text: This week I've been working on some save-the-date cards for a very lovely couple who are getting married this Fall. This save-the-date will be two colors, an orange/poppy color with navy blue text. This shows the progression from plate to finished piece of the first color. To apply the second color, the ink must be cleaned off the rollers, a new plate set up, registration set up and then all the sheets need to be fed one by one again with the new color on the rollers. It's a lot of work, but well worth the effort! I love how these are turning out so far. Stay tuned for the finished piece!


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I was trying to explain to my wife what had me so enthralled by this book and all I could think of to say was, 'go read it!' But, that's not a very helpful review. I also thought about explaining it as a blend of Neal Stephenson's cyberpunk best and Richard K Morgan's great Kovacs novels. But, I don't really like making those similarities as a rule. So, check out the blurb and then I'll take a crack at explaining my experience at reading the excellent Crashing Heaven.
With Earth abandoned, humanity resides on Station, an industrialised asteroid run by the sentient corporations of the Pantheon. Under their leadership a war has been raging against the Totality – ex-Pantheon AIs gone rogue.
With the war over, Jack Forster and his sidekick Hugo Fist, a virtual puppet tied to Jack's mind and created to destroy the Totality, have returned home.
Labelled a traitor for surrendering to the Totality, all Jack wants is to clear his name but when he discovers two old friends have died under suspicious circumstances he also wants answers. Soon he and Fist are embroiled in a conspiracy that threatens not only their future but all of humanity's. But with Fist's software licence about to expire, taking Jack's life with it, can they bring down the real traitors before their time runs out?
There's so much to say about this novel; so many great bifurcations from the main plot that paint an impressive and wonderful universe, it's hard to know where to begin. Al Robertson is one of those writers who can create worlds out of throw-away sentences. Casting so much information against the powerful churning of his story that, as a reader, you yearn to know more.
The narrative between Jack and Hugo, accountant and warrior software respectively, is beautifully crafted, mirroring a buddy cop movie over the hardboiled detective story. The stunning background of life on 'Station', an asteroid world, and the ruling, corporate gods (AIs who manage humanity) is captivating. The metaphysical ideas of artificial and biological life, of minds as patterns and codes, that runs throughout the book are deftly handled. And, finally, the page turning plot of mega-corporate corruption, of media propaganda and consumer blindness, of immersion in the virtual and the elision of facts and truths, of political power plays at the expense of lives, cuts close to the bone of our own modern world.
In short: read the book; it's awesome. Crashing Heaven is a hardboiled detective novel set in an unparalleled cyberpunk space that stars a jaded accountant who has a virtual, psychotic puppet attached to his mind…what's not to like?
Review copy
Published by Gollancz

subset: commoncrawl


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United Way Surf Day
One of the best feelings in the world is being sun kissed and salty from a day playing in the ocean. United Way of Santa Barbara County teamed up with the Surf Happens Foundation for a fun filled beach day serving 49 students from the "Fun In The Sun" program. Everyone was full smiles, riding waves and enjoying the sunshine. The day included our HIGH5 presentation, learning about the "simple solutions to plastic polution". We are thrilled to facilitate healhty outdoor activities for a great organization serving our local youth #stoked #unitedway #surfday Thank you to our sponsors Surf Happens Hurley CI Surfboards


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Renowned Hotel & Guestrooms. The historic Antrim 1844 is a proud member of Historic Hotels and a recipient of the Certificates of Excellence and Hall of Fame from TripAdvisor. These awards are a reflection of the hotel's upscale accommodations, each room restored with refined and understated class. Many rooms include private Jacuzzis and balconies, gas or wood-burning fireplaces and supported featherbeds overlaid with luxury linens. Venture outside to the property's peaceful gardens, pool, tennis, volleyball and croquet courts for some fun recreation on the grounds.
Acclaimed Restaurant. Our Executive Chef, Ilhan Erkek prepares an exquisite menu every evening at the property's luxurious Smokehouse Restaurant. The dishes focus on the finest and freshest ingredients with a sophisticated interpretation of contemporary cuisine that delights the novice epicureans and gourmands alike. The restaurant has received the Best of Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator for over 18 years, Gayot's Top Romantic Baltimore Restaurants, and is part of the Distinguished Inns and Restaurants of North America.
Quality Service with a Touch of Class. Antrim 1844 prides itself in exceeding all of our guest's expectations. Special touches elegantly arranged throughout your stay will make your experience that much more special. Enjoy all of our luxurious amenities, such as a traditional English afternoon tea, a wake-up tray delivered to your room each morning with a newspaper and a full country-style breakfast at the mansion each day. Each moment of your day on the property has been carefully and meticulously designed with you in mind. Antrim 1844 takes great pride in delivering exceptional hospitality and turning an ordinary day into a lifetime memory.
Extensive Award-Winning Wine Cellar and Spirits Selection. Antrim 1844 boasts one of the largest restaurant wine collections on the East Coast. Sample a glass from the award-winning cellar of over 20,000 bottles representing over 2,700 selections. You can stop by the hotel's Pickwick Pub to enjoy some of the finest scotch, cognacs, bourbons, and whiskeys in the world.
Convenient Location. Antrim 1844 is nestled in the quaint, historical town of Taneytown, Maryland and has stood witness to two and a half centuries of American history. Enjoy exploring the surrounding neighborhoods of Gettysburg, Frederick and Hanover or venture out a little further to three nearby major metropolitan areas: Baltimore, MD, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, PA.
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. Antrim 1844 provides a complimentary Tesla connector and a ClipperCreek connector with a universal plug for standard electric cars for our restaurant and overnight guests.


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As a kid, I remember a time where my father was interested in the guitar. I don't remember him actually playing the guitar, but he was always tinkering with it, buying strings, and trying to get it in tune.
Unfortunately, that poor guitar was the victim of four young boys using it as a toy machine gun, a battle axe, and even a trampoline. If you have ever played a musical instrument (I haven't), knowing how to get it in tune is necessary.
Or so I've heard.
How about your body? Do you know how to get it in tune? When you suffer from discomfort in the joints, do you immediately blame the site of pain?
For example, millions of people complain of lower back pain. I have clients who were afraid of doing an exercise due to lower back problems. Their history is filled with visits to the doctor, a variety of pain medications, and even surgery.
"My lower back pain isn't my fault, it's genetic. I always had problems there. I just have a weak and tight back."
Is your lower back to blame?
Functional Movement expert Gray Cook has an excellent way of explaining this. The victim and the culprit. Most of us are not in tune with our bodies. We are unaware of what areas are truly the tight or stiff regions, and blame our back as the culprit.
"They will more often complain of the stiff and sore back than the significant mobility restrictions in their hips. However, if we tested both the hips and spine for mobility, they might be surprised to find the actual mobility of the back is closer to optimal than are the hips.
In this all-too-common example, the back is the overworked victim, not the slacker causing the primary problem. The hips are further from optimal mobility than the back and therefore are a larger problem.
The back must bend a little more, twist a little further, and actually give up some reflex stability to allow postural control and movement patterns." Excerpt From: Gray Cook. "Movement."
Sitting all day at work, in your car, and then at home causes the hips to be tight when they should be mobile. In the all too common sitting position, the upper back (thoracic spine) also tightens, rounds forward and loses its mobility.
This mobility has to go somewhere, and so enters the "victim" in our story, the lower back (lumbar spine). End scene, cue the orchestra.
If that sounds like you, don't accept daily back pain as your fate. Stop being the victim and learn how to tune your body.
First, set a baseline position.
Second, choose a movement that addresses the problem, in this case the back. Set an alarm to go off on your phone multiple times a day and then get up off the chair and do THIS MOVE.
After a few days, see how that "tight" back feels. This approach can be used for other parts of the body.
I've had clients with knee problems return to their activity of choice after addressing tight ankles. The practice of tuning in to your body can happen when you do any movement.
It's an opportunity to teach the brain how to move better. The goal is to know and trust your body's ability to do things without hurting yourself.
Sometimes a simple stretch will help and sometimes it won't. You might have to stop eating inflammatory foods and drop some weight in order to get relief.
Or maybe the problem is running more than 20 miles a week with a heel strike.
Sometimes you will have to ask for help from a professional.
The point is that if you try one thing and it doesn't work, don't give up and and wait for things to magically get better.
Do what my father did when working on his guitar. Curse a little bit, take a deep breath to set your baseline, and then get back to tuning.
He couldn't afford a new guitar, and you can't buy a new body


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Elite Private Tutoring and Test Preparation
At Endeavor, behind every applicant is a team that knows what it takes to get you into the best schools in the country. From crafting your essay to helping you study for the standardized tests, Endeavor will plan your admissions journey from when you first start dreaming to when you set foot on campus.
Learning is an individualized process. We don't force you to learn one method because we don't believe that there is one best method. Rather, we tailor your learning to your needs by figuring out how you learn.
Endeavor tutors cater to the most demanding clients across multiple continents. Whether you need a tutor flexible enough to travel with you to Monaco or to facilitate your child's adjustment to life in a new city, Endeavor can provide you with individual tutoring solutions. At Endeavor we provide not just tutors but mentors, crafting unique learning solutions that suit your individual aspirations.


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The first thirty minutes of Wall-E is the most breathtaking and accomplished storytelling Pixar has ever committed to film. Reaching the levels of visual beauty and reference typically reserved for silent films and Mel Gibson, Wall-E perfectly weds high and low, Chaplain, Lang, but most commonly Kubrick. Pixar has always been lauded for the stunning moments of realism in its animated films, but it is hard to tell where the computer ends and where the real begins in Wall-E (particularly since this film incorporates real actors, and bits of actual film footage).
A Disney/Pixar Film
Directed by Andrew Stanton
Left behind to clean a pollutant and trash-choked earth (reminiscent of predictions of the end of civilization under a mass of junk mail), it is the job of Wall-E, a Keaton-like animated trash compactor on wheels, to clean up the mess humans have left behind on earth while they live lives of Margaritaville on a spaceship. Heavy on the anti-corporate moralism without even approaching sanctimony, Wall-E rarely misses a chance to demonstrate how technology doesn't just modernize a landscape, it changes the essence of the landscape.
It is almost impossible not to reference the Wallace and Gromit short A Grand Day Out when picking apart Wall-E. In the former, Wallace and Gromit, characters you might remember from Curse of the Wererabbit, take a trip to the moon and meet a similarly robot who suffers the same sort of loneliness. But instead of dreaming of love like Wall-E, Grand Day Out's robot dreams of skiing. Such stories serve best as subtle reintroductions of humanity to itself. To love another is, in part, to recognize parts of oneself in that other. And in this sense, technology has often been used in film as a doppelganger of humanity.
Because of this, it is breathtaking to see Wall-E encounter the leftover artifacts of humanity and love them, despite knowing nothing about those who created them. What he loves—is it the vestige of human good? Or are these artifacts, much like Pixar's treatment of a big-hearted little robot, simply a measurement of himself?
Wall-E is Modern Times for the fast food/internet generation, the search for love in a shifting social environment (the story line of any love-in-war story, as well). In this story, however, the technological futurism is rather uninteresting. This seems to indicate a general malaise about the future technological hopes of the filmmakers. Yes, it's cool, but it is never satisfying. Even the humans come to realize that their existence aboard the Axiom is "surviving" and not actually "living," despite their opulent luxury.
While Wall-E cleans, humans have degenerated to perpetual consumers, literally unable to stand on their own, much less communicate in reality. And this is, perhaps, where Wall-E falls short. It's hard to tell whether the makers actually have hope for their fellow humans. Humanity has been reduced to blobs of flesh (indeed, even the animation of the cartoonish humans is unimpressive when compared to the realistic rendering of the leftover earth and Wall-E himself). Ironically, the humans are the least real part of the film. While the filmmakers are spot on in nailing the way technology has the capacity to make human's forget themselves, it also uses technology to mirror humanity to itself. The technology is supposed to teach the audience a lesson, though it's unclear what the lesson is: a last minute call to take care of the earth and preserve humanity's relationship with it? A story of man's inhumanity to himself? Amusing ourselves to death and futuristic despair?
Perhaps it is the love story in the end, between two robots, that is supposed to redeem everything, and yet, it is false. Inherent in the love found in art is the knowledge that one should cherish it, because at some point, death will part the lovers. Comedy is always delayed tragedy. Yet machines like Wall-E and Eve will love until their bodies literally disintegrate. And even then, their memories might simply be transferred to new bodies and continue. They have accomplished the love that every poet dreams and writers about—to achieve immortality, but through the wonders of technology rather than a greatness of soul.
Wall-E and Eve have no souls except for the vestiges of what is human in them. So what kind of love is this? Kierkegaard called this sort of love the giddiness of the infinite, the feeling of eternity captured in a single moment and focused on a single person. This love, however, is ultimately false because the eternal is impossible for human. Wall-E and Eve love in a way of which only God is capable in the world of Kierkegaard. Pixar doesn't even try to attribute this to humanity; it's a sort of metaphysical futurism: hope, not in God, not in humanity, but rather a disembodied hope, or perhaps embodied in machine for as long as its clockwork shall tick.
To read Patrol's "On Film" archives, click here.
Micah Towery is working on his master of fine arts degree at Hunter College in Manhattan. He is the founder and co-editor of The Cartographer Electric.
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The Loyola Farm has launched our weekly Market Stand! Every Thursday, from 11am – 1pm, we will be selling some of our harvest at the garden. All of the food produce grown at this garden is done so by both volunteers and city farm students. All proceeds from the market stand will be put right back into the garden upkeep fund. Leftover produce from the garden will be picked up and donated to the NDG Food Depot.
Keep an eye on the "Loyola Market Stand" tab on the Loyola City Farm blog, as each week we will update which items we will have to sell. Directions to the Market Stand can be found under the directions tab on the main page of the Loyola City Farm blog.


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Critical Reasoning Practice Test 4
Sam – I think there should be some way to get out of this trouble. We sure can manage to get the money from somewhere. Like say we can work overtime or start some business. We will have to think hard, I am sure we can handle the situation if we can think of some source of earning money. Samant – There is no way. There is nothing we can do about it. Even if we work overtime we shall not be able to make enough money in two months. We should not waste time in thinking about how we can earn the money. Instead we should some other means of getting it. What is a reader most likely to conclude about the qualities of the two after reading the above conversation?
- A. Sam has a positive attitude whereas Samant doesn't
- B. Sam is a dreamer and Samant is practical
- C. They both are caught up in a big financial problem
- D. Sam believes in his abilities to get over the problem
- E. Samant tries to dominate Sam by discouraging him
- Answer: B
EXPLANATION:We can not say that Samant has a negative outlook as he too hopes to find some other way of handling the situation. Hence A is wrong. C does not mention the qualities of the two. It tells about their situation. Hence we reject it. D does not tell the qualities of both of them. It only talks about Sam and hence is an incomplete option. Out of B and E we can say that B is a more likely conclusion of the reader. Samant seems to be more practical as he tells Sam that they cannot raise enough money by working more. He then says that they should think of some other alternative, clearly meaning that they should look for a more possible way of handling the problem. B is the best answer option.
With the ban on laptops, Bluetooth, infrared and pen drives in government organizations, many corporate offices are also pulling up their socks to ensure a similar rule. Despite the fact that most employees are made to sign secrecy bonds, people often download information to take home to work on. Although it is monitored the employers can never be 100 per cent sure that it is not misused. As a result many banks, consultancies and back offices have banned the use of personal laptops in the offices. Which of the following best criticizes the steps being taken by the corporate offices?
- A. If a person has to steal or misuse information he can find many ways of doing it
- B. People hardly use personal laptops in offices
- C. Only 5% of such crimes are committed using laptops
- D. Blue tooth should be banned instead of laptops
- E. The laptops issued by the companies are also used for the purpose.
- Answer: C
EXPLANATION:Clearly A and D are not strong points of criticism of the ban on laptops. Where A is a general statement D is without a reason. Hence we reject both of these. Out of B, C and E we can say that C is the best criticism of the ban on personal laptops. It tells that since only five percent of these crimes are committed using laptops the ban would not help the situation much. Moreover out of the 5% an even lesser percent of crimes must be committed using personal laptops. Hence banning personal laptops would not help. Also, B and E are not supported with concrete data like in C. Hence we can say that C is the best answer option.
A recent study reveals that men prefer women who are compatible with them rather than women younger than them. The study suggests that 87% unmarried men feel that they would prefer to marry a girl who is compatible even if she is older than them. Which of the following most significantly weakens the claims of the study?
- A. The study was conducted on a small group of men
- B. The conclusion was based on a set of indirect questions which have been wrongly interpreted and stated
- C. The study was conducted in only a few metro cities
- D. Only college going boys were asked the question most of whom were not of marriageable age
- E. The study was conducted in cities only and the opinions of men in small towns and villages were not taken
- Answer: B
EXPLANATION:Of all the above we have to choose the most significant factor. A and C are not well supported with any data. The number of men is not mentioned; similarly the number of metro cities is not mentioned. The terms 'few' and 'small group' are relative and hence we reject A and C. Out of B, C and D we can say that B is the most significant point. The final result of the study is wrongly interpreted and that is the most important point. Even if the study was conducted in metro cities only or on college going boys the result could have been stated in a suitable manner to give the correct picture. But the fact that the conclusion was wrongly interpreted and stated holds more value. B is the best answer option.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans have revealed key changes in the brain's grey matter in a small group before they developed symptoms. The finding suggests tracking these changes over time, combined with traditional assessments, could help doctors to predict illness. The research, published in BioMed Central Medicine, was carried out by the University of Edinburgh. For ten years, scientists followed 200 young people who were at a high risk of developing schizophrenia because two or more members of their family had already been diagnosed with the illness. They analyzed MRI scans of 65 of the 200 young people, taken on average 18 months apart. The researchers looked specifically for changes in grey matter. Eight of the 65 went on to develop schizophrenia on average 2.3 years after their first scan. What was the conclusion of the research?
- A. MRI scans can predict mental illness
- B. Schizophrenia can be predicted by an MRI scan
- C. Schizophrenia is likely to occur in people whose family has a history of cases of the disease
- D. On an average people develop schizophrenia 2-3 years after its symptoms appear.
- E. A person whose family members are suffering from schizophrenia is highly likely to get the disease himself
- Answer: A
EXPLANATION:Clearly D is not a valid conclusion of the paragraph. Hence we reject it. The study aimed at finding a relation between schizophrenia and MRI scans. It was not conducted to find out who was most likely to suffer from the disease. As mentioned in the first few sentences it aimed at finding if mental illness can be predicted before symptoms appear. Hence we reject C and E. On similar lines we can say that the study was not conducted to see how schizophrenia can be predicted, like B suggests. Hence we reject B. A is the correct conclusion of the research.
The colours used in the house of Rita Ramit are very subdued. The look of the house is very minimal. The walls are mostly plain with earthy colours like beige and crème. Even the furniture is simple. What will attract your attention is that the windows are larger than usual and she claims to keep them mostly wide open. What can one best interpret about Rita Ramit on the basis of the above paragraph?
- A. She does not like dark colours on walls
- B. She loves nature
- C. She is a quiet nature loving person
- D. She is simple and loves nature
- E. She is simple and sober
- Answer: D
EXPLANATION:Clearly A and B aren't the best inferences. Earthy colours need not be light and we can hence reject A. Also B is an incomplete inference about her. Out of C, D and E we can say that D is the best inference. Clearly we know that she loves nature. This is not mentioned is E. Also we can say that since her house is not decorated much, she must be a simple girl. But we can not say that she is quiet. No feature of her house tells us that. She could be simple and yet talkative. Hence we can say that D is the best answer option.
China is to auction licences for foreigners to hunt wild animals, including endangered species, according to local media. The auction will offer the right to hunt yaks, wolves and other wild animals in five western provinces. The price of a licence will depend on the type and number of animals to be hunted. A licence to hunt a wolf could cost about $200, while permission to shoot a yak could be as much as $40,000. The wolf is the only carnivore on the list that could be hunted.Which of the following is strongest criticism of the above?
- A. It will also lead to illegal killings of animals which are not on the list
- B. The country will get negative responses from other countries
- C. It would agitate the wild life protection groups all over the world
- D. Endangered species could be the most hunted
- E. It would require strict checks on the hunters to stick to the rules
- Answer: C
EXPLANATION:There is no reason for the statement D. It is a baseless statement and hence we reject it. Out of the remaining four options we have to choose the strongest point. Since this auction of licences is for foreigners it would affect the whole world, every country would react to the idea. The reactions of other countries would hold more importance than other related issues within China. Hence we consider only B and C. Out of these two it is the response of wild life protection groups that would be more important. With the increase in awareness and consciousness of people towards protection of wild life, it is obvious that many such groups would strongly react to the proposal. C is the best answer .
Good Heavens is a book of one-act plays, with a very detailed introduction to the stage. Poile Sengupta explains the concept of royalty and permission to reproduce or stage someone else's work. She has included thoughtful details like telling her readers to take water and snacks with them as rehearsals can be long drawn out and laborious. The book design and layout is also remarkable. It depicts a scene where actors are rehearsing for a play. Each of seven plays focuses on a different aspect of theatre. This book will give aspiring actors a push in the right direction, and encourage writers to try their hand at scripts.Which of the following is most remarkable feature of the book?
- A. The introduction to stage is very good
- B. The concept of royalty and permission to reproduce someone's work is an eye opener
- C. Aspiring actors can learn a lot from it
- D. Small tips for actors and directors are handy
- E. The design and layout is remarkable
- Answer: B
EXPLANATION:E is a point of little importance. It could certainly not be the most remarkable feature of the book. Out of the other options, A and C are only helpful for a beginner. The book is not only for beginners. It is written for all who are interested in theatre. Hence we reject both. Out of B and D, we can say that B is more important. Since it points that the knowledge given is eye opening it means that people are neglecting this aspect. Hence this is the most remarkable aspect of the book.
A Chinese dog owner hugs her dog after enrolling her as "doctor dog" with Animals Asia Foundation (AAF), in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. The AAF is recruiting candidates to act as doctor animals for the animal therapy programme where owners and their pets visit orphanages, hospitals and homes for the elderly. Currently over 300 "canine consultants" have been registered. The above paragraph best supports which of the following?
- A. Dogs can be used to treat patients
- B. Dogs are being used to give orphans, patients and people in old age homes company
- C. Dog owners are proudly enrolling their dogs with AAF
- D. Animals can help treat patients
- E. Animals are being enrolled for practicing animal therapy
- Answer: E
EXPLANATION:The paragraph does not only talk about how dogs are being used to treat patients. Hence we reject A. B is certainly a wrong statement. These animals are not being used to give company. They are being used for treating patients. Hence we reject B. The main idea behind the paragraph is not that owners are proud of the fact that their dogs are being enrolled. It is in stead giving us information about how animals are being used to help in treatments through AAF. Hence we reject C. Out of D and E, we can say that E is a better statement. The paragraph does not give knowledge about what animal therapy is, it points to the fact that animals are now being enrolled for the purpose. Hence we select E.
A young Dutch Architect has created a floating bed, which hovers above the ground through magnetic force and comes with a price tag of 1.2 million euros ($ 1.54 million). Janjaap took six years to develop the bed, which looks like a sleek black platform and can double as a dining table. Magnets built into the floor and into the bed itself repel each other, pushing the bed up into the air. Thin steel cables tether the bed in place.Which of the following is most suitable criticism of the above paragraph?
- A. Only a few can afford the bed
- B. The flooring will have to be especially done to use the bed
- C. The bed is no more than a novel invention
- D. The bed can not be moved from its place once it is fixed
- E. A very strong magnetic field will be required
- Answer: C
EXPLANATION:We can clearly see that all of the above points are very valid. But we have to choose the most suitable criticism. We can understand from the paragraph that the bed can not be bought by many people and is very difficult to install at any place since it requires a strong magnetic field. Because of these factors we can say that the bed is merely a new invention with no real purpose. Hence, C summarizes all the negative aspects of the invention. It even includes all the other points given. Hence C is the best answer.
Brazil issued a stamp this year to celebrate Africa Day. The stamp emphasizes African art, remarkable features of which are apparent in the Brazilian culture. The background is composed by the colours that appear in the flags of most African nations. The stamp also shows, in a stylized manner, the strongest features of the African culture – musical instruments, masks, handicrafts and adornments. What can a person best interpret about Africa on seeing the stamp?
- A. Africa is keen on displaying its cultural heritage.
- B. Music and creativity are an integral part of African culture
- C. African art and culture is very famous
- D. The African nations are in harmony with each other
- E. Africa has a rich and varied culture
- Answer: E
EXPLANATION:Clearly A is wrong. We can not say that the culture and art of Africa is very famous just by seeing the stamp. The stamp is no measure of how famous it is. Hence C is wrong. Since only the colours of the nations' flags have been used we can not arrive at the conclusion that the nations are in harmony. Moreover the colours are in the background and a person is hardly likely to take notice of the fact that the background colours are related to flags. Hence we reject D. Out of B and E, we choose E. It is not only examples of music and creativity given on the stamp but a lot more. One can see adornment and masks which tell more about Africa. E on the other hand is a statement that sums it all. The main features of the culture are depicted on the stamp and one can infer how rich Africa's culture is from the stamp. Hence E is the best answer.
Which one of the following is the weakest claim in the advertisement of Morning Walker, an electronic device which can be used as a substitute of walking?
- A. Morning Walker is one of the best ways to maintain physical and mental health.
- B. Using Morning Walker for 15 minutes is equal to 10000 steps of brisk walk and 8 km in terms of oxygen benefit
- C. It is compact, portable and easy to use.
- D. Morning Walker has been tested and certified by leading medical institutions.
- E. It can be used safely by people of all age groups.
- Answer: D
EXPLANATION:B, C and D are certainly strong claims. B and D are supported with data, hence making them more meaningful and convincing. Hence we reject them. Out of A and D we can say that D is the weakest claim. Since the statement claims that the product is certified, at least the names of a few such institutions should have been mentioned. Moreover A states that the morning walker is one of the best ways; it does not claim that the morning walker is the best way. Hence it is more convincing. Thus, D is the correct answer option.
Our idea is to make aged care homes a better place to live in. These facilities should not be viewed as a dumping ground. Senior citizens should live in dignity and people should be proud of being a part of it. The above paragraph best supports which of the following?
- A. Old age homes need a modification
- B. Old age homes are only for those who are not wanted in their families
- C. Senior citizens need to live in dignity
- D. People need to change their attitude towards aged care homes
- E. The author is willing to give old age homes a new look
- Answer: A
EXPLANATION:Clearly E is not a correct option. The statement B does not get any support from the paragraph. In fact the paragraph mentions that people view old age homes as dumping grounds for old members of family and this attitude needs to be changed. B on the other hand represents the view of people. Hence we reject it. All the others are correct. We have to choose the statement which gets best support from the paragraph. D refers to a change required in the attitude of people. The paragraph does not lay emphasis on this. It only mentions the point in the second sentence. Hence we reject D. Out of A and C we can say that A is the most suitable answer option. The main point in the paragraph is that old age homes need to be modified so that people change their attitude towards them, both the ones living there and outsiders. This point is given in A. A as the best option.


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Roof Structures
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Extend your living space in style
Enjoy everything a Canadian summer has to offer with your covered deck. Staycation? No problem when your living space includes a custom designed and expertly built roof structure. A fully shingled, watertight roof off the back of your home or free standing in your yard provides shade, privacy and protection from the weather.
Using a number of trim options to complete your roof, our experienced installers ensure the new addition matches and blends with your house. A finished ceiling adds to overall appeal and atmosphere, providing the perfect place for a ceiling fan or overhead heater. Make it as fancy or sleek as you like, and just imagine how this structure will enhance your home and outdoor living experience.
free onsite estimates
Contact us today to set up your free onsite estimate. Our experienced staff would be happy to help you create the backyard of your dreams.


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About creativity kitchen
It all started when...
Chef Nick Wallace realized that our children needed healthy meals at school. For some of them, what they eat at school is the only opportunity they would get to eat an actual meal.
Creativity Kitchen, a non-profit organization, was created out of the passion of others, and was created to:
- Show our children how to be and remain healthy
- How to grow their own foods
- How to take food directly from the farm to their own kitchen
Working closely with Jackson Public School's, Chef Nick Wallace creates scholar friendly recipes with the health and nutrition need of each scholar in mind. He then meets with each school's kitchen staff and walks them through preparing each recipe to ensure that there are no questions in preparing the meal.
The mission of Creativity Kitchen is to touch more, and do more. For more information on how we can partner with your organization, contact us today for more information.
We have created a Go Fund Me Account for anyone who would like to donate to Creativity Kitchen. You can make your donation by clicking here.
We looking forward to hearing from you, and working with you to create a healthy but yet delicious meal with a bit of Mississippi.
Chef Nick Wallace
Connect with us on Facebook Here.


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Jump to navigation
Hi! Since you are here you are probably curious about me, right? Ok, I will share some details with you! For starters, you must know that, as of right now, I live in the USA. To be more accurate. Memorial Hospital Of Carbon County is the place where I work. As far as I remember, 06/26/2015 is the date when when they decided to hire me. Po Box 460 is the exact address of this company. My home is situated just a couple of blocks away from there. Additionally, my boss is a really nice guy. You should know that I actually love this place. Oh and I love going to the cinema, in my free time.


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The State Worker
California state employee retirements plummet in 2014
The number of state workers who filed pension papers dropped sharply during the first quarter of this year compared with 2013, according to new CalPERS data, while March extended a record-setting string of months that retirement rates have declined.
The numbers suggest that government work has become more attractive to the kind of long-time employees who just a few years ago were exiting en masse, chased by furloughs, higher pension contribution rates and many years of stagnant pay. In mid-2013, however, furloughs ended at the same time raises kicked in for senior employees. Around that same time, SEIU Local 1000 – which presents half the state's 180,000 unionized workforce – negotiated a new contract with raises that will likely kick in this summer. Other unions soon followed with their own agreements containing modest raises.
That brightening outlook shows up in the CalPERS data as a record 10-straight-months decline in retirement applications. Another telling sign: January-through-March retirements this year dropped a 18.9 percent, the sharpest quarterly decline recorded by CalPERS since it started tracking the data in 2007.


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We often consider the New Year a time for new habits, new outlooks, new resolutions. And yet, we often let these resolutions peter out within a few months. We have heard for decades that it takes 21 days (or 28 days, or 18 days, or some other short number) to form a new habit, but recent research suggests that it takes closer to 66 days for some habits and longer for others. This sounds discouraging, but by breaking up our goals for new habits into smaller goals we can have better success with keeping them.
If you ever want to teach an object lesson about darkness, head to a cave. Walk or crawl as far back into it as possible to where absolutely no light at all is visible. Then, light a single small candle. It's amazing how blackening dark can actually be.
If you ever want to teach an object lesson about silence, head to a high school basketball holiday tournament. Since I've been covering high school sports for well over 20 years at different locations throughout Kentucky, I've been to several of these events. Funerals have more life and energy.
It wasn't a merry return to the court two days after Christmas for the Spencer County Lady Bears, as they fell in their opening round matchup of the Whitefield Academy tournament to Scott High School, 83-55 Thursday afternoon.
Three days after demolishing Nelson County in perhaps their best game of the season, the Spencer County Bears felt the bitter sting of revenge when the Cardinals got payback in a 63-61 win in overtime during the second round of the Sarah Barger Tournament at North Bullitt.
What can be said of the year 2012?
Doomsday projection for December 21, oops. ... A general election ... Sandy Hook tragedy ... Ben Bernanke's Fiscal Cliff?
In sports ...
1. In April, Kentucky basketball fans celebrated an eighth NCAA championship. Oddly, the team never achieved a nickname that stuck.
2. Maybe because fans knew two months later all five starters would be gone.
The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service in Kentucky is encouraging landowners, farmers and producers to visit their local NRCS office now to receive information and apply for conservation technical assistance and possible financial funding opportunities.
The farm looks like a storm hit recently but it's really just my husband's new deer deterrent technique. It seems to be working. In the past we have forgone the Irish Spring soap, human hair and coyote urine for more reliable barriers. Tomato cages, tobacco stakes, wire, spiral plastic trunk wrap, and, yes, an occasional arrangement of lawn chairs, have created distance between rutting and browsing deer.
Division of Conservation Field Representative Kimberly Bartley presents Paul Jeffiers a certificate for 20 years of service. Jeffiers currently serves as vice-chairman on the Spencer County Conservation District Board. He has served as a supervisor for 20 years.
Supervisors of the Spencer County Conservation District that were re-elected this year were sworn in by Judge-Executive Bill Karrer on Dec. 18. Supervisors sworn in were Paul Jeffiers, Alvis Shirley, Sidney Ware and Thomas Franklin Jr. Supervisors have four-year terms. The other three supervisors on the board will be up for re-election in 2014.
Superintendent Chuck Adams bid farewell to three of the five Spencer County Board of Education members at the board's December meeting.
He thanked each for their service and gave each a commemorative gift. Members Scott Travis, Mary Ann Carden and Shannon Medley did not seek reelection in 2012 and their terms ended Dec. 31.
Copyright © 2019
The Spencer Magnet is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Spencer County, KY and the surrounding area.


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About Jessica Demcsak
Jessica Demcsak is a working artist who currently exhibits in the New York, New Jersey Pennsylvania area. She received her BFA in Painting from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, an MA in Arts Education from Kean University and an MFA from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She was awarded the Geraldine R. Dodge Grant for Artist Educators and was part of NJ Monthly Magazine in its Top 30 Under 30 article. Demcsak was recently featured in Fresh Paint Magazine Issue #11. She most recently exhibited her work in a group show titled Nature at The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster New Jersey.
Jessica Demcsak visits and documents architecture in various cities such as New Orleans, Philadelphia, Asbury Park, and Venice, Italy to name a few. She incorporates these photographs into sculptural paintings on wood. Her current work explores the ideas of home and shelter in the midst of escalating natural disasters.


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My wife says I am addicted to starting new creative projects.
Back in the day, I launched a whimsical Kickstarter project called LOVE TRAIN. It was about documenting a cross-country Amtrak trip for love. Cliché? Maybe. But it was fun.
You can see the pictures and hear the music I wrote for it on the official LOVE TRAIN SITE.
In addition to being a writer, I'm also a songwriter, so I'm always working on a band or two.
SOFT CENTER (we made a record and released it independently on vinyl)
FAST SET (grifter rock)
PALMYRA (...bringing together rock, noise-folk, and twee elements to create a sound that's alternately dreamy and poppy. -Chrysta Cherrie) (learn more)
SMALL SONGS (a collection of short songs recorded and mixed in a bedroom in single sessions)
UMBERTO (...every word, every screaming noise, is real and true. -Alan Goldsmith)
THE DUMB & UGLY CLUB (folk/rock duo turned retro space rock jammers)
Blogs 'n' Things
ONE SWEET SONG (Bloggie Award-nominated daily music blog, started and ended during the heyday of music blogs (2008-2013))
EMOJISCOPE (started as a joke between coworkers, Emojiscope blossomed into a participatory fortune-telling-through-emoji experiment)
WHO SHUT THE GOV DOWN? (remember that?)
DOWNTON LINNEY (if you still get this joke, get in touch because I want to be friends)
BUSINESS POEMS (odes to scheduling an hour with the wider group)
PERSONAL PICTURES (snaps before there was snapchat)
Featured in the following films:
PARASITES: A USER'S GUIDE (Sharon Shattuck)
SNEAKERS AND SOUL (Jonathan Zelenak)


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Once upon a time, a tall, cold-loving woman went to Austin, Texas. She left Chicago one abnormally chilly summer morning (and it secretly made her happy it was that chilly,) boarding a plane wearing a light sweatshirt, and two hours later when she strode forth through the sliding doors of the Austin airport, the heat and humidity hit her like a fist. And it technically was not even that bad. But this woman, this woman hated heat and humidity. But she embraced it, because inside this heat was a lovely, vibrant little city, surrounded by beautiful hill country. And of course… there was food. And that woman was me. And OH did I eat that food.
There was the beet hummus that looked like a painting, found at Launderette. There was straight up family style BBQ at the Salt Lick, where I spent the entire meal dancing in my seat with joy. My Wisconsin heart leapt with joy at the prevalence of queso, almost always served with homemade tortilla chips. But my primary purpose was to celebrate the impending 40th birthday of a dear friend whom I have known for 15 years. And after I told her I felt the need to create a custom cocktail in her honor, even though libations are still not my forte, she jumped and sent a list of things she wanted to experiment with. Naturally, my eye lit upon strawberry, because, well, it said strawberry. Another was mezcal.
Now this gave me pause. Mezcal. While this is by no means a new spirit, it is definitely new to me. And my head always associates it with tequila, which jumps straight to an unfortunate night in college that may or may not have involved swigging Jose Cuervo straight out of the bottle, and the subsequent morning which basically sealed the notion that I would never drink tequila again. Ever. Most people have that one thing. You know you do.
But the nice thing about being a grown up is that you learn, and not just how to not get drunk because LORD you can not do the hangovers anymore. I have learned that there is tequila out there that is so smooth and lovely you want nothing more than to kick back with a little tipple, get a smidge tipsy, and watch life float by. And now… mezcal. Tequila comes specifically from the blue agave, but mezcal does not. It comes from the pina, the mature heart at the center of a maguey or agave plant, and it has quite the history. In reading up on it, I realized that it is traditionally served straight, not as a part of a cocktail. It has this incredibly complex smoky flavor, which is apparently best left appreciated for what it is. There was mention of topping with ground dried larvae. That… was not going to happen.
I dithered about the internet, and of course found those who, like me, were about to profane the mezcal and make it a part of the cocktail. My friend bought just a ridiculously good bottle of mezcal (it is her birthday, after all,) and we set to it. First we tried it straight up, and it was indeed a revelation. It had this smoke that just rolled right back through the palate and released, letting a deep sweetness find its way to the surface. I had found references to strawberry and mezcal, using other splashes of ingredients to deepen the strawberry so it could play nice with the smoke of mezcal. And so it began. I chopped fresh strawberries, taking in their floral scent, as I always do. I minced up basil, since it pairs so beautifully with the berry, and I thought a hint of herbaceous flavor might be nice. And I needed to sweeten it just a hair, so I added sugar. But I added brown sugar, so I could keep some darker molasses in there, something to complement the smoke. A splash of balsamic, because I always add a splash of balsamic to strawberry anything, and a generous application of heat. More than generous. I placed the pot over the burner and stirred and stirred, watching that magical event where strawberries under heat collapse into sweet, lurid red goo. And then I realized I was making jam. A judicious quantity of water was added, in an attempt to make a thick syrup. When I was fairly sure I could not get it any more saucy, I painstakingly scraped the entire thing through a strainer, so we would not have to contend with seeds or the now black little scraps of basil.
And then… the mix. I wish I had used a cocktail shaker, because really, James Bond had it right with "shaken, not stirred." Trying to mix things in the glass was… messy. The strawberry conconction kept settling. I spanked a leaf of basil. (No really, this is a thing, spanking herbs.) I carefully balanced a slice of strawberry on the edge of the wondrous glasses my friend had procured. And it was… OK. We kept added a bit here, a dab there, and ultimately discovered it got WAY better when the ice had melted a bit and things were allowed to mingle. Then suddenly that round sweetness of the strawberry basil brown sugar syrup goodness actually showed up and started getting all friendly with the mezcal, and it was delicious.
In the end, we did not experiment too much more, as we wanted to save the syrup, and, well, despite our past, lo those many years ago in our 20s when we shut down bars in Manhattan, now we wanted to stop, maybe make a cup of tea, and watch some Netflix.
So why write about something that is, for all intents and purposes, eh? Not a slam dunk? Because the process, the experimenting, is part of the joy. Yes, I said it. Eh is part of joy, in this case the joy of sharing food (or libations) with loved ones. There were kernels of goodness in this idea. Maybe it really just need a good shake in a cocktail shaker laden with ice before serving. Maybe it needed a small hit of agave syrup to sweeten a hair more. Or maybe it just needed to be a different liquor, or another mixer. But I tell you, sitting there with my old friend, as the waning Austin sunlight glinted through the windows, giggling away while adding things, stirring things, and sipping away while recalling some of the exploits of our youth and how glad we are to be aging (somewhat) gracefully, well… that is not eh. That was joy. With a side of cocktail.
Strawberry-basil-brown sugar concoction
12 oz. Strawberries, sliced
12 basil leaves, roughly chopped
¼ c. brown sugar (can be dark or light, dark gives more molasses flavor)
splash of balsamic vinegar
½ c. water
Place everything in a 2 qt. saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the strawberries have completely broken down and you have a sort of chunky sauce. Place a strainer over a bowl, then pour the strawberry concoction into the strainer. Using a wooden spoon or spatula (ultimately the better choice, I discovered ten minutes in,) gently push through the strainer into the bowl below, and continue until you have gotten as much syrup as you think you are going to. You will be left with about 1/3 c. pulp in the strainer, and this will take so much longer than you think. But it is worth it, trust me. Pro tip: rinse out and clean the strainer immediately or you are going to end up with a fine mesh full of dried berry. Which is really no good at all.
The Miss Sarah Martini
(roughly, and if any cocktail aficionados would like to weigh in on technique, ingredients, please do!)
2 oz. Mezcal
1 ½ oz. Strawberry-basil-brown sugar concoction
agave syrup (optional)
fresh strawberry slice
fresh basil leaf
Fill a shaker halfway with ice. Pour in mezcal and strawberry goodness. Shake vigorously. Points for fancy dance moves. Strain into a glass with a few more cubes of ice. Spank the basil and plunk it in. Balance a strawberry slice on the edge. Sip. See if you like. If not, add a whisper of agave syrup to sweeten it up. And maybe shake up a few more. Roughly 2-1.5 on the mezcal to strawberry ratio. And be sure to have good conversation whilst drinking.


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Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
Member Since: 2010
Business Type: Manufacturer/Factory,Trading Company
HX-700FQ automatic thermal paper slitting machine
Quotation :
HX-700FQ slitting and rewinding machine for thermal paper
Period of validity
30 days
Payment term
By T/T.
30% as deposit and the balance is paid before delivery to port.
Stretch film+ wooden case
Delivery of shipment
15 days after received the deposit receipt.
To be tested before shipment with materials supplied in accordance with the above mentioned characteristics by buyer.
Assembling and training
In accordance with buyer's request. If required, we can send our technician to buyer's company for training; you will pay the return tickets, food, hotel and salary of USD100per days.
One year for the mechanical parts from delivery date(consist in repairing or replacing, free of charge, the defects parts, delivered free ex seller works, provided that damages are not caused by negligence or normal wear or mis-usage)
Machine Feature:
Unwinding section
-Chain link automatic lift-up loading system
-Floating roller constant tension
- Two set Sensor
-Self expandable chuck
-Guide & Slide AMT from Taiwan
Slitting Section
-Choices of Razor cutter or Disc cutter
-Disc Cutter Assembly adopt the cam self-locking
-Cutter with adjustable and moveable blade base.
-Meter counter
Rewinding Section
-0.5",1",1.5" or as your request
-Center Rewinding technology
-Pressure roller
-Electromagnetic Clutch from Taiwan
Controlling Section
--Siemens PLC & HMI from Germany
-All the parameters are displayed on the monitor
-Low voltage electrical appliances all from Schneider
Trimmed Waste Edge
- Edge Waste Blower with Expulsion Tube
- Friction Differential Shaft for rewinding.
-Safety guard for the slitting device.
-Emergency Switches on the 4 corner of machine.
Maachine Parameters:
Max. Unwinding Width
Max. Unwinding Dia
Max. Rewinding Dia
Min Slitting Width
Machine Max. Speed
Main Power
Unwinding Shaft
3'' (76mm) air expanding shaft
Rewinding Shaft
0.5'', 1'' or as your request
Computer System
PLC(Siemens)+4DA+7''Touch Screen(Taiwan)+
Siemens+ Weinview
2 Sets
Siemens from Germany
Frequency Inverter
2 Sets
YASKAWA From Japan
Upper/Lower Round Knife
15 Sets
From Taiwan
2 Sets
Tension control
3 Sets
Self expandable chuck
1 Set
From Taiwan
Magnetic Clutch
2 Sets
From Taiwan
Low Voltage Electrical Switch
1 Set
Airtac from Taiwan
Air Pressure Valve
SMC from Japan
After-sale service for automatic thermal paper slitting machine
1. Warranty for machines is 12 months
2. A promptly reply within 24 hours
3. Free usage training in factory before delivering machines
4.If our machines can't well meet your requirment ,we support customized machine .
Brief Introduction
Kunshan Hexin precise machinery co. Ltd is located in Kunshan city, Jiangsu province, it's only 40 minutes' away from Shanghai Hongqiao airport by car,
and 18 minutes' away from Shanghai railway station by high-speed rail. The
traffic is very convenient.
We are specialized in developing, manufacturing, marketing and exporting
microcomputer belt cutting machines, slitting machines, laminating machines, high precision die cutting machines. With strong
technology, international quality control system and perfect after sale service, our products enjoy a good reputation both at home and aboard market.
with Japanese advanced design drawing and manufacturing technology,
our machines have come up to the leading levels after continuous improvement for many years, especially in mechanical and electrical, gas and liquid fields. We own professional technical staffs, engineers, sales and after-service
employees who constitute a young and well-qualified team. Our belief is
"people-oriented, technology-first, integrity-centered and brand idea" and we will provide all our customers with reliable products, perfect service in order to create a brilliant future together.
Our products are widely applied in laminating, slitting and die cutting for
protective materials, sticky materials, insulating materials, conductive materials, electronic materials, printing materials and so on, and SE for strings, strips, sheets, ropes, lines, belts, rolls, plates ,tubes, fibre , rubber,
PET, PVC, PC, metal foils, etc. Our machines can process all kinds of sheet materials, roll materials and so on.
Our factory automatic thermal paper slitting machine
workshop for automatic thermal paper slitting machine
Customers Visiting our Factory
If you coming to visit our factory ,you will be warmly welcomed .
1. Q: Are you a factory or trading company?
A: We are a factory and manufacturer
2. Q: Where is your factory located in ? How can I visit there?
A: Our factory is located in Kunshan which is very near from Shanghai, and
our detailed address is: Factory 9, No. 157, Wulian Road, Yushan Town,
Kunshan, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. If you fly to Shanghai hongqiao airport
or Pudong airport, we can pick you up by car from there. We welcome all our clients, home and abroad, to visit us.
3. Q: what are your main products?
A: Our main products are belt cutting machines, slitting machines, sheeting
machines, laminating machines and rotary die cutting machines.
4.Q: Which industries can use your machines ?
A: All industries need to cut (include full cutting and kiss-cutting), slit,
laminate, rotary die cut raw materials can use our machines.
5.Q: How to control the quality in your factory ?
A: Quality is priority. We control the quality of our products strictly, from the
incoming materials to the finished products. Our factory has obtained
CE & ISO Certification
6. Q:If there are no machines available from your list, could we customize
non-standard machines from you ?
A: Yes, we have our own professional design engineers, and can customize
products according to your requirement.


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Although the electronic components we manufacture are small, the amount of resources such as energy and water used in their production is not.
Our 6th Environmental Action Plan sets the following goals, which we are striving to realize on a priority basis : 1) The reduction of CO2 emissions from the consumption of energy; 2) Reduction of the volume of water resources used, and promotion of the use of recycled water; and 3) Control of the volume of waste produced as a by-product of manufacture, and the promotion of recycling of waste.
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How Flip Side was born...
After meeting online in 2011, one of Mark & Dana's first dates revolved around playing a Family Guy pinball machine & drinking craft beer (thanks Willibrew)! For Mark, he was reunited with a hobby he once enjoyed during college and while living in Breckenridge, CO. For Dana, pinball was something new & exciting. Christmas came & their first pinball machine was the only gift they purchased (thanks Bundy). Five years, one marriage & forty-two machines later, Flip Side Pinball Bar is born.
Located across from the train station in downtown Westerly, RI, Flip Side touts nine pristine pinball machines, all of which have been lovingly restored & maintained by Mark. Rotating machines range from vintage (1970) to modern (2017) & everything in between. Supporting the local craft beer movement, Flip Side features rotating taps from their good friends at Grey Sail, Revival, Whalers & Beer'd alongside an extensive can list from breweries throughout New England & a few other favorites. Wine is hand-selected by Dana with guidance from her friend Jon from Sonoma Wine Group. As for cocktails? Their list is creatively concocted by their team using ingredients from local distilleries like Sons of Liberty & Flag Hill. If booze ain't your thing, they've got you covered with non-alcoholic beers & sodas. Regardless of your drinking preferences, you need to be 21 to hang out & play pinball
If you haven't had the pleasure of visiting Westerly yet, you're missing out! It's a lively ocean-lovers community filled with hardworking small-business owners who support each other & have fun doing it. Restaurants, bars, shops, a park & only a ten-minute drive to the ocean, what are you waiting for? Come! Pop a quarter in our 1954 Seeburg jukebox stacked with 45's, relax, join us for a beer & a game of pinball.
We built this for you. Won't you join us?


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Truth be told, it's hard for your GetReligionistas to do much in the way of blogging about news reports that show up in media settings other than digital print or in video reports that make it into the sprawling universe called YouTube.
Take visual media, for example. When it comes to covering television news reports, we have found that the software gods rarely get along. It is rather hard, in some online platforms, to embed videos from the major video newsrooms. We are talking Tower of Babel level coding issues here, unless something -- like I said -- ends up on YouTube. Sigh.
And then there is radio. Luckily, NPR has a fantastic website that handles most of its content in a multi-platform manner, offering news consumers print versions of reports or transcripts of what went out on the air. That really helps.
But here is a case in which a faithful GetReligion reader who lives in DC Beltway-land thought she heard a religion-news ghost slip past during a feature on WAMU (American University Radio) in Washington, D.C.
If you follow the link she sent us, you hit a wonderful audio-only "Anacostia Unmapped" feature with this headline: "Meet The New Neighbors." (What you see below is a screenshot, so you can't click on the "PLAY" button.)
However, you really need to listen to this piece in order to "hear the ghost."
So click here and do so, please.
OK, what was the key moment?
Well, for one thing, listen to the repeated reference to the "spirit" that led this white suburban couple to pack up their children and to move into one of Washington's most "urban" settings.
Then, there is the crucial moment at the 3:00 point in the feature. When I asked the GetReligion reader to articulate the "ghost" she heard, here is what she said, via email:
Because she talks about how they prayed about how to respond to the teenager messing around with the car mirror, and the intentional goal of fostering community building in the neighborhood, AND the fact that they moved to Anacostia with three children from Annandale.
Maybe I have just lived in DC too long ... but a number of evangelical/Reformed churches on the Hill have fostered pretty intentional efforts for people to move to SE and inner Prince George's. I don't know if these folks are among those, but I would be willing to bet.
It's the "we prayed about it" that was the main thing to me. They weren't talking about acquiring historic real estate. ...
The listener is right. During the past decade or so, there have been efforts by major churches -- black and white -- to invest in the rebirth of the historic Anacostia neighborhood in projects that involve "boots on the ground" as well as finances. Some church folks are investing their lives there. We saw this during the early years of the Washington Journalism Center, when some of my students lived in "home stay" arrangements with African-American Christians who were part of those efforts.
Now, it's possible that the interviewer -- an Anacostia resident -- heard that reference to prayer and simply didn't think twice about it. Anyone who has worked in urban DC knows that many people there talk about their faith quite naturally. There is no separation of church and lingo in the African-American community.
But did this report miss a chance to actually discuss this family's motive for making this move? Would it have helped to have ask a question about faith?
Listen to the WAMU report again. What do you think?


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The development of the people who work within our organisation is one of the keys for the successful operation of our company.
In Grupo Ortiz, we commit to improving specialised training and encouraging internal promotion of our employees. The dedication, quality and high levels of technical qualification of our staff have made Grupo Ortiz one of the strongest corporate groups in Spain today.
Team work, shared responsibilities and innovation to improve all our processes have been the fundamentals of our growth. The evolution of a group that has grown responsibly, that is, a group that is "able to think ahead and develop a business management model that brings together efficiency, effectiveness and growth based on the well-being of people and their environments".
At 2016 year-end, the Group had 2,529 employees, 1,813 of which are part of its permanent staff and 716 were temporary workers across all business areas: Concessions, Energy, Construction, Services and Property.
1,805 employees among all personnel are national workers (including expats), while 724 are international local staff.
The average age of the Company's employees is 45.
Since 2010, we work with etalent, a professional development tool that helps us manage the human resources in all of the companies within the group.
Through this system, we can obtain transparent and updated information on the knowledge, training, experience and assessment of each professional.


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How adorable and sweet
Someone is thinking of you today and that someone is me! Send this cute card to whom...
Send lovely flowers and butterflies to wish get well soon.
Sit, stay and heal. Perfect card to say get well soon after surgery. Heal well!
Send this adorable ecard to friend, family or loved one to let them know you think of...
Wish someone a beautiful day.
Drop them this sweet little card to let them know you're thinking of them today.
Send caring thoughts with this pretty gingham checked card. Sunflowers in a mason jar...
Feeling sick makes you feel miserable. Lift someones day with this cute get well card...
Put a smile on someone's face and send your get well soon wishes with this card.
A beary cute way to express how you miss your near one.
A cute way to tell someone that you're really sorry.
Send warm morning wishes with this sweet e-card.
A real cute healing wish for your friend/ family/ loved one.
Wish someone good morning with a special cup of coffee.
Lovely card to express your feelings to your missed one!
Please wait...
Please wait...
Get a weekly dose of stories on friendship, love, misadventures and special offers. It's free, read it once and you're hooked!
Read the latest newsletter or Editor Bob's Blog


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Oh thanksgiving… apparently when you're only cooking for three and you make a thanksgiving feast built for eight, you're left with a fridge full of extra food. The normal thanksgiving at my house is an extended family event, but everyone decided to go to Maine and my parents did not dial back the cooking one bit.
You will never find me complaining about leftovers, I wish there was a turkey dinner's worth of leftovers in my fridge every day of the week. If you start to get even a little tired of turkey and gravy there are many ways to change it up just a little without spending much extra money.
For example, if you happen to have some coleslaw (leftover), turkey (leftover), cheese, Russian dressing, and some good bread… make a sandwich.
Step 1: Butter up the outside of the bread.
Step 2: Russian up the inside of the bread.
Step 3: Pile on some turkey, coleslaw, cheese (I used pepper jack), salt, and pepper.
Step 4: Grill it up.
I had to wipe the dust off of my panini press… the last time I used it was to make these awesome chicken/bacon/ranch flatbreads six months ago. It has been way too long since I've had some sort of buttery, grilled, mess of a sandwich. I need to either stop dieting and become obese or man-up and finish dieting so I can go eat these things guilt free once in a while.
To top it off, we have a good pie and a half worth of leftovers (apple and pumpkin) in the fridge that needs to be eaten… letting a pie go bad is a sin.
I imagine sometime over the next three to four days, I'll attempt to kick-start my diet again even though the season of feasts is upon us. It seems like every week from now until January I have some sort of function that revolves around dinner. I suppose this can be a test of my willpower to pick the healthy options even though they may not be my first choice.
Turn that 10 pounds of leftover turkey into something a little different… sliced turkey, coleslaw, and russian dressing on some grilled rye bread.


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Posted January 30, 2006 by publisher in Cuban Movies
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VANESSA ARRINGTON | Associated Press
Cuban film director Juan Carlos Cremata's new movie is about a young girl who runs away from home because her mother plans to leave Fidel Castro's Cuba and she doesn't want to go.
But "Viva Cuba" isn't a political film - it's a human one.
"It's not that the girl wants to stay in Cuba because of the Revolution," Cremata told the Associated Press in a recent interview. She wants to stay, he said, because Cuba "is where her friends are, where her school is, and above all, where her beloved grandmother is buried."
Depoliticizing the subject of Cuban exiles is about as easy as taking the fruit out of an apple pie, but judging from the international reaction, Cremata has succeeded in moving beyond nationalism to reach a universal audience.
The film has swept awards in countries as politically and culturally varied as Guatemala, Germany, Taiwan and France, including the Grand Prix Ecrans Juniors from a panel of child judges at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.
Now, the buzz is it could grab a nomination for a foreign-language Academy Award in the most anti-Castro country of all - the United States.
The Oscar nominations will be announced Tuesday, with awards presented March 5. "Viva Cuba" is among a record 58 entries in the foreign-language category - just five will be nominated.
Cremata loves his country, but does not consider himself a communist. He took great care to avoid all political references in the film.
It is never made clear what country the girl, who appears to be about 12, is supposed to move to. Her mother, separated from her father, simply spends much of her time on the phone with "a foreigner" complaining about everyday problems on the island. When young Malu overhears her making plans to leave, she runs away with her best friend, Jorge, heading to the remote eastern tip of Cuba, where her father works at a lighthouse.
The movie chronicles the pair's adventures as they flee authorities across the island, from fancy beach resorts to provincial towns to the rural mountains. They sing, they fight, they get lost, they make up. They finally arrive at the lighthouse, but once there they realize they have nowhere else to run.
Cuban migration is in the director's face daily: he lives near the American mission in Havana and sees his countrymen lining up every morning hoping to get U.S. visas.
But the issue is a global one for Cremata, who has lived in cities across the world, including New York for a year on a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship.
"The predicament of whether to leave or not to leave is not an exclusively Cuban problem," he said. "It exists all over the world."
Cremata himself chose his own country, returning to Cuba after his 1996 stint in the United States.
"It was this year, living in the center of New York, with lots of money and everything, that I realized all I wanted was to return to Cuba and make Cuban films," he said.
The director's first full-length film was "Nada," or "Nothing," a 2001 comedy that also revolves around the issue of emigration. The movie is the first in a trilogy, but Cremata is still looking for funding for the next two installations: "Nadie," or "Nobody," and "Nunca," or "Never."
"Nada" received international recognition, but Cuba's official film institute was far from crazy about the movie, said the outspoken and sincere Cremata. When launching the "Viva Cuba" project, he said he faced closed doors, leading him to take an independent route, filming the entire movie with a small digital camera and 15-member staff.
"The whole process was very difficult, because no one wanted to help us on this film," he said. "I had no idea where the film would take us. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to make Cuba's first-ever children's movie."
The project became a family affair. Cremata pulled child actors from his brother's internationally known theater group and tapped into his mother's decades of experience in children's television programming. Iraida Malberti, his mother, served as co-director of "Viva Cuba."
Cremata even used his own grandmother to play the role of Malu's grandmother, who dies near the beginning of the film after a comic scene in which the girl paints the elderly woman's face with makeup.
The young actors preferred to work without a script, lending to the natural, confident tone throughout the movie. The small camera actually helped them relax, Cremata said.
"The kids played, they expressed themselves," he said. "There were no problems working with them. Adult actors are themselves like children - only more spoiled."
Cremata said he also resists adulthood at times. The 44-year-old director even dressed up as a uniformed Cuban schoolboy when presenting the movie at Havana's international film festival in December.
The island's film institute eventually warmed up to Cremata's project - especially when it won the Cannes award, he said. "Now everyone in officialdom loves me," he said.
Cremata grew up playing in the television studios where his mother worked, a world of "confusion between reality and fantasy."
At 13, he lost his father in a 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner.
Hardship helps breed creativity, Cremata said.
"In the third world, and of course in my country, the conditions of life are so difficult that imagination is beyond necessary - it's urgent," he said. "One needs to travel to another world to be able to endure the world in which he or she is living."
Cremata, who loves silent movies and foreign films from countries like Iran, said he likes very little coming out of Hollywood, movies he finds "plastic" and predictable. The wealth and convenience of the United States seems to have obliterated the country's originality, he said.
That's why, perhaps, he has always returned home to Cuba, never joining the millions of Cubans living elsewhere.
"I believe that this country, with all of its problems, is still much richer in imagination, much richer in human warmth, than any developed country in the world," he said.
——————Havana Journal Advertisements——————
Keep up the good work Mr. Cremata!
Dear reader,
Some days back i saw this movie and was really moved by the spirit of the movie, which is absolutely human by nature. Indeed the movie has political issues but they just make up the environment, the context.
The movie touches the human soul and remained untouched of the serious matters of people as it focus straight on a average child's life and all that things that are more important to us like friendship, the quality to remain alike before even after a quarrel. It seems, Senor Cremata has planned the movie well by making a real storyline from real circumstances.
Movie was well edited also, por ejemplo some scenes semmed to be quite irrelevant at first but in the end they played a role. like burying up of tin box
Living in other part of the world i hardly have some great idea about Cuba, but the movie has explained me about the culture and how life happens to be in Cuba.
I deeply adore the characters played by Malu especially and Jorgito
It was all in spanish and that too in a strange accent what i heard before but it was so near that i could feel the movie as if i'm watching a Hindi(my mothertongue) flick !
A must watch !
Kudos to the Director !
I saw the movie right on netflix. Great movie.
Hugo Gonzalez
A subject impossible to depoliticize
The online journal Havana Journal published on January 30, 2006 an article named Viva Cuba movie by Juan Carlos Cremata. On this one the author Vanessa Arrington from Associated Press describes how the last work from the semi-independent cuban movie director Juan Carlos Cremata is intended to touch an international social issue (migration) without showing the political side of it. She also gives a little introduction to the cinematography and talks about the background of the creator.
The film tells the story of two kids that run away from home, in need of getting to the opposite end of the country to get to talk to the father of one of them in order to convince him of not giving permission to the mother to move with the child out of Cuba. The journalist argues that the film it's more "human than political" Viva Cuba isn't a political film it's a human one, because it stays more on the human conflict going on in a family that wants to emigrate out of a third world country like Cuba, than on the facts that make that family even consider the option of leaving their home land. Arrington then recognizes how hard is to stay out of politics in a matter like the Cuban reality, in and out of the Island. But states that in her opinion the director accomplished his goal, because of the international recognition that the work achieved in different nations with different political sittuations and film festivals across the world, mentioning some like Guatemala, Germany, Taiwan and France, the internationally known Cannes Film Festival, and even the most controvercial and famous of all, the Oscar Academy Awards. The struggle of how the making of the movie was possible it's one of the most interesting points of the article, because shows how everything in Cuba revolves around politics. Argumenting that the government or the Ministery of Culture denied help to produce the cinematography at first, because of the reputation of the director for making films with reaccionary topics (his first movie Nada). Describing how the whole film had to be done using an unprofessional camera, and being helped by a very short staff, shows the contrast and contradiction within the article, that only critizes the movie from Cremata's opinions and previous interviews, but if you get to know first how things in Cuba function you will find out that comments of this order could be manipulated too. The creativity of the director is exalted troughout the review, when the author mentions that Cremata used his own grandmother to act in the film, when he allowed the young actors to work without a script to facilitate their development in the movie without pressure, and when she tells the story of how Cremata dressed up with a traditional Cuban school uniform to present the movie at Havana's international film festival. Getting more into the personal view and curriculum of Juan Carlos Cremata, the journalist narrates how the director is very concerned and familiar with the topic of migration, having stayed himself out of Cuba, in different cities around the world, addressing New York in particular and living right now very close to the American Office of Interests in the Caribbean archipelago, getting to see everyday from his window the struggle of Cuban citizenz to fly away looking for a better future. She affirms that Cremata has expressed himself the love for his nation, but has recognized to disagree with communist ideals. Of his previous work she points out the 2001 comedy "Nada", the first movie of a trilogy that develop itself on the same topic (migration). And of his personal life, his cinematographical taste for silent movies and foreign films, and even his dislike for the material coming out of Hollywood, citing the Cuban creator saying the wealth and convenience of the United States seems to have obliterated the country's originality.
I disagree with the main idea of this article. Having myself watched the film, and frankly ejoyed Because eventhought it was very light in content and made for a young audience, I do believe that the movie had political thoughts all over it. And more than hard to stay away of politics in a subject like the Cuban reality it is practicly imposible. Because that is what have changed and dramatically moved the Cuban reality (politics). We see it in the movie when for example the contast of the luxury of the installations intended for tourism and the improvised common houses of the country side of Cuba it's shown. The director himself has been politically judged more than one time for his work, materials like the short movie Oscuros rinocerontes enjaulados, and the documentary La epoca, El encanto y Fin de siglo, had already getted him in trouble, and believe me in a very political way. Viva Cuba in it's screen trip thru the Island shows the material disaster of the inner city and the social poverty and precarious situation of those living in the country side. The dialogues between characters living in Cuba with those living outside expose the social criticism of the piece and political opinion of the director that eventhought it's kind of hidden and hard to find. If you look beyond the beautiful landscapes and colorful views of the rich Caribean environment, shown in the picture, the political opinion of the director will be found.
The different sides of a story have to be analyzed before drawing a conclusion or coming up with an opinion on any matter. But in particular one that have been manipulated and twisted so much by a higher power like the dictatorial government of a country. Perhaps Vanessa Arrington trying to stay herself away from politics in her review, was not aware that in any material that touches the social context of a nation overwelmed by politics there is going to be a political angle to the plot.
That is why in Cuba the process by which groups of people make decisions (Wikipedia politics definition) is conditioned in many different ways. I see that there is operant conditioning, in the method the "higher power" or dictatorial regime has imposed thru rewards and punishments the idea that with the stablished government everything, against the stablished governmet nothing, as Fidel Castro would say once dentro de la Revolucion todo, fuera de la Revolucion nada. Prove of this are the many political prisoners locked up in Cuban jails, just for the mere act of expressing publicly their disagreement with the system, or on the other hand the aristocrats, ministers, or "big time" funtionaries loyal servants of the Revolution (as Castro would call it, even more than forty years after 1959), that just for their loyalty and services are granted a life full of material and social benefits, literally imposible to reach by the "everyday Cuban citizen" or working class. All of this in a country that claims to have no social differences and no social classes. We could even say that Cubans are "classically conditioned" with this aspect (politics). Because our behavior towards the topic gets automatically triggered every time we discuss a social issue within the Island. Being this way, the unconditioned stimulus to talk about politics, to get as an unconditioned response to think about politics. But we have paired the first one with discussing social issues or merely criticizing the way things work in the country, being this the conditioned stimulus, to then express the conditioned response, to think again about politics. But deep in our heart in or out of the Island we all want the extinction of this conditioning so that the stress of politics can finally stop harassing us.


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The subway has reigned king in the City for commuting for over 100 years, traveling under and over the City much faster than other modes of transportation. But does it really?
Wired wanted to find out, so they got 5 commuters to take 5 different ways from Long Island City to the Financial District, then compared them all to find the best and worst ways to commute in the City… or at least from LIC to FiDi.
What's the best way to commute in NYC? We had five Queens residents take various modes of transportation, including Uber, a cab, the ferry, a bike, and the subway to see which one came out on top.
Something wrong with this post? Let us know!


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Social media recently reached a major tipping point – not in its number of users but the way consumers use social media. The fundamental difference in consumption between social media and mainstream media can now be summed up in one word: "active". Until now, all media outlets have principally been consumed passively, e.g. watching TV, listening to the radio, seeing a poster, etc. And until now, social media predominant pursuits were similarly passive: watching a video on YouTube, visiting a friend's social network profile, reading a blog, etc. For the sixth successive year, UM has tracked social media consumption across the world in our study called Wave. This year's study, Wave 6, has witnessed a distinct set of six trends emerging in the U.S. that clearly depicts an "active" social media user:
Six Major Consumer Trends in Social Media - Graeme Hutton-UM
Publish dateJuly 11, 2012


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BBSDA's beautiful Fall 2011 litter of all white Siberian Husky puppies
The puppies are here!
7 white Siberian Husky puppies born 10/12/10. Pema, age 6, is the mother. The father is Bodhi, age 3. Both are pure bred Siberian Huskies, both are white Siberian Huskies.
We will be keeping several pups. I have found that raising 2 is a comfortable number for me to really make sure I do a good job. But our need for new blood may overcome me. HOWEVER there should be puppies available. We will be looking for active, Siberian savy, loving homes. Please us the contact form to initiate a dialog regarding the process.
Pictures in the above slide show are from when Pema was a puppy and also from when Bodhi was a puppy.


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Anybody who buys the Model 01 should know that there's an adjustment period. Plan to work on it full time for about a week or two weeks before you get really used to the new layout. It's going to be a little slow and a little frustrating at first, but it's worthwhile in the end for the long term benefits.
– Gina Trapani (@ginatrapani), Model 01 beta tester
We've built the Model 01 around the same ATmega32U4 microcontroller that Arduino uses in the Arduino Leonardo. Early on, we figured we'd eventually switch away to a cheaper ARM microcontroller, but then we fell in love with just how easy Arduino makes it for a new programmer to get up to speed. For all intents and purposes, the Model 01's brain is "just" a regular Arduino. You can update your keyboard from the Arduino IDE. If you want to make your keyboard do something special, there are thousands of Arduino resources online to help you out. While we haven't ported it ourselves, other keyboard firmware like TMK that runs on AVR microcontrollers should be pretty easy to adapt for your Model 01.
If that sort of thing isn't your cup of tea, don't worry about it. You don't need to know anything about electronics or embedded programming to use the Model 01. It's a keyboard. You can just take it out of the box, plug it in and start typing.
These days, it feels like you have to pick between an open, hackable kit and a well-designed product that's fully working right out of the box. You shouldn't have to choose.
We believe, quite strongly, that you own the things you buy from us. You are 100% welcome to open your keyboard up, flash its firmware, reflash its bootloader, solder weird connectors onto the circuit boards or flash our firmware onto something else. (Do note that we're not going to be able to help you out a lot after you do some of those things.) To make all of this as easy as possible for you, your Model 01 will ship with a screwdriver, firmware & bootloader source code, schematics, and all the CAD you need to design your own enclosure.
You may never need any of that, but when you want it, it'll be there waiting for you.


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I focus on what I need to do now, and that is to find out where I am. On a display inside the store of Devon & Devon sits an elegant silver frame on a side table with the store name and hours only. The security I initially felt vanishes with the reality that in order to phone someone to help me get out of this mess, I will have to leave this tiny refuge back into the light, back onto the street. I'm aware of every sound, even the innocent fluttering of a leaf in the street fills me with anxiety. I stand silent and frozen pressed against the glass door, the stainless steel handle digging into my spine. I scroll through the names on my phone deciding who I will call that will know where this store is? An unknown name on the display releases me from my paralysis. Antonio, a cabbie who told me his life-story as he drove me home last week. He insisted I take his number and invited me to join him for a glass of wine. Overly forward Italian men who offer their numbers to women in cabs are remarkable to me at this moment. I call Antonio and to my relief he remembers who I am. He reminds me that he is the sole caregiver for his ailing mother, and can't leave her alone. He offers me the number for a cab company, and reminds me I will need an address to give the dispatcher.
I reluctantly leave the safety of my alcove. The street is disturbingly silent, the now familiar cry of my boots on the sidewalk announcing my location, my gender, my vulnerability. I imagine cunning eyes watching me from unlit windows. Every darkened entrance I pass a growing fear that I am not alone. The doors I'd admired on my walk a few days prior are now grotesque enemies in the shadowy light.
Without warning I hear footsteps approaching quickly, surrounding me from every angle. My worst fear realized, I turn to face my attackers with a raised umbrella bracing myself for an assault I'm convinced is imminent. My head darting from side to side my eyes searching every inch of space before me, my own frightened breath echoing in the empty street. Confusion is the only thing assaulting me now. I'm alone in the street my pupils dilated, weapon in hand, and my back thrust against the wall. Fear has played a cruel trick on my overactive mind. There is no-one here but me, the thumping I hear is that of my own heart pounding in my chest, pounding in my ears, filling my head with imaginary demons.
Relief coupled with an overwhelming agony in my heart collide simultaneously like waves against a rocky shore. The phantom footsteps in my head are replaced by a silent-aching cry. All I want right now are my daughters wrapped in my arms, I long to be soothed by the purity of their smiles.
Tears sting my eyes, self-pity grips my throat. I stand fractured and alone, the reality of my foolish decision forty-five minutes ago stealing the very air from my lungs, clenching my neck, suffocating me.
I gasp for air, and with it comes a surge of determination. The crisp night air turning my pity into strength, into spirit, into will. I swallow hard, banishing the imaginary mass constricting my throat. I clench my teeth, and angrily blink away unshed tears. Weakness has no place here.
With renewed persistence, I march to the corner of the building and at long last I locate the address. I call the number for the cab company, it takes five tries before I reach an operator, eating up precious minutes remaining on my phone. I pray I've pronounced the name correctly. The dispatcher speaks only Italian with a string of words I assume mean they are on their way to rescue me, he hangs up.
I hide in a doorway listening to the sounds of the night.
Suddenly a light goes on in the building across from me. Behind an acid washed window, a figure moves at a hurried pace. I read the sign above the doorway and realize I'm directly across from a bakery. The light from the kitchen washes the storefront and I see a young man moving in and out of view. With the sound of rattling pots, I presume he is there to start baking for the morning rush. He's remarkably tall, somewhere between 18 and 25, black hair pulled into a ponytail wearing the traditional white uniform of a baker. I listen as he sings an unfamiliar song, the melody holding my attention and keeping me company.
My thoughts turn to the fact the cab has not arrived. I have a total of four minutes remaining on my phone. I press redial, this time the operator speaks broken English, he tells me the address I have given him no longer exists. I ask him to please stay on the line as I cross the street to the bakery. I tap on the glass doors intending to ask the young man our location. He ignores me and continues with his work. I knock harder this time with the sturdy handle of my umbrella fearful the dispatcher will hang up. The now familiar taste of panic coats my mouth. I notice the young baker is listening to an ipod, his ears consumed by blaring music… he can't hear me, and he's too involved in work to see me. I turn my attention to the dispatcher pleading for assistance over the phone. I read out the name of the bakery and he informs me that there are over thirty in Florence with the same name. He needs an address or at the very least a cross street. I rush to the front of the bakery and there on a faded plaque is the address. The operator assures me he knows my location and that a cab is on th…… my phone goes silent mid-sentence. I've run out of minutes !!!
I return to the protection of my tiny alcove adjacent to the storefront my eyes glued to the young baker, his movements are calming and reassuring in their simplicity.
In less than five minutes the cab arrives.
A kind face welcomes me as I open the door. I immediately sink into the security of the back seat as he drives me home.
As I pay for my second cab tonight, an ironic smile crosses my face as I read the amount displayed on the meter……
I get out of the cab.


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Rihanna for River Island Met with Mixed Reviews
See Gallery
The much anticipated Rihanna for River Island collection debuted at London Fashion Week this year, and it was met with mixed reviews.
Rihanna has stunned us lately on the red carpet, so the entire world was excited to see what she would bring to the runways of London Fashion Week with her River Island line. True to her bad-girl style, she brought looks that were daring, flashy and revealing. The slits were high, the tops sparse, and the fabrics sheer.
Though MTV backed RiRi up, saying they loved her "comfy girly-yet-grunge pieces," it was panned by some critics as a "horror show." The Daily Beast called it "tiresome" and "uninspired," while New York Magazine acknowledged that it will sell anyway, because "she's Rihanna, after all."
We see how it is inspired by Rihanna (some of the pieces seem to come right from her closet!), as it takes from the '90's with those sky-high slits and short crops. The question remains: is Rihanna the only woman who can pull off these looks?
Tell us what you think of Rihanna's new line! Click through the gallery above to see for yourself, and tweet us @StyleList to tell us your opinion.
More from StyleList:
Rihanna's Best and Worst Hair Moments
Rihanna, Bieber, and the Sexy Victoria's Secret Angels
Fashion Rewind: The Grammy Awards
The List Report: London Fashion Week
Photo Credit: UK Press


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Lawnscaping for picking my card as one of your faves in the b-day challenge!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Non-stop fun!
I don't know what your year is like in terms of birthdays and holidays, but for me, when Halloween hits it is all non-stop fun from there on out. After Halloween is my Baby Girl's birthday, then other birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and so on. No time to stop and breathe with all that fun. :) That is why I haven't blogged in a while, but I am sure you don't want to hear my excuses, you just want to see what I've got right?!
Well in that case, I have a double challenge for you from the Lawn Fawn and Lawnscaping Challenge blogs. They are so much fun and I decided to try them both with one card. Lets start wtih the Lawnscaping Birthday Challenge #25! Be sure you stop by their blog because they are giving away some fun FREE digi stamps for this one. The goal on this one is to make your project birthday themed (with LF stamps if you have them). Easy Peasy!
The second part was a little more complicated as it was for the LF CHA Winter Challenge for 2012. The rules here are a little more strict, you are limited to ONLY using LF stamps and specific sets have to be the focal point. In addition, no patterend paper is allowed (WHAT?! OMG!) Visit the blog to check out full details and your chance to enter. :)
So for both challenges here is my card that I have so much fun making!!!! I just love those critters and their eyes!!!
Happy 2012 and wishing you have some non-stop fun coming your way! Thanks for stopping. Your comments are always welcome. :)
Posted by Katie Ann Brooks at 3:15 PM 8 comments
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