text:
I'm Paul Bissex. I build web applications using open source software, especially Django. Started my career doing graphic design for newspapers and magazines in the '90s. Then wrote tech commentary and reviews for Wired, Salon, Chicago Tribune, and others you never heard of. Then I built operations software at a photography school. Then I helped big media serve 40 million pages a day. Then I worked on a translation services API doing millions of dollars of business. Now I'm building the core platform of a global startup accelerator. Feel free to email me.
I co-wrote "Python Web Development with Django". It was the first book to cover the long-awaited Django 1.0. Published by Addison-Wesley and still in print!
Built using Django, served with gunicorn and nginx. The database is SQLite. Hosted on a FreeBSD VPS at Johncompanies.com. Comment-spam protection by Akismet.
Bitbucket, Debian Linux, Django, Emacs, FreeBSD, Git, jQuery, LaunchBar, macOS, Markdown, Mercurial, Python, S3, SQLite, Sublime Text, xmonad
At least 237143 pieces of comment spam killed since 2008, mostly via Akismet.
Window throwing in OS X and Ubuntu
Friday, April 29th, 2016
interface + linux + os x + ubuntu
How to install the open source application Darktable on OS X
Tuesday, December 9th, 2014
os x + photography + unix
2 comments
The standard unix password manager you never heard of
Monday, September 8th, 2014
linux + open source + os x + tools + unix
Saturday, May 24th, 2008
django + google + open source + os x
4 comments
OpenOffice.org, sorta-Aqua edition
Tuesday, June 5th, 2007
microsoft + open source + os x
1 comment
Tuesday, April 10th, 2007
django + fun + os x
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Playing with the Terminal
Sunday, April 8th, 2007
apple + os x
What is the iPhone running, really?
Tuesday, January 9th, 2007
apple + hardware + iphone + mobile + os x + unix
Photoshop CS3 beta
Thursday, December 14th, 2006
os x
Widescreen as Tallscreen
Saturday, September 23rd, 2006
design + hardware + os x
2 comments
Johnny can too code
Friday, September 15th, 2006
os x + programming + python + rants
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Joel on TextMate
Thursday, September 14th, 2006
blogs + markdown + os x + textmate
MacBook wireless security exploit fracas primer
Wednesday, September 6th, 2006
os x + risks
Someday my bugfix will come
Monday, September 4th, 2006
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Mac OS Forge
Friday, August 11th, 2006
apple + open source + os x
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Wednesday, July 26th, 2006
open source + os x
A different kind of switching
Friday, July 21st, 2006
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Friday, June 16th, 2006
os x
Xiph, Ogg, FLAC, et al.
Wednesday, May 24th, 2006
intellectual property + music + open source + os x
TextMate update
Tuesday, May 23rd, 2006
os x + programming + textmate
Jumpcut is back
Monday, May 8th, 2006
interface + os x + tips
QuickTime 0, Open Source 1
Saturday, May 6th, 2006
open source + os x + rants
3 comments
The Open Source Desktop, Revisited
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interface + open source + os x + ubuntu
RapidWeaver spamming vulnerability
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Saturday, February 18th, 2006
os x + risks
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Sparkle: automatic application updates
Saturday, February 11th, 2006
open source + os x + textmate
AppleWorks, R.I.P.
Tuesday, January 24th, 2006
apple + os x
7 comments
Dangerous installers
Tuesday, January 24th, 2006
os x + programming + risks
Great open source apps for the Mac
Monday, January 23rd, 2006
apple + open source + os x
Google Earth for OS X
Tuesday, January 10th, 2006
fun + google + os x
3 comments
Textmate 1.5 released
Friday, January 6th, 2006
os x + textmate
Camino 1.0b2
Friday, December 30th, 2005
browsers + os x
Haxies considered... then considered some more
Monday, December 5th, 2005
os x
Obscure "svn mv" problem solved
Saturday, November 19th, 2005
os x + textmate + tips + vcs
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PowerBook "Safe Sleep"
Saturday, November 12th, 2005
apple + os x
TextMate: Bundles of goodness
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os x + textmate
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TextMate: wiki bits
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LaunchBar 4.1 beta 1
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os x
WebKit screen-grabbers
Sunday, October 30th, 2005
browsers + os x + python + web development
Useless script: View180
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fun + os x
Locomotive: Rails for OS X
Saturday, October 22nd, 2005
os x + rails + web frameworks
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Google wants Mac developers
Thursday, October 13th, 2005
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os x
Ctrl-T considered harmful
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DarwinPorts 1.1
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Gruber on AppleScript
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LaunchBar Screencast (with discount)
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os x
Try, try again
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Stupid Mac Tricks: Exposé Keyboard Shortcuts
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os x
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Cyberduck, cyberdoc
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open source + os x
Mac troubleshooting tips + bonus rant
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Palm/Mac sync woes
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AppleJack for OS X
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Happy indeed
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Copyright 2020
by Paul Bissex
and E-Scribe New Media


text:
Not to be confused with Far East plaza, Far East Square opened in 1999 in a homage to more traditional Singapore architecture.
It's also where my office happens to be, in an old second floor chinese shophouse that sits proudly amongst the Central Business Distract glass skyscrapers.
Far East is one those enclaves of cafes, shops & kiosks that make you feel like you're in a posh Spanish plaza arcade. So hurrah to Amoy & Telok Ayer Street. Wear that 'Art District' badge with pride & keep Singapore heritage alive.
Here's why it's the best place to work in the city:
1) Mr Teh Tarick Cartel. I've never witnessed anything less than a 20 person deep queue outside. And Singaporeans know their tea. They MUST be onto something.
2) Fruite! It's salad and fruit. Together. Strawberries, Pear, Balsamic, Walnuts. All in a cute basket for $6 – 8.
3) Once Upon A Bar. Purely for the French themed beer towers featured in the pic above. Ok and $6 Asahi Beer 1 for 1 on Mondays.
4) Oosters Belgian Brassiere. Strategically placed outside the 'Watergate' entrance. What's that – it's home time & raining? Oh well you might as well. Serves gigantic sterns of Belgian beer.
5) Barbazza. Italian restaurant with the softest, creamiest mozzarella in town.
6) O brien's. Technically across the road but still a winner. Comfy armchairs at the back with decent UK mags whilst you wait. $9 salad/wraps.
7) Evolve Gym. Need a Muay Thai punch-bag to vent after work? Sometimes. Here's just the spot. Classes from 6.30am.
8) Fuk Tak Chi Museum. Home to Singapore's oldest temple, showcasing early immigrant lives. Free admission.
9) Tan Hock Seng Cake Shop. Over half a century old this Hokkien stall always has interesting $1 – 2 pastries. Not knowing what everything is means you have to sample it all, what a shame.
10) Chinese Symbolism. A dragon's head, a lion's mane, a stag's body and an ox's tail all make up the Far East logo to symbolize goodwill, kindness, wisdom and fertility. And who doesn't want those. :)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Long Winter
Written by Author
Daton L Fluker
Flemish Translation done by
Kenyo Wells
PRESS TO GO BACK TO Camelot Dimension 360 Chapter Selection
The previous week, during the court-martials in the mid-city of Apollo, Lord Erickson sits at the supervisor's desk worrying about his mysterious guest. Torches' flames preserve the city lights from being drowned out by total darkness. The thick clouds glare upward. The snow storm buries everything in the city. Lord Erickson's Lieutenant plots his bottom down on top of the table.
"Why didn't you kill them? They lie about who they are! Those stories are only mythical! There are no such things as aliens!"
"Why should I kill innocent beings? It's not the way I've trained this regiment. They've confessed to their crimes. Let them be. Besides, what if the legends are correct? Who will you answer to when you kill one-of-their-kind?"
"Maybe you're right. Aren't you the least worried about where they actually came from? They could have been ordered by Lord Spolylosys to venture into our domain. They could be demons."
Leith doesn't believe in Spolylosys or Trilyonois. He masquerades the idea. Nevertheless, his battalion believes in the kingdom of Trilyonois. He only swears by what his father and mother indoctrinated into his mind during his youth. His beliefs conceit the concept of reincarnation. He has to feign the Camelot ideas and methodology. We transform our bodies and minds from the dawn of our first breath to the enhancements of our final steps. Meeting Elizabeth confirms his religious beliefs. Souls change; however, they eventually find their way back home.
"I killed more than my share of men in my life time, so I truly don't care if Spolylosys comes after me or not! If I fight him on this world, then I won't have to do it when I die. My spot is already reserved for me. However, you, on the other hand, should bring me more prisoners. If you kill a couple more, then you'll have your permit to live there too! So stop wasting valuable time!"
The lieutenant stands up.
"Bring the next scoundrel! You heard me, get a man in front of this desk immediately!"
Unexpectedly, a loud roar expands from out of the woods. It echoes back a hundred times louder.
"What was that?"
You know exactly what they are; did you not witness them with your own eyes?
"I'm not sure what they were. I'm just happy they're gone."
"Another snow blizzard will eruct over the forest. The night isn't over yet. Whatever they're up to, might infringe terrible things in our direction. I hope they leave as far away from this place as they can travel. Unexplained things exist in this world. The battle is never over. Even so, be careful not to bet to fast."
"I'm not afraid of a good fight. My discomfort comes from the idea that we might encounter something that we cannot battle."
Eloving's Journey Back Home
Eloving leads the run. The other Odxithon paces behind him; they move at full velocity. Their eyes are trained to the darkness. Their particular skills to see beyond the shadows give them the ability to feel through the blackness with their imagination, the sound of their cries echoes through the woods. They design mental maps of the area.
They have the capability to utilize sonar signals, which calculate their surroundings every time they scream aloud. The sound is a terrible shrieking noise; nevertheless, it's effective for seeing in the dark.
Conversely, these weren't the extra echoes heard in the city. Large trees reach up into the atmosphere touching the sky with their lifeless branches. It's freezing in every direction. The midnight eerie place proceeds with unimaginable revulsion.
The trepidation of their trot slows. Shadows appear among the quiet tree saps, which bustle with spirits in all directions.
Eloving and the other Odxithon horary to a complete stop, the snow instantly clears. Many miles to their front, moonlight seeps into the cracks of the trees. Eloving turns to his left. Shadows dance in the moonlight. He turns to his right. A body of something crosses through his open eyesight. The air smells natural. A petite fog rings between the skyline and the forest. Snow caps the ground.
The unfitness of the mulch never loses its ambience, even after hundreds of years of ice shadowing the area's hiding place. The spirit pulsation stops.
The fog thickens in front of them and an assembly of shadows ambitions them to go forward. The spirits dance in sequence. The white fog spears into the midnight eerie. Eloving wants to catch the spirits. He yells out to the dispersion of the smoke. Something answers him back with a sequence of noises.
Eloving and the other Odxithon take off chasing after the fog. The more rapid they run, the farther away the phantom runners move. The first screams echo together with the other creatures' calls. Aggression invades peacefulness.
Envision emptiness then a sudden boom of sonic behavior. The inside of the forest in-animates their screams. The loudness blades through the void, piercing the atmosphere.
This training session would be a brutal punishment to any man's body. Running through the arctic forest naked, would put a toll on someone's organs, let alone at the speed their traveling. The further they run, the faster their metabolism speeds-up. The temperature in their blood pummels hot similar to a locomotive coal engine. It burns with a furious rage.
The Rabbit-dust springs away as the Odxithons chase after it through newer sections of the forest.
Triangular paths of trees procure downward. They will bow forever waiting until their majesty appears a foolish waste of time. The queen will appear, but not in the form of sustenance. She'll appear as natural disasters, wiping waves of historical storms through a treacherous reunion.
Making succinct bashing noises, their hoofed feet smash at the muddy foliage. It's like a small cavalry anticipating the frozen ice underneath a lost battleground.
Phantoms to the left and phantoms to the right move into the Odxithons' path. The speculation of energy screams shoots through the silence.
The rabbit-smoke in front of them halts. They run forward into the fog. The other Odxithon doesn't come out the other side. Eloving freezes three meters behind the irregular precipitation.
A different Odxithon stands in front of him. He wears a chest-plate, a helmet, and holds a lightweight sword. His lower body is uncovered and hairless. The encounter appropriates centimeters away from each other.
With a highly sensitive nose, Eloving can smell the aroma of other Odxithons in the area. They were the spirit creatures running the outer perimeters. Eloving and the new Odxithon scream to the top of their lungs in each other faces.
They calm their breathing. Closing their eyes, they transfer thoughts telepathically.
Eloving's chest ventilates firm, while he catches his breath. After all, he has been locked up in an underground dungeon for three decades. He's a little winded after the run.
"Eloving your father is passing away. He needs your comfort. He wants to talk to you."
"Why hadn't anyone tried to save me? It has been more than three decades since my capture."
"Your father knew that you would escape around this time. He didn't want us to make a connection with the humans. We're not supposed to exist to them."
"But I'm the prince of the colony. This doesn't make any apparent since to me. It's truly far away, and I'm too weak to travel that far without food and rest."
Don't worry. 20-miles away, the galactic-ship feathers over the tree tops. It's hidden aside from human eyes. If we hurry, we can make it to your father before he passes. Sir, are you ready?"
"Ready as I ever will be. Follow behind me. My legs may give out. I'm still pretty weary of my time spent in the dungeon."
"Ok sir, we'll be behind you!"
The commander takes off his chest-plate, handing it to Eloving. He gives him his sword then runs into the outer perimeter of the woods.
Eloving is alone fastening his armor. The armor is special made for their kind of species. It instantly snaps in place. Glancing up, seeing the many miles of blackness, he closes his eyes so his imagination can make a mental map of the area. Gripping his sword, he points it toward the ground.
His firmly fit muscles lump out of his arms as he screams. The other Odxithons answer back.
Taking off into the darkness, Eloving loses control over himself. His mental map misplaces a tree root, which bulges out from under his first steps. He trips; his forward momentum slams him into the tree.
The commander's breastplate protected him from injuring himself. Eloving hasn't used telepathic mapping for over thirty years, so he's a little rusty. The accident made him angry. The extra adrenaline in his body causes him to run faster. He picks himself up then wails out an awful sound. He re-sketches his mental analogue.
Taking off like a rocket, Eloving pushes forward with all his strength. The trees in front alter movement. It's more of a plausible projection stalking him in the immense woodlands. It's like being in a daydream with twilight creatures running meters away. He was born to sprint in the obscurity of the night, and now he is free to storm the submissive terrain with his forceful pace.
The light from the three moons comforts his path, but the faces on the moons heckle as he jumps into the air doing a frontward flip over a patch of thorny bushes. Landing on his feet on the other side of the bushes, his knees give out. He tumbles to the icy dirt.
The Odxithon tails keep them balanced. However, he and the other captured Odxithon have a tougher time than the rest of them because their tails have been hacked off. His Commander comes from out of the intelligent darkness towering over him. He mentally transfers thoughts.
"Sir, are you ok?"
Eloving doesn't say anything, his adrenaline sky rockets. Thrusting to his feet, all he can think about is getting back home to speak to his father. The last time he and his father talked, his father was extremely ill.
Eloving forces out the animal which contents his heart, instead of his intellectual abilities to get him through this. He screams out a terrible yowl.
The Lieutenant moves back into the shadows. Eloving takes off through the woods, breaking awesome speed limits. Something, not sure what it was, has cut into his thigh rod muscle; now his emerald blood spills over the forest foliage, making a trail for any carnivorous creature to follow.
Sadly, his heart begins to give out, and he feels himself losing momentum. Falling to his knees, he slides into a large tree. The shadows stop with him. He anticipates thoughts to them.
"Give me some water and something to eat. My energy is failing."
Two Odxithons spear through the shades carrying food and a camel-pack filled with water. They give him dried snails. Sitting there, they observe him while he eats. He devours the snails and gorges down the water. Taking the camel pack, and his sword, they disappear into the thick brushes. Eloving has more flexibility since he lost the extra weight. When he rises up from off his knees, he feels injuries relinquishing through his body. His hips teem with pain. The skin on his knees is scraped down to the bone.
He screams out an awful sound. It disturbs the silence of the peaceful woodlands. Slowing his speed, he is concerned about his injuries. His legs might give out if he doesn't take caution to his pace. The darkness withdraws a mysterious panic in his heart. He closes his eyes to see the mental map. Being around humans so long has shattered this ill-individual-component to not appropriately function correctly.
When we stop using our writing or speaking abilities, then we lose context of what we have learned as a child, so it's true that practice makes perfect.
Suddenly, he stops. The commander conceives thoughts to him.
"Sir we have to keep going. We only have 10 more miles. We need to finish this."
"Wait, something is wrong."
Eloving screams to the top of his lungs.
"Something is wrong. Everyone stop! Those trees have moved. They aren't there anymore?"
"Sir, I believe your technique isn't working accurately. We need to get you to the checkpoint. Let me take the lead, so we won't run into anymore trouble."
It's not that. I can make a measly 10-miles. But something is out of place. Let's stop for a while, until I figure this out."
"Sir, we have to keep moving. Your father will die soon."
"Don't you think I know that? It was his foolish rules, which kept me in danger all these years. I'm not sure I'll be living, if we run another 30 miles. What's going on? Hello. Commander, are you there?"
They lose mental connection, then his men all scream at once.
Then they shut-up. Eloving tries to correlate a mental connection, but none of the Odxithons answer him back. No more shadows bustle to his right or left. They have disappeared.
He pictured this situation in his mind, but none of his comrades believed him. He's searching for them, excluding the fact that he can't scream aloud until he knows exactly what's happening.
The roots of the trees give him charitable guidance. He goes in the direction of the trees which vanished in mid-darkness. He investigates the problem because this is the only way to figure-out what happen to everyone. He partially understands the problem. He mapped out a small diagram of this area. His mind slowly pieces it together. He turns back and walks into the other direction.
He associated his mental thoughts with the evidence that he was prolonging all this time. The first tree root he touched has been scratched to splinters. The forest floor is soft. His nose has detected some chemical fluids in the air. These fluids can only come from the body of one deadly adversary.
His anticipation only leads him to disappointment because the more he feels the dirt, the longer his greatest fears authenticate. The footprints of the creature's offspring peeve into the ground like thousands of little spikes. He has new reliable information, which he doesn't want to be true, but it is. He can hear the creatures breathing now. One of his soldiers barely makes a mental connection with him, but the soldier does get his point across.
"Sir, get out of here. They'll make it in your direction pretty…"
He's cut off.
Everything dies down for just a second then there is a lot of activity in the trees' brushes. Millions of flutters cumulate from a distance. The sounds are coming in hordes. Eloving screams aloud.
Before he could successfully make a mental map, a large proboscis discharges from the top of the trees directly into his chest. The acid melts his chest-plate. The proboscis pulls him 5ft into the air. However, he successfully unsnaps the breast-plate plummeting to the ground. He hits the solid foliage hard. Jetting to his feet, he runs into the woods toward the ocean.
He pushes toward the ocean as fast as he can. He's shuffling a deck of cards that he doesn't want to play. He is dealing with an insect family named the Culicidae or better known as the fly. When grown to adulthood, these creatures can grow larger than trees, but still have the ability to move super fast. While hopping over shrubbery, and staying away from dangerous obstacles, Eloving keeps his eyes tightly shut, so he can get a good image of where he needs to go next.
He makes a mental image of his troopers' locations. Some are in trees. Others are engraved in pieces scattered throughout the forest. Those creatures have published his soldiers' gruesome fates. The insect babies feed on their blood, sucking their bodies drop-less. One soldier was brought to the treetops. When Eloving screamed upward, he notices tiny holes puncturing every living cell in the soldier's body, along with the bigger holes from their partially developed brothers and sisters. When the Culicidae are old enough, their mandibles shoot from their faces like swords, and the tips of them have teeth sharper than small razor blades.
A Culicidae mandible pierces through the dead soldier's chest-plate. It sucks his heart clean of fluids.
No time to reminisce; he cuts through the forest like a lightening demon but the masses of insects are keen on his trail. His arms infest with miniature Culicidae creatures. They move in a clever system that follows a certain order as they slowly ingest his skin. In a circular pattern on his arm, they chew into his skin bursting every blood vessel in their path. Before they become humongous creatures bigger than trees, they're born tinier than parasitic creatures. They can devour a cell a second. Batches of them will soon injure his skin to an un-repairable state.
Eloving must make it to the ocean. Hopefully, they'll die-off if he dives into the frozen mother.
The trees closer to the ocean thin-out, the wind whines while Eloving breaks through them with a breathtaking pace. His momentum is two times of that of a locomotive-steam-engine.
Five miles away from his destination point, he sniffs the creatures' aroma and replays their movement. It's like running through a nightmare toppled with darkness, looking at a glass of milk in front of you then closing your eyes remembering where it is. The mind is a strange tool; we use certain concepts for different projects.
3.5 miles away from the ocean, Eloving runs through the pitch-black-darkness with his eyes shut. Images flutter through his mind.
He feels the temperature changing. The smell of the sea nears. He's out of breath breathing in short puffs. His visualization slips from his short-term memory causing him to scream to make another mental atlas.
No one is driving the bus; his heart fails in deep contempt. Stopping because of what is in front of him, Eloving tumbles to the forest floor. The spider branches clap together as his terminal ending bristles out of proportion. Eloving lays face first in the icy dirt, a few meters away from the ocean. The baby Culicidae catches up with him. Millions of them cut into the pores of his skin with their mandibles.
Protecting his face, and covering his eyes, he visualizes the mother creature standing directly in front of him. She blocks his path to the ocean. Her long pairs of legs bend over like falling trees seeping into her bulldozer-mesothorax. The hair from her legs reaches out, which could, at the present moment, be confused for branches. Her long wings clear as glass, grip her banded abdomen unrecognizable at first glance.
Her burning respiration sings over him. He knows he is done for. The smell of the acid in her stomach is frightening. It'll instantly melt him. No hope for him now, he falls to his annihilation.
Wait, she makes a large ferocious noise. Heat expands all around him. The forest catches on fire. The creature creates enough sound for him to make a mental image of her attacker. Lasers shoot into her abdominal. He opens his eyes. There is enough light to see. However, he shouldn't have done that. Some of the smaller creatures attack his eyelids. If he doesn't do something immediately, then he might lose his eye-sight. Hovering over the tree tops, an alien-space-craft glides toward the battle front. It's a large metal ship with no sails, or a foreign spell, which has no movement and no sound. The ship protects him, but if Eloving doesn't get the hell out of there, then there will be nothing left to protect.
He keeps his eyes close, but he can feel her babies crawling inside feeding on his eyelids. He pushes himself up, but like a swarm of bees, they coat his back with a sheet of living bugs drinking his blood.
Some of them shake off, but they retaliate, flying around to the front of his body, which is dispersed in dirt. Limping as fast as he can toward the water, his adrenaline builds; every step he takes propels him faster. However, his body aches and he hears the consistency of wings fluttering around him. The ocean is in view. He hears the water; the visualization is stunning.
The water is clean. Cause of his memory visualization capabilities, he can see meters under, by just hearing the sound of the water crashing against the bank. In the middle, a big glacier blocks the sound from things behind it. He made it inches away from the water, but his struggle isn't over yet. Eloving still has all those bugs eating away on him. Thousands fly around him, and thousands more have successfully infested through his skin. Some of them blanket his back: It's a sheet of skin made of creepy-crawlers. He can't open his eyes because they ate holes through his eyelids. He doesn't waver the moment; he runs then dives into the water.
Under The Ocean's Floor
It's below freezing. He dives deep as he can. The insects solidify and fall-off in patterns. They scatter away from his body. The hemoglobin in Eloving's blood is a strange mixture, which protects him from the arctic water. The colder the temperature, the hotter his blood becomes enraged. When he opens his eyes the smaller-bugs inside gel-up then dusk into the water.
Every pore of his skin bleeds out. Tiny holes–large enough to see in the water–cover his entire body. Tons of infestations under his armpits and neck have been consumed to a bloody-pulp. He is so lucky. He almost got ate a live.
He hears voices in his head, "Sir, are you ok?"
He mentally answers back,
"I'm in really bad shape. I don't know if I can make it, and it's dangerous down here. I'm bleeding all over the place. The sea creatures will have their way with me if they pick up my scent. I need to be put in the healing element as soon as possible."
"We don't know if your body can take the magnetic-screening. We need to get you closer to the glacier before we try. We don't want that creature to follow us."
"I understand."
Strange creatures live in unaffectionate parts of Minaera. This one is probably the strangest because it attacks only the native creatures. They never show aggression toward the humans, maybe because they don't like their taste, or because they are not animals from this world. Nevertheless, they really appreciate the flavor of the Odxithons.
Unexpectedly, the space-craft appears over the water. It accompanies his swim, floating overhead protecting him from the dangers that might be in the air.
The sea is billions of miles wide and quadrillions of miles deep. It's so clean and untouched by waste and pollution that it resembles a mirror image of the big blue sky.
He's fortunate that the big mountain of ice is only a few miles away, can't really tell its distance because everything on this planet is so enormous.
He's in a bit of trouble. His body cramps and his legs are losing thrust, and hunger consumes him. The plankton is as large as fish. He swims toward some smaller plankton. He swallows them whole. The acid in his stomach burns the larva alive.
Throwing some of them down into his gut, energy bustles through his body. Nutrition is the least of his worries. Hundreds of miles to his left, a sea creature sticks his neck from out of the water. It's high as a skyscraper. When the creature roars, the sound echoes in every direction. Cause of the extra vibration, Eloving closes his eyes. His imagination goes to work. A creature that size can move hundreds of miles in just a few minutes; it is heading right toward him. Eloving hears voices in his head.
"Sir, we will try to stop it. Keep moving toward the glacier."
Eloving knows he doesn't have time to respond back; not even in his head. His hips hurt, and his skin is on fire. The extra meal has given him some more energy, but not by much, and seeing that he is in the water helps sooth some of the pain away. His adrenaline sky rockets; every meter his swim becomes sharper. The alien space craft disappears overhead.
The lady Culicidae hovers over the water. Eloving hears her wings flapping. He knows her attentions. She sees with her eyes, and senses predation with the sensitive hairs all over her body. Eloving has only one option, and that is to swim directly downward into the dangerous darkness. She knows he is still there. The scent of his blood bubbles to the top. He vanishes from her sight.
It's dark down there. He relies on impeccable imagination. Some of the creatures in the sea can move through the water in total silence. Lucky or not lucky, he can see them because of the Culicidae noise overhead, and the big wale creature vibrating in the water from its advancement.
Nothing is dangerous in the area. The greater noise being made, the more he can visualize smaller creatures at the bottom. It's like watching a black-and-white-motion-picture-strip building in his mind.
At the foot of the iceberg, he still has both problems: the one at his top, plus the one timbering toward his direction. The space craft couldn't stop it. The big sea creature's vibrations go quiet. Eloving has no choice; it's either, get swallowed alive by a large lock nest monster, or be picked apart by a gigantic insect. He makes his choice.
Eloving scours the glacier-walls. Closer to the surface he opens his eyes. The Culicidae shoots a sliding sheath from her mouth. The proboscis goes through his back. It barely misses his heart. She pulls him into the air.
She scales him upward toward the top of the huge glacier. The other creature appears. It jumps from out of the water flying up after them. The sea creature clamps its boulder like teeth on the mother Culicidae middle torso. The creature leaps so far up, that only its tail lay sunk in the ocean. It's half as tall as the glacier. When it hits the water, a tremendous force rocks the pillar of ice with sonic sound. The monster takes them both under.
The Mother Culicidae's proboscis slips from out of Eloving's back. Swimming with them to the bottom, the force of the creature's dive takes him under. Favored by the current, he's pushed away from a monstrous downward pull. Spilling out blood every second, Eloving has a big hole in his back, and he is lost in the dark part of the ocean. The pump of his heart puts him in a more dangerous position. Opening his eyes, he can't use his mental ability anymore. It's like a light in the tunnel. He swims upward, but it's too far. He can't make it. The dive took him miles under. The further he goes upward, the more the tunnel of light increases, but yet, the farther away his trepidation withers. The galactic cruiser appears overhead. Eloving slips into a mental-relapse. Losing his breath, his paddling legs give way. Closing his eyes, Eloving sight flickers out.
Pulling him toward the bottom, smaller fish attach themselves to his open wounds. They eat the rest of what's left. The space-craft hovers over the glacier. For five seconds, it stays motionless. The bottom slowly opens.
A second metal layer opens. Two Odxithons drip from out of the wall like electromagnetic acid, landing in blobs on the frozen top. After the magnetic shield wears down, the Odxithons roll down the slope of the iceberg. One of them could have stopped his momentum. But yet, both are forcing their slide down the amazing drop.
Reaching the edge, they push themselves up with their tails, leaping away from the iceberg. They scream while scaling down the side of the glacier. They plunge into the freezing water. Taking deep breaths, they dive toward the prince.
They form mental images of Prince Eloving. When they try to communicate with him, they replay the last image he testified to; this means he is fighting, and he is still alive. The intricate sounds of the ocean are tranquil, obedient to the onslaught of the quiet skies. The dive is more bloodthirsty then the creatures plundering in its depths could bear witness. Darkness abates; silence abates. Creatures small and big flutter around them as they search for the final homing-beckon that has just flickered out. They keep diving toward the direction that the last signal came from.
The two Odxithons find Eloving; they grab his arms and tow him upward. They can feel him slowly falling into a death-collage whispering soft demented telepathic thoughts into the cold water's surge.
Powering him to the surface of the water, one of the Odxithons takes a syringe he's holding then shoots the accelerated protein into Eloving's chest. They pull him to the glacier. About 30 seconds of hitting the abrasive current, Eloving wakes up. It's fortunate that one of the Odxithons could speak. The other one can communicate only telepathically.
"Sir, hold on to my back. I will pull you up the glacier. Hang in there; we're almost to your father. You did it."
Eloving appearance is not recognizable. One of his eyelids has been eaten in half, plus tiny holes infest all over his face, arms, and body, and a big hole reaches through his stomach exiting out of his back.
Those years locked up in the dungeon made him appear smaller than the other Odxithons, also considering the fact that his tale has been chopped off. The Odxithon, with only mental capability, licks out his tongue like a lizard grabbing a plankton larva in just seconds then rolling it back into his mouth. He swallows it.
They swim back to the glacier. Hundreds of miles away the locnest monster appears. The Odxithons communicate telepathically.
"Amathon, you're stronger than me, but the prince needs someone who can continue speaking to him. I can make the climb, but I need you to offset that beast's pace to give me and the prince some closure time to get into the ship. I believe this glacier can't take one more pounding from that monster."
"I understand."
Amathon takes a spiky-fish swimming by then slits his arms. Eloving and General Horath maintain toward the glacier, which is now cracking in half from the immense on slate of the current.
Amathon disappears under the stampede of the rushing-waves…
"Yes sir."
"We're counting on you. Be careful."
Making it to their destination point, General Horath and Prince Eloving climb the glacier. General Horath speaks to Eloving.
"Sir, hold on with all your might. I need to move quickly upward, and my aggression may knock you off my shoulders. We don't have time to do this again. Once the monster figures out that he's not catching Horath, he will be a bit angry, and want to take the rest of his rage out on this glacier."
General Horath closes his eyes. The sonic roar dispersing over the ocean takes flight in his imagination. He can see every crevice swelling from the side of the glacier, including the gigantic crack racing slowly up the middle. Eloving grips on to Horath's neck.
Horath clasps onto the hard ice, pulling him-self upward. With the extra weight on his back, he resembles a man climbing the wall, but with one befuddlement. Adrenaline bucket's down through his veins. Every move he makes; paces him further to his occurred-point.
The gigantic monster vanishes under the water. Totally confused, it appears again. Just because something can swim hundreds of miles in minutes don't mean that everything it felt before will be in the same location. When its head pops-up, anyone could tell that it's at a loss of direction. Horath is doing a good job implanting his blood in the water. Conversely, the monster has two choices. To continue to chase the phantom swimmer, or head toward the glacier where he can smell Prince Eloving's wounds saturating the wind's current. The monster makes its choice, but who knows its choice? Vanishing under the water, it dives deep.
General Horath and Eloving make it to the top of the glacier. Everything is quiet. However, the mental map in Horath's mind tells him differently.
Genera Horath
"This may kill you. Nevertheless, we must try. The magnetic screening will pull you upward. Your open wounds will give you excruciating pain. That monster is heading straight toward us. We only have one try, when you're up in the ship; I will jump back in the ocean. Don't worry about me and Horath. We are strong enough to make the 300-mile trip back home. Blink twice if you understand."
Eloving blinks twice.
General Horath sends a telepathic message to the ship.
"Do it now!"
Eloving begins to percolate. He says in a low tone.
"It hurts."
"You can do it sir. Think about the soldiers we lost today. How would they feel if you gave up at this point? Fight it."
Eloving rises toward the entrance of the ship. He struggles but finally gives in. He lets the force pull him inside.
The glacier rocks violently. General Horath runs and jumps, scaling down the wall. The glacier cracks in half. Holding him in his mouth, the monster grabs General Horath in midair. Spitting him out, a piece of the glacier smacks the monster in its throat. Horath hits the water then dives under. He's wounded but not that bad. It's a good thing he's wounded, because now he can continue luring the monster away from the glacier.
The Ship rises from out of the monsters reach. The monster slips from off the broken glacier back into the water. It seems to have retreated but not heartily. It's following Horath's bloody scent.
It's cold inside the Galactic Ship. The metal layers are positioned quarter inches apart in a hexagon pattern. The walls, the bottom, and the top are similar to a bee hive, except the floor has a flatter service. The roof of the ship and the walls are rounded and steep enough for climbing.
A dim light comes on. Eloving is in the storage area. Dispersing a poisonous gas into the room, some of the hexagons at the top, open up in wavey-patterns. Baby Culicidae were dormant in Eloving's wounds. The poisonous gas wakes them up. Clawing their way out of his wounds, the Culicidae swarm about. A swift jolt of air pulls the insects into a vacuum. They're sucked into the ship's wall. A hole opens up on the left side. An Odxithon scales down the wall breaking for Eloving. He puts his hand on Eloving's chest then examines his body.
He searches around the room for any Culicidae that might have escaped the vacuum's draft. The Prince's chest meshes up-and-down. He's still alive. The floor on the other side of the room opens up. A casing rises from out of the metal bulk-head. It's a breathing unit. Pulling Eloving toward the iron container, the Odxithon takes the mask out of its casing. Putting it on Eloving, the mask cements to his face.
The big hexagon shape door slides open on the left again. The Odxithon exits out.
The floor raises Eloving into the air. A hole at the top opens. The panel takes him up into a glass chamber. Sleeping in other chambers, some Odxithon soldiers colonize in glass-rectangular boxes. They have breathing mask on. Their entire bodies are diffused in liquid.
Eloving's chamber is empty. However, it begins to fill with a protein healing element. Eloving closes his eyes, falling into a deep slumber.


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(Excerpted from The Pultenham County Sketchbook, by Tom Andrews)
"Caddick Black was not, as you might have imagined, an ordinary pea-picker. Caddick was in possession of a talent – some would call it a power – that made it unimaginable that he should spend all his days in a dusty field. You sit down right there for just a bit and I might be able to explain this to you.
We'll see.
Back before they put in that big old containment facility down near Blanchers, Caddick's family owned a few acres and they farmed a bit, sure, and they had themselves some hogs. Caddick's little sister was a skinny little thing that got kind of funny in the head and got to the point where she wouldn't eat almost nothing at all. For months, the better part of a year, I bet, she ate nothing but saltine crackers with cinnamon sugar on them. Oh, my, yes, it sounds kind of nice, I suppose, but there ain't much that a few saltines and some cinnamon sugar gonna' do for a body, you know what I mean? Well, his sister just ate that and she kinda' withered away, I guess you might say. In the end it was pneumonia that got her, but we all knew that the pneumonia only came about because of that constant diet not fit for a sparrow, let alone a young girl.
After they buried Caddick's sister, Mrs. Black (their momma), well she kind of got a little funny too. Some say it had to do with guilt and remorse over her daughter dyin' so young, and really that would be reason enough, don't you think? Sure you do. Well, after Mrs. Black got taken away to that place in Cotton City for a good long rest, Caddick was alone, seein' as how his daddy had drunk himself into the grave a few years prior. Caddick was maybe 16 or 17 or so, but he really had no abilities other than being able to just keep himself alive.
But like I said, he had a talent. Or some might call it a power.
When the autumn rains came and that Black homestead started getting a little leaky and the muddy rains started pushin' hard through the door and through the windows and right into Caddick's heart, well, he kind of went missin'. Some said that they saw lights go on in the house every now and again over that winter, and Dyke Cartwright said he saw a woman dash in and out of the house and speed away in a waiting automobile, but aside from that, no one saw that Caddick Black.
Dyke bought the fields the next summer, but not before a certain Candace Black, a dirty dancer from Cotton City, came to empty that house out and set a torch to it. That old clapboard shack just burned to the ground like it was a dry palm frond. Burned to the ground along with a lot of memories, I imagine. Candace, a tall, tall dancer with a low voice and strong hands, drove back to Cotton City and disappeared from the Pultenham County radar screen forever. No one spoke about it much. No one really even raised an eyebrow, even if they were fairly certain what was goin' on.
I done heard that a couple years later the dancer named Candace got gunned down by an angry man in Cotton City, after the angry man realized what was goin' on. So I guess there were some who raised eyebrows and some who had to speak about it. But it was always the wrong folks who were doing the raisin' and the speakin'. The wrong folk got to realizin' the truth, as well.
The wrong folk as far as Caddick was concerned, leastaways."


text: No loving pet parent ever wants to imagine a scenario in which their beloved animal companion becomes lost. Unfortunately, these things happen. The best way to keep your pet safe is by planning ahead. Microchip identification provides convenient, affordable, permanent protection and peace of mind that standard forms of ID, such as collars and tags, cannot. Don't take chances with your pet's safety – invest in permanent identification today. Contact us today to learn more.


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How Can I Get a Credit Card for My Nanny?
Credit cards offer convenience and flexibility needed in today's fast-paced lifestyle. Adding a nanny's name to a credit account will give her the ability to charge expenses without you having to provide cash for the expenses. Those expenses can be accounted for and paid off on one single bill at the end of each month.
Adding a User to Your Credit Card Account
Adding a user to an existing credit card account is a simple task 1. Call the customer service department associated with your credit card company. The phone number is printed on the back of the credit card and is a toll-free number. The representative will ask you a few questions and tell you if the new user is approved. The nanny likely will be approved since the account has already been established.
Possible situations that would prevent the credit card company from approving the nanny include poor credit, credit default situations, legal problems dealing with money or poor credit standing on your part. If your account is not in good standing, there is little chance that the nanny will be approved. If there are no problems and the nanny is approved, the nanny's credit card will come in the mail in a few days.
Opening a New Credit Account
You may also open a fresh credit account and add your nanny's name to the account application as an authorized user at the time of the application 1. If you are approved for a new account, your nanny will automatically be approved, as well. Both your new credit card and your nanny's new credit card will come in the mail either at the same time or within a few days of each other. When the cards on the account have been activated, they can be used anywhere that the card is accepted. Keep in mind that certain credit card types (especially American Express and Discover) are not accepted everywhere.
To Avoid Potential Problems
There is a difference between a joint account user and an authorized account user 1. A joint account user is just as responsible for the unpaid balance on the credit card account as the primary account holder 1. An authorized account user is not responsible for the balance at all 1. If the account balance goes unpaid for a while and the account goes into default, the credit scores of all persons on the credit card account will be badly affected.
Because you are the primary account holder, you can take a few steps to control how the nanny's credit card is used. You can place lower credit limits on that card that are different from the spending limits on the primary card. You can also place transaction spending limits on the account, as well. This will limit the transaction amount on the card to $75 per transaction, for example. You can also place a daily transaction limit on the card.


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It's Springtime: Go Climb a Real Rock
A guide to climbing spots in San Francisco
California is home to the most famous rock climbing spot in the world, Yosemite. Our fair city of San Francisco, however, is not so blessed.
While Yosemite boasts the 3000-foot tall cliff of El Capitan—the highest cliffs anywhere outside of the Trango Towers in Pakistan and Mt. Thor on Baffin Island—San Francisco can barely claim a 30-foot cliff, the humble Beaver St. Wall on Corona Heights.
While Yosemite is comprised of magnificent sparkling granite, the rock of San Francisco is a lowly type called chert, crumbly and dirt colored. The one advantage San Francisco climbing has over Yosemite: you don't need a car and three-day weekend to make it happen.
Climbing in San Francisco has been popular for many years. With the recent opening of a third rock gym, Dog Patch Boulders, in the Dog Patch neighborhood near the Mission Bay campus, that popularity seems to only be growing. For many climbers who start in the gym, it's a big jump in terms of gear acquisition and mental toughness to start climbing outdoors. The biggest barrier may be distance, especially for those young urbanites, who choose to not own expensive, polluting personal automobiles.
There is good news: Decent climbing, in fact, does exist right here in the city of San Francisco, accessible by bus or bike.
The recent publication of Bay Area Rock – Climbing and Bouldering in the San Francisco Bay Area (Potlicker Press; 7th edition), by Jim Thornburg, has introduced to the climbing public a new cliff, freshly cleaned of loose rock, bringing our total number of climbing areas to three. The classics are the Beaver St. Wall, with two top-rope routes, and the Glen Canyon Boulders, with many easy bouldering problems. (A boulder "problem" is the term for a short route around 10-feet tall that is climbed without ropes.) The new area, which is getting a lot more traffic since the Thornburg book came out, is the super-scenic Ocean Beach Boulders on a gray cliff right below the Cliff House.
Beaver St.
This old standard is an essential San Francisco climbing experience. The cliff looms above a pre-school at the end of Beaver St., right above the Castro on the western aspect of Corona Heights. A top-rope can be anchored to the cement posts of the chain-link fence above. The diagonal crack on the left is a 5.9 and if you climb the face directly up it is around 5.10. (For roped climbing the difficulty rating system starts at 5.5 and goes to 5.15.)
The chert here is fantastically smooth and polished; it is sometimes said that climbers can see their reflection in the rock. Although friction for foot-holds is low, having a true full length climbing route in the middle of The City is very special treat.
Glen Canyon
This area offers a greater array of rocks to play on, with two large cliff bands in this under-appreciated, natural and peaceful canyon park. The climbs here are all boulder problems from 10- to 15-feet tall, with many in the V0 realm. (For boulder problems the difficulty rating system ranges from V0 to V15.) The outstanding routes are the Glen Canyon traverse (V4), starting on the lowest leftmost edge of the lower cliff, and Unnatural Act, the famously intimidating and overhung V3 roof on the upper cliff.
The former is never high enough to require a crash pad, but the latter will feel safe only with two or three pads and spotters. Glen Canyon is long enough to even go for a lovely hike of sorts which can make the trip an appealing full outdoors experience. If you bring a baby or small domesticated animal watch out for coyotes!
Ocean Beach Boulders
It is kind of amazing that after 50 years of climbers inhabiting the Bay Area, "new" climbing spots are still being discovered. It demonstrates how dependent most climbers are on guidebooks and how reluctant to venture onto unknown rocks. Well, this new spot is a gem, with a fantastic setting next to the crashing waves and jagged rocks at the north end of Ocean Beach.
The climbs are tall, around 20 feet, which makes them a bit more psychologically challenging. At least the second half of all the routes get quite easy, so the chances of falling decrease as you go higher. The landings are sandy, which means you don't need a crash pad unless the sand is wet.
The sand, in fact, is the big wildcard because it can fluctuate drastically throughout the year, changing in height by as much as six feet! When the sand is low, the climbs are even taller and the landings wetter and harder. When the sand is high, the climbs are less imposing and the landings soft and dry. Going during low tide is also advantageous, but not essential if the sand is in.
While most of the cliffs in the area are yellow, the one section with good bouldering can be identified by its dull gray hue. Two striking vertical cracks run up the face, both of which are nice V1 routes. The column between them is a dramatic V2, which finishes with a scary but easy mantle over a small roof. Harder problems exist on the right side of the cliff towards the mysterious cave, from the depths of which a tunnel leads back towards the main beach.
For details on this location or the other two San Francisco climbing spots I recommend the Thornburg book. Other guides exist but none of them include Ocean Beach. And if you're an ambitious biker (or own a car), there are even more and better climbing spots in the Berkeley Hills, high on Mt. Tamalpias and at Stinson Beach, which are also described in the guidebook.
Climbing in the gym is great, but it truly gets exciting once you transition onto real rock. It's like doing CPR on a mannequin versus actually saving the life of a hot-blooded human being—one is only practice for the other. Enjoy the rock and climb safe so you don't end up needing CPR yourself!


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Busting a Groove? When I first started teaching I agreed to chaperone two dances a year. Dances were held on Friday nights, so they made a long week seem even longer, but it was a nice way to contribute. For the most part they were uneventful and were well attended by the students. Once or… Continue reading Busting a Groove?
Month: April 2016
Downhill from Here
Downhill From Here I first started teaching in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. We bought a house in Pasadena which was a twenty minute drive from work. Everyday I had the pleasure of driving along the Humber River to get to school. It was the most scenic of drives. The route took me past the Marble Mountain… Continue reading Downhill from Here
The Blood Olympics
Blood Olympics It was springtime, 1987. I recall it being a beautiful afternoon, and I had decided I was due to donate blood. I happened to mention this to a colleague. He said that he was also due to give and would come along with me. Andy was a phys. ed. teacher and former university… Continue reading The Blood Olympics
A Sigh is just a Sigh?
A Sigh is just a Sigh? During my first year of teaching I was not only the newest teacher on staff but also the youngest. It was an exciting time. No doubt, I learned more that year about teaching than any that followed. The learning curve was steep, but it was so much fun. On… Continue reading A Sigh is just a Sigh?
Tying the Knot
Tying the Knot Over the years, I have attended a number of weddings of former students. In most cases the invitation was based on the relationships that formed after the student graduated; for example, many graduates went on to become teammates of mine playing senior rugby. Based on the friendships formed I was often invited… Continue reading Tying the Knot
Playing the Bureaucratic Game
Playing the Bureacratic Game One year at Macdonald Consolidated a rather troubled middle school student arrived. He had been expelled from his school in the city and was now in a group home in our area. He was quite disruptive and had a number of academic deficiencies. He proved to be quite a handful. We… Continue reading Playing the Bureaucratic Game
Teenage Mutant Ninja Barbie
Teenage Mutant Ninja Barbie It was a few days before students arrived in September. I was teaching at Kennebecasis Valley High and the student population was approaching 1900. I looked at my homeroom class list and recognized a name. Tracy was in my homeroom the previous year (Chem 11) and was now enrolled in my… Continue reading Teenage Mutant Ninja Barbie
Balm Scare
Balm Scare About the time I first became a principal, schools were required to write evacuation plans (in addition to a myriad of other plans). We were presented with guidelines but needed to flesh out the particulars. One of the potential crisis we needed to consider was how to deal with a bomb scare. Typically,… Continue reading Balm Scare
Snack Time
Snack Time A number of years ago we, as a staff, had a presentation by a dietitian. It was during one of our professional development days. The focus was on healthy eating. During the session, the dietitian had a number of suggestions for healthy snacks. At one point she said that eight almonds would be… Continue reading Snack Time


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Venezuela's Political Disaster - March 10, 2007
Please keep in mind that Chavez is an embarrassment to a large percentage of Venezuelans who do not agree with his irresponsible behavior.
Guest who is paying for the hundred of thousands of dollars that Chavez is using for a few days to rally people up against the United States?
While Chavez wants to become an influential world leader buying countries and corruptible leaders, he may want to become the imperialist leader that in his deranged mind is trying to fight.
You may want to log world leaders who have visited Chavez in Caracas, or who are scheduled to do so.
Please know that as Chavez rallies around in Argentina, he is closing down RCTV network in Venezuela for reporting about him. Chavez does not respect freedom of speech in Venezuela, but goes to Argentina to speak his mind out.
RCTV has been criticized by Hugo Chávez's government and supporters for their presumed role in the April 11 Venezuelan coup attempt of 2002 and the December 2, 2002 to February 4, 2003 Venezuelan general strike (where free advertisements for the opposition were apparently broadcast by privately owned TV stations including RCTV). On the afternoon of April 11, Chávez interrupted the broadcasting of the opposition march to the Miraflores presidential palace to make a speech. Halfway through his speech, RCTV and the other major private networks, interrupted his speech to broadcast a shooting that was taking place at the march. Chávez responded by ordering all of the major private networks off the air (they came back on right after Chávez was overthrown). Over the next couple of days, the private networks would support Pedro Carmona's interim government. Isaías Rodríguez, Venezuela's pro-Chávez, prosecutor general, requested a press conference where he claimed that he was going to announce his resignation. Instead of resigning, he announced that Chávez had not resigned and that he had been overthrown. [1] All of the private networks responded by cutting off his speech. As the coup began to collapse, Chávez supporters went to RCTV's headquarters and smashed their lobby's window, while RCTV was airing cartoons. [2]
The Venezuelan government has been threatening RCTV that they will not be renewing their broadcast license which expires in May 2007. On December 28, 2006, president Hugo Chávez announced that the government will not renew RCTV's broadcast license in May 2007. [3]
Below please find links reporting Chavez's controversial behavior:
Please read my blog since at time I post messages that are not sent to the distribution lists.
Maru Angarita
My blog is: http://maruangarita.blogspot.com/


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Heres the trouble folks; once you start making cheese chips you will never stop. Even with the best intentions, "I'll just eat a few and save the rest to serve with dinner tomorrow" ultimately you will eat too many and spread the addiction to others.
Usually, we see parmesan chips, which are delicious, mind you, but they aren't the only cheese in the ballgame when it comes to crisp, light, flavourful homemade cheese crisps. Like usual I've done the experimenting for you and tried chips at different temperatures made of various cheeses including parmesan, extra old cheddar, medium cheddar, handeck, asiago, and a mix.
My favourite are the chips made from extra old cheddar (made by my local cheese shop Jenson's and aged 2 years I believe. And don't worry about it being orange- like most Canadian cheese makers, they use a vegetable based natural colouring). They are more crisp than asiago whichs tend to have the tiniest bit of chew and cheaper than parmesan chips, which I like almost as much.
*Some recipes said to use a mix of finely grated cheese and coarse and after trying both I can tell you this is horseshit and it doesn't matter. Grate it however you want!
The recipe is so simple I'm not sure you can call it a recipe, but here it is! I recommend serving these (or at least planning to before you scarf them all down yourself) with Roasted Tomato Soup.
Cheese Chips
Grated cheese of choice *
Preheat oven to 400f
Line baking sheet with parchment and use tablespoon to make cheese mounds. Bake for 4-6 minutes or until starting to bubble – stay close and don't overcook!
Let cool on the cookie sheet a few minutes- they will crisp up when cool.
Store leftovers (ha!) in a glass jar with a paper towel in the fridge for up to a week.


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Drawing on the information models of D.S. Chernyavsky, scholars at the Moscow Institute of Applied Mathematics at the Russian Academy of Sciences have concluded that Russia is rapidly entering a period of "semi-collapse," in which large parts of the country will either fall under the influence of other countries or separate completely.Hat tip to Window on Eurasia.
According to the model they have employed, "the North, the Eastern and part of Western Siberia will fall under the influence of the US, that Sakhalin and the Kuriles 'will go' to Japan, that part of the Far East will fall 'under China, that a Muslim enclave will arise in the Middle Volga, and that a North-West Republic will emerge around the Kola Peninsula."
"In order to avoid this outcome," Georgy Malinetsky writes in his description of their findings in the current issue of "Computerra," Russian "society will be required to devote extraordinary efforts." His own description of the situation makes clear why that is so.
Russia, he says the scholars have concluded, currently faces two "unpleasant" possibilities. On the one hand, it faces the likelihood that the price for its major export commodities – oil and gas -- will continue to fall as current consumers seek alternative sources energy supplies.
As L. Badalyan and V. Krovorotov have concluded, Malinetsky points out, "when a serious deficit of any resource emerges, people will search and find a new one, and as a result, the price and importance of the one they had been using will fall dramatically," an outcome that will hurt Russia more than most because its production of these things is already falling.
And on the other hand, European and American officials are not going to ignore the problems Russia now has and will have in the future. Instead, acting on the basis of notions likes like "Siberia ought to belong to all humanity," they will get more involved and in ways that will threaten Moscow's control over much of the country.
The idea of state failure, especially of large, seemingly powerful nations apparently is plaguing the Russian psyche these days. First there was the Russian prof that has been running around stating America is going to meltdown into multiple nations (see below). Now there is a prof stating that Russia might meltdown...again (link at top is a Google translation of his 'paper'). It could be that the dissolution of the Soviet Union has left scars. Actually, that's probable.
On the other hand, this may be a carrot and stick situation. The Russians are giving hope (The US will melt! Russia can rise in the aftermath!) and adding a bit of fear (Russia might collapse completely), so let's all rally around the flag, or rather The Leader, lest after him, the deluge. The 'artful' use of the ancient enemy of Europe and China plus the recent, hateful antagonist of America, is what really makes me think this is the case.
Perhaps I am wrong. What do you all think?


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Love Summer Trending Jewelry
Model Number:SBR140192
Condition:100% Brand New
Color:purple,green,multicolor,purple brown
Package : 1 X of your own style choice
This Luxury Multi Color Crystal Rhinestone Bracelet Women fashion Jewelry can make a great gift for your loved one!
Tips For Gifts Giving:
1-Planning in advance to be sure the up coming birthday, valentine, anniversary …Take an extra time for shipping process if online purchase or time to wrap your gifts.
2-Choose a gift that suits to your loved one, family or friends who they are expecting for what the gift is special, valuable and useful. The gifts are suitable for their ages, styles and personalities.
3-Estimate your budget. This is how much you spend for. There will be cost less with coupons saving, early bird specials or shopping around to find the best on sale price.
4-Giving from the bottom of your heart. Remember it is your thought, not for the cost. Get something that is valuable, special, sentimental, It's NOT necessary of expensive or extravagant items. This is what your thought will be sincerely appreciated.
5-Wrap your gift and ready to give away. It is NOT necessary to be fancy, long ribbons or expensive materials. The tastefully wrapped gift can be reused some left over materials or recycled the materials for the caring of environment.


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Whether you are looking to speed up your manual testing processes or start on the road to automation TestDrive-Assist plays a key role in streamlining your processes. Remember 100% automation is not normally achievable, and whatever level you hope to achieve, you still have to get there from a manual start.
TestDrive-Assist tackles the key challenges of test documentation and defect reproduction. It can also simultaneously execute Quality Checks such as spelling, performance and hyperlink checking
It even monitors what database activity has occurred during the course of each test.
Having documented your manual tests with TestDrive-Assist automated testing is only a short stop away.
Saved results can be immediately converted into an automated test asset, and the capture can be used to understand the business context when building your regression tests. Take a look at our How to Guide on Building a Regression Test Pack to see how simple it can be.
The test can be driven from a test script and steps supplied by a Quality Management solution such as Qualify. In this case the user is prompted with the test steps and they can pass or fail each as they are performed. If there is no detailed script, TestDrive-Assist is immensely valuable as it captures exactly what happened.
Capture every action, click, input that the user performs with reference to the screen they are on, and the controls or objects on that screen. The user operates as normal, new screens or pages are automatically identified. Each is immediately and fully documented without any additional action by the user. No need to go back and reproduce a problem, it is already fully captured!
Of course, creating tests manually is a necessity in software development, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to reuse the test later. TestDrive Assist saves you time and effort by automatically saving tests and gives you the flexibility to modify the test for future use.
Capture those business processes automatically for reference manuals and help with training. If need be you can enhance the content with comments and mark-ups.
Performed automatically while you concentrate on executing the business process. Including spelling, performance, hardware impact,and link checking. Exact performance data is captured providing accurate measurement of the user experience.
Users can click on any captured screen, not just the current one and highlight an area adding a comment. This might be to identify a problem, request a change or provide guidance notes for training materials.
Spot something wrong, either while you are testing or while you are reviewing any test results? Simply add a mark-up to any screen, add some description and give it a level of severity.
All information including screen shots, content analysis, test steps, errors, mark-ups and performance data from a test execution is stored as part of a Test Result. This information can then be analysed in numerous ways within the Result Viewer.
Defects and non-conformances can be created while a test is in progress, optionally linked to a test step and with full reproduction steps automatically passed to the developer.
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To get the best value visit us via Chrome, Edge or Firefox


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By: Courtney Moser
"The whole is greater than the sum of it's parts." – Aristotle
I know, I know – we're getting philosophical on you again. So what does this mean? The end result of individuals working together is greater than if they all were added together separately. A special something is gained in the group effort, often referred to as synergy.
So, for example, influencer marketing is effective on it's own – as is email marketing, social media marketing, SEO, paid advertising, etc. But what if you ran a campaign that encompassed all of them, spanning networks and audiences? It would be far more impactful than smaller, siloed campaigns.
Influencer marketing needs to be part of your larger marketing strategy to make a more meaningful, lasting impression and win over consumers. Before you begin any influencer marketing campaigns, then, you should first take stock of existing campaigns and determine overall brand goals. If your upcoming influencer marketing campaign is a continuation of a current brand campaign – such as inviting influencers to share a new product or service that's being promoted elsewhere – you're golden. Just make sure your messaging aligns across the board for consumer consistency.
If you're about to start a completely new influencer marketing campaign, on the other hand, you should plan out how to carry it over throughout all marketing efforts. Budweiser's FYI campaign is an excellent example of this. To celebrate National Burger Day and promote the Bud & Burgers Championship event hosted at their brewery, Budweiser turned to influencer marketing to complement the rest of their marketing and advertising strategy. Along with local event promotion, influencers helped spread the word on social media using the hashtag #BudandBurgers and #STL. This increased awareness and audience reach.
Consistency and quality are key in all of your marketing efforts in order to accelerate growth. Get creative with crossing campaigns and messaging so that your branding is powerful and relevant. To recap, you need to integrate influencer marketing with your overall strategy by:
o Tying together current and future campaigns
o Defining brand goals from the start
o Aligning messaging across all platforms and methods
o Keeping your influencers genuine and on brand
Take a look at the rest of our influencer marketing best practices here to learn more.


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We have over 30 years experience of providing the best opportunity for children and young people to excel in swimming in the London Borough of Havering. The Club caters for the very youngest
through to our Masters section, but above all we are
a club for those children and young people who want
to achieve their potential in competitive swimming.
Please take a look around our website and contact us if
you are interested in joining, or just want to know more.


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Communication is the bridge between one's mind and another. Words are used to convey one's message. Sometimes, however, one might use words that he or she doesn't mean or the receiver interprets one's message differently than intended by the transmitter (the one who is speaking).
Choosing the right words is important to effectively deliver your message, describing something, or to avoid hostilities (or provoke them). A potential problem arises when choosing the right words: How can you choose the right one when there is none? Or there are, but all words doesn't match your intended meaning? Here is where vocabulary comes in handy. The bigger your arena of words, the easier it will be for you to convey your message in an easy and simple way.
For instance, a man doesn't know the meaning of 'anxious'. So whenever he wants to say that he is anxious, he will say something like "I feel scared", "I feel so bad about the event tomorrow" or even worse, "What's happening to me?". All those statements may make the receiver understand differently than the meaning intended. The receiver might help him, but differently than how he treats anxious people.
"Precision (of the intended meaning) is key here."
Especially in teamwork and military, you need to think of the right word fast to make your teammate able to comprehend and execute orders correctly. Vocabulary also helps greatly in clarifying your flow of thoughts which is essential for thinking critically. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Precision (of the intended meaning) is key here.
Another matter dealing with choosing the right words is the 'natural' or status quo of some words. I divide this matter in three:
- Naturally sensitive words
- Naturally sentimental words
- Natural strength of words
The nature of different words may vary in different societies, regions, and even individuals.
Naturally sensitive words: I'm sure most of you know what this means. Some words are sensitive to a particular people or culture and must be avoided in speech. Otherwise, they will be provoked and more resilient towards the transmitter. For example, in Malaysia if I say "Apa hal (meaning 'What's up?')" to someone, he will think that I am trying to pick up a fight with him. Instead I should greet by saying "Apa khabar?", which also means 'What's up?'. They're literally the same, but "Apa hal?" is usually used when someone gets angry.
Naturally sentimental words: The opposite of sensitive words. Sentimental words alleviate your message, not because of your message, but because you chose the right word. You can use this to your advantage, but requires you to study the people. The easiest example is the word 'please' and asking questions.
Natural strength of words: Some words are 'naturally' weak when compared to another word with the same meaning. Like trying to emphasise the importance of something, 'essential' and 'critical' is a much stronger word than 'important'. The more frequent a word is used, the weaker is a word. Sometimes, it's also how you arrange your words. Francis Bacon said "Knowledge is power". To me, knowledge is much more than just 'power' (notice how often the word 'powerful' is used and how weak is this word). Knowledge is the thing that keeps human alive, if not, how can we innovate technologies and build things for them to live in? Knowledge is embedded in human nature. "Knowledge defines life". That's what I would say to greatly emphasise its importance.
Besides, facial expression, the length of speech, usage of analogies and examples, clarity, intonation, and fonts all are factors that make your speech or writing valuable and influential.
"The less you say, the more your words will matter." -Rae Carson
"Change your words, change your world."
I seek guidance from God. Forgive me for any of my mistakes.


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Bill Allowing More Than Two FCC Commissioners To Meet Privately Introduced
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) has introduced a bill to allow more than two Federal Communications Commissioners to meet privately, so long as there is at least one commissioner from each party in the room and the meeting's content is disclosed to the public.
A number of commissioners have argued for letting commissioners get together to discuss issues, an issue on which former Republican chairman Kevin Martin and current Democratic commissioner Michael Copps agreed.
Currently, sunshine rules prevent more than two commissioners meeting in person outside of public meetings. That is because all meetings of federal agencies must be open if there is a quorum present, and since the FCC has five members, three represents a quorum.
The restriction has led to e-mail or staff-emissary exchanges or a series of one-on-one meetings.
H.R. 4167, the Federal Communications Commission Collaboration Act, would expire after five years, so it would have to be reauthorized if Congress concluded it had been beneficial.
Back when Martin ran the commission, Stupak vetted FCC processes as chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation. That commission was notable for long delays in meeting start-times as commissioners communicated changes and ferried questions about controversial items via staffers or written communications.
A spokesman for FCC chairman Julius Genachowski was unavailable for comment.
Copps seemed nearly giddy over the prospect: "I am thrilled by Congressman Bart Stupak's introduction of the Federal Communications Commission Collaboration Act. If there was only one action we could take to reform the FCC, this would be my choice."
Seconding that was veteran communications policy consultant Jerry Udwin. "Congressman Stupak's bill couldn't have come at a better time," he said. "The current FCC commissioners face a huge load of tremendously important, complicated and often interrelated issues. Enactment of H.R. 4167 would lighten that load by enabling the commissioners to meet more often and informally. They could exchange ideas directly and move forward on the issues more efficiently, swiftly and collegially. And, the bill carefully protects transparency at the Commission. The sooner it can be enacted the better--to help get the Commission's work done for all of the interested parties and, most importantly, for the public."


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The advice in 2010 before the iPhone 4 came out was to not buy one. Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to jump back in time and share their thoughts on the top ten reasons why people shouldn't buy the iPhone 4. They also look at Apple's quiet iPhone durability improvement process.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-06-07: 2010's Don't Buy an iPhone List, Apple's iPhone Waterproofing
- Flashback 2010: Giving the iPhone 4 the Smackdown
- Apple is quietly improving iPhone water resistance
- TMO Daily Observations Twitter feed


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Mindfulness – Melbourne
What is mindfulness?
Jon Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer in the modern application of mindfulness defines mindfulness as "paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally".
Most of us spend very little time in the present moment. Instead we spend a large portion of our time up in our heads, dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. In fact research suggests that we spend about 47% of our waking hours thinking about something other than what we are doing.
It's normal for our minds to wander off to thoughts at times; after all, our mind is a thought machine. Telling your mind not to think is about as effective as telling your eyes to stop seeing or your ears to stop listening. However, research suggests that spending too much time up in our heads, rather than in the present moment, reduces overall happiness and leads to the development of mental health issues like depression, anxiety, eating disorders and substance dependence.
Mindfulness can help you to:
- Develop the skill of watching or observing your mind rather than treating your thoughts as facts
- Spend less time up in your head evaluating, judging, interpreting and worrying about the past, the future and the people around you
- Recognise when you are responding to people or situations in habitual ways that lead you to repeat unhelpful or damaging patterns from the past
- Feel more in control of where you focus your energy and attention
- Feel more comfortable with physical sensations in your body, particularly those that come up when you are feeling uncomfortable emotions like anxiety, fear, anger, shame or sadness
- Learn skills that will help you to cope with uncomfortable emotions rather than running from those feelings, beating yourself up for them or numbing them out (with behaviours like drinking, taking drugs, binge eating or gambling)
- Help you to cope better with situations in your life that are out of your control
- Spend less time on auto-pilot and more time being truly present in the parts of your life that matter most to you
At Inner Melbourne Clinical Psychology each of our psychologists are trained in the application of mindfulness for a variety of different issues. We are trained in the following mindfulness-based approaches:
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Compassion focused approaches
- Cognitive Analytic Therapy
To find out more about our expertise in mindfulness visit our psychologists' profiles by clicking here or call us today to make an appointment (03) 9376 1958.


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EC Race Report
St Jean de Losne hosted the EC Canoe Marathon Championships, the French organizer did their best to create a nice and friendly athmosphere, the weather did not help, but it tuned out to be a good event.
As always the masters racing was very exciting and emotive, the masters are very passionate about the sport, and it is a pity they must race in weekdays and at inconvenient schedules, still good to see them having fun!
Juniors and U23 were awesome races, with special note to Norway, that considering all that has happened in the last few days reacted well and made their countrymen proud with a good collection of medals.
Senior singles took place on saturday, the 3 of them were decided in the final sprint K1 José Ramalho POR took the best out of the eternal Manuel Busto, the C1 Nuno Barros POR won and the Women's race was won by Anna Alberti ITA.
Senior doubles also saw some exciting racing with France overtaking the reigning World Champions Spain in the last race of the weekend, and France took also gold in the K2 W, tying with Portugal in the top of the medal standings in the Senior Discipline.
For Nelo the results could not be any better with 14 out of 15 gold medals, a good weekend!
Now time for the sprinters, the marathon paddlers will now focus in the World Championships taking place in Singapore in October 2011.


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The Torso has a builtin indication function for compression depth and compression rate. The correct compression depth is indicated by an audible "click" sound, the compression rate by a multi-colour light display. Up to 60 compressions per minute a red light lights, above the light changes to orange.
If the student reaches 80 compressions per minute this is shown by one green light. Reaching 100 compressions per minute is indicated by two green light meaning the compression rate is ok. If the student slows down the colours change backwards. If the compression depth is not enough, the lights are shut off immediately and one red light is flashing.
The model is supplied with a carrying bag, is easy to clean and needs no special service
Economically priced, this manikin of a 6 to 9 month old child has a lightweight, rugged, foam filled body with no internal parts to break.
Size: 66 x 20.5 x 20.5 cm,
This easy to transport manikin allows the practice of adult CPR techniques. Optionally child CPR can also be practiced by changing the supplied springs inside the model.
Individual student facemasks with a one-way non-rebreathing valve and disposable airways provide maximum protection against cross-contamination.
Supplied with a washable jogging suit, child springs, 10 disposable lower airways, 10 disposable tracheal airways, five sanitary facemasks and a carrying case. Features include:
- Palpable anatomical landmarks (xiphoid, navel, nipples, and rib cage)
- Adult CPR training with optional child springs
- Fully articulated head, neck and jaw
- Palpable carotid pulse
With electronic connections.
Size: 91.5 x 53.5 x 33 cm
Weight: 28 kg


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There isn't much else to say, except this: I normally have a rule of "If it touches a human, it dies. And everything that looks like it dies, too, in a mile radius." Given that the crocodile was minding his own business in a designated zoo environment, the human blatantly provoked the incident*, and the crocodile let the human go… I favor clemency, just this once.
I am not an unreasonable apex predator, after all. The crocodile clearly understands the rules, and it wasn't the one that broke them…
Moe Lane
*Alcohol was involved.


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Teenage Girls
Sponsored By
Suspect Sought For Allegedly Exposing Himself To Teen Girls Near Murrieta High SchoolPolice Friday were searching for a suspect wanted for allegedly exposing himself to two teenagers on separate occasions near an Inland Empire high school.
Police Search For Man Suspected Of Taking Upskirt Photos Of Girls At Topanga MallLos Angeles police are asking for the public's help in identifying and finding a suspect who has allegedly been taking upskirt pictures of girls at Westfield Topanga Mall.
Sketch Released Of Serial Groper In VenturaA composite sketch of a serial groper has been released Friday after another attack on a teenage girl in Ventura.
Police Search For Groping Suspect In VenturaVentura police are investigating two incidents of a man groping teenage girls.


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I just finished my first week at my new job at a SFX company in London. There's a lot to learn - I see it as a balancing act between reading and working, at least at first. Having said that I have yet to actually get to work, I'm still just starting to figure out how they do things here. It seems like a nice company though, surprisingly organized and they seem to treat their employees quite well. I do hope to fit in and prove useful.
I am quite busy with both the change in location and in profession (I mainly worked with games before), living out of a suitcase right now and trying to pick up a half-dozen new skills, so I don't think I'll be working on my engine for some time, though I do hope to do a little miniature painting.
Speaking of, I finally got the chance to step in to a Games Workshop yesterday. It's been months since the last time. Saw the Storm Raven, the front is kind of cool, very aggressive in a military, form-over-function kind of way - it really is a flying tank - but the tiny back just unbalances the whole damn thing. If I was ever to get one for my Grey Knights - not that I'm planning to - I would have to do something to make it a little more balanced.
But more importantly, I took a brief glance at the Space Wolves codex. Grey Hunters cost a point less than regular Space Marines but have an extra attack and the (very useful) counter-attack rule? What the hell? That's just disgusting. Downright obscene in fact. This blatant example of power-creep presents me with a conundrum. Do I play with the Space Wolves codex and take advantage of how powerful it is, or stick with the regular Space Marine codex in protest of this unbalanced filth (which, I reckon, is tailor-made for min/maxed WAAC armies)? A big part of me dislikes the idea of paying more for less with regular Space Marines, but the other part hates jumping on the 'latest and greatest' bandwagon and is annoyed at the first part for being so weak.
The other thing is that Space Wolves have some units that I really like, especially the greater versatility in Terminator use and equipment. At the same time I'm thinking of looking at Blood Angels, who also have some cool stuff. Regardless of what I decide to 'major in', I plan to get all the codices and buy/convert/paint any specific models that I like regardless of whether I actually use them or not, that's what I enjoy after all. I'll probably end up with one of those 'counts as' Space Marine armies in the end, and play them as different things on different days. Why the hell not right? Variety is the spice of life after all.
Also waiting on the Grey Knights. I can honestly say that the Grey Knights were a big part of what got me to finally take the jump into Warhammer 40K, they were always my favorite models and the Grey Knight books are still my favorite Games Workshop novels - each one is better than the last (bear in mind though that I certainly haven't read all the Black Library novels, still not started the Horus Heresy for example).
To wrap things up, there's a lot of changes in my life right now, sometimes I feel homesick but I'm trying to keep busy - I do have a lot to do after all - and I'm hoping for the best.


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Q & A's for Massage Workshop Volunteers
Q. Who can volunteer as a "Receiver" for a massage workshop.
A. I regularly run massage workshops for men, women and couples and for these workshops I need "bodies" to demonstrate and teach the massage on and for the learners to practice on as I teach. To be a volunteer you should be between the age of 18 – 50yrs, male or female.
Men: Can be straight, bisexual or gay and should have bodies that are from good average to slim, fit, toned or muscular. Volunteers must be confident that they can achieve an erection and can remain semi or fully aroused for at least 60 minutes without ejaculation.
Women: Ideally bodies that can be described as any of the following, petite, slim, toned, curvy, athletic, hour glass, All female volunteers must be comfortable to receive at least external arousal ( clitoral0 and maybe internal arousal (only in certain circumstances) and be confident reach high arousal when in a teaching scenario, to be able to reach orgasm is not essential but welcome.
Q. What do I have to do?
A. Just lay naked on the massage table and receive the massage that will be given either by myself in a demonstration or with the learner who is taking the workshop. You will be asked to give feedback on the technique of the client and say how you felt the massage was given.
Q. What if I have certain personal boundaries?
Personal boundaries such as a preference of touch by male or female, level of erotic touch and no go areas are always respected, just let me know before hand.
Q. How long a period of time will I be needed?
Usually, a session lasts no longer than 2-3 hours and this will include some brief introductions and then the massage followed by some time to give feedback on your experience
Q. Do I get paid for this?
A. No cash payment is given but in return, you will be able to book your own FREE private 60-minute massage with me at a time convenient to us both.
Q. Who is present during the workshop?
A. For the private workshops there will just be me and the learner but for group events, there will be several other volunteers as well as the guests at the event. Usually a maximum of 10 in the room but in some workshops up to 16.
Q. Where do workshops take place?
A. If a private 1-1 workshop then usually at my treatment venue in Pimlico but occasionally I run private workshops at a person's private residence. Group workshops can also be at my venue or in a hired venue. Occasionally I run workshops abroad.
Q. How often do you run workshops and require volunteers?
A. I run about 4 – 8 private workshops a month and up to 3 group workshops a month so i am always seeking volunteers to receive the sensual massage. Once you have registered you will receive regular notifications of workshops requiring volunteers. If you want to take part then just reply to the request.
Q. How do I know that the motivation of the students is genuine and professional?
A. I vet all workshops students and ask them what their motivation for wanting to take a sensual massage workshop. In the 10 years, I have been running workshops I have very rarely had problems with anyone taking advantage of the volunteers or other participants. My attention is always on the welfare of all participants and no volunteer should feel obligated to allow more sensual intimacy than they want. It is important to me that everyone enjoys the workshops
Q.How do I register as a workshop volunteer?
Female volunteers – [CLICK HERE]
Male volunteers – [CLICK HERE]
Private workshop room
Group workshop room
Colin Richards is 15 years experienced sensual masseur and professionally qualified sex therapist. He has been working at the cutting edge of sex therapy for the past 7 years combining both the psychological with the practical helping his clients to enjoy better sexual relationship. As well as giving individual appointment Colin also run private and group workshops. Colin sees men, women and couples of all sexualities ages and backgrounds.
Colin says
"I'm fascinated by human sexuality. I think sex is an incredibly important part of life, but for many people, sex and sexuality are things that just happen. But when we don't work at understanding and improving our sexual selves or our partners, a sense of unhappiness or lack of fulfilment can affect our broader sense of self."
"I believe that sensual massage should be regarded as legitimate body therapy. An experience where physical and sensual boundaries are of course consensual but can be broader and based on what the receiver wants rather than what the therapist is restricted to give. It should be an occasion when the basic human need of touch and physical intimacy becomes a shared experience where the natural process of human arousal is not ignored but encouraged, pleasurable and fulfilling; an experience that is both healthy and deeply relaxing and a testimony to our innate primal dynamics"


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- This event has passed.
Pier Into the Night Live Dive
January 5, 2019 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Take an underwater journey of Gig Harbor Bay without getting wet through the Harbor WildWatch Pier Into the Night experience!
While you stay warm and dry on the dock, Harbor WildWatch divers use an underwater video camera to live stream exactly what they encounter below the surface. Staff biologists and trained volunteers identify the plants and animals that appear on the 10 ft. screen. Animals we have encountered at past events include: red Irish lorde, sculpin, and gunnels; red rock, kelp and graceful crabs; stubby squid; giant Pacific octopus, and much more!
This program takes place on Jerisich Public Dock (3215 Harborview Drive) in Downtown Gig Harbor on the first Saturday of the month from October-March. Dress for the weather (rain or shine!) and bring a chair. All ages welcome. Suggested donation of $2 per person; $5 per family.


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We would like to cordially invite you to join us in our mission of innovation and democratisation of diplomacy by participating in our upcoming event:
Innovation in Diplomacy Meetup
Come to listen to and interact with the leading experts discussing the current topics in diplomacy, protocol and cross-cultural relations.
The event will take place on 30 September 2015 at 6.30 pm in the brand new InesPires Gallery located at Rue Major René Dubreucq 21, 1050 Brussels (next to Place de Londres).
In the programme:
– "Digital Diplomacy" by H.E. Luis Ritto, former EU Ambassador of the Holy See, ISPD Expert in Protocol and Diplomacy
– "Refugees Crisis" by Dr. Sandra Schott, the ISPD Academic Director and Expert in Conflict Resolution
ISPD+ Innovation in Diplomacy is the first network connecting the global elite engaged in the Protocol, Diplomacy and Cross-Cultural Communication fields.
Our vision is to democratise diplomacy through:
– creating a platform for exchange of skills and knowledge,
– becoming a leader in research in the field of soft diplomacy skills,
– offering a scholarship to talented individuals.
Join us to share your thoughts, interact with our speakers and foster the innovation in diplomacy.


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2017 Mercury 9.9MH FourStroke Outboard Motor (New)
Mercury 9.9MH
FourStroke Outboard Motor
Lightweight, heavy duty, MERCURY 9.9 hp, still the lightest engine in this class. This FourStroke outboard features an exclusive multifunction tiller handle that puts control of throttling, shifting, steering & tilting in the palm of your hand.Push down on the tiller handle to easily tilt the outboard to any position.
Outboard Motor Features, Equipment & Specifications
- Engine type: In-Line 2 cylinder
- Induction system: 4-valve, SOHC
- Gear case ratio 2.08:1
- Shallow water drive trim system
- Push button primer
- Multifunction tiller handle
- Shaft length 15 inch
- Low oil pressure warning
- Manual start
- Ignition, CDI w/electric spark advance
- Trim system, ratcheting
- Easy tilt tiller handle
- Fast idle system
- Water cooled fuel pump
- Fuel system carburated
- 84_lbs. weight
- Fuel capacity: 12
The above inventory item may only be available until sold, according to manufacturer availability. It is our policy to display only in-stock inventory, unless recently sold, and endeavor to remove sold items promptly. Features, prices and specifications are subject to change and/or to correction of typographic/technical errors. Prices do not include applicable taxes. All manufacturer brands, trademarks, logos and registered names on this site remain the property of their respective owners.