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Your Indiana Hoosiers are off this weekend, but we know you'll still be keeping an eye on the television tomorrow.
So have a nice pint of Upland and join us for a quick recap of last week's games, along with a preview of what's to come in Week 2.
But first, your weekly viewing picks –
- 12 PM window: Slim pickings here, but I'm going with Purdue – Central Michigan. Be prepared to flip the channel quick, here, but this one has major schadenfreude factor – this Purdue team doesn't look good at all, and most of our readership wouldn't mind seeing a loss. I wouldn't fault you for watching Missouri – Toledo, either, here.
- 3:30 window: Iowa – Ball State is a decent option here. Iowa's a swing game for our Hoosiers, so it's a great fan-scouting opportunity against a Ball State team that Hoosier fans should be familiar with. I expect Iowa to win comfortably, but watch the run game – if Iowa can't run the ball, it puts a ton of pressure on Jake Rudock for their match-up with the Hoosiers later this fall.
- Late Window: It's not even a question – Michigan State – Oregon. This is the national game of the week, and features two styles that couldn't be more different. Make sure you're in front of a TV for this one. It could be a great one.
Below the fold, check out your list of match-ups – there's some tasty ones here.
Bowling Green State Falcons vs. VMI Keydets
Saturday at 3:30 PM ET, ESPN3
It's not been a great start for first year Head Coach and All-Name team honoree Dino Babers. The Falcons totally imploded at Western Kentucky in a 59-31 loss, giving up an absurd 569 yards on 46 of 56 passing from WKU QB Brandon Doughty. Adding injury to an insult of a game, starting quarterback Matt Johnson will miss the rest of the season with a hip injury, and Sophomore running back William Houston has been suspended for two years for attempted rape.
So, no, things aren't going well.
As you can imagine, it's a perfect time for a "get-right" game. It appears they have just what the doctor ordered in a matchup with the VMI Keydets. Expect a big win from the Falcons against a totally overmatched opponent.
Watch for:
Can BGSU establish their tempo? Dino Babers is an Art Briles disciple, and looks to bring a similar high-tempo system to the Falcons. If the offense can't sustain drives, as Hoosier fans can tell you, it will be a long year.
(24) Missouri Tigers at Toledo Rockets
Saturday at 12 PM ET, ESPN
Missouri kicked off the season at Faurot Field with a 38-18 win against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. This one was a bit closer than you may have expected through three quarters, until Kick Returner Marcus Murphy took one to the house in the third quarter to extend the lead to 28-21.
The Tigers got it done on the ground with a solid 5.51 yards a carry. There were some signs of concern, however, as Mizzou was only able to convert 3 of their 11 third down tries. Add to that a couple of missed field goals from within range, and you've got Missouri fans feeling a little more uneasy than you'd think.
This weekend sees them taking a road trip to the Glass Bowl in Toledo to take on the 1-0 Rockets. Missouri is a 3.5 point favorite, depending on where you look. Toledo put up 54 points last week against the New Hampshire Wildcats. I'd expect Mizzou to rebound this week, but expect Toledo to give them a game in front of a home crowd.
Watch for:
Can Missouri sustain drives? Against South Dakota State, they only had one drive of at least ten plays. That one ended in a missed field goal. Although time of possession isn't a particularly meaningful statistic, South Dakota State held the ball for four drives of four minutes or longer.
Maryland Terrapins at South Florida Bulls
3:30 PM ET, CBS Sports Network
Maryland's first game ended in a 52-7 destruction of James Madison. Terp RB C.J. Brown rushed for three touchdowns on seven carries as the Maryland offense moved the ball with regularity. The Terps had a relatively pedestrian 5.5 yard per play average, but kept great field position all day – they started five drives inside of JMU territory, and only had 4 of the 16 drives start inside their own 25.
After a game that could hardly be called a challenge against JMU, a trip to South Florida should give Maryland more of a challenge. The Bulls are coming off a narrow win over the Western Carolina Catamounts. South Florida showed an explosive offense that may present some problems for Maryland, but the Terps shouldn't have any problem scoring on the day.
Maryland is favored by 13.5 points. Despite this being a road game, that might not be enough.
Watch for:
Can Maryland keep it up on the road? It's not an easy trip to South Florida, even if the Bulls are heavy underdogs here.
North Texas Mean Green vs Southern Methodist Mustangs
Saturday at 12:00 PM ET, FSN
The Mean Green had a rough go of it last week, serving as the sacrificial lamb for HC Charlie Strong's debut at Texas.
North Texas' passing game was something that even triple-option stalwarts Navy would be ashamed of. North Texas quarterback Josh Greer was 2/11 for 8 yards and 2 interceptions, while backup Andrew McNulty threw 2 interceptions against 1 completion. Calling the passing game abysmal would honestly be too kind.
The positives were limited for North Texas, but they did show an ability to force turnovers (2 fumbles forced) and limit the run game (4.1 yards per carry average for Texas).
North Texas invites Southern Methodist in for a tilt at Noon ET Saturday. June Jones' SMU was embarrassed 45-0 at the hands of Baylor, a game where Coach Jones claimed that his players "(were hit by) the fog of war." SMU comes in as 2.5 point underdogs, but it's hard to call a game where neither team showed much of anything in the debut.
Watch for:
Nothing. Please, save yourself some time and don't watch this game. If you're such a College Football junkie that you need to main line this game into your bloodstream, seek help from a professional immediately.
Iowa Hawkeyes vs Ball State Cardinals
Saturday at 3:30 PM ET, ESPN2
Iowa narrowly escaped defeat against the Northern Iowa Panthers last week, winning 31-23 on the strength of a 250 yard day from QB Jake Rudock. Iowa's vaunted rushing attack couldn't get anything going outside of a 35 yard rush on a reverse from Tevaun Smith. That rush alone made him Iowa's leading rusher for the day, beating out Mark Weisman's ten carries by a yard.
UNI had the game down to a point with 13 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but a Jake Rudock touchdown pass to Damond Powell put the Panthers to bed for good.
The Hawkeyes look to rebound against a Ball State program coming off a 10 win season under Head Coach Pete Lembo. The Cardinals beat Colgate 30-10, but are 17.5 point underdogs going into Kinnick Stadium.
Watch for:
Can Iowa's offense rebound? They looked less than mediocre against a FCS opponent, particularly in the run game. If they can get Mark Weisman unhinged, the outlook for this Iowa offense improves considerably.
(7) Michigan State Spartans at (3) Oregon Ducks
Saturday at 6:30 PM ET, Fox
Michigan State unloaded on Jacksonville State for a 45-7 win in a rare Friday night game. The Spartans could do no wrong as Connor Cook threw for three touchdowns in a blowout first quarter. Jeremy Langford didn't need to do much more than his 13 carries for 57 yards, as this game was over before it really got started.
Things change in a big way for the Spartans, though, as they visit the Autzen Zoo for a showdown with the Oregon Ducks. This is your game of the week. It's a massive opportunity for Michigan State to announce themselves as a national title contender. It's important to note that a win would be huge for the Big Ten's reputation in the new College Football Playoff era.
Oregon's still the team you remember – they put up 62 points (3rd nationwide) and 673 yards in their first game against South Dakota. Marcus Mariota returns to run the offense, and could give this Michigan State defense fits.
The books like Oregon by 11.5 points in this one, with an over/under of 56. It's hard to imagine even Michigan State's vaunted defense slowing Oregon down that much, so it's critical that Jeremy Langford has a big day on the ground to keep the crowd quiet and the clock running.
Watch for:
Is this the same Michigan State defense we saw last year? The Spartans lost Darqueze Denard, Isaiah Lewis, and three of their front four, so some regression is expected. I refuse to bet against a Mark Dantionio defense, however – the guy can coach defense.
Michigan Wolverines at (16) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Saturday at 7:30 PM ET, NBC
Michigan exercised some demons this past weekend by hammering Appalachian State 52-14. The Wolverines got it done in the rushing game, seeing Derrick Green and De'Veon Smith combine for 285 yards rushing on 23 carries. This game was never really a contest, and had no chance of repeating the historical Appalachian State upset from 2007.
This weekend, Michigan travels to South Bend for the final time in this series – future dates in the series have been cancelled (for now) as Notre Dame adjusts to half of an ACC schedule. Much is expected of Notre Dame this season as Everett Golson returns after a year off due to suspension. The Irish will be tested often this season by a brutal schedule, as they face off against Stanford, North Carolina, Arizona State, Louisville, and USC in addition to a major test at defending national champions Florida State.
Michigan is only a slight underdog here at +3.5 points, although I'm seeing projections out there that see this as being closer to a nine point win for Notre Dame.
Watch for:
Can Michigan's defense slow down Notre Dame? Your Indiana Hoosiers put up a ton of points on Michigan last year, and it's not clear from the first week how much they actually improved. Brian Kelly runs a solid offense for the Golden Domers, so if Michigan lacks discipline defensively, this game could be uglier than you think.
Penn State Nittany Lions vs Akron Zips
Saturday at 12 PM ET, ABC/ESPN2 (depending on your market)
Penn State returns from a working vacation to Dublin, Ireland, where fans were able to witness a 26-24 come-from-behind victory over the UCF Knights. Christian Hackenberg was every bit of "as-advertised", throwing for 454 yards in the win. Hackenberg led an improbable 8 play drive with 1:13 left on the clock, leading to the game winning, 36 yard field goal from Sam Ficken.
The Nittany Lions struggled with turnovers, giving the ball up 3 times. The rushing attack was embarrassing in this game for both sides. Penn State couldn't run the ball at all on the Knights' front, gaining 2 yards a carry on 28 carries. Somehow, UCF was worse, rushing for 0.8 yards a carry on 29 carries. That's not a typo – it was actually a 0.8 average.
Penn State fans hope that the team's recovered from jet lag quickly as they take on the Akron Zips this weekend. Akron flambéed the Howard Bison 41-0 over the weekend. Akron shouldn't put up too much of a challenge this weekend as Penn State looks forward to welcoming Rutgers to the Big Ten on September 13th.
Penn State is favored by two touchdowns.
Watch for:
Can Penn State get their rushing attack going? Zach Zwinak is an experienced player, but 2.7 yards a carry isn't going to cut it against better opposition. He was a 1000 yard back last year, so the guy has talent. Yet, I'm sure Penn State fans are hoping for a serious step up this weekend against the Zips from the big guy.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Howard Bison
Saturday at 12 PM, BTN
New Jersey is flying high after a successful cross country trip to Pullman, Washington. Rutgers defeated Mike Leach's Washington State Cougars by a score of 41-38. Although the Scarlet Knights gave up 532 yards to Leach's air raid scheme, their balanced offense was good enough to narrowly steal the win. Big days from Paul James and Leonte Carroo were key for Rutgers on the day.
The team takes a breather as the Howard Bison come to town.
Don't kid yourself – this game's not going to be close. Howard was blown out 41-0 by Akron last week, and Rutgers is, at this stage, objectively a better team than Akron. If it's close, Rutgers is in for a long, long season.
Watch for:
Is this a huge blow-out, or a less of a blow-out? The only "watching" you should do on this game is to check the score on your phone. This one's not likely to be interesting, and should be one of the worst games in the 12 PM window.
Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
Saturday at 8 PM, ESPN
Scheduling Navy is a losing proposition, and Ohio State showed why this past week. The Navy triple-option gave Ohio State fits, accumulating 330 yards through the rush.
This game was a three point game in the fourth quarter, until Ezekiel Elliott and Michael Thomas scored to push the lead to double digits.
New QB J.T. Barrett had a nice day against Navy, throwing for 226 yards on 15 attempts. Losing Braxton Miller hurt, but this OSU team has an embarrassment of riches talent-wise. If there's any Big Ten team that can overcome the loss of a starting QB, it's Ohio State.
The next challenge for the Buckeyes comes from the Virginia Tech Hokies. Virginia Tech lost veteran Quarterback starter Logan Thomas to graduation this year, and replaces him with 6'1 Junior Michael Brewer. Brewer lacks a ton of experience, but had a nice day against William and Mary in week 1. Look for VT to present a balanced attack to try to keep the Buckeyes defense guessing.
Watch for:
Can J.T. Barrett handle the step up in competition? For Ohio State to factor in to the playoff conversation, they need solid quarterback play. This game may give us a preview of how Barrett will hold up against Michigan State and Michigan later in the year.
Purdue Boilermakers vs Central Michigan Chippewas
Saturday at 12 PM, ESPNews
This Purdue team is still in a bit of upheaval. They weren't able to get the passing game going against Western Michigan, and gave up 6.25 yards per play. That's a concerning statistic against a MAC team that isn't expected to do much this year.
The difference in the game last week came through turnovers. Western Michigan missed two fourth down tries, and threw a 56 yard interception that was nearly returned for a touchdown.
Purdue is only favored by 3.5 against an average Central Michigan team. While I do expect Purdue to win this one, there's likely to be some concern in West Laffayette if this game is too close. Central Michigan barely snuck home a win against the Chattanooga Mocs, 20-16.
Watch for:
Does Purdue get upset here? If so, you may be starting to hear chatter about Darrell Hazell's future with the Boilermakers. There's already some dissent in the ranks, and it's still just the dawn of his second year with our neighbors up north.


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This service excellence training course is designed to give participants the communication skills, negotiation strategies, and customer service best practices they require to take their organization from good to great levels. The training is aimed at those organizations looking to improve their customer focus and develop their customer culture by working towards customer service excellence standards that significantly improve customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.
This training programme focuses on developing a culture of customer service excellence and provides participants with a roadmap for examining and improving the service they provide at both the individual and organizational level.
This course is tailored towards developing a service culture with the following objectives
a. Understand the best practices of topnotch customer service providers
b. Understand the crucial customer service components that advance brand loyalty
c. Develop skills in engaging with customers and handling their enquiries effectively
d. Adopt a consistent, professional style when communicating with customers
e. Identify ways they that add value to customer relationships and exceed expectations
f. Practice how to turn customer service disappointment into a positive experience
g. Develop a customer-focused attitude with a continuous improvement aspect
Who should attend:
Supervisors, managers and head of departments in Customer facing staff, Business operations staff, Sales and business development teams.
The course outline
A. Proactive customer service
1. Understanding the use of body language in service delivery
2. Handling analytical, passive, expressive, aggressive and customers
3. Communication that promote a professional image
4. Active listening and questioning skills in meeting customer's expectations
5. Building the pillars that help in achieving a culture of service excellence
6. Understanding clients' needs and service expectations
7. Measuring internal and external customer service satisfaction
8. Using customer service as a tool to grow sales and develop business
9. The application of social media in enhancing customer service and company brand
B. Building customer relationships
a. How to build trust and loyalty - relationship triangle
b. The differentiating factors Vs competitors?
c. Ways to add value and exceed customer expectations
d. Service following up
C. Service recovery
1. Service recovery process - procedure of conclusively handling customer complaints
2. Identifying the nature of customer complaints
3. Turning disappointment into delight
4. Introducing colleagues to resolve customer service issue
5. The importance of empowering staff to manage customer complaints
6. Managing emotions in demanding and stressful circumstances
D. developing a customer service excellence culture
a. Basic principles of the kaizen approach
b. Tenets of continuous improvement in creating a excellence service delivery culture
c. Customer service teams and the best mental attitude towards service delivery
We issue a Certificate of completion to all delegates who attend and complete the training sessions.
To register
To ensure that you conveniently enjoy this course book and request for reservation of slots for yourself or team by calling or emailing via

subset: commoncrawl


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This woman spent her life as a mother and a pastor's wife. People talked about how she opened her home to a church every Sunday, how she loved to teach children in Sunday school, how she made spaghetti for the congregation every Sunday, and how she brought many of them into the Kingdom of God by the time she spent with them. She was a true Mother of the church.
Many people are concerned about leaving a legacy. They want to be remembered. They want to leave their mark on society--something that will show they have been on earth.
The Pharaohs of ancient Egypt spent their lives building pyramids as monuments to their reigns. Presidents of the United States talk about their legacy and build presidential libraries. Many people spend their lives making a lot of money to leave to their heirs. Others write books, paint or sculpt artistic creations, build houses, earn degrees, do humanitarian deeds.
|Courtesy Google.com
First Corinthians 13:13 names the only lasting legacy we can leave: love. That's why God tells us to make love the ultimate priority of our lives.
When people come to the end of their lives, do they want to look at the rewards and medals, their diplomas and gold watches, the books they have authored, their artistic creations?
No, they want to see the people they love. Seldom do they say, "I wish I had done more." The most common wish is that they had spent more time with their loved ones.
Mother Teresa once said, "It's not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters."
The greatest legacy we can leave is not our wealth or our accomplishments, but our love for our family, for the family of God, and for humankind.
Wisdom is realizing that love is the most important thing in life. Let's not wait until our life is ending to discover that. Let's begin today to build a legacy of love.


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Claire Kane
Claire Kane is a connoisseur of classic fashion statements, craves a good rootbeer float, and always chews with her mouth closed. Of course, she also has a weak spot for murder mysteries.
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Website: zoeyandclaire.blogspot.com
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Facebook: fb.me/zoeyandclaire
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By Claire Kane
Z & C Mysteries:
The Riddles of Hillgate
Cruise to Murder
Hexes and X's
Legend of The Lost
A Grave Situation
The Howliday Inn
A Ghostly Dare
What The Dead Said
The Dead Ex Files:
Unwed & Dead
A Model Murder
A Charli Chan Mystery:
A Yen for Murder
Lights, Camera, Murder
The Menopause Murder Society:
The Demise of The Lotto Queen
The Revenge of Pooky Poo
Clean Paranormal Romance:
To Catch a Fox
A Siamese Sleuth Mystery
The Dead Ex Files
Z & C Mysteries
- Zoey's Story
- The Riddles of Hillgate
- Hexes and X's
- Legend of The Lost
- A Grave Situation
- The Howliday Inn
- A Ghostly Dare
- Digital-Age Drama (Journal Experiment - July I) - TBD
- Aliens in the Outfield (Prime Fiction) - TBD
- Cruise to Murder - TBD
- Earth's Treasure
- The Demise of The Lotto Queen
- The Revenge of Pooky Poo
- Josey's Call to Protect - TBD
- The Perfect Day - TBD
- Anthousa, Xanthousa, Chrisomalousa [ Second Chances - TBD ]
- Babes in the City - Smashed Prime Classics [ The Incidental Vacation - TBD ]
- Fairy Ointment [ Griselda's Magical Ointment - TBD ]
- Haunted Hearts I [ Frankenstein in Love - TBD ]
- Journal Experiment - July I [ Digital-Age Drama - TBD , The Best Job Ever - TBD ]
- Let Them Eat Pie [ The Mystery of Treasure Cove ]
- Phoenix Fantasy [ The Bounty Hunter - TBD , The Power of No - TBD ]
- Prime Fiction [ Murder By Magic - TBD , Aliens in the Outfield - TBD ]


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Transformation of the Day: Cathy lost 95 pounds. Diabetes, hypertension, and cancer could not stop this mom. Her children and her friends gave her the inspiration she needed to transform her life. Walking for exercise and working with a nutritionist are two key parts of her journey.
What was your motivation? What inspired you to keep going, even when you wanted to give up?
I started out at 257 pounds, diabetic, and dealing with hypertension. I also fought cancer numerous times. My children, who are adults, inspired and pushed me. I also have a few friends who played a part in inspiring me as well.
How did you change your eating habits?
I met with my primary doctor and started meeting with my nutritionist again. I let go of sugar, soda, pasta, rice, bread, and alcohol. I use a kid-size plate or bowl to eat my food from. I also use a modified version of Keto, and I do Intermittent Fasting (16:8). Eventually, I will add the carbs back gradually.
I try to eat 60-70 grams of protein a day. I always eat my protein first before anything else. I take small bites and chew my food at least 30 times before swallowing. I also don't eat and drink at the same time because I want to get full from my food and not liquid.
What did your workout routine look like?
I began my journey by walking 4 miles, 5 days a week. Gradually I changed to 4.5 miles Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 6.5 miles on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Now, I have added the gym into my routine, and I only walk on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I work out every day except Sundays.
What was your starting weight?
My heaviest weight was 267 pounds, and I started at 257 pounds. I'm 51 years old, and my current weight is 172 pounds.
What is your height?
I'm 5'3.5″.
When did you start your journey? How long did your transformation take?
I started my journey last year. It was on and off, but I got serious about it in November 2018. I'm still in my transformation stage. My doctors would like for me to lose 20-25 more lbs before taking me off Metformin and other meds.
What is the biggest lesson you've learned?
I have learned that this doesn't happen overnight. You must work hard and be dedicated, motivated, and mentally ready.
What advice do you have for people who want to lose weight?
I would suggest that people start out slow and utilize others who are or have been down this hard but yet rewarding road. Yes, you will hit a few bumps, but that doesn't mean you should give up. That means you have to pave those bumps down to a smooth road again and continue moving forward. Make your steps count. Get up and move. Also, please drink plenty of water (at least 64oz a day).
Instagram: @Ms_BrownSkin210


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Highwall mining is a method of mining that originated from auger mining. The method differs in that continuous miners, rather than augers, are used to bore an entry adjacent to the coal seam of a highwall left behind in an open pit mine after excavation has been completed. Screw conveyors positioned behind the continuous miner haul the cut coal from deep within the seam up to an outside stockpiling area where it is then transported away.
Another primary difference in a highwall mining operation is that it is carried out by remote control at the surface where an operator located in a cabin uses a television camera to monitor and control the progress of the continuous miner machine.
When the cost of excavating an open-pit mine is no longer economically feasible, highwall mining may be deployed before the entire operation is taken underground.
Highwall mining as a first option presents many advantages to underground mining because it is more cost-effective and involves less lead-time. The process of mining a highwall with continuous miners is proven to also be much safer since operations are carried out exclusively by remote control and require fewer personnel than underground mining.
Highwall mining at the surface produces the same amount of output as mining underground might. With highwall mining, smaller blocks of coal can also be accessed and operations are facilitated around geological impediments or structures that otherwise impinge upon coal production.
SBM is specialized in manufacturing and supplying of mining equipment including quarrying, crushing, grinding, sand making, processing and beneficiation plant. With knowhow technology and long experience in mining industry, all of our mining plants are designed in simple and robust structure, and with the benefits of high efficiency, low energy cost, easy operation and maintenance.
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Since it needs huge investment cost for large scale new aggregate crushing plant. It maybe unaffordable for small scale quarry or mine operator. According to this problem. SBM developed small scale quarrying plant with low price and high production efficiency. There are also used highwall mining equipment for sale. Please feel free to contact us for more information.


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Blog Archives
SPAC Ops Mashup
It's been six months since Dubai was wiped off the map by a cataclysmic sandstorm. Thousands of lives have been lost, including those of American soldiers sent to help evacuate the city. Today, the city lies buried under sand – the world's most opulent ruin.
Now, a radio signal is broadcasting from Dubai. A Delta Force team is sent to infiltrate the city and find its source. Their mission is simple: Locate survivors and radio for evacuation. What they find is a city in the grip of a violent struggle for control. In order to fulfil their mission, they'll have to find the man at the heart of this madness – the elusive Col. John Konrad.
Titan A.E. Fall Mashup
The advanced warfare of tomorrow gives you the freedom to fight your way as both elite assault Pilot and agile, heavily armored Titan. The Titan moves with speed and grace normally reserved for general infantry and handles like an extension of the Pilot himself, holding a weapon in a first-person view. Introducing the experience that combines fast-paced multiplayer action with heroic moments from traditional campaign mode.
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The 8th Wonder of the World
In 1933 New York, an overly ambitious movie producer coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island, where they encounter Kong, a giant ape who is immediately smitten with leading lady.
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The D-Pad Review | The Last of Us | Naughty Dog Nailed It!
The story of how naughty dog got it right
Survival horrors have long been a genre crying out for something fresh, something different that still gives us the same sense of enjoyment and fear as when the style burst onto the screen with the likes of Resident Evil and Silent Hill. We've averted (somewhat) global catastrophes at the hands of super evil mega corporations, rummaged through mist covered streets while being hunted by the evil that lurks within and, more recently, battled horrifying demonic entities across blasted landscapes and broken space stations. That's not to say that this reviewer hasn't quivered in fear when dark shadows dart across the screen or god forbid something falls off of a wall, but we've done and experienced all this before.
The Last of Us brings a new dynamic whereby, instead of blasting your way through hordes of enemies with an abundant supply of weapons and ammunition at your disposal, you are instead placed into a situation where a length of string and chunk of brick are your only options (you get the idea). This may seem like a restrictive feature, but having your resources limited and scarce really makes you think about each encounter and, instead of charging in guns blazing, you have to carefully consider each of your decisions, which keeps the tension at a great level. Naughty Dog got it right with this game and you will struggle to find something else in the current market that captures the joy and fear on a level we first experienced in the original Silent Hills. Of course, this game is not purely fear inducing from start to finish, but it happens just enough to keep you on edge and at no point does this feel forced.
The Last of Us is set in a very bleak world and Naughty Dog is not afraid to show you exactly how bleak it is. There is gore in this game; how can you have a horde of infected creatures baying for your blood and not involve an element of gore? This game is not 'Manhunt' though, nor is it a hack and slash with limbs flying left and right, instead when forced into a combat situation it feels necessary rather than entertaining. You fight and kill because you need to survive in a hostile world, you are in a desperate predicament and when having to attack and kill a survivor or infected alike you are only doing so because there is no alternative. You may be forced to go to extreme lengths to survive but you feel for Joel and Ellie's plight and although this will shock a few gamers, you will empathize and understand their motives and that's what truly sets this apart from what we have seen before. Your only goal is survival.
The Last of Us has Naughty Dogs super-high production qualities that we first saw in the 'Uncharted' series and by no means is it bad thing. The PS3's resident explorer brought a world of vibrant, lush and beautifully rendered jungles and ruins and this game has been given the same treatment. A good portion of this takes place in an open and sprawling land filled with the remnants of society and nature has reclaimed large areas, which is a change from the confined alleyways and labs we normally see, although they are in there.
The only drawback to this is that because of the nature of The Last of Us you notice the exploration-combat-cut scene style narrative that was also in Uncharted, but because Nathan Drakes adventure shot by at a high speeds you tend to forget that you weren't actually in an open world while the illusion of it played out well; The Last of Us doesn't always manage that. As with most games you will be in a situation where door B was the one you need to use and you'll never quite understand why you couldn't open door A, or you will be in an area where the cover is positioned nicely in order to push you towards the enemies and the end of combat. The combat within The Last of Us has pretty much been cut and pasted from 'Uncharted' as well, but the darker and more sinister theme fits the style well. Cinematic fights scenes always made for good viewing in 'Uncharted' and the brutal combat of The Last of Us is no different. There are plenty of tricky fight sequences that keep you on edge and the gunplay which is not too frequent as well as the constant lack of ammo makes every situation feel risky no matter what you decide to do.
Don't be concerned about the slower pace though because the game play and cut scenes integrate together perfectly and you don't notice load times too much and the areas connect seamlessly.
Ultimately it would be easy to stereotype this as a zombie survival, but although you can draw similarities, it is at its core an entirely different experience. The 'Non-Human' enemies you face are infected rather than undead and although they are a consistent antagonist throughout, you appreciate and sympathise with their condition; the 'Runner' infected, as an example, is fully aware of what they are doing but is helpless to control itself. The focus though is not on the enemies but instead on an engaging story set in a ruined world with the threat of attack playing behind the scenes; combat is not the focus.
The usual archetypes are present though – a virus has swept across humanity, killing a vast portion and turning others into blood crazed killers. From trailers released it also appears that the virus can spread through bites and life as we know has come crashing down. This has happened hundreds of times before, in small print, on consoles and on the big screen, but what sets this aside is that the writers/Naughty Dog make little to no attempt to explain the source or development of the virus, as these explanations can become quite preposterous at times (2008's film 'The Happening' I'm looking at you). What Naughty Dog and the writers have done is make a concerted effort to tell the story of the surviving humans and how life continues in the aftermath as they struggle day to day for survival. The best way to generate an image is to think of AMC's 'The Walking Dead' – the living characters are the focus and the human interaction is the most important aspect on display.
Continued character development is a key feature to telling a great story and the experiences in the game certainly compliment this. Beginning in the modern day world we are introduced to Joel and his life in the first panicked days of the outbreak. Flash forward then, to 20 years in the future and the remains of an all but devastated United States. For spoilers reasons I won't go into too much detail as the story definitely needs to be played, but a world weary Joel takes on the mantle of guiding a young and naive Ellie across a blasted and infection riddled landscape which makes up the remainder of the game.
This may not seem earth shattering and we've been in a similar position with 'Enslaved' but the dynamic between Joel and Ellie, his tired and worn experience and her youthful naivety make for a great partnership. This is something that The Last of Us does well, the main characters (portrayed by Ashley Johnson – Ellie and Troy Baker – Joel) feel like people and the survivors they meet and interact with feel just as real. You genuinely feel for these characters; couple this with a well thought-out and executed story and you have a world of survivors and villains that are well-fleshed out and sometimes so disturbing that you will notice and remember when things happen to Joel, Ellie or any number of the supporting cast.
With the general abundance of zombie-survivals available across multiple platforms, you could be forgiven for saying Naughty Dog are merely jumping onto an already existing fan base and making 'Uncharted: Undead'. However it is clear that those who created The Last of Us have drawn from the best sources when writing and creating this world and have included the best elements from computer games (Uncharted and Fallout) and television (Walking Dead) and although we find comfort in the familiarity of the style we get to experience something which is so much more.
The Last of Us is sure to become a hallmark of the PS3 and with is fantastic visuals, strong game-play, disturbing world and emotion provoking story you will never regret having played this and will remember it as the time when survival-horror made its comeback. Stay Alert, Stay Alive
Preview By; Simon Moore (Si)
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Call of Duty: Ghost Dog Mashup
In the not-too-distant future, a devastating attack has forever changed the global balance of power, with the United States no longer recognised as a superpower. Ten years after the attack, a band of elite soldiers known as the "Ghost Dogs" wage a covert war against an unseen enemy, with the outcome having far-reaching consequences for both themselves and the remains of America.
- Epic single-player campaign picks up immediately following the thrilling events from Spots big adventure.
- The definitive multiplayer experience returns, with a host of new perks and enhancements.
- New cooperative SpecOps mode, the perfect combination of Modern Warfare's single player intensity and the addictive replayability of its multiplayer.
- Special Ops Mode allows two players, either alone or with a friend, to engage in unique mission play and features split-screen functionality.
- Ghost Dog contains new and updated weapons, new weapons attachments, and a variant of the multiplayer weapons customisation system from MW3, now available in the single player campaign.
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Ways to die: The boob flash
Black Orchid is a fighter from Rare's fighter Killer Instinct. Orchid is a secret agent sent by an unknown group to investigate the mysterious disappearances that surround the tournament. Her true identity and abilities are shrouded in secrecy.
Orchid has two No Mercy moves, the first is our pick for todays ways to die. Orchid gives her opponent a heart attack by unzipping her uniform and flashing her boobs at them. For most opponents they get startled by the sight however, if the opponent is another Orchid she will just stomp the ground in spite.
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Pac-Man V. Food Mashup
Join Adam Richman in his greatest challenged to date, Pac-Man v. Food. Take control of Adam as he explores a big food offering in over 300 unique levels before facing off against an epic final eating challenge.
Making full use of Xbox Kinect Pac-Man v. Food is an entertaining blend of mashing, slicing, chopping and stirring as players create more than 300 real-world recipes from 15 different nations. New realistic graphics and real-time cooking effects lend authenticity to player creations and help budding chefs determine when food is overcooked.
- You are the ultimate cooking utensil, giving you total control of the cooking action as you chop, grate, slice, stir, roll and much more! Strike a pose in many different ways depending on the task to get the real sensation of cooking in a kitchen!
- All-new Challenge Mode lets you and a friend go head-to-head in the ultimate multiplayer cook off to determine who can cook the fastest with the fewest mistakes.
- Realistic graphics with real-time effects make you feel like you're actually cooking. Adjust your timing and make decisions about your next course of action based on what you see on screen.
- Keep your kitchen fancy and fresh by earning items that bring your kitchen to life such as seasonings, small utensils, etc.
- Earn bronze, silver and gold medals for Adam based on the quality of your cooking.
- Practice mode allows you to fine tune your cooking skills without being judged. Recipes progress from simple to complex, from small to large dishes, so do your best!
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Cannon Fodder: Retro
Cannon Fodder: Retro game of the day
Cannon Fodder was an action-strategy shoot'em up developed by Sensible Software for the Amiga in 1993. Virgin ported the game to home computer systems DOS, the Atari ST and the consoles Jaguar, Mega Drive, SNES and 3DO.
The player controls a small squad of up to four soldiers armed with machine guns which kill enemy infantry with a single round. The player's troops are similarly fragile, and while they possess superior fire-power at the game's outset, the enemy infantry becomes more powerful as the game progresses. The troops are directed through numerous missions, battling enemy infantry, vehicles and installations.
Cannon Fodder has a darkly humorous tone which commentators variously praised and condemned. Its creators intended it to convey an anti-war message and the games opening theme song shows this.
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Crazy Taxi Mashup
Police inspector Emilien and his taxi-driver pal Daniel are back, this time on the tail of a group of Japanese yakuza in this video game based on the hit movie Taxi 2. The main objective of the game is to pick up customers and take them to their chosen destination as quickly as possible.
Along the way, money can be earned by performing stunts such as near misses with other vehicles. Ratings are then awarded depending on how long the player took to complete the journey. If the customer's timer runs out before the player reaches the destination the customer jumps from the taxi.
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Breaking Bad: The Video Game Mashup
Take control of Walter White in Traveller's Tales Breaking Bad: The Video Game, based on the hit TV series. Walter is an underachieving high school chemistry teacher who discovers he has lung cancer.
Walter joins forces with an old student in this GTA open world style game aiming to gain financial security, for his family, by entering into the dangerous world of drugs and crime. Set in the vast New Mexico desert and with over 100 missions this is a must play for any Breaking Bad fan.
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Monday, 11 November 2013
Nothing to tempt me
13 comments:
- Anonymous11 November 2013 at 18:57
Its starting all over again. The economy is supposedly picking up and the financial institutions are starting to lend money again. House prices are reckoned to be rising and soon everyone will be moving house and taking on a big mortgage but the low interest rate has only one way to go.ReplyDelete
So we've got to resist the temptation and (speaking for myself) carry on being frugal.
You could say you were talking rubbish!!ReplyDelete
We're shredding old bills and junk mail in order to make paper logs for our wood burning stove!!ReplyDelete
As far as I'm concerned, the only good thing about junk mail or flyers is if there is any paper with a blank side; I save these for lists and notes. If I am feeling extra industrious, I cut paper into various sizes, gluing one side with pva to make a pad, or little bits to go in a box that used to hold a block of paper. Or if all else fails, cut into roughly A5 size and shove in a bulldog clip. All my scrap paper gets used eventually.ReplyDeleteReplies
- Anonymous12 November 2013 at 10:58
A true recycler! Well done you!Delete
I do exactly the same and also cut the large blank bits off envelopes. I keep one brochure to protect my work surface when I cut my dishwasher tablets in half.Delete
Hi Sarina! I'm Jan, the English one, and my friends are Jutta (she's German) and Annabeth (Swiss). With luck your next sale will be better and I hope to come along for a natter :o)ReplyDelete
Yes, the junk that seems to pour unabated through the letter-box, I think about 95% of everything comes through mine goes straight in the recycling bin.ReplyDelete
And you don't seem able to stop it.
IN our house the application form ones get crossed through several times, a polite request to remove our names from the mailing list wirtten on and them, then all the stuff that came with the form rammed into the reply paid envelope and sent back to them. They will have to pay extra postage, but thats not my problem. We call it redirecting our Spam. :O)ReplyDelete
Getting near Christmas now and every day my post box is stuffed with commercial junk. Have my recycling binby the woodshed and bung it all in there, except for the bits with my name. They end up in the fireplace. PamReplyDelete
I now shred it and give to a friend for her duck house bedding, she then composts it so, it's double re-cycled!ReplyDelete
- Anonymous14 November 2013 at 17:25
A few years ago i picked up a load of junk mail from Milton Keynes and took it to their place in Manchester. I asked the man that unloaded it if he could take my name off the list. He didn't seem to see the funny side.ReplyDelete
Last year i took a load of waste paper to the toilet roll factory in Ramsbottom. I was delighted to see that a lot of it was junk mail.
Now if only they made junk mail out of tissue paper........
Comments are welcome from anyone with a Google account. I have had to change the settings due to the amount of troll comments coming through. My apologies to genuine readers who have been with me for a long time.


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Who Got Nominated For A Tony In 2015?
It's that time of year again, just when you thought awards season was over. For those of us who know better, the 2015 Tony Awards are not only a great chance to give some exposure to the amazing plays and musical that have been gracing Broadway in the last year, but also a chance for us to see our favorite actors pick up yet another award on their quest to EGOT glory. For that reason, fans of Bradley Cooper are probably beside themselves with glee right now, considering the American Sniper actor is one of the many big names in the running to pick up a Tony Award at the ceremony, which is slated to take place on June 7th on CBS.
While Cooper was nominated for Best Leading Actor and Best Picture at the 2015 Oscars, he lost out in both categories to Eddie Redmayne and Birdman respectively. Now, he's got another opportunity to add a statuette to his collection of them at the Tony Awards thanks to his work in The Elephant Man and I'm already rooting for him. Call me permanently biased in his favor from watching him in The Hangover, but I just want to see Cooper lift that Tony high. He's not the only person whose name is listed below that I'm rooting for, but he's one of the top on my list.
The nominees for the 69th annual Tony Awards are:
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Steven Boyer, Hand to GodBradley Cooper, The Elephant ManBen Miles, Wolf HallBill Nighy, SkylightAlex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Geneva Carr, Hand to God Helen Mirren, The Audience Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles Carey Mulligan, Skylight Ruth Wilson, Constellations
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Michael Cerveris, Fun HomeRobert Fairchild, An American in ParisBrian d'Arcy James, Something Rotten!Ken Watanabe, The King and ITony Yazbeck, On the Town
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth CenturyLeanne Cope, An American in ParisBeth Malone, Fun HomeKelli O'Hara, The King and IChita Rivera, The Visit
Best Revival of a Play
The Elephant ManSkylightThis Is Our YouthYou Can't Take It With You
Best Revival of a Musical
The King and IOn the TownOn the Twentieth Century
Best Play
The AudienceDisgracedHand to GodWolf Hall
Best Musical
An American In ParisFun HomeSomething Rotten!The Visit
Image: Tony Awards


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yeah so we grill every weekend, weather permitting. What's funny to me about this is the following conversation, which I have about half the time when someone asks me about my weekend and how it was:
Friend/family: how was your weekend?
me: It was [insert adjective]. I cleaned [insert noun or name of room] and we went to [insert name of place]. Oh, and we grilled on Saturday.
Friend/family: Grilling, huh?... [thoughtful pause] ...so how does a vegetarian grill?
Apparently eating meat is essential to grilling. well, non-vegetarians believe so. When I tell people I'm a vegetarian, they don't usually react by asking me how I manage to get through a meal. But when I tell people I grilled over the weekend, people who know I'm a vegetarian usually react by asking me how I managed to pull that one off, in a way that sort of likens vegetarian grilling to some kind of oxymoron.
But it turns out that vegetarian grilling is possible, as much fun and just as delicious as meat grilling.
Grilling in our family requires a lot of preparation. We keep a tub in the garage full of grilling accessories, including an assortment of plastic plates, metal skewers, a roll of paper towels, corn tongs, grilling tongs, the lighter, oven mits, etc. I keep a list in the tub of items to prepare before the grilling event. It takes about an hour/hour and a half to get ready to grill, which includes a trip to the grocery store, marinating, cleaning the grill, loading new charcoal, etc.
Recently, the Other Adult bought a fire pit, which is actually in no way a pit because it sits on a stand over the ground. The fire pit is a bowl on legs. You make a fire in it. When we grill at night, the fire pit is a source of light and extra heat. We like it.
We use lump charcoal, which is supposed to be the natural alternative to the regular Kingsford briquets we used in my childhood. Lump charcoal is somewhat faster burning than the briquets, leaves less waste, and comes in irregular sizes that range from large log-like pieces to tiny little flakes. We like the lump charcoal because we have heard rumors that the briquets have been soaked in nasty chemicals and that doesn't sit well with us. See below:
Just like with the briquets, we soak the lump charcoal in lighter fluid (nasty chemicals?) and light it up. It burns hot and bright for a couple minutes, then dies down. When the fire dies down we put on the griddle.
First we put on the shish kabobs and corn in the husks. The shish kabobs have onion, pepper, heirloom cherry tomatoes, cubes of tofu soaked in barbecue sauce, marinated seitan, cut up corn on the cob, and zuchinni. The kabobs are drizzled with olive oil and garlic powder as they cook.
I soak the corn cobs in water for about 15 minutes before placing them on the grill. This prevents the husks from lighting on fire for a while, although by the time we eat the husks are charred.
I cut up some carrot slices and wrap them in foil with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt. We heat that up until the carrots are somewhat soft but still have a crisp core. Sometimes instead of carrots, we marinate mushrooms and put them in foil, or we place asparagus spears directly on the grill and drizzle the spears in olive oil.
We have a grilling mascot. Mr. Grilling. The mascot is a plastic horse I found in the cart corral in the grocery store parking lot.
The Other Adult seems to think Mr. Grilling is stupid.
In place of burgers or steaks, we usually have grilled eggplant sandwiches with goat cheese on crusty bread. Or, like the pictures below, sometimes we make pizzas on crusty bread. For the pizzas, we heat chopped vegetables in olive oil in foil. We grill the bread until toasted and then spread on pizza sauce. We top it with the vegetables and little pats of goat cheese.
Below the table we keep a food garbage that I later put in the compost bin:
And of course, I have a beer. I bought the Guiness Draught because it was on sale.
While we grill, we talk. In the summer we swim. Sometimes the Kid does homework during this process and the Other Adult puts her phone in this little speaker base thing she bought and she turns on podcasts of This American Life or Josh and Chuck or Science Friday. we do it like this because we are huge nerds.


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Our Work
A selection of our completed projects
We help Woolworths Australia with the platform development of one of the most successful Ecommerce platforms in Australasia.
Countdown keeps us very busy with the platform development of their Trader Ecommerce site.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) use Go Workforce Productivity as the time recording system for their 2,000 staff.
DX2 delivers time and cost savings to NZ's largest corporate dairy farming organisation.
Big Save uses Microsoft Dynamics GP for their financials plus, our Olympic-developed Sales Order Capture system to give staff visibility of available stock when they're on the sales floor.
Tatua uses our iPath Workflow Solution to help ensure all the steps in their recipe processes run smoothly.
We do the platform development for Brother's Trader Ecommerce solution with a simple CMS so they can manage the frontend themselves.
Want to be on this page?
Work with us and join our esteemed group of clients.


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Zeltu X Pod Kit
Zeltu X Pod Kit. Zeltu are delivering on everything you need from a all in one pod device. The Zeltu X pod kit feature a huge 1000mAh built in battery to keep you going all day (and night) despite its compact size. The pods are not only easy to refill but easy to change with its simple magnetic system that sits neatly into the metal body, both tough and attractive!
- 1 x Zeltu X 1000mAh battery
- 1 x 1.2 ohm refillable 2ml cartridge
- 1 x 1.6 ohm refillable 2ml cartridge
- 1 x Micro USB Cable
- 1 x User Manual
- 1 x Flavour (please make note at check out which Flavour and with or without Nicotine)
At a glance
- Zinc Alloy construction
- Mouth To Lung
- Simple to use and maintain
- Portable size
- Micro USB fast charging
- 1000mAh battery
- Easy Fill 2ml cartridge
- Power indicator light
- Dimensions: 92.5mm x 22.5mm x 12mm


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Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.
Gwen Stefani is rumored to be joining The Voice next season while Christina Aguilera is on maternity leave…now Gwen has yet to make an officially statement but Christina did it for her tweeting, "So excited to have you join #TheVoice squad @GwenStefani! Welcome to our crazy fam! Kisses- xoxo #blondesdoitbest." I did not realize all the ladies on The Voice were blonde…Christina, Shakira and now Gwen. Gwen will be joined by friend/collaborator Pharrell Williams on hit NBC show.
Over the weekend Gwen hosted the Hakkasan Las Vegas 1st anniversary celebration looking gorgeous as usual…is it me or does she do the top knot to perfection.
Photo from PR Photos


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FIRST RACE: 1. Autumn View, 2. Air of Royalty, 3. Teacher Teacher. LONG SHOT: Swiss Heart.
SECOND RACE: 1. Dunmore East, 2. Private Bounty, 3. Guidopanzini. LONG SHOT: Toss the Dice.
THIRD RACE: 1. Joyce and Me, 2. Toomanytomatoes, 3. There Is No Limit. LONG SHOT: Always a Chance.
FOURTH RACE: 1. Charisma Code, 2. Johns Journey, 3. Oneandonlyloveman. LONG SHOT: Prince of Paris.
FIFTH RACE: 1. Sultry Season, 2. Only Josie Knows, 3. Joeandbetty'sbaby. LONG SHOT: Sallyana.
Our Eyes: It looks like trainer Mike Pender has been pointing for the beginning of this final meet in Inglewood as he has five horses entered the first two days. This 3-year-old filly was claimed out of a runner-up effort at Santa Anita and moved up in class. Pender is 23 percent first off the claim and this filly has her only synthetic win over this surface.
SIXTH RACE: 1. Brown Boss, 2. Christopher Street, 3. Volkonsky. LONG SHOT: China Prince.
SEVENTH RACE: 1. Oliver's Tale, 2. Imperial Fortune, 3. Justa Runner. LONG SHOT: Wild Media.
EIGHTH RACE: 1. Sushi Empire (best bet), 2. Costamar, 3. Kazam. LONG SHOT: Lethal Story.
Trainer Eoin Harty gets this 2-year-old filly SUSHI EMPIRE to stretch out around two turns after two sprint efforts, one down the hill at Santa Anita. This daughter of Empire Maker should relish the extra distance in a very tough maiden grass race. Jockey Corey Nakatani, who riding the turf as well as anyone in Southern California, retains the mount.
Thursday's top choice winners: 2 (Eddies Curl $3.60, fourth race; Miss Well Molded $5.20, seventh)
Thursday's second choice winners: 1 (Katey Pie $6.80, eighth)
Thursday's third choice winners: 1 (Cyclometer $5.60, second)
Thursday's long shot winners: 2 (Full Consent $9.40, first; Graeme Crackerjack $10.80, sixth)
@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter


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There has long been a fascination in Britain with the world of ancient Egypt. What is it about this mysterious civilisation that so catches the imagination?
British Broadcasting CorporationHome
By Dr Joyce Tyldesley
Last updated 2011-02-17
There has long been a fascination in Britain with the world of ancient Egypt. What is it about this mysterious civilisation that so catches the imagination?
Five thousand years ago the chain of independent city-states lining the River Nile united to form one long, thin country ruled by one king, or pharaoh. Almost instantly a highly distinctive culture developed. For almost 30 centuries Egypt remained the foremost nation in the Mediterranean world. Then, in 332 BC, the arrival of Alexander the Great heralded the end of the Egyptian way of life.
All ancient civilisations have contributed in some way to the development of modern society.
The unique culture was quickly buried beneath successive layers of Greek, Roman and Arabic tradition, and all knowledge of Egypt's glorious past was lost. Only the decaying stone monuments, their hieroglyphic texts now unreadable, survived as silent witnesses to a long lost civilisation.
Some 2,000 years on, however, the ancient hieroglyphs have been decoded and Egyptology - the study of ancient Egypt - is booming. At a time when Latin and ancient Greek are rapidly vanishing from the school curriculum, more and more people are choosing to read hieroglyphs in their spare time. And the Egyptian galleries of our museums are packed with visitors, while the galleries dedicated to other ancient cultures remain empty.
To emphasise the point, University Egyptology courses are full to bursting, and night school classes are attracting increasing numbers of people happy to spend their leisure hours studying the far distant past. This obvious interest has become self-fulfilling. Publishers and television producers are happy to invest in ancient Egypt because they know that there will be an appreciative audience for their work, and every new book, each new programme, attracts more devotees to the subject.
All ancient civilisations have contributed in some way to the development of modern society. All therefore are equally deserving of study. Why then do so many people choose to concentrate on Egypt? What does the culture of ancient Egypt offer the modern world that other cultures - those of Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, or China - do not?
Those who have been bitten by the Egyptology bug cite a variety of reasons for their addiction - the beauty of the art, the skill of the craftsmen, the intricacies of the language, the certainties of the priests - or even a vague, indefinable feeling that the Egyptians came as close as is humanly possible to living a near-perfect life. Individually these would all be good reasons to study any ancient civilisation. Combined, and tinged with the glamour bestowed by some of the world's most flamboyant archaeologists, they make an irresistible package.
Our fascination with ancient Egypt is, to a large extent, a product of the vast amount of material information available. We know so much about the daily lives of the ancient Egyptians - we can read their words, meet their families, feel their clothes, taste their food and drink, enter their tombs and even touch their bodies - that it seems that we almost know them. And knowing them, maybe even loving them, we feel that we can understand the very human hopes and fears that dominated their lives.
Some of these myths passed from Egypt to Rome, and have had a direct effect on the development of modern religious belief.
Preserved in their writings and coded into their artwork the Egyptians asked, and answered, the questions that all societies ask. What happens after death? How was the world created? Where does the sun go at night? Lacking any real scientific understanding they answered their own questions with a series of myths and legends designed to explain the otherwise inexplicable.
Some of these myths passed from Egypt to Rome, and have had a direct effect on the development of modern religious belief. Reading and understanding the ancient stories allows us to abandon our modern preconceptions, step outside our own cultural experiences and enter a very different, life-enhancing world.
But, by no means everything about ancient Egypt is fully understood. This lack of certainty over some issues simply adds to the subject's appeal. There are enough unanswered questions - How were obelisks raised? Who was Nefertiti? Where is the lost capital of Itj-Tawi? What exactly are the curious fat cones that élite Egyptian party guests wore on their heads? - and enough published reference books, to allow every Egyptologist, amateur or professional, the hope that he or she might one day solve one of the many outstanding puzzles.
Egypt's rich material legacy is the result of her unique funerary beliefs, which, combined with her distinctive geography, encouraged the preservation of archaeological material. The River Nile flows northwards through the centre of Egypt, bringing much needed water to an otherwise arid part of north-east Africa.
This wealth of objects, of course, creates a highly biased collection of artefacts.
Their total dependence on the River Nile as a source of water and a means of transport had a deep impact on the way that the Egyptians saw the world. Their sun god, the falcon-headed Re, did not cross the heavens in a flaming chariot, he sailed sedately in a solar boat.
Parallel to the Nile on both banks of the river runs the Black Land - the narrow strip of fertile soil that allowed the Egyptians to practice the most efficient agriculture in the ancient world. Beyond the Black Land lies the inhospitable Red Land, the desert that once served as a vast cemetery, and beyond the Red Land are the cliffs that protected Egypt from unwelcome visitors.
Believing that the soul could live beyond death, the Egyptians buried their dead in the Red Land, with all the goods they considered they would need in what they thought of as the 'afterlife'. While their mud-brick houses have dissolved and their stone temples have decayed, their desert tombs have survived relatively intact, the dry conditions encouraging the preservation of such delicate materials as plaster, wood, papyrus, cloth, leather and skin.
This wealth of objects, of course, creates a highly biased collection of artefacts. The lives and possessions of the poor are under-represented, and we can never be certain that the goods so carefully provided for the dead were representative of the goods used in daily life. Nevertheless, the contents of Egypt's tombs, supplemented by the illustrations on the tomb walls, have allowed specialists to develop a greater understanding of Egyptian material technology than of any other ancient civilisation.
Egypt's magnificent stone buildings - her pyramids and temples - have inspired innumerable artists, writers, poets and architects from the Roman period to the present day. The pyramid form, in particular, still pays an important role in modern architecture, and can be seen rising above cemeteries and innumerable shopping centres, and at the new entrance to the Louvre Museum, Paris.
They hold the key to understanding the structure of Egyptian society.
The original pyramids serve as a testament to the mathematical skill of the Egyptians, a skill that stimulated Greek mathematicians, including Pythagoras, to perfect their work. The Great Pyramid, built by Khufu (Cheops) in 2550 BC, for example, stands an impressive 46m (150ft) high, with a slope of 51degrees. Its sides, with an average length of 230m (754ft), vary by less than 5cm (2in). Higher than St Paul's Cathedral, the pyramid was aligned with amazing accuracy almost exactly to true north.
But the pyramids are more than mathematical puzzles. They hold the key to understanding the structure of Egyptian society. The pyramids were built, not by the gangs of slaves often portrayed by Hollywood film moguls, but by a workforce of up to 5,000 permanent employees, supplemented by as many as 20,000 temporary workers, who would work for three or four months on the pyramid site, before returning home.
The bureaucracy that we know lay behind this operation is staggering. Not only did the workforce have to be summoned, housed and fed, but administrators also had to coordinate the supplies of stone, rope, fuel and wood that were needed to support the building work. Pyramid studies confirm that a pre-mechanical society can, given adequate resources and the will to succeed, achieve great things. Pyramid building would have been impossible without strong government backed up by an efficient civil service. No wonder many archaeologists believe that, while the Egyptians undeniably built the pyramids, the pyramids also built Egypt.
The Egyptians were renowned throughout the Mediterranean world for their medical skills, skills that were eventually passed on to the Greek and the Roman doctors that followed them. Unlike those of other ancient societies, the Egyptians were experienced in dissecting corpses because, believing that their souls needed an earthly body, they preserved their dead as mummies.
...full of horrific stories of unwanted mummies being burned as torches...
Their eviscerated, dried and bandaged bodies were once regarded as useless curiosities to be unwrapped, stripped of their jewellery, then discarded, and the archaeological literature is full of horrific stories of unwanted mummies being burned as torches, ground into pigment, processed into brown paper and even dispensed as stomach medicine for the rich and gullible.
Today attitudes to the long-deceased have changed and it is no longer considered appropriate to destroy a mummy out of mere curiosity. However, the countless mummies, already unwrapped, stored in the world's museums and universities offer an incomparable source of ancient human tissue. The Manchester Mummy Project, led by Professor Rosalie David, has worked in close conjunction with Manchester University's medical faculties to develop a multi-disciplinary methodology for the examination of ancient human remains.
Their work has not only provided a wealth of information about the health of the ancient Egyptians, it has provided useful information to scientists engaged in the struggle to eliminate the parasitical infestation bilharzia (schistosomiasis) which still plagues the Nile Valley. In its worst, untreated form, bilharzia can lead to the development of cancer.
The study of Egyptian art, of genealogy or hieroglyphs, is above all, however, the greatest of fun.
The Egyptologists have noted that both ancient and modern bilharzia infection can be identified by testing for the presence of antibodies. This suggests that the parasite has remained fundamentally unchanged since ancient Egyptian times. It is hoped that the study of bilharzia worms discovered in mummies may eventually help determine those parts of their genetic code that cause the development of cancer.
So far we have considered a series of worthy reasons why ancient Egypt is important to the modern world. Egypt offers inspiration, stimulation, valuable knowledge and an insight into our own modern culture. One very important reason, however, has been overlooked. The study of Egyptian art, of genealogy or hieroglyphs, is above all, however, the greatest of fun.
The Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt by J Baines and J Malek (Facts on File Inc, 2000)
Chronicle of the Pharaohs by P Clayton (Thames and Hudson, 1994)
Howard Carter: The Path to Tutankhamun by TGH James (Kegan Paul, 1992)
Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization by BJ Kemp (Routledge, 1989)
Ancient Egypt: The Great Discoveries by N Reeves (Thames and Hudson, 2000)
The Complete Valley of the Kings by N Reeves and RH Wilkinson (Thames and Hudson, 1996)
Valley of the Kings by J Romer (Michael O'Mara Books, 1988)
The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt by I Shaw (Oxford University Press, 2000)
Tales from Ancient Egypt by JA Tyldesley (Rutherford Press, 2004)
Egypt's Golden Empire: The Age of the New Kingdom by JA Tyldesley (Headline, 2001)
Author and broadcaster Joyce Tyldesley teaches Egyptology at Manchester University, and is Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, Liverpool University. She is author of Tales from Ancient Egypt (Rutherford Press, 2004) and Egypt: How a Lost Civilization was Rediscovered (BBC Publications, 2005), written to accompany the BBC TV series of the same name.
BBC © 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
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How To Use Guitar And Microphone At The Same Time
If you want to use the microphone effect software while using the guitar effect software (singing and playing at the same time), you need to make the following software settings:
1) Open the guitar effects software (such as JamUp), set it to run in the background mode, and set the audio input channel to Left.
2) Open the microphone effect software (such as BIAS FX), set it to run in the background mode, and set the audio input channel to Right.
3) Add some FX, and adjust the volume balance of the two softwares, then you can singing and playing at the same time.
XTONE Duo
Guitar&Mic Smart Audio Interface
What is XTONE Duo ?
XTONE Duo is a derivative of XTONE with a white shell that has the same features and performance as XTONE.The only difference is that Duo replaces the original expression pedal interface with a microphone input.
This means that the XTONE Duo has two audio input channels, one for guitar (left channel, INL) and one for microphone (right channel, INR).At the same time, the microphone input channel has a gain adjustment knob of up to 50dB and 48v phantom power. And you can sing and play at the same time.In addition to this, XTONE Duo and XTONE are exactly the same in terms of function and audio quality, there is no difference. For more details, please refer to XTONE.
Effects Software For Microphone
There is also a lot of effect software for vocal microphone on smart device, such as VocaLive, JamUp, BIAS.
Among them, JamUp and BIAS can be used for microphone because they have built-in speaker simulation of vocal microphone, and add some reverb, chorus and delay, you can get a great sound.
Commonly used software
Input impedance:1M ohms, 100K ohms(INR)
Unbalanced output impedance:100 ohms
USB Power input:5V DC
Balanced output impedance:200 ohms
9V Power input:9V DC
Frequency response:10Hz ~ 21kHz
Power consumption:100mA
Sampling Rate:44.1k,48k,88.2k,96k,176.4k,192kHz
Dimensions:129mm(D) x 98(W) x 54mm(H)
Sampling depth:24bit
Dynamic Range:108dB
Compatible Device
iOS:iOS 10 and above
Mac:OS X 10.6 and above
Android:Supports devices with Samsung Professional Audio technology such as Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note Edge, Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Tab S2, and other devices. At present, Android devices on the APP less, only known AmpliTube support Android devices
Windows:Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10
[테스팅] 색소폰 이펙터'xtone'
Michael Zhao
XTONE Duo's Review by Michael Zhao From China
Xsonic Xtone 색소포니스트를 위한 공간계/레코딩 가이드
From now on, a redeem code card will be included in the packing box of the XTONE Duo for free. This redeem code worth $20 is used to unlock BIAS FX Essential pack.
XTONE Duo
Guitar & Mic Smart Audio Interface
$ 199
* The redeem code that comes with your purchase of XTONE Duo at Thomann is JAMUP.
Copyright © 2020 XSONIC


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Deaf student from Dagenham calls to shatter stigma facing hard of hearing at work
PUBLISHED: 09:00 23 December 2018
Royal Star and Garter Homes
A deaf student from Dagenham looking after military veterans wants to break down the barriers facing people with hearing problems.
Gary Cutmore says he is proof people can achieve their dreams after he completed a three-week placement for his nursing course.
The 34-year-old spent last month working at the Royal Star & Garter Homes' nursing home in Surbiton, communicating using sign language and an interpreter.
The charity cares for ex-servicemen and women living with disability and dementia.
Gary, who works as a health care assistant in adult deaf services at south west London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, hoped others might follow him into the heathcare profession.
"It's really important to me to show deaf people like me can get involved and support residents," he said.
"I'm not different to any other nurse really."
The charity's care director, Pauline Shaw, said her team "has a better understanding of the deaf community" following his placement.
If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Barking and Dagenham Post. Click the link in the orange box below for details.


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Fans Will Not Be Happy About This Male R&B Singer Calling Out Beyoncé, SZA And Cardi B
"Stop using that f**king pain to make it OK to say some bullsh** on your record and get nominated for a Grammy..."
Less than a week after the death of Nipsey Hussle, the Florida rapper announced he plans to pursue Lauren London, Nipsey's fiancé and mother of his child. "She's finna be a whole widow out here. I'll be the best man I can be for her," he said to many angry commenters.
After that, both T.I. and The Game called out Kodak for being "out of pocket" and in general, inappropriate regarding both respect for a grieving woman and the legacy of a rap legend. This got Kodak to respond "Or What?" in the comments of T.I.'s post, which many felt was also insensitive, given the Grand Hustle's bosses attempts at trying to kick him some game.
L.A. radio host Big Boy was also one to respond to Black's comments. He says he wasn't going to promote Kodak Black on his timeline with a picture of him, but rather put up a pic of Nipsey and Lauren and got reflective about leaders in Hip Hop. He also says he's "blocking the bulls**t from now on."
View this post on Instagram
I won't disrespect my timeline posting a pic of Kodak Black. However, I will say this, I'm not here for the blatant disrespect and fake ass apologies. To disrespect the King Nipsey and The Queen Lauren, is where I draw the line. Hip Hop has been very disrespectful lately. Not only is this disrespectful to Hip Hop, but this is disrespectful to a beautiful human being, spirit and a legacy. Sometimes I feel a certain way, but I don't publicly speak out. I just don't fuck with the person, place or thing. This one, I can't just keep it on a personal chill. I've been a child of Hip Hop for a looooooong time. Hip Hop raised me and I've raised Hip Hop. I'm not new to this or fake with this. I'm a soldier!!!! I'm not just Phone Taps and funny interviews. Check my pedigree. I will not stand by and let Kodak Black come between an allegiance I have with dear FRIENDS. Nipsey's honor can't be disrespected like this. We must put a shield around @LaurenLondon and his ENTIRE Family. We can't allow these things to happen. Nipsey wouldn't. We look the other way and forgive too easily. I'm a black man first and I love all that deserve my love. I'm with unity, however, we must discipline our own as well. This isn't about radio or dropping records, that's been done. This is about protecting a LEGACY and holding people accountable. This may not change Kodak Black now, but I pray it changes his or someone's future. For all those out there that wanna disrespect and play with royalty, I advise you to think "THRICE". Long live the spirit, knowledge and wisdom of Nipsey Hussle. This has to be the standard FOREVER!!! The Marathon continues 🏁🏁🏁🏁 (I'm blocking the bullshit from now on. Try me)
Now, Kodak Black is responding to all the criticism at once. Via an Instagram Live session from earlier today (April 7), he apologized, sort of.
"Hey listen though, real s**t this gonna be my last time talking about this," he said during the session. "If I disrespected you Lauren London in any shape or form, I am sorry.... Even though I didn't. Rest in peace to dude, if I disrespected Lauren London in any way even though I know I didn't, my bad."
If that wasn't insincere enough, Kodak signed off with his go-to insult. "Suck a baby d**k, all you old n****s reachin' f**k y'all," he said.
Kodak also responded to T.I.'s initial comments with pretty much the same sentiment he's giving everyone else, saying, "Man, listen: I said what I said. Y'all tryin' to misconstrue what I said.... F**k that. I don't give f**k what y'all talkin' about," he said. "T.I., man, I don't care. I'm in Georgia right now."
Social media wasn't done with Kodak Black's antics and they're not accepting his apology. See what they had to say below.
Kodak Black should've BEEN cancelled. He's disgusting. pic.twitter.com/r607z1YQlR— Alana (@missblvque) April 7, 2019
Kodak Black ugly ass came back with a retaliation to all the celebrities comments not genuine apology for the disrespect of the Legend #NipseyHussle #RIP his label is going to drop him if he don't fix it! 😭— I am Purpose (@JaniceC31785957) April 7, 2019
"i'm sorry i disrespected you even though i know i didn't, but i'm sorry"— gio gio bonito (@poppagio) April 7, 2019
everyone that still supports kodak black or believes him after that bullshit apology can walk out of my life right now and literally never come back because you obvisouly have no respect for anything
Kodak Black's apology is 10 times worse than his original comments (which were incredibly ignorant). He really said "Rip to dude and if I offended Lauren which I know I didn't I'm sorry," like idk what else to say but electric chair... just wow— Blair (@_BlairM) April 7, 2019
The media needs to ignore Kodak Black. That is the best way call him out: act like he doesn't exist. https://t.co/2E38L9NBXu— DJBooth (@DJBooth) April 7, 2019
Kodak black : being a misogynistic— k (@nenesalter1) April 7, 2019
Y'all :
Kodak black : being a colorist
Y'all :
Kodak black: being a Literal rapist
Y'all :
Kodak talks about nipseys wife :
Y'all : pic.twitter.com/H2k0vbkmYU
So this is what made tall hate him?Not the fucking pending rape case? Not the anti blackness? Not the anti darkskin black woman? Y'all hate on people when y'all want to and not when y'all should!!!. #Kodak Black— Jessika (@jessikablk) April 7, 2019
Kodak Black apology is a joke. YOU young rappers will learn your mouths are a weapon & it can get you hurt— NG504 (@NiceGuy504) April 7, 2019
Millions of men are dead because they didn't know how to control that weapon ( THEIR MOUTH)
If it starts with "if you felt/think that I...." it's not an apology. It's just someone trying to move on without accountability. #KodakBlack https://t.co/R8GiuKopMD pic.twitter.com/WXDbMm1WHt— Gilatine (@RazorSharpRadio) April 7, 2019
Kodak Black's music also caught the wrath of people in the business. L.A. DJ and show host Justin Credible of Power 106 pledged he'd no longer play Kodak's music on the radio.
"We stand with the family of Nipsey Hussle and are appalled by the disrespectful and poor comments made by Kodak Black," Justin Credible said Saturday. "With that, Power 106 will not support Kodak Black's music."
We stand with the family of Nipsey Hussle and are appalled by the disrespectful and poor comments made by Kodak Black. With that, Power 106 will not support Kodak Black's music. #LongLiveNip 🏁🏁🏁— Justin Credible (@J_Credible) April 7, 2019
Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage
"Stop using that f**king pain to make it OK to say some bullsh** on your record and get nominated for a Grammy..."
Here are all the artists who posted tributes to the late R&B singer.


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The Little Prince has decided to become a skateboarding punk. If you listen carefully you can hear the "sproing!" of each hair on my head turning grey.
This would be the same Little Prince who inherited my lack of coordination and grace. The same stubborn little boy who has decided he doesn't want to learn how to ride his bike because "balancing is too hard."
Youth, cuteness and big, brown eyes have a way of wearing down even the most nervous of mothers. And so, last week while the Little Princess was learning to be an astrophysicist at College for Kids, the Prince was learning to be a skateboarder at the Muscatine skate park.
Muscatine has it's share of drawbacks, but they have great parks and playgrounds. The skate park is no exception -- clean, well maintained, and completely empty at 9 a.m. To paraphrase Dickens, it was the best of parks, it was the worst of parks; it was a young boy's dream, it was a mother's nightmare.
The worst of it: there was a coffee shop right across the street. A drive-thru coffee shop. My idea of heaven on earth. But (!) this was during the Iowa Late-June Heat and Humidity Wave. Temperatures were in the mid-80s by 9 a.m. Sweat was rolling down my sides as I sat in the shade of the half-pipe watching the Little Prince. A bath in hot coffee would have been cooler. Drinking hot coffee seemed torturous, sort of like the Devil serving coffee in the third ring of hell.
It didn't take the Little Prince long to figure out skateboarding on a flat surface is hard work and not much fun. He was really looking forward to doing X-Game style tricks. He had researched his moves by watching endless You-Tube videos and playing a multitude of on-line games. In his mind this more than prepared him to master the half-pipe. An evil, mean, little part of me thought the skate park might provide a wallop of reality up-side the head. I just hoped it wouldn't be a very hard wallop.
In fact, there wasn't a wallop at all. His sister might have been the one at "college," but the Little Prince is no dummy. All it took was rolling backward down the bottom of a ramp to make him realize doing skateboard tricks is harder than it looks.
If you are standing up, that is.
Stubborn-streak firmly in place, the Little Prince quickly adapted and spent his time "butt boarding" or sitting on the skateboard. In no time at all he went from tipping cautiously over the top of the ramp to sailing down the ramp and zipping across the court -- a blur of helmet, pads and smile.
A big, big smile.
While the Little Prince was learning to skateboard (sort of), I was learning the lingo (sort of). Some of the definitions on the web were a little incomplete, so I've fixed them:
Quarter pipe: A ramp used in extreme sports to allow the rider to break bones quickly and efficiently.
Half-pipe: Two quarter pipes facing each other across a flat transition, allowing riders to break bones coming and going.
Grind rail: A square or round rail or bar used for performing tricks, featured prominently in videos of riders clutching their genitals.
Banked wedge: A small ramp which lures its victims by looking harmless, proving the old saying "the smaller they are, the harder you fall."
The Little Prince used his new vocabulary this way:
"Mom! Watch me fly down the arm breaker totally out of control! Then I'll slide across the elbow skinner and over to the skull cracker. You have 9-1-1 on speed dial, right? Thanks for bringing me here, Mom. You're the greatest."
At least I think that's what he said. It's hard to hear when you're blinded by the smiles.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Great Ex-skate-tations
Posted by J Salemink at 9:09 PM
Labels: humor, skateboard
1 comment:
- AnonymousJuly 5, 2009 at 10:15 AM
So the little prince wants to be another Tony Hawk. We want pictures!!ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text: Doctors have found a new use for Botox, the wrinkle-smoothing botulism toxin: It seems to curb excessive sweating. People with a condition called hyperhidrosis produce four or five times the normal amount of sweat, and have tried powerful antiperspirants, drugs to prevent sweat-gland stimulation, even surgery on those glands. Botox, a weakened form of the food-poisoning toxin botulism used to treat wrinkles, apparently temporarily paralyzes a nerve that stimulates sweat glands. The toxin treatment costs about $1,000 for both arms and lasts six months to a year.


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|The Andes from the window of my room in Merida, June 2010.
The thing is, I'm a teacher. I'm also a conductor. Part of our job is to point out what's wrong, what could be improved, what's great--and then find a way to make it better. Generally, that's what I try to do. If I see litter in the park, I pick it up. If I see something happening that shouldn't be happening, I try to correct it if it's in my power to do so. I guess it's in my DNA. That's all that I was doing here, but people assumed a whole host of ulterior motives--to say nothing of making some pretty remarkable assumptions about my character.
But I'm on to my next projects--my various summer assignments. First, I go to Venezuela to do some teaching and conducting. Then I go to Maine for a bunch of stuff: two big lectures, a reading of Elijah, a recital, and then a huge production of Haydn's The Creation. I'm looking forward to all of it! (And burglars, please note: we have a big dog and house sitters. This is not your chance to come raid the place.)
I'm spending the next few days getting ready for the Venezuela trip. I will probably post a few things from there as the spirit moves (and it generally does: Venezuela is gorgeous and fascinating and full of contradictions). I've been studying hard, because I'm conducting a whole program of big pieces I've never done before.
So here's what happened: the concert was supposed to be the Brahms Haydn Variations and the Brahms Requiem. The Requiem (one of my desert-island pieces) I can practically do in my sleep; only the Haydn Variations were new--so that was very manageable. But then they had an outbreak of swine flu in Merida--the town where I'm going--and everything was shut down for three weeks. The choir couldn't rehearse, and they didn't think they could be ready in time.
So we changed the program. Still the Haydn Variations, but now instead of the Requiem, Bach's "Jauchzet Gott in allem Landen," a big virtuoso cantata for soprano, trumpet, and orchestra, and Mendelssohn's "Scottish" Symphony. I've never conducted any of this music before. The Bach isn't hard to conduct--it's a much bigger challenge for the singer and trumpet player--but I still have to know how it goes. The Mendelssohn, on the other hand, is a huge, complex work that I don't think I'd even heard until they asked me about a month ago to conduct it. I've been studying it nearly day and night since. This is the kind of music that really requires you to have a point of view--otherwise, it will be pedestrian. (If you know where it's headed and can take it there, it's sublime.) But it's not so easy to get a point of view fast--it has to be in your sinews, and that takes time. In this case, what I lacked in time I have tried to make up for with intensity.
Fingers crossed. My previous trips to Venezuela have been wonderful--I might almost say life-changing--so I suspect this will be no different. I am continually amazed by the places that music takes me. Stay tuned (if you're interested), because I'll gladly share the experience here.
|Here I am conducting the state orchestra and youth chorus in Handel's "Zadok, the priest" in the Aula Magna, Merida, June 2010.


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ESSK Week Five, 2019
Digital Den with Stacey
Dash Robotics with Renee
We had to say good-bye to some campers and hello to others. This week we learned about creepy crawlers and how robots are used to collect data. We transformed our Dash robots into creepy crawlers of all kinds. Campers were very interested in learning how there are robot insects and how they are used. Campers continue to learn how to code by using the Blockly, Path, Go, and Wonder app. Summer is moving too fast – slow down, we are having fun!!!!
Robotics 2 with Zach
Week 5 and 6 is about insects and creepy crawlers in Robotics 2. Our campers were challenged to use our new LEGO Mindstorms EV3 kits to build different types of robots and bugs. After making cool contraptions with the motors, the campers were challenged with making a car/insect hybrid and the results were EXTREMEly cool! One camper made a dragonfly with wheels and another camper designed their own bug. Every camper has been successful in designing and building different critters while also learning the integral parts of a robot. In Extreme STEAM, every new experience is a learning opportunity and all learning is celebrated on each student's individual level. The new LEGO Mindstorms EV3 kits enable our campers to have limitless potential with what they design and create. We believe that it is important for our campers to be a part of every process so that they take ownership of their learning with this new and exciting learning tool!
Engineering with Arthur
Science with Tina
In this block we investigated Creepy Crawlies. We started our unit by learning about our meal worms life cycle. We examined our meal worms with a magnifying glass. The budding young scientists of course had many questions which we hoped to answer through our investigation. I am happy to report we were able to answer most questions by observation alone, although some stumped us and we had to use our iPads to research. We will continue our unit with an Ant Farm and watch the hardest working insects busy at home. We continue working on our hydroponics garden and the children love to check the pH level each day. They have learned the exact level to optimize growing and have the pH up or down ready to go while checking. This week we will start a new batch of vegetables in the nursery in order to have it ready to transfer. Our tadpole friends continue growing and changing and the kids love to check their progress daily. We change the water quite frequently and the kids love to feed them. The outside gardens are coming along nicely and we enjoy checking each day to see the progress. I am happy to report that we have 3 beautiful sunflowers, 1 zucchini and many tomatoes – some of which will be ready to eat this week. We will end our week with a fun STEAM activity making our own caterpillars and racing them. Until next week, I hope you are finding ways to stay cool.
Artistic Design with Lori
This week Artistic Design was all about Creepy Crawlies! We learned about the parts of insects bodies. How all insects have 6 legs and usually 4 wings (two pairs). We talked about the life cycle of a butterfly or Metamorphosis. The campers were able to tell me all the stages of the life cycle. We then learned what symmetry is and how butterfly wings are almost always symmetrical. The campers then began working on making a 3 dimensional and symmetrical butterfly. On Thursday we completed our butterfly project and began talking about all the parts of insects and what we might need to make our own. Once the planning stage was complete the campers created their own Creepy crawly, using recycled water bottle and lots of fun art supplies. I can't wait to see what they all come up with!
Park Shore News
Our 60th Anniversary Celebration year is going to be filled with exciting events, videos, alumni memories and so much more - don't miss a minute of it!


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The real cost of Britain's binge drinking culture are becoming ever clearer. The alcohol fuelled violent crime and loutish behaviour which blight many town centres. The increasing pressures on hospital A&E departments dealing with those injured or seriously intoxicated by excessive drinking. The rising death rates where alcohol was a contributory factor.
But there are other harms too. At last week's Conservative Women's Organisation (CWO) mini-conference in Grantham, a highly informed panel featuring representatives from Nottinghamshire Police, Lincolnshire NHS and the YWCA underlined other significant hidden harms. Young women at greater risk of falling victim to sexual assault when drunk, increased risks of domestic violence in the home environment, links to underlying mental health issues, inter-generational drug dependency and wider symptoms of social deprivation.
It was a genuine pleasure to take part in the discussions and hear more about some of the excellent community based work that is taking place. What it underlined to me was the need for a comprehensive approach to dealing with the binge boozing culture. That's why Conservative plans for targeted taxes on those products most closely linked to binge drinking, a ban on alcohol being sold below cost and giving communities much greater say over licences in their area including the right to impose a 'late night levy' on bars and off-licences staying open late into the night are really needed.
The Government's latest retreat on 24 hour drinking by saying that they would ban alcohol licences between 3-6am underlines that Labour are part of the problem not the solution. Simply focussing on a handful of all night bars won't deal with the serious underlying societal problems linked to alcohol. Half measures have been the hallmark of this Government. We can't go on like this when the costs to society in dealing with excessive alcohol consumption continue to grow.


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Supercritical CO2 specialists.
From the Graphics Industry, the entrepreneur has deployed an innovation process that ultimately led to a specialist in Supercritical CO2
In 2000, Grafischoth's entrepreneur bought one of the first Digital Printing Presses for Special Substrates (Materials). However, these particular substrates had to be coated so that the ink adheres to the material. Through one of our customers, I came into contact with Supercritical CO2 Extraction, which allowed us to impregnate the materials with the coating agent. We could not return these millions of investment by coating alone. By a newly appointed employee from the Restorer environment, we have been developing a process with the SCO2, together with a companion, to threaten to lose old books and archives that are subject to degradation and autonomous decay. In 2006, I left the printing company and we developed a "acidification process" based on SCO2 and a Sillan connection to acidify books and paper products and add an additive which increases the life span by 25 to 75 years. Many thousands of jobs are ready.
Due to the crisis of recent years, the government has decided to stop the grant for conservation of our cultural heritage. As a result, after the installation of a project from Austria (2015), we returned to new possibilities with this SCO2 process. This ultimately resulted in a start-up that deals with SCO2 from organic matter. Our choice has fallen for a plant species that occurs frequently in NL.
The fiber hemp is a legal arable crop and may be grown in the open field. This ancient plant species has unprecedented possibilities, focusing on the wood shafts and the high quality lignin that contains this plant.
This plant species is one of the many possibilities we can extract and release a high-quality ethereal substance.


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Centre for Financial and Retirement Planning
CFRP is all about YOU
Achieve Your Goals
We will take the time to examine your current economic and financial "stage of life" in order to develop a plan that will help you achieve your retirement and financial goals. No cookie cutter approach here. At age 30 you might be more concerned with paying off college loans, cashflow and saving for a home. At age 65 it might be retirement and tax planning, protecting assets or managing medical costs. No matter where you are in life, we'll work with you to maximize your financial future.
CFRP gives you personal attention
Solutions, not selling
No short sighted thinking or get rich quick schemes. We have been in business over 30 years with the same owner and same office manager as when the doors opened. There are no underlings to "turn you over to". You will meet with the owner in person and get your phone calls returned fast. We do not push products or services. We listen, learn and develop the right plan with the right tools to get you on the road to financial success.
CFRP can do it all(or almost)!
Broad range of services and capabilities
With years of experience, we offer a depth of knowledge about financial markets, tax and cash flow planning, estate planning and much, much more. We'll also help you with Education resource planning(how do I pay for my kids college?), Insurance reviews(what do I need, how much, when?), Mortgage reviews(should I refinance/are there other options out there?) and about anything else you care to throw at us!