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White Water Rafting Ducks and the Tongariro River..
An exciting white water rafting adventure down the Tongariro river.
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I don't like the cold and I'm not a fan of water. I'm British, what can I say? So when I met my (now) husband and asked him what he did for a living, you can imagine my face when he enthusiastically replied that he was a white water raft guide.
White. Water. Raft. Guide. Umm.
I whispered weakly, fake smile plastered on. Would I like to go rafting? Of course I would… *cough splutter*
Fast forward several years and I've now accompanied him rafting over many a waterfall and white water rapid, some exhilarating, some terrifying and some, well, downright mellow. Not a week goes by where he doesn't suggest another rafting trip, down another river and now? Well, I love it!
So what changed my mind? Well, there are lots of reasons; fresh cold water is great for a hangover… (and I had plenty of those whilst backpacking around NZ), I was trying to impress my man…. I look great in a wetsuit…. No. But really and truthfully? It has to be the single best way to see some of the most remote places in this beautiful country, with, frankly, not a lot of effort.
To keep things simple, those helpful rafting types have graded rivers for us learner folk from Grade One to Five. Grade One is your cruisy family float trip, a bouncy slide over some rippley river water, Grade Five is adrenalin pumping, white knuckle inspiring fun and the other grades vary as you might expect in between with a little of both. This will help you choose the right white water rafting adventure for you, whether you are occupying the kids over the school holidays or as part of a group and in for some white water action.
Here in Taupo we are blessed with some beautiful rivers, the local one being the Tongariro River, just south of Lake Taupo. Graded at a convenient Grade Three the Tongariro is touted to be one of the best half day trips in the country- and it doesn't get much better than that! The beauty of white water rafting the Tongariro, is that it is suitable for everyone from white water rafting enthusiasts to complete first time rafters. There's over fifty rapids, along the Grade Three stretch of water bordered with high volcanic canyon walls and unspoilt wilderness or you can choose a mellow float trip suitable from age three, upwards in the lower reaches.
Classed as one the of the world's finest trout fishing rivers, the Tongariro River is a drawcard for all water enthusiasts and your guide will point out the tiny streams and tributaries which spawn the famous rainbow and brown trout the river is known for. If you're lucky you might even spy the infamous Whio Whio (Blue Duck), the world's only ornithological white water rafter, nick-named the 'torrent duck' they just love floating down white water rapids and SO WILL YOU!!
Tongariro River Rafting
To begin, you can catch a rafting trip via pickup at Taupo or self-drive down to the rafting bases at Turangi, just south of Lake Taupo. Here you'll be kitted out in all the gear you need: wetsuit (don't worry, EVERYONE has to shoe-horn themselves into these) all important life jacket (just in case…) helmet (protect the noggin at all costs), and booties for walking to the jump rocks and for keeping your toes warm. Once you are attractively sandwiched in head to toe neoprene (its never a good look) you'll be ready for a quick stint in the van to the put in where they, suprisingly, put the rafts in the water!
The short drive allows you time to learn about the story of the local land, the mountains of Pihanga and Ruapehu for example, the names of some of the native birds you will definitely see and some all important commands to help your guide steer you through the white water.
There'll be: "Over Right" and "Over left" instructing you to fling yourself with haste in the direction indicated, to stop the boat from tipping over or to help jimmy your raft off a troublesome rock. "Back Paddle" this you generally only ever hear yelled at volume whilst you are headed for some solid looking cliff or rock formation. My personal favourite has to be "Hold On, Get Down."
You're kidding? I say to my man, 'Hold on, get down' that's the command? Yup, he says, grinning.
N.B. Let me tell you, this is with out doubt the only rafting instruction I have ever truly mastered, no matter what is happening, if my comrades are flying past me in waves of white water and I'm facing a giant grey wall of the wet stuff, I've never had any problem with holding on, getting down and generally kissing my butt goodbye. Even after the danger has passed I can still often be found, clinging onto some rubber tube/ rope combo, much to the embarassment of my beloved.
All this seems a tad ridiculous as you practise your commands, whilst floating casually along some flat water, watching trout idly catch flies and commenting on the beauty of the native bush and the canyons sides that surround you.
All this changes pretty quickly when you hear the roar of the white water you cannot yet see, your guide gets suspiciously quiet and starts making surreptitious strokes with his far more obliging guide stick.You become quite matey with your fellow boaters, knowing that the front paddlers set the pace and the rest follow, you work together to keep your strokes in time, there is an unspoken rule that 'we' will, as a team, succeed. You glance at each other nervously, all hoping the old fella in the corner doesn't let the side down...
You're glad the guide knows what he is doing when you hit those rapids. Water starts flying, the boat goes speedily where it seems you don't want to go and there doesn't seem to be any time to do anything (except hold on and get down of course!), chaos ensues, over right's go left, only one side back paddles causing the boat to turn alarmingly, the guide fights to keep us on course and then the next rapid comes, everyone is grinning from ear to ear and adrenalin keeps you from feeling the burn in your spaghetti arms as you whoop with joy and get a mouthful of H2o.
There really is nothing like it, a solid face-full of crisp, clean water, the mostly friendly, yet occasionally threatening bumps and wobbles as you cruise the river then the quiet lulls, the opportunity to hear the land as it should be, bubbling waters, birds calling. It's heavenly, even therapeutic.
Not only to you get to ride the white water rapids but you're welcome to take a dip in one of the many calmer pools the Tongariro River is known for, some of which are named after historical fishermen such as Major Jones. You can climb up the cliff sides and take the plunge from a jump rock, and even enjoy a warm drink and a much-needed snack as you float the flat stuff.
Whether you've rafted before or this is your first time, the beauty of this great sport is that no river is ever the same, every white water rafting adventure is different, depending on the boat you take, the guide you have, the river you choose or the weather on the day you embark.
And if it turns out you love it as much as I did in the end, New Zealand is positively peppered with some of the finest white water in the Southern Hemisphere, so why not make it a hobby whilst you travel around and see how many of our rivers you can knock off your list whilst you are here?
There are two local companies who run trips on the Tongariro, click their names and get yourself on a trip today!


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31 Days of Windows 8 for HTML5 | Day #27: Inclinometer
31 Days of Windows 8 for HTML5 | Day #27: Inclinometer
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This article is Day #27 in a series called 31 Days of Windows 8. Each of the articles in this series will be published for both HTML5/JS and XAML/C#. You can find additional resources, downloads, and source code on our website.
As someone who's never written a game, or even an app which required such physics like heuristics, it's become clear to me that getting the data from the sensor is really the easy part. I think it's also pretty clear that no one sensor might ever be used alone but rather in partnership with the others. All of the devices really complement each other in someway and depending on what you're building, while simple to work with they are essential to the overall experience you're trying to create for your customer.
Today finishes off our series of device sensor conversations that you might find in your new Windows 8 device. Today we're going to take a very brief look at a device called the inclinometer. So what really is the inclinometer? Well, chances are you've probably been taken somewhere in a plane. When a plane turns, it actually exhibits all three axis to accomplish it's turn. To make the plane turn in a nice smooth manor, we have three simple steps ( at least for the pilot that is ):
- Pitch the plan in the direction of travel, by adjusting the aileron's ( assumed in opposite directions to pitch the plane ). This is our Y axis or the Pitch.
- Adjust the elevator either up ( or down ). This helps pull the nose of the plane up ( or down ) helping to point the noise in the direction of the desired turn. This is our X axis or the Roll.
- Adjust the rudder. With the rudder we can make the play turn side to side. If you have ever landed in a windy situation and the plan felt sideways, it's because it was, and they we're using the rudder to cock the rear of the plan sideways. This is our Z axis or the Yaw.
Image courtesy of MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/jj155767.aspx
While the physical example is nice, how does that translate to our computers in hand?
Image courtesy of MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/jj155767.aspx
As you can guess, working with the inclinometer is just like working with our other sensors. Just a few simple steps and we're getting data:
- Initialize the Sensor.
- If it's available,
- create a readingchanged event handler.
- In the event handlers, grab the data from the sensor and write it to the screen.
Here's my the entirety of my code and it looks well super duper scary similar to that of the other sensors.
var _pitch, _yaw, _roll, _timestamp; function onReadingChanged(e) { _pitch.innerText = e.reading.pitchDegrees.toFixed(2); _yaw.innerText = e.reading.yawDegrees.toFixed(2); _roll.innerText = e.reading.rollDegrees.toFixed(2); _timestamp.innerText = e.reading.timestamp; } function getDomElements() { _pitch = document.querySelector("#pitch"); _yaw = document.querySelector("#yaw"); _roll = document.querySelector("#roll"); _timestamp = document.querySelector("#timestamp"); } function startInclinometer() { var inclinometer = Windows.Devices.Sensors.Inclinometer.getDefault() if (inclinometer) { var minimumReportInterval = inclinometer.minimumReportInterval; var reportInterval = minimumReportInterval > 16 ? minimumReportInterval : 16; inclinometer.reportInterval = reportInterval; inclinometer.addEventListener("readingchanged", onReadingChanged); } } app.onloaded = function () { getDomElements(); startInclinometer(); }
Once again, no real surprises here. We get to our data in the same basic was as we did with the other sensors. Wire up to an event, which will fires on an desired interval giving us the X, Y, Z values. No real magic here other than the software you're building to consume it.
Today we briefly looked at getting data from our inclinometer. Working with each of these sensors is pretty much the same but what you do with them is entirely up to you.
If you'd like to download my working sample that uses the code from this article, click the icon below:
Tomorrow, we're going to look at the Inclinometer. See you then!
Published at DZone with permission of Clark Sell , DZone MVB. See the original article here.
Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.

subset: commoncrawl


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The $23 million state project to construct historic canals on the former Memorial Auditorium site is barely half-finished. And now it's also on hold.
But that dormant construction site is hardly noticeable, as three other projects hum along nearby: HarborCenter and One Canalside, both private projects, and the state-funded East Canal, which separates the two.
Meanwhile, Erie Canal Harbor, in the five years since it opened, has established itself as one of downtown's most popular attractions, whether it's tens of thousands of people at concerts or families relaxing by the water.
That's what makes the delays on the Aud block canals so frustrating for the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. and others.
The canal project at the Aud site was only 52 percent complete, well behind schedule, when work stopped this week, said Tom Dee, president of the waterfront agency. The shape of the canals has been defined with concrete, but not much else appears to be completed on the largely dirt-covered block, with a few patches of grass.
Even so, while he's unhappy with the delay, it is a "bump in the road," Dee said, citing the progress all around Canalside and along the Buffalo River.
Four cranes – two of which will tower over the project – and other earth-moving equipment are laying the groundwork for HarborCenter, where two ice rinks, a Marriott hotel, a parking ramp and a mixture of retail and office space are being built across from First Niagara Center.
One block north, workers are transforming the former Donovan State Office Building into a Courtyard by Marriott hotel, headquarters for law firm Phillips Lytle, and more office and retail space, while the state agency builds the East Canal from Washington Street to Marine Drive.
And that's just along the inner harbor. There also are the numerous projects – from parks and a planned parkway on Ohio Street, by the Buffalo River, to new parkland on the outer harbor – that are breathing new life and excitement into areas that were neglected for decades.
"It's exciting to see so many hard hats, so many cranes and such hustle and bustle in terms of construction activity within a two-square block of downtown Buffalo," said Sam Hoyt, a board member of the waterfront agency and regional president of its parent, Empire State Development Corp.
Mayor Byron W. Brown said his economic development staff took some companies from Atlanta, New Orleans and Philadelphia on a tour a couple of weeks ago and specifically took them to Canalside "to see the major investment that's happening here."
And Brown and HarborCenter Development President John R. Koelmel both said they are working closely with the waterfront agency to ensure progress is coordinated.
"We are talking on a weekly basis about how Canalside is developed, how downtown Buffalo is developed," the mayor said. "We think it's going to tie together seamlessly."
Hoyt said he's hopeful that the work on the canals on the Aud block will resume before too much time elapses.
A state judge last week allowed the state agency to end the general contractor's participation on the project by denying DiPizio Construction Co.'s request for a preliminary injunction that would have kept the company on the job. Both the agency and DiPizio – which was supposed to have completed work by last Thanksgiving – blamed each other in court for the project's slow progress.
"We're confident that once the legal matter is resolved, that project will be up and running again, and we will end up with a first-class project," Hoyt said.
It's critical to "bust through the canals delay," Koelmel said, so when HarborCenter's rinks and restaurant open "we're not just that much more of an island."
email: firstname.lastname@example.com and firstname.lastname@example.com


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Early detection of abnormalities that develop in the tissues of your lips, mouth and throat is essential in preventing possibly severe health issues from developing, such as oral cancer and other oral diseases. To further our goal of protecting your health, we are now utilizing the innovative Gallileos system to best assess your overall oral health. This system is quick, non-invasive and extremely helpful in detecting oral abnormalities.
As your dentist, I continually look for medical advances and treatments to ensure that my team and I are delivering the best possible care. Of particular concern to us is oral cancer.
Did you know that oral cancer is the sixth deadliest cancer in the world with roughly 30,000 new cases of oral cancer diagnosed each year? As a result, oral cancer claims one life an hour here in the United States – more than the number of lives lost to skin or cervical cancer. Close to three-quarters of these new cases are detected in the later stages of development giving these individuals a five-year survival rate but only 50% generally survive. Unfortunately, the survival rate has decreased significantly in the past 40 years. However, when detected and treated early, oral cancer can be 90% curable. Oral cancer is a growing problem among people age 40 and older, especially among smokers, smokeless tobacco users and drinkers. However, according to the American Dental Association, more than 25% of those who are diagnosed with oral cancer, including those under the age of 30, have no lifestyle risk factors and do not fall into these categories.
For more information on the Gallileos system or to make an appointment, call Oklahoma Dental Wellness Center at 405-752-0111 today. We can help you protect one of your most precious assets – your health.


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Grad school is all about being able to bounce back when things don't go as planned. Whether it's a class assignment that didn't turn out the way you expected, a manuscript that gets rejected, rejected again, and still rejected once more, or data that just do not want to cooperate with your hypotheses, adaptability is one of the most important skills to have as a graduate student. Ironically, most graduate students tend to be a little neurotic (after all, chances are that to get this far academically you have to care, ya know, a little bit). So, how did I, neurotic grad student Evelyn develop the adaptability skill? Glad you asked. Here are a few tips:
1) Focus on what IS working for you. Make a list of your tasks for the week, and cross them off as you go along. That way, even if you hit a road block, you'll be able to objectively see what you have accomplished. Hopefully that will give you the "oomph" you need to push that road block out of your way.
2) Play an upbeat song. My go-to is "Roar" by Katy Perry (I'm *almost* not ashamed to admit that). Whether it's something cheesy or super serious, find music that speaks to you and put it on repeat until you've found a new solution.
3) Think outside the box. If you're banging your head against a wall with no luck, try banging your head against a different surface–maybe you'll get different results! But, in all seriousness, sometimes a little change in perspective will help you discover your Plan B. For example, if it's data that's not working, what's a new way you can think of your hypotheses? Try sharing your thought process with a friend outside your field. They may see something that you have taken for granted differently.
No matter what you do, don't give up! Even if it feels like you've gotten all the way to Plan Z and still don't know what to do, pat yourself on the back for your resilience, and keep pushing. Maybe plan AA will be the one that works 🙂


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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Dark Knight rises in movie theaters this Friday on the wings of huge anticipation for the final film of director Christopher Nolan's "Batman" trilogy, but there is one man who remains calm in the face of the media hype, Batman actor Christian Bale.
Bale slips into the bat costume of Gotham City's crime-fighting superhero for the last time in "The Dark Knight Rises," which like its predecessors has received strong early reviews.
Chosen by British director Nolan for his franchise reboot, which soared with 2005's "Batman Begins," Bale's stone-faced portrayal of conflicted billionaire Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, was key to the movie's success.
The follow-up, 2008's "The Dark Knight," solidified Bale's status as a leading actor, and "Dark Knight Rises" will be his swan song in the role.
"I'm real proud of having achieved what we had set out to do," he told reporters at a news conference promoting the film. "It was a very important moment for me. It was an important character.
"It's the only time I've ever played a character three times in a row and the movies themselves have changed my life and changed my career."
Both movies earned praise from fans and critics alike. The first raked-in $372 million at box offices worldwide, and the second an eye-popping $1 billion. Bale went on to numerous other parts and eventually nabbed an Oscar for his role as a drug-addicted ex-boxer in "The Fighter."
When shooting of the "Dark Knight Rises" was done, Bale told reporters, he wanted time alone to think about the past seven years.
"I just went down and sat in a room and realized this is it," said Bale of the time the cameras stopped rolling. "I sat in that moment with the realization that we're done."
"Dark Knight Rises" picks up eight years after "Dark Knight." The caped crusader has disappeared from public view and is a fugitive thought to be responsible for the death of Gotham City D.A. Harvey Dent. The man behind the mask, Bruce Wayne, has become a recluse and is rarely seen in public.
But both are forced out of hiding when cat burglar Selina Kyle, played by Anne Hathaway, arrives in Gotham and a masked terrorist named Bane, played by Tom Hardy, shows up to take over the city. Batman comes out of hiding to stop them.
With many twists in a complex story, revealing more requires a spoiler alert. Suffice it to say that critics - not the easiest to please with superhero movies - are mostly happy.
The movie scored an 83 percent positive rating from seven early reviews on film website moviereviewintelligence.com. Time magazine's Richard Corliss called it "a film of grand ambitions and epic achievement."
Reprising their roles are Michael Caine as Alfred the butler, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. Newcomers include Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Hardy, all three of whom worked with Nolan on his 2010 Oscar winner, "Inception."
Also new to the group is Hathaway, who essentially takes on the role of Catwoman, though that comic character's name is never directly referenced in the film.
"I loved that the focus was on who she was as Selina ... and she didn't change when she put on the suit - it was just kind of her uniform," Hathaway said of her character.
The actress said she had to get into fighting shape for the action scenes and that being in such good physical condition gave her a strong mental attitude that made it a "complete transformation" for her in the role.
While the Batman series has had its share of villains, including "Dark Knight's" The Joker, which earned actor Heath Ledger a posthumous best supporting actor Oscar, this final installment sees Batman meet his match in Bane.
Bale calls him "the first adversary of Batman that you know can probably whip his butt, which we've never seen before."
When Nolan called Hardy to offer him the role, he said he had to explain both the good and bad aspects of playing the tough guy behind a mask.
"The good news is I have a terrific part for you," Nolan recalled telling him. "The bad news is, your face is going to be completely covered for the whole film and you're going to have to (convey) this character through just your eyes and voice."
Now that it's all over, Nolan said he had no idea what his next movie would be. Like Bale, he needs some time to reflect.
"I'm going to go on a holiday and just relax and (enjoy) not knowing what I'm going to do next," he said.
(This story corrects name of film in fourth paragraph)
Reporting By Zorianna Kit; editing by Todd Eastham


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Possible Duplicate:
How can I close a terminal without killing the command running in it?
I'm using Debian for my Server.
I just installed MediaCore, which works well.
Now I want to have it always started and want to ask, how it'd be possible to start it as a service or in the background.
I know how to start but then the shell is useless as long as the program runs.
So how can I run it silently, as I run services/daemons?


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Transmission 1.22 BitTorrent Client Is Here
Every version of Transmission has been created with a few important things in mind. Transmission has been created from scratch to be lightweight, yet powerful BitTorrent client. Its simple, intuitive interface is designed to integrate easily with whatever computing environment you decide to use. I'm aware of five different operating systems that Transmission can run on at the time of this writing. Transmission allows for network configuration, the banning of peers who send corrupted data, protocol encryption, and a built in Peer Exchange. The efficiency of Transmission is obvious after using it to ration my precious bandwidth. I can now queue torrents for maximum performance and increase individual torrent speed during my ISP peak hours. I also appreciate the support for Growl notifications and dock badging that keep me updated on what's going on with my downloads while I'm off doing something else on my computer.
One feature that has been added to the Fedora 9 and Ubuntu 8.04 Linux distributions is the Transmission bit torrent application as the default bit torrent program. Version 1.22 of Transmission was just release on 06/14/08 and if you don't have transmission 1.22 yet, download it here. Fedora 9 comes with Transmision 1.11 but version 1.22 has many improvement and bug fixes that are evident after using the new version of Transmission on my Fedora 9 desktop. First of all performance seemed better and transmission now builds correctly on Sun Studio. Also minor man page fixes have been included in this release. Transmission version 1.22 includes Latvian, Malayalam, Serbian, and Telugu translations and updates to Czech, Spanish, Romanian, Russian, Dutch, Polish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Danish, German, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Finnish, and (simplified) Chinese translations. So now more of the world can enjoy the advantages that Transmission can offer.
Accessing the Transmission bit torrent program is easy on the Fedora 9 Sulphur desktop. Simply click on Applications in the Gnome 2.22 main menu, then select Internet — Transmission BitTorrent Client.


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This may seem like a daft question given the abundance of sold-out college football stadiums in College Station and Austin, and the Texans' run of sellouts, but bear with me. Let's first consider the present, look at the trend lines, and try to discern what this might mean for the future.
This weekend Texas A&M will play Rice University, at noon, in College Station. Temperatures during the second half are forecast to reach 100 degrees, and with full sun the heat index will be 105 degrees. NOAA considers this level of heat "dangerous."
My intent is not to pick on the Aggies, either. Although the other major college football games this week in Texas are all at night, other teams have done afternoon games in August and early September in the past.
Why do teams subject their fans, those who spend a lot of money to support their team, to potentially unsafe conditions? Money, of course, and exposure.
Here's how Jason Cook, in A&M's athletic department, explained it to me:
The SEC works with its television partners – CBS and ESPN – in regards to which games will be televised, as well as to what times these games will kick off. From a conference perspective, there is no additional direct financial benefit to specific game times. Texas A&M receives the same financial distribution from the SEC's broadcast agreements, regardless of when we kick off.
All of Texas A&M's football games will be televised this season, which includes a pay-per-view contest vs. Sam Houston State next Saturday. This is another benefit of our move to the SEC. Obviously, it is difficult to put a price tag on the exposure Texas A&M receives by playing on ESPN, with our game on Saturday vs. Rice following right behind College Football Gameday.
It's important to keep this in perspective: In the not-so-distant past, many of Texas A&M's non-conference – and conference games – were not even televised.
With the high temperatures expected, we are advising fans to stay hydrated, pack light and wear sunscreen. We will also have misting fans on the concourses, as well as an air-conditioned facility adjacent to Kyle Field open for fans during the game.
The bottom line is that all things equal, the university would obviously prefer to play an evening game. But all things are not equal, and what television wants, television gets. Fans do not come first. It's like that across the sports landscape.
The situation at A&M made me wonder whether fans will always be willing to play second fiddle to television. According to CNBC, live attendance in major U.S. sports – major league baseball, pro basketball and football, motor sports and college football – has declined or leveled off the last three to five years.
I believe part of the reason is that, for younger people, the students who would go to these games, its easier to stay digitally connected to the things they want to be connected to at home. At home, of course, is also where big screen televisions have become the norm in the living room over the last decade. For many people the best seat in the house is in front of the television.
In a recent article on a slight decline in college football attendance, USA Today summed it up thusly:
Blame it on technology. In an era when fans at home can watch multiple games at the same time, when the stadium video board can't match the number of highlights available on an iPad, when fans inside a stadium get poor cell-phone reception while those at home are texting and Twittering, big-time college programs are feeling pressure to keep pace.
It seems to me that a general attitude by colleges and pro teams that television dollars and exposures are more important than a fan experience probably would have a negative effect as well.
Now, I do think college and pro teams are well aware of the threat posed by technology. Part of the reason the Texans installed a new $16.5 million scoreboard at Reliant Stadium was to enhance the stadium-going experience for fans.
And there is a lot going for live events – proximity to the star players, large video boards, the excitement of the crowd, tailgating and more. But the trend lines are pretty clear: ticket prices are rising more rapidly than inflation, a single beer costs as much as a 12-pack in some stadiums, and technology in the home is making watching the game from there a much more rewarding and immersive experience. Especially on a day when temperatures will reach 100 degrees.
In any case I do wonder whether the technological incentives for fans to attend sporting events in 10, 20 or 30 years will outweigh the disincentives.
What say you? Do you attend more or fewer sporting events than you used to?


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10 Inspiring Words for Overcoming Depression
Most of us feel sad or a little blue every once in a while, but if you've been feeling downright unhappy for days at a time (or even weeks), you may be depressed. An estimated 19 million American adults are living with major depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. The good news is there is hope for the millions of people living with clinical depression. Not only can it be treated, but it can also be prevented.
If you think you may be depressed, you should immediately seek help from a mental-health professional. But your treatment doesn't have to stop there. You can also help yourself by finding ways to relieve stress such as daily meditation sessions, yoga glasses and finding time to read the Bible. Here are 10 inspiring Bible verses for those struggling with depression.
DailyBibleVerse.com™ is a website and newsletter designed to deliver daily inspirational and powerful verses from God's holy word, the Bible. DailyBibleVerse.com exists to increase faith and devotion for everyone from the busy believer who struggles to find time for Bible study, to the steadfast follower who prays and reads the Bible regularly.


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|Top » Catalog » Buick » Appearance » Exterior » G00-ASP-R92-BP-03511
|My Account | Cart Contents | Checkout | My Wishlist
|Please note: HOLIDAY BREAK We will have a skeleton crew from Wednesday July 3 until Wednesday, July 17, 2019. This time has been set aside for vacation and a rest after six straight months of overtime for all staff. No guarantees on express orders. Any used parts ordered will be shipped after we reopen. Thank you for your patience and understanding and have a safe and happy holiday!
|Wednesday July 17, 2019
|72195489 requests since Tuesday February 15, 2005


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George van Haltren was one of the first great baseball players to come out of the San Francisco Bay Area. He began his baseball career in the 1880s as a pitcher, but later became a centerfielder with an impressive batting record. Van Haltren started out playing for the Chicago Cubs and finished his career with the New York Giants, playing for several more teams in between. Aperture is pleased to present William van der Weyde's portrait of him, a rare and historical photograph made by one of the most prolific magazine photographers of the time.
William van der Weyde (1871–1929) began his photojournalistic career with the onset of the Spanish American War in 1898, going on to complete fifteen years of magazine work. His photographs were published in numerous magazines with considerable readerships, such as Success, McClure's, Literary Digest, and the Reader. His archives, which are held at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York, include over 1,500 images made from 6-by-9-inch glass negatives spanning a wide range of subject matter—from portraits of American writers, poets, and academics to American battleships and sports figures.
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New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, from "The Team that George Built: A Portfolio of the 1998 Yankees"
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Isaiah Wilkins' commitment to Virginia this week brings additional NBA pedigree to the Cavaliers' future roster.
A 6-foot-8 senior forward at the Greater Atlanta Christian School, Wilkins is the stepson of former NBA all-star Dominique Wilkins, a 2006 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. He chose Virginia over Miami, Memphis, Southern Methodist and Wichita State.
Wilkins is part of a 2014 recruiting class that also includes B.J. Stith, son of former Virginia All-American and NBA player Bryant Stith. The younger Stith transferred this year from Brunswick County High School to Oak Hill Academy.
All of which got me to thinking about other NBA sons who have played at...


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Tower Location: Also known as the Vanishing Tower and Dreaming Spires. This Tower is not always on Orin Rakatha and appears at certain times. When it appears it can be found in the Valgrind Pass.
Summary: Arrogant and strange in equal parts these powerful beings have weird sorcerous powers.
Notes: Little is known about this cruel race. Legend says that their people travel the planes – their home lies in a place hovering between planes, and when they travel they are restricted on the length of their stay by the movement of their 'windows'. We have had increasing contact with members of their Tower and when we meet them they seem to care little for us, although encounters usually end up in combat. We have learned a little more about Melniboneans since one of their number, referred to as the T'an, was recruited into Wolfhold after the fall of the Hold of Azad. He is a powerful grey sorcerer and as well as being a Lord of Wolfhold is also the Dean of the Grey College within the Wizards' Concillium.
Activity Level: rarely seen.


text:
As a learning project, I'm trying to create a cli text editor like vi. I've been trying to figure out how to get a constant input coming in from the user in the terminal, but the only example I've found to get input is from a prompt function like "in-lines". I'm pretty sure I need to start a loop and open a port for input, but I've been scouring documentation for opening a port and haven't found out how to yet. By the way I've been using Racket.
Anyone got a good example for me to look at, or a link to documentation?
Thanks alot


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text:
Listen up!
I'm adding this new feature to my Q&A columns. Whenever possible, I will include in my response a link to a movie in my HOW TO VIDEO LIBRARY (see the VOD tab at the top of the page?) that will further educate or enrich the person who is asking the question.
Think of it as at HOMEWORK or further study on the topic at hand. I hope all of you will benefit from this terrific instructional and enriching resource. (Click on the images below for viewing information.)
Name: Spencer
Age: 37
Location: Ottawa
I am very interested in learning more about prostate massage and milking techniques. Are you familiar with these things? Thank you.
I am very familiar with both prostate massage and the fetish commonly known as milking.
But let's begin with prostate massage, because it is something every guy can practice and enjoy. I recommend all us men folk be prostate aware. You know I'm a big advocate of frequent prostate self-exam, right? And I figure while you're down there rootin' around in your butt-hole checking for abnormalities, hey spend a little more time and give yourself a nice massage why don't 'cha? Fingers work just fine for this, but an insertable vibrator is…well…out of this world. Prostate massage is a wonderful way to expand your self-pleasuring repertoire, especially for all you guys out there who only know how to yank on their dick for joy. And ladies, prostate massage is a great way to play with your male partners. Perhaps if you signal to your guy that a little butt play can be fun, more straight guys will be less ass-phobic and the world will be a much better place, don't cha know.
You can feel your prostate gland by inserting a finger a couple of inches or so into your bum. If you are the least bit aroused your prostate will feel like a smooth rounded flat lump about the size of a large almond. Just in back of and up from your prostate is a smaller triangular wedge shaped nodule that is the bottom portion of your somewhat larger seminal vesicles. This, by the way, is where most of your jizz is produced and stored. Underneath the seminal vesicles are the ampullae, which are tiny reservoirs for your sperm that will mix with all the other fluids produced by the vesicles and your prostate when you cum.
As you become aroused, ejaculatory fluid and sperm accumulate in these glands backing up behind valves in the ejaculatory ducts. When the fluid pressure reaches a high enough threshold, the valves open and the urethral bulb fills, triggering the muscular contractions of your ejaculation. This empties the glands and you've just shot your wad.
Naturally, if one abstains from ejaculating for a while and prolongs his arousal stage, say like through edging, more fluids will build up, making for a larger load and a more explosive orgasm.
So with that little anatomy lesson behind us, so to speak, we can get back to prostate massage. Simply insert your well-lubricated middle finger or middle finger and index finger into your butt hole and apply a little pressure. Slowly massage your prostate. Doesn't that feel yummy? Some men can cum by prostate massage alone. Hell, you may find that you don't even need a stiff dick to enjoy an orgasm and/or an ejaculation.
Now to kink things up a bit we introduce the fetish called milking. This is mostly a partnered — dom/sub, bondage/discipline — sort of deal. But a guy can certainly do it on his own if he'd like. Basically, the object here is to drain and collect the spunk produced. How it's collected? Well that's is up for grabs. Ya see there are a zillion variations on the milking theme. Some practitioners deny the donor the pleasure of an orgasm while collecting his jizz. Ice packs are placed on a guy's cock and balls before milking begins. The spooge will flow through prostate massage and masturbation, but there won't be much feeling for the donor.
Another interesting twist on milking is to completely restrain and blindfold the donor. This may include a little (or a lot) of cock and ball torture (CBT) during the milking sessions. There are even milking machines available, not unlike the contraptions that milk a mother's breast, for the medical fetishists among us.
There are sadists who revel in denying the donor any sexual release except for his milking sessions. This is where a male chastity belt will come in mighty handy. A guy will still need to have his balls drained, so to speak, every few weeks in order to avoid him losing his joy juice in a wet dream or when he takes a piss. But with regular prostate milkings, a dude can be deprived of orgasmic release for a long time with no harmful effects.
Those going for volume rather than frequency practice what is known as cum control, which takes edging to a whole new level. Their objective is to go as long as possible without triggering an orgasm or a wet dream. Since the pressure of fluid buildup increases with each arousal, the urgency to have an ejaculation also increases. To deny himself the release is, for some, exquisitely painful.
If you're still looking for more information on all of this, search them interweb tubes for key words like: Semen Worship / Orgasm Control / Cum Control / Milking / Edging / Chastity and Cock and Ball Torture.
Name: Shelly
Age: 21
Location: Atlanta
How come men are seen as 'studs' and women as 'sluts' for doing the same things.
Basically darling, that's because our culture is pretty fucked up — sexually, and in so many other was too.
Despite the progress we've made over the last 50 years to liberate ourselves from suffocating sex-role stereotyping and culturally induced gender expectations, we are nowhere near being free and clear of all that crap.
Changing societal attitudes about sex begins with each one of us carving out our own healthy place to celebrate our sexuality. Carving out that place means we don't tolerate this or any other kind of double standard bullshit from those around us. It's tough standing against the tide of sexual bigotry, but it will make you strong and proud. Banding together with other like-minded people for support and encouragement is also important.
The biggest danger, of course, is that young, sexually progressive women will, in time, cave to the pressure to conform. They will begin to internalize the madonna/whore dichotomy that has plagued all of us for millennia and pass it on to yet another generation of vulnerable women. The risk is always there; so vigilance is the only response.
And all you guys out there who think that this double standard is the way things oughta be. Think again! You are not a stud if you cheapen your sexual partners by degrading them; you're just an asshole.
Name: Brianna
Age: 30
Location: San Diego
I've been so disturbed about the increasing number of recalled Chinese made products lately — dog food, toothpaste, children's toys and the like — that I was horrified to discover that most of my sex toys are made in China. I suppose this is a dumb time to ask, but how safe are sex toys?
That is a real good question, Brianna. Ya know there was a time when I thought that the greatest hazard to the ardent sex toy consumer was simply all the poorly designed and cheaply manufactured crap that floods the marketplace. But in light of the alarming news of recent months about the safety risks of many products coming from China, I think there is room for concern about the safety of Chinese made sex toys.
I hasten to add that not all Chinese imports are dangerous. Nor are all products grown or manufactured in the US safe. But there is a long history of unscrupulous Western companies exploiting the Chinese labor force. This greed and abuse leads to a dangerous mix that often has dire consequences.
Obviously there is no government regulatory agency out there with a mandate to protect us from unsafe or unhealthful sex toys. Of course, one can make the case that even when there is a government regulatory agency with a mandate to protect us, and our pets, from unsafe, tainted or unhealthy food, drugs and other consumables they're not doing a particularly good job.
The sex toy industry does an equally piss-poor job of regulating itself. No surprise there, I suppose. Profit motives seem to trump all other considerations. And since there is virtually no scientific data on sex toy safety the responsibility for keeping ourselves safe falls to us, the consumer. It's up to us to positively impact the market. We can begin by taking some responsibility for what we consume. We can go GREEN with our sex toys, so to speak. We could patronize only the retailers that provide fair and balanced product reviews. We could refrain from buying on impulse or being swayed by slick smutty packaging. We could avoid excess packaging that only winds up in a landfill.
We could avoid doing business with sex toy retailers who continue to peddle products with by unsubstantiated claims. Herbal supplements that promise to grow a guy's dick bigger or enhance his sexual performance. Or those patches, pills and lubricating oils that are supposed to boost a chick's desire. It's not like there aren't good products out there, it's just that we have to do our research before we buy. Check out some of the great Product Review Sites too — Dr Dick's Sex Toy Reviews, Jane's Guide or Hey Epiphora.
We could protect ourselves by insisting our toys be manufactured by people who have access to sex information, education and contraception for themselves. If our purchases support repressive governments who abuse their people we are complicit in the repression. Imagine our dildos, vibrators and fetish gear being manufactured by people who will never be able to enjoy a happy, healthy integrated sex life because of gender inequity or poverty. That sucks, huh?
We can also protect ourselves by patronizing responsible and ethical sex toy retailers. These include my very own Dr Dick's Stockroom, Good Vibrations, Babeland and Eden Fantasys. These retailers have excellent customer service departments and well as educational components to outreach. They're also terrific resources for all your sex toy related questions.
There have been a lot of unsubstantiated claims made of late that there is a potential danger in all sex toys. Some insist that most sex toys contain cancer-causing ingredients. While I won't go that far, there are some things to be concerned about. For example, many soft rubber toys are made using phthalates, which have been linked to environmental and human health issues. Phthalates (pronounced "thall-eights") are a chemical compound used to soften hard plastics into soft rubbery and jelly-like toys. I also recommend that you avoid toys with artificial scent and dyes. They've been known to trigger allergic reactions in some people.
I believe that if you buy quality you are more likely to get quality. Consider hypoallergenic materials, such as silicone, wood, glass and aluminum. They are more expensive, but worth it. Then again, you could always use a condom on any insertable, or less expensive toy of questionable material. The problem with this is, condoms are not biodegradable and they're expensive. By the time you factor in the cost of condoms for every toy use, you'll actually be spending more per diddle than if you bought quality from the get-go.
Remember the more information you have, the wiser a consumer you will be.
Good luck ya'll


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text:
Day after day, Earl Grey sits in his wheelchair on Biltmore Avenue, his Veterans Affairs ID card taped to the top of a red Folgers coffee container.
"Would you help a Vietnam veteran?" he asks nearly everyone who passes by. It's raining this morning, but Grey just smiles. And though he's been posing that same question for the past four years, the man known to most by his cheery nickname, "Happy," received some truly joyful news at the beginning of August, when a disability check finally landed in his mailbox.
"I come out here on the streets every day — seven days a week, 365 days a year — because me and my family stay in a motel. I've got to pay that bill every day," he reveals. "I've got diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, done had two heart attacks, two strokes, and I'm going blind. I'm falling apart, but the peoples out here on this street, to me, are just like Super Glue. Y'all are holding me together."
But keeping it together on the streets isn't easy, says Grey. He used to do landscaping and home repairs by day and worked as a caterer at night. But after a spider bite got infected four years ago, Grey had to have his right leg amputated about 6 inches above the knee, and he found himself out of work. Around that time, says Grey, he received a letter stating that his disability benefits had been discontinued due to missing paperwork. Grey says he sent the paperwork again but continued to get the same response.
Left with no steady source of income, Grey wheeled himself down to Biltmore Avenue, just a few feet away from Doc Chey's and Hannah Flanagan's. That's where Joshua Martin crossed paths with the former Army medic and gradually got to know him. Eventually, Martin wanted to do more than bring Grey food or throw a few bucks in a Folgers container.
"I knew he'd been out there [on the streets] a long time, and I've seen him go through a lot of his medical struggles," says Martin, adding that the two men connected over the fact that both have twins. "That was part of my motivation: Seeing him out there in the rain and snow and also the day-to-day of getting to know him as a person."
In July, Martin and some other concerned locals decided to help Grey track down the missing paperwork so he could start receiving disability checks again.
"It's so interesting, because it's not like any of us talk to each other. There was no Happy 'strategy meeting.' We're just all independently impacted by our relationship with him and wanted to see if we could do anything to help," Martin explains.
Martin knew someone in Sen. Kay Hagan's office. After they got involved, he says, Grey's case was expedited, and the veteran's first disability check arrived Aug. 1.
"My office is always ready to help North Carolina's veterans in any way we can. I encourage veterans who need help cutting through the red tape of federal bureaucracies to contact my office," Hagan said in a prepared statement.
For Grey, who's been living in the Thunderbird Motel, those checks signal a new start.
"I'll be able to get off this street and get me a place to live for me and my family," he says. "I want to get my independence back so that I don't have to depend on people. That was my crawling point. You know, you have to crawl before you walk. Sure, sometimes you're going to stumble and fall, but just don't lay down: Get back up. It's my time now to get back up."
The first step, he says, will be finding affordable housing.
Martin, meanwhile, has no illusions about what awaits Grey. "I can't imagine that just one check coming is going to make his day full of rainbows. I'm sure he's going to continue to struggle with his health issues and getting himself into permanent housing. But I'm cheering for him, and I know that hundreds of other people are cheering for him as he goes into the next phase of his life."
And even though he'll be receiving regular disability checks, Grey says he still plans to wheel himself down to Biltmore Avenue every once in a while, not to beg for money but to thank the folks who've helped him during the last four years.
"I'm trying to schedule out maybe one or two times a week, and that's it. And basically, that's to say hey to my friends, because I don't want them to think that because I got my disability, I'm going to change. I'm still going to be H-A-P-P-Y. I'm still going to be Happy. Always."
— Send your health-and-wellness news and tips to Caitlin Byrd at firstname.lastname@example.com or email@example.com, or call 251-1333, ext. 140.


text:
Weird things are happening some 70 - 100 kilometres downstream from the Vientiane - capital of Laos. In the nights from the muddy waters of Mekong river appear red glowing balls which quickly rise up in the air and disappear without noise (some, who manage to be close to the lights, report silent hiss). These mysterious sparkles are small, but sometimes they reach a size of a basketball.
These are not some ghosts seen by occasional people and questioned by majority. Ghost fireballs of Mekong have been seen by thousands of people, photographed and captioned on movies and, after all, investigated by scientists looking for the explanation of this interesting phenomenon.
Fireballs are observed in some 250 kilometres long sector of Mekong: approximately from Ban Muang upstreams from Vientiane down to Bung Kan. Most of them rise from the 500 - 800 m wide Mekong River, but they have been observed rising from smaller ponds and rivers as well. These places might sound exotic and remote to Europeans but they are densely populated, filled with houses, roads, schools and other usual features of civilisation.
Phenomenon of Naga fireballs is not too well documented in earlier times. Some say that Wat Luang temple (in Phon Phisai, Wat Pho Luang Phra Sai) contains centuries old written records mentioning them. There are mentioned also occasional written reports from British soldiers in 1960ies - although nothing concrete is cited. Numerous local people claim that they have seen the lights for all their life and their parents and grandparents did it as well.
Although the appearance of fireballs is celebrated at certain days in October, in fact this event is not predictable. There have been cases when the official festivity "ends without results" and fireballs come unexpected in another night. Many people have tried hard to see them for years without success, many are lucky and see them at first visit to this site. For example, in 2001 there were reported 3,000 fireballs, the festivity of 2004 was disappointing in this respect but in 2008 the illumination was excellent.
Ghostly fireballs can be seen in different times of the year but most frequent they are in late October - early November, when the long period of rains has ended and Mekong is filled with lots of fast flowing, muddy water.
Balls seem to be rising out of the water (some sceptics though say that it looks more like going up in Laotian side of river). They appear in different places, but sometimes several come out from single place.
Phaya Naga - king of serpents
Since ancient times numerous people have been living along Mekong. According to some reports, as recently as in 1980ies these balls of light attracted little attention of local people (3). It may be though possible that there are some ancient myths related to this event which later have been nearly forgotten by local people and then somehow revived.
Whatever the history of this myth but one is clear - since the early 1990ies Mekong fireballs gradually became famous and simultaneously there were attached myths to them. One of these myths:
One particular naga (a kind of snake or dragon) loved to crawl around the mountains right in the place where Mekong flows today. This outstanding naga still continues to travel her usual route - now underwater, and spits flames wherewer it goes - as all respectable dragons do.
There is involved also Buddhism into this story, making it more complex - although local Buddhist monks seem to be spectators of show and not active promoters of it. This "Buddhist" myth has involved the ominous Phaya Naga - serpent-king of underworld - in making of these fireballs. Phaya Naga in this story turns out to be an ally of Buddha. Buddha and Phaya Naga in their mythical battles obtained a blessing for local people - regular periods of rain. As the rain ends, Buddha returns to Earth from heaven and Phaya Naga greets him with fireballs.
There is traditional and well proven method to facilitate tourism anywhere in world, which works especially well in southern Asia: if your locality happens to have some interesting natural phenomenon, find a religious explanation to this and organise yearly festivities to celebrate it.
In a case of Phon Phisai town in Thailand (and several other towns along Mekong) naga fireballs have been perfectly well suited. Fireballs are most frequent in the end of October - thus exactly then is organised the religious Phaya Naga festival.
This coincides very well with an important event in Buddhist calendar - the end of vassa: three months long period of a kind of fasting. The end of vassa - Wan Awk Pansa - is joyous festivity of the people of Isan (North-east Thailand) and Laos. This festivity in a way marks the end of long rain period. Staying out in the evening after the long rains finally is pleasant and moon over the Mekong makes this time romantic.
Festivity is organized at full moon. Somehow the determination of full moon has ended up with a situation where Thailand celebrates the festivity one day earlier than Laos. Lately though the festivity is expanding and lasts for several days and nights.
According to locals, festivities have taken place here for many generations - but if there were any festivities before 1990, these were of truly local nature, not known elsewhere. But in early 2000ies the festivity at Mekong came into vogue.
Thus, at the end of every October tens of thousands of people flock to Phon Phisai and other Thai and Laotian towns along Mekong. In 2002 - 2004 there were hundreds of thousands of people coming. They take the "best places" along the river.
Earlier people just walked at the bank of Mekong and looked at occasional fireballs rising up. Nowadays there is organised festive program with the great Mekong in focus: in the river are floating beautiful illuminated boat processions and river receives offerings - mainly sweets. Numerous other events take place, as it is ususal in popular festivals.
But the main event is the appearance of fireballs. Thousands of people look with awe at them rising up in the air as fast as sparks from the campfire. In some nights thousands of such weird sparks rise out from the waters but sometimes - none. People cheer the lights with joy and feel happy to be together at this mystery.
Scientists get involved
Contrary to most other ghostly apparitions around the world, Naga fireballs have been observed by thousands of people and captured on numerous photographs and movies.
Most local people believe in the mythical explanation involving nagas. In 2002 there arised a scandal when independent Thai TV channel iTV reported that they observed the following: each time when Laotian soldiers shot some tracer bullets in the air, Thai side of river was greeting this with cheerful shouts. TV reporters thus proved that sometimes "fake" naga balls are greeted.
This report met with stiff resistance of local people expressing even hate towards iTV.
Government of Thailand decided that scientists should be involved and explanation should be provided. A kind of "dreamteam" of Thai experts was established, at the same time rising heated debates about the intrusion of science in traditional myths.
In 2003 thermal scanners and five teams of scientists were stationed in several spots along the river in Rattanawapi district (Thailand). A team was located also at the most famous observation spot - at the Naga temple in Phon Phisai town. There were rumours about the involvement of specific submarine in research.
Some scientific reports mention an upward movement of gas bubbles in Mekong water. According to them - as the gas bubbles reached the surface, the gas started to burn and rised up like a glowing orange bubble.
Phosphine? Methane?
Earlier some scientists considered that the most likely reason for flames is phosphine (PH3). This gas, especially in the presence of the diphosphine (P2H4), is capable of spontaneous flammability. Thus one can assume that bubbles of this substance may rise from the sediments of Mekong and, as it reaches the atmosphere, burn with yellow - orange flame. Small amount of this substance quickly is consumed in flames, and, as the burning bubble rises up in the air, it disappears.
Possible source of phosphine might be a chemical reaction in the river sediments - bacterial reduction of phosphate in decaying organic matter.
Often is mentioned another gas - methane, which, theoretically, if mixed with the same phosphine and some other gases at very specific conditions may experience spontaneous ignition.
...or hoax?
There remained unsolved issues though:
Phosphine is not a light gas, it is heavier than air. Naga lights though rise up in the air very quickly.
When phosphine burns, it produces dense, white and highly toxic cloud. None of these effects (luckily) have been observed on Mekong.
Thus the hypothesis of phosphine is rejected and specialists focus more on other self-inflating gases: burning gas seems to be the most logical explanation for Mekong fireballs. But - even if scientists find another igneous gas rising from the sediments of Mekong - why don't we observe similar phenomenon elsewhere - in other tropical rivers and lakes? How can a bubble of gas rise up that quickly without being extinguished?
Some consider that these igneous gases are somehow pulled out of the river sediment by full moon and some researchers even build up highly complex theories involving specific composition of gases in sediments coupled with the action of moon, ultraviolet rays, Sun etc. All of this at the end looks too laborious and unlikely.
Also the imaginary organic sediments of Mekong seem not to exist - river here for most part has sandy bed with occasional rocks.
Popular Thai movie "15 Kham Duan 11" ("The 15th of the 11th Lunar Month", made in 2002) offers another explanation - here Laotian monks place clay eggs on the river bed - these rise to the surface and there light up. There are though serious drawbacks in this fine movie, which seem to make this proposed explanation flawed (if art is taken seriously): more or less safe and controlled diving in this muddy, powerful river is nearly impossible even with modern diving gear.
Often it is considered that fireballs are created artificially - just like some people find fun in making crop circles or other weird things. Now it is essential to keep the big festivities running - after all this event has been turned into highly profitable show (but spread among huge local communities - what isn't bad at all). One can easily see that there might be a commercial interest to "maintain" this phenomenon artificially.
In addition to this - some locals tell that in earlier times naga fireballs were much smaller and nearly white, they rised above the water just for a few metres. Now, with increased popularity they somehow have evolved, increased in size, fly high and fast and have orange color. A bit heretical thought - may be naga serpent has changed diet?
Hoax is impossible?
Locals deny a possibility of hoax - naga fireballs often are observed in very secluded places where the putative "organiser" of fireballs has nearly no chances to impress anyone. It is just weird to imagine countless Thai and Laotian people keeping themselves busy by making illuminations in remote lakes and rivers.
Appearance of fireballs has been reported in more than 45 kilometres long section of river in one night. River has been closely watched by numerous people for many days before. In such circumstances the possibility of fraud seems to be quite low - who would manage to organise such illumination without getting caught in the act?
Naga fireballs rised from the river during the hostilities between Thailand and Laos: the border was heavily guarded then and it is little likely that somebody would risk his life to organise the fraud.
Legend of modern times
Wondermondo will not present a judgement about the source of naga balls. One though should be recognized - if this is a hoax, it is organised very well and there are lots of people who are happy to believe in this.
But may be naga fireballs are real, natural mysterious light effects - so called Earth lights (see another example - Chir Batti)? Riddles posed by these phenomena are not that easy to solve.


text:
Reviews - pentahotel Derby4
Locomotive Way Pride Park, Derby, DE24 8PU
Customer Reviews
Our reviews are from genuine LateRooms.com customers. We verify that the customer has stayed before leaving a review.
Very Good
84% would recommend it to a friend
Customer service
Food quality
Room quality
Great Customer Service
Stayed at Penta multiple times now, me and my partner came for valentines weekend.
We arrived quite late but managed to order some room service, the lady who brought the food to the room was really friendly, apologised for the delay as she'd had to make it herself, and gave us some complimentary drinks which was a lovely gesture. Would definitely stay again.
Read More Less
Check in problems
All very unorganised, took ages to check in due to 'internet problems'.
pentahotel Derby
Wonderful last minute jewel.
Needed to find somewhere to stay at very short notice. The staff were friendly and obliging. We arrived with our daughter to be told that the room was only for 2 people, however were accommodated with no fuss. The rooms although compact were beautifully clean with a comfortable bed and crisp bedding. The location was very brightly lit but the blackout curtains were just that. Breakfast provided a superb choice. We would definitely use this hotel again and also recommend highly!!
Read More Less
Regular visitor to Penta.
Lovely staff great vibe. Winner.
Read More Less
Very well presented hotel with wonderful staff and spotless throughout ...
Would visit the hotel time and time again , as when you enter the hotel your felt at home and comfortable thought your stay
I was booked into the Penta through work and was very impressed with the whole experience.
Lovely room, friendly and more importantly, helpful, staff.
I loved the toiletries in the room too. Great....I would definitely recommend
Read More Less
Amazing hotel, such a clean and nice place to stay.
Read More Less
lovely hotel, really good service, rooms were nice.
the down side was i was charged more at the hotel than on laterooms which i thought was odd and am looking into.
Read More Less
Not impressed
Stayed at the Pentahotel for one night.
The reception was well done out. The room however was quite disappointing. Apparently they are newly refurbished rooms but was disappointed at the quality. The bed was rock hard the pillows were flat; me and my fiancé woke up with aching back and necks. Uncomfortable night's sleep. The sink in the bathroom was strange as you couldn't actually get your hands under the tap.. badly designed. The doors were very loud making me jump a few times in night. I like the idea to look trendy but I think a lot more money needs to be spent on the rooms. I only paid £64 but I have seen it priced at over £100, please don't waste your money if you want a comfortable night's sleep.
Read More Less
Fab modern hotel
Great modern hotel refurbished to a high standard, no noise and staff are very helpful.
Don't agree with paying for parking at the hotel though and beware bar prices. Bottle of beer £5.25.
Read More Less


text:
The Ritz-Carlton Club® Level is a communal space designed to make your stay unforgettable in surprising and delightful ways. Whether it's a quiet moment to work alone or a place to connect with fellow travelers and share stories, the Club Level's unique set of personalized services and amenities will cater to your every need. Every Club Lounge offers an array of complimentary culinary presentations, personal concierge services and elegant décor intended to create an undeniable sense of belonging with your fellow travelers.
Experience Club Level accommodations in our hotels around the world, each featuring a unique set of services and amenities. The focal point of each Club Level is the luxurious Club Lounge, a dedicated space for guests to relax, enjoy an evening cordial, or simply read a book.


text:
Coffee Time: Welcoming La Unión Regional Huatusco to Kiva
8 May 2012 at 09:00 kiyomibeach 1 comment
Kiyomi Beach | KF17 | Mexico
La Unión Regional de Pequeños Productores de Café Huatusco (La Unión Regional) is Kiva's first non-microfinance institution partner in Latin America. It's a member-owned coffee cooperative dedicated to helping their largely rural, low-income members bring their coffee to market at a fair price.
By partnering with organizations other than microfinance institutions, Kiva is able to provide much-needed support to individuals who would typically not have access to credit. And, while there are other micro-lenders in the small city of Huatusco, their reach is limited, and the costs can be high for the borrowers. La Unión Regional offers loans to provide support for their members in a way that encourages hard work and helps them achieve their goals.
More on La Unión Regional
Operating in the small city of Huatusco, in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, La Unión Regional is a Fair Trade-certified cooperative focused on ensuring that their members, who own small parcels of land, get a fair price for the coffee they produce. Founded in 1982, the organization currently has over 2,000 participating members who produce and process coffee in the communities surrounding the city of Huatusco. This region is known for producing high-quality coffee, which you can find at your local Tully's and other Green Mountain Coffee distributors. La Unión Regional is partnering with Kiva to provide loans to help members plan for the long-term, which can be difficult when living from harvest to harvest.
In addition to helping small farmers compete with large-scale coffee producers, the cooperative provides other means of social assistance. These services include scholarships for primary and secondary school, health clinics, technical assistance related to coffee production, and now low-interest lending with Kiva.
These loans take into consideration the unique needs of coffee producers and are timed accordingly. Loans are disbursed in time for planting, pruning, and other post-harvest chores, and are paid back at the end of the harvest when the producers have the cash to pay. Farmers even have the option of paying back the loans with coffee, which is done when they bring their harvested coffee to La Unión Regional for processing and exportation. It is important that the loans have maximum flexibility, so that farmers don't feel burdened by debt. Additionally, all members who receive a loan are offered technical support in reaching their goals, which include to improving their yields or converting from conventional to organic coffee production.
Getting out in the Field
I was lucky enough to be in the field when La Unión Regional first presented the loan program to its members. Most of the farmers that I spoke to were excited about participating, and the opportunity to grow. While every producer has a unique story, one reoccurring theme was family and community. Many of the people I spoke to became coffee producers because they grew up around coffee. Some hope to increase their production because they want their children to continue with their education, or follow in their footsteps continuing with the "family business."
About a quarter of La Unión Regional's members are women. I had the opportunity to spend time with a few of them. While walking to her mountainside parcel, Teresa, a member since 2000, shared her story with me. She has been around coffee her whole life and loves working in the fields. She spent a few years working in Mexico City before returning to work her own parcel of land that was sold to her by a family member. If given the choice to do whatever she wanted, she would still be working the fields because it's what she loves. She currently has only one parcel of land, but hopes to increase production and buy another parcel to bring in more income so that her and her husband can afford to send their children to school.
As I walked up the narrow, steep path to her parcel, she greeted neighbors and pointed out fellow members' parcels. When we finally arrived, the views of the valley below from her parcel were incredible. She was proud of her work and to show me her land.
Additionally, Maria, a coffee producer since marrying at the age of 14, insisted that I share a freshly-roasted coffee with her from her personal supply and invited me into her home. She showed me where she roasted the coffee and gave me a tour of her modest house. Maria, Teresa, and many others demonstrated the kindness that people of the region are known for. Everyone that I came across was a hard worker, and proud to share this part of their lives with me.
I look forward to seeing the impact that Kiva loans have on these families and communities.
Kiyomi Beach is a Kiva Fellow in Mexico with La Unión Regional. Join their lending team and be one of the first to lend to the coffee producers of Huatusco. You can also buy their coffee at Tully's or other Green Mountain Coffee distributors. Prior to her time in Huatusco, Kiyomi worked with Fundacion Realidad (FRAC) in Mexico City.
Entry filed under: Client Voice, Entrepreneurial Support, KF17 (Kiva Fellows 17th Class), Mexico. Tags: blogsherpa, Blogsherpa Mexico, Fair Trade USA, Green Mountain Coffee, Huatusco, Kiva, Kiva Fellows, Kiyomi Beach, La Union Regional de Pequeños Productores de Café, Mexican Coffee, Mexico, Travel, URPPCAFAZHSSS, veracruz.
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[…] Coffee Time: Welcoming La Unión Regional Huatusco to Kiva Kiyomi Beach | KF17 | Mexico In this post, Kiyomi updates us on the progress Mexico's "La Unión Regional de Pequeños Productores de Café Huatusco", Kiva's first non-microfinance institution partner in Latin America, has made in getting its partnership with Kiva off the ground. She also includes some personal stories of meeting and sharing freshly-roasted cups of coffee with some of Huatusco's borrowers. […]


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Home » Photos » Celebrities » Mark Hamill
Luke Skywalker from Star Wars! Debi with Mark Hamill
Want to use your voice to make money? Learn the ins and outs of becoming a voice-over artist from Debi Derryberry, the voice of "Jimmy Neutron"! This is, hands down, the most comprehensive book on voice-over available. Order Paperback | Order eBook
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text: The 63rd annual Addison County Fair and Field Days was last week, and the Addison Independent reporters were there with video cameras to record the action. We compiled a quick highlight reel of the fair, interspersed with fairgoers' favorite parts of the yearly Addison County tradition! Whether it was the food, the farm equipment or the family atmosphere, there was something at Field Days for everyone. What was your favorite part? Let us know in the comments!


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I've realized that I've gone a bit overboard with the "Annmarie" personalization around the house. I think this has a large part to do with me being a first time mom. I couldn't decide between birth announcements so I have THREE different ones:
And then there are the sweet gifts we've received from people (and I *LOVE* them all!):
Received from our boss's boss's boss's boss's… the head of the department!
Made by my very talented craftacular friend, Kristin.
A gift from my very sweet cousin-in-law, Christen. She ordered the blanket and burp cloth from Petunias.
Even Jeremy has bought me Annmarie / mom – related stuff (this was his, well Annmarie's, mother's day make-up present:
It is a letter "A" (the owl was from a Christmas gift and the chain recently broke so I just moved it to this necklace) and there is a ring with Annmarie's birthdate on it. The other phrases were just funny (but VERY true!) things. He ordered this stuff from Mano y Metal.
And then I even went and made a SHADOW box (I never thought I'd utter those words) of Annmarie's hospital stuff like her little hat, hospital bracelets, little sign that hung in her crib…
A part of me wonders if having all of these personalized items is a first-time mom thing. Will I go out and buy all this name stuff if we have a second baby? Will I still be undecided about a birth announcement? Will I dare make another shadow box?
This leads me to the tons of pictures and videos. Does that stop after you have another (or at least does the frequency die down a bit?). I kind of hope not because I'd hate to miss these moments with any subsequent babies…
(Annmarie has recently started squealing A TON. It is as if she's just found her voice. I love it.


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The Obama Deception [Complete 2 Hour Documentary]
If video cuts off. We recommend you try refreshing this page a couple of times One of our viewers submitted this documentary The Obama Deception is the latest movie from Alex Jones
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Monday, October 26, 2009
Telegram from the Past
4 comments:
- Ann said...
How were you notified of a telegram? Was it read to you over the phone and then delivered in the mail, or was it actually delivered to you by special delivery? Were you living in Cody? I have very little memory of when you left for Laramie, just fun memories of when you came home.
- October 27, 2009 at 7:17 AM
- Dwight said...
Thanks Liz. You were always my project. Love, D.
- October 27, 2009 at 5:32 PM
- Elizabeth said...
To answer Ann's questions - Mother read it to me over the phone, because I was living in the old Green Gables Inn (creepy), and eating downtown - working at the courthouse. I tendered my resignation at the Welfare Office, and Mother came to get me. Louise and I went with her down to Dwight's graduation from U of Wyo, and I stayed in Laramie. And, as for always being Dwight's project, that's very true - unfortunately, I've probably fallen far short of his expectations, but I do appreciate his helping hand through the years. Nice to have a big brother, even if he stole my doll buggy.
- October 28, 2009 at 2:16 PM
- Ann said...
I think I do remember the excitement and going to Cody to pick you up. I thought the Green Gables Inn looked quite magical. Guess that was an illusion that comes from being very young. Besides, they had indoor plumbing. Aren't we luck to have brothers to take care of us? Hmmmm.
- October 30, 2009 at 8:46 AM


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Well, let's test the board a little! Hot topics are always politics and religion...
Here is the second of a couple polls. If the primary were right now, who would you vote for on the Republican side? If you're really up for it, let us know why!
Upcoming Elections
Forum for General Topics not covered by other areas.
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- Kerry Tobin
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Published in the Oct. 30, 2012, Tomahawk Leader
We have heard a lot about downsizing government and creating jobs lately, but no one explains just how that works. Perhaps we should look around and see what examples might exit. Take the state of Michigan for instance.
In 2010, soon-to-be Gov. Rick Snyder ran campaign ads that promised to eliminate business tax, cut taxes on "job creators" by $1.5 billion, slash needless regulations and help small business. Those ads did not disclose that he was a former CEO and creator of two venture capital operations and executive director of a computer corporation that shipped US jobs overseas until the entire business itself landed up in Taiwanese ownership. Sounds vaguely familiar, right?
So what happened to the state of Michigan under Snyder rule? It only took two weeks for both Republican majority legislative branches to pass and Snyder to sign into law the Local Government and School District Fiscal Accountability Act (LGSDFA). This new law allows Snyder to take control of any local government body that the Gov determines to be in fiscal distress, suspend the democratic process of the public vote, impose financial martial law and appoint an "emergency financial manager".
All of this strangely resembles a proposal put forth by the Koch-funded Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Michigan, which suggested that a financial manager should replace and take on the powers of the governing body, have sole discretion to alter the governing charter, be immune from lawsuits, and have the power to alter and abolish union contracts.
What has this meant to Michigan cities?
Pontiac not only lost the entire manufacturing base of its name sake automobile, but the new emergency manager, Louis Schimmel, of Mackinac Center fame, put up for sale the city's publicly owned police and fire stations, library, water pumping stations, two cemeteries, city hall and a golf course. Good luck if you own an "empty" structure in the city of Pontiac, because the fire department probably will not respond following the city of Detroit's model.
Benton Harbor, home of Whirlpool Corporation executives and their tax-subsidized new corporate headquarters, saw the loss of half its population base as Whirlpool outsourced its US manufacturing jobs overseas. Benton Harbor is now the poorest city in Michigan in spite of the fact that the city's public lakeshore park was privatized into Harbor Shores, a $500 million Whirlpool-backed golf course. Joe Harris is the financial manager personally responsible for taking the people out of that process, and who is now looking to privatize the city's water system. Good luck ratepayers.
Just guess what has happened to public sector unionized workers and schools in Michigan.
This is a cautionary tale to the rest of us because we are facing national and local elections with the very same empty promises and rhetoric of downsizing government and regulations, and creating jobs all the while cutting taxes. Don't fall for it. Local or national, check out a candidate's history and forget the paid advertisements.
Diana C. Smith
Don't fall for it
Letters to the Editor from the Tomahawk Leader.
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In January, the Register Star profiled 13 people to watch in 2013. Some of these men and women you may know, others you may not. But they're all engaged in their community. We revisit them today to share what they've accomplished and where they're headed.
Amanda Hamaker: Sustainability keeps her engaged
Jean-Paul Dufek: Painting still a passion for Rockford man
Devon LaRosa: Educator celebrates multiple milestones in 2013
Ron Clewer: Housing Authority Leader's 2013: Ellis Heights, Etsy and letting go
Michael Shirger: First in Coronado film series a hit, entertainment business series planned for next year
Doug Pann: Pilot police district ready for January debut
Jazz Keyes: Serenity is the key to her success
Julia Moore: Making movies inspires Roscoe woman
DJ Maclin: Spreading the word of hip-hop
Carmen Ocon: Helping the church however she can
Jarrod Hennis and Britney Lindgren: Sales are up for Rockford T-shirt hipsters
Holly Houk: Belvidere schools keep her engaged
Ken Strawbridge: Rockford newcomer helping lead YMCA


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For individual training you can choose a personal coach for Mixed Martial arts in the city in Birmingham.
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I'm starting to see a really big light at the ends of this CCNA tunnel. I'm 1/3 of the way done on my second read though of the CiscoPress ICND2. 99% finished with Aubreys' CCNA Exploration course, all that's left to do is the final and the hands on labs skill test and a practice test. Without studying I decided to take one of the two CCNA practice tests available to Cisco Academy students and didn't do so great (75%). Now I know what I need to re-learn and where I can skim..
I haven't scheduled a date to sit the ICND2, but if I can get the study time I'm hoping for this week I'll try and test this next Saturday..


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Re: "Obama encourages paid maternity, family leave," June 24 news story.
The benefits that the president is talking about (maternity and family leave) used to be the kind of thing that America's unions were able to negotiate for and secure for their members. Now the American labor movement, having been pummeled by an onslaught of anti-labor policies, is a shadow of its former self.
The Democratic Party, once a solid friend of labor, seems uninterested in unions and their members. After all, would President Obama have made a very public visit to a Wal-Mart, a staunch opponent of unions, if organized labor were important to him? For that matter, wouldn't Colorado's state legislature and governor, both Democratic, be able to pass legislation that grants paid sick leave to Colorado workers? Or restore unemployment benefits to locked-out workers? The list could go on.
When will President Obama and other Democratic politicians who claim to be friends of working Americans realize that one way to help rebuild the middle class is to encourage union organizing and membership?
Thomas Johnson, Aurora
This letter was published in the July 1 edition.
For information on how to send a letter to the editor, click here. Follow eLetters on Twitter to receive updates about new letters to the editor when they're posted.


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Special thanks to Ainsley Bevis from BloomWebDesign.net for sending in this great Adobe Photoshop tutorial! She covers a number of good techniques good for beginner to intermediate Photoshop users, and some of the tricks are rather slick!
Ainsley writes . . .
In this tutorial you'll learn how to create an elegant, vintage Antique compass icon in Photoshop. The final result is shown at right.
1. Create a new document that's 600×600 pixels. Double click on the background layer to go into Blending Options and put in the Gradient Overlay shown at left.
The next three steps will compose the body of the compass, and follow the same procedure -- just different styling. Each series of layer style changes will be illustrated in a separate browser window.
2. Draw the Compass body - Select the Ellipse Tool and draw a large circle while holding down the Shift Key (to keep the shape perfect).
Double click on the circle layer to go into Blending Options and put in the options you will see in this diagram. (Open the diagram in a separate window. )
3. Bezel Ring - Draw another smaller circle and place it in the center. Double click on the layer to go into Blending Options and put in the following steps in this diagram.
4. Compass Face opening - Again draw a smaller circle and place it in the center, double click into Blending Options and put in the following steps in this diagram.
5. Create the map frame - Duplicate the smaller circle by dragging it to the new icon layer. Remove the Blending Options & make the circle white. Set the Blending Mode to Multiply so the circle is invisible. At right. (This will be a "cutting" tool we'll use later to size the map!)
6. Get the Map - Download & open this Vector World Map, to make it larger open it in Illustrator (if you have it), select a map with the Selection Tool and drag an edge up while holding down the Shift Key.
Copy & Paste the Map directly over the invisible circle layer, right click the image layer & Create Clipping Mask. This will crop the map down to the invisible circle.
7. Styling the Map - Double click on the map image to go into Blending Options and put in the Color Overlay below:
8. Create Lens highlighting - This will generate a light reflection on the top half of the compass, as shown at right. This requires a number of steps which follow, and are detailed in this diagram.
While holding down the CTRL Key click on the invisible layer thumbnail (circled below), to activate the shape. Using Elliptical Marquee Tool select the bottom half of the activated shape while holding down the ALT Key to remove it. With the shape still highlighted go to Select > Modify > Contract & Contract by 10px.
Create a new layer and fill in the highlighted shape white. Set the opacity to 35%.
Next, we'll turn it into a compass by adding compass markings, hands, and more . . .
... continues on the next page!