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LayR – Multi Timbral Synthesizer is developed by Living Memory Software'
Available from iTunes App Store
LayR is described as a "massively polyphonic, Multi Timbral Synthesizer" capable of up to 256 voices of multi layered and textured sounds for 64 bit devices. I was a little skeptical initially and expected less. I was wrong. LayR can actually do as it says it can.
Andy Bull created LayR somewhat by accident. He started out with something else in mind, not looking to create a synthesizer. After experiencing some disappointments with some of his iOS synths in a live stage setting, he ended up making something to meet his needs as a live performer. LayR was born, and here we are today able to enjoy the fruits of his labor. So much juicy goodness.
LayR launches with a clean, albeit dark, interface showing the general mix functions of whatever layers make up the selected patch or "performance", as they are called. A performance is a collection of instruments which contain layers of synths. One performance can be as simple or as complicated as desired. The overall results can be astonishing, with layers coming and going in various states and times. There are a lot of excellent presets available that demonstrate the many possibilities and can be great templates to dissect and learn from. Overall it's an exciting synthesizer that will satisfy.
Each layer is its own independent synth with 2 oscillators, each with their own shape and phase states that can be morphed, modulated and filtered. There are 2 ADSRs which can be looped from super fast out to 100 seconds, along with a 3rd ADSR controlling the overall volume. Both of the filters (LP, HP, Band & Notch) can be smoothed with a handy mini filter mixer. The 2 LFOs are well behaved and have several shapes to choose from. At first glance it all seems like a standard twin oscillator synthesizer, but that's forgetting to consider the amazing depth of what can be hundreds of layers playing together in a giant cooperative audio party. You could easily spend days constructing elaborate performances. Pack a lunch.
It's hard to explain just how much detail LayR is able to control better than the above screen shot. As you can see this is thoughtfully designed with a forward looking layer parameter linking tool. This will be indispensable when one gets ambitious, getting deep into greater numbers of layers with parameters that will likely need to be linked, and really helps with keeping the intended order together without needing to try and remember what was where or having to constantly switch back and forth to make sure certain layers have the same behaviors. Just link them in sets of parameter groups. My inner synth nerd did backflips when I first discovered this clever tool. You can also copy and paste one parameter to another.
The 16 step multi channel arpeggiator is quite robust. This screenshot (above) should convey how carefully it was designed to give the user a rich midi routing capability that works reliably. Up to 8 event tracks can be set up with their own synth layer, making for some very lively compositions. While getting acquainted with LayR I found some presets that were impressive and inspiring. Some had multiple synths of varied arp events, all playing together with the touch of a single key. Event notes are visible by the flash of the corresponding key as played by the arpeggiator assignments.
The in-app help can be accessed at any time should there be a need, so even someone new to multi channel arpeggiators can learn to create their own routes for their project with a minimal learning curve.
Getting back to the graphical interface, its design uses symbols relevant to each parameter control. Most experienced synth users should understand what they mean but it might also be a little unfamiliar to others more accustomed with text identifiers. Those not used to this will become best friends with the top right corner info button within the first hours. Eventually it becomes second nature. The scale and key can be set, as well as an option for a colorful keyboard if all black isn't desired. The keyboard can be adjusted in size, range, scrolled or locked.
LayR has 3 sound effects; Reverb, Delay and a 3 Band EQ. The FX are competent and useful but not particularly noteworthy.
Inter-app audio and Audiobus are supported, but not AU. I feel like the lack of AU support is for a good reason. Might be because the current iOS AU systems can't quite keep up yet with something so intensive as LayR. Perhaps that will change in the future?
I spent several days digging into LayR and found it to be a wonderful experience. Great sound, nice quality filters, excellent morphing and an overall magnificent synthesizer. It truly excels when put to the test of making many layers of timbres, multi channel arpeggios and wildly evolving soundscapes. LayR is no slouch by any means and should fit in everybody's collection.
I highly recommend LayR. Be sure to check out the developers Website for a more specific feature list and links to helpful tutorial videos.
Massive Update April 20 2018 V 1.2
Audio Unit: LayR now includes a fully functional audio unit version with a dynamic user interface that adapts to the available screen space.
PDF Manual: The old help system is replaced by a comprehensive manual which can be read in-app or exported to your preferred PDF reader.
Improved User Interface: The entire UI has been given a modern facelift including pinch to zoom, double tap to zoom and fully labelled controls in the Layer Editor.
Instrument Mixer Drag & Drop: Instrument and Layer strips can now be re-arranged in the Instrument Mixer. Layers can be converted to new Instruments or copied between instruments with drag and drop.
MIDI Controller Mixer: A new panel that sports optional sliders for Channel Volumes and every MIDI cc that's been assigned to the current performance. Allows users to perform live MIDI controller mixing in-app. Can also be used to query which parameters have been assigned to MIDI and in which Instrument/Layer they are located.
Arpeggio Sequencer: The arpeggiator gets a more descriptive name and some cool additions including new event types, new playback modes and the ability to set mode, speed and length per track.
Modulation Matrix: Modulation sources in the Layer Editor can now be routed to any destination.
Improved Oscillator: The oscillator gets Coarse/Fine tuning and "Fixed Mode" which decouples the oscillator from the MIDI keyboard. Also FM has been greatly improved with a new mode allowing modulation over the full audio range.
LFO Sync Mode: Keeps LFOs in all playing voices synced to the same phase as each other.
Wave Folder Pitch Adjust: The amount of folding is now reduced as notes get higher, this helps reduce aliasing artifacts that may be introduced by the folder when processing high frequency content.
Legacy Mode: A experimental option that keeps LayR's engine to a fixed lower CPU usage, this will hopefully extend LayR's lifetime for users with older, lower powered iOS devices.
Light Colour Scheme: An optional lighter colour scheme for use in bright daylight conditions.
2nd MIDI Input Port: For stand-alone app: A port which listens on all channels for MIDI Bank Select/Program messages, this port can be used to select Performance presets while allowing the other input port to use all 16 channels for multi-timbral use.
New Presets: A whole new bank of 36 presets by Sky Runner and another new bank dedicated to individual user presets.


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Absolute right
A right that is so fundamental that it can never be interfered with, for example, the right not to be tortured.
Where this is referred to, it refers to a person belonging to a particular age (e.g. 32 year olds) or range of ages (e.g. 18 - 30 year olds).
A draft Act, still being considered by Parliament.
Civil and Political rights
The rights of individuals to liberty and equality; sometimes referred to as first generation rights. Civil and political rights include freedom to worship, freedom of thought and expression, to vote, to take part in political life such as voting, to freely associate and to have access to information.
A type of treaty (formal agreement between country leaders, politicians and states on a matter which involves them all). This is a binding agreement that states are obliged to uphold, but it usually does not have any legal force, and individuals are not usually able to take action. The exception is the European Convention on Human Rights, which is legally binding in the UK.
Another type of treaty; a binding agreement to do or keep from doing a specified thing. Examples include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, developed by the UN and in force since 1976.
Council of Europe
An organisation that was founded in 1949, with the aim to develop common and democratic principles throughout Europe based on the European Convention on Human Rights. This is not a part of the European Union but has a wider membership, covering countries such as Russia, Turkey and some of the former Soviet Union states. Any country that wishes to join the European Union must be a full member of the Council of Europe.
A document agreeing upon certain standards, but one that is not legally binding, for example, the UDHR.
Widely varied. In the sense of a diverse population, people are from a range of backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures.
Direct discrimination
This refers to less favourable treatment against an individual because of that person's protected characteristic.
A value owed to all humans, to be treated with respect.
A person has a disability if s/he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
Economic, Social and Cultural rights
Rights that concern the production, development, and management of material for the necessities of life. Rights that give people social and economic security, sometimes referred to as security-oriented or second generation rights. Examples are the right to food, shelter, education and health care.
Equality is about ensuring that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents, and believing that no one should have poorer life chances because of where, what or whom they were born, or because of other characteristics. Equality recognises that historically, certain groups of people with particular characteristics e.g. those of certain races, disabled people, women and gays and lesbians, have experienced discrimination.
Gender reassignment
The process of transitioning from one gender to another.
Unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic that has the purpose or effect of violating a person's dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. It may also involve unwanted conduct of a sexual nature or be related to gender reassignment or sex. The conduct can either be a serious one-off event or be a 'course of conduct', i.e. it happens on a number of occasions.
Human rights
Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled. They ensure people can live freely and that they are able to flourish, reach their potential and participate in society. They ensure that people are treated fairly and with dignity and respect. You have human rights simply because you are human and they cannot be taken away.
The characteristics and qualities of a person, considered collectively, and regarded as essential to that person's self-awareness.
Something that cannot be taken away. We have human rights simply because we are human. We cannot give these rights away nor can they be taken from us by anybody (although they can be limited or qualified in certain circumstances).
Indirect discrimination
This is when a provision, criterion or practice is applied in a way that creates disproportionate disadvantage for a person with a protected characteristic as compared to those who do not share that characteristic, and this is not a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
Something that cannot be divided. There are many different types of human rights, Civil and Political, Economic, Social and Cultural, and the principle of these rights being indivisible means that they are inextricably linked. As stated at the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights in 1993, 'All human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent and related.'
The moral principle ensuring fairness and reasonableness in the way people are treated, as well as the administration of the law, and the authority in maintaining this process. This is a value the European Convention on Human Rights was founded on, although it is not mentioned in the actual text.
Legal rights
Rights that are laid down in law and can be defended and brought before courts of law.
Law made by the UK Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, and the Welsh Assembly.
Limited right
A right that can be restricted only in some strictly defined circumstances, e.g. the right to liberty can only be restricted in certain circumstances, for example, if you have been convicted of a crime or are mentally ill and pose a serious risk of harm to yourself or to others.
Marriage and civil partnership
Marriage is defined as a 'union between a man and a woman'. Same-sex couples can have their relationships legally recognised as 'civil partnerships'. Civil partners must be treated the same as married couples in a wide range of circumstances, such as employment, education, service provision and housing. Failure to do so would amount to discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.
Positive action
Lawful actions that seeks to overcome or minimise disadvantages that people who share a protected characteristic have experienced, or to meet their different needs (e.g. providing mentoring to encourage staff from under-represented groups to apply for promotion).
Positive Discrimination
Treating someone with a protected characteristic more favourably to counteract the effects of past discrimination. It is generally not lawful although the duty to make reasonable adjustments is an exception where treating a disabled person more favourably may be required by law, so it is legitimate to provide reasonable adjustments which favour of a disabled person.
Pregnancy and maternity
Pregnancy is the condition of being pregnant or expecting a baby. Maternity refers to the period after the birth, and is linked to maternity leave in the employment context. In the non-work context, protection against maternity discrimination is for 26 weeks after giving birth, and this includes treating a woman unfavourably because she is breastfeeding. After 26 weeks, sex discrimination protection applies.
Judging someone without knowing them, on the basis of what they look like or what group they belong to, e.g. all black people are good dancers.
Primary legislation
An Act of Parliament that goes through a full process of scrutiny by both the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
Protected characteristics
These are the grounds upon which discrimination is unlawful. The characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
A new treaty which modifies another treaty (generally adding additional procedures or substantive provisions). The European Convention on Human Rights has 13 protocols, separate treaties to update the original, added gradually between 1952 and 2002.
Public authority
Organisations and individuals that carry out public functions - this would include government departments, local authorities, health authorities and hospitals, schools, prisons, and police for example.
Public bodies (Non-Departmental)
Public bodies are defined as bodies which have a role in the processes of national Government but are not a Government department or part of one. They operate to a greater or lesser extent at arm's length from Ministers, and include the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Public sector equality duty
The duty on a public authority when carrying out its functions to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, foster good relations and advance equality of opportunity.
Qualified right
A right that can be restricted in circumstances where it is in the interest of the wider community, for example, the right to freedom of expression.
Refers to the protected characteristic of Race. It refers to a group of people defined by their race, colour, and nationality (including citizenship), ethnic or national origins.
Treating someone unfairly because of their race, colour, nationality or ethnic or national origins.
The formal procedure by a state to finalise an agreement, Convention or Treaty, making it official and binding.
Reasonable Adjustment
The duty on schools to make reasonable adjustments requires schools to take positive steps to ensure that disabled pupils can fully participate in education provided by the school, and that they can enjoy the other benefits, facilities and services which schools provide for pupils. This duty goes beyond simply avoiding discrimination, and requires schools to anticipate the needs of potential pupils for reasonable adjustments, as well as recognising that a disabled pupil's needs may change over time.
Taking into account the views and desires of others in how you treat people.
Religion or belief
Religion has the meaning usually given to it but belief includes religious and philosophical beliefs including lack of belief (e.g. Atheism). Generally, a belief should affect your life choices or the way you live for it to be included in the definition.
A right is a moral or legal entitlement to have or do something.
A man or a woman.
Sexual orientation
Whether a person's sexual attraction is towards their own sex, the opposite sex or to both sexes.
Often synonymous with 'country'; a group of people permanently occupying a fixed territory having common laws and government and capable of conducting international affairs.
Thinking all people who belong to a certain group are the same and labelling them, e.g. all young people who wear hoodies are thugs and all effeminate men are gay.
An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and / or gender expression differs from their birth sex. They may or may not seek to undergo gender reassignment, including hormonal treatment and/or surgery. Often used interchangeably with 'trans'.
A written agreement between two or more states formally approved and signed by their leaders, or between the UN and a member state.
United Nations
An organisation that was founded in 1945, with the aim to facilitate world wide cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues.
United Nations Charter
Initial document of the UN setting forth its goals, functions, and responsibilities; adopted in San Francisco in 1945.
Something that applies everywhere and in all cases. Human rights are universal; they belong to everyone who is part of the human family.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
Primary United Nations document establishing human rights standards. It was adopted by the general assembly on 10 December 1948.
'Values are principles, fundamental convictions, ideals, standards or life stances which act as general guides to behaviour or as points of reference in decision-making or the evaluation of beliefs or actions and which are closely connected to personal integrity and personal identity.' (Halstead, 1996, p5). Halstead, J.M. (1996) 'Values and Values Education in Schools'.
Subjecting a person to a detriment because they have done a protected act or there is a belief that they have done a protected act i.e. bringing proceedings under the Equality Act 2010; giving evidence or information in connection with proceedings under the Act; doing any other thing for the purposes or in connection with the Act; making an allegation that a person has contravened the Act.
Last updated: 16 May 2016

subset: commoncrawl


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Self sustaining mechanism
Our goal is to bring scientists, policy-makers and others together to ensure that decisions that affect the environment are made with the best available knowledge. This is a long-term goal, not one limited to the life of the four year EKLIPSE project.
We therefore aim to create a mechanism that will be sustained after the EKLIPSE project is finished. This self-sustaining mechanism will be created and developed during the project. To ensure the mechanism's sustainability we have installed a Business Plan Group which is currently developing a business plan. Our vision is to create a flexible, durable but innovative, challenging but ethical mechanism for evidence-informed decision-making affecting biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Once established, the self-sustaining mechanism will be handed over to the wider community of institutions, knowledge holders and stakeholders.
Over the life of the project we will report on the progress being made in establishing this self-sustaining mechanism.


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Hi readers, it's that time of year again when Tina and myself have lots of fun going through our reviews of the past year and choose our favourites to share with you! And, wow, there are so many it is difficult to narrow them down!
This is the end of our second full year and we cannot thank you all enough for following us and sharing our posts. We have made so many friends, be they authors, bloggers, agents, publishers and more, it has been overwhelming. We have received our first Christmas card from Australia (pictured), which was an absolute pleasure to receive. It's amazing to see the sun and summer holiday reminders when the usual card for us is full of snow, log fires and dark evenings.
We hope that you have had a great year and are looking forward to the festive season. We are looking forward to sharing it with you. And I hope that you enjoy us sharing our favourite reads. Tina's Top Reads will also be coming your way very soon. And here are mine!
Please click on the titles for my full review and much more info!
Contemporary Romance
Books of this genre and some contemporary rom-coms have been a big hit for me this year, and Helena Fairfax's The Silk Romance was an absolute pleasure to read. It was written so beautifully, powerfully and thoughtfully, and certainly a read you will not forget! It is a Cinderella-type story that is highly intense and completely grips the reader. I have also likened it to some high-profile romance movies in my review as some aspects are similar and captivating!
The Love of Marisol by Christos Toulouras is a short story of love and loss, but with the possibility of finding new love after. It is, again, very powerful and emotive, beginning as quite a dark and realistic read (although fiction). Taking only around an hour to read, it was one of my favourite reading hours of the year!
Contemporary Rom-Coms
As well as the serious side of romance, it is always uplifting and refreshing to read some fun reads, even though they still hold a serious undertone. The book that enlightened me in this manner is C.J. Pinard's Boots Beneath My Bed (Miranda's Story) (Duty & Desire #3). It is my favourite book of the Duty & Desire series. It is a light-hearted, fun and cheeky read. And I love how C.J. Pinard follows both Miranda's career, as well as her romances, and at the same time the reader sees a different side to the friendship that Miranda has with Cara.
Wanting to read a seasonal book at the time, I thoroughly enjoyed An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson. It was a Bridget Jones style read, with plenty of humour and a real feel-good and refreshing feel that really captured the time of year. And with some sombre storylines for some characters it has an awful lot going on, but is still relaxing and fun to read.
Historical Romance
Lucy Oliver's novella Summer in Rye is an incredibly intense short story, with power and the ability to grip the reader. Following a new governess to children that have been badly affected by smallpox, and a master that is tyrannical, Eva only has one choice: to turn to the master's brother, who was once engaged to her. Passion reignites between these two, but after he lied before, can Eva really accept him back?
To top off my favourite paranormal reads is Tim O'Rourke's Vampire Flappers (Samantha Carter #1.5). Last year the first of the series, Vampire Seeker, was one of my favourites, and again this series has really thrilled me. It has everything from vamps, shifters, action/adventure and time travel! The romance and passion is also very intense, making for a very HOT read! This is a series not to be missed, and I cannot wait to review Vampire Watchmen (Samantha Carter #2) in the new year!
And, not always a huge fan of short stories, this year has certainly changed my point of view. I used to think that to create great characters that full novels would be more fulfilling. However, there are a number of short stories in my top reads this year and a certain series of short stories really blew my mind – Alisa Woods' True Alpha series. There are six shifter stories, which follow Mia and shifter Lucas, their attraction and heat for each other! Yet, the dilemma is that Lucas lost his last mate, and being to close to another is just not an option. But, when rival shifters kidnap Mia, Lucas has to face his true feelings. Each story is complete with action, heat and intensity. Shifter fans will LOVE this series. Here are the links to each review:-
I am also hoping to review another short A True Alpha Christmas over the coming days before the big day. And, in the new year Alisa Woods will be releasing her Dark Alpha short story series!
Now, for my second entry of author C.J. Pinard we have Soul Rebel. This is my favourite novel of C.J.'s. With plenty of action, suspense and romance it really does have it all. The characters and storyline are brilliant. Nolan loses his soul during a kiss with a female succubus in a nightclub and he only has 7 days to claim his soul back! Time constraints cause the tension and really make the pace quick. Plus there are many surprises which make it an exciting read.
Recommended for the younger adult (15yrs+) Blue Moon (The Blue Crystal trilogy #1) by Pat Spence is an enchanting and fairytale-like read with supernatural mystery and horror. It is highly recommended to fans of the Twilight saga, but without the vamps. It follows the idea of eternal youth, ancient links and an attraction between Emily (17) and the handsome Theo. It is highly emotive, with a great eerie atmosphere as the reader gets sucked in to the mystery. Blue Moon is a fantastic beginning to this trilogy.
This year saw the final instalment of Tim O'Rourke's Moon trilogy, Moonshine (The Moon trilogy, #3). A paranormal horror series that has it all; action and adventure, vamps, weres, heart-warming moments and plenty of surprises. The running theme through the trilogy is whether or not vamps and weres can exist in peace together. Or, will they both have to try and annihilate each other? Will the love of Winnie be enough to hold it all together? (Clicking on the links for books 2 and 3 may spoil the storyline for those who haven't read book one.)
Moonlight (The Moon Trilogy #1)
Moonbeam (The Moon Trilogy #2)
Crime Thriller
Cold Call by Colin Llewelyn Chapman, was an instant like for me. After being likened to author Martina Cole, Luther (BBC tv series) and with a pinch of Fifty Shades, Cold Call proved to be a gritty, well-planned read that follows both the suspect and the police with their investigation into the deaths of several women from seedy backgrounds. This is another read with surprises along the way that will keep you gripped until the end.
Dustin Stevens' 21 Hours is full of action and suspense as an uncle and ex-con is attempting to save his two year old niece after she has been kidnapped. Being an ex-con he is not entirely trusted by the authorities, but he is so desperate that he will do anything! I have likened it to some action movies, such as Lethal Weapon, Commando, Ransom and Con Air as there are some elements of these in the book and especially in they way it left me feeling after I had read it. It is also another read that is quick-paced, partly due to the time that it is believed that the young girl has left!
Ooh, and now for some Festive Contemporary reads
As an added treat, and because they were brilliant reads, I thought I would share the following two festive reads:
C.L. Scholey's Candy Cain is a short 55 page read that is festive, hot and full of suspense. After being snowed in during a blizzard and left on a desolate road, with only the stranger that she dislikes after briefly bumping into him earlier, the only way they can keep warm is by body heat! Hmm, I wonder where this will lead and what the outcome will be for them? There are also heart-warming moments and an underlying storyline about helping those in need.
And finally, a full-length story with a Christmas build-up, new friendships and a new romance in Amy Silver's All I Want for Christmas. Beginning from the fourteenth of December, the story is written with each chapter being a new day in the lead up to the big day, when there are plans at The Honey Pot café for people of the neighbourhood to meet for a party of food and friendship for the lonely.
I have read many more great reads that I cannot possibly add due to the amount I have here. Crossing many genres, I always hope that there are reads in here to suit many, and I feel that there is a great mix of both published and indie authors.
I hope that you enjoy our posts and would like to thank each and everyone of you for following and supporting us. I sincerely wish you a Merry Christmas and an absolutely brilliant New Year!
Caroline Barker 🙂
If you would like to check our Top Reads of 2013 to recap on our previous year, you can do so here:-


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Squirrels have fuzzy tails.
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I was a kid (80's)
I think I'm gonna buy boe bot soon Is it possible to program it in C++? Or at least C? Because I don't really like programming without C++ usually ( ) )BTW is Boe Bot good if I want to learn electronics?
Guess why I'm making my robot from a PC That way I don't have to deal with 3rd party tools, rough performance restrictions and limited programming languages!
from where i can get a boe bot??


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Patients & Families
For Health Professionals
You've been looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner all year — turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Mmm-mmm! But after you finish that second helping of turkey with gravy, you start to feel a little sleepy.
As your Uncle George starts to explain why eating turkey makes people so tired, you suddenly feel like curling up in front of the TV and napping until next Thanksgiving. But is gobbling up all that turkey really to blame?
Not exactly. Here's why: Turkey meat contains a lot of an amino acid called L-tryptophan (say: el-trip-teh-fan). Amino acids are the "building blocks" for the proteins that make up our muscles and other important parts of our bodies. (L-tryptophan is just one kind of amino acid — there are many different kinds of amino acids in the foods we eat.)
When we eat foods that contain L-tryptophan, this amino acid travels in the blood from the digestive system and later enters the brain. The brain then changes the L-tryptophan into another chemical called serotonin (say: sare-uh-toh-nin). Serotonin calms us down and helps us sleep.
But scientists now know that L-tryptophan can really only make a person tired right away if it is eaten or taken by itself without any amino acids. And the protein in turkey contains plenty of other amino acids!
Most scientists think that there's a different reason why eating a special meal might make you drowsy. Eating a big Thanksgiving dinner causes increased blood flow to the stomach (needed to help digest the meal) and less blood flow to the brain.
So just how do you avoid that sleepy feeling on Turkey Day?
Follow these tips and have a Happy Thanksgiving — gobble, gobble!


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"What we have in the Tower of Babel episode is in effect a rival cosmology to that of God's;
it is an unmaking and a remaking of the world, a blasphemous human "let us'
over and against the Holy 'let us' of the Triune God."
Melvin Tinker
(Le Mont-Saint-Michel / Julie Cook/ 2018)
I had a doctor's appointment yesterday–
so as I sat in the waiting room along with all those others who were also waiting,
I was actually hard at work.
I learned a long time ago to make the most of any and all "empty" moments.
Call it multitasking or simply the survival skill of having been a working mother…
I was sitting in a corner, book open in my lap while my yellow highlighter was going to town.
I was almost disappointed when the nurse came out and called me back.
I was in the midst of the slow continuation of working my way through the marvelous,
albeit short, book by Melvin Tinker
That Hideous Strength: How The West Was Lost
The Cancer of Cultural Marxism in the Chruch, the World and The Gospel of Change
Below I want to offer you the two page's worth of enlightenment that I managed to read
and highlight before the nurse came to get me—
It is so much on the money that I had to contain myself from shouting out
a big 'AMEN" as I read.
Had I done so, the folks waiting around me might have thought I was out of my
meds….meds for things like sudden and unexpected outbursts—
appropriate and not…
but little did they know I was reading words of an alarming truth that is sinisterly
consuming our very lives.
"We saw how for Lewis, the ideology of his day, which he sought to expose and debunk,
was naturalistic materialism.
One of the main ideologies of our day is a variant of this, namely, neo-Marxism,
sometimes called cultural Marxism or libertarian Marxism.
A philosophy of human liberation.
It seeks to overcome human alienation, to emancipate man from repressive social institutions,
especially economic institutions that frustrate his true nature, and to bring him into harmony
with himself, his fellow men, and the world around him so that he can overcome his estrangements
and express his true essence through creative freedom.
But the liberty which the cultural Marxists have in mind is not the liberty
of classical liberalism– equality under the law or even equality of opportunity.
Unlike the classical Marxist whose main focus was economic inequality,
theirs is an equality cutting across the whole of human experience.
It was Herbert Marcuse of the Frankfurt School who argued that traditional societies promote what
he called a 'repressive tolerance" because they do not deal with the latent inequalities of humans;
the fact that some are cleverer, wiser or harder working than others,
who are then to be considered to be oppressed because of their perceived deficiency.
As Andrew Sandlin writes:
Libertarian Marxism is all about liberating humanity from the social institutions and conditions
(like the family and church and business and traditional views and habits and authorities)
that prevent the individual from realizing his true self,
his true desires and aspirations, from being anything he wants to be–full autonomy…
Libertarian Marxism is the Marxism of our culture and time.
Peter Berger calls the 'plausibility structures' of a society,
that is those background assumptions, beliefs and ways of thinking and acting which are taken as given.
It is the presumption which declares "Of course, everyone now days knows that…'
The aim is to get people to think and feel for themselves that certain values and practices,
such as same-sex marriage, are common sense, fair or even natural.
Over the last 60 years or so in the West there has effectively occurred the death of on culture,
rooted in the Judeo-Christian world view, and the rise of another more secular one.
Philip Rieff observes that,
"The death of a culture begins with its normative institutions fail to communicate ideals in ways
that remain inwardly compelling.' Once the ideology of neo-Marxism, you talk instead about 'equality,'
'liberation' and 'tolerance'–the things of which the Chruch of England speaks endlessly)
the revolution is more or less complete.
The upshot of this is that if these beliefs and practices are considered plausible,
Christian beliefs and practices become implausible more less by default,
in which case it will not do simply to argue for the cogency of the Chrisitan faith for
most people will think that there is nothing to argue about.
Many of us don't spend that much time thinking how we might argue against flat-earthists—
we simply assume they are mistaken, out of touch and an irrelevance;
so it is with many people's view of Christianity.
Changing the view of Christianity, one Marxist at a time…
we've been warned….
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether
I come and see you or am absent,
I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit,
with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
Philippians 1:27


text:
Erykah Badu's "Window Seat"
When Erykah Badu's guerrilla-style music video premiered last week, the first lady of neo-soul shocked America with images of her disrobing in Dallas' Dealey Plaza, where President Kennedy was assassinated. But perhaps most disturbing was the video's ending showing—spoiler alert—Badu lying shot dead on the sidewalk. After a Texas woman lodged a complaint, police charged Badu with disorderly conduct, slapping her with a $500 fine. "My point was grossly misunderstood all over America," Badu said on The Wanda Sykes Show via MTV. "JFK is one of my heroes, one of the nation's heroes… John F. Kennedy was a revolutionary; he was not afraid to butt heads with America, and I was not afraid to show America my butt-naked truth."
Lady Gaga's "Telephone"
Though Lady Gaga originally wrote "Telephone" for Britney Spears (also a fan of naked music videos), the newly crowned princess of pop decided to record it as a highly anticipated follow-up duet to "Video Phone" with Beyoncé. The Tarantino-inspired video, which premiered in March, includes a girl-on-girl kiss, an inmate dance sequence, a vehicle called the Pussy Wagon, and a stripped and helpless Gaga climbing on the prison bars with tape over her nipples and her genitals blurred. As the guards leave the new prisoner behind (at around the 1:10 mark), one comments on the rumors regarding the singer's gender: "I told you she didn't have a dick."
Britney Spears' "Womanizer"
A decade after Britney Spears raised eyebrows by tying up her Catholic school girl shirt for her earliest music video "…Baby One More Time," the pop star made eyeballs bulge with her comeback effort "Womanizer" in 2008. The video begins with Spears writhing in a steamy sauna setting, legs and arms strategically placed to hide her naughtiest bits to prove that she was back in shape. "I knew that the whole world would be watching," director Joseph Kahn said, "So I wanted something in there that stated, 'This is Britney, this is why you should respect her.'"
Robbie Williams' "Rock DJ"
While few things could make nudity unsexy, British pop star Robbie Williams managed to reveal himself in all is gory instead of glory for the 2000 "Rock DJ" video. The video begins with Williams surrounded by a bevy of scantily-clad roller disco girls; but his eyes are on the female DJ standing above circular rink. When taking off his white tank top and jeans doesn't win her over, he goes even further. And when that fails, he begins ripping off his skin, muscles, and organs until Williams is bare boned. The bloody video concludes with the warning, "No Robbies were Harmed During the Making of this Video."
Alanis Morissette's "Thank U"
Thank Alanis Morissette's incredibly long signature locks of hair for preventing the world from seeing her breasts in the 1998 video "Thank U." Upon returning from a trip to India, the singer wrote the track that would soon be accompanied by a music video featuring her naked body, blurred crotch and all, being embraced by strangers in public locations from street intersections to supermarkets. After hearing director Stéphane Sednaoui's concept about being open and comfortable, Morissette reportedly said, "You know what? I would love to be naked in that video," to which Sednaoui replied (as he told Entertainment Weekly), "Wow! Fantastic! That's great."
Blink 182's "What's My Age Again"
The three pop punk amigos of Blink 182 may have fooled MTV audiences into believing they bared all while running through the street naked for the 1999 music video "What's My Age Again?" but in actuality, for the majority of the video, they were covered. "We wore skin-colored Speedos for most of the scenes and when we were running, I realized how unattractive male genitals are," frontman Mark Hoppus told NYRock.com. "Everything dangling and such. I didn't think I could be embarrassed easily, but I really was."
Lisa Stansfield's "Never Never Gonna Give You Up"
Lisa Stansfield's 1997 cover of Barry White's "Never Never Gonna Give You Up" was accompanied by an attention-grabbing video of the British-born singer. Though she begins in a typically seductive music video scene—in the bathtub—Stansfield (at the 1:15 mark) decides to get up and leave her apartment without so much as a towel. Angrily marching down the street in slow motion, men ogle her naked body until Stansfield finds a black button down to cover up.
D'Angelo's "Untitled (How Does it Feel)"
A little bit lower now would have been a lot problematic for D'Angelo's notorious 200 video for "Untitled (How Does It Feel)." The single-shot video solely consists of the incredibly muscular R&B artist spinning from the torso up, lip-synching to the seductive track about a man essentially begging to get his lover into bed. But the singer wasn't exactly pleased with the attention the barely there video earned him—QuestLove, who produced the album "Untitled" appeared on, later revealed D'Angelo didn't want to be a sex god. "He doesn't want the pressure of being 'Untitled' the video," QuestLove told Believer Magazine.
Duran Duran's "Girls on Film"
Though the initial release of "Girls on Film" failed to generate much attention, the men of Duran Duran had the genius idea to capitalize on a new medium to grab the audience's interest. The British rockers did not strip down for the camera themselves, but did use naked girls for the single's music video, which was released in 1981, the summer MTV itself launched. Amidst the women in a series of fetishized situations—from S & M to lesbianism—in the six-minute video is one model reclining on a chair completely nude, using a blow dryer on herself before going to a close-up of her rubbing ice cubes on her nipples. Is it any wonder Duran Duran is still around 30 years later?


text:
The propensity of young men to ignore advice and direction is one of the constants of the universe.
Starting linebacker Alec Ogletree and starting safety Bacarri Rambo will miss at least two games, but up to as many as four games, at the start of the season for a violation of team rules.
The length of those penalties tells me this isn't their first time at the rodeo.
Lakatos and Grantham look to have their work cut out for them, don't they?


text:
For Special Education (2)
CatalogSecond Edition
English graded readers series for upper-primary / lower-secondary
Bill Bowler and Sue Parminter
Language Level: Dominoes are carefully graded from Quick Starter Level to Level Three according to the Bookworms syllabus.
Build your language skills through reading Dominoes, the interactive readers series.
Oxford Read and Discover
CatalogFourth Edition
Non-fiction graded reader series with cross-curricular content for primary – supports CLIL
Series Editor: Hazel Geatches
CLIL Adviser: John Clegg
Language Level: Pre-intermediate to Intermediate
Read and Discover more about the world...


text:
Laws, Regulations and Annotations
Business Taxes Law Guide – Revision 2023
Tax on Insurers Law
Revenue and Taxation Code
Division 2. Other Taxes
Part 7. Insurance Taxation
Chapter 7. Cancellations and Refunds*
Article 2. Refund or Credit for Collected Taxes²
Section 12981
12981. Notice of action on claim. Within 30 days after disallowing any claim for refund or credit in whole or in part the board shall mail notice of its action to the claimant at its address as it appears in the records of the board.
History—Added by Stats. 1957, p. 2471, in effect September 11, 1957. Stats. 1961, p. 1991, operative January 1, 1962, added "refund or" before "credit".
* Stats. 1961, p. 1990, operative January 1, 1962, amended the title of Chapter 7 from "corrections" to "cancellations and refunds".
² Stats. 1961, p. 1990, operative January 1, 1962, amended the title of Article 2 from "Credit for Collected Taxes" to "Refund or Credit for Collected Taxes".


text:
Small plane crash sparks rapid brush fire in Calif
Small plane crash sparks rapid brush fire in Calif
05 September 2011
published by www.chron.com
USA — Residents of at least 100 homes were forced to flee after a small plane crashed and burst into flames, killing two people on board and igniting a fast-moving brush fire that burned early Monday near a California mountain community.
One house burned to the ground after the single-engine Cessna 210 went down Sunday afternoon near Tehachapi south of Bakersfield, according to Kern County fire department spokesman Cary Wright.
Authorities did not know how many people were on the plane but two people were confirmed dead.
No injuries from the fire were reported.
"The terrain is steep, rugged. The wind is swirling. All the dry brush is a huge fuel source," Wright said.
The blaze grew to 3,500 acres nearly 5 ½ square miles amid dry, hot and windy conditions. About 600 firefighters, backed by 11 air tankers, were battle the blaze. Fire official Sean Collins said early Monday that it was at zero containment.
Crews were attacking the flames from above, running water-dropping aircraft continuously. Most of the ground crews were devoted to structure protection.
Wright said earlier in the evening that the fire in Blackburn Canyon was "growing by the minute," adding that it shifted direction three times.
Officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for 100 homes under threat in Blackburn Canyon and the Mountain Meadows area.
Collins said that the blaze was still at about 3,500 acres, but he said there could be more evacuations later in the day.
The Red Cross set up an evacuation center at Jacobsen Junior High School in Tehachapi.
To the south, a wildfire along the main interstate between Southern California and Las Vegas that grew to 1,100 acres was 80 percent contained late Sunday.
The fire erupted in the center divider of Interstate 15 Friday at the start of the holiday weekend, forcing the closure of all lanes and snarling the getaway traffic. Nearly all lanes were reopened by Friday evening.
Fueled by steady winds and 90 degree temperatures the blaze jumped the freeway and burned chaparral in the hills that form the nearby San Bernardino National Forest and rural areas of San Bernardino County.
About 1,500 homes were evacuated Friday but all residents had been allowed to return home by the next day.
However, the flames destroyed two mobile homes and damaged two other structures.
Air quality officials predicted that smoke from the fire would cause problems for people with health sensitivities in the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountain areas. The South Coast Air Quality Management District urged them to avoid unnecessary outdoor activities.


text:
to Paul Squires
December 16, 2010
a wave goodbye
paints a new horizon
In memory of Paul Squires, whose presence and comments graced this site with some regularity. Paul was a well regarded published poet and author of the acclaimed book The Puzzle Box. His fine work can be appreciated at his blog gingatao. Thank you Paul for your words and humanity.
Here are some wonderfully written tributes:
Paul Squires at Aletha Kuschan's Weblog
Paul Squires and Proust at Words
Paul Squires, Poet Laureate Of The Universe at Absurdistry's Weblog
Paul Squires: Some things are not ghosts at art predator.
Paul Squires: true original, gone… at Another Lost Shark
Paul performing his poetry:
Here is the poem, Listen:
Listen By Paul Squires
Listen. Not to me. On a cool, clear night like this the traffics are louder.
They hurrr by like bundles of compressed air whirlywinding someone
home. The old man next door has gone to bed. He coughs his awakeness
and will soon snore his dream.
This pen pushes black ink across a white page with a jumping, scratching
rhythm. The next three dots are not a device they are a drum roll…
This last full stop is a rimshot crack.
The oceans from which you come continue in your breath, hear soft lines
rhythm in and curl out. You are a continent composed of dreams, a land of
mystery and miracles and your heartbeat I hear as the voice of God
entrusting her creation to you. This is not a metaphor nor an allegory nor an
image. You are not a story you tell yourself. Your life is not an American
Movie. Star light is real and brings the heavens to you to kiss your eyes and in this cold night voices purr in the street as drunkards roll home and cats pursue the objectives of their owners and an old grey muzzle dog's tail thumps once on a bare wooden floor.
The moon speaks to him in his voice and to you in the voice of your blood and the ocean though miles away moils in each of your cells, salt water in your tears, salt water in your blood coloured by passion and the breathing you hear is not your own, nor mine but the voice of a child a thousand miles away, born before his time and waiting. Waiting for your eternal embrace, your warmth to bring him home and his mother in the clouds of morning, in the ever present sunrise, you can hear her smile in birdsong and in the crackle of dry leaves under bare feet.
Insects sing.
There is no other proof of your existence but this, the sounds that you hear always, every sound ever alive in the tremor of tiny bones hidden in your head. Imagine that, the slightest of vibrations creating all this clamour of life which never stops, is always warm and slow, fast and hot and though you may close your eyes you may never close your ears, not even in sleep wherein sounds will form the matter of your dreams.
And though you may close this book forever and never read another word, wordless the world will come to you and reveal itself to you and there is no other proof that you exist but this, you are beloved of the earth and the creatures around you, insects and stars are quietly harmonising with your breath and the rythm of the ocean enlivens us all, and the moons voice is eternal and God whispers lullabies in breezes, rain storms, traffic and there beside you now, the ever present child drawing warmth from the murmur of your heart as it marks the patterns of joy, the echoes of pain, the wheel which never ceases to turn and touching you rolls on, it hurrrs as it turns slowly fading into just you, you alone, surrounded by and singing with the voice of God.
Source of poem: gingatao
Here are some poems written for Paul:
The Force of Gravity
We didn't realise the gravity of the situation
the impact of releasing a single word,
a flutter
faintly at first but slowly
the breeze from the butterfly effect
turned into a cyclonic wind
gravity holds
planets in orbit of the sun
you were the sun
as we were the planets
there was a supernova
a stella explosion
what was before
and what remains,
a mirage
that is life
without gravity.
The show must go on,
Now I know how Dorothy felt when the tornado picked her up in Kansas and whoooossshed her to the fantastical land of Oz to be with a bunch of witches, the scarecrow, tin man and cowardly lion. Now I know how a cork from a bottle of rum feels when thrown overboard by a pirate (concentrating on the melody of what shall we do with a drunken sailor while scratching his itchyaaarse and dancing with a mermaid of his fantasy), tossed up, down and sideways on the black, tumultuous seas, longing to be safely back in the dry ship cabin. I must be hallucinating, I'm sea-ing a pink snail floating on fairy floss or is it slithering along a shimmering martini, too many incantations to digest,
never mind that, I can see the washing machine waters beginning to settle, a little, and the sky tonight is red so another day will bring a sailor's delight of calming seas, for sure
peppermint tea anyone …
he would have it no other way
the show must go on,
Note: Please feel free to submit any poems, essays, or recommendations for inclusion. The above tributes and poems are by no means the only ones. They are myriad. Paul seems to have spurned a cosmos of admirers.
Peace, Herb (email@example.com)
18 Responses to "to Paul Squires"
December 16, 2010 at 1:31 pm
awesome post..
December 17, 2010 at 8:16 am
[…] source of all works created by Paul Terry Squires is Paul Terry Squires. With all due respect to Herb Baldwin, aka Qazse, the source of Paul's poem "Listen" is not Graham Nunn of Another Lost Shark. The […]
December 17, 2010 at 2:32 pm
Hi Herb, I thought you would appreciate the direct link to Listen, which is http://gingatao.com/2008/07/30/listen-from-the-puzzle-box/
Thank you for you wonderful tribute to Paul and although copyright continues to be an issue, I and many others are continually grateful for his friends and admirers continuing to highlight his work.


text:
I called this 'South of the Border' as most of the plants are from Mexico and it has a festive vibe, just need some Enchiladas (have some in the freezer, chicken) and maybe a cold beer with a lime squeezed in. Voila! South of the Border Party. A Mariachi Band would be a great addition.
Here is a close up:
The bigger orange flowers in the arrangement are Mexican Bush Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera), reportedly a great hummingbird and butterfly plant. I have had this in the garden for a few years and noticed none of the above. The smaller orange flowers are from the Mexican Flame Vine (Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides). No, I could not spell that one on a dare. The vine is an escapee of the confines of my neighbor's garden and the butterflies do love this one. It climbs through the hedge of Surinam Cherries and I don't mind a bit. Every now and again I give it a whack with the loppers. The grey foliage in the arrangement is from the Licorice Plant (Helicryseum petiolaris); when reading about this plant you will find mentions of 'slight scent of Licorice'. For the record, this plant is native to South Africa and I have never detected any licorice odor, despite having them in my garden off and on for decades.
Given the images of indoor Amaryllis on IAVOM this winter, I thought you all might like to see the one that lives in my garden. The bulb originally belonged to my father in law, Glenn, who is long gone. I have had it for decades and planted it in my garden about six years ago. Currently, it is about 3 feet tall, not staked, and has 4 flowers and 8 buds on three stalks. I was taking pictures in a high wind, so add some imagination. The ferns have overrun things a bit.
Interestingly enough, Glenn's birthday is March 20, the Amaryllis is usually flowering in celebration.
Happy Birthday, Glenn from my garden and Happy Monday.