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Harvesting is the time to reap the rewards of a well-planned season and gather the data necessary to begin planning for the next year. Fuse products and services help maximize productivity, increase uptime and facilitate data management.
Fendt VarioGuide enables the combine to harvest crops efficiently by minimizing missed crop and ensuring full use of the header width. Using guidance also helps enable a more efficient loading operation. The Wayline Converter Tool improves the portability of automatic guidance data, allowing growers to save time and effort when using multiple brand guidance products.
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Explore available Fuse products for the Harvesting phase of the crop cycle by clicking below.*
*Subject to brand and regional availability. Contact your local dealer for more information.


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Last longer and love harder with a vibrating cock cage made for you & her!
The cock cage is made of a rubber safe material and is very stretchy so definitely fits most girths and lengths. The nicest feature of this cock cage is the bullet that attaches really nicely to the top of the cage for some clit fun as an added bonus. Both the hubs and I really liked the bullet we both got some pretty intense pleasure from it, it's not an extreme vibration but just enough to keep things hot and heavy!
There were only a few things my husband and I would have changed on the fantasy cock cage, for myself I wish the bullet was a little stronger for sure! My husband on the other hand, would change how tight the cock cage fits. Once everything is slippery and wet the cock cage kept sliding off instead of staying in place. So maybe if it was a little tighter or made of a different (not so stretchy) material it might make it stay on better. Those were the 2 things we would change, besides that this was super fun and definitely felt great we both had long lasting orgasms and were eager to use it again!
I would recommend this product for an intermediate to pro toy user it may be a bit much for a beginner. So if you're looking for a little kink in the bedroom with your partner this is a great toy in throw into the sheets!

subset: commoncrawl


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If you take the simple request, "What time is it," and switch the order of the words you can get a deeper question, "Time, what is it?" It is one of the most precious possession that we have but squander it as if it is an infinite supply. For some, time is simply a quantifiable measurement using units of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years. Others mark it by the "moments that take your breath away." What is time and more importantly to believers, how has the church observed time? Since it really does seem obvious to me that we go straight from Halloween to Christmas anymore, even though the calendar has two major American holidays in-between the two.
Scripture actually gives us a pretty good understanding of time. It uses two Greek words to give us a well-rounded picture of what time is. The first word is chronos. This word is part of your everyday terminology, right? Don't you look at a chronometer several times a day? You watch or phone most likely. A watch measures time and the word chronos is the word meaning the measurement in those afore mentioned units of time. It looks like this in the Bible…
"Then Her'od, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared." – Matthew 2:7
"and the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense." – Luke 1:10
"And there they abode long time with the disciples" – Acts 14:28
The second word for time in the Scripture is the Greek word kairos. This is not chronological measurement of time but the understanding of a time period that bears a common likeness or contains significant events with deep meaning or likeness. Here are some Biblical examples to make this clearer.
"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law" – Galatians 4:4
"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." – Ephesians 5:16
"Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready" – John 7:6
"How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts." – Jude 1
It is probably easier to see these as the seasons of life. What we may be experiencing now is only a season. It shall pass and a new season will take its place. There are good seasons and bad seasons. Joyful and sad. Solomon (using Hebrew writing) sums up the words chronos and kairos very beautifully in Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
Now that we have an understanding of time and that it is more than just a measurement of time, let us look at the seasons of the church. Christmas and Easter are more than just days on the calendar. Even more, there are several other seasons that the church celebrates. By using seasons and time the church uses the year to tell the gospel. The church has ordered its worship by the use of the calendar and season. The following seasons follow the order of Gospel,
- Advent
- Christmas
- Epiphany
- Lent
- Easter
- Pentecost
- Ordinary Time
Very quickly we sum these seasons into three groups, Advent through Epiphany, Lent through Pentecost, and common time.
Originally the incarnation (enfleshment) of Christ was celebrated January 6 and was called Epiphany. Epiphany is a moment of grasping something or becoming enlightened. The church celebrated first the meaning of Christ being fully man and God around 200 A.D. Christmas became more distinct to be on December 25th around 354 A.D. Advent and the rounding out of the Christmas season is first seen around 380 A.D. So here is a run down of the seasons.
- Advent: Starts the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Anticipates Christ's first advent (coming).
- Christmas: December 25. Celebrating the birth of Christ.
- Epiphany: December 26-January 6. Reflecting on Christ's presentation at the Temple, visit of the magi, and His miracle at Cana.
The second grouping is the Easter Season. The resurrection to the early church (and us) is the most important event on the calendar (1 Cor. 15:17-19). It is so important that the resurrection is celebrated not just once a year but every Sunday morning. In fact every morning belongs to the Christian as a reminder of Christ's resurrection and our future one. Every Sunday and morning is a "mini-easter" (Drury, Wonder of Worship, 2005). Easter itself is a week observing the passion of Christ from the entry into Jerusalem to the resurrection. It became a season of observance because of discontent in the early church to focus on this for only a week. Lent (latin for spring) is the 40 days of preparation before Easter some time around 325 A.D. (Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday was added around 1000 A.D.). Not only was preparation made before hand but celebration after Easter was extended to Pentecost, 50 days after Easter. Pentecost celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church and for a long time was more celebrated than Christmas. In fact the most important season of celebration is from Easter to Pentecost. Here is the way it falls.
- Lent: 40 days before Easter. Preparation is made by identifying with Christ's agony to the cross.
- Easter: First day of the week (Sunday) and by calendar the first Sunday after the Jewish Passover. Resurrection!!!!!!
- Pentecost: Sunday after the 50 days from Eater. The birth of the church.
The last season the church observes and tells the Gospel story is ordinary time. This is the time between Pentecost and Advent. During this time focus is made on the harvest, that is, evangelism and discipleship. Outreach and spreading of the Gospel was and is the focus of the church during this time.
So this brings my final question. Why do believers celebrate with greater fervency non-Christian holidays in the church more than we do Christian holidays and seasons? Do we celebrate them because they are our focus or just nicely placed gimmicks the calendars provides us with? Example of my thought…
- Valentines days over lent
- Mother's day over Easter
- Memorial day, Father's day, and Independence day over Pentecost.
- Halloween (especially) and Thanksgiving over Advent.
I am not saying there is anything wrong with observing those holidays personally or with the church (at least not all). What I am saying is do we focus, plan, and celebrate those more than the seasons which the Church has historically observed and used to share the full Gospel story each year?
Love the Word. Live the Word.


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Walter tries to close the meth chapter of his life, but Hank opens it back up while reading 'Leaves of Grass'
Breaking Bad finales tend to end with wrenching oh s—! moments, and as Hank's toilet trip proved, the same is literally true for the show's midseason finales.
But let's start at the beginning. The episode is packed with references, explicit and implicit, to the show's past. It opens with Walt looking reflective, staring at a lone fly buzzing around the Vamanos Pest Control office. It's a keen, appropriately timed reference to the love-it-or-hate-it hour from the third season called "Fly." (it's one of my and many others' personal favorites, but when you search "breaking bad the fly," Google suggests "breaking bad the fly worst episode" as the second autofill result.) In that introspective bottle episode, Walt and Jesse are trying to control a pest in their underground superlab, but they wind up engaging in a deep dissection of their moral behavior and asking themselves why they still do what they still do — and what their appropriate punishments should be. It hits home a point about irrational obsession — Walt refuses to work until the fly is dead — and by now, Walt's meth business is exactly that.
Enter Todd, who's ready to help with Mike's corpse, the latest product of Walt's megalomania. "It's pretty cool how they do that — turn a car into a cube," Todd says, referring to his visit to the junkyard to dispose of Mike's car. "So, should we do that other thing now?" That other thing, though, is pretty similar to compressing an automobile into a raw block of metal — they're about to reduce a human body into slush. That's right, it's time for Todd's
first second body melting! They grow up so fast.
As if on cue, Jesse drops by to ask if Mike made it out safe. "He's gone," Walt replies tersely, and then reminds his ex-partner that the remaining nine (or ten… or eleven…) loose ends are no longer his problem. Says Walt with finality, "I'm the only vote left."
Lydia, however, is smarter than Jesse. She knows that if Walt is asking her for the names of those nine legacy employees (plus the lawyer), as he is at their cafe meeting, Mike must be dead. She also knows that if she gives him that list, she will be dead too. And, furthermore, she knows a lot about international product distribution, and that knowledge is exactly what she offers Walt in exchange for her life. It works: they shake on it, and he lets her walk out Ricin-free.
So, Walt's blue-meth business is going international now. Higher pay means higher risk, and so many more ways to get caught and/or killed. As for now, though, there's Hank, who's working on those current loose ends of Walt's. Through his lawyer, ground-level superlab employee Dennis offers to fork over valuable information in exchange for immunity. But Hank, high on confidence, walks out on the deal. "This here is a buyer's market," he remarks condescendingly. "I've got eight other assholes just like you."
Those words are going to sting later! In a seedy Albuquerque motel, Walt is negotiating a deal with Todd's contract-killer uncle. Nine murders in multiple prisons within two minutes — that's what Heisenberg wants. And as is usual, Heisenberg gets what he wants, resulting in a bloody montage of prison killings. Most of the victims suffer death by shiv, Dennis goes up in flames, and it was all soundtracked to Nat King Cole's "Pick Yourself Up." It's an equally gruesome but less grand cousin of another great murder montage, the terrific scene in Goodfellas that glides over a series of mob hits to the tune of "Layla."
And so Hank loses all of his leads at once. Dejected, he goes home to drink away his sorrows with Walt. "I've been thinking of this summer job I used to have," he tells his brother-in-law. "I'd spend my days marking trees in the woods with this orange spray can. Crews would find the trees and cut them down." We can see why that would be on his mind these days; after all, he essentially marked a group of criminals with orange prison suits, rounding them up just so that they could be disposed of by others. Every day, Hank continues telling Walt, he'd go back in the woods and start all over again, which sounds like a familiar process. But his time in the wilderness proved to be more satisfying than his current line of work. As he puts it, "Tagging trees is a lot better than chasing monsters." The monster in his living room considers this and replies, "I used to love camping."
NEXT: The beginning of the end


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Pelion Neochori Village
Neochori village Pelion: Neochori is a small but picturesque village on the eastern side of Pelion peninsula. Located 35 km north east of Volos, Neochori is located close to the villages of Afysos and Agios Dimitrios. With the typical architecture of Pelion and surrounded by lush greenery, Neochori has large plane trees in the square and a fountain dating from 1801. Also the church of Agios Dimitrios, below the square of Neochori, dates from 1768 and has interesting wall paintings inside.
More about Neochori
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Kids amusement parks in Europe
Despite the unexpected snow, the summer is on the doorstep and it's time to think about holidays. If you decide to go to Europe with children, you should think about entertainment. The most vivid memories will stay with children after visits to the five largest parks in Europe, where children are waiting for an incredible show, awesome rides and favorite characters.
Near Paris on 2 thousand hectares has a children's dream – Disneyland. Here children will see first hand Aladdin, Pinocchio, Peter pan and other cartoon characters. Here you can fight with pirates, to visit the hut of Snow white and the 7 dwarfs, ride in a hot air balloon and fly to the moon. For visitors of all ages are fascinating attractions.
Rides for younger children:
"Pirate coast". Playground with areas for children 3-6 years and 7-9 years.
"Autopia". Race cars.
For older children:
"Pirates of the Caribbean".
"The haunted house. Continue reading
The famous theme parks of France
Asterix Park . This theme Park famous in France and around the world because it offers entertainment for everyone from toddlers to their mothers. Come and enjoy its 27 attractions, 6 shows and 7 adventure areas, every visit will leave you with unforgettable memories. Asterix Park offers visitors a memorable day out with the family. You will feel like you have returned to many years ago and are in a completely different world with unique attractions and roundabouts.
Futuroscope . This is one of the most famous theme parks in the world and unique in its kind in Europe, with its futuristic buildings, film screenings on giant screens, entertainment, high technology, with its cleanliness and tidiness. This Park is designed for children of all ages. Here, not only can play, Futuroscope is also a huge exhibition of large buildings whose designs are based on science and technology of the future.
Disneyland Paris . Disneyland Paris is often called the Evrodisneylend, which ranks fourth among the Disney theme parks, and now has become the most visited tourist attraction of Paris. Of course,in France go to visit museums and galleries, but if you are traveling with children, then this pastime is for them a routine and Disneyland will become an alternative solution. Continue reading
Kids amusement parks in Europe.
Planning a vacation with children, it is necessary to consider the wishes of younger family members. It is unlikely that the child will enjoy Hiking through the museums, or the daily splashing in the "paddling pool". What I love most little restless? Of course, the various attractions – and the more ingenious the better! "Active mom" offers parents facing the choice of family tour, an overview of the 5 best theme parks in Europe. Go!
Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris is every child's dream. And adult too! Children's rides in the European Disneyland opened relatively recently – in 1992 – but for a short time, is very fond of the little visitors.
This children's amusement Park consists of 5 thematic parts:
– main street USA, where you can meet the characters of Disney cartoons and to go by rail to Disneyland;
– the world of Peter pan Fantasyland, where visitors will meet with Pinocchio and snow white, as well as a visit to Sleeping beauty's castle – here, like any girl;
– Frontierland, Wild West in miniature, land of the brave cowboys and desperate Indians, is a Paradise for every boy! Continue reading


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Seth Lovis & Co, expert and approachable personal injury solicitors in London, represent members of the armed forces who have sustained harm during training or operations.
Due to the nature of the job, individuals experiencing injuries in the armed services are sadly not uncommon. Working with dangerous weaponry and heavy vehicles, and living in often harsh environments for months at a time, the risk of suffering an injury is high.
However, if the injuries sustained are not the fault of the sufferer, they may be able to receive compensation from their employer, to help them pay medical bills, recoup lost earnings, and generally improve the quality of their life.
A common type of injury which members of the armed forced can claim compensation for are burn injuries.
Suffering burns in the armed forces
A June 2011 article from the Journal of Burn Care & Research, titled Epidemiology of U.K. Military Burns stated that from 2001 to 2007, 60% of burns suffered by British military personnel were reported as being 'accidental' – caused in non-combat scenarios.
During the major conflicts of 2006 to 2007 however, more than 59% of burns were sustained during combat – caused by armaments such as improvised explosive devices and grenades.
The manner in which individuals sustain burns injuries vary from case to case. To see if you can make a claim for compensation resulting from a burn injury, contact our military accident solicitors today by calling 0808 252 0678 or submit and online enquiry form.
Serious burn injuries can cause permanent and life changing scarring or disfigurement. Serious burn injuries will require on-going medical treatment and can be detrimental to an individual's lifestyle and quality of life.
Even minor burns can result in permanent scarring, and may require on-going medical treatment. If the sufferer undergoes a skin graft procedure, they will be required to take special care of that section of their skin for the rest of their lives. Grafted skin is notoriously difficult to manage as it is not connected to natural oil and sweat ducts so can dry out as a result.
Contact expert injury solicitors
Seth Lovis & Co are experienced and approachable military accident solicitors in London. If you have sustained a burn injury while serving in the armed forces, contact us to find out if you have a valid claim. You can speak with one of our solicitors by calling our London offices on 0370 218 4025.


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Sunday, 21 December 2008
Witchcraft and Midwifery
In the year 1585 in Dillingham, Germany, Anna Hausman, a midwife who cared for countless mothers and newborn children was accused of killing them by witchcraft. She confesses under torture and is condemned to burning at the stake. The Devil has been her lover, she tells them, the babies sacrificed to him. Knowing it would mean her death, she says anything to stop the pain.
During the Renaissance, beauty was increasingly equated with virtue and a woman's beauty corresponded with her fertility. Post menopausal women were not beautiful and therefore the first to be suspected of any evildoing. So a middle-aged woman who delivers a baby that died in the morning and another at sunset who lived, must surely possess supernatural powers.
What Was A Witch?
Medieval Catholic Church misogyny regarded female sexuality the beginning of all mankind's sin. Malleus Maleficarum* states: "When a woman thinks alone, she thinks evil."
The Church taught that in intercourse, the male deposits in the female a homunculus, or "little person," complete with soul, which is simply housed in the womb for nine months, without acquiring any of its mother's attributes. The homunculus is not pure, until a priest baptises it, ensuring the salvation of its immortal soul. It was also believed that upon resurrection, all human beings would be reborn as men.
Witches were accused of murdering and poisoning, sex crimes and conspiracy— and of helping and healing. As the witch hunters Kramer and Sprengler said: "No one does more harm to the Catholic Church than midwives,"
The Medieval Catholic Church's attitude to illness amongst the poor, was:
'You have sinned, and God is afflicting you. Thank him; you will suffer so much the less torment in the life to come. Endure, suffer, die. Has not the Church its prayers for the dead?' (Jules Michelet, Satanism and Witchcraft)
Kings and nobles had their court physicians who were men, sometimes even priests. Male upper class healing under the auspices of the Church was acceptable, female healing as part of a peasant subculture was not. The Church saw its attack on peasant healers as an attack on magic, not medicine. The devil was believed to have real power on earth, and the use of that power by peasant women—whether for good or evil—was a threat to the Church and State.
The greater their satanic powers to help themselves, the less they were dependent on God and the Church and the more they were potentially able to use their powers against God's order. Magic charms were believed to be as effective as prayer in healing the sick, but prayer was Church-sanctioned and controlled while incantations and charms were not. There was no problem in distinguishing God's cures from the Devil's, for obviously the Lord would work through priests and doctors rather than through peasant women.
Many herbal remedies developed by healers/witches still have their place in modern pharmacology.
• Pain-killers, digestive aids and anti-inflammatory agents
• Ergot for the pain of labor at a time when the Church held that childbirth agony was the Lord's just punishment for Eve's original sin.
• Belladonna—still used today as an anti-spasmodic—was used by the witch-healers to inhibit uterine contractions when miscarriage threatened.
• Digitalis, still an important drug in treating heart ailments, and obtained from the foxglove, is said to have been discovered by an English witch.
The witch-healer relied on her senses rather than on faith or doctrine, she believed in trial and error, cause and effect. She trusted her ability to find ways to deal with disease, pregnancy and childbirth - her magic was the science of her time.
The Church, by contrast, was deeply anti-empirical and believed the senses are the devil's tool to lure men into the conceits of the intellect rather than relying on Faith.
So Why Did Women Become Healers When It Was So Dangerous?
Widows with no means to support often fell into the practice of delivering the babies of younger women or 'curing' minor illnesses through knowledge of herbs and infusions gained during their life. For this service she was paid in money, food or goods.
However, if a wise woman gave advice on how to deal with tumors, warts, moles etc she must be consorting with the Devil as these were well known to be the Devil's marks. If she owned a cat to get rid of the mice and rats in her cottage, that too was evidence enough to condemn her.
Perhaps some of these women began to believe in their own powers of healing, and if they made a mistake in diagnosis or treatment, or if a former patient didn't want to pay his bill, they may be targeted for revenge by the ruthless or deceased relatives. Alone and defenceless, they also became victims of the witch finders, prevalent during the English Civil War who earned an income from denouncing them.
Matthew Hopkins is perhaps the most notorious of these, known as "The Witch-Finder General". Throughout his reign of terror 1645-1646, he was paid by local authorities to commit perjury. Together with his henchman and fellow 'Witch-Pricker' John Sterne, in just 14 months, Hopkins was responsible for the condemnations and executions of some 230 alleged witches. By 1647, people were becoming tired of Hopkins' hunt and some villages refused him entry.
When Did Midwives Become Respectable?
Painting of Women and Newborns circa 1600
In the 17th Century, Schools for Midwives existed at the Hotel de Dieu in Paris in Delft and Nuremburg. Dutch Midwives were especially well thought of and protected by a surgeon's guild with strict rules of practice. The rich would often pay vast fees for their wives to be attended by a 'Hollander'
In England, it was acknowledged that midwives should train with experienced members of the profession before they were able to accept responsibility for deliveries. Midwives, of course, had a vested interest in the delivery of healthy babies to bolster her reputation, and she would also receive an additional fee from the godparents at the time of baptism.
Appointed by the Bishop's Court, as sometimes they would have to baptise infants not expected to survive, midwives guarded their trade secrets jealously. The knife a midwife used to cut the umbilical cord was their badge of office and no one was allowed to touch it, much less use it.
William Sermon, a notorious 17th Century physician, who was put forward as a possible author of the famous manual of Sex, pregnancy and childbirth published in the late 1670's known as Aristotle's Masterpiece. Women were considered sexually voracious in a time period when Puritanism condemned sexuality when not directed toward procreation.
According to Aristotle's masterpiece, a Midwife should be
..............of middle age, neither too old nor too young, not subject to diseases, fears, or sudden frights; nor are the qualifications assigned to a good surgeon improper for a midwife, viz., A lady's hand, a hawk's eye, and a lion's heart; to which it may be added activity of body and a convenient strength, with caution and diligence; not subject to drowsiness, nor apt to be impatient. She ought to be sober and affable, not subject to passion, but bountiful and compassionate and her temper cheerful and pleasant, that she may the better comfort her patients in their sorrow. ............. But above all, she ought to be qualified with the fear of God, which is the principal thing in every state and condition, and will furnish her on all occasions both with knowledge and discretion.
At a time when a bloody surgeon's apron was a symbol of pride in his skill and experience, the first "lying-in" hospitals in the 1600's led to the first epidemics of child-birth fever. No one really knew why, being unaware that germs introduced by the doctor's hands caused perpural fever, but they did know that they and their child was more likely to survive if they were attended by a trusted midwife. Lister would not invent disinfectant until 1867.
Not that midwives knew everything. They would smother a dilating cervix with goose fat to 'aid brth', force open a cervix which didn't seem to want to dilate, and various other gruesome practices modern medicine condemn as dangerous.
As Midwifery became more of a profession, the superstitions connected with them and witchcraft died out, especially in the cities. By the end of the 17th century, midwives had lost their superiority over doctors and by the 18th century male midwives were common. Louis XIV engaged a male midwife to deliver one of his children.
*Malleus Maleficarum - A treatise on witches written in 1486 by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger two inquisitors of the Roman Church to refute arguments claiming witchcraft did not exist.
Posted by Anita Davison
1 comment:
- Sandra Gulland said...
Wonderful blog, Anita!~ I learned a lot.
Sandra Gulland
- 30 December 2008 at 15:29
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Hello everyone. Wedding season is in full swing and so far it is been great season. Normally I don't operate as Scottish borders wedding photographer, but Sally and Chris invited me to do their post wedding photography session at their place in borders. I love my after wedding photography session, it is so cool to get nice creative shots. When Sally said that they have horses, my mind went crazy. I was soooo looking forward to have a shot of bride on the horse. Images turned out really beautiful and I'm over the moon. Maybe you haven't seen their actual wedding photography? You can find their Inchcolm Island wedding photography here
I'm chuffed to bits to show you this set of images and I hope you will love it too.
Scottish borders wedding photographer
Loved how the light was setting. It almost looked like it is fog. Guys had lots of lough and fun and it was real pleasure to be part of their day and after day. Can't wait to make beautiful album for them. Chris showed me that little house in middle of the forest. Looked beautiful but felt a bit strange to be there. Thank got he noticed wasp nest there, otherwise my clumsy behaviour could cause real trouble there 🙂 Look forward for more after wedding sessions this year.
Thank you all for coming along.
If you haven't seen my wedding photography portfolio, please have a look at Edinburgh wedding photographer portfolio here If you are still looking for your special day story teller, feel free to contact A-Fotografy Edinburgh wedding photographer here
Thank you,
Enjoy Edinburgh wedding photography provided by A-Fotografy Photography offering Edinburgh wedding photography in the Edinburgh, Scotland.
A-Fotografy Photography is more then just your average wedding photographer. Each wedding is treated on very personal level with high care and creativity not found with other Edinburgh wedding photographers. Your wedding day is very carefully planned to offer one of kind unique wedding photography in Edinburgh, Scotland
This is Edinburgh wedding photography at its best. A-Fotografy Photography is an international award winning photographer based in Edinburgh,Scotland. Offering wedding coverage in Scotland and destinations worldwide, this Scottish wedding photography studio is one of the top studios in Scotland and is located right here in Edinburgh.


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The salon has a proud tradition of immersive theatre and events performance. As salon:events opens its books for the summer festival season, why not get involved? What might you be doing, and how can it help your acting? Geraldine Brennan remembers her first year of head-first immersion
New Year's Day, 2013
I'm doing one of those brisk hungover country walks in which you traditionally mull over where you are and where you're going (in a freezing muddy field in North Yorkshire, and hopefully soon, very soon, please, back to my friend's cozy cottage for a hair of the dog and a roast).
I feel even more than the usual seasonal ration of angst. New Year's Eve is my wedding anniversary but December 31 2012 marks my first end-of-year spent estranged from my husband and I had other family concerns). This marks three years trying to be an actor full time and I'm busy agonising about my depth of emotional prep and rigour of text analysis. I've written and self-produced my first solo show in 2012 but feel unconfident about pulling it out of the bag single-handed. The classical roles I've doggedly worked on in class seem far out of reach. My friends from my old life are creating terraces and gazebos in their gardens, flying to Rio on business for their proper jobs and having grandchildren. That doesn't rock my boat, but what am I doing instead?
It feels hard to claw any time for performing out of family responsibilities. As a goal for 2013 I need to re-find the pleasure in the life I've chosen, or what's the point?
Spring, I think: wake-up call
5.30am at Liverpool Street with a Primark business suit in a bag, dodging hail and looking for an address in Shoreditch. I don't know what month it is, but it feels like February at this hour. When did I last get up so early without a passport?
As usual, it's all Dominic Kelly's idea. A hardy gang from the salon:collective has been booked to provide the immersive actors for what will become the global breakfast rave brand called Morning Gloryville. We arrive at a nightclub shortly after its normal closing time, put on our corporate-casting jackets and ties over pyjama bottoms and furry slippers, add strange 70s blond 'bed hair' wigs, gyrate like crazy, bellow 'Good Morning!' as the sun finally comes up and persuade City folk that they really need a few hours' dancing to warm up for their first meeting.
It works: we do this once a month for the rest of the year and beyond, sharing a glitterbombed green room with a troupe of dancing unicorns. The Daily Mail turns up at the second gig and being interviewed by international TV crews become commonplace.
Today our Morning Angels act has metamorphosed into a different theme each month. Dajana, one of the first angels, became the salon's head of events, produced the original Morning Gloryville in East London and now sources new immersive opportunities for salon actors, including with the Barcelona-born club night, Elrow.
May: All Third Eyes on deck
Sunset on a boat in the middle of the Thames, preparing for a ritual sacrifice of a baguette. It's my first Pirate Radio Party. This time the salon actors have devised a more complex immersive theatre piece, as officers of the 'Bureau of Awakingment and Enlightingment'. We've spent days in workshops creating situations and characters that will encourage the party guests to connect with us and feel comfortable and inspired to contribute in return. Many of our apparently spontaneous happenings are tightly choreographed but there is room to play within them. As a senior BEA officer called Myrtle, I am in charge of Third Eye Testing, engaging guests one to one, while another salon creative has written a questionnaire to share with the cloakroom queue ('Are you aware?' 'Is the moon a garden?' 'Are you feeling awkward?').
Meanwhile we're searching for the 'chosen ones' from the crowd who will join us in our bizarre ritual on deck. My sacrificial companion is Shelton, whose life is a performance with a thin line between being and imagining and whose costume is a work of art. The partygoers love the experience we have created, and nobody asks about our emotional prep.
The challenge is in judging the right moment and not letting it pass: the guests' attention span is tiny. You may have heard Lawrence Carmichael say in class that the audience only pays attention for six seconds – well, this lot haven't got time for that, they're at a party. Any moment spent hovering, guessing or worrying is a moment lost. Pirate Radio Party was where I started to learn to stop worrying, have a clear character in my head and let it loose. That spirit of adventure underpinned by solid preparation goes a long way in events.
June: Sonnet Sonatas
Shakespeare's sonnets spoken one-to-one in a penthouse corporate suite in Mayfair. It's the 40th birthday of a literacy charity I used to write about in my previous life. We've got full-on Tudor costumes (my skirt barely fits in the lift) and we sing an Elizabethan-style round to conclude the Sonnet Sonatas programme compiled by Lizzie Conrad Hughes. This crowd is more formal, charity volunteers enjoying a stately afternoon tea, and there is more potential for awkward moments. Are they open to Sonnet 123 spoken over their scones? Again, shilly-shallying won't help, just shove that skirt under the table and crack on. The characters we create (The Professor, The Incurable Romantic, The Eternally Optimistic Soul – that's me, of course) translate smoothly into the 1920s Grand Hotel setting for Laura Marling's Secret Music event from the Secret Cinema team (14 of us whispering Secret Sonnets over 10 nights).
July: enter the Wildlings
Two hot weekends spent 'creative flyering' for Wilderness Festival, drifting through London's scorched parks and squares in rainbow tribal gear with a ukulele, collapsing round barbecue pits at night. We're raising the budget for the salon's debut Wilderness walkabout act, the Dandy Animals Radical Intelligentsia Tea Salon, with me as Badger plus Cat, Wolf and Damselfly. Festivals now make up a large part of salon:events work and Dajana has recently put together teams for How the Light Gets In in Hay-on-Wye, Standon Calling in Hertfordshire and Lovebox in London.
August: birth of the Badger
I've made it to Wilderness with Badger's tail and ears, a basket of vintage china, a selection of diarrhoea remedies and a baffling tent I haven't put up for 20 years.Wilderness does not permit underground shelters and Badgers are not natural campers but the Damselfly creates a spare festival home with a flick of the wings – apparently these new-fangled tents don't have poles, who knew?
I am also equipped with lovingly crafted theories about the badgers' place in world civilisation. Why do you never see badgers on a Noah's Ark? It's a conspiracy by the giraffes. Our tea salon (a folding table with a handy stove and kettle) is based on philosophical debate and we wonder how we will entice the fickle Wilderness crowd on their way to Ottolenghi banquets, cricket matches, gigs, naked sock wrestling and al fresco cocktail bars. We might need more than text analysis for this.
After a river swim and a dirty burger to brace ourselves, we achieve spectacular costume and make-up in campsite conditions. At Wilderness everyone looks extraordinary and there are astonishing happenings everywhere, so you have to go many extra miles to pull focus and make the initial connection that we are well trained to build on.
The Wolf' Shakespeare lecture (with much reference to the Moon he is always howling at) draws a crowd, and we're off for the next three days. My housemate walks past and doesn't recognise me. I pour tea and explain the Badger conspiracy theory of the universe to a succession of delightful Dandy acolytes and the BBC, then bare my soul in the late night storytelling tent. I've been at Wilderness every year since and the Dandy Animals have found new audiences: this year we'll be at Citadel festival. The early character work we put in (we exchanged 1-minute films and spent a day with Lawrence in Ally Pally working on our physicality) has stood us in good stead.
Later in August, I join another salon gang to try out Random Acts of Shakespeare (the salon's new street theatre package) on the streets of Marylebone and the Embankment. I realise that there is a way into every audience at a craft fair in Marylebone Church gardens: a starchy couple are unimpressed by my sonnet 'When to the sessions of sweet silent thought' even when I show them a pocket photo album of long lost loves, but they crack a smile at a photo of my cat, Soggy (RIP). Previously outside a Church Street pub I'd found a perfect John Falstaff for my Merry Wife, who looked like he'd been immersing himself in the role for days. Another insight: you have to have a plan (again, the so-called Random Acts were meticulously rehearsed) to leave room for nothing to go as planned.
I still haven't played Gertrude or Mrs Alving this year but I've said yes to everything for the past eight months and rediscovered joy in performance.
December: oh yes it is
The autumn has turned non-immersive and glitter-free with the second season of salon:lab (I also created and produced our writer development programme throughout 2013). It's all been a bit serious and I am ready to finish off the year with a blast of salon:panto. Panto is the most traditional of theatre forms but many of the same principles of immersive theatre apply: make a fool of yourself, feel free to eat too many sweets and embarrass your nearest and dearest, but never lose sight of the audience. As at festivals, it might be behind you.
If you're interested in joining some of the salon's 2016 immersive projects (we're currently working a lot with Elrow, the club night from Barcelona, plus various summer festivals), send your Spotlight link or CV plus headshot to email@example.com Don't forget to highlight any special skills/musical instruments played (your skills could inspire a new walkabout act). Most jobs are paid but for some we offer payment in kind such as festival entry. The deal varies for each job but we make sure performers are well looked after. You're likely to get some great photography and media coverage.


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RESTON, Va. and ARMONK, N.Y., June 30 /PRNewswire/ — NAVA, Inc., the Association for Insured Retirement Solutions, and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the availability of the first Common Reference Architecture Model for NAVA's Straight-through Processing (STP) Standards Initiative. STP is an industry-backed initiative establishing an automated standardized process that streamlines the sale of annuities.
The STP Initiative was created to help the industry meet the expected growth in the annuity market as the baby boomer generation enters retirement with more than $17 trillion in retirement assets. STP-compliant annuity sales processes will enable the annuity industry to effectively address this opportunity by allowing for seamless interoperability between distributors and insurance carriers, improving "in-good-order" business, ensuring transparency, and enhancing the overall consumer experience. The STP Standards include automated processes to help ensure annuity sales suitability, as well as uniform processes for e-signatures, electronic forms, privacy policies, and records management.
Developed jointly by IBM and NAVA, the STP Common Reference Architecture Model, an extension of the STP process model, provides a framework for implementation of the NAVA STP Standards by annuity distributors and their insurance carrier partners. STP implementations are underway at a number of distributors, including Fidelity Investments, LPL Financial Services, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, National Planning Holdings, Pershing, Raymond James, and Wachovia Securities.
In addition, the reference architecture provides a roadmap for technology vendors developing software and services for insurance and financial services companies based on the STP standards.
"This is the first time that any segment of the financial industry has undertaken a business process automation program of this size and magnitude," said Karla Norsworthy, vice president, IBM Software Standards. "Customers are telling us that straight-through processing is the key to meeting critical annuity market, customer and regulatory requirements. By leveraging advanced technologies, IBM engineers have helped develop a reference platform that can dramatically accelerate STP adoption, helping prepare the industry to better meet the significant market opportunity ahead."
The STP Initiative leverages the power and efficiencies of advanced IT technologies to streamline annuity business processes. These include service oriented architecture (SOA), an IT approach that maximizes efficiencies by integrating business elements as linked, repeatable tasks or services, as well as Web services, Web 2.0 technologies, wizard-driven dynamic electronic forms, business process management (BPM), and externalized rules and profiles. STP also builds on industry IT standards and specifications, such as XML, SCA and SDO, as the basis for defining and driving the STP processes.
"The existing manually-intensive and paper-constrained annuity business processes are complex, inefficient and highly regulated," said Deborah Tucker, vice president of NAVA. "STP is the first program of its kind to comprehensively address these issues by defining a streamlined annuity sales process that is all electronic and in compliance with federal and state regulations. The reference architecture is an important component in our ongoing effort to facilitate industry-wide implementation of STP-compliant technologies and services."
NAVA is currently working with a wide range of insurance carriers, annuity distributors and technology vendors to promote and encourage the implementation of the STP standards and the development of STP-compliant solutions. NAVA is also working with state and federal regulators to secure an understanding and acceptance of the standards.
For more information about the NAVA STP Initiative, or to receive a copy of the STP reference architecture, please contact Deborah Tucker at firstname.lastname@example.com or 703-707-8830.
For more information about IBM insurance industry solutions, visit http://www.ibm.com/insurance.
About NAVA
NAVA, Inc., the Association for Insured Retirement Solutions, is a non-profit trade association located in suburban Washington D.C. NAVA provides a variety of services to the industry, including educational forums, research, and conferences aimed at furthering the development and understanding of fixed and variable annuities, income annuities and variable life insurance. NAVA also maintains and supports an educational website for consumers at http://www.RetireOnYourTerms.com.
IBM, WebSphere, SmartSOA and the IBM e-business logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. For a list of additional IBM trademarks, please see http://www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml.
All other company, product or service names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of others. Statements concerning IBM's future development plans and schedules are made for planning purposes only, and are subject to change or withdrawal without notice. Reseller prices may vary.
SOURCE NAVA, Inc., the Association for Insured Retirement Solutions
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The chain was about twice as long as my favorite length, so I folded it in half, with one loop slightly longer than the other. I added the clasp to one side, using a head pin with a crystal to secure it. I added a ring to the other side the same way.
I put a crystal on each head pin and did my usual wire-wrap dangle, leaving the final closure of the loop and wrappings undone. Once I had all the crystal ready as above, I organized them in a way I liked and put the partially done wire-wrap on the chain, then completing the wire-wrap.
Here you can see my tools and the chain with some of the dangles already added. If you would like to see how I make the wire-wrap dangles, check out this tutorial! I not only get to wear this lovely necklace, but I got to be crafty too! What a perfect gift.
I'll be back next week with more fiber fun. Until then, knit on!


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Anj Smith
Born in 1978 in Kent, England, Anj Smith studied at Slade School of Fine Art and at Goldsmiths College in London. Smith's work has been exhibited at Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville TN, the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art in Peekskill, New York NY, La Maison Rouge, Paris, France and Me Collector's Room, Berlin, Germany, among other museums and galleries in Europe and the United States. Smith's paintings feature in a touring exhibition that opened at the Bluecoat in Liverpool last year. Titled, '3am: wonder, paranoia and the restless night', and currently on the last leg of the tour at Ferens Art Gallery in Hull. In the fall of 2015, Smith will present a solo exhibition of new paintings at Hauser & Wirth, London.
- Anj Smith features in a project.


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Get Skin Care Products From A Mary Kay Consultant In Charlo
Every woman knows that a beautiful look starts with beautiful skin. That's why Mary Kay offers skin care products from Charlo Beauty Consultants that cater to all kinds of concerns. Our skin care solutions are made to treat specific skin concerns, maintain a beautiful complexion, and protect your skin from the sun. Whether you have sensitive skin or acne; want to reduce sun damage and aging; or are simply maintaining already-healthy skin, you can achieve the look you've always wanted with Mary Kay's skin care products. To get started, receive custom skin care advice specifically for your skin. Contact your closest Mary Kay Beauty Consultant in Charlo for a skin care regimen made just for you.


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Vision is a person's window to the world. Clear vision depends on proper development of the visual apparatus in childhood.
Parents are often reluctant to see their small children using spectacles and tend to delay eye check-ups as far as possible. Many have the false belief that using spectacles makes children dependent on them for life. Some also believe that even without the use of spectacles normal vision will develop as the child grows.
This is a totally wrong concept that could result in amblyopia — a permanent stunting of vision in one or both eyes. As amblyopia is difficult to reverse after the age of 6 years, all children should have an eye check at least by 5 years of age.
The following symptoms in children could indicate visual problems and mandates eye check-up:
· Abnormal movements of the eyes
· Redness, watering or discharge from the eyes
· A small child not looking at or following objects
· Squinting of the eye
· Frequent blinking or rubbing of the eyes
Even in the absence of the above symptoms, parents or teachers may notice frequent mistakes being made in copying from the blackboard or a tendency to move closer to the television.
Some of the vision problems that could arise in early childhood include:
· Cataracts especially in one eye alone,which need prompt and early treatment, even as early as within the first month of life.
· Faulty development of the lacrimal drainage system (tear drainage system), which is best treated by one year of age.
· Retinoblastoma, a rare malignant tumor of the eye, which needs early treatment to save the child's life.
Spectacles are prescribed to However if the child is amblyopic laser surgery will not improve vision beyond what was achieved with spectacles. Early eye checkup is thus important to prevent permanent visual problems in children and to help them see this world in all it beauty throughout their life.
Dr. Sabitha Venkatesh MBBS, DNB
With more than 13 years' experience in India and Kuwait, Dr. Sabita Venkatesh is currently the ophthalmologist at Shifa al-Jazeera Medical Center in Fahaheel. Having trained under some of the most renowned doctors in India, she has done over 500 ophthalmology surgical procedures such as corneal transplants, cataract surgery, adult and pediatric refractive corrections, as well as diabetic retinal evaluation and glaucoma evaluations among others.
A member of Indian Medical Association, Ophthalmologic Association and All India Ophthalmic Society, Dr. Sabita has to her credit five publications in national and international journals.
The Ophthalmology department at Shifa Al-Jazeera Medical Center provides specialized treatment for all ophthalmic diseases, including refractive errors, anti-glaucoma, and perforating injuries. The eye department is equipped with the most modern treatment facilities including computerized eye testing.
Three main types of defect - near sightedness or myopia, far sightedness or hyper-metropia and astigmatism. In all of these conditions, the eye is unable to produce a clear image of the object it is looking at. And poor image quality is the cause for the amblyopia mentioned above. This occurs while the visual pathways are still developing usually up to 6 years of age and hence the need to detect and correct poor vision early in life. Poor vision in one eye alone is often not noticed by children as they can still see clearly with the other eye.
With growth the power of the spectacles changes and children using spectacles need regular eye examinations till they are 18 years old. Laser surgery to correct vision can be done only after the child is 18 and the spectacle power has remained the same for at least one year.
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."
"Envy comes from wanting something that isn't yours. But grief comes from losing something you've already had."


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Saturday, August 25, 2012
Fall Is Coming
Days are getting shorter, leaves are starting to turn, temps are waning; all meaning good climbing conditions are on the where-the-hell-did-summer-go? horizon. As usual, I've been tooling around the high country on my bike and am weak as a kitten. With an ambitious birthday challenge on the docket, it's time for a little training Psyche.
This video shows Canadian climbing Sean McColl doing a workout. It's rad. I tried a version of this yesterday and could not finish the climbing portion. All subsequent exercises had to be abridged. For reference, I tried doing three 45-move problems that I'd climbed in a single session in the spring, in 4-12 move segments, and could not finish. Pathetic, sure, but basically something I deal with on a yearly basis as a seasonal multi-sport weekend warrior.
That this workout is too hard for me off-the-couch is not surprising. McColl is very strong. As I mimic it my routes will never be as hard as his. I will, however, be able to do most of the exercises and complete this training session by the time I'm ready for the challenge. I will train to do this differently, following an article I wrote that will come out in the Sept 1st issue of DPM. More on that later. For now, enjoy the vid.
A funny aside is that McColl's session somehow caught the ire of some climbing "training experts" over at the Climbing Narc. If you're into mental masturbation on training it's probably worth a read as there are some quality perspectives presented. While the main point, that just because someone climbs hard does not mean they know how to train is valid, it's also rendered ridiculous in that there is no quantitative data in this case to support the statement.
Sean is one of the world's best on the competition circuit. What he's doing here is similar to how all of this competitors train. Granted it's only a workout-—making no mention of his systematic training plan. But it's in line with every other elite competitor's training if, perhaps, slightly more realistic for the average human. To dismiss it is akin to saying the Jamaicans know nothing about sprint training, Kenyans distance training, or Laird Hamilton on surf training. Without real world examples and data you simply cannot dismiss a training protocol that is working at the highest level.
Bradley Wiggins' team now has a case to state Lance Armstrong wasn't training efficiently because they have a quantitative improvement. But until your training philosophy can provide data for actual progression, you're no more prescient than Jesus Quintana.
6 comments:
Love the ruckus on Climbing Narc, too funny. All I need to do is watch the video of Sean sending PuntX and I'm ready to sign up. The guy has great movement skill.
Bruce Anderson
Dude's got a beeper.
Shut the fuck up, Donnie.
Great post, been waiting for someone I trust not just to compliment sean's video, but to tear down that smug guy who seems to have earned a command of the subject from online research (that's what made twilight so great, right?), but only knows how to vaguely criticize, even on his 3 page long post that was "in depth".
Also, super glad it got tied to tbl in the end. Although today's saturday, not friday, so clearly you're not shomer shabbos.
- Patrick said...
- Steve Edwards said...
Careful, there's a beverage here.


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Magic Christmas in Lights at Bellingrath Gardens and HomeName: Magic Christmas in Lights at Bellingrath Gardens and HomeDate: December 12, 2017Time: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM CSTWebsite: http://bellingrath.orgEvent Description:It's one of the nation's best holiday light shows, and it's right here in south Alabama! Bellingrath Gardens and Home presents the 22nd season of Magic Christmas in Lights in 2017. The dazzling nighttime display features more than 1,100 set pieces, 3 million lights and 15 scenes, set out in a walking tour throughout the 65-acre Garden estate.
Opening Night is Friday, Nov. 24. The show will continue nightly from 5 to 9 p.m. through Dec. 31, 2017.
Magic Christmas in Lights has become a must-see tradition for visitors from the Gulf Coast region and beyond. Attendance has nearly doubled since 2000, rising from 35,309 that year to 70,000 in 2016. Families enjoy strolling the grounds together, taking holiday photos, drinking cocoa on Live Oak Plaza and visiting Santa Claus in the Magnolia Café.
Many of our guests do not realize that Magic Christmas in Lights is a made-in-Alabama attraction. Each year, the set pieces for the holiday lights are designed and handmade on site by members of Bellingrath's staff. Three of our employees work full-time all year on the light display.
Magic Christmas in Lights also includes nightly choral performances on the South Terrace of the Bellingrath Home, which will be open for tours and decorated in full holiday finery. The Gift Shop will be fully stocked for the season, and guests may also have their photos taken with Santa Claus in the Magnolia Café each night through Dec. 23. The Magnolia Café will also have extended hours, 4 to 8 p.m., during the season; menus are posted on the website, www.bellingrath.org. (The Gardens will be closed on Christmas and New Year's Days.)
Military Mondays are back! Military personnel and their immediate relatives will receive a 15 percent discount off regular Gardens admission on each Monday of the Magic Christmas in Lights season. The dates are Nov. 27 and Dec. 4, 11 and 18.
For details about Magic Christmas in Lights, or to order tickets, visit our website, www.bellingrath.org. Online ticket sales begin on Nov. 1, 2017.


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Seven heavily protected prison officers wearing helmets and carrying batons are shown entering Mr Spratt's prison cell and yelling at Mr Spratt to turn around and lie down. "If you don't lay down, I'm going to taser you. Turn around and lay down. That's it, I'm not going to ask you again. If I have to ask you again I'm going to taser you," one officers shouts. After an unarmed Mr Spratt apparently refuses, a prison officer tasers Mr Spratt twice and he is then pinned face down on the floor. The officers then demand Mr Spratt extend his arms straight out while an officer drives a Taser into the small of his bare back and uses it nine times. During the ordeal Mr Spratt can be heard talking in native tongue and praying to God. ... [LINK]
Torture defined:
Under the United Nations Torture Convention of 1984, torture involves intentional infliction of pain, by a public official, to obtain information [...or other purposes as listed below]. The full definition of torture in the convention is:
"Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity."
This definition excludes "pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions", which seems designed to permit the death penalty. [LINK]
You can read and re-read and read it again until your eyes fall out.
Those officers were torturing Mr. Spratt.
UPDATE: Highly-disturbing video of long-duration electro-torture available here [LINK].
Do this and do that or we will apply high-voltage shocks to your body to cause extreme pain.
It's torture.


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Boy/Girl Twins - 6/26/09
Well, its official!!! Baby A is a boy and Baby B is a girl!!! Now we get to start picking out names :) and painting the nursery. Pictures will follow this weekend. YEAH
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Boy/Girl Twins
Posted by Jennifer at 1:21 PM
Labels: Twin Pregnancy
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Pruning tips and tools.
The best time to prune trees and shrubs is January through March. However, removing dead branches can be removed any time of the year.
Pruning unsightly trees will create a good-looking landscaping area and will increase the lifespan of any tree or plant. And if done correctly will increase the productivity of all fruit trees.
If you are pruning to keep the tree size down usually means the wrong tree was selected for the landscaping area. You should prune dead, dying limbs or branches that are diseased no matter where they are.
Prune any limbs or branches that are interfering with power lines, traffic and or visibility from streets. Call your local or county landscaping electrical power company. It is possible they will do it at no charge.
Prune if branches are overhanging into your neighbor's yard. It is a good idea to ask first.
As a rule of thumb. Only prune if there is real reason to do so. We get many customers asking us how to prune a tree that has only been in the ground for 2-3 years or so. There is no reason to trim or prune trees that are healthy and vibrant looking.
The least amount of pruning the better it is for the tree. There is a risk of killing a tree if you trim off more than 50%.
Pruning tips and tools
Tools Needed for small to medium-sized pruning jobs.
1. Hand shears – Are needed for pruning small twigs and branches.
2. Pole pruners for pruning or cutting branches or limbs that are 6ft. or more off the ground.
3. Chainsaw – Are used for larger type branches that are more than 3 inches diameter.
4. Safety Goggles – Always wear eye protection when pruning, shearing, cutting or doing any type of heavy gardening work.
5. Lopper shears – Are good for larger type branches normally about 1.5 inches or less in diameter. Lopper shears are good for palm and mesquite trees that have large thorns
For smaller pruning jobs try Corona Pruners – This gardening tool has a forged steel alloy blades holds a sharp cutting edge and are heat-treated for superior hardness and strength.
This is what we use at Color Your World Nurseries. Easy long-lasting pruners. Next time you're in one of our stores make to ask for one. Or get one here. Pruners for small shrubs.
Trimming Large Trees
You should call a professional arborist or tree trimming service if your tree or trees are over 20ft tall? Most professional tree trimmers know how and why you should trim or prune your trees.
A professional tree expert is called an "Arborist." Call one for larger type trees. Be sure they are licensed, insured and bonded. This goes for any type of landscaping professional. Also if there is a power line involved call your local power line company for further information.
Do NOT prune larger type branches from trees that are hanging over any type of electrical or power lines. Call a professional maintenance landscaper.
It is a good idea to use pruning sealer on a trimmed off branch or limb. All trees and shrubs have their own way of healing any cut or wound but pruning sealer will make it 100% sure!
It may take years before a tree shows signs of having a deadly disease. Remember to always clean all pruning tool blades with alcohol or at the very least soapy water to avoid the spread of disease.
Paul Guzman – Husband, Father, Grandfather, Gardener, and Webmaster of GuzmansGreenhouse.com


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One of the business ventures that African entrepreneurs tend to avoid - perhaps in order to avoid a shock - is electricity.
Jan 31, 2012 - bbc.co.uk
Gregory Tayi says that he was forced into business
It can be a highly capital-intensive enterprise, very risky, and the returns may not be felt for a long while.
But Rwanda's Gregory Tayi saw that as an opportunity.
Having supplied medical equipment, vegetable products and chemicals for many years, he decided it was about time to start providing electricity.
His country, like most African nations, struggles to meet its energy demands, and he realised that he could make a difference - and a profit - by putting up mini hydro-electric stations in some of its numerous rivers.
"We went to the government. The government had a fund that would subsidise the people who do go into this business. So all these factors helped us to enter into energy," he told the BBC's African Dream series.
"There was this subsidy but the bank also gave me the credit. They looked back at my history of business, at what I was doing before," added Mr Tayi, now the proud general director of Renewable Energy Promotion (Repro).
Starting from zero
According to him, for even the smallest hydro-electric station in Rwanda, one would need an initial investment of around $500,000 (£312,000).
But he says that having the capital is not the main point. He believes that it is much more important to be clear about where one wants to go.
"When you start from zero, you learn what you wouldn't have learned in school. And I think that's the most important capital that one can get."
He said he did not have an easy start. When he was a student, his family could not even afford to help him with his school fees.
He remembers that when he finished university, with a master's degree in chemistry, he was "as broke as anybody".
"I couldn't count on anybody. As I didn't get a job, I couldn't even sustain myself," he said.
Forced into business
Mr Tayi pointed out that for him becoming a businessman was not a choice.
"I was forced into it but, luckily, I was forced into business because I struggled for the first years but other years, you know, things came much much easier."
Repro opened in 2007 and its main power site, at Murunda, in Rwanda's Western Province, started three years later. It currently generates around $10,000 per month.
And how would he describe a good business person?
"When people look at businessmen, they look at money, but I think money is not what makes the person," he said.
"A business, it's working with the people. It's making life easier for others. A good businessman is the one who looks at his neighbours, at his countrymen, at the world," he explained.
"It would be meaningless if I were rich and I'm surrounded by poor people. A good businessman is one who looks first on others before he looks after himself."
Office: 4420 Rainier Avenue, Suite 308, San Diego, California 92120
Phone: +1.619.595.0139 | Fax: +1.619.595.0403 | Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Newcastle United have owed Mike Ashley about £129M for a few years now and the club seems not particularly keen to want to pay off that loan with some of the profits the club has made over the last few years.
And Mike Ashley doesn´t seem too keen to want it paid back any time soon.
The loan is interest free.
But The Times is reporting today that potential buyers of the club would need to pay off that loan as well as a fee for the club if they were to buy Newcastle United – which is true – and would make Newcastle £129M more expensive than another club that has zero debt.
Mike Ashley – Newcastle owner
But then the question would be how much would Mike ask for the club, given the potential buyers would have to cough up another £129M?
Another way to look at all of this is that Mike paid about £135M for the club in the summer of 2007 and then ploughed £129M in loans into the club – so his investment in Newcastle is around £264M – as far as we can tell.
He would want at least that back if he sold Newcastle, so the price for Newcastle could be £135M plus paying off the loan – if Ashley only wanted his money back.
The £129M was made up of him covering a £100M debt he didn´t know about when he coughed up £135M for Newcastle in 2007 and then Chairman Chris Mort found out about the debt in September of 2007 when going more thoroughly through the books.
Then Mike loaned the club about £29M to help shore up things financially when we were down in the Championship for one season in 2009-2010.
But the biggest problem is getting the Billionaire to sell up and last time we were relegated he put the club up for sale but it was a complete circus, which went on until he said he would keep the club.
And it would need some potential buyer to want to buy a Championship club – and they wouldn´t want to pay £260M for one – that´s for sure.
So for Ashley to sell the club when we are in the English second division would mean him taking a big loss on the club and he wouldn´t want to do that.
Only recently did Mike Ashley say that he and Newcastle were wedded to each other and he wasn´t interested in selling even if we are relegated:
"Do I regret getting into football? The answer is yes. I have had tons of fun in it but I haven't been able to make the difference I wanted to like I have at Sports Direct.
"I wanted to help Newcastle." "I wanted to make it better. I do not seem to have had that effect."
"I've got no choice but stay if we are relegated," "I am wedded to Newcastle like Sports Direct and they've got me and I've got them. That's just the way it is."
But the big trouble is it´s been a bad wedding from the get go.
Comments welcome.
17 comments so far
Ashley won't sell, we'll need to sell a lot of players and hope the remaining players are good enough to push for promotion in the championship
Gini,Tiote, Sissoko , Cisse , Janmaat will be first out the door and should generate about 50 million
wouldn't be surprised to see Mbemba, mitrovic and Shelvey join them
Not looking good at all and no hope of getting lucky. There is more chance that we will be looking at a 0-0 and make a slip up.
Southampton v Newcastle 15:00
Results of each team's last 5 matches across all leagues and competitions
Southampton last 5 matches (most recent first):
03/04/16 (a) Leicester 1-0 L
20/03/16 (h) Liverpool 3-2 W
12/03/16 (a) Stoke 1-2 W
05/03/16 (h) Sunderland 1-1 D
01/03/16 (a) Bournemouth 2-0 L
Newcastle last 5 matches (most recent first):
02/04/16 (a) Norwich 3-2 L
20/03/16 (h) Sunderland 1-1 D
14/03/16 (a) Leicester 1-0 L
05/03/16 (h) Bournemouth 1-3 L
02/03/16 (a) Stoke 1-0 L
Last time they met: Newcastle 2-2 Southampton
You are working on a rationale profit and loss basis but people who are worth billions don't necessarily see it that way.
It's a mark of prestige to very wealthy foreigners to own an English Premiership club. The money is secondary.
If a very wealthy person or persons want a Premiership club they will pay whatever the price is. Ashley knows this.
Ashley doesn't need to sell. I suspect he will only sell when he has won something as that will satisfy his pride / vanity.
Why anybody should think a debt of £129million to Mike Ashley would put off potential buyers is weird.
I cannot think of one club that has changed hands in the last 10 years that didn't have a massive bank overdraft.
Every PL club with the new media deal is a juicy target.
Ashley could have sold the club instantly over the last 3 years had he wanted to.
I personally think it's great we have sailed so close to the edge of the world.
If we don't fall off we'll have a proper navigator and crew again .
This article is nonsense.
There was NEVER a hidden debt of 100 Million.
A lot of the clubs debt was a result of the ground improvements. We went from a 36000 to a 52000 seater stadium incase anyone has forgotten.
From memory I think that was 50-60 Mill. Every time we have more than 36 thou in the ground that debt repays itself.
Some future income had already been spent. Probably to secure the services of Owen and Luque. Not money well spent but it came to about 30 Mill.
Even that was not a big secret and should not bother a supposed big shot like MA.
I think its fair to say there's considerable depreciation to be taken into account since Mike bought the club. This is the flawed model of ownership of clubs. The fans, who have poured in millions, not to speak of vocal support and emotional investment, get nowt back. While a bloke with cash and little or no interest or expertise wants to get every penny and hopes for a few extra bob for his troubles?
You are very right. As things stand we are just customers and NUFC is a business.
That is wrong because the club is a part of the community and the general well being of the city.
It generates a lot of business on match weekends etc and as individuals our own well being goes up and down.
For that to be in the hands of Mike Ashley is dreadful.
But, money talks and is the only thing that matters to the powers that be.
An owner of a football club should regard it as a great priviledge and his/her duty to do the right thing for the supporters, the community and the city.
Someone tell Ashley.
Nowt wrong with the maths.
An extra 15 thousand supporters paying just £25 a ticket adds up to 375K per game. Over 7 Million per 19 game season.
More than enough to service the debt to build the stadium extension.
A debt now taken over by Ashley. But the asset, namely a 52000 seater stadium is still there.


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Wednesday, February 13, 2013
The Season of Lent
8 comments:
Lent is by far my favorite liturgical season. My husband and I give up meat on Fridays - a carry over from his Catholic up-bringing, but we don't eat much in the way of meat anyway so it's hardly a sacrifice. I usually give up something in addition. Last year I gave up drinking booze and this year I'm giving up swearing. 3 hours since I woke up and I'm doing good! =) Also, I'm committing to listening to my Bible on audio book every day.ReplyDelete
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White, M.J. and Pettitt, P.B. (2009) 'The demonstration of human antiquity : three rediscovered illustrations from the 1825 and 1846 excavations in Kent's Cavern (Torquay, England).', Antiquity., 83 (321). pp. 758-768.
The authors disentangle the fascinating tale of the investigations in Kent's Cavern, iconic site for the acceptance of early man. The drawings they have discovered in the archives of the Geological Society are the only ones known from the earliest excavations and they are published here for the first time. As this paper shows, it takes intellectual courage to be an archaeologist. Whatever the enormity of his challenge to contemporary religion, I like to think that MacEnery would have been fairly supported by Antiquity's reviewing system. But perhaps our doctrinal challenges are lesser ones.…
|Item Type:
|Britain, Kent's Cavern, Palaeolithic, Early man.
|Full text:
|(VoR) Version of Record
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|Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 2009
|Record Created:
|07 Dec 2011 15:20
|Last Modified:
|19 May 2016 13:34
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|Look up in GoogleScholar | Find in a UK Library


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Monday, July 22, 2013
Almond Milk Buckwheat Pancakes
But then I realized that I didn't have any milk in my fridge and only had almond milk. "Hmmm..." thought I. "Let's see what pancakes are like with almond milk."
I highly recommend trying this recipe if you, too, have some almond milk in your fridge.
1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 C buckwheat flour
1 Tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup of almond milk
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
Add all ingredients together in a large bowl and stir until well mixed. Heat a pan on medium heat and coat with a little bit of butter. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto pan. Once a couple of bubble appear on top of the batter, flip to the other side. Once both sides are browned, remove from heat and enjoy.
2 comments:
i'm really liking the look of chickpea brownies AND buckwheat pancakes!! Wholesome and delicious! :)ReplyDelete
I know what u mean, free weekends are hard to come by - and when they do, I def agree with your plan of pancake making!
Hi Erika,ReplyDelete
Me too feeling funny when I have nothing to do. I'm always doing something... Work, kid, running, housework and baking. Can't imagine waking up in the morning and got nothing to do... I wish.
You must be feeling very relaxed on this Saturday enjoying this beautiful breakfast.
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Your Custom Text Here
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For corsage and bridal portrait bouquet pricing, please email firstname.lastname@example.com or call 225-675-6291. For wedding and special event quotes, please contact The Floral Cottage to schedule a consultation. Consultations are scheduled Tuesday-Thursday between 9:00-5:00 and after hours as needed. Phone and email consultations are available upon request.


text:
Shari AllenB.S.
You could say that I have been with Dr. Allen since he started in practice 26 years ago as I am his wife as well as the practice manager. My job is to keep the business end of our office running smoothly. I oversee our staff and handle patient billing and accounts and generally fill in wherever I am needed.
I have a bachelor's degree in dietetics from Michigan State University and was a licensed Dietitian for about 16 years. After our son Matthew was born I resigned from St. Thomas Hospital to start helping out part time at our office. 23 years later and I am still helping out.
Each and every day I am blessed to be able to work in an environment where the Doctor and staff really care about the patient's. I love to see our patients get well and return to our office smiling and happy because we have provided them with excellent care in their time of need.
In addition to being a mom to three young adults Matt, Taylour and Kristin. Just this last year we added a new family member Eric. Taylour married a wonderful young Eric Seo originally from Seoul South Korea. He has been a wonderful addition to the family and makes Taylour very happy.
Ann Jett Jett
I am Doctor Allen's Office Manager. I have been with Marshall County Chiropractic since October of 2006. I was born in Michigan; we then moved to Florida and finally settled here in the Lewisburg area since 1990. I started as the front desk manager and worked my way up to the assistant office manager and just recently got promoted to Office Manager. I love to watch our patients grow wtih our clinic just as I have in the past and still do. I enjoy being able to help our patients in any way that I can whether it is being available to answer questions, help with paperwork, to give a listening ear or even to give a hug or two when it is necessary. I feel that if I can make at least one person smile or laugh each day, then I am making this world a better place.
I have been blessed with a wonderful family. I have been married to my husband Tommy Jett since August of 2005. I also have two daughters; Tori who keeps me busy with her being on the high school bowling team and the youth trap and skeet team and Heather who has blessed us with two grandchildren; Brady and Ben, who definitely keeps us on our toes. In the summer months I love to be outside camping, fishing, hunting and I recently found out that I love to canoe. It does help though that my husband does all the paddling as I soak up the sun! I also love to go on cruises with my mother and Tori, we have been to many different places and have seen many wonderful things. I feel that we should live each day to the fullest because we may not be granted tomorrow.
Rose Gregory
Since October of 2009, I have enjoyed being the office marketing assistant, and Dr. Allen's stat Rat! I love being able to help out where and whenever needed. This leads to never having a dull day at Marshall County Chiropractic.
In 1986 I received an Associate Degree in Business from Baker College in Flint, Michigan, where I was born and raised. I came to Tennessee in 1990 to settle in Marshall County.
I have been married to Ken for over 30 years. Ann, the office manager, is my one and only daughter who has blessed me with the best gift ever, my granddaughter Tori. In my spare time I love to go on cruises and go to Vegas, and spend time with my family.
Pam Stephens
I joined the Marshall County Chiropractic family as the Front Desk Manager in October of 2014. I enjoy interacting with our patients on a daily basis, and I wake up each day looking forward to coming to work. I hope that I can share some of that enthusiasm with my fellow staff and our patients.
I was born in Memphis, TN and moved to Nashville in the fourth grade. I graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1986 with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development. Over the course of my adult life I have lived in Tennessee, Mississippi, North Carolina, Arizona and Virginia. I came back home to Middle Tennessee in 2010. I have been blessed with five children and eleven wonderful grandchildren. On August 5, 2017 I married the love of my life. My husband Dennis is truly a blessing from God in my life.
I strive to live a self-sufficient lifestyle through gardening and preserving my own food, raising chickens, foraging for wild edibles, and using and selling essential oils. My next adventure is to tap my own maple trees for syrup. I prefer to take a natural approach to my life and healthcare. I believe that God gave us the best resources in nature for taking care of our bodies; and we need to get back to treating ourselves with nature's medicine cabinet as opposed to what is behind the pharmacy counter.


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Cloud Backups Unreliable?
I read an interesting article recently that made me ask if my Backup system was working well for me and if I was happy with the cloud backup option I chose. Our family has seen it's share of insurance claims with a house fire and a couple of floods so I really believe in having an offsite back up. In the early digital days, I used to keep a CD copy of my photos at a family member's home but now using a Cloud based system is in theory a good alternative. But as I found out, you need to know your service and read the fine print. AND it shouldn't be your only back up plan. If you choose a cloud service, understand how long it will take to back up your photos. Even if they offer unlimited storage, they may not get it backed up for months or even years due to their own self directed limitation on the account that you pay for. FREE accounts…worth every penny in my opinion. I have found that they data mine and sell my information to those that provide unwanted advertising and often it is difficult to get your photos back. Many of them ask you to sign away the rights of your photos but that information is buried in the fine print so it's easy to miss. Forbes Magazine did a good article on this a couple of years ago…worth the read. Personally, I use 2 cloud based services. Mylio which has an annual subscription and Forever which I own outright. This is in addition to External Hard Drive backups that I have here at home. Both these cloud services will accept data until the back up is done so I'm only limited by my internet speed (internet speeds are faster when there is less traffic so I like to back up at night). Mylio backs up whenever it notices a new photo so it stays current which I really appreciate. Forever, I have to remind myself to upload any additions I want backed up there but I like having an extra backup and because I own the space I can pass it on to my children. There are lots of options out there to choose from. I encourage you to read the fine print before placing your irreplaceable photos in their...Read More
Mylio – Photo Organization on Steroids!
810 Billion Photos taken in 2015! It's estimated that by the end of 2015, we (the world) will have taken just over one trillion photos with 810 billion photos taken this year alone. A number that I can't even imagine. How are we ever going to manage our growing photo collections. With many devices taking photos, and syncing that produces duplicates but doesn't back up properly. Will we lose our ability to pass on our photo history? Mylio: Your Photos Everywhere…All the Time…Organized! Watch for some upcoming Blog posts on this AWESOME app. You can view it at www.Mylio.com but if you purchase it through me, you will get a BONUS 2 months. Contact me for more...Read More
Forever.com is My Answer!
I'm a privacy fanatic. I don't want my family's identity compromised and I don't want my information mined for targeted advertising. What I wanted was to share my photos and videos with friends and family and pass onto my great grandchildren (should I be blessed with some) without compromising my copyright and privacy. All this by a company that is in it for the long haul. I was pretty excited when I discovered Forever.com. It offered me all of those things and more. By purchasing my own Cloud storage, I can control it's use and keep it private or share selectively. I can also authorize other account managers in my absence to ensure that our family's history gets passed down. They will also take care of keeping my digital assets in an up-to-date format. Just look at the Forever Bill of Rights promise to us: Your Forever Bill of Rights You own your content. Forever. No advertising. No data mining. Selective sharing. Always. FOREVER.com rocks! March is Spring Cleaning Month at Forever. Receive 40% off of your new membership by clicking here and using code: SpringCleaning See more about...Read More


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Sometimes when people like things they go a little overboard like Kitten Kay Sera; she is one pink-obsessed woman.
The only color she ever wears is pink, she has her dog regularly dyed with beet juice to attain a pink hue and her entire home is covered floor to ceiling in pink.
One thing is for certain, Kitten Kay Sera picked the perfect color to go along with her cutesy name.
Implications - Do yourself a favor and enter this incredibly alluring (and blinding) world of pink coloring. Think about something you love, and imagine going to the lengths that Kitten Kay Sera has gone through to coat her world in pink. Could you imagine doing that for your interest/passion? I can't. That's where my respect for someone who can and has comes from.
Hue-Centric Living
More Stats +/-
62 Ways to Wear Pink
Pink Eye Graffiti Art
Technicolor Clothing Contrasts
Haute Heels for a Cause
Radical Rose-Colored Coiffures


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We have completed our first two home study interviews!!!
We have the actual home visit this Saturday; I am nervous but our social worker is amazing and has given us no reason to feel stressed or anxious in any way. We feel so blessed that God sent us such an amazing social worker...who genuinely cares.
I was a blubbering mess during the individual interviews; but he seemed to understand that I have a genuine nervous streak and minor social anxiety. Over all; it went very well!!
All of these steps just put us that much closer to being able to hold our little man...there is NOTHING we won't do for him!
Praying for peace of mind...
and over all well being!
I will update again after the home visit!! Our family has been amazingly supportive and Asa's parents are watching the girls for us tomorrow so that we can do a final sweep of the house...make sure everything is clean, orderly, fire extinguisher is in place, guns locked up, medication locked away etc....
Keep us in your thoughts and prayers! I am so thankful for you all...the amount of support we have recieved is overwhelming and I hope you all know what blessing you are to us!
With Love,
The Killens


text:
The rapid deterioration in China's economic momentum has put focus squarely on the world's number-two economy, with several banks sharply cutting their gross domestic product (GDP) forecasts.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofAML), Barclays and Nomura lowered their growth projections for the mainland economy late Thursday, following a spate of disappointing economic data for the January-February period.
BofAML's downgrade was among the most aggressive; it cut its first quarter GDP growth forecast to 7.3 percent from 8.0 percent, and its annual growth forecast to 7.2 percent from 7.6 percent.


text:
A First Course in Functional Analysis
A First Course in Functional Analysis
ISBN: 978-0-470-14619-4 April 2008 308 Pages
In Stock
DescriptionA concise introduction to the major concepts of functional analysis
Requiring only a preliminary knowledge of elementary linear algebra and real analysis, A First Course in Functional Analysis provides an introduction to the basic principles and practical applications of functional analysis. Key concepts are illustrated in a straightforward manner, which facilitates a complete and fundamental understanding of the topic.
This book is based on the author's own class-tested material and uses clear language to explain the major concepts of functional analysis, including Banach spaces, Hilbert spaces, topological vector spaces, as well as bounded linear functionals and operators. As opposed to simply presenting the proofs, the author outlines the logic behind the steps, demonstrates the development of arguments, and discusses how the concepts are connected to one another. Each chapter concludes with exercises ranging in difficulty, giving readers the opportunity to reinforce their comprehension of the discussed methods. An appendix provides a thorough introduction to measure and integration theory, and additional appendices address the background material on topics such as Zorn's lemma, the Stone-Weierstrass theorem, Tychonoff's theorem on product spaces, and the upper and lower limit points of sequences. References to various applications of functional analysis are also included throughout the book.
A First Course in Functional Analysis is an ideal text for upper-undergraduate and graduate-level courses in pure and applied mathematics, statistics, and engineering. It also serves as a valuable reference for practitioners across various disciplines, including the physical sciences, economics, and finance, who would like to expand their knowledge of functional analysis.
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Preface xi
1. Linear Spaces and Operators 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Linear Spaces 2
1.3 Linear Operators 5
1.4 Passage from Finite- to Infinite-Dimensional Spaces 7
Exercises 8
2. Normed Linear Spaces: The Basics 11
2.1 Metric Spaces 11
2.2 Norms 12
2.3 Space of Bounded Functions 18
2.4 Bounded Linear Operators 19
2.5 Completeness 21
2.6 Comparison of Norms 30
2.7 Quotient Spaces 31
2.8 Finite-Dimensional Normed Linear Spaces 34
2.9 Lᵖ Spaces 38
2.10 Direct Products and Sums 51
2.11 Schauder Bases 53
2.12 Fixed Points and Contraction Mappings 53
Exercises 54
3. Major Banach Space Theorems 59
3.1 Introduction 59
3.2 Baire Category Theorem 59
3.3 Open Mappings 61
3.4 Bounded Inverses 63
3.5 Closed Linear Operators 64
3.6 Uniform Boundedness Principle 66
Exercises 68
4. Hilbert Spaces 71
4.1 Introduction 71
4.2 Semi-Inner Products 72
4.3 Nearest Points and Convexity 77
4.4 Orthogonality 80
4.5 Linear Functionals on Hilbert Spaces 86
4.6 Linear Operators on Hilbert Spaces 88
4.7 Order Relation on Self-Adjoint Operators 97
Exercises 98
5. Hahn–Banach Theorem 103
5.1 Introduction 103
5.2 Basic Version of Hahn–Banach Theorem 104
5.3 Complex Version of Hahn–Banach Theorem 105
5.4 Application to Normed Linear Spaces 107
5.5 Geometric Versions of Hahn–Banach Theorem 108
Exercises 118
6. Duality 121
6.1 Examples of Dual Spaces 121
6.2 Adjoints 130
6.3 Double Duals and Reflexivity 133
6.4 Weak and Weak* Convergence 136
Exercises 140
7. Topological Linear Spaces 143
7.1 Review of General Topology 143
7.2 Topologies on Linear Spaces 148
7.3 Linear Functionals on Topological Linear Spaces 151
7.4 Weak Topology 153
7.5 Weak* Topology 156
7.6 Extreme Points and Krein–Milman Theorem 160
7.7 Operator Topologies 164
Exercises 164
8. The Spectrum 167
8.1 Introduction 167
8.2 Banach Algebras 169
8.3 General Properties of the Spectrum 170
8.4 Numerical Range 176
8.5 Spectrum of a Normal Operator 177
8.6 Functions of Operators 180
8.7 Brief Introduction to C_-Algebras 183
Exercises 184
9. Compact Operators 187
9.1 Introduction and Basic Definitions 187
9.2 Compactness Criteria in Metric Spaces 188
9.3 New Compact Operators from Old 192
9.4 Spectrum of a Compact Operator 194
9.5 Compact Self-Adjoint Operators on Hilbert Spaces 197
9.6 Invariant Subspaces 201
Exercises 203
10. Application to Integral and Differential Equations 205
10.1 Introduction 205
10.2 Integral Operators 206
10.3 Integral Equations 211
10.4 Second-Order Linear Differential Equations 214
10.5 Sturm–Liouville Problems 217
10.6 First-Order Differential Equations 223
Exercises 226
11. Spectral Theorem for Bounded, Self-Adjoint Operators 229
11.1 Introduction and Motivation 229
11.2 Spectral Decomposition 231
11.3 Extension of Functional Calculus 235
11.4 Multiplication Operators 240
Exercises 243
Appendix A Zorn's Lemma 245
Appendix B Stone–Weierstrass Theorem 247
B.1 Basic Theorem 247
B.2 Nonunital Algebras 250
B.3 Complex Algebras 252
Appendix C Extended Real Numbers and Limit Points of Sequences 253
C.1 Extended Reals 253
C.2 Limit Points of Sequences 254
Appendix D Measure and Integration 257
D.1 Introduction and Notation 257
D.2 Basic Properties of Measures 258
D.3 Properties of Measurable Functions 259
D.4 Integral of a Nonnegative Function 261
D.5 Integral of an Extended Real-Valued Function 265
D.6 Integral of a Complex-Valued Function 267
D.7 Construction of Lebesgue Measure on R 267
D.8 Completeness of Measures 273
D.9 Signed and Complex Measures 274
D.10 Radon–Nikodym Derivatives 276
D.11 Product Measures 278
D.12 Riesz Representation Theorem 280
Appendix E Tychonoff's Theorem 289
Symbols 293
References 297
Index 299
"A First Course in Functional Analysis is an ideal text for upper-undergraduate and graduate-level courses in pure and applied mathematics, statistics, and engineering. It also serves as a valuable reference for practioners across various disciplines, including the physical sciences, economics, and finance, who would like to expand their knowledge of functional analysis." (Mathematical Reviews, 2009c)
"It is written in a very open, nontelegraphic style, and takes care to explain topics as they come up. Recommended." (CHOICE Oct 2008)
"This is an excellent text for reaching students of diverse backgrounds and majors, as well as scientists from other disciplines (physics, economics, finance, and engineering) who want an introduction to functional analysis." (MAA Reviews Oct 2008)
- Presents a unique coverage of the essential topics of functional analysis, based on successful lecture notes used by the author, for a concise one-semester course.
- Explains the theories behind the concepts, taking the reader through the logic behind each argument's development.
- Features an array of exercises throughout the book, ranging from introductory to advanced, to enhance the reader's learning experience.
- Requires minimal previous knowledge and no background in either measure theory or general topology.