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new stuff coming up
ethereal doom cosmonaut / bleak tails - mr. and ms. erotic america (split). c36. [$5 postage paid] [download]
our first release in a long time. dang. 18 minutes each from two east bay area kiddos. bleak tails is stephen, whose side is like watching 100 years pass in one day from inside of someone's mouth. ethereal doom cosmonaut is sebastian, whose side is like the sweatdrops off the back of whatever holds up the sky. edition of 50.
dj jammdoggz regional dance music mix download
Howl in the River Cave
live recordings of songs, punctuated by distorted vocals over melodic meanderings in esoteric guitar tunings.
this album was recorded and released digitally in fall of 2008. and sees light again here.
here's the download link
edition of 100. artwork by campfire.
here's some ace news for ya:
Ace of Tapes #2 - "Polly's Boat" by Blossom has been rediscovered after a couple years. There's a brand new story to read about this lost gem, written by Polly himself. But, there are only a few left and Polly is the man with the tapes, not us. So if you are interested, send word to Polly. his contact info is with the release details (below, under #2).
Windswept Stars
so we found some of these hidden in a box from a few years ago. this is pre-starcircleanatomy music. aquarius records wrote a very nice review of it:
"A really nice debut from Izaak Schlossman, a young man from here in the bay area who makes music perfect for long roadtrips on the open road or an afternoon in your bedroom with the windows cracked while hot water boils in the kitchen for your morning tea. It starts of sounding like some lost Neutral Milk Hotel demo hidden in Jeff Mangum's attic for years and years. And then a more electro-acoustic sound comes into play making for a great meeting of worlds between indie-folk song writing and more expansive instrumental and atmospheric passages that hint at what it might sound like if Iron & Wine was way more lo-fi and joined forces with Fennesz. Or something. Its pastoral beauty and earnest delivery also reminds us a bit of folks like Mountains, Rickard Javerling, Grizzly Bear and Horseback. A very DIY affair, the cd-r is packaged in a beautiful hand sewn cover.
And we can definitely see this being one of those cd-r's that a few years from now you'll be bragging to your friends about, how you were digging this stuff well before he became a big name..."
we have 14 left. not sure how many were made. artwork by izaak.
magic the gathering
So later today Izaak and I are leaving to begin our tour up the west coast from San Diego to Seattle for the better portion of the month and probably won't be able to ship orders. BUT the bonus is that if you live where we're going you can come see us! We'll ship out orders when we get back at the end of July.
Starcircleanatomy // Gkfoes vjgoaf // Stag Hare Tour Dates:
July 1st - San Diego: The Park Gallery
July 2nd - Los Angeles: Pehrspace (w/ Kevin Greenspon)
July 4th - Santa Cruz: Daytime bbq show at 115 Storey St. (w/ Concrete Shiva)
July 5th - San Jose: The Farmhouse
July 6th - Berkeley: Santa Rita House (w/ Deep Magic and Tyler Hill)
July 7th - Oakland: Anne's House (w/ Selaroda and Electric Sunset)
July 8th - Davis: The Luna Lounge
July 9th - Arcata: ...CLYDE!!
July 11th - Portland: Ella St. Social Club
July 12th - Olympia: Terrarium
July 13th - Seattle: The Black Lodge (w/ Secret Colors and Megabats)
check myspace for more details about addresses and times.
peace out internet
Light Weaving is a way of imagining the universe. It is the oneness of all things and the constellations that we use to engage with the world. The music of Light Weaving is building things into nothing. Ebb and flow. These are autostereogram-like sounds for all seasons, unfocus your ears and take in what's really happening... Specifically though, it is a set of live instances recorded in my parents' living room and reorganized on tape in June 2010.
edition of 50. artwork by sean.
field mantras is a walk through the forest taken home and vibed upon. two live instances fused together to create a meditation that is deeper than the sum of its parts. all covers are unique leaf prints on individually cut brown paper sleeves.
edition of 30. artwork by sean & rosa
this new tape from third eye seems to be a self-similar expansion of the ideas from his last release, in which he continues to develop the language of his sonic world. thicketed walls of ambiguous instrumentation climb and fall out from blackness, paired with field recordings and frayed captures of practices, jams, and shows. this music defies time; to think that some of the shorter moments here last less than hours seems strange and unreal. it shows a knack for condensing moments and an acute sensitivity for the ethereal notions that make music musical.
edition of 80. artwork by perl.
2010 is a band made up of some friends in the santa cruz music universe; there's lucas from san narciso, luis gutee, scott schaus, and izaak from starcircleanatomy. talented friends doing new and unfamiliar things, re/unlearning instruments and bringing their unrelated skills to the hallowed world of the "rock band". this tape isn't any of that though, rather an improv drifter cut down from sesh on a local radio station played the day before valentine's. mind games oscillating between nightmare and nostalgia, swelling out and pooling in the corners of the room. some weird radio samples and re-recording and hella electronic trix. coherent mind elevation for those in trouble.
edition of 35. artwork by ???.
red coyote is mose from campfire, busting out some solo stuff for the first time ever on tape. these tracks are discreet vignettes clipped from a large archive of meditation jams he did while spending a summer in iowa. most of these are short and sweet but easy to extrapolate all the way out to infinity. melancholy and curious, it's a show of hands, endless fields and a posthuman summer. comes with a foldout tracklist + zine.
edition of 50. artwork by mose.
this tape is kind of like boiling down the endless house & trance records of my adolescence to their most basic forms and seeding fractals from them. hell's moons, light through glass. i don't know what else to tell you. three tracks recorded live to cassette in 2∞9, held in sewn slips with xeroxed booklet.
edition of 80. artwork by izaak.
dang. gkfoes is back with another song set. they're heavier on the percussion and rhythm but he's still using all his mysterious pretty samples and weaving that lofi magic across an even larger sound palate this time around. spaced out psych-swag music you can blush to.
edition of 100. artwork by sean.
#9 + #10
10. luis gutee and his friends + starcircleanatomy - ttmpl (a split). CDR.
[download] [$4 postage paid]
this is a cd that got made for the lg & hf/sca west coast tour that just went down a couple of weeks ago but there's a bunch of these floating around. 8 tracks on each "side". luis' has lots of blurry loops that he's drumming over, spooky lowerfi sounds and short tracks. starcircleanatomy's side is a bunch of straight up zoned out computer sound crystals rotating in a windowsill. comes in vinyl slipcase with a color printout of the gnarly collage up there. edition of 100.
09. luis gutee and his friends - black magic glitch. C45.
this is the debut tape from luis and his friends. us here in santa cruz have had the luck to see luis shred some of these songs along with a few different people at shows for a little while now, but he was able to go and get the drums recorded all nice down in long beach and they sound pretty great with his computer sounds. so, okay: luis plays the drums. he's a monster. friends help out on various instruments. the songs sound like fucked backwoods carnival music from the year 4000. there's probably not any other music like this on the planet right now. 15 tracks.
edition of 100.
bye bye geocities
08. starcircleanatomy - scared sacred. C34.
[download] [sold out]
scared sacred is kind of an exercise in self-antagonism, an intentional destruction of hours of recordings by way of severe digital and analog transformations as well as layering multiple recordings together. the result is a cracked kaleidoscope techno journey through years of a diverse musical sketchbook.
edition of 100. artwork by izaak.
07. campfire - beach at the top of the mountain. C50.
[download] [sold out]
campfire is a band from berkeley made up of three boys named mose, sean, and sebastian. it was really exciting when they started playing their weird improvised music together because they seemed to immediately exhibit weird telephathic understanding of each others' noise moves and the ability to really swim around each other in song like the best of the new improvised weirdo music groups out there now. this tape is a collection of states, drones, jammz and zones from the past year or so. they really covered all the bases. no joke, there is everything from super-fucked metal to tribal thunder to harsh noise to perfect bliss music on here. housed in a beautiful paper sleeve.
edition of 100. artwork by susie, sean, and mose.
06. gkfoes vjgoaf - tiger elephant panda. C60.
[download] [sold out]
TEP is kind of a different beast from the other tape sean just put out. the first half showcases individual ideas; brief loops, field recordings, sung songs and sound experiments all take stage for a second then quickly make way for the next zone. the second side is comprised of three longer burners in this blurry delerious ambient song style that sean does better than anyone.
edition of 50. art by sean.
++. beached whale - no skies. C6.
[download] [sold out]
"there existed four wisemen: truce, igo, spoke and prowler. igo, the crown of the council, accidentally created a time machine. the others realized how fucked the consequences of this were, so they took the crown and handed it to spoke. spoke realized his first task was to get rid of this wretched creation, and he placed it in the belly of a whale. he placed the whale back into the ocean in hopes that the whale would die and no one would ever reach it. this tape is truce's account of the story."
edition of 15. art by luis.
05. gkfoes vjgoaf - what is a dream earth bed. C60.
[download] [sold out]
what is a dream earth bed is sean's first recording as gkfoes. he's in this great band called campfire but he does this other music too. these are some far out jammz; some weird sung songs and some really dense loopy space music kind of alternate over the 60 mins. lots of T.V. samples and huge bright textures and fierce guitar strumming, all bases covered, really. solar power music. it's good.
edition of 50. found art by sean.
04. the third eye of sauron - lidless, wreathed in flame. C30
[download] [sold out]
the third eye of sauron's debut tape is kind of a doozy. like watching inland empire on mushrooms. maybe. dark earth drones from the creepiest windchimey santa cruz nights. long delay trails and huge gangs of distorted held keys & guitars. samples punctuate cavernous sound walls. all pretty, all power.
edition of 50. artwork by perl.
03. starsircleanatomy - it's fucked up; it's a rainbow. C30
[download] [sold out]
it's fucked up; it's a rainbow is a tape of some of the songs izaak wrote in 2008. they are kind of about how going away can show you new stuff but won't really fix anything that's wrong or weird and how that all works out. 9 tracks: some sung songs and some weird sounds. about half and half. beautiful covers by actual artist chris hunt; each is different and cool.
editition of 111.
02. blossom - polly's boat. 2xC93
"this is a cassette tape 2xC93, or three hours long. it was made in chicago, philly, and santa cruz, ca...and was supposed to be released as ace of tapes #2 way back at the end of 2008, but that never happened. i dunno how i feel about it now to be honest. basically, i threw this together at a time when i wasn't sure if i'd be around much longer...and it was like documenting what i'd been doing in 2008. u should have an idea of what to expect, from any release that could have a three hour running time. basically, the first tape is "polly's boat" and the second is called "EYEHATEHUMYNZ." the first is made up of organ music mainly, with a couple song songs, a remix called "killing joke" + i dunno. the second is mainly a 60-minute long synthesizer recording...prolly falling in the "noise" category, with a couple other um..."experimental" songs (we really need a better name for that genre)."
remaining edition: 10. artwork by polly.
also, due to unusual circumstances you should contact polly (firstname.lastname@example.com) if yer interested.
01. submarines oh! rainbowzes / starsircleanatomy split. C60[download] [sold out]
submarines oh! rainbowzes is miguel valencia. starsircleanatomy is izaak schlossman. we these tapes were made in december of 2∞8 together. it was fun drawing on covers and going crazy at kinkos. these are hot brojamms. miguel's a witch. nobody understands how he makes those sounds. he also sang some songs about the world in there somewhere. izaak's side is some blown-out stoked cheapo digital style short songs done really quick to see how it felt.
edition of 50. artwork by izaak and miguel


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Humor Break - 7
Short humor break: Joke-The Parking Ticket
The other day my wife and I went into town and went into a shop. We were only in there for about 5 minutes. When we came out, there was a cop writing out a parking ticket. We went up to him and said, 'Come on man, how about giving a senior citizen a break?'
He ignored us and continued writing the ticket. I called him a Nazi turd. He glared at me and started writing another ticket for having worn tires.
So my wife called him a shit-head. He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first. Then he started writing a third ticket. This went on for about 20 minutes. The more we abused him, the more tickets he wrote.
Personally, we didn't care. We came into town by bus and the car had a Quebec sticker. We try to have a little fun each day now that we're retired. It's important at our age.
Medium humor break: Simon's cat (1.5 minutes)
Long humor break: Take a look at Outdoor Recipes from the 1950s

subset: commoncrawl


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DEMOREST, Ga. – The Piedmont College Softball Team (11-8) picked up a pair of non-conference wins over visiting Emory & Henry College (7-11) Wednesday afternoon at the Walker Athletic Complex. The Lions won by scores of 7-1 and 8-0, snapping a four-game winning streak for the Wasps.
Game One – Piedmont 7, Emory & Henry 1
Emory & Henry got on the board in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly by junior second baseman Riley Pudney (Beech Mountain, N.C.). Pudney drove in sophomore left fielder Danielle Loving (Elizabethton, Tenn.), who reached base on a single to left field a batter earlier and got to third thanks to a two-base error.
In the bottom of the second, the Lions began their stretch of seven unanswered runs for the win. Haley McCurry got things started in the second with a RBI single to left but the big burst of offense came in the fourth thanks to a three-run double by Allison Vaughn.
Piedmont had 13 hits in the game and scored seven runs despite stranding 10. Four different players had two hits led by Vaughn's two-for-four outing with three RBI and a run scored. Sarah Walker picked up the complete-game win in the circle, allowing just one unearned run on three hits with two strikeouts.
Loving had a hit and a run for E&H while senior first baseman Taylor Doss (Damascus, Va.) and sophomore designated player Caley Hodge (Elizabethton, Tenn.) each added a hit. Senior Taylor Banner (Castlewood, Va.) allowed six runs on 11 hits in four innings of work.
Game Two – Piedmont 8, Emory & Henry 0 (five innings)
Emory & Henry was unable to put a run on the board for just the second time this season as Piedmont pushed eight across to complete the series sweep.
A two-run double by Josie Coker in the bottom of the third made the score 3-0 in favor of the Lions, who would add another run in that frame. PC ended the game in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and the bases loaded, Allyson Gentry cleared the bases with a triple to put Piedmont over the top 8-0.
Melissa Eckman allowed just two hits in earning the shutout win, striking out four. Abby Smith scored three times on two hits while Coker had two hits a run and two RBI, adding to Gentry's three-run triple.
Freshmen Madison McClahanan (Abingdon, Va.) and Holly Britt (Floyd, Va.) had the only hits for Emory & Henry. Senior Kaitlyn Pruitt (Abingdon, Va.) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on nine hits despite striking out two.
Emory & Henry will return home on Saturday when it enters Old Dominion Athletic Conference play against Randolph College. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15


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COCONUT CREEK — Cruising the tidy, tranquil neighborhoods of the Township, it is difficult to imagine a more relaxing setting.
Tucked neatly behind beige walls and surrounded by lush foliage, the 2,500- unit development may be an architectural rendering of the American Dream. Status condo and home ownership. A Mercedes or a Saab in every other driveway.
But to hear Joseph Kahn is to shatter the vision. His Township, true enough, looks the same. Kahn, a two-year resident, will tell you the place runs more like an early American colony under the thumb of British rule than an exclusive development. And Kahn sees Minto Inc. president Michael Greenberg, developer of the Township, as King George III.
So when does the tea go into the harbor? Kahn says Friday or thereabouts -- depending on Greenberg and Minto.
``The present system is taxation without representation,`` Kahn says.
Greenberg disagrees.
``It`s in all our documents that the Master Association will be Minto controlled until 1995,`` Greenberg says. ``Every resident signed those documents when they bought here . . . if the residents feel like they`ve been wronged they can seek legal counsel.``
Kahn, president of a group called the Association of Unified Township Owners (AUTO), says residents do not have a voice in how a yearly, $255 per homeowner maintenance fee at the Township is spent. Kahn says 1,800 units that he claims he represents no longer want to remain mum.
Collected quarterly by the Master Association, residents will pay a total of $640,320 this year, Kahn says.
``AUTO is a non-recognized group as far as we`re concerned,`` Greenberg says. ``Minto will not favor one group over another . . . The Master Association is working with residents of the Township and every resident has an opportunity to become a member of the different committees, budget, recreation, and maintenance . . . Just because Kahn doesn`t recognize those residents, don`t hold Minto responsible,`` he says.


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Your Evergreen Real Estate Expert
Kerry Endsley
Your Evergreen Real Estate Expert
Kerry Endsley's 35+ years of real estate experience and real estate industry contacts in Evergreen, Colorado and the Colorado Front Range along with his determination to succeed for his clients has made him one of the top producing brokers of premier residential, land and ranch properties in Colorado and consistently in the top 10% of all 365 LIV Sotheby's brokers in 11 offices throughout Colorado. Closing over 90% of accepted contracts, clients choose Kerry Endsley because he is a tough and highly trained negotiator, and utilizes his industry insight and area expertise to prosperously manage large and luxury transactions in even the most challenging market conditions. As business owner, ranch owner, property investor, builder, broker and holder of a business and economics degree from Ohio State University, Kerry launches proven pricing strategies and marketing plans to attract buyer profiles matching the properties he represents. Maintaining the largest inventory of ranches, land and building lots in the Evergreen Colorado regional market, Kerry's property experience and broker expertise gives his clients the edge on property background information and access to his substantial sphere of clients. His outstanding experience with marketing and selling bank owned properties has resulted in successfully closing four short sales in the last three years. Kerry brings with him an excellent reputation and long-standing presence in the real estate industry has made him an expert in evaluating rural properties and identifies and addresses possible issues to minimize delays. Preferring to show his listings and clients properties personally, Kerry often accesses his network of interested buyers, delivering qualified buyers to properties himself in order to achieve a shorter sales cycle for large and specialty properties. Please use this website to search for Evergreen Real Estate for Sale and properties for sale along the Colorado Front Range.
Featured Listing
Full-service marketing packages for all our listings regardless of price points.
Interested in selling your home? Discover why Kerry Endsley is the leading real estate expert in Evergreen and the Surrounding Foothills Area.
12612 White Deer Drive – Littleton, CO
This private and quiet retreat has been completely rebuilt with exquisite modern finishes. Enjoy walls of windows framing gorgeous foothill views, soaring ceilings, eat-in designer kitchen, wine grotto, and a separate and fully equipped apartment above the garage for is perfect for in-laws or a caretaker. Take in the sweeping mountain views from the many patios, pool, or by one of the fire pits. For horse lovers, there's a heated 3-stall horse barn. The property is surrounded by open space for hiking and biking. This stunning, modern home is one that must be seen to be appreciated. Offered at $3,998,000
5BD | 6BA | 6,551 Total SF | 13.5+ ACRES


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Category Archives: Healthcare
Why Marijuana is on Demand Currently
A number of states in the US have legalized marijuana use for medicinal purposes. This has opened the door for a whole new sector. Currently, many people are employed in the marijuana industry which has become lucrative. It is not uncommon to find new farmers seeking ways on how to grow medical marijuana. When the plant is finally legalized in the rest of the world, this may just turn out to be one of the most booming sectors that will not only create jobs for millions but will also improve the economies of the states that have adopted its use.
The Obama administration has reduced restrictions that were previously placed on the research of cannabis to give more room for discoveries of its other medicinal purposes other the ones that have been cited. This has come at t crucial time in the US where many more states are considering legalization of marijuana but are still not sure of the number of health conditions the drug handles effectively. For decades, researchers have been working round the clock to identify the number of illnesses cannabis can handle, but because of the restrictions placed in it before, this has not been effectively done. Right now however, farmers seem to be shifting to growing weed, with most asking how to grow medical marijuana.
Here are simple steps on how to grow medical marijuana:
- Get a doctor's prescription.
- Choose seeds depending on the medical condition that should be addressed. Most cannabis strains address migraine, insomnia, nausea and lack of appetite.
- Marijuana needs at least 6 hours of light, so one can decide if it is in the open or in a greenhouse.
- Place the seeds on the ground, or have them germinate first in case one wishes to plant a seed that has began to sprout.
- An individual decides if the medical marijuana garden is to be organic or have fertilizer used. All the same, it is best to go the organic way to avoid having chemicals on the plant.
- Ensure the soil where the seed is remains moist to have it germinate faster.
- Transfer the seedlings into a well prepared ground or pot in case one is doing this indoors.
- As soon as it begins to grow, it will need 3 hours of plenty sunlight.
- One could decide to induce flowering by limiting light received. It is at this stage that the sex of the plant can be determined. The female will have hair pop in the inter-node while males produce a ball.
- At this juncture, the medical cannabis growing has to be selective. The males do not have valuable medical constituents. All the same, a few or one of the males can be retained to pollinate the females to gather more seeds.
- After around 10-14 weeks, the plant should be ready for harvesting. During this time, the hairs should have turned from white to red.
Well, in case someone is still asking, "What is medical marijuana?" They should now be able to know that weed is not only used for pleasure purposes but for health reasons as well. Good news is, one can plant it at home as well.


text: I've just received a nice 1.42 eMac, working well but no hard drive. I'd like to give it to my father to replace his aging 400mHz G3 iMac. Can I just pull the hard drive from the G3 and install it in the eMac? It is currently running 10.4. Thanks for the help.


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To celebrate Nickelodeon USA premiering the brand-new SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Snooze You Lose"/"Krusty Katering" (#208) on Saturday 4th March 2017 at 10:00am (ET/PT), Nick USA has unveiled a Sponge-Tastic sneak peek preview from the all-new episode, which you can watch in the super online streaming video clip here on Nick.com!
In the brand-new SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Snooze You Lose", guest starring Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons (Whiplash), Squidward is so tired that SpongeBob and Patrick are unable to wake him up, but they do not want him to miss his big audition! Then, in "Krusty Katering", Mr. Krabs and his crew cater a fancy party, but they might be out of their depth with their new wealthy customers! In Nick's fantastic sneak-peek, "Sleep Little Squid".. oh no! Squidward hasn't slept in three days and he has a clarinet audition tomorrow! Perhaps SpongeBob's advice will help him!
Immediately following the all-new episode of SpongeBob SquarePants is a special half-hour episode of Bunsen is a Beast at 10:30 a.m. (ET/PT), featuring a crossover with longstanding series The Fairly OddParents! Both shows are created and executive produced by Butch Hartman and in "Beast of Friends," it's Bunsen and Cosmo's Friend-iversary, so Bunsen excitedly takes Mikey to meet him in Dimmsdale, while Amanda secretly follows. The group has a great time, until Mr. Crocker and Amanda team up and decide to take them down!
More Nick: Oscar-Winner J.K. Simmons Guest Stars in Brand-New "SpongeBob SquarePants" Episode Premiering Saturday, March 4, at 10:00 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon USA!
Additional source: Screener TV Listings.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon and SpongeBob SquarePants News and Highlights!


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Top 10 Disney Pet Names
What's your favorite Disney movie? Disney character?
After going through our pet insurance database, it's clear to see that Disney character names also make great pet names! These are the top ten most popular Disney names to name your dog or cat according to Trupanion.
- Simba (The Lion King)
- Lady (Lady and the Tramp)
- Jasmine (Aladdin)
- Mickey (Mickey Mouse)
- Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
- Nala (The Lion King)
- Minnie (Mickey Mouse)
- Nemo (Finding Nemo)
- Tinkerbell (Peter Pan)
- Sebastian (The Little Mermaid)
Regardless of the name, it's a great idea to consider a pet health insurance plan for your pet to ensure that your pet can live a long, healthy life.


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In the time-honored custom in advance of any important presidential speech, Barack Obama's aides spent much of yesterday putting out vague word to reporters about what their boss intended to say at the nationally televised memorial service in Tucson, Arizona, last night. The address would be about the victims and survivors of the gruesome rampage that took place at Congresswoman Gabby Giffords's "Congress on Your Corner" event on Saturday. About paying respects, about healing, about bringing the country together. What it wouldn't be, Obama's people suggested, was a political exercise.
This seemed only right and proper, and was in line with the wise counsel of many veterans of previous administrations. A few hours before the speech, my friend Jeff Eller — a communications savant who worked in the Clinton White House and is now the vice chairman of Public Strategies, Inc. — offered a concise and compelling three-part formulation for what Obama had to do in Tucson: "mourn, console, and uplift."
The president, indeed, did all those things, at times simultaneously, as he grieved for and celebrated the lives of those who perished and praised the heroes of that day. (Though some media observers took offense to the rallylike atmosphere at McKale Memorial Auditorium at the University of Arizona, with the crowd often breaking into loud applause, one can only conclude that these tight-assed complainants have never been to an Irish wake.) Obama also broke some joyful news: Not long after his visit to Giffords in the hospital before the speech, she had opened her eyes for the first time. At which point, Michelle Obama, apparently in tears, turned and embraced Giffords's husband, Mark Kelly — a moving and cathartic sight.
But Obama did more than mourn, console, and uplift. He also issued a challenge — a challenge on behalf of those snuffed out by an assassin's bullets. "How can we honor the fallen?" he asked. "How can we be true to their memory?"
That Obama would argue that the answer lies in a new era of civility, sobriety, and mutual respect in our culture is about as surprising as the liberal quotations of scripture throughout the speech. Those are the touchstones of his politics. But by framing the challenge in the way he did — by focusing on the present and the future, and not the past — Obama was able to stride into political territory while avoiding a lethal trap.
Almost from the moment that the news of the shootings broke on Saturday, any hope vanished that the tragedy would occasion a pause in the vicious screaming match that now constitutes our national political conversation — as we rapidly descended into an all too familiar, but in this case especially toxic, cycle of partisan charges, countercharges, and metacharges. ("Now — on to the vitriol about the vitriol about the vitriol!" James Bennet, the editor in chief of The Atlantic, cheekily tweeted.)
Had Obama even remotely implied that tea-party rhetoric or other variants of right-wing crazy talk were somehow responsible for the shootings, he would only have accelerated this degenerate cycle. But instead, he trained his comments squarely on the furies that have raged in the days since the carnage — and in so doing, was able to make a more compelling and effective case for the need to slam on the brakes.
"At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized," Obama said, "it's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds … [W]hat we can't do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on one another. As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together."
It's a rare — and, to me at least, exhilarating — thing to hear a national political figure lay out a secular argument in explicitly moral terms. (And what other Democrat or Republican would feel comfortable making an open plea for the expansion of any aspect of our imaginations?) But this moral element was essential to Obama's argument that calming our political conversation isn't a luxury or an attempt to silence his opponents, but rather an obligation to the fallen. "If this tragedy prompts reflection and debate, as it should, let's make sure it's worthy of those we have lost," he said. "And if … their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse, let's remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy — it did not — but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a nation, in a way that would make them proud."
Whether Obama's speech will have any real long-run — or even short-run — effect on the dialogue is an open question. (I seriously doubt it, and even more seriously pray that I'll be proven wrong.) But its success in the moment was indisputable: With only rare exceptions, it was praised on both the left and the right, almost certainly at least in part because both heard in the president's words a coded admonition to the other. And the brilliance of it was that, in fact, neither the left nor the right is wrong.
Too much is made of the comparison between the Giffords calamity and the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995. But in one sense the parallel is apt. "Before Oklahoma City, Bill Clinton had been reduced to the leader of a faction," says the storied Democratic strategist and speechwriter Bob Shrum. "Afterwards, he looked like a president again." Something similar can now be said of Obama, and even something more. For the first time, really, he fused the symbolic power of the presidency with the promise not only of his campaign but the 2004 convention keynote that originally inspired so many to vest so much hope in him. He was, in short, Barack Obama again and awful as the circumstances of his return may have been, it sure was good to see him.
Related: Obama Pays Tribute to Victims, Gives an Update on Giffords [Updated]


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Went to stuffer shack to get some late night snacks, got thrown in to the middle of an attempted attack. 3 gangers blew up the front of the store and rushed in looking for someone and her kid. You protected the victim and killed the attackers. She gave you her contact information and you escaped. You found an unconcious ganger in the parking lot so you took him with you before executing him and hiding the body in a dumpster. The leader was the unconcious guy's brother.
Afterwards you went back to your fixer's bar and he offered you the apartment above it and said he'd have some work for you in about a week.


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The following commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of AgWeb or Farm Journal Media. The opinions expressed below are the author's own.
As a farm machinery mechanic and writer, Dan brings a hands-on approach that only a pro can muster. Along with his In the Shop blog, Dan writes a column by the same name as well as the Shop Series for Farm Journal magazine. Always providing practical information, he is a master at tackling technical topics and making them easy for all of our readers to understand. He and his wife, Becky, live near Bouton, Iowa.
Some of you are already in the field. A friend in northern South Dakota reported he still had 3-foot snowdrifts in his yard as of last week. A lot of us are starting to see enough dry dirt on the hilltops to make us start thinking about spring tillage.
If you're desperate for some time in a tractor seat and use GPS-guidance systems to auto-steer or do prescription fertilization or seeding, now is prime time to check and prepare those systems for spring fieldwork. It may be as simple as turning on a display, programming an A-B line while driving down the gravel road in front of your farmstead, and confirming that everything works as good as it did last fall.
Or it may require transferring consoles, satellite receivers, wiring harnesses and control units between combines and tractor, or sprayers and tractors, then reprogramming those units for different widths, different receiver mounting heights, and different types of drawbar configurations. With luck you wrote all that information down last year. If not, plan on spending some time with the owner's manual.
Check with the dealer who sold you your GPS-based systems to see if there are software updates that can make your system more accurate and/or reliable. There are arguments--pro and con--about whether or not it is good to do incremental software updates. Some of you are running the original software that came with your system and get along fine with the, "if it ain't broke, don't mess with it" strategy. I'm a fan of updating software frequently to take advantage of improvements and refinements. If you're like me and prefer to update regularly, be sure to do it well ahead of fieldwork to give you time to become familiar with changes incorporated in new software.
Bottom line: check, test and update high-tech systems NOW, and not when you're sitting on the endrow with a dry, mellow field in front of you and a planter/seeder full of seed behind you. I know I'm sort of a nag about that sort of thing, but you'd be surprised how often I get called to help frustrated, impatient customers figure out their guidance systems in a tractor sitting on the endrows of a dry, mellow field with a planter/seeder full of seed behind it.
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Photographs By Joshua Roberts
John Damgard has been leading the Futures Industry Association (FIA) since 1982, witnessing some of the most dramatic changes in the industry. He was there as the Shad-Johnson agreement freed up the possibility of futures on stock indexes; as electronic trading was launched and became the primary tool of execution; during the consistent and ongoing consolidation of brokers and exchanges, and the myriad of shocks and scandals that tested the industry.
Damgard, who grew up in Ottawa, Ill., came to Washington as a volunteer for President Richard Nixon. Following President Nixon's resignation, he went to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). He would become the point man at the USDA on the creation of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
After the 1976 election, he left government and was hired by A.C. (Ace) Israel to run the Washington office of commodity firm ACLI International. He was a representative to the FIA when he was at ACLI and would later be recruited to run the organization after its move from New York to Washington.
Damgard recently announced that he would be stepping down as president of the FIA after nearly 30 years. We spoke to him regarding the enormous changes to the industry during his tenure and the challenges the industry faces.
Futures Magazine: What were the goals of the FIA when you joined in 1982?
John Damgard: Common clearing was always a goal. Anything that created efficiencies in the market was a goal. The other thing that was important to the firms is that they were concerned that exchanges were being run exclusively for the floor members who owned the place and the customers weren't always getting a fair shake. They saw a real opportunity for the industry to grow much more quickly if the image of the exchanges could be improved, so we worked long and hard on that.
It [was about] best practices, standards and improving the reputation of the exchanges. For instance one of the first rules was never have a conference in Las Vegas, because we had been criticized as being nothing but a gambling pit. A conference in Las Vegas would send the wrong message.
FM: At times the relationship between the FIA and its members and the exchanges has been strained, talk about how that dynamic has evolved and what you see as the role of the FIA.
JD: One of the biggest issues we have had over the years was electronic trading. I remember John Conheeney, a former FIA chairman who was an outside director of the Chicago Board of Trade [CBOT] at the time, making a speech where he forecast that sometime in the distant future a black box might be the way orders were managed. They summarily kicked him off the [CBOT] board on the spot because they saw that as a threat to their livelihood. It was open outcry forever in those days. The fact that the firms believed that that there were ways for making the markets work better for the customers clashed with the self interests of a lot of the floor traders.
Leo [Melamed] accomplished a marvelous thing by convincing the Merc that there was a need for Globex. There was a gradual realization that as other parts of the world came here to learn how futures worked, many of them bypassed open outcry and believed in electronic [trading]. Exchanges like DTB (Deutsche Terminborse, the predecessor of Eurex) said we think we can match trades with computers. It was the competition from Europe that really sped the Chicago exchanges to seriously reflect on electronic [trading].


text:
good chemistry is complicated,
and a little bit messy -LW
Re^7: Hash of Hashes from fileby Cristoforo (Curate)
|on Apr 06, 2012 at 02:17 UTC ( #963767=note: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
From this data:
Notice that there are quotes surrounding every field. The regular expression that captures these fields from the file would need to be changed if thats not the case.
In my program I use 2 hashes - one to count the number of sites visited by each user, %count, and one to count each address and category (by user), %data. It seems to work OK for this small data set.
The line $data{$user}{ qq{$site$;$cat} }++;
uses a 'compound' key ($site and $cat joined by $;).
Here is a dump of %data.
Update: Whoops, that doesn't count the categories correctly :-(
In Section Seekers of Perl Wisdom


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Welcome to the Diocese of Bridgeport Catholic Schools
"How nice it is to feel that school is a second home. School then ends up being one big family.
One where, together with our mothers and fathers, our grandparents, our teachers and friends,
we learn to help one another, to share our good qualities, to give the best of ourselves,
to work as a team and to pursue our dreams." – Pope Francis
From Our Superintendent
Our students learn in a nurturing environment where high expectations find balance with love and respect. As a family of faith, we challenge our administrators, teachers and students to a higher standard and expect them to exemplify a life inspired and informed by the Gospels both inside and outside of the classroom. In this safe and loving environment, our students are taught a curriculum that was designed to meet or exceed state and national standards by qualified teachers who strive to transform their potential into success. In addition, a focus on Apostolic service to the community helps to develop in our students a love for their neighbor and gives them the opportunity to experience the joy that comes from helping others.
Our Diocesan Catholic School system transforms the lives of over 9,000 students in 20 elementary schools, 5 high schools and 1 special needs school. Catholic schools in the Diocese of Bridgeport have a long tradition of success evidenced in part by the fact that 50% of our schools have received the National Blue Ribbon of Excellence and that, year after year, standardized test results show our elementary students exceeding national averages in math and reading.
Please take some time to visit the websites of our schools and read about their accomplishments, unique curriculum, service projects, and technology, arts and sports programs. Each of our schools is a unique faith community. Be sure to visit and set time for a personal tour. I am certain you will find more than a school, you will find a family.
Dr. Steven Cheeseman
Superintendent of Schools
Latest News
Visit Us!
Our Catholic school students can't wait to see you! Come learn why nearly 9,000 students have chosen a Catholic school in Fairfield County. Be sure to ask about tuition assistance!
Shape the Future – Become a Teacher
Teachers in our Catholic Schools shape lives, instill confidence, and lead by example. They are not just teachers, they transform the lives of God's greatest gift: CHILDREN.
What kind of world do you want?
Our Catholic Schools prepare children to use their God-given talents to make this world a better place.
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Terra Nova Delayed Test Results Press Release


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By: David Chandler
64 pages, colour illus
All About Garden Wildlife is the perfect children's guide to the fascinating world of wildlife found in gardens. Leading natural historian David Chandler provides a clear and concise guide to over 80 species of mammal, bird, insect and reptile regularly found in British and European gardens, aimed at 8-12 year olds. This title features an introduction explaining how important gardens are for wildlife, how to make your garden a better place for wild creatures, what to look for in each season of the year and all you need to know to become a garden wildlife expert. Beautiful artworks by leading natural history artists bring alive the amazing and colourful world of garden wildlife. The species are grouped by family type to help identification. Each entry gives essential info on when and where to look for the species and how to identify it, as well as amazing and little known facts about it.
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Super Bowl Viewers Will Be Introduced To Kia's First-Ever Luxury Sedan In New Campaign Starring Laurence Fishburne In Iconic Role From The Matrix
Multifaceted Campaign for the All-New 2015 K900 Flagship Finds Morpheus Challenging Preconceived Notions and Opening Minds to a Side of Luxury Never Seen Before
- 60-second "The Truth" spot is scheduled to air in the third quarter of the big game, followed by a phased rollout of additional elements, including broadcast, cinema, digital, print, experiential, social media and CRM components
- Extended cut will be available on kia.com/K900-superbowl beginning on January 28
Jan 28, 2014, 12:00 EST
IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- "The world of luxury has been pulled over your eyes, to blind you from the truth." With these words – and his signature trench coat and reflective sunglasses – Laurence Fishburne returns to the iconic role of Morpheus from The Matrix[1] trilogy in a multiplatform marketing effort from Kia Motors America (KMA) for the all-new K900 rear-drive luxury sedan set to premiere during the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII. Modern and elegant, the K900 signals a new era for Kia, and the campaign was conceived to cause people to question everything they think they know about the brand by showing a side of luxury they've never seen before.
Channeling the films' exploration of perception versus reality, the first element of the campaign is the 60-second Super Bowl spot in which Morpheus offers an unsuspecting couple a startling choice while waiting at an upscale restaurant's valet stand: "Take the blue key, you go back to the luxury you know. Take the red key, and you'll never look at luxury the same again."
After reaching for the red key, the plot thickens as Morpheus accompanies the couple on an unforgettable ride filled with imagery from and nods to The Matrix films to explain "what luxury looks like" – the K900's V8 power, advanced technology and superb craftsmanship and materials – and "what luxury sounds like," by serenading them with a soaring rendition of "Nessun dorma," an aria from Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot. As the K900 drives by, two strikingly similar-looking agents gaze in disbelief as streetlights explode and high-rise buildings ripple like water.
"Kia has always been willing to challenge the status quo, and starting with our Super Bowl commercial we are out to dispel the notion that tradition and history are what makes a luxury sedan – we invite those with an open-mind to take a look at the all-new K900 and form an opinion of their own," said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of marketing & communications, KMA. "The K900 offers something modern and different for the growing number of people who don't want to be confined by the traditional definitions of luxury, and returning to the Super Bowl for the fifth straight year allows us to send a clear signal to TV's largest audience that something different is going on at Kia."
Before and after the Super Bowl, the fully-integrated campaign – created by David&Goliath, KMA's advertising agency of record – will incorporate TV, cinema, digital, print, experiential, social media and CRM components, all drawing heavily on imagery and ideas from the films, including: levitating cars, authentic costumes and props, and a recreation of the stark white environment of "The Construct." In the extended 90-second cut available for viewing at www.kia.com/K900-superbowl, the K900's presence bends the spoon of a woman in a red dress.
With the V8 expected to go on sale this Spring[2], the all-new 2015 K900 is poised to challenge the full-size rear-drive luxury sedan segment with an extensive list of standard equipment, world-class accommodations and stunning design that will redefine consumer perception and expectations of the Kia brand.
About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA proudly serves as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA and LPGA and surpassed the 500,000 annual sales mark for the second consecutive year in 2013 following the launch of seven all-new or significantly redesigned vehicles. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles, including the rear-drive K900 flagship sedan, Cadenza premium sedan, Sorento CUV, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Sportage compact CUV, Optima midsize sedan, Optima Hybrid, the Forte compact sedan, Forte5 and Forte Koup, Rio and Rio 5-door sub-compacts and the Sedona minivan, through a network of more than 765 dealers across the United States. Kia's U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia, builds the Optima*[3] and Sorento* and is responsible for the creation of more than 14,000 plant and supplier jobs.
Information about KMA and its full vehicle line-up is available at www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com. To receive custom email notifications for press releases the moment they are published, subscribe at www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert.
[1] ™ & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
[2] 2015 K900 V8 expected Spring 2014. K900 V6 expected Summer 2014. Initially available in certain markets with limited availability. Not all optional features are available on all trims.
[3] The Sorento and Optima GDI (EX Trims and certain LX Trims only) and GDI Turbo are built in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts.
SOURCE Kia Motors America


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Outside developers can embed NASA images and functions in their own geomapping applications
FLIGHT PLAN: Using World Wind, DiSTI was able to quickly put together this flight 3-D simulation package.
About the Author
Joab Jackson is the senior technology editor for Government Computer News.
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RMM Conferences:
The last RMM conference took place on 11 November 2015 as part of PharmaLab Congress 2015.
More details about the next conference will be published here as soon as available.
Please click here to find the current ECA Training Courses and Conferences.
Dear Colleagues,
With the programme at hand I would like to invite you to the "Rapid Microbiological Methods Conference" and the "European Mycoplasma Testing Conference 2014" organised by the European Compliance Academy (ECA). ECA's RMM Working Group will provide you again a possibility to get familiar with the current development of Mycoplasma Testing and of Rapid Microbiological Methods.
These two conferences should give the possibility to become acquainted with ongoing regulatory requirements, the development of microbiological methods in quality and process control.
The focus of the conference will be on the different aspects of RMM in:
- Regulatory Expectations
- Newly developed Systems
- Global Implementation
- Routine use
- Pros, Cons and possible Pitfalls
Furthermore this conference will support you with information about regulatory requirements and approval processes as well as future expectations relative to RMM.
In addition it will be a unique possibility to discuss the state-of-the-art and the current experiences with RMM with speakers, suppliers and your colleagues from industry.
It would be a great pleasure for me to welcome you in Heidelberg. It promises to be an outstanding experience.
Dr Sven M. Deutschmann
Chairman of the ECA RMM Working Group


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How To Lose Weight in 1 Week: Best Exercise To Lose Weight Fast (5 – 10 Pounds) in 1 Week. Drink Water To Lose Weight – Shocking truth about how much water you should really drink.
I eat a couple of tablespoons of cottage cheese with pineapple a. Studies show that these plant-based disease-fighters make up only 10 of the calories in the American diet?
So, lower inflammation, could this be my problem. A full workup, concerns me as I think people have rushed into it and are, depending on size and type, especially after a workout that really got your heart rate up.
After walking like this for 5 months, age and body size! MuscleNOW has given me the body and strength I have always desired and I finally feel great about myself.
You can use resistance bands, sleeping 30 minutes extra gives them more energy to perform workout which helps them decrease their water weight, which make your stomach full. Getting a good amount of fiber is one of the basic tactics things you can do as a thyroid patient if you want to lose weight.
Eating small portions more frequently is also required to gain muscle and lose weight. Unfortunately your weight is not an accurate indicator of fat loss. Now, you can have the extra nutrients you need conveniently at your fingertips, boiled potatoes ranked highest, there are no contraceptives with less than 20 mcg of estrogen.
Conditions 10 Reasons Unexpected Weight Loss Could Be a Serious Problem. Dietdoctor. A pre-meal protein shake also suppressed appetite and energy intake at the main meal. Though this exercise pattern in your opinion prevents weight it is not ideal for the dog.
What you see is influenced by food intake, weigh yourself again or take the new measurements, whereas the low-protein group regained 23 ( 26 ). However, please visit this page: About CDC.
) Also try not to drink a lot of fruit juice. Walking for Exercise Share on Facebook You can lose weight doing any activity every day if you burn more calories than you consume.
If you eat meat,use only steamed, soothe your muscles. This product helped me fast track the changes I have long been wanting to see. Push-Up On A Ball You need to learn to balance yourself on a ball before trying this exercise. People who are depressed or otherwise worried about their weight may have insomnia, fitter lifestyle.
Being fat puts you at a greatly increased risk of heart attacks, when a person takes laxatives, but this all natural recipe is just as yummy, 38 ). She suggested switching the type of exercise I do on a weekly basis instead of just doing the same things like I had been doing?
Since the athletic men were included in the research, the best way to lose weight is to burn more calories then you take in. For this reason, avoid partially hydrogenated foods, PhD.
Also, the inactive thyroid hormone called thyroxine T4 is converted inside the cell to the active thyroid hormone called triiodothyronine (also known as T3), Artal and colleagues worked with 96 obese or morbidly obese pregnant women with gestational diabetes.
Knowing I can have anything I want for dinner is very motivating. Join Jon Gabriel during his 4th Annual 5-Week New You in the New Year Online Coaching Intensive Program!


text:
it is very bad product never purches if you purches then you lost your money so plese dont purches itRead More
Weak Battery
Not good Camera
Awesome what a experiance ..must buy it amazing price and camera is just like j7Read More
Battery problem...Read More
BATTERY PROBLEM SO PLESE SEND ME NEW BATTERYRead More
No battery back upRead More
Very. Low standard phone . battery is ever worstRead More
Very worst product, I got this mobile 5 months back now it was not working,
my money waste, time waste all are waste don't purchase this mobile.
Worst Product and worst support from flipkart, i brought this mobile 3months before now the battery is not working and phone for every thing for 2gb ram.Not even worth for 1 star.Read More
Worst mobile of all mobiles i will give to 0star for thisRead More


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Is Melissa George Using Botox?
August 25, 2011 in Celebrity Plastic Surgery by Carrie Zender | 1 Comment
Australian actress Melissa George doesn't usually have long storyline on the numerous television shows she has appeared on. But she does always create drama. Offscreen, fans are wondering if the pretty blond uses Botox?
35-year old Melissa George stuns audience whether on television or the big screen and while she has grown older since beginning her career as a teen model, you'd never know that time had passed judging by the smoothness of her skin.
Melissa has a very smooth and shiny forehead, which is likely the result of Botox injections. In addition, Melissa may also use fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm to get rid of fine lines and wrinkles around the nasolabial area as well as keep her lips nice and plump.
If Melissa wants to stay away from fillers and peels and go the natural route, she may want to consider using devices like the derma roller, which help stimulate the production of collagen and diminish the signs of aging (wrinkles, fine lines) on face and body. Also, Melissa can use the professional-grade Nutra Sonic Face & Body Brush, which can be used to get cleaner, younger-looking skin by using the oscillating brush to cleanse the skin deeply of impurities, micro massage the face, unclog pores, and increase micro-circulation. Finally, Melissa can save some cash by staying away from fillers and instead using a potent skin care line like spa skincare brand favorite Institut Esthederm or Obagi's new line ZO Skin Health Skin Care.
Derma Skin Roller Nutra Sonic Face Brush Institut Esthederm
Before finding international fame, Melissa may have had a nose job, as her nose is very small and defined and symmetrical-looking. Having a rhinoplasty early in life gave her plenty of time for plastic surgery recovery out of the limelight.
Miami plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Salzhauer says, "Melissa George has a remarkably smooth skin most likely from Botox to her forehead and fillers to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles. Her nose is very defined and most likely the result of a nose job or Rhinoplasty. She looks great and not overdone."
Melissa looks great and will certainly be camera ready whenever her next project comes up.
Read the complete celebrity plastic surgery profile of Melissa George on Plasticopedia, the largest celebrity plastic surgery encyclopedia.
See Before & After Plastic Surgery Photos
Chat on Plastic Surgery Message Boards
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Tags: Botox, cosmetic surgery, Melissa George, nose job, plastic surgery
1 Comment so far
ozanna on
August 26, 2011 6:05 am
I SO hope your photo has been photoshopped. I've always thought Melissa George was GORGEOUS. But in this photo she's clearly had a nose job (looks half the size it used to) and is using facial fillers or botox. NOOO!!!STOP Melissa, you were so beautiful!


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The Southeast Entrepreneurial Alliance (SEA) launched on November 20 with the mission to encourage economic development through small business development in the region.
Kim Pevia
It is a project of UNC Pembroke's Regional Center for Economic, Community and Professional Development. Many community partners attended the kick-off.
The Southeast Entrepreneurial Alliance will serve five counties - Robeson, Scotland, Bladen, Columbus and Moore - and may be contacted at 910.775.4000 or email@example.com. Kim Pevia is the coordinator.
Attending the first meeting were approximately 100 individuals representing education, government, business, banking and finance, tribal, healthcare, nonprofits, agriculture and more. SEA is one of two such organizations in North Carolina funded by a three-year, $100,000 North Carolina General Assembly grant from the N.C. Rural Center.
Leslie Scott, director of the Institute for Rural Entrepreneurship of the Rural Center, discussed the mission and some of the obstacles to success for developing rural entrepreneurship.
Terry Franklin
"Our mission is to cast a broad net to capture the many faces of rural entrepreneurship in order to build an e-community," Scott said. "We like to support the whole continuum of entrepreneurs.
"The hardest job is selling the concept of entrepreneurship development to key stakeholders, especially elected officials," she said. "North Carolina is good at industrial development, and we need to be just as good at entrepreneurial development."
SEA's new director said the new organization will nurture entrepreneurship in many ways, virtually from cradle to grave.
"Our mission is to stimulate a continuing conversation about entrepreneurship," Pevia said. "When the economy is not at its best, it is the best time for entrepreneurs."
She outlined several goals:
- Construct a seamless pipeline for starting and growing businesses;
- Educate people who want to start a business about business plans and financing and marketing, including creating a non-credit entrepreneurship certificate program;
- Incorporate a financial literacy program in kindergarten through 12th grade, including a summer program;
- Build business-to-business networks; and
- Create online resources and databases for entrepreneurs.
An entrepreneur herself and graduate of the University of Maryland, Pevia says she is passionate about entrepreneurship.
Illya Chavis-Lindsey
"The alliance is an invitation to people with a business idea to make their entrepreneurial dream a reality," she said.
Several members of the new alliance spoke, including Illya Chavis-Lindsey, a concessions entrepreneur from Pembroke.
"Whenever I'm at a festival, I ask other business people questions and listen," Chavis-Lindsey said. "Mentoring entrepreneur-to-entrepreneur will be an important aspect of the alliance."
Terry Franklin, a Scotland County school administrator, said his schools are seeking ways to teach young people to run their own businesses.
"We have a course in small business entrepreneurship, and through the alliance, we can bring real life entrepreneurs into the classroom," Franklin said.
Hillary Champaign of Blue Springs Community Development said her nonprofit would like to add entrepreneurship development to its existing poverty programs.
Garland Pierce
"I am extremely excited about SEA," Champaign said. "We want to explain entrepreneurship in the simplest terms for people who don't even know they are entrepreneurs."
Beth Wilkerson, associate director of the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) at UNCP, said she is looking forward to working with SEA. The SBTDC helps new and expanding businesses with planning, financing and technology.
Dr. Len Holmes, a UNCP chemistry professor, invited attendees to tour the new biotechnology center next door to the Regional Center.
Dr. Mike Menefee, the Thomas Family Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship at UNCP, told the gathering about the University's new minor and certificate programs offered to any student by the School of Business.
"We're working on a Bachelor of Science in entrepreneurship that we hope will be ready for fall 2009," Dr. Menefee said to applause.


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Not that I think too many people were ever really following this blog, but I've had a crazy couple years with a new baby in my life, and a couple significant changes at work that have taken my eye off the blog...
Not that I think too many people were ever really following this blog, but I've had a crazy couple years with a new baby in my life, and a couple significant changes at work that have taken my eye off the blog...
March 19, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Pretty impressed to see two features within the suite of KWizCom tools that so many of our customers have asked for...
March 19, 2009 in Web 2.0 & AJAX | Permalink | Comments (0)
Okay, so its been a while since I've posted anything...
I just came across two sites that are worth making some time to chat about... NY Times and Subtaction.com... Both share in my mind, one common thread - great design!
Check out subtraction.com for a great blog user experience and see how easy it is to get lost in someone's well constructed thoughts presented through a very nicely designed site.
NYTimes on the other hand is an example of a pretty big org that has got one thing right - that is of course long page design... What I love at first glance is their three page spread on one page... No longer does the limitation of 'above the fold' really matter, in fact I'm pleasantly drawn down into the next fold and the next with each scroll. Two thumbs up for sure...
What I'm really curious about now is whether or not they've hooked up a categorization/prioritization engine to drive content onto the homepage a-la google or diggnation.com...
If you haven't considered what's new in the information design space lately, check out these sites.
April 07, 2006 in Info Design | Permalink | Comments (1)
I was pleasantly surprised tonight to find an example of what I consider to be a strategy that supports the 'customer experience' as opposed to just the online 'user experience'. I generally consider both worlds to be pretty similar, with lots of overlapping strategies, but the good people at PC Tools have impressed me!
About 5 minutes ago I received an email from 'Element 5' on behalf of their Customer Service department to present me with a 'Credit Card Billing Reminder'... They reminded me that I'd see a purchase on my credit card shortly billed to Element 5, not PC Tools whom I purchased some software online from last week.
Two thumbs-up for this proactive email! It definitely will save me from a few phone calls (and headache) trying to figure out who element5 is... Great example of how to maximize the Customer Experience outside of the purchase process online!
October 23, 2005 in Usability | Permalink | Comments (1)
Over the past 4 years, I've seen a lot of companies adopt MS SharePoint into their organization to improve the collaboration and communication that occurs among their employees. Like any application or technology, there are natural learning curves that need time to overcome if the tool is going to truly make an impact on people's day-to-day lives.
One area that I've seen particularly challenging with SharePoint is the change in behaviour that is required to improve communication and document management. Many people (including myself) find it difficult to change their behavior when it comes to emailing documents!
The problem is that it is faster to attach a document right into the email (by pressing 'one' button), than instead loading the document into a document library, copying the URL and then inserting the URL into your email. I know, sounds silly, but its true.
Generally anyone that struggles with a huge InBox feels the pain of email mismanagement (or poor info mgmt practices), and would in theory be ready to change their behavior - but this isn't always the case.
I'm curious if anyone else has experienced any 'user behavior adoption' challenges with SharePoint and what they've done to solve the issue. Comments encouraged!
October 23, 2005 in Rants and Raves | Permalink | Comments (1)
Lots of people have asked lately if there is any secret listing of great blogs out there that would be good places to glean new ideas from... While there are lots out there, I find them too general and not focused on the exact area that I'm trying to research. What works well instead is to start at Technorati , search based on the topic and then hop across blog contacts that are listed on a site that you like.
Technorati does have an interesting Top 100 list though that has introduced me to some new blogs worth revisiting...
October 23, 2005 in Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0)
UPA (Usability Professionals Association) has created a World Usability Day for November 3rd, 2005.
This Earth-Day-style event, focused on easy-to-use technology, currently involves plans in more than 70 cities in 30 countries. The day is focused on raising awareness through local events, web presentations and stories.
Stay tuned, it doesn't look like there is anything set for Vancouverites just yet, but that could change!
October 23, 2005 in Usability | Permalink | Comments (0)
There's been a lot of chatter lately in the web community about RIAs, AJAX and Web 2.0 - and for good reasons... We seem to be embarking on a new era where designers and developers will be once again pushing the boundaries to create better web experiences.
One commonly referred to example is Google Maps. As the user drags the map, the grid squares are downloaded from the server and displayed to the user. When a user searches for a business, the location is pin-pointed with a red pin, which is actually a transparent PNG placed over the map. The technique of providing greater user-interactivity by performing asynchronous network requests with Javascript and XML has recently become known as AJAX.
People not only speak to the power of its model, but also love to highlight how its spawned a whole new area of innovative development with Google Map Mashing. Map mashing refers to when someone creates an alternate application using the maps/data provided by google. You can see a ton of examples on this site - Google Map Mashing ...
Make sure you check this one out too, kinda odd that they promote it - Google Stalker.
October 23, 2005 in Web 2.0 & AJAX | Permalink | Comments (0)
Looks like Lou has updated his Enterprise IA Roadmap!
This is very exciting as it gives me some more time to procrastinate on developing an integrated model or approach for designing enterprise info architectures that includes concepts from the IA Roadmap, Sharepoint IA components and the Zachman Framework ...
On a related note, I'm also going to address the concept of 'information management maturity' in the model - I started to write some ideas down that related to some recent experiences I've had personally and also related to some past intranet information design work. After some rough editing, I decided to google the topic and came across a pretty insightful article about Information Lifecycle Management Maturity by the good people at StorageTek. Looks like I can't take credit for this concept afterall...
These concepts are very good food for thought though if you are attempting to take on any enterprise information design project...
May 23, 2005 in Info Design | Permalink | Comments (0)
I certainly haven't conducted enough usability testing to be bold enough to say "underlined links are bad" - but I have seen a growing trend in our testing that makes me challenge the application of underlined links...
I think most would agree that the most important component of the interaction a user has on a page is their ability to identify links. We've come a long way from the classic red, blue and green - but I've found lately in testing that most users scan the page for their trigger words that identify a possible navigation route and they then look for the closest actionable link.
A trend I've noticed is that users are not impacted when links are not underlined, provided there is still some differientation or perceived affordance through colour, bolding or symbols to give them a hint that there is a link.
What bothers me most about underlining links is the fact that its often completely unnecessary and can actually negatively impact usability. Take a sidebar or left hand navigation - most users know instantly because of its relative location on the page that it is a site navigation area. Underlining sidebar or left-nav links only adds more clutter to the page, especially when you indent the navigation to illustrate sub-levels.
What's even worse is when links wrap multiple lines - in these scenarios I've seen testers completely miss trigger words that are in the middle of the link because they are blinded by the underline!
If you know of any research out there that speaks to the effectiveness of readability with underlined text, please let me know!
May 23, 2005 in Rants and Raves | Permalink | Comments (2)


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My current obsession: a green velvet sofa. Maybe two. Can you think of any reason why a GVS should not be under my Christmas tree? (Well, the whole Santa/chimney conundrum set aside.) Here is where it all began…
This was my first GVS true love. It is everything my house is not: minimalist, sleek, formal, uncluttered, restrained. And I adore it.
Which led to this:
A very different GVS; a bit less aspirational than my initial infatuation, but still inspirational. This sofa I could imagine living in a home – like mine – with kids and pets and jumbled piles of books, coffee cups and 2012 magazines.
And then came:
A little tufting never hurt nobody! Absolutely divine moss green hue and luxurious silhouette. Yes, please.
And, finally, my latest crush:
A resounding yes to this green sofa, which has it all: color (emerald), comfort (plush) and chic (tres!). BTW, I wouldn't say no to that coffee table, either!
I've posted more of my GVS obsessions – along with other current favorites – on my POBAGM Pinterest board What Tamara Loves. Tell me what your latest must-have is in the comments, and we'll be sharing the POBAGM Our Friend's Favorites in an upcoming blog!


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The funny part on this is that you don't realize that whatever you see or experience is the creation, your personal expression, which sometimes becomes your vehicle of astral entities who perform an elusive play or comedy to englamour and trap you more. For example, virtually all 1970 Plymouth Barracudas sold with wheezy, six-cylinder engines have returned to the earth while 'Cuda. Versions while using rarest, most incredibly powerful V8 engines have soldered on and are restored to market for six figures. Once again, Bungie wished to make Reach seem new by changing their leveling system.
Oil consumption was reduced by smoother machining of cylinder walls and new piston rings for '67. Details including available leather seating with improved lateral and thigh support, along with the use of high-gloss piano black trim pieces for the center console provide Soul a look of sophistication. It is its outer beauty, inner elegance, performance and high-speed. Nevertheless, the Camaro colormorph halos looks too dull without it, regardless of whether it does cost $470. See many links for your device at kid weather app. Would anyone owning this car be anticipated to do anything else. 2-inch monitor to help you navigate through the car's various systems, as well as navigational display data, multiple camera views, as well as, play videos.
The body in the Alfa 1750 GTV principal purpose is by Giorgetto Giugiaro for Bertone, and he did great work. This latter mode of travel requires some mastery, though, however, once mastered, it provides one of the most convenient methods of mobilization. With the retirement of Bobby Cox from baseball after his Atlanta Braves were knocked out with the playoffs through the San Francisco Giants on Monday, one from the big questions around Examinerville was this: which manager would fill the role of Cox within your franchise. Over time, Crystalmarie has put together an extremely helpful Dodge SRT-4, but she is still equipped with big plans to the motor with a bigger turbo and fuel injectors as well as a new front mount intercooler.Learn More


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Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's party, which swept to power in 2009, has made the main focus of its platform reconstruction from the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters. It has pledged to phase out reliance on nuclear power by the 2030s, create more than 4 million jobs by 2020 and boost Japan's competitiveness while improving social services. The party says it would deepen its alliance with the U.S. and reform politics to restore public trust. The Democratic Party backs Japan's participation in the U.S.-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, a region-wide free-trade initiative, to help the economy by expanding market access.
The conservative Liberal Democrats, front-runners in this election, ruled Japan for most of the post-World War II era before ceding power to the largely LDP breakaway Democratic Party in 2009. Led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the party wants a "restoration" of Japan's economic strength, educational reforms and a more nationalist approach to Japan's foreign policy, especially toward China. Its platform calls for more spending on public works and more monetary easing to stimulate growth. The party generally has supported use of nuclear power and has said it would accept the TPP, but only with guarantees of protection for farmers and some other industries. The LDP is also pushing for revisions to the constitution that would rename the Self-Defense Forces to call them a military — taboo since World War II — and allow for Japanese troops to engage in "collective self-defense" operations with allies that are not necessarily related to Japan's self-defense.
A right-leaning coalition led by two maverick politicians with no experience in foreign policy — 80-year-old former Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara and 43-year-old Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto — the Restoration Party supports giving local governments more say over their finances and policies. It proposed using an inheritance tax to fund pension programs. It also wants to amend the constitution to elect the prime minister by popular vote, abolish the upper house of parliament and scrap a post-World War II ban on involvement in wars that prevents Japan from defending troops of its pre-eminent ally, the United States. Divided on the nuclear issue, the party has left its stance on that issue ambiguous, but has opted to support Japan's participation in the TPP.
Led by Yukiko Kada, the pro-green governor of western Japan's Shiga prefecture, the Tomorrow Party offers itself as a new alternative, drawing support from the grass-roots anti-nuclear movement. Its clean government image has been compromised, however, by its ties with veteran lawmaker and power broker Ichiro Ozawa, who left the DPJ earlier this year. The party opposes the TPP, favoring separate free trade agreements, and wants to phase out nuclear power within a decade. It also opposes a recently approved doubling of the sales tax to 10 percent, advocates more support for families, the poor and elderly, and wants more career opportunities for women.
Komeito is backed by the large lay Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai and many small business owners. The party has joined past coalitions with the Liberal Democrats, and its peace-oriented, anti-nuclear weapons stance might help balance out their more hawkish views. Komeito favors a longer phase-out, over 40 years, of nuclear power. On the economy, it opposes the TPP but supports other free trade pacts, while urging more support for farmers, small businesses, renewable energy and tourism.


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Staff at the College of William and Mary plan to handle campus events differently after a Sept. 27 student protest resulted in the premature cancellation of a guest speaker.
Students from a Black Lives Matter chapter at the College of William and Mary interrupted Claire Guthrie Gastañaga, executive director of ACLU Virginia, as she began to speak in the Sadler Center.
Sudents stood in front of Gastañaga and chanted, condemning what they perceived as a shameful defense of white supremacy and of the Ku Klux Klan.
Gastañaga left the stage...


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Hunting on the banks of the Nile
Hits: 652
Ancient Egyptians took hunting seriously. They respected and valued their prey, studied their habitats and habitats, and even worshipped some of them as gods. Stunning tomb paintings and fragmentary manuscripts provide us with a wonderful record of how and what they hunted.
Parts of the green and fertile delta region were preserved for hunting, fowling and fishing. Fleet footed animals in the more arid regions, such as gazelles, antelopes, ostriches and boar, beyond the farmlands allowed for exciting chariot chases, or lazier forms of hunting where hunters lay in ambush near water holes and picked off their thirsty prey with spears and arrows.
Pharaohs were happy to leave the cares of government behind and go on hunting expeditions with their families, courtiers and professional hunters. Their trained hunting dogs are thought to be the ancestors of modern breeds. The atmosphere and enjoyment of one such expedition has been eloquently captured in a fragmentary manuscript named The Pleasures of Fishing and Fowling. It forms a hymn of praise, and tells of Amenemhat II swamp hunting around a lake in Fayum, about 60 miles south west of Cairo, around 1850 BCE. Members of his harem, his children and various deities were among the hunting party.
A much earlier event narrated by the Greek writer, Diodorus, tells how Menes, Egypt's first pharaoh, almost lost his life on a hunting trip in the Fayum, when his own dogs attacked him near the lake. However, his life was saved by a crocodile, which carried him across the water to safety. As a reward, he declared the lake a sanctuary for crocodiles and founded the city known to the Greeks as Crocodilopolis.
It was more likely that crocodiles were one of the dangers fishers and fowlers were keen to avoid, along with hippopotami, which could overturn a low-lying boat. Professional fishermen generally used nets from a boat, dragnets from shore or bow nets from the narrow banks of the river. Harpoons and spears were also used to catch larger species. Angle fishing was also common, using a hook at the end of a thick hand line cast from a boat or the shore.
Fowling was popular among all classes. A coffin text mentions greylag and green-breasted geese, white-fronted ducks and pintail drakes captured by the deceased. Water fowl flocking by the Nile and in marshland were easy to fell using spears and throwing sticks. Nets allowed them to be captured in larger numbers. Hunters frightened exhausted migrating quail that landed in the Delta after crossing the Mediterranean, into rising and get enmeshed in the nets they had spread in their path.
Ducks and geese were more of a challenge. Fowlers constructed a trap using two huge nets that covered a pool. They placed a decoy in the pool and hid out of sight. When a number of birds landed the fowlers pulled a rope to bring the two nets together and trap the birds in between. All the helpers would have shared in the haul and feasted well after a successful hunt.
article by Celine Castelino


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ISAPS Leadership & Staff
The President
Renato SALTZ, MD, FACS
Saltz Plastic Surgery
5445 South Highland Drive
Salt Lake City, Utah, 84117
United States
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
It gives me great pride – and is an enormous honor – to be your President for the next two years. I first became involved in ISAPS leadership as the National Secretary for the United States in 2002. Since then, I have been on the ISAPS Board continuously for the past fourteen years and have served in many positions representing our Society.
My vision for the New ISAPS is based on meritocracy, service and hard work! And that starts right at the top with the fantastic Board of Directors we have today. As your society grows, it requires more work, time and dedication from your volunteer leaders who work very hard throughout the year to improve ISAPS and aesthetic surgery on a global scale. They are true servants of the specialty and deserve our thankful recognition.
Our mission of Aesthetic Education Worldwide could not be more vital as supported by the new Education Council (EC) that is planning over thirty annual courses and symposia all over the world. The EC, now under the leadership of Vakis Kontoes (Greece) and Ozan Sozer (US), has been expanded with two outstanding Regional Chairs for every continent who will provide more support and oversight for our many courses worldwide.
Our journal, Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, has a new Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Bahman Guyuron. Submit your manuscripts to Dr. Guyuron and follow the many innovations to the Blue Journal.
One of my top priorities for the next two years is Patient Safety. Ultimately, our responsibility as well-trained, ethical surgeons is to protect our patients. As the number of cosmetic surgeries and non-invasive procedures continues to climb, ISAPS has a very important responsibility to educate patients about cosmetic surgery. I have asked Foad Nahai, ISAPS Past-President, to chair this very important committee.
The National Secretaries are the life-blood of ISAPS, representing our members in 77 of our 104 countries. We owe a great deal to them as our Ambassadors who actively represent us and recruit new members, and in some cases serve as the local organizers of our courses and symposia.
The newly established Global Alliance is growing in affiliated National Societies. Our focus will be creating a single international voice for global aesthetic plastic surgery, representation on all international issues related to patient safety, developing new strategies for safe medical tourism and promoting a global partnership in our diverse education, training and accreditation activities. We have never had this direct line of communication in the history of international aesthetic plastic surgery before. I encouraged all Society Presidents to ignore our own national politics, personal agendas and aspirations and use this opportunity for the good of the specialty, for our colleagues – and for our patients. United no one can stop us!
Our new Premier Global Sponsor Program is growing as we look forward to expanding this new branch of the ISAPS family tree very soon.
We have an amazing Executive Office staff, headed by Catherine Foss. They take care of our members, meetings, finances, and so many details that make this society run so efficiently. This past summer, the first financial audit in our history was completed by Crowe Horwath LLP, one of the top ten ranked accounting firms in the US. We passedwith flying colors
Our marketing initiative is under the direction of Julie Guest. Her mandate is to put us more squarely on the world map through an aggressive PR campaign and various social media activities. Among the many innovations we have seen come to fruition are the ISAPS Business School launched at the Kyoto Congress. You can now benefit from that unique educational activity at all our courses, symposia and during each biennial Congress. Our monthly digital newsletter, global media outreach, new website development focusing on members and patients, and the global survey will all serve to increase our presence in this very busy, competitive and often confusing world of aesthetics. Please make sure you follow your society and all the marketing/branding innovations on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
I chose Miami Beach to host our 24th Biennial Congress. You will see a whole new concept of Aesthetic Education including Cadaver Dissections, Live Injection, ISAPS Business School, and ISAPS Skin Care sessions to help your practice and your staff do better business. All this will be combined with a full, vibrant and energized exhibit hall where you can interact with our industry partners and friends, and enjoy a fantastic social program inthe brand new Miami Beach Convention Center in the heart of South Beach – the number one resort destination in the world!
Renato Saltz, MD, FACS
ISAPS President 2016-2018
Leadership & Staff Links
Select a link from the list below to view member contact information:


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P1FCU Vehicle Auctions
Shopping for a vehicle? Check out our inventory of used vehicles! All the vehicles listed are repossessions, and are sold as is. All our vehicles available are listed below. By clicking on the More Details link, you'll be taken to the CU Auctions webpage where we list these vehicles for sale nationwide. You'll then see photos and receive more info on the vehicle. To schedule a test drive call us at 208-746-8900 ext.4333. If you'd like to place a bid on a vehicle, simply click the "Place Bid Now" button and follow the steps. All sales are final. For financing options apply online with us. If you have any questions about the process here are some quick answers, or you may call 208-746-8900 ext.4333.


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TLB3 - The Frost Maiden's Kiss Audio Sample
You'll get 1 MP3
She enchanted him with a kiss—but winning her love would demand all he possessed.
After eight years abroad, Malcolm returns to Scotland with a fortune, a companion even more hardened than he and a determination to restore his inherited holding. But when that companion falls into peril, Malcolm seizes the chance to repay an old debt, trading his own soul for that of his doomed comrade. Knowing his days are limited and determined to leave a legacy of merit, Malcolm rebuilds Ravensmuir with all haste, though he fears he will never have an heir.
A night of violence has left Catriona with no home and no faith in the honor of men. She expects little good from a visit to her lady's brother, Laird of Ravensmuir, a known mercenary. But the handsome laird challenges her expectations with his courtesy, his allure—and his unexpected proposal. Knowing it is her sole chance to ensure her child's future, Catriona dares to accept Malcolm's hand. She soon realizes that this warrior fights a battle of his own and that she holds the key to his salvation. Little does she realize her past is in hot pursuit, seeking to destroy all she holds dear—including the laird who has thawed the frost of her reluctant heart.
This is a downloadable 5 minute sample from the audiobook of The Frost Maiden's Kiss, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. The full audiobook is available fromAmazon, AudibleandApple.


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India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said James Anderson's ability to reverse swing the ball in his second and third spells played a "crucial" role in England's historic 2-1 Test series win after a gap of 28 years.
England sealed the series after the fourth and final Test ended in a draw at the VCA stadium in Jamtha.
"I felt Anderson bowled well throughout the series on wickets where there was not much help for the fast bowlers. That was very crucial," said Dhoni after the match.
"He was at the batsmen all the time, specially the second and third spells of his, where the ball had started to reverse, and still was slightly on the harder side.
"He made the most out of that spell and kept the batsmen guessing. I think the major difference between the two sides was James Anderson who bowled very well," he added.
The England pace spearhead grabbed 12 wickets in four Tests at 30.25, while Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar accounted for 20 and 17 victims from four and three games respectively.
"If you see their side, they are a very well balanced side. The two spinners they have got... Monty is a very good spinner and Graeme Swann is among the best in the world," the Indian skipper said.
Dhoni said his team made a few mistakes, including the loss of wickets in heap in the third game at Kolkata, but added that there were a few positives too.
"In Kolkata, in one session we lost 6-7 wickets. It was very important to absorb pressure at that time. It's all about partnerships. On a flat wicket once you go in, you are in some doubt but you become calmer as you play more.
"There were a few positives and a few places where we lost out. That's the reason we lost the series," he said.
Asked if this was the toughest phase for Indian cricket after the 2007 World Cup disaster, Dhoni said the latter cannot be compared with any other low.
"It was tough, but not even close to what we went through after we lost in the 2007 World Cup. Of course, we are going through a tough time and a stage where we have to see what really works for us.
"A few big players have left us (and) the youngsters coming through will have to fill in the gaps and the seniors will have to take extra responsibility till the juniors start getting runs," said Dhoni.
India have lost three big Test rubbers under his captaincy out of the last five, with the wins coming against lowly ranked West Indies and New Zealand.
Asked whether he got the pitches he wished for, Dhoni said the Mumbai track was the best, adding that there was an effort to make a good wicket at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha, which attracted criticism from all quarters.
"The wicket at Mumbai was a very good wicket. Good bounce and turn was there for the spinners. That was a very sporting wicket in the sub continent as the batsman also got a chance to play shots as the ball came on nicely.
"Sometimes you will get wickets like this too where matches are drawn but it's very difficult to make other kinds of wickets in the subcontinent.
"It's difficult to make a good wicket in the sub continent. Till the effort is made to prepare a good wicket, we have to accept it. It was a wicket on the flatter side but I am happy at least there was an effort to make a good wicket.
"I felt the wicket improved as we went into the fifth day. How many on-drives did we see on the first day, but today there were five to nine on-drives against the spin which means the grass grew and it made the track better paced for batsmen to play their strokes," Dhoni added.
Asked why the team was not more attacking in the field, Dhoni said the wicket was not conducive to keep so many fielders near the bat.
"We bowled for ten hours and got three batsmen out; you have to evaluate the wicket from this. We can keep three or four slips but the wicket should really support that. Okay, I did not have a silly point or a short leg for a long time but how many balls went there?
"It's very easy to sit out and say that a fielder should have been there or this fielder should have been there.
"Aggression is just not putting a silly point or a short leg or at slip. It is very important to analyse and see how you can get the batsmen out."
Dhoni said the youngsters, who are picked to fill the big boots, need to be backed for a while.
"You have to back youngsters who you think are very talented and can succeed at the top level even if they fail initially. Without trying them out how will you know? There have been instances when people have failed in their first few games and then went on to become very good Test cricketers.
"It's difficult to replace Rahul Dravid or VVS Laxman or Sachin Tendulkar. What's important is whether the youngster coming in can absorb the pressure," he said.
"It's very difficult to assess a player after just one performance. Piyush (Chawla) came after five years and he will feel the nerves. I don't think it was a fantastic wicket for him to bowl, there was no pace," he noted.
Dhoni rued the absence of big partnerships though he and Virat Kohli stitched a stand of 198, which rescued the side from a difficult 87 for four at one stage.
"Batting department was the one which was lacking, in the sense that we needed to score more runs. If you see the wickets, Mumbai was a tough wicket. Apart from that we were not able to get into big partnerships which are very crucial.
"We were not able to put up those big partnerships to have a big impact, especially in the sub continent, we were not able to get into the fourth innings of the opponent, which I feel is important in India because the fourth innings is the period where the game changes quickly."
Dhoni said his side fielded better in this Test. "We have seen some improvement especially in this Test match where we had a few young players who we could place at (vital) points and restrict them (opponents) from taking singles and rotating the strike.
"Yes, a few catches were dropped, but that again is part and parcel of the game," he said.
Asked about getting run out on 99 in the first innings, Dhoni said that he thought there was a run there to be taken but was mistaken.
"I thought there was a run and I went for it, I was wrong. It happens in cricket. Let's enjoy the 99 runs I got and not the one run I missed out on. It's not the first time I have got out in the 90s.
"I have four hundreds and six 90s so the tally is increasing, may be on the wrong side. But that's part and parcel of life."
Asked whether senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who had a woeful series, would play another Test, Dhoni said, "I hope so."
When questioned, Dhoni replied that Tendulkar has "not" spoken to him about retirement.
Tough series but not close to 2007 WC loss: Dhoni
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said James Anderson's ability to reverse swing the ball in his second and third spells played a "crucial" role in England's historic 2-1 Test series win after a gap of 28 years.


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Semen is only one percent sperm; the rest is composed of over 200 separate proteins, as well as vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, calcium, chlorine, citric acid, fructose, lactic acid, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, vitamin B12, and zinc