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|View from the Elk Mountain Scenic Highway in Asheville, NC
The kids have been off school since Friday afternoon, so we took a little overnight trip to the mountains to celebrate my nephew's first birthday. At the same time it is Girl Scouts Walkabout week here, when the Scouts are supposed to go door to door selling packages of cookies rather than taking orders. Our neighborhood is pretty Scout-saturated, so we decided to do our walkabout in my sister's Scout-less neighborhood. My daughter did really well. We had a train of "helpers" in her brother and cousins and their friends, and I pushed our two cases of cookies in my sister's baby stroller. The day was lovely; the sun was out and it got quite warm. Pushing the stroller up and down the steep streets and running to keep up with overexcited children, I got hot and sweaty. Then, in typical mountain fashion, the weather changed and the air became quite chilly. My sister's Canadian husband keeps their house very cold and, still sweaty from the earlier warmth, I got very chilled. I ended up with a really sore throat and cough. So, I've spent our remaining vacation days lying around and trying to treat myself with Young Living "hot shots": 2 drops oregano oil and 2 drops lemon oil in 2 TBSP water. This mixture stings, but it provides a powerful punch against germs, so throw it down like a shot a couple times a day! I've also been using my homemade linen spray. I make my linen spray with lots of lavender oil. Lavender is a natural anti-bacterial agent, so besides making a wonderful aromatic spray it helps kill germs on surfaces like foam pillows and mattresses that aren't washable. This is a great spray to keep on hand during cold and flu season, especially.
Relaxing Linen Spray
1/4 cup witch hazel
1/4 cup water
20 drops Young Living lavender essential oil
5 drops Young Living Stress Away oil blend
5 drops Young Living Peace and Calming oil blend
Pour all ingredients into a spray bottle and shake to combine. Use on linens and upholstery. Test for color fastness on an inconspicuous spot before using.
As always, you may contact me to learn how to order Young Living products or become a member. Find more recipes and details about Young Living products on my Facebook page: Naturally Amanda.
If you've been keeping up with the Saga of the Family Braces you know we are eating lots of soups and smoothies around here because I and the older children have gotten or are about to get braces. Tonight I made a winner recipe I thought I'd share. It's a tuna casserole, soft enough to eat, and almost paleo (it's easy to make it a true paleo recipe) so it's packed with veggie vitamins. The Ronzoni Garden Delight pasta I used contains a full serving of vegetables per each 4 oz portion and then I used lots of extra veggies besides. This was successful for us, not only because we could all chew it with our braces and spacers, but because I found a way to camouflage the tuna. Our youngest, who will usually eat about anything, suddenly decided last year that he hates tuna fish and isn't eating it. I don't know what prompted this decision, but tonight I proved it's not the flavor but the idea of tuna to which he's objecting. If he can't see it he will eat it! This was basically an accidental discovery, as I puréed the tuna in the recipe just to make it easier for me to chew. I puréed the vegetables for the same reason, but they are also hidden this way, which is useful if you have someone picky about those. This was a nice treat on a winter's evening, a real old-fashioned comfort food casserole.
Almost-Paleo Tuna Casserole
Serves 8-10
1 box Ronzoni Garden Delight penne pasta, cooked, or 4 medium zucchini, sliced into strips
1 1/2 cup whole coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut flour
1-1 1/2 cup seafood or chicken broth
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp salt
2 (5oz) cans tuna, puréed
2 cups peas
10 oz broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower, puréed
1 cup almond flour
3 TBSP coconut oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 13x9 casserole and layer pasta or zucchini, puréed vegetables, and peas. Grind a bit of salt and pepper and sprinkle some garlic powder over these if desired. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix coconut milk, thyme, salt, and flour until it makes a thick paste. Gradually stir in broth until the mixture is the consistency of pancake batter. Stir in the puréed tuna. Layer the coconut/tuna mixture over the pasta and vegetables. Layer cheddar cheese over this. Melt the coconut oil. Stir in the coconut flour and Italian seasoning until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until the casserole is browned and bubbly. To make a true paleo recipe, substitute the zucchini for the pasta and leave off the cheese.
MMM... we killed it, as you can see from the supper remains. One thing that makes this so satisfying and yummy is the coconut/tuna sauce mixture. Baking transforms this sauce into a dough that creates a kind of potpie type crust. It expands to envelop the pasta and vegetables. I don't know if it would work exactly the same way if you use zucchini "pasta", since that has more moisture. You might want to cut the amount of broth if you use the zucchini pasta.
I was happy to be able to make a comforting and still healthful recipe. After the initial shock of the change in my diet, and maybe due to the Young Living Slique and Grapefruit oils I've been adding to my water every day, my body finally stopped holding fat and I've lost almost 10 pounds since I got my braces on January 5th. I'm trying to find the positive side of my cheese and dark chocolate withdrawal pangs and focus on improving my diet so that by the time my braces come off I will have a svelte figure as well as straight teeth!
You can find more about the Young Living weight loss oil regimen on previous posts of this blog or on the Naturally Amanda Facebook page. I will say, I'm impressed with the oils. I ran out of the Slique and Grapefruit oils and my new ones haven't arrived yet. I filled the bottles (which each had about a drop or so left inside) with water and have been using the diluted oil in my water, about 4 drops of each per 8 oz glass of water. Even the diluted oils have been really helpful in controlling my appetite! So, a first-hand testimonial! If you've had a positive experience with any Young Living product I'd love to feature it in this blog and on my Facebook page. Please contact me to tell your story!


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Apple-Imagination GPU Dispute Offers 5 IP Best Practices
This month, Apple announced that it would no longer use the GPU core technologies that have been an integral part of its phones and tablets produced by Imagination Technologies Group. The news negatively impacted Imagination, and there are some industry analysts who don't expect Imagination to survive much longer as an independent company.
"I expect it will be for sale, especially at the lower stock price," said Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research. "Imagination has been losing design wins to ARM and Vivante, and the acquisition of MIPS has not helped the company. Like MIPS, the competition in GPUs became more competitive and the company became complacent."
However, for both Apple and Imagination, this is more than just an unhappy parting of the ways.
Sources close to EE Times say that Imagination is considering a lawsuit against Apple, alleging that Apple appropriated intellectual property because it is "extremely challenging for Apple to design a brand-new GPU architecture from basics" without violating Imagination's patents, intellectual property and confidential information."
That could be, but there are also events that occurred before the announcement that might have contributed to the situation.
In 2016, Apple hired several key Imagination managers and senior engineers. While these moves don't necessarily point to patent violations, it is possible that these key employees brought with them important knowledge that contributed to Apple's decision to produce its own GPUs. It is clear why this would be a desirable goal for Apple. When you can engineer key technology that is integral to your own products, you have direct management and control.
Here are several key lessons that electronics manufacturers and suppliers can take away:
Let us know your stories of IP upsets in the comments section below.
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More Blogs from Mary E. Shacklett
Shorter time to market and a continuous stream of new products are putting extreme pressure on electronics supply chains. By enhancing collaboration, supply chain managers can manage better.
A looming shortage is attributable to how electronics companies are managing their inventories. Here's some steps you can take to avoid problems.
Samsung's battery problems last year made headlines, but this type of product failure can happen to anyone, Proactive supplier and component management are critical to safeguard customers and brand.
A BOM tool is one thing organizations can leverage to move products smoothly from design to manufacturing while avoiding typical headaches.
EBN Newswire
Newark Celebrates Women in Engineering
Resourcessponsored content
Latest Poll
EBN Dialogue / LIVE CHAT
EBN Dialogue enables you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Open to the entire EBN community of electronics supply chain experts, these conversations see ideas shared, comments made, and questions asked and answered in real time. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats. Stay tuned and join in!
Archived Dialogues
Live Chat 01/15: CPOs Re-Shape Their Business Roles
Increasingly chief procurement officers (CPOs) are re-shaping their organizational role to focus on creating results far beyond cost controls. A new IBM survey explores how.
Live Chat 11/12: Examining the Cyberthreat to Supply Chains
The number of cyberattacks is on the rise and hackers are targeting the supply chain. Drew Smith, founder and CEO of InfoArmor, will be on hand to discuss the reality of today's threat landscape and what to do about it.

subset: commoncrawl


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Why outsourcing your digital marketing is a positive for your business
When you're running a small business, time is a precious commodity, and marketing your brand can be an ongoing investment. It's a common theme that most businesses don't understand why they need to have a marketing budget because they would rather spend their money on developing the product or service at hand. But as we all know, if you don't market your business how will any of your customers know what you are, who you are or how to find you?
We often visit business pages on social media and find there is very little or no activity at all. This is not because they don't care about crafting their digital footprint and covering their latest news, but often, because they simply don't have time to manage it. Normally, if one form of digital marketing is suffering then you will find areas like your website updated information, email campaigns or business advertising will also be affected.
This can spiral out of control and start to affect your website SEO, your brand and eventually your business sales. The question is, would an external agency understand the personality of the brand and the products/ service you offer and add that personal touch to your business messaging without it sounding salesy?
Whatever the concern, there are key benefits to why outsourcing to an external marketing agency is a positive step to take, and for the business to start reaching out to the 45.9 million adults who have used the internet in the past 3 months.
It's import for any business to have a consistent message and voice to their audience so they can achieve an online presence. But, every business owner or marketing manager needs a break, they are people, and people need to take rests away from work and screen play. You can't suddenly stop posting or blogging, which is why most business use management tools, to keep up with the demand. If you do reduce your online presence, Google will notice this and your organic ranking will be affected as a result.
According to CIM, 42% of B2B marketers report positive impact of their campaigns and year-over-year growth of website traffic is 7.8 times higher for those who choose to invest in content marketing. By outsourcing your marketing, it won't suffer as a result of staff problems or annual leave, as you will be investing in a team of people who manage your account, and as people always say… two heads are better than one!
Being in the know – Access to the latest technology
Most agencies are in the know about everything tech based and anyone involved, this again is the mould of experience and knowledge from each individual within the agency team. Each person will have their own interests and following within the digital marketing world, and enjoy sharing this content with their social followers, colleagues and clientele.
Whilst companies have thousands of marketing technologies available to them, how do they know which ones to pick? Performance based marketing agencies are able to guide businesses by offering Digital Marketing Reviews to see what the best marketing strategy is for them, provide some positive guidance and achieve the best ROI.
Free up your time
Handling your digital marketing in house will take up time, not only when it comes to training, but thereafter having to manage the employee's performance and targets. Most businesses need help with social media campaigns, email campaigns, email lists, copywriting, graphic design, Google Ad campaigns, website design and development, and with one employee working in house on these projects- it's important they are managed affectively.
Handing the marketing side of the business to an agency, allows you to have accesses to all the experts within each area of marketing, without stretching your in-house employee's skills set.
You can hire an agency who can create expert copy for your blog and newsletters, graphic designer who can create lead design banners and adverts, or a social media expert to automate your platforms, providing expert knowledge, fresh thinking and regular monitoring.
If you want to make 2017 a year your business will never forget, free your time to focus on day to day business priorities and outsource your digital marketing!
Get in touch today to see how we could help you!


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World Book Day 2016
All Saints C of E
Dear Parents / Carers,
I am writing to let you know about World Book Day that is coming up on Thursday 3rd March. In addition to the usual interesting and exciting book related activities that will be taking place in your child's classrooms, we will be having a whole day visit by best selling children's/teenage author Sarah Oliver (visit her website http://saraholiverauthor.co.uk for more information) and on the day she will be delivering a whole school assembly, in addition to spending some time with each class throughout the remainder of the school day.
Here's a brief biography of Sarah in her own words:
"I'm a journalist and author with a passion for Twilight, One Direction and rags to riches stories. I began writing books six years ago and I'm already the bestselling author of 'One Direction A-Z' which reached number 2 in the Sunday Times bestseller list and spent three weeks in the paperback non-fiction top 40. I'm also the author of 'Robert Pattinson A-Z' which has sold more than 20,000 copies and which resulted in the creation of a successful best-selling series of A-Z books aimed at children and adults.
I have a MA in Professional Writing from University College Falmouth and was winner of the 2006 'Write Now, Act Later' scriptwriting award. I have also been the editor of the popular website My Park Magazine. During my time as editor, visits to the site quadrupled as my news page gathered 250,000 page views per day. In total, over 10 million people viewed my articles during my time running the magazine.
My other One Direction books include 'Around the World with One Direction' and the dual biographies 'Harry Styles vs Niall Horan' and 'Zayn Malik vs Liam Payne'. My latest books, all published by John Blake, are 'Zayn: New Direction' and 'Robert Pattinson: The Biography'."
Sarah will also be bringing a selection of her books into school on the day for our children to purchase at the reduced price of £6. Unfortunately, the free World Book Day £1 tokens that your child will be receiving can't be put towards the price of purchasing one of Sarah's books. If your child will be buying one of Sarah's books, could they please bring the money into school on the day in a named envelope.
We're looking forward to a great day in school with Sarah on World Book Day! Thanks (as always) for your continued and valued support.
Yours sincerely
Mr Keogh (English Subject Leader)


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Delightful apartment where beds are freshly made up for your arrival, bedding, towels, tea coffee and essential provisions and food included on your arrival.
Located in Stoke Town and highly convenient for Potteries, Alton Towers, lovely Staffordshire and Peaks District walks.
Entire apartment with one bedroom , one bathroom, lounge and kitchen and external Patio. With off road parking. Cable TV (Virgin Package) and High speed broadband wifi throughout.
It has a double bed, comfy armchair, desk with chair, fully fitted kitchen with cooker, microwave, fridge /freezer, washing machine, toaster, kettle, dinner set, cutlery and cooking utensils; cellar; shower cubicle, WC and basin. Externally there is a good size paved yard and off road parking.
Mainline train station is 1 miles away, trains run every 20 mins Birmingham or Manchester or London. Only 2 mins drive away from A500 and 5 mins to M6
|Latitude/Longitude: 53 / -2.18333
|Nearest airport
|40 miles
|Nearest train station
|Stoke on Trent Mainline
|1 miles
Great location to explore Staffordshire/Cheshire/Stoke-on-trent. Waterworld, Monkey Forest, The Hoard, Castles, Dorothy Clive Gardens, Potteries Museums, Crewe Hall, Trentham Estate Gardens and Alton Towers Theme Park are all within a bus ride away. Beautiful pubs and restaurants to visit in Cheshire and Staffordshire. Nightclubs in Hanley and Newcastle-under-Lyme. Golf club at Keele.
|Nightly rate
|Weekly rate
|Monthly rate
|Min. Stay
|Rate summary
|£80 - £100
|3 Nights
BritishVacationRentals has made it easy for you to book car rentals, flights, attractions tickets and tours. Our travel shop provides all the tickets for the top UK attractions, heritage tickets and tours. From historic castles to sightseeing passes you can buy your tickets easily. For car rentals and flights just check out our travel partners latest offers below:


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French National Holiday celebration in Toronto [fr]
On the occasion of the French National Holiday, the Consul General of France in Toronto Mr. Marc Trouyet and Ms. Corinne Cayez hosted French citizens, Francophones and Francophiles on Friday July 14 2017. Representatives from organizations working with the Consulate on a regular basis, volunteers who helped with the French elections as well as members of the French community took part in this reception at the Manor of the Glendon Hall.
During the event, a tribute was paid to the victims of the tragic terrorist attack that occurred in Nice on July 14 2016. The Consul General also talked about the priorities of French Diplomacy as well as the main objectives of the coming months. He emphasized three key projects: the fight against climate change, following the Paris Agreement; the strengthening of the France-Canada relation in innovation, culture, trade, business and university exchanges; and the constant improvement of the services provided to the French Community.
For their contribution to this event, the Consulate General of France warmly thanks its generous partners and donors: La Bastille Boulangerie et Pâtisserie, Bonne Maman, La Bréhandaise Catering, Glendon College, Grand Marnier, Kū-kŭm Restaurant, and Le Roy René.
A flag raising ceremony at the Toronto City Hall took place before the reception.


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Customer Service / Reservations
Jasper National Park is in the Canadian Rockies in the province of Alberta, Canada. Travelers can reach the park by taking a VIA Rail Canada train to the town of Jasper in the park. Greyhound buses stop in Jasper. Shuttle service is available from Jasper to hotels and park trails. The park can also be reached by taking the Yellowhead Highway or the Icefields Parkway.
Accommodations in the park include hotels, lodges, cabins and campsites. Whistler's Inn has mountain views and hot tubs on the roof. Some of the suites at Marmot Lodge will hold up to six people. Cabins with kitchens are available at Pocahontas Cabins.
Park visitors will find things to do outdoors all year long. There are plenty of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding in the summer. Motorcycles are allowed on some park roads. The park's lakes and streams have places for fishing, whitewater rafting and canoeing. There are places to dive in Patricia Lake. Spectacular bodies of water to visit in the park include Sunwapta Falls and Miette Hot Springs.
The park has plenty of places for winter recreation. Visitors can ice skate on Patricia Lake. There are places in the park for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Adventurous visitors can walk along the ice in the frozen Maligne Canyon or take a walk on the Athabasca Glacier in the Columbia Icefield.
There are several things to do in the town of Jasper. The Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives has a gallery full of displays on the history of Jasper National Park. The archives section has thousands of pieces of written material pertaining to the area's history. Books on local history are sold in the museum's gift shop. Visitors can buy work by local artists in this gift shop and in the Mountain Galleries in Jasper.
Jasper visitors can enjoy indoor recreational opportunities at the Jasper Fitness & Aquatic Centre. The centre has a climbing wall, volleyball courts, pools and diving boards.


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Product code: 74100759
Step out in style in this Victoria Coat by Studio 8.
This premium cashmere and wool blend coat is the perfect way to give a smart stylish finish to any outfit. It features a concealed working button placket with a statement button at the high-neckline, and is finished with side pockets a back vent and full lining.
Layer yours over slimline denim and finish off with a slick of lipstick.
Length 107cm shoulder neck point to hem.
- Brand
- Studio 8
- Knitwear Weight
- Chunky
- Length
- Longline
- Material
- 60% Wool, 32% Nylon, 8% Cashmere; Lining: 100% Polyester
- Model Details
- 5ft 9 inches/177cm and wears a UK size 14-16
- Neckline
- Open Neck
- Pattern
- Plain
- Sleeve
- Long Sleeve
- Washing Instructions
- Dry clean only
- Women's Specialist Fit
- Plus Size


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05. June 2016
There was some tropo across the North Sea providing contacts up to 800-1200 km. In the afternoon there was some aurora too and it is proven to work some mixed tropo-aurora across the North Sea with beamheading more north than usual for G-stations to work OH. (Report about mixed tropo-aurora in the aurora-section).
Rig:HiQSDR + Trv 2m:2x9 750W - 70cm:2x24 500W - 23cm 1.8m Dish 50W - 3cm 5W and 1.5cm 20mW 1m Dish
Log:21:05 GM4JTJ IO86RP 59 / 59 2 m SSB 887km
07;57 OY9JD IP62OA 529/529 70 cm CW 1496km
16:56 GM4ODA/P IO99IV 51 / 57 2 m SSB 1135km
17;01 GM4ODA/P IO99IV 53 / 54 70 cm SSB 1135km
19;20 OY9JD IP62OA 559/559 70 cm CW 1496km
19:21 LA1T JO59FE 59 / 59 2 m SSB 984km
18:31 LA0BY JO59IX 529/599 2 m CW 1073km
18:05 GM6VXB IO97AQ 55 / 58 2 m SSB 951km
Comment:All the days i was just at the border of the tropo. The signals were not that loud, but enough to make a QSO.
Unfortunately some tests with OY9JD on 23cm failed, we heard each other but did not get the QSO complete. GM4ODA/P produced also no signal here on 23cm and 3cm. So it was nice to work theese guys again and GM4ODA/P giving me a new Square on 70cm !!
Rig:144: 4x11el Barefoot 75W MGF1801
ODX:GM4JTJ 757km
Log:20:45 GM4JTJ IO86RP 757
Comment:Just came in the shack and found some nice tropo, too tired to work more.. also had PA problems so switched off


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Is Your Retirement Plan On The Right Track?
This FREE Retirement Guide will help you understand if your retirement journey is on track or if you could benefit from a change in strategy.
- How aggressive should I be with my super?
- Is a Self-Managed Super Fund (SMSF) a good fit for me?
- How can I use my home equity?
- Should I reduce my debt or is it good to have some?
- Who should think about downsizing their family home?


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Well there's flat-foot Louie
Sittin' on his front stoop
He caught five rounds in the belly
He looked like a messed-up bowl of
minestrone soup
Now you take that cat Mugs
He got iced the other day
He could have saved his mama
The dry cleanin' bill my way
Zip gun, zip gun bop
Ya better learn to do it 'fore yer poor heart
stops now
Zip gun, zip gun bop
Hey spinach chin,
Why don't you try on these cement shoes.
Look like they fit you pretty freakin' good.
Now see if you can walk on water puppy, you jackass
If you were a 90s kid, like me, you remember the late 90s smash and grab that was 90s swing. Your parents were taking swing lessons like mine were, there might have been a swing band at your grad like there was at mine... or you might have missed it altogether. My mother and I were hooked - you thought pinstripes and polka dots and red lips were a new retro thing? I beg to differ my friends. Royal Crown Revue was one of my favorite groups that came out in the late 90s - why? They were a little darker than the others - case and point is Zip Gun Bop - while it sounds snappy and danceable, the lyrics are about straight up moidah... and little a bit of mob justice for good measure. Teenage me was stoked that my mum didn't notice. ~ HH


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This center is a self-checking riddle sheet. If the students correctly answer each question, they will solve the answer to the riddle. If it is not correctly completed, the riddle reply will not make sense.
The Common Core requires students to analyze primary sources, including photographs and art. Included in the center is an essay involving a series of three images / photos of Sherman's March. Students are asked to evaluate Sherman's tactics and methods and the ethics involved, while using details from the images as support for their replies.
A sample answer sheet is included, so that students can make a replica on a sheet of notebook paper, eliminating the need for any sort of photocopying.
In our school district, this topic is covered in the 5th grade portion of U.S. history, but some schools cover this in 4th grade or even 6th.
Printable includes 8 pages, including cover and answer sheet, as well as directions on how to assemble the center should you go that route. Teaching ideas are also enclosed. Great for use with a sub!
Images are used within permission stated from the Library of Congress.


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Fahriye Evcen and Burak Ozcivit havethe charm together since their first acting experiment together in Wren-Lovebird and beginning of their love journey. They carried their love to higher level tonight with a lovely ceremony in Sait Halim Pasha Mansion.
The guest list of the wedding was glamorous as well. Pictures of the wedding have been posted by them since early moments of the wedding.
Here are some early pictures of the wedding…
Debates about Wedding Gown
On the other hand, Evcen's wedding dress became an issue on social media. Most of the users likened Evcen's wedding dress to actress Neslihan Algul's remarkable wedding dress.


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No announcement yet.
Gold Key characters relaunch with Dynamite!
new posts
Originally posted by ChastMastr View PostRe smallpox, I'm talking about the deliberate spreading of the disease to kill the natives by the Europeans--not anything unintended. It's not relevant that Turok's tribe would know about smallpox any more than it would be relevant for a Jewish community in Germany in the 1800s to know about the future Nazi gas chambers, but again, if they could survive somehow, that would be cool. And since we know about the Native American genocide now, in fiction, having a tribe survive--in its own land, without being a conquered remnant with centuries of being second- or third-class citizens to overcome--would be really cool. And since there is going to be something apparently showing stories involving the Lost Land and stories about a fictional present/future Earth, then, again, I think that having Turok's pre-Columbian tribe able to thrive and grow and not be subjected to those horrors would be a very cool story to read. Not really sure what else to add here.
Surely I am not the only one, when reading stories that involve pre-Columbian Native American civilizations, for whom awareness of their whole world's future destruction is almost inescapable? It's like reading adventures of people from vanished Krypton: No matter how cool the world is, or their adventures are, or how wonderful the civilization shown is, you know the planet's going to explode X number of years later. And since, in fiction, we can at least imagine better things than we have in reality, and the concept of Turok and the Lost Land lends itself to travel to another world--and we know we're going to see the future of all of this in the other Gold Key titles--well, then, why the hell not have something good happen to his tribe, rather than them all dying or dealing with all the other crap all the other real-world tribes had happen in real life? (I think they did that with Arak's tribe, the Quontauka, and established that they had stayed safe in a secret homeland until the 1940s when they sent Flying Fox to join the Young All-Stars.)
It's just that the Lost Land is a world of dinosaurs in which humans were never meant to exist, despite the many movies and books in which humans and dinosaurs are inaccurately depicted as cohabiting the same time period. Humans did not evolve naturally as part of that ecosystem. Either the dinosaurs slowly kill off the tribe through attrition, or the tribe somehow manages to slowly kill off the dinosaurs and conquer that world to make it safe for human habitation. While Native American cultures typically believed in integrating and peacefully coexisting with the natural world, I don't think that's possible in the Lost Land. It's an eat-or-be-eaten, highly competitive world of survival of the fittest. If Turok's tribe do survive and thrive and grow there, it's only by eventually eradicating the dinosaur population, at least all of the truly dangerous predators, and the rest become farm animals. So then the Lost Land becomes a time-pocket where Turok's tribe survived extinction, but not the dinosaurs. Even though that may take many decades, surely the Lost Land of Solar's, Mighty Samson's, or Magnus' time would be significantly changed from the Lost Land that Turok and his tribe first entered. Some future descendant of Turok will have run out of dinosaurs to hunt. Humans change the world around them to make it more habitable for humans; it's what we do. Europeans changed the Americas to make them more habitable for Europeans, according to their perspective.
Now that you mention it, it's very difficult to envision what the world would be like today without that clash of cultures. Would it be a better world? Perhaps better from the perspective of peoples of Amerind ancestry. But who can truly judge? Not trying to softpedal the genocidal aspect here, but -- it happened. Undoubtedly the world would be a far different place now, but it's hard to imagine exactly in what way.
Originally posted by pulphero View PostUndoubtedly the world would be a far different place now, but it's hard to imagine exactly in what way.
Originally posted by ChastMastr View PostAnd that's where speculative/fantastic fiction comes in. We can imagine all sorts of cool things (including, as the original Turok stories had, dinosaurs and all sorts of species--including tribal human-types--coexisting in whatever time-lost/dimensional/hollow-earth/etc. place it was. Something Pellucidar-ish?). And, yes, to the poster above, centuries after Turok's time, something analogous to Wakanda might not be a bad thing.
Originally posted by pulphero View PostStill trying to wrap my brain around the part where the tribe takes a look around the Lost Land and someone says, "Hey, THIS looks like a good to move to. I can see potential...!"
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I am expecting this--all of this just spun out of a possibility I think would be neat, not something I'm actively campaigning for. I have no idea what Dynamite will do with Turok at all.
According to Grek Pak (in an article in this week's Comic Shop News), Turok is exiled and being hunted by members of his own tribe. He also hints that Turok may be encountering some other humans (by which I would guess he meant Europeans). The article indicates that DE will be sticking pretty closely to the elements of the original Gold Key series, and ignoring whatever tweaks Valiant brought to the character in its 1990s incarnation.
Ah. I wonder if Andar will still be there?
Writer(s): Greg Pak
Artist(s): Mirko Colak
THE GOLD KEY UNIVERSE CONTINUES! It is 1210 AD, and destructive invaders � both reptilian and human � have ravaged Turok's land. Will the outcast Turok defend the tribe that shunned him, or side with these freakish new warriors? Prepare for history-twisting carnage from superstar GREG PAK (Batman/Superman) and MIRKO COLAK (Conan)!
Solicits for Turok#2
Originally posted by rasx View PostWriter(s): Greg Pak
Artist(s): Mirko Colak
THE GOLD KEY UNIVERSE CONTINUES! It is 1210 AD, and destructive invaders � both reptilian and human � have ravaged Turok's land. Will the outcast Turok defend the tribe that shunned him, or side with these freakish new warriors? Prepare for history-twisting carnage from superstar GREG PAK (Batman/Superman) and MIRKO COLAK (Conan)!
Solicits for Turok#2
"History-twisting" is interesting. Might this perhaps be an alternative history timeline where the European colonization of the Americas did not proceed the way it did in the history we are all familiar with? That would have some interesting repercussions for the other Gold Key series, since DE is definitely calling it a 'universe'.
Maybe its the Vikings, they did come to the" new World" before the Spanish did.
Aha! 1210 is a bit earlier. Are the March Dynamite solicits out already? If so, where?
The invaders might also be from the Lost Land; there were tribal human-types there originally.
Part of DE solicits are up on Comicvine.


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Vermeer adds gas brush chipper, mini skid-steer and vibratory plow
Vermeer BC1800XL Brush Chipper with Gas Engine
Vermeer expanded its line of gas chippers with the introduction of the BC1800XL gas brush chipper. With the same performance qualities as its diesel model, the Vermeer BC1800XL gas brush chipper is equipped for large-diameter chipping jobs, ranging from land clearing to tree care operations.
The BC1800XL gas chipper is powered by a 165-hp, PSI 5.7-liter gas engine that can handle logs up to 18 inches in diameter. The onboard Vermeer SmartFeed control system helps maximize the chipper's performance by monitoring the engine's rpm, sensing jams and automatically stopping or reversing the rollers. The unit's vertical feed rollers with helical cleats are designed to hold material firmly and to minimize vibration, shock and structural loading to the rear of the machine.
To boost fuel efficiency, the BC1800XL gas chipper comes with the Vermeer Ecoldle engine control system that automatically lowers the engine speed when material is not being fed into the chipper and increases speed when new material is added. It also helps reduce noise on the job site.
The Vermeer Tree Commander remote control comes standard with the chipper. From the remote, the operator can control all brush chipper functions. The remote can either attach to the user's belt or be mounted directly onto the operator's station of a Vermeer mini skid-steer.
The BC1800XL has a 67-inch-wide feed table and a four-position upper feed control bar mounted over the feed table that enables the operator to stop the feed rollers and select forward or reverse. A patented bottom feed stop bar disables hydraulic flow to the feed rollers when contact is made.
The chipper also offers an optional 150-foot winch to aid with moving larger logs.
Vermeer Adds New S925TX Mini Skid-Steer
Vermeer expanded its compact equipment lineup with the new S925TX mini skid-steer.
The mini skid-steer offers a tip capacity of 2,643 pounds, a rated operating capacity of 925 pounds and maximum hinge pin height reach of 84.5 inches. It features a dual auxiliary system, which allows the operator to switch between high flow for ground-engaging attachments and low flow for maximum control. It is also equipped with a universal mounting plate that fits a broad range of Vermeer-approved attachments.
"From landscaping and tree care to rental operations, contractors are discovering that Vermeer mini skid-steers can increase their daily productivity," said Jon Kuyers, senior global products manager at Vermeer. "With the S925TX model, we've designed a machine that can deliver a higher lifting performance than most other machines in the compact utility loader segment while still maintaining a compact size and impressive hydraulic attachment wielding performance."
The Vermeer S925TX mini skid-steer is offered in three high-torque, four-cylinder engine options, including a 24.8-hp Kubota V1505 diesel engine, a 40-hp Kubota WG1605 gas engine and the 35.1-hp Kubota V1505 diesel engine offered only for international markets. Contractors can further customize their mini skid-steer loader with either 7-inch-wide tracks that produce 5 psi (.4 bar) of ground pressure or 9-inch-wide tracks with 4 psi (.3 bar) of ground pressure for even better floatation.
The S925TX mini skid-steer has a travel speed of 4.1 mph (6.6 km/h). The S925TX is built with a chariot-style platform and offers pilot-operated ground drive to help the user maintain control on the job site, as well as in tight areas.
The Vermeer S925TX is backed by a three-year, 3000-hour extended limited warranty on the mainframe and loader arms.
Vermeer SPX25 Vibratory Plow
The new Vermeer SPX25 vibratory plow is designed for fast and efficient cable/fiber and irrigation system installation. It features a full-function remote control that gives the operator a 360-degree view of the job site. The plow is compact and built with tracks to minimize ground disturbance.
"For applications like installing cable or fiber to the home, contractors can face several challenges like narrow gates, fences and common backyard obstacles," said Ed Savage, product manager at Vermeer. "The SPX25 plow minimizes those concerns. We've eliminated the need for operators to run the machine from behind, which means they can stand in whatever location gives them the best view. This design has also allowed us to make the plow even more compact for excellent performance in tight areas."
The Vermeer SPX25 vibratory plow is powered by a 25-hp Kohler gas engine that provides ample power for installing small pipes and cables at depths up to 12 inches and for boring underneath driveways and sidewalks using the optional Porta Bore attachment. The dual rubber tracks with a ground pressure of 3.7 psi (.3 bar) on the plow delivers great floatation in soft ground conditions and helps reduce job site restoration after an installation. The lightweight plow offers a transport speed of 3.7 mph.
For efficient turning while installing utilities around obstacles, the SPX25 unit is equipped with a pivot-mounted plow that has a 55-degree swing angle that automatically adjusts when turning.
An optional reel carrier can be mounted to the machine, helping to reduce the amount of job site equipment and labor. Contractors also have the option of adding a weight kit for added traction when working in hard ground conditions.
Photos: Vermeer


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The Purpose of Team Building
The idea of "team building" has become a company catch phrase for team mini golf, ping pong, or "morale events." We know team building here at Adventura. We live it and breathe it with our team of experienced facilitators, our workshops that have been tested and honed over many years, and our dedication to building collaboration and communication.
Team building, for us, is not simply about creating friendships with coworkers and having fun with your team. It is working toward bettering ourselves and becoming more whole people. These are the basic values we are committed to, working from the individual, outward. Strengthening communication and working toward becoming a better person is essential for bettering any relationship This is no different in interpersonal work relationships.
This is what we do. Our goal is not to be your friend. We want to help you understand yourselves better, improve decision making skills, support each other, and become better humans.
Why Should You Choose Adventura Near Ravenna for Team Building?
We are the only company of our kind in the pacific northwest. Our facilitators are second to none in the art of experience-based learning. Our clients receive exactly what they sign up for: straight forward team building from a seasoned team. We will help you define what you want to achieve through your team building events, and we will help you reach those goals.
We don't offer powerpoint presentations, online assessments or listicles, just direct and pure interaction, communications, and exploration between humans.
We want to help your team improve, and we have a unique point of view to share with you. Our team building experiences are designed combining our knowledge with the needs of your team. Our experienced facilitators are ready to guide you and your team through one of our team building experiences.
Why is Experienced-Based Learning Important for Team Building?
Practice and Mastery: Do you know how to dance? Can you write amazing code? Can you proficiently play a musical instrument? How have you honed those skills? Through practice of course. It is not enough to have someone stand in front of you, telling you about a thing. Hearing does not equal seeing, seeing does not equal knowing, and know does not equal doing Our objective is to apply the knowledge to practice. The process of developing skills via experience is embedded within us all. Here at Adventura, we guide our clients through the transition from knowing to applying.
How to we make the jump from typical work-mode to practice-mode? This questions is key in how we make the most of team building time investment We excel at creating this shift of focus. And we do it through experience-based learning.
Meet Our Practitioners of Team Building Near Ravenna, King County
We have high standards for our crew of team builders They are not camp counselors but are experienced, highly skilled and motivated to work with you to achieve your goals. Our work is demanding but rewarding. Our team is committed to making a long term impact in a few days, or sometimes even hours.
What we look for in our candidates is a degree in Organizational Psychology, with time spent on experience-based learning. Team members are expected to share our values, and to communicate those values to our clients.
Are You In Need of Our Team Building Workshops?
We've worked with a wide variety of individuals and groups, and we believe that anyone and everyone would benefit from our workshops. We spend time improving communication, self discovery, and collaboration. These are skills that transcend work into life.
Our typical team building events range from 25 – 40 participants. This creates a very good balance for positive interaction. If you do have a larger group, be sure to contact us so we can create and event around your needs.
Based on our experience, these types of teams and businesses most benefits from our team building workshops:
- Small businesses (less than 40 employees)
- Executive leadership teams
- Small to medium business with less than 150 employees
- Teams with new leadership
- And more!
Team Building in the Long Term
There has been an extensive amount of studies done on the benefits of team building. It's been almost universally found that team building should be required, not just encouraged.
The long term benefits are clear. Well conducted team building workshops can change the direction of whole companies and the lives of their employees. This kind of development improves morale and communication, builds respect and camaraderie, and encourages productivity. Developing skills in team building, the way we do at Adventura, can have long term, positive impacts on every area of life.
Team building can highlight different problem solving approaches, work styles, and different strengths and in doing so, it can break down barriers between individuals. It can create an atmosphere of appreciate by revealing what each team member contributes to their workplace. The multiplicity of skills within a team can be highlighted and acknowledged by working together to complete a task. Team building workshops allow coworkers to experience problem solving and communication in real time and in a healthy way.
Team Building has a lasting impact on:
- Fostering a respectful workplace where individual strengths are appreciated.
- Strengthening open communication
- Encouraging a positive work environment where productivity is a natural result.
- Featuring strengths to inspire creativity.
Feedback on our Team Building Workshops
The work we do and the results we achieve give us great pride Because what we do is on such an interpersonal level, we receive daily feedback on our work. This is some of the feedback that keeps us doing what we're doing:
"This is the workshop we needed years ago. I'm relieved that we've finally found a company that helps us to be better people".
"It all makes sense now. I actually understand why conflict exists in the team and there is no closing our eyes anymore."
"Not only did this communication skills workshop make a huge difference for the team, it made a huge impact with my family."
"Every company out there, that really cares about having a healthy dynamic, should hire you all."
"Best workshop I've encountered in 35 years."
What Can You Expect From Our Team Building Workshops in King County, WA?
It would be impossible to tell you exactly what happens at our team building workshops because every experience is a little different. They are structured around what you and your team bring through the door with you. It's a collaboration between your team and our facilitators. You are there to do the work. We are there to be the guides.
We make it fun. Sometimes it is intense. It can be relaxed. Sometimes it is eye-opening. Your experience is up to you.The experience you have is entirely up to you. You will only be as successful as you are prepared to be. We ask that you arrive ready to take the workshop seriously, and to be open and honest. We will meet you where you are. It may be hard work, but if you're ready and up for it, the results can be life changing.
Our experience has led us to believe in our process. This gives us the experience-based insight to believe in you.
Here Are Some of the Workshops We Offer
The Essentials Team Building Workshop
This workshop is exactly what it claims: the essentials. It hits on the fundamentals of healthy team dynamics. We bring your team together to create a foundation of trust and communication.
This workshop dives into the question of "What is important to a team and what is essential to YOUR team." We use humor, adventure and a collaboration to help individuals discover what works in creating a team. This approach offers an environment where each person gets to personally experience how a healthy team helps the individual.
Healthy dialogue are encouraged in this workshop, through the use of activities, games, and sometimes climbing. We use laughter and fun as tools to guide participants toward a deeper level of learning and developing together.
The goal of this workshop is to communicate the ability to work together as a team and to encourage interactive creativity. Read more
The True Colors Team Building Workshop
Four colors, seventeen questions, and one day to change everything. Our True Colors workshop comes in three variations.
This workshop, in particular, is crafted around our clients. Experiences can range from an afternoon overview of team building, all the way to a three day deep dive. The workshop is a journey into team dynamics, self-awareness, collaboration, and communication. Our 3-day retreat gives participants an all encompassing experience in skill development and implementation, knowledge and practice. It is during these 3-day retreats that participants can truly change their approach to communication and self discovery. Results are powerful. Read more
What is Adventura?
Adventura is an experiential education company located in Woodinville, Washington that specializes in both team building and aerial course adventure. We create unique experiences, adventures and memories that range from a single afternoon of fun, to a life-changing weekend workshop.
We support your team building needs, corporate events, and individualized adventures for family and friends. Our values are simplicity and honesty in our work and we craft all of our adventures with this in mind.
Our team here at Adventura has adopted a lifestyle that is centered on the pursuit of happiness through outdoor activity, and a commitment to experiential learning. Our passion is engaging every single human to create a one-of-a-kind experience for our customers. Our overwhelmingly positive feedback tells us we are achieving our goal.
Contact Us Now With Your Team Building Questions
Giving your employees tools to build more positive team dynamics can change the direction of a company. It can be a turning point toward increased dedication, productivity, employee morale, and creativity. These positive changes can have a direct impact of the success for your company.
We will guide your toward defining what team building means to you and your team. We want our workshops to have a long term impact on your life and work that you may not have expected. We will push you to really see yourselves and we will guide you to improve. You might expect to leave this experience with improved company morale, but we've found that our workshops can cause a deeper change. They can change how an individual approaches their life.
We've created this one-of-a-kind program for a reason. We believe in the value of developing team building skills, and we believe that you can take the skills you learn in our workshops and translate them into other all areas of your life. We have a passion for growth and communication and we want to share those with you right now.
We would love the chance to work with you. call 1.866.981.8665, or email: firstname.lastname@example.com today to find out more about our events and workshops.
Our Mission Statement
Adventura is dedicated to experiencing team dynamics, human behavior, and crafting experiences to explore what it takes to be a team.


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EastEnders' Laila Morse has revealed her intention to host a post-watershed talkshow.
The 66-year-old, best known for playing Mo Harris in Albert Square, was speaking to The Sun following her early departure from Dancing on Ice.
"I would like to be like Jeremy Kyle," she declared. "If there was two ugly people I'd say, 'Well, you suit each other 'cos you are both ugly'."
She elaborated: "It would have to be after the watershed. I would call it Late Night with Laila.
"They would come on and I'd say, 'Look at you, your shoes need cleaning, your teeth are like a horrible pair of railings'.
"But there wouldn't be fighting. I like making people laugh; it is the best tonic in the world to laugh. If I can do that I am doing everybody good."
> Laila Morse: 'Dancing on Ice exit was a relief'
Watch Laila Morse tell Digital Spy before the competition began that she wanted a short stint on Dancing on Ice below:


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Friday, September 6th, 2019, from 6:00pm until 8:00pm
DAOU Sunset Series Event Sep 6th
As summer comes to a close, harvest is just over the horizon. DAOU Mountain invites you to spend your first fall evenings with us, enjoying lite bites, live music and- of course- DAOU wines. Join us for the season's remaining sunset nights, as we send summer off in style. Tickets are complimentary for members, reservation required. Wine will be available for purchase by the glass or bottle.


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AMP Fest is Arkansas' premier beer, tech and music festival with proceeds going towards a cause worth celebrating- arts education and outreach!
This year, AMP Fest is showcasing local and regional musicians who bring heart to their music. Three stages will feature a variety of local and regional acts.
"We are excited about being able to feature local musicians," said Taylor Speegle, director or corporate relations at Walton Arts Center. "We are seeing a boom in the local music scene of Northwest Arkansas. There is a ton of talent right here at home and many great organizations that are working to make that scene ever stronger. We want AMP Fest to be a big part of promoting the great artists who are coming from our state. In addition to our main stage artists, we are partnering with Bike Rack Records to program the back stage with Jamie Lou & the Hullabaloo, Will Gunselman, Kevin Keihn, and The Silver Linings. And then Fayetteville Roots Festival will be programing our acoustic stage."
Check out the main stage musicians bios and videos below...
A self-proclaimed "girl gang," Dazz & Brie have entertained audiences at Afropunk's Battle of the Bands in Brooklyn, SXSW and on stages in their home base in Little Rock. Combining heavy rock instrumentation with soulful harmonies, their music transcends all ages.
Drummer-guitarist-pianist Dazz, grew up admiring the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff drumline and performing in school and church bands. Vocalist and pianist-guitarist, Brie grew up a fan of opera and theatrics, having been raised in a musical family. When their sounds mesh, it creates what they like to call "rock 'n' soul," a sound that wins the hearts of crowds everywhere.
Dazz & Brie have been named:
- Arkansas Times' 2017 Musicians Showcase Winners
- 2018 Kit-Kat Jingle Winners
- ML Magazine's Uprising Idol
Fayetteville-based Goose is a two-man band with an original category of music- "Americana Party-Folk." Bringing banjos and harmonicas to the indie pop scene, Goose draws influence from Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson and Coldplay with rich lyrics and upbeat tempos.
Singer-songwriter, Austin Jewell and co-frontman Kevin Jones play a unique R&B style - Rhythm & Banjo - that entertains audiences by mixing storytelling lyrics with spontaneous dance party beats.
With three albums under their belt, Goose is doing their own thing in the music industry and having fun everywhere they go.
The music of the '90's was great from the start, so The Mixtapes bring the songs (and the nostalgia) to life faithfully. This is a high energy stage show--and you won't be able to stop yourself from danging and singing along!
Each member of this five piece outfit sings, enabling them to convincingly recreate a HUGE range of music spanning...
No Doubt, The Cranberries, Beastie Boys, TLC, Radiohead, Weezer, Rage Against the Machine, Beck, Third Eye Blind, Britney Spears, Nine Inch Nails, The Cranberries, Blink 182, Ricky Martin, Spice Girls, Nirvana... well, if you loved it from the '90's there's a good chance you'll hear it!
Come relive some '90's nostalgia with The Mixtapes!
Music isn't the only thing at AMP Fest... you'll find fun tech activations and games and beer samples from over 20 breweries…. All included in the ticket price!
Participating breweries include:
Bike Rack • Flyway • Lost 40 • Yuengling • Sam Adams • Shiner Bock • Founders • Springfield • White Claw • Bentonville Brewing • Core • Black Apple Crossing • Rendezvous Junction Brewing • Lagunitas • Karbach Brewing • Independence Brewing • Crisis Brewing Co. • JBGB • Ozark Beer • More to come!
AMP Fest is one of the annual fundraising events organized by Walton Arts Center's Corporate Leadership Council, comprised of local business leaders who actively support the nonprofit organization's education and outreach programs. In 2017, AMP Fest raised approximately $83,000 that was used to improve classroom learning through arts integration and inspire more than 37,000 students, teachers and families in the region by connecting them to free or low cost performing and visual arts programs through Walton Arts Center.
AMP Fest
Saturday, Sept. 8 at 4-9 pm
Featuring Beer Sampling, Tech Activations & Live Music
Supported By Samsung and VML


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What If Elizabeth Jilted Mr. Darcy?
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Author
TYPE OF AUSTENESQUE NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation
TIME FRAME: Begins 1 year after Elizabeth visits Pemberley
Darcy and Elizabeth were blissfully engaged for nine days when Elizabeth sends a letter regretfully terminating their engagement. Now the two are about to re-encounter each other for the first time while attending a house party at Netherfield, and they both are prepared to suffer torture of the acutest kind! Poor Mr. Darcy is torn between anguish and anger, he doesn't know or understand Elizabeth's reason for breaking their engagement and despises her for now twice ripping his heart out and destroying it. And poor Elizabeth is suffering too, she is carrying a secret pain that no one – not even Jane knows about – and now she must watch as the man she loves vehemently despises her and interacts with other eligible females. Continue reading »


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I can not confirm scaling in Pardiso with OpenMP
I am working on using Pardiso with OpenMP. But, I could not obtain speed-up.
I use Parallel_studio_xe_2017 update 8, for linux.
Code error in ext_resample.cpp (OpenVINO)
On line 273 in ext_resample.cpp:
#pragma omp parallel for collapse(2)
./build_samples for Raspbian 9 not working
./build_samples.sh -- /etc/*-release distrib: Raspbian 9-- OMP Release lib: OMP_LIBRARIES_RELEASE-NOTFOUND-- OMP Debug lib: OMP_LIBRARIES_DEBUG-NOTFOUND
Release Notes for Intel® Distribution of OpenVINO™ toolkit 2019OpenVINO™ 2019 R2.01 Release
Release Notes for Intel® Distribution of OpenVINO™ toolkit 2018Introduction
NOTE: The Intel® Distribution of OpenVINO™ toolkit was formerly known as the Intel® Computer Vision SDK


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Anime, Scifi, Fantasy Fan and Original Fiction
KonokoHasano wrote:So I just finished doing a redrawing of the Sailor Mau art I did way back in 2007 to see how I improved in regards to it.
Dumbledork wrote:Yep, much better. Now if only you would update some of your fics...
Cheb wrote:After watching a bald species kitten I realized that people draw the "fuzzy catlike hands" wrong.
Cat's hand isn't that different from human's in that fingers themselves are quite thin and are normally packed densely together. The difference is fuzziness.
You should draw not a hand of thick fingers but a normal human hand with a thick fur outline, not completely unlike a mitten. When two fingers are held together, their fur simply overlaps, in rendering terms.
And only when fingers are splayed their separate thickness becomes apparent.
gsteemso wrote:Well dern. I've been waiting with bruised hope for an update to "Take the Green and Go" for nearly eight years now. Of course, I am in no position whatsoever to complain, but… Imagine a sad face here. :@\
ckosacranoid wrote:nice update on your pic. much better then before if nothing else they are standing apart and detail can be seen better along with the cat. before they where oover lapping and hard to make out.
as for fic updating......please, please, please...............start with sailor mau since the pic is giving you an excuse to do some work......
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It's time for a Yuki original recipe!!! *applause*
This is my first time posting up a recipe so bear with me. I pretty much get the format cause I'm on recipe sites A LOT.
Now, for a little background on the dish. I recently bought a casserole dish and have gone casserole crazy. I also recently bought a PC meat lasagna which was actually more of a casserole, but layered like a lasagna with the usual meat lasagna sauce.
Sooo, inspired by a recipe for Spinach fettucine, I decided to make a spinach and chicken casserole, but layer it like a lasagna. Why a lasagna? Um….Trying something new I guess.
If anyone can come up with a shorter name for the dish, that would be awesome.
Just a note: I encourage you to take liberty with the measurements. I usually eyeball it when I cook so…feel free to add a bit more or less. This isn't baking.
You'll need:
-3 cups broad egg noodles
-2 cups boneless chicken breast (can be any chicken, this is just the easiest to cut up)
-3 cups shredded cheese ie. a typical bag (3 cheeses is best)
-0.5-1 cup heavy cream (depends on how creamy you want the dish)
-1 lb fresh spinach
-shredded Parmesan
1. Set the oven to 325 degrees F
2. Cook the egg noodles according to the package instructions until it's nice and soft. Drain and place in large bowl.
3. Cook the spinach in boiling water for 5 mins. Drain and set aside.
4. Cut the chicken into 1cm cubes (or larger if you prefer). Cook in boiling water with 2 tsp of salt for 3-5 minutes until it's fully cooked.
5. Mix half of the cream with the cooked noodles.
6. Layer the lasagna/casserole starting with the noodles. Then add a layer of spinach, a layer of chicken, and a layer of cheese. Repeat once. (If you're using a small dish, you may do this more than once, as long as you end with cheese on top)
7. Pour the rest of the cream over the dish evenly.
8. Cover the dish fully with Parmesan.
9. Bake in the oven for 35mins.
Serves 4.
And voila! Enjoy!
You can substitute the chicken for something else, or even another kind of veggie, it's up to you.


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Top 10 attractions in Bhutan
1. Hike to the Tiger's Nest Monastery in Paro
2. The biggest Buddha Statue in the world – in Thimphu
3. The Tashichhodzong – in Thimphu
4. Dochula Pass (between Thimphu and Punakha)
5. Chimi Lhakhang, the Fertility Temple – in Lobesa, Punakha
6. Visit the majestic Punakha Dzong
7. Hike to the Khamsum Yuenlley Temple – in Punakha
8. Visit Gangtey/Phobjikha Valley
9. Visit Haa Valley
10. Visit Bumthang valley
1. Hike to the Tiger's Nest Monastery in Paro
The Tiger's Nest, locally known as the Taktshang Monastery, is perched on a vertical cliff-face in Paro in western Bhutan. This hike is almost always the main attraction from your visit to Bhutan and we, at Green Mandala Tours, recommend you this hike very highly.
This wondrous monastery never ceases to thrill a visitor – locals and tourists alike. It is a photographer's dream.
Making it so attractive is not just the monastery but also the entire package of the hike. You drive up to the base of the monastery from where you the view on top of the vertical cliff tease you.
You have to hike uphill for about 2 to 3 hours to reach the monastery. We recommend you to carry your hiking sticks.
If you don't pride yourself to be a hiker, you can hire a pony at the base of the mountain. The pony would carry you to a strategic point very close to the monastery. You cannot take the pony when you descend, as it is not safe.
If you want to avoid hiking uphill under the scorching sun, you could begin early in the morning – lets say about 6 or 7:00 am to ensure that by the time the sun smiles on you, you are already or nearly on top of the mountain.
At the entrance, you would be required to keep your bags, mobile phones and camera. You cannot take photographs inside the temple.
On the way back, you can have your lunch at a cafeteria midway through the hike.
The Tiger's Nest monastery is considered one of the most important and sacred monasteries in Bhutan.
The history of the Tiger's Nest is shrouded in myths. It is said that an Indian born saint, Guru Padmasambhava, regarded by Bhutanese to be the second Buddha, flew to the site of the monastery in the 8th century on a tigress and meditated there for more than 3 years. It is believed that Guru's disciple wife, Yeshey Tshogyal, converted herself into the tigress to take her husband to the site.
Since then, many Buddhist teachers and lamas visited and consecrated the site including meditating there for years. The present day monastery was built in the 17th century and it went several reconstructions.
2. The biggest Buddha Statue in the world – in Thimphu
The Buddha Dordenma statue standing tall at 169 feet (51.5 meters) is the biggest statue of Lord Buddha in the world. It is located over a strategic hilltop overlooking the entire Thimphu valley and offers a picturesque view.
The gigantic statue is built like a temple and the interior of the statue has 100,000 eight-inch Buddha statues and 25,000 12-inch gold gilded Buddha statues. The project to build the site cost about US$ 100 million.
The tall statue is in the midst of the newly opened (in 2011) Kuenselphodrang Nature Park, which consists of 943.4 acres of protected forest area.
3. The Tashichho Dzong – in Thimphu
The Tashichho Dzong is a gigantic fortress housing the office of the King of Bhutan. Tashichho Dzong can also be seat as the seat of Bhutan's governance and it also has other government offices apart from the King.
It is a very important fortress and the annual Thimphu Tshechu Festival and the Thimphu Dromchu Festival are held at the courtyard of the Dzong, which means fortress.
According to history, a Dzong was constructed above the present area where Dechen Phodrang Temple stands today by Lama Gyalwa Lhanangpa in 1216 A.D. The Zhabdrung built a lower dzong at the present site in 1641. It was reconstructed several times and in 1952, when Thimphu became the capital, the Dzong became the King's seat.
4. Dochula Pass (between Thimphu and Punakha)
The Dochula Pass is the highest point along the road between Thimphu and Punakha. It is a beautiful Pass and there are 108 mini-stupas built at the junction of the pass. This set of stupas is called the Druk Wangyal Chortens. Chortens meaning stupas.
On the hilltop is the Druk Wangyal Temple which is a unique temple as it is the only temple dedicated to the royal family of Bhutan and built for peace and prosperity of the county.
On a clear day, you can see the entire Himalayan mountain peaks in Bhutan including Mt Gangkar Puensum (7,570 m or 24,840ft), which is the highest unclimbed mountain in the world.
The annual Dochula Festival or the Druk Wangyal Tsechu is held at the site.
5. Chimi Lhakhang, the Fertility Temple – in Lobesa, Punakha
If you come across a native in Europe or the United States with the name Chimi, there is every chance that he or she maybe related to the Chimi Lhakhang (Temple) in Bhutan.
The Chimi Lhakhang is a Fertility Temple in Lobesa in western Bhutanese district of Punakha. There are amazing stories of childless couples from all over the world having seen their prayers answered after a visit to this temple.
The Chimi Lhakhang is courtesy to the 15th century maverick monk, Drukpa Kunley, who is legendary for using sex as sexual transgressions to teach and spread the teachings of the Buddha. He is also known as the 'Divine Madman. He is credited for establishing the Phallus tradition in Bhutan.
History says that the Chimi Lhakhang was build by Lama Ngawang Chegyal in 1499 at the site where Drukpa Kunley had built a chorten after subduing an evil spirit.
6. Visit the majestic Punakha Dzong
The Punakha Dzong is the most beautiful fortress in Bhutan. Built in 1637-38, the Dzong stands at the romantic confluence of the male and the female rivers.
It is a gigantic fortress, which is famous for having Bhutan's most important relic and its main alter room also has the embalmed and preserved body of Bhutan's founder from the 17th century.
The annual five-day Punakha Domchu festival is held at the Dozng which is a unique festival celebrating the victory over the invading Tibetan forces and an entire episode of the war is recreated during the festival. The Punakha Dzong is listed on the Tentative List for UNESCO inclusion of heritage sites.
Enthusiasts of water sports can also do rafting and kayaking along the two rivers outside the Dzong.
7. Hike to the Khamsum Yulley Namgyel Temple – in Punakha
The Khamsum Yulley Namgyel Temple is located over an ideal hilltop overlooking the Punakha valley offering a scenic view of the Mochhu (Female River) river basin. The temple is an architectural marvel.
You drive up to a road end from Punakha for about 25 minutes. You cross a bride and then hike up to the temple across green paddy fields. Then you hike up to the temple. The entire hike would take you 25/30 minutes. You can carry your hiking sticks.
From the temple, the view is spectacular. You better carry your camera.
8. Visit Gangtey/Phobjikha Valley
The Gangtey or the Phobjikha valley is the most beautiful valley in western Bhutan. It is most popular as the winter roosting ground of the endangered Black-necked crane, which flies over the Himalayan Mountains from Tibet and comes all the way to Bhutan.
The annual Black-necked crane Festival also takes place in Phobjikha.
The scenic valley of Phobjikha is also a good breakaway from urban life and tourists get to experience village life and meet with local villagers. Adventure lovers can also do hike and short treks (for about 2 to 3 days) in Phojikha.
You can also experience farmhouse stay and try hot-stone bath and local cuisine. This valley is a photographer's paradise.
9. Visit Haa valley
The western district of Haa lies very close to the Tibetan border. The shops in this scanty town are filled up with Chinese merchandise like porcelain cups and plates, kitchenware, blankets and many artifacts.
The annual Haa Summer Festival is a big attraction and it offers a unique glimpse to the lifestyle, culture and tradition of the highlander community of Bhutan.
A visit to Haa could be best experienced if you stay in a farmhouse and enjoy the hospitality of the Bhutanese hosts, experience the hot stone bath in the evening and relax. The visit to Haa is an ideal getaway from urban life.
10. Visit Bumthang valley
Bumthang is undoubtedly the most beautiful place in Bhutan. It comprises four adjacent valleys and each valley offers an equally beautiful view. This central district could also be described as the religious capital of Bhutan as it has several monasteries and temples and each temple or monastery hosts different annual festivals all of which are equally fascinating.
The most popular monastery is the 7th century Jambay Lhakhang Temple, which hosts the annual Jambay Lhakhang Drub, popularly known to tourists as the Naked Dance Festival. This festival takes place in November and the most important part of the festival is a fire ritual when the naked dance is hosted. The dance takes place around midnight when completely naked male dancers swirl around in calculated precision braving the winter chill.
There are several other attractions in Bumthang including numerous hikes and many trekking options. If you intend to see Bumthang, you could also time your visit to one of the festivals of this beautiful valley.


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The Importance of Shiva Traditionsby P-Francone
Shiva is the traditional seven day long period of mourning after the death of an immediate family member. Sitting shiva can help mourners to honor the dead and also help the mourners deal with their loss. Family members begin shiva immediately after burial, when they become "avel" (mourners). The family will gather in one house, generally the home of the deceased to pray, mourn and receive visitors.
The word "shiva" comes from the word shi'vah, which is the Hebrew word for seven. It was developed in response to the Old Testament story from Genesis in which Jacob mourns the death of his father Isaac.
ShivaConnect.com is a modern twist on this age old tradition, which was started by Florida business woman Sharon Rosen. When I first met Sharon, I was unsure about what exactly shiva was, but she explained to me the process that mourning Jewish family members go through, and that the purpose of shiva is that it is, "a time of reflection, meditation, contemplation and spiritual healing. The difficult process of mourning begins when pain, loss and sadness are expressed. The purpose of shiva is to acknowledge these feelings, not suppress them".
She also told me that sitting shiva is intended to be an emotionally healing time where the mourners may dwell together and have friends and loved ones come to support them. The home of the deceased is said to be filled with the spirit of the loved one who is now gone, therefore memories will come along much easier there than if the mourners spent their time at someone else's home or in synagogue. A major part of the comfort of shiva is remembering the deceased by sharing stories of his or her life with friends and family, but this of course can cause shiva to be a very difficult time that can be very physically draining on the mourners. Mourners experience an entire week of intense sadness, with family and friends giving love and attention to their needs. Judaism teaches us that when a member of the community feels the heart-wrenching pain of grief, we should be there to comfort and console.
ShivaConnect.com is a free resource that features educational articles, a personal Shiva Registry to conveniently post and share funeral and shiva details and many other services that are helpful at a time of loss. A mourner, relative or caring friend can easily use the website to notify other mourners about the details of shiva, by entering pertinent information on a private Shiva Registry page. The Shiva Registry however is much more than simply an online Jewish obituary, it includes funeral and shiva dates, times, places, interactive directions, mourners contact information, food notes, synagogue affiliations, family charitable requests, eulogies and who to call if you have a question. A direct link to the Shiva Registry page can then be emailed, texted, tweeted, posted on Facebook or found through a search on ShivaConnect's home page. This high tech convenience makes it easy to keep everyone informed, and it also contains articles that are of interest to Jews and non-Jews regarding customs, traditions and preparing the home for sitting shiva, visiting the shiva house, Jewish prayers, poems, kaddish, and much more. ShivaConnect.com also exclusively features a "Yahrzeit Reminder" which is emailed each year a week before the anniversary date, noting when to light a memorial candle.
The website is dedicated to Sharon's mother, whom she credits with always supporting her in the past with everything she did. When her mother passed away, she turned to the Internet to discover what exactly she was supposed to do for shiva, and found the Internet to be the most efficient way to communicate, but she was overwhelmed by the amount of phone calls with questions about food, and the amount of different information on the web. She figured that there simply had to be a one-stop-shop to discover all the information and help to take as much work away from mourners as possible.
Food is an interesting aspect of ShivaConnect.com as well, as mourners can specify on their Shiva Registry what types of food they desire (such as only kosher foods or desserts) and this way they don't get overloaded with too much of one thing. Visitors can also order food platters from nearby caterers directly off the website, as well as gift baskets, comfort gifts and make donations to charities.
Non-Jewish and non-practicing Jewish mourners may have a hard time with the etiquette of shiva, or may not completely understand it. There is a very specific etiquette for this time of mourning, and not following it may be insulting to some, although many will be understanding if non-Jews stop by to give their condolences and are not aware. When visiting the shiva house, visitors must enter quietly, take a seat near the mourners and not speak until the mourner first addresses them. Mourners are not allowed to do anything that can distract them from mourning such as showering, shaving, wearing leather shoes, doing laundry or having sex. It is however Mitzvah (rightful) for visitors to bring food or do laundry for the mourners. Although technically mourners are not supposed to work during shiva, they will be allowed to in case of desperate economic circumstances or fear of losing their job. Be aware also that mourners will all be seated on low chairs or stools.
In addition to these rules, if the deceased is the mourners' parent, the children are not allowed to attend joyful events for a full year afterward, other than Brit Milahs or weddings. Anyone other than the deceased's children may only attend joyful events after 30 days from the beginning of shiva. In times past mourners used to participate in kriyah, where they would tear their clothes to signify mourning, this however is rarely practiced anymore. Upon being notified of the death, mourners should recite the blessing, or a variation thereof, "Blessed are You, our Lord, our G-d, King of the universe, the True Judge," which shows that they do not blame The Lord for the death. (Note that Jewish people do not write or speak the name of His Holiness.)
The sabbath still takes place during shiva, and mourners are allowed to wear clean clothes to attend synagogue, however they still may not shower or shave. If the death takes place before Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover or Shavuot then shiva will be cut short up until the holiday.
After the funeral, it is traditional to visit the grave on the final day of shiva and on the 30th, day after death. If this day is Sabbath however, then it is pushed over to the next day. The 30th, day sees the tombstone being installed and eulogies being said.
Shiva is practiced by most Jewish people after a death of a close family member, and is a very moving way to remember the deceased, and to honor their memory. We are taught that with faith we can be strong enough to endure the death of a loved one, and that we can be strong enough to honor their memory forever.
Read more:
Shiva, the First Seven Days of Mourning | My Jewish Learning
Tags: shiva, ShivaConnect, sitting shiva, Torah


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Salome review at the National Theatre, London – 'a frustrating retelling'
She's been painted, written about and fetishised by men for two millennia. Director Yael Farber, returning to the National Theatre after her stunning production of Les Blancs last year, is determined to reclaim Salome's story: how she danced for men, demanded the head of John the Baptist as a reward, and ignited a revolution.
But in drawing together all the threads of Salome from scripture, theatre and art across centuries Farber, who writes and directs, creates a peculiar play, driven by imagery both literary and visual, and deflated by taking itself too seriously.
We get lavish spectacle: tableaux that recall Renaissance paintings, ladders reaching to the heavens and cascades of sand in Susan Hilferty's stunning design. Already a very slow production, there are moments when it completely stops still to capture posed snapshots. Often they're beautiful and they force our gaze onto this erased woman, as if the play is painting her back into existence.
Farber also uses the image of Salome's raped and sexualised body as a metaphor for not only the kingdom of Judaea under the Romans but every vassal, every colonised city ever. It's undeniably powerful.
Despite its strengths in concept, the execution is frequently disappointing. Drawing on diverse sources – the Song of Solomon, Oscar Wilde's play and the Roman historian Josephus among others – Farber's script sounds like a bad translation of a Greek tragedy, with a shot of King James archness added for good measure. It's full of "whences" and "whereupons", lines intended to sound profound that clang badly instead.
Olwen Fouere plays Nameless – an ageing Salome – with slow, portentous delivery that pushes the play into parody. There's absolutely no variation of tone in her performance and it makes whatever she has to say sound grandiose and hollow.
Two women provide a wailing soundtrack for most of the production which, chilling at first, becomes intensely grating by the end. And that ending builds to a point where, far from the rich web of text, far from the dazzling imagery that the beginning promises, instead we have all the elements for a 1980s pop ballad video: billowing diaphanous sheets, mist, flailing arms.
The trouble is the way it vacillates in quality. One minute Paul Chahidi as Herod and Isabella Nefar as 'Salome so-called' brilliantly perform a repellent, squirm-inducing scene as he forces his finger down her throat in an expression of lust. The next is an interminable exchange of trite similes between Nefar and Ramzi Choukair's Iokanaan (or John the Baptist).
Every few minutes the production reaches a majestic peak and collapses. It makes its point quickly, then labours it with an onslaught of solemnity and histrionics. Salome is retold here, recontextualised too, but for all the thought behind the production, she is not reclaimed.
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Sinclair: Share about a time you felt unwelcome when working while Black. What happened? What did you take away from the experience/incident/situation?
Anonymous: In my first higher ed position, I was working at a large community college in Rhode Island for a grant-funded opportunity program. In my interview, my soon-to-be "Boss" expressed that, in talking with her next door neighbor, she realized that she knew my father and his work in the Foodservice & Hospitality industry.
A year later, I am walking into a staff meeting with 4 of my colleagues. My boss, who as a 50 year old Jewish woman living in the suburbs saw herself as an expert in dealing with people of color since her son had black friends from the "projects", says to me "you seem like you come from a single-parent home, were you raised by your mother?".
I was floored because she knew my father and her longtime partner worked with my father for years. I left this interaction feeling violated, unwelcome, unprotected on my own team and subject to attack by the very person tasked with leading me to the next level of performance. She and I have since both left the institution and mended fences but she never apologized for the comment but it has bothered me from time to time ever since it happened.
Sinclair: What advice would you give to another Black professional who is feeling tired, defeated and/or hopeless?
Anonymous: FIND COMMUNITY!! Find those people of color at your institution who may be able to support and advise you in times of despair anger or distress. subscribe to facebook groups for black Student Affairs professionals, find places for Black folk to engage in counterspaces and networking.
Sinclair: In regard to your colleagues that don't identify as Black: what is one way they continue to send the message of "You don't belong here" to you – intentionally or unintentionally?
Anonymous: As a Black practitioner in higher ed, being mistaken for students in opportunity programming is the most common offense. Though unintentional, it sends the very real message that because we look, walk, dress, talk differently from our fellow employed staff at our PWI, we cannot possibly be qualified to REALLY work there.
Sinclair: What's something you're working to unlearn about what it means to be Black?
Anonymous: That my "talk" is not appropriate in white spaces. For years I have dealt with this Black Inferiority complex in working in predominantly white spaces in higher ed. Because not many look like me or talk like me, I've entered spaces feeling that I needed to alter my behavior and talk to fit the expectations of the majority. I am working to unlearn this and embed my own culture in my discussions with others because I belong just as much as they do.


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Bella Ellis is a senior at Emerson Junior Senior High School is sad that it is her last year here. She is a reporter for The Cavalier and has taken broadcast journalism with Mr Collins as well. Bella plays for our Emerson Cavos softball team and has played for the past 4 years. She is center field and shortstop. Bella also cheers for Emerson and has for the past two years. She is one of the main flyers on the team and enjoys every second of it. Bella is a friendly person and loves to make new friends at any time.
Bella Ellis, Reporter
|Mar 14, 2019
Surviving Senior Year (Story)
|Oct 25, 2018
EHS Strives to go Drug Free (Story)


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UV light could reduce spread of TB
Washington, Mar 17 (ANI): Ultraviolet lights, combined with air mixing, could reduce airborne transmission of tuberculosis by about 70 percent, says a new study.
The research, which explored the transmission of tuberculosis (TB) from infected patients to guinea pigs, was published in PLoS Medicine.
The study suggests that installing simple ultraviolet C (UVC) lights in hospitals could help reduce the transmission of TB, including drug-resistant strains.
When a tuberculosis patient coughs, bacteria are sprayed into the air in tiny droplets, floating around the room and infecting other patients, visitors and healthcare staff.
These bacteria can be killed by hanging a shielded UVC light from the ceiling with a fan to mix the air, say the researchers, from Imperial College London, the University of Leeds, Hospital Nacional Dos de Mayo, Lima, Perú and other international institutions.
UVC light kills tuberculosis bacteria, including drug-resistant strains, by damaging their DNA so they cannot infect people, grow or divide. It is already used at high intensity to disinfect empty ambulances and operating theatres.
To reach their conclusions, scientists hung UVC lights in a hospital ward in Lima, Perú where 69 patients with HIV and TB were being treated. The researchers pumped air from the ward up to a guinea pig enclosure on the roof of the hospital for 535 consecutive days.
The guinea pigs were split into three groups of approximately 150: the first group received air exposed to the UV lights in the ward, the second group received ward air treated with negative ionisers, and the third control group was given untreated air straight from the ward.
The guinea pigs were given skin tests for tuberculosis once a month.
By the end of the experiment, 35 percent of the control group were infected with TB, compared to 14 percent of the ionised air group and 9.5 percent of the UVC group. 8.6 percent of the control group developed the active form of the disease after being infected with TB, compared to 4.3 percent of the ionised air group and 3.6 percent of the UVC group. (ANI)


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37 // Can You Desire Something That's Bad For You? Overcoming Doubt In Manifesting Something Important
In this episode, I answer more questions on:
· Being scared of desiring something that is bad for you
· What happens if you desire something that is wrong for you
· Overcoming the doubt & negativity whilst waiting for your manifestation
· + the latest synchronicities!
♡ // To sign up for the Clear The Blocks Masterclass with Kimberley (spots going FAST!) check out HERE!
♡ // To get weekly fresh manifestation secrets from Kimberley, click HERE.
♡ // To READ more about The Manifestation Collective click HERE!
♡ // To join The Daily Manifestation, join HERE!
♡ // To grab your very own Habits for Wellness Workbook for the amazingly low investment, check out HERE!
Instagram: @kimberleywenya


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10 Things I Want to See at Obama's Farewell Speech
1. Theme Music. In the cinema classic "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka" the hero of the movie, Jack Slade, and his mentor talk about theme music. And they say every good hero, should have theme music. From a president who has playlists and invited what seems like every rapper to the white house, I'm expecting the best theme music ever. My suggestions, I think he should hit the stage to a hometown new classic: No Problems by Chance the Rapper. And how should he leave the stage? To none other than "The Next Episode" by Dr. Dre.
2. Numbers, lots of numbers. We all know the Jay-Z phrase: "Men lie, women lie, numbers don't." Like it or not, Barack Obama as President of the United States of America, put up numbers that mattered. Total number of new jobs created under the Obama Administration: 11.3 million, 10 million more jobs than George W. Bush, 75 months straight of job growth and a drop in the employment rate of 2-3%. But If you want numbers head over to CNN Money for this nifty article on the economy under Obama. I just want Bro to flex on them one time for what he accomplished.
3. Uncle Joe in his Mode. Throughout Obama's two terms in office Joe Biden has played what we believe to be the role of a take-no-shit Capo and still being a warm friend. Joe is always in the back looking like he is silently cheering for Obama like DJ Khaled cheers for Rick Ross while they work out. I expect Joe Biden to be in full glory laughing like a guy watching his best friend on his victory lap.
4. Michelle, Sasha and Malia Obama to look like Black Girl Magic. I know, I know, some people feel that the phrase Black Girl Magic is overused. Well, we will stop using it when black women stop being magic, which will be never, so get used to it. When the Obama women step out, I envision that is what the families in heaven are like: graceful and they look like they walk on air.
5. Tears. I expect Obama to cry, because regardless of how you feel about him, sit back and truly think about what he has accomplished. Your grandma probably has a picture of him on an 8x10 in her house right now. Obama, Martin Luther King and Jesus that's it. I also expect the crowd to cry because being a part of a truly historic event does not happen every day. Tears will be natural and free-flowing at this event, especially from the Chicagoans because Obama is from Chicago and he is ours and our president.
6. Future Plans. This may be selfish but I'm waiting on Obama to announce he is doing something no other president has done. Like can he announce that he is going to have a nightly TV show like Johnny Carson with Joe Biden playing the role of his Ed McMahon? Is that too much to ask? Or I'd like to announce that he has an endorsement deal with Nike or Jordan Brand? I really don't want him to just ride off into the sunset.
7. A Choir. I'm fully aware of the separation of church and state. I'm fully aware that a president should stay far away from religion, but tonight something in my negro soul, tells me that I want to hear "His Eye is on the Sparrow" or "Never Would've Made It" by a choir in robes or for my ratchet side: "Father Stretch My Hands."
8. Chicago Students. I want to see students from all over Chicago who are meeting, beating and shattering expectations. There are tons of them and unfortunately they do not get enough press. I want to see students from Morgan Park, Kenwood, Urban Prep and FLOTUS' alma matter: Whitney Young. I want them to experience this to inspire some of them to have the goal to become the President of the United States.
9. Cheeto Jokes. Somehow a talking Cheeto who tweets from a New York Penthouse with a Russian posse, who wants to build a wall across the whole southern portion of the country to keep out immigrants like the one he married was just elected President. The jokes write themselves and I need them tonight.
10. Cooler than the Other Side of the Pillow Barack (RIP to Stuart Scott). There are some people who wreak of cool. When the President appears on my TV, I'm always thinking, does he even sweat, how is he so cool under pressure, how does he always say the right thing? When it comes to being cool, I feel like there's Barack Obama, Denzel Washington and then everything else is just looking up. I feel that tonight we'll see him cooler than he's ever been and I don't mean cool in the weird condescending type of way either. I mean cool in the "all these people tried to stop me, I still changed the world, inspired generations, got the dopest family out and you can't get rid of me" type of cool. Yup, that's Barack Obama. Farewell friend.


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Natural born talent- Germany's Franziska Huber
It's very difficult for American actors to make it in Hollywood, let alone actors who are from overseas. Hollywood is an extremely tough industry to win over. From time to time, there are natural born stars that can win over anyone and anything that comes their way. Franziska is definitely one of those actors that has the ability to win over anyone and anything that crosses her path. She has been acting since a young age and has been passionate about her craft ever since. As she got older, she took drama classes at high school and college and worked with private acting coaches in Germany and the UK. She also attended the world famous Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York. She was part of their two year program for international students. Since then she has performed in many various plays, musicals, and films abroad and in the US and found representation through agencies in New Orleans and Hollywood.
Franziska has worked alongside the incredible Susan Batson at her studio for a total of two years. Susan is a very successful acting coach who has worked with famous actors like Nicole Kidman and Oprah Winfrey. Susan directed Franziska performing her one woman show called, "The Royal Weight Watcher! Sarah Ferguson: A Duchess Hungry for Love!" which Franziska wrote, self-produced and brought to various stages in NYC. Franziska's one woman show became a part of the Midtown International Theatre Festival 2011 and was nominated for the "Best Production of a Solo Show" Award. A much respected stage Franziska performed on is the SoHo Playhouse in New York City, an official Off-Broadway venue. Franziska just recently starred in a film in Europe, in another one in the US, and was a lead actor in a TV movie in Santa Monica, California. She accomplished so much through the years and has kept rising higher and higher in her career. Franziska has up and coming projects to look forward to. She's going to be part of the feature film "Awaken". It was mentioned by the Hollywood Reporter and is developed based on the Deepak Chopra-narrated short film "Duality". Franziska also recently auditioned for a role in a movie starring the actor Vince Vaughn. Many different opportunities are coming up in Franziska's future and it certaintly looks bright and promising!


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Prof. Ümit İşgörür - Cello
Ümit İşgörür went to school at Michigan State University School of Music as a visiting scholar and studied cello with Prof. Owen Carman. After receiving his Master of Music degree at MSU, he began the Doctorate of Musical Arts program in Orchestral Conducting with Leon Gregorian at the same school, later received artist diploma at Dokuz Eylül University.
Christos Grimpas - Cello
Studied at the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki (prof. D. Patras) and the Universität der Künste in Berlin, further receiving his post graduate music degree from the Folkwang Hochschule Essen (class V. Mendelssohn). He was a member of the Rhineland Youth Orchestra, the International Youth Orchestra and the European Union Youth Orchestra. Awards include prizes (Pan-Hellenic Competition for Young Soloists 1997, International Chamber Music Competition of HELEXPO 1998) as well as merit scholarships (Music Friends Society of Athens, the "Alexandra Trianti" Trust and the "Alexandros Onasis" Foundation).
Tapalin Charoensook - Cello
Tapalin Charoensook was born in Bangkok, Thailand in 1988. Her music study has made possible with great support from her father, Dr.Sugree Chareonsook and his "The Talent Education Research Project". Under his guidance, she began her cello study at the age of 10 with Ms.Saowakhon Muangkruan, Mr. Martin Grund and Mr. Juris Lakutis.