text:
Life isn't always as we want it. We plan things only for life to turn it around on us. Our hopes and dreams start to disappear and our motivation runs low. But this should not bother us, life is full of downs and it's how you get over them that counts.
Things haven't gone the way I planned, but at the end of the day I am still happy and have found new things to do making my life just as good. Don't be disheartened if life doesn't go down the path you want it to go. We can't control everything, but we can brighten up anything.
For me sport as the been one of the biggest things in my life for as long as I can remember. Being brought up by two sporty parents I naturally threw myself at everything. At a young age I developed a strong passion for gymnastics, training for 3+ hours 5 times a week until I reached 13. I still couldn't get enough and did as much as I can, including hockey and cross country.
After excelling in PE class when I was 15 I decided to try athletics out and within a few months I was set on my event. 400mHurdles. This became almost everything to me, this was what I worked for, what I loved and what crazy thing I did that made me push myself to my limits.
Unfortunately around 6 months ago I became seriously injured. I had been battling this injury for some time now, it would reoccur every couple of months but by seeing my trusty physio we could always shift the pain. This time was different. We couldn't fix it. I refused to believe something was wrong and I continued training. After having such a great start to my season I wanted to achieve my goals. So I pushed myself, I was never giving up. So for about a month I worked through the pain, and the big race finally came. Now I would love for this to be one of those stories where I did great and shocked everyone, but sadly is not. I ran my race, bearing my teeth with the pain. Tears streaming down my face but I wasn't giving up. I finished, 7 seconds slower than my usual times that season, but I still finished. It was then I had to accept something was wrong.
Later I discovered I had a very unusual knee condition where part of my knuckle has almost 'died' from my knee. This has been present since I was 12/13 but has steadily got worse. At first I couldn't believe it. Why me? Why out of everyone does this have to happen to me? What did I do wrong? I was told my knee was so unstable I could no longer exercise, not even long walks. Without sport, I almost felt my life had no purpose. This was a massive shock to the system. I feared how unfit I was getting. Not only could I feel It, I could also see it. I began to hate my body, and for me there was nothing I could do to fix it. My life was boring, my usual hobbies I was now unable to do. I missed out on seeing my training partners. A piece of me was missing. I let this bother me for a long time, but at some point I realized there was nothing I could of done to prevent it or nothing I could do to fix it. I just had to accept it now. I can't change it now so why am I letting it get to me. There's people worse off than me, so why am I letting this get to me. It was time to wake up and still enjoy my life.
Last week I had my operation, I was told it could go either of two ways:
1. Have two pins placed in my knee
2. My knee could be too damaged to put the pins in, and I would require major surgery.
And yes with my luck, it wasn't successful. Another huge set back.
Yes it sucks, it's made me so low, but I am not going to let it bother me anymore. I'm stronger than this, I'm going to push through this pain and not let this hold back my happiness.
So now as I wait for my second operation I finally decided I am NOT going to let this put me down. Yes I can't do what I love anymore, but that doesn't mean I can't find new things. My happiness doesn't come from one thing. I'll always be counting the time left until I can run again, but I can still enjoy my time in the meantime. Without this injury I would never of even started blogging, now this is what I enjoy and put a lot of my time into and I'm thankful I have.
Keep fighting whatever is upsetting you, big or small. Remember you're happiness isn't built on one thing. Our life is full of many good and bad things and it's all about finding a balance.


text:
Club Offer £38.3M For This SKILLFUL PASS MASTER, Social Media Is Buzzing
Goonersden brings you news from top football news sites from the likes of ESPN, SkySport, Daily Mail, Daily Star and Metro… We also Analyse football, player, transfer and predict Arsenal starting line-up.
According to Italian newspaper via Sporting Witness, they are reporting Juventus are considering making an offer Mesut Ozil in summer.
The report further claims they are considering making an offer within the rejoin of €50m (£38.3m) for the German international.
Ozil joined Arsenal in the summer of 2013 and his contract is due to run out in 2018.
The 27-year-old is believed to be delaying his contract talks until the 2016 Euros in France where he is to represent his national team Germany.
However, the Italian giant have been put on red alert with rumours suggesting Ozil is frustrated at Arsenal with the club failing to win titles last season .

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Ever wanted to be somebody else in the bedroom? You can. And if you're not sure how to do it, here's your introductory guide – no cheesy costumes necessary…
image via pinterest
Comic Con was held in New York this week – a nerd's fantasy of booths, new games and movie previews.
And the main attraction? Dressing up as a favourite character, often with a boyfriend or girlfriend in tow as a matching one.
Doing it in public for the news cameras is one thing (popular couple cosplay costumes included The Avengers, anime, Star Wars and Doctor Who), but in private roleplay is another thing entirely.
And if you haven't done it before, you can risk dismissing it as cheesy, weird and dominated by odd adult-film cliches. Mailman, anyone?
However, the reality is that it's just another way of injecting some silly fun into the bedroom – and it's up to you and your partner how seriously you take it.
1. Pick your characters.
This is the bit where you really have to let your inhibitions go and expand your mind.
The temptation for newbies can be to go for characters you love or admire, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll make the best intimate connection. Save that for Halloween.
Looking at film or TV? Pick a character you're familiar with, and who's always inspired a bit of arousal in you anyway.
Not sure? Pick out what you'd like to do in bed, and then find a character that corresponds to it. Like to be dominated or to dominate, to experience pain, to do things slowly?
Make sure you know what you want from your character first. You have to do this part together, so that the narrative matches up. Having Han Solo jump into bed with Catwoman is perfectly fine as long as you both know what you're going for.
If you're severely in need of ideas, sometimes the costumes area of a good online adult store might be a good place to start – common fantasies include rock star/groupie, teacher/student, doctor/nurse, and other power-play combinations.
2. Don't feel like you need to be completely in character.
This is not about being Meryl Streep. (Unless your character is, in fact, Meryl Streep.)
Rather, pick the elements you'd like to bring with you, and stay with them. A growling voice, a tendency to scratch, banter, an innocent attitude – whatever characteristics fit the character, go with those.
If you need to stop to think about your motivations, you're trying too hard.
Do your best to keep the roleplay going as far into the act as possible – if you both relapse back into your usual roles once the actual intimacy begins, it probably hasn't fit perfectly.
3. It's OK to laugh.
This is, in a sense, one of the oddest things humans do. It's good not to take it too seriously.
And just because one of you breaks role and cracks up when somebody says something unexpectedly cheesy doesn't mean it was all a waste.
Being comfortable and exploring your sensual side with somebody can also involve you finding the process innately ridiculous. Do try to give it your best shot before you dissolve in giggles, though, and don't be rude.
4. Expensive costumes really aren't necessary.
Unless it's a role that absolutely requires props to make it work, you really don't need to invest in anything.
Getting into a costume can often take the fun out of things for people who aren't used to the experience – being uncomfortable or overly revealing may make you more inhibited, not less.
Instead, work with what you have – although a good pair of thigh-high stockings are a good part for most role-playing segments.
5. Explore within your boundaries.
It's crucial that both partners are able to say 'No, this isn't working' without offending their counterpart.
Discuss this beforehand – have a safeword, or a cue, that means the fantasy is over for you. Just because you're taken on a different persona does not mean that your needs are entirely changed.
You'll still require the sorts of arousal you always needed – it's just a chance to expand your usual routines. Take the chance to venture into different areas, but don't be surprised if something very out-there doesn't work for you – it's just a character.
Lady Friday xx
Taking the pillow talk out of the bedroom, every Friday…
Want more advice for living a fabulous life? Follow us on Instagram or join the Rescu community by tagging #liveyourfabuslouslife in IG posts.
Visit our online Education Hub RESCU Me Academy for our courses, free ebooks and resources.


text: This week in the magazine, Lauren Collins writes about the royal wedding, which takes place tomorrow at 6 A.M. E.T. "For this most important union, which will either cement or corrode the public's support for another generation of monarchy, the Royal Family has made gestures of accessibility—William and Kate, toothy and cuddling, have a Web site that looks indistinguishable from any other young couple's page on theknot.com." Unlike most couples, however, William and Kate will be steaming their wedding live on YouTube, and the Royal Channel—"The Official Channel of the British Monarchy"—also will offer live commentary and historical footnotes. (The New Yorker also will have live commentary on the wedding via a live chat with the magazine's writers and editors, which begins at 5 A.M. E.T.)


text:
Loving the Dark
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
The reason the Pharisees rejected Jesus wasn't because they disagreed with Him. They rejected Him because they chose to disbelieve Him.
Doubt is a matter of the mind. Even Christians have times when they doubt. We don't always understand what God is doing or why He is doing it. But unbelief is a matter of the will. It is a choice we make.
The Pharisees chose not to believe. They did not reject Jesus for a lack of evidence. Jesus was the perfect example. Even Pontius Pilate said, "I find no fault in this Man" (Luke 23:4). Judas Iscariot, who spent three years with Jesus said, "I have betrayed innocent blood" (Matthew 27:4). So Jesus clearly was a model of everything that He said.
The Pharisees rejected Jesus because it interfered with the way they wanted to live. And that is why people reject Him today. Jesus said, "This is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed" (John 3:19–20).
People don't reject Jesus because they have examined the evidence and remain unconvinced. They don't reject Him because they have found contradictions in the Scripture. They don't reject Him because of hypocrisy in the church. They reject Him because He interferes with the way they want to live.
David Ball


text:
Welcome to the new and improved Building Code Forum. We appreciate you being here and hope that you are getting the information that you need concerning all codes of the building trades. This is a free forum to the public due to the generosity of the Sawhorses, Corporate Supporters and Supporters who have upgraded their accounts. If you would like to have improved access to the forum please upgrade to Sawhorse by clicking here: UpgradesDismiss Notice
Coupon Code for BuildingCodeCollege.com
Discussion in 'Code Training *Sponsor: BuildingCodeCollege.com' started by Glenn, Sep 24, 2018.


text:
- "Skurken is the artist name of Jóhann Ómarsson, an electronic musician based in Reykjavík. Someone compared Skurken's music to "trippin' in the Moomin valley" – whatever that means. He could be right, although Skurken tries not to analyze his creations too much. Skurken's influences include everything from corny 80's ballads to late 90's drill&bass and old computer game themes. And probably elves and nature too. Skurken has been active for several years, has released several albums and EPs, had some appearances on compilations, made sound tracks to short movies and more.
"At times translucent and thought provoking, fragments of The Three P's of Electronics(Plone, Plaid & Plod) manage to overtake the ears with melodic, plush and polished spheres of digital-dust."
Read full review
"Spriklandi kokteill"
Read the full review (Icelandic)
"Myndræn og melódísk."
Read the full review(Icelandic)


text:
SELECT o.order_number,
p.product_name, i.quantity, i.unit
FROM [ order ] o
JOIN order_item i ON o.id = i.order_id
JOIN product p ON p.id = i.product_id
ORDER BY o.order_number
Twitter is a social media and online news website that allows marketers and brands to advertise on its platform. Capture data about popular content, retweets, social shares and more for advanced analytics.Learn more at Twitter Ads
A webhook is a method of augmenting or altering the behavior of a web page, or web application, with custom, user-defined HTTP callbacks. These callbacks may be maintained, modified, and managed by third-party users and developers and are usually triggered by some event, such as pushing code to a repository or a comment being posted to a blog.Learn more at Webhooks
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text:
Here are the Binary for 5AM ECU along with good notes about the file.
Mods: spark Cat eliminator, Termi slip ons, Open airbox
v7 is the file I'm running with good results.
These are basic tunes, each one built from the OEM binary.
I'll fine tune this over time for my bike but the +6% fuel map really help with the low end.
I no longer have that low rpm range chop, it's smoothed out a LOT.
2006 S2R 1000 files
Discuss Ducati tuning topics here. Request definitions, discuss parameters, etc.
Post Reply
1 post • Page 1 of 1
2006 S2R 1000 files
- Attachments
- 2006 S2r 1000 Tune 2.zip
- +6% fuel from 2,200 RPM up
- (74.66 KiB) Downloaded 248 times
Post Reply
1 post • Page 1 of 1


text:
Listening – to Ripper Street on Netflix
Eating – just ate a Thai food smart ones frozen meal
Wearing – black workout pants, a pink tank and a blue patterned tank layered over.
Feeling – Hungry, even though I j u s t ate
Weather – 76 degrees and fair
Wanting – Roxie to snuggle with me 😦
Thinking – that I should probably start packing for school…
Enjoying – watching TV… nice and relaxing.
Mass? – Yep! With Dan, Andrew, Julia, Sarah, Alyssa, Caroline, Quinn and Michelle.
Gym – Yes, with Sarah and Michelle
Favorite part of today so far – Just sitting and watching TV (Ripper Street, Scrubs, and now Downton Abbey)


text:
Product overview
- Conga Drumhead
- Natural Rawhide
- Fits L.P & Matador congas (not Aspire)
- 3 sizes available
- 11" Quinto
- 11.75" Conga
- 12.5" Tumba
Delivery & returns
UK delivery starts at £1.95 and goes to a maximum of £5.95 (excluding Highlands & Islands which can be more for a parcel)
Free Delivery over £95 - This applies to orders delivered to the UK mainland only and (excludes Highlands & Islands)
We aim to ship upon of receipt of an order, subject to stock availability.
View our full delivery policy here.
Once the item has been despatched it becomes your responsibility to return an order or item in an unmarked and resaleable condition before we can issue a refund to you. Please note that return postage charges cannot be refunded unless the product is faulty or not as described. Also please note that this only applies to individual customers.


text:
Dallas chef Tim Byres uses shiitake mushrooms, black beans and textured vegetable protein to make his hearty vegetable burgers. Slideshow: More Veggie Burger Recipes
How to Make It
In a heatproof medium bowl, cover the shiitake caps with boiling water and let stand until softened, about 25 minutes. Drain well, then coarsely chop and transfer to a food processor. Add the parsley, shallot, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice and pulse until the parsley is finely chopped.
Meanwhile, in another heatproof medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of boiling water with the soy sauce and agave. Stir in the TVP and let stand until rehydrated and tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the shiitake-parsley mixture, black beans, flax meal and salt. Using a fork, lightly mash half of the beans against the side of the bowl and stir to combine.
Using moistened hands, form the mixture into six 3/4-inch-thick patties; pack tight. Transfer to a parchment paper–lined baking sheet.
Light a grill or preheat a grill pan; oil the grate or the pan. Grill the burgers over moderately high heat until charred on the bottoms, about 5 minutes. Using a spatula, carefully flip the patties and cook until lightly charred and heated through, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Serve the burgers on the buns with the Banana Pepper Mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato.
Make Ahead
Textured vegetable protein (TVP) is available at large supermarkets and specialty food shops; look for the Bob's Red Mill brand.


text:
We are closing out the fourth week of our #Glades2Gulf expedition across Florida, having covered 450 miles of our roughly 1000-mile trek. This first half of the expedition has allowed us to explore and document some astounding ecological riches, but also some places where development has nearly erased linkages in the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
The latter half of Week 3 brought us into the heart of Florida's Nature Coast, to Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge and beyond. We rode north on our bikes along mostly empty county roads each morning, listening carefully for logging trucks and people trying to beat the clock to work. Dipping off paved roads we eased our pace and the sunlight flashed through the trees as we passed.Joe Guthrie and Mallory Dimmitt cruise along a stretch of limerock logging road, one of many remote roads throughout the Nature Coast. (Photo by Carlton Ward Photography/Carlton Ward, Jr.)
The land here has taken on a wildness that reminds me of John Muir's descriptions in "A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf."
North of the small fishing resort of Steinhatchee I'm stunned by the glassy surface of Hagen's Cove, where thousands of shorebirds are strewn across the plain of the Gulf, dunlins and willets and gulls taking crabs from the grass beds. The birds appear as little gray-black smudges in the shimmering distance, mirage-like. Reddish egrets jounce crazily back and forth, hunting. At dusk a pair of eagles wheel into the sky and a flock of a thousand redheads pour across the cove and land as a raft in the shallows in front of me.
We're concluding Week 4 having reached the 68,000-acre St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, just 25 miles south of the state capitol, Tallahassee.
On an off day we rode into town to meet with state lawmakers as they begin their spring session, taking the opportunity to march the halls of the House and Senate chambers, talking about our journey and our hope that more habitat in wildlife corridors will come under protection in the coming year. It was exhausting, and at the end of the day we fled the rack and clamor of town to head back to our route through the corridor.
We also got in two days of hiking, first down the Aucilla River through an area known as the Aucilla Sinks. Here the river dips through a series of limestone rapids before disappearing underground, emerging and disappearing again several times over miles of its course through North Florida.
The overcast day gave me the opportunity to make a few long-exposure photos of the river, at those times when I could find a place to prop my camera on the ground. It was fortunate that I left my tripod behind that day, or I might never have made it past the first mile, where the water swirled into eddies around the moss-laden trunks of trees and exposed limestone.
The second day of hiking took us to a camp out in the coastal marsh of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. A wet fall and winter meant that we spent the first two miles wading, while a windy last half of the day drove cold rain at our backs.
We nestled our tents into a small grove of palm trees as night fell, the wind howling over the open marsh. I envied an otter I saw rolling in a tide creek, imagining his obliviousness to the feeling of damp cold.
We have made great progress up the coast in these 10 days, but there are many miles yet to go and much to see and explore. Our resolve to see the corridor throughout will keep us going one day at a time.


text:
Hey everyone!
Did you have a nice Christmas? I had a lovely quiet one with Keiran and my parents, playing board games and eating lots!
Of course, I was asked to make a few Christmas cards again this year, so I'm going to share those and the ones I made for my family over the next couple of days. Here's the first one, using a colouring image I found on Pinterest.
I coloured the little girl with my very neglected Promarkers, but everything else I used is from Stampin' Up! The sentiment is from Holly Jolly Greetings and the name is from Little Letters Framelits.
For texture I embossed the background with the Softly Falling EF...I love it!
Thanks for popping by and I'll be back with another card soon :)


text: Thank you for your interest in our products! Please fill out the short form below and a customer service representative will assist you as soon as possible. If you are a consumer, please note that we do not sell directly to the public. Our products can only be purchased through our e-commerce retail partners. The "Buy It From" link, located at the bottom of the main collections page, will re-direct you to one of our trading partners sites.


text:
Rebates and Incentives
Solar Electric Federal Tax Credits, or Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC)
- A tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in the income taxes that a person or company claiming the credit would otherwise pay the federal government.
- Systems must be placed in service before December 31, 2021 (30% until 2019, then 26% in 2020 and 22% in 2021). After 2023, the residential credit will drop to zero.
- A taxpayer may claim a credit of 30% of qualified expenditures for a system that serves a dwelling unit located in the United States that is owned and used as a residence by the taxpayer.
- There is no maximum credit for systems placed in service after 2008.
HOA/Commercial Solar Pool Systems
Rebates are available for commercial swimming pools through the CSI program.
This is a tiered program. Right now, the rebates are $7.00 per displaced therm (or up to 50% of the entire system cost) for So Cal Gas and SDG&E customers.
Solar Hot Water System Federal Tax Credits
- The Solar Rating Certification Corporation (SRCC) or a comparable entity endorsed by the government of the state in which the property is installed must certify equipment for performance.
- At least half the energy used to heat the dwelling's water must be from solar in order for the solar water-heating property expenditures to be eligible.
- The home served by the system does not have to be the taxpayer's principal residence.
Incentives are now available for Solar Water-Heating Systems
The California Solar Initiative (CSI) – Thermal Program offers up to 50% off of the total system cost in the form of a rebate for solar water heating systems on single-family homes. Multifamily and Commercial properties qualify for rebates of up to $500,000. Save money on gas or electricity bills by harnessing the heat of the sun.
The amount of the incentive is determined by the number of therms that are displaced annually.
There is no maximum credit for systems placed in service after 2008.


text:
FHFA Protects Funding to the National Housing Trust Fund
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced its decision to protect funding for the national Housing Trust Fund (HTF) in 2018!
FHFA's decision to protect the National Housing Trust Fund is an important step forward, but far more resources are needed.
Join NLIHC and nearly 1,300 organizations from across the country by signing onto a national letter urging Congress to expand the HTF to reach more people in need of affordable, accessible homes.
Funding for the HTF was at risk due to the recently enacted tax bill, which caused a devaluation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's (the enterprises') tax deferred assets and forced the enterprises to need a draw from the Treasury Department.
Under federal law, the FHFA has the broad authority to suspend contributions to the HTF if it would have a negative impact on the financial stability of the enterprises. In January, NLIHC sent a letter to FHFA making the case that the financial stability of the enterprises were not at issue under these unique circumstances and that contributions to the HTF should be continued.
FHFA's decision to protect the HTF will allow states and communities to continue to use this critical resource in the coming year to help address the severe shortage of affordable rental homes for the lowest income seniors, people with disabilities, families with children, and people at risk of and experiencing homelessness.
To date, nearly $400 million has been allocated to the states through the HTF to help them address the shortage of 7.4 million rental homes affordable and available to families with extremely low incomes.
- NLIHC research finds that for every 100 of the lowest income people, there are just 35 affordable homes available to them.
- As a result, 71% of these households pay more than half of their limited incomes on rent, forcing them to make impossible trade-offs between paying their rent and buying groceries, visiting their doctor, saving for a rainy day, or investing in their children's education.
Take Action
NLIHC applauds FHFA for protecting the HTF and will continue to engage stakeholders, advocates, and Congress to expand this vital program to help it reach more people in need of affordable homes.
You can support this effort by signing onto the national letter – signed by nearly 1,300 organizations – urging Congress to expand the HTF to at least $3.5 billion annually through housing finance reform legislation.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that assures people with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable and decent homes.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter for News You Can Use Everyday


text:
Yesterday was November 1st, so it definitely fall. It was also snowing as I drove home from work, so that makes it technically winter.
Which leads me to this week's question. How would you rank the seasons from best to worst?
For me it goes like this:
1a. Fall - cool enough to break out the sweaters
1b. Winter - snuggle under blankets and drink hot tea and cocoa
1c. Spring - Still usually cool but rainy. I don't like rainy
4. Summer - Humidity can go die in a corner


text:
Thanks to my sister Kate for this. It's via X17.
I don't listen to Good Charlotte or really know much about the band or their songs or anything, so I went to Wikipedia. This dude is not from Pittsburgh, and I've found no real reference to this guy Benji Madden being a Steelers fan. Plus his name is Benji.
Nice hat, poser.


text:
In 1990, feminists and doctors hailed the long-term birth control device, Norplant, as the greatest advancement in birth control technology since the 1960s. By 2002, in response to an avalanche of feminist criticism and over 200 class action lawsuits, Norplant's distributor removed the contraceptive device from the U.S. market. My research, the first historical study of the drug, links the politics of Norplant to the expansion of feminism, the politicization of class action lawsuits, and the rise of neoliberalism in the 1990s.
Published By
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
Document Type
This web page is marked up with Schema.org microdata and formatted for machine-reading. Here's why that matters. Have a peek at what a machine sees here .Title: The Politics of Norplant: Feminism, Civil Rights, and Social Policy in the 1990s
Publication date 2018-09-27
Publication Year 2018
Authors Justina Licata
Copyright holder(s) Rockefeller Archive Center
Geographical Focus Africa (Northern) / Egypt , North America / United States
Keywords rockefeller , archive center , population council
Document type Report/Whitepaper
Language English
URL: https://interfaith.issuelab.org/resource/the-politics-of-norplant-feminism-civil-rights-and-social-policy-in-the-1990s.html
Resource provided by IssueLab


text:
Suunto Ambit vs Suunto X10
Apr 30, 2012 gps navigation, gps watch, suunto
Years ago we reviewed the Suunto X10. Earlier this year Suunto announced a new GPS watch called Suunto Ambit. We will be getting a Suunto Ambit to do a in-depth review but before that let's do a side by side specs comparison. See this image below:
As you can see from this image there are some major differences between X10 and Ambit. Ambit does a much better job at keeping track of altitude changes. Ambit has automatic alti/baro switch and real-time vertical cumulative value and can report on your total ascent descent. As far as direction - Ambit wins again since it has the 3D digital compass.
In the heart rate tracking department Suunto Ambit boast ANT support where as Suunto X10 doesn't. You can also use heart rate belts with Ambit. Both of these GPS watches are water resistant to 100 meters and weigh about the same weight.
In reporting weather Ambit and X10 do about the same. However Ambit has a barometer resolution of 1hPa/0.03 inHg.
Tags: gps navigation, gps watch, suunto
Suunto AMBIT GPS watch
Feb 3, 2012 gps navigation, gps watch, suunto
Suunto just recently announced the launch of the AMBIT, a GPS watch for Explorers. Why Ambit? Their press release says *AMBIT: As in Ambition. Synonyms: edge, reach, scope or range. OK, whatever, moving on. What you get with this GPS watch is a GPS navigation system, barometer, altimeter, 3D compass, and more. It has a 50 hour battery life - but that's kind of hard to believe. It probably depends on how often you use the GPS features. Other features of Suunto AMBIT include advanced heart rate monitoring, and some basics such as speed, pace, etc. It is water resistant up to 100 meters too!!! It will be available next month in March!
Tags: gps navigation, gps watch, suunto
Suunto X10 goes to…
Oct 4, 2008 GPS giveaways, gps navigation, suunto
Our Suunto X10 giveaway is over and the winner is commenter #46 Awo who said:
Watchz iz for me tanks?
Congrats! We'll try to get in touch with him/her. If he/she was fortunate enough type his/her email address correctly we'll ship him/her the awesome Suunto X10 GPS watch.
Thanks to everyone for participating. We'll have more free stuff coming very soon.
Tags: GPS giveaways, gps navigation, suunto
last call for Suunto X10 giveaway
Oct 3, 2008 GPS giveaways, gps navigation, gps watch, suunto
Just wanted to remind you about the Suunto X10 giveaway we're finishing up very soon. Go there and leave a comment after subscribing to our feed.
Tags: GPS giveaways, gps navigation, gps watch, suunto
Suunto X10 giveaway
Sep 26, 2008 gps navigation, gps watch, suunto
People at Suunto were nice enough let us giveaway the Suunto X10 we reviewed couple of weeks ago.
Suunto has many features including navigation, altimeter, barometer, weather alarm, digital compass, ability to track, export, import routes and waypoints, speedometer, and of course a watch. However you have to see their X10 site to get a better idea of this GPS watch's features.
Suunto X10 is worth just over $500 and it is for sale on a few retailers including Amazon.
To participate you need to subscribe to our feed and leave a comment below with an email address we can reach you at.
We will ship this out to a U.S. address only. Sorry rest of the world. Also duplicate entries, emails, IP addresses will be disqualified.
We'll close this article for comments a week from today and after that we'll announce the winner.
Tags: gps navigation, gps watch, suunto
suunto X10 review
Sep 16, 2008 google, gps navigation, gps reviews, gps watch, suunto
We've had our awesome Suunto X10 for a while now and we're ready to share a short review with you. See Amazon reviews also.
Realized our review photos were not showing correctly so fixed that issue.
Suunto X10 has a nice feel to it. Even though it is quite bulky, its curves gives it a decent look (unlike some G-Shocks). It is actually quite plausible to use this as an everyday watch. The plastic which was used all around seems to be of good quality. Suunto used a few metal parts where it mattered such as the buckle on the strap and where buckle would connect on the other strap.
According to the spec sheet Suunto X10 has a 33% longer battery life than previous version. We were never able to test it to its limits which is a good sign. Reported battery life range from 5-7 hours (with heavy usage of the GPS, backlight, compass and data storage functions) to about 3 months if you only use Time and/or Alti/Baro mode. If your hiking trip is expected to be longer than 5-7 hours do not worry: You can change the GPS fix interval from 1 second to 1 min and this would get you to about 16 hours. Or even more if you change it to 'manual' to only mark important waypoints along your trip.
Suunto X10 is 100 meters water resistant, so no worries if you're going to get wet. The backlight was sufficient. It is a not as nice as Timex Indiglo but it does the job.
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Tags: google, gps navigation, gps reviews, gps watch, suunto
unboxing suunto X10
Sep 1, 2008 gps navigation, gps tracking, gps watch, suunto
We're not sure if the unboxing craze is still going on at the internets but we decided to do one of ours anyways. We shot a few pictures of the Suunto X10 we just received and wanted to share it with you. Enjoy.
You can expect to see a review of Suunto X10 here at Navigadget pretty soon.
Tags: gps navigation, gps tracking, gps watch, suunto
suunto X10 is out
Aug 21, 2008 gps navigation, gps watch, suunto
We haven't been talking too much about GPS enabled wrist watches lately but worry no more for Suunto recently announced the successor to their highly popular X9i.
The Suunto X10 has upgraded GPS performance, which locates your position even faster than the X9i. The improved GPS also tracks better in difficult conditions, such as heavy foliage, for more reliable readings when you need it most. Unlike bulkier, hand-held GPS units, the Suunto X10 is hands-free, so you can focus on the action instead of worrying about dropping or losing your GPS when the going gets tough. The Suunto X10 also records waypoints and routes, allowing users to analyze and catalog trips on a home PC.
The Suunto X10 includes an altimeter, barometer, digital compass, thermometer, and an extensive memory, as well as the usual time/stopwatch functions.
When you are navigating with the Suunto X10 on a preplanned route it can show you the direction you need to head and the estimated time of arrival. There is of course the obvious 'find home' preset which can lead the user back to the start point or marked 'Home'. In addition you can also 'track back' function which can guide you back along any recorded route.
Suunto X10 offers a battery life that is 33% longer than that of X9i and it has its own USB charger which can also be used to transfer data.
It will be available in two colors.
Tags: gps navigation, gps watch, suunto
Pyxis GPS watch
Oct 17, 2007 casio, gps navigation, gps watch, sports gps, suunto
The market for GPS watches is relatively small with only a few brand names such as Garmin, Suunto, Casio, and then a few less known Asian names. Today we have Pyxis again, and apparently they have upgraded the software on their GPS wrist watch to support activities other than just golf. Pyxis now offers features to help you keep track of your workout whether you're cycling, running, hiking, or just walking.
We have no info when this GPS watch will be available in the U.S. or anywhere else but it looks like the company is trying to find a distributor at trade shows… via
Tags: casio, gps navigation, gps watch, sports gps, suunto
GPS for runners
Feb 25, 2007 forerunner, gps navigation, gps watch, sports gps, suunto, timex
If you are serious about running and keeping track of your performance you probably have heard of GPS systems that can help you along the way. Most of these little devices are equipped with little fitness computers that can report on your speed, average speed, distance covered, location, heart rate, and much more.
If you are ready lets go over a few of the most popular GPS systems that can assist you during your workout:
Suunto X9i ($421):
Suunto X9i is a very capable GPS wrist watch that can give you information on altitude, vertical speed, thermometer, atmospheric pressure, compass, and of course your location. People at Suunto also recently developed a software called Suunto Trek Manager (STM).
With STM you can create routes on the maps you have uploaded, edit and erase existing routes, visualize the altitude profiles for your routes, analyze and plan your training, and keep a training diary. You can also create your own activity reports by adding photos and text to the profiles.
So the X9i does provide some performance data, but mostly after you're done working out and have uploaded your data to your PC using STM. If you are looking for more data during your workout you'll have to look elsewhere. However the small size and compactness of the X9i makes it quite desirable.
Forerunner 305 ($263):
Garmin's Forerunner 305 is nothing less than high tech personal trainer. It includes a wireless heart rate monitor and can alert you based on time, distance, pace, and of course heart rate. To make your workout more interesting the Forerunner 305 integrates smart features. For example you can download a previous course on to the 305 and compete against it. If you don't want to compete against your previous performance you can give the "virtual partner" a try. Virtual partner is a digital runner and you can race with it based on time, pace, or distance. And if you get the holographic add-on you can see him/her running right next to you :)
Other features include a Auto Pause, that lets you automatically pause your work out based on a lower speed limit, so you don't have to hit a button every time you stop to tie your shoe laces. Similar to Auto Pause, there's something called Auto Lap. It can record lap data when you reach a specified time, distance, or position.
You can still rely on Forerunner 305 to keep track of your performance on those rainy days when you have to hit the treadmill instead of the asphalt. You can buy the Foot Pod which attaches to your running shoe and transmits distance and pace data to your Forerunner 305 when GPS reception is unavailable.
Also in the box, you'll find the Garmin Training Center software that helps you customize your workouts to meet specific goals and objectives. You can create your own workouts or use workout templates included on the CD. Interactive analysis tools let you chart performance overlaid on a map.
FRWD W600 is somewhat the combination of above two. It does provide a lot of vital data during your workout and also includes a barometer and an altimeter. It is a bit smaller and more stylish than Forerunner but you'll have to carry an extra bluetooth GPS receiver.
Just like the other two it includes software to analyze your performance on your PC. Speaking of PC, FRWD W600 connects connects wirelessly to your computer. USB dongle for your PC is included.
After the performance you get to relive the best aftermaths on a computer screen with fabulous satellite pictures. You can analyse your route, speed, distance, heart rate, altitude profiles, oxygen consumption etc. You can also compare performances and start a virtual competition against your own or your friends' performances and see where the differences appear.
The only problem with FRWD is designed by a Finnish company and is not very easy to find in the U.S.
Amaryllo Trip Tracker (€160):
Amaryllo Trip Tracker probably has the least functionality compared to others. It lacks heart rate info, calories, altimeter, barometer, etc. But it does cover all the basics. You can see your speed, average speed, and distance covered. It also displays the direction you're heading and lets you store waypoints along the way. No way you can get lost with this device.
Different from the rest is Amaryllo Trip Tracker can also be used as a bluetooth GPS receiver - so you can pair it up with a PDA, laptop or cell phone and with the help of some navigation software you can have yourself a navigation system.
Timex Trail Runner ($300):
The Timex brand may be familiar to triathlon runners and such. Their advanced product with GPS functionality is called Timex BodyLink Trail Runner. It is another GPS system for runners that is easy to get hold of in the U.S and if you can ignore a couple bad reviews on Amazon it sounds like a good buy. The BodyLink Trail Runner has three components - the wrist computer, GPS receiver, and the heart rate monitor; all of which talk to each other wirelessly. It can store waypoints (only 10 though), help navigate back to these waypoints, show directional info, create 5 different training zones for your heart rate, and various other features.
In terms of price, functionality, and the amount of stuff you have to carry, Garmin Forerunner 305 seems to be the clear winner here. We'd also like to hear what you think. Let us know if we missed any other brands.
Tags: forerunner, gps navigation, gps watch, sports gps, suunto, timex


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I just finished cleaning up the example data that I was offered for my own demos and solutions. Working in Education requires you use education data to ensure what you're presenting resonates with the users you're working with. Otherwise you just look silly presenting something that makes utterly no sense to the individual you're hoping to impress.
Having been given the gift a large data set from demos and solutions, I quickly took the data in its original form and attempted to use it, "as is" in Power BI. After a less than stellar demonstration, set off by bizarre results in my visuals, I chalked it up to my lack of experience with Power BI. Upon research, a different culprit appeared- incomplete, inaacurate and After all my years as a DBA, I should have known that it always goes back to the data. If you don't have clean data and a clean data model, forget it. You're just wasting your time.
Power BI is incredibly easy to use and a robust analytics tool, but if your data is rubbish, well, even its going to fail to give you the results you hoped for. Lucky for all of us, even when working with large data sets, it can help you identify problems in the data quality. I benefited from this as I tried to identify what had gone wrong with my new demo.
Its easy to assume that its your lack of affinity with the product when something trips you up, so I recreated the visual on college students by age and gender:
Upon viewing and sorting the students ages and counts, I realized the data contained discrepencies. There were some students with ages as young as 1 and as old as 124. I could understand daycare numbers having been mistakenly included into the student data, but a 124 yr old student?
I proceeded to inspect each of my visuals and any discrepancies resulted in me viewing the data and sorting it. If located, I was able to quickly cleanse the data, replacing the values with more representative values for age in my synthetic data set.
There were also three gender values listed:
I could assume that there wasn't any data for these students, but I also approve of full diversity and inclusion in my data and know that my company would approve. To add this representation for those that may not identify as cisgender, I updated all those populated with "Invalid Sex" to "Other".
This resulted in a more reasonable and believable example data set and demonstrations:
Although I still feel the ratio for male vs. female students is a little off from average, (70% women, 30% men) the data is looking much cleaner and I feel I'm getting closer to a standard data set that we can use for POCs, trials and for my own demonstrations.
The moral of the story is- always know your data and if you don't, it should be the first thing you inspect when something is questionable.
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Kellyn Pot'Vin
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We keep our seed packets in a wooden index box in the refrigerator, and it's an exciting moment every year when the box comes out to be gone through for early planting in the potting shed/greenhouse.
This year, for perhaps no very good reason other than that I like to, I've put a lot of greens seeds and roots seeds in an herb shaker, swirled them all together, and shaken out seed, as one might in salting one's dinner, over a flat of potting soil, to see what comes up.
And again, two weeks later.
Things have indeed come up, and while I recognize the lettuce, the kale, collards, cabbages, joi choi, chard, beets, radishes, spinach and so on all look much alike to me. You cannot try this sort of laizzez-faire foolery in the garden if you're not good at telling your vegs from the weeds, but in the potting shed it does not seem to do much harm.
In the garden, these potlings may well be planted out, more or less on a grid, as I come to them, kneeling by the beds. It results in a bit of a polyculture, where a plant may find a nutrient it prefers because its neighbor doesn't, or can find water because its neighbor's feet run deeper or shallower than its own, or a bug gets tired of having to travel so much to find its favorite lunch special.
This does not lead to the efficient harvesting beloved of industry, but may be its own kind of resilience, and to me is much more fun.
Today I pricked out some of the bigger items (many of whom, no doubt, are the French Breakfast radishes) and medium items (among whom, I hope are the Cracoviensis and Forellenschluss lettuces) and moved them on to three inch pots in leakproof flats, suitable for bottom watering. I want to get things past the point where they can vanish in the garden in one day (birds) or night (slugs) without my having a chance to defend them.
There is a swaying-swishing sort of slow dance to this, and I like to have Chopin's Preludes playing in the background as I do it.
In the photos, you may notice a blender sitting on the bench in the background. It's a dedicated garden tool (i.e., not borrowed from the house, which has its own). They can be quite inexpensive from the local thrift store. What I do is fill the pitcher about half with water, add a little bit of "yellow liquid," and some chopped comfrey and perhaps a few other herby things as the fancy takes me.
Bzzzzt. Instant tea.
Decant into a watering can through a sieve or strainer, and let sit a few days in a sunny spot in the greenhouse window. Serve to the bottom-watering pots, but only a very little bit, maybe one part tea to five parts fresh well water. Pow'ful stuff.
Seems to do some good.
But what the blender is really for is to make tea for the garden, when the plants are established there.
Soon, soon. One cannot do everything at once, especially in the beginning.


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z Systems Solutions Consultant
The new z14 Model ZR1 (machine type 3907), announced April 10, 2018, is larger, faster and more secure than its IBM z Systems business class predecessors.
The new server has 30 customer-characterizable cores running at 5.2GHz speeds (nothing compares to that in the industry). Its security continues to evolve with the industry's leading pervasive encryption implementation. Let's look at this data center server in greater detail.
The new mainframe computer z14 ZR1 is a single, air-cooled frame, with the industry standard 19-inch frame. The frame size, in contrast to the z13's frame, reduces the footprint by 40%. Since there is only one model, the machine will not experience a model change when growing from 1 to 30 cores. For many customers, this change is a significant cost savings compared to the model upgrades on z13s, or earlier business class machines. The memory doubled in size from 4TB on the z13 to 8TB. Up to 2TB of the memory can be configured for Virtual Flash memory, which is used for improving Db2 or JAVA's large page access. Core speed increase provides a 10% increase in core capacity, with the PCI or MIPS increase to 1570 on the single core. The new FICON Express 16S+ will auto-negotiate from 4, 8 or 16 Gbps and offers increased bandwidth of approximately 25% more than its predecessor FICON Express 16. A no-charge CPACF (Central Processor Assist for Cryptographic Function) core is located on each chip, dedicated to encryption. This newest CPACF is 2-6 times faster than its predecessor z13's speed. Note: to use Master Key Management, a Crypto Express6S or Crypto Express 5S card is required.
For the traditional operating systems, there are 156 sub-capacity settings on up to 6 general purpose engines, with a maximum of 8036 (PCI or MIPS).
For the IFL's software pricing, this box retains the 100 PVUs (Processor Value Units), as with prior business class machines, so the Passport Advantage software costs will not change. The SMT boosts capacity from the z13's by 10-40%, based on IBM benchmarks. The z14 ZR1 implementation of the Dynamic Partition Manager (DPM) now supports ECKD disk devices, which might have been a show stopper in the past. Linux, z/VM and KVM are supported with DPM. DPM greatly reduces the complexity in configuring the LPARs, making this box ideal even for non-mainframe customers. If you are an Ubuntu subscriber, you will require (1) Ubuntu subscription for all 30 cores/IFLs. With a published cost of $19,500 per drawer, enabling support for all 30 IFLs with one subscription, this will be a significant savings in Linux costs against the Red Hat or SUSE pricing models!
The z14 ZR1 boasts of several performance improvements over the z13 server. Improvements stem from 9 cores on the new chip design, pipeline optimizations, improved branch predictions, cache redesigns and four dynamic address translations engines, versus the one on the z13.
These changes affect performance on:
- Improved SMT for zIIPs and IFLs
- Improved Cryptography
- Improved SIMD extensions for analytics and register-based decimal operations
- Pause-less Garbage Collection for JAVA
- IBM zHyperLink Express for connectivity to DS8886
There are many mid-sized and large organizations that want this server to run with 100% up time. For the organization that never wants to take down the box, due to adding memory or I/O cards, the server can be configured for its maximum growth when initially configured. There is a cost for this flexibility, but it is significantly less than a fully populated server. If you do decide that 100% availability is required, the feature codes can be added at a later date.
Customers will have one time, and one time only on the initial order, to choose whether they will have internal disk in this server. Though it's an interesting concept, the flip side is a reduction from 64 to 32 in the maximum PCI slots.
If migrating from a z13, make note that the PCIe drawers do not move forward. Instead, a new I/O slot's design has replaced it. Most cards can move forward, except the InfiniBand Coupling Links. The 10GbE RoCE Express card continues to be only for z/OS.
Another availability improvement is the number of installed Resource Groups for the IFP (Integrated Firmware Processor). The z14 ZR1 comes with four, which enables rolling firmware maintenance. The resources defined in the Resource Group will be unavailable during the maintenance, which IBM is quoting to take only minutes to install.
The industry is continuously addressing the security issue. To head this off, IBM announced Secure Service Container (SSC) that enables appliances in an LPAR or partition with complete lock down, even from the system administrators. Two of the first SSC appliances are IBM IDAA on Z and IBM Operations Analytics for Z Systems, V3.1.
There is such a new excitement around the z14 ZR1. Today, new uses for the mainframe, that were never imagined in the data processing world a few years ago, are now mainstream due to the capabilities of the z14 ZR1.
Please contact your Mainline Account Executive directly, or click here to contact us with any questions.
Learn about our Enterprise Data Solutions, Data Management Services, and a highlighted "Storage Transformation Journey" on our Storage and Data Solutions page!


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WILLIAM and Kate will nip into Scotland's oldest working distillery later this month.
The Earl and Countess of Strathearn will visit Glenturret – set up in 1775 and now home to the Famous Grouse Experience – on a whirlwind tour of Perthshire and Kinross.
The royal couple will also visit Strathearn Community Campus to meet young carers, Scouts and Brownies and school pupils.
And there's a trip to MacRosty Park in Crieff as well as a visit to Forteviot.
Last month, William and Kate, along with baby Prince George, toured New Zealand but it is rumoured the Royal Couple will stay at the Gleneagles Hotel during their whistlestop tour of a clutch of attractions in and around Crieff next month.
A spokeswoman for Gleneagles Hotel – no stranger to high profile visitors – said: "As always, we wouldn't comment on who is or isn't staying at the hotel."


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Where do i hear this song? Often and unknowingly enough to have it stuck in my head? As bumper or commercial music on TV? In shops while i shop? Wherever it is, imposed on me as it comes, i have no idea if Icona Pop are a cool band or one with the right connections and press agents, nor any idea of who this song is for. Fun havers and people who don't care about such things, i guess. Just like the song says. When will the lonely prudes get their anthem?
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Rejuvenate Austin has no control over, and assumes no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third party web sites or services. You further acknowledge and agree that Rejuvenate Austin shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any such content, goods or services available on or through any such web sites or services.
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text: Home What We Do Stream AMG Share Facebook Twitter Google+ Linkedin Stream AMG Reading Room work with Stream AMG as experts in hosting video, integrating platforms, monetizing content and delivering live events. We integrate their streaming solutions to deliver brilliant online video campaigns around client goals. Why we chose Stream Reading Room has always believed in a content-first approach and as such we have partnered with Stream to offer world class video platform and webcasting solutions, all serviced by informed experts. They offer a proven result having delivered thousands of video projects, and as such offer the very best advice for our clients. Their platforms are cloud-based, massively scalable and utilise Akamai, Level3 and Cloudfront CDNs to ensure consistently excellent performance. This means that no matter who our clients' audience are, Stream can deliver the world's best video experience at resolutions up to 4k. Stream's features and benefits Delivery to multiple screens: organisations can upload their video content once but have it displayed to multiple places including all mobile devices. Opportunity for monetisation: Stream offers features to help organisations raise revenue from content. Stream's platform comes as standard with pay per view, subscription and ad models. Connects seamlessly to our CMS solutions: Stream natively integrates with Drupal and Sitecore and offers an API to connect to any other technology. Content protection: protect organisations' content with built in geo-targeting, time embargoes and domain registration – all easy to set up within the interface. Social media optimised: Stream offers connections to Facebook and Twitter allowing organisations to push live video highlights into Twitter, with intelligent call to actions for your followers. Intelligent insight: Stream offers actionable data audiences through real-time analytics and reporting. Organisations are able to view every stage of the video journey, and see where audiences are watching from, how much of the videos they're watching and which videos they're passing on. Do you require support with content streaming on your project? Tell us your story >>


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If you look at the vast complex that is HCA headquarters in Nashville you would not immediately understand that inside there are a crazy bunch of party people just waiting to make their way to CRC World Headquarters for a bit of fun.
Every year, HCA sends its employees out into the community to do service projects for nonprofit agencies. The Chicks are always grateful that our board vice president, Willie Ford, is an HCA bigwig and he always brings fun people with him to sort inventory and assemble shelving paid for with an HCA grant.
But before we get to work, let's try on some funny hats, shall we?
All right. That's enough of that. Now let's get to work.
O.K., that's enough work for one day. Let's watch Betsy fit into a child's Halloween costume and Hula Hoop in the warehouse.
No, let's really watch Betsy show off her hoop moves.
Thanks, Jeff, for the video. And thanks Willie, Gaye, Tirumala, Ben, Jeff, Sam and Lisa for whipping our warehouse into shape and for not being ashamed to wear a funny hat while you were doing it. The Chicks ♥ HCA!


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ScratchMania is a dedicated online scratch card site that was founded in 2008 by industry professionals with over a decade in online gaming experience. They are a wholly owned subsidiary of Donateu International Ltd,Lanarca Cyprus.
Scratchmania features a user friendly and easy to navigate landing page that provides you with a sneak peak at what they have to offer. As one would expect from a quality scratch card site, there are no annoying pop ups when you arrive at their landing page.
I was pleasantly surprised at the promotions that Scratchmania had to offer. Firstly they have a free £7 No Deposit required sign up bonus that enables you to scratch and win without laying out a penny.
On your first deposit they will give you a 100% match up bonus which is great as it lets you play for double the time with the same amount of money. If you are looking for an additional 15% bonus on every deposit then you can use one of their alternative payment methods.
Scratchmania offers unique feature with their Exclusive Comp Points offer which rewards you with Complimentary Points that are added to your cash balance and can be redeemed later. This is a nice feature hat is not available at other scratch sites as you get rewarded just for playing.
Another great promotion offered by Scratchmania is their Weekly Surprise Bonuses which is where random players are awarded cash prizes.
ScratchMania offers a nice selection of online scratch cards but also offer online slots, virtual sports games and Casino Scratch games. The Casino Scratch Games are particularly interesting as they combine both casino based games with the scratch card format.
When you start playing the online scratch cards with Scratchmania you will notice their unique looking graphics. Unlike other scratch sites, the graphics on Scratchmania are less flashy and have more of an artistic feel to them which would appeal to those looking for something different.
Payment options are varied with Scratchmania and include Visa, MasterCard, Diners and other alternative payment options.
ScratchMania offers comprehensive customer support that included email, telephonic and live chat options.
All in all ScratchMania is a quality online scratch card site that offers jackpots up to £200,000 and a lot more promotions then many other scratch sites.


text:
In this episode, I chat with Maeve Ahern O'Neill who is a personal branding expert and runs her own business called 'thebrandingofme' (www.thebrandingofme.ie).
During the conversation, Maeve brings you on a whirlwind journey which covers her school days with the Nuns in Cork, to getting advice from Gay Byrne in RTE, to working in her Father's book emporium, to going back to college to study a masters in Digital Humanities, and then to starting up her own business focusing on Personal Branding.
You'll hear lots of great advice from Maeve as she reflects on some of the turning points that came up during her career and how all of these have lead her to where she is now. She talks about having a work ethic that is key to her ongoing progress, her responses to kick-backs and knocks during her career which all made her more determined to be successful, never rest on your laurels, work on your skill set and embrace the tools that are out there to help you build your online persona.
We end on some Q&A on managing the work-life balance, Productivity hacks, and the Spice Girls. We talk about Victoria Beckham for a bit which was of mutual interest.
Please enjoy the show.


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The Strike ONE's unique design sets this waterblock apart from the competition, offering an optimized design for the current high wattage multi core processors on the market today.
The CNC machined 0.3mm Micro Channel pure copper base, Nickel Plated for quality and protection puts this waterblock up there with the rest. The top is a CNC machined Acrylic, clean transparent finish featuring Multi Channel Injection technology; both base and top are sealed by a leak-free NBR O-ring.
The Strike ONE has 2x G1/4" ports and a 5mm LED lighting port on the top of water block, and includes a 5mm White LED as standard.
Technical Data:
Material: Nickel Plated Copper, with clear Acrylic top
Thread size: G1/4"
Dimensions: 59 x 59 x 18 mm (not including mount)
Contact surface: 50 x 50 x 5 mm
CPU Compatibility:
AMD Sockets: AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, AM4, FM2, FM2+
1x Liquid.cool Strike ONE CPU Waterblock
1x Nickel Plated retention mount + nuts, springs washers..
1x White 5mm LED
1x Mount Instructions


text:
Kerio Valley lies between the Tugen Hills and the Elgeyo Escarpment in Kenya. It sits at an elevation of 1,000 meters in the Great Rift Valley. It took us a 40min drive from Eldoret town – where I school. We drove up to Samitch resort where we held a beautiful view of Kerio Valley.
With a green vegetation mostly made of forest cover. Down at the valley flows Kerio River.
A cold wind hits us as we stand and marvel at the beautiful scene, we stand gazing at the Samitch view point. For a moment we feel like climbing down the cliff just to get a touch of the tangible.
Down at the valley we could see the fluorspar mining point, a revenue hub for the Kenyan Government. Most of us are marveled by the beauty of the scene. Fresh air, birds chirping and animals howling. At the bottom lies The Kerio Valley National Reserve which was created in 1983 and is 66 square kilometers.
The sun shows upon the us as silhouette of our bodies are curved out. The sunset is here, this is the most interesting part of Kerio Valley, we can see monkeys jump from tree to tree. We hear sounds of wild animals as they walk of the forest to embrace the night.
Interesting is meeting the locals, who mainly consist of the Kalenjin community. The southern parts of the Valley are settled by the Elgeyo people and the northern part by the Marakwet people. Tugen people live on the slopes of Tugen Hills. Very cultural at the same time welcoming. Their hospitality is overwhelming. They sit us throughout the early part of the night telling us tales of the Valley. Stories on how they fought the British colonialist from this valley. Their leader Orkoiyot had pointed out hiding points throughout the valley and, through organized attacks they were able to put up a strong resistance. The valley also served as shrines of prayer and ancestral consultations.
As we head back, the dark has engulfed the road, we drive through the bumpy road as we head back to Eldoret our town. My team and I feel enlightened at the same time, proud to be Kenyan, the geographical position of the valley is a tourist attraction by itself. An addition of the culture behind the Valley brings out the heart of a Kenyan nation that fought for its independence.
Kenya Kerio Valley


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Wallet Case for OnePlus 7 Series
Truly the best all-in-one case you will ever need. This case functions as a fully protective phone case that covers the majority of the body of your phone including the screen to keep it protected when the case is shut. It also offers more than just protection, opening up to become a fully functional stand for viewing movies on the go. For added convenience, the inner side of the lid can house up to three credit card size cards, making it perfect for travelling light and even has a pocket to carry banknotes.
Never again do you ever have to worry about damaging your screen, or accidentally pressing buttons when not in use. The lid of this case has been designed with a special built-in magnetic fastener, so that you can open it easily when making calls, and secure it shut again afterwards so that it doesn't accidentally come open in your bag or pocket. This protects your screen from ever getting scratched up by keys or other objects. The fastener also tucks neatly out the way when the case is open or in stand mode, as the magnet will conveniently clip to the back of the case magnetically, on contact.
This case provides specially placed cut-outs designed specifically for this model of phone, so that it provides access to all ports, buttons, microphones, speakers, sensors, cameras and other features without having to remove the case.


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For something a little different his holiday season, we take you on a fun journey through Los Angeles, from Malibu to Larchmont Village for the best in hair, nails and skin treatments to keep you looking hot – and relaxed, through the New Year.
Malibu's hottest hair power couple Michael Sparks and Heather Cie, have recently celebrated one year at their chic Cie Sparks salon in the Cross Creek shopping center. Before any holiday parties or awards season red carpets, you'll want to add a little color to locks and Heather is known for turning any dull hair color into a blond goddess in a flash – she works super quick on highlights, too. Her partner Michael is also known as one of the best hair cutters in the business, so visit his station after for a transforming look – or just a trim. A few trend observations and tips from Michael include, "The big trend I'm seeing this winter is a long, slightly grown out bob. I've been giving my client's long bobs with invisible layers. It's my secret trick for creating a sleek bob, without obvious layers. With this cut, it's definitely important to keep your locks moisturized. I love Oribe's Gold Lust – it keeps hair shiny, and infuses it with a gold sheen. You can tell the difference after just one use! It's perfect for all types of hair during this dry winter weather."
The great thing about Cie Parks salon is the first rate treatment and services without the Beverly Hills attitude. This is laid back Malibu after all. ciesparkssalon.com
côte, the beach-chic nail care destination and retail shop in Brentwood, will offer a variety of unique gifts for everyone on your holiday list through to Valentine's Day. Not just selling limited edition nail gift sets of their own hand-crafted polishes, or travel kits for jetsetters, côte has also traveled the world to bring you a specially-curated assortment of retail items including handmade ornaments, stationery and unique stocking stuffers. This is in addition to a plethora of new jewelry, fashion accessories, home goods and children's items that côte is introducing throughout the season. côte is truly your one-stop holiday shop, but you can enjoy the gifts year-round, along with an amazing alfresco mani & pedi (add hot stones) while sipping rose on the patio. http://www.coteshop.co/.
To commemorate the December opening of the latest Star Wars movie, the newly re-launched Larchmont Sanctuary Spa has unveiled new treatments infused with "The Force." To be booked anytime through the end of December, the treatment packages – designed by the spa's owner, who admits to being a Star Wars nerd – celebrate the characters and locations featured throughout the blockbuster movie series. Ideal for the Jedi or the warp-lagged who need a special power boost, the treatment packages feature ingredients and products like: healing mud from Alderaan; salt from Tatooine; a Restorative Waters Bath from Dagobah; the finest Kashyyykian Beer – and all are guaranteed to ward off the evil with the good and make you feel 100% again.
Larchmont Sanctuary Spa is a serene urban oasis in one of L.A.'s most historic neighborhoods and formerly known as Le Petite Retreat. Book online at www.larchmontsanctuary.com or call 323.466.1028.
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Article Text
Background Recent studies have suggested that non-definitive patterns on high-resolution CT (HRCT) scan provide sufficient diagnostic specificity to forgo surgical lung biopsy in the diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The objective of this study was to determine test characteristics of non-definitive HRCT patterns for identifying histopathological usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP).
Methods Patients with biopsy-proven interstitial lung disease (ILD) and non-definitive HRCT scans were identified from two academic ILD centres. Test characteristics for HRCT patterns as predictors of UIP on surgical lung biopsy were derived and validated in independent cohorts.
Results In the derivation cohort, 64/385 (17%) had possible UIP pattern on HRCT; 321/385 (83%) had inconsistent with UIP pattern. 113/385 (29%) patients had histopathological UIP pattern in the derivation cohort. Possible UIP pattern had a specificity of 91.2% (95% CI 87.2% to 94.3%) and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 62.5% (95% CI 49.5% to 74.3%) for UIP pattern on surgical lung biopsy. The addition of age, sex and total traction bronchiectasis score improved the PPV. Inconsistent with UIP pattern demonstrated poor PPV (22.7%, 95% CI 18.3% to 27.7%). HRCT pattern specificity was nearly identical in the validation cohort (92.7%, 95% CI 82.4% to 98.0%). The substantially higher prevalence of UIP pattern in the validation cohort improved the PPV of HRCT patterns.
Conclusions A possible UIP pattern on HRCT has high specificity for UIP on surgical lung biopsy, but PPV is highly dependent on underlying prevalence. Adding clinical and radiographic features to possible UIP pattern on HRCT may provide sufficient probability of histopathological UIP across prevalence ranges to change clinical decision-making.
- Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- Thoracic Surgery
- Interstitial Fibrosis
- Histology/Cytology
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Contributors RB, HRC and BL designed the study. RB, BL, TSH, BME, KDJ, AU, CA, KAJ, TM and DW collected data. RB, BL and EV performed the data analysis. All authors contributed to data interpretation. RB, BL and HRC wrote the original manuscript. All authors contributed to revisions of the manuscript, provided final approval of the version to be published and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Funding Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the NIH under Award Number KL2TR001870 as well as NIH/NHLBI grants F32HL124895 and K24HL127131. The Nina Ireland Program for Lung Health supports the UCSF ILD clinical database.
Competing interests None declared.
Ethics approval IRB at UCSF and Mayo Clinic, Rochester.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
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STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education. STEM proponents focus on these areas because they are essential for student success and also because these fields are so critical in today's world.
The conference was a wonderful experience, according to East Coweta Site Coordinator Denise Buchanan, who said she appreciated Communities In Schools of Georgia for sponsoring this event.


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On October 29th, ASAP/After School Activities Partnerships is participating in the Generosity Series 5K event! Generosity Philadelphia is a multi-charity 5K Run/Walk that takes place at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where several charities team up to raise funds in support of their respective missions!
The event will feature ASAP staff, board members, long-time coach and friend, Johnny Scrabble and more! Our goal is to raise $25,000 to directly support the youth in Philadelphia through after school enrichment.
How to donate:
How to run OR walk:
Why support?
ASAP serves youth attending traditional Philadelphia neighborhood public and charter schools (grades K-12), where it is estimated that 81% of students come from circumstances of poverty.
According to recent Philadelphia School District data:
By supporting Team Philly ASAP, you are supporting youth in Philadelphia discover new talents, new friends and new worlds when the school day ends. You are keeping them SAFE & ENGAGED. At ASAP, we believe that after school is not just a tmie when kids get to BE themsleves- it is a time they get to BECOME themselves through enriching experiences. You are keeping them on track.
Support Team ASAP
Every little bit counts!
Be sure to share: www.generosityseries.com/asap-after-school-activities-partnerships with friends and family who support keeping the youth of Philadelphia safe & engaged and on track for graduation!
Fake news vs. independent journalism. Cyber-bullying vs. online community building: Philly youth debate pros and cons of social networking sites
New friends, 7th grader Shakia of Folk Arts Cultural Treasures Charter Schools, and 8th grader Raquel of Maratime Academy Charter School prepare for cross fire round vs. opponents!
On Friday, August 4th, students participating in ASAP's Summer Debate Academy competed in a two round tournament on the following topic, "Resolved: On balance, social media networking sites have a positive impact on the United States." But this was not their first go at the topic.
Over the course of two weeks, 40 Philadelphia youth, from 25 schools in Philadelphia, had been steadily crafting pro and con arguments on the growing influence social media has on public discourse, government policy and international relations. The catch, is that a huge percentage of this year's campers were debate novices, perhaps only used to arguing over pizza toppings without respective restraints, instead of climate change and the Electoral College.
The structure of the camp was to divide students into four groups, each with a teacher and a TA. During the first week, groups learned the basics of debate through instruction and games, while discussing the social media topic with their teachers, a topic so relevant to the life of a millennial. Groups were quoted, "I'm not sure I can even imagine a world without social media. It doesn't exist."
Then, in the second week, students were placed in pairs and began to research the social media topic using evidence packets and Microsoft tablets provided by ASAP. From there, the pairs wrote pro and con speeches and practiced for the upcoming tournament.
Veteran 9th grader, Maliek of Paul Robeson HS and 8th grader, Berekt, of Labroatory Charter School fight for their contentions!
The academy is unique, in that students with experience often work with partners who are still learning debate techniques and strategies, and are almost always from different schools from throughout the city. Although apprehensive at first, students unanimously agreed that the most important part of the experience was the friends that they made.
New to debate, 9th grader Mateo, of Esperanza Academy Charter School and 8th grader Sanaiah of Maritime Academy Charter School question the validity of their opponent's argument
Correction. The family they gained.
In addition to reading, writing and constructing arguments, students were also granted a variety of opportunities to further explore and interact with content related to the final tournament, such as speaking to education reporter, Avi Wolfman-Arent and Assistant Vice President of News, John Mussoni, of WHYY and News Reporter, Dave Kinchen of Fox 29 News, about the effects of social media on journalism and the spread of fake news.
Overall, Avi and John offered an interactive presentation where they provided expertise on busting "bogus" sources, and recognizing credible information in a public sphere. John even distributed copies of the National Enquirer to show how "fake news" existed even before the internet. Then, Dave of Fox 29, engaged the kids on topics about "clickbait" and the fast pace nature of TV news. All three reporters took questions from the group, and the students gained perspective on the topic of their upcoming tournament. Avi even returned on the final day of the camp to interview students about their competitions. Click here to read more!
[From left to right]: Avi-Wolfman and John Mussoni of WHYY and Dave Kinchen of Fox 29
Thanks to ASAP Debate Partners throughout the city, the students were also able to attend recently open and highly acclaimed Museum of the American Revolution in Old City, on Friday, July 28th. ASAP debaters enjoyed a guided tour, engaged with Revolutionary War experts, and paid particular attention to debates among colonists and Native Americans about the merits of loyalty to the Crown and independence.
ASAP Summer Debate Academy at both Constitution Center and American Revolution Museum
The final stop was the Constitution Center on Independence Mall on August 1st! The museum's main exhibit and famous Freedom Rising performance provided our students with various perspectives on the Constitution's first amendment. The protection of free speech proved to be an important discussion topic when considering the impact of social media in the United States. While con cases could use the spread of "fake news" on social media as evidence, pro cases could claim that any information – even disinformation – is protected by the first amendment.
As the quick two weeks came to a close, students were ready for the ultimate test: debating against their peers. It was a chance to take all of the information gained throughout the week, in addition to the hands-on field trips provided, to try and win against their opponents. Ultimately, the results were as follows:
Top teams (receiving trophies)
Top speakers (receiving medals)
Coach Natacha and TA Jada, a previous Girls' High debate alum, currently attending Temple University standing proud with their kids!
ASAP would like to thank the Hamilton Family Foundation, Thomas Skelton Harrison Foundation, Wells Fargo, the Lenfest Foundation and the School District of Philadelphia for their support. In addition, ASAP is grateful for the Museum of the American Revolution and the National Constitution Center for providing hands-on experiences for our Philadelphia youth. Finally, we could not do it without our wonderful volunteer judges, teachers and TA's who dedicated two weeks of their summer, not only educating our youth on debate, but providing a fun and safe environment for the kids this summer.
As always, we look forward to next year!
This article was written and edited by ASAP Debate Coordinator, RJ Tischler and Communications & Development Coordinator, Victoria Bakey
Over 200 students participated in the 14th Annual Philadelphia Eagles Chess Tournament at Lincoln Financial Field. Students were able to meet Swoop, challenge Philadelphia Eagles player Caleb Sturgis in chess, and visit the locker room for the award ceremony. Thank you to the Philadelphia Eagles and Eagles Charitable Foundation for hosting us, Caleb Sturgis for spending time with the students, parents and coaches for spending their Tuesday at the tournament, and the students, themselves, for participating all year in chess. Listed below are the final standings for individuals and teams:
1. Yiguo Zhang (Walnut West Library)
2. Hieu Nguyen (Visitation)
3. Frankie Do (Visitation)
4. Hieu Pham (Visitation)
5. Marisa Maisano (A.S. Jenks)
Top Unrated: Khalif Nasir-Dennis (Black Knights)
1. A.S. Jenks
2. Walnut West Library
3. Visitation
1-5 Open
1. Long Quy (Masterman)
2. Emmanuel Cox (Enon)
3. Amin Branch (Enon)
4. Alikhan Muhammad (Black Knights)
5. Orion Brown (Meredith)
Top U500: Harry Barrett-Alexander (A.S. Jenks)
2. Masterman
3. Meredith
1. Christian Diaz (Esperanza)
2. Kayla Cooke (Mitchell)
3. Elijah Chirico (Gideon)
4. Ryan Lienert (Hancock)
5. Charlene Southerland (Mitchell)
Top unrated: Nick Do (Visitation)
1. Mitchell
2. Gideon
3. Hancock
6-8 Open
1. Quinn Dominick (Masterman)
2. Angelica Speech (Lenfest)
3. Marko Melishchuk (Masterman)
4. Derrick Moore (Mitchell)
5. Nasir Jones (Carver)
Top U700: David Barnes (Bregy)
1. Masterman
2. Esperanza
3. Carver
2. Kuruvilla James (Northeast)
3. Jamal Williams (Dobbins)
4. Anh Nguyen (Community Academy
5. Weijun Ma (Northeast)
Top Unrated: Donald Dougherty (Dark Knights)
1. Dobbins
2. Dark Knights
3. Northeast
9-12 Open
1. Devon Taylor (Dark Knights)
2. Mark Frazier (Carver)
3. Josiah Findley (Carver)
4. Richard Martin (Carver)
1. Carver
2. Palumbo
Congratulations to everyone who competed in the tournament!


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You may think you don't want to see "The Human Centipede: First Sequence" because of its absolutely horrific concept, all the other various horrific functions which arise from said concept, or merely because you don't enjoy the sub-genre of horror commonly monikered "torture porn." In reality, you don't want to see it because it's a shoddily-made film that undermines its horrific concept with gaping plot holes and severe logic issues. If for some reason you don't already know what the central concept is, you should stop reading now. Spoilers will be necessary to talk about this film in any reasonable fashion.
Eminent surgeon Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser) has become irreversibly obsessed with the idea of chaining living bodies togther. After a semi-successful first go with a trio of Rottweilers, he deems his surgery fit for human testing. Enter our dumb heroines, American tourists Lindsay (Ashley C. Williams) and Jenny (Ashlynn Yennie). On the advice of a cute waiter, our hapless beauties leave their hotel late one night in search of a killer party. What they find is a killer pothole. Yes, if only Germany could maintain its highways, all this unplesantness could have been avoided. The pair wander through the woods (in the rain, naturally) for a bit before stumbling across Heiter's house. He lets them in, promises to call for help, and drugs them instead.
The girls wake strapped to hospital beds in a dungeon/operating theater. A young Japanese man soon joins their luckless ranks. Dr. Heiter then, in one of the film's truly horrifying moments, describes in stoic detail his plan to modify his victims' bodies so they can be joined end-to-end-to-end, creating a — you guessed it — Human Centipede. As part of his scheme, Heiter also plans to sever the ligaments around the knees, forcing the centipede to crawl (and thwarting any means of escape should any of the segments prove able to detach itself).
Let me say right now that once you wrap your head around this concept — and let's make no mistake, this is a crackerjack concept for a horror film — what you imagine this movie will be is much, much worse than just about everything that actually happens. "The Human Centipede" is exactly the sort of movie a serious horror buff has no choice but to see: It's controversial and disgusting, it's said to be an endurance test, it's made people faint in theater showings — all the usual horror huckster nonsense. The bad news for horror fans? It's 15 minutes of great concept wrapped in an hour and 15 minutes of boring repetitive nonsense.
Understand me here: I'm not saying this was ever going to be a film for the masses or a film that wasn't horrific, base and mind-numbingly wrong. But it could've been a great deal more effective and terrifying than it ultimately is. This is a movie that contains giant, gaping logic holes. You can't expect it to all tie together nicely, but some of the more obvious problems should have been avoided. To wit: How does the frail doctor manage to wrangle his creation (which tops 300 pounds and is at least six feet long) up and down the spiral staircase that leads to the basement? How does he manage such a complicated surgical procedure with no help? Why doesn't Lindsay call for help herself when she escapes and is trapped in a room with a phone? And, the biggest one for me, why is this "eminent surgeon" so surprised when his segments die off? Did he miss the nutrition lecture during med school? How about the harmful bacteria portion of the curriculum? There's suspending disbelief, and then there's suspending disbelief. At some point, your brain just refuses to let you buy into the stupid.
Next big issue: Pacing. The surgical procedure takes place roughly about midway through the film. That leaves you with about 45 minutes of watching the Centipede — there is really no word for what it does … sitting around? Standing around? Being in place in a scene? Now, some of this is really unsettling. The way Heiter talks to it is revolting and utterly chilling. There is a sequence where he has it outside on his lawn that is just nausea-inducing. But mostly the segments just cry and scream, and, it has to be said, 45 minutes of that is tough to take. I don't think the filmmakers were shooting for a hyper-aware type of experience here; I believe they just simply didn't think about how tiring and irritating it would be. The finale has its moments, but even it drags signifcantly. This is a film that's barely 90 minutes and still manages to feel about a half hour too long.
Last big problem: Special effects. As in, there are none. Several times you can clearly see the segments' lips and light showing where there should be none. Of course I *know* that these people have not actually been surgically connected, but, again, it's a suspension of disbelief issue. Also, I'm of the camp that if a film is going to be so out of the box with its concept, it has to pay off. The audience (probably, hopefully) doesn't actually want to see the completed Human Centipede, but we sort of need to for the conceit to work. Instead what we get is some awful acting, some fake blood and amateurish makeup. That great, jaw-dropping idea loses every bit of power in its shoddy, fly-by-night execution.
Still, there are some great moments of true horror in "The Human Centipede," all of which are born via the honestly chilling performance of Dieter Laser. His Heiter is so completely detached from reality, yet so calm, still intelligent, able to plan for nearly every eventuality. His utter disregard for humanity, the way human life holds no sanctity for him — these are commonly explored character traits in horror, but Laser pulls them off without benefit of backstory or explanation. He's just insane, he has this insane idea, he acts on it, he sort of enjoys it. That's it. Laser is able to create a shudder-inducing villain out of nothing more than a few lines of dialogue and his impassive face.
The bits that work in this movie really work. And there's no denying the strength of its utterly bizarre and horrifying concept, so it does get some points for originality. Still, when all's said and done, what may be most shocking about "The Human Centipede" is how slow, dull and stupid it turns out to be. One-and-a-half stars out of four.
"The Human Centipede": Unrated (common sense rating OK for 17 and up). Starring Dieter Laser, Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie, Akihiro Kitamura, Andreas Leupold, Peter Blankenstein and Bernd Kostrau. Written and directed by Tom Six. Cinematography by Goof de Koning. Original music by Patrick Savage and Holeg Spies.


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