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Today's Topic: Favorite Fall Pieces
I'll admit, I'm not the biggest autumn fan–I know, I live in Michigan, it's sacrilegious. But just hear me out for a second.
Sure, there are all kinds of pretty colored leaves everywhere and I finally have an excuse to chug an entire gallon of apple cider whenever I feel like it (a fact I take advantage of), but it also gets really COLD here. And as I seem to lack the ability to make my own heat, I'm basically always shivering during the fall, no matter what (aaand I go into a grizzly bear comatose during the winter months when it gets down below freezing).
HOWEVER, I do really enjoy fall fashion. So I figured I'd share some of my favorite fall pieces with you! (Note that all of these are guaranteed to be warm and snugly, or your money back.)
Skinny Jeans
Although skinny jeans rock it basically year round, I especially appreciate them when it's fifty degrees in my dorm room and I need something that'll look good with the t-shirt I slept in last night because there is no way I'm changing out of it unless the air warms up another twenty degrees, like this morning. And most others.
Skinny jeans basically go with anything, and as cool as the colored ones are this year (my personal fave color), nothing can beat the traditional ol' blue.
American Eagle, $39.95
Jean Jackets
This year, it's all about denim, and I am perfectly okay with that. Jean jackets, like skinny jeans, go with basically everything, and there are so many different options with them that you can really personalize your jacket to reflect your personality. Plus, they're super warm.
Love Culture, $29.90
Leggings (and Yoga Pants)
Although I'm yet to get my hands on my perfect pair of leggings (I really want some thick black ones that I'll be able to wear under dresses into the winter), I'm still in love with the leggings I do have. Wearing leggings is like wearing a second skin–a nice and toasty one. That doesn't bunch up down around your ankles like tights do.
Just please, dear God above, don't wear leggings as pants. They are meant to go under things! If your shirt doesn't cover your butt, you need to wear yoga pants instead. And yoga pants are awesome, so I don't know why you'd even think of wearing leggings in comparison for all of your butt-covering needs. Yoga pants come in all different sorts of styles, which means that you can get the kind that stays skinny all the way down, just like leggings do, if you still want to keep that look. But they also are made from a denser material (less tights-like and more pants-like), which means that your underwear lines are less likely to show when you wear them.
Leggings: Macy's, $18.00
Yoga Pants: Target, $14.99
Has anybody else noticed the exponential increase in sweater-wearage as of late? It's so awesome, because I absolutely love big, warm sweaters that I can cozy up in, and now people don't even look at me weird for it! Five points for fashion airing on the side of comfortable for once, right? (PS. I'm an extra small-small, but I generally buy medium sweaters, because the extra space makes 'em cozier.)
Target, $22.99
I love hats. I love every kind of hat–and they're awesome for bad hair days, along with keeping your head warm (who would'a thunk it!). During the winter, I basically always have on a ski cap, but for these slightly-warmer months when a ski cap looks like a sweat fountain waiting to happen, I wear beanies on my bad hair days. They're cute, light-weight but still warm, AND cover up the majority of your head! That's three pluses in a row!
… The hat of the season, however (sadly), is not the beanie, but it's cousin the beret. Which is also super cute, light-weight and warm, and manages to cover a fair portion of your head.
Kmart, $3.99
Have a suggestion for a future Fashion Friday topic? Leave it below in the comments, and I'll love you forever! (Plus I'll probably use it, and how awesome would that be?)
See you this weekend! (Although, warning, I'm going to be gone at a really intense theatre thing for all of Saturday, so I'm not sure how coherent my post will be by the time I'm able to do it.)


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Monday, December 30, 2013
crispy potato rounds
Crispy Potato Rounds
Thanks for the great recipe, Tracey's Culinary Adventures!
2 1/2 lb white potatoes, cleaned and sliced to 1/4 inch rounds
4 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt, to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a clean and dry baking pan in the oven on the bottom rack. Place sliced potatoes in a sauce pan and cover with water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a cool and cook for 5 minutes, or until potatoes are soft but not crumbling. Drain and add to a large bowl. Drizzle in 3 Tablespoons of oil and salt. Stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes to form a pasty exterior. Remove baking pan from oven and drizzle remaining olive oil onto pan. Shake potatoes onto hot pan and bake in oven for 20 minutes. Toss potatoes and cook an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy!
Posted by The Dog Mom at 10:43 AM No comments:
Friday, December 27, 2013
raspberry crumble bars
Raspberry Crumble Bars
Adapted from the good people at Smitten Kitchen!
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold salted butter, cubed
1 egg
1 cup seedless raspberry jam
Juice and zest from 1/2 a lime
Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Drop in egg and cubed butter, then using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in butter until coarse crumbles form. Spray an 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray, and pour in 1/2 of the crumbs. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. In a small saucepan, warm together the jam, lime juice and zest and the pinch of salt. Once the jam is warmed, pour the jam over the crumble and push around with a spoon until it goes almost to the edge of the pan. Sprinkle the rest of the crumble over the jam and place in oven. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until crumble is browned and jam is bubbly. Let cool completely before cutting. Enjoy!
Posted by The Dog Mom at 10:25 AM No comments:
Friday, December 20, 2013
pizza dogs
Pizza Dogs
1 14 oz. package Nathan's Dinner Franks, or other large beef hot dogs
1 lb raw fresh pizza dough, split into 4 equal parts
1/4 lb sliced deli pepperoni
4 slices sliced deli mozzarella
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Marinara, for serving
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm dinner franks for 3-5 minutes without browning. Stretch each section of dough into a rectangle approximately the length of the franks and about 3 times the width. Layer slices of deli mozzarella and pepperoni onto the fresh dough, then top with the warmed frank. Roll each piece of dough around the frank and lay seam side down onto a greased baking pan. Repeat until all franks are gone. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until dough is browned and golden. Serve with warm marinara and enjoy!
Posted by The Dog Mom at 9:21 AM No comments:
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
chocolate croissants
What a wonderful idea, The Comfort of Cooking!
1 sheet puff pastry, dethawed
1 bar chocolate, broken into 8 pieces
1 egg
1 teaspoon water
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Whisk together egg and water. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out puff pastry then slice into 8 rectangles. Place a piece of chocolate onto the end of each rectangle. Fold over the puff pastry over the chocolate, then brush the egg wash over the remaining pastry. Finish rolling then place onto a baking pan, seam side down. Repeat until all chocolate and puff pastry is gone. Crimp edges with a fork, then brush with egg wash. Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes than bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until very slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let set for 10 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Posted by The Dog Mom at 9:48 AM No comments:
Monday, December 16, 2013
bbq baked beans
BBQ Baked Beans
2 can pinto beans, drained
1/4 lb bacon ends, or 8 strips of bacon
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 Tablespoons molasses
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a cast iron skillet or saute pan, cook bacon until soft and have rendered about 1/4 cup of fat. Remove from pan and set aside. To the bacon fat, add the diced onion, peppers and minced garlic. Cook vegetables in the bacon fat until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together barbecue sauce, chicken stock, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, black pepper and salt. Add drained beans to vegetables in the pan, and stir in sauce. Transfer to a baking dish with a lid. Top with cooked bacon and cover with lid. Bake in oven for at least 1 hour, up to 2 hours. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken slightly before serving. Enjoy!
Posted by The Dog Mom at 10:29 AM No comments:
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* Your list is public by default.
Alternative Titles
English: Hinomaru Sumo
Synonyms: Sumo of the Rising Sun, Sumo Wrestler Hinomaru
Japanese: 火ノ丸相撲
Type: TV
Episodes: 24
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 5, 2018 to Mar 29, 2019
Premiered: Fall 2018
Broadcast: Fridays at 22:00 (JST)
Producers: Nihon Ad Systems, Pony Canyon, Shueisha, BS11, Jinnan Studio, Cygames, CA-Cygames Anime Fund
Licensors: Funimation
Studios: Gonzo
Source: Manga
Genres: Martial ArtsMartial Arts, ShounenShounen, SportsSports
Duration: 23 min. per ep.
Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Score: 7.641 (scored by 2748827,488 users)
1 indicates a weighted score.
Ranked: #11742
2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity: #1676
Members: 69,907
Favorites: 232


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During the course of his career, Forster published two collections of short stories, and then they were combined to form this volume. There were several other stories that he didn't publish, and they came out posthumously as The Life to Come and Other Stories. The posthumous volume consists of stories that are overtly gay, and this one contains the stories that aren't. In many of these stories, the gay content is still there, if you're willing to look at it that way. I know I am.
My edition has no information about the writing of these stories, but if I remember the introduction to The Life to Come correctly, all of these were written before World War I, even though the second collection came out in 1928. If you're accustomed to Howards End or A Room with a View, these stories are likely to strike you as strange. Many of them are allegorical fantasies, and while I love those, they don't seem to be much in vogue at the moment. Critics pounced on Collateral Beauty, for example, because the personifications of Love, Time, and Death are portrayed differently than expected. I'll admit that I had a hard time with Love the first time I saw it, but then you could argue that love doesn't come easily to me in real life either. I idealize the concept based on the fictions I've read and watched, and then get upset when it doesn't turn out the way I want. I guess that makes Keira Knightley better than I expect her to be.
Of the supposedly not-gay stories, this one is probably the gayest. A conventional English family is on holiday in Italy, and during a picnic, everyone feels a rush of panic and runs from the scene, all but the teenage son. He feels a delicious languor and stays, but doesn't talk about the experience. It seems like they're running from a suddenly blossoming gayness, and he welcomes it. Their guide warns them to let him stay out at night so that he doesn't die of unfulfilled longing, but of course they lock him up and he has to escape. His longing is for nature and privacy with a lovely Italian boy, so of course I see it as gay. It's like he was touched by the god Pan, but it's traditional society that starts to panic and constrain him. Life and health are to be found in the fulfilling of desire, while following societal conventions leads to illness and death.
Imagine life as a path we're all walking down, bounded on both sides by thick hedges. We see the dusty road and the hedges look dying and wilted. Protagonist slips to the other side, and sees that reality is wider and more full of life than he had imagined. Of course the hedge is death and he discovers an atheist nature lover's heaven, with grass and trees and streams. It's nice.
Does this sound like Hawthorne? It should. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a story called "The Celestial Railroad," a parody of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. In Bunyan, the pilgrim has to travel a long and difficult road full of temptations to reach the Celestial City, the allegorical heaven. Hawthorne's story is about taking the train instead of walking – you skip all those distractions (temptation, suffering, exertion) and go straight to the gates of the City. However, the train doesn't go through the gate; it turns sharply down and drags you to hell instead. Hawthorne wanted people to understand that you can't skip over the hard things in life, and there's no way to keep someone both sheltered and worthwhile. Truly decent people have enough experience of the world to have compassion for others and the ability to help them in their troubles, so you can't become decent by shutting yourself up and reading your Bible all day long.
Forster's omnibus doesn't go to the Christian Heaven. The boy who rides the bus goes to the place where stories come from and live, so he meets Achilles and Tom Jones and all the other characters from the books he's read. He tries to take his tutor there, but the older man insists that these stories should be kept separate and that these are good and those are not, so of course he suffers and can't stay. The story is about leaving children free to find joy in literature where they can instead of telling them which books to appreciate and why. To some extent, this is why I wasn't so great at teaching literature: I can't always articulate why I love a book, or why students should. I don't know how to communicate my own sense of beauty and wonder because I'm so frequently left speechless by them. It's a bad idea to try to teach a book that leaves you without words. I also share the protagonist's universal love of literature; I love all the wrong things.
It's a common enough story. A girl who is pretty and imaginative catches the eye of a man who is rich and conventional. He claims to value her for the wildness she brings into his life, but he immediately contains it and forces her into his own conventionality. It was never about valuing her sense of adventure; it was about taming her to prove his own power. It's a sad story about a woman who wants a place of her own and the husband who ruins it for her.
I took myself in, and for a time I certainly took in Emily. I have never known a girl attend so carefully to my sermons, or laugh so heartily at my jokes. It is no wonder that I became engaged. She has made an excellent wife, freely correcting her husband's absurdities, but allowing no one else to breathe a word against them; able to talk about the sub-conscious self in the drawing-room, and yet have an ear for the children crying in the nursery, or the plates breaking in the scullery. An excellent wife – better than I ever imagined. But she has not married me.
The curate meets a faun in the woods and gets blocked from the heterosexual marriage narrative. He took the girl and a neighbor boy on a picnic, and the faun (invisible to them) got the girl and boy together instead of helping the curate get the girl for himself. There's a bit of Midsummer Night's Dream in this. In the end, the curate realizes he's happier without marriage, which has often been the conclusion of homosexuals who strike out with the opposite sex. As with the panic story above, proximity to nature and existence outside the marriage narrative seems to indicate there's some gayness. Were I directing this as a play, the gayness would be more obvious, but a closeted first-person narrator isn't going to slip up and reveal anything.
This is the story I've seen anthologized the most, but I don't see it as all that different from the others. I guess someone just picked this one (having an old man who changes might appeal to the old men who made the selections long ago) and then everyone else kept picking it because it was cheaper than asking the printer to set a different story.
Another conventional English family is traveling in Italy when their old man finds a spring of water bubbling up inside a dead tree. He stands inside the tree, in the spring, and feels a sudden restoration of youth and energy. He wants to stay, but his family insists he push on with them. They literally sneak up behind him, pick him up, and place him on the donkey when he tries to stay. With the best intentions, they ruin the end of his life. After they leave, there's a natural disaster and the area is destroyed. Did nature throw a tantrum because he left, which he could have averted by staying? Did his children steal him from a happy death and force him into a miserable life? However you choose to interpret it, it seems that no one is free from the bonds of society – young and old, male and female, rich and poor, we're all circumscribed by the people we live among. It seems so necessary to choose carefully whom we live among instead of accepting life's default by living among our closest blood relations.
This begins the second group of stories, published in 1928. This also seems to be the story with the most scholarly work done on it. This is unusual for the collection because it's high-concept science fiction, more H. G. Wells than D. H. Lawrence. It's also very timely; people live in isolated, Matrix-like cells and communicate through the internet, constantly on a version of Facebook where they spend all day sharing their thoughts and watching videos. Forster makes them more like TED talks than like that one of the cat wearing a shark costume and riding a Roomba, but the concept is the same. The Machine feeds them and caters to their physical needs, except exercise and genuine human interaction. People are allowed to go outside, but they are discouraged from wanting to, and the guy who wants out eventually folds to peer pressure. Of course, what happens when the machine breaks down? They have to come up to the surface and try to live in the real world they've never seen. There are obvious ties to Huxley's Brave New World.
The protagonist ends up in hell because he doesn't understand the point of it. Forster's Bloomsbury friends claimed that they didn't get the point of it either. Scene 1: A sickly boy insists on rowing a boat across a difficult river, even though his companion is much more physically fit than he is. The effort kills him, but he dies happy. The friend doesn't understand. Scene 2: The friend goes on to live a quietly ordinary life following the path of least resistance that his class privilege lays before him (also race and gender privilege), never making waves, always going along to get along. He never understands the point of doing otherwise. Scene 3: The friend is in hell, a bleak desert of prone figures. He eventually figures out that he can stand up, walk to a river, and cross it into heaven, but he first has to understand what the point of it is. It seems obvious to me, the point is that exertion is its own reward, that resistance is necessary to a life worth living, that we all need to see ourselves as heroes. The path society sets before us leads to complacency, tedium, bleakness, and hell. The Stonewall patrons weren't trying to make history; they just got sick of being told they couldn't choose their own identities. The point of it is to resist enslavement by society's conventions, even if it kills you, because the alternative is a long, slow death and a longer, slower hell.
Mr Andrews has died and is going on up to heaven. He meets a Turkish fellow who is doing the same. They find heaven to be exactly as their religions taught them to imagine it, but with enough space for them both to have the heaven they believe in. They both find it boring after a while, and decide to join the World Soul instead, which is a far more ecstatic experience than they could have dreamed. The forms of organized religion are so limiting, and can't take us to ultimate happiness. For that, we have to let go of the forms and let reality take us where it wants us to go.
Protagonist is an unhappy music teacher. She has to teach pairs of girls the same duet all day long. It's part of the school's system of coordination, which means that everyone teaches the same topic in their different subjects. So, suppose this month the topic is Napoleon. The kids will read stories about the Wars in literature class, get the real history in their history class, see French armies in their word problems in math class, and study ballistics in science class. Some educators find it to be effective, but the forced conformity is here presented as stifling, and as with The Celestial Omnibus, Forster seems to advocate an educational system based on following the students' interest, with the chief aim to provoke delight rather than correct test answers. Aesthetic sensibility triumphs over strict regulation, and if the teacher is released from her position, that's really not such a bad thing.
As with many of the stories from the first half, we have a journey to Italy and a classical allusion. It starts with a young man losing his dissertation in the water (a similar thing happened in one of the stories from The Life to Come), and then he meets someone who tells him the story. You remember the sirens from the Odyssey; beautiful women who sing to men and lure them to their deaths. In this telling, you can only hear the song once, and if you're prevented from following it, you spend your whole life wasting away from desire, likely to drown yourself to be able to hear it again. Being touched by magic unfits you for the life of society, and you have to plunge into nature like the boy who gets fucked by Pan in that Panic story. You don't plunge, you die; you do plunge, you likely die anyway. Everyone dies; the question is, how? Do you live the life of daring and die reaching for a goal you can't reach, or do you live a life of quiet desperation and die with the knowledge that your life was wasted? This seems the question the siren asks, as well as Forster, but people are obviously better off if the question never occurs to them. It's easier to hate your life if everyone else does too; being called into a life of fulfillment is scary and could lead to death, but I think it might be better to taste fulfillment and die young than live to an old age and never feel complete or satisfied. Long and empty, or short and full? Realistically I know those aren't our only options, but it's hard to have a life you value if you don't risk it every now and again.
An elderly author comes back to Italy, where she had fallen in love with the young local who inspired her first novel. They each followed the conventional paths society chose for them: she remaining single and virginal, he becoming vulgar and overweight. Athletes who let their figures go can be so disappointing.
For she realized that only now was she not in love with him: that the incident upon the mountain had been one of the great moments of her life – perhaps the greatest, certainly the most enduring: that she had drawn unacknowledged power and inspiration from it, just as trees draw vigour from a subterranean spring. Never again could she think of it as a half-humorous episode in her development. There was more reality in it than in all the years of success and varied achievement which had followed, and which it had rendered possible. For all her correct behaviour and lady-like display, she had been in love with Feo, and she had never loved so greatly again. A presumptuous boy had taken her to the gates of heaven; and, though she would not enter with him, the eternal remembrance of the vision had made life seem endurable and good.
Which is why it's better to go ahead and enter the gates. A handsome man takes you off into nature and offers a pleasant, consensual experience, I say take it. I don't regret the sex I've had, but I do regret the opportunities I let pass by.
I seriously loved this story collection. It's weird and different and a little bit gay, and I think it's great. As I said, not typical of the novels of his I've read, but I like them so much more. In a shorter form, he really hits the theme of resisting conventions because society strangles people faster and harder than in the novels. These are good stories, and should be read more often than they are.


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Underwater Photography
Bali is a playground for underwater photographers and videographers when it comes to marine creatures and landscapes. The marine biodiversity range from soft coral, hard coral, macros, to various pelagic fishes, ready to be captured by your camera. It's hard not to take pictures of these beautiful creatures, both for amateur or professionals.
When it comes to underwater photography for Bali dive sites, we arrange private trips for people interested especially in underwater photography. Your group will not be mixed with non-photographers & videographers! Hence, there will be more time and tolerance for the whole team in the hunting of best underwater footages.
We customize your itinerary to the Bali dives sites, based on your availability and requested creatures you would like to see, whether it's shark, mantas, mola- mola (sunfish), crustaceans, and impossibly small invertebrates.
We will also help you with knowledge of the marine behavior and species information.
What kind of Underwater photography are you interested in?
Our recommended Bali dive sites for underwater photography
- Macro Photography
Tulamben, Seraya Secret, Padang Bay, Amed.
- Wide Angle Photography / Scenery
Tulamben, Amed, Padang Bay, Candidasa, Nusa Penida/ Nusa Lembongan, Menjangan Island.
- Underwater Fashion / Modeling / Pre-wedding / Product Photography
Menjangan Island, Tulamben – contact us for more info and we have our collection in our social media link.
Best offer: We have one the best super macro spotter in Bali, able to find tiny creatures, if you'd like to have a look at our collection here is the link.
Digital Underwater Photography Specialty workshop.
Sharing is caring!
Our love for underwater photography and the underwater world initiates us to share our sightings around Bali dive sites. In addition, we take pride in one of our Digital Underwater Photography Specialty 2-days course by PADI or SSI.
Yes, anyone can take an underwater photograph, but not everyone can do it well. So come pick a few tips and tricks to enhance your underwater photography skills in Bali.
The PADI Digital Underwater Photography course gets you going quickly with today's modern digital equipment, whether it's a point-and-shoot snap camera or a sophisticated D-SLR like the pros. With the guidance of a PADI Professional, you will develop your skills to captivating underwater photos, which includes macro and wide angle, also manual setting on your camera, which is — of course — extremely a needed skill and art to obtain the best underwater shot.
Duration :
1 day 2x dives
Dive 1 and Dive 2 involve understanding how to use your camera system and how to really improve the photos you take. Not stop there, we will also guide you the end! When we get back we will also teach you how to get those photos from your camera to your computer and how to do some basic editing in order to make the photo's look much nicer.
It is such a very fun and challenging course, isn't it?
ask for the schedule of workshop and request it if you want to have private course or private workshop.
Our Underwater Photography PADI instructor has many years of experience and ready to guide you in taking your best shots, whether you're a beginner or an experienced underwater photographer. In addition, we have the best macro spotter in Bali to help you capture the tiniest and most hidden marine creature.
We've shared our Bali Fun Diving shots in our Gallery and Social Media
For Underwater Videography – subscribe our You tube Channel – Bali Fun Diving
We love it, we love sharing about it, and we'd love you to love it too. Contact us for more love for underwater photography!


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Pine Street Creative Arts Centre operates out of 2 locations: The main premises at 64 Pine Street, Chippendale and also in the Harry Burland Activity Centre on the corner of Shepherd and Ivy streets in Darlington.
Dedicated, fully equipped facilities at the Chippendale facility include:
- ceramics studio with 10 potters wheels, 2 large kilns, and a clay recycling room
- printmaking studio with 3 print presses
- silver jewellery studio with a polishing machine, soldering area and a drilling table.
All of these studios have customised ventilation systems designed to make the spaces as safe as possible from fumes and dust.
At the Darlington facility, spaces include:
- a large open plan painting and drawing studio
- a state-of-the-art digital Mac studio, with the latest hardware and software.
Be the first to hear about upcoming workshops and events
Subscribe to Pine Street Creative Arts Centre newsletter.
Last updated: Tuesday, 10 December 2019


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62,30 €
89 €
Our Lena shirt will be your sunny days companion before, during, and after the bump!
In our exclusive summer print, it is perfect to be worn in a casual or dressed up way.
Its nicely flared cut is perfect, and its high-end fabric in cotton will bring you sweetness and comfort.
New product
For our Lena printed shirt,
Size S corresponds to 36/38 (FR)
Size M corresponds to 40 (FR)
Size L corresponds to 42/44 (FR)
Lou, our pregnant model, is 5'8" and is wearing a size M.
Clémence, our non pregnant model, is 5'7" and is wearing a size S.


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NCSITE Officers Embark on Digital Journey of Blogging
…or "How to Post to the Involver blog on NCSite.org"
If you are a current NCSITE officer or aspire to be one in the future, one of the new responsibilities (and we will make sure to add it the Operations Manual next year) for NCSITE leaders is to occasionally post articles to this Involver Blog on ncsite.org.
Before you start to consider resigning your post, know that the process is actually quite easy and it only takes a few simple steps to contribute to the website and keep NCSITE members informed on what is happening in the organization.
Just follow these simple steps below:
- Go to ncsite.org, click on MEMBER LOGIN, and log into your profile with your username (typically membership number) and password.
- After logging in you will see a black WordPress bar at the top of the website. This signifies that you have some contributing role in the NCSITE website. These roles are broken down into several categories explained here:
- Administrator – somebody who has access to all the administration features (membership, events, webpage editing, etc.) within the site.
- NCSITE.org Administrators: President, Vice President, Secretary, Operations Chair, Membership Chair, Executive Associate, website consultants
- Editor – somebody who can publish and manage posts including the posts of other users.
- NCSITE.org Editors: TEC Chair, TPC Chair
- Author – somebody who can publish and manage their own posts.
- NCSITE.org Authors: SDITE Representatives, Section Directors, SIC Chair, CVC Chair, Users Group chairs, Local Meetings Chair, and Claire Brinkley
- Administrator – somebody who has access to all the administration features (membership, events, webpage editing, etc.) within the site.
- In order to start a new post, mouse over NEW on the WordPress bar and click POST under it when the drop-down appears. Give the page a second and a user-friendly entry screen for adding a new post will come up. The layout is mostly self-explanatory and similar to a miniaturized word processing program. You do not need to know code and HTML to author a post.
- Simply begin by adding the title. Try to come up with a headline rather than just a generic title. For example, rather than "How to Post to the Involver Blog on NCSite.org," you might come up with something like "NCSITE Officers Embark on Digital Journey of Blogging." I know….you will have to fire up those synapses on the right side of your brain, but you can do it.
- Once you have a title, go over to the Categories box on the right side and select one main category and a subcategory below it, if appropriate, that summarizes the theme of your post.
- For most officers, you will select ARTICLES and EVENT REVIEW because you will be posting about one of your recent meetings or outings.
- NCSITE NEXT is for articles discussing new initiatives and improvements for the Section.
- EVENTS is for news on upcoming events.
- GENERAL NEWS is for… wait for it… SURPRISE, general news items. Council meeting minutes can go here.
- JOBS BOARD for job postings.
- PROJECTS feeds the project slides on the home page. Stay away!!!
Confused, yet…maybe this just reminds you of a movie you saw once.
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- You are also encouraged to add photos to your post. This is a simple task. Just click in the text where you want to add the photo and click on the ADD MEDIA button above the toolbar. Here you will see the NCSite.org library of images and documents. The photo or document you want may be here, but more than likely you will have to add it to the library.If it is not already on your screen, click on the UPLOAD FILES tab and choose the image files to add to the library. Note the size of your photo before uploading it to the website. Resize photos to 800 pixels wide for full-page width, and proportionally for ¼-, ½-, and ¾-page width.
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WELCOME TO BLOGGING! The NCSITE Secretary thanks you.


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A quick meet and greet is preferred before your dogs first stay with Little Heart K9.
It's important to us that you feel comfortable and confident with your dogs daycare or boarding stay.
Aside from having good social skills and getting along well with others, your dog should: let me grasp his/her collar, be responsive when his/her name is called, and obey basic commands such as sit, down, come and leave it; and be 110% housebroken. Please remember, your dog is a guest in my home.
Dogs of all sizes are welcome. That means that dogs are socialized based on their temperament and energy level, not their size.
Picky eater? Supplements? Medications? Special needs? Ongoing training? Behavioral issues? Easy, happy-go-lucky? No problem! Talk with us, the more we know about your dog, the happier everyone will be.
We look forward to having your dog stay with us! We'll keep in touch with pictures and videos, we know how meaningful it is to see that all is well while you're away. Our Facebook page is updated daily.
Questions, Suggestions?
Little Heart K9 is here for you and your fur kid(s), we're always open to questions or suggestions.


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Summer dive-in movies are canceled.
Dive into the movies at the outdoor pool! Children ages 9 and under must be accompanied by an adult. The pool opens at 7:30 p.m. The movie begins at dark.
Admission is included with membership or $5 per person. Children ages 3 and under are free.


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Printed Fabric Bags of all types, please call us now on: (0115) 9410600
There are many types of Fabric Bags some that you might not immediately even think are classified as fabric rather than plastic.
Fabric Carrier Bags are often categorised as a bag for life or re-useable shopping bag, generally speaking they have a longer life span and can be used many times over giving them the reputation as being eco friendly bags.
Please see below a range of fabric carrier bags offered by Oversolve.


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Stories from a rooftop
The wedding for Mia & Emil has come to an end. After this shot I put the camera down. Relax. I start to talk with the father of the groom. He's an artist, a musician. I like talking to him. We have things in common. He tells me about his life. About Emil & Mia. It's been a beautiful day. I did my best to capture it. I hope he will look at the images one day and remember the day. Remember what he felt that day. Remember the love. Remember what they share. What they all have together.
genial!!! me encanta todo de esta toma andreas buen tratamiento del color.
I love pictures of them jumping like karate kid on the beach. Fantastic job!!!
muy bonito andreas, can't wait for our wedding
Stunning and scheming…
Rad shot Brother, I can hardly wait for the full post 🙂


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Rossoto, William
American Contemporary
A few years ago multi-media artist William Rossoto was introduced to the world of players by way of a friend who wanted a film created about his life in the Polo world. While William filmed numerous Polo events, doing personal interviews with the players, and traveling to many Polo Ranches, William gained a keen interest in the beauty and athleticism of the horses and players. Considered an elite sport by many people and a world not easily accessible, William found the riders to be very humble, kind, and open to conversation.
When the idea of painting Polo horses and players manifested, William searched for a fresh perspective to express his love of horses, the sport, and the players. Mixing traditional and modern elements, his paintings express the strength, athleticism, and beauty of the players and the horses in motion. His vibrant colors, geometric elements, and use of mixed media produces an unusual fusion of figurative and abstract ingredients designed to give the viewer a sense of the exhilaration and power experienced by the Polo players.


text: Shark attack by Harry Pavlidis April 9, 2012 Shark Spellcheck F7 Jeffrey Alan Samardzija Starting pitcher Call him what you want, but Jeff Samardzija's impressive spring training carried over into the regular season. In just his sixth big league start, and first since the end of 2010, the former Notre Dame wide receiver was one Starlin Castro throwing error away from a complete game. It was his first time past the sixth inning. He's been through many changes, but the raw athlete seems to have emerged fully formed. Dead set on starting in 2012, he forced his way into a crowded rotation situation and went from dark horse to middle of the rotation in a matter of weeks. Going back to the start of 2011, Samardzija had lost some of the impressive velocity he had shown earlier in his career. As his mechanics settled down and became more consistent, he gained about three mph and improved his numbers along the way. 2011 splits 1st 2nd Kp9 9.1 8.7 Bp9 5.9 3.9 K/B 1.5 2.2 ERA 3.48 2.23 babip .255 .258 You may have noticed the jump in speed from Samardzija's first PITCHf/x outing of the year and his most recent. That first outing came in spring training, and was after good reports were already coming out of Mesa. Now, the lack of speed was no concern, too early in the year for that. But there was something in the PITCHf/x that jumped out and lent credence to the "different pitcher" meme that was starting to percolate. Let's compare the last 119 pitches Samardzija threw last year (back to Sept. 9) to the 108 he threw against Washington on Easter Sunday. Sept. 2011 Easter 2012 Fastball 28 @ 97 mph 34 @ 96 mph Sinker 52 @ 97 25 @ 96 Slider 26 @ 88 23 @ 86 Splitter 13 @ 89 20 @ 87 Cutter n/a 6 @ 92 While Samardzija was a notch slower over the course of his start relative to last September's relief appearances, it was just a single mph and his fastest inning was the ninth, where he averaged over 97 mph with his four-seam. There's a little more separation between the hard stuff and the slider/splitter now and he's added, or re-added, a solid 92 mph cutter. The presence of the clean cutter was the most noteworthy aspect of his Cactus League PITCHf/x data, and it was nice to see him to continue to mix it in. The fastball/sinker mix will vary for many pitchers, including Samardzija. Variation can come from the number of left- vs. right-handed batters (if the pitcher has a platoon preference) or the direction of the wind (if the pitcher plays in Wrigley Field). Sometimes it's a matter of feel or even the catcher. Who knows,but he threw quality 97 mph sinkers in his Easter start while not leaning as heavily on them as he has sometimes in the past.


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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The company planning a football stadium in downtown Los Angeles has selected the architecture firm Gensler as the proposed venue's designer.
AEG said in a release Friday that the Los Angeles-headquartered architecture firm's selection represented a milestone in the planned 64,000-seat stadium's development.
Gensler was one of three finalists, along with Kansas City, Mo.-based HNTB and Dallas-headquartered HKS, that AEG was considering as architect for the venue that planners say will cost some $1 billion.
The firm was also the principal architect of AEG's adjacent Staples Center indoor arena.
AEG is vying with planners of a rival NFL stadium proposal about 15 miles east of Los Angeles in the city of Industry. Neither has secured a team.
(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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I created a new Facebook cover photo the other day. Feel free to use it!
Category: Just for Fun
How true is this quote?! How often do you find yourself struggling to move forward in your business? Are you drawing a blank for your next creation?
Sometimes, we just have to go back to the basics.
Facebook Wall Cover:
So let go, my soul…
I enjoy creating social media covers and images; it's my favorite way to express myself!
The image below was inspired by the Christian song It is Well by Kristene DiMarco & Bethel Music. Click here to listen to this beautiful song on YouTube.
Facebook Cover:


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China, the world's most populous nation, is at the very brink of becoming an urban country, according to the first details of last year's census.
Almost half the 1.34 billion-strong population – 49.7% – now live in cities, compared with just a fifth when economic reforms began in earnest in 1982. The finding is among the results of the largest ever population-counting exercise in the world: a project so vast it required 6 million census takers.
Although the annual average growth rate has slowed since the last survey was taken, from 1.07% to 0.5%, China still added more than 73.9 million people over the decade: more than the entire population of the UK.
The figures, released today by the National Bureau of Statistics, underline the enormous challenges facing a country with a rapidly ageing population and huge demographic shifts. They also highlight arguments about the need to reform the country's strict one-child birth control policies.
The number of young people fell sharply as a proportion of the population, with under-14s accounting for just 16.6% of the population, down 6.3 percentage points from 2000. Meanwhile, the number of people over 60 rose by nearly three percentage points, to 13.3% of the total population.
China must now sustain the remarkable development that has made it the world's second largest economy with a shrinking workforce and growing number of dependents.
Officials believe that without the strict one-child policy – which actually allows many in the countryside and some in the cities to have two children – the population would have grown by an extra 400 million people over the last three decades. But it was only supposed to last for 30 years and many now believe the country needs to move towards a uniform two-child policy, to tackle the issue of ageing and perceptions of unfairness.
In a meeting of senior leaders ahead of the release of the figures, China's president, Hu Jintao, said the country should adhere to the basic state policy of family planning, maintain a low birth rate and deal with its population problems, the state news agency Xinhua reported.
Although some read that as a repudiation of change, others saw it as a public acknowledgement of debates on how to manage family planning. The remarks do not rule out changes to the rules, which would almost certainly be made gradually because officials fear that abrupt shifts could cause an enormous boom in births. The authorities have gradually introduced a series of exemptions in recent years.
Wang Feng, a population expert and director of the Brookings-Tsinghua Centre for Public Policy in Beijing, told the Associated Press that Hu's comments were "highly significant". "I take this as an important signal that the debate has reached a high level and that changes will be on the way," he said.
Ma Jiantang, commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics, said his understanding of Hu's speech was that China "needed to follow closely the new situation and changes. On this basis we will have further studies and research on the rules."
The one-child policy has also contributed to the large gap between male and female births, although experts believe other factors play a bigger role: India, which has no such policies, has a similar disparity. Ma said the number of excess male births was slightly higher in 2010 than 2000, with 118.06 boys to every 100 girls, up from 116 to every 100. But the trend was unclear, with a 2009 sampling showing 119.45 boys to every 100 girls.
"We take the challenges reflected in this figure very seriously and will adopt more effective measures including promoting gender equality and equal remnuneration ... We are confident the ratio will gradually move towards a normal one," he said.
Ma thanked all those involved in the mammoth effort to enumerate the population and "in particular those comrades who sacrificed their lives for the census".
"They will forever stay with us and we will forever remember them," he said.
The bureau said the deaths were "mostly due to health and working issues" but did not give any further details.
Other figures issued on Thursday indicate striking social changes. The average household has shrunk from 3.44 people to 3.1, thanks to an increasing tendency for young couples to live alone – rather than with parents – as well as declining fertility and rising migration.
The number of migrants living outside their registered township rose by more than 100 million, to 221 million, in the last decade, the figures showed. The astonishing expansion in higher education is also documented. In 2000, 3,611 people in every 100,000 had been to university; by last year that had more than doubled to 8,930.


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I pretty much exhausted myself yesterday listing all the percussion instruments we are using and finding pictures of them. And I left out the cowbell! (Yes, there's cowbell, quite a bit of it! I think it falls into the category of "noisy instruments.")
But what about the music that we are performing with all of these instruments? That also falls into categories, sort of:
1. Loud, wild music
2. Quieter, sensitive music
3. Dance music
4. Fun music
5. Music that I can't put anywhere, or belongs everywhere.
Let's see, loud, wild music: That would be a the Prelude to Carl Orff's Catulli Carmina. We all know his Carmina Burana, or Songs of Beuren. This is Catulli Carmina, songs of the ancient Roman poet Catullus. It's similar to its more famous sister piece, with driving rhythms, lots of percussion, and repetition of melodies; if you know Carmina Burana, you couldn't fail to recognize that this is the same guy. The Catullus text is about love, boy meets girl. Okay, it's not about love, it's about sex. In fact, it's quite graphically about sex. It's so much about sex that it's a damned good thing it's in Latin. If you are bringing your kids, you might not want to let them read the translation, though I've left out the, um, juiciest parts.
That opens the program. And closing it is Dance Music, which is also Fun Music, of course: two fun Caribbean sambas by Geneseo composer Glenn McClure. Originally written for steel pans or steel drums, we are performing these pieces on Central American marimbas (and drum set, shakers, congas…). The audience might want to brush up on their samba before the concerts this weekend. Soloists in this piece, which is called St Francis in the Americas: A Caribbean Mass, are Valene Synakowski and Dave Scheiber, with help from Jean Leonard and Derek Stannard. I'm not sure if St. Francis ever visited the Americas, but if he did, he would have danced a samba, I guess.
More tomorrow. We have a big rehearsal tonight and I have to go practice the dance steps.
Catullus, of coursus


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After some unintentional speed work earlier in the week, and easy runs the rest of the week, I had a progression run planned for today but due to the uncertainty of this project launch and the training, my schedule has been a bit crazy and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do it. As luck would have it, (or not have it), when I woke up this morning the project was still not ready, so I got to do the progression run and if I do say so myself, I nailed it!
I didn't have a lot of time for a cool down and to walk the dogs so I combined the two. GENIUS! The dogs were happy about it too because typically they wait for me to take a shower and they didn't have to do that today.
Shortly after we left the house we got to the grass patch where the dogs like to do their 'business'. There was another neighborhood runner there that I had seen earlier in the morning. I don't know her very well as she's only been running for around 3 weeks or so, just long enough time to make her a professional or an expert.
So, I'm there with the dogs asking them to hurry because 'mommy doesn't have all day guys, we've got a busy day' and I know she heard me because she was right behind me. Anyway, she says hi and we make a bit of small talk and she asked me how many miles I ran this morning and I tell her that I ran a 5 mile progression run. And then she asks me what my splits were and I tell her that I haven't even looked and then I remember it's on my phone so I pull it out and we look at it and she says, 'oh no, you ran that wrong, that's not how you run a progression run'.
And I'm not crazy, I mean I know my dogs can't talk but I swear Boomer looked up at me with his big ol' brown eyes and he said 'Oh no she di'int!'
She did Boomer, Oh yes, she did. Momma bought to go off.
For the record, here are my splits:
But I indulge her and ask her why she feels that my progression run is wrong and she informs me that I didn't cool down with a proper mile and that I didn't run fast enough in the middle. I gently informed her that a progression run is when you start slow and finish fast and that while there are many types of progression runs typically you don't want to increase your speed too quickly but increase steadily and then finish fast.
I told her that I usually start out training with 5 mile progression runs and gradually increase to 10 mile progression runs as my training progresses. And then I asked her what race she was training for and she said, 'well I haven't run any races yet but I'm thinking of running the Clearwater Ultra.'
That's a 50K y'all! She's been running 3 weeks. Did I mention that?
Don't get me wrong, I wasn't being bitchy. Okay, maybe I was a little but lately I've been a bit frisky and it is Friday but it kind of unnerves me when the New Years Resolutioners' (Is that a thing?) get all hyped up on a sport and suddenly, they're an expert. It's a bit annoying and today I decided to have a little fun with it and correct a bitch.
As I was leaving I told her it was great that she was really enjoying running and learning so much about the sport and that I admired her dedication and I truly meant it, I did. But I also told her to be careful and use caution before giving anyone advice but if she still felt inclined to do so to always preface it with, I'm not an expert or a professional but in my opinion.
You know, like all of us professional running bloggers do. 😉
Happy Friday y'all!
When is the last time someone tried to give you running advice? Did you get mad or did you laugh? Or did you listen? And most importantly, were they right?


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Sandeep Sejwal, Supriya Mondal Achieve B Qualification Mark For Olympics
Swimmers Sandeep Sejwal and Supriya Mondal, having surpassed the B qualification mark, are aiming to secure an A mark to ensure direct qualification to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Sandeep Sejwal has achieved B qualification for the Olympics
Sejwal also took part in the 2012 London Olympics
Supriya Mondal has also achieved the same qualification mark
Swimmers Sandeep Sejwal and Supriya Mondal have surpassed the B qualification mark for the 2016 Olympics at the 59th Malaysian Open Swimming Championships in Selangor, Malaysia.
Competing in their first international event of the year, both the Indian swimmers also won gold medals in their respective events.
Sandeep clocked a meet record time of 1:02.45 in 100m breaststroke, while Supriya dished out a National record breaking performance of 2:00.54 in 200m butterfly.
The talented duo currently train under Dronacharya Awardee coach Nihar Ameen at Dolphin Aquatics in Bengaluru and will feature next at the 2016 Japan Open Swimming Championship scheduled to be held in Tokyo between May 20-22.
Sandeep is a bronze medallist from the 2014 Asian Games and an Arjuna Awardee, while young Supriya has represented India at the 2014 Youth Olympics and last year won silver medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa.
Speaking after the event, an elated Nihar Ameen said, "The success of both Sandeep and Supriya is a testament to their dedication to practice and the commitment towards putting their best foot forward at every training session. Having surpassed the 'B' mark our next aim is to secure 'A' mark and ensure direct qualification to the 2016 Olympics."
Both Sandeep and Supriya are part of the GoSports Foundation's Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship Programme presented by Aditya Birla Financial Services.
The programme provides financial support, access to top sport science expertise and mentorship and guidance to talented Indian athletes from across Olympic disciplines.


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Interior designer Penny Southam has fused the traditional arts and crafts style of her 95-year-old Hintonburg home with clean, contemporary lines.
When Penny Southam purchased her single-family home in Ottawa's Hintonburg area seven years ago, she knew she had found a diamond in the rough. With its original woodwork and linear lines intact, the award-winning designer and president of Southam Design Inc. has since made the most of its arts and crafts styling while adding the warm contemporary features she's known for. Penny recently sat down with Ottawa At Home to discuss how she's transforming her home into a restful retreat for her busy family, which includes five-year-old daughter, Kaleigh, and two-year-old son, Morgan.OTTAWA AT HOME: What drew you to this three-storey home?
PENNY: My husband, Todd, and I really liked that all of the woodwork and the exposed beams in the dining room were what they would have been when it was built more than 90 years ago. It's really hard to find houses of that age where all of the woodwork hasn't been painted over or removed.OAH: What's your favourite room?
PENNY: I really love the living room and dining room, and then of course the kids' rooms and the bathroom are favourites too. I also like the outdoor spaces that we've done, with the Nova Scotia slate flagstones we used on the front walkway and all of the plantings we've done in the backyard. I've just started to learn all about perennial gardening so every year I add more and I'm learning season by season.OAH: What are your favourite pieces in the living room?
PENNY: Absolutely the portrait of my grandmother, Dorothy Southam - she was a driving force in my life and I was very close with her. I'm so lucky to have it and it's the focal point of the living room. It's the first thing anyone sees. I also have a few of her lamps and the needlepoint of the Rockcliffe home my grandfather, Hamilton Southam (who is known as the founding father of the National Arts Centre), grew up in. It's part of my history.OAH: Your kids' rooms are very special - what gave you the ideas for the murals?
PENNY: The baby's room was Kaleigh's originally - hence the flowers, but we'll put some lions and other animals in there as Morgan grows up - and I wanted to do something unique, fun and interesting. A friend of mine and I painted it together. He did the tree and I filled in the flowers and birdhouses. The princess room is all about Kaleigh - she's five and, like every girl of her age, princesses are their main focus. That one was a lot easier to conceptualize and we hired a professional muralist, who was fabulous and completed it in only three days. I thought it would be really fun to build a little fort in her room. Given that she's on the third floor, we borrowed a little space in the knee wall to create her playhouse. We had a lot of fun with it.OAH: The design for your upstairs main bathroom, which is less than seventy-five square feet, won awards for its creativity. What are its unique features?
PENNY: The bathroom is a room that's short on storage and a small space. We wanted something that's beautiful that showed some of the style I work with on a daily basis, but is also friendly for children. Storage-wise, the pull-outs behind the shower are a huge component and they're well used. The fun part is the integrated pull-out step so the kids can reach the sink. Every parent who has to deal with the rubber step stools knows what I'm talking about and I didn't want one of those in my beautiful bathroom. The other standout feature is the custom glass panel that Delfina Falcao made. She's done some wonderful pieces for my clients and she's a fabulous artist.OAH: You're known for contemporary design in your work for clients, so what drew you to the arts and crafts style at home?
PENNY: What I do tends to be a warm contemporary - something that is comfortable for people to live in, but at the same time has clean lines. I love balance, proportion and how everything comes together in the details. Even though I tend to design contemporary, when you look at the arts and crafts movement, with Frank Lloyd Wright and McIntosh, it's all about detail, balance and proportion.OAH: Are you seeing any changes in what your clients are looking for in terms of design trends?
PENNY: In Ottawa, I'm seeing a real shift to contemporary, much more so than even five years ago. You see that in residences and commercial applications - from restaurants to spas. More and more people are going to boutique hotels and they want to bring that home.OAH: What's your next big renovation plan for your home?
PENNY: Definitely the kitchen. It's the one we inherited with the house and the initial plan was to renovate it within a year, but seven years later it's still not done. I'm so busy with work and my kids that I very rarely have time to get to my own personal spaces and the kitchen has been on hold for that reason. I could opt to do something more contemporary in it, but I've chosen to go with something keeping in the arts and crafts movement. I'll be using a Shaker-style door, old iron hardware and probably soapstone counters. We're hoping to do it next spring - it will be fabulous when it's done.


text: HIP-HOP Lil Kim Claims PayPal Sales Record For Mixtape, Nicki Minaj Replies 2/16/2011 by Mariel Concepcion FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Following yesterday's (Feb. 15) release of her "Black Friday" mixtape, which features a decapitated Nicki Minaj look-a-like on the cover, Lil Kim is now claiming the tape has sold more than 113,000 copies through PayPal in 28 hours, setting an all-time record. Lil Kim Beheads Nicki Minaj on Bloody 'Black Friday' Mixtape Cover "Thanks to you guys!! #lilkimblackfridaymixtape sold 113,000 copies in 28 hours which made me the #1 seller on paypal ever =) THANK U!" Kim tweeted, later stating she crashed the money transfer site due to "too many hits." Instead of giving the mixtape away for free, "Black Friday" is selling for $10 a copy. If the sales numbers are indeed accurate, it's a step up for Lil Kim, whose 2005 release, "The Naked Truth," sold 109,000 copies in a week in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Nicki Minaj wasted no time taking to her own Twitter page and responding to Kim and her claim. "Bwaahhhhahhahahahahahahhahahhhaaahhhhhaaahahahahhhaha!!!!!!!! *lifeless* *leaves on stretcher* *cant go on*," Minaj commented. "The devil is a liar." Minaj's own album, "Pink Friday," sat atop the Billboard 200 chart last week. Kim later shot back by tweeting, "#twitterbeef This is not beef. Real beef is when someone gets shot 5 minutes later. CHILD PLEASE!!! #toomanytwittergangstas #teamlil kim LEGO." The last time Lil Kim took a stab at Nicki Minaj was with the release of the diss track "Pissin On Em," a remake of Minaj's own "Sh*tted On Em." 01 LIL' KIM Pissin On EM_www.djmatics.com by DJMatics FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME


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Maia lost her first tooth last weekend! She was very excited about her wiggly tooth and kept talking about the tooth fairy—sharing all the interesting facts that she knew about tooth fairies (and surely learned from the other 6 year olds at school). And, of course, she knew the whole routine about putting the tooth under your pillow.
But she lost her tooth in the middle of the night! It was simply missing when she woke up. We searched her bed and bedroom and finally decided that she must have swallowed it during the night.
Maia was very concerned that she didn't have her tooth to put under her pillow so she wrote the tooth fairy a note to explain what happened. Luckily the tooth fairy was understanding. Maia was so thrilled with her dollar coin (she thought it was gold) that she put together a gift for the tooth fairy with half the coins from her piggy bank and and a few more written notes! Lucky tooth fairy.
And now Maia has a new smile!
I'm curious. What does the tooth fairy leave for the kiddos in your house?


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|Kea giving kisses with his feral cat friend, "Sister".
|Kind of hard to tell which ones real, eh?
Have a great weekend all!
Fuzzy Hugs all Around,
Queen B.
My journey through ocean and land; collecting experiences and adventures to become more smoothly rounded and boldly beautiful.
|Kea giving kisses with his feral cat friend, "Sister".
|Kind of hard to tell which ones real, eh?
These Photos are awesome!!! You rock! I can't wait to hug you! I'm on my way, commenting on your beautiful blog from the airport! EEek!ReplyDelete
Cool, we rescued a Pom from the Maui pound too! Check him out :) http://www.tobyneal.net/2011/01/28/pono-means-do-the-right-thing/ReplyDelete
These photos are AWESOME!!! Thank you so much, Danielle, for your amazing eye and generous heart! We at Maui Humane are so appreciative of your support and dedication to our agency and animals!
Kea is a GORGEOUS cover model!!! :)
Much love and Aloha to you!
Danielle, thank you for the wonderful photo shoot and for capturing the essence of our precious Kea...and "Sister" one of our feral cats and one of Kea's pals. She certainly deserves equal time! You are awesome, and I loved sharing my "family" with you. Kea says hi and sends licks.
Candy A.
of course like your website but you need to check the spelling on several of
your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling issues and I in finding it very troublesome
to tell the reality nevertheless I'll surely come again again.
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andy and Nane felt a Hawaiian name more suitable, since his "Dad" is Native Hawaiian. Kea means "white" in Hawaiian, (very suitable!).limo waileaReplyDelete


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"He's the kind of person who gets paroled."
OJ Simpson will be up for parole this Summer and according to analysis from Sports Illustrated legal analyst and University of New Hampshire law professor Michael McCann and co-writer Jon Wertheim, he may be granted early release.
OJ, now 70 years old, has been locked up at Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada since 2008, when he was sentenced to 33 years for a number of charges including conspiracy, burglary, robbery, kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon- all stemming from an incident at a Las Vegas hotel room where he tried to reclaim memorabilia.
According to the SI report;
"The decision to grant parole is, by definition, discretionary. But it is a decision that Thomas Patton, a former chairman of the parole board in Nevada, stresses is conducted through a "very comprehensive review," weighing 11 largely objective factors. Between -1 and +2 points are allocated for each criterion. Inmates exceeding five points are classified as a "medium" or "high" risk and are unlikely to be granted parole. Score fewer than five points, and odds swing the other way. In 2013, Simpson scored three points, falling into the "low risk" category. He seems likely to do well again in 2017."
McCann and Wertheim outlined the 11 factors that will go into the decision to grant OJ parole, as well as his score in each:
- Age at the time of first arrest (0 points)
- Prior probation or parole revocation (0 points)
- Employment history immediately before arrest (0 points)
- Offense leading to current or prior convictions (2 points)
- History of drug or alcohol abuse (0 points or 1 point)
- Gender (1 point)
- Current age (-1 point)
- Active gang membership (0 points)
- Completed education, vocational or treatment program during prison term (-1 point or 0 points)
- Disciplinary write-ups (-1 point)
- Custody level (0 points)
The sum of those numbers falls between 0-2, meaning he'll be considered low risk and a good candidate for parole.
Las Vegas criminal defense attorney Daniel Hill told Sports Illustrated;
"He's the kind of person who gets paroled. He has done a significant amount of time and, by all accounts, hasn't caused any problems [while in prison]."


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As a main line builder, it is imperative for Cornerstone Construction Group to have the best window and door supplier. We found that partnership with North American Window and Door. Whether we are doing an entire home window replacement job, a custom design/build conservatory, or a historic renovation, NA Window and Door has the breadth of product offerings to fit Cornerstone's needs. Our sales and service contact at NAWD is Jim Hoffman. In addition to the products they offer, Jim's level of knowledge and service is unmatched. Working with Jim and NA Window and Door is comforting because we are treated like true partners and they have Cornerstone's and our client's best interest in mind. Keep up your top quality commitment to product and service.
For thirty years I have worked in Moorestown, New Jersey, a three hundred year old town with a broad mix of housing. One week we could be working on a house built in the 1700's, the next week a brand new colonial. We needed a window company that could meet our diverse needs. Kolbe Windows and Doors has done just that giving us a quality solution for any challenge we face.
We purchase our Kolbe products from North American Window and Door Company. Over the years they have provided excellent service including on time delivery and follow through. Steve Thompson is our North American representative and he is very knowledgeable and helpful. Steve knows that if we spend the time up front to get all the details correct the rest of the job will go smooth. With Steve and North American we get things right the first time.
As you know, we have worked with North American Window & Door (NAWD), specifying Kolbe & Kolbe Windows for nearly a decade now.
While we constantly reevaluate the products we choose for our clients, we return again and again to Kolbe, not only because of the excellent value that their products offer, but also due to the superior quality, design and performance. The "Sterling" line has served us well over the years and is our first choice for new work, as well as for replacement windows on more demanding historically certified projects. The custom options and accessories available from Kolbe, in both wood and extruded aluminum, provide the additional flexibility that we often require for our work, and even when we supply trimwork matched to historic profiles, the integration is flawless.
We deal with literally hundreds of product manufacturers, representatives and distributers every year and the service that we receive from NAWD is second to none. Your support during the design and specification phase of our projects has always been superb and that level of attention continues throughout the project and even long after completion. When we recommend Kolbe and NAWD to our clients we know just what level of service and commitment we can expect--every time. This world is not perfect and neither is Kolbe and NAWD, but on the rare occasion that there has been an "issue" to address, you have always responded promptly and with a definitive solution.
Many companies sell a good product at a good price, but for us it comes down to how that product is supported after the sale is made and the project is completed. In all cases, Kolbe and NAWD deliver. For our Clients, that is like "money in the bank"!
Thank you for all that you have done for us and for our clients over the last ten years, and we look forward to working with North American for many more years to come!
I wanted to thank you guys for the great time I had working with you on the project at Joe's Tavern in Bethlehem. Since we had never worked together before, I was a little apprehensive about the project. We cut the hole in the front of the building according to your measurements, so there was no room for error, and no time either, the business shut down for the project and faced a loss of business, as well as the employees losing pay. The unit fit like a glove, and it was installed in a day!
I was very impressed that you, yourself did the sales, ordering, and installation of the unit. Other companies I work with have a salesman sell the job. They hand it off to a second and third person, who have no idea what the job is about, and they usually have problems with the order. This was not the case with you. I'll be calling you for out next project, Thanks again!


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Warrior of the Shadows
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| "The three of you are hereby banished from Edoras." - Gríma Wormtongue
Due to ongoing changes in-game, this deed is now obsolete.
While this deed has been removed from the game, it still exists for characters who previously completed it, but it will no longer be bestowed.
Deed Lore
- The dwarves in the Deeps of Moria will need a great deal of help in overcoming the obstacles that await them in the Mines of Moria. Your assistance will be welcome, for there is much work to be done if Khazad-dûm is to be hospitable once more.
To complete this deed perform the following objective(s)
- Complete quests in the Deeps of Moria (40)
- You have begun to help the dwarves, but the riches of Khazad-dûm are still far from anyone's grasp, for many problems and foes still stand in the way of true progress.
|10 LOTRO Points
|Innocence: +1
|Increased Reputation with Iron Garrison Miners ( 900 )
Deed Chain Information


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Torben was the absolute champion, winning all three legs of the event that put together nine Olympic medallists and seven world champions.
In a sunny, middle-force winded Sunday in the waters of Guanabara Bay, in Rio de Janeiro, the decisive regattas of Match Race Brasil painted the city's postcard, with the Sugarloaf, the Christ, the Redeemer, the Santos Dumont Airport and the Rio-Niterói Bridge as a perfect canvas for the great Brazilian sport festival. More than 50 vessels and 800 people followed the matches around the course, not counting the crowd that watched from the Flamengo beach.
In the Guanabara Bay waters, Torben GRAEL proved to be the "King of Match Race". He won all three legs, clenching the title. "Watching from outside, it seems easy, but it was a tough job to get this results", said the six-time world champion and four-time Olympic medallist, who won two of the best-of-three regattas against Gastão BRUN, in the semifinals, and two more against Alan ADLER, runner-up in the third leg and also in the overall table of qualification. "I'm very pleased with the crew's evolution since the first leg, in Buzios. They are more adapted to each other, and have mastered the rules of this kind of competition".
With a six-year experience in Match Race, as a tactician for the Italian Prada Syndicate in the Louis Vuitton Cup and America's Cup, Torben says that you always can learn. "I was tactician in Prada, and now I'm helmsman. Everything was alright. We did well in the three legs". The winning crew was composed by helmsman Torben GRAEL, tactician Marcelo FERREIRA, plus Antonio CARLOS, Paes LEME, Clínio de FREITAS, Luís Carlos FRANÇA, Leite SIMÃO, Carolina BEJAR, Ricardo de FREITAS, in the mast and Colin GOMM in the bow.
Alan ADLER, tournament's runner-up, congratulated Torben for his performance in the finals of Ilhabela and Rio de Janeiro. "Torben's superiority in Match Race was unquestionable. He deserved the title and I'm happy with my team's performance", said the 39-year-old sailor, Star Class world champion in 1989 and silver medallist in the 2003 Pan-American Games.
Alan had more difficulties in the semifinals. He lost the first regatta to João SIGNORINI, but recovered in time. "We had bad starts in the two decisive regattas. It was fundamental to our defeat. I the Petit-Final, however, we did everything just right, sailed well and repeated the standing of the second leg, in Ilhabela", remembered Joca, selected for the Finn crew in the Olympic Games of Athens, in 2004. "In the fist leg we were in a very strong group, with Adler and Torben. Afterwards, with more experience and in more even groups, we got good results".
Starting December 12, Joca will sail in the Finn World Championship, also in the Rio de Janeiro Yacht Club. He only begun to sail in this class in 2002, but got a bronze in the Athens Pre-Olympic this very year, and secured an Olympic spot for the Brazilian team in the World Championship.
The event will grow in 2004. There will be 10 crews, with the top five of this year's edition, three selected in national qualifying rounds, organized by the Brazilian Sail Federation (FBVM, for the Portuguese initials) and another three invited by the organization, foreign preferentially, to raise the technical level of the competition.
Each crew will have to have at least two women, and in the first day there'll be a Woman's Cup, with two boats crewed by the 20 female sailors. The tournament is expanded by one day, starting on Thursday and finishing on Sunday. There'll be three legs, with the first one in May, the second in October and the last one in December, probably in Buzios, Ilhabela and Rio de Janeiro.
"We'll continue our goal to make sailing more popular, to show the important characteristics of a winning sport", said Enio RIBEIRO, director of Vela Brasil, the event organizer.
Leg Standings
1) Torben Grael
2) Alan Adler
3) Joca Signorini
4) Gastão Brun
5) Alex Welter e André Fonseca
7) Robert Scheidt e Marcos Soares
Final Classification
1) Torben Grael, 30 points
2) Alan Adler, 22
3) Robert Scheidt, 13
4) Joca Signorini, 13
5) Gastão Brun, 7
6) André Fonseca, 7
7) Alex Welter, 5
8) Marcos Soares, 5
World Sailing Newsletter
World Sailing Newsletter is the weekly online newsletter of World Sailing.
It features the latest news and events from the sailing world together with features and info in an easy-to-use format.
It features the latest news and events from the sailing world together with features and info in an easy-to-use format.


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Editor's Name and Phone Number:
This workshop sheet will help you attend to stylistic matters as you polish close-to-final drafts. If the writer needs to make major changes in content or organization, do not use this sheet. If you notice stylistic matters that this sheet does not address but that the writer should work on, be sure to discuss those with the writer.
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Director: Kathryn Bigelow, 2012 (R)
Kathryn Bigelow achieved fame with her Oscar win for the superb chaos of war movie, The HurtLocker in 2010. What she did for the war in the Middle East she does for the war on Al Qaeda in this superb and intense spy thriller. Nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award, it won't win as it is morally complex and has stirred up trouble in Hollywood for its depiction of torture. Most notably, she was snubbed a nomination for Best Director as a result.
The movie is about the hunt for and the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and it is reputedly based on first-hand accounts. It is centered on Maya (a superb Jessica Chastain, The Tree ofLife, another actress who seems to be everywhere these days), a young CIA agent whose single-minded obsessions ultimately leads to the successful conclusion of this hunt.
The opening scene is all sound and no picture. Against a black screen, we listen to the actual recordings of the phone calls made from the hijacked airliners on 9/11 in 2001. As we hear the fateful voices of those doomed to die in those terrible terrorist attacks that transformed our country, the mood is established. We all remember that fateful day. We remember where we were when we saw the twin towers come down. And we remember the violence perpetrated against a vulnerable public. This sets us up for the hunt for justice, or vengeance, that took another decade.
Zero Dark Thirty is military speak for 30 minutes after midnight, that time when the final assault on Bin Laden's secret hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan occurred. The film itself takes two hours and two acts to get to this third and final half-hour. But it needs to do so, to establish how much it took to find Bin Laden, and how much it cost, both for the hunters and the hunted.
It is in the first act, even the first few scenes, that the acts of torture, or "enhanced interrogation," are prominent. The first visual scene is powerful. Dan (Jason Clarke), a seasoned CIA interrogator, walks into a black site somewhere in the world, accompanied by several people in ski masks. Maya is one of the masked operatives. Standing imprisoned is an Al Qaedi. Dan tells this prisoner quietly , "Can I be honest with you? I'm not your friend. I'm not gonna help you. I'm gonna break you." He goes on, "When you lie to me, I hurt you." And he does, in a number of ways that force us as viewers to cringe and wonder if this torture will be effective. And when he says, "It's cool, that you're strong and I respect it. But in the end, everybody breaks, bro. It's biology," we believe it. We just wonder what it will take. It takes a couple of scenes of waterboarding, that technique that has been bashed by most people as horrible but has come to be most closely associated with the torture in the aftermath of 9/11.
In contrast, Paul Miller, assistant professor of International Security Affairs at the National Defense University in Washington DC, offers a strong response to such liberals. As one who has served in the army in Afghanistan and in the CIA as an analyst over the last decade, his credentials for an opinion seem unquestionable. In an article published in Christianity Today's Books and Culture entitled "Justice at Zero Dark Thirty", he says:
"The scene of waterboarding that Bigelow included in the movie is an accurate dramatization. If waterboarding itself did not literally provide the crucial link in the hunt for bin Laden, I am absolutely certain that some of the "enhanced interrogation" the United States conducted after 9/11 has been instrumental in preventing another 9/11 and keeping al-Qaida on the run. Let me say that again. With all the weight of ten years of work in the Army, the CIA, and the White House, I am absolutely certain that there would have been at least one, if not more, successful, large-scale terrorist attacks on the United States without the "gloves-off" measures used in the last decade."
He goes on to ask, "Is that just? Are torture and assassination permissible tools of self-defense?" He refers to Paul's words in Romans 13 about the moral duty of government to protect its citizens, and concludes that if executing a war criminal is justified so is enhanced interrogation to gather the information necessary to find that war criminal.
One of the three key scenes I took away from the film occurs as Maya is watching with her colleagues as President Obama is giving a TV interview. He declares that there will be no more torture, and this juxtaposes with the first act to transition the second act to straightforward investigation apart from torture. Maya seems saddened if not conflicted by this. As with the film, I will leave this issue for readers to work through themselves; Miller's article is a worthy read.
It is in the third act, that this gripping spy thriller turns into a subdued action film. Here, Maya's work culminates in a Navy Seal operation to go in under cover of darkness to kill Bin Laden. Using shaky-cam techniques, we vicariously go in with this team of experts not knowing for certain if he is even there. Playing out in almost real time, there is an intense feel, as we wonder even as we know the outcome.
The second theme of the film is the effects of this obsession on Maya. Jessica Chastain delivers a stunning Oscar-worthy performance (and she is nominated for Best Actress) as a person whose obsession drives the chase even when others are ready to give it up. But it changes her.
The opening scene of torture is key. She enters the interrogation room with a ski mask covering her face. But, when she goes back in moments later, she elects to leave her face bare, like Dan. She will face this for unprotected. She is in it 100%.
From rookie operative first joining Dan's team in Pakistan, the life of a CIA agent in a "friendly" country adjacent to Afghanistan begins to take its toll. Two bombings, one in a hotel and one in a military facility, shake her to the core. But it's the third scene, after she is back at CIA HQ in Langley where her confidence becomes apparent. She has already pointed out, "You can't run a global network of interconnected cells from a cave." Unlike her CIA counterparts who think Bin Laden is still in Afghanistan, she believes he is in a compound in Pakistan. When asked by the Director of the CIA if they believe Bin Laden is in the compound, most of her colleagues dance around the answer, saying they are 50% or 60% confident. Even Dan, her mentor (himself deeply impacted by his part in the torture), won't back her at this point. Yet, she states unambiguously she is 100% confident. She is ready to drop a bomb on the compound!
Maya goes from confused rookie, to conflicted leader, to confident facilitator. And at the end, she is watching her team take action based on her intelligence.
The final scene at the conclusion focuses the camera on Maya's face. In close-up, we see a single tear run down her face, and we are left to wonder: is she satisfied? Is she emotionally scarred? Will she go on? The movie leaves these questions unanswered.
Copyright ©2013, Martin Baggs


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Distinguishing Ourselves From the Crowd
There are four things setting us apart from other DWI defense firms. First, I've seen just about everything in the way of criminal charges and DWI, both from a prosecutor's point of view and from the defense during my 27 years of experience. Second is our work ethic. Since we do not accept every client who interviews with the firm, we maintain a small caseload which frees up time to invest in your case. We spend whatever time is necessary to obtain the best result possible under the circumstances. Third, my scientific education in chemistry, and my interest in science, make me well suited to DWI defense. This is especially true when cross-examining prosecutor experts, technical witnesses like nurses and phlebotomists, and when questioning property technicians. Lastly, our pure enjoyment of people and our desire to make a frightening process smoother and easier is something setting us apart. Beginning with the first person who answers the phone, all the way through case conclusion, our goal is to help the client in any way possible. We are deeply concerned about their welfare. This is what sets us apart.
High Priority on Customer Service
I set a high priority on customer service. Without excellent customer service a lawyer will not attract many clients. Our phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. After hours we have an answering service taking calls. For an urgent matter my service will contact me at home or locate me on my cell phone. I return those calls promptly. Further, I regularly meet with clients on the weekend, or after hours, to suit their schedule. Excellent customer service is important to me and I instill that into my staff members, as well. We know this is a stressful time for clients and we allow them to take the lead. If they need more time with us, then we make that possible. We make ourselves available at the client's convenience for personal or phone consultations.
What is the Next Step?
Your next step is to schedule an in-person appointment with a well-qualified and experienced DWI defense attorney. There are ALR deadlines and bond conditions to sort through quickly. Counseling must be considered and mitigation opportunities identified. The sooner you have retained the DWI defense lawyer of your choice, the sooner you can begin preparing a defense against these damaging and stigmatizing charges.


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Brewer Coffee Machine
Back Download
Brewer Coffee Machine is a household pour-over syphon coffee maker that employs the traditional syphon principle to revive pour-over coffee brewing methods. This concept is accompanied by a cutting-edge exterior shape, elegant craftsmanship and n exquisite way to enjoy life. Departing from the aesthetic of traditional syphon pots, the overall form of Open Boiled Tea Machine is composed of two geometrical circles and smooth lines that connect to form a figure of '8'. An image with the effect of flowing syphoned water is further incorporated to provoke a feeling of restfulness.
- Company:Guangdong Xinbao Electrical Appliances Holdings Co., Ltd, China
- Team Lead:Chen Long Hui
- Design:Chen Xi Rong, Liu Yu Lou, Yang Bin, Zeng Zhan Hui


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Old School Promotion
Some vintage bike advertisements of varying ages..
In my search for peddling pinups in my earlier post, I found myself lingering in websites featuring some older bicycle advertisements. What can I say? I'm an image addict!
I selected some of my favorites, varying from the turn of the century to the 70's and posted them for all to enjoy. They can be found in my photo album here


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MBT Arjun is a formidable tank, but can it replace Russian made T-90?
Battle tanks can be deadly war machines in certain kinds of terrains. A division of tanks can lend a powerful support to the infantry and crush the enemy defences when used in right conditions and terrain. In India's context, tank divisions are mostly used in borders areas of Rajasthan where desert poses a major challenge for other equipments to be moved into position in the event of war. Tanks are used both for offensive and defensive maneuvers of the army.
Most of India's tank fleet comprises of Russian made T-90s which is a modern variation of the T-72B and incorporates many features found on the T-80U. The T-90M Bhishma is a vehicle tailored for Indian service, improving upon the T-90S, and developed with assistance from Russia and France. The tanks are equipped with the French Thales-built Catherine-FC thermal sights, and utilise Russian Kontakt-5 K-5 explosive reactive armoured plates.
Our focus here is on ingenuously made Main Battle Tank Arjun. It is a state-of-the-art tank with superior firepower, high mobility, and excellent protection. The superior armour defeating capability of the ingenuously developed Fin Stabilized Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS) ammunition and 120 mm caliber rifled gun give MBT ARJUN an edge over contemporary world tanks. A computer-controlled integrated fire control system incorporating day-cum-night stabilized sighting system guarantees a very high first round hit probability and reduced reaction time to bring effective fire on targets.
The Arjun entered service with the Indian Army in 2004. The tanks were first inducted into the 43 Armoured Regiment, Indian Army Armoured Corps while the latest induction has been into the 75 Armoured Regiment on 12 March 2011.
The reason why the Indian Army relies heavily on T-90s is because of considerable delays and other problems in Arjun's development from the 1990s to the 2000s. This prompted the Indian Army to order T-90S tanks from Russia to meet requirements that the Arjun had been expected to fulfill.
In March and April 2010, comparative trials on the maneuverability of the Arjun MBT and the Russian T-90 tank in Rajasthan deserts resulted in a better performance from the Arjun tank.
Arjun vs T-90
If we compare specifications of Arjun and T-90, then we can see that Arjun is far more heavier than T-90. But, at the same time, Arjun has a 1400 hp engine as compared to 950 hp engine of T-90, which explains why the top speed of Arjun is 72 km/h, whereas that of T-90 is 60 km/h.
Arjun requires a crew of four to operate - commander, gunner, loader and driver. T-90 needs a crew of three to operate.
It was also reported that T-90s have had performance issues in extremely hot weather. Recent comments from Army sources indicate that the Russian T-90S will form the mainstay of its future force, despite that tank's performance issues in hot weather.
Although a formidable tank, Arjun (the original version) has had issues. The Arjun faced persistent problems of overheating and that "tank's main subsystems, the fire control system (FCS), the suspension system, integrated gunner's main sight, which includes a thermal imager and laser range-finder, which were rendered erratic and useless by the abnormally high peak internal temperature of beyond 55 °C in India.
Arjun Mk II
Recently, the Army had asked for 93 improvements in Arjun tank which includes the capability of firing the anti-tank LAHAT missile, laser protection suite and improved armoured protection for the vehicle.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chairman S Christopher last year said necessary modifications have been made to the advanced version of the indigenous Arjun Mark II main battle tank as recommended by the Army.
Arjun Mark II is the modified version of Arjun. As per DRDO, Arjun Mark II can fire missiles, has advanced explosive reactive armour panels, mine plough, automatic target tracking, advanced land navigation system, digital control harness and advanced commander panoramic sight among other features.
The Arjun Mark II is an advanced third generation tank.[citation needed] Its development was completed in 2 years owing to experience gained from developing the first version. It has outclassed the T-90 during comparative trials.
Regarding the trials, a Ministry of Defence press release reported: "After many years of trial and tribulation it has now proved its worth by its superb performance under various circumstances, such as driving cross-country over rugged sand dunes, detecting, observing and quickly engaging targets, accurately hitting targets, both stationary and moving, with pin pointed accuracy. Its superior fire-power is based on accurate and quick target acquisition capability during day and night in all types of weather and shortest possible reaction time during combat engagements".
The Fire control system of the new tank has a hit probability over 90%, when firing on the move. The new tank also has improved communication systems and new navigation system.
So as of now it looks like Arjun MK 2 is the tank that the army is looking for. But, the production of tanks take time, so it may not be able to replace T90s completely in near future. The army has shown confidence in the performance of Arjun MK 2, and will acquire more of them as they become available.
OneIndia News


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Wheel Balancers
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ASEplatinum has commercial grade wheel balancers for use in automotive shops. We realize there are many other manufacturers to choose from. But we are confident that when you compare the features, specifications and pricing, you will choose our ASEplatinum wheel balancing machines. They incorporate all the best features along with premium components to comprise some of the best values in the industry. Don't wait for a better value. This is it.


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Sunday, January 03, 2010
A Tweak Here, A Poke There
Maybe it's one of those things that women do when they get together, but in my exercise class the predominant theme of most conversations is food. Especially around the holidays.
Whether we're huffing up the hundred stairs between the reservoirs at Mt. Tabor or doing lunges on the circle around the top of its dormant volcano, the chatter revolves around meals made, restaurants visited or recipes tried. Maybe it's the calories we're expending that has our bodies plotting to overthrow our best efforts, but it's not unusual to come away with a new recipe or recommendation or two.
A week or so ago my friend Madeline was raving the delights of a streusel-topped apple chutney dessert she'd made. Now, anything with the word chutney in the name immediately piques my interest, so after some small amount of begging she sent the recipe to me. I tried it and found the flavor intriguing, but I thought it needed a crust to give it some form, and a different steusel topping to better match the filling.
Some friends coming for dinner provided the perfect focus group to test the new version, so I made it and waited for their reaction. Silence fell over the room, but it was the kind of silence broken only by forks clattering against plates and hushed groans floating in the air. Success!
Update: Just finished the last piece today (1/5) for breakfast and this is seriously fabulous pie. Can't recommend it enough!
Apple Chutney Pie
For the pie crust:
1 heaping cup flour
1 stick frozen margarine
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
2-3 Tbsp. ice water
Egg white
For the filling:
1 lemon
4 c. apples, cored, peeled and cut into small pieces
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 c. chopped dried apricots (heaped)
1/4 c. dried cranberries (heaped)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. water (or half water, half brandy)
For the streusel:
1/2 c. plus 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter or margarine, melted
Preheat oven to 375°.
For the pie crust, put the flour in the work bowl of a food processor, add sugar and salt and pulse to combine. Add frozen margarine in pieces and pulse until it has the texture of coarse meal. Turn machine on and add water a tablespoon at a time until it clumps together in the bowl. Remove, wrap in plastic and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour until thoroughly chilled.
Shred 1 tsp. peel from lemon; set aside.
For the filling, squeeze 1 Tbsp. juice from lemon, add to apples and toss to coat. In a pot, stir together brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water (or half water, half brandy), apricots, cranberries and spice. Cook and stir over medium heat until boiling. Cook and stir one minute more. Remove from heat; stir into apple mixture.
To make the streusel, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest in a medium-sized bowl. Pour in the melted butter and mix thoroughly with fork until crumbly.
Remove pie crust from refrigerator and roll out. Place in 9" pie plate and trim within 1/2" of edge. Fold trimmed edges over with 1/8" extending above lip of pie plate. Crimp. Brush bottom of crust with thin coating of egg white (1/4 to 1/2 tsp., just enough to cover). Spoon filling evenly into crust.
Using a fork, evenly sprinkle streusel topping over apples.
Bake pie until apples are tender and topping is golden brown, about 45-50 minutes. Transfer to rack. Serve pie warm or at room temperature with whipped cream, ice cream or Chantilly cream.
Posted by Kathleen Bauer at 3:13 PM
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