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Ok, here's what happened. I started a batch in my processor. 375 gallons oil 5.0 ml naoh T, 35 gallons methanol, 1022 ml sulfuric(based on Dkenny's .18).
I pulled in the oil, but didn't shut the valve after doing so. I then pulled in my load of methanol, and dumped in my acid. I started processing. By the time I noticed the valve, 35 gallons of the mix had run out of the processor into my oil holding tank. I let it sit until the next morning, and retitirated. It had done something, because it titrated at 2.1.
I then added a fresh 35 gallons of methanol, and 400 ml of sulfuric. I reprocessed, mixing for 6hrs at 165F then let sit for another 6hrs. This time my numbers went up! Last night it T was at 2.5 naoh. i'm a little puzzled why it went up. do I have too much acid in this batch? Is that what is throwing off my numbers? I usually get between 1.1 and 1.4 ending T. I'm going to check it again this evening, but was hoping for some suggestions. 2.5 isn't bad, I just don't want to make a lot of soap. AE has kind of spoiled me for soap numbers at the end.
Thanks again
2 bobcats, an excavator, and a ventrac mower. looking for a diesel weedeater!
for sure the acid amount/ltr of wvo you use affects the final titration. a ball park min T would be 2 for each ml of acid used/ ltr of oil. Tom
" I don't know what I don't know until I know"
1994 GMC 6.5 Tubo 2005 Dodge ram 3500, 3 VW's 2000, 2002, 2005.
since this batch is essentially a 'do over' I have a total of 1,400 ml in 375, or about 1 ml per liter. all of my other batches have come out very good. but this one came out at higher than normal I guessed due to losing so much methanol and sulfuric due to my error. Tom, is that a drop in 2 ml of titration, or it should finish at 2? it started at 5. I have to wait until tomorrow to do an updated titration. I'll repost when I do that. thanks
2 bobcats, an excavator, and a ventrac mower. looking for a diesel weedeater!
It takes about 1.4g NaOH to neutralize 1ml of H2SO4 assuming a purity of 100% for both chemicals.
The titration detects the H2SO4. So, if you used 1ml H2SO4 per litre of oil, the minimum titration you could hope to achieve is 1.4, the H2SO4 used in the reaction. If you used 2ml H2SO4 per litre of oil the minimum titration would be 1.4X 2= 2.8.
yes,(2KOH) but, if you drain the sludge from the bottom after ae, T will be lower. I've had batches as low as .75T. after AE starting T9. as stated in the previous post, the effect the acid will have on finnal T will depend on the purity of the acid. Tom
" I don't know what I don't know until I know"
1994 GMC 6.5 Tubo 2005 Dodge ram 3500, 3 VW's 2000, 2002, 2005.
so far all of my ae batches haven't had any water or sludge in the bottom when I check. Our worst oil so far has been 6.8 naoh. I've been having pretty good results, but I'm getting some naoh residue throwing off my results a little. My system is all sealed, and every thing is moved from tank to tank by air and vacuum, so the only way I can bring in methanol, is by filling my methoxide mixing tank, then into the processor. the mixer is where I'm pretty sure I'm getting lye contamination. I'm working on building a new processor and methanol tank just for ae, but in the mean time I have to keep making fuel, so I just add an extra 20 ml or so to counter act the residual lye.
2 bobcats, an excavator, and a ventrac mower. looking for a diesel weedeater!
I got the batch in question to work out ok, it passed 3/27 with flying colors. The next batch will be a true test for me, It titrated at 10.2 ml naoh! that is the worst we have ever had. will see in the morning what I get.
2 bobcats, an excavator, and a ventrac mower. looking for a diesel weedeater!
ok, the 10.2 batch dropped to 4.8,I did base step on it. It passed 3/27, but i can see soap bits floating in the bio layer before demething. I fear this is going to make a batch of jello if I demeth it. I know why (likely water due to a processing mistake), I'm just not sure what to do as yet. should I try whole batch demeth, and hope the numbers go down, by sending some of the soaps into the glycerin layer, or do I just drain the glycerin as normal. Do I demeth the bio alone, and see what happens, or do I put the whole load back into raw oil, and take the loss? not sure what to do, we are talking about 375 gallons of fuel, so it's not like I want to dump it and start over. hmmm. every time I think this is getting routine, I step on the rake with the teeth pointing up.
2 bobcats, an excavator, and a ventrac mower. looking for a diesel weedeater!
Soap washes out, so does methanol. You might try washing a small sample with distilled water & see the results. I've not done AE yet.
as dumb as this sounds, I have had zero luck with water washing. We did a little of it when we first started making fuel 3 years ago, but then I stumbled onto the whole gl process, and filtering though wood shavings, and haven't looked back. I did revisit water washing last fall, when we first got into bad oil, but the batches I had trouble with, wouldn't wash, or filter. They had an incredible amount of soap in them. those batches got drummed up for long term settling. I have a feeling if the wbd will make some of the soaps fall out with the glycerin, even some improvement will be a great help.
here's the funny thing about this batch, I did a titration on the fuel after my acid/base, and it said that it was short on lye. It did pass 3/27, but I can see bits of soap floating around all of my other batches of acid base came out exactly neutral. pink as soon as you put in the fuel, not pink with just a few drops of sulfuric titrating soulution. this batch I had to add almost 1.5 ml of naoh titrating soulution. I'm guessing it came up short because it make the soap. I don't know how this is going to work out, but I am pretty sure the processor is going to get a cleaning after this batch so it can't mess up the next batch.
2 bobcats, an excavator, and a ventrac mower. looking for a diesel weedeater!
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Defiant Mayfield is either innocent or crazy
That's my take after seeing the developments this week in the Jeremy Mayfield drug test saga.
Speaking publicly about the incident this weekend, when he boldly showed up at the speedway, attending the race as a spectator atop the National Guard hospitality hauler in the infield, despite his ban, Mayfield was insistent that his test was positive due to a combination of two Claritin D 24-hour pills and a prescription medication.
He went on to say he would not enter any sort of NASCAR-mandated rehabilitation program that is required to pave the way for his return to competition, because he does not have any drug problem.
"Why would I?" Mayfield said plainly, who also made sure to note: "Yeah, I'm denying it. Illegal drugs? Yeah, definitely."
Assuming Mayfield still wants to drive, that leaves one way to get back: Legal action.
He made it clear this weekend that is an avenue he is willing to pursue to clear his name.
There is even a battle going on already about what Mayfield has been told.
Mayfield has said he was never told what drug caused the positive test or received a copy of the results. This is contradictory to what the administrator of NASCAR's drug-testing program, Dr. David Black, is saying. He told the Associated Press Monday that he personally told Jeremy Mayfield what banned substance was found in his positive test.
"I spoke with him about his positive test result on the day he was suspended, and I spoke to him directly about the test result," Black said. "Yes, by name of what he tested positive for."
Mayfield's actions are very unique when compared to other drivers who have been busted for failed drug tests in the recent past.
It's clear he does not believe he did anything wrong, and will shout it out from the rooftops and even in court if necessary. This does not fit with the pattern of drivers, such as Shane Hmiel, who accepted the penalties and followed programs back to reinstatement (though Hmiel eventually relapsed and received a lifetime ban).
So this opens up a very real possibility that not many oeople thought possible when the news of the suspension first came out: Mayfield may actually be innocent, and NASCAR may just be so embarrassed by their ruling they don't want to backpedal even if they're wrong.
If this is the case, I wish Jeremy the best of luck, as he's going to need it to beat the bigwig lawyers NASCAR will bring to the fight against his likely less formidable legal team.
The other option is that Mayfield actually took some illegal substance and still continues to raise the level of fuss he has so far.
If this is the case, he's pretty much lost his mind, because there's nothing more crazy in this sport than to take on the NASCAR bigwigs when you know they're right and you are wrong. If this is the case, don't count on him ever driving in the sport again.

subset: commoncrawl


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Is bull market showing signs of a 'melt-up'?
The up-up-and-away stock market is starting to look more and more like a melt-up.
NEW YORK — It's not causing nearly as much angst as a stock market meltdown would, but the recent stock price "melt-up" on Wall Street is stirring concern that the white-hot market might overheat.
Emerging signs of a turbocharged market are plentiful. The Standard & Poor's 500, a broad U.S. stock gauge, is up 17% so far this year, and it is only May! It has risen 17 of the past 21 trading days. It hasn't suffered a 10%-plus drop, or "correction," since fall 2011. And this week the number of stocks in the benchmark index hitting fresh 52-week highs was the highest in almost 25 years.
If those bullish stats don't sound frothy enough, keep in mind that the Dow Jones industrial average this year has risen 2,250 points, topped 15,000 for the first time and recorded 21 record closes.
"Stocks have gone absolutely vertical," says Edward Yardeni, chief investment strategist at Yardeni Research. "It has the potential to be the mother of all melt-ups."
MARKETS: Dow, S&P 500 end week with record highs
TRACK STOCKS: Get real-time quotes free with our Portfolio Tracker
One problem with melt-ups (the tech-stock craze of late 1999 and early 2000 is a prime example), he adds, is that they tend to be followed by meltdowns, such as the Nasdaq composite's 78% crash from 2000 to 2002.
For now, however, Yardeni says the current surge in stock prices is rational, as opposed to the "irrational exuberance" that ex-Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan famously identified in December 1996, more than three years before the ultimate market top in March 2000.
The stock market, he says, is rising largely due to diminishing fears of another 2008-style financial meltdown, stock valuations that still compare favorably with historical averages, and the prevailing view among professional investors that stocks offer a better risk-return than high-priced bonds and cash that pays virtually zero interest.
Thorne Perkin, managing director at Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management, says a "classic market melt-up," which he defines as "the opposite of a meltdown, where euphoria causes the stampede of investors drinking the same punch into the market," is already underway.
But he cites the Fed's easy-money policies as the "propellant" of the rally and says the market "X-factor" is how investors react when the Fed and other central bankers around the world start paring back on the stimulus. "No one knows how this is going to end," says Perkin, adding that a review of market history suggests melt-ups end badly. "It's just a matter of when?"
MORE: Investing now? Nervous? Here's what to do
Still, he said he expects stocks to be higher than they are now by year's end, and won't rule out the rally running for six, 12 or even 18 months. "But at some point it will get frothy."
Given the market's sharp run-up, a short-term correction could come at any time, adds Tim Hayes, chief investment strategist. "We consider a melt-up less likely than a sell-off," he said.


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Flashforward (novel)
Cover of the Hardback edition.
|Robert J. Sawyer
|United States/Canada
|Science fiction novel
|Tor Books
Publication date
|Media type
|Print (Hardcover and paperback)
|813/.54 21
|LC Class
Flashforward is a science fiction novel by Canadian author Robert J. Sawyer first published in 1999. The novel is set in 2009. At CERN, the Large Hadron Collider accelerator is performing a run to search for the Higgs boson. The experiment has a unique side effect; the entire human race loses their consciousness for about two minutes. During that time, nearly everyone sees themselves roughly twenty-one years and six months in the future. Each individual experiences the future through the senses of his or her future self. This "flashforward" results in countless deaths and accidents involving vehicles, aircraft, and any other device needing human control at the time of the experiment. The novel inspired the 2009 television series FlashForward.
Plot summary
The protagonist is Lloyd Simcoe, a 45-year-old Canadian particle physicist. He works with his fiancée Michiko, who has a daughter, Tamiko. Another researcher and friend is Theo Procopides.
The fallout from the flashforward occupies much of the first part of the book. The consequences include the death of Michiko's daughter as an out-of-control vehicle plows into her school. Oddly, no recording devices anywhere in the world functioned in the present during the event. Security camera tapes show noise and even recording devices in television studios show nothing until the event is over. One character interprets this as evidence in support of the observer effect in quantum theory. With the awareness of the entire human race absent, "reality" went into a state of indeterminacy. When the awareness returned, reality collapsed into its most likely configuration, which was one in which moving objects had careened out of control in the direction they were already headed.
The deaths of several characters are forecast by the flashforward. Anyone who did not experience it is assumed to be dead in the future. This includes Theo Procopides. Some people report reading about his murder in the future. However as time goes by it seems that the events of the future are not predestined. Some people, depressed by their visions of their own dismal futures, commit suicide, thereby changing those futures. The story begins to take on the features of a murder mystery, as Theo attempts to prevent his own murder. His brother Dimitrios, who aspired to be a writer but saw himself just working in a restaurant in the future, is one of the suicides.
At CERN, less than two months after the original flashforward, the scientists plan a repeat of the run, but this time warning the world of the exact time, so that preparations can be made. However, no flashforward occurs, and the LHC instead finds the Higgs boson; what the experiment was originally designed to produce.
Soon after this discovery, the riddle of the flashforward is solved. At the same time as the LHC was running, a pulse of neutrinos arrived from the remnant of supernova 1987A. The remnant is not a neutron star, but a quark star, a superdense body of strange matter. Starquakes cause it to emit a neutrino pulse at unpredictable intervals. As the date of everyone's visions approaches, a satellite is launched into an orbit close to that of Pluto, from where it can give several days warning of another neutrino pulse arriving. The neutrinos travel slower than light, since they have mass, and thus a radio message (though the book uses the notion of "faster-than-light communication" involving tachyons) from the satellite will arrive at Earth before the neutrinos do. The intent is to run the LHC again and create another flashforward.
Philosophical and scientific issues discussed
The novel discusses free will and determinacy, the Copenhagen interpretation, Transactional interpretation and the Omega Point. The latter is put in a Christian context, through the character of Cheung, the rich Christian capitalist who finances the immortality project. In a "NewsFlash" in the novel, Pope Benedict XVI - a reference which proved prescient since Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, six years after the novel was written, and was the serving pope in 2009 - reserves judgement on whether the Flashforward was a miracle or not.
TV adaptation
The FlashForward television series based loosely on the novel aired on ABC between September 24, 2009 and May 27, 2010. It differs from the novel by following non-scientists, including lead characters FBI Special Agent Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes), Special Agent Demetri Noh (John Cho), and an FBI team investigating the Flashforward. The adaptation also changes the blackout time from under two minutes to two minutes and seventeen seconds, as well as the flashforward moving consciousness six months forward, not twenty-one years; time progresses normally during the event, and security cameras capture footage of people blacked out for the full time period. A character named Lloyd Simcoe does appear. However, he only partly resembles the character in the novel.
The story was also changed from taking place primarily in Geneva, Switzerland, (at and around the CERN facility), to the United States, primarily Los Angeles, California. Also, the flashforward event was portrayed as a terrorist attack, as opposed to the result of unforeseen circumstances.
External links
- excerptsFlashforward at Robert J. Sawyer's website
- Flashforward title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database


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Design me a Rockalily Cuts t-shirt/
I have been asked for a Rockalily Cuts t-shirt for a long time now but I've struggled to come up with a design of how I wanted it to look. So I decided to open it up to you guys!
I put this on instagram and facebook, and have already had some great submissions! I will have a closing date of Saturday 7th December.


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Scaling back is hard for me. I am one of those go hard or go home types. In everything. I just don't know how to do things casually. This doesn't mean that I do everything well, it just means I obsess.
And sometimes that obsession pays off. Have you seen some of the pretty clothes I have made myself this year? It took years of obsessing to get those skills. Now when I wear something pretty to church, my friends assume that I made it.
But other times, what every I am obsessing about takes over my thoughts all the time and I have a hard time focusing on other important things. So, this will be a good time to practice doing things well but not obsessively. Because I am not a competitor in PRP, I should be able to just take things easy every now and then.
This first week's challenge is the remix of The Party Dress from Lindsay at The Cottage Home. Really this is a great chance for me to not go overboard. This is such a classic dress. My Sewing For Toddlers (circa 1970s) has a dress that is this same standard design. And if you skim any of the major pattern companies, you will see this dress in different forms. The great thing about this dress is that it cam be changed up so many ways. It is a fabulous starting point to get your creative juices going.
The other thing is that it is perfect for beginner sewists. You learn how to do closures (buttons or zippers), a dirndl skirt, and set in sleeves... (if you are making a sleeved version. Lindsay's doesn't have sleeves.) Really, making a dozen or so of these for my eldest girl really developed my skills. It was when I was sewing for her during her baby and toddler years that I truly learned how to sew. I made a ton of basic t-shirts and dresses similar to this while getting comfortable with my machine.
Now, we are here making this versatile pattern again, but this time for my third child. It is pretty cold in Germany these days, so I thought a coat dress would be great.
Deviations I made from Lindsay's are:
- Sleeves
- Front opening
- Peter pan collar
- Chunky belt loops at the center back and two side seems.
- and I used elastic thread for the button loops.


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Viewing Our Kennels
We completely understand that boarding your dog for the first time can be daunting, being a new experience for both of you. We take pride in the fact that we have many regular boarders whose owners advise us that their dogs enjoy staying with us so much that every time they drive past they get excited as they think they are coming to stay with us again!!
Why not come and have a look around our kennels and meet our friendly staff! We are happy to do viewings anytime within the kennels opening hours from Monday to Saturday.
You don't need to make an appointment – just turn up and one of our friendly kennel managers will be happy to show you around the kennels and our walking area (unfortunately we are unable to do any viewings on a Sunday).


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The global concrete bonding agents market is heading towards robust growth in response to the increasing income of the middle class population in emerging economies. Investment in the development of existing infrastructure is the chief factor driving the global concrete bonding agents market. Based on agent, the market is currently led by cementitious latex based concrete bonding agents owing to the adhesion they provide to new concrete.
By application, the market is projected to be driven by the repairing segment. However, over the forecast period, the market is also expected to witness considerable opportunities in the decorative segment. This is mainly due to the increasing use of concrete bonding agents in micro toppings and overlays to provide an aesthetic and appealing finish to the interiors of commercial and residential buildings. The rising use of concrete bonding agents in decorative applications will thus provide the market with considerable momentum.
Get Free PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical insights : http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=17003
The study is intended to help market participants get a clearer perspective about the prevailing dynamics in the concrete bonding agents market. It is compiled with exhaustive information relating to the growth drivers and threats that will influence the market's growth in the forthcoming years. It also lists the threats and opportunities that companies operating in the concrete bonding agents market is forecast to witness over the course of the forecast period.
Global Concrete Bonding Agents Market: Drivers and Restraints
The increasing urbanization and a rise in the disposable income of the middle-class population has impelled people to opt for comfortable residential and commercial structures, which has greatly influenced the market's trajectory. The scenario is especially true in case of emerging economies across Asia Pacific. Over the last few years, the region is witnessing a substantial rise in investment in the building and infrastructure segment, aimed at accommodating the demand for modernization from urban population. These factors are likely to propel the market's growth in the near future.
On the downside, inadequate workmanship and awareness regarding the raw materials to choose for repairs will act as a major restraining factor for the market. However, it is possible to reverse the restraint with positive government intervention. Steps taken at improving the existing infrastructure can help the market grow at a significant pace across emerging nations.
Global Concrete Bonding Agents Market: Regional Outlook
Regionally, the market is expected to witness considerable opportunities in Asia Pacific, both in terms of value and volume. The rising investments by the commercial sector, strong industrial base, rising standard of living, shifting focus of production facilities towards emerging nation, and the rising standard of living are a few factors supporting the growth of the concrete bonding agents market in Asia Pacific.
Global Concrete Bonding Agents Market: Vendor Landscape
To study the competition prevailing in the market, the report has profiled some of the leading companies operating therein. The assessment of vendor landscape provided in the report aims at answering questions pertaining the opportunities and threats for the companies operating in the market and identifying the most lucrative segments. Some of the key companies in this market are Fosroc International Ltd. (U.K.), Sika AG (Switzerland), BASF SE (Germany), Dow Construction Chemicals (U.S.), Saint-Gobain Weber S.A. (France), Dow Corning Corporation (U.S.), and The Euclid Chemical Company (U.S.).
The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.
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Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.


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For More Information...
Learn more about dark energy.
Learn more about clusters of galaxies.
News Archive
Astronomers have detected the mysterious dark energy by
applying a powerful, new method that uses images of galaxy
clusters made by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The
results trace the transition of the expansion of the universe
from a decelerating phase to an accelerating phase that occured
several billion years ago.
"Dark energy is perhaps the biggest mystery in physics," said
study leader Steve Allen of the Institute of Astronomy (IoA)
University of Cambridge, England. "As such, it is extremely
important to make an independent test of its existence and
properties," he said.
"We're directly seeing that the expansion of the universe is
accelerating by measuring the distances to these galaxy
clusters," said IoA scientist and study co-author Andy
Fabian. "The new Chandra results suggest the dark energy
density does not change quickly with time and may even be
constant, consistent with the "cosmological constant" concept
first introduced by Albert Einstein," he said. If so, the Universe is
expected to continue expanding forever, so that in billions of years
only a tiny fraction of the known galaxies will be visible.
If the dark energy is constant, more dramatic fates for the
universe would be avoided. These include the "Big Rip,"
where dark energy increases until galaxies, stars, planets
and, finally, even atoms are torn apart, and the "Big
Crunch," where the universe eventually collapses on itself.
Chandra's probe of dark energy uses X-ray observations to
detect and study the hot gas in galaxy clusters. From these
data, the ratio of the mass of the hot gas to the mass of the
dark matter in a cluster can be determined. The observed values of the
gas fraction depend on the assumed distance to the cluster. This
distance in turn depends on the curvature of space and the amount of
dark energy in the universe.
Since galaxy clusters are so large, they are thought to represent a
fair sample of the matter content of the universe. If so, the
relative amounts of hot gas and
dark matter should be the same for every cluster. Using this
assumption, Allen and colleagues adjusted the distance scale to
determine which one fit the data best. They derived distances that show
the expansion of the universe was first decelerating, but
began to accelerate about six billion years ago.
Chandra's observations agree with observations of distant
supernovae, including those from NASA's Hubble Space
Telescope (HST), which first showed dark energy's effect on
the acceleration of the universe. Chandra's results are
completely independent of the supernova technique. This independent
verification helps to dispel any remaining doubts that the supernova
technique might be flawed.
"Our Chandra method has nothing to do with other techniques,
so we're definitely not comparing notes, so to speak," said
Robert Schmidt of the University of Potsdam, Germany, another
co-author of the study.
Better limits on the amount of dark energy, and how it varies
with time, are obtained by combining the X-ray results with
data from NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP).
WMAP used observations of the cosmic microwave background
radiation to discover evidence for dark energy in the very
early universe. Using the combined data, Allen and his
colleagues found dark energy makes up about 75% of
the universe, dark matter about 21%, and ordinary
matter about 4%.
"Until we better understand cosmic acceleration and the
nature of the dark energy, we cannot hope to understand the
destiny of the universe," said Michael Turner, assistant
director for mathematical and physics sciences, National
Science Foundation, Arlington, Va.
The research team also included Harald Ebeling of the
University of Hawaii and the late Leon van Speybroeck of the
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. These results
appear in an upcoming issue of the Monthly Notices of the
Royal Astronomy Society.
Visit the Chandra X-ray Observatory Center. (http://chandra.harvard.edu/)
Read more Chandra X-ray Observatory news. (http://chandra.nasa.gov/)
Imagine the Universe is a service of the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC), Dr. Alan Smale (Director), within the Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
The Imagine Team
Acting Project Leader: Dr. Barbara Mattson
All material on this site has been created and updated between 1997-2012.
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text:
Lester Cohen/Getty Images
Graduate days are here again.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem plans to bestow an honorary PhD on Barbra Streisand while she's in Israel next month to sing at an event celebrating President Shimon Peres' 90th birthday and perform two public concerts.
But while those scheduled performances will be Streisand's first in Israel, this will be her second honorary doctorate, her first being a PhD in Arts and Humanities from Brandeis University in Massachusetts.


text:
We always try to provide the best services possible, but there may be times when you feel this has not happened. We hope you will allow us to look into and, if necessary, correct any problems that you have identified, or mistakes that have been made. If you use our procedure it will not affect your right to complain to the Health Service Authority. Please note that we have to respect our duty of confidentiality to patients and a patient's consent will be necessary if a complaint is not being made by the patient in person.
If you wish to make a complaint, please telephone or write to our practice manager, Linda Baldwin. Full details will be taken and a decision made on how best to undertake the investigation.
We will try to address your concerns, provide you with an explanation and discuss any action that may be needed.


text:
Today's blog is of rebirth...junkyards becoming homes...vintage fabrics becoming board bags...friendships. and. gus, i'll see you some time.
3 gypsy jackets got sewn one day,
by a lovely lady who came from far away
Here they are with a story of their own
We hope they are loved and find a home.
sometimes you find the strangest things,
there are those days where your odds become evens and your evens become odds.
and it can take a while, and it might be hard to see,
but its in this junkyard of life that beauty is revealed.


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CBAI Initiatives Pass Both Houses
House Bill 1335 (Sandack/Mulroe) amends the "good funds" disbursement authorization provisions of the Title Insurance Act to allow financial institutions and title companies that know each other and agree to use cashier's checks, teller's checks and certified checks as settlement funds in transactions greater than $50,000. While the bill is permissive in nature, the title insurance industry still opposed the legislation, and at the request of Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park), the bill was amended in the Senate. The bill as amended makes it clear the parties will address the issue of delivery of the check to the title company in sufficient time for the check to be deposited to the title company's account, before any disbursement of funds is made by the title company. As part of the compromise, a January 1, 2015 sunset was also included in the bill. Senator Harmon inserted the sunset, and committed to repeal it next year if there is no proof that that this legislative change negatively impacts the title insurance industry. CBAI plans to continue to work with the General Assembly on this issue and to repeal the sunset. CBAI would like to thank HB 1335's sponsors State Representative Ron Sandack (R-Downers Grove), and State Senator John Mulroe (D- Chicago) for their hard work and dedication to the passing of this legislation. HB 1335 passed both chambers with only three no votes in both chambers. CBAI was also successful in passing legislation that removes the requirement for banks to disclose ATM fees with a physical sign on the terminal, when the fee is shown electronically on the terminal screen. House Bill 2432 (Lang/Mulroe) was amended with language that was introduced initially onto HB 183. HB 2432 had to be amended because HB 183 was "hijacked" by the Senate Democratic leadership and ultimately became the vehicle for the concealed carry compromise. Last year, Congress removed this physical signage requirement in federal law, and this bill makes state law consistent with that change. HB 2432 passed both chambers and will be sent to the Governor. For more information, or if you have any questions or comments, please contact Kraig Lounsberry or Megan Peck at 800/736-2224.


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Former KKK leader David Duke has announced he would be Donald Trump's biggest supporter if he wins the senate seat he is running for in Louisiana. The white supremacist, who served as grand wizard of the KKK in Louisiana from 1974-1979, has previously spoken out in favour of Trump and said he believed white people in the US were facing discrimination.
"As a United States senator, nobody will be more supportive of his legislative agenda, his Supreme Court agenda, than I will," Duke said in an NPR interview shown on Morning Edition on 5 August.
"I'm 100% behind it. I have a long record of being in favour of protecting our borders from this massive immigration."
"I don't know if he [Trump]'s with me or not, but I would hope that he and others would realise the same lies they make about him is what they say about me.
"I've always said that I'm equal rights for all people, but I also believe that European Americans shouldn't be facing discrimination either, and I'm sick and tired of this very vicious anti-white narrative in our national media, in our movies."
Duke was elected as a Republican to the Louisiana House in 1989 until 1992, and once attempted to run as a Republican presidential candidate, but received no delegates.
He also rebuffed accusations Trump was racist and said the same people who voted for Trump would be supporting his senate bid. "These are just nothing more than epithets and vicious attacks. Donald Trump is not a racist," Duke said.
"And the truth is, in this country, if you simply defend the heritage of European American people, then you're automatically a racist. There's massive racial discrimination against European Americans, and that's the reality."
"We've done the analysis of what's going on in Louisiana. We've already polled inside the Trump voters, and we know we're going to carry 75 to 80% of those who are going to vote for Trump."


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With summer ending and the school year coming up (or already here for some), we know that mothers everywhere are going to be busier than ever. That is why this week we are showcasing a website that is dedicated to moms. 'Moms in the City' is a community based website where moms can get together, share information, stories, children items and create friendships.
This week's example site utilizes a lot of great Webs features including:
- Drop-Down navigation for easy browsing. Learn how to create Drop-down Menus.
- Photo Gallery to share fun photos with visitors.
- Forums for members to communicate with each other.
- Calendar to post upcoming events
'Moms in the City' is an awesome example of a great site with a great community. One of the best characteristics of the site is the quality and amount of content that they offer to members. All of the information on the website is relevant to the audience and strikes a chord with their visitors, making a visit to the site fun and enjoyable.
Want to make sure the content on your site is up to par?
Here are some tips to consider when writing website content:
–Know your audience. The more you know about the people who regularly visit your site, the more you can cater your content to them. Providing relevant information to your site visitors equals increased value your site gives and encourages those visitors to keep coming back. To get to know your audience, ask yourself these vital questions:
- Who is your ideal customer/site visitor?
- Why would they choose to come to your site over any other?
- What questions/needs do they have that you can answer?
–Keep your goals in mind. Make sure your content lines up with the goals of your website. If you offer too much of a variety of content, your message runs the risk of getting muddled. You want to do one thing, and do it well.
–Increase Readability. Web content is read much differently than books or newspapers. Make sure to write in short paragraphs, use headers and sub headers, write like you speak, and keep a lot of white space.
Think your website can be next week's example site? Leave a comment and who knows, maybe you'll be picked for next week!
Until next time, happy site building!


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The POMO 'Waffle' kid watch enables parents to help reinforce good habits, keep children connected to their parents and even help them get home if they become lost. Outfitted with WiFi, GPS and LBS technology, the POMO 'Waffle' allows kids to perform voice calls, track their exercise levels and even help them find their way home if they lose their way.
Children are growing up in a time where smart technology has become somewhat ubiquitous, so brands are responding in kind with products that are targeted towards younger demographics. The POMO 'Waffle' kid watch allows parents to keep an eye on all the various data that the wearable collects in order to help kids stay healthy and safe.
Location-Tracking Child Wearables
More Stats +/-
Doctor-Approved Posture Wearables
Child-Tracking Wearables
Language-Teaching Wearables
Emotion-Tracking Wearables
Drone-Syncing Goggles
The POMO 'Waffle' Kid Watch Reinforces Good Habits
- By: Michael HemsworthNov 25, 2016
References: pomohouse & kickstarter
References: pomohouse & kickstarter


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The 7 Ideal Drinks For Burning Calories
One of the biggest obsessions for many people all over the world is their weight. This can be a problem for both men and women even young girls worry about it.
To control your weight and stay fit you can find numerous solutions and systems that can help you. You can burn fat and control your weight with several types of drinks which are below. Lifestyle changes such as modifying your diet and increasing your activity level can result in lasting weight loss results. Those new lifestyle habits which are both sustainable and better for your body can help you lose weight over the course of months or years.
Magic elixirs? no, the beverages below are helpful with weight loss because they:
• Help You Stay Hydrated. staying hydrated is crucial for your overall wellness and also reduce feelings of hunger.
• Replace High-Calorie or Sugary Drinks. Adding unnecessary calories from sugary drinks can not satisfy your hunger. Even worst, those drinks can increase cravings for sugar and food.
And finally, let's see the most effective 7 drinks for burning calories
1. Detoxification Juices. In the battle against extra weight, the detoxification juices have a special place. They are made of fruit, vegetable or a mix of both. In the detoxification juices, citrus fruits are a big deal they have powerful detoxifying abilities. A few other great ingredients that you may add are apples, ginger, and carrots. Those ingredients are high in antioxidants and fiber which are recommended because they can boost digestion. These forms of beverages cause a double effect – they are helping you to get rid of the toxins and chemicals.
2. Vegetable Juices. One of the most effective veggies juices are those which have some of the following vegetables: broccoli, collard greens, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale. Just to mention Cabbage is a high source of antioxidants that are excellent for reducing body fat, keep in check the blood sugar level, boosting the metabolism and also providing general detoxification.
3. Green Tea. Because of the many benefits, green tea is very valued. Simply, one cup of green tea can supply antioxidants that you need also helps you to lose fat. This tea is good for dropping calories, as well as reducing appetite and increasing energy level.
4. Milk Cocktail Of Peaches. Peaches are perfect they stimulate the metabolism and they will care for cleansing the body. Water is a big part of them with almost 90%, they also contain numerous vitamins and minerals like as iron, potassium, and calcium.
5. Black Coffee. Most of the peoples really don't know that black coffee contains antioxidants and they are helpful in combat against free radicals which can lead to certain cancers. The caffeine that is contained in black coffee serves to stimulate the metabolism and for calorie consumption. If you want to lose weight you can drink the black coffee without adding milk and sugar.
6. Drink Of Strawberries. This delicious fruit is powerhouse loaded with minerals and vitamins such as Vitamin A, B, C, and E. They contain a good amount of water and fiber, therefore this drink can make you feel full.
7. Yogurt With Cucumber. And what so say about this combination, except that is easily digested, it boosts the immunity, helping to clean the toxins from your body. Preparation – 125 grams of yogurt, one grated cucumber and also two spoons of mint.https://healthyfoodmaster.com/the-7-ideal-drinks-for-burning-calories/Diet & Weight LossGeneral Healthantioxidants,weight loss


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Thursday, December 06, 2012
Mistletoe Mess Around
Good gravy, what if we put all this energy into posting all year 'round? Regardless, it's Xmas! Good times are coming.
Today's yule logs take a decided shift into bar band territory, with some nifty tunes that hang neon bar-lights around their Santa Claus suits. Let's take a listen....
Danny Barnes used to be (or still is) in the seminal Bad Livers. Here, his banjo expertise (of which he is an acknowledge master) is on display in a low-down, beats-driven Christmas lament.
Star and Micey, who we got to see not too long ago, in a great show, go traveling and drinking on a Christmas Eve in one of our great cities.
Marah, who recorded one of our favorite records of all time, "Let's Cut the Crap and Hook Up Later On Tonight", chime in with an Xmas ode to the greatest city in the world.
And Scott Miller, formerly of the V-Roys, lends his Holiday voice in a rather suggestive number, where Virginia finds out there's a Santa Claus, and she's not disappointed.
Santa's a Banjo fiend.
Danny Barnes: All Alone For Christmas (mp3)
Star and Micey: A Memphis Christmas (mp3)
Marah: New York is a Christmas Kind of Town (mp3)
Scott Miller: Yes, Virginia (mp3)
Thanks for stopping by.
Posted by Brian K Reese at 8:30 AM
2 comments:
- Mark said...
Another powerhouse post! I love this time of year...
- Puffin Randy said...
Love your choices for Christmas Mp3's! A big Mahalo, Mele Kalikimaka & Hau'oli Makahiki Hou! While I'm not Hawaiian I do live here. For anyone not up on your Hawaiian language I said: "Thank-you, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year".
Love your site... this is my 4th or maybe 5th year visiting, but first time commenting. My wife loves holiday music & every year she compiles a CD to give to friends, family & work associates... and usually I can find a songs or maybe 2 from you that make to the disc. She's already compiled this years disc, but the things you're posting will help out with next year.
Please keep up the good work, and once again thanks for all your hard work.
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text: Poetic Lab is a London–based studio founded in 2013 by Taiwanese designer Hanhsi Chen after he graduated from Royal College of Art in London. Chen's vision is highly concept–driven, and often referential to treating design as a form of poetry. The studio was awarded the prestigious Design Report Award in 2013 during Salone del Mobile and 3rd prize in the Salone Satellite Awards. ELLE Decoration China chose Poetic Lab as young design talent of the year in 2013, and in 2015 they were awarded Rising Asian Talent by Maison & Objet. In 2014 the studio founded Beyond Object, a brand with which they distribute their design products.


text: CF commercial Posted on April 27, 2011 at 2:57 pm. This is the new ad campaign for Cystic Fibrosis, it was a ball making this ad with the help of Jono Jenkins and Tom Hockings. Not to sure about our acting skills though. Let me know what you think of the ad. Leave a Reply Click here to cancel reply. Name (required) Email (will not be published) (required) Website Comment


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Tuesday, January 17, 2017
What's cooking: In the kitchen
Every year ushers in new concepts and design trends for your home. One I've had my eye on for a while is painted green cabinetry. We've all seen grey, white and blue accents in the kitch but this year I predict that we're going to see more green and more of this cheery shade in general in home decor. Below I've included a few of my favorite green colors for kitchen cabinets! If covering all of your cabinets in green feels a bit risky try it as an accent on lower cabinets or an island. I opted to use it on the interior of my glass cabinet.
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In the dim and distant past, a definite vacuum of satire existed on British television. Angry but hilarious commentary was, as yet, unknown; the terrifying erection-killer Margaret Thatcher's icy grip sucked the comedy out of any brave attempts that struggled onto the nation's screens. In this time of difficulty, the nation's pent-up frustration needed to find some way to escape.
Hugh Laurie was just the man for the job.
What was the problem?[edit]
Doubtless, you have experienced the sensation yourself. Picture the scene: a beautiful Sunday morning, the wind caressing the trees, the sun beaming down on a peaceful village as pensioners amble to church. A perfect day. A day on which nothing can go wrong; a day during which the earth is truly at peace with itself.
And then, calamity strikes.
The silence is broken by a scream. A cataclysmic event has taken place, your only clue to its nature being the plaintive wail emanating from a nearby building. You strain your ears to listen, hoping against hope that nothing too dreadful has occurred. Does anyone know? you hear. Does anyone know? Where is the lid?
Which lid would this be?[edit]
Many speculative theories have been suggested regarding the nature of this lid. The most widely accepted, proposed by one S. Fry, is the idea that the lid is simply a lid: an item designed to keep the contents of a jar of jam restrained within the container. The concept, for him, lies more in the human interaction with the lid; the way Laurie's long struggle with mental illness had left him incapable of accepting the loss of even the most basic of objects.
However, such is the genius of the sketch that alternative levels of analysis are possible.
Romantic subtext[edit]
Throughout their long partnership, Fry, a dedicated homosexual, and Laurie, a purported heterosexual, have pursued a friendship which many have described as 'suspicious', 'inappropriate', 'alternative', or 'just downright suggestive'. Proponents of this theory suggest that the lid is actually symbolic of Laurie's virginity. The analogy suggests that Fry is in some way responsible for its loss, as he appears to be aware of its whereabouts while Laurie is not.
The mention of a jam jar, however, and Fry beating Laurie to death later on in the sketch, lends a disturbing air to this interpretation.
Where was the lid?[edit]
To his eternal chagrin, and despite Fry's frequent mentions of its whereabouts, Laurie never manages to locate the lid. Perhaps this is a lesson for us all: we can spend our whole lives searching for things that are obvious to others, and yet never find satisfaction. Perhaps this is an indicator that we should listen to those in the background before we follow our own instincts. Perhaps this simply refers to Laurie's inability to recover his virginity from the man that has so obviously taken it.
Only time will tell.


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- FTD-48-Hours
Sold out/Deleted.
Forty Eight Hours To Memphis is a Live Concert recorded on March 18, 1974 in Richmond Virginia, 2 days before Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis. It is derived from what must have been a full professional 16-track multi track recording, the sound is absolutely great, and Elvis is in top form. While it is actually not stereo it is very high quality 'hi-fi' and not only is it not a soundboard it compares perfectly with normal stereo releases. The booklet is full of great pictures from the actual show and informative notes. The CD comes in a 7" digi format with a 16 page booklet.
Review : 48 Hours To Memphis Concert CD from FTD
Click on the link below to hear the sample and then order your copy today!
Recorded Live on stage in Richmond, Virginia. March 18, 1974
Tracks 23-25 are from cassettes tapes recorded through the mixing console.
Follow That Dream CD and Book Reviews


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Hey bloggers, I apoligise for not blogging for a long while. I have been really busy over the holidays and I have so much to blog about. I will start by blogging about my new fur vest.
My fur vest arrived just before Christmas. It was purchased from H&M and I love it. I absolutely love fur and now I can look stylish and also be warm in the cold weather. I have taken pictures of the fur vest and also took pictures of one of the ways I wear the vest.
Outfit Of The Day
Hope you enjoyed my post. Thank you for reading :)


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In wilderness first aid, you must be ready for anything.
While common injuries, like a sprained ankle or infected cut, are troublesome in the city, they can become truly life-threatening medical emergencies in the wilderness.
But treating common, even serious, injuries is actually relatively simple. Really. Wilderness first aid is primarily about stabilization.
Think of it like an EMT. Emergency Medical Technicians are the first responders; their goal is to assess the situation, treat the emergency as best they can, and get the patient to proper medical care.
That's your job in the wild. Improvise, make do and get out alive.
Burns from a campfire or the sun are common and should be treated before they become infected. Treat first (commonly a sunburn) and second degree burns (skin is bright red or blistered) by applying sterilized, cold water.
Burns continue to damage tissue even after contact with the heat source stops. Keep the burn cool for an hour soaking a boiled handkerchief or bandana in cold water works well.
Third degree burns (skin is broken and appears white or charred
black) should be covered by sterile dressings as soon as possible. Never
remove clothing stuck to a third degree burn.
Burns of all kinds can cause dehydration; drink plenty of water and seek medical attention immediately.
Perform the Heimlich maneuver. This involves grabbing the victim from behind and placing a fist between the belly button and rib cage. Cup your other hand over the fist and jerk back and upwards into the stomach to dislodge the blockage.
Instead, lay the infant, stomach down, on your forearm. Cradling the face in your palm, place your index and middle fingers on either side of the mouth and thump the infant on the back. To help dislodge the blockage, position the infant at a downward angle.
Treating minor to serious lacerations is easier than you'd think with basic, and unconventional, wilderness first aid techniques. Use superglue. While the wound is fresh, drop some super glue directly on the bleeding wound.
The glue acts as a coagulant, stopping blood flow in seconds. It also creates a water-proof seal over broken skin. It doesn't even burn or cause additional pain when applied. Once the glue dries, it helps to prevent infection and even allows you to get the area wet, without the nuisances of a traditional bandage.
Check the wound daily and reapply glue as needed.
For life-threateningly deep cuts (severed arteries, partial or full amputations), place pressure on the wound. If possible, apply a tourniquet between the wound and the heart by tightening a belt, piece of cloth, a rope or even vines a few inches above the wound.
Especially in this case, wilderness first aid MacGyvering will only hold up for a few hours. Get to a doctor fast.
For poisonous bites, do not suck on the wound. In addition to transferring mouth bacteria to the wound, poison can enter the mouth. (Plus, it's just plain gross.)
Instead, flush the wound with clean water and elevate the bite above the heart to slow the flow of poison through the body.
Immobilize sprains and broken bones immediately to prevent further tissue damage. Wrap minor sprains with an ace bandage or length of cloth.
Serious sprains or broken bones should be immobilized with a splint. Create a splint by wrapping the injured area in soft cloth or a blanket. Next, place two rigid objects (sticks, ski poles, tent stakes) on either side of the sprain or break, then snugly lash with paracord, a belt, or length of cloth.
When suffering from heat exhaustion, it's important that the victim rest, be moved into the shade and drink plenty of water. The body is being cooked. Take it seriously.
Hypothermia rarely happens in the extreme cold, on arctic mountaintops. If moisture is present, hypothermia can kill in surprisingly moderate temperatures. Though victims of hypothermia are suffering from a lowered body temperature, it is important to warm them up slowly. If the body is warmed up too quickly, it can go into shock and shut down completely. Meaning, in other words, death. (Bad.)
Remove any wet clothing, replace with dry clothing or blankets. Administer tepid (not hot!) liquids and check their temperature regularly.
Unless prescribed epinephrine (commonly called an Epi-Pen) for serous allergic reactions to food or animal stings, administering oral antihistamines is your best defense against allergic reactions in the wilderness.
A wound is infected if it swells, is red in color and/or is oozing pus. If possible, apply an antibiotic ointment to the open wound. If no commercial antibiotic cream is available, flush and clean the wound with warm water. If the infected wound has closed up, lance it with a sterile knife or needle.
Some non-commercial antiseptics are: honey, salt water, garlic and sphagnum moss (a natural source of iodine). These antiseptics can also treat rashes or fungal infections. Creativity and improvisation are key to performing successful wilderness first aid.
Apply a clean bandage or close with super glue.
The best blister treatment is prevention. Change socks frequently, keep feet dry and make sure shoes fit well. Small blisters should be covered with bandages or even duct tape to prevent popping. Larger blisters (dime size or bigger) should be lanced at the base, then allowed to drain. Coat with an antibiotic cream or antiseptic and cover with a padded bandage.
Check out the wilderness first aid checklist here
Want to learn Wilderness First Aid techniques first-hand? Check out classes from SOLO.


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At Le Chèvrefeuille we have three family rooms on offer :
The Family Suite
The family suite consists of two bedrooms and one bathroom, situated on the first floor of the main farm house.
- Location : first floor
- Bedroom one 4.7m x 4m:bed dimension 160cm x 200cm
- Bedroom two 4m x 3m:bed dimensions: two 90 cm x 200cm
- Private bath/shower with WC.
- Tea & coffee facilities
- Fresh towels daily
- Hairdryer
- Room safe
- WiFi
- Maid service
- Central heating
- Ceiling & ventilation fan
- Heated towel rail.
Price includes breakfast
The Courtyard Room
Our courtyard room consists of a double bed and two bunk beds with a private shower room located on the ground floor of the main farm house. The children beds can be separated from the main double by a full length curtain which can aid sleep. This room is suitable for children under 13 years old.
- Location : Ground floor
- Size : 4.7m x 3.9m
- Bed dimensions: 160cm x 200cm plus bunkbeds 90cm x 180cm
- Private Shower & WC
- Tea & coffee facilities
- Fresh towels daily
- Hairdryer
- Room safe
- WiFi
- Maid service
- Central heating
- Ceiling fan.
Price includes breakfast
The Double Twin Room
The newly decorated spacious twin bed and breakfast room consists of two large double beds, Ideal for families or friends travelling together.
Location : Ground floor
Size : 5.6 m x 4m
Bed dimensions: 2 x 160cm x 200cm
Private shower & WC
Tea & coffee facilities, fresh towels daily, hairdryer, room safe, Wi-Fi, maid service, central heating, ceiling fan.
Price includes breakfast


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Heat Transfer Printing
Photo & Thermal Printing
Cutting Plotters & Printers
Inkjet Printer Package
Heat Presses & 3D Machines
Sublimation Blanks
Plotters & Vinyls
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Laminating Machine for your laminating needs such as document, photo, pvc card laminating. Hot & Cold Laminating available. 1 month warranty. Free training.


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Zachary Gates
The ABC reports experts are raising alarms in the lead-up to Christmas as to the risks of smart toys.
Dr Robert Merkel from Monash University says Snowy Monaro parents have reason to question, as some toys are able to record voice messages, internet history and location data.
He says this is because many toys from board games to rubber duckies, connect to the internet via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and applications.
Dr Merkel says a doll with speech recognition is only possible due to sensors, microphones and online data storage.
His comments came after the FBI warned US parents earlier this year about security risks associated with toys connected to the internet.blog comments powered by Disqus
Studio +61 2 6456 1918 Office (Cooma) +61 2 6452 1521
Cooma Office 225a Sharp St Cooma, NSW 2630 [map]
Jindabyne Office Top Floor, Snowy Mountains Plaza, Jindabyne NSW 2627 [map]
General Manager: Renea Buhler Program Director: Gary Warne


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Thursday, March 10, 2011
~Almost Time for Something Wonderfully Fun~
Posted by Jill Marcott-McCall ~Feathers & Flight~ at 10:10 AM
Labels: Feathers and Flight, Freebie, Giveaway, Junkin, Junkin Gypsies, Just the Beginning
4 comments:
- A Vintage Chic said...
How exciting, Jill! I'll be checking back in tomorrow...!
Hope your day is wonderful!
- March 10, 2011 at 10:48 AM
- Charlene said...
You are such a TEASE!!!!! Went to the dentist today & had to have crown prep done. NO FUN & LOT'S OF $$$$$. Darn right before I leave for California. I PROMISE WE WILL CHAT ON THE PHONE!!!! But, I think it may be April before I get time to just sit & have quiet time to talk. Looking forward to it though. HUGS!
- March 10, 2011 at 11:22 AM
- Carol Anne's Boutique said...
Hi Miss Jill,
I can hardly wait..How Exciting!! :)
Hope you are having a beautiful day~
Big Hugs,
Carol Anne
- March 10, 2011 at 4:35 PM
- orchid said...
Thank you SO much for following me. I love to enjoy your marvelous page from now on.
Their smiles are really pretty and I still cannot figure out much about giveaway or other things you can do in your blog but lovely!!!
- March 10, 2011 at 4:53 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Linschoten Institute research grant for prof.dr. John de Wit & dr. Michael Hafner
December 31, 2007 - Prof.dr. J.B.F. de Wit and dr. M. Hafner (UU) received a research grant from the Linschoten Institute for "Is automaticity indeed everywhere? A second-generation study of the moderation of impulsive influences on evaluation and behavior".
Link: http://www.uu.nl/EN/faculties/socialsciences/organisation/Departments/Psychology/research/linschoteninstitute/Pages/default.aspx
« back


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Hays County Judge Recommends FY 2015 Budget, Commissioners Court Sets Budget Review Dates
Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, TX – At Tuesday's (July 29) Commissioners Court meeting, Hays County Judge Bert Cobb, M.D., presented a recommended Fiscal Year 2015 budget of $155,550,812, while maintaining the current tax rate of .4690. The current FY 2014 County budget is approximately $154 million.
The Commissioners Court also scheduled public workshops to discuss proposed expenditures with elected officials and department heads and make suggested changes to the recommended budget. The County's fiscal year begins October 1, 2014, and by law the Commissioners Court must approve a budget and set the tax rate for the County by September 30.
Among the judge's budget recommendations are $225,000 for finalizing the implementation of a new Computer Aided Dispatch System, $161,000 for improving information technology in most County offices and $171,000 for capital software to address video magistration requirements and custom reporting and electronic storage options. The recommended budget also includes raises for eligible law enforcement positions under the County's collective bargaining agreement, a four percent merit pool for all other employees to be distributed at department head discretion and a four percent cost of living adjustment for elected officials. The budget would also add two percent to the current salary chart for new hires to meet demands of an increasingly competitive market.
As part of its regular agenda, the Commissioners Court will hold budget workshops as needed on August 5, 12 and 19. Public hearings on the tax rate and budget will be scheduled for September. All meetings are open to the public and streamed live on the County's website.
All current FY2014 and FY2015 budget and planning documents are available online by choosing the Financial Transparency icon on the County's website at www.co.hays.tx.us. A printed copy of the recommended budget is available for review in the County Auditor's Office at the County Government Center, 712 S. Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos. For questions about the budget, contact any member of the Commissioners Court or County Auditor Bill Herzog at 512-393-2283.


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SMITHFIELD — Christine Griffin, candidate for Smithfield Township supervisor, served folks a little bit of politics and her tasty homemade chicken corn chowder on Saturday at Waterfront Park as a candidate dtermined to hold on to a healthy Poconos environment.
SMITHFIELD — Christine Griffin, candidate for Smithfield Township supervisor, served folks a little bit of politics and her tasty homemade chicken corn chowder on Saturday at Waterfront Park as a candidate dtermined to hold on to a healthy Poconos environment.
Forty folks, including members of the Shawnee Preservation Society and Smithfield Township supervisors Vince DellaFerra and Brian Barrett, were at the event.
Peter Tawney and the Juggernaut String Band kept the atmosphere light and fun with "Appalachian Juju" tunes played on the banjo and African hand drums.
In addition to two homemade soups, Griffin also brought dyes from berries and onion skins, for batiking and tie-dying, although only a handful of children came.
Four Monroe County Democrats — newcomers in local politics — were rallying support for their candidacy during the Meet & Greet event last weekend, held picnic-style at Waterfront Park. In addition to Griffin were Theresa Merli for Monroe County Commissioner, Hector Cintron for county Prothonotary, and Liz Saladin for county Recorder of Deeds.
Monroe commissioner Suzanne McCool, also in attendance, is campaigning with Merli in an attempt to oust Bob Nothstein. Both are focusing on smart growth to safeguard a clean environment.
"We are not enemies of economic development — we have a different perspective," said Merli, outgoing president of the Brodhead Watershed Association. "(The public) wants clean streams and economic prosperity ... environmentally friendly sound economic growth. Change is going to happen, but how we react to change will make the difference."
Merli spoke about the proposed concrete batch plant, voicing her concern that township representatives are too often pressured — sometimes by their own solicitors — into "not doing what's right for the community" out of fear of a lawsuit that may never come.
"We need this election," commented Phil Rush, a Smithfield resident who lives on Hollow Road near Shawnee, and a Monroe County property owner for 20 years. "Christine is the right person. 'Progressive politics' isn't something we take kindly to around here. You can see the difference that progressive politics has made already." Griffin, who is challenging incumbent Steve Carey, says she is the candidate who can "balance priorities and interests within the community to best serve."
"Healthy growth is a win-win endeavor," she asserts. "It will only happen when all interests are given a seat at the table, and all perspectives are considered carefully.
"Decisions made by past Smithfield supervisors have had far-reaching consequences. We need only assess the school tax and traffic situations and the blight in our critical commercial corridors to 'get the picture.' We need only to examine the management of township finances and recognize the failure to create and enforce reasonable zoning ordinances, to fully realize why we are where we are.
"Smithfield Township is at a critical juncture. We are facing tremendous changes, including the bypass, a very saturated residential development market, and increasingly threatened and fragile natural surroundings. We, as a community, need to proceed with caution. 'Progress' to me means moving forward for the greatest good, doing the least harm."
The determined mother of three has been visiting school bus stops in an effort to hear parents' concerns. She praises the efforts of current supervisors DellaFerra and Barrett, in office since January of 2006.
"Under our leadership, smart development with ecological, social and aesthetic sensitivity will happen. Clean commercial growth that provides jobs and a school tax base will happen. And, yes. We will save the trees. Why trade a vista of gorgeous hillside and waterfall for concrete, power lines and billboards?"
Griffin has been outspoken at township conditional use hearings for LTS's Mountain Manor project, urging planners to incorporate pedestrian and bicyclist-friendly paths to link it to the Marshalls Creek town center at Jay Park. She has also been direct and persistent in questioning property trustee George Hamlin during hearings on the proposed concrete batch plant, insisting the property be purchased as Open Space.
Griffin grew up in Middle Smithfield Township and taught for 10 years in Monroe public schools.
"Teaching elementary school is training equivalent to organizational management and consensus building," she says. "There's not that much difference between good classroom management and good policy management.
"One of the most exciting things that has happened in our community in the recent past is the influx of new residents, new influences and new energy. Attitudes reflected in leadership have not effectively embraced the opportunities this presents. It's time to move beyond isolationism, one-upmanship, and self-interests in local government, and strive for real community service and win-win decision making."


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Reporting from Washington — Four years ago, Barack Obama was an upstart in the midst of becoming a phenomenon. Now, he's an established juggernaut with the power of the presidency at his back. But his reelection bid, formally announced Monday, seeks to re-create the grassroots effort -- the armies of volunteers, the flood of small donations, the spillover rallies -- that marked his first campaign.
Few things are more laden with cynicism than modern American politics, but in the video released Monday by Obama's reelection campaign, the president clearly is asking the band to get back together for one more show -- perhaps a little less starry-eyed but, ideally, as dedicated.
And, yes, the H-word is making a return engagement.
"I just saw the energy and hope he had for this country," says a student named Mike from New York. "Even though I couldn't vote at the time, I knew that someday I'd be able to help reelect him. And that's what I plan on doing."
Although Obama's campaign again will be looking to an energized wave of young activists to help propel the operation, politically voters in the video such as Ed from North Carolina likely will be more crucial to whether it succeeds.


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I'm going to warn you straight up: You will want to click and get tickets before you're done reading this story, because this is the wine event of the year.
At the end of this month we are hosting a cool new wine-centric Tastemakers: New American Classics. Have you been aware of the wine revolutionaries changing the face of American wine? They're motivated by a belief that American wine needs to be its own thing—it needs to stop aping European wine, and find the right techniques, agriculture, and styles to be essentially and freshly American. These folks and their ideas have been the avant-garde of wine for a decade now. The California critic Jon Bonne wrote a terrific, and hugely influential book about them, "The New California Wine." They've picked up highly influential fans around the country, and one of those fans in the Minneapolis importer Michael Kuperman, of Tradition Wine and Spirits. Kuperman has been placing some of these phenomenal, and very rare, wines all over town. He's the reason everyone's favorite fried chicken joint, Revival, has ultra-elite Scholium Project wine as the house white, for instance.
Well. Kuperman decided to bring nine of these bleeding-edge winemakers to town in late May, to really boost the profile of these cutting-edge wines. I got wind of this, and nearly fell over dead with shock and joy. Because the Twin Cities is the greatest small town in the world, all of us put our heads together and said: "My golly, we have an opportunity to get these wines in front of the people." And so we're doing it. Mark your calendars, get your tickets: May 25th, at the Lab Theater in downtown Minneapolis, from 6 - 9 p.m. You will have the opportunity to taste wine and meet the winemakers from nine of America's most important new wineries, specifically:
Abe Schoener of The Scholium Project
Matthew Rorick of Forlorn Hope
Andrew Jones of Field Recordings
Barnaby Tuttle of the Teutonic Wine Company
Kate Norris of Gamine Wines and the Divison Wine Company
Hardy Wallace of Dirty and Rowdy Family Wines
Sam Bilbro of Idlewild Wines
Michael Cruse of Cruse Wine Co. and Ultramarine
John Lockwood of Enfield Wine Co.
We'll also have a panel discussion with six of the winemakers. I cannot express to you what a rare and unbelievable opportunity this is. The theater will be filled with nothing but the rarest and most thought-provoking wines and winemakers. I have never heard of an opportunity like this, and there's definitely never been something like this in Minnesota.
I so hope to see you there.
photo via shutterstock


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Come and join the fun this month over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges. My team mates have all different kinds of drinks to offer.
I would like to enter this card into following challenges:
Art Impressions #151 - Java love
Aud Sentiments Challenge - Anything Goes + DT call
Crafting By Design #January - Anything Goes
Inky Impressions #192 - Monochromatic
Penny´s Paper Craft Challenge #210 - Anything Goes
Inky Chicks ##45 - Anything Goes
TTCRD - Anything Goes
That Craft Place - Monochromatic
Cuttin and Stampin Challenge # 5 - Coffee


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Though I have to be honest, I have to confess: I have post-poned this post for personal reasons. One of said reasons is because (ready?) making brief but sincere and truthful statements about people that will honour their awesome and not be overly glorifying or false which will also maybe come up on a search engine so that other people outside my personal network might be made aware of these cool women is, in truth, vaguely daunting. Some of these women I will have known for half my life, and still don't know at all; others I've worked with for less than three hundred and sixty five days and they feel like siblings. Either way, writing about other women is fun but challenging. Sometimes so much so that I'm not sure what I'm writing about someone is accurate, and sometimes because I feel like it's insufficient. Regardless, there will always be a "profile" because that's the point of the project, and even if it is a relatively small blurb, these faces still mean a lot to me. Maybe this way you'll learn a little bit about me, too. Basically, the bottom line is that I can't promise portraits posted on the regular, because of that whole 'writing about other people' bit, but also because I work a lot! For myself, in the service industry, and as an artist. Such as life and hustling in the big city. I hope you understand. I'm sure you understand.
But that's all, that's the end of disclaimer. This post isn't entirely about me, it's really about this beautiful woman I met almost a decade ago,
Kate Christine Miller.
Kate and I were introduced by friends of mine in Guelph (where she did her BFA) though she would describe herself as being from "warm kitchens and smoky basements and over invested basketball coaches and houses that all look the same, but not in a new suburban way, the Niagara Region. Now Toronto is [her] home."
She always seemed like a very successful human, you know, a real grown ass woman to me. She was someone who I admired from afar, hung out with occasionally, but didn't know all that well. Maybe I just always knew she was a fellow feminist because of the cool people, my then "older" high school friends, who introduced us. We've been moving in the same Toronto circles for some years now, and more and more, I see the cool things she gets up to. I feel like I learned a lot about Kate while I photographed her, and even more when she answered my questionnaire, actually.
Kate is passionate about working with and empowering kids (read: smashing the patriarchy) and has a few amazing gigs. She works with youth at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health, as well as at Delisle Youth Services in midtown, and works for the forever badass Shameless Mag.
One thing I really noticed was that Kate was pretty much always ready, from the moment I arrived to the one I rode away, to stare right into the guts of my camera.
She's got a sweet apartment set up on Toronto's west side where she practices drumming on a cool kit in her room and seems to take good care of herself and her friends.
'til next time,


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o How accelerating is a dog? Most broken dogs are expert or reach speeds up to roughly cardinal miles per unit of time when running at supplied speed, but members of the Greyhound home are the fastest, they're able to manage speeds up to 44 miles per hour!
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o Why do dogs respect lakes, but not rain? Dogs regularly abate earlier venturing into the rainfall. It's not because they're hangdog of effort wet, but because the precipitation amplifies din and hurts their irritable ears.Post ads:
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o Ever sensed you dog can read your mind? Studies have shown incredulous results indicating dos near mystic capabilities. In Russia, a social unit of man of science conducted 1,278 clairvoyant experiments beside dogs, of which 696 were victorious. Most of the testing concerned conducting tests the dog's gift to read non-verbal and non-physical commands. The scientists sense the odds of that stirring by prospect would be comparable to by the book dead reckoning the accurate curved shape machine figure complete cardinal percent of the juncture...basically a cardinal to one likelihood.Post ads:
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o Ever use the wise saying "He got caught near his outgrowth concerning his legs". This wise saying came something like because a timid dog puts his tail between his stamina. Why? Well, they do that to cut off the scent glands in its opening region, a greatly vulnerable slice of the general anatomy. Every dog a individualized perfume that identifies them, so essentially that act of dog is the alike of precarious grouping concealment their faces.
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o Man or monster - who will win? I'd put my supply on organism. Canine contractile organ general supported on weight highly surpasses ratios compared to human beings. It was taped that a 176 thump Saint Bernard could tow something like 25 modern world its own unit weight in one try.
o This second one is for all you indissoluble pet owners. Dogs have specified a strong enthralled beside their owners that between thirty-five and 45 percent of dog owners make conversation to their dogs on the mobile or through the answering mechanism.


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Revision as of 15:05, 5 October 2017
This is the list of review copies which are currently available to reviewers from The Bookbag. If you click on the image you will get full details of the book from Amazon. Books should be read and reviewed within a fortnight, but in practice we allow three weeks from the date the book is posted. Please don't ask for a book unless you are reasonably certain that you can send a review within that time scale. If you are in any doubt outline the circumstances in an email and we'll decide whether or not there is time available to send the book.
If you're looking for the review submission form, please email me and I'll send it as an attachment.
Please let me have details of the books (including the title and the author's name) which you feel you would enjoy and would like to review, in order of preference. The quicker the response, the more likely you are to get your first choice!
Books are sorted alphabetically by author
If you're looking for children's picture books for review, you'll find them HERE.
Digital and Audio Books
We're experimenting with making digital and audio books available. When requesting one of these books please mention that it's digital/audio as it saves us searching through all the books in the office!
Digital Books
Audio Books
We've no audio books available at the moment but we hope to have more soon.
Hard Copies
Non Fiction Shelf
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Children and Young Adult's Shelf
If you're looking for children's picture book for review, you'll find them HERE. New books added on 5 October
If you want early readers, please feel free to ask for several.


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Nick Raboy
Developer Advocate, Couchbase
Nic is a Developer Advocate for Couchbase in the San Francisco Bay Area. He speaks at developer conferences, meetups, and community events in addition to mainting a blog and writing tutorials and example applications. The core of his work is making sure developers and users of Couchbase are successful in whatever it is they're working on. On the side, he develops mobile applications for Android and iOS. His most successful mobile application is SQLTool, a database editor for Android based devices.
Previously (1):
Seattle Node.js Meetup- API Driven Development with GraphQL
This is a group dedicated to learning, spreading the knowledge of, and improving Node.js.


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Left Hander's day. A unique and special minority, left handers are celebrated and revered with their own day – and rightly so! 1 in 9 men and 1 in 14 women are left-handed – they're rare, but they ARE out there if you look hard enough. As a kid my friends and I always wanted something different than what we already had – typical kid stuff – and it was usually what the 'popular' girls had. If you had straight hair, you wanted curly, and vice versa – or whatever the trend was at that time. Only the cute, popular girls had braces, so you longed for the glint of metal on your teeth. Left-handed kids were deemed SUPER special – despite knocking elbows with a right-handed person when desks were side by side. They got special scissors, they held their pencils at different angles, and teachers would always make a big deal of them being 'special.' We all longed to be that special person, if only for a day (despite trying to be like everyone else the rest of the time).
Oh the troubles and dramatics of childhood!
And where 40 to 50 years ago left-handed kids in school were reprimanded for writing WRONG, nowadays we celebrate and embrace the special – with a special day AND a website! http://www.lefthandersday.com/
So now that I'm seemingly/supposed to be grown-up, although I DO have days where I wish my hair was something other than what it is, for the most part I'm happy with who I am. I never got braces (kids hate them, I know, but I still think they look cute with them), and I write with my right hand; no special scissors or tools required to get through my daily life. I do have moments where I see a movie stars' lips or much-photographed trademark mole and I have a twinge of green envy. 'They're sooooo special....' my 10-year-old self secretly, wistfully moans.
BUT I'm mature, content and rational and I accept who I am, what I am, and how I am.
As a kid I wasn't a sporty person – I've been a 'creative' all my life – so I never had issues with needing special sports gear, should I have been born left-handed. I was relatively stress-free to my parents (they would argue that, I think) – they didn't need to run around town looking for left-handed scissors or baseball gloves. I wasn't special, I was just 'me', and I was doing fine just the way I was. I eventually married and had kids – one kid writes with his left hand and plays sports with his right, and the other kid both writes and plays sports with his right. I love them both equally. Scissor challenges aside, no left-hand-sport-equipment-needs challenged us and life carried on without a second thought.
Until I picked up an archery bow two years ago – specifically an Olympic-style recurve bow – and my right-handed world changed.
You see, there are right-handed bows and left-handed bows. The TRULY unique can shoot with both left AND right-handed bows; the epitome of ambidextrous. But the 'hand' of bow you shoot with has nothing to do with what hand that is your most dominant – or the hand you 'write' with.
It's all to do with what EYE is most dominant.
If you are left-eye dominant you shoot left-handed, but hold the bow in your right hand (drawing back the string with your left). If you are right-eye dominant you shoot right-handed, but hold the bow in your left hand (drawing back the string with your right).
This discovery shocked and confused me to the core. My 10-year-old self so longing to be 'special' back in grade five rejoiced! LOOK AT ME! I AM special!
Yet at the same time I couldn't understand how I could be left-eye dominant as my left eye is the more blurrier of the two. But I was soon told my blurry eye was due to an 'age' thing and that it has nothing to do with eye-dominance (I'm forty-something-years old - so much for my 10-year-old self). I had to stop over-thinking things (as I so often do with everything) and accept the fact that I was not who I thought I was.
Because what I was now was a left-handed archer who was also a right-handed writer.
Although I have very much enjoyed doing this archery thing – something I would have NEVER EVER imagined doing before – doing so has come with its own challenges. Sure I am 'special' – my 10-year-old self secretly glows with pride when someone comments 'Oh! A lefty archer, huh?' and then go on about how 'rare' we 'lefty archers' are – but I would soon realize I should be careful what I wish for. Everything comes with a price.
Many of the bits and bobs that go with a bow is specific to what hand of bow you shoot; meaning certain left-hand bow equipment will only fit on left-handed bows and not on right-handed bows. Archery companies often have equipment on sale – but it's usually right-handed bows and their accompanying equipment. Why? Because there are more right-handed archers than left. Archers swap, sell and hand-down gear to fellow archers, whether it be they have outgrown what they have or because they are upgrading their own equipment. But much to my dismay it's usually right-handed archers doing the wheeling and dealing and my left-handed archery-girl-self can't benefit from any of it. Left-handed archers rejoice when they meet another 'lefty shooter' and often moan the struggles faced in being so 'special.'
So where I am thrilled beyond thrilled to not only be practicing a different and historic sport, AND finally get to be UNIQUE and SPECIAL, it turns out that being left-handed is not as easy as I thought. Be careful what you wish for.
So for now I will embrace who I am, JUST THE WAY I AM, enjoy my new-found activity, and embark on a quest to have Left-Eyeball-Dominant Day become a national holiday. With presents, of course.
I could use a new bow ;)
For info on how to determine your dominant eye, please visit Archery 360. They can explain it better than I can. While you're there, you can watch an archery how-to video by multi-Olympic Silver medalist Jake Kaminski - he's pretty cool.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Left Hander's Day for the Right-Handed
Labels: archery, Archery 360, Hoyt, Jake Kaminski, left handed, left hander's day, Olympic Recurve, Olympics, recurve bow
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An uncommonly bold programming manoeuvre pitting a percussion concerto against the most difficult of Mahler symphonies proved to be a taxing but enormously rewarding listen in this epically proportioned concert.
Bolton-born composer Simon Holt wrote a table of noises for tonight's soloist, Colin Currie and the CBSO in 2007. The title is a literal translation of a Spanish term for the cajón, and bears particular relevance to memories of the composer's taxidermist great uncle, and more literally to the soloist's kitchen table array of gear for the latter movements. Currie's percussion array covered just about covered all the space usually occupied by the violin section, while the two orchestral percussionists were nestled away in opposite rear corners of the stage. The woodwinds were similarly eccentric – two piccolo players standing on opposite sides of the stage, and remaining woodwinds (alto flute and bass clarinet rather than the traditional instruments) were placed more centrally.
The 28-minute, six-movement work takes the orchestra to extremes of its capabilities. Tolerability was also stretched, in the loud, sustained piccolo cries of the opening minutes while Currie interjected with whistle and bongos. The most technically spectacular moments came in the dizzyingly virtuosic xylophone writing of the second and fourth movements, where both soloist and the two orchestral players ripped through semiquavers with thrilling swagger. If the second was impressive, the fourth was breathtaking in its combination of tuned percussion with celesta, harp and piccolo rhythm section and some wildly quick horn runs. Currie's more measured showmanship, while seated at his kitchen table for the fifth movement, was dramatic if altogether more broadly spaced and considered, allowing each sound to dissipate into the hall before moving on. There was plenty to admire in the rest of the orchestra too, notably in the piccolo playing (with remarkable ensemble for two players standing 25m apart) and solos for bass clarinet and viola.
If there were one piece which might make Mahler 7 seem less of an unfathomably bizarre monster by comparison, it would surely be a table of noises. None of Mahler's extremes of emotion, irony, triumph or despair were lost, but post-percussion it sounded a much more understandable beast than it does in the context of his other symphonies. John Storgårds, of course, must be credited with making such clear sense of the symphony. His tempi tended towards extremes, from a broad, 8-in-a-bar opening via a brisk third movement march to a finale which charged to a dashing close. Solos too were vividly written large, right from the plunging horn line of the opening pages (properly played on a German tenor horn) to the arrestingly full and direct traditional horn calls of the third movement, and the same section's zesty military precision which set the finale off with a bang.
There were aesthetic delights aplenty elsewhere, memorably in the rounded violin lines of the first movement, which soared with an intensely beautiful sound. The idiosyncrasies of Mahler's writing were never glossed over, though, and the wild brassy romps of the Scherzo were attacked with every bit as much fun as the mandolin lines in the fourth movement. A spectacular finale, driven by blistering timpani and heavy brass, brought the night to a suitably climactic close.


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Production Notes 2013
The feature documentary, Red Obsession was born when Master of Wine Andrew Caillard encountered filmmaker and vigneron Warwick Ross on a Qantas flight between Sydney and London in 2010.
At that time "a contagion of optimism and extravagance" was sweeping through the legendary vineyards of Bordeaux. The great dragon of the East was awakening. Primed by the Hong Kong Government's abolition of the wine tax and enthralled by the rarity and price evolution of Bordeaux's famous first growth estates, cashed up Chinese collectors were already dominating the auction rooms of London, New York and Hong Kong. Almost every week new price records hit the headlines and Bordeaux's traditional customers in Europe and the US were rapidly being forced out of the game.
With the lure of a huge emerging market and the promise of glittering wealth, it looked like Bordeaux was on the cusp of the greatest upheaval in its 400 year history.
And there was another thing. All indications coming from the winemakers of Bordeaux were that their 2010 vintage would be a second "vintage of the century." Perfect vintages like the 2009 are rare. Two perfect vintages in a row is almost unheard of. Add to that mix a rampant emerging market, the GFC as well as a fast developing European Debt Crisis and anything could happen. Andrew Caillard believed that not only was there a story to be told - it had to be told now. The Bordeaux "En Primeur" campaign, where the new vintage is revealed to the world and the new prices set, was due to take place in a matter of weeks.
Through his company Lion Rock Films, producer/co-director Warwick Ross quickly put together his team and by early 2011 they had assembled in Bordeaux. They included David Roach, the AFI nominated screenwriter and co-director. There was young executive producer, Robert Coe, Emmy Award winning cinematographer Lee Pulbrook and sound recordist Grant Lawson. The team would later be joined by cinematographer Steve Arnold, editor Paul Murphy and award winning composers, Burkhard Dallwitz and Amanda Brown.
Andrew Caillard's reputation in the international wine trade meant that the filmmakers were given unprecedented access to the major Bordeaux first growth chateaux. The production managed to secure some of the biggest names in the international wine world. People like Charles Chevalier (Ch Lafite), Thomas Duroux (Ch Palmer), Jean Guillaume Prats (Ch Cos d'Estournel) Christian Mouiex (Ch Hosanna & Ch Petrus), Frédéric Engerer (Ch Latour), Corinne Mentzelopoulos and Paul Pontallier (Ch Margaux).
Wine writers and critics were also sought out for their opinion. People like France's most famous wine critic, Michel Bettane, UK wine critics, Jancis Robinson MW, Steven Spurrier and writer and broadcaster, Oz Clarke. There was the world's most famous interviewer and wine lover, Sir Michael Parkinson as well as filmmaker and owner of Inglenook Winery, Francis Ford Coppola.
As the Bordeaux story began to take shape it became clear that a strange phenomenon was developing. Because these first growth wines were now a more lucrative investment than gold or the stock market - the wine was fast becoming too valuable to drink! Thousands of cases of some of the world's greatest wines like Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Margaux were sitting in warehouses like bullion, being bought and sold but never opened. The production moved to London to seek out significant players in the wine commodity business for their opinion. People like Gary Boom of Bordeaux Index and Simon Staples from Berry Bros. and Rudd.
But it soon became clear that if Red Obsession was to tell the full story of this extraordinary moment in the world of wine, the production would need to travel to China. Over the following twelve months the film crew moved between Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai talking to wine critics and China observers like Asia's first Master of Wine, Jeannie Cho Lee, Christie's Head of Wine, China, Simon Tam and wine critics Ch'ng Poh Tiong and Fongyee Walker. The team tracked down billionaire wine collectors like sex toy magnate, Peter Tseng, doll manufacturer, George Tong and head of Tesiro Jewelry, Richard Shen who had just bought a chateaux in Bordeaux.
When the Chinese population of 1.4 billion began turning its attention to grape wine, experts worked out that within 20 years, the entire output of the world may not be enough to satisfy the new market. So China began planting grape vines. The Red Obsession crew visited the wine regions of Yantai in Shandong Province, Ningxia Province and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China's vast and remote far north west. They filmed vineyards in the shadow of the Great Wall and new vine plantings on the bleak, gravelly plains where Genghis Kahn was killed.
Warwick Ross believed that if they had postponed filming even for a few months, the perspectives, enthusiasm and atmosphere of invincibility may have been lost. He says, "I feel we have captured an astonishing moment in time."
Narrated by Academy Award© winner Russell Crowe, filmed for the big screen on the new Arri Alexa cameras, Red Obsession follows a modern-day silk road through the prism of Bordeaux's ethereal wines. It observes the extraordinary financial risks people are prepared to take in pursuit of their passion. It confronts the modern dilemmas facing the Bordeaux vigneron at time of great global uncertainty, where one poor decision could put at risk a reputation built over hundreds of years. And in this "Asian Century", the film confronts our pre-conceptions and easy stereotyping of other customs and traditions. Set against the stunning landscapes of Bordeaux and China, Red Obsession is the story two disparate and powerful cultures finding common ground over their love of a delicate wine.