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L Rajagopal and a brief history of Parliamentary battles
The fight between legislators in the Rajya Sabha brought back not so fond memories of similar incidents in the past. Here's a brief history.
(Editor's note: This article was originally published on 6 September 2012 but acquires relevance again after expelled Congress MP L Rajagopal sprayed pepper spray in the lower house of Parliament to protest the creation of Telangana. Here are previous instances of Indian legislators bringing shame upon themselves)
Copious amounts of drool laced with not insignificant quantities of saccharine are not the Pavlovian responses that the words "Political class" generate in most of us.
Unless one is a direct beneficiary of some hastily de-notified plot of land, a recipient of cheap spectrum, supplier of pedestal fans for a sporting event, a distant relative of some Union Minister, who cornered a few coal blocks, a pot-bellied contractor with a thick gold chain around his neck who raises the invoice for road construction and delivers an end-product called pothole — or some other virtuous nation-builder like that.
And then, along come a couple of MPs (SP's Naresh Aggarwal and BSP's Avtar Singh), who convert a debate in the House of Elders into what looked like a nukkad brawl between a couple of jobless history-sheeters. Tadipar them both, I say!
I dug through the archives to come up with a few more examples of Supreme behavior in the past. After all, as a responsible citizen of this nation, I am duty-bound to tom-tom about some Supreme acts by some Supreme people. Please feel free to add to this list….The list I have drawn up, not exhaustive by any means, covers hurling of abuses, mikes, papers, pen-stands, flower-pots and furniture.Not to mention, dignity and self-respect. It also includes tugging at saris, taking off shirts and jumping around from table to table like a crazed monkey with a burning twig up his rear, and slapping others inside those Supreme architectural marvels.
So here's the list:
Bihar assembly – July 2010 witnessed some shameful scenes inside the assembly as the esteemed members of the house could not agree on what to debate during working hours. Ironic! In there somewhere, there was an MLA who threw footwear at the Speaker of the august house while a few other evolved souls were busy over-turning tables. This was then followed by a crazed Jyoti Devi (MLA, Congress), holding flower pots in a manner which reminded us about hammer-thrower at a sporting event. Before finally smashing half a dozen or so just outside the assembly, even as she enriched the vocabulary of those present. It was in self-defense, she claimed later. Witnesses swear that the only thing attacking her before she went completely nutty was thin air.
Jharkhand assembly – The Shibu Soren trust vote in 2005. Need I say more? Mayhem nonpareil.
Orissa Assembly – 2010 witnessed that rushing-to-the-well trick, followed up with a pen-stand being used as a missile to scare the bejeezus out of the Speaker of the House. A year later, the Speaker was busy ducking as a chair was flung in his direction. Anyone wants the Speaker's job in Orissa?
Rajya Sabha – The incident of Rajniti Prasad snatching papers from V Narayanasami and then flinging them to the floor is still fresh in my memory…..
Lok Sabha 2008– Right when the world was grappling with a severe economic crisis, we had MPs waving fat wads of cash inside the house. Wow! If there ever was an act symbolic of what is wrong with Indian politics, this was undoubtedly it. We missed an opportunity to take to the streets back then with a few placards on "Electoral reforms" then….but I am not unduly worried. The opportunity to raise that demand will be presented to us often, I am quite certain of that. So whenever you are ready…..carpe diem.
J&K Assembly – July 2009 witnessed Mehbooba Mufti snatching the speaker's mike and flinging it to the floor. In 2011, for a change, we saw the speaker indulging in a Supreme act as he hurled abuses at Iftikhar Hussain (PDP MLA).
Karnataka Assembly – Sports and Youth affairs minister indulging in the simian-with-a-burning-twig-you-know-where act as he tore off his shirt and yelled expletives while hopping from table to table. Inside the Supreme house in 2011. A year which also witnessed the police commissioner being shoved around by MLAs and his cap being knocked off his head. My personal favorite is when a group of MLAs spent three nights inside the house, eating biryani and singing songs and protesting against something which I have forgotten – it is widely believed that the rodents and mosquitoes inside the house promptly took leave from the premises when confronted with this bloodless coup. The previous year (2010) witnessed Yeddyuppa and Siddharamaiah hurling abuses at each other and displaying their class and supremacy by making some rather crude gestures. 2012, as you all know, was about repressed sexuality gushing forth inside the Supreme house (Porngate).
West Bengal Assembly – TMC MLAs throwing chairs and damaging furniture over the row about allocation of land for the Tata Nano project is something most of us remember. Official documents were torn and sound-boxes hurled at the treasury benches, before they called it a day after a hard day's work. More than a dozen people were injured in this mayhem, as vandalism inside a temple of democracy reached a Supreme low.
Andhra Pradesh Assembly – 46 MLAs including Chandrababu Naidu, former CM, were suspended from the house in 2009, but refused to leave. What followed was a street-side brawl right within the hallowed premises of the assembly. A few marshals injured, a few shirts torn, shattered glass and an MLA with a head injury was the final outcome – quite a satisfactory day in office, in other words. Two years later, some MLAs from TRS allegedly roughed up a couple of their colleagues from Congress and Lok Satta Party inside the Assembly Complex.
Kerala Assembly – A woman Watch & Ward staff assaulted by an MLA in 2011, in that famous "rushing towards the well of the house" stunt which gets repeated year after year in quite a few assemblies.
Tamil Nadu Assembly – Riots inside the Legislative Assembly in 1988 and 1989 and the famous Jayalalithaa "disrobing democracy" episode. 1999 again saw some Supreme acts, wherein MLAs came to blows inside the House, and there were a few bleeding noses and broken spectacles around. Including Karunanidhi's.
Assorted assemblies across UP, Maharashtra etc. – you can copy paste from anywhere up above, without fear of the final output being less than accurate.
I repeat, the list above is NOT exhaustive. I have a few nukkad brawls to attend to now, so I hope you will add to this list and excuse me now.
FINAL WORD: Supremacy of the documents and buildings is not what we want anymore. What we want are some really Supreme people in there doing some really Supreme things. And for that to happen, electoral reforms, voter awareness, due diligence of people fighting elections (can the respective parties be assigned the responsibility and accountability to ensure that or will we need an independent institution to do that job?) and a quick exit mechanism for those flouting standards of basic decency is what we need.
Are we going to get it?
Hope lies eternal in my bosom…..the occasional non-warming of the cockles of my heart notwithstanding.
This is an updated and modified version of the blog that I wrote on this topic when porngate happened a few months ago.
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Sushant Singh Rajput death: Bihar's CBI probe move politically motivated, says Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab
Accusing political opponents of engaging into conspiracy, Parab also alleged that the BJP was questioning the ability of the Mumbai Police by pushing for CBI probe
Somen Mitra passes away at 78: West Bengal Congress chief and former Lok Sabha MP suffered cardiac arrest
Mitra was among the most firebrand Congress leaders of the 1960s and 1970s and played a crucial role in the fight against the Naxals in Kolkata
SC to hear plea challenging merger of 6 BSP Rajasthan MLAs with Congress today
The six MLAs had contested and won the 2018 Assembly election on BSP tickets but they defected to Congress in September 2019


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Harris County probate fees provide bonanza for some lawyers
Harris County probate fees a bonanza for some
Judges here award more than anywhere else in Texas — $302,081 in one case, so far — to attorneys they pick
Harris County probate judges handed out $8.5 million in fees in one year — far more than any other county in Texas — to private, hand-picked lawyers and others tasked with managing the estates of the dead and the lives of the disabled.
County court-at-law judges kicked in another $800,000.
One probate judge has approved payments of $302,081 so far to attorneys involved in a single case: a legal dispute that dates back decades and involves the guardianship of Ugo di Portanova, a disabled globe-trotter and heir to a series of multimillion-dollar oil-funded trusts in Texas.
Those fees, approved by Judge Mike Wood, were the highest awarded in any Texas case in the last year, public records show.
Collectively, 200 county and probate judges statewide signed off on nearly $21 million related to death, guardianship and other disputes in the year ending August 2010, according to a Chronicle analysis of more than 9,500 fees approved by all county and probate judges in Texas.
The Office of Court Administration began collecting electronic reports on fees for the first time last year. The reports stem from an earlier state Supreme Court initiative to boost accountability and counter long-term concerns about judges' alleged favoritism toward fee recipients, who are often attorneys and campaign contributors.
Each year, thousands of people's lives and deaths end up in the hands of probate judges, who wield sweeping power over the liberty and assets of others. Probate fees can be controversial, as they often come from private pocketbooks and can quickly deplete estates or drain resources needed to care for disabled and elderly Texans.
Di Portanova one example
Judges often choose lawyers, accountants, professional guardians and others to work on probate cases. The same judges then review and approve fees.
Harris County's judges dispensed more than twice as much money as those in Dallas and Tarrant counties combined, the analysis showed.
Four of the state's most expensive cases played out in Harris County probate courts — including the pricey di Portanova guardianship.
Human stakes are particularly high in such cases. Through a guardianship proceeding, a person can be declared incompetent and lose control of property and of personal decisions.
Di Portanova, now 74, speaks several languages and enjoys opera, writing poetry and children's television. The grandson of famed oil baron Hugh Roy Cullen and brother of the late flamboyant Houston jet-setter Baron Enrico di Portanova, he was first declared mentally incapacitated in 1967. An attempt to end his guardianship two decades ago was unsuccessful.
As a result, di Portanova retains access to house keys and up to $1,000 in spending money. But court appointees manage his millions and make many of his decisions.
Recent costs in the case were exacerbated by a legal dispute over changes in the management of his trusts and over a proposed $10 million gift to di Portanova's court-appointed guardian.
In any guardianship matter, Judge Wood said: "My priority is making the ward happy and protecting the ward — and if possible not paying all the money to the ward's attorneys to fight over the ward's assets."
Three judges, $7.2 million
Three Harris County probate judges, Kathy Stone, Wood and Rory Olsen, ranked highest in a statewide comparison of total fees approved by about 200 Texas judges. Stone's fees totaled almost $3 million, Wood's $2.6 million and Olsen's $1.6 million.
Overall fees tend to be higher in Harris County because of its large population, its cost of living and the immense complexity and wealth involved in some local cases, Olsen said.
Stone recently approved a fee of $122,433 for a company that stepped in as estate administrator after the daughter of philanthropist and oil pioneer Alfred C. Glassell Jr. challenged her father's ninth will, which awarded most of his half-billion-dollar fortune to charity and the arts. The daughter ultimately lost in a jury trial.
Another family dispute over the 2009 will of a local surgeon generated fees of $148,229 to which everyone agreed, Stone said.
Stone, a former civil jurist, became probate judge in late 2008 in a special election after the death of Judge Russell Austin. Stone said she inherited a docket with some "large, very complex and highly litigated cases in which appointee fees may seem extraordinary." But she has made numerous attempts to "reduce or eliminate high fees and expenses," she said.
"I try every day to save taxpayer money, to reduce fees paid by estates that must pay attorneys appointed by legal mandate of law, and to increase court efficiency," Stone said. "And in fairness, if you exclude the extraordinary cases that account for a small percentage of the cases in my court, you will see that the fees that are awarded every day on the hundreds of uncontested cases are very modest and reasonable."
Stone, Wood and Olsen all said many large probate fees were unchallenged or based on standard commissions established by state law.
Harris County probate judges in early 2008 adopted fee guidelines and caps of $300 an hour for legal work after a Chronicle review showed judges had approved high legal rates for appointees who attended a ward's funeral, bought a computer or ran errands. Stone, Wood and Olsen say they strictly enforce those guidelines and cut fees when necessary.
However, Wood said he recently approved fees of $500 an hour in a case involving the still open estate of a man who died 20 years ago. Wood argued that it would have cost even more to hire new lawyers to relearn issues involved in a related IRS tax dispute.
Secret hearings alleged
Statewide, some of the most controversial fees involve paid guardians who stepped in after relatives were ousted. Judges say such "removals" usually involve allegations of physical or financial abuse.
However, members of a citizens advocacy group, Guardianship Reform Advocates for the Disabled and Elderly (GRADE), have complained that Tarrant County probate judges have repeatedly unfairly removed family members in secret hearings.
In July, Frank and Chila Covington, parents of a disabled adult, were involuntarily stripped of their daughter's guardianship in Tarrant County hearing after raising questions about her medications. Records show that the court paid $3,010 to a lawyer appointed in that case. The Covingtons, meanwhile, have spent more than $50,000 on their own legal fees.
Guy Herman, a Travis County probate judge and the state's head probate jurist, said most cases are settled quickly, fairly and cheaply. He argues that complaints often come from relatives whose infighting or misbehavior initially forced judges to pay attorneys and others to intervene.
But system critics, including Bexar County Probate Judge Tom Rickhoff, have argued that Texas probate judges receive too little oversight and lack resources to monitor growing caseloads.
In Harris County alone, more than 5,000 people are wards of the court.

subset: commoncrawl


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With so many Americans using search engines to find the critical information they need, government agencies must take advantage of the opportunity to get in front of their target audience while they're searching. During this hands-on session, government agencies will learn how to use Google AdWords to drive more traffic to their agency's website. Google AdWords offers government agencies a flexible and accountable marketing program to drive traffic to their websites in an efficient and cost-effective way. We will walk through all of the details to set up an advertising campaign with Google from start to finish.
Workshop will include:
- How Google AdWords works
- How to set up a Google AdWords campaign
- How to select the right ad creative for your advertising efforts
- How to target your campaigns to the right audience
Eric Obenzinger is an advertising Account Manager at Google. His group works with federal government agencies who use efficient online advertising to promote federal initiatives and manage strategic communication.
Before working with Google's advertisers, Eric was part of Google's media relations team. Eric has a BA in History from the University of Pennsylvania. He is based in Google's New York office and a proud uncle of three.
For information on exhibition and sponsorship opportunities at the conference, contact Rob Koziura at firstname.lastname@example.com or download the Gov 2.0 Expo Sponsor Prospectus
For media partnerships, contact Jaimey Walking Bear (707) 827-7176 email@example.com
Send an email to email@example.com.
For media-related inquiries, contact Maureen Jennings at email@example.com or Natalia Wodecki at email@example.com.
View a complete list of Gov 2.0 Events contacts.


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Katja Biedenkopf
Katja is Senior Associate Research Fellow at the Institute for European Studies at Vrije Universiteit Brussels, which she joined in June 2007. She is also Assistant Professor at the University of Leuven where she teaches courses on EU policy-making, global environmental politics and research methods. The focus of Katja's academic research is on global governance and the external effects of EU environmental policy, in particular chemicals, electronic waste and climate policy.
Environment | 13.06.2017


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The Royal Engineers, a.k.a. the people who never got over their 4-year-old fascination with JCBs, have just got a new toy to play with. Named Terrier, it's a heavily armed tank/bulldozer combo that can be remotely commanded to smash through things at 45 mph. Lucky gits.
Designed by BAE Systems and built in oh-so-sunny Newcastle, Terrier joins the Titan bridgelayer and Trojan ridiculously-huge-thing in the Engineer's arsenal. Like its stablemates, Terrier has a specific application: route clearance.
With the giant bulldozer bit on the front, it can smash through (or create) roadblocks, and the attachment of the surely-this-can't-be-practical exploding-hosepipe Python mine-clearing system means enemy minefields are equally fair game. Furthermore, given the armour, smoke grenades and 7.62mm Belgian-made General Purpose Machine Guns bolted on, it can do all of the above in the middle of a firefight.
Armoured bulldozers aren't really anything new, though. The standout feature on the Terrier is the remote-control capability. Both the tracks and all the shovels and excavator arms can be remote-controlled from up to 1km away, using a thing that looks suspiciously like an Xbox 360 controller spraypainted war-green. This should allow the Terrier to operate in high-threat areas (like minefields) without endangering the crew.
That said, the government would probably be pretty miffed if a Terrier got destroyed. The MoD's shelled out £360 million for 60 of the things, which works out as £6 million per vehicle (although yes, the £360 mil also includes training, logistical support and simulators).


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Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Wikipedia.
intr.v. per·tained, per·tain·ing, per·tains
1. To have reference or relevance; relate: evidence that pertains to the accident.
2. To belong as an adjunct, part, holding, or quality: skills that pertain to engineering.
3. To be fitting or suitable: conduct that pertains to an officer.
[Middle English pertenen, pertainen, from Old French partenir, from Latin pertinēre : per-, per- + tenēre, to hold; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]
1. to have reference, relation, or relevance: issues pertaining to women.
2. to be appropriate: the product pertains to real user needs.
3. to belong (to) or be a part (of); be an adjunct, attribute, or accessory (of)
[C14: from Latin pertinēre, from per- (intensive) + tenēre to hold]
1. to have reference or relation; relate: documents pertaining to the lawsuit.
2. to belong or be connected as a part, adjunct, possession, or attribute.
3. to belong properly or fittingly; be appropriate.
[1300–50; Middle English perte(i)nen, partenen < Middle French partein-, tonic s. of partenir « Latin pertinēre to extend over, pertain =per- per- + -tinēre, comb. form of tenēre to hold]
Past participle: pertained
Gerund: pertaining
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
|pertain - be relevant to; "There were lots of questions referring to her talk"; "My remark pertained to your earlier comments"
allude, advert, touch - make a more or less disguised reference to; "He alluded to the problem but did not mention it"
center, center on, concentrate on, focus on, revolve about, revolve around - center upon; "Her entire attention centered on her children"; "Our day revolved around our work"
go for, apply, hold - be pertinent or relevant or applicable; "The same laws apply to you!"; "This theory holds for all irrational numbers"; "The same rules go for everyone"
involve, regard, affect - connect closely and often incriminatingly; "This new ruling affects your business"
|pertain - be a part or attribute of
pertain[pɜːˈteɪn] VI (frm) to pertain to (= concern) → concernir a, estar relacionado con; (= belong to) → pertenecer a; (= be the province of) → incumbir a
and other matters pertaining to it → y otros asuntos relacionados
pertain[pərˈteɪn] vi
to pertain to sth → avoir trait à qch
vi to pertain to something → etw betreffen; (= belong to: land etc) → zu etw gehören; all documents pertaining to the case → alle den Fall betreffenden Dokumente; and other matters pertaining to it → und andere damit verbundene Fragen; of or pertaining to something → etw betreffend
pertain[pɜːˈteɪn] vi (frm) to pertain to (concern) → riferirsi a, riguardare; (belong to) → appartenere a
documents pertaining to the case → documenti relativi al caso


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A new Pinot Noir promotional group launched its first ever event in London a couple of weeks ago, with the aim of understanding the world's top Pinot-producing regions' approaches to the grape.
The revolutionary-sounding 'Pinot Noir Alliance' brought together five leading Pinot Noir producers from around the world to demonstrate 'how the diverse influences of soil, climate, vine age and, crucially, human interaction create a unique style for key pinot-producing regions'. The producers, introduced by event host Tim Atkin MW, were Chile's Cono Sur, the Yarra Valley's Oakridge, New Zealand's Villa Maria, Sonoma estate La Crema and Burgundy's Domaines Albert Bichot.
The discussion was as intriguing as the grape itself, in view of the comparison it allowed between the various regions' different approaches to Pinot Noir, terroir, to what extent the site determines the wine and to what extent it's the winemaker's hand.
It's fair to say there's an over-reliance on terroir, and nowhere more so than in France's Pinot-producing heartland of Burgundy. It seems suspect that the French definition of terroir should tack 'winemaking' on to the already comprehensive list of things word should denote – the 'total natural environment of any viticultural site', as Jancis Robinson MW's Oxford Companion to Wine has it.
A large part of wine commentary exists in the ocean of ambiguity partly created by that awkward appendage. This is a problem, because while such commentary highlights the 'fundamental' elements of terroir – soil, aspect, drainage, etc, the winemaker's influence is rarely acknowledged.
'This whole thing of terroir sometimes can be a little bit too serious and a little bit too reverential,' said Atkin. 'This is the Burgundian way of looking at Pinot Noir – ie, that basically God makes the wine and that human beings don't really get involved. I think this is highly questionable. Pinot noir, almost more than any other grape, has a very, very important human factor.'
Richard Bampfield MW, representing Domaine Albert Bichot, said predictably that Burgundy is where 'terroir talks' more than anywhere else in the world. To emphasise the effect of soil beyond all other terroir components, he presented two premier cru wines from Bichot.
Pinot Noir facts
There difference between these two wines from one producer was clear, but it's more important to state the obvious yet less-discussed point: that, at the same time, two winemakers in the same context may make wines that are completely different from one another.
Importantly, it's this latter scenario that the average wine consumer is confronted with. Yet, almost invariably, the winemaker's influence gets subsumed in the pseudo-mysticism of terroir.
The emergence of high-quality Pinot Noir from the New World is especially welcome in this context, because it does not carry such misleading baggage. New world Pinot has made massive strides in the past 20-30 years, thanks to a result of better site selection, better clonal material and, crucially, better winemaking in New World winemaking regions.
In Chile, an excellent example of this is Cono Sur's working model for Pinot, which has been the New World formula: choose the site, choose the vine material, then make wine – the point being that from vineyard to cellar, it's human decisions that determine the final product.
A similar story of the importance of winemaking decisions was apparent from Gordon Russell, winemaker at Villa Maria-owned Esk Valley. Villa Maria started making Pinot Noir in the 2000 vintage and was looking for ripeness and boldness, but winemaking decisions led to ever greater levels of refinement.
'Looking back now it's almost embarrassing to think we were picking grapes as late as we did and using maceration techniques that we did,' he said.
If you contrast that with now, the use of wild yeasts, old barrels, natural malos, classic hands-off winemaking techniques, now we're trying to capture the essence of the vineyard in the bottle."
Dave Bicknell of Oakridge's final thought clearly showed the contrast between Old World and New World approaches to Pinot Noir.
'Once we have a clear concept of what the building blocks are it tends to fall into place,' he said. 'The key to it is: where the vineyards are, what we're growing and how we manage it. After that there's only two decisions that have any relevance at all for the entire year – the day we pick it and how we press it. Everything else is crap. It's sales.'
The important point, despite differing approaches, is that what makes these wines what they are is the hand of the winemaker, for whom Pinot Noir is not a 'ghost' grape, as Aubert de Villaine once described it, but one to be artfully manipulated. There's no magic hand of God determining Burgundy's divine supremacy here.


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CD Review: Francesco Marziani Trio - In my own sweet way
After winning the 2008 International Massimo Urbani Award, Philology Records offered italian pianist Francesco Marziani the opportunity of recording his debut CD. So here it is, the first album from one of the new italian jazz talents Francesco Marziani. In my own sweet way was recorded with bassist Massimo Moriconi and drummer Massimo Manzi.
Besides being an excellent pianist with great knowlege of the jazz language and flawless technique, Francesco is an accomplished composer. His compositions are mature with elegant melodies and rich harmonically.
There are some similarities in his composition style to pianist Vince Guaraldi on tracks like If I were a blackbird and Light night. Sounds like Francesco is even quoting Vince in the improvisation on If I were a blackbird.
But there is also some Thelonious Monk on the track Myself in blue both in the music and Francesco phrasing. The trio is in full swing in Parker & Gillespie Shaw Nuff and in the fast tempo arrangement of The Chase.
Also included on the album, the beautiful interpretations of the classic You've changed and Barry Harry ballad Eleanor.
If I were a blackbird, You've changed, The chase, Eleanor, Light night, Walzer per il sonno di Andrea, In my own sweet way, Shaw nuff, Myself in blue
Francesco Marziani (piano), Massimo Moriconi (bass), Massimo Manzi (drums)


text: Hi everyone! I've decided to make a cab myself - but I need some info to start. Can anyone help? Does anyone have some experience? The amp I thought about is, like a 2x12 with a tweeter. I've decided to build it myself because, after having bought my Gallien-Krueger, I ran short of capital (I'm on really low budget now). As I live in Hungary, shipping from other countries is expensive and a bit insecure - so please don't reccomend any cheap cab-makers (like Avatar or something like that),plus the high import-tax was one of the reasons of my deciding so (I mean building it myself). I know the dimensions depend much on the speaker, but can you give me some advice, or some plans of cabsD yeah that would be welcome) as a starting point? Any help is welcome. Thanks!


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Esme "Granny" Weatherwax in a ball gown, from Micro Art StudioThis is the Micro Art Studio 30mm "Granny Weatherwax II" -- Esmerelda Weatherwax, known as Esme to her best friend and Granny to everyone else, top witch on all of the Discworld, as she appeared in Terry Pratchett's "Maskerade", come down from her home Up North to the Big Bad City in disguise as a Great Lady to rescue some friends from some pickles. As a witch, of course she always wears only black. The only version of this mini I have seen online painted up is all in sugary pastel colors (to emphasize the incongruity of the outfit, I suppose). According to the book's description: Truth to tell, I always pictured the dress in the book as something marvelously Edward Gorey, more the Titanic's timeperiod than Marie Antoinette. But this is fun too. So anyhow, I painted her up as a birthday gift for my husband, who has long loved the Discworld. Granny Weatherwax is one of his two favorite characters (the other is also painted, and I'll start a thread for later). I painted her up with a pitch black dress, then glazed over it with a rainbow of interference colors.


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Hello, my name is Rhonda Anderson. I was born and raised in Carroll County, and graduated from Carrol Co. High School, Class of 74/75. ( I actually graduated August 10, 1974, one year early.) I am married to Jerry, and we have two children. Our daughter, Jennifer, is married and has two children, Vivian (age 8), and Ephraim (age 5). She ia a school librarian in Floyd County. Our son, Brian, is a pharmacist. I am very proud of my family.
I call myself a "late bloomer" in the career of education. I worked at Roses Dept. Store in Galax for seven years. Then I went in to production work at Spencer's Manufacturing in Mt. Airy, N.C. where I sewed children's clothes for 12 years. Then lay offs began to happen, and I started taking classes at Wytheville Community College and Surry Community College. I would go to classes after work. I did so for several years. Then I had enough credits to enter Radford Universty as a Junior, so I quit my job, and went full time to R. U. and graduated in May 2001. I have a B.S. in Elementary Edu. and a Minor in English. I did my blocking at Dublin Elem. School in Dublin, Va. and my student teaching at St. Paul School in Cana, Va. I interviewed for a teaching position at Galax Elementary and was hired at a First Grade teacher. This is my thirteenth year teaching and my thirteenth year at GES.
I really enjoy what I do. This is the most challenging job I have ever had, BUT it is the most rewarding job I have ever had. I enjoy teaching very much and I enjoy the children. I always try to be a positive influence on them, and give them encouragement to believe in themselves. Our class motto is "Never Settle For Less Than Your Best." I tell my students, "we don't have to be perfect, but we need to do the best that we are capable of doing."


text:
more than 4.000 products and ideas in Porcelain. For professional hosts.
* Sold only to trader, companies and professional hosts. All prices exclusive VAT, plus shipping costs. All informations about dimesnsions and contects are taking account of production-related deviations and are not considered assured properties.
(*) Second choice (see on item description) / (**) limited availability (see on item description)


text: Okay, Ive posted a few times before concerning this subject, i apoligize if Im flooding. Im looking for an all-round bass to play alot of tones, most of which are rock and heavy rock (like Godsmack) and the occasional nu-metal song and maybe a few metal songs (like metalica.) I'm wanting something with thundering lows, capable of bringind down the walls on a 15" driver, but with alot of clarity and five strings as well. I've previously been directed to a Bass Central stock as I live in Cent. Fla. and people have reccomended a Kingston MTD bass. But, recently I've been thinking of a Schecter Custom 5 or maybe another Peavey, perhaps a Fury or Cirrus BXP? BUT, tonight I was looking through my MF catalog at spotted the LAKLAND Skyline 55-02. I always overlooked these for some unknown reason. My question is simply what do you guys think of these? I'd like to hear both sides of the spectrum on this one. Aside from pickups, are the 01s and 02s much differant? Tonewise? Thank you for actually reading all of this, I love it when someone responds, and thats few and far in between with me. Thanks again, ~Ryan.


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POV Pleasures with Innocent Teens
They are cute, they are young and they are bursting with energy, passion and lust. We gathered some of the sweetest and naughtiest innocent teens... more just for you. Come and join the gorgeous eight: Ivi Rein, Nikky Fox, Mina K, Gisha Forza, Stasia Si, Evelina Darling, Lizzy Vogue and Ariana Shine are all here to treat your cock in a way it deserves... with tight pussies, silky lips, gentle hands, slender feet and full boobies.
POV Pleasures with Innocent Teens
A day with your Petite Girlfriend, Stasia
Stasia is a sensual young woman who enjoys life to its fullest, and this attitude rubs off on everyone around her, including you, her actual... more boyfriend. Sex is an everyday commodity with her, but it's not enough… her free-spirited nature won't stop here. She "lends you" to her beautiful friends occasionally, just to have fun with, and on one occasion she even invites two of her hottest girlfriends to have a foursome with. Isn't she the greatest?
A day with your Petite Girlfriend, Stasia
Satisfaction Realty
Real estate business can be very competitive and just as challenging, so anyone taking up the mantle to sell property has to be ready for... more anything. Exactly that's why you decide to try out your two new rookie saleswomen, Ginebra and Gina, just to see how and what would they do to sell a house. And then show them a good example, trying to sell one yourself to the picky rich bitch Verona.
Satisfaction Realty
Breaking out of the Friend Zone with SolaZola
To be locked down in quarantine is a torture for a womanizer like you. No new girls, no excitement whatsoever. You only have your gorgeous... more roommate in sight but you two had an agreement that you keep your relationship on a friendly level. But you are both young and eager to love… and you are pretty sure that considering the circumstances, even your pretty little librarian roommate could be persuaded to drop her panties. The question is: how to break out of the friendzone?
Breaking out of the Friend Zone with SolaZola
Camping in the Wild with Luxury Girl
It is so nice to finally get out from these four walls and travel far away from civilization where there is no noise and concrete,... more just lush woods, still lakes and the endless blue sky for a roof. A camping trip with your girlfriend is an exciting thing by itself, but Kristina surely knows how to make things even more crazy. A hiking for pussy? Check. A naughty picnic? Check. Nude sunbathing? But of course. And on the top of all these, there is one final reward, but you have to explore it for yourself – after all, this is what a trip to the wilderness is all about, right?
Camping in the Wild with Luxury Girl
Your High School Yearbook - New Chapters
POV, hardcore, fingering, blowjob, facial, 18+ Teen, blonde, black hair, threesome, american, glasses, small tits, brunette, foot fetish, schoolgirl, MILF, anal, deep throat, stockings, geek, Cumshot, teacher, footjob, Russian, upskirt, uniform, mini skirt, school, doggy, cowgirl, missionary, reverse cowgirl, pussy-to-mouth, yoga, step-sister, spanking, anal sex, Roleplay, butt plug, handjob, ass-to-mouth, Ball-sucking, college girl, Skip To Sex
UPDATED! You were the fat kid in high school, the funny guy of the class but still... the fat kid. Right until summer before graduation... more year, when you decided to make a change. You transformed yourself to the hot guy from the fat kid, and then you finally had the chance to conquer all those girls and ladies you could only dreamed about before. It's time to recall all your crazy, wild & naughty adventures from your own personal high school yearbook... with NEW juicy chapters and hot girls!
Your High School Yearbook - New Chapters
Your Little Nymphos
UPDATED! Two hot nymphomaniacs, three gorgeous, cock loving friends and three mind-blowing opportunities with each of them... sounds like a splendid program for the whole... more weekend. Choose your little nympho girlfriend and decide how do you want to spend the weekend with her. Will you spend it privately? Wanna share your cock with her friends? Or you prefer only to watch while the girls play? The decision is yours - just make the call.
Your Little Nymphos
It's Always Horny in Russia
What a crazy horny day. First a dream with three horny Russian girls eagerly pleasuring you and you wish it would never end. But you... more have to wake up, because a new secretary is coming to the office and you are appointed to mentor her along with a colleague. And don't forget that your girlfriend also called to visit you in the afternoon… we all know what she wants. So how will your manage your horny day in Russia?
It's Always Horny in Russia
Randy Roommates
Sharing the apartment with others is never easy. Sharing it with beautiful, sassy girls is an actual challenge. Your roommates, Katy, Cornelia and Sarah –... more even if the latter just moving out – all have their own things you have to tolerate, sometimes even humor, to get along with them. But in return, you may gain access between their thighs… do it well, and quite regularly.
Randy Roommates
Girlfriends From All Over The World
POV, vaginal sex, black hair, big tits, small tits, brunette, deep throat, teen, Babe, girlfriend, titfuck, footjob, photomodel, titjob, Russian, doggy, cowgirl, missionary, reverse cowgirl, Hungarian, Mexican, Brazilian, girlfriend experience, pussy-to-mouth, French, anal sex, photo shooting, ass-to-mouth, model photographer, Ball-sucking
UPDATED WITH NEW GIRLFRIENDS! You are a modern world sailor. Your job takes you to all over the world: a new week brings a new... more destination. Living a lifestyle like this doesn't really allow you to maintain a serious relationship... but lets you keep dozens of girlfriends from all over the world. Anywhere you travel to a lovely and beautiful girlfriend is waiting for you. But you're a pro in keeping secrets, of course: Your girlfriends don't know a clue about your other girlfriends.
Girlfriends From All Over The World
Fuck around the world
POV, hardcore, blowjob, facial, vaginal sex, black hair, american, small tits, home, brunette, redhead, foot fetish, schoolgirl, latina, MILF, asian, teen, ebony, footjob, pornstar, italian, british, Russian, Spanish, big ass, East-European, Romanian, Hungarian, Bosnian, Polish, Mexican, Brazilian, Colombian, curvy, Vietnamese, Chinese, Izraeli, bikini, bubble butt, brazilian butt, girlfriend experience, French, Blockbusters, USA TOP 10, Roleplay
UPDATED WITH SOUTHERN EUROPE! - Welcome to "Fuck Around the World", the virtual Sex Explorer program. Log onto the virtual platform, choose the continent and... more the region or country to pay a virtual visit to one of the hot horny girls. A sweet and sexy girl from the desired location will welcome you in her home and will tease and please you until you're fully satisfied. Sit back, take control and get wild!
Fuck around the world
The New Step-daddy
POV, hardcore, blowjob, dildo, facial, vaginal sex, blonde, black hair, european, studio, small tits, office, schoolgirl, MILF, anal, deep throat, wife, footjob, cheating, Russian, upskirt, cowgirl, missionary, reverse cowgirl, anal fingering, butt plug, step-father, petite, Ball-sucking, Spoon, oral sex, Step Fantasies
Running a successful business, having a trophy wife and two sweet step-daughters makes you such a lucky man. So being surrounded by college girls and... more a hot MILF? Yes, please. What's more, all three women love and respect you in their own way... What on earth can disturb this perfect harmony in your life? Well, how about a secret in your wife's past?
The New Step-daddy
Roleplay Seekers
POV, hardcore, blowjob, blonde, european, brunette, foot fetish, maid, Cumshot, footjob, cheerleader, babysitter, hardcore anal sex, foursome, Russian, cum on feet, doggy, cowgirl, missionary, reverse cowgirl, step-sister, anal sex, Roleplay, skinny, step-daughter, taboo, Ball-sucking, oral sex, Step Fantasies
UPDATED! Live out your ultimate fantasies in this growing collection of roleplays. A horny step-daughter? A heart-broken babysitter? Maybe a cute russian maid who wants... more a raise? A hot masseuse or a sexy nurse? They are all waiting for you to have some fun! Choose your adventure and check back for more.
Roleplay Seekers
Sex Tourist On Holiday
Some people loves to see the world. You prefer to see all those beautiful women all around the world. Indeed, the reason of your travels... more is to meet and fuck as many gorgeous ladies as you can. You are a Sex Tourist and you visit Moscow and Budapest to find some horny babes who could give a sample of the local beauty. Of course you still need your usual charm and some help to pick them up... but you will handle that, right?
Sex Tourist On Holiday
Petite Teens' Anal Initiations
Three young and petite beauties are waiting to be initiated into the pleasures of anal sex. Their mind is full of naughty thoughts and their... more bodies burn with lust, so don't make them waiting. Kinky schoolgirl Roxy Lips, crazy redhead Mary Solaris and innocent little Flora Fairy are all in great need of an anal mentor… this mentor will be YOU!
Petite Teens' Anal Initiations
More Than Roommates
Sharing a home with three horny Russian roommates is just as much of a pleasure as it is a challenge. But you are the man... more in the house and there is nothing you couldn't do to make your sweet roomies happy, right? Of course, sometimes their requests go beyond the boundaries of mere roommates standards… but with horny teens like them, it is not a problem.
More Than Roommates
A day with Stella Flex & friends
What a lovely day it can be with your exotic, foreign girlfriend, Stella. Waking up next to her, having fun in the morning, goofing around... more and make love in the garden before lunch, and then being a host for two of her gorgeous friends - it is a delight. A dream you live in. Make this day as perfect as possible so you can remember it fondly day after day - until the next special occasion with Stella Flex.
A day with Stella Flex & friends
Man in the Family
When your father gets married again with a woman who is way younger than him and already a mother of three beautiful girls, you suddenly... more find yourself in a brand new family. As your dad is constantly on the road for business all around the country, it falls on you to take care of the ladies... in every possible way imaginable.
Man in the Family
POV 4somes - 3 TEENS on 1 Dick
A lot of guys dream about girls sharing his cock with each other. While for most it remains a dream, today we make it possible... more through four of the hottest foursome POV adventures you have ever seen on Lifeselector. So you better get ready because these russian beauties are all here to help you to fulfill this fantasy. Come now, let's get on with the show.
POV 4somes - 3 TEENS on 1 Dick
Your Demanding Step-Sisters
Living with your step-family provides a lot of interesting, awkward and outright sexy situations, especially if there are two kinky step-sisters around. Is it... more a curse or is it a blessing that you have such gorgeous, horny step-sisters? Whichever it is, they are here and you have to deal with it. But it is a sweet burden full of exciting little opportunities and accidents... like the one when you walked in on Angelika while she was fucking her boyfriend. So why don't you go and tend to your step-sisters?
Your Demanding Step-Sisters


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Page One
Berkeley News Roundup
In the news since the last issue:
UC Berkeley Student Senate Fails to Overturn Israel Divestment Bill Veto
The UC Berkeley student senate Wednesday failed to override the veto on a bill urging the university to divest from two American companies profiting by making weapons for the Israeli Army.
Senators debated the issue until the early hours of Thursday morning, and at about 4 a.m. the student senate voted 13 to 5 to bypass the veto, one vote short of the required margin.
Arizona Deportation Bill Protest at UC Berkeley
Student organizers at UC Berkeley announced a mass deportation protest at Sproul Plaza on the Berkeley campus Thursday against the recent passage of SB 1070 in Arizona. The bill aims to identify, prosecute and deport illegal immigrants and is being called one of the toughest—if not the toughest—illegal immigration bills in the country.
A press release sent out by the rally's organizers, including Spanish-language students on campus, described the bill as "promoting racial profiling in Arizona, and creating a state of terror against immigrants and non-immigrants alike."
"[The bill] has made it necessary for campus community groups to act," the press release says. The mass deportation action [will show our opposition to unjust and racist laws everywhere in this nation."
Over 500 students were expected to participate in what the press release described as "a dramatic representation" of an I.C.E. raid.
"The main objective of this action is to illustrate the moral implications that this bill will generate not only in Arizona, but all over the United States," a statement from the organizers said. "Although this law is targeted to the undocumented community, this issue affects everyone. It is an attack on our civil liberties, and a giant step backwards from a progressive society. SB 1070 is a seed for hate and predjudice, it dehumanizes communities and terrorizes families in Arizona and across the nation."
AC Transit Board Considers Declaring Fiscal Emergency
AC Transit announced Wednesday that it might be facing a possible "state of emergency." which could force its board of directors to declare fiscal crisis.
Burdened with increasing costs and dwindling financial resources, the board at its Wednesday meeting called for a public hearing May 26, 2010 to discuss the possibility of a "fiscal emergency," which would allow the district to make ongoing adjustments in service and operations to counter a massive financial crunch.
AC Transit has recently seen a steady decline in traditional sources of funding, along with local sales and property taxes due to a weak local economy, according to a statement from the transit agency.
The district is estimated to have an operating deficit of more than $56 million by the end of the fiscal year 2011.
If the board declares a fiscal emergency, then it will be the second consecutive year the district has been forced to do so.
Berkeley Reports a Drop in Youth Tobacco Sales
The City of Berkeley reported Thursday that there has been a big drop in tobacco sales to young people in the city.
Youth Spirit Works Artwork Relaunches South Berkeley Business District
This Saturday, Youth Spirit Works Artwork will unveil "Visions of the Soul," an art window banner exhibit for vacant storefronts to mark the launch of the Adeline Street Merchants Association, comprised of South Berkeley businesses and non-profit organizations.
The event will take place May 1, noon to 1:30 p.m. at 3308 Adeline St.
UC Berkeley Student Senate Fails to Overturn Israel Divestment Bill Veto
The UC Berkeley student senate Wednesday failed to override the veto on a bill urging the university to divest from two American companies profiting by making weapons for the Israeli Army.
Senators debated the issue until the early hours of Thursday morning, and at about 4 a.m. the student senate voted 13 to 5 to bypass the veto, one vote short of the required margin.
in the city.
Cabbie Arrested for Sex Assaults
An Oakland cab driver was arrested by the Berkeley Police Department Tuesday for sexually assaulting women passengers in his car in January 2008 and April 2010.
According to his victims, 29-year-old Ali Al Obadi of Oakland asked them to sit with him in the front seat, following which he proceeded to forcibly hold their hands and grope their breasts.
City Council Turns Down Appeal on Mitch Kapor's Home
The Berkeley City Council turned down an appeal on software mogul Mitch Kapor's house on Rose Street at Tuesday's City Council meeting, upholding the Zoning Adjustments Board's unanimous approval of the project.
The 10,000 square foot house with a 10-car garage project made the Home & Garden section of the New York Times last month, with its opponents arguing that the proposed building was too big to be called green.
The proposed project will demolish an existing two-story 2,477-square-foot residence with three detached garages.
The Kapors told the zoning board that they had decided to move from San Francisco to Berkeley to be near the UC Berkeley campus, where Mitch Kapor is an adjunct professor at the School of Information and his wife runs the IDEAL Scholars Fund serving minority students.
More accounts of the meeting can be found in the Daily Cal and the Bay Area News Group papers.
The full meeting can be watched on the City of Berkeley's web site.
Three Firms to Submit Proposals for New BAM/PFA Design
The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive picked three architecture firms from a list of 10 to design the new museum and film archive at the site of the former UC printing plant at 2120 Oxford St.
The three firms chosen are Ann Beha Architects of Boston, Diller Scofidio + Renfro of New York and Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects of New York, the architectural firm for UC Berkeley's C.V. Starr East Asian Library.
BAM/PFA's Board of Trustees is expected to chose the finalist from among the three in June.
The museum is scheduled for opening in 2014.
UC Task Force Debates Sports Funding
The $13.7 million cost of UC Berkeley athletics was hotly discussed at a campus forum.
Becky O'Malley contributed to this article.


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Well, by the end of July, all my deciduous fruit trees and shrubs are in, including blueberries, currants, jostaberries and bramblefruit. It's been a mad scramble to finish before budswell… but it's done! Good soil preparation is vital not least because the new area, unlike my old garden, has never been improved. On the other hand, it's never been cultivated either; it's housed horses for many years, and has had plenty of tree cover, so the topsoil is deep and of reasonable quality. And of course, most of the rocks are now in the retaining walls!
Soil pH is a neutral-ish 6 – 6.5 (bottom left on the test plate), with the orange clay subsoil, about 35cm below the surface (top right on the test plate) very acidic at 4.5-5. Other areas, such as the site of the old chicken coop with two decades of composted scraps and wood ash (top left) and the site where much rubbish has been burned (bottom right) are neutral-slightly alkaline.
The pH scale is logarithmic not linear, so 5-6 increases by a factor of ten, 5-7 a factor of 100, 5-8 a factor of 1000 and so on. That's why it's easy to change pH one or two points, but difficult for more than that. It's also why gardeners in areas of the Adelaide Plains with a pH of >8 can only grow blueberries and other acid-lovers in containers. Iron is held more tightly within alkaline soils, so native plants that aren't adapted to these conditions get lime-induced chlorosis – a yellowing of the leaves caused by a lack of iron. A friend in Seaford had numerous native casualties, but the evidence – subsoil pH 8.5 to 9 – explained the problem!
But happily, no such problem in my garden! That neutral topsoil, plus the terracing which increases soil depth still further, means I can easily raise pH with lime for vegies or trees like persimmon, while keeping it low for acid-lovers like blueberries.
About a week before planting, at least a kilo per square metre of gypsum is forked through every hole and bed and watered in if rain isn't imminent. Gypsum doesn't change pH but causes the tiny clay particles to clump together, so the soil becomes better aerated and drained while still retaining the wonderful fertility potential offered by the huge surface area of clay particles.
For deciduous trees, I also add a large bucket of compost from the old garden to the planting area. I also dug through a block of wetted/shredded coir peat to each blueberry planting site. Blueberries prefer very acid soil, so I didn't plant them in a raised area. Instead, I forked deep and incorporated just a little of the subsoil into the compost and peat. If I had to buy compost, I'd use a commercial mix other than mushroom, because the latter is so alkaline – indeed, I'm amazed that so many Plains gardeners use it.
Bramble fruit are adapted to a deep, composted soil below European deciduous trees, so I dug through two buckets of compost per cane – at least sixteen large buckets in the four or five metre long bed. I was also meticulous about removing perennial weeds. Really I should have waited another year to be sure they were all gone because it's almost impossible to control weeds in established bramblefruit beds… but I couldn't resist.
The roots of deciduous fruit trees transplanted from the old garden are a wide, shallow bowl shape whereas new bare-rooted ones are more compact, but planting is the same for both… other than the size of the hole I need to dig! I add NO fertiliser to the hole at planting time as it can burn developing roots; instead I'll fertilise mid-late August when top growth begins.
After planting, I firm the soil with my boots all around the trunk so the tree is secure, then mulch – usually with pea straw, but pine needles for the blueberries, and oak and elm leaves for bramblefruit.
Only after I've mulched do I water, to reduce the chance of soil-borne pathogens splashing onto the trunk or freshly-pruned branches. And then no more water until trees start actively growing and natural rainfall stops, usually in late spring.
Small deciduous trees tend to disappear into the landscape, so I can't wait to see them all leafy in a month or two! Happy days!


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Friedrich Hegar
December 14, 2007
Friedrich Hegar was born in Basel, Switzerland on October 11th 1841, and died in Zürich on June 2nd 1927. He was a pupil (1857-60) of Hauptmann, Richter, Rietz, David, and Plaidy, at the Leipzig Conservatory. In 1860, Hegar was leader of the Bilse Orchestra in Warsaw, Poland; he lived a while in Paris and London, then in 1861 became music director in Gebweiler, Alsatia. In 1863 Hegar settled in Zurich, where he was active as conductor, and founded the Tonhalle-Orchester. In 1875 he founded a Conservatory ("Musikschule") at Zurich; among its famous alumni were Frau Herzog-Welti, of the Berlin Court Opera, and Willy Rehberg. Hegar's works include opus 1, three piano-forte pieces; opus 2, "Hymne an die Musik," for chorus and orchestra; opus 3, violin concerto in D; opus 4, "Morgen in Walde," for male chorus; opus 5, "Das Abendmahl," for male chorus; opus 7, four songs; opus 8, three songs for male chorus; opus 9, "Die Beiden Sarge," for male chorus; opus 10, three songs; opus 11, "In den Alpen," for male chorus, opus 13, "Waldlied," for male chorus; opus 14, Waltz for violin with piano-forte; opus 15, "Rudolf von Werdenberg," for male chorus, opus 16, Manasse, dramatic poem for solist, choir and orchestra; opus 17, "Todtenvolk," for male chorus; opus 20, "Hymne an den Gesang," for male chorus; opus 22, "Weihedes Liedes," for male choir; opus 24, "Die Trompete von Gravelotte," for male choir; and many others.


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It's been quite a while since I've posted on the blog. Life seems to have a way of getting unbelievably busy lately. There's been lots of work in film again, so that's been keeping me out of the house a lot more. Good for the bank account, not so good for the level design work! Most of the work is for TV Series/Pilots, so the wages aren't what they are for Feature Films, but so be it. They're saying that there will be fairly solid work through to next Spring. At that point, the actors, writers and directors will all go to the bargaining table with the producers at the same time, and the general thinking is that there will be some fairly significant labour stoppages. We'll see, i suppose. In the meantime, we'll be getting a lot of work so they can bank shows/movies to see them through any strikes that may occur.
As for the WoLD Challenge, well, I lost that one quite badly, it seems. Not quite sure how that happened, but suffice it to say that's it for me and contests for the time being. I could still swear that mine was the only one that actually worked properly... In any case, it's time to set aside such things and get down to work on a proper campaign. The screenshots from my My 16th post are all outdated. None of that will be used in this new campaign. The team is currently myself and MikeTheBodacious, and we've come quite a long way with the first map. It's coming along really well, although we're still unsure as to whether the campaign will end up being 3 maps or 5. The first map is fairly long, but instead of doing 2 more longish maps with the finale at the end of the thrid, we may do 3 additional shorter maps, with a fifth that would be mainly finale. That remains to be seen. In any case, I'm going to start doing more of a development diary for this campaign. I imagine that I'll use this blog for that purpose, instead of one of the mapping site forums, at least for now. So, I'll get some screens together soon and post them here. Not sure when I'll actually get to this because of all the IATSE work, but I'll be trying to update a lot more as the work progresses.
Friday, July 23, 2010
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Sandhills Women's Care Has New Location in Northeast Columbia
Sandhills Women's Care has moved into a new location in Northeast Columbia at 233 Longtown Road. The spacious, 15,000-sq-ft office has 14 exam rooms, a procedure room, two ultrasound suites and two labs. Patients also have access to two new services – 3-D mammography and DEXA scans.
3-D mammography, also known as digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), is recommended for women who are having their first screening mammogram or those who have dense breast tissue. The Sandhills Women's Care office in Northeast Columbia is the second location in Lexington Medical Center's network of care to offer this state-of-the-art technology. DEXA scans use X-rays to show the strength of bones. In general, the denser the bone, the stronger it is, and the less likely it is to break or fracture. The practice also offers 3D/4D ultrasounds.
The providers at Sandhills Women's Care are Douglas M. Addy, MD; Jully A.F. Aguirre, MD; Thomas C. Austin, MD; Crystal Y. Johnson, MD; and Jennifer B. Linfert, MD. Dr. Aguirre and Dr. Linfert joined the practice recently.
"We are extremely excited to not only have this beautiful new facility, but to continue welcoming Dr. Jully Aguirre and Dr. Jennifer Linfert into our practice. We think the ability to do mammograms and bone density scans will be an enormous benefit and convenience to any patient who lives in Northeast Columbia," said Dr. Addy.
The new Northeast Columbia location of Sandhills Women's Care provides patients with quality services close to their homes or jobs. And the practice is large enough to continue to meet the health care needs of the community as it grows. With five board-certified physicians, Sandhills Women's Care offers patients of all ages a full range of obstetric and gynecologic services — from routine well care to specialized diagnostics.
Northeast Columbia location
233 Longtown Road
Columbia, SC 29229
(803) 788-0268
West Columbia location
Lexington Medical Park 1
2728 Sunset Boulevard
Suite 202
West Columbia, SC 29169
(803) 936 – 7099
Sandhills Women's Care is accepting new patients.
Visit SandhillsWomensCare.com.


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Handmade bracelets by Blessed Hope Nepal women. Each bracelet is woven with small beads at home and then brought back to the office once a week. Each bracelet represents employment, economic stability, education, and a better future for her family.
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July 20, 2013
All sorts of things going on
Hi, all. I just want to provide a quick update. I've been working on my memoir, Freedom from Fat, and editing my other memoir, Chronicles of a Troubled Girl. Both are far along but still have a bit to go. The first draft of Freedom from Fat is not complete yet. It's currently up to 46,000 words, but until I've reached my weight loss goals, I'll still be working on it, because it chronicles my weight loss journey. I'm anticipating that I'll be done with the first draft within one year. But sooner would be great, in more ways than one!
I'm currently on page 59 out of 230 in the editing/proofreading stage of Chronicles of a Troubled Girl, so I'm just about 1/4 through it. I only plan on doing one round of editing, since it is a compilation of journal entries and I want them to be as close to the original writing as possible. The entire memoir is 71,000 words.
Besides working on my books, I also have a freelance career during the week, and I focus on my health and fitness every day. I spend part-time hours working on all three aspects of my life. I like the variety, and they're all important to me, so I have to manage my time to include them all in my life. I truly love writing books and connecting with my readers, working with my clients to help them with their publishing goals, and working out and eating healthy to have a healthy balance in my life. My weekends are spent relaxing, having fun, and doing housework. It's quite challenging trying to fit everything in, but it's the best way to live.
I have some book reviews I'll be posting this week. One is How to Write an Essay, and the other is Wake up Successful – How to Increase your Energy and Achieve any Goal with a Morning Routine. Both are excellent nonfiction books that I'm looking forward to sharing with you.
So tell me how your life is going. What do you do for a career? What are your favorite things to do? What is your passion? I'd love to learn more about you. And let me know if you need help with writing or publishing, or if you'd like to be interviewed on my blog.
Above all, have a wondrous rest of your weekend!
July 31, 2012
The Month of July
Recap time! July was an excellent month for me, especially with working on my manuscripts. I edited a whole book (Freelance Writing Guide), wrote 15,800 words in Chronicles of a Troubled Girl, and wrote 2,700 words in Freedom from Fat. On top of that, I published 22 blog posts (between my two blogs), was interviewed by a book cover designer, edited two of my colleague's articles, published five book reviews, participated in a Goodreads Giveaway and mailed out two copies of My Not-So-Ordinary Life to two winners, read four books, and contributed to a writer's blog post. I also got my very own, really nice office chair after working hard as a writer for over 14 months. I still felt – and feel – privileged to have this chair.
August is going to be really busy, I can already tell, because I plan to do the final edit of Freelance Writing Guide and publish it, which also means that I'll be sending out copies to my blog tour participants. Organizing a blog tour is like communicating with 20+ colleagues through email – it's quite fun and keeps me busy! I will also be reading and reviewing three books, and posting to my blogs to keep you all updated :), as well as my other daily duties.
I hope you will all have a good month and stick around to see what's happening next!
July 16, 2012
Editing "Freelance Writing Guide"
I am currently in the editing stages of Freelance Writing Guide: What to Expect in Your First Year as a Freelance Writer. I have to admit that the manuscript is coming along nicely, as far as what I can see as I'm editing. It is pretty structurally sound and well-written. It mostly needs edits in grammar, formatting, and sentence structure. I'm glad I put in a little extra time when I wrote the first draft to make it less of a rough draft, because now the subsequent drafts are easier. I'm up to chapter 13 out of 22, so I'm more than halfway through the second draft (or first revision, as I like to call it). I've been editing at a rate of 2-3 chapters at a time, which takes me 1-2 hours.
My initial plan was to have the book published in September, but it could happen in August by the way things look right now. I need to set the book aside for a couple of weeks between edits. I can't wait to have it complete so that I can work more intensively on Chronicles of a Troubled Girl to get that one wrapped up as well. I just don't like loose ends laying around. I'm currently working on Freedom from Fat as well, which is an ongoing project, since I am working on accomplishing the feat I am writing about. Once I reach my weight loss goals, I will be ready to edit and publish that book. It will probably be in 2013.
I am reading a lot every day. I am currently reading Hell by John Prescott. I am enjoying that book, which is book 2 in a trilogy (Pray was book 1). I have stopped taking on new books to review, as I have a large pile already and want to get near the bottom before I take on any more. I am booked up through October, and like I said before, I don't like loose ends.
Well, that's about it. Things are going smoothly and I'm happy about that. To hear more frequent updates on my progress, "like" my Facebook page: Christine Rice ~ Freelance Writer and Author.
July 1, 2012
A Busy Month – June 2012
Since the beginning of the year, June was my busiest month. I went through a couple of months where my activity declined, but now it is in top speed. I've been reviewing books and networking a lot, but I've also been working on my manuscripts a lot too. And don't forget about blog posts! This is what I accomplished last month:
- Published 16 blog posts (between two blogs).
- Published 10 book reviews.
- Edited twice for a colleague.
- Sold some books.
- Completed the first draft of Freelance Writing Guide.
- Unburied Freedom from Fat from 2010.
- Wrote a total of 40,600 words in three manuscripts.
I am doing it all for my readers and for my pure enjoyment of writing. I hope you each find your passion and follow where it leads. Mine leads to happiness :)
June 19, 2012
"Freedom From Fat"
Since I'm very close to finishing Freelance Writing Guide, I thought about the next manuscript I will start working on. I decided that my next book will be on eating right and exercising. Then I remembered an old manuscript from 2010 about my weight loss journey while following a low-carb diet and exercising. I decided to bring it back to life, so last night I updated it. Freedom from Fat is the working title. It is a compilation of journal entries, and blog posts from my health blog, that are tied to my weight loss journey. Last night, I added many more journal entries, plus most of the blog posts from my health blog, which brought the word count from 7,000 to 24,000. I now have a sizable manuscript to work with, which feels great! I'm just so happy I saved that document, even when I fell off the wagon with my weight loss program. I still continued to blog about health at least once a month. The time frame of the entries is from 5/2010-present. I will be done with the first draft when I have lost all the weight I want to lose. So in about one year, I will likely be done. That's not too long of a time to wait!


text:
Received a Suspicious Email from Blizzard (Phishing)
Common Problems
- Received an email which threatened to close my account if I didn't respond
- Received an email saying that I won a Spectral Tiger
- Received an email saying I tried to sell my account
Phishing scams can take many forms—fake websites, suspicious emails, and threatening in-game whispers are the most common types.
Follow the steps on our Account and Computer Security page to make sure your account is secure. You should also consider attaching a Blizzard Authenticator and signing up for Blizzard Phone Notifications for added layers of security.
If your account has been hacked, submit a ticket and secure the account as soon as possible.
Suspicious Emails
Phishing emails may appear as promotions that give you something for free (when you log in and "claim" the item) or threaten account suspension (which you prevent by logging in and "confirming" some account information). These emails may have simple mistakes that someone writing professionally wouldn't make, so check for bad grammar and spelling.
Do not reply to emails that ask for your account information. We only need to confirm account details through email if you're talking to a Game Master about a ticket.
Official Blizzard Entertainment emails come from domains: @blizzard.com, @email.blizzard.com, @em.blizzard.com, @gear.blizzard.com, @overwatchleague.com, or @battle.net. If you get an email from a different domain, you should be cautious. Even if an email appears to come from an official domain it still might be fake. You can check the email's headers to see where it actually came from.
If you receive a phishing email, please forward it to firstname.lastname@example.com. Copy and paste the entire email header into the message body so we can identify its source.
Fake Websites
Don't trust a site based on how it looks—scammers make fake websites that look official. Our websites are hosted on two major domains: blizzard.com and battle.net. If you're asked to log in to a site that isn't on either of these domains, do not continue. Logging in to a fake website with your Blizzard account information will jeopardize your account's security.
If you're not sure if a site is legit, check PhishTank to see if it's been reported as a scam


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It's sneak peek time!!!
We hope you are ready for some peeks from the awesome new release!!
This release is FILLED with fun designs from both artists Dustin Pike and Laurie Furnell.
In fact, there are OVER 100 images in this release!! Wow!
If you need a break from your Holiday cards, then we have the release for you!!
There are so many great images for Valentine's Day, Easter, and fun Spring cards!!
Plus there are also some image for the winter season - which can even be used to finish off your Christmas cards!!
We will be back again tomorrow with another day of sneak peeks (along with our new challenge),
then on Wednesday at 12:01EST/5:01GMT, there will be a blog hop to celebrate the release!
There's still chance to help spread the word of our blog hop for a change to win some free stamps! You can find out information on that here.
Now go check out the awesome DT peeks...
Make sure to come back tomorrow for more peeks and the new challenge!!


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The Official 'Star Trek' 50th Anniversary Jewelry Collection
RockLove has created an official line of Star Trek jewelry to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek. The collection features sterling silver throughout, with some containing affordable gemstones like topaz, cubic zirconia and garnet.
I'm digging the Kol-ut-shan in Vulcan Script necklace in particular. It's definitely a unique piece.
Check out more pieces from the collection below.
The Star Trek 50th Anniversary Jewelry Collection is currently available at RockLove for prices ranging from $95-$139. The collection will also go on sale starting July 25th through ThinkGeek and StarTrek.com.
(via Nerdist)
via FashionablyGeek http://ift.tt/oFcpR3
July 22, 2016 at 03:01AM


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Going-to-the-Sun Road -- Montana
Going-to-the-Sun Road is a 52-mile (84-kilometer) road that bisects Glacier National Park in Montana. The drive is about two hours long if you drive without stopping. It actually crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, which is 6,646 feet (2,025 meters) high.
The road passes through just about every landscape in the park -- glacial lakes and valleys, alpine tundra and cedar forests. You can see actual glaciers from the road, at Jackson Glacier Overlook. Because the road was specially built to traverse the park, it's well-populated with places to pull over and admire the view. Dedicated in 1933, officials named the road after a local mountain. It's also a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
Going-to-the-Sun Road is open from June through early fall. In the winter, the area receives too much snow for the road to be passable. Park personnel spend early spring focusing on snow removal. Summer is the best time to visit Glacier National Park and drive the entire road.


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Native Social Authentication
Lock by default handles all social authentication with Safari (Web Login), but you can enable native login for some social connections. Currently we only provide integration with Facebook, Google & Twitter that can be included like this in your
pod 'Lock-Facebook'
pod 'Lock-Twitter'
pod 'Lock-Google'
Lock uses Facebook iOS SDK to obtain user's Access Token so you'll need to configure it using your Facebook App info:
First, add the following entries to the
- FacebookAppID:
- FacebookDisplayName:
Then register a custom URL Type with the format
fb<FacebookAppID>. For more information please check Facebook Getting Started Guide.
Here's an example of how the entries should look like in your
Info.plist file:
Finally, you need to register
A0FacebookAuthenticator with your instance of
A0Lock *lock = ...//Get your Lock instance
A0FacebookAuthenticator *facebook = [A0FacebookAuthenticator newAuthenticationWithDefaultPermissions];
[lock registerAuthenticators:@[facebook]];
Twitter authentication is done using Reverse Auth in order to obtain a valid Access Token that can be sent to Auth0 Server and validate the user. By default we use iOS Twitter Integration but we support OAuth Web Flow (with Safari) as a fallback mechanism in case a user has no accounts configured in his/her Apple Device.
To support Twitter authentication you need to register
A0TwitterAuthenticator with your instance of
A0Lock *lock = ...//Get your Lock instance
NSString *twitterApiKey = ... //Remember to obfuscate your api key
NSString *twitterApiSecret = ... //Remember to obfuscate your api secret
A0TwitterAuthenticator *twitter = [A0TwitterAuthenticator newAuthenticatorWithKey:twitterApiKey andSecret:twitterApiSecret];
[lock registerAuthenticators:@[twitter]];
We need your twitter app's key & secret in order to sign the reverse auth request. For more info please read the Twitter documentation related to Authorizing Requests and Reverse Auth.
Google authentication uses Google Sign-In iOS library, so you'll need to register your iOS application in Google Developer Console and get your clientId.
We recommend following this wizard instead and download the file
GoogleServices-Info.plist that is generated at the end.
Then add that file to your application's target and the last step is to register two custom URL for your application.
The first URL should have a scheme equal to your application Bundle Identifier, the other one should be your Google clientId reversed, so if your clientID is
CLIENTID.apps.googleusercontent.com the scheme will be
And finally with your Mobile clientID from Google, go to Social Connections, select Google and add the clientID to the field named
Allowed Mobile Client IDs


text:
It happened to me again...
while trying to set up a shot of this wood fleur de lis for a post...
I see one of my shabby white boxes
and a few tintypes stacked together,
out of the corner of my eye.
I just knew some of the tintypes would fit inside the box sections, like a frame.
Although some did not fit, a photo opportunity was there.
It's the way my life is,
heading one direction one minute
and a completely other direction
the next second.
So much for my planned shots.
It's all good though.
I think I'll keep my tintype shabby box.
At the end of the day, I'm truly happy.
Enjoy the rest of this week
and I will see you all on Friday!


text:
By Paul Goodman
Follow Paul on Twitter
As the Olympics prepare to begin, and as Fleet Street shifts instantaneously from uniform criticism to uniform praise, let's pause for a moment and consider Boris Johnson, London's Mayor, in the light both of his history to date and his speech yesterday at the Olympic clock countdown (if "speech" is the right word for what might better be described as a brief rant).
On one level, this is a man who was sacked by the Times for inventing a quote, dismissed by Michael Howard from the Conservative front bench after not telling the truth about his private life, kept at arms' length by David Cameron and only taken up by the Cameron/Osborne duopoly as the Tory Mayoral candidate after other candidates had turned them down. In short, he was disparaged by the political establishment as a clown even after he left full-time journalism and entered Parliament.
But just look at him above, cheered maniacally by a seething crowd. No other politician in Britain would have won anything close to such a reception; many of them would have booed offstage. I have written before about Boris on this site at length, but his appeal can be summed up in five words: authenticity, and zest for life. The authenticity is unusual, but not unique: Anne Widdecombe, John Prescott and Nadine Dorries have it. What is unique to him is that particular zest for life – his aversion to pessimism in all its forms.
The deep-rooted causes of it have provided endless copy for commentators, psychologists and biographers – I've also compared Boris to Churchill, and he has more than a touch of the latter's "Black Dog" – but it is real and unquenchable and has appeal to the non-voting classes. I'm not saying that this is illimitable (it would be interesting to see how he polls with voters outside the south-east, and with women voters in general) or that he will be party leader or Prime Minister (because it's impossible to know what will happen).
But his sunshine is a relief at a time of economic gloom, and his gathering of political weight is no illusion. It was no mean achievement for him to be re-elected as Mayor, even given the weakness of his opponent: for a Conservative of any kind to have won in this year's conditions was astonishing. And he is not going away, as Messrs Osborne and Cameron know well.
How they must fear his sense of timing. The attack on Mitt Romney isn't so much for the crowd as for the news. Like the volte-face of the media, it was unfair, but it was also politically faultless. It gave an additional dimension and projection to the banalties that are indispensible for such a speech. And it was fleshed out by that zest for life that Boris brings to almost everything he does.


text:
Mateusz Dymczyk is a Tokyo-based software engineer at H2O.ai, the company behind H2O, the leading open source machine learning platform for smarter applications and data products. He works on distributed machine learning projects including the core H2O platform and Sparkling Water, which integrates H2O and Apache Spark. Previously, he worked at Fujitsu Laboratories on natural language processing and utilization of machine learning techniques for investments and at Infoscience on a highly distributed log data collection and analysis platform. Mateusz loves all things distributed and machine learning and hates buzzwords. In his spare time, he participates in the IT community by organizing, attending, and speaking at conferences and meetups. Mateusz holds an MSc in computer science from AGH UST in Krakow.
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text:
2 vie for medical marijuana backing in Norwich
NORWICH, Conn. (AP) -- Two developers are competing for state approval to build a medical marijuana production plant in Norwich.
Nascent Sciences in Bloomfield and David Kimmel of Montebello, N.Y., have applied for one of several production licenses expected to be approved by state regulators in the next few months.
Mayor Peter Nystrom says he's received four proposals for production facilities and two are moving forward in the application process.
The mayor says such an operation could bring more than $1 million in revenue in utility sales. The city owns Norwich Public Utilities.
Statewide, 21 applications for Connecticut's dispensary license and 16 applications for the producers' license have been submitted to the Department of Consumer Protection as of Friday.
The producers will be allowed only to cultivate and manufacture products containing marijuana, selling them for wholesale purposes.


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Congratulations! You have started an amazing journey towards a stronger, healthier, fitter YOU! I want you to know that I am here to guide, motivate and encourage you every step of the way!
I have encouraged, motivated and assisted hundreds of women along with their beautiful journey. Here are some common questions and solutions.
Should you not find the solution to your answer here feel free to contact me by filling out the form below.
Good Luck and remember to always consult with your healthcare practitioner before starting any new exercise plan.
Q: Hi Carla, I bought small pink weights to train with. I would like to get rid of the fat under my arms. I do not want to look like a bodybuilder though. How should I go about with the exercise routine?
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert Make sure that you can comfortably do 15 repetitions with your weights while using some effort. If you can do more than 15 then the weight is too light if you can only do less then it's too heavy. Women can't build big muscular arms because we don't have high levels of testosterone which is a male hormone. IF you are doing 3 sets of 15-20 you will only build a lean toned body. You can follow this awesome home workout and use your
Q: Carla hi!How much do I need to jog in a week to shed some weight!
A: You need to jog/exercise for at least 45-60minutes 5-6xweek. Enjoy!
Q: Hi Carla, is doing house chores an adequate workout when you can get time 2 exercise?and sometimes walk around town during lunch at work 4 30min is it ok
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert- If you are doing house chores for 45-60minutes 5-6xweek and using effort then that's great! Try brisk walking or jogging for 30minutes. If not, try following this quick exercise plan that can be broken down. Enjoy!
Q: Hi carla…is brisk walking 3-4 times a week for 30min enough to lose weight?
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert- You need to exercise for 5-6xweek for 45-60minutes in order to lose weight. Brisk walking is fine until you are fit enough to add in jogging.
Q: Hi Carla. Tell me what exercise really helps for my tummy. I run walk all kind of stuff my tummy just doesn't get flat. Thanks, for all your advice.
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert – Running is great. Try jogging/ running for at least 45-60minutes 5-6xweek. It takes at least 6-8weeks to start seeing some changes. Remember to follow a very healthy diet.
Q: Hi Carla weightlifting in combination with skipping rope can it give me effective result in losing weight?
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert – Definitely! Make sure that you are skipping at least 45-60minutes 5-6xweek and weight training 3xweek. Or combine the two and do 3minutes of skipping in between exercises.
Q: Hi Carla Smith – Fitness Expert, I go to gym 3 times a week, I run for 30mins and do exercise in the class for 1 hour, is that enough, for losing weight or its just for being fit, I want to lose my tummy, I can see the results but not 100% feeling great , please advise !!
A: What you are currently doing is to stay fit and maintain your weight. To lose weight you need to do cardio 5-6xweek for 45-60minutes.
Q: Hi Carla, I've been doing sit-ups 4 the past 3 weeks to burn belly fat but I don't see any change, so. which exercise is best between sit-ups, skipping rope and jogging?
A: The best exercise to lose belly fat is cardio. That means jogging/skipping/running/dancing/aerobics 5-6xweek for 45-60minutes. Sit-ups are great for toning but you have to do cardio to lose the fat.
Q: Hi Carla, please tell me the best exercise for flabby upper arms.
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert Try this workout and tone those legs too. Enjoy!
Start in a standing position, with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing inwards.
Take one big step forward with your right leg, then lower your back knee and lean forward so that your knee is at a 90 degree angle. Be careful that your knee does not extend past your foot.
Keep your abs tight and back straight while pushing your weight into the centre.
Stay in this position, keeping your dumbbells in line with your waist and close to your sides.
Push your arms back, keeping them straight, as you straighten your legs slightly.
And bring your arms to the front (to 90 degrees) as you bend down and slightly forward on your knees.
Q: Hi Carla, please can you let me know what exercise is best for building up muscle in your tummy area.
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert – It's first very important that you lose the belly fat. Remember to do cardio exercises 5-6xweek for 45-60minutes. You can also follow this exercise 3xweek. Enjoy!
3 sets of 15–20
Step 1: Lie on your back with your knees bent, your feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell with both hands, keeping your arms straight and on top of your body.
Step 2: Suck in your navel towards your spine and keep your chin on your chest.
Step 3: Use your abdominal muscles to gently lift your shoulders off the floor, at the same time rolling the weight up to your knees.
Step 4: Slowly lower back down and repeat.
Q: Hi Carla, I'm looking for easy sit at your desk type of exercises to slim my inner thighs and slim my upper arm, please.
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert – Place a tennis ball or a book between your knees and squeeze. Place water bottles filled with sand/water in both hands, palms facing upwards and curl up towards your shoulders. Repeat 3 sets of 15 for both. Enjoy!
Q: Hi Carla, I do such a lot of walking, I seem to get fit but it does not look like I am losing weight. I am so depressed, don't even wanna look at the scale.
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert- You need to exercise with more effort to lose weight. Try brisk walking/jogging/cycling/running/swimming/stepping/dancing/aerobics at least 45-60minutes 5-6xweek. Good Luck!
Q: Hi Carla. I want to know why do some people lose weight without exercising or dieting but others have to work hard to lose weight?
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert – It depends on your age, hormonal levels, metabolism fast or slow and our genetic makeup.
Q: Hi Carla, thanx for all the info.Please tell me is it true that if you don't do cardio, just tummy exercises, you can't get a flat tummy?
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert – That's correct. You have to cardio exercises to lose belly fat.
Q: Hi Carla. My question is, I want to lose weight is it better to do cardio or weight training. And what supplements are good?
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert – Cardio is very important to lose body fat and weight training is important to build lean muscle to increase your metabolism and get toned.
Q: Hi Carla. I know some people who exercise everyday. And it's not just a few minutes a day, it's a proper workout everyday. I was just wondering of it is possible to do too much of exercise? Do you need to give your body a break every now and then?
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert – Yes, it's very important that you rest between exercise days. It is fine to exercise everyday but workout different muscle groups on different days.
Q: Hi Carla. when would be the best time to exercise – early mornings or late afternoons?
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert – In the morning is great because it will increase your energy levels for the day.
Q: Hi Carla, thank you for my email. i just wanted to know what HIIT training is? Is is better than normal cardio? sounds good, but i dont get quite get it? thank you
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert- It's a pleasure. HIIT training is high intensity interval training. It burns fat faster in less time. You would start an exercise say running for a total of 25-30minutes. First 3minutes you would walk at an intensity of 4-5/10 very light then run for 30-60seconds for a very high intensity of 8-9/10 then back to 3minutes of light 4-5/10 effort. You would repeat this cycle for the duration of the 25-30minutes. It's very intense so I don't recommend it for beginners.
Q: Hey Carla what is the best time to go for a jog and what can i do to stay motivated to workout coz i do for a week and then the next I start lacking. do u thnk it is a good idea to get a gym buddy so u can motivate each other?
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert- Mornings are great! You are more likely to stick to it. Listen to music while jogging or get a friend to join you.
Q: Hi Carla, I wanted to find out if you've ever used the Vibro Shape Slimming Belt for tummy toning and if it works???
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert – Unfortunately it will not decrease your tummy fat or tighten and tone your tummy. Lots of cardio, following a healthy diet and following the tummy exercises tat I posted will.
Q: Hello Carla! I do take a 30mins walk daily but i have these Stubborn Fat(Love Handles) that is hard to Melt. What to do?
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert Hi Thulisile TheGeneral Kilani. You need to do more. Try jogging/brisk walking for at least 45-60minutes 5-6xweek. You can also do this exercise 4xweek. Enjoy!
Lie on your back, your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
Suck your navel in towards your spine and tighten your glutes throughout the exercise.
Cross one leg over the other at 90 degrees. Put your left hand against your ear, elbow bent.
Suck your navel in towards your spine and curl up, bringing your left elbow up to touch your right knee. Hold for 2 seconds.
Lower yourself back down to the starting position. Now start with your right elbow touching your left knee. Keep alternating.
Q: What are the exercises you suggest to tone legs and the tummy?
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert – Try these exercises 3-4xweek.
TARGET: Outer thighs
OUTER THIGH CIRCLES: 3 sets of 15–20
Step 1: Lie on your side with one leg stacked on top of the other, resting your head up on your hand.
Step 2: Slowly lift your top leg as high as you can, then slowly lower it half-way and do one mini circle.
Step 3: Lower your leg back to the starting position.
TARGET: Inner thighs
PiIé SQUATS :3 sets of 15–20
Step 1: Stand with your legs wider than hip-width apart, holding one dumbbell between your two hands with palms facing upwards.
Step 2: Push your hips back while keeping your abs tight throughout the exercise.
Step 3: Squat down and slowly pulse up and down for 3 seconds.
Step 4: Slowly come back up into the starting position, tensing your legs on the way up.
TARGET: Bottom
DONKEY KICKS: 3 sets of 20
Step 1: Start on all fours with your elbows on the mat and your tummy tight.
Step 2: Slowly kick your leg up, fully extending your leg and lifting it as high as you can.
Step 3: Slowly lower your leg until your knee is just above the ground and kick it back up again.
TARGET: Tummy
CURL-UPS WITH WEIGHTS:3 sets of 15–20
Step 1: Lie on your back with your knees bent, your feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell with both hands, keeping your arms straight and on top of your body.
Step 2: Suck in your navel towards your spine and keep your chin on your chest.
Step 3: Use your abdominal muscles to gently lift your shoulders off the floor, at the same time rolling the weight up your knees.
Step 4: Slowly lower back down and repeat.
Q: Hi Carla. Please tell me what exercise can target the lower ab area. Sit up's don't really affect that stubborn fatty area.
A: Carla Smith – Fitness Expert – Only cardio exercises will decrease the stubborn fat on your tummy. Try jogging/cycling/running/swimming/stepping/dancing / aerobics at least 45-60minutes 5-6xweek. You can also try this exercise to firm your tummy. Good Luck!
Lie on your back, your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Cross your feet one over the other.
Take a deep breath in while lifting your legs towards your chest.
At the same time lift your hips off the ground by using your lower ab muscles.
Breathe out as you lower your legs back down to just above the floor, keeping your knees bent.


text:
Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.
8 Sep
Out for a quick lunch today and Andy's on the Bay was the place to be.
Two small orders of roasted pork, rice and beans and a drink for $16. The pork is so juicy and tender and the rice and beans are just delectable. You never leave this place hungry. They're only open weekdays for lunch and there's usually a crowd.
Andy's on the Bay
472 East Douglas
Oldsmar, FL
7 Feb
We were running a car rally today and it finished up in Masaryktown at the Cafe Masaryktown. They handled our group of 16 very well and Loren and I went for a Cuban sandwich and a Havana Club with fries.
The best part of the Cuban sandwich is the fresh roasted pork. We both ended up taking half a sandwich home because they were so big and filling. It was a lot of tasty food for $16.
Cafe Masaryktown
398 Broad St
Masaryktown, FL
18 Dec
We were down in Ruskin tonight and stopped at the Ybor Grille for dinner on the recommendation of a friend. Loren started off with a salad and I devoured some bread.
The bread came with an olive butter that Loren liked, but since I'm not an olive fan, I just stuck with the warm, crusty, tasty bread. I went for a Cuban sandwich and fries.
I liked the flavors in the sandwich and the bread was perfect, but would have preferred that it had been warmed all the way through. The meats in the middle were still cold. It was a huge sandwich and I ended up taking half of it home with me. Loren tried the Lechon.
The pork was very tender and tasty. Normally, I don't like onions on the rice and beans, but these were sauteed and added a nice flavor to them. We ended up taking half of this dish home too. For dessert, we tried the bread pudding.
Loren liked it more than I did. It was served cold, which was off putting to me, and it had a dark, almost molasses flavor to it. I just never knew there were so many variations to bread pudding. It's completely different everywhere we try it. Overall though, it was a lot of tasty food for $28.
Ybor Grille
105 E Shell Point Rd
Ruskin, FL
10 Aug
We eat at Cuban Breezes all the time, so we really like it when there's something new on the specials menu. Today we decided to try three new things, starting with the Cuban egg rolls.
These were awesome. They rolled up the makings of a Cuban sandwich inside an egg roll shell and deep fried it to a crispy goodness. The cheese was all melty inside. These made my tastebuds very happy. Loren tried the chimi pork sandwich.
He said it thought it would be more flavorful than it was, but overall it was ok. I went for the grouper Cuban.
I often get the mahi Cuban which is really good, but the grilled grouper was perfectly cooked and went well with the Cuban bread. I really enjoyed lunch today. Total bill with a drink was $26.
Cuban Breezes
13980 W. Hillsborough Ave.
Tampa, FL
11 Jan
We haven't been eating out much lately, mostly because both Loren & I caught a nasty little cold. Chicken soup, the occasional take out, and the couch were about as far as either of us wanted to go. But, now we're back among the living and had a quick lunch at Cuban Breezes.
Loren got the masitas with a side of ultimate rice and beans.
Tender and tasty as always. I went for a mahi Cuban with a side of rice & beans.
The mahi was pretty thick today which made the sandwich a little difficult to eat. It just kept wanting to fall out of the Cuban bread. Nonetheless, it was cooked perfectly and with a side of rice and beans filled me right up. Total bill with a drink was $21.
Cuban Breezes
13980 W. Hillsborough Ave.
Tampa, FL