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Author Archives: Stefanie Henkel
07Mar 19
Nach fünf Jahren hat Dr. Thomas Kreuzer, der Vorsitzende des Stiftungsrats von Childaid Network, diese Rolle turnusmäßig weitergegeben. Neu gewählt wurde Wolfgang Kirsch, der zum Jahreswechsel 2018/2019 wurde als Vorsitzender des Vorstands der DZ Bank verabschiedet wurde. Auf der letzten Stiftungsratssitzung vor wenigen Tagen ...Continue Reading
28Dec 18
The long-term Foundation Board member of Childaid Network Wolfgang Kirsch will finish his job after more than 18 years at DZ BANK AG, the umbrella organization of the cooperative credit institutions, at the turn of the year. On this occasion, Henning Deneke-Jöhrens, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of DZ BANK AG, invited 350 ...Continue Reading
09Dec 18
One year ago our project for street children was presented in the big "Ein-Herz-für-Kinder" gala on ZDF. With prominent support, we succeeded in gaining much attention for the street children of the Indian City of Guwahati. Since then a lot has happened. Many of the children go to school today, a new orphanage has been ...Continue Reading
30Oct 18
On July 30, 2018, four million, mostly Muslim residents of Assam, were declared stateless and lost their civil rights. Similar to Myanmar, those threatened with exclusion and violence, a humanitarian catastrophe is looming. As the largest international partner in the region, Childaid Network is committed to informing the world public ...Continue Reading
30Oct 18
On November, 15th 2018 starting at 6 pm, project coordinators, volunteers and partners present the latest developments in our project work with current reports, pictures and films and answer your questions. We look forward to your registration! Details can be found here The Childaid Network ambassador and popular radio presenter ...Continue Reading
27Sep 18
The experienced lawyers of the law firm Roth & Maulbetsch informed about fundamental aspects of precautionary power, living will, will execution, inheritance and taxes and answered individual questions from the audience. Those who consider including a nonprofit organization in his or her will wer able to obtain information ...Continue Reading
13Sep 18
More than 70,000 EUR for the children in northern Assam – The first Childaid Classics was a complete success. In bright sunshine, the participants could enjoy the varied program to the fullest. The Childaid Ambassador Nicolai Friedrich provided high voltage, which made an impressive performance in front of the enthusiastic ...Continue Reading
08Aug 18
Im November 2018 besuchten die Projektkoordinatoren der Stiftung Childaid Network Nepal und machten erstmals auch Station in Kumbu-Kasthali, um die Entwicklungen vor Ort in Augenschein zu nehmen. Der aktuelle Stand der verschiedenen Projektaktivitäten, die geplante Unterstützung einer Modellschule, der Besuch einiger Patenkinder ...Continue Reading
31Jul 18
The former Bundestag member and multiple Federal Minister Brigitte Zypries speaks in the context of the event series Königsteiner Salon about social justice and her life as a politician. The focus is on topics of current world events and the question of how to act in turbulent political times in a value-oriented manner. The event ...Continue Reading


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Open daily 8am-10pm
By reservations only.
The Escape Game Orlando is a fun, new, immersive entertainment concept. It is a real-life escape game designed for small groups of 2-7 people. Your goal is simple: work together as a team, testing your wits and skills, to escape from a locked room. While the goal is simple, the game is challenging. Getting through the locked door will require finding clues, solving puzzles, and working together. Book today and see if you can keep cool under pressure and escape from the locked room in under 60 minutes.
2-7 PLAYERS – Stealing is wrong. Most of the time. Get ready for an exciting challenge of beating thieves at their own game. If you succeed in your mission you will become national heroes! If you fail, you will be treated as a common criminal by the authorities.
2-7 PLAYERS – The year is 1955. You've been wrongfully accused of a crime, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Your new "home" is a cell that once belonged to an inmate who disappeared without a trace…or did he? Some claim he escaped. Others swear he was murdered by the infamously cruel warden. But no one actually knows…can you escape before you suffer the same fate?
2-7 PLAYERS – Your team, an international anti-terrorist organization, has been assigned to a critical covert mission. Your objective? Stop a major international terrorist threat by gathering details on the impending attack. In this thrilling high-stakes mission, it's up to you to get inside the head of the masterminds and infiltrate their evil plan.

subset: commoncrawl


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Institute for Environmental Security
Advancing Global Environmental Security through
Science · Diplomacy · Law · Finance · Education
IES News
Climate Change & Development in South-East Asia
IES participates in roundtable at the European Parliament
16 April 2010
On 15 April, IES Vice-Chairman Tom Spencer took part in a roundtable on ?Climate Change and Development in South-East Asia?. Second in a series of seminars organised by MEP Deva Njri in the European Parliament, the round table aimed to promote the inherent link between changing weather patterns and development issues, in an area where both challenges are huge.
Participants to these events included the Ambassadors of the Asian countries of China, Bangladesh and Bhutan and representatives of the European Investment Bank, the European Commission, IPBO and others.
One of the main topics of discussion was the water issue, which is already affected by climate change in South East Asia. The speakers underlined the importance of protecting the Himalayas as a main source of fresh water for the region from glacial melt. They further stressed the necessity to set up a cross-regional cooperation to manage fresh water resources during periods of droughts and of elaborating actions to manage episodes of floods.
During his intervention, Tom Spencer emphasised the need for a regional security policy in South East Asia and gave a detailed presentation of the case of Bangladesh, one of the countries that will be most affected by the effects of glacial melt and sea level rise and where thousands of people will be forced to leave their villages to join the growing crowd of ?climate refugees?.
The problem of climate change has to be handled globally and quickly. There is a need to take concrete actions and solutions aimed to create regional cooperation structures and to share scientific and technical knowledge.
Participants agreed to meet again soon to continue the dialogue and further elaborate on the climate change and development nexus in South-East Asia.
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- IES : Latest IES News | IES News Archive


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About The Galaxii Series
Currently there are three titles in the Galaxii Series: "Blachart", "Demonspawn" and "Dead Beckoning". If you enjoyed reading them, don't despair – I have plans for more in future!
An overview of the Galaxii Series (as told by Christina Engela):
Galaxii is sci-fi/fantasy adventure series set in what might be considered the not too distant future, perhaps in a parallel dimension, and is marked by my own special warped and twisted sense of humor and irony. It also may include some elements of fantasy and horror from time to time.
I first started working on the story that would eventually become "Blachart" in about 1986, when I worked on "The Red Star". "The Red Star" was later redrafted to become "Galaxy" by sometime in 1987, and again to become "Galaxii" in 1990. In the end, this redraft became the basis for all the various stories and characters in the Galaxii Series as it is today.
I should point out that the Galaxii Series is set in the same universe as the Quantum Series and also Panic! Horror In Space and precedes those series, being set a century or so earlier in the same timeline, and using different settings and characters. Galaxii really is the genesis of all my subsequent series and stories, but as simple as that sounds, the series didn't just pop into being overnight! It's literally taken me years!
Galaxii is set in the not too distant future – at a time when an Earth shattered by a 21st century global nuclear war has risen from the ashes to become the seat of a largely peaceful and prosperous stellar Terran Empire.
The series relates the struggles and adventures of some realistic characters, each with their own unique interests and obstacles to overcome: career-minded Space Fleet officers, solo adventurers and rogues, Corsairs – space pirates who in their pursuit of wealth and fame, turned the less-traveled space lanes into perilous journeys – and aliens of all persuasions.
The primary setting for the current Galaxii titles is aboard a starship – in "Blachart" and "Dead Beckoning" it is the I.S.S. Antares, in "Demonspawn" it is the I.S.S. Mordrake. "Demonspawn" (book 2) also features a completely different set of characters, while "Dead Beckoning" (book 3) brings both sets of characters and ships together in one larger story.
One of the main characters of the series is Mykl d'Angelo, an adventurer with a checkered past. Being only slightly an anti-hero, Mykl (pronounced 'Michael') is the stereotypical straight-as-an-arrow good-guy hero with a tragic past. Having grown up on a lost-colony planet named Eden, which suffered the ravages of a devastating civil war for nearly 20 years, Mykl was one of twins, his sister having died tragically in his arms as a consequence of the civil war on Eden. Mykl d'Angelo rose to prominence as a young war hero, joining the Terran Space Fleet immediately after the war is brought to a close by Terran forces. After a successful tenure at the Space Fleet Academy, Mykl spends a number of years as an officer on several starships, before resigning his commission and striking out on his own. It is shortly before "Blachart" that he buys his own ship, a loderunner called "Pegasus", and begins running cargo with it, to seek his fortune. Things don't always pan-out the way people want them to, and it is no different for Mykl d'Angelo.
As if to balance out the goodness of Mr. d'Angelo, enter stage left, the utterly terrifying and intimidating figure of the Corsair captain, Blachart the Bloody. Blachart – whose name is on the cover of book one of the series, is a legend in his own lifetime. In fact, Terran children living on most colonies are raised with threats relating to him coming to 'get' them if they didn't eat their greens or do their chores! Blachart is in the beginning, a ferocious fighter, a cunning strategist, and an utterly ruthless and efficient killer. Fortunes change, and this is no less the case in "Blachart", when he finds himself faced with a chance to redeem himself – and takes it. Blachart – whose real name is a mystery to everyone except himself – takes on the role of the anti-hero in the series. He's been a bad, bad man, but he'd do anything to find peace – in fact, he'd do whatever it takes!
Ripley Jones is more than just Mykl's love interest – being the second in command of the I.S.S. Antares, a starship of the Terran Space Fleet charged with investigating the mysterious silence of a remote starbase. There is some history between Ripley and Mykl, going back to their time together at the Space Fleet Academy – which evokes a slightly immature, badly-handled relationship that turned sour and didn't end too well. A few hurt feelings on both sides set the scene for an apprehensive reunion when the Antares is diverted to pick up a survivor of a stranded loderunner en route to the starbase – who turns out to be former Commander Mykl d'Angelo. When Mykl is reinstated as a ships officer by the late Captain Joel Falcone, who dies in the line of duty – and later promoted in to fill his shoes, Ripley Jones is happy to be his Exo.
Download this FREE guide to find out more about the Terran Space Fleet, Academy, and its ships.
Readers are introduced to the Mordrake and its crew in "Demonspawn", and onboard that ship, the most prominent character is its captain – Joe Lofflin. Being a thirty-something openly gay man in a position of authority wasn't easy, not even in his time, and putting up with wisecracks about his sexuality from his colleagues is all in a day's work! Nevertheless, Lofflin is a well-liked and capable commander, and for the most part, the main character of "Demonspawn".
What is Galaxii really about?
Galaxii is basically good-old-fashioned sci-fi adventure! Although the Galaxii Series launches with "Blachart", the story – the untold story – really begins many years before that – at the conclusion of the Third World War, sometime in the 21st century… with the near annihilation of the Human race.
At this point, you may be wondering about the setting and timeline of my stories, and one day I will likely sketch a broad outline of the general framework – but without giving any actual dates! Why? Well, to give you an idea, when I started writing it, mobile phones were still sci-fi and seemed a bit like something out of Star Trek when they first came onto the scene back in the early 1990's – so as I wrote more and more, and as time went by, the less specific I became about the actual dates in my series timeline! To give you another example, back in 1990, I originally set the date for WW3 in the original first book (titled "Galaxii" – which I never published) at 2020! Understandably I think, it was wise of me to edit all that out during subsequent rewrites and revisions of the books that came after that – I mean, it is 2019 right now, and what good would it do for my readers to read about a future war that never took place last month or so! Suffice to say, I set the earlier stories sometime in the 21st century, so I'll leave it at that!
In the meantime, you might like to read these FREE downloadable short story previews offering a preview and glimpse into the background of the characters and origin story of the series.
"Galaxii" – the origin story of the Galaxii Series
War. Devastation. World War Three.
"Nobody knew who started the War, or why. Nobody really cared anymore. It was all over so quickly – and anyway, it seemed so long ago now. More people had died in one single day than in all the human wars in recorded history put together – and that's all it took: just one day.
Terrible …isn't it?
Life had gone on and on like it had for years and years, and then suddenly it started raining nukes – and within ten minutes, everything just turned to shit and ashes.
That the Earth hadn't just turned to dust under the force of all the strikes and counter strikes was a miracle in itself. By the time it was over, much of the formerly so-called civilized world lay in ruins, smoking like it had had really good sex and gotten fucked hard, sideways." – "Broken Promises"
Looking at the outcome somewhat optimistically – especially given the circumstances in today's world, humanity finally realized the futility of fighting each other over territories, riches, power – and differences in culture, ideology and beliefs. Instead, all governments that survived the nuclear holocaust, begin to co-operate as a matter of survival. In the years that followed, remaining military resources were re-purposed towards a peaceful life.
"In the past two decades, Earth had become practically one nation – a nation of diverse races and cultures at peace with itself – a peace built upon millions being sick and tired of war, saddened beyond the bounds of grief of loss – and frightened out of their wits by the prospect of annihilation!
There hadn't been any wars on Earth in just over twenty years. There was no active military left, just what could be described as a large labor force utilized mainly in the farming and industrial zones, with sub-divisions performing emergency services, medical and rescue, and civilian police work. What had once been described as an 'air force' now flew crop dusters and performed rescue and relief operations during natural disasters and at sea. Likewise, a conglomerate UEC navy now enforced commercial trade and fishing regulations, rescued ships in trouble, and did little else. There were no more wars, no more warriors. The optimistic outlook was, that there never would be again." – "Broken Promises"
After waves of strikes and counter-strikes, Earth is all but devastated – with vast tracts of the surface left uninhabitable. With so much of the planet unsuitable to grow food on, Earth establishes farming and mining colonies on Luna (Earth's moon), Mars, and several asteroids and moons in the Sol system. With survival of the species being the highest priority, Humanity is by this time, a multi-planet species in its own system. In this time of peace, Earth recovers and begins to flourish. It is just about at this point that the hostile Ruminarii enter, stage left.
Without attempting to make any contact, this conqueror-species is first observed by long range probes, setting up what appears to be a military base on Pluto for staging an invasion of Earth. Desperate to avoid another war, Earth sends a specially modified long range loderunner to make contact with the aliens – but the aliens aren't interested in talking at all, and destroy the ship without a word. Barely a day later, the Gimp as they are labeled, launch a massive assault on all Earth's colonies in the system, destroying most of them in a single stroke. Cut off, practically unarmed and under-supplied, Earth realizes it is again at war – like it or not – for the same tired old reasons as before, greed, territory, and power – only this time, the fight would be between the Human, and the inHuman – and it would be a fight to the death!
At the onset of the Gimp War, Humanity faces a terrible foe who is better equipped, better prepared – and also violent, remorseless and cruel. Earth's would begin by having its military put down its farming implements and begin the mass manufacture of cutting edge weaponry whose designs had been buried in a vault for over a decade, and later, improvised from reverse-engineered captured Ruminarii tech. Although outgunned and outmatched technologically, the Earth Defense Fleet (EDF) would distinguish itself through desperation, ferocity, and tenacity. The Gimp War would last five years, culminating with the Battle of Pluto – when the EDF finally pushed the invading Ruminarii force all the way back to Pluto, and defeat it outright. It is at this time that Earth is strongly unified socially and politically – and on the verge of achieving interstellar travel for itself.
The original prequel "Galaxii" tells this story, interlaced with the stories of numerous characters and events of these times – but for various reasons, the story just never seemed to 'work out' for me! Although I finished the first draft, and began a second complete redraft of the work nearly a decade later, it remains unresolved. Perhaps one day I will find a balance in the story and release it as a special edition, but for now, the project remains a historical exercise intended to provide a backdrop for the Galaxii Series, as presented here.
Between "Galaxii" and "Blachart"
Some changes occur at this point, where Earth's central governing body transforms – according to public sentiment – into a constitutional monarchy. This results in the foundation of the Terran Empire, headed by the first elected Emperor. The Earth Defense Fleet also first ventures into interstellar travel, and transforms into the Imperial Space Fleet. Having just tasted the metal of alien contact, determined to never again fall victim to alien aggressors, Earth prioritizes a program of deep space exploration – shortly followed by a program of colonization which is mainly aimed at ensuring that enough of the Human species can exist independently from Earth and the Sol system. The intentions of the Terrans are first and foremost peaceful – and overall this period is free of war, but it is not without incident. This phase of human history begins with one very important mission – the very first Earth ship to 'go beyond' the Sol system, to explore a neighboring star system. It is here that the short story "Beyond" fits in.
Over the next 80 years or so, Earth grows and expands its territory to encompass many star systems – most of which are uninhabited. Colonies are founded, such as Tremaine (the first extra-solar Terran colony). These begin to grow over time in their own right, spawning the development of trade routes, population shifts and further social diversification. Right about here is where my short stories "The Devils In The Sky" and "A Really Bad Day In The Life Of Lance Corporal Thomas O'Blivion" fit in.
During this time, while Earth constantly pushes the boundary of known space backwards, many alien species are encountered, although very few are sentient or civilized, or civilized to the same level as the Terran Empire believes itself to be. For the most part, these alien civilizations are less-technologically advanced or capable of defending themselves, and while Earth opens diplomatic relations with all of them, many are convinced by envoys or diplomatic missions to join the Empire as protectorates – which means that although they are within the boundaries of Imperial space, they remain fully independent of Imperial rule while essentially becoming allies to the Terran Empire. It is around this time where "I, Mac" and "Little Green Men" slot into the time line.
In the meantime, while the Space Fleet is happily exploring space and pushing back boundaries, Terran colonies begin to come under attack from space pirates. The pirates are of Earth stock – the descendants of refugees who fled Earth during the turmoil of the Third World War (The Big Nuke) and the Gimp War – and they see the rich, flourishing colonies as fair game! After all, why work hard to produce much needed commodities yourself, when you can just take someone else's? The space pirates become known as "Corsairs", and they wear black, run black ships – usually older type converted loderunners armed with improvised or scavenged weaponry.
The Corsairs reputation grows as they strike seemingly with impunity, sacking smaller, younger colonies and outposts. Traveling along the trade routes becomes a hazardous proposition, with Corsairs pouncing on lone loderunners ferrying valuable goods between the outer colonies and Earth. Merchant ships (loderunners) begin the practice of traveling in convoys, escorted by smaller warships (battlespringers). This is where the short story "The Thirteenth Ship" fits in. The Corsairs become more confident with each passing year, until the high point of their reign of terror is the series of infamous attacks known as 'the Christmas Massacres'. For many years, the Corsairs are a fearful menace to not only new and poorly defended Terran colonies and outposts, but also to all shipping near the outskirts of Terran space – the Outblack. Many attacks by Corsair ships are documented and the Corsairs are blamed for a great many vessels that go missing during this period.
Not knowing where the Corsairs will strike next, all the Space Fleet can do is react to reported attacks and try to anticipate where next the Corsair nemesis will strike. The Corsairs' home world is called Turtle Island, after the mythical island colonized by Earth buccaneers in the 17th century. This world rises to infamy under the name Meradinis. Meradinis is somewhere in deep space, its location kept a closely guarded secret – and it is this obstacle which hampers the Space Fleet in its role as defenders of the Terran colonies. For a number of decades towards the end of this period, this is the status quo. Rumors, myths and legends abound.
Action! Adventure! Space opera!
Mykl d'Angelo, skipper and owner of the loderunner Pegasus, had fallen on hard times – and he'd just had the worst day of his life in that field. Due a minor misunderstanding, his crew had stolen the "Short Shit" – the ship's only shuttle, leaving him and two others behind to crew the ailing (and now understaffed) loderunner on their own. As if that weren't bad enough, just a few hours later, the ricketty old ship literally lost its stardrive in the middle of the middle of nowhere. To add insult to injury, Mykl's two remaining crewmen were killed in the explosion. Marooned alone in deep space, Mykl d'Angelo counted his blessings, offered prayers to any gods who specialized in miracles, and prepared to await (A) seemingly unlikely rescue, or (B) a lingering death.
In the meantime, as though in answer to d'Angelo's pleas, a starship of the Imperial Space Fleet had been dispatched to investigate the mysterious silence of a remote starbase nearby. Rescue takes place, but at a price – taking into consideration Mykl d'Angelo's past service in the Fleet – and his not insignificant knowledge and experience of Corsairs, he quickly finds himself re-activated in an advisory capacity. Proceeding at full alert, the Antares prepared for the worst – that is, the probability that the lost starbase had been attacked and destroyed by Corsairs… space pirates who dominate the space lanes and whose bloody choke-hold on interstellar trade overshadowed the last 100 years of Human history.
Seemingly by sheer coincidence, their paths cross with a legendary and fearsome Corsair – a man whose name sent shivers running down the spines of lesser men. Blachart… Blachart the Bloody.
"Blachart" is book 1 in the Galaxii Series by Christina Engela.
"At times tense, at other times funny, Christina manages to maintain a healthy balance between humour and excitement – producing a first novel that is as easy to read as it is a joy to experience. Truly this is one of the very best sci-fi novels that I have read all year!" – Mark Woods, author of "Time of Tides" and "Fear of the Dark".
The I.S.S. Mordrake is in serious trouble – after a skirmish with a Corsair marauder, she is stranded in deep space far from regular shipping routes – and death appears certain.
…but in space, not all things are certain, not even death.
Adrift and stranded in deep space with no hope of rescue, the I.S.S. Mordrake has six month's worth of food left, but just less than two weeks of air – and things are looking pretty grim. And, as if there's not enough on their plate already, something dark and mysterious drifts into their path – an ancient derelict ship littered with the dusty remains of its long-dead crew! The derelict presents an all-too convenient and timely solution to their problem, offering the desperate castaways the spare parts they badly need to repair their ship… but nothing's ever really that easy, is it? There's no such thing as a free lunch out here, in the cold empty wastes of deep space.
Resentment, bitterness and malaise having taken hold of the survivors, this sudden reprieve brings new challenges – in order for the crew of the Mordrake to survive, they have to work together – even though the faceless, cold-blooded killer who murdered the Mordrake's Captain still walks freely among them! Despite a further run of mysterious accidental deaths, they must find a way to retrieve the parts they need to repair their own vessel – no matter what it was on the derelict ship that seemed to want to keep them for itself!
"Demonspawn" is the second title in the Galaxii Series by Christina Engela.
"This story reminded me of films such as Alien and Event Horizon but Demonspawn could easily stand shoulder to shoulder with them. There were many concepts of the sci-fi genre in this book that were original and put together in a way not seen before anywhere else (this was especially so for the 'Akx'.) It's an enjoyable read that will leave you wanting more. 5 Stars." – by Lee Hall, UK-based writer, playwright and reviewer.
Although "Blachart" (book 1) and "Demonspawn" (book 2) run in sequence, both stories occur more or less simultaneously. Both tell the stories of imperial starships on the hunt for Corsair ships, with "Blachart" focusing on the crew of the ISS Antares tracking down the Corsair base – which would result in the first mass military action by Terran forces since the end of the Gimp War – while "Demonspawn" tells the tale of another starship (ISS Mordrake) which is severely damaged in a skirmish with a Corsair ship and becomes stranded in deep space with little hope of rescue.
Following the discovery and infiltration of Meradinis by the crew of the imperial star ship Antares, the assembled might of the Terran Space Fleet descends upon the Corsair planet. The Battle of Turtle Island rages in orbit over Meradinis, resulting in the absolute destruction of the Corsair fleet – ending the Corsair menace for all time. It takes imperial forces eight months to bring Meradinis completely under Terran control, with the intention of rehabilitating Meradinis and its population and eventually re-integrating them into Terran society. This of course, leads us up to "Dead Beckoning", the third book in the Galaxii Series.
Action! Adventure! Space Pirates!
The fearsome Corsairs had waged a campaign of terror against the Human colonies for nearly a century, plundering and dominating the space lanes that crossed the Terran Empire, at will, all the while keeping the location of their base a closely guarded secret. Then one day, quite unexpectedly, the Corsairs luck finally ran out…
After nearly two days of fierce fighting, the Battle of Turtle Island left the skies of the Corsair world darkened with their dead. In orbit, the remnants of the once feared Black Fleet drifted, blazing… while below, the Corsair civilization breathed its last. The Terrans had finally defeated the dreaded Corsairs.
For a while, the terror seemed to be over, but not just yet.
Not all the great Corsair figures of legend had been killed or captured – a few had slipped through the net.
"Dead Beckoning" is the tale of Adam – a former Corsair captain working to expunge his bloody past by doing good – starting by helping the imperial star ship Antares to track down and capture one of the most powerful and feared Corsairs in legend: Sona Kilroy… aka The Hammer.
Like every warrior who leaves home to go to war, Adam hoped to return to the arms of his love – but Adam wasn't exactly a soldier, and Marsha… well, Marsha wasn't exactly standard spec either… but if he did return at all, he hoped to return to her.
For Mykl d'Angelo and Ripley Jones, Joe Lofflin and Dellon Bennett, Space Fleet was more than just a job – and the Antares and Mordrake more than just ships – they were home and family.
"Dead Beckoning" is the third title in the Galaxii Series by Christina Engela.
"Engela's eye for the quirky humor of even the darkest situations sets her writing apart from the masses. Her fiction combines oddball humor, in the tradition of writers like Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, with the best of traditional science fiction." – Sarah Rutledge Fischer, Focus Mid-South Magazine.
Following the defeat of Meradinis, many stragglers escape the Corsair home world. One of the most notable of these is 'Martel the Mighty', the Corsair leader – and Sona Kilroy, the Admiral of the Corsair fleet. Kilroy sets out recruiting new ships and crews, picking up other stragglers along the way, and gradually builds a new Corsair fleet based at Endicor, with the intention of starting the Corsair civilization anew. Following rumors of sightings of Corsair ships, a task force consisting of the I.S.S. Antares and I.S.S. Mordrake is formed, with the intention of putting a stop to the Corsair menace once and for all. The taskforce discovers Endicor and the Second Battle of Turtle Island is fought there.
Further Reading:
- About The Galaxii Series
- Galaxii Characters & Plot Devices
- More About "Blachart"
- More About "Demonspawn"
- More About "Dead Beckoning"
- New Release: "Blachart" – Galaxii #1
- New Book Trailer – Blachart
- "Demonspawn" by Christina Engela
- New Release: "Demonspawn" – Galaxii #2
- What A Lovely Review Of "Demonspawn"!
- Another Amazing Review For "Demonspawn"!
- What Was The Inspiration For The I.S.S. Mordrake?
- In Space, Not Everything Is What It Seems…
- FAQ's Answered #8: What Inspired The Akx?
- "Dead Beckoning": Galaxii 3 Coming Soon!
- New Release: "Dead Beckoning" Book 3 in the Galaxii Series
- FAQ's Answered #10: Who Is Marsha In "Dead Beckoning" to Blachart?
- FAQ's Answered #13: Who Is Sona Kilroy?
- Galaxii – An Unintended History of The Present?
If you would like to know more about Christina Engela and her writing, please feel free to browse her website.
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The Passionate Book
Seeing The Futureby
"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." Henri Cartier-Bresson Photography is a bit like trying to see the future, to trigger the shutter before…
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Is Your Last Photo Your Best Photo?by
This video post was first published on my Patreon Page. For more info check it out here.
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Be A Winning Photographer (Even If You Lose) Photography Contestsby
Hurray for me. I entered a few photo competitions this year and was a finalist in the Days Japan contest and had work selected…
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Japan Is A Photographer's Paradise.by
Tokyo is such a frenetic place, but it's peppered with parks and temples which offer a quiet meditation from the busy.
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Multiple Exposures Capture Tokyo's Frenetic Energyby
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One of the biggest economic casualties from the novel coronavirus happens to be one of the world's largest industries.
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The Essential Posts
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Submarine Squadron, USO Guam host Marathon Aid Station
PITI, Guam (April 11, 2018) – Sailors assigned to Commander, Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 15 and Performance Monitoring Team (PMT) detachment Guam teamed up with United Service Organizations (USO) Guam to host a runner aid station for the 2018 United Guam Marathon (UGM) on Marine Corps Drive near Polaris Point, April 8.
More than 15 Sailors, family members and USO volunteers handed out Gatorade, water and local bananas to runners during the marathon, which began at 3 a.m.
"Even though it was early, there was a lot of great energy at our aid station," said Lt. Junior Graciano, who is the chief staff officer at SUBRON 15. "We had music pumping and cheered for each runner as they went by. It was awesome to support the community and our shipmates participating in the race."
Service members from SUBRON 15 and other Guam commands joined more than 4,000 runners in the full marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K races. Participants were cheered on by 15 aid stations, two of which were hosted by USO Guam.
"SUBRON 15 has been a tremendous supporter of USO Guam for many years," said Leigh Leilani Graham, USO Guam Area Director. "We value their sacrifice for our nation and our island home. We enjoyed every minute of working alongside with them in the early morning hours of the marathon at our aid station at Polaris Point and ask that every member of the squadron visit our USO centers at Tumon Bay and Andersen Air Force Base."
All of the 6th UGM races started and finished at the Gov. Joseph A. Flores Memorial Park in Ypao Beach and were followed by a fiesta celebrating the participants.
"The USO is one of the military's biggest supporters on island, and it's great to be able to give back to them through volunteering," said Machinist's Mate Nuclear 1st Class Clayton Smith of PMT detachment Guam, who coordinated the aid station. "We had a lot of great energy at our aid station, and it was nice to give back to the community in a fun way."
Located at the heart of Tumon, the USO Tumon Bay is located on the ground floor of the Royal Orchid Hotel and offers a wide array of amenities including an Internet café, long-distance telephone access, gaming consoles, massage chairs, children's room, billiards, lounging areas, light snacks and refreshments, and our world famous, homemade chili. This USO offers a comfortable and welcoming environment, your "home away from home" for more than 50,000 visits from service members and their families to the USO Tumon Bay center each year and the more than 40,000 military members assisted through USO mobile programming.
COMSUBRON 15 is located at Polaris Point, Naval Base Guam in Apra Harbor, Guam, and consists of four Los Angeles-class attack submarines. The squadron staff is responsible for providing training, material and personnel readiness support to these commands. Also based out of Naval Base Guam are submarine tenders USS Frank Cable (AS 40) and USS Emory S. Land (AS 39). The submarines and tenders are maintained as part of the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed submarine force and are readily capable of meeting global operational requirements.
For more news from Commander, Submarine Squadron 15, visit our official CSS-15 website at http://www.csp.navy.mil/css15 and our official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SubmarineSquadron15/.
Are you interested in taking orders to Guam? Want to learn more about the duty station and life on our island? For more information, check out the 'Go Guam!' website at http://www.csp.navy.mil/go-guam/ and download the '1st Fifteen' checklist.
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Republican state Rep. Rick Saccone is now zero-for-two in his campaigns for the US House in Pennsylvania this year.
Two months after Saccone's stunning loss in a special election for a House seat west of Pittsburgh, Saccone has conceded in the Republican primary for another seat Tuesday night to state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler.
The two runs in separate seats were made possible by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court tossing out the state's congressional maps and ordering new ones in place for November's midterm elections.
The first race took place in the old 18th District, before the new maps were in effect. Tuesday's was in the new, heavily Republican 14th District.
Republican White House aides and strategists trashed Saccone as an unprepared and uninspiring candidate and weak fundraiser after the March special election.
That was, in part, self-serving: It helped Republicans explain why they'd lost a House seat that Trump had won by 20 percentage points in 2016.
Trump had heaped praise on Saccone prior to the special election, calling him "a very extraordinary guy."
"He's a very competent person," Trump said then. "He's a very hard worker. He knows things that many people don't know. He understands North Korea maybe better than anybody."
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by Public Relations Office
Cedarville, OhioCedarville University will present "Not a Tame Author: Visiting C. S. Lewis` Imaginative World" on Monday, April 11. The presentation will be held at 7 p.m. in Room 245 of the Engineering, Nursing, Science Center on the Cedarville campus. Dr. Bruce L. Edwards will speak on Lewis` place in contemporary culture and the December 2005 release of a motion picture based on Lewis` novel "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe." He will also share insights regarding his time spent at Lewis` home, The Kilns. With numerous publications on Lewis and the literary arts, Edwards is an internationally respected C.S. Lewis scholar and teacher. He has two books due out later this year on Lewis and Lewis` fictional land of Narnia. A Fulbright Scholar, Edwards is a professor of English and associate dean for distance education and international programs at Bowling Green State University. "Dr. Edwards is extremely knowledgeable about the life and work of C.S. Lewis, and he is a personable public speaker. I`m delighted we can have him on our campus and present him to our community," said Dr. Scott Calhoun, assistant professor of English at Cedarville University. This free conference is sponsored by the Cedarville University Department of Language and Literature. For more information, call Calhoun at 937-766-3214. -30-


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"Yet we must guard against the arrogant claim of setting ourselves up to judge earlier generations, who lived in different times and different circumstances. Humble sincerity is needed in order not to deny the sins of the past, and at the same time not to indulge in fascile accusations in the absence of real evidence or without regard for the different preconceptions of the time. Moreover, the confessio peccati, to use an expression of Saint Augustine, must always be accomplished by the confessio laudis – the confession of praise. As we ask pardon for the wrong that was done in the past, we must also remember the good accomplished with the help of divine grace which, even if contained in earthenware vessels, has borne fruit that is often excellent."
Pope Benedict XVI


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Now that Angela Merkel has opened the campaign for next year's parliamentary elections in Germany by announcing her intention to run for a fourth term, the folks over at the SPD have made it clear that they intend to wait until they are good and ready before announcing their candidate, probably sometime in 2018.
They don't have a candidate who has a chance in hell, get it?*
Am Montagmorgen hatte SPD-Vize Ralf Stegner erklärt, die SPD werde "bald" über ihren Kandidaten befinden.
*Chancellors aren't directly elected here, of course, but the SPD is now an under-20%-party.


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A 3-kilometer-wide asteroid with a nearly identical orbit to Jupiter has served up one mystery after another for astronomers. When it was discovered in November 2014 using Pan-STARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System) at the Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii, asteroid 2015 BZ509 was found to have a very rare quality: it orbits clockwise around the sun — the opposite direction of the planets and other asteroids.
Stellar objects with retrograde orbits are typically captured objects that didn't form with their parent planet or star, but wanderers from distant regions who were eventually dragged into new orbital patterns by the more powerful gravity of a large celestial body. Neptune's moon Triton and Saturn's moon Phoebe have retrograde orbits, as does Halley's Comet, according to The New Scientist.
"How the asteroid came to move in this way while sharing Jupiter's orbit has until now been a mystery," said astronomer Fathi Namouni of the Côte d'Azur Observatory in France in a statement.
De kleine planetoïde 2015 BZ509 onderhoudt een innige relatie met Jupiter. Hij beweegt in vrijwel dezelfde tijd om de zon, maar dan wel precies de andere kant op. Dat wijst erop dat het object van buiten het zonnestelsel komt. https://t.co/iqtEA07LFh pic.twitter.com/nKSC9TjNve— NRC (@nrc) May 22, 2018
Namouni is one of the authors of a new study published Monday in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, The Scientific American reported. Namouni and co-author Helena Morais of São Paulo State University in Brazil set out to answer the question as to how and why this asteroid arrived in its present situation.
"If 2015 BZ509 were a native of our system, it should have had the same original direction as all of the other planets and asteroids, inherited from the cloud of gas and dust that formed them," Namouni said. So, BZ509's origins required an explanation.
The scientists determined that given the asteroid's age and orbit, there was no other possibility: it had to have come from another star system.
"We showed that 2015 BZ509 has been a retrograde co-orbital of Jupiter over the age of the solar system, i.e., since 4.5 billion years ago," Morais told Space.com. "The solar system could not produce retrograde orbits so far back in time, so the only option left is that of capture from another system."
"We did not expect that the asteroid would remain bound to Jupiter and that it would hang on in there for 4.5 billion years, but it did!" Namouni continued in the statement. "Since the asteroid's orbit was right there as it is now — in retrograde and in the same resonance with Jupiter — it can't have been born in the solar system."
BZ509 isn't the first object of interstellar origin discovered by scientists: last fall, the bizarre asteroid Oumuamua was spotted passing through our solar system, sparking a flurry of scientific inquiry — and conspiracy theories about it actually being a spaceship. But Oumuamua just turned out to be a really weird rock, albeit of great value to scientists.
However, there are few similarities between the two objects. There is a "practically zero" chance they came from the same star system, Namouni said, Newser reports. Also, Oumuamua was just passing through, whereas BZ-509 isn't simply a tourist, it's become a permanent resident.


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Robotic vacuums are getting smarter all the time. The LG Cordzero R9 Robot is the latest one that relies on LG's AI platform Deep ThiniQ to get the job done. The sensors allow the robot to learn its environment and avoid obstacles.
More like this ➡ here
The robot can sense dirty areas to increase suction power and adjust brush speed. The battery lasts 90 minutes when fully charged.
*some of our articles have aff links. Please read our disclaimer on how we fund Exxponent.


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Sprouted Ragi Porridge Mix
Sprouted Ragi Porridge Mix
This is a Vegetarian product.
Key features:
- Highly nutritious containing a good mix of iron, calcium, minerals, and protein
- Easy to digest and curbs frequent hunger pangs
- Simple to make with the use of a few ingredients
- 100% vegetarian
- Description
- Reviews (39)
ByGrandma Baby Porridge Mix - Sprouted Ragi for 6+ months
For 6+ month old babies and also for breastfeeding mothers.
Ragi, also called Finger Millet, is one of the most nutritious and healthy cereals. it is especially beneficial for babies and mother's!. Also, Ragi is a natural relaxant and relieves stress. It is rich in calcium, protein, carbohydrate, fiber, and iron. It is easy to digest and curbs cravings.
Ragi Porridge Mix is 100% natural with no artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. It's tasty and healthy in every bite.
Sprouted and dry roasted ragi
Directions to use:
- Take 100 ml water in a bowl and add one big spoon of ByGrandma Sprouted Ragi Porridge Mix and make it in a watery consistency. To ensure there are no lumps, keep stirring while adding the Ragi Porridge powder.
- You can take the vessel to a stove and put it on medium flame. Keep Stirring constantly for 5 to 10 minutes.
- For better taste, you can add a natural sweetener like palm candy for taste (Optional)
- The Ragi Porridge is all set to fill your baby's tummy!
Method 1: While at Home
Method 2: While Travelling
ByGrandma's combo porridge mix are a great on-the-go food for infants. To prepare, gradually mix a little boiling hot water with a spoonful of porridge mix in a bowl till the mixture reaches the desired consistency. Do not mix all the water at once. You may add a natural sweetener for taste.
Method 3: Drink Mode for Fussy Eaters(Self Feed Training)
Best served when the Ragi Porridge is lukewarm!.
- Helps in weight gain
- Easy to digest
- Best source of calcium and Iron
How it can be a supplement to baby
The best food for baby is breast milk! However, it is always good to consult your pediatrician at every step before experimenting with your baby. Every baby will have a different nutritional requirement. So, it is always important to identify what your baby needs and which food will suit the baby best!
Once, you are sure about the nutrients required, you can supplement your baby's food intake with this homemade recipe which is safe, natural and healthy.
Also, when you're traveling with your baby and staying up in a hotel, Ragi Porridge is an easy-to-make food.
Important Notice: Mother's milk is best for your baby
How it can be a supplement to breastfeeding mothers
Until the baby is 6-months old, breast milk is the only source of food that your baby needs. So, the mother's can have this Ragi Porridge which will help them regain energy and boost milk production. This will help in meeting their baby's nutritional requirement. Also, Ragi Porridge helps them in increasing their immunity and to improve iron and calcium content after delivery.
39 reviews for Sprouted Ragi Porridge Mix
✅ Verified Purchase
My baby gained considerable weight with the usage of ragi package
The ragi product is really energetic for babies
package full of ragi with good consictency
✅ Verified Purchase
great product from bygrandma
✅ Verified Purchase
Easily prepared and digested
Got the benefits of ragi all day long
my boy started gaining weight after using the ragi mix. This is a healthy and easy to make meal.
✅ Verified Purchase
this is good suppliment from bygrandma. The ragi mx fills my kids tummy in addition to the breastmilk. Thanks for the instant suppimentary meal.
✅ Verified Purchase
value for money
This one is suggested by my sister.Her baby liked the taste but my baby is not showing interest.
✅ Verified Purchase
This product is good but my baby does not like ragi's taste.
This is my fourth purchase.The product is made from authentic ingredients. Nothing artificial, no added preservatives. We daily give this porridge mix to our baby and it has shown a great result.
✅ Verified Purchase
Satisfied with the product quality and quantity as ragi is good for baby's health.And it is easily digestible.
Totally recommend this to all the parents of fussy eaters.. I have been using these porridge for my daughter since she was just 8 months old and I must it's one of the best available in market today.
Awesome product.. actually I have used some of them earlier also so I bought small trial pack again as its always better to order fresh for babies.. new packs as well and my baby like all flavours… Thanks for such offers… PS: I too tasted it and I like it ..
I was not able to feed by baby with breast milk only since it was less for me. I use Raggi porridge to curb the hunger for my 5 month baby and it really helps. Now she is sleeping for extra 20 minutes .
Nice product.
Healthy food to feed
acha wala product hai
Received just now. Need to see how much my baby likes it.
Sprouted ragi is the best food for babies
Nice and healthy food to feed.
Ragi is very healthy food. Good taste also
Porridge is good and smooth
Healthy porridge mix
This is the best source of calcium and Iron
Sprouted Ragi is obviously good for health…
This is highly nutritious containing a good mix of iron, calcium, minerals, and protein. My little daughter liked it.
Thanks for reintroducing ragi for new generation kids. Healthy thought.
Ragi is obviously a good and healthy food, Seems by baby also liked the taste of it.
Good ingredients. Keeps my baby active for the whole day
I have ordered all the 4 baby food products at ones to my house address- Bangalore, directly from this website with the same mail ID. Unfortunately, we happened to visit Hyderabad for 5day vacation. Can you please pause my order for now and reschedule it after 5 days. i.e, 15-10-18. looking forward to your acknowledgement.
My baby liked By Grandma Ragi Porridge. It is 100% natural, healthy and nutritious. And it is very easy to make.
Awesome products for babies I loved it and even my son is with happy with it…. For working moms it's really essential
And the team by grandma is very responsive to the core ☺
I am super happy and satisfied because this is completely homemade product and have no preservative unlike other baby food and infant formulas which contains preservatives. It is completely safe and super healthy. For a long time I was searching for organic food for my baby. Thanks to By Grandma, I got what I was looking for!
Bought it for my baby. Before giving it to baby I tasted it too and I really loved it. Now I buy two bottles every time. One for baby and another for me;-) .I think even adults can have it for breakfast. Ragi also helps to increase my stamina.


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About The Phoenix Centre
Welcome to your transformation!
My name is Azita Abdollahian. I started the Phoenix Centre in order to create an institution where all factors of true life improvement could be found in the one place.
At The Phoenix Centre, we offer our clients a harmonious blend of internal and external transformations.
With over 20 years of experience in hair and beauty, as well as in studying psychology and hypnotherapy, we provide a truly unique therapy experience.
Here at the Phoenix Centre, we understand the daunting task of finding a counsellor, psychologist, or relationship expert, especially in the middle of a crisis. It can seem overwhelming and scary, and the idea of opening up to a distant stranger strikes up feelings of vulnerability and detachment. That is why at the Phoenix centre, we strive to create something different.
The professionalism of high education, combined with the comfort of organic conversation, is what makes The Phoenix Centre so special. Therapy can finally be as simple and easy as a chat with your hairdresser.
Watch yourself transform beautifully on the outside, as you grow, understand, and heal on the inside.
Happy Clients About Me
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My wife loves it as well which must mean you done a great job. I'm going to spread the word and let everyone know how good you guys are. Keep up the good work...
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Thank you Azita for what you do! After just 1 short session, I was today faced with one of my greatest fears. A huntsman in my car, and you know what? I survived! With not letting my mind get the better of me, through breathing, and the kindness of a random stranger...


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M-F 8:30am - 5pm ET
Item: 01910F
This 12" x 18" laminated placemat corresponds with Activity 1 of the Mindful Me: A 4-H Primary Mindfulness Curriculum, and it can also be used to carry forward the learned principles in daily life. It encourages mindful eating by slowing down food consumption to notice more about what we are eating, how it makes us feel, and how friends and family can promote well-being. This placement can be used repeatedly with different meals - simply wipe-off the mat and start again! See Look Inside for more details regarding Activity 1.


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The women's 200m breaststroke is probably one of the most open events on the US Olympic Trials schedule in consideration of the fact that there's so much emerging talent that could overthrow the current leaders.
The event over the last quadrennial has passed through several different athletes in terms of second overall, however SwimMAC's Micah Lawrence has proven herself to be the overall leader. In 2013, Lawrence emerged as a world player in the event with a bronze medal at the World Championships. She followed that up with 100 and 200 breaststroke wins at 2014 Nationals in Irvine, securing her spot on both the 2014 Pan Pacs roster and the 2015 World Championships roster.
At Pan Pacs, Lawrence ended up fifth in a final loaded with talent, her worst international result since a sixth place finish at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. 2015 brought Lawrence back into the spotlight with a silver medal at the World Championships behind only Japan's Kanako Watanabe.
This season, Lawrence hasn't put up a time that cracks the top 25 world rankings, however if she's on at Trials she should be able to throw down a very solid time where it counts based on the consistency of her performances over the last five years.
Laura Sogar has been on her tail over the last quadrennial, and most recently won her first national title with a 200m breaststroke win at the 2015 Nationals in San Antonio. Her time from nationals makes her the second fastest American behind only Lawrence last season, putting her in a great position to make the team this year.
This will be Sogar's third attempt at making the Olympic team. In 2012 she fell short with a fourth place finish in the 200m breaststroke behind now retired Rebecca Soni, Lawrence, and Andrea Kropp.
While Sogar is in a good position to make the team, she's going to have to fend off plenty of others. Currently, she's the fourth ranked American this season behind Katie Meili, Lilly King and Melanie Margalis.
Meili is a huge threat in all breaststroke events. After a huge finish at last year's Pan American Games, Meili broke through onto the international scene to become a top contender in both the 100 breaststroke. This season, she's already been a lifetime best of 2:23.69 at the Arena Pro Swim Series at Austin in the 200, which ranks her 11th in the world.
Meili is on the up-and-up, so her progress over the last season will be a mystery until she hits the water in Omaha. Lilly King is another swimmer who has recently emerged as a major contender. The Indiana University freshman broke the 100 and 200 breaststroke American records en route to two NCAA titles this season and has shown no signs of slowing down.
While many people question if NCAA standouts will be able to transfer their short course success to the big pool, King already has. A 2:24.47 best time in the 200m breaststroke ranks the young up-and-comer 18th in the world this season. Depending on where she is in training, she could have a lot left in her tank and overthrow some big names this summer to qualify for the team.
Another fast riser is Margalis, who shot all the way to #3 among Americans this season with a 2:24.68 at the Indy Pro Swim Series meet over the weekend.
Molly Hannis is another swimmer much like King who hasn't had the international experience, but could push past some top swimmers this summer. Hannis put up a 2:25.26 this season and is ranked 23rd internationally. She's been fast, but she'll need to make a considerable drop in order to compete with the others who will likely be in a 2:22-2:23 range.
Annie Lazor is also in the mix after swimming a 2:24.96 at the Arena Pro Swim Series at Charlotte. It's close to trials, and depending where she is in her training there could be a huge drop in store for her in Omaha. With so many swimmers sitting in the 2:24-2:25 range, there's no telling if they'll be able to make the transition to a 2:22-2:23 during their taper and put up a fight for a spot on the team.
Breeja Larson is a 2012 Olympian who will have to regain her previous form to make the team in this event. Larson was the second best American in 2013 and 2014 in the 200, but hasn't put up anything indicative of a huge performance over the last two seasons.
|Micah Lawrence
|Katie Meili
|Lilly King
|Laura Sogar
|Molly Hannis
|Breeja Larson
|Melanie Margalis
|Annie Lazor
DARKHORSE: Miranda Tucker
The 18-year-old from Indiana University trains with King and threw down a very solid 200m breaststroke at Winter Nationals in December. With a 2:26.08 performance there, she's definitely in the mix to make the final.


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Last night, I went and saw the movie 'Monster House'. It's yet another computer animated movie. There seem to be a lot of these coming out lately. Some good, some bad. In my opinion, most of them bad. Pixar is the rare exception. What did I think of this particular movie? It was OK. This movie tells the story of three kids who discover that the house across the street is haunted and has been eating people. I have to say that while this movie seems very much aimed at young kinds, it does have some scenes that could be quite scary to children. The house, when it really starts 'monster-ing out' is quite scary looking. Maybe that's why the characters in the movie all look very cartoon-ish - to contrast with the very scary looking house. It had a few funny moments, but all in all, I'd say this movie is more for kids than adults.
Well, it's official. As of yesterday afternoon, I am unemployed - at least until Monday when I start my new job. I promised that I would discuss my reasons for leaving. Here they are.
First, let me say the the decision to leave my old job was a very difficult one. While things weren't perfect there, it wasn't bad enough that I desperately had to leave. This is unlike the job I had before that. That time, it was easy to decide. I was miserable there, the boss was an asshole, and the pay sucked. At the job I just left, I can honestly say that's not the case. So why did I leave?
My decision to leave was not based on a couple of big problems, it was based on a lot of small problems that just piled up and made things unpleasant and uncertain there.
Did I have a bad boss? No. In fact I hardly saw my boss, and when I did, I got along well with him. He was a very smart guy who respected my abilities, and didn't talk down to me.
Was I working on uninteresting stuff? At first no. I got a chance to work on TCP/IP servers, XML, XPath, XQuery, and embedded databases, as well as various open source projects. It was fascinating stuff. I was greatly enjoying this project.
Were the pay and benefits bad? No. They pay was quite good and the benefits were good.
So, you may ask, if I was so happy with things, why did I leave? In short, it was a combination of too much bureaucracy and a developing sense of unease as to my future there.
Getting anything done in that company is a nightmare. I wrote about some of the process in a previous entry. It takes a minimum of a week or two to get even the most trivial of fixes out into production. Why? Because there are seemingly a million levels of approvals that you have to get every step of the way. You have to have a code review approval. You have to have a security review approval. You have to have business approval. You have to have DBA approval. You have to test it in development, QA, and Product Staging, along with approvals each step of the way. If even one approval is missing, the entire request is rejected and you have to start over. If one form is even slightly incorrect, the entire request is rejected and you have to start over. I've lost days due to forgetting to put a single 'X' on a form! This is absurd. I understand the need for security and all that, but it was getting ridiculous the number of levels of crap you had to go through to get anything done. I am a developer. It is my job to take a request for a program, make it work, and get it into the hands of the customer. When you spend weeks and weeks fighting procedures that seem to change on a nearly daily basis, it gets very difficult to do this. I essentially finished development on the project I was working on six months ago. The last six months of my life have been mostly involved in forms trying to gradually role this project out into production. Even now, 19 months after I started, code that I wrote over a year ago, is still not in production! This is ridiculous.
My project was sadly underfunded. I started working on this project in about January of 2005. I was doing back end server development on the project full time for an entire year before we were finally given enough money to bring on several full time developers to do the front end on this project! Essentially, the front end was a year behind! I was already a year ahead of the rest of my team. They've been playing catchup ever since. For most of the first year of this project, my team consisted of TWO people (not including the project mananger). Those two people were me and my QA tester. Considering the amount of work that needed to be done on this project, this meant that much less resources were devoted to this project than should have been. On top of that, we were operating on a limited budget. This budget was scheduled to run out at the end of August (this month!). That means that, finished or not, this project essentially gets abandoned until next year (January) when they can get a new budget and continue the project. This means that I'm staring down a big question mark. When the project budget runs out, what will I be doing between the end of August and January of next year? I am a C++ developer and I frankly didn't see much other C++ work around the company. It seemed to me that most of the rest of the work around there was programming in Visual Basic 6 (a very old, outdated, and unsupported programming language) or ColdFusion (an old web development system). I really had no interest at all in either of these technologies, and the thought of having to do these two things full time for at least five months didn't appeal to me. And that's not even to say that had I sweated out those five months of unpleasantness, that come January I would be restored to this project and restored to doing what I like and what I am good at. Could I have done the work? Of course, but it would have bored the crap out of me.
Another thing that really wore me down was when they moved me from the building I was in to the other building. In the first building, I had a desk, in a fairly quiet area, with a nice 18" LCD that was very comfortable to look at for long periods of time. Granted my desk was next to the department printer and in a relatively high traffic location, but it was still fairly quiet and I was able to concentrate on my work. My project was very complex and required a lot of concentration on my part to get it right. Now, I *like* that it was an intense project. It kept my interest and I enjoyed the challenge. This all changed when I got moved to the other building. When the move happened, we were told to move our computer, but leave our monitors at our old desks. I had found out where I was moving to in the new building and had gone over to investigate. It turns out that my new location was not only going to be in a smaller desk, with no desk space and no bookshelves for books, but I would be losing my nice LCD monitor in favor of a serious piece of crap CRT monitor. On top of that, this room I was getting moved to was also housing the customer service department. This means I had to sit in a room with several dozen other people who's jobs it was to answer phone calls from customers and help them with problems. This means that I would hear constant talking coming from all around me. This constant noise would destroy any hope I had of concentrating on my work. You do not put programmers working on complex apps in a large, noisy room. That's just asking for bugs. And now that I am facing losing my good monitor in favor of a blurry, bulky monitor that takes up half of my desk, by itself, you can see how unhappy I was. I even went as far as asking my manager if I could keep my LCD when I moved over there. He agreed to let me put my LCD in his office before everything got moved. That way, when all his stuff got moved to his new office in the other building, I could just go over and reclaim my monitor from his desk and put it on my new desk. I did this. For the next week, I was the only person in that entire large room who had an LCD monitor... That was until Friday of that week, when I came in to discover that my LCD monitor had 'mysteriously' mutated into a CRT monitor. No explanation. No email asking me why I had an LCD. No email asking me if I had *permission* to have an LCD. Someone just decided to replace it, without any explanation or investigation. This was the straw the broke the camel's back. The day my monitor get taken from me, I decided it was time to leave. It turns out that this move to the large room was the catalyst that caused myself and others to leave the company. It was *that* bad of a move.
The incident with my LCD monitor also brings up another issue I had with this company. The equipment they gave developers to use was pathetic. It's bad enough that we are subjected to CRTs when decent LCDs are so cheap these days. But on top of that, many developers that I talked with had computers that had to be a good 5 years old and sadly out of date! You do not give a developer a 900Mhz Pentium 3 with an 8GB hard drive! Most computers didn't even have a DVD-ROM drive! How are you supposed to install development tools off a CD-ROM drive these days? It doesn't happen. How are you supposed to survive on an 8GB hard drive when Windows itself takes up about 1-2GB minimum, the developemnt tools take up another couple GB of space, and the development documentation takes up another couple of GB. You are left with struggling to work with maybe 1-2GB of HD space free on your hard drive. Combine this with a very slow processor and a lousy monitor, and it makes development work downright miserable. Developers deserve top of the line computers with a large LCD monitor and a large hard drive in order to be able to do their jobs efficiently. Some people may think that I am making a big stink over something as 'trivial' as the PC you use to do your job, but I don't see it that way. A developer's job is to write software. That PC is the tool he uses to do his job. Without adequate tools you can't do your job. I do not understand the logic behind paying a developer >$50K per year, but not wanting to spend $1000-$2000 on a decent computer so he can do his job! You are wasting much more than $1000-$2000 a year in lost productivity by giving a high paid developer a piece of crap computer.
So there you have it. It wasn't money or the lack thereof that drove me away. It was the work environment and the crappy equipment that did it. Hopefully certain people will read this blog and pass it around the company so they can understand better why the company is falling apart and why they are losing as many good people as they are.
Running a public web site is an interesting experience, even a small site such as mine. You learn a lot about how the Internet works (and doesn't work). One of the big things you learn, if you are smart, is how to do search engine optimization. Search engine optimization is the process of arranging your site so that it shows up properly in search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN Search.
My blogging software is a package called b2evolution. It is an open source blogging package that I installed on my web site myself. (You gotta love open source!) One of the things it provides is a quite nice administration site. This site allows you to do such things as enter new blog articles, remove spam on the site and view logs of all the hits on your site. It also shows you statistics on what search queries are directing people to your site.
These search query statistics are an education in itself. It's fascinating to see what search queries people are looking for and how often they end up at my site. I've noticed that a couple of my most popular articles were my review of the Spiderman 3 trailer and my review of Arch Linux. Both of those get hit a lot. I can see why.
My review of the Spiderman 3 trailer contains a lot of information and photos about the movie. I describe in great detail what the preview shows in only brief fraction of a second scenes. It lists my complete guess as to the plot of the movie, nearly a year before the movie is released. It's quite a spoiler for those people out there who are not familiar with the comic books and the backstory hinted at strongly in the movie. That was probably the longest and most involved article I've ever written. Between extracting photos from the trailer and writing up the blog, I spent several hours on it. I feel it was worth it though if someone gained some useful knowledge from it.
As for the Arch Linux review, I'm a bit surprised at the popularity of it. I'd always considered Arch Linux to be a relatively little kown version of Linux, compared to the major versions - Red Hat and Suse. I'm pleased to see that my little review is useful to people.
Another interesting thing I've noticed is that search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN Search etc.) are indexing pages on my site that I don't think are very important. These pages that they index artificially high, in my opinion are the monthly blog views. These monthly views only show the last 5 blogs I wrote that month. That list can change on a daily basis. That means that it's very likely someone will end up at my site looking for an article that's not even listed on that monthly view anymore! That makes that monthly view link pretty useless in my opinion. The useful stuff on my site is the blog articles I write. Those should be indexed higher than the monthly list. In fact I would even say the blog articles should be the only thing indexed on the site. The rest is not important. There are techniques for doing this, but I have not done much work on it yet. Luckily b2evolution is open source so I can easily go in and modify the site to meet my needs with regards to this search engine optimization. I need to do this sometime soon. For a website to succeed, it is critical that it be properly optimized for search engines to find you.
"People should not be afraid of the government.
The government should be afraid of the people."
That is the tagline of the movie 'V for Vendetta' and an appropriate one it is too, especially in this day and age.
The movie tells the story of a terrorist named 'V' who sets out to topple an oppressive government. This oppressive government, in this movie is the government of England. However, some of the things it shows this government doing bring to mind such stories as '1984' and even many of the events of today. In this movie, we see the persecution of homosexuals, we see the banning of many books and artwork. We see the controlling of the media. We see the government staging tragedies to affect change of opinion. We see totalitarian governments use this manipulation to take over.
These scenes very much bring to mind some of the things we are seeing today, though to a much lesser degree. We see the Bush Administration campaigning against gay marriage, we see books and artwork being banned in our schools. We hear conspiracy theories that the government staged 9/11. All these things we encounter in the world today are amplified in this story. This story is scary in a sense because it takes what we already see today and simply amplifies it to a very possible future. That happens in this movie could very well happen today. In fact, in some countries, such as Iran, North Korea and China, we already see these things.
This movie, like few others before it has the ability to really make you think about the world we live in and where it is going. These are the kind of movies I like. It doesn't have to have a lot of brainless action to interest me. Movies like this, and Gattaca (a movie about 'perfect people') really make you think about what the future may hold.
Way back when Hurricane Wilma hit, I ended up losing a palm tree in front of the house. The hurricane knocked it completely over. The lawn crews came out pretty quick and chopped it up and hauled it off. It was several more weeks before they came and cleaned out the stump. All that was left was a hole where the stump used to be. This big hole has been sitting there in front of my house ever since. Today I finally got around to fixing that.
Today, after several hours of work and eighteen 40 pound bags of dirt, the hole is filled in with dirt. It looks much better now. I also ripped out the rotting old wooden fence around the A/C unit. The thing was falling apart and it was time to get rid of that too. Of course now I need to figure out what I can put up as a replacement for that A/C fence.
Ripping out that fence left me with a bunch of large wooden posts that I had to toss. Of course since the massive recycle bin is already full, I really can't toss this stuff. It really sucks that my lazy garbage people won't take the garbage unless it is in that bin. It kinda makes it hard to clean out my garage. I have a lot of junk in there that I need to toss.Not that anyone cares... :)
I've been spending a lot on doing 'upgrades' lately. I spent a large chunk of money on a pair of new stereo speakers and a subwoofer for my home theater system. I also spend a large chunk of cash on an upgrade to my computer. Did I really need these upgrades? No, but I wanted them and thanks to the stock options at work, I had the money for them. There is one more upgrade that I spent most of this afternoon investigating: Upgrades to my house itself.
Am I buying a new house? No. I'm quite happy with my house. I bought it five years ago before housing prices got too insane. At the time I thought I paid a lot for it. Turns out I got a good deal considering how expensive houses are these days. So what am I doing? Cabling, and lots of it.
For five years now, ever since the day I moved into this place I've been badly in need of some cabling work. I have had stereo cabled stretched across the middle of the living room running to the rear channel speakers on my surround sound. I've also had a jury-rigged phone line running completely around my kitchen leading to the TIVO in the living room. The Tivo needs a phone line in order to call out nightly for it's program listing updates and software updates. It's basically a computer that dials out over a modem. Combined that with my desire to wire the house for gigabit ethernet, plus putting DirectTV drops in my other two bedrooms and it leads up to a lot of wiring. (At last count, about SIXTEEN plugs need to be installed).
I had never actually done anything on this cabling issue for years for two main reasons: 1) I'm lazy. Enough said. 2) I never knew who could do this for me. I'm sure as hell not going to go climbing around in a hot attic and do it myself (see #1 above). What changed? I discovered a website called ServiceMagic.com that gives you a way to request contractor work to be done on your house. I noticed that they listed networking installations on there so I put in a request for a quote. The network installation then snowballed into trying to fix all the wiring problems at once. This was a couple weeks ago. They sent me the names and contact information of three different contractors. It took me this long to schedule an appointment to have them come out and discuss what I wanted done. (see #1 again...) Finally, I managed to schedule two out of the three to come by today and discuss the wiring job.
The first one to come out was a single person. He was a young guy, who looked to be about college age. He came in, I explained what I wanted and he left. He was in and out in about 10-20 minutes. I was surprised on how fast that went. He's supposed to be contacting me with an estimate. I'm not entirely sure about this guy. He struck me as fairly amateur at this. He'd probably end up being cheaper, but I'm not sure he's the right one to go with.
The second one to come out was two guys - the boss and the installer. Again I took them through the house and explained everything. They then told me they were going to go out to the car and work out an estimate of the work. They went out to their car and were there for a good 20 minutes discussing it. When they finally came back in, they gave me a rough estimate. VERY expensive. Of course some of the numbers were just guesses because they didn't have the prices of some of the equipment I needed. Also, since much of the stuff was pretty standard (a gigabit switch, ethernet cable, wall sockets etc.) I could buy much of this stuff myself (and I already had a bunch of it). So, they too said they would email me a final estimate and they left. These guys were here for a good hour to an hour and a half. While it looks like they are going to be a lot more expensive, I got the impression, they knew what they were doing much more than the first guy.
I'm still waiting for estimates, so I don't know what this is going to cost or even if I'll finally go through with it, but it's a start.
Now I just need to take care of the landscaping, the remodeling of the bathrooms, the repainting of the master bedroom...It's always something when you are a homeowner!
Ok, last night I got the new dual core Athlon up and running. It is working quite well. It is FAST. I'm having a few minor problems with it that I need to work out, but all in all, it works very well. I'm quite happy.
In about a week and a half, I start my new job. Last week, I emailed my future boss and asked him what the specs were on the PC that I would be using in the new job. Why was I obsessing about something as minor as the PC I would be using? Because as a developer, that is the tool I use to do my job! If the tools I use to do my job are not up to the task, then I cannot do my job. In addition, I was concerned because of general health concerns. Regular keyboards tend to cause Carpel Tunnel Syndrome and many mice can cause a bad case of 'mouse shoulder'. Obviously I want to have a PC that will allow me to do my job well and not injure my health in the process.
He sent me the specs on the PC. After reviewing these specs, I decided that they were not adequate to do my job quickly and safely to my health. I sent him a list of what I felt I needed in a PC and asked if it would be possible to get a PC with these specs. I also justified every one of the upgraded specs that I asked for. To my surprise, he readily agreed to buy me the exact computer specs I was asking for. Today he sent me the final specs on the PC that he ordered for me, and I am quite happy with the looks of this PC he ordered for me. It looks to be darn near a top of the line PC.
In my current job, my PC is decent, but my monitor is not. For almost 1 1/2 years at my current job, I had a nice 19" LCD monitor. This is a great monitor, especially for someone with bad eyesight, as I have. LCD monitors do not have the refresh problems that CRTs have. This makes them much easier on the eyes, especially when you are staring at it for 8 hours at a time. I was quite happy with my work PC. That changed about two months ago. Two months ago, I got moved from one building to another. When they announced this move, they told us to pack up our PCs but leave our monitors where they were. I had gone by the other building to check out where I was being moved to. All I saw was a sea of tiny desks in a giant room. Each desk had an ancient, piece of junk CRT monitor sitting on it. This means that once I got moved there, I would lose the good monitor in favor of a piece of junk monitor that would not be good for my help. I was not happy with this. I talked to my boss about this and asked if I could move my LCD with me. Since technically we weren't supposed to, he suggested that I just put the LCD in his office and it would get moved with his stuff. Then, once his stuff got moved, I'd just take the LCD back and put it on my desk.
I did this. I was all happy to have my LCD monitor. It made the unpleasant work environment I was in a bit more tolerable. I was the only person in the room who had an LCD. Yes, technically I was dodging the rules by sneaking the monitor over, but I felt it was justified, for health reasons. That LCD sat there on my desk for the rest of the week. On Friday morning, I came in to find that my LCD had dissapeared and a CRT had been placed there instead. No explanation, no questioning why I had an LCD and noone else did. Nothing. My monitor just mysteriously changed. Apparently the finally noticed that I had the 'wrong' monitor, so they replaced it. I was furious. It's bad enough that I have to be placed in a noisy room, with no privacy, and no desk space. To top it all off, the one thing that made this place almost bearable - my LCD, was now taken from me. I asked for an LCD to replace the CRT they placed on my desk, because it was causing eye strain. (which it was). I was basically told, in no uncertain terms that I would not be getting an LCD. This incident alone is what finally pushed me over the edge and made me decide it was time to go. When a company won't even provide reasonable materials to their employees to do their job, it's time to move on.
This problem at work is the complete opposite of what I found with the new job. Not only did they provide the LCD I asked for, but they also bought a PC to the exact specs I requested. I cannot express enough how happy this made me. The fact that a boss considers your needs and is able to provide them without complaint is a very good first sign for this job. This was one of the biggest factors that lead me to accept this job. Let's see how this new job goes...
Ok, I broke down and did it! Yesterday I ordered the upgrades to my PC. Even though the new AMD prices weren't supposed to be announced until today, Mwave updated their prices over the weekend, so I jumped. Here's what I bought:
- AMD Athlon X2 4600+ AM2 Processor
- MSI K9N Platinum motherboard
- 320GB SATA 3.0GB HD (Seagate Barracuda)
- 3D Fuzion 3DFR76256GSE Geforce 7600GS video card
It will probably take a week or so for me to get all this stuff, so I gotta wait a bit before I can play with my new toys. Hopefully I won't have as many problems with this setup as I did with the last one...
Today I put in my two weeks notice at my job. I am leaving to go to a job at another company. Why? That's a subject for another blog.
When I put in my notice, some people were suprised, but not nearly as many as I expected. At the same time that everyone was finding out that I was leaving, I was finding out that a lot of other people were either already leaving, or were planning on leaving. You never hear these things in normal day to day conversations at work. Why? I think it's fear.
Noone wants to ever admit that they are not happy at their job, especially not to their boss. Why would you ever go to the boss and complain about something you don't like and take the risk of getting fired because of your complaint. This leads to a lot of fear among employees. Noone wants to say anything bad or do anything that would cause them to risk losing their jobs. Everyone has bills to pay. You just can't afford to risk losing that salary.
This fear of complaining can lead to an unfortunate problem for managers - they never know when something is bothering their employees! If the manager doesn't know there is a problem, how is he going to fix it? I honestly think most managers are decent enough people that they wouldn't fire you if you went to them with a legitimate complaint. Of course, noone (myself included) wants to take the risk of finding that one manager that does mind when you complain.
Today has been an amazing education for me. I knew I wasn't particularly happy with my job. I just didn't realize how many others also weren't happy with their jobs. Many times someone would say to me "Oh, you are leaving the company? Take me with you!" or "Oh, you are leaving the company? Is your new company hiring?" Clear signs that they want to get out too.
I really hate changing jobs. It's always a risk to give up the job you are at. It's a place you've been at for a while and you are comfortable there. You know everyone, you know your job and generally, it's 'safe'. Taking a job is a risk because you are always diving into an unknown situation. Will you get along with the people at your new job? Will you be able to do the work required of you at the new job? Is going to this new company the right decision? Am I making a mistake leaving this 'good thing' I have now?
You have to weigh the pros and cons of leaving or staying and decide what's best for you. I do feel a certain amount of loyalty to my boss at my current job. He's always been good to me and treated me well. I really have no complaints about him. I felt bad leaving him. I was very surprised to learn that he wasn't really surprised by my resignation. He's a very smart guy and I'm sure he's noticed that things have not been going well and that I've been very frustrated. He has been too. He even commented that he had considered leaving himself. His problem is that he is one of the original founders of the company, so he literally is the company. Plus, I'm sure he's getting paid A LOT of money to stay. He offered to try to get me a counteroffer. I told him I would consider it. It would take A LOT to convince me to stay though.


text:
Planning application reference S/094/01392/15 has been received by the Parish Council and is now being considered.
This application proposes the erection of 2 replacement poultry sheds with 4 biomass rooms and 4 silos on the site of 6 existing poultry sheds which are to be demolished (works already started), at HEALE FARM, WELLSYKE LANE, KIRKBY ON BAIN, WOODHALL SPA, LINCOLNSHIRE LN10 6YU
The Parish Council's observations have been requested for no later than 15 January 2016. If you wish to help the council form a view on this application, please contact them through this website or contact a parish councillor directly.
You may view details of the application and submit your comments online to East Lindsey District Council Planning department here.
You can also write to the ELDC planning department, Tedder Hall, Manby Park, Louth, Lincolnshire, LN11 8UP, quoting the reference reference S/094/01392/15
ELDC advice about commenting on planning applications.
ELDC local plan and planning guidance.


text:
Born in China and raised in Montreal until age 11, Nianke was terrified of air travel in his youth and managed to avoid flying until completion of university studies. Having taken advantage of the $220 Christmas 2014 Etihad mistake fare to visit Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Nianke discovered that 14-hour long haul economy flying was the opposite of fun and was determined to do everything in his power to avoid it in his future.
Nianke works full time for a regional airline and has developed an advanced knowledge and understanding of airline operations. After having attended each and every PointsU since its inception event in January 2016, and with a diverse collection of credit cards in his portfolio, Nianke now collects over a million frequent flier miles each year.
All session by Nianke Li
Manufactured Spend – A Prep Course
15:30 - 16:20
Ask an Expert Panel Discussion
16:30 - 17:30