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Hi friends,
At this exact moment in my life, I feel like The Food Warden. My days seem to centre around other people's food requirements. I shop for food, I prepare food, I try to get my offspring to ingest an acceptable amount of food, I clean a ridiculous amount of food from the floor, furniture, myself, them, then I have to deal with the after effect (diaper changes and potty breaks) and I have to start the cycle all over again. I understand of Sisyphus felt. The ironic thing is that I often forget about feeding myself. Most days, I do not get to sit down until the baby's nap time and that's when I need to take care of work stuff and other household chores. At that point I usually realize that I have not eaten. I have good intentions, I either make myself something and forget about it or assemble the ingredients but get distracted.
I have forgotten what it is like to consume an entire meal without being interrupted and while that meal is still at the right temperature. Someone ALWAYS needs something. Even if I end up eating dinner after the kids go to bed, I am usually rushing because something always needs my attention. I am so looking forward to the day when both kids can feed themselves. Please tell me that day will come! Until then, I will eat when I can. You would think from the amount of meals I miss that I would be size 0. Alas, that is not the case.
|I'm done, now what?
|This is where I put food for throwing at Mom.
|I ate some things but not the same things I ate yesterday, Tomorrow I will mix it up by refusing to eat something I said I loved today.


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Links of London Navajo Friendship Red Bracelet.
Find your new style. Enjoy the flowing rivulets of color in this Navajo Friendship Bracelet in Red. Streaming shades of red are interwoven in the Native American fashion to offer a completely new direction in jewelry. Powerful and potent, dare to wear this bracelet on its own or use it to bring a new dimension when stacking other bracelets in the collection.

subset: commoncrawl


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Miracle Ware Miracle Blanket $32.00
- Not to be confused with a baby wrap or a zip-up wearable blanket, the Miracle Blanket® is the only TRUE SWADDLING blanket successfully designed to help your baby sleep.
- Stops or reduces fussiness. Helps baby sleep better, deeper and longer.
- Makes breast feeding easier.
- One size fits all. No adjustments - newborn to several months.
- Can't impede development of hips and knees. As baby grows, her legs extend beyond the tight portion of the wrap for free movement and joint development.
- No extra material & breathable fabric. Limits the risk of overheating.
- Simplicity of design. No confusing folding. Easy to use - even in the dark!
- Won't unravel during restless sleep.
- No knots, buttons, straps, Velcro, snaps, zippers, etc.
- Helps your baby sleep on their back. Washington University Journal of Pediatrics studies prove even stomach-sleeping babies will sleep more comfortably on their backs if properly swaddled.


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The Continuing Evolution of CNN's Obama Worship
2008 -- The Wright-Free Zone is built:
[flashvideo file=http://pjmedia.com/media/video/CNN-Wright-to-Wright-Free-Zone6-7-09-rev-1.flv width=315 height=251 image=http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/files/2009/06/cnn-wright-to-wright-free-zone6-7-09-title-cardiii.jpg /]
2009 -- CNN anchor reminds viewers that "it's hard to talk when you're tea-bagging," and in-field reporter berates a tea partier for his rejection of Obama's (read the taxpayers') stimulus funds.
2010 -- Let the viewers eat cake! Baking a cake on-air to promote the "success" of the "Stimulus" program:
2012 -- "CNN's Piers Morgan and Soledad O'Brien 'Obama Bump' Roberta Flack at Whitney Houston Funeral:"
Of course, the network is totally objective -- just ask any of their journalists the next time you Obama-bump into them.


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If you look to cook and to bake, then of course every now and then you will love cooking and baking for a perfect summer picnic. It can however be easy to get stuck in a rut when it comes to what recipes you are making. A tried and tested favourite that has always been popular, is going to be far easier to prepare than a new recipe that you have never tried before. However, you don't always have to go super fancy when it comes to cooking and baking for a picnic with an eye to rapturous success. Sometimes it's the simplest recipes but done to the highest standard of perfection that create the biggest wow factors. Here are some easy picnic recipe ideas that you can try out to impress your friends and family. Continue reading "Easy Picnic Recipes to Impress"
Category: Inspiration
Favourite British Bakers
As we've said before, we really are lucky that in Britain there is such a strong tradition and love when it comes to home baking. Many of us can fondly remember our grandmothers whipping up as if by magic fairy cakes (or in my case the slightly more decadent butterfly cakes!) to welcome us home from school. From apple pie to bread and butter pudding, the options are limitless when it comes to baking, and it's true that we love to watch bakers on TV and attempt to make their fantastic creations by following their books. There are many cooks and chefs who have made their name through their baking and easy to follow cooking in the UK. So read on to find out about our absolute favourite British bakers. Continue reading "Favourite British Bakers"


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|Compact version
|Saturday, 22 February 2020
Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 09-07-14
Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>
[01] PRESIDENT CYPRUS ISSUEThe President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias has stressed that the only way to find a solution of the Cyprus problem is through the negotiating process, adding that a solution must be viable and functional, based on UN principles.
Speaking to Cypriot children who live in the US and Australia, President Christofias said that we are trying together with the Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat to reunite our homeland.
He added that the solution of the problem should be acceptable by both communities, viable, functional and based on UN principles.
He explained that the solution aims to create a federal state, which will respect human rights. He added that while the central government will have increased responsibilities, the constituent states would not have greater powers than the federal government.
He also pointed out that the federal state will have a common economy and will safeguard human rights for all its citizens.
Referring to the ongoing UN-led direct talks, Christofias said that on some issues there is convergence of views while on others the leaders disagree.
We will continue the negotiations because the only way to find a solution to the Cyprus problem is through negotiations, he said.
President Christofias told the children who visited him at the Presidential Palace to assure their parents that the President is working on a solution that ensures the rights of all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, and that Cyprus does not need any guarantees or guarantors of its security.
[02] SPOKESMAN TURKEYIf Turkey does not change its stance towards Cyprus, it is not possible to reach an agreement by December, Government Spokesman Stephanos Staphanou has stressed.
Stephanou, who was commenting on remarks by Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Cyprus, called on Turkey to change its stance and pointed out that he is not in a position to decide now whether the negotiations will have a happy ending, while assuring of the determination of the Greek Cypriot side to achieve an agreed solution.
As things stand at present and given the positions put forward at the negotiating table by the Turkish side if these do not change - we dont see how it would be possible by December to agree on a solution which will then be put to a referendum, he said. Thats why we call on the Turkish side to change its stance, he pointed out.
[03] DOWNER UN CYPRUSUN Special Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer has said that the UN has not set timelines for a solution to the Cyprus issue and stressed that it will be a major mistake for the UN to try to do again what it did in 2004 and present a blueprint, urging the people on both sides of the divide to vote for it.
In his remarks after meeting President of the Democratic Party Marios Garoyian, Downer said it is important for him and the UN to keep in touch with the political leaders in Cyprus and to hear their perspectives and points of view.
Asked if he shares the view expressed by Turkish President Abdullah Gul that negotiations should be concluded by the end of the year, Downer said that what we have always said at the UN is that there shouldnt be a specific timetables. But the important thing is for there to be momentum in the process, and I think there is momentum. I think the process is moving ahead steadily and when it will conclude is when the leaders determine that its concluded and at the point where the leaders finally reach an agreement. I have no idea what day that will be, or what month that will be, or when that will be, and thats importantly something that they themselves have to resolve between them, he remarked.
[04] HOUSE - NEW MPsThe names of the three new members of the House of Representatives, who will replace the recently elected Cypriot members of the European Parliament, have been officially announced in two separate ceremonies in Nicosia and Limassol.
Panikos Champas of AKEL takes the seat of MEP Takis Hatzigeorgiou, Andreas Kyprianou of DISY replaces MEP Eleni Theocharous and Stelios Ieronymides of DIKO replaces MEP Antigoni Papadopoulou.
Champas and Ieronymides were declared members of parliament by the District Officer of Nicosia Argyris Papanastasiou in the presence of President of the House of Representatives Marios Garoyian. Kyprianou was proclaimed a MP by the District Officer of Limassol Anastasia Mavrelli.
Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article


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Getting Started With CryptoCurrencies:
DISCLAIMER: Nothing on this site shall be constituted as investment advice. Cryptocurrency is a highly, note, HIGHLY speculative market. The returns are great but so are the risks! As with investing; I never invest with money I can not afford to lose.
What is a 'Cryptocurrency'
Cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency (aka electronic cash) that uses cryptography or 'blockchain technology' for security and authentication.
Popular 'Cryptocurrencies'
There are currently over 1000 cryptocurrenices traded on exchanges around the world but the most notable ones are:
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Ripple.
Technology behind Bitcoin (and other Cryptocurrencies) and how it Works?
How can I buy cryptocurrencies?
STEP 1: Open a Coinbase account. Click here
(As of current you're only allowed to purchase Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and Litecoin on Coinbase.
(Use the link provided above and receive $10 worth of Bitcoin. Must purchase $100 or more of coins).
STEP 2: Open an account with an exchange that allows trading of crypto-currencies. I use Binance and thus far; there are no problems. (click here to sign-up with Binance)*
STEP 3: Purchase your coin of choice.
STEP 4: Subscribe to our Newsletter below to receive monthly updates on everything Crypto!
*I receive a small commission from Binance if you sign-up using my referral link.


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Thanks to an innovative program that links subspecialists with primary care professionals, a growing number of New Mexico patients are receiving subspecialty care directly from family physicians.
Having received special training to manage patients with opiate addiction, family physician Leslie Hayes, M.D., in foreground, now uses videoconferencing to consult with FP colleagues in other parts of her home state of New Mexico.
Project ECHO(echo.unm.edu) (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) was launched by Sanjeev Arora, M.D., in 2003 at the University of New Mexico. At the time, Arora, a gastroenterologist specializing in liver disease, worked in one of only two clinics in the state that treated patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection -- a disease that afflicted some 30,000 New Mexicans. Frustrated that he could not treat all the patients who needed care, Arora created Project ECHO as a model for training primary care clinicians to manage HCV disease.
Originally, ECHO linked HCV subspecialist teams with primary care clinicians through "teleECHO" clinics. Today, ECHO clinics are available for a variety of subspecialties and ailments, including endocrinology, rheumatology, addiction, epilepsy and others. Using a videoconferencing tool, subspecialists provide didactic education, mentoring, guidance and feedback to primary care physicians. The goal of this guided practice model is for primary care health professionals to become increasingly independent experts on a particular pathology, thus growing the capacity to safely treat complex diseases throughout the state.
Story highlights
- In New Mexico, Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is linking subspecialists with primary care physicians to expand provision of subspecialty care in remote areas of the state.
- Using a videoconferencing tool, subspecialists provide didactic education, mentoring, guidance and feedback to family physicians and other primary care clinicians.
- Having received the training themselves, some -- like FP Leslie Hayes, M.D. -- are now "paying it forward" to their family physician colleagues.
To date, more than 4,900 primary care physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners in New Mexico have participated in Project ECHO clinics.
"ECHO is a huge resource for us," said New Mexico AFP president Melissa Garcia, M.D., of Albuquerque. "From a statewide perspective, the real value is with rural physicians because the access to specialty care is centralized in Albuquerque, and the wait to get into any subspecialist is really long."
Another plus: Arora is far from unknown to the New Mexico AFP, having interacted extensively with its members during chapter meetings and elsewhere. "Dr. Arora has been a speaker for us for many, many years and had a relationship with the chapter prior to the development of ECHO," said Garcia. "(He is) a consistent part of our CME and speaker pool."
Caring for Patients With HCV Disease
One of the earliest participants in the ECHO clinic that focused on HCV infection was family physician Saverio Sava, M.D., clinical supervisor for First Choice Community Healthcare, a federally qualified health center in rural Edgewood.
"Providers see patients who have hepatitis C, and then they present them to Project ECHO," Sava said. "The team of experts will ask questions about the patient, and they'll come up with recommendations on what to do. The patients never leave their providers' practice. They don't need to make a trip to the university."
Receiving treatment close to home made all the difference to the first patient Sava managed through ECHO in Edgewood. She was a mother of two school-aged children who was also caring for her recently hospitalized husband, he recalled. "She said, 'I would have never been able to get treated if I had to go to the university,'" Sava said. Of the 32 patients with HCV infection he has treated, she is one of 30 who have cleared the virus.
Sava's statistics are compelling, and a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine(www.nejm.org) showed that patients who were treated at a remote center using the ECHO model had outcomes that were comparable to, or even slightly better than, those seen in patients who were treated by experts at academic medical centers in urban areas. Patients often do better when treated at First Choice because they have continuity of care, which contributes to better compliance, Sava said.
Facts About the New Mexico AFP
Chapter executive director: Sara Bittner
Number of chapter members: 875
Year chapter was chartered: 1957
2015 annual meeting: July 16-19, Ruidoso Convention Center/Lodge, Sierra Blanca
"It's very rewarding to see that they can do as good a job as us," Arora said. "We've always known they are amazing physicians. We've shown with the appropriate support system, they can do as good a job as specialists."
About five clinicians provide treatment for HCV infection at First Choice Community Healthcare locations throughout New Mexico, Sava said. And two family doctors at First Choice's North Valley Center in Albuquerque are offering rheumatology care, also through ECHO. "I tell my patients, you can wait eight months to get seen at the university's rheumatology clinic, or you can get in next week at First Choice," Sava said.
Karen Phillips, M.D., current board chair and a past president of the New Mexico AFP, has also participated in teleECHO clinics. Now practicing in Los Lunas, Phillips dialed into the diabetes ECHO clinic when she was working in Mountainair, a town of about 1,000 people. Practicing by herself, she said it was easy to feel isolated.
"ECHO was a structured way to get in touch with other people doing the same thing you're doing," she said. "It was incredibly meaningful support. You stop feeling stupid because you realize everyone has the same questions you have. You know you're doing state-of-the-art medicine."
Helping FPs Curb Patients' Addictions
Currently, said Garcia, many physicians are using the ECHO model to help them manage opiate addiction in their patients. ECHO has trained about 600 health care professionals in the use of buprenorphine to treat this problem and conducts a weekly teleECHO clinic on integrated addictions and psychiatry.
It's a public health threat family physician Leslie Hayes, M.D., knows all too well. Working out of El Centro Family Health's Española Medical Clinic in northern New Mexico's Rio Arriba County, Hayes is on the front lines of the region's heroin epidemic.
From 2008 to 2012, the county saw 67.7 drug overdose deaths(ibis.health.state.nm.us) per 100,000 residents, according to the New Mexico Department of Health. That's the highest overdose death rate in a state that's already known for having one of the worst opiate addiction problems in the nation.
Trying to care for this population was a source for frustration for Hayes, who said in the early and mid-2000s, there was nothing she could do except refer patients to a methadone clinic that had a long wait list and was difficult for patients without reliable transportation to attend.
In 2007, however, Hayes participated in a buprenorphine certification course conducted by ECHO. In addition to becoming certified to dispense the drug to treat opioid addiction, she was also connected with weekly teleconferences with addiction specialists.
"I probably would have up and quit had it not been for ECHO's support," Hayes said.
She was the first physician certified to prescribe buprenorphine in the county and said the support she received during ECHO clinics was invaluable in learning how to use the drug in a medically sound way.
In addition to treating patients' addiction issues, Hayes also provides these previously unseen patients with preventive care and treatment for common health conditions such as diabetes. She also delivers obstetrical care and says women struggling with opiate addiction seek buprenorphine when they discover they are pregnant.
"We used to see a lot of patients come in, and they would have no prenatal care. They'd deliver, be positive for drugs, and we'd call CYFD (the state's child protective services), and they would come in and take the babies away," Hayes said.
But thanks to the special training she received via ECHO, Hayes can provide prenatal care and help these women get drug-free during the same visit. "Now, they're getting good prenatal care and they're not taking drugs during their pregnancy." They're also being monitored for post-delivery relapses, Hayes said, and receiving support to remain drug-free.
Currently, Hayes is practicing up to her 100-patient prescription cap on buprenorphine, and there remains a demand for treatment. To increase the number of clinicians who can treat addiction, she's working with ECHO as a consultant. She's sitting on the other side of the videoconference, so to speak, and she's already helped expand the number of family physicians in the county who provide buprenorphine from just herself to a total of four. Just as Arora expanded the state's capacity to treat HCV disease, she's doing the same for addiction.
"Through Project ECHO, we have more things we can do to make a difference in the community," Hayes said.
Although Project ECHO is based in New Mexico, the model has been replicated worldwide, and clinics are available throughout the country. A listing of all the clinic locations is available online.(echo.unm.edu)
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The top four wireless carriers in the United States have come together over a singular, growing issue: smartphone theft. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile USA are teaming up with the FCC to create a national database of stolen smartphones which should be in place over the next six months. Together these four providers account for 90 percent of the U.S. mobile base and each will be able to help disable devices once officially reported as stolen.
The plan is to merge the carriers databases into one national database within 18 months and make it even harder to activate a device on another carrier. The partnership will be endorsed by the CTIA and will focus on educating consumers on the proper steps to secure and protect their smartphone. There will be four voluntary industry commitments in place which address the issue of stolen smartphones.
1. Implement databases to prevent reactivation of stolen smartphones.
2A. Notify consumers of features to secure/lock smartphones with passwords.
2B. Educate consumers about features to secure/lock smartphones with passwords.
3. Educate consumers about applications to remotely lock/locate/erase data from smartphones.
4. Educate consumers about smartphone theft, protections and preventative measures.


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August 3/10. A Nation of Wimps, an excellent survey of all the ways we've been fucked up by being insanely overprotected as kids. On a deep level, like civilization itself, it's just a case of power corrupting. Lately I've been thinking that the core human mistake is the assumption that satisfaction of desires is a good use of tools. What we desire is usually bad for us. In this case, parents wanted their kids to be super-safe, and tragically, they got their wish.
Loretta comments:
The article nicely articulated what my husband and I have been struggling with as we raise two boys. We are surrounded by effusively nice, well-meaning people who are bludgeoning the creativity and natural intellectual curiousity right out of their kids. The toys these kids have are good for one thing -- giving them practice at following strict directives. Parents schedule "playdates" and cram every type of class they can into their kids' schedules. When a really great toy comes on the market, these parents will find a way to squash any creativity it might inspire. For example, Thomas the Tank Engine: parents buy train engines and tracks made out of wood and kids can configure the track however they choose, making villages, building bridges, figuring out how to make dual tracks converge, etc. A good deal of the parents around here bought the tracks, built a configuration on a fancy train table, then GLUED the tracks together. Their kids can't do anything but move the train around and around, in the same pattern. They like coming over to our house.
What is it that's causing nice, well-meaning parents to do this? My theory is that they're not acting on a rational level, even if they can justify their actions rationally. It just feels right to them to micromanage their kids' time and glue the tracks together, because they are in a semi-hypnotic trance, resonating with a movement in the collective consciousness that seeks to crush the life out of humans. What it feels like to them is fear of "chaos," fear of uncomfortable silences, open spaces where the unexpected can happen, fear of the formless void from which all creation arises.
August 15-16. Good summary of the issues in the latest fake terror scare, and one about how the chemistry wouldn't work. It wouldn't surprise me if these "terrorists" were just dreamers who would not have got half as far in their plot without the police spies pushing them. And of course the whole spectacle, on a deeper level, is just a big joke to see how much degradation humans will submit to in the name of fear. I used to love flying, but I won't go near a plane now, not because of "terrorists" but because of the abuse rituals. If there were an airline with no security at all, I'd gladly fly it and roll the dice.
August 17-18. From Toby Hemenway, a really impressive analysis of foraging, agriculture, and horticulture, and the social effects of different food-production systems, especially all the bad stuff that's subtly built into agriculture.
But it might be more than just agriculture. Matthew writes that wheat contains a peptide called Gliadorphin, which acts on the opiate receptors of the brain, and will kill smaller animals if eaten raw.
And this article argues that civilization originates in addiction to drug effects of foods, especially wheat and milk.
People who succeeded in eating sizeable amounts of cereal seeds discovered the rewarding properties of the exorphins contained in them. Processing methods such as grinding and cooking were developed to make cereals more edible. The more palatable they could be made, the more they were consumed, and the more important the exorphin reward became for more people.
August 19. Has everyone noticed the collective consciousness getting excited about lawless freedom in sailing ships? I trace it back to Hakim Bey writing about pirates in his Temporary Autonomous Zone essay. Then anarchists ran with it, like in this excellent article about Pirate Utopias. My hippie-anarchist friends were already going around saying "ARRRRR" in the late 90's. Then it hit the mass culture, most noticeably with the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Now it's ready to manifest in reality. Dmitry Orlov has written a major essay, The new age of sail, arguing that the sailing ship is an even better invention than the bicycle, and that it's the future of trade and even housing as the oil runs out. If you read only one section, read part 3, A Brighter Future. I can't remember the last time I read something that made the future feel so exciting.
August 23-25. Ted brings up a point I've also been thinking about:
I have been following green anarchism for a while now and I am wondering if anyone is really on track. This concept of "rewilding" -- is anyone really trying to achieve it?
Indeed, why hasn't a single primitivist yet walked the ideology? Why hasn't a single wilderness survival master gone full-time? Here's an email I just got from Tim, who's on a short tech break from Teaching Drum school:
There is enough food and materials to live out there, in certain bioregions around North America, to raise a group of families. Then all the impediments from hunting/fishing regs to limits of semi-nomadicism arise as obstacles. Here, we easily gather enough plants, roots, berries. The difficulty is enough fat. We mainly catch small fish, mice and chipmunks, frogs, insects, frog eggs. Living as a trusting flowing social human clan is the hardest part other than enough fat. I just am not sure I want to go all the way to a woods ninja forager. I see very few humans going to foraging clans right away in this generation and most folks living in permaculture communities. We can do it, I know it, it's just a little to very freakin painful. There are parts of civilization I really like, like this internet and manna bread, and yogurt. So I don't get too worked up about needing to be a perfect aspiring hunter gatherer.
I'm coming around to the idea that going primitive, like marrying a movie star or climbing Mt. Everest, is one of those things that everybody feels the desire to do, but almost nobody would actually enjoy doing. This all makes me wonder where humans are going.
Parker suggests that true rewilding requires a "being-ness" that's impossible as long as there are property lines and civilized institutions. Jason argues, in Where have all the savages gone?, that going primitive requires spiritual changes that will take longer than merely learning physical skills. And Scott comments:
Our species is here because we are adapted to meeting new challenges through novel means. The next step in becoming ourselves is not in becoming "wild in the ways of the Elders." It's an entirely new kind of wild.I think we need to do what makes us feel wild and free, whether our ancestors did it or not. Between ecological changes, surviving artifacts of civilization, and possible changes in human nature, our world will be different from theirs. Humans are the ultimate weedy species, and we will survive by acting like weeds, adapting, using what we've got. Maybe our descendants will be wildflowers in a field, but we are dandelions growing through pavement.
August 26. I got depressed a few days ago by this article about mortality salience (single page link). Researchers have found that when people are asked to imagine their own death, and then asked political questions, they tend to side with Bush, the "war" on "terror," and so on. The effect is even stronger on liberals! Judges even give nastier sentences. And I thought, 1) There is no hope for America to snap out of this insanity now that the rulers have discovered how to scare us, and 2) What is wrong with people? When I'm reminded of my own mortality, it makes me looser and more courageous, because, hey, I'm going to die anyway, so what do I have to lose? I've mentioned before that 9/11/01 was the day I started going barefoot in the city, and started standing up to my employer.
I think most people just don't have very good imaginations. When they're reminded of their own mortality by some scientist doing a study, or a spectacle on TV, they're not actually becoming aware they're going to die. They just feel the encroaching threat of that awareness, and to maintain the illusion that they're going to live forever, they go into full angry denial mode, and want to punish other people to feel safe.
The problem is, people are not being reminded strongly enough of their own mortality. Here's a great article about the new science of post-traumatic growth:
It turns out that some of the people who have suffered the most, who have been forced to contend with shocks they never anticipated and to rethink the meaning of their lives, may have the most to tell us about that profound and intensely fulfilling journey that philosophers used to call the search for "the good life."
I think Americans are craving a "dark night of the soul." That's the real reason they like voting for assholes and starting wars and burning gasoline and feeding economic bubbles. We're not playing around -- we seriously want an apocalypse, a transformation through catastrophe. And we'll get it.
August 31. Tuesday morning the site went down. Later in the day my web host told me they got hacked and sixteen servers were completely wiped. Since I had to rebuild the site anyway, I decided that it was a good time to switch to a new host, the highly rated ICDSoft. It was surprisingly easy -- it only took a few minutes to set up the account, a few hours to rebuild the site from backups and google caches, and a day to get the "ranprieur.com" domain name to point to the new server.
It's going to cost me, since I was prepaid another 20 months on the old site, and the new one's a bit more expensive -- but probably a lot better. I started a few years ago with dr2, a great small host, which got merged into Mesopia, then Netbunch, and finally Web Host Plus, a poorly rated host which I'm told is mostly used by spammers.
I'm suspicious -- I don't think it had anything to do with me, but an attack that precise and deep is likely to be motivated by money or politics. There's speculation on this thread that they erased their own servers to get rid of the Netbunch clients.
September 6. Something I didn't know: all ancient societies, up until the Roman Empire, had a "Jubilee" tradition where they would cancel debts and return land to farmers. But at some point, "civilization" got redefined not as a project to develop a stable complex society, but a holy quest of limitless "progress" by the instruments of domination. Ancient humans were smarter than us: they understood that concentration of wealth can't go on forever, and the farther it goes, the less efficient the society gets, so they developed a sensible balancing mechanism. America has no balancing mechanism other than violent collapse.
September 7. Fascinating article about a girl raised by dogs in the Ukraine. They present it as a tragedy, but I think it's cool! Patricia comments:
"Oxana Malaya is now in a clinic and unlikely ever to leave as she lacks the skills to survive"... Seems like she did okay before they caught her.
Humans are the most mutable animal in the world, and the real tragedy is that we've all been molded by forced schooling and cars and computers, instead of exploring ten thousand different directions. I just hope, as the industrial matrix breaks down, some coyotes decide to raise abandoned kids instead of eating them. Check out this excellent Fortean Times article, Wild Things, for more about humans raised by nonhumans.
September 8. Lots of buzz about a scientist who says that climate change caused civilization, specifically the drying out of the Sahara about 6000 years ago. Wilhelm Reich follower Jim DeMeo said exactly the same thing years earler, and more radically, in his book Saharasia.
September 15. Fascinating link about zombie behaviors. Basically, unconscious behaviors are done much more quickly and efficiently, because the thinking mind doesn't get in the way. But (the article doesn't say this) the power of thinking is that you can notice when unconscious behaviors are no longer serving you, and overrule them. Thinking is not "maladaptive" -- it makes you more able to adapt to rapid change. For example, on an unconscious level, Bush represents "strong leader" and Cadillac represents "good car," so people feel good about them, but when you really observe and think, Bush is a belligerent sociopath and the Cadillac has been an overpriced piece of junk for decades.
I think my great strength and weakness is that my social behavior is almost completely conscious. So I fail in any situation that requires quickness and instinct. But at the same time, I'm immune to a lot of mind control.
September 22. Boeing to build high-tech system to block migration to Canada (dead link unrecoverable)... Did I just say that? From Canada. We're stopping migration from Canada. From. Nobody will be prevented from going to Canada. Who would even want to migrate to Canada? Ha ha. America is free and prosperous. And free. It's getting better all the time.
September 24. I don't often write about it, but I'm totally into fringe science, and one of my favorite subjects is cosmology. The Big Bang theory is based on the observation that other galaxies are redshifted -- their light waves have lower frequency the same way a siren sounds lower-pitched when it's moving away from you. If this redshift is interpreted as being caused by recession velocity, then you have an expanding universe, which must have started expanding with an explosion. But Halton Arp and other astronomers have found overwhelming evidence that cosmic redshifts are being caused by one or more other factors that we don't understand yet. Check out Arp's book Seeing Red, his earlier book Quasars, Redshifts, and Controversies, William Mitchell's book Bye Bye Big Bang: Hello Reality, or this article on the quantization of red shifts. If cosmic redshifts are not caused by everything moving apart, that means no expanding universe, and no Big Bang. All the evidence that seems to confirm the Big Bang really confirms how easy it is back up any theory by seeing the right shapes in the clouds. The physical universe is dynamic and stable, just like nature, and possibly eternal!
I love the idea of an eternal universe because there's no pressure to go anywhere. The Big Bang story is symbiotic with the culture of Empire and it's myth of "progress": that we have to "expand" into a glorious future. But if the universe has always been here, then there's nowhere to go. Anything that could be done has been done. We're just here to make our corner of the universe as nice as we can, and hang out and have a good time.
September 26. Why gas got cheaper: Goldman Sachs tweaked their commodity index to force gasoline holders to sell 75% of their futures.
Still a mystery: why does Goldman Sachs want to help Republicans, when it's been obvious for years that Bush is driving the economy off a cliff, that he's doing more to crash civilization than all the anarchists who ever lived, while Democrats are historically better for big business, and have been lap dogs of the elite since 1992? Sure, there are connections between Goldman and the Bush gang, but if your best friend and business partner were driving you toward the edge of a cliff, what would you do? And it's not just Goldman Sachs -- it's the vast majority of the criminal/corporate elite. What are they thinking?
The only explanation that makes any sense to me is that they're acting from a non-rational level. I remember Ed Koch on the Daily Show admitting that he was supporting Bush, despite everything, just because it felt good. The dominator classes are spiritually resonating with Bush's sadistic warlord persona. They are in a hypnotic trance, and by the time they wake up, their power will be reduced to a few islands on a heaving landscape of social microclimates.
Or here's an even weirder idea that I just got from reading about shamanism and nature spirits: Suppose the people at the top of the pyramid have eaten so much from the bottom of the pyramid, that they've been possessed, and now the spirits of murdered nature are acting through the most powerful humans in the world to crash civilization. That would explain a lot.
September 28-29. Patricia mentioned the trend to digitize books and kill libraries, and I said: Then when the system crashes, we can burn books for fuel, and the computers won't work, so all that knowledge will be lost, enabling our descendants to make the same mistakes again! She commented:
Does this remind you of the so called "Dark Ages" when the Catholic Church was the one organization that held a monopoly on history and knowledge in written form? And this allowed the Church to say what DID and what did NOT happen in the past... If you control knowledge in the present, you effectively control reality in the past.
That's an angle of the future I never considered. In 200, 500, 2000 years, different interests will be jockeying to reveal or hide information about our own time. So how do we preserve it? If you think digital data will survive, consider how hard it is now to get data off 5¼ inch floppy disks, even though they're only 20 years old and there hasn't been a collapse! Patricia says:
Your best long-term storage options are, in order of
most to least durability:
1. Vocal tales passed on from person to person, possibly supplemented with rock carvings, paintings, standing stones, dances, songs, etc.
2. Vellum and non-acidic inks.
3. Microfilm, if cared for well.
4. Rag-paper and non-acidic inks.
But now we're talking about stuff that will either be entrusted to multiple generations, or stored in caves and old mines and such like places, with the hope it will later be found by the right people -- and not the WRONG people!
I'm not asking anyone to come with me here, but I think the wrong people have already found and covered up loads of stuff left in old caves by advanced ancient and pre-ancient civilizations, including Egyptian artifacts in the Grand Canyon, and nine foot tall skeletons with two rows of teeth. The best place I know to read about this stuff is in back issues of World Explorer magazine, which you can find at Adventures Unlimited Press.
Finally, Dave suggests engraving books on stainless steel or titanium, and points out that this is being done now... with... the complete works of L. Ron Hubbard!


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Harvesting the Heart is one of Jodi Picoult's earlier novels. It is about a woman named Paige. Paige grew up with only a few memories of her mother. When she was five years old, her mother abandoned Paige and her father. Paige decides after graduation that it is time for her to leave her father and the city she grew up in, Chicago, after dealing with a challenging decision. Paige leaves and dreams of attending art school. While gone she meets and marries Nicholas, an ambitious young doctor. Soon after Paige becomes a mother herself to a son. She quickly feels overwhelmed with the demands of having a family and she cannot get past the fact that her own mother left her and was absent most of her life. She also struggles with her own past and the reason behind why she left Chicago and her father in the first place. She is unsure of herself as a mother and as a wife and so in a moment of desperation leaves everything in search of answers.
This story was hard for me to get into. I usually love Picoult's writing style, but in this particular story, I found she jumped around time frames too much, especially in the beginning of the book. I was constantly trying to figure out what was going on. Luckily after the first part it became a bit easier to follow and the flow was much better.
This story deals with such a fragile topic of ambivalent motherhood. I think all moms can relate to feeling overwhelmed in the beginning. It's a completely new life and you need to adapt rather quickly. But I think that's where most moms, at least in my case, stop relating. I could never in a million years ever consider leaving my children and it was hard for me to understand why Paige could do that to her own son. But Picoult does do a good job in putting you into Paige's shoes and seeing it through her eyes. You really have to have empathy in order to understand the emotions that she is going through, especially, if like me, you find it unthinkable to just get up and leave.
Picoult does a good job of writing from the perspectives of both Paige, the mother, and Nicholas, her husband and the father of the child. You really get a sense of what both of them are feeling and the struggles they each have to deal with. But as I already said, I had a really hard time relating to the characters and what they were going through.
Overall I found this particular novel to be lacking what most of her other novels have. It took me a long time to really get into it and when I did, I couldn't relate much to what I was reading. The story line was a bit predictable and there weren't really any twists or surprises. It was an interesting read, but not one of my favourites.


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The Best Period Horror Movies, Ranked
List Rules Vote up your favorite costume horror movies set in a different time period.
This list contains information on the best period horror movies, ranked from best to worst by user votes. The best period horror films come in many forms. Some period horror movies are based on classic literature while other good period horror films feature completely original characters and storylines. A few of the best period horror films even generated sequels.
What films will you find on this top period horror movies list? Bram Stoker's Dracula has to be at the top. Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves starred in this 1992 film set in the 1400s. Bram Stoker's Dracula took home several Oscars the following year for Costume Design, Sound Editing, and Makeup. Sleepy Hollow is another one of the most entertaining period horror films to ever hit the big screen.
The Conjuring has produced several sequels and even the spin-off franchise Annabelle. Other good period horror films include Ravenous, The Wolfman, and From Hell.
How will we ever determine which period horror movie is the best? Help us decide by giving your favorites a thumbs up and get in on the conversation in the comments section.


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Taiwan should set up a cultural center in Turkey to teach Mandarin and promote cultural exchanges and mutual understanding, former minister of education Ovid Tzeng (曾志朗) said in a speech yesterday.
Following the establishment of a Mandarin language center in India in 2011, the Ministry of Education should consider setting up a similar cultural center in Turkey, an important emerging Islamic country, Tzeng said.
"We hope to expand the reach of the Chinese language to more parts of the world," Tzeng said in the speech organized by the Taipei-based Formosa Institute.
Such a center will help promote Taiwanese culture in Turkey and draw more people to Taiwan to learn how it preserves its historical heritage, he said.
"This kind of exchange is a way of exporting culture and creativity," he said.
Tzeng, a distinguished research fellow at Academia Sinica, said he would bring up the issue with education officials.
The Ministry of Culture floated a similar concept in October last year, contending that opening a cultural center in Turkey would advance Taiwan's cultural exchanges with the Islamic world.
Taiwan has relied greatly on networks with the US and Europe in the past, and the ministry hoped to build more connections with Latin America and the Islamic world, Minister of Culture Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) said at the time.
Asked about the minister's vision, Tzeng said the center he was proposing would focus more on teaching Mandarin.
Tzeng also spoke on globalization, saying that Taiwan needed to make more of an effort if it wanted to be part of the trend.
Taiwan had to become more open toward foreign talent by improving benefits for foreigners, he said.


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The Facility Improvement Projects (FIP) Department of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District provides construction and program management services for the District's facility improvement capital programs. Our goal is to be efficient and maintain precise implementation of the capital programs.
Our team is dedicated to the safety and security on campus and ensuring that construction projects never jeopardize student's safety. We create environmentally friendly spaces for students through sustainable initiatives such as outdoor learning spaces and we utilize sustainable materials such as recycled carpet and flooring. State of the art buildings are designed as we integrate new technology into classrooms for the success of the students and their future.
Focusing ideas, integrating partnerships, and producing a better place to learn!


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TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays played like the team that struggled mightily over the first month of the season on Tuesday night.
Making matters worse was the possibility that another significant player might be lost to injury.
Kendrys Morales left a 6-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians due to hamstring tightness. He was limping around the locker-room after the game with his left leg heavily taped.
"I'm not so concerned so far," Morales said via a translator. "We're going to do an MRI (exam) tomorrow and then we'll see how it's going to go from there. They're going to tell me if it's severe or not."
Losing the veteran cleanup hitter would be a blow to an offence that is already quite thin. Morales, who appeared to suffer the injury while running out a grounder, leads the team with six home runs and 20 RBIs this season.
The Blue Jays (12-21) are already without regulars Josh Donaldson (calf), Troy Tulowitzki (hamstring) and Russell Martin (shoulder). Starting pitchers Aaron Sanchez (finger) and J.A. Happ (elbow) are also on the disabled list.
Yan Gomes had two of Cleveland's seven hits — including a three-run homer in the eighth inning — and Carlos Carrasco threw seven shutout innings. The Indians starter gave up three hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out seven.
"I thought Carrasco was tremendous," said Indians manager Terry Francona. "He's obviously pitching with a lot of confidence and he should. He is in a good place. He's been consistent in his routines."
Andrew Miller and Nick Goody completed the four-hit shutout. The teams will play the rubber match of the three-game series Wednesday night at Rogers Centre.
Cleveland (18-14) scored twice in the second inning off Blue Jays starter Mike Bolsinger, who made his regular-season debut after a callup from triple-A Buffalo earlier in the day.
Bolsinger (0-1) turned in a respectable effort over 5 2/3 innings but was no match for Carrasco (4-2), who didn't allow a Toronto runner to reach second base until his final frame.
Bolsinger walked the first two batters in the second inning and both came around to score. Edwin Encarnacion came home on a Lonnie Chisenhall double and Jose Ramirez scored when Yandy Diaz hit into a fielder's choice.
Carrasco gave up a single to Ezequiel Carrera in the first inning, a single to Darwin Barney in the third and a slump-busting single to Jose Bautista — who ended an 0-for-21 skid — in the seventh.
Reliever Aaron Loup hit Brandon Guyer with a pitch in the eighth before giving up a single to Abraham Almonte. Gomes then belted his second homer of the season.
Bolsinger struck out four and allowed three hits, two earned runs and four walks. Announced attendance was 32,688 and the game took two hours 47 minutes to play.
Notes: For the second straight night, Encarnacion received a standing ovation before his first at-bat. ... Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Sanchez threw 60 pitches Tuesday as he continues to recover from a finger injury. He could return to the lineup for a Sunday start. ... Tulowitzki, meanwhile, might play in rehab games this weekend, Gibbons said. ... Bolsinger was 1-1 with a 1.46 earned-run average over four appearances at triple-A Buffalo. ... The Blue Jays designated right-hander Neil Ramirez for assignment before the game. ... Toronto left-hander Francisco Liriano (2-2, 4.44) is scheduled to start on Wednesday against right-hander Danny Salazar (2-3, 4.28).
Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.


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'Country' by Jeff Mann
Brice Brown, country music star & protagonist of Jeff Mann's Country, has little to be thankful for. After battling self-pity, self-loathing, religious bigotry, and just general small-town small-mindedness, Brice finally ascends from the downward spiral when a fan visits him on New Year's Day. … read more


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PropoZapp First Steps
We have started sketching what the solution would look like, we want two things: An app for your phone It will help you to find events to go to, will learn from your... READ MORE
Welcome to PropoZapp
Want to do something new? PropoZapp proposes to you events that are close, and are happening now. But PropoZapp doesn't stop here, the more you use it, the more it knows you and... READ MORE
Welcome to Runner Runner!
hi and welcome! the project, including its site, are still under development. READ MORE


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The round lens styling, metal bridge detail and distinctive frame surfacing of the Smith Bridgetown Sunglasses combine to form an elegant yet bold style. The refined design has subtle performance detailing like comfortable megol nose pads and a feather-light frame made from Evolve eco-material.
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We are Facebook friends. Your name is familiar to me, but I know not from where. It must be art. We have so many common friends; I looked.
It can be this way or not, but with some people being the aforementioned FB friends, you can get to know a lot about a person. Especially if they talk about passions and interests. Artists, of course are self-revealing. It is their business to sort and create.
Glenn is having a hard time with the immediacy of Facebook, and I get that. Only looking at it once in a while through me, even that much information is too much. This week in South Carolina after the massacre in Charleston, I took to Facebook, hard. We do not use television, so it provided some information.
There are some people who I have met briefly who have become my kindred souls on Facebook. Lucy, Pat: I know your faces, but I know what is going on under the visage much better. Choose the right words for a passionate issue, and there you are in your true self for almost all to know.
So. One of my favorite places is the Goodwill Clearance Center on Hwy 1 in Columbia. It is the last place inventory from all the Goodwill stores in the area fluffs itself up to try be sold. The inventory sells by the pound there, and on Sunday, it is half price for a pound. Books and things made of glass are cheaper per pound because they are heavy. But don't get me wrong, this stuff is not the worst of the worst from all the Goodwill stores. It is stuff that just happened not to sell. I bought a paint by number from the 50s/60s, framed and under glass for about a quarter. Any collector of these would be proud to have it. No flaws, perfect.
Two Sundays ago, the pickings were not so good for the special waste that is used in my sculptures. But the book selection was fantastic. Bought 8 heavy books, histories, biographies, my old algebra book from the 60s which I gave to my daughter. They cost me in total $1.95. Couldn't even get to the car without dropping them, so bountiful.
Above is one of the books. Copyrighted in 1957, I thought the compositions would be good to look at in thinking about sculpture, and they are mid-century interesting, but too vertical for me. I am a square composer, maybe a little bit horizontal, but mostly square. It is a great book, with hundreds of photos.
I need to sort and place things in the correct places. Through FB, I know that Betsy is interested in this stuff. Have to get this book in the right hands. Hope she does not already own it.


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The Block NZ is one of Mediawork's highest rating reality TV shows. The series sees various competitors battle it out DIY styles in order to scoop the biggest sales come auction night. For the 2016 season of The Block, the genders went head to head with teams of girls and boys hammering it out for the top prize.
To accompany the series, a bright, colourful execution was created with Brandspank art directing the post production. Bold colours with bursts of pigment and confetti were used to introduce the teams and their respective identifying colours.


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CLINTON � When voters go to work Monday, starting at 7 p.m. in town hall, they will decide the town budget, proposed at $40.7 million.
In addition, 32 warrant articles await voter action, including two put forth by citizen petitions, as well as four on the special town meeting warrant.
The articles could add another $3 million or more to the town spending, depending on the whim of voters.
Among major articles are those to fund a new fire engine at $500,000, renovate the track at the athletic complex at $300,000, continue work including asbestos removal at the middle school at $600,000 and fund textbooks and technology at $150,000.
Fire department radios
A citizens' petition will ask voters to support spending $470,000 on UHF radio equipment to replace existing emergency communication equipment for the fire department.
The firefighters have lobbied for the new system, arguing there are too many lapses in their communications, potentially putting firefighters as well as those they are helping at risk.
A study of the communication system recommended further examining the problems in an attempt to determine a definitive solution.
Among potential problems, one is being addressed, with a new radio tower being constructed to replace an old one that is coming down along with the old water tank on Burditt Hill. Selectmen and firefighters have disagreed on whether that might fix the problem, with selectmen wanting to wait until that change to see if the problem was solved.
Firefighters note the issues that can occur with their older radio equipment, some of which comes from different manufacturers.
Another issue is whether the fire and police can communicate on the same system. Each department has its own dispatchers and radio system, operating independently, and the ability to communicate between the departments is seen as a major safety issue.
The article would fund all new radios in the trucks, dispatch, radio tower and radios for every member of the department as well as multiple remote receivers around town to help with coverage, firefighter Dustin Whiteaker said. It would also "prepare us for the future federally mandated upgrades," he said. "The main issue is definitely system performance and reliability."
Whiteaker said the firefighters "have been trying vigorously to work with the town for three years and have documentation back to 2001 to show our requests for more and better radio equipment."
Concrete sidewalks
Another citizen's petition was placed on the warrant after a meeting to explain planned Water Street renovations to residents along the road. Although it was designed to answer questions for those from whom the town needs mostly temporary easements, it sparked one resident's desire to see the planned $5 million project made just a bit more attractive.
Joshua Thomason asked about concrete sidewalks, rather than the asphalt sidewalks that would be part of the federal and state-funded project.
He was told the town could not afford the estimated $500,000 cost, which the funding would not cover. The cost would also deplete town funds that would otherwise go to road repairs.
Thomason opted, however, to learn about democracy in action and bring the issue to town meeting, arguing the concrete sidewalks would not only be more attractive but last better than those made of asphalt. He said the existing sidewalks of concrete had lasted well, since about the 1960s, and concrete was estimated to last 50 years rather than 15 for asphalt, thus needing replacement, if funded, three times over the life of a concrete sidewalk.
"Asphalt walks would be seen as a downgrade," Thomason said. "Although probably nicer for the first few years, it won't take much time for them to deteriorate past the point of where our 50 years old sidewalks are now."
Thomason's article, put on with the signatures of 10 residents, seeks $500,000 for the costs, but he said Highway Superintendent Chris McGown later indicated a more detailed review of the concrete sidewalks put the additional cost at $152,000.
A motion on the floor of town meeting would be able to lower the amount sought for the sidewalks before voters determine if the additional cost is something they want to fund.
More business
Other major articles include two that would change the elected position of treasurer and collector to appointed positions, similar to that of many neighboring communities. Voters previously rejected the change, as recently as last year.
The arguments for the appointed position center around appointing professionals to the financial positions rather than having them elected, which could bring lesser qualified people to the positions. They would then report to the town administrator, rather than being elected.
A state Department of Revenue review in 2007 suggested making the positions appointed but that idea was rejected by voters that year.
"Because the treasurer, collector, the assessors and various boards are all elected, there is no accountability in town hall to a single management presence, and as a result, no real means to implement town-wide goals," that report said. "We continue to advocate for an appointed collector and treasurer even though a proposal to convert the positions was recently rejected by town meeting."
Supporters of the existing process argue voters have chosen qualified people.
In addition, there are oversights provided through accounting, from the state Department of Revenue to the town's annual audit, which current Treasurer Pat McIntyre, who is not seeking re-election next week, said has shown the town's finances are in very good shape and there were no issues. Annual audits often note items for the town to review, including small technical issues, but red flag any issues that could put the town or its accounting at risk. McIntyre said no problems have been flagged in recent audits.
"Over the last nine years there is not one thing listed as a material issue" in the annual audits of finances, McIntyre said.
He said items listed in the management letter have been whittled down, including things like filing protocol. An issue on dental withholding had been tabled by selectmen in past years, he said, but is finally being addressed this year.
"I can see the validity on both sides of the argument," McIntyre said, but added the town administration and selectmen had not sought information, such as tax receipts or the regular audits. He questioned whether that would be any different under an appointed treasurer and collector since the information was always available and he was willing to meet with selectmen.
McIntyre said the change would also not be a cost savings and noted using the oversight already in place "has to start from the top"
Previous efforts to make the positions appointed had also included making a similar change for town solicitor and assessors as well, and did not include the language in this year's articles that elected people in the positions would continue once the change was made.
Another article would fund town purchase of streetlights in downtown from National Grid, including along High Street, and start the process of replacing them with more decorative streetlights.
Residents will also be asked to add another $100,000 to renovating The Clinton Home into the town's new senior center, after added costs, such as asbestos removal and rewiring, upped the budget for the project, being funded partly with federal funds as well as money the town has contributed and grants.
Voters are being asked to increase the number of police sergeants from four to five, to reduce the number of sergeant shifts filled through overtime.
Some articles that were originally proposed for the warrant were removed and folded into the budget, such as some library roof repairs and gas heating conversion and improvements at Philbin Memorial Park..
Other articles will seek funding for: the town's health insurance trust fund at $150,000, property re-evaluation at $42,000; new voting machines and election booths at $40,800; Savage Field master plan study at $45,000; additional power capability at Central Park at $25,000; ice rink at $11,500; middle school improvements at $150,000; schools' snow plow truck at $60,000.
Several articles - such as the field renovation and asbestos removal at the schools - cost more than $300,000 and were structured to be dependent not only on passage at the town meeting, but with a debt exclusion at the June 9 election, also. The article for the fire department radios may be altered on the town meeting floor to operate the same way.
The special town meeting at 7 p.m. will ask voters to approve funding for retroactive wages negotiated in contracts for the current fiscal year: DPW at $25,914; Fire Department at $38,685; and Police Department at $66,788. A fourth article seeks to allocate $66,428 declared surplus to defray the 2012 overlay reserve, using funds left from an earlier year to help supplement higher than anticipated overlay spending in another year.


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The French Embassy in South Africa hosted a pre-departure information session at the Alliance Française of Pretoria on 30 July for the students leaving for France in September 2018. The Campus France office of South Africa [2] provided guidance for over 30 students on the administrative, academic and practical organisation in France. The students experienced a glimpse of the French culture and language through a language course offered by the Alliance Française of Pretoria, an information session about the travel opportunities by ATOUT FRANCE [3], and a French-style cocktail lunch. France alumni who benefitted from the scholarship programme in previous years shared their experience and advice and French enterprises in South Africa (TOTAL SA, Schneider Electric and Saint-Gobain) also presented their internship and career opportunities to the future French graduates. The students were also honoured to meet the South African higher education partners of France who attended the event, namely representatives from the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The NRF co-funds 5 of the students who will complete their Masters degrees in agriculture. A representative from INSEAD Alumni was also present to network with the students.
The French government, through the French Embassy scholarship programme [4], supports 45 students during the 2018/2019 academic year to pursue their masters and doctorate degrees. Ten of the 45 students will work along French researchers to complete part of their doctoral studies, while 26 students will integrate in full time masters programmes. The French government will, in addition, support 8 students for short exchange programmes during their masters degrees as well as one professor from the University of South Africa (UNISA), Dr DOS SANTOS, who will form part of the "Make our Planet Great Again (MOPGA) initiative. Some scholarship holders will continue their studies in French Higher Education institutions in 2019/2020 while others will return as France Alumni [5] ambassadors to invest their acquired skills in South Africa.
The France Alumni network of highly educated South African and Basotho professionals are increasing every year, forming part of the international France Alumni network consisting of almost 200 000 members.
France is highly committed to strengthening the collaboration between South African and French academic institutions and therefore encourages the public to consult their website www.soutafrica.campusfrance.org [6] for the study and financing opportunities in France.
For more information:
Mrs. Narine van den Berg
University Cooperation Officer
Embassy of France in South Africa – Campus France South Africa


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Emerald Centre
Is a co-ed, low barrier shelter that provides accommodation for women and men who are homeless. The centre operates 7 days a week, 365 days per year and provides 42 shelter beds. Clients are provided with a clean bed, meals and access to support workers plus a case management team that works closely with them Case Managers possess in-depth knowledge of available services and focus on housing placement and stability.
Emerald Centre provides harm reduction services for people who use substances to get help and protect our community. The shelter distributes supplies for safe drug use, teach about safe drug use and refer clients to a range of services that enhance the knowledge, resources, and supports for individuals.
Temporary Winter Shelter
is open to the city's homeless population from November 1 – March 31, 7 days a week. The temporary shelter is very low barrier and accepts clients as they come. Clients are provided with meals, a warm place to sleep, and access to case management services.


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The regiment doesn't even feature in Grant, but was 2 squadrons strong at Blenheim numbering about 100 men in total - the following section of the Order of Battle is from Wikipedia, and is what I normally use as my reference..... I now have one squadron from each of the regiments in the brigade (I must have a group photo at some time!)
|Marechal de Camp, the Duc d'Humeries
|Merode-Westerloo's Brigade (Spain)
Comte de Merode-Westerloo
|la Valliere's Brigade
Marquis de la Valliere
|Silly's Brigade
Marquis de Silly
|The Franco Bavarian horse ; more horseflesh than a cheap supermarket beef burger!
With no uniform source, the thoroughly knowledgeable chaps over at the Early Linear Warfare Yahoo group agreed that my suggested colour scheme of grey with red cuffs was sound - it seemed a no-brainer given that at least 80% of the French cavalry was similarly accoutred!
|I like the grey second from the left... quite pleased with that...
I know his full name was the Chevalier (Sir) Michael de Ligonday (I'll stick with that though I think this is an Anglicized version of his actual French name Ligondès), that he was a Knight of Malta, and a member of the House of Auvergne (the same family as the noted French general the Vicomte de Turenne).
From the Histoire des chevaliers hospitaliers de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem ..., Volume 7 - year 1689
"Michel de Ligondès le 22 juillet: d'azur semé de mollettes d'or, au lion rampant de même. Combraille"
..which is the reference to when he was knighted (22nd July 1689), then his coat of arms, and that he came from Combraille (about as central as you can get on a map of France)
He was captured after Blenheim and sent as prisoner to Britain.
While here it would appear he married the widow of the 5th Viscount Killmorey, Frances (maiden name Fowler); this was her third marriage as she'd also previously been married to Theophilus Earl of Huntington (who died 1701)
"thirdly the Chevalier de Ligonday Colonel or Horse one of the French Prifoners taken with Count Tallard at the Battle of Hockstet (Blenheim)....
I found a reference on-line to an extract from "A brief historical relation of state affairs, from September 1678 to April 1714" as follows:
|Gaspard du Ligondes
..the marriage was sometime before July 1706 so occurred while he was on parole - there is also the following interesting statement:
"This marriage was regarded by the Government and the Queen as a grave "affront done to her authority." see The Complete Peerage vol. 6 p. 660"
He was the second son of Gaspard du Ligondes
(1633-1709) and according to the only web site I've found that has information on him he was:
- commisioned as a cornet in the cavalry regiment Mestre de Camp in 1690
- lieutenant in 1691,
- captain in 1692,
- major of the regiment Ligondès in 1701
- colonel of the same regiment in 1703
- he was given the regiment by his father on May 10, 1704, "after several brilliant actions".
Figures are 15mm and from Freikorps [clicky](they are actually sold under their Seven years war range but at this scale the later period is hardly noticeable) - simple paint job.. I went with azure blue saddle cloths and pistol covers in homage to the Ligonday coat of arms which has an azure blue background..


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Tiffany Haddish was another star seeing things in black and white at the 2018 Met Gala on Monday (May 7) in New York City.
This custom Brandon Maxwell design featured a tailored white shirt and train paired against glittery black trousers.
It was an interesting way to interpret the theme yet I was getting more of a reverse tuxedo sensibility than a monastic-inspired spirit. What about you?
Credit: Getty


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So Thursday night I went to bed around 9, exhausted from a few stressful days and not sleeping well for a couple. I thought I'd be out in seconds. Nope. Lay awake for hours. But it was still restful so I just relaxed and figured I would eventually fall asleep. At about 3am I finally took an Ambien. Still no help, but I lay in bed, still sorta resting but not quite sleeping and too tired to get up and do anything else. At about 8 or 9 am I KNEW I had to get some real sleep so I took a Klonopin and a mild muscle relaxer. FINALLY SLEEP. With the exception of getting up to use the restroom a few times I slept till about 10pm, when my husband came from work. (And I mean REALLY SLEPT. I WAS OUT.)
When he got home, we had something to eat and watched a little tv. And by 11 I was ready to go back to bed. Just so freaking tired! So that's what I did. And I slept again until about 3pm. Got up for a bit, hung out with the husband, started feeling sick to my stomach around 9 so I went to lay down a while. Got up a couple hours later then finally went to bed again at 2am. Slept until about 8pm Sunday. He's working overnight again so I HAD to stay awake but all I wanted to do was go back to bed. I haven't eaten hardly a thing the last few days. Everytime I eat I just get terrible consequences (yay for IBD). So I have no energy. I'm exhausted, depressed, and all I can think about is how I wish I would just die already. What God or WHOEVER is asking of me is just too hard and I want to be done. I struggle to see the point of me living when I am spending most of it in bed. And it this point I just feel crappy all the time and can't get excited about the things I love. I don't think I'd say I'm suicidal. I'm too damn stubborn. But I would happily die in my sleep. I had a scope for my jpouch last Monday and a teeny tiny part of me hoped I wouldn't wake up from anesthesia. I knew I would, so the disappointment was small when I did. But it just sounds like such a great way to go. And I don't know what I'm really holding on to right now.
There's just soooo much that I feel I will never find my way out of. Dealing with things, weights, emotions, depressions, fears, anxieties, beliefs, etc. I've carried my whole life. That alone weighs a TON. Now I'm being asked to deal with this chronic illness that should have technically been "cured" when I had surgery… nobody seems to know what to do to help me anymore with that. I'm afraid this is the life I have to look forward to. I scares me, it depresses me, and I just want to go to sleep because i can't deal with it all right now.
This song has meant a lot of different things to me over the years, but it seems to fit here pretty perfectly.
Tool, "The Patient"
(lyrics are in the video)
And now its 5:30am and I am going to try to get some sleep before therapy this afternoon. Back to bed it is!


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ESTROMON ESTROGEN 0.625mg - 400 Kapsules
Estromon (0.625mg) Indications: Menopausal symptoms, ovarian dysfunction, function uterine bleeding and senile vaginitis. Dosage: As directed by the physician. Author's Comment: Estromon is a generic of the Premarin reg. which is widely prescribed by doctors for women who's body had stopped producing estrogen. Estrogen are responsible for the development and maintenance of the female reproductive system and secondary sex cha racteristic such as growth of vagina, uterus, fallopian tubes and the enlargement of the breasts.
Quantity : 1 Box : 100 Tabs/Box


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It will probably not surprise you to hear that I have a huge stash of fabric at home. There is a box of linen under my bed, an amazing stack of vintage chintz in my closet and a whole archive of Seasonal Liberties in my sewing cabinet. All of it was purchased with the best of intentions, but intention does not always equal inspiration. And so my stash waits.
Michael Miller's Organic Sherpa reminds me a bit of all my sidelined fabrics. Soft, squishy and huggable, Sherpa is love at first sight; but while it is completely irresistible, it is also unique, and without the right vision, all its plush perfection can end up folded on a shelf.
Purl Soho has carried Michael Miller's Organic Sherpa since 2007. In the seven years since, we've only featured it once on the Bee, until this season, when you may have noticed that we've become a bit infatuated with it. From blankets to bonnets, Organic Sherpa is no longer floundering in our stash!
And so, caught up in the fever, I've whipped up another Sherpa creation. This time I've paired it with Kiyohara's beautiful and subtle Linen Blend Solids to make a Cozy Sewn Cowl. Soft and comfortable, this cowl is so easy to wear and even easier to make. So easy, in fact, I've made two: one in an adult size and one for kids.
Now, if I could only think of what to do with all that chintz! – Corinne
- Lining: 1 yard Michael Miller's Organic Sherpa, 100% organic cotton
- Outer Fabric: 1 yard Kiyohara Linen Blend Solids, 85% cotton, 15% linen. I used Lavendar for the child's size and Brown for the adult.
- A spool of Gutermann's 100% Cotton Thread
You will also need . . .
- A walking foot for your sewing machine
These are enough materials to make one adult and one child sized scarf or two child sized scarves.
53 inches in circumference by 10 ½ inches wide
47 inches in circumference by 7 inches wide
Prewash all fabrics before starting. This is particularly important with the Organic Sherpa, which shrinks quite a bit with its first wash and dry.
Use ¼-inch seam allowances unless otherwise noted.
The right side of the Organic Sherpa is the fuzzy side.
Cut two rectangles (27 by 11 inches for the Adult size and 24 by 7 ½ inches for the Child size) from both the Lining and the Outer Fabric. Make sure that the long side of each rectangle runs parallel to the selvedge.
(The measurements are given as a guide. You can easily adjust the size of your cowl, just be sure to cut all 4 rectangles to the same dimensions.)
Sew the Tube
With rights sides facing, stack the two Outer Fabric rectangles on top of each other and pin along one short edge.
Sew along this pinned edge.
Now, change the foot of your sewing machine to the walking foot and repeat with the Lining.
Press the seams open.
With right sides facing, stack the Outer Fabric rectangle on top of the Lining rectangle. Pin along the two long sides. Sew along these pinned edges.
You may find that the Lining is slightly wider than the Outer Fabric at the center seam. This is because the knit of the Sherpa stretches when sewn against the grain. When pinning and sewing, keep the edge of the Outer Fabric straight and allow the Lining to bulge out a bit at this point. Trim any overhang in the seam allowance after sewing.
Turn the tube right side out through one open side and press flat.
Connect the Ends
Fold the tube in half, right sides together. Line up and pin together the raw edges of the Outer Fabric, making sure to line up the side seams.
Sew along the pinned edge, being careful to only sew through the two Outer Fabric layers. This seam can get a little awkward. I advise taking it slow, sewing an inch or two at a time, and then, with the needle in the down position, rearranging the fabric for the next inch or two.
Now, starting from the side seams and sewing toward the center, sew the Lining together with right sides facing, leaving a 3 inch gap between the seams.
Use a ladder stitch to close the gap at the center of the seam. Here's how: Thread a length of cotton thread onto a needle. (For the example photos we used red thread, but you will use the matching sewing thread.)
Fold the raw edges of the Lining ¼ inch toward the wrong side, so that they align with the adjacent seams. Pull the needle from the wrong side to the right side of the hem's fold so that the thread's knot is inside the cowl.
Insert the needle into the opposite fold, directly across from the exit point, picking up about ¼ inch of fabric.
Go back and forth like this, entering across from the last exit point and sewing through the fold, until you reach the end of the opening. Tie a knot at the end.
Pull the thread through the cowl and snip it at the exit point to hide the end.
Your cowl is ready to wear!


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Sofitel announces five new hotels across Middle East and China
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The Lenovo P70 smartphone has just been announced by the Chinese manufacturer as the latest competitor in the crowded midrange segment. The highlight of the smartphone is the massive 4,000 mAh battery.
This promises 32 days of standby time on 2G networks and 30 days if you're functioning on a 4G network. The battery life during normal usage will differ based on the kind of tasks the device is running.
This is a true midrange handset as far as hardware is concerned and comes with a 5 inch 720p IPS display, an octa core 1.7 GHz MediaTek MT6752 chipset, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 13-megapixel camera on the back, a 5-megapixel front camera and Android 4.4 KitKat.
Even with the relatively large battery, the device is only 8.9mm thick, so Lenovo has given enough thought to the design of the handset.
The smartphone has been priced at 1,399 CNY ($220) and is available for purchase in some parts of Europe as well. The pricing is quite decent for a smartphone of this caliber and will certainly make some noise in the Asian midrange segment.
Source: Lenovo
Via: Android Central


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Bahrain 'ready' to host Formula 1 race
|By Jonathan Noble
|Saturday, May 7th 2011, 11:31 GMT
Bahrain Grand Prix chiefs say they are now 'ready' for the Formula 1 race to be reinstated on the calendar this season.
You have viewed over 15 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.


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text: The perfect pants for all Scouting occasions are now available in a ladies style featuring a new flattering custom fit and new sizing. Durable 67% cotton/33% polyester canvas-weave fabric is finished to stay virtually wrinkle-free and yet still weather the outdoors. Developed specifically for the BSA in forest-green; pants come unhemmed so you can customize length. UPF rating of 40+. Size 8 equates to a 29″-29.5″ waist.


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Booktalk for Pemba's Song: A Ghost Story
6–8, 9–12
There was something strange in the old house-or was it someone strange?
It started the very first night they spent in the old Connecticut house. The dreams, The sleepwalking. The face in the mirror that Pemba didn't recognize, but that still looked vaguely familiar. The soft whisper of sound, "My friend..."
Pemba hadn't wanted to leave Brooklyn to live in a small town in Connecticut. But her mom had a new teaching job in Hartford, so they moved. It was an old house, one that needed cleaning and loving care. That first night, Pemba went to sleep in her bedroom, and woke up the next morning on the hard, dusty floor in the attic. How had she gotten there, and why? And who was the brown-skinned girl she'd dreamed about? What was she trying to tell Pemba? What secret was she so desperate to share?
How do you help a ghost? How do you solve a mystery that's hundreds of years old? Pemba doesn't know, but she's determined to try!
This booktalk was written by university professor, librarian, and booktalking expert Joni Richards Bodart.


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We store your records, packaged inside special archiving carton-boxes - with full relevant records - at the specially designed management centres of Archeiothiki. We offer integrated management services with retrievals, physical and electronic deliveries, destruction, etc. based on SLAs (Service-Level Agreements) tailored to your needs.
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A permanent solution is provided for the storage and management of your information, lowering the risk and reducing your operating cost by at least 30%, because resources are freed up and professionally managed, while at the same time, your information is kept using high levels of security.
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You ensure security for your records and data, putting to use the most secure and reliable solutions for keeping, storing, and managing your sensitive files and information.


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Employers Stereotype People with Disabilities! Help debunk these myths.
MYTH: Employees with disabilities have a higher absentee rate than employees without disabilities.
FACT: Studies by firms such as DuPont show that employees with disabilities are not absent any more than employees without disabilities.
MYTH: Considerable expense is necessary to accommodate workers with disabilities.
FACT: 20% of accommodations cost nothing. 70% of workers with disabilities require no accommodations at all. Nationally, the average cost of an accommodation is $35.
That bright line of eligibility has haunted the disability working world for far too long. The story is well known: A person with a disability or chronic condition relies on Medicaid for health care and is faced with a welcome job opportunity; maybe a job offer, maybe going from part-time to full-time, maybe just earning a merit raise.
Sounds good, right?
Yet the risk is scary. You cross the invisible line, making too much money to be eligible for Medicaid and not enough to afford private insurance, meanwhile medical and prescription bills pile up as living with a disability doesn't come cheap. In short, the job opportunity is welcome but it comes with the disincentive of losing critical health benefits.
But wait...
Medicaid Buy-In beckons "Go to work. Keep Medicaid. It's a new day!"
Few people are aware that the State of Texas authorized Medicaid Buy-In back in 2005, modernizing the employment services system for people with disabilities. In other words, Texans with disabilities are no longer forced to choose between taking a job and having health care. Medicaid Buy-In allows people of any age who have a disability and are working to receive Medicaid by paying a small monthly premium ($20-$40/month) based on earned income. The premiums for unearned income can be higher, depending on the amount of unearned income.
Why do we hear so little about Medicaid Buy-In? Texas just received the Medicaid Infrastructure Grant. One of the major objectives of that grant is to increase enrollment in the Medicaid Buy-In program to assist people with disabilities as they pursue or maintain employment. We can help with spreading this great news to the disability community.
Those transitioning from high school should especially check this out. The next generation has significant earning potential through Medicaid Buy-In, no longer haunted by that magic number constantly reminding them of how little they must earn to keep their benefits.
Now that we have incentive to move up the career ladder and pursue our dreams, what does Medicaid Buy-In require of us? To be eligible for the Medicaid Buy-In program, you must have a disability (defined by Social Security Administration), a job (earned income), and must meet the financial eligibility requirements for the State of Texas. Those receiving waiver benefits like CBA, CLASS and HCS will soon be eligible. There's some real encouragement in this program; for example resources set aside as your Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) won't affect your eligibility. It's time to TAKE ACTION and find out the details for yourself. Click on http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/MBI.html for information and email Elizabeth Gregowicz of DARS at firstname.lastname@example.com or Bridgette McEntire of HHSC email@example.com.
Complete this survey to improve our State's employment support services.
Texas is working, through a federal grant project called the Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG), to improve employment support services for people with disabilities. As part of this effort, The University of Texas School of Social Work (UTSSW) is conducting an on-line consumer employment survey for persons with disabilities. The purpose of this survey is to examine gaps in existing employment support services for people with disabilities and to identify ways that the system might be improved to better meet the employment needs of people with disabilities. The survey should take about 10-15 minutes to complete. Your participation in this survey is completely voluntary. All responses are confidential and no identifying information will be collected as part of the survey.
You may complete the survey in either English or Spanish. The links below will take you to a cover letter for the survey. In the cover letter you will find links to the survey along with a password that will allow you to access the survey.
English version: http://webspace.utexas.edu/streeter/www/cvrltrENG.doc
Spanish version: http://webspace.utexas.edu/streeter/www/cvrltrSPA.doc


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Rhinoceros or rhino species are among the largest land mammals to exist weighing in at least a tonne. There are five extant species, three of which are found in Southern Asia and two in Africa. Rhinos are often classified by their huge mass, leathery armour and keratin horn.
All rhino species are herbivorous; they generally graze on grass or eat leafy bushes and lack front teeth. The Indian and the Javan rhinoceros both only have one horn while the Black, White and Sumatran rhinoceros sport two large horns.
Rhino's are critically endangered. The white rhino has two subspecies; the Northern and the Southern white rhinoceros. While the Southern white rhino has a wild population over 20,000 the Northern subspecies is almost completely extinct, with only three animals left in captivity.
Rhino's are at risk of extinction due to habitat loss and poaching. In Vietnam the illegal rhinoceros horn trade circulates millions of dollars each year. People use the horn for medicinal purposes even though there is no scientific proof of its benefits. To get the horn from a rhino, the animal must be killed first, leading to the huge decline in the wild population of all species.
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TheyGotFit is a tool inspired by /r/progresspics. I wrote it after being frustrated by looking through page after page for people with my weight who have made the transformation I wanted to make.
TheyGotFit is also an exercise in engineering and product management. After ater completing Codecademy Labs early in 2015, I wanted to apply the skills I was learning and build a tool I myself would use. TheyGotFit is built on Ruby on Rails with jQuery and Bootstrap.
TheyGotFit currently has 159 users who've contributed a total of 30 records.
When I'm not untangling routes or obsessing over pixels, you can find me composing music, working out, crowdfunding, and helping build things people love at NYC tech startups.
Have a suggestion or a comment, or just want to say hello? I'd love to hear from you. You can leave a comment, shoot me an email, or tweet me @maxverse.