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since 1953
Hall of Fame
Below are some of our most distinguised customers:
Adnan Drnda
Adnan was born 1970, and he is a professional photographer, diving instructor, designer and architect from Sarajevo. He specializes himself in underwater photography, sports and nature photography. He has been officially engaged in photography since 1988 with his first analogue camera.
In 2004, he went to his first extreme wildlife expedition "Nanda Devi" in the Indian Himalayas, made photo reportage about this trip, which was a turning point in his photographic determination.
Since childhood, he has been fascinated by the element of water and the underwater world. With his first Mares set of fins and mask, he spent countless hours in water exploring fascinating new underwater world.
Since 2008 he entered the world of scuba diving and underwater photography. Adnan is a diving instructor, an underwater photography instructor, a nitrox diver, a gas blender. He specializes himself in macro photography, underwater wide photography, and expeditions to untouched canyons, caves, mountains.
Adnan is a Mares worldwide ambassador, and a National Geography Yourshot photographer. He has participated in many domestic and international competitions in underwater photography, where he won many awards and recognitions.
Adnan is a multiple Champion of Bosnia and Herzegovina in underwater photography, and a member of the B&H National team. He also studied marine biology, and participated as a photographer and researcher on several expeditions for research and protection of sharks and rays as part of the Sharklab Malta projects.
His photos are published in domestic and international diving and travel magazines, web portals and newspapers, such are: SCUBAlife, Macro photographers, Start, Visit Bosnia. In his photo adventures, he uses Canon 5D mk2 camera in Hugyfot underwater housing.
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Alessandro Pagano
Born in Italy in 1968, I started my diving activity at the age of 11, following my father's passion for the sea. My first photographic equipment was an old Pentax with a polycarbonate case and then an analogue Nikon with which I obtained several needle-like titles, including the title of Italian Safari Championship Photoshop and the second place in the World Championship of safari photosub. With the digital I started to use the Nikon D300 with Hugyfot case, then I took the Nikon D700 always in Hugyfot case and finally the Nikon D800E always in Hugyfot case. I have been using the eCCR rebreather for my dives for several years now.
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Barry Field
Relatively new to underwater photography but with a passion for nature and the environment since a young child, Barry is committed to sharing images of the oceans to those that have never experienced its beauty, with a hope that it will help people consider their actions for the future of our seas.
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Bruno Van Saen
After two earlier victories during the World Festival for Underwater Images with his Diaporamas, Bruno again won the Golden Diver (Plongeur d'Or) during the World Festival in Marseille. In November 2013, he won in the category 'Worlds Best Underwater Color Image'.
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Danny Van Belle
After a 20 year diving career, Danny is now at the height of the industry. These days he is the commissioner for Diving 4 Pictures Co. Ltd. – Thailand organizing the HUGYCUP an international underwater photo & video shoot-out competition. He joins on dive trips with workshops in underwater videography & photography. His dive logbook stands for the moment at a bit more than 4200 dives. After this tremendous career the thrill and excitement when discovering new things is still enormous.
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Davy De Smet
Na de jaarlijkse zomervakanties in Kroatie, waar ik altijd snorkelde (freedive), besloot ik in de zomer van 1995 om me lid te maken van een duikclub (momenteel lid bij Barracuda Brugge).
Tijdens de eerste jaren deed ik vooral ervaring op en genoot ik van het onderwater gebeuren. In 1998 kocht ik een Ikelite behuizing voor wegwerp fototoestellen. Hiermee maakte ik mijn eerste onderwaterfoto's van zeepaddestoelen in Tunesië. Toen ik een liveaboard boekte op de Rode zee investeerde ik in een simpel analoog toestel met onderwaterbehuizing. De 4 filmrolletjes van 36 frames, leverden toch een tiental mooie foto's.
In 2003 maakte ik de overstap naar een digitale Sony Cybershot met onderwaterbehuizing. Het speeltje mocht mee naar Mexico, Turkije, Ierland, Egypte, Kroatie en onze Oosterschelde.
Het smaakte naar meer wanneer ik 2009 een nikon D90 kocht. Na jaren oefenen boven water kocht ik in 2015 de Hugyfot behuizing. Sindsdien is het mijn trouwe metgezel tijdens mijn duiken.
De meeste van mijn fotoduiken zijn in het zwembad, in de Oosterschelde of in steengroeven
Men voorkeur gaat naar portret met groothoek en vaste lichtinval, gezien dit bovenwater men verslaving is :-), maar evengoed vind je me met mijn 60mm Macro.
Sinds 2017 werk ik ook bij Revo als technieker. Misschien zie je me dan binnenkort wel met een Revo rebreather en mijn Hugyfot :-)
Edwar Herreño
Ever since Edwar was born in Colombia in 1976, he has shown a special interest in the ocean. His fascination and love for the sea led him to become a Marine Biologist in 2002 at the University of Bogota Jorge Tadeo Lozano.
Edwar has been living, traveling and working as a photographer, videographer, recreational scuba instructor, technical diving instructor, & yacht captain over the years in different countries and has a wide range of experience to guide all types of underwater expeditions. His greatest passion is wildlife and nature photography, especially if it's in the water. He strives to capture the most compelling images to show off the creatures and environment in ways that amaze and inspire. In addition, he has been working with different underwater film productions including: Mayan Blue (movie), CNN (Anderson Cooper 360, shark finning), BBC - Animal Planet (Caught in the Moment), National Geographic, French TV (Ushuaia Nature), Marine Investigators, Japanese TV. He has also guided numerous underwater expeditions with the most famous underwater photographers, due to his vast knowledge and expertise of local regions. His commitment to the ocean has made him active in marine conservation with several organizations.
Over the past eleven years he has spent thousands of hours diving, filming & photographing the wildlife off the coast of Colombia and Costa Rica at Malpelo, Papagayo Gulf, Bat & Catalina Island and Cocos Island; the last one, his favorite place on earth, documenting all aspects of the marine world there.
Edwar is currently a freelance photographer and videographer based in southern France and has practiced photography for more than 17 years.
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Els Van Den Borre
Her biggest achievement thus far has been in September 2013; with her picture 'mondje vol'. Grand Prize winner at the Scuba Diving Magazine photo competition and nominee for the photo competition of National Geographic Netherlands-Belgium.
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Emilio Mancuso
Emilio Mancuso: marine biologist, scientific communicator, member of the Institute for the Sea' studies since 2005, diving instructor since 1999, deeply in love with the sea since the beginning!
Passionate about photography, it becomes for me a way to have my own material for conferences, project etc..and first of all a way to communicate the beauty, the gentleness and the importance of our beloved seas..for us and our future.
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Fabio Iardino
Fabio Iardino was born in Udine (Italy) in 1971. Starts to approach to diving in 1983 and in 1992 obtained the first CMAS Underwater Certificate. Over the years he became CMAS underwater Instructor and underwater TRIMIX instructor.
He has always been passionate about photography, in 1996 attended a course on underwater photography.
Participates writing of the book "UNDERWATER DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY" used by (FIAS) the Italian Federation of Underwater Activities for underwater photography courses.
Participates writing of the book "TRIMIX MANUAL 62" used by (FIAS) the Italian Federation of Underwater Activities for Techical diving courses.
In 2009 he is the author of the Photobook "THE TWO FACES OF A ADRIATIC PEARL" dedicated to the Dalmatian island of Vis.
From 1993 to present dived and photographed in Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, Austria, Egypt, Spain, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Serbia and Atlantic Ocean.
Since 2006 he participates in contests and competitions of underwater photography of national and international circuit.
On 2009 he qualified 2nd in the Italian Championship of underwater photography team Competition.
On 2015 he qualified 1st in the Italian Championship of underwater photography team Competition and 3rd overall in the Italian Championship of underwater photography
On 2016 he won the Best of Show at the Italian Underwater Photography Championship and he qualified 2nd in the Italian Championship of underwater photography team Competition.
From some years he has participated in the jury of the national and international underwater photography contest
Instructor trainer SNSI of underwater photography organizes courses up to the instructor level.
Work with Hugyfot Equipment from film Camera Nikon F801s and F90x successively with Digital Camera: Nikon D200, D300s, D800E and finally the D850.
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Filip Staes
He had his first introduction dive in 1992, which was followed by countrless trips to the North Sea. After his first undercamera experience in Egypt, Filip continue to research underwater photography through courses and books. In 2000, he compete in his first competition and hasn't looked back since.
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Frank Rossow
Born in Germany, Frank was inspired by the movies from Jaques-Ives Costeau and Hans Hass. He always wished to become an underwater photographer and a guardian of the oceans. Since 1996 he works as a Scuba Instructor and made his career in different diving organisations. Since 2013 he is at top of Instructor level – he became a CMAS Course Director. Frank is a free journalist working for different magazines and he is also an author of a childrens book about diving "Entdecke das Tauchen". His dive logbook stands for the moment at a bit more than 4000 dives. Frank owns a D800 and a D7000 Hugyfot housing.
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Harry Klerks
Ik ben begonnen met OW- fotograferen in 1980 met Nikonos
In 1980 ontmoete ik René Hugensmith die mij een onderwater huis verkocht.
Er volgde er nog 6 allemaal Hugy. De resultaten laten niet op zich wachten.
Ik denk dat ik zowat de meeste medailles en toffees bijeen heb gewonnen in OWF en dat natuurlijk in 40 jaar ... :o)
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Jean de Saint Victor de Saint Blancard
Plongeur depuis 1974 aprés un baptême de plongée dans la piscine de l'Université de Paris X lorsqu'il etait étudiant en droit. Il a réalisé des films au format super 8mm, des vidéos subaquatiques…mais c'est l'option « photo » qui a pris le dessus au hasard d'une rencontre décisive en 1996 avec un Instructeur photo Robert Pakiela à l'enthousiasme trés communicatif pour l'image et la participation aux compétitions fédérales. Un 1er prix amateur à un « Rendez-vous de l'Emotion » à Bonifacio pour une surimpression d'oursin autour de l'oeil d'un bleu intense de son épouse Marie, l'encourage à participer à des stages photo pour mieux utiliser son matériel de prises de vues subaquatiques et notamment pour la maîtrise de l'éclairage, de la lumière en « ambiance » ou en « macro ». En 1999, il est récompensé par le prix « Nikonos » au Challenge de photo sous-marine de Marseille. Rédacteur de nombreux articles sur les « métiers qui s'exercent palmes aux pieds » qui représentent l'Autorité de l'Etat sous la mer…publiés Rubrique « Pro » de « Plongée OCTOPUS » – « Le magazine de toutes les plongées » – Nommé fin août 2014 « Ambassadeur » (bénévole) pour l' Académie Internationale « FRANCE MONDE CULTURE » – www.francemondeculture.com – Reçoit le 8 Juillet 2016 des mains de Mr Marcel de VILLEMOISSON – Président-Fondateur et Directeur de la publication culturelle trimestrielle « MOSAIQUE » le Diplôme « GRAND OR » pour ses activités de Reporter-Photographe Indépendant.
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Johan Devolder
Knowledge and experience are of vital importance underwater. The more than 30 years of diving experience, and underwater video shooting in the seven world seas, make it possible for Johan to dive every dive site imaginable. With his full trimix diving license and the rEvo rebreather diving equipment, Johan can reach depths of up to 120 meters. Thus he comes to places where few have gone before.More info...
John Bantin
John Bantin was the Chief Correspondent and Technical Editor to Britain's DIVER MAGAZINE for 21 years. During that time he also contributed a great deal of material, both words and pictures, to the now defunct DYK Magazine in Scandinavia. He was one of the first to dive many wrecks, like the Thistlegorm and Bianca C, which are now very familiar to divers, visited dive sites as far from Europe as the wrecks of Bikini Atoll, and dive sites as varied as the Blue Holes of the Bahamas and Darwin, Cocos and Malpelo, islands in the Western Pacific. He was one of the first to be a recreational closed-circuit rebreather diver, using many pre-production prototypes. He was one of the first to photograph bull sharks in close-up in the early '90s and was with Stuart Cove when they first hand-fed Great hammerhead sharks at Bimini, in the Bahamas. After he discovered Hugycheck, he ceased worrying about flooding a camera and stopped travelling with spares just in case he did! He retired in 2013 but it didn't suit him and he is now Senior Editor to Undercurrent.org, a subscription newsletter for divers based in California, which he continues with to this day. He has written several best-selling books including Amazing Diving Stories and Shark Bytes.
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Jonathan Lin
Watching countless underwater documentaries as a child drew Jonathan Lin into the big blue mysterious world beneath the surface. He took to scuba diving in 1996 at the age of 23, and has over 5,000 dives under his belt to date.
Diving with professional underwater photographers for three whole years sparked Jonathan's curiosity for the art of underwater photography, which he picked up in 2011. His works have been published in scuba diving publications such as Scuba Diver AustralAsia and Asian Diver. He's also been featured in the prominent Underwater Macro Photographers Facebook group, the Editor's Choice section for premier photography community, 500px, as well as regional airline SilkAir's official website (on diving in Manado in Indonesia).
Jonathan has also been commissioned to carry out photo shoots for a number of resorts in well-known scuba diving destinations, such as Manado, Derawan, Ambon and Bintan. Thanks to his eye for photography, he's also graced a handful of underwater photo competitions around the region as a judge. He now teaches the art of underwater photography in his spare time.
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Luc Eeckhaut
Born in Belgium, Luc had his first diving experience at the age of 14 during a trip to Yugoslavia. For professional reasons, it was only until 1983 when Luc became active again as a member of the Natuical Divers Club in Izegem. In 1994, he becale a CMAS Instructor. His interest in underwater photography came when he bought a Sea & Sea Motor Marine II camera. After a couple of years he exchanged it for a mirror reflex camera, the Nikon F90s in a Subal housing and 2 Ikelite flashes. Now in the "digital age" he chose the Nikon D300s with a Hugyfot housing.
Marc Vermeiren
Geboren in België in 1967 en beginnen duiken in 1991. Ik ben echt begonnen met onderwaterfotografie in 2008, De Wase Onderwater Foto en Film Vrienden hebben mij op het juiste spoor gezet, wat me al in 2010 een gouden medaille op het NELOS Festival opleverde in het digitale portfolio bij de Juniors.
In 2011 verplicht gepromoveerd naar de Masters, totaal onverwacht behaalde ik op het Open Nederlands Kampioenschap 2 gouden medailles (Visportret en groothoek) en een zilveren medaille voor het Portfolio. Jammergenoeg werd in 2012 de ziekte van mijn echtgenote alleen maar erger, ze verloor de strijd tegen Kanker in november 2014. Door deze situatie ben ik tot op heden de juiste focus een beetje kwijt. Maar ik ben niet bij de pakken blijven zitten, sinds 2013 ben ik lid lid van de NELOS Audio Visuele Comissie in begin 2015 ben in er voorzitter geworden en tracht ik samen met de hele commissie het Open Belgisch Kampioenschap en het NELOS Festival steeds weer een aangename wedstrijd te maken.
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Marco Rossignolo
Rossignolo Marco (22/09/1964) Bolzano Italy. I am passionate about photography forever. In 1995 I started my adventure with diving and in 2010 I decided to combine my two passions. Photographer for pleasure, I prefer macro photography because it gives me the chance to see the "invisible".
My equipment:
Housing for Canon Eos 7D Hugyfot
Fisheye Port, Wide Angle Port, Flat Port, Extension, Hugyfot
Float Arm, 2 Inon Z-240, Subsee + 10, Inon + 5
Handmade lens holder
Handmade snoot ( Optical Fibre)
Mark Badiola
I have been using Hugyfot for 8 years, trying to squeeze underwater photography despite of busy schedules , I needed an Underwater Housing that could deliver and at the same time resilient to any Dive situations. I mostly take advantage on macro and Bonfire photography in the heart of ANILAO, Philippines a good 3 hour drive from where I live.
Underwater Photography as a hobby and more importantly a Passion, to share these magnificent creatures all over the world , creating awareness on what marine life has to offer. I have developed a strong advocacy in creating awareness not only to fellow divers that marine life plays a vital part in our existence.
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Martijn Schouten
Martijn started diving at the age of 11 in holland and has been working as a dive guide in Holland, Mozambique, South africa and the Azores. Spending countless hours on and under the ocean while working as a diveguide has given him many photo opportunities and encounters not many people have had.
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Olivier Jude et Sylvie Laurent
Diver and submarine photographer since 2004, Olivier Jude remains persuaded that the underwater photography allows to present extraordinary pictures which incite, after the delight of the first moments, to a profound reflection on the protection of our marine environment.
After several expeditions of scuba diving in Indian Ocean which led him in particular to the Big South of the Archipelago of the Maldive Islands and on protected areaas, classified in the UNESCO as world heritage of Tubbataha Reef (Philippines) and Komodo National Park (Indonesia), after he was back to Monaco, he says he had noticed the same families of fishes and animal species, which are characterized of course by sizes and different colors. Nevertheless the report is there, we have in Monaco and near the Principality an extraordinary marine environment, it is up to us to become aware of it and to make every effort to protect this.
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Roberto Moccini Formiga
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Roberto moved to Rome on 2017 where he continues to feed his passion for the oceans and the pursuit of new techniques that can help him achieve better images. His work aims to unveil the beauty hidden in our oceans and help create a conservationist culture among the general public. He collaborates with the Brazilian Association of Underwater Images - ABISUB as a judge of several photography contests organized annually by that association and participates in international photo contests as well.
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Rui Palma
Rui Palma, born in Luanda/Angola. Diver since August 1995. Strong enthusiastic for diving activity and underwater photography. First shots in 2003 with a compact digital camera, having evolved naturally for DSLR equipment. During his career, he won several competitions. Portugal National Champion in 2015 and Vice-Champion in 2013 and 2016.
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City staff have been working on a project that seeks to increase understanding among city staff and residents about how and what we build in our community affects our city financial stability, and how that in turn could affect services provided. Residents and businesses of Eugene depend on our city government to provide key public services, such as streets and public safety. There are two primary revenue sources for these services: property taxes and fees. This project explores spatially the geographical distribution of property taxes. Three-dimensional maps, along with easy to read narrative descriptions and graphics will walk you through how the concepts behind property tax per acre affects our community.
As a community, we have a charge to provide for our future, to ensure that our children and their children can continue to live in a city with libraries and parks, police protection and emergency services, paved streets and street lights that turn on at night. All of those things cost money. Thanks to the planning and hard work of past and current generations our city is financially stable today, but we need to plan for the future, for five, ten, or even twenty years from now.
Please take time to review our booklet available through the media viewer or in PDF below. Note about media viewer, there may be conflict with some browsers.
For additional information about the background of this project see our About this Project page.

subset: commoncrawl


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Recommended for ages 8-13
Los Angeles is a sprawling city filled with amazing stories. In this workshop, students explore the city through movie clips, photos, and literature, then create their own stories of L.A. Instructor Brian Dunlap loves to explore Los Angeles and has an MFA in creative writing from Fresno State.
[email protected]
The Hammer's free collaborative workshops, presented with 826LA, are designed for groups of up to 20 students. Reservations are encouraged. Please visit workshops.826la.org or call 310-915-0200.
Location: Annex
Ticketing: Tickets are required and available at the Box Office one hour before the program. One ticket per person, first come, first served. Early arrival is recommended.
Member Benefit: Members receive priority ticketing and can choose their seats, subject to availability.
Parking: Under the museum, $6 flat rate on weekends. Cash only.
Hammer Kids is made possible through the generosity of the Anthony & Jeanne Pritzker Family Foundation.
Hammer Kids has also received funding from supporters and friends of the Hammer Museum's Kids' Art Museum Project (K.A.M.P.), an annual family fundraiser.


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Murders committed with a gun dropped 39 percent to 11,101 in 2011, from a high of 18,253 in 1993, according to the report.
As for where crime guns came from, the study notes that less than two percent of convicted inmates reported buying their weapons at gun shows or flea markets. The highest number, 40 percent, said the guns came from a family member or a friend. About 37 percent said the weapons were stolen or obtained from an illegal source. The rest say the guns were bought at a retail store or pawn shop.
Originally posted by projectvxn
This doesn't fit the anti gun narrative.
People actually believe, thanks to the media, that gun violence is so prevalent that the streets are flowing with rivers of blood.
Originally posted by Ex_CT2
Originally posted by projectvxn
This doesn't fit the anti gun narrative.
People actually believe, thanks to the media, that gun violence is so prevalent that the streets are flowing with rivers of blood.
Shhh! Don't tell the Brits. They prefer to think that the whole country is populated by warring Chicago gangsters from the '30s. Why else would we need all these guns?
from the pdf page 4 its a pdf so be forwarned
Between the years of 1993 and 2011, as the assault weapons ban expired, more Americans purchased guns, the Supreme Court overturned outright gun bans, and individual states not only loosed gun control restrictions but also issued concealed carry permits to private citizens, incidents of gun violence in America collapsed. Between 1993 and 2011, nonfatal gun crimes plummeted 69%; from 1.5 million to 467,300. Gun-related murders dropped 40%; from 18,253 to 11,101. Gun-related murders for black Americans plummeted by 51%. The report also shows that the media-created hysteria over school shootings is wildly misleading. Between '93 and '11, the murder rate in schools dropped by almost a third; from 29 to 20. Background checks have also been exposed as another bogus narrative the media's crafted out of thin air. This report proves beyond any doubt that closing the so-called gun show loophole will accomplish next to nothing. Less than one-percent of state prisoners caught with a gun purchased it at a gun show. Moreover, who knows how many of those criminals might have passed or did pass a background check.
Originally posted by projectvxn
reply to post by VoidHawk
Do you or don't you think we're all Chicago 1930s gangsters!?
Originally posted by projectvxn
That what I do with my AR15 according to politicians.
Originally posted by Maluhia
Wonder why such good news is not headline news?


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On my last weekend off before starting school I spontaneously decided to head to Paris for a day.
After landing I took the metro south from Charles De Gaulle Airport into Paris. We sped through the suburbs and I transferred at another station that would bring me to La Ville-Lumière.
I quickly Vined my first steps in Paris as I rose from the underground to a lush city square.
Getting to my hotel was a bit difficult since I didn't have any data on my cell phone. I relied on city maps and horrible screen shots of directions and maps on my iPhone taken before my flight.
I finally made it to Hotel Du Bois, an adorable boutique hotel right next to one of my favourite European stores, Massimo Dutti. I excitedly passed a Diptique as I journeyed on the cobblestone where I also passed a homeless man peeing right on the sidewalk. I vehemently avoided all puddles in Paris thereafter.
Coppola's indulgent food scenes in Marie Antoinette sold me on Ladurée (also recommended to me by my friend Olivia). On the way to the Eiffel Tower between wandering in and out of shops I made a quick stop in the luxe pâtisserie for a pain au chocolat and a few macarons.
When the Eiffel Tower finally came into view I was star struck; frozen in place my mouth agape in shock. The summer day gave a perfect view of the iconic structure across the water.
I got lost about 4 times on the way back to my hotel and retired to my room to rest. After being up for over 24 hours and touring the city I was admittedly burnt out. After a shower and power nap I began Googling dinner spots until finally deciding on one.
After getting lost around the Arc de Triomphe round about I was 5 minutes late for my reservation but I finally found Brasserie Lorraine which was only a 30 minute walk from my hotel.
The night was definitely alive with guests ordering overflowing seafood plates (a specialty at the restaurant) and pasta dishes. Fresh bread, braised duck and handmade pasta left me stuffed and content. My server convinced me to go with the chocolate lava cake for dessert and I left full and in absolute bliss.
After a 5 hour sleep I was back on the metro headed to Charles De Gaulle; headed home to Toronto after my day in Paris.


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Winners announced for IOPS Pictures of Gravity Competition
30 June 2017
Young people from across Scotland were presented with prizes for winning an Institute of Physics competition in a ceremony at the SCDI's Celebration of STEM at Glasgow Science Centre on 9 June 2017.
The primary school winners were Struthers Primary from South Ayrshire. Grove Academy from Dundee won the S1-3 category and the winners in S4-6 were the High School of Dundee.
The Pictures of Gravity Competition asked entrants to share their picture of gravity. The primary school pupils were asked to investigate gravity alongside forces such as the magnetic and electrostatic forces. For the S1–3 pupils the challenge was to investigate what gravity is and how our knowledge of it has changed over time and the S4–6 pupils were to describe the most recent developments relating to gravity, in particular the discovery of gravitational waves
The winning posters were displayed at Glasgow Science Centre and were seen by the hundreds of participants during the day. As part of the awards ceremony, Professor Martin Hendry discussed the discovery of gravitational waves and awarded the prizes of unique crystals and posters to the winning teams of four.
Laura Thomas, the competition coordinator said "As ever the standard of entries to the competition was very high. The work done by pupils to research and investigate gravity was clear. The creativity shown in their final posters was impressive. We are very grateful to the teachers who worked with their classes to produce such wonderful entries and to the SCDI for making us part of their fantastic Celebration of STEM."
More photos and information about the competition and prizegiving can be viewed on the IOPS website.


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KSB Professors were engaged to teach the course to the IIM-L students. This is the second year in a row that SEEU hosts the event with its partners from the United States and India. In addition to course work, Indian students visited two prominent companies (Ecolog and Renova) and had a tour through some areas of Macedonia, including visits to the most important tourist spots from the region of Tetovo, such as the Painted Mosque, Tekke "Harabati Baba", as well as other tourist spots.
After completing the intensive course, students received a certificate.
"Our Indian guests are MBA students at the IIM-L and many of them are employed in prominent multinational and transnational corporations. IIM-L has been ranked 4th in India for its MBA programme. KSB is a top ranked Business Faculty in the United States as well", said Luan Eshtrefi, Head of SEEU International Relation Office.
The IIM-L guests were accommodated in the SEEU Tetovo dormitories.
SEEU is continuing to create a more internationalized profile and such events are important to the university and the community.


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Grade 3 at Regency Park Primary School is an exciting time for students and is considered a transition from Junior School to Middle School. Students are encouraged and supported in becoming more independent and responsible for their learning and achieving desired outcomes. They participate in a range of co-curricular activities which not only support their academic development but also their social and emotional well-being.
Teachers and support staff are dedicated to providing curriculum which caters to the needs and abilities of all students. Through our Literacy programs students develop their skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, learning to think critically and use the relationship between all three strands.
Numeracy in Grade 3 teaches skills and understanding in the areas of Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry and Statistics and Probability, through hands-on, open-ended tasks catering to individual needs.
Students explore themes and develop understanding in the areas of Australia's history, Science and environmental topics as part of our Integrated Studies units through research projects and an integrated approach. They are encouraged to develop goals for their learning and track their progress, striving to improve in a targeted area.
Some of the valuable co-curricular learning experiences Grade 3 students participate in include:
A School Production every second year, in which students perform songs and dance choreography.
Their first school camp experience at Camp Oasis.
The school Swimming Program at Knox Leisureworks which runs for 2 weeks and teaches students important water safety skills, as well as building their swimming ability.
Accessing a range of technology, including iPads in every classroom and a bank of student laptop computers, allowing students to use technology as a tool for learning and build skills they will no doubt need in the future.
Participating in excursions designed to support and extend a particular curriculum focus and provide students with experiences they may not otherwise have.
Performing on many occasions and to a variety of audiences as part of our choir, including performances for the community at Salford Park Community Village.
Working towards writing in the Victorian Cursive style and achieving their pen licence in Grade 4.
Grade 3 sport where students work on interpersonal and sporting skills through playing a range of sports.
Using a diary to record important dates and details. This also becomes an excellent way to maintain regular contact between home and school.
Grade 3 is a fantastic year where students grow in confidence and continue to progress towards becoming well rounded individuals ready to take on the world.


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College Senior Graduate Portraits
after the last shots, she asked me to take pictures with herour cool pose
goofy us =] (i look like i'm choking myself)
I was very excited that Liz asked me to take her pictures! Her energy and excitement really rubbed off on me. I was all over the place! I had so much fun photographing Liz. She is such an accomplished young lady and I know she'll go far after Texas Woman's University! Good Luck Liz on getting into Med School!!


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Make your home buying decision with confidence
About the Inspector
Paul Farrell will take the time to answer all your questions.
First time home-buyers welcome.
Find out what is included with your inspection,
and view highlights from sample report.
Contact Paul today to schedule your inspection
Email using the form below or call (860) 805-7906, and your message will be returned promptly.


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Posted Monday, 4-May-2015
The enduring popularity of Scrabble shows how many people love word games. But the growing number of variations, like Super Scrabble and Junior Scrabble, show that we also like variety.
If Scrabble is the smart kid sitting doing his homework, then Bananagrams is his over-excited younger sister, rushing around full of sugar and enthusiasm.
Bananagrams is a fast, exciting alternative to Scrabble for those who like to play with letters.
Like Bananagrams, Pass the Bomb is a game of fast thinking.
As the timer ticks down on a plastic bomb, players have to think of words using a set group of letters. Think of a word and you can pass on the bomb. Whoever is left holding it when it explodes loses that round.
Apples to Apples is a different sort of word game. Each round, one player provides a definition, and other players try to pick a word to match it. The catch is, you can only use the words on the cards in your hand.
Say your friend is looking for 'things to be scared of', but you're holding 'bananas', 'Paris' and 'a puppy'. Can you pick one of those that you know your friend is strangely scared of? Or can you talk him around to seeing why it's scary?
Scrabble is such a serious game, it's amazing to realize how frantic and funny other word games are.
Published by BoardGamePrices.com
A review of Bomb Squad Academy, a press your luck card game where you must have nerves of steel.
Kingdomino jumps on the roll & write party, Burgle Bros 2 slides into the vault, and some really exciting Kickstarter Projects in this week's Board Game News Brief.


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Alexander observes voting in Phenix City
"People have been coming in and out all day," said Dorothy Alexander of Phenix City. "People seem to be in a voting mood." Alexander has been observing the voters all day from her chair underneath an oak tree in front of the Russell County Courthouse.
She's been reading her Bible and handing out guide ballots to those interested. She's been helping with the Alabama Democratic Conference for "many, many years."
The yellow piece of paper is a sample ballot with the Conference's choices in the Democratic primary. The choice is Hillary Clinton.
"I just hand these out," she said. "I don't talk about the choices. They won't let me too close to the polling place."
Behind her next to the street were several signs for Republican candidate John McCain.


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Dr. Anika Schürmann LL.M.
Dr. Anika Schürmann is a counsel in Baker McKenzie's Dusseldorf office. She is a bar-certified professional in criminal law (Fachanwältin für Strafrecht) and advises in antitrust and competition law, as well as in white collar crime and compliance investigations. She is admitted to the Dusseldorf bar and is a member of the German Association of Antitrust Lawyers as well as the Criminal Law Section of the German Bar Association. Prior to joining Baker McKenzie in 2013, Anika was a member of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's antitrust team (2007-2011), and practiced in a Dusseldorf law firm that specializes in white collar crime law (2012-2013).
Practice Focus
Anika advises clients on all aspects of German and European antitrust and competition law, with a particular focus on complex antitrust proceedings before German and European competition authorities and courts. Anika also has in-depth experience in conducting investigations and in designing and implementing compliance programs in the areas of antitrust and anti-corruption. In addition, she frequently represents companies in national and multinational merger control proceedings as well as advising them on the admissibility of distribution and cooperation agreements. Recent clients include German and multinational companies from the transport, finance and insurance sector as well as from the energy, chemical and construction industry.
Representative Legal Matters
- Advised in a number of high-profile national and international cartel investigations, including Deutsche Bahn AG in the freight forwarding cartel and the Brenntag Group in the chemical distribution cartel.
- Defended German and international clients against follow-up cartel damage claims in court proceedings and settlements.
- Advised companies on the conception and implementation of compliance programs and conducted compliance trainings (antitrust and anti-corruption).
- Defends a former personally liable shareholder in the Sal Oppenheim proceedings against breach of trust charges.
- Advised clients from the financial and insurance sector, the chemical industry and other industries on vertical distribution agreements and horizontal cooperation agreements.
- Represented private equity companies, including Oaktree Capital and BC Partners, as well as clients from various other industries in EU and multinational merger control proceedings.
Professional Associations and Memberships
- German Bar Association - Criminal Law Section
- German Association of Antitrust Lawyers - Member
- German Women Lawyers Association - Member
- Germany (2007)
- Fachänwaltin für Strafrecht (Attorney specializing in Criminal Law) (2016)
- University of Bonn (Dr. iur.) (2009)
- Higher Regional Court of Cologne (Second State Exam) (2006)
- University of Edinburgh (LL.M. European Law) (2003)
- University of Bonn (First State Exam) (2002)
- University of Lausanne (1999)
- English
- French
Co-author, "Die Entscheidung des OLG Hamm zum Akteneinsichtsrecht von Zivilgerichten in Bonusanträge und vertrauliche Kommissionsentscheidungen," Wirtschaft und Wettbewerb (WuW), May 2014
Author, "Die Novellierung des Kartellbußgeldverfahrens durch die 8. GWB-Novelle," Wirtschaft und Wettbewerb (WuW), December 2013
Author, "Die Entscheidung im Verfahren EnBW zum Recht von Schadensersatzklägern auf Akteneinsicht in Verfahrensakten der Kommission," Wirtschaft und Wettbewerb (WuW), January 2013
Author, "Die Problematik der Mehrfachsanktionierung von Unternehmen im EG-Kartellrecht," Nomos Verlag, May 2010


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When it comes to sizing up how efficient a building is, a lot of data and analytical software can be quicker than people.
Retroficiency is one of many startups developing software tools for making commercial buildings more energy-efficient. The Boston-based company today announced that it has raised $3.32 million in a series A round of funding from Point Judith Capital to build up its software and sales. It also acquired Clean Energy Solutions, the commercial efficiency operation of renewable energy project developer Nexamp.
Commercial real estate is a large consumer, and often waster, of energy. The return on investment from efficiency measures, such as upgraded lighting, can come in a year or two with lower monthly bills. But it's often difficult to create a profile of how efficient a given building is and understand which projects are worth pursuing.
Retroficiency's software draws on a database of about 10,000 energy audits to quickly create a snapshot of a building's energy use. Energy auditors or facility managers fill out a survey with data such as the age of the building, hours it's occupied, and utility bills to generate the profile. That replaces a process of spending weeks or even months to measure heating and cooling data and enter that into energy models, said founder and CEO Bennett Fisher, who previously worked in commercial real estate.
"Once you give us 10 data points, we can infer very accurately all the minutia that you don't want to collect manually," he said. "In 10 minutes, we can be more than 90 percent accurate."
Clean Energy Solutions had developed a system to create an energy profile and generate efficiency measures based on data gathered regularly from electricity meters. Those tools are being integrated into Retroficiency's current product line, which should improve accuracy, Fisher said.
Currently, Retroficiency's software is being used by about a dozen energy service companies, which turn to it to speed up their assessments. The addition of meter data tools will allow the company to target utilities which have incentive programs to improve the efficiency of their customers.
Many venture capitalists are pulling back from expensive energy ventures in solar or biofuels and are focusing instead on efficiency-related businesses. Commercial buildings, in particular, hold promise because many of the heating and cooling systems are already instrumented, so data is available for analysis.


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Kingston 8GB DataTraveler G4 USB 3.0 Flash Drive
Price: $6.00
USB 3.0 flash drive features a colorful loop that attaches to key rings to keep your files with you wherever you go. Backwards-compatible technology works with USB 2.0. Practical cap protects the USB plug and your data for enhanced reliability. 8GB flash drive is perfect for storing music, video, documents, presentations and more.


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Web Content Display Web Content Display
Support the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts
The Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts was established on July 1, 1993, to bring a focus to the arts at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In 2000, the college was officially renamed the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts to recognize a gift of $18 million to the University of Nebraska Foundation by Christina M. Hixson and the Lied Foundation Trust for the college.
Our classes are taught by outstanding faculty, and our students have access to internationally renowned guest artists, performers, art exhibits and films. Some of our most recent guest artists have included Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Academy Award-winning Editor Mike Hill, New York Times Art Critic Roberta Smith, Opera Singer and UNL Alumna Barbara Hendricks and Hollywood Director Donald Petrie.Your support for the Hixson-Lied College helps us foster personal attention and global connections as we provide our students the very best experience of a Big Ten university at one of the best values in American higher education. Our students travel, present and perform around the world thanks to special support from the Hixson-Lied Endowment and other private support.
We made it easy to give
It all starts with your e-mail address. We'll use it to better direct you to your area of interest quickly and securely.
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Connie Pejsar
800-432-3216 toll free


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I do not know if there is an in-patient eating disorder treatment center that currently exists that is safe for all people with non-dominant systemic identities at all levels of the organization. I do not know of an eating disorder treatment program for higher level of care where I as a fat, queer, non-binary person would feel safe to attend.Read More
I know you are working your hardest to provide the best care possible. I know you are working to improve people's health, so that they can enjoy their lives longer. I know that you have to work within a rather broken system with short appointment times, insurance requirements, and have to work with the resources that you have available. I know that not every clinic, agency, hospital, or practice has the same resources as others.Read More


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It's almost here...the Succulence Blog Tour!
16 bloggers share for 16 days their creations with Bonnie Christine's latest line, Succulence for Art Gallery Fabrics! It begins this Friday, January 29 and continues through February 19! All you need to do is check in on Bonnie's blog this Friday for the lineup. Each blogger will link to the previous blogger, as well as the next-in-line blogger, so it's easy to hop from one blog to the next. I love the anticipation each day of visiting the current blogger's website to see where their imagination has taken them. You'll be inspired by creatives from various parts of the world, seeing their interpretation of Bonnie's fabrics in their own projects. Aren't these colors yummy?
I'll be up on Tuesday, February 16, so be sure to check back here on that day. But for now, here's a sneak peek at where my imagination is taking me:
Thanks for visiting! Happy sewing and God bless, Maxie


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1. "The reason I wrote that you're against national health care is because in 2009 you wrote a column called 'Why I Oppose National Health Care.'" That's a hilarious debate moment, but also an interesting sign of how things are changing. Some of the people who, in 2009, thought it was advantageous to rail against health care reform are now, in 2014, insisting that yes-but-of-course, I've always supported health care reform. Wind socks are useful because they tell us which way the wind is blowing.
2. James McGrath re-imagines the story of the woman at the well, except instead of meeting Jesus there, she meets Sherlock Holmes. After observing her for a moment, Holmes says, "You have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband." I kind of want to see this now.
Of course Holmes, like Jesus, is understood to be fully human and not omniscient. You run into problems if you think Jesus was omniscient — as Hemant Mehta points out in "The Jesus Germ Theory," which reminds me of the sense of overwhelming, inevitable dread I felt as I read A Distant Mirror, Barbara Tuchman's engrossing history of the "Calamitous 14th Century." I desperately wanted a time machine so I could go back and warn them — "It's the rats and the fleas! For God's sake, get rid of the rats and the fleas!" (Time-travel stories all warn against such meddling with the past, which is part of why time-travel stories are so ethically fascinating and frustrating.)
3. "It continues to be most disconcerting to see intellectual leaders seemingly wholly oblivious to the fact that plenty of Christians have functioned quite well for 2000 years, and continue to function today, without this stressful stranglehold on what these panelists (and the traditions they represent) mean by 'inerrancy.'"
4. A manicure, chewing tobacco, and six other "Things That Shouldn't Happen in Old Testament Survey, But Totally Did."
5. Christianity Today's Her.meneutics blog addresses "The overblown notion that evangelicals are obsessed with birth control" with a post lamenting that evangelicals are not sufficiently obsessed with birth control and urging them to become more so. "In the contraceptive debate, the Catholic Church's stance rings loud and clear, but evangelicals have a far less direct approach." For now. In 10 or 15 years, when the Catholic position has become the default white evangelical "stance" enforced by the subcultural gatekeepers, let's at least try to remember that this was a change. Because by then the gatekeepers will be insisting that this is how it has always been — that Protestants have always been anti-birth control.
6. Steven Waldman, "Thank Local News for the Bridgegate Story"
Accountability reporting works not only because of what is printed but by giving public officials the sense that someone out there is watching.
So why did the Bergen Record have a full-time transportation reporter and another investigative reporter they could detail to the story? According to the Washington Post recap it's because it's a family owned paper that had managed to avoid massive layoffs: "The newspaper's staffing has weathered the decade-long industry decline by losing just 10 percent of its newsroom staff from its peak, says Borg, and there are "no future staff reductions planned." Nationally, newsrooms have lost about one third of their reporters, with many metro dailies seeing even sharper cuts.
7. Christian Nightmares interviews Kate Logan, director of the documentary Kidnapped for Christ. Here's the trailer:


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Monitoring your training/
I think we all know that athletes need to hard in order to improve. However, many athletes new to endurance sports may not appreciate that adaptive training gains can only be maximised to a threshold point.
Beyond this point, additional training will not produce further performance gains and could lead to overtraining and athlete 'burn-out'.
A certain level of fatigue is needed in order to activate essential physiological repair mechanisms. With adequate recovery, the fatigue will disappear and adaptation will occur making your stronger and fitter! Sometimes, as we begin to increase training, we may find ourselves trying to balance an increased training load and inadequate recovery which could result in overtraining. Your training load is influenced by the amount of training (volume) and intensity.
There are a number of different ways to try and quantify training load including real-time observation/measurements, physiological monitoring (heart rate, blood lactate concentrations and oxygen consumption) during training sessions and obtaining a subjective estimate of an athlete's training load. A quick and easy way for us all to track our training load is to use a diary to record how we felt after each session.
Using a simplified exertion scale, where 0 = rest and 10 = maximal effort, rate your effort (how hard you thought you were working during the session) and multiply it by the length, in minutes, of your training session.
This will give you a session rate of perceived exertion (s-RPE) which can be added to all your other sessions that week to provide you with an overall training load for the week. This can be used as a tool ensure that you are adhering to a periodised training programme and benefiting from the cyclical recovery weeks. It can also you detect when you may not coping with your training because you tend to submit higher s-RPE scores for similar sessions carried out in the previous week or month.
This is such a simple way to help ensure you are optimising your training you'd be silly not to give it a try!


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Media Coursework Writing
Media coursework can mean so many different things to different people but as Coursework Writing realizes AS media coursework tends to focus on several significant issues. People are now bombarded with more information than ever. That means that they need the skills to interpret information better than they did in the past. Coursework Writing can ensure that sources cited in media coursework gcse assignments are authoritative.
Digital Media Coursework
The World Wide Web has opened up countless new opportunities for publishers. People are now able to read reports online about so many different issues. However, media coursework GCSE level doesn't accept any old website for citation. Students need to learn how to separate the grain from the chaff, so to speak, and find websites that provide quality information.
Professional writers are extremely familiar with English media coursework. The reason is that they essentially work in the media industry. Writing is a form of media in its own right. English media coursework is more or less their regular job as it is.
Traditional Media Coursework
Media coursework can refer to radio, newspapers, books, television and many other resources in addition to the Internet. People often forget that they're almost totally surrounded by things that could be topics for media studies coursework all the time. That's why media literacy is so important. There's more to media studies coursework than meets the eye.
A single communications medium can be used to influence many people. That's both helpful and dangerous. Students need to be prepared to deal with the things that their gcse media coursework references so that they can become independent critical thinkers. Buying a paper from Cousework Writing can show young students how the media should be analysed, and they can put these skills to good use in their regular lives.
Coursework Writing Media Paper Benefits
Most gcse media coursework needs a special touch, and the Cousework Writers can offer that touch to papers. Moreover, they are always sure to get them in on time no matter what. Students working on media coursework might not be punctual, but as media coursework completed by professionals always is. Coursework Writing should handle everyone's media coursework.
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A new website, Gospel In Life, was just launched related to all things Tim Keller:
- blog
- sermons
- books
- resources
- articles/papers
- study materials
- related ministries
- church planting
- and church.
Everything Keller-related but the kitchen sink.
Visit Gospel In Life here.
Subscribe to occasional news and updates here.


text: Don't worry! The big sign that is missing from the entrance of Hendy Woods has been sent out for restoration. A couple of years ago we discovered that the yellow painted lettering of the park entrance sign was all paint and no wood. The wood had rotted away under the paint! The sign is now at the woodworking shop at Chamberlain Creek Conservation Camp at Jackson Demonstration State Forest near Ft. Bragg. Chamberlain Creek has a great track record of excellent woodworking so we are confident the sign will come back to us in good shape. No redesign is planned. The iconic "Gumby" shape will remain.


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Blending Melt Point Range Lower
Haps Decrease
Vocs Reduce
Our Neozien® odor-abatement technology neutralizes any remaining offensive odors from core and mold making and reduces odors from pouring, cooling, and shakeout. You can add this engineered solution to any of our resin-coated sands. Our technical team is ready to collaborate with you about including the Neozien system in your foundry's process.
We are proud to be an active partner of American Foundry Society (AFS) and Foundry Educational Foundation (FEF), continuing a rich tradition of service and dedication to the Metalcasting industry.


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Who were the terrorists? Everything we know about the Isil attackers so far
At least three of the attackers had been to fight with Islamic State in Syria it emerges as more links between the attackers are dislcosed.
Omar Ismail Mostefai - died at the Bataclan
Mostefai was the first to be identified of the dead gunmen and suicide bombers who carried out Friday night's simultaneous attacks across Paris.
French police ignored two warnings about Mostefai, before he helped carry out the attack on the Bataclan concert hall which killed 89 young music fans.
Turkish authorities twice flagged up the 29-year-old as a possible terror suspect last year, but their alerts were unanswered until after Friday's Paris attacks.
The Frenchman born to Algerian parents was a known radical and is believed to have trained with Isil inside Syria last year.
Mostefai made contact with the extremists in Syria after travelling through Turkey in late 2013, security officials said, staying until at least early 2014.
Old friends of the jihadist also described how they had once tried to alert the French police to his radical views, only to be told the authorities could do nothing.
He was identified by prints from his severed finger found in the Bataclan, after the deadliest of the Paris attacks.
After being born to Algerian parents and growing up in the poor south Paris suburb of Courcouronnes, he moved to the historic cathedral city of Chartres, west of the capital, where his brother ran a shisha bar.
After being arrested for a string of petty offences in his youth, but never being jailed, his religious views became increasingly extreme and in 2010 he was marked up by intelligence agencies as a potential radical.
He was tracked to Syria but Turkish authorities have no record of him leaving. A senior Turkish official said the country had also identified Omar Ismail Mostefai as a possible "terror suspect" in October 2014 and notified the French in December 2014 and then June 2015.
France did not respond until after the attacks, when it was too late.
Friends told Germany's Bild newspaper they had informed French security services after becoming concerned at his radicalisation, only to be told they were powerless to do anything.
One friend said Mostefai's father had been involved in the Algerian war and belonged to a military group involved in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Mostefai was described as friendly, religious and a talented footballer, but his views became increasingly extreme in 2009. French papers reported he had fallen under the spell of a radical Belgian imam of Morrocan origin at his mosque in the Luce suburb of Chartres. Another French jihadist who was later killed in Syria lived only a few streets from Mostefai, who moved on from Chartres in 2012.
The Abdeslam brothers
Salah Abdeslam - on the run
A major manhunt remains under way for Salah Abdeslam, a Belgian-born French national who has been on the run since the attacks.
French police have issued an international arrest warrant and described the 26-year-old as highly dangerous, warning anyone who comes across him not to approach him.
Abdeslam rented the black VW in Belgium that was found abandoned near the Bataclan concert hall.
He was stopped near the Belgian border on Saturday morning in a grey VW golf, with two unknown accomplices, but was not arrested at the time.
French officials have admitted police had the fugitive in their grasp, but let him go after checking his ID.
As the manhunt continued on Monday, a number of links between Abdeslam and the suspected attack mastermind, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, began to emerge.
Both men are childhood friends and lived in the Molenbeek suburb of Brussels which has become notorious for radicalisation. The two were jailed for armed robbery in 2010.
Police targeting Abdeslam raided a property in Molenbeek, Belgium, on Monday lunchtime but no arrests were made.
Between 2009 and 2011 Abdeslam worked as a mechanic for STIB, the Belgian state railway, working in a district Brussels.
Abdeslam, his brother Ibrahim, and other family members ran a number of business ventures together. He was the manager of a café set up by his brother Ibrahim.
Ibrahim Abdeslam - suicide bomber
The older brother of Salah Abdeslam blew himself up outside the Comptoir Voltaire café.
The 31-year-old and his brother ran a number of businesses together with other relatives, but appeared to resign their share in them just weeks before the attacks.
Ibrahim founded a café which was managed by his brother Salah and was temporarily shut down for drugs offences several years ago. Local newspaper reports said the brothers had transferred their shares in the café to an unknown party after a meeting in September. The café was called Beguine, in the Rue des Beguines, and accounts show it had £10,000 in the bank, L'Echo reported.
The pair also ran a grocers in Molenbeek.
A man who lived near the cafe, who did not wish to give his name, said: "Ibrahim was the proprietor, but the cafe is closed now. I used to go there every day after work, on my way home. We would go there to smoke hashish, drink alcohol, no problem.
"Ibrahim and I played cards together, we laughed and joked. He talked to everyone, he was very generous. I would have a drink and he would say don't worry about playing. I used to play cards with Salah too, he was often at the cafe.
"Ibrahim used to go to discos, he would drink alcohol, smoke. But he stopped drinking alcohol in the last year."
Another Abdeslam brother, Mohamed, was arrested after the attacks and then released without charge. He said he had no idea his brothers had been radicalised. He said: "My family and I had no idea that they were in Paris. My parents are truly shocked. It was terrible for them.
I have never had any problems with the justice system. I just want to be left in peace
He went on: "We don't know what has happened to Ibrahim and Salah. I found out about it on the TV like everyone else.
My parents are truly shocked. I am thinking of the victims. I did not know that they had been radicalised. "
The third brother, Mohamed Abdeslam, was arrested on Saturday in Brussels but was released on Monday without charge.
He has since released a statement saying he had no idea that his brothers had been radicalised.
He said: "My parents are truly shocked. I am thinking of the victims. I did not know that they had been radicalised."
Three brothers are thought to have been involved in the attacks and one may remain at large.
Bilal Hadfi - died in suicide bomb at Stade de France
Hadfi, known as the "baby-faced jihadi," was one of two suicide bombers who attacked the Stade de France.
The 20-year-old French national, who lived in Neder-over- Heembeek, Belgium, had recently called for attacks on the "infidel dogs" of the West.
He was raised in Belgium, briefly attending a secondary school in the region of Diest.
Until very recently, he was a typical teenager who was obsessed with football, regularly updating his Facebook profile with news and comments about his favourite teams.
After leaving school, he is believed to have trained as an electrician.
But at some point within the last two years, he was radicalised by a Belgian imam, according to Het Laatste Nieuws. He began associating with hardline extremists and quickly transformed into a young man intent on following jihad.
He fought with Islamic State in Syria as recently as this spring, using the names Abu Moudjahid Al-Belgiki and Bilal Al Mouhajir.
On his return to Belgium, Hadfi disappeared from the radar of Belgian security services.
In July, he issued a call on Facebook for attacks in the West.
"To the brothers who reside in the lands of the infidels," he said in a now-deleted video post. "Those dogs are our citizens everywhere.
"Hit the pigs in their communities so they no longer feel safe even in their dreams."
He was reportedly friends on Facebook with the Syrian Jihadi Abu Isleym, who posed with a decapitated body on the social networking site.
Hadfi and several other attackers, known as the "Belgium cell" are believed to have armed themselves in Brussels before travelling to Paris in rental vehicles.
He was the second man to detonate his suicide vest, near gate H of the stadium, killing no one else.
'Ahmad Al Mohammad' - died in suicide bomb at Stade de France
The real name of the suicide bomber apparently carrying a fake Syrian passport when he detonated at the Stade de France remains a mystery, but officials say he entered Europe as an asylum seeker less than two months earlier.
The counterfeit document bearing the name 'Ahmad al Mohammad' was found alongside the body, whose fingerprints match a man using the name to enter Greece in early October.
Federica Mogherini, the EU's chief diplomat, said all the attackers are believed to be EU citizens, however, raising the possibility the man was using the fake passport to re-enter Europe, possibly because his real identity was on a watch list.
The discovery has raised fears other militants may have used the migrant crisis to pose as refugees and enter Europe among crowds making their way from Greece through the Balkans to Western Europe.
Greek authorities say the passport was used by an asylum seeker who registered on the island of Leros on October 3 after his makeshift boat from Turkey carrying around 70 migrants foundered off the coast and he was picked up by Greek coastguards.
He then reportedly applied for asylum in Serbia before travelling on to Croatia, Hungary and eventually to France.
Samy Amimour - died in suicide bomb at Bataclan
Samy Amimour, one of the three gunmen who killed at least 89 in the Bataclan concert hall, was placed on a watch list of potential terrorists after attempting to travel to Yemen three years ago.
The 28-year-old former bus driver was placed under judicial supervision following an attempt to travel to the region in 2012.
But French police issued an international arrest warrant the following year, after he went missing and was suspected of having travelled to Syria to join Islamic State.
Amimour's father Mohamed travelled to Raqqa in Syria a few months later in an attempt to persuade his son to come back to France. Amimour had been wounded in battle but refused the money offered to get him home and insisted to his father he was going to remain with Islamic State, where he had married and adopted the name Abu Hajia – meaning war.
According to friends however Amimour reappeared in Paris in recent months and had undergone a radical transformation in appearance.
On Monday friends of Amimour living in the south western suburb of Drancy where he grew up, told The Telegraph that when they last saw him he appeared to have adopted a radical mindset.
Mouzamil Mohammed, 15, who used to pray with Amimour at a nearby mosque, said: "Samy changed the way he dressed. He used to dress very normally, but I don't know how long ago he changed because I haven't seen him for a while. I don't know if he went on long trips, but when I saw him again he had a big beard and dressed very traditionally in a long white robe, but he didn't wear a hat."
Mastermind of attack could be Abdel Hamid Abaaoud
Belgian media reported on Monday morning that Abdel Hamid Abaaoud is the suspected brains behind the attack, citing security sources.
Abaaoud was believed to be the leaders of the Vervier cell of returned Syrian jihadists that was broken up by police in January in a deadly shootout.
The name of Paris attacker Brahim Abdeslam appears in several police files alongside leading militant Abdelhamid Abaaoud relating to criminal cases in 2010 and 2011, Flemish-language newspaper De Standaard reported.
Aged 27 and from Molenbeek, he was sentenced to 20 years in abstentia along with 32 other jihadists.
His father Omar is a grocer in Molenbeek and he is reputed to have taken his brother Younes, 13, to Syria with him in January 2014.
His family apparently announced his death at some point, but this may have been a ruse.
He has claimed in the IS English-language magazine Dabiq to have rejoined the group in Syria, and has featured in Isil propaganda videos and their magazine, boasting of how he evaded police.
He is believed to have been in Raqqa in April/June 2014, then Tabka, Deir ez Zor and finally Kobani.
A reporter for French newspaper Liberation claims that he was also in contact with the attacker of the Thalys train in August 2015, Ayoub El-Khazzani.
Up to 20 involved in attack
With seven suicide bombers dead, seven others under arrest and one man on the run, 15 men have so far been linked to the Paris attacks.
But Belgian intelligence officials have suggested that up to 20 people may have been part of the terrorist cell that planned the attacks, meaning a total of six people could be on the run.
Attack could have been planned in Syria
Some evidence points to the attack having been planned in Syria, where the town of Raqqa has become the de-facto capital of the so-called "Caliphate" of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).
An anti-Isil activist living in Deir Ezzor, a town partly held by Isil between Raqqa and the Iraqi border, told The Sunday Telegraph that earlier this year he overheard foreign fighters plotting a "huge" terror attack in Paris from an internet cafe.
Tim Ramadan, who works with the group "Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently", said a fighter using the nom-de-guerre Abu Ibrahim al-Belgi - "father of Ibrahim, from Belgium" - was speaking to a "commander" who gave the orders for an attack.
"He said two (fighters) were sent in March and two more would be sent in May," Mr Ramadan, speaking under a pseudonym, said. "They were saying goodbye and were going on an operation to France."
Likewise, in August, a Frenchman arrested on his return from Syria after a short stay in Raqqa mentioned instructions from Isil to target a concert hall.
"Isil videos contained references to France within the past week and there is some suggestion that they were a signal to a possible cell already inside the country," one source said.
Attackers may have graduated from Isil training camps
Police said the attackers were "seasoned fighters by the looks of it and perfectly trained, with witnesses describing them as quite young and cool-headed".
That would indicate a strong chance that at least some were among the thousands of European "foreign fighters" who have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight. If so, they will have graduated from Isil's training camps, schooled by the group's leaders, many of them veterans of Saddam Hussein's Baathist army.
The suicide bomb belts are suggestive of a separate bomb-maker still on the loose. Bomb-makers rarely take part in attacks, their skills considered too vital to lose.
An estimated 520 French nationals are fighting in Syria and another 250 have returned to France, officials said.
The gunmen's bodies have been taken to Paris' institute of forensic medicine for DNA checks.


text: I have a ridiculously busy September but I had to do it I had to get out for an excursion. Golovin it is, I fly out tomorrow afternoon hopefully and pickup my kayak that has (supposedly) been under someone's house for the past 2 years. It'll be interesting. It's about a 70 mile kayak back to the Lost Train outside Nome. If the weather is good I am shooting for Monday afternoon return. This will be my third time heading around the iffy Rocky Point and the topkok and bluff cliffs. Last year I saw seven bears within fives miles in this area so... it'll be interesting. Here's the SPOT


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Adult Education
Prayer Groups currently meet the first Monday of the month at 11:00 a.m. in the Rectory Meeting Room. This is an opportunity to break open the Sunday Scriptures with fellow parishioners. All are welcome.
R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) is a process, which begins as a dialogue to discuss the issues that are relevant to you. "Why does the Church do this?" "Why did the priest…?" The process answers the personal issues and then moves on to a systematic study of the teachings of Jesus and his Church.
The process develops in the pattern of a support group.
The group consists of those who are interested in the church, and may include a parish priest, the sponsors and members of the parish who help to provide insights to assist in the process of becoming a part of the parish community. We all gather to learn and grow in our faith. We will begin on Thursday, September 19 at 7:00 PM in the Rectory Meeting Room. For more information or to join please contact email@example.com
To continue to learn and grow in your faith please visit these websites:
Diocese of Pittsburgh: www.diopitt.org
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: www.usccb.org
EWTN: www.ewtn.com
Word on Fire: www.wordonfire.org


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Saturday's performance at Spivey will be dedicated to the memory of our friend Dotty Davis, of Atlanta ( and the world.) As the story goes, Wilkes and Dotty Davis came to their first Chanticleer performance in Atlanta about ten years ago. Matt Oltman appeared on stage in white tie and sunglasses, explaining to the curious audience that he had an eye problem and asked, only partly in jest, if there were an opthalmologist in the house. Dotty came backstage after the concert to tell him that her husband Wilkes was the best opthalmologist in Georgia. Off they went at 11pm to Wilkes' office, followed by dinner, and an enduring Chanticleer friendship was born. Wilkes and Dotty turned up all over the place - in San Francisco, Atlanta, Florida, and Verbier and Wilkes is keeping up the tradition. We'll always remember our Dotty - to us "the Queen of Sheba" ( a nickname she happily adopted) and what a dear friend she was.
Wilkes and Matt after the concert.


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Sale ends soon!
Protect your rugs, clothing, antiques, and taxidermy. The clothes moth product is non-toxic, ready-to-use, long-lasting, and child and pet safe. Captures male and female clothes moths. Use as an alternative to pesticides and moth balls. 4 traps and 4 lures per unit. Replace traps every 2 months or when the trap is full. Store unopened lures in a cool, dry area. Traps can be used year round. GreenWay is committed to solving pest problems by offering alternatives to traditional pesticides.


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Details to be announcedTo be announced
One of the largest, FREE UK exhibitions dedicated to children & young adults with disabilities and additional needs, their families and the professionals who support them.
120+ exhibitors offering advice and information on funding, mobility, seating, beds, communication, access, education, toys, transport, style, sensory, sports, leisure and more!
FREE CPD and topical seminars for parents and professionals.
Boost your CPD portfolio and gain credits by attending one or more of the FREE seminars taking place alongside the exhibition. Seminars are presentations covering a wide range of issues and interests to families and carers of children with disabilities and additional needs, and the professionals who work with them. Moving and handling, toileting issues, sleep issues, seating, sensory processing, behaviours that challenge, Autism, transition, employment, legal matters and more….
The speakers will also be on hand throughout the day to answer any questions you may have. For professionals, certificates of attendance will be available to collect on the day. Entry is FREE on a first come, first served basis. Children welcome.
Visitor's FREE entry tickets available!
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"I have been to Kidz to Adultz Scotland for the last two years and each time I have learned about new products and services available to us and met parents with the same questions and concerns that I have. We share information and knowledge about products that have worked for our children. We get to meet representatives from companies, organisations and charities that can help us and many people have answers and solutions there and then on the day. You can try out products with the children, such as sleep aids, toys, seats, sensory equipment and see how they respond to it there and then." Visitor to Kidz to Adultz Scotland 2016
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|Statement by Mr. LIU Yutong of the Chinese Delegation at the Fourth Committee of the 63rd Session of the UN General Assembly on Agenda Item32: "Questions Relating to Information"
New York, 22 October 2008
Mr. Chairman,
The Chinese delegation wishes to express thanks to Under-Secretary-General Kiyotaka Akasaka for his informative statement on the agenda item. Under Mr. Akasaka's leadership, the DPI has continuously made new progress and innovation, which we highly appreciate.
In the just concluded general debate of the 63rd session of the General Assembly, delegates from 192 countries, including 111 heads of state or government, made statements on the financial crisis, food security, UN reform and regional hotspot issues. In addition, the United Nations convened the High-level Meeting on Africa's Development Needs and the High-level Event on the Millennium Development Goals. This shows that as the most representative and authoritative intergovernmental organization, the United Nations is receiving extensive attention and playing an increasingly important role in major international issues.
The information activities of the United Nations are aimed at publicizing the UN activities to the entire world, and contributing to the purposes and objectives of the Charter of the United Nations. Over the past year, the DPI has made fruitful efforts to better accomplish such a mission. It optimized the allocation and use of resources, improved its efficiency, identified priority projects and tailored the publicizing objectives to the needs of the audiences. The DPI also worked to strengthen the coordination among various UN agencies and mobilize NGOs to participate in publicizing the UN projects. It fostered a culture of evaluation to effectively assess work performance. China highly appreciates the efforts made by the DPI.
At present, the international community is confronted with many global issues such as climate change, environmental degradation, shortage of resources, frequent outbreak of diseases and natural disasters, and spread of terrorism. In particular, the interrelated and intractable problems concerning financial, energy and food security are posing severe challenges to the world. Under such circumstances, no country can stay aloof or address the problems alone. The United Nations is playing a unique role in this regard. The DPI may redouble its efforts in the above areas to promote the UN spirit of "equality, mutual benefit and cooperation", and encourage governments and peoples of all countries to meet the challenges through concerted efforts. We also believe that the DPI should remain committed to cultural exchanges between countries, strengthen dialogue among civilizations, and promote friendly contacts between NGOs, civil society, academic institutions and the media, as well as youth exchanges between different countries.
Mr. Chairman,
To better address the global issues we are facing now, especially the new challenges brought about by the financial, energy and food crises, and promote the establishment of a balanced, impartial and effective new order for information and communication, the DPI needs to scale up its efforts in the following areas:
First, it should attach great importance to development. We have passed the midpoint for the achievement of the MDGs, but the concerns of developing countries are far from being resolved and the gap between the rich and poor is still widening. In the final analysis, many hotspot issues in the world, such as food crisis, energy shortage, terrorism and climate change, are actually issues of development. The DPI needs to increase its input to educate the media and public, draw their attention to the importance of development, and encourage them to promote the common development and prosperity across the globe.
Second, the United Nations should provide accurate, impartial, objective and balanced information. It should firmly and explicitly rebut and redress the unhealthy practice in some media coverage such as quoting out of context, wanton exaggeration, distortion and falsification, and misleading propaganda. The news media should be encouraged to honor their ethical and professional codes of conduct and play a better role in media scrutiny. An atmosphere for objective and impartial news coverage should be fostered in the United Nations.
Third, the DPI should continue to promote dialogue and exchanges among civilizations. The media should be encouraged and guided to play a constructive role in promoting the friendly interaction among civilizations and religions, opposing discrimination and prejudice based on religion, race or culture, and promoting harmony and common development of various cultures.
Fourth, efforts should be made to ensure that developing countries benefit from the modern communication and dissemination technologies. Though internet is now extensively used and communications technologies are constantly upgraded, we should not forget that many developing countries still rely on traditional means of communications. The information activities of the United Nations should help narrow, rather than widen the existing disparities between different countries and regions in information flows.
Finally, it is necessary to provide more assistance and facilitation to the media of developing countries. The DPI needs to expand and develop cooperation and exchanges with the media of developing countries and provide more human resources and technological assistance to strengthen their capacity to develop and disseminate information through their national strength. We appreciate the efforts made by the Dag Hammarskjöld Scholarship Fund to provide financial assistance to journalists from developing countries. We encourage the DPI to continue its training and internship programs for journalists from developing countries. We suggest that the DPI make greater efforts to accommodate the needs of the media from developing countries when organizing media pools.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.


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Destined: Effi Briest
EFFI BRIEST - "Phoenix"
"Its just a name," insists EFFI BRIEST drummer Corinne Jones. The all-female band from Brooklyn is named after the titular character in Theodor Fontanes novel, which deals with the subordinate role of women in late 19th century Germany. Ive read it, she continues, it is a great book, and it is a plight of women story. Its all about this girl that has no life and all these terrible things happen to her. But were all about free will and great stuff happening, so its just appropriating a name in a way.
"Also its a Fassbinder movie, she adds, not one of his best, but I love Fassbinder. I just thought it was a great name for a band.
No other member of the group has read it, vocalist Kelsey Barrett points out, but we do consult the book when we have important questions.
You just take the book, Corinne explains, and you ask a question and then you open it and point to one thing and then it tells you something.
Its our oracle, we asked it some questions about a year ago, percussionist Jessica Stathos recalls, and it was right on.
The bands line-up has changed significantly since it began holding informal practice sessions in a friends basement two years ago. There were 11 people when we started, remembers guitarist and backup vocalist Sara Shaw. Twelve, Corinne corrects her. At this point, the group has been pared down to seven. Only half of us are from that era, Corinne goes on, and for me the band really became complete when the other half, Rebecca and Nicky and now Elizabeth joined. Elizabeth Hart, who also plays in Psychic Ills, recently became a member after bassist Alianna Kalaba left to concentrate on her other band Coyote. Another previous bass player had a baby and moved away from New York. Theyre cursed, Elizabeth jokes.
Snacks and wine were the main feature of practice and then we also played music sometimes, Sara says of the bands early days, it was just kind of hanging out. We knew each other, Corinne remembers, and we said hey, lets try this, lets do this.
From the very beginning, they knew that they werent interested in striving for any kind of gender balance. Ive played in bands with ladies before, Sara explains, its less competitive interpersonally. Its really just more fun, Corinne adds, and probably more social. Being friends comes first, Sara concludes, we try to keep the social aspect of it important.
Kelsey had some experience as a vocalist when EFFI BRIEST was formed and Sara was already a member of the Occasion, but several other members of the band were brand new to their instruments. Corinne was a visual artist but shed never played the drums. I thought at first I could play one drum, she admits, so I bought a marching bass drum and played that for a while.
Jessica hadnt played in bands before either, but she comes from a musical family. The castanets were my grandmothers, she reveals, she toured with Xavier Cugat in the 30s. I had never sung before, I just started doing it in practice when we lost a singer whispers Rebecca Squires, the bands soft-spoken multi-instrumentalist. I played the piano growing up, and the clarinet, she says. Our old bassist owned a vintage store and she had this beautiful old accordion, which Rebecca continues to play. She recently started playing a melodica on some songs as well.
Sara comes off as the most experienced musician in the band, but she seems to take great pride in her bandmates varying skill levels. It can be really refreshing and different, she boasts, when I was first learning to play guitar there were so many things that I wrote that were more exciting and unique than Im able to write now. I think this band is able to tap into that because weve been learning everything as we go.
Were not striving for a kind of tight musical perfection, Corinne chimes in. People have told me that Corinnes drumming style seems like it was made specifically for the band, Kelsey interjects, and it was. I think thats really special.
The band is dumbfounded to learn that a couple of people whove heard EFFI BRIESTs self-released Phoenix EP including WFMU Music Director Brian Turner have compared it to early Siouxsie And The Banshees. We never set out with an idea of what we wanted to sound like, asserts acoustic guitarist Nicky Mao. When I first saw them I went up to Kelsey and said Grace Slick, Elizabeth laughs. The comparison is apt, if only for Kelseys deep voice, impressive stage presence and striking appearance; a review of one show compared her to the Jefferson Airplane frontwoman and also to Nico. I still think about Christian Death sometimes when I sing, Kelsey admits, they have that psychedelic guitar but then its sort of dark. Both Nicky and Corinne concede an affinity for Krautrock bands, specifically Can and Amon Düül. Weve all shared a lot of music thats all over the map with each other, Nicky says.
While the band hasnt played much on the east coast outside of its hometown of New York, EFFI BRIEST has already begun to make a name for itself on the other side of the country. Several band members hail from California, and friendships with members of Sunburned Hand Of The Man led to a brief tour together last spring. We had pretty good reception on the west coast, Kelsey says, and made a lot of connections. They returned to California in the fall to play at the Arthur Nights festival alongside artists like Boris, Six Organs Of Admittance, OM, White Magic, the Fiery Furnaces and Devendra Banhart, who according to Kelsey has been a big support.
The two songs on the Phoenix EP are the entirety of EFFI BRIESTs recorded output so far. Those were the first two songs we wrote, Kelsey says. Theyre eager to begin working on a full-length later this year. Weve evolved so much as a band since we recorded that stuff, Sara enthuses, and thats exciting to me, to record new things. Piece-by-piece well be recording an album, Corinne promises, as far as who could put it out, thats in the air.
Loog Records will release EFFI BRIESTs debut 7 in the UK in 2007. The band is currently considering offers from undisclosed domestic labels.
By Rob Hatch-Miller


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When all else fails, a high-stakes sealed-bid auction can usually be counted on to jump-start interest in a listing.
Brokers are increasingly turning to sealed-bid auctions, sometimes called a "highest and best" bidding process, as the economy continues its downward slide and other, more standard selling strategies fail to achieve results.
Although time-consuming, sealed bids can help build buzz and distinguish a property in a market that has a growing supply of inventory competing for the attention of a small pool of qualified buyers, brokers say.
Manhattan's famously finicky co-op boards mean the strategy won't work for every listing, but for some it can provide a badly needed alternative when an apartment is lingering on the market.
"We're in an unusual time, and unusual circumstances call for unusual concepts and unusual ways of marketing. That's what this is," said Richard Orenstein, an executive vice president at Halstead Property who conducted a sealed-bid auction last month for a three-bedroom penthouse with a private elevator at 304 Spring Street.
Such auctions occurred on occasion during the boom years, but they are becoming more popular now as a way to help sellers to unload apartments quickly, said Orenstein, who noted that the auction last month was the first time in his 21 years as a broker that he sold an apartment through sealed bids.
"My sellers want me to close the deal," Orenstein said. "In today's market, where there are very few transactions, this is what we came up with as a solution to get it done."
In contrast to today's sealed-bid auctions, those of the boom years typically were used to help organize a pre-existing bidding war and often didn't have a minimum bid or a contract, said Stephen Kliegerman, executive director of development marketing at Halstead.
"It's the same process, but for opposite reasons," said Wendy Maitland, a senior vice president at Brown Harris Stevens who also accepted sealed bids last month for a 2,200-square-foot two-bedroom at the Majestic at 115 Central Park West.
Business of bidding
Sealed-bid auctions require potential buyers to submit their bids in writing by a certain date, at which point the seller chooses the most desirable offer.
Orenstein's Spring Street condo was originally listed in October 2007 for $9.25 million. A contract was signed for $7.8 million in August 2008, but when the market faltered in October, the buyer, a professional basketball player, backed out of the deal and gave up his $780,000 deposit. Although the home was recently appraised at $6.5 million, Orenstein said, the minimum bid for the auction was $4.995 million — nearly 25 percent below the appraised value.
Orenstein required bidders to pay a 10 percent deposit, which was refundable for everyone but the eventual buyer. The package also required a contract for the sale of the apartment signed in advance by the bidders, explained Kliegerman, whose team is marketing the entire building.
The seller, meanwhile, signed a contract guaranteeing that he would take the highest offer that met all the bidding requirements. The bidding for 304 Spring was scheduled to start at 5 p.m. on March 31 at the offices of the seller's attorney. Offers below the minimum bid would not be considered, said Kliegerman.
The idea for the auction, he said, is to build buzz both through the low price and the speed of the process.
"It certainly brings more attention to the property and creates a sense of urgency for buyers," he said, adding that the condo was shown only a few times before the auction.
The seller at 304 Spring Street is moving to Italy, said Orenstein, noting that sealed-bid auctions are effective for sellers who want to move as quickly as possible. "The bottom line is, these are people who really want to sell," he said.
The process also has proved successful at the low end of the market. Barak Dunayer, president of Barak Realty, said a sealed-bid auction can help distinguish a cookie-cutter listing. "You need to do something to stand out," he said.
Barak Realty recently auctioned off a one-bedroom at 100 Bennett Avenue in Washington Heights. Normally the property would go on the market for between $275,000 and $295,000, but the minimum bid was set at $125,000, said Dunayer. After receiving 28 offers, the listing went to contract in the high $200s.
Publicizing the auction in advance and holding only a few open houses, so that each one is crowded, is important, said Dunayer. "If [buyers] see 40 other people getting excited about the place, it has a big psychological effect on buyers," he said.
The process is slightly different at a co-op, where the highest bidder may not necessarily be approved by the board.
That's why Brown Harris Stevens' Maitland uses a strategy she calls the "highest and best" sealed-bid process.
The auction for her listing at 115 Central Park West was held over a five day-period last month with a minimum bid of $1.999 million, far less than the $3.75 million the unit originally was listed at in November. The buyer was not required to choose the bidder who submitted the highest amount, but instead was permitted to select the bidder with the best chance of being approved by the board. The co-op board at the building also required a 10 percent deposit, a cash payment of 50 percent of the purchase price and a net worth for buyers of three times the purchase price.
The sealed-bid process "provides a level of transparency and a time limit," said Maitland. "Sometimes those are the missing ingredients to making a transaction happen in this market."
Dollars on the table
Sealed-bid auctions aren't the best choice for every homeowner. For one thing, they require the seller to list their apartment for significantly less than comparable properties, said Maitland.
The home has to be priced aggressively in order to "pique people's curiosity and interest, so people will bid for it," said Orenstein.
Sellers who want to wring every last cent of their home's value from the purchase may prefer the traditional sale process, which allows them to play bidders off each other to increase the price.
Faster, sealed-bid auctions are "good for a seller who doesn't mind knowing that they may have left a few dollars on the table," said Kliegerman.
For brokers, sealed-bid auctions are more time-consuming than a regular listing, requiring them to field a large number of offers and sort through reams of paperwork.
More important, if sealed-bid auctions are used too frequently, they lose their effect. Dunayer recently held one at a two-bedroom at 120 Riverside Drive, setting the minimum bid at $995,000. After several rounds of bids, an offer of $1.4 million was accepted. But when the deal fell through because of a "lack of financing," said Dunayer, he put the apartment back on the market for $1.395 million.
"You only get one chance" to do an auction, he said, adding that "if a lot of people start doing this, it will lose its specialness."
Moreover, some co-op boards may not take kindly to a sealed-bid process, viewing anything that resembles an auction as "unseemly," said Aaron Shmulewitz, partner at real estate law firm Belkin Burden Wenig & Goldman.
While some co-op boards stipulate that live auctions may not take place in their buildings, it is entirely legal for co-ops to be auctioned off, whether through a sealed-bid process or a more traditional auction, though boards have the right to reject the highest bidder, he said.
"If an apartment is sold by sealed bid or auction, the board might have a sour taste in its mouth and be predisposed to reject the highest bidder," said Shmulewitz.
Sealed-bid auctions are popular with buyers, however, as they eliminate the negotiation process. The seller is "putting his bottom line out there publicly," said Maitland. "His cards are on the table."


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