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Can?t get enough of your favorite celebrity? Maybe there?s a celebrity app out there to quench your Hollywood withdrawal!
Unless you?ve undergone a tech holiday these past few weeks, or you?ve been living under a rock, you probably already heard about the new mobile app bearing Kim Kardashian?s name (by that we mean brand). Her app is said to be on track to earn $ 85 million this year! Well, due to today?s growing tech savvy population, developers are squabbling to partner with a famous personality and make a celebrity app of their own, or vice versa.
To address that issue, er, topic, we?ve rounded up the best celebrity apps out there (or just ?popular,? if you?re not comfortable describing them as ?good?) to guide you in finding that most needed dose of Hollywood glamor.
Kim Kardashian: Hollywood
Those who already have this celebrity app think that it?s sort of a toned-down version of The Sims. The app is narrated by Kim Kardashian herself and lets you guide your customizable avatar throughout Beverly Hills and Hollywood. It allows you to answer Kim?s calls, go on dates, organize photo shoots, and of course, shop for shoes, clothes, etc. You can make your avatar an A-list star by upgrading it continuously — but that requires a lot of in-app purchases (translated to: Kardashian millions).
Kiss Justin Bieber
As the name suggests, this celebrity app lets you meet the famous teen pop singer, spend holidays with him, and kiss him (wink). You can play songs right from the app and speed them up or slow them down according to your preferences. Whatever you do, you must keep Bieber interested so you can achieve that sought-after ?Mrs. Bieber? status. That?s it Beliebers, enjoy!
Social Gaga
The ?mother monster? also has her own celebrity app for all her little monsters (a.k.a. fans). It?s called Social Gaga and it includes info, concert schedules, and tons of photos depicting the pop singer in all her weird but so-called artistic style. Definitely one of the main features of the app is its comment board, where other fans can get to chat with each other.
Gordon Ramsay Cook With Me HD
Download: iOS
One of Hollywood?s most famous celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay appears in shows like Ramsay?s Kitchen, Hell?s Kitchen, and MasterChef. Ramsay boasts of more than a dozen Michelin stars for his restaurants. With his app called ?Gordon Ramsay Cook With Me HD,? you can follow his culinary endeavors. The app has several recipes that includes video tutorials; those can be filtered according to difficulty, ingredient, time, and season.
Style Thief
Download: iOS
Released just weeks ago, Style Thief is an app from model and actress Kate Bosworth. This celebrity app functions similarly to Shazam, but for clothing, shoes, and accessories of course. With the app, you can take a picture (or choose from your gallery) of a pair of shoes or an article of clothing and the app will tell you where to buy a similar item. But be prepared for all the expensive suggestions!
Photo Credit: ?Google Play / App Store


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What I don't see is any of the discussion and
What I don't see is any of the discussion and illuminating analysis like we had with ACES and SB 21. Clearly the premise of SB 21 has changed, but the Legislature did not reanalyze and remodel all possible configurations of change to give us the best fiscal system possible. Only the Alliance is providing itsassessment, and our Legislature would have to be fools or in the pockets of the industry to take that information at face value. There also Camping pot are other discounts for being an AAA member, serving in the military or being a recent college graduate. Most sales people, when they find out you've done your homework, will be honest and give you a good price, says Korner. Work that into the deal later. With the FTTH service the company expects to bring up to 1Gbps speed to wired broadband internet in India. Sounds exciting, right? It is. Some earlier reports had also suggested that Jio is working on FTTH services. Consumer Cellular: This one offers Wholesale NFL Jerseys From China a senior friendly phone for $25 (features include big keys, bright display, one button touch for voicemail, etc.), and there is also a $35 activation fee upfront cost per phone is $65. However, this company offers an AARP discount for plans and accessories. There is a usage alerts service which is great for people on a tight budget who cannot afford overage. A great choice, Thorold Mayor Ted Luciani said of the Meridian Centre. At what you got. There is no comparison. Stretch animal protein with more veggies cheap jerseys in casseroles, soups and stews. If you're using ground meat (beef or turkey), take one pound and add half to chili with beans/other veggies and the other half to spaghetti sauce with grated veggies over whole wholesale nfl jerseys wheat pasta. Serve meatless meals such as bean burritos, veggie soup and salad once or twice a week.. Unfortunately, this impulse for wanton destruction seems to be present at the intellectual level as well. In a recent op ed in the Washington Examiner, economist Peter Grossman of Butler University called for the Energy Department to be closed. Energy policy a failure. "(People) assume Dresden is part of Longaberger and that it's all baskets," said Tammy Delancey, who owns three stores in Dresden and one each in Berlin and Zanesville. Some people thought the company shut down, and the village Cheap NFL jerseys along with it, she said. Will take at least two years, and the products probably will be made at the Longaberger Homestead, obtained from a pottery manufacturer in eastern Ohio, or a combination of the two, said Russell Mack, spokesman for Longaberger.

subset: commoncrawl


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Within the chronological framework of Implantation, Maturation and Transition, this book provides the history of European expansion in the Americas from the age of Columbus through the abolition of slavery. Suggesting a shift in the traditional units of analysis away from nationally defined boundaries, this volume considers all of the Americas - and Africa - to encourage students to see the larger interimperial issues which governed behaviour in both the new world and the old. It also provides students with a mechanism for viewing interimperial rivalries from the largest possible perspective, by focusing, not only on commercial and demographic history and military and economic interaction between metropolitan regions and their colonies, but on the interdependence of European, African, and Amerindian peoples and culture.
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Anyways, I promised last week to show you my stashbusting items and I never got around to it. I was so busy with the whole stashbusting thing that I didn't leave room for blogging. But, I am making myself do it today.
First I have a shawl I made for my friend Debra. It is my Candy Lace Shawl and I absolutely love this one. I have begun wearing my own to church and places and I get a TON of compliments on it. I made this one in Debra's favorite color (purple) which was also the color I had the most of.
This shawl got me mega points since it took 8 balls of my beloved Paton's Grace which equaled 16 points. (I get 2 points for ever FULL skein of yarn I use from my stash) Now, I did cheat a little bit on this shawl. In my pattern (and in the original shawl) I used 4 strands of yarn to make my fringe and in this shawl I used 8. That was just so I could get another skein of yarn used up. Hey! Whatever works, right?
Well, I completed this shawl last Monday (it only took me a day...its a pretty easy shawl) and so that night I made this sweater set. (okay...I only did the sweater on Monday night. The pants were already complete.) This was one of my WIPS that I said I wanted to finish this year...so YAY for me! I got it done.
I am really liking it in those colors. It is so boyish without being TOO boyish. (if you know what I mean...the whole "light blue is for boys" thing.) I am glad it got done too, and I must say that it probably wouldn't have had it not been for this whole stashbusting spree I am on lately. (Did I show you the coat??? Oh yeah. I remember! It is so gorgeous though)
Well, Tuesday I thought it would be a wonderful idea to bust some thread stash. But I am a pretty smart person so I knew busting size 10 or higher thread wouldn't get me very many points and as you can see from the first couple of paragraphs, I was really aiming for that medal. (well, I really wanted the gold, but silver does look better with my complexion, so I won't complain) I decided to go with some size 3 thread...I have quite a bit of leftover from some of my other designs. I crocheted up this Spring Blossom Hat which I will be selling in my Boutique.
So, while I was trying to be quick and thought my idea was brilliant, it came back to kick me in the rear end. Yes it did. That little hat (which is a newborn size so it should have been a piece of cake to crochet) ended up taking me ALL day Tuesday to crochet. Man alive!!! I had plans to crochet up the whole Spring Blossom Ensemble in some pretty teal size 3 thread I have (since I have like 8 balls of the stuff) but decided that on a "medal-achieving" week, I would stick with yarn. Scraps of yarn to be precise. I got out this tub...
Now this tub is bigger than it looks in the photo. It is not one of those "shoebox" plastic tups that you can fit around 2 and 3/4 skeins of yarn in. No...this is like one of those big rubbermaid totes that people store their huge fur coats and old carburators in. That is alot of balls of yarn. It was given to me and is about as ancient as...well...let's just say that its really old. I do not enjoy working with really old yarn like this. For one thing...its not very soft. And for another thing...its giving me a burn mark on my finger where the yarn runs against the skin. (or it could be that I am just so speedily fast at crocheting that the yarn burns me. Smoking!!! Nah. That's not it. Its just horribly un-soft yarn.)
So, I am now working on a giant scrapghan of some kind. Okay. I know what it is. Its not just "some kind" but I don't want to give away too much of what it is since it is a surprise for a friend of mine. Let's just say that this thing is right up her alley. If I told her what I was making, I think she might just start drooling. (and if she saw what it was...well...that would just be the end of it for her. She would need a mop!)
Anyways, I didn't finish the afghan because I went somewhere very VERY special this weekend. James and I went on a marriage retreat. We even took Chloe with us. (since that was the only way we were going to go...by taking Chloe. I just started leaving her in the church nursery a few months ago. There is no WAY I would leave her for 3 days/2 nights. I don't even know anyone here well enough to leave her with them.) So, the church paid for us to have a babysitter while we went to the sessions and then we were with Chloe the rest of the time.
I must say that we have a delightful time. (aside from the sleepless nights since Chloe didn't get to bed until after midnight BOTH nights) I love our Pastor. He doesn't neccessarily "preach" at you. He speaks from the heart and you can really see this while you are listening to him. And he has such a witty personality...along the same lines as James humor so its one that I really like. (since I do like James' humor and all.) We were laughing the whole weekend. It was fun. Oh...and we did learn somethings too. If you ever get the chance, you should read the little booklet "My Heart, Christ's Home." Very good read. It will challange you deeply.
So, I have some pictures of the ocean. Wanna see?
Every room in our hotel was on the beach. It was gorgeous.
James wanted to get in the water and had been talking about it for days. Once we got there, he stood on the balcony and noticed that there was not a single person in the water. I could tell he was starting to change his mind. The next afternoon we saw some people getting into the water. James face lit up with excitement. Then he saw the wetsuits. And these wetsuits covered even thier heads. That's when James realized he would not be entering the ocean water on that trip. We went swimming in the indoor (hint: heated) pool. (which also had a hottub...notice the word "hot" before the word "tub". That is key.)
That Mickey Mouse doll is becoming quite the tag-along. We can't seem to go anywhere anymore without him. Anyways, it was a wonderful weekend. We are thoroughly drained and need a week to recoup but it was good for us. Really good for us. God spoke to both our hearts and we have grown in our marriage through this.
And just in time to welcome me home, I recieved the most delightful package from my Secret Pal yesterday. Ohhhh...she seems to know all my addictions and what is neccessary to feed them. Check this out.
In this picture you will see books. Two of them. I have to be honest here and say that it was pretty high on my temptation list of things to do this week to run to the used bookstore and see if they had this series there. I know I have plenty of other books to read before that need comes...but I just enjoy buying books so much. Well, I had no sooner decided that I would wait (see...I can be a good girl sometimes. If I really want to) and I got this package with these two books in it. The very two books I was going to look for. Isn't that just the coolest??? I am working on Rilla of Ingelside right now (which I have the feeling is going to have some majorly sad parts to it...I am getting a foreboding) and then I think I will start on the Emily series. I don't think anything can be as endearing as Anne of Green Gables, but I will give it a try.
So...that is one addiction my SP fed. Another thing you will see in the picture is a package of Jelly Bellies. (which are completely gone, by the way. I adore Jelly Bellies) I think I am addicted to sugar. Correction: I KNOW I am addicted to sugar. It is not a fact I try to hide in any way. I shouldn't be so addicted to it. But I am. So, I enjoyed these Jelly Bellies to the fullest. I gave one (and only one) to Chloe who apparently does not share my same fondness for the delicacies because she spit it onto the recliner shortly after touching it to her tongue. Great! All the more for me. Now I don't have to share. (and believe me...I didn't.)
My SP must know how much I love pink. I am addicted to pink, I think. (hey. That sounds very much like a DR Suess book I have been reading about 10 times a day...everyday!) She sent me some very gorgeous stitch markers. These really are the most beautiful stitch markers I have ever seen. (and they match half my wardrobe. Isn't that cool? I will now be able to coordinate with my crocheting utensils. Now all I need is a pink crochet hook.)
Even little Chloe has an addiction. She loves stickers. And my SP must know this too because she sent some stickers for Chloe. Its amazing to me where a toddler will put stickers. Not at all in the normal places that most people would. (oh...say...paper, for instance?) She puts them on the carpet. I have yet to understand the fascination in this but it must hold some sort of appeal...because that is her favorite place to stick them. Somehow she understands what she is doing too because she will come back and pick up the sticker and restick it in another location. It is NOT random. She does this very methodically and with precision. It really is amazing to watch.
Now the thing that gets me about my SP's package is the inclusion of two balls of thread. She must know that I love thread. She must also know that I work alot with white and that I love sage green. (or she could have read these things off my questionnaire. Whatever.) But doesn't she know what this does for my stashbusting efforts? Balls of thread count the same as skeins of yarn. And just in case you didn't know this already, it takes quite a bit longer to get through a ball of thread than it does a skein of yarn. (trust me, it does) So, now...in a jiffy...I have negative 4 points to add to my score for this week. Schucks!!! I only had four points...which means I now have ZERO! And its Tuesday and there isn't going to be much stashbusting this week. I have to much "business" stuff to take care of. (thank goodness I got the website updated today.) I still have a few patterns to type up to get into testing and then I have a couple of designs to work on.
Nevermind that though. I am really thankful for each and everything my secret pal sent me. Thank you Secret Pal. I feel as though I have a new friend and sister in Christ. I really do love these Secret Pal things. I have met some really good friends through this.
Okay. It is getting late and I need to get to bed. Have a great evening everyone! Remember...we're partying this week!!


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Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Moog Music Announces the 2017 Halloween Theremin Video Contest with Hannibal Buress
Published on Sep 27, 2017 Moog Music Inc
"It's that time of year again. The time when the unearthly sounds of the theremin float up from the ether to announce the thinning of the veil between worlds. It's also the time of year for the Moog Halloween Theremin Contest. In celebration of the holiday, we want you to produce your best Halloween-themed Theremin video. Entries will be judged on originality, creativity and overall-spookiness.
To Enter:
1. Grab your Theremin.
2. Create a video of you playing it that embodies the spirit of the season.
3. Upload the video to Youtube using the title "Moog Halloween Theremin Video Contest 2017". All videos must be uploaded by MIDNIGHT EST on Thursday, October 26th.
4. Send an email with the subject "Moog Halloween Theremin Video Contest 2017" to firstname.lastname@example.com with the YouTube link to your entry.
On October 31st, Moog will announce three winners on the basis of originality, creativity, and best embodiment of Halloween.
First place will receive a Mother-32 Analog Synthesizer, second place a MF-108 Cluster Flux and third place a MF-102 Ring Modulator.
Full contest rules here. https://www.moogmusic.com/support/the..."
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Anaemia frequency and severity worsen with advancing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and are associated with quality-of-life (QOL) impairment, morbidity and mortality.1 Deficient renal erythropoietin production is a major cause and can be corrected by recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) administration.1 This may improve clinical outcomes, including delaying dialysis. Conversely, rhEPO therapy causes hypertension,2 thereby potentially accelerating CKD progression. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined rhEPO effects on clinical outcomes in anaemic, pre-dialysis CKD patients.
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing rhEPO treatment with either placebo …
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Living up to/into
As musicians there is a lot of pressure to live up to things: to our teachers, to our band mates, to our conductor, to ourselves. It dangles us before the abyss of knowing we were a fraud all along. Being a terrible musician appears to be our natural state and living up to being a good musician is what we strive towards.
But what if we live into being a musician? What if we already suppose that we are/will be a great musician and that we need just continue down our path? There is no precipice to stare down, no abyss of knowing we were a fraud all along. Being on the journey of the musician makes us the musician.
The journey is the award.


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Leaking oil cooler gasket on the 8630
cleaned and disassembled...
Making new gaskets
All that black stuff came out of that air filter?!
Time to fix some exhaust leaks....
This one...
a large vertical one...
...and one at the base.
exhaust pipe worn thin is hard to weld but we'll give it a try.
The forklift is handy for bringing the Millermatic to the job site.
That's better! Note the round piece of metal -- I tack-welded it to the back side of the muffler as a ground tab because there is no good ground on the rusty stuff.
Aircraft tire from the mixer wagon. The rim was badly cracked, but instead of taking the 32 bolts out and pulling the rim apart, I pushed the tire down with the excavator...
Ben spraying wheat
Me driving the truck and trailer with the tank to refill the sprayer. A very rough little trail through the woods.
F250 reaches 111,111.1 miles :)


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Watching sports is something that can bring people together from all around. Sports are a sort of universal language between people.
This past weekend, I watched sports with some non-Americans. A girl from the UK, a dude from Germany and then 3 Americans. Myself, being from Florida, a guy from Seattle and another from New Mexico. So you could say that we were a real geographical hodgepodge. Really covering a lot of area between our homelands.
While watching basketball, we got caught up on a word that none of us said the same. Now, I don't remember the word that we got caught on, and I wish I did. But, the conversation that stemmed from there was actually really interesting one. We talked about our own accents, and what they say about us.
The British girl was said that she had a very "posh" accent, a very upper-class way of talking. Or at least thats how it seemed to some lowly Americans with our hard R's.
The German's accent was described as harsh, "but not Third Reich harsh" (verbatim).
The other 2 Americans were said to have similar accents, very average American accents.
Now it was my turn, and I was expecting nothing more than an average American accent – but then they said it. They said I had a slight southern accent. Which really blew me away! I'm from a Gulf Coast tourist trap, where one half of the year, everyone is from the North East. So I was not expecting to get the southern card.
Then I read the "accent stereotype" section of our textbook and it really blew me away. So I started to do some research on all of the American Accents and their origins and such. Did you know that southern drawls are pegged to be slightly dimwitted, but thought to be nicer. And that big cities are pretty bad with English, sometimes more than the South?
Well, I was really taken aback by all of that. But see ya later, y'all. It's time for some sweet tea and football. Roll tide


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I am in the queue at Heathrow Airport in London, waiting to board the plane to Kuala Lumpur. With a pronounced groan, I put my two heavy bags down. These bags carry the memories of four years studying abroad. My eyes search around to see if anyone holds the same passport, desperate for common solidarity.
In front of me, I see a husband and wife holding red Malaysian passports in their hands, their son holding a United Kingdom passport and their daughter a Canadian passport. Beside them is a woman who looks a lot like the wife: same height, same permed hair, and same jewellery choices (golden rings and jade bracelets).
I can't see what passport she is holding, but when her fingers adjust slightly, it reveals the words on the passport's cover: "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Passport". She speaks in Hakka to the wife of the family, who turns out to be her sister, and tells her it's been a long time since she went back to Malaysia.
Malaysia no hope, the husband says. The rest nod in agreement, with eyes on their shifting feet. Words stay on their tongues and never come out, their silence making the noise in the background louder. What else is there to say when you have passed the final stage of changing your passport? There is no hope.
I always hear about emigration and brain drain: numbers increasing every year, mostly Chinese, and normally for money. But this time I saw the warm human faces behind those cold statistics, and it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Changing the colour of your passport is not merely a logistical transition; it's an emotional choice of departure. You relinquish a part of your identity as a Malaysian, and with it, all hope that this country will change for the better.
They may be right to do what they have done – I know of many people who would agree with their actions.
A day after I landed in Malaysia, I followed my mother to the wet market in Petaling Jaya. The local grocer asked my mother if her "bodyguard" (myself) would be going back to London to work. My mother said no.
The grocer admonished me for coming back. "Why don't you stay abroad and find a job there? The salary's five times higher than what you can get here. It's also fairer and more transparent!"
There is no place for you here, he said. He looked into my eyes with some sympathy before relentless anger compelled him to say: "Malaysia no hope."
The romance of return
The romantic notion of coming back and contributing to your country loses its appeal in today's borderless world. You are a citizen of the world, and any obligation you owe to your country of birth is at best artificial. Why aren't you allowed to change your allegiance, if you're prepared to do so?
On top of that, what if you do not have anything substantial to contribute to this country? Is there still a need for you to come back? And why is the idea of contribution so important?
A person should be able to make choices that best suit him or her. Since the place where we are born is wholly arbitrary, why must we admonish the leavers, and why must we be disappointed? After all, "Malaysia no hope".
Most people's decisions to emigrate are bound up in a mix of personal reasons and an innocent yearning for a life that is more stable and less worrisome. For many who leave, politics is someone else's game, and political arguments of participation, obligation and loyalty remain highfalutin arguments only for the mind.
Never have I, nor will I, speak ill of the decisions of others to move abroad. I also do not think that living abroad to earn more money is any less noble than choosing to earn less in your homeland. There should be a reasonable amount of free will given to adults that does not come with a price tag of moral judgments. But the bottom line is this: whatever decision you choose to make, make sure you can live with it.
The fire of youth
For me, I do not see myself going anywhere but Malaysia. Where you are born is arbitrary, but the decision of choosing where you work and die is a deliberate one. And once I have made this decision, I must choose to live with it.
I can't regret not taking the job offers abroad when I find it hard to get a job here, I can't regret not getting paid five times higher abroad when I get a job with meagre pay here. I can't regret not living abroad with a higher standard of living when I encounter daily inadequacies here.
That doesn't mean I am subdued or silenced by my own choices. Quite the opposite: to live with this, I must make the most out of it.
Fire burns in the belly of youth. At 24, I can still feel the heat that the Hakka family and wet-market grocer long extinguished within themselves.
I lived through political changes and social upheavals that taught me the power of common people and the possibility of change.
The journey home is not one of sacrifice, but one of preparedness: I am prepared to be useful in my homeland. If there is a piece of research that needs to be done, I will do it; if there is an email that needs to be sent, I will send it; if there is a discussion that needs to be conducted, I will conduct it.
There is something special about choosing to come back to your homeland and help as much as you can, even when the gatekeepers have long abandoned your trust and let the unruly in.
Being a member of a home carries with it an implicit promise of helping each other when we fall, doing more than our share, and making room for the greater good. Above all, you never give up on your home. Because inside your home is your family.
So, even when soft cement and loose bricks make your home crumble to the ground, the implicit promise still holds: be there for each other. Fire burns in the belly of youth, but youth is forever.
In "Malaysia no hope", I only see "hope".
Source : Malaysiakini by James Chai
JAMES CHAI works at a law firm. His voyage in life is made less lonely with a family of deep love, friends of good humour and teachers of selfless givings. This affirms his conviction in the common goodness of people: the better angels of our nature.


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text:
Adam looked at Fiona and Jasper.
"Good. Everybody's here. Now we can sort this out."
No one had ever seen him in business mode, when he set aside his normal persona for the clinical, insightful norm that he used at work for discussing the market, or which shares to buy, or the Reserve Bank's next move on interest rates. Fiona stared at Adam in some surprise. He had always been the brother she had had to help and protect, even though she was the younger of the two.
Mark knew only that he could rely on Adam for his strength, that Adam was his friend and that Adam loved him and cared about him. He trusted Adam. He knew Adam would help him.
Jasper looked at Adam, and remembered the many times Adam had comforted him and been strong for him, and was all at once immensely grateful that he was Adam's friend. He knew he didn't deserve this help, or Adam's compassion, and he resolved privately that he would in future be less arrogant, less selfish. He hoped he was going to be given a second chance – with all of them. He wanted them all to be his friends. He needed people like this in his life. Yet in spite of his doubts, he had an absurd sense that everything would be all right.
Adam went and stood next to the dresser, where they could all see him without straining. In a conversational tone, he began.
"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. She had a nice castle, and a passable carriage, but she was lonely. One day, while she was riding in the forest, she happened upon a handsome prince. They looked at each other and liked each other at once. Now, I should tell you that the beautiful princess had been unable to find a suitable prince before, for princes can be such ponces. She had almost given up hope."
Jasper was staring at Adam as if he'd gone quite mad. Mark was smiling, abruptly sure that it would be all right. Tom was watchful, waiting patiently to see what Adam was up to. Fiona felt the peaceful languor that had always come over her when Adam had told her a story when she was a little girl. She was prepared to wait. This new, competent, efficient Adam might have answers for her. Maybe it was time that he found her a solution to her problems instead of her finding solutions to his. Maybe having Tom love him had given him the necessary resources and strength.
"Well, the princess and her prince grew happier and happier with each other. Soon they were deeply in love. But the Prince had friends. And the princess was unhappy with that. 'Why can't you just love me?' she asked, irritably. 'I love my friends, too,' he replied. But as each day went by, the princess got more and more annoyed, and at last he told his friends that he could no longer love them, and that they must go away. The princess ought to have been glad about this, but she wasn't. Because the prince was sad. He tried to smile whenever she was around, but as soon as she'd gone, he'd stare into the fire or out the window, and his face would fill with melancholy."
Adam stopped and stared at all his listeners. They were as rapt as any group of toddlers listening to a tale at playgroup. He knew he would have to get the dénouement exactly right. If he mucked it up, it would be hard to retrieve the situation. He went on.
"One day, the prince said that he wanted to go for a walk in the forest. He said it would cheer him up. By now, the princess was in despair. She loved the prince more than she could say, perhaps more than life itself. So she let him go, and stayed behind in the castle, walking up and down her flower garden, noticing neither the flowers nor the looks of her ladies-in-waiting, but able only to see her prince's face as he went off to the forest.
"That night, the prince returned. He was happy, and she was too, for she loved him. This happened again and again. Each time he returned he was happy again. After a few days, he would start to get depressed, and then he would come to her and say that he was going off to the forest.
"One day, she suggested that she go with him, but he seemed strangely reluctant to accept her presence. So when he left, she secretly went to the stables, wearing a concealing cloak, and saddling her horse herself, set off into the forest just out of sight behind him. The prince made his way through the forest and came at last to a small timber cottage. As he arrived, the door was flung open, and all the prince's friends poured out of the cottage, shouting out welcomes. They were so glad to see him! And the prince's face was transformed. He was smiling and laughing too.
The princess came out of the shadows where she had been hidden and confronted the prince. 'I told you to get rid of your friends,' she said, very angry. 'I never want to see you again!' And ignoring his cries, she galloped back to the palace, and closed herself in her room. She refused to see anyone, not even her old nurse, and remained hidden in her room for months. At last, sure that the prince had gone, she came out of her room and gradually began to live the normal life of a princess again.
"A few years later, her father the king died, and she became queen. She never found anybody she loved as much as the prince. She never married. When she was herself old, she decided to go and visit the cottage where she had last seen her beloved prince all those years before. She could not go alone, because she was the queen, but she took as few people with her as possible. She almost got lost, but somehow she found her way through the forest to where the timber cottage had been. The jingle of the horses' tack and the neighing were noisy in the quiet of the forest. As she arrived at the door, an old man came out, and peered at her, shielding his eyes with his hands from the sun.
"She looked at him for a long time. She recognised him. It was her prince. He looked at her, and tears filled his eyes. 'I always knew you would come,' he said. She dismounted and went over to him and took him into her arms. She knew then she loved him as much as she'd always done, that she had made a terrible mistake. 'So many wasted years,' she said into his wrinkled neck, stroking his grey hair, conscious of her own folly. 'Do you live here alone?' she asked. 'Yes,' he answered. 'I sent away my friends as you asked. I have lived here alone all these years, hoping that compassion would enter your heart and you would return.' 'Were you not lonely, my love?' she asked, her heart pierced with sorrow by his story. 'Very, light of my life. But I kept on hoping that you would come. And you have.'
"'I have been a fool,' said the queen. 'Come back with me to the castle, and be my love. For I love you more now than I did all those years ago. And if any of your friends are alive bring them too. For even a part of you is better than nothing. We could have been happy together all these years.'
"They made their way back to the castle, and the queen held his hand all the way, and neither saw that the other was old and wrinkled and grey, but saw only the beautiful and attractive person they'd loved so long ago. And that night they made love, in the queen's chambers, and in the morning when the chambermaid came in to bring them water for their wash and a cup of tea to wake them up, she found them as if fast asleep in each other's arms, with smiles of pure happiness on their faces. But they were dead."
Adam stopped abruptly and looked at Fiona and then one by one at each of the others. Fiona was crying quietly, and he walked over to her, and hugged her.
"Well?" he asked, letting go, his eyes looking into hers.
"I'm a fucking fag hag," sobbed Fiona. The men looked at each other, not sure where this had come from.
But Adam understood. "Tom isn't a 'fag'," he said gently. "And Mark isn't. And Jas isn't. Only I am. And you've always known that. And you are not a hag."
"I am a fag!" said Tom proudly. They all began to laugh, the image was so absurd. Relief made them all a little light-headed.
"Fee, you love Markie. He loves you. Do you want to find out, when you're old, that you've made a terrible mistake?" Adam's voice was gentle.
Fiona shook her head. "I… it's just that I was so hurt. I had dreams… "
Adam took her in his arms, and kissed her forehead. "We all have dreams, sis. We all want to find our true love, someone who'll be there for us always. And you have. Markie loves you, sis."
"I know." Fiona sighed. She pushed Adam away and turned to Mark. "I love you Mark. I'm sorry that I was… "
Mark walked over to her and put his arms round her and squeezed her tightly. When he let her go, Fiona walked over to Jasper, and stared at him for a moment. The tension was electric. The onlookers didn't know whether she would hit him or hug him. He stared back, conflicting emotions moving across his face – sadness, hope, defiance. She took his hands in hers, never letting her eyes leave his. "Jasper Sutton, you have always been more trouble than you're worth."
Jasper smiled warily. "Sorry, Fee. I'll try harder in future." Then he impulsively lifted her hands and kissed them.
"I will say this for you," said Fiona, still looking at him, "you've improved." They could all tell that she was close to tears.
His smile was wry, a little bitter. "I started from a very low base, Fee. Will you forgive me, for everything, the way I treated Adam, for Mark, for being a selfish arsehole?"
"I'll try." All at once she pulled him into a tight clinch, and he in turn embraced her, his arms tight around her. She could feel his heart beating, and now, now that it looked as if things were finally going to turn out all right, she could feel his tears against her neck.
"Don't cry, Jas," she said, suddenly filled with a tenderness and compassion for these her men, all damaged by fate, given a dud card by the bad fairy, yet all trying to live with it with courage and integrity and a sense of humor. She turned her head towards her brother, remaining in Jas's arms, leaning against him. "OK, since you're so willing that I share the man I love, let me ask you this: would you share the man you love?"
Adam smiled at her ironically, his eyebrows curved in the way she knew so well. "Yes. Think about it Fee. I thought he was one hundred percent straight. I thought I would always have to share him with his wife, all the time never letting him know what I truly felt deep down. Everything I have now is a bonus."
"For you I'm one hundred percent gay." Tom's voice was filled with certainty. He wanted Adam to understand.
"Tom, my sweet, I saw how you looked at Fee at the cottage. I know you saw me in her and were attracted to it. It was the same, I think with Mark and Fee. He saw me in her and was drawn to her."
"You mean you were lovers!" The realization hit her. Was there to be no end to the revelations of that evening? Yet the fact that Adam and Mark had once been lovers was less of a shock than it would have been just a few hours ago.
"Yes. You dill, it was years ago! We've been friends ever since. Hasn't that happened to you? You meet someone who reminds you of someone you were fond of, and immediately you like them better for it." Adam smiled at her. There was compassion and understanding in his face. She remembered how he had always been patient with her, kind to her, how he had spent time with her doing things he probably had been bored by.
Mark was talking. "I was drawn to you, Fee, in the way Adam said. But I love you for you, not because I see Adam in you. You're different from each other. And anyway, I never loved Ads as deeply as I love you."
"Thanks," said Adam dryly.
"You know what I mean, Ads. We were always friends more than lovers, almost from the beginning. That's why we are still friends."
"So," said Fiona scornfully, "you've all been buggering each other." She was still annoyed that she hadn't been told about Adam and Mark. She admitted to herself, also, that she was afraid that Mark had chosen her because she was a substitute for Adam, even as she conceded that Mark and Adam hadn't been lovers for years. She vaguely remembered some mention of Mark's name over the years, but Adam had never mentioned his surname nor what he did for a living. He was just 'Mark'.
"Well, Tom has only been buggering me." Adam gave her a lazy smile, the kind he'd always given her when he was teasing her. His eyes were glinting with amusement.
"I so didn't want to know that!" The abrupt release of stress made her want to giggle stupidly.
"And I don't know what Mark and Jas do to each other, but Markie and I used to… "
"Too much information", "We don't want to know", "Hey, is nothing sacred?" were their simultaneous responses to him. In a moment they were all laughing.
"Anyway," said Adam, determined to finish what he'd begun, "I don't care if Tom has a woman as long as he comes home to me."
"I'll never have a woman again, Ads. I love you."
"You might, Tom. Maybe you're one hundred percent gay now, but you had a wife for years. And you had good sex with her too, and I know, I know, Tom, love, that you loved her. I can tell it from the way you talk about her. So maybe you will one day feel the need for a woman. And I won't stop you or stand in your way – I want you to be happy. As long as I see you some of the time. As long as you come home to me."
"But who will I go home to?" asked Fiona, suddenly filled with a deep melancholy that it might after all not work out, that it was too hard, too complicated, even without a hostile society or blinkered parents.
"To them, of course." Adam smiled at her, his face tender, amused. "You great hairy nong, all three of you will share a house. How you arrange the beds is your business."
"Don't call me a great hairy nong, you brat!" A smile flickered over her lips. She couldn't help it. She loved Adam so much. They were closer than any other siblings she knew.
Adam went over to her and put his arm round her waist and turned toward the others. "See, guys, Fiona and I, on top of everything else, have one thing in common. We are monosexual. That's a good word, and I've just invented it." He bowed, as if to applause. "That means that she will always be het and I will always be gay. She will never need a second lover in her life, nor will I. Maybe we will accept one, but we won't need one. You blokes, on the other hand, are bi, or have been, or maybe always will be. Jasper tried to persuade me he was gay, but it's bull. Shut up Jas, and listen. Mark loves Fee and Jas, equally. And Tom was married for ages. You guys have that in common. And that means that some part of you will always need the love of both genders. Shush, Tom, I'm not finished. Now we who love you," and he squeezed his sister's waist as he spoke, and she felt a sudden fireworks burst of happiness inside her, "we will have to be prepared to share you." He stopped and stared at them, at each face, dear and familiar in its own way, Jas, his best friend, Mark his quondam lover and friend, and Tom the man he would marry, and he said, "There are a few ground rules. No casual flings. No relationships with the wrong gender – I mean, for example, Tom can have a woman but not a man. Jas and Mark have to stick with each other. They can't have other blokes in their lives."
"Don't want a woman," muttered Tom mutinously, his brows drawn down in a disapproving glare.
Adam smiled at him, his eyes filled with such profound love that Tom felt his annoyance vanish. He had the sudden urge to go over and grab Adam and kiss him and hug him and hold him forever. The impulse had little to do with desire and much with love. Tom knew that he had never felt that for Anita. Grief at the mistakes we make in our lives filled his heart. He wondered whether she would have been happier with someone else, whether if he had loved her better or more, she would have been OK, instead of in a 'home'.
He turned his attention back to what Adam was saying.
"I know, Tom. But in five or ten years' time, maybe you'll feel the need. And then I want it to be somebody who matters to you. As for you two," he went on sternly, looking at Jasper and Mark, "No women or men for Mark. He has Jas and Fee. And after all your fervent declarations, Jas, you'd better have a more than usually silver tongue to explain yourself if you get yourself a woman."
"Think it'd work?" asked Jasper, looking at Adam and Fiona, the hope in his face taking away the strain which had rendered him so plain over the last few days, and making him once again good-looking and appealing.
"What could be worse than not trying? What could be worse than giving up right now, because it looks so hard? Dammit, Jas, why not have the fucking courage to try, to see whether you can live together and be happy?"
Tom had been listening in silence, for the most part, except for the occasional interjection. "Won't work!" he said, firmly.
They all turned to look at him, their faces falling.
He grinned back at them, enjoying the tease. "You guys would never work it out unless Ads and I were with you." He smiled triumphantly.
They all stared at each other in silence, and then, as the idea grew and flowered, they began to smile. Their bodies relaxed. Mark reached out and took Jasper's hand. Tom yawned and stretched.
"I'm not doing all the cooking and cleaning!" said Fiona, staking out her position at once. "Just because I'm the only woman. And I so do not want a classic bachelor's pad – no smelly socks and jocks in the sitting room. No spew on the dining room carpet."
"It'll be like a student house," said Mark, excited. He'd always enjoyed shared digs. And he was lonely in his small flat.
"Eww! Gross! That's what I was afraid of!"
"Only better," Mark added quickly. "We're richer and more sensible now."
"Yeah?" said Jasper, ironically. "I still have to get a job."
"What happened? Ads lost his, too. But he's going to start up his own business." It was Tom.
"My boss at the law firm was a homophobe born-again Christian. You know the kind… "
" …Yeah, "interrupted Adam, "a Bible on their desk, lies on their lips, and envy, greed and spite in their hearts. Just as well all Christians aren't like that. Or they'd get a bad name."
" …so he made up a reason to get rid of me. And my parents threw me out when I told them."
"We'll get you a job, Jas-baby," said Adam. "Together, we have lots of contacts. Or you can start your own practice. So it's all settled then? We find a house that takes five, and we live happily ever after. Sis, you got any champagne?"
Fiona went to the fridge and took out a bottle. "There's a second one," she said. "We can enjoy ourselves."
Fiona opened the special set of champagne flutes Adam had given her for her twenty-fifth birthday. Adam poured, and when they each had a glass, they stood facing each other and raised their glasses simultaneously.
"To us."
Chapter 1 Chapter 16 Chapter 18
© Nick Thiwerspoon 2015. All rights reserved.


text:
A couple teams still have an outside chance of getting in, but for the most part, the stage seems to be set for the "tournament."
AL champ LA boasts a formidable murderer's row out West. Seven
players have 30-plus homers, and six of those have 90-plus RBI. At the
top row are three MVP candidates in Geovany Molina (.288/.396/.536),
Clay Stanley (.293/.363/.576) and Jamie "Fire" Byrne (.295/.386/.528).
Spot starter and veteran Derek Hardtke leads the team with 14 wins
while having the hot hand down the stretch. He has a .198 opponents'
BA, a 0.99 WHIP and 2.61 ERA in over 120 innings. Carlos "Slim" Valdes
is handling another huge workload out of the pen and has a 1.19 WHIP in
over 140 innings.
Jackson will claim another South division
title and are thriving under its new ownership. Three starters have
15-plus wins. Hector Batista leads the team with an 18-8 record.
Perennial MVP candidate Ralph "Billy the Kidd" Kydd(.353/.439/.524) is
thriving after being dropped in to order to take advantage of his
productions skills. The team has responded with one of their best
offensive seasons in years. Bryce Dupler (34 HR/101 RBI), Dan Blair
(27/104) along with Kydd, have each driven in more than 100 runs.
repeats in the East. Nick Jacquez is having a nice little follow-up to
his Triple Crown season with a line of .300, 38 HR and 112 RBI. His
middle-of-the-order mate, John Suzuki is boasting a .282, 38, 106 line.
Second year 2B Jonathon Hamelin has also smacked 36 homers and Victor
Morales should soon hit his 30th to join the club. What makes Trenton
dangerous however, is its top of the rotation. Pat Combs (17-5, 2.77
ERA) and Karl Hurst (15-5, 2.87) are each doing their thing, and
youngster Victor Diaz (11-8, 3.28) isn't a bad third starter option.
The pen is strong, led by Ricky Mullin (1.13 WHIP in 83 games) and
closer Charles Chen (31 of 36 saves.)
In the North, Augusta and
Cincinnati are going at it again for the division title. The 'Bears
have the upper hand at the moment with a 3 game lead, and are favorites
to take back the division title. Their middle of the line-up is stacked
with the likes of Cleatus Alexander (.275/.425/.511), Javy Alvarez
(.275/.375/.507) and Tony Juarez (.291/.346/.546). Alexander leads the
squad with 127 RBI, all three have at least 30 bombs. Their deep
rotation boasts 4 guys with at least 13 wins, led by Cy Young hopeful
Flip "Lennon &" McCartney, who's 18-10 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.20
WHIP. Pedro "High" Sierra is also having another strong season at 13-4,
2.85 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. Osvaldo Castillo is having a great follow-up
as the team's closer, converting 30 of 33 save chances.
If Cincy
can't catch Augusta again, they'll claim one of the wild card berths.
Starter Guillermo Manzanillo is having a career year at 29, in going
15-5 with a 3.76 ERA, and is the star of the rotation. The line-up is
stacked. There remains at outside chance that 4 guys will slug at least
30 homers and drive in 100 runs. The ones who are already there are C
Brant Ducey (37/101) and newcomer Dioner Moreno (37/102). John Martin
needs just one more ribbie to join the club (31 HR), and Pedro Quitero
needs 7 more to go with his 35 bombs.
Charlotte will get back to
the tournament as a wild card after taking an uncharacteristic year off.
Peter "Crazy Ole Building & Loan" Bailey has provided a lift after coming
over from Chicago midseason. He's slugged 27 homers and driven in 64
since his arrival. He joins mainstay slugger Carlos "Exxon" Valdes (33
HR/88 RBI), Omar Estrella (30/87) and Tommy Jordan (28/82). Kenny Adams
has swiped 67 bags while being caught just thrice. Mr. Consistent
Estaban Guapo is having another outstanding season at the top of the
rotation, going 12-8. Veteran Einar Tavarez made the All-star team, and
is having a great year at 14-5 with a 3.64 ERA and 1.25 WHIP.
Relievers Norm Cohen and Charlse "1000 Ways to" Dye are solid options at
the back end of the bullpen.
Jackson earns one of the first round byes. LA and the winner of the North are battling for the second.


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I will have to say this was nearly an impossible capture because dozens of Creative Memories Consultants kept trying to "help" me with the shot! When I shared the fact that I was intentionally trying to capture an arms-length self-portrait, you should have seen the puzzled looks!
In case you were wondering, the Greco-Roman theme was part of our closing banquet. And yes, these are real.


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It has only taken 2 weeks but here are pictures from my graduation. It was a whirlwind day for sure. I can't believe how fast it went and how smoothly. Enjoy them.
At the pre-receptionGabi, me & Amy Me & TraciMe & MeganOne of my favorite instructors - Dr. Freddy Chang - he is in his 70s and still working full-time!At the Church - me, Erin & TangeeDownstairs getting ready to get in our HOT regalia - me, Sara & JillKU grads - and yes still my friends - Ben, Erin & MattLauren & meKaren & me - All ready!Walking down to my seat - I am pretty nervous at this point - praying I will not fall
Getting hooded
Getting my diploma!At my seat trying to pay attention
Outside the church - The graduating class of 2009! Can you find me?There I am!Tangee and me in our hoodsConnie, Tangee, me & ErinMe with my proud parents


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Creative economy initiatives fund supports UMass Boston arts and humanities projects
- Boston
Faculty and staff at UMass Boston have received a combined $102,350 from UMass President Marty Meehan's office and the Creative Economy Initiatives Fund to pursue academic and community projects in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
The four projects and the grant recipients are:
- "Creative Solutions for the Poor: How Boston Entrepreneurs Mobilize Creative Resources to Serve the Bottom of the Pyramid": Associate Professor of Management Stephan Manning and business administration PhD student Stanislav Vavilov; College of Management ($24,350)
- "BEACON—Your City, Your Voice: Building the Boston Area Panel": Professor of Sociology Russell K. Schutt; Director Trent D. Buskirk and Associate Professor of Sociology Philip S. Brenner; College of Liberal Arts, Center for Survey Research ($30,000)
- "Popularity of Cultural Products in Online Social Media": Assistant Professor of Marketing Jurui Zhang and Chair and Professor of Marketing Raymond Liu, College of Management ($36,000)
- "Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive Oral History Project": Professor of American Studies Jeffrey Melnick, Interim Dean of University Libraries Joanne Riley, Professor of American Studies Rachel Rubin, Honors College Dean Rajini Srikanth, and Associate Professor of Management Pacey Foster; College of Liberal Arts, College of Management, Honors College, and Joseph P. Healey Library ($12,000)
Manning and Vavilov are focused on identifying best practices for so-called "bottom of the pyramid" startups--enterprises that specialize in developing products and services for low-income consumers in areas like Africa.
"Boston has become in recent years one of the major hubs for international startups specializing in BOP markets, yet we know little about success factors and best practices of applying creative resources and capabilities. We aim to identify success factors and best practices of BOP entrepreneurship out of Boston, and aim to understand how the growing sector of BOP entrepreneurship can generate innovation and employment in the creative economy in the Greater Boston area," Vavilov said.
Vavilov and Manning will use their $24,350 grant in part to conduct interviews with BOP entrepreneurs, accelerators, angel investors, universities, centers, and other major actors in the Boston entrepreneurial ecosystem and identify how entrepreneurs in Boston apply creative resources, such as human capital, networks, and intellectual property, toward BOP markets.
"Boston's history, as with other cities, teaches us that if such challenges are not quantified, analyzed and addressed, the underlying problems can fester, social conflicts can emerge, and progress can erode. The UMass Boston BEACON project will provide data to meet this challenge," Schutt said.
BEACON will provide a valuable resource for scholars, policymakers, and government agencies. Regular meetings are already underway with key members of the Mayor's Office of Urban Mechanics--to identify policy issues of greatest concern--and with Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI) leaders from Harvard and Northeastern--to coordinate survey plans with their "big data" resources.
The $30,000 in funding will support the design of survey procedures, the development of a collaborative infrastructure, and data collection for one year.
Buskirk is also celebrating another milestone. He is a 2017 fellow of the American Statistical Association, as nominated by other members of the organization. Nominees must have an established reputation and have made outstanding contributions to statistical science in order to be named fellow for a year.
"There are millions of comments on social media and this tells us a lot about consumers' minds. What are their interests? What are their preferences for musicians?" Zhang said.
The team will use aggregators to create a digestible analysis of 10,000 Facebook pages. Much of the $36,000 grant will pay for this machine learning. The team will also be collaborating with UMass Boston's folk music station, WUMB 91.9 FM, to see how they can market their artists and looking at how social media networks influence the popularity of musicians.
"We conceptualize that there are two types of social networks. One is explicit social networks, like who is connected to who on Facebook. We're also interested in implicit social networks, for example, what brands this person is following on Facebook or Twitter. If a person following Taylor Swift follows Dove or other beauty brands, it says a lot about their interests," Zhang said.
The team of Melnick, Riley, Rubin, Srikanth, and Foster are using their $12,000 grant to hire rapper Akrobatik, who will work with Honors College student interns on oral history techniques. The undergraduate students will then record interviews with artists and dancers, producers and DJs, rappers, and graffiti artists. A UMass Boston graduate student will catalog the interviews for the Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive, which launched last year with digitized demo tapes played on Lecco's Lemma, one of Boston's earliest rap radio shows, from 1985 to 1988.
"If that goes well, this is the model for what we want to roll out on a larger scale," said Foster, the project's manager. "We're really building a community archive here as told by the people. We're focusing on stories that haven't been told well or artists who weren't well recognized or famous. We're interested in stories of the art form, especially that early 80s time when the Lecco's Lemma collection was created. It was a really vibrant time and a time that was documented by the kids that were making the tapes."
Another part of the grant will help formalize the partnership between UMass Boston's Joseph P. Healey Library and the Boston Public Library. The two have teamed up so that items uploaded into the digital collection housed at UMass Boston can be indexed by the BPL and found (and enjoyed) by hip-hop fans around the world.
The Creative Economy Initiatives Fund was launched in 2007 to complement the Science & Technology Initiatives Fund, established in 2004. The fund has awarded more than $3 million in grants to faculty across all five campuses, including $256,000 this year.


text:
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Male pattern baldness and alpecia are caused by a fragment of a virus, turning off biological activity in a hair follicle – so the cell could act as a virus robot, copying out the full virus. So viral rumps turn off biological activity, and are targets for future cancer cells.
But like viruses these cells are over inflated and hard. Ah, we know the answer here. If we apply High Intensity UltraSound, these cells boil and pop – as they do Molecular Nuclear Fusion
1 H2O+P+US->He+O+E2+X-ray
So if we apply an e.g. 8W 1MHz ultrasound massage device repeatedly to the bald patch, the virus altered cells are cleared, and replaced by active hair folicules. The hair comes back.
Facial Body Skin Cleaner Beauty Ultrasound 1MHz Ultrasonic Beauty Massage Device
- $16.89
- or Best Offer
With no costly hair transplant – and the devices cost 30 UK pounds or less. A side benefit is that the viral altered cells causing MS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Schizophrenia and other mental health problems are cleared.
So no dementia. No Dr involvement.


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Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Work In Progress Wednesday
I've decided to back off on the queries for Encoded Secrets for now. There are some things I can do to make it better, so that's what I'm going to do. Still having fun with The Black Orchid. It's amazing how the process goes. This week is a matter of balancing time. I wish I had a writing tip, but seeing as writing isn't happening like I want it to, I'll have to come up with one next week. Happy writing!
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Just photos this time; no mass email this week.
Oct 10, 2016 | Dearest children, Aaron is near you
I was going to start off saying, "It was another good week this week!"… But I always say that, so… I don't know it was good. My creativity levels are stupid low right now, I'm hungry.
We were (unfortunately) not able to baptize Raquel and Rosita, there is a crazy weird family/ward situation going on since I got here and it's just now getting resolved, so now it's FOR SURE this weekend. But we're excited! We have a new ward mission leader that moved in about 2 weeks ago and the brotha has got some fire in the bones and we're gonna turn this ward into the best unit in the whole mission, that's the plan for the rest of my time here. We have all the plans set and we meet with him tomorrow so we can kickstart everything! We're turning things on its head.
Heloa (recent convert) brought a friend to church yesterday who has been reading the Book of Mormon and has already expressed his desire to be baptized! His name is Marcos, he came to church and I thought he was a member haha, we're visiting him tonight.
So Isabel and Germano, update on the two of them really quick. They went to conference and loved it, and we were able to go and follow up and see what they were feeling. Isabel said that it all felt so true and right and good, but it wasn't enough to make her change her religion. Which is awesome because that means she has already thought and is still thinking about how she felt that Sunday. It was a special moment with them and I was able to see some incredible things that the Lord revealed to me of their future as we talked. I know that they will come to know and receive the blessings of the restored gospel.
We continue to improve daily, the Lord provides us with miracles daily, no matter their size or spiritual impact, He always does if we do our part.
I love yall!
Peace be the journey
Oct 3, 2016 | To my friend the chocolate cake
That's a band name.
Hey fam! So it's been a minute since I've been able to really sit down and tell you all about my feelings and really vent, so I'm not gonna do that. I'll just talk about my new area and everything that's been going on since I left Posse!
I have made (once again) a triumphant return to the Taguatinga stake (for the third time)! Haha I'm in Samambaia 1 now, and as much as I grew to like Posse, it's nice to have a real chapel again. My companion is Elder Cardona from Santa Maria, RS; he's a good kid! He has lost his way a little bit recently, so we're working to get everyone back on the right track. So now we're working harder and things are starting to go smoother and a little happier. I had the chance to spend a lot of time with President and Sister last week and they have been helping me a ton on the importance of family (growth, strengthening our relationships and testimonies, keeping covenants, etc.) and leading by example. Good stuff, we have been able to apply it all in our work. So we're working to understand the importance of separating a social visit and a spiritual visit- the social visits give us the members' friendship, but a spiritual visit gives us the members' trust, which is much more important in the work that we're doing. We're managing our time a little better, we're teaching and feeling the spirit, we're lifting, we're having fun! Which is good, doing the right thing is the best way to be happy.
"Although I may not be my brother's keeper, I am my brother's brother; and 'because I have been given much I too must give.'" -Elder Holland
I started teaching English classes, which is something I have never done and/or wanted to do… But it has been a ton of fun! We were able to meet an older lady named Isabel and her husband Germano. They're very catholic, but very open to hear what we have to say as well! They went to Conference with us yesterday and loved it! They're just happy people that want to do what God asks, we're grateful to be working with them. Both of their kids live in the US and have already met with missionaries (it's been a few years but it counts) and they had a Book of Mormon already! Well they thought they did… we'll give them a new one.
We have two baptisms this weekend as well! Raquel and Rosita have been going to church for a super long time and were never baptized because they needed the invite, so now they have one. And they're getting dunkitated! We're working with their parents Fabiano and Sandra to get married, they're a nice family.
CONFERENCE was awesome!!! I don't have my notes with me, and even if I did I would have to translate them. I learned a lot this weekend, and I hope and pray that yall had the opportunity to receive some personal revelation to better your lives. Something that really stuck out to me was in Elder Bassett's talk during the Saturday afternoon session. During these last 3 or 4 months I have become super stressed over things that are usually out of my control. Elder Bassett (from what I understood) talked about just that. He said (in a copy and pasted short summary):
"[Our] actions can lead us to seek after things that are not necessarily meant to be understood at this time, all the while ignoring the beautiful truths that are meant for us and our circumstances—the truths Nephi described as written for our learning and profit. …Nephi's example of seeking knowledge included (1) a sincere desire, (2) humility, (3) prayer, (4) trust in the prophet, and an exercise of (5) faith, (6) diligence, and (7) obedience. …Faith and trust in the Lord require us to acknowledge that His wisdom is superior to our own. We must also acknowledge that His plan provides the greatest potential for spiritual development and learning.We were never expected "to have a perfect [understanding] of things" during this mortal existence. Instead, we are expected to "hope for things which are not seen, which are true" [Alma 32:21]. …As we acknowledge that we are the workmanship of a wise and devoted Father in Heaven, "O then," why not allow Him to guide our spiritual development and learning "according to his will and pleasure" rather than our own? [Jacob 4:9].
In short, I really needed that.
I love you all! Peace be the journey
Sept 27, 2016
So Monday was tricky and we weren't able to get in to use a computer! Yesterday I went to have lunch with President and a bunch of other missionaries that won (last transfer) a competition. It was really GH (glória dos homens/glory of men), but it was fun! The companionship that baptized the most in every zone and had the best numbers went to the lunch, but Elder Dayton wasn't able to make it because they live really far… It was a ton of fun and I learned quite a bit from Sister- she talked to me for a long time about marriage and family… There should be pics on the mission facebook page!
I am now in Samambaia, and once again, in the Taguatinga stake. 3rd time hahaha the Lord has a work for me to do here.
My theme for this transfer is this: "Obey like Nephi, serve like Ammon, love like Christ." I'm still learning and I'm grateful to the Lord for that. I'm dying as just a missionary, and that is the best way to go out: with your head down and hitting it hard.
Sept 19, 2016 | I have to catch a bus in 2.5 hours and I haven't packed yet.
Hey fam!
Transfers are this week and I'm leaving Posse, so here in a little bit I'll be leaving the middle of nowhere to civilization. So this will be rushed again with pictures, and next week HOPEFULLY I have some time to write a letter or send a real email since I've been owing you guys one of those for a long time now. Almost two years haha but know that I love all of you!
This week we were able to end the transfer with 4 baptisms! The rest of the families are all soon to come, Dayton will send me pictures as their time comes. We're waiting for Eliene and Rodrigo AND Leonel and Vanete to get married… haha they're two incredible couples, especially Eliene… She is a special lady. I'll update more on their story when I have more time!
I'm happy and I love this work!
Peace be the journey
Sept 12, 2016
I always get here with really awesome things to tell you guys and then when I sit down, Will Smith swoops in and wipes my memory with his sick alien pen from MIB and I forget everything. At least that's what it feels like.
Alright, so to start off updating all yall from about two or three weeks ago, I'm still alive and healthy. We got robbed last week when we down to Brasília for mission conference so now I don't have my USB or memory card with all my talks, we don't have a phone anymore and the dude swiped our phone while we were sleeping. Sem vergonha. But we're both okay and the mission conference was awesome! Here's a little bit of what I got from it:
- We must look at our own lives and fix what is already under our control before we start to look out and point out the falts of what we can't control yet. As we are an example of the believers in word, in thought and in doing the rest will surely follow. In due time, but it's the Lord's time and we can't complain about that.
- We are here to establish the kingdom of God on the earth, not just to work and baptize and teach. Work and establish are two different things. When we establish we build what is necessary to be built and we leave it better than we found it.
- How would my future family relationships benefit from my missionary conduct right now?
- We should teach, pray, testify, love and serve as if for the very first time.
- Teaching the children of God about His eternal gospel plan is the single most important thing we can do with our lives; whether it be as a missionary, a Sunday school teacher, a neighbor, a friend. In 1 Corinthians 12:29 it lists three things: first, apostles. Second, prophets. Third, teachers. We have to do everything in our power to make sure that when we have an opportunity to teach that we take advantage of it and turn it into a truly spiritual experience, and we can learn to do that in chapter 10 of Preach my Gospel. And then if our hearts are right, if we have prayed and studied and cried and worried and prepared until we do not know what else to do, the Lord can say to us what He said to the sons of Mosiah to go up unto the Lamanites and He will give us success!
We gave Elizabeth the Book of Mormon less than 3 weeks ago and she finished it yesterday… And has a testimony. And she's the greatest, she's just stark crazy. I think she might have Alzheimer's… But she remembers everything from the Book of Mormon, it's an interesting deal! She is super prepared and we're helping her out this week to stay strong so she can be baptized on Sunday!
Carol and Luisa have fallen off the map, it's sad. But it happens! It's still not their time. But they'll get baptized for sure.
We met a lady named Eliene knocking doors and she has three sons, two are old enough to be baptized. We have been working closely with them, as they have an incredible potential to do incredible things as members. Eliene isn't married, but her "husband" lives in Brasília and visits one weekend per month. She tells us she thinks about separating and it's a really odd deal with them. But she is a wonderful person and she's super sincere with us, which is a blessing. We're working with her sons to get baptized this weekend as well!
Tailane came out of nowhere, she's a little buddy of some recent converts and has gone to church 3 weeks in a row. It's impossible to find everyone at home but we're doing everything in our power to help her prepare for baptism this weekend as well! We have high hopes for the end of this transfer!
I might get transferred here in a couple days I think! (hope… pray…) haha but I am super grateful to be here in Posse and to be learning the things that I am learning everyday. The Lord has shown His hand to me in this area and my testimony is stronger for it. I have learned to truly learned to pray and love and serve others and my God. I can never deny these things!
Aug 29, 2016 | We want you for the new recruit
The week was real noice fam, real noice.
We have continued to take fat strides as a companionship, and my companion floored it this week and has been progressing immensely! He's a great kid and I have been fighting for the last 5 transfers to help him- yes, 5 transfers. 3 in the same house and 2 as comps haha it's been a trip with the brotha. But as I said, his progress has been incredible as of late and I'm really proud of him.
Carol and Luisa have been hard to get a hold of, and they can only go to church if their parents go and everything and it's confusion and stress. They're great, and Carol has a testimony of the Book of Mormon. It's tricky business but we do what we can and we fast and pray a lot! As for Iaciara, Elder Martin and I are doing splits to go out there with some members of the quorum to hit it hard and try and open up a group there! We're going on Thursday, so I'll send an update on it next week for sure this time!
We found this older lady named Elizabeth (normal English name I know, it was nice to see that) and she is just a sweet lil child of God and wants to do the right thing! She took a taxi to church yesterday and was the first one there and the last one to leave she LOVED it. She promised that til the day she dies she'd be there every Sunday so we're super excited with our newest addition to our cute grandma club. She's been reading the Book of Mormon more frequently now.
I know my emails aren't always super detailed or anything, but know that I'm doing okay! Things are better, I'm happy. I've been listening to a lot of talks lately (lately meaning since I got to Brasil) and they give me a lot of comfort. To top it off, I testify of how vital our daily scripture study is and can be in our daily lives. And as we read and ponder and pray and find the truth, the obedient application of that truth is the surest way to make it eternally yours!
I love you all and pray for yall always!
Peace be the journey


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Martha Elizabeth Amling passed away peacefully on April 9, 2018 at Sunnyside nursing home in Cloquet, MN. She was 92 years old.
Martha was born April 3, 1926 in San Diego, California to Edward Kaers and Lena (Chattin) Kaers. The Depression and World War II were difficult times where Martha learned to be frugal, self-reliant, and confident. Martha was married three times in 1942, 1950, and 1959. Martha and Harold Amling had a long and happy life together until his passing in 1998. Then Martha moved to Duluth, MN to be near her daughter Sharon. Martha loved playing cards, going to movies, reading, knitting and crocheting. Martha also enjoyed volunteering at St. Mary's Hospital and the Duluth Aquarium.
Martha was preceded in death by her husband, Harold Warner Amling and son-in-law John Chiarenza.
Martha is survived by her daughters Kathi Frances Chiarenza (John), Lisa Anne Long (Mike), and Sharon Amling Belanger (Gregory); grandchildren Seanna, Johnny, Joshua, Jason, Joel, Justin, Dennis, and Denise; and great grandchildren Sean, Jake, Johnny, Maddison, Jaxsen, Aubree, and Ayverie.
Martha Elizabeth Amling
April 3, 1926 - April 9, 2018
Martha Elizabeth Amling passed away peacefully on April 9, 2018 at Sunnyside nursing home in Cloquet, MN. She was 92 years old.


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Very large luxury air-conditioned villa directly on the water. Sleeps up to 12 people in complete comfort. 6 bedrooms & 5 bathrooms consisting of 3 master suites with impressive facilities and 3 further twin bedrooms. Beautiful views overlooking the bay where you can watch the Dolphins and Manatees in their natural surroundings and fish from your own private board walk. The large swimming pool is heatable and set in south facing landscaped gardens, there's plenty of cushioned loungers and chairs and 2 tables for your out door enjoment Spacious relaxing living areas, tastefully decorated throughout. The villa is well equipped to accommodate a maximum of 12 people comfortably. Anna Maria's miles of stunning white sandy beaches of Florida's Gulf Coast are only a 10-minute walk away. Plenty of shops and restaurants within easy reach.
Villa Description: This architecturally designed villa is absolutely gorgeous, with the luxury of 3 master bedroom suites, 3 twin bedrooms & 5 bathrooms, it is very luxurious and has stunning rear views. The beach and local shoping is just a 10 minute walk away.
The villa is ideally suited to accommodate up to 12 people.
The villa has a 35' pool set in large landscaped gardens with fruit trees, there is an awesome dock with broad walk which can accommodate 2 boats, the view from the garden is amazing giving our clients pleasure whether they are swimming in the pool, sun bathing on the well furnished patio, fishing or just soaking up the atmosphere.
The villa itself is fully air conditioned and superbly furnished throughout, the comfort of our clients is paramount and we have installed top quality beds and facilities. As well as the well-equipped kitchen and laundry room the spacious lounge/family sitting room has a spiral staircase leading up to 2 of the king size master bedrooms.
Anna Maria Island: We found Anna Maria Island some 12 years ago and loved the feeling of warmth and belonging, the island has 7 miles of beautiful white sandy beaches where parrots, pelicans, herons, osprey and other sea birds live in abundance.
Dolphins can often be spotted playing along the coastline and in the sheltered waters of Bimini Bay. Manatees can also be found in the sea and shallow waters of the canals mainly between April and October.
Fishing is excellent, whether from the bank of your canal or from the fishing piers and beach (a license is required at a small charge for fishing from the piers or beach). Fishing and sightseeing boat trips are available from either Anna Maria or from the mainland. Boat hire, paragliding and watersports are also available.
There are excellent restaurants to suit all tastes on Anna Maria Island. Superb shopping malls and many fast food outlets can be found in nearby Bradenton and Sarasota including the popular St. Armands circle at Long Boat K


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The Old Man Named Cain
Deep in the mountains lived an old man named Cain,
He lived up there all alone with no sense of fame,
Cain was a miner who searched for gold grain.
Everyday he would mine and mine across the plain,
And overlook the little town which he left in shame,
The townsfolk called Cain insane,
For he mined only because of a story his father once sang*.
To the townsfolk Cain's hardship seemed like a game,
But to Cain his struggle was his only gain,
At night as he would sleep he would hear the "TOOT-TOOT" of the train,
And in the morning he would see a new invention called the "airplane".
One day Cain awoke to find something strange,
A little boy just a wee bit high dozing off out in the range,
As Cain crept closer he saw the little boy was estranged,
He brought the little boy into his home and opened a book to a certain
"This is a very sick boy", said Cain.
Cain laid the little boy down in his bed and saw that he was in much pain,
So he took care of him all night until dawn without disdain,
He became so tired that he fell asleep without restrain.
Late in the afternoon Cain awoke to find that there was no little boy in
his bed near the windowpane,
He checked all around to make sure he was certain,
But he found no trace of a little boy and thought that maybe he really was
So he went back into his home to rest his brain.
The next day as Cain was mining he found a little gold grain,
In excitement he mined further and found a large gold stain,
His father's story was true and not at all mundane,
But all of it was more than what Cain could contain.
So Cain decided to share his treasure with the town below the mountain,
For he felt that all this treasure was not alone for him to claim,
See Cain's town was very lame,
Nature in its anger had ruined much of the harvest grain,
And with little food or money the town could barely support its frame.
Cain ventured down the mountain and found the townsfolk to exclaim,
"After many years of hardwork, I finally found that my hunch was sane",
He then showed the townsfolk a small piece of his gold grain,
From the many gasps of wonder it eventually became an applause of
With Cain's treasure the town became a merry place even in the gloomy
Cain had only to thank his kindness for his new glory and fame,
For he new that by being kind to others it would bring him good luck and a
great name.
July 18, 2009 at 6:34 PM
you expressed the inner thoughts and feelings of a lonely old man in such a moving way that made me almost cry but thank God there is a happy and encouraging ending . Keep it up .


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Giant fighting robots has always been something I have been a huge fan of and while I never got into any of the Gundam series, watching the Megazord beat down on some giant versions of Rita's minions was of particular interest to me. This fascination is also why Pacific Rim is still one of my go-to movies whenever I'm feeling like an action flick. I've always wanted to pilot a giant mech and battle my foes. Now, thanks to Wreck-A-Mecha from Black Table Games, I can live out this dream (albeit, a little less dangerously).
Black Table Games, founded by husband-and-wife team of Jesse and Shay Gregory, believe "games should have meaningful mechanics that support their theme, have easy to learn instructions, and not take all night to play a round." They have definitely fulfilled their vision and made a game I thoroughly enjoyed spending all night at the local Buffalo Wild Wings playing round after round.
In Wreck-A-Mecha players build a giant robot starting with a randomly assigned Head and Core part, along with arms and legs from their decks. Destroying your opponent's parts earns you victory points, and the first to gain 10 points is the winner. Each turn gives the player three actions with which to install a part, attack the opponent, defend their own mech, or a number of other actions.Newly installed arms can not attack on the same turn that they are added, but can be used to defend the mech, which prevents your opponent from attacking any other part of your mech for one attack. This limited move pool every turn makes it very important for the player to think strategically and plan ahead if they have any hope of coming out victorious when the dust clears on the battle.
The rules of the game are simple enough: build your Mecha using the different parts with various abilities and fight your opponent. I played with a friend of mine who doesn't play games very often, and they were able to pick up on how to play, and get better at the strategy with each game we played. In the end, my friend said they kept wanting to play and we only quit because it was getting late, and we had work the next day. If that had not been the case, both of us would have kept playing for hours. This ease of gameplay will allow you to take the game to any gathering and get to playing the game very quickly with everyone able to join.
The basic make up of each Mecha allows for a core piece, a head piece, one set of legs, and two arm slots. Each piece of tech that can be used to create your battlemech has a special ability that can be used. As mentioned previously, the Gorgon head piece allows the player to add a third arm to the mech. There's a Rocket Punch arm that allows the arm to be used as a different damage type than what is listed on the card. Arms and legs can be swapped out as they get destroyed and some combinations have compatible abilities allowing the user to boost attacks, or use their legs to bypass defenses to attack your opponents core directly. The players only get one head and core to last the whole match, but these pieces have the most powerful abilities for utilization. With many different combinations of parts, each match plays differently for the players and forces creative planning during the battle.
The art on each card is absolutely phenomenal. Artist Tracy Nguyen has created some fantastic designs that look and feel like they would be found on battlemechs in the real world, or would not feel out of place in many fictional settings where these reign supreme. One matching set of arm and leg cards gives of a Voltron vibe, and it wouldn't surprise me if that was the source of inspiration. As someone who didn't grow up watching a lot of shows with battlemechs, it has been really fun trying to research different mechs and see if I can piece together what inspirations Black Table Games have used for the art. It's like a game within the game. That's two game for the price of one! What a deal!!
In addition to the basic rules, there are two other game types that players can add to bring additional aspects to the game. One of these is the inclusion of "faction cards", cards that represent various manufacturers that a player can choose to have. These cards provide some additional abilities or actions if the player has two or more parts installed that belong to this faction, and encourage planning ahead to maximize this ability. The other game type is a 2v2 mode that can be played by adding a second copy of the game. While I didn't get to try out the 4-player mode, I'm excited to pick up another copy to be able to do so.
In summary, Black Table Games has made a very fun and easy to play game in Wreck-A-Mecha that harkens back to Mecha battles in various anime and video games. Each game is quick enough to fit into a 30 minute time span with little time devoted to trying to understand complex rules and can be picked up very easily by people who do not devote significant portions of their life playing games.
BTG is planning a Kickstarter to fund Wreck-A-Mecha soon. I highly recommend supporting this project and getting your own copy. Find out more about the game and Black Table Games on their website, follow them on Twitter, or visit them on Facebook. You can also stay up to date on news about Wreck-A-Mecha, including receiving notifications when the Kickstarter goes live, at their Kickstarter site.
Eli can be found on Twitter @TheVikingBear__.


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Thursday we celebrated Lauren's 18th birthday. Have YOU ever taken four teenagers out to dinner? If you have, you know that it is a heck of a way to spend an evening. Ben had a headache and was crabby, Josh's allergies were bothering him so he was crabby, Josh and Liz were bickering again (Dr. Phil…can't you come over and help?) and poor Lauren was just trying to hold on. By the time we got to the restaurant I was ready to string them all up just on principal.
When we got inside we were told that we would have to wait for 10 minutes, I was just waiting for the fighting to start again. Thankfully the Good Lord took pity on me and we were called almost immediately. Of course, they put all 5 of us at a table for 4. Good Grief. Knowing what I do, I grabbed crayons and kids menus on the way past the station and passed them out when we sat down. There was an almost immediate change in the atmosphere at the table.
Ben was informing me that I was not allowed to take pictures of him during the night. It didn't work out that way.
Coloring on each other's pages. Thankfully I brought extra
"Ben, I want the blue one" No – really, that is what she said before she grabbed the crayon. I said 18th birthday right?
I was just about ready for my own table by the time they brought the food. Thankfully while they were loud and having fun, it didn't completely deteriorate into juvenile bathroom humor. You did notice I said completely, right?
After dinner there was the traditional song and cake :)
"I don't want the check, you are closer". Doesn't ever seem to work that way. We came home with lots of leftovers and even better memories.