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Popular Trips Including the Simiens
Reasons to go
The Simien Mountains are Ethiopia's most popular destination. Sitting just North of Gondar, it's perfectly placed along the classic Historic North Circuit. Comprising 220 square kilometres of peaks, plateaus, vistas and valleys, the park offers some of the most stunning viewpoints in Africa. The two lodges in the area, Simien Lodge and Limalimo Lodge, offer great alternatives to the typical camping and trekking setup, meaning whatever your budget, fitness levels, or accommodation preferences, you can visit the Simien Mountains and enjoy all the beauty the park has to offer.
Stunning Viewpoints
The entire Simien range is characterised by exceptional scenery. As you advance further into the park, the altitude increases and the viewpoints become increasingly spectacular. The first major viewpoint you'll encounter is Imet Gogo, sitting at 3,926m between the Gich and Chennek campsites. As you continue your journey, you'll find Mount Bwahit at 4,430m. For the adventurous, Ras Dashen towers just east of Mount Bwahit at a staggering 4,550m, making it Ethiopia's highest peak and the tenth highest peak in Africa.
Trekking Routes
There are three main campsites setup in the park: Sankaber, Gich, and Chennek. A typical route through the Simiens is a 4 day trek through the park as you trek from camp to camp. Most visitors add on a night at the luxurious Limalimo Lodge at the end of the trek for some much deserved relaxation.
For those looking to spend more time in the mountains, a number of lesser-visited campsites are set up around the range, and trekking tours of upwards of 9 days can be designed to suit. Just south of the classic trail sits the community trekking trail in Janamora. Combined, this creates a world-class trekking adventure through one of Africa's most extraordinary national parks.
Luxury Lodges
Experiencing the Simien Mountains isn't limited to those willing to camp. Simien Lodge is Africa's highest lodge and sits inside the national park, meaning it's the perfect base for exploring the range via day trips on foot. Troops of Gelada Monkeys play on the compound, and you can take short self-treks around the lodge if you want to explore at a slower pace.
Just outside the park is arguably Ethiopia's finest lodge, Limalimo Lodge. Fast becoming the default way to explore the Simiens, the lodge's beautiful aesthetic is matched only by its surrounding landscapes. The lodge is in high demand, and with only 12 rooms it is booked out well in advance of peak season so you'll want to make your arrangements early if you're planning to travel between November - March.
Map of the Simien Mountains
Getting there
The Simien Mountains National Park is situated on the northwestern side of the Simien mountains massif in the Amharar region of Northern Ethiopia, roughly 900km north of Addis Ababa. The region overlooks the lowlands of the Tekeze River. The park itself lies in the woredas (districts) of Debark, Adi Arkay and Janamora.
Situated in the centre of a triangle formed by Gondar, Lalibela and Axum, the Simien Mountains is a highlight stop along the Historic North Circuit. The nearest major city to the Simiens is Gondar, which is easily accessed via Ethiopia's fantastic domestic flight network. From here, it's a short drive to the town of Debark, the HQ of the Simien Mountains. From Debark, it's a 14km drive to the park entrance gate at Buyit Ras.
Places to stay
The classic route through the Simiens involves a 4 day trek from Sankaber Campsite near the entrance to the park, across the plateau to Geech campsite, before spending a final night at Chennek by Mount Bwahit. Many travellers opt to spend a final night by the roaring fire of Limalimo Lodge.
If you don't want to camp, you have the option of staying at one of the two lodges in the regions (Simien Lodge or Limalimo Lodge). Both are in high demand and are often booked out well in advance of peak season. The nearby Befiker Kosoye Lodge is a pleasant alternative, but sits 1.5 hours drive from the park.
When to Visit
The Northern Ethiopia highlands experience heavy rain from June - August that sometimes extend to mid-September. Trekking routes become blocked during this time, and muddy tracks makes driving through the park difficult. It is still possible to explore the Simiens during the rainy season, but you should expect intermittent heavy showers in the afternoons and cloudier skies throughout the day. Campsites are closed during the rainy season so you'll be exploring the mountains from one of the two lodges in the region.
The best time to visit the Simiens is from October - May when skies are clear and all trekking routes and roads are accessible.
Geography and Geology
The Simien Mountains are ancient structures that pre-date the Great Rift Valley. The mountains are part of the Simien Massif, a high plateau of ancient volcanic rock from which dozens of peaks rise to over 4,000m above sea level. Chief among them is the 4,533m Ras Dashen, the highest mountain in Ethiopia and the tenth highest in Africa.
Some 55 to 75 million years ago, volcanic activity pushed the basaltic rock of the Simiens upward, creating a field of active volcanoes. A series of eruptions between 40 and 25 million years ago, deep in the Oligocene period, covered the entire Simien range with thick lava thousands of metres deep. As the volcanic activity calmed, what remained was a jagged and cinematic landscape of cooled lava below which ancient, dormant volcanoes lie.
How long should I spend in the Simiens?
Most travellers spend 2 or 3 days in the Simiens, depending on their budget, time-frame, and interests. Day trips to the park are possible, but unless you're in a particular hurry, we recommend a minimum of 2 full days in the park. The classic Sankaber > Gick > Chennek trail can be extended to cover the outer peaks and valleys of the range, including summitting Ras Dashen, and for this you're looking at 5-6 days in the park. For the explorers among you, you can add a couple of nights community trekking in Janamora to bring your time in the Simiens up to the 10 day mark.
How active do I need to be?
The two lodges in the region mean that if you wanted to, you could do almost no trekking and instead take sorties into the park via 4x4, stopping off at all the best viewpoints. Therefore, you don't need to be particularly active in order to visit the Simiens. However, you're going to be well above 3,000m for majority of your time in the mountains, and this puts extra strain on the body, so a reasonable fitness level is required to enjoy the mountains. If you have any concerns about this, talk to our specialists.
How good are the campsites?
We wish they were better. Unfortunately, the equipment available at the campsites is often quite poor, and with temperatures dropping to below 0 at night, we often recommend bringing your own sleeping bag for extra warmth. All Brilliant travellers will receive a full kit list prior to departure, and so you'll know exactly what to bring to survive the cold nights up in the mountains. The facilities at the campsites are basic pit latrines.
Do I need to worry about altitude sickness?
Altitude sickness is a very real possibility in the Simiens. However, most visits to the mountains take place a third of the way through your time in Ethiopia, which means you have already had a chance to acclimatise to the high altitude in Ethiopia's North. If you're particularly susceptible to altitude sickness, we recommend avoiding any viewpoints above 3,500m and generally limiting your time in the Simiens.
What should I bring for the treks?
All Brilliant travellers will receive a comprehensive kit list before departure so there will be no surprises when you're in the mountains.
How much does it cost?
The cost of a Simien trek depends on the length of your stay, the size of your group, and whether you're opting for lodges, camps, or a combination. Get in touch and we'll let you know what's possible with your budget.
Which accommodation option is right for me?
With the recent introduction of Limalimo Lodge, most travellers opt to spend their time in the mountains in the comfort of this luxury lodge, taking sorties into the park via 4x4. Whilst this is a great option, the downside is that it's more expensive than camping, and you don't experience the full treks on offer, which for some travellers is a deal breaker. You can always combine lodges with camping, so get in touch and we'll talk you through your options.
Ready to plan your Ethiopia adventure?
Whatever your budget, group size, length of stay, preferred activity or appetite for adventure, we can help.


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2015 USA Weightlifting National Championships
Posted by Dani on 27th Aug 2015
With the popularity of the sport of weightlifting growing, it has increased the number of top athletes wearing our Nike Weightlifting singlets and Nike Weightlifting shoes. This year at the 2015 USA Weightlifting National Championships in Dallas, Texas, we witnessed many athletes set both world and American records, many of them wearing Nike Weightlifting shoes, apparel, and singlets. We wanted to share with you the names of those athletes along with their accomplishments at this year's national event.
By far the most noted athlete this past year, and especially at this year's nationals, was CJ Cummings, a 15 year old from South Carolina. He is a 69kg lifter who holds multiple American records as a youth, junior, and senior, as well as being a world team member. He went on to break the senior American record with a 175kg clean and jerk and unofficially broke the youth world record with that lift in Dallas last month. He went on to take the title of senior national champion of the 69kg class, as a YOUTH. He has been quoted in the press as "the LeBron James" and "the Michael Jordan" of weightlifting. He proudly represented Nike from his singlet to his shoes.
Mattie Rogers is another very notable young athlete who is exceling in the sport at a young age. She is a 69kg lifter from Apopka, Florida. In Dallas, she snatched 98kg giving her a new Junior American record. She went on to win gold as the 69kg senior national champion, securing her spot on the world team. She is a sponsored athlete with Athlete Performance Solutions and we can't wait to see where her career takes her.
Jenny Arthur is also a young notable 75kg lifter from Team Georgia who went on to secure her THIRD world team member spot, as well as take her third senior national champion title at the USA Weightlifting National Championships in Dallas
At this year's national event, we were able to partner with several well-known teams who were representing their teams, along with Nike Weightlifting. The Iron Athlete team out of Arizona, coached by August Schmidt, were outfitted in Nike from their warm up suits, shirts, singlets and shoes. Their team consisted of several medalists at this year's nationals including Alex Lee, a 69kg collegiate American record holder, Anthony Pomponio a 85kg lifter and 2015 Senior National champion, and Norik Vardanian a 94kg lifter, 2012 Olympian, youth, junior and senior record holder.
An additional team to note is Waxman's Gym out of California, coached by Sean Waxman. Sean has been in and around weightlifting for 20 plus years and most can recognize his gym for "shut up and lift." He has made a name for himself, along with his team. Athlete Performance Solutions has partnered with this team for their Nike Weightlifting apparel and footwear needs. One of Waxman's athletes, Caitlin Hogan, medaled in the 53kg class in Dallas and is able to go on to a World team qualifier this month to try out for the 2015 world team. We are excited to see more of the Waxman team at the American Open in December.
Here are a few more athletes and their accomplishments that were in Nike singlets and Nike Weightlifting shoes at Nationals:
Jared Flemming - 94kg –Current National Champion, American record holder, current world team member
James Tatum - 77kg - Current National Champion
Travis Cooper - 77kg - Medalist
Ariel Stephens - 69kg - Medalist
Holly Mangold - 75kg+ - 2012 Olympian, current National Champion, current World team member
Athlete Performance Solutions is a global footwear licensee of Nike Inc. Nike Weightlifting and Nike Weightlifting Singlets.

subset: commoncrawl


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A short period of the year left, and I needed data that was taking way to long to load. Of course, one can assume that your query's or datamodel are not good enough, but
Assumptions are the mother or all **** ups!
In this case the assumption maybe right, but none the less…….
I decided it was time for nightly Cron Jobs. As we also implemented Elastic Search it was a nice to have because we can build our search index at night as well.
I will try to take you trough the steps of this (easy!) process to get it up and running.
Step 1; Create your Class!
Start with opening your preferred IDE (and that of course is Jetbrains PHPStorm ;-) ) Navigate to the app/Console/Commands folder and create a new file. Name it "MyFirstCronClass.php" and open it up.
1. Set your namespace (eg. app\Console\Commands).
2. Use proper whitespace.
3. Use the Illuminate\Console\Command; Facade
4. Start your class by extending Command. (eg. class MyFirstCronClass extends Command );
Your code by now:
<?php namespace app\Console\Commands; use Illuminate\Console\Command; class MyFirstCronClass extends Command {
Step 2; Fill with appropriate methods and parameters
1. Create a protected parameter $name = "MyFirstCronClass";. This is used to call your Class in the Console.
2. A protected parameter $description = "Do something with my first Cron Class";. This one is just a description.
3. And a public function handle(). The actual function. Lets give it a comment with some nonsense information.
Your code:
<?php namespace app\Console\Commands; use Illuminate\Console\Command; class MyFirstCronClass extends Command { /** * The console command name. * * @var string */ protected $name = 'MyFirstCronClass'; /** * The console command description. * * @var string */ protected $description = 'Do something with my First Cron Class.'; /** * Execute the console command. * * @return mixed */ public function handle() { //Well nothing yet..... } }
Step 3; let it do something
Well, right now you have a loose class that doesn't do anything yet, lets fill'er up!
Change your handle function;
public function handle() { //Well yes something now! dd("Hello awesome great Master of California that shines trough the curtains of Artisan in the way of Dzjengis Kahn when he was visiting Hawaii"); }
(Yes, indeed, that doesn't make any sense at all.)
Save it, and open up the following file: app\Console\Kernel.php
In the $commands array, add your class and in the Schedule function, let us add the Cron for lets say, every hour?
Then your code will look like this:
<?php namespace app\Console; use Illuminate\Console\Scheduling\Schedule; use Illuminate\Foundation\Console\Kernel as ConsoleKernel; class Kernel extends ConsoleKernel { /** * The Artisan commands provided by your application. * * @var array */ protected $commands = [ 'app\Console\Commands\MyFirstCronClass', ]; /** * Define the application's command schedule. * * @param \Illuminate\Console\Scheduling\Schedule $schedule * * @return void */ protected function schedule(Schedule $schedule) { $schedule->command('MyFirstCronClass')->hourly(); } }
Well, every hour something will be printed (I hope not my line of text…. Be original!)
Let us test if our Class works! Open up your terminal, navigate to the main folder of your project and type in:
php artisan MyFirstCronClass
If everything went right, you will see the beautiful text on your screen ;-)
Step 4; make it an actual Cron Job
Because Laravel allows us to create our own Cron Schedules we don't need Crontab in our server anymore. Well, at least not as much as normally. We need to call 1 line and Laravel (Artisan) will do the rest.
Open up your console and openup your crontab
sudo crontab -e
Add the following line at the end of the file:
* * * * * php /var/www/artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1
Think of the possibilities, for instance; all your CronJobs in Version Control. This code will ofcourse be commited to your VCS repo, in other words, all your co-workers can view, alter and learn from it.


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Follow Your Passion While Staying True to Your Healthy Balance
ClassPass Founder, Payal Kadakia, Shares How She Owns Her Day
Leading in any industry, taking risks and breaking through sometimes just requires a leap of faith. As the founder of a half billion dollar company, Payal Kadakia knows full well what it's like to change course completely and launch a startup by following her passion to provide a new solution for people in the fitness space. Since founding ClassPass in 2013, Payal continues to focus on the important things to her customers and the thing that inspired her to start her company in the first place: how movement and mindfulness are interconnected.
"Movement is important to me because it unleashes a lot in our minds to be able to help conquer our day, solve something we were working on or create something we hadn't created before," says Payal. "At work, a handful of almonds keeps me full and energized all day. They're a great source of protein and fiber. They're also an efficient snack and taste great."
We sat down with Payal to get a better understanding of how preparation is key for productivity, how snacking keeps her fueled and focused and why your "you-time" is essential to maintaining clarity in an on-the-go lifestyle. Take a peek into the daily life of this #girlboss through our "Own It" video below.
Own It with Payal Kadakia
Payal's drive and determination turned her innovative start-up idea into a game-changing force in the health and wellness industry. When time is running short and meetings are running long, Payal turns to almonds to keep her fueled and focused as she leads and inspires.
Payal's Tips for Getting Into Your Flow State
Looking for ways to set up your mind and body to rock your week? Payal shared her best tips for owning your everyday, every day.
Move Daily
Movement is so important to me and I'm truly in my personal flow state when I'm dancing or working out. I like to be present all day long and movement helps me to hone my focus so I can be at my best when it counts. Even in the workplace I like to incorporate movement. Shake up your productivity routine by taking a call during a stroll around the block or hold a walk-and-talk meeting around the office!
Plan for Productivity
I'm a big planner. And if you're like me and your calendar is your life, consider taking time to map out your plans to own it throughout the week. Every Sunday, I plan my entire week with intention and priority. I'm very committed to the meetings I have, and if something is not urgent to me, I'll find a way to reschedule. This is the best way to gain control over my schedule to own my everyday.
Own Your Space – Wherever You Work
Even though I have an office, I feel most productive working in other spaces like coffee shops, hotel rooms – really any space where I can get a laptop open. I like to work in open concept rooms with bright, natural light with my computer, charger, green tea and almonds all within arm's reach to keep me fueled and focused. Find what works best for you to achieve that flow state no matter where own your everyday.
Keep a Stash of Snacks
I don't plan my day around food. I'm focused on what I need to do to get through my day, so it's important that whatever snack I put in my bag is quick, convenient and satisfying. I love foods like almonds because they're that perfect in-between snack to give me the sustenance I need to power through my meetings or work travel. Try keeping a stash of almonds in your purse, desk drawer or car cup holder to keep you fueled and focused throughout the day.
Value Your "You-Time"
I love being so focused on my company and my team, but it's important that I carve out time for myself. I schedule little moments throughout the day to pause and reflect to find the clarity I need to own my everyday. I like to listen to contemporary Indian music and read inspirational quotes, sharing my favorites with others. Pencil in some regular 'you-time' to get into your flow state and own it.
Mindfulness Matters
A big part of my job is inspiring my team and our partners. I'm able to give my teams my best self when I'm mindfully present and approach every interaction with intention – and fueling up on healthy snacks during those in-between moments is key. I carry a bag of almonds with me everywhere to tide me over on my way to the office, between meetings or on my way to a barre class. Try keeping almonds within arm's reach throughout the day so you can own your moments – big, small and in-between.


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In this class you will make a basic white bra designed perfectly to fit you. No more wasting time trying to find a bra that fits just right- you can make your own! Specialist Jeanette will draft each person's pattern according to their own measurements. A kit with all the fabrics and supplies will be given to each student. There will be additional supplies available in class.
*Each student must book a 30 minute appointment for Thursday, Feb 20th, (or Monday, May 4th) prior to when the class begins so Jeanette will be able to take your measurements for your perfect fit! Please include your phone number and email address upon signup!


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The second beta of iOS 7 finally supports iPad. iOS Guides loaded it up so you could see how it looks. Read on to see how folders appear, what Control Center looks like and more…
Home Screen:
Control Center:
Notification Center:
Keyboard and search:
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Mail app:
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1657 State Street | East Greenville, PA 18041
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(215) 679-8091
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" July 28, 2017
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Gillespie Electric worked for IMC Construction at the... "
˜ Dan O'Rourke
IMC Construction
Sr. Project Manager
3 Great Valley Parkway, Ste 200
Malvern, PA 19355
Posted on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 By: Gillespie Electric, Inc. Categories: Industrial Electric
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Isn't it amazing how much you rely on the Internet these days? In fact any computer system.
Much as I love cute little furry animals, I'm not too impressed with the sleeping spot that one of them chose last week. We have a transformer box on our estate that steps the power down from the grid to enable normal domestic usage. Often small animals decide to investigate with dire consequences… and we lose our power.
Unfortunately, last weeks hari-kari took our office server with it and we have been offline for a week and a half, not good when you rely on the nework for business.
Anyway all back now, so I thought I'd show you the progress of one of my latest commissions:
His name is Polo and he owns a human called Barbara ;0)
Polo is a beautiful Maine Coon, mainly white with tan patches on his ears and tail. Barbara wanted to show off his tan bits, but as with all animals it takes a long while to get the right photograph. Finally she settled on this great portrait.
The key thing about portraits of white animals is the background choice. It's tempting to go for black "to make the animal stand out", but does that always work?
In my gallery you'll see a Westie – Lucy – that I did on black velour. Black paper is one thing, but black velour is a whole other kettle of fish. It's extremely difficult to get very white whites on black velour. The portrait of Lucy works well because Westies often have that coarse undertone to their fur, but for Polo I though something more subtle would suit. Barbara and I had chatted about trying to show off Polo's tan markings, so I suggested that a sand coloured background might work.
As ever I started with the eyes once I was happy with the basic outline. Then I moved on to the features around the eyes.
I start with a basic undertone then layer the detail on top for each segment.
It's amazing how many colours you use to render a predominantly white cat. So here we are so far. My biggest problem is the whiskers. I itch to put them in at about this stage – don't ask me why ;0). There is still plenty of work to do before that, whiskers are usually the last thing I put in, but they make an amazing difference.
Anyway I'll be back during the week with an update on Polo and I'll introduce you to Pug!


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The Skate For The 22 Foundation Offers Financial Assistance And Work Party Assistance To Families Of Veterans/Active Duty/Reserve personnel Who Have Committed Suicide. We Also Offer Scholarships To Their Spouses And Children.
A veteran is defined as someone who has served in the Armed Forces of the United States, specifically the Army,Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, or National Guard
Active Duty/Reserve personnel are defined as serving on active duty, or in the reserve complement, of the Armed Forces of the United States, specifically the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard or National Guard, at the time of the suicide.
The Foundation has started its Lt Col Charles W Whittlesey Scholarship and awards scholarships on a needed basis.
Click here to download Financial Aid/Work Party request Instructions and Application Form.
Note: The Financial Aid/Work Party Application Form must be submitted by mail, as stated in its instructions.
Click here to download Scholarship Policy and click here to download the Application Form.
Click here to submit a completed Scholarship Application Form.


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Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let's start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I'll kick off a discussion and I'm counting on you to participate in it. If you're not feelin' my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you're talking about videogames, the Cleveland Cavalier's awesome winning streak, your favorite condiment for steak, or Manny Pacquiao's Bieber hair, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
For the last two years, actor Jay Mohr has told the attendees of DICE, "I will never be as good at what I do as you are at making games." You can't help but get that feeling at DICE. It's crazy how many talented developers attend the show. It's impossible not to bump into someone that has helped create a beloved game or a franchise that has sold tens of millions. Being around some of the gaming industry's top creators at DICE 2011 was inspiring and an excellent way to kick off the year.
DICE was a great reminder how incredible the gaming business is and how lucky I am to be writing verbally entertaining about it (especially after that downer of a column I wrote last week — ha!). Being surrounded by people that have entertained millions and millions of gamers was amazing. What's even more amazing is that so many of them — Ted Price, Dr. Ray Muzyka, Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Mark Cerny, etc. — are wonderful people too. I know that what I do pales in comparison to what these guys do, but seeing these brilliant creators has me motivated to do better and be nicer.
So yeah! DICE 2011 was amazing and I hope you like the interviews N8R and I worked on. I'm feelin' groovy and hope you are too. Thanks DICE!!!


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ATD 2017: Sales Enablement Lunch and Learn
Sunday, May 21st 2017
Related Resources
Sales Enablement Strategy
Download the latest research from SiriusDecisions to learn how your company can provide enablement for all customer-facing roles and lay the foundation for continued customer acquisition, satisfaction, and retention.
Learn how marketers can empower revenue teams by creating content and guidance that drive real business impact in this on-demand webinar.
Highspot CMO Jon Perera and Senior Director of Corporate Marketing Lucas Welch discuss why and how companies must adopt new pillars of marketing success to succeed.
Sales Enablement Strategy
Get the latest guidance from Forrester on how to evaluate vendors and how to justify the investment in modern sales enablement technology.


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Follow the wacky wabbit this Saturday night to KTUH 90.3 FM.
Our guests on a Feast of Friends on Saturday, May 31, 2014 are some of the performers/artists of the yearly event, Alice in Chinatown.
Michelle, Lisa and Ry will be joining DJ Nocturna and Lana Saldania to talk about the show.
Honolulu's favorite burlesque troupe, Cherry Blossom Cabaret, presents their sixth full length theatrical show in their VarieTease series! Come watch Cherry Blossom Cabaret's visually stunning presentation of this timeless tale full of comedy, music, movement choreography, aerial dance, theater, sword fighting, and more, all wrapped up in glorious scenes full of their sexy, sassy sparkliness you've come to know and love!
PRESENTED BY: Cherry Blossom Cabaret
SHOW: Alice in Chinatown: Through the Looking Glass
LOCATION: The ARTS at Marks Garage, 1159 Nuuanu Ave, Chinatown, Honolulu
SHOW DATES AND TIMES: From Saturday, June 7, 2014 to Sunday, June 29, 2014
(Doors open 1/2 hour before Showtime)
COST: $20 Online Presale, $25 at the door (unless soldout)
PURCHASE TICKETS: www.AliceInChinatown2014.eventbrite.com
QUESTIONS? Please contact: email@example.com
Alice in Chinatown: Through the Looking Glass is a local and sexy burlesque twist on Lewis Carroll's classic tale, and a sequel to CBC's critically acclaimed 2010 production of Alice in Chinatown. This time around, Alice (who secretly has a crush on the White Rabbit), chases a reflection of the White Rabbit through her bedroom mirror, and ends up once again in…..CHINATOWN!
Set as a gigantic chess game where Alice must move across the Chessboard of Chinatown, follow Alice in her adventures through some of your favorite Chinatown Honolulu establishments such as Marks Garage, NextDoor, and Downbeat Diner! You can bet some of your favorite Wonderland characters will be milling about here and there, such as the Mad Hatter and Caterpillar, as well as some new ones as well!
Will Alice suceed in her journey? Will she catch the White Rabbit? Will she make it across the Chessboard of Chinatown? What types of zany adventures and encounters will she find herself in this time? Theres only one way to find out: buy a ticket to the show!


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Daisy & Holly back with you again.
What a cold and windy day today! We went on our morning walk, with our coats on, 'cos the wind was blowing and the snow was trying very hard to snow! Poor Old Two Legs had to have his hood up on his coat as well as his hat!
You know, it was so cold that even the sniffs were frozen!
|Look! Frozen Sniffs!
The tide was out so we saw a few Brent Geese and some waders paddling about in the mud. This time OTL sneaked down the breakwater and surprised the Brent Geese, so they all made a noise that sounded a bit like a Birdy Raspberry!
|We know you're there!
I mean, like there was nothing left of him at all!
Gone, just Gone!
|There's no man here!
We came back to the Sea Wall at lunch time but didn't spend a long time down there 'cos the wind just blew right the way through you.
Holly and I had a game of chase on the beach, the only place where there was some good snow, we even had a roll in it for fun!
|A Roll in the Snow!
Holly and I then ran along the beach sniffing and woofing all the way to the end of the path!
The wind was blowing so hard and the waves were getting blown all over the place, Holly reckons this is a real Winters Day!
|Winters Day Today!
TM is out tonight, doing one of her Master Classes on paint spreading techniques with a pastry roller, I think she calls it Brayering!
See you tomorrow!
Daisy & Holly


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Hello, and welcome to another blog post! Today is day 10 out of the 50 day challenge, and to be honest, I almost forgot to post this today because I have been so busy with school and family. But here I am, and here is day #10! Today, the list asks me to post a song that I hate. I am sorry for any beleibers reading this, but I really hate 'Baby'. UGH! That song just gets on my nerves! It makes my ears bleed, and I would rather listen to 'Blurred Lines' by Robin Thicke than 'Baby'. I know that a lot of you will agree with me, so yeah… Here is the song:
SNAPCHAT: chickssweet
~Rawan M.


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August 16th, 2016
In Business
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All the ideas we never work on
(written by lawrence krubner, however indented passages are often quotes). You can contact lawrence at: firstname.lastname@example.com, or follow me on Twitter.
Your day starts in Salesforce. You have to email a bunch of people. You briefly contemplate a business idea you have that will totally kill Salesforce and Facebook at the same time. But you need a technical co-founder. Eventually you'll get to it — after all, you're smart and destined for greatness yourself. And your friends all tell you how you should start something someday.
Your 27-year-old CEO calls an ad-hoc all-hands meeting and regales about company culture and how your mission is to "kill email because it's broken". He wants to make every enterprise company in the world switch to your product. He's never worked for an enterprise company, or any other company at all.
The sales team got rowdy the night before. They missed their quota, but it was not their fault — it was implementation's fault for fucking up a major deal. Also — marketing didn't send them enough inbound leads for them to hit quota. Maybe next quarter. You trade emails with your college buddies on Gmail about how ridiculous Kevin Durant is for joining the Warriors. You come to realize email is working just fine for you. You feel depressed for a moment. Your summer intern is trying to figure out a Snapchat strategy.


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When customers buy things through your WooCommerce shop, they can sign up to your website right there in the checkout. But if you want to control the signup process, a better option can be Gravity Forms.
Subresource integrity for WordPress scripts and stylesheets
When we load resources from other websites, we trust those sites to deliver something safe. Use subresource integrity to ensure authenticity.
PHP version compatibility test with a few files on 5.2
Check for PHP version compatibility problems in WordPress plugins, with support for just a few files running in PHP 5.2.
Configure WP Super Cache
Page caching is important for the performance of your WordPress website. Here's how to configure WP Super Cache to serve up your site's content from the cache, without bogging down your server.
Payment receipts with Gravity Forms and eWAY
Gravity Forms email notifications can be used to send simple payment receipts for eWAY transactions.
exim4 with wildcard email aliases
When you configure exim4 as your email transport, you will likely need to tell it to replace some user names with aliases. To make your life simpler, use wildcards to do the job for you.
Use Autoptimize effectively
Keeping your WordPress website fast can become pretty tricky once you start installing plugins and off-the-shelf themes. Everything seems to want to load at least one CSS stylesheet, and sometimes a dozen or more JavaScript script files. Some also inject great chunks of CSS and JavaScript into every page. Luckily, there's the handy Autoptimize plugin to help you sort all of that out.
Tracking WordPress plugin compatibility with Trello
For a while now, I've been using the amazing Trello to help me keep track of various tasks. Sure, I use various bug trackers like Mantis and GitHub Issues too, but for some of the more high-level tasks it's just easier with Trello. One job it's particularly good at is helping me keep track of plugin compatibility testing.
PDF to OCR in Linux
SWMBO has a pile of PDF documents to process and extract information from, and over 50 of them are scanned which means — NO COPY/PASTE! Unless we rescan with OCR of course. On Windows, she'd probably just use Acrobat, but on Linux…
eAccelerator and PHP closures don't mix
I struck an odd problem recently with some code using closures. I use closures extensively for WordPress filter and action hooks when building custom plugins and themes for websites, and all usually works well on any version of PHP from 5.3 up. But I was finding that my closures weren't being called on some PHP 5.4 websites. The problem was eAccelerator.
Overview of building custom fields for Gravity Forms
Gravity Forms is a great way to build all sorts of forms in WordPress. It can be so simple that non-programmers can easily build their own basic forms. It's also incredibly flexible so programmers can extend it in myriad ways, even by adding some complex custom fields of their own. But as usual, there's a trade-off — ease of use for non-programmers means lots of hoops to jump for programmers. Here's an overview of how I built some fairly complex compound fields for a custom application using Gravity Forms.
Creating a custom gallery template for NextGEN Gallery
NextGEN Gallery is one of the easiest to use image gallery plugins for WordPress, so we now try to use it wherever a website needs to have user-managed sets of images: sliders/carousels, trade/media galleries, scenic galleries, you name it. We can do that easily because NextGEN allows you to create custom gallery templates.


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Event box
Fridays @ the Library: Preserving and Promoting Your Research: Theses and Dissertations in MOspace
Providing online access to your thesis or dissertation via MOspace makes it more visible and available to fellow researchers around the world. MOspace, managed by the University Libraries, is the online repository for all MU theses and dissertations issued since 2006 and makes MU theses and dissertations available worldwide. However, authors can restrict access to their theses and dissertations. Is this a good option? In addition, there can be complications involving copyright and other publishing agreements. Do you need to get permission to include images? Come learn about all the options and the logistics of promoting your work.
Felicity Dykas, Head of Digital Services
Anne Barker, Research & Instructional Services Librarian
Related LibGuide: MOspace at MU by Felicity Dykas
- Date:
- Friday, February 23, 2018
- Time:
- 1:00pm - 2:00pm
- Location:
- 213 Ellis Library
- Categories:
- Workshop – Registration Required


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Guagua Pichincha volcano news & activity updates:
Mon, 20 Apr 2015, 10:25
Fri, 8 Feb 2008, 21:58
There have been reported strong phreatic explosions at Guagua Pichincha volcano on February 1st. There was a increase in activity in the last weeks and it is recommended to stay away from the volcano. ...more


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Back in Cyarkian, Marty's body had wound up at the "Watering Rat Hole" – where the city guards went to drinks. Between that and having remembered to tell his pocket companions to keep an eye out for pickpockets and other miscreants there was no trouble…
Few of the local criminal types were willing to risk poking around in the pockets of some traveling magical being anyway. Even if you stole something, and evaded the magical pursuit and the city guard, you were all too likely to wind up in possession of something you'd soon wish that you'd never seen…
No one disturbed the foreigner who'd been so helpful during the battle either. They owed him something – and he'd demonstrated just how incredibly dangerous he could be.
Raphael slept in a bit. He set a robot to wake him if something interesting happened, but mornings after battle were not his thing.
By the time he was up again, Kevin was winding down on "teaching" his pets to do undignified tricks and Marty was staggering back from the bar for breakfast.
Raphael had decided to take it somewhat easy – and just follow Kevin around to carefully steer things away from atrocities, large diplomatic incidents, or huge bouts of reality shaping… Hopefully, with that whole "guest" thing going through Kevin's head, it wouldn't be a problem.
Despite his local hangover, Marty was alert enough to test some of what Gelman had said…
Rusty and Feanor were both easy enough to probe – and they were… so terribly happy that it was CREEPY. Being Kevin's pets… REALLY WAS the best possible reward as far as they were concerned. "Sandy" knew that pethood for him was only temporary – but he was still delighted to be given the chance to serve this way for a bit – and was flat-out envious of Rusty, who had every prospect of getting to be Kevin's pet for years to come. Sure, he'd soon be standing to stud – but that was a poor consolation prize for not being in Kevin's direct service any longer.
Errurrgghhh… Sure that was a relief of sorts – Kevin wasn't torturing, or treating the kids that way to spite someone else – but STILL. The fact that Rusty did want this very very much indeed – and the fact that KEVIN saw nothing weird about that – was JUST as creepy! The Thrall-bond… was a lot more warping than he'd thought it was on BOTH sides!
(Marty, privately) "Hey Kevin!… Er… Sorry about the nose there; you kind of hit a nerve… Er… What DO you have Mr Anvari's daughter doing?"
(Kevin, privately) "Oh that's OK! It was just kind or surprising and it only took a few moments to heal up!… And the girls in Starship piloting training right now – although she is on standby to be bred if Rusty and Sandy here aren't enough to make Mr Anvari really steamed up! Part of their deal was getting their father into anger treatment!" That's what the box of pictures and souvenirs of Rusty and Sandy becoming good doggies is all about! She'll present it, and it should really make him blow his top!
Wait, what? The kids were… conspiring to get their father medical treatment? And Kevin was… cheerfully facilitating that as always. Oh for…
(Marty, privately) "Ah, that's not so bad then."
(Kevin, privately) "You know, allowing people a few optional choices in the contract worked really well! It seems to make it way more palatable for some reason – so I'm putting in a selection!"
(Marty, privately) "That's a good idea. What were you thinking of doing?"
(Kevin, privately) "Oh, extra money, personal flits and vehicles – maybe some boats and small starships – pets, servants, special equipment, assignment preferences, all that sort of thing! That's all easy to provide in Kadia!"
(Marty, privately) "Should make it even fairer."
(Kevin, privately) "Hey, I think it's already pretty fair… And it's not like a Thrall can't get most of that stuff anyway! They just seem to like having choices other than "sign or don't sign"."
(Marty, privately) "Everybody does. Er, I really am sorry about the nose you know!"
(Kevin, privately) "What was that about anyway?"
(Marty, privately) "I've just been stressed about you. You're getting pretty powerful, and… well, I'm worried about you being overwhelmed by the darkness. You're a really nice kid, and it would be a shame if that happened."
(Kevin, privately – and somewhat reflectively) "Huh… I don't think I will be! The more Thralls there are, the more I… belong to them – and they want to see me as the guardian and protector who brings them adventure and safety, a complete lack of responsibility while doing important and respected work, freedom from restraints while still having firm limits, independence while still having someone to care for them, and the power to act on their own decisions while still having someone to tell them what to do – all at the same time!
Marty hadn't thought about it that way – but the link did go both ways didn't it? Kevin might own the Thralls, but collectively they had just as strong a grip on him… They made the boy a… RESPONSIBLE owner. Could that really be true?
(Marty, privately) "So you really think the more kids you have, the less likely it is that the darkness will be able to take over?"
(Kevin, privately, and somewhat sadly) "No more than it already has anyway…"
That – rather unsettlingly – carried a lot less of the choral-overtone multi-toned VOICE OF DOOM that had been creeping into Kevin's voice and thoughts over the past few months. Still… That was a relief! Even if it DID say that there might not be much of any freedom there at all. How much of Kevin's life was being subsumed in the balancing act? Thralls against Darkness, Soul-bonds against Parenthood and the Darkness-driven urge to breed, rigid rules against utter ruthlessness, gift-giving against having a price for everything…
Still, he had enough freedom to fight it, and that was a large part of what mattered to Marty… Perhaps the Darkness was not such a bad thing for Kevin – unless he lost control. It just didn't leave the kid much room for any activities that weren't governed by balance concerns.
Heck, it might help to just drag him along to a few parties and concerts! Petty pique at Mr Anvari might be about all the free will he could afford to exercise. Even the harems – as enjoyable as that was for any teenager – were thoroughly entangled in the darkness-urges.
Well, OK – for any male. Heck, if he wasn't reforming… that garden party would be a regular event!
Heck, if he lost access to Julia… would there be any reason to reform? It had been what… eight and a half months – almost nine – since the party and…
As it turned out on a hasty check back In Kadia, the Thrall-concubines had been going to notify him that it was about time in a few days – but, with biocontrol witchcraft, magic, and the facilities of Kadia, they were quite willing to deliver on any schedule that Marty wanted.
Of course he wanted to be there! He sent an Avatar straight down to be with the girl that the medical facilities said should be first… the rest of them elected to stagger their delivery dates by a day or so each; they didn't want anyone to miss their time to fuss over the newest babies!
Marty was determined to not consider the delivery process nearly as gross this time.
That turned out to be EASY. They were Thrall-girls! They had powers of shapeshifting, telekinesis, biophysical control and rapid healing – plus the technologies of Core if they should need them (they generally didn't).
It pretty much came down to "A very pregnant girl broke her waters in the shower, lay down in a force-field cradle that positioned her, and dilated adequately with a tiny bit of shapeshifting. The baby (or set of twins) slid out propelled, guided, and supported by telekinesis. The baby or babies was instantly cleaned and assisted in clearing it's lungs and throat via Hand of Shadows, and was wrapped in a wonderfully warm and soft bunch of smartfibers that massaged and monitored and supported it. The afterbirth came free and was efficiently and automatically bundled away. The bleeding stopped almost before it started, and the girl shapeshifted back to normal save for being ready to nurse the baby and coo over it. There was no birth trauma, no sudden shock, almost no blood, no mess, and constant telepathic reassurances to ensure gurgling happy infants.
Marty liked that! And when the babies got told "This is your father!" the telepathy meant that they actually understood it.
He gladly held his children.
They cooed for a bit – but eventually started to fuss and make faces until he got them a bottle. It really WAS "mommy" that was most important to a nursing infant. This was well worth putting an avatar on all the time!
The neodogs wanted to fuss too. They liked to fuss over human babies! And Neodog spit was nicely hygienic, so the girls had no objection
Limey was looking sort of thundercloudish though.
(Marty) "Aw, what's wrong, buddy?"
(Limey) "It's all crowded now! And they're all taking over! You're spending all your time with them! They're gonna… they're… Waah!"
(Marty) "It's okay, buddy! You're still going to go on lots of adventures with me."
Still crying? Marty probed a bit…
Oh. Adoption-anxiety. Limey knew that he wasn't REALLY Marty's son – and that Marty's real kids would naturally push him out of the second-to-top spot in Marty's affections – and that really was all right, because he belonged to Marty, and Marty's real kids SHOULD get to treat him as part of the household property – that was only right, since he was household property – but he was going to MISS being Marty's son! He'd been highly favored – especially after all that naughtiness – but the children that Marty actually fathered would naturally take priority. Family does after all
On top of that of course, Marty WAS still his master, and he was very happy to see Marty with a big family – which was making him quite confused.
Marty sighed… Limey WAS his son! Maybe not officially, but… Well, he was a Thrall, but he wasn't going to wind up being treated like Rusty!
He made sure that Limey got more personal attention while he waited for the next kid – and had some of the boys own harem girls come up to comfort and distract him.
That was comforting and distracting for the boy – but it was pretty much inevitable that he would be losing something there.
Marty reassured him that he would still be his aide – and would not be demoted to "pet for his real children" (Unless, perhaps, he did the same thing to another Thrall).
The kid would get over it. It wasn't like being adopted, having younger "siblings" – or, for that matter, simply being a Thrall – were especially terrible fates.
Meanwhile, back in Cyarkian, outside of a few more kids and questions, nothing much happened during breakfast – although Raphael figured out what was going on with some annoyance. Blasted multi-presence! It would take a dozen or more minders to keep an eye on these two!
He really needed to hold a conference on the problem the pair represented. By now, they were big enough trouble-centers that half the major power-players in the Core and the Manifold had an interest!
After breakfast they headed off to see the diplomats – which suited Raphael just fine!
On the way he busied his nanotech cloud with casually smoothing and evening out the stone work, carpentry, and other architectural features as he passed – and with cleaning up after the flower incursion. If a universe lacked force fields and cheap microbot swarms you could always be sure that it needed maintenance and cleaning!
Kevin, of course, occasionally gestured casually at some collapsed structure, damaged facility, or awkward spot, and randomly repaired those – albeit not nearly so methodically.
The diplomatic offices were located in some of the very lowest levels, in the sections carved out of bedrock. The ceilings were quite high here – and the architecture was quite advanced and designed to maximize aesthetics. The steel structural supports were well concealed – and the whole level gave an expansive look over a large lighted town. They could see a number of mice and rats running around, building a catwalk and scaffolding.
More repairs!
The diplomatic offices themselves were a large round building near the center of the chamber that also acted as part of the main structural support.
The group wandered over, ignoring a selection of hostile looks at the entourage along the way.
(Kevin) "Nice job here! Lots of digging and sealing!"
(Marty) "Yeah! I think your NIMH theory might have something to it."
(Kevin) "I think so! We did kind of leave them posed to spread out, and with a really urgent reason to do so and new knowledge of the Manifold! What do you think Raphael? Would a combined rats-and-humans culture be growth-inclined?"
(Raphael, dryly) "One would think so"
After all, rats and mice tended to go exponential at the slightest opportunity! Being civilized obviously reduced that quite a bit – but there were certainly plenty of kids around for a dangerous frontier town!
The diplomatic offices had a large lobby with a little mouse at the front desk. A emblematic seal was inlaid into the floor with heavy wood adornment. Behind the desk was a large map on the wall, with a cross section of the city along with sections highlighted as: Complete, Under Development, Under Construction, and Planned. Stacks of papers and books were neatly sorted onto tables on either side. The young mouse at the desk noticed their arrival and spoke in a very squeaky voice.
(Mouse) "Hi, you must be visitors that arrived as part of the last caravan, what can I help you with?"
(Kevin) "Oh, we mostly wanted to talk about your homeworld a bit!"
(Mouse) "Let me get Mr Cartwright then, he's been the one dealing with nonlocal visitors."
The mouse pulled a string under the desk, ringing a bell off in the distance. Soon enough an older looking mouse walked up to the desk as he peered over a set of spectacles.
(Cartwright) "Hello, I am Mr Cartwright, one of the heads of administration here, I take it you wished to speak with me?"
(Kevin) "Oh yes! We were curious about your original world since you're fairly obviously outsiders here!"
(Cartwright) "Our original world? Ah, so you must be dimensional travelers yourselves then?"
(Kevin) "Oh yes! We travel quite a bit – but this world is usually fairly isolated."
(Cartwright) "Well isolation is sometimes a good thing, although it does take some adapting. We are a hearty people nonetheless. What exactly about our "homeworld" do you wish to know?"
(Kevin) "Well, there are a few mouse-and-rat cultures out there – but your architecture looks a lot like that of the escapees from NIMH. I was wondering if that was right – and, if so, how your homeworld was doing? As last I'd heard there was some major volcanic activity coming up there!"
(Cartwright) "Ah, we are indeed the descendants of those initial escapees from NIMH. The volcanic activity was part of a larger set of general changes to the climate that began to take place across the globe. As both humanity, rats, and mice all became threatened by the changes going on, an accord was made between the three races to try and stifle the most dramatic of changes. Unfortunately, humanity has suffered a lot, and has retreated from the world significantly. Indeed, it's gotten hard to find them at times in the places once famous for their presence."
(Kevin) "Did it start with a supervolcanic eruption? One world we heard about was about to have one."
(Cartwright) "China, Russia, Africa, and the Middle East have largely lost much of their populations of humans due to a variety of factors including disease, famine, and emigration across the Manifold. It's given us room to grow and spread without coming into much conflict with the humans – although some of us have begun spreading out into other dimensions to see what we might find that could be brought back to help. And yes, there was a volcanic eruption in North America that would – at least according to our projections, if not all of the human ones – have wiped out much of the population there and across Europe, but it was contained due to the help of a number of dimensional visitors."
Marty sighed. It seemed that they hadn't been able to stop the destruction entirely. Of course, that was the way of dimensions; a single major intervention, even at a crisis point, was rarely enough to entirely derail the local plot. Still, it sounded like leaving some Thralls and gates behind had mitigated the actual casualties a good bit. The plot really wouldn't care if they'd died or vanished into other dimensions; from the Manifold point of view the two were pretty much equivalent anyway.
Besides, a lot would have been phantasms.
(Cartwright) "So we are colonists here sent to learn more about the local world here, master what we can, and then trying to begin export operations back to our homeworld. Of particular interest has been the ways locals handle diseases and injuries. Even the best of human sciences can't match what the locals do so simply. Does that answer your question?"
(Kevin) "Oh, I think so! We may have to do something about some relief operations I think… Although your culture makes that slightly more difficult!"
(Cartwright) "Our culture? Are you referring to the fact that our different views on how things work tends to make it more difficult for us to master the local magic?"
(Raphael) "The trick to mastering magic is to understand that it does not follow the rules of the greater universe but the rules of the local section and your own mind – but I don't think that that is what he meant."
(Kevin) "Oh, it's mostly just that I normally recruit relief-workers locally! You culture might not be conducive to that!"
Cartwright took off his spectacles, cleaned them, and peered at Kevin again… A young wolf-person, with an entourage of other youngsters and a parrot? An experienced dimensional traveler who knew about their world but whose knowledge was superficial and stopped with the Yellowstone eruption? Who'd apparently been granting minor powers to youngsters on a whim and – according to the report from the city guard – had been demonstrating massive magical abilities and had an entourage of youngsters who demonstrated rather extraordinary abilities? Oh dear! He certainly seemed to match the description they'd gotten from talking to the "Thralls" who were still controlling the gateway at Yellowstone… They might be having a visitation from some of the universe's major powers!
(Cartwright) "Ah, would by chance one of you happen to be that Binder fellow, oh I can't remember his name……."
(Kevin) "Originally Kevin – but I have lots of names; I'm going by Angkor here!"
(Cartwright, to Raphael) "Ah I see, yes, I could see why that might pose a problem. Ah well, we are an industrious folk and if magic simply proves a challenge to master, than so much greater the reward. I take it your visit isn't simply a check up on our homeworld now is it? What else can I do for you?"
Kevin and Marty were more or less thrown by that one. They really hadn't been up to anything but a bit of their usual gratuitous meddling while setting up a trade route.
(Cartwright) "Well, I am sure the people back home would appreciate whatever help you might be able to provide. Times have been a bit lean from what I've been told, and as you can see from the number of people willing to come to a colony like ours."
(Kevin) "Well, I can send a few agents… Hm. Is there anyone it WOULD be acceptable to recruit? After all, the binding will restore health for the dying, ensure good behavior from juveniles on the verge of exile, and correct any genetic defects. That would make things a lot easier."
(Cartwright) "Hmm, for that I cannot answer. I will have to speak with the Colony Council and see what they propose. There should be a Colony Council meeting this evening to discuss the repairs from the attack last night. I am sure I can slide this into the agenda. And beg my pardon, but if this is a side-trip, may I ask your final destination?"
(Raphael was quietly examining the map of the city with its planned sections and taking notes on his smartclothes for assistance later if he felt like showing off.
(Kevin) "Well, really we were just establishing a trade route for a platypus clan and doing some general meddling along the way! Mostly clean-up before moving on to… some trials, rescuing an entrapped goddess, a meeting with the unified church, the core military, and some aliens, building an improved galaxy, and some other bits!"
(Cartwright, quite definitely looking more than a bit skeptical) "Interesting life it must be then. Especially fascinating that you can find time to stop by our colony with so much going on."
(Marty) "Well, we're on a working vacation."
(Kevin) "Besides, who says I have to limit myself to being in only one place at a time?"
There was a definite look of disbelief there.
(Kevin) "What, you want a demonstration?"
(Raphael, hastily) "Please be careful asking for a demonstration, he tends to go a little overboard giving you what you ask for."
(Marty) "BOY will he go overboard."
(Kevin) "Hey!"
(Cartwright) "I have seen a number of interesting things these mages have been able to pull off with their magic, but long term…. multi-presence seems to one of the ones that never works well. They either rely on automatons or fancy communication techniques, although that fella with the temporal ability was interesting. Too bad he seemed to have lost himself in the process of his last working."
(Kevin) "Magic is fun, but there are other ways!"
(Cartwright) "Dare I ask what "overboard" entails?"
Kevin fumed a bit, with smoke curling out of his ears for dramatic effect.
(Raphael) "While I could explain it perfectly, I would rather not go into technical details of how he rewrote the fabric of reality around those islands and caused a reality storm I had to stop."
(Kevin, crankily) "It would have run down by itself given a little time!"
(Marty) "Yeah, I suppose so, but it did cause us some trouble."
(Cartwright) "A reality storm? That doesn't sound particularly safe."
(Marty) "Just have to remember that anything happening to you in those things is controlled by your thoughts – I think."
(Kevin) "Oh, they're just when reality becomes thin enough to be shaped by passing personal thoughts! It's no big deal really! Well, unless other realities start leaking in. That can get weird!"
(Cartwright) "I can see why that could be dangerous if you are unable to keep your own thoughts in check… So perhaps a demonstration is not the most prudent thing at the moment. With this many people around, things might get a little out of control… Does all magic have this issue, or is it simply this multi-presence ability?"
(Kevin, sotto voice) "Well, O was only thinking of gating someone to Kadia, so they can talk with me there while we continued talking here – or perhaps just sharing the view from some of my other presences with a bit of telepathy!"
(Raphael) "Its his direct reality manipulation on a large scale that does it."
(Kevin) "And that's not magic; magic works mostly within the rules of a reality. See, there's psychic powers, then technology, then magic, then divine powers, then reality editing… Although some places mix up psychic powers with magic!"
(Raphael) "Magic rarely actually manipulates the fabric of reality in ways it is not meant to be manipulated so it is generally safe from those problems."
(Cartwright) "In other words, magic has to obey some physical laws?"
(Raphael) "I am not sure if they are actually 'physical' laws, but it must obey some laws."
(Kevin) "Oh yes – although they do apply in a lot of places. People always think that their imaginations are unique, but there are lots of common factors. And those rules are as physical as any other rule in the Manifold!"
(Cartwright) "Whereas divine power is pulling on the power of a "superior" being or the Creator God?"
(Kevin, with some surprise) "Nobody that I know really does that! The Creator – or Creators – have arranged things so that they're pretty much impossible to identify. Divine power is just the power that comes with being a god – which is really just being a massed focus for belief!"
(Marty) "And becoming a god is a lot easier than you'd expect."
(Kevin) "It does make it easy to do things like the multi-presnce trick, or set up afterlives for your followers, and things like that. The followers power and maintain that sort of thing, all you have to do it guide it!"
(Cartwright) "So that leaves psychic powers and reality editing. I suspect reality editing is simply throwing so much power at the problem as to be able to rewrite things as you wish? Hence things like gates and reality storms?"
(Kevin) "Full-scale reality editing is much rarer than being a god! It's direct control over the structure of reality; it's not so much an amount of power as another level of it. With a relatively little bit of reality editing you can create essentially infinite amounts of power. You just make a universe the way you want it, and pull it from there!"
(Raphael, with a censorious look at Kevin) "Reality editing simply… rewrites the laws, physical structure, and sometimes history of a universe. I am not at all sure about the ethics of using that power in other people's home universes without a well-informed request!"
(Cartwright) "Interesting, it would definitely seem like you are more informed of such things than the locals are. They are largely ignorant of the abilities of technology beyond a certain point. Now admittedly, that seems to be because of a lack of the relevant fundamental laws in a few key fields."
(Kevin) "To be fair, magic is really just a local technology; it's just one that's more dependent on thought-patterns and talent than on external devices."
(Cartwright, interestedly) "Like the ability to read and write or do math then."
(Kevin) "Oh yes – and there have been places where those are forms of magic, and can directly impact the world around you!"
(Raphael, with a censorious look at Kevin) "Magic is NOT technology. It follows different rules, but it is on the same level as technology out here and the edges are blurry, but they are NOT the same. I like to think of Magic as a series of loopholes and exceptions and agreed allowances to the base rules that are technology"
(Kevin) "So how is it different? They're both ways of exploiting the local laws of nature to get what you want by creating mysterious implements that most people don't understand, manipulating local forces, learning strange formulas, and carrying out mysterious rituals using exotic components. You call it electronics, they call it rune mastery… how are they really different? There are lots of "technologies" that don't work in other universes – including some like Block Transfer Computation that transform space, matter, and time, through pure math… And BOY was the kid using that – Adric I think his name was – an irritating little prat! I was almost reluctant to pull him off that crashing time-traveling spaceship that was about to kill off the dinosaurs!"
(Raphael) "Bah, magic with a special exception that makes the local universe group it with technology is still magic. You can feel the level of human design in all that stuff that is not in actual technology."
Kevin looked quite doubtful there, but it wasn't really a big worry. After all, a good deal of Star Wars tech was definitely on the "magic" end of things as far as HE was concerned.
Oddly enough, Raphael actually agreed there, and has no problem with calling it magic since it did not work by default in the places with limited exceptions.
Mr Cartwright found all this fascinating – and more than a bit worrisome, since his visitors had just been discussing power levels pretty much up through the infinite and apparently operated on all of them…
Marty found it all rather amusing!
Kevin put down their world on the list for more relief expeditions – but priorities did go to worlds that supplied their own Thralls; they usually had more real people in them anyway.
The group said goodbye to Mr Cartwright, and wandered away to look for trouble elsewhere…
Related articles
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- Federation-Apocalypse Session 187 – The Vengeance of the Demon God (ruscumag.wordpress.com)
- Federation-Apocalypse Session 185b – Orders and Laws (ruscumag.wordpress.com)
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Filed under: Background, Campaign Log, d20 | Tagged: Background, Campaign Log, Classless d20, d20, d20 Point Buy, Role Playing Game, RPG | 1 Comment »


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RED staff profile - Dr Kelly Farrell
Dr Kelly Farrell
Lecturer, Research Education and Development team, Graduate Research School
Dr Kelly Farrell joined La Trobe in early 2014 from the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne where she held a teaching-focused academic position and designed and delivered professional development programs and resources for academic staff and graduate researchers. An area in which Kelly has particular expertise is the development and implementation of peer review of teaching programs and she is a lead author of the national OLT-funded study Peer Review of Teaching in Australian Higher Education: A handbook to support institutions in developing effective policies and practices.
Kelly's primary responsibility at RED is the delivery of programs for La Trobe's graduate researchers, including design and coordination of the RED Enrichment Series. She also performed in the role of RED Manager during 2014-2015.
Kelly's PhD is in English/Cultural Studies. The title of her thesis is What it Feels Like for a Girl: Feminised Heterosexual Masculinity and National Cultural Identity.
Academic Qualifications
- 2003: PhD (English/Cultural Studies), The University of Melbourne
- 1997: BA (Hons 1, University Medal in English), Australian National University
Publications and reports
Farrell, K. (2012) Collegial feedback on teaching: A guide to peer review. Centre for the Study of Higher Education.
Farrell, K. (2009) The use of the title 'Professor': A report of the policies, conventions and practices among Australian higher education providers. Commissioned by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority.
Harris, K.H, Farrell, K., Bell, M., Devlin, M., James, R. (2008) Peer review of teaching in Australian Higher Education: A handbook to support institutions in developing and embedding effective policies and practices. Centre for the Study of Higher Education.
Harris, K-L., Farrell, K. and James, R. (2007). Measuring the quality of university teaching: The Australian experience of performance indicators for teaching. Higher Education Forum, 4: 47-59.
Harris, K-L. and Farrell, K. (2007). The science shortfall: An analysis of the shortage of suitably qualified science teachers in Australian schools and the policy implications for universities. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 29(2) 159-171.
Farrell, K. & Harris, K-L. (2006). Independent evaluation of the In2science Peer Mentoring Program. In2science management. La Trobe University & The University of Melbourne.
Older Publications
Farrell, K. (2003) Naked nation: The Full Monty, working-class masculinity and the British image. The Journal of Men and Masculinity. 6(2): 119-135.
Farrell, K. (2002) Keeping mum about dad: masculinity, maternity and masquerade in Hollywood films of the 1990s'. Manning the Next Millennium. Bentley: Swan Publishing: 267-279.
Farrell, K. (1999) (Foot)ball gowns: masculinities, sexualities and the politics of performance. The Journal of Australian Studies: New Talents. 63: 56-86.
Media mentions of research
Healy, G. (2009) Professors proliferate amid quest for prestige. The Australian, Higher Education Section, 18 Nov.
Ross, J. (2006) Two way street. Campus Review. 29 Nov: 11-13.
Farrell, K. (2007) Take a long talk from a sure peer. The Australian (Higher Education). September 19.
Farrell, K. (2007) From tourist to citizen. Campus Review. 24 April: 11.
Farrell, K. (2007) The culture of completion. Campus Review. July: 9.
Farrell, K. (2005) New postgrads connect with remote peers. The Australian (Higher Education), 8 June: 34.
Farrell, K. (2004) Boxer rebellion's stage fright.' The Age (A3) 10 February: 7.
Farrell, K. (2001). Myth vs reality: the first year postgraduate experience.' Campus Review 4 July.


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Come sun, showers, and everything in between, this layered feather necklace brightens your day! Festooned with delicate, engraved charms, this accessory inspires a luminous and lovely look.
Set is attached.
Payment can be via credit card on the website or you choose cash on delivery and pay upon delivery of your order.
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Orders inside Cairo are delivered the next day except Friday's we don't deliver so orders placed Thursdays are delivered Saturday. Orders outside of Cairo are delivered within 2-3 business days. All deliveries inside Cairo are handled by us and outside of Cairo is handled by Aramex.
You can contact us via email at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Kick off your week with a healthy dinner full of fresh ingredients and flavors, all while skipping the meat. They key to a successful Meatless Monday dinner is feeling satisfied by still including a protein source. By introducing more sustainable foods to your weekly diet, Meatless Monday will improve personal health and make the world a little greener. Check out www.meatlessmonday.com for more information on the amazing benefits and impact doing this just once a week can do for you and your family.
Prepare a fresh and delicious meal for your family this Monday evening while skipping the meat with these berry balsamic flatbread bites. Because of the sweet, savory, tangy, and herby ingredients of this dish, it is very satisfying. The crispy crunch of the golden flatbread crust topped with creamy, sweet, and savory baked ricotta and mozzarella cheeses is the perfect base for a fresh mix of balsamic vinegar, berries, baby arugula, and herbs.
I like to add chopped pecans onto the flatbreads before baking because they become roasted in the oven and are another great source of protein and nutrition. Nuts are full of healthy fats that the body needs and add great texture and dimension to recipes. If you have any extra honey roasted nuts on hand in the pantry, you can sprinkle some of them chopped up on the finished flatbread bites as well.
If you cannot find individual sized flatbreads at your local grocery store, you can purchase a large flatbread or even a prebaked pizza crust. You can even add other berries like raspberries or blueberries! They will taste just as great mixed with the herbs and balsamic vinegar.
A great tip for leftover flatbreads is to not top them with the arugula or the berry mixture until they are ready to be served. This way, if you need to reheat them, the arugula will not overly wilt and the berries and herbs will stay fresh.
Berry Balsamic Flatbread Bites
- 4 Individual sized Flatbreads (or one large flatbread or pizza crust)
- 1 c. Arugula
- ½ c. Ricotta cheese
- ½ tbsp. Honey
- 1 c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 c. Strawberries, sliced
- 1 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp. Fresh basil, sliced or torn
- 2 tbsp. Fresh mint, sliced or torn
- ¼ c. Chopped nuts (Almonds or Pecans)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 415 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a medium sized bowl, use a stand mixer or hand mixer to whip the ricotta cheese together with a pinch of sea salt, a pinch of black pepper, and the ½ tablespoon of honey for one minute.
3. Lay out the flatbreads on a flat working surface. Brush a very small amount of olive oil onto each flatbread.
4. Dollop small amounts of the whipped ricotta mixture evenly onto each flatbread. Spread the ricotta mixture out a little bit to flatten it.
5. Sprinkle some of the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the olive oil and ricotta cheese.
6. Sprinkle the chopped pecans (or almonds) and a little extra sliced basil on top of the cheese on each flatbread.
7. Bake flatbreads in oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and flatbread becomes golden and crispy on the edges.
8. While the flatbreads are baking, mix together the cup of sliced strawberries, remaining basil, fresh mint, balsamic vinegar, and a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper.
9. Remove flatbreads from oven and cut them into individual sized squares. Top each square with a few arugula leaves and a small amount of the balsamic berry herb mixture.
10. Garnish with any of the extra herbs, chopped roasted nuts, a drizzle of olive oil, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, or even an extra pinch of cracked black pepper.
I hope you enjoy this delicious meatless dinner full of fresh ingredients and I will see you next week for another one of Direct Energy's installments of Meatless Monday!
Recipe and Images by Stacie Morgan


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Learning to Say NO!
I am 35 weeks pregnant and had no business taking my 5 and 6 year old to the county fair yesterday. It was 90 degrees in the shade and I should have been sitting home with my feet up. Instead, I spent 5 hours at the fair walking around being uncomfortable. When it was time to go I of course pushed a little harder and let the children go on a few more rides. Unfortunately my generosity was not met with gratitude. I listened to quite a bit of whining on the way to the car AND the entire way home.
Why is it so hard to say no? Why didn't I just stay home and tell the children we can all go next year after their brother is here and mommy feels better?
Similarly, last week I agreed to help coordinate a charity event in town. I wanted to say no, but instead I agreed and then felt like I had too many irons in the fire. My inability to say no seems to be the root cause of most of the stress in my life.
Do you find that as an author you are pulled in too many directions as well? Is it book signings, guest blog posts, social events? Have you learned to say no? How did you learn that important lesson and can you share with us (me)?
Now I'm off to feed calves and help with hay - again....unable to say no...and did I mention the 17 pounds of garden fresh tomatoes I am supposed to turn into salsa and can later today to...Help!!
Labels: caring for yourself, giving yourself a break, saying no, self care, taking on too much, time management


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I just started the game something like two weeks ago. I actually started with FFXIV Ver 1.0 and since that game is in the "No Telothe allowed" phase of being rebuilt, I am learning and getting into FFXI.
I'm hoping to find myself in a good LS that has willing people capable of helping a complete newb. It would be wonderful. I usually play in the evening times and all over on the weekends.


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We are definitely looking for some new friendly faces in Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65. If you know of someone who is interested in serving as a substitute teacher or as a teaching assistant, please be sure to have them apply online (click here for the application). Applications from qualified candidates are being reviewed by school and district administrators on a regular basis.
This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.


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Thames sonnet
(after George Turberville)
You mongrel stream with often moody tide
In Cotswold hills from silken springs do rise
Meand'ring meadows where the cowslips hide
By drooping trees that cramp your flowing sides.
Flow sweetly till the furious sea you meet
Will stain your pristine flow with brackish look
And hurl you back upstream in forced retreat,
Mix salt into the sweetness of your brook.
While you your watery wars do thus pursue
You split the town in two – to north and south
Londoners know themselves by where they grew
As you can tell as soon they open mouth
But they all know what lies behind each squall
Without a Thames there'd be no town at all.


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Quack Tape Designs
Accordion Wallets
Custom Orders
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):
How much is shipping?
It all depends on how much you order and where you live for custom orders. But with all
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To order a custom wallet click on the custom order page to fill out a custom order form.
Can I order a wallet with tape other than the ones you have on your website?
If you want you may send me a picture of the tape you want me to make your wallet of I can try to make your wallet with that tape.
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Yes, but it will cost extra. How much depends on how rare the tape is.
Are you able to do designs?
Of course! Please send me a picture of what you want me to add and I'll see if I can add it on to the wallet.
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Jan 29, 2019
The guys interview (ret.) Sgt Bill Lewis and discuss what gets
handlers in trouble.
Also, the guys talk to K-9 Duke and Sgt Ed Soares. K-9 Duke has
over 60k Instagram followers and is preparing for a
Police K9 Radio with your hosts Gregg Tawney and Tim Kiesling. Gregg and Tim have over 35 years of police canine training experience, Gregg is a police K9 sergeant with 22 years of law enforcement experience, 15 of which were as a K9 handler. Gregg is also the owner of D-Tac K9 and is the trainer for 15 law enforcement agencies. Tim has 10 years of police K9 training experience and is the owner of TKO working dogs. Together they will be interviewing some of the top trainers and experts in the police K9 community and will be sharing their insight and experiences with you.
Having trouble logging in?


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Bayleigh Elizabeth Ringo
Services for Bayleigh Elizabeth Ringo, age 5, of Salado were held December 23, 2011 at First Baptist Church in Salado with Rev. Travis Burleson officiating. Burial followed at Harris Cemetery near San Saba.
Bayleigh died December 20, 2011 in a Temple hospital.
Bayleigh was born September 25, 2006 in Temple to Scott and Micki Ringo. She loved soccer, fishing and riding four wheelers. She attended First Baptist Church in Salado.
She is survived by her parents, Scott and Micki Ringo of Salado, sister, Georganna Grace Ringo of Salado, grandparents, Thomas and Kathy Ringo, Ed and Micki Prose all of San Angelo. Also great grandfather, Jimmie Shahan of San Saba.
Visitation was held at Dossman Funeral Home in Belton.
Memorials may be made to Salado Youth Soccer or the Salado Education Foundation.


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Why Becoming A Sponsor Is Important
• Help grow a new business • Access tech talent such as Web developers, search engine optimization analytics etc. • Provide thought leadership • Give back and support innovators of your community • Provide student scholarships • Link your business to innovative products and services • Become a mentor, a coach, speaker or competition judge • Gain new and progressive clients • Take advantage of our many tools and services • Obtain additional discounted office space
Ask about our many sponsorship options and customized packages (from $1000-$20,000): • Launch Pad branding options • Event sponsorship • Online exposure • Newsletter exposure • Social media exposure • Investment advisor coach • Fund a start-up • Reach our audience, a mixture of: o entrepreneurs o small and large businesses o start-ups o students o angel investors o academia/professors o local policy makers o enthusiastic stakeholders
Event Sponsorship
Sponsorship for events will help connect business with the innovators within our community which include residents, youth, kids, adults etc. We are keeping locals abreast of future ready skills and embrace the newest technologies available to engineers, artists, computer scientists and entrepreneurs.
Media Exposure
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Speaking Opportunities
Social Media Exposure
Online Platforms
Judging Panel
We also organize photo shoots, video and writers


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Tired of the Same Old Protein?
You know protein is a must for a healthy diet, but the standard recommendations may be getting stale. Lean meat, eggs, fish, poultry and beans are all great sources of this nutrient-rich substance that is literally considered a building block of bones, muscles, skin, blood, and hormones. Of course, Human Growth Hormone is considered a protein hormone that the body naturally produces to encourage normal growth and development and, later in life, proper maintenance of the body. So there's no doubt that getting the right amount of protein is very important. Now, check out some protein-rich foods that you may not have thought of, and give your diet a healthy kick!
Chocolate . . . yes, THAT chocolate! In the form of hot cocoa, that is. When you treat yourself to a warm mug of delicious hot chocolate, you are also treating your body to a healthy dose of protein, sometimes more than a serving of beans! The secret is in the combination of cocoa powder and milk, so don't feel guilty when you take that relaxing break . . . you're doing your body a favor.
Ice Cream – yes, really. Regular ice cream does have a few grams of protein per serving, but if you want a really sweet treat, try a whey-based one that tends to be high in fiber, packed with protein, and low in calories. Enlightened ice cream bars come in coffee, fudge, and orange cream, while Arctic Zero offers pints and bars in a range of flavors – mmm, Mint Chocolate! – and with no more than 150 calories . . . per pint!
Just for all you salty snack cravers, here's something for you that isn't just sweet treats: french fries and chips? When the french fries are homemade, they become a protein packed treat, and you aren't getting all that oil and salt that you would from restaurant or vendor versions. And while they're not potato chips, new versions of tortilla chips with ingredients such as flax, corn, or soy gives your snack a protein boost.
Veggies are protein, too, a least if you pick the right ones. Baked potatoes have plenty of protein, but you'll also do well to choose broccoli at 4 grams of protein per serving, peas with double that at 8 grams per serving, and also at 8 grams per serving, sun dried tomato. Other vegetables that are packing some high protein punches are spinach, corn, and artichokes.
You don't have to be a slave to the same diet choices in order to be healthy. Searching out new and different sources of essential vitamins and nutrients not only livens up your plate, it also helps keep your body in optimal shape.


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With separate double golden suns
In between she sits, the untouchable
Dawnlike Mother. Her roseate cheeks
Glow whilst dusk pink gown drapes
And shrouds a graceful form.
Pale eyes cast down lost in thought,
As if, like me, searching for words.
Her slender hands shield her child
From our rapt intensity; He notices not
Her or our abstraction, he reaches out
As if to touch the curious bird tamely,
Lightly perched on that blush sleeve.
Signifying separation of his earthly care
A perpetual reaching, a never touching
Like the woman and the child.
Like the viewer and the woman.
Inspired by Jacopo Bellini's (1396-1471) 'Madonna col Bambino'


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- since 1996 -
|NDT.net Issue - 2014-02 - NEWS
|NDT.net Issue: 2014-02
Publication: e-Journal of Nondestructive Testing (NDT) ISSN 1435-4934 (NDT.net Journal)
TÜV Rheinland Acquires OpenSky Corporation, Expands IT Infrastructure, Security Services in USTÜV Rheinland13, Cologne, Germany
OpenSky, Award-Winning IT Service Provider, and TÜV Rheinland, Leading Testing, Inspection & Certification Company, Create Solid US Platform for Growing IT Services
Boxborough, Mass./Cologne, Germany – January 9, 2014 – TÜV Rheinland has acquired OpenSky Corporation, a provider of information technology (IT) consulting services. Merging OpenSky into TÜV Rheinland will allow both companies to draw on each other's strengths, combine services and expertise for the benefit of their customers and advance their positions in the IT market. OpenSky will continue to operate as a separate business unit, with the executive and management team staying in place under the leadership of current President and CEO, Roger Levasseur.
Based in Tolland, Connecticut, OpenSky helps large enterprises streamline IT infrastructures, protect information assets and accelerate the adoption of strategic technologies. OpenSky is an independent IT consulting firm focused on Transformational IT Infrastructure, Security and Compliance. The company's extensive technology expertise, combined with deep industry experience, allowed it to successfully deliver over 750 projects to Fortune 500 companies.
CEO of TÜV Rheinland, Dr. Manfred Bayerlein, stated: "For TÜV Rheinland, this is an important step into the world's biggest IT market. The merger with OpenSky will allow us to grow our services globally and support our international customers in the US. Our customers often have a holistic demand for IT infrastructure and cyber security services, and we can fulfill this demand as we are now one of the leading, independent IT providers of services ."
According to TÜV Rheinland, the US is the largest market for IT and IT security solutions, ahead of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Analysts predict that by 2023, the US will be investing over $90 billion in cyber security. Synergy between OpenSky's IT services and TÜV Rheinland's testing and certification services in the energy, medical devices and smart grid industries, to name a few, will offer an integrated portfolio of services and expertise to their clients. With the current acquisition of OpenSky and the recent acquisition of Secaron in Germany, TÜV Rheinland has more than doubled its capacity and revenue in the IT security and infrastructure space, to 270 employees and over $60 million. The partnership with OpenSky will enable TÜV Rheinland's customers to quickly pick up on key IT security trends and innovations and implement them in a timely manner.
"In the past, companies used to focus on implementing IT measures and controlling the infrastructures themselves; today, the focus has shifted to managing virtual worlds. TÜV Rheinland already assists a wide range of large and medium sized enterprises with their IT solutions, " said Gerhard Luebken, Chief Regional Officer TÜV Rheinland in North America. "With OpenSky expertise, experience, and reach, we will be able to develop additional markets in other regions and eventually provide broader solutions to our existing client base."
"OpenSky chose to work with TÜV Rheinland based on our ability to continuously deliver on our core strengths, including focus on the customer, vendor independence, and high-quality solutions," said Roger Levasseur, President and CEO of OpenSky. "Additionally, we are excited about building our expanded capability to serve our global US clients wherever they exist. We believe that these values and approach are important to companies today as they face greater challenges in IT optimization and security."
OpenSky's IT services will become an integral part of TÜV Rheinland's extensive portfolio, allowing the company to further strengthen the leading third party certifier's IT services. As an impartial, independent service provider for over 140 years, TÜV Rheinland combines competence in information security with in-depth expertise in the testing and certification industry, operating technical safety services for people and the environment in 65 countries.
For additional information about TÜV Rheinland, visit www.tuv.com/us. To learn more about OpenSky, go to www.openskycorp.com.
About OpenSky Corporation
OpenSky is listed on the prestigious 2012 Inc. 500, holds multiple awards for growth from CRN and Tech Top 40, is a winner of numerous Top Workplace awards, and is listed on 2013 Tech Elite 250. For more information on OpenSky, please visit www.openskycorp.com.
About TÜV Rheinland
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Easier and More Than Zimbra
north face cyber monday
beats by dre cyber monday
Convenient, affordable cloud collaboration for business.
Providing the ready-to-use, well-supported convenience of software as a service (SaaS), zMailCloud's foundation is the most feature-rich version of VMWare's commercially licensed, Zimbra Collaboration Server (ZCS) software, typically just called "Zimbra."
What is Zimbra? Available in both a feature and support-limited, open source version, Zimbra is considered groupware, integrating enterprise e-mail, calendaring, contact sharing and more. As of 2012, more than 80 million users use Zimbra, making it the third largest paid, licensed email platform after Microsoft and IBM.
zMailCloud uses Zimbra, among other software, to support thousands of companies, making it the single largest hosting environment for business in the world that's based on the most up-to-date, tested, top-of-the-line, Zimbra Network Professional Version 8.
zMailCloud serves organizations with as few as a single mailbox, and as many as thousands, across most industries. While most customers are in North America, and our support team is currently only American English speaking, we have client organizations in more than 100 countries. And the Web Client supports more than 20 languages!
Zimbra's differentiation from competitors such as Google Apps, Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes, is based on
- an integrated, secure, rich web experience,
- opportunities for customization based on a commitment to standards-based, open source modularity, and
- leading flexibility, supporting the Mac, Windows, and Linux desktop experience, as well as all popular mobile devices.
zMailCloud is much more than Zimbra. While based on Zimbra, zMailCloud is more than simply Zimbra software as a service (SaaS), adding unique features intended to benefit small and medium sized businesses, enabling our customers conveniently and affordably to collaborate better than the best-funded, largest enterprises in the world.
Enhanced and optimized over more than seven years, zMailCloud allows even a sole proprietor to leverage a world-class, VMware's vCloud-certified infrastructure, a professional support team averaging more than four years experience, and a solution designed to take the work out of teamwork.
- Ever accidentally delete an email? Free of charge, undelete mailbox information from up to 100 days earlier.
- Never want email from a sender again? Across your whole domain? Simple-to-use, advanced, integrated anti-virus, spam and phishing, including user and domain-level white/black list management within the web client… no need for a separate management console.


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This gorgeous selvage quilt was made by Natalia in Vladivostok. Her blog is: MishiNata.
You can translate the blog into English by clicking "Translate" at the top of the page.
The photo below is a close up. Most of her selvages don't have writing. Nice work Natalia!
It's interesting how each quilter has her/his own style for arranging selvages. Some are mostly white, others are colorful, some have lots of color windows, and so on.


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Font Size
By Jason Benham
Font Size
In contrast to Gulf real estate, expansion in Egypt is set to continue amid downturn.
Gulf Arab developers continue to position themselves in North Africa to tap growing demand for real estate, but companies will be more cautious in expanding there after the global economic crisis.
"I definitely see expansion continuing ... but it will be rationalised and focused as opposed to 'let's go out there as fast as we can'," Jalil Mekouar, head of Middle East and Africa at Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, told Reuters at the Cityscape property exhibition in Dubai this week.
Developers such as Qatar's Barwa Real Estate, which in August announced a $9bn Cairo project, are targeting the region to help offset troubles closer to home, and to tap a region that lacks an appropriate infrastructure to serve a large, rapidly growing population.
Gulf real estate has suffered from the economic downturn, with Dubai hit hard, as projects are scrapped or slowed.
Property prices, which have fallen some 50 percent from their peaks last year, are forecast to shed a further 10 percent in 2009 and have a 20 percent chance of picking up before 2011, a Reuters poll showed.
In contrast, house prices in Egypt, have declined by up to 15 percent and are set to stabilise at current levels for the rest of the year, according to EFG-Hermes in Cairo.
It's not only the collapse of Dubai's once-booming property sector that will encourage developers to look at Egypt, but also the opportunity to tap an underserved market.
"In Egypt you have three of four big developers and a 80-million population. In the UAE, more than a dozen large companies are addressing a population that is barely 5 million," said Saud Masud, UBS real estate head of research.
Egypt has introduced a raft of economic reforms over the last few years, such as slashing taxes and seeking to streamline its customs to boost investment, while Morocco, another key target for Gulf firms, is also taking steps to help investors.
"In Morocco, there is still a lack of transparency in many areas such as legal, financing and administrative," said Karim Beqqali, managing director at CB Richard Ellis for Morocco.
"Local authorities are aware of these problems ... and there have been concrete actions put in place," he said at the show.
But while North Africa offers plenty of opportunities for Gulf firms, the effect of the crisis at home may limit progress abroad, and some major North African real estate projects have been delayed or quietly abadoned as the crisis took hold.
Emaar Properties, the builder of the world's largest tower in Dubai, this year closed its office in Algeria due to a lack of progress on projects there.
"North Africa is a great opportunity for Gulf investors, but if they are struggling in their local markets, they will have limited cash flow flexibility to expand internationally," said UBS' Masud. (Reuters)