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A Guide to the Lena Dancy Ledbetter Papers, 1830-1950
Biographical Note
Lena Dancy Ledbetter (1850-1936), civic leader, housewife, and amateur composer, was born to John Winfield Scott Dancy and Lucy Ann Nowlin in La Grange, Texas. John Winfield Scott Dancy, an attorney and politician, owned a plantation outside of La Grange. Lena Dancy Ledbetter lived near La Grange during the Civil War, meeting many historical figures, including Sam Houston, Robert E. Lee, General John Bankhead Magruder, and Francis R. Lubbock. At 14, Lena Dancy, interested in weaving, spun and wove a day dress completely by hand.
In the latter half of the 1860s she was sent to school at the Carnatz Institute in New Orleans. Upon graduation in 1870, she married James Peacock Ledbetter, an attorney from Round Top, Texas. They had five daughters and two sons together. In 1888, they moved to Coleman, Texas, to start a ranch and Lena became involved in social and religious activities. Active in the Episcopal Church, Lena was the secretary of the Ladies' Cemetery Association and a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.
In addition to her activities in the community, Lena was an avid singer and composer, who organized a home orchestra, a ladies' orchestra, and a music club of thirty members, which was expanded into a federated club focused on literature, art, music, and child study. Interested in history, Lena Dancy donated many of her possessions and her papers to various museums and archives, such as the Texas Memorial Museum, the Barker Texas History Center, and the Daughters of the American Revolution museum. Lena Dancy Ledbetter died in 1936.
Cook, Gertrude Harris. "Memoirs of a Texas Plantation Belle," The Dallas Morning News, March 22, 1931.
Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Dancy, John Winfield Scott," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/DD/fda7.html (accessed June 23, 2010).
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Scope and Contents
Correspondence, clippings, printed materials, postcards, books, and photographs comprise the Lena Dancy Ledbetter Papers, 1830-1950, which pertain to Ledbetter's reminiscences and activities as a member of many community associations and an amateur composer. Her papers provide significant details about Civil War life on the Texas home front, especially regarding the creation of textiles. Notably, her papers include a book of patterns for weaving counterpanes (bed coverings) on the loom, 1862-1865. In addition to her reminiscences, the papers document Ledbetter's activities as a society leader in Coleman, Texas, in the late 19th century. The photographs in the papers depict members of Ledbetter's family and other notable historical figures, such as John Winfield Scott Dancy, Peyton Wade Nowlin, and Guy M. Bryan. In addition, the papers include a photograph of a hickory chair sat on by Sam Houston and photographic postcards showing La Grange, Austin, and San Antonio.
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Access Restrictions
Unrestricted access.
Access to Artifacts by appointment only. Contact repository for more information.
Use Restrictions
Unrestricted use.
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Related Material
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Separated Material
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Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Lena Dancy Ledbetter Papers, 1830-1950, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Processing Information
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center's "History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light" project, 2009-2011.
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Detailed Description of the Papers
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So I walked away from stance for three months due to knee problems.
Getting back into it is hard. I am having to re-tread ground I already covered.
Yet, I believe I am building a much more solid foundation. Instead of my zeal carrying me forward, I am being carried forward by reminding myself of the result I have in mind. And instead of pressing forward with my zeal (like my drunk friends pressed through the cave), I am LEARNING more deeply at every step. I feel I am actually mastering my lower back and beginning to get a hold on my inguinal creases… something I had only a tenuous grasp on before (though I mostly did it right)…
Every session is an excercise of will to make it though my prescribed time.. by the end, though, I'm usually doing good stance and feeling energized. I do some baby steps and side-to-side most nights–and some specific excercises to help improve my gunslinging kung fu. In several months, I'll be doing silkreeling.
Hezzah for incrementalism!

subset: commoncrawl


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Florida, Kentucky plead for unity in fighting drug abuse
WASHINGTON — The White House drug czar and the state attorneys general of Florida and Kentucky told Congress on Thursday that prescription drug abuse is "a national crisis" and efforts to fight it will falter without better cooperation among states and better education of the medical community and the public.
Gil Kerlikowske, the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said that the issue was "not on the radar screen" until recently, but that prescription drug overdoses, commonly from a pain medication called OxyContin, have become the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, surpassing gunshot wounds and car crashes.
It's an economic problem as well, costing health care providers, employers and taxpayers $56 billion in 2007, he said.
"We weren't paying attention to it," Kerlikowske told the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade. "That was a huge mistake."
About 100 people nationwide die every day from drug overdoses.
Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway said prescription drug abuse has a devastating impact on poor, rural communities, particularly in Eastern Kentucky, where it accounts for a large percentage of crime. Conway described Kentucky as the third or fourth most overmedicated state, and said that the actual numbers might be worse.
"I'm sick and tired of losing an entire generation to prescription drug abuse," he said.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said the epidemic has other consequences. She said at one hospital in Tampa, 20 percent of the babies born were born addicted.
"Imagine the worst addict you see on TV going through withdrawals — that's how these babies come into this world," she said.


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Friday Round-up
One more week until school starts. Will I make it? That is the question. I've been working hard this week to get a lot done so that next week I can plan an outing everyday for Logan and Lila. Hopefully staying busy will mean less bickering and tantrums!
And now for some Friday reads!
These photos of a couple and their puppy, in the style of a baby portrait shoot, make me laugh.
The ongoing issue of body image.
I love these breastfeeding photos.
I'm dying to try the new chicken sandwich at Shake Shack.
Glitterbombs of truths for photographers.
This video stabilization software looks amazing.
Some exciting changes for Instagram!
A good interview with Clickin' Moms CEO, Sarah Wilkerson.
Saving your mobile photos to Google photos instead of your phone. I need to do this.
7 National Parks you didn't know you needed to see.
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Freelance Internet Designer Chandigarh, India
On this monitor, you may discover ways to design and build stunning web sites by learning the essential principles of design like branding, coloration theory, and typography that are all instrumental within the design technique of a website. This can be particularly helpful for giant enterprises whose working techniques are based on Linux and different Unix-like techniques, usually consisting of a whole lot and even thousands of distinct software program packages; within the former case, a bundle management system is a convenience, in the latter case it becomes essential.
Getting an entry job in an assistant function inside a PMO workplace provides you with a great grounding into what a venture group does, and what standards it must abide by. It's a frequent route into a extra senior venture management role.
Flash is in any case primarily a graphical instrument, and textual content features low on the agenda of most totally Flashed web pages as a result of if the designers wanted a lot of textual content, they might most likely have used XHTML as a substitute.
Now I develop up, and discover coach outlet on the Internet offering reasonably priced merchandise with reliable quality.Choose luxurious high-quality Coach Luggage from coach manufacturing facility outlet.Coach Bags are all-highly effective,both have operate and a way of ,they are excellent mixtures of preferrred appearance and the perfect utility can discover all sorts of style and design bags on coach factory outlet online, including the new selling coach purses and coach wallets.


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Mi perfil
We at ARCHVISION3D are a professional visual effects studio specializing in computer graphics. Our services include high fidelity modelling, visualization and rendering in the field of architecture and manufacturing. We also work on animated video and virtual 360 degree panorama tours. We guarantee 100% dedication to your project and we will continue to work on it until you are completely satisfied with what we work portfolio spans over a thousand projects that you are free to peruse through at your discretion. Our team includes graduates with Masters in Architecture, graphic designers, modelling artists and animators in addition to our extremely talented production crew. Our computer generated images (CGI) endeavors have won many awards. We are armed with extensive knowledge and experience in computer animation and post production and editing work on video projects. ARCHVISION3D has over 16 years of professional experience in delivering very high quality digital visualization.


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Hello, and welcome to Queen of the Lab, the only TFL approvved fanlisting for Abby Sciuto of NCIS!
Evie, graciously let me adopt the fanlisting, so many thanks to her «3.
Have a look around, and if you're a fan of this beautiful country, feel free to join!
StatisticsFanlisting: Queen of the Lab
FL Category: Characters: TV
Subject: Abby Sciuto
Site opened: May 20th 2017
Site Adopted: September 12th 2017
Last updated: 21st August 2019
Member count: 86 (+0 pending)
Newest members: Jeannette
Previous Owner: Evie
Owner: Elisabeth
Part of: LunaM Collective
Contact: Mail me.
Credit: Google, TheFanlistings.org, Enthusiast.
Please note that I am in no way affiliated with this subject! I am not trying to make any money off of this fanlisting. I am merely a fan wishing to gather the rest of the fans of this subject together. All images used in the layout are © to their respective owners.


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THINK OUTSIDE THE BOOTH!!! CU Boulder/Film Studies course by Jeanne Liotta focuses on the spatial, performative, &installational aspects of the projected image, engaging in hands-on research with art-historical experiments in film, video, sound, and live performance that we will study and recreate in our classroom laboratory. Technical practicalities, artist's methods, social context, and the thrill of bringing ephemeral media to life!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
In this 21st century we have seen a great and renewed interest in the spatial moving image,
propelled most famously by the INTO THE LIGHT exhibition curated by Chrissie Iles for the Whitney Museum of American Art in the year 2000, and from which we will be taking many cues in terms of our own re-creations in this course.
We will also be looking at festivals which concentrate on live cinematic performance, or what has variously been called Expanded Cinema, Paracinema, Live Cinema, Lightshows, Intermedia, projection performance, and film/video installation, such as KILL YOUR TIMID NOTION out of Scotland, and MONO NO AWARE in Brooklyn.
AT our first meeting we also discussed the seeing the MCA Denver show WEST OF CENTER, about countercultural art/life experiments in the West,
and looked at works by artists Joel Schlemowitz and Kerry Laitala,
as well as documentation of Bill Brand's MASSTRANSISCOPE.
+reading: Tom Gunning, The Long and Short of It: Centuries of Projecting Shadows, from Natural Magic to the Avant-Garde, from THE ART OF PROJECTION, Stan Douglas & Christopher Eamon, eds.
We continued with a brief overview of magic lantern shows, seances, and phantasmagoria, beginning with this little magic lantern scene from Ingmar Bergman's film Fanny and Alexander (1982), and learning about the illusion known as Pepper's Ghost (see below). Some fun clips we watched in class illustrating this effect can be found on youtube HERE and HERE, and may be taking place right now at a seance near you.
There are many examples of contemporary artists utilizing these and other centuries-old projection techniques in their work. For example Australian artist Sally Golding's live performance projections of skeleton -on-body HERE and HERE, Kerry Laitala's spinning strobing kinetic work RETROSPECTROSCOPE (1996) and this amazing exhibition called Phantasmagoria: Spectres of Absence, featuring the work seen below by Brazilian artist Rosangela Renno called Experiencing Cinema (2004) in which she projects family films onto smoke which acts as a screen to catch the fleeting images.
Our featured artists of the first week were Zoe Beloff and Ken Jacobs who "coined the term paracinema in the early 1970's referring to cinema experiences provided by means outside of the standard cinema technology" according to wikipedia. Read about his Nervous Magic Lantern performance in the L.A Weekly.
Zoe Beloff's web project based on her sculptural 3D film installation The Somnambulists, is a series of 5 'hysterical dramas' that take place within miniature theatres--her modern interpretation of the Pepper's Ghost illusion can be seen particularly well in the drama entitled Comique Idiote.
+reading: Expanded Cinema and the Installation Film, from ART Cinema, Paul YOung Paul Duncan, eds.
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We are excited to announce the Flourish 2016: Women's Conference will be held at Vintage Church from September 9-10, 2016.
"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God." -Psalms 92:12-13
Join us for an unforgettable experience complete with powerful worship, dynamic speakers and an after party complete with DJ, dancing and fun!
Joy Scott - JosephsJoy.org
Joy Scott is an inspiring and authentic author, certified teacher, blogger and passionate speaker. But, her greatest joy is found in being a loving-and patient-wife to her energetic husband, Jonathan, and devoted mom to her lively boys. Together, Joy and Jon began Joseph's Joy, a non-profit organization to offer hope and financial help to children and their families battling life-threatening illnesses locally and around the world.
Kyla Martin - Conference Host
Kyla is a Captain in the United States Army, serves as the brigade surgeon for the 69th ADA at Fort Hood and is a board certified family medicine physician. She is also the mother of two beautiful girls and wife to Stephen, Senior Pastor of Vintage Church. She models how a godly woman graciously speaks truth, walks in courage and wholeheartedly loves those entrusted to her leadership.
Stephen Martin - Senior Pastor, Vintage Church
Stephen has served the local church for over 17 years and in 2013 moved his family to the Fort Hood area to plant Vintage Church, a Christian non-denominational church whose aim is to reach people far from God and equip them to win in life by applying the timeless principles found in The Bible. In just 3 short years, what started as a Bible study of 15 people in his home has grown to a church of over 1300 members. Having a passion for families, Stephen's heart is not only to see God's people equipped to change their world– but also to win at home.
Friday, September 9
6:30 PM - Doors Open/Registration
7:00 PM - Session 1
8:30-10:00 PM - After Party
Saturday, September 10
8:00 AM - Doors Open/Late Registration
8:15 AM - Breakfast
9:00 AM - Session 2
10:00 AM - Session Break
10:15 AM - Session 3
11:15 AM - Session Break
11:25 AM - Session 4
*Schedule is tenative and subject to change. Final schedule will be provided at registration which opens at 6:30 pm on Friday, September 9.
Childcare is provided in the ticket cost of the event and is unlimited to fit the needs of each of our women. Snacks and breakfast also provided in children's rooms.
The price for this event is $35 per conference attendee and includes:
- Entrance to all event sessions and activities
- Childcare
- Event t-shirt (First 200 to register)
- After Party with live DJ, dancing & snacks
- Conference SWAG Bag
- Breakfast on Saturday morning
- Snacks throughout and more!
Tickets for this event are limited and will sell out fast. Be sure to purchase your ticket and one for a friend below! The first 200 to register will receive a free event t-shirt.


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Join the list!
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p: 614.228.2700
We are looking forward to talking with you and assisting you with any questions you might have. Give us a ring at 614.228.2700 or send us an email and we will get back to you right away.
139 E Main St
Columbus, OH, 43215
United States
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One on one attention with our bridal stylists gives our brides the person experience they deserve.


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Phenix City boy, 12, dies in motorcycle accident
A motorcycle with a stuck throttle has left a Phenix City boy dead on Bayview Drive and the driver in the hospital, authorities said Saturday.
Christopher Allen Haywood, 12, was pronounced dead of blunt force trauma at 1:15 p.m. Friday after the accident, said Russell County Coroner Arthur Sumbry Jr.
The driver of the three-wheel motorcycle was taken to the hospital but information on his condition was unavailable.
The coroner said Haywood was a passenger on the motorcycle when the driver in his 30s went for a test drive. Sumbry said the throttle stuck and both occupants jumped from the motorcycle.
The boy's body will be sent to the Department of Forensic Sciences in Montgomery on Monday for an autopsy.
The accident is under investigation by the Phenix City Police Department.


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The MS-Tech MC-380 is a great value HTPC case that allows you to re-use an old ATX board. The case has a traditional, yet sleek look which makes it fit in most living rooms.
For many PVR and HTPC builders, money is often an important concern. Since this is just a hobby and you don't really need that computer, it's hard to explain splurging on parts. So often one looks at that old PC, gathering dust in the corner. Even a 10 year old PC is still capable of running a HTPC and with the proper capture card and some tweaking it can function as a PVR.
However, that old PC looks completely out of place in your living room, so the logical next step is looking for a nice case. Turns out many HTPC cases are pretty expensive. And if you want one that can fit in a traditional ATX size motherboard, choices are limited.
Enter the MS-Tech MC-380. It is your gateway drug. It's cheap, it has ok built quality and it can fit most of your old hardware.
MS-Tech is a German company, so I'm not sure if this is available to our American readers, but for all Europeans, the MS-Tech MC-380 case can be found for about €65 / $82 in many online shops.
The Package
Opening the package reveals the case itself, a media center remote (with batteries), rails for the disc drive, two options for case feet, the necessary screws and one page of assembly instructions. Those instructions turned out to be for a different case (but with a similar internal design).
The case is surprisingly small for an ATX case. Everything feels and looks solid, however the little sticker over the front panel connections is loose in the corners. I'll need to fix this at some point. One thing I notice immediately is that the case is going to be a magnet for finger prints.
Opening the Case
The top panel can be removed with two thumb screws.
Looking at the insides, it's again obvious that this is a fairly small case. The power supply needs to be placed in front of the case, not in the usual location at the back, next to the motherboard. We'll revisit that choice a few times during this review.
The case comes with a pre-installed is a 80mm exhaust fan.
Installing everything in the case is pretty standard work. There are a few things worth noticing though.
The power connector on my motherboard is directly underneath the power supply. Given that this power supply has the standard ATX size (6×3.4×5.5 inch or 150×86×140 mm), it would have been better if the case was just a little deeper. However, upon measuring my media cabinet, it's clear that it wouldn't fit in there if the case was any larger. So this clearly was a trade-off.
Making the case just a little bit larger would also solve my next problem: I'm unable to fit both my graphics card and my existing DVD-ROM drive into the case. The graphics card is 215 mm (8.5 inch) and the drive is 180 mm (7 inch). This would normally fit, if it wasn't for the power connector at the end of the graphics card. It's right in the way of where they drive should go.
A slightly smaller drive combined with an angled power connector will probably take care of this.
Two 3.5″ drives can be mounted in their cage which easily slides in and out of the case from the front. The front panel itself snaps on and off with a little force; no screws required.
Here's a shot before installing the harddrive and before doing any cable management.
The case itself has room for 4 fans. One 80mm fan is pre-installed as an exhaust. The back has room for 2 60mm fans. And finally there's room at the bottom for what appears to be a 80mm or 92mm intake fan, but the mounting points are incorrectly aligned and the holes are too small. I couldn't find anything that would fit there.
The power supply location is clever, but fairly bad for airflow. It has to be put in the front of the case and upside down. Directly in front of the fan is a metal plate, which means the power supply will be exhausting its hot air right into the case.
Apparently older ATX power supplies were designed to take in air and exhaust it into the case. I can see that working a little better with this particular case. Or you may want to look into fanless options, but make sure they work upside down.
As always, you should take great care of cable management. The case makes it fairly easy to tuck away most cables without needing to go crazy with tiewraps. Just tucking away the cables helped reduce temperatures of the various components by about 5°C, so it's worth the effort.
The good stuff:
- Looks perfectly at home in your living room
- Very affordable
- Has room for an ATX board and can fit most components
Look out for:
- Small issues with finishing
- Room is limited, so it's possible your combination of hardware has just too little room
- Orientation of power supply limits choices and does not create good air flow


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The Health Benefits of Regular Eye Exams
At Advanced Laser & Cataract Center Oklahoma, we encourage our patients to undergo routine eye exams at our Oklahoma City office for numerous reasons. First and foremost, doing so allows our team of eye care experts to detect, diagnose, and treat eye disorders and diseases in their earliest stages, when our advanced vision care treatments will have the greatest effect. However, the health benefits of undergoing regular eye exams go well beyond your eyes and your vision.
Your eyes are intimately connected to your brain and other vital systems of your body. As a result, a comprehensive eye exam can tell our eye care professionals a lot about not just your ocular health, but also your overall health. In fact, in many instances, our team is the first to detect important health issues that are then confirmed and addressed by specialists or by our patients' primary care physicians. Many of these patients come back to thank us, having not realized prior to their eye exams that we would be able to provide such a life-changing – and in some cases life-saving – service.
If you have not had a comprehensive eye exam in the last two years or so, you may be due. We urge you to schedule your next eye exam at Advanced Laser & Cataract Center Oklahoma today.
What types of diseases can be detected during an eye exam?
There are dozens of types of diseases that can be detected during an eye exam, ranging from the relatively minor to the potentially life-threatening. Among the more serious diseases are:
- Cancer: Ocular melanoma – the most common type of eye cancer – can be detected through eye exams, of course. However, it is also possible to detect other types of cancer, from brain and lung cancers that have spread to the eye to leukemia, which can cause certain types of retinal bleeding.
- Diabetes: One of the symptoms of type 2 diabetes is bleeding or the leaking of fluid from the blood vessels in the retina, which could be a sign of diabetic retinopathy. Many people first learn that they are diabetic through the detection of this disease.
- Hypertension: Hypertension is the clinical name for high blood pressure, which can cause structural irregularities to the blood vessels in the eye.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: Dry eye and iritis (the inflammation of the iris) are commonly associated with rheumatoid arthritis. The presence of either of these conditions could point to rheumatoid arthritis.
- Aneurysm: If the pupils are irregularly shaped, the patient could have a brain aneurysm.
- Thyroid disease: One of the most common symptoms of thyroid disease is a protrusion of the eyeballs.
- Multiple sclerosis: As many as one-quarter of all cases of multiple sclerosis are first detected due to the presence of optic neuritis, or inflammation of the optic nerve.
Timely diagnosis and treatment are essential to managing any disease, from those listed above to the eye conditions that could threaten your vision. This is why it is so important to undergo routine eye exams.
Schedule Your Comprehensive Eye Exam Today
To schedule your comprehensive eye exam, please contact Advanced Laser & Cataract Center Oklahoma today.


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Automation spreads beyond trading and managing systemic risk. As we approach technology singularity, autonomous robots and smarter algorithms make ethical judgments that impact life or death.
In ten years time, driverless cars will fill our roads, machine-learning algorithms combat disease and drones will deliver our shopping. Rapid advances in machine learning, visual and voice recognition and neural network processing mean that computers are getting better at perception tasks. This puts Artificial Intelligence (AI), once the mainstay of science fiction writing, at the forefront of next generation computing.
AI brings extraordinary benefits, particularly around disease diagnosis, while it also does a lot of boring but useful stuff, like recommending a book for online shoppers. Despite this, many thoughtful people, Stephen Hawkins, Bill Gates and President Obama amongst them, are concerned about the impact that deep learning computing will have, not only from a social and economic perspective, but also on the future of humanity itself. Hawkins, for example, warns of the "technological catastrophe" that could follow if artificial intelligence vastly exceeds that of its human creators.
The Internet of Things will generate exponential amounts of data and intelligent machines, as they crunch their way through it all, will increase their accumulation of knowledge exponentially. Algorithms are now designed to learn from raw perceptual data, understand language and recognise images, meaning computers build on the knowledge they amass, learn more skills, understand nuance and ultimately gain what we term common sense. As they become more adept, they can also self-improve, building better versions of themselves without human involvement. The impact of this is not lost on Google, which paid USD 400 million for Deep Mind, a UK-based AI start up. Facebook and Amazon are also making huge investments in this area.
In the short term, concerns about AI surpassing its creators are low but what seems certain is that it will soon take over some of the repetitive tasks that until now have formed the basic activity of many traditional professions such as accountants, lawyers, pharmacists and doctors. For a long time now computers have been better at analysing complicated data more effectively than people. Supermarket and factory workers have already found this to their cost. These days computers can read handwritten notes, write and translate reports and even respond to conversations. Despite initial installation costs, they have the added benefit of not getting tired or fed up and are unlikely to demand a pay rise - small surprise that they are gradually replacing their less flexible, human colleagues. Some argue AI is not replacing people, rather it is augmenting their abilities and in so doing making them more effective. Certainly more efficient computers will make some firms much more productive, but most likely at the expense of human capital.
AI's transformational role is already impacting the automation industry. "Swarm intelligence," the collective behaviour of decentralized, self-organized systems, is currently being used to improve safety, when one car's brake sensors register icy conditions, for example, the information is shared with others through the cloud. Cars are therefore becoming more intelligent and the next generation vehicles will have thousands more sensor-connected computers to build on this. When all this is taken collectively, cars will be able to monitor themselves, their environment and even keep a weather eye out for passengers.
Widening this out across the transport sector, mesh networks and ubiquitous mobile connectivity will soon be able to offer totally automated highways that will improve safety, increase road capacity and reduce congestion. Pretty soon driverless cars will become an accepted norm. We are almost there; Google's autonomous vehicles have already covered 2 million miles and with only 14 accidents in that time, have an impressive safety record. Safer and more efficient roads will in turn change how risk is managed and shared, as insurance shifts from the individual and their car to whole fleets and, ultimately, the entire system.
Unfortunately however, accidents do and will continue to happen, particularly in built-up areas. Autonomous vehicles will therefore have to make some difficult ethical decisions and there are questions around how they will do this. Getting it wrong has huge legal implications that may well vary across jurisdictions. In Germany, for example, it is illegal to weigh up the value of one life against another, making it almost impossible to programme human life to a value that could be processed by an algorithm – whereas the US is not so rigorous in this regard. Should rules governing autonomous vehicles emphasize the greater good, the number of lives saved, without putting value on the individuals involved? At the moment there seems to be more questions than answers.
Perhaps what is most concerning is the use of AI in warfare. Remote drones are already distancing fighters from the fighting; soldier robots and autonomous weapons are perhaps the next step. In the next decade or so algorithmic intelligence may well have the potential to surpass that of its human creators, identifying who to kill and why; the implications of this are frightening. Some argue that AI might be a better judge than say, extremists. As with the Internet, once created it will be impossible to pull the plug on AI weapons. It is also impossible to foresee where the development of such autonomous weapons will end.
The United Nations now convenes regular meetings to discuss this and the matter is so concerning that over 1,000 AI experts have already called for the development to stop. This is unlikely to happen. Perhaps the best we can hope for is a postponement while more consideration is given to regulation and constraint. One proposal is to ensure that the first generally intelligent AI is "Friendly AI" which will be able to control subsequently developed AIs. It seems rather fanciful today but perhaps in ten years this will be normal.
Historically, technology ethics has been mainly about the responsible and irresponsible use of technology by human beings. In the future, deeper consideration will be given to the behaviour of machines towards human users and other machines. Trust in the system will increasingly drive success, so organisations will seek to make data ethics a focus. In the short term, regulation is needed to determine whether the designer, the programmer, the manufacturer or the operator is at fault if something goes wrong – whether that is a car on a motorway or robot in a warzone.
It all seems a bit sci-fi. But science fiction is often the precursor of reality. What will happen when machines become smarter and more adaptable than their creators? Perhaps we should tread carefully.


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Manufacturing Indonesia 2015: EIBN Booth
Manufacturing Indonesia 2015 Series (MIS) is a highly focused manufacturing machinery, equipment, materials and services exhibition with 25 years of success. The event took place from 2 - 5 December 2015 at the Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo). MIS provided the perfect opportunity to meet face to face with potential clients who are actively looking for suppliers in Indonesia.
EIBN invited all related EU companies to be present and visit the MIS. The EIBN team, being present at the Manufacturing Indonesia 2015, stood by to enhance the participation of participating EU companies with its business support services.
- Know more about EIBN's Trade Fair Service.
- Should you have further questions related to this service, please contact our designated project officer Ms. Agrika Puspita
To know more about the event, please visit the Manufacturing Indonesia website by clicking on the banner below.


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We have a winner! Using random.org the winner is Sara P. Please email me laney.cohen (at) gmail (dot) com. For whatever reason I thought it would be a great idea for my first half marathon in a year or so to be in March. Unfortunately, that means training in the dead of winter. When it comes down to training, I tend to wear the same comfortable items...Sugoi MidZero Tights, Nike Compression Bra, Lululemon Cool Rackerback, a long sleeve shirt (either Lululemon Run Swiftly or if it is really really cold Craft Mock Long Sleeve), and a Mizuno wind breaker. I am not as you can see a brand loyalist. I spread the wealth depending on my needs.
A few weeks ago, I received an email from activewearusa asking if I'd like to review some of their products. New workout clothes? That are stylish? What girl could say no? I rationalize my need for more workout clothes because I work from home and these are in essence also my work clothes.
I received an all-purpose Stella Crossback tank, solid pink with white straps. They are not joking when they say it was great support. I was surprised at how high the neck came up, but loved the slimming fit of the top. The tightness and the color created a small exposure problem, so even though a second bra wasn't necessary for support when I was doing yoga, I needed it for a little coverage. (I am thinking a darker color would be a different situation.)
When using it as my base layer for running, it didn't ride up like some of my other tanks, which I loved. So now that I have told you all about the tank, would you like to win a little exercise style?
Enter by Saturday, February 11 at 10:00 p.m. Here are a few ways to enter, leave a comment for each of the ways you enter...
- Tell me in the comments section your winter exercise gear routine
- Make sure you follow me on Twitter
- "Like" ActivewearUSA on Facebook
- Tweet the following: Keep your exercise stylish giveaway from @lanes0220 & @activewearusa http://bit.ly/y2CnjU
Winner will be announced in one week!
Disclaimer: ActivewearUSA provided me with the tank free of charge, but I did not receive any monetary incentives and the opinions are my own.


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Shooting from the hip ...
- The City does have a budget crises and does need to the money.
- This need for money is what is moving this entire process. It's the price we have to pay to create a better cab system.
- I think the City is going to get it's money one way or another and Hayashi's plan is far better (and should result in far better cab service) than the plans that Newsom and Heinicke have tried to impose on us.
- The idea that cab drivers should be taxed to pay for the bloated salaries, overtime and bonuses of bus drivers and MTA staff is ludicrous and, for want of a better word, probably racist.
- It would define cab drivers as a permanent underclass to be exploited like the peasants and serfs of the past.


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Here are the images that I am most proud of. Most of them can be viewed at a higher resolution by clicking on them. Clicking on the images also will display the details of each image in terms of the number of exposures, time of exposure, type of camera, telescope and more.
This is the image that I am most proud of. Between March and August of 2008 I captured an image of all 110 Messier Objects. The image above is the composite image I created of all of these. I have a printed poster of this image hanging in my house.
The Horsehead Nebula is a famous target and also a difficult one to capture. The difficulty comes from the faintness of the nebula as well as the fact that that it is a dark target, created by dust blocking light from behind, not an illuminated one.
The Orion Nebula is one of the brightest deep sky objects in the sky. It's a great target visually and is easy to capture with a camera. This wide-field image of M42 is one of my favorite images both because of the subject as well as because of the wide field that it is captured in.
At the end of October, 2007, Comet 17/P Holmes erupted into view as a naked eye comet. I took a long series of images, superimposing them on the background of stars in Perseus as the comet made it's way across the sky each day. It shows both the growth of the comet as well as its curved trajectory.
These two images were taken during the 8/28/07 lunar total eclipse. They were featured on wired.com, local TV news, skyandtelescope.com and several other web sites and are my two most viewed images. Even though when I view them now I realize that there are a number of things that I didn't do right when I got them, they are still favorites because of how much publicity they got and because they were my first astrophotos I thought were good.
This series of the moon during September 2007 captures the phases from crescent through full. It looks better at higher resolution, so click on it.
Jupiter is a great target to look at through the scope and this is my best picture yet. I had a really good focus and good alignment to be able to easily see both the Great Red Spot and 3 of Jupiter's moons all at the same exposure level.
Saturn is a great object to look at through a telescope. This is the best image I've got – you can see some cloud bands as well as just a hint of the Cassini division.
Mars is a tough target to get and this is, by far, my best picture. You can see the polar caps and some surface detail as well.
This was one of the first images I took with my LXD75 scope and DSI-II camera. I really like the nebulosity and the definition within the nebula.
This was one of the first time I got autoguiding to work well and is made up of 1 minute sub-images, which is much longer than I'd ever really done before. Or at least ever done without some star-trailing going on.


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First Polish HBO Series in the Works
The adaptation of "In Treatment," titled "Without Secrets (Bez Tajemniec)," wrapped its shoot and is currently in post-production.
The Polish version of HBO's hit series In Treatment, titled Without Secrets (Bez Tajemniec), wrapped its 94-day shoot on March 8 and is in post-production, Film New Europe reported.
It is set to premiere in fall 2011, with 25 episodes of 45 minutes each.
The episodes were directed by up-and-coming young filmmakers Jacek Borcuch (All That I Love) and Anna Kazejak (Flying Pigs).
The cast includes the internationally-known Jerzy Radziwilowicz (Man of Marble) and Krystyna Janda (Mephisto). The production companies are Telemark and HBO Polska and the executive producer is Anna Kepinska.
In Treatment is an internationally-known series about a psychotherapist and his relationships with patients and his family. The show has already been successfully replicated in Romania.


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Forging quality relationships is the absolute backbone of LINK. Whether you're a developer, sales agent or purchaser of one of our projects, our team of dedicated professionals will provide a level of personalised service unmatched in this industry.
With 30 years' experience in large project sales, LINK knows that to remain competitive in this industry you need to be focused yet agile. Our people have the specialised knowledge and experience to maximise a project's sales potential and ultimately ensure that it sells out.


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The Rocklands
Cliff Road
Pizza Express in Newquay takes up residence in the ground floor of the prestigious Rocklands development which enjoys stunning views over Tolcarne Beach and the impressive coastline in both directions and the sun set is amazing.
The Atrium with 180 degree view can sit parties of 30 -50 exclusively for lunch or dinner, ideal for celebrations.
Music is a big part of Newquay's Pizza Express. There is live jazz by Matt Johns Trio with weekly special guests every Tuesday from 7.30pm - 10.00pm.
Pizza Express provides pizza making parties and it is also possible to arrange visits for groups of school children to visit the restaurant and learn how to make pizza.
To enquire about booking a party or a table, simply contact the Restaurant Manager on 01637 872 177.
Don't forget to mention www.tickity-boo.co.uk when you contact us!


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The publication is included in the Russian Index of Scientific Citation (RINC)
Two-year impact factor RINC 0.111
On the subject "History, Historical Sciences", the magazine occupies in 2017 (2016) the year:
Articles are placed in the Scientific Electronic Library (eLIBRARY).
Obligatory copy of the publication is registered in the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Scientific and Technical Center "Informregister".
The full text of the articles is publicly available in CyberLenink (CyberLeninka.ru).
The procedure for sending, reviewing and publishing articles,
sent to the editorial office of the peer-reviewed publication
"Science. Society. Defense"
1. The direction of the manuscript. The editorial board of the online edition of the Science Society Defense publishes a manuscript (electronic file) with a volume of no more than one author's sheet (40 thousand characters with spaces), typed in a Times New Roman font of the 14th size with a 1.5-meter line spacing.
Tables are made out in a separate file in the format of a picture or an image.
The text of the manuscript is accompanied by a scientific reference manual recruited in manual mode:
The network publication "Science, Society, Defense" publishes only those materials and documents in which there is an address of the author (postal or e-mail), academic degree, academic title, telephone number, his full position, job, surname, name, patronymic, (for military personnel - military rank), the number, month and year of birth. Authors should provide a annotation (700-800 printed signs) for their material and keywords in Russian and English, as well as contact information for correspondence, which will be placed in the publication.
Authors can send their manuscripts to the e-mail address of the publication.
2. Headings of the edition:
Objective history
Society of Russia: History and Modernity
Modern Russia
Health of the Nation
Army, power and society
Military Security
Military training and education
Patriotic education
World politics: history, theory and practice
International relationships
The problems of war and peace
Philosophy of Science
Scientific Staff
Information technology: science and practice
Art: History and Modernity
Special services: history and modernity
Armament and military equipment: history and modernity
History of the Cossacks
History in the Face
Works of young scientists
Scientific reports
3. Reviewing manuscripts
3.1. The publication reviews all materials coming to the editorial board that are relevant to its subject matter, with a view to their expert evaluation. All reviewers are recognized experts on the topic of peer-reviewed materials and have published in the last 3 years on the subject of the article being reviewed. The reviews are kept in the publishing house and in the editorial office of the publication for 5 years.
3.2. After receipt of the electronic version of the manuscript, the editorial team is reviewed by the editor in chief. If the material does not contradict the requirements of the Law on Mass Media and the information policy of the publication, it is published on the relevant pages on the subject and headings.
3.3. At least 30 days a manuscript is in the public domain.
3.4. Based on the results of the peer review (using the comments field) and the closed (by e-mail and postal address of the editorial office), the decision on the manuscript is taken with the participation of the members of the editorial board of the publication:
3.5. The editors of the publication send copies of reviews or motivated refusals to the authors of the submitted materials, and also undertakes to send copies of the reviews to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation upon receipt of the corresponding request to the editorial office.
3.6. In accordance with the current legislation, the editors have the right not to enter into correspondence with authors, manuscripts, materials sent to the editorial office and electronic media do not return.
4. Publication of the article.
4.1. Responsibility for the reliability of information, the accuracy of figures and citations, as well as for the fact that the materials do not have data not subject to public publication, are the authors.
4.2. The editorial position does not necessarily coincide with the point of view of the authors.
4.3. After publication:
4.3.1. The next number is sent for placement in the Scientific Electronic Library (eLibrary) and accounting in the system of the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI).
4.3.2. Obligatory copy of the publication is registered in the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Scientific and Technical Center "Informregister".
4.3.3. The full text of the articles is publicly available in CyberLenink (CyberLeninka.ru).
4.4. When reprinting materials, a reference to "Science, Society, Defense" is mandatory.
4.5. The royalties are not paid.
4.6. Post-graduate fees are not charged for the publication of manuscripts.
Address of the editorial office for correspondence:
119331, Russia, Moscow, Vernadsky Prospect, 25, Apt. 52, Kiknadze Vladimir Georgievich;
E-mail: email@example.com; firstname.lastname@example.com


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Happy New Spring, New Nature, New Life!
عید شما مبارک
The first day of Spring is called Nowrooz or New day is a traditional New Year in Iran and many other nations such as Afghanistan, Pakistani, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Azerbaijan and some other Middle Eastern and Asian countries!
United Nations does recognize Nowrooz as an international day of celebration and peace promotion!
Since Ahlul bait (as) blessed the Nowrooz, for the Shia Muslims Nowrooz is more than just a national holiday, it's also a day of prayer, peace, love, forgiveness and friendship!
This Nowrooz happened to be more joyous for corresponding the Birth Day of Lady of Light, Sayeda Fatima(SA) the daughter of of our holy prophet(pbuh)
The resurrection of nature is a reminder of final resurrection and responsibility of the entire humanity at the presence of the Lord when the righteous will be rewarded!
Let's pray for a new life for our world on this new Spring!
Let's promise to work together to clean this world from all those dusts and diseases of hate, fears, pains, greed, arrogance, ignorance, warmongering, terrorism and destruction, and to establish a new world based on justice, love, peace, cooperation and construction!
O God of wisdom and benevolence , God of might and mercy, God of peace and reconciliation, God of hope and forgiveness!
Please save our world O Lord from these crazy, chaotic conditions of hate, greed and destruction!
O Lord please answer the prayers of those poor, suffering, helpless people in war zones, stop the aggressors, help the hungry, the homeless, the refugees!
O Lord please replace this darkness of desperation with the light of love and protect those oppressed against those powerful politicians who have lost their human consciousness and blinded by selfishness, greed and desire for more money, power and domination!
اللهم يَا مُقَلِّبَ القُلُوبِ والأَبصَارِ يَا مُدَبِّرَ اللَّيلِ والنهار يا مُحَوِّل الحَوْلِ والأَحْوَالِ حَوِّلْ حَالَنَا إلَى أَحْسَنِ الْحال.
3/20/17: Message by Imam Elahi on Norooz
Happy New Spring, New Nature, New Life!


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Check this out! Autumn Colours and an edgy shoot with Smoke Bombs!
This shoot happend in the Autumn at Buckland tout-Saints, Devon. Organised by The Bespoke Bride Guide. It was so good to be behind this, great team work and my models Beth and Ben always make the shoot work!
Bride and grooms attire from TeAmo Brides
The effect from the Smoke Bombs worked really well, and have to admit this was the first time I had used them. Something quirky to maybe use for a Wedding. Adding yet another dimension to your Bride and Groom images.
With two different editing styles, enjoy the mix and feel free to comment.


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Insure your bird with Exotics Direct peace of mind to know you are covered in the event of accidents or illnes
Click here Apply for Quote
Lots of birds just love a foot toy to throw around and chew. The fine ring rattle has irresistable woven rings your bird will love to chew. With wood middle for extra chewing fun
Size approx 10cm Suitable for Caiques, Senegals, Mini Macaws etc.
How long does delivery take and who delivers them?
All orders placed before 1pm are delivered next working day. Often orders placed later are also delivered next working day but it can vary depending on what time our couriers collect.
Goods to Ireland are 2 working days and goods across Europe are 2-5 working days.
All goods are sent tracked via DPD and you will receive a 1 hour time slot on the morning of delivery, with options to leave in a safe place, with a neighbour, or at a drop off shop.
Cage Deliveries
Cages are shipped via separate courier and are not trackable. Large cages are a palletised kerb side only delivery and take 2 working days, these are not trackable and you will be subject to a re delivery charge if you are not in to sign for them so please check with us if you require a specific delivery day.. Smaller cages will be next working day and re delivered if you are not in.. We regret that we cannot ship cages outside of UK Mainland other than to N Ireland or Republic Ireland where they can be sent for an extra £60.
What should I do if my parcel arrives damaged?
You must sign for the parcel as damaged and contact us by email with images of the damage. If Cages arrive and they are badly damaged you should refuse the delivery.
What should I do if I order something wrong and want to return it?
No problem, return it to the address on the top of the invoice, also found on the contact us form. It must be in original packaging and unused with original labels


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Topic: Intel
Thunderbolt still a 'niche' due to Intel licensing requirements
01/15/2013, 01:01 pm
A number of factors have played a part in the small selection of available Thunderbolt accessories, but the most significant may be Intel's lengthy licensing and certification process.
Intel shows off 4th-gen Core processors bound for Apple's MacBook lineup
01/07/2013, 09:01 pm
Intel on Monday demoed a number of upcoming processors set to hit market later this year, including low power versions of the company's "Haswell" fourth-generation Core series CPUs slated to roll out in Apple's inevitable 2013 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air refreshes.
Intel expected to unveil cable service, set-top box at CES
12/31/2012, 11:12 am
Chipmaker Intel is reportedly planning to unveil a new set-top box and accompanying cable service at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January.
ITC judge clears Apple, Intel, HP of patent infringement allegations
12/14/2012, 10:12 pm
A U.S. International Trade Commission judge on Friday ruled in favor of defendants Apple, Intel and HP in a case pertaining to processor patent technology asserted by X2Y Attenuators LLC, a small technology firm.
Leaked document reveals Intel 'Haswell' chips potentially bound for 2013 iMacs
12/13/2012, 10:12 am
Details on 14 new desktop processors set to launch in 2013 based on Intel's "Haswell" architecture have leaked, offering a glimpse at chips that could potentially make their way into the next-generation iMac.
Apple addresses 2012 Mac mini HDMI flicker issues with software update
12/10/2012, 03:12 pm
Apple on Monday released a software update for owners of its recently updated Mac mini desktop, addressing an issue that would cause a connected screen to flicker.
Apple's new 27" iMac boasts up to 54% performance improvement over predecessor
11/30/2012, 12:11 pm
Benchmarks for Apple's redesigned 27- and 21.5-inch iMac models are now available, showing significant performance increases over the previous-generation models.
Complex chip shift from Samsung expected to take Apple 12-18 months
11/30/2012, 08:11 am
For Apple to move production of its iPhone and iPhone and iPad chips away from Samsung would be a long, difficult process with only three realistic alternative companies.
Microsoft Surface Pro to start at $899 for 64GB model
11/29/2012, 04:11 pm
Microsoft on Thursday announced the pricing for its forthcoming Surface Pro tablet, starting at $899 for the entry-level 64-gigabyte version with an Intel processor and the full Windows 8 operating system.
Intel CEO Paul Otellini to retire in May
11/19/2012, 09:11 am
Intel said Monday that president and CEO, Paul Otellini, has elected to retire as an officer and director of the company effective next May.
ARM-based Macs seen as 'inevitable,' but Apple unlikely to switch anytime soon
11/06/2012, 08:11 am
It's "inevitable" that Apple will merge its Mac and iOS devices at some point, but such a change is not expected to happen for years, in the eyes of one industry watcher.
Apple mulling transition away from Intel chips for Macs
11/05/2012, 04:11 pm
Rumors have once again surfaced that Apple may be looking to move away from Intel processors to power its Mac lineup, replacing the silicon with proprietary ARM processor designs like those found in the iPad and iPhone.
UN roundtable tackles wireless patent disputes between Apple, Samsung, others
10/10/2012, 02:10 pm
Apple was joined by Google, Microsoft, Samsung and others in a meeting in Switzerland on Wednesday that discussed the potential patent litigation reform in the lawsuit-saturated wireless industry.
Mac mini supply drying up, could signal Ivy Bridge update
10/08/2012, 02:10 pm
With the Mac mini still waiting for an update to Intel's latest Ivy Bridge chips, supply of the diminutive desktop has begun to dwindle at various resellers.
Apple wants to move Macs away from Intel chips - report
10/03/2012, 11:10 am
Apple has reportedly "deliberated" moving its lineup of Mac computers away from Intel processors, though such a change apparently isn't "imminent."
Availability of Apple's 27" iMac dwindles ahead of expected Ivy Bridge upgrade
08/31/2012, 12:08 pm
With Apple's iMac lineup due for an upgrade to Intel's Ivy Bridge processors, stock of the larger 27-inch all-in-one desktop has become even more depleted ahead of a possible refresh.
Mountain Lion update page confirms incompatibility with older Macs
07/11/2012, 10:07 pm
As first hinted in February, Apple's upcoming OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion operating system update will not include support for certain models of Macs with older Intel chipsets with integrated graphics.
Ultrabook makers fear design patent lawsuits from Apple - report
07/09/2012, 01:07 pm
PC makers are said to be "facing threats from Apple" over Ultrabook designs that resemble the ultraportable MacBook Air.
Supply of Apple's 27" iMac drying up as Ivy Bridge upgrade awaits
07/04/2012, 01:07 pm
With the last iMac update having arrived more than a year ago, third-party resellers are now starting to see limited availability of Apple's big-screen 27-inch desktop Mac.
PC makers hope Apple's iPad is delaying, not replacing notebook purchases
06/22/2012, 11:06 am
Notebook manufacturers are hopeful that the recent debut of Intel's Ivy Bridge processors, as well as the forthcoming launch of Windows 8, will boost laptop sales and counter the effect of Apple's iPad.


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Hello everyone,
Just to give you a quick update on the blog. There may be lack of posts up until new year due to my busy plans and schedule but this does not mean it will fall flat. I will try my very best to include a lot more content for next year including more reviews, more interviews and any other quality hardcore content.
It may even take on a new look and feel too so please keep your eyes peeled! As always I just wanted to say a great thank you to everyone who keeps viewing and checking out the content and also a bigger thanks to everyone who has shared content from here, it means a lot!
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and stay tuned for updates!!!
19 Dec 2014
29 Nov 2014
Circle Back: 'Promise to Pay'
|Circle Back - 'Promise to Pay'
16 Nov 2014
Choke X Chain: 'Demo X 2014'
|Choke X Chain - 'Demo X 2014'
Choke X Chain are a new Straight Edge hardcore band from Florida (USA) that are absolutely smashing it right now! They have just released their 2014 demo which takes a substantial influence from the youth crew mid-80's sound but with a modern twist. This demo contains 5 tracks and is a fairly short listen but still manages to cover everything you need to hear in a debut release. There are a variety of instrumental styles going on with some incredible guitar riffs, fast paced rhythms and some mad heavy down tuned sections for all your moshing needs. Audrey's vocals destroy it too which are harsh, aggressive and have a solid impact, not to mention that they tie in perfectly with this style of hardcore.
I was pleasantly surprised at how heavy some of the parts in the tracks are and is perfect moshing material. The record starts off with the track Hell is Other People which is a short heavy instrumental building up to the opening track Ouroboros which cuts to a frenzy of guitar riffs and shouty vocals. This track is very catchy and entertaining with no pissing around. Choke X Chain keep it real with their straight edge messages and coverage of real life topics and challenges. Some parts of the recording sound a tad rough, but that's more than expected from a debut demo and to be fair, I really like this sort of sound with this style of hardcore. As well as the fast tempo in every track they also like to slow things down now and again especially in Innocence Defence and Parasite with some down tuned breakdowns and metalcore sounding chugs.
Brother's Keeper is another decent track and displays the bands instrumental qualities with catchy bass lines and classic punk, hardcore style riffs that have a youth crew sound to it. This is soon quick to change halfway through to a 90's metalcore sound with more harmonics and a much heavier tone. It's a pretty smooth mix up and has a positive impact. This continues into Innocence Defense which is my favourite track of the release and the metallic breakdown towards the end is just class. The lyrics on this record are very influential and gives each track a lot of power behind it. If you're looking for a new band to check out then check out Choke X Chain, I promise you won't be disappointed. Check em' out on the links below.
31 Oct 2014
King Me: 'Checkered Past'
|King Me - 'Checkered Past'
Midwest band King Me have recently released their debut 6 track EP Checkered Past on the record label Foxclaw Records. This record has a solid metallic edge to it and takes all kinds of influences from bands such as Cro-Mags, No Warning and a hell of a lot more. Every track on this release has a gritty, fast and heavy sound with old school sounding grooves and chugging guitar riffs with raw screaming vocals to go alongside this. King Me are a breath of fresh air in the Midwest hardcore scene and basically 'cut the crap' if so to speak. There is a lot of influence from other bands in their songs and their style is not clear cut which I enjoy but nonetheless keep the rawness flowing with raspy vocals, gritty lyrics and harsh sounding instrumentals.
The first track Restless Night starts with a flurry of fast, melodic instrumentals with strong lead guitar chords which adds a bit of variation for an introduction track. Closed Casket follows this and brings back the more traditional hardcore sound and style with some heavy guitar riffs and cutting bass parts. The vocals from Richie are rasp and as angry as they come. The themes present in all tracks are very bleak and include growing up, tragedies of death, regrets, the nonstop struggle of life and adulthood. The amount of passion, aggression and soul that comes out of these songs is just incredible. No Gods, No Handouts sounds very Blood for Blood style and the beauty of this EP is that every song has a different feel to it.
Alive in Death is another fantastic track and contains ferocious strumming and smashing drums and is a short but sweet 14 seconds long and soon drops into the next track Bloodsucker which seems a bit heavier. The vocals are shouted in a deeper tone on this track and it sounds a lot more aggressive than the other tracks. There is an exceptional catchy bassline towards the end that soon transitions back into a metallic hardcore sound. This EP is definitely worth investing in and it's cool that each song has a different influence in it, this record contains a lot of sub-genres and various elements of hardcore. So if you like hardcore, metal or anything heavy then this is for you. Make sure you give it a listen!
19 Sep 2014
Knuckledust 7" Release Show
If you're about London or know about this show already then you don't want to be missing this! Knuckeldust are releasing their new record tonight at Birthdays (near Dalston). Everytime I have seen Knuckledust they put on an amazing performance and the atmosphere is always on point too! I'm sure tonight will be no exception, especially with Bun Dem Out and Dead Man's Chest supporting. Doors are at 7ish and tickets are only 8 quid. Don't sleep on this. Band details below:
Knuckledust: North London heavy Hardcore on the reputable Rucktion Records
Bun Dem Out: Beatdown style hardcore from London that features members of Knuckledust and TrenchHead and are also signed to Rucktion Records
Dead Man's Chest: Brutal and dark straight edge hardcore full of anger, hate and power. Just what you need on a Friday night!
22 Jun 2014
Expire: 'Pretty Low'
|Expire - 'Pretty Low'
I've been waiting for this for a quite a while now and I have to admit it was more than worth the wait to listen to it! Yet again Expire have smashed it and created another fantastic, powerful record. Pretty Low features 11 brand new tracks which are a little longer on track lengths than their usual material which is a bonus. I'd love to end the review here and just state that you need to listen to this now, however that would be a little silly of me as I need to describe how great this record is. Easily one of the strongest releases of the year. Each track is equally as heavy as the next and Expire keep to their trend of dark, gloomy and bleak lyrics.
I can't fault a single track and the vocals are equally as raw and shredding as their previous releases (possibly even more so), Josh has some serious throaty screams which complements the heaviness of the instrumentals. The introduction track Pretty Low sets the tone for the record, the down tuned guitars kick in with meaty riffs and the drums crashing alongside this. This is definitely a record to play loud, Just Don't and Fiction keep the rapid tempo going throughout. One listen and I'm hooked. I particularly like the part in Just Don't where it slows and you can hear the chunky bass line, so catchy!
Gravity is one of the most mosh-worthy songs on the record and has a heavy breakdown going on towards the end. Nobody starts soon after this and has a frenzy of smashing drum rhythms and more chugging riffs that kick you in the face. There's some really entertaining and energetic 2 step style riffs towards the mid-end of this track and is also evident in Old Habits. From here onwards, through tracks like Forgetting, Rejection and Second Face they really show the true rawness and darkness of Expire. I think the second half of the record will capture the listeners more as it just seems to take all the anger from the first half and multiply it by a million. The vocals are fantastic and really show off the dark side of this band and makes you want to lose your mind.
Pretty Low is the birth of a monster and takes all the best bits of hardcore that people want to hear, combining it with metallic elements but not to the point of it becoming a metal record. Expire have progressed a hell of an amount since their demo released in 2009. I didn't think they could get any angrier and heavier than Pendulum Swings but they have exceeded that expectation and have produced a record of full of viciousness, anger and rawness. Order it now because I think you're gonna love it!
18 Jun 2014
Don't We All: 'Demo'
|Don't We All - 'Demo'
The debut demo/EP from France's Don't We All certainly does not disappoint. Featuring members of Upstart and First Try (who are also awesome) Don't We All take on more of a melodic approach that is similar to bands like Capsize, Landscapes and MidnightSouls. If you enjoy melodic hardcore then you will most likely enjoy this 4 track release. The vocals are however a bit more variable than some of the more popular melodic bands that can be seen of today but seem to add a lot more emotion and become almost borderline traditional metalcore. To be honest it probably won't be everyone's cup of tea but I think it works really well.
There are some excellent melodies and technical guitar playing on this and you can see a big influence of earlier style metalcore/hardcore mixed with a recent Verse/Bane type sound. I don't know how to describe it to be honest, it's just a good quality sound!! As well as the instrumental qualities that this release holds, I do think the high pitched, screaming vocals fit perfectly within this sound and this really shows off the emotion and passion present throughout the demo.
To start with there is a sound clip used for the introduction track which sets the theme and tone for what to expect in the song writing, especially lyrically. This quickly cuts into the track Against the Tide and the fast paced drum beats kick in straight away with a melodic instrumental build up. Despite this being their first release the quality is quite crisp and they keep everything tied down. The gang style vocals on the slower parts are also effective that can be heard above the lead guitar and add some variation.
The second half of the demo including tracks Misled Youth and Get Back in Touch also show quality musicianship and a huge amount of devotion and passion towards the hardcore scene. This has been a good year for French hardcore and a lot of bands seem to be popping up around this area. Don't We All are a good example of this and you should be sure to check them out on the link provided below.
29 Apr 2014
Mean Little Blanket: 'Blast Off!'
|Mean Little Blanket - 'Blast Off!'
Earlier this month my friends in Ashes Forever sent me a recommendation which is their friends band Mean Little Blanket who have just released their debut record titled Blast Off! Formed in 2009 by Corey Dozier and Jason Prushko based in New York, this 3 piece are re-inventing the sound of hard rock. This record contains 10 tracks of mathcore and jazz enfused hard rock that leaves you thinking, 'what did I just listen to?' Taking influence from bands like The Fall of Troy, Incubus and Between the Buried and Me , I think if you mixed all three of these bands plus others you would end up with a perfect description of Mean Little Blanket
The record starts off with Don't be Scared It's Only a Crescendo which in an instant, shows off these two people's talents and sets the tone for the whole album. The time signatures are all over the place which I love. Everybody's Good shows a perfect blend of guitar sequences with steady drums and some nice varied vocal patterns. No song on this record is alike and contain completely different styles of song making. I feel a lot of time, effort and passion have gone into creating this musical masterpiece and every song has been carefully pieced together like a jigsaw. This record is far from repetitive and leaves me wanting to listen to it more. It's entertaining, interesting and pleasant to the ears.
I really like the track Bermuda which includes some blues sounding guitar rhythms mixed with some rocky riffs and also has some cool effects throughout. This record seems to have a bit of something for everyone and I am sure this will appeal to all sorts of music fans as they have incorporated so many genres into their sound. Your Monster, My Ancestor goes back into a more progressive rock sound and the clean vocals work really well throughout. Power Wash is another one of my favourites on this record especially with the instrumental attributes and technical skill present. This track is broken down into a hundred different parts and my ears don't get too accustomed to one part as there is an impeccable mix of slow tempo beats with melodies and soft vocals but soon cuts back in with some jazzy, experimental parts.
Although the songs are all quite long (some ranging from 7-12 minutes) they are a perfect time for the listener to absorb all of the musicianship present. You really don't want to miss out on this release. Mean Little Blanket provide a fresh sound, not just for people who like rock music but for almost everyone. I really do not see what there is not to like about Blast Off! I believe this band will go far in the future but I do wonder how they will manager to top this release. Do not miss out on this and check it out on the link below.
Official band website
29 Mar 2014
Manners: 'Pale Blue Light'
|Manners - 'Pale Blue Light'
If you are unaware of Manners, they are a fairly recent melodic hardcore band from Connecticut US who seem a bit more favourable in this genre. With melodic hardcore I think you know what to expect but Manners take this style to a new level creating the most miserable, disheartening sound you can think of. Their lyrics are also incredibly sad and depressing and sets the tone for the whole record. I thought the previous EP Apparitions was very emotional and filled with despair but the latest release Pale Blue Light tops this by far.
I feel that is record is heavily influenced from 90's style lyric-wise but they have taken away the metalcore sound and replaced it with melodies and structured guitar sequences. This album is heavier than their previous release which has only enhanced Manners sound. This material with the mixture of emotion and instrumental heaviness would be fantastic to see live and i'm sure will get a positive reaction from the audience. There is a perfect balance between the melodies of the talented guitar playing from Ian and Jay and emotional piercing screams from Chris. Some bands use the vocals to their advantage and others sometimes use instrumentals to theirs but Manners do an awesome job of using both to create a sound that is satisfying to the ears.
On the tracks Family Portrait, Binge and Equinox there are parts that are very post-hardcore sounding showing huge potential and variation. This band set out to go above and beyond with their differential song structures and the pure passion and raw emotion portrayed through the vocals. I can't even put a finger on my favourite track as they are all as impressive and powerful as the next. Boiling point, Nothing to Fear and The Sun Won't Rise are all fantastic tracks and show amazing musicianship with crisp guitar melodies and pummelling drum beats but I particularly enjoyed the harmonies in the final track Living Will.
Manners provide a refreshing sound and capture the perfect elements of this style to create this successful melodic hardcore record . The amount of passion, anger, rawness and grittiness of this band will go far, as this release is spot on and I really hope they keep doing what they do to develop even more in the future. Check it out on the below links.
15 Feb 2014
Expire Headlining Show in London Tonight!
If you're about London or travelling down then this is a hardcore show not to be missed. Expire, Coldburn and Forsaken in Highbury and Islington area (Venue: Upstairs in the Relentless Garage. I saw Expire last time they played London and they put on an impressive performance so definitely looking forward to them gain. Forsaken are always fun to see live and this will be the first I have seen of Coldburn so should be interesting. Doors are open at 7(ish) I think, last tickets on the door are available from 6pm so don't miss out. The price is a nice round tenner, see below for band details:
Expire - Heavy hardcore from Milwaukee (US) currently on Bridge 9 Records
Coldburn - Hardcore from Germany currently on Cobra Records and BDHW Records
Forsaken - Crossover/Metallic Hardcore from UK currently on Neutral Words Records
12 Jan 2014
Wolf Down: The Grosvenor, London 09.01.14 Review
It's been a while since I have been to The Grosvenor in Stockwell but for my first show of the year I was sure I was not going to be disappointed. From first entering the front of the pub it was evident nothing had changed here and probably never will. The venue has a dodgy damp smell coming from the carpet and walls and the toilets are a dingy small cell like room and as always if the show sells out you can't see hardly anything as it is all on one level. Nonetheless it is still a venue that holds great atmosphere and is a perfect venue for hardcore shows.
The opening band Employed to Serve were greeted by a half full room but still there seemed to be a decent turnout near the front of the performance area as they took to the stage at around 19:50. This fairly new UK outfit do a huge number on providing crazy technical riffs and breakneck speed drums throughout their set. Generating quite an energetic response from the front members of the audience (including myself) I thought they played a fantastic set. As I had never seen these before (I'm not sure why) I was shocked on how awesome they sounded especially with no set time sequences and an attitude of pure misery and negativity. If you haven't yet seen these then you need to get to their next show!
Let it Die were up next and I maintained my spot up in front of the stage area while everyone else seemed to go to the bar and drink. The performance they put on was pretty good and use this term as I thought they have played better performances in the past. Playing heavy down tuned hardcore mixed with thrash elements the front section of crowd were banging their heads frantically and overall I thought they deserved a better turn out.
Pariso were up next and caused a bit of a buzz for the first time of the night. A few kids at the front of the crowd were going crazy for them. Although their set was quite short they still maintained their heavy and fierce chaotic style throughout. Their crazy instrumental parts mixed with searing vocals really showed a decent performance but not one of their best I have to admit. A short but sweet set that leads on to the next bands who are on tour together.
That's right Benchpress one of the night's most obvious hardcore bands jumps on straight after Pariso and is the first time they have been to UK and what a freakin' performance they put on. I knew they wouldn't disappointment me. The delivery of each song they played was on point to the very detail and the aggression and confidence of the vocals added a fantastic edge to the performance. The intensity of the riffs and breakdown parts caused quite a ruckus in which there was plenty of movement and moshing towards the front and middle which I was participating in.
The final act for the night was after this and to be honest I think the whole night the audience was waiting for Wolf Down. From when I reviewed their first release I feel they have grown majorly as a band musically and lyrically. As their sound check was going on you could see the amount of people building up in the venue especially towards the front section of the venue. This band are hard as fuck and every song they played on this night went down as well as the last. Every single track played had everyone moshing away, moving side to side and jumping on one another. Their set created such an amazing atmosphere to the night and to me was going to be probably one of the best sets of the year already. Crazy heavy breakdowns were played 10 times heavier than what they sounded like off the records, the vocals contained so much emotion and there was so much passion from this band it was just amazing. Even after they had finished the crowd wanted one more song which they happily played. For such a fantastic and hardworking band it was so worth busting my hand jumping into the crowd, missing my last tube and buying more merch. If you were there I'm sure you already know how good this show was.
9 Jan 2014
Wolf Down Headlining Show in London Tonight!
If you live in London, or if you don't live in London you need to get down to this show tonight at The Grosvenor, in Stockwell area, London. There has been some awesome turnouts over their tour here with Benchpress so please everyone get down to this and support hardcore music and make it a show to remember. It's only 6 quid and doors open at 7pm so get down early to check out the first bands! See below for band details.
Wolf Down - Vegan straight edge hardcore from Germany currently on Start a Fire Records and Powertrip Records
Benchpress - Heavy and mosh worthy hardcore from the US currently on Stateless Society Records and Marked for Death Records
Pariso - Aggressive and experimental hardcore from UK currently on Tangled Talk Records
Let it Die - Dirty, thrash influenced hardcore from UK
Employed to Serve - Hardcore/Powerviolence from London UK.
7 Jan 2014
Surveyor: 'No Life, No Future'
|Surveyor - 'No Life, No Future'
I think beatdown hardcore seems to be developing a greater following in this current time and over the past few years has seen a massive increase in the number of beatdown, down-tempo style bands. The definition of 'heavy' though is changing throughout this scene and it feels that each band is trying to outdo another with heavier and heavier breakdowns (nothing like a bit of friendly competition I guess). In this instance Surveyor are new on the block from California US and oh boy, their first release No Life No Future left me feeling like I've had all of my teeth kicked out!
Although beatdown style hardcore isn't the most technical or adventurous approach, it still packs one hell of a punch. From listening to this EP for the first time I felt the idea of Surveyor is to slam crowds with chugging down tempo riffs and ninja kick worthy breakdowns that make you wanna punch a hole through the wall. This is straight up gritty beatdown hardcore played with 500% pure negative attitude. The first track No Life kicks off with catchy double bass and a drawn out intro section which soon snaps to a slamming tough guy breakdown and throaty aggressive vocals. To me it sounds a little reminiscent of bands like Drowning and World of Pain and the heaviness should raise an eyebrow or two.
Surveyor havn't set out to be groundbreaking and bring nothing new to the table but tracks like Vida Dura and Lost Sleep definitely show an onslaught of bulky guitar two step rhythms and lots of strung out build ups to yet more fat breakdowns. The deep throaty vocals fit perfectly for this style of hardcore with lyrics to match especially in the track No Future.
All in all this is a mosh fest of a record and I think it's pretty clear they have achieved their main mission of releasing a heavy and angry record that all fans of this genre should enjoy. I have to say if you do like beatdown hardcore, this ain't half bad, check it out and buy it below.
4 Jan 2014
Warhound: 'Freedom'
|War Hound - 'Freedom'
War Hound are back and are better than ever with a brand new EP release titled Freedom. With a new and improved line-up this is an EP not to be missed out on. If you are not too familiar with this band then here is a little background information for you. Based in Chicago (US) they started in 2009 and their first releases Call of the Hounds and Return of the Hardstyle gained them appreciation in the hardcore scene and last year they released a full length Colder Than Ever which was awesome and in the vein of bands like Biohazard and Fury of Five.
I have been looking forward to this EP for a while now and it is nowhere near disappointing. This smashed all my expectations and they have completely redefined their sound and have developed incredibly as a band. I can't quite put a genre to it but imagine a mix up of Biohazard, Korn, hip-hop, intense screaming, dark metallic hardcore, beatdown style and BOOM you've got War Hound. The new song structures and lyrics are also a big step up from the last release.
Opening with the track Anger this is an instant favourite for me, this is a solid 3 minutes of pure aggression and heaviness. Constant chugging guitar riffs and crushing drum beats dominate this and towards the end part of the song there is an earth shaking breakdown which repeats a few times and really gets stuck in your head. Stress follows this and really shows off Ronnie Vinal's vocal power of raw screams and pure anger. Towards the end of this track there is a very strange harmonic guitar melody that is very Korn-esque which I love.
This then continues into the second half of the EP on the track Jealousy but soon breaks out into some slow, down tuned guitar ring outs. The pace starts to slow down throughout this track and into Fear but it never gets boring. They throw in some technical guitar solos alongside the droning chugs and heavy hitting drums and yet again there is a frenzy of crazy raw screams and gang shout outs which shows a great contrast between the paces and pitches.
Freedom stands out to me as a fantastic release and shows some very strong beliefs and attitudes that the hardcore scene should have! War Hound have created a monster of a record so do not sleep on this! They are on a tour later this month in the US with Lionheart and Havenside which I am jealous I can't attend as am based in the UK. Hopefully War Hound will try and play here again in the near future. I'd love to see how the new material goes down live!
Freedom is currently available for downloads at the below links:
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"Entrepreneurship is intensely personal - it is your passions and your energies made manifest for the world to see and growing a business has been an amazing process of self-discovery and personal growth."
- Ashley Heather is the founder and creative force behind Cape Town-based Ashley Heather Jewellery. All her jewellery is handcrafted at her Woodstock work+shop using precious metals reclaimed from circuit boards by a small refinery in South Africa. Ashley takes great care about every aspect of the craft and is constantly striving for the most sustainable studio practices from the manufacturing processes right through to the packaging.


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A few weeks ago, I finally visited a place I've been dying to try for a few years, King Spa & Sauna in Niles, IL. I'd been hearing about it for a while and even bought a Groupon two years ago but still hadn't gone. To celebrate my brunette bestie Christina's birthday, my girlfriends and I picked a spa day with dinner after.
So what happens when you take four best friends, add in a Korean Spa, and have them get naked together? Well, here we go…
About King Spa
"King Spa & Sauna is a unique Korean inspired spa that is known as "Jjim-Jil Bang". Jjim-Jil Bang spa is one of the many traditional assets that have coexisted in the Korean community. With its own unique cultural blend, the Korean sauna offers great relaxation to relieve stress from the body and mind." (King Spa Website)
They really offer everything you could want in a relaxing day, from a movie theater, restaurant, games likes checkers and chess, and spa services, to hot/cold pools . They have an oxygen room, ionization room, a variety of salt rooms, and an extremely hot but enjoyable fire room. You can go to their second floor and lay out on big comfy chairs and watch tv or nap for a few hours.
They are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Adults cost $35 per person and children under 12 are $30. It's an additional $5 for the base rock rooms, which you definitely want to pay. There is usually a Groupon available for $20 admittance, including the base rock room. If you can't find a Groupon, the King Spa website always has a deal, making it $24 with admission pus the base rock rooms. If you stay pass 1:59 am they will charge you an additional $10 fee.
My Day
Alex, Caroline, Christina and I walked in and got in line for tickets. You pay at the front and get a bracelet with key that is your locker number. The bracelet is also scanned whenever you need to pay for an additional service which is great because you won't be carrying any cash on you for payment or tip.
You walk down a hallway and take your shoes off when the sign says. Listen to the sign. When we entered the women's locker room you have the option of signing up for one of the body scrubs or massages. Alex and I signed up for their Gold Scrub package ($120) which was a 90 minutes service of a body scrub, facial, and massage. Caroline and Christina opted to get their services later in the main area.
Once you pass the sign up, you are fully immersed in the locker room. The very naked naked locker room. Having been to a Bally's fitness, I am no stranger to naked ladies in a locker room. You go to your locker and strip down to nothing. It is one of the most exhilarating feelings to get naked and just not give a damn.
Everyone was naked and walking around totally normal. It was the most liberating feeling to be around a group of women with completely different shapes, colors, ages, and sizes and feel completely comfortable. No one is staring at you or judging you. We are all on equal ground and it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. It was such a body positive experience and it was actually really cool to see a mother with her 10/11 (guessing here) daughter.
You can go straight to the main area of the base rock rooms but as we were naked, chose to use the hot pools. Just remember to have your hair pulled back in a ponytail. If you are too loud, they will definitely remind you. We alternated between the hot pools, sauna and cold pool, which was very refreshing.
Alex and I had to soak 15 minutes before our service and then we were sent to an area next to the pool. Do not be alarmed at the ladies in black panties and lace bras. It's the uniform. They are the masseuses and they are amazing.
You will lie naked on the bed and they will vigorously scrub you all over and over. They will throw warm water on you to get off the dead skin which is both gross and awesome. At one point you get up, rinse off and put some lotion on your face. They then lay warm towels on you while they massage you. They put tea tree oil in your hair and wash your hair. They also do a collagen facial which felt fantastic.
After 90 minutes of heaven, we rinsed off and headed to the main areas. Everyone gets the same set of clothes to wear, large pink shirt and shorts. You throw that on and go to the main (and unisex) areas. We met up with Caroline and Christina and got some delicious Korean food in the restaurant. Again, everything is linked to your bracelet so it's easy to pay. The meals aren't cheap but they are definitely delicious and large enough portions to share. If you want to try something interesting, check out their aloe water.
After some time in the base rock rooms, we went to the second floor and checked out their oxygen and ionization rooms. A quick trip to the very comfy movie theatre and we were ready to go.
Overall Impression
I loved King Spa and would gladly go back. The body scrub was ridiculously amazing and relaxing and made my skin feel baby soft. It was a great day and I loved going with friends. There are so many things to do and they definitely want you to enjoy yourselves, no rush to get out. It was well run and the food was so good. If you haven't gone here, give it a try!


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How To Throw A Chic Autumn Dinner Party With LSA International Glassware
If there is one thing to make me add a restaurant to my 'never to return' list (apart from no-reservation policies - what is all that about???), it's serving me a glass of wine in the kind of tumbler you used to get your water in with your school dinner. Being a grown up, and probably paying way over a fiver for a glass of wine, I'm pretty partial to having it in a decent glass. As you can imagine, when LSA International (the official sponsor of the Amara Interior Blog Awards 2016) wanted to gift me some of their glass pieces for making the Best DIY & Craft Award shortlist, I was delighted!
LSA International are celebrating 50 years of production this year, and you can see why their products are still regular features on wedding gift lists with their beautiful collections of handblown glass, porcelain, leather, wood and enamelled steel. I am particularly drawn to the handmade glass; mouthblown and finished by skilled artisans in Poland, it tugs at my creative heartstrings. It is also incredibly well designed - the OTIS and CITY BAR wine glasses have a contemporary straight-edged vase on a sleek, tall stem:
As it officially turned Autumn this week (according to the reliable old internet, the last day of summer this year was the 22nd September) I decided to take full advantage of my new LSA gifts and throw a chic Autumnal dinner party!
To evoke an autumnal scent in my home for my guests, I soaked some conkers (collected from a conker tree in my street) in a scented oil. Try and get an oil that smells woody, or is based in berries, apples or oranges. Put a cluster of these conkers in a decorative bowl in the rooms where your guests will frequent.
Using LSA International's thick handblown DAME storm lantern, some autumn leaves, acorns and conkers; I created one of my Autumn dinner table centrepieces.
In your empty storm lantern, line the base with the dried leaves - allowing the tips of the leaves to point upwards against the side of the glass. Use conkers to weigh down the leaves so that they stick to the sides of the glass and will not be near the open candle flame. Position your candle in the centre of the lantern and then fill up the lantern around the candle with acorns and more conkers. Slightly dislodge the leaves so some conkers and acorns can be seen in-between the leaves:
Autumn is all about earthy hues, so use brown and orange colours in your table decor. I used Chinese lanterns as my floral centrepiece, as the burnt orange colour of these flowers have a contemporary yet warming feel. I placed them in the UTILITY 39.5cm pot with leather handle by LSA International, as the brown leather really complemented the large orange heads.
Use wild Autumn foliage where you can. Even if you live in the city - acorns, conkers and wild blackberries grow everywhere. Take a plastic bag and a pair of hand cutters and collect what you can to add to your table.
The CITY BAR collection by LSA International is perfect for an Autumn dinner party, as the glass comes with a walnut base. Wood really evokes Autumn for me, as it is the change in the trees that encapsulates the change of seasons.*
*[But, lets be honest here, the real reason I love the CITY BAR range is because the glass comes with a coaster so you can say to guests "this glass comes with a coaster", which they will then use, as opposed to just silently venting to yourself all night that no-one seems to be using a coaster on your beloved furniture!]
I want to thank LSA International for sending me some of their fabulous products as a gift. The LSA International glassware used in this post can all be brought at Amara.com


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Happy Friday Everyone!
It's been a few months since I blogged about our Pick A Stick Challenge over on Facebook, so I thought I would recap my last few projects to get you up to date.
As you may remember, this monthly mixed media challenge gives us ten random steps that must be followed in order. That's the only rule! You can do anything you want before, after, in between....it's totally up to you. But that darned "in order" part always gives me fits!
In July, our first step was to collage with napkins. I picked a gorgeous poppy napkin I had in my stash.
I loved how the bottom half of my page turned out, but hated the top half! I finally reworked it and came to terms with it, instead of cutting it in half and burning that top part!
August turned out to be one of my favorite months we've done so far. Part of the challenge was to add a dog image as well as adding wings. I decided to do a tribute page to my sweet pug, Jake, who passed unexpectedly several years ago. It was an emotional project for me.
September was another fun challenge. The step that dictated most of my project was to use something from the opposite season. Since I live in south Texas, it seems like summer year round to me, so my "opposite season" was to add some snowflakes!
In July, we also added an ATC component to the challenge. Of the ten steps, three are chosen and must be incorporated (in order!) on an ATC card. The four of us who spearhead the group create four ATC cards, and winners are drawn at the end of the month to receive our cards. One special winner who created and posted both a ten-step project and an ATC card will also receive some extra goodies as well!
If you'd like to see my videos of these projects, check out my play list on You Tube.
Thanks for looking at my blog. I appreciate all the wonderful comments everyone leaves.
Happy Crafting!


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