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Ausangate is the ultimate trekking destination in the Cusco area. This beautiful snow-capped peak is one of the main features of the Cusco skyline but very few people actually ever see it up close. The area around Ausangate is full of natural beauty; with azure lakes and the majestic snow-capped peak ever present, the trekking here is truly amazing.
Without a doubt the Ausangate trail offers some of the most wonderful scenery in the whole of the Cusco area, with many birds and wildlife and also glaciers and high alpine lakes. It is also one of the most challenging in the region with three high passes over 5,000 metres/ 16000 feet. On a clear day, Apu Ausangate dominates Cusco's southern skyline. As we draw closer to this massive massif (6,380 metres/ 20 926 feet) one becomes increasingly impressed and understands fully why the ancient Incas held this spectacular mountain in such high regard. During the whole Ausangate trek circuit we pass local villages where the people dress in their typical attire – the women in beautiful flatboard hats with trimmings – and llamas graze freely.
Ausangate is a mountain of the Willkanuta mountain range in the Andes of Peru. With an elevation of 6,384 metres it is situated around 100 kilometres southeast of Cusco.
The mountain has significance in Incan mythology: In the Andes of Southern Peru, the high mountains are considered the most powerful of the traditional deities. Ausangate is the highest and the most respected mountain worshipped from Cuzco to Lake Titicaca. From its snows, sacred waters flow past Machu Picchu to the Amazon. Quechua people who live on the slopes of Ausangate have maintained their way of life largely unknown to the outside world and in close relationship to the mountain, much as their ancestors did before them. Ausangate, at 20,800' is a sacred peak or Apu, a powerful mountain inspiring the lives and rituals of the Quechua. Qoyllulr Rit'I, the largest pilgrimage in Peru, draws thousands of people to Ausangate each year to make offerings and in return to receive the mountain's blessings.
On this trek we will pass by llama and alpaca herding communities, as it constitutes one of the few remaining pastoralist societies in the world. High mountain trails are used by these herders to trade with agricultural communities at lower elevations. Currently, one of these trails, "the road of the Apu Ausangate", is one of the most renowned treks in Peru.
We will enjoy the amazing major geological features as we trek: the Andean uplift formed by Granits, the hanging glaciers and glacial erosional valleys, the Permian formation with its singular colors: red, ochre, and turquoise and the Cretaceous, limestone forests. This trek is truly a one-of-a-kind trek because of the unusual terrain and geology that we will pass.
Our trek includes the following locations:
DAY ONE: Cusco – Tinqui – Upis
DAY TWO: Upis – Lake Ausangate – Q'ocha
DAY THREE: Lake Ausangate Q'ocha – Qampa
DAY FOUR: Q'ampa – Pacchanta
DAY FIVE: Pacchanta – Cusco
The 5 day Ausangate trek really allows you to see a part of Peru few ever visit. This unforgettable trail is perfect for people who want to get away from it all.
By booking the Ausangate Trek with Puma Path you are choosing the best company to start your journey with.
Useful Information
- Starting Altitude – 3800m / 12,467ft.
- Highest Altitude – 5200m / 17,056ft.
- Walking Distance – 55km
- Overall Difficulty – Very difficult
DAY ONE: Cusco – Tinqui – Upis
Departing Cusco early the morning, we'll ride in private transport for three hours to the small village of Tinqui (3800m). As Tinqui is located on the new Inter-oceanic Highway, we can reach it much easier than before! After lunch in Tinqui, we'll begin to hike along the trail for several hours until we reach the hot springs at Upis (4,400 m). We will camp here for the night.
DAY TWO: Upis – Lake Ausangate – Q'ocha
During the morning, we will cross our the Arapa pass (4,850m). From here, we'll continue 3½ hours down into the valley, passing the green lake of Puqa Q'ocha until we reach the turquoise Lake Jatun Puqa Q'ocha. We then ascend the second pass of Apuchata (4,900 m) with the stunning turquoise blue Laguna Ausangate Q'ocha below. This lake is fed from the melting snow of Ausangate. We will camp here for the second night.
DAY THREE: Lake Ausangate Q'ocha – Qampa
From the lake we'll ascend to the Palomani Pass (5,200m); the highest point of the trek. From the pass we'll follow the trail into the valley where we'll rest and have lunch. During the afternoon we'll have views of the snow-capped Tres Picos and Puca Punta. We will continue through the broad green valley of Pampa Jutunpata and up the Rio Q'ampa valley. We will spend our third night camping here.
DAY FOUR: Q'ampa – Pacchanta
After passing through the small community of Q'ampa, we will head northwest to the last pass of this hike- Q'ampa Pass (5000m). We will see several different colored lakes and lunch beside Q'oma Q'ocha. We'll hike for several hours before arriving at the small village of Pacchanta. Here we can soak in the thermal springs for a couple of hours, and even have a well-deserved beer! We will set up camp near Pacchanta and you will have the whole afternoon to explore this interesting Andean village. You have the option of staying in a basic hostel on this night.
DAY FIVE: Pacchanta – Cusco
In the morning we'll begin trekking back to Tinqui, which will take roughly three hours. You'll have a little free time to explore this Andean village before our private car arrives to take us back to Cusco. Scheduled arrival time in Cusco is approximately 6:00pm.
ITINERARY NOTES: The times cited in this itinerary are approximate. Walking times depend on the group and the guide. Lunch spots and campsites are subject to change. Each guide has their own preferred route and it might not correspond exactly to the route described here.
Temperatures are cold and can fall well below freezing at night. You should be well prepared for cold temperatures. This region has limited tourist infrastructure and this tour makes use of local facilities. Visitors should be aware that things change, or may not go to plan. This is all part of the adventure! Visitors to Peru are encouraged to have an open mind and be open to the differences in the way things are done in another culture.
- Ceremony with your tour guide and locals
- Collection from your hotel in the morning of departure.
- Private transport from Cusco to Tinqui (the trailhead) and return at the end of the trek
- Entry fee to the Ausangate mountain.
- English/Quechua/Spanish speaking professional guide (you will have an assistant guide for groups over 8 people).
- Tents – 2 people in a 4 person tent which allows for greater comfort, and also storage of backpacks. .
- Foam mattress. If you require greater comfort during the trek we can hire you an inflatable mattress (eg. Thermarest)
- Cook and Cooking equipment (Assistants are provided for larger groups)
- Toilet tent
- Meals as indicated in the itinerary (optional vegetarian food). Our professional cooks prepare meals that incorporate elements of the western diet and also traditional Peruvian delicacies. (Please communicate with your guide/cook during the trek if you have a preference for certain types of dishes). Salads, if served, are washed in boiled water.
- Horses (for equipment and personal items) and horsemen. They carry camping equipment, food and kitchen utensils. We provide duffel bags at your briefing for your personal items (up to 7 kg/15lbs per person). .
- Emergency horse which can be ridden if you are feeling ill
- Dining tent with camp tables and chairs & kitchen tent for the cook to prepare meals
- Tents for our staff to sleep in, sleeping bags & mattresses plus a budget for their meals.
- First aid kit including emergency oxygen bottle
Not Included:
- Breakfast on the first morning
- Tips for the guide, cook and porters. Tips are not mandatory but are a great gesture of gratitude.
- Additional horses for luggage
Trekker's Packing List:
- A day pack with a change of clothes – prepare for a vast range of changes in temperature.
- Rain gear (jacket and pants if available) or rain poncho. Plastic ponchos can be bought for about $ 2 in Cusco.
- Strong footwear– waterproof trekking boots recommended. Extra socks are a must.
- Sandals or flip-flops to give your feet a chance to breath in the evenings
- Warm clothes: jacket, fleece, gloves, scarf and hat. Thermal clothing is also recommended, especially for sleeping. ** This is a particularly cold trek, make sure you have very warm clothes!**
- Flashlight and spare batteries
- Camera, films and batteries
- Sun block
- After-sun cream or hydrating cream for face and body
- Insect repellent – minimum recommended 20% DEET – although no malaria risk has been reported
- Toilet paper (pack in/ pack out)
- Snacks: biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc.
- Non-disposable canteen (Nalgene type) and water for the first morning.
- We advise bringing water sterilizing tablets in case you collect water from streams.
- Your own medical kit with any special medications that you might require, paracetamol, second skin for blisters etc.
- Small towel or sarong
- Bathers/swimsuit (if you intend on swimming in hot springs)
- Cash – extra food, tips, and souvenirs.
- Original passport & ISIC (International Student Identity Card)
- Walking sticks or poles (we can hire these to you)
Optional extras:
- Extra mule to carry your things
- Extra riding mule and muleteer to lead it.
- Walking stick lightweight aluminum – Two sticks are recommended for tough hikes.
- Thermarest inflatable mattress
- Thermarest Inflatable pillow
- Comforting Camping trek upgrade – bigger tents, camp beds, includes sleeping bag, thermarest, and walking stick.
- Single tent supplement (if you don't want to share a tent)
At Puma Path, your comfort and safety are of our utmost concern. Therefore, we provide all necessary camping equipment for your trek. Included in prices are: sleeping tent, rollmat and pillow for your comfort. Please feel free to bring your own sleeping bag if you prefer.
Private Service Prices
- 2 people : US$650 per person
- Student Discount: US$20 (Requires ISIC Card to qualify)
- Under 18's Discount: US$20
Optional Extras:
- Sleeping Bag US$35
- Inflatable Mattress US$30
- Single Tent Supplement US$75
- Mule to carry extra 7kg of personal items US$90
- Single tent: US$ 75
- Personal mule (half) to carry extra 7kg of personal items: US$ 75
- Full mule to carry 14kg of personal items: US$ 150
- Walking Pole: US$ 20
HORSES OR PORTERS: On this trek we provide horses to carry food and camping equipment. There will be one cook, his assistant, two horsemen, and one porter who will be picking up trash on the trail. You will have a personal allowance of 7kg for your gear. This will not be available during the day as the horsemen will be ahead of the group.
OUR GUIDES: Most of our guides began as porters before they went to Cusco University and Institute where they learned about the Inca history. They are always learning in order to be the best guide. They each speak English fluently, along with Spanish and Quechuan, the Inca Language. They are all able to communicate with natives from around the area and have lots of history to share with you.
OUR FOOD: Definitely one of the highlights of the tour is the food. It is always fresh and most of it is organic. There is always a lot to eat and a variety of options including vegetables, meat, chicken, fish and other types of protein and carbohydrates. Everyone sits down to eat together and we go out of our way to accommodate all dietary requirements including vegetarian options and any food allergies. We do not provide any alcoholic drinks on the trek but if you would like you can bring your own.
OUR EQUIPMENT: We provide 4 man tents for only 2 people and foam mattresses for everyone. Our dining equipment includes a spacious dining tent, tables and chairs, plates and utensils. We do not supply walking sticks, but they can be rented from Puma Path. We bring an extra blanket for all our hikers for those especially cold nights. Just ask and your guide will provide you with this.
Please note that if you are over 1.95 meters / 6´4″ tall then you won´t be able to rent a sleeping bag in Cusco. In this case it is recommended to bring your own.
WE ARE SUSTAINABLE: We always pick up waste along the trail as we go. We respect the local people, teach them to keep the land clean, and help the local children. We always take one extra porter who will be on the trail just to clean up the bottles and plastic bags that those who came before us threw away.
WE ARE RESPONSIBLE: We treat our hikers, porters and all the local people from the villages with the utmost respect. We travel in small groups to give personalized tours to each traveler. We pay good salaries to our porters and follow the Porter's Law. We provide all our porters with their hiking gear such as shoes, pants, jackets, t-shirts, hats, sleeping bags and most importantly, health insurance.
FITNESS: The trek is certainly not easy but you do not need to be an athlete or a trekking expert to complete it. Fitness is naturally important but this is the kind of trek that anyone with a positive attitude and determination can do. Obviously the more fit you are the more you will enjoy the trail and the more chance you will have to take in the scenery and appreciate the Inca ruins dotted along the way. If you do not exercise regularly, it is advisable to do some extra walking or some kind of aerobic activity in the months leading up to your trip.
Many people worry whether they will be able to cope physically but complete failure is rare and would usually only result from severe altitude sickness or a person lacking even a basic level of fitness. People of all ages (from teenagers to pensioners) complete the trek and age itself is no barrier if you are positive minded and live an active lifestyle. Before departing for your tour, we recommend visiting your doctor who will be able to provide you with more information.
STORAGE DURING THE TREK: During the trek your main luggage will be stored in Cusco and you will receive a small duffel bag at your trail briefing (briefings are normally set for the evening before the trek) to pack clothes for 3-4 days. Your team of porters will carry these bags together with the food and equipment. Please note that you will not have access to these items until the end of each day as the porters will always be ahead of the group. You should therefore bring a day pack in which you can carry personal belongings such as your camera, water, sun screen, etc. By Peruvian law the duffel bag carried by the porters must not weigh more than 7kg (14pounds). You can either store your luggage at your hotel or you can leave it with us.
BOOKING: The Ausangate is available to depart any day of the week so long as we have two people. You still need to book in advance.
Thanks for traveling with Puma Path, a 100% local company!


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In 2007, while leading a Fortune 1000 company's charge into the exciting/scary world of New/Social Media, I devoured books that taught me about the corporate use of New Media:
- Levine, Locke, Searls, and David Weinberger's seminal The Cluetrain Manifesto, predicting that the power of communication would reside in the hands of the consumer
- David Meerman Scott's, The New Rules of Marketing and PR, that taught how to harness the power of online communications,
- Paul Gillin's The New Influencers, that taught about a new breed of online content creator, who has as much (if not more!) influence on our brands as we do
- Debbie Weil's The Corporate Blogging Book, that taught the importance and role of the company blog.
But as I attempted to incorporate the ideas contained in these great books, I encountered something that none of them prepared me for–huge internal resistance to their innovative ideas. For example, marketing wasn't willing to release control of corporate messaging; PR fretted over rogue bloggers; and gatekeepers such as the "Web Team" and Information Technology (IT) were terrified by opening a technical Pandora's box–the fact that anyone within the organization could post text, audio, or video onto the corporate website…without going through them!
The experience did two things for me:
1) taught your New Media Evangelist much about the political ramifications of introducing New Media channels to those wedded to Old Corporate Communications thinking
2) provided the inspiration to share the lessons that I've learned.
I'm happy to announce that the fruits of my labor are nearly complete. Last week, I got the news that my book, Read This First: The Executive's Guide to New Media–from blogs to social networks has gone into production.
- If you are an executive looking to adopt New Media technologies into your corporate communications strategies, I suggest that you Read This First.
- If you are a Social Media consultant who'd like to help your prospects understand the fundamental foundation by which to build their Social Media strategies upon, I highly recommend that you have them Read This First.
I don't have an exact publishing date yet, but I do know that it will be available in October of this year. Please subscribe to this blog for updates as we get closer.
Tags: Read This First New Media Evangelist Traditionals Debbie Weil Paul Gillin David Meerman Scott Cluetrain Ron Ploof

subset: commoncrawl


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Roseville, 3 Ontario Avenue
- 3
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Gorgeous character laden family home!
This classic Californian Bungalow is just a stroll to Roseville station, village shops and Loyal Henry Park.
Featuring stylish sunny interiors and traditional 1920's period detailing.
Accommodation consists of 3 double beds, b/ins, casual living room flowing to terrace, formal living with jetmaster fireplace & sep dining area.
Family room, large gas kitchen, servery & storage. Neat bathrooms, bath, shower recess, i/laundry.
Child-friendly backyard, entertainment terrace & play area. SLUG.
High ceilings, verandah, timber floors, fireplaces
Large under house dry storage rooms.
Walk to schools, cinema, park, tennis courts and oval.
Contact Agent
For Lease
Property Information
- Price LEASED
- Property Type House


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While we do not pay for individual pieces, we do promote selected work on our Facebook page and elsewhere, and we also sponsor an annual contest which offers cash prizes.
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2012 Internships at Prairie Hollow Farm
12124 75th St NE
Elgin, MN 55932
Contact: Isaiah Benike
Phone [Cell] 507-272-2550
Email: email@example.com
Website: www.prairiehollow.com
Last Updated: 11-7-2011
General Description: Prairie Hollow Farm is a 200 acre diversified farm, specializing in value-added, direct-marketed products from dairy (cows), beef, crops, and organic produce. Products are marketed to restaurants, food co-ops, institutions and farmers' markets. Located in the southeast corner of the state on the edge of Bluff Country, in close proximity to bike trails and Whitewater and Carley state parks.
Internship Dates: May 16 –July 2, July 5 – August 20 We can be flexible on start and end dates!
Number of Interns: 2 for each session
App Deadline: March 15, or until filled
Minimum Length of Stay: Entire apprenticeship, preference given to candidates available for both sessions
Educational Opportunities: As a farm-immersion experience, most learning will be done through daily activities. All interns will have opportunities to assist in animal husbandry, crop management, vegetable/fruit production and harvesting, cheese-making, and bread-making. Direct marketing experience will be gained through farmers' markets.
Meals: Provided. Everyone on the farm helps with meal preparation.
Housing: Provided. Sharing house with farm family. No smoking permitted.
Stipend: Monthy stipend for interns staying for both sessions. Housing and meals only for interns staying one session.
Skills Desired:
* Interest in Sustainable Organic Agriculture.
* Previous farm work experience or background in farming is a plus.
* Early morning starter; good physical condition, able to work long hours. Farming is hard work.
* An emphasis on hands-on physical labor is very important.
* Willingness to get sweaty, wet and dirty.
* No canine, feline, bovine, insect, reptile or amphibian phobias.
* Great sense of humor and ability to laugh at self is critical.
* All interns must have a positive attitude, an ability to receive constructive criticism, and a strong work ethic.
* Ability to work as a member of a team with flexibility in work assignments as needed
* Ability to communicate effectively.
* Interest in direct marketing and customer service.
* Computer/website skills a plus.
Preferred method Of Contact: Please email or mail letter of interest detailing your skills and reasons for desiring internship.
Internship Details: As an intern with Prairie Hollow, you will be immersed in the day-to-day operations of our farm. Work days are Monday through Saturday. You will participate in: care and feeding of cattle, milking, hoophouse production, field planting, weeding, and harvesting of over 40 different vegetables, as well as cleaning, packing, and storage. Value-added experiences include making a variety of cheeses, cheese plant sanitation, packaging and labeling; grinding flour and making different breads and wheat products. Interns will assist with set-up, sales and clean up at farmers' markets.
Since we are a family operation, you will be spending time with family members and given the opportunity to participate in family leisure and recreational activities. We expect that you will respect and abide by our family values. We want you to have fun while you are here!


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Tri-City Americans
Americans No. 4 in CHL poll
The Tri-City Americans (35-11-0-1) remained fourth in the Canadian Hockey League poll this week, while the Windsor Spitfires (35-7-0-4), who had been No. 1 the last seven weeks, dropped to third after going 2-2 in their last four games.
The Saint John Sea Dogs (38-7-0-1) took over the top spot, with the Barrie Colts (36-6-0-1) moving up to second.
The Saskatoon Blades (32-9-2-3) are fifth, with the Brandon Wheat Kings (30-15-0-3) ninth. The Medicine Hat Tigers, who were ninth last week, dropped out of the top 10.
Tri-City, which hosts the Vancouver Giants on Friday and U.S. Division rival Spokane on Saturday, have won five straight and are atop the U.S. Division, Western Conference and WHL standings.
The Americans have been in the poll 13 of 18 weeks.


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Despite some nonsensical talk about a cooling planet or how the Arctic vortex proves global warming isn't happening, NASA and NOAA today released data showing that 2013 was in fact one of the hottest on record: It came in as a tie for the 7th hottest year since 1880.
"With the exception of 1998, the 10 warmest years in the 134-year record all have occurred since 2000, with 2010 and 2005 ranking as the warmest years on record," the NASA news release states.
"Long-term trends in surface temperatures are unusual and 2013 adds to the evidence for ongoing climate change," GISS climatologist Gavin Schmidt said. "While one year or one season can be affected by random weather events, this analysis shows the necessity for continued, long-term monitoring."
Scientists emphasize that weather patterns always will cause fluctuations in average temperatures from year to year, but the continued increases in greenhouse gas levels in Earth's atmosphere are driving a long-term rise in global temperatures. Each successive year will not necessarily be warmer than the year before, but with the current level of greenhouse gas emissions, scientists expect each successive decade to be warmer than the previous. …
While the world experienced relatively warm temperatures in 2013, the continental United States experienced the 42nd warmest year on record, according to GISS analysis. For some other countries, such as Australia, 2013 was the hottest year on record.
In addition to some big drops in temperatures in the U.S., other anomalies related to global warming will continue to become more frequent. For instance, last year there was this photo of a cloudless Alaska. In the slide show below, you'll find what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has to say about what we can expect from a hotter Earth.
Related stories:
- Why NASA's latest photo of Alaska is freaking people out
- Meteorologist weeps as Earth prepares to kill off humans with climate change
Gallery of doom: Global warming summary by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change:
Jake Ellison can be reached at 206-448-8334 or email@example.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/Jake_News. Also, swing by and *LIKE* his page on Facebook.
If Google Plus is your thing, check out our science coverage here.


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Store Credit
You have of store credit. To use it, simply place your order and you will be able to choose store credit as the payment method when it comes time to pay for your order.
In order to offer you the best ride experience PJ's RC is glad to provide a variety of quality RC shocks to enhance your vehicle. A good set of shocks that are properly assembled can give an RC vehicle improved traction, helping your tires hug the tracks. This will let you take corners faster and land those awesome jumps and flips with more control and grace. Overall shocks are a great way to take your RC vehicle to the next level!


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Many Homeowners desire to have the project components designed especially for them. Perhaps you've seen something somewhere that you really liked, or you have always dreamed of having that certain something to make your home extra special.
We can help to make those dreams become reality! With over 30 years of design experience, Martin can plan and coordinate the construction of almost any special project for your home. And because our workmen are experts – the project will turn out beautiful. One-of-a-kind projects and custom sizing become straightforward and achievable when you have expert design coordination and superior workmanship.
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Noragami is an odd show that's hard to classify because it tries to do many different things. The best way to describe it is something of a "get to know the gods" show with bits of action, comedy, and character drama. Overall fun to watch, this anime shines, albeit unevenly. Certain themes are really quite strong, but easily get lost in the frivolity. Noragami leaves the impression that it was fun, but prevented itself from being truly great.
Purpose: Weak.
While this anime does shine in certain things it does, it lacks a uniform strength. Let's start by looking at what it tries to be – an anime with some action, character drama, world-specific drama, comedy, and a teensy bit of romance, wrapped up in a folklore-based setting. Watching through both seasons, it becomes clear that the anime struggled to find a unique voice, running through various kinds of genres before settling on one. Make no mistake, there are some really strong themes here, it's just that the anime focused on the weaker ones, when it kept its focus at all. In particular, the anime kept trying to stay in the action genre, but without the necessary building blocks. The world wasn't really ever set up to be the kind of world that supported regular blade-clashing and ability-slinging. Rather, it was set up as a world of complex interactions and relationships between different actors. Without the proper setting in place, of course the action will be somewhat bland. What's worse, by trying to force the action into the wrong world, it ended up draining from the highlights of the anime – the character drama and the treatment of the Japanese gods.
The character drama is the real star here, although it wasn't uniform. You can count exactly 3 really strong character moments, fairly evenly spaced throughout. Actually, they're so memorable, you can classify them as unique character arcs – the Yukine arc, the Bishamonten arc, and the Ebisu arc. It's important to think about it in this way, because it highlights 3 strong, sharp peaks in the anime with the rest being valleys that bridge them.
Now, I wasn't going to be quite as hard on the anime's failings here, except for the fact that I saw the OVAs. In the three OVAs, they showed what the anime could have been and, perhaps, should, have been to bridge the gap between character dramas. In the OVAs, they mix up the comedy to do a couple things. First, they use it to strengthen the oddities and quirks present in the many gods, making them seem apart from "mere" humans. Second, they use the comedy to reinforce the relationships between Yato and crew and solidify the idea that he doesn't deserve the people around him, but done in a charming sort of way. The combination of the two ends up adding to the world and developing characters at the same time, the polar opposite of what happened in the series proper.
Characters: Decent.
Overall, the characters are pretty plain and shallow, yet endearing. There are even some really excellent character moments. However, being endearing and having some good moments does not a character rating make. This is another example of how the anime shows that it has the potential for greatness without actually making it happen. One of the problems here is something we see much more commonly in weaker shows. The characters are established to an everyday "baseline" where you get occasional peaks in some sort of character development or progress, followed by a reversion back to the baseline. Essentially, they're the same as they were before. The one exception in the main cast is Yukine, who does have some solid development, which, unfortunately, ends up highlighting the static nature of everyone else.
For an anime that ends up being about a tangled web of relationships, they don't focus on those relationships much. Rather, you get little bits and hints of things that are really quite intriguing, especially how the gods relate to each other. Again, it's the OVAs that actually go into those areas and flesh them out. It brings out the relationships into sharp contrast, which also highlights the subtleties of the characters. For example, extremely true to his character, you have Yato doing something to Bishamon that's clearly intended to be (and was) highly offensive, yet utterly innocent. You have wild, crazy, and silly things that are purely relational in nature, yet confined to the world of the gods, apart from humans. Interestingly, those relationships were the anime's unique voice, it's just that they didn't give it the proper attention.
World: Very Good.
The world is hard to rate here because its strength varies depending on what's going on. As it supports the character relationships, it's Excellent. However, as it supports the action, it's Not Very Good. Since Noragami ends up being more towards the relationships, it keeps it at Very Good.
So what about the world doesn't support the action? Action anime have specific sets of rules that govern the action. Sure, you may have magic or some guy that hits people with swords, but they establish limitations pretty quickly. There are a limited set of things that characters can do, and other things they can't. In Noragami, since the subject matter is the gods, they were either unwilling or unable to put meaningful limitations on the characters. For example, why in the world does the named god of war have any such trouble with a nameless god? The result is limitations of convenience that pop up without warning to bring a spike in the dramatic tension. Of course, those limitations are forgotten once it loses its place as a dramatic crutch. Without the proper guideposts, the world ends up being rather formless, shaped into whatever it needs to be at the moment instead of having its own life.
So why does the world support the relationships? The same things that were negatives above are positives here. These guys are gods. They don't have to play by normal rules and do so in their own unique ways. There's never the sense that they can't do things, only that they don't want to. This sets broad ranges of play for characters to react off of each other – almost like a large sandbox-type setting. You have a broad set of characters based in folklore and mythology, brought to life,as it were, in silly and crazy ways.
Plot: Decent.
Without a third season, the anime's plot has a very unfinished feel, just like the first season did, standing alone (as I watched it when it first came out). That said, the plot comes in two flavors. The character flavor essentially selected one character do go in depth, with some solid steps and overall trajectory. The second flavor, everything else, was, well, whatever. Things just sort of happened without any real buildup or logical flow. The action plots were the worst in this regard, falling back on writer's convenience time and time again. As an aside, the comedy "plots" were fairly solidly self-contained and had a good internal structure.
Storytelling: Very Good.
The storytelling is all about those great moments. Aside from the three really powerful character moments, they had some really great stuff. The standout would be the development of the Nora. They did a spectacular job of making them have a very dirty or repulsive feel, without making the characters themselves repulsive in a visual or traditional sense. Rather, it was the atmosphere they created involving these characters, which relied on other character's thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the Nora. Again, we have a highlight of subtlety, delicacy, and attention to detail that the anime shows it was capable of.
One final note here, the comedy ends up being extremely strong in the OVAs.
Pace: Good.
The material was presented with a solid enough way that the anime was never really boring. You had the three main peaks with relatively slow buildups to get there, but other than that, nothing else to remark upon.


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Spring has finally arrived in Utah! It took some time this year and we still have very unseasonal weather it seems, as in COLD weather, but as you can see from my photographs things are starting to brighten up!
I love the frothy pink and white blossoms that adorn this tree in our backyard. In the corner is our hot tub that we dip into several times per week. It is so relaxing and wonderful to lounge under the gazebo while sipping our favorite drinks...usually water or Diet Coke these days it seems!
Our gazebo on our back patio looks so bare! I need to get out there soon, get the roof on and haul all of our wicker furniture out of the barn, wash it off and get it all set up. I hang a chandelier in the center (yes, a working one!) and decorate the inside of the roof with garlands of flowers, fairies and other accessories. Notice the new french doors on our patio! We are so excited to have them this year. That has been a long time coming!
Along the side of our yard you will see two lilac bushes that are almost in full bloom. There are supposed to be SIX of them along the fence, but four of them did not make it when they were planted a few years back. I am waiting for the bushes to grow so I can get shoots from them.
Farther along there is an old rusty chair sitting in the dappled sunlight. It's a chair I picked up somewhere along the way and I love it for the rusty iron roses that are on the back. It sits near my climbing yellow roses and in a month or so the chair will be covered with roses! The chair stays out there all winter and even looks beautiful all stark and bare covered with newly fallen snow.
I will post more photographs once I get all of my "yard and porch decorating" done. I hope you are all enjoying a lovely spring day wherever you are! ~Stacy~


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Succulent, juicy chicken can be difficult to achieve. Don't cook the meat enough and it could be harmful to your health, cook it too much and it is dry and rubbery. As a staple meal for many Australian families, roast chicken is an important dish to perfect. The following are just a few tips to help you create the perfect roast chicken.
Purchase high quality meat
One of the most vital steps is to make sure you get a good quality chicken. Find a good butcher who can get you a whole raw chicken. They can even help with how to best cook the meat, as well as offering other tips and tricks.
Thaw chicken overnight
When thawing your chicken, place it in the fridge the night before. Never thaw it on the sink or benchtop as this can contaminate it. Keep the chicken in a large dish and once thawed, cook it within 24 hours.
Cook with high heat
Once you have prepared the chicken to your liking, lay it breast side down in a dish with a strainer, turning it halfway through cooking to evenly distribute its juices. Cook the chicken on a high heat, around 200 degrees Celsius, to brown the skin deeply and keep it nice and crisp.
Don't overcook
The worst thing you can do is overcook the chicken, as this will leave it dry and chewy. In order to prevent this, invest in a meat thermometer and insert it into the thickest part of the thigh at intervals throughout the cooking process. It should read somewhere between 70 and 80 degrees Celsius.
Let it rest
It can be tempting to start cutting the chicken as soon as it's cooked, but like all meat, you need to give it time. Resting for at least 15 minutes allows the juices to settle. This will also aid in keeping the meat moist and tender.
For more advice or for high quality whole chickens, head to online butcher, Meatcart, today.


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Compact framework 3.5 failing to deploy profiling cores Follow
Hey all,
I'm in a dire need of a profiler for CF3.5, but EQUATEC is not sold anymore and dotTrace fails to run :(
The device has Windows Mobile 6.5 with 3.5 CF installed, the version is 3.5.10181 reported by the cgacutil. Whenever I start profiling I'm getting on device error about it failed to load required components (at "Deploying profiling cores" stage), error -2147483620 (8000001C). The program itself works okay, I've checked on 2 computers and 2 devices (that's all I have).
Checking the \Windows folder I see no trace of dotTrace dlls, so I copied all of armv4i ones from JetBrains\dotTrace\v5.5\Bin but that did not help. Is there a way to find out what exactly it is missing?
Hi Anton,
We use RemoteToolsFramework (RTF) for CF v.3.5.7338 from Microsoft to communicate with WM devices. So, it's normal when RTF for CF v3.5.7338 doesn't work with CF v3.5.10181. The problem is: Microsoft stops developing RTF == no more updates and bug fixes. We have no plans to continue developing for CF. Sorry...
Mikhail Pilin,
Senior Core Developer
Thanks for the response, although a grim one. I tried to install lower version of .net cf, as a result totally screwing my device. What bugs me that Equatec profiler actually works, or rather worked, when the project was small enough to not hit its limitation... must be a different technology used?
In the vertical market there is still many devices using the CF, and we are many getting this particular error:
.NET CF-initialization Error
You will need to install one of these versions of .NET Compact framework to run this program: V3.5.9198.0.
To fully understand the problem and getting around it:
1. Do you say that you are deploying a specific version of the Compact Framework (v3.5.7338) from desktop PC, that you have built against only one particular instruction set ?, (instead of using the presinstalled Compact framework on device for running the dotTrace ?, when Launching from dotTrace at Desktop)
2. We firmly believed that the: The MSIL Assembler generated a portable executable (PE) file from Microsoft intermediate language (MSIL), that made the instruction set of the processor not relevant.
3. If this assumption about dotTrace design is the case, how can we trick the dotTrace application to use the devices preinstalled Compact Framework ?
4. A great help in the last resort would also be if you please listed devices that you have successfully tested the dotTrace product with
PS. Using the dotTrace 5.5.8
Hi Swan,
At the end of 2013 we deceided to stop developing for WinCE devices. dotTrace v5.5 is the last profiler version with WinCE support.
There are following reasons for it:
1. Profiling API bugs are still presented now (the most critical is: incorrect and incomplete profiler notifications about stack unwinding)
2. There's no bug fixes and updates for clrprof3_5.dll, rtfhost3_5.exe, rtf3_5.dll from Microsoft WinCE SDK - the last version is v3.5.7338.
3. We used RemoteToolsFramework to communicate with device, but this library has also no support now.
4. WinCE restrictions stop us developing the memory profiler.
5. WinCE code can be only compiled on VS2008 (has furious bug with PCH files loading). It makes development very slow and complicated.
With best wishes,
Mikhail Pilin
Profiler core architect
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Muddy Waters just issued an open letter to Chinese semiconductor company Spreadrum, in which it now has a short position.
Interestingly, there were indications last week that something was about to happen in connection with the China-based company.
"Traders are citing some negative rumblings about China-based Spreadtrum Communications, although nothing specific has surfaced," StreetInsider reported last week. "With China-based companies being taken down one-by-one, it wouldn't be surprising if someone posted a negative blog on the company in the next few days."
Meanwhile, yesterday, the shareprice of a Chinese company called Yuran tanked purely on the rumor of a Muddy Waters report.
The research firm is known to market its reports earlier than the publish date. It did so with its Sino-Forest takedown, so it's not far-fetched it did the same with its Spreadtrum letter, or at least spread the word it was looking at the company.
In this latest open letter to Spreadtrum, Carson Block, head of Muddy Waters, queries the company on a range of financial statements made by the company, as well as the reasons behind executive departures.
In particular, Block cites "2010 and 2011 numbers" as eliciting the "gravest" concern.


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JJM Technologies
Industrial Process Equipment Sales & Service
Home Page
Contact Us
Home Page
JJM Technologies is a manufacturer's representive and consulting engineering firm. We are a partnership with over 50 combined years of industrial and R & D experience in the pulp and paper industry. We represent suppliers of capital process equipment and serve pulp and paper and industrial companies throughout the Northeast USA.
JJM Technologies
572 McNerney Road
Becket, MA 01223
Ron DeFoe
(413) 441-3184 (mobile)
Cathy DeFoe
(413) 441- 4272 (mobile)
Companies Represented:
BDP Industries
-High Performance Dewatering Solutions
Neilsen & Hiebert Systems
Pulper feed conveyers and pulp ancillaries
-Roll handling equipment


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Test-drive a new or pre-owned BMW at Hobart Autohaus in February and go into the draw to win a two nights accommodation package at Saffire Freycinet valued at $5,000*.
*Entry into the competition is only available to people who test-drive a new or pre-owned BMW at Hobart Autohaus or Launceston BMW between 01/02/14 to the 28/02/14. See below for full terms and conditions.
Terms and Conditions:
Acceptance of conditions 1. Information regarding prizes and how to enter forms part of these conditions. By entering, entrants accept these conditions. Restrictions on entry 2. Entry is open only to Australian residents aged 18 years or over except directors, management and employees (and the immediate families of directors, management and employees) of the Promoter or of the agencies or companies associated with this competition. Duration of competition 3. The competition begins at 9:00am (AEDT) on 01st February 2014 and closes 5:00pm (AEDT) on 28th February 2014 (Competition Period). Method of Entry 4. To enter, consumers must, during the Competition Period, Test drive any BMW vehicle at either Hobart Autohaus or Launceston BMW and fully complete and submit the entry form including providing their full name, address, email address, phone number and any additional information as required by the Promoter. 5. Entrants can only enter once. All entries must be received by the Promoter during the Competition Period. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost, incomplete, incorrectly submitted, delayed, illegible, corrupted or misdirected entries, or claims or correspondence whether due to error, omission, alteration, tampering, deletion, theft, destruction or otherwise. Entrants who enter using multiple aliases may be disqualified. Draw details 6. The draw will be conducted at Hobart Autohaus, 23 Barrack Street, Hobart, Tas at 11:00am (AEDT) on 4th March 2014. Entries will be consolidated into one barrel and the winner will be drawn at random by a representative from McInerney Marketing. The first valid entry randomly drawn will win the prize. Prize details 7. The prize is: Two nights' accommodation at Sapphire Freycinet in a Signature Suite valued at $5000. Included is the following, 2 nights accommodation in a Signature suite, all meals, all lounge beverages, all activities, minibar $300 spa credit and sparkling cruise. 8. Accommodation is subject to booking and availability. All other costs associated with the prize, including but not limited to any transfer costs, additional taxes, insurance and other ancillary costs are the responsibility of the winner and their companion, as incurred. For the avoidance of doubt, no travel costs (including, but not limited, to flights and petrol costs) are included for the winner or companion. The prize is subject to any additional terms and conditions specified by the prize supplier/s. Publicity 9. The prize winners must, at the Promoter's request, participate in all promotional activity (such as publicity and photography) surrounding the winning of the prize, free of charge, and consent to the Promoter using their names and images in promotional material. Prize pool 10. The total prize pool is valued at approximately $5,000 AU (inc GST). Exclusion of liability 11. The Promoter and its associated agencies and companies will not be liable for any loss (including, without limitation, indirect, special or consequential loss or loss of profits), expense, damage, personal injury or death which is suffered or sustained (whether or not arising from any person's negligence) in connection with this competition or accepting or using any prize, except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law (in which case that liability is limited to the minimum allowable by law). Notification of winners 14. The winner will be notified by phone and in writing within 2 days of the draw. Awarding prizes 15. The Promoter may require winners to provide proof of identity, proof of age, proof of a current and valid 'full' Australian driver's license. Identification considered suitable for verification is at the Promoter's discretion. Disqualification of entries 16. If a winning entry is deemed not to comply with these conditions of entry, the entry will be discarded and a new winner of that prize will be determined by drawing a further valid entry in accordance with paragraph 6. The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into relating to the matter. 17. The Promoter may, in its sole discretion, disqualify all entries from, and prohibit further participation in this competition by, any person who tampers with or benefits from any tampering with the entry process or with the operation of the competition or acts in violation of these conditions, acts in a disruptive manner or acts with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. Changes in prize value 18. Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable and cannot be redeemed for cash. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for any variation in prize value. Where a prize is unavailable for any reason, the Promoter may substitute for that prize another item of equal or higher value as determined by the Promoter. Problems affecting competition 19. If for any reason any aspect of this competition is not capable of running as planned, including by reason of tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, or any cause beyond the control of the Promoter which corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this competition, the Promoter may in its sole discretion cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the competition, or invalidate any affected entries. Unclaimed prize draw 20. In the event of the prize not being accepted or claimed within 3 months of the draw, the relevant winner's entry will be deemed invalid and the Promoter reserves the right to conduct such further draws at 11:00am (AEDT) on 03 June 2014 at the same location as the original draw as are necessary to distribute the prize, subject to any requirements of any gaming authority. Any winner in this draw will be notified by phone and in writing within 2 days of the draw. Privacy statement 21. All entries will be the property of the Promoter. The information entrants provide will be used by the Promoter for the purpose of conducting this competition. The Promoter may disclose entrants' personal information to its contractors and agents to assist in conducting this competition or communicating with entrants. The Promoter is bound by the National Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988. Entrants can request access to the personal information the Promoter holds about them by contacting the Promoter at the below address (paragraph 22). The entrant consents to the storage of their personal information on the Promoter's database and the Promoter may use this information for future promotional and marketing purposes regarding the Promoter's products including contacting the entrant via electronic messaging. Promoter's details 22. The Promoter is Tasmanian Automotive Group of 23 Barrack Street, Hobart, Tas 7000. ABN25154561216


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Silent Night Help Me Get a Great Night's Sleep/
Last Thursday night I was caught up reading my book, The Three by Sarah Lotz. I pushed through my sleepiness at 11pm as I wanted to keep reading, and when I finished around 1am, suddenly I realised I wasn't sleepy. Usually I'd put something on to watch on my ipad, but instead I tried to stay tech-free and just attempted to sleep. Come 6am I was still lying there sleepless, and when it was that close to getting up time I didn't want to sleep & then feel kind of sick trying to get him to school. So after the school run I just had a nap.
I took to Twitter to have a rant about my sleepless night, and Silent Night Beds tweeted me asking could they send me something to help me next time I'm awake staring at the ceiling.
This morning this gorgeous Sanctuary Spa set arrived, the trademark Silent Night hippo & chick in plush form, and lots of advice on how to avoid sleepless nights. The Sanctuary stuff smells amazing. It reminds me of sun lotion scent, but in a good way that I now smell like I'm on holidays. I've the hand cream on and I'm just sitting smelling my hands.
Look at those goodies! It was almost worth the sleepless night!
The Silent Night site has a dedicated section with tips and facts on sleep including a sleep clinic if you have questions http://www.silentnight.co.uk/sleep-matters/
Some of the main pointers for maintaining good sleep routines are:
1. Having a relaxing, clutter-free sleep environment. Keep the bedroom for bed. No iPads, laptops or phones in bed (this would be a tough one for me!)
2. Have a winding down routine. We used to do this with our kids, half an hour before bed you quiet them down, read a story etc. A relaxing bath perhaps with lavender is also a natural way to make you sleepy.
3. No caffeine before bed. Drink juice or water, or even hot milk.
4. If you wake during the night, don't check the time. You will only start worrying how little sleep you are getting or have left. Just relax, breathe and think about using whatever time is left to relax.
5. Exercise. It can reduce stress and help you sleep more deeply.
6. Eat breakfast 30 mins after waking. Again it starts your body getting used to a routine.
Have you any tips I might be able to add or use? Let me know on Twitter, I'm @rudedoodle, and Silent Night are @silentnightbeds


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Great teacher
Top Zambian referee Jan Sikazwe has been appointed as one of the 22 centre referees for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017.
According to the list of appointees released by FIFA and obtained by Fazfootball.com, Sikazwe is one of three Confederation of African Football (CAF) referees that will be in South Korea while African will also have representation with six assistant referees.
Sikazwe is joined on the African panel by Egyptian Grisha Ghead and Cameroonian Alioum Alioum.
The Kapiri Mposhi based school teacher has been flying the Zambian flag high and handled the FIFA Club World Cup in December 2016 featuring Real Madrid and Kashima Antlers of Japan.
He also handled the final for the 2017 Africa Cup that was won by Cameroun in February.
Sikazwe is also on the shortlist for 2018 Russia World Cup and is hoping to be named as an African representative for the World Cup.
Zambia will be at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017 and will be in Group C alongside Portugal, Costa Rica and Iran.
Great teacher
If only our politicians could just show half or even a quarter of Jan's integrity, hardwork, consistence, humbleness ( not to be confused with Lungu's humbleness) sincerity, dedication and faithfuness, Zambia would begin to work. WELL DONE JAN….Have you considered politics as a career? Of course not….you are way above that and very much human.
ba PM eimwe tulefwaya….encourage Janny not join politics coz he will lose respect like matibin p.., nevers and others we loved…
Read mt aricle again please….. am not encouraging to join politics…dont rush to respond before understanding the statement.
Zambian Airways has been Liquidated by the BOMA that used to carry Zambian flag across the seas and oceans coz of indicent behaviors by CEO Mtembo Nchito who was the owner……….but we dont care coz we have JANNY SIKAZWE who has taken it upon himself to sell zambia across oceans, which was suppose to be done by CHAGWA……..KKKKEEEEPPPP IT UP SIKAZWE….zAmBiAnS behind you…remember fair play
Well done Janny Sikazwe; Keep up the good work. God bless u and may His face continue to shine on you. God bless Zambia!


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Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Now ... onto the manor house ... some of the rooms are about as finished as I can get them for the time being. More ornaments are needed in the study and sitting room. That luxurious sheepskin rug in the study was a tag attached to a new pair of slippers which my son bought at Christmas.
The shelves are also still a little bare in the butler's parlour and in the kitchen.
6 comments:
Like that you show your dollhouse rooms, the butler's parlour is fantastic.ReplyDelete
Judith, thank you for the link to the website - Nirvana! Have to try it! NataliaReplyDelete
I can see your dollshouse rooms, they're very nice. I've build a Dutch canalhouse (it really excists, it stands in Amsterdam) by my own. I found the plans in another book and build it about 12 years ago. At that time real life kept me more than busy and now I'm back in miniland. I've been asked to put some photos on my blog, but the house has to be reconstruct.ReplyDelete
You've asked me if I made the Fimo birds by myself, yep, I did. It costs me hours and the birds were flying along my workspace ;)) but I've done it.
Hi Judith thank you for this beautiful link, they have such fantastic things.ReplyDelete
Your dollhouse is looking very cozy already :)
Hugs Mieke xxx
Judith, hello. I love the butler's parlour and kitchen!!!ReplyDelete
You well and truly have the 'bones' of these rooms done, it is good to see such progress - it will be tedious filling those shelves but worth it. SandieReplyDelete


text:
Photos of Cleeve Prior in Worcestershire in England, United Kingdom
of Great Britain.
worcestershire, cleeve prior, cleeve mill on the avon with men rowing a boat on the river.
Cleeve Prior is a village in the Vale of Evesham in the county of Worcestershire in the West Midlands area of England.
There is a totally new addition to this website with thousands of contemporary
and old photos of Churches - church photos
England>>>>>> >Ireland> >>>>>>Scotland
Wales>>>>> Isle of Man>>>>>>Channel Islands
>Film and Movie Stars >>>> Home>>>>>> >About
>Privacy Policy>>>>>
Copyright Statement


text:
"Glee," "Modern Family" Get GLAAD Nods
The network earned eight nominations Wednesday for the 21st annual GLAAD Media Awards, with "Brothers & Sisters," "Grey's Anatomy," "Private Practice" and newcomer "Modern Family" among its contenders.
The GLAAD Media Awards honor the fair, accurate and inclusive representation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives in the media. This year's awards -- with 152 nominees in 32 categories -- will be split into three ceremonies, held in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in March, April and June.
"Words and images matter," GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios said in a statement. "With these awards, we seek to recognize news coverage and entertainment programming that go beyond stock stereotypes with LGBT storylines that more fully reflect the challenges gay and transgender people face and the aspirations we hold for ourselves and our families."
ABC received the following nominations:
- "Brothers & Sisters" and "Grey's Anatomy" for drama series
- "Modern Family" for comedy series
- "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" for daily drama
- >"The Early Show" 's segment entitled, "Reverend's Revelation: Minister Speaks Out About Being Transgender" earned a nod for TV journalism segment
- Two nominations for "Private Practice" for individual TV episode
Among the other nominated broadcast networks, CBS garnered four nods, the CW and NBC earned two each, and Fox had one. The other drama series nominees are AMC's "Mad Men," BBC America's "Skins" and HBO's "True Blood." The other comedy series nominees are Fox's "Glee," Logo's "Beautiful People," ABC Family's "Greek" and Showtime's "United States of Tara."
Reality TV nods went to CBS' "The Amazing Race 15," Bravo's "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," Logo's "RuPaul's Drag Race," and MTV's "The Real World" and "Making His Band." Logo's "An Englishman in New York," MTV's "Pedro," Lifetime's "Prayers for Bobby" and BBC America's "Torchwood: Children of Earth" were nominated for TV movie or miniseries.
Documentary nominees are PBS' "Ask Not," HBO's "Be Like Others," Sundance Channel's "Derek," Logo's "U People" and Diva Productions' "The Topp Twins." Wide release feature film nominees are the family drama "Everybody's Fine," bromantic comedy "I Love You, Man," Harlem saga "Precious," 1960s period piece "A Single Man" and bohemian romp "Taking Woodstock."
GLAAD also announced that actress Cynthia Nixon will be honored with the Vito Russo Award, which is named after a founding member of GLAAD and is presented to a gay media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for the gay community. The "Sex and the City" star will accept the special award at a ceremony in New York.
"Cynthia Nixon has been a vocal and visible advocate who has transformed cultural attitudes about our community," Barrios said.


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I have an inordinate amount of movie quotes bouncing around in my head at any given time. That could be part of the reason that Downtown Cinema is so important to me. The premise is simple: we show a movie for free on a huge outdoor screen, offer free popcorn and water, invite the whole town and see who shows up. This event has grown so much over the last 5 years that it's hard to believe how far we've come. At any given showing, we have between 150 and 200 people. We have over 850 "likes" on our Facebook page. Who are these people? I honestly don't know most of them, but that's the beauty of this whole thing. All kinds of people from all walks of life come to our Downtown Cinema showings and they really enjoy themselves. It's still bizarre to me to look out onto lawn of the Palace Park an hour before showtime and see 100 people.
The Downtown Cinema team feels honored to play a s mall part in helping revitalize Downtown Monroe. These events are a huge opportunity for us to show our hospitality and care for the people of our community. They always come smiling and they always have questions: Who puts this on? What's this building used for? Is this really free? You mean I can have all the popcorn I want? The opportunities for conversations are endless.
I encourage each member of our church community to make an effort to come see it for yourself and help us reach out. We're not handing out tracts or even having deep conversations but you'd be surprised just how far a warm smile and welcome can go. So this Saturday, come for the movie, come for popcorn, but also come for the people. It's crazy how something as simple as a movie can open so many doors.
~ Adam McDonald
Downtown Cinema presents: The Lion King
Saturday, June 29th 7:30pm (movie starts at dark) Bring your own seating Visit http://www.facebook.com/thedowntowncinema for more info.


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* Companies with high exposure to China soar
* Renesas jumps 10 pct; report quotes chief on self-driving ambition
By Ayai Tomisawa
TOKYO, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei surged to a six-week high on Monday after the United States and China suspended the imposition of new tariffs and agreed to try to reach a trade deal within 90 days.
The Nikkei share average soared 1.0 percent to 22,574.76, the highest closing level since Oct. 22.
Japanese cyclical stocks such as those in tech, autos and machinery that have large exposure to the Chinese market outperformed.
Hitachi Ltd soared 4.1 percent and TDK Corp surged 4.3 percent, while Toyota Motor Corp advanced 3.4 percent.
Factory automation equipment maker Yaskawa Electric rose 3.3 percent, babybottle maker Pigeon Corp added 2.8 percent and cosmetics maker Shiseido Co gained 3.4 percent.
The U.S.-China truce "is raising investors' risk appetite especially on stocks that have underperformed lately," said Yoshinori Shigemi, a global market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management.
"In the mid-term, there are concerns that new tariffs will start after 90 days, but the market also expects China to come up with a stimulus programme before then."
Apart from trade, Shigemi said that investors also took heart from comments by U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, which pointed toward a slower pace of rate hikes.
"Investors were concerned about trade and Fed's policy, so right now with the two major worries receding, the environment is favourable for stocks now," Shigemi said.
Renesas Electronics, which has deepened a push into semiconductors for self-driving cars, jumped 10 percent.
The broader Topix rose 1.3 percent to 1,689.05. (Editing by Richard Borsuk; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)


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Dr. Fong Say:
This weird disc-shaped building was photographed on my recent trip in North Carolina. Why someone would want this in their yard is beyond me.
This disc sits in someone's yard near Cape Hatteras in North Carolina and it looks like people could go inside at one point. Strange creatures have been arranged looking out of the windows and looked pretty creepy as the sun set. There was a rumor that this was a restuarant at one point but it did not look very stable sitting on just a few crumbling cindar blocks.


text:
It is early afternoon at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. On the fourth floor, a woman in a black leotard dances in a large studio with high ceilings and great views of the Hudson River. She hardly pauses as the most famous dancer of them all stops at the door, looks pleased and moves on.
Mikhail Baryshnikov is proprietor, mentor and role model to the many choreographers and dancers, musicians and actors coming to the 4-year-old center to create, rehearse or perform new work. Baryshnikov himself does his warm-ups and rehearsing in a studio upstairs. Just back from holiday after a dance tour of seven European countries, he works at the ballet barre every day and looks terrific.
At 61, he defies age as he once defied gravity. He may be a grandfather and graying, but the fabled Russian dancer has the stride and carriage of a young man. He is small for a dancer, just 5-foot-7, but muscular and fit in his T-shirt and slacks. As he chats in a small conference room, his familiar face is expressive, his smile easy, and his conversation alternately lively and intense.
It appears to be a good time for Baryshnikov. A new theater downstairs is nearly done, the youngest of his four children is now a teenager, and his performing career is both ample and varied. He starred in "Beckett Shorts" at the New York Theatre Workshop in 2007, after he'd inhabited the rich and romantic Russian artist Aleksandr Petrovsky, who wooed and briefly won Carrie Bradshaw in the last season of HBO's "Sex and the City." Earlier this year, he published a new book of photography, "Merce My Way." As he says in his lightly accented, idiosyncratic English: "I have the life of seven cats."
Apparently so. Baryshnikov and Spanish-born dancer Ana Laguna launch the second season of Santa Monica College's Broad Stage next weekend as the first stop in a U.S. tour that should bring new respect to middle-age dance performance. Broad Artistic Director Dale Franzen, herself a baby boomer, says she is "moved and excited about the idea of seeing these two older dancers dancing a program like this, which is sexy, romantic, intense and envelope-pushing. I think something different and very deep comes to the table."
Billed as three solos and a duet, the pieces share what Baryshnikov calls "a European touch." His world-class choreographers are Laguna's husband, Swedish choreographer Mats Ek; French-born New York City Ballet principal dancer Benjamin Millepied; and former Bolshoi Artistic Director Alexei Ratmansky, now the artist in residence at American Ballet Theatre. The pieces are all "very personal," says Baryshnikov. "These choreographers tend to carve their pieces from inside out. This is definitely not mainstream American dance."
These dances are also more theatrical than physical. "They all know that I'm a man in my early 60s," he says. "Martha Graham used to say that a dancer's body cannot lie. I agree with her in all respects, but I would add especially when it is the body of an older man: You cannot fake it in exuberance or technically. You are who you are. In a way, less is more; that cliche suddenly becomes relevant."
Truly inspirational
Laguna, 54, a longtime star of Sweden's Cullberg Ballet, recalls seeing Baryshnikov dance with the Kirov when the Russian company came to Spain many years ago. "It is very inspiring to work with him and to see him dancing in the other pieces," she says. "Often one gets to an age where physical capacity is reduced, but it can also open up other possibilities you couldn't have thought of before."
Choreographer Ek, 64, agrees. "Older dancers are diminished by injuries, by aging, by concerns about what the dancing has done to their bodies. But they have a richer backpack to grab from after dancing and living so many years. Even if they don't have the capacity to spin and jump like before, they still have the feeling for dynamics and coordination. It is like swimming and biking -- once you learn it, you won't lose that knowledge."
Laguna, Ek and Baryshnikov had known one another socially for years, and all three say they had hoped to work together one day. But, confides Baryshnikov, once he agreed to the duet with Laguna, he was a little worried. "Mats' pieces are extremely physical and extremely challenging technically. At my age, I thought, 'Oy, what am I getting myself into?' But it is the opportunity of a lifetime for any dancer to work with a choreographer of the stature of Mats."
Millepied, 32, recalls how he first met Baryshnikov when the younger dancer was still in ballet school. "He was an inspiration to any kid growing up wanting to become a ballet dancer," says Millepied. "He not only had this phenomenal technique, but he also had the brains and hard-core discipline. He had the body and face and the whole package -- everything all at once."
For this tour, Millepied choreographed "Years Later," a 16-minute solo of Baryshnikov dancing onstage with a film version of his younger self, a piece Millepied calls both simple and playful. "It is just about dance, and one of Misha's great qualities is a very natural, very simple way of dancing. He is offering what a man his age can offer, which is maturity."
Dancing professionally at 61 comes at a price, of course. "I spend at least a couple hours a day in the studio, every day, whether I'm dancing or not," says Baryshnikov. "But when I am rehearsing, it is five or six hours. It's just a habit. I don't go to a gym, I don't do yoga. I don't do personal training. I do my dance class. I do ballet barre and go through the pieces I am currently performing. When I'm alone, I work sometimes with music, sometimes without and sometimes just listening to NPR."
"Nobody is born a dancer," Baryshnikov wrote in the 1976 book "Baryshnikov at Work." "You have to want it more than anything."
He has had many surgeries, particularly on his right knee, and says experience has been a good teacher. "I know the shortcuts for my body, how long it takes to warm up, what I should do to dance this particular piece," he says. "I've been hurt quite a few times. The more injuries you get, the smarter you get."
Connecting the steps
Baryshnikov has danced since he was a child. Born in January 1948 in Riga, Latvia (where he and Laguna danced in May), Baryshnikov entered the school of the Kirov Ballet at 15, studying with Alexander Pushkin. He became a principal dancer with the Kirov in 1969, staying with the company until 1974, when, at age 26, he defected to the West. Eager to move beyond the restrictive repertoire of Soviet ballet, he fled his KGB watchers after a performance in Toronto, running off to a waiting car.
He soon was in New York, learning English from American television. He danced with American Ballet Theatre, then for 15 months with George Balanchine at the New York City Ballet, where he danced more than 20 new roles before making what he has called "another defection" back to ABT, where he was artistic director for 10 years. He has starred in five films, receiving an Oscar nomination for the 1977 film "The Turning Point," and he was nominated for a Tony Award for his 1989 Broadway performance in "Metamorphosis."
Earnings from all those activities have bolstered the Baryshnikov Dance Foundation, begun in 1979. The White Oak Dance Project that he and choreographer Mark Morris co-founded in 1990 helped keep choreographers choreographing and dancers dancing with commissions and tours for more than a decade. His dance tours today raise money for the Baryshnikov Arts Center much as his clothing and perfume lines did for White Oak.
The arts center, which he has called "the most serious challenge of my life," opened in 2005. Funded in part by Baryshnikov's initial gift of $1 million, it offers dance performances and films, chamber music programs, residencies, seminars and more. Once BAC's renovated Jerome Robbins Theater opens early next year, the highly regarded Wooster Group is expected to become its resident theater company.
As he takes a visitor on a tour of the center, Baryshnikov resembles a proud parent, showing one studio, then another, one office, then another. "I think a key inspiration was New York in the '50s and '60s," observes BAC Executive Director Stanford Makishi. "Misha reflected upon that time as having a fertile set of circumstances, where artists of different disciplines -- Merce Cunningham, John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg -- mixed, sought each other out and created work together."
Baryshnikov clearly likes moving back and forth himself from one medium to the next, and while he declines to be more specific, he says he'd like to do more theater. Meanwhile, due this year or in early 2010 are new dances with Ek, Laguna and Ek's 66-year-old brother, the dancer and actor Niklas Ek.
In interviews at 40, again at 50 and now at 61, Baryshnikov has hedged the question of retirement. Indicating he plans to keep dancing so long as he is happy with his own work, Baryshnikov expresses as much astonishment as everyone else about his longevity as a dancer.
"I never thought it would drag on so long," he says, "and be so interesting."
'Three Solos and a Duet'
Where: The Broad Stage,
1310 11th St., Santa Monica
When: 8 p.m. Friday and 7:30 p.m.
Price: $95 to $350 (ticket prices $250 and above include the opening night after-parties)
Contact: (310) 434-3200 or www.theBroadStage.com


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We love digital - Call
03332 207 677 and say hello - Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm
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We love digital - Call
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When you hear the term 'content marketing', you might just think it's a web-based strategy, needed for SEO and not a lot else. You'd be wrong. Content marketing, for me at least, can and most certainly does exist beyond the keyboard. I'd tie it in with print, and to some degree offline advertising too. Your leaflets, posters, as well as print, radio and TV ads are all forms of content.
At the very least, we can all agree that they are all part of the 'mix' – and for a strong campaign you need all of your channels to work together. It gives strength to them individually, and avoids any issues of confusion amongst your existing or target audience.
Let's take a look at some of the ways that you can marry together the two in marketing matrimony.
It goes without saying that your brand needs to be at the centre of any form of marketing you carry out. Any business should have a set of guidelines that are followed across your organisation, and these should extend to all forms of communications.
If you work with an agency that manages your content or social media, one of the most valuable things you can do for them is provide them with your branding documents and any details on current marketing and PR campaigns you are carrying out so that you can work as a team to add strength to the messages you are conveying. If it is all dealt with in-house, circulate these documents to all your staff and ensure they understand and agree with the principles.
With your employees on board with the messaging, extending your brand awareness via social media is a great way of humanising your company and blurring that divide between online entity and offline identity. Here at Koozai, each member of staff has their own branded Twitter account where we share information we find interesting, general thoughts about the industry in addition to insights into our lives outside of work.
These accounts also act as a port of call for anyone who might have questions or comments to make about our business. On top of this, they are a great avenue for communicating with those that we meet at an event, helping us build up valuable contacts within the industry along with potential clients.
User-generated content is a brilliant way of encouraging your customers to be brand advocates. I've previously blogged about how to make the most of UGC, and there is plenty of potential to tie this content tactic to both strategies – from very direct engagement through PR events, to a more subtle blend by using online UGC in 'real world' spaces.
PR and content are now becoming more linked in terms of increasing brand awareness and engaging with key influencers and customers. PR events can really elevate an outreach campaign and are utilised very well by many businesses looking to engage with influential bloggers.
If your business sells a product which bloggers can review, instead of sending it in the post you can arrange a blogger's party to meet them face to face, let them network and take home your product to write about on their blog. They will be likely to talk about the experience they had too, which brings things back to the brand.
B2B businesses that appear at tradeshows can get in on the action too. Running a competition, or giving away items at your trade stand can encourage people to take photos or share tweets. But as well as this, you can use the opportunity to gain valuable data via sign up forms.
So how can you flip this round and use online UGC offline? Car company Kia hooked up with online reviewing platform reevoo to encourage their customers to not only comment on their cars, but their dealerships too. By doing this, they show themselves to be a very open brand, willing to hear their customers thoughts. Taking this a step further, they collated the average star rating, and displayed this information alongside the relevant model of car.
People like feeling special. Incentivising your customers will make them much more likely to return to you for your products or services. To do this using your offline strategy, you can always put out a print advert or leaflet with an exclusive offer via direct mail. Online, the options stretch much further.
For example, you could offer prizes or discounts for those that check in to your shop/building using Facebook or Foursquare. Alternatively, you could send out an email campaign with a deal exclusively for your subscribers. The list goes on, so why not use your offline campaigns to point people towards exclusive online offers?
It's time to get creative with your campaigns, and hopefully these ideas have given you some inspiration as to how you can combine your online and offline marketing efforts. By working together, the two avenues can add strength to each other and reach out to previously undiscovered audiences.
Have I missed out any tips or examples? Let me know in the comments below.
A quick question: If everyone of us is going to get into offline marketing as well then what is going to differentiate us from simple marketers? Just a thought!
Hi Cat! I agree completely that content marketing goes beyond the computer screen and it is not simply a web-based strategy linked to SEO. I would say though that while radio and TV ads are certainly content, they are not content marketing, unless they involve native ads, which aren't directly selling products.
You gave a lot of diverse information companies might use to market themselves in a content marketing age, both online and off.
Hey Cat, I like this post – as you know, I also believe marketers shouldn't limit themselves to one channel/content type. If we put the audience at the centre of strategies and constantly measure, tweak and evolve based on what we learn, we can't go too far wrong. If the audience wants to consume content offline, who are we to dictate that it's online or nothing?
Nice post, Cat. It's easy to see online marketing as the "be all and end all." However, let's not forget that content marketing started well before the Internet with the likes of John Deere's Furrow magazine.
Your post is a good reminder to marketers to think about how to integrate online and offline …
sometimes we simply forget to ask ourselves the question "is there something we can do to leverage one channel with the other"? …
we love your phrase "marketing matrimony". To take that a step further, just as it's never a good thing when couples start to sleep in separate bedrooms …
we need to make sure that doesn't happen with online and offline!
Good topic. I have recently started to see that brands are integrating more channels into their campaigns, using each one for a different purpose. For example, Sky and other brands are now reminding users how they can access their content as part of TV ads, ie, via mobile devices.
B2B companies attending an event can have their website url written on their stand in bold letters, and then entice visitors to visit the site to get some insights into a specific topic, an e-book or white paper, the details of a specific promotion, etc. Of course, the info advertised needs to be available online before the event and be easily found there.
On the other hand, the data gathered through analysis now plays a bigger role than ever before. It has become essential to see how each channel has performed.
Great post Cat. Having worked in a media company that does TV, radio, magazine, poster advertising as well as SEO and PPC, there are some significant benefits to having a coordinated approach. For example using unique URL's in TV adverts or posters that lead to either a dedicated landing page or a redirect to the home page meant that we could track a reasonable amount of offline to online traffic.
Analytical reporting can also provide some great insights, by measuring the difference in user behavior and traffic following a TV advert or other offline bumph can demonstrate more value to the client.
Additionally measuring footfall into a store and correlating that data with website traffic data can reveal trends that would otherwise be hidden to both the SEO team and the business analysts.
Another synergy that can be leveraged between on/offline is if an offline event is coming up; targeting your promotional efforts towards demographics that might be interested by utilizing niche bloggers e.g. mummy bloggers or travel bloggers (whatever the niche) can help to reach new audiences and amplify the reach of the offline campaign.
Also when big brands reduce offline spend you can often see this within trend data, which is another clue as to how offline effects online activity.
Unlike 08 numbers, 03 numbers cost the same to call as geographic landline numbers (starting 01 and 02), even from a mobile phone. They are also normally included in your inclusive call minutes. Please note we may record some calls.


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It's true. While I'm here, the whole entire time I'm here, I've given myself the authority to eat anything my heart desires... weather that be a full Mexican feast, cheeseburger with extra pickle, endless coffee refills or full diner style breakfasts like blueberry waffles with all the trimmings.... GO FOR IT!!
And must I say, that these Americans really know how to eat. Wowza. Stopping at Wendy's for "Natural cut potato fries with sea salt" (whatever that means.... they taste good) while Mr Peterson Says "Oh No, Honey not again.... we were just there!" Yes we were... and I love it!! YUMMY
In the past few years since we were here, Market Street Grill has had much mention in our House, especially their cream cheese filled french toast with strawberries... so we had to do it. And in the even that I wake up in Australia one day and think it was all a dream.... I have the pictures to prove it. These All American meals are frozen forever in time. The magic of photo's. Yummy.


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Last Updated on
Search below for things of interest and places to visit in Britain by name, location, type, keyword – or just have a browse. The directory has 660+ entries as of June 2019. New items are being added every week.
York Minster dominates the City of York, literally – it is allegedly the largest church in northern Europe - and spiritually. The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St Peter in York is the seat of the Archbishop of York, Bishop of the Diocese of York and the second highest cleric in the Church of England after the Archbishop of Canterbury. There has been a church on the same spot since 627AD but the site of York Minster has been built on since at least Roman times. Most of the present building was constructed between 1220 and 1472, restored after damaging fires in the 19th century and, more recently, in 1984.
Highlights include: just standing in the enormous nave; wondering how the beautiful roof of the Chapter House holds up; checking out the kings on the King's (Quire) Screen; looking at the stained glass – they say that York Minster's 128 windows hold more than 50% of England's medieval stained glass. There is a 'Revealing York' museum in the undercroft.
Entry to York Minster is relatively expensive.


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Arsene Wenger: Next three weeks are MASSIVE for Arsenal's season
ARSENAL face an eye-watering run of games before the end of the month but manager Arsene Wenger is looking forward to the challenge.
The Gunners travel to Anfield at the weekend before hosting Manchester United at home.
Then, Liverpool come to the Emirates in the FA Cup before they host the champions of Europe.
The mighty Bayern Munich roll into town for the first leg of the Champions League last 16 tie on 19 February.
But Wenger said: "When you are in a good position to fight for something of course, the closer you get to the more every game becomes vital.
"It's a massive month for us, but I think we'll enjoy it"Arsene Wenger
"In the cup games it's decisive, but in the Premiership now every point is oimportant.
"It's a massive month for us, but I think we'll enjoy it.
"We did fight very hard to be in this position so let's enjoy it and give out best.
"Which I'm sure we will."


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The new Twelfth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver is a fully functioning gesture-based universal remote control which can control your TV and other home entertainment equipment. Learning the gestures and programming the Sonic Screwdriver is easy, and the intuitive gestures allow the user to become the Doctor. Flick it open and the clasps extend with a satisfying clunk; press the grip mounted button for instant light and sound action or use the Any-TV-Off function just for fun!
The Wand Company's new extending Twelfth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver universal remote control prop replica contains the following features:
1:1 scale replica of the Series 8 Sonic Screwdriver hero prop
Highly authentic flick-to-extend action
Grip-mounted action button
Press and hold button to make Sonic buzz and tip light in FX Mode
Any-TV-off function that turns off any television at the press of a button, without having to program the Sonic first
Stores up to 39 remote control commands
Customisable personal lock code
Ivory-coloured handle with subtle fleck
Redesigned copper-plated handle end
Gallifreyan stand for vertical presentation
12 new secret Morse-coded Twelfth Doctor phrases
12 different sonic screwdriver sound effects
Okay, this thing is just too cool for words!


text: Everyone loves Chicken Tenders and this recipe adds a crunchy twist that your entire family will love. Parents love that this recipe is simple and the children enjoy the fact that is is easy to eat and quite tasty too. This recipe is a family favorite in my house and I'm sure it will quickly become one in yours as well.Add to Favourites


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Posted on Jun 21, 2010 in Life
Evening All, it's a brand new week and I feel motivated for a change. I've been a bit productive lately as managed to empty out my Gmail inbox, and RSS Reader, all I need to do now is complete all those outstanding tasks I've got listed in Remember the Milk.
First I'll give you a Diet Update. At Last weeks weigh in, which I never got around to blogging about, I had lost a 1lbs, and this weeks, which was done this very morning showed another 3lbs lost. So I have not lost 20lbs since 17th April (35 days). This week I'm add some more exercise (on top of Karate Training), I'm going to be doing onehundredpushups and twohundredsquats. I've complete Week 1, Day 1 for them both today.
Some family news (there will be a lot more of this in future). I'm officially married again, as my replacement Wedding ring has arrived.
Speaking off the family. Last weekend we visited Stewart's Park, as the Fun Fair was there and it was the Help for Heroes fun-day, with things like World War 2 re-enactments, and World War 2 armories to view. There was a child's assault course, which Conor had a go on.
We saw the local Police Helicopter landing and taking off from very close range. We also visited the Army Cadets' tent, and had a look what is in an 24 Hour Army ration pack (a special Yorkie bar, which is not for civies). Conor thinks he might join the cadet's when he is old enough. I'm sure he'll change his mind in the next two years he has to wait.
The fair was great fun too, although Conor would only go on the Bumpers Cars and the Jumping Frog rides with me, and I think I enjoyed the Jumping much more than he did.
I've been enjoying the Football at the World Cup, despite missing Today's seven goal match. I'm not bothered by the Vuvuzelas like everyone else seems to be. However what has made this World Cup more interesting is the ability to gamble (not with real money, mind) on the results on the ObscureInternet Forum.
While we had a spot of Sun I manged to get on top the gardening, however given these bouts of Sun followed by Rain, I'm sure it will not be longer I'll need to do it all again.
This weekend (just gone) me and Conor had a nice walk into Town (and back) so he could pick some Games for his Birthday. This really was just an excuse for us to visit all the games shops in the town play some games and talk about stuff from E3. It also was a sneaky bit of exercise, as we got in about 5 miles of walking.
In other bits of Conor news he's got the Panini World Cup Sticker book. Which reminded me of my Mexico 86 Panini World Cup Sticker books from all those years ago. Also Conor has a date for his end of School prom, he was asked by a nice young girl who was the recent winner of School talent contest. We didn't have Junior schools proms in my day, and I don't remember getting asked to any dances, so fair play to the lad. Oh, he still daft like, on Sunday he gave me a Father day card he had forgotten to sign.
I'm still reading. I've recent read both Watership Down and Animal Farm (from my Books to read list for 40 things) and have started to read Black Beauty (All animal related). Watership Down is a great book, I wasn't expecting it to be so good, because I think it had it down as being rather depressing after watching the cartoon when I was little. If you've not read it, I insist you go and read it as soon as possible. I've also recently finished listening to the Audiobook of Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman. It's a prequel to his His Dark Materials trilogy, and worth checking out if you read the Trilogy. I'm now listening to The Teaching Company's History of the United States, after enjoying their History of Russia course last year.
Game playing wise I'm pretty much addicted to playing GTA IV at the moment. I've even given the Multiplay, and that seems like fun too.
In website news (you'd knew I'd get there at some point) ObscureInternet has a new design, it's what I've called Version 3.3 Update. It now has a fancy new featured articles bar, with images from eight random but recent articles and a new footer (which I'm not completely happy with)
If you want to have a look at the evolution of the ObscureInternet design, pop over to my DeviantArt Page, I've uploaded some images there.
WordPress 3 has been released so both this Blog and ObscureInternet have been updated. I'll be working on a new design for the this blog soon, as I'm very bored with the existing design.
Finally my first article for Obsolete gamer is now up and available for reading. I'm not completely happy with it, but it's a start.


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If any line goes from life line to index finger then child becomes ambitious. They want to do something different from others. They might get high position in judiciary, counseling, litigation and politics. They get success in planning and might go on government employment. If line starting from life line and goes toward index finger, they definitely get success.
The below part of middle finger is technical part. If middle finger is pointed and straight from below and middle finger is move towards ring finger then they get good fame in technical field. They find new technic. If middle finger moves toward index finger then they rich high position in litigation. If there is one long line below the ring finger then it is beneficial to make preparation for civil services. If there is one long line below the ring finger then one might get good success in politics. If there is long line below the ring finger then they might become good teacher.
If the below part of ring finger, as shown in the blow figure, is upward and there are lines on it then child may go in government sectors.
If any line goes from ring finger, as shown on the above figure, to middle finger then child may go in army.
The below part, as shown on the above figure, of little finger is accounts, media, film and journalism. If these lines touch the Moon Mountain then they get success in accounts, media, film and career.
If the index finger mountain is upward then one gets success in judiciary, counseling, advocacy and politics. If such lines, as shown on the above figure, above the life line goes upward then one gets good position in career.
If there are such lines, as shown on the above figure, then one definitely get success. Some people get success between the age of 22 and 26 due to Sun. Some people get success at the age of 36 due to Shani. Some people get success at the age of 45 due to Rahu.
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So here's the thing. When my husband found out which plane he would be working with in the Air Force, there were a handful of bases we could have been stationed to. Some decent, some close to home, some meh. Nebraska was the bottom of our list. It was our last choice. And that's where we've been planted.
Maybe it's because I grew to really love the South. Maybe it's because my family is there. Maybe it's because I fell in love there, started my adult life there, became me there. But here just just not home to me.
I don't like the weather, or the layout of the city, or the people. I don't like that it's not trendy, it's not fun, it's different. For goodness' sake, we don't have a Moe's here…
And I could sit here for days… months… years… and continue to complain about where we've been stationed because I've decided it isn't my home.
But that's not what God wants from me.
He wants me to grow where I'm planted. Even if I don't want to.
Maybe, especially if I don't want to.
So this is my new prayer.
God I don't like where I live. I don't like where you have placed me. I don't want to grow where I am planted. I confess all of these things. But my prayer is that you change my heart to love this place. My prayer is that you will make this place beautiful for me and be a place where I want to have my family. God, make this place where I want to live, make me never want to leave. Help me grow, give me water and sun, give me the nutrients and determination it takes to grow, flourish and thrive here in Omaha. Amen.


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Following the resignation of Ken Salazar, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), President Obama will have three major environmental positions to fill. Salazar is resigning as the head of the department responsible for the management and conservation of federal land and natural resources as well as administrating U.S. native peoples' affairs. Salazar announced his resignation Wednesday.
Last month, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Lisa Jackson, and the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Jane Lubchenco, also announced their resignations.
All three are leaving for similar reasons, wishing to return to private life. Salazar will return to his home in Colorado.
"Colorado is and will always be my home. I look forward to returning to my family and Colorado after eight years in Washington, D.C.," Secretary Salazar said in a DOI press release. "I am forever grateful to President Obama for his…
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