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Time for another challenge mani. This time we had to do blue nails. Well I have blue nail polishes and I love blue, but I really didn´t know what do. Finally I decided to use put together Sinful Colors Midnight Blue and Funky Fingers Sound Check. To get these different "waves" I used my scrapbooking scissors and of course scotch tape 😀
IRL this design looked very pretty, but again I just couldn´t capture it 🙁
What I used:
– China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat
– Sinful Colors Midnight Blue
– Funky Fingers Sound Check
– Poshe Top Coat
Check also out what these lovely bloggers did for today´s challenge:
-Kimber at Kimber's Lacquer Korner
-Kat at Hooked On Polish
-Diana at Nails By Diana
-Aly at Wonderland Beauty
-Meredith at Perfectly Polished
-Nicole at The Color Republic
-Kate at The Painted Pony Nails
-Cee at Absolutely Cee
-Sam at Polished Art
-Nail Narcotics
-Nicole at Nicole Gets Nailed
-Shelby at Shelby's Swatches
-Stephanie Louise at All Things Beautiful
-Mixed Mama
-Joanna @ Sweet Polish of Mine
-Patty Greenberg
-Liz and Lisa @ Lozlosa
-Mari at Nailista
-Greta at How Was Your Day?
-Miss L at Beauty by Miss L
-Gini at Sassy Paints
-Chameleon Stampede
-Pam at Nail-E-Glance


text: Al-Qaida's Ghaith is wanted by the US Iran, which last month acknowledged it was holding senior al-Qaida figures, has said it will extradite some of them to "friendly countries." Iran's government spokesman Abd Allah Ramazanzadeh told reporters at a news conference that al-Qaida suspects would only be delivered to countries with which Iran had extradition agreements. "Since last year, identified al-Qaida suspects have been extradited to friendly countries with which we have an agreement for extraditing criminals," Ramazanzadeh said. "But we do not have such an agreement with America." New York Times The New York Times reported Saturday that the US government had approached Tehran, demanding it hand over al-Qaida suspects in Iranian custody. "We never make deals or act selectively regarding terrorism" Abd Allah Ramazanzadeh The Times said Iran responded, saying it would cooperate if the US delivered members of the ant-Iranian People's Mujahideen opposition group, currently under US control in Iraq, in return. "Iran has never asked for such a swap. We never make deals or act selectively regarding terrorism," Ramazanzadeh said. Iran is thought to have detained a number of Usama bin Ladin's key lieutenants, including Saif al-Adel, an Egyptian thought to be al-Qaida's security chief. Bin Ladin's son The New York Times also reported unidentified senior US and Middle Eastern officials as saying they believed other al-Qaida figures in Iranian custody include Sa'ad bin Ladin, one of Usama bin Ladin's older sons, and Sulayman Abu Ghaith, an al-Qaida spokesman. "Since the collapse of the Taliban government we have arrested a large number of them," Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi said on 23 July. "Many of them have been expelled but a large number of them are still in our custody - a mixture of big and small members," he added. SOURCE: Aljazeera + Agencies

subset: commoncrawl


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Bachelor / Bachelorette Party
Bachelor Party
Your best mate's wedding is just around the corner, and you - as the best man - are in charge of planning and organising a party to remember, one that becomes LEGEND.
One final bash that the groom-to-be won't forget (no matter how much he tries). Bring out those old 'Army' lines and practice your impersonations as you and your mates get 'cammo'd up' and let loose to decimate some perfectly innocent landscapes and occasionally land a round or two on each other.
The groom can either be a tough guy, the captain that you're defending – or he can be the victim. Dress your groom up in a ballerina outfit with stunning pink tutus for the day's activities. As you can imagine they find it hard to find cover in our arenas!!!
You make the rules, whatever you want we will try and accommodate in order to make your day with us as LEGEN-DARY as possible!!!
Full and half day sessions are available to suit your needs and budget.
Bachelorette Party
So many women are taking on the sport by storm ! We make sure you ladies have endless stories to talk about, talk to us for a special lady's package.


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Presenter: David Wood, ConMed Canada
Endoscope repair and the maintenance of your technological fleet presents many clinical, technical and financial challenges...many factors such as new technology, patient demographics, reprocessing and handling techniques as well as repair quality have a direct impact on the readiness of your current endoscope fleet and overall cost of maintenance. The goal of this session is to review basic rigid and flexible endoscope anatomy, most common causes for endoscope failure with the relative repair costs and discuss the steps needed for the successful implementation of a preventive endoscope quality assurance program. Small actions can make a big difference both for the end user and your budget!


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Volume 27 – Number 9
Oct 1996
Chinese Archaeological Treasures at the British Museum
Debris from the Houma Foundry
Depictions of Beauties at the Qing Court
Tongzhi Wedding Porcelain
Lamp in the shape of a figure holding snakes in the left hand
and a pole decorated with other creatures in his right
From Zhongshan kingdom tomb at Pingshan, Hebei province
Warring States period, 4th century BC
From Zhongshan kingdom tomb at Pingshan, Hebei province
Warring States period, 4th century BC
Bronze inlaid with cast silver, lacquer and black gemstone
Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Relics Bureau, Hebei province
- Features
- |
- Previews & Reviews
- |
- Interviews
- |
- News
- |
- Commentary
- |
Ronald W. Longsdorf. The Tongzhi Imperial Wedding Porcelain James Cahill. The Three Zhangs, Yangzhou Beauties, and the Manchu Court Robert Bagley. Debris from the Houma Foundry Jessica Rawson. From Ritual Vessels to Pottery Tomb Figures: Changes in Ancient Chinese Burial Practice
Angus Forsyth. Book Review: Stephen Markel ed, The World of Jade Valerie C. Doran. Exhibition Preview: 'Contemporary Art in Asia: Traditions/Tensions', Asia Society Galleries, Grey Art Gallery at New York, University and Queen's Museum of Art, New York and Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver


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Comment #1 Sunday, November 14, 2004 6:28 AM
any suggestion and/or comment is really wellcome!!!!!!!!!
Comment #3 Sunday, November 14, 2004 8:25 AM
is the first time i upload anything for the community so............abuse of my disponibility!!!!!!!!!!!
ok, my english sucks
Comment #4 Sunday, December 19, 2004 7:55 PM
Please login to comment and/or vote for this skin.
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WTF? Ducktails New Jam
Man, I'm really stuck on the fence with this Ducktails track that just came out. Matt Mondanile has added a posse of contributors for his newest record, The Flower Lane, but I'm not sure I'm sold on their collaborative appeal. This tune has Dan Lopatin who uses some hipster-approved moniker, and while I appreciate the effortless keyboard work behind the song, I just don't think it's quite as enticing as the work done on Ducktails III. I don't mind loops and such, but in his early tape days, Matt was using guitars crafting this dense pop collage–seemingly not the case. I'm not jumping off the fence entirely, but I'm approaching the January 29th release date on Domino with a little trepidation.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/69873592″ params="auto_play=false&show_artwork=false&color=ff7700″ width="100%" height="166″ iframe="true" /]


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AAMI SmartPlates
Situation. 45% of all young Australian deaths are due to road traffic accidents. In Australia, learner drivers are required to record at least 120 hours of supervised driving on a variety of road conditions using a government mandated manual logbook, in order to get their license. An old-school system which is stressful, inaccurate and doesn't add any value. Brief. AAMI, one of Australia's leading health insurance providers knew young drivers were the most at risk of injury. But when we started researching why, we discovered that the way they learn to drive hasn't changed in 50 years. We needed an innovative solution to an age-old health issue. Objectives. Making Australians healthier and safer is at the heart of everything AAMI Health Insurance stands for. We thought it was time to update how we teach our kids to drive, keep them safe and help create a safer generation of drivers.
Data gathering. AAMI Health Insurance data revealed a weakness in sales to young people. New to the world of insurance, they usually go with their parents' choice. Our data indicated young drivers are 30 times more likely to crash. AAMI SmartPlates provides a quantitative view of learner drivers' performance immediately and over time, facilitating a view of potential skill improvements and learning deficiencies and increasing safety on Australian roads. Targeting. Our target wasn't only young drivers but their parents too. Research uncovered the biggest tension is the requirement to submit the archaic logbook of driving hours to get your learner's license. An old-school system that limits learning potential. Approach. Our approach was to infiltrate driving practice time with utility. The mobile platform is the perfect choice for such utility. It protects data recording and validation, enables instantaneous review and helps identify opportunities for improvement.
• +16 million people reached. • Featured in over 100 pieces of national media. • 88% positive sentiment towards AAMI Brand. • Earned PR/Advertising value over $2million AUD • AAMI spokesperson featured in 73% of all earned media coverage • 100% of Coverage included brand mention of AAMI. • 5,193 unique downloads, 100% South Australian target achieved in first month. • +120,000 website visits in first month. • +25,000 unique downloads to date. • +4 million km's logged, tracked and recorded nationally. • Change in behavior: AAMI SmartPlates has been welcomed as a long overdue update to road safety and a catalyst for Australian Road and Traffic authorities to modernise. It has been officially endorsed by the South Australia, Queensland and Tasmanian governments, adopting our digital platform as their primary Learner Driver Safety platform and allowing young drivers to submit their AAMI SmartPlates logged hours as proof of driving experience.
The development process took 8 months with rigorous user testing (including a closed beta) and customised app adjustments to fall in line with each of the different Australian State Government and Road traffic authorities' requirements. We selected the first week of March as the ideal date to launch AAMI SmartPlates as Australian high school students returned to classes after their long summer break. In addition to our mobile platform, we supported the launch of AAMI SmartPlates with an integrated campaign including PR, digital media, digital film, YouTube, cinema, outdoor and collateral. The learner drivers' logbook is a legal requirement in Australia, so our scale is national. We launched in South Australia first, as the South Australian Government was the first to officially recognize AAMI SmartPlates as their primary digital learning platform for Learner Drivers. Queensland and Tasmania followed shortly after.
AAMI SmartPlates, a real-time drive tracker and coach that sits at the centre of a new digital learning eco-system: connecting young drivers, parents, instructors and road traffic authorities for the first time. The AAMI SmartPlates mobile app tracks every detail of every drive, so Learners can focus on the road while their practice hours, routes, road type, weather and traffic density are monitored and recorded in real-time. Captured data gets crunched into skills sets so Learners, parents and instructors can gain a complete picture of their progress, what they're mastering and what needs sharpening via a personalised learning plan. AAMI SmartPlates Coach knows why, when and where they need practice and how to motivate them, reducing the risk of accidents caused by overconfidence and inexperience. Key safety skills are taught using driving, map and road data in such an innovative way that could actually help reduce Australian road injuries.
In regards to our communications there aren't any major restrictions to mention. However, AAMI Health Insurance had to adhere with each of the different Australian State Government relevant laws and regulations concerning safe mobile phone use, road rules, and data collection.
Road injury is the second-biggest killer of young Australians. AAMI SmartPlates reinvents the way young people learn to drive by transforming their mobile phone into a real-time digital driving tracker and coach. An innovative solution to an important health issue that can make a real difference to Australian lives.
|Entrant Company: OGILVY AUSTRAILIA, Melbourne, Australia
PR Agency: OGILVY PUBLIC RELATIONS, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
CEO, David Fox, Ogilvy Australia
Head of Strategy / Managing Partner, Gavin McMillan, Ogilvy Melbourne
Managing Partner, Michael McEwan, Ogilvy Melbourne
National Head of Digital, Jason Davey, Ogilvy Australia
Head of Digital, Alistair Bruyns, Ogilvy Melbourne
Technical Director, Josh Bondy, Tim Chapman, Ogilvy Melbourne
Senior Digital Project Manager, Alex McNeilly, Ogilvy Melbourne
UX Director, Gina Hughes, Ogilvy Australia
Digital Art Director, Mark Tompkins, Ogilvy Melbourne
Senior Digital Designer, Rani Shabtai, Ogilvy Melbourne
Associate Director, Kate Aurel-Smith, Ogilvy Public Relations
Project Lead, Lauren Shepherd, SUNCORP
EGM Brand and Marketing, Kristi Woolrych, SUNCORP
Head of Brand and Marketing, Tim Hernadi, SUNCORP
EM AAMI Brand and Marketing, Michelle Martinis, AAMI
Project Manager, Alok Pandit, SUNCORP
Digital Self Service Specialist, Andrew Muir, SUNCORP
Technical Team, Albert Kalaja, Kiran Abraham, Ngoc Nguyen, Michael La, SUNCORP
Marketing Team, Jo-Anne Tierney, Claire Whish-Wilson, Catherine Bloxsom, Angela Grogan, Anthony Russell, AAMI
|戛纳国际创意节 2018
银奖 健康类
Health Services & Corporate Comms > Insurance


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Divinity: Original Sin 2 changed the way status effects work. In the first game, applying status effects are applied on a percent basis and this changed depending on the level of Bodybuilding/Willpower and primary stat. This was mostly a good system of rewarding players when they for example, have high Intelligence and are able to Freeze an enemy with a somewhat high Body Building skill. Obviously you're still at the mercy of RNG, but it worked and I mostly like it.
Now, Larian Studios have scrapped that and went for an Armour system. Deal enough damage to either the physical or magic armours and status effects are applied.
It's Either Applied or it's Not
While I don't dislike this system as a whole, I feel that there's a problem with how status effects are applied. You either get stunned or you don't. There are some skills that ignore Armour, but largely, you'll have to get through them.
If you want to CC (crowd control) a ranger, you have to get down their physical or magic armour first, which actually seems counterproductive. Why would you have to focus an enemy to CC them so you can deal with other enemies?
I feel that the percentage based chance could have been kept in the game with the Armour system. Perhaps if the lower the armour, the higher chance of applying a status effect would be a better system.
I don't think I'm alone on this as I've seen many discussions on the topic among a few forums. Divinity: Original Sin 2 is still a great game regardless!
What do you think of the Armour system in Divinity: Original Sin 2?


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Well, here it is: the much-vaunted new template I have been discussing for, like... ever.
Like I said, I get to what I can get to as I can get to it and one of those things I have got to get to in the next month or so is a new computer. These are all so old that I am constantly having to replace something, move something, etc., etc.
Don't get me wrong - if I actually sat down one day and spent the whole day putting together a single computer from all the many computers I have here, I would have a fairly good one - not top-of-the-line, by any means, but better than what I'm dealing with right now.
But, like everything else, I never seem to get around to doing it. I know I use this as an excuse all the time (which is one of the main reasons I forced myself to get this out tonight), but living alone, running so many blogs, and a website - well, you just can't get to everything you want to as soon as you'd like, if at all!
I mean, even if you skip breakfast, just have a sandwich for lunch, and order pizza for supper, by the time you do just enough straightening-up so that you can walk without falling down, mind your bills and mail, and just general everyday shit, you have very little time to get into big projects like designing web pages. And for those of you who are not familiar with the process, it is exactly as big an undertaking as you would expect; it isn't something you can easily start and pick back up later; you really have to get in there, get it all done at once, and then come back and tweak it later to fit exactly the way you want. And, of course, this is assuming that everything works right the first time (it never does).
There are a lot of different approaches to it, just like writing and drawing comics (or really anything, I guess), but if you sit around notating every, little thing you do or plan, you spend twice as much time doing that as anything else. My approach - like writing and drawing comics - is somewhat more slipshod, I suppose: I go in with a few design notes and make a few along the way, but I get right into it and set it all out, then come back later to fill-in the details.
Looking it over, I can see where it might be kind of hard to read with the background, so I may lighten it up a bit or try some other color combinations - something. But overall, I am pleased with the design and glad I got all the elements in place as I'd hoped (though it took a bit of finagling).
Let me know what you think!


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Freighter held in Duluth for possible environmental violationsNov 18, 2015 01:45 PM
M/V Cornelia and crew have been detained at anchor since Nov. 5
Courtesy Duluth News Tribune
(DULUTH, Minn.) — The U.S. Coast Guard says an oceangoing freighter that has been anchored off Duluth for nearly two weeks is being investigated for possible environmental violations, the Duluth News Tribune reported. M/V Cornelia and crew "do not pose a public safety threat. Speculation that the ship is held in port due to any safety concerns (is) false," the Coast Guard said in a statement. The 575-foot saltie is managed by the German company MST and is registered in Liberia. The Coast Guard said it will not release additional information while the investigation is underway.
Click here to read the story.Edit Module


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yehey i have a new hello kitty swimsuit, this time i was able to buy it locally at forever 21 shop in makati.
initially i was only able to buy the bikini form the shop, and when i inquired if they still have a stock they said that there is no top in the deliveries, but being a hello kitty addict i still bought the bikini because it sooo cute and it's hello kitty :) <3
anyways, it was good timing that as i was passing forever 21 shop a week after i bought the hello kitty bikini, i saw the display manequin wearing a cute bikini top and when i got closer i almost shriek with delight (well i think i shrieked hehehehe) when i saw that it is the top partner of my hello kitty. so there i've got a new hello kitty swimsuit for my travel to iloilo next week :)
check out my other hello kitty swimsuit from hot topic - http://heyokity.blogspot.com/2011/06/hello-kitty-swimsuit.html
Thursday, May 24, 2012
hello kitty x forever21 swimsuit
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
beauty from the ashes
behold the beauty born by destruction - mount pinatubo crater
who would have thought that the most destructive and largest eruption in the 20th century would create such beauty?
who would have thought that the most destructive and largest eruption in the 20th century would create such beauty?
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Contact Joan Teasdale to discover how Hypnosis can help!
Everyone is different and there is no formula for the number of hypnosis sessions needed. No two hypnosis sessions are the same. I'm happy to do hypnosis sessions in person at my New York City office, and I also have clients from all around the world join me via Skype or FaceTime from Jackson, Wyoming to Vancouver to Dubai!
introductory call
This is a free fifteen-minute phone consultation, where we meet each other in conversation, discuss your needs, and discuss the best way to proceed for you, and talk about pricing too.
introductory session
90 minutes
The required starting point for all hypnosis clients, the introductory session begins with a conversation about hypnosis, your issues and challenges, your dreams and desires. You will learn a theory of mind and an understanding of why your issue exists… and persists. In hypnosis, you will experience new thoughts and feelings normally blocked by the critical mind. Through positive suggestion, imagery and metaphor the mind accepts change allowing you to feel better …. and then better. Even this one hypnosis session will help you make enormous change in your life.
Note: This session offered only in West Village NYC office
power up
Four 60 minute hypnosis sessions
Introductory session is a prerequisite We start to build your subconscious muscles in this series of four sessions, gaining deep understandings of your subconscious motivations and giving you tools for daily reinforcement of the work we do in hypnosis. Most clients begin with this package and many book another four sessions. I find that 4-5 sessions is the tipping point. All clients really see themselves in a different light at this point.
world of images: a journey within
Seven 60 minute hypnosis sessions, and one 2 hour photo session
Introductory session is a prerequisite Our process goes even deeper. You become more self aware, more calm, clear and confident: you are eliminating blocks, recognizing excuses and accelerating change, reframing the events and emotions that have created the blocks, leaving them far behind you. Through hypnosis and imagery processing, new perspective becomes easy as you gain a clearer understanding of yourself and others. Tools for daily reinforcement become your practice. You notice yourself shifting to believing change is happening before it actualizes in your life. The inner awareness must come first. You will feel good and then…actually look healthier. Let's capture that amazing feel and look!
journey into past lives
2 hours
Introductory session is a prerequisite Curiosity could be a reason to experience a Past Life Regression, but for most it is a path of personal healing and growth. I assist you in processing memories and relating them to your present life. I do not suggest. In a deep hypnotic state the memories come from within you. It is an active, not a passive process. You participate fully in the regression as I guide you through it. You begin to see personal relationships in a new light, release fears and anxieties linked to past traumas, understand and align with your life purpose, and gain direct experience of yourself as a soul journeying toward healing and growing through time.
Note: This session offered only in West Village NYC office Book a Session
Joan Teasdale is a Consulting Hypnotist in New York City offering hypnosis for change. She's a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist in California, and a Certified Therapeutic Guided Imagery Facilitator. Also Certified in Aromatherapy Foundations from the NY Institute of Aromatherapy, Joan offers hypnosis sessions at her West Village NYC office as well as via Skype from her office in Jackson, Wyoming. Joan shares her skills at various Wellness Retreats from St Barth's to Seattle.


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A huge flock of Snow Geese lifted in the air in the distance. A flock of Canada Geese looked for food in an old corn field. Spring? It is far too early, but today's strong sunshine brought a hint of what might be. The sun lured us out of the house and into the car this afternoon. A drive through the countryside seemed like a good plan, one that is good for both of us.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: what have I done? Not a heck of a lot. I've watched the original Disney movie 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' - that made for a pleasant afternoon. We've picked up 320 lbs of meat for the dogs - it is nice knowing that we are supplied for a few months. While there we met a woman who breeds Bengal cats - slightly tempted to get a kitten but then a reality check reminds me that I don't want a cat and all the hassle that goes with it (namely litter box, scratchy nails and hair everywhere).
I feel like I am closer to being back to 'normal' (whatever that is). Although with golf on the TV I am mighty tempted to have a nap…
"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn."
~Hal Borland
"Oh, listen. Listen!' A sound like a big crowd a good way off, excited and shouting, getting closer. We stand up and scan the empty sky. Suddenly there they are (the geese), a wavering V headed directly over the hilltop, quite low, beating southward down the central flyway and talking as they pass. We stay quiet suspending our human conversation until their garulity fades and their wavering lines are invisible in the sky.
They have passed over us like an eraser over a blackboard, wiping away whatever was there before they came."
~Wallace Stegner


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18 Jan Construction Update – January 18, 2018
every hand
makes a difference
This weeks pictures from Michael show our Wednesday crew working on shed construction. Top: Barbara and Bobbi. Below: Barbara, Bobbi, Bill, Peter and Jim.
While we await permitting on the Greene Street house builds, we are building sheds to be sold through the ReStore. In addition to creating a new stream of revenue, the construction of these sheds provides an excellent training tool to develop volunteer skills needed on our house builds. If you would like to help, we will continue to work on shed construction at the warehouse this Saturday, next Wednesday and the following Saturday. On Tuesday and Thursday we will be at 904 Greene Street installing ground barriers. These are plastic barriers that surround the build site. Winter construction hours have been moved forward to 8:30 am to 12:30 pm..
The warehouse is located at 24 Burton Hill Road. On the google maps street view, you can actually see the semi-circular roof of the warehouse. Burton Hill Road is at the stop light on Hwy. 170 at Lowe's. Coming from the Habitat office, take Hwy. 21 to Hwy. 170, turn right, then, at the Stop light after Lowe's, turn left on Burton Hill Road. Pass the Burton Fire Station on the left, take the next driveway on the left, (marked for The Greenery and the mailbox is labelled #16.) The Quansett Hut ahead of you is our warehouse. IMPORTANT! If you would like to volunteer, please remember to email our Construction Manager, well ahead of time, and at least 24 hours beforehand, at firstname.lastname@example.com so that he can plan accordingly. In the event of inclement weather, Michael may need to cancel construction plans and will notify all volunteers planning to work that shift, so it is important that he knows who to contact!
Reminder: We are currently seeking experienced construction volunteers who will be able to make a regular commitment on the Greene Street House Builds, on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays. If you are interested, please contact Lee in the office on 843-522-3500 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Thank you!


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I'm not going to sugarcoat it. The Editorial and Letters to the Editor pages at the Daily Oklahoman are just fucking pathetic. It's just sad that the largest newspaper in my home state publishes such utter dribble. To me, they're rarely good for anything more than a laugh. So I figured, I might check in and see what kinds of things make them laugh…
Ten Commandments critics' claims laughable
Ha ha! Those silly people who think we should have to follow the Constitution! It's so laughable! Who needs the Constitution when we have totally non-laughable things like the Bible, which says important things like this:
But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?
Serious shit, people.
We've raised questions about the wisdom of installing a Ten Commandments monument at the Oklahoma Capitol — not because we disagree with the commandments' content, but because limited taxpayer dollars will likely be wasted on an unsuccessful legal defense.
You don't disagree with the commandments' content? Not even this one?
Exodus 20:17
King James Version (KJV)
17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
So you're totally cool with slavery and men treating their wives like property? 'Cause the author of that verse clearly is.
The U.S. Supreme Court has sent mixed signals, upholding some Decalogue monuments but ruling against others. Monuments passing court review have been components of larger, long-standing historical displays. The Oklahoma monument is a stand-alone item, likely undermining state arguments for its constitutionality.
A perfectly sensible paragraph. If only everything you wrote were like this. But the sense and rationality bus comes to a screeching halt and explodes in a ball of fiery pettiness and bad logic from here on out.
Even so, the claims of some critics are laughable. This week, New Jersey-based American Atheists Inc. and Oklahoma residents Aimee Breeze and William Poire filed a lawsuit challenging the monument. Breeze regularly travels to the Capitol during legislative sessions. As a result, the complaint claims that she's "confronted" by the Ten Commandments display, which she finds "hurtful and exclusive."
Seriously? The monument is on the north side of the Capitol. The main parking lot is on the south side. The main pedestrian entrances are on the south, east and west sides. To actually see the monument, you'd have to go looking for it. If Breeze is being "confronted" by the display, she's deliberately going out of her way to experience this allegedly "hurtful" situation.
Where the hell do you get the balls to call other people's arguments laughable when this is the putrid shit you spew?
"We put the monument on a side of the building where there are fewer people. If there are fewer people, then there are no people, and no one ever has a reason to go to it. Therefore, I get cupcakes!"
That's the best I can do to parse out the illogical dumbfuckery on display here. Hey, Daily Oklahoman, how the fuck to you know which side of the building she goes to while she's there? Were you there? Do you know her? Do you know her routine? Did you ask her? If the answer to these questions is No (and I'm sure it is), then that last sentence came directly from somewhere between Saturn and Neptune. You have abso-fucking-lutely no way of knowing what her reasons for being on the north side of the building are.
Besides, even if she did go out of her way to see it, how the fuck does that undermine her argument? Rosa Parks got on that bus deliberately looking to get kicked off when she refused to go to the back. Does that make her claim that she was discriminated against "laughable"? Whether she was deliberately looking for it or not, she was discriminated against either way. Why she was there is god damn irrelevant.
And do you seriously expect people to buy this obviously fallacious "If it's on a side of the building where fewer people go, then the complaints must be illegitimate" crap? If ANYBODY can see it then it's in a public place and such complaints have at least some legitimacy. A ten year old could see the fucking holes in your logic. I fucking dare you to try an argument like that in court. The judge will likely find it, well, fucking laughable.
The lawsuit also claims the monument establishes a "thought crime" against coveting your neighbor's wife, and restricts free speech rights through prohibitions on worshipping graven images and taking the Lord's name in vain. Nonsense! There are no actual state laws against those activities.
Those are their italics. I didn't put them there. They really want to emphasize that last point. So here, let me use some italics of my own to emphasize the only rational conclusion any sane person should reach from this:
The Ten Commandments have precisely fuck-all to do with American law.
They came from a society where thoughts COULD be a crime. They came from a society that practiced slavery and traded women like they were fuckable action figures. They came from a society that had no religious freedom at all, no Bill of Rights, and you were taking your life in your hands if you said anything indicating you don't believe in the Magical Pervert in the Sky.
They. Are. Not. Our. Laws. So what the fuck are they doing at our capitol? And why the fuck are you so confused when someone points out that putting them there is offensive?
Want to "worship" a statue you made in wood shop? Knock yourself out. Want to lust after married women or men? You can do so, although we wouldn't recommend it.
Want to go to the capitol without being told that you're inferior and this capitol isn't really for you? Well too bad, unless you're Christian or Jewish.
An individual's actions can be immoral without being illegal, just as a monument can be a bad idea without validating the overwrought claims of its thin-skinned critics.
I really wish the right wing would get that first part through their glacially thick skulls. That would end every single argument against gay marriage.
But the latter half of that sentence is just fucking dumb. The monument at the capitol isn't just a bad idea. It's ILLEGAL. And, more importantly, its actual purpose is very, very clear. Apparently, the editors at the Oklahoman don't read their own letters column, or else they'd already know what the bigots who read their pathetic rag think this monument is for:
The First Amendment doesn't mandate the Christian faith for each person; however, it does mandate the freedom to worship as one chooses — or not at all. Ten Commandments monuments on public property are a tribute that recognizes our historic, constitutional commitment to the principles and values that the Ten Commandments provide. Other faiths not based on and committed to honoring the Ten Commandments don't truthfully represent this Christian nation and its commitment to these civilizing principles and values. Neither can their monuments.
Got that? Only Christianity–with its "civilizing" principles–can represent the USA #1 RAH RAH RAH. So we can only put up the 10 commandments. Not, say, the Five Pillars of Islam, or something from Hinduism, or a fucking awesome Satanist statue. Nope, just Christians. They get special treatment. The rest of you don't even have civilizing principles, you heathen barbarians!
So, no, their claims are not overwrought. The obvious purpose of the monument is to promote Christianity while denying that promotion to every other religious belief, thereby demeaning everyone who isn't Christian. It's not laughable for someone to claim to feel hurt by that.
The monument violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by elevating one religion over others and thereby creating an establishment of religion. It also violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by allowing Christians to put up monuments but not Satanists or Muslims or Humanists. Hell, it might even violate the No Religious Test Clause in Article VI, paragraph 3 of the Constitution, if you consider "Guy who puts the monument up" to be an office or trust. That last one's quite a stretch, I admit. But it's still better reasoning than the laughable shit the Oklahoman comes up with.


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It takes strength to stand strong in the face of your challenges, however big or small they are. Today, the 16th of December, is an auspicious day for me and my family. In South Africa, it's known as the Day of Reconciliation – more on that later – but we know it as the Day of the Vow.
Photo by Peter Thomas
My old friend Peter sums up the happenings of the original Day of the Vow or Day of the Covenant on his site. There are many more sites that give the history of that day from various perspectives. This blog is not intended to recount history or morals or right vs. wrong in any way. It's a remembrance of my ancestors, what they went through and what we've been through and the lessons we can carry from that.
On that day, so long ago, a group of a few hundred Voortrekkers (pioneers) came face to face with over 10 000 Zulu warriors. The Voortrekkers made a laager from their ox wagons and defeated the Zulus, killing more than 3000 men, while, of the Voortrekkers, only 3 were lightly injured. As I said before, I'm not going into the rights and wrongs of the battle. The lesson to be learned here, for me, is one of unity and strength and courage. It took great courage and strength to pack their worldly goods into a wagon and trek across country, over mountains, rivers and lands where they would most certainly be attacked. Alone, we need strength and courage to face our challenges, but banding together… as families, as friends, as communities, we can do great things!
Much, much later, South Africa renamed this day to Day of Reconciliation. It's a day that was created on the foundation of the Day of the Vow to reconcile the people of South Africa and to create a day of unity and healing. The men who came together to create this new day displayed courage and strength. It takes continued courage and strength for the people of South Africa to build on that dream of reconciliation.
When we think of courage and strength, it's often in times of great strife and 'war' with our challenges. Certainly, those are times we need to call on what courage we have and to be strong. Sometimes, just standing up and doing what we believe to be right takes even more courage and strength. Sometimes, the daily grind of living takes even more.
Way back, my ancestors, at one point, were kicked off their farm, which was burnt to the ground by the British. The men were political prisoners and the women and children were put into concentration camps. When they came out, they lived for a time under an oak tree, baking their daily bread in an earth-oven. Yes, they had strength and they had courage. I like to believe that we've inherited that strength.


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Newcastle and Northumberland's council tax rises are set to be one of the steepest in the country.
Our survey shows North Tyneside, Northumberland, Sunderland and Darlington councils have lined up a 4.99% council tax rise in April - the maximum allowed without putting it to a referendum.
That will mean a rise in council tax of £74 for a Band D property in Northumberland, bringing the total up to £1,731 per year - not including precepts set by bodies like the police and fire service.
This was the joint-second highest cash increase in the country, our figures show.
Newcastle is set to raise the rate by 4.95%, meaning a rise of £71, the joint-sixth highest in England.
Nationwide research shows just four councils have proposed freezing council tax completely, and just four more are planning a rise of less than 3%.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has announced £900m for social care, giving councils £7.6bn total dedicated funding over four years.
But local councils have warned the money is not enough.
A DCLG spokesman said: "Council tax is expected to be lower in real terms at the end of this Parliament than it was in 2010, and we are giving councils almost £20bn to provide the services that local people most value."
How to check what you will pay:
Using our tool, enter your postcode to bring up a page of results. Then:
1. Use the drop-down box to select your 'band' of home - which can be found on your last council tax bill or by searching here. If you're still not sure just put Band D, which represents the 'average' home.
2. This is the percentage council rise, including any general rise (up to 1.99%) AND any specific rise for social care (up to 3%), that has been recommended to councillors. It is the basis for the rest of the calculator - however, it may change as councillors give their budgets final approval.
3. This is the total bill for your home, including all elements of council tax, in the year beginning April 2016.
4. This is the projected total bill for your home in the year beginning April 2017. It includes smaller elements of council tax, such as police, parish and fire payments, but excludes any increases to those small elements over the last year. That means our total may be slightly lower than what you actually pay.
5. This is the date councillors are, or were, due to approve the final rate in your area.
How does council tax work?
One council tax bill is charged on every home - but with discounts for single occupants, students, carers and the disabled.
Council tax is made up of 'precepts'. If your council tax bill is a pizza, each precept is a slice. The biggest precept by far is for your local 'social care authority'.
These are county, unitary, metropolitan or London borough councils.
Smaller precepts are then added on top for parish councils, the police and the fire service.
All of these are allowed to rise too, but because they're smaller you'll notice the change a lot less.
If you live under a county council - e.g. Kent or Surrey - then you also have a district or borough council precept on top. Their bills aren't allowed to rise as steeply in percentage terms as county councils', because they don't have social care on their books.
What council tax band am I?
Council tax bands in England are calculated using an odd system that hasn't changed for decades.
Your house is valued on the basis of what it would've sold for if it was around on 1 April 1991.
Your area's 'Band D' council tax is then divided into ninths, and multiplied by a set number to calculate your final bill.
Here's how that works...
Band - Fraction of Band D bill - Home value in 1991
A - 6/9 - up to £40,000
B - 7/9 - £40,001 to £52,000
C - 8/9 - £52,001 to £68,000
D - 9/9 - £68,001 to £88,000
E - 11/9 - £88,001 to £120,000
F - 13/9 - £120,001 to £160,000
G - 15/9 - £160,001 to £320,000
H - 18/9 - more than £320,000
What if I think your calculator is wrong?
Seven of 151 councils had no publicly available figure when our first round of research ended on 15 February 2017. They appear as 'TBC'.
And some of our figures will end up being out-of-date over the next few weeks if councillors reject the rates suggested to them.
If you know of a council where the rate has changed compared to the one in our research, we are happy to update our calculator.
E-mail firstname.lastname@example.com with the subject "Council tax calculator 2017".
Calculator last updated: 16 February 2017


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Hilldale Residence
The goal with this client was to create a harmonious, transitional space that could house and feature their incredible book and movie poster collections without creating an overly busy space. Soft neutral tones were chosen for the built-ins, walls and furnishings allowing for the color "pop" to come from the artwork and books throughout the home. To unify the areas, each poster was embellished with a clean, black, museum quality frame. To accommodate much needed storage, beautifully crafted book shelves were built for the living room and office.


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Portobello, the Irish for "lovely harbor' is an area of Dublin extending west from South Richmond Street to the Upper Clanbrassil Street verged on the north by the South Circular Road and on the south by the Grand Canal.
Portobello appeared as a little suburb south of the city in the eighteenth century, it was built up over the following century. Transforming farmland and private houses into strong Victorian red-bricked living quarters for the working classes (on the bigger roads), and terraced houses flanking the canal for the average workers.
It is in the postal area of Dublin 8. It is in the neighborhood government discretionary region of Dublin South East Inner City and the Dáil Constituency of Dublin Bay South.


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Looks like someone at the BBC was being extremely lazy. Last Thursday, during a lunchtime news piece about the conflict in Syria, the BBC used the logo from Halo's fictional United Nations Space Command (UNSC) instead of the real United Nations logo -- Google image search perhaps?
To make matters worse the news piece was specifically talking about the role of the UN in Syria, and I'm pretty sure we'd know by now if the UN had some fancy new space force that could intervene. It's just a tad embarrassing for what's meant to be a trusted global news source. You'd think the least Auntie could do is get the logos right; surely it must have a library of stock images for these things, no? The BBC apologised for the gaff with a statement released to Eurogamer:
"BBC News makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all images broadcast, however very occasionally mistakes do happen. Unfortunately an incorrect logo was used during a segment on last week's News at One bulletin and we apologise to viewers for the mistake. The image was not broadcast in our later bulletins."
I just goes to show how good that UNSC logo from Halo really is, and perhaps why Google image search isn't the best place to find accurate company and major global organisation logos. I'm guessing an intern got a stiff wrap across the knuckles for that one. [Eurogamer via TechRadar]


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4K Technology Brings the Big Screen Experience to Home Viewing
Watching TV is no longer the passive experience we grew up with; it's immersive, detailed and even exceeds the quality we often still see on the silver screen. In fact, by 2019 it's predicted that over 330 million 4K UHD TVs will be sold around the world. Compare that with 2013, when the figure was just two million, and the phenomenal rise shows just how hungry consumers are for the best home viewing experience.
Leading this new chapter of sensory storytelling is Samsung; its SUHD TVs incorporate high dynamic range (HDR) and breathtaking picture quality that appears more lifelike than ever before. Samsung's open HDR format is called Peak Illuminator Ultimate. With darker blacks and whiter whites, HDR brings never-before-seen contrast levels, with brighter images (two and a half times more than conventional TVs) and considerable advancement in picture quality.
Bringing entertainment to life, Samsung's proprietary and innovative Nano-Crystal technology produces a wide range of more accurate colors, the all-new 10 bit panel provides viewers with 64 times more color expression than standard TVs. But when an average human can only perceive a million different colors, why is there a race for even higher numbers when it comes to color expression? While color distinguishing possibilities vary between individuals, delivering this level of quality ensures a superior immersive experience for all viewers.
But more than fantastic color expression, Samsung's SUHD TVs are packed with the latest Smart TV features, which enable consumers to easily connect devices. Its Octa-core* processor powers entertainment at your fingertips, with an intuitive User Interface (UI).
In addition, the SUHD lineup features advanced Screen Mirroring technology. If you want to share holiday photographs with the whole family, show that funny video to the kids, or play your favorite album, you can mirror your phone or any other compatible mobile device to get that big screen experience.
Connectivity is the future of home viewing, and Samsung is paving the way for the next generation of IoT-enabled 4K UHD TVs with innovative technology today. The curved range features an even more immersive design, providing a sense of depth and contrast for a definitive cinema-like feel, enveloping the viewer in stunning picture quality. The Samsung SUHD TV JS9500, for example, also features Samsung's Chamfer bezel design with an elegant frame, making the TV almost a piece of art, especially when wall-mounted.
*Series 9 and above
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies, redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, printers, medical equipment, network systems and semiconductors. We are also leading in the Internet of Things space through, among others, our Digital Health and Smart Home initiatives. We employ 319,000 people across 84 countries with annual sales of $196 billion. To discover more, please visit our official website at www.samsung.com and our official blog at global.samsungtomorrow.com.


text: The Diamond Fields of the Mind Sep 07, 2011 A star becomes a diamond? A recent press release announced the "discovery" of a planet in orbit around a pulsar that is thought to have once been a star, but is now a planetary body composed of something similar to compressed carbon, or diamond. The reason for… Continue reading


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At first, Mia Voss thinks it's just bad luck when her already lousy day ends with a carjacking, but what seems like a random incident is followed by another sinister episode. A DNA expert, Mia has made it her mission to put away vicious criminals. Suddenly, she's become the target of one. And the only way to protect the people she loves most is to deliberately destroy her reputation and risk letting a killer walk free.
Once, Mia trusted Detective Ric Santos, but that was before Ric let his turbulent past ruin his chances with Mia, the sexiest, most intriguing woman he's ever met. But he can tell when she's lying—and when she's scared. The key to catching a sadistic madman lies within a long-buried cold case that has haunted Mia for years. Only she can uncover the truth, but first, Ric will have to get her to entrust him with her secrets . . . and her life.
from Goodreads.com


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Cannes canned
And on that clanging note of stupidity I'll leave you and this year's Cannes film festival. It's been a strange old do. At times a sprint, at others a plod, made all the more painful for wearing the wrong shoes. That's Cannes for you: a festival of tack and glamour. And compelling, infuriating cinema. We'll always be back. Thanks for reading.
Jacques chats, journo falls flat
And finally, here's Jacques Audiard, director of this year's Palme d'Or winner, Dheepan. The film tells the story of a former Tamil Tiger who flees Sri Lanka and pretends, with two strangers, to be a family in order to gain asylum in France.
Audiard speaks about the pleasure in winning the prize and the position of his film in the immigration debate, but his comments are trumped by the most astronomically dim question of the festival. A journalist asks actor Antonythasan Jesuthasan (himself a former child soldier forced to flee his home country) which was better: winning a war or winning the Palme d'Or? Strewth.
Director László Nemes talks about his Grand Prix winner, Son of Saul. The drama, set in the Auschwitz, follows a Jewish man forced to work in the gas chambers who thinks he's found the body of his son among the victims.
"I didn't want to make a historical drama," said Nemes. "I wanted to plunge the spectator into an experience.
"Europe is still haunted by the destruction of the European Jews. You can feel it in Hungary. It is not just viewed as a page of history. It's important to talk to this generation: the one that has less and less access to survivors".
The film's star, Géza Röhrig, is no less outspoken about our responsibility to drag ourselves out of political apathy. He blamed our societal laziness on the distractions of celebrity and consumerism. Does that include Cannes? You bet it does.
Vincent Lindon live and in effect in the press conference where he's genuinely surprised that he's won the best actor prize. "One of the Coens said my name and I didn't realise it was me," he says. "I thought people were looking at someone behind me." He says he felt like a kid again. "When you have such a strong emotion it sends you into a childlike state," he says.
He's been talking for 15 minutes about the power of the emotion he felt following his win. But who are we to begrudge him a bit of self-indulgence in the aftermath of his proudest moment? The Guardian, that's who. Hurry it up mate.
Lotus go now please
View from the media room as the press conferences rumble on and on. Faced with long, long minutes of Maiwenn telling us about her shooting style, a bold journo clears a space up front and starts some gentle yoga. Wrap it up Cannes. We're about ready to join her.
On, on, on to Yorgos Lanthimos, who is up to answer questions about winning the Prix du Jury for The Lobster. Someone asks if he made this film to "prove that Greece is still the cradle of culture in Europe"? Yes, says Lanthimos. This film proves that Greece is the best and everyone else stinks. I think that's right. That or he said he doesn't go into film-making with that kind of agenda. It's all starting to blur to be honest.
Hou Hsiao-hsien, director of The Assassin, addresses the confused and confusing members of the press. He's talking through a French translator, who's being translated again into English. The questions are rattling bonkers to start with, so you can't trust any quotes from this point on I'm afraid.
We're told he's talking about the universality of human experience and how that relates to the film. He's not disappointed with not winning the Palme. "You know that only a certain number of films can get a prize," he says. "If you believe in what you're doing it really doesn't matter if you get a prize or not."
Being totally fine with not winning the Palme d'Or is, it seems, the truly universal experience.
The testimony of Michel Franco and Tim Roth, writer-director and star of Chronic. Franco won the best screenplay award earlier this evening for his story of a late-life care nurse who starts to invest too much in his patients.
Yet more grace under fire as Roth talks about the pleasure in winning an award, any award, even if it's not best actor. He says meeting Franco in Cannes (when Roth was heading the Un Certain Regard jury) led to them working together. "You should always use festivals to get work," he says.
Meanwhile France's PM has tweeted about Audiard's Palme d'Or win.
Which, using my Year 9 French I can tell you translates as: "Jacques Audiard, Emmanuelle Bercot, Vincent Lindon et Agnès Varda: French cinema crayons its sore in Cannes eat Dan, he mooed". What a strange response.
Back in the press conference ...
Todd Haynes is on the stand. He's asked if Cate Blanchett should have got more recognition. Haynes points out that Mara has the quieter role "that holds the film together".
He's also gracious in the face of many, many questions about not winning the Palme d'Or. What a nice guy Todd Haynes is.
Meanwhile, Peter Bradshaw's verdict on the jury's decision is in and he is baffled.
"Cannes 2015 was a vintage year. But the prizes were corked," he says. "Just as last year [Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Winter Sleep won], the jury gave its ultimate acclaim to a brilliant director who has accumulated an overwhelmingly deserving reputation but had actually given us something less than his very best work."
Attack of the snappers
The photographers are done shouting the winners into a pose that pleases them and have flooded into the press room. They are noisy and clumsy and don't give a damn about it neither. A step-ladder goes crashing to the floor as they jostle for space at the computers. The mood in here suddenly got tense. Expect a blazing row any time soon. We were doing so well!
Sienna hasn't seen anything cover the Holocaust as well as Son of Saul. Jake loves the idea of three strangers coming together as a family in Dheepan. Guillermo praises the deft handling of assisted suicide in Chronic. There's been rumblings among the grumpy ol' press that this hasn't been a very good year at Cannes. The jury aren't having it.
Bit of love from Xavier Dolan for Son of Saul: "We had a long moment of silent reflection after watching that one. We watched it at the beginning of the festival and it stayed with us."
Joel says that the rule whereby Cannes only allows on prize per film makes the distribution of gongs "a bit of a chess game". "There were many performances that we wanted to pay more attention to," he says. Basically there aren't enough prizes to award all the worthy talent in a one film, one prize world.
First too-specific-for-many question is in! "Why didn't the Italian films (Matteo Garrone's Tale of Tales and Nanni Moretti's Mia Madre) win any prizes?". Zzzzzzzzzzz.
The jury gets social
They're taking questions from Twitter, God help us. But, in actual fact, the first one's a goodie. @junktokyo asks if both Coens voted the same way and the answer is no. They're not saying HOW they voted, but Ethan and Joel went their separate ways. We're guessing Ethan went for Dheepan and Joel went for ... Inside Out, of course.
Question from the room: why didn't The Assassin win? Was it too hard to understand? Nope, says Joel. It just looked like it had the best direction. "This isn't a jury of film critics, this is a jury of artists," he says.
So there you have it: predictions are for fools and the Coens have made a mockery of us all. It's almost as if the Cannes competition jury aren't constantly checking our Twitter feeds to find out how they should vote. Weird.
But don't just take that from us! Here's plenty others outraged that the jury didn't fall into line ...
The winners are currently filing out of the Palais to the photographers, where they'll have to find something interesting to do with the funny box thingie and that weird scroll. Then - for the jury - it's up the stairs, past us fevered keyboard abusers and into the press conference. We'll be back in a tick or two to bring you all the goss on how the jury reached their decision / report what the jury says to the bloke who always asks them what they think of Bangladesh.


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Ricardo Pellafone is Founder and
Creative Director at Broadcat, a legal services firm
making legal and compliance accessible to
non-lawyers. Broadcat makes simple, graphic content that helps
employees learn their legal and compliance obligations in seconds
through visual content and infographics without having to sit in
front of a computer or a training room. In graphics, Ricardo
matches the risks with real tasks people need to perform,
simplifying the message that needs to be delivered and allowing
information to be quickly absorbed.
Simplifying compliance content is
not easy. It takes mastery of the legal content to tell people what
they need to do to support compliance. In this interview, Ricardo
explains what needs to be considered in to create effective
training, in addition to enjoyable training. We also discuss
governance of compliance programs and the difference between
"communication" and "training." Ricardo also gives listeners the
very good advice to get out from behind their desks as much as
possible to get to know the business people directly.
Broadcat can make learning about
suspicious invoices simple and enjoyable. See Broadcat's work here
http://www.thebroadcat.com/library/ Also, do not overlook
Ricardo's interview with Compliance and Ethics
Professional, a copy of the interview is available here
Ricardo Pellafone is a former
Associate General Counsel WD, a Western Digital Compan,y where he
built out WD's compliance investigations program and drove the
content for communications and media efforts. He was also the first
global compliance lawyer for the Mubadala Group, a job that was
more fun than the phrase "compliance lawyer" suggests, leading
investigations for a sovereign wealth company in Abu
Broadcat http://www.thebroadcat.com/
Ricardo Pellafone email@example.com


text:
The moral behind Zimmern's "Bizarre Foods"
TV host films in San Diego, explains why he eats sex organs around the world
Adventure-eater Andrew Zimmern goes to a lot of trouble to be cool.
He never spits out what he's served (neither elk testicles nor giant rats nor raw blood nor maggot pupae).
You can't goose him into badmouthing the traditional foodstuffs of any culture, either.
True to form, the TV host of "Bizarre Foods" was a likable, wicked-smart culture defender last Friday.
We met in the dining room of George's California Modern. Zimmern had just wrapped up a shoot with George's exec chef Trey Foshee and some sea urchin. (The show about San Diego's "bizarre" eats filmed at a handful of local spots, airs on the Travel Channel show this August.)
Over an iced double espresso, Zimmern made his efforts to eat through the animal kingdom sound like a televised seminar on cultural diversity, eco-diversity, and big-think sustainability ideas.
About eating testicles: "It's a great attention grabber, but that's not why I do it. What I'm interested in are the stories of people and places. And the best lens for understanding culture is food. I think the most interesting stories as a storyteller, as a writer, even from my years as a chef, (are) stories from the fringe."
So for the "Bizarre Foods" demo reel, before the 2006 TV pilot, Zimmern ate elk testicles on a farm in southern Minnesota.
He's since eaten sex organs around the world…including the gonads of our locally caught sea urchins. Those sex parts are often called uni on menus, and you'll find them most often in sushi restaurants.
"I remember in the '60s there was one Japanese concept and what a big deal Benihana was," Zimmern said.
Then sushi exploded in America – what Zimmern describes in one breath as "the most obsessively popular food that exists in our country right now, which is essentially a Japanese snack food, a throwback to another century, created by gamblers for gamblers."
Now for a primer on San Diego's sea-urchin business: "Thirty five years ago there were a handful of urchin divers who started companies like Catalina Offshore Products and now it's a many tens-of-million dollar industry," said Zimmern.
He'd gotten the straight dope from Linda Vista's Catalina Offshore Products earlier that day, when he filmed at the seafood wholesaler.
"They got into the urchin business because of all the demand overseas," Zimmern continued his uni-as-sushi thesis.
"100 percent of their product was going to Japan the first year that they started Catalina Offshore Products. Now there's enough demand for it here in this country. That's keeping an American product in America for Japanese cooks to utilize – and non-Japanese like Trey (Foshee, the head chef at George's, who'd made a seafood cocktail with uni broth).
Who's serving uni?
Find some unusual preparations of sea urchin gonads at local restaurants, click here.
"This is an economic sustainability story for this region. It's also a cultural sustainability story for this region.
"It's also an environmental sustainability story for this region," Zimmern said, "because the sea urchin and the kelp have a symbiotic relationship.
"Wipe out the kelp beds and the urchin is not as good. Wipe out the urchin and the kelp is not as good. And the kelp forests here are protected and that's an incredible habitat. If it were onshore it would be thought of like the Redwood Forest is."
The moral of the show: Even the most casual viewer of "Bizarre Foods" knows the show is edu-tainment. But if you suggest Zimmern was eating through (non-endangered) fruit bats in Samoa and snake penises in China mostly for the gross-out factor, you'll get a little Zimmern reprimand (this reporter did).
"You can do a story about cracking open a piece of shellfish and eating its gonads and people can have a nice laugh at that. I certainly am an entertainer, and I understand the comic benefit of it. And I also understand the deadly earnestness of my subject matter as well.
"I made a very conscious decision with "Bizarre Foods" to do a show that was entertainment but that is shot through with 20 percent of deadly seriousness. And people can take from it what they want."
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Tijs Michiel Verwest, OON (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈtɛi̯s miˈxil vərˈʋɛst]; born 17 January 1969), known as Tiësto (Dutch pronunciation: [cɛsto]), is a Dutch musician, DJ and record producer of electronic dance music. Although he has used many aliases in the past, he is best known for his work as DJ Tiësto. On his latest productions, however, he has dropped the "DJ" label and is now known simply as "Tiësto", an alias which is a twist of his childhood nickname. In 1997, he founded the label Black Hole Recordings with Arny Bink, where he released the Magik and In Search of Sunrise CD series. Tiësto met producer Dennis Waakop Reijers in 1998, and the two have worked together extensively since then. Reijers is credited as producer, writer, composer, or arranger on many of Tiësto's releases. Then, in 1999 and 2000 he collaborated with Ferry Corsten to create Gouryella. His 2000 remix of Delerium's "Silence" featuring Sarah McLachlan exposed him to more mainstream audiences. In 2001, he released his first solo album In My Memory which gave him several major hits that launched his career. He was named "World's No.1 DJ" 3 consecutive times by DJ Magazine from 2002 through 2004.Just after releasing his second studio album Just Be in 2004 at the Summer Olympics, he performed live at the opening ceremony in Athens, Greece, becoming the first DJ to play live on stage at an Olympics. Tracks he made especially for the Olympics were mixed together and released as the mix compilation Parade of the Athletes later that year. In April 2007 Tiësto launched both his radio show Tiësto's Club Life on Radio 538 in the Netherlands and released his third studio album Elements of Life. The album reached number one on the Dutch album chart as well on "Billboard Top Electronic Albums" in the U.S. and received a nomination for a Grammy Award in 2008. Tiësto released his fourth studio album Kaleidoscope in October 2009.
DJ Tiesto – Knock You Out (Mysto & Pizzi Electro House Remix)


text:
Victoria A. Roberts has always had a talent for transforming spaces into captivating experiences. She is committed to finding those perfect, defining elements that set each event apart.
+ Standout Weddings
+ Corporate Gatherings
+ Bold Brand Activations
+ Personal Milestones
(baby showers, anniversaries, ect)
Victoria A. Roberts Events believes your wedding should truly reflect you as a couple. We specialize in making your wedding very personalized, unique, and memorable. We encourage you to push traditional boundaries and do what YOU want to do, not just what is expected. We'll handle everything from creating beautiful event designs tailored to your vision and coordinating your vendors to making sure the day runs smoothly and you have the best time of your life.
VAR Events offers Wedding and Event Planning Service Packages to meet your individual needs. We understand that there are elements which may be completely new to you, areas you're not confident in, other tasks that you'd prefer to be handled for you and perhaps just not enough hours in the day! VAR Events eliminates worry and brings our wealth of knowledge in the wedding and event industry to your Day.
Whether you choose from our signature Wedding Planning Service Packages or have us tailor something personally specific, VAR Events aims to provide your Day with all the necessary tools to ensure it exceeds your expectations.
SMALL PRIVATE EVENTS | $1800 - Baby Showers, Birthday Parties, Bridal Showers, Private Dinner Parties
EVENT MANAGEMENT/ DAY OF COORDINATION | $2100 - Day of Coordination package begins one month before the wedding. This package begins with a meeting at the venue to gain a full understanding of the wedding location and details for the big day. After this meeting the bride and groom will work with a VAR coordinator to develop a wedding day timeline and itinerary. This will involve the organization of the ceremony events, the logistical details of the vendors and the important reception events. The coordinator will attend the rehearsal and coordinate your wedding party to insure a smooth wedding day.
DESIGN ONLY | $2800 - This package is perfect for clients that already have there venue and need a professional event designer to pull together their inspirations. Based on a design consultation and compilation of pins or pictures, we will develop a design plan that fits your individual style and budget. This unique design plan will be executed through meetings and contracts with the following vendors: florist, rentals, linens, cake, invitations, wedding day paper suite, lighting, and any other design related, personal detailing.
FULL-SERVICE PLANNING & DESIGN | $4000 - With our hands wrapped around every logistical detail of your wedding, from finding the perfect venue, assisting you in budget allocation to designing a gorgeous event, you can rest assured that your special day will be perfect. you'll likely consider us to be your vendor curator, budget supervisor, fee negotiator, etiquette adviser, stationery proofreader, cake tasting attendant (our favorite!), personal stylist, and more often than not, a listening ear. Your wedding coordinator will guide you through the entire planning process, and then oversee the wedding day from start to finish.
Mrs. Shalendra Stephens, 2018.
Mrs. Shanel Pierre, 2019.
Mrs. Ja'lisa Whiten, 2019.
Ms. Michelby Whitehead, 2019.
Mrs. Shanta' Talton, 2017


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World Public Health Nutrition Congress 2020 (Brisbane) - Updated information on 31 March – 3 April 2020
posted by Research Admin 1 on 15 May 2019
Register today and save up to $150 AUD
Registrations to attend the WPHN Congress 2020 are available to purchase. By registering before the 23 February, you can save up to $150 and ensure you won't miss out on this important World Public Health Nutrition Congress, which is only held once every four years.
To view the registration types and options please click here
Standard registration prices will close Sunday 23 February 2020 at 11:59pm AEDT.
Official Airline Partner
Qantas is delighted to be the exclusive airline partner for the World Public Health Nutrition Congress 2020 being held in Brisbane.
Qantas is offering registered delegates and travel partner's special discounted airfares which are easily booked online via the dedicated booking portal on your conference registration travel page. When booking, use the allocated code to access these airfares. Please note: multiple stopover flights are excluded from this offer. Click here
Accommodation Options
Looking for the right place to stay during the congress? We have got you sorted.
Ozaccom+ are the approved booking agency for accommodation and travel for this years' congress. We have hand-picked a range of congress hotels available at a discounted rate for delegates that are only available through Ozaccom+. Click here
About the Congress
The 2020 Congress theme is 'Knowledge, Policy, Action in the Decade of Nutrition 2016-2025' - What is working or not? Where are the gaps? What needs more effort or change?
Today, nearly one in three persons globally suffers from under-nutrition, micronutrient deficiency, overweight and/or obesity – and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) affect a large part of the world's population. These different forms of malnutrition co-exist – within the same country, community, household or individual. The causal factors are complex and multidimensional and the impacts of sub-optimal nutrition on development, society, health and well-being are serious and lasting, for individuals and their families, for communities and for countries.
Global food production is the largest pressure caused by humans on Earth, threatening local ecosystems and the stability of the Earth system. Current dietary trends, combined with projected population growth to about 10 billion by 2050, will exacerbate risks to people and planet. The global burden of NCDs is predicted to worsen and the effects of food production on greenhouse-gas emissions, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, biodiversity loss, and water and land use will reduce the stability of the Earth system. Unhealthy and unsustainably produced food poses a global risk to people and the planet.
There are many calls for action to address these issues at every level. At the mid-point of the UN Decade of Nutrition 2016-2025, this conference provides an opportunity to pause and reflect on how we are progressing in our efforts to addressing public health nutrition issues across the world, to discuss our successes and failures and to consider where to next. With these and many other issues to consider, we invite you to contribute to the World Public Health Nutrition Congress 2020.
Draft Program Outline and keynote speakers
The WPHN Congress 2020 will be a full program presented over 3 days, featuring keynote speakers, workshops, symposia, and knowledge fairs. To view the draft program outline please click on the button below.
As more details are confirmed they will be added to the program on the Congress website


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GM CEO takes off the gloves in swipe at Lincoln's viability
Things are heating up again between the General and the Blue Oval as GM CEO Akerson takes a hard swipe at the slumping Lincoln brand. GM must be very confident in the new Cadillac models coming very soon and flat out unimpressed on the new Lincoln's coming to showroom floors. It's time both brands look at targeting the real sales leaders in the luxury market and at this point I have to say the new Cadillac XTS and ATS are good starts.
From Auto Blog:
"They are trying like hell to resurrect Lincoln. Well, I might as well tell you, you might as well sprinkle holy water. It's over."
So says General Motors CEO Dan Akerson, speaking to reporters from The Detroit News. Fightin' words to be sure, though it seems the suits at Lincoln, Ford's luxury brand that competes with Cadillac here in the United States, have declined to comment on Akerson's statement.
The dismissal of the Lincoln brand seems especially interesting given Akerson's reported take on the current state of Cadillac. Akerson is said to believe that Cadillac isn't yet where it needs to be, saying the brand needs another 12 to 24 months of gestation. By that time, there ought to be bookends to the current CTS in place in the form of the ATS (smaller) and XTS (larger, replacing the STS and DTS).
Still, Akerson doesn't expect to "blow the doors off" Cadillac's competition, saying instead that "they will be very competitive." We'd think Caddy would be aiming squarely at something more like "class leading," but what do we know?
Tags: Cadillac ATS, Cadillac XTS, Dan Akerson news, GM, GM CEO, GM Lincoln, GM news, GM rumors, Lincoln


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We'll start with about a 3 mile hike around Brazos Bend and then we'll end with some yoga on top of the Observatory!
What to bring:
Meet in the Elm Lake parking lot. Look for Amy!
Hike starts at 9:30 am sharp!
Arrive early. We meet at 9 am, the hike starts at 9:30 am. Allow time to get to the park, pay your entry fee - $7 per person or free if you have a TX State Park Pass - and allow time to get to parking lot from the entrance (another 10 minutes or so.)
We cannot wait for you if you arrive after 9:30. That's why we have a 9 am meet time. Plan to arrive by 9 am and you'll have plenty of time for traffic, wrong turns, change your shoes, pack your bag, fill your water.
The Yoga part is not dog-friendly. DO NOT leave your dog in the car or tied up while you're doing yoga. If you bring a dog and your dog doesn't know yoga, please enjoy the hiking part only.
We have limited spots for yoga. If the yoga tickets sell out, get a hiking only ticket and bring your yoga mat anyway. That way, if someone doesn't show up, you can take their yoga spot.


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We are thrilled to have renamed our beautiful shop in honour of Lizzie's maternal grandmother Millie Eleanor Watkins aka Millicent Bottomley.
Our name, like us (and the original Mrs Bottomley) is a little quirky. We take great pride in delivering flowers that are whimsical, fun and different, and our new name needed to reflect that.
Mrs Millicent Bottomley was quite a character. She read, knitted and listened to the Archers or parliament simultaneously each afternoon. Millicent kept a 20lb wooden box of cox's orange apples under her bed and loved a nip of sherry. We look forward to sharing more of her stories with you over the coming months, and keep an eye out for her impact on the shop and in our social media!
We are sure that Mrs Bottomley would be tickled pink to be playing such a leading role in her granddaughter, and great granddaughters adventures.
Below are a few shots taken on the night of the shop looking fabulous and we will be sharing more photos of the celebrations on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Please pop in to see us soon and follow our social media.
At Mrs Bottomley's Flowers we feel that flowers and floral design do not need limitations.
Nature gives us such a beautiful array of flowers and foliage that mainly go unnoticed.
We want to encourage others to find inspiration everywhere they look. There is beauty beyond carnations and gerberas – in climbing roses, cherry blossoms, jasmine trails. Add them to a vase of simple blooms and they will be transformed.
Anything in your garden can be utilised, and its potential to impress fulfilled.
Settled in the beautiful Victorian styled Tannery Emporium in Woolston, Christchurch NZ, the team at Mrs Bottomley's Flowers look forward to welcoming you to our inspiring home.


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Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Free Trees and Plants
(This was a couple of days ago. Now it's mostly mud with a little snow.)
Soon it will be our turn. Time for free trees and plants! And, if you're lucky like we were, a free swingset.
3 comments:
I run a blog called Whimsy ChiChi and I just noticed yours here. A channel of my blog is a health gazette. If you're interested, we can link with each other as your information can help a lot of our readers. Do Check the site and send us a note. Our E-mail is email@example.com
take care
the site URL is www.whimsychichi.com
Oh Sarah,Thanks for putting that link to freecycle in your post! I keep meaning to check it out, but never remember to when I'm online.ReplyDelete
Sorry about the mud, though. Here's hoping it all dries out soon.
Whimsy Chichi - sounds great! I'll send you an email.ReplyDelete
Theflyingmum - I am a total freecycle convert. The swingset and playhouse in this post's photo were our freecycle score last summer. FREE!
As for the mud, well, now it's frozen...


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Football Tackling Drills, part of Tackling Dummies series which promotes "Heads Out" tackling and combines rugby style tackling and American football.
It's been a fantastic football season, and I can't believe Super Bowl week is upon us. While I will be sad to say goodbye to the 2016 / 2017 football season, I am looking forward to a break from these weekly posts and I am sure you are too! So for the 17th and Final […]


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Cake Tower
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Cake Tower
Cake Tower:
Build a massive cake tower by placing the pieces of cake on top of one another. Miss dropping the cake evenly on top of another piece, and watch as pieces of cake get taken off, ultimately making it harder to place pieces as the cake gets narrow. Build the tower as even as possible and collect points for the highest cake that you can make.
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Paul and I were out on the Grey Corries and Aonach's today. Paul had chosen the best day this week for his guided walk, by chance! We headed up Glen Nevis and onto Sgurr Choinnich Mor which was cloudy but the tops cleared for Aonach Beag and Aonach Mor in fine weather after some early cloud. There is quite a lot of height drop at this point and some interesting steep ground onto Aonach Beag. The stags were roaring away most of the day today, our only company on the hills with not a single soul to be seen through out the day. The Autumn colours are starting to look beautiful in the afternoon sun. I think this was the first time I have ever headed down from Aonach Mor to the gondola in summer! Great way to do the Aonach's making a through route from the Upper Glen Nevis capark and descending to the Nevis Range carpark. Good to have a kind non-walker driver who is willing to pick you up at the otther end of course, though there is a perfectly good bus service.
Based in Aviemore, The Cairngorms, Highlands of Scotland. Gary Hodgson runs Tarmachan Mountaineering, providing instruction and guided walking all year round. This is my regularly updated blog including the latest snow conditions in winter.
Thursday, 30 September 2010
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Another fantastic day in Knoydart with wall to wall blue skies and warm sun. Once again we were blessed with superb visibility in the cool Northerly airflow. We headed up onto the long ridge walk of Ladhar Bheinn, the most spectacular of the big Knoydart hills. Full of character with big North corries, narrow twisting ridges and those unforgettable sea and loch views. Another beautiful sunset at Inverie with the obligatory pint and meal at the Old Forge Inn before a full moonlight walk back to the very comfortable Knoydart Lodge.
Saturday, 25 September 2010
Thursday, 23 September 2010
George and I went south to Wanlockhead today with the intention of heading up one of the hills in The Southern Uplands. Having escaped the rain in Glasgow the rain became even heavier so we opted for a tour down the lead mines near the village. The things you have to do to get away from the persistent rain. Excellent clear weather is forecast though over the weekend which will be welcome relief has we are up in Knoydart on Saturday and Sunday. No pics today!
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Another wet and soggy day on Ben Nevis today. Forecast for the weather a couple of days ago was to be fine and dry, but quite the opposite today. Lisa, Becky, Sarah and I did get a few glimpses of 'atmosheric' cloud formations before the rain finally set in by afternoon.
Saturday, 18 September 2010
Back to rain again today on the west coast. Wet and soggy morning, drying out in the late afternoon on The Ben. Lots of 3 peak challengers going on at all hours of the day. The hill will be lit up like a Christmas tree tonight with the amount of 3 peaker's we saw at 6pm.
Friday, 17 September 2010
A cold snap today with NW winds and low temperatures on Ben Nevis. Ian and I had a group from Weir Engineering up on The Ben, raising money for Cancer Research UK. There was a few snow flurries on the plateau, lower down there were a few bright spells through out the day. Much quieter up on the hill today and the midges look like they have finally gone, so Winter not far away!
We are already taking bookings for winter skills and winter courses with 10 days booked in December already.
Monday, 13 September 2010
Addventure . John and I were assessing 7 potential ML's on their 3 day expedition section of the syllabus. The conditions were 'testing' with constant rain, heavy at times and high winds. Poor visibility for virtually the whole three days, especially on the night navigation on Friday/Saturday. On the final morning the sun finally appeared for the steep ground and rope work section. Well done to all the guys. Pictures to come soon.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Another wild and windy day in the West Highlands. David and I headed west again for some better weather conditions. The beautifuly shaped Sgurr Ghiubhsachain rising above the eastern shore of Loch Shiel was our hill today. We had the hill to ourselves again with not a soul on the mountain, the summit was clear and the winds not has bad as forcasted. There is some excellent scrambling or you can easily avoid all of it if your so inclined. We did get some rain on the descent but we dried off at The Glenfinnan House Hotel in front of a roaring log fire and a pint.
Monday, 6 September 2010
The high winds forecast today forced David's planned walk over The Ring of Steall to be shelved. Instead the plan B was put into action and we headed over to Ardgour and Garbh-Bheinn. This is the finest peak on the Ardgour peninsula with some fine scrambling terrain to choose from, though we played safe and just headed up an easier route to the summit. The winds were only 40mph max so it was quite pleasant, just enough to keep you concentrating on where you put your feet (and hands). There were some good bright spells too, best of all we saw no one all day.
Friday, 3 September 2010
It was another very warm and clear skies day in Lochaber. Today Susan and I took a group from Travel Lodge motels up onto The Ben. They had raised over £5000 for Cancer UK. It was hot and thirsty work today, very summer like. The group seemed to have cleared every other person off the trig point to get some advertising in.
Thursday, 2 September 2010
A beautiful day with cloudless skies, light breeze and very warm. Anil and I went round the classic ridge walk of The Ring of Steall in The Mamores. Last year Anil was out with me on the CMD arete, in rain, low cloud and high winds, what a difference for him today. He had a big grin all the way around the five summits that encircle Steall waterfall. Two more days of the same weather to come, enjoy it!
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Les Eaux de Voyage
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