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Change Your Mind
"Strong opinions, weakly held" - Paul Saffro
18 year-old Jeff was a pain in the ass. He loved Bill O'Reilly and making fun of "hippie liberals."
21-year-old Jeff was even worse. He had just finished Atlas Shrugged. Ayn Rand had all of the answers and government just needed to get out of the way.
A single conversation led me to ditch my libertarian beliefs. I was arguing for a flat tax, and my cousin told me to look up "marginal propensity to consume."
I researched it for the next four hours. After I emerged from my Wikipedia rabbit hole, I realized my old beliefs no longer held up. (Thanks Mark!)
I do this all the time. If I were a politician I'd be accused of flip-flopping. Why do we applaud people for holding the same viewpoint forever?
When was the last time you changed your mind on something?
Photo by Jeff Sheldon on Unsplash

subset: commoncrawl


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Awake America CA is a ministry dedicated to empowering and urging God's people to get responsibly involved in the governmental processes so liberties can be retained and maintained.
Awake America CA works to achieve its mission by educating God's people on proposed or current state and federal legislation that has the potential to either positively or adversely affect their lives, assisting pastors to reach out to state leaders, and encouraging believers to provide feedback to their representatives and pray for their representatives.
To learn more about Awake America CA, please visit the official Awake America CA website at the following link: http://awakeamericaca.org


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Swedish investors avoid risk in March
Geopolitical and disaster risk weighed on Swedish investors' minds in March, the country's Investment Fund Association says.
Geopolitical and disaster risk weighed on Swedish investors' minds in March, the country's Investment Fund Association says.
Net savings of Sek3.6bn (€353m) were made in funds in Sweden in March, the Swedish Investment Fund Association says. However, the average figure disguises considerable shifts in risk appetite.
Net investment of Sek7.6bn (€745m) were made in money market funds, while hedge funds saw net inflows of Sek1.2bn (€118m). However, equity funds saw redemptions of Sek5.4bn (€530m), while for other types of funds the net changes were negligible, the Association says.
In total through the first quarter of 2011 a net Sek7.7bn (€755m) has been saved in funds, the Association says, with assets under management reaching Sek1.946trn (€191bn).
"The rate of new savings in funds was affected in March by geopolitical concerns in North Africa and the tragedy in Japan. In times of uncertainty active investors often avoid alternatives of higher risk and instead choose funds with low risk, including money market funds," said Pia Nilsson, managing director of the Association.


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*Start: Quang Ninh Fair and Exhibition Palace - Bai Tho Bridge – Dang Ba Hat – Bai Chay Bridge – Route from Bai Chay Bridge to telepheric (check point 1) – Ha Long st. – Hoang Quoc Viet st – Route to Tuan Chau – Tuan Chau Beach (check point 2) – Turn round to Bai Chay Bridge – Dang Ba Hat – Bai Tho Bridge – Quang Ninh Museum
*Finish: Fair and Exhibition Palace, Quang Ninh Province
1. Race date: November 24, 2019
2. Race distances: 4 categories
3. Age Limits
Please note the following age limits:
4. Terms & Conditions
5. Race Course conditions
6. The course map
The official course map now is available on website with details of all marked check points as well as water stations and aid stations
7. Route set up, services and logistic
8. The Start/Finish Line
9. Runner's briefing
10. Photo Opportunities
11. Event Agenda: The tentative event agenda is available on our website
12. Registration fee's benefits
13. Timing Chip
14. BIB numbers
All runners must wear the official BIB number that will be handed out the day before the race in the Race Kit. The BIB number must be worn visible during the race on the front of your body
15. Finisher Medals
16. Race Result: The record will be posted in 10 days after the events.
17. Visa to Vietnam and notice about accommodation from foreign runners to the Organizer
Joining Halong Bay Heritage Marathon, a breath-taking route, runners will have the unique chance to see stunning attractions of a World Heritage Site.
Address: DHA Vietnam, 2nd floor, V+ mall, Hoa Binh Green City Building, 505 Minh Khai street, Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Mobile:+84 97 818 5561 (Monday to Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Hanoi time GMT+7)
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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- Page 1 Mirror's Edge Review
- Page 2 Mirror's Edge Review
- Page 3 Mirror's Edge Review
Key Specifications
- Review Price: £34.97
Here's the real Mirror's Edge challenge: just play through a single level without leaning or squirming in your seat. It's impossible. As our heroine, Faith, runs across the rooftops I find myself shifting left and right to match her movements. Every time she jumps, her view shifting with uncanny realism to the landing point a little too far below, I find myself craning forwards, my eyes staring down into the screen in some vague, unconcious belief that I'll see a little more this way. Even though the limbs I see flailing before me are obviously those of a young, street punk woman, there's something about the revolutionary use of first-person in Mirror's Edge that drags you right into Faith's position. For all its faults, DICE's game can be one of the most exhilarating and exciting games you've ever played.
Any comparisons with existing first-person action games are misleading. Maybe you can see predecessors in Portal or the early rooftop chase of Half-Life 2, but Mirror's Edge is really a platformer; kin of Tomb Raider and Prince of Persia, only rendered from a first-person perspective. Each level is essentially an obstacle course, with Faith – a kind of underground courier in an unnamed, near-future city – traversing from point A to point B using the sort of techniques associated with free-running, or Parkour as our French friends like to call it. Speed and momentum are all important, with you clambering up and over air-conditioning vents and rooftop generators, vaulting over barbed wire, wall-running across chasms and grabbing onto ledges by the tips of your fingers.
The actual gameplay is barely innovative – there's little you haven't seen before in Assassin's Creed or Prince of Persia: Sands of Time – but the presentation makes it all seem new once more. The way the camera tracks Faith's vision, showing glimpses of her arms grasping for balance or her legs pounding the concrete, is incredibly convincing. Combine this with the speed at which the game is played and it makes for an almost exhausting experience, like that great point-of-view chase sequence in the film Point Break stretched out over hours of game time.
Unlike other sites, we thoroughly test every product we review. We use industry standard tests in order to compare features properly. We'll always tell you what we find. We never, ever accept money to review a product. Tell us what you think - send your emails to the Editor.


text: Adrianna's (Jessica Lowndes) new romance with pop star Javier (guest star/Latin recording artist Diego Boneta) continues to blossom, while Navid (Michael Steger) continues to work up enough courage to tell her how he feels. Jen (Sara Foster) has taken control of Naomi's (AnnaLynne McCord) finances and puts her on a tight budget, resulting in an instant meltdown by Naomi. Without her credit cards, Naomi is too distracted to realize Liam (Matt Lanter) is in need of support to deal with the departure of his father, so he turns to Annie (Shenae Grimes) for comfort. Despite Spence's (Ryan O'Neal) suggestion, Teddy (Trevor Donovan) refuses to end his relationship with Silver (Jessica Stroup), and the two decide to spend the night together. Ivy (Gillian Zinser) invites Dixon (Tristan Wilds) to spend the summer in Australia with her and Laurel (Kelly Lynch), but the idea doesn't go over well with his parents. Harry (Rob Estes) and Debbie's (Lori Loughlin) problems escalate when she finds out that Harry has been hiding Dixon's gambling issues from her. Meanwhile, Jasper (Zach Sherman) returns to resolve things with Annie.


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What was your company's greatest accomplishment this year?
What was your company's greatest accomplishment this year?
As 2012 comes to a close, GreenBiz asked executives from a range of companies and organizations to reflect on the past year and look at what lies ahead.
They obliged by telling us about their accomplishments, frustrations, lessons learned, their thoughts about the biggest issues of 2012 and what they think will drive sustainability in 2013.
A few big themes emerged: the failure to make significant progress at major global conclaves -- Rio+20 and the Doha Climate Change conference in particular -- the lack of urgency and action from policymakers on climate change, and the need for stronger, more transparent standards and ratings systems to meet increased consumer, investor, and corporate demand.
Here's what they said when we asked:
What was your company's greatest accomplishment this year?
Leisha John, Americas Director of Environmental Sustainability, Ernst & Young:
This year, we issued the first sustainability report, Patterns of progress: How our people are shaping our sustainability journey, for our Americas area, which is composed of approximately 180 offices. While we've been tracking much of the data previously and reporting our stories through various other channels, this is the first time we gathered it all together into a sustainability report for our Americas area specifically. A report is a powerful tool to raise awareness inside and outside of the firm with the work that's being done and with our progress along our sustainability journey.
Terry Yosie, President and CEO, World Environment Center:
Developing the relationship between innovation and sustainable development through in-depth examination of innovative strategies for water management, sustainable infrastructure innovations, sustainable logistics and traceability of materials across the value chain. Business solutions are a key driver in advancing sustainability, and direct value creation through business process innovations is a critical factor for success.
Beth Shiroishi, Vice President, Sustainability & Philanthropy, AT&T
The launch of our Eco Ratings system, which allows our customers to gain an understanding of a device's sustainable attributes. There is much talk of sustainability indexes and ratings, and I am proud that our company was able to roll these out to consumers in the marketplace this past year. We know that this is something consumers want: According to an AT&T Wireless survey, more than 6 in 10 Americans said they would consider an eco-rating in their purchasing decision.
Mark Lee, Executive Director, SustainAbility
High impact work with clients in the financial, food & agriculture, and energy industries (bolder than what we saw in the last couple of years). Breakthrough new research in several areas; for example, Rate the Raters on sustainability ratings and Citystates on urbanization, demographics and sustainable development.
Amy Hargroves, Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sprint Nextel Corporation
Making significant progress on all of our sustainability priorities, including completion of baseline measurements and clear improvement plans, and expanding our focus into social issues such as services for the visually impaired and the aging.
Aron Cramer, President & CEO, BSR
Advancing new human rights policies and practices with multiple companies.
Peter Madden, Chief Executive, Forum for the Future
Running the Sustainable Shipping Initiative bringing together some of the biggest names in the maritime sector to plan for a sustainable future.
Neil Hawkins, Vice President, Global sustainability and EH&S, Dow Chemical Co.
Some major value chain collaborations and NGO collaborations that advanced the cause of sustainability.
Image of ladder emerging from grass courtesy of megainarmy via Shutterstock.


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What Type of Data is That?
By The Microsoft Scripting Guys
Welcome to Sesame Script, the column for beginning script writers. The goal of this column is to teach the very basics of Windows scripting for system administration automation. We'll provide you with the information you'll need to begin reading and understanding scripts and to start modifying those scripts to suit your own needs. If there's anything in particular about scripting you're finding confusing, let us know; you're probably not alone.
Check the Sesame Script Archives to see past articles.
On This Page
What Type of Data is That?
What Is a Data Type?
What's a Variant?
Why Do We Care About Data Types?
Forcing Data Types
What About...
Data Types and SDKs
Tune in Next Time…
What Type of Data is That?
The holiday season has just ended. We're sure that for many of you, one of the joys of the season was putting together bicycles, playpens, and various other toys and contraptions with instructions that were ambiguous at best. Even if you don't celebrate any of the end-of-year holidays, you can probably relate to "Insert bolt A into slot C. Tighten bolt B. - Bolt B? Where's bolt B? Tighten it where?"
We know many of you have gone through the same type of confusion and frustration trying to write your own scripts, or even trying to modify the scripts you find in the Script Center. You go to the WMI SDK or the VBScript Language Reference and end up totally confused. So in this episode of Sesame Script, we decided to talk about interpreting the reference documentation so you can figure out how to call various methods and use various properties.
But we immediately ran into a stumbling block. It's almost impossible to discuss deciphering an SDK if you don't first understand data types. So first things first. If you understand data types (are you sure you understand them?), you can skip this article and read the next one, which really is on learning to read the reference docs. Honest.
What Is a Data Type?
A data type is, well, a type of data. A character string is a type of data; as a matter of fact, a single character is a type of data. So is a number. Even an object is a type of data. So some examples of data types are string, char, integer, and object. There's also this odd thing called a Variant.
What's a Variant?
VBScript uses one data type: a Variant. A Variant is VBScript's way of saying it really doesn't care about data types. So why do we care about them? We'll get back to that question in a minute. Just trust us for now that we do need to care, at least a little bit.
Whenever you use a variable in VBScript, you name it anything you want and assign it any value you want. Even when you use Hungarian notation to name your variables, you don't have to put the matching kind of data into the variable. For example, just because this variable is prefaced with str doesn't mean you have to assign it a string:
strData = "a string of data"
You can also assign it a number:
strData = 4
Or even an object:
Set strData = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
The name is for your use only, VBScript really doesn't care what you put in there.
Why Do We Care About Data Types?
So back to our question: why do we care about data types? Well, suppose you do something like this:
strData = "a string"
intData = 4
DataTotal = strData + intData
Wscript.Echo DataTotal
What should VBScript do with this? Are you expecting DataTotal to contain a string, such as "a string4"? Or are you expecting some sort of number? What if we do this:
strData = "23"
intData = 4
DataTotal = strData + intData
Wscript.Echo DataTotal
Will DataTotal contain "234" or 27? Or neither? Give it a try and see what happens.
Did you try it? That's okay, we'll wait.
Now that you've tried both scripts, you've discovered that the first one gives you an error:
C:\Scripts\test.vbs(3, 1) Microsoft VBScript runtime error: Type mismatch: 'strData'
Whereas the second script returns a value:
What's going on? Well, VBScript is taking its best guess as to what you want to do. In the first script, VBScript couldn't figure out what we were thinking when we tried to add a character string to a number. Not having any idea what we really expected from that, VBScript gave up and displayed an error message. In the second script, VBScript saw that the character string was made up of numbers, and that you wanted to add. So it decided that the quotes around the number must have been a mistake, that you really wanted a number not a string. With that in mind, it helpfully treated the string as a number and added the numbers for you.
Now for the real trick, try this one:
strData1 = "23"
strData2 = "4"
DataTotal = strData1 + strData2
Wscript.Echo DataTotal
What do we get back from this? No, we don't get back 27 again. We get back 234. Why? Because VBScript saw that we had character strings in both values, so it went ahead and treated them like character strings and concatenated the two values. It didn't need to ignore the quotes because both values were obviously strings, and VBScript knows that adding two strings is the same as concatenating them.
Forcing Data Types
Now, as much as you might want to put your trust in VBScript to guess correctly, that might not always be a good idea. You might want to, on occasion, actually tell VBScript what the data type is. Very straightforward, no guesswork. But how do we do that when we can't specify a data type? By using some VBScript built-in functions created to solve just this problem.
Let's take our last script, the script that concatenated our two number strings:
strData1 = "23"
strData2 = "4"
DataTotal = strData1 + strData2
Wscript.Echo DataTotal
What if we really wanted these strings to be treated like numbers? Well, yes, in our small isolated world of examples we could just remove the double quotes around the numbers. But let's try to imagine a real-life scenario: You've read values in from a text file. You're not sure whether VBScript will treat them as numbers or characters, and guessing could land you in a lot of trouble because you'll be reporting these numbers to the Accounting department. So let's tell VBScript that we definitely want these values to be treated as numbers:
strData1 = "23"
strData2 = "4"
DataTotal = CInt(strData1) + CInt(strData2)
Wscript.Echo DataTotal
Run this script and you'll see that the strings were converted to integers, and the value of DataTotal is 27. VBScript has similar functions for converting strings, dates, and several other data types. And what if the strings didn't contain numbers? Well, take a look:
strData1 = "string 1"
strData2 = "string 2"
DataTotal = CInt(strData1) + CInt(strData2)
Wscript.Echo DataTotal
CInt returns an error, because it can't turn the string into an integer:
C:\Scripts\test.vbs(3, 1) Microsoft VBScript runtime error: Type mismatch: 'CInt'
What About...
What about dates and times and doubles and null values and…? Well, we've provided a general overview for you here just to introduce you to the idea of data types and how VBScript deals with them. There is more information on data types in the Scripting Guide, including extensive information on working with dates and times. Check out the More Information section for details.
More Information
Microsoft Windows 2000 Scripting Guide:
VBScript Functions - VBScript Language Reference
Data Types and SDKs
We now know that VBScript uses a Variant data type, and that you can use various VBScript functions to manipulate those data types if you need to. But what does this have to do with SDKs? We don't want to get ahead of ourselves and spoil the fun for the next column, but let's just take a quick peek at a portion of the WMI SDK:
class Win32_LocalTime : Win32_CurrentTime
uint32 Day;
uint32 DayOfWeek;
uint32 Hour;
uint32 Milliseconds;
uint32 Minute;
uint32 Month;
uint32 Quarter;
uint32 Second;
uint32 WeekInMonth;
uint32 Year;
This is the definition of the Win32_LocalTime class in WMI. (If you don't know what a class is, read "Class is in Session.") Each item listed within the curly braces {} is a property of that class. Win32_LocalTime is a pretty straightforward class, all the properties are defined as uint32. The uint32 data type is a 32-bit integer - or in human terms, a regular old number. So we know that if we read in the Day property of the Win32_LocalTime class, we're going to get a number back.
Part of the reason the SDK shows this is because, as we already mentioned, it can be important to know what kind of data you're getting back so you know what to do with it once you have it. Or if you're setting the value of a property, you need to know what type of value you should be setting it to. This is a nice convenience, but it's not the real reason you see uint32. If that was all there was to it, wouldn't it be easier for the documentation to do something like this?
Class: Win32_LocalTime
integer Day
integer DayofWeek
integer Hour
So then why uint32, and braces, and all that? Because WMI is not used exclusively for VBScript. Many programming languages, such as C++ and C#, require you to specify the type of a variable before you use it. This is known as "strong typing." (In contrast, VBScript is "loosely typed.") In strongly typed languages, you can't just do something like this:
strHello = "Hello"
That one line is enough for VBScript to run successfully. However, in C# you would have to do this:
string strHello;
strHello = "Hello";
Yes, you could also do that in one line:
string strHello = "Hello";
The point is, you have to tell C# that you're going to use that variable as a string. Not only that, but you actually do have to use it as a string. This will give you an error:
string strHello = 4;
The WMI SDK is written so everyone can use it, and for languages that are strongly typed, it's imperative to know what the data type is, all the way down to uint32 (which, by the way, stands for unsigned 32-bit integer) and uint64 (you can guess what that one is).
Tune in Next Time…
In our next column we'll explore the Language References and Software Development Kits in more depth. Soon bolt A will fit nicely into slot C. Well, maybe.


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SDG Indicators: Building the Missing Piece of the 2030 Agenda
When the UN General Assembly adopted the Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015, it handed a monumental task to the UN Statistical Commission: to create a set of indicators (specific ways of measuring) progress toward the 17 goals. This piece of the development agenda is absolutely critical, because we live in a data-driven era; development project leaders and funders are loathe to undertake a project unless they have numerical evidence of the problem it will address and a viable plan for collecting data that will demonstrate its impact on that problem. We are therefore unlikely to address any issues about which, or needs of any populations on whom, we lack data.
After many months of negotiations with Member States and some input from civil society, the Statistical Commission and a group of experts from various UN agencies (IAEG) were able to reach general agreement on a set of 232 indicators. They then met this March to finalize their recommendation to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the General Assembly. They recommended that ECOSOC adopt the indicators and plan for collecting data on them that was developed by the IAEG. This "indicator framework" (available only in English at this time) is to be voluntary and country-led, which means no Member State will be legally bound to collect data on the recommended indicators, that national statistics offices will lead the data collection effort, States will be consulted on all models used to estimate data on their status when data is unavailable, and that States will be the owners of the data collected on their own populations and territories. The Statistical Commission also proposed that it would undertake an annual refinement of the chosen indicators and perform a full review of their effectiveness every five years. Finally, the SC called on States, UN agencies, and international partners to increase their logistical and monetary support for data collection efforts and upon the UN Secretary-General to uphold transparency in the SDG monitoring process by maintaining a public database on the agreed upon SDG indicators whose contents can be included in an annual progress report on the SDGs.
The next step for the SC's indicator framework is discussion and refinement by the political delegations of the ECOSOC between April and July 2017. It will then move forward for implementation by the GA. Only then will this critical operative piece of the SDG machinery be in place and the 2030 Agenda made whole and fully functional. (Top illustration source: New York Times)


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TRANSFORM: It's the software!
TRANSFORM: It's the software!
It's the software!
Speaker: Karen Copeland, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Yes it is when it comes to NonStop. We offer a complete software stack on top our unique operating system to bring customers the highest availability, scalability and data integrity. There's a wider range of software products available for NonStop than ever before. This talk walks you through what we have to offer across our portfolio and directs you on where to find out more while attending NonStop Technical Boot Camp 2016.
Add To Cart


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Northwest Plumbing Services
For new homes we can install Uponor AquaSafe fire sprinkler systems, a fire sprinkler system that brings you peace of mind.
NWPS will work with you during all aspects of the plumbing on your new home from the planning stages to setting the finish fixtures.
NWPS can make the necessary repairs to your faucets, toilets, water heaters, and pipes in your home or office.
NWPS works with Bestbath to provide you with an excellent quality low threshold and barrier free fiberglass shower products which are made in Caldwell, ID.
Serving Columbia County since 1991


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Round Box with Lid
The Blur Box by Menu was designed by Antje Pesel and belongs to a series of storage boxes and tins in a minimal design. The containers are simple, subtle and extremely versatile, so that they are ideally suitable for storing and stowing jewelry and other things.
Blur Effect
The blur is created inside the box, even if the lid is on top of the box. With the gentle two-tone colours a soft, unreal effect is created For the viewer, the inside of the boxes appear as if one would look through a camera whose focus is still not properly adjusted. This is the so-called blur effect. These boxes are beautiful and functional, bringing a little poetry in your everyday life.
The Blur Boxes are made from powder-coated steel, EVA foam and acrylic and are available in three different sizes and with bottoms in different colours.


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Instead of throwing away your handwash and spray bottles to go and buy new ones, why not recycle them and make your very own cheap, natural, Earth and animal friendly, delicious smelling products.
I never tire of blending fragrant essential oils to make soap nut liquid smell good enough to eat, making cleaning a real pleasure and leaving your home smelling fresh and vibrant without that background, lingering chemical smell.
What's more, the liquid goes beyond cleaning your kitchen worktops but makes the perfect base for a soothing, naturally antibacterial and moisturising handwash. It can also be used as a body and hair wash and is gentle enough for babies and pets.
All you need is a bag of soap nuts (I've had the same 1kg bag which cost under £10 since May last year!), essential oils and optional extras of white vinegar and a moisturising liquid oil such as almond or avocado.
For all you need to know about soap nuts including details on how to use them and other natural cleaning tips, see this post.
For the soap nut liquid:
Simply add a handful (about 10-15 half shells) to a pan and cover with a litre of hot tap water. Bring to a boil then simmer for ten minutes. Remove from the heat, cool, strain and you have basic soap nut liquid that can be used in so many ways and in so many places. Multiply as necessary to fill the volume of your bottles.
For the Orange & Grapefruit All Purpose Cleaner Spray:
Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to a spray bottle with a few drops each of grapefruit and orange essential oils then fill with the soap nut liquid, give a little shake and adjust the scent by adding more drops of essential oils if necessary.
For the Avocado & Lime Moisturising Hand Wash:
Take a handwash pump bottle (a foaming one works best) and add a tablespoon of avocado oil with a few drops of lime essential oil then fill with soap nut liquid. Shake and add more essential oil until you reach a scent that you like, you can also add an extra tablespoon of oil if your hands get really dry from washing. Use as you would any other hand wash.
Printable handwash label personalised from here.


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Posted in Massachusetts May 26, 2016
15 Things You Have To Do Before You're An Official Bay Stater
There are certain rites of passage that all Massachusetts natives experience over the course of their time in this awesome state. Many are completed during childhood while others come during adult life. In all cases, these things set Bay Staters apart from their New England cousins. Check out these things that all Massachusetts people have to do before they're a true native.
Are you an official Massachusettsian? What else would you add to this list?


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There can be no love without justice.
– Bell Hooks, All About Love: New Visions
How to we speak of Lovers in these times? The ground shaking racist slaughter in Charleston days ago shook me out of my dreamy thoughts about The Lovers card in preparing for this Tarot Blog Hop post. It is impossible to ignore just how messed up and unjust the world is now. Inequality, though not new, is at least more visible to more people that it has been in a long time. I can not just ponder the Lovers in the bubble of romance and personal choice I usually put it.
The Lovers card shows us lives in balance. Two strong, whole people joined in equal stance facing the future with bravery and deep consideration. They have the freedom to choose their next life path at the crossroads. We do not all have equal options. Could all peoples attain this same freedom? How can we face and disarm the privilege and prejudice which obscures our view and can lead us to make limiting choices?
It is worth noting the heteronormative eurocentric symbolism both the traditional Lovers cards and many modern ones. That's the thing about racial inequality. It is old and vastly integrated. I teach from the Rider Waite Smith deck and I always give a small speech about the historical assumptions it makes of race, gender, sexuality and religion. I note how some contemporary artists are shaking up these prejudiced views with creativity and inclusivity. We have the choice to improve these outdated symbols.
The symbols on the Lovers card in the Marseilles deck are about morality. Pictured is the temptation of a man choosing between good and evil as represented by a light-haired woman and a dark-haired woman. We see women embodying evil and blackness embodying evil. Moral choice then changed into personal choice and then changed into romantic love as the card adapted over time. I find the interpretation of simple romantic love limiting in most readings. I usually combine it with the aspect of choice to draw on deeper layers of relevance.
What if we were to also reinstate the morality aspect back into the Lovers? Not in it's antiquated medieval form but as modern integrity and conscience. When we face the Lovers card, we can choose a future based on our desire for our best possible outcome. We can also choose to consult our values so that our choices reflect the world we want to build together, not just for us and our beloveds but the communities which surround us and humanity itself. Justice and Judgement invite us to consider these things farther down the arcana road. What if we were to consider them sooner? I propose that we consider the choices presented by the Lovers card to include integrity that extends beyond our personal world. This is not a shift in the core interpretations of the card, but an addition, a call to integrate Justice into personal choice.
The decisions made by the Lovers are never light. Lives change forever when we step forward at that crossroads. We are at such a crossroads now. I hope I can strive, with humility, to make life choices that create balance beyond just my personal world.
-Linda Beet
Bonus! This is a tarot spread about the personal work of Love.
The Divine Work of Eros Spread
What is your work with love right now? This spread shows different aspects of how you love yourself and others, the things you show and hide, need and give. It refers to how you are interacting in current relationships, friendships, with yourself or in how you are looking for love. How are you expressing yourself? What needs strengthening? What is your next step on your loving path?
I seek this
That which you are looking for. The things you are attracted to. What you yearn for. What are your true desires?
I hide from this
The aspects of loving you shy away from. The things you keep from the world. Boundaries – both healthy and fearful.
My self love
This reflects how you love yourself. How you feel about and treat yourself. Self worth, self care.
My sexual love
Your sexuality. Your sexual desires and healing. Your beliefs about your sexual self.
I bring this
Gifts you bring into relationships. Something you have to offer.
I need to receive this
Needs you have in relationships. Things you need to ask for.
The next step to take in my loving journey
Action. For the best possible outcome for love in your life, this shows a step you can take.
This post is part of the summer solstice tarot blog hop of the major arcana.
Click the links below to see the posts before and after this one.


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TIN SHED is a creative workshop in Hampshire, combining design, scenery construction, a cnc routing service and bespoke carpentry. James Lewis has worked on a wide variety of projects and brings technical knowledge and creative flair to all his work
Beth works as a freelance Scenic Artist; producing painted scenery, prop pieces, scenic backdrops and floor cloths for all types of theatrical settings. She also lectures part-time in Scenic Art & Scenography at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Her keen creative eye ensures she maintains a very high standard of work and attention to detail regardless of the scale of a project. Beth is experienced in working closely with designers in accomplishing all painted effects and applied textures. She has an extensive knowledge of materials used in both building and painting processes, utilising well established contacts within the industry.
Previous credits include: Ramona Tells Jim – Bush Theatre. The Mountaintop – Fio Theatre Company. Guards at the Taj – Bush Theatre. The Gruffalo, ladybirds & other beasts with Julia Donaldson - Edinburgh Fringe, UK Tour, Hong Kong, Singapore. The Energy Show – London Science Museum. Ben Dant – Boomerang Production Company, S4C. Dyled Eileen - Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru. Intimate Exchanges – The Torch Theatre Company. Arandora Star - Theatre Na Nog. Just like Family – Spectacle Theatre Ltd.


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The PDMR transactions register contains data about persons discharging managerial responsibilities and the transactions that they and persons closely associated with them have performed in shares and debt instruments issued by the issuer and other related financial instruments.
The register is continuously updated as new reports are received by Finansinspektionen.
Reported transactions can be searched by issuer, person discharging managerial responsibilities, transaction date and publication date
PDMR transactions register (in Swedish)
To report PDMR transactions: go to the page MAR – reporting PDMR transactions.
The obligation to report transactions to the PDMR transactions register covers transactions in issuers listed on a regulated market or a multilateral trading facility (MTF).
The reported transactions go back as far as 3 July 2016, which is when the EU's Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 entered into force. It is possible to export transactions to Excel. Older transactions are stored at FI and go back as far as 1995.
Reporting to the PDMR transactions register takes place via FI's website. Notifications that are received via e-ID are published immediately. It is the rapporteur that is responsible for the content of a report. Further information about how to report transactions to the PDMR transactions register can be found on the page Reporting.
Please note that new users must first register on FI's website and create a user profile before they will be able to log in to the reporting system.
If you are unable to find transactions in the PDMR transactions register that you believe a person discharging managerial responsibilities or a person closely associated with them has performed, please let us know. You can contact FI by e-mailing email@example.com. Please note that documents received by an authority can be requested, see Public documents (in Swedish). If you would like to tip us off anonymously, instructions can be found on the page Whistleblowers (in Swedish).
Please bear in mind that a person subject to the reporting obligation who has not conducted transactions of EUR 5 000 or more during a calendar year is not obliged to report these transactions to the PDMR transactions register. Accordingly, there may be transactions that have been conducted by a person subject to the reporting obligation but have not been reported to the PDMR transactions register as they have not had a value at or above the reporting threshold.
Under Chapter 5, Section 2 of the EU Market Abuse Regulation (Supplemental Provisions) Act (2016:1306), FI shall intervene against those who fail to report their own transactions in accordance with Article 19(1)–19(2), 19(6) and 19(7) of MAR. Further information about potential sanctions for infringements of these provisions can be found at Transactions conducted by persons discharging managerial responsibilities – insider trading.
All interventions that FI decides on as a result of information not being disclosed in accordance with the rules governing the securities market are available on FI's website, on the page Sanctions/Market information (in Swedish).
Please note that the obligation to report transactions to the PDMR transactions register falls to the person subject to the reporting obligation and they must therefore be well aware of their obligations. Please also note that a notification is regarded as having been received by FI only once it is complete.
Frequently asked questions about transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities can be found at Transactions conducted by persons discharging managerial responsibilities – insider trading. Questions concerning reporting of information to the PDMR transactions register can be sent to our Reporting department at email@example.com or +46 8-408 980 37 (weekdays 9–11).
FI is able to answer questions, provide information about applicable provisions and give guidance. As a supervisory authority, however, FI is unable to provide advance decisions in individual cases. If the person subject to the reporting obligation is uncertain whether a transaction has to be reported to FI or about how this is done, they are recommended to contact a legal adviser who is able to help them conduct an assessment on the basis of the circumstances that are specific to the person in question.


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Eleuthera, Out Islands, Bahamas is an incredible place. Return visitors are commonplace here, as are residents who once visited as tourists, then made it their mission in life to return permanently.
A Slice of Paradise
Literally a slice of paradise, Eleuthera Island, just 50 miles east of Nassau, is some 110 miles long, but averages only about 1.5 miles wide. This affords our guests the luxury of choosing between TWO beautiful oceans as you plan your adventures!
A Bit of Background
Miles of glistening pink and white sand beaches, serene colonial villages, and the rolling acres of pineapple plantations make Eleuthera an island of the most casual sophistication. The cool laziness of Eleuthera life and vibrant colors of the island give it the feel of a giant illusion; it seems to have a kind of unbounded air of calm and grace. With its two companions, Harbour Island and Spanish Wells, Eleuthera has long been a favored destination among smart travelers seeking a bit of quiet charm. Documented Bahamian history begins with the words, "Baja Mar," the name the Spanish bestowed on the islands. This term is misleading, however; it means "shallow sea," but the islands are really mountain plateaus that emerged from the Atlantic hundreds of thousands of years ago. As they grew, they hosted countless generations of coral, which today comprise the islands' limestone base.
First Settlers
Eleuthera started, as most islands do, as a coral reef. It gradually assumed a very unusual shape, long and thin, with much shoreline. It is also unusual in that it is relatively hilly, reaching an elevation of 100 feet, much more than most of the Bahamian islands, and Florida. This fact gives it a scenic advantage, unshared by the other Family Islands, or Out Islands. The next phase of Bahamian history involves the Eleutheran Adventurers, English settlers who left Bermuda in 1647 searching for religious freedom. They formed the first British colony on the island and are credited with naming the island "Eleuthera" which means freedom in Greek. The soil was very rocky, and not easily cultivated, and the group continued to endure hardship. An interesting sidelight is that Governor Winthrop of Massachusetts heard of their plight and sent supplies. In gratitude, the settlers bequeathed 7 tons of Braziletto timber to the then-young Harvard college. In 1958, Harvard University presented to Governor's Harbor a plaque made of Braziletto wood in commemoration of that contribution, which still stands today in the Public Library.
A Place To Find Peace...
Today, Eleuthera's economy consists mostly of fishing, boating and tourism. It is used mainly by Canadian, Italian, German and American tourists as a vacation spot, and, for some, a temporary winter home. It is not nearly as developed as Grand Bahamas (Freeport), or New Providence (Nassau). In Eleuthera you will find a world of sunshine and brilliant colors, pink sand beaches, and aquamarine and azure water, where time stands still and life is leisurely. Where peace is a reality and not an illusion.


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Will of John Walsh
From Newfoundland will books vol 11 pages 66 and 67 probate year
From Newfoundland will books vol 11 pages 66 and 67 probate year
This will was read, recorded and transcribed by JUDY BENSON
While I have endeavored to be as correct as humanly possible, there could be some typographical errors
Will of John Walsh of Lawn
|Lawn September 25th 1917.
I John Walsh of the Settlement of Lawn in the district of Burin Laborer being of sound and disposing mind and memory to make and publish this my last will and testament hereby revoking all former wills by me at anytime heretofore made. 1st.. I hereby appoint Joseph Benning Magistrate of Lawn to be my executor or of this my last will. directing my said executor to pay all my debts, funeral and testamentary expenses and to provide a headstone to cost in or about $30 out of my estate as soon as conveniently may be after my decease.
2nd.. After the payment of my said debts funeral testamentary expenses and headstone, I give devise and bequeath all my real and personal estate, which I may now or hereafter be possessed of or interested in, in the manner following, that is to say;
3rd.. I give devise and bequeath to my son Lionel Walsh my dwelling house valued at $300, a piece or parcel of land situate between the estate of the late Thomas Edwards and a piece of land owned by John Thomas Edwards, valued at $150. out of money in hand and my life insurance the sum of [$100.] one hundred dollars
4th.. I give devise and bequeath to my grandson Clement Walsh my featherbed and the sum of $100. This money to be placed at interest for him in the Royal Bank of Canada at St. John's until he attains the age of 21 years or should he die before that time it is to revert to his father Lionel Walsh.
5th.. I give devise and bequeath to my daughter Emma Edwards the sum of [$100.] one hundred dollars
6th.. I give devise and bequeath to my daughter Olivia Edwards the sum of $100.00.
7th.. I give devise and bequeath to my daughter Gertie Miles the sum of $100 and a piece of land situated between land owned by Thomas Manning and Michael Grant valued at $100.
8th.. I give and bequeath to my grandson Martin Lamb the sum of [$50.00] Fifty dollars
9th.. I give and bequeath the sum of $60 to be given to Rev. A. J. Maher to offer up masses for the repose of my soul.
10th.. After paying the above the bequests should there be any money left, I give and bequeath the same to be equally divided between my son Lionel and daughter Emma Edwards, Olivia Edwards and Gertie Miles.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this Twenty-fifth day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and seventeen John Walsh [LS].
Signed Published and Declared by the said John Walsh, the Testator as and for his last will and Testament, in the presence of us, both present together at the same time and in his presence, at his request and in the presence of each other, have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses to the execution thereof Clement J. Benning Patrick J. Brown
Correct Charles H. Emerson
(Listed in the margin next to this will the following)
© 2004 Judy Benson and NL GenWeb


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gregvr wrote:Wonder if this is related?
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The New York Mets New Era 59Fifty Fitted Hat is done in the cross town rivals New York Yankees Colors. The NY New Era 5950 Fitted cap is completely navy with a Green Under Brim and the interlocking Mets logo in white. It also features a new era logo in white on the side. It's New York Yankees color Mets Cap!!
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This whole weekend I have just been feeling so ornery and cross. And even though I know it's unreasonable and no one in my family deserves my snappy, mean temper, I just haven't been able to shake it. I hate it when I feel this way, and even more when I act this way.
Last night we went to Brian's company party and by the end I was in an even worse mood and had a horrible headache from all the wind, the dust, the loud music (which I enjoyed, but it was SO loud!) and the fun of waiting in line to go through a buffet five or so times, since no one else in my family is capable of carrying a plate of food for more then 2 feet with out dropping it. (I always get such looks when we go places that are serving buffet-style.) We got home with tired, ornery, and hungry children who were all desperately in need of baths. (And P.S. does it bug anyone else that when you go out to eat the kids pick and pick and declare they aren't hungry or don't feel well, but as soon as you hit the front door they are STARVING! grrrr....)
Jake was in the shower and taking much too long as usual, so I stormed into the bathroom to yell at him to hurry up and saw this...
Sunday, August 29, 2010
A soft answer turneth away wrath...
This whole weekend I have just been feeling so ornery and cross. And even though I know it's unreasonable and no one in my family deserves my snappy, mean temper, I just haven't been able to shake it. I hate it when I feel this way, and even more when I act this way.
Posted by Chrissy at 9:36 PM 6 comments
Friday, August 27, 2010
Truth in advertising?
Today while the girls were playing in the other room, I suddenly tuned into what Evie was saying.
Posted by Chrissy at 11:40 AM 4 comments
Thursday, August 26, 2010
'ook 'oup!
Posted by Chrissy at 9:11 AM 2 comments
Monday, August 23, 2010
1st day of school...
Posted by Chrissy at 8:59 PM 1 comments
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sassy baby...
Posted by Chrissy at 9:52 PM 3 comments
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Back-to-School Shopping!
Posted by Chrissy at 1:42 PM 6 comments
Friday, August 13, 2010
Cooking with the Great-one...
My kids love to help in the kitchen and cook with me. A little while ago I guess Jake was talking to my Grandma about wanting to learn how to make bread sticks. (I don't know how or why that conversation came up, or why he was so specifically interested in bread sticks... but there you go.) My Grandma is a great cook, although she doesn't do a lot of it these days, and she offered to come and give the kids a cooking lesson. It went great. The first time around they made both bread sticks and banana bread and they turned out pretty good. This time Jake decided he wanted to make zucchini bread. (Again, I don't know what prompted the desire to make zucchini bread. I have stopped trying to figure out how his brain works.) So zucchini bread it is! Grandma-great found a recipe by Paula Dean, and we were ready to start cooking.
Posted by Chrissy at 10:50 AM 3 comments
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Great Escape
Posted by Chrissy at 6:05 PM 7 comments
Saturday, August 7, 2010
The camping trip...
Posted by Chrissy at 12:05 PM 6 comments
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Happy Birthday Evie!
As was previously mentioned, we had two parties this last weekend for Evie's birthday. Since her "actual birthday" fell on Sunday
we I decided it would be a good excuse to have a laid back family barbecue. I have to send out a BIG thank you to Tiffany and Steven who helped me get the back yard cleaned up and the food prepared. There is no way it would have happened without you. (Or at the very least I would have been a big ol' sweaty mess and a LOT less pleasant by the time of the party...) So thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!
And thank you to all of our family who came and made the day so much fun, and made Evie feel so loved!
A few high-lights from opening the presents. We gave her a treasury of Fairy Tales because she is so very into princesses and stories about princesses right now.
The other night Brian was reading Cinderella to her and it ended with "... and they lived happily ever after." Brian asked her if she knew what that meant and she said, "Yeah. They got married." He then asked her if Mommy and Daddy were "living happily ever after"? At this point I jumped into the conversation with, "Yeah, but we work dang hard for that happily ever after!"
(I can see I have my work cut out for me teaching her that while you CAN live happily ever after once you are married, being married doesn't automatically equal happily ever after...)
Posted by Chrissy at 10:22 AM 3 comments
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Evie's Princess Tea Party
Posted by Chrissy at 2:54 PM 1 comments


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Every so often, a book utterly defies your expectations of what a novel can and should do. Heartland is longtime playwright and lesbian activist Ana Simo's debut novel, which was a finalist for the first Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing. Don't be fooled by the seemingly safe and centered title: Heartland is a murder mystery turned inside out, mixing the styles of telenovela and pulp noir, set in a dystopian dark mirror of our society in which government corruption has led to mass starvation in the heartland and a nationwide refugee crisis. Our heroine is a luckless writer who becomes obsessed with eliminating from the face of the earth her rival in love—but her homicidal masterplan becomes more ornate than a baroque symphony.
The New York Times Book Review calls it "hilariously absurd and profane"—which seems fitting for our not-so-hilariously absurd and profane times. It's also a searching exploration of America's conflicted attitudes toward race, assimilation, and sexual mores. We hope you "heart" it as much as we do! And be sure to catch Ana in person at these upcoming live events:
Live Events for Ana Simo's Heartland
On Sunday January 28, Ana Simo will appear at KGB Bar's Sunday Night Fiction series to read from her debut novel, Heartland.
On Wednesday January 24, Ana Simo will appear at McNally Jackson Books for the launch of her debut novel, Heartland.
Join Latinx in Publishing and Restless Books for a rollicking evening of Literary Lotería (it's like bingo! but better!), plus lots of tequila, tacos, and premier premios (that's prizes, Anglos).
On Friday June 2, Ana Simo, author Heartland, will be in a discussion entitled "Resist, Rebel, Transgress" with author Susana Cook as part of the Bureau of General Services - Queer Division's The Literary Avengers: 25th Anniversary Exhibition event series.
Can't Make the Events? Get the Book:
By Ana Simo
The 2019 Triangle Lit Awards Announces Ana Simo's Heartland as a Finalist for the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction
In a word-drunk romp through an alternate, pre-apocalyptic United States, Ana Simo's fiction debut, Heartland, is the uproarious story of a thwarted writer's elaborate revenge on the woman who stole her lover, blending elements of telenovela, pulp noir, and dystopian satire.
Book Details
Paperback List Price: $17.99 • ISBN: 9781632061508 • Publication: Jan 16, 2018 • 5.5" x 8.25" • 240 pages • Fiction—Literary Dystopia / Lesbian Pulp Noir • Territory: World all Languages • eBook ISBN: 9781632061515
Buy from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google | Indiebound | iTunes | Kobo


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The world's first commercial deployment of TVkey took place at German satellite operator HD+ (a subsidiary of SES) in February 2017. During a promotional period, buyers of compatible Samsung TV sets at participating dealers in Germany will receive the HD+ TVkey free of charge by registering on the Samsung website This also entitles them to a free 6-month HD+ subscription, which upon expiration can be converted to a regular subscription.
"The HD+ TVkey gives consumers HD+ channels without the need of a separate receiver or CAM module with smartcard – meaning access to HD+ becomes even easier," said Georges Agnes, Managing Director and COO at HD PLUS GmbH.
"Working with Samsung also gives us the ability to reach new customers as soon as they buy a new television through instant HD+ service activation. And because the solution uses the security we know and trust from NAGRA, we know our content partners will be satisfied."
For more information about the HD+ TVkey, visit HD+ website (German site).
GTPL Hathway
GTPL Hathway Limited, one of India's leading digital cable service and broadband providers, reaching an estimated 8 million households in over 500 cities across 13 states in India has announced the launch of the TVkey solution. As a limited promotional offer, GTPL is offering two months free cable subscription package consisting of more than 440 channels including 64 HD channels and free service vouchers with the GTPL TVkey to compatible Samsung Smart TV buyers in select cities. The offer also includes an attractive discount for consumers who subscribe or renew their Broadband services with GTPL.
"TVkey uses the most advanced technology from NAGRA and Samsung for securing high value content at a very attractive price point. It also gives consumers easy, hassle-free access to the premium pay-TV content on latest Samsung TV sets without the set-top box and additional cables. We are glad to be associated with Samsung and NAGRA, world leaders in their respective domains, which will enable GTPL to expand its reach through purchasers of new Samsung TV sets." said Aniruddha Sinh Jadeja, Managing Director, GTPL Hathway Limited.
For more information please visit www.gtpl.net


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With some of its biggest stars under suspicion and lawmakers demanding action, Major League Baseball adopted a tougher steroid-testing program that will suspend first-time offenders for 10 days and randomly test players year-round.
The agreement was hailed by MLB management and its union Thursday as a huge step forward. But it was criticized by some as not going far enough because the penalties are less harsh than those in Olympic sports and amphetamines were not banned.
"I've been saying for some time that my goal for this industry is zero tolerance regarding steroids," MLB commissioner Bud Selig said.
A first positive test would result in a penalty of 10 days, a second positive test in a 30-day ban, a third positive in a 60-day penalty, and a fourth positive test in a one-year ban -- all without pay. A player who tests positive a fifth time would be subject to discipline determined by the commissioner.
"It's more for our protection than anything else," Boston pitcher Tim Wakefield said.
Under the previous agreement, a first positive test resulted only in treatment, and a second positive test was subject to a 15-day suspension. Only with a fifth positive test would a player subject to a one-year ban.
"It appears to be a significant breakthrough," Senator John McCain said in Washington.
No player was suspended for steroid use in 2004, the first season of testing with penalties.
"We're acting today to help restore the confidence of our fans," Selig said.
Since the old agreement was reached in 2002, baseball has come under increased scrutiny about steroids.
Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield testified before a federal grand jury investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative known as BALCO. President Bush mentioned the steroid problem in last year's State of the Union address.
"I will be surprised if over time this doesn't take care of the problem virtually completely," union head Donald Fehr said, speaking by telephone from LA.
The old deal wasn't due to expire until December 2006, but the union took the rare step of renegotiating a major section of its labor contract. The new rules run until December 2008.
"I think it's pretty historic that we went into a bargaining agreement and changed something," Minnesota pitcher Kyle Lohse said. "Hopefully, that shows everybody how serious we are about getting steroids out of the game."
McCain, who had threatened baseball with legislation, said that is no longer necessary, though he would have preferred a 10-to-15-game suspension for a first offense and a permanent ban for multiple positive tests.
"I would have liked to see amphetamines added to this list," McCain said.
World Anti-Doping Agency chairman Dick Pound, a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1978, said the new rules didn't go far enough.
"Basically, instead of having to hold up the liquor store five times before you get a one-year suspension, you only have to hold it up four times," he said. "But at least there's some penalty incurred the first time that you're tested, and that's a step forward."
In addition to one mandatory test each season, players will be randomly selected for additional tests, with no limit on the number, and for the first time will be subject to random tests during the offseason. In addition, diuretics and many steroid precursors were added to the banned list.


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In the world of off-road adventuring, it doesn't get any more rustic or independent than traversing the great outdoors on an adventure motorcycle. They're about pushing the limits in personal transportation, leading to remote locations inaccessible by car or truck and too distant for a hike. Ask any avid rider about their time upon one of these dirt-friendly speed demons and they'll simply smile, knowing that it's a practice you must handle on your own and experience first-hand in order to understand.
But here's the thing about adventure motorcycles; they're highly diverse and offer different perks and attractions that cater to various riders. Options can range from relatively small 250cc engines to continent-conquering builds with engines up to five times that size. It all depends on your intentions. Weekend warrior or vagabond on-the-lam. The choice is yours. Fortunately, we're here to help with eight of the best adventure motorcycles across the board to get you started in your travels. It's by no means a round-up of every option out there, but instead a glimpse into the diverse offerings in the realm of adventure riding. Just be sure to keep your saddlebags packed, food rationed, and your tank full. It's a big world out there. Ride on.
KTM 640 Adventure
Serving as a superior option for those riders already boasting a bit more experience in the adventure bike arena, the KTM 640 is a lightweight and highly capable offering from the Austrian manufacturer. It boasts a 625cc carbureted single cylinder engine with up to 54hp at 7,000 rpm and comes about as close as possible to the bridging that gap between a dirt bike and traditional tourer.
Rear suspension travel on the KTM clocks in at 11.8 inches while the front offers riders 10.8 inches of travel. It can handle deep sand and single tracks and is also highway ready to boot (though rides over two hours on the freeway aren't recommended due to the seat). However, with a range of up to 300 miles per fill, the KTM 640 is a great companion for those extended off-road tours in remote regions.
Kawasaki KLR 650
Built to take a beating, the Kawasaki KLR 650 host one of the strongest suspensions around with springs that are 40 percent stiffer than their previous iterations. The same logic follows out the back as well, with a traditional Uni-Trak setup but with a 63 percent stiffer spring and dampening that's been increased try 80 percent. All told, this adventure bike is ready for even the most challenging off-road conditions.
Powering this bike is a liquid-cooled single cylinder 651cc engine that can easily maintain traditional highways speeds. She weighs in at modest 432 pounds, boasts a range of 250 miles and functions as a perfect option for a first and reasonably-priced find for the curious adventure rider.
BMW G 650 GS Sertao
It's hard to argue with the quality behind an adventure bike from BMW Motorrad. This machine was designed specifically to handle those difficult off-road trails with ease but also function quite well in your standard city traffic or commute. It's all thanks to a water-cooled single cylinder 4-stroke engine with a 652cc capacity.
In addition, riders will also enjoy the Sertao's state of the art ABS that boasts incredible stopping power on wet asphalt. Heated grips also work to keep your hands warm on those cold mornings and the road-ready weight clocks in at 425 pounds. From the desert to the city, this bike has you covered.
KTM 690 Enduro R
Yet another high-quality offering from KTM, the Enduro R is one of their newest releases for 2017. And with this newest iteration, the bike has enjoyed some note-worth upgrades, beginning with the shape itself – optimized for paved roads and tough terrain. An advanced single-cylinder, upgraded ABS and suspension with just under 10 inches of travel also don't hurt this bike's reputation either.
The Enduro also enjoys superior tracking stability on the road and the trails thanks to a high-quality die-cast swingarm and it's chrome-molybdenum-made lightweight tubular trellis frame. She's a curve bandit for sure, ready whenever you are to tackle the unforgiving outdoors.
Honda Africa Twin
Sometimes a specific engine format can make all the difference a bike's ability to handle both complicated and unpredictable terrain. In this case, the Honda Africa Twin's 998cc liquid-cooled four-stroke parallel twin engine shortens the bike, allowing for the front wheel to tuck closer to the engine. This, in turn, creates a shortened wheelbase of 62 inches, making the bike more adaptable to changing terrain.
In addition, the 2017 Africa Twin features a high-tensile strength steel subframe, a curb weight of 511 pounds, a torque control system and a six-speed transmission. Tear up the desert landscape, tour through the Pacific Northwest, or hit Pacific Coast Highway the proper way. The Africa Twin is your partner in crime.
Triumph Tiger 800 Xcx
No bike list is complete without the addition of a Triumph. Point-in-case being this Tiger 800 Xcx, powered by a liquid-cooled DOHC three-cylinder 800cc engine. It's hard to embrace the spirit of adventure while riding one of these beauties. The XCx is built for longer rides, now offering three different rider modes that cater to specific trips, a Triumph Traction Control feature for a tailored experience, and a dedicated trip computer to keep everything logged for future reference .
It's hard not to fall in love with a Triumph anyway, especially an off-road friendly version with 95hp, up to nine inches of suspension travel in the front and 8.5 inches in the rear, and a tubular steel trellis frame. The bike also weighs in at 432 pounds and comes with an LCD multifunctional digital instrument display on the dash.
Yamaha Super Tenere
Complete with a small yet powerful 1199cc parallel twin engine, the Yamaha Super Tenere gets you up and going without hesitation but remains highly-capable in those windy mountain roads thanks to the engine's reduced mass. The bike's traction control also regulates fuel injection, ignition timing, and throttle valve opening that works to keep things smooth and operational throughout the journey.
Keeping you safe is also the Super Tenere's antilock braking system and unified braking system, cruise control for those longer cross-continent journeys, and adjustable seat and low maintenance drive shaft. And for optimal acceleration and control, Yamaha also included their advanced fuel injection technology.
Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro
Ducati doesn't mess around even when it comes to adventure motorcycles. Take this Multistrada for instance, complete with a liquid-cooled Ducati L-Twin cylinder 160hp engine boasting an 1198cc displacement. This bike reaches new heights in the world of two-wheeled travel, placing significant power in the hands of you, the adventurous spirit.
Alongside its impressive engine, the 1200 Enduro also features a 30-liter fuel tank and spoked wheels with up to 8 inches of travel. And since's it's 2017, riders can also pair their Ducati with the accompanying Multistrada Link app that documents each ride and provides valuable specs such as speed, lean angle, fuel consumption and power.


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13 Best Airsoft Guns of 2019: Choose the Perfect One for YOU!!!
Over the past few years, the airsoft guns have become highly popular for its extraordinary features. It is actually appealing like paintball but it is more realistic. It is very easy to tell whether the gun is paintball or not while seeing but it is difficult with the airsoft gun. You must treat aircraft gun as the real one and follow some basic safety measure while handling.
It is because these guns are the replica of actual guns in the aspects of shape and size but not in the design aspect. The airsoft guns come in different varieties including rifles, handguns, sniper rifles, etc. Because of the real airsoft replicas, it is getting more popular among the people. It is categorized into three types such as automatic electric guns (AEG), spring-powered, and gas-powered.
Hence, choose the right one according to your requirement but AEG is well famous than other two airsoft. This gun shoots a 6mm round projectile in general and you can even see other sizes. However, the 6mm is the most common airsoft gun shoot. Are you searching for the best airsoft guns? Well, with the dozens of manufacturers and thousands of gun classification, it will very hard to make the right choice.
However, if you read this article thoroughly, you can get a clear idea to purchase the right gun for you. Here, I expressed my airsoft buying experience and guide you to purchase a perfect airsoft gun as well. This will be very useful for those people who are in confusion to pick a right gun. With my airsoft gun knowledge, I have offered some information about top airsoft guns in 2018 so take a glance before choosing anything else. However, here goes the comparison chart of top 5 airsoft guns from the big list.
Full metal
Full automatic
Semi automatic
Full automatic
Editor's Rating
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List of best Airsoft guns that are available in 2018
Are you a fond of airsoft guns? Then, this article is only for you. Take quick rundown on the below-mentioned the best rated airsoft guns. Each airsoft gun is different from other in terms of specification, features, and functionality. Moreover, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, read the whole article before making a purchase decision.
1. Soft Air Kalishnikov Tactical AK47 Electric Powered Airsoft Rifle
Key Features:
- Special edition 60th anniversary AK47 RIS
- Has integrated tactical rails, removable foregrip, folding, and nylon fiber foldable stock
- Has adjustable spin-up shooting system
- Included high-quality 8.4v 1200mAh small battery and wall charger
- 550 round high magazine capacity
- Full metal construction
- Adjustable spin-up shooting system
- Highly realistic
- Durable trigger assembly
The extremely popular and widely accessed weapon of the 20th century comes back again in the market with the 60th-anniversary tactical edition. This full metal gun comes with tactical rear folding stock, metallic upper receiver, outer barrel, and industry upgrades full metal gearbox. The best part of the airsoft is that it has full Kalashnikov trademarks on the rifle body. With the package, you will get a stick battery, battery charger, two 550rd high capacity magazines, and tactical folding foregrip.
Due to the integration of rails and handguard of the gun, it makes mounting grips and optics easy. In addition to, the folding foregrip is also removable to expand your comfort while on the field. The tactical folder rear stock also enhances versatility in the field. These best airsoft guns are an affordable way to obtain numerous benefits during the practice session. The gun shoot over 370FPS along with 0.20g BBS is highly accurate. It has powerful ultra high torque motor so it offers both speed and power while firing. Overall, the rifle is extremely powerful and more accurate than the benchmark rifle Tokyo Marui AK 47 AEG.
2. Soft Air Taurus 24/7 Airsoft Pistol
Key Features:
- Lower tactical rail
- BAX shooting system
- Shoots 315 FPS along with 0.12g ammo
- High power accurate (HPA)
- Weight – 1.4pounds
Taurus PT 24/7 airsoft pistols give BAX shooting system for greater accuracy. You can add any type of tactical gear to do fight because of its lower tactical rails. This pistol shoots 315feet per second along with 0.12g ammo. Keep in mind that the pistol does not include BB loaded with the package. If you add BB loader, then it becomes too heavy. This high-quality airsoft pistol combines outstanding performance with the great value. This gun is highly recommended for the toughest and roughest users because it is specially designed for those users. This pistol has better range and you can quickly learn how to use it as well as you can easily clean the gun. Additionally, the moving parts of the pistol make it simple to access. Thus, it is a perfect sidearm gun but it has a cheap mags design.
3. Benjamin 392 Bolt Action Variable Pump Air Rifle (.22)
Key Features:
- Pellet velocity up to 685FPS
- Alloy Pellet velocity up to 800 FPS
- Bolt action mechanism
- Pump power source
- Rifled barrel
- Fixed front sight
- Adjustable rear sight for elevation and windage
- Length: 36.75 inches and weight: 5.5lbs
- 0.22 caliber
- Have cross bolt safety
These best airsoft guns render classic and finest performance in the palm of your hands. Due to its Crosman quality, you will be always ready for target fun and action. This gun is perfect for target shooting, plinking, pest control, predator hunting, and small game hunting. It comes with the single stage .22-caliber multi-pump. Crosman chooses the gun for a single stage trigger along with the cross-bolt safety. It also has a fixed front sight and adjustable rear sight. You can expect all the usual suspects of the airsoft gun with this model.
This gun is recommended for target practice and small game hunting use. however, if you do some modifications and correct pellets, it becomes an all-purpose air rifle. Scope rail and dovetail are the widely used features by the shooter but it is missed in this model. However, you can compromise this omission through intermounts. The feel and design of the Benjamin 392 Bolt Action Variable rifle must be familiar for the seasoned hunter.
The pneumatic air rifle is the most surprising feature of this air rifle. The well-designed .22caliber make you shoot the target much easier. In addition to, it is easy to load the gun without the hassle of straining of cock. This classic air rifle gives the expected performance within the same range. It is perfect airsoft guns for beginners up to experts as it maintains the finest accuracy over 15 yards. This rifle is surely value for your money even with the omission of the dovetail and scope rail.
4. Elite force m4 cqb competition line airsoft aeg (Airsoft Gun)
Key Features:
- High strength polymer body
- Full metal gears and gearbox
- Crisp micro trigger switch to transform fully to semi-auto firing mode
- Has adjustable rear sight and stock
- Included detachable foregrip
- Come with 8.4v rechargeable battery and charger
- Color: black
If you are looking for the best airsoft guns, the choose Elite Force M4 CQB Rifle airsoft rifle. It is one of the competition series guns, which is capable of shooting at a rate of 960 rounds per minute. When compared to its previous model, the gun has improved a lot in terms of design and performance. The airsoft gun is built with a high strength polymer body and full metal gears & gearbox. In addition to, it comes with a unique micro trigger switch that is capable of switching from full to semi-auto mode quickly. Along with the rifle, you can get two 300 round drop free high capacity magazines.
For easy sighting and comfort adjustments, the rifle has adjustable rear sight and stock. Moreover, the airsoft gun is powered by an 8.4V rechargeable battery and charger. The package is included with a detachable fore-grip. All airsoft guns needed to have the tip of 1/4 inch of the barrel that is permanently colored in blaze orange. This new second-generation air rifle is crafted to be customized by the users. It comes with a 300rd metal magazine and flips up front sight for greater compatibility along with a red dot. Apart from this, it has unbreakable metal piston rack and tappet plate.
5. BBTac BT-M82 Airsoft Gun Fully Automatic Electric Rifle
Key Features:
- Compatible with 6mm airsoft BBs pellets
- New generation hop-up version airsoft electric gun
- It is a full-scale replica of the real steep airsoft rifle
- Powered by high-grade electric motor
- Has auto shooting system
- Accessories include: electric red dot sight, tactical, and flashlight
- Rechargeable Ni-Cad battery
- Switch selection mode: safe, single, and continuously
- BBs ammo type
- 200 FPS velocity
- Fire modes: Full auto and semi-auto
It is one of the best electric airsoft guns in the list and highly recommended by the expert shooters because it is actually appealing like an SG 5520-style AEG rifle. This new generation airsoft rifle offers outstanding performance and it's heavyweight feel lets you feel that you are holding a real airsoft rifle. It is constructed of the high-quality materials. The airsoft gun is equipped with various features such as Ni-cad rechargeable battery, selector switch, an adjustable flashlight and hop-up system, and a foldable stock.
The motor power is generated by the rechargeable 7.2 Ni-Cad battery. In addition to, it comes with a selector switch for semi-auto or full auto so you can change it according to your needs. One of the best parts of the rifle is adjustable red dot sight. Using this, you can easily aim the target. With this gun, you can shoot the target at the rate of 200-250FPS along with the full or semi-auto feature. The main advantage of the rifle is that one can safely train, play, and stimulate with the airsoft gun without the fear of getting a serious injury.
Even though the gun looks similar to SG 552, it is constructed for casual use instead of weaponized use. The gun comes with the ready to play package that includes charger, battery, clip, and tactical accessories to take on the battlefield at any time. Due to the rechargeable battery, you can shoot faster with lesser effort. Through semi and auto feature, you can shot a single shot or even fully automatic. Apart from this, you can get extra accessories including a red dot scope and additional support.
6. Well MB06AB Airsoft Bolt Action Sniper Rifle with Scope & Bipod
Key Features:
- Metal Smooth Sniper Barrel
- ABS Polymer Body
- 6.07mm Inner Barrel
- Adjustable Hop-Up and LE Stock
- Full Metal Internal Parts
- Metal Receiver along with Optic Rail
- Metal Bolt Assembly
- Adjustable LE Stock
- Folding Detachable Bipod
- Reinforced Trigger Unit
- 20 Round Magazine
Among the list of the airsoft gun, Well MB06AB airsoft bolt-action sniper rifle is one of the best metal airsoft guns. It renders the exceptional functionality in terms of durability, performance, and price. The internal parts of the gun are fully equipped with metal and it is paired with the strong 6.07mm inner barrel. Thus, this sniper rifle offers the excellent 460 FPS (feet per second) velocity. Regarding the external parts of the rifle, it is constructed from metal and equipped with ABS polymer material for a durable, strong, and heavy build. You can use ammunition weight of .20g/.25g/.28g and size of 6mm.
It has 3-9x40 Crosshair scope along with lens cap and Bi-pod in order to improve efficiency for long-range shooting. The range of the airsoft rifle is 170feet and its velocity is 460-470FPS. You can achieve top quality accuracy even at the long ranges with the help of adjustable hop-up unit. Not only this, you can have adjustable tactical stock, slanted pistol grip, and slim handguard for easy handling on the move. The rifle package also includes bag of BBs, sling, scope, bipod, cleaning rod, and manual. Moreover, it is not difficult to pull back the bolt cock. Of course, you can also use a single shot.
7. Black Ops Exterminator 2.5 Inch Revolver
Key Features:
- Full metal construction
- CO2 power
- Six shot cylinder along with ejector rod
- Included accessories – Picatinny rails
- Realistic metal cartridges
- Double action hammer
- Shoots BBs and Pellets
- 2.5inch barrel
- 350FPS from 12g CO2 cartridges
The airsoft gun has amazing look, feel, and performance whether it is on the field or in your backyard. One of the first things you will notice in the Black Ops Exterminator 2.5 Inch Revolver is the build quality of the gun. The manufacturer gives more attention to small detail so that the output is impressive. With the full metal construction and polymer grip, the gun renders the realistic feel of the original gun. Every revolver feels balanced and heavy in your hand so it is a not big thing. With the authentic 6 shot cylinders, smooth double action, and CO2 power, you can enjoy shooting with this gun. In order to improve accuracy, it comes with the adjustable rear fiber optic sight that attaches to a flashlight, scope, weaver rails, or laser according to your choice of accessories. You can easily load BBs into the metal cartridges. Likewise, reloading is easy and simpler. All you need to do is simply swing out cylinder and ejector rod to reload the gun. This revolver is perfect on the field for firearm proficiency and training and backyard plinking. These best airsoft guns are available in gunmetal, chrome, and aged finishes along with the warranty. Overall, the Exterminator Full Metal Revolver is the right pistol at the reasonable price.
8. Echo 1 genesis operator combat weapon ocwaeg airsoft rifle
Key Features:
- 405 FPS (feet per second):
- Tactical AK platform
- 363mm inner barrel length
- 31/34in in length
- 6.04mm barrel caliber
- Included 1 magazine
- 550 rounds magazine capacity
- High capacity magazine type
- Weight:5.5 lbs
- Offers 30-day limited warranty
- Package includes battery and charger
The all-new Echo1 Genesis OCW aircraft rifle comes with the basics approach for the field. It is one of the affordable AEGs rifles. One of the crucial differences between the Genesis version and the regular OCW of the rifle is that stronger polymer body and less construction cost. When compared to the regular OCW airsoft gun, the Genesis version of the fun has a strong and lightweight polymer body. Moreover, the cost of the construction is also less expensive. Thus, it is widely used as a great starting point for any new player because it is under the budget.
One of the best parts of these best airsoft guns is that it still features the same pre-upgraded and premium quality internals. Therefore, the Echo1 guns will last for a long time and able to shoot continuously. Internally, the gun has a brand new durable 8mm bearing gearbox. for any polymer AK in the Echo1 lineup, this is a first time the gun is equipped with the 8mm gearbox. Normally, the air rifle is running on the 7mm gearbox. This airsoft gun is definitely reborn of the AK-74 platform so the gun is equipped with the polymer version of the AK74 platform.
It has a sturdy hardcore MilSim players but it is lightweight. You can shoot continuously easily and stay in the game through the highest quality gearbox and internals. Besides, you can adjust your sights with greater precision because each OCW comes along with tweak front and rear adjustable sight. You can easily adjust your hop up system with the gun's charging handle whether you are right or left-hander.
9. Soft Air PT99 Taurus Co2 Full Auto Metal Blowback Pistol
Key Features:
- Fully constructed of high-quality metal
- Genuine CO2 blowback pistol operation
- Muzzle velocity: 380 FPS
- Realistic pistol
- slide lock reload indicator
- Includes: 27 round CO2 pistol magazine
- Operation: CO2 blowback
- Construction: slide, barrel, metal and frame
- Weight: 2.6lbs
- Firing modes: semi-automatic and fully automatic
- Functional safety switch
With the Taurus CO2 full auto metal blowback pistol, you can enjoy the complete real blowback pistol operation. KWC air soft developed these best airsoft guns and offered full trademarks from the Taurus manufacturing company. They are the manufacturer of the original PT99 and it is the most realistic CO2 airsoft metal blowback gun in the market right now. The pistol has everything right from the laser engraved slide to the hard metallic blowback. These are constructed of the best quality material.
You can use the airsoft gun in semi-automatic and fully automatic firing modes along with the firing output capacity of 380FPS. Moreover, the gun also features the functional safety unit. If you want to achieve full efficiency of the gun, you can use 27 round CO2 magazines. The integrated bottom rail slot of the gun is designed to have extra attachments like a flashlight, tactical laser units, etc. It serves as both primary and secondary weapon for beginners and experienced airsoft players.
10. Lancer Tactical LT-06T M4A1 Airsoft Electric Gun
Key Features:
- Removable carry handle for fitment of optics
- Scope rail
- Unbreakable metal outer barrel
- Build with sturdy polymer material
- Version 2 gearbox
- 30.25/33.50 inches in length
- Firing modes: safety, semi-auto and full-auto
- Speed: 400 - 410 fps (w/0.20g bbs)
- 300 fps high capacity magazines
- Removable carry handle
- 8.4v flat battery
The airsoft gun has impressive internals and various external features. Thus, this metal gearbox rifle is surely worth for your money. Unlike other airsoft electric gun, it has lots of noteworthy internals such as M110 spring, metal gearbox, metal gear clip, metal bushings, ball bearing spring guide, pre-corrected ported piston, one-piece hop up unit, etc. In addition to, the gun shoots 1000 RPM at 400 FPS even if you are using a heavyweight .20g BB.
Through the adjustable hop-up unit, you can easily control accuracy as well as fine-tune your front & rear sights. In order to increase accuracy, you can remove your top carry handle and even add a scope. The gun is highly durable and specially designed lightweight to hold the gun for a day without any fuzz. The body of the gun is designed and built with amazing quality and detail to offer an authentic replica of the real electronic metal gun.
11. KJW model-615 kp05-s gas blowback full metal black bcgbb-615(Airsoft Gun)
Key Features:
- 290-310 velocity
- 30 rounds magazine capacity
- Blowback
- Full-Metal body construction
- Weight: 5.5 pounds
These best airsoft guns are one of the KJW's newest release that comes with the advanced features you would never look at any pistol. The pistol has the ability to output the maximum power, accuracy, reliability, high-capacity magazines, and light trigger pull. The maker has upgraded pistols' grip and fully durable internal & external parts. This pistol is designed extremely realistic but it is actually performing well. This airsoft gun is one of the full-metal pistols that use CO2 or gas magazines. At present, the kjw model-615 kp05-s gas blowback is one of the best gas blowback pistols on the pistols market.
12. H&K g36c aeg by kwa - blk(Airsoft Gun)
Key Features:
- Most realistic rifle on the market
- Over 1200 maximum rate of fire
- Unbreakable LIPO ready version 3 gearbox
- Fully licensed to use
These best airsoft guns come with the CO2 and clock-spring BB guns. Rail system of the gun allows you to mount of various additions to the rifle top and bottom of the rifle. Currently, I have been using a laser-dot sight on the rifle top and a folding grip on the bottom. The rifle magazine design lets you clip other magazines to the side of it. Thus, you can expend one magazine simply switch over to the other one and instantly start firing again. Ambidextrous fire selection that means you need not require using both hands to toggle from semi-auto to full auto and to safety mode.
13. BBTac BBTac-HG-132-Silver HFC Barrel Gas Revolver Airsoft Gun
Key Features:
- Shining and smooth Chrome Semi-Automatic Metal Construction
- Comes with 6 shells
- Ergonomic grip
- Awesome build quality
- Fill with gas from pistol grip
- Size: 4-Inch
- Color: Silver Chrome
- Caliber: 6mm
Silver HFC Barrel Gas Revolver Airsoft Gun is one of the best airsoft guns on the market. this airsoft gun is operated by green gas propane only. Its design and build actually resemble the original appearance of the revolver. This metal airsoft revolver has a good gun sidearm black grip that makes you hold the gun easily without any hassle. The gun is equipped with the chrome semi-automatic metal construction. It also has 6shelss and you can fill the gas with pistol grip. It shoots well and the gas long lasts for multiple rounds. Thus, it is much value for your money.
While reading the article, you might have noticed that lots of decisions you have to make while selecting best selling airsoft guns. It is because of the availability of hundreds of airsoft guns classification and platforms. Before making a buying decision, try to list down your airsoft gun needs clearly, so that you could end up with the right choice. Keep in mind always that you should prefer a gun that should meet your purpose of buying. These 10 airsoft guns will go to rock the upcoming year in the airsoft gun market. Deciding between the high-quality airsoft gun brands is really difficult because each brand has its own trademark. Each airsoft gun in the list is surely someone's favorite one as not everyone has same perspective and taste.


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Via Andrew Gelman and Howard Wainer, an interesting meta-analysis from 2005 by Pan, Trikalinos, Kavvoura, Lau, and Ioannidis (the last of Why most published research findings are false fame), comparing reported statistical significance and effect sizes in studies of genetic propensity to disease, between studies performed in mainland China and those performed elsewhere. There is a widely-recognised publication bias in all scientific literature towards statistically significant results. In medicine, this frequently plays out as an initial publication that finds statistical significance and a strong effect for a treatment, gene-disease link, or other hypothesis, which is succeeded by follow-up studies that report weaker effects or fail to find significance. The pattern is understandable even if all published studies come from the same meta-population of performed studies: non-significant studies aren't publishable until a (perhaps by chance) significant study legitimizes the gene-disease link.
Pan et al. find, though, that follow-up Chinese studies are more likely to report statistical significance than non-Chinese studies (48% to 18%), even though the Chinese studies generally have smaller sample sizes. Reported effect sizes are also much stronger. One might posit a still stronger publication bias towards significance in local Chinese than in international journals, but the proportion of Chinese studies published in PubMed-indexed journals is even higher than in non-PubMed indexed ones (65% to 46%), albeit across a much smaller number of samples (20 to 141). It seems that Chinese studies, at least pre-2005, were inherently more likely to find significance, perhaps due to weaker experimental controls. Of course, the same analysis might well hold for other national-level studies, particularly in developing countries.
I find the study by Pan et al. most interesting because of its warning about the interpretation of statistical significance. Significance is formally defined as the likelihood that the observed result would by chance occur even if the null hypothesis (usually of "no effect") were true. But when trying, as a third party, to interpret reported significance for an experiment, other likelihoods become more important. What, for instance, is the likelihood that this published significant result is the chance tip of an iceberg of unpublished, non-significant results for the same experiment? What is the likelihood that significance has occurred because of a weakness in the experimental setup (for instance, choosing a weak baseline in the evaluation of an IR retrieval technique), or even conscious manipulation of results by the researcher? We can, for instance, only tell that the reported significance rate in the Chinese studies surveyed by Pan et al. is unusual becaue there is a comparison set of non-Chinese studies.
Conversely, other forms of evidence and reasoning, currently deprecated in favour of the experimental test for statistical significance, deserve more weight, if only in relative terms. In the medical field, there is an ongoing debate between Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) and Science-Based Medicine (SBM). EBM can be summarized as holding that "randomized control trials (RCTs), and only randomized control trials, constitute proof or disproof of a treatment's effectiveness". SBM counters that other forms of evidence or reasoning, such as a plausible mechanism of operation, or observational studies, are often required. For instance, the RCT is overly favourable to scientifically dubious treatments, due to twin effects: some studies of treatments with null effects will by chance achieve significance; and studies failing to find significance are not in themselves conclusive. A case in point is the succession of studies, and even meta-studies, into the effectiveness of intercessory prayer as a medical treatment, that find no significant effect and yet call for "further study", despite the cost of such study and the inherent scientific implausibility of the proposed mechanism. (The blog post linked to above remarks amusingly on the difficulty of performing a double-blind trial "when the putative agent of the effect is an omniscient being".) Also, conclusions must sometimes be reached on treatment effectiveness where RCTs are not possible, for instance because observational studies have both indicated no positive effect and suggested there may be negative sides effects (see "If there are no randomised controlled trials, do we always need more research?).
What does all of this mean for the practice of empirical research in computer science, and in particular in information retrieval? Since the medical field has developed the techniques of experimental statistics to a particularly high standard, its methodologies frequently inspire, or even are mimicked by, those in experimental computer science. (I've participated in more than one conversation that ran "assume our topics are patients, and our retrieval algorithms are treatments...".) This inspiration can be misleading, as the fields are very different: human subjects of medical treatment are far more fixed, homogeneous, and generalizable than, say, information needs in retrieval; the notions of a population and a sample are much more clearly defined in the former case than in the latter. But even in the medical field, as the examples cited above show, the levels of the hierarchy of evidence are not as absolutely incommensurable as they have sometimes been treated. Reported statistical significance in a randomized control trial is not always what it seems; the significance of significance must be assessed using other evidence; and sometimes a RCT is simply not available. In empirical computer science, too, we should question whether a line of research possessing a methodology which allows the calculation of statistical significance is therefore really more rigorous (let alone more relevant) than one for which such statistical apparatus is not available.
Update 16/05/2011: More on significance in Chinese studies in this New Humanist article by Sam Geall:
Publication bias – the tendency to privilege the results of studies that show a significant finding, rather than inconclusive results – is notoriously pervasive. One systematic review of acupuncture studies from 1998, published in Controlled Clinical Trials, found that every single clinical trial originating in China was positive – in other words, no trial published in China had found a treatment to be ineffective.


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A slice of whole-grain bread weighs about 1 ounce. By definition, 1 ounce is 28.50 grams. With American coins, 11 pennies, six nickels, 12 dimes or five quarters all weigh approximately 1 ounce.
Other items that weigh about 1 ounce are a matchbox-sized cube of cheese and approximately three and a half French fries. Objects that weigh an ounce are fairly light, weighing in at just one-sixteenth of a pound.
The U.S. weights and measures relate to the British imperial system that dates to the Romans and Anglo Saxons. However, before adopting the metric system, Great Britain redefined many of the units in 1824, while the United States retained the more traditional measurements.
Until the early 1900s, the United States did little to set a standard for measures. Different regions developed different standards, which hindered trade between the states. In 1905, the National Bureau of Standards called for a meeting to discuss the differences. In 1915, the Bureau published its first model standards.
Jewelers weigh gold and other precious metals using the troy ounce. The troy ounce is 30.10 grams or slightly more than the standard ounce. The use of the term "ounce" in both weight and volume can cause confusion. The fluid ounce is 1/16 of a pint. When measuring water, both ounces are approximately the same. However, with other liquids, the density affects the weight of the fluid ounce.


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text: Merlyn 8 Series M88261P2H DETAILS 8mm toughened safety clear glass Easy clean Mershield Stayclear protected glass Can be fit as recess or with optional side panel Size [minimum - maximum]: 1640 - 1700mm [add 20mm to size when using with side panel] Size of Door: Width 1500mm x Height 1950mm Size of Inline Panel: Width 210mm x Height 1950mm Minimalist exposed edge glass Long chrome designer symmetry handle included Quick release double easy clean rollers Translucent seals Full length chrome magnetic strips Reversible design Wetroom compatible Manufactured in accordance with ISO 9002 and EN 14428 and utilise toughened safety glass to EN 12150 Power shower approved - will retain water under normal showering conditions Supplied complete with full installation instructions and the necessary fixings Brassware and tray shown in the image are not included Manufacturing code of this product is M88261P2H Lifetime guarantee from the manufacturer Side Panel Optional [See Option] Enclosure Wiper Optional [See Option] For installation instruction, download PDF from technical tab. Mershield Stayclear acts as a protective coating which when applied to glass, helps the glass to remain shiny and new without the need for tiresome cleaning. When cleaned correctly it helps prevent the build up of limescale and soap deposits making the shower glass "Easy to Clean".