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"Just a regular day for Alberta Christian schools…. gettin' attacked for morality," I started a Facebook post before continuing in earnest.
I grew up being told that I was lucky to live in Alberta because I could actually be homeschooled here. There was a couple of pesky teacher visits a few times a year, but other than that, my parents were mostly left alone with their decisions of how they would homeschool my sister and me. It's been four years since I graduated and left homeschooling behind (until, perhaps, my own children down the road), but the changes that have happened since then are rather disheartening. For several years, Christian and Catholic schools have been under constant attack for pro-life and anti-homosexuality, anti-morality statements, etc.
And now this. (Go ahead, read the article. I'll wait.)
Have we really gotten to the point where we have to censor books because something is offensive? It's the same old story (pun intended). Even if we were to look at the Bible as just another piece of literature (well, a library of different types of literature, really), the same idea remains. This reminds me of hearing about the controversy over The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (one of my favourite novels ever). "This word is too offensive," the anti-Huck people say. "We must censor this word out of the novel." And yet, the entire point of the word 'nigger' appearing in Twain's novel was to illustrate the power white slaveowners hold over their slaves.
I hear some schools use revisionist history textbooks; if this is the case, we're doomed to repeat history. (We already see this with ANTIFA, calling people names and beating them up — sounds rather totalitarian, doesn't it??) Junior High English no longer exists here – it's called "Humanities," and I have learned from parents and students I tutor that the "melding together of Social Studies and English" is just a way to all but remove literature from the schools. Not only does this harm the students in that they are left with a gap in their knowledge, entering high school with no knowledge of of grammar or reading comprehension of literature, …. but it's a dumbing-down of the population. I was shocked to find out in university that most people had no idea how to write an essay. That was MY GENERATION. Imagine how much more stupid the children that are ten years younger, or the next generation will be (it's not their fault – it's ours, for letting it happen).
It's morality and education that are at stake here. I'm begging my peers, my future teachers, my future parents who can complain at their schools – we need all the help we can get. Even if there's nothing else you can do, at least pray.
I've grown up seeing way too many people just sitting on the fence, not caring to do anything. That was my parent's generation, and the generation before. But I've also seen many young people starting to realize the problems in their political and social surroundings. It's very heartening to see so many people of my own age taking the red pill.
But it's not only being "woke," as the kids these days say. We have to do something about it.


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Smoked trout & bulgur wheat salad
A no-cook supper salad – serve with a mixed meze plate so guests can help themselves
Nutrition and extra info
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal347
- fat18g
- saturates3g
- carbs23g
- sugars0g
- fibre2g
- protein25g
- salt2.09g
- 100g medium bulgur wheat
- juice 1 lemon
Oval in shape with a pronouced bulge on one end, lemons are one of the most versatile…
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ripe tomato, halved, deseeded and diced
A member of the nightshade family (along with aubergines, peppers and chillies), tomatoes are in…
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
Spring onionsp-ring un-yun
Also known as scallions or green onions, spring onions are in fact very young onions, harvested…
- 3 x 20g packs flat leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped
One of the most ubiquitous herbs in British cookery, parsley is also popular in European and…
- handful fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
There are several types of mint, each with its own subtle difference in flavour and appearance.…
- 400g smoked trout fillets
Freshwater trout:
Farmed rainbow trout has pretty, spotty skin…
- 3 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp chopped dill
Cook bulgur wheat according to pack instructions, and leave to cool. Make a dressing: whisk the lemon juice, garlic and olive oil together and season to taste.
Tip the bulgur wheat into a bowl, add the tomatoes, spring onions, parsley and mint. Pour the dressing in and stir to combine. Flake the trout into chunks – discarding skin and bone. Gently fold into the salad.
Mix the yogurt and dill together in a small bowl, adding enough water to give the consistency of pouring cream. Season to taste and serve alongside the salad to drizzle on top.

subset: commoncrawl


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Study the Bible from the Holy Land.
Enjoy the Trip of a Lifetime touring Jerusalem, Gethsemane, Garden Tomb, Mt. Olives, Mt. Zion, Bethlehem, Jericho, Capernaum, Bethsaida, Cana, Nazareth, Tiberias, Sea of Galilee, City of David, Jordan River, Dead Sea, Quram, Mt. Temptation, Mt. Transfiguration, Mt. Gilboa, Mount Carmel, Temple Institute, Temple Mount, Joppa, Tel Aviv, and more!
Send completed FORM to No Boundaries Ministry
(See brochure for additional payment information)
Price includes round trip airfare, lodging, two buffet meals daily, ground transportation, site entrance fees, tour guides, study manual, and all hotel tips
Double occupancy room rate
(Single occupancy additional $450
No Boundaries
Please compare our Holy Land Trip with any vendor and if N.B.M. is not a better deal we will pay the price difference!
"Trip-to-Trip Comparison"


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The United States Colonial Marine Corps (USCM), commonly known as the US Colonial Marines. This is the name of the Branch of the Military that Defeated the Chinese Space Defense Force (CSDF) in the Battle of Tanhauser Gate. Also the soldier named Todd 3465 (portrayed by Kurt Russell) worked for this organization.
Sometime in the future these space marines become a branch of the United States Armed Forces. Its unclear from the dialog in the film Soldier when this organisation was founded.
It is known that it was some time just before the year 2010 when clashes began occurring in the off world colonies and orbital outposts. But it is clear that this organization does exist sometime prior to 2010 when the battle of Tanhauser Gate occurred. By the year 2019 there could have been several more battles that were fought in space, when the Blade Runner movie is set. This organization has a proud heritage of defending its colonies in space by the year 2019. The Colonial Marines were established sometime before 2010 to defend civilian orbital and other off world colonies from Chinese and Russian space marines, the US Colonial Marines were allies to the European Colonial Marines and defeated them at the Battle of Tanhausser Space Gate.


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A graphic design, branding and web design agency.
Established in 2012, we offer a range of services including logo design, graphic design and web design
We have a small but highly skilled and experienced team with many years' experience working in the graphic design industry. Our network of existing clients range from small start-up businesses, to large international corporations. We treat all projects the same, large or small.
With offices in Woking in Surrey and Reading in Berkshire, we serve clients both locally and nationwide.
If you would like to discuss your next project with us, why not give us a call at the head office on 01483 904 950, or drop us an email at firstname.lastname@example.com


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I used to say my dad had an uncanny knack for picking the next short lived TV series. Looking at the reviews I've done so far, I'd say latching on to television's next big bombs are in my DNA. I raved about the Charlie's Angels reboot- gone. Gave high praise to Mario Bello in Prime Suspect- kaput. I was a huge fan of Detroit 187- remember that one? Naturally, I am hesitant to say anything about NBC's midseason replacement, Awake.
Jason Isaacs plays a bad ass cop named Michael Britten who has a slight case of a sleeping disorder. In one world he dreams of his dead wife, in the other, his dead son. Which is reality? How do clues in one world how solve cases in the other? I thought the writers were about to botch it all up a week ago when we got a couple of story lines that did not come from Britten's point of view. They recovered nicely in the alternate therapy sessions. Acclaimed actors Cherry Jones (Broadway), B.D. Wong (Law and Order: SVU), Steve Harris (The Practice), and Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) make a solid supporting cast.
Isaacs is a stand out actor most of us here in the states recognize as Lucius Malfoy, the father to Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies. Last fall Masterpiece Mystery on PBS ran a three episode series called Case Histories where Isaac played ex-cop turned PI Jackson Brodie. Isaacs plays his characters with an edge, tough and hard when he needs to be but also with a little compassion. Think Mike Hammer meets Columbo.
Catch it while you can. Awake is on my Favorites List. That can't be good.
BLATANT SELF PROMOTION: I am excited and proud to say I have a story in the premiere issue of GRIFT Magazine. I'll be appearing alongside the likes of Ken Bruen, Craig McDonald, and Lawrence Block! Check out my story 'A Hell of a Hat' here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/john-kenyon/grift-no-1/paperback/product-20005345.html Huzzah!


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Comm3: The Leader in VoIP Technology
Vision is the essence of leadership. An effective leader articulates that vision, both visibly and convincingly, through action. This point is crucial because in the business world, talk is cheap, and actions speak volumes about the integrity of a leader. Respected leaders provide value and return on investment at every opportunity, as a course of business—not just for special customers, or just on high-margin contracts. Leaders deliver every time. These leadership hallmarks define Comm3 and its founders, David Blum and Troy Cryer.
David served his country as a combat helicopter pilot. He and Troy often draw from the U.S. Army's principles of leadership to guide Comm3. Thus, the guiding principles of Comm3 and its leadership position and vision are:
- Be technically proficient - As a leader, you must know your job and have a solid familiarity with your employees' tasks.
- Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions - Search for ways to guide your organization to new heights. And when things go wrong, they always do sooner or later -- do not blame others. Analyze the situation, take corrective action, and move on to the next challenge.
- Make sound and timely decisions - Use good problem solving, decision-making, and planning tools.
- Set the example - Be a good role model for your employees. They must not only hear what they are expected to do, but also see.
- Know your people and look out for their well-being - Know human nature and the importance of sincerely caring for your workers.
- Keep your workers informed - Know how to communicate with not only them, but also seniors and other key people.
- Develop a sense of responsibility in your workers - Help to develop good character traits that will help them carry out their professional responsibilities.
- Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished - Communication is the key to this responsibility.
- Train as a team - Although many so called leaders call their organization, department, section, etc. a team, they are not really teams...they are just a group of people doing their jobs.
- Use the full capabilities of your organization - By developing a team spirit, you will be able to employ your organization, department, section, etc. to its fullest capabilities.


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Disney World has become home to one of the biggest pride events in the worldposted on 5 May 2016 | posted in News Articles | ( 0 ) Comments
Gay Days at Walt Disney World is a loosely organised event where lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, their families, friends and supporters go to Disney World each year.
Held on the first Saturday in June, it is now one of the largest gay pride events in the world. There are numerous other events in the area during the preceding week, including "Gay Day in the Magic Kingdom".
According to Watermark, a Florida-based gay newspaper that has been covering Gay Days since it started, about 150,000 people attended this June's six-day gathering, which included 17 pool parties, a business expo, a comic-book convention, a film festival, an after-hours trip to a Disney water park (think dance music and guys in very small swimsuits), bobble-head painting and tie-dyeing for the kids, rivers of alcohol (and some other substances) for the adults and, on June 5, the great culmination: 20,000 to 30,000 lesbians, gays and their families and friends descending on Disney World, everyone clad in red shirts to signify their presence.
This years celebrations will take place in Orlando from 31st of May till 6th of June!
Comments ( 0 ) - Add Your Comment


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Britain's opposition Labour party is facing crisis after Indian-origin MP Virendra Sharma refused to support the Brexit bill intended to push the UK's official exit from the European Union (EU).
In his statement, Ealing Southall MP – Virendra Sharma said that his constituency had voted to remain in the EU and he could not ignore his people and their voices. "I will not vote for a Brexit blank cheque... I cannot in good conscience vote to trigger Article 50 while it will threaten people's jobs, wages and pensions," he said.
"Access to the Single Market and a legal commitment to ensure the labour rights, health and safety protections, consumer rights, and environmental standards we currently enjoy are all key to my political beliefs," Sharma added.
Virendra Sharma also explained that people don't have a clarity on the UK's relationship with crucial international institutions.
Following his announcement, party colleague Tulip Siddiq has resigned from her shadow Cabinet role as education minister in order to vote against the new Brexit bill in Parliament.


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I spend a fair amount of my working week these days keeping track of infectious disease outbreaks -- H7N9 flu in China, MERS-CoV in the Middle East -- and one of the big questions is always: What is the risk here -- should the public be worried? Should docs be on the alert?
My usual answers: Yes, a little. And no, not a lot.
But I'm grateful to my colleague and friend, Canadian Press medical reporter extraordinaire Helen Branswell, for a timely reminder that -- as Walt Disney World has taught us -- it's a small world after all.
Branswell reported May 29 that an Alberta woman, recently returned from Thailand, had been diagnosed with the rare Zika virus.
According to the CDC, Zika is a flavivirus related to the yellow fever, dengue, West Nile, and Japanese encephalitis viruses. It is usually found in Asia and Africa, but -- and here's the point -- Asia and Africa are now just next door. Hop on a plane and you can be in Thailand in 12 hours (depending on where you start from).
The Alberta patient had fever, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. A severe backache and rash led her to seek medical care, but tests for such things as dengue fever, malaria and measles were negative. Eventually, after she had recovered, a CDC lab found Zika antibodies in blood samples. There were no other cases; the disease is mosquito-borne and in spring, in Alberta, mosquitoes are not yet all that common.
But we can all imagine a case in which such an infection was highly infectious -- think SARS, after all -- and no one knew what it was or was expecting it. The lesson for the infectious disease community, including docs on the front lines in emergency rooms, may be this:
When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, of course, of course.
And zebras. And cows. And wildebeest. One of these days, you might be right.


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Finally – a change of tone. Most of the psalms had been sounding much the same to me; however, in and around Psalm 44 David gets uppity with God. Check it out: "Thou hast made us like sheep for slaughter/and has scattered us among the nations/Thou hast sold thy people for a trifle/demanding no high price for them/Thou has made us the taunt of our neighbours/the derision and the scorn of those about us…" (Psalm 44: 11-13).
And he goes on like that for a while.
I like it; he's calling God out on his shit. Now this relationship is beginning to look more like a two-way street.
Surprisingly, I also enjoyed Psalm 49, which smacks of anti-materialism (I am a plain-clothes hippie). It reads: "Why should I fear in times of trouble/when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me/men who trust in their wealth/and boast of abundance of their riches/Truly no man can ransom himself/or give to God the price of his life/for the ransom of his life is costly/and can never suffice/that he should continue to live on for ever/and never see the Pit" (Psalm 49:5-9).
I'm guessing "Pit" is capitalized for one of two reasons:
1. It is very big.
2. It is the improv theatre in New York.
Psalm 49 reminded me of those insurance policies they asked you to buy in high school. They were policies you had in case you got into an accident. They put a price tag on your various body parts. If you lost a toe, you got paid so much money… if you lost an arm, you got paid more (obviously)… there was even a number on decapitation, gruesomely (and hilariously). I remember looking them over and thinking they were incomplete. I thought they should've considered combinations, like if you lost two toes on one foot. Each of those toes should've become more individually valuable because that would mess with your balance big-time, not to mention giving you shoe-shopping trouble for the remainder of your life (Am I right, ladies?). You should've been paid more. That made sense to me anyways.


text: Over the next two weeks of summer vacation, West Branch Teachers K- 4 are in Training on Math techniques and Everyday Math curriculum. Teachers will be using improved practice and materials to assist in student growth and development. Our new materials will have a home link component to assist parents in understanding what children are experiencing in classrooms.We will be scheduling Family Math Parent Nights in Late September or early October,so that parents can experience and understand how to use the new tools at home. Technology, gives us a chance for stronger connections between school and home.We hope that you will attend our Family Math Nights.


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|Martin Sebor <se...@roguewave.com>
|process for filing issues
|Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:40:41 GMT
Here's the process I use for reference. Let me know if you have suggestions for improvements, otherwise I'd like to put it up on the Wiki as the recommended process to follow. 1. using the cross-build result pages currently at http://people.apache.org/~sebor/stdcxx/results/builds/ scan result page for an uncharacterized error (build problem, abnormal exit, unexpected difference in example output) 2. check other versions of the same platforms for the same error 3. check 4.2.0 results for the same error on the closest available platform http://people.apache.org/~sebor/stdcxx-4.2.0/results/builds/ 4. file an issue for the problem * if the problem is platform-specific, mention the platform in the Summary (e.g., [Sun C++ 5.8/Solaris/SPARC]) * if it's a regression from 4.2.0, check the Regression box, set Affects Version/s to trunk, and schedule for 4.2.1 * otherwise (not a regression), set Affects Version/s to 4.2.0 * include as much detail in Description as possible (use the {noformat} tag to disable Jira formatting of command lines, code snippets, and program output) * set the Severity field as appropriate * try to asses the Priority of the problem based on the platform (Primary, Secondary, Best Effort), the Severity of the problem (signal is usually worse than compilation error), and the area of the library it affects (an error in a test due to a compiler bug is of lower priority than a runtime error pointing to std::string) * if possible, take a guess at the effort required in fixing the problem by setting the Original Estimate Martin
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Marketing your own music can be challenging, and at some times, it can even feel downright impossible. However, there are ways in which you can market your music and there are some great tools out there to help you get the word out! Social media is one of these fantastic tools and it can help you to grow your listeners and get your music heard by an audience who may have never heard it otherwise. So, why should social media be your best friend when you are marketing your own music?
It Can Help You to Make More Friends
The best kind of best friend is the one who introduces you to new, interesting people, broadening your social circles. This is something that social media is great at, introducing you to new people who may want to listen to your music or even other musicians who may have some great tips for you or are even able to help you network.
It's Free!
Nobody likes a friend who is always asking you to pay for things! Thankfully, social media is usually free to use unless you want to start investing in adverts. This is a great way to save money on marketing costs as you are able to do it yourself without spending a penny.
It's Already Popular
Social media is like that friend that can get along with anyone. They usually have lots of friends, and they can be pretty valuable when it comes to meeting new people. Social media is hugely popular, in fact, there are 2 billion monthly users on Facebook. That means that there are 2 billion people that you could be reaching out to if you start using social media to market your music.
It Doesn't Ask for Much
Thankfully, you don't have to be an expert to use social media. Of course, it can be helpful to know a little about how best to use it, but social media is happy to be friends with anyone! You can often pick things up as you go along, but there are always plenty of articles and online resources to help you. We've even written about how to use social media when you're marketing your own music in the past; just check out the links below:
Social Media Tips for Marketing Your Music CD
Of course, before you can market your music, you will need something to actually promote. At VDC Group, we offer a number of services that can help you to make your music heard, from vinyl pressing to CD duplication and on body print. For more information about any of our services, please don't hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team by calling +1 347 267 4345, emailing us at firstname.lastname@example.com or by filling out your details and requirements to get a quote. In the meantime, make sure to stay up to date with our blog to read more tips and advice.


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Anyone like disaster movies? Did you watch the Poseidon Adventure, Towering Inferno, Volcano, Deep Impact? I have to admit that I did and – even more shocking! – have even watched repeats, wrapped up in a blanket and dosed with flu remedies. Written by Joni Rodgers, an experienced novelist and ghost writer, the Hurricane Lover would make an excellent script for another and I'd probably watch that too, with or without the honey and lemon. It's based on the phenomenon of the two mega-hurricanes Katrina and Rita which piled into the Gulf coast within a few weeks of each other, and it gives graphic descriptions of what it was like to live through them. Very topical in the wake of the recent New York disaster. This isn't my normal kind of reading, but I'm a sucker for documentaries about storm-chasers and was eager for a bit of light reading after ploughing through piles of lit-crit for research purposes. So, I put myself in James Bond mode, disengaged the brain and the reality check and prepared to be entertained, scared witless, and finally have the universe returned to normality – a bit like a ride on the Tower of Terror roller coaster in Australia, but at £1.94 it's a lot cheaper.
There are two feisty central characters. Shay, a 'smile' girl on daytime TV, longs to do some serious journalism. Her ex-lover Corbin is an expert on hurricanes and earns his living predicting them and advising companies and governments how to minimise the damage. Hurricane Katrina brings them together again after a long period of bitterness and acrimony. Shay has uncovered a website that lures men into bizarre sexual encounters that result in identity theft, financial ruin and murder. She believes that Corbin's much loved brother, Guy, whose wife is 8 months pregnant, is going to be the next victim. The perpetrator, known only as Queen Mab, is known to operate under the cover provided by hurricane chaos and Shay believes that Katrina is going to be the backdrop for her next strike.
Corbin, having predicted the horror that Katrina is likely to bring, leaves the safe haven he's created for himself, Guy and his wife, to follow Shay out into the storm in pursuit of Queen Mab. Conditions worsen, Shay almost drowns in rat-infested water, is separated from Corbin by the storm, but survives despite everything. And even though she has initially failed to pin down the murderess, she has a story about the victims of the hurricane that networks are going to compete for. Guy is safe, but the victim proves to be another member of their close family. Corbin wants revenge. He also realises that he is still in love with Shay. Hurricane Rita builds out in the Atlantic and it becomes clear the Queen Mab now has someone else on her hit list. As Corbin and Shay close in on her, their own lives are increasingly at risk.
There are some chillingly authentic descriptions of Shay's interviews with people who refuse to leave their properties and she has to leave them to face what she knows is certain death as the water level rises. At one point she bumps into an obstacle in the water and realises that it is the body of a young woman. Later she is challenged by a terrified policeman holding a rifle and threatening to shoot her because he believes she's a looter. The hard choices that survivors had to make are illustrated in one scene where Shay has to drown a caged dog to save it from an even slower and more painful death. Based on personal accounts of what actually happened in New Orleans on the night the hurricane made landfall, this isn't a novel for the faint-hearted. It's the inclusion of these elements of reality that lift the novel into a different league.
The chapters are also interspersed with emails (in the public domain) from the disaster management team at FEMA and they make sickening reading. If Nero fiddled while Rome burned, then the FEMA management's inaction should also be immortalised with a similar saying.
The novel contains all the elements of the disaster movie genre – the fast pace, the superhuman escapes from near death experience, the ability to have sex anywhere, at any time despite having broken several ribs, been stabbed, kicked in the nether regions and recently knocked unconscious! You have to suspend disbelief, but it all adds to the fun.
This novel is well outside my usual comfort zone in terms of genre. I love thrillers, but rarely read this kind of hybrid, though I have to say that it carried me along like a tidal surge. The only thing I struggled with was the American vernacular. English English and US English seem to be diverging at the speed of light. Shamefully, I didn't know what a 'goat screw' was – I obviously don't get out enough! The novel is set in the deep south of New Orleans where residents still speak a version of French. The author has included just enough simple French phrases to give a taste of the New Orleans dialect and that didn't give me any trouble. It was the fast-paced vernacular that puzzled, as it sometimes does these days in US movies and TV series. I got the gist however, and it didn't deter me. It was quite late when I finally put out the light. And I won't be moving to the Gulf coast of the US any time soon!
Available in Kindle format
Find out more about Joni Rodgers


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4 thoughts on "photo (24)"
Actually, Sims is a State Representative, effective December 1, 2012.
Pennsylvania State legislative terms begin and end on December 1st, following the election.
The swearing-in event at the beginning of January is for all intents and purposes a formality.
My apologies, you said you "respect" him, not that you "like" him. I'm guessing after this, the feeling will not be mutual. It's ok though, there's plenty of us that actually do want to work with him.
Wow, John this is an all-time low even for you. From here on out you can't ever say that you're the kind of Republican who thinks that bipartisanship is a good thing. You attack the one D in Philly who is publicly saying he wants to work with us because of some random name tag that was probably drawn up by a mistaken 20 year old intern along with 1,000 others and likely worn for the 20 minutes before he had to go somewhere else, and get handed another nametag. Are you offended for the other state reps? are you accuding him of "pretending" to be a "real" state rep in a room full of then?I'm guessing they didn't mind. More importantly, saying you "like" someone at the same time you make an awful and just plain stupid attack on them makes no sense. You're hurting yourself and the rest of us GOPers with this nonsense. Geeze, John, with friends like you, who needs enemies? Please grow up.
I'm disappointed that Sims — a good man whom I respect — is wearing a tag that says "Representative Brian Sims" when, in fact, he is "Representative-Elect Brian Sims" until January 1, 2013.


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Taking The Metal Mickey
Historically wars have been ended through a combination of tech and talk. From radar to the atom bomb, technology has always helped to end wars but they don't end till there's been talks. Tech and talk has also stopped wars from starting in the first place.
Somehow, the tech and talk answer has been missed by campaigners against the development of fully autonomous weapons. They have urged the United Nations to draft a global treaty outlawing their use. They don't think robots should be allowed to decide who they kill.
Right now that decision is left to politicians and people with extreme religious views, is that better? Often they make irrational and emotional decisions based on their interpretation of words written hundreds or thousands of years ago. Robots don't have political or religious views and don't have emotions. Maybe it would be better if a decision as important as taking a life was made using logic alone.
Right now, the biggest casualties of war are our finest people. They are the best people we have, loyal, dedicated, patriotic, heroic, well trained, disciplined and young. Wouldn't it be better if all our combat forces were robots and they fought against armies of 'enemy' robots?
Now we have an opportunity to end war's massive, senseless loss of life forever. Shouldn't we at least be talking about that? A global treaty outlawing the use of killer robots will put an end to the tech and the talk.
Craic On!
Listen to the latest Mack Nuggets at http://www.mackmedia.co.uk
Filed under: AFTRS, Aircraft, Apple, Broadcasting, Computers, Engineering, Graham Mack, History, Hope, Media, News, Physics, Politics, Religion, Uncategorized, War, Words | Leave a Comment
Tags: end of war, Graham Mack, killer, Politics, Radio, religion, Robot, soldiers, technology, UN, war
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In this video, we discuss how the collection and use of digital 3D datasets assembled from archaeological materials can be used to support new...
A PXRF-based chemostratigraphy and provenience system for the Cooper's Ferry site, Idaho
Loren G. Davis, Shane J. Macfarlan, and Celeste N. Henrickson
Correlating archaeological finds with their associated stratigraphic context is elementary to modern excavation methods. Although micro-contextual approaches can provide invaluable perspectives, ascribing primary depositional status and associative context has traditionally been a qualitative exercise. To improve the empirical nature of this process as part of new excavations at the Cooper's Ferry site in western Idaho, we established a chemostratigraphic framework that enables us to quantitatively relate the elemental geochemistry of sediments associated with artifacts and other samples back to a master lithostratigraphic sequence. We subjected a total of 151 PXRF readings from six lithostratigraphic units to multiple discriminant function analysis, which led to the identification of characteristic elements. To test the site's chemostratigraphic framework, we collected PXRF readings from an infilled rodent burrow, which visually appeared to contain mixed sediments from multiple lithostratigraphic units. Statistical analysis could not relate the rodent burrow's sedimentary geochemistry well to any of the known lithostratigraphic units, thus marking it as potentially disturbed. This methodological approach allows us to make quantitative correlations between stratigraphic units across the site and most importantly, enables us to independently evaluate whether objects from any part of the site are in direct association with "anomalous" or "regular" sediments.
Here, we describe a range of cutting-edge digital technologies used to study archaeological data from the Cooper's Ferry site.
This is a 3D rendering of a sacrum from a potential archaeological context we made at the Pacific Slope Archaeological Laboratory. The 3d scan was...
This video provides an introduction to the work that PSAL researchers conduct at the Cooper's Ferry site in western Idaho as part of the Oregon...


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This Is What It Looks Like When A Whale Goes People-Watching
There are few experiences more thrilling than seeing the world's largest animals swimming freely in the wild - though one of the most fascinating aspects of whale-watching may be the fact that humans aren't the only ones who seem eager for a peek.
On Monday, tourists on a Whale Watching Sydney vessel were treated to an unforgettable site as a humpback whale approached and repeatedly surfaced from the water as if to get a better look at the people on board. While the surfacing behavior, called "spyhopping", indicates a remarkable sense of inquisitiveness, the scene below the surface is no less impressive.
Geoffrey Ross, of New South Wales Parks and Wildlife, tells Australia's 7 News that whales are naturally curious animals, so it's no surprise that the humpback dropped by to see who might be aboard.
"They really like to come up and have a bit of a look around in their environment," says Ross. "Looking at a vessel that's nine or ten kilometers offshore is very interesting to passing whales."


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Pokémon Go is finally giving gamers the chance to battle each other with an update focused on delivering a true PvP experience. There is no set release date but Niantic, Inc and The Pokémon Company ensure fans they will have a chance to fight their friends by the end of December 2018. Pokémon Go will open up both online and local PvP as well as introduce the Trainer League.
Mobile gamers will be able to face other Pokémon trainers online. One-on-One fights can take place between random players, local trainers, or friends. Friends can send battle invites when they reach the top two tiers of friendship, Ultra Friends or Best Friends. Both Good and Great Friends cannot send battle requests through the Friends list.
Trainers will need to create Pokémon battle parties before their battles. These battle parties are made up of three Pokémon instead of the classic six. Once the two trainers face off, they will be able to choose which battle party they want to use. Battles don't use the traditional Pokémon turn-based style and instead, people will tap or hold the fast or charge attacks to perform a move. There will also be a Protect Shield ability that gamers can use when they think a big attack is coming. Furthermore, Pokémon Go trainers will be able to swap out their Pokémon anytime over the course of a battle. The only restriction on switching Pokémon is a cooldown timer that stops people from quickly spamming the switch Pokémon button.
Battles have a four-minute timer. A battle ends when either all of a person's Pokémon are defeated or the timer runs out. If both trainers have Pokémon still in play at the end of the four minutes, whoever's Pokémon has more health will be crowned the winner.
Gamers have unlimited access to Trainer Battles. They can pick fights with as many people as they'd like in a day. However, they will only get rewards from the first three.
Local Pokémon battles are handled a little different than their online counterpart. Local battles are dependent on Trainer Leagues. There are three different tiers that players have the option to join. In order to battle a player locally, trainers need to be a part of the same Trainer League and exchange battle codes. Battle codes are not the same as friend codes. These codes are QR codes that trainers will scan and will allow them to send an invite and start a local battle.
Each Trainer League has a combat power limit. This helps gamers gauge the difficulty of the opponents in a particular league. A breakdown of each Trainer League can be found below.
Great League – Combat Power Maximum, 1,500
Ultra League – Combat Power Maximum, 2,500
Master League – No Combat Power Maximum
Before jumping into battles with friends and trainers from around the world, it might be smart to try a few single player battles first. The new update brings with it Team Leader Battles where gamers can battle three team captains, Blanche, Candela, and Spark. Gamers can battle these NPCs as much as they'd like to level up their Pokémon but will only be rewarded once each day, more on the rewards below.
There are some exciting rewards for those that take part in the new Pokémon Go PvP battles. Each trainer that takes part in a Trainer Battle or Team Leader Battles, winner, and loser, will receive a prize. Candy, Stardust, and rare items can all drop for any trainer. Every player walks away with a reason to celebrate. The actual winner of the battle won't receive any additional rewards besides those all-important bragging rights.
Many thought Pokémon Go was going to be a fleeting fad but that was disproven after two years of consistent improvements and its ability to retain an audience. The Augmented Reality driven mobile app is even incorporated into the latest Nintendo Switch Pokémon games, Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu. For more information on Pokémon Go and to keep up with the latest gaming news and updates, be sure to keep stopping by GigamaxGames.com every week for new articles!
Atomic Heart Shows Off Next Gen Gameplay And Soundtrack
Crashing Zero Dawn
Use code Gigamax at checkout to get 20% off EwinRacing gaming chairs


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The International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (ICBI) was founded in 1977 to clarify and defend the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. The Council sponsored three major "summits," each producing an important statement.
Summit I met in Chicago on October 26–28, 1978. Over 300 Christian leaders, theologians and pastors attended and adopted the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, consisting of nineteen articles with brief exposition. Papers delivered at the conference were published as Norman L. Geisler, ed., Inerrancy (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980).
Dr. Jay Grimstead, one of the organizers of the ICBI, describes the statement as "a landmark church document" created "by the then largest, broadest, group of evangelical protestant scholars that ever came together to create a common, theological document in the 20th century. It is probably the first systematically comprehensive, broadly based, scholarly, creed–like statement on the inspiration and authority of Scripture in the history of the church."
This is an excerpt – the actual preface is longer.
The authority of Scripture is a key issue for the Christian Church in this and every age. Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are called to show the reality of their discipleship by humbly and faithfully obeying God's written Word. To Stray from Scripture in faith or conduct is disloyalty to our Master. Recognition of the total truth and trustworthiness of Holy Scripture is essential to a full grasp and adequate confession of its authority.
The following Statement affirms this inerrancy of Scripture afresh, making clear our understanding of it and warning against its denial. We are persuaded that to deny it is to set aside the witness of Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit and to refuse that submission to the claims of God's own Word which marks true Christian faith. We see it as our timely duty to make this affirmation in the face of current lapses from the truth of inerrancy among our fellow Christians and misunderstanding of this doctrine in the world at large …
A Short Statement
1. God, who is Himself Truth and speaks truth only, has inspired Holy Scripture in order thereby to reveal Himself to lost mankind through Jesus Christ as Creator and Lord, Redeemer and Judge. Holy Scripture is God's witness to Himself.
2. Holy Scripture, being God's own Word, written by men prepared and superintended by His Spirit, is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: it is to be believed, as God's instruction, in all that it affirms, obeyed, as God's command, in all that it requires; embraced, as God's pledge, in all that it promises.
3. The Holy Spirit, Scripture's divine Author, both authenticates it to us by His inward witness and opens our minds to understand its meaning.
4. Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God's acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God's saving grace in individual lives.
5. The authority of Scripture is inescapably impaired if this total divine inerrancy is in any way limited or disregarded, or made relative to a view of truth contrary to the Bible's own; and such lapses bring serious loss to both the individual and the Church.
Articles of Affirmation and Denial
Article I
We affirm that the Holy Scriptures are to be received as the authoritative Word of God.
We deny that the Scriptures receive their authority from the Church, tradition, or any other human source.
Article II
We affirm that the Scriptures are the supreme written norm by which God binds the conscience, and that the authority of the Church is subordinate to that of Scripture.
We deny that Church creeds, councils, or declarations have authority greater than or equal to the authority of the Bible.
Article III
We affirm that the written Word in its entirety is revelation given by God.
We deny that the Bible is merely a witness to revelation, or only becomes revelation in encounter, or depends on the responses of men for its validity.
Article IV
We affirm that God who made mankind in His image has used language as a means of revelation.
We deny that human language is so limited by our creatureliness that it is rendered inadequate as a vehicle for divine revelation. We further deny that the corruption of human culture and language through sin has thwarted God's work of inspiration.
Article V
We affirm that God' s revelation in the Holy Scriptures was progressive.
We deny that later revelation, which may fulfill earlier revelation, ever corrects or contradicts it. We further deny that any normative revelation has been given since the completion of the New Testament writings.
Article VI
We affirm that the whole of Scripture and all its parts, down to the very words of the original, were given by divine inspiration.
We deny that the inspiration of Scripture can rightly be affirmed of the whole without the parts, or of some parts but not the whole.
Article VII
We affirm that inspiration was the work in which God by His Spirit, through human writers, gave us His Word. The origin of Scripture is divine. The mode of divine inspiration remains largely a mystery to us.
We deny that inspiration can be reduced to human insight, or to heightened states of consciousness of any kind.
Article VIII
We affirm that God in His Work of inspiration utilized the distinctive personalities and literary styles of the writers whom He had chosen and prepared.
We deny that God, in causing these writers to use the very words that He chose, overrode their personalities.
Article IX
We affirm that inspiration, though not conferring omniscience, guaranteed true and trustworthy utterance on all matters of which the Biblical authors were moved to speak and write.
We deny that the finitude or fallenness of these writers, by necessity or otherwise, introduced distortion or falsehood into God's Word.
Article X
We affirm that inspiration, strictly speaking, applies only to the autographic text of Scripture, which in the providence of God can be ascertained from available manuscripts with great accuracy. We further affirm that copies and translations of Scripture are the Word of God to the extent that they faithfully represent the original.
We deny that any essential element of the Christian faith is affected by the absence of the autographs. We further deny that this absence renders the assertion of Biblical inerrancy invalid or irrelevant.
Article XI
We affirm that Scripture, having been given by divine inspiration, is infallible, so that, far from misleading us, it is true and reliable in all the matters it addresses.
We deny that it is possible for the Bible to be at the same time infallible and errant in its assertions. Infallibility and inerrancy may be distinguished, but not separated.
Article XII
We affirm that Scripture in its entirety is inerrant, being free from all falsehood, fraud, or deceit.
We deny that Biblical infallibility and inerrancy are limited to spiritual, religious, or redemptive themes, exclusive of assertions in the fields of history and science. We further deny that scientific hypotheses about earth history may properly be used to overturn the teaching of Scripture on creation and the flood.
Article XIII
We affirm the propriety of using inerrancy as a theological term with reference to the complete truthfulness of Scripture.
We deny that it is proper to evaluate Scripture according to standards of truth and error that are alien to its usage or purpose. We further deny that inerrancy is negated by Biblical phenomena such as a lack of modern technical precision, irregularities of grammar or spelling, observational descriptions of nature, the reporting of falsehoods, the use of hyperbole and round numbers, the topical arrangement of material, variant selections of material in parallel accounts, or the use of free citations.
Article XIV
We affirm the unity and internal consistency of Scripture.
We deny that alleged errors and discrepancies that have not yet been resolved vitiate the truth claims of the Bible.
Article XV
We affirm that the doctrine of inerrancy is grounded in the teaching of the Bible about inspiration.
We deny that Jesus' teaching about Scripture may be dismissed by appeals to accommodation or to any natural limitation of His humanity.
Article XVI
We affirm that the doctrine of inerrancy has been integral to the Church's faith throughout its history.
We deny that inerrancy is a doctrine invented by Scholastic Protestantism, or is a reactionary position postulated in response to negative higher criticism.
Article XVII
We affirm that the Holy Spirit bears witness to the Scriptures, assuring believers of the truthfulness of God's written Word.
We deny that this witness of the Holy Spirit operates in isolation from or against Scripture.
Article XVIII
We affirm that the text of Scripture is to be interpreted by grammatico-historical exegesis, taking account of its literary forms and devices, and that Scripture is to interpret Scripture.
We deny the legitimacy of any treatment of the text or quest for sources lying behind it that leads to relativizing, dehistoricizing, or discounting its teaching, or rejecting its claims to authorship.
Article XIX
We affirm that a confession of the full authority, infallibility, and inerrancy of Scripture is vital to a sound understanding of the whole of the Christian faith. We further affirm that such confession should lead to increasing conformity to the image of Christ.
We deny that such confession is necessary for salvation. However, we further deny that inerrancy can be rejected without grave consequences both to the individual and to the Church.
Tyler Robbins (2016 v.2)
Tyler Robbins is a graduate of Maranatha Baptist Seminary, a DMin student at Central Seminary (Plymouth, MN) and a pastor at Sleater Kinney Road Baptist Church, in Olympia WA. He's also an Investigations Program Manager with the State of Washington. He blogs as the Eccentric Fundamentalist and is the author of What's It Mean to be a Baptist?
There are 4 Comments
This is a very good and helpful statement about inerrancy. A truly remarkable document.
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and an Investigations Manager with a Washington State agency. He's the author of the book What's It Mean to Be a Baptist?
Our church is adding this to
Our church is adding this to our website. It is a very good statement.
Behold the list of signatories. Some surprises:
- Ockenga signed it. He was still alive!?
- Hal Lindsey even signed it!
- Somebody (with an indecipherable signature) agreed to everything "except last pub age of p. 9." If you can figure out what that means, let me know!
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and an Investigations Manager with a Washington State agency. He's the author of the book What's It Mean to Be a Baptist?
Interesting list. I always
Interesting list. I always wondered where Edwin Yamauchi is at. Of the names that I recognize I think most or all of them are still holding the line.


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Demand for Money Leaves Man Shot
He told police the men demanded money, and when he was slow to respond they shot him.
The intrusion occurred in the 800 block of Broadway Street. Neighbors said they heard fighting and a loud noise. Police haven't caught the attackers. The victim was unable to give a vehicle description.
An ambulance took the victim to a local hospital, but his injuries were not life threatening.
Neighbors said they've heard fighting before but didn't want to get involved.
"I heard some noises and a big sound, but I didn't really pay much attention. I was on the phone and I heard some sirens. I didn't go outside and look," said resident Sarah Spears.
Despite the incident neighbors said they do feel safe.
Jefferson City police, as always, encourage anyone with more information to call Crimestoppers at 659-TIPS.


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"I see it as a way to give back to society" Royal British Legion members on why they volunteer
PUBLISHED: 16:13 06 November 2018
Every November an army of Royal British Legion volunteers give up their time to sell poppies across Norfolk, raising thousands for charity and making sure the memories of those who have represented the British armed forces are not forgotten.
This year, to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, the RBL is encouraging people to wear a poppy and say 'thank you' to the entire First World War generation and has set itself its highest ever fundraising target of £50m.
One of the volunteers helping the charity to achieve its goal is Rosalie Samaroo, 78 from Taverham, who has been a volunteering for the RBL for 10 years.
She said: "I like what the RBL do and I think they're absolutely amazing. They do a fabulous job and it's a pleasure to do and to know that you're helping in some way."
Sidney Hart, 66, from Loddon, who volunteers in the Great Yarmouth poppy shop, said: "I joined the RBL seven years ago as my grandfather and great grandfather fought in the First World War and my father fought in the Second World War. It is important that we recognise what people did for the country. I see it as a way to give back to society and remember those who sacrificed so much."
On this year's centenary, he added: "It should hold extra significance and be an educational marker for the younger generation. "It makes you appreciate just what people did for the country and how different things could have been without their efforts."
David Pritchard, mayor of Cromer, who will be unveiling the town's newly-restored war memorial on November 10, decided to become a Poppy Appeal collector 15 years ago after watching a documentary about the treatment of British prisoners in the Second World War.
"It really struck a chord with me as although my father wasn't a prisoner of war, he served in India with the RAF during the war," he explained.
Mr Pritchard, who co-ordinates a team of around 40 Poppy Appeal volunteers, added: "It is surprising the enormous difference people can make just giving up an hour of their time,
"All the money goes to supporting our ex-service personnel, which is something I think, as a country, we could be better at."
If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Eastern Daily Press. Click the link in the orange box below for details.


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How do we tell between what's alive and what isn't? If it's alive it's always growing. Helsinki Heroes Magazine finds local heroes: real people who inspire us and motivate us to grow, through their unique personalities, pursuits and passion. We feature art, entrepreneurship, sports, gastronomy, and many other activities that make living in the complicatedly awesome Helsinki such a unique experience.
The editor-in-chief is Gustavo Sanchez. When he arrived to these shores in 1999, asking for a cappuccino would be answered by "anteeksi, kuinka?" ("sorry, a what?")


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Fiber Optic Gyroscopes
Fiber Optic Gyroscope (FOG)
Maintenance-free ITAR-free
A Fiber Optic Gyroscope can be used in aircraft and helicopters, but has also other application fields like ground vehicles, robots, optics or RF antenna stabilization and training simulator stabilization and high dynamical sensor platforms or other industrial purposes.
The base consists of a spool on which an ultra-thin glass fiber is winded in two directions. By measuring the phase-difference of two light beams, a Fiber Optic Gyro (FOG) calculates the speed in degrees per second with which it provides the turn rate of one rotational axis. Whenever FOGs are placed along the x-, y-, and z-axes, angular rates are measured in three dimensions. Three FOG's can be combined with three acceleration meters to end up as an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). An IMU shows the acceleration and angular rate in three dimensions. The unit can be used for attitude control and navigation of missiles, drones, etc. Once you connect the IMU to a computer, you can determine the orientation, positioning and speed of the object. This system is called an Inertial Navigation System (INS). This system operates autonomous from a GPS system.
The FOG contains no moving parts and has obviously hardly any signs of wear. It has a high reliability and has a forceful, robust design. The modular design enables tuning of specifications to customer specific applications, e.g. dynamic range, bandwidth, bias-stability, noise and physical/environmental specifications. Conventional mechanic gyroscopes will be replaced more and more by this reliable and maintenance-free Fiber Optic version.
NEDAERO introduces: the Fiber Optic Rate Sensor FOG
The NEDAERO Fiber Optic Rate Sensor FOG is a small palm of the hand-sized rate sensor. It provides turn rate for one rotational axis. The modular design allows a cost-effective realization of single or multiple sensing axis units.
Early 2018 NEDAERO has validated its Fiber Optic Gyro sensor for the aerospace industry. The FOG60 model has been successfully certified for a commercial airline program, and is now in series production. It's a 100% European product whereby all materials are purchased from European suppliers.
The sensor is suitable for flight stabilization and attitude control of aircraft, helicopters, drones and missiles. Further application comprises Inertial Measurement Units and Navigation Systems. Other application examples comprise azimuth measurement of land vehicles, optics or antenna stabilization as well as high dynamical sensor platforms or other industrial purposes.
The FOGs produced by NEDAERO are ITAR-free.
Fiber optic technology without moving parts
High reliability
Forceful design
Analogue voltage output and Build-In-Test functionality
Robust metal housing
Temperature output for compensation.
The IMU 360 is a three-axis unit which supplies angular rate and acceleration information.
The unit can be used for attitude control and navigation of missiles, drones etc.
Interested? Please contact our dedicated FOG-team: fog at nedaero dot com or call us at tel. +31 316 592 100.


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Franchising the Cruise Industry with Expedia CruiseShipCenters
Franchise Interview on franchising the cruise industry with Expedia CruiseShipCenters
Have you ever thought about owning a travel agency franchise with a strong brand name? We have a great show today. We are meeting with Matthew Eichhorst, President of Expedia CruiseShipCenters, and Mary Beth Casey, franchise owner of Expedia CruiseShipCenters in Ft. Lauderdale.
Expedia Group, the one of the biggest online travel companies in the world, has partnered with Expedia CruiseShipCenters to provide travelers a one stop shop for cruises and vacations. Expedia CruiseShipCenters was founded in 1987 and offers the best value in the industry with thousands of Cruise Consultants in several hundred franchise locations throughout North America.
In part 2, we meet with franchise expert Gary Ochiogrosso. Gary discusses the "Three Legged Stool" of franchising on our Great Quotes in Franchising Podcast.
Original article found on www.franchiseinterviews.com


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Over the past few decades New Zealand has undergone a unique process of historical reappraisal. A nation that at one time liked to boast of having the finest 'race relations' in the world is today learning to come to terms with a rather different reality. For many Maori the process of colonisation left behind an enduring trail of dispossession, marginalisation, poverty and bitterness.
Controversies over nuclear issues are no strangers to New Zealand. To some this is a surprise. Often regarded in the northern hemisphere as a country both remote and insular (one of 'eternal Sundays' as playwright Alan Bennett has written), it is a locality that at times jolts with a seismic unpredictability.
Military men, as histories of the Royal Navy in particular have shown, tend to be interested in controlling sanitary conditions. Among seamen, maintaining health was always essential otherwise ships could not remain at sea. The main theme of Dr. Katherine Foxhall's interesting book is voyages to Australia.
After the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi on 6 February 1840, competing British and Maori sovereignties were established in New Zealand due to the contradictory English and Maori translations of the agreement.


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Res is acceptable and playable word in Scrabble and having 3 points. Res is scorable and playable word in Words with Friends Cheat with 3 points.
There are total 3 letters in Res, Starting with R and ending with S.
Res is a scrabble word? Yes (3 Points)
Res is a WWF word? Yes (3 Points)
There are some words list based on poppularity created by adding extra letters to Res, These may helps in word games like scrabble and word puzzle. All Scorable and Playable word in Scrabble game have its points with them.
Definition of the word Res, Meaning of Res word :
pl. - of Res
Res is frequenty used in both Scrabble and Words with Friends. Check out all the list made out of Res, you can also directly go to the desired word length by using the Filter by Length tool.
In Res R is 18th, E is 5th, S is 19th letters in Alphabet Series.
An Anagram is collection of word or phrase made out by rearranging the letters of the word. All Anagram words must be valid and actual words.


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Staunton man found murdered in Fishersville: Crossbow
Zachary A. Porter, 26, of Staunton, was found murdered in the driveway at a residence at 25 Jericho Road in Fishersville Sunday morning.
The cause of death, according to a report from the Augusta County Sheriff's Office, was homicide by crossbow, and sheriff's deputies have made an arrest in the case: Jeffrey A. Craun Jr., 26, of Fishersville.
The investigation into the murder is ongoing. Anyone with information about the case is requested to contact Investigator Patrick B. Fuchs at (540) 245-5333 ext. 380, or Central Shenandoah Crime Stoppers at 1-800-322-2017.
UVA Basketball Fans!
Dick Vitale on Team of Destiny: "This is a hoops story you will LOVE! Jerry and Chris capture the sensational and dramatic championship journey by Tony Bennett and his tenacious Cavalier team. UVA was Awesome Baby and so is this book!"
Ralph Sampson on Team of Destiny: "Jerry and Chris have lived and seen it all, even before my time. I highly recommend this book to every basketball fan across the globe. This story translates to all who know defeat and how to overcome it!"
Feedback from buyers: "Got the Book in the Mail Saturday, and could not put it down! Great read and great photography as well! Love all of the books I've received, but hands down, this is my favorite!" – Russell
Buy here.


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Avengers Epic Collection: Behold…the Vision by Roy Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
One of the better Epic Collections, primarily for some great Buscema artwork on the initial Vision tales in The Avengers. Barry Windsor-Smith, Sal Buscema, Sam Giacoia, and Gene Colan all provide pencils for this book, with some great Roy Thomas stories to buttress them. The Vision debuts, as does Yellowjacket, the new Goliath, Hawkeye's brother Barney, the Squadron Sinister, the Grandmaster, and Ultron-6.
It's hard to go wrong with this book – it's worth the cover price!


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Twelve to 15 minutes. That's the average length of a primary care doctor's visit with a patient in the U.S. During that brief interaction, the time-crunched doctor has a lot of ground to cover. Most of her patients aren't acute cases — sick with the flu or injured from an accident — but people struggling with one or more chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
There are physical exams to conduct, multiple test results to analyze and explain to the patient, and prescriptions to write and refill. On top of that, there is data to enter and reports to fill out for the insurance company. Is there time for the doctor to also discuss her patient's mental health?
Some experts think they should. Depression is the second-leading cause of disability in America. In 2014, more than 9 percent of Americans 18-25 years old reported a major depressive episode in the past year, as did 6.6 percent of the total U.S. population (15.7 million adults). The numbers are even more worrisome among adolescents, with 17.3 percent of girls 12 to 17 reporting a major depressive episode and 11.4 percent of adolescents overall.
Despite the scope and severity of depression in America, primary care physicians are still not required to screen all patients for signs of the disease. Has your doctor ever asked you the nine-question Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the standard screening tool for depression? Probably not.
But that might be changing. In January 2016, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended for the first time that all adults 18 or older, including pregnant and postpartum women, should be routinely screened for depression. The USPSTF, an independent group of medical experts that advises the government, also echoed earlier recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics that adolescents 12 to 18 should be regularly tested for depression.
"The fact is that 60 percent of people who walk into a primary care practice have a behavioral health issue, including depression," says Dr. John Bartlett, senior project adviser for the Primary Care Initiative at Atlanta's Carter Center. "I see my doctor in a university-based primary care setting. They don't do formal screening for depression despite the fact that I talk to them about it."
Part of the problem, explains Bartlett, is that medical care and mental health care have traditionally existed in separate silos. But in practice, whether it's because of convenience or the stigma of mental health disorders, most patients with depression get treated by their primary care physician, not a psychiatrist or therapist. Bartlett and other health care policy reformers want to see more integrated care, where a behavioral health specialist is part of the primary care team, not in a separate office across town.
"I'm not advocating that primary care doctors need to become psychiatrists," he says. "But primary care practices need to understand the prevalence and impact of depression, the possibility of treating many cases of depression adequately in primary care, and the importance of following these patients across time."
Bartlett envisions an integrated primary care practice where a trained staff member — not a doctor or therapist — administers a depression screening tool like the PHQ-9, which will clearly indicate if a patient is at high risk for depression. Screening, Bartlett emphasizes, is not the same as making a diagnosis.
"Screening positive means you've been determined by a scientifically valid tool — like the PHQ-9 — to be at higher risk to actually have depression. It's doesn't mean that you have it. It just means you're at higher risk," says Bartlett. "You still need to have a diagnostic interview with a trained clinician who is qualified to make a diagnosis of depression. Screening is a population health tool. Diagnosis is a clinical tool working with an individual patient."
Another important point — the 2016 recommendations published by the USPSTF and other medical associations aren't regulations. Doctors aren't required to screen every single patient who walks through the door. But insurance companies and health care accrediting organizations pay close attention to these recommendations and use them when reimbursing and rating primary care practices.


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Other Fundraising
Give the Gift of Care
Community Care for Seniors has Gift Certificates for all services & for the Thrift Shop
firstname.lastname@example.com or 613-476-7493
While hustling about downtown Picton, take a moment to hang an ornament on The Prince Edward County Community Care for Seniors' Christmas Memory Tree located in the festively decorated Gourmet to Go at 221 Main Street in Picton.
Amongst the beautiful holiday glitter, the Memory Tree stands to collect ornaments that you can hang in a quiet moment of reflection and celebration of the life of someone you wish to remember in this season.
You are invited you to make a donation to Prince Edward Community Care, choose an ornament and place it on the Memory Tree. Your donation will help seniors live at home. For more information, contact Community Care at 613-476-7493.


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Join Our Newsletter
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Meticulously constructed in the USA from hand laid fiberglass using the finest materials available. A carbon fiber version is also available for an additional cost. The Grand Prix Inferno Rear Spoiler replaces the factory rear spoiler using the same mounting holes and brake light as the factory rear spoiler. Bolts right on in minutes. The quality and craftsmanship is second to none. Comes unpainted, ready to prep and paint.
The complete Grand Prix Inferno Appearance Package is available by clicking on the Inferno Appearance Package link in the Related Products list on this page.
Fits 2004-2008 Grand Prix only (including GXP). Does not fit 1997-2003 Grand Prix.
Copyright © 2020 PFYC-PartsForYourCar.


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RV Service Centre
Our RV Service Centre is a one-stop shop for your Motorhome or Caravan, whatever its age, size, make or model. Providing everything from routine or conversion servicing to crash repairs; from the tiniest tweak to the most complex crash repair, our Service Team are here to help.
With our team of highly trained motorhome and caravan technicians, you can be assured that your motorhome or caravan will receive the very best care and attention.
Our Services at a Glance:
- Motorhome and Caravan conversion servicing
- Damp repairs to all makes and models
- Insurance and crash repairs to all makes and models
- Warranty repairs and servicing for Leisureline, TrailLite, Kea, Motek, United and Bailey
- Accessory fitting for all makes and models
- Self Containment conversions and certification
- Solar installation and battery upgrades
- LED light conversions
- Enhancement for all makes and models
- Written estimates and quotations available on request
Simply call in, phone us on 0800 288860, or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com to book in your RV, we will take good care of it, and it could save you a big headache when you should be out in this beautiful country of ours.


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Sebastian Vettel says his controversial collision with Lewis Hamilton in Baku was a bigger mistake than any of the supposed driver errors which cost Ferrari the title this year.
Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne this week said a combination of driver "misjudgement" and technical issues played a role in the Italian squad failing to capture either championship. The team had been well placed to challenge for the drivers' crown with Vettel until three successive setbacks in Asia derailed his challenge against Lewis Hamilton.
While Marchionne appeared to be referencing the Singapore Grand Prix, where pole-sitter Vettel had drifted to the left off the line and into a race-ending collision with Max Verstappen and teammate Kimi Raikkonen -- allowing Hamilton to win -- another error stands out in the German's mind: the moment he drove alongside his title rival during a Safety Car period at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and angrily drove into the side of the No.44 car.
When asked what he thought about the president's comments, Vettel said: "I think it's fair enough. I think there are always things that you could do a bit different. Overall, I think we can all agree that we didn't have the season, up to this point, that we could've had or should've had for various reasons."
The follow-up question was whether he agreed that he had made mistakes this year, he replied: "I think looking back Baku stands out obviously, but for the rest I think it's been okay."
The Baku car chop was hugely controversial and earned Vettel an in-race stop-go penalty and three penalty points on his superlicence, though he avoided further punishment after taking full responsibility for the incident and apologising to the FIA. Remarkably, Vettel left Baku with his championship lead enhanced after race leader Hamilton was forced into a precautionary stop to fix a headrest which had come loose during the chaotic race's red flag period, meaning he finished behind the Ferrari driver.
Until the events of the Asian leg, it had appeared set to be a blip in a highly impressive campaign for Ferrari and the four-time world champion. But the collision in Singapore swung the championship momentum towards Mercedes and was followed by back-to-back engine issues for Vettel in Malaysia and Japan, allowing the German manufacturer to clinch the constructors' championship in the U.S. and Hamilton to wrap up the drivers' in Mexico.
Despite squandering its chance to win at least one title this season, Vettel says the only focus now is on finishing the season on a high note.
"I'm part of the team so I think we all live through the season together, and the same is for the next two races. The morale is good, the guys have had a very tough time in the last couple of weekends with a lot of big changes, set-up changes and long nights etc.. So we hope for two calm weekends to finish the season and not calm in terms of results, we are aiming for the maximum."


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Store employees experience work as a blessing with BHITC
"Everyday, I walk into this store and I feel like God made this job just for me," says Jeff Stredney, BHITC's Director of Social Enterprise, describing the experience of launching Common Threads.
The store, located in Fairview Park, opened in June of 2016 as the first business venture of HopeWorks, BHITC's new ministry arm committed to creating value in the marketplace, employment for some of the people BHITC serves and an excellent witness to Jesus as Lord.
The sense of purpose Stredney finds at Common Threads is a perspective store employees share, as well. Ghaida Hmeidan, a keyholder at Common Threads, says that being part of the team that planned, organized and opened the store for months prior to its grand opening was a unique opportunity for her.
"I've never been part of this type of experience before," she says. "I'm proud of what we've done here, not just because our customers are giving us good reviews, or because of the amazing charity that benefits from our store's sales, but because when I walk around this store, I see my work everywhere. It's like, 'Wow, I helped to make all this happen. I got to be part of this!'"
Maria Szarka, Accessories Department Lead, agrees and senses her role at Common Threads has been a calling from God on her life and work. "I love what I do here. We're a diverse group, but we're united by a passion for what we do and a great love for one another."
Szarka attributes that to the environment that's been set by Stredney. "Most of the time in a corporate setting, when you put your ideas on the table, they are brushed off to the side. Here, at Common Threads, my ideas are put into practice and that's been a huge blessing to me and others."
Stredney says at Common Threads, and at all BHITC's future business ventures, he seeks to create a God-exalting setting for all. "Loving God isn't just something we do Sunday mornings," he says. "It's a whole life commitment. And where do we spend most of our time: at work! We invest 40, 50 or 60 hours a week working and interacting with others at our jobs. That large chunk of my life needs to submitted to the Lord, as well. So, to start thinking of every interaction I have with an employee, a shopper or donor as an opportunity to show people the love and integrity of Jesus is incredible. It's what I believe makes Common Threads truly unique."
Common Threads: By the Numbers
- Store size: 11,000 square feet (7,500 sales floor, 3,500 donation/sorting center)
- People employed since launch: 18
- Traffic count at W. 220th Street and Lorain Road: 22,000 cars per day
- Annual total of recycled clothing and textiles: 200,000 pounds
- Average items on the store floor at any time: 28,000+
- Sales floor store inventory turns over 100% every 5 weeks
Donations always needed!
Did you know the store needs a minimum of 500,000 items to sustain its operations? You may have donated in the past, but the store goes through approximately 10,000 items a week, so donations are always critical!
In fact, right now the store is especially in need of quality men's clothing and modern home décor. Men account for nearly 40 percent of thrift shoppers, yet men's clothing is donated less frequently than women's. That means men, it's time to clean out your old clothes, or ladies, maybe it's time to venture to your hubby's side of the closet and do some much-needed purging!


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The fear and pain, the joy and love,
And everything we ever love,
Unfurls the universe of love:
We pass away, and we are love.
The scent of wood smoke from the fire;
Through frosted glass, a shooting star;
A flock of sparrows in the snow;
A note you wrote ten years ago.
I read the tales of Gilgamesh,
See broken hearts on river beds.
I walk the ancient woodland ways,
My worth is breath, my nights are days.
A life is made as seconds pass,
The birds all know their songs don't last.
Here, now, where I listen to All Things Must Pass, by George Harrison


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The songs that peaked in the week of 1 March are (except for one) a really uninspiring bunch. Brace yourself…
Apprehending all my criminal need
You almost certainly don't know Narada Michael Walden for "I Shoulda Loved Ya", which got to #66 this week; you know him for his production work with Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Jermaine Stewart, and a host of other R&B musicians, about which we'll reserve judgment until they peak later in the 80s. Listening to "I Shoulda Loved Ya", it sounds like it belongs in the top twenty tracks of 1987, what with its heavy focus on saxophone, and handclaps urging you to do that mid-80s lurchy dance from side to side. The bass solo in the middle sort of pulls you back to the very late 70s, but all in all, this feels like it slipped through a time warp to warn us of what was to come: "Do something now or EVERYTHING on the radio will sound like this!" Actually, I'm being too harsh — this is at least perky and refreshing. I wish the lyrics were a bit more coherent, because the theme of a guy who realizes he's mistreated someone he'd been seeing is underutilized (maybe because most musicians don't want to empathize with cads) and far more interesting than all these guys chasing women who aren't interested in them, or, worse, so achingly in love with the person they're with.
Just one lover is all you need to know
Or there's achy, preachy earnestness, like "You Might Need Somebody" by Turley Richards (#54), which ambles in like your junior-high art teacher walking up to you to scold you after some other authority figure broke up a fight. Only Turley is here to berate you for… what, being anti-social? The message here is to let someone into your heart, as if most people didn't want that to begin with, and, really, the few people who don't aren't going to reconsider their self-isolation just because someone tells them that everyone needs someone around. Gee thanks, tell us something we didn't already know, and try to do it with less somnolent instrumentation.
Travelling down that lonesome road
I've never knowingly listened to Molly Hatchet before, and I'd always wondered why Ray Stevens referenced them in"Erik the Awful". Looking at their mythologically Teutonic alum covers, I simply assumed that they were a good-spirited heavy metal or glam band. Nope, they're southern rock, which explains the Ray Stevens reference, if not the album covers. "Flirtin' with Disaster" (#42) is pretty much what I expect when I think of southern rock… mildly rebellious nasal vocals, fast-paced twangy guitars, with a solid solo, and… not much else. This is what the US was listening to instead of Motorhead — who really knew how to rock — and it's hard to say we were better for it.
Some things are not better left unsaid
I understand that there are lyrics to "Let Me Go, Love", (#35) but when Nicolette Larson and Michael McDonald sing it, it's hard to tell, because they sort of mumble the words over each other's very idiosyncratic voice, so the result sounds like two people warbling alphabet soup out loud in a humid room. Listen to how "look" sounds like "Luke" in "you've got that look in your eyes" and you'll get an idea of what I mean; all the vowels in this song are a little bit nonstandard, and the result is decidedly alien. Musically, it's lazy dreamy, and a little bit jazzy, and not entirely uninteresting. I think this would have been better as a Herb Alpert-like instrumental without the vocals.
I'll take control of your beautiful mind
"Wonderland" by The Commodores (#25) is one of those soul songs that can't decide whether it wants to be sexy or creepy. The singer's approach — reassuring the woman he's met that she's lucky to meet him, that she shouldn't be afraid, that he'll take control of her, that any minute that passes may make the whole endeavor of seduction for naught — reeks of desperation, but that promise of being taken off to a magical wonderland of love sounds so enticing doesn't it? If it weren't for the taxi driver, one might expect the song to turn out to be an episode in a serial murderer's modus operandi. Fortunately, it doesn't appear to turn out that way, and the music is suitably trippy and smooth, so I'll give it a wary pass on the creepiness.
I suppose I should give "September Morn" by Neil Diamond (#17) its own entry, but I won't like it.
Let me smell the moon in your perfume
Take a good look at Steve Forbert. Does he look familiar? If he does, you were probably watching MTv in 1983, not because his videos were showing, but because he had a cameo role in one of 1983's most memorable videos: he was Cyndi Lauper's boyfriend in "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". Before that, here in 1980, he just missed the top ten with his sweetly lilting "Romeo's Tune" (#11). It's really hard to write a song that sounds and feels both intelligent and innocent without sounding fake or cynical; Steve Forbert has done that here and, looking at what was in the top ten when "Romeo Tune" peaked, he deserved to be in the top ten. He avoids simple clichés, but delivers lines that sound like fresh clichés, turns of phrase — those southern kisses and smelling the moon — that feel like he discovered them instead of created them. The scene with the king and queen feels like a young adult in love discovering his recently outgrown youth, couching it in the imagery of his childhood fairy tales, but recognizing the need to be staid and boring when adulthood calls. And the jaunty piano tune and the sweet backup singers emphasize the quiet excitement of not-so-young love. In a way, this song is too good… how can a musician follow up on it? And Forbert didn't. A dispute with his record company didn't help, but generally it's hard to shake the overshadowing effect of a single break-out hit; several other musicians I can think of (and will write about) have had similar flame-outs, and it's a shame when the charts are so consistently filled with otherwise mediocre stuff. .


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Property Details
Arcadia House, Balliol Business Park
Price: £ Long leasehold £490,000 No VAT
Purpose Built Stand Alone High Quality Two Storey Offices
Benton Lane, NE12 8EW
Size: 5544 sq ft (515 sq m)
Tenure: Freehold
Arcadia House was purpose built for a local Architects Practice. The building is two-storey and has a unique character designed in a Scandinavian style with excellent natural light and ventilation.
The accommodation is flexible and can be space planned in numerous ways to meet the changing needs of a business. The floor plates can accommodate cellular offices in some areas with flexible space for presentation, training, meetings or open plan workspace to varying patterns.
On site parking comprises 25 spaces, a ratio of 1 space per 20 sq m well in-excess of normal ratios in business parks of 1 space per 35 sq m.
The building has all main services. Heating is by two gas fired combi-boilers serving perimeter radiators. There is Cat 5 perimeter trunking connected to an air conditioned comms room. Balliol Business Park has an excellent Broadband capacity.
The building has a secure door entry system and internal security shutters to the front door and ground floor windows. There is also a security alarm with Redcare capability.
Further information:
Balliol Business Park is an established business park located approximately 4 miles to the north east of Newcastle City Centre adjacent to the A188 (Benton Lane),.which provides easy access to the A1 and A19 junction (3 miles to the north). The A1058 Coast Road is 2 miles to the south.
Balliol is within a 15 minute walk to Four Lane Ends Metro Station or via regular 15 minute buses that connect to Four Lane Ends Bus Interchange with Arriva Services every 30 minutes.
Distance to Newcastle International Airport: 7.96 km
Flight Information There are regular direct flights from Newcastle International Airport to destinations across the UK, Europe, Middle East and North America. In addition, over 450 international destinations can be accessed from Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Dubai. Flight times to London Heathrow are 1hr 10mins, Paris are 1hr 40mins, Amsterdam are 1hr 20mins, Dubai are 8hrs and New York are 7hr 45mins.
Closest port: Port of Tyne 9.24 km
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Primera PM01 Midi Tower Gaming Case - Black (SST-PM01BR-W)
- Primera is the Spanish word for "first" or "first class." Cases in this series are designed for those seeking to build PCs with rich feature set and trend-setting aesthetics.
Stock Code: CA-437-SV
Manufacturer: Silverstone
+44 (0)1782 44 44 55
Primera PM01 Midi Tower Gaming Case - Black (SST-PM01BR-W)Primera is the Spanish word for "first" or "first class." Cases in this series are designed for those seeking to build PCs with rich feature set and trend-setting aesthetics The Primera PM01 is an incredible computer case that fuses eye-catching styling and functionality in a package rarely seen in the PC world. It utilizes high quality, piano-like finish with oversized intake mesh panel inspired by sports car intake grill for unusually sleek exterior.
Paired with an elaborate lighting system consists of LED fans and built-in adjustable LED strips, the PM01 can project the feel of a luxurious supercar on a highly customizable computer case. The roomy interior layout supports a variety of large, high end components that are designed to be cooled efficiently and quietly by the included three 140mm LED intake fans and an 140mm exhaust fan. True to SilverStone tradition, the PM01 also has excellent dust protection thanks to implementation of easily removable filters and positive pressure airflow setup. Novice users will find this case a pleasure to build with and maintain while advanced users will find details such as support for two 360mm radiator mounting positions and water tank mounting holes to be highly useful for building beautiful liquid cooled PCs.
Features- Includes three 140mm LED fans and built-in LED strips for stunning visual impact
- Oversized front panel mesh design inspired by supercar intake grill
- Support two 240/280/360mm radiator for AIO liquid cooler or custom water cooling
- Reserved water tank mounting holes for water cooling setup
- Removable filters with positive air pressure design for dust reduction
- Built-in 4-segment LED light controller to adjustable brightness and modes
- Super clean internal look with PSU and drive bay cover
- Includes 10 in 1 fan hub for fan cable management
Specification- Model No: SST-PM01BR-W (black with red LED + window)
- Material: Plastic outer shell, steel body
- Motherboard: ATX (up to 12" x 10.7"), Micro-ATX
- Drive Bay External: None
- Internal: 2.5" or 3.5" x 4, 2.5" x 5
- Cooling System: Front - 3 x 120mm / 140mm fan slot (includes 3 x 140mm LED fan), Rear - 1 x 120mm / 140mm fan slot (includes 1 x 140mm fan), Top - 3 x 120mm fan slot or 2 x 140mm fan slot
- Radiator Support: Front - 240mm / 280mm / 360mm x 1, Top - 240mm / 280mm / 360mm x 1, Rear 120mm / 140mm x 1
- Expansion Slot: 7
- Front I/O Port: USB 2.0 x 2, USB 3.0 x 2, Audio x 1, MIC x 1
- Power Supply: Standard PS2(ATX)
- Expansion Card: Support graphics card up to 16.5", width restriction - 6.88"
- Limitation of CPU cooler: 180mm
- Limitation of PSU: 240mm
- Net Weight: 9kg
- Dimension: 220mm (W) x 571mm (H) x 560mm (D), 70.3 Liters
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Awards & Media Coverage
pcGameware - Gold
"It a damn good looking stealthy Case with excellent (tasteful) illumination. It's well made, it's easy to build into and offers up excellent airflow and therefore great cooling performance."Award


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On Hiatus
A series of 4komas my mom is making about her everyday life. ****PLEASE READ**** These strips were made by my mother, not me 8V She doesn't know how to use the comp so she wanted me to find a place where I could post these up. PLEASE EXCUSE HER BAD ENGLISH she is obviously a Native of Japan land !!!***UPDATE***!!! Momga has moved to tumblr! http://momga.tumblr.com/


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Aw so cuute! 😀
On day 2 of our "Twelve Days of Christmas" shopping special, we've selected a gorgeous range of gifts with very young babies (and their parents, of course!) in mind. As you'd expect, all the gifts featured are beautifully handcrafted by Craft Britannia members on Etsy and are available to purchase online now – with prices to suit all pockets and price ranges!
Baby clothing is always appreciated, and you are sure to find something to please from the wide range of beautiful handknitted & crocheted jumpers & cardigans, matinee sets and dress & knicker sets made by Craft Britannia members! Alternatively, a soft toy or a cute crocheted amigurumi duck will always bring a smile!
All babies seem to love playing with their toes and our darling little baby shoes and booties will amuse and delight parents and babies alike! Mums with teething babies may also appreciate a natural wooden…
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Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay is a poet, playwright, and current Many Voices Fellow at the Playwrights Center. Her play Kung Fu Zombies vs. Cannibals follows two Lao women navigating an apocalypse and broke attendance records for Theater Mu in 2013. We spoke via email.
How did you come to playwriting?
I'm relatively new to playwriting. In 2009, I was living in Mankato and basically soul-dying from the art-desert that was happening in my life. My BFF mentioned to me that she and some POC/I [People of Color/Indigenous] playwrights wanted to start this collective of theater makers who will share resources, information, exchange ideas - basically, to be each others support system. I joined and now I can claim that I've co-founded The Unit Collective.
The Unit was started by several playwrights of color - some who were fellows at the Playwrights Center and some who were from the theater community locally. That first batch of us were me, Jessica Huang, Anton Jones, Indira Addington, Joe Cedillo, Kristoffer Diaz, Eric Sumangil, Reggie Edmund, May Lee-Yang, and Rachel Austin. We curated Madness, an evening of flash plays, at the Playwrights Center once a month. Playwrights had just two weeks to write a piece, then on the day of the performance, the actors and directors had just a couple of hours to rehearse. Everyone volunteered their time. We also provided food and sometimes invited special guest speakers for discussions after performances. It was one of the few spaces where artists of color (playwrights, performers, directors) could play and had autonomy to write what we wanted to write without fearing consequences or criticism for the truths and lived experiences we wanted to address/explore in our work. The PWC was incredible for nurturing us and our series.
The Unit went through several phases, I think. It was open door and many amazing artists came and went for various reasons (starting families, leaving for school, etc). There's no more Unit, unfortunately.
How did you come to the Twin Cities?
I was born in the Nongkhai refugee camp in Thailand. My family got resettlement approvals in 1984 and that's how I got here.
What's your favorite part of the process of bringing a play to the stage? Is there any part you dread?
I love collaborating with the creative team, especially during rehearsals. It's thrilling to see/know how others interpret or envision your words on its feet. A lot of times, their ideas for how a character or scene can live on stage is more dope than my original idea. I'm still learning about the theater world so I wholeheartedly take in what others - especially those who have more experience than me - have to say. At the end of the day, it's my work, my baby, and I don't have qualms about advocating for my vision - but it takes a community to raise a baby. The part that I dread the most is writing.
What's the hardest thing to explain about being a playwright?
Let's start with this: as a Lao American, its challenging to explain why I am an artist to some people in my community. As refugees, we lost so much during the civil war and Secret War in Laos, that any thought of taking on "luxurious" interests like artmaking, is mostly unsupported - especially more American/Western art forms like theater or spoken word poetry. BUT support from the community is changing for the better and there are more Lao American artists emerging - whether they are practicing more American contemporary art forms or preserving traditional art forms.
What's the best thing a theater can do for a playwright? What should they keep in mind when approaching a new script?
When I inform a theater that I need to cast ethnic Lao actors, it means so much for a theater to say, "We respect that. We will work on this because we understand the reasons why" and then come through with it. As a Southeast Asian - a Lao - playwright, I do not want a theater to say to me, "Hey, we already produced a play about the Vietnam War/refugees/Asians last season. We're not interested in yours because it's too similar." Don't treat my work and my community's narratives like a quota that's already been met. Shit is varied and nuanced, alright? Judge the work on its own merit. The same theaters that have that perspective are the same ones who will produce and privilege "white" narratives over and over again.
Is there anything that the Twin Cities theater community could be doing differently to support playwrights?
Since I started doing theater, I've been nurtured and supported by the TC theater community. So many people - playwrights, theaters, directors, institutions - have given me opportunities to expand what I know about theatermaking.
Can you give some specific examples of the kind of opportunities and support you've gotten from theater companies?
They literally gave me money to discover myself as a playwright. I was a poet before I became a playwright. They made me a legitimate professional playwright. Because of them, a Lao-centered narrative was put onto the American stage. Lao people have been in Minnesota for nearly 40 years at that time and it took 38 years until a Minnesota theater company produced a play that privileged Lao experiences.
I received mentorship from Rick Shiomi and Randy Reyes while writing the script for Kung Fu Zombies vs Cannibals. I got to workshop and had staged readings. Randy was active in getting KFZ out there - I got to visit classrooms and other theaters to talk about the play, for example. A fight scene from KFZ made it on the Ivey Award stage one year. They gave me a lot of exposure, too.
I became part of a writing team - made up of all women - which felt very special to me. Everyone on the team was more experienced than me and I gained different playwriting tools from them. My friend Jessica Huang invited me to that table.
This joint is run by my BFF May Lee-Yang. She's Hmong American and like me, want to create theater on her own terms. We co-wrote and co-performed our Hmong Lao Friendship Play. I learned about self-producing through that experience.
TeAda Productions (based in Los Angeles)
They introduced me about the ensemble process and also to the practice of bringing in community to tell their stories. Then, lifting up those stories and those truths through theater. I learned how to play with others while devising the work and how to engage community members when gathering their stories. I spent two weeks in LA at East West Players (the largest leading APIA theater company in America) in a residency with TeAda learning about ensemble work.
The Many Voices Fellowship was the only fellowship I actually really wanted and tried year after year after year to get. They're providing opportunities to work with their established artists - like, being mentored by Christina Ham (FTW?!) - workshop our play, connecting us to artistic directors, theaters, theater makers nationally, bringing us to Chicago to introduce us to the theater landscape there, and aside from all of these professional and creative opportunities, they are giving us a solid stack - not $1,000 like other fellowships across the nation but legit money. FTW!
Why should companies do new work?
Because new work usually reflects NOW. Oldies can be goodies but my friends and I are interested in discovering contemporary voices and stories that are commentaries on our realities right now.