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Pinball Arcade Review
- Publisher: FarSight Studios
- Genre: Casual
- Released: 9 Feb, 2012
- Size: 165.5 MB
- Price: $0.99
- Almost a history lesson on pinball; some of the arcades' finest tables recreated digitally, with more released each month.
- Great recreation of the tables with the ability to even tilt or call the arcade attendant.
- The paid versions of each table are underneath a hefty pay-wall.
- Small amount of lag on flipper controls with some tables.
- No Retina-ready visual optimizations.
Despite some minor control annoyances and the pay-wall, this is a must have app for lovers of pinball, especially those that used to pump coins into the machines when arcades were in their heyday.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
Anyone who has frequented an arcade has most likely had an encounter with a pinball machine. Part videogame with its animated scoreboard and goals, part mechanical contraption with its flippers, bumpers, ramps, and mischievous metal ball flailing around the table. They're a unique annal in the history of the arcade that at least in western countries has become a relic of the past. Enter Farsight Studios with Pinball arcade, recreating some of the most famous and popular pinball tables in the genre digitally, with the promise of more to come month by month. Essentially it's a pinball history lesson in app form.
As of release, four tables are available. These are Arabian Nights, Ripley's Believe it or Not, Black Hole, and Theater of Magic. The paid app allows you unlimited access to Arabian Nights, but the other tables have score restrictions on them until you pay to unlock the table (and prices vary depending on the table you wish to unlock, if the price for all of them isn't too hefty for you). This starting package certainly is varied, with Theater of Magic offering ridiculous scores, Ripleys being designed for beginners and experts alike, and Black Hole having a reverse table underneath the main board.
So how do the tables play in their digital forms? Well the flippers are controlled by tapping on the right or left of the screen and for the most part they are responsive. On Arabian Nights, there was a noticeable second or so of lag between tap and execution which made play frustrating, but other tables this problem was not encountered. As long as the flippers move when you tap them, there's nothing to worry about other than the bad luck you may or may not have at the game of pinball (reviewer's experience speaking here).
The presentation of these tables is immaculate with one wishing for a bigger screen just to follow all the action going on (especially when multiball occurs). The sounds of the flippers, bumpers, and the table's sound effects give you a sense of being in the room with the table, but sadly the lack of tactile feedback is missing, which has always been a problem with videogame versions of pinball. Nonetheless, if pinball interests you at all, and the prices don't scare you away, Pinball Arcade looks to be the definitive table collection on the App Store. Time will tell if they deliver on their promises.
DescriptionPlay over 30 REAL PINBALL machines!
Pinball Arcade is the most realistic and comprehensive pinball simulation ever created!
Play TWO FREE TABLES this month!
This month's free tables are:
* Big Buck Hunter™
* Gladiators™
New table added in this update:
* Big Buck Hunter™
* Whoa Nellie™
This expansive digital arcade features exact recreations of the all-time greatest pinball tables from Stern Pinball®, and Gottlieb® together in one app. Every flipper, bumper, sound effect, and display pixel has been painstakingly emulated in astonishing detail.
Rated 9.0 on IGN!
G4TV Mobile game of the year.


text: Another development we missed out on while we've been away is the key victories for voting rights that went down in North Carolina and more recently in Texas. We don't want to sound too victorious here - state voter laws have a lot of ground to make up after the landmark Voting Rights Act was gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013, allowing too many states to pass bills that tore apart important protections for traditionally disenfranchised voters. We do want to celebrate what happened last month when North Carolina's 4th Court of Appeals handed down a ruling that overturned one type of these restrictive laws, one that installed discriminatory requirements for voter identification at the polling booth - which many say is a blatant case of racially motivated voter suppression. And in Texas, where backers of restrictive voter ID laws were forced to accept an out-of-court deal (which is now pending judicial approval) to ignore the law and allow the November elections to proceed without the cumbersome voter ID requirements. All this comes as Donald Trump amps up his recent claims that the November elections are "rigged," citing knowledge of plans to commit voter fraud in order to defeat him at the polls. While we are being told that voter fraud is a definite concern, studies suggest otherwise since a US person is more likely to be struck by lightning than to commit in-person voter fraud. And even if it were a real concern, the laws that are clearly meant to disenfranchise minorities or lower income voters shouldn't be the remedy to fraud.

subset: commoncrawl


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Recently Writing Related
Well I just finished posting this, and I'm feeling very accomplished. I'm going to tell everyone.
I really feel like rambling in a free-associative way, but I'm beginning to think I should funnel that sort of thing into performance art. (By the way, the next The Lost Art appearance will be a short thing at Emergency Casserole @ 4:30pm, and after that. . . May 7th at Co-Lab.)
On the other hand. . . why, where did that hand go? Hand? Hand?
Oh yes, I have GREAT NEWS! After long last, and after writing "I need an editor" over 20 times a month, on to-do lists and notes-to-self laying discretely all over the house, I have finally hired an Editor of my very own, Mr. Chad Hopper, who has so many good ideas he really ought to work as a "creative consultant". As a result, I've gotten an Assignment! woo-hoo! Next up, we'll figure out a deadline for that assignment.
I think this means I'm headed towards some sort of self-publishing project cycle (until my giant boxes of paper scraps are obliterated). See, it is a matter of health. I can't hold onto things forever, or I'll be buried alive. Plus, the beauty within these collections is worth sharing, in some way or another.
For now, the bi-annual Journal will go under the name suggested by my editor: ARTFORMATION.
see you soon.
Art From the Streets
Well, the 18th Annual Art From the Streets art sale is coming up really soon — Nov. 6th (12-5) and 7th (9-5) — so I thought I'd share this beautiful piece that I purchased there a few years back:
I am still not tired of looking at it, so I would say it's definitely part of my permanent art collection.
You really should check this event out if you've never been before. In the past it was inside ARCH, but now it will be a block over, at St. David's Trinity Center, @ 7th & Trinity. There is sure to be an overwhelming amount of artwork to look at and choose from, starting at $20, with the proceeds going directly to the homeless artists. If you go to the link you can read bios from some of the artists and learn about the program. Mark the calendar!
Video fun
Well, Chad has been busier with video editing than I have, so you should check out palfloat's YouTube channel next:
He re-edited footage from the Alien Eyes movie, and set it to a track from the new Night Viking album (KCF).
Oh boy, gettin' excited about next weekend's Junkyard Casserole @ Cherrywood! Come out between 9 and 9 on Sat., 12 and 6 on Sunday…
Upcoming Dates & Projects
My Project Book is incredibly dogeared and floppy. That means I've been busy!
First news, in the Night Viking department:
7/24 @ Cherrywood is our pre-release party for KUCKOO CREDIT FORT, our accidental 4.5th album. Early show, 8pm!
Meanwhile, we're working hard in preparation for the debut of a short play, written by Chad, called NEON NACHOS. We'll be doing that, in addition to a music set, at Salvage Vanguard Theater on Aug. 15th. (Plutonium Farmers and XPPR5-9 will also play.)
Then on 8/29, we will play in a radio studio for KVRX's "Local Live" show. Is the world ready?
Next up, Ichi Ni San Shi is playing at Beerland on 7/28 with No Mas Bodas. Then, in mid-late August we are GOING TO NEW YORK! Woo-hoo! We play at least one show, at The Cake Shop with No Mas Bodas and hopefully someone local.
Hey, this very upcoming Friday, my friends at the Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata are opening their "Underground" show. Check their page for details…
Oo, oo! This is gonna sound crazy, but the same day that Neon Nachos debuts, an AMOA-sponsored recycled fashion show will be happening, and I am collaborating on a dress for it with G.A.G.A. Splendid fun!
Ahh, and the news you may be waiting for– Emergency Junk-a-thon (a two day festival of art, music, rummage sale items, comedy and puppets) will be September 18th and 19th at Cherrywood Coffeehouse. I can hardly wait.
Display at Thunderbird
Chad and I have some art up at Thunderbird Coffee (1401 Koenig, Austin, TX 78756) for the month of July — all for sale at super-steal prices! Yes, this is a show where we are really trying to get the art to go away and become parts of other people's homes.
We will be having a small reception for the art with our friend Chris Hutchins, who plays phenomenal music that will reach deep into you and make a smile or laugh come out. Tuesday, July 27th, 6:30-8! That is during their Pint night, with $1 Lonestar + happy hour prices all day (in case you're into that kind of thing).
It's really difficult to take pictures in there with so many windows and reflections, so you'll have to come see the rest of it that I couldn't photograph.
Demand + Supply
"Beginning with an Assignment (DEMAND) to create a list of Materials (SUPPLIES), Hopper and Jones engage in a closed-economy art experiment, wherein the elements themselves are also used as tools without any additional means.
1) Create a list of mutually agreed-upon supplies limited to 20 different elements with specified quantities.
2) Gather all supplies on list individually.
3) Install supplies at Co-Lab on specific sides of room, working independently except for at the meeting point (somewhere in the middle)."
the Cadillac of worms, she says
Because there is so much going on right now that I am befuddled, I am giving you a non-sequitor title, c/o my dear friend Laura Cyan Anderson.
Art shows! Co-Lab this Saturday; Cheer Up Charlies (East 6th @ Waller) all June; Thunderbird (Koenig) in July: these are all collaborations with Chad Hopper.
At CUC you will find a small installation of a whole bunch of stuff all under the heart-shaped letters which spell out "DNA ERA". We worked hard in there on a hot day without A.C., so go look at it. It's kind of like going to the zoo, only it's a bread factory. In it I express my love for nets, lamps and physics.
The Co-Lab show is an experiment in rules (and the flip-side of that, freedom). It is well explained on the Project blog (link above), so read that if you want to know more. Or, just show up to Co-Lab on Saturday eve if you can.
Finally, July's coffeeshop show will probably just be a bunch of framed art/collages. I have a surplus of old stuff, but plenty of material to make new ones, too- ahem- art collectors! Take note. Art is important to have in your house. It helps loosen the brain in those odd moments between mundane bits of life, etcetera.
So, enough with words, here are some pictures:
Season's Turning
Alien Art Show #2 came and went, looked fabulous!
Here's the "movie" I made (with the help of my friends):
And coming up, in 1 1/2 weeks:
Yes, it's another JUNK-A-THON:
There are some other things I was going to show you, too. So here:
This keg-cap net is the first I have made… and it turned out drape-ier / droopier than I expected. It looks great flopped over the mini-ferris wheel, but I suppose I should still give it to the Dog & Duck like I said I would.
I like Good Circles. Can't never have too many of 'em!
Emergency Casserole


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The CEDIA Designer adheres to the CTA/CEDIA CEB-22 and CEB-23 Home Theater Audio and Video Recommended Practices, improving performance and eliminating subjectivity in cinema design. TCD allows users to create technically impeccable dedicated cinema or media room designs, support documents (including audio and video calibration reports), aesthetic renders reflecting the finished room, and creates a 3D CAD drawing for any room in under 30 seconds.
TCD is available to users all over the world and helps to provide relevant documentation for home cinema designs being submitted for the CEDIA Awards.
TCD allows its users to confidently design technically accurate 32-channel count Dolby Atmos and DTS:X home cinemas in a matter of minutes*. Using TCD is the only way home technology professionals can accurately design technically perfect high spatial resolution home cinemas in such a short space of time. (An Auro-3D update will launch in future.)
Creating CAD drawings and working out the mathematics associated with technically correct cinema designs can take days, if not weeks,.
TCD brings the entire cinema design process into one place: Users enter the room dimensions and then work methodically through the entire cinema design process.
TCD specifies the precise location of the loudspeakers, screen, seating, and projector and provides the amplification and processor requirements, recommended acoustic treatments, RT60 value, and much more.
TCD produces a downloadable 30+ page (PDF or Word) cinema design report – including 3D CAD drawings of the home cinema or media room. The 3D CAD drawing is available to view interactively online within the tool or can be saved in .DFX format for later download.
The room plan and elevations are also created as jpegs, along with all the detailed design parameters and calculations required for the cinema or media room. The render tool allows designers and their clients to envision the finished cinema room: The render will reflect the room's dimensions, equipment choices, and placement – placing them in the render as they would appear in the finished design. TCD offers a plethora of customization options in terms of decor, providing numerous carpet, wall, and ceiling options.
Visit the features page for a full breakdown of what the software calculates and produces, and to see our tutorial videos.
Want To Try It Out?


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The fullerene derivative [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester plays a key role for electron transport in polymer solar cells. We have studied the unoccupied molecular orbitals of PCBM by near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and were able to assign the main resonances to molecular moieties by comparison with calculated sum spectra of individual carbons. We analyzed specifically the origin of the high-energy shoulder to the first π∗-resonance and identified contributions from the lowest-energy transition of a specific carbon in the phenyl and from transitions to higher unoccupied orbitals of the unmodified carbons in the C60-cage.
(included in PhD thesis: Material aspects in spin-coated films for polymer photovoltaics, Ana Sofia Anselmo)
Polymer-based photovoltaics have the potential to contribute to boosting photovoltaic energy conversion overall. Besides allowing large-area inexpensive processing, polymeric materials have the added benefit of opening new market applications for photovoltaics due to their low-weight and interesting mechanical properties. The energy conversion efficiency values of polymer photovoltaics have reached new record values over the past years. It is however crucial that stability issues are addressed together with efficiency optimization. Understanding fundamental materials aspects is key in both areas.
In the work presented in this thesis, the morphology of polymer:fullerene films and its influence on device performance was studied, as well as the effect of light exposure on the surface of fullerene films. Several polyfluorene copolymers were used for the morphology studies, where the effects of changing spin-coating solvent and of side chain engineering were investigated with dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (dSIMS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. Polymer-enriched surfaces were found in all blend films, even in the cases with homogeneous distributions in the bulk. Side chain engineering of the polymer led to gradual changes in the compositional variations perpendicular to the surface, and to slight variations in the photocurrent. The electronic structure of the fullerene derivative PCBM was studied in detail and the spectroscopic fingerprint of the materials was analysed by comparison with theoretically simulated spectra. Photo-stability studies done in air showed that the surface of fullerene films underwent severe damages at the molecular level, which is evident from changes in the valence band and X-ray absorption spectra. These changes were explained by transitions from sp2-type to sp3 hybridization of the carbon atoms in the cage that resulted in the destruction of the fullerene cage.


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Fatal big rig crash closes Route 99
SACRAMENTO — Four people died and two were injured Wednesday in a fiery crash involving three tractor-trailers on a highway south of Sacramento, authorities said.
The morning pileup closed Route 99 near Grant Line Road for hours. The northbound lanes reopened midday. But the southbound lanes were likely to remain closed most of the day and officers were diverting traffic to Interstate 5, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Tom Marshall.
At least three trucks were involved in the crash shortly after 9 a.m. — two of which were engulfed in flames, Marshall said.
Authorities did not yet know the names of those killed Wednesday afternoon. Two other victims were taken to an area hospital, at least one with burns, Marshall said. Their conditions were unavailable.
The pileup apparently was triggered when one tractor-trailer crossed the highway's center divide and hit two other trucks and an automobile, Marshall said.
Witnesses told dispatchers the trucks appeared to be exploding, but Marshall said that likely was caused by the gasoline tanks. He said one of the trucks carried rice meal, another held electronic equipment and the third was nearly empty.
The crash investigation continued Wednesday, but fog may have been a factor. The area's heavy seasonal fog — often the cause of dangerous driving conditions and wrecks — was reported throughout the Sacramento region Wednesday morning.
Last year fog-related crashes killed 44 people and injured 2,188, said CHP spokeswoman Anne DaVigo. In 1999, 52 people died in similar crashes and 2,064 were injured.
Authorities are urging drivers to use caution when driving in fog. This year, Marshall said the CHP is running paid advertisements for the first time providing tips for driving in fog.
They include:
— Reduce speed.
— Keep headlights on, but use low beams.
- Partially open driver's side window to hear outside activity.
- If your car becomes disabled, pull off the highway as far as safely possible and turn off you headlights. If possible, get out of the car and walk away from the road while waiting for help.
On the Net:
For more driving safety tips see http://www.chp.ca.gov/


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jueves, 28 de agosto de 2014
Is classical music dead .... for the n-th time?
I dunno how many times I wrote here, for my younger pianists colleagues, that as a performer/artist we gotta be more daring, adventurous and (if it's still possible, hell yeah, why not) original. Of course I looooove all those Beethoven Sonatas etc. etc, but who are coming to listen to those Sonatas performed again and again? Me, yeah, and very few other freaks, but think of the hassle of going out of the house to go to the concert hall. The motivation should be strong enough. Especially in Jakarta, the most jammed city in the world! If not, I just take some CDs of mine and listen to it at home. And c'mon, let's admit it: between the performer and the repertoire, you are coming to a concert for the performer, right? So, when (s)he is a young and beautiful person, do you really care what (s)he is performing? Of course there are other values apart from having a pretty face (if this were the only criteria, I would have given up my career loooong ago), which includes charisma or stage presence, personal friendship or relationship with the artist... and an adventurous programming. There was a recent statement from Martin Engstroem, that highly powerful guy of the record company Deutsche Grammophone (well, no classical record company is that powerful anymore nowadays). I quote his words : "The image is central to the cultural life. When I came to Deutsche Grammophon, my office was A & R, or manager of Artists and Repertoire. But the repertory did not matter to anyone. The artist was what counted; and my job ended up being a big A and a small r because no one buys the symphonies of Beethoven. A CD lasts long, making it unnecessary to replace it. Today people follows the artist. The public wants the last CD of Cecilia Bartoli or Lang Lang, and it matters little what is recorded. The repertoire is secondary." .............................................................................................................................................. And this is not just happening with piano recitals. What, do you think, is the reason of the closing of many symphony orchestras, the continuing problems of the most expensive opera house today which is the Queen Sofia Palau de les Arts in Valencia, and the latest the Metropolitan Opera of New York? Coz they don't get enough public. No, no, I rectify it. They couldn't get enough NEW public. And members of the old audience are leaving. It's not that the public is funding them. It's the sponsors: nobody wants to sponsor events which do not attract public. So, for us who don't have exactly the pretty faces needed, there are other elements which matter when we are performing. But the most important thing is that performers should have interaction with the public with his music. Shortly speaking, he should have sex with the public, not just masturbate alone on stage, performing the works that he likes and imagining that the public would like it too. Programming is not an accumulation of good music on stage. It is a process. Even sex has a process, you can't start with an orgasm. .............................................................................................................................................. But I think we are going in the right track in Indonesia. At least, the classical audience is GROWING, not DIMINISHING, and most importantly, young people go to our concerts. I personally try to think of fresh --which often means not mainstream-- programming, and I do need fresh ideas constantly. And that, my friend, I can only get from the public. So please tweet me, give me ideas of what you wanna hear in concerts! .............................................................................................................................................. That's why I was so delighted when The Juan March Foundation (this is a prominent patron of the arts in Spain, with whom I've been working since my move to Spain in 1998) is programming a series of concerts with the theme of music based on the motif B.A.C.H . Juan March Foundation is also famous for their fresh approach to programming, and inviting prominent artists who care about this aspect ; their latest guests were the American composer John Adams and the conductor-pianist Daniel Barenboim. For the next season they asked me to perform with this program of BACH motif (they have a series of the same theme, there is a concert with string quartet, and other instruments) and also asked me and several other Spanish composers to write new works on this motif. For my concert, I chose my favorite composer, Santiago Lanchares to do a new work which I will premiere together with mine. Of course, the most celebrated piece of music with this motif is Liszt's Fantasy and Fugue on B.A.C.H. But then, browsing on the internet and guided by Miguel Angel Marin, the artistic director of the Foundation, I found tons of other pieces, so I checked some of them . One particular piece which took my breath away was by Rimsky Korsakov: Six Variations on the theme BACH, op. 10 (this opus number doesn't mean it's an early work. Well, he was 34 years when he wrote it, but remember that he was not a "child prodigy" as we normally say it. And he combined his compositional career and teaching with a career in the Russian military). It's just so clever how he uses the BACH theme as the bass line only most of the time. In fact, one don't hear that theme too often. And his harmonies are, well, inventive, striking, you name it. And apparently, after it was premiered and performed several times after it was written in 1878, it was sort of forgotten. There is no record whatsoever that it's been performed outside Europe, so most probably when I perform this in Indonesia it will be the first Asian performance ... after 136 years! I also looove the piano writing : it's clear, transparent and not one note too many. .............................................................................................................................................. I admit, I learned a lot from Rimsky's work in writing my own music music, Fantasy & Fugue on B.A.C.H. My piece turns out to be so different from Rimsky's, but I understood the harmonic wealth and possibilities from that motif. And also I realized how it could be so diatonic, chromatic and atonal at the same time. My piece lasts for about 6 minutes or a bit more, it is quite virtuosic and perhaps it's the most "atonal" sounding of my works till now (apart from some short pieces in Alicia's Piano Books), but I hope its virtuosity would compensate its atonal dissonance, especially the fugue which lasts for just a bit more than 2 minutes. .............................................................................................................................................. The thing is, a piece of music becomes "legendary" because of some mysterious luck (apart from its high quality, of course, but as I said, there are so, so many forgotten masterpieces). Some composers like Taneyev, Paderewski (who used to be the Prime Minister of Poland! And perhaps he was the only example in history of both a good politician AND artist), Respighi and I can name hundreds more of "unplayed" composers which include Rimsky Korsakov just had, and still is having bad luck. So, pianists, start searching! The internet is now your best friend! .............................................................................................................................................. Since the new Titan Center concert hall in Bintaro (South Jakarta) invited me to perform there and taste their nice acoustics, I decided to perform both Rimsky Korsakov's Variations and my own Fantasy and Fugue there. My work will be a first performance, since it hasn't been performed before, although the official World Premiere will be at the Juan March Foundation in Madrid later this year. The concert at Titan Center will take place on September 20th at 7 p.m. There will be some Rapsodia Nusantara pieces too, of course, and my now popular Variations on I. Marzuki's "Rayuan Pulau Kelapa" which is a present "with love" from Rina Zoet to her husband, Daan :)
Publicado por Andy Skyblogger en 0:50
martes, 19 de agosto de 2014
Robin Williams did NOT die of suicide, and art is sh*t
This entry is one that I wish I wouldn't have needed to write, but I feel that I have the obligation to write it, for many reasons. It's been 1 week since the death of my idol, hero and life-changer, the actor-comedian Robin Williams. He committed suicide, and many have tweeted (especially the religious ones) that he had a choice to end his life, unlike those who died of accidents or illness. The word "suicide" gives many people the impression that "it was his own decision," or "he chose to die, whereas most people with cancer fight to live." And, because Depression is still such a misunderstood condition, you can hardly blame people for not really understanding. Just a quick search on Twitter will show how many people have little sympathy for those who commit suicide. .............................................................................................................................................. You know I suffer from Asperger Syndrome. It comes with many "side effects" : feeling lonely in the crowds, strange reactions & feelings to the situation around us, need of isolation, inability to communicate or socialize ... and depression. So, I identify very well what Mr. Williams went through, although his was 10 or even 100 times worse than mine (at the moment anyway). Depression is not a choice of lifestyle. You can't just "cheer up" with depression, just as you can't choose not to have cancer. When someone commits suicide as a result of Depression, they die from Depression – an illness that kills millions each year. It is hard to know exactly how many people actually die from Depression each year because the figures and statistics only seem to show how many people die from "suicide" each year (and you don't necessarily have to suffer Depression to commit suicide, it's usually just implied). I feel the need to clarify the stigmas that continue to surround it. Perhaps Depression might lose some its "it was his own fault" stigma, if we start focusing on the illness, rather than the symptom. Robin Williams didn't die from suicide. He died from Depression. It wasn't his choice to suffer that. And it has to do with "art". Eh? Well, let me tell you about it. .............................................................................................................................................. I consider "art" as our vomit, or our sh*t. Yes, it can be THAT disgusting. We create art because it's something inside us that needs to go out of our body, or our system, otherwise it becomes poison for us. That's why sometimes we can't stand listening to our own music, or see our own paintings. The most beautiful works of art so often were born out of pain and sufferings. And that's why, if you wonder why artists sometimes can be such complex people, we have the necessity to "create art", unlike some "healthy people" who can be happy in life without doing it. It's a way to create balance in us. And I wish more people would understand this: creating art doesn't necessarily means that the artist has so much time and "feel like" doing something, Producing art is not a pastime like filling up crossword puzzles. And sometimes, getting that "art" out of our system is still not enough. I do believe that when we who are gifted with creativity, something is also taken away from us. It is the nature's (or God's, if I may guess) way to create balance. And that's why I think you should be happy if you don't have the necessity to create. Coz you're balanced already. .............................................................................................................................................. Anyway, back to Robin Williams, I am deeply grateful for his role as Professor John Keating in the film "Dead Poets' Society". So sad that RW died the way Neil died in this film. Prof. Keating reminded me the meaning of life: coz we're creatures of human race and we have love. Dead Poets Society has changed my life. I identify so closely with Todd Anderson (played by Ethan Hawke) in that film. He transformed me from that kind of boy I was: afraid, confused and insecure to face the world, but Keating has reminded us, through Walt Whitman's poem, that "we can contribute a verse". And oh my, what a verse that Mr. Williams has contributed to us! Requiescat in Pace, Robin Williams. You have changed the life of at least a boy who was afraid to face his own choice for his life.
Publicado por Andy Skyblogger en 7:24
Etiquetas: Asperger's Syndrome, Dead Poets Society, depression, Robin Williams
domingo, 17 de agosto de 2014
In memoriam Peter Sculthorpe, the greatest Australian composer, a friend, an idol
Before anything else, I'd like to say one thing about Peter Sculthorpe: composer, friend, idol, who died last week (August 8). Since he corresponded by email (although he arrived late with this technology), I missed his handwriting. I think he can also be remembered as the composer who had the most beautiful handwriting in the world. I started corresponding with him in the 1990s (still on "written paper"), and his manuscript of Little Passacaglia, the piano piece he wrote and dedicated to me, was still in his handwriting. I have it at home in Spain, if I were there now I would have scanned it and paste it here. I have wanted to write this obituary as an admirer and a friend, but the premiere of my own Chamber Symphony "In memoriam Ainun Habibie" took much of my time (his date of death coincided with the date of my arrival in Indonesia; I received an email from his manager on that date but then I went directly to the rehearsals of mine from the airport), so sorry for this late post. .............................................................................................................................................. Peter Sculthorpe is not "just another composer" for me. He, together with Toru Takemitsu who I also got to know and worked together, was an artist who defined "the classical music of his country", in his case, Australia. Both him and Takemitsu opened up my eyes (I should say ears) that we MUST establish the identity of our nation's classical music by digging deep into our native music ; that's also part of the job of a composer. And for an Australian, it's not an easy job. What is Australian native music? It took him a while to get it into his system. His music has been influenced by all the neighbouring countries' music. He wove Balinese elements into Sun Music III (1967) and Tabuh Tabuhan (1968) and leant towards Japan in Night Pieces (1971) and Koto Music (1973). Such pieces reflected the composer's prescience that, despite two centuries of British sway, Australia was, geographically if not yet culturally, part of Asia. I then recorded all his piano music up to the year 2006 (he had written a bit more since then) and my CD has been released around that year, as well as Takemitsu's which will be released later this year (2014). In Takemitsu's case, it was really his complete piano music, since I recorded it a few years ago, and he died in 1996. .............................................................................................................................................. Peter Sculthorpe, perhaps Australia's greatest, or at least the most important composer in history, was born in the Invermay, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania, on April 29, 1929. His mother was from Yorkshire and schooled her young son in a love of English poetry. Guided by the music of Delius, the aspiring composer began to write pastorales and to take long walks through the bush. Simultaneously, however, he grew fascinated by the music performed each week at a nearby Chinese market garden. Anyway, I am not going to write his biography here since you can just google it. But I wanna quote what's perhaps his most powerful sayings. .............................................................................................................................................. "I set out to present my own view, my own vision, of Australia. We don't think of, say, an Australian painting of Australia by Sidney Nolan as an Australian painting. It's his view of it and it's the same with me", he said once in an interview. I met him only twice, and those meetings were in London and in Amsterdam, never in Australia, which is quite weird. Everytime I went to Sydney, he was always abroad. It was during those meetings that I became more and more convinced, that my own Rapsodia Nusantara series for piano are pieces that I was born to write. Some of them are commissioned or sponsored, some I wrote purely out of the blue, some enjoyed tremendous recognition, some were only played by a handful of pianists, but those pieces just gotta be written, I know it. .............................................................................................................................................. Thank you Peter. Not only your music lives forever, but your spirit remains within me. O Captain, my Captain ! Your fearful trip is done, The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize you sought is won (apologies for modifying Walt Whitman's poem). Now you can Rest in Peace.
Publicado por Andy Skyblogger en 22:22
miércoles, 13 de agosto de 2014
A new volume of Rapsodia Nusantara, but ....
I haven't had even a 15-minute break since I arrived in Indonesia! Immediately after I landed, we rehearsed my Chamber Symphony no.1 "In memoriam Ainun Habibie", commissioned by the Habibie-Ainun Foundation (see my entries of last month and before). It's been premiered with myself conducting my 10 wonderful musician friends at the residence of Mr. Habibie, Indonesia's third president and we also have recorded it using Mr. President's impressively exquisite library as the studio. Yeah, we were interrupted for about 40 minutes by the sound of the torrential rain, but apart from that, the recording went so well. So, we'll see what we'll do with that recording! Now that the dedicatee of my Rapsodia Nusantara no. 11, the marvellous (and stunningly beautiful too) Argentinian pianist, Natalia Gonzalez Figueroa is going to give its world premiere in Buenos Aires on the 23rd this month, the score of that work has to be published for that date. The issue is, that my manager usually publish my Rapsies in a volume of 5 numbers, therefore there exist already 2 volumes now: no. 1-5 and 6-10. For the moment I've finished composing up till Rapsy 12+1, but I haven't written Rapsy 14 and 15, mostly due to the fact that nobody / institutions have commissioned them. And no time to do it either ... I gotta finish this opera soon! Well, two-thirds of Rapsy 14 is taken from my Chamber Symphony (some parts are adapted into piano plus the original cadenzas for the piano in the 3rd movement), and I could have done it in a few days and without any sponsors (just like my early Rapsodias!), but that still leaves me with Rapsy 15. .............................................................................................................................................. So, Chendra my manager proposed me a solution (he almost always has a solution for everything practical ... not musical ones, but mostly for administrative and executive purposes). He proposed to publish my Variations on Ismail Marzuki's "Rayuan Pulau Kelapa" and on "Silent Night" together with Rapsy 11 in one book. In this case, they are similar : both written based on existing songs / materials, just like Rapsodia Nusantara. I thought it's a fantastic idea, so I add similar pieces, yet to be premiered : Fantasy & Fugue on B.A.C.H (I will blog about this soon, near the premiere) and Fantasy & Passacaglia on "Adeste Fideles". And voila, the book will consist of 5 pieces, just like the volumes I and II of Rapsodia Nusantara! .............................................................................................................................................. The "Adeste Fideles" Fantasy was written during the days when I was "dry" during my first few weeks of writing my opera, CLARA. Clara had a difficult start, since I tried to change the structure of the story into a flashback. Even with the structure carefully planned, I was still feeling insecure even until I already wrote down the first few (even many!) notes. The theme doesn't help either. It's so painful, not the usual "mental" pain as in unrequited love, but a physical one, since it's about rape and death. Everything is so violent, and I have so much fear for violence. I tried to make this opera as a therapeutic method for me to deal with things that I fear so much in me. So, I wrote a variation of the passacaglia every time I dried up or was incapable of writing .... which proved that those days were a lot! "Adeste Fideles" turned into one of the longest pieces for piano that I've written (it lasts around 12-13 minutes). .............................................................................................................................................. The original "Silent Night" is perhaps the only musical work that is remembered from the German composer Franz Xaver Gruber (1787-1863). On the Christmas Eve of 1818, Joseph Mohr, an assistant pastor at St Nicholas, showed Gruber a six-stanza poem he had written in 1816. They were both working in that church at Obendorf, near Salzburg. He asked Gruber to set the poem to music. The church organ had broken down so Gruber produced a melody with guitar arrangement for the poem. The two men sang "Stille Nacht" for the first time at Christmas Mass in St Nicholas Church while Mohr played guitar and the choir repeated the last two lines of each verse. In later years, Gruber composed additional arrangements of the carol for organ and for organ with orchestra, as well as scores of other carols and masses, many of which are still in print and sung today in Austrian churches. .............................................................................................................................................. There are no royalties involved in these two songs, and I have liked the tunes since I remembered, so writing paraphrases on those tunes proved to be really fun. I just hope that they are fun to play as well!
Publicado por Andy Skyblogger en 3:45
sábado, 2 de agosto de 2014
Let's keep the drama ONstage, not OFFstage
Not really much time to rest after finishing my Chamber Symphony. I gotta go back to my opera CLARA that was abandoned due to the writing of Chamber Symphony. Oh, I haven't blogged about that? Well, now I do. It is based on a short but powerful story by Seno Gumira Ajidarma (better known as SGA), the same writer who inspired me to write my previous operas Satria and The Mother, whose son was kidnapped. This opera is commissioned by Pundi Perempuan, an institution to raise and manage funds to support the Women's Crisis Center (WCC) that deals with the issue of violence against women in various regions in Indonesia. So, if you buy a ticket to see this opera, the money goes to the commissioner's foundation, and it will be used for helping the female victims of rape. They commissioned me an opera that deals with that issue and gave me freedom to choose the libretto and soloists, and since Clara is a celebrated Indonesian masterpiece of Indonesian literature that addresses the sexual violence of that period which I have long wished to set to music I immediately accepted their invitation. Apart from that, SGA has always been one of my favorite writer. .............................................................................................................................................. "Clara, or the lady who was raped" was written by SGA during the economic, political and social crisis of May 1998, and published in the wake of Suharto's resignation. "Clara" is a multi-layered narrative that recounts the perspective of an ethnic Chinese woman who was raped during the anti-Chinese riots and mass rapes that occurred in Jakarta at that period. These riots and sexual violence were orchestrated and facilitated by networks in the security forces that were seeking to destabilise Indonesian society. Throughout the New Order (that's how the Suharto regime is called), Indonesians of Chinese background were frequently scapegoated and marginalised in the grand but fake narrative of what and who made up the Indonesian nation. "Clara" makes a significant contribution to recent Indonesian short fiction, because of the way it shows how the narratives of the victims were both denied and silenced by state law apparatus. The ambivalent attitude of the policeman who listens to Clara's account of her rape, captures both the hatred and jealousy for the Chinese as well as attraction towards them. I put the long aria of the policeman's feelings in the beginning, with music changing constantly from romantically lyrical to rhythmical (again, Michael Jackson proves to be still very much alive in me). .............................................................................................................................................. Apart from the reason above, the strong reason why I wanted to set CLARA to music is the rape issue which I am pasting here from a recent survey. ................................................................................................................................................. A third of the responders in a survey last year in Great Britain believe that a woman acting "flirty" can be blamed for being raped. And this study are based on a survey into two sexes with equal numbers of each. More than a quarter also believe a woman is responsible to be raped if she was wearing sexy clothes or drunk. Even more women (5%) than men (3%) thought the woman was "totally responsible" for being raped if she was drunk. ................................................................................................................................................ As we know, rape is a criminal act in which the victim often became defendants. An action that is easy to prosecute, but most difficult to prove. What can I say? What can I do? Frankly, nothing. If the whole history of human civilization has still no solution to it, what can I do? The only thing is to bring awareness that rape is not an act which lasts for a few minutes. For the rapist, of course. But for the victim, it is for life. It cannot be cured simply with "Oh it will take a long time to forget but you will" or "Just focus on peace and love from now on, dear, and you'll be able to forgive the rapist". Because you won't. Even if one forgives, she can't forget. And one can write hundreds of operas, make hundreds of films, write hundreds of books, and I doubt that things will change. What I hope from my opera is just that it could be seen by enough people so that it could raise enough money to help the victims of rape, and to keep reminding us what happened during the 1998 uprising. The person behind all that kidnapping and killings, Prabowo Subianto is a very wealthy person who was very close to becoming our president, for goodness sake. He was an abominable megalomaniac, not so much unlike North Korea's Kim Jong Un who wanted to eliminate democracy in Indonesia and declared on BBC that two thirds of Indonesian people are stupid just because we didn't vote for him. This year's election was the first elections that I participated in my whole life, not only because I admire Jokowi (who at last won the elections), but also because I just couldn't stand the idea that my country would be ruled by a ruthless dictator like him. The Prabowo issue is more important for me than the winning of Jokowi ; an admiration to a politician is not enough for me to get my ass up and vote, but if my country would be attacked (even by our own countryman) or is in danger of collapse, I would give any contribution I could to avoid it, no matter how small or insignificant my contribution is. .............................................................................................................................................. CLARA will be premiered this December in Jakarta by winners of the national vocal competition "Tembang Puitik Ananda Sukarlan" 2013: Isyana Sarasvati (Clara), Widhawan Aryo Pradhita (Policeman) and Nikodemus Lukas Hariono (father of Clara), plus a bunch of male supporting actors who act as the rapists of Clara.
Publicado por Andy Skyblogger en 3:12
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1. Stamp Stitch Word Block Stamp onto the front of a vintage dressmaking pattern packet using navy ink.
2. Layer this onto remnants of the dressmaking pattern to create a pleasing composition.
3. Stamp the Word Block Stamp once more onto a scrap of vintage paper to capture the word 'button' and an 's'. Use these along with the sentiment found in the Stamper stamp set.
4. Embellish work with fabric, trim, the stamped sentiment, hand stitching and buttons!
This art quilt was created in a similar way. This time I stamped the Stitch word block stamp onto dressmaking tissue paper along with the Singer sewing machine found in the Dressmaker stamp set. Then I layered it with fabric and embellished it with hand stitching and lace.
Supplies Used:
Darkroom Door Stitch Word Block Stamp
Darkroom Door Stamper Rubber Stamp Set
Darkroom Door Dressmaker Rubber Stamp Set
Assorted fabric, buttons, trim, vintage dressmaking packet, thread and needle
Thanks for visiting the blog today! I hope I've inspired some of you to play around with hand stitching! I think it's a lovely way to embellish your work.


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Each deployment option includes on-demand analytics, standard batch and over-night processing or a hybrid model to suit your specific business needs. Our team will work with customers to customize deployment and delivery formats, including investor-specific reporting requirements.
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Standard over-night on-cloud processing provides advanced risk analytics for multi-asset class risk modeling results. Risk analytics include:
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Trowbridge 43 – 20 Marlborough
Marlborough lose after a promising start. Marlborough travelled to Trowbridge for their third encounter of the season.
This time honours went to the home team after what ended up as a poor performance for Marlborough. The game started well with a penalty after just 2 minutes from James Clancy and then after a loose pass was picked up by Jake Williams the ball as passed out to Russ Westcott to feed Michael SIms who sprinted down teh wing to score. Clancy converted and the score was 10-0 after just 10 minutes.
Things looked good but then some poor tackling started to cost the visitors. Trowbridge were getting good phases of play and uses some strong lines of running.
They scored a couple of quick converted tries to lead 14-10. Marlborough were looking to attack but were guilty of losing the ball in contact areas and not protecting the ball at key times. This was emphasised when once again they conceded an interception try. This has happened in the last few games and forcing of passes at wrong times. Trowbridge intercepted and ran through and despite a great chase by Michael Sims, Trowbridge scored and converted for 21-10. Clancy did get a penalty but a a quick tapped penalty right on half time gave Trowbridge another score and a 28-13 lead.
Trowbridge added to their lead in the 10th minute of the 2nd half with a penalty. Marlborough then seemed to wake up and started to get some good phases.
The lineout which has started to work well gave good possession and the ball was moved out to Inosi Laqekoro, he once aqain made a good hard run and broke through some tackles, the ball was moved out and scrum half Jake Williams was in support to take the pass and run in to score. Clancy converted for 31-20. Both teams now knew it was game on. Marlborough significantly raised their tackling and Trowbridge were applying lots of pressure.
After some great defence on their own line Marlborough eventually conceded and the conversion went over for 38-20. Marlborough did push hard to try to score but again a handling error meant a pass went to ground and again Trowbridge gathered the loose ball and ran in for another interception try.
A final score of 43-20 reflected a bad day for Marlborough, good in patches of the game but not for long enough.
Next Saturday is Frome at home in the rearranged game.


text: Until recently there were quite a few writers on AE; however, for the last several months Tris Bendix has monopolized the site. The previous editor didn't write at all, but Trish seems to do everything. Is it that the writers are not paid so choose not to write for the site? Was there an overhall where all the previous writers were fired? Because it seems like everyone left at about the same time. What exactly is going on at AE and why can't they keep their writers?


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From APOD
Here's something to try today.
Go to Google Moon.
Now zoom in. All the way.
You always knew it was true, didn't you?
I got this image from Astronomy Picture of the Day. You may want to consider bookmarking them. (I've added them to the links list as well)


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Hello again friends, I'm back to announce our lucky winner and top 5 passionista for last week's "tag it" challenge. It was fantastic to see your lovely entries and as always the DT had a wonderful time visiting your blogs and seeing your gorgeous creations. We'll be announcing Lorraine C.'s top 5 passionista in a minute but firstly let's find out who our lucky winner is!
For last week's challenge we were sponsored by Cowling & Wilcox who offered one lucky winner a 12 pack of Promarkers (steampunk). As always we used random.org and he chose:
No. 6
Congratulations Alison, such a pretty card. I love the sweet image and your colouring is perfect. Please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com and we will arrange for you to receive your prize.
Now onto the top 5 passionista and Lorraine C. had a wonderful time visiting your blogs and it was such a difficult decision to chose just 5. However after much deliberation here are her favourite 5:
Congratulations ladies, you can now proudly display the top 5 passionista blinkie on your blogs. If you need any help with this please email us.
We hope you all have a wonderful week and find some time to enter our current challenge 'make it manly' – full details in the post below.
Hugs, Denise, Gina & DT x x


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Doctor's Profile
Jaundice is a symptom that can develop as part of various diseases. It refers to the yellowish discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes. This happens when levels of the chemical bilirubin increase in the bloodstream. Mild elevation in bilirubin levels causes the skin to become yellow. When bilirubin levels are very high, the skin takes on a brown or yellow hue.
What are the symptoms of jaundice?
The most prominent of all jaundice symptoms is the yellowish staining of the skin and whites of the eyes. This discoloration first becomes prominent in the facial region and then spreads across the body. Some of the other common symptoms of jaundice include:
- Tiredness
- Itching
- Appetite loss
- Weight loss
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Lethargy
- Pale colored stools
- Fever
- Dark yellow urine
- Bitter taste in the mouth
Jaundice commonly develops in babies, usually soon after birth. Infants affected with jaundice may have yellowing of the skin, but this may be difficult to identify since the skin tone of babies is different from adults. Jaundice tests are usually done 36 hours after birth in case other symptoms such as persistent crying, listlessness and poor feeding are present, it is important for the child to receive medical care.
What are the causes of Jaundice?
Jaundice mainly occurs when an underlying condition affects the bilirubin levels in the blood. In some cases, the liver is unable to remove bilirubin while in other cases; bilirubin may accumulate in the tissues.
How is Jaundiced diagnosed?
Ans: A blood test is done to diagnose jaundice. A blood test can not only determine the total amount of bilirubin in your body, but it can also help detect indicators of other diseases such as hepatitis. Other diagnostic tests may be used including liver function test, imaging tests and liver biopsy.
What is the treatment of Jaundice?
The treatment of jaundice usually begins after diagnoses. Jaundice that occurs due to anemia may be treated by elevating the iron levels in the blood through iron supplements or with the intake of foods rich in iron. Jaundice induced by hepatitis may be treated with anti-viral medications. Surgery may be required in cases where the condition develops as a result of blockages. In some cases, jaundice may even develop as a result of, as a side effect from certain medications. In such cases, the jaundice may be treated by altering the dosage or changing the medication.
Medical treatment however is absolutely essential, not just for the treatment, but more importantly for an accurate diagnosis of the underlying cause, so as to facilitate appropriate treatment. Home care and lifestyle modifications are however an important aspect of treatment and the recuperation process. You can also try using other natural methods that are believed to help in the treatment of jaundice, but not all of these methods have been scientifically proven, so exercise caution. Some of the most common jaundice natural remedies include:
1. Radish leaves juice 2.Sugar cane juice 3. Lemon juice and barley water.
What sort of a diet should be taken during jaundice?
Proper diet and adequate rest is essential for recovery from jaundice. Here are some helpful dietary tips for those affected by jaundice:
- A good intake of fluids helps to remove excess bilirubin from the body through the urine and stool. Make sure that you drink clean, uncontaminated water. Vegetable and fruit juices are also beneficial as they help to regulate the balance of electrolytes in the body.
- Once the bilirubin levels start decreasing, light foods such as fruits, porridge and yogurt may be added to the diet. You can also consume vegetables such as spinach and carrots. Refrain from eating foods that are oily or spicy. Sugary foods, artificial sweeteners and caffeine should also be avoided.
- As the bilirubin levels reduce to almost normal, you can add foods such as rice, lentil or fish to your diet. Ensure that no oil is used to cook foods. You can eat your fish either boiled or steamed. Avoid eating meat or poultry as it may be difficult to digest.
How can jaundice be prevented?
Jaundice is related to the function of the liver, so it is essential that you maintain this vital organs health by eating a balanced diet, exercising at least 30 minutes five times a week, and most imperative is to ensure that the water you drink is clean.


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An open house is the perfect time to get the deets on your potential dream home. It's not the time to get chatty with the seller's agent.
The first step toward easing your homebuying jitters is to stop faking yourself out with these falsehoods.
You may be ready to move in to your new place, but closing can take its sweet time. Here's what you can expect.
You've got a buyer for your home — now you just need to make it through escrow.
If you're thinking of selling your condo, now is a great time. Use these strategies to make the process quick and painless.
If you're buying or selling a home, you'll undoubtedly have questions. Your agent has probably heard them all.
Before you hire a realtor and put up that For Sale sign, you'll want to ask yourself these home-selling questions.
Buying a home is serious business. Don't get swayed by these gimmicky sales tactics.
Find the perfect new home right from the comfort of your couch. Isn't technology wonderful?
Buying a home can be seem scary — and complicated. But if you keep these basics in mind, you'll soon have the home of your dreams.
You take time to research products that will cost you $20 — but how much do you research the person who advises you on spending thousands of dollars?
Selling your home can be stressful at the best of times. To ensure the process really goes well, avoid these common blunders.
With all the tools and information available to home buyers, are real-estate agents and their commissions really that necessary?
Surely a real estate agent would want to get you the very best price for your home. After all, they earn commission. The more they sell it for, the more they make, right? [more]
This little real estate agent secret could potentially save you thousands on your new home.
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Lunchtime and After School Clubs
We have a variety of school clubs running throughout the year. Most clubs are run by adults but some are run by our pupils, with adult support.
Here is a list of the clubs we have so far this year after school
- Schools Out! A modern dance and drama club.
- Year 1/2 Multi-skills.
- Year 3/4 Football.
- Year 5/6 Football.
- Chess.
- Computer Club.
And in school time
- Art club
- Acting
- Singing
- Enterprise club
- Computer club
- Sports Leaders club
- School Choir
- Dodgeball
We have recently added the following clubs
- Chess
- French
- Sewing
- Reading
- Science


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Ashland Public Library new items.
New Audiobooks
"About Alice" by Calvin Trillin; "Breakpoint" by Richard A. Clarke; "Burning Bright" by Tracy Chevalier; "The Castle in the Forest" by Norman Mailer; "Chavez Ravine" by Culture Clash; "Death by Meeting" by Patrick Lencioni; "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins; "Hannibal Rising" by Thomas Harris; "Heart-Shaped Box" by Joe Hill; "Hickory Dickory Dock" by Agatha Christie; "Incident at Vichy" by Arthur Miller; "It's Okay To Miss the Bed on the First Jump" by John O'Hurley; "The Journey of Crazy Horse" by Joseph M. Marshall III; "Last Man Standing" by David Baldacci; "The Last Templar" by Raymond Khoury; "The Marriage Game" by Fern Michaels; "Nixon and Mao" by Margaret MacMillan; "Our Endangered Values" by Jimmy Carter; "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid" by Jimmy Carter; "A Pocket Full of Rye" by Agatha Christie; "Private Lives" by Noël Coward; "The Proper Care & Feeding of Marriage" by Dr. Laura Schlessinger; "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman; "Strike Force" by Dale Brown; "When Darkness Falls" by James Grippando; "With Ossie and Ruby" by Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee
New DVDs
"An Affair to Remember" starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr; "Alexander's Ragtime Band" starring Tyrone Power, Alice Faye and Don Ameche; "Alpha Dog" starring Ben Foster, Shawn Hatosy and Emile Hirsch; "Anastasia" starring Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner; "Any Which Way You Can" starring Clint Eastwood; "Ballroom Dancing Made Easy"; "Bring It On: All or Nothing" starring Hayden Panettiere and Solange Knowles-Smith; "Carmen Jones" starring Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte; "Carries War" starring Alun Armstrong, Lesley Sharp and Keeley Fawcett; "Cheer!" Learn the hottest cheers and dance moves!; "Children of Men" starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine; "Code Name: The Cleaner" starring Lucy Liu, Cedric the Entertainer and Nicollette Sheridan; "Déjà Vu" starring Denzel Washington and Val Kilmer; "Desk Set" starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn; "Doc Hollywood" starring Michael J. Fox, Julie Warner and Woody Harrelson; "Dream Girls" starring Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles and Eddie Murphy; "Every Which Way But Loose" starring Clint Eastwood; "A Fond Kiss" starring Atta Yaqub and Eva Birthistle; "The Forsythe Saga: Series Two Vols. 1 & 2" starring Rupert Graves, Gina McKee and Damian Lewis; "Freedom Writers" starring Hilary Swank and Patrick Dempsey; "The Gilmore Girls" the Complete Fifth Season; "God or the Girl" an A&E video; "The Good Shepherd" starring Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and Robert DeNiro; "Hamlet" starring Mel Gibson and Glenn Close; "The History Boys" starring Richard Griffiths and Frances de la Tour; "The Hitcher" starring Sophia Bush and Zachary Knighton; "The Holiday" starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet; "How to Marry a Millionaire" starring Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall; "In Old Chicago" starring Tyrone Power, Alice Faye and Don Ameche; "Is Wal-Mart Good for America" a Frontline Documentary; "An Introduction to Scientology" by L. Ron Hubbard; "Jane Eyre" starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine; "The Last King of Scotland" starring Forest Whitaker; "The Marsh" starring Gabrielle Anwar and Forest Whitaker; "Music and Lyrics" starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore; "National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj" starring Kal Penn; "Night at the Museum" starring Ben Stiller; "Notes on a Scandal" starring Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett; "The Ox-Bow Incident" starring Henry Fonda; "Peyton Place" starring Lana Turner and Lee Philips; "The Queen" starring Helen Mirren; "The Rains Came" starring Myrna Loy, Tyrone Power and George Brent; "Raising Cain" Exploring the Inner Lives of America's Boys; "Riding Alone For Thousands of Miles" starring Takakura Ken; "Scrubs Season 3" starring Zach Braff; "Scrubs Season 4" starring Zach Braff; "See No Evil" starring Kane; "The Song of Bernadette" starring Jennifer Jones; "Three" starring Mark Blucas and Justine Waddell; "The Three Faces of Eve" starring Joanne Woodward; "Titanic" starring Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck; "Turistas" starring Josh Duhamel and John Stockwell; "Volver" starring Penelope Cruz; "Wooly Boys" starring Peter Fonda, Kris Kristofferson, Keith Carradine and Joe Mazzello; "Zorba the Greek" starring Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates and Irene Papas
New Music CDs
"American Doll Posse" by Tori Amos; "Appassionato" by Yo-Yo Ma; "Back Mountain Rag" by Doc and Merle Watson; "Because of You" by Ne-Yo; "Best Damn Thing" by Avril Lavigne; "Big" by Macy Gray; "Both Sides of the Gun" by Ben Harper; "Buddy and Julie Miller" by Buddy and Julie Miller; "Call Me Irresponsible" by Michael Bublé; "Corinne Bailey Rae" by Corinne Bailey Rae; "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" by Miranda Lampert; "Dignity" by Hilary Duff; "Evolution of Robin Thicke" by Robin Thicke; "Eyes Open" by Snow Patrol; "Greatest Hits" by Gary Allan; "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" by Trace Adkins; "Introducing Joss Stone" by Joss Stone; "Laps in Seven" by Sam Bush; "Live at Texas Stadium" by Alan Jackson, George Strait and Jimmy Buffett; "Love Snuck Up" by Buddy and Julie Miller; "Mark Shultz Live" by Mark Shultz; "Meteora" by Linkin Park; "Number 1's" by Marvin Gaye; "Pure BS" by Blake Shelton; "Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornby" by Skaggs and Hornby; "Rock and Roll Music" by Elvis Costello; "Small Town Girl" by Kellie Pickler; "Suitcase" by Keb' Mo; "This is It" byJack Ingram; "Too Young to Fight It" by Young Love; "Totally Country" by various artists; "Totally Country Vol. 6" by various artists; "True False Identity" by T Bone Burnett; "Waking up Laughing" by Martina McBride; "Ways Not To Lose" by The Wood Brothers
New Graphic Novels
"100 Bullets: Decayed" by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso; "Abandon the Old in Tokyo" by Yoshihiro Tatsumi; "American Elf Book Two" by James Kochalka; "The American Way" by John Ridley; "Another Day: American Splendor" by Harvey Pekar; "Batman Year 100" by Paul Pope; "The Cartoon History of the Modern World Part 1" by Larry Gonick; "Chicken With Plums" by Marjane Satrapi; "Elk's Run" by Joshua Hale Failkove, Noel Tuazon and Scott Keating; "Emily the Strange: Lost Dark and Bored Volume 1" by Rob Reger; "Escape From Special" by Miss Lasko-Gross; "Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic" by Alison Bechdel; "Glacial Period" by Nicolas De Crecy; "Jack of Fables" by Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges, Tony Akins and Andrew Pepoy; "Passionella and Other Stories" by Jules Feiffer; "The Professor's Daughter" by Joann Sear and Emmanuel Guibert; "Serenity: Those Left Behind" Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews; "Shonen Jump Anime"; "Skibber Bee-Bye" by Ron Rege, Jr.; "Stagger Lee" by Derek McCulloch and Shpeherd Hendrix; "Tales From The Farm" by Jeff Lemire; "300" by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley


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Shaqcore Dalvin Prawl, 21
Shaqcore Dalvin Prawl, a 21-year-old black man, was fatally stabbed Friday, July 7, in the 2200 block of Valley Boulevard in Pomona, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Pomona police responded about midnight to a call regarding an assault in a residential area, according to Sgt. Bert Sanchez. Officers found Prawl suffering from multiple stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:31 a.m., according to coroner's records.
Later that day, police arrested Chayenne Capri Lywood, 20, in connection with the stabbing, which detectives have called the result of domestic violence, Sanchez said.
On July 11, Lywood pleaded not guilty to murder charges. She is scheduled to return to court July 24.
Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @jeromercampbell and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.
Do you have information to share about the life of Shaqcore Dalvin Prawl ? The Homicide Report needs your help. Please fill out this form or e-mail us at email@example.com.


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As you step into parenthood, your dreams increase manifold - it's not just about you anymore, but about your little ones too. Take that extra step by opting for an online insurance policy to ensure that no matter what the circumstances maybe, you don't have to compromise on your dreams for your bundles of joy.
Your Insurance Needs
Child's education & future expenses
Saving for your child's education assumes utmost importance, at this stage. In the long-term, you may also want to set aside funds for his/her marriage expenses.
Safeguard family from loan liabilities
If you have a home loan, you may want to secure your family against the stress of loan repayment, in the unfortunate event of your death.
You may now start feeling the importance of building a retirement corpus to enable you to continue the lifestyle you are used to, even after retirement.
Similar Articles
- Life Insurance Plans and Policies
- Insurance Plans for Married with Grownup Children
- Insurance Plans for nearing Retirement
- HDFC Life Super Savings Plan Calculator


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Good Question.
If you asked most Christians if they loved The Church they would probably answer in the affirmative. But many would have some mental qualifications.
I love The Church but not all of the people in it.
I love The Church, just not MY church.
I love The Church, it's Christians I can't stand.
I love the Church but I don't need it.
According to a Barna survey, 10% of self-identifying evangelical Christians don't attend church anywhere. They say that they love Jesus, they just don't love His church. And the percentage is growing – slowly, but growing.
There are inconsistencies here. As Mark Galli, the Editor in Chief of Christianity Today pointed out in a recent article, can people really say that they love Jesus if they "refuse to participate in the community he promises to be present in?" Seems rather inconsistent.
The problem goes even deeper. Can people say that they love Jesus if they consciously choose not to do what He said to do? Hebrews 10:24-25 can't be any clearer about our responsibility in regard to church attendance. Neither can John 14:15 be any clearer about the standard we are to use to judge our love for Jesus.
You can't say that you love Jesus if you don't do what Jesus said to do and you're not doing what Jesus said to do if you don't attend church. Pretty simple really.
The real issue here is not attending church verses not attending church. The real issue is an issue of the heart. Will we or won't we bend our hearts to His will?
There are numerous reasons for the Christian to attend church. Among the most obvious are, Obedience, Worship, Fellowship, Instruction, Ministry, Exercising your Spiritual Gift, and Encouragement. Things that you can't accomplish or experience on the same level as a Long Ranger Christian.
But the most important reason to attend church is because you love Jesus. Christians who say that they love Jesus but don't love His church are demonstrating theological inconsistency at the highest level.
You can't separate Jesus and His Church. To love one is to love the other. To be faithful to one is to be faithful to the other.
It's no stretch to say, You love Jesus best when you love His church.
Stay in the Word
Pastor Steve


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There are multiple factors that will help determine how long a piano stands in tune.
A piano will stand in tune longer in an environmentally stable location.
Pianos are made mostly of wood. Wood expands and contracts with variations in humidity and temperature. The more consistent the humidity and temperature is, the longer the tuning will last.
A piano kept by a frequently used entrance during the winter will not hold as well as if it was kept in an area where it is not subjected to wide temperature variations. A piano in a church sanctuary will be probably not hold tune as well if the sanctuary is kept unheated during the week. To maximize the life of your tuning and safeguard the well-being of your piano, it should not be kept in front of a heating vent or where the sun will bake it for several hours a day.
Here in southwest Pennsylvania, we tend to have hot, humid summers followed by cold, drying winters. A typical tuning schedule is to have the piano tuned twice a year because of the change of seasons. If finances are a bit tight, the piano should be tuned once a year at the same time each year.
The Piano Lifesaver System manufactured by Dampp-Chaser is a very effective solution for pianos that will not hold tune because of widely varying humidity and temperature conditions. The PLS has 3 main components: a heating bar, a humidifier with"smart" bar , and a humidistat.
If the humidity rises too much, the heating bar turns on. If the humidity drops too much, the humidifier turns on. The system is installed inside the piano. It runs silently and continuously 24/7/365.
The Piano Lifesaver System also helps to protect the wood and strings from the ravages of extremes in dryness and dampness.
mechanical FACTORS
The mechanical condition of the piano also plays a role in tuning stability.
If the tuning pins are loose in the pinblock, they lack the necessary torque to hold the strings at tension.
Both the tenor-treble bridge and the bass bridge should be in good condition. Although a little surface splitting is not necessarily a problem, severe splitting and cracking can affect the piano's ability to hold tune. The apron, if present, should also be in good condition. If this part of the piano's structure is splitting, the strings can change position after tuning. The strings may drift off pitch.
Other structural problems, such as a cracked plate, or the pinblock separating from the core, affect stability.
change in pitch and tension
The degree of change in tension pre-tuning vs. post-tuning affects stability. If the piano is only moved a few hundredths of a half-step, there will be less settling than if the piano was raised a full half-step.
If the tuner changes the tension on the strings significantly, the piano will begin to react. This reaction will continue after the tuner leaves. The piano will slowly start to drift out of tune again, though not as far as it was before tuning..
Some settling is normal. This is why a followup tuning is recommended after a major pitch raise or pitch lowering.
There may be times when you may want to tune the piano lower than A=440. Some very old pianos were not designed to be tuned to A=440. Other old instruments may no longer be unable to take the tension of the strings at A440 because of beginning structural problems.
The strings on a modern piano tuned to A = 440 can exert 18 tons per square inch on tension on the plate. It is very important that the piano is structurally sound.
hard use
Playing can also affect the tuning stability, though under normal circumstances this is unlikely. If this is a practice room piano that is pounded on for 12 hours a day, the piano will need tuned more often. Hard use will require a more aggressive maintenance schedule as well.
pianos used for public performance
Pianos that are played in concert need to be tuned more often. Concert pianos are often tuned before every public performance and then retouched during intermission.
Excellence is on display. The greatest musicians are playing the greatest music on the greatest instruments. The musicians and the audience deserve to have these pianos tuned and maintained to the highest level possible.
This is high art.
Professional reputations are on the line.
There also is a considerable investment of money in putting on a performance.
Cutting corners cheats everyone involved.
new pianos
Brand new pianos have a break-in period of about two years. It takes that long for the strings to finish stretching and for the piano to truly stabilize.
Most manufacturers recommend having the piano tuned three or four times the first year for this reason.
Although it may seem counter-intuitive, it is true that the more often the piano is tuned, the less often the piano needs tuned. If the piano is tuned correctly and regularly, it will continue to stabilize. Each time it is tuned, the adjustments made to the strings will become smaller and smaller. The piano will settle less and less after each tuning. Each tuning creates the foundation for finer and finer adjustments that will last longer and longer.
Sometimes piano buyers will purchase an expensive top tier piano because they demand quality. They will then refuse to tune or maintain their piano because they consider tuning, voicing, and other maintenance a waste of money. Maintaining quality is an ongoing process.
A quality piano may require even more care than a lesser piano if you want it to express its full potential.
recently moved pianos
After a piano is moved, it requires time to acclimate to its new home. A common recommendation is to allow the piano to settle for about three weeks before tuning it.
Anyone may copy and use the text on this page for any purpose as long as:
1) The text is presented in its entirety and without alteration.
2) Attribution is made to the writer: Joe Gumbosky
3) You provide a link to this webpage.
You are welcome to use my work without charge. Please honor the terms listed.
Great Christmas Piano Hits!
How To Become A Musical Mind Reader!
Learn To Play Improvised Piano With The Chordpiano-workshop.
From Texas to the Delta – Acoustic Blues Guitar Lessons
Harpnguitar.com – Harmonica And Guitar Lessons
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If you love the venerable National Park lodges as I do, you'll want to put a visit to Mt. Rainier's Paradise Inn on your list. This year, not only is it the National Park Service Centennial, it's the 100th Anniversary of Paradise Inn.
The lobby has two open levels. If you look up, you'll no doubt be intrigued by the huge hanging lamps with wildflower-design shades. They are replicas of the original shades that were hand-painted by park employee's wives. There are 64 lampshades in Paradise Inn representing the wildflowers so many visitors come to see on Mt. Rainier each Spring.
The National Park Inn located in the Longmire Historic District of Mt. Rainier National Park is open year round. The Inn has 25 simple rooms, a casual restaurant and general store located in a vintage 1911 log cabin.
fall hikes at Mt. Rainier.
In Elbe you'll find the Mt. Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum. In fall, the railroad schedules special events such as The Great Pumpkin Patch Express and The Washington Wine Express.
Visit Mt. Rainier


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Tuesday, adidas unveiled a new commercial featuring Robert Griffin III, which you can see below:
"All In For Week 1," huh? As recently as last week, it was reported that the Redskins were impressed with their franchise quarterback's recovery from offseason knee surgery and that it was possible that he could start Week 1.
Here's the thing: We have heard a lot about RGIII, but we haven't heard anything from RGIII. Tuesday, Griffin took to Twitter to provide some clarification:
Feel like I need to say this..Although my goal is to start Week 1, that doesn't mean I will compromise my career to do so. — Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) February 19, 2013
Starting Week 1 will be the result of healing, hard work, dedication & God's anointing. No rush, just determination — Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) February 19, 2013
We've got seven more months of this.
Follow Adam on Twitter @AdamVingan and e-mail your story ideas to adamvingan (at) gmail.com.


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Lindapter cavity fixings provide a simple, cost-effective solution when fixing to rectangular or circular hollow section steel, or to steelwork where access is available from one side only. They are ideal to use with any steel structures and eliminate the requirement for using unsightly welding or strapping.
When using Lindapter cavity fixings, installation time and costs are reduced, as they are easy to install without specialist skills, equipment or on-site power.
Type HB - Hollo-Bolt
The Lindapter Hollo-Bolt is a patented method of securing to square, rectangular or circular hollow section steel, or to conventional steelwork where access is available from one side only.
The Hollo-Bolt offers a tremendous reduction in installation time and costs over traditional methods, as well as giving the specifier absolute confidence through guaranteed loads with a built in factor of safety.
The larger Hollo-Bolt sizes, M16 & M20 are optimised for structural connections and feature a patented High Clamping Force (HCF) mechanism to produce three times more clamping force than the same sized product without the mechanism. The significance of increased clamping force is illustrated in the video below:
Awarded the Design Council's Millennium Products status for innovation in connecting to hollow section, the Hollo-Bolt also has third party endorsements from Corus and the UK's Steel Construction Institute.
Typical Hollo-Bolt Applications
Typical Hollo-Bolt applications include the connection and suspension of:
- Primary Connections
- Secondary Connections
- Bridges
- Cladding
- Balconies
- Tower and Masts
- Staircases and Handrails
- Glazing and Roofs
- Modular Buildings
For aggressive environments, the Hollo-Bolt comes with JS500 or HDG protection as standard. For more aggressive environments Sheraplex and Stainless Steel are available.
Head Variations
A variety of finishes and colours are available.
Latest News
Coronavirus-related Safety Measures
Our primary aims are to protect our employees and the wider community, whilst maintaining service to our customers. Read about the measures we are undertaking here.
Look out for Ancon at these Conferences in 2019
Ancon is proud to sponsor two industry conferences this year and will showcase an innovative range of structural fixing solutions.


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Maybe you've seen this, but I was blown away. In an effort to fit in, in an effort to disarm my peers, I have stripped the intelligence from my vernacular and stitched such awful phrases as "mmkay" and "for sure" into the fabric of my conversations. This video made me sad for myself and my courageous English teachers who made an attempt to ameliorate the sorry situation.
This video made me feel like I murder the poets every day. But the author, Taylor Mali, makes a good point. While I don't think the world is in some communications (Babel-esque) crisis, I do think we should be more aware of how we slaughter the spoken word. Language is a valuable asset, not to be wasted or tossed aside. And I say that with immense conviction.


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Timelapse DEFLICKER options
So up until now, I've been using LRTimelapse in conjunction with Lightroom for my timelapses, mostly for the sake of deflickering.
Seeing the Oldman River valley full of beautiful clouds yesterday morning before work, I assumed similar conditions this morning would create more, and I was right! So I headed out this morning before going to the school where I teach to capture a quick timelapse - I wish I had started earlier and could have stayed a bit later... oh well. Here's a preview of what's to come:
Autumn colours in Lethbidge
I love Henderson Lake (Lethbridge) this time of year. The colours are always awesome. Though I do wish we had more maple trees, or other trees that have red leaves in the fall.
Dwayne Schnell is an amateur landscape and nature photographer based in Lethbridge, AB Canada
November 2016


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Pre-wireframing with Wunderlist
A first-hand story from the community
Here at 6Wunderkinder, we love hearing about how all of you use Wunderlist. Just a few days ago we saw this post by Brooklyn-based designer, Nate Daubert where he provided some helpful tips on pre-wireframing with Wunderlist. So, we thought we'd share it with all of you today:
Most interaction designers start with wireframing — laying out content with sketches or an app like balsamiq. It's important to break apart the content and beautification process, helping the designer and the client focus on smaller pieces of the puzzle, instead of everything at once.
Beginning with wireframing, however, can cause problems. Users only read 20% of content on a page, so while wireframing may help with organizing content — it doesn't help with assuring the most visible content is actually important.
This is why I begin my design process one step earlier – sorting all the information on a page by importance. For that, I use Wunderlist.
Wunderlist is a fantastic little app — made by the also fantastic 6wunderkinder, a Berlin-based startup making todo lists simple and portable. They have an iOS7 version in the works — which I'm pretty excited about, but lets not get sidetracked.
I use this app for everything from task management, to shopping lists, to things I find and want to check out later — so it was a natural choice for organizing web content.
Start by creating a new list. Add all the bits and pieces of information and sort! Start by grouping related content — an announcement heading, announcement deck and a call to action, for example, should be grouped. Create a new task titled "Announcement" and add all three elements as subtasks.
During this process, it's important not to think about what graphic will be used to display various types of information. For example, use "announcement" instead of "banner", and "call to action" instead of button. This is extremely important in designing effective content. Example — when you are envisioning something as a banner, it will naturally have more emphasis than some text below, which could actually be of more importance. You can decide how elements are displayed when wireframing.
When all the elements have been sorted, order everything by importance. Then go into the tasks and sort their subtasks the same way — by importance.
Once this is done, you're ready to wireframe. When designing your wireframe, the top 20% of items on your list should be impossible to miss. Resize the list or open it on your phone/tablet so it's visible while wireframing and get to work!
Tip: Keep your lists open until you are ready to launch. It's a great way to keep track of elements on a page. You can easily sync the lists between coworkers and comment on status updates, styles and potential problems.
You can view the original version of this post on Nate's blog here.
If you want to read more about Wunderlist in action be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+. Make sure you always have access to your lists and download Wunderlist on all your devices here.


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By Michele Lerner – Bankrate
Whether you plan to buy a home in six months or a year or two, you've probably been told to request your free credit report to check for errors and to see what a lender can learn about you from the report. As page after page of your report shows up on your computer screen with rows of numbers and unfamiliar phrases, you may wonder exactly how you should read your credit report before you buy a home.
"We usually tell people to request one of their three free credit reports from either Experian, Equifax or TransUnion every four months from AnnualCreditReport.com, but when you're getting ready to apply for a home loan, we suggest that you get all three at once," says Susan Tiffany, director of personal finance for adults for the Credit Union National Association in Madison, Wisconsin. "All three credit bureaus have different reporting patterns and each could have a different error that you might need to fix."
Here are six tips for understanding your credit report – and how to correct errors — when you're preparing to buy a home.
Read more.


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Domain Monitor
Keep an eye on a domain by receiving alerts for any changes made in its WHOIS Database.Get started free
Keep your finger on the pulse
Add domain names to the monitoring system manually or import the entire list of domains you want to monitor as a CSV file.
Tracking WHOIS record allows you to find out about the changes regarding any domain of your interest. You can monitor both existing and not yet registered domains.
Getting alerts
Stay in touch and don't miss anything. Configure alert emails and receive notifications based on your preference.
Practical Uses
- Spot impending drops or state changes of domains of your interest. Use alerts to prepare to take action on those domains.
- Investigate registration properties of domains or portfolios of domains.
Calculate a suitable plan
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