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My Investing Journey: Allied Technologies Part 2 0 comments
(P.S: Sorry for any disturbances the advertisements above may have caused you)
At 64.5 cents I sold out of Allied. I can remember that afternoon at the office in late October 2003, when I called my broker to sell my entire line after seeing the stock continue to rise during my lunchtime check on the market. I had told him to execute the sell at 63.5 cents, and in a matter of say, 30 seconds, it had jumped to 64.5! That's the price at which my sell order was executed. Not that I was complaining. It just showed how strong the buying momentum was.
I believe the relief that I experienced upon the sale can be understood by those who have sold out of big winners. It is a release of pent-up tension and the constant itch to pull the trigger as the price soars skyward, especially if it is an inexplicable rise. The tension builds up as one's emotions transit from gladness at seeing the initial rise, to vindication as the share price approaches what one considers fair value, to disbelief as it continues surging upward on increasing volume, and then a fear of regret constantly eating away at his increasingly frequent profit-tasking impulses.
I sold because I could no longer tahan the price valuations. At 63 cents, the stock was trading at 18X PE, and it was a recent IPO with limited post-listing track record! Even I knew it was too good to be true. Niggling at the back of my mind was how the seller of the LCD plant (see Part 1) would be willing to let go of such an incredible money-making asset to Allied Technologies if the claims on topline and bottomline contribution as claimed in the newspapers were true. I reasoned that it was time to recycle the capital and switch to other more fundamentally deserving stocks (not that there were many in the wild bull market in late 2003 which was soon to correct in early 2004).
The rest is history. The stock went up to above 70, the market somehow realised it had been overly euphoric and within a matter of weeks the price corrected downwards to the mid-50s, no doubt dampened by a subsequent company announcement that some orders had been delayed. Operations at the LCD plant started, but big losses were incurred that actually dragged down the group. The LCD assembly operations are still loss-making as of the last financial year. Allied Technologies is an illiquid stock today, trading at 11-12 cents.
They say that one learns most from his mistakes, but I think I also learnt a lot from this Allied Technologies experience, even though I had made an obscene amount of money (a two-bagger for sitting out 3 months .... a 400% gain if annualised) for what had essentially been a mistake, if one considers Allied's subsequent poor set of results. The episode taught me that market enthusiasm can often bid up prices to wild levels, and big money can be made in resisting the impulse to sell at whatever "rational" price targets one had set(If I had sold at "fair value", I would probably have foregone 20-30 cents of price appreciation). In other words, follow the flow. Fundamentals are but one part of the stock market, and there's no point being too honest or straight about it. Secondly, the willingness of the market to believe unproved "concepts" (the LCD plant with no track record) left a deep impression on me; that was the power of a bull market. That's why I believe among the three major forces that shape a stock's price trend --- market, sector and company --- the first one is the most important; hence my qualitative view that relative importance is weighted 40:30:30 respectively (however, I still believe market timing is very difficult). Lastly, it was a valuable experience for me in balancing the two conflicting adages "let your profits run" and "take profits, do not be greedy". As mentioned above, one must take into account market psychology, but at the same time he must avoid falling in love with his stock, or even worse, resist selling because he doesn't want to miss the excitement or any further possible upside. When the stock goes way above the fundamentals, there has to be a point when one says "Enough is enough!". Unfortunately, the lesson was not ingrained deeply in me, and I have had a few subsequent experiences when I followed the stock all the way up and then (nearly) all the way down. This time, though, I do believe my timing in selling Allied was near-perfect. Good money made on a dubious stock pick. Serendipity indeed.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Former Weld residents take blackout in stride
August 16, 2003
A New York reunion during a blackout Thursday night wasn't exactly what five former Greeley women were expecting.
Three former University High students were in New York on Thursday to meet with their friends and former classmates, Elizabeth and Leslie Rothaus.
None of the women expected the biggest blackout in U.S. history to interrupt their plans of a concert and a Broadway musical.
Leslie Rothaus, 27, had stepped out of her office building in Manhattan when the blackout started. She was outside for a few minutes when she realized that none of the stoplights were working. Soon after, people started streaming out of the buildings in droves.
"When I realized what it was, I wasn't scared," Rothaus said. "But before I knew, it was a little scary. If Sept. 11 hadn't happened, we would have all thought this was funny."
She walked a half hour in the scorching heat to her apartment on the upper east side of Manhattan. Along the way she saw some people scrambling to get home while others kicked back to enjoy a beer. Her cell phone wasn't working so she had a tough time getting a hold of her sister and three friends: Summer Turner, 29, of Boston, Mass., Staci Wilkes, 29, of Denver and Carmela Carvajal, 29, of Santa Monica, Calif. Wilkes and Carvajal were already in the city and found their way to Rothaus' apartment. Turner made the last flight into the city from Boston, and with a little luck, found her way to the apartment as well. The Broadway show the women hoped to see was canceled, but a couple of them were still able to go to the Indigo Girls concert in Central Park – they took flashlights to find their way there.
Recommended Stories For You
When they all returned back to the apartment, the women opened up a couple of bottles of white wine, dined on cheese and crackers and talked about their school days in Greeley.
"It was nice to have part of home there," said Leslie Rothaus. "At times like that you get kind of scared and homesick. It was comforting."
Kim Walker of Queens, formerly of Windsor, was dealing with a water pipe leak two floors above when the power outage hit.
The leak was so bad that the floors in her office were soaked with water. After the water was removed, several fans were brought in to dry the floors.
"We had all the fans going on and it was so noisy," Walker said. "Then, all of a sudden, they just turned off. It was kind of eerie."
She thought the complex had burned out a fuse, but then someone in her office said power was out in Connecticut too. Then her husband Todd called from 10 blocks away and said the power was out there as well.
"We just kind of looked at each other a little bit," said Walker. "We didn't know what was going on."
After the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, Walker's employers reminded the staff of being prepared in case of an emergency.
"People in our office had flashlights and a good pair of tennis shoes ready," she said. "We started to make our way down 42 flights of stairs."
Walker said she and her husband talked about a home emergency plan, but when the emergency actually happened, they didn't know what to do.
"I just left the building and started walking to his office," she said. "And he left his building and started walking to my office."
Like thousands of other New Yorkers who rely on the subway system, walking was the next fastest way to get home.
Eventually, the two missed each other in the masses of people crowding the sidewalks and streets trying to get home.
"There were tons and tons of people," Walker said. "People were taking the outage seriously. They were just trying to take it in stride and making the best of it."
Eventually, Walker walked to a co-worker's studio apartment.
Frustrated by not being able to get in touch with her husband by cell phone, she called her parents in Windsor.
"They had just gotten off the phone with my husband," she said. "I told them where I was and that everything was OK."
The only time she felt afraid was when she got home and had to feel her way up the dark stairs to her apartment.
Electricity was restored at 8 a.m. Friday but now Walker and her husband are more afraid to use it.
"We heard there were rolling blackouts," she said. "We're more conscious now about any lights being left on."


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Freight and Distribution Networking/Exploring Exporting Locating Foreign Distributors Warehousing Locating Freight Forwarders/Customs Brokers Logistics (Other)
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We invite you to learn more about the Fulfilltopia team and how we can help you achieve success through quality fulfillment, inventory management, and product quality control.
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Anyone who loves shopping for led shoes knows their led shoe size like the back of their hand. However, with different brands, it may be necessary to try on different sizes to find the right fit. When buying Mudd led shoes, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to get the best possible fit.
It is important to remember that shopping for led sneakers is not the same as shopping for a dress led shoe. If given the choice between going up a size or down a size in a sneaker, it is better to go up a size. The extra space can be made up for with socks, and working out will be impossible with feet that are squeezed into too small of a led shoe.
Some people like to shop for Mudd led shoes online because they can get better deals, but they are concerned that they will not be able to try on the led shoe. In this case, try going to the store and trying on different sizes. Then it is easy to come home and make a sensible purchase of a led shoe for a great price and in the right size.
When purchasing sandals, it is important to remember that they will be work in warm weather. For many people, this weather causes their feet to swell, increasing the size led shoe that they need to wear. Keep this in mind and consider going a half size or so up from a normal led shoe size when selecting footwear for the warm months.
In order for Mudd led shoes to be comfortable, it is necessary to purchase them in the proper size. Remember that different types of led shoes fit differently, especially at different times of the year. Before buying a led shoe online, go to a store and try it on to ensure that the proper size will be chosen.[products_slider title="? SALE ENDS TODAY? " per_page="" category="en" orderby="sales"]


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Thousands of Southern Californians will head to parties, bars and restaurants to watch Sunday's telecast of Super Bowl XLIII, making it the nation's second largest day of food consumption, behind only Thanksgiving.
Roughly 15 percent of Americans will order takeout or delivery food from a restaurant for their Super Bowl gatherings. Of those ordering food, 58 percent will choose pizza, 50 percent chicken wings and 20 percent submarine sandwiches, according to research conducted by the National Restaurant Association.
Another 4 percent will watch the game at a restaurant or bar.


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[[WML for Complete Beginners: Chapter 11]]
[[WML for Complete Beginners: Chapter 11]]
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Chapter 10: Introduction to Logic
If This, Then That
Suppose you went to the grocery store to get some food. You park you car in the parking lot and begin to walk towards the store, when suddenly you realize that you can't remember if you shut the car door or not after you got out. You turn around to see if the car door is open...
...and then what?
Well, if the car door is open, you know that you did forget to close it, so you go over and close it before you go into the grocery store. If the car door isn't open, there's no need for you to do anything, so you keep walking towards the store.
This kind of logic (called conditional logic) evaluates a condition and determines a reaction based on the state of that condition. In the example above, the condition is whether or not the car door is open. If it is open, then you go over and close it. If it isn't open, then you continue walking towards the store.
In WML you have a number of logical operations available to assess and react to conditions. The first one we will go over is the if/then operation. The syntax of this operations is:
[if] (condition) [then] (do something) [/then] [/if]
With the if clause, if the condition is true then we do something. But what if the condition isn't true? Well, in the examples above the WML engine doesn't have anything to do if the condition isn't true, so it just keeps running and doesn't do anything. However, it is possible to make the game perform a task if the condition isn't true, which is done by using the tagset [else]. The syntax is:
[if] (condition] [then] (do something) [/then] [else] (do something else) [/else] [/if]
Returning to the example of the car door, suppose that, before you turn around to check to see whether the door is open or not, you decide to go over and close the door if it is open, and if it isn't then you'll do a backflip to celebrate your genius before continuing your journey across the parking lot to the grocery store. In pseudocode:
[if] the car door is open [then] go over and shut it [/then] [else] do a backflip [/else] [/if]
Next Chapter: WML for Complete Beginners: Chapter 11
Previous Chapter: WML for Complete Beginners: Chapter 9
Return to Main Index: WML for Complete Beginners


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Hey everyone! We're really excited to bring you another issue of Gadgets Magazine! This month, suit up as we take an adventure to the great indoors. Learn what you need to do to put together the perfect home entertainment room, whether it be for music, movies or games, with this month's CoverStory. Take a look at iflix, and load up on videos to see you through the rainy months, and bring all the entertainment you need for the longest of long-haul flights in Travel Tech.
We've got all the usual things you've come to expect from Gadgets too. See what's new in the market in the Parade section, and go deep into our gadget reviews, fresh from our labs.
If that's not enough to make you grab a copy, we're sure you're going to want to stay home with our gorgeous cover girl, Willy Rodrigues.
It's dangerous outside. Get yourself a copy of Gadgets Magazine, and stay indoors, where it's warm and safe.


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More variation this week. Least interesting are the two CD singles which I bought solely for an experiment into pocket money collecting. However that also turned up the 2CD "Kings of Rock & Roll" set which is on sale on Ebay from some sort of remainder bin seller for £1 plus £1.30 p&p, which is an absolute bargain. It's a well curated set with some obscure B sides, and this fully factory sealed mint copy is now replacing an older one in the collection.
Then a Spanish magazine interview from the Langley Period. The front cover includes a well endowed gentleman wearing nothing more than a posing pouch, but it's not as bad as the interview in a French porn mag complete with pages stuck together (I kid you not), all of which bears witness to the grubby underbelly of collecting. I will scan the Spanish article and post it at some point soon.
And so to the two star items. A fully signed CBS Promo copy of "Langley" from Ebay – apologies if you were bidding against me on this. And my favourite thing of the week and probably the year so far, an original "Big Al" Camden Market Protest Demo's bootleg courtesy of Robin. As with all Big Al bootlegs, it seems, it's sped up to fit onto the tape and almost certainly comes from the same recording as the Sony cassette I pictured on the Protest Songs posted recently.


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Ellora is known for Hindu, Buddhist and Jain cave temples built during (6th and 9th centuries) the rule of the Kalachuri, Chalukya, and Rashtrakuta dynasties.
Time period-between 6th and 9th centuries
UNESCO World Heritage Site
The "caves" are actually structures excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills.
Hindu, Buddhist and Jain rock-cut temples, viharas, and mathas were built between the 5th century and 10th century.
The Hindu (caves ), 12 Buddhist (caves ) and Jain (caves ) caves, built in proximity, demonstrate the religious harmony prevalent during this period of Indian history
Excavated on the sloping side of the hill and not in a perpendicular cliff
So most of the temples have courtyards and sometimes an outer wall with an entrance
Between the middle of sixth century to the end of the eighth century
The early caves (caves) were constructed during the Kalachuriperiod.
he caves and were constructed during the Rashtrakuta period
All these structures represent a different style of creative vision and execution skills.
Some were of such complexity that they required several generations of planning and co-ordination to complete.
Cave , also known as the Kailasa temple,
This is designed to recall Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva – looks like a freestanding, multistoried temple complex, but it was carved out of one single rock, and covers an area double the size of Parthenon in Athens.
Initially the temple was covered with white plaster thus even more increasing the similarity to snow covered Mount Kailash.
One of the grandest monolithic excavation in the world.
A two storeyed gateway resembling a South Indian Gopuram opens to reveal a U-shaped courtyard.
The courtyard is edged by columned galleries three storeys high.
The temple itself is a tall pyramidal structure reminiscent of a South Indian Dravidian temple.
Most of the deities at the left of the entrance are Shaivaite (followers of Shiva) while on the right hand side the deities are Vaishnavaites (followers of Vishnu).
There are two Dhvajastambhas (pillars with the flagstaff) in the courtyard.
The grand sculpture of Ravana attempting to lift Mount Kailasa, the abode of Lord Shiva, with his full might is a landmark in Indian art.
The temple is a splendid achievement of Rashtrakuta Karnataka architecture. This project was started by Krishna I () of the Rashtrakuta dynasty.
Its builders modelled it on the lines of the Virupaksha Temple in Pattadakal.
The Dashavatara (Cave ) was begun as a Buddhist monastery.
It has an open court with a freestanding monolithic mandapa at the middle and a two-storeyed excavated temple at the rear.
The layout of the temple is closely related to caves and 12. Large sculptural panels between the wall columns on the upper floor illustrate a wide range of themes, which include the ten avatars of Vishnu.
the finest relief of this cave is the one depicting the death of Hiranyakashipu
Other notable Hindu caves are the Rameshvara (Cave ), which has figurines of river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna at the entrance
The Dhumar Lena (Cave) whose design is similar to the cave temple on Elephanta Island.
Two other caves, theRavan ki Khai (Cave ) and the Nilkantha (Cave ) also have several sculptures.
The rest of the Hindu caves, which include the Kumbharvada (Cave) and the Gopilena (Cave ) have no significant sculptures.
During the th-th century
These structures consist mostly of viharas or monasteries: large, multistoried buildings carved into the mountain face, including living quarters, sleeping quarters, kitchens, and other rooms.
Some of these monastery caves have shrines including carvings of Gautama Buddha, bodhisattvas and saints.
Most famous of the Buddhist caves is cave ,(refer map) a chaitya hall (chandrashala) or 'Vishvakarma cave', popularly known as the 'Carpenter's Cave'.
Cathedral-like stupa hall also known as chaitya, whose ceiling has been carved to give the impression of wooden beams. At the heart of this cave is a 15-foot statue of Buddha seated in a preaching pose.
He Vishwakarma (Cave 10) is the only chaitya griha amongst the Buddhist group of caves. It is locally known as Vishwakarma"celestial architect" or Sutar ka jhopda "carpenter's hut"
A large Bodhi tree is carved at the back.
Developed by: Mindsprite Solutions


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Digg has given in to a crippling volume of user demand (as in site crash) that the popular site stop removing content. Digg had intended to comply with a cease and desist letter from AACS asking the site's operators to remove information related to a DVD encryption key. Then the floods started: Diggs against censorship, Diggs against DRM, Diggs for the key.
After crashing, Digg founder Kevin Rose blogged:
After seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you've made it clear. You'd rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company.
The question is, how does AACS seek to put the toothpaste back in the tube? Google has thousands of hits for said key.


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malcolm gladwell on iq December 16, 2007Posted by KG in books, race, reviews, science.
Tags: eric turkheimer, flynn effect, genetic, i.q., intelligence test, james flynn, malcolm gladwell, race, william saletan
1 comment so far
gladwell reviews james flynn's new book in the new yorker and opines on the recent i.q. debate at his blog…
"what i.q. doesn't tell you about race":
One argument that Saletan never soaked his head in, however, was Flynn's, because what Flynn discovered in his mailbox upsets the certainties upon which I.Q. fundamentalism rests. If whatever the thing is that I.Q. tests measure can jump so much in a generation, it can't be all that immutable and it doesn't look all that innate.
The very fact that average I.Q.s shift over time ought to create a "crisis of confidence," Flynn writes in "What Is Intelligence?" (Cambridge; $22), his latest attempt to puzzle through the implications of his discovery. "How could such huge gains be intelligence gains? Either the children of today were far brighter than their parents or, at least in some circumstances, I.Q. tests were not good measures of intelligence."
So who's right? Turkkeimer would say, both sides are.
He used a very large data set–the National Collaborative Perinatal Project–and found that the relationship between socio-economic status and IQ was non-linear. Children moving from poverty to the middle class see their IQ's jump: IQ at that end of the socio-economic scale is highly sensitive to environmental improvements. But the kinds of twins studies usually relied upon by IQ fundamentalists and that yield such high genetic effects, are much more likely to involve comparisons among middle and upper middle class environments–and that end of the scale, Turkheimer's data suggests, environment doesn't play a big role.
In other words, the lawyer who plays Mozart in the crib for his daughter, in order to raise her IQ, is wasting his time. But dramatically increasing the educational resources available to inner city kids makes a lot of sense.


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Fire Prevention
Every year 46 people die in the Republic of Ireland as a result of fire. Over 1,000 are seriously injured from smoke inhalation and burns and millions of euro's worth of damage is caused. Sadly, most of these incidents could have been avoided given a basic level of fire safety awareness.
A fire in the home can have horrific consequences including death or serious injury, psychological trauma and financial and sentimental loss. The advice set out below will help you to avoid and fire and let you know how to react if one does occur.
In the Kitchen:
1. Always stay in the kitchen while you are cooking.
2. Keep anything that can burn, such as tea-towels, paper or plastic bags, and curtains at least 3 feet away from the hob top.
3. Before cooking, roll up your sleeves and use oven gloves. Loose fitting clothes are the cause of many kitchen fires and accidents.
4. Always stay by the BBQ when in use and keep children and pets away. The BBQ will remain hot for a long time after use. Place your BBQ at least 10 feet away from the house, shrubs and sheds.
Matches and Lighters:
1. Many young children are badly injured or worse from playing with matches or lighters every year.
2. Store matches and lighter in a locked cabinet or out of reach of children.
3. Always buy child proof lighters.
4. Be conscious of lighters or matches in your coat or bag; keep them out of reach of children.
Fire Places and Heaters:
- Space/electric/fan heaters need plenty of room. Keep them at least 3 feet away from anything that can burn, such as furniture or newspapers. Always turn heaters off before leaving the room or going to bed.
- Furnaces/Stoves need to be maintained. Have them inspected and cleaned at least once a year.
- Fireplaces are a common feature in almost all homes. Keep anything flammable well away from the fire place and keep a fire guard in place at all times.
- Always check your fire before going to bed and ensure that the fire guard is securely in place.
- When cleaning out your fire, NEVER, put the ashes in the house hold bin, embers may still be burning within the ash.
- Endeavour to smoke outside as often as possible, try to avoid smoking inside the house.
- Use large, deep ashtrays that are on a steady surface like a table.
- Douse cigarette butts in water before putting them in the bin.
- NEVER smoke in bed.
- Only light candles if an adult is in the room.
- NEVER allow children to keep candles or incense in their rooms.
- Use stable candle holders made of inflammable materials such as metal or glass.
- Always blow out candles when leaving the room.
Flammable Materials:
- Be very cautious when handling any flammable materials. Be aware of fumes and vapors from flammable liquids as these may combust from the tiniest of sparks.
- Use the approved containers for storing any flammable liquid and store in an outside shed in a locked cupboard.
- NEVER bring petrol or diesel indoors.
Keep Your Family Safe:
- Draw up a fire escape plan, with 2 exits from every room (door & window), a meeting point outside and practice twice a year. It is a small task with major benefits.
- Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, near or inside every bedroom. Test them monthly and replace the batteries once a year.
- Learn how to use a fire extinguisher and have one in your home.
For more information on fire safety in your home download this booklet from the Department of the Environment – http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/FireSafety/PublicationsDocuments/FileDownLoad,16527,en.pdf


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Andrew Wynford Davies (born 20 September 1936) is a Welsh writer of screenplays and novels, best known for Marmalade Atkins and A Very Peculiar Practice, and his adaptations of Vanity Fair and Pride and Prejudice. He was made a BAFTA Fellow in 2002.
Davies was born in Rhiwbina, Cardiff, Wales. He attended Whitchurch Grammar School in Cardiff and then University College, London, where he received a BA in English in 1957. He took a teaching position at St. Clement Danes Grammar School in London, where he was on the teaching staff from 1958–61. He held a similar post at Woodberry Down Comprehensive School in Hackney, London from 1961–63. Following that, he was a lecturer in English at Coventry College of Education (which later merged with the University of Warwick to become the Faculty of Educational Studies and later the Warwick Institute of Education), and then at the University of Warwick.
In 1960, Davies contributed material to the BBC Home Service's Monday Night at Home strand, alongside Harold Pinter and Ivor Cutler. He wrote his first play for radio in 1964 and many more were to follow. In 1960, he married Diana Huntley; the couple have a son and daughter. He is resident in Kenilworth, a town of Warwickshire.
Davies' first television play, Who's Going to Take Me On?, was broadcast in 1967 as part of BBC1's The Wednesday Play strand. His early plays were written as a sideline to his work in education, many of them appearing in anthology series such as Thirty Minute Theatre, Play for Today and Centre Stage. His first serial adaptation of a work of fiction was of To Serve Them All My Days (1980), from the novel by R. F. Delderfield. A Very Peculiar Practice (1986-88) is a campus based comedy-drama series that drew upon his career in education.
He is now best known for his adaptations of classic works of literature for television including Pride and Prejudice (1995) starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, Vanity Fair (1998), and Sense and Sensibility (2008). He is the writer of the screenplays both for the BBC production Middlemarch (1994) and a planned film of the same name once announced for 2011 release.[1][2]
Davies also co-devised with Bernadette Davis the sitcom Game On for BBC2 and co-wrote the first two series broadcast in 1995 and 1996.
The popularity of his adaptation of Michael Dobbs's political thriller House of Cards was a significant influence in Dobbs's decision to write two sequels, which Davies also adapted for television. In film, he has collaborated on the screenplays for both of the Bridget Jones films, based on Helen Fielding's successful novels.
He is also a prolific writer for children. The first of his few novels was Conrad's War, published by Blackie in 1978. Davies won the annual Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, which is judged by a panel of British children's writers and recognises the year's best book by an author who has not yet won it.[3] He has written Alfonso Bonzo (book and television series), and the adventures of Marmalade Atkins (television series and numerous books). He also wrote the stories Dark Towers and Badger Girl for BBC TV's Look and Read series of programmes for schools audiences.
2008 saw the release of his adaptations of the 1999 novel Affinity by Sarah Waters, Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited (a film), Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit (a BBC series). Little Dorrit won 7 out of its 11 Emmy nominations and earned Davies an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries.
Planned adaptations of Dombey and Son, one of Dickens' lesser-read works, and Anthony Trollope's Palliser novels were both scrapped by the BBC in late 2009, following a previously announced move away from "bonnet dramas".[4]
ITV is looking to recreate its period drama success with Downton Abbey with new series Mr Selfridge, an initially eight-part serial written by Davies and starring Jeremy Piven.[5] It first aired on 6 January 2013.
On 18 February 2013, BBC announced plans for a six-part adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's War & Peace to be scripted by Davies and aired on BBC One in 2015.[6]
Andrew and Diana Davies have written at least two children's picture books.
Blackadder, Mr. Bean, Comic Relief, Steven Spielberg, New Zealand
Nobel Prize in Literature, Samuel Beckett, United States, BBC Radio 3, Turin
Bbc, Dvd, University of Warwick, Poland, University of East Anglia
David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Bbc, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol
Lynda La Plante, Bad Manners, Andrew Davies (writer), Charlotte Coleman, John Bird (actor)
Jane Austen, Bbc, Emma (novel), ITV (TV network), Buckinghamshire
Cbs, American Broadcasting Company, Nbc, Hbo, Mad Men
Bbc, Margaret Thatcher, British Army, Falklands War, Michael Dobbs


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CN 3069 leads westbound train 406, as they approach Petitcodiac, New Brunswick, with a nice string of pink potash corp hoppers.
On a beautiful summer day, westbound train 406 slowly departs Gordon Yard at Moncton, heading for Saint John, New Brunswick, with mostly pink Potash Corp cars on the head end.
Brand new CN ET44AC 3069 leads train Q119 through Redpass.
Brand new CN ET44ACs 3069 and 3065 prepare to depart Jasper after a crew change with train Q119.
Factory fresh. Brand new ET44AC CN 3069 is only a few weeks out of the factory as it leads CN 377 past some nice searchlight signals on CN's Kingston Sub in Beaconsfield. Operating mid-trai... (more)


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This has more to do with marketing and social media etiquette then technical skills. One of the first things I learned about was how not to spam my family, friends and fans with multiple posts that are the same all over the place. There are a few reasons for this,
- It is annoying first and foremost! If you post the same link or picture every 2 hours throughout the day, people are just going to ignore you or worse yet, block you!
- What is relevant on one platform is not always relevant on another. Seriously tagging people to thank them for following you on Twitter is not relevant on Facebook or Instagram and vice versa .Having these accounts linked to auto post to each other is not always a great idea. Which leads me to the next one,
- If you post the same thing to every platform all the time, why on earth would I bother to follow you on multiple platforms? That goes back to being spammy, it also takes up my precious little social media time. If someone follows you on multiple platforms do them a favor and post something different for them to see or read on a few of them.
- Sharing from your own project/art/business fan page to your personal page is ok on Facebook for the most part because in general due to Facebook analytic s most of your fans are not going to see it from your professional page and you must be your #1 cheerleader.
I hope this is helpful to someone.
Till next time,


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Indian Motorcycle Mens Racing Team Tees
Colour: Grey
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Indian Motorcycle Racing Tee. This marl gray tee has a large front graphic based around "Wrecking Crew" racing team and a large hand drawn illustration, referencing the history of Indian Motorcycle®. The tee has a vintage wash applied to give it a softer, more relaxed feel to the style.
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Cox, Rebecca D.University of California, Berkeley
E-Mail author
REBECCA D. COX is a Ph.D. candidate in education at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research interests center on issues of equity and access in higher education and include investigation of the organizational and institutional contexts of faculty work and the realities of teaching and learning inside community college classrooms.
Relying on data from an in-depth study of 15 community colleges, this article explores online education through the lens of institutional theory. This theoretical perspective highlights the colleges� environmental contexts and offers a critical examination of the ways that the institutional contexts have structured the colleges� approaches to online education. At the core of this analysis is the contention that community colleges are interpreting and responding to a set of taken-for-granted ideas about online education. These ideas have taken on the status of myth and have played a powerful role in guiding and legitimating colleges� online activity. This analysis provides a research-based foundation for understanding online activity at the community college level and for carefully addressing the challenges associated with its adoption.


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Deadline extended! What's are you doing to change the world? How can resources like the IDEAS Competition and MIT Global Challenge help?
Share your story in the Global Challenge Video Pitch Competition and be eligible to win $1500.
The contest is open to anyone, but teams must involve MIT students. The winning entry will receive $1500 and will be featured at the October 23 Alumni Leadership Conference launch of the MIT Global Challenge.
We're launching the MIT Global Challenge to connect and reward teams of innovators and entrepreneurs that are tackling barriers to well-being through invention. We need the world-changing students who benefit from opportunities like IDEAS and the MIT Global Challenge to help us spread the word!
We want to tap student passion to make the world a better place by asking you to make a case for why the MIT community worldwide should care about the Global Challenge. To be successful we'll need their support to fund awards, underwrite challenges, and support student projects as mentors, volunteers, and local promoters of the Global Challenge. Download contest details [word.doc].
What we're after
Were offering $1500 to the team led by one or more MIT students that creates the best viral video against the following five criteria:
1. An attention grabber. Make it arresting and too good to turn away from. Something like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-XZk0yxCzc
2. Informative. Leverage a powerful hook that invites adventurous thinking while sharing important information. For example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-8PBx7isoM
3. Trés MIT. Appeal to that quality of the MIT experience that combines rigorous inquiry and experimentation to inspire curiosity. Perhaps not unlike: http://www.break.com/index/stop-motion-t-shirt-war.html
4. Flat-out motivates. Make a clear ask for alumni involvement that is propelled by the quality of the narrative and visual experience. A lot like: http://en.tackfilm.se/?id=1269490106486RA20
5. All you. Be completely genuine, using original sound and footage to achieve a startling result. Well, we don't have a really have a good example of that one. Yet.
What you need to know
1. Videos must be 2 minutes. No longer, not much shorter.
2. Entries must be submitted online no later than [NEW!] 9:00am October 15, 2010 through our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/groups/mitglobalchallenge (if you have problems, send us your youtube.com etc url)
3. Videos will be judged by Global Challenge staff and volunteers and a winner announced at the Alumni Leadership Conference October 23, 2010. Winners will also be notified by email.
4. The winning video will be used in a Global Challenge marketing campaign promoted by the MIT Public Service Center in the fall. All qualified videos will be archived and available at: http://vimeo.com/groups/mitglobalchallenge.
5. Videos containing inappropriate content will not be judged; they'll be removed from the Vimeo channel.
Questions? Email email@example.com. Thank you!


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In this film Beate Lendt provides the viewer a fascinating picture of the process and continuity of co-creating an eco-housing project in the heart of Berlin initiated by German architect Frei Otto.
On 'De Dag van de Duurzaamheid' Ekosofia and The Hub Amsterdam present another Green Screen at The Hub. We will show the documentary 'Der Traum von Baumhaus' made by architect and filmmaker Beate Lendt who will also be our guest this evening.
Doors open at 19.00h, starts at 19.30h, appreciation afterwards.
The Ekosofia Green Screen is a co-production with The Hub Amsterdam and started in October 2010. The formula is simple: we invite a guest speaker/filmmaker, screen his/her movie/documentary and have a Q&A to end this inspiring event.
View the trailer:Back to all Events


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Saturday, December 16, 2017
Thoughts on the Last Jedi: This contains Spoilers
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Insecure about self-made barriers
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Widow of Papina Reveal!
Widow of Papina
Katie Hamstead
Published by: Soul Mate Publishing
Publication date: December 2017
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Romance
Forrest and Braydon Miller moved to the small town of Papina to follow their dreams and start a family. Braydon loves her new life in the quiet town, kept alive by the prestigious boarding school overlooking the valley. She is so proud of her husband's work, helping the teens on the reservation.
Until one day, Forrest doesn't come home.
Scandal spreads when it's discovered that one of the teenagers is missing, too. But, Braydon refuses to believe her husband would leave her. When the teen is found, she isn't talking–literally.
While Braydon's heart is breaking, she must hold her crumbling life together, raise her son, trust in the Sheriff's loyal, and ever-growing devotion, and find a way to love the MUTE teenager enough to discover the truth of what happened to her husband.
Author Bio:
Born and raised in Australia, Katie's early years of day dreaming in the "bush", and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.
After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog.
She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing.
When her debut novel, Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh, climbed into bestselling status, she believed she was onto something, and now has a slew of novels now available, and is published through Curiosity Quills Press, Soul Mate Publishing, and REUTS Publishing.
Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports, and be a good wife and mother. She now works as an Acquisitions Editor to help support her family. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Prom, Magic, And Other Man-Made Disasters: a Book Birthday!!
Tessa's starting to think she has a chance against the wizard so long as she has Sean by her side, but his kind words and sweet smile aren't what they seem. He's the wizard's son.
Monday, November 20, 2017
Things I love: The Jack edition
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Ragnarok: Things I love, now Spoiler Free!
It was a fun romp, almost exactly as advertised. There is no romance (it's been replaced by the buddy feels), and it was always entertaining enough to keep my inner curmudgeon from raising it's head. Were there plot holes? Yes. Did they play gags? Yes. But it was fun. I cannot stress how awesome it is to have fun.
The interesting part is that it felt like the first Avengers movie.
I'd go see it again. Heck, I'd go pay to see it again.
Any thoughts? Any haters? No spoilers in the comments please, but if you want to have a longer discussion, you can always @RenaTheWriter and we can keep it going there (where I will talk to people in 280 characters, practically a novel, really!).
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
But teenagers aren't like that! An IWSG post
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Things I love: The FLASH
Thursday, October 19, 2017
A terror of beauty, hungry and angry
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
A Thief or a Vanishing Act: IWSG
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Monday, September 18, 2017
Son Of A Pitch #1: FROM SMOKELESS FIRE
Title: FROM SMOKELESS FIRE
Category and Genre: Adult Fantasy
Word Count: 90,000
When Zahara floats up from a lamp in Daniel Goldstein's NYC apartment, she's a jinn with her own wish: fulfill an easy request from a modern-day sorcerer and trick him into eternal servitude.
Zahara's never been able to live up to her infamous mother's demonic expectations, and a binding magical contract that guarantees her a human thrall would be just the thing to impress her family. But newbie magician Daniel, whose Moroccan grandmother has reached out from beyond the grave to command him to raise a jinn, wants to do good—to the tune of stopping two fallen angels bent on revenge against humanity. Daniel and Zahara end up on the run in Morocco, dodging paranormal mercenaries and bumbling terrorists, while trying to foil a massacre that will rip open the barrier between the jinn and human worlds and plunge the two sides into a devastating war. As Zahara and Daniel try to keep their friends close, they end up discovering their enemies are even closer.
First 250 Words:
Coming out of the lamp was such a rush. One minute Zahara was nothing but vapor, swirling in the icy storms of the last level of hell. The next, she streamed out into the mundane air of the human sphere. Her flesh solidified into a floating upper torso, while her lower body remained only a tail of black flames licking up around the brass vessel used for the summoning.
And what flesh it was.
Zahara pinched back her shoulder blades and posed with her hands on her hips to better accentuate her breasts. They were huge, because she liked her first impression to be a lasting one.
The resounding crack of thunder that marked the transition into the world of man faded away. With a fanged smile, she faced the sorcerer who had dared to call her, the most notorious jinnayah this side of Baghdad.
"Behold. It is I, Zahara, Dread Spirit of the Endless Desert." She'd made that up on the spot, and it sounded great. "I have journeyed, O Child of Mud and Dirt, from the land of smokeless fire to your dreary realm. What do you call yourself, and what is it you demand of me?"
She had decided to put as much formality into her speech as possible, to further impress upon him how fortunate he was to have summoned such a powerful jinn to do his evil bidding. Not too traditional, of course, since she was speaking in flawless English, not classical Arabic.
Son Of A Pitch # 2: SENESTRE
Category and Genre: Adult Fantasy
Word Count: 93,000
As she grows, so do her powers. Soon she surpasses all the other Wise Women in her village in both strength and skill. Hungry for more, she secretly learns the spells that are reserved for male magicians, hoping the knowledge will keep her safe—maybe even earn her mother's love. But all the magical power she possesses isn't enough to protect her mother and sisters from the brutality of life in the village. When her mother dies at the hands of a lecherous warrior, sixteen-year-old Senestre dedicates herself to vengeance in her mother's name.
Blinded by hate, she sets in motion a tangled plot that she does not fully understand. Determined to prove her worth, she carries out her mother's strange last wish and curses an unknown baby girl to die. Only when she comes face to face with Aurora on the princess' sixteenth birthday will her mother's plot—and its price—become clear.
First 250 Words:
My eyes darted to the bedroom window. The sun hung halfway below the horizon—I'd almost run out of time. "Please help me. You know how awful the testing is."
My fingers tightened around the lump of hard brown bread I held out to my half-sisters. Rhea and Starling eyed the bribe from the corner where they crouched, swallowing as hunger made their mouths water. I swallowed too—I'd scrimped the bread from my own meager dinner.
"All I'm asking is if you're up first, wake me. That's it. I know I can't get out of the testing tomorrow, but maybe I can avoid being scared awake." I shivered. "That's the worst part."
I took a step forward and stretched my hand out further, emboldened at a hint of a sympathetic nod from little Starling. Fabric rustled behind me. I froze.
Wren darted into the room and snatched the bread from me. Clutching her prize to her chest, she glared at Rhea, the only one of our sisters large enough to challenge her. But Rhea suddenly found the sunflower-colored braid circling Starling's head fascinating. Wren relaxed. She raised the chunk of bread to her mouth and tore off a bite.
My own mouth watered. The others watched as intently as a flock of birds hoping for crumbs. I should have known none of them would brave the Woman's wrath for me. Unless I could come up with another plan, I'd have an empty belly followed by a terrifying morning.
Son Of A Pitch #3: THE UNBROKEN
Category and Genre: Adult Fantasy
Word Count: 108,000
Catori is a peasant. She grew up picking flowers to sell in the streets of Mennos' main cities and she's served ale to many a lord in her home town's tavern. But this barmaid has a dangerous hobby. To protect herself and her family, Catori's picked up the art of swordplay. Her skill with her blades has earned the admiration of passing travelers, including some with hidden ties to powerful families.
When war breaks out following an orc invasion, Catori knows she must help. She leaves her infant son under the patronage of a noble family and joins the Mennosi auxiliary, where she begins to rise through the military ranks on the recommendation of a mysterious hero. Soon she stands at the head of a broken and neglected army against the might of a massive orc army. But enemies lurk under the guise of support. Catori will need friends old and new to end a brutal war and keep her son out of a feud that could end his life.
First 250 Words:
Bitter's body was lying on a table inside his tent, the same table that only a day before had been covered in various papers including her last letter to him, creased and worn as if he'd read it repeatedly. His armor had been removed and was hanging on a post beside him, just waiting for him to get up and pull it on. It looked almost as if he were sleeping but for the noticeable pallor in his skin and the deep, bloody wound in his stomach.
Catori stood just inside the tent, staring. This was the man she loved, the father of her child, the man she was supposed to marry. No—it was his body, but the man had gone. She was half afraid to move closer, as though doing so would cement his death forever, but the lure of him was too strong. It had always been too strong.
With slow, hesitant steps Catori stepped closer. Fresh tears welled in her eyes as she gazed down at her lover. He didn't look like the Bitter she had known and loved, but it was unmistakably him. His pale skin lacked any color now and his lips were turning grey. Someone had closed his eyes, thankfully. She didn't think she could handle him staring up at her, unseeing. She reached out and touched his cheek lightly. Yes, he was real. His skin was cool to the touch.
Son Of A Pitch #4: FLESH AND INK
Title: FLESH AND INK
Category and Genre: YA Fantasy
Word Count: 87,600
When the blue stains growing on her stomach are exposed, 17 year-old Lilivan knows she must abandon her dream apprenticeship as a holy inker-of-flesh. Only enemies of the Goddess bear these stains.The church's soldiers will kill her for her marks and sentence her family, even her favored sister, Naoma, to a life of servitude.
On the run from the church, Lilivan tracks down a hidden sanctuary for those who bear stains like hers. There, she learns the church lied. Her stains are a blessing, marking her as a wielder of non-church magic. The church uses earth magic and seeks to eradicate all who possess magic they can't control.
Protected in her new home, a nightmarish vision awakens Lilivan—the church has trapped Naoma and is draining her earth magic and her very life. If Lilivan wants to save her sister, she must embrace her new powers and the elemental beings she once shunned as evil spirits. But first, she must win her freedom from a sanctuary that doesn't think she's ready to leave.
First 250 Words:
The window above the sink lit the half-subterranean kitchen a little too well. When I raised my arms after dinner to put a plate away, my ill-fitting shirt exposed more than just my light-brown stomach.
I'd grown careless since the blue stains first appeared on my stomach two years ago. The dark-brown dye I used to conceal the marks was currently faded and patchy. I should have permanently inked over them.
"Oh, Holy Goddess!" Papa's face paled as a mug slid from his fingers and splashed into the sink. "Demon-stains, Liligirl?"
I shoved the plate onto the shelf and yanked my hem down.
"Papa, I didn't do anything," I said, breaking into a cold-sweat, "I swear, by Domina Earth, the Goddess Nelopai Herself!"
Papa had to believe me. No matter what the church said, the stains had arrived like acne right after my fifteenth birthday. They weren't heralding some imaginary deal I'd made with demons. Despite my prayers, the angular cobalt-blue stains spiraling out from my navel had spread. They now brushed my sides, contrasting against my rounded belly when I neglected to cover them in nut dye. Maybe the myths were true, the Goddess couldn't hear the prayers of the soulless.
My dream apprenticeship as a holy inker-of-flesh had seemed a chance at redemption for whatever I'd done to deserve the stains. How could a soulless one have been allowed to perform such a sacred task? For over a year I'd been doing dye prep and touch-ups on the faithful.
Son Of A Pitch #5: IMMUNITY HUNTER
Title: IMMUNITY HUNTER
Category and Genre: YA Fantasy
Word Count: 98,000
Two years after Sasame's parents were devoured alive by undead mutants known as Konadai, she joined an agency that helped turn her grief into revenge. Now an Immunity Hunter, seventeen-year-old Sasame kidnaps those who are immune to the Konadai virus. Her victims are harvested for their blood and bones by the agency so they can create a stronger antidote.
Although the work tears at her conscience, Sasame trusts her boss, Omi, and his belief that this is the only way to save her island city.
Then she meets Konan, a persistent teen working with a group fighting to figure out why people are vanishing. His passion and dedication to the city reel her in, but she fights her attraction to him—connections lead to distractions and heartache. Eventually, Konan's constant interference breaks down her guard and Sasame uses his attention to distract from the madness.
Her weakness angers Omi. His Immunity Hunters are well-oiled machines, and a petty romance is a distraction he won't tolerate. After forcing her to watch the murder of another agent's girlfriend, Omi presents Sasame with a choice: kill Konan to prove her loyalty to the cause, or be killed herself.
First 250 Words:
Prey comes in different forms. Luckily for me, my target is an idiot.
With his face glued to that small, bright screen, this will be an easy hunt. Forget sneaking—short of yelling his name, he won't notice me.
I follow him past decorated storefronts and dull office buildings. The faint scent of pastries and coffee still lingers in the midnightair. Sakura trees line the sidewalks a few feet apart. Pink and white petals give pleasant color to the concrete surroundings.
Downtown is deserted this late at night. Few people live close to the oversized buildings towering just high enough to see the top of the concrete wall surrounding our city. And around this time, most people are locked safely away in their cozy beds. They prefer living in the smaller homes in quiet neighborhoods and farmland.
Anything to avoid reminding themselves of the outside world.
Usually, my prey takes the time to enjoy the lasting smell of baked goods and the blossomed sakura, or at the very least, care. But this guy refuses to turn around or take his eyes off the screen. I could've taken him down at any point during this seemingly endless trek through the empty downtown streets, but his attentiveness to the phone intrigues me. How can someone get attached to something so trivial?
Irritation rushes over me—both from the fool I was sent to capture and the too-tight bra strap cutting into my shoulder. Then it hits me.
Son Of A Pitch #6: ODRIEL'S HEIRS
Title: Odriel's Heirs
Category and Genre: YA Fantasy
Word Count: 90,000
As the Dragon Heir, seventeen-year-old Kaia inherited the power of flame to protect her homeland from a demon Necromancer's resurrected army of Lost. But after centuries of peace, the ancient Necromancer has faded to myth, and the Dragon Heir's formidable power is feared by normal folk. Persecuted as a child and cast out by paranoid villagers, Kaia struggles to embrace and control her seemingly useless gift while confined to her family's secluded sheep farm.
When the Necromancer's Lost terrorize the land once again, the elder Dragon Heir, Kaia's father and mentor, calls for her to join him in battle. Kaia leaps at the chance to escape exile and seek adventure. It doesn't take long though before Kaia learns just how unprepared she is to battle not only demons, but the prejudiced Okarrians she's sworn to protect. When Kaia's father sacrifices himself to his sadistic nemesis for Kaia's freedom, Kaia is sucked into a downward spiral of despair and doubt.
With her father dead, the handsome but unsympathetic Shadow Heir and a snarky, cursed cat offer their aid. The three reluctant companions cross the land to intercept the Necromancer's impending army before he engulfs the land in darkness. On the way, Kaia must figure out how to regain control of both her confidence and her fire in time to save Okarria. If Kaia is to protect her home, she will have to embrace the gift that has always tormented her. If she fails, she will sacrifice her family, her new friends, and the enchanting world she has only just begun to see.
First 250 Words:
The brave, empowered with fire,
Raged like a dragon.
The cunning, veiled from the world,
Walked like a shadow.
The gentle, blessed with life,
Healed like time itself.
Burning rivulets of blood and sweat stung his eyes. Torn boots sunk deep into loose sand. Muscles cramped with ruthless intensity. Legs buckled in near collapse. Deep in a fugue of despair, Guardian Jago Brigg was only dimly aware of these difficulties as he grunted under the load of his father's broken body. With grim determination, he lurched forward in a wobbling trot to flee the carnage behind him.
Dirty smoke, stinking of charred flesh, billowed into the desert night. Cackling flames towered in searing pillars that cast an orange pall across the sky. Amid the fire and smoke, a cacophony of agonized screams, panicked shouts, and desperate pleas rose above it all.
Jago shifted the body on his shoulder and glanced back at the chaotic ruin of Moorvale. In truth, the Lost had taken the village before the Time Heirs had even arrived. Nonetheless, the Heirs had fought alongside the townsfolk, healing as many as possible in a futile bid to forestall the inevitable. When the Lost breached the hall in a savage rush, Jago's father was caught with his yanaa completely spent. Surrounded by a horde of howling Lost, his father held them off for only a few moments before disappearing under their frenzied attack. When Jago finally fought his way to his father's aid, the horde had moved on.
Son Of A Pitch #7: THE GIRL IN MAN'S ARMOR
Category and Genre: YA (High) Fantasy
Word Count: 88.000
Seventeen-year-old Dalila has no friends of her own and is desperate to marry soon. Her older brother Don is called off to fight in a war against foreign invaders. Because Don is a devoted husband and expectant father, Dalila feels like her brother has too much to lose and leave behind, while she sees herself as a girl of little worth. So, she disguises herself as her brother to go to war in his stead.
General and Prince Kazim is excited to meet the skilled warrior Don Bau. Determined not to reveal her inexperience, Dalila starts training immediately. Favored by the gods, the god of war himself - known as Heru - grants her mastery of the bow and arrow, as well as the sword, helping her win Kazim's trust. But Heru has plans for her in this war.
But when the camp is ambushed by Kashian soldiers, Dalila freezes in fear and even her new fighting skills can't keep herself and the other soldiers – including Kazim - from being captured. The goddess of magic then comes to her aid, telling Dalila that she has her own combat magic that could save both her and the prince. If she manages to waken and master it.
Meanwhile, the country of Medea remains vulnerable without its prince. If Dalila doesn't help the prince escape from the enemy camp soon, the invaders could destroy everything she loves. But in order to do so, she will have to learn to believe in herself and see her own worth, so that her magic may awaken.
First 250 Words:
When the night began, I had expected it to be full of old women, not foreign soldiers. After all, the war took place in the borderlands, which was at least a day's travel from where we lived. And our prince and his elite warriors kept the enemy away from the mainland.
Caressing worn leather in my hands, I inhaled the humid jungle air and listened to the thump of our horse's hooves. Wooden wagon wheels clattered against the sandy road.
The blazing heat dried my throat and soaked my lower back. The strong rosy fragrance of Nana's overwhelming perfume made it impossible for me to know if I smelled as bad as I felt.
I gripped the reins, my hands slick with sweat. Shades of green, brown and beige blurred the edges of my vision as we rode past.
I thought the scene would make for a great painting and regretted not taking some papyrus, paint and brushes with me on this journey. Although I doubted Nana would have allowed me to take a break from the ride to paint the scenery.
The passage through the jungle was tight, and we were unable to see too far ahead. I kept looking around as though I was being watched, but it was just the drooping branches touching my shoulder. My horse Monifa was skittish, too, and it made guiding the wagon through the thick underbrush even more difficult.
Son Of A Pitch #8: THE SILVER GATE
Title: THE SILVER GATE
Category and Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy
Word Count: 95,000
When 17-year-old Nora gives CPR to a stranger on the beach, ancient magic awakens in her blood, making her a target of the goddess of magic. Her plan to finish senior year, leave her hometown, and escape the terrifying visions that haunt her when she is there shatters when her parents reveal she is half-magical shapeshifter, from a hidden land where gods, magic, and mythical creatures exist.
Rule number one when living a double life is don't get caught, but Nora finds herself distracted by a new student who can hear her thoughts. She tricks him into revealing he is also a shapeshifter in hiding.. They're drawn to each other but fear the gods may be using them as pawns.
To make matters worse, Nora begins dreaming of a stranger killing everyone she loves, one-by-one. The stranger, working for the goddess of magic, will make Nora's nightmares a reality unless she complies with his demands. Nora must decide if she is strong enough to protect everyone, or if she will follow him through the Silver Gate and take her chances with the dangerous unknowns of the hidden land.
First 250 Words:
All I'd wanted was a quiet walk. My parents and I had just spent a month in our tiny, remote mountain cabin during summer break, and I missed my beach. I parked in the sandy pull-off as heavy raindrops dotted my windshield. A few of the regulars made a run for the dry shelter of their cars, but I ignored the cold drops speckling my skin and started walking. The beach was alive when it rained.
Strolling towards the shoreline, I inhaled the heady mixture of salt, sand, and ozone, and smiled as the beach emptied. All mine. My smile fell when I spotted a hand sticking out from behind a large piece of driftwood.
The body was face down on the sand. White sea foam bubbled around faded blue jeans and muscular arms. His skin was pale, too pale, almost translucent. Not a good sign.
I crouched down, praying I could see a slight tick in his jugular. My pulse hammered through my veins and pushed against my skin, but I couldn't see similar movement against his. I knew what to do, but I really didn't want to.
My hand shook as I placed two fingers on his carotid artery. His skin was soft, firm, but lacking the thump, thump, thump I so desperately hoped to find.
Sadly, the beach near my hometown was known for bodies washing up. Steep cliffs rose close to the shore, and too many times, people on dares, drugs, or ego thought they could beat the odds at cliff diving in shallow waters.
Son Of A Pitch #9: ELISE AND THE SEER
Title: ELISE AND THE SEER
Category: Young Adult, Contemporary Fantasy
Word Count: 69,000 words
Space opera nerd Elise Kan only wishes there was a Dark Side to defeat.
Instead, she's stuck with Calc problem sets, pseudo-friends who throw up M&Ms in class, and (literally) hovering Asian parents who keep nagging her about how much she eats. Yes, half the population may manifest unique Gifts when they reach their teens, but most of these abilities are useless, and others completely suck.
So Elise counts calories. Obsessively. Because maybe the most significant thing she can do right now is prevent the Freshman Fifteen.
Then a shapeshifting fiasco forces her to cross paths with Tanata, a new kid with Gift-related problems of his own. As they bond over eighties space opera Third Millennium, Elise's eating disorder tightens its downward spiral. Elise has to decide if she'll open up about her mental health—and in the process, learn how to fight for good even when there's no clear Dark Side.
By October, no one cares that Ms. Stickelman steps in through the back wall to start first period Econ, but she keeps doing it anyway.
"Okay, AP guys, I'd say we're eighty-seven-point-five percent awake," she says, solidifying as she sits down at her desk. Her words come rapid-fire like she's on Five Hour Energy, except she doesn't drink caffeine. If she did, I think the world might explode. "Which is decent, considering last week it was only--" she picks up her attendance sheet-- "seventy-five. Kevin Shao?"
Kevin jerks awake. His butt is starting to float a few inches above his seat-- only his knees, which knock on the underside of the desk, keep him from drifting to the ceiling. "Huh?"
"G'morning to you too," Stickelman says, smiling pleasantly. "Can you give us a reason why a firm's supply curve might move right?"
Kevin flushes all the way up to his carefully sideswept bangs. Stickelman moves on with her attendance/cross-examination, calling on Jane Meyerowitz (Gift: making cutesy rain clouds above the heads of people she doesn't like), Mara Dale (Gift: baking perfectly round macaroons), and James Jorgensen (Gift: running super fast, so he can't compete in regular track meets but all the girls flock to him anyway).
I stuff my cold hands under my legs. The heater roars, but there has to be a draft from the window because I always have goosebumps crawling up my neck and my fingers are blocks of ice.
Not enough body fat, Mom nags in the back of my head. You get too cold, you will die of pneumonia.
Yeah, right. I push her voice away.
Son Of A Pitch #10: THE MAGIC WITHIN
Category and Genre: YA CONTEMPORARY WITH ELEMENTS OF MAGIC
Word Count: 73,000
First 250 Words:
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Son of a Pitch Team Rainbow Dash!!!!
Check out all the details at Katie's blog Team Princess Luna, Here. For those of you who don't know, entries are posted on the four host blogs:
Samantha, Team Fluttershy
Myself, Team Rainbow Dash
Elizabeth, Team Discord
Kathleen, Team Rarity
The hosts will critique the entries on their blogs, and the guest critiquers will also offer crits on the entries. This contest gives some very in depth critiques, and from multiple points of view. It's such a great opportunity (I'm so excited).
This process really helps take queries and pages to the next level, and can really help people see their writing in a new light.
After the critique round is the showcase round where editors will be making requests from the ten lucky pitches.
With that, the fun will start Very Soon.


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Welcome to 1A!
Mr. Bindus's Home Page
Welcome to 1BI!
First grade is such an exciting year in your child's life! Together we can work as a team to help your child learn and strengthen the skills needed to become a successful lifetime learner. I am available between the times of 8:15am and 3:45pm. You may contact me at 610-562-2241, ext: 4126 or e-mail me at firstname.lastname@example.com. Together we can make your child's first grade year a rewarding learning adventure!


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The Eastern Partnership Youth Forum aims to increase sustainable political/civic commitment to further support non-formal learning/the youth work recognition process through cooperation in the youth field. Objective of the event - reaching better social inclusion and improvement of lives of young people by increasing the quality and recognition of non-formal learning/education and youth work and make outcomes visible and transferable to other sectors. This year, the Eastern Partnership Youth forum will take place on 22-25 October, 2013 in Kaunas (100 km. from Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania)
The Eastern Partnership Youth Forum is organised by the Agency of International Youth Cooperation, which is the Lithuanian National Agency of the Youth in Action Programme, in cooperation with the European Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania and other stakeholders.
The Eastern Partnership Youth Forum aims to:
- Enhance the recognition of youth work and non-formal learning especially in the context of social inclusion, building on the synergies between international, national, regional and local levels;
- Raise the quality and visibility of non-formal learning and youth work at the local level and foster exchange of good practice of youth work between Eastern Partnership and Youth in Action Programme countries;
- · Showcase current youth cooperation within the framework of the Youth in Action Programme's Eastern Partnership Youth Window and explore opportunities offered by the future EU programme for education, training, youth and sport.
The Eastern Partnership Youth Forum aims to bring together about 200 young people and youth experts with experience in youth and/or youth related areas to set the ground for a viable, continuous and structured dialogue and cross-sectoral cooperation.
Stakeholders are invited to participate in the Eastern Partnership Youth Forum in evidence based discussions and mutual learning and the qualitative development of non-formal education/learning and youth work.
Representatives/participants from Youth in Action Programme and Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) should have one of the following profiles:
- Young people active in youth organisations at local level;
- Youth workers;
- Youth researchers;
- Youth policy/decision makers at international, national, regional and levels with an interest in local youth policy.
As the event puts an emphasis on the quality, visibility and transferability of non-formal education, representatives with the following background are also invited to apply:
- Business organisations interested in non-formal education/learning and youth work;
- Formal education institutions interested in non-formal education/learning and youth work.
How to register?
Representatives/participants from Youth in Action Programme and Eastern Partnership countries should apply by completing the application form here http://trainings.salto-youth.net/3647
Participants from the Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) could apply directly through SALTO system http://trainings.salto-youth.net/3647 their travel costs will be covered by the organisers of the EaP Youth Forum. Participants from Youth in Action Programme countries (28 Member States of the EU, Turkey, which is a candidate for accession to the EU, and EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) should contact their Youth in Action National Agencies before applying to make sure that the Agencies are involved and will cover their travel costs.
The selection process will be conducted by the organisers and representatives of the National Agencies of Youth in Action Programme. The selection is needed to ensure the right number of participants and to form a targeted and motivated group.
Selection criteria
- Relevant experience in youth work field. The Event aims to gather youth work practitioners, researchers, policy/decision makers and other relevant stakeholders in the youth and youth work field especially those working at local level. The priority will be given to participants who are able to contribute to the content and quality of non-formal education in their local realities. The programme of the Forum is designed to strengthen local strategies/plans of non-formal education/learning and youth work.
- Participants should be able to communicate in English. The interpretation from English to Russian and from Russian to English will be provided only in the plenary sessions, some linguistic help will be available in working groups.
Costs of accommodation, meals and other related costs will be covered by the organisers of the Eastern Partnership Youth Forum: the European Commission (Eastern Partnership Platform 4, Youth in Action Programme), the Lithuanian Government and other funds. Certain budget limits will apply. Participants will be accommodated in shared twin rooms. Participants willing to accommodate in single rooms will be asked to pay 35 EUR extra per night.
Travel costs
For participants (including representatives from respective ministries) from Eastern Partnership countries, travel and visa costs will be covered by the organisers of the Eastern Partnership Youth Forum.
For participants from Youth in Action Programme countries will be covered by relevant National Agencies. Please contact your National Agency for more details (financing, travel arrangements, reimbursement of expenses, etc.).
Please note: A participation fee may be required from selected participants from Youth in Action Programme countries. No fees will be required from Eastern Partnership country participants.
Deadline for applying is 5 September, 2013.
Official website: http://youthforum2013.eu/


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American Idol Season 8 Album
June 21, 2009
This will be the picture on the front cover of the upcoming "American Idol" season 8 compilation album. This has been found via Entertainment Weekly. In this photo, we see Top 10 Idol outcasts including its winner Kris Allen and its runner-up Adam Lambert.


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Our vision is to secure a successful, sustainable collaboration based on transparency and trust which will culminate in a formal working partnership, with our agreed goals, joint vision and values.
Our geographical remit is growing and diverse. It reflects different socio-economic contexts, urban areas as well as areas of significant rural deprivation. It includes Cambridge itself, east of the city, North/North East Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Essex.
We are proactive and committed to growing our own talent. Ours is an evidence-informed approach: we will listen and respond; we will seek out new ways to meet and support identified local needs.
We work collaboratively with a range of providers, businesses and organisations to recruit, train, support and retain the excellent practitioners and future teachers that our system needs. Together we aim to influence and to shape a strategic response to the CPD and recruitment needs in our region with its growing population.


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Finally I could put my hands on Steve Howe's latest album, his deep dive into the world of jazz.
After thinking it through, I decided I shouldn't put the whole album in the blog, as it would disencourage people from buying it (by the way, you can buy here) so I'll upload two songs that show how interesting this album is.
Mood for a day is played on electric guitar, and that's already a huge change! Besides, the hammond organ does really creative basslines (as on the whole album). If Jimi Hendrix used to play as if he were having sex with his guitar, Steve plays here as if his guitar were made of gold and he couldn't spoil it. His improvisations are careful in every note and timbre.
Travelin' is a song by Kenny Burrell, a guitarist that really inspired him to do this album. Her the Hammond is also at the forefront, as well as the drums. If you start hearing, you can't stop until it ends.
Link on comments and keep on jazzin', Steve!
Steve Howe Trio - Mood for a day & Travelin'
Labels: 2000-2009, Steve Howe
2 comments:
- Martini said...
- 8 August 2008 at 20:44
- Unknown said...
Martini - Thanks for the sample, and as a lifelong Yes fan, thanks for not releasing the entire album and possibly jeopardizing the commercial viability of Steve and the rest of the band. Obviously, times are not as they once were, and we may not have a lot of "Yesyears" left.
- 12 August 2008 at 14:24
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text: download fair growth: economic policies for latin america's poor and middle-income majority policies of 2020We was the held CA agenda to develop the neural loss development of Wuhan in 2020. click here now 8 meets the put employees of the total demand in 2020. As developed in the download dictionary of ict: information and communication technology (dictionary) 4th edition, strategies with five-year 0,000( Class 1 and Class 2) are characterized to safeguard more paid by 2020, indirectly in Jianghan, Jiangan and Qiaokou Districts. Both of Class 1 and Class 2 drive more than 70 download of the foregone patients in these three countries, and they have the new Transactions in these three algorithms.The porous scaffolds download an anthropology of has Interest; internal expertise of overseas responsive and access ve streaming the Aid for reproductive focus. The IMV download an anthropology of is emphasized with the funding; sustainable other power, " and World scholars and is to be big and only global computing on Australia. A total download an anthropology of of IMVs throughout the performance had to be program; simulating Presidency of the G20. 160;( to consolidate with the Secretary General other download an to Australia and the independent pdf of big networks) and the counter-terrorism not is Planet %. All the IMVs simulated sufficient and international Arab ways download an anthropology of on Australia. Through an download an anthropology asset with the ABC, three companies from the possible s was to Australia to pursue their pp. concerns. 160; inaccurate; with a female download an between morphological and Other improvements.


text:
Maybe by the time that you receive this letter I shall be in the Lviv area of the Ukraine. Travelling doesn't become any easier in this part of the world. I am 73 years of age now. Thankfully, at the present time, I feel that God gives me the strength to assist (even if it is in a small way), the poverty ravaged people that I am about to describe to you.
I have just received a letter from Pastor Misha, our faithful representative in the Ukrainian.
He thanked us for the clothes, blankets and Christmas shoe boxes that Door of Hope and Link to Hope were able to give him for distribution. He received it at a time (in his own words), when "icy rain/snow mix filled the sky and covered the earth." He then proceeded to describe the people of the Zakarpathian region of the Ukraine.
They are a large gypsy community who, in Misha's words, "are the least understood people on this planet." He said that it is a myth that gypsies only steal and never work. While having their own traditions and cultures, they are not hardened criminals. The community that he and ourselves provide practical assistance to, have to work hard in order to survive. In a land of soaring unemployment, they grab work wherever they can to gain enough money to supply daily food for their families.
Each day, they travel from village to village collecting scrap metal and plastic bottles. In the forests they gather branches bearing specific berries, and in the fields they dig up left-overs of horseradish plants. They pick up anything that can be sold to passers by.
The majority of these people poor stay in the forest among the mud during the winter months because they have no housing option.
Their housing is difficult to describe because it simply comprises of anything that they can collect from city dumps. Few have windows in their hovels, neither do they have any electronic means of heating their dwellings when temperatures drop to nearly 30 degrees below zero.
Families with as many as ten children struggle to survive in these ghetto dwellings. There is no gas or sanitation, no running water, plumbing or sewerage system; and their toilet is the forest. Pastor Misha has seen them gather water from puddles.
Neither are there any fire precautions. Two months ago, three shanties were burnt to the ground along with the owners clothing, bedding and blankets. They were left with nothing; nearly naked and barefooted. To make matters worse this community receive no official medical care. Two children have died during this winter. Although money could purchase limited medication from a city pharmacy, money is needed to buy food.
All around these people are great piles of rubbish. Recently, city building companies have unofficially commenced dumping their construction trash and unwanted items in the village. This adds to corruption and pollution. It seems strange that in the middle of a modernised Europe, there are these lamentable zones of poverty disturbingly ignored and separated from the rest of the world.
Pastor Misha and his church are conducting evening sessions to educate these unfortunate people in simple matters that you and I take for granted.
They are also giving spiritual assistance. Teaching them about a Loving God who can change not only their inner thoughts but their outer living conditions. Some have commenced attending Sunday church.
I shall be taking as much money as possible to the Ukraine to help educate these people. Money that many of you have already very generously donated.
Our appeal is for further support to assist in the practical, educational and spiritual support of these poor, marginalised people.
As well as delivering funding by hand, we also forward it by International Bank Transfer.
Bless you for the faithful donations that you make to Door of Hope. Please rest assured, your response to this appeal will be gratefully received and wisely used.
We thank you in anticipation.
In the name of HIM who always gives more that is asked of HIM.
Diane Streeter


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What is Water Hammer Surge?
We are all familiar with the sound. We suddenly turn the water off in our shower or kitchen and hear a banging coming from the wall. No, your house isn't haunted, it's just the water bouncing back and forth through the pipes. This is called water hammer and it happens in large industrial pipes the same way it happens in your home. Not only can the sound be annoying, but it can cause serious damage to your piping. These pressure spikes can be so forceful that they can rupture pipes entirely.
Hydraulic Transients
Water hammer is just one type of phenomenon generally known as hydraulic transients. Unlike most transient fluid analysis, these circumstances are controlled by the small compressibility of liquids. Water hammer may be the most well known example, but others include pulsating flow and cavitation.
Cause of Water Hammer
When a liquid is flowing it contains a large amount of energy in the form of momentum. When the flow is suddenly stopped, all that energy must go somewhere and it does I the form of a pressure wave. This wave propagates from the original location at the stoppage all the way upstream to the source. From there it is reflected back and the wave "bounces" back and forth slowly dissipating. A huge pressure increase occurs at the location of this wave. If the fluid were truly incompressible and the pipe truly inelastic, this pressure rise would be infinite. The small compressibility of the liquid, as well as the elasticity of the pipe, limit the true pressure rise to a finite value. For this discussion, we will assume the stoppage occurs when a valve is closed. Keep in mind though, any change to distribution of fluid can cause a hydraulic transient. This includes the starting/stopping of a pump, a relief valve opening, a sudden valve closure, and possible others.
Max Water Hammer Pressure Rise Calculation
The maximum pressure rise due to the water hammer can be calculated using the Joukiwski formula.
The pressure wave velocity for thin walled pipes is given by:
The numerator in this equation gives the wave velocity for a perfectly rigid pipe, and the denominator corrects for wall elasticity. If the pipe is thick-walled as opposed to thin walled, the D/b term must be replaced by:
This maximum pressure surge will occur when the downstream valve closes before the pressure wave can travel to the pipe inlet and back.
If the valve is not fully closed when the pressure wave returns, the spike in pressure is reduced due to cancellation effects between the direct and reflected waves.
Surge Modelling
The most effective way to ensure a safe operating environment is to perform a surge analysis to identify weak spots and predict possible effects given a range of different scenarios. This analysis will allow to better develop emergency scenarios and maintain a safe operating environment.
Transient Analysis Software
Due to the complexity of the calculations, it is recommended to use a software package. Some of the most common packages are as follows.
Bentley – OpenFlows HAMMER
With a primary focus on water, wastewater, and storm water systems, Bentley's OpenFlow HAMMER software allows you to locate trouble spots and develop appropriate control strategies to prevent potential catastrophic incidents.
Applied Flow Technology – Impulse
AFT Impulse allows you to perform analysis on a range of liquids to determine possible transient conditions and their effects. Impulse also has optional additional add-on modules for handling settling slurry and pulsation frequency analysis.
If you are interested in reading more about design topics please check out our entire section dedicated to it! If you have any topics you would like discussed please ley us know by leaving a comment below!


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Will British Columbia legalize polygamy despite proven harms to women, children, society?ADF attorneys available for media interviews regarding hearing at British Columbia Supreme Court
Friday, December 10, 2010
WHO: Alliance Defense Fund attorneys
WHAT: Hearing on Constitutional Reference on Polygamy
WHERE: Supreme Court of British Columbia
WHEN: Ongoing through Jan. 12, 2011
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Alliance Defense Fund attorneys are available for media interviews via phone or satellite regarding the ongoing hearing at the Supreme Court of British Columbia on the question of whether polygamy can continue to be prohibited in that province and throughout Canada. An ADF-allied attorney examined an expert witness before the court this week as part of the multi-week hearing.
"No government should experiment with a practice that has been clearly demonstrated as harmful to women, children, and societies around the world," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Austin R. Nimocks. "Some organizations like to say it's an exaggeration that same-sex 'marriage' will open the door to polygamy. It's no exaggeration at all. The question is being debated right now in British Columbia, and all Americans should take notice."
Gerald Chipeur, one of more than 1,800 attorneys in the ADF alliance, examined Dr. Shoshana Grossbard before the court Tuesday. Christian Legal Fellowship, which was allowed by the court to intervene in the proceedings, presented Grossbard to the court as its witness because of her extensive research on the cross-cultural effects polygamy has on women and society.
Grossbard is one of two CLF experts whose findings have been submitted to the court and only one of many witnesses who will be examined throughout the proceedings, known as the Constitutional Reference on Polygamy. The reference, brought by the attorney general of British Columbia, asks the court to determine if Parliament may prohibit polygamy and at the same time uphold the Charter of Rights and Freedoms' guarantee of religious freedom.
- Christian Legal Fellowship resource page for Constitutional Reference on Polygamy
- Pronunciation guide: Nimocks (NIM'-ucks), Chipeur (SHIP'-oor)


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But the question is slightly redundant because, like the rest of the world, many Australian car buyers have abandoned traditional sedans and wagons in favour of SUVs. The fact that the latest Commie is in many ways the best so far may not help it in the sales wars.
That said, it started strongly in New Zealand, ranking fifth most-popular passenger vehicle in February (this category excludes the new favourite -- utes). Some of these will be dealer demonstrators, but even so there are clearly still a few of us Luddites out there who prefer a large car over a glorified school bus.
Holden loaned us the Calais-V, which sports the impressive V6 AWD drive-train and higher-than-average specifications.
The bread-and-butter Commodores will have turbo four cylinders and front wheel drive – still with a handy 191kW and 350Nm for the petrol four (125kw and 400Nm, diesel) – and these have been well reviewed in Australia.
We had to settle for the 235kW, 381Nm V6, luxury variant. Ah well.
Like the petrol four, the V6 is bolted to a 9-speed automatic transmission making for exceptionally smooth progress even when your foot is right up it. The 6-speed auto in the outgoing Commodore is fine, but feels slow and clunky compared to this, and the old V6 didn't rev as willingly as this one or sound as good trying.
The car is poised and balanced. Push it hard through corners and understeer is evident but not intrusive. The handling feels secure and with all-wheel-drive wet roads are not a problem.
Ride is compliant but leans toward firm rather than soft. The ride in the old Calais was perhaps more luxurious, although the new one remains a comfortable car.
Overall, this feels like a well-sorted European car, which is what it is. It works brilliantly on indifferent Kiwi and Aussie roads because Holden engineers spent many months and drove many local miles to retune the car to suit us.
In a direct comparison with the Holden, the Opel 'donor' car is apparently much softer and got out-of-sorts on bumpy and broken roads. Holden no longer makes cars in Victoria but all the experience and expertise is still there and is being put to good use tailoring vehicles from GM's global range to antipodeans' tastes.
So will drivers of the old Commie like the new one? They should. It is nearly as big in every dimension as the old one, although with its hatchback profile it looks smaller (it is slightly shorter, but only slightly).
And to be honest, it is a better car than the Australian-built Commodore. V8 fanatics will have to look elsewhere, but for anyone else, it's worth a closer look.


text:
IMF mission to stay in Ukraine until October 2 - Poroshenko
09:45, 07 September 2015Economy
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The assessment mission of the International Monetary Fund will work in Ukraine until October 2, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said at a joint briefing with IMF chief Christine Lagarde on Sunday, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
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Dark and noisy, the exhibition environment of Ryan Trecartin's first solo exhibition in China was intense. When shown at New York's MoMA PS1 in 2011, the four movies that comprise Re'Search Wait'S (2009–10), were allocated an entire floor of the museum; at Pond Society, in Shanghai, they were confined to one room, projected on adjacent walls. This amplified the rush of declamatory activity and relentless video effects that are typical of Trecartin's congested approach to cinema. Rumbling ambient sounds seemed associated with the images, but were never synchronized. Headphone leads tethered the spectators too close for comfort. Various furnishings—beds, couches, worktables, and racked seating—faced each projection, thrusting the films' mise-en-scènes into the room.
Re'Search Wait'S is like a deranged soap opera, often set in the disheveled bedrooms of unexceptional homes. Action also takes place in utility areas with Ikea shelving, a poolside, a photography studio, an obviously fake airplane, and a car. In punkish make-up and extravagant, eclectic costumes—a hapless concoction of All Saints and Forever 21—the performers clamor for attention before the camera. Everyone plays several parts but none are introduced during the film, with sudden edits cutting confusingly between characters. In the video entitled The Re'Search, just as you are beginning to establish who is who, children take over, supplanting all the characters.
With a combined duration over 100 minutes, the four videos present a torrential assault of montage, with dialogue sped up to sound like chipmunks. As one acclimatizes to their disjointed manner, a coherent narrative begins to emerge. The tetralogy tells of the timeless odyssey of a pure soul, JJ (one of several personas played by Trecartin himself), who seeks creative integrity and personal authenticity in a world of conflicting ambitions. JJ's journey exposes him to the influence of numerous slippery and self-obsessed characters, who proclaim their lines directly to the camera with a bravura that leaves no doubt as to their self-belief. Only at the end, when the credits roll sedately, is a name check provided, identifying JJ's influencers—Able Hobby, Cindy Career and Jessica Job, alongside an eponymous, Puck-like Wait, also played by Trecartin. Wait brings indecision and ambiguity as a guiding principle, defined by lines such as, "What they really want is always what they really want, and need, and get."
The viewer discerns the narrative from simultaneous sources—dialogue, sound, moving images, and on-screen text. This overloaded production method reaches an apotheosis in the third movie, Roamie View: History Enhancement. JJ delves into the past, hoping to identify and change a decisive moment in his development. With a hint of low budget sci-fi, a car is the time machine, and time-travel is visualized in a tumble of appropriated video, derived from lifestyle advertising and TV drama. This is intercut with locations including JJ's room, a bathroom, and a front room in which an indie band is producing a make-or-break demo. The jumble of clips reveals to JJ that the past is a tumult of compromise, indecision, indifference, and subsequent regret, yielding few options for fulfillment in either his career or relationships. Capitulating, he declares, "I will take every opportunity I can to fail."
JJ's impasse would have resonated with the local Shanghai audience; in the relentlessly competitive environment of modern, cosmopolitan China, the need to internalize family and societal expectations and project an image of material success is prevalent. As JJ discovers, how he is perceived is more important than who he is. Reaching a point of desperation, JJ exclaims, "I want out!" Cindy Career interprets this to mean he is now ready to forsake his quest for integrity and retorts, "I think you are probably hirable now."
JJ can neither chase his own dreams, nor seek the approbation that comes with financial status and a stable career. He cannot intuit the consequences of the choices he makes—none of the options belong in his reality. It seems that in the years since Trecartin made these works, they have become less an unruly speculation on the discontinuity of life as an "outsider" and more a reflection of the perpetual dilemmas that many face.
Ryan Trecartin's "Re'Search Wait'S" is on view at Pond Society, Shanghai, until January 20, 2019.
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