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Google Photos Has Stopped Making Backups Of Many Of Your Photos
Google Photos is one of the best tools to keep backup copies of all the photos that we take and receive on the mobile. When the application detected a new folder with images and videos, it asked us if we wanted to make a backup, which is great for securing any multimedia content.
The quality of these backups is conditioned by our device (remember that if you have a Pixel 3, for example, you will have unlimited storage until 2022 ) or the configuration that we have decided to apply. However, if we want it to stop making copies, we will have to disable this function by hand. However, although the photos and videos that we take with the mobile camera continue to upload to the cloud as usual, after the new update of Google Photos, things have changed "a little."
If until now all these backups were made by default, backups to third-party apps have been disabled. Thus, an image or video received by WhatsApp, Instagram photos, image editors, etc. is out of the scope of Google Photos from now on. A new rule that makes even applications developed by Google itself, such as the "Messages" app, sees restrictions on making their corresponding security backups.
Why have backups on Google Photos been limited?
According to Google, the objective they intend to achieve with this limitation is to alleviate data traffic on the Internet, which is congested due to the COVID-19 crisis. This is not something new.
It is that we have already seen similar movements on platforms such as Netflix or YouTube, which reduced the quality of streaming in Europe in the harshest moments of the pandemic – and in some countries such as Spain are still stuck.
Therefore, although we have told Google Photos to make backup copies of specific applications, at the moment, those copies are no longer being made. Luckily, we can still modify the Photo settings to continue to take place, although we must enable it by hand. Next, we explain how to do it.
How to configure Google Photos to make backups of all our apps
Last week Google updated the Photos application adding a new icon and features. If we already have the application updated, these are the steps we must follow:
- Open the Google Photos app.
- In the lower menu, click on "Library ".
- At the top of the screen, click on the "Utilities" icon.
- At the bottom of the utility menu, select "Copy device folders ."
- Here you will see the different folders on your device that contain images. If any of these folders have a cloud icon crossed out, that means Photos is not backing up that folder.
- To make backups again, click on the folder and activate the "Create backup and synchronize" tab that you will see right at the top of the screen. Repeat this same process with all the folders you want to upload to the cloud.
Automatically Google Photos will re-synchronize all the videos and photos, keeping a backup as usual until now.
If we still have the old version of Google Photos, the steps to follow are very similar:
- Open the Google Photos app and display the left side menu.
- Go into "Settings" and select "Backup and Sync."
- In the menu, click on "Backup device folders."
- Use the tabs on the right to activate backup copies of any folder you want to save in Google Photos.
A "Critical" Failure Of Apple Allowed To Take Control Of User Accounts
A flaw in the 'Login with Apple' system in third-party applications and services that did not have an additional security system in place could allow 'hackers' to gain control of a user account.
The security flaw was discovered in April by researcher Bhavuk Jain, who informed the technology company of a 'zero-day' vulnerability that has already been corrected. For this discovery, Apple, through its rewards program, has paid him $ 100,000.
Specifically, it is a localized fault in the 'Login with Apple' system, which allows users to access third-party applications and websites with their Apple ID. This system allows the user to hide their email, if they do not want to put theirs, which generates a random and exclusive 'email' that redirects to personal email.
Jain discovered that on those third-party sites that had not implemented additional security measures, a 'hacker' could create a 'token' linked to any email ID, which would be valid with Apple's public key. In this way, he could gain control of an account, making this failure critical.
The investigator has indicated in his publication that Apple investigated the situation and determined that he had not identified misuse of this ruling or accounts that had been compromised.
source:- bhavukjain
How Trump's Executive Order Affects Google, Facebook, And Twitter
The special protection against legal actions that large social networks like Facebook, Twitter, or Google enjoy could come to an end. At least that is the intention of the American president, Donald Trump, with the signing of the executive order this Thursday.
Exactly a year ago, the president accused major social networks of having a "progressive bias" and warned of a legal change. Over the past few weeks, he has again shown his intentions to embark on a legislative change that seems to have precipitated after Twitter posted warning messages in several of your tweets.
The executive order targets section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. A law that gives immunity to the web pages that select and moderate content created by third parties, as happens in the main social networks.
Legislation that has allowed the Internet to be configured as we know it today and that has shielded large companies such as Facebook, Twitter, or Google against possible legal actions and gives them the freedom to configure and moderate their platforms as they wish.
President Trump places the legal concept of "good faith" at the center of the controversy and argues that social networks would not have acted "in good faith" and that the legislation would have been paralyzed.
"In a country that celebrates freedom of expression, we cannot allow a limited number of online platforms to handpick the speeches that Americans can broadcast and that they can access on the Internet," he says.
Thus, with the executive order, the Department of Commerce will ask the Federal Communications Commission (FFC) for a new regulation to clarify when a company could be violating the principle of good faith contained in section 230.
The new regulations establish that the violation of the principle of good faith would result in federal agencies not being able to advertise on these social networks, in addition to possible legal proceedings against them.
In addition, the order urges the Department of Justice to contact various state prosecutors to investigate the allegations of anti-conservative bias.
Finally, the executive order calls on the FCC to issue reports on complaints against the political bias of social networks that the White House has collected and considered the possibility of taking legal action against social networks that may have violated the principle of good faith of the mentioned section 230 that is altered with this new presidential mandate.
The US Tightens Huawei Restrictions
The US government has announced measures to reduce the production capacity of semiconductors with North American technology from the Chinese company Huawei, which it considers "a threat to national security".
The US Department of Commerce announced on Tuesday that it had strategically blocked purchases of Huawei semiconductors that make use of US "know-how".
US authorities have been lobbying companies in the United States and allied countries for many months not to accept Huawei technology, notably for the development of 5G telecommunication networks, warning of the risk of spying on an organization they say they are at the service of the Chinese Government.
This announcement blocks Huwaei's efforts to circumvent export controls, "said the Commerce Department in a statement.
The new measure could further damage already strained relations between the United States and China, compounded by mutual accusations about how each is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. Officials say the move is in response to mechanisms they say are being used by the Chinese technology company to circumvent trade restrictions imposed since 2019.
Huawei and 114 of its subsidiaries have been blacklisted and forced to obtain special licenses whenever they want to export technology to US products. "However, Huawei continued to use computer programs and American technology to develop semiconductors, undermining national security and the diplomatic purpose of the measures," explains the Department of Commerce.
This is not how a global company that wants to be responsible should behave ", added the US Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross.
"We must change our rules that are being abused by Huawei and HiSilicon (a subsidiary of the Chinese technology giant) to prevent American technologies from serving malicious activities contrary to the interests of the national security of the United States and its foreign policy," he said. Ross.
The US Government, however, allows a period of 120 days, starting this Friday, before the new restrictions are applied.
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This week brings the August jobs report, the last jobs report before the September Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting.
This is important because economists currently expect the Fed to begin tapering its $85 billion monthly purchases of mortgage and Treasury bonds. But the decision to taper hinges on the health of jobs and the direction of inflation.
This is just one of the many things investors need to worry about as September unfolds.
Top Stories
- Syria: The escalating conflict in Syria has investors both concerned and confused. While Syria is not a major player in oil, the market is pricing in a risk premium. Brent crude oil has jumped to $116 per barrel from an average $107 in July. Societe Generale's Mike Wittner expects it to go to $125 and possibly as high as $150.
"A short-lived increase might add a few tenths to the CPI but the real danger comes from the widening of the conflagration in the Middle East and the damage it would do to business confidence," warned SocGen's Brian Hilliard. "We have already seen oil prices respond in anticipation of some form of attack on Syria but little evidence of effects in the real economy. The business surveys due for release this week will have been canvassed too early to capture any nervousness about the economic impact."
- September: September is expected to be much busier than August. Congress comes back from vacation, and they'll have to deal the debt ceiling, the expiring continuing resolution, the Fed taper, and the nomination of the next Fed Chair.
Economist Nouriel Roubini warns that it's a mistake to take all of this lightly. "So far, investors have been complacent about the risks posed by the looming budget fight," he wrote in a piece for Project Syndicate. "They believe that – as in the past – the fiscal showdown will end with a midnight compromise that avoids both default and a government shutdown. But investors seem to underestimate how dysfunctional US national politics has become. With a majority of the Republican Party on a jihad against government spending, fiscal explosions this autumn cannot be ruled out."
Economic Calendar
- Labor Day (Monday): U.S. markets are closed.
- U.S. PMI (Tuesday): Economists estimate that PMI climbed to 53.9 in August from 53.7 in July.
- ISM Manufacturing (Tuesday): Economists estimate that the widely followed ISM index fell to 53.8 in August. "Last month's 4.5 point surge (to 55.4) was exaggerated by a particularly aggressive seasonal adjustment in the new orders and production components," said Credit Suisse's Neal Soss. "The July adjustments for both components were the most positive in the entire post-war history of the ISM Manufacturing report."
- Construction Spending (Tuesday): Economists estimate spending climbed by 0.3% month-over-month in July. "July's increase is partly a payback for the unexpected 0.6% mom drop in the prior month," said Bank of America Merrill Lynch's economics team. "In the June report, we saw mom declines in structures spending (-0.9% mom) and state & local construction (-1.1% mom). In July, we are forecasting both to grow at a 0.5% mom pace."
- Vehicle Sales (Wednesday): Economists estimate the pace of total vehicle sales climbed to an annualized rate of 15.8 million. "Stepped-up demand for trucks and crossover vehicles, combined with improved financing availability, likely propelled light vehicle sales 2.3% higher to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 16.1 million in August – the strongest unit-purchase level since November 2007," said Societe Generale's optimist Brian Jones.
- Trade Balance (Wednesday): Economists estimate the U.S. trade deficit widened to $39.0 billion.
- Beige Book (Wednesday): "We will be looking for any indications that the tighter financial conditions seen since late May are hurting business sentiment. Such anecdotes may prompt some push-back from the Fed," said Credit Suisse's Soss. "In the case of the September 17-18 meeting, pushing back may entail sugarcoating any QE3 tapering by extending the forward guidance on the fed funds rate target."
- SG ADP Employment Report (Thursday): Economists estimate that the ADP will report 177,000 private payrolls for August. "Despite its spotty track record as an augur of prospective changes in nonfarm payrolls, the ADP National Employment Report will undoubtedly colour expectations heading into the following morning's official government release," said SocGen's Jones.
- Initial Weekly Unemployment Claims (Thursday): Economists estimate jobless claims slipped to 330,000 from 331,00 a week ago. "[T]he fact that jobless claims have been consistently below 350k—a key level that has been commensurate with 200kplus
nonfarm payroll growth in the past—also bodes well for Friday's report," said Deutsche Bank's Brett Ryan.
- ISM Non-manufacturing (Thursday): Economists estimate the ISM services index slipped to 55.0 from 56.0 in July. "In August, we expect the index to hold on to its July gain and remain at 56.0," said BAML's economists. "The new orders index spiked to a five-month high in July's release, suggesting that the strength would continue for at least another month."
- Employment Situation (Friday): Economists estimate that U.S. companies added 175,000 nonfarm payrolls in August. They also expect the unemployment rate to be unchanged at 7.4%. "We expect nonfarm payrolls to show modest gains in August," said Wells Fargo's John Silvia who expects a 185,000 print. "The reference week of initial jobless claims rose slightly over last month and the employment components of regional purchasing manager surveys were positive."
Market Commentary
Chaos in the Emerging Markets has Societe Generale's Albert Edwards warning that we have heard "the final tweet of the canary in the coal mine."
"The emerging markets 'story' has once again been exposed as a pyramid of piffle," wrote Edwards. "The EM edifice has come crashing down as their underlying balance of payments weaknesses have been exposed first by the yen's slide and then by the threat of Fed tightening."
"At the risk of being called a crackpot again, I repeat my forecasts of 450 for the S&P, sub-1% US 10y yields and gold above $10,000," he added.

subset: commoncrawl


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As some of you know, I am afraid of the moving pictures. Well, they move too fast for one thing, and they all FLASH FLASH FLASH, and I'm afraid I'll have a seizure, and they have destroyed our attention span, and the next thing you know there's a FLASH and you're seeing something you never meant to see and you can't just erase it; it's there permanently and you're doomed to a life of regret. I can't honestly remember the last time I entered a movie theater. Also there are other people there, and I don't want any part of that.
Additionally, I don't watch television because by-and-large it is venal and not to be endured. If I even touch the on/off button on my television it's so my toddler can watch The Aristocats, which is fine because it involves lovely cats in Paris in 1910. A very fine time in Paris, if you ask me. Plus there are jazz-playing strays living in a house that looks oh-so-suspiciously like Storyville in New Orleans, a favorite lost artifact of mine.
At this point you must be thinking, "How tragical is this woman, with nothing but books about Whitehead, and little nubs of carpenters' pencils." True enough, until my friend who-shall-remain-nameless (Scott), convinced me to watch The Sopranos.
WHAT?!? The Quaker girl? Oh-ho, indeed. In fact, between the beginning of January and the end of February (or March – I have no sense of time) I watched all 86 hours, and when I reached the finale I sobbed for three days. My friend Christopher took me by the hand and said, "Honey? Millions of people saw that finale. Some thought it was genius, some were disappointed. But NO ONE sobbed for three days. I think we need a little bit of professional help here." Which only goes to show he has no heart.
And perhaps things were slightly askew in my psyche, because in an e-mail exchange between three friends I was asked to name off the top of my head (seriously! think fast!) how I would choose to die if I only had twenty-four hours. What would I do, spend my last day hysterical over my motherless children? Try to see the Seven or Ten or Eight Wonders of the World? God, no. I answered as honestly as humanly possible. I said, "I would want to spend 24 hours with Tony Soprano and then I would want him to shoot me in the heart." In cyber-space there was much of being appalled. In fact, all over the physical word, appalled-ness did preside. But NOT WITH MY FRIEND SUZANNE FINNAMORE COOPER. She said, "The only way to get your heart blown to smithereens is to choose the psychopath."
I shall keep this short, because I have dissertations on the cultural phenomenon which was Tony Soprano, but I would just like to end with this photograph. If I were 13, 16, 21, 16, 32, 38, or even 40, I would have this tattooed on my regions. After spending hours studying the sublime image, please feel free to talk amongst yourselves about your last twenty-four hours. And remember: I am the last person to judge.


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RUSART Art Supplies has the largest selection of paper and canvases from around the world at the largest discounts.
Choose your paint canvas according to your personal preference and the medium you're working with. Shop RUSART Art Supplies for a wide variety of blank canvases including stretched canvas, bulk canvas, and canvas rolls, canvas panels and multimedia boards.
Determine the canvas material you need. Canvas fabrics are woven from natural and synthetic fibers. The most commonly used natural fibers are linen and cotton. Linen is by far the superior because of its strength and resistance to decay. Woven from flax, the weave persists throughout many layers of paint in both fine and coarse textures. Linen is the fiber that Rembrandt used.


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The search found 299 results in 0.01 seconds.
Discussion of "daddies" has exploded in popular discourse, yet there is little sociological research on age-heterogenous partnerships. This paper uses data from the 2013 Midlife in the United States survey and the 2015–2016 National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project to examine age-heterogenous partnerships at older ages (63 was the approximate average age of each sample).
Using concepts associated with effectively maintained inequality theory and horizontal stratification, the authors ask whether the private-public dividing line is a "threshold of consequence" for early-career market entry. To address this empirically, the authors use a novel LinkedIn data set to analyze job pathways for the graduating class of 2016 from the top 25 private and top 25 public universities in the United States.
The sociological literature, although rich on the topic of racial/ethnic hierarchy, often overlooks its spatially varying nature relative to group tensions and inequality. In this article, we address this gap by drawing on and analyzing four historically important U.S. urban cases (i.e., Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City) that reflect both compositional diversity and significant variation in racial/ethnic group sizes. Our analyses, which draw on U.S.
Social scientists have long been interested in how cultural and structural characteristics shape individuals' actions. We investigate this relationship by examining how macro- and micro-level religious effects shape individuals' reports of premarital and extramarital sex. We look at how identifying with one of the major world religions—Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, or Judaism—and living in a nation with a Muslim culture shape the likelihood of sex outside of marriage.
Drawing on the first national survey experiment of its kind (n = 3,922), the authors examine Americans' perceptions of transgender people's sex and the factors that underlie these perceptions. The authors randomly assigned respondents to a vignette condition describing a transgender person whose self-identified gender (i.e., identifies as a man or a woman), age (i.e., adult or teenager), and gender conformity in physical appearance (i.e., conforming, nonconforming, ambiguous, or unspecified) had been experimentally manipulated.
Our study aims to understand trans students' perceptions of campus climate, with a particular focus on students' demographics, academic experiences, and cocurricular experiences. We use Bhabha's concept of third space as an epistemological lens and Rankin and Reason's transformational tapestry model as a theoretical framework. Using a national sample of 207 trans collegians from the National LGBTQ Alumnx Survey, we utilize regression analysis supplemented by an analysis of open-ended responses to highlight the experiences of trans respondents.


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We have had all the fun!
Check out the highlights video and photo gallery and tell us about your visit by filling out a brief survey.
Homecoming & Family Weekend 2019 on September 27-29 was a Juniata kind of weekend.
The Quad was the hub of activity with children and others young-at-heart enjoying the inflatable games, pottery painting, balloon artists, and other activities. The Marketplace showcased merchandise by Juniata alumni, student clubs, and local businesses. Additional highlights included reunions for the Classes of 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, and a Zero Year Reunion for the newest alumni, the Class of 2019. We also celebrated our history with a special photo of Juniata legacy families.
President Troha and other members of the Senior Leadership Team shared exciting campus news during the Forum on the Future, and many guests enjoyed the lively Beer Garden sponsored by alumni Chris Lampe '94 and Zane Miller '09 of Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Matt Dunn '01 of Southern Tier Brewing Company, Heidi Kratzer John '97 of Rusty Rail Brewing Company, and Tim Gill '08 of Wissahickon Brewing Company. Several of the Juniata Eagles athletic teams competed, and academic departments hosted a variety of activities including alumni career panels and open houses.
Special thanks to all of the volunteers and staff who gave their time to make Homecoming & Family Weekend memorable!
We hope you will join us for Homecoming & Family Weekend 2020 on October 2-4, 2020. Special reunions will be held for the classes of 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. If your reunion is approaching and you would like to work with your classmates to make it extra special, please contact Katie (Padamonsky) Dickey '97 at (814) 641-3447 or email@example.com.
To learn more about other upcoming Juniata events, visit the Calendar of Events.


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- Home
- Inside the Production
- April Visnapuu
April Visnapuu
Open Door to Enter
- By gentleguide
- On Sat 22 apr 2017
Coming up for 4 shows on April 28-30 is a new entity in Des Moines, the inaugural presentation for Open Door Rep. Their two-hander play is called Lungs, a story of a young couple deciding if they should bring a baby into this volatile existence. And new life and new ways of thinking are what Open Door Rep is all about. Welcome to their new world, and see what awaits....


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The Senior Pastor of First Assembly of God in Ft. Myers, Florida, is Dan Betzer, ordained 52 years ago, and a life-long veteran of broadcasting. He is known not only as a pastor but as a writer, television and radio host, and district and national executive with the Assemblies of God, and he is also known among multitudes of children through his "Dan and Louie" recordings. In 1940, at the age of three, Betzer began radio work on WNAX in Sioux City, Iowa, doing children's and religious programs each weekend, singing and acting. By the time he was in college, he was a daily anchor on both radio and television news. Profoundly sensing God's direction, he entered the ministry and began starting churches in Ohio.
• In December of 1986 he was elected Senior Pastor of First Assembly of God in Ft. Myers, a church he continues to pastor in his 29th year there. During those years, he has seen the congregation grow from a few hundred to its current 10,000 members and adherents and average weekend attendance of 6,700 including the satellite campuses.
• Betzer served as the assistant district superintendent of the Peninsular Florida District of the Assemblies of God for sixteen years and carried the portfolio of World Missions. He is now an honorary presbyter in that district.
• He has served for the past twenty years as an executive presbyter of the General Council for the Assemblies of God, which is the 20-member general board of directors of the denomination, and he has been a part of the General Presbytery for twenty-two years.
• For nearly seventeen years (1979-1995) Betzer was the speaker on the Assemblies of God syndicated radio broadcast REVIVALTIME, which was heard on over 600 stations each week in over 80 countries. He also wrote and hosted the two-minute weekday radio program BYLINE, heard on several hundred stations, and also wrote and hosted the one-minute television version, seen on scores of stations world-wide each weekday (TBN, CTN, Family-Net, Cornerstone Network and Daystar) . He currently hosts nine television programs and one radio program each week in southwest Florida.
• As a soloist, he has produced 17 albums and has sung with artists such as Ralph Carmichael and his orchestra, Dino, Larry Gatlin, the Blackwood Brothers, Lulu Roman, The Couriers and many others.
• Betzer has authored twenty-one published books, including a best-selling novel, and has a new book that will be released in August by the Assemblies of God. The book is titled Why Some Churches Are Blessed.
• For twenty years he was a board member of the National Religious Broadcasters Association.
• Betzer has been married to his wife Darlene for 59 years. They have four children – three daughters and a son – eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
• For relaxation, he enjoys travel (he has ministered in 62 nations), playing golf, fishing and reading.


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Prophylaxis means prevention. Bend through regular prophylaxis before dental diseases. The attachment apparatus is strengthened by and it threatens significantly less tooth loss. You should come to see us regularly every 6 month regularly, for professional tooth cleaning - because then you did the best for a "more powerful bite tomorrow".
We clean your teeth and your gum more thoroughly than it can be done by you and your toothbrush. The interdental spaces and the gumline are places that you can reach even difficult with the use of dental floss. Furthermore, we also remove fixed tartar and polish your teeth, because on roughened teeth bacteria can stay more easily and that can lead to tooth decay. After the treatment you will have a long-lasting clean feeling in your mouth!
In addition we show you during prophylaxis session how to clean the most effective and gentle way for your teeth your teeth and your gum and how to prevent caries and periodontal disease (gum disease) best.


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Michelle is a hard worker who needed a little help.
As a student at NMC, she was awarded a scholarship from Zonta. She bought a car, which helped her get to class. "That scholarship was everything," Michelle said, and credited it for giving her the confidence to start her own business. Today, Michelle's products are found in over 3,000 stores nationwide. Zonta supports women like Michelle who work to make a world of difference.
Michelle is the President & Creator of Michelle's Miracle®


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The biggest plot hole in The Lord of the Rings is arguably "why not use the Eagles to get to Mordor?"
But imagine an alternate universe where Tolkien wrote LotR, with the same internal consistency, except the Fellowship of the Ring ride the Eagles to Mount Doom…
Could they get there? You bet! But it's not as simple as it sounds. How do the Fellowship get in touch with the Eagles? Which way would they go? Who would go? How long would it take? What precautions would they take? How would they get over the mountains and past the winged Nazgûl?
All these questions and more are answered at Flying the Eagles to Mordor – A 'How-To' Guide.
Seriously, "Fly You Fools!!"


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- Located in Hampton and Indiana Townships, 12 miles north of Pittsburgh
- 629 acres
- 15 miles of single-track
- Minimum elevation: 980 feet
- Maximum elevation: 1,315 feet
- Managed by Allegheny County Parks
PTAG is looking for a volunteer Steward for Hartwood Acres Park. If you are interested, please contact the board.
Hartwood Acres offers a combination of forested and pastoral landscapes. Hartwood Mansion is a historic country estate containing a 16th century styled Tudor Mansion (built in 1929), cottage, stable complex, formal gardens and gate lodge. Hikers, horseback riders, mountain bikers and cross-country skiers use the park's wooded trails year-round. Each summer, Hartwood Acres is also the site of outdoor concerts and events. The park's off-leash, enclosed dog park is also a favourite destination.
Hartwood Acres is a popular destination for mountain biking, offering a little bit of everything, include trail-side features. Its challenging topography allows for fast, flowing rides while its bounty of technical features, from rock gardens to plunging descents, will delight advanced riders.


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Neroli & Lavender Conditioner
The fragrance of Neroli & Lavender is 'a rich, sensual floral cocktail' making it a particularly delightful and luxurious conditioner to use. Neroli is the flower of the orange tree and smells like a 'muted or very subtle citrus'. It is commonly used in perfumes and men's colognes to add 'heart' to any fragrance.
Lavender essential oil is easy to extract and makes high-quality, natural hair-care products affordable. It naturally synergises with other essential oils and balances and enhances their properties: it literally adapts to what your hair needs as it changes (e.g., your hair changes according to hormonal and dietary changes, climate and lifestyle habits, e.g., swimming).
Neroli & lavender essential oils combine to stimulate hair growth and add volume to hair, which may be of particular interest to older, peri-menopausal or menopausal women, or those with calcium or protein deficiencies. Following that theme, Neroli & Lavender also helps to balance hormones and stress which can create hair dullness, hair loss or slow regrowth.
Neroli & Lavender is most compatible with Ylang Ylang & Rosemary Shampoo.
For those with calcium or protein deficiencies we also recommend Carrot & Primrose Hair Oil.


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In the last commercial viewers will see before the big game begins, comedian Tommy Davidson leads the P'ZONE Revolution and brings the latest innovation from Pizza Hut to a fan-packed sports arena one box at a time—converting sports fans into P'ZONE fans. In the sports-themed spot, Davidson distributes P'ZONE pizzas up and down the arena isles but takes time out to lead cheerleaders in a chant of "Gimme a P!'' In between sampling P'ZONE pizzas among hungry fans, Davidson delivers a parody of sports commentators by giving the P'ZONE play-by-play after a fan takes a bite.
"We chose Tommy Davidson for his energy [and] audience appeal and because he's hilarious. P'ZONE pizzas are fun to eat and Tommy delivers the message in a fun and energetic manner,'' said Sean Gleason, vice president of advertising at Pizza Hut. "We weren't interested in just hiring an actor to play someone else. We wanted Tommy to be Tommy, and we're happy withthe results.''
The day of the big bowl game is the busiest Sunday of the year for Pizza Hut, the recognized world leader in the $25 billion pizza category. Just prior to kick-off, America will get a glimpse of the new category disrupting P'ZONE pizza—a medium-size pizza crust filled with toppings and sliced mozzerella cheese, folded into a crescent shape and sealed calzone-style. Pizza Hut has held the coveted pre-kick-off spot for six years, and this year Pizza Hut hopes the pre-game pizza call includes an order for P'ZONE pizzas.
"For six years now we've held this pre-kick-off spot because that's when most people order pizza,'' said Gleason. "The big game is a TV-watching event and therefore a pizza-eating event. Big game Sunday is our busiest Sunday of the year, and the ad just before kick-off is the perfect spot to showcase our new P'ZONE and drive sales.''
Television commercials featuring the P'ZONE pizza and Tommy Davidson began airing Sunday, January 27. The new spot for the big game will premier just before kick-off on Sunday, February 3.
Pizza Hut is supporting the P'ZONE national introduction with a $70 million marketing plan including point-of-purchase promotion, and national print and broadcast advertising


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Google Makes Its First Real Stab at Mobile Marketing: AdWords on iPhones
Say this for Google: If the company's revenue really does contract next quarter, it won't be because it's not trying–the company is rolling out a steady stream of tweaks and improvements to goose incremental advertising spend.
The latest: An announcement that advertisers who buy AdWords–Google's main revenue engine–can now automatically buy mobile advertising, too. The company says AdWords buyers can choose to have their AdWords automatically show up on phones that support "real" Internet browsers like T-Mobile's G1 phone and Apple's (AAPL) iPhone. Here's an example:
These ads will reach a relatively small slice of mobile phone users. But that population will increase rapidly, particularly if Apple really does start selling cut-price phones at Wal-Mart (WMT). Which means that Google (GOOG) really may be the first company to make inroads toward the supposedly-huge-but-so-far-mythical mobile ad market.
Release from Google's Daniel Rubin:
Today, we're announcing a new campaign-level option that allows you to extend the reach of your text and image ads to show your AdWords ads on the T-Mobile G1, the iPhone, and other mobile devices that have full (HTML) Internet browsers. This new option will now allow you to display your ads specifically on these devices, create exclusive campaigns for them, and get separate performance reporting. We hope this option will help you more effectively reach your audience with the right message at the right time.
G1 and iPhone ads have many of the same benefits as our standard mobile-format ads, such as allowing you to deliver mobile-specific calls-to-action and reaching your audience when they're on the go. Showing ads on the G1 and iPhone also have additional advantages for your advertising. Users are performing a lot of searches on these devices, and searches are likely to go up during the holiday season. Last Christmas, the iPhone drove more traffic to Google.com worldwide than any other mobile platform.
Unlike standard mobile ads, you don't need to format your ads for mobile phones to show your ads on the G1 and iPhone. Because the G1 and iPhone has full Internet browsers, you'll be able to display your standard AdWords ads and landing pages on these devices without having to modify them.
With this new option, you're opted-in to show ads on the G1 and iPhone, and you're also eligible to show on additional devices that use full Internet browsers as these devices enter the market. If you want to change your settings to only show ads on G1s and iPhones or to not show ads on these devices, follow these steps.
If you're running standard mobile ad formats, they won't be affected, and they'll continue to run on mobile phones with mobile (WAP) browsers."


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Slovenia is a small country situated in central Europe. It´s neighbours are Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia.
Despite the size it´s very rich with rivers and lakes which are affected by alpine topography (Julian Alps and Karavanke) on one side and karst topography (Karst or Karst Plateau) on another. In less than two hours of driving you can fish on alpine rivers, chalkstream rivers and karstic rivers. Here i mention some of the most important rivers for fly fishing: Vipava, Soca, Idrijca, Baca, Rizana, Unec, Reka, Sava Bohinjka, Radovna, Krka, Kolpa…
On most of them you can practice only fly fishing, on some of them also spinning and other techniques.
Foggy morning on Vipava river.


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Cameron ponders next Leveson move
DAVID Cameron is facing one of the toughest challenges of his premiership as he wrestles with the political fallout triggered by Lord Justice Leveson's proposals to reform the press.
The Prime Minister is on a collision course with his Coalition partners, the Opposition and victims of press intrusion after indicating he will spike recommendations for a muscular new independent regulatory body, backed by legislation.
Lord Justice Leveson yesterday condemned the "culture of reckless and outrageous journalism" that dominated sections of the press for decades as he unveiled the findings of his 16-month inquiry.
Labour clean sweep as UKIP advances
LABOUR was celebrating a clean sweep in three parliamentary by-elections in Rotherham, Middlesbrough and Croydon North today.
But the celebrations were maybe bigger at the UK Independence Party, which took second place in the two northern seats and recorded its best ever by-election result in Rotherham, where its candidate secured 21.8% of the vote.
It was a dismal night for both coalition parties, with the Conservatives slumping to fourth in Middlesbrough and fifth in Rotherham.
UN recognises state of Palestine
THE United Nations General Assembly has agreed to recognise a Palestinian state, despite the UK abstaining in the vote and fierce opposition from the United States.
William Hague was under pressure to back last night's historic move in New York but said Britain could only support the resolution if the Palestinians gave a commitment to an immediate and unconditional return to the negotiating table with Israel.
The UK also required an assurance that the Palestinians would not seek to extend the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the Occupied Territories.
Patients get more control over care
TENS of thousands of patients will be able to get cash from their doctors for "personal health budgets" which can be used for activities including singing lessons and other hobbies, it has been announced.
Patients will have access to the budgets which give them more choice and control over the care they receive, care and support minister Norman Lamb will say.
Ministers have decided to roll the scheme out after a successful pilot.
Over-50s too optimistic on savings
THE over-50s are "sleepwalking" towards their retirement by under-estimating how long they will live for and being overly optimistic about how well-off they will be, research by pensions experts warns today.
A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said savers with a defined contribution (DC) pension typically appear to be "somewhat optimistic", and some would have to grow their pension pot by almost 80% to meet their retirement expectations.
The research, backed by the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF), found that one in four people aged 50 to 64 would need to save more than £60,000 before they retire to achieve the income they expect, and almost two-thirds (59%) had never considered how many years of retirement they might need to finance.
Egypt Islamists agree constitution
ISLAMISTS approved a draft constitution for Egypt early today without the participation of liberal and Christian members, seeking to pre-empt a court ruling that could dissolve their panel with a rushed, marathon vote that further inflames the clash between the opposition and President Mohammed Morsi.
The move advanced a charter with an Islamist bent that rights experts say could give Muslim clerics oversight over legislation and bring restrictions on freedom of speech, women's rights and other liberties.
The draft must now be put to a nationwide referendum within 30 days. Mr Morsi said yesterday it will be held "soon".
Pupils taking two English courses
TEENAGERS at hundreds of secondary schools are being entered for two English qualifications to boost results.
As well as taking GCSE English, these pupils are also taking an International GCSE (IGCSE) in the subject as schools attempt to achieve better grades and secure a higher ranking in league tables, the Times Educational Supplement (TES) reported today.
Around 320 secondaries are believed to be entering at least some of their students for both courses, a strategy which is being promoted by the Performance in Excellence Club (PiXL).
Three deaths from whooping cough
THREE babies died of whooping cough in October amid the biggest outbreak in 20 years, health officials said today.
The total number of babies under the age of three months who have died as a result of the infectious disease this year now stands at 13, the Health Protection Agency said.
The number of confirmed cases in England and Wales this year is now 7,728.
Evidence of cow and badger TB link
A STUDY of bacterial DNA has provided the first clear evidence that tuberculosis (TB) can spread between cattle and badgers living near farms.
Scientists mapped the genetic blueprints, or genomes, of bacteria isolated from 26 cows and four badgers during outbreaks of bovine TB in Northern Ireland.
The analysis made it possible to trace changes in the bacteria's DNA as it passed from animal to animal.
It revealed that bacteria taken from badgers and cows were closely related at the farm level.


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While every student is different and this list doesn't apply to everyone, here are three qualities students should leave behind after graduation:
Late for class? Not a problem. Forgot to submit your registration on time? It's okay. College is a whole lot more forgiving about the occasional mistake than your future employer will be.
Instead of testing your employer's patience and policies on meeting performance objectives and deadlines, assume that every boss, manager, and supervisor for whom you work is tough as nails. Maybe they will turn out to be reasonable. No harm can be done by doubling your effort to meet or exceed expectations and showing how serious you take every task. Even the toughest of bosses might back down from an overly aggressive deadline if they know that you are trying your level best to meet the objective, but not even the softest of bosses will tolerate you slacking off.
Check out: 4 Qualities Students Should Take Away From College
Party Animal Attitude
In college, Thursday is a perfectly acceptable start to the weekend. Stay out all night, grab an hour of sleep, and head out to your 9 a.m. class. Easy, right? You can just sit there and soak in the knowledge. After graduation, you don't have to start going to bed at 8:30 every night, but you might want to reconsider your party schedule.
In the real world, you are expected to contribute every day. After a night of partying, you might be awake in the morning, but are you really going to be a productive employee? Probably not. Your boss will catch on if you're clearly a zombie on Friday mornings.
Maybe your parents paid your rent, maybe you received a grant from the school, whatever the case may be, more likely than not you're going to be more independent following graduation. Embrace your independence. These are the character building early days of your career and adult life when you learn to manage your personal budget and time. This is when you will develop life-long habits that will make you understand sacrifice and what it takes to become successful.
Mom and Dad may offer you extra cash now and then until you get on your feet. Resist. While it may seem awesome to have a little extra scratch in your pockets, know that you're sacrificing part of your transition to adulthood if you accept it.
What do you think? Do you agree with the three points listed above? What other qualities or behaviors should students ditch at college? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Tony Morrison is the Vice President at Cachinko, a unique professional community where social networking and job opportunities come together. His roles include sales, marketing, and business development. He is passionate about building B2B and B2C client relationships and brings this passion to Cachinko where he focuses on helping job seekers to find their ideal job and employers to find, attract, and engage their next rock star candidates. Find him on Twitter and Talent Connection. And, connect with Cachinko on Facebook or Twitter.
Read more posts on Come Recommended »


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Sunday, May 29, 2016
HS Baseball: Oceanside Sees Win Against Belfast
Oceanside won the game by a score of 6-1.
Game Stats:
Oceanside (12-3) 0-0-1 0-0-0 0-5 --- 6 - 5 - 2 (6 LOB)
Belfast (8-7) 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0 --- 1 - 3 - 2 (9 LOB)
Nick Mazurek fires a complete game 3 hitter, striking out 13 and drove in a pair of runs, including being hit by a pitch with bases loaded in the 8th to snap a 1-all tie. Michael Norton, Jr had 2 hits, 2 steals and scores 2 runs for Oceanside.
Belfast Lefty Emery Dinsmore limited Oceanside to a run on 3 hits and struck out 11 over 7 innings.
Garrett Hamlin had 2 of Belfast's 3 hits.
Oceanside Battery
Nick Mazurek (W 3-1) 8 Inn - 1R - 0ER - 3H - 13K - 4BB - 1HBP
Catcher Riley Sprague
Belfast Battery
Emory Dinsmore 7 Inn - 1R - 1ER - 3H - 11K - 2BB
Lucien Smith (L) 0 Inn - 3R - 3ER - 2H - 0K - 1BB (Faced 3 Batters)
Zach Dyer ⅓ Inn - 2R - 1ER - 0H - 1K - 1BB - 3HBP
Grey Dinsmore ⅔ Inn - 0R - 0ER - 0H - 2K - 0BB
Catchers Zach Dyer, Grey Dinsmore (5), Zach Dyer (8)
Repeat Hitters - Oceanside - Michael Norton, Jr (single & double); Belfast - Garrett Hamlin (single & double)
Doubles - Oceanside - Michael Norton, Jr, Logan Sheridan; Belfast - Lucien Smith, Garrett Hamlin
Triples - None
Home Runs - None
Oceanside 3rd - Michael Norton doubles, moves to third on a wild pitch and scores on Nick Mazurek's ground out
Belfast 4th - Lucien Smith doubles, Zach Dyer reaches on an error to score Smith
Oceanside 8th - Logan Sheridan doubles, Michael Norton Jr singles and then steals second, Hunter Davis walks, Dyer replaces Smith the mound, Nick Mazurek is hit by a pitch driving in Sheridan, Nate Hersom runs for Mazurek, Riley Sprague is hit by a pitch driving in Norton, Titus Kaewthong walks to drive in Davis, Connor Harvey is hit by a pitch to drive in Hersom, Grey Dinsmore replaces Dyer on the mound, Riley Sprague attempt to score on a suicide squeeze that failed, however the catcher dropped the ball on the tag attempt and Sprague was ruled safe.
Next Oceanside Game at Waterville on Tuesday May 31st
1 comment:
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Finally, you say. Enough orange. Okay, okay, I'm done! (confetti canons, please.)
Check out this simple little watercolor journal. I made it by fusing (hooray for Wonder Under!) some vintage and repurposed fabrics to a thin chipboard and then sewing handcut watercolor paper into the cover on my sewing machine. So simple, gorgeous.
I've been trying to use some of my neglected supplies, which is what lead to this idea. I have tons of watercolor paper and very little time to paint, so I thought I'd make these for etsy. Of course, now I'm in love with them and am imagining little watercolor illustrated books that I simply must make. I'm sure I'll make some more of these in the future.
I got the basic idea for this simple book construction from Rachel Simonsen, check out her tutorial!
To see all the manifestations of this oh-so-lovely curtain, click on the tag below that says Orange Curtain Project, or the flickr badge!


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Call for bids in Burma: FCO Programme fund 2017/2018
The British Embassy Rangoon has now opened its call for project bids under the FCO's Programme Fund.
We are looking for projects that can be carried out during the financial year 2017/18. This year we are particularly interested in project proposals in the following areas:
Projects which support the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI)
The PSVI is a global campaign launched in 2012 by former British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, and the Special Envoy of UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Angelina Jolie Pitt, with the goal of ending the use of rape as a weapon of war worldwide. PSVI aims to address the culture of impunity and ensure better support for survivors. The UK is campaigning to raise awareness, rally global action, promote international coherence and increase the political will and capacity of states to do more. Please see here for more information.
Projects which support the tackling of the Illegal Wildlife Trade Initiative (IWT)
The UK government is committed to ending the illegal wildlife trade. We want to work with international partners to take action to achieve this goal. We want to focus on improving enforcement, reducing demand for products and supporting sustainable livelihoods and economic development in the communities affected. Please see here for more information.
The total funding requested for bids should be within the following limits for PSVI:
minimum limit: GBP 10,000
maximum limit: GBP 80,000
The total funding requested should be within the following limits for IWT:
minimum limit: GBP 10,000
maximum limit: GBP 40,000
Bids will be assessed against the following criteria:
- value for money
- alignment with the above mentioned above priorities
- project design, including clear and achievable impact
- project viability, including the capacity of implementing organisation
- risk and stakeholder management
- sustainability
Please complete the project proposal form and send it to us before 28 March 2017. Please include a full breakdown of costs in an Activity Based Budget. Template forms and further guidance are available below. All bids should be submitted by email to: firstname.lastname@example.com by 2 April 2017.
Please consider the below tips when designing your project:
- Projects should aim to start in mid April or May and end in February.
- Projects should plan to spend 90% by the end of December 2017.
- Payments are normally made quarterly. Payments are made after the completion of project activities. Advance payments are not usually possible.
- We require monitoring reports, which should include a detailed financial report. At the end of a project, we require a completion report, including a detailed financial report.
Please Note: Due to the volume of bids expected, it is unlikely we will be able to provide feedback on unsuccessful bids.


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Buy at this store.See Detail Online And Read Customers Reviews Locking Buffer Tube Folding Adapter Sb Tactical prices over the online source See individuals who buy "Locking Buffer Tube Folding Adapter Sb Tactical" Make sure the shop keep your personal information private before you purchase Locking Buffer Tube Folding Adapter Sb Tactical Make sure you can proceed credit card online to buyLocking Buffer Tube Folding Adapter Sb Tactical plus the store protects your information from fraudulents Make sure the customer support is obviously there to aid you when you place Locking Buffer Tube Folding Adapter Sb Tactical order with them
Locking Buffer Tube Folding Adapter Sb Tactical.
Product Description
SB Tactical Locking Buffer Tube Folding Adapter is reversible and will work with any screw-in style buffer tube. The Locking Buffer Tube Folding Adapter does not work with any firearm that requires a buffer or spring to operate.
- 6061 Type III Anodized Aluminum
- Low Profile
- Reversible
- Locks in both closed & open positions
- For Use With All Buffer Tube Receptacles (Not Compatible with AR Platforms)
Ar Pistol Buffer Tubes Sb Tactical.
Product Description
Designed for Fit and Function
SB Tactical offers both an AR-15 Pistol Standard Buffer Tube as well as an AR-15 Collared Pistol Buffer Tube! Both Buffer Tubes provide optimal fit with an SB Tactical Pistol Stabilizing Brace, however the Collared Pistol Buffer Tube is designed to minimize SB Tactical brace rotation and slippage.
- 1.2" diameter
- 7075 T6 type III aluminum
- Rear QD
The SB Tactical AR-15 Pistol Standard Buffer Tube and AR-15 Collared Pistol Buffer Tube were designed to provide the ultimate fit, function, and ease of installation for the AR-15 pistol shooter.
Ar-15/m16 Hex 2 Pistol Buffer Tubes Phase 5 Tactical.
Product Description
The Phase 5 Hex 2 pistol buffer tube has been specifically designed to utilize the Sig Sauer SB15 Pistol Stabilizing Brace. The Hex-2 is a heavy duty USA certified 7075 T7 billet aluminum pistol buffer tube with the versatility to use the Phase 5 nitrile Foam Pad (included) or the SB15 Pistol Stabilizing brace (sold separately). Working closely with Sig Sauer the Phase 5 Hex-2 was a special project that involved a number of firearms instructors, law enforcement professionals and AR Pistol enthusiasts alike. While asking questions along the way and updating the design based on the recommendations given by all; the Hex-2 has become the perfect component for any AR pistol build. Both the Hex 2 pistol buffer tube and Hex2 pistol buffer tube kit include a castle nut, end plate and foam pad. The Hex 2 pistol buffer tube kit also includes a Phase 5 Enhanced Buffer Spring and carbine buffer.
AR-15, Issue:11, Page:042
Big Book Catalog, Issue:71, Page:045
Sbx-K Stabilizing Brace Sb Tactical.
Product Description
Stability & Improved AR Pistol Control
The SBX-K Pistol Stabilizing Brace is SB Tactical's second generation brace designed for Sig Sauer's MPX and MCX line of AR-15 style pistols. Made from a high-quality, elasto-polymer, the SB Tactical's SBX-K Pistol Stabilizing Brace can be strapped around the shooters forearm for better accuracy when shooting one handed.
With a more streamlined design than its predecessor, the SBX-K Pistol Stabilizing Brace employs a wider strap to give extra stability when strapped to the forearm. Brace can also be pressed against the cheek for a third point of contact to stabilize the pistol when firing.
- Fits 1" to 1.2" dia. buffer tubes
- Adjustable nylon stabilizing strap
- Can also be used on conventional AR-15's
Big Book Catalog, Issue:71, Page:194
Vector Psb Pistol Stabilizing Brace Sb Tactical.
Product Description
Enhances Control Of Your KRISS Pistol
The SB Tactical Vector PSB Stabilizing Brace is designed to give you extra stability when shooting the KRISS Vector SDP pistol. Pulled against the cheek, without touching the shooters chest, the Vector PSB acts as a third point of contact to stabilizing the pistol.
Made from a high-quality, elasto-polymer, the Vector PSB Stabilizing Brace can be strapped around the shooter's forearm, giving the shooter better control while firing the KRISS Vector SDP pistol one handed.
- Can be adjusted to an angle for proper use on forearm
- Allows for good sight picture
- Ready for mounting on the KRISS M4 adapter (sold separately)
- Adjustable nylon strap for secure fit on forearm
The SB Tactical Vector PSB Stabilizing Brace is NOT to be used as a shoulder stock. Using the brace as a stock while installed on a pistol constitutes a "redesign" of the device according to the ATF, and such misuse may subject the user to severe criminal penalties. If used as a stock, the resulting firearm will be subject to all provisions of the NFA and all NFA rules would apply.
Big Book Catalog, Issue:71, Page:194
Ar-15 Pistol Sbx Stabilizing Arm Brace Sig Sauer.
Product Description
SIG SAUER offers the SBX Pistol Stabilizing Brace, an second generation to the SB15 Pistol Stabilizing brace, a shooter's aid that is designed to improve the single-handed shooting performance of buffer tube equipped pistols. The SBX features a more slim design with a thicker strap for extra stability. This veteran-designed accessory enhances accuracy and reduces felt recoil when using an AR-style pistol. Made from high-quality, elasto-polymer, the SBX15 is manufactured to close tolerances and fits all pistols equipped with an AR-style buffer tube 1.0" – 1.2" in diameter. The Pistol Stabilizing Brace uses the operator's forearm to provide stable support, thereby minimizing accuracy-robbing spin and shift. A flexible cuff with two adjustable nylon straps allows the SBX15 to be custom fit to any user.
ATF has reviewed this product and determined that attaching the SB15 to a handgun does not alter the classification of the firearm or subject the firearm to NFA control if the SB15 is used as designed—to assist shooters in stabilizing a handgun while shooting with a single hand.
The Sig Stabilizing Brace is not to be used as a shoulder stock. Using the brace as a stock while installed on a pistol constitutes a "redesign" of the device according to the ATF and misuse of the brace may subject the user to severe criminal penalties. If used as a stock, the resulting firearm will be subject to all provisions of the NFA and all NFA rules would apply.
Ar-15 Cqb Pdw Pistol Brace Jp Silent Captured Spring Standard Maxim Defense Industries.
Product Description
Maxim Defense changes the AR-15 pistol market with this CQB PDW Pistol Brace. Built with the same technology and features of their CQB stock, this 4 position brace is designed to wrap around the shooters arm and be secured with the hook and loop strap. Easy to deploy, the CQB PDW Brace simply pulls out to the desired position and locks in place, with no buttons to push. Includes the Standard weight JP Silent Captured Springs which has been manufactured exclusively for Maxim Defense to work with the Maxim Defense CQB PDW Brace.


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Love Thine Enemy
This story appears in the March 2005 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
In business, you'll likely have the chance to make both friends and enemies, much like in your personal life. But if given the chance to make a business enemy, can you choose to create an ally instead? If you're like Lee Labrada, founder of Labrada Nutrition, a manufacturer of sports nutrition products and functional foods, you can.
Labrada, 45, started his Houston-based company in 1996, and created a whole line of low-carb food products in 2003, trademarking the name CarbWatchers in the process. So he was surprised to find a low-carb weight-loss center in New York City using the same name while he was surfing on the internet one day.
Labrada hoped to resolve the conflict by sending a cease and desist letter--but fate had something better in mind. When the owner of CarbWatchers Weight Loss Centers called him to come to some sort of resolution, Labrada realized that he had a golden opportunity on his hands.
"We came to a meeting of the minds," Labrada says. "[We said], 'Why don't we figure out a way to work together?'" Instead of making the other entrepreneur change her business's name, Labrada decided it made perfect sense to stock his CarbWatchers products in her store--both would profit from the partnership, and both would raise the brand awareness of the CarbWatchers moniker.
"Based on my experience, it's better to try to work through a problem with a potential adversary than to go to court or involve attorneys in an ugly way," says Labrada, whose philosophy has helped him grow his company to $20 million in yearly sales. Now that sounds healthy.


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Guys, it's week 5 of the One Room Challenge, and I'm stuck in bed sick. As in chills, fever, and the incapability to do common things like stay upright on my legs for more than 5 minutes at a time, or eat. Blegh.
I guess there isn't going to be much progress to share this week guys…honestly I'm starting to wonder how much I'm going to get done before next week's big reveal. Aaaagh! Wish me luck (and wellness)!
What I did get since the last time I checked in was a few cute items for my "office" space…which is pretty much just the desk near my bed.
I admittedly have a bit of a weakness for zippered bags…they are my organizing go-to. I mean c'mon, they are cute AND handy. Right? Someone help me justify this.
Or maybe it was the cute little tassel at the end that gets me. I may have a small issue when it comes to key ring tassels too; there are only so many keys that need separate rings.
I also found some really gorgeous acrylic shelves on Amazon (here's the affiliate link). But I think the holders need a little brassier gold, so I plan to spray paint them before installing these bad boys.
But there is one other possibility for the wall above my desk I'm considering before I whip out the spray paint.
A couple other little gold encrusted finds I got for my office include this adorable pineapple binder, and who could resist the gold flecked cork clipboard? I got these cuties from Staples.
I'm pretty jazzed about these adorable planters because before my little snake plant was leaking all over my campaign dresser like an untrained pet.
I almost hated to put a plant in the aqua one because the inside is such a pretty reflective gold.
Anyway, I'm busy hacking up a lung right now. So I think that's about it as far as updates go. I'm going to rest up and hope I'm well enough to nail things down and get this room finished.
Also, I've got some pretty exciting news for you early next week…which will possibly help you understand why I'm down for the count. It turns out working super hard on multiple projects late into the wee hours of the night can be a hit to your immune system. Who knew.
If you haven't, check out: WEEK 1 / WEEK 2 / WEEK 3 / WEEK 4
7 Comments on Master Bedroom: One Room Challenge Week 5
Wow… Such cute stuff!! Where is the windowpane bag from, if you don't mind. LOVE windowpane on anything. 😉
Where is the handbag from?
Sorry to hear you are not feeling well. Get better soon (fresh ginger + tea) works wonders. Somehow I know you will snap back into shape with enough time to finish the challenge! Well at least I am keeping my fingers crossed that you do…
This is such a glam room now—I love all of the details, especially those shelves! Way to go! Best of luck during the last week of ORC!
get well soon girl! I Love the acrylic and the tassels…and all of it really!


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It's no secret many utility and cable companies check your credit when you sign up for services, but that may not always be the case. In fact, Comcast is releasing a new TV package — Xfinity Prepaid Service — which doesn't require a credit check.
Xfinity Prepaid Service is a no contract, pay-as-you-go plan for TV and Internet services that allows customers to renew their subscription every 7 or 30 days. There is a one-time fee for the starter kits, which includes the first 30 days of TV and/or Internet, and then you can decide when to "refill" your services.
"We want to create an easy, pay-as-you-go option for people who want more flexibility and predictability when buying our services," Marcien Jenckes, Comcast's executive vice president of consumer services, said in a press release.
The TV package offers two tiers — more than 45 or 140 channels — while the Internet package has one option with download speeds of up to 10 Mbps. You can choose to order these services individually or bundle them at a discount.
Service Availability
Both the TV and Internet services will be available later this year in select states — Illinois, Michigan, Georgia, Florida and Indiana — and are expected to be everywhere Comcast serves by the end of 2017. Comcast has also signed a deal with Boost Mobile to offer Xfinity Prepaid Services in some Boost Mobile locations later this year and all 4,400 locations Comcast serves by the end of 2017.
Changing Service Providers
Remember, it's important to read the terms and conditions of any Internet or cable plan you are considering in order to determine which one might be best for you. It's also a good idea to comparison-shop before entering into any contracts or formally subscribing to new plans.
And, if you do opt to ever change service providers, it's a good idea to keep track of your payments throughout the transition to avoid getting hit with late fees or missing a payment. The latter could eventually wind up in collections and may be reported to credit bureaus, which can lower your credit score. (You can see where your credit currently stands by viewing your free credit report summary, updated every 14 days, on Credit.com.)
Image: Lise Gagne


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2006 Ch. de Fonbel, Grand Cru, St Emilion
(Alexander Garrett - Money Observer - 01-Feb-2010)
When tasting in Bordeaux with Alain Vauthier in his curious, cavernous troglodyte cellars at Château Ausone, and when his whole family of wines is on show (Châteaux Simard, Moulin-St-Georges, as well as Fonbel and Ausone), it is possible to read the genealogy, of purity, intensity and detail. Although Fonbel sits below Moulin-St-Georges (and, of course, Ausone) in the pecking order, its 40 ha of vines do produce an exemplary St. Emilion. The lusher notes from the Merlot flow across the palate whilst the modest proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon enlivens and asserts around the edges. Enjoyable now for its exuberance, but sufficiently structured to age for a couple of years (or more), this is a more than worthy member of the Vauthier coterie.
(Mark Pardoe MW, BBR Wholesale - Tasted at the St Emilion, Pomerol, Graves and Sauternes Cellar Tasting, 03/12/09 )
wine at a glance
Delivery and quality guarantee
About this WINE
Chateau de Fonbel
Château de Fonbel is located in the Saint Emilion wine appellation and covers 16 hectares (39 acres) of vineyard. It is owned by Alain Vautier, proprietor of the celebrated Ch. Ausone and the highly regarded Ch. Moulin St. Georges.
Four grape varieties are grown for Château de Fonbel wine: Merlot (70%) dominates, supplemented by Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Petit Verdot (7%) and Carmenere (3%). The wines are aged in 30% new oak barrels.
St Emilion is one of Bordeaux's largest producing appellations, producing more wine than Listrac, Moulis, St Estèphe, Pauillac, St Julien and Margaux put together. St Emilion has been producing wine for longer than the Médoc but its lack of accessibility to Bordeaux's port and market-restricted exports to mainland Europe meant the region initially did not enjoy the commercial success that funded the great châteaux of the Left Bank.
St Emilion itself is the prettiest of Bordeaux's wine towns, perched on top of the steep limestone slopes upon which many of the region's finest vineyards are situated. However, more than half of the appellation's vineyards lie on the plain between the town and the Dordogne River on sandy, alluvial soils with a sprinkling of gravel.
Further diversity is added by a small, complex gravel bed to the north-east of the region on the border with Pomerol. Atypically for St Emilion, this allows Cabernet Franc and, to a lesser extent, Cabernet Sauvignon to prosper and defines the personality of the great wines such as Ch. Cheval Blanc.
In the early 1990s there was an explosion of experimentation and evolution, leading to the rise of the garagistes, producers of deeply-concentrated wines made in very small quantities and offered at high prices. The appellation is also surrounded by four satellite appellations, Montagne, Lussac, Puisseguin and St. Georges, which enjoy a family similarity but not the complexity of the best wines.
St Emilion was first officially classified in 1954, and is the most meritocratic classification system in Bordeaux, as it is regularly amended. The most recent revision of the classification was in 2012
The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux and a grape that has been on a relentless expansion drive throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils and is relatively simple to cultivate. It is a vigorous naturally high yielding grape that requires savage pruning - over-cropped Merlot-based wines are dilute and bland. It is also vital to pick at optimum ripeness as Merlot can quickly lose its varietal characteristics if harvested overripe.
In St.Emilion and Pomerol it withstands the moist clay rich soils far better than Cabernet grapes, and at it best produces opulently rich, plummy clarets with succulent fruitcake-like nuances. Le Pin, Pétrus and Clinet are examples of hedonistically rich Merlot wines at their very best. It also plays a key supporting role in filling out the middle palate of the Cabernet-dominated wines of the Médoc and Graves.
Merlot is now grown in virtually all wine growing countries and is particularly successful in California, Chile and Northern Italy.
Customer reviews
Critic reviews
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 25/02/2009
(Robert Parker - Wine Advocate- Feb 09)


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The Chesnee – Plan #1290
Home Design Quick Facts:
- 864 sq. ft. bonus room
- Big kitchen and dining room
- Rustic influences make it feel like home
At first glance this Craftsman ranch looks identical to home plan 1239, The Birchwood, but it offers several differences to fit your lifestyle. The Chesnee features a larger kitchen and dining room than the Birchwood; which differs in that it includes a breakfast room. Where The Birchwood features 4 baths, the Chesnee offers 3. Both homes are outstanding examples of a Craftsman style that is very popular today.
As with The Birchwood, The Chesnee offers an expansive great room, accented by built-in cabinetry. Depending on your lifestyle, some people prefer The Chesnee's floor plan which features a more centrally located dining room. The Chesnee, like the Birchwood, also offers several porches, including a screen porch with fireplace.
While The Birchwood offers a 795 sq. ft. bonus room, The Chesnee's is even more generously sized at 864 sq. ft. A large bonus room provides so many possibilities for a growing family as an in-law suite, a hobby or game room, or extra bedroom.
The Birchwood and The Chesnee represent variations on a popular Don Gardner Craftsman home design. Whichever you choose we're sure you'll be amazed at the home's character and quality.
See more house plans like these on the Don Gardner website.


text: With the ever growing business needs, today's companies need their web applications to be robust and highly scalable. Before deploying the JMS resources in production environment, companies do performance testing. This post provides a brief insight about how we can load test to measure performance of a Weblogic Server JMSContinue reading


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Marion Bartoli is still the reigning champion at Wimbledon and since she wasn't defending her title at all, having retired last year just 40 days after her big triumph at the grasscourt Grand Slam, I decided to make a little tribute to the French champion by sharing this super cute baby pic, as Little Tennis Stars is one of reader favorite sections at Women's Tennis Blog. You surely wouldn't recognize her, but this is just months old Marion in the caring arms of her dedicated father Walter. Bartoli shared the photo on Twitter on June 15 for Father's Day.
More childhood photos of Marion – little Marion receives a trophy, skis and cools off in a small pool
The 29-year-old Bartoli is enjoying her time away from tennis, not even thinking about return. The Frenchwoman is doing commentary for the BBC, designing jewelry and shoes, traveling and the fact that she can't even lift her arm in the morning is not allowing her to have any comeback thoughts.
Still, she's been enjoying these two weeks of Wimbledon, feeling the pride and honor of being engraved as a Wimbledon champion. Plus, some people are not even aware that she retired:
It was very funny, because people in France kind of don't know that I retired. They are like, 'Good luck for the French.' I'm like, 'I don't think I'm going to play this year.' It's the same here at Wimbledon. I was in the Village this morning. 'So how do you feel? 'Do you feel it's going to be hard to defend your title? 'Uhm, not really, because I'm not going to defend it.'
Ladies' singles final will take place on Saturday and will feature the 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who got past fellow Czech Lucie Safarova in the semis, and the fast-rising Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, who reached the title match by eliminating the highest seed left in the draw, No.3 Simona Halep. Of course, we have their childhood material as well:
- Four-year-old future Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova practicing tennis shots
- When aspiring little Eugenie Bouchard met Billie Jean King
- Eugenie Bouchard as a little girl with friend Laura Robson
(quotes via WTA)


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Not all of my baking efforts are a success.
My first attempt to bake with quinoa flour culminated in banana bread that is really most accurately described by the term 'unmitigated disaster'. It was tough, bitter and was only improved by the addition of lashings of apricot jam, so thick that you couldn't actually taste the banana bread anymore. One friend even described the texture as "old meatloaf gone bad". Ouch. So when the lovely people at KeenWah provided me with some quinoa flour to use in my baking experiments you can understand that I was a little cautious. I needn't have been – not only is their flour much better quality than the brand I used originally (and so doesn't have a horrible bitter aftertaste) but I also switched up the recipe and made these Strawberry, Lemon and Poppyseed muffins. Julz: 1, Quinoa flour: well, also 1. But I win this round!
Citrus and poppyseed have been long-standing buddies in the world of classic flavour combinations, and this recipe transforms that friendship to a tantalising ménage-a-trois by adding in juicy strawberries. If MasterChef has taught me anything, and I'm not really sure that it has, it's that layers of flavour and texture will take something a little ho-hum and turn it into something Matt Preston would maul you over the table just to get his hands on. Crunchy, tangy, sweet and wholesome – these muffins have pretty much everything I'm looking for in a baked good, except a negative calorie value.
Strawberries are packed full of antioxidants that help suppress cancer cell growth and mop up free radical damage, and contain compounds called anthocyanins which have been shown to boost short term memory. Lemons are well known for their high vitamin C content, with one medium lemon containing half of an adult's recommended daily intake. Vitmain C is not only good for strengthening the immune system but can help increase iron absorption, preventing iron-deficiency anaemia.
You can probably replace the oat flour with more quinoa flour to make the muffins completely gluten and grain free (but given my track record with quinoa flour I might let one of my loyal readers try it out first..) and you could definitely use other citrus in place of the lemon. If I thought grapefruit was anything other than the fruit of the devil I might try it, otherwise orange and lime would be really nice. You could also definitely switch up the berries to any frozen variety of your choosing, given that here in the land of Aus fresh berries are almost out of season. Perfect for school lunch boxes, morning or afternoon tea breaks and bouncing back from kitchen humiliation.
Strawberry, Lemon and Poppyseed Muffins
Makes 12
1x 250g punnet of strawberries
Juice of two lemons
Zest of three lemons
1 cup milk
1 cup oat flour
1 cup quinoa flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup coconut sugar
2 tbsp poppyseeds
2 eggs
1) Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C. Line 12 muffin trays with paper liners.
2) Wash, dry and slice the strawberries. Combine lemon juice and milk in a small jug and set aside for 5 minutes to curdle.
3) Combine oat and quinoa flours, baking powder, salt, sugar and poppyseeds in a large bowl and mix well.
4) Add milk and eggs to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir through strawberries, reserving 12 slices for decoration.
5) Pour the batter evenly into the prepared muffin holes and top each one with a slice of reserved strawberry.
6) Bake the muffins for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden and firm to touch.
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Lighting Designer: The Art of Collaboration
I think of myself as someone who plays well with others. I pride myself on my ability to collaborate. This quality hopefully makes me a good director, because the bedrock of theatre is sharing artistic ownership. With this in mind, I have found myself


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In spite of the noise of the partiers and the crash of the falls, I slept soundly. In the morning, I showered and left my cabin. TBB had just begun stirring. Outside Gun Girl and one of the guys were frolicking in the falls. I went down to the restaurant where I had some cold eggs and instant coffee for breakfast (One cannot have everything). Sitting by the side of the river, I watched the sunlight come and go as it filtered through the trees lighting up different sections of the falls while leaving others in shadow.
We left the resort at about 11AM. I went in Lek's vehicle, her son driving. Lek and I sat in the back seat where Lek became uncomfortably intimate and began telling me about her ruined marriage and her love affair with a British man whose offer of marriage she had to turn down because she could not stand her suitor's teenaged daughter.
It was then that I began to perceive that perhaps Lek was supposed to be my blind date during the trip. Apparently, Gun Girl and the Sullen One were lovers and had slept together in one of the beds in the party house. Lek slept in the other bed with Mata Hari. She told me that when she woke up that morning "The lady-boy was draped over me like a blanket".
Gun Girl, who is in her mid to late 30's, was in full Cougar mode as the Sullen One was by far the youngest of our group, barely, if at all, out of his teens. His job, besides whatever nighttime services he rendered, seemed to be to carry Gun Girl's luggage and camera and run her errands.
Eventually, we stopped at a gas station. We all got out and Lek's son and girlfriend drove off in Lek's car leaving the rest of us there with only Gun Girl's vehicle. We waited, for what I neither knew, asked or cared.
After about an hour, a pick-up truck with a covered bed arrived. I was told that I would be traveling in the truck and the others in Gun Girl's car. I got into the truck with two men in military camouflage jackets. They moved a couple of small machetes from the front seat so I could sit there. We drove off the paved road and onto a badly rutted and muddy dirt road and went up a fairly steep hill until we arrived at a wooden Thai house where everyone got out. The house was perched on stilts leaving the space beneath in a deep gloom. I could not see any windows in the house itself.
The two men and what appeared to be the residents of the building removed everything from the back of the truck and replaced whatever it was with a cooler, a case of soda water and some pads and a rug. I stood in the middle of the muddy rutted road and watched them scurry about or alternately closely examined the small stream that flowed around the house and across the road.
They soon finished doing whatever and everyone piled into the back of the truck except for me and the driver. In addition to the two of us, there were now two other men, a woman and a 4-year-old or so boy child. We drove back down the mountain and on to the paved road and after stopping for ice, took off in the direction that I assumed the other car had gone. No one in the truck spoke any English and I spoke no Thai.
We were supposed to be going into what Lek called the "Switzerland of Thailand", but to me at least initially It looked more like a heavily forested Dolomites except here instead of granite, the mountains appeared to be made of limestone. Probably the same formation that formed the Andaman Islands south of here.
"Switzerland of Thailand"
After topping a rise, we entered into a large valley containing a huge artificial lake. The valley fittingly was named "Lake Valley". The lake itself was quite beautiful with the cliffs at the eastern edge dropping directly into the water. Dotting the center of the lake were many fishing shacks and along the shore more substantial construction on stilts or houseboats.
Passing the lake, the road got narrower as we plunged into dense foliage. Lacking the usual multi-story canopy of the jungle, it and the hills around us reminded me a bit of the thick forests of the Catskills or Adirondacks but in place of maple, pine, birch, ash, and hickory, Southeast Asian tree species filled much the same niches. Large groves of a tall tree with a diameter of about 12 inches appeared. I was told they were teak. Their leaves were large, the size of a chafing-dish.
When I was a kid the cheap dish sets we ate off of usually came with something called a chafing-dish. It was usually shallow and had a cover. We did not know what it was for (or what chafing meant) so we usually used it without the cover to serve anti-pasta or to serve mashed potatoes on meat and potato day (we were trying hard to assimilate).
As we climbed higher the multi-story canopy jungle began to emerge. Huge trees with trunks two feet or more in diameter rising straight up, not branching for at least 100 feet, towered over the other trees like the redwoods tower over the coastal forests of California. The lower story of the forest canopy was made up of shrubs and bamboo groves.
We were passing through some of Thailand's most extensive National Forests and Wildlife Preserves. They are reputed to contain Tigers, Gibbons, Elephants and a whole host of other animals (I even saw an "Elephant Crossing" sign). However, the only fauna I observed was the scrawny, mangy feral dogs that seem to exist everywhere in the country.
We drove on and up through the unremitting green. I began to get bored. It was like climbing from the Central Valley on the way to Tahoe. At a certain point, I would always get to feel a bit like Spiro Agnew. I had seen enough Incense Cedars, Ponderosa Pines and Giant Sequoia for that particular trip. Also, I always mistrusted green.
When I was growing up in Tuckahoe NY we lived for a while in Section 8 public housing. They required all the walls in the apartments to be painted with paint supplied by the Housing Authority and that paint was always institutional green. I grew to become strongly repulsed by the color. I have found it unfortunate that the environmental community has chosen the color and the word" green" as their trademarks. Why couldn't they have chosen blue for the sky for example or orange for the sun or even magenta for its own sake and a for the sake of a few glorious sunsets?
Thinking of magenta made me think of Crayola crayons. I loved them – not to draw or color with. I found them horrid for that purpose, just like colored pencils and those stupid little watercolor sets that they forced on kids. No wonder so many give up the graphic arts while still children. Oils would work, but where does a 6-year-old find artist oil paints (acrylics had not been invented yet, I think)?
No, I collected Crayola crayons for their names, even if I rarely used them to draw with. Woolworth's used to sell them singly from large bins. My favorite was "Burnt Sienna". (Some other great names included, "Atomic Tangerine", "Beaver", "Electric Lime", "Jazzberry Jam", "Macaroni and Cheese", "Mango Tango", "Neon Carrot", "Radical Red" and "Wild Blue Yonder".)
I do not even recall what "Burnt Sienna" looks like, probably some shade of orange or brown.
One color I collected but simply did not understand was "Flesh". It was very rare and one had to look around for it. I tried it out once on a sheet of paper thinking that my stick people drawings suddenly would come alive if I applied "Flesh" color to the circle that represented their faces. To my great distress, I discovered that "Flesh" was sort of washed out pink. That was not the color of the skin of the people I knew. Pink was the color of the people who lived in the posh suburb of Bronxville, just south of Tuckahoe. You could not live in Bronxville if you were Italian, Jewish or Black. Bronxville people were pink, with visible blue veins no less. They gave me nightmares just like Froggy and Smilin Ed.
No, real people had skin that was dusky olive, or various shades of black or brown. Even the wealthy Jews who lived on the hills just outside of Bronxville looked more like us than those strange beings living across the village boundary a few feet away.
(Eventually, Crayola recognized that not all people's' skin was pink and changed the name of the color from "Flesh" to "Peach". It did not look peach like either.)
The blackest person I knew was my friend Philie Pinto. Most people's skin, whether black, brown, Khaki or olive, glow when in the light, sort of like a newly waxed automobile does. Not Phillie. He appeared to have been dipped in coal dust. He just adsorbed light. Once after many years absence, I returned to Tuckahoe and went into a bar called the Carioca. My grandfather used to own it when it was a fairly well-known jazz club in the area. It had fallen on hard times now and was dark and dingy. Phillie sat at the end of the bar. He had grown up to become the town taxi driver. I knew it was him. I could see his clothes, but his face was like smoke.
Some of the black kids in the town were what I have heard African-Americans refer to as High Yellow. Unlike the big-boned, heavy muscled, wide nosed very dark West African type like the Blount family, they were tall, slender narrow nosed lighter skinned like my friend Rabbit and his brothers and sisters. I do not know what color one would have called Rabbit, but certainly not yellow, high or not. Maybe "Burnt Sienna" or "Burnt Umber" another of my favorites. But I digress (I, by the way, always considered myself a khaki colored person).
Eventually, we arrived at an overlook that gave great views over the mountains and back towards the lake. A Thai motorcycle club or gang was there. In the 90 plus degree heat, they were all wearing long-sleeved leather jackets with "The Killer'' emblazoned on the back. I do not know if it referred to the name of the club, or if they all chose the same nickname or if it was the name of their favorite rock band.
Anyway, after a short rest we went on to a Thai military outpost high on a mountaintop overlooking Myanmar replete with razor wire, sandbags, trenches and buried bunkers manned by one soldier who did not seem to possess any armaments whatsoever but was otherwise, I assume, prepared to resist, as the first line of defense, any onslaught by the Burmese intending to invade Thailand, rape their women and burn down their capital as they have done so often in the past.
Actually raping their women would be completely unnecessary today given the availability for military RR in Thailand of places like Nana Plaza and Pattaya. And as for burning down the capital, some have said it would be doing Thailand a favor.
After looking across the mountains into Myanmar for a while, we left the redoubt to the lone soldier and journeyed down the mountain to visit a tiny village on the border called Priok or something like that. Gun Girl told me that the village was in Myanmar, but it was not. It was however to some extent a Karen/Burmese peopled town. There were very few adults visible. The town seemed occupied principally by children, all seeming between the ages of 3 and 7. On the whole, they appeared to me to be the most beautiful children I had ever seen.
The village seemed as peaceful as peaceful could be.
We then went to the border itself and walked across into Burma. On the Thai side, there was a single uniformed soldier who lifted the gate and accompanied us as we strode into Myanmar.
We had taken some of the children from the town along with us. In addition to being beautiful, they seemed also innocent and beguiling,( unless the town secretly was intent on raising a generation of accomplished sociopaths). We went up a small incline past the crest of the hill and came upon the Burmese guard-house. There was no gate across the road, but along the side of the road was a fence made up of small sharpened bamboo pickets and a gate behind which there were two tumbledown stone buildings.
The children opened the gate and ran into one of the stone huts and woke up the person sleeping there. He did not have a uniform, but I was assured that he was indeed Burmese. He posed for photographs with us as we stared across Burma to the Andaman Sea in the distance.
We then headed back down the mountain and stopped for dinner at one of those ubiquitous bamboo huts that dot the edge of the roadways in Thailand. They usually have a sagging palm covered roof, no walls, contain an open kitchen and a few tables. This one had three tables. It also had a coke machine and a Karaoke set up.
It apparently was owned by the family in whose truck I had spent the better part of the day. They cooked up what they called "Food from the Mountain". It featured Frogs, not frogs legs but whole frogs that sat there on the rice in my dish looking like nothing else other than a burned brown frog that was staring back at me. I found it to contain too many bones. Another dish I was told was made from something that lived in the trees. It was not a bird, monkey or squirrel but no one knew its name in English. The third meat dish was made from some animal no one could or would describe (it tasted like chicken always a bad sign – maybe it was one of those feral dogs. Then again, I hope not). The vegetables looked like and tasted like vines and grass. Although I tried eating it all, it was too spicy hot for me to eat much, so they made me an omelet.
Mata Hari sang a few songs on the Karaoke machine. At one point, as everyone began to feel the effects of the prodigious amounts of liquor they had been drinking all day, the conversation got around to joking about whether at my age, I was strong enough to handle a woman like Lek. When I acknowledged that I probably could not, the man who drove the truck took from out of his pocket some pills that he said was Thai herbal Viagra and would make one strong and vigorous. Several of us tried it, including me.
That night we slept at the house of another friend of Gun Girl. Shortly after retiring the Thai herbal medicine hit me like ephedrine on steroids. I spent rest of the night walking around the room, doing push-ups, jumping jacks and several other exercises to burn off the energy until at about daybreak when I fell exhausted onto the bed and slept for perhaps two hours.


text: |Dreaming of brand new clothes or having a vision of wearing them signifies something promising. It is an indication of fulfilling your wants and aspirations. It means that you will be able to finally embark on that project or venture that has been in your mind for a long time now. It also refers to having your wishes and dreams granted in the near future, as well as being commended for the work you do in your profession. You will receive recognition from your peers and coworkers because of this.


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Let me begin this post clarifying two major points:
- The four-part Spring Break series about Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris is indeed on its way (better late than never, right?)–but I must delay it un po' more because of the absolutely uncanny occurrence that fate bestowed upon me last night.
- Yes, I acknowledge that today is April 1st, but no, this is not an April Fools joke–contrary to what you may suspect. This actually happened.
Allora, it was about 1:30am and Heather and I were on the hunt for a kebab after a lovely evening with some friends at our beloved local pub on our street. The late-night food places in our area generally are closed at this hour, as we've unfortunately discovered. But I was fixated on this kebab. We ventured towards the Duomo–where nightlife is always still hoppin'–to seek any of those Mediterranean fast-food places that would hopefully still be open. We were on a mission.
One phone call instantly aborted this mission.
-"Ciao Chelsea, whatsup?" I answered to a call from my housemate.
-"Liz, where are you?" she asked in a dead-serious tone.
-"By the Duomo."
-"Guess who I just ran into."
-"Luca the First!" I jocularly exclaimed, and laughed at our inside joke.
(To fully appreciate this story, you'll have to read the background story about Luca I in one of my first blog posts, "Day 4: Prospective husband? Si." Back in January, on the first night that my housemates and I went out in Florence, we met an Italian who showered me with compliments and passionate declarations of love in the way you'd stereotypically expect an Italian guy to do. As American girls who had just arrived in Florence, it was hilarious to see the stereotype already come to life. That night was left to rest without any exchange of contact information, leaving us only with a good story and never-ending inside jokes about my prospective Italian husband. (Since then, I've also captured the eye of two more Lucas–Luca II who liked my red dress, and Luca III who said "I love you" at "Disegno video giorchi" ("I design video games"). But Luca I is the one who my friends and I continually reference in jokes).
-"You're kidding." I was overcome with disbelief. It was only a few hours ago when I had casually used the "that is danger" remark that we often jokingly use in reference to our initial conversation with Luca that first night. We have spent months joking about the unlikely idea of just happening to run into Luca I in the large city of Florence again. Not only did it happen, but he actually recognized my friends and remembered me.
-"Where are you?" Chelsea asked. She and our other housemates she was with apparently all took Luca and his friend to that local pub on our street, where they were expecting to find me. I told her where I was, and she told me they'd be there waiting. The pub was technically going to close soon, although, they always stay open later on weekend nights–especially for regulars.
-"I'll be right there."
"Abort mission!" I yelled to Heather, as we instantly turned around from our kebab hunt and headed back to the pub as I filled her in on this freak incident. I was so excited, but also a little nervous, and overall just completely flabbergasted. We were utterly in awe. I'm still amazed.
Walking into the pub was unreal. As soon as I entered, I saw him in the back sitting with the group of friends, and suddenly reached an even higher level of overwhelming disbelief. Usually I greet the bartenders and other regulars I know, but my mind couldn't acknowledge anything else in the room. When I joined the group, I looked at Chelsea and the other girls, and we just burst into laughter.
Unlike when we first met, this time I could speak and understand a little Italian. So, we were able to communicate a little better–but still with a struggle. I tried to tell him that I was surprised he remembered me, and that I am glad we met again, and that we are still just friends though. When you only know a little vocabulary and a limited ability to form sentences in another language, the "conversations" can get really funny. In order to prevent the conversation from going dead, you either end up repeating the same content a lot, or you end up making random comments on anything you notice and are able to express a a comment on. For example, our conversation consistently came back to how surprised we both were, but with random interjections like "In America, il tuo orrechino significa che, uh, ti piace ragazzi–non ragazze" (In America, your earring signifies that you, uh, like guys–not girls.") Again, when you're desperate to form sentences about something relative to what's present, some funny and random remarks will definitely be made.
A little later, my prospective Italian husband made the big Italian gesture: he bought me a flower from one of those damn flower guys. Mamma mia…