text: The highway was heavily congested with evacuees "Deputies were unable to get everyone off the bus," spokesman Don Peritz said. "We believe it's going to be closer to 20 fatalities." The bus, carrying about 45 people, was engulfed with flames early on Friday, causing a 17-mile (27-km) backup on a Interstate 45, already heavily congested with evacuees from the Gulf Coast. The bus was reduced to a blackened, burnt-out shell, surrounded by numerous police cars and ambulances. Oxygen equipment There were indications that oxygen used by elderly evacuees could have had a role in the fire, Peritz said. There were a series of explosions, apparently from the oxygen equipment, he said. "The early indications are this is a mechanical issue. The driver did survive the accident," Peritz said. "It's my understanding he went back on the bus several times to try to evacuate people." Interstate 45 stretches more than 250 miles (400 km) from Galveston through Houston to Dallas. The site is roughly 17 miles (27 km) southeast of downtown Dallas. SOURCE: Unspecified


text:
13 Scariest, Creepiest Trees in Fiction and Art
Poems are made by fools like me
But only God can make a tree.
We are nobody's fool though.
For while some trees do look divine and heavenly, others seem to have sprung from hell itself. Think of the Suicide Forest in Japan, where dozens of people off themselves yearly. Or the Burkittsville Woods in Maryland, made notorious overnight by "The Blair Witch Project."
So don't always take the goody forest for the trees. In no particular order, what follows are some of the scariest, creepiest trees to have come out of fiction and art.
(Note: Don't make this an excuse to cut trees though, as we need them more than ever.)
Witch Queen's Tree
|Zdzislaw Beksinski's "Tree" (left) and a still from the Vin Diesel vehicle "The Last Witch Hunter" (right)
Our first entry comes from 2015's "The Last Witch Hunter." Its villain, the sublime ecoterrorist known as the Witch Queen, holds court in a ginormous tree that easily takes a leaf out of Polish artist Zdzislaw Beksinski's book.
Grandmother Willow
Admit it; you were scared as a child of Grandma Willow, the talking tree in Disney's "Pocahontas." Then again, there was nothing really childlike about this film, protracted kissing scenes and all.
J.R.R. Tolkien takes anthropomorphic to the next level with the Ents, his so-called Shepherds of Trees. While they're really good guys, it's understandable that their first appearance in "The Lord of the Rings" movies would give you a good startle.
Angry Apple Trees
When you think about it, Dorothy narrowly escaped stoning by apples in "The Wizard of Oz."
The Tree of Crows
Caspar David Friedrich is known for his saturnine, sullen masterpieces, but this one is arguably the finest of the first order. Now immortalized in the Louvre, "The Tree of Crows" has planted a creative seed across generations of artists — and no doubt spooked many.
In many Southeast Asian countries, the banyan tree is something to be revered. Shift a few thousand miles, and the same tree takes on a more sinister repute. In the Philippines, the banyan tree, locally known as the balete, is said to house vengeful fairies and diabolic beings. It has been the subject of various Filipino movies, one of the most memorable being 2006's "T2," about a tenement that happens to have a banyan tree in its courtyard.
Whomping Willow
Hogwarts is probably the most dangerous school on earth. More than a few memes have called the school out for its many violations, from sheltering gigantic snakes under the bathroom to admitting snakelike wizards for enrollment. Another case in point: There's a willow in the yard that would gleefully bludgeon any student.
Halloween Tree
Pumpkins, much less jack-o'-lanterns, don't grow on trees, but they sure do in Ray Bradbury's "The Halloween Tree." In this novel as well as the Hanna-Barbera adaptation, a jack-o'-lantern-bearing tree basically allows kids to astral-project. Move over, Christmas Tree.
The Toad's Grotto
|Via Ben Proctor
There are many disturbing images in Guillermo del Toro's groundbreaking "Pan's Labyrinth," and one of it is the sight of a gigantic frog taking slimy residence beneath a tree. Sure it eats insects, but you get this icky feeling it will devour little girls if it wants to.
|Via Reddit
"Sailor Moon" cleaved its second season into two arcs, the first being about incestuous twins that invade the earth in a skyscraping tree, the Makaiju. It really is the tree from outer space, and it wants energy, just not of the photosynthetic kind.
Tree of Life
One of the most nightmarish episodes of "Friday the 13th: The Series" involves a harem of Druid priestesses who pose as midwives in a fertility clinic. At the back of their clinic grows a freaky tree...with literally foreign roots.
Tree of the Dead
A trailblazer in art direction, Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" has a menacing set piece in the Tree of the Dead, the Headless Horseman's gateway to the plutonian depths. The tree was as frightening in real life as onscreen, rising "50 horrifically misshapen feet" into the air.
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
Satan on a tree — now what could be creepier than that?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Today's thoughts from today's verses:
We said earlier that getting caught up in the whirlwind of the hustle and bustle of life often keeps us from the very thing we need to be able to handle the hustle and bustle in healthy ways. So, slowing down and carving out a spot in our lives for a daily quiet time with God where we truly get to know Him and His restoring and replenishing presence is essential. And it is when we accept God's calling to the mission of redemption and surrender ourselves to be ones who live to please Him that we will find that we are over the hump of not being able to maintain a daily quiet time with God? And this my friend will lead us into the joy of becoming ones for whom God himself is more important to us and more real to us than anything and everything this world can offer. And surely we will learn that it is through communion with God that we can claim the fullness of His victory for our lives that we so desperately long for.
Today's prayer response from today's thoughts:
Please form your own prayer response to God that flows out of yours sense of how God has been at work in your heart and life this week. Amen!
Fri, April 5, 2019 @ 3:54 AM
Thu, June 6, 2019 @ 11:52 AM
Fri, June 7, 2019 @ 10:37 PM
Fri, June 21, 2019 @ 9:41 AM
Fri, July 26, 2019 @ 10:59 AM
Your Name:
Your Email/URL (Optional):
Your Comment:
Comment Guidelines: No HTML is allowed. Off-topic or inappropriate comments will be edited or deleted. Thanks.


text:
Landscape Architect Manager supervises all related activities of a staff of landscape architects and technicians. Oversees, manages, and schedules the development of exterior spaces and physical environments, the development of schematic designs and construction details, and is ultimately responsible for final project. Being a Landscape Architect Manager requires a bachelor's degree in a related field. Typically reports to top management. The Landscape Architect Manager manages subordinate staff in the day-to-day performance of their jobs. True first level manager. Ensures that project/department milestones/goals are met and adhering to approved budgets. Has full authority for personnel actions. Extensive knowledge of department processes. To be a Landscape Architect Manager typically requires 5 years experience in the related area as an individual contributor. 1 to 3 years supervisory experience may be required. (Copyright 2020 Salary.com)
Clear All
46 Landscape Architect Manager jobs found in Augusta, GA area


text:
Books and Pamphlets
The Society possesses a library of some 12,000 books and pamphlets. These are mainly concerned with the history of Presbyterianism, largely relating to Ireland but also to Scotland and elsewhere.
The library books and pamphlets are available for consultation only in the Reading Room.
Included are books relating to general Presbyterian history, congregational histories, biographies and autobiographies and Presbyterian missionary work overseas.
The large collection of pamphlets written on a wide range of subjects from temperance to doctrinal controversies are a rich source for researchers. Over 500 of these pamphlets date before 1851.
The Witness Newspaper
A microfilm copy of The Witness, a Presbyterian newspaper, covering the period 1874-1941, is also available for consultation. Published fortnightly it is a veritable treasure trove of information on all things Presbyterian ranging from presbytery reports, reports on congregational events and, comments on national events of the period, to reports on missionary associations and birth, marriage and death notices
The Society holds a very good collection of Presbyterian journals or magazines, the earliest dating from 1829, produced by the General Synod of Ulster, the Secession Synod, the Remonstrant Synod and the Presbytery of Antrim, the Reformed Presbyterian Church (Covenanters), the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
These include: the Orthodox Presbyterian, the Bible Christian, the Missionary Herald, the Covenanter and The Irish Unitarian Magazine. As well as learned and scholarly articles they contain information on, for example, ordinations and installations, controversial events of the time and the activities of church courts.
Some of these magazines have been recently digitised and are available on our website.
The Society welcomes donations of books, congregational histories, pamphlets and magazines. These can be presented as a gift or as an indefinite loan to the Society or as a bequest.


text:
Cartoon Network USA Adventure Time Stop Motion Episode To Premiere On Thursday 14th January
All this week (11/01/2016 – 15/01/2016), Cartoon Network USA will be airing new episodes of Adventure Time, including for the very first time, a stop-motion animated episode called Bad Jubies, directed by Kirsten Lepore. In "Bad Jubies", Finn, Jake, BMO and Lumpy Space Princess build a bunker to protect themselves from a deadly storm, however Jake has other plans. All new episodes of Adventure Time will premiere at 7.30 p.m. ET/PT on Cartoon Network.


text: ← Tasks and Tools You do not have permission to edit this page, for the following reasons: The action you have requested is limited to users in one of the groups: Users, Administrators, trusted, KDEDevelopers. This page has been protected to prevent editing or other actions. You can view and copy the source of this page. ==Before you Start== ===First Things First=== * Anyone can contribute to UserBase, but it is recommended that you create an account. The [[Quick_Start|Quick Start]] page tells you how to register and log in. * Be aware that your contribution will be governed by the licenses [[KDE_UserBase:Copyrights|Gnu Free Document Licence and Creative Commons]]. Click on the images in the Navigation Panel to read the details. * Use the Talk page to communicate with other contributors or get help. ===Relevance=== It should relate to KDE software, directly or indirectly. We define it like this: :[[Image:dialog-ok32.png|11px]] For New Users - helping to get started :[[Image:dialog-ok32.png|11px]] For Regular Users - learning about new features and tips :[[Image:dialog-ok32.png|11px]] For Advanced Users - but use sub-pages for this. :[[Image:edit-delete.png|11px]] Not for Developers - [http://techbase.kde.org Techbase] is the place for that == Ways to Contribute == === Update Existing Content === * [[Update an Image|Update an image]], replacing an outdated image with a newer one. * [[Taking Screenshots|Create a screenshot]] * [[Modify a Page|Modify existing content]], fix a spelling, clarify a description, add more details. === Add New Pages === * [[CreatePage|Create a new page]], showcase an application, introduce a new concept. * [[WriteManuals|Write a manual]]. You need to know an application quite well, and probably to be in contact with the author. We can help you. === Working with Languages === * [[EditMarkup|Preparing a page for translation]] needs more patience than skill. If you can spare short periods of time, frequently, this is a very helpful task. * [[TranslatePage|Translate a page]]. You need to be fluent in a language, but not a professional translator to translate a wiki page. Translating manuals is the skill of a special team. * [[Off-line_Translation|Translate with Off-Line Tools]]. Get the essentials for Gettext and Import. * [[How_To_Convert_a_UserBase_Manual_to_Docbook|How To Convert UserBase Manual to Docbook]] gives you an insight into the process that takes place on your finished manual. {{Remember|1=It's important to be consistent, so here are some general rules: * Take care with heading levels - we start at second level (Mediawiki uses top level for page-name), using <nowiki>"=="</nowiki> * Make sure you refer frequently to this page and to [[Typographical_Guidelines|typographical guidelines]] * Check if all table cells have space after the pipe character. This rule conforms with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Table traditional wiki formatting]. * Make application name formatting consistent (avoid using '''Amarok'''s, do use '''Amarok's'''). * For screenshots and other images, .png format is preferred. [[Special:Upload|The Upload page]] lists the file types that are acceptable. [[Image:Smiley.png|16px]]. * Remove all non-printable characters from image names.}} ==Hints and Tips== Some Preferences that will help - * If you don't have [edit] links against the sections, open your '''User Preferences''' ([[Special:Preferences|Personal Tools in the sidebar]]) then look for '''Editing''' and set '''Enable section editing via [edit] links''' * While you are in those settings, enable '''Show preview on first edit''' - while you are editing you can glance at the original display for reference * The default display is to show the preview first, with the edit box below. If you prefer the edit box at the top you can change that setting in the same place [[Category:Contributing]] Templates used on this page: Template:Attention (view source) Template:Box (view source) Template:Remember (view source) Return to Tasks and Tools. Retrieved from "https://userbase.kde.org/Tasks_and_Tools"


text:
Waiting on WednesdayWaiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming book releases that we're especially looking forward to!
Here's my pick this week:
Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini TaylorI was so utterly blown away by the Gothic feel, enticing characters & imaginative world created by Laini Taylor in Daughter of Smoke & Bone that I can hardly contain my excitement for Days of Blood and Starlight! And let's be honest: how GORGEOUS is that cover?! It's going to look amazing on my shelf right next to it's sibling ♥
Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2
Release Date: November 6th 2012
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war. This is not that world. Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it. In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life. While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope. But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?


text:
Sunday, June 7, 2009
A Virgin No More! Hear About It!
23 comments:
How cool is that!ReplyDelete
And that you sold something!
Congratulations, maybe a beginning.....
HOORAY FOR YOU!!!! I definately say DO MORE! You are so good at these. I'm so happy your first show did so well. Hope you have plans for more. Keep us posted.ReplyDelete
Oh, and congratulations for becoming a seasoned "art fair artist".
You GO girlfriend!
wow - that is SO cool! Good for you - you give me courageReplyDelete
CONGRATS!!!!! That is wonderful. It is a good feeling to sell something at a festival isnt it? Your zentangles are WONDERFUL and I do think your friend is right on.ReplyDelete
I am so happy for you!!! It was really great being able to finally meet you face to face.And I am very happy that you took the plunge. It is always scary the first time...they get easier as you go. Keep up the Zentangles.ReplyDelete
this is just sooooo thrilling! i am so proud of you. it takes 'guts' to put yourself out there and risk!!! well done you. and yes do mpre, lots and lots more...do atc cards of them and swap with us!!!go girl go!ReplyDelete
Congratulations! I know that first big step is hard as I just participanted in my first juried art show!ReplyDelete
Congrats on taking that first scary step. AND you sold something. whoooo hooooooReplyDelete
Bravo, take a bow. Lovely work should be seen by as many as possible.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 9, 2009 at 9:03 AM
Congrats on putting yourself out there, art shows are so much fun to go to but seem like a lot of work for the artists!ReplyDelete
there's an award over on my blog for you today T.ReplyDelete
Why am I not surprised that you sold the zentagles......and guess what? I got a phone call from the woman who actually invented them. She called to order a WrapADoodle! and we got to talking....and so I wound up trading a WrapADoodle for one of her Zentagle kits. So can't wait to try one. I told her about you and your amazing zentangles....btw, did you get the coloring books?ReplyDelete
Wahoo! Congratulations woman!!ReplyDelete
Go for it! Again and again!
Wonderful news - congratulations on the sales.ReplyDelete
How exciting! Congratulations. Looked like an inviting table you got.ReplyDelete
It all looks so wonderful! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ReplyDelete
WoooW! Awesome! I haven't had the nerve to do an art festival. You do such beautiful work!!! I'm so glad you got to share your wonderful art with others! You go gurl!ReplyDelete
Congratulations on the sale. It's no wonder they sold. They are so pretty.ReplyDelete
Those zentagles are so cool! Two eleventh-hour sales at your first art festival--an omen of great things to come!ReplyDelete
I believe they are right! I love those... I did my first one too, a few months ago, it feels liberating doesn't it!ReplyDelete
WOW!!! Thats wonderful!!ReplyDelete
And YES, thats a great step one has to take when opportunity knocks:)
The zentangles are lovely!
I am very happy for you...Let there be many more sales,dear friend!
I love your Zentangles! Congrats on your first art fair, I hope it opens the door to many more - and maybe now an Etsy shop is in order!ReplyDelete
Are Zentangles mainly botanical in nature or can you Zentangle other objects too? Animals? Just wondering...


text:
Fuel flip-flop: Gasoline prices may top diesel this summer
Its been said that it would never happen, but this summer it may cause motorists do a double-take at the gas pump.
For relatively low gasoline prices? No, U.S. motorists generally expect gas prices to remain in a comfortable (but not cheap) range.
This summer diesel fuel prices may drop below gasoline prices. Currently, regular unleaded averages about $2.05 per gallon, according to a gasbuddy.com survey. Meanwhile, diesel prices currently average about $2.23 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Diesel: More expensive, generally
Oil industry analysts say diesel is not supposed to cost less than gasoline. For one thing, diesel generally results in a 20 to 40 percent increase in fuel efficiency, which historically has helped justify its higher price. Second, in most regions of the United States, diesel is less available is than gasoline.
This, among other factors, has led to a price premium for diesel, historically. For example, in the frenetic U.S. vehicle fuel market of the summer of 2008, diesel exceed $4.70 per gallon, while gasoline topped out at around $4.05 to $4.15 per gallon, according to U.S. EIA data.
Why the price flip-flop?
However, this summer a convergence of factors may very well send gasoline prices above diesel prices. Of course, that's good news for those Americans who drive diesel vehicles, but a source of consternation for those who drive gasoline-based vehicles: they're supposed to be getting the lower-cost fuel.
First, demand for diesel -- the fuel that most tracker-trailer trucks use -- is down globally, due to the recession. That's creating excess supply, which is pressuring margins. That likely means weak diesel prices throughout the summer. Conversely, gasoline demand, while not rising in the United States due to motorists' belt-tightening, is still likely to support prices this summer -- a period when many Americans drive more as they enjoy outdoor activities and take vacations.
Second, during the warmer months, refineries switch to mandated cleaner -- but more expensive -- summer gasoline blends. It's called RFG, reformulated gasoline, and emits considerably less pollution. That fact, combined with the patchwork system of RFG blends required to meet the states' varying local pollution restrictions, reduces refiners' capacity to make other fuels, and this has caused price spikes, even temporary shortages, in the past. Hence, this summer, the price of gasoline may exceed diesel in some regions of the country.
Gasoline/Diesel Analysis: Diesel, the primary vehicle fuel of Europe, has a spotty history in the United States. Diesel has been the staple fuel for commercial trucks and buses for decades in the U.S., but it has never really caught on as a automobile fuel. That, in part, is due to the first, abysmal round of U.S.-manufactured diesel cars in the 1970s. The cars were very dirty, and there were so many operational problems that Americans shunned them. (Americans also like the wider availability of gasoline.) While today's diesels are substantially cleaner and more-reliable than their 1970s brethren, Americans are still not flocking to them.


text:
Posted by trees45 on 26/6/2014, 4:01 pm, in reply to "Improvement"
As a PS to the above post from yesterday. Today I have been explorying the root cause of my pauresis with my counsellor. As a result I was unable to get my flow started in a private facility. Totally locked up. Had to resort to catheterization as it wouldn't have been adviseable to hold any longer with a high level of urgency. Having said that I now accept it's part of the process to fluctuate & I don't feel too discouraged. I Feel so much better having shared it. I'm confident I'll be back on track by tomorrow. Hopefully this will encourage others.
Message Thread
Improvement - TREES45 25/6/2014, 2:13 pm
Re: Improvement - trees45 26/6/2014, 4:01 pm
Re: Improvement - Lucy 30/6/2014, 9:05 pm
Re: Improvement - Ann 30/6/2014, 10:40 pm
Re: Improvement - TREES45 11/7/2014, 5:58 pm
Re: Improvement - TREES45 11/7/2014, 5:06 pm
Re: Improvement - Ann 13/7/2014, 8:17 pm
Re: Improvement - Andrew 18/7/2014, 6:19 pm
Re: Improvement - Ann 19/7/2014, 1:49 pm
« Back to index | View thread »
This message is locked. Responses are not allowed!
Hosted for FREE by Boardhost.Create your own free message board!


text:
After you've rung your family and friends and posted an amazing Instagram engagement announcement, the first step in wedding planning is deciding on your wedding budget.
While it would be fantastic to go with a "money is no object" approach to wedding planning, setting a budget will stop you from overspending, and will help you rule out wedding options that just aren't viable for you – a castle wedding venue on a £5,000 wedding budget just won't work, sadly.
Read on for our top tips on how to start your wedding budget.
Work out who is paying
It used to be that the bride's father pretty much paid for everything. These days it's far more likely to be a family affair with the bride, groom and both sets of parents chipping in to create one wedding fund.
Decide if you need to compromise your ideas
Taking a cheque from either set of parents is great. Just be sure they don't think this means they have a much bigger say in your wedding plans than you want. It's hard to say you want workmates rather than relatives on the guest list if it's your parents' cash you are spending.
Can you pay for the wedding yourself?
It's becoming increasingly common for couples to pay for their own wedding, using their own money – and it's the only way to ensure complete freedom of choice. If the cash isn't readily available, seek advice about saving and cost-effective borrowing.
How much of my salary do I need to save for my wedding?
Saving 10-20 per cent of every pay packet during your engagement should be your aim. Try a few cost-cutting measures every month like taking a packed lunch to work, staying in with friends rather than eating out, and delaying major purchases or expensive outings until after the wedding.
Set up a wedding account
Whether or not you are receiving parental contributions, a separate wedding account is a good idea since it will make tracking what comes in, what goes out and what's left to play with much simpler. Agree at the outset how much you will each contribute to the fund, taking into account your differing salaries and any other debts you may have.
Get financial advice for planning your wedding
If you need help with the wedding fund and are thinking about a loan, get advice on the best way of borrowing. A small loan may be worthwhile, providing you can pay it back without being in debt for years to come – not even your wedding is worth that! And forget putting wedding expenses on a credit card; it's expensive and is usually a recipe for financial misery.
Consider a DIY wedding
Think carefully about whether you can do some things yourself rather than employing others to do them: look out for sample sales at your local wedding dress shop; get on to your PC and design your own invitations, thank-you cards or seating plan. Our 'Swap and sale' chatboard is another good place to pick up a bargain.
How will you spend your wedding budget?
Once you have a good idea of your budget, you'll need to split the pot between the various parts of the wedding. Work out what you want to spend on each element and see if all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.
Your budget will have a big say on your venue choice, and it will also dictate choosing your wedding date. Venues are often less expensive in autumn and winter, so your choice of budget may even determine when your wedding will take place.


text:
Friday, April 20, 2012
Game Review - Marvel Avengers Alliance
Playdom (not Zynga this time)
Players start the game as a customizable (Name, Gender & Appearance) SHIELD agent who has been tasked by Nick Fury (the black Ultimate & Movie version) to an event so big that it has caught SHIELD's attention.
With the heli-carrier as your base, you go thru' the various districts of New York City (cleverly packaged into game-play chapters) where in each area, you would face villains in the form of the Maggia, HYDRA, AIM, etc. At the end of each district you'd need to defeat Marvel villains as each district's Boss or/and Mini Boss before you are able to advance to the next district. The Bosses include Whiplash, MODOK, Loki & Baron Zemo.
There are several dimensions to the game, as is ilk of facebook games where you need to have friends who have "joined" you so that you can accumulate various kinds of points or energy for you to advance or level up. This can be a little frustrating when you do not have enough of a certain game resource for you to proceed.
Of course, as with other facebook games, when all else fails, you can use "gold" to short circuit the process. However, as "gold" is very hard to come by in-game, players can opt to but "gold" with REAL WORLD MONEY!
Users are also required to do in-game research. Only when something has been researched will it become available to players. For instance, if you did not research Electrolytes, you would not be able to buy or get Stamina Boost Packs (Bummer!). So, if players think they can hoard their resources and save up for the heroes, they would sorely lose out on the goodies they can get from the SHIELD Store or End-Level Bonuses!
Games of this nature usually allow players to amp up their character stats (such as attack & defense) as they level up. 1 interesting twist to this game is that the stats do not level up in such a straight forward manner. Players need to perform research in order for you to get better weapons, equipment or SHIELD uniforms (that have differing stats based on 1 of the 6 classes*!)
* see below
Another layer of complexity is that they have incorporated 6 classes to the game - all characters have been classified as either a
- Generalist
- Tactician
- Bruiser
- Blaster
- Infiltrator
- Scrapper
Each class has a strength and a weakness against another, leaving no clear-cut advantage of any single class.
Lastly, players get to pit their Avengers against other players in the PVP (Player vs Player) area. This is an area where players can go when they have either run out of energy to do further missions or just to challenge friends (or rivals). 1 good thing is also players are able to get resources or equipment from the fights.
Players are spoilt for choice as there are 40 Marvel characters to choose from, including characters from X-Men (Phoenix, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde, Cyclops,Storm & of course, Wolverine) & Fantastic 4. There are a couple of really unexpected choices in the game such as Sif (Thor's girlfriend), Dr Strange (who is more associated with the Defenders than Avengers) & Black Cat (Spider-man's 1-time girlfriend). Players start off with Iron as the 1st Avenger in your team but the game would soon require players to start recruiting other heroes.
This is where things get interesting as these heroes all start with only 1 power and they gain more powers (up to 4) as the level up. I tend to let my curiosity get the better of me as I want to learn what each hero's powers are and how they would look in-game.
This game is a dream come true for geeks like me who grew up reading and loving these characters for many years. Of course there have been other games like Capcom's Street Fighter vs X-Men and the Marvel Ultimate Alliance (both of which I had never had the pleasure to try).
It's fairly easy to get started as the in-game instructions (disguised as Maria Hill & Nick Fury's orders) make the learning curve very gentle.
This game has sucked quite a few hours of my life these past few weeks and I'm sure many of you would find it enjoyable as well.
1 gripe I do have is that a few of the more recognizable Avengers such as the following didn't make it to the game while characters Like X-Men & Fantastic 4 are in there.
- Vision
- Scarlet Witch
- Wonderman
- Beast
- Black Panther
- Wasp
It's fun to get to play with the heroes you loved from a younger age but it it by no means a perfect game. Continuity geeks would have a field day with the inconsistencies of the characters. So relax, just enjoy it for what it is - a game with many of the characters you love.
Play it (it's FREE) & let me know what you think!
Posted by JM Loke at 3:02 PM
Labels: Comic - Avengers, Comic - Capt America, Comic - Fantastic Four, Comic - Iron Man, Comic - Spider-Man, Comic - Thor, facebook, Marvel
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Bendon Small Character Art Set Sofia The First
Your little princess will be pleased to receive the Bendon small character art set that features Disney's beloved princess, Sofia. Let your child use this color set to draw, paint, and color to their heart's content. Designed for children above 3 years, this delightful small character Sofia The First art set contains art supplies like paints, crayons, pencils, and more. 1 pencil, 1 sharpener, 1 brush, 1 mixing tray, 6 colored pencils, 12 crayons, 12 watercolors, Choking Hazard: Contains small parts, Not for kids below 3 years.
- Item #: 10013043
- Brand: Bendon
- Category: Drawing & Painting Kits
Bendon Small Character Art Set Sofia The First


text:
1. Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?
I've been a fan of all things paranormal since first reading fairy tales. I moved from Rapunzel and Snow White to The Haunting of Hill House, to of course, Dark Shadows. So of course, you can tell that the stories I create in my head all have a paranormal theme, from shapeshifters to witches to vampires and more.
- What inspired you to write this book?
The characters in this book have been living in my head for a long time. I've lived in a number of small towns, and been a news reporter in several of them. I quickly learned that there was the town the "average person" knew and then there was the real power. So I invented my own small town where instead of just a little politics and scandal, you never know if your neighbor is a werewolf, or a witch, or a vampire. The map of the town is loosely based on Evansville, IN, one of the favorite places I have lived. If you've ever been to Evansville, you might recognize some of the settings. The main characters live down the block from my old home. I won't say exactly which street, but I did go to Google maps and picked out exactly which houses Ana and Leslie live in.
- Please tell us about your latest release.
The small town of Rivelou is hiding secrets, and they are about to claw their way to the surface.
Ana Dugan used to enjoy her nighttime walks through her quaint college town, but all of that changes when a handsome stranger rescues her from an attack. She's not sure who she should be more afraid of the four legged beast who attacked her or the two legged one who saved her. She narrowly escapes, but soon learns that others weren't so lucky. When another man enters her life claiming he's there to protect her she's not sure who she should trust, the wolf or the hunter.
- Do you have a special formula for creating characters' names? Do you try to match a name with a certain meaning to attributes of the character or do you search for names popular in certain time periods or regions?
I have a few different techniques for choosing names. I have found a great website, fantasynamegenerator.com, which gives me ideas. I just cruise the site until I find a name that suits the particular character. Also, since several of my characters have a French background, I researched French names. Many of my characters also have names that have special meaning for me. "Fontaine," for example, is the last name of a great-great-great grandmother, and Bertrand is a variation of my grandfather's name, Bertram.
- What is your favorite scene from the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?
As Ana crossed Roosevelt Avenue and headed into her own neighborhood, the streetlights ended and the sidewalk became lighted only by an occasional porch light or walk light. She loved walking home from her night classes at this time of the year. The air, while it could not yet be called crisp, had lost its summer sultriness, a welcome change from the blistering heat of a Midwest summer.
And these walks home after her night classes were one of the few times during her week when she could be truly alone. No bosses, no teachers, not even Sophie chattering away in her ear. She'd been a mom long enough not to feel guilty at enjoying a a little time alone without her child. Her thirteen-year-old daughter was the light of her life, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy a little time by herself, too.
As she headed down Harlan Street, farther from the more heavily trafficked avenue, the street became even darker. It was too soon for most of the leaves to have fallen, they were just beginning to turn red on this last week in September and they were so thick on the trees that they hid the full moon. Part of the charm of the old neighborhood was the beautiful, large old maples and oaks, but their roots also tore up the sidewalks. Ana tripped on one of those cracks, and shook her head in disgust. How could she always trip in the same spot, night after night? It wasn't as if she hadn't memorized the bad spots in the sidewalk after years of walking this way.
She smiled; only one more year of classes and, with luck, she wouldn't be taking this same walk anymore. She would have her teaching degree, be able to quit her job as an admin at the university, and start a new life with her daughter, maybe somewhere else. She would enjoy teaching, preferably high school, but she'd take whatever grade she could get to start. Sophie would miss her friends; they would both miss their family. They'd come back a lot to visit. She was sure of that—her family, particularly her grandfather, would certainly insist on it. But it would be nice to start over. Of course, Jonathan, her ex, would probably object if she moved even to the next county. The one good thing she could say for the man was he always fulfilled his obligations to their daughter, even if it was only because he thought about running for political office someday and didn't want to ruin his reputation with the other lawyers and judges in Rivelou.
She shook her head as if to change the direction her daydreams had taken her and sidestepped another large crack in the sidewalk. She wasn't going to let thoughts of Jonathan ruin a lovely evening. Maybe after Sophie was in bed she'd have a chance to get outside again and enjoy the full moon and beautiful weather. She wouldn't indulge herself in a run; she couldn't leave Sophie alone, but some time out in her backyard to appreciate the full moon would be good.
She stopped and looked around, working to regain her pleasure in the evening, when she heard a low growl nearby.
A dog? No one on this block had a dog big enough to make that sort of sound. That growl had definitely come from something larger than Mrs. Ahearn's yappy little Pomeranian. She began to walk more quickly. Only a half block until she turned onto Sycamore, then another half block until she arrived at her own home.
The growl came again. She tucked her purse more securely on her left shoulder, her computer bag on her right, and doubled her pace. There were no lights on at any of the houses on that part of the block, and of course, the moon took that moment to hide behind a cloud. She took a deep breath and tried to walk at a steady pace. She wouldn't run, even though she could hear the animal behind her as she rounded the corner. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her own porch light on, as well as that of her neighbors, Joe and Lindsey, who kept Sophie evenings when Ana had class. Only a few more steps to safety.
She was almost in front of her own door when she heard the rush of paws with nails clicking on the sidewalk. With a howl, the animal knocked her down.
- Can you tell readers a little bit about the world building in the book/series? How does this world differ from our normal world?
As I mentioned before, Rivelou, the town where my books take place, is a typical Midwestern small city…but when you scratch that ordinary surface something strange is going on. Many of the residents are leading a double life. Who is a werewolf? Who is a witch? Who knows the secrets that some very important people in town are keeping? In Rivelou, you never know just who…or what… you neighbor is.
- With the book being part of a series, are there any character or story arcs, that readers jumping in somewhere other than the first book, need to be aware of? Can these books be read as stand alones?
While all of the books stand alone, there are several recurring characters. You will find that people who are minor characters in The Patient Wolf become central in my second book, The Artificial Witch.
- Do you have any weird writing quirks or rituals?
Chocolate and Coca Cola. I have a firm believe that chocolate increases creativity. And Coca Cola, well, that's my favorite form of caffeine.
9. Do you write in different genres?
I have written non-fiction for many years. I have published four books on the art of writing, publishing and marketing books.
10. What are your guilty pleasures in life?
I've already mentioned chocolate and Coca Cola. My third guilty pleasure is reading any type of romance, particularly paranormal romance.
11. What was the last amazing book you read?
As an editor and publisher I have the pleasure of reading great books before anyone else. Rise of the Red Harbinger by Khalid Uddin will be published on June 6. It's a great traditional fantasy. It's a first book by an unknown author and I'm so proud to be bringing it to the public. And yes, you can pre-order it on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Harbinger-Drowned-Realm-Book-ebook/dp/B01DZ63YPI/ref
12.Where is your favorite place to read? Do you have a cozy corner or special reading spot?
Maybe I should list this with guilty pleasures. My favorite place to read is in bed. That's why prefer my e-reader. I can read late at night and not wake up my husband.
13. What can readers expect next from you?
The second book in my series is titled The Artificial Witch. It features one of the minor characters in The Patient Wolf, Shannon Kelly. She's a cop and a young widow. I liked her so much I decided she deserved her own story. I've completed the first chapter, and I hope to have it finished before the end of the year.
14.Where can readers find you on the web?
I'm all over the web! I can't believe I have so many websites. My personal website is KarenHodgesMiller.com. But as a publisher, I have several other websites, OpenDoorPublications.com is where I talk about my editing, publishing and marketing services. CantPutItDownBooks.com is the site for my fiction imprint. It features lots of fun books and several authors who are starting to make names for themselves. And finally, there is WinterWritersWeekend.com, which is our annual bootcamp for authors.
You can find me on Facebook, and on Twitter at @Publisher_KHM.
15. Would you like to leave readers with a little teaser or excerpt from the book?
Here's a little piece I like that won't give too much away…
It had been a long time since Ana had been dropped at the door by a date. She felt awkward. Should she shake his hand? Give him a kiss on the cheek?
Apparently Chris had the same doubts. He laughed nervously. "How come I feel like a teenager leaving his date in front of her parents' house, wondering if her dad is going to come out on the porch with a shotgun?"
"Well, Joe and Lindsey are a bit overprotective of me, as I said, but I don't think you're in any real danger," she smiled.
"That's good to know. Because I've been wanting to do this since yesterday." He leaned in and touched his lips to hers in a soft, slow kiss, as if he had all the time in the world; as if Mrs. Andres wasn't peeking out her curtain to see what was going on, as if Ana didn't have a curious eighth grader and two over-protective friends waiting just on the other side of the door.
She let go of all those thoughts, enjoying the kiss, and let her body relax. Chris must have felt the change because he deepened the kiss as she gave in and just enjoyed it. Her body dissolved against him, every thought leaving her mind as she surrendered to sensation: He tasted like coffee and mints, he felt strong and solid, and he smelled delightfully of soap and, well, man. Her knees wouldn't hold her and she leaned against him even more, so he had to catch her when the front door suddenly opened and Sophie's voice called out, "Hi, Mom. I got an A on my algebra test today."
"Sophie! Come inside! Give your mother a few minutes of privacy," Lindsey's voice rang out.
Chris backed away a step, still holding her waist as she got her balance.
"Well, now I really do feel like a teenager caught kissing his date. How come it is turns out to be just as embarrassing to be caught by the girl's daughter as it is to be caught by her father?"
"And you have lots of experience with that?" Ana asked, laughing.
"A little bit."
"You'll have to tell me all about it on Saturday then."
"I'm sure we can find something more interesting to talk about than my teenage romances. But right now I think you'd better go in. I see the curtains twitching. And I don't think it is just Sophie watching."
He gave her another quick kiss on the cheek and turned her toward the door. He watched as she walked up the steps and into Joe and Lindsey's house, then turned away, humming to himself. He hadn't expected to enjoy his time in Rivelou so much. Coming here had been an obligation to his sister more than any real belief he would find out something useful in this small town. It had been a few years since he'd had any romantic interests in his life.
Chris hadn't, exactly, given up on romance, he had just not pursued it. Once women found out what he did they either ran from him, figuring he was a crackpot, or they were too interested because they were more than a little cracked themselves. He wasn't interested in women who thought he was a real life ComicCon hero. What he did was serious business.
Yes, Ana Dugan had definitely sparked his interest with her combination of guts and insecurity. She covered up her sense of humor and wit. She'd been unappreciated for far too long, he thought.
As Chris walked away, his thoughts moving from Ana to his business in Rivelou and back again, he forgot to be vigilant. He didn't notice a dark shape growled softly to itself in the bushes beside her house as it watched him with glowing eyes.
The Patient Wolf
Wicked Urban Fantasy
Book One
Karen Hodges Miller
Genre: paranormal romance
Publisher: Can't Put it Down Books
Date of Publication: May 2, 2016
Number of pages: 160
Word Count: 42,225
Cover Artist: Genevieve Cosdon
Book Description:
The small town of Rivelou is hiding secrets, and they are about to claw their way to the surface.
Ana Dugan used to enjoy her nighttime walks through her quaint college town, but all of that changes when a handsome stranger rescues her from an attack. She's not sure who she should be more afraid of the four legged beast who attacked her or the two legged one who saved her. She narrowly escapes, but soon learns that others weren't so lucky.
When another man enters her life claiming he's there to protect her she's not sure who she should trust, the wolf or the hunter.
About the Author:
Karen Hodges Miller's fascination with werewolves, vampires, witches, ghosts, and all things supernatural began with the childhood classics. She gobbled up everything from The Haunting of Hill House to the Narnia series, from Dracula to Rebecca. As a writer, however, she stuck to non-fiction; working as a newspaper and magazine reporter and editor and in 2004 opening her own publishing company.
She has written several books for authors on the subject of writing and publishing. The Patient Wolf is her first fiction novel and of course, it features a very sexy werewolf.


text:
Review: InfluensterSo I know you've all been reading all of my recent reviews on different beauty products. I got them because I am a part of Influenster. It's pretty much a way to share your thoughts and reviews on different products. The more active you are, the more likely they are to send you a VoxBox. The great thing is, is that they send out a lot of different VoxBoxes (beauty, bride, college student...) and all they as for in return is your honest opinion on the products.
I signed up with them over six months ago, and while I enjoyed my beauty VoxBox, the website wasn't very interactive. That all changed recently when they did a huge revamp to their site. It is now more interactive and you are able to review items and places even if it's not something you received in a VoxBox. I no longer feel like I can only occasionally pop in. In fact I find myself going to the website a lot more.
So if you like testing out products and reviewing them I would very much recommend Influenster. You do have to ask to join, but seriously it's worth it. Also, if it's something you are really interested in, I can share one of my invites with you. Just let me know.


text:
I have been a bit quiet on the blog front. I have been struggling for inspiration. Well I've found some!
I found a challenge. A summer weight loss challenge.
I've been keeping up with different blogs on bloglovin and have been drawn to fitness and weight loss blogs. I have long struggled with my weight and always seem to be wanting to lose weight but never actually doing it!
But I joined a slimming group, and for the past 10 weeks I've weighing in. My progress has been slow but mainly because I've had a lack of focus. I've been weighing in, and kinda watching what I'm eating but not really putting in a great deal of effort. I've been selling myself short. Soo ......
Challenge Accepted.
Every Friday Caitlin over at Weights and Measure will post three new mini challenges. I try to complete the challenges and do a post about my week.
I think this is a great way for me to put in the effort and to stay accountable.
The challenge will run for 12 weeks - which takes us right up to the day before my holidays! What perfect motivation.
This week the challenges are
1. Identify three weight loss goals I would like to achieve or work towards over the next 12 weeks
- I'm nearly there with my goals but I think they deserve a post on their own - stay tuned!
2. Drink 2L of water per day - gonna be a tough one for me, especially with my diet coke addiction!
3. Get active - 30mins of activity per day - sure Bailey will help me out with this one.
Caitlin's been so organised there is even a hashtag! #12wkssummerchallenge so I will be tweeting along as well.
Saturday, 29 June 2013
12 Week Summer Weight Loss Challenge & Link Up
4 comments:
I'm so glad you've decided to join in on the challenge, Clare! If the link-up is still fussy, let me know and I'll see if i can fix it.ReplyDelete
Have a great weekend,
I'm also doing the challenge.. I feel like you too.. kind of unmotivated and lacking focus so I am hoping this will be what I need to get me back on track! Plus I am going on vacation in a month and would love to feel a bit tighter and leaner before I go! Good luck to you :)ReplyDelete
Nice! I might pop by and join in too. Good luck!ReplyDelete
Yes we have long struggled with our weight but never actually doing it.Slimming group process is slow but finally we got a right result.ReplyDelete
Ephedra & Ephedra Pills
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Be sure to go celebrate with Old Bitter Balls, the truest Scotsman of the Web.The beginning of his self-description: "I'm a witty fucker, a base and vile brabbler; I never know when to quit, I'm a terrier. The conscience of the people, a gob in the eye of convention,an equal opportunities offender."
My kinda man.
[UPDATE – Old Bitter Balls has graced me with what has got the be the funniest shiite I've read all week….]
Filed under: Humor, Take a Break Blogs, Time Sink


text:
Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'REX'.
Found 37 results
REX announce Sky Force 3D
a topic posted mutley in News and Press ReleasesFrom REX Studios: Sky Force 3D is a complete overhaul of the 3D weather model and texture/atmospheric effects experience while bringing dimension to FSX, FSX Steam, and Prepar3D v1, 2, 3 and 4. THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED BY: * Re-designing the 3D cloud model structure and SDK and patterning it after real-world cloud classifications. * Developing a real-world cloud model system including (but not limited to) cloud streets, supercells, wall clouds, funnel, shelf, rain shaft, and tornadoes. * Integrating a weather engine that harnesses over 70,000 points of weather data globally. The weather engine reads and interprets live model data to sample the atmosphere and therefore will sync the appropriate clouds structures, allowing for more accuracy. * Incorporating synchronization technology which dynamically syncs 3D cloud model structures in real-time during flight. * Increasing frame rates by eliminating unnecessary cloud sprites for all cloud types. * Restructuring the Cloud SDK. No more upside down clouds in bizarre and unrealistic positions, or cloud bases that are presented with repeating patterns. * Elevating the visual experience through our natural, photo-based environment texture technology while exploiting the power of PTA integration. * Developing single-session cloud texture variation, allowing more variety during a flight session. PRODUCT FEATURES: * 3000+ Cloud Models/Structures (Based on real-world cloud classification) * Dynamic Synchronization * New Cloud SDK (No more upside-down clouds or repeating cloud bottoms) * 20GB Natural Photo-Based Environment Textures * New Weather Engine * Integrated Flight Center * Interactive Mapping System * Built-in PTA Integration * Innovative Sky and Sun Atmospherics * New Lightning Effects * New HD Environment Sound Effects * All Packaged in a 4.6GB Download, Expandable to 20GB * Compatible With All Other Weather Engines and Environment Products * ... and Much More! Previous owners of REX product can get 15% off this product For More info: http://www.rexskyforce.com/
PTA installed
a topic posted wain in ScreenshotsSo I bought PTA, just installed the profile that Matt puts with the download, there is an option for lots of tinkering, I have also set up AS16 and REX a bit more to my liking......there are a few things I still don't like much, not sure how to go about changing them though... 1, illumination of the roads, it may be correct but I don't like the big circles..... 2, buildings are sometimes just to bright at night...... 3, night time is still to light...... any suggestions on those 3 would be great.... I have the FPS counter in the corner as this is Carenado default aircraft, but it's easy to get airborne, I then have a consistant AC to test with, if I can get around 50FPS with this then more complicated should give me around 30-40........ all shots using live weather and real time....
50% Sale at REX
a topic posted hlminx in Members General & AnnouncementsGuys REX have a 50% off Sale today and tomorrow (1st Dec) http://store.rexdownload.com/
Glasgow to Plockton - A2A Comanche - 200 hours reached
a topic posted UKJim in ScreenshotsSo here is my P3D V4 setup with URP and PTA - a flight from Glasgow to Plockton in the Comanche. I finally reached the 200 hours. Thanks for viewing - if you wish to watch the full stream, head over to my YouTube channel in my signature.
Take advantage of our Early Holiday Mega-Sale and receive 50% OFF through November 30th. This includes the newly released REX Worldwide Airports HD. You can purchase these products at the following stores: REX Store: http://store.rexdownload.com The FlightSimStore: http://www.flightsimstore.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=123 FSPilotShop: http://www.fspilotshop.com/rex-game-studios-m-415.html SimMarket: http://secure.simmarket.com/rex.mhtml Sim-Planet: https://www.sim-planet.com/en/manufacturers/rex-game-studios.html
All REX products 30% off Flash Sale
a topic posted rstough in News and Press ReleasesREX is running a 30% off "FLASH SALE" on all its products from now until 19Z GMT October 1st at its store only. REX Store: http://store.rexdownload.com
REX Introduces new pricing structure
a topic posted rstough in News and Press ReleasesREX Simulations is pleased to introduce a new pricing structure on it award-winning weather and texture software. Shop now at one of the stores below with prices up to 30% off! You can purchase REX products at the following stores: (Official) REX Store: http://store.rexdownload.com/ SimMarket http://secure.simmarket.com/rex.mhtml FSPilotShop http://www.fspilotshop.com/rex-game-studios-m-415.html FlightSimStore http://www.flightsimstore.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=123&osCsid=d1rp8ranrsc1joi0k7kcko6dl5 Sim-Planet http://www.sim-planet.com/en/manufacturers/rex-game-studios.html Aerosoft http://en.shop.aerosoft.com/eshop.php?action=article_list&s_manufacturer_name=REX Game Studios
Parked at Welshpool
a topic posted UKJim in ScreenshotsSo I updated my old 172 chrome livery to have my normal registration - it used to be 'JD-29' as I was 29 when I painted her and was only just getting into the simming world back then. It was not so easy as I had a custom alpha on this one too so a bit more fiddling than usual. Well I took her out for an hours flight from East Midlands to Welshpool and grabbed a shot after parking...
Save now with 50% off ALL REX products including the WX Advantage Radar through July 8th: You can get the latest updated versions on sale at the following stores: REX Store: http://store.rexdownload.com SIMMARKET: ALL REX PRODUCTS http://secure.simmarket.com/rex.mhtml REX/MILVIZ WX Advantage Radar http://secure.simmarket.com/rex-milviz-wx-advantage-radar-fsx-fsxse-p3d.phtml - FSPILOTSHOP: ALL REX PRODUCTS http://www.fspilotshop.com/rex-game-studios-m-415.html?utm_campaign=slider&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=mainpage REX/MILVIZ WX Advantage Radar http://www.fspilotshop.com/rex-milviz-advantage-radar-for-fsx-and-p3d-p-6167.html FLIGHTSIMSTORE: ALL REX PRODUCTS http://www.flightsimstore.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=REX REX/MILVIZ - WX ADVANTAGE RADAR http://www.flightsimstore.com/product_info.php?products_id=3818 SIM-PLANET: http://www.sim-planet.com/en/manufacturers/rex-game-studios.html
REX release WX Radar Update 2
a topic posted mutley in News and Press ReleasesThursday, June 23, 2016 PHOENIX, AZ – REX SIMULATIONS and MILVIZ (Military Visualizations) is pleased to announce the release of Update 2 to the WX Advantage Radar. Update 2 includes several enhancements and fixes: • Fixed issue with CTD associated with DirectX 10 only supported Graphics Cards. • Added update application to check for the latest updates of the radar. • Added support for Lockheed Martin's Prepar3D 3.3.5. • Added modules for support of 3rd party aircraft radar integration. • Added beam width functionality that gives realistic stretching effect of distant echoes. Download the latest updates to the WX Advantage Radar at: http://www.realenvironmentxtreme.com/forums/index.php?/topic/39712-wx-advantage-radar-update-1020160621/
REX Sky Force 3D
a topic posted mutley in News and Press ReleasesPreview video and no more details available yet, maybe after the flight sim show this weekend?
REX 50% Off Sale until April 1st
a topic posted rstough in News and Press ReleasesALL REX products are 50% OFF through April 1st. Purchase at your favorite store listed below: OFFICIAL REX STORE http://store.rexdownload.com FLIGHT SIM STORE http://www.flightsimstore.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=123&osCsid=hnqk2a8drn792a55653aqaoj93 SIM MARKET http://secure.simmarket.com/rex.mhtml FS PILOT SHOP http://www.fspilotshop.com/rex-game-studios-m-415.html PCAVIATOR http://www.pcaviator.com/store/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=145 SIM-PLANET http://www.sim-planet.com/en/manufacturers/rex-game-studios.html
REX release New Service Packs
a topic posted mutley in News and Press ReleasesREX SIMULATIONS is pleased to announce the release of REX 4 Texture Direct Service Pack 6, REX 4 Texture Direct with Soft Clouds Service Pack 6, and REX Soft Clouds Service Pack 3. Though there are very few visible changes to either program, the major update relates to what's under the hood. In this service pack the need for Microsoft's SQL Server Local Database has been completely removed. Service Pack 6 includes the following fixes and additions: •Removal of requirement for Microsoft's SQL Server Local DB – with overall rewrite of the underlying platform. •Cloud size adjustments for Prepar3D v3 •Wave animation file fix for Prepar3D v3 Service Pack 3 includes the following fixes and additions: •Removal of requirement for Microsoft's SQL Server Local DB – with overall rewrite of the underlying platform. •Cloud size adjustments for Prepar3D v3 Additional internal fixes and performance updates were included in each update. Users will be prompted to download the new update when they start either REX product, or they may click the "Check for Updates" button from within the application. Download here: http://www.realenvironmentxtreme.com/forums/index.php?/forum/22-fsx-p3d/
NOTAM REX 50% off sale through February 29th
a topic posted rstough in News and Press ReleasesREX is running a 50% off sale off all products. Purchase REX products at these vendors: REX Store: http://store.rexdownload.com FlightSimStore.com http://www.flightsimstore.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=123&osCsid=d1rp8ranrsc1joi0k7kcko6dl5 FSPilotShop.com http://www.fspilotshop.com/rex-game-studios-m-415.html SimMarket.com http://secure.simmarket.com/rex.mhtml PCAviator http://www.pcaviator.com/store/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=145 Sim-Planet.com http://www.sim-planet.com/en/manufacturers/rex-game-studios.html
REX Soft Clouds for FS9 Released
a topic posted rstough in News and Press ReleasesREX SIMULATIONS is pleased to announce the release of REX Soft Clouds FS9 Edition! REX Soft Clouds FS9 Edition helps give a volumetric feel to your flight simulator clouds. This software package is compiled from years of feedback from current REX customers to meet a specific demand. You will truly experience volumetric-like haze and fog as never before seen within FS9. You can purchase directly from the following stores: REX Game Studios (Store) http://store.rexdownload.com/rex-software/9-rex-soft-clouds-for-fs2004.html SIMMARKET.COM http://secure.simmarket.com/rex-soft-clouds_fs9.phtml FLIGHTSIMSTORE.COM http://www.flightsimstore.com/product_info.php?products_id=3600&osCsid=ksc4bisao4h23nobe3mkkfo4p6 FSPILOTSHOP.COM http://www.fspilotshop.com/rex-soft-clouds-for-fs9-p-5969.html?osCsid=l03j1fvjil7uq0pb4jretl9t86 SIM-PLANET.COM http://www.sim-planet.com/en/fs2004-downloads/rex-game-studios-soft-clouds-fs2004.html PCAVIATOR.COM http://www.pcaviator.com/store/product.php?productid=20695&cat=637&page=0&featured=Y
REX Black Friday through Cyber Monday 50% off sale
a topic posted rstough in News and Press ReleasesFrom now through Monday, November 30th you can get all REX products at 50% off. REX Store: http://store.rexdownload.com FlightSimStore.com http://www.flightsimstore.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=123&osCsid=es1taunlkivaruo9t3a2qo0fm4 SimMarket.com http://secure.simmarket.com/rex.mhtml FSPilotShop.com http://www.fspilotshop.com/rex-game-studios-m-415.html?utm_campaign=slider&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=mainpage PCAviator.com http://www.pcaviator.com/store/home.php?cat=931 Sim-Planet.com http://www.sim-planet.com/en/manufacturers/rex-game-studios.html
REX Announce New Service Packs
a topic posted mutley in News and Press ReleasesPHOENIX, AZ – REX SIMULATIONS is pleased to announce the release of REX 4 Texture Direct Service Pack 5, REX 4 Texture Direct with Soft Clouds Service Pack 5, and REX Soft Clouds Service Pack 2, and REX 4 Weather Architect Hotfix 1. Service Pack 5 includes the following fixes and additions: - Ability to install a weather generated theme without the "save" requirement. - Upper-atmospheric color blending. - Community Theme drop down filter was not showing all lists appropriately. - Suneffect.cfg file location updated to proper location during texture injection. - Texture options window not saving options when closing REX and restarting. - Within the Theme window, the Lightning screen was showing the title of the wrong element. - Auto search for main folder location of feature for users of Microsoft Flight Simulator X Steam Edition. - Added support for Prepar3D version 3 Service Pack 2 includes the following fixes and additions: - More volumetric representation. - Support for search for Microsoft's Flight Simulator X Steam Edition - Added support for Prepar3D version 3 Hotfix 1 includes the following fixes and additions: - Added initial check to validate Lockheed Martin's Prepar3D v3 registry information - Added additional fields and functions to support Lockheed Martin's Prepar3D v3. - Updated texture installation process. - Added network startup function to prevent auto start of flight simulator. - Added weather data export file. Additional internal fixes and performance updates were included in each update. Users will be prompted to download the new update when they start either REX product, or they may click the "Check for Updates" button. Or users may download the latest updates from our support forum located at: http://www.realenvironmentxtreme.com/forums/index.php?/forum/22-fsx-p3d/
182 Aussie flying
a topic posted dolf8857 in ScreenshotsNorth part, TO from YPTN to YJAB.
REX Major Announcement
a topic posted mutley in News and Press ReleasesFriday, September 18, 2015 PHOENIX, AZ – REX GAME STUDIOS is pleased to announce a major change within our company. REX Game Studios is dividing up into two divisions. The REX Game Studios division will focus its future development on full game and simulation products designed to be developed for the PC, mobile, and console platforms. The REX Simulations division will be overseeing all support and development of its add-on tools for Microsoft Flight Simulator, Lockheed Martin's Prepar3D, and X-Plane. Because we are taking our company to a new level, and in preparation for our upcoming new product launches, our website has been redesigned. Visit our new website located at http://www.rexsimulations.com To make it easier for our customers, we have merged the following websites with the new one: • Realenvironmentxtreme.com • REXDirectExperience.com • SimAirExperience.com • REXLatitude.com In addition, we have included information about our new upcoming products within the "In Development" area of our products section. Upcoming products include: • WX Advantage Radar • Environment Architect • Weather Direct • REX SimAir • REX Soft Clouds: FS9 Edition About REX Simulations REX Simulations is an award-winning leader in environment simulation add-ons with connections to consumers, businesses and institutions worldwide. The company's offering span global services and home computing. More information can be found online at rexsimulations.com About REX Game Studios REX Game Studios is a premier game development firm designed to create more than just games, but an experience. More information can be found online at rexgamestudios.com
REX 50% off Labor Day Sale
a topic posted rstough in News and Press ReleasesAct now to get 50% all REX products including REX 4 Weather Architect. Sale ends September 10th. Purchase now at your favorite store... REX STORE: http://store.rexdownload.com SIMMARKET http://secure.simmarket.com/real-environment-xtreme.mhtml FLIGHTSIM STORE http://www.flightsimstore.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=123 FS PILOT SHOP http://www.fspilotshop.com/rex-game-studios-m-415.html?utm_campaign=slider&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=mainpage PCAVIATOR USA http://www.pcaviator.com/store/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=145 PCAVIATOR AUSTRALIA http://www.pcaviator.com.au/store/home.php?cat=780 JUSTFLIGHT http://justflight.com/category/rex-game-studios SIM-PLANET http://www.sim-planet.com/en/39_rex-game-studios
REX4 Weather Architect Released!
a topic posted mutley in News and Press ReleasesSaturday, July 18, 2015 PHOENIX, AZ – REX GAME STUDIOS is pleased to announce the release of the REX4 Weather Architect. Weather Architect is a powerful Custom Weather Generator and Weather Engine which allows you to create complete weather systems on a map with accuracy down to a single latitude and longitude. Weather Architect is a first-of-its-kind weather creation utility, and unlike other weather engines on the market, it allows you to visualize, create and become fully immersed in cutting-edge weather systems. Weather Architect gives complete control and creativity in developing detailed weather systems anywhere in the world, including over oceans where no weather stations exist within the simulator. Within Weather Architect you can select various levels and types of precipitation. Each cell drawn or placed represents an individual weather cell within the simulator. All weather cells are fully customizable. Each cell can be modified by visibility, wind speed and direction, cloud turbulence, cloud shear, and cloud coverage. Weather Architect with its Intellectually Synced Texture Engine works hand-in-hand with REX 4 Texture Direct and REX Soft Clouds to give you the most realistic experience possible. Weather Architect utilizes the widely-used REX EDGE Technology so you can share your custom weather scenarios and flights plan with other Weather Architect users from around the globe. This makes it easy for multiplayer users to precisely share the same experience together while in-flight! Weather Architect is available for FSX, FSX:Steam and Prepar3D versions 1 and 2. To find out more information about REX4 Weather Architect, visit http://www.REXDirectExperience.com/architect.html
REX 25% off Easter Sale through April 6th
a topic posted rstough in News and Press ReleasesREX Game Studios is pleased to announce our 25% off all products Easter sale. Every REX product is on sale until midnight Sunday, April 6th. Purchase any REX products from one of your favorite stores listed below: REX Game Studios: http://store.rexdownload.com SimMarket: http://secure.simmarket.com/real-environment-xtreme.mhtml FlightSimStore: http://www.flightsimstore.com/index.php?currency=USD&manufacturers_id=123&sort=3a FSPilotShop: http://www.fspilotshop.com/rex-game-studios-m-415.html PC Aviator: http://www.pcaviator.com/store/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=145 SimPlanet: http://www.sim-planet.com/en/39_rex-game-studios
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM REX GAME STUDIOS Wednesday, January 28, 2015 PHOENIX, AZ – REX GAME STUDIOS is pleased to announce the release of the REX Soft Clouds Integration Add-on for users of BOTH REX 4 Texture Direct and REX Soft Clouds. The add-on provides users of both REX 4 Texture Direct and REX Soft Clouds the benefit of integrating the two packages into one complete package! Customers of both REX 4 Texture Direct and REX Soft Clouds may download and install the package for FREE via the REX support forum located here: http://www.realenvironmentxtreme.com/forums/index.php?/topic/32952-rex-4-texture-direct-soft-clouds-integration/ You must own a valid copy of both programs in order to install. Verification required! About REX 4 – Direct and REX Soft Clouds REX Soft Clouds is the new volumetric-like soft cloud texture add-on for FSX, PREPAR3D and FSX:Steam Edition. http://www.realenvironmentxtreme.com/soft.html REX 4 Texture Direct is the newest environment add-on application from award-winning REX Game Studios. REX 4 Texture Direct is compatible with Microsoft's Flight Simulator X, FSX: Steam Edition and Lockheed Martin's Prepar3D version 1 and 2. See the difference that REX 4 Texture Direct will bring to your flight simulator experience by visiting the dedicated website: http://www.rexdirectexperience.com/texture.html
Service Pack 3 does not do the name justice for what is packed into this major update. The update can be downloaded from http://www.realenvironmentxtreme.com/forums. The following is a list of changes and major enhancements made to this package. WEATHER DATA INTEGRITY New backend server based metar data integrity system that can be modified without the need of a new build for the user. Weather Theme files now have a data integrity system to make sure all data is returned for perfect creation of dynamic themes. Weather data is downloaded from NOAA and VATSIM 6 times an hour to insure the user receives the most accurate real-time weather. NEW GLOBAL WIND AND TEMPERATURES SYSTEM Continued support of world-wide weather balloon system twice a day New integrated GFS (GLOBAL FORECAST SYSTEM) wind and temperature GRIB forecast data down to the 1 x 1 latitude and longitude globally between the surface and 53,000 feet. This data covers the whole globe from pole to pole. NEW QUICK STARTUP AND WEATHER DOWNLOAD PROCESS Weather no longer is required to be downloaded at startup of application The latest weather is downloaded when the user or the weather submits a request for the weather from our REX EDGE servers. This insures the user has the most recent weather reports from NOAA and VATSIM. NEWLY RE-WRITTEN WEATHER ENGINE FOR OPTIMIZATION AND INJECTION The entire weather engine has been written from scratch with no legacy code. Utilizes new threading processes to better reduce the processing requirement. Weather engine utilizes a "DISTANT" weather injection process so that as the user travels, the weather injects at a distance from the aircraft. This combined with the "ALWAYS ON" weather pull process nearly eliminates dramatic weather transitions. Cloud popping and wind shifts are reduced to a minimum. FLIGHT PLANNING LINKAGE Support for the PMDG 777 winds and temperature aloft import feature Support for waypoints with PMDG 777 with Flight Aware integration planning tool. WEATHER INTERPOLATION AND WEATHER REGION CHANGES New weather GRID system enables weather to be realized at over 65,000 custom points of weather across the world. This gives the best weather representation down to a 1x1 latitude and longitude area. Weather surface load regions for dynamic weather themes has been expanded from 4 x 4 latitude longitude area to up to a 15 x 15 region. NEW UN-CLUTTERED MAPPING SYSTEM New mapping system is clutter free so that it provides ease of view of where you are flying, yet with enough information to give reliable location information. New mapping system utilizes new local mapping and not reliant upon other outside services. Accurate pinpoint location of storm cells, turbulence, and icing. ENHANCED TEXTURE SUPPORT OF PREPAR3D 2+ USERS Updated wave animations and sun textures to handle changes to Prepar3D 2 + rendering requirements and DirectX11 support. Includes fix for "static" wave animations within Prepar3D 2+.
All REX Products 30 to 50% off at various stores
a topic posted rstough in News and Press ReleasesWe are pleased to announce that all REX products are on sale between 30 to 50% off from now until midnight December 1st. These are the stores that are participating in the sale: http://www.flightsimstore.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=123 http://www.fspilotshop.com/rex-game-studios-m-415.html http://secure.simmarket.com/real-environment-xtreme.mhtml http://www.sim-planet.com/en/39_rex-game-studios


text:
Yamaha-built, low-emission single cylinder 60° incline OHV
Cooling system - Forced Cooling
Front - Tru-Trak II™ fully independent automotive-style strut
Rear - Unit swing arm with coil springs over hydraulic shock absorbers
Capacity - 4 persons
Front - Seamless, fabric-backed vinyl bonded to pure, virgin foam contoured seat cushions and mated to a warp and moisture-resistant polypropylene bottom, strengthened with plated steel inserts
Rear - Hinged seating platform with vinyl covered seat bottom cushion and contoured backrest
Mica Matte
Moonstone Metallic
Onyx Metallic
Atomic Flame Matte
Bluestone Metallic
Blue Aqua Metallic
Jasper Metallic
Graphite Matte
HybriCore™ Chassis features a robotic welded automotive ladder-style steel frame mated to a polypropylene structural floor. Frame is protected with a multi-step full-immersion phosphate treatment, electro-deposition epoxy-based coating, and an electrostatic applied polyester/urethane powder topcoat
Body - Custom-formulated thermoplastic olefin, painted with a two-part topcoat of high-luster automotive grade polyurethane
Price, if shown and unless otherwise noted, represents the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) or dealer unit price and does not include government fees, taxes, dealer vehicle freight/preparation, dealer document preparation charges, labor, installation, or any finance charges (if applicable). MSRP and/or final sales price will vary depending on options or accessories selected; contact dealer for more details.
Images, where available, are presented as reasonable facsimiles of the offered unit and/or manufacturer stock images. Non-standard options or features may be represented. No guarantee of availability or inclusion of displayed options should be inferred; contact dealer for more details.


text:
Gold prices are hovering above $1,700 an ounce and ETFs that invest in the precious metal could move higher in 2012 on Europe's lingering debt crisis and further monetary easing from central banks.
Gold prices dropped 1.2% for the week ended Feb. 10, settling at around $1,725 an ounce, according to the Wall Street Journal.
After Eurozone leaders withheld approval of the second Greece bailout, investors started moving back into cash. The stronger U.S. greenback also contributed to the small sell-off in gold. Meanwhile, others jumped ship, anticipating a sharper downturn.
Looking ahead, Greece will dominate the gold outlook. However, according to a Kitco News Gold Survey on expected gold prices, most analysts expect prices to rise this week but still stay within the current price range, reports Forbes. [Gold ETFs and Greece: What's Next?]
"There is good bargain hunting as gold dips below $1,710 area," Afshin Nabavi, head of trading at trading house MKS Finance, said in the Forbes article.
"Markets change and evolve and right now gold is trading more like a currency than the safe haven it once was," Frank Lesh, analyst FuturePath Trading, said. "It's correlation with the dollar (negative) and euro (positive) is very strong. It is also trading as a risk asset as well and this is evident as it rises and falls with equity markets now. Gold is correcting the rally from the 1520's to the 1760's. I expect more consolidative trade with a downside bias."
The largest gold ETFs and ETNs include:
- SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEArca: GLD)
- iShares Gold Trust (NYSEArca: IAU)
- ETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares ETF (NYSEArca: SGOL)
- ETFS Physical Asian Gold Shares ETF (NYSEArca: AGOL)
- PowerShares DB Gold Fund (NYSEArca: DGL)
- RBS Gold Trendpilot ETN (NYSEArca: TBAR)
- ETRACS CMCI Gold ETN (NYSEArca: UBG)
Gold miner ETFs include:
- Market Vectors TR Gold Miners ETF (NYSEArca: GDX)
- Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (NYSEArca: GDXJ)
- Global X Gold Explorers ETF (NYSEArca: GLDX)
- Global X Pure Gold Miners ETF (NYSEArca: GGGG)
- Powershares Global Gold and Precious Metals Portfolio ETF (NYSEArca: PSAU)
- iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners Fund (NYSEArca: RING)
- Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2x Shares ETF (NYSEArca: NUGT)
- Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bear 2x Shares ETF (NYSEArca: DUST)
Some inverse and leveraged gold ETFs and ETNs:
- ProShares Ultra Gold ETF (NYSEArca: UGL)
- ProShares UltraShort Gold ETF (NYSEArca: GLL)
- Powershares DB Gold Double Long ETN (NYSEArca: DGP)
- Powershares DB Gold Double Short ETN (NYSEArca: DZZ)
- Powershares DB Gold Short ETN (NYSEArca: DGZ)
- VelocityShares 3x Long Gold ETN (NYSEArca: UGLD)
- VelocityShares 3x Inverse Gold ETN (NYSEArca: DGLD)
For more information on gold, visit our gold category.
Max Chen contributed to this article.
Full disclosure: Tom Lydon's clients own GLD.


text: Please take time to review the information at this site and it's links for information about opportunities that Cub Scouting has to offer. You may contact us by clicking on 'Contact Our Pack' at the top of this page. You can ask questions by e-mail or leave a contact name, number and best time to call so we may call you back. We would like to invite you to be a guest at an up-coming Pack Meeting. This will allow you the chance to meet the group and experience Scouting first hand.


text:
The hottest political potato in science over the past year and a half was the shuttering of Canada's Experimental Lakes Area.
Since 1968, this internationally renowned facility has conducted research into threats to Canada's freshwater lakes and fish. The work has been conducted in 58 small lakes in northwestern Ontario. Not only has the ELA brought Canada to the forefront of aquatic science, its scientific discoveries have been instrumental in guiding Canadian government policies to control algal blooms, understand climate change, tackle the acid rain problem and reduce mercury pollution, to name just a few examples.
Until recently, the ELA was jointly operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Environment Canada (EC), and was staffed by DFO scientists. This came to an unexpected and abrupt end after DFO staff were informed in a closed-door emergency meeting on May 17, 2012, that the ELA was to be shut down.
What happened next is a fascinating lesson on the Harper Conservatives' modus operandi. Here, we recount some of the key insights Canadians can take home from the Tories' fumbling of the ELA issue.
A is for Answers … or (more accurately) a lack of them. The reasons for cutting the ELA touted by the responsible Ministers are vague and easily debunked. Then-fisheries minister Keith Ashfield said "research priorities change in scope and location"; then-environment minister Peter Kent stated that "we want to put the research where the challenges are."
What seemed lost on both men is that the ELA is, and has always been, an experimental platform for studying the threats of the day to lakes across Canada. The ELA was established initially to develop solutions for algal blooms in Lake Erie. Since then, over 30 whole-lake experiments have been performed on a wide range of problems, from synthetic hormones found in sewage to escaped fish from aquaculture.
B is for Blundering. Conservative MPs bungled their quasi-justifications for defunding the ELA: Nobody could get the talking points right. Treasury Board President Tony Clement, for example, said the ELA addresses "niche issues" and that current research no longer benefited the lakes in his Muskoka riding. MP Stephen Fletcher argued that moving the ELA out of government would "offer a good opportunity for students".
Obviously, Fletcher was wholly unaware of the fact that university students have always been a vital part of the ELA. Finally, Conservatives rationalized their decision by saying the facility would be better run by a private operator. This seems like a rather defeatist admission of incompetence — if Tories don't believe they can adequately operate a low-budget research center, how can we trust them to run a country?
C is for Constituents — the people of Canada, who were quickly forgotten by Conservatives after the last election. Over 30,000 Canadians signed a parliamentary petition calling on the government to reinstate funding for the ELA, a petition that was tabled over 140 times in the House of Commons. Nearly 75 per cent of Canadians opposed the government's decision to cancel funding for the ELA, including 60 per cent of Conservative voters. Unfortunately, the cries of constituents fell on deaf ears in government – an insult to democracy that's all too common in today's Canada under the leadership of Stephen Harper.
D is for Divide-And-Conquer. A classic Conservative tactic is to create false dichotomies to pit Canadians against each other. Take, for example, MP James Bezan, who said that "during tough financial times for our government, (if) I have to make a choice between funding for Lake Winnipeg and funding for the ELA – I'm going to pick Lake Winnipeg every time" because "research is best served by working on exactly where the problem lies".
This dichotomy is flawed: Restoring Lake Winnipeg requires a synergy between monitoring the state of the lake and performing controlled experiments in model systems — such as the ELA lakes — to test hypotheses about the causes of and solutions to the lake's poor health.
F is for Fiscal Mismanagement. The ELA was cut by the government under the guise of austerity, but what do the numbers really tell us? First, the annual operating cost of the ELA was a paltry $800,000, an amount split equally between DFO and EC and recovered, in part, by charging external researchers $60 to $90 a day. Second, while DFO paid the salaries of 17 ELA staff to the tune of about $1.2 million, these scientists raised millions in additional research funds by partnering with industry and university researchers. Third, the government invested $10 million in infrastructure at the ELA over the last decade, including a state-of-art fish laboratory completed in 2011 (paid for, ironically, under Canada's Economic Action Plan).
Fourth, the government is now flushing taxpayer's money down the toilet with the ELA shutdown — through legal fees, contracts to inventory and liquidate assets, and severance packages to lay off scientists.
H is for Hypocrisy. The Conservative government nearly killed off the ELA by completely eliminating federal funding, dismembering its all-star science team and making it illegal for scientists to conduct experiments there. Yet in the upside-down universe that is Canada today, Conservatives are patting themselves on the back for saving the ELA — from themselves! In spring, Ashfield expressed gratitude to Conservative MPs for their "hard work", who then turned around and praised the government. MP Joyce Bateman defended this move and — incredibly — referred to a new deal for the ELA as "a lemons-into-lemonade situation".
I is for Insult. Conservatives have repeatedly insulted the ELA scientists, despite their incredible track record for producing policy-relevant, world-class science. MP Randy Kamp suggested the ELA is not as "important" as it once was. MP Peter Braid said the government hopes to transition to a partner to takeover "whatever remaining research priorities there may be" and Fisheries Minister Gail Shea said her department "is now focusing on work being conducted at other freshwater research facilities… which will more than adequately meet the departmental research needs."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper would not even be so courteous as to acknowledge the ELA by name when questioned by reporters, referring only to "that project" the government is no longer funding. By far the best example of the disdain Conservatives hold for the ELA and its scientists can be found in the roar of applause from Conservative MPs last spring — when the prime minister proudly voted against the motion to extend funding for the ELA until a new operator was found.
L is for Lie. Conservatives are either willing to blatantly lie about the ELA, or are dangerously misinformed. Exhibit A is a letter sent by Joyce Bateman to her constituents which, among other false claims, stated that "similar ongoing … research (is) being done … in the lakes of Saskatchewan".
There is no other research facility like the ELA anywhere else in Canada, or even the world. Exhibit B comes from former minister of state for science and technology Gary Goodyear, who argued that whole-lake experiments are unnecessary and outdated, and the "most technologically advanced way" to do science is through smaller scale experiments. This misleading claim was quickly shot down by the president of the Society of Canadian Limnologists.
M is for Muzzle. The DFO bureaucrats charged with handling approvals for interactions between the ELA and the rest of the world seem to have a vocabulary limited to the word "no".
"No" to reporters requesting interviews with government scientists about the ELA. No to MPs interested in visiting the ELA field station. "No" to the ELA open house events normally held each year for residents of northwestern Ontario. "No" to government scientists wishing to present their research at scientific conferences.
P is for Puppet. Minister of State for Science and Technology Greg Rickford is a textbook example of how Conservative MPs are puppets of the PMO rather than representatives of their constituents. Just a few years ago, Rickford publicly applauded the ELA – which is in his own riding — as "Canada's most innovative freshwater research facility", stating "the work that is being done on behalf of Canadians is extraordinary". He noted that such federal investments in science are "helping to create a science capacity that will drive Canada's prosperity and quality of life in the future". Last year, Rickford quickly changed his tune, blindly supporting the government's decision to shut down the ELA. He declared his constituents were "happy" with the decision — even as they were holding protests, organizing town halls, passing resolutions and writing letters to oppose the government's decision. Egregiously, for his ability to change direction on a dime and follow marching orders, he seems to have been rewarded with his new position as minister of state.
R is for Reputation. Canada's tarnished global reputation appears to be of little concern to Conservatives. After the ELA's imminent closure made international news, Harper received letters of condemnation from scientists around the world — from Israel, Japan, China, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The president of the International Society of Limnology wrote "(this decision) sends the message to the international community that Canada no longer has concern for the future of the Earth's environment, that it cares only for its own short-term economy, that it is heedless of the problems the next generation of its citizens will face, that it no longer wishes to be a forward-looking, humanitarian society."
T is for Transparency. Transparency was definitely not a part of the decision-making process that led to the defunding of the ELA. Scientists requested public meetings with Conservative MPs to give them the opportunity to clarify their decision-making process, but these requests were ignored or summarily dismissed. The closest to an explanation that Canadians ever received was Randy Kamp's drivel that the ELA was cut "through the deficit reduction action plan" in order "to contribute to current and future prosperity."
V is for Vilify. A tried-and-true method used by Conservatives to quash dissent is character assassination. Not surprisingly, four ELA scientists — ranging from a graduate student to a former chief scientist — were cast in a fundraising letter as "radical ideologues who have led a campaign of misinformation about Greg (Rickford)'s work to protect the Experimental Lakes Area". The letter was written by the Kenora Conservative riding association president, also a federal employee working in Rickford's office.
W is for Water. Perhaps another fluid may flow through Stephen Harper's veins, but for the rest of us, water is essential for life and our most precious resource – a truism that only the current Canadian government seems unable to grasp. The most damning lesson from the Harper Conservatives is not that they don't think the ELA fits their mandate, but that they don't believe it's the Canadian government's job to study, preserve and protect Canada's aquatic ecosystems.
The ELA issue has left a black mark on the Conservative brand. It's not a matter of whether the party will lose seats over this issue in the next election, but how many. If Harper and his clan want to win back some of those disenchanted voters, there are three things they need to do now.
First, Ottawa must negotiate in good faith to transfer the ELA research center to the potential new operator — the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Second, Ottawa must move quickly on writing exemptions to federal laws to allow for scientific experiments to resume at the ELA next spring. Third, Ottawa should provide a one-time injection of funds towards an the ELA endowment fund, the interest on which could cover the ELA's operation costs in perpetuity.
Considering the federal Conservatives are willing to spend $25 million on an international oilsands advertising blitz, surely some of our tax dollars could be earmarked for, say, the science needed to protect our country's fresh water?
Dr. Diane Orihel is a freshwater ecologist who studies the fate and effects of contaminants in freshwater ecosystems. She works to understand the impacts of industrial activities on freshwater and to develop practical solutions to improve human and ecosystem health. Orihel unexpectedly stepped into the world of advocacy last year to lead the fight to save the Experimental Lakes Area.
Maude Barlow is the national chairperson of the Council of Canadians and chair of the board of Washington-based Food and Water Watch. She is a board member of the San Francisco–based International Forum on Globalization and a councillor with the Hamburg-based World Future Council.
The views, opinions and positions expressed by all iPolitics columnists and contributors are the author's alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of iPolitics.


text:
Turning YouTube into a Jukebox
A couple of new streaming music sites have launched recently that use YouTube, the massive video sharing site, as their source of music. Youtube has millions of songs on its site, including live shows, bootlegged copies, and stuff that's hard to find elsewhere. In a new twist on streaming music services, TubeRadio and Muziic have come up with ways to turn Youtube into a jukebox for listeners.
Muziic was created by 15 year old developer David Nelson. It requires a download, has a neat user interface that offers you the chance to search for music, listen to Internet radio stations, watch music videos, build playlists, chat with friends, or post what you are listening to on Twitter. All the functions are right on the player, it's very easy to use. I searched for the song that's been in my head for the past few weeks, I've Got a Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas, and had the choice of watching them play it live in concert, or watching the Jonas Brothers play it live in concert, or any number of people play it on their guitars or dance to it, in their bedrooms, living rooms, or yards.
TubeRadio is a web based platform that does essentially the same thing. Because it is web based you can access it from anywhere. In addition to similar playlist building and socializing tools, it offers a pretty cool discography feature that enables you to type in any artists name, and have a list of the albums displayed. Choose an album, and TubeRadio will serve up a list of the songs in album order from the resources on YouTube for your listening pleasure.
British TubeRadio Founder Rogerio Mota said he noticed a friend who didn't own much music used YouTube whenever she had friends over as a source of music, so he thought to create a more user friendly interface for building playlists. YouTube is a vast source of unique online music and related content – possibly the best source of live recordings and interviews on the web.
These services effectively put video options into streaming radio. Can you say game changer? I wouldn't bet against it…


text:
Track and Field
Our Track and Field event is scheduled for May 15 with a rain date on May 18th. #goeagles
Our Track and Field event is scheduled for May 15 with a rain date on May 18th. #goeagles
A shout out to one of our grade 7 students for spontaneously helping one of our grade 2 students learn to tie his shoes. #kindnessmatters #seekingawe #tldsblearns
Hey Students…. Irwin is celebrating Earth Week Next Week Earth Week Flyers
Monday April 24th at 3:15pm. All welcome. Childcare provided.
Family Fun Night It's coming! … Thursday May 4 Open House between 5:30 – 7:30
Wednesday, April 12, 2017 Interactive Speaking Presentation: Eat Better, Move Better, Sleep Better with Dr. Greg Wells At Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. or livestreamed at several TLDSB schools from 6 p.m. to 7:30 … Read More
Friendly reminder: Monday April 3rd is Autism Awareness Day at Irwin and in many Schools throughout the Province. Autism is a condition since early childhood characterized by a difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with others. To show our support … Read More
In recognition of World Autism Awareness Day, students are encouraged to wear blue on Monday. We also have a group of students attending a flag raising ceremony at the Township of Lake of Bays Municipal Office to raise awareness. Go … Read More


text:
Language and personal development for high achievers.
Located in the heart of London just minutes from Traflagar Sq and the river, OISE London offers premium courses to ambitious and motivated students throughout the year.
Classes are taught in groups of 6 and 4 students and/or one-to-one tuition and all courses are tailor-made to suit the needs of the individual. Our typical client base is corporate and professional students interested in effective programmes as well as a smaller number of young adults (18 years +) following academic or general English programmes. We specialise in most areas including English for lawyers, banking & finance, HR and media.
Our large grade 1 listed building reflects the high expectations of our clients and includes student lounges, a lecture theatre, a debating chamber, study centre and fully equipped classrooms and break out areas. Free wi-fi is available in the 5 storey building.
We offer a wide range of accommodation to suit all needs and expectations: homestay accommodation on a half board basis, serviced aprtments and residences.
Our daily, teacher-led leisure programme includes excursions or activities from Monday to Friday, at least 3 of which are free of charge. We also offer weekend excursions to cities throughout the UK at an extra charge.
Students typically choose OISE London as they are looking for an intensive programme with like-minded people that are serious about their studies and determined to make as much progress as possible. Lessons are challenging and focused and classes are typically held from 08.40 - 17.00, Monday to Friday.
We are open on all public holidays with the exception of Christmas Day, 26th December and 1st January. Minimum course length: 1 week, no maximum.
< back to directory