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Last night I woke up numerous times for numerous reasons. Once the moon shone right into the room. It was one of those insanely strong moonshines brewed by a redneck stuck somewhere in the sky. Everything was lit up, white and clear. The bars on the window broke the light into different countries, square and rectangular borders of white that allowed none of their citizens interaction. The light reached all the way to the other side of the room and I considered drawing the curtains because I thought I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep with so much light in my room.
There's a line sometimes between dreams and wakefulness. It's not completely distinct, it's not a line that keeps things in place instead it's a kind of shimmering. Somewhere that things are exchanged and fly between each other reminding us that the dream world and this one are relatives of a sort. This has been happening to me a lot. It's not just the moon that wakes me up, sometimes I need to pee and I half wake up, half dream. It's a lazy dream, well they are all lazy but what I mean is I am not completely into it. Half of me wants to give over to the dream and the other half wants to wake up and walk to the toilet. Then I lie in bed in conflict occupying this no-man's land between dreams and wake. Until I finally get up and then I can go back to sleep completely. Sometimes I am woken up by a radio or by a sound. Not immediately shaken awake but transported to that land slowly and softly. The music I am listening to begins to accompany the dreams I have or maybe it's that the dreams I have are moulding themselves to the music I am listening to. There is a soundtrack overlay to what I see, suddenly it's not just what I was dreaming about but sometimes the lyrics find their way in. they speak to my mind and demand a visual release. There are songs I can remember seeing, not hearing but actually seeing unfold. These are usually songs with stories in them and instead of hearing the lyrics to the song I see actors act out what's happening.
There's also a thin line that separates a year from a another. I like to have it more defined; I try to finish all the books I am reading in that year. I try to finish all the TV shows but it doesn't always work and then it's a new year. I stopped expecting much from them. There's no opening up of the sky when the year makes a turn, there's no magical impetus to change into someone new. I still believe in them though. This invisible line where nothing changes and nothing matters on one side or the other can be infused with so much meaning that it matters. I see it like the equator. This is not even a line in the ground. My high school had the equator pass through it and you couldn't see it. There was nothing there. But you could feel its effects, the way water turns one way on one side and another way on the other. The way it falls straight down when poured down the middle. The thing about the New Year's is that it gives us all those things humans need in their myths. The three r's. Redemption, Resurrection and Reinvention. A chance to become something new and better. To put off the clothes that became your character that became you last year. To tear off the skin that sticks so close you can hardly breathe and fashion for yourself a new costume, a new you. Suddenly just because the date changed it feels like so can you. 12 wasn't great for you well 13 can be a lucky number.
There was a song I used to love when I was younger; this photograph is proof by Taking Back Sunday. It had this beautiful lyric about a certain line in a relationship, "it's never bad enough to just leave or give up but it's never good enough to feel right." This is something that applies to so many areas of life it's ridiculous. That moment of melancholy. Not even melancholy because at least that's a feeling. This instead speaks to a certain unease. An unease we have all felt, one that comes with the taste of compromise. The feeling of no one being happy. When we aren't alive enough to be tasting the air or to be gulping the water or to be loving the world at the same time it's not a black feeling. We aren't at that point in life where shit is fucked up. In fact it's ok. It's that moment when you answer questions about how things are going by saying you can't complain. It is true that you can't complain. There's really nothing to complain about your life is on a plateau and if you keep walking you will end up somewhere. However it doesn't have the promise of walking up a mountain which is difficult, it's filled with scratches and falls. Your palm hurts, your knees ache, your thighs scream bloody murder but you take a deep breath of air and look around you and it's good enough to feel right. Or you could be walking into a valley. It's filled with darkness and uncertainty. All the steps you take are about stopping yourself from going down too far too fast but at the same time there's a feeling of anticipation. Your heart hammers in your throat, your neck throbs with expectation and excitement and in your deepest fears you feel alive. If it gets much worse though it is bad enough to leave or give up. The middle line though is easy to settle into. It's easy to live there.
Therefore I do have a new year's resolution. It was recently brought to my attention that I use the word am instead of the words I am or I'm. I'm going to change that. It's one of those things, one of those small things, it's never bad enough to just leave or give up but it's never good enough to feel right. This year I want things to feel right.


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Stacey & ChrisJuly 15, 2016
We're well into wedding season now and we just wanted to take a minute to share a few of our early favourites from Stacey and Chris' wedding day. The entire wedding was shot at the beautiful Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata.
Thanks for trusting us to shoot your special day, we can't wait to show you the rest of these!

subset: commoncrawl


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Posted on: 28th March 2017
Regina Akhmadeeva knows what advice she would give her teenage self. "Have your own opinion, don't be afraid…don't be afraid to open up."
They are sterling words from this poised, articulate woman who says her time at Surval made her who she is today. Now 26 years old, Regina is finishing off her PhD in Human Resources, speaks several languages and counts among her best friends, former Surval pupils from around the world.
She has come a long way from the shy 13-year-old who first attended Summer Camp at Surval in 2003, speaking minimal English. She credits Surval with helping her find the wings to take flight, recalling the difference its individualised, intimate, and international atmosphere made to her. "In many ways, it changed me. It was difficult for me when I was in Russia for example to answer some questions in school. They were telling me your answer is so bad you're going to get a bad grade. Here, when I arrived at Surval, the first thing they told me was there is no right or wrong answer."
She says she benefitted from the lack of a rigid structure at Surval, where each girl is treated as an individual and encouraged to have "liberty of your thoughts, express yourself in a way you would like to, share". Much of this individuality of approach comes from Surval's size, says Regina, who swapped classes of 35 in Russia for a class of eight on her BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) programme. "It is not even the word to say important, it is vital. It's just so important to feel you're in a small family, everybody takes care of you."
The international aspect of Surval's schooling introduced Regina to lifelong friends - women from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Ukraine – gave her the skills to communicate with anyone and made her much more open-minded. Throughout her time at Surval, Regina's confidence grew and she completed the BBA programme in 2010. Returning this Spring to Surval, Regina saw that some of the spaces and faces she remembered had changed, but the elements that make Surval so unique have not. It's a place where memories were made and dreams created, somewhere she will always be fond of. She recalls the guidance she received from its former director Mr Sidler. "He talked to each one individually and it really helped a lot; even to me, one day he looked into my eyes and said, 'Regina, I think you're going to stay in Switzerland, and I didn't even know French at the time." He was right. Regina now calls Switzerland – and Montreux - her home. Her eyes light up when she's asked how important the setting of Surval was to her school experience. "The location is the best. I never get used to it. Now I go for a walk and I see Surval, I always see Surval. I always have some warm thoughts. I still think it was the best days, the best times."
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10th July 2018
15th June 2018


text: AS SHOCKING AS IT MAY SOUND, NOT ONE IN ONE HUNDRED CHRISTIANS UNDERSTAND WHAT BEING SAVED BY GRACE REALLY MEANS. IN THIS ARTICLE THE TRUTH WILL BE MADE PLAIN by Keith Hunt "For by GRACE are you saved through faith, and not of yourselves, it is the GIFT of God.." many will quote this verse of Eph.2:8 and tell you the law of God has been abolished. But Jesus answered the young man who asked Him how he might have eternal life, by saying, "IF YOU WILL ENTER INTO LIFE, KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS" (Mat.19:17). Many say LAW and GRACE do not mix! Is that true? How can we reconcile what Christ said to the rich young man, and what Paul wrote to the Ephesians? Was Jesus and Paul of different opinions as to HOW a person is SAVED? The way of Salvation can be understood - your Bible makes it PLAIN - here then is the truth of HOW YOU can have eternal life. ALL OF GOD'S WORD The verse in Eph.2:8 is an inspired part of God's revelation to man - but so also is Mat.19:17 ! Do you believe what Paul wrote to the Ephesian church? Do you believe what Jesus said to the young man? If you believe that the Bible is INSPIRED, your answer must be a resounding YES! Jesus said elsewhere that the scripture can not be BROKEN - in other words, there cannot be any CONTRADICTIONS in the word of God. The verse, "For by grace are you saved" is true - very true. No one can save themselves by their WORKS. You can work, perform, DO THINGS for a thousand life times, and still you will never WORK your way into eternal life. Your WORKS, of themselves, will NOT save you. God's salvation is a gift - it comes by the way of GRACE through faith. But can God's grace be turned into something He never intended? Yes indeed! Jude wrote towards the end of the first century A.D. that, "....when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith that was ONCE DELIVERED unto the saints(even BEFORE the end of the first century the way of salvation was being corrupted) for there are CERTAIN MEN crept in UNAWARES( they looked like Christians but were deceivers)....UNGODLY men(not speaking the truth of God's word ) TURNING (changing, doing something other than what God intended) the GRACE of God into LASCIVIOUSNESS(a license to sin)...." verse 3,4. God's grace was being ABUSED, twisted, turned into something other than what God said it was. SOMETHING YOU CAN EARN! Salvation comes as a GIFT - by grace - given to us by the Father. Our works, our deeds cannot EARN us the right to eternal life. But there is something we can most definitely EARN - by what we have performed. Turn to Rom.6:23 and read there what it is we can EARN, "For the wages(the payment we are rightly due because we've worked for it) of SIN is DEATH....." What we have earned by sinning is DEATH - that is the eternal death, the SECOND death (Rev.20:4-~6,14-15), from which there is no resurrection. Again the last part of verse 23 says that eternal life is God's FREE gift - His to give to us - not something we can demand because we've earned it. WHAT IS SIN ? We can earn by sin - DEATH! The next question we should ask and answer is "what IS sin?" What does God say sin is? Does He define it for us, or is it left to us to decide what sin is? The word of God does define sin for us. The Bible definition is - never forget this verse - 1 Jn.3:4, "Whosoever commits SIN transgresses also the LAW: for sin IS the transgression of the LAW." Now what law is John speaking about? Paul answers, "....I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known LUST, except the law had said, YOU SHALL NOT COVET " (Rom.7:7). What law contains the command "you shall not covet"? Why, the TEN commandment law of EX.20. The marginal reference of many Bibles will, for verse 7, take you to the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. James further testifies that if we break only ONE of these commands of God, we are guilty - we become a transgressor - we SIN! "For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For He that said, do not commit adultery, also said, do not kill. Now if you commit no adultery, yet if you kill, you have become a transgressor of the law" (James 2:10,11). WHO HAS SINNED ? Sin then is breaking any one of God's TEN commandments, as amplified by Jesus Christ and the entire word of God (see Jesus' amplification of the law in Mat.5 - 7).Has anyone kept the law of God completely perfectly - so no sin was incurred? Yes! Speaking about Jesus Christ, Paul wrote, that He was tempted like we all are, but He never sinned - not once (Heb.4:15). What about the rest of mankind? Are only some sinners while the rest are not? The Psalmist wrote, "The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are ALL together filthy: there is NONE that doeth good, no, NOT 0NE" (Ps.14:2,3). Paul translates this passage as, "There is NONE righteous, no not one(righteousness is defined as all God's commandments - Ps.1l9:172). - there is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God ..... there is none that does good, no not one" (Rom.3:10-l2). God inspired Paul in verse 23 of this third chapter of Romans to write, "For AII HAVE SINNED, and come short of the glory of God." Earlier in this chapter Paul had stated, "...for we have before proved both Jew and Gentile, that they are ALL under sin" (verse 9). All mankind has sinned - the only exception was Jesus Christ. He only of all humans was without sin. He alone has kept the law of God completely perfectly - all the rest have broken that law - have SINNED - have earned the wages of sin - DEATH. CUT OFF FROM GOD God is HOLY (1 Pet.1:15,16). He is PERFECT (Mt.5:48). His very nature and character is that of perfection. GOD the Father and Christ Jesus are RIGHTEOUS (1 Jn.3:7) - there is NO sin in them at all (v.5). God's law is PERFECT (Ps. 19:7). His commandments are RIGHTEOUSNESS (Ps.119:172). God's righteousness is FOREVER (Ps.111:3). To sin, as we have seen is to BREAK, go against the very character of God - His perfect HOLY, SPIRITUAL law (Rom.7:12,l4). The Father and Son have never sinned, but the rest of mankind, all mankind - YOU and I, have sinned - have broken that perfect and holy law. What has this sinning of ours done to our relationship with the Father ? God answers us through the prophet Isaiah, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it can not save, neither His ear heavy, that it can not hear, BUT your INIQUITIES (our sins) have SEPARATED between you and your God, and your SINS have hid his face from you, that He will not hear" (Isa.59:1-2). Our sins have cut us off from God - we stand condemned to DEATH, our wicked deeds, our WORK of sin has earned for us the wages of death. But God the Father is a God OF LOVE (1 Jn.4:8). Although we deserve to die, He loves us - He wants to SAVE us from death. The Father, even before the foundation of the World, knew mankind would sin, and so He planned HOW man could be rescued from the penalty of sin - death. God had determined to save us, not according to OUR WORKS, but according to His own purpose(plan) and GRACE, which was given us in Christ Jesus BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN (2 Tim.l:9). God had determined to buy us back from death through His very own Son - and this plan of redemption was formulated before the world was founded (1 Pet.1:19,20). God is so wonderful and merciful that He gave His only begotten SON, that whosoever believes in Him should NOT PERISH, but have EVERLASTING LIFE (JN.3: 16). Sin - our sins, have separated us from God - have cut us off, but there is a way we can be reconciled - the Father has made a way possible by which our sins can be forgiven, and the death sentence taken away from us. GOD'S CALL TO MANKIND The first step to salvation that we must do is to respond to the CALL of God, "For the promise(of forgiveness of sins) is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall CALL" (Acts 2:39). What does God CALL OUT? Paul tells us, "And the times of this ignorance God winked at, BUT NOW commands all men everywhere to REPENT" (Acts 17:30). Jesus said, "I tell you....except you REPENT, you shall all likewise PERISH" ( Luke 1 3:5). God inspired Isaiah to write, "Seek you the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near: Let the wicked FORSAKE HIS way, and the un- righteous man his thoughts: and let him RETURN unto the Lord, and He will have MERCY(grace) upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly PARDON" (Isa.55:2,7). On the day of PENTECOST, Peter cried out to the people, "REPENT (be broken up over being sinners, change your way of life) and be BAPTIZED every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, FOR the REMISSION (the forgiveness) of SINS..." (Acts 2:38). A little later Peter again shouted, "REPENT you therefore, and be CONVERTED (be charged, be turned into something different) that (in order that) your SINS may be blotted out" (Acts 3:19). We are sinners - sin has cut us off from God - we are under the sentence of death. But God says if we REPENT of being sinners - if we are willing to CHANGE, to be converted to His thoughts and ways, our sins can be FORGIVEN - blotted out of the book of death, so to speak. Listen again to what God calls out to us through the apostle John, "If we CONFESS our sins, He is faithful and just to FORGIVE us our sins, and to cleans us from all unrighteousness" (1 Jn.l:9). Another time, "He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whosoever CONFESSES and FORSAKES them shall have MERCY" (Prov.28:13) . Just as a MURDERER on death row must show by a humble, contrite, repentant attitude, he is broken up over what he has done, and never wants to commit that crime again, if he is to stand any chance of obtaining MERCY or GRACE, so it is with us before God. We must show God that we have repented of our transgression of His holy law - that we want to CHANGE our way of life to conform to His way. Upon manifesting that attitude, God says He will show us MERCY - our sins will be blotted out - FORGIVEN. And just as the murderer on death row cannot possibly EARN his forgiveness by his repentant attitude, or anything he can do after he has murdered, so with us. Our repentance does not, cannot EARN our forgiveness with God. It is merely a CONDITION that the Father lays down in order for us to receive His free pardon of our sins. When rightly understood, even the ability to come to repentance is a gift from God. As no one can come to Christ, accept Him as Savior, UNLESS the Father DRAWS him with His Spirit. You will see this truth by reading these scriptures: John 6:44,65; 16:13; 2 Tim..2: 24-26. We do have our part to do - we must HUMBLE ourselves - have the proper kind of respectful fear of God (Isa. 66:2) and then God will look to us - give to us as one of His gifts the ability to REPENT which in turn leads to the forgiveness of our sins through faith in Christ Jesus. WHAT IS GOD'S GRACE ? It is written, "....the Lord is GRACIOUS...." (Ps. 111:4). The word "grace'' can have manifold meanings. The WORLD BOOK DICTIONARY gives a long passage as to the various meanings of the word "grace." But in connection with THEOLOGY they say, "God's free and UNDESERVED favor to and love for mankind....." They also state grace is, "MERCY, CLEMENCY, PARDON, FORGIVENESS." If someone has done you WRONG and justice would demand they pay the prescribed penalty for his their wrong actions, but you have compassion on them and put aside the right to exercise the justice of the law, you have shown CLEMENCY, you have had MERCY, you have granted PARDON, you have been GRACIOUS, shown GRACE to the wrong doer. Grace or mercy is a quality of character that comes from a person, where he could just as easily demand the penalty of the law be enforced. Being shown grace - being under grace, does not mean you are in a condition of being free to henceforth live as you please, and break with impunity the laws of the land. The murderer, Being shown grace or forgiveness is not free to just go out and murder again - of course not! Why, the law enforcement agencies have no problem understanding what GRACE is - but some theologians and professing Christians have a terrible time in understanding the grace of God. The grace of God is an ATTRIBUTE, quality of CHARACTER - one of the many qualities of God. It is the ability of God to forgive sin - to blot out the sins of any person - to show mercy - undeserved favor in not claiming the justice of the law, to be carried out on that person - which for us would mean eternal death. But as God's law is ETERNAL and stands fast FOREVER (Ps.111:7,8) and as the penalty or wages for breaking that law is death, the law must be satisfied. If God could have taken His magic wand and said, "law be gone, be no more" then there would be NO TRANSGRESSION, "for where no law is, there is no transgression" (Rom.4:15). You cannot get a speeding ticket if there is no law to tell you that you must not go over a certain speed. If God's law has at any point in time been "done away" or "nailed to the cross" then nobody from that time on has sinned - for sin is the transgression of the law. And so a savior would not have been needed. The TRUTH is - God's law, has never been abolished, so the penalty of breaking it must be satisfied - it must be paid. We have all sinned - we are under the laws penalty, which is death. God says there is a way to get out from under that death sentence. The first step is to REPENT of sinning - to repent of breaking the law of God. But the death penalty must he satisfied. The next step of God's plan now comes into play. HOW WE ARE JUSTIFIED A word that is used many times in the Bible, especially in the New Testament with reference to, and in connection with salvation, is the word JUSTIFICATION or JUSTIFY. Again to many this word is nebulous - they don't really understand what it means. A few inutes spent with a DICTIONARY will clarify its meaning. The word means and denotes the act of pronouncing RIGHTEOUS, acquitting persons of guilt, to clear of blame or guilt. A person who has been JUSTIFIED has been acquitted or released from the penalty of his error. It is as if he had never been guilty of any wrong doing - he stands innocent - FORGIVEN - no penalty hangs over him. We have seen that we stand as SINNERS - the law claims our lives - death is the sentence. That penalty must be paid - the law is UNMOVEABLE. But God has provided a way by which we can escape that death penalty. He planned that His very own Son would come and die for us, in our place. It is as if the son of the judge of the land, who is about to enforce the death sentence on all murderers, came forward and said he would die in their stead - he would bear the penalty of death, so the law that was broken could be satisfied and the murderers could be declared innocent - righteous, forgiven of any crime - JUSTIFIED. That is the way it is with God, the judge of the universe, His Son Jesus Christ, His perfect law, the penalty for breaking that law, and us the sinners who have transgressed that law and have incurred the sentence of death. We may have repented, but the law must be satisfied. So Paul wrote, "Being JUSTIFIED(declared righteous - forgiven) FREELY(not something we can earn, or claim we have a right to because of some good work we've done) by His GRACE(undeserved pardon) through the REDEMPTION(the buying back or redeeming power) that is in Christ Jesus. Whom God hath set forth(it was planned as we've seen before the world began) to be a PROPITIATION(an atoning sacrifice) through FAITH(believing and trusting the way God said it would be) in His blood(His death on the cross) to declare His righteousness for the REMISSION(passing over or blotting out) of SINS that are PAST(the grace of God does not give us a blanket forgiveness of sins we may commit in the future) through the forbearance of God" (Rom.3:24-25). Again Paul wrote, "For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, DISOBEDIENT, deceived, serving different lusts and pleasures..... But after the kindness and love of God our Savior towards man appeared. Not by WORKS of righteousness which we have done(there's no deed we could possibly do to release us from the death penalty) but according to His MERCY He saved us(from sure death) which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. That being JUSTIFIED by His GRACE, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:3-7). The man about to die for the crime of murder can live perfectly - he can obey the laws of the land completely - he can do all manner of GOOD DEEDS - but none of them can erase the sentence of death hanging over him. He can only escape death by being shown MERCY or GRACE by the powers that be. God has made our justification - our acquittal from guilt possible through the death of His Son. We must believe - have faith - trust in God that truly Jesus' death in our stead, satisfies the law's demand and we are declared sinless - RIGHTEOUS. And as Paul says, "Where is boasting then? It is excluded(we can not boast we did some deed to have to make God forgive us). By what law? of WORKS? No! but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is JUSTIFIED by faith without the deeds of the law" (Rom.3:27,28). Paul in writing to the Christians at Rome about Salvation and Justification, had to combat the Gentle and Jewish doctrine of justification by WORKS or DEEDS. The Jewish sects believed that being physically circumcised in the flesh, observing certain ritualistic ordinances, performing animal sacrifices, and the like, would get you in right standing with God - that certain WORKS would justify you. The Gentile religions had similar beliefs. They held that by punishing the physical body, going through certain ceremonies, sacrificing animals, they could please their gods and acquire forgiveness of sins. Paul explains this was not the way God planned to JUSTIFY mankind from sin. It was not the way of EARNING your forgiveness but a matter of God Himself through His Son, coming in the form of man, being made flesh and dying for the sins of the whole world - taking the death penalty upon Himself, so all mankind could be made free from the penalty of the law. It was a simple matter of how God had planned it and faith in that promise of His. Faith in the fact Jesus died for us. Upon our REPENTANCE and acceptance of the death of Christ in our stead - the acceptance of Him as our PERSONAL Savior, God would forgive us our sins - would declare us righteous, sinless in His eyes. We would be JUSTIFIED - and that by GRACE through FAITH. To be continued(written in 1984)


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What a day! It didn't start well, I might add. A friend asked me to fix her dog's bed as the dog keeps eating it (and I keep fixing it) – to be honest it is pretty much past it now as there are holes everywhere and teeth marks. Anyway I said that I would be happy to fix it and put a few more polybeads in it for good measure.
Dear Lord, who invented Polybeads? Whoever they were they definitely had a sense of humour! I thought it would be easy to shove the bag into the other bag and feed them in that way. WRONG! In the end I had to do it with cupped hands, whilst cursing about the fact that I was now knee deep in Polybeads and they have a revolting habit of flying up towards the ceiling. It is also quite windy in Norfolk today and this did not help in the distribution of said Polybeads all over the workroom! To make matters worse I took off my glasses and put them on the floor – you can see where I'm going with this – well I couldn't see then, could I, so trod on them and snapped them in half. So now I am stumbling about, blindly, in a sea of Polybeads. It was all a bit stressful, truth be known.
After coffee and a sit down I continued with my quest to tidy the workroom. We had a skip delivered today as we are clearing out lots of accumulated rubbish (mainly the childrens) this weekend so I thought it would be a good idea to sort out all my fabric and get rid of bits and pieces that I didn't want.
How much fabric does a girl need? It's reached obsessional proportions and I have thrown out as much as I kept. And still I feel that I haven't quite got enough. In fact, I know that I will be looking online for some more soon as I am planning a range of doorstops for the summer (now that I have perfected the zip in the bottom and can sell them empty online to reduce postage costs).
At least the workroom looks tidy now, but it doesn't 'feel' right. I keep looking at pictures on other people's blogs and wish that my studio/workroom looked like theirs. Of particular note is the workroom of one of my fellow Twitterers Dots and Spots, or something out of the Ikea catalogue, but as I have to do this as cheaply as possible I would be better to buy a tin of white paint and start there! I need a bit of inspiration to be honest.
This is especially important as I am hoping to offer craft workshops here in beautiful North Norfolk this summer. The idea is to offer a session of craft followed by a lovely tea (which Mr Hippy has kindly offered to make) and all for a very reasonable price.
It will be an ideal opportunity for us girls (and boys) to get together, have some fun, learn something new and then eat cake. Sounds perfect to me, so watch this space. Incidentally, if you live near me and you are clever and have a crafty skill, let me know as I will be looking for people to take the workshops. I have sewing covered but would love someone to do felting, or paper craft, or anything that takes your fancy, so do get in touch by leaving a comment. Alternatively contact me through Twitter or Facebook – links to the right!
I guess I had better get to B&Q then and start painting. Have a great weekend one and all.


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Popular Referencing Styles and Their Requirements
Correct referencing is the key to avoiding plagiarism. Sometimes, you may feel hesitant over giving the original author proper credits just because you do not know that how exactly should you cite your quoted or paraphrased texts. But this kind of confusions may be very problematic in the way of achieving optimum grades.
- What are the standard referencing styles?
There are three major varieties of referencing styles. Firstly, you can use parenthetical referencing, which is generally based on an author, date format. APA, Harvard, etc. fall in this category. Secondly, you can use footnotes and bibliography. Referencing styles in this category are Oxford, OSCOLA, etc. Thirdly, you can use numbered references as in the case of the referencing styles specific to IEEE and ACM scientific journal articles. Parenthetical referencing is common almost in all subject areas. Nevertheless, MLA style of parenthetical referencing is mostly used by American universities. Footnote referencing is highly recommended for law assignments.
- Which are the most popular ones?
The popularity of referencing style varies from one country to another. In the UK universities, Harvard referencing is used by most of the departments. But in American universities, APA referencing is highly popular among the professors and examiners. So learning these two referencing styles will be highly helpful for you. Otherwise, when you seek academic assistance, clearly ask your providers and tutors in details about the referencing styles they are capable of handling.
- Differences in referencing styles
In-text citations in parenthetical referencing are defined with the help of author's surname and date of publication of the referred text. But in professional scientific referencing, this style may not be followed. In-text citations are specified by numbers enclosed in square brackets. These numbers indicate the numerical order of the reference cited in the text. For instance, if a book is cited at first, then it will be denoted by [1]. If a journal article is cited second, then it will be denoted by [2]. While generating the list of references, referred materials are provided in the order of their first-time occurrence in the main body of the research paper concerned. But in the case of footnotes and bibliography, and also in parenthetical referencing, the references are listed in alphabetical order.
- Who can help?
The overall quality of an essay or research paper extensively depends on the quality of in-text citations and subsequent bibliography or reference list generation. Only educated, experienced, and knowledgeable writers can provide you with the authentic information on a given referencing style. For example, law professionals are good in OSCOLA, while computer science experts are well versed with the IEEE system.
- Points to remember
You should always keep in mind that proper citation and referencing techniques greatly reduce the risk of plagiarism. Sometimes, mention of page numbers in in-text citations may be need. This is particularly true when you are asked to use OSCOLA. Also, always gather as much publication information as possible regarding every material like books, websites, or journal articles you use for writing your assignment.


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SAGINAW, MI -- Henry Gaudreau recently launched his campaign for the 32nd District State Senate seat for the 2018 election, at the Saginaw County Democratic Headquarters.
Gaudreau, a Democrat, grew up on his family's farm in Burt. He said one of the reasons he's chosen to run is to make Mid-Michigan's voice heard.
"I've spent a lifetime serving the people of this great country," Gaudreau said. "Now it's time for me to focus on my home and fight for the people of Saginaw and Genesee counties. It's ironic, I've lived on two different continents and in eight different states. I ended up seven miles from the farm I grew up on. I can't leave, I love this area and this state."
The 32nd District Senate seat is currently held by Republican Sen. Ken Horn.
Gaudreau, 60, is a graduate of Birch Run High School, holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, and a master's degree from Troy State University.
He has completed the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College and the Air Force Air War College. Gaudreau retired from the Air Force as the director of the 448th Propulsion Sustainment Group where he was responsible for a budget of $1.6 billion to furnish all aspects of sustainment, overhaul, engineering and safety of 81 percent of the Air Force's military engines.
Upon his retirement, Gaudreau said he was employed as vice president of an international construction firm where he gained experience with cash flow and regulatory issues common with small businesses.
"I don't think Lansing hears what's going on in Mid-Michigan," Gaudreau said. "We need a strong, loud voice that will stand up for the people of Saginaw and Genesee counties. One thing the military pounds into its leaders is to take care of your people. Lansing isn't doing that and that's got to change...we need to take care of our people.
"Our state needs to invest in robust apprenticeship and vocational programs. Right now, we simply have a website that directs everyone to the federal government. That doesn't work," Gaudreau said.
The 32nd State Senate District covers Saginaw County, and the following areas in Genesee county: Argentine Township, Clayton Township, Fenton Township, Flushing city, Flushing Township, Gaines Township, Linden city, Montrose city and Montrose Township.


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Con artists (mostly from overseas) buy a few acres of rural land close to a residential area (usually in the UK). They then 'pretend' to subdivide the land into individual blocks which they then sell to duped investors.
The investors are told that the land will soon be re-zoned (from rural use to residential use) which supposedly means that the value will skyrocket.
To make the scam appear legitimate (all scams need a legitimate face), the crooks will claim to be holding a large portion of the land for themselves. They will tell investors that there is "power in numbers" and that the more people who own land bank 'plots', the more the chance of re-zoning.
Unfortunately, the opposite is true because, when dozens of different owners of the same few acres are scattered all over the world, owners are difficult (impossible) to contact, which makes it almost impossible for the land to be 'sold' to a developer.
But worse than locating the owners is the fact that most of the land sold in this manner has no prospect of being rezoned for residential use for many years. And by "many years" it could be hundreds of years.
By then, of course, the investors and the crooks will be all gone. And the land bank scams will enter the history books.
FOOTNOTE: Some of the people involved in land bank scams are ex-criminals who have served time in jail.
One of Neil Jenman's biggest critics is a land bank spruiker from England whose scheme was exposed by Jenman in Australia. The authorities effectively booted the spruiker out of Australia. Today, this sick and bitter man spends thousands of hours trying to figure out new ways to smear Neil Jenman.


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Hengistbury West
The southwest-facing shingle and pebble beach lies to the west of Hengistbury Head, near Christchurch in East Dorset.
Popular for swimming and windsurfing, the one-and-a-half kilometre long headland separates Poole Bay and Christchurch Bay, and encloses Christchurch Harbour on its landward side. Most of the headland remains undeveloped and is a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) as well as home to the Hengistbury Head Nature Reserve.
The water quality is MCS Recommended and is European designated bathing water.
There is a large car park Hengistbury Head with over 500 pay and display parking spaces available.
For keen ramblers there are some excellent walks around the ancient headland, aided by information boards.
✔ Flora and Fauna
✔ Parking
✔ Toilets
✘ Seasonal dog ban
OS Explorer Map OL22: New Forest
This map is part of the Ordnance Survey's Explorer series designed to replace the old Pathfinder map series. At 1:25,000 scale this detailed map shows a host of attractions including gardens which are open to the public, nature reserves and country parks as well as all official footpaths, bridleways, roads and lanes. Other facilities covered include: camping and caravan sites, picnic areas and viewpoints, selected places of interest, rights of way information for England and Wales, National Trail and Recreational Path routes, and selected tourist information. The series is aimed mainly at the experienced map user but can be used by tourists and locals alike.
Local area
Local Accommodation
There is a great choice of cottages for rent in the local area. Take a look at the beautiful cottages in Christchurch, Bournemouth, Sandbanks and Ferndown.
Holiday Parks
Stay at a nearby Holiday Park and keep the kids amused all day! Parks in the vicinity include those at:
Plenty of hotels are available locally. Consider those in the local towns:
In the vicinity is a choice of camping and caravan sites offering high quality, affordable holiday accommodation. Consider camps in Christchurch, Wimborne, Swanage and Poole.
Nearby Attractions
There's plenty more to explore in this area, too! Find more attractions and things to do nearby:
Bournemouth International Centre
Gus Gorilla's Jungle Playground


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The McKenzie Gray project is located within six Crown Leases and 23 mining claims totaling 1,143 acres near Mine Centre, Ontario. The property contains two important known gold occurrences, the McKenzie Gray and Jolly Roger Veins, as well as 1,500 m of intensively sheared zones up to 100 m wide that are associated with the large cross-cutting Finger Lake Fault.
Exploratory drilling by the previous property owner in 1988 revealed gold-sulfide mineralization in a lense plunging to the 100 metre level, with the vein remaining "open" at depth. A reserve estimate made by Ovalbay Geological Services Inc. in a report dated December 31, 1992 (not compliant with NI 43-101), reported 98,702 tons grading 0.30 gold equivalent ounces per ton in all ore categories (totaling 29,611 gold equivalent ounces).
Q-Gold Resources Ltd. completed a 12-hole diamond drilling program in 2009 and an 18-hole program in 2010. These drilling programs resulted in the extension of the mineralized zone both at depth and over its strike length. The structure remains open in all directions.
The property is underlain by northwest and northeast trending shear zones that intrude both tonalite-trondhjemite rocks of the Bad Vermilion felsic intrusion as well as occupy a lithological contact between the felsic rocks mentioned above and layered gabbro-anorthosite rocks of the Bad Vermilion mafic intrusion. The McKenzie-Gray shear zone is a significant northwest trending structure that comprises the McKenzie-Gray Vein and the closely related East Vein. The East Vein is situated on the structural footwall of the McKenzie-Gray Vein. The shear zone trends 315° and dips 65° to 75° to the southwest. It continues for about 200 metres along strike where it intersects the prominent northeast trending Finger Lake – Island Bay shear zone and associated Jolly Roger Vein. The intersection of these two major structures defines an excellent target for the concentration of mineralizing hydrothermal fluids.
The Jolly Roger Vein is 2-3 metres in width and is hosted by a mafic dike within a highly sheared, altered and folded zone accompanying the Finger Lake Fault. Both this large fault and the northwest/southeast cross-cutting West Bad Vermilion Shear, converge on the McKenzie Gray property. This confluence provides widespread (up to 100 metres in width) shearing, sulfidization and silicification zones on the property, indicating the passage of altering hydrothermal fluids through the zones, many of which are gold-bearing.
Recent Activity
The Phase I program (2009) consisted of 12 "fan" holes drilled from 5 closely spaced (15m) locations. The program evaluated and confirmed the northwest extension of the McKenzie-Gray quartz veined shear zone and related gold, silver and base metal mineralization between 15 and 60 metres northwest of an historic open cut. The McKenzie-Gray vein had been the subject of a 27-ton bulk sample taken in 1984 and diamond drilling in 1992 by the previous owners (see Q-Gold press release dated August 18, 2009). Phase I results successfully confirmed and extended the mineralized zone indicated by previous drilling.
All 12 holes in Phase I encountered significant sulfide mineralization, with eleven of the 12 encountering significant gold values.
Highlights of the Phase I drilling program include the following:
In 2010, Q-Gold completed Phase II of the McKenzie Gray Exploration Program. This Phase consisted of a 3+ km IP survey and an 18-hole diamond drilling program.
In the fall of 2010, Q-Gold completed a Phase II diamond-drilling program on the McKenzie Gray property consisting of 18 drill holes totaling 2,612 metres. Results from 12 of the 18 holes have been received.
Highlights from the first twelve drill holes of the Phase II drilling program include the following:
Assay results for the remaining drill holes are forthcoming.
Q-Gold is very pleased with its recent achievements on McKenzie Gray and is looking forward to further exploration and the possible extension of this high-grade gold and silver system in Phase III, later this year.


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The Lakota People's Law Project has been featured in a national publication for the second time the past week, demonstrating that our efforts to direct attention to the plight of Native Americans is not in vain.
The predicament of Native Americans facing institutional racism has commonly gone unreported by major news outlets across the country, but recent events show that this might be changing.
Over the past week, two major news sources have cited the Lakota People's Law Project as a resource in articles highlighting both the issues of police violence against indigenous peoples, and the unlawful seizure of Native children by state authorities.
In an article probing the July 12 shooting of Lakota tribe member Paul Castaway by Denver police officers, MotherJones interviewed LPLP attorney Chase Iron Eyes for background on the treatment of Native Americans by authorities.
"This is a reflection of an endemic problem in the perception of non-white people when it comes to the administration of justice," Chase told them, regarding Castaway's death, "You can tell they're shooting out of fear, if it's not out of hate".
The piece goes on to call attention to the disproportionate number of Native American men killed by police in comparison with other ethnicities, and references the February LPLP report "Native Lives Matter".
A separate report launched on Sunday by Truthout.org calls attention to the institutionalized violence and discriminatory measures practiced by the state against Native families and children.
This article also uses a LPLP report — in this case the 2013 Report to Congress — to expose the unfair and racist policies of Child Protective Services in South Dakota, through which Native children are interned in state custody facilities that are little more than juvenile detention centers.
Their parents are then frequently prosecuted with "neglect", but as LPLP chief counsel Daniel Sheehan informed Truthout, this is often just a euphemism for poverty. He goes on to denounce state welfare resources for under educating and overmedicating Native children seized from their families, and emphasizes LPLP's call for changes that would make the Indian Child Welfare Act enforceable.
The substantial reliance of both Truthout and MotherJones on LPLP reports and personnel indicate not only that we are a national authority on issues relating to the wellness of Native peoples, but that our message is continually gathering press and raising awareness. As a non profit organization, we need your help to continue our mission!
Please donate Here: http://www.lakotalaw.org/donate-new
Also sign our petition to let President Obama know this treatment is unacceptable.
We are also attempting to overturn the Doctrine of Discovery. Please help us by signing the Petition.
You can read the MotherJones article here:
and the truthout.org article here:


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Today, I have mostly been being annoyed by Parcelforce. Warning: that is a rant, that is. I wouldn't normally cross-post, but that blog entry is designed for beyond-LJ public consumption, but is also a good summary of my day suitable for LJ.
Sigh. In more cheerful news, it's the Bristol 10K tomorrow, and I'll be running in it. I'll be starting off with the "slow" crowd at 9:45am. Between sometime around then and sometime around an hour and a quarter later, you should be able to check in on my progress live on my RunKeeper map here, if you're bored. Assuming all the technology is working, anyway.
Error running style: S2TIMEOUT: Timeout: 4, URL: gothick-matt.livejournal.com/229914.html at /home/lj/src/s2/S2.pm line 531.


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About Gastek Engineering (P) Ltd.
Founded in 1993, Gastek is well known company involved in manufacturing and exporting of Nitrogen Gas Generator, PSA Nitrogen Gas Generator, PSA Oxygen Gas Generator and Ammonia Cracking Units.
We have earned healthy reputation in the market through our quality offerings. Our range of products are known worldwide. Our quality offerings have earned us clients from overseas.


text:
Kalsep is recognised as a Total Filtration Supplier and can provide a comprehensive portfolio of equipment to the filtration industry. In addition to our own filters manufactured on site, we can supply other related products at very competitive prices. These products range from water treatment cartridges and bag filters to filter housings, tanks and cabinets.
Whatever your filtration needs, we feel sure Kalsep can help you find what you're looking for and/or suggest alternative solutions whilst making substantial cost savings at the same time.
Give our Technical Team a call on 01276 675675 and talk through your requirements or ask for a copy of our latest products catalogue.
Kalsep UK Ltd's product range is made up of the following key components:


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A good strategy for defeat2 min read . Updated: 03 Dec 2009, 10:10 PM IST
A good strategy for defeat
A good strategy for defeat
There was nothing Delphic about it. US President Barack Obama's choices in Afghanistan are reflective of what an average American politician would do, when placed in his position: Optimize. Unfortunately, optimizing between political viability at home and achieving strategic goals abroad is unworkable. The US experience in Vietnam should serve as a warning to him.
Politically, the two "pure" choices before him were to either withdraw in a phased manner from Afghanistan or to commit a winning number of boots on the ground. He did neither. Withdrawal would have ensured the continued commitment of his flock, the anti-war democratic constituency. This would, however, have made the tide of Republican revival unstoppable. In the end, he chose a mixed strategy: 30,000 troops and a firm date of withdrawal. This is similar to what past US presidents from Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton to George Bush Jr have done in similar situations: Cut your losses.
While the outcomes in complex political and military situations such as Afghanistan are uncertain, a likely scenario can be imagined. The Taliban, knowing that the US will begin an exit in 2011, will dig in. Pashtun resistance to foreign troops is legendary: The much more formidable British and the Soviet armies had to retreat in the face of their tenacity. The Taliban are even better equipped for this. They have more than a decade's experience in fighting complex, and at times unequal, battles and also have the fullest support of their masters in Pakistan. Post-2011, the probability of the Taliban coming back to power in Kabul is close to certainty. This is because the Afghan national army will be in no position by that time to defend the country.
That would be as close to a disaster as South Asia can get. Pakistan, one can be sure, will not pursue any militants anymore. Period. It will simply wait for the Americans to get out of Afghanistan. Once Islamabad has secured Afghanistan, it will open a new chapter in terrorist violence against India. That will happen. Period.
What is amazing is that 48 hours after Obama delivered his speech to West Point cadets, there is silence in official India. Given the pace at which our national security establishment works, the chances are the results of 2011 are already upon us. The question is: Do we comprehend the dangerous situation in our western neighbourhood? The task of taking corrective action looks as distant as ever.
What will be the effects of a US retreat from Afghanistan? Tell us at firstname.lastname@example.com


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It's E3! Every year we turn the usual weekly update into a summary of the conferences. This one is for Microsoft and it is the only one that will have our usual SIP news and Deals of the week section. Read on for more and watch out for the next summary soon.
Last year during E3 when we made these updates multiple people reported issues loading the page or it crashing their computer/phone due to the amount of videos. Since then we've also returned to making individual posts on the blog for each game as the news comes in. Using that, we've been able to remove a lot of the videos by linking directly to the written article. Not only should it improve things, but we can give you more information on each game that way. There's more jumping around, but we hope this fixes the issues for everyone. On to E3!
|Microsoft kicked off the conference with the reveal of the Xbox One S. This is a new slim version of the Xbox One which is 40% smaller for a similar price as the current system. You can read all about it here as well as get your first look at it. You may want to hold off though, because that post also features the closing surprise we'll mention later.
The new Play Anywhere program was also announced that allows the purchase of a digital copy of an Xbox One game to also give a free copy of the same game on Windows 10. The game must be listed as part of the program and several of them were revealed on stage. This only applies to games coming later this year and beyond, not any of your current favorites.
|Microsoft picked right back up with news on Gears of War, which most of you were waiting for. Best of all, was the new gameplay shown that you can check out in our post.
|Before moving completely away from Gears they dropped a surprise reveal that General RAAM was coming to Killer Instinct. And he's even free to try this week. Check here for more details.
|Changing Gears, literally, Microsoft moved on to the reveal of Forza Horizon 3. The new racer will be set in Australia and feature new co-op campaign opportunities, brand new cars to the series as well as more of the great stuff of the old games. Read all of the news and see the gameplay trailer here.
|ReCore made a very brief appearance this E3 with only a brief gameplay trailer. Fortunately, more information was announced after the conference that you can catch up with in our post.
|Next up on the stage was a live demo of a boss fight in Final Fantasy XV. There wasn't much to say about it, so watch it for yourself. Coming September 30th.
|Next up was a single trailer for The Division showing a tease of the Underground expansion that will be coming first to Xbox One on June 28th. You can read more and see it here.
|Battlefield 1 showed off a new trailer, all though not new because it was shown the day before at EA's conference. It has gameplay and shows the level of destruction you'll be able to do to the environment. In addition to this, DICE announced that EA Access members would get early access to the game before it launches. See the trailer here.
|Returning to the Xbox system Microsoft mentions some of the updates coming later this year like Cortana and background music for Xbox One. Then they go into new items that have not been revealed. A new "Club" system will be added which basically functions as a group membership of like minded people based on what you want the club to be. Next, a "Looking for Group" tab is coming that will allow players to easily post what they want to do and requirements so others can join. And finally, "Xbox Arena" is a tournament platform that will let players compete in various events for bragging rights. All three features are planned to roll out later this year.
|Minecraft took the stage to show off the new Realms program for Phone and computers. This lets players connect to each other across platforms for a small monthly fee. It is currently not available for Xbox One, but it's planned to release later this year. Check out the rest of the details here.
Also announced was the addition of texture packs and add-ons coming to the pocket edition and Windows 10 versions of the game.
|Next up was the introduction of Xbox Design Labs, a new part of Xbox.com that let's you create a custom controller from a range of design options. There was also a reveal of a new controller design with the announcement of the Xbox One S, as well as a Gears of War 4 Limited Edition Elite controller during the Gears section. We waited until now to say it because all the controller news has been put together in this post so there's no need to look anywhere else. Trust me, you want to see these.
|Next was a new trailer for Inside, a game by the creators of the popular game Limbo. And to celebrate the release in a few weeks, Limbo is currently free to Gold members. Check out the trailer.
And no ID@Xbox segment is ever complete without a round up of the upcoming titles we'll be seeing. Cuphead makes another appearance, but no information was given.
|Next up was an onstage demo of We Happy Few. This was first announced last year and it's coming to Xbox Preview next month. This is a different kind of game that you can't describe all that well. Watch the gameplay below and see for yourself.
|For those that saw the Bethesda conference, this wasn't as big of a surprise as it was then. But, the card game from the Witcher 3 has been made into a standalone title. Introducing, GWENT. The link for the beta registration can be found here.
|Another new game reveal was Tekken 7. The trailer shows the new story mode that transitions from cinematic to combat seamlessly. Also announced, during this week only TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT 2 is free to all Gold members and playable on Xbox One through backwards compatibility. Check out the trailer below.
|Another surprise announcement was Dead Rising 4. It was simply a trailer, but it gives you a good idea of what to expect when it comes out December 6th of this year. Check it out in the post.
|Scalebound made another appearance this year to show off some multiplayer footage. This took place with four players against a massive scorpion, not a crab like everyone says it is. You can view it here. The developers have said that the combat scales so the entire game can be completed solo, but it will be more fun and challenging in co-op.
|Rare had more details on their first new IP in years. Sea of Thieves will be an online world where there will always be other players around you. You can set sail on your own or with a group to take down other player's ships, or simply explore whatever you want. See it for yourself in the first gameplay reveal.
|Following Sea of Thieves was the reveal of Sate of Decay 2. The original was popular on the Xbox 360 so they're making a new one. It was only a cinematic teaser trailer so there's almost no information available.
|You can't make it through an Xbox conference without some Halo news. This year, we got a new trailer for Halo Wars 2 and a surprise beta. The beta is currently available this week so be sure to download it and play. The cinematic trailer was quite easily the most impressive in the conference so be sure to watch that.
|Closing the conference was Phil Spencer announcing another new Xbox One console called Project Scorpio coming in the Holiday of 2017. They're claiming it's the most powerful console ever built with even more capabilities than any other Xbox One system. And the best thing about all of this is the fact that these systems are considered the Xbox One family. All accessories will be able to move up the chain as you upgrade and all games will play on every version of the system. To see all the information on both new console announcements you can view it here.
And finally for those that just want to watch the whole conference here it is. Unfortunately, Xbox haven't uploaded the official video to their channel so you'll have to skip the commentary from GameSpot to see it. Just skip to the 39:15 point and it should be just starting.
Deals of the Week
Due to the amount of news to deal with this week the sales section is provided by Major Nelson. Click the link to see what's cheap for the week. Both of the most recent Battlefield games are less than $5 so be sure to check that out as well as the links to the free games if you didn't catch them above.
This is simply an announcement from the Communique, not the site. There will not be an update next week so the team can have the time off after the craziness of E3. We'll be back as usual the following week. Thank you.
We're halfway through June so be sure to get your submissions in to the screenshot contest before it closes.
Necranon351 – 13th
JFLUX13 – 16th
Spartan477 – 16th
This update features content written, found, or created by:
Stig Assassin
To give feedback to the staff (complaints or suggestions), please e-mail email@example.com.
*Title images created by wrcfan


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The University of Oregon launched the public phase of its $2 billion campaign in a big way in fiscal 2015, setting a new record for giving to academics and reaching a total of $214.2 million in gifts and pledges, the second highest annual total in its history and an 86 percent increase from fiscal 2014.
Fundraising eclipsed the $200 million mark for the second time in the last three years, boosting the amount raised toward the most ambitious fundraising goal in the state's history to $826.9 million.
More than 76 percent of the year's giving — $163.3 million — was designated for academics.
Another increase was in the number of people who gave, with 44,859 donors contributing 55,038 gifts and pledges to support virtually every aspect of the university's mission.
This year's gifts will allow the UO to significantly increase the number of scholarships offered to incoming Oregon high school graduates, with 37 percent of the total going to student support.
Major gifts also leveraged legislative approval of $17 million in state bonds to build the new College and Careers Building, paved the way for a new women's softball stadium and fully funded the UO's research and teaching initiative focused on obesity prevention and health promotion.
"This is a tremendous show of support by alumni and friends, students and parents, and faculty and staff," said new UO President Michael Schill. "We must do everything we can to increase student access to this great university so that deserving young people, regardless of income, can benefit from attending the UO. We must also attract and retain world-class faculty to inspire our students and produce the knowledge that enhances our society and grows our economy."
Starting with the gala public launch of the campaign on Oct. 17 at Hayward Field, UO leaders and volunteers hosted campaign receptions and events in 16 cities across the U.S. and Asia, energizing alumni and friends with the campaign priorities of access for students, excellence in teaching and research, and an enriched UO campus experience.
This outreach, combined with the impact of the UO's new branding initiative, helped inspire an 18.6 percent rise in first-time donors, with 10,102 individuals making first-ever gifts to the UO, according to Michael Andreasen, vice president for advancement.
"It's deeply gratifying to see that longtime and new donors alike believe in the impact the UO can have on the lives of individuals, our state and our society," Andreasen said. "This is quite an achievement in the midst of major transitions and high expectations. It's a tribute to the extraordinary commitment of our volunteers and donors."
Of the total, $96 million is designated for the university's endowment, which now totals more than $700 million. Andreasen said an overarching objective of the campaign is to build the endowment to levels that will allow the UO to soundly plan and implement its priorities over time.
Schill, whose first day on the job was July 1, thanked former interim President Scott Coltrane for his leadership in the public launch of the campaign and looked ahead to meeting its next challenges.
"This is a tremendous effort," he said. "Together, we will do amazing things to create opportunities for access and excellence across the university.
"It is extremely exciting for me to now be a part of this great, rising tide of philanthropy. On behalf of the University of Oregon community, I extend my deep gratitude to our generous, passionate, dedicated and loyal Ducks."


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on Research Analysis and Writing in
Social Sciences
September 24-30, 2012
Gujarat Institute of Development Research (GIDR) organises
a Workshop on Research Analysis and Writing
in Social Sciences during September
24-30, 2012. The workshop is supported by
the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New
The workshop aims at orienting young researchers in
social sciences (such as Economics, Political Science
and Sociology) to the methods of research analysis,
and structuring and writing publishable research outputs.
The workshop has four main modules:
Apart from the interactive classroom lectures, the
participants will have opportunities to get practical
training in the use of selected statistical programmes.
Participants will get the opportunity to interact
closely with the faculty members of the Institute
and receive personal guidance in the preparation of
a short research paper.
Eligibility Criteria
Category A: Young researchers and teachers affiliated
to colleges, universities or research organisations
and those pursuing or preparing for their PhD or MPhil
Courses are eligible to apply.
Category B: Other young researchers outside academic
arena but engaged in socio-economic research (such
as consultants, activists and NGO functionaries) are
also encouraged to apply; a limited number of such
applications may be considered in deserving cases.
How to Apply
The aspiring researchers are expected to submit their
recent curriculum vitae along with an outline (about
500 words) of a research paper stating the problem,
research questions, sources of data, broad methodology
and analytical tools.
Travel and Lodging
The Institute shall provide free lodging and boarding
and partial travel assistance to the selected participants
of Category A.
For Category B participants boarding shall be free,
but accommodation and travel will be at their expense.
Applications should be sent to:
Dr. Rudra N. Mishra
Gujarat Institute of Development Research
Ahmedabad 380 060
Tel: 02717 242366/67/68
Fax: 02717 242365
Email submissions should be made to
last date of submission of application is August
27, 2012. Successful applicants will be intimated
by September 10, 2012.
In case of any queries, contact 09974427333.
Dr. Tara Nair
Course Director


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So Communist China's way out of its 100 trillion in bad unplayable non performing loan debt – the Mount Everest of world bad debt – is to steal illegally the wealth of its neighbor nations. China has declared it owns 1000 square miles – of South China Sea – or basically all of it on the map. This open navigation water way has never been owned by China in more than 1000 years.
When the World court finally heard the case with a mile high of China brief on the matter under the law – the World Court ruled UNANIMOUSLY under 400 year old Maritime laws bound by treaty documents that China has signed again and again – THAT – China had acted ILLEGALLY that there was ZERO LEGAL BASIS to their CLAIMS and that they were ruled to be violating international law and treaty.
Japan, the USA, Philippines, Indonesia India and others, are acting according to law to harvest the enormous mineral wealth under these waters.
Vietnam drilling for gas in its waters was recently threatened by China to the point between threats to their drilling partners, to Vietnam with War, the drilling was stopped.
Others are going ahead. China told them all to stop going ahead today.
Also China has intercepted and forced USA SPY PLANES in international airspace not China airspace to diver directions with their fighter armed jets. THE USA IS NOT MESSING AROUND WITH CHINA. The Trump plan is IF we have to have WAR – trade war or real war with China better get it over with. Also Trump is not big on lying. China said we would manage North Korea. But North Korea is hell bent to develop first strike abilities to the USA. Imagine an arsenal as large as Russia's 1900 ballistic missile capacity all aimed at USA cities.
THAT is unlikely to happen because Trump and the USA Military irrespective of the US Congress dysfunction and ILLEGAL BREACH OF CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIRED FIDUCIARY DUTIES – SUCH AS PASSING THE USA BUDGET – PROTECTING THE USA CREDIT RATING – PROTECTING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE – CREATING PROSPERITY THROUGH REDUCTION OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT IN PEOPLE"S LIVES AND BUSINESS.
Congress can be impeached with a simple Federal Tort – THE MOTHER OF ALL TORTS. We are hoping a law firm will rise to that occasion as immunity disappears with crime. The Crime against the American people is dereliction of constitutional prescribed required by law duties of congress. Congress may have passed the line of HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEAMENORS. Lets indict and impeach all of them as WE THE PEOPLE. Start fresh. That is something we can all do.
So China and the South China Sea are heating up. The USA either goes to war with Korea and ends the MOTHER OF ALL WARS once and for all – totally and absolutely. Or we face nuclear war in the shortest time frame you can possibly imagine. If you have SUPER POWERS should you use YOUR SUPER POWERS. You bet. Should we use our SUPER POWERS against North Korea before they use these powers they stole by cyber war from us against us?
Today Korea's economy is soaring at 4% growth in GNP. Without Sanctions it would be much much better than that. Their largest trading partner creating all this growth is China. So China's communist party is strategically:
- Stealing all our private sector and government secrets.
- All our citizen data bases.
- All our credit and related records.
- Planting trojans that can bring our records to dust stop all systems from power to water – and turn us to the Stone Age in a click. They have breached every critical system and left trojans on all of them. READ KEVEN FREEMAN'S THE SECRET WEAPON and GAME PLAN – both. DOD contractor and adviser to the Military leadership on cyberattacks and cyber warfare.
- Illegally stealing the wealth of nations to take attention off its failure as an economic system – Communism has never created prosperity anywhere it has been implemented. It has created cradle to grave car for citizens until it stops from internal revolution or bankrupt or war and defeat.
In the USA the small business community, hampered by taxes state and federal, the highest tax on business in the world, continues to keep the economy growing. The big firm results also strong are occurring because of the jobs the 34 million small business operations are providing. The big firms are using technology to downsize human capital exchanged for AI capital seeking to reduce labor cost.
Small business is picking up the difference but the process has removed 20 million high paying jobs from the USA economy at the top and driving the middle class for 25 years. The Middle Class in America is shrinking rapidly, and consumer buying power is shrinking. As inflation returns if the Fed every creates a policy that works – as they have only created failed policies since the crash of 1987, 2000, 2008 and now the mess today. We have advised the only fix for the Fed a totally out of synch and antique policy body is to MERGE this private stock corporation – and its duties and rights – into the USA Treasury by an emergency act of Congress.
As the Congress is controlled, bought and paid for by the Super Money the Wallstreet Financial Lobby and Pharms, there is no hope that the Congress will merge the FED which as a private corporation with a government contract – is owned and is controlled by the banks and investment bank shareholders The Who of which is never released to congress. The Fed is never audited nor can it be. No agency or oversight can reverse the FED decisions. They control the money supply without anyone check and balancing that oversight. As they have almost bankrupt the USA while their own members did the bankrupting only to have tax payers bail out their members with trillions to off load their shareholder member BAD SIDE BETS – the time has come. The FED is the cause of financial crash and wars where their members make fortunes while we are slaughtered financially and truly slaughtered in wars.
It is time to MERGE THE FED INTO THE USA TREASURY. Write your law markers in all nations to do that. Form action groups and PACKS and raise money to do just that. Unite those groups. Sponsor best selling books MERGE THE FED INTO US TREASURY. The US Treasury is the better body to control money supply. Our benefits from one emergency act of congress:
- We no longer pay the Fed and its secret shareholders interest to print money.
- We have improved monetary policy without the conflict of interest of the FED to protect its shareholders.
- We have USA oversight on the Fed process.
- We have regulatory supervision of banks and investment banks without conflict of the banks and investment banks owning control of the FED as a privately owned corporation in case your not clear on that – its all on line.
- The USA dollar becomes the strongest currency on earth for 300 years into the future and our middle class returns to our unborn generations.
The founder of the Fed stated – I care not for whom makes laws or who is head of state….I care only for control of the money supply of nations..as to where ultimate powers lie………
The dysfunction of Congress is now the largest risk to the USA related to financial SUPER CRASH including risk to the entire world system. The Dysfunction of Congress today includes the risks of:
- Budgets that hamstring the USA to allow other nations to rise as we fall financially short and very long term.
- Conflicted lack of financial regulation by antique laws that most modernize for digital trading globally. No upgraded legal frame work in sight. The financial lobby who buys and pays for Congress will not tolerate that.
- USA infrastructure decays will USA debt is not sustainable. Worse than Greeces.
- The USA in decline today, is speeding up the process by lack of anti trust enforcement where every monopoly on supply and from hotel to finance is consolidating and merging into TOO BIG TO JAIl a trend not seen in American History where SUPER MONEY monopolizes markets. The FTC needs to be BROKEN into multiple agencies to restore public trust.
- The Food & Drug Administration needs to be modernized into the Food Protection Agency FPA and the DRUG PROTECTING AGENCY DPA and stop the DRUG IN FOOD AGENCY we have today that is toxic and killing us what a bad idea to combine food and drugs into one regulatory industry conspiracy. To name a few.
- The Congress of the United States of America has failed to execute their required constitutional required duties to the liability risk of IMPEACHMENT in the largest tort in US history which we all as a class sign on to – in failing to execute a permanent budget for our nation – loosing our credit rating increasing our national borrow cost by this negligence – failing to rebuilt our infrastructure – failing to repair our broken health care system – failure to modernize our dysfunctional tax system driving jobs and business out of the United States and so much more.
- Congress is focused for eight years on destruction of the duly elected leadership versus coming together for the nation to govern AMERICA as IS required by law.
The middle class in America has been declining for the first time in 400 years – under the failed legal obstruction of the United States Congress now in break down and dysfunction to the people of our nation.
The wealth of the nation is being squandered by failed policy and no new policy to correct the break downs.
Hatred and Obstruction that never existed at the current digital levels as they do today.
Congress represents special and minority interests against the majority. Congress represents the FEW against the MANY in utter class warfare – versus the one voice our system has to moderate this model where congress always represents the MANY FOR THE MANY.
For these and countless other reasons law firms can digest we advocate a legal TORT the MOTHER OF TORTS filed in Federal Court to hold Congress responsible for legal breach of governance seeking to IMPEACH the entire Congress and start fresh.
Enough of a broken America.
We the People can if we rise up – together – all of us together – fix this. After all the entire WORLD is depending on us to do just that don't you think?
Berny Dohrmann – FOOD FOR THOUGH – TELL A TORT LAWYER YOU KNOW
PS: Global Policy is in total disarray and the enemies we face are embolden by the US CONGRESS decline in executing legal function required by the US Constitution and law. The failure of the US Congress is placing the REPUBLIC at risk for the first time in history. That is an impeachable offense.


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Lake Maggiore, Stresa, Historical Villa P1090
Historical villa with 8 bedrooms on the Lake Maggiore
Useful Information
- Rif.: P1090
- Location: Stresa
- Square area: 830 m2
- Garden: 4500 m2
- Rooms: 6
- Airport: 52 km
- Railway station: 2 km
- Sea: 208
- Mountains: 20 km
Historical villa well-planted park. The villa was built in 1910 and it's located on a hill with panoramic views and quiet just behind the center of Stresa. The dominant position ensures great views of the lake and the Borromean Islands. The villa has been designed with the architectural style of the XX century: decorated frames around windows, balustrades worked, the perfect symmetry of all prospectuses and double staircase in front. The villa is on four levels and is accessed through the main entrance on the raised ground floor where we find the living room, library, dining room, TV room, kitchen, bathroom. A wide stone staircase leads to the first floor which consists of master bedroom with bathroom and dressing room, another large bedroom, terrace, two guest rooms with bathroom. On the second floor there are two large bedrooms, a library, a large room used as a wardrobe, two terraces, bathroom and closet. In the basement there are several cellar rooms and technical rooms. The caretaker's house consists of two apartments of 200 sq. m and attic of 120 sq. m. The villa has a total area of 830 square meters and the park of about 4500 square meters. All services as restaurants, shops etc are located in a walking distance from the center.
Energy class: in progress
The price: upon request


text:
Stanyon 45 Classic Catamaran
Stanyon 45 Classic Catamaran Information
|Classic Catamaran
|45ft | 14m
|Hull Type
|Classic Catamaran
|45ft | 14m
|Hull Type
Designed by Paul Stanyon and built in Brisbane by Classic Motor Yachts, this beautifully presented fibreglass catamaran has been fastidiously maintained and is very well equipped. Powered by twin 256hp Steyr diesel engines, she cruises comfortably and economically at 10 knots for longer passages, and for a quicker voyages at 15 knots. A spacious, custom built and well laid out interior boasts luxury furnishings, two ensuited cabins, a one level saloon and aft deck, large galley and separate bar, walk around side decks, and an all weather flybridge with access via stairs from the aft deck. Recent electronics upgrades have seen the installation of state of the art Simrad navigation systems and inclusions such as air conditioning, solar panels (600 watts), desalinator, electric flybridge davit, generator, inverter and ample 12v refrigeration means that this power catamaran is ready to head off cruising today.
Twin 256hp Steyrs (1600 hrs) | Electronic controls | Remote engine controls for cockpit docking | 1500 litre fuel capacity | 1500 litre water capacity | 80lph Desalinator | 5kva generator | Inverter/Charger | Solar Panels (600w) | Iceer 12v fridges and freezers | 12v bar fridge | Smev Oven (lpg) | DeLonghi cook top (lpg) | Island double master stateroom | Double guest's cabin with ensuite toilet | Spacious bathroom with separate shower stall | Entertainment systems in the saloon and cabins | 16,000BTU Cruisair air conditioning | Simrad NSO-T dual monitors (touch screen) | Simrad 4G Broadband Radar | Simrad GPS/Plotter with C-Map Each Coast Australia charts | Simrad depth sound with 1kw transducer | Simrad Auto Pilot | AIS tracker | WiFi | VHF Radios | Highfield RIB 3.4m RIB with 20hp Honda outboard and Minn Kota 55lb trolling motor | Electric folding davit (flybridge) | Flybridge hard top, Flybridge clears (side and front) and shade cloth rear curtains | Maxwell 2500 electric anchor winch, Sarca anchor and 90m of 10mm galvanised chain | Stainless steel BBQ | Cockpit side curtains and saloon shade cloth window covers | Extensive storage |
This locally designed and constructed power catamaran has a well proven cruising history, practical layout, a great equipment list and is presented in immaculate condition. An inspection is highly recommended and is available by appointment at the Gold Coast. Please contact Andrew Fielding (0438 771 439) or Garth Fielding (0408 755 337) for further details.