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Florida State Holds Off Duke 17-10, Running Back Cam Akers Rushes For 115 Yards
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer // October 15, 2017
ABOVE VIDEO: Highlights from the Seminoles 17-10 win against Duke.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA (Seminoles.com) – Jimbo Fisher has preached the same message to freshman running back Cam Akers over the last few weeks: Keep picking up easy yardage and the big plays will come.
On Saturday afternoon at Duke, the biggest play of Akers' young career came at the biggest moment of Florida State's season.
With the Florida State football team locked in a tight game with the Blue Devils midway through the fourth quarter, Akers took a third-down handoff to his right and broke through the Duke defense for a 42-yard touchdown that proved the difference in FSU's 17-10 victory at Wallace Wade Stadium.
That run capped off another sterling effort for the FSU rushing attack, which, led by Akers (15 carries, 115 yards) and junior Jacques Patrick (18-98), racked up 228 yards and 5.7 yards per carry against a Duke defense that came into the game ranked seventh nationally with 88.0 rushing yards allowed per game.
"We've got to feed off of those guys," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said.
"You've always got to be able to run the football and stop the run. … We're finding an identity running the ball."
Florida State's defense enjoyed a few cathartic moments, too.
After the Seminoles took the lead, Duke had two chances with the ball in the game's final four minutes.
Each time, Charles Kelly's group held firm: The defense forced a three-and-out on Duke's first chance, then held off the Blue Devils' rally on the game's final drive.
Duke made it to FSU's 30-yard line with six seconds to play, but FSU safety Ermon Lane broke up quarterback Daniel Jones' throw to the end zone to seal the victory.
ABOVE VIDEO: Late stops by the defense and key third down conversions by the offense give Florida State a 17-10 win against Duke.
"It's a momentum-builder," safety Derwin James said. "It was overall a good week of practice, a hard week coming off a tough loss. People didn't dwell on it. People came to work and it paid off this week, getting the win."
The Seminoles began the game in near-perfect fashion, taking their opening drive 83 yards in just 12 plays, capped off by a 20-yard touchdown strike from James Blackman to Auden Tate.
That play, however, might not have happened were it not for the work of Patrick, who, on an early third-and-1, broke free from a tackler behind the line of scrimmage and bounced outside for a 3-yard gain.
It was a grind-it-out type of day for Patrick, who averaged 5.4 yards per carry and converted three third-down attempts.
"That's the 'attitude down,'" Patrick said of his third-down runs. "Third down and short? I don't care what the circumstance is, you've got to get that."
That drive kicked off what turned out to be FSU's best offensive day of the season (425 total yards). But despite finishing the game with healthy advantages in yardage (425-315) and time of possession (36:44-23:16), the Seminoles couldn't gain much separation from Duke throughout the afternoon.
A field goal cut FSU's lead to 7-3 midway through the second quarter, and the Blue Devils were driving for more when linebacker Emmett Rice picked off a halfback pass that went awry.
Duke's Daniel Helm appeared to be open down the field, but running back Shaun Wilson's pass was badly off target, A.J. Westbrook tipped it and Rice came down with the first interception of his career.
"That was huge," Fisher said. "That was a big play because they had a guy coming open on it. But that's the thing when you gamble. Our guys were back and got the tip and made a big play."
Ricky Aguayo's 11th-consecutive made field goal made it 10-3 late in the third quarter, but the Blue Devils used a 57-yard pass on third-and-17 to set up a tying touchdown on the ensuing drive.
The fourth quarter then belonged to Akers and Patrick. The two combined for 80 yards on 12 carries in the game's final period, with Fisher calling Akers' number on the third-and-2 play that turned out to be the game-winner.
Akers topped the 100-yard mark for the second time in as many games, and Patrick fell just two yards shy of giving the Seminoles' a pair of 100-yard rushers for the first time in more than a year.
"That's my little brother, man, that's my brother for life," Patrick said about Akers. "It's a great thing to see. … Whoever's name is called, we just go out there and execute."
Added Fisher: "I can't talk about one of them without the other. Those two feed off each other, they play off each other. They're both playing exceptional football right now."
ABOVE VIDEO: Head coach Jimbo Fisher meets with the media after the Seminoles win against Duke.
Blackman, meanwhile, continued his hot streak from the end of last week's Miami game by completing 18 of 21 passes for 197 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Blackman spread the ball around as well as he has in his career, too. Nine different Seminoles caught passes Saturday, led by Nyqwan Murray's five receptions for 81 yards.
Freshman D.J. Matthews (one catch, 12 yards) and senior Jared Jackson (1-3) each caught the first passes of their careers while filling in for the injured Keith Gavin.
"He's been doing real good," Patrick said. "His poise has been big, he knows what to do and he's just doing his job."
Next up for the Seminoles is a chance at payback against reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson and the Louisville Cardinals.
FSU suffered a humbling defeat at Louisville last year, but the Cardinals (4-3, 1-3) are reeling a bit after back-to-back losses to North Carolina State and Boston College.
"They're a high-powered team," safety Derwin James said. "Even though their record is not what they want to be, they're still a great team. Just like us."


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- Multiple Tag Identification
- Secure Data Exchange
- Proximity Ranges up to 90 cm
- High Fidelity Identification
- Maintenance Free
- Flexible Software Options
- Tag Counter Display Option
- CE, DTI, FCC Approved.
Cryptag® 'proximity' readers are compatible with the Cryptag® 'hands free' units described elsewhere. Cryptags® can be identified simultaneously over different ranges at a typical static reading rate of 5 tags per second. Cryptags® can be reported entering or leaving the reader field.
Alternatively, and uniquely to Cryptag® product, the tags can be reported continuously whilst in the field, or on entering and leaving the field. These and other software options which include the creation of sophisticated 'look-up' tables, pairing of tags and tag counter displays, are available.
The readers are available with either a Wiegand, RS232 or Mag-stripe output. The protocol and exact output format can be tailored to specific client requirements.
|RL1/3 controller
|Power requirements
|10.5 to 14 volts DC @ 175ma
|230 x 230 x 40mm
|Temperature range
|-20 to +60°C(non condensing)
|Charcoal Grey
|LED function
|RED or GREEN 'ON'
|Output Formats
|Wiegand, Clock & Data, RS232
All Cryptag® readers operate from 10.5 - 14v DC @ approximately 250 milliamps. All products operate in the temperature range -20ºC to +60ºC. Reader model Nos. include an additional digit to determine if the reader has a 'Flash' memory or not (e.g. Non flash Reader RL1, flash memory version RL3). Full customisation of the readers and tags is possible, for further information contact Identec Ltd. Reading ranges vary with the type of tag and the reader model used.
Please refer to the Cryptag® Products matrix for further information.
Numerous applications have been undertaken to date, these include, but are not limited to:
- Personnel Identification
- Vehicle & Driver Identification
- Business Article Surveillance
- Simultaneous Personnel & Product Tracking and Process Control.
Ordering Information
Order as:
- RL1 non flash unit. Please specify output format (e.g. Clock & Data, Wiegand (stating 26 bit or other), or RS232).
- RL3 flash unit. Please specify output format for new sites, or site details for an existing site.
Technical Details
Download the 1st manual for RL1/3.
Download the datasheet for RL1/3.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Dropping in to La Greppa Tea Room & Bar you are sure to find a large selection of hot and cold drinks to choose from.
A variety of hot drinks:
Dammann Frères® Teas
- Classical Teas
- Ceylon tea,
- Caramel tea,
- Four red fruit tea,
- Linden tea,
- Etc.
To open the presentation click on the image.
Tea culture and more. From tasting to harvesting, drying, selection and transformation, the (herbal) teas on offer at La Greppa belong to that delicate group of products for whom each stage is essential in order to guarantee exceptional quality.
Other hot drinks:
- Coffee,
- Mulled wine,
- Chocolate,
- Etc.
A variety of cold drinks:
Refreshing drinks:
- Beers from Savoie and elsewhere,
- Savoie wines,
- Fruit juices,
- Etc.
See you soon!


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This wouldn't be the month of love without addressing the obvious… yes we know it's cuffing season. Which could only mean one thing, hitching season is slowly creeping around the corner. Yes, my friends, that oh so special time of year when you are either getting married, in a wedding, or a guest. If you are indeed one of those three, or are cursed enough to be all, please forward to the bride or to yourself our simple tips to Chill.Pop.Live at your wedding:
Rule of thumb
Above all this is the one rule you must abide by. If at any time you find yourself performing deep breathing exercises with a paper bag, cursing out your bridesmaids, or only drinking your meals through a straw you must resort to chanting this rule. This is only one day. Yes we know it is a very special day and something you've been waiting for your whole life; but, let's think about it, is it? Reality check, what you've been waiting for your whole life is to finally share it with someone who truly loves you. Yes my friends, out of the seven billion lovable goofs in this world, you have finally found your match. That special him or her who you kiss at night with your mouth guard, who finds your farts somewhat tolerable and sticks around after learning your breasts scream more national geographic than whisper Victoria's Secret. So, above all get excited that you are celebrating your life together and do not, I repeat, do not place all of your focus and anxiety on one day. Remember, before this, the only person who adored you this much is your mother, which brings us to our next point.
Politely declining others opinions
When you say the big I do, expect for multiple opinions, mostly from your parents, but also your friends, bridesmaids, and coworkers. Yes my friends, everyone will be vicariously living through you, so to avoid stress, delegate, delegate, delegate, oh and nod. Remember your best friend, or cousin, or college roomie that you appointed as maid of honor? She is officially head of interference. If we knew football references, this would either be a quarterback or line back or something with a back. Anyway, it is officially her/his job to have your back. This means keeping your bridesmaids in line and your friends checked. Be respectful, be polite, but ultimately be you. Stand firm on those things that are important to you and let go of tradition. Which leads us to our next point… invitations.
Besides the thank you cards, this will be your most off-putting and undesirable task. To make the lift easier, explore paper free options. Before you gasp, remember, this is 2018. Most of your guests have email addresses and wifi, even mifi. So, with one click of a button you can send out all your invites and preserve those chapped lips for better things… like drinking to calm your nerves. If digital invites are not your thing, throw an invite party. Have your bridesmaids help assemble and send your invites. However, try to keep the invites to one sheet of paper. Bonus tip: create your thank you cards at the same time. As you receive each RSVP or gift, you can add a personalized line to the thank you card. The world is your oyster. Get creative and most importantly get going. But to where? Well our location.
Your location will set the mood for your event. But, remember rule #1, this is only one day, so pick a location that is affordable for your lifestyle and budget. You don't need to book that ultra exclusive, 2-year waiting list, super posh historic building. Reality check, you don't want to be paying for that building or your thousands of other wedding costs while you are paying for all your unexpected newlywed bills…that house you fell in love with, that extra pink line on your pregnancy test that you were not planning for, and pet vet bills for when your dog swallows your wedding ring. Think outside the box like the place you first met, that local distillery, or your favorite restaurant. Make it personal, make it you, and most importantly make it fun!
Food & Drinks
The lifeline of your event. Good food can heal all wounds and great drinks will make you forget them. Serve dishes that are you and your betrothed's favorite. If you don't normally order truffle steak with artichoke palm harts, don't serve it at your wedding. A great alternative to sit down dinners is food trucks. For 1/3 of the price of a traditional sit down caterer, you can take your guests on a culinary tour featuring anything from pesto grilled cheese sandwiches to prime rib and lobster. Also, make sure you have a great bartender and Ubers on hand. No matter what happens, your guests will be satisfied if the drinks are flowing and the food is delicious.
Bridal Attire
Finding the perfect dress can be intimidating. The worst thing in the world is to fall in love with your dream dress in a magazine and realize to purchase it you have to fly to Paris and get custom fitted by the designer. The alternative… find multiple dresses, pick out what you like from each dress (neckline, back, fabric, etc.), and design your own. A local dress maker can quickly create your dream concoction and it will be exactly what you want. Both Bonnie-Love and I were inspired by magazine creations and designed our own dresses. We paid, including fabric, under three hundred bucks. Also, we both had our custom made dresses within weeks. Bonnie, who had previously went to fashion school and owned her own boutique, actually made her own dress. Having affordable dresses took off so much pressure off the final day. This will allow you to do fun things like a bachelorette party in Vegas, which leads us to our final point.
Roll the dice, let it fall off the table, onto the floor, and out of the room.
Pretty much everything you plan for is subject to change. Your best friend can bail, your venue can double book, and you can even suffer a massive break out before you get married. However, the one thing that won't fail and the reason you are saying I do is because of that person next to you. Remember as long as you two are there you already have the perfect wedding. If all else fails read rule #1.


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I am headed to a Christmas party tonight and really wanted to bring a special hostess gift. I love the bottle of wine idea like anybody, but decided to step out of the box a little to come up with something different. I was inspired to create something that would last the hostess through the whole season, so I turned to good old paper whites- a bulb that can take 3-6 weeks to bloom. I found a small vase at AC Moore (craft store)..of course used my 50% off coupon...and some small decorative vase filler stones at Target (the Smith and Hawken collection). Believe it or not the city of Philadelphia has no idea what paper white bulbs are (I went and called EVERYWHERE and no one had a clue) so I finally found a 50% off paper white kit at Home Depot and threw everything else out but kept the bulbs. As you can see already, if you shop smartly, this project should cost very little. The stones at Target were $9.99 which I bought because they have a marble look to them, but I have found similar white or grey ones that are as little as $2.99 (Home Depot or craft store).
Here is how to put together your vase:
1. Fill the bottom of the vase/container with your stones. Fill about 1.5-2" high.
2. Nestle your bulbs in the stones, but don't let them touch each other.
3. Fill the stones in around the bulbs to provide support so they do not fall over.
...and literally that's it.
The receiver of the gift should be instructed to fill the vase with water until just under the bulbs. The bulbs should not be resting in water, as they could rot. Keep the vase in a window or area with ample light, keep the water at that level, and as I said above, wait 3-6 weeks for a bloom!
What a simple gift that is fun to put together and the host will think of you for weeks to come! (maybe because you gave them another thing to take care of, but hopefully because the flowers will be so beautiful!)
After you have assembled your vase, wrap it as you desire. I decided to put it in a burlap sack and tied with ribbon, a sprig of decorative "berries", and a few hanging dried citrus.
I hope your host enjoys this!


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by Mickey Spillane ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 1951
Mike Hammer, licensed investigator and a bit too lethal for police and society's rules, sticks it out to the end in a case too hot to handle because of its political and Communistic angles. Latching on to the Moscow pipeline, he is betrayed and becomes a target for the comrades, saves his gal and outthinks the MVD — and saves the country....Slambang-brazen — snarling — fleshy — this is the usual lush pulpery.
Pub Date: March 5, 1951
Page Count: -
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1951
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More by Mickey Spillane
by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins
by Max Brooks ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020
Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).
A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks' latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, "it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people." Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn't know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for "injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you." Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to "immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System," and there's always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from "the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man's heart and lungs." Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.
Pub Date: June 16, 2020
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
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More by Max Brooks
by Max Brooks
More About This Book
by Brit Bennett ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2020
Inseparable identical twin sisters ditch home together, and then one decides to vanish.
The talented Bennett fuels her fiction with secrets—first in her lauded debut, The Mothers (2016), and now in the assured and magnetic story of the Vignes sisters, light-skinned women parked on opposite sides of the color line. Desiree, the "fidgety twin," and Stella, "a smart, careful girl," make their break from stultifying rural Mallard, Louisiana, becoming 16-year-old runaways in 1954 New Orleans. The novel opens 14 years later as Desiree, fleeing a violent marriage in D.C., returns home with a different relative: her 8-year-old daughter, Jude. The gossips are agog: "In Mallard, nobody married dark....Marrying a dark man and dragging his blueblack child all over town was one step too far." Desiree's decision seals Jude's misery in this "colorstruck" place and propels a new generation of flight: Jude escapes on a track scholarship to UCLA. Tending bar as a side job in Beverly Hills, she catches a glimpse of her mother's doppelgänger. Stella, ensconced in White society, is shedding her fur coat. Jude, so Black that strangers routinely stare, is unrecognizable to her aunt. All this is expertly paced, unfurling before the book is half finished; a reader can guess what is coming. Bennett is deeply engaged in the unknowability of other people and the scourge of colorism. The scene in which Stella adopts her White persona is a tour de force of doubling and confusion. It calls up Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, the book's 50-year-old antecedent. Bennett's novel plays with its characters' nagging feelings of being incomplete—for the twins without each other; for Jude's boyfriend, Reese, who is trans and seeks surgery; for their friend Barry, who performs in drag as Bianca. Bennett keeps all these plot threads thrumming and her social commentary crisp. In the second half, Jude spars with her cousin Kennedy, Stella's daughter, a spoiled actress.Kin "[find] each other's lives inscrutable" in this rich, sharp story about the way identity is formed.
Pub Date: June 2, 2020
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
Categories: LITERARY FICTION | GENERAL FICTION
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Aircel has debuted Facebook Voice Update. It will allow their subscribers to update their status on Facebook.
Tag Archives: mobile
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m.myspace.com Myspace Mobile Login Process
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Promising Offspring of our Keta Project
To find clever students at the Keta Senior High Technical School is not that hard, but what Noah does is simply amazing. He is one of the most talented kids at his school and continues to work on our project in Ghana (with Margarete's online support). Voluntarily engaging and working with his colleagues is naturally for him. They founded a "Mobile Learning Society" at the school, are experimenting with robotics (see photo) and most important: approximately half of the group are girls, which is not so common in other schools. Within his new project he and the the "Mobile Learning Society" publish Wikipedia articles and contribute with their work to the free online encyclopedia.
Currently he is collecting money for a drone to give people all over the world an insight to his work, life and great projects. With the drone they can get a better view from above. One of their first filming projects will be a report about salt evaporation in Ghana. Their experiments will be documented in a blog. All together it is a big step forward with the regard to STEM developments launched currently all over the world.
If you are stunned like us, the please consider to donate a small amount of money to his awesome project:
If you can't, then please share his vision to reach as many people as possible!
We would like to say thank you and wish Noah all the best
Modern software development workshops at the UEM Maptuo
The ICT4DMZ project is now running quite a while and after three amazing weeks in Maputo we are one big step further to reach our goals. Philipp and I (Paul Spiesberger) tried to bring the students of the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) in Maputo on the right track.
In more than eight workshops we gave them the tools and the knowledge to start programming for their projects. At the beginning we tried to find out on which level their skills are and what we can expect. From that point on we knew that we will have to give them a short introduction to modern software development in a team as well. Up to that day the students were exchanging code with Dropbox and they had almost no structure or/and organisation for their teamwork. At that time we were glad that Florian and Anders did great work a few months ago. They helped them with team roles and project documentation a lot. So it was not necessary to cover that important part too. In order to give them an easy tool to handle their code and the organisation of their projects, we introduced them to GIT and Bitbucket. The students were impressed by the GIT workshop and we were happy to see over the next days that some of them were porting their "Dropbox projects" to their new GIT repositories. Working with Bitbucket-Issues was not that successful at the beginning, but we are sure that this will change over time. From that point on we were ready for programming and we split up the group by the two projects:
Complaint Center
The goal of this project is to create a website which can handle complaints about a company or a product. It should gather information or feedback and help to improve their services. Philipp started with a short tutorial about the PlayFramework and helped to set everything up. After that he assisted with his expertise as much as he could.
The other group is working on an Android app for students to find POI like lecture rooms, Wifi hotspots or public power plugs at the UEM campus. I started to teach them the basics of Android programming and helped them to set up the project. Since Java programming and developing for Android are quite different, it took a little bit longer to write the first line of code. I tried to explain step by step the important parts and assisted as much as I could.
In total we worked about 27 hours in three weeks with the students. We had some troubles finding the right time slots for all students, since they had different time schedules during their weeks. Especially at the beginning we did some workshops twice, so no one missed the introductions to the technologies. After that, not all students attended to our workshops all the time, but we were never alone.
From now on, we will assist via Skype and e-mail remotely from Austria. We have a good feeling for the outgoing of the projects and hopefully the students keep engaged in the next months as they were during our workshops.
During our stay we also helped the UEM to use Moodle for a first test run. We hope that in the future this modern way of IT supported teaching will be expanded to other lectures and faculties to strengthen the teaching abilities at the UEM.
In addition Philipp and I were working hard on our master thesis. Philipp is doing research on big data for emerging countries and for that he conducted some expert interviews. I am interested in user interface design for mobile devices in emerging countries like Mozambique. So I did a survey with students to find out their mobile phone usage and habits.
Of course we also found time to travel and to take a look at this beautiful country. When you talk to people in Mozambique, experience the beautiful landscape and take the time to look behind the curtain, then you get the feeling that this country is moving fast forward. The question is in which direction. The currently discovered massive resources (minerals, oil, gas) can have a positive or a negative impact to the society. There is also a new party growing really fast and it is gaining more and more influence. In the last few months the country was almost slipping into a new civil war. But one week before we arrived, they managed to find a compromise and elections are going to happen in the future. But I think that despite the fact of great poverty, corruption and the lack of education, Mozambique has the ability to find the way to a great and rich future.
Last but not least I would like to say thank you to Emilio Mosse and Andrei Shindyapin. We are lucky to have this partner and friends in Maputo, who are willing to share their valuable time and love with us. Also a big thank you to the students for their great effort and time!
Philipp and I are excited to continue the work and we are looking forward to meeting our friends in Maputo again.
Modern software development workshops at the UEM Maptuo
was published on 03.03.2014 by Paul Spiesberger. It files under sub saharan africa
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Keta project – looking back
As already mentioned in the last post, our in-service training for teachers in digital media skills in public schools in Ghana at Keta Senior High Technical School is over now and Margarete is back in Austria again. So it's time for a sum-up and some lessons learned.
Here's a group picture of all the participants.
Keta Senior High Technical School is a very large school with about 80 teachers and more than 2,000 pupils (due to Margarete's informations). Some of the teachers participated in our program – it was a voluntary decision to expand their knowledge about information and communication technologies.
In the beginning it was necessary to find out what the teachers wanted to learn – considering the different skills levels of the participants
- figuring out what the best outcome will be
- every day Margarete assessed the interest of the particpants and adjusted her program to the audience
Currently there has been a government program put into place where teachers are given laptops to use them in their courses. The timing of this government program fits nicely with our project.
The projector donated by Fritz, another of our members, was very helpful during the course.
Generally the feedback of the teachers was very good . They expressed their appreciation to learn more about ICT and digital literacy. The participants enhanced their ICT skills during the two weeks course and they developed new ideas for their class teaching. Different methods of pedagogy in class teaching (Ghana / European practice) were figured out.
The topics covered in the course included
- basic ICT literacy
- usage of MS Office programs such as MS Word, MS Excel and MS Powerpoint
- basic internet-skills –how to use internet for better learning and teaching good practice skills (e.g. evaluation of websites)
- how to enhance teaching and learning using digital devices
- creating a digital portfolio (as an example for future teaching experience)
Challenges with the lab
- internet connection only on the last day
- PCs were no too well maintained – many disconnected parts & the working ones were full of viruses
- power outages – but only 1 full day course had to be cancelled
Headmaster Mr. D.K. Sedanu-Kwawu was involved and is very positive and forward-thinking. He is very much interested in the potentials of ICT in teaching and learning.
The day before departure Mr. D.K. Sedanu-Kwawu and Margarete met Mr. Abu Stephen.
- Mr. Abu is Deputy Director-General & Director at the Basic Education Division and reponsible for ICT in education
- Mr. D.K. Sedanu-Kwawu & Mr. Abu are looking forward to further activities
- Keta School could become a pioneer project
It was a very interesting meeting, Mr. Abu already answered to a mail of Margarete – looking for further cooperation
Margarete also met with Dr. Bella Bello Bitugu, country manager of the Right To Play project who handed over Margarete a present on behalf of the Keta School alumnis to Margarete – a wooden stool with the sign of Keta School carved in.
We should continue with this project and plan for a next course, maybe continuing with the same group to widen their experience and build up a Trainee group, or maybe same content with another group of teachers
Organisation of the course and Margarete's arrival and stay in Keta was perfectly fine, the mobile internet (MTN) worked perfect and and allowed her to stay connceted with Florian and Fritz in Austria and Worlali in the Netherlands.
Margarete will try to get Gameli and Eldad involved in an online project in Graz – already
talked with doctor father about this.
Finally we want to express our sincere thanks especially to Gameli Adzaho and to Charles Amega-Selorm who organised everything on the spot and headmaster Mr. D.K. Sedanu-Kwawu. It was very kind of him to offer Keta Senior High Technical School to help make this project a success.
We're looking forward to working with you soon again!
Big thanks and appreciation also to our member Worlali Senyo who initiated the project and virtually kept in touch with everybody during the whole period.
News & pics from our Keta project after two weeks course
The first part of our project in Keta with Margarete Grimus holding the in-service training for teachers in digital media skills in public schools in Ghana at Keta Senior High Technical School has finished now. Margarete has done a great job in these almost three weeks and met some interesting people on the spot – so the next step is to assess the outcomes and possible ways to go further. From what Margarete is writing, however, there will definitely be a next part and we will continue the project.
So before we post a summary and our lessons learned, here's some pictures of the course:
Make sure you check back soon, not to miss our summary.
News from our Keta project after a week course
As already announced, since 6 September our member Margarete Grimus is in Ghana and holding the in-service training for teachers in digital media skills in public schools in Ghana at Keta Senior High Technical School since a week already.
Now here's a short sum up of what she writes about how everything is going:
The course is running alright, we start every day at 8 AM until 1 PM officially – but so far we never stopped before 1:30 PM. […] There are plenty of computers in the computer room, but only 5 are working and they regrettably have viruses. Also, we don't have access to internet. I bought an own internet stick myself on the first day and I'm using that one. There are 12 participants of the course with very different levels of skills, but the spirit is very good. […]
From next week on we'll only start at 3 PM because regular school is commencing.The fact that we don't have internet is quite a constraint in the course contents. Also I cant use the questionnaire I developed upfront. What's very good is that two thirds of the participants have their own laptops with them. […]
It's also very interesting to find out about the didactical aspects, which I find very important. There's something new coming to my mind every day. […] The participants have a portfolio where they are summing up down every day what they learned and everybody is very interested and motivated. […]
We also have some pictures of Margarete at the school and with her hosts which you see above.
So, let's hope internet will be available this week and that there's a lot going forward at the course!
Delayed start for our ICT training for teachers in Ghana
Because of a medical issue we regrettably had to postpone our in-service training for teachers in digital media skills in public schools in Ghana. Due to our initial plan the course should have started already, but we had to delay the start for two weeks. We've been in touch with everybody and have our man Gameli Adzahoon on the spot, so everything is sorted out.
Margarete Grimus will be in Ghana now from 6 September on and will probably split the course on two parts – but Margarete and the participants will plan for this when she's there.
New project: In-service training for teachers in digital media skills in public schools in Ghana
We're proud to announce a new project, which will already start in about two weeks time!
Our members Margarete Grimus and Worlali Senyo have joined up with Gameli Adzaho and Charles Amega-Selorm in Ghana to provide an In-service training for teachers in digital media skills for teaching and learning in public schools in Ghana. The one-month course will already begin in two weeks and will take place at Keta Senior High Technical School. Margarete Grimus, who has extensive knowledge in teaching and adult education in ICT will hold the course and meet with several people on the spot to explore possibilities for further projects in this sector.
The main objective of this pilot project is to equip 15 teachers in public schools with skills in internet research and presentation to support their teaching and learning and ultimately extend it across public schools in Ghana.
I think it's good timing for our project to start now as Ghana has expressed their intentions to use ICT in education a while ago already and confirmed so lately. We hope that the pilot picks up and want to enable the 15 participants to pass on their knowledge to their colleagues – literally teaching the teachers.
Specifically, the project will:
- train teachers how to use computers for the learning in classroom for teaching, lesson notes preparation, and for general research
- provide teachers with skills to use the internet as a resource to improve their teaching (e.g. how to access it, integrating it in class teaching to improve learning, internet literacy and internet safety)
- guide teachers to identify good practice for Maths and Science teaching (in Junior and Senior High schools)
- acquire presentation skills as a way to enhance their lesson delivery to improve learning outcomes in the classroom
- introduce basic skills in research and statistics for evaluation of class/school-projects and scientific writing [from the project proposal]
To hear Gameli Adzaho talk in more detail about the project, check out this link to Coders4Africa Podcast.
We'll keep you posted on the project and upload news and pictures here as soon as it has started.
New project: In-service training for teachers in digital media skills in public schools in Ghana
was published on 08.08.2012 by Florian Sturm. It files under global
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German article – Learning for a Responsible Life with a Global Horizon: Education Projects in Africa
Last month, at the international conference "Interactive and Competence-Orientated Education" in Brussels our member Margarete Grimus presented her article about education in Africa with a focus on ICT. The article is in German, the title "Lernen für ein verantwortliches Leben im globalen Horizont: Bildungsprojekte in Afrika" approximately translates to "Learning for a Responsible Life with a Global Horizon: Education Projects in Africa".
I took the liberty to translate the abstract to English:
The development of the internet has opened perspectives in Africa in the last century which have been hampered by under-developed infrastructure before. The World Wide Web (WWW) can constitute a meaningful contribution to an increase in education standards – if lectureres know the potentials, have the necessary carefulness in dealing with ICTs and implements this in class. Education processes aim at the acquisition of knowledge, skills and approaches, digital literacy is a substantial part of education.
The different weight which is put on sectors such as gender or AIDS in the "first world" and in developing countries is extending experiences in both worlds. Insights in the education scene in Sub Sahara Africa are given with examples of the teacher education in Kano (Nigeria), health education in Cape Town (South Africa) and teacher education in Ghana.
So here you can download the article of Margarete Grimus. Here's also the presentation slides she used:
Here's the link for citation:
Grimus, Margarete. Lernen für ein verantwortliches Leben im globalen Horizont: Bildungsprojekte in Afrika. In: Holz, Oliver; Seebauer, Renate (Hrsg.): Interaktiver und kompetenzorientierter Unterricht. Interactive and Competence-Orientated Education. Verlag Dr. Kovac. Hamburg. S. 124-148 (ISBN: 978-3-8300-6422-0)
Thanks a lot to Margarete for providing this, it's a very interesting read – especially having in mind our own projects.
German article – Learning for a Responsible Life with a Global Horizon: Education Projects in Africa
was published on 19.06.2012 by Florian Sturm. It files under global
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Using ICTs in schools with no electricity
- If you are off-the-grid and need to use batteries, don't used lead car batteries, which can cause big problems if/when they tip over, even if they are commonly available. Use sealed AGM batteries instead.
- Let's be honest: In most cases, there are too few computers in a school for too manystudents, and it is difficult to integrate their use into normal instruction. Don't make things more difficult by segregating computers into their own special rooms (e.g. computer labs). Instead, take the technology to the teachers and students where they are currently teaching and learning — in the classroom itself — and use tools like projectors and interactive whiteboards that impact as many students as possible at one time. (While you're at it, be prepared to spend more on teacher training and support than on the technology itself.)
- Given a choice (and there is a choice more often that you might think!), always search for local products (or, barring that, products that can be assembled locally) instead of immediately looking to import goods from abroad — this can be key to keeping costs down and keeping your supply chain as local as possible. This approach applies as much to the PVC material that they use for the portable 'interactive whiteboards' that they have assembled as to lesson plans, which are developed locally.
- Here's a short promotional video from Cybersmart Africa showing off its work. (A hint: watch it first with the sound off to focus on what classrooms in participating pilot schools actually look like)
- Here are some interviews with school leaders (don't turn the sound down on this one!) and a short explanation of how text messages (SMS) are being used in conjunction with low cost interactive whiteboards to support teachers.
- Cybersmart has also posted 17 student-made videos, put together as a result of a special 'digital storytelling' initiative it sponsored. The idea here was first to gain the confidence and support of parents and community leaders by extend traditional storytelling customs into the digital realm, before moving on to other things. The result: 17 portraits of contemporary village life in Senegal.
Using ICTs in schools with no electricity
was published on 17.11.2011 by Worlali Senyo. It files under east africa, global, sub saharan africa
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Leveraging Information and Communication Technology for the Base Of the Pyramid
Despite possibilities of scaling projects with technology, many technology-based initiatives in social and economic development have failed to make it past early pilot stages or grow to scale. This study by Hystra, in collaboration with Ashoka and TNO, examines what successful ventures within four sectors can teach us about models for scaling Information and Communications Technology (ICT) -based applications and projects aimed at reaching bottom-of-the-pyramid customers (referred to as Base of the Pyramid in the report). The researchers focused specifically on these sectors: education, health, agricultural services, and financial services.
What Did the Study Review?
Initially considering 280 projects as promising models, researchers found that over half were not worth researching because projects lacked sustainability or replicatibility. Many of the projects were dead pilot projects or were small with no sign of the possibility or intent of scaling in size or reach.
From there, researchers homed in on 16 groundbreaking cases. These projects had reached scale (defined as having 10,000 clients or more) or had the potential to do so. All projects were assessed against three criteria: Is the solution solving the (specified) problem? Is the project economically viable? Is the project scalable and replicable? The researchers grouped projects into specific clusters based on business model type. All projects researched were value-added or market-based, because of the researchers' belief that such models increase project sustainability and client investment in the project.
The models that the researchers looked at varied. For instance, researchers asked whether end-users accessed the technology themselves as opposed to being delivered trough an intermediary.
What did the Researchers Find?
Technology for development is a young and dynamic field. And, with many new fields, especially in the area of social change, the rhetoric doesn't measure up to the reality of impact for many projects.
Researchers found, not surprisingly, that many projects turn out not to be sustainable and that those that have reached some semblance of scale are rare. Many ICT4D projects, being donor-funded and donor-driven, are also short-lived and lack an identified, economically viable revenue stream. Additionally, the impact of ICT4D projects is hard to single out and measure. Researchers also found that there are various degrees of financial viability across the education, health, financial and agricultural services sectors studied. The most viable cases could be found in the finance and agricultural services sectors.
The paper goes into great detail about findings, with a chapter dedicated to each business model and sector, detailing different types of capital for different models, pros and cons of models, challenges facing each, and strategies for scaling. The paper also analyzes the state of the education, health, agricultural services, and financial services sectors.
Highlights include:
- Education – while demand is growing for ICT support, without governments procuring the technology, it remains to be seen if there is sufficient purchasing power at the BoP to support technology education services.
- Health – mHealth has the highest proportion of dead pilot programs, especially programs that were grant-funded.
- Agricultural services – some of the largest projects are in this sector, some serving millions of people. The most viable of these over the longer term link individuals with income generation.
- Financial services – by far, the most mature and viable sector with some great successes, according to the research.
What Makes Successful Project?
With this detailed analysis, the researchers were abe to point to some characteristics of successful projects. These include, understandably, a focus on the end-users ability to pay, a project structure that could adjust through trial and error, an ability to capture a large share of customer's mind and wallet (often through related services), and varied revenue stream through a wide-range of services.
The authors also described key challenges encountered by many projects in the four areas investigated: Conflicting and confusing policy frameworks to work through (e.g. telecom and health policies), a lack of understanding of local needs and demands, as well as a lack of technical and sectoral expertise; and inability to find adequate capitalization. Technology, especially when a project is growing, remains an issue as well. Similarly, many of the social entrepreneurs who began a venture lack solid IT expertise.
Some Conclusions
The authors aptly note, that while an entrepreneurial spirit is needed to start successful services, the ability to work with other across sectors is needed for scaling projects to include partnering the public, private and civic spheres. The paper further provides several recommendations. These include, not surprisingly, a solid focus on problem-driven approaches and a bottom-up, customer-centric world view. The authors also recommend supporting existing entrepreneurs, promoting cross-sector synergies, and removing specific barriers to scale. The paper ends with the warning that efforts must be made to reach those who as of yet do not have access to mobiles to minimize the likelihood of further excluding already marginalized populations.
Source: Mobileactive
More details and the full report Click here.
Leveraging Information and Communication Technology for the Base Of the Pyramid
was published on 24.10.2011 by Worlali Senyo. It files under global
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.


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Yesterday was a great success!
Surely few things come closer to an LA experience than cruising beachward in a convertible. It's been forever since I've been in one of those, let alone riding it through Los Angeles. Okay, it wasn't LA proper, but the aesthetic was definitely there. The beach itself was great too, huge big waves to play around with like a child that first discovered the ocean. And it wasn't even that busy. There were a lot of people, but it wasn't packed all that tightly really.
The unofficial Urbit meetup was great too! Got to meet a whole bunch of cool people. Some I had spoken with online before, others showed up because the project seemed vaguely interesting to them and a friend invited them over. And again there was this feeling of "if this all succeeds these early days are going to be so fun to look back on". Just a bunch of people, grilling it up in someone's back yard, shooting the shit about a better future that actually came.
Hopefully! For now, let's just try and somehow get back to SF.
~ Fang


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Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS | Subscribe to Planting The Seeds Of Change
We offer the opportunity to prospects and clients to be our guests to address on air a challenge they are experiencing.
In this episode, Barbara R. is feeling stuck in her progress. While going through the coaching process:
1- she uncovers the real cause of her limited success
2- she explores potential solutions
3- she implements a plan to create a success mindset
Overcome Self-Limiting Beliefs: The Tried and True Process
Making big life transitions like leaving corporate America, moving to a new country, or beginning new relationships can be very exciting, especially when you're going after your long-term goals. The problem comes when you self-sabotage and hold yourself back because of your own self-limiting beliefs.
Getting out of your comfort zone and into new levels of success can unfortunately cause a lot of fear to come up unexpectedly. Even if you're going after things you really want in your life, your self-limiting beliefs can hold you back from actually getting them. During times of big change in your life, events like networking, making new friends, public speaking and more can cause you to clam up.
Today, we'll work through example self-limiting beliefs to show you just what it takes to overcome them.
Challenging Self-Limiting Beliefs of Fear
The anticipation of the unknown can become a great build up of fear. Remember those times you've gone over every possible scenario and decided that the worst was bound to happen? Important events after big changes in your life can seem impossible because of your self-limiting beliefs. This one question might help you start to get back to reality and planning your success.
In an ideal world what would you do to express yourself clearly?
What's preventing you from acting that way?
In any situation where you feel a fear of doing something wrong or presenting yourself in the wrong way, these questions can be powerful tools to solve your self-limiting beliefs. Perhaps you fear that you'll be too pushy in a sales call or not know what to say at a networking event. Those fears are keeping you from communicating and putting yourself out there.
Define what those fears look like and you'll be able to see how they don't apply to your situation. Then, focus on how you want to express yourself instead of how you don't want to come across. When you focus on those positive ideals that you want to emulate like being direct, open, and honest you can successfully communicate in any given situation.
Find Your Motivation
Once you've uncovered what's holding you back and how you'd really like to act, it's time to ask yourself this question:
How does your realization motivate you?
What are you going to do about what you've learned about yourself? It's time to focus on the positive and bring that intention into your interaction. Creating a mantra for your desired approach can be a great way to keep that intention on the top of your mind. Find a saying or sentence that reminds you how untrue your self-limiting beliefs are and how positive you are about moving ahead.
Take the Next Step
Now that you've conquered your self-limiting beliefs, it's time to move forward.
What is your next step?
This is the part where you continue to pursue your goals no matter how scary they might seem. Meet decision makers and leaders in your industry. Join a mastermind. Find a partnership to expand your business. Go forward with your plan to reach success and remember your positive mantra.
You're planting the seeds of change. To get a tree, you begin with a seed. A tree never becomes a tree overnight. This process may need to be repeated, but as you uncover your beliefs and create new intentions, your seed will grow and blossom.
Use Your Time Wisely
Another unconscious self-limiting belief is ineffectively using your time. Is your calendar full, but not with money-making activities? Have you left any time for what you enjoy most? The things you think you should be doing with your time can actually be limiting beliefs.
Using your time effectively is especially important for entrepreneurs. If you don't create income opportunities for yourself, no one else is going to do it. Some of us fall prey to our own helper personality. We want to be there for friends and family, but we end up drained ourselves.
How can you be more effective in your calendar to produce more value?
Take some time to answer this question for yourself and you may uncover another great insight. If you simply shift your energy towards your greater intention, you may see great results in your calendar.
What is your plan to create a more effective schedule?
Write it down in a journal or iPad and review it on a regular basis before your meetings. This will become a habit and you'll be more and more intentional in your activities. Set and communicate your intention to the person that's in front of you to stay on track.
I wish you success in your goals and would be happy to support you in anyway I can. If you're available, vulnerable about challenges, and present in the moment you can come to powerful insights about your self-limiting beliefs. In a trusted coaching relationship, you can have an open conversation that leads you to realizations such as these. Remember to always ask for the support you need.


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Hey all,
Anyone planning to attend the 40th anniversary of the Bikecentennial celebration in Missoula July 15-17th?
A group of Boise Bike Tourist are riding up and would love to know who else may be there. Me, I have to drive but am bringing my bike to ride the Bitterroot trail. Let me know if you are going and maybe we call have a meet and greet.


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Lettuce Wrap
- 8 Months ago
- 4.0
Lettuce wrap is a fiber rich tasty recipe with an added benefit of vitamin-A and vitamin-C along with the benefit of proteins which would be a good choice for the young and old in the family.
Lettuce Wrap
Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Makes 6 wraps
For the Stuffing
• 2 tsp oil
• 2 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• 1/4 cup chopped spring onions
• 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/4 cup finely chopped carrots
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cabbage
• 1/4 cup chopped bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup chopped tofu
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp dry red chilli flakes
Other Ingredients
• 6 lettuce leaves
• 1 tbsp roasted and coarsely powdered peanuts
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil leaves for serving
For the stuffing
1. Heat the oil in a non-stick kadhai, add the garlic, ginger and spring onions and sauté on a medium flame till the onions turn translucent.
2. Add the mushrooms, carrots and cabbage, mix well and sauté on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the bean sprouts, tofu, lemon juice, soya sauce, salt and red chilli flakes and sauté on a medium flame for another minute. Keep aside to cool.
4. Divide the stuffing into 6 equal portions and keep aside.
Proceed with
1. Wash the lettuce leaves, dry them on a towel and keep aside.
2. Place a lettuce leaf on a clean, flat surface and place a portion of the stuffing along one side of the leaf.
3. Add ½ tsp of peanuts and ½ tsp of basil over the stuffing, roll it up gently and secure the roll by inserting a toothpick or tie using a spring onion green.
4. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 5 more wraps.
5. Serve immediately.


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[Contest] Advanced SystemCare pro 6 [Forum Exclusive]
Advanced SystemCare 6.0 has brought a new interface and faster way to clean and speed your system. So if you need a program that cleans out what your computer leaves behind than Advanced SystemCare 6.0 gets the job done. You can just set it up and leave it do it's job with scheduled tasks and no need to worry about having to clean out Temporary files, system optimizations, privacy sweep, etc. Fast scans and easy to use interface gives this to be a good free option for s system care for your computer.
Installation is normal with the welcome, license agreement, install location, install and finish. When you start up the program you'll go with a few steps to get started including the selection of the theme of Advanced SystemCare 6.0.
Advanced SystemCare 6.0 interface has changed and brought some new ways to care for your computer. Advanced SystemCare 6.0 starts off with the simple mode just in case a first time user just wants to run it and not worry about all the info he sees. The simplified mode does a scan for Malware removal, registry fix, privacy sweep, junk files clean, internet boost and shortcuts fix. This gives the beginner user to just run and scan without having to know what he needs to do and if it'll mess up his system.
If you are more into selecting what you want it to scan, then on top you'll change it to expert mode where you'll have more options of what it'll scan. The extra options are the registry defrag, security defense, vulnerability fix, system optimization, disk scan and disk defragment, you can also unselect whichever you don't want it to scan. The scan is quick and you don't have to wait to much to see what it'll need to care.
Advanced SystemCare 6.0 also has a toolbox where it has extra features that you could use. Most of the features in the toolbox are useful and good to know that they are there. In the clean section you have the IObit uninstaller, an easy to use uninstaller which you are able to batch uninstall if you want to uninstall more than one application and does a system restore so that if you mistakenly uninstall something you needed. The other ones are RegistryCleaner(Pro), Disk Cleaner, and file shredder. The File shredder gives you the option to delete files permanently without any traces of the files. The next section is the optimize, which has the smart ram, internet booster(Pro), startup manager, registry defrag, smart defrag and game booster. The Startup manger lets you select and unselect what items you want to start when your computer starts with the option of delaying the application, then also you have the game booster which if you are a gamer and running on the minimum requirements this might help in disabling some background programs and services to help the game run better. The third section is the repair, which gives you access to the undelete if in case you deleted something you didn't want to, a shortcut fixer, disk doctor which finds errors on your disk, win fix(not compatible with Windows 8) and IE helper which manages the IE add-ons, context menu, and restores hijacked settings. The rest of the features include Sysexplorer, process manager, driver manager, IObit unlocker which gives you the availability to unlock files that are in use by other processes. Some of these are new to the toolbox which some will and does come in handy. Here's a good one to mention is the cloned files scanner and empty folder scanner, this two gives you the ability to scan for cloned files and delete or move the one you don't need and find empty folders which you don't need.
The final feature that Advanced SystemCare 6.0 has is the turbo boost which this gives you option to select two types of turbo a work mode or a game mode, then you can select what non-windows services and background applications not to run when you run the mode and the type of power plan you want during that time.
Thoughts and Conclusion
Advanced SystemCare 6.0 has brought some good features which it needed and gives it a good stand with the rest of the system cleaners. The Free version has what you need but the Pro gives you extra features that the free doesn't offer with an automatic service which you can schedule and make it easier to set up and leave it to do what it needs and an active surfing protection which helps protect from malicious website attacks. Beginners or experts might come to use this due to the easiness of just running or setting up and leaving it to do what you have selected. The scans are quick and you can clean and do the task needed without taking too much time in doing them. Visit http://www.iobit.com/advancedsystemcarepro.html to learn more about what it offers.
Reviewed by lmanlo
Click here to Join Advanced system care pro 6 Giveaway!
Category: Contests won, Giveaways and contests


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Samsung Launches Optional "Good Lock" UI for Galaxy S7
Over the past several years, Samsung's home-brewed TouchWiz user interface went through numerous changes, most of which have been arguably for the best. Needless to say, with each new release, TouchWiz UI slowly but surely became less "bloated" and the overall design continued to lean towards a cleaner look akin to Google's Material Design vision. The Samsung Galaxy S7 with its new version of TouchWiz is proof of that, but apparently Samsung wasn't too happy with the idea of abandoning its old ways entirely. Although TouchWiz UI on the Galaxy S7 is quite "clean" compared to previous versions, it looks like Samsung's vision in regards to how a user interface should look like has been transplanted into a new, optional "advanced" UI designed for the latest flagship phones. It's called "Good Lock" and is now available for download on the aforementioned devices through the Samsung Galaxy Apps store.
In a nutshell, Samsung's Good Lock is an optional user interface for the Galaxy S7 series, which revolves mainly around changing the phone's lock screen design. The manufacturer describes the application as "the advanced Samsung System UI", suggesting that Good Lock offers users a more comprehensive lock screen with additional customization options. Sure enough, Good Lock gives users the option to group notification into folders and allows to "Keep" notifications by swiping right, or dismiss them for a certain period of time. Despite its name, however, the application expands to other areas of the user interface aside from the lock screen, and also brings major changes to the Recent apps menu which now shows all the recent applications in "list" format without a preview. It also includes its own apps drawer, which is rather odd considering the fact that the stock app drawer remains active as well. Last but not least, Good Lock redesigns the quick-toggle area in the notification shade and includes a "Routines" feature that lets users change the UI's design based on location or time of day.
With all of the above being said, while Samsung Good Lock adds a handful of new features to stock TouchWiz UI, it seems to do so in a rather disorganized manner. The optional user interface appears to follow its own design guidelines which are more reminiscent of the old, colorful versions of TouchWiz, and this seems to conflict with the rest of the stock TouchWiz UI on the Samsung Galaxy S7, which has been toned down over the years. Ultimately, there's only one way to find out if Good Lock UI is or isn't your cup of tea, so if you happen to own the Samsung Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge you can head down to Samsung's Galaxy Apps store and take the optional lock screen out on a test drive.
The post Samsung Launches Optional "Good Lock" UI for Galaxy S7 appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.


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Author: Robert Saint John
Source: Press Release
Official Japanese Site: Imagi Animation Studios
Imagi Animation Studios announced this week that it will co-produce with Tatsunoko Production a feature-length CG animated film version of Tatsunoko's popular TV anime series, SCIENCE NINJA TEAM GATCHAMAN. Originally produced in 1972, KAGAKU NINJA TAI GATCHAMAN was in many ways the forefather of the live action Super Sentai genre (known in the US as POWER RANGERS), and GATCHAMAN and its sequels were later made popular worldwide through English adaptations such as BATTLE OF THE PLANETS, G-FORCE and EAGLE RIDERS (originally Gatchaman's sequel series, GATCHAMAN II). Gatchaman made its first big screen debut in 1978 with a feature comprised of key episodes from the series and a new orchestral soundtrack, similar to Office Academy's 1977 release, SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO (Uchu Senkan Yamato). More recently, Gatchaman has been undergoing a revival in popularity due in no small part to ADV Film's release of the original and re-mastered episodes of the series on DVD in the U.S.
The original Gatchaman series followed the adventures of a team of 5 young superheroes who worked on behalf of the U.N.'s International Science Organization to protect earth's environment and resources against the villainous terrorist organization Galactor, lead by Berg Katse, and their beast-like machines and biological weapons. According to Imagi's CEO and Vice Chairman Francis Kao, the new film, scheduled for a 2008 release, will still feature the five caped heroes — Ken, Joe, Jun, Jinpei and Ryu — but it will be based on a "completely new and exhilarating story" and the characters "redesigned with a fresh look".
Gatchaman 2008 will be helmed by writer/director Kevin Munroe, who is currently working on another Imagi project, The Weinstein Company's all-CG Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film scheduled for March 2007. "Growing up as a kid, Gatchaman was the first influence that pushed me into the world of animation, comics and writing," Munroe is quoted in the press release. "I'm absolutely thrilled to get the chance to bring the high-flying adventures of Gatchaman to the big screen the way they were always meant to be – huge action mixed with the real human drama that arises when five teenagers must become the heroes of an entire planet. "Gatchaman" is a great next step after "TMNT", not only personally in terms of storytelling and visual scope, but also for Imagi as a production company… Gatchaman is going to be huge, and I couldn't be happier to be a part of it. It's literally a childhood dream come true."


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A couple of years ago someone suggested that I should try qigong (pronounced chi gong), they thought I would like it. I didn't even know what it was so I promptly went off to Google it!
Luckily my first encounter with qigong was with the modern and integrative style of Lee Holden, an American qigong master who has taken all that he has learnt from the traditional masters of the East and distilled it into an engaging style perfect for our modern culture.
After a few months of practicing integrative qigong I was hooked and I wanted to share what I had found so I started teaching classes at some of my local community centres. My knowledge and experience was limited so I enrolled to undertake a Qigong instructor course and through that I received my first taste of traditional qigong. It was a lot different to the integrative style I had been practicing but I enjoyed the experience and there was great value in understanding some of the underpinning fundamentals.
I continued to practice, teach and to explore some of the 2500(!) traditional forms and incorporate into my style various movements and aspects, it was however the integrative style that resonated with me most. Through my experience and teaching of qigong I found my meditation practice and then went on to study mindfulness meditation and began to incorporate different elements of that into my classes and workshops.
am very passionate about my practice and about sharing qigong with others but I was finding there were obstacles in reaching everyday people and popularising qigong as a mainstream wellbeing practice. People either didn't know what it was (or how to pronounce it!!) or they had some encounter with it but didn't find it particularly engaging.
Qigong for me was like the experience of Savansana (the final relaxation posture of lying down after a yoga class) except instead of just at the end - all the way through! Also, that wonderful feeling of relaxation and awareness could be achieved through just a few minutes of practice!
I couldn't understand why more people weren't practicing qigong or interested in trying it so I decided I needed to find out. I went to every qigong class I could find and there were two things I noticed:
1. Every class was different
2. Most classes were not engaging
Some classes consisted of mostly standing postures, basically where you stand in a particular position for an extended period of time - not very engaging and pretty confronting for a first time experience of the practice. Some classes brought together breath work and a few basic movements - also not very engaging, particularly for someone who is overstimulated and consumed by excessive thinking due of their high pressure career or busy lifestyle. Some classes concentrated on walking qigong, I think its great but if you went to a class for the first time and you spent most of it walking in circles waving your arms up and down I can't imagine it would resonate deeply. Other classes focused on internal energy, the idea of moving energy around the body - most people have forgotten they have a body and they certainly can't feel their internal energy!
All of the classes I attended were based on various forms of traditional qigong. Through my experience of these classes I realised why qigong wasn't a popular or mainstream wellbeing practice. Either the general experience of it wasn't engaging and stimulating enough or it was too esoteric.
Traditional qigong is beautiful but like many practices steeped in tradition, it is in my opinion; overly choreographed, static and rigid. To really experience the benefits it requires a long term commitment, patience and hours of practice to perfect and master. While there is much to be esteemed about practice, commitment and mastery, in the context of our fast-paced, overstimulated and busy lifestyles not many people have the desire, time, patience or dedication for a practice like traditional qigong.
While I now understand why qigong isn't a popular and mainstream wellbeing activity I am certainly not deterred from teaching and spreading my integrative qigong style with the world! I have always been pioneering and ready to tackle a challenge so while at times I feel like giving up on my mission to bring integrative qigong to people far and wide. Every day I am reminded as to how much I love practising, I love teaching and I love how it really is something that can help people to improve their health and wellbeing in a time that it is so desperately needed by so many.
If you'd like to try out integrative qigong come to one of my classes or workshops, you'll find details on my website. I also offer private (health insurance rebates apply in some cases) and Skype sessions. Also check out my 'About' page for videos and information on the health benefits.
I hope to see you at a class or workshop soon!
Nicole L Betts
Nicole Betts is an internationally accredited Qigong & Meditation Teacher, Fitness Instructor and Holistic Health Coach.
June 2015


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› Return to the Member Directory
Fitness Center
At the Y, strengthening community is our cause. Every day, we work side-by-side with our neighbors to make sure that everyone, regardless of age, income or background, has the opportunity to learn, grow & thrive. The Fort Worth YMCA consists of 13 branches, including our resident camp location, Camp Carter. The Fort Worth YMCA serves Hood, Tarrant, and Johnson Counties and outlying areas.
The Vision of the YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth is to provide programs that are designed to help youth establish healthy, productive behavior that will enable them to succeed and serve.
Our values embrace the universal truths inherent in relationships with others - Respect, Responsibility, Caring and Honesty.


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You Will Be A King
Sleep my little Kovu
let your dreams take way
one day when you're big and strong
you will be a king
Kovu: Goodnight
Zeira: sleep well my little prince, tomorrow your trainingintensifies
I've been exiled persecuted
left alone with no defense
when I think of what that brute did i get a little tense
but i dream a dream so pretty
that i dont feel so depressed
'coz it soothes my inner kitty
and it helps me get some rest
the sound of Simba's dying gasp
his daughter squealing in my gasp
his lioness's mournful cry
thats my lullaby
now the past i've tried forgetting
and my foes I could forgive
trouble is I know it's petty
but i hate to let them live
so you found yourself somebody who chased Simba up a tree
oh the battle may be bloody
but that kind of works for me
a melody of angry growls
a counterpoint of painful howls
a symphony of death
oh my
thats my lullaby
Scar is gone
but Zeira's still around
to love this little lad...
'til he learns to be a killer
with a lust for being bad!
Sleep ya little termite..I-I mean precious little thing
one day when you're big and strong..
he will be a king!
the pounding of the drums of war
the thrill of Kovu's mighty roar
the joy of vengeance!
I can hear the cheering
Nuke and Vitani:
kovu what a guy
and know the time is nearing
and then our flag will fly...
against a blood red sky!
thats my lullaby


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By Chris Wright
Yes, it may have ended goalless, but last night's first play-off semi-final first leg between Nott'm Forest and Swansea at the City Ground was actually a fairly decent ding-dong of a game.
Despite being reduced to ten men after just 2 minutes, the Swans had the first-half sewn up – leaving stilted Forest looking like the side with the numerical disadvantage for long periods and going close on a number of occasions.
However, it was a different story after the interval as, presumably following a Billy Davies slanging at half-time, Forest seemed to buck up and actively dominate their Welsh opponents – though, admittedly, without ever really looking like they were going to score from open play.
So, 'the usual' then.
Robert Earnshaw did have the ball in the net at one stage, but the Cardiff boyo was a good few yards offside as per and, though Forest really should have landed a penalty during the latter stages of the second-half, the stage now seems set for Swansea to roll us – the perennial play-off bottlers – over at their place on Monday.
The two teams shake hands before kick-off. Note the award-winning carpet of a pitch
Swansea players crowd around referee Mike Dean after having Neil Taylor sent off in the second minute for almost bringing Lewis McGugan's dreams of fatherhood to an abrupt conclusion
High feet or low bonce? Swansea's Ashley Williams and Kris Boyd compete for the ball
Paul Anderson shields the ball from the lively Fabio Borini
Dorus de Vries comes to collect a loose ball
Luke Chambers clears his lines as Angel Rangel closes in
The diminutive Nathan Dyer does his best to hold Chris Gunther at bay
Ashley Williams beats Paul Anderson to the ball
Dorus de Vries makes a comfortable save
Lewis McGugan and Leon Britton battle for an aerial ball
Scott Sinclair and Chris Cohen tussle for the ball
Robert Earnshaw turns to celebrate after nodding home, only to see the goal chalked off for offside
Chris Cohen appeals for a penalty after the ball clearly struck Alan Tate's flapping arm
Dorus de Vries does just enough to ensure Luke Chambers fails to get his header on target
Decked out in a variety of costumes and with obligatory inflatable dragon and sheep in tow, the Swansea fans chant in the stands
Photos courtesy of the PA.


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Michigan Senior Dwelling Improvement Grants
Your private home is a vital a part of your life, one thing you spend
Your private home is a vital a part of your life, one thing you spend money on and revel in for a very long time. The Minor Critical Emergency Residence Restore Program is a collaborative effort by The Housing and Group Improvement Department and Rebuilding Collectively Houston which assists elderly or disabled households with incomes beneath a hundred and twenty{37b352f8fd180c056495075d305a02a21273ddb47979602429c3c6f7ae7f8043} of the Space Median Earnings (AMI).
Get a fair and reasonable estimate utilizing a system widespread to the insurance coverage business. The factor to do is to call a foundation restore building contractor that focuses on this field and have them look into the situation. One of the widespread areas of evaluation shall be fencing restore A fence that is leaning every which way is form of an eye fixed sore for everybody including the neighbours.
As soon as you take the appliance aside, if you can't get it back collectively you are sunk and you would like you'd called a professional for some residence repair advice earlier than you began. Search no additional as Just Loosen up Home Service offers skilled plumbing and electrical services at a reasonable rates.
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Up to now twenty yr interval to be specific, Destin Roofing Contractor have acquired a great number of roof repair requests resulting from storm damages from wind which have impacted many roofs in the larger Destin space. On this video ken is on site, doing a mixture of fence repair and fence replacement.


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4 mistakes to avoid during a website audit
A good website audit is important for getting a holistic view of your site's SEO health. Columnist Pratik Dholakiya explains which mistakes to avoid when conducting a website audit.
As all SEO experts know, ranking in the search engines is a notoriously unpredictable pursuit. Each update can result in a strong, unforeseeable impact. The days of ranking by simply adding keywords to your title tags, header tags and content to get a few backlinks are over. The harsh truth is that a great many businesses struggle to keep up with the changes.
There are a lot of factors that the search engines take into account when determining your standing. Some of the big ones are:
- content quality
- authority
- responsiveness
- website speed
Knowing how exactly to improve upon these is a lot easier said than done. Therefore, there will always be a need to perform a quality audit. Keep in mind that an in-depth audit is not a task you can do in a couple of hours. Depending on the size of your business website, it can take a few days to complete.
Throughout the auditing process, there are several key oversights that can spell disaster for your rankings on the SERPs. Let's talk about four of them.
[Read the full article on Search Engine Land.]
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land. Staff authors are listed here.
We're listening.
Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or our LinkedIn Group.


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Yahoo! is launching its search developer platform SearchMonkey (I don't know why they name it monkey. Maybe because monkeys have some intelligence but only enough to handle trivial tasks?!). Early responses from the blogosphere seem quite positive. So I signed up for an account and played around with it a little bit. A couple of thoughts came to my mind:
First, it's a really cool concept! This will for sure significantly improve search results. Actually, search engines are already showing this type of metadata for queries about maps, stock tickers, celebrities, etc. with Google OneBox and Yahoo! Shortcut. Now SearchMonkey is taking this concept one step further to include broader subjects and more web sites. Just imagine some day you'll get a lot more Google OneBox type search results for a lot more queries.
However, for the technical part, SearchMonkey uses a DOM-based approach (XPath) to do the data extraction (a.k.a. scraping). That is, SearchMonkey is going to have the same disadvantages that all DOM-based approaches are born with. For example, it requires a person (or monkey) to program new XPath expressions for each new site added. Even for old sites you have dealt with before, you still need to constantly come back to re-program them when their HTML layouts are changed. With SearchMonkey, Yahoo! looks to be trying to enlist and organize an army of people (or monkeys, against Google's army of robots, I guess) experienced in scraping and making their works shareable among the community. It is basically like a open-source, teamwork approach.
DOM-based approaches have been around for years, and has become people's choice when you want some smartness in your scraping. But from our experience with the shopping vertical, DOM-based approaches simply don't work so elegantly.
We at ShoppingNotes.com use a fundamentally different approach. We look at not only the DOM structure of an HTML page but also the semantics and many other things inside it. The result is, given any product page from any shopping site, our intelligent software is able to extract its product price and image. The process is fully automated without any involvement of people (or monkeys). That is, no XPath expressions or templates or scripts or whatever need to be programmed for any particular site.
Sounds impossible?! That's most people's response when they first hear about this. In fact, even Wikipedia currently says this is undoable (maybe I should try to get that page revised). Well, maybe not any more. Head to ShoppingNotes.com now and see it working live for yourself! Simply enter any product page URL from any shopping site and your email address, and we'll scrape its product image and price real-time for you. And there are no monkeys working behind the scene as you send in your request:
While with Yahoo! SearchMonkey, you'll need to deal with XML, XSLT, XPath, etc., which may just disqualify many people to be SearchMonkeys who don't understand these things (including me):
So ShoppingNotes.com hopes to be the monkey for you in the shopping vertical so that you don't have to. We do think that our technology will be an interesting complement to the SearchMonkey platform. In fact, we'd be happy to wrap our product scraping function as a SearchMonkey Data Service. What do you guys think?! Anyway, I'm going to the SearchMonkey Launch Party on May 15. I'd be happy to chat about this. Any ideas on how our technology can be used are welcome.
P.S.: Our scraping algorithm is already working with most shopping sites, although we are still fine-tuning it. We know it's not perfect yet, but we are confident that we are heading in the right direction, and that we will get there soon.
Update: I had a chance to meet Amit Kumar, Yahoo! Director and product manager of SearchMonkey, at the Launch Party. He let me know that SearchMonkey indeed has another Web Service interface besides the DOM-based approach I previously mentioned. This makes wrapping our product scraping function as a SearchMonkey Data Service possible (and not difficult). So we'll get started right away. Thanks, Amit!
5 Responses to "ShoppingNotes.com will be the monkey for you re: Yahoo! SearchMonkey"
Markus Says:
May 15th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Hi Meng, I think offering your product scraping function as a SearchMonkey Data Service is an excellent idea.
If nothing else, it would get you great exposure on many levels, the yahooligans included.
Congrats on the launch. I always thought George was a surefire winner!
Alan Brown Says:
May 15th, 2008 at 9:14 am
You lie. We know there are gerbils inside shoppingnotes.com
myyang Says:
May 19th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Markus, thanks for your kind words! I guess I'm still far far away from the 12M+ user base you have (Oh, I'm drooling…). Wish both of us great success!
myyang Says:
May 19th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Alan, no, I tried gerbils but it didn't work. That's why I replaced them with monkeys.
Semantic Shopping Monkeys « The ShoppingNotes blog Says:
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:53 pm
[...] July 3, 2008 Yahoo! SearchMonkey, Yahoo!'s initiative to open up its search engine for third-party developers to add more flavors to the currently text-only search results, sounded like such a great idea that we jumped in as soon as we heard about it. [...]


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|Not a snorkeling day..
I moved my focus onto Marci Marc, a beautiful 7c+ coming right out of the heart of the main cave at Odyssey. The route is 35m long, probably 25 degrees overhanging and pure endurance! It starts with a v4/5 boulder which doesn't add much to the grade as there is a good hands off rest straight after. It then continues up the heart of the cave as a 7c route on reasonable holds until you get to the last set of 3 moves, probably around v4 again, with little rest before it, with big slappy moves off soapy small crimps with massively pumped forearms. (mine were anyway!) In the end I spent a few days on the route, but no cigar. On my last attempt I held the last sloper, and my heel popped a moment later just after I thought I had done it. A lesson learnt to keep concentration! This is one I'll have to finish next time as well!
Not the most productive trip for hard routes for me, but the conditions were really bad which is a good excuse right?! With redpoints usually being made in 28C (shade) heat and tufa blobs having similar consistency to butter! The last few days were good, onsighting some 7a+ and 7b's which for me is an achievement as my onsighting usually isn't that good relatively. Before the trip I had a phobia of 7a+ as I usually fall off them, but I tend to onsight every 7a and most 7b's. Luckly I managed a lot of 7a+ onsights too which is a good mental thing for myself. Tomar did well redpointing a handful of 7b/+'s and Jay did really well onsighting 7b and climbing many more mid 7's very quickly.
A lot of the trip was spent at Babis' bar, with lots of swimming pool antics. It was lush getting a load of sun, and I've now changed colour to a glowing orange with most people probably thinking I've spent a month on a tanning bed in Bristol no doubt. It was a great trip, with loads of fun memories thanks to the entire Bristol crew, Seb, Jochen our german friend, Zach/Sean/Shelby the Americans, Jay and David etc!
|Lobbing Steve
|Shelby doing her silk trapeze
For more photos from the trip, have a look on my FLICKR. Luckly I pulled my finger out this trip with the photo's so there are actually some gems in there.
I might return later in the year to clean up some routes, and as always there was so much left to try, I don't think any amount of time is long enough on the Island. It's a really enticing place to climb. The weather is usually really good, the beach is right there, the crags are mostly very near by, the food is cheap, the people are friendly and the climbing is ridiculous in nature with huge holds, which often turn into caving more than climbing!
I'll post more blog posts soon, as always I become out of touch with blogging. I hope theres some people out there reading this stuff! I'll leave a video of Marci Marc, by Robbie Phillips. The move I came off 3 times was literally the last move in the video before it fades out...
How can 3 and a half weeks go so fast..
I'll be back!!
Time for some fun in the English sun????! I'll be around all summer now for bolt clipping. Give me a call people!


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New and morden splitting basket!
Good news for designlowers! Logmatic team has been released a new splitting basket named "Felt basket". Designed by Martin Pärn and his team (iseasi.ee).
New and morden splitting basket!
The Logmatic™ Wedge Axe is a highly efficient, durable, ergonomically designed tool for splitting firewood and kindling. Safer and more efficient than an axe, easier to use than any comparable product on the market, the Logmatic™ Splitting System is the perfect set of tools to have for splitting wood [...]


text: Made in America, the brown anodized Ken Onion Blur with a stonewashed Elmax blade is the next highly collectible knife in this awesome family. Elmax is widely considered one of the best all purpose stainless steels available at the moment with superior corrosion resistance and edge holding capabilities. Dual angled thumb studs and the SpeedSafe mechanism ensure a smooth one-handed open every time. Includes a two-way clip for tip-up or down, right handed carry. It's a perfect addition to any pocket, take a closer look at www.knifecenter.com.


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Week 24:
Ted and friend came back out to finish the demo they started last week ($280 for their labor). They removed the acoustic ceiling + wood slats and 70 years of bird habitat that was sandwiched between the ceiling and the second story subfloor.
The upper kitchen cupboards and the bulk heads above them were removed:
Temporary supports for the loft were erected and the structural post that sat on the island counter was removed.
Removing the ceiling revealed some questionable structure. Unsupported joist and a badly notched beam:
Also removed the 70s era turned columns and the loft ladder.
Also removed the shingles from what once was the garage roof. ($120 for asbestos sampling).
Maxed out the 10 yard dumpster. We have now had and filled 100 yards worth of dumpsters.
It was a beautiful weekend. Randy came out and painted the front porch ($50 for paint).
Running total for renovation: $43,850


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Facials and Chemical peels are the foundation of excellent skin care. Combine them with an effective home skin care regimen and you have the magic bullet for dramatically slowing down the aging process. The benefits include:
- Keep pores clean and small
- Keep smooth skin texture
- Kill pore clogging bacteria
- Fight acne
- Keep your home care routine in check


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Espresso semifreddo sandwiches
|2 Tbsp
|Water, hot
|10 g
|Instant coffee
|Eggs, 3 whole and 2 for the yolks only
|2 Tbsp
|Coffee liqueur
|1 tsp
|Vanilla extract
|1 cup
|Caster sugar
|2 cups
- Place the coffee, water and liqueur in a bowl and stir until the coffee is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
- Place the eggs, extra yolks, vanilla and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place over a saucepan of simmering water and, using a hand-held electric mixer, beat for 6-8 minutes or until thick and pale.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Whisk the cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold cream and coffee mixture through the egg mixture until well combined.
- Pour into a 2 litre-capacity metal tin and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.
- Sandwich semifreddo between biscuits to serve.


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When it comes to movie sequels, bigger is usually better, right?
In the case of the animated How to Train Your Dragon 2, the answer is yes and no. This time around there are more dragons, characters, explosions, action and at stake, as well as dark scenes.
It's been five years since Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) and his night fury dragon, Toothless, successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. Hiccup is set to succeed his father, Stoick (Gerard Butler), as chief of Berk, but the young man is reluctant because he is not sure he wants to be the village's leader.
While Astrid (America Ferrera), Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races (the island's new favorite contact sport), Hiccup and Toothless journey through the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds.
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When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons.
But things take a turn when Hiccup's mom shows up. Carried away by a dragon 20 years earlier, Valka (Cate Blanchett) has been presumed dead. Instead, she has lived in a utopian-like enclave of dragons, communicating and caring for those wounded by dragon hunters led by the evil Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou).
"You have the heart of a chief. And the soul of a dragon," Valka tells her son.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a touching, quite emotional story about family relationships, but it's also a war story with battle scenes reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings movies—albeit without blood or gore, but it's still not the typical animated combat fare.
On the positive side, the movie values self-sacrifice, good versus evil, being a peacemaker and character building. But the makers of How to Train Your Dragon 2 could have made a more family-friendly flick by taking a less-is-more approach with the movie's darker and mature elements.
Content Watch: How to Train Your Dragon 2 is rated PG for adventure action, some mild rude humor and brief language. The battle scenes are extended and somewhat violent. There is not a lot of gore, but there are casualties. There is a very intense and dark scene involving a character's death about three-fourths of the way into the movie. There is no blood, and the camera cuts away from it, but the scene and build up in nature is scary. There is a funeral reference to Valhalla, located in the Norse mythological city of Asgard. Referencing Norse deities, there are exclamations of "Gods help us all" and "Oh my gods." Valka is first shown donning a tribal mask, while acting like a shaman in connecting with the dragons. Twice, two different pairs of characters kiss each other on the mouth. There is a covert reference to homosexuality. One character is missing an arm, which may frighten younger children. Some of the new dragons may also frighten younger kids.
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Great Resources to help you excel in 2019! #1 John Eckhardt's "Prayers That..." 6-Book Bundle. Prayer helps you overcome anything life throws at you. Get a FREE Bonus with this bundle. #2 Learn to walk in the fullness of your purpose and destiny by living each day with Holy Spirit. Buy a set of Life in the Spirit, get a second set FREE.


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Hey y'all Texas here.
I've always struggled with how exactly to put down fresh compost/soil in a raised bed. I try to not disturb the soil too much and do a lasagna type fashion of rejuvenating soil. However if I have lots of mulch on top, would it be appropriate to rake the mulch to the side, fill the raised beds with new compost, and then rake the mulch back?
I have tried just dumping a new layer of compost, and then a new layer of mulch, but after a year or two the mulch doesnt compost fast enough and I'm left with too woody and mulchy soil.


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The cadisWEBAPP integrates workers on the yard via tablets, mobile computers or PC stations. Gate manager allows mobile users to communicate with planners in real time enabling fast and efficient management of the yard.
The highly configurable protocol functionality allows the documentation of incoming and outgoing vehicles. The captured information serves to fulfil existing documentation requirements and to provide important information needed in subsequent processes.


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Vital Essentials (VE)
Vital Essentials is a fantastic brand with products that come in a variety of shapes and sizes to accommodate the size and eating style of your dog. All VE lines are made, processed, packaged, and frozen in their facility in Wisconsin since 1968! VE also allows tours of their manufacturing facility, no doubt we love the transparency of this company! We also love their VE snacks and bones, when we see raw bones, all we think of is CLEAN TEETH! These bones and snacks are great for new raw feeders, like freeze dried turkey necks, beef tendon, salmon skin. The frozen raw line has no extra added ingredients, spectacular for those pups who don't do well with certain supplements. Checkout all the VE lines below today! If you don't see a product that you love, contact us!