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Jane McGonigal Selected as SIGGRAPH 2012 Keynote Speaker
Reality needs better game design. Jane McGonigal is a visionary game designer and futurist, and she is harnessing the power of the Internet games in new ways to help solved some of the biggest challenges facing our world today and tomorrow.
McGonigal has been selected as keynote speaker for SIGGRAPH 2012. She is director of game research and development at the Institute for the Future (IFTF), where her research focuses on how games are transforming the way we lead our real lives, and how they can be used to increase our resilience and well-being.
"As both a visual artist and innovative game designer, Jane McGonigal is the ideal keynote for SIGGRAPH 2012 as the perfect illustration of this year's conference theme," said Rebecca Strzelec, SIGGRAPH 2012 Conference Chair from Penn State Altoona. "Her vision, vocation, and world-renowned accomplishments truly embody the collision, juxtaposition, and interaction of art and science."
McGonigal is a visionary game designer and futurist, using alternate reality games to conduct research, build communities, connect with markets, and solve real-world problems from curing disease to addressing issues of poverty, hunger, and a world without petroleum. She has created and deployed award-winning games in more than 30 countries on six continents and directed the world's first massively multiplayer forecasting game, Superstruct, which brought together more than 7,000 future forecasters from 90 countries.
Advance Program Now Available
Get detailed information on who's speaking and what's happening at SIGGRAPH 2012.
The Advance Program PDF is your best planning resource for a week of learning, exploring, and amazing interaction with tomorrow's technologies. Download >
Registration Deadline Approaching
Register for SIGGRAPH 2012 on or before 18 June to receive the best discounted registration rate.
Join the international SIGGRAPH community of digital innovators, inspired researchers, award-winning producers, provocative artists, energetic executives, and adventurous engineers at SIGGRAPH 2012. Select the registration category that works for your schedule and budget, and register today!
Visit the "For Attendees" tab for an overview of all conference programs, schedule-at-a-glance and the advance program for what to expect this year.
SIGGRAPH Mobile
Mobile phones now combine serious graphics hardware with very cool software. Find out what's next in talks, workshops, and demonstrations.
Inspired by the popularity of SIGGRAPH Asia 2011 Symposium on Apps, this new program for SIGGRAPH 2012 presents the latest advances in mobile technologies. SIGGRAPH Mobile explores what's possible, and when, for computers that can remain in their bags at security checkpoints.
A few highlights of Mobile content to look out for:
Mobile Applications – In Your Hand and On the Road
Session Chair: Ronald van der Lingen, Layar
Authors: Vidya Setlur, Nokia Research Center; Alark Joshi, Boise State University
This session presents the state of the art in mobile automobile research, particularly navigation systems that help the user on-the-go. The talk includes code samples and a demo of a prototype called DriveSense that combines the mobile and automobile contexts, affecting how maps are rendered.
Mobile Augmented Reality in Advertising: the TineMelk AR App - A Case Study
Authors: Kim Baumann Larsen, Placebo Effects; Tuck Siver and David Jones, Labrat; Magnus Wessel Bøe-Waal and Michael Birkeland, Placebo Effects; Sigbjørn Galåen, Christer Sveen, and Eigil Jarl Halse, Blink Studios AS
Augmented Reality (AR) offers many creative and technical opportunities that are only beginning to be understood by advertisers. Placebo Effects and Labrat's work with TineMelk AR provided a production challenge to apply this emerging technology in a real world environment.
The TineMelk AR application for Android and iOS ran nationwide in Norway in January 2012. An AR marker was printed on more than 50 million milk cartons. The app was part of a four-month campaign to raise awareness of locally produced and distributed milk and was built on an existing marketing concept of cows talking like humans when unobserved. Two small animated cows played out an amusing mise en scène with the cows speaking in a different Norwegian dialect, depending on which region the milk was from. The story ends when the cows are surprised to "discover" the user and then clumsily return to "playing" cow.
This presentation covers lessons learned from the production of the TineMelk AR app and key issues and possibilities to be aware of when creating interactive AR stories for the mobile platform.
Image Credit: Copyright (c) 2012 Placebo Effects / Labrat
The complete list of SIGGRAPH Mobile content is online.
Focus on Games
Discover games-related programs and sessions for game creators and producers who want to apply the latest techniques, technologies and trends.
SIGGRAPH 2012 offers a record amount of game development content throughout various conference programs, including Courses, Talks, Technical Papers, SIGGRAPH Dailies!, and Real-Time Live!
"With a variety of excellent game, film, and research content, SIGGRAPH 2012 will be THE place for video game artists and graphics experts to increase their knowledge, sharpen their skills, and discuss ideas with the best," said Naty Hoffman, SIGGRAPH 2012 Games Chair from Activision.
A partial list of SIGGRAPH 2012 game-related sessions and programs:
Virtual Texturing in Software and Hardware
Authors: Juraj Obert, Advanced Micro Devices; J.M.P. van Waveren, ID Software; Graham Sellers, Advanced Micro Devices
This course introduces partially resident textures (PRTs), a new GPU feature for virtual texturing, and contrasts them with software-based methods of virtual texturing. PRTs are available in the Southern Islands (Radeon HD 7xxx) family of graphics processors.
Advances in Real-Time Rendering in Games (2-part course)
Character Rigging, Deformations, and Simulations in Film and Game Production
Practical Physically-Based Shading in Film and Game Production
The Battle for the Future of Motion-Controlled Gaming
Virtual Production Branches Out
Adaptive Level-of-Detail System for End of Nations
Asking the Impossible on SSX: Creating 300 Tracks On a 10-Track Budget
Character Customization of Soulcalibur 5 In-Depth
Creating Vast Game Worlds - Experiences from Avalanche Studios
Fast Generation of Directional Occlusion Volumes
Furry, Floppy, Fuzzy: Once Upon a Monster's Fur Pipeline
Authors: Peter Demoreuille, Google, Inc.; Oliver Franzke, Double Fine Productions; Lydia Choy, Bloom Studio
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster required Double Fine Productions to faithfully re-create the look of classic Sesame Street characters and a set of loveable furry monster companions. The novel authoring tools, simulation, tessellation, sorting, shading, lighting, and rendering techniques developed for the title formed an efficient and flexible fur pipeline that was used to create fur for every character in the title.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Double Fine Productions, Inc. Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster © 2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Developed by Double Fine Productions, Inc. "Sesame Street®" and all associated characters and elements © 2011 Sesame Workshop. Portions of "Once Upon a Monster" ™ & © 2011 Double Fine Productions, Inc.
Lighting the Open World of New York Zero for Prototype 2
Local Image-based Lighting with Parallax-corrected Cubemaps
Rendering Water in Uncharted
Authors: Carlos Gonzalez-Ochoa, Eben Cook, Doug Holder, Naughty Dog, Inc.
The Uncharted series of video games for the PS3 has been recognized for its distinct cinematic gaming experience and high-quality graphics. Although the core game mechanics are centered around exploration and combat, water has been a major design element of the game.
The complexity of the game mechanics and rendering of the water has increased over the three games in the series. They extend from simple swimming mechanics to the player swimming in rough water, full levels being moved by the ocean waves, fast moving boats and platforms, crashing waves, and floods. The types of water in the game's environments range from simple puddles to pools, lakes, rivers, and an ocean-storm environment. Diverse new rendering techniques were used to display and animate the water. Each type of water uses a different rendering engine.
Screen Space Decals in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
What If Earth was Flat: Building the Globe UI of SSX
Creating Vast Game Worlds: Experiences from Avalanche Studios
Film/Game Convergence: What's Taking So Long?
Make Your Travel Plans
Book your hotel reservation through onPeak by 9 July and review the airport shuttle bus options.
SIGGRAPH 2012 has negotiated discounts at select hotels available only to conference attendees. View a list of participating hotels. Discounted rates are guaranteed until 9 July 2012. Reservations made after 9 July will be based on availability only, and rates may increase.
Book your hotel online or contact onPeak, the SIGGRAPH 2012 travel partner, directly at 800.631.5557 (Continental US and Canada) or +1.312.527.7300. Please note: If you are contacted by a hotel vendor other than onPeak, they are not associated with SIGGRAPH 2012 and may not be reputable.
Airport Shuttle Bus Discounts
SIGGRAPH 2012 has partnered with Super Shuttle to offer transportation to and from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Shared Ride Van: $13 per passenger (up to 9 passengers) Town Car Service - $63 per sedan (up to 4 passengers). These discounted rates are valid from five days before the conference to five days after it ends.
Book by phone at 800.258.3826 (toll free) or +1.310.222.5500, extension 4. To receive the discount, you must mention the SIGGRAPH 2012 discount code: PK7AU. Or you can book online at the Super Shuttle web site.
View additional travel information and plan your trip to Los Angeles.
Call for SIGGRAPH 2013 and 2014 Volunteers
Get involved in a future conference - it is a fun and rewarding experience that can enhance your personal network and professional career. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a SIGGRAPH volunteer, we want to hear from you! To take that first step, either apply online or stop by the SIGGRAPH 2013 booth during the conference to discover how you can contribute your expertise and energy. All attendees are welcome.
Subcommittee candidates can meet their respective committee chairs at the SIGGRAPH 2013 booth onsite, and 2014 candidates for committee chairs can apply online.
Questions, suggestions, and comments are encouraged. Learn more about applying for SIGGRAPH conference positions.
SIGGRAPH in the News
SIGGRAPH Previews 2012 Art Gallery Exhibit
Q&A: SIGGRAPH Technical Papers Chair Hanspeter Pfister
SIGGRAPH 2012 – Emerging Technologies highlights
View the latest SIGGRAPH news.
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Make sure you receive future issues of SIGGRAPHITTI. Add yourself to the SIGGRAPH 2012 mailing list. The information you provide on this form will be used only to distribute information on SIGGRAPH conferences. It will not be given or sold to any other organization for any other purpose.


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Keep all of your wedding notes or vows together in a handy A5 personalised linen notebook.
- A5 size 14.5 x 21.5cm
- Off White Linen Cover
- 2 Styles available
- 80g woodfree paper
- 96 lined sheets
- Hard Linen Cover
If you you would like something else printed on the cover please send me a message.
Please note, personalisation can take up to 2 weeks but normally ships within a week.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sexuality and Being in the Poststructuralist Universe of Clarice Lispector: The Différance of Desire (Texas Pan American Series)
Earl E. Fitz
Publish yr note: First released in 2001
Driven by way of an unfulfilled wish for the impossible, eventually indefinable different, the protagonists of the novels and tales of acclaimed Brazilian author Clarice Lispector exemplify and humanize a few of the matters critical to poststructuralist inspiration, from the character of language, fact, and aspiring to the risky relationships among language, being, and truth. during this booklet, Earl Fitz demonstrates that, in flip, poststructuralism deals vital and revealing insights into all facets of Lispector's writing, together with her sort, feel of constitution, characters, issues, and socio-political conscience.
Fitz attracts on Lispector's complete oeuvre--novels, tales, cronicas, and children's literature--to argue that her writing constantly displays the fundamental tenets of poststructuralist concept. He indicates how Lispector's characters fight over and humanize poststructuralist dilemmas and the way their crucial feel of being is deeply depending on a transferring, and customarily transgressive, experience of wish and sexuality.
Equating the act of writing with that of fishing, with the bait being the note, Lispector observes that the be aware then fishes for "something that isn't a notice" (FL 119), a picture that parallels Saussure's declare signal ability whatever merely in terms of the opposite indicators in its approach. In quite often enigmatic Lispectorian style, she is going directly to say that once the "non-word" "bites" the "bait" (which, in fact, is one other word), "something has been written" (FL 119). She concludes this short.
any such slap I obtained knocked cold"; 46), the influence of that is to destabilize the straightforward condemnation of male violence the reader were resulted in make just a second sooner than. One involves the realization that, for Clarice Lispector, God (a consistent and unsettling motif in her paintings) looks in primarily modes: because the keeper, arbiter, or image of the country of perfection, grace, or transcendence (often taking shape as one of those mystical ecstasy) that we people search, and as a logo of authority, of.
Semeiotiké: Recherches pour une sémanalyse (1959), this interpretive method of the literary textual content permits us to understand its inherent "productivity," its tendency (more mentioned in Lispector's post-1961 texts) to displace, decenter, droop, or another way destabilize the ideological orthodoxies of a given tradition by utilizing its language in unorthodox, disruptive, and "forbidden" methods. It does this with the intention to emphasize the semantic "slippage" and uncertainty that come into play once we try to.
That poststructuralism comprises, together with the anxiousness we believe, having misplaced or rejected our traditional experience of self and of our "proper" position within the universe, at having to stand the uncertainties and feel of arbitrariness that represent the poststructural worldview. As G. H., keenly aware of her personal evolving character, expresses it: during the past, discovering myself was once having a ready-made person-idea and mounting myself inside of it …. The person-idea that I had got here from that 3rd leg of mine,.
"appetite" (an photo that recollects Xavier's "hunger"), the reader is left considering even if, at this element in a story so sopping wet in sexual references and imagery, our "failed writer's" "hunger," which she says is killing her, will not be a topic of intercourse instead of of nutrition. Following one ultimate connection with the (male) "morning masturbator" (139), the textual content attracts to a detailed with the "enunciating I"—seemingly the voice of Lispector herself—offering up an enigmatic "Epilogue": "All that i've got.


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A HUGE #THANKYOU to @prattprattpratt and @johnkrasinski for taking a little time out of their day to pay tribute with a little bit of sweat! We are looking forward to those pictures guys! #ChallengeAccepted #MemorialDay #MURPH #forgedclothing #Repost @prattprattpratt ・・・ #memorialday #murphchallenge @johnkrasinski 1 mile 100 pull-ups 200 push-ups 300 air-squats 1 mile Do it for time. Check out the challenge and get your shirt at https://www.themurphchallenge.com Thank you to all fallen heroes and their families. Today we remember and honor you.
Memorial Day Murph – You'll be lying in a pool of sweat before you know it. MDM goes down Monday, May 28th, at 10am sharp. This is an all levels "burner." It's really long, it'll be really hot and your goal is to finish around one hour. No really, 60 minutes. As always, there will be ways to modify the workout to make it suck specifically for your level. Unlike the Christmas party or End of the Open BBQ, this is not our favorite event of the year. It's truly miserable. And we do it. Every year. Without question. You will too. It's a test of your will and fortitude and an opportunity to pay a little respect to some fallen heroes. We expect everyone who's in town to show up and contribute to our massive sweat angel.
If you'd like to take it up a level, you can make a small donation in exchange for a good looking MDM 2018 t-shirt @ themurphchallenge.com
Pre-Memorial Day Closure – In order to maximize Murph participation, we're closing on Sunday, May 27th.
Run to Sessions
Hip Mobility
10 Downdog Push-ups
Review Thruster technique:
(5 minutes light practice)
L 2-4 – Barbell
L 0/1 – Kettlebell
"Isaac Jogues"
Level 3/4
On a running clock, 36 minute limit:
At 0:00
4x AFAP
200 yd Run
15 Thrusters
At 12:00
3x AFAP
400 yd Run
10 Thrusters (heavier)
At 24:00
2x AFAP
800 yd Run
5 Thrusters (heavier)
Level 2
36 Minutes E6MOM (6 rounds)
12 Thrusters
400 yd Run
L2 – Double KB (try to do 2x16k/2x12k or heavier if possible), Barbells (M:75+/W:55+) ONLY IF there is enough equipment/space for everyone
Level 0/1
5x AFAP
10 Kettlebell Thrusters
400 yd Run
120 seconds Rest
L0/1 – preferably 10 double KB thrusters, or you can do 7 single KB thrusters on each side


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QUIZ: What Anime Does Dan Think You Should Watch This Weekend?
10 November 2016, 13:40 | Updated: 17 October 2017, 09:45
You ready to find out?
So in typical Dan Howell fashion, another anime video has been uploaded to his second (??) channel in sponsorship with CrunchyRoll - the people who helped up the TATINOF Tour on the road. After his video hit the Internet, we decided to gather together all our best scientists to see if we can calculate precisely what anime you should watch this weekend, based on Dan's recent recommendations!
All you need to do is answer one very specific, very psychological and very complicated question... what is your favourite colour? Once we've got over that hurdle (and don't worry if it takes you hours to decide), we'll reveal to you which anime you should be relaxing with over the weekend. Make sure you let us know in the comments below which show you get - maybe we can live-tweet them together?!
Are you ready for your destiny to be revealed?!
If you want more content, don't forget to check out the rest of our content including that time we tried to turn loads of YouTubers into anime characters... Also, lets see that GIF again.


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by C M Buckland
NWR Issue r29
The Glass Aisle
by Paul Henry
In this semi-surreal journey through the present and past, Henry's narrator walks us through the seasons and along a section of canal in Powys, shedding a momentary light on some former inhabitants of an old workhouse.
The poem opens in the modern day with an engineer working up a telegraph pole, fixing a line that runs across the canal to the workhouse. As he toils, the engineer hears the faint sound of voices: 'Abraham Bishop, Pauper, Gloucester / Charlot [sic] Phillips, Wife, Camarthen.' This crackling transmission of the names, occupations and abodes of the inmates is a motif that runs through the piece, acting as a kind of sombre background static.
As the poem progresses, we encounter other workhouse labourers such as Mary Thomas, abused by a member of staff as a punishment for her child having cried in chapel. There is also John Moonlight, an angler from Crickhowell, who we feel is more poacher than legitimate fisher, 'Children camp in the field / where you hid your night lines.' When the canal freezes over in winter, it becomes the glass aisle of the poem's title. John Moonlight walks along it, eventually falling through the ice into the freezing water below.
For me, the power of this poem is in what is
said. From their apparitions and utterances, we get a sense of the traces that these souls have left behind, with the physical and emotional strains of their lives being inferred rather than made explicit.
A government document dated 1852 held at the British Library lists the kinds of hard labour the workhouse poor had to undertake. Amongst these were 'breaking stones' and 'picking oakum'; the latter involved unravelling rope that had been treated with tar (often used in shipbuilding). Henry references these two tasks in his poem. The workhouse really was the last resort for many who, through illness, disability, unemployment or homelessness, could no longer support themselves. This poem makes us consider these people, who in sheer desperation referred themselves to such institutions and, in so doing, surrendered much of their self-worth and dignity.
The poem closes with the narrator standing on the canal towpath, contemplating the whole bandwidth of other worldly communications he has encountered, 'I cannot tell an owl from a name on the wind, / the voices in the wire / from the voices in the leaves.'
This is a memorable work which, for me at least, has something of the darker moments of Dylan Thomas' 'Under Milkwood' about it. In the spaces between the poem's ghostly broadcasts, I think Paul Henry succeeds in confronting us with the grim reality that faced the Victorian destitute and gives these inmates the chance to breathe again.
But whilst the title poem is the centrepiece of
this collection
, it is flanked by a number of other interesting poems:
'Craiglais' asks whether a tunnel connecting two coves might just be a wormhole bringing two separate worlds together; one at low tide, the other at high tide. I like the sense of space-time evoked in this poem, that this bridge between two dimensions could well disappear in an instant, leaving a traveller stranded on one side or the other.
In 'The Seamstress', the narrator's wife is trying to hold back autumn by fixing the leaves back onto the trees. It is as though the oak and the aspen do not understand the force of their actions. Here thorns are pins, leaves are fabric, and the endeavour, an echo of the garments the seamstress used to fashion. 'And for every hour returned / another falls to the ground, / to the colours of heartbreak, / of the clothes she used to make.'
I was transported back, in 'Shelves', to Henry's previous collection,
Boy Running
(Seren, 2015). The sentiments of this poem feel deeply personal; as though they are a real, lived experience. It speaks about packing up old books – from either side of the fireplace – into plastic bags. 'Bookmarks: letters, photographs / of the boys… slip free / like split playing cards, like knives.' The more I re-read 'Shelves', the more I felt this piece belonged to the opening poems of
Boy Running
: with 'Usk' and 'Moving In' and 'Studio Flat' and 'Ring' – incredibly raw works that speak of marital breakdown. But it was, nevertheless, good to revisit these emotions in this poem and in this collection.
The Glass Aisle
is a body of work that walks us through different ages and locations, as well as through lives lived and lost. The title poem is a poignant reflection on the past and the severe hand dealt to those deemed least in society. 'The Glass Aisle' has that potential to endure.
CM Buckland
is a writer and reviewer.
'The Glass Aisle', featuring songs co-written by Paul Henry with Brian Briggs, will be performed at festivals during 2019. A CD of the collection is
also available.
@ theglassaisle
Buy this book at gwales.com
previous review:
In Her Shambles
next review:
Fade to Grey
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Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: Easy - for beginners
Serves: 5
Dietary guidance: n g
For pork:
1/4 cup + 1 tbl Rosemary Olive Oil
1/4 cup 25-Star White Balsamic Vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced and mashed to a paste
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika (from Ah love - sweet or hot)
4 pork chops, boneless
sea salt and ground pepper
3 tbls cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
For Potatoes & Peas:
4 slices thick-cut bacon
1 lb potatoes (red, yellow or fingerling will do); quartered
6 medium cipolline onions, peeled, quartered. (can use shallots)
sea salt and ground pepper
1 cup thawed frozen peas
1/2 tso minced fresh thyme
Marinating the Pork:
Whisk 1/4 cup oil with balsamic, rosemary, paprika. Coat the pork with mixture on all sides and place in shallow glass dish. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature to marinate for 20 minutes. (or place in refrigerator to marinate for up to 24 hours).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Put bacon in a heavy skillet with 1 t/l water; cook on medium high until water evaporates, then stir constantly until bacon is crisp (about 6 minutes). Transfer bacon with slotted spoon or fork to paper towel to drain. Reserve fat in skillet.
Heat reserved fat and add potatoes in single layer; cook without touching for 1 minute. Stir once, add onions and bacon. Cook without touching for 1 minute. Stir to coat onions, then add salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until potatoes are tender; about 25 minutes. Then stir in peas and thyme; add salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm in oven on lowest temperature.
Cooking the Pork:
Remove pork chops from dish and wipe off marinade with paper towels. Lightly season with salt and pepper on both sides. Reserve marinade.
Heat 1 tbl oil in heavy skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add chops in single layer; they should sizzle when you place them in pan. Brown on both sides for about 3 minutes each side. Transfer to platter, cover with foil. Discard any oil in skillet.
Add reserved marinate to skillet pork was cooked in and bring to boil over medium heat; boil for 1 minute. Lower heat and whisk in butter until it is melted, then remove from skillet, season with salt and pepper and pour over pork chops. Serve with potatoes and peas.


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The animals need you! BENCHS does not receive funding from cities, United Way, or national humane organizations. We are entirely funded through memberships, donations, estate bequests, and fund-raising events. Our expenses for veterinary care, food, and supplies continue to increase dramatically.
Donations needed...can you help?
Also check out our various lists on Amazon.
Here is a link to our urgent needs list.
Ongoing Promotions
Hy-Vee Reuseable Bag Program
Thank you to area organizations for giving to the animals at BENCHS.
In Memory of Mr. Tee...
In honor of her birthday, Monica's employer, Commerce Drive Dental, donated to BENCHS in memory of her family's dog Mr. Tee. Monica says, "Mr. Tee was 14 ½ years old and the most wonderful, mellow, best friend ever. He kept us active and supported us through life's turns with a snuggle. Thank you for all of your service to our furry family members."
Now it's our turn to say thank you to Commerce Drive Dental for their support of non-profit organizations. but also to Monica for selecting BENCHS to receive this donation.


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There are so many great lessons we all learn from life. I personally made a list with some of the most important ones for far, lessons that had a great impact on my life. These 6 powerful lessons have helped me become the person I am today. I know for a fact that there are more to come and I am ready opened and receptive to them all.
There are no mistakes, only lessons we need to master.
If you learn from everything that happens to you, you will discover that there is no such thing as mistakes, only lessons to be learned. And if you don't, chances are that your life will look at 40 the same way it did when you were 20. And at 60 the way it looked when you were 40…
People deserve a second chance.
The moment you forgive somebody, chances are that you will also give them a second chance, a chance to be near you, without trying to remind them of what they did to you, treating them not as they are, or as they once were, but rather as you want them to be. By doing this, you are also allowing them to grow and to become better and better every day. Your ego might tell you to "let these people go" but what does your heart tell you? We are all humans, we all make mistakes, and we all deserve a second chance, and why not, maybe a third, fourth, a sixth and a seventh…
Life is all about the journey and less about the destination.
A lot of times we get so focused on our big dreams and goals, that we forget to enjoy this journey called life. Always remember that life is all about this moment. Life is all about the journey and less about the destination.
If you don't believe in yourself, nobody will.
Don't expect others to see gold where you can only see dust. If you don't believe in yourself, if you don't believe that you are capable, a worthy human being, chances are that nobody will. You will act on that belief and people will treat you based on what you think about yourself, based on how you treat yourself and based on how you act and behave in the world.
Our attitude toward life will determine life's attitude toward us.
If you think life is unfair, and that bad thing always happens to you, chances are that life will treat you unfairly, and you will always have many reasons to complain about. Because just how there is a law of gravity, there is also a law of attraction, and based on this law, you attract in your life that which you think about all day long, you attract that which you are, because you see, like attracts like.


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I'VE always volunteered because I thought it was the right thing to do. I started volunteering in eighth grade as a teacher's aide. My dad would pick me up after school and drive me to a nearby elementary school. In high school and college, I helped out at an AIDS organization in my hometown, Santa Cruz, Calif., that assisted clients with housing and other services.
After graduating from the University of Denver in June 2010, I thought that volunteering, in addition to being worthwhile in its own right, would give me a leg up in the frustrating job market. I was working at Starbucks, and my applications for other jobs were getting me nowhere.
In offering my time to the Firelight Foundation the next February, I hoped that I'd eventually be offered a job. Firelight helps grass-roots organizations in Africa improve the well-being of children, especially those suffering from the effects of H.I.V., AIDS and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.
Firelight happens to be based in my hometown, but it was also a perfect match for my career goals. I'd been interested in Africa ever since my first-grade teacher gave a presentation on the subject. I still have a picture from that day that shows me holding an African shield and spear — and beaming. Africa also played a role in my choice of international studies as a major. During my senior year, I spent a semester in Uganda with a program that offered college credit.
I reduced my hours at Starbucks and gave two days a week to Firelight, helping with grant applications. Three months later, Firelight offered me a three-month temporary job that allowed me to become more involved in reviewing such applications. I hoped the contract would be extended and was disappointed when it wasn't, so I decided to take some time off to help my sister with her wedding plans.
That time gave me an opportunity to reflect, and three weeks later I decided that I wanted to return to Firelight. I knew that there was no guarantee I'd get a permanent job there, but I thought the organization was such a good fit for me. I reasoned that even if I didn't get a job, I was gaining experience in the field, and I was meeting people who might help me get a paid position elsewhere. And I still wanted to make an impact in the world beyond serving coffee. My heart has always been with Africa, so I couldn't see myself not volunteering at Firelight.
The organization took me back and added some responsibilities in line with my future goals. For example, I helped with donor prospecting and research so I could learn about grant writing. Six months later, a program assistant moved on and I was offered her position, so my plan ultimately worked.
Now I've taken on even more responsibility. I work more closely with the organizations that receive our grants and work with us as partners, and I speak directly to the consultants with whom we contract for mentoring and training groups in Africa.
I have especially liked working with the Imvani Women's Support Group in Malawi, which helped women establish a bakery in their village. The proceeds have allowed them to pay the staff, to send children to school and to reinvest in the business to open another bakery.
I'M not saying it's an easy path from volunteer to full-time employee. It took me a year, which some job hunters might not see as a long time, but I had been out of school a year and a half by then. For me, one real benefit of volunteering was that it gave me an opportunity to build a relationship with the staff over time.
If you're hoping to turn volunteering into a job, you have to be willing to sacrifice. I had to move home after college because I couldn't afford an apartment on my Starbucks salary. I did what I had to do. When it seemed that things might not work out, I tried to keep a good outlook.
Since getting a full-time position, I've moved into an apartment. In my work, I now supervise Firelight volunteers. It felt weird to be a volunteer one day and to be supervising them the next. But since I've been in their position, I can give them hope.


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Hi Frank-
I just called my staunch Republican parents, and confronted them about the latest with Trump. I said to them, "I am a tall blonde, and Donald Trump LOOOOOOOVESSS tall blondes.
So, would it be OK with YOU TWO for him to come up to me and try to grab my pussy because he is a star and feels entitled to do so?
Is it ok for him to try to fuck me? And remember, you CAN'T be offended if I use those words, if you're NOT offended that HE uses those words.
So, give me an answer, yes or no. Does he have the right to walk up to me and grab my pussy?!?
Yes or no?!?!"
I forced them to scream out loud —NO!
I said, "Then you CANNOT vote for him! Period!"
My Father said, "I see your point."
I think I shook my Mother up very much, and I'm glad.
I don't think in all of my 49 years, I have EVER said one curse word in front of my parents.
(Name withheld at the writer's request)
P.S. If you want to know a little more about where I'm coming from and my perspective on politics, religion and the intersection of faith and life– here's a new movie about me. (It's below the poster on YouTube) scroll down and watch it for free…
WATCH "Let me be FRANK" HERE:
Follow Frank on Twitter www.twitter.com/frankschaeffer
See Frank's paintings http://www.frankschaefferart.com/
Follow Frank on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16 Contact Frank at http://www.frankschaeffer.com
Frank Schaeffer is a writer. His latest book —WHY I AM AN ATHEIST WHO BELIEVES IN GOD: How to give love, create beauty and find peace


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The seven-passenger 2017 Pathfinder is offered in 2-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive configurations and a choice of four well-equipped grade levels: S, SV, SL and Platinum.
For 2017, the refreshed exterior goes even farther, adding a stronger sense of adventure, character and presence and continued fine-tuning of aero efficiency.
The updated appearance incorporates the latest Nissan signature design elements introduced on the award-winning Maxima sport sedan and Murano crossover – including the new "V-Motion" grille and boomerang-shaped headlights with LED daytime running lights. New LED headlights are standard on the Pathfinder Platinum grade.
Other exterior enhancements include a new, more aggressive hood, front bumper and fog lights. The outside rearview mirrors now include standard integrated turn signals. In the rear, changes include new taillights and a stronger bumper design.
In addition, aerodynamic optimization efforts include a new grille design, which enhances cooling performance and negates the need for an active grille shutter, and a new front chin spoiler design that has been moved forward and directs air downward – without compromising the approach angle for off-road driving. These changes help optimize air flow around and below the exterior, with the coefficient of drag reduced to 0.326 (from the previous 0.34).
Another significant addition for 2017 is the available Motion-Activated liftgate with liftgate position memory. A simple wave of the foot under the center of the liftgate activates the power opening function. It is standard on SL and Platinum grades.
Other exterior details include recessed front windshield wipers, roof rails, chrome door handles and privacy glass. An available Dual Panorama Moonroof is standard on the Platinum grade. It includes a sliding opening front panel and fixed rear glass panel, which extends over the 2nd and 3rd rows.
Also added for 2017 are 18-inch (S, SV and SL grades) and 20-inch (Platinum) machined aluminum-alloy wheel designs.
The biggest change, however, is the adoption of new-generation information technology. The standard Advanced Drive-AssistÔ Display (ADAD), located in the center of the instrument display between the tachometer and speedometer, features additional infotainment and driver assistance displays (versus the 2016 Pathfinder design). Voice recognition has been enhanced with a new HD microphone.
The standard 8.0-inch touch-screen monitor, mounted in the middle of the instrument panel, provides intuitive interaction and control of a variety of driver-selectable vehicle systems and settings – including the standard NissanConnectSM with Voice Recognition for audio, Bluetooth® and vehicle information.
In a major step up of its already highly capable adventure credentials, Pathfinder's new 3.5-liter V6 engine features more power, torque and towing capacity. It utilizes more than 50 percent new or new-to-Pathfinder engine parts and components – including combustion chamber design, pistons, intake manifold and e-VTC (fully electronic on intake). The compression ratio has also been raised to 11.0:1 (from the previous 10.3:1).
Horsepower for the new V6 increases to 284 hp (from the previous 260 hp) and torque is now rated at 259 lb-ft (up from 240 lb-ft). And, while adding more horsepower and torque, Pathfinder fuel economy remains 20 mpg city, 27 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined (2WD models) (estimated).
All 2017 Pathfinder models are equipped with Nissan's third-generation Xtronic transmission (similar to that utilized in the sporty Nissan Maxima). The Xtronic transmission includes D-Step Logic Control, which simulates shifts, giving a more natural acceleration feeling.
|Carguide ID
|Pathfinder Hybrid
|Model Year
|Wheelbase (mm)
|Length Width Height (mm)
|5008 x 1960 x 1783
|5008 x 1960 x 1783
|3.5-litre DOHC 24-valve V6 engine
|2.5-litre supercharged four-cylinder unit
|Power HP@RPM
|271 @ 6400
|251 @ 5600
|Torque Nm@RPM
|340 @ 4800
|330 @ 3600
|Xtronic CVT¨ (Continuously Variable Transmission) / D-Step
|Xtronic CVT¨ (Continuously Variable Transmission) / D-Step
|Fr Suspension
|Independent strut front suspension
|Independent strut front suspension
|Rr Suspension
|Independent multi-link rear suspension
|Independent multi-link rear suspension
|Ventilated Discs
|Ventilated Discs
|18" and 20" Machined Alloy
|18" and 20" Machined Alloy
|P235/65 R18 and P235/55 R20 all-season tyres
|P235/65 R18 and P235/55 R20 all-season tyres


text: In the past few years we have taken steps to catch up on deferred maintenance at Village Hall and improve the efficiency of our operations. The first step was to transition one of our highway employees to a new position at Village Hall. In this role, our Maintenance Worker has been able to repaint the entire interior of the building and catch up on small maintenance issues throughout the interior and around the exterior of the building. He also cleans both the Village Hall and Police Department, which was previously performed by a contract service. John Raimondo has been a welcome and much needed presence at Village Hall where he also maintains our walkways, our landscaping, and both the municipal and village hall parking lots in addition to assisting the Highway Department with leaf pickup, snow removal, and other projects. In the past, our Village office was staffed by a Clerk/Treasurer, a Deputy Clerk, and a part-time clerk. With increasing demands, we decided to alter this configuration and split the role of Clerk/Treasurer. If you have visited Village Hall in the past two years you have likely met Village Clerk Pat Coon, Deputy Clerk Krissy Denu, and Village Treasurer Karen McLaughlin. This change resulted in much more efficient work-flow and has helped us improve the management of our finances as well as our customer service. Another big change was the creation of the position of Superintendent of Public Works and Code Enforcement. This position is the first of its kind in New York State and took much work to create, but it has certainly kept John Fenton busy. By combining these two roles, it has allowed us to have a Code Enforcement Officer available 5 days/week and allowed for improved oversight and cooperation between our Highway, Water, and Wastewater Departments. Before you meet anyone at Village Hall, you will notice our most visible improvement, which was the installation of touch-activated accessible doors to our entryway. Last year, in cooperation with the Town of Rhinebeck, we repaved and striped the Village Hall parking lot, creating additional parking spaces. I believe we should take pride in the way all Village owned property looks and the way it is maintained and I will continue to look for every way to improve the efficiency of the services we provide to our residents.


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Two hours of well loved, catchy medleys from 1940 to present day. Ideal for a party or just a good old singalong. Includes A4 large print songbook.Hits include 'Agadoo', 'Maggie May', 'Down At The Old Bull And Bush' and many more!
Extra songbook in large, bold print to accompany our Party Favourites 2 x CD & songbook set. 100 well loved tracks, ideal for anyone older or with limited sight. Group singing has been proved to have a beneficial effect on people - especially for anyone living with a dementia. See below for track listing.
Toe-tapping favourites from the 50s/60s. CD1 is short excerpts (ideal for exercise sessions). CD2 is full original songs with large print songbook. Makes a great addition to any celebration party or anniversary. Fun for young and old alike with these favourites to sing along and dance to.
More disco greats to get the party going! CD1 has short medleys from the stars that are ideal for exercise sessions. CD2 has full tracks. Tracks include Boogie Nights, YMCA and Fame. Put on your dancing shoes and 'strut your stuff' to these fun hits of the 70s/80s.
Useful extra songbook to go with our popular Top Ten 1950s hits double CD and songbook set. 50 well-loved songs to sing along to and all in large, bold print that make it easy to read. Why not buy enough for your group and add some musical instruments to really get everyone in the mood! *MULTIBUY OFFER.
50 original timeless classics from the 1950s to singalong to. Includes 2 CDs plus large print songbook. Artists include: Elvis Presley, Doris Day and more.
50 favourite classics from the 1960s to singalong to. Set includes 2 CDs plus large print songbook. Includes Elvis Presley, The Shadows and more.
Sing along to all your favourite hits in this A4 large bold print songbook. This extra songbook links with our Number 1 Hits CD and Songbook Set (code: CD60) to allow extra participation. *MULTIBUY OFFER.
Over 100 favourite, nostalgic medleys on a great double CD collection. The large-print photocopiable songbook features words to all the songs. An ideal reminiscence aid. Songs include: 'Pack Up Your Troubles', 'Bless 'Em All', 'The Lambeth Walk' and many more!
Ideal extra songbook to go with our popular Happy Days double CD and songbook set. 100 cheerful song medleys to accompany. Book is large, bold print to make it easy to read. Ideal songs for music therapy groups especially for anyone living with a dementia. *MULTIBUY OFFER.
Corporal Mike Tinsley and Forces sweethearts The Embassy Sisters entertain us with 50 nostalgic medleys from the 1940s. Includes large print A4 songbook that can be photocopied to enable large groups to join in and sing along to their favourite tracks.
Extra songbook to accompany our CD and Songbook set of 50 medley songs from the 1940s. Book is in large, bold print that makes it especially good for older people. Music therapy has proven to be helpful for anyone living with a dementia. Shortened tracks are ideal for those with a limited attention span.*MULTIBUY OFFER.
50 well-known melodies in shorter medley-style to sing along to. Medleys are grouped into dance styles (waltz, foxtrot etc) for anyone who likes to whirl around the floor too!
Sing along to 28 heart-warming songs from the popular brother and sister from County Donegal in Ireland. Includes A4 large print songbook. Easy listening at its best with a wide range of simple sing along tunes from the singing duo.
40 soothing and uplifting songs to lift your mood. A gentle mix of hymns and spiritual songs to sing along to. Includes A4 large print songbook that can be photocopied to enable large groups to enjoy singing along to these favourite tunes.
101 popular tunes played on an old fashioned Wurlitzer Organ give this set a distinctively nostalgic feel.Includes on screen lyrics and a 16 page singalong song book.
We know this is a favourite because Activity Coordinators in care homes tell us how much residents enjoy listening to their favourite tunes. John and his band live in concert.
By popular request, another wonderful compilation of well known songs by John McSweeney to karaoke. Sung live in concert. Perfect for singing along to.
Musical Bingo, the perfect activity for day centres, care homes and clubs. Simply print off the game sheets you require, switch on and play!
40 more nostalgic songs to identify as a great group activity. Just print off the bingo sheets and song list and play the CD -how many well known tunes can you remember?
60 comedy sketches and songs to raise a chuckle. 3 hours of classic favourites from Tommy Cooper, Kenneth Williams, Spike Milligan and many more. Laugh along with the Goons 'Ying Tong Song'and dodge those arrows with 'Mr Custer' by Charlie Drake along with many more.
Get everyone laughing along with these comedy classics - everything from Benny Hill to Morecombe and Wise. Many will remember these laugh-a-long favourites from the TV and radio shows of the past. 75 sketches and songs to delight both young and old.
Perfect for all music lovers, our set has all you need to play and sing along to all your 70s favourite hits. Great for care home activity coordinators as we have done the hard work for you in selecting items that are suitable for all abilities and means everyone can participate in the activity session.


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Malaysia: Three Bold Friends
Published on May 3rd, 2007
Felipe, Dian, and Budi are Malay friends. Malays are the largest group of people in the country of Malaysia. Chinese people and people from India also live in Malaysia.
The Chinese and Indian people can be Christian. But Malays are expected to be Muslims. It's not easy for a Malay to become a Christian.
Some churches are even afraid to let Malays come in their door. The pastors know they could be persecuted for teaching Muslims truths from the Bible. But a bold priest in an Anglican church helped Felipe, Dian, and Budi learn about Jesus.
The three friends told a worker from The Voice of the Martyrs about their experiences.


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Wet and muddy here in Seattle and we're at the Cross races
in costumes
and spending time with family and pets.
More photos in our photostream and will upload videos later this Halloween weekend.…
My daily shooter is Sony a9 II with a vertical grip and various Sigma lenses attached like the 14mm 1.4 Art. Find more recommendations on our store page. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.


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Air Source Treatment Malaysia
Air Source Treatment Malaysia
The Air Source Treatment Unit is an essential part of a pneumatic transmission system. It comprises of an air filter, a pressure reducing valve, and an oil mister. When it comes to Air Source Treatment, customers want a product that will efficiently purify compressed air, set pressure, besides adding lubrication.
Our pneumatic filters offer excellent removal of moisture and contaminants, providing unrivalled air filtration through a 25 micron filter. Replacement 25 micron and 5 micron filters are available to suit varying industrial needs. It is critical that air source treatment systems are well engineered with superior components. Pneumatic filters work together with the other components of FRL units, including the regulators and lubricators to provide clean and conditioned air/gas required to drive pneumatic machines.
With advancement in technology, emerging filters offer outstanding performance, besides being a low-cost alternative to traditional filters. With our filters, you can be certain of excellent particulate filtration efficiency and air flow/back pressure. It is our goal that our diverse clients benefit from high levels of reliability, efficiency and longevity for pneumatic machinery.
It's worth noting that the air pressure of the air source is often higher than the actual pressure required by each device. Consequently, a pressure reducing valve is required to minimize the pressure up to the pressure required by each device. After gas passes through the filter system, clean air is output from the output port. The baffle blocks the vortex of air flow from rolling up the deposited sewage. As result, secondary pollution is prevented.
In an Air Source Treatment Unit, a pressure regulator is used to match the flow of gas through the device to the demand for gas placed upon it, at the same time maintaining a constant output pressure. The control valve is highly efficient in minimizing the input pressure of a fluid to a desired value at its output. It goes without saying that controlling pressure is an essential requirement in all systems, hence the need for quality regulators.
EC Pneumatic offers proven and tested SWISH Regulators that are built for performance. With the product, customers benefit from precise air regulation from 7 to 125 psi. The maximum inlet pressure is 150psi. SWISH Regulators feature a poppet-type inlet valve which eliminates reverse flow when the inlet air is removed.
A pneumatic lubricator is used to inject an aerosolized stream of air into an air line. This lubricates the internal working parts of pneumatic tools and other industrial devices including valves, motors and actuating cylinders. The amount of lubricating oil released is controlled by an adjustable needle valve. Just like most industrial devices, pneumatic cylinders and valves perform better and last longer when properly lubricated.
An Auto Drain Valve is a fundamental component of an Air Source Treatment. The devices come in handy in preventing re-pollution of air as a result of condensed water caused by neglect of manual drain. Our Auto Drain Valves are proven and tested in reliably discharging sewage without requiring a human operator. As a result, they can be installed in places that are inconvenient for manual discharge of sewage.
EC Pneumatic boasts a wealth of experience in the pneumatic industry. Over the years, we have managed to ensure customer satisfaction and build an enviable client base. When it comes to Air Source Treatment Units, our products have been widely adopted by diverse clients across Malaysia. With our products, you can be certain of excellent operating efficiency. Contact us today for a deeper insight into our products and services.
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Classic Design Concepts has partnered with StangNet.com in order to produce the Glassback Shelby GT500, the latest flagship project car of StangNet.com. After completing a once in a lifetime deal with Dean Sellers Ford in Troy, Michigan, StangNet founder Michael Raburn knew he had to make this car stand out amongst the herd of other contemporary Shelby Mustang offerings. What better way is there to get the job done than to team up with renowned aftermarket designer & developer, Classic Design Concepts (CDC)? So far, there is none to speak of.
From the completely new, one-off custom crafted CDC Glassback roof to custom paint work (by hand, mind you) performed by Jeff Niffin of Ladd Road, this car is teeming with tenacity and begs for glamorous exposure…and it gets it every time. Custom Blue painted stripes, a custom massaged rear ducktail spoiler, a painted lower front spoiler, a lower front grille with driving lights, and 2008 GT500 HID headlights are just the beginning of the fantastic exterior package. Upon a second pass, you'll notice there are C-pillar louvered scoops in place, the sideview mirrors are color-keyed, and the brake cooling ducts (mounted in place of the factory fog lamps) are not just faux pieces–they are ready to put out the impending brake "fire" at the track.
As you head down to the lower levels, the ride is markedly lower, due to a Steeda coilover suspension, which is well-matched to a set of CCW SP20 19″ Wheels–deep dish lip included on the rear. It's a good thing the lip is there to help widen the traction pattern, as the need to grab the road is assisted by a set of BFGoodrich KDW tires.
Inside the cockpit, most accoutrements are stock (for now) save for a Ford GT Push Button Start System, as well as completely new (yet to officially release) Rockford Fosgate Mustang sound system. Oh, and of course, should you get caught out of the garage actually driving or riding in this customized Shelby GT500, you can always simply look up and enjoy the skyline through the CDC Glassback.


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Malta to Malta
Malta to Malta
Our guided tour will take you to our capital city of Valletta. Our first stop will be the Barracca Gardens which are built atop the defensive bastions that surround this majestic city. Next we go to St John`s Co-Cathedral that brims in riches with its contrasting decorated interior and also holds an impressive display of Baroque art. We also visit the Church Museum which has on display beautiful Flemish tapestries. We then proceed with an interesting walk where we can appreciate the capital`s buildings of historical importance including the Grand Master`s Palace. Our final stop will be at the famed Malta Experience, a multivision show that gives a pictorial depiction of Malta`s history through the ages since the earliest settlements dating back to pre-historic times.
Italy, Malta & Sicily
Malta to Malta
Malta is a perfect place for an out-of-season trekking holiday. With warm weather during Spring and Autumn, when the island's countryside is in full bloom, there is no better way to see the hidden gems of the Maltese islands than on foot. This trip will take you on a walking tour of the best land and seascapes of Malta and Gozo.
New Website Launched.


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Worcester Yoga Center
"The greatest gifts of yoga come over time."
Worcester Yoga Center
Ann Bissanti, CYT
(new location as of January 1, 2017)
21 West Street
Worcester, MA 01609
Back entrance of Elan Vital (on West Street between Pleasant and Elm Streets)
Ann Bissanti is a certified yoga teacher and yoga therapist with over 35 years experience who trained in India with Yoga Master B.K.S. Iyengar. She incorporates many years of meditation practices (Buddhist, Vipassana, TM and Siddha) and studies of Bio Kinetics and Ayurvedic applications of yoga in her work. Having worked with students of all ages she offers these tips for success in Yoga: find a well qualified teacher (who resonates with you), treat the body with respect and acceptance, be open and receptive to learning, don't judge your progress, practice being in the present, practice patience, and persist. "The greatest gifts of yoga come over time."
Spring 2020 Yoga Schedule
|April 13–June 29 (no class 5/25)
|6 - 7:30pm
|Multi Level
|11 weeks
|April 14–June 30
|6 - 7:30pm
|Basic: Beg 1 & 2
|12 weeks
|April 15–June 24
|9 - 10:30am
|Basic 2/Int
|11 weeks
|April 16–June 25
|5:40 - 7:10pm
|11 weeks
|April 17–June 26
|9:30am - 11:00am
|Basic: Beg 1 & 2
|11 weeks
|April 18–June 27 (no class 5/23)
|10 - 11:30am
|Basic: Beg 1 & 2
|10 weeks
Worcester Yoga Center has four terms of yoga classes: Winter (January - April), Spring (April - June), Summer (July - August) and Fall (September - December). Classes usually meet once a week for an hour or hour and-a-half in length. Terms may vary in the number of weeks. In selecting your class, the following explanations of experience levels may be helpful to you.
Note: Depending upon enrollment, fall schedule subject to change. Call 508-829-6300 if questions.
*Participants are asked to wear loose comfortable clothing and bring a mat or towel to place on the floor, as well as a blanket to cover yourself during relaxation. Bring a bottle of water.
Very light food, no later than 2 hours before class or on an empty stomach is recommended. Also: Please refrain from using perfume or cologne.
**All yoga terms are to be prepaid at the beginning of the term. No refunds after the term has started. Make-up classes must be taken within the current class term, preferably within the same week to keep pace with your class. Cash and checks accepted. Please make checks payable to Ann Bissanti.
Basic Beg 1 & 2 – The foundation of Hatha Yoga. This class includes the essential building blocks of yoga: mostly standing poses form the core work as they provide the strength, stamina and the will to study yoga. These building blocks are the substance of more advanced work and at the same time they provide a complete and balanced practice in their own right. Observation, relaxation skills and breath awareness also included. 0 - 3 years experience.
Beg 2/Intermediate – A wider range of poses from different categories such as: backbends, inversions and arm balances. Learning more about sequencing, sustaining poses longer and body wisdom/self awareness are included in this level. You will find the breathing coordinates with poses more naturally. 1+ years experience.
Intermediate/Experienced – Permission of instructor is required. If you are a dropping-in, please consult with Ann Bissanti a few minutes before class. Practice deepens, poses are held longer and new complex poses may be tackled. Inversions and mental flexibility are expected. The insertion of pranayama classes, meditation segments, restorative and flowing sequence, yoga philosophy are used at teacher's discretion. 3+ years experience.
All Levels – Everyone is welcome. No prior experience is necessary.
Multi Level – Some prior yoga experience (6 months) is recommended. Includes changing but well balanced yoga practices based primarily on foundation work and most of the 30 essential yoga asanas.
All yoga classes are to be prepaid at the beginning of the term. No refunds after the term has started. Make-up classes are available for some, but not all yoga classes. All make-up classes must be taken within the current class term and preferably within the same week to keep pace with your class.
To Register: Call Ann at 508-829-6300
Spring Class Fees
Series Rate = $16 per class
12 Week Class = $192
New to yoga? Beginner Special: 5 classes for $50 and you can start at anytime.
Yoga classes can be joined at any time. Fees will be pro-rated.
3 Class Pass $54
Drop In Class $20/$16 Student
Private Lessons $70/hour
Semi-private Lesson $35/person per hour (with a friend)
Shedding Light on Yoga
Yoga is a state of liberation, unity consciousness and enlightenment, where ego-personality consciousness has been transcended and one realizes the Divine Reality. It is also defined as the practices leading to that state that can also help remedy back problems, manage stress, attain excellent health or even help one become kinder or happier.
Hatha Yoga is a physical and mental practice which strengthens and purifies both the physiologic and the subtle, energetic bodies. It includes the 8 branches spoken of in Patanjalis Yoga Sutra, of which asana is the most widely known.
B.K.S. Iyengar was a world renown Hatha Yoga Master whose contributions to Hatha Yoga include: the use of props such as mats, belts, blocks, etc, the emphasis on alignment, form, precision and use of technically detailed language which gives students a road map to the inner terrain of the body. Mr. Iyengar also emphasized therapeutics in yoga, using yoga to treat many different medical conditions. He believed that there is no Iyengar Yoga as such. There is only Yoga, Yoga is One.
See also:
Practicing Safe Yoga: Yoga Comes of Age In America


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photo: ralph murre
by Tom Montag
All this shake
of day and night,
that woman says;
all the lay
of shade and light;
all the bounding
silence; the green
streak of earth;
yes, the water;
yes, the sky;
all of everything
today. Amen.
~ previously published in That Woman
(support provided by the Friends of Lorine Niedecker)


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THE cutest jumpsuit is here! We love the snakeskin print, high waisted style, and the way it scoops down in the back! It's a soft, stretchy knit and it runs true to size. Candace is 5'4" and wearing the small with 3" heels.
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Visit Alun-alun Kidul, Best Site to Enjoy Remarkable Night in Yogyakarta
Are you wondering where to spend the night in Yogyakarta? Visiting Alun-alun Kidul at night will be the best choice then. Alun-alun Kidul is actually a kind of large open city square that is situated on the back of the Yogyakarta Palace. This place is popular as an appealing tourist area especially at night.
What Makes Alun-alun Kidul Special
Then, why this place is special? Even though this place is considered to be less significant than the Alun-alun Lor which is another open city square in Yogyakarta, Alun-alun Kidul is still a special thing to visit for its own appeal.
Alun-alun Kidul is known to have various myth and mystical stories. One of the interesting stories that are spread among locals is about the twin banyan trees that are planted on this city square. It is said that all of your wishes will be granted if you can walk passing the twin banyan tress with blindfolded. It must be a fun thing to try, isn't it?
What to Explore at Alun-Alun Kidul
Luckily, you will not spend your night by doing nothing here. Well, you may want to do nothing and get relaxed while watching the crowd, but you will not be able to stand so many fun activities that you can do here.
- Enjoy the city on 'Blink Blink Car'
As the night goes down, you will see several car-like transportations that are decorated with tumbler lights. This lighted car will make visiting Alun-Alun Kidul at night looks more exciting and fun. You can get on this fancy car and get around the city square.
- Ride tandem bicycles
If you prefer something that can help you to burn your fat after your evening meals, you can consider renting tandem bicycles and riding it around the city square. Riding tandem bicycles with your friends will be a lot of fun.
- Enjoy local snacks
There will numerous sellers at Alun-alun Kidul that are ready to give you the taste of local snacks. Here, you can try to enjoy the local snacks like local by sitting down on the mats that are spread on the pavement.
Those are some of the best activities that you must try when you are enjoying the night at Alun-alun Kidul. If you love photography, you can also spend your night exploring any beautiful spot in this city square and get your own picture captured too.
How to Get There
It is very easy to get there when you have been in downtown. It is only 1.6 kilometer away from Kraton Yogyakarta or Yogyakarta Palace. If you travel by train, this place is only 2.2 km from the Yogyakarta Station. If you are around the airport, you can take Trans Jogja which is public bus in this city to take you to the Alun-alun Kidul.
Now, you have known where to go to spend your night in Yogyakarta. So, don't forget to visit Alun-alun Kidul at night while you are in Yogyakarta. The last, have a nice trip in Yogyakarta!


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The RepRap Project is an initiative aimed at creating a largely self-replicating machine which can be used for rapid prototyping and manufacturing. A rapid prototyper is a 3D printer that is able to fabricate three dimensional artifacts from a computer-based model. Project authors describe 'self-replication', understood as the ability to reproduce the components necessary to build another version of itself, as one of the goals for the project. It is self-replication that distinguishes the RepRap Project from the similar Fab@Home project.
Due to the potential self-replicating ability of the machine, authors envision the possibility to cheaply distribute RepRap units to people and communities, enabling them to create (or download from the internet) complex products and artifacts without the need for expensive industrial infrastructure. They further speculate that the RepRap will eventually demonstrate evolution in this process as well as being able to increase in number exponentially. This, in theory, would give RepRap the potential to become a powerful disruptive technology, similar to that of other anticipated low-cost personal fabrication technologies.
Intentions Edit
The stated goal of the RepRap project is not to produce a pure self-replicating device for its own sake but rather to put in the hands of individuals anywhere on the planet, for a minimal outlay of capital, a desktop manufacturing system that would enable the individual to manufacture many of the artifacts used in everyday life. The self-replicating nature of RepRap could also facilitate its viral dissemination and may well facilitate a major paradigm shift in the design and manufacture of consumer products from one of factory production of patented products to one of personal production of unpatented products with open specifications. Opening up product design and manufacturing capabilities to the individual should greatly reduce the cycle time for kaizen improvements to products and support a far larger diversity of niche products than the factory production run size can support[1].
From a theoretical viewpoint, the project is attempting to prove the following hypothesis:
- Rapid prototyping and direct writing technologies are sufficiently versatile to allow them to be used to make a von Neumann Universal Constructor. [2]
Background Edit
Dr Adrian Bowyer, a Senior Lecturer in mechanical engineering at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, founded and invented RepRap, and leads the project team.[3] The project itself uses additive fabrication, and will make the results available under the GNU General Public License, a free software license, at no cost, allowing other investigators to work on the same idea and improve it.
Currently, low-end commercial 3D prototypers cost about US$49K (from Z Corporation) and you still need to buy materials and solidifiers, which cost a further $1.5K. Prototypes made by these low-end commercial machines cost around US$2 per cubic centimeter to fabricate. And they cannot make themselves. The RepRap Project is on track to produce a 3D prototyping machine and free/open source accompanying software that costs about US$400 to build and which can fabricate objects at a cost of about US$0.02 per cubic centimeter. And it is on its way to universal construction (meaning it creates itself too).
Timeline Edit
- 13 September 2006 - The RepRap 0.2 prototype successfully printed the first part of itself which was subsequently used to replace an identical part originally created by a commercial 3D printer.
- 9 February 2008 - RepRap 1.0 "Darwin" had successfully made at least one instance of over half its total rapid-prototyped parts.
- 14 April 2008 - Possibly the first end-user item is made by a RepRap - a clamp to hold an iPod securely to the dashboard of a Ford Fiesta.
- Throughout May 2008 - Many more useful objects were made by various first-generation RepRaps - including a coathook, a pair of sandals, a door handle and a fly swatter.
- 29 May 2008 - Within a few minutes of being assembled, the first completed "child" machine made the first part for a "grandchild" at Bath University, UK.
- As of 23 September 2008, at least 100 copies had been produced in various countries. The exact number of RepRap in circulation at that time was unknown.[4]
Current status Edit
A short production run (~1 km) of 3 mm polycaprolactone filament suitable for use in the Mk II extruders used in several operational and near-operational reprap prototypes has been produced for the project. With 1km of polycaprolactone filament, the project has been able to produce larger artifacts and also test the candidate systems for days instead of for hours, as was the case with hand-produced filament.
Vik Olliver's Zaphod prototype has replicated a parts set for the Mk II extruder. Vik assembled the parts into a working Mk II and has successfully employed it as a second extruder on Zaphod. The use of polycaprolactone for the parts set instead of ABS required that several minor changes be made when assembling them into a working Mk II.
Hardware development Edit
While the RepRap project was formally launched in March 2005, the rate of hardware development exploded after the development of the Mk II polymer extruder by Dr. Bowyer in November 2005.[5] The Mk II represents a major advance in the state-of-the-art in that it can operate in a room temperature environment rather than a closed box heated to a temperature just short of the melting point of the polymer being extruded. This greatly reduces both the cost of producing a system and makes specifying materials used in such systems much less critical.
Full RepRap prototypes Edit
Originally assembled in February 2006, as of 10 May 2006 the first full prototype replicator, RepRap 0.1, designed by Vik Olliver in New Zealand, soon began to extrude forms. By mid-July objects of up to 15 layers in depth and 50 mm in diameter were extruded by Da Witch, Vik Olliver's prototype RepRap machine.
The polymer components of the 3D positioning system and polymer extrusion head were created using a commercial additive fabrication machine. The system was subjected to intensive shakedown exercises by Vik Olliver and Simon McAuliffe to integrate the software, firmware and hardware components.
As of September 2006 Da Witch has been rebuilt to make it portable and a second extruder head has been added. The modified RepRap 0.2 has been dubbed Zaphod. Vik Olliver has delivered a lecture about and demonstration of Zaphod and the RepRap research programme in Vienna at the Paraflows 2006 digital arts congress there during 9 September 2006 – 16 September 2006.
RepRap's prototype self-replicating 3D printer, Zaphod, has recently created a full set of the plastic parts needed to make its own extruder.[6]
Other prototypes Edit
Other full prototypes at various stages of development are presently being built by Sells and Bellmore.
To date virtually all RepRap prototypes have been repstrapped. Vik Olliver's prototype, which has evolved into RepRap 0.2, began largely as an assembly of Meccano parts, and to give a notion of the range of materials that can be utilized the bootstrapped prototype, Tommelise[7], is almost entirely built of milled poplar.[8]
The materials chosen reflect local conditions and the skillset that the individual team member brings to the project.
Software development Edit
RepRap has been conceived as a complete replication system rather than simply a piece of hardware. To this end the system includes computer-aided design (CAD) in the form of a 3D modeling system and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software and drivers that convert RepRap users' designs into a set of instructions to the RepRap hardware that turns them into physical objects.
The RepRap team has, for now, identified the free and open-source Art of Illusion (AoI) 3D modeling system as the front end for the RepRap system. AoI is well-suited for this role both because of its power to model 3D objects and because it is written in the popular, portable Java programming language. The basic AoI modeling platform is being tailored to the special needs of the RepRap project via scripts.
Work on RepRap's CAM system also being written in Java is currently in an advanced state of development. That work is being pursued by both Simon McAuliffe and Adrian Bowyer and is being tested as part of the RepRap 0.1 shakedown exercises.
Materials Edit
RepRap will have multiple extruders for applying various materials in the creation of parts.
Potential structural materialsEdit
- Thermoplastic polymer — which is what is being concentrated on currently. This is generally used to create structure. Polylactic acid has been successfully implemented by at least two project researchers, and will likely become the official polymer of choice. Its positive engineering attributes include its translucent color, minimal warping on cooling and high strength. In addition, unlike most thermoplastics it is not a petroleum-derived product, and thus is theoretically capable of being produced from waste biomass and biodegrading. However, this process only occurs at a significant rate when the thermoplastic is exposed to sustained temperatures above 70°C, so this is not a barrier to its use in printed objects.
- Ceramic slurries — to create very hard and strong ceramic structure. Silicon nitride is currently being contemplated in this role, though several similar refractories are being considered.
Potential support structure materials includeEdit
- Plaster/cellulose mixes — can be washed away from the finished product with lukewarm water.
- Icing sugar — can be washed away from the finished product with lukewarm water.
- Polycaprolactone/marble dust mixes — can be peeled away from the finished product.
Silicone polymer has been proposed for gaskets, seals and flexible parts.
Electroconductive materialsEdit
- Wood's metal or Field's metal — low-melting point metal alloys (lower than the melting point of the plastic) to incorporate electrical circuits into the part as it is being formed.
- Silver-filled polymers — are commonly used for repairs to circuit boards and are being contemplated for use for electrically conductive traces.
Chocolate has been proposed as a whimsical extruded material. This could allow the manufacture of complex 3D Easter eggs and other such items.
Limitations of self-replicationEdit
Although it appears likely that RepRap will be able to autonomously construct much of its mechanical components in the near future using fairly low-level resources, it would still require an external supply of several currently non-replicable components such as sensors, stepper motors or microcontrollers. A certain percentage of such devices will have to be produced independently of the RepRap self-replicating process. The goal is, however, to asymptotically approach a 100% replication over a series of evolutionary generations. As one example, from the onset of the project the RepRap team has explored a variety of approaches to integrating electrically conductive media into the product. Success on this initiative should open the door to the inclusion of connective wiring, printed circuit boards and possibly even motors in RepRapped products[9]. Variations in the nature of the extruded, electrically conductive media could produce electrical components with different functions than pure conductive traces not unlike what was done in John Sargrove's sprayed-circuit process of the 1940s (also known as Electronic Circuit Making Equipment or ECME).
Project members Edit
- Sebastien Bailard, in Ontario.
- Brett Bellmore in Michigan.
- Dr. Adrian Bowyer, Senior Lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering Department University of Bath.[3]
- Michael S. Hart, creator of Project Gutenberg, in Illinois.
- Dr. Forrest Higgs, Brosis Innovations, Inc. in California.
- James Low, undergraduate in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Bath.
- Simon McAuliffe in New Zealand.
- Vik Olliver, Diamond Age Solutions, Ltd. in New Zealand.[10]
- Ed Sells, postgraduate in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Bath.
- Zach Smith, in the United States.
Sponsors Edit
- Reece Arnott
- The Bath University Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre[11]
- The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council[12]
- The Fluorocarbon Co. Ltd.[13]
- Michael Ingram
- Lukasz Kaiser
- The Nuffield Foundation
- Carl Witty
References Edit
See also Edit
- 3D printer
- Desktop manufacturing
- Disruptive technology
- Fab lab
- Fabber
- John von Neumann
- Open design
- Rapid prototyping
- Robot
- Self-replicating
- Von Neumann machine
External links Edit
Project websitesEdit
- RepRap official website
- RepRap user community and object repository
- The RepRap Project, Reports and Documentation
- Construction of Rapid Prototyping Testbeds Using Meccano, Final Report, 27 April 2005, PDF, 2471 KB
- RepRap Official Blog — official developers blog
- RepRap Bootstrap Blog — building a bootstrap RepRap
- RepRap Research Foundation (RRRF)
- 'Video of a talk by Adrian Bowyer' on RepRap at 'Pop!Tech 2007'.
- 'Replication revolutionary', New Electronics, 12 December 2006.
- '3D printer to churn out copies of itself', Celeste Biever, NewScientist.com news service, 18 March 2005.
- 'The machine that can copy anything', Simon Hooper, CNN, 2 June 2005.
- Self Replicating Robots And The Developing World., KnowProSE.com, 5 June 2005.
- Interview with Vik Olliver about RepRap, September 2006. Part of monochrom's talkshow series 'Taugshow'.
- Chinese Growth Hurdles toward a New Great Wall — implications of inexpensive fabrication on the manufacturing industry written by RepRap team member Forrest Higgs.
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation audio interview with Adrian Bowyer - click 'play' button or the link lower down to download MP3 file
- Make magazine: How to make a Reprap Robot Part 1 (Video)
|This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at RepRap Project. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Open Source Wikia, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License and Creative Commons License.
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the full report in the Herald). We're not doing too badly - Melbourne's been mopping up after a season of floods.
On the other hand, the drought has finally broken. For the first time in (fifteen?) years, no region of New South Wales is officially in drought.
What has the weather done to the garden? The wisteria's flowers were very subdued this year, not only brief but a much smaller display than usual. On the other hand, once the flowers are gone, the leaves burst out in force, and tendrils shoot everywhere. Post-bloom, it's been lusher than ever.
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Unicorns and cannonballs, palaces and piers, trumpets towers and tenements, wide oceans full of tears...
Monday, November 01, 2010
Spring report 2: 1st November 2010
Posted by S Simmonds at 10:15 pm
Labels: climate change, climate: Sydney, gardening
1 comment:
- bazza said...
Looking at your front garden is like looking at an English garden gone slightly exotic.
The words that come to mind are 'lush' and 'verdant'. I would suppose that even a poor summer in Sydney sees a lot better weather than London does. Even so, hotter summers are expanding the range of what we can grow. There has been conjecture that global warming would see cacti and orange groves appearing and that the end of the English Country Garden is nigh!
Bazza's Blog 'To Discover Ice'
- Tuesday, 2 November 2010 at 06:25:00 GMT+11
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It's funny how social media brings us all together yet pushes us all far apart, isn't it? Not in an amusing way either. You've surely gotten a case of FOMO (fear of missing out) yourself when it was your weekend with the kids and you had to miss out on an event you wanted to attend but couldn't get a babysitter.
If our kids are on social media, guess what? They also experience FOMO too. And that FOMO makes them feel lonely, envious, and depressed, not to mention it tanks their social skills. To keep us all from sinking into the dark and murky depths of FOMO, we've got to live in the now. Setting a good example for our kids, with social media as well as everything else, is the key to helping them find their own happiness without
For both you and your kids, to get out of that FOMO funk, here are some things you can do to make a positive change.
1. Take a break
There's a whole great world out there you know. Put down the devices and go somewhere with the kids. Take them to the park and go for a walk. Pack a picnic. Don't allow any phones and only carry yours in case of emergency. Don't look at it at all during your time together. Create many moments like this and both you and your kids will forget about that virtual reality and live in the real reality, which is far better than what we all think we're missing out on.
2. Build your connections to each other
When it comes to teens, we know they think we're all horribly unhip. But they secretly want to spend that time with us, and they need that time with us too. Encourage your kids to build real, live relationships with the people in their lives, from their other parent to their grandparents and to their cousins and friends. This is the stuff that will make lasting memories in time, not that blur of a newsfeed from long ago.
3. Get involved with helping others
You know what gets both kids and adults out of a FOMO funk? It's stepping back out of our privileged worlds and helping other people. Volunteer in the community together. Round up old toys, games, clothes and other things you don't need and take them to your local homeless shelter. When you see how lucky you are to have the things you have, you won't feel FOMO anymore and neither will your kids.
Taking these three steps together with your kids will open new doors for all of you. Do it regularly and you might just find that when you're all home together, you're all in for doing something in reality together, you know, just like the old days when we were kids ourselves.


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- Lamprini Veneti1,2, Katrine Borgen1, Kaja Sverdrup Borge1, Kostas Danis2,3, Margrethe Greve-Isdahl1, Kirsten Konsmo1, Gro Njølstad4, Svein Arne Nordbø5,6, Kari Stidal Øystese7, Rikard Rykkvin1,8, Eli Sagvik9, Øystein Rolandsen Riise1
View Affiliations Hide AffiliationsAffiliations: 1 Division for Infection Control and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway 2 European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden 3 Santé publique France, the French national public health agency (SpFrance), Saint-Maurice, France 4 Department of Microbiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway 5 Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. 6 Department of Medical Microbiology, St Olavs University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway 7 Department of Infectious Disease Control, Municipality of Bergen, Bergen, Norway 8 European Programme for Public Health Microbiology Training (EUPHEM), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden 9 Department of Infectious Disease Control, Municipality of Trondheim, Trondheim, NorwayLamprini Venetilambrinive gmail.com
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Citation style for this article: Veneti Lamprini, Borgen Katrine, Borge Kaja Sverdrup, Danis Kostas, Greve-Isdahl Margrethe, Konsmo Kirsten, Njølstad Gro, Nordbø Svein Arne, Øystese Kari Stidal, Rykkvin Rikard, Sagvik Eli, Riise Øystein Rolandsen. Large outbreak of mumps virus genotype G among vaccinated students in Norway, 2015 to 2016. Euro Surveill. 2018;23(38):pii=1700642. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2018.23.38.1700642 Received: 16 Sep 2017; Accepted: 19 Apr 2018
Large outbreak of mumps virus genotype G among vaccinated students in Norway, 2015 to 2016
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From 6 September 2015–May 2016, a large mumps outbreak occurred among vaccinated students in Norway. A case was defined as a person presenting with a clinical mumps infection, notified between 1 September 2015 and 30 June 2016. Confirmed cases had positive laboratory confirmation and probable cases had an epidemiological link; PCR-positive specimens were genotyped. A total of 232 cases were notified (230 confirmed) with median age of 23 years (range 4–81) and 61% were male. Of 68 (30%) confirmed cases that were genotyped, 66 were genotype G and associated with the outbreak. Cases that had received two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine had reduced risk of hospitalisation (adjusted relative risk (aRR): 0.14; 95%CI: 0.03–0.57), mumps-related orchitis (aRR: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.08–0.55) and severe outcome (aRR: 0.25; 95% CI: 0.10–0.62) compared with those unvaccinated. A third dose of the vaccine was offered to approximately 1,300 fully vaccinated close contacts and subsequently reported cases decreased. This large outbreak, occurring among predominately vaccinated students, suggests the current genotype A vaccine offers suboptimal protection against mumps genotype G. We recommend maintaining high vaccination coverage and offering the vaccine to all unvaccinated individuals.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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