you do it, remind yourself that sleep is essential to so many aspects of a healthy way of living.
Without further ado, here are some of our favorite tips for sleeping better. And since sleep and weight loss go together, if you get better sleep, you might just lose a few pounds.
- Maintain a Regular Bedtime: This kind of goes hand-in-hand with prioritizing sleep. But if you make and maintain a regular bedtime, your circadian rhythm will remain in check. And when that's in check, you not only feel fantastic but all the right hormones, including leptin and ghrelin, behave themselves. And that'll help you drop the pounds.
- Just Say No to Blue Light: Those schnazzy blue-light glasses are all the rage. And for a good reason. They block the harmful blue rays emanating from your smartphone and other screens. These blue light rays trick your brain into thinking, "Hey! It's time to be awake!". So staring at your phone playing Clash of Clans late into the evening isn't going to help your sleep. If you just can't tear yourself away, invest in some of them classy glasses.
- Limit Caffeine: We know what you might be thinking, "Boooooooo!!!!" And we get it. That afternoon latte, can of soda, or chunk of dark chocolate can give you the boost you're looking for. But take it from us, if you cut yourself off at the right time consistently, you won't need that boost anymore because you'll be sleeping better.
- Slow Down on the Alcohol: Alcohol suppresses melatonin, your sleep hormone. If you think imbibing in a nightcap regularly is going to help your sleep, you're sadly mistaken. It also impacts your body's production of human growth hormone, which regulates your circadian rhythm. So after you drink, you might find yourself waking up at odd hours and not being able to go back to sleep.
- Make Your Bedroom a Sleep Sanctuary: To achieve optimal sleep, make your bedroom a place for the two S's: sleep and sex. So move that office outta there, and perhaps even the TV. (gasp!) Once you do, your brain will associate that room in your house as a place to relax. And that'll help you sleep better.
- Invest in a High-Quality Weighted Blanket: Here's our favorite little sleeping-better tip. Weighted blankets deliver Deep Pressure Stimulation (DPS), which helps your body produce melatonin and serotonin while decreasing cortisol. This is the perfect, natural way to get you feeling relaxed and ready for sleep.
Weighted blankets have so many science-backed benefits to improving sleep quantity and quality, it's hard for you to argue.
Do you think they're too hot? Not ours. Because we manufacture our weighted blankets with high-quality breathable materials like microfiber and bamboo, you get all the benefits of a weighted blanket without waking up in a pool of sweat. As a matter of fact, we won "Best Cooling Weighted Blanket" in 2020.
Do you think they're uncomfortable? Nope. Again, not ours. We perfected our weighted blankets to comfortably hug your body rather than just rest on top in a lumpy, uneven mess. Our proprietary sensory sand and double-stitched pockets ensure maximum comfort.
Do you think they're too heavy? Nope. Not if you buy the right one. Our general rule of thumb is to purchase a weighted blanket that is 7-12% of your body weight. Check out our chart:
Achieve Better Sleep and Weight Loss with the Click of a Button
Now that we've helped you better understand how sleep and weight loss are connected, why not start implementing some of these tips today? And the easiest one? Ordering a weighted blanket. Not just any weighted blanket. One that's backed by a 100-night risk-free trial and delivered to your door without having to pay for shipping.
Here comes a cheesy catchphrase….
Don't wait to lose weight with a weighted blanket by Weighted Evolution. (How many times can we play on the word "weight"?)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Lok Sabha elections: Voters complain about faulty EVMs in Kerala, UP in third phase of polls
A voter in Thiruvananthapuram was booked after he failed to prove his complaint that a VVPAT machine had registered his vote wrongly.
Complaints of electronic voting machine malfunctioning were reported from some polling booths across Kerala and Uttar Pradesh as 117 constituencies went to polls in the third phase on Tuesday, reports said.
In Kerala, faulty electronic voting machines interrupted polling at seven booths in Alathur, 11 booths in Palakkad, seven booths in Kasaragod and 10 booths in Pathanamthitta, according to Manorama. Snags in EVMs were also reported from Cherthala in Alappuzha district and Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram.
However, Thiruvananthapuram District Collector K Vasuki dismissed reports of glitches in the machine in Kovalam, reported PTI. Senior Congress leader and sitting MP Shashi Tharoor is contesting against BJP's Kummanam Rajasekaran and Left Democratic Front's C Divakaran in this seat. Tharoor alleged that EVMs were registering only votes polled for the BJP, reported News18. He asked the Election Commission to take note of the matter.
Kerala Chief Minister P Vijayan, who voted at Pinarayi in Kannur district, told reporters that there was some problem in the voting machine in his booth and two other nearby places. "Election Commission officials have not taken serious efforts to ensure accuracy of the EVMs," Vijayan said after casting his vote.
Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena accepted that there were problems in a few places, but urged people not to believe in rumours questioning the integrity of voting machines. The humidity caused by thunderstorms on Monday night has affected the functioning of the sensitive EVMs in a few booths in Thiruvananthapuram, Cherthala and Pathanamthitta, he added. Meena also dismissed reports of EVM tampering at a booth in Kovalam.
In Thiruvananthapuram, police arrested a voter for allegedly falsely claiming that a VVPAT machine had wrongly registered his vote, PTI reported. The presiding officer conducted a test vote after the man, Ebin, filed a written complaint, but Ebin was proved wrong and the police registered a case against him under Section 177 (furnishing false information) of the Indian Penal Code.
Officials said they allowed him to cast a test vote in the presence of the presiding officer and polling agents, who decided that his complaint was false. "As the test voting proved the allegation was false, he was handed over to the police," District Collector K Vasuki, who is the District Election Officer, said.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said the Election Commission's decision to register a case against a voter was unacceptable. "How could voters prove technical glitches?" Chennithala asked.
Meena said cases would be registered against people who could not prove their complaints on malfunctioning EVMs. He said presiding officers should inform voters about this and if the voter insists to go ahead with the complaint, then the officer should ask them to give it in writing in the declaration form. If the complainant is proved wrong in the test vote, then the presiding officer can hand them over to the police, he said.
In Uttar Pradesh, voters complained of slow and non-functional EVMs in Firozabad, Bareilly and Aonla seats. There were also reports of problems with VVPAT at a booth in Firozabad.
In Bihar's Supaul parliamentary constituency, voting got delayed because a faulty EVM had to be replaced, reported the Hindustan Times. In the South Goa seat, an entire set of EVMs had to be replaced, according to ANI. Technical problems in electronic voting machines were reported from a few polling booths in Belagavi in Karnataka, reported The Hindu.
Leader of Opposition in the Goa Assembly Chandrakant Kavlekar alleged foul play by the BJP and said he will complain to the poll panel, News18 reported. "During mock polling, all votes were getting registered in the BJP's name despite pressing buttons of other parties," he alleged.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav wondered if there was something "sinister" behind the malfunctioning of EVMs. "EVMs across India malfunctioning or voting for the BJP," he tweeted. "District magistrates say poll officials untrained to operate EVMs. 350+ being replaced. This is criminal negligence for a polling exercise that costs Rs 50,000 crore."
"Should we believe district magistrates, Election Commission, or is there something far more sinister afoot?" Yadav added.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wondered whether the EVMs which transferred votes only to the BJP were faulty or progammed that way. "Are these really faulty or programmed in this fashion?" Kejriwal said in a tweet.


text:
Penn has a Truman Scholar for the third year running.
College junior Adam Cohen was named a 2015 Truman Scholar, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation announced on Wednesday.
About 60 American students receive the scholarship — which provides a monetary award for current college students planning to pursue public service or government-based graduate and professional degrees — each year for their potential to become public service leaders. Cohen was awarded the scholarship for his contributions to the public education system.
An urban studies major, Cohen is involved in extracurricular activities that aim to improve public education, specifically for West Philadelphia high school students. He works closely with the Netter Center for Community Partnerships to coordinate Penn student teaching efforts in those schools.
"There is this paradox that in this area: We have a school with some of the brightest people in the country, but right beside it there are high schools where only half of the students can graduate," Cohen said. "Penn students are in a position to have a huge impact on these kids' education."
"[Cohen] is an amazing leader who is able to communicate with our faculty and students as well as West Philadelphia high school teachers and students. He understands how our partnership programs can be made more effective to fulfill the needs of those schools," Associate Director of the Netter Center Cory Bowman said.
Cohen also devotes himself to academic research on public education in West Philadelphia. In the past few years, Cohen has taken several Academically Based Community Service seminars with Ira Harkavy, who is also the director of the Netter Center. Cohen's paper topics have ranged from college readiness and student potential to democratic education and collaborative learning.
Harkavy said Cohen's papers were "among the best work he's read" in recent years, and he has incorporated Cohen's ideas into his own teaching. "His paper is always a great combination of case study research and logic theory reasoning, connecting what we learn in class with his on-the-ground teaching experiences," Harkavy said.
"I am proud to be his teacher," he added. "[Cohen] fits wonderfully to the ideal image of a student who can make substantial contributions to our society while achieving academic excellence."
Cohen said that he is considering pursuing his graduate studies at Penn. "I want to stay in Philadelphia and continue working in education," he said. "It's something I have become increasingly passionate about."
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text: Over the last year, violence within Niger, in particular attacks against civilians along its extensive border with Mali and Burkina Faso, has been increasing. Despite the worrying trends, Niger has performed better than its neighbors in managing the interlocking conflicts, and the government and its people possess resiliencies which can, and should, be built upon. As the Nigerien government and its international partners—particularly France and the United States—search for ways to stem the violence, they would be well served to avoid mistakes that have been made by others around the globe—heavy militarization absent accountability and a focus on mitigating harm to civilians.


text:
Jun 30, 2022
Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Chinese government has been adjusting the visa policy following the development of the pandemic. This Notice is to introduce the current visa policy and the application procedures. If you need to apply for a visa to China from the Embassy, please follow the instructions:
1. Visa applications shall be made according to consular jurisdiction. The consular jurisdiction of the Chinese Embassy include:
Washington DC, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia , Wyoming, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, Puerto Rico
2. Steps of visa application in the Embassy:
1.) First, the visa applicant is required to send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com be sure to send the email according to the following instructions:
A. Please don't useYahoo email to contact us, which very often can not reach our email address successfully.One email only serves one visa application, please do not combine several applications in one email.
B. Email Subject:"Applicant's Name + State of Residence + Visa Type".
C. Email Text: Please elaboratethe purpose of your visit to China.
D. Email Attachments:
a) Visa applicant's driver's license / proof of residence in our consular jurisdiction.
b) Basic Document for visa application. For "Basic Document", please check part "3"of this Notice.
c) The attachments must be in photo/picture. Please don't use PDF.
2.) For visa application that is within the current scope of visa processing, the staff will send a list of required documents by replying to your email.
3.) The applicant reply to the email by uploading all the documents following the list.
4.) The staff will preview all of the documents by email. After the preview is finished, the staff will send a 8-digit Preview Pass Number(PPN) to the applicant, and instruct the applicant how to mail the physical documents.
5.) The applicant must mail the whole set of physical documents to the designated address. The staff will review the physical documents.When the review is finished, the visa will be issued and mailed back to the applicant. If additional documents are needed in reviewing step, the staff will contact the applicant by email. In certain cases, applications may be rejected during the reviewing step.
3. Visa Types and Basic Document:
Visa Type |
ApplicableSituation |
BasicDocument (For other required documents, the applicant will be guided by the staff by email) |
Visits related to economic and trade, science, technology, etc |
PU Letter |
Work |
Notification Letter of Foreigner's Work Permit in the PRC |
Z visa / M visa / F visa holder's minor child/spouse/parent/parent-in-law (If above visa holder's adult child/child's spouse need to visit China, please send an email to specify the situation. ) |
Residence Permit in China of theZ visa holder/ Z Visa/M visa/F visa (The application documents for S1/S2 visa may vary from case to case. The staff will provide specific guidance by email.) |
Foreign family member of a Chinese citizen; Foreign family member of a foreigner with Permanent Residence Card in China. *The "family member" include: Spouse/Parent/Parent-in-law/Child/Child'sSpouse/Grandparent/Grandchild/Sibling |
ID card of the Chinese citizen/ Foreigner's Permanent Residence Card in China (The application documents for Q1/Q2 visa may vary from case to case. The staff will provide specific guidance by email.) |
High Level Foreign Talents |
Confirmation Letter for High Level Foreign Talents (R visa holder's spouse/minor child apply for S2 visa ) |
Crew member |
Guarantee letter from transport company |
4. For emergency humanitarian visa beyond the above scope, such as attending a funeral of a direct family member or visiting a direct family member in critical condition, the BasicDocument is Death Certificate or a certificate of diagnosis/critical illness notice issued by a hospital.
5. For diplomatic/official visas, please send email directly to firstname.lastname@example.com. The staff will guide the specific processing procedures.
6. Please be kindly noted that for applications that go beyond the current visa processing scope, the relevant emails will not be replied.
(Source: http://us.china-embassy.gov.cn, updated on June 13, 2022)


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Tesco urged to consider health impact as it extends plant-based target into Central Europe
The warning comes after the UK's largest supermarket agreed to increase healthy food options at its operations in Europe as well as the UK and Ireland after pressure from a group of seven institutional investors.
The coalition of Tesco activist investors is led by ShareAction, which in February filed a shareholder proposal calling on Tesco to reduce its exposure to less healthy food and drink products. The move was the first health-based shareholder resolution filed at a UK-listed company.
This initially prompted the supermarket, the UK's leading grocer with a 27% market share, to announce plans to increase the proportion of sales from healthier products in the UK and Ireland to 65% by 2025.
After further pressure from ShareAction, Tesco has now agreed to extend the strategy to its Booker wholesale subsidiary, which supplies supermarket chains Budgens and Londis, and its Central European stores in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
The commitment across its entire retail group covers an additional £10bn in sales (20% of Tesco's retail revenue), up from £42bn (80%) in March.
Sarah Bradbury, Group Quality Director at Tesco, said: "We share the same goal as ShareAction to make it easier for our customers to eat more healthily, and we're pleased to now broaden our public commitments to Booker and our Central Europe business. These new commitments will ensure that every customer – wherever and however they shop with us – will have even greater access to affordable, healthy and sustainable food. Our focus now is on delivering the plans that we've set out, and we will continue to engage with ShareAction and other stakeholders as we work to make Tesco the easiest place to shop for healthy food."
How to define healthy?
In the UK, Tesco will define healthy products according to the government's nutrient profiling model developed by the Food Standards Agency in 2004-2005. It said its latest commitments for its Central Europe business were to increase sales of healthier products on a "similar trajectory" to its UK ambitions "by developing the appropriate methodology to establish our baseline and targets by the end of 2022".
Both its UK and European plans promise to make its own brand products healthier through reformulation and to increase sales of plant-based meat alternatives by 300% by 2025.
However, ShareAction told FoodNavigator that these products, whose nutritional credentials and ultra-processed nature often come under scrutiny from consumer groups, were 'not necessarily inherently healthy'. It warned that Tesco's plans even risked breaching UK government plans to restrict in-store promotions on food and drinks high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) from April 2022.
Louisa Hodge, Food & Health Engagement Manager at ShareAction, told us: "ShareAction would encourage Tesco to consider health within their plant-based targets. Plant based foods, whist often healthier than their meat counterparts, are not necessarily inherently healthy. Many processed plant-based products (such as burgers and sausages) are high in salt for example.
"Therefore, health must be incorporated within the process of meeting plant-based targets. By omitting health in this process, the company may fall foul of government legislation coming in next year which will prevent marketing and advertising of HFSS foods and will limit where these products can be placed in store."
Is bad food bad for business?
ShareAction withdrew its shareholder meeting resolution after Tesco's latest pledge. The group said a two-year process of engagement has been agreed with Tesco and ShareAction's Healthy Markets investor coalition, as the supermarket implements the new commitments.
According to figures from the UK government, obesity costs wider society £27bn a year and the NHS spends an estimated £6.1bn on overweight and obesity-related ill health. These figures are expected to rise to £49.9bn and £9.7bn respectively by 2050.
ShareAction argues that supermarkets "play a pivotal role in population health through their influence in shaping what we eat".
The group said its Healthy Markets investor coalition will continue its work engaging with supermarkets and food manufacturers on the risks and opportunities they face from increasing regulation and shifting consumer preferences.
Hodge elaborated: "Investors are recognizing the importance of health. They see the risks and opportunities supermarkets face, given their outsized role in shaping our diets. By filing a shareholder resolution, our investor coalition sent a strong message to Tesco and to other supermarkets that shifting sales toward healthier options is important."


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Morpho (Safran) announced that its MorphoWave Desktop contactless fingerprint scanner has been certified by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for meeting the Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Image Quality Specifications standard. The FBI certification validates that the high quality images produced by the MorphoWave Desktop are equivalent to other contact single-finger scanners, and are suitable for a full range of use cases.
The MorphoWave Desktop uses advanced imaging technologies to simultaneously acquire four fingerprints in less than one second by a simple wave of the hand. With its ergonomic bi-directional capture design, the MorphoWave Desktop can capture fingerprint images for the left or right hand without the need to change device settings or add another scanner.
Recipient of the Security Industry Association's 2015 Best New Product award, as well as the IFSEC and FIREX Access Control Product of the Year, MorphoWave is the first fingerprint scanner of this type in commercial use.
"Achieving FBI PIV certification is another significant milestone for the advancement of our contactless fingerprinting technology, confirming its high quality imaging and compatibility with security systems already deployed worldwide," said Morpho CEO Anne Bouverot. "This certification further demonstrates that contactless fingerprinting is no longer a speculative technology — it is a reliable choice for managing entry, exit, and access to valuable resources."
Visit www.morphotrak.com for more information.


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Doing business as fast as you can.
Here at Small Fish, things are moving very
quickly, lots of changes, lots of excitement and lots of problems to solve.
Expect some announcements from us soon. In
the meantime, our situation here has made me think of how it is in business for
many of us. I keep experiencing it with my clients. Our business world is full
of problems, spot fires, oportunities and work to do. The more we do and the
harder we work, there more there seems to be to do and the harder we have to
I know it sometimes feels like it is out of
I think this is normal. Everyone I meet
whose business is growing or trying new things is confronted with this feeling.
Don't let it bother you and don't let it get you down.
It's OK to be confronted with an
overwhelming mass of important work. It's also OK to not get through it all.
Let's accept the difficult truth – that
it's all we can do to make headway, to pick the most important tasks and get some
of them done.
Don't let
it be in charge!
Small Fish Business Coaching
There are four ways you can engage with me:
1. Subscribe to these emails and get them once a week in your inbox so you never miss a video from me.
2. Join the Trades Business Toolshed Facebook Group where you can watch these videos, ask me questions or talk to your peers.
3. Attend my next Tradie Profit Webinar.
4. Book yourself a 10-minute chat with me. We'll talk about whether coaching is right for you now and if it is, we'll go further into the process before you have to make your mind up.
See you later.


text:
As expected, Bizelesin, which is a biscyclopropa[c]pyrrolo[3,2-e]indol-4(5H)-one [(+)-CPI]-derived DNA-DNA cross-linker, has a high interstrand cross-linking reactivity with the palindromic sequence 5'-d(CGTAATTȦCG)2. Contrary to expectations, the target duplex is rearranged to yield two products: one (major product) contains an AT step wherein both adenines are syn-oriented and hydrogen bonded to thymines forming a stable Hoogsteen base-paired region flanked by Watson-Crick base-paired regions (5HG); the other (minor product) contains anti-oriented AT-step adenines that show no evidence of hydrogen bonding with pairing thymines (5OP) in an otherwise normally base-paired duplex. In another unexpected outcome, the reaction of two 'uncoupled' monoalkylating (+)-CPI 'halves' of Bizelesin with the same duplex alkylates same-strand adenines three base pairs apart [5'-d(CGTAȦTTȦCG)2] rather than the anticipated opposite-strand adenines six base pairs apart (which would mimic Bizelesin). To probe the molecular mechanism that leads to Bizelesin's unusual DNA rearrangement, which appears to be a requirement for DNA-DNA interstrand cross-linking, we have carried out conformational exchange analyses (NOESY and ROESY) and restrained molecular dynamics simulations of these adducts. These studies suggest that Bizelesin controls the rearrangement of the six-base-pair target prior to cross-linkage and restricts the cross-linked DNA adduct's range of motion, freezing-out adduct conformers defined by alternative drug-DNA hydrogen-bond regimes. The two competing cross-linkage pathways share a common first step, the opening of the central AT-step base pairs, an event that is facilitated by the energetics of monoadduct-induced DNA bending distortion. One pathway (to 5HG) stabilizes these open bases by reorganizing the AT-step region into two Hoogsteen base pairs, the thymine bases of which also hydrogen bond with Bizelesin's ureadiyl subunit. A second pathway (to 5OP) directly stabilizes the open bases by forming a hydrogen-bonding complex between the AT-step thymines and Bizelesin's ureadiyl subunit. Cross-linked DNA motion drives both of the 5HG and 5OP adducts from one ephemeral hydrogen-bonding regime to another, a process documented in the NOESY conformational exchange data and simulated in restrained molecular dynamics trajectories. These results, together with the analysis of other six-base-pair Bizelesin cross-linked species, suggest a novel mechanism for sequence recognition by this cross-linker where monoalkylation distortive stress associated with a bent DNA conformation must be dissipated by a cooperative interaction between drug and duplex to produce a straight B-form-like structure before cross-linking can proceed. This example provides a new mechanism for DNA sequence recognition involving a 'drug-induced rearrangement' of DNA that critically depends upon the interplay of drug and sequence recognition elements.
Original language | English (US) |
Pages (from-to) | 10052-10064 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Journal of the American Chemical Society |
Volume | 118 |
Issue number | 42 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1996 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Catalysis
- General Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Colloid and Surface Chemistry


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Entry for March 11, 2008
I do not know whether or not to scream out or cry in frustation. I swear I feel like I cannot take one more thing or I am just going to break. Do I really seem like I have it so together that people just think no matter how much shit gets piled on my head I am going to be just fine. WRONG!!! It's fucking laughable. Me the chick that chose not to settle down, get married, pop out some puppies… WHY? because I didn't want all the responsibilities that came with it. I have more responsibilities than I ever dreamed of or had nightmares about. It's so easy for people to say it's not your problem, you just have to think of yourself. Its soooo not that easy. Do you stand by and watch people you love truly fuck up their life, get seriously and irrevocably hurt, not take care of themselves medically… I mean what person with any sense of decency or of family can do that????
My life is just never my own. Always someone depending on me for something. To give something. Never free to be happy, not free to be sad. Not free to say the hell with it and royally screwing up my own life. I am so tired and I've really begun asking myself do the people around me just not see that I just can't deal with it anymore. Who the hell picks up my pieces?? No one , just me. Always just me. And it's never going to stop.


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We used this idea last year. The idea is to go through some of the top free agents, use the contract FanGraphs suggests they will get and have a poll asking if we would like to sign him for that amount.
Kris Bryant is number 6 on Fangraphs' list and also number 6 on Keith Law's list. I'm skipping Freddie Freeman. As much as I like him, I don't see a place for him on the team. He's a first baseman only and not exactly a great defensive one at that. I don't see us moving Vlad off first, he seems happy at the position, and he's good there. And I don't see us spending a lot of money on a DH.
Bryant does a bit of everything. He has power, takes walks, steals the odd base and can play third or any outfield spot or first base. He even had a couple of innings at short this year.
He turns 30 in January, so he will likely be looking to get that last colossal contract.
Law said:
Outside of his injury-shortened, pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Bryant has been a consistently above-average regular since 2017, his second of two consecutive years with wRC+ figures of 147 or better; in 2018, 2019 and 2021, his wRC+ was between 123 and 134, comfortably above average but not star level for the positions he plays. He's primarily a corner guy who can play average defense at third or first and below-average defense in left, as well as the ability to play center in a pinch, but as he ages, he is probably going to be best suited to the infield. Bryant has had a hard time shaking the tag of a disappointment because the player he was at ages 24-25 is gone; he hasn't reached his career highs of 94 walks (2017) or 39 homers (2016) since, but that's just not who he is as a hitter now. He always has been an excellent fastball hitter, using his strong eye to try to get into more fastball counts, but pitchers just throw him more off-speed stuff now — which is a trend in baseball in general, too — and I think that's the main reason he has settled into a lower gear than his MVP season.
If you're under the age of 50, you probably don't actually own a Swiss Army knife. You likely know what they are, though: a metal interpretation of Kris Bryant. He slices! He dices! He corkscrews! He takes walks! He hits for power! It's a solidly above-average offensive profile, and he does it while playing wherever you need him to in the field.
Bryant struggled defensively after his trade to the Giants, but I'm not particularly worried about that. Right field in San Francisco is bizarre. It's somehow both expansive and cozy, and you might be sprinting headlong into the power alleys or playing a ball on the ricochet off the tall outfield wall — or sometimes both on the same play. Bryant was above average in left and center — and per OAA, somehow four outs below average in only 67 innings in right field.
Ben figures Bryant will be getting 8 years (really?) at $25 million a year, for a total of $200 million. I don't think I could sign him for 8 years, but who knows. I think he'll be ok at third for the next few years but at 36 or 37 years old? By then, I think he'd have to DH.
Should the Jays sign Kris Bryant if the price is 8 years at $25 per year?
This poll is closed
Yes, absolutely
Probably, but I'm not enthusiastic about it
Probably not, but I wouldn't hate it
No, absolutely not


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Two well-placed sources separately predict that the new Hudson police chief will be Sgt. Ed Moore of the New York State Police.
Moore is the brother of Livingston Town Justice Robert Q. Moore; both brothers grew up with Columbia County district attorney Paul Czajka.
Today is the last day on the job for retiring chief Ellis Richardson.


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- Home
- Government
- Town Offices
- Assessor
Welcome to the Assessor page on the Town of Middlefield website! The Office of the Assessor is responsible for discovering, listing, and valuing all real property, business personal property, and motor vehicles located within the legal boundaries of the Town of Middlefield as of October 1 each year, in accordance with Connecticut State Statutes.
View the M-3-Quadrennial Application (PDF).
View the M-3-Quadrennial Application With Housing (PDF).
Geographic Information Systems Maps
A property may be found by either Map/Lot, Owners' Name, or Street Address. Once you find the parcel, information on the assessment, parcel ID, owners' mailing address, and much more is available to you. Please contact the Assessor if you have any questions.
View the Middlefield GIS Map website.
Benefit Programs
There are many programs available to its residents. State and local Homeowner benefit programs for our Elderly and Disabled, as well as Veterans and Legally Blind exemptions are offered by providing proof of income and filling out the appropriate application forms. Please refer to the tab listed above for more information.
PA 490 Designations: Farm, Forest, and Open Space, applications are available in the Assessor's Office, or on the Assessor's State Website (CAAO) under 'forms'.
Motor Vehicles
The Assessor's Office also processes adjustments to motor vehicles based on the sale of, transfer out of state, trade-in, junked, stolen, or donation, to name a few. Please provide adequate proof by submitting a copy of the sale of the vehicle, letter of donation, DMV plate cancellation receipt, insurance cancellation, out-of-state registration, etc., for an adjustment to your assessment/taxes. Other information may be requested by the Assessor for verification.
Personal Property
All active businesses in town must file a Personal Property Declaration by November 1 of every year. If you are a new business in Middlefield, please contact the Assessor's Office, and a form will be sent to you.
For more information on any of the information programs listed above, please feel free to contact the assessor.
Pamela Deziel
Town AssessorPhone: 860-349-7111Fax: 860-349-7115
9 am to 5 pmTuesday to Thursday
9 am to 4 pmFriday
9 am to 3 pm


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OIA is your trusted state association, advocate and advisor. We have been your agency's champion since 1897 and we only serve your agency and Ohio independent insurance agencies.
At OIA, our focus is you! We know your agency. We know your community. We know your clients. We are local and invested in the economy of Ohio.
How? Because we are led by a group of independent agents that work alongside of you in Ohio. Our volunteer agent leaders live and work in Girard, Versailles, Lima, Sunbury, Port Clinton, Worthington and Bellefontaine, Cincinnati, Toledo and Beavercreek to name a few.
Your OIA team was born, raised and educated in local Ohio communities. Your OIA team hails from all over our great state – Canton, Hillboro, Sandusky, Cuyahoga Falls, Mount Vernon, Pataskala, Bowling Green, Shaker Heights, Beavercreek, Sunbury, Mentor, Medina, Youngstown and Reynoldsburg to name a few.
We all live, work and raise our families in Ohio. We all have relationships with independent insurance agents in our local communities for our insurance needs. We support local because it matters.
We know the pulse of our state and the communities. We know as an independent insurance agent you value local services and we promise you we do as well.
You could use a broker from California or New York to get your E&O but…do they really know your agency? How hard would they fight for you when you have a claim? Are you just another nameless, faceless client from somewhere in Ohio in their PIF count? Do they care about your employees? Do they help educate you and your staff? Do they advocate for you and your agency? Not likely, but we do because it matters.
We know Ohio businesses. We know Ohio judges and the court system. We know the most favorable and least favorable judicial venues. We know the laws, rules and regulations to fighting E&O claims. We know the best local E&O defense attorneys and on the flip side the most aggressive trial lawyers. We know the expert witnesses. We know the carriers. It matters.
Like you are to your clients, we are your local, trusted risk advisor on E&O, cyber and other agency coverage needs. Thank you for trusting us, we greatly value our relationship and look forward to serving you for many years to come.
We invite you to learn more about your agency coverage and reach out to our Director of Risk Management, at email@example.com or (614) 552-3052.
Local Matters.


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Home › Forums › HUNGZAI Stories Discussions › Only Son
This happens to my uncle's family. My uncle is a business man and loves hunting. Each time he was out with his hunting buddies he will sure to have some story to tell (his adventures I suppose)when he comes back from his "trip".
The problem here is that with his hunting activity, he actually accumulates bad karma. We all know that karma(s) is/are exclusively belongs to that one person alone and he/she will have to be responsible for their own doings. Little did most of us know, the people around us actually accumulates the same amount of karma and thus, they are fated to be around us in this life (sharing the same level of karma). So, for goodness sake, please try to do more good and do not do bad things although it may seems harmless now.
The real deal begins when, my uncle's wife was pregnant with their 1st child (in the 80's). The baby was a boy and during my aunt's pregnancy, my uncle have shot and killed a pregnant monkey during one of his hunting excursion. We believe that this will cultivates a huge amount of bad karma.
My aunt eventually gave birth to a cyclops baby (you guys can google out for more info, medical term). Due to this genetic defect, the baby was a still born. He died as soon as he was born and we heard that my aunt passed out upon seeing her baby. Luckily, my aunt was safe (recovered) and they (my uncle/aunt) have 3 daughters subsequently the following years. (please take note: No son)
Strange thing is that the spirit of this baby boy have been living with my uncle's family all this while. There have been some minor disturbance in their house like strange noises and my other cousins (younger ones) playing with their imaginary "brother". Deep down inside we all know what is happening.
Last few years, they have decided to get a medium (my mother's sifu/master) to do a ritual (Taoist) to exorcise this little disturbances. After the ritual, the medium, on that very day, was having lunch with my aunt and my mom while chatting and having some idle conversation. Without knowing, he asked my aunt, was there any one/person in the family lost a child prior to this disturbance? That is when my aunt broke down and cried, they relate the whole story to the medium.
The medium then said, the spirit retaliated and begged the medium not to capture him during the exorcism. He told the medium that he is "family". When he was finally cornered, he even throw a fit and mess up the praying altar a bit (like a child).
**********I can assure you this story is real and my family are from a northern Chinese town in Peninsular Malaysia. *****
[Posted at: Only Son]
Sorry, comments for this entry are closed at this time.
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text:
Top Suggestions And Tips For VIDEO GAMING
Have you ever picked up a controller to play a gaming? If not, this is actually the article to help you learn about gaming. You will find loads of games available and many genres that you can pick from. So, to help you become aware of it all, the following information offers some great ideas to get you up to speed on the world of video gaming.
If you feel when you push up, you need to be looking down really, then invert the axis in your control settings. Some people just don't feel the axis controls are correct if they get a gaming. That's easy to look after. Many games provide you with the substitute for invert the control schemes in the setting's area.
If you feel like you targeted your enemy i'm all over this in a shooter and still missed, check what weapon you are employing. Just like in real life, different weapons have different weaknesses and strengths. The weapon you are employing might not have the short distance required or the weapon recoil is in fact putting you slightly off target.
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Try to find wealthy, entertaining games which have some educational value for your children. These games can not only provide fun for your child, but can also teach them something as well. This will broaden your children's horizons and set a strong foundation for their morals as they will be getting something from it.
Consider games before you consider the system. Prior to going out and spend hundreds of dollars on a gaming system, think about what kind of games can be found on each operational system. While many games have a version for each system, there are still some games that are exclusive to a person system. Choose wisely.
Video games could be a fun way to spend time, but don't allow them be a replacement for the human interaction that children need to be able to grow up healthy. Be Solid Tips about Video Games That Anyone Can Easily Perceive to allow plenty of time for play with various other children, outdoor activities and family members time as well. The isolation that video gaming sometimes promotes can be bad for a child's growing mind and body.
Use more than just the ESRB ratings systems when getting your kid a new game. You can try demos of several games online and you could watch game trailers online. They are much more helpful than looking at ratings because you can actually see which games are really appropriate for your kid.
So many video games have been brought to market, but to really go through the best in the gaming market, you need to play the best quality games. Use the given information learned here to try out the very best games in each category. You might be amazed by the enjoyment you get from them.


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The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association has announced that the recipient of the 40th Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is Susan Cooper, the author of many beloved and acclaimed novels for young readers. She is best known for the award-winning five-book sequence The Dark is Rising, which began with 1965's Over Sea, Under Stone and concluded in Silver on the Tree (1977). The Grey King, the fourth book in the series, won the Newbery Medal.
Before becoming a full-time writer, Cooper was a journalist working for London's Sunday Times. Her work also includes two biographies, several screenplays, many picture books, and books for young readers including The Boggart, Seaward, and Ghost Hawk. In 2002, she received the Hans Christian Andersen Award, an international prize given to creators of children's books. In 2012, the American Library Association recognized her with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature."
She can now add to that list the SFWA Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award's recognition for "lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy." Previous recipients of this award include Robin McKinley, Mercedes Lackey, Nalo Hopkinson, Peter S. Beagle, Connie Willis, Ursula K. Le Guin, Ray Bradbury, and many more SFF luminaries.
SFWA President Jeffe Kennedy said:
The award will be presented to Cooper at this year's SFWA Nebula Conference and the 59th Nebula Awards, which take place June 6-9, 2024, in Pasadena, California. For more details, see the conference website.


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Head to a tropical rainforest and win up to 2,500 times your bet on every spin with the brand-new Savage Jungle video slot by Playtech.
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text: The perfect gift for a boy wizard fan concerned about elfish welfare! He or she can pin them to their robes for cosplay. This plastic, paper, and metal button with pin back measures approximately 2.25″ in diameter. You can choose your house colors: red, black, green, or blue. Note that the button maker machine sometimes makes the image slightly off center.


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BENEFITS OF BUSINESS COACHING.An International Coach Federation Survey of 4,000 companies in 2003 found the reported benefits of coaching in organisations.
For individuals the benefits also included:
Team benefits include:
Source: Greene, J & Grant, AM. Solution-Focused Coaching — Managing People in a Complex World, Edinburgh Gate, Pearson Education Ltd, 2003 T: +61 411600712 E: firstname.lastname@example.com W: www.whatdowomenreallywant.com.au |


text:
The Electronic Intifada 22 August 2005
PA Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Al Qidwa walked into a side room before his 11am press conference dressed in a dapper navy suit and smelling of aftershave. His sophisticated comportment refined by many years of service as PLO representative to the UN in New York, integrated well with the setting of the Palestinian press center hosting the event. Newly established to service the small army of international reporters covering Gaza for the coming months, the press center was tastefully decorated with a bouquet of flowers, and draped with a UNDP-funded poster series themed "Gaza: Reclaiming Our Gem". The posters showed an assortment of images including a smiling Gazan child on a fishing boat, a Byzantine mosaic, and an Ottoman-era archeological site, ripe for a UNESCO rehabilitation project.
Surrounded by a coterie of assistants and advisers, Qidwa waited before making his much anticipated entrance onto the press room floor as cameramen finalized setting up their microphones and adjusted their white balance meters. As one of the Palestinians' most internationally recognized talking heads, Qidwa no doubt had prepared a succinct list of talking points sufficient to provide the necessary sound bites to represent "the Palestinian perspective" for the evening news stories across the world.
Too bad he never got a chance to say them though.
A group of 15 middle aged women marched into the room just in front of the podium holding large images of young men and chanting slogans — the commotion clearly startling the press center staff and Qidwa's yes-men. The journalists in the room (both Arab and Western) were somewhat befuddled with the scene: some deciding to film it, while others ignored it, even seeming annoyed at the fact that their press conference was delayed. Some simply sat around with expressions on their faces waiting for it to be over.
After much commotion and indeed persistence by the chanting women, an old fellaha ("peasant woman") emerged to speak for the women, and was offered the podium by one of the suits in Qidwa's entourage. The woman took her position at the microphone in an atmosphere of paternalistic 'tolerance', as though waiting for her diatribe to be over. Some reporters even laughed, or began walking in front of the podium as she began speaking.
"My name is Im Ibrahim (the mother of Ibrahim Baroud) and my son has been sentenced to 27 years in prison, of which he has served 20 years. I have been prevented from seeing him for ten full years.
"Everyone here is talking about the disengagement and are trying to have celebrations, but we are not happy. People from Fateh tried to get us to board a bus to go to disengagement celebration but we refused to board it. We are the wives and mothers of prisoners - the ones who have sacrificed their lives for this struggle and who have brought honor for our people. But the prisoners and their needs continue to be ignored.
"Everyone treats the issue of the prisoners as though it is a ladder - something to climb up on, but which is soon enough ignored once they've achieved their goals. I may be illiterate but I know what's going on around here.
"Nasser al Qidwa - shame on you. You, who were our ambassador in the US - you enter the building through the back door so you don't have to see us holding our silent vigil on the steps of this press center? All your kids go to the best schools, and each one of them has a company registered in their name. But our sons who have sacrificed their lives for this land and this people - their concerns are not worth enough for you to listen to them?"Abu Mazen… I'm sorry I gave you my vote. because you have forgotten the struggle of our sons. When the people demonstrate in the street we burn the American flag but when Clinton came to town, you draped the largest buildings in Gaza with it.
"We're sick of it. I've had my picture taken with Arafat, Abu Mazen, Kofi Annan, and even Clinton himself. But it's made a dimes worth of difference. I told Kofi last time he came through here that its time he shut down his charitable society (jam'iyeh). The whole world enjoys human rights except the Palestinian people. In America they even fight for the rights of animals. But here we are less than animals.
"And you reporters - when we hold a vigil, or decide to go on hunger strike, you ignore us and only show up when the big shots come by to have their picture taken with us. Even when you do interviews with us you never broadcast what we say.Wake up Palestinians. We don't want you to have the same fate as the people in the Arab world. The Palestinian people deserve better than a leadership that is drunk, or high or sleeping. Don't let them fool you…"
Climbing down from the podium Im Ibrahim fixed her head scarf and open her arms revealing her red embroidered peasant dress: "Did I say anything that wasn't true people? Really now?"
Qidwa and his entourage had already left the building and were no where to be seen. Half the press had also left while others were heard arguing about 'why were we brought here and had out time wasted?' Now that Qidwa had left, something else would have to be found to fill up the air time. Producers would be pissed, and PA ministers are busy these days and difficult to pin down for interviews. A handful of Arab reporters promised the women to write up a story and get it broadcast on the evening news.
Toufic Haddad is a Palestinian American activist and journalist presently residing in Gaza. He is co-editor of a forthcoming book on the Al Aqsa Intifada from South End Press, due out in Spring 2006. He can be reached at email@example.com
Related Links


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glen the magpie
Registered User
Also compatible with all european versions of PES 2013
Version 1.01 Data Pack 2 compatible
contains 845 files.
2012-13 kits for every unlicensed team club and international including classics aka under 21 squads.
As usual created leagues are Bundesliga and N Power Championship.
All 19 unlicensed premier league teams stadiums created. Borussia Dortmunds Signal Iduna Park also makes an apearance.
All aboards are correct as of the weekend commencing 20th october and are actual designs seen at their stadiums. aslo debuting are new electronic look adborads along with metallic look stadium parts (see stamford bridge roof) i will be working on stadium ceiling parts for the 1.1 update.
All league and cup logos added and leagues structured meaning right competition balls and formats.
Fake / duplicate national players fixed.
Anzhi Makhachkala and FC Basel added (no players yet they will be in the 1.1 update)
1.0 does not contain N Power or bundesliga squads (with the exception of Borussia Dortmund) these will be in the next update also.
Classic teams will eventually become under 21 squads again, these will be done for next update.
This file contains an exclusive 3rd alternate png pack incase you fancy a change (see below for conditions on downloading this pack)
If you had the old 1.0 file you must first delete that file then install all konami data packs and updates then install the new 1.0 file (this one) if you didnt have the old file installed then just go ahead and install this one as normal.
If you had the old 1.0 file you must first delete that file then install all konami data packs and updates then install the new 1.0 file (this one) if you didnt have the old file installed then just go ahead and install this one as normal.
All png's / kits, stadiums, adboards, apearances etc by Glen the magpie (GTM) transfer information by AltySi.
feel free to post the download links to these files / updates on other sites and forums but you must use the link provided. Do not reproduce then distribute this work without permission and by permission i mean without asking me first. do not just simply disrtibute these files claiming them to be your own. Do not export teams either no conditions i simply dont want it done.it is very easy to determine wether the work has been stolen...show a little class. thanks
3rd / alternate PNG pack.
please use these PNG's as you desire but do not post them on the web claiming them as your own or distribute them without giving credit to glen the magpie or GTM.
GTM / team OPE.
Contains 41 files.
Full N-Power chamionship, Bundesliga, Anzhi and Basel squads. All playres that have been created given correct boot types / accessories.
National under 21 squads replace classic national teams.
More players added to Premier league squads.
All loans transfers up untill day of release done.
Master league / ML new face european players or Master league youth squad players edited and are now real life youth players from across europe.
More stadium parts / Adboards added.
A few kit fixes.
All kits by GTM. Created players by GTM. Stadium parts and Adboards by GTM. Player / transfer info and youth player info by AltySi.
Contains 88 files.
konami 1.02 update compatible.
More stadium parts, mainly ceilings and one or two new ad boards.
Loads of new players added, reserves / youth players and the inclusion of Mrs Beckham and Henry.
In keeping with the new UEFA ruling stating "all sock tape worn must match the color of the stocking" or socks to us, i have removed all sock tape from premier league players to give the illusion of matching sock tape. all other players will be done as i go through each league and these will be inclluded in further updates. Click here for UEFA rules.
All transfers up until day of release done.
A few kit updates including Borussia Dortmund's winter / Christmas home kit, this will be changed back after the Christmas period.
All Premier league, Bundesliga and N-Power championship players have correct boot brand or color Other leagues will be done in further updates.
All N-Power championship teams given a named stadium, other teams will be given homes in further updates.
All classic players are now gone and have been replaced by the above mentioned players. As stated this file is based on the present day game so if classics are your thing this isn't the file for you.
To access the new players you will need to start Master league again and turn classic players on.
All kits, created players, stadium parts / ad boards and player appearances by GTM. Player / transfer info and youth player info by AltySi.
All january transfers including in game and not in game players have been done.
Players believed to be removed in Konami's next update have been base copied.
100's of preset faces re-linked, click here for a few previews.
Every and i mean 'EVERY' player now has correct boot type or in the case of their boots not in game they have been given correct boot colour.
All sock tape has been removed in keeping with the new UEFA ruling stating "all sock tape worn must match the color of the stocking" or socks to us, i have removed all sock tape from all players to give the illusion of matching sock tape. Click here for UEFA rules.
Players accessories updated and in some cases hair has been updated.
Any new kits released have been updated including swedens new adidas kits. yes i know sweden are licensed but i worked my magic lol.
Shirt numbers and names have been resized an repositioned to match the actual shirts.
National chest numbers have been repositioned, meaning teams like russia and the usa have their chest numbers now on the left hand side.
Shorts numbers have been raised for teams who would have a kit makers logo underneath the number. for example arsenal have a nike logo on their shorts in real life and then the shorts number above it. there may not be shorts logos in game but i raised the number as if there was one underneath it, what can i say im a perfectionist.
Africa cup of nations teams kits updated where needed.
Hidden master league teams are now rubin kazan, lokomotiv moscow, bate borisov, videoton fc and hapoel tel aviv. ive switched teams around in other european teams so 4 of these teams now show up in master league, the other two are in other european teams. teams that are locked in master league mode cannot be chosen for exhibition matches or edited.
New stadium adboards added including the new nike mercurial and adidas f50 adboards.
Under 21 teams are actually called under 21 teams now meaning classic england are now called england u21 and the same for the rest.
England, france, germany and italy under 21 teams now have licensed kits like their main counterparts.
Every team both club and national have been given a named home stadium except the premier league clubs and borussia dortmund who already have created stadiums.
Do not change the colour of or attempt to move the squad numbers that have been re-positioned, it will reset them to their original size and position.
Due to the influx of stolen option files being stolen and sold i have added elements i know full well no one else has added, one of which cannot be identified in game at all. The only way it can be found is if the data.bin is decrypted and even then only i know what it is so good luck to all theives trying to deny its been stolen.
As usual all kits, adboards, stats, aprearances etc done by Glen The Magpie.
Thanks to 7oy for help with the new extra ML squads.
extra big thanks to W!ld@ for the creation of the pes editor.
Big thanks to AltySi on the immense transfers work.
DLC 4 compatible.
Rosenborg BK and Steaua Bucharesti added replacing hapoel and videoton.
More transfers added (loans and loan returns etc) big thanks to AltySi for the work on these.
Players updated with new boots added in konamis DLC 4.
New kits added including USA centennial home kit.
More reserve and youth players added.
More preset faces re-linked.
National, club, cup and player names no longer all in caps and are now lower case.
Team tactics implemented by myself and klashman.
And ofcourse this update will fix anything messed up by the latest DLC.
DLC 4 must be installed before installing this update.
Name fixes for players whos names had reverted back to their fake version.
More players boots updated.
More transfers added and new players created.
New adidas f50 adboards for stamford bridge.
Fixes squads and players messed up by data pack 5.
All 13/14 kits that have been officially released so far have been added.
new ad boards included.
More transfers added up until day of this update release.
More player accessories updated.
*important note please read*
Due to the issue of the data pack 5 messing up squads etc the fix that was found for some reason changed all the team names in the 2013 copa libertadores mode to Austria there is no apparent fix as of yet but a poll was taken as to whether this would be an issue with users. the response was unanimous and all agreed that it wasn't important. now if this is an issue for you do not install this update.
Data pack 6 fix. All errors caused by installing data pack six, mixed up squads and formations etc are now fixed.
Large number of transfers in game and not in game players as recent as a few days prior to the release of this update. this is not final more transfers will be done and included in future updates.
2013/14 kits included for a number of teams including teams that were licensed! this includes Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSV, European champions Bayern Munich and Paris Saint Germain to name just a few.
New emblems added for Bolton, Crystal Palace, Monaco and everton.
New teams have been added these are burnley, Ipswich, Hertha Berlin, Eintracht Braunschweig and AS Monaco.
More youth / reserve players added to squads.
All transfer information provided by [MENTION=128678]AltySi[/MENTION]
More transfers up untill 18th june. Includes ALL transfers in game and not in game players.
More youth / reserve players added to squads.
More 13/14 kits added including updated licensed teams, sevilla for example.
Cardiff city stadium, KC stadium and Selhurst park added replacing the grounds of the premier league teams that were relegated.
Relegated premier league teams given lookalike in game stadium with stadium name.
New adboards.
All transfer information provided by [MENTION=128678]AltySi[/MENTION]


text:
Mountain Man - Made the Harbor (10 year Anniversary Edition) - Cassette
This product is not available
On an early draft of folk trio Mountain Man's Bandcamp page, the project aptly described itself as "a creature growing from the mouths of Molly Erin Sarlé, Alexandra Sasuer-Monnig, and Amelia Randall Meath." Sparse and homespun, from the onset the voices of Mountain Man crafted an immediate intimacy. A Mountain Man song exists in a strange and wild and naturalistic world, populated with thick summer air and bright moons and chickadees, unfurling like a long night spent sitting on the back porch steps with your closest friends.
Released in the muggy summer of 2010, Mountain Man's debut full-length Made the Harbor catapulted the project into the spotlight on indie music blogs across the Internet, and then into much bigger stages offline, too. From a MySpace buzz band to touring as back-up singers for Feist across the world, Mountain Man's Made the Harbor and the sound of their three voices tangling together had a certain magic that resonated so easily.
Now, a decade past its release, Made the Harbor celebrates its tenth anniversary with an additional disc's worth of bonus material. The second LP here features unreleased songs, live sessions recorded at Bennington College's Greenwall Auditorium at the inception of the project, along with covers of the Mills Brothers, Arthur Russell, and then-Vermont contemporary toothache, and more. The deluxe packaging includes a collage culled from the band's personal collection and live photos from that time, as well as a personal essay by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy.
Release Date: 11/05/21
Record Label: Psychic Hotline
Format + Color: Cassette
Digital download card included: yes
Fulfilled by Ambient Inks and shipped using compostable and/or recyclable packaging. To learn more about our sustainability standards and practices, please visit this link.