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Location Labs Announces General Availability of its Mobile Geofencing Platform and Launches Location-Based Spatial Data Storage – More than 2000 Developers Working in Beta Can Now Access the Geofencing Platform for iPhone and Android; Spatial Storage Beta Is Officially Open to Developers
SAN FRANCISCO – February 15, 2011 – Location Labs, the leading provider of mobile location-as-a-service, today announced general availability of its market-leading Geofencing platform with enhanced functionality and the Beta launch of a new Spatial Storage solution. Both of these cloud-based services are now open to developers.
Location Labs' geofencing technology helps iPhone and Android developers quickly and accurately define virtual boundaries on the phone, or in the cloud, with probability estimates for location accuracy and best-in class battery management. The industry's first geofencing platform is now used in several mobile application areas, such as interactive billboard advertising from CBS Outdoors and Intel, "Store Alerts" in mobile couponing from Cellfire, and social networking applications such as Mayor Maker and Tweet Mover, where developers are able to build on top of location services from Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. Starting today, any developer can now register for a free developer account to explore the geofencing API and build applications at http://geofence.locationlabs.com.
Location Labs is building on the success of its geofencing platform by adding a powerful Spatial Storage solution. The product provides API access to industry-leading 3rd party location data combined with geofencing, plus the ability to push location and application data to the cloud to run fast spatial context-aware searches. As part of this launch, Location Labs is also announcing the availability of Maponics data sets, which can be used by developers within their location-based services (LBS) applications. Developers can participate in the special beta program by visiting http://storage.locationlabs.com.
"We see so many ways for developers to use our geofence datasets to enhance their mobile apps and drive innovation," said Darrin Clement, CEO of Maponics. "And we love the idea that Location Labs will offer the mobile developer community access to them through their Spatial Storage solution."
The new and industry-leading functionality of Location Labs' Geofencing and Spatial Storage product:
· Creates geofences from the cloud, and makes them available on the phone as a user nears the geofence perimeter
· Creates geofences around standard points-of-interest, neighborhood boundaries, shopping areas, schools and college campuses using data from Maponics and other third-party data providers
· Leverages the cloud service to store location and context, and cut down the time to market
· Performs context-based range searches around a location of interest
· Creates automatic alerts based on a user's location and dwell time around a point of interest
· Understands application usage through Geofence Analytics
"Our goal is to continue to innovate, setting the pace for the development of location technologies and inspiring a whole new category of applications as a result," said Tasso Roumeliotis, CEO of Location Labs. "We are thrilled that our developer partners are able to leverage our expertise in Geofencing and now Spatial Storage, allowing them to focus on creating and offering the most innovative location-aware services."
For further details of Location Labs products visit http://www.locationlabs.com/products
# # #
About Location Labs
Location Labs is the leader in mobile location-as-a-service with consumer products that enhance the personal safety of millions of users and a location platform that enables 2,000+ developers to build their own rich location based applications.
The company operates the world's most successful mobile location-based personal safety service, powering nearly a dozen products for Tier 1 carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. Recent accolades include: 2010 Inc. 500 list of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies and San Francisco Business Journal's "Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies".
The company has raised $26MM in venture financing from Draper Fisher Jurvetson, BlueRun Ventures (formerly Nokia Venture Partners), QUALCOMM Ventures, Intel Capital, and Mitsui Ventures. More information: http://www.LocationLabs.com


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But before I even spazz about the biggest shopping holiday in the US, let me introduce you to what you may have known for the past few weeks already. It's the biggest collaboration everyone has been talking about from the moment it was announced. I don't even know if I should name it, but what the hell. I'm too happy and perky, haha!
MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA x H&M. These are some of the standouts:
Reconstructed Biker Jacket
Oversized denim pants
Jacket made out of belts? Why not!
This ensemble is just perfect! Wish we could pull off that kind of outfit here in the PH! Plus look at the heels, its wedges are invisible :)
Horizontally-worn dress. WHATTAGENIUS.
Oversized coat. 'Nuff said, methinks.
The lapels of this trench is inverted and the shirt, pants and even the shoes are hand-painted. What else isn't special about this collection?!
This is just BLACK-ly beautiful.
It feels like Japanese, but it's French.
Reconstructed gloves as bag handles
Candy wrapper clutch, so sweet!
Inverted shoulder bag – eyeing to buy this!
You know already about the invisible wedges…
So let's spazz about their sneakers! TOTALLY IN MY WISHLIST!
And what is the relevance of all this when we live in the faraway land of MANILA? Not anymore! Introducing the GCASH American Express Virtual Card! It's the answer to your shopping needs this Black Friday and even the Holiday season. Watch this quick video to know more about this:
Isn't it great? You get to ship your goods to a virtual US ADDRESS (so you can take advantage of free shipping perks on some stores) and ship it to Manila at a lessened cost. What's even better to know is that you don't need a credit card to shop online. Loving the way you pay, eh?
So Black Friday just started a few hours ago and you still have roughly 20 hours to go before it ends! Watch the video above to guide you and go register now for your GCASH AmEx virtual card and enjoy your Black Friday shopping! Let me know what you bought, hihi :)

subset: commoncrawl


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What started off as a small group of Stroudsburg lawyers is now a full service law firm that spans four states with seven offices. We are pleased to assist our clients with all of their legal needs.
Why ARM Lawyers Works
Well known throughout the Stroudsburg community, our partners came together to create a firm greater than the sum of its parts. We have a wealth of experience, with more than seven and a half decades of legal work in every possible forum in Pennsylvania, but what really makes our firm work is a commitment to strength, confidence and excellence. We believe in ourselves, our practice and most importantly, our clients.
Strength and Confidence
As longtime Pennsylvania attorneys, we were drawn together by a unique bond and personal mentality. Confident and assertive, we waste no time in getting things done. We like people and we appreciate the opportunity we have as lawyers to take charge and help our clients find solutions during their most difficult times.
Active individuals, we take good care of ourselves and we project confidence. At the same time, we are just regular guys, and our offices provide an atmosphere where our clients can come in and feel comfortable, whether we are discussing sports or their legal concerns.
Charity Work
Our office routinely volunteers to assist Women's Resources of Monroe County on domestic violence cases. Often times, victims of domestic violence feel paralyzed and do not know how to obtain legal assistance. We help those women obtain protection from abuse and often times, to get divorced from their abuser.
Contact ARM Lawyers
You want an attorney you can believe in, whether you are going through a divorce, fighting a criminal charge or struggling with debt. We will give you every reason to believe in us. Contact us at 570-257-4509 (Stroudsburg), 484-765-8140 (Palmerton), or 610-849-2788 (Bethlehem) today to schedule a consultation and learn more.


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You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'Wicca' tag.
Good morning, evening and afternoon everyone!
I want to address something that made me very disappointed in news media, to be more specific, with Fox News.
Yesterday, they published a story about the University of Missouri adding Wiccan/Pagan holidays to their "Guide to Religions: Major Holidays and Suggested Accommodations" packet they give to faculty and students. When I first heard about that, I thought "Why do we need accommodation" because as a college student, I can't afford to miss any classes in case I miss something and I'm sure it's the same in Missouri. Then I thought "Someone is going to say something dumb about it." Little did I know that it wouldn't be some right winged bible thumping closed minded interviewee, but the Fox News Anchors themselves?
As a student who has been studying journalism for four years now, I can't believe what those anchors said actually made it to air, and national news no doubt. I am disgusted and appalled with the blatant bigotry and unprofessionalism of this that I am almost at a loss for words.
All most…
To sum it up here is something that I've written:
To whom it may concern,
My name is Samantha Stanford and I wish to complain about the way Fox News portrayed Wiccan/Pagans in your last broadcast on February 17th.
I am a journalism student in Wisconsin as well as a Pagan. I found the news anchors very misinformed and how they addressed Wiccans and Pagans very biased to the point of bigotry.
As a journalism student, I've been taught that the news reporter must take themselves out of the equation and just report the facts as they currently stand. The way Fox News anchors spoke of Wiccans being "Dungeons and Dragons players" and "Twice Divorced Midwives" who have an affinity for incense is very offensive. Fox News cannot joke about Catholic priests being "child molesters" or people of the Muslim faith being "terrorists" because it is offensive, what makes what those anchors said not offensive to us?
The comment on Wiccans/Pagans having 20 holidays is greatly exaggerated.
Many Wiccans and Pagans celebrate the 8 main holidays of the Wheel of the Year: Yule/Winter solstice, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Midsummer, Lammas, Mabon and Samhain. The 13 esbats are not holidays but the full moons in one year that are considered sacred. The Fox News team would have known this if they had looked over the Missouri University's "Guide to Religions" that Fox News just so happens to have a link to on your own website included with this article:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/02/17/university-missouri-guide-asks-professors-to-accommodate-wiccan-pagan-holidays/ and counted them.
Also many of these holidays coincide closely with modern western holidays, causing little upset with academic calendars. This I know from experience. So we are not looking for "excuses" to "not have to take commitments seriously" as the Fox News contributor Tammy Brown stated.
I must say as a journalism student, I am shocked at the blatant lack of objectivity of this broadcast. Good reporting is neutral and only states the facts.
I hope in future broadcasts, no matter what or who they address, Fox News will improve their fact checking abilities and their anchors will be more thoughtful and considerate in their word choices.
Samantha Stanford
This is an actual email I plan to send to firstname.lastname@example.com after I'm done with this post that simply states, " Check your f***ing facts like you're suppose to before talking about something you know nothing about".
The funny thing is I'm not angry at what they said…well I am but it's not that they said it because I've heard worse. It's the fact that as journalists it is their job to remain as objective as possible but no, they have to put in their own two cents and broadcast it on national television, playing into the stereotypes and spreading stupidity and wrong information on a national scale.
If they got their own issues about my faith, that's fine but keep it to yourself or be a reporter for the zealots at the 700 Club.
What do I think about the "Religious Guide"? I don't see it as a problem but as a teaching tool. My mom and I work and go to school on many actual Sabbaths so we celebrates the weekend before and do something small when we get home on the actual day. I also know many other people of other faiths that work and go to school during Ramadan and Hanukah because they need to. The guide just states what each is and what it's about. This guide is more truthful than the news story about it.
I guess I'm not the only hostile one because after only a day, the video of the broadcast has been removed from Fox News's website. Luckily, YouTube is eternal so see for yourself :
Good Morning, Evening and Afternoon Everyone!
I'm so sorry about the delay, the amount of bad luck I've experienced this winter break…I don't think anyone is going to believe me.
As everyone knows, I got sick thanks to my Little Bro and that made it very difficult and painful to type anything for a good week. After getting over that, I was feeling much better until my mom started feeling sick as well. I thought she had the same thing me and Little Bro had but it turns out she had a VERY bad flu that has been running rampant in forty-one states…and then she gave it to everyone in the house. We were all sick with MAJOR fevers, throwing up, and upper respiratory distress from Christmas into the first week of January.
You think, "Man, that sucks but everything got better after that, right?" Nope, thanks to either someone at Wal-Mart or someone at my brother's school. I had to stay up Thursday night until 2:30 am Friday while my mom ripped through my hair and my brother's with a lice comb and fumigated our rooms and bedding.
"Wow, that…really sucks," you might say, "But it stops there…right?" Nay, it shall not I say! Next weekend, I now have to experience the wonders of oral surgery to remove a very painful granuloma that I've developed on the right side of my mouth…
Okay, thank you for letting me rant. Now here is the post I promised: Saint Expedite Part Deux! Finally!
I wanted to do a second post on this because of all of the wonderful feedback from the first post. There are two points that I want to touch on in this post: getting to know saints and ritual remains.
Many of the strict traditions of Wicca and Paganism (such as Alexandrian and Gardenerian) don't really use saints that often if any that I've noticed. I think this is because many Christian saints started out as Old Religion spirits and deities that were Christianized when Paganism was persecuted; so many pagans, with some exceptions, use the original names to distance themselves from the oppression that Christianity caused. Take St. Brigit of Ireland who is worshipped by thousands and has many schools and churches named after her. She started out as the Goddess Brighit of the local pagans. As well as Santa Claus or Saint Nick who is a hodgepodge of deities including Nordic Odin and The Holly King.
But this does not mean that calling a deity one name is more powerful than calling it another. How I see it is that they are one and the same but also they are individuals, like two sides of the same coin.
When I started the St. Expedite spell, I took the advice of Dr. Lazarus Corbeaux, a hoodoo practitioner that when you are going to petition a saint or any deity that it's a good idea to talk to them and let them get to know you before you do your actual spell/ritual. How I did this was that when I had my altar on the kitchen table, I sat across from Saint Expedite and introduce myself.
I know this may seem silly but there is a reason for it.
I simply introduced myself and…I talked. I talked about me, my family, my troubles my successes and things like that. In the morning I said hello to him and at dinner I ate at the table with him and afterwards I would light his candle and meditate my intentions with him.
This creates a bond between petitioner and petition-y, a friendship if you will. If a complete stranger came up to you and asked to borrow one hundred dollars or borrow your car, you would say no or possibly a 'Hell No!' If a friend you knew and spent time with and knew really well asked you these things, there's more of a chance that you would say yes, and that goes the same with deities and saints.
Secondly, the subject of ritual remains. Ritual remains are all the stuff left over after a spell is completed such as candle wax, herbs, flowers, offerings and the like. With the pound cake, flowers and water in the spell, after my petition was answered, I placed them outside in thanks. With the paper with my petition on it, I buried it in my backyard and said thanks to him. The candle wax from the spent candle I chose to keep because I plan to make another candle for Saint Expedite using the wax. Some people dispose of the wax by burying it or throwing it away but I like to keep the wax I use because it is already concentrated and holds magical energy that it will boost the next candle that is made.
I hope I covered everything I left out wish me luck with the rest of my winter break!
Blessed Be )o(
The first thing I have to say is…thank you God, Goddess and every deity known to human kind and the few known to monkeys for helping me get through Exam Week. I know this will sound whiney, but I feel like I've been dropped kicked across Milwaukee, all the way to Madison and back. I kid you not, when I came home from my last exam of the semester, I went to my room and slept for three hours before my mom came home around six-ish.
Essays, essays and guess what…more essays! Luckily one was a take home, but doing that and trying to study for four other classes is NOT an easy task.
I can't believe I only have one more semester until I have my Bachelor's…very scarey.
I'll be posting a second part to my Saint Expedite spell post early this coming week, because I …sort of…forget to do it because of exams (thank you wonderful Emmelia for reminding me! 🙂 ). It's just going to be a brief go through of what I did with the ritual 'remains' of the spell and maybe give you guys some ideas if you want to do this spell.
First…sleep. Blissful, wonderful, much needed sleep.
And caffeine detox…
Blessed Be everyone! )o(
Good Morning, evening and afternoon everyone!
Yeah, yeah I should be writing right now but instead I wanted to talk to everyone today about Saint Expedite.
"Wait," you might be saying. "Saint? I thought saints were for Catholics and you're pagan?"
True, the use of saints has been popularized by monotheistic religions, BUT some pagans/spiritualistic people DO use saints in their rituals and in their daily practices such as in Voodoo, Hoodoo (there is a difference), Santeria and Christian Wiccans ( it sounds like an oxymoron but it true) as well as many others that I can't remember right now.
The reason for this is because many pagan deities were assimilated into Catholicism when the Roman Catholic Church came into power and started persecuting and converting pagans. So the clever Catholics took deities like the Goddess, The Horned God, and other deities and spirits changed them into The Virgin Mary, The Devil and saints. A great example of this is in Hoodoo and Voodoo where they use saints such as Saint Jude, Saint Anthony to represent different loas/spirits as well as still representing the saint as well.
But I digress…
I wanted to talk about Saint Expedite spell that is very useful and that has helped me and my family. For the past few years me and my family have been struggling a lot what with my grandmother's death, me losing my mental marbles for a few months and my mom and dad going through difficult times with finances and employment. A few weeks ago I remembered a spell that I heard about from M. Flora Peterson, I've talked about her before, called the Saint Expedite spell that's really great for getting things done fast.
According to Flora, one version of the story is, " The legend goes that back in 1798, a group of nuns from Paris received a crate with the words "spedito" stamped on the side, meaning rush with haste. At that time, when statues and relics of saints were shipped, the name of the saint would be written on the side of the crate, thus St. Joseph would have "Joseph" & St. Francis would naturally have "Francis" on the side and so on. When the nuns opened the crate they found the beautiful statue of a saint. There was no other paperwork or anything else about him included, not even where the package originated from. Only the word "spedito" on the side. Taking this as a Divine Sign, the nuns quickly installed the statue and named him, "St. Expedito", or St. Expedite." St. Expedite is prayed to when your prayers need to be "rushed" or sent "with haste" to God. He's also called upon for:
• Finding a Job
• Money
• In all cases when things need to change quickly
He's a very popular saint in France, Spain and Italy and very popular in Voodoo and Hoodoo root work in the states. To set up an altar to him you need:
- A red or yellow cloth (I used a red pillowcase because that was the only red cloth I had)
- A glass of water
- A red candle with Saint Expedites' name carved in it
- An image or statue of Saint Expedite (I printed a picture I liked off the web on some hardy stock paper and stood it on a bookend)
Step 1: Now, place your red or yellow cloth on a table or wherever you plan to set up your altar.
Step 2: The Voodoo Hoodoo Spell book by Denise Alvarado suggests setting your altar supplies in a triangle shape with your red candle as the top point.
Step 3: On the bottom left-hand corner you place your glass of water and in the bottom right-and corner you play your image.
NOTE: I also placed some citrine stones in a triangle shape on my altar to make the triangle whole like the image below. Please forgive me for the crappy skill of it; I'm a writer not a graphic artist.
You don't have to put citrine on your altar like I did. I did it because citrine has great space cleansing properties and I liked the visual look of it.
Step 4: Petition St. Expedite on a Wednesday is best but you can do it any day of the week. Wed. is best because Wednesday is the sacred day dedicated to Mercury/Hermes, St. Expedites' swift messenger pagan god counterpart (See, I told you).
Step 5: Before you petition St. Expedite, turn the image you have to him upside down because that's his working position and them light your candle saying this:
"St. Expedite, you lay in rest. I come to you and ask that my prayer be granted. [Insert Your Request] Expedite this, what I ask of you. Expedite now, this is what I want of you, this very second. Please don't waste another day. Please give me what I ask for. I know your power, I know you because of your work. I know you can do it. If you do this for me, I'll spread your name with love and honor. Expedite my prayer with speed, love, honor and goodness, Glory to you St. Expedite! Blessed be, So Mote it Be, Amen."
Write your petition/what you need on a piece of paper and place it under his image or under your candle and do this every day until your petition is answered. Note: You have to be VERY specific with St. Expedite because I know for a fact that if you're not it will take ten times as long and something will get screwed up in the process…That's why I had to do this twice.
The first time failed because of many things: I set up my altar on the kitchen table and stuff kept getting piled on top of it which is disrespectful to the spirit your working with, I had my Working Candle (an all-purpose candle some pagans use to boost works) that is dedicated to Aphrodite who I found out after a little research that Aphrodite and St. Expedite(whose Greek counterpart is Hermes) don't get along very well when being invoked together because both are always vying to be dominate. Lastly, I wasn't specific enough with my request. I asked St. Expedite to help my dad find a job and he was hired for one…in another city.
So, I set off my computer desk and turned that into a temporary altar, placed my Working Candle back on my main altar and rewrote my petition with some major changes. Great news is that my dad starts his new job, which is 20 minutes away, Monday (yay!) and he's getting paid almost as much as his last job so hopefully that will help us out greatly.
Make sure that you give thanks to Saint Expedite AFTER he answers your petition and not before. Saint Expedite has been described as being helpful and caring but also simple-minded and childish. If you give him offering before he helps you out, he more often than not, not going to help you.
It's like paying the dentist before you get your tooth pulled.
After your prayer has been answered, give him an offering of Pound Cake (five slices), pennies (one on each slice), and red or yellow flowers as a
thank you. You must also publish a public thank you to him in a newspaper (expensive) or Facebook (free!). Alverado says that if one doesn't thank St. Expedite for his help that he can take it away and make things worse than before.
I've included some pics of my own altar that I hope inspire some of you.
Thank you, Saint Expedite for helping me and my family.
I hope this post helps many others.
Blessed Be!
Blessed Be everyone!
Next week is one of my favorite holidays, Samhain! (Pronounced "sow-en")
What is Samhain you ask? You probably know it better as Halloween or All-hallows-eve. Every year on October 31 (or May 1, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere) the Pagan Sabbat called Samhain gives people the opportunity to celebrate the cycle of death and rebirth. For many Pagan and Wiccan traditions, Samhain is a time to reconnect with our ancestors, and honor those who have died, similar to Dias de Los Muertos.
It is also considered the Witches New Year because according to the Celtic calendar, Sunset on Samhain is the beginning of the Celtic New Year. "This is a good time for us to look at wrapping up the old and preparing for the new in our lives. Once you've gotten all that unfinished stuff cleared away, and out of your life, then you can begin looking towards the next year" (Patti Wigington).
One of the things me and my family like to do is create an ancestral alter with images of our loved ones who have passed and decorate it with leaves, gourds, some food like homemade bread as an offering and 1 lit black candle to honor the dead. We also sometimes have a big bonfire outside, but this year we might not since there's been so much rain lately, and I'm going to try to create a besom!
But the best thing we do is take a road trip to the cemetery and visit my mom's relatives. It feels surreal when you go to a cemetery on Samhain. I would describe it as a weighty feeling on your chest and a warm prickly feeling on your skin. Every time we leave after leaving offerings on the graves, I have a head ach that won't go away until we get home. But then a sense of peace washes over and the pain is forgotten. I don't know why that happens but I'm okay with it.
This year's Samhain is…going to be rough because I've finally gotten up the strength to put up my Mush-Mush's picture up on my alter this year. It's an old Polaroid of her smoking a cigarette and wearing my favorite shirt she had: a tank top with all of the classic movie monsters on it like The Mummy, Dracula, Frankenstein and others. It's almost been two years but every time I look at it I can't help but get misty eyed.
Well…I'll keep you guys posted as to what happens and also I'll be posting something really cool this weekend so expect that…
Blessed Be!
Blessed Be everyone! Long time no see!
Wow, things have been a whirlwind as usual. I can't believe it almost the end of October. Where did all the time go and where was I? Samhain is fast approaching and then you know what the day is after. NaNoWriMo ! I am so unprepared that it is not even funny. I'm stuck between story ideas at the moment and thinking that I'm just going to eni-meni-myni-mo it if I can't decide.
But enough of that for now…
The main point of this post (other than I missed everyone and a certain friend of mine keeps bugging me for a new post…you know who you are 🙂 ) is because of a video that I just watched on YouTube that made me a bit sad and also made me think a bit.
As some of you know, I've mention a wonderful woman in some of my previous posts named M. Flora Peterson aka CharmingPixieFlora. I've been subscribed to her channel for almost four years and she has been an inspiration to not just me and my mom but hundreds if not thousands of other. Her positivity and smile is so infectious that the next time something wonderful happens to you you'll want to get up and shout "YAY!"
She posted a 35 minute long video to her channel, it peaked my interest because usually her vids are maybe 10 minutes max. But, what really got me worried was the title of this video unsubtly titled, "Good Bye". I watched it and I can honestly say that it broke my heart.
Now, Flora has her own business at http://www.mflorapeterson.com where she has courses and a placed to set up appointments for readings and spiritual coaching as well as a store with her books. But as many know, the web is a dangerous place filled with trolls and even Flora's shield of positivity can be cracked as I learned when I watched her tell of all the hurtful things she's been sent of people criticizing her for charging for her services and now she's not sure if she's going to come back to YouTube or not.
This is so sad because I love all of her videos and it would be a shame if they were taken down.
Dang trolls…
But I can see what the opposition is saying. Wiccan/Pagans have been debating whether or not it's acceptable to charge for teaching classes or performing services for a while. One school of thought says it's never okay because knowledge is something that should be shared freely at no charge to a student, because you can't put a price on spirituality. The other group argues that it's fine to charge because teachers need to make a living too.
I see nothing wrong with Flora asking for payment. If you go to her channel, she has over 300 FREE videos crammed packed with information and spiritual guidance for those interested in Paganism and Wicca, videos that she made on her own time because she wanted to share her knowledge. And because she shared her knowledge many people wanted her personally to teach them.
And sadly, our society today is driven by the ol' Mighty Dollar and everything costs money. Supplies cost money and even time and energy costs money. Think of it this way, her vids on YouTube are Elementary through High school, free and don't cost you anything and all you have to do it sit there and absorb. Then there's college where you pay for your books and tuition and also the personal one-on-one time you get with higher learning.
Many people don't understand the time and energy that goes into much of what many teachers do. Whether it be a spiritual teacher or a high school one: the prep time, the supplies, weeks of stuff has to be planned out ahead of schedule. Not to mention the personal spiritual energy that goes into everything and that she is using her own supply of herbs and things that she had purchased for her own use, she is using in the name of others.
Now, though I agree that asking for money for supplies is okay, I don't agree with some of the inflated prices than many so called practitioners ask for.
This is my own feelings on the subject and I hope that Flora will come back and keep sharing her wisdom with us. If anyone wants to know more on this topic, I highly encourage you to check out the wonderful blog of Ms. Patti Wigingtion at:
And give some much needed love to CharmingPixieFlora at : http://www.youtube.com/user/CharmingPixieFlora
And at : http://www.mflorapeterson.com/
Blessed Be everyone and I'll see you soon 🙂
Blessed Be everyone!
Wow, have things been going on! Some really cool things and some very serious things…
I celebrated my 21st birthday with my beloved parents and Little Bro by going to the movies and seeing something I've wanted to see for months, "Rock of Ages" (yay)! I'm a huge fan of the Broadway performance and the movie didn't disappoint, although, the movie and the musical are two completely different things that I love for completely different reasons. The movie has a HEA ending while the musical ending is more realistic but still happy. Both are awesome in their own way.
Some might know that a couple of weeks ago was the Summer Solstice also known as Midsummer or Litha. And it's not just a Wiccan or Pagan holiday, its celebrated all over the world as the longest day of the year and as the half way point to the end of summer. It's the end of the Oak King's reign and the Holly King has taken his place, and the time has come to prepare for the upcoming harvest.
When Litha came, I wasn't in a very good spot. It was a mixture of things that I could write ten pages on, but let's just say it was multiple stresses from multiple areas of my life. I had a plan that I wanted to make Litha a big thing with my family and we'd go outside and have a bonfire with marshmallows and a small ritual and…everything fell though as sometimes it does. I was disappointed because I have been putting off all the sabbats and esbats because things would come up with my internship or me trying to muster up the creative energy to work on my creative writing that I hadn't touched since May which isn't going very well…
The sun was setting, and I was alone with my family doing their own thing.
I couldn't take it anymore. I walked outside, barefoot in my cupcake pjs, and knelt at the foot of the several years old willow-esque tree in the back yard where I like going for making offerings and doing rituals. I felt awkward and uncomfortable, not just because I was kneeling on some very hard dirt in my unpadded pajamas. I had only felt that way once before in the seventh grade when I had to talk with the school counselor after a poem I wrote about a grey cloud made my English teacher think I was depressed…don't ask.
I knelt in the quietness of Nature and I cried everything out of me, every frustration in my life, every angry thought that I had of me and how disappointed I felt with myself. After the crying, I still sat. And…I talked. I talked to the God and Goddess for what seemed like hours, but it was only a couple. I know my neighbors must have thought, "Oh, that neighbor's kid is just not right" but… I had never felt so connected to Spirit than in those moments. I felt a pressure release inside of me and a velvet comfort in my mind that seemed to say "I hear you. I understand. It'll get better".
My point of this is that life has its sucky moments where you feel mentally and emotionally shattered. It could be from the death of a beloved person in your life or from financial hardships or just from plain loneliness. But I think something that M. Flora Peterson said rings true, "Today in our fast paced lives, its challenging to find those 10-15 minutes a day where we can find our center, find our balance, and really feel that divine connection in our lives". For months I've been feeling that something was missing. That something wasn't right. I don't know if what I described could be called a 'spiritual awakening' or 'wakeup call' or something. But whatever I was…It was something that I really needed and maybe it's something that many people need.
So I want to assign some homework for anyone who wants to do it and it will only take 10 minutes…
Go someplace where you feel comfortable, preferably somewhere quiet. Close your eyes and empty your head of all the junk we accumulate in the average work week, boss is ticking you off, parents are breathing down your neck about something, the kids aren't listening to you. Just chuck that out the window for 10 minutes and let the silence speak to you. Because I have come to believe that silence can tell you a lot more than the noises we have to listen to on a daily basis.
Blessed be everyone and have a great July 4th!
When I first started on my path, I read a lot of books on Wicca and Paganism. One custom that many write about is the giving of an offering to the G&G as a way of saying 'thank you for everything' or as a way of asking for help with something.
But one thing that I noticed is that in one book, the writer would say 'offering' while another author would use the word 'sacrifice'. Now I don't know about anyone else, but when someone uses the terms 'pagan' and 'sacrifice' in the same sentence, some might get the wrong idea…like boiling bunnies or chaining a virgin to a stone slab.
There is a difference between an offering and a sacrifice. The lines between them can be confusing at times but there is a difference.
A sacrifice is what the word means: the person is giving something up that is vital to THAT person. I mean the person that is making the sacrifice. You sacrificing your big sister's mp3 player to the G&G by throwing it into the river and asking for a good grade in math is not a sacrifice because you didn't give up anything. The most popular example of sacrifice is a sacrifice of blood. YOUR BLOOD! Not the blood of some poor helpless living creature. Blood is considered a sacrifice because you are giving a part of yourself up, a part of your essence. It is the reason why many ancient civilizations used human and animal sacrifices, because a living beings life essence it a very powerful form of magical energy.
An offering is the giving of something that you have in abundance. Many pagans have alters that they store their offerings on like freshly cut flowers, flower petals, salt, bits of bread or fruit, etc.
Food is one of those confusing things that many question is it an offering or a sacrifice? Food is more accessible today than it was a thousand years ago, where the giving of food was a much bigger deal. When I do offerings, I like to use things from around the house that I know no one else will use. Such as the ends of a loaf of bread, cornmeal, fallen rose petals from our garden outside, leftover candy from holidays, etc.
So that is the difference between an offering and a sacrifice. I hope I was clear enough, Blessed Be 🙂
I know I haven't been posting anything really pertaining to writing or Wicca lately but right now that is going to change as for now. Today I want to put something to rest that a lot of pagan newbies worry a lot about.
As me and my mom are eclectic Wiccans we do many rituals for different things. We do rituals for luck, celebration the sabbats, esbats, all sorts of stuff. And as many know we have a little child as well. So there is a higher chance that whatever we are doing at that moment in time will come to a stand still with these few little words "Ooh, what are you doing?" "Ooh, what's this thing?" "Ooh, can I play with the stick?" (it's a wand but he thinks it's a stick)
For Example:
Last night we (me and Mom) decided to go outside (it was gorgeous outside!) and do a nighttime ritual with our new bonfire pit ( the caldron we call it be cause it really looks like a caldron) for good fortune for the family and us. This is a parody of what happened…
Mom (standing to the north, I in the south invoking our circle): "Oh Goddess we ask of you…
Little Bro:"What are you doing"
Me: "We're doing our ritual, shhh".
Mom: Again we ask the God and Goddess…
Little Bro; "Can I play with the stick?"
Me (glaring): "No, shut up. And it's a wand, not a stick".
Little Bro: "But I wanna play with it!"
Mom: "Don't tell your brother to 'shut up'. Do you want to be a part of our ritual, sweetie?"
Little Bro: *nods*
(We finally get the circle cast and say our blessings and say thanks to the God and Goddess when in the middle…)
Little Bro: "Are we done yet?"
Me and Mom :"No."
Little Bro (after about two-minute of silence) :"I'm bored!"
(Little brother runs out of the circle , which he isn't suppose to, to instead roll around in the mosquito infested grass and get his clothes dirty and sing at the top of his lungs)
Rituals aren't ment to be perfect. If they were they wouldn't half as interesting and just because you get interrupted or a magick malfunction, as I like to call it, happens it doesn't make the spell any less potent. It's the energy and you acknowledgement of the energies and divine forces you invoke that matter. Every you do is between the Goddess and the God, and they don't care if you look like a fool or screw something up. Laughter is one of the things that they hold dear and they know how much work you put into everything you do. I felt the energy yesterday and I know, yet it was comical, but the Gods and Goddesses need to laugh too…


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In terms of union refereeing I had a fairly light weekend, just an AR on Sunday (I also reffed League on Saturday). I came into the game carrying an injury that I picked up on Saturday. I managed to kick my self and bruised the muscle that lifts the foot according to the physio. It hurt, and I called up reappointments and they couldn't find anyone so I pushed through it.
The game was good Ealing U23 vs Royal Navy U23. Had a good time, final score 26-17, but Ealing scored on the death
On Sunday I had a tournament-Esher Presidents Cup. Good tourney with a lot of the top London schools (Hampton, John Fisher, Abingdon, whitgift, Brighton, and Henley). I did three games, my first game-Hampton vs Abingdon, my second was Henley vs whitgift, and my third was the final being John Fisher vs whitgift.
In the first game I felt had two issues, the scrum and lineout. The scrum was more a dominant side vs a small side so wasn't really me, we reset a few scrums due to 45,
I'm writing this on the tube on the way to my match. Yesterday's match was a game of two halves. I had Barnes 2s vs Ampthill 2s in a level 8 friendly. Final score 47-17. The half time score was 0-17, like I said two halves. The first half saw a higher pk count against Barnes, but nothing out of the ordinary, whereas the second half was much more even. The game had a decent flow and was recorded so will try to post a link at some point.
From a coach and captains point of view
The season has started kinda...
This weekend I AR'd Premiership U18s, TJ'd a RL international, and reffed England women 7s selection camp.
During the Premiership U18s I had London Irish, Harlequins, and Saracens in a round robin. Some really good games, things I picked up are the pre-match briefing of balance and stability as a factor in the scrums. I'm going to take this into my first game this weekend (8/31 L8 friendly)
The 7s camp went great, the coaches
the scrum now being properly set .......I can forsee hookers
flashing at an invisible ball . Therefore the question being when can a hooker flash ? I believe its when balls past the prop !


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Despite overwhelming support (71% in the nonbinding 2014 CVRD referendum) for a small property tax to "establish a service…to address homelessness," valley residents are being asked to go to the polls again Saturday, November 28. This ballot will, officially, approve (or disapprove) a property tax ($6 on a $300,000 home) to provide $165,000 annually to address Comox Valley homelessness.
One would think that with 71% support in the 2014 election, a referendum for $6 a year would be a done deal, but it may not be so easy.
If you want to see this referendum pass, you need to get out and vote.
On November 28, 2015, any eligible—not Comox– voter can vote between 8 am and 8 pm at any of these voting places:
• Union Bay community hall, 5401 Island Highway South, Union Bay
• Royston elementary school, 3830 Warren Ave, Royston
• North Island Distance Education School (NIDES – formerly Tsolum elementary school), 2505 Smith Rd, Courtenay
• Cultural centre Moncrief hall, 2674 Dunsmuir Ave, Cumberland
• Courtenay elementary school, 1540 McPhee Ave, Courtenay
• Queneesh elementary school, 2345 Mission Rd, Courtenay
• Living Waters church, 2222 Regent Road
Advance poll November 25, 8 am and 8 pm, CVRD boardroom at 550B Comox Road, Courtenay.
Despite the support in the 2014 referendum, Saturday's ballot is not a foregone conclusion. For one thing, this referendum is not being held along with a municipal election and thus the turnout will be much—MUCH– lower than 2014. It will take many fewer no votes to defeat it. There is a concerted effort to get out the no vote. Already I have heard several reports of a behind the scenes get out the no vote campaign. It seems this no money for the homeless campaign realizes that a public no campaign would trigger the yes side to launch its own get out the vote effort and is thus quietly mustering their vote.
If you want to see this referendum pass, you need to get out and vote, but if you really want to support a Comox Valley function–however minimal it may be—to address homelessness, you need to call, email, talk to all your friends and acquaintances(hey! talk to strangers you pass on the sidewalk). Tell them, if they care about improving the plight of the homeless in the Comox Valley: Get out and vote Yes, Saturday, November 28!


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The "Jeziorna" Ecological Woodland comprises a fragment of a small river valley - the Jeziorna River Valley. The river is from 0.5 m to 1 m wide and up to 0.4 m deep, and it flows in its natural riverbed. Along the Jeziorna Valley flora species growing on waterlogged grounds have their habitat. Land overgrown with carex species, willow and alder scrubs is good for the development of many amphibian species.
A little higher, the valley bottom is overgrown with scrubs and trees in which alder trees dominate, and oaks, hazel and hornbeam grow on the hills. Cranes nest in the "Jeziorna" Ecological Woodland.
Welcome to the Sulęcin Municipality website. I wish you pleasant reading and invite you to visit the charming Sulęcin Region.
Mayor of SulęcinDariusz Ejchart
serdecznie witam na stronie internetowej Gminy Sulęcin.


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Ever have one of those headaches that hangs on all day?
That was me today. I tried Aleve, soothing music, silence, taking a nap, drinking tea, and taking more Aleve. No luck. I just lay down on my bed after work and accepted that I would have a nagging pain in my head all night. Then something magical happened.
My baby Loki jumped up and snuggled next to me, falling instantly asleep. And before long, issuing from said kitty were the most adorable little kitten snores ever. All breathy, soft, and comforting. Almost purr-like. And my headache started to disappear.
Kitten snores. They cure headaches, apparently. Bottle. It. Up.


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Even though the Jonas Brothers are officially over, Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, are still kickin'. And no pun intended or anything but the couple are also expecting their first baby, a girl, in early 2014, which means being on the cover of pregnancy magazines is the natural next step for this power couple…right?
Photos: Go Inside Danielle Jonas' Baby Shower
Kevin and Dani are on the December/January cover of Fit Pregnancy, and inside the mag they talk about how they're preparing to become first time parents. And OKMagazine.com has Kevin's exclusive quote about what it's like having a pregnant wife!
OK! News: Kevin and Danielle Jonas Put Their House Up For Sale
"I wanted to be there for her," Kevin says of spending time with Danielle during her pregnancy. "Whenever I had a day off, I'd fly home and we'd just lay in bed together."
As for what type of mom Danielle will be? Kevin says she'll be…clingy. "Dani will ooze affection and she'll be clingy at first. I have a feeling she's not going to love letting everyone else hold the baby."
OK! Exclusive: Peek Inside Demi Lovato's Latina Photo Spread
Kevin and Danielle celebrated with a Mary Poppins-themed baby shower this past weekend, but Fit Pregnancy will also be hosting the couple's very own baby shower for the couple in New York. Stay tuned for what they get gifted and details on some special guests!
Watch: The Jonas Brothers Talk About Their Split on GMA
Are you excited for Baby Girl Jonas? What do you think has changed for Kevin and Dani since she got pregnant? Does the baby kind of keep your mind off the Jonas Brothers breakup? Tell us below or on Twitter @OKMagazine.
For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews – Subscribe on YouTube!


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by Tony Cartalucci
May 29, 2012 – A protester who interrupted the Leveson inquiry in England, called former-British Prime Minister Tony Blair a war criminal before accusing Blair of receiving a large yearly payment from JP Morgan for his role in initiating the 2003 Iraq War – a war that gave control over the oil-rich Iraqi banking system to JP Morgan. Blair presided over the UK's participation in the US-led invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq, now exposed as being based on willful lies told using fabricated intelligence. The war has cost over a million Iraq lives, as well as those of thousands of Western troops.
In 2011, applying the Nuremberg Principles established in the wake of WWII to prosecute Nazi war criminals, a tribunal held by legal and human rights professionals from around the world found Blair, as well as former-US President George W. Bush guilty of war crimes for waging a war of aggression against Iraq.


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Professor, Teaching Stream
Don has been learning about, and using, GIS for over 30 years. He has been teaching several GIS courses at the undergraduate and graduate level at the University of Toronto since 2001. Before that, he worked as a freelance GIS consultant, with clients in Canada's Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut, and Ontario. Don is passionate about finding meaningful ways to help students learn more effectively using education technology.


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About us
The BRIGGS DNA Project is an ongoing project open to anyone who has the surname BRIGGS in their family tree. It is open to any FTDNA tester - if you have tested at another company and wish to join us, please contact me (Gail firstname.lastname@example.com) It is primarily for males who carry Y-DNA, but females are welcome, especially if they carry the BRIGGS surname. The project is aiming to identify the numerous BRIGGS families together using DNA. Male participants' Y-DNA results can be viewed within the project as are the mtDNA results Feel free to join in or to initiate conversations within the 'Activity Feed'. This is your in-house forum. Be certain to look around the project and familiarise yourself with what is there. My contact details are visible to the left hand side of the project's Landing page. It is believed that it is the northern English form of Bridge, from Old Norse bryggja. Apparently 'Brigg' is standard Yorkshire dialect and, therefore, interchangeable with the word 'Bridge.' ( eg Briggate in Leeds led from Leeds Bridge up to the town). Please look at this web page http://forebears.co.uk/surnames/briggs It is interactive and as always, a picture is worth 1,000 words.


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This video is hosted on the YouTube video platform. Therefore, playing this video requires embedding the YouTube video player by YouTube LLC, USA which belongs to Google LLC, USA. By accepting, you agree that we embed their video player, which is able to set third-party cookies, including those used for advertisement and tracking, and may transfer your browser information and IP address to Google servers. For more information, see Google's privacy policy.
Super 8 - Official Trailer
After witnessing a mysterious train crash, a group of friends in the summer of 1979 begin noticing strange happenings going around in their small town, and begin to investigate into the strange phenomenon.
LicenseDefault YouTube License


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Egypt Today
Egypt's mission to UN holds symposium on women's rights in Arab region
Sunday، 17 September 2017 - 12:19 PM
Egypt's mission to the United Nations in the Swiss city of Geneva organized a seminar on women's rights in Arab countries on the fringe of the 36th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (OHCHR).
The Egyptian mission under Ambassador Amr Ramadan organized the symposium in collaboration with Geneva Center for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue (GCHRAGD).
A number of experts in the field of women's rights and human rights attended the get-together alongside members of UN committees and Arab ambassadors, including the Egyptian and UAE Ambassadors.
The talks focused on the challenges and obstacles facing women in the Arab world, such as gender equality.


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Children's | eBook
Princess the cat rules her neighborhood with a furry fist—I mean a furry paw. Danger looms as Snarl the coyote threatens the pets and animals in her neighborhood. Princess' owners add a hapless kitten. How can Princess defend against the vicious Snarl with a kitten? Cat lovers, cat haters, parents, children, and animal lovers will laugh as Princess struggles to maintain control and defeat Snarl. Will Princess do the right thing and accept help and friendship from other animals before it is too late?
John Heaton loves to read with his kids. His goal is to create things children will read under their bed covers with a flashlight. His first series, "Princess the Cat," is told from the perspective of a cat he owned as a child. The story is fiction, but the fun is for real.


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In 2016 John O'Brien made a personal vow to not cut or shave his hair and beard for 1000 days and to donate $10 to the AADRF every day he kept this vow. He is now halfway through his challenge and has raised over $5000 from his own and others contributions.
Since 2003, John has been working fly in, fly out from Papua New Guinea. In his very first week working at PNG he met a local man donning long dreadlocks and a large beard, or in Tok Pisin language, 'mausgras' (mouth grass).
"When I asked him why he was not clean shaven he explained that as part of his Melanesian culture he had made a vow to not cut his hair for 1000 days out of respect for an Aunty who had passed away," John said.
"Since then I have met various other PNG locals, from various locations and various cultures, who have taken similar vows after the loss of loved ones. I however, have never forgotten this first encounter way back in October 2003."
This sparked John to take a vow of his own for his father, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's last year and continues to live with the condition in the care of his mother.
"I have been clean shaven with short hair my entire life. Generally I don't stand to have even two or three days of facial hair growth and my work industry requires me to be clean shaven."
"Taking into account the challenges those going through Alzheimer's disease are faced with day to day and the various individuals I meet and see in PNG struggling with even basic necessity medical challenges, I figured that my current severe itchy hair discomfort is just a grain of sand in the ocean comparison."
John began his journey on January 1, 2016 and hopes to continue his vow whilst raising funds for the AADRF until September, 2018 or until such a time that he reaches his target of $10,000.
John said that he began his vow as a personal journey and did not intend to campaign for others' donations, but after persuasion from friends and family and his discomfort from the hair growth, he has 'relented' and now welcomes donations.
"The company I and many PNG locals work for has a guideline that workers should be clean shaven. I am also campaigning for that guideline to be revised to allow this custom of mourning loved ones to continue in the workplace."
"If you are feeling generous please help me in getting this hair off my face and head, and give to this great cause. So far we have raised enough to bring my haircut date forward by 24 days and hopefully that date will keep getting closer as others donate. On top of my $10 a day donation, I have and will match all other donations dollar for dollar."
To donate to John's fundraiser click here.
To contribute to the AADRF through your own fundraiser or event click here or contact us at [email protected].


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Next up in this unplanned 'Best of Megan's Sharkelist" series is Central Station by Lavie Tidhar, a novel I didn't expect to dig as much as I did. I loved Tidhar's BSFA-nominated Osama, but I thought this one might wear a little thin with the trope-ish diligence I'd picked up from other, pre-Shadow Clarke reviews, but it's nothing like that. There's an earnest love for sci-fi, sure, but also an undoing of sci-fi, and it's all done in a way that feels fresh and forward-thinking, while also being welcoming and unpretentious.
Comments on the Shadow Clarke blog have discussed its fix-up nature, and whether its fix-up origins are obvious or not. It may be that I've been reading too many fragmented, mosaic novels over the years to be sensitive to odd transitions, but it all felt complete and cogent to me.
I can't imagine a Clarke jury that wouldn't shortlist Central Station, but in case it does get ignored, I highly recommend you read this novel.
As one of the more popular Clarke-eligible novels among the shadow jurors, much has already been written about Lavie Tidhar's Central Station. Maureen sees it as a metafictional next step in science fiction, Victoria sees it as a tale about love and nuanced optimism, and Jonathan values its use of multiculturalism and space (physical space, not outer space, but that omission is just as key in this novel). What I adore about this novel is that it is all of these things, embracing traditional science fiction while reworking it, molding it into a human, rather than a techno, landscape. Continue reading


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My first template - a medium tan center with dark brown side borders - did not seem to match "the mood" of my PhillyCollector blog. I would have liked that template for writing on 19th century British and/or American prose, but it felt less and less "right" for my blog about collecting modern fashion dolls and action figures. Scanned my template options and found this one, "Denim," available. Liked the preview shot and so I switched.
I like the clearer, cleaner look this template offers. The extra "white space" makes the photos pop more and the heavier titles for posts, I find an improvement.


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At the core of the love of God is steadfastness. Faithfulness. Undying commitment. The refusal to give up. The determination to lavish grace until it transforms the receiving soul.
And oh the glory of this kind of love! It is the great hope and the fountain of joy in this life.
The other day I read Psalm 36. It begins by bemoaning sin in the human heart and as we contemplate what's said there we realize that David's words are an accurate portrayal of our own hearts. As this sinks in, we begin to feel the weight of our sin and wonder how we'll ever be right with God and others.
But then come these hope-filled words like a flood! They shift our perspective from our hearts to our Savior. Please savor them with me, remembering that the "steadfast love of the Lord" is the "never-ending love of the Lord."
"Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD. How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light" (Psalm 36:5-9).
If we turn to the Lord and believe in him, the measure of our hope and joy is the measure of his steadfast love. So contemplate the measure of his steadfast love in these verses and you'll surely feel the power of the hope and the depth of the joy we have in him! And then remember that he kept his steadfast love, and best demonstrated it, all the way to the day when he sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to live and die and live again for the forgiveness of our sins and the restoration of our relationship with him. And then remember that the God who has been steadfast and faithful will be steadfast and faithful forever and ever.
O Friends, may we allow the glory of the steadfast love of the Lord to grip our hearts! There is no greater hope and no deeper joy.


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More Taipei City "KUO-KUANG"The bus ride、Travel time is approximately45Minutes-1 hour in
"Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport"ofTerminal 2To arrive!
Airport attractions、Everyone seems more luggage, carts are provided。
Terminal 2 1st floor
Within the airport facilities, onsite souvenir shop is relatively rich type!
A souvenir shop near the departure gate,、Will become a little more expensive here compared to the、
If you have time、First of all here and looking for a souvenir of good will。
People with enough suitcase space、
Prior to check-in、Can fit in a suitcase、Less baggage for easy it is!
Currency exchange
In case the Taiwan currency、Who wants to be cashed in Japan Yen
It is recommended that so bad rates and will be redeemed at airport in Japan to cash at the airport。
Because the coins cannot be redeemed、Your food and souvenirs at the airport.
Embarkation screening lobbyOf the3 floorTo the head。
On the inclined escalator、Hands off the heavy cart but not so comfortable it is!
The second floor Terminal
Taoyuan International AirportThe、Terminal 1 and Terminal 2And
1979 yearThe opening of theTerminal 1Only、2000JulyTo、Terminal 2Has been started。
15Years ago still opened.、Are the terminals clean.
Check-in counters
Have a passport and airline tickets、Let's check in boarding an airline check-in counter。
Check-in counters at left luggage (suitcase, etc.)
Baggage claim ticket、If by any chance was lost or stolen、Let's keep it neat。
China airline cel check-in counter
China AirlinesThe economy-classFree checked baggage allowance (suitcase)The、1Case20kgUp and regulated。
Carry-on baggageThe、As a general rule would be one per。You may bring a carry-on baggage
3Sum of the sides115cm withinAndW23cmxH36cmxD56cm withinIn weighing7kg withinAnd will be。
Baggage exceeding standard size and carry bag、During your flightChecked baggage allowanceLump and。
Carry-on baggageThe restrictions are、Especially womenLiquid carry-on inCosmetic products (lotions, gels, creams etc)The note is required。
Liquid、Each100ml containersTo put the、All of the containerWith a resealable transparent plastic bag(Total 40 cm below aspect bags) in the storage and
1L withinThere are provisions to。
Checking is less.、Be prepared to defend the provision.
Click here for airlines checked baggage or carry-on baggage!
This time the、E-check-in(Online check-in) in the application、Are you using the mobile boarding pass。
May you lose your boarding tickets Smartphone for fear of losing, it is safe。
As a benefit to check-in online、Can seats be reserved in advance and is very convenient.
"Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport"The、
In the previous、Dining at、And is rumored to only high, but I would recommend、
At the Asia airport、Was counted as one of the most unfortunately unattractive airport。
So Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport、Along the flow of the recently renovated home improvement、
Now that staff in the culinary area and、Has transformed into an attractive airport。
On the second basement food court "Unification of commercial gastronomy square (PCSC food court)"there is!
In the Middle floor、In the famous shop of tapioca milk tea、
In Japan and the opening "Spring water temple"And、Encompasses all around and plenty of restaurants around。
About the food court introduction in this article!
"Tokyo Curry"
Especially recommended in the food court is a curry shop here would like to!
"Taiwan will want to know Curry delicious Japan!"And
To deploy the Japanese owner Curry chain shops。
Large amounts of onions cooked for three days and European-style Curry is very popular in Taiwan!
"Tokyo Curry" of Japan to taste in Taiwan curry! Tonkatsu of the low-temperature cooking is recommended!
Terminal 4F floor
Let move on 4th floor with elevator!
4-FloorThe、Cafe and food court、Bookstore、Equipped lounges, etc.、Ideal for a break!
(West-m. hits polar 咖啡)
"Top grasped"
Fried chicken shop
Clean and
Food Court
"DACHAN GREAT WALL (great wall, Taisei Corporation)"Food Court operated"Great Food Town (good food Castle)"
"BURGER KING (Han Castle Kings)"
Li seemed Bou
"Royal transmission bearings"
Beef noodle
Dennis juice bar
See Opuntia
Pork cutlet
This small
Food Court
The second Terminal 3-floor departure lobby
Providing airline tickets and passports、Let me leave!
"EVA AIR"The automatic check-in counter
Terminal 211 in the departure lobby behind the counter、Hello Kitty JetThe check-in kiosk is here!
You can complete check-in procedures with simple operation.
Security checkpoint
After you put in the luggage (suitcase)、Facing the international departure gate
The possessions of the passenger and baggage screening at security check point on board passenger security checks。
Hat、Take off your jacket、Shoes and belts with metal fittings, metal, etc.、Not use 外shimashou responds metal detector accessories。
Like digital cameras and notebook computers、You must make the desk tray。
Allow the smoothly、Choose a simple attachment/detachment flight clothing.
After the security check without problems、Free time and will be until boarding time
You will also enjoy shopping for a good and、It is possible also went to the lounge and sleep。
Taoyuan International AirportThe lounge is what'll take advantage!
Taipei travel special page click here!
See all Taipei post!
For your PChttp://lade.jp/taiwan/
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Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport


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MySQLWorkbench allows to design database model easily and also provides an option to generate the SQL script. By default script is generated for MySQL, but, what if you need to generate a SQL script for FirebirdSQL?.
Using Python you cand create custom plugins to access to model properties (table and columns definitions for example) please visit this link for more info Scripting and Plugin Development
So, I decided to write a plugin to generate a SQL Script for FirebirdSQL. My goal it's just to show how can we access to schemas, tables and columns properties using classes already defined by MySQLWorkbench.
Script can be downloaded from github: https://github.com/tmsanchez/workbenchscripts/blob/master/mysqlToFB_grt.py
Once script is downloaded do following:
1. Go to menu: Script / Install Plugin Module...
3. Clic on OK button on Plugin Installed dialog and Restart MySQL
6. Once script was generated clic OK button on following dialog
That's all, I hope this can help you to generate Firebird scripts and to write your own plugins.


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Pebble Trust / SEDA Book Launch: Guide to Sustainable Renovation
Event description
Are you involved in the renovation of existing buildings? This is an event aimed at everybody in the retrofit sector from Policy Makers and Development Managers in Housing organisations, to Architects, Builders, Surveyors and those simply interested in upgrading their own homes.
Scottish Government is directing large amounts of money into this sector just now in an effort to combat climate change and fuel poverty. The Pebble Trust, supported by SEDA (Scottish Ecological Design Association) and HES (Historic Environment Scotland) has seized on this timing to commission a guide to help ensure that this effort is as effective, and sustainable as possible.
The launch will feature an introduction from SEDA and contributions from HES as well as Renfrewshire Council, before the author, Chris Morgan, takes you through the ten ways in which we can ensure retrofit projects are more effective at saving energy, reduce risks to health and the building itself, engage better with people and learn lessons from our built heritage.
The work is based heavily on BPE (Building Performance Evaluation) studies in which investigators study the actual performance of buildings once built, rather than the calculated predictions routinely used, and the real experience of people within these buildings! All types of existing building are considered but the event will be of particular interest to those involved in housing.


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By Betty
It had been a beautiful, blue sky, busy day. Now the auditorium was packed wall to wall every, every seat occupied. And there I was on the podium behind the mike.
"My American Citizens." I started, sounding a bit like Jefferson or Lincoln long ago. "The election is over. One party won" Lots of cheers. "One party lost" Many groans. "Time now for all of us to forget the rhetoric and deliver in grand faith and integrity all we promised"
There was a loud thud, and I awake, head on the floor, rolled into a soft, warm furry dog-with another small lively dog, wimpery, jumping up and down and licking my arms.
No longer was I on the podium but lying on the floor. I'd fallen out of bed in my sleep.
Getting rearranged and getting up, finding the bed is another, painful, slow story.


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Food is a tricky subject. We all need it, love it and consume it such large quantities that the production of it is under serious threat.
Take meat, for example. Our global insatiable appetite for meat continues to boom. In fact, animal agriculture is set to increase by 70 per cent by 2050, putting a huge strain on worldwide water supplies – not to mention the rapid use of fertilisers and the enormous carbon footprint of methane-trumping cattle.
The idea that it will continue to expand to feed nine billion people by the middle of the century is worrying to say the least. Already, one-third of the world's grains are used to feed livestock and cattle occupy 24 per cent of global land.
The same can be said of many other commodities we know and love. Demand for chocolate could see a worldwide shortage within the next four years, if cocoa farmers are not effectively supported in boosting production. The 3.5 million tonnes of cocoa harvested every year to make chocolate is just not enough now that a burgeoning middle class, in places like China, have got a taste for the stuff.
So, what can be done to ween ourselves off traditional foodstuffs which continue to cause environmental havoc and put pressure on agricultural systems everywhere? Well, there is a growing band of start-ups coming up with new foods to tantalise the tastebuds and appeal to the masses.
Here's a pick of the best alternative foods trying to create positive change in the world.
1. Beyond Meat
Ethan Brown, the founder of Beyond Meat, is on a mission to convince people there is a better way to feed the planet. The challenge is persuading consumers that 'meat' can be defined by its chemical constituents, rather than whether it actually came from a live cow pig or chicken.
Far removed from most nasty-tasting veggie burgers, his company creates meat from plants. Yes, the animal protein we get from meat is substituted by those that can be garnered from plants – something the business says does wonders for human health, for the environment, for conservation of natural resources and for animals.
And Ethan is having success. The company's range of products – including 'Beast Burgers' made with non-GMO soy and pea protein – are now stocked in thousands of stores across the US, and sales are doubling every year.
2. Exo
In 2013, Gabi Lewis and Greg Sewitz ordered 2,000 live crickets to be delivered to their student house at Brown University campus. Armed with some sketchy Google research, a vague recipe for cricket flour, an oven and a blender, they got to work on creating a food product using insects that actually tasted good.
Six years on and Exo, the pair's business, is going from strength to strength on the back of their range of protein bars made with cricket flour – which is not as mad as it sounds given that 80 per cent of the world's population regularly munches on insects.
Animal agriculture is set to increase by 70 per cent by 2050 putting huge, huge strain on worldwide water supplies.
So, why crickets? Well, the company points to the fact that the little bugs contain all of your essential amino acids and twice as much iron as spinach. Then there's the environmental benefits. Making food from crickets use one gallon per pound, compared to 2,000 gallons per pound of beef.
3. Kuli Kuli
Lisa Curtis stumbled across the moringa plant while working as a peace corp volunteer in Niger, in West Africa. As a vegetarian, she was surviving on meagre portions of rice and little else and felt sluggish and lacking in nutrients. The local women encouraged her to add moringa extracts to her diet. She soon felt great. The rest is history.
On her return to the US she founded Kuli Kuli, her own brand of energy bars and health shots that make use of moringa as the ultimate superfood. The health benefits of the plant speak for themselves; 15 times more potassium than bananas, 17 times more calcium than milk, 25 times more iron than spinach.
But it is what Lisa and her team are doing to support smallholder farmers in places like Haiti that is most impressive. By scaling up the business, Kuli Kuli is supporting the development of brand new moringa plantations, creating new revenue streams for local communities and sustaining the livelihoods of thousands across the developing world in the process.
4. Ripple Foods
One of the men behind Ripple Foods is Adam Lowry, the co-founder of Method, the green cleaning products business that sold out to Ecover a few years back. Now, he's back, this time with two feet firmly in the alternative food market.
Bemoaning the fact that kids are overfed, undernourished and deficient in vitamin D and calcium, the business has developed a protein-rich alternative to milk using processed peas. Ripple products have eight times the protein of almond milk and half the sugar of dairy milk. They are also high in bio-available calcium (50 per cent more than milk), potassium and provide a good source of omega 3s.
Oh, and best of all, they have the creamy texture that many dairy-free drinkers really miss. And just think about the negative environmental impacts of dairy farming that Ripple is working around.
5. Toast
Toast Pale Ale wants to put itself out of business. You see, it uses leftover bread that would otherwise be thrown out by bakeries everywhere to make beer. The moment bread is not wasted it will cease to exist, it says.
Strictly speaking, Toast is not producing an alternative foodstuff – its recipe still makes use of traditional barley, hops, yeast and water (the toast is said to add caramel notes that balance the bitter hops, giving a malty taste similar to amber ales).
But the company is tackling a huge environmental problem. With 15 million tonnes of food thrown away every year in the UK – and 44 per cent of all bread produced ending up in the bin – Toast is doing its best to solve the problem by gathering up surplus bread from delis, bakeries and sandwich makers everywhere, crushing it into breadcrumbs and adding it to its production process.
- This is a guest blog and may not represent the views of Virgin.com. Please see virgin.com/terms for more details.


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We all have a good idea about what we need in life. Sometimes, the needs aren't as extravagant – you might just want to get a house to live in, great clothes to wear and good food to eat.
But then, what if you could do more? What if you could earn more money and get all the things that you love? What if you could afford to dream big?
The Mantra To Go Big
You need money to survive. You need money to buy food and rent a house. You need to have money to buy clothes and other accessories to dress and make yourself acceptable. You need money to provide for your family and children. And you need money to fulfill your dream of traveling to Paris!
Turns out, you can do a whole lot more with your life, only if you stop watching TV!
Why Can Watching TV Kill You?
TV viewing is one of the favorite pastimes in today's day and age. Long gone are the days when people considered outdoor games and activities to be the best way to spend an evening or morning for that matter.
People all over the globe entertain themselves in front of a television irrespective of what they are watching. But did you know that this everyday tradition has its share of shortcomings too and that the television is, in actual truth, the enemy in the house?
Here is a list of 10 ways that watching TV is killing you:
1. Obesity and Overweight: Due to physical inactivity, i.e. lacking movement or exercise because of an activity that does not require physical exertion, people start to gain weight. Do not think that it is a mere coincidence that Mexico is one of the number 1 countries in obesity and also one of the countries where people watch more television.
2. Steals time: 2 to 4 hours a day, people spend watching television when they could really do something productive or something beneficial for themselves, such as exercise, go to language classes, develop some talent such as music, a hobby development of a project or business, etc.
3. It affects your thoughts: This depends on what you see on television. However, according to statistics, most people see entertainment channels, music, and sports. That means that most people are not watching Discovery Channel or National Geographic and therefore, it fills their head with leisure. Although we do not want, our thoughts and behavior are strongly influenced by the things that fill our minds. A clear example is people who read or see too much news tend to be more paranoid.
4. You become a commercial white: Television works and is held together from advertising, which is the core business. So, that makes you a potential target of being bombarded with ads and then you feel anxious or feel a need to buy things you do not need.
5. Alters your perception of reality: The standards of beauty, fashion and lifestyle are usually marked by what we see on television. How do people behave in television programs? What are the clothing sizes and the brands? Those are the standards that people use in their daily lives.
6. Addiction or dependence: Many people feel relieved because, in reality, television is a very effective way to distract the mind from problems or concerns of everyday life. However, it gradually begins to cause people to become dependent on watching the screen every single day.
7. Distancing important relationships: As you can see in the survey responses, most people would rather watch TV than spend time with friends or family, which causes relationships to gradually wear down and obviously affects them, especially if they are relations as intimate as a partner or a friend.
8. It makes you lazy: For the simple reason that it is not a healthy habit to watch TV 2 or 3 hours per day and that takes away discipline to do other things you could be doing. If you add 2 hours per day watching TV in 5 years, you would have spent 3,650 hours watching TV and what have you achieved by that?
9. Effects on children: In children, it can cause serious behavioral problems, aggression, hyperactivity or promiscuity, depending on the type of programs they are watching.
10. It makes you eat more: Studies have shown that sitting in front of a TV all day, every single day makes you want to keep munching or snacking on something or the other which ultimately makes you gain a lot of weight!
it's time to stop watching television. Don't you?


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Overview of the month
While little happened in the recent months, July was definitively different. Changes at Mintos, where the leading originator Mogo greatly decreased interest rates for new loans and bought back old loans were rather disruptive. Apart from a few loans from GetBucks, it's currently hard to get more than 11.5% interest rate for secured loans.
On a positive side, it's been an excellent month for my Envestio portfolio; I'll probably upgrade my rating for this platform, and decrease Omaraha's.
Website changes
I published a new article regarding the situation we all fear : borrower's default. Also, the much-needed update to DoFinance's review is now online. The only outdated review is Bondora, which is next on my todo list !
Current performance
Here are my current returns for each platform.
Omaraha's XIRR was stable in July; it's 19.87%, versus 19.90%. Just like last month, I withdrew a lot of money from this loans portfolio.
Will Bondora's XIRR ever increase again ? Although July was better than June, with more interests and capital paid, and increased recoveries, the XIRR itself is still down from 11.71% to 11.29%. I withdrew some additional funds as they became available.
Once again, Grupeer doesn't disappoint. XIRR for this portfolio is an excellent 14.96%, up from 14.67%. It actually won't be able to climb much more, as the most interesting loans on the platform yield a 15% annual interest rate. I increased my portfolio size again, using money withdrawn from Omaraha and Bondora. I'll probably cap its size to somewhere between 20% and 30% of my portfolio, which will take some time anyway.
July was a complicated month at Mintos, with the offered rates down a lot. I withdrew a little bit in order to toy with two new platforms, but I don't plan to further decrease its size; I actually may restore it to its previous size. XIRR was slightly up, at 12.93% versus 12.86% last month.
In spite of a small cash drag, my XIRR at Swaper is stable, XIRR at 12.24%, nearly identical to last month's 12.19%
Robocash's XIRR basically didn't move, from 12.96% last month to 12.97% in July. For those who missed the post on our Facebook page, there's a new issuer providing longer-term loans (up to one year), with interest rates of 14.5%. You'll have to change your auto-invest settings to invest in those loans. A secondary market was also introduced in order to accomodate this longer duration. Note that for this issuer's loans, the interest will be paid in full at the end of the loan's duration.
DoFinance's XIRR is slightly down, at 12.20% versus 12.30% last month. I finally updated my review in order to match their current offer, which unfortunately provides decreased returns for new investors.
How low will it go ? My Investly's portfolio XIRR is currently 8.15%, versus 8.58% last month. I cut my portolio in two as it's pointless to invest there for now
Last month's XIRR for Crowdestor was an excellent 14.68%. This month it's down to 13.7%; the reason for this decrease is that one very speculative project was exited, and my new investment will only pay interests in August.
My Envestio portfolio is also very recent, but I can now publish my XIRR as projects pay interests monthly. It reached a promising 14.76%, which should actually increase as more interests start kicking in. I appreciate this platform more and more, and will grow my portfolio there aggressively in the coming months !
Other companies
I'm still unable to produce realistic returns for CrowdEstate and BulkEstate; I'll probably be able to compute them in October, once several projects are completed.
Aggregate portfolio XIRR
This value is the average of the XIRR for each company, weighted by its amount. It's down from 16.59% to 16.37%.
XIRR evolution
Remember that values until October (included) were provided by the platform or crudely estimated; from November onwards they were computed using the method outlined in this article.
As usual, Omaraha is the leader; Grupeer and Envestio share the second position.
Current allocation
The main changes were the same as last month : I moved funds from Bondora and Omaraha to Grupeer. As noted above, I also slightly decreased the size of my Mintos portfolio, as well as Investly. Apart from testing new platforms, I'm still planning to greatly invest the share of real-estate and business crowdlending in my portfolio.
New platforms
I just signed up to a new P2P platform which looks like a good complement to Mintos. I'm also investigating a new real-estate platform, and still have another P2P lending website to review. Stay tuned !


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Cradle-to-Grave Safety Testing of Aircraft Composites
Professor John Kosmatka works with his graduate students to install a Predator wing in the new Composite Aviation Safety Center.
Researchers will be working on two Predator wings.
Detecting damage to the outer skin and primary structural components of aircraft is becoming increasingly difficult as manufacturers switch from aluminum alloy to composite materials, which can undergo damage that is not visible to the naked eye.
Because a single hit is unlikely to have significant consequences, researchers at the Jacobs School are working to better understand how repeated and widespread impacts, as well as other kinds of severe events affect the aircraft's compostite materials over their lifespan.
A major facility in the new Structural and Materials Engineering building is dedicated to studying all aspects of full-scale composite material aircraft structures. In the Composite Aviation Safety Center, researchers build and test specimens representing aircraft parts made from composite materials. They outfit these specimens with sensors and use the data they collect to build computational models to predict damage – all in an effort to make composite structures safer and more efficient.
"What makes us unique is that we will be researching the entire product development process," said John Kosmatka, a professor of aerospace and structural engineering and one of the lead researchers for the new facility.
Kosmatka and colleagues Hyonny Kim and Chiara Bisagni, in the Department of Structural Engineering, focus on manufacturing and testing. One of Kosmatka's projects investigates how carbon nanotubes could reinforce the composite's resin matrix. The ultimate goal is to develop a custom-tailored nanoparticle to reinforce the resin matrix as well as a procedure to place these high-performance particles in critical stress regions.
Meanwhile, Kim's lab subjects components to a wide range of tests to simulate impacts and dynamic loading, including everything from hail to cargo loaders. Prior to testing, structures can be outfitted with embedded sensors and damage detection strategies developed in the lab of Michael Todd, a professor of structural engineering. The sensors use ultrasonic waves to detect damage, from cracks, to voids, to corrosion. Damage also can be detected by special instruments placed on the outside of the structures and developed in the lab of structural engineering professor Francesco Lanza di Scalea. His team is using ultrasonic waves to detect and quantify damage, both during and after testing, or after an actual event, such as a crash.
The lab of Professor Hyonny Kim simulated the impact of hail on composite materials used in modern jets. Researchers launched ice spheres of about 2.4 inches in diameter at 108 meters per second using a gas gun built for testing ice impacts on aircraft structures. Their target was a 12" by 24" composite panel made of the same composite material used in the Boeing Dreamliner. The panel is about 12 times thicker than an aluminum soda can (0.064 inches). The research was funded by the Federal Aviation Administration. Learn more Feb. 28, 2013 at an alumni event with Kim at Boeing in Seal Beach, Calif. (See details.)
Finally, the data collected during the tests comes back to Kosmatka's lab, where he and structural engineering professor Joel Conte are developing probabilistic-based computational models to predict the type and growth rate of damage in composite aircraft parts. These computational models, along with an extensive experimental database, aim to predict the remaining life of in-service aircraft components, as a result making it easier to schedule maintenance, or provide a critical warning to the flight crew.


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Hammond Melodion 44 HP
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Hammond are best known for their classic organs, which they began manufacturing in 1935. After a golden age in the 60s, they struggled after switching from tonewheel organs to integrated circuits in the 70s. When they eventually went bankrupt in 1985, Suzuki, who had been manufacturing melodicas since the 1960s, bought the Hammond name.
Make: Hammond
Model name: Melodion 44 HP
Reed type: Multi reed plates, phosphorous bronze plated
Dimensions: 56 x 14 x 5cm
Weight: 1.2 kg
Keys: 44
Country of manufacture: Unknown
Player level: Pro
Features: 44 keys
Year of manufacture: 2010
If you have any more information, please post in the reviews below
If you have extra images, please contact Melodica World
Please only rate this instrument if you have had experience of playing it
2 Reviews
You must be logged in to write a review or make a rating


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While the field of religious studies frequently focuses on belief and the intellectual development of religious traditions, this course shifts its focus to the body and its importance for the study of religion. The class examines the role of the body as a vehicle through which individuals experience "the sacred," and as a site upon which communities inscribe, assert, and contest religious values. Taking a comparative approach toward cases drawn from Buddhism, Christianity, and indigenous traditions, the class explores such themes as the perfectible body, the body in pain, bodily relics, the body in ritual, and transcending the body altogether. Finally, by drawing on classical and contemporary theorists, students work to develop their own frameworks through which to understand and interpret the crucial role of the body in the history of religions.
Prerequisites: Two courses in Religion and permission of the instructor.


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Tuesday, July 3, 2018
The Arran Single Malt Scotch Lochranza Reserve
The Arran Single Malt Scotch Lochranza Reserve...$33.99
Bottled at 43%, the Lochranza Reserve emphasises the delicious, sweet fruit notes which are the hallmark of our distillery.
The Lochranza Reserve is a fresh, light and elegant no-age-statement Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The name comes from the village on the Isle of Arran where our distillery is located. Lochranza has been our home since we opened in 1995.
Posted by Paul Hayden at 10:00 AM
Labels: liquor
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The Jersey Shore music scene lost yet another of its luminaries last week, when bass player Vinnie Roslin passed away of complications related to heart surgery.
Born in 1947, Roslin, who grew up in the Howell and Freehold areas, was a founding member of Steel Mill along with Bruce Springsteen, Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez and Danny Federici.
The band, which routinely drew crowds of several thousand in its Shore area heyday, famously traveled to San Francisco, where they performed in early 1970 at The Matrix and the Fillmore West and recorded a three-song demo for music impresario Bill Graham, who actually offered the band a recording contract.
Steel Mill turned down Graham's offer and Roslin left the band shortly after a Feb. 28, 1970 performance in Virginia. He was replaced in Steel Mill by Steve Van Zandt.
Before Steel Mill, Roslin played bass for The Motifs, a popular regional band that featured the charismatic Walter Cichon as its lead singer. Managed by Stormin' Norman Seldin, The Motifs released two songs, "Molly," and "If I Gave You Love" on Seldin's own label, Selsom Records. Both became local hits, with Molly, in particular, garnering some regional airplay. The band fell apart after Cichon was drafted. He later died in Vietnam.
After Steel Mill, Roslin continued to perform, playing in Mad Dog and the Shakes with Lopez and local guitar hero Ricky DeSarno, then joining The George Theiss Band and J.P. Gotrock, another band that included Lopez. Most recently he formed Blue Plate Special with his girlfriend, Robin Roselle.
Roslin was a regular fixture out and about in Asbury, and could frequently be seen joining blues jam sessions or just hanging out in local clubs. He was also an all-around great guy who I was fortunate enough to interview about his experiences at the Upstage, with Steel Mill and with The Motifs over the years.
A benefit to help defray the Roslin family's medical expenses is being planned for March 11 at the Headliner in Neptune. Stay tuned for more information and raise a glass to Vinnie Roslin, another Asbury Angel who left us way too soon.


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The British government has openly suggested that the U.K is gearing up to bolster computer network defenses by initiating the development of new cyber offensive tools for their arsenal, according to a report in ITProUK.
"We need a toolbox of capabilities and that's what we are currently developing. The circumstances and manner in which we would use them are broadly analogous to what we would do in any other domain," said British armed forces minister Nick Harvey.
The acknowledgement comes on the heels of reports about a soon to be finalized Pentagon cyber strategy which outline the circumstances in which an attack against U.S. computer networks could be considered an act of war and potentially elicit an armed military response.
News of the Pentagon strategy itself closely follows the release of an Obama administration report on international cyber security coordination which provides the strongest indications to date that cyber attacks against a NATO member nation could invoke retaliatory actions under the treaty's mutual defense doctrine.
Amid growing concerns over state-sponsored attacks reportedly emanating from China, Iran, Russia and other nations, western governments have begun to seriously step-up the cyber offensive rhetoric in recent months, with the U.K issuing some of the boldest assertions.
"Future conflict[s] will see cyber operations conducted in parallel with more conventional actions in the sea, land and air operations. Therefore we must plan, train, exercise and operate in a way which integrates our activities in both cyber and physical space. We will grow a cadre of dedicated cyber experts to support our own and allied cyber operations and secure our vital networks," a British Ministry of Defense spokesperson said.
While publicly announcing key aspects of a security strategy may seem counter-productive to the enhancement of defense capabilities, experts contend that the tough talk is probably meant to act as a strong deterrence factor for would-be attackers.
"The announcement is partly a means of achieving deterrence, namely that the UK is willing to both defend its assets in kind and to possibly strike at others. The risk in this, of course, is if the deterrence is not credibly backed up. I expect this to play out for a few more years both in terms of demonstrating such capabilities against rivals and investments to increase their capabilities," said Arbor Networks' Jose Nazario.
Other security experts contend that the increased rhetoric is merely an exercise in "security theater", and that any meaningful progress in cyber security initiatives will likely be stymied by the political process and election-geared grandstanding.
"Security and intelligence are difficult and wide-ranging areas, and sooner or later, political expediency will mean that mistakes will be made. Necessary measures will be dropped or skimped on because of economic pressures, inappropriate and/or inadequate measures will attract funding because it's a way for elected officials to be seen to be doing something. The whole 'security theatre' problem is based on the political assumption that it's better to do something visible but half-baked than to do something effective but invisible," said ESET UK's David Harley.
Western governments are not the only ones ready to ante-up in the high stakes game of cyber security. Chinese government officials recently acknowledged the existence of a military unit dedicated to cyber warfare activity, according to intelligence sources.
China has reportedly recruited thousands of hackers for a cyber force tasked with infiltrating a multitude of computers to establish a large botnet which can be utilized to conduct denial of service (DoS) campaigns to disrupt targeted websites as well as conducting cyber espionage activity to pilfer sensitive information.
Iran is also reported to be actively recruiting cyber soldiers in a effort to strengthen the nation's cyber defensive and offensive capabilities. The initiative is largely thought to be in response to the Stuxnet virus attacks which caused severe damage to Iran's nuclear enrichment operations, and reportedly set back the nation's nuclear program by as much as several years.
According to Brigadier Gen. Gholamreza Jalali, leader of Iran's Passive Defense Organization, the military is preparing "to fight our enemies with abundant power in cyberspace and Internet warfare."