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Disaster Relief & Recovery
Supporting disaster preparedness, relief and long-term recovery.
Disasters are increasing in complexity and duration. While the Hilton Foundation recognizes the need for emergency response funding, we remain committed to ensuring that funds are available for longer-term recovery and building resilient communities. In all of our work in this sector, we emphasize the importance of following internationally accepted standards and best practices.
In June 2018, the Foundation's board of directors elected to expand the Disaster Relief and Recovery program area. Over the coming months, we will be developing a revised strategy for the next phase of work and plan to announce the new strategy in Fall 2019.
News from the Field
October 2019
Earthquake shook L.A. skyscrapers so hard some got vertigo
August 2019
The Schoolteacher and the Genocide
August 2019
Our News
Understanding the Continuum of Support: Resources for Refugees at Every Stage of Displacement
Understanding the Continuum of Support: Resources for Refugees at Every Stage of Displacement
Lutheran World Relief
To support Lutheran World Relief's WASH recovery program for Typhoon Haiyan-affected populations in the Philippines.
Stay connected and sign up for our newsletter
External Resources
We recommend visiting the following partners and external resources that are important to our work:
ReliefWeb, a specialized digital service of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, is one of the leading sources for reliable and timely information on global humanitarian crises and disasters since 1996.
SPHERE International Standards for Humanitarian Response
The Sphere Project is a voluntary initiative that brings a wide range of humanitarian agencies together around a common aim - to improve the quality of humanitarian assistance and the accountability of humanitarian actors to their constituents, donors and affected populations.
Center for Disaster Philanthropy
CDP's mission is to transform disaster giving by providing timely and thoughtful strategies to increase donors' impact during domestic and international disasters.
What We're Learning View All Reports ›
Roles for Philanthropy in the Humanitarian Sector
August 2017
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation commissioned Dalberg Global Development Advisors to provide a high level overview of the humanitarian landscape as it stands in early 2017 and outline potential roles through which philanthropies can contribute to the sector.
In Practice Paper
In Practice: Philanthropic Grantmaking for Disasters
December 2011
Dr. William Paton looks at two decades of Hilton Foundation grantmaking for disaster relief and recovery
Meet the Disaster Relief & Recovery Team
Program Officer, International ProgramsView full bio › Contact ›
Program Associate, International ProgramsView full bio › Contact ›
Related Programs
Major Program Area
Accelerating the coverage of reliable access to safe and affordable water servicesMore about this program


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Grasshopper Tarts
This post contains affiliate links.
I've been using my new Wilton Mini-Tart Pan a ton lately and this past weekend made a yummy St. Patrick's Day dessert, Grasshopper Tarts, with it. I think I have the crust down to a science now so expect several more tart recipes in the coming weeks. Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts are perfect for tart making. I use a mason jar with a wider opening (about 3 inches) to make my circles to fit the tart pan.
The filling is melted marshmallows, whipped cream and peppermint extract. I added some green food colouring so it would look the part, too. On top is a sprinkle of crushed Oreos and a Aero Peppermint Bubble.
I was talking to an American friend about the recipe and she has never heard of Aero chocolate before. I had forgotten that it might not be in all countries! If you don't have them where you live, just leave them off or add a piece of mint chocolate that you have available where you live. No biggie!
If you are REALLY keen on trying Aero and you live in the USA, I found some on Amazon. Looks like they are shipped from England where the brand originated. Canadians, I found them in the chocolate aisle at the grocery store!
Serve these minty desserts at a St. Patrick's Day party to celebrate the occasion or just because. It's always a good time for a delicious dessert!
For more St. Patrick's Day sweets, check out my St. Patrick's Day Marshmallow Pops, Rainbow Bark, St. Patrick's Day Dessert Round-up and St. Patrick's Day Truffle.
Have you made Grasshopper Tarts (or pie) before?
Grasshopper Tarts
Minty sweet and green! It's the perfect St. Patrick's day treat to serve to friends and family.
- 1 9 inch refrigerated pie dough
- 30 large marshmallows
- 1 1/4 cup whipping cream, divided
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 10 drops green food colouring
- 1 tsp chocolate cookie crumbs
- Aero Peppermint Bubbles, for garnish, if desired
- Preheat oven to 450F. Roll out your pie dough and cut into 12 3-inch circles. I used a mason jar with a wide top to do mine. You will need to reroll the dough scraps as near the end to get the 12 circles.
- Press dough circles into a mini tart pan. Poke each tart with a fork.
- Bake for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Note: these bake very fast and burn quickly!
- Remove tart shells from oven and cool on a wire rack.
- Melt marshmallows and 1/4 cup whipping cream in a large saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Stir constantly until marshmallows are completely melted. Remove from heat and stir in peppermint extract.
- Transfer marshmallow mixture to a metal bowl and place in the fridge while you make the rest of the recipe.
- Add 1 cup whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a large bowl. Beat on high until soft peaks form. Add in food colouring and blend together.
- Stir in marshmallow mixture to whipped cream mixture until combined. Fill each tart shell with a spoonful of the mixture. Sprinkle on chocolate cookie crumbs and top with an Aero Peppermint Bubble, if desired.

subset: commoncrawl


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Transition (John Coltrane album)
|Studio album by
|July 1970[1]
|May 26 & June 10, 1965
|Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
|Avant-garde jazz
|Alice Coltrane
|Professional ratings
|Review scores
|The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide
Transition is an album of music by jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, recorded in 1965 but released posthumously only in 1970. As its title indicates, Transition was a bridge between classic quartet recordings like A Love Supreme and the more experimental works of Coltrane's last years. For some reason, Impulse! decided to alter the track listing of the original album on the CD edition, removing "Dear Lord" and replacing it with two pieces originally released on Kulu Sé Mama "Welcome" and "Vigil". However, the 2001 Japanese edition restored the original track listing.
Coltrane's playing alternates between blues idioms and the free jazz that would dominate his final work. Of the four musicians on this album, pianist McCoy Tyner was still the most grounded in traditional jazz. Bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones were finding new ways to approach their instruments, while Coltrane took the lead with a newfound musical freedom.
Transition's title track is a fifteen-minute modified blues, whilst "Dear Lord" is a ballad featuring Roy Haynes substituting for Jones on drums. "Welcome," which replaces "Dear Lord" on the album's compact disc release, is a five-minute ballad with a theme pitched high in the tenor saxophone's altissimo register and making extensive use of multiphonics. The closing "Suite" is a twenty-minute performance, covering a variety of moods. "Vigil", which concludes the CD release of the album, is a fiery duet between Coltrane and Jones.
Three months after this recording, Coltrane's quartet moved further into experimental territory with the album Sun Ship.
Track listing[edit]
- "Transition" – 15:31
- "Dear Lord" – 5:32
- "Suite" (Prayer and Meditation: Day, Peace and After, Prayer and Meditation: Evening, Affirmation, Prayer and Meditation: 4 A.M.) – 21:20
Recorded on May 26 (#2) and June 10 (#1, 3), 1965. "Dear Lord" would be moved to the CD issue of Dear Old Stockholm with the rest of the sessions from that LP.
1993 CD[edit]
- "Transition" – 15:31
- "Welcome" – 5:34
- "Suite" (Prayer and Meditation: Day, Peace and After, Prayer and Meditation: Evening, Affirmation, Prayer and Meditation: 4 A.M.) – 21:20
- "Vigil" – 9:51
CD track 2 and 4 not part of original LP.
- John Coltrane – tenor saxophone
- McCoy Tyner – piano
- Jimmy Garrison – double bass
- Elvin Jones – drums
- ^ The Story of Impulse Records, pag. 237
- ^ Scott Yanow. "Transition Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 47. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.


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My name is Chris Price and I have a passion for creating memorable videos. Following graduation from the University of Oregon, in Cinema Studies, I started Priceless Video Productions in 2014. While in Eugene, Oregon, I spent a year, working and expanding my skill set. This experience was compounded when I relocated to Phoenix. To date, my experience in video production is extensive and varied, ranging from working as a news video editor, full-time freelance videographer and I am currently the Senior Creative Content Producer for the Phoenix Suns.
I enjoy working on a diverse range of projects. From weddings to music videos, sporting events to spotlighting real estate properties, I've had the opportunity to produce videos from a variety of genres. My primary goal is to meet the needs of the client, customizing the product to ensure complete satisfaction. Seeking a unique perspective and stretching the limits of creativity, my approach is to do whatever it takes to capture those special moments.
Producing videos is a passion and I receive great satisfaction in delivering a high quality product that results in a completely satisfied customer. The client's vision for the video becomes my vision! The project is not finished until you are fully satisfied.
I welcome the opportunity to bring your vision to life! To learn more, I invite you to contact me via the contact form on the pricing page. Let's create a stunning video together!


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Google may be close to settling its antitrust disputes in the European Union, good news for the search engine giant, which has been under the cloud of a potential $5 billion fine and business-limiting rules in the EU.
Google has been under fire from claims that it has abused its market position in advertising and search services by giving precedence to its own services within search results.
E.U. competition commissioner Joaquín Almunia announced today that he would be accepting Google's latest settlement offer, which would involve Google making changes to the way it displays search results and probably some sort of monetary exchange.
This is not a done deal yet—Almunia indicated that Google's competitors should have the opportunity to review the terms of the settlement. This will mean the final settlement won't be done for months, if at all—Google's competitors are not exactly known for being forgiving.
This will be a hit on Google in the E.U. to be sure, but it's probably a lot better than the alternative.


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When Callum Lynch explores the memories of his ancestor Aguilar and gains the skills of a Master Assassin, he discovers he is a descendant of the secret Assassins society.
Video Linked from Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5yLB8B87w8
Term of Service – We do not own copyright of this Content on this website. The copyright belongs to the respective owners of the videos uploaded to Youtube . If you find any Content infringe your copyright or trademark, and want it to be removed from this website, or replaced by your original content, please contact us.


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Northeast travelers are no strangers to the hassles of commuting between Boston, New York and Washington D.C. Now, with increasing air fares, slow airport security and frequent flight delays, more individuals are opting for Amtrak to hop from one city to the next.
According to the New York Times, Amtrak reported that between New York and Washington, 75 percent of travelers go by train. Prior to 2001, the train company had just over a third of the business between the two cities.
Amtrak added that in that same time frame, the amount of travelers between New York and Boston surged from 20 to 54 percent.
George Hamlin, an aviation writer and airline consultant, told the news source that even he is guilty of crossing over to the other side. With his frequent trips between Washington and New York, Hamlin said there were more benefits to taking the train.
"On the train, you've got power outlets and Wi-Fi, you can talk on the phone – it's usable time," he said.
In fact, success is so rampant that Amtrak predicts that by 2040, traffic could soar nearly four times above today's level, reaching 43.5 million passengers. However, the price that comes with so many riders is that many trains are full and some rail cars are 30 years old. Amtrak proposed a plan costing $151 billion last month designed to speed up trains and upgrade tracks.
Many conservatives in Congress, though, oppose the idea, saying that the government-subsidized railroad has been a failure and instead needs to be privatized.
Companies and organizations need to not only prepare for lulls in the business, but also sudden surges, as these can cause monetary issues too. Working with a business continuity consultant can ensure that plans are created for any scenario.


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My blogging records tell me that I started this crochet chevron throw back in May 2012.
Lots of these wonderful, wavy ripples were hooked up while I waited poolside for my lovely son for hours each week.
Things came to a little lull when my working week changed a bit and when those poolside hours were no longer necessary. So I only rippled now and then, but still made a wee bit of progress. This weekend I added a small border to all the ripples and can now officially call it finished. Yay!!
It's just a little lap throw, not even big enough to warm my feet, but I am very happy to have had a go at this pattern in these warm sunset colours and to tick another finish of my Qtr 2 FAL list!


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Thank you, Jacob Hayslip
Thank you, Jacob.
As the 2015 school year winds to a close, we remember all the great memories made by this senior class in the world of sports. The football team defeated Trinity in their yearly meeting at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Making this the first time they defeated them at the varsity level in 7 games. The golf team captured their first state championship since 2009 and also after falling just short the past two years. The swimming and diving team captured their 26th straight state championship, continuing their dominance in the pool. The powerlifting team also captured the state title. Now all the spring sports teams are in full swing and each team has a chance to make a name for themselves and add more state championships to our two already captured this year. There is one common thread between all these teams. Jacob Hayslip.
Jacob has been the face of WSTX sports and The Xavier News this year, as well as producing the WSTX morning news, and being the basketball team's manager. Jacob has taken thousands of pictures of every single sports team, and every single player wants one of them. He has spent countless hours writing posts for this great website, and had a few sleepless nights trying to get everything else done in his crazy life. He truly deserves a huge thank you from Tiger Nation. He put the team on his back, covering the football and basketball games with expert analysis skills. He goes on the news with such confidence and really knows what he is talking about, no matter the sport. Jacob Hayslip has been there from day one. He started writing for the web site as a sophomore, and has carried this website through thick and thin. He has done so much for this school, and it would take me a lot more than a thousand or so words to say so.
If you want to know what kind of kid he is, go and look at his Instagram (JHAYS96). Instagram is a social media app that allows kids to share pictures, usually of themselves. Not Jacob. Most of his posts do not even feature him in the picture, they are all of the various athletes that go to St. X. He posts pictures of them and pumps them up, letting everyone know what they have been doing on the field. This is a completely selfless act done by Jacob, and is something that may go unnoticed by the majority of people, but I notice it.
Jacob comes to so many sporting events, I am surprised they haven't gotten him a permanent sideline pass and a reserved chair there. He comes to away games too. I always see him at the lacrosse games with his camera. He takes pictures of everyone, showing each player in at least one. He captures the true journalist action shots as well as the fun and creative pictures that all kids like. He is out there with all the teams and he feels like a part of our team. Just the simple task of taking pictures and upload them means so much to the players. He really knows how to keep us happy. He has sacrificed so much of his free time to come to these games that it is unreal. He also takes many AP classes and still gets that work done. He amazes me every day when I see him at school smiling away and always happy, no matter how much sleep he got the day before.
Jacob, I know that we cannot repay you for all that you have done, especially in time, no way we can give you all that time back, but thank you. You have truly been a great role model in this school, and a clear leader by example. I look up to you because I know that if Jacob can manage his tight schedule, then I can too. You left some very, very big shoes to fill; they may never be totally filled. You continued the great legacy that Clay Bollinger left behind, and I never thought it was possible, but you did. I speak for all of the students in the school when I say thank you. Thank you, Jacob.
Phillip Freeman
Thank you, Jacob.
Jacob, what you have done with WSTX Sports over the last year has been amazing. You have brought coverage like no other to St. X athletics and have made it top of the line. When my brother graduated, I didn't know if WSTX Sports would continue or what the future of it would be. You stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park.
Like Phillip said, the amount of time you have spent on the web site and twitter accounts is astonishing. The articles and features you have written and brought to the site have been of the best quality. The great thing is that you have spread the love around. You don't care if it is volleyball, rugby or basketball, you are there. You take pictures for all of these sports, and you make sure that they get their fair share of coverage. As you said in post earlier this year, you aren't going to be a journalist, but you do this because you love St. X spots. I don't think I can name a person who loves it as much as you. You spend every day with St. X sports, and it has become a part of your lifestyle.
You technically were only a part of the Basketball team as a manager, but you ended up being a part of every team at this school by senior year. Every member of every sports team knows that you are the man behind the operation. You were able to celebrate state championships because you were with the team every step of the way.
Thank you for all of the work you put into this and thank you for paving the way for future members of WSTX Sports. You enter the line of Clay Bollinger and Evan Shaheen, and it was such an honor working under you this year and working with you the past two years.
Thank you for showing me how to do this job at such a high level. You may be graduating today, but you will always be a part of the St. X and WSTX Sports community. We still might not be "real" media, but you got the job done. You're the best and go do work at WKU!
Cole Bollinger
Posted on May 17, 2015, in WSTX Sports. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.


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In 2015, I sold my stake in a successful company and launched out on my own. I've written about that process here.
- Five Hard Truths About Starting a Business
- Behind the Startup: Building the Team
- Behind the Startup: Creating a Brand
- Behind the Startup: Choosing a Name
The bottom line – starting your own business is hard work. But it's harder if you do it alone.
The biggest breakthroughs in my own business have come when I've paid people for coaching, advice and help. That's why I work with a select few people and organizations.


text: Anyone have experience with both and can make a comparison? Diawa spin reels tend to have long, large diameter spools and Shimano tend to have shorter, smaller diameter spools. I have only used Shimano (2000) and like it, but think the larger diameter designs may result in less line memory and potential for tangles. Perhaps even cast farther. I am thinking about the Diawa in particular for a surfcasting and tailwater striper reel. Anyone used either brand for these kinds of fishing?


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Painting my house
Created by Updated on Aug 23, 2016
Just wanted to know if anyone have painted there house with baby around? Is it safe to paint house with 10 month old kid around? I am using good quality of paint which is less toxic buy still lot of people around me are asking why you need to paint with the kid, I have no choice the house is dirty now, not painted from last 7 years, please suggest.
| Aug 25, 2016
I thought I will call my parents for help and to take care of my daughter so that they will let her away from paint, now still she is not moving around much but later when she starts walking its more trouble with the paint around, anyways thanks a lot for your suggestion, I will think about it.
| Aug 25, 2016
Deepti, as long as the paint is getting dried, the solvent keeps evaporating. So till the paint dries completely, you can't use the room. Even after the paint dries completely, there will be fumes in the air which have to be thinned out by ventilating the room/ house properly along with the fan. Acrylic paint is supposed to be less harmful than oil based paint. plan a time when your child will be away from home for a week or 2. I took almost a month to move in to the house after painting. But I still got respiratory track infection. It can be more harmful for a baby. So plan accordingly.
| Aug 24, 2016
So when is the right time? Will this situation be not there going forward also?
| Aug 24, 2016
Hi deepti, It's not advisable to paint the house with child around. Paints have highly volatile solvent that emits fumes. so the child might get respiratory problem or develop allergy and asthma when the child is exposed at early stage.
| Aug 23, 2016
me too want to know. ...guide me pls...


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New Year Resolutions. We all make them during those last days of December only to break them in the first week of January. I have made many resolutions and I am cheerfully, shamelessly declaring that I could never follow them.
"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."
– Oprah Winfrey
From taking a cheesy lovey-dovey photo in front of the Eiffel with my husband to going Zero size, from having that sexy tattoo to growing long hair, from getting my first pet dog to swimming with the dolphins, I have made them all. And these are some recurring resolutions that I aim to live up to, every single year. Alas! In vain.
But, neither could I go for our honeymoon (yeah, it's been four years since we've been married) nor could I lose even 500 gm from my Panda-like body. That prompted me into doing a Not-To-Do List for 2016 and I think I could do justice this time. Anyway, what stopped me from achieving my resolutions? Was it me? Or were the resolutions I took were too hard? Didn't I enjoy doing them? Or was it just for namesake?
I think, if you are serious about it, resolutions should be time-bound. That, it should have an expiry date. They should be divided into small, achievable goals. Take for example, you plan to make 'I will travel more' as a resolution. But where? When? I have decided to go to Krabi before 28th of February. That's achievable. One, it is not Europe. It's just Thailand. Two, you've figured out an expiry date. It's neither too far away nor too close. You can easily plan and book your tickets. I really hope my husband is reading this.
Lo and behold, this year around, I'm taking up these five fun resolutions because these are some things that the hopeless and hapless New Year's resolute-ers like me should take.
a. Finish that lipstick. No, I am not much of a makeup lover and I cannot put my foundation right. Yeek! I don't even use foundation. But you can always spot me with KOHL EYES and a dash of fuchsia lipstick. I don't tend to experiment with lipsticks as well and hence I was over the moon when I saw my Maybelline Bold Matte was finished in a year. For a girl, that is an achievement and I tend to follow that this year too.
b. Separate those colors from my whites. I've often found my white shirts turning into a faded blue or peach by the time I take them out of the washing machine for drying. No. Not anymore. And P's jeans will not be washed along with my delicate dresses.
c. Grow a plant. When we moved to this new quarters, P and I had all sorts of plans. To grow a mini-kitchen garden and filling our lawn with beautiful plants and flowers topped the list. But the seeds which we purchased from Kerala in June still remain untouched and our so-called lawn is barren. Of course, P claims that I've made him lazy too. But I guess, it's just the weather.
d. Grow my nails. I CANNOT grow my nails. At all. No, I don't bite them. Gross! But I keep cleaning them and they're breaking by its own. How I wish I can grow them and do pretty nail art like my sister does. Oh, I envy her for such long lovely nails.
e. Turn Facebook notifications off on phone. My phone keeps beeping every other minute and that's just because I put the notifications on for some fab FB pages that I had come across. I should turn them off at least on phone for I'm done burning that scrambled eggs over and again.
There are some Personal and Blogging Goals that I'm set to do this year and believe me, this time I'm dead serious about it all. And you'll definitely see them all here, in this lil' space of mine.
But now, I'd urge you to follow me on Instagram for I'm planning to do 365 Days of Happiness Pictures, starting Jan 1. Hope to see you there.
I am writing for #FlashbackRefreshed activity at forfoodiefamily in association with Sandy's Bake Studio.


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|Amazon USA Amazon UK Goodreads
Review by Suze
Maddy left Havenbury Magna, where she used to be a student, without her degree with the plan never to return again. However, when Patrick, the main father figure in her life, has to be admitted to the hospital because of a heart attack she decides to push her fears aside and go back. Patrick runs the local pub and someone needs to take over to make sure he won't lose his income. Maddy thinks she can do it, but being in the place that gives her nightmares proves to be hard and confronting. Will she be able to support Patrick without falling apart before he returns?
Ben lives and works in Havenbury Magna. He's an ex-army psychologist specialized in traumas. When he meets Maddy she immediately piques his interest, both personally and professionally. Maddy has gone through something terrible and Ben wants to help her with the emotional turmoil she keeps finding herself in ever since her return. He's also struggling with the feelings he starts to develop for her. His profession, family secrets and wrong timing are standing in their way. What will happen when everything that has been hidden for many years comes to the surface, will Maddy leave Havenbury Magna behind again?
The Homecoming is a fantastic multilayered story. I was immediately intrigued by Maddy. She's a strong and intelligent woman. She's loving, caring and won't hesitate to help others. She doesn't mind paying a price and no matter what it costs her she will do it, if it means she can be there for someone else. I loved her big heart, her wonderful sweet personality and her ability to love unconditionally. She's an amazing woman with a complex past and this captivated me from beginning to end. I especially loved the development of the connection Maddy has with Ben. He's a kind and gentle man and his goodness radiates off the pages, which is something I really enjoyed. The Homecoming has incredibly special main characters and they are making the story a true joy to read.
Rosie Howard has a heartwarming descriptive writing style. She makes her setting and characters come to life in a terrific vivid way. I liked the cosyness of the pub and fell in love with the creativity of Maddy's friends. The Homecoming has plenty of fascinating twists and turns and Rosie Howard skillfully kept me on the edge of my seat because of the secrets she's writing about. I was anxious to find out as much as possible and couldn't stop reading. The Homecoming is mesmerizing, compelling and very romantic. I highly recommend this delightful book.
If you love romantic stories set in small towns about family, friendships and secrets you should definitely read The Homecoming.
About Rosie Howard
I wrote my first book when I was five. Of course it was abysmal. I vaguely remember something about a squirrel and a big red apple. If anybody's interested I'm pretty sure my mum still has it in the attic somewhere.
There was a long gap in my writing career while I grew up, which took a long time and is arguably a work in progress. After studying classical music, for reasons that now escape me, I took up public relations, campaigning and political lobbying, with a bit of freelance journalism thrown in. This is brilliant because it all involves writing, although my favourite form of writing – making stuff up – is sadly frowned upon in public relations.
I take an anthropological interest in family, friends and life in our West Sussex village (think, The Archers crossed with Twin Peaks). This provides lots of entertaining material although any resemblance between my fictional characters and real life never ceases to amaze me – life imitating art, and all that… so, please don't sue.
My first novel 'Never Marry a Politician' was shortlisted from 3,500 entries in the 2014 Good Housekeeping/Orion Novel Writing Competition and was awarded joint second place before being published by award winning independent publishers Choc Lit.
I am currently working on a series of books based in Sussex and am thrilled to be represented by Julia Silk at MBA Literary Agency.
Website // Facebook // Twitter // Pinterest
My Havenbury World
Guest post by Rosie Howard
We all have our safe place, don't we? The imaginary world in our heads where we retreat to when we want to escape for a while? No? Just me then…! Often, though, that is what books are for aren't they? We rely on the writer to provide us with an engaging and absorbing world we can escape to and leave our own behind for a while.
The idea of creating the Havenbury series came out of a series of conversations I had with my agent Julia Silk at MBA Literary Agency. We were playing with ideas around the kind of material I wanted to write – something escapist, warm, witty and comforting - beautiful rural settings populated with amusing and attractive characters that readers would want to spend time with – and we realised that it made sense to link all the story ideas I had by locating them in the same place, so readers could lock on, and know what they were getting in subsequent books. I was going through a pretty tough period at the time; It was the usual sorts of things - illness, death, conflict, loss, teenagers… just the stuff life throws at you - but lots, and seemingly all at once.
We were joking that writing was keeping me sane because it allowed me to escape into my own 'safe place'. Havenbury is a rural Sussex community remarkably like my own, where bad things happened, sure, but the goodies win, the baddies lose, and it is all okay in the end. My characters go through the mill alright – poor Maddy, in 'The Homecoming' has to face some difficult stuff, and so does her mother Helen - but I definitely don't write misery memoirs and readers can be assured there will always be a properly realised and satisfying happy ending in all my stories. I promise that, faithfully.
Havenbury is extremely vivid in my mind; the Sussex Downs, the houses huddled around the village duck pond in Havenbury Green, the Manor House and the cricket pitch in Little Havenbury, the shops along the high street in Havenbury Magna, and even the pebbly beaches where the river Haven meets the sea… The communities and all the fabulous characters feel like they are just there, available to me, when I turn to write.
I live in a small village myself and the intrigue and high drama has to be seen to be believed so I don't lack ideas for stories (although obviously I have to be discreet to protect the guilty). I enjoy living in a village community near a market-town and Havenbury is unashamedly drawn from my own life. Living in the countryside keeps me in close contact with nature too, and I believe writing the seasons into my books helps to ground them and add to the immersive experience of the reader.
My characters thread themselves into each other's tales, taking turns to take centre stage, so if a reader likes a character in one book they may well see more of them either as protagonist or perhaps just carrying a secondary storyline in another. This works well for me as a writer because trying to create a real sense of place in a series of unconnected stories would – I imagine – be more difficult.
So, back in I go… I am happy in my Havenbury world. I hope your readers will join me and will let me know what they think of it too.
One very lucky reader of With Love for Books will receive a digital copy of The Homecoming by Rosie Howard.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The winner will be notified by email and has 3 days to respond. All of our giveaways are international.


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Barbara Ana Designs
Fabric: 32 ct. remnant
Fibers: DMC Floss and Variations
For Needlework Smalls lovers all over. PLEASE post your Needlework Smalls finishes. Let's make this the largest source of Smalls "Inspiration" on the net. Please make sure your Smalls are in a finished form..pinkeeps, scissor fobs...and so on. ~BeckySC~
"Mystery Sampler" design by Debbie Draper
from Gift of Stitching Magazine (issues 6 and 7, 2006)
stitched with Carrie's Creations threads
finished with seed beads from U Bead It (Sacramento, CA)
Stitched and finished by Anne S
Closer look:
Fabric: 32ct Natural linen
Floss: DMC Ecru
Motif from The Sweetheart Tree "M" Is For Mittens"
Finished as pendibulle by Vaida


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Picnic Time
Weight: 3.90 lbs
Price: $51.95
The Quad has enough features to keep your condiment-hungry guests satisfied so that you can watch the game without having to run every five minutes for a refill. Four serving bowls, one tray = more enjoyment for everybody! Features four condiment bowls and spoons nestle a recessed bamboo tray to hold your favorite condiments, dips or spreads. Dimensions 11.375" x 11.375" x 2.75"
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Pasta with Vegetables
- 16 oz. Pasta Lensi Radiatore
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 1/2 cups Portabella mushrooms, diced medium
- 1 1/2 lbs. Roma tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced
- 12 large fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
- 1/2 cup white zinfandel
- 1 bundle fresh asparagus, blanched and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 4 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- Salt & black pepper, to taste
- 3/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water or vegetable stock, if desired
Pasta con Verdure
Prep Time: 00:10 (hr/min)
Cook Time: 00:10 (hr/min)
Serves: 4-6
Cook pasta according to directions, reserving 3/4 cup water. Drain.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes and basil. Cook 2 minutes. Add wine and reduce by half. Bring sauce to a simmer. Toss in asparagus and hot pasta. Slowly add cheese and stir in reserved water or vegetable stock, if desired.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Mangiare bene.


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Check out our new range of high quailty clothing available to order directly from this site now! With the cold weather starting to sink in we have a range of new items to keep you warm this winter. Regatta jackets, thick sweatshirts to t-shirts all available in a range of different sizes with free delivery to mainland UK when purchased from this website.
Check it out!


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see our vision
We live by rules. Not just any rules. Our rules.
And those rules are rooted in empowerment, innovation, and just a little bit of rebellion.
be a part of our story
Come join a team that is doing
everything a little bit differently.
Actually, scratch that - very differently.


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Marathon by Most Downloads
TTEP 7 Marathon 1 7.0
Tim Vogel on Dec 6th 2007
The TTEP (Total Texture Enhancement Package) is a massive package containing remakes of the original textures from the Marathon trilogy.
It replaces the original low-quality textures with new high-ress versions with a maximum size of 1024x1024 pixels. I've tried to get them as close to the originals as possible.
New in version 7.0:
Script files have been cleaned up and files have been renamed to make it more clear how to install.
All textures are now optimized .DDS files, with increased performance as well as quality!
Textures can now be scaled down in Aleph One's OpenGL settings. This also makes the TTEP a single size package, there's no longer 4 different sizes.
A lot of the textures have tiny flaws removed, some are completely redone to make them look better.
The Textures are now divided by their games, meaning you're not forced to download and use the Marathon 2 Textures when you only want the Marathon 1 replacements for example.
13652 downloads, 5 reviews, 1 screenshot, 5.0 rating
m1redux Plugin v1.1
tim4i on Nov 15th 2010
Refreshed in-hand Weapons, Ammo & Item Pickups for Marathon 1 AlephOne (M1A1).
-Basically updated graphics for large resolution screens.
-New Ammo & Item Pickups.
-New Rocket & Grenades projectiles.
-In-hand weapons have be refreshed to remove the 'box' effect, while still keeping to the original graphic.
-I have broken this MOD into 2x Plugins one for In-hand weapons and one for Items. You can choose to have one or both on.
This is my first MOD - Enjoy..
NOTE: You need OpenGL to run this pack.
NOTE: Some sprites are courtesy of Visciom. They are his original art, and are used in this MOD under agreement.
Notes for version v1.1:
Plugin Support Release.
-Please post comments / bugs on Pfhorums.
4259 downloads, 4 reviews, 3 screenshots, 4.5 rating
HD Scenery for M1A1 1.0
Visciom on Aug 14th 2007
TTEP Plugin (M1) v7.0
tim4i on Nov 19th 2010
Plugin Version of Tim Vogels 'Total Texture Enhancement Pack' v7 for Marathon.
-For screen shots and details refer to original MOD. -Original Readme enclosed -Released under permission
INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS: 1) Cut & Paste 'TTEP v7.0 (M1).zip' into your 'Plugins' folder in the AlephOne Folder. (Create the folder if you don't have one)
2) Start AlephOne.exe and go to Preferences->Environments->Plugins (Click to Enable/Disable Plugins)
Notes for version v7.0:
Plugin Support Release.
Problems Post on Pfhorums http://www.pfhorums.com/index.php?showtopic=5786&st=20&gopid=86160&#entry86160
2606 downloads, 1 review, 0 screenshots, 4.0 rating
Marathon Classic HUD 1.0
Hopper on Jul 7th 2012
FloatingXHUD M1A1 (ultimate version) 1.0
DADDY Z3RO on Feb 20th 2011
There have been a few renditions of a FloatingX for M1A1, but non of them looked like they belonged in the actual game of Marathon.
This version matches the interface of the real game, and has the same floaty goodness of FloatingX.
The screenshots are actually from Legend, and the version i captured is slightly out of date, so there may be some very very minor differences.
Finally, The Health and Oxygen bars are misaligned by one pixel... Because of this small margin, I cannot correct it. And yes, I have tried.
Notes for version 1.0:
2099 downloads, 2 reviews, 1 screenshot, 4.0 rating
HD M1A1 Weapons in Hand (Beta version) 1.2
General Tacticus on May 11th 2013
This is my first plugin uploaded to this site, it adds hi-res weapon in hand graphics to replace the original, low-res sprites with redone 3d rendered sprites.
Constructive criticism/tips are very welcome.
Notes for version 1.2:
revised the hands a bit more, added 3d weapon items.
2049 downloads, 7 reviews, 1 screenshot, 3.4 rating
HDscenery plugin v1.0
tim4i on Dec 7th 2010
Plugin Version of Visciom 'HDscenery' v1.0 for Marathon.
-For screen shots and details refer to original MOD. -Original Readme enclosed -Released under permission
INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS: 1) Cut & Paste 'HDscenery v1.0.zip' into your 'Plugins' folder in the AlephOne Folder. (Create the folder if you don't have one)
2) Start AlephOne.exe and go to Preferences->Environments->Plugins (Click to Enable/Disable Plugins)
Notes for version v1.0:
Plugin Support Release.
Problems Post on Pfhorums http://www.pfhorums.com/index.php?showtopic=5786&st=20&gopid=86160&#entry86160
2035 downloads, 2 reviews, 0 screenshots, 3.5 rating
3D scenery for M1 1.2
General Tacticus on Nov 16th 2017
Replaces the 2d scenery sprites with 3d models in Marathon 1
Note: works best in shader mode.
Make sure bloom is turned off!
Obviously some errors can't be avoided, but I have done my best to smooth over as many bumps as possible.
Notes for version 1.2:
-Replaced the escape pod model with a much better one
-Changed the pfhor egg to be more like the original (an egg)
1869 downloads, 4 reviews, 4 screenshots, 5.0 rating
M1A1 Netpack 1.0.0
$lave on Dec 10th 2007
M1A1 Netpack Version 1.0
The M1A1 netpack version 1.0 has finally been released coming just short of the goal of 10 maps, it features 8. All maps work with EMFH, while a couple also work for KOTH or KTMWTB. All maps are merged with M1 physics and are ready to be played. Here are the maps:
A Claymaud Patina - KingKidTofu
Scape Goat - KingKidTofu
Bio Mechanical - $lave
Bogyphobia - $lave
Kashmire - $lave
Sit On My Face - $lave
Fatal Attraction - $lave
Flaming Chisels - The Thug
You can check the read me for more details.
Thanks to The Thug and KingKidTofu for contributing maps, and I'd love to see more people contributing in future, enjoy the pack!


text: OFM Talent has cemented itself as Miami's premiere nightlife DJ booking agency and works with nightclubs around the world to provide them the most in-demand DJs. OFM Talent has served Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Dubai, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Louisville, Miami, New York City, Paradise Island, San Francisco, Scottsdale, South Beach, Toronto, and Washington D.C. – among many others. We strive to be a part of making memorable moments and hope you consider us for your next party.


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With all these amazing photos around of everything going on at the current fashion weeks I thought I would do some simple nails inspired by my fave fash capitals!
My base colour was 2 coats of a beautiful french pink from Rimmel London.. this polish dries really quickly and is super shiny and hard so I will be using this lots more. It gives my nails that translucent nude colour that I am loving at the moment!
I then painted on my fave fashion capitals NYC, London and Paris, with a fine nail art brush and finished with a coat of Seche Vite
I am off to Paris in a couple of weeks so more Parisian style mani's to come!!
L xxPin It


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Friday will start with sunny skies and low temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s and will quickly with highs in the low 80s in South Florida.
Sunshine will rule the day with winds out of the Southeast at 10 mph. The rip current risk has lowered today as well.
South Florida will see temps drop to the low 70s Friday night, with mostly fair skies. Highs through the weekend will be in the mid 80s, with plenty of sunshine.
A slight chance of rain is in the forecast for Saturday, but only a few stray showers.


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One on One meeting — valuable feedbackPor Rafael Buzon
One-on-one (1 on 1) refers to a communication made by only two individuals whose the purpose is to give and/or receive feedback.
A one-on-one meeting, when well applied, is an excellent tool for personal development, because it's a alternative channel compared to common annual performance evaluation meetings.
There is no defined agenda established for 1on1 meetings nor a best way to do them. Stay focused on the organization's needs and context, so the best format will emerge. In any case, keep in mind that 1on1s should help you in the following domains:
To know people better
André Faria, manager and CEO of BlueSoft, wrote in his post (in portuguese) that one-on-ones are great tools to know people better. Faria quotes the book "Behind Closed Doors", where the authors, Rothman and Derby, indicate one-on-one meetings as a tool for managers to uncover strengths and weaknesses of their team members, as well as the team members' worries and desires, fears and afflictions, interests and ambitions.
Through this relationship and by the knowledge created from the one-on-ones, the manager might be able to explore all individual potential of his/her team, towards achieving the common goals.
For feedback exchange
The most valuable outcome of a one-on-one meeting is the sincere exchange of feedbacks. To achieve this desirable outcome, some values need to be well accepted and matured: courage, respect and humbleness. Courage to speak roundly what needs to be said, without fears. Respect to speak in a way that does not offend and Humbleness to accept criticism in a good fashion, being able to ackowledge, analyse and deal with that.
A common pitfall that you should be aware of and thus avoid is to make the meeting something heavy and uncomfortable for the parties. It's important to create an environment that allow unjudged talk and avoid excessive demands. If you are a superior to the other party, don't transform the one-on-one into an opportunity to ask explanations or retake on due discussions. Furthermore, if you're hierarchically superior to the other party, in a meeting like these ones, it is most likely to you to have much more to listen than to speak.
One-on-ones as a coaching tool
Developing people and their competencies is one of the main accountabilities of a manager. A one-on-one meeting can be a handy tool to think about the future of that professional, including actions and activities that the participants are willing to develop whith the aid of their superiors.
Coaching is a daily basis activity, but the one-on-ones can be used as check-points to measure the performance against individual goals. Add to coaching the recurring feedback, said earleir, and you should have the cornerstones to build your people development process.
One-on-ones to monitor perceptions
Besides the goals of knowing the people and developing them, the one-on-one meeting can also serve as a thermometer about the project' health from different perspectives. The objectives, in my view, would be two (1) Get to know how disparate are individual opinions about some perspective of a project (Planning for instance), and (2) monitor the equalization (or not) of people's perceptions, as actions are taken during the lifecycle of the project. An example can better depict the situation:
Very recently I started to ask team members to give a grade from 1 to 5 (1 is poor, 5 is great) to seven different perspectives of the project: Planning, Execution, Product, Business Direction, Quality, Architecture and, finally, Management.
The grades are gathered during the one-on-ones and work as great starting points for rich conversations and to understand the opinions set down.
When I have first started collecting these grades, it was noticeable that grades were very different from person to person for all perspective asked, showing that there were different interpretations about the health of the project from that point of view. See the circle in the picture below. It shows the grades given to "Planning" from two distinct members of the team.
After a while, and after actions to bring the team members closer together and other standardizations put in place during the project, we can see that the grades tend to get more similar independently of the person evaluating.
At this point in time, when the grades fall, or climb, it happens similarly among all team members, showing that everybody starts to live experiences from the project in the same way (see in the picture the highlights on Execution and Management).
The numbers about productivity of the team also follow that pattern by having better defined processes being followed by everybody, fluent communication, fluid execution etc…
Finally, a one-on-one meeting, as shown, can be very rich if correcty used and with the rigth principles in place. There are very interesting samples happening in the community, as the Andre Faria's case and also other feedback formats, as the one called Feedback Canvas (portuguese), shared by Mateus Haddad, Webgoal founder.
What about you? Have you had any experience with one-on-one meetings? What practices and formats do you use?


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Year 1 at a glance – what we've accomplished by the numbers from 6/2014 – 6/2015
Number of food distribution partners – 176 (church pantries, social service agencies, community groups)
Mobile community distributions – Four-to-five large scale food distributions every week, taking food directly into struggling neighborhoods.
Total Food Sourced – 18,659,785 pounds
Total Food Distributed – 17,708,564 pounds (enough for 14,757,137 meals)
Cost to distribute 1 pound of food = $.09
Inventory turns:
26 times per year for dry goods
40 times per year for frozen foods
52 times per year for produce, dairy products
If you support a feeding ministry in northeast Florida, chances are high that we are providing food to support to them! Their revenues can be directed to the programs they provide and the clients they serve. Your dollar invested in Feeding Northeast Florida becomes an investment in many other organizations.


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Young drivers at higher risk with passengersPosted On Tue, May 15, 2012
A report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety showed that many young drivers could be increasing their risk of serious injury or death by having one or more passengers in the vehicle with them.
The "Teen Driver Risk in Relation to Age and Number of Passengers" report noted that those drivers between the ages of 16 and 17 with one passenger under the age of 21 had a fatality risk that increased by 44 percent. In addition, the figure doubled when two passengers were in the car, while it quadrupled with three or more passengers.
"We know that carrying young passengers is a huge risk, but it's also a preventable one," said Beth Mosher, director of public affairs for AAA Chicago. "These findings should send a clear message to families that parents can make their teens safer immediately by refusing to allow them to get in the car with other young people, whether they're behind the wheel or in the passenger seat."
AAA added that it is important for parents to get involved in their children's driving decisions. Knowing the state's rules for young drivers with licenses is important, as even if there is no law against passenger limits, parents can still make a decision. Furthermore, being in the car on occasion with a teen driver can help improve their skills.
If a parent is concerned about their child's safety on the road, it may not only be important to speak with them about the dangers of operating a vehicle, but also to be certain that they are sufficiently covered. One of the best ways to achieve this is to compare multiple auto insurance quotes and choose whichever option works best for their situation.
Feedback or questions? Email the editor here.


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Unbreakable (The Legion: Book 1) by Kami Garcia
Genre: YA fiction, supernatural, Supernatural, mystery, adventure, paranormal scavenger hunt
Rating: 4.13 out of 5 stars
Summary: Kennedy's an incredible artist with a photographic memory who lives with her mom after her father abandons them. The worst thing going on in her life is that things didn't work out with her boyfriend….until her mother is murdered and Kennedy is suddenly under attack by vengeance spirits and poltergeists set on killing her too. She runs for it with a van full of teens claiming to be members of The Legion – a centuries old group whose paranormal fighting powers are passed down from generation to generation. They also tell Kennedy that she's one of them, the missing fifth member. Jared and Lukas are twins and grew up learning to fight ghosts with their father and uncle. Alara was raised by her voodoo loving grandmother and Priest is an actual genius who learned everything he knows from his grandfather. But Kennedy didn't even know ghosts and demons existed until one killed her mother. As she struggles to fit in and learn as much as she can as fast as she can, she must also battle with herself over this possible new identity. Could she really be special? Or is she just a mistake like her father said before he left? Most importantly, can she be brave enough to help stop a demon and save the world?
So believe it or not, I was directed to this book by Buzzfeed. (And to a lesser extent our book release list.) I didn't even really need to read this whole list – a YA book recommendation for people who love the TV Show Supernatural? I'm obviously in. This book is pretty much exactly Supernatural except with an actual Scooby gang and with actual girls! With personalities and everything! The book is in first person, told from the point of view of Kennedy who thought she was a mostly normal girl living in a totally normal world – until her mother is killed and all of a sudden her house is being ripped apart by a poltergeist. Luckily, two hot, gun-filled-with-salt-rounds-wielding brothers burst in to save her just in time. Jared (yes, Jared) and Lukas are twins and were raised to be hunters – you know, the family business. Okay except it's a bit more complicated because actually they are members of a secret society formed hundreds of years ago to stop the Illuminati. The Legion always has five members and the position is passed down from generation to generation.
The first group of Legion-ers made the classic mistake of trying to raise a demon to do their bidding. The inevitable happens where they lose control and that demon – Andras – has been hunting them ever since. Usually they operate in secret, each member only knowing how to contact one other member to keep the demon from finding them. That worked until now – Andras killed all five members at the same time, leaving our group of teens in charge of destroying him and saving the world from evil.
Just to get it out of the way, I'll start off by saying this book could not possibly earn a perfect 5 out of 5 from me because for some reason Kennedy has to be in an awkward, cheesy love triangle with the hot brothers. It's pretty annoying, but not annoying enough to ruin the rest of the book so try to ignore these parts and just enjoy the rest! The rest includes the rest of the gang – Alara who knows all kinds of cool voodoo spells and has a cool eyebrow piercing and Priest who is younger than the others, but a complete genius who can make an amazing ghost killing weapons out of pretty much anything, but especially duct tape. The weapons are pretty Supernatural standard – salt rounds and iron, but throws in a lot of other cool stuff that Sam and Dean only wish they had. Too bad they don't have a super cool super genius on their team! Salt and iron also seem to actually destroy the spirits pretty effectively so we get to skip the time consuming burning the bones part.
There's a pretty good variety of paranormal creepies for our gang to fight too – vengeance spirits, demons, poltergeists, weird Jewish evil spirits, etc. The settings that the gang travels to have to be some of the creepiest descriptions I have ever read. Terrifying haunted mansions, a well filled with disgusting muck and murdered spirits, a creepy magic shop full of ventriloquist dummies, a terrifying abandoned orphanage, and finally the scariest prison you could possibly imagine. Even scarier than a prison full of zombies and Lori in that stupid white dress. It is legit scary and seriously – hunters are so crazy brave. I wouldn't go within ten miles of any of these places and they purposefully seek them out!
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters could really use some snark lessons from Joss/Cassie Clare, but in some ways it wasn't bad to have some kids who were just really, honestly trying to avenge their families, save themselves, and make the world a safer place. Except for the love triangle, that was completely unnecessary. But the terrifying locations, the fact that pretty much everything in the book is Supernatural, and fast-paced action really make up for those flaws. I highly, highly recommend reading this fun, scary book – with the lights on, of course.
Obviously, this is going to be a series and I'm really excited for more adventures and more demon hunting. The book left a lot of questions unanswered, but I'm not really mad – I think it left off in a great place, I just wish I had more to read right now. I don't know when Book 2 is coming out, but at least we have Season 9 of Supernatural to keep us company while we wait!
-Horrifying ghosts in terrifying places
-Fast-paced, page-turning action
-Scooby gang
-Everything is Supernatural
-Ugh, stupid love triangle


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Anime World Order Show # 32 - Otakon 2006 Report with Zac "Answerman" Bertschy
Our special guest this week is Zac "Answerman" Bertschy from Anime News Network! We spend the episode giving our con report of Otakon 2006. Clarissa is woefully absent from this recording, but she'll be back next time. If you're lucky.
Click Here to Download
Introduction (0:00 - 3:45)
I guess Jeff Nimoy sounds like Wolfwood as his regular speaking voice. Daryl quickly introduces this episode since he thought there was a pre-recorded intro for this episode but there wasn't. He actually had acute bronchitis at the time this segment was recorded, so that's why his voice sounds kind of off. Thanks to your generous support, we have successfully met our donations goal, so we're getting some brand new audio equipment! For not other reason aside from because Mur Lafferty and Rob Walch told us to, we've ordered one Alesis Multimix8 USB mixer and two M-Audio MobilePre USB preamps. We'll order the third preamp after JACON matches the up to $250 that they so generously offered to do, but it's not like we're going to be battering on their door saying "hey, where's our free money?!" especially when you consider that we don't actually KNOW how to use any of the equipment yet! Alternatively, we could get another $40 in donations and that'd cover the cost of the final preamp right now, but you guys have already done way more than enough, WAY faster than any of us would have imagined.
The Otakon 2006 report constitutes the rest of the show. Here's time markers denoting when we start to talk about certain subjects. Does Zac's voice sounds similar to Alan Chaess to anyone else?
4:45 - What Gerald and Zac expect out of Otakon each year, which ultimately kicks off an East Coast vs West Coast anime fandom feud
8:05 - Getting to the convention and the hassles involved therein...for just Daryl: he referenced The Way of the Gun casually, a movie nobody else likes but him
12:00 - The hell on Earth that is badge pickup and why Baltimore totally sucks: Daryl references the Kentucky Fried Movie once more as well as The Twilight Zone
16:02 - Gerald talks about going to dinner with other podcasters Thursday night, an event Daryl mostly missed because he was one step away from reliving Judgment Night, but Daryl was there just long enough to make most everyone else there despise him, resulting in this rather severe joke. Several people have tried similar initiatives over the years, and all it does is remind Daryl of how depressing it is that even Mike Jittlov is more lovable than he. Worry not, he follows the credo that Toki spoke unto almighty Kenshiro: "turn your sorrow into anger, and move on..."
17:45 - Press access, how unnecessarily difficult it is to obtain at Otakon, and how Otakon's the only anime con where we still had to pay to get in even as press since let's face it, we're not really press that MATTERS...not quite yet, anyway!
23:40 - Badge selection, why it sucked, and why Daryl and Gerald are out of touch with reality
Promo: The Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast (27:20 - 28:07)
Not only did Paul donate the largest single amount to us out of everyone who sent in donations (Daryl's good friend Jason donated just as much, and between the two of them that pretty much covered most everything), he has a podcast where he has VOWED to talk about Highlander 2...WITH HIS MOM. After having already reviewed American Ninja with his mom as well as Godzilla vs the Smog Monster, the next logical step is for the two of them to review Zardoz together.
28:08 - Signs at conventions and the thankful lack thereof at Otakon
30:58 - The con guide, con mini-guide/map/schedule, and how useful/accurate these actually were
37:00 - Staffers at Otakon, the recent trend of anime cons having trouble getting their volunteers/staffers to actually SHOW UP for their shifts, and our dealer's room experience
46:43 - Panel stuff: the toy collecting panel that was contradictory in its message, the Gainax/Ghibli/Studio 4C panels that we were hoping would have been more, and the awesome sentai panel as run by the guy who hosts the Rangercast podcast. We've been told that the people from TV-Nihon have declared this guy anathema because he had the BRAZEN NERVE to show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers at a sentai panel, and according to them "POWER RANGERS ISN'T SENTAI, RAAAAGH!" as if to suggest that they must have all gotten into that terrifying fandom by watching Spectreman on TV right as it came out or something. As a result, they plan to do all they can to ensure he doesn't get the sentai panel next year. If this is indeed true, then that is absolute, total crap. Also, the reason so many people think Gerald has a weird accent is because he pronounces "schedule" as "shed-ule" unless he deliberately thinks not to.
53:00 - Cosplay stuff at Otakon and how most of it wasn't anime-related
Promo: Fast Karate for the Gentleman (54:05 - 55:03)
Now that Daryl has admitted that he steals his jokes from this podcast, more people are listening to it and are able to realize that he was telling the truth for once. It is only fitting that this promo be played right after one more such joke was stolen.
57:03 - The Older Otaku panel that was run by people about our age...hey, wait a second!
1:00:18 - The Madhouse panel and the Mecha Anime Trivia panel which Gerald won - find out how Gerald hates the concept of giving things away that he doesn't like or need to begin with, Zac reiterates his love for Anime Expo, and Daryl uses HIGHLY OFFENSIVE anti-Semitic remarks and Mel Gibson's recent antics for comedy, thus earning this podcast the wrath of anti-defamation groups everywhere!
1:03:35 - I Can't Believe You Haven't Seen This! panel, Your Favorite Anime Sucks, and how Otakon had pretty darn good video room scheduling
1:06:20 - Zac tells us about what REAL press do at anime conventions (sobriety optional)
1:07:43 - The state of industry panels at anime conventions
1:09:58 - Panels that Otakon didn't expect quite so many people to attend: the Kingdom Hearts panel, the 4Chan panel which Gerald and Zac didn't like, and the Oldschool Anime panel which nobody liked
1:15:56 - Zac offers up an idea that is GUARANTEED to make someone FILTHY RICH if they actually implement it
1:18:00 - The podcasting panel as hosted by GeekNights and the Anime News Network panel which Zac was on; Zac plugs some of ANN's future (probably current by now) contests and promotions
1:27:30 - What appears to be the official Otakon response to the various con gripes, and our final thoughts
Closing (1:36:12 - 1:37:55)
The hissing that Daryl was talking about probably disappears once he sets the sampling rate to 22050. Next week, Clarissa will be back as we answer listener emails with Dave Merrill, former Anime Weekend Atlanta con chair and Anime Hell grand poobah, as featured in the documentary Otaku Unite! which is now available on DVD. Dave is officially Smarter Than Us and is someone that Daryl has always aspired to be like, but comes up short time and time again.


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Kochi: Seeking to capitalize on the huge demand for value-added fish products in the country, the Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation (KSCADC) has launched new value-added dry fish products under the brand name 'Drish Kerala'.
Launching the products, Minister for Fisheries, Ports and Excise, Shri K Babu said, "The Kerala Government will set up a fully mechanized manufacturing and processing facility with international standards to produce varieties of fish products. A detailed project report had been prepared and submitted to the National Fisheries Board. The new unit will increase the production capacity from 5 tonnes to 15 tonnes. The new initiative would provide employment opportunities to a large number of women fisher-folk in the coastal areas of the State."
The new Drish Kerala product was launched in the presence of Dominic Presentation, MLA; Ludy Luiz, MLA; Tony Chemmany, Mayor, Kochi Corporation; Mini Antony, IAS, Fisheries Director; Dr K Ampady IIS, KSCADC Managing Director; and Anil B Kalathil, KSCADC Director Board member.
Dr Ampady said they would soon tie-up with distributors across the state to market the new products. "We are first focusing the Kerala market and will scale up operations in other states, particularly in the north-east, in the due course of time."
'Drish Kerala' products are varied types of fish, including Neendakara-Karikkadi, Ashtamudi- Thelli, and Malabar-Natholi, which are dried and processed at the state-of-the-art facility of KSCADC in Shaktikulangara, Kollam. The fish varieties are branded as Neendakara, Ashtamudi and Malabar respectively.
He added 'Drish Kerala' is a high-end quality product processed as per international standards. "The fresh fish procured directly from landing centres are cleaned and pre-processed in modern fish processing plants. It's hygienic, standardized and branded. The ready-to-cook products with optimum salt content and minimum water content are packed in multi-layered transparent pouches providing colour and odour retention."
As per the directives of Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), which provides technology support to KSCADC, fish are dried in UV-protected cabinet driers and with firewood back-up during night and rainy seasons, instead of exposing it to direct sunlight. The product also has many health benefits.
Kerala Biz News


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"Healing Words" by Mark W. Harris
First Parish of Watertown – January 22, 2012
Call to Worship – from "Friendship" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
We have a great deal more kindness than is ever spoken. Despite all the selfishness that chills like east winds, the world, the whole human family is bathed with an element of love like a fine ether. How many persons we meet in houses, whom we scarcely speak to, whom yet we honor, and who honor us! How many we see in the street, or sit with in church, whom, though silently, we warmly rejoice to be with! Read the language of these wandering eye-beams. The heart knoweth.
Reading – from "The Man to Send Rain Clouds" by Leslie Marmon Silko
Sermon – "Healing Words" by Mark W. Harris
When I was 8 or 10 years old, I remember being sick with a sore throat, and needing to go see a doctor. We couldn't get an appointment that day with my regular doctor, but I was feeling pretty poorly. My father said something like, I am sure old Dr. Sauter is available, with my brother chirping in, he'll set you straight. I just wanted to feel better. Dr. Sauter was an elderly, kind old man, who was round like a butterball, very short, and he smoked like a chimney. In between puffs, this owl like man with his round glasses teetering on his nose, placed his cigarette down on an ashtray, and bid me to say AHH!. I was soon done with the examination, which was a good thing since the closet sized, smoke filled room was not aiding the healing process much. I left equipped with a prescription for what appeared to be strep throat. It was probably not so surprising a half century ago to see a physician who smoked, even while there were patients in his office. After all, it seemed like everybody smoked then, and this was prior to the warning labels on packs and lawsuits that netted millions. At one time, people believed that smoking was good for you, and while we know that to be false now, the power of example and suggestion was pretty strong then. Most adults I knew did in fact smoke, including my father. Moreover, all of my favorite baseball players, the passion of my life then, were smokers. Flipping through Life Magazine, I would see Warren Spahn, the left handed pitcher, who I dreamed of being just like one day, puffing away on his Lucky Strike, while standing in the dugout.
So the parent, the healer and the hero in my life were all giving the message that it was alright to smoke. As a child these examples were powerful ones, and certainly did nothing to deter me from smoking, which I ended up doing for many years. The power of suggestion to convince consumers to purchase a product is something marketing companies have employed for years. I saw the example of those I wanted to emulate, and I was easily convinced that the product they used would be good for me, too. It must be a quality product, since these individuals endorse its use. Many of us are naïve consumers convinced by name or reputation, when a product is associated with something we consider reliable or trustworthy. This is true of the words "old" or "foreign," two labels liberal New Englanders like us can be susceptible to. With old, we have the historical and antique lovers, who assume that any old house must be preserved in its original form, even if it turns out it has no lasting architectural value, and its care has been neglected. Liberals sometimes seem convinced that anything foreign must be made better. We make the suggestion that they care more about serving people, and somehow put more care and craft into their products. Yet if you lived with my family when we were in England, and you used the washing machine that drained all the color from my lovely blue shirt, and then subsequently returned to the house at 10 o'clock at night to find a dryer still running that you had turned on at 8:00 a.m., then perhaps your faith in the quality of European products would be shaken. While their washers and dryers are not so reliable, there is no more powerful incentive or suggestion to trust and buy than the use of a British accent on a television commercial. Every other person on television employs the jolly old brogue and we Americans are lulled off into consumer hypnosis with our wallets nearly falling out of our pockets for everything from vacuum cleaners to Geiko insurance.
We all know that some people can be convinced to buy something by a compelling word or a tone of voice. It may seem more interesting, more provocative, or more reliable. What makes us feel better about this purchase? We have a history with their products, friends or even celebrities vouch for them, they are recommended by experts with data to prove their worth, or perhaps the price is right. Consumer purchases are one thing, but by implication, the history, the tone of voice, the expectations and attitude, all play a role in what makes us feel better in our interactions with others. What first led me to write this sermon, was a comment I heard from a relatively new member who was serving as a greeter one day. Another parishioner came in, and the new member apparently felt accosted when she was greeted with a kind of dismissive tone, who are you? This was as if to say, I don't know you, and therefore you must be new here. While we all want church to be a place where we know and trust others, it is also true that we have a fair amount of transience here, and must be open to greeting new faces as we change and grow. Many of us come infrequently, and so even two people who have been around for a while, may not be known to each other. Our attitude may make all the difference in whether a person feels welcome or not. My all time favorite story from our church occurred when a relatively new person, approached a woman who had not been in church recently, and so seemed like a fellow newcomer. As it turned out she had been teaching in the church school for several weeks, and had not been in church. This apparent new person was Andrea, the former minister and my wife. Sauntering up to her, the confident newcomer said, so what do you think of the minister and that sermon?
The attitude, or the tone following the effort to greet them in the first place can make all the difference in the world as to how someone feels about their church experience. If we accost them because they are new to us, or for other reasons, it hardly provides an atmosphere of welcome. They may take their religious journey elsewhere. I recently saw the movie, "My Week with Marilyn," which is the story of Colin, a young British third assistant film director who befriends Marilyn Monroe when she comes to England to prove her real acting abilities in a movie opposite the famous Laurence Olivier. Meeting Olivier's and others demands to get the film in the can, stretches Marilyn's ability to respond with timely, responsible behavior. Colin, who is the least important person on the set, becomes her confidant because he makes no demands on her. Yet she is an emotionally fragile person who has a history of abandonment, who is also aware of the public persona that brings her much adoration and fame. She bounces back and forth between the emotionally needy person who must constantly be assured by her acting coach that she is great and wonderful to the famous icon who poses for and seduces the public into adoring her more and more, and at one point asks Colin, "Shall I be Her?"
Without over-psychoanalyzing who is seducing whom, or if Colin's goal is to turn Marilyn into a real person, and not the public's main dish, we are led to ask what would have healed her of her dis-ease of never feeling loved enough. He cannot turn the idol into a person, and she ends up preying on him to fulfill her needs. Despite her fragility, we do see that he has some success in helping her feel at home in the world, by not asking too much of her, or telling her what she must do, but rather by listening to her, and affirming her, letting her have fun, but still not allowing her to shirk her responsibilities. Whatever the motivation, Colin said the right words to Marilyn to help her feel better, finish the film, and move on.
The kind of healing words we can convey to one another is the kind of relationship Emerson spoke of in his essay on "Friendship." More than mere gossip or trite compliments, or the cover-up of our true thoughts "under a hundred folds," Emerson said we can speak to the conscience of everyone we encounter. He spoke of bringing every person into true relations. "The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it's the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him with his friend." Here in this community we want to be authentic with one another.
Finding the right words or using the power of suggestion to make someone feel better is central to the controversial use of placebos in medicine. A recent article in The New Yorker called "The Power of Nothing" about Ted Kaptchuk, reminded me of a conversation I had with a parishioner in a hospital many years ago. He had a splitting, migraine headache when I entered the room, and probably a visit from the minister was the last thing he wanted. But I stayed and we talked, or rather he talked, and I listened, with but a few leading questions. Perhaps the headache came because he had been alone, and was worried about what was wrong with him, or was anxious about one of his children. Maybe just talking let him forget about what was bothering him. What I can say is that he was with someone, and not alone. And he was talking with someone who was not demanding that he do or be something. Either of these could have relieved his tension, or perhaps it simply went away. I left the room, and he later reported to his wife, tongue in cheek, of the miraculous cure I had induced. Yet there were no special words. The headache was gone after I left.
Kaptchuk, who was an acupuncturist for many years believes that there is an important component of medicine that involves suggestion, ritual and belief. We are not talking about miracle cures here with intercessory prayers, or making tumors go away with meditative visualization, but rather giving ourselves and our loved ones the best possible circumstances in which to respond to medical and emotional challenges. A homeless person, for instance, who is in a safe, beautiful, affirming home surrounding is going to be a lot better off than when he/she lives the lonely, hazardous and harsh life of the city streets. It is as simple as that.
Of course the traditional concept of the placebo is the use of a sugar pill instead of a prescribed drug. The effect was first reported from a battlefield circumstance during World War II when wounded soldiers were being brought in to a field hospital, and the staff ran out of morphine. They administered a saline solution instead, and the soldiers reported they were getting a strong pain reliever. They expected relief, and they got it. Medical professionals might react that this is unproven and irrational, but we need to remember that many people simply want to ask the question, besides heeding the results of science, what else is it that will heal me?
The word "placebo" comes from the Latin, and literally means "I will please." What, we might we ask ourselves, will please us when we are confronted with circumstances of pain or discomfort? While some of us are more susceptible to suggestion than others, and some illnesses are alleviated more by suggestion than others, there is no mistaking the power of atmosphere and attitude to achieve the desired result. When we take the ibuprofen for the headache, we expect the pain to be gone, and we may well start to feel better because we have it in our heads that we will feel better. Talk about suggestion – research shows that bigger pills are better than smaller, and two better than one, and so forth. Part of the reason for this success is that when we prepare ourselves to receive some healing salve, our bodies open to it. The expectation or the suggestion has been made. This can be threatening to medical professionals because it broadens the definition of healing.
Yet there are words, we all need to hear that will make us feel better or even heal us. I remember once having terrible leg cramps that simply would not go away, and calling a friend who was a doctor. We got together, so I was not alone. We talked, and he made some suggestions about diet. It was enough to calm down an anxious me. There is an African proverb which says, "Visitor's footfalls are like medicine; they heal the sick." This is not to demean serious treatment for serious illnesses, but to suggest how important that interaction between doctor and patient is. If there is a level of trust, then the relationship may help us feel better, but too often people are dismissed, rushed, or have to haggle with insurers.
One can imagine the importance of the relationship between healer and injured in the case of Clara Barton ministering to soldiers on the battlefield. During the early days of the Civil War she was upset by the lack of care given to wounded soldiers. She went to Washington to convince the generals to let her go out on the battlefields to help. They agreed, and she spent months bandaging, washing and feeding soldiers, often within range of rifle fire. She went directly to the men where they were lying because wounds left unattended often became infected, and others died of thirst while waiting for help. She said she was strong enough to go to the front. While there was often little that could be done medically, the placebo effect would have been that much stronger with clean care and loving arms to hold the wounded. The water, the bandages, and the compassion turned out to be a saving balm.
In her short story, "The Man to Send Rain Clouds," Leslie Silko describes the death of the grandfather in the simple act of tending sheep. Here words and ritual infuse the world with meaning. The native Laguna Pueblo culture make the dead still significant to the living, and so it is their responsibility to bring plenty of rain so that the earth can be renewed. Their culture blends with the traditional religion of Catholicism and the priest's holy water. At first the priest resists bringing the two worlds together – but finds a common religious sensitivity through the merging of life and death – the ritual means that water will return to replenish the earth. Here there is a bit a magic, but it signifies that the world will continue thanks to the gifts of the dead. The priest heals by letting go of the rigid rules of his faith, and hearing what will please the family. This affirms the integrity of their native tradition. Someone listens, does not makes demands, and they are healed. In Medieval times there were hired mourners for the dead called placebos who would often chant a portion of Psalm 116, which says "I shall walk before the Lord in the lands of the living." This meant the dead still walk around, and still perform service. Before our beloved member Mary Schlivek died she spoke of the hospice workers as singing her out, and we know how Mary will continue to inspire us and serve us, even in death. Healing words mean we give each other the opportunity to speak the truth about the life we live, and give it meaning. That is why people come to church. We need to give everyone the chance to discover that meaning with each other. You are the placebos to life's pain and turmoil when you listen to and befriend one another. To be together in church means that we are not alone, and we provide service even unto death. Here we want everyone to be listened to and received for who they are, not for what we want from them. And in that spirit of community and care, we gather with the expectation of a healing balm.
Closing Words – "Our Jeopardy" by Thomas John Carlisle
It is good to use
best china
treasured dishes
the most genuine goblets
or the oldest lace tablecloth
there is a risk of course
every time we use anything
or anyone shares an inmost
mood or moment
or a fragile cup of revelation
but not to touch
not to handle
not to employ the available
artifacts of being
a human being
that is the quiet crash
the deadly catastrophe
where nothing
is enjoyed or broken
or spoken or spilled
or stained or mended
where nothing is ever
pored over
laughed over
wept over
or found.


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Update: Keppel Corp launches bid for rest of Keppel Land
Latest updates:
- Keppel Land privatisation not predicated on short-term recovery of property sector: KepCorp CEO
- Keppel Corp, Keppel Land to resume trading on Monday: KepCorp CEO
KEPPEL Corporation on Friday launched a voluntary unconditional cash offer for all the remaining shares of its real estate subsidiary, Keppel Land.
Currently, KepCorp owns 54.6 per cent of KepLand.
The base offer price is S$4.38 for each KepLand share. This values Kepland at about S$6.8 billion and represents a premium of 25 per cent, 29 per cent and 28 per cent over the one-month, three-month and six-month volume weighted average prices (VWAPs) of Kepland shares respectively.
KepCorp will raise its offer price to S$4.60 for each KepLand share, if it receives the 90 per cent acceptance threshold required to exercise its rights of compulsory acquisition.
This values KepLand at S$7.1 billion and represents a premium of 31 per cent, 35 per cent and 35 per cent over the one-month, three-month and six-month VWAPs of Kepland shares respectively.
The offer will be funded through a combination of internal cash and borrowings of KepCorp.
KepCorp does not intend to revise the offer price.
Earlier this week:
- Analysts sense special dividend as Keppel Land soars ahead of results
- Keppel Land and Keppel Corp call for trading halt, postpone post-results analyst and media briefing
- Keppel units keep market guessing


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"The Pickwick Papers" was first published serially from 1836 to 1837 under the pseudonym Boz and in book form in 1837. This first fictional work by Dickens was originally commissioned as a series of glorified captions for the work of caricaturist Robert Seymour. His witty, episodic accounts of the kindly, naive Samuel Pickwick and his friends in the Pickwick Club were instantly successful in their own right, however, and made Dickens a literary sensation.
This wonderful Ridgway flow blue plate, circa 1903, is entitled, Mr Pickwick Under Arrest. The wide rose floral border surrounds the comical scene of Mr Pickwick. The plate measures 10" across with a gently scalloped and embossed rim. The backstamp reads "Mr Pickwick Under Arrest - Pickwick by Chas Dickens 1837 - Original Illustrations by R. Seymour & Phiz - Ridgways - England - Rd No 419438". There are no cracks, chips or repairs; overall light crazing.
Ridgway Flow Blue Plate "Mr Pickwick Under Arrest"
since 2003


text: On Wednesday 24 February 2010 18:47:19 Dan Gohman wrote: > SDUse's Prev and Next members implement a use list. Copying them > probably wouldn't immediately break anything, but it wouldn't be > meaningful. I understand that the copied SDUse wouldn't be represented in the list, so I can understand the general reasons for making the copy constructor private. In this case, however, it _may_ be ok. I need to analyze this a bit more. If I can come up with a solution that doesn't require a copy constructor I will of course use that. I can't get a reduced testcase that breaks on trunk but I do have some debug asserts that I'll try on trunk and see if I can get something to fail. There's an iterator issue with ReplaceAllUsesOf. -Dave


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Garuda Indonesia A330-300
Garuda Indonesia has joined SkyTeam as its 20th member, the alliance announced. The national airline of Indonesia, Garuda becomes the second airline from Southeast Asia. SkyTeam said Garuda's membership adds Jakarta as an alternative gateway to and from Southeast Asia, as well as 40 new destinations to SkyTeam's global network served by the alliance. "Garuda's entry into the alliance will give its customers access to SkyTeam's 1,064 destinations that cover more ...
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Woman accused of stealing $42,000 from Yosemite child care center
A 40-year-old Sonora woman is accused of embezzling more than $42,000 from the Yosemite National Park Child Care Center, U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced Tuesday.
Charity Brocchini was served a summons to appear Tuesday in the case, according to a press release from Wagner's office.
A federal grand jury in Fresno on Thursday returned with an indictment, charging her with two counts of wire fraud and one count of embezzlement concerning a program receiving federal funds. Brocchini has been summoned to appear for a Sept. 8 arraignment hearing before Magistrate Judge Stanley A. Boone in Fresno, the news release said.
From 2005 to 2009, Brocchini was the director of the Yosemite National Park Child Care Center and the Yosemite Child Care Center, a nonprofit organization operating child care facilities in Yosemite Valley and El Portal. The indictment says Brocchini embezzled $42,608 by issuing extra paychecks for herself and using the child care center's funds to write checks to herself, pay her personal car and insurance payments, pay her outstanding debts and credit cards, and make personal purchases at retail stores.
The case is the product of an investigation by the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. McKeon is prosecuting the case, according to the release.
If convicted, Brocchini faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.


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Since 1902, conversation hearts have been spreading sweet and sentimental messages of love on Valentine's Day. Always in good taste, the mushy musings of LET'S KISS and PUPPY LOVE have made our tender hearts swoon since we were kids. But once we had kids, however, conversations of the heart began sounding a little less sugary. If […]
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If Parents Wrote Conversation Hearts
February 14, 2016 Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Babble.com, Love and Stuff, The Parent Trap Tagged With: candy heart sayings, candy hearts, conversation hearts, parents, valentine's day


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Touro College Orange County Partnership Award
December 03, 2013
The Orange County Partnership recently honored the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine with the Quality of Life award recognizing excellence in leadership involving the creation, maintenance or enhancement of life in Orange County. TouroCOM will be opening a new campus in Middletown, N.Y. which will result in approximately 1000 new jobs in the area.
Source: Orange County Partnership


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Why do dogs cry at the time of Fajr Azan? This is an incident that I've noticed very often.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
There are many wonders of Allah in His Creation. Dogs are among His Creatures. It is confirmed in a Hadith that dogs see what human beings cannot see.
Abu Dawud reported in his Sunan that Jabir Ibn Abdullah narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said:" If you hear the barking of dogs and the braying of donkeys by night, seek refuge in Allah, as they see what you cannot see". Albani and others classified this Hadith as authentic.
In Sahih Al Jamie', following the above Hadith is stated: ..'And reduce going out when it is quiet( when everybody is indoors at night time) as Allah diffuses by night what He wishes among His Creation, and lock your doors and mention the Name of Allah on them as Satan does not open a locked door on which the Name of Allah was mentioned.."
So, if we contemplate the words of this Hadith along with the words of the Hadith reported by Al Bukhari and Muslim narrated by Abu Hurairah from the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam), it could be possible to interpret the barking of dogs at Fajr time because they see the Satans flee away passing wind. Satans do not flee away at fajr Azan only, but they flee away at every Azan, as stated in the Hadith.
However, the barking of dogs at Fajr time is more noticeable than other times, as this time is usually quiet.
This barking could also because of an ordinary reason as before Fajr there is usually no movement of people and it is quiet, but after Fajr there is a movement so dogs start to bark, because of the noise after the time of quietness. Moreover, the barking of dogs at the time of the Azan could be because of reasons other than what is mentioned. It is a matter of the Unseen on which one cannot be absolutely sure except if Allah informs us about it.
Allah knows best.
You can search for fatwa through many choices


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Gametrailers.com has released a first-look video of Atari's upcoming Test Drive Unlimited 2 title, featuring new gameplay footage and an interview with Eden Games Senior Producer Nour Polloni.
Furthermore, Joystiq.com has released a very interesting preview article, mentioning several interesting details. The article confirms that damage in TDU2 will not affect the car's handling, the physics are described as "immediately accessible". Furthermore, several new previews have been released that can be checked out below as well.
Test Drive Unlimited 2 will be coming to the PC, the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 this fall. New features include the brand-new island of Ibiza, vehicle damage, weather and a full 24-hour day & night cycle.


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So, We're Blogging Now...
Welcome to our new favorite thing - the Trousseau Bridal Blog!
Our intention behind our blog is of providing brides not only a little insight on what we do and most insight into bridal gowns, but a place to look, see, read, laugh, and hopefully feel a little more prepared and relaxed while planning your version of a perfect wedding.
While a lot of our posts will be about the bride specifically (since that's kind of what we do), there will be posts about grooms, bridesmaids, in-laws, locations, venues, flowers, decorations, budgets, vendors, DIYs… let's just say all things wedding! We feel like we can really help brides navigate the world of weddings from top to bottom, ease the stress, and hopefully make it a little more fun – even after buying your dream dress! And, of course, if you need vendor referrals, have more questions, want to see a post on a certain question, let us know.
Our new blog posts will post every Tuesday at noon, so be sure to keep us on your to-do list on your Tuesday lunch break.
See you soon!
Meg & Beth


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Sunday, 26 May 2013 04:38 PM
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Secretary of State John Kerry urged Egypt to act swiftly on economic reforms to secure a $4.8 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan, saying the measures were needed to get more aid from Congress, an American official said Sunday.
Kerry met Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi for about an hour on the sidelines of an African Union summit on Saturday, discussing Syria's civil war, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, human rights in Egypt, and the country's faltering economy, the official said.
Egypt's Islamist-led government has been resistant to introducing the austerity measures needed to win the IMF funding, including raising taxes and cutting fuel subsidies, fearing such painful reforms could provoke social unrest.
However, an IMF deal could help shore up investor and donor concerns after two years of political instability since the overthrow of former president Hosni Mubarak in early 2011. The instability has depressed tourism, a crucial industry for Egypt.
The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Kerry had made the argument that the reforms were necessary to persuade American lawmakers to proceed with further economic support for the country, which borders U.S. ally Israel.
"He urged action on making reforms happen now to move towards requirements to get the IMF package," the official said.
During his first visit to Cairo as secretary of state, on March 3, Kerry told Morsi the United States would provide the first $190 million of $450 million in pledged budget support because of Morsi's commitment to see the IMF process through.
The remainder, however, would depend on the economic reforms, a point Kerry made again in the Ethiopian capital.
"He said . . . we need to be able to show Congress that you have taken the necessary reforms," said the official. "I have been a strong advocate of support for Egypt. I continue to support aid for Egypt, but . . . we need to see reforms in place that will encourage my former colleagues back at home to act."
Kerry served in the Senate for nearly 30 years before becoming the country's top diplomat on Feb. 1.
Egypt has in recent years received about $1.3 billion in military aid from Washington, support that dates back to its signing of a peace treaty with Israel more than 30 years ago. That assistance, however, is not seen as contingent on Egyptian economic reform.
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