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Reading the signs a couple of years ago it was easy to assume that the art of blogging was set to die a painful death at the hands of social networks like Facebook and Twitter and others. While social has changed how we communicate online, blogging remains a core part of things.
In fact, the truth is that there's never been a better time to blog. Social networks help build audiences and deliver content to readers, and more established blogs and websites often link to or aggregate smaller sites, sending swarms of viewers to read articles — The Daily Mail aside.
So, whether you're a blogger returning from a break, seeking a new home or are looking to write online for the first time, here's our guide to what blogging platforms are out there.
WordPress: WordPress.com and WordPress.org
WordPress has two options: a freemium hosted service that provides .wordpress.com domains — e.g. jonrussell.wordpress.com (but you can still pay to use your own domain) — and includes limited customization. Or the completey free .org version which allows for you to host WordPress on your own servers with much more control, edit themes to your hearts content, hack code and add as many WordPress plugins as you wish.
It is, in simple terms, the daddy of blogging. The platform powers almost 19 percent of the Web and has been downloaded more than 45 million times.
One of the platform's core strengths is its community of creatives, who have produced thousands of customizations and tweaks allowing WordPress users to add sophisticated and powerful plug-ins (features) to their blogs, or dress it up in a new layout or design.
Pros: Customization, customization, customization!
Cons: Vast array of options can be complicated for less-experienced users — tread carefully.
Verdict: Still the best option out there. WordPress is especially useful for companies or those looking to develop (or have someone else develop) a sophisticated website.
Blogger: Blogger.com
Google's take on blogging is Blogger, an easy-to-use and free platform that requires only a Gmail/Google account to get started.
Blogger blogs can be customized with new backgrounds and layouts easily. Unsurprisingly, the platform is hardwired into Google's AdSense advertising program (which might make the average blogger enough money for a cup of coffee each month) and other Google services like Google+ (for comments) and Feedburner (for RSS distribution) are easily configured.
Pros: Easy to use and get started.
Cons: Not particularly sophisticated and tied to Google — which killed off Google Reader, lest we forget.
Verdict: Less popular in this era, but Blogger is often the place where many, including this author, began writing online. Its customization options pale in comparison compared to others, and the layout looks a little dated when held against newer platforms.
Tumblr: Tumblr.com
The cool kid on the blogging block, Tumblr was arguably the first mainstream service to combine blogging and social media…leading eventually to Yahoo stumping up $1.1 billion to buy it.
Tumblr has a strong community of users, much like Twitter or Facebook, thanks to the ease in which other users' content can be reblogged to your Tumblr account. That makes it a different kind of platform to the likes of WordPress, and users — particularly of the younger generation — tend to turn to Tumblr blogs to curate items that they like rather than produce their own content.
More benefits: Tumblr supports custom domain names and is ludicrously easy to use from mobile, including photo uploads.
Pros: Owned by Yahoo — Tumblr was almost out of money when Yahoo swooped in to buy it.
Cons: Owned by Yahoo — Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has hinted that ads could make their way to Tumblr blogs.
Verdict: More of a social network than a blog, but a good option if you seek something quick and easy. Indeed, we're noticing increasing numbers of companies that keep Tumblr blogs, often separately to their main blogs.
Medium: Medium.com
If blogs were bars, Medium is probably the hippest place to be seen at right now. Not only was it started by Twitter founders Ev Williams and Biz Stone, but has a 'social layer' — which includes a feature letting users edit and annotate other people's work, while it obviously integrates well with Twitter.
Medium is cool but there are some key differences compared to other platforms. For one thing, its features are rigid while the way it links to other content on its network can frustrate writers enough to leave. Twitter has been called the global town square and, in that context, Medium a side room away from the 140-character shouting and chaos where people try to work over interesting topics in more detail.
The service isn't yet open to all, but Medium has long been seeding invites and existing users can ask friends to contribute, which signs them up to the service. The company also appears to also dish out invites based on conversations it sees on Twitter.
Pros: A great place to showcase your content to a (potentially) large audience.
Cons: Lack of customization and some content discovery issues, for writers.
Verdict: Medium is well worth trying, but many of the folks that write there use it as a secondary or tertiary blog.
Svbtle: Svbtle.com
The blogging platform from designer Dustin Curtis has, in my opinion, the slickest user experience of any blogging platform out there. (Speaking as someone who has a Svbtle blog.)
The user interface feels like a doodle pad or to-do list, making it a place where I can easily jot down thoughts and come up/develop ideas, while it runs in Markdown.
Just looking at the layout that readers see shows the elegance and thought behind the site. Svbtle does allow prospective users to apply to join, you can make your case via the email address listed on the site.
Pros: Beautifully designed.
Cons: Open to a selective number of users. Interestingly, it doesn't include a commenting system — perhaps a pro and con.
Verdict: A delightful blogging platform that is only available for a few at this point, though the Svbtle website says it will be open to all soon.
Quora: Quora.com
You might be surprised to see popular question and answer site Quora feature here, but it added user blogs back in January 2012.
As a platform for showcasing knowledge, bloggers that are seeking to tell stories or impart wisdom about particular topics may find Quora useful. Posts can be categorized using Quora tags — to make them searchable — and, with a little luck and the right content, they can become visible and widely shared.
However, there's no personalization and Quora is very much a place to showcase writing and knowledge rather than be your 'home' on the Web.
Pros: Strong community that soaks up new and interesting content.
Cons: Lacks personalization and 'homely' feel of a personal blog.
Verdict: Quora blogs are interesting for influencers, those seeking to elevate their status or others wanting to tap into the Quora community. That makes it better suited as a secondary of tertiary blog.
Postach.io: Postach.io
Popular note-taking app Evernote lets you share content written within its platform, but it's not really a blog. That's where Postach.io comes into play.
The blogging service slots into Evernote, allowing you to write posts right from the service using a dedicated notebook and set keywords like 'published', 'page' or 'avatar'. More than just writing content from Evernote, Postach.io hooks into comment engine Disqus, supports Google Analytics, allows for custom domains, social sharing and — interestingly — Markdown.
The service is currently in beta but those features, plus a decent selection of customizable themes, gives Postach.io a Posterous-like, easy-blogging feel.
Pros: Light-weight and easy to use.
Con: Limited customization.
Verdict: A relatively new arrival on the blogging scene, courtesy of Evernote's community of third-party apps and services, this is worth considering for jotting down quick thoughts or multimedia-rich posts.
Google+: Plus.google.com
Is Google+ a social network? Well, Google says it isn't — the company believes it's somewhat broader than that — and a range of the service's top users write blog like content there, often generating seeing impressive engagement. TNW contributor Robert Scoble has, for example, cut back on his blog in favor of "betting my future" on Google+.
Ultimately Google+ is not a blog, but it is a place where you can blog if you want to tap into a community to drive engagement. These days most content is shared to social media, so why not start it on social media? That's up to you.
Pros: Google+ has a strong community, despite the reports.
Cons: Not a blog platform so no customization or other features.
Verdict: Good enough for some people, so not to be dismissed as an option.
Facebook Notes: Facebook.com/notes
At the risk of treating all social networks as blogs, something we've no intention of doing here, Facebook has been added because its Notes feature is, essentially, a blog platform.
Connected to the world's largest social network, Facebook Notes allows you to pen posts with all the basic features, such as images, URLs, block quotes, etc. While it won't win awards for design and sophistication, it's a simple way to get the message out — especially if you're a person with an established following on Facebook.
Pros: 1.1 billion people user Facebook each month.
Cons: There's a lot more to the Web than just Facebook.
Verdict: We've got enough of Facebook already, particularly when there are a plethora of services dedicated to providing a dedicated blogging experience, rather than adding it as a mere feature.
SETT: Sett.com
SETT is a new, community-focused blogging platform that promises engagement. Similar in style to Medium and Svbtle, it claims it can help writers get 98 percent more comments — on average — and a lot more attention, just based on its community of users.
The platform allows readers to follow blogs, find similar posts and bloggers, communicate with each other — there's even a 'room' where readers can discuss topics from a blog. The site is clearly focused on engagement, promising to help cultivate an audience and community for its bloggers.
Pros: Boasts impressive engagement and opportunities to find audiences.
Cons: Still in its early days, and without the features of other platforms.
Verdict: This promising platform may be worth investigating as a means to help establish an audience, but we can't help but feel that there's only so many guarantees you can make for engagement. Ultimately, good content drives readers and audiences.
Ghost: Tryghost.org
Ghost is an open-sourced blogging platform that successfully graduated from Kickstarter in May 2013 having raised near $300,000 — well above its modest $25,000 goal.
For now, the service is only open to those who backed it on Kickstarter, but the company says it will be available to the public "around the end of summer 2013," which is not too long to wait.
The platform has garnered much praise across the Web for its elegance and its team promises to "inspire" bloggers with a fully customizable system, including "the full Ghost software with all bells, whistles, themes, plugins, and some extras that are only available with us," responsive design, "revolutionary" dashboard, and more.
Pros: Brings a fresh style and new approach.
Cons: Not available right now, while finer details — including price — are still be to communicated.
Verdict: Ghost has rightly got a lot of people excited and it promises to bring new impetus to blogging. We'll have to wait for more details, however.
Squarespace: Squarespace.com
Squarespace is a blogging platform that is popular with business users. Developing and hosting blogs is just one part, and it can be used to create and manage a range of websites, such as e-commerce sites.
Unlike most of the others, there is no free option, bar a 14-day trial, with sites priced upwards of $8 per month via an annual plan. That plan encompasses all elements of your blog or website, however, including cloud-based hosting and maintenance.
Pros: Wholly comprehensive set of features and services, gorgeously designed.
Cons: Pricey and perhaps better suited to creating a business website, than anything specifically blog focused
Verdict: A must-consider if you're a business, but other options will be better if you're setting up a blog or site on a smaller scale.
Typepad: Typepad.com
Another blogging old-timer, TypePad has been about since the word 'blog' began. Today, a blog on Typepad costs upwards upwards of $8.95 per month, which includes a set of designs, unlimited storage and customer service.
Typepad emphasizes its reliability, and certainly the platform has always been a more 'out-of-the-box' service that is easier to use, but less customizable and powerful than WordPress.
Pros: Easy to set up and use.
Cons: Not free and contains limitations.
Verdict: Typepad still has its users, including cult blogger Seth Godin, but other options have greater freedom, including your own custom domain name.
Posthaven: Posthaven.com
Posthaven arose from the shutdown of Posterous, which finally disappeared off the Web this year under the ownership of Twitter.
The service costs $5 per month and essentially replicates the Posterous 'light-blogging' experience, allowing posts and multimedia to be easily and quickly published. The Posthaven team promises it will never be acquired or go offline, two things that hit users of Posterous hard.
Pros: Not in danger of going offline.
Cons: Still in its infancy and adding some features other services already offer.
Verdict: A good option for those who loved Posterous and are prepared to invest in their blogging, in the knowledge that paying for a service provides security for the future.
UPDATE — We've added LinkedIn
LinkedIn Influencers: Linkedin.com/today/influencers
The Web's top business social networking service launched blogs for 'Influencers' back in October 2012, signing up 150 prominent business leaders, including the likes of Richard Branson and President Obama.
Unfortunately, the chances are that those reading this almost certainly don't qualify for a LinkedIn blog — this is for the real Internet 1 percenters. Given the way that LinkedIn is increasingly turning its social network into a communication platform for users and businesses, it remains entirely possible that blogs could become available to rest of us in time. But don't count on it.
Pro: Platform for a few privileged few.
Cons: Platform for a few privileged few.
Verdict: Not an option for the regular Internet Joe just yet.
– –
Finally, let's pour one out for the fallen heroes of the blogging revolution.
Posterous: Posterous' days always seemed numbered when it was acquired by Twitter in March 2012 in a deal that appeared to have been done to get hold of the developer talent behind the site. That fateful day confirming its closure came in February, and Posterous left the Internet on April 30 2013.
Xanga: One-time blogging pioneer Xanga remains on life-support after a campaign to raise $60,000 just passed the target. The company is collecting contributions until the end of August, after which it will relaunch. Perhaps our obituary is a little premature?
LiveJournal: Not dead just yet, but this former blockbuster is now a community-based social network owned by a Russian media company.


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


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Do you mean that you accidentally made a duplicate payment and are asking for a refund of the mistaken payment?
Student or Learner
Could some one please review and tell me if this letter is correct.
December 12, 2012
Commonwealth of PA via Facsimile 717-XXX-XXXX
Department of Revenue
Bureau of Corporation Taxes
Harrisburg, PA 17128-0701
Re: Refund for Account #XXXX-XXX
To Whom It May Concern:
We are writing to request a refund in the amount of $XXX.XX, which is one (1) of the two (2) payments of the same.
Please send check to above address.
If you have any questions please contact XXXXX at 410-XXX-XXXX.
Do you mean that you accidentally made a duplicate payment and are asking for a refund of the mistaken payment?
Yes that is what has happen. I am having trouble putting it in the correct words.
I would state that you accidentally made a duplicate of the payment. Show the dates and check numbers of the payment. Show any forms you needed to submit with the payment. Then ask for the refund of the over payment.
Great thank you so much for all the help, I seem to be having a off day today in writing, :)
Both Dave and I live in Pennsylvania. You'll have even better luck, I think, if you show photocopies of the front and back (to show they were both cashed) of the checks as well. As Dave said, include a copy of the bill you paid so it's clear that if $1,602 was paid, that you paid it two times, so they don't think that you made two equal payments to equal $3,204. (Of course, I just made these numbers up, but you get the point.)
And be prepared for a wait.
I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.


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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mitt Romney and his Republican allies raised more than President Barack Obama and the Democrats in the first 17 days of October as both presidential campaign efforts approached the $1 billion mark, with Obama in the lead, disclosures showed on Thursday.
The tight 2012 presidential race has become the costliest in U.S. history thanks to massive spending on advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts by the campaigns and by outside groups that have no fundraising limits.
After several months of lagging Obama in fundraising, Romney, the Republican National Committee and allied state parties overtook their Democratic rivals in October with $111.8 million raised from October 1 to 17, his campaign said, a period that included two of the three televised presidential debates.
Obama's campaign raised $90.5 million for itself and Democratic Party allies during that period, becoming the first in history to raise a total of more than $1 billion for an election effort together with his party.
Romney and the RNC were close behind, taking in a total of $919.4 million throughout the 2012 campaign so far.
Obama's campaign hedged on the $1 billion figure, saying the total was still short of that mark - at about $988 million - based on a tally of the cash raised since April 4, 2011, when Obama's team and the party officially became one campaign.
Reuters totals are based on a more commonly used calculation method that includes campaign funds starting on April 1, 2011, and party efforts dating back to January 1, 2011.
"As the Romney campaign and their super PAC allies continue to outspend us on the air, we're making every effort to expand our donor base heading into the final stretch," said Obama campaign spokesman Adam Fetcher.
Romney's campaign said it had $169 million left in its own and the party's bank accounts at the end of October 17 - a hefty sum for use in the last leg of campaigning before the November 6 election and more than the $123.9 million available to Obama and the Democrats.
"There are less than two weeks left, but we still have much hard work to do to ensure that Mitt Romney and (running mate) Paul Ryan win in November and bring real change to Washington," said Spencer Zwick, Romney's national financial chairman.
With the two men running neck and neck in polls, Thursday's money disclosures are the last glimpse into the campaigns' finances before Election Day.
"In an election this close, they're certainly going to try to put every dollar to use," said Anthony Corrado, campaign finance expert and government professor at Colby College in Maine. "They're building up cash because they want to have as much money as they can for the big final push."
Obama voted early in Chicago on Thursday to encourage other Democrats to do so as both campaigns were in a hectic last-minute dash through the handful of crucial states seen as determining this year's winner.
In a record-breaking spending spree, both campaigns have devoted the bulk of their cash to blanketing the airwaves with advertising.
In the first three weeks of October, the latest tally by the academic Wesleyan Media Project found that Republicans - Romney, his party and outside "Super PAC" groups - spent more than Democrats on ads, but Obama and his allies actually ran more ads.
Only candidates themselves are promised the cheapest rates for ads, meaning parties and outside groups have to pay up. While Romney has held a cash-on-hand advantage over Obama in recent months, it is thanks to strong fundraising by the Republican Party. Obama's campaign on its own has dwarfed Romney's in the money stakes in recent months.
That has afforded special prominence to the deep-pocketed Republican "Super PACs," outside spending groups that can raise unlimited funds and buy ads on Romney's behalf as long as their work is formally uncoordinated with the campaign.
The main pro-Romney Super PAC Restore Our Future on Thursday reported raising $20.1 million in the first 17 days of October.
Of that, $10 million was a new infusion from billionaire Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and wife Miriam, financial disclosures showed on Thursday. Harold Simmons, who is a Dallas banker and another top donor, gave $1 million.
The "super" political action committee had $24.2 million sitting in the bank as of October 17, the filing showed.
The pro-Obama Super PAC Priorities USA Action raised $12.7 million and had $10.1 million left in the bank on October 17.
The group received last-minute help from Silicon Valley start-ups, getting $1 million donations from LinkedIn co-founder Reid Garrett Hoffman, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus and Silicon Valley venture capitalist Vinod Khosla. Prominent billionaire financier George Soros also gave $1 million.
Another strong outside money group on Romney's side is American Crossroads, a Super PAC that is part of the effort spearheaded by veteran Republican operative Karl Rove, a former top aide to George W. Bush.
The group brought in $11.7 million in the first 2-1/2 weeks of October and had $6.4 million in cash on hand at the end.
After months of staying on the campaign sidelines, natural gas advocate and billionaire CEO of BP Capital T. Boone Pickens gave his first $1 million to the group earlier this month.
Other notable October contributions came from top Republican givers and the group's perennial donors Simmons, who gave $4 million, and Texas home builder Bob Perry, who gave $1 million.
Additional reporting by Patrick Temple-West; Editing by Alistair Bell and Eric Walsh


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SAN JOSE — A late-night run to the gas station Thursday ended with a 25-year-old father being shot to death in front of his East San Jose home just hours after a woman was stabbed to death inside her home, according to witnesses and the San Jose Police Department.
Both killings, which were unrelated, occurred in the city's east hills and marked the 16th and 17th homicides recorded in San Jose this year. At the same point in 2013, the city had 16 homicides.
In the most recent incident, Jimmy Copas Jr. was running errands and getting gas with his wife late Thursday night when around 11 p.m., someone opened fire as they were approaching Copas' home in the 600 block of Gridley Street, not too far from the intersection of McKee and North White roads.
Relatives came running outside and rushed Copas to Regional Medical Center of San Jose, where he died from his injuries.
'My daughter-in-law gets out of the car screaming and yelling that somebody shot Jimmy," said Catherine Copas. "By the time we could have called 911, we had him in the car and on our way. We thought it was best to take him ourselves because the hospital is just up the street."
Police caught up with the family at the hospital and cordoned off part of Gridley Street for homicide detectives to examine the shooting site. No suspects or motives publicly surfaced Friday.
"It's an ongoing investigation," Sgt. Brian Spears said at the scene. "We're trying to determine the facts that occurred."
Copas' parents, Jimmy and Catherine, said their son was a good husband and father trying to take care of his family. He had been working for a South Bay glass company for a few years and was being considered for a promotion. Catherine Copas said she went to her son's workplace on Friday morning to tell them what had happened.
"My son was a loving child," Catherine Copas said. "He cared about others. He was very respectful. He was a big boy but he had nothing but love for people. My son was not a bad boy. He was trying to take care of his family, get his life together."
She added: "He has a 2-year-old boy. Now his son will grow up without a dad".
Friday morning, friends and family gathered at the home to mourn. His uncle Gilbert Ramirez said Copas, who was called "JR" by his family, was shot while parking in front of the house.
The death marked the city's 17th homicide of the year and occurred a few hours after the 16th was reported just before 5 p.m. after a woman was found stabbed to death in a home on Canyon Ridge Drive in the hills off Quimby Road and Murillo Avenue.
In that case, police suspect the victim had been killed by someone she knew and a former resident of the home and that the suspect was still on scene when officers arrived.
Police said the suspect is one of the people who called 911. He was arrested and booked into the Santa Clara County Jail. Identities of the victim and suspect were not immediately released.
Contact Mark Gomez at email@example.com Contact Robert Salonga at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text: Yoga Studio Ganesha, located in the heart of downtown Sebastopol, is a small, peaceful studio dedicated to spreading the gift of yoga to the whole community. We offer classes for all ages and all levels. There are gentle classes for beginners, more rigorous classes for those who enjoy a challenge, and various styles to suit the needs of every individual, including Iyengar, Ashtanga, prenatal, Mom and baby, and kid's yoga.


text:
Tsai Shih-hung (蔡士弘) treats his canvas like a computer screen, copying and pasting avatars to populate a tech-smart and slightly menacing world. The results are on show at Magic Hour (加減乘除), a group exhibition of five pop artists. Jang Tarng-kuh (張堂庫), whose oeuvre shows a predilection for cats, is returning to the gallery with more puffy house pets brushed onto the canvas to seem more realistic than photographs. Zeng Ching-shi (曾慶熙) brings ape-men whose faces are foreign but relatable.
■ Metaphysical Art Gallery (形而上畫廊), 7F, 219, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段219號7樓), tel: (02) 2711-0055. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 6:30pm
■ Until July 7
Taiwan's largest group of military dependents' villages is on the way to extinction. In February 2009, Lulu Shur-tzy Hou (侯淑姿) photographed residents in three Zuoying District villages, two of which are now gone. Thirty-two of her photos are displayed at Here Is Where We Meet (我們在此相遇—2013侯淑姿個展). In a departure from previous works, Hou includes words from her photographed subjects in each image, as a gentle criticism of legislature's so-called rebuilding policies that are aimed instead at demolition.
■ Main Trend Gallery (大趨勢畫廊), 209-1, Chengder Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (臺北市大同區承德路三段209-1號), tel: (02) 2587-3412. Open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 11am to 7pm
■ Until July 6
Aihua Hsia (夏愛華) uses traditional Japanese lacquer to make fantastical forest creatures in A Convalescence Realm — Solo Exhibition of Aihua Hsia (癒之境:夏愛華個展), her first solo show. The sculptures are based on real animals in Japan, where Hsia recuperated after a wearying artist-in-residency in New York. In the gallery notes, Hsia says she forgot the trials of New York after wandering into an ancient Japanese forest full of rare animals, like a bright-orange frog the size of her hand. "I hope to give contemporary society a healing space, too," she writes.
■ MOT/Arts, 3F, 22, Fuxing S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市復興南路一段22號3樓), tel: (02) 2751-8088. Open daily from 11:30am to 8pm
■ Until July 6
Late Catalan painter Joan Miro is known for works that reject every school of painting that he encountered, including Surrealism, a category in which he's often classed. Instead, Miro uses his own idiosyncratic color palette and visual terms — loaded symbols like woman, bird and star — to escape what he saw as the cultural repression in Barcelona under Francisco Franco's regime. Over 85 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and lithographs completed between 1960 and 1980 are on show in Taiwan for the first time at Joan Miro: Women, Birds, Stars. During these final two decades of Miro's career, women, birds and stars had become the major motifs of his artistic expression.
■ National Museum of History (國立歷史博物館), 49 Nanhai Rd, Taipei City (台北市南海路49號), tel: (02) 2361-0270. Open Mondays to Sundays from 9am to 6pm. General admission: NT$250
■ Until Sept. 25
Wang Pei-hsuan (王珮瑄) is showing her paintings of strays in Pieces of Spaces: Solo Exhibition of Pei Hsuan Wang (王珮瑄創作個展). A portion of sales profits will go to Taiwan Animal S.O.S., a Taipei-based rescue group that supplied some of the live models.
■ Wenshui Arts and Cultural Center (文水藝文中心), 7F, 11, Nanjing E Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (北市中山區南京東路二段11號7F), tel: (02) 2563-4568 . Open Tuesdays to Fridays from 11am to 6pm


text: Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums :: View topic - Do You like poems ??? Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in Do You like poems ??? Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Literature View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message plasticJoined: 01 Jan 2006Posts: 17 Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 12:37 am Post subject: Do You like poems ??? I read this poem from [url]123greeting.com site[/url] Here is the words ... it is about love .. Love is the sweetest emotion, That springs in my heart, Love is like that tender kisses, You gave me at the start, Love is that to see that special smile, Appear on your face, Love is like a bouquet, With it is trimmings & lace, Love is like sunshine, Stronge and true, Love is all that, I feel so deeply for YOU I hope you like it It is one of the best poem I have read it ! Back to top aniiessJoined: 06 Nov 2005Posts: 41 Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 5:48 am Post subject: Hi:) AlSo^^^I like poems "Love is the sweetest emotion...[...]" ...>>>very nice poem:) I like it too. Best regards C'ya_________________::Quod Me Nutrit Me Destruit:: Back to top Emma_kimdinhJoined: 15 Oct 2005Posts: 69Location: B.I.S (that's my school) Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 3:35 am Post subject: i like writin poems but not readin poems..LOL jk but me poems r not veri gud..i HAV TO learn it at skool..HATE IT oops i mean LUV IT lol jk_________________Hi there!!! Nice to meet you, my friends, who come from all over the world !!! Back to top chloe-3-chanJoined: 25 Sep 2006Posts: 30 Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 4:27 pm Post subject: Hi!!My name is chloe. How do you do? I like poem,too. I introduce a poem. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mistery. Today is gift. I feel so. What I am makes What I will be. I think that I use word and grammar with wrong. So I couldn't tell you what I want to say. Next time,if I have a dictionary,I will wright my thought on this board. Back to top keptah77Joined: 18 Nov 2006Posts: 2 Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2006 6:55 pm Post subject: I´d like to share this poem is from Henry Wadsworth longfellow, i hope you like it. By the way, i´m 28 and i´m from Mexico NATURE As a fond mother, when the day is o'er, Leads by the hand her little child to bed, Half willing, half reluctant to be led, And leave his broken playthings on the floor, Still gazing at them through the open door, Nor wholly reassured and comforted By promises of others in their stead, Which, though more splendid, may not please him more; So Nature deals with us, and takes away Our playthings one by one, and by the hand Leads us to rest so gently, that we go Scarce knowing if we wish to go or stay, Being too full of sleep to understand How far the unknown transcends the what we know._________________Carpe Diem!! Back to top black seaJoined: 20 Oct 2006Posts: 56Location: Dubai Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 4:11 am Post subject: HI Chloe i liked this part of your poem yesterday is history Tomorrow is mistery Thanks alot Back to top asterixJoined: 26 Jan 2003Posts: 1654 Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 5:17 pm Post subject: This is a very famous poem by the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. Originally it was written in a scottish dialect, but it is difficult to understand, so this version is in normal English. 0, my love is like a red, red rose, that's newly sprung in June. 0, my love is like a melody, that's sweetly play'd in tune. As fair thou art, my bonnie lass, so deep in love am I, And I will love thee still, my dear, till a' the seas gang dry. Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear, (All the seas run dry.) and the rocks melt wi' the sun! And I will love thee still, my dear, while the sands of life shall run. And fare thee well, my only love! And fare the well awhile! And I will come again, my love. Tho it were ten thousand mile! Back to top ondreJoined: 01 May 2007Posts: 3 Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 11:59 pm Post subject: Could u please keep go on, all of them so beautiful and I'd love to read._________________Finder are only researcher. However, they aren't found by searching. ondre from İSTANBUL Back to top Ellie-The-VampiressJoined: 22 Jun 2007Posts: 20Location: Australia Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 3:49 pm Post subject: Emma_kimdinh wrote: i like writin poems but not readin poems..LOL jk but me poems r not veri gud..i HAV TO learn it at skool..HATE IT oops i mean LUV IT lol jk I do believe people are trying to learn English on this forum. Is it that hard to type it yourself? Rehab - Elle Allard We'll blink & it'll all be over. We won't wake or see the same again. We'll try our best to forget, Because that's the only thread of hope we can still cling to. Just let ourselves be medicated into a simulation of reality, Feel the syringes pierce our already acutely poisoned skin. We'll watch the pure white walls with eyes a gaze & wonder ever so secretly to ourselves, How on Earth did we fall so far?_________________Al ti-ra veh al tif-chad Back to top Jenniferdu521Joined: 29 Mar 2009Posts: 72 Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 12:07 am Post subject: I liked reading or sometimes writing poem when I was a teenages. But now I haven't been doing that for ages. In my opinion, poems could make me more romantic, but life need me to be more reality. Back to top pugachevVJoined: 16 Jan 2003Posts: 2295 Posted: Sat May 23, 2009 4:40 pm Post subject: "Daffodils" (1804) I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the Milky Way, They stretch'd in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils. By William Wordsworth (1770-1850). Back to top pugachevVJoined: 16 Jan 2003Posts: 2295 Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 5:17 am Post subject: William Shakespeare - One of his most famous sonnets... Sonnet XVIII. Shall I compare thee to a summers day? SHALL I compare thee to a summers day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summers lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, 5 And often is his gold complexion dimmd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or natures changing course untrimmd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou owst, 10 Nor shall death brag thou wanderst in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growst; So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Back to top Anuradha ChepurJoined: 20 May 2006Posts: 933 Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 1:47 am Post subject: My Short Skirt by Eve Ensler My short skirt is not an invitation a provocation an indication that I want it or give it or that I hook. My short skirt is not begging for it it does not want you to rip it off me or pull it down. My short skirt is not a legal reason for raping me although it has been before it will not hold up in the new court. My short skirt, believe it or not has nothing to do with you, My short skirt is about discovering the power of my lower calves about cool autumn air traveling up my inner thighs about allowing everything I see or pass or feel to live inside. My short skirt is not proof that I am stupid or undecided or malleable little girl. My short skirt is my defiance I will not let you make me afraid My short skirt is not showing off THIS IS WHO I AM before you made me cover it or tone it down Get used to it. My short skirt is happiness I can feel myself on the ground. I am here. I am hot. My short skirt is a liberation flag in the women's army I declare these streets, any streets my vagina's country. My short skirt is turquoise water with swimming colored fish a summer festival in the starry dark a bird calling a train arriving in a foreign town my short skirt is a wild spin a full breath a tango dip My short skirt is initiation appreciation excitation. But mainly my short skirt and everything under it is Mine Mine MINE. 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Vibes Promotion with Blind Prophet and OHRWO – in a ZAMZAM SOUND Special
In this Vibes Promotion Podcast you´ll listen great music from the great ZamZam Sound Label with a special mix by the US producer Blind Prophet.
He drop a fantastic mix for ZamZam in case of his first 7″ release @ ZamZam in March…
OHRWO complet the Podcast with some big tunes of the latest Vinylreleases like Peng Sound!, Lioncharge, ZamZam :), The Most High, Scrub A Dub and more..
Enjoy that bassline& Give Peace A Chance!!!
A playlist you find here!
Listen Vibes Promotion live every Friday 8 pm here.
Also check our big Vibes Promotion Showarchiv of the last 10 years.
Podcast: Download


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If you flip on your television, chances are pretty high you'll see a McDonald's ad. For those living in Japan, chances are higher you'll see a mobile phone game commercial. Way higher.
For the month of December, the most common commercial on greater Tokyo television was for mobile game site Gree with 2800 commercials. Number two was rival gaming site Mobage with 2000 commercials. Mobage operator DeNA is currently in hot water due to its business practices.
To put things into context, 7Eleven was number four with somewhere between 600 and 700 commercials, while McDonalds was number six.
Both Gree and Mobage are making tens of billions of yen annually - and spending a good chunk of that on air time. Check out some of their ads below.
公取立ち入り検査で露呈した 無料ゲームの危うい収益構造 [Yahoo!ニュース][Pic]


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Location: The Noyes Art Garage at Stockton University, 2200 Fairmount Ave, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Dates & Times: November 11th - December 27th, WED - SUN 11AM - 6PM
The 2017-18 State Teen Arts Touring Visual Art Exhibit features the nominated paintings, drawings and photographs created by the most dedicated arts students across the state. The students' Home Counties nominated 20 pieces of student art work to be showcased for display at the 2017 New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival this past May and June. Four (4) student art works were nominated by each a county to be part of the State Teen Arts Touring Visual Art Exhibit. These 45 art pieces featured in the New Jersey State Teen Arts Touring Visual Art Exhibit were selected among thousands of pieces of artwork showcased from 15 different counties: Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, and Union.
The tour launched on July 20th at the Bergen Performing Arts Center and will continue traveling through May 2018 ending the tour at the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts at Ocean County College just in time to kick off the 2018 New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival in May 2018!


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Search Results: 'magic'
100 Websites that can shift your life
eBook (PDF): $5.00
Everyday all of us spends a considerable amount of time searching for the right websites. Well that is the first step only after which we can search for specific like buying a car or a house, even... More > groceries. You may look for jobs, or try and find a partner for your brand new business or your life! You look for finances, funding, shares, trading even for planning your retirement. On a weekend afternoon it can be browsing for recipes or some gardening tips, travel plans book your air-ticket, ebaying to sell your old guitar or buy a new one for your kid. Today you can look for love, life and spirituality and beyond on the net, no boundaries or exceptions!!< Less
Magic and Miracles 30 Day Coaching Workbook
Paperback: $24.99
Prints in 3-5 business days
Magic and Miracles 30 Day Coaching Workbook
eBook (PDF): $9.99
Card to Case
eBook (PDF): $3.05
• A card is selected & shuffled into the pack. • With a wave of the magician's hand, the card vanishes from the pack; to verify this, cards are spread on the table. • The... More > selection has vanished. • The card can then be produced from the card case which has been in full view the whole time. • This is very easy to perform. Also included bonus effect. Spectator names any card, it is shown that this card is the only blue backed card in a red deck< Less
CHAMP: The fish that could fly
Paperback: List Price: $18.90 $17.96 | You Save: 5%
Prints in 3-5 business days
Great, colorful book for children, sending the message that if you believe in yourself, anything is possible!
Time for a Trick?
eBook (PDF): $2.53
EFFECT: You, the performer, ask the spectator to think of their favourite hour of the day. The cards from deck are then dealt in a clock shape, 12 cards, each card signifies an hour of the... More > day. Performer then asks spectator to think of the card which lies at their chosen hour.. 1. Performer then reads the mind of spec and correctly divines the hour that spec was thinking of. 2. Performer then names the card that spec was thinking of… Which is pretty amazing so far.. they don't expect what happens next. 3. You prove that you knew before hand which card they would pick…pick up the card case which has been in plain view all along and inside is written… the name of their card. Performer then turns over all of the cards in the deck…the spec selection is the only red card in a blue deck.< Less
The Derivative Works Coloring Book
eBook (PDF): $0.00
FINALLY! Monochrome collages... 1. Color. 2. Scan/photograph your colored work. 3. Email to us. 4. POSSIBLY WIN MEGABUCKS!
eBook (PDF): $3.06
Spectator selects a card from a borrowed, shuffled deck. Through a series of questions in which the spectator merely answers "yes" you are able to divine the thought of card!For example... More > you ask " Is your Card red?" The spec says YES. "is your card black?" & Using a sneaky technique you will know which answer is a LIE!!! This is a great opening effect in a Body Language Style Routine. Also includes alternative ending in where you influence the spectator to say stop on their own card.< Less
Invisible Energy
eBook (PDF): $2.53
Effect: Using random objects, keys phones etc, you are able to divine a spectators thought of object by using body language. This is great for bars when you have forgotten your cards. • Use any... More > items you have , keys ,wallet phone ,watch, etc • No outs, you are always right • No peeking Example routine: Place 5 objects on table (can be spectators) turn your back, ask spectator to hover hand over one of the items to give it some of their energy. When you turn back round, hover your hand over each item and using body language you divine the correct item every time. You can even have the spectator describe each object while your back is turned and while you are listening you can correctly divine the item they have chosen. This is a great easy to do effect which is a great opener for a mentalism/body language style routine.< Less
Top 10see more >
The CashPT®...
Paperback: $19.97
Breaking Out of Broke
Paperback: $16.50
The Jesus Tree According...
Paperback: $20.00
St. Paul's School of the...
Paperback: $8.00
Lilla Rose Stylist...
Paperback: $2.62
The Spirit of Expectancy
Paperback: $20.00
A Tale of Two Sides: A...
Paperback: $20.24
Love's Eternal Call
Paperback: $15.00
Much Madness: A...
Paperback: $10.95
Christmas by Jenny
Paperback: $6.20
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From his perch on the Supreme Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy sings a song of himself. He specializes in grandiloquent assertions that are long on begged questions and pronouncements of the ipse dixit variety. Here are a few highlights from past terms of the Court:
Planned Parenthood v. Casey (joint opinion with Justices O'Connor and Souter), reaffirming the "essential holding" of Roe on the unconstitutionality of laws restricting the right of abortion: "At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life…."
Lawrence v. Texas, on the unconstitutionality of sodomy laws: "Freedom extends beyond spatial bounds. Liberty presumes an autonomy of self that includes freedom of thought, belief, expression, and certain intimate conduct. The instant case involves liberty of the person both in its spatial and more transcendent dimensions…."
Roper v. Simmons, on the unconsitutionality of juvenile capital punishmetn: "It is proper that we acknowledge the overwhelming weight of international opinion against the juvenile death penalty."
This term Justice Kennedy added a few more highlights:
Boumediene v. Bush, extending the right of habeas corpus to Guananamo detainees: "The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times. Liberty and security can be reconciled; and in our system they are reconciled within the framework of the law."
Kennedy v. Louisiana, on the unconstitutionality of capital punishment for child rape: "In most cases justice is not better served by terminating the life of the perpetrator rather than confining him and preserving the possibility that he and the system will find ways to allow him to understand the enormity of his offense. Difficulties in administering the penalty to ensure against its arbitrary and capricious application require adherence to a rule reserving its use, at this stage of evolving standards and in cases of crimes against individuals, for crimes that take the life of the victim."
In today's New York Times Linda Greenhouse confers the Times's customary recognition on those who rewrite the Constitution in a leftward direction: "In a complicated term, Kennedy left boldest mark."
To comment on this post go here.


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We were able to connect to the MySQL database server (which means your username and password are okay) but not able to select the database.
The MySQL error was: .
Currently, the database is glas. The username is glas and the database server is mysql-glas.
For more help, see the Installation and upgrading handbook. If you are unsure what these terms mean you should probably contact your hosting provider.


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Main Page
From AgentSheetsWiki
Welcome to the AgentCubes Wiki. AgentCubes is the world's most accessible 3D authoring tool. AgentCubes introduces Incremental 3D, with the patented technology of Inflatable Icons, that allows you to go from 2D to 3D. Add that to the ease-of-use, ease-of-learning Visual Programming language (Visual AgenTalk), that lets you "drag and drop" to create your game and simulation behavior and you will be making 3D games and sharing them before you know it.
- Arcade: locate other people's projects, comment, rate them; share your own creations.
- Coming soon...
- FAQ: Get important information about AgentCubes.
- Conditions: VAT language pieces to test situations for your agents' behavior
- Actions: VAT language pieces for your agents to act out
- Methods: combine Rules into methods
- Parameters: used in Conditions and Actions
Project Information
- Project Designs: documentation for some of the AgentCubes projects that are bundled with the application
- AgentCubes has been funded by the National Science Foundation under Grant Numbers IIP 0712571 and IIP-0848962. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
- AgentSheets Inc. wishes to thank
- Christopher Lloyd: Cocotron creator, an open source Objective-C API similar to Apple's Cocoa. He has been invaluable in getting AgentCubes to run on Windows, by extending his Cocotron implementation to meet our needs.
- All the dedicated testers and project/inflatable icon contributors:
- Fred Gluck: instructor at Science Discovery
- Tim Henderson: past intern at AgentSheets Inc. and now student at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
- Tucker Matous: middle school student at Centennial Middle School
- Derek Palmer: intern at AgentSheets Inc.
- The University of Colorado evaluation team that assessed the pilot uses of AgentCubes in classes:
- Dr. David Webb, Assistant Professor at the School of Education
- Krista Marshall and Sarah Roberts, graduate students at the School of Education
- Pioneer teachers that piloted AgentCubes in their classes
- Burke Taft, teacher at Centennial Middle School, Boulder, CO (now retired)
- Jason Reub, teacher at East Junior High School, Rock Springs, WY
- Project Contributors:
- Jacopo Malnati: co-creator of Traffic Sim project
- Marco Primi: co-creator of Traffic Sim project
- Inflatable Icon Contributors:
- Patrick Enrique Vargas: student at the University of Colorado at Boulder
- Hunter Stevenson: student at the University of Colorado at Boulder
- Margaret Katherine McNulty: student at the University of Colorado at Boulder
- Texture Contributors:
- Spiral Graphics
- DesignM.AG for wood and fabric textures


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The Prime Minister's extraordinary decision to announce the federal election date more than half a year early is not a vote-changer, but it is a conversation-changer.
And that is something that the government needed desperately.
It ended last year with Wayne Swan's abject admission that the Labor Party was abandoning its iron-clad guarantee of a budget surplus in May.
This was such a grave failure of credibility that the government needed to open this year with a dramatic change of subject. Julia Gillard's announcement yesterday achieved that spectacularly.
Prime ministers traditionally guard the secret of the election date more jealously than they conceal treasured gems of national security.
While a war plan will be discussed among dozens of officials and ministers, a prime minister typically restricts an election plan to a number of intimates that can be counted on one hand.
Until yesterday. Gillard exploded all convention by publicly announcing an election date 227 days in advance. In a way, she was making a virtue of a necessity.
Remember that, as a condition of forming a minority government, she signed an agreement with two independent MPs committing herself to an election in September or October this year.
To call an election any earlier would have been to begin a campaign in a deluge of accusations of bad faith and yet another broken promise.
The early announcement does not mean that Gillard loses a prime minister's tactical advantage of surprise. It just means that she exercised it yesterday, instead of in August.
Beyond changing the subject, Gillard's move yesterday works on two further levels.
First, it allows her to put new pressure on Tony Abbott. Ever since the Australian people punished John Hewson for treating us like grown-ups with his full and early election manifesto, opposition leaders have kept their policy plans as mysterious as possible for as long as possible.
They customarily wait until an election is called, hiding behind the uncertainty as an excuse for concealment.
Gillard has just removed that comfortable hiding place. She immediately demanded Abbott produce detailed policy plans, fully costed by the new independent Parliamentary Budget Office.
So it works as a political tactic.
Second, Gillard can truthfully claim that her early announcement has removed a source of uncertainty for companies and institutions trying to plan their year. So it works as a national interest argument.
It is a successful tactic. But it is not a strategy. Even greater than Labor's need to change the subject is its need to win votes.
It is a vital qualification for election that a political party is seen as superior on economic management.
Labor was way behind the Coalition on this core credential even before it abandoned its promised surplus, according to the opinion polls.
Gillard managed to get the conversation off this uncomfortable reality yesterday. But she cannot avoid it if she hopes to win the election she has now announced.
Peter Hartcher is political editor and international editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.


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Pearly Vine
Pearly Vine
Clusters of pearl branches wired onto a gold wired comb. It could be worn in the back or front side of the hair.
100% Handmade
If you would like to customize this piece in silver or a different color, size, or on a headband please email email@example.com. Please check our store policy for processing time and current order status. If you need your order shipped before our standard processing time, please contact us for more details.
Photography Credit: Ashley Bee
Makeup: Sharon Park
Hair: E2Beauty
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