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American Automaker GM opens dealership in Dar es Salaam
The United States automobile maker, General Motors has officially launched its operations in Tanzania to cash in on the country's growing economy.
GM sold a total of 187,000 vehicles last year in Africa, according to GM Africa and Middle East President and Managing Director Mario Spangenberg.
Spangenberg told a press conference in Dar es Salaam Tuesday "we're very excited to be in Tanzania."
General Motors East Africa Limited has signed a dealership agreement with Quality Automotive Mechanization Limited to import Isuzu and Chevrolet brands.
QAML's Chairman Yusuf Manji promised customers excellent levels of convenience and comfort.
"We have put in a significant investment to ensure the success of this facility and enable the rapid penetration of the Isuzu and Chevy brands in the highly competitive market," he said
He said the US giant car maker expects a 50 percent market share on the continent in the next five years, and will mostly target populous urban centres.
Rita Kavashe, Director General GM East Africa said the number one American car maker has already established branches in Kenya and Uganda and now Tanzania.
Kavasha says GM's arrival means job creation for Tanzanians especially the Youths.
After opening operations in the capital Dar es Salaam, the company is planning to do the same in Arusha, Dodoma and Shinyanga.
According to the Director General, Tanzania's fastest growing economy at an average of 7 per cent per year was a clear draw for GM.
Kavashe said there's an increasing demand for buses in Tanzania.
Hiroyuki Kubota, an official at Japanese Embassy in Tanzania said the joint introduction of new Chevy and Isuzu cars in the local market is an indication the country's economy is growing and attracting foreign investment.
Tanzania has been importing a number of used cars from Japan.
Experts say Isuzu and Chevrolet vehicles will play a significant role in creating reliable transportation in the East African country.


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A travellers guide to the vast wasteland
Outside of The Simpsons I just don't watch TV. It's not a snob thing, I can be just as low brow as the next guy (within reason). It's just that with the Internet, magazines, newspapers, books, and servicing my wife's unnatural, but delightful, cravings, I just don't have the time to invest in TV. But I still want to know what is going on in the world of TV since it's a window to the nation's soul (cue: chill going up your spine). For that reason, I enjoy Television Without Pity. It lets you know what is going on without watching TV, and if you are watching TV, it lets you know how bad you should feel for watching what you watch. (That sentence sounds better spoken than read). Anyway, check it out for a heaping helping of snark with a side order of guilt. Kind of like having Janeane Garofalo as your mom….

subset: commoncrawl


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Indulgence Treatment
Indulge yourself with a treatment to help repair your hair. Start off with a Renew C pre-treatment repair shampoo, then a light absolut repair shampoo. A shot of Power Repair B misting through the hair, then applying Absolut repair masque, coating the hair like a cocoon. The stylist will then give you a professional head massage to awaken the scalp and relax the mind. You will be seated underneath a steamer to oxygenate the hair and we'll complete the treatment by rinsing the hair.
Your hair will feel revitalised with a soft, silky texture. Ring and book now – (07) 3229 7584
Excellent service and truly amazing staff!!
10/10 always a fantastic experience, I always walk out feeling fabulous!
WOW! First time at Hare's Hair and I'm so impressed. Dina was so lovely and made me feel extremely welcome. One of the best hair cuts I've gotten in Brisbane. I've been trying to grow my hair and she was extremely cautious not to cut too much. The glass of wine and cheese and crackers were an added bonus! Thanks so much for having me.


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James Brown
James is an illustrator and designer, working commercially and producing screen prints and linocuts from his London studio.
Clients include The Poetry Society, The Guardian, Bloomsbury and AMVBBDO to name but a few. James has also designed and produced bespoke prints for The Postal Museum, V&A Enterprises, The Barbican and The Royal Opera House.
James' bestselling book 'A World of Information' published by Walker Studio in 2016 is a visual miscellany accompanied by engaging fact-filled explanations by celebrated author Richard Platt.
In 2017 'A World of Cities' was published and in 2018 'A World of Discovery' was published.
James is represented by How Do You Do agency.
James is co-founder of Pressed and Folded.


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I think the question of whether This Ends Time is related to the question ttscp was asking a while ago, about whether the OTC is a story or a puzzle. If it's a puzzle, and the point was to figure out where/when it's set and why the sea is rising, then that has now largely been resolved and maybe things will wind down. But if it's a story, this feels very much like somewhere in the middle - the protagonists have set out on their quest, established the problem they need to solve, and encountered helpful others who provide them with more information. Now they actually need to go and fight the battle (pitting a handful of smart but low-tech nerds against a geological phenomenon is a big ask, but could result in a spectacular finale).
Of course, given that this is not a conventional story or a conventional puzzle, or a conventional film or a conventional webcomic, then all bets are off
I wish GLR would give Rosetta a white jacket or something ... from this perspective she looks like a millipede on the end of some chopsticks.
jovialbard wrote:*Erherm*
Umm... for your amusement:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aj1om2fbg2enw ... voices.wma
One (and a half?) serious attempt to deliver a line from time and several silly/different voices. Enjoy!
Pirate Cueball! It may not be entirely appropriate for the definitive version but maybe we could have an alternative piratical soundtrack?


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Follow the instructions given below to change the request id number,
- Connect to mysql database as follows:
From the command prompt, C:\ > cd ManageEngine\ServiceDesk-MSP\mysql\bin
mysql.exe -u root -P 33366 servicedesk
Note: For MS SQL connect to the Query analyzer of the SQL server
- Create a dummy workorder as follows:
mysql> insert into workorder (WORKORDERID, REQUESTERID) values (19000,2);
[ 19000 is the dummy workorder id number to start the requestid from 19001. 2 is a valid requester id. You may have to check the AaaUser for a valid requester id. Rest of the values can be the same as shown above ]
For MSSQL, please use the below query to change the request ID number,
insert into WorkOrder(WORKORDERID,REQUESTERID,CREATEDTIME,DUEBYTIME) values (19000,2,0,0);
For Postgres
To connect to the PostGreSQL database
C:\ManageEngine\ServiceDeskPlus-MSP\pgsql\bin> psql.exe -p 65432 -U postgres -w servicedesk
To start the request id from a random number by following the below instructions.
Create a dummy workorder as follows:
servicedesk# insert into workorder (WORKORDERID, REQUESTERID,createdtime,duebytime) values (19000,2,0,0);
3. Restart ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus – MSP service.
Note: Existing request id numbers cannot be changed. The new request id will start from 19001.


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Monthly Archives: October 2015
You CAN do this!!
I have learned that not everyone will be there to encourage you, to provide a shoulder to cry on, to offer emotional support or to challenge you to be a better version of yourself but KEEP MOVING FORWARD!! And remember … Continue reading
Reading is Fundamental… even in Real Estate
I met with the Managing Director and Real Estate Coach of the KW Luxury Division and I walked away with not one, not two, but three reading assignments. Oh my 1. The Millionaire Real Estate Agent (KW "bible" for real … Continue reading
Dues, Fees, Dues, I had no Clue!!
Uugghh! Fees, Fees, and MORE Never-ending dues and fees. This is the time of year when real estate agents; not only review what they have accomplished and set new goals for next year, but this is also the time of … Continue reading
Persistence Matters!
For the past few weeks I've been feeling a little disheartened. I feel like I have done so much and yet I have accomplished very little in terms of seeing results. For those of you who are not familiar with … Continue reading


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America's Top 10 Favorite Ice Cream Flavors Revealed
Every year, the average American consumes more than 23 pounds of ice cream. What kind of ice cream are they eating, though? While some people like to switch up the flavor of ice cream they eat, many have a favorite flavor that they like to stick to. Some of these flavors will seem obvious, but others might be a little shocking. Here are the top 10 favorite ice cream flavors in America today.
- Chocolate: It's probably no surprise that chocolate is the number one favorite flavor of ice cream. Whether you want hard or soft ice cream, chocolate is a tried and true flavor.
- Vanilla: Again, it's probably not shocking that vanilla is on the list of favorite ice cream flavors. The best thing about vanilla is that it tastes great with almost any topping. It's also typically available in either hard or soft ice cream.
- Butter Pecan: Now, butter pecan might surprise you a little bit. This flavor tends to be more popular with people 55 and older, according to The Guardian, but it still made it on the top 10 list.
- Cookies and Cream: This best-of-both-worlds flavor marries delicious cookies with delectable cream to give us another amazing ice cream flavor. It takes the beauty of cookies and milk and lets us enjoy it in a frozen dessert instead.
- Mint Chocolate Chip: You'll probably see mint chocolate chip ice cream at almost any ice cream shop you walk into, and that's because it's one of America's favorites. When you're looking for a refreshing dessert option, this flavor is the best.
- Cookie Dough: Another great marriage of cookies and ice cream gives us cookie dough. Often times, there are chocolate chips in the ice cream flavor, allowing us to enjoy both one of America's favorite cookies with another one of America's favorite ice cream flavor.
- Strawberry: Strawberry gives you the perfect combination of fruit and dessert. If you're looking for something sweet and pink, strawberry is a great choice. Plus it pairs well with chocolate.
- Pistachio: Pistachio surprises a lot of people because it tastes a lot better than it looks. the green color throws a lot of people off, but it still made it onto the top 10 list. So if you're looking for something nutty, pistachio it is.
- Birthday Cake: With sweet chunks of cake and sprinkles, you can enjoy your birthday with the cake and ice cream in one with this top 10 flavor.
- Coffee: So many Americans love coffee, so it's no wonder that they love coffee flavored ice cream too. It blends the taste of coffee with the sweetness of ice cream to create a delicious combination.
Mesa ice cream shop
If you're craving ice cream now, come on down to our Mesa ice cream shop. We have amazing soft ice cream, authentic French desserts, and fun in our shop. Bring the whole family and enjoy a sweet summer treat.


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If not NAO then what?—regional circulation patterns governing summer air temperatures in Poland
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- Citations
The correlation between the daily/monthly North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index and the daily/monthly anomalies of the summer (JJA) surface air temperatures in Poland is close to 0.00, being positive in most of the country (but hardly exceeding 0.15) and negative in the southeast. Therefore, the regional scale circulation patterns other than NAO were determined using principal component analysis (PCA) to establish the relationship between the air circulation and the daily anomalies of the mean, maximum and minimum air temperatures in Poland. Regression and correlation analysis were applied to define the strengths and spatial distributions of these relationships. The best results were obtained for the mean and maximum daily temperature anomalies, for which the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) between the modelled and observed values exceeded 0.75 in the vast areas of central and southeastern Poland, while, over the rest of the country, it amounted to 0.7. The weaker influence of the circulation on air temperatures is observed in the northwestern part of the country, along the Baltic Sea shore (r < 0.65). The weakest results were obtained for the anomalies of the daily minimum temperatures (r equals 0.5–0.6 over most of the country and drops below 0.4 in the northwest). Furthermore, the influences of each PCA-based regional circulation pattern on the variabilities of the surface temperatures were analysed. The circulation pattern recognized as the second principal component, distinguished in the positive phase by the high-pressure conditions with the anticyclonic centre located right over central and southeastern Poland, revealed the strongest positive relationship with the air temperature.
1 Introduction
Atmospheric circulation is one of the most important factors that influences weather and climate conditions, and its changes significantly determine short- and long-period temperature variabilities (Yarnal 1993). In the North Atlantic–European sector, this theorem is most true in the winter, for which the paradigm of the macroscale circulation pattern called the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is most often used to explain the variability of the air temperature and other meteorological factors. However, there is much less recognition of the circulation's impact on European weather and climate in the summer (Folland et al. 2009).
The NAO is the most prominent and recurrent circulation pattern over the middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. It depicts the redistribution of atmospheric mass and therefore, the heat and moisture transport between the subtropical Atlantic and the Arctic. Therefore, it has most often been used to describe the relationships between macroscale circulation and the climate in Europe (e.g., Shabbar et al. 2001; Hurrel et al. 2003; Trigo et al. 2004; Scherrer et al. 2006; Beranová and Huth 2007, 2008). The NAO is observed at any time of the year; however, its influence on the weather over the Atlantic and its neighbouring continents is most pronounced in the cold season. This is mainly because of the seasonal variation of the oscillation strength and partly because of the seasonal changes in the spatial patterns of the NAO dipole centre locations (Barnston and Livezey 1987; Portis et al. 2001; Folland et al. 2009; Pokorná and Huth 2015). In the eigenvector analysis of the North Atlantic–European sea level pressure, the NAO pattern explains 36.7% of the variance in the winter, but only 22.1% in the summer; similar differences appear at the 700 hPa level (Barnston and Livezey 1987; Hurrell et al. 2003). Furthermore, the summer NAO has a smaller spatial scale than its winter counterpart and both centres are shifted north, which means that the summer southern dipole is located over northwestern Europe rather than over the Azores–Spain region (e.g. Hurrell et al. 2003, Folland et al. 2009). Nevertheless, not only winter but also summer fluctuations of the NAO phases and their intensity are said to influence the weather and climate in Europe, mainly due to the changing frequencies, positions and intensities of blocking events and storm tracks over the extratropical North Atlantic (e.g. Shabbar et al. 2001; Trigo et al. 2004; Scherrer et al. 2006; Folland et al. 2009; Pokorná and Huth 2015). However, in the first part of this study, it has been proven that the influence of the summer NAO on the surface air temperature does not encompass Poland, which is located in central Europe. In this case, it was assumed that circulation patterns other than the NAO, possibly at a regional scale, determine the variability of the summer air temperatures in this region. To this end, the classification of regional atmospheric circulation types occurring in the summer over central Europe was performed, and the influences of the produced circulation patterns on the surface air temperature variabilities in Poland were investigated.
Classifications of atmospheric circulation types are a useful and important tool that are often applied to synoptic climatological analyses concerning the influences of circulation dynamics on local and regional surface climate variables (Beck et al. 2007). There are different methods used to assign circulation patterns, such as the threshold based methods (e.g. Grosswetterlagen by Hess and Brezowsky 1952), clustering techniques (e.g. Esteban et al. 2005; Bednorz 2011; Beck et al. 2015), and the most often used principal component analysis (PCA)-based methods (e.g. Barnston and Livezey 1987; Huth 1993, 1996; Philipp 2009; Huth et al. 2008; Huth 2010). The resulting circulation types are related to various climatic variables, i.e., air temperature and precipitation (Beck et al. 2007), the occurrence of droughts (Vicente-Serrano and López-Moreno 2006; Fleig et al. 2010; Beck et al. 2015), snowfall (Esteban et al. 2005), storminess (Leckebusch et al. 2008) and others.
Many studies concerning the influence of circulation patterns on the summer temperature conditions in Europe focused on extreme events, in particular on the occurrences of heat waves (e.g. Kyselý 2002, 2007, 2008; Porębska and Zdunek 2013; Tomczyk and Bednorz 2016). These works have proven that extreme temperatures in Europe are triggered by the stable circulation conditions that develop under blocking systems that persist over the Euro–Atlantic sector and drive warm air from Africa. Such blocking anticyclones induce the most devastating heat waves, including the 2003 heat wave in western and southwestern Europe, the 2010 heat wave in Russia, and the 2015 heat wave in Central Europe (Katsafados et al. 2014; Tomczyk and Bednorz 2016; Tomczyk et al. 2017).
The first aim of this study is to verify the influence of NAO on the surface air temperature in Poland during the summer season. Furthermore, the purpose is to determine other than NAO circulation patterns at the regional scales that appear in the summer over central Europe and to construct the regression models showing, how the obtained circulation types influence the surface air temperature variability in Poland.
2 Data and methods
In the first step, in order to evaluate the influence of the NAO on the summer (JJA) surface air temperature variabilities in Poland, the correlations (Pearson's correlation coefficient) between the air temperature anomalies and NAO index were computed for each station used in this analysis; the computation was performed for both daily and monthly time scales. The NAO indices were derived from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Centre (CPC) datasets (historical monthly NAO indices available at ftp://ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/wd52dg/data/indices/nao_index.tim; daily NAO indices available at ftp://ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/cwlinks/norm.daily.nao.index.b500101.current.ascii). The procedure used to identify the Northern Hemisphere teleconnection patterns recognized in this database is the PCA applied to the Northern Hemisphere monthly mean standardized 500 hPa height anomalies (Barnston and Livezey 1987). Alternatively, two other monthly NAO indices were used, namely the NAO index by Li and Wang (2003) (available at http://ljp.gcess.cn/dct/page/65610) and the Hurrell's index (NCAR 2017) (available at https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data/hurrell-north-atlantic-oscillation-nao-index-pc-based). The NAO index by Li and Wang (2003) is defined as the difference in the normalized monthly sea level pressure (SLP) regionally zonal-averaged over the North Atlantic sector from 80° W to 30° E between 35° N and 65° N and it is considered as a measure of the intensity of zonal winds across the central North Atlantic between 35° N to 65° N. (Li and Wang 2003). The Hurrell's index is a PCA-based index of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and it reveals the time series of the leading Empirical Orthogonal Function of SLP anomalies over the Atlantic sector, 20°–80° N, 90° W–40° E.
In the next step, the statistical relationships between the daily air temperature anomalies in Poland and the large-scale pressure fields were developed. To this end, the daily mean sea level pressure (SLP) and 500-hPa geopotential height (z500) reanalysis data were used. The reanalysis data for the Euro–Atlantic area encompassing the region of 35° W–65 E by 25°–75° N with a 2.5° × 2.5° resolution were derived from the NCEP/NCAR (National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research) reanalysis data (Kalnay et al. 1996), available from the NOAA ESRL PSD (National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, Earth System Laboratory, Physical Sciences Division) resources (www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/data/reanalysis/reanalysis.shtml). Data from the same source was used to establish the same relationships in the vertical tropospheric profile; to this end, the geopotential heights along the 52.5° N parallel at 11 levels (1000, 850, 700, 600, 500, 400, 300, 250, 200, 150, and 100 hPa) were correlated with the surface air temperature anomalies in Poland. To establish the relationships between the continuous and normally distributed variables, used in this study, the Pearson's correlation coefficient was employed, which is a most often used method. The statistical significance of the correlation indices were tested using Student's t-distribution for probability level p = 0.05 and for an appropriate degree of freedom (n – 2). Nevertheless, we assumed that if the absolute value of correlation coefficient is smaller than approximately 0.3 it is not relevant which is justified from the climatological point of view.
To develop the daily regional circulation patterns distinctive to the summer season, the PCA was applied to the S-mode data matrix where the grid points made up the variables and the daily z500 values (1966–2015, JJA) acted as the observations (Barnston and Livezey 1987; Wilks 2011; NCAR 2015). The PCA is the most widely used multivariate statistical technique in the atmospheric sciences which reduces a data set containing a large number of variables to a data set containing fewer new variables (e.g. Barnston and Livezey 1987; NCAR 2015). In this case, the mean daily gridded (2.5° × 2.5°) standardized values of z500 in the area of 5°–45 E by 35°–70° N (255 variables) were reduced to a set of new variables, namely principal components (PCs), which express the variability of the z500 field. In the analysis, several new data are obtained: (1) first of all, new variables (PCs) which stand for circulation types with the percentage of explained z500 variance by each of them, (2) new daily time series of eigenvalues for each PC, which are used as daily indices of each circulation type; these indices give information on the strength and sign (positive/negative) of a particular circulation type, and (3) loadings of each PC, which show the spatial pattern of correlation between the old variables (standardized gridded daily z500 values in this case) and the new ones (daily indices of each PC). The geopotential height z500 and the spatial range of data taken to PCA were chosen based on the former correlation analysis. A pre-processing of the data was first performed, scaling the daily values, namely standardizing the observations from a spatial point of view. This procedure allowed to deseasonalize the observations, keeping the fields' intensities in the analysis, and maintains the daily temporal scale of the original data (Esteban et al. 2005). Standardizing the z500 data amounted to applying a correlation matrix in the analysis. An important issue while performing the PCA is the decision whether to rotate the obtained PCs or not. Rotation of PCs is commonplace in the atmospheric science; however, there has been extensive discussion of its advantages and disadvantages (i.e. Richman 1986; Jolliffe 1987, 2002; Rencher 1995; Wilks 2011). The main argument for rotation is that it simplifies the physical interpretation of PCs, but it has also a number of drawbacks. The first difficulty consists in a subjective choice of the rotated PCs number and then arbitrary choice from a large number of possible rotation criteria (Cattell 1978; Richman 1986). Moreover, while PCA successively maximizes variance accounted for subsequent PC, rotation redistributes is among the rotated components more uniformly, which means that information about the nature of the dominant components may be lost. Rotation means also loss either the orthogonality, or the uncorrelatedness of the resulting PCs, which constricts the interpretation of their meaning. Considering all the arguments, rotation of the PCs was abandoned in this study and despite this, the physical interpretation of the unrotated PCs appeared to be simple and apparent.
The number of principal components (PCs), namely, the circulation patterns that were used for further analysis were established considering the total amount of variability represented by obtained PCs (Jolliffe 2002; Wilks 2011).
Finally, the regression and correlation analyses were applied to define the strengths and spatial distributions of the relationships between the determined daily regional circulation types and the daily anomalies of the Tmax, Tmin and Tmean. To this end, the circulation indices have been utilized as predictors within multiple linear regression models. The cross-validation procedure based on the 10-fold cross-validation approach repeated 10 times using bootstrap resampling was used to verify the model. This was performed for each of the 44 stations used in this analysis, and the results were visualized using maps to show the correlation fields.
3 Results
Results of the principal component analysis, including the percentages of the total variance of the z500 field over Europe represented by the first 12 principal components (PCs)
Percentage of total variance
Cumulative percentage of total variance
The strongest positive relationship with the air temperature as expressed by a high correlation coefficient (exceeding 0.55) was revealed to be that of PC2. The high-pressure conditions with the anticyclonic centre located over central and southeastern Poland cause positive anomalies of the daily Tmean and Tmax (r > 0.4 over most of the country, apart from the northernmost regions). The negative phase of PC2, showing a local low-pressure system over Poland, implies a lowering of the daily mean and extreme air temperatures (Figs. 8, 9 and 10).
The PC3 pattern that characterizes the anticyclonic conditions in the northeast of Poland in its positive phase is positively correlated with the anomalies of Tmean, Tmax and Tmin, but the relationship is strongest only in northeastern Poland, where the southeastern circulation and the anticyclonic conditions in the positive phase of PC3 cause substantial warming, while a cyclone located northeast of Poland in the negative PC3 phase causes substantial cooling (Figs. 8, 9 and 10). The positive phase of the PC5 pattern shows a meridional ridge of higher-than-normal pressures across Europe, encompassing eastern Poland. The PC5 gives a strong signal only in southeastern Poland and is induced by a southern/northern airflow and anticyclonic/cyclonic conditions in its positive/negative phase. Other regional circulation patterns reveal weaker influences on the daily anomalies of the air surface temperatures (i.e. PC4 and PC6, as shown in Fig. 8).
4 Summary, discussion and conclusions
Folland et al. (2009) have postulated that the summer NAO circulation pattern explains the principal variations of the summer climate over some regions of Europe, including the mean temperatures, precipitation, and cloudiness. The positive phase of the summer NAO is associated with warm, dry, and relatively cloud-free conditions over northwest Europe, especially over the United Kingdom and much of Scandinavia, and with the cooler, wetter, and cloudier conditions over southern Europe and the Mediterranean (Folland et al. 2009; Favà et al. 2016). Also in central Europe, some signals of the influence of the NAO on the monthly means of the daily maximum, minimum, and mean surface temperatures in the summer seasons were identified by Pokorná and Huth (2015). These findings were not confirmed in this study as a significant influence of the NAO on the summer surface air temperatures in Poland was not detected, either on a monthly or daily time scale. Having in mind that European climate impacts of the NAO might be sensitive to how the NAO is defined (Pokorná and Huth 2015), two other than CPC-NAO indices were applied in this study. However, any of them did not reveal significant correlation with summer air temperatures in Poland. Similar results were obtained by Wibig and Głowicki (2002), who proved that the mean monthly minimum and maximum temperatures in Poland are significantly correlated with the NAO index in all seasons but not in the summer. In this case, it was assumed in the preliminary stage of the research that other than the NAO circulation types, presumably those on smaller spatial scales, must govern the variability of the summer surface temperature in Poland.
Beck et al. (2013) acknowledged that the size of the domain in the classification of the circulation types has a strong effect when studying the relationships between circulation and surface climates in moderate climate zones. They postulated that, in general, the best results can be achieved for domain sizes with horizontal dimensions of approximately 1300–1800 km (in west–east direction), thus most frequently covering size ranges of synoptic scale systems. However, the optimal domain sizes tend to be smaller for the summer (as compared to winter) and for continental regions (compared to oceanic regions) (Beck et al. 2015). This is partly explainable by the dimension of extratropical cyclones (the modal values of effective summer cyclone radius 200–800 km, Rudeva and Gulev 2007), which are highly relevant for surface climate characteristics. In this study, on the basis of the correlation analysis performed at the beginning, the spatial range of the domain for the circulation type classification was established as 40° zonally and 35° meridionally, which presents a horizontal dimension of approximately 2000 km along 52.5° N. The preliminary analysis also indicated that the middle tropospheric levels are the most highly correlated with surface temperature, which allows the establishment of the z500 level as being appropriate for the purpose of this study.
According to regression models, the established regional circulation patterns explain the variability of daily surface temperature anomalies over Poland in approximately 54% (r equals to 0.73) of the cases of Tmax and Tmean and in approximately 30% (r ≈ 0.53) of the cases for Tmin. The much weaker relationship between the circulation patterns and minimum temperatures than those for the mean and maximum temperatures in the summer were also obtained by other studies (i.e. Pokorná and Huth 2015; Beck et al. 2015). This indicates that the lowest daily temperatures in the summer seasons are less dependent on circulation patterns and on the direction of air inflows and are probably more associated with local factors and radiative conditions. Miętus et al. (2012) constructed similar regression models for the regional circulations and mean monthly temperatures of 54 Polish stations and have obtained good results for the winter and autumn but much weaker ones for the summer and spring (r ≈ 0.5).
In general, the results obtained in this study have proved that the regional atmospheric circulation has a strong impact on the surface air temperature in the summer and is therefore a very good potential predictor for the modelling of the thermal conditions on a daily time scale. The weakest relationship between circulation and surface air temperatures was detected in northwestern Poland along the coast of the Baltic Sea (r < 0.7 for Tmean and Tmax, r < 0.5 for Tmin, statistically significant at p = 0.05), where the sea thermal conditions strongly modify the local air circulation and the daily variabilities of the air temperatures.
Numerous studies have recognized anticyclonic circulation patterns as favourable for extreme temperature conditions namely, the heat waves in Europe (e.g. Kyselý 2002, 2007, 2008; Porębska and Zdunek 2013; Tomczyk and Bednorz 2016), which corresponds to the findings of this study. The circulation pattern recognized as PC2, which is distinguished in its positive phase by the high-pressure conditions with an anticyclonic centre located over central and southeastern Poland (Fig. 5), revealed the strongest positive relationship with air temperature variability. Also, PC1 in its negative phase, which is characterized by anticyclonic conditions over southern Scandinavia, increases the air temperature in northwestern Poland. The positive phase of PC3, with a high-pressure system located east of the Baltic Sea, increases the air temperature in northeastern Poland. Despite our expectations, the anticyclonic PC2 pattern did not show a significant positive trend. This would explain the increasing summer air temperatures in Poland and increasing frequencies of heat waves in central Europe. Instead, the only pattern that reveals a significant trend (i.e. increasing the mean summer index) is PC1, which is negatively correlated with the air temperature. This leads to conclusion that that the air circulation conditions suppress the summer warming trend in Poland by more frequent occurrences of cyclones over southern Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea, which is indicated by the positive trend of the PC1 index.
This work was partly supported by the Polish National Science Foundation (grant numbers 2016/21/B/ST10/01440 and 2014/15/N/ST10/00717).
Authors would like to thank the Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management for supporting the station data used in this study.
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Copyright information
Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.


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What story could be a more stirring one than Sir Francis Drake's capture of a treasure-laden galleonoff the coast of Ecuador in 1579? What could be more thrilling to imagine than the great aerial dogfights between the Luftwaffe and English Spitfires during the Battle of Britain in 1940? And what could be heroic than a grad student drawing an etymological connection between the two events in North Carolina in 1989?
Some of world's most exciting events have come to my attention in the most humdrum of ways. It is, I suppose, the bookworm's fate. But while I have learned some amazing things from musty old books, it was a memorable day indeed when I inserted the brand-new CD-ROM of the Oxford English Dictionary into a computer by the Reference Desk at UNC's Davis Library. What fun it was (what deeply nerdy fun!) to peruse a venerable philological database in a state-of-the-art electronic fashion. What a revelation it was to pore over the results of these new-fangled "word searches" as they came chugging out of the clunky dot-matrix printer.
I spent a lot of time with this disk over the next few weeks. One day it occurred to me that I'd like to know how word focus, which means "hearth" in Latin, had come to have the abstract meaning of "center" in English. It made sense, of course. The hearth is the innermost part of a home. Still, I wondered, when had the fire gone out of the fireplace? (It was still present in the Spanish derivatives: fuego, for instance, is the standard word for "fire.") Surely the OED could supply the answer, as in fact it did. "Focus" had been coined in English by no less than Thomas Hobbes. "The focus of an hyperbole is in the axis," he writes, in a mathematical lesson from 1656. Good enough, I thought, ready to move on.
But then I noticed, a little further down in the list of search results, the word "Cacafuego," the name, as it happens, of a Spanish ship. A few years before Hobbes was born, Sir Francis Drake had surprised the Spaniards in the Pacific by seizing a treasure ship, Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, more colloquially known as the Cacafuego, "The Shit-Fire." Although her title would suggest a warship of some ferocity, the Cacafuego was unarmed and surrendered to Drake without a fight. Sir Francis was richly rewarded for his labor, making off with chest upon chest of silver and gold, "about £12 million today," according to Wikipedia. But despite the enormous haul, it was the galleon's florid name that seemed to stick in English minds.
Now, the Elizabethans were a frank people, but still given to a sort of winking euphemism. We can thank them for words like "Gosh" for "God," "Zounds" for "By His Wounds," and yes, "spitfire" for the more accurate "shitfire." Still, from the seventeenth century onward, quotations for both "cacafuego" and "spitfire" are to be found in English. A pugnacious connotation still clung to the spitfire even into the twentieth century, and it was eventually applied to the name of a fighter-plane designed by engineer, R.J. Mitchell, which was the hero of the Battle of Britain.
There's a movie from 1942, in fact, all about the triumphant rise of this fighter. Called "First of the Few" in England and "Spitfire" in America, the film was directed by the Leslie Howard, who also played Mitchell. At one point, Mitchell/Howard thinks out loud about what to name his new aircraft. "The plane's a curious sort of bird, a bird that breathes fire and spits out death and destructions—a spitfire bird!" The real Mitchell had been apparently more derisive when informed by his employers about the plane's title. "Just the sort of bloody silly name they would choose," he is reported to have said. Whether he was channeling for Sir Francis Drake I will not speculate.


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Barend de Wet: 1956, Boksburg – 2017, Cape Town
Maximal Knitting, 2012.
A mythical figure in the South African art world with a career straddling nearly fourty years, De Wet has been described as a conceptual formalist. His oeuvre encompasses traditional media, craft skills and fanatical hobbyism that manifests in acts of playful and witty sculptures, 'knitted paintings', performances and productive collaborations. From being a model for Issey Miyake, beekeeper, world record holder in yo-yoing, serial tattooist and innate exhibitionist, De Wet exemplifies his motto that "art is life and life is art".
Just William, 2010.
De Wet officially resigned from the art world in 1996 with the announcement of the birth of his son. During 1998 he established the "Museum of Temporary Art" at his hotel, The Grand, in Observatory, Cape Town. Here he continued his obdurate battle against the intellectualisms of art, favouring honest gestures imbued with visual puns and Duchampian mischief. Many significant South African and international artists completed 'residencies' at the 'museum'.
After all is said and done, perhaps De Wet is best summed up in the words of two younger artists who have benefitted from his simply being around. As Christian Nerf would have it, "Barend doesn't work hard. He doesn't think hard. He is hard." Or this, from Robin Rhode: "To be able to understand the art of Barend de Wet is to be able to pickpocket an apple from a Cezanne still life before soaking one's teeth into it as a gesture of sincerity." We need Barend de Wet, for the simple reason that like the trickster he is, he occupies the position of the 'wise fool', thwarting cultural and artistic stagnation through his creative wit. By playing to the absurd, which is not without risk, he opens up a space for laughter and playful pleasure; attributes that are depressingly absent from so much of what we strive for – and indeed what motivates us – in an information-saturated present. (Smith, K. 2010. Barend de Wet. SMAC Art Gallery. Stellenbosch: 133.)
To be viewed, 2016.
Toying with art, 2016.
JouJou, 2016.
Born in 1956 in Boksburg, South Africa, Barend De Wet completed his education at the Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town in 1990. Since his return (to his artistic practice) De Wet has presented three successful solo exhibitions at SMAC Gallery – GREEN (2010) in Stellenbosch; Maximalism (2012) in Cape Town and Black, White & Everything In-Between (2016) also in Cape Town. Notable group exhibitions include Dada South? Exploring Dada legacies in South African Art 1960 to present, at the Iziko South African National Gallery in 2009; Twenty: South African Sculpture of the Last Two Decades at the Nirox Sculpture Park, Johannesburg, in 2010; The Rainbow Nation: Hedendaagse Beeldhouwkunst uit Zuid-Afrika at the Museum Beelden aan Zee, Den Haag, Netherlands, in 2012; and After The Rainbow Nation: An Exhibition of Contemporary South African Sculpture, at the NIROX Sculpture Park, Johannesburg, in 2013.
Recent projects include a video montage titled Projected Identities, which featured in MINE, a traveling exhibition of South African video and performance art which was shown in Dubai, UAE as well as in Bordeaux, France as part of the 2012/2013 South Africa/French season. De Wet was also the invited artist for the inaugural Cape Town Art Fair in 2013, and was included in Experimental Evening – Notes in Thread; as well as Thinking, Feeling, Head, Heart, curated by Marilyn Martin, both at the New Church Museum in Cape Town in 2014. During 2015, Barend de Wet showed his film Projected Identities at SMAC gallery in Cape Town, following its screening at the TATE Modern in London as part of The Film Will Always Be You – South African Artists on Screen. De Wet's work is currently included in the exhibition entitled Women's Work at the Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town
Coinciding with Barend de Wet's most recent solo exhibition titled Black, White & Everything In-Between (2016) was a publication by the same name, containing an essay by Alexandra C.M Ross that offers further insight into the practice of de Wet's cryptically playful practice. (text and courtesy SMAC Gallery SA)


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33 Corner Sofas in the Living Room
Watch the great of the role corner sofa for your living room. Obvious, it not only matches for that space. Even though, it comes with new interior creation. Certainly, it creates new nuance for the room itself and also your need. This article brings many designs of this modern seating style. In addition, most corner sofa has l shaped design. Okay, I open with purple corner sofa with metal leg. Here, it gives calming sense for the room.
Then, I have dark grey corner sofa in artistic neutral living room. It mixes the bold red cushions and the decorative accessories. Well, it looks cozy with trendy modest outlook. Next, I have u shaped corner sofa in light blue for modern small living room. By the way, this furniture includes in l shape style too. Here, it mixes the splendid white tables with shelves. Obvious, this seat makes your small space keep able to load many people.
Fourth, I shape curved white sofa in shabby chic sense. Even though, it decorates the cool spring living room with abstract painting and white Sakura table centerpiece. Then, it mixes the unique floor lamp shade and u shaped crate wooden bench. Afterward, there is colorful corner sofa in boho chic living room. Well, it takes from the Moroccan living room style. Here, it stands on the graphite area rug with several patterns and colors.
Hereinafter, I show green white corner sofa in bright tropical living room. On the charcoal laminate floor, this great u shaped furniture demonstrates extensive garden window. The last is eccentric corner sofa for loft living room design. As you know the seat is propped by red leather pad. Further, the grey and patterned cushions make cozy backrest. In addition, this furniture combines red leather ottoman table in tufted pattern. Alright, those are the stunning living room furniture with classy sense. What a great!


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This recipe is a non-recipe.
Lazy girl pizza salad is for when you want something nice to eat, but you just don't really want to cook. Tasty, easy and satisfying!
Serves: 1
- 1 personal size frozen pizza (I used the vegan pizza from Whole Foods)
- Spinach
- Sprouts
- Pickled Onions
- Radish Sliced
- Green Goddess Dressing ( from Trader Joes)
- Sesame Seeds
- Cook the pizza according to box instructions.
- Toss all of the remaining ingredients together.
- Simply pile the salad onto the cooked pizza! Enjoy!


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This is going to be an odd post. It is not a lens test, nor advice for choosing the right lens for the job, but rather my own thoughts about a lens when I pick it up and use it.
These are honest thoughts. As honest as I can be with myself about a crucial part of the creative process. I will rate them from 1 to 5 for results/confidence.
Starting from the wide end.
12-40 f2.8 Pro. This lens leaves me in two minds.
If I am using it for landscape work, I have no issues with it what so ever. I know it is a good performer into the corners and across the range and can produce "A" grade images with care. Stopping down is good for depth of field, but not overly necessary for sharpness. The lens post processes well, supplying a feeling of an un moulded image, waiting for finessing. 4.5/4
As a work or general lens, I like it at the long end, but have little practical use for the wider end. I have a problem with wide angle lenses, use them sparingly and always feel they add too much clutter to a composition. 17mm (35mm) is my usual wide limit, but you never know when your client will ask for a group shot at close quarters. This lens still gives me the jitters a bit. I feel focus issues are more common with it (feel, don't know for sure), especially on the non firmware updated OMD bodies (yeah, I know..) and the bokeh it displays, pleasant enough for portraiture, exaggerates these misses. It looks to wash out some images when shot into the light, but I may be being harsh. I also feel it is sharper at close distances, but that tends to go for many lenses due to atmospheric conditions etc. 3.5/3.5
Edit. It turns out that the images I have liked most from this lens have been jpegs taken on the Pen F. The built in corrections for the lens look to my eye to be near perfect and I will be using jpeg/RAW files together until I am sure Lightroom can do as good a job as the Olympus engineers.
17mm. Great for the job it is designed for.
For street photography, where composition, timing and subject relevance outweigh sheer quality, this lens is ideal. I would like it to be a little better performing across the frame for landscapes, but I am sure I would manage (it's a lot better than my Canon 17-40L). The lens "feels" sharp in it's rendering, especially in the way it's bokeh transitions, a lovely mix of micro contrast snap with good coherence. It's accurate and super fast in focus and smooth in operation and the MF markings are a must for zone focussing. It took a while, but I am more than comfortable with it, indeed it is one of the three lenses (all primes) that I rely on. Part of my need for the above zoom comes from this and the 12mm lens's supposed weaknesses in the corners. 4/4.5
25mm. The must have?
This one is a confusing lens. I feel like it should be more than just the stable "nifty fifty". The focal length is just not used much unless I make myself. I often go out with it alone, deliberately trying to become comfortable, even reliant on it, and it tends to be my "one lens" option. I must confess, if I lost it I may not replace it or I may go back to a Leica 25mm that I feel has more character (flaws) and perceived snap (micro contrast), but then I would most likely get the Pana 20mm (but I have the 17mm..oh crap, too confusing). It is very sharp at all apertures (with a little CA wide open), contrasty, has some genuine sparkle and a good close focus, so I should not complain and I even feel the slight regret at selling the Leica is wholly unfounded as the lens has less erratic behaviour. It is most often used as a faster backup for the 12-40 for work or as the fourth and least used lens in my all prime street kit (i.e. not used enough). My wish is to use this lens instead of the 17mm as I feel the 50mm equivalent is more dramatic for street, but the 17mm is so good at getting the image. I do however always use it for night shooting, because of it's contrast and brilliance. I think it is good enough that I would not bother with the 25 f1.2 super lens for 5x as much. 4.5/3.75
45mm. This is my warm-fuzzy.
I love this lens. I cannot even say I use the focal length that much, but I love this lens. A bit like the 25mm, the focal length tends to one that I make myself use, but I never regret when I do and it is a no brainer when used with the 17mm on another body for street shooting. If I could only have one portrait lens, this would be it. It shares both the warmth, lush colour and contrast of the 75-300 zoom and the genuine and very grown up sharpness of the better Olympus lenses. I also find the focal length more versatile and cleaner (more decisive) to use than the 25mm, which often leaves me neither close or far enough away. My only wish would be for better close focus like the Panasonic. 4.5/5
40-150 Pro. My reliable work horse.
From a rocky start (re boxed and siting at the door for return), this lens has recovered to become my work horse lens. It was originally purchased for landscapes and will regularly do this work, but as a low light tele for sport and stage work it has really come into it's own. The shock of strong CA at the wider end and a strange "fuzzy" softness that shows up in strong light (possibly focus-Bokeh related) are being accepted in light of it's lightning fast AF, overall sharpness and versatility. I do not like the slight "ringlet" bokeh in all circumstances, but that gives me a reason to use my primes. 4/4
75mm f1.8 This is my "hot" spot.
I never regret using this lens. Some say it is a little long to be useful. My wish would be for it to have been slightly longer (100mm f2?), allowing me to get away without the big pro zoom. There is nothing to criticise, except it's habit of making me unsettled with other lenses (like Hi Fi gear, the whole tends to be judged by the possible performance of the strongest, but is limited to the actual performance of the weakest part). The 17mm is supposedly far below it in objective performance, but I think they make a good pair, the 45mm renders quite differently giving me options in look and the 25mm is technically close, often accompanying it as the fast support to my zooms when working. When I tested sharpness against the big zoom at 75mm, it was too close to pick, but the bokeh, speed and size of the 75mm makes it my preferred option. 5/5
75-300. The slow poke with some real punch.
How is it, my cheapest zoom, and nearly my cheapest lens, with such extreme specifications for it's pricing is one of my favourites? it is so cheap that I have sold and re bought it without feeling gutted (a similar story to my 70-200 F4L Canons, I had 3!). It has terrific perceived sharpness and is in real terms very sharp at the short end through to 200mm and pretty good at the long end. It is really long, pulling of shots, I have never been able to do without a monster lens and even though it is slow in aperture, it has good bokeh rendering and beautiful colour. There is not really a weak area in the package except average grade build quality. 4/4.5
14-42 kit (manual zoom type). Not rubbish.
I like this lens. I like that it promises nothing, but delivers plenty. If I am travelling really light, it gives me a decent wide angle to go with the 45mm as the fast long option.
Lenses are funny things. You buy them intellectually and/or lustfully, but only after using them for a while can you really tell if you like them. I am generally happy with the balance of my kit for the first time in a long time. It is not perfect, but it is probably as close as I can expect from one brand alone (something that I could not do with Canon in 2013, but could do now) and is more than I need really. Unlike my Canon days though, I feel no guilt about my excess as nothing cost more than it should (except maybe the 25mm?), it can all be carried and all lenses deliver.
So, how do I rate them in my head as I go out the door?
Will only leave behind if there is really no use for it (landscape); 75mm.
Will only leave behind if using pro zooms for work/landscape; 17mm and 45mm.
Always taken for work/landscape otherwise left behind; 12-40 and 40-150.
Will leave behind unless needed specifically; 25, 75-300, 14-42.
What could I survive on, if it was just for me?
The 75, 17 and 45 would get me through (and maybe the 25). This is the 1 camera mated to 1 lens kit (Pen F + 17mm, OMDn + 75mm, OMD + 25mm, OMD + 45mm each set up for best use of their respective lens).
And what would I buy if money was really no object?
The primo kit would be 12mm Leica, 42.5 Leica, 75 and 300 primes.


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LEGO: The Lord of the Rings - Everything You Need to Know!/
Warner Bros. Consumer Products and The LEGO Group announced a partnership that awards the world's leading construction toy brand exclusive rights to develop build-and-play construction sets based on THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ trilogy and the two films based on THE HOBBIT™. The multi-year licensing agreement grants access to the library of characters, settings, and stories for THE LORD OF THE RINGS property, as well as films The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again.
LEGO: LotR will feature 85 playable characters, including a number that have never appeared in the film adaptations. These characters were not named. Due out October 30, the game will be based on Jackson's Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy and will follow the storylines of each film. Dialogue, however, will be taken directly from the films, which means the main characters in the title will be voiced by their film counterparts, including Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom.
Unlike the Lego Harry Potter franchise, which was split over two games, the entire Lord of the Rings saga will be told in one entry. This open world game follows Frodo Baggins and the unlikely fellowship that sets out from Rivendell on a dangerous journey to destroy The One Ring and bring peace to Middle-earth. Throughout Lego Lord of the Rings, players will enter the Mines of Moria, climb the Misty Mountains, and battle orcs, uruk-hai, and, of course, there is going to be an epic fight with the balrog. Jill Wilfert, Vice President of licensing and entertainment for The LEGO Group, has released the following statement:
"Our collaboration with Warner Bros. Consumer Products has delivered numerous worldwide successes in the construction toy aisle with lines like LEGO HARRY POTTER and LEGO BATMAN, introducing us to loyal audiences who love great stories, strong characters and the toys that they inspire. It's particularly exciting to now be able to create sets based on the fantasy worlds and characters from THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and the two films based on THE HOBBIT, not only because we know they will foster collectability and creative play, but also because these are two properties that our fans have been asking us to create for years."
In keeping with the staples of the Lego franchise, Lego Lord of the Rings will be peppered with lighthearted interpretations of the source material, with gamers tasked with solving puzzles along the way. The open-world hub will include The Shire, Rivendell, Edoras, Helm's Deep, Osgiliath, Minas Tirath, and Mordor. Character players featured in the game include Frodo, Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Sam, Merry, and Pippin.


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Gateway Memorial City is quickly becoming Houston's premiere destination for shopping, entertainment and dining ! To highlight the dining aspect, Gateway Memorial City has invited us out for a one of a kind of experience! Houston Food Blogger Collective members will enjoy tastings and demonstrations at State Fare Kitchen and Bar, KUU and Churrascos. The event will begin with check in at the Gateway Promenade where each blogger will receive a press kit. From there, bloggers will be led through demonstrations and tastings at the participating restaurants. This should be an exciting event with something for every HFBC member!
To attend the event, please RSVP below. The first 50 members to RSVP will be admitted!


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Here Comes the Judge, Steven Tyler to Lovegrove Gallery & Gardens in Matlacha. Leoma Lovegrove to paint portraits of Steven Tyler all weekend, live on her stage in the gallery's botanical gardens.
American Idol fans may never have the opportunity to meet Steven Tyler in the flesh, but they can see him almost come alive under the paint brush of Leoma Lovegrove at special Painting Out Loud performances. Lovegrove will be painting Tyler's portrait during the Creative Coast weekend at her Matlacha gallery. The performances are free and she will paint live on stage during the two days of the Creative Coast Weekends. March 12 and 13 from 10 am - 6 pm. In addition, Leoma will be at the gallery Friday evening March 11, for a "Meet and Greet" from 4 pm -to 8 pm. Lovegrove Gallery & Gardens is located in the heart of Matlacha, Florida at 4637 Pine Island Road NW. For those using a GPS use Cape Coral as the city. Our little village is still so teeny that the GPS does not recognize it. Surprises await you if you can find us! For more information call 239-283-6453
Prints and note cards of the portrait will soon be available.
Does anyone know how to reach Steven Tyler?
I would like to present him with his portrait, in person!
Lovegrove Gallery & Gardens


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Why Learn a Foreign Language for Career in Hospitality
A career in the hospitality industry is something that is preferred by a lot of people. There are many perks to it that attract people to it, there is the challenging factor to it, and it's a creative area yet allows one to know how to work in the corporate world. A career in hospitality is such a universally accepted one, that the skills taught here can be applied in a number of different occupations. More than anything, this profession allows one to almost perfect their interpersonal skills, which is an important skill to have in any career.
Any hotel management college will educate their student in various different departments and areas which make up the hospitality industry. One will learn about the different ways to handle different responsibilities and duties, skills and qualifications, that will help one lead a successful career. One such skill is learning a foreign language.
A lot of employers look for people that can cater to a large and diverse amount of guests without difficulty. In a profession like hospitality, where one is in contact on a daily basis with people from all over the world, having a good grasp on two or more languages apart from the mother tongue and English, is always appreciated.
People looking for a job in this sector, can go much further in this career quickly if they have this added advantage of knowing a foreign language. And just knowing English apart from one's native language, is no longer enough. In today's globalized world, it is quite necessary to be multilingual. Not only is it a helpful skill but also raises one's standing in front of a potential employer. Sometimes a hotel management course will teach students a foreign language in the course only. Here are a few reasons why its needed:
1. Build Connection:
This is perhaps the most significant reason for the popularity of being multilingual. It has been seen that guests, especially international guests or clients, feel more at ease if they have someone who can communicate with them in their own language. This allows them to relax and be assured that their needs will be met.
2. Shows Intelligence:
One can find in any of the top 10 hotel management colleges in India, that the teachers will stress on every student having at least a conversational grip on a foreign language. What this does is that it shows high intellect which will then translate to the employee being a competent and dependable person.
3. Shows Cultural Acceptance:
The fact that one has taken the time to learn the language of another culture shows empathy and acceptance of that culture. This could work in favour of the employee and allow the client to be pleased with them.


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What Is osCommerce?
osCommerce is the leading Open Source online shop e-commerce solution that is powered by a dedicated, strong, and ever growing community, and is Freely available under the GNU General Public License.
osCommerce Solutions
Everything you need to get started in selling physical and digital goods over the internet, from the Catalog frontend that is presented to your customers, to the Administration Tool backend that completely handles your online store data. See details here!


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Tel : +86-592-6259106Email : email@example.com
Item NO.:000F17385
Payment:T/T, L/C
Size:11.5x6.5x20cm (7.9 inches H), 8.5x4.5x14.7cm (5.8 inches H), 6.5x4.7x9.7cm (3.8 inches H)
Product Origin:China
Color:Bisque white with yellow light
Shipping Port:Xiamen
Lead Time:45-60 Days
Product Description:
Find some christmas house ornament decor, try our White ceramic christmas hollow out house, with led lighting function, can be a cute gift for your children bedside.
● Professional Factory with rich experience
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● ODM,OEM,Customized,Manufacturer
Product Specification:
● Material: Porcelain
● Size: 11.5x6.5x20cm (7.9 inches H), 8.5x4.5x14.7cm (5.8 inches H), 6.5x4.7x9.7cm (3.8 inches H)
● Color: bisque white with yellow light
● Decorative: yes
● Product Care: Hand wash only
● Indoor use.
● Moq: 2,400 pcs
Detail Photo:
Bubble wrap or polyfoam with brown inner and master box. Gift box or color box is achievable.
online service
online service


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How to Make Clay Easter Egg Decorations
These clay easter egg decorations are so easy to make, and can be whipped up with the kids in an afternoon or two! Use whatever colours and designs you fancy!
1. Open the pack of clay and cut off as much as you think you'll need – this will depend on how many decorations you want to make. Allow roughly a golf ball sized amount for each one.
2. Using your hands, knead the clay to warm it up and shape into a ball. On a clean surface, roll out with your rolling pin to about 5mm thickness.
Keeping your hands wet will help stop the clay sticking to your hands. To stop it sticking to the work surface, use a silicone mat or lay out some cling film.
3. Using the grippy cutter, cut out as many egg shapes as you can.
4. Carefully lift up and put onto a piece of cling film on a flat surface. Now create the designs on the front of your eggs, using the modelling tool to create lines and a straw lightly pressed into the surface to create dots.
5. Use to straw to punch a hole in the top of each egg shape so that you can thread your ribbon through later. Leave to dry (ideally overnight).
6. Cover your eggs in a layer of PVA glue to help seal the clay.
7. Next, paint your eggs with your ready-mix paint, mixing and matching colours on each egg. You may need to do a few coats, or alternatively, you can use a thicker paint like acrylic.
8. Cover with another layer of PVA glue and leave to dry. Thread ribbon through the top, tie a knot and hang!


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The restoration of wood windows is simple and straightforward undertaking when experienced professionals are a part of the process. Please click on the image above to see a slideshow that illustrates just how elemental it is to give an old window a new lease on life.
Acetylated Wood for Windows
Although wooden windows have a unique character and beauty all their own, some owners struggle to justify keeping them when the issue of refurbishment arises. When historic buildings intended to see an extended service life confront the issue of window repair, modern advances in chemistry may be able to provide a long-lasting remedy.
The Money Behind the House
In order to gain a bit of perspective about Charlton Hall, we need to take a look back at the first owner's father, David Dows, Sr. He was born a farmer's son in 1814. When he left his father's home in 1828 to work in a dry goods store, there were fewer than 20 miles of railroad tracks in the country. The nation was poised for expansion and railroads played a major role, not just by physically opening up access to the West, but economically as well. Dows was heavily involved in the growth of the railroad and all of the profits that could be reaped from previously untapped markets.
The Men Behind Charlton Hall
Charlton Hall is the last privately-owned home designed by noted Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer. When David Dows, Jr. commissioned Trumbauer to build his country home in 1916, the Gilded Age architect had already made quite a name for himself.
The House Behind the Windows
Charlton Hall was built circa 1916 by noted Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer for David Dows, Jr.. Perched on the edge of the Jazz Age, the fortune upon which this house had its foundation was a product of the Gilded Age. While the rest of the country was in a forward-looking mood, this residence was a nod towards times gone by.
This Old Cottage
The recently renovated cottage at the Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Center & Home is just another chapter in this property's long and storied past.
Window Words: 101
Not many people pay any attention to their windows until something goes wrong, just like most things. And then when it's time to take care of the problem, things can get confusing because there's a whole new set of vocabulary words to learn in short order.
How Weight and Chain Windows Work
Weight and chain windows employ a counterbalance system that is quite simple. On a basic level, the weight and chain window system involves a pulley, a chain, and a weight. This highly efficient system leverages mechanical advantage to harness a simple machine to make everyday life easier, especially when operating weight and chain windows.
The Pulley: A Simple Machine
Weights and chains have been used to facilitate the operation of windows since the early 1700's. This system has stood the test of time due to its sheer simplicity. The pulley is believed to date back to 1500 BCE, when the people of Mesopotamia used ropes and pulleys to hoist their water.
A Working Vocabulary of Window Hardware
Windows are constructed of more than just wood and glass. Hardware not only makes windows functional, but it also enhances their appearance. Hardware is a bit like jewelry for your windows. However, the nomenclature for the hardware may be rather confusing at first glance. Below you will find a brief glossary of some terms that may be of interest when restoring your wooden windows back to their original splendor.
How To Clean Wood Windows
Over time, windows accumulate quite a bit of dirt and grime. This is especially true if they haven't been cleaned twice a year as experts recommend. Air pollution, car exhaust, and general gunk build up over time and cause windows to look dingy. Although all windows can be cleaned in the same basic way, older glass and wood windows do require some special consideration.
From Single Pane to Double Pane
When single pane windows have been left without maintenance, they are subject to fall into disrepair and are then often perceived as being old and drafty rather than as the architectural assets they are. However, replacement windows are not necessarily the only alternative. The historic look and feel of the original wooden windows can be preserved with the option of transforming them from single to double pane glass. They won't look like much, if anything, has changed
Landmark Windows of NYC: St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral is an iconic New York City landmark and home to the famous rose window, along with two other windows that have never seen the light of day.
All the Pretty Colors
When people think about stained glass windows, the name Tiffany might spring to mind for some, but nearly everyone will think of churches with their elaborate and detailed panes. And, there's a good reason for that...
Oh, What a Pane!
The next time you watch the clouds floating past your window, you might want to consider the fact that the privilege of doing so was a few thousand years in the making.
How to Measure the Performance of Energy Efficient Windows
We recently reviewed the various types of environmentally friendly windows available, and now we're here to delve further into that topic by looking at how to measure the performance of these windows. There are five basic principles that influence a window's energy efficiency, as well as two leading certifications that rate products based on these criteria.
A Guide to Casement Window Sash Sag
Like any structural component of a home, windows require proper installation, upkeep, and, sometimes, a little TLC. A common issue with casement windows, those that are attached to their frames by hinges, is sash sag. This occurs when the bottom of a window begins to droop. An all-too-common conundrum, sash sag can be prevented as well as mitigated, and we're here to provide tips for both instances.
Rowhouse Styles of New York City
Rowhouses make up much of the city's historic residential housing stock, and today can sell for well into the millions. Did you know, though, that not every rowhouse is the same? That there are many different styles, each with their own unique design and history? We've compiled here a guide to these styles, so next time you're admiring one of these beautiful architectural gems you'll know what type of rowhouse you're looking at—and just think how that will impress your friends!
Environmentally Friendly Windows
There's so much to consider when "greening" a home, and one of the most important factors is windows. There are several eco-friendly window options for new homes, historic homes, and everything in between. We're here to break it down for you.
How to Know if a Building is a Landmark
Official city landmark designation is granted through the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), which "is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and culturally significant buildings and sites by granting them landmark or historic district status, and regulating them once they're designated." Today, there are over 31,000 landmarked properties in the five boroughs.


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- Founded by designer Linda Smyth with a love of Parisian style, Bon Label was born to combine utility and chic, with a focus on everyday basics.
- Bon Label's basics range is made using Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified organic cotton, which is dyed using OEKO-TEX 100 certified dyes and knitted into single jersey fabric in Melbourne, Australia, with the entire production process Australian Certified Organic (ACO).
- Some of Bon Label's activewear collection is made with recycled nylon. Specific information regarding this material introduction is limited.
- Bon Label is accredited with Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA).
Sleepwear Basics Maternity
Sorella Organics
Fair Organic Sustainable


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Patent Monetization & Licensing
We helped corporations in licensing and selling their patents. We have created value of more than 20 million dollars for our clients.
MentesoIP's Patent Licensee/Infringer Identification/Infringement Search (also known as HML analysis) services help in identifying products and/or technologies owned by potential licensee/infringer that are either already infringing on client's patent or might win a competitive advantage by appending the features of client's invention.Read More
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We at MentesoIP support our clients in end-to-end Licensing Deals. Our team has in-depth knowledge of both strategies of monetization viz. Licensing-Out and Licensing-In. We help our clients to develop the best patent licensing in/out plan through a detailed analysis of their portfolio and careful research of specific industries and products as..Read More
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If wish to buy or sell patents, it is essential to determine the exact monetary value of the patent(s) involved. MentesoIP's patent valuation service is highly useful that can evaluate actual value of a patent by conducting technical research, market research, financial research and various financial modeling methods to determine an optimal valu..Read More
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Our Brokerage Document (a.k.a. Pitchbook/Sale Document) is powerful marketing material for pitching sale of a patent portfolio to potential clients. The brokerage documents enlist all the potential licensees/infringers in which the purchaser of the patent portfolio might be interested. The report further includes Illustrative Claim Charts to str..Read More
Patent Validity Search is conducted to validate the claims made by a patent and to check the strength of a granted patent. Typically, a validity search is directed to finding new prior art that was not found during the patent prosecution. Such a search may be valuable prior to engaging in a major monetization event, such as licensing or selling..Read More


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All magnifiers are manufactured by SightMart, it's affiliate companies, or by a name brand manufacturer. Powers ranging from 2X to 20X. Every magnifier is inspected and measured for quality and power accuracy. Although there are many choices of magnifiers on the market, Sightmart has chosen the "best sellers" - the magnifiers most frequently ordered by ophthalmologists, optometrists and optical retail stores in the USA.
Telescope Loupes
Headband Loupes
Clip-on Loupes
Clip-on Computer Loupes
Your Source for Ophthalmic Products and Supplies


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Our Game Mind state is up on itch.io and you should give it a play here.
Another post mortem is here and its time to reflect on how it went and of course what I've learnt from issues.
The Right
Collaboration Early
This was something that we had in place before we even pitch to collaborators and this was a great move as we knew what areas that we need to cover and the areas of music and animations. There parts of our project were key for getting our feeling across over the course of the game. We found our audio guys were really appreciative of the longer time to work and get test audio to us and then have time to iterate on this before the 11th hour. With our animator who was making our sprites sheets for all of out character movement and the creation of the player character itself. This early collaboration allowed the tweaking and iteration of getting these to look just right and the way that we wanted. Have both in the design phase of the project had them on board with what we where thinking and allowed them to give input in the design and how to make all the assets for our game. This allowed for a smoother flow of things getting done and room for a lot more iteration.
Scope and Polish
From the start we wanted to keep scope low, well when it come to mechanic anyway so that we could focus on polish and work into the other elements that we felt were going to give our game better feed back for the play. Keeping the mechanics simple for player meant that this didn't go unnoticed by the players.
Having collaborators early help this become a easy task from the star and allow us to communicate better with collaborator to know what is possible and to allow time for thing to come to a reality. Having clear scope of things that we needed and in the order of importance, we know how far we had to go and had come. this is something that can allow for the addition of extra desirable if a project meets what is need and add to the experience.
Roles and Workload
We gave roles to all our designers to over see the individual areas. This way if someone was working on schedule for example they have other relining on them to get things done so other know certain info of could go on with other tasks. This meant that tasks were completed and communication across the group covered just the area of concern for that individual. Having someone else you had to communicate and work with at different points in the project gave us all an overall idea of where the game was going, as well as our own individual tasks.
Having our own areas of the game that we had to make and also join with other in the team, had us both thinking our our own work but also had it fits in to the project as on a hole. This keep our work grounded and structured considering there were 4 designers working on the different parts at the same time, this was consider at the start of the project so that we would have members going in different directions with the design intent.
The Wrong
Simple is Hard
Lets make the game mechanic simple. Sound easy enough however nailing down what the simple mechanical is and if it is engaging and fun for players. This meant that getting this down early was paramount as our game feel hung on this this core. Designing the level was something that took time as this core wasn't concert as early as it should have been. This impacted on other task going forward as the main feel of moving through this section wasn't nailed down.
From this i have taking away the before making anything on a visual level the focus needs to get things move before all else, a rudimentary shapes move around a block to get the core there and then make it look good after that way you have what is need to start. otherwise you are just make a hole lot of pretty thing do really boring things.
Getting this core simple idea or mechanic is the hardest part. Once this is in place the things you add will only improve it only if you are not try to make the simplicity more complex. As with everything there is good and bad adding to a project.
Documentation and Source Control was Good but…
As with every project these elements work..ish. I mean that it has been the best so far but new issues arose. Early in our project this was something that was well planned and that everyone was on top of and contributed to. It was in the later stages of the project once we had gotten to the polish stage, the documentation began to lack behind and i feel this was due to other unplanned issues taking up our attention and time.
Source control work very well considering that we had 4 designers all working on the same project with individual scene and and a shared master scene. As with the individual scenes that worked well and we make prefabs of all assets in scenes so that if issues accrued we had a back of the asset. Doing this made work in our master scene loads easier as our work wasn't doubled. However there wasn't much thought put in how this master scene was going to be governed and how the work flow of this master scene would happen as element did inflicted on each other. this was an issue later in the project as several people all needed to work and refine this master scene.
Thanks for reading.


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The following is from the book 365 Nirvana, Here and Now.
This lesson is from Francis Lucille a teacher of consciousness who I had the good fortune to hear in person in Santa Barbara.
Q: I had brief glimpses of this realm in moments of stillness. Then I go to work and find myself in an environment, which is neither royal nor peaceful and my serenity immediately disappears. How can I keep my equanimity permanently?
A: Everything that appears in awareness is nothing other than awareness: co-workers; clients; supervisors; absolutely everything, including the premises, the furniture and the equipment. First understand this intellectually, then verify that this is so. There comes a moment where this feeling of intimacy, this benevolent space around you no longer goes away; you find yourself at home everywhere, even in the packed waiting room of a train station. You only leave it when you go into the past or the future. Don't stay in a hovel. This immensity awaits you right here, at this very moment. Being already acquainted with its presence, and once having tasted the harmony underlying appearance, let the perceptions of the external world and your body sensations unfold freely in your welcoming awareness, until the moment that the background of plenitude reveals itself spontaneously.
"Peace has nothing to do with where you are and everything to do with how you see where you are." Josh Baran


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Meet The Doctor
About Mark C. Young, DDS
Dr. Young attended The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in biology, and developed an interest in research. Thereafter, Dr. Young attended Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia, where he completed his doctorate degree in Dentistry.
Bio & The Practice
Upon Dr. Young's arrival in Charlottesville, he was employed by the Department of Pharmacology as a research scientist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He is published in the journal "Proceedings on the National Academy of Sciences". During that period of time, Dr. Young also became employed as a dental associate in a small practice close to the University of Virginia. Shortly thereafter he opened his own solo dental practice at 11th and West Main Street, walking distance from the UVA Hospital.
After many years of practice in the same location, Dr. Young's office lease was terminated and the building was sold. He has built a new office at his current location, across Hydraulic Road from Albermarle High School in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Dr. Young enjoys spending time with his wife Kim, and three children Ashley, Jackson, and Grant. Their leisure activities include hiking, fishing, boating, canoeing, and golfing. He also enjoys watching Redskins Football, and UVA Basketball. Dr. Young is a current member of the American Dental Association, the Virginia Dental Association, Shenandoah Valley Component and the Charlottesville Albermarle Dental Society. He also volunteers his time doing dental treatment for patients of the Charlottesville Free Clinic.


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With the first trampoline world cup of the 2019-2020 series just over three weeks away, all eyes will be on Baku, Azerbaijan, the road to Tokyo 2020 begins. So it will be no surprise that the event, which is led by the current individual world champions Gao Lei of China and
Tag: Gao Lei
Hancharou and Zhu Xueying take trampoline gold in Loule World Cup
In the last major test before the trampolineworld championships in St Petersburg, Olympic champion Uladzislau Hancharou finished on top of the podium at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Trampoline World Cup in Loule Portugal, with Zhu Xueying of China taking the ladies title. The Belarusian claimed gold in the men's individual
China claims three titles at Trampoline World Cup in Japan
China finshed on top in the men's and women's events at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Trampoline World Cup in Maebashi, Japan. World champion Gao Lei claimed gold for China in the men's individual final at the Yamato Civic Gymnasium, after a winning score of 61.365 points. The USA's Jeffrey Gluckstein claimed


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The final two items from our prize track are here: Frinkenstein and his Castle. What's going to happen with this mad doctor? Find out right after the jump in their walkthrough!
Auto starts
Task: Collect Clapboards to Unlock the Mad Doctor's Castle [x50850]
Frinkenstein: Finally, I've found a place to hang my hat.
Frinkenstein: Although, I don't wear a hat. They don't fit my odd-shaped head. Which only makes my need for a hat that much greater.
Frinkenstein: Another of life's great mysteries, like why won't the lady barista make eye contact with me?
Auto starts
Task: Collect Clapboards to Unlock a Large Obols Pack [x58000]
Auto starts
Task: Collect Clapboards to Unlock Frinkenstein [x73150]
A World Aparts Pt. 1
Frinkenstein starts
Frinkenstein: I'm a man, but also a monster. The dichotomy fills me with conflict and hours of introspection.
Frinkenstein: I'm always plagued by opposing goals just like Diet Coke.
Task: Make Frinkenstein Be Paralyzed with Indecision
Time: 4h
Location: Kwik-E-Mart
A World Aparts Pt. 2
Frinkenstein starts
Frinkenstein: I could try to go back to teaching at the university-
Frinkenstein: But I'm made up of so many different parts from so many people. Who knows what crazy thoughts I might blurt out?
Frinkenstein: Or even what size lab coat I take.
Frinkenstein: Probably better to find employment in a place that welcomes the surgically constructed.
Homer: Are we getting a Hooters?
Frinkenstein: I was thinking a dark, dingy bar. A place no one looks at you unless you are sports on TV. Which I am not.
Task: Reach Level 15 and Build Moe's Tavern
Task: Make Frinkenstein Apply for Work at Moe's
Time: 12h
Location: Moe's Tavern
A World Aparts Pt. 3
Moe starts
Moe: How ya makin' out there, Freaky-o?
Frinkenstein: Many of my parts quite like the atmosphere in this place. And others have contracted tetanus. But still, a net positive.
Frinkenstein: There is a problem however. I have enough male and female parts to make choosing a restroom confusing.
Frinkenstein: As well as other things, like showering, choosing p[i][/i]ornographic material, and deciding if I am rooting for Mike or Molly.
Task: Make Frinkenstein Ponder Which Bathroom to Use
Time: 8h
Location: Moe's Tavern
A World Aparts Pt. 4
Moe starts
Moe: Hey, Freak-o, the drunks in the corner need refills before they sober up enough to taste the stuff.
Frinkenstein: Give me a minute. It's hard to handle all these drinks when your arms are fully outstretched.
Frinkenstein: I think I need to look for greener pastures. Only not actual green pastures — the outdoors doesn't cooperate with my allergies.
Task: Make Frinkenstein Quit in a Gentle Huff
Time: 24h
Location: Moe's Tavern
A World Aparts Pt. 5
Frinkenstein starts
Frinkenstein: Even at Moe's, I'm an outcast. I'll never fit in anywhere.
Mr. Burns: Perhaps I can offer you a home.
Frinkenstein: Wow, that'd be great! Although with your history of evil, I feel like I should ask for more details.
Mr. Burns: You're part man, part woman, black, white, other. I think I even see a little plywood in you.
Mr. Burns: With you on my payroll, I'll never have to deal with another discrimination lawsuit again!
Task: Make Frinkenstein Become a Token Everything
Time: 4h
Location: Control Building
MAG Bonus
Auto starts
Task: Collect Megaphones [x4700]
Quest Reward: 1/2/3 Donuts
Join us next time for more info on this event, happy tapping!