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Chandran, Gopi R and Patil, KC (1990) A rapid combustion process for the preparation of crystalline mullite powders. In: Materials Letters, 10 (6). pp. 291-295.
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An aqueous heterogeneous redox mixture containing aluminium nitrate, silica fume (soot), and urea in appropriate mole ratio, when rapidly heated to $500^{\circ}C$, boils, foams and ignites with a flame to yield weakly crystalline mullite powder in less than 5 min. Fully crystalline mullite was obtained by incorporating an extra amount of oxidizer, such as ammonium perchlorate. The solid combustion products (mullite) were identified by X-ray powder diffraction and characterized by IR, particle size analysis, surface area measurements, and by SEM and TEM microscopies.
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|Copyright of this article belongs to Elsevier Science B.V.
|Division of Chemical Sciences > Inorganic & Physical Chemistry
|Depositing User:
|Srinivasa Naika
|Date Deposited:
|19 Nov 2007
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Dan and I haven't been feeling super well. Dan had a bad fever last night and couldn't sleep. This is odd because Dan never gets sick (good thing because I seem to catch everything.) I owe my friend Martha a huge apology for missing our morning walk (two days in a row) and to Susan because we had to cancel our hair appointments. SO SAD. But, we are spending our day getting Dan rested up. We're watching old Office episodes. That's the boring news on our end.
Dan, I hope you feel 100% by the end of the day.

subset: commoncrawl


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Chaotic Sword God - Chapter 1101
Chapter 1101: Invasion of the Hundred Races (One)
The elven elder completely disappeared from the world since his soul had already dissipated. Originally he could have left behind a complete body, but he turned into a pile of ash because he cast the secret technique.
"Old majesty…"
The elves in the hall all mourned as sorrow overwhelmed them.
Elder Yenson stood silently in tribute to the elf a little longer before quickly dismissing his emotions. He coldly said, "The protector clans have a total of six beast furs, and they are in the hands of the Shenxiao sect, the Potian sect, the Yangji sect, the Tyrant's Blade School, the Heavenly Incense School, and the Moyuan clan. We will split into eight parties. Two will go take the two beast furs that have not been claimed while the remaining six will attack the six protector clans. Remember to bring the forbidden artifacts to counter the Emperor Armaments of the protector clans.
"Mercenary City has the protection of a barrier spirit, so it's extremely tough. Once we obtain the six beast furs from the protector clans, we will work together to use the forbidden artifacts and break through the barrier spirit's defences."
In a medium-sized kingdom on the Tian Yuan Continent, a middle-aged man dressed as a mercenary sat all by himself at a table while he drank. His appearance was ordinary, the type where he would not raise any attention if he was thrown into a crowd. However, he radiated with a ferocious presence, deterring the other drinking mercenaries from approaching him.
Although the man was only an Earth Saint Master, he was considered one of the rare experts in a medium-sized city. No one was willing to provoke him easily.
Suddenly, the Space Ring on the man's finger began to glow with a blinding white light. A palm-sized piece of fur flew out and shot high into the sky, radiating with a vast energy. It fluttered in the wind, having enlarged to be ten meters across. The profound presence of the truths of the world radiated from the beast fur. They seemed like the mysteries of the world, but they were even more complicated and difficult to comprehend.
The white beast furs hid a huge secret. Jian Chen had only triggered some of the simple mysteries of the world hiding within them, allowing him to reach Saint Ruler. Currently, the beast fur had been fully activated, awakening all the secrets hidden inside.
Not only did the surrounding space violently tremble as the profound truths of the world radiated from the beast fur, but a strange ripple also expanded across the entire continent, and all the supreme experts of the continent could sense it.
An ancient clan stood in some ancient mountains. There was a similar, ten-meter-long beast fur floating in the air. It too radiated with the truths of the world, which were far more profound than the mysteries of the world, and coupled with it was a strange ripple that expanded across the continent.
Beside the beast fur was a Saint King floating in the air. He radiated with a blanketing presence. He wanted to put the beast fur away, but to his surprise, an invisible energy poured out of the beast fur and formed an independent domain that kept him away. He could not approach it even with his strength.
"Just what are the origins of this odd beast fur? What are the secrets hidden within it?" The Saint King growled as he felt panic-stricken inside. The beast fur had caused too great of a disturbance, and he worried that it would attract other great experts.
In the Pure Heart Pavilion of the protector clans—
The sect master Wu Chenzi stared into the distance with her steady eyes as she murmured, "The Hundred Races have actually cast the secret technique again in search of the fur from the Winged Tiger God. Sigh, it's very difficult for them to assemble all eighteen pieces, so why bother?"
The great elders that were currently cultivating in the Changyang clan snapped open their eyes at the same time. With a movement, they disappeared from their rooms, reappearing in the conference hall within the divine hall.
"Some heaven-defying treasure must have appeared on the Tian Yuan Continent. That's why there's such a great disturbance. I can actually feel the truths of the world that far exceed the mysteries of the world I have comprehended. Jueri, Zhenghua, the two of you might as well go out and have a look. It doesn't matter what the treasure is, you have to bring it back," Changyang Qing Yun sternly gave out orders.
Changyang Qing Jueri and Changyang Yuan Zhenghua nodded and left the protector clan together.
All the great elders within the Yangji sect had already gathered together. Yi Yangzi sat high up at the front as he sternly said, "You must have already sensed it as well. A strange ripple has actually expanded through the Tian Yuan Continent, and I can vaguely sense the profound truths of the world within it. It's difficult to comprehend even for me."
"The question is just what is this item that can cause such a great disturbance?" A great elder asked out of curiosity.
"It doesn't matter what it is, we need to go have a look. If its some peerless treasure, we need to use everything we can to take it for ourselves."
"Then let Tian Xuzi and me go have a look…" Two great elders immediately left the Yangji sect.
At the same time, Guihai Yidao who sat on top of the Emperor Armament in the forbidden grounds of the Tyrant's Blade School slowly opened his eyes. His eyes seemed to contain a whole different world, giving off an unfathomable feeling.
"This is a pulse of origin energy, though it's a pity that it's just the presence and not the actual thing. Otherwise, I could've used it to increase my strength." Reaching that point Guihai Yidao suddenly paused. A gleam of light flickered through his eyes, and he said with a deep voice, "No, there seems to be much more in there."
Guihai Yidao sensed it carefully. After a while, he became rather stern. He murmured, "My strength may be nowhere as great as before, but to trick me is still not easy. There's something hidden within the beast fur that even I cannot detect. Looks like his strength already exceeds me when I was at my peak. He has probably attained Godhood already. Only someone that powerful can kill a member of the warring gods.
"The fur of the Winged Tiger God is thorny object. Once dragged into it, you might even end up offending the people of the warring gods. The warring gods are people who reside at the top and have the potential to become Grand Primes. They're not people who a mere adventurer like me can afford to offend," Guihai Yidao mumbled to himself as deep fear filled his eyes.
The disturbance from the two beast furs attracted the ten protector clans. Other than the Pure Heart Pavilion and the Tyrant's Blade School, experts from the eight other clans were all mobilized in attempt to obtain this peerless treasure.
Quite a few large clans and organizations along with some ancient clans and experts who hid in desolate regions took part as well. They all traveled toward the two beast furs from various parts of the continent.
The middle-aged man with the beast fur could no longer bother with drinking anymore in the medium-sized city. He immediately leaped out from the tavern and stared at the ten-meter-long beast fur in shock. His expression was filled with excitement as he murmured, "Treasure, treasure, it really was a treasure. I'm rich now."
The beast fur fluttered several hundred meters in the wind as its terrifying ripples of energy alarmed everyone within the city. Immediately, a large number of mercenaries and merchants stepped out of their inns and stared at the sky in shock.
"Argh!" A long roar rang out from afar as an Earth Saint Master shot into the sky, flickering with bright Saint Force. He wanted to take the beast fur.
The mercenary originally in possession of the beast fur immediately fell into a rage when he saw this. He roared out furiously, "This is mine! Don't steal it from me!" With that, he drew his Saint Weapon. Saint Force surged out of his body as he charged toward the other Earth Saint Master. He wanted to obstruct him from taking the beast fur.
The two of them began to fight very quickly. Although there were no Heaven Saint Masters in the medium-sized city, there were quite a few Earth Saint Masters, far more than just the two of them. As the two of them fought on equal ground, another four Earth Saint Masters leaped high up into the air. They shot toward the sky and flickered with powerful energy.
However, the beast fur levitated at an altitude too high. It was several hundred meters up, and there was nothing in the surroundings that they could borrow to jump higher. It was impossible for them to achieve such an altitude with their strength as Earth Saint Masters, so the four of them fell down powerlessly once they broke an altitude of a hundred meters.
The Earth Saint Masters were all filled with an unwillingness to give in. No one wanted to give up on this treasure that they could tell was valuable with a single glance. They all roared out and used everything they had to jump once more. However, the highest they could reach was two hundred meters, still quite far from the beast fur.
"God dammit, why is it floating so high!?" An Earth Saint Master swore furiously. He was filled with a strong feeling of regret.
At this moment, the space in the sky began to wildly distort. A Space Gate suddenly appeared and two white-robed old men with raised eyebrows stepped out.
"They can rip through space to create Space Gates! They're Saint Kings!" A knowledgeable Earth Saint Master cried out. The appearance of the two old men immediately attracted everyone's attention.
All the people in the city immediately fell silent when they heard the words Saint King. A dead silence filled the entire city as everyone glanced at the two old men together. Their eyes were filled with deep admiration and curiosity.
Saint Kings were existences that stood at the apex of the Tian Yuan Continent. Not only were their numbers extremely few on the Tian Yuan Continent, it was difficult for an ordinary people to come across one even within a span of a thousand years. These experts, without a doubt, were like gods to the mercenaries and merchants of the lowest level. They stood at the very top and were dignified and divine.


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Experience Authentic Provence
Curious about in the ins and outs of working in a market in Provence?
Do you want to taste the best Provencal ingredients and find out how they're made?
Would you like to eat breakfast at the market with the stallholders?
Book a foodie market tour with me!
Benefit from my Insider Experience
After two years of waking up early, driving to various locations all around Provence, heaving out of the truck gas bottles, setting up wonky tables, sourcing ingredients from the other stalls, making stuffed tomatoes from scratch in blistering hot weather or freezing Mistral wind, learning the hard way all the banter and French slang that comes with such a job, and eventually becoming a seasoned market worker, I'm still in love with markets.


text: Commitment May 27, 2014 Every couple has a love story. Some start in high school and some blossom at 60. It's not every day you get to watch your Pap fall in love. My Pap did, and to a wonderful lady I have grown to love and call Grandma. Miriam was a school teacher who wrote birthday cards to all the children in her church. I received one every year growing up. (that's when my love for letters started) I never dreamt 15 years later she would become my Grandma. Sometimes I wonder how she could come into such a large family with lots of us Grandkids. But she did; excepted us all and stole our hearts. I'll always treasure these photos. We took them in Pap's favorite place on earth: his cherry orchard in the spring. « Rest.Daddy and Me-Pa photographer » Show Hide 2 comments Add a comment... Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked * Post Comment BeckyMay 28, 2014 - 2:13 am Beautiful, so happy for you! May God Bless You Both:)ReplyCancel priscillaJune 16, 2014 - 2:48 am love this!ReplyCancel


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published April 18, 2012
The Super Psyche
by GAVIN EDWARDS
Grant Morrison is the leading writer of superhero comic books in this universe—and possibly some others. At DC Comics he rebooted Justice League of America into a best-seller. At Marvel he did the same for X-Men. When his magnum opus, The Invisibles—a series about voodoo, time travel and the Marquis de Sade—was in danger of being canceled, he mobilized his fans in an unusual way: He exhorted them to participate in a worldwide magic spell by masturbating on Thanksgiving Day. Yes, he held a "wankathon." It worked—or at least sales of The Invisibles improved.
If Morrison's personal history includes magic, wild experiments with consciousness-tweaking substances and reported alien visitations, why does he keep writing about square-jawed guys with capes? "We're running out of visions of the future except dystopias," Morrison says. "The superhero is Western culture's last-gasp attempt to say there's a future for us." Sitting in his drafty house overlooking Loch Long, an hour outside his hometown of Glasgow, the 52-year-old writer smiles. "The creators of superheroes were all freaks," he says. "People forget that—they were all outcasts, on the margins of society." And then, inevitably, he shifts from the third person to the first. "We're people who don't fit into normal society."
All the more reason comic book writers have offered a fascinating perspective on mainstream society. We asked Morrison to dig deep into his shaved head, where heroes, antiheroes, magic and punk rock make a frothy metaphysical milkshake. Who are these—to use the title of Morrison's most recent book—supergods? And why have they captured the imagination of the masses, some of them for generations? Herewith, an exploration deep into the psyche of the superhuman.
First appearance: Action Comics #1 (DC Comics, 1938).
Created by: Jerry Siegel, art by Joe Shuster.
Grant Morrison version: His definitive take was in the 12 issues of All-Star Superman (2006–2008).
Morrison: "When Superman was created during the Great Depression, he was the champion of the oppressed and fought on the side of the working man. He was lawless. If you were a wife beater, he'd throw you out the window. If you were a corrupt congressman, he'd swing you from the rooftops until you confessed. I think it appealed to people who were losing their jobs to machines: Suddenly you had Superman wrecking machines and punching robots. But his popularity has declined—nobody wants to be the son of a farmer now. American writers often say they find it difficult to write Superman. They say he's too powerful; you can't give him problems. But Superman is a metaphor. For me, Superman has the same problems we do, but on a Paul Bunyan scale. If Superman walks the dog, he walks it around the asteroid belt because it can fly in space. When Superman's relatives visit, they come from the 31st century and bring some hellish monster conqueror from the future. But it's still a story about your relatives visiting."
First appearance: Detective Comics #27 (DC Comics, 1939).
Created by: Bill Finger, art by Bob Kane (disputed).
Grant Morrison version: He's been writing overlapping Batman series for DC since 2006.
Morrison: "I got interested in the class element of Batman: He's a rich man who beats up poor people. It's quite a bizarre mission to go out at night dressed as a bat and punch the hell out of junkies. And then he goes home and lives in this mansion. There's an aspirational quality to him—he's an outlaw and he can buy anything. He has a new Batmobile every movie. He's very plutonian in the sense that he's wealthy and also in the sense that he's sexually deviant. Gayness is built into Batman. I'm not using gay in the pejorative sense, but Batman is very, very gay. There's just no denying it. Obviously as a fictional character he's intended to be heterosexual, but the basis of the whole concept is utterly gay. I think that's why people like it. All these women fancy him and they all wear fetish clothes and jump around rooftops to get to him. He doesn't care—he's more interested in hanging out with the old guy and the kid."
First appearance: All Star Comics #8 (DC Comics, 1941).
Created by: William Moulton Marston, art by Harry G. Peter.
Grant Morrison version: He's currently working on a stand-alone Wonder Woman graphic novel for DC.
Morrison: "William Moulton Marston, the guy who created Wonder Woman, was a noted psychiatrist. He's the guy who invented the polygraph, the lie detector. He was one of those bohemian free-love guys; he and his wife, Elizabeth, shared a lover, Olive, who was the physical model for Wonder Woman. What he and Elizabeth did was to consider an Amazonian society of women that had been cut off from men for 3,000 years. That developed along the lines of Marston's most fevered fantasies into a lesbian utopia. Although they're supposedly a peace-loving culture, all these supergirls' pursuits seem to revolve around fighting one another, and this mad, ritualistic stuff where girls dress as stags and get chased and tied up and eaten symbolically on a banquet table. The whole thing was lush with bondage and slavery. Wonder Woman was constantly being tied up or shackled—and it was hugely successful. When Marston died in 1947, they got rid of the pervy elements, and instantly sales plummeted. Wonder Woman should be the most sexually attractive, intelligent, potent woman you can imagine. Instead she became this weird cross between the Virgin Mary and Mary Tyler Moore that didn't even appeal to girls."
First appearance: The Invisibles #1 (Vertigo, 1994).
Created by: Grant Morrison, art by Steve Yeowell. The Invisibles ran on and off from 1994 to 2000.
Morrison: "When I was writing The Invisibles, I thought, If I'm going to be sitting in the house writing all day, then on weekends I want to look like this cool comic character so more girls will like me. I shaved my head and dressed more like King Mob. It was an art thing, and it was also an occult thing. I could make things happen by putting King Mob through certain things in the comic, like a voodoo doll. If he met a certain girl, three weeks later she would turn up in my life. It became hard to tell his life and my life apart. It got out of control—I ended up in the hospital because of it. In the comic, King Mob's cheek is eaten away by something; within three months, I'd gotten an infection that ate right through my cheek. I was conjuring these scorpion gods, and I got stung by them. That's not to say scorpion gods are real, but you can make things happen by believing in them hard enough."
First appearance: Batman #1 (DC Comics, 1940).
Created by: Bill Finger, art by Bob Kane, concept possibly provided by Jerry Robinson.
Grant Morrison version: Many appearances in various overlapping Batman series for DC (since 2006).
Morrison: "I identify with the Joker to a certain extent—at least the way I write him, which is as this cosmic fool. He's Batman's perfect opposite, and because of that he's as sexy as Batman, if not more so. When the Joker was introduced in 1940, he was a scowling homicidal maniac. Then they took out the violence and death, and he became the chuckling clown, driving around in his Joker-mobile. Then he was the giggling mental-patient version from the TV show: Cesar Romero with his mustache covered in greasepaint. Suddenly in the 1970s he was killing his henchmen again. And in the 1980s he was a gender-bending transvestite. I said, Okay, we've had all these varied versions of the Joker. Let's say it's the same person who just changes his head every day. I rationalized that by saying he's supersane, the first man of the 21st century who's dealing with this overload of information by changing his entire personality. I quite like him, because he's a pop star—he's like Bowie."
First appearance: The Invisibles #1 (Vertigo, 1994). Created by: Grant Morrison.
Morrison: "In Kathmandu there's this temple with 365 steps, one for each day of the year, and apparently if you can go up in a single breath, you're guaranteed enlightenment. It's easy to do if you're young and fit. I just took a deep breath and ran up. Three days later I was visited by five-dimensional aliens. (I'd eaten a bit of hash, but honestly, it wasn't a drug trip. I ate a lot of things afterward to see if I could make it happen again, and I never could.) I was in this azure blue space, and there were grid lines of silver flashing through it, but the beings looked like chrome blobs. And they were just moving about, plugging into these grids and exchanging information. I saw the entire universe from beginning to end: You had Shakespeare over here and the dinosaurs over here. Time became space, and I was bigger than both of them. Later I put that in The Invisibles and called it the Supercontext."
First appearance: The Invisibles #2 (Vertigo, 1994). Created by: Grant Morrison, art by Steve Yeowell.
Morrison: "When I was doing The Invisibles, I was spending all my money from Arkham Asylum [Morrison's hit graphic novel about Batman's enemies] doing all the things I'd never done as a Presbyterian boy. You freak out, take tons of drugs. It was about the systematic derangement of the senses, as Rimbaud said. So I came up with the notion of an alter ego who was a dodgy, freaky girl [Lord Fanny, pictured]. I can't smoke tobacco— it hurts—but she could. I created this persona, and I'd contact demons and wander down streets in this ridiculous state. I didn't look like a girl, but I looked like a good tranny, so it was okay. I did it for four or five years before I got too old for it. I still have some of the clothes, but they mostly got destroyed doing insane rituals and climbing hills in high heels and stuff."
First appearance: X-Men #1 (Marvel, 1963).
Created by: Stan Lee, art by Jack Kirby.
Grant Morrison version: Morrison's run on X-Men lasted from 2001 to 2004.
Morrison: "Magneto's an old terrorist bastard. I got into trouble—the X-Men fans hated me because I made him into a stupid old drug-addicted idiot. He had started out as this sneering, grim terrorist character, so I thought, Well, that's who he really is. [Writer] Chris Claremont had done a lot of good work over the years to redeem the character: He made him a survivor of the death camps and this noble antihero. And I went in and shat on all of it. It was right after 9/11, and I said there's nothing fucking noble about this at all."
First appearance: The Brave and the Bold #28 (DC Comics, 1960).
Created by: Gardner Fox, art by Mike Sekowsky.
Grant Morrison version: Morrison revived the JLA for DC from 1997 to 2000.
Morrison: "The Justice League is like the pantheon of Greek gods. Hermes made more sense to me as the Flash. Wonder Woman means so much more to me than Hera or Aphrodite. I could make a much quicker connection with the archetype of Zeus in the form of Superman. Aquaman is Poseidon, of course. Batman is Hades, the god of the underworld. People like Aleister Crowley have written down rituals for summoning Hermes, because if you want to contact the spirit of magic, you've got to talk to Hermes. But doing magic, I would use the characters from the comics because they meant more to me. Because I do magic all the time, it's part of my normal life. I know for most people it's outlandish and impossible. So I tell people that if you are truly skeptical, do the rituals and prove to yourself that it doesn't work. And you'll get the shock of your life."


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State Legislators
Entrepreneur Tom Golisano Endorses National Popular Vote
Chicago Sun-Times
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Los Angeles Times
Sacramento Bee
The Columbian
Wichita Falls Times
Anderson Herald Bulletin
Fayetteville Observer
Boston Globe
Hartford Courant
The Tennessean
Daily Astorian
Sarasota Herald Tribune
Miami Herald
Connecticut Post
Redding Searchlight
MetroWest Daily News
San Jose Mercury News
Philadelphia Inquirer
York Daily Record
Every Vote Equal:
A State-Based Plan For Electing The President By National Popular Vote
Read book FREE
With forewords from:
- John B. Anderson (R,I–IL)
- Birch Bayh (D–IN)
- John Buchanan (R–AL)
- Tom Campbell (R–CA)
- Greg Aghazarian (R–CA)
- Saul Anuzis (R–MI)
- Laura Brod (R–MN)
- James L. Brulte (R–CA)
- Tom Golisano (R,I–FL)
- Joseph Griffo (R–NY)
- Ray Haynes (R–CA)
- Bob Holmes (D–GA)
- Dean Murray (R–NY)
- Tom Pearce (R–MI)
- Christopher Pearson (P–VT)
Fox Interview
CBS Video
Popular Vote
Class Election
Birch Bayh (D–IN)
John Buchanan (R–AL)
Tom Campbell (R–CA)
Tom Downey (D–NY)
D. Durenberger (R–MN)
Jake Garn (R–UT)
Alaska - 70%
Arizona - 78%
Arkansas - 80%
Arkansas - 74%
California - 69%
California - 70%
Colorado - 68%
Connecticut - 73%
Connecticut - 74%
Delaware - 75%
Dist. of Columbia - 76%
Florida - 78%
Georgia - 74%
Kentucky - 80%
Idaho - 77%
Iowa - 75%
Maine - 77%
Maine - 71%
Massachusetts - 73%
Michigan - 70%
Michigan - 73%
Minnesota 75%
Mississippi - 77%
Missouri - 66%
Missouri - 70%
Missouri - 75%
Montana - 72%
Nebraska - 74%
Nevada - 72%
New Hampshire - 69%
New Mexico - 76%
New York - 79%
North Carolina - 74%
Ohio - 70%
Oklahoma - 81%
Oklahoma - 75%
Oregon - 76%
Pennsylvania - 78%
Rhode Island - 74%
South Carolina - 71%
South Dakota - 75%
South Dakota - 71%
Tennessee - 74%
Utah - 70%
Vermont - 75%
Virginia - 74%
Washington - 77%
Washington - 77%
West Virgina - 81%
Wisconsin - 71%
Wyoming - 69%
California Senate
California Assembly
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Colorado Senate
Connecticut House
Delaware House
Dist. of Columbia
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Illinois Senate
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Vermont House
Vermont Senate
Washington House
Washington Senate
The method of electing presidents in our country is outmoded and unfair.
The Electoral College system, set up by the Founding Fathers was enacted to ensure that in a small, fledgling country, people would not be disenfranchised by an all-powerful central government [an argument still being heard].
The question then was how to choose a president without political parties, which weren't trusted; without national campaigns, which were impractical in the 18th century; and without upsetting the carefully crafted balance between the presidency and Congress and between the states and the federal government.
But the original College lasted only through the first four presidential elections, done in by the rise of political parties. In the presidential election of 1800, Electors gave Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr [both in the same party] an equal number of electoral votes. The tie was resolved by the House of Representatives in Jefferson's favor — but only after 36 tries and considerable politicking. Since this sort of thing was what the Electoral College was supposed to prevent, Congress and the states quickly adopted the 12th Amendment to the Constitution in 1804, which requires that each Elector cast one vote for president and a separate vote for vice president rather than casting two votes for president with the runner-up being made vice president. The 12th Amendment also stipulates that if no one receives an absolute majority of electoral votes for president, then the House of Representatives will select the president, among other provisions.
Over the years, however, the reasons for maintaining the Electoral College have faded into the mists of history. The move to change the system to a popular vote gained traction after the 2000 presidential election, when Democrat Al Gore won the popular vote, only to lose the Electoral College. After numerous challenges, recounts, and finally court decisions, George W. Bush was elected president.
Four years later, Bush won 3 million more popular votes than his Democratic challenger, John Kerry — but if Kerry had won just 60,000 more votes in Ohio, the Democrat would have taken the White House by winning the Electoral College.
For those reasons, and more, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Monday making California the eighth state supporting the drive to hand the electoral votes of all participating states to the presidential candidate who wins the most votes nationwide.
Currently, California's 55 electoral votes go to the person who wins the most votes in the state. But under the new law, the state's votes could go to another candidate, although the law would make it impossible for a candidate to be elected president without winning the national popular vote.
It's unlikely the system will change before the 2016 election, since states representing a majority of electoral votes — 270 out of 538 — have to sign on; so far, the eight states and the District of Columbia, which also supports the effort, comprise 132 votes.
This is a proposal overdue for adoption — and not just because the Electoral College is an archaic vestige of a time when 13 states made up the union.
What has happened is that presidential candidates only campaign in a relatively few states where Electoral College votes are up for grabs.
Since California, by far the largest state, is heavily Democratic in party registration, candidates write it off.
Thus a voter in Ohio, almost always a battleground state, has a lot more sway with the possible next president than one in California, whose 17 million registered voters rarely see presidential nominees.
Indeed, just about the only time candidates come here is to raise money.
No Republicans signed on to the legislation — mainly because the party, already a distinct minority in California, fears Democrats will pour money into the state if the system changes.
Maybe — but as Californians, why wouldn't we want to see the next president talking to voters about issues that matter in our state such as federal spending on infrastructure, immigration and ocean protection?
This won't happen, however, unless the Electoral College is scrapped and presidents are elected by popular vote.


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Ferdinand Oyono, Kasongo Mulenda Kapanga
Ferdinand Oyono, Kasongo Mulenda Kapanga
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Faculty Publications
Ferdinand Oyono was a Cameroonian statesman and a Francophone novelist of the first generation of African writers who became active after World War II. He entered the literary scene at a time when writers such as his fellow Cameroonian Mongo Beti and the Senegalese Sembene Ousmane and Leopold Sedar Senghor were at their peak. Oyono and Mongo Beti are known as "the forefathers of modern African Identity" for their anticolonial novels.


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NAIROBI (Reuters) - President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday urged Kenyans abroad to help woo tourists by reassuring people the country was safe despite a wave of militant attacks, hitting back at travel advisories that have further harmed the lucrative sector.
Kenya's tourism industry has been battered by the attacks by the Somali Islamist group al Shabaab, including a siege at Nairobi's upmarket Westgate mall in late 2013 that left 67 dead and deadly attacks near the Somali border.
Speaking at the Kenya Diaspora Easter Investment Conference in the capital Nairobi, Kenyatta said Kenyans living abroad should act as "frontline diplomats" lobbying for the country's safari parks and Indian Ocean beaches.
"The travel advisories being issued by our friends are not genuine," Kenyatta said. "I have not heard of any travel advisory issued to those visiting Paris, which recently experienced a terror attack."
Seventeen people were killed in Islamist attacks on a satirical magazine and a Jewish foodstore in Paris in January.
Kenya's government has repeatedly criticized the travel warnings, saying they emboldened attackers and did not reflect its success in preventing attacks.
Last week, Australia warned its citizens traveling to Kenya that militants might be planning an attack in Nairobi. Britain, without mentioning any specific threats, has toughened its warning to say citizens should avoid most Indian Ocean resorts including the coast's main airport at Mombasa.
Other Western countries, including the United States, issued advisories for citizens traveling to Kenya last year.
The investment conference also saw Kenyatta peppered with questions about efforts to rout out corruption, which critics say has blighted Kenya's image, scared off investors and undermined its national security.
On Tuesday, Kenya's anti-corruption watchdog released a report outlining allegations of graft involving 175 officials, including cabinet ministers, governors and members of parliament.
Kenyatta, who has promised to make the fight against graft a personal priority, has called on all of those named in the report to step aside pending the outcome of the investigation.
"What other better way for you to prove you are not guilty other than stepping aside?" Kenyatta told the conference.
Reporting by Edith Honan; Additional reporting by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Alison Williams


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Liam Knight is the co-founder of the White Knight Foundation which aims to assist young victims of youth violence and their families. As a victim himself, he was determined to prevent similar acts of violence from occurring and worked alongside his brother Shane to design a program that not only assists the injured, but creates educational programs that targets the youth before they begin to go out. By arming kids with information, as well as showing them the reality of senseless actions, the White Knight Foundation aims to target the grassroots of schools as a preventive approach to these issues.
Liam has presented to thousands of students, raised and donated thousands of dollars to assist others and was a 2016 NSW Young Australian of the Year finalist for the work he has done.


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Actor and comedian Harry Anderson, of "Night Court" fame, has died at the age of 65 at his home in Asheville, North Carolina, police confirmed.
"This morning at 6:41 a.m., the Asheville Police Department responded to the home of actor Harry Anderson, where he was found deceased," the police department's public affairs officer Christina Hallingse told THR.
"No foul play is suspected."
Anderson, who was also a magician, was probably best known as Judge Harry Stone on the 1980s sitcom "Night Court."
He also appeared on "Cheers," "Saturday Night Live" and "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," among other shows.
>> Related: Beyoncé donates $100,000 to historically black colleges in several states
Anderson was born in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1952 and leaves behind two children.
WSOCTV.com contributed to this report.
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Instead of going out for New Year's, I suggested we make our own feast from scratch, but a cuisine we don't often make at home. The decision was Thai. We love Thai food, but rarely cook it at home, unless it's from a bought paste. So we each chose a couple of dishes to make.
I chose a cucumber salad, chick pea curry, chilli pumpkin & snow peas and coconut sticky rice topped with passionfruit and strawberries for dessert. Steve chose Chinese mushrooms in red sauce and spicy fried tofu.
It was a busy day in the kitchen getting prepared. I jumped in first, while Steve was visiting a friend, since most of mine was more suited for being prepared in advance. It was sheer willpower that stopped me from eating it on the spot – the freshness and flavour combinations were fantastic!
Steve made the red curry paste for the mushroom dish the night before, and it was sooooo much nicer than any bought paste we've ever tried.
This idea inspired another, one that I hope I'll stick to, and that is to travel the world in my kitchen during 2015 by focusing on a different cuisine each month. Don't expect it to be too authentic though! I don't expect a lot of the more unusual ingredients to be readily available here in regional Australia, so it'll be a more of a fusion using locally available ingredients.
First up, I'm going to stick with Thai, and if our New Year feast was anything to go by, I'm looking forward to making and eating lots of different Thai dishes during January.


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Denise Khalid
The goal of the Forest Hill School community is to prepare all students to be self-directed, resourceful problem solvers who reach their highest academic potential and are prepared for the future with the skills, flexibility, and confidence to succeed.
I believe all children deserve to attend a safe, enriching and supportive school, which strives to inspire a passion for learning.
Please feel free to contact me with your questions or concerns. To make an appoinment, please contact our front office at (408) 364-4279.


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We can put up posters and charts and show YouTube videos of the design process, but I have had the most success at guiding third and fourth graders through it with this original "EduProtocol".
The EduProtocol Field Guide: 16 Student-Centered Lesson Frames for Infinite Learning Possibilities.
Whether you are teaching kids how to form complex sentences or how to properly compare and contrast, protocols work. Having been inspired by Jon and Marlena's work, I have developed this road map for students to navigate the design process steps in terms that make sense to them and requires them to think critically along the way.
Our elementary STEM program focuses on the Next Generation Engineering standards and this protocol drives student attention to the these three standards.
Students who demonstrate understanding can:
•3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
•3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
•3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
Students must start with a driving question, consider available materials as well as constraints and limitations. From there a prototype is sketched and a test is planned. Once the actual object is built it is tested and results are analyzed with students looking for points of failure. The process repeats itself as students get to work on correcting the points of failure, redesigning their prototypes and testing all over again.
So far with my third and fourth graders, I am seeing a whole new level of focus. In the past, despite all of my best efforts to make it serious and scientific, a project like building gliders from straws and grocery bags felt more like crafting than engineering. That has definitely changed with the protocol as time must be deliberately spent on reflection and analysis. With the gliders, utilizing the elements of flight became more important than how rad your glider looked.
Additional attention beyond the protocol is given to learning about variables and testing, as well as evaluating multiple design options. Protocols are in the works for those as well as I am struggling to really develop understanding of those aspects in my students. (Update: just launched a protocol for understanding and using variables)
Here is the design protocol. The first page is the starter and then multiple copies of the second page are used for each additional generation of the design. This allows our young engineers to track their adjustments over time, but also forces them to really consider why adjustments are being made and how they will know those changes made a difference.
A Google Slides version is available here for you to view, download as PDF, or make a copy and tweak as you would like. If you share it, great! A mention is appreciated but please don't sell it.
Design Process Student Protocol by Andy Losik is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at mrlosik.com.
Check out the latest resources and thoughts on teaching from Google Certified Innovator and Apple Distinguished Educator Andy Losik
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Simplify Teaching the Design Process with an "EduProtocol"
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What to Consider When Shopping Valentine's Day Jewelry?
Valentine's Day shopping is something most people do each year in preparation for February 14. Cupid is ready to strike, and your spouse, sweetheart or special someone might be expecting a Valentine's Day gift, or you just might surprise them. Either way, it's helpful to know where to begin and a jewelry gift is always a great beginning. From there, you only need to answer 3 simple questions: the who, the why and the what.
Who Should Receive Valentines Day Jewelry?
Who do you love? Who is a special friend or family member? Who is that one person you really want to make an impression on? The answer to those questions is the same answer to who should receive Valentine's Day jewelry gift. Each important person in your life would be thrilled to get a visit from Cupid. Don't you think?
Why Should I Give a Special Piece of Jewelry?
The origin of St. Valentine, and the day associated with his name, goes back thousands of years and is still shrouded in mystery. However, the holiday first began to be associated with romantic love in the 14th century. Today millions celebrate 2/14 by giving thoughtful gifts to those they love. While cards and candy and flowers are among those, the gift of fine jewelry makes a lasting keepsake that comes straight from your heart. And your gift recipient will be able to take that thoughtful expression with them everywhere. And always!
Valentine's Day Gift Guide: What to Give?
So now that you've answered the who and the why, we're down the most important question: the what? Valentine's Day rings, diamond earrings or a diamond bracelet certainly make sparkling statements. Or how about a birthstone pendant necklace for Mom or grandma? Perhaps a personalized jewelry gift for your husband or boyfriend, complete with his engraved initials or a special message. There are even unique jewelry designs celebrating significant relationships like sons, daughters, granddaughters and sisters. We have the perfect Valentine's Day gift to answer "the what" and are excited for you to discover that for yourself. Shop Now!


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Corona Secondary School Agbara Estate today held its graduation ceremony of 2014. The ceremony which had in attendance members of the Corona Schools' Trust Council, members of staff, old students of the school and several dignitaries started at the scheduled time of 10 am and was held at the school's premises in the serene Agbara Estate
The ceremony which was themed Manifesting the promise saw the students carting away various awards for their academic achievements, the highest award of the day - Valedictorian of the class of 2014 – was presented to Miss Melody Nduka-Nwosu.
I say congratulations to the graduating students as well as their parents and wish them all the best in their future academic pursuits.
See pictures from the ceremony after the cut.


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Officials at LRGHealthcare, the parent of Lakes Region General and Franklin Regional hospitals, say they are pleased with a decision by the New Hampshire Supreme Court that upholds a lower court ruling preventing the state from using a $110 million surplus in the Joint Underwriting Association's medical malpractice fund.
Granite State Democrats are panning the 3-2 Supreme Court decision, which was released Thursday morning, while Republicans and plaintiffs, including LRGHealthcare, are applauding it.
Last year, in an effort to plug a hole in the Fiscal Year 2009 state budget, Gov. John Lynch contended that the state could use the JUA money, but a Belknap County Superior Court justice disagreed, prompting the state's appeal to the Supreme Court.
"As we expected, the decision dealt with whether the contracts (between healthcare providers and the JUA) would be honored and whether the money belonged to the state or not and I think that, basically, the decision only goes so far as to say that it's not the state's money," said Henry Lipman, who is LRGHealthcare's executive vice president/chief financial officer.
He said that it'll be up to the JUA itself to decide whether policyholders like LRGHealthcare are entitled to a return of any of their premiums or the application of surplus funds to future premiums. In recent years, according to Lipman, LRGHealthcare and its medical affiliates have paid about a quarter of the JUA's annual premiums.
"The important thing here is that we'll have a strong JUA, which is good for the recruitment and retention of physicians in our state which benefits everybody," Lipman said.
Lynch called the Supreme Court decision "very disappointing," adding that the two dissenting justices' opinion "correctly highlights the majority's misapplication of the law."
"But even without the JUA funds, we will continue to responsibly manage the state budget and ensure that it is balanced. The current budget counted on about $22 million a year from the JUA for 2010 and 2011, which is less than one percent of our state general fund budget," said Lynch, adding that the Departments of Justice and Insurance "will be reviewing other legal options for the future regarding the Joint Underwriting Association."
Attorneys Kevin Fitzgerald and Scott O'Connell, who along with fellow litigation partner Gordon MacDonald of the Manchester office of Nixon Peabody LLP, made oral arguments to the Supreme Court on behalf of their clients, including LRGHealthcare, said the high court made its decision based on the plain language of the contract between the JUA and its policyholders.
Fitzgerald said that within 10 days the state can ask for a "re-argument, but then it's over," explaining that the New Hampshire Supreme Court "decided this solely on state constitutional grounds," which means the matter cannot be brought to the U.S. Supreme Court.
As to the state's assertions that the JUA, which was established in 1978 under the auspices of the N.H. Insurance Department and provides medical professional liability insurance "to any health care provider who seeks coverage" — should be changed to permit use of future JUA surpluses, Fitzgerald said that was fine. But "the problem here," he said, is that the state was seeking to change the rules "after the contracts were entered."
He predicted that it was unlikely that the state would seek a re-argument, adding that if that did occur, he and his partners, on behalf of more than 250 plaintiffs in all, would point out where "there are aspects of the minority opinion that are in error."
Lipman said the Supreme Court decision upheld the sanctity of contracts while strengthening the JUA, which is "good for the providers as well as the public."
"It was a close decision and I think that the majority went with the common and plain reading of the contract," said Lipman, whereas the court's minority opinion was "a much more complicated reading."
State Rep. Terie Norelli, D-Portsmouth, who is Speaker of the House, disputed that view, saying in a prepared statement that she and her colleagues "...continue to believe that transferring the excess funds from the state-created medical malpractice insurance program to support public access to health care was good public policy."
State Rep. Marjorie Smith, D-Durham, chair of the House Finance Committee, said, "While we would have preferred the decision to support the state's position, we will, nonetheless, continue to the best of our ability to support programs that provide access to health care and to meet all the other obligations we have to the citizens of New Hampshire."
House Republican Leader Sherm Packard (R-Londonderry), said he wasn't surprised that the Supreme Court "affirmed the fact that state government shouldn't be raiding private accounts to balance out-of-control budgets."
He said Democrats, who control the governor's office, the executive council and both the state House and Senate, "have been irresponsible over the last two biennium in trying to find new revenue rather than addressing their over-spending."
Former New Hampshire Governor and Republican State Committee Chairman John H. Sununu said it wasn't surprising that "the Supreme Court did the right thing and blocked Governor Lynch's attempted theft of the JUA surplus funds. The court's decision confirms that the Democrats' reckless, irresponsible budget is an absolute disaster for the State of New Hampshire."
Ray Buckley, the New Hampshire Democratic Party chairman, shot back that Sununu, as "the only governor in New Hampshire history to have a deficit two years running," was "in no position to lecture anyone about fiscal responsibility."
"In the worst recession since the Great Depression, Gov. Lynch and legislative Democrats made the tough choices necessary to pass a responsible and balanced budget," Buckley said. "While we disagree with the State Supreme Court's ruling in the JUA case, it does nothing to change the fact that Democrats balanced the FY2009 budget and will do the same in FY2010 and FY2011."
Supreme Court rejects state's claim to JUA fund
Officials at LRGHealthcare, the parent of Lakes Region General and Franklin Regional hospitals, say they are pleased with a decision by the New Hampshire Supreme Court that upholds a lower court ruling preventing the state from using a $110 million surplus in the Joint Underwriting Association's medical malpractice fund.


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Our bar has been completely refurbished, in a way which is consistent with our overall aim to use the best of Cumbrian product, skills and natural materials. The bar renovation uses Kirkstone Brathay slate, Cumbrian oak and an intricate basket light, weaved with willow harvested near Cockermouth. The interior has been crafted by local artisans for a stylish, natural and authentic feel - all overseen by design consultancy Other Works.
It main features are:
A five metre long curved slate bar top, etched with contour lines tracing surrounding lakes and fells. This one-off item of deep blue slate was quarried and etched to order by Gordon Greaves Ltd in Ambleside. The intricate pattern was created using the mill's state-of-the-art cutting equipment.
Handcrafted Cumbrian oak display cabinets, sustainably sourced and crafted by DF Furniture & Timber in Bothel.
A unique hand weaved, metre-wide basket light, using sustainable Welsh willow, grown and harvested yards from the workshop of traditional basket weaver Phil Bradley, to create ambient, intimate lighting over the seating area.
Ten bar stools designed by Other Works, inspired by the Arts and Crafts era, prevalent at the time the hotel was built in 1909.
The stools were hand-made from Cumbrian oak by Pippa Murray, Rhianon Morgan-Hatch with Paul Burke in his workshop in Thackthwaite near Penrith. They learned steam bending skills from top steam bender Charlie Whinney, of Staveley, south Cumbria. The hotel logo is etched into the back of each stool and defined in graphite.
The bar is fully licensed, and is well stocked with a selection of local bottled ales, beers and lagers, and a fine choice of carefully selected wines and champagnes. Our malt whisky and local gin list is impressive and still growing.
All in all, its a wonderful space for great conversation over a refreshing drink after a good day out.
- On-site light refreshments
- Postbox
- Accepts groups
The Leathes Head Hotel


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Turn your friends on to an Italian ritual - La Spaghettata di Mezzanotte (Midnight Spaghetti Party).
A selection of Italian Cheeses.
Choose your favorite aged or fresh cheeses in a local specialty store. Arrange them in wedges on a wooden cutting board.
Primi Piatti:
Crostini with Tuscan Pate and Bruschetta with Tomatoes and Garlic
An assortment of appetizer-like dishes that will prepare guests for the next dish.
Click here for Bruschetta recipe
Click here for Crostini recipe
Secondi Piatti:
Spaghetti All'Amatriciana
The classic Spaghetti recipe with a twist.
Click here for recipe
Jam Tart
A simple yet tasty tart dish. The crust can be made ahead of time.
Click here for recipe
To ensure that your Spaghettata has a festive, Italian flare, here are some helpful tips:
- Dim the lights and place candles on the table and around the room.
- Have your friends bring some Italian music to set the mood; Opera to Pop - anything will do.
- If you have a large enough space, serve aperitivo and the crostini in the kitchen so that you can hang out with your friends while the pasta is cooking.
- Pour some Vino (may we suggest Remole?) and have fun!


text: The history of windows is an interesting study, but perhaps even more so is the history of stained glass windows. Used as a form of art in churches and other places, stained glass gives us glimpses into the periods of time when Gothic and Renaissance architecture flourished. Stained glass windows are basically a type of mosaic, made up of pieces of colored glass and fit together to form a design. The pieces are traditionally joined by thin lead strips. The colored glass is made either by … [Read more...]


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Item # SNZ00HH
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Note: Actual inseam is not the same as pant inseam.How to measure
Recommended Size
We recommend a size in this bike.
Our size calculator is a starting point for finding the right size for you. To get personal advice talk to one of our fit experts at 1.888.276.7130 or chat now
Tame any trail.
The Santa Cruz Hightower Carbon CC XO1 Eagle Complete Mountain Bike is designed for the aggressive trail rider seeking one bike that'll shred pretty much any stretch of singletrack that lies before you, regardless if you're pedaling deep into the Colorado Rockies or ripping through the thick forests of Northern Vermont's famed Kingdom Trails. It's one of the most versatile 29ers on the marketplace, allowing you to experience the widest breadth of riding locations without it being too much bike on tamer trails or conversely, being outgunned when the trail turns steep and rocky. For the 2019 model year, the Hightower gets fresh colorways for an eye-catching look that's sure to draw complements out on the trail. Otherwise, it's exactly the same as previous model years, which is a good thing if you're seeking dialed geometry that both climbs and descends extremely well.
This particular Hightower represents the lightest frame available, thanks to Santa Cruz's top-tier Carbon CC layup for weight savings over the cheaper Carbon C frame. Typical Santa Cruz Carbon CC frames weight approximately 250 to 280 grams lighter than those with the Carbon C layup, giving you a lighter, more spirited feel when it's time to accelerate from a corner, lay down power on punchy climbs, and smash over rocks and roots standing in your way. Best of all, this carbon layup doesn't sacrifice one bit of strength or stiffness, so you'll remain impressed with its precise handling and serious level of abuse this Carbon CC frame can withstand.
The Hightower's adjustable flip-chip is definitely one of its best features, seeing you can swap out the provided 29-inch wheels for the voluminous traction and bump-smoothing support of 27.5+ wheels rolling on tires up to a massive 3.0 inches wide. That being said, Santa Cruz no longer offers a 27.5+ build from the factory, so you'll have to either buy a 150-millimeter fork or swap out the air spring in the provided 140-millimeter FOX 36 Float Performance Fork to squeeze out an additional 10 millimeters of travel. This taller fork ensures the bottom bracket doesn't get too low, seeing the few millimeter difference when dropping down to 27.5+ wheels on either 2.8 or 3.0-inch tires.
Regardless of what wheel size you run, the Hightower solidifies its status as an aggressive trail machine with its long, relatively slack geometry inspiring confidence at high speeds. The head tube angle is practically the same between both wheel sizes at 67 degrees, so long as you choose a 140-millimeter fork on the 29er and a 150-millimeter fork in 27.5+ form. Both sizes retain a roomy cockpit and noticeably long wheelbase for a comfortable and confident riding position, also lending stability when you open it up at higher speeds. To help offset the longer geometry, Santa Cruz designed the Hightower with relatively short chainstays of 17.1 inches for quick turning capabilities. It's also pretty damn low, with its 13.2-inch bottom bracket keeping you glued to the trail when you're rallying across rock gardens and bombing downhill at high velocities.
As you'd expect from a trail bike of this pedigree, it's packing 135 millimeters of travel from Santa Cruz's VPP suspension, which sports an upper-link driven shock in this configuration for an optimal mixture of pedaling efficiency and excellent bottom-out resistance on rowdy descents. 135 millimeters of travel (that's approximately 5.3 inches) optimizes the standard Hightower for aggressive trail riders seeking a well-balanced feel that'll quickly scoot uphill and conquer technical descents, but without it being too much bike for many riders like some long-travel 29ers. Since it's rolling on bigger 29-inch wheels, the 135 millimeters of VPP travel really strikes the sweet spot for most trail riders, seeing the bigger wheels steamroll any rocks and roots standing in your way without requiring excessive travel to get the job done.
This iteration of VPP uses an upper box-style link attaching to the top tube for greater stiffness and increased stand-over clearance. The lower link sits neatly above the bottom bracket, protecting it from damaging rock strikes when you're riding the Hightower like a monster truck over loose rocks and trail debris. The VPP suspension is more sensitive off-the-top than older versions (especially with FOX's EVOL air canister), making it better at absorbing small bumps on the trail and laying down traction on rocky climbs. The mid-stroke is more linear for a more active feel until the end-stroke, at which point it ramps up considerably to prevent bottoming out on bigger hits.
- Santa Cruz's premiere 29er for aggressive trail riding
- 135mm of VPP travel pedals efficiently, resists bottoming out
- Balanced geometry for lung-busting climbs and scorching descents
- Carbon CC frame saves grams without sacrificing stiffness or strength
- Flip-chip swaps 29in for 27.5+ wheels without altering the geometry
- Rear triangle clears massive 3.0-inch tires in 27.5+ configuration
- FOX 36 Performance Elite fork tames bigger hits and rocky trails
- SRAM X01 Eagle drivetrain shifts crisply across a massive range
California Proposition 65
More Hightower builds
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Reviews & Community
The 2019 model
The 2019 model. The fork is a little different, and does have the 3 stage lock out. I'm not used to that yet, but think it will be better, in the long run.
Dream Boat
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
You have been dating everything and everyone for years now, and I have been with you through the ups and downs of it. There was that strong one that was so good at opening jars but, got winded flagging down a taxi. Then there was the one that would walk with you for miles, but refused to cross a stream or scamper over a small boulder along the way. Don't even get me started about the one that had to hold your hand to step off a curb.
Now we have this last one that is so competent and well rounded; kept a steady job, got the jars opened...eventually, loved a good 5K and was not afraid of short ladders. We all had such high-hopes for this one, but you are just a bit bored, aren't you? You are wanting a bit more, maybe even a lot more?
Well my friend, I finally found your dreamboat. This one will grind your morning smoothly with its bare hands then pour it delicately into a cup without spilling a drop, chase that bus down when you are late for a flight and still be smiling at the driver when she opens the door. Do not let those stiletto heels fool you. This dreamboat will carry you over every pothole, curb, and retaining wall you can throw at it, and set you down as gently as a feather, leaving you confident that your smoothie diet is working.
Seriously though, for a do-everything-very-well bike, look no further. This practically sends everything for me. The transition from a 27.5 took me a minute on the cornering, but was worth it.
So good, I am buying it twice.
Go Fast Do Wheelies
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
I am 5'11" and have a 32" inseam. I ride a size large with a 50mm stem and it fits perfectly. I am riding in Salt Lake City/Park City and Moab/Fruita come the shoulder seasons. I came off a large Yeti SB5.5 for frame of reference, just wanted to try something new.
While this is a review of my semi custom build from the 2018 frame, it should give some frame of reference for if you're considering the Hightower. as there is no change except for its paint job for 2019. I have it set up with a 150mm fork and 29" wheels in the high chip setting. I figured I wanted a bit snappier of a feeling bike, but still feel like it has plenty of travel for more of the stuff around here.
I build my large C frame up with Santa Cruz Reserve 30 i9 wheels paired with a Maxxis Minion DHF 29" x 2.5" front and Minion DHR 29" x 2.3" double down rear, GX Eagle drivetrain, Guide RSC brakes, Fox Performance Elite Float 36 & Float DPS suspension, Rockshox Reverb 150mm, Raceface Turbine cranks Deity Copperhead 50mm stem, and 780mm Santa Cruz Flat bars. Also have a OneUp bashguard & chainguide, aluminum pedals, and the cherry on top, their EDC tool. With this build, it comes in at 31.5lbs. Not the lightest build out there, but its built beefy and with workhorse components. I did put on custom Santa Cruz and Fox decals to give it my own personal flair, but both are available on our site and could give your build a bit of bling.
I think it climbs decently. It doesn't have the liveliness that the SB5.5 does when climbing with the rear shock wide open,. Maybe I could tune my rear shock a bit more on the Hightower, but still think that would hold true. It doesn't have an immediate supportive feel, but I should say it doesn't feel inefficient. I often climb in the "trail" or "lockout" setting and it'll climb much better than wide open.
With that said, it smashes on the downhill. I was surprised to find how deep feeling the 135mm of rear travel felt. I spent a few days smashing Angel Fire's bike park and only a few times did it feel undergunned in the amount of travel. I will say that going fast and pointing it through some rowdy terrain is when the Hightower comes alive. It wants to be pushed. I've been digging riding steep, loose trails with it as the traction is great and the rear tire seems to track really nicely.
I did want to give a specific shout out to the Santa Cruz reserve wheels - if you can swing it, they are pretty awesome. They're stiff (one thing i noticed on my SB5.5 with aluminum rims was tire rub on the chainstays when slappin' into corners) and have a wide internal rim width, really opening up those wide tires. I've been impressed with their durability - smashing into rock gardens without hesitations. If anything were to happen to them, they do have a lifetime warranty.
If you have any questions on the Hightower or would like to look at building your own custom build, feel free to reach me at my direct line 801.204.4547 or my email email@example.com
So if i am 6'1", you think im an XL in the Hightower?


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What's New?
I've updated most of my written works section, so please check that out here (Assignments) and here as well(Clips).
The most current work in my portfolio: A full-fledged comic book called Striker which was made in a Comic Book Art summer class at Art Center College of Design, Pasadena.
The book follows a man named Michael Norling who suffers from a split-personality disorder. Day after day he tries to contain his violent alter ego, Striker. Striker, however, is recruited to protect a man he'd much rather kill. What follows is a story rarely seen in modern day fiction.
Clink on the link to access the Striker comic book.
Also feel free to check out another recent comic book related project of mine, "Meow Man," along with the more classical work I've put in the Multi-Media Gallery.
Striker and related characters created by Elijah Henry
Meow Man and all related characters created by Brendan Kinney and Elijah Henry


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By: Alexis B
To all my lurkers out there this one is for you! American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks just dropped her latest single "Double Tap" featuring 2Chainz. She knows certain people be all through her Instagram fantasizing, but just refuses to double tap. Take a listen to hear what more she had to say:


text: Welcome! Nice to see you on my site! Anime - an abbreviated pronunciation in Japanese of "animation", pronounced in Japanese, has gained confidence of many people in all different countries. Now, using Internet, every body can watch or download hd anime from net. Today in Japan there are many HDTV channels, which broadcast anime in 720p or 1080p HD standart. Some hd anime releases in Blu-Ray Disks (BD) from which does 720p & 1080p anime BDrips, which have HD video quality. Any anime fan can download hd anime (Blu-Ray anime, HDTV anime, 720p & 1080p hd anime, including rip`s from any HD stream) from here . Good luck!


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ReMake, June 12 in Grand Theory of Everything
Happy Birthday! 🎂
Happy Birthday!
Wish you a happy birthday!
Hope you are having a Wonderful Birthday @lynxster4
Happy Birthday @lynxster4! Hope it's a happy one!
Happy Birthday to you! 🎁
Thank you to everyone! @ReMake, @BoltBait, @xod, @Eli, @null54, @Seerose, @Pixey, @Woodsy, @sashwilko, and @dipstick!
Having a great day; couldn't ask for better weather...mostly sunny, 72 degrees with a light wind. And most important of all...no humidity!
Heading out to eat now...you guys and gals are the best! (return tomorrow for rest of rep points)
Happy Birthday Lynxster! 🍰🍷
A belated Happy Birthday
Hope you had a nice birthday, dear lynxster Wishing you the best for the new year ahead 💖
Thank you @Ego Eram Reputo, @AndrewDavid, and @Maximilian for the Birthday Wishes! Had a great day!
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Website builders are only getting better. Each month many exciting new features are being announced, so we hardly manage to update our Reviews sections here at SWB. We're doing our best to provide you with the most recent information on site builders, so without further ado here's our fresh-baked Weebly vs Webs review, right from the oven.
Both are well trusted and reliable web publishing platforms. However, Webs has a longer history. Launched in 2001, it has been serving millions of websites for over fourteen years. Weebly is a bit younger – it was founded in 2006, so it should come as no surprise that the former has 55 million websites in its portfolio, while the latter hosts nearly 40 million websites. Most likely, these figures indicate the overall number of websites created, rather than active accounts.
Does its age make Webs any better than Weebly? Which one to choose? Let's compare Webs to Weebly through exploring the five areas that we feel are the most important to make an informed decision.
#1 Ease of Use
Weebly. Fast, intuitive, straightforward, easy-to-navigate. Uncluttered interface, front-end editing, prompts and drag-and-drop. The Weebly editor is a joy to behold. Every feature feels in reach.
Webs. Webs is also pretty intuitive. However, its interface is a bit outdated compared with that modern look of Weebly.
Weebly vs Webs. Both web services work on the same principle. Both have a 'dock' that contains the essential building blocks for your site. Just drag the block to the page and let it go. Then, enter your text/image/contact data/link in a field that appears.
Both Weebly and Webs offer excellent page managers – you can see the structure of your website, add new, remove and edit existing pages with just a few clicks. To create a subpage simply drag a page inward and under another page.
Unlike Wix, which relies on 'absolute positioning' allowing users to place elements literally anywhere on the page, Weebly and Webs apply certain limitations. This makes it easier to edit websites in the long run, and also makes it possible to swap themes (what's impossible with Wix). The 'box model' Weebly and Webs use help you avoid many frustrating scenarios, for instance, when you need to add an element at the top of a page, you won't have to move each element down the page – this will be done automatically.
#2 Feature Set and Flexibility
Weebly. Weebly is chock full of features. It has a native eCommerce system with mCommerce support; blogging platform; since recently – membership functionality; white label solution for agencies and even a separate version of Weebly for education. Weebly's infrastructure is impressive.
Weebly users can create new and edit existing websites using Weebly for Android and iOS.
Webs. Webs is also feature-rich. With social mode turned on visitors can join your website as members and participate in forums and other activities that require sign up and approval. Similar to Weebly, it has its own blogging engine and eCommerce.
Webs vs Weebly. At first glance, their feature sets are very similar, but if to look closer, Weebly's offer turns to be a lot better. Most Weebly features have more customization options than those of Webs.
Nevertheless, Webs still has some unique features that Weebly has not: the traffic booster and local listings. The latter isn't really impressive, yet very handy to those who have no idea about SEO. The former seems to be more effective. Please note that these are premium features.
#3 Designs
Weebly. New Weebly themes are really beautiful. Most have breathtaking full screen backgrounds, modern layouts and refined fonts. There are both minimalist and bold designs. Each theme has several color variations. Themes can be changed anytime.
Design customization isn't limited to just font, background and layout editing, but also includes advanced options: you can modify Weebly themes using a built-in HTML/CSS editor and even export your theme.
If you use one of the new Weebly themes, you don't have to worry about the mobile look of your site. Weebly now produces responsive designs only. For those who use old themes, there's a built-in Mobile editor.
If you want to go beyond what's offered in the official library, you can purchase a custom Weebly theme or hire a pro to design it for you. There are agencies and individual designers who create themes specifically for this website builder.
Check out collections of real Weebly-based websites: blogs; stores; portfolios.
Webs. Webs themes are mediocre. They're neat and offer excellent user experience, but their fonts and content layout are outdated. The good news is that you can change the theme anytime until you find the right one – your content will be automatically reformatted to the new template.
Theme customization is pretty intuitive and is done in a WYSIWYG environment. However, it isn't very deep. In our test website, subheader customization offers one option only: the color. Font, hover, size etc. are non-applicable.
Also, you can easily change the layout of each page: there are 6 content layout versions + 6 column widgets that can be dragged to the page from the 'dock'.
Webs doesn't provide any advanced HTML/CSS editors, so you are limited to creating your site using the provided widgets, building blocks and customization options.
Webs offers two mobile options: mobile landing page and mobile theme. The former comes as part of the Premium package or can be purchased as an add-on ($4.95/mo). This option lets you choose the details you want to show visitors on your landing page. You can easily add, delete and rearrange the elements of your website.
The Mobile theme option is free. It isn't as flexible as the Landing page. You can only choose between three color versions (match my site; light; dark) and make minor changes to the header. Users have to enable the mobile view manually. By default, Webs-powered sites aren't optimized.
Weebly vs Webs. Weebly is the clear winner. Even a casual glance shows that its templates are more beautiful and modern. Furthermore, they offer much deeper customization options, which are invaluable for those who need to create a truly unique, personalized website.
#4 Customer Support
Weebly. Weebly offers an extensive help center, email and live chat support available to anyone. There are many video tutorials that cover different aspects of the Weebly builder. Weebly is also quite active on social media.
Webs. Webs also offers live chat support, yet it comes as part of the Premium plans. Pro users can also get phone support. For free users, they have a nanoRep support available through the control panel. For general questions, visit their Support Center which is comprised of helpful how-to articles.
Webs vs Weebly. Both website builders offer enough support options.
#5 Pricing Policy
Weebly. Weebly is a freemium service. You can use its basic version free as long as you need. It's noteworthy that Weebly places really tiny ads on their free sites – they're located in the footer and aren't really noticeable. Free sites imply using a Weebly subdomain.
The lowest paid version of Weebly is $8/month, which is really not much at all for hosting. For that price you can connect your own domain, publish unlimited pages, remove ads, sell up to 10 products and use your own favicon. The Pro, Business and Performance plans unlock membership capabilities and extend other features.
If you're looking to build a store using Weebly, be ready to pay $25/month (the Business plan). It removes the Weebly transaction fee (3% on top of the standard processing fees charged by PayPal and Stripe), lets you upload unlimited products, sell digital goods, and generate coupon codes for your store.
Webs. Similar to Weebly, Webs also follows the freemium model and offers three premium accounts. Webs packages range from $5.99/mo to $22.99/mo (excluding Sales propositions). These packages come with free domain names. E-commerce is only available in the Enhanced and Pro packages.
Weebly vs Webs. Webs' plans are just a little bit cheaper than those of Weebly ($5.99/mo vs $8/mo, and $22.99/mo vs $25/mo), but Weelby's basic plan has much more available options. Besides, it has no limitations of storage space.
Weebly vs Webs: Conclusion
The Internet is a visually driven world, so the higher quality templates of Weebly, plus their advanced editor become crucial when choosing between the two site builders.
If you're a visual type, then we would say Weebly is a better solution for you. However, if you don't mind a generic look of your site, and the most important thing for you is to perform well in local search, then Webs might be your better bet with its Local Listings feature. Check them both out, free.


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Tonkotsu ("pork bone") ramen usually has a cloudy white colored broth. It is similar to the Chinese baiting and has a thick broth made from boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen over high heat for many hours, which suffuses the broth with a hearty pork flavor and a creamy consistency that rivals milk or melted butter or gravy. Most shops, but not all, blend this pork broth with a small amount of chicken and vegetable stock and/or soy sauce. Currently the latest trend in tonkotsu toppings is mahyu, a blackish, aromatic oil made from either charred crushed garlic or Sesame seeds. The noodles are thin and straight. It is a specialty of Kyushu and is often served with red pickled ginger.
- Traditional Candy Making Experience and Yanesen Walk
- Soba Making Class and Kappabashi Walking Tour
- Customer Review
- Tonkotsu Ramen:
- Fukinotou:
- Spring has come.
- Tsukiji Fish Market Tour
- Izakaya Hopper
- "Not The Usual Suspects" Food Lover's Culinary Tour
- Shitamachi Food Tour – Asakusa and Kappabashi Restaurant / Kitchen Supply Street Tour


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― Jodi Picoult,
during weeknights, i'm mostly on my own for the dinner/bath/bedtime routine.
i've been in this boat for about 5 years now, and used to find it draining--to be at the end of a long day with three tired children who all have needs that are expressed in the urgency of their voices, their small hands taking turns wrapping around my neck as they ask for just one more of one thing or the other. i felt unsettled and uncomfortable at the inability to attend to everyone at once, running up and down the stairs before another erupted in a request, focusing on the settling down so i could breathe my own air once more. i was duty-bound, and soldier-mom, demanding order, calm, routine.
right around 5:00, just before the sun began to set in the desert horizon, i recognized the feeling of suffocation with just the thought of the impending next few hours. i realized i was doing what i could to ease my burden--yes, burden--that is how i used to view my nights alone with my children, by taking the lazy way out. story times and songs were rushed, tickle fights and spontaneous imaginary games were left for one of the rare nights when dad was home with us.
but just like everything else, this life of mine is a choice.
"well, here are your options: you either accept that you have made this choice and do it with a good attitude, or you choose something else. don't say "yes" to something and then spend your time angry and resentful toward being in this situation, because you only have yourself to blame. either choose it and own it, or figure something else out. listen to your inner voice, and take care of your needs."
these are words that have actually come from my mouth, while helping others work through some difficulties in their own lives.
so yes, i had yet another humbling moment of realizing my hypocritical-ness and decided to change.
i looked back at the choices i have made, and i don't just mean this temporary job that makes the nighttime duties my sole responsibility, but i go further back: to the choice of grad school, then motherhood, and even marriage. i know that i made these choices naively, without knowledge of either the hard or the good that was attaching to them, so i let myself off the hook--but just a little. because regardless of my ignorance, i did make these choices. and every day, i continue to make them. to be a wife, to be a mother, to continue to support the journey of grad school, to be an active partner in decision-making when it comes to jobs that will require a lot from each of us. even down to the small, daily decisions like making the choice to feed my children, to pay attention to them when they speak, to kiss and hug them, to meet their needs, and bathe them, read to them, sing to them, and pray with them.
i reminded myself that i am not trapped here--i have seen better people walk away from more--and i could actually just leave, if i wanted to. {side note: i'm not saying i actually want to, there honestly hasn't been a day when i've even entertained the thought, just making the point that i could} however, i have chosen and continue to choose this life; with this wonderful man, and these beautiful children, and this blasted grad school, in this pink house, driving these more-often-than-not dirty cars....and this mostly-alone bedtime routine.
so, i snapped out of the victim-y-ness of it all, and reminded myself of the advice i had so easily doled out to someone else, and gave it to myself. i re-read this post that i wrote almost two years ago, most likely when i was having the same "get over yourself and be thankful you made these choices" moment.
for the past few months, things have been different, because i have been different. there is still routine in certain areas- -i will most likely always believe some routine is important for children--but i have relaxed and let go, and just enjoyed the time i have, rolling with it instead of pushing against it. changing my attitude has made the up and down of the stairs much more enjoyable.
we go outside and play together until the stars appear instead of letting them watch t.v. while i get the dishes done, we grab a big stack of books and all climb into my bed to read together instead of separating them to avoid bickering. we pretend caleb's bunk beds are a spaceship, he is the captain and myself and the girls are the astronauts, finding random articles around his room from different "planets" to bring back with us when we return to earth.
and each night, i spend time with them one-on-one. for caleb, it's right before his lights are out, we talk about whatever he wants. we laugh about 8 year old boy things, he tells me about the current book he's reading, he asks me to listen to him pray. with leah, it's during her "settle down" time. she's in her bed, playing with her choice of toys for the night, and i come in for a few minutes to sit on her bed and play with her, astounded again with her ability to imagine. for june, it's when her eyes are droopy, just before she begins to dream. i stand and hold her to "rockaminute" while we sing her favorite songs about the moon and she clings to my shoulder and her blankie. every night, i feel her soft forehead under my chin.
the nights are not perfect; there are moments of whining and arguing and times when i fight weariness or frustration. but when their little bodies are all tucked in, and their cheeks have all been kissed, and the lights are all out, and i tell them how good they are and how thankful i am to be their mom, i take time for myself. but i don't check out as i used to, immediately turning to my phone or facebook to escape. i sit down in one of the chairs in my bedroom, and listen to the quiet, and thank God for another night i was given to be the one who chose to put these three amazing little children to sleep.
― Howard W. Hunter


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About >
Philip Cryan Marshall
Philip Marshall.
Photo credit: Alec Marshall.
Enlargements: 1024 pixel at 150 dpi; 640 pixel at 72 dpi.
Philip Marshall.
Photo credit: Alec Marshall.
Enlargements: 1024 pixel at 150 dpi; 640 pixel at 72 dpi.
Philip Marshall consults and teaches in the
field of historic preservation. Mr. Marshall has combined
two undergraduate degrees (in geology and studio art) from Brown
University and a M.S. in Historic
Preservation from the University
of Vermont.
Since 1980, Mr. Marshall has held faculty positions
in graduate and undergraduate preservation programs at the University
of Vermont, Columbia
University, Swain School of Design, Southeastern Massachusetts
University (UMass Dartmouth)
and Roger Williams University, where he is tenured as a full professor and serves as coordinator of the Historic Preservation Program.
In his capacity as an adivsor to Heritage
Preservation, since 1991, Mr. Marshall has undertaken architectural
conservation assessments for organizations including the Newport Historical
Society (RI); Rhode Island Historical Society; and the Paul
Revere House, Boston, MA.
Mr. Marshall has also worked on properties
owned by the Preservation
Society of Newport County, Newport, RI; the Newport Casino,
Newport, RI, for the International
Tennis Hall of Fame; Victoria Mansion for the Victoria
Society of Maine, Portland, Maine; Peter
Jay House, Rye, New York; United States Customs House, New
York, NY for the Society for
the Preservation of New England Antiquities, and Old Albuquerque
Public Library, Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller
Mansion, Woodstock, Vermont.
Since 1989, Mr. Marshall has served as associate
and architectural conservator for the Hopi
Foundation: Lomasumi'nangwtukwsiwmani, working on
development and implementation preservation projects of the
Hopi Nation, in what is now known as Arizona,
to help preserve their millennia-old structures.
He has served on
the board of Migyul —
Himalayan Community Magazine in New York. Closer to home, he is a member of the board of Preserve Rhode Island and Blithewold. He is on the council of Historic New England and the advisory council of the Newport Historical Society.
Mr. Marshall is a member of the board of the United State Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (US/ICOMOS) for which he is chair of the International Exchange Program committee; co-chair of the Training Committee; at the international level, a member of ICOMOS International Training Committee (CIF); and a member of the CIF Worldwide Network of Universities Committee.
Mr. Marshall is also active in the arena of elder justice. Details are available on request.


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…And just like that it's almost May! I think the last time we had a "coffee date" on LWA was in January so another is long overdue, wouldn't you say?! So far, 2017 has truly been the best year and I wanted to highlight some of my favorite pictures and moments! Shall we begin? 🙂
As most of you know, I teach middle school math as my full-time job. Back in March the News & Observer stopped by my classroom and wrote a front-page article on how I implemented March Madness in a lesson on probability. As an educator it is important for me to show my students how math can be fun and relatable! You can read the article here. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better I received a call from Good Morning America about a short feature on the show! You can watch the clip here.
Aside from work things in my personal life has been pretty awesome as well:
- I'm going to be a bridesmaid in my roommates wedding…EEK!
- Hunter welcomed the cutest lab puppy into our lives. Her name is Caddie and Gunner and I are so excited to have a new buddy to play with!
- I finally got over my fear of boats and went sailing for a weekend…I even slept on the sailboat! It was the most incredible experience and I've been itching to do it again ever since.
- Less than 22 days from now I will be on a plane to the Dominican Republic and I cannot contain my excitement. Hunter and I are going with some close friends and I know it's going to be a blast. I would, however, like to take a moment and talk briefly about body positivity. I've been discouraged lately trying on bathing suits for my trip because I am having a hard time accepting that I've gained a little (healthy) weight. It's natural for everyone to feel down on themselves every now and then, but I've come around and I know that I am beautiful no matter what size I am! Just wanted to share some love today and let you know that YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL TOO! 🙂
Denim Jacket | Maxi DressBrunch Hat (Only $15!!)Plunge Skirted Swimsuit | Wide Bow SunhatDrop Earrings | Mirrored Sunnies (Only $12!!) | Denim Jacket | White Jeans | Monogram CrossbodyGarmin WatchScallop Swimsuit Top & Bottom | Colorful Earrings | SunniesOne-Shoulder Top | White Skinny Jeans | Tasseled Clutch | Pineapple EspadrillesPineapple Popover | Luxletic Skort | Boat Shoes
Hope everyone has a great Thursday…only one more day until Cinco De Mayo!