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In order to have great stereo in part of a static spherical video, you'll have to have not-so-great stereo in other parts, and finding the best ways to mess up the stereo without making it seem that messed up is pretty important. We made this video to test different angles and distances between eyes in stereo video, by filming with two cameras and moving them live as we filmed. You can download it and watch it yourself and see what you notice, though careful not to strain your eyes trying to get unnatural views to work. Here's what we've learned from it so far.
Free-viewing vs Oculus: I (Vi) can get much wider ranges to align in proper stereo when I'm free-viewing it, watching a small version of the video on my screen and going wall-eyed, than in the oculus. I suspect this is because when the video is small on the screen, tiny adjustments in my eyes can have large effects, while in the oculus the video is right in front of your eyes and you can't just cross your eyes a little more to dramatically shift the distance between the images.
I (Andrea) suspect that when you are free-viewing you are already doing tricks with letting your eyes focus weirdly in order to get 3D, whereas when using the oculus, you are, for the most part, just viewing normally and the stereo happens. When you are already free-viewing, adjusting the free-view is probably easier than suddenly having to make your eyes misalign while watching a video because the stereo is way off. One interesting difference for me between free-viewing and viewing in the oculus, is that when the stereo falls apart free-viewing, you just "lose it", whereas when the stereo falls apart in the oculus, it's a much less sudden sensation, rather you notice because of doubling, or the 3D effect becoming less strong. This is presumably because as soon as I can't free-view, my eyes try to bounce back to normal viewing whereas they never need to go weird for the oculus to begin with, so you don't get that sudden "I lost it" sensation.
Free viewing having a larger effective range than headset viewing suggests that if you can free-view it in stereo but it doesn't line up in oculus, there's a way to edit it into being correct (maybe the footage isn't lined up correctly, or zoomed the right amount, or the correct distance apart), whereas if you are an adept free-viewer and can't get the stereo to work free-viewing, there's not much point in wasting time trying to get it to work in editing. We will definitely have to experiment more and see to what extent this is actually the case.
Interpupillary distance: The distance between cameras doesn't need to closely match that of your eyes for the stereo to work. We barely noticed entire centimeters of change. This is good news for stereo video, as interpupillary distance can be centimeters different for different people.
This is in contrast to our tiny-eyes 360 3d experiments, which did seem to make the world larger with smaller interpupillary distance. Maybe the difference is in the relationship between the stereo and the field of view of the world, because in Approaching Spherical 3d the field of view is in the context of a sphere of vision. In "This is what science sounds like", the field of view does not really change, but perhaps by zooming the video in or out along with changing interpupillary distance you could get some really cool and maybe interestingly subtle effects.
Angle of convergence: Unsurprisingly, this seems similar to what's easy to focus on in real life. When you're looking at something extremely close to your face, it gets harder and harder to focus on, with accompanying eye strain, until you simply can't do it. At the time of filming it seemed to make sense that when you make the cameras point close together, you're focusing on something close, but it's clear upon watching and thinking about it that the inward angle is what becomes too great too fast, while far-away objects can still be seen in stereo that is perhaps a bit more emphasized. So, tilt in to focus out, tilt out to focus in.
When the cameras point outward at a slightly divergent angle, you can still focus on what's right in front of you, where the wide-angle lenses still capture overlapping footage at a converging angle. What surprised me is how much my face in particular warps when this happens. Maybe something in our brain's specialized facial construction software seems to be sensitive to this angle, or maybe it's the gopro's wide-angle warping changing as my face goes closer to the edge of each camera's field of view. Needs more experiment.
Rotation and vertical shift: even a tiny amount of this makes it very difficult to get the images to align, for all of us. This will be a big limitation to which panoramic twists will work for stereo spherical video, and is the same as the problem of head-tilt. When you tilt your head in a spherical stereo video, it goes out of alignment pretty fast.
Vertical tilt: with one eye tilted upward a little more than the other, the video still lines up pretty well for me (Vi) when free-viewing with my head tilted a bit to the side to compensate for the vertical shift. There's the same sort of slight warping of the face as in the angle of convergence. I didn't really expect differently-tilted images to align so well, so definitely need more tests! It's probably ideal to change the panoramic twist subtly through the video in a way that always makes faces look good, concentrating the greater divergences on non-face things.
The vertical tilt doesn't align so well in the oculus with this particular video, because the way the camera is tilted makes one image higher than the other and it's harder to tilt your head in relation to the image when the image is strapped to your face. We could compensate for the vertical shift in post-production, now that we know this is a thing. Definitely want to experiment with what happens when you edit the same footage different ways, next time.
Non-aligning images: We found the layering of not-even-close-to-aligning images so interesting that we stuck a bit of video on the end where one eye is completely upside-down, and they overlap to create a rotationally-symmetric cool-looking thing. Unlike just layering video, each image is itself crisp, and the eyes and brain can choose which parts of which to "layer" over the other eye's image. We also played with this idea in #3D Selfie, where when we turn the cameras completely out of alignment you no longer bother to try seeing stereo but instead create a layered story of different faces, which then converge again on the other side.
The effect of non-aligning images isn't one that is really possible to see with free-viewing, at least for me (Andrea). But it's totally possible for me (Vi). It's not automatic like in the oculus though. It takes work and deciding what I want to see, and already knowing how it looks in the oculus gives my brain a goal to go for when free-viewing.
That's what we've noticed so far! All these observations aren't exactly super scientific, but they're great preliminary results to point us in interesting directions.


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In the Works rulings on the Linc-O-Meter
Make the governor's office the center of planning for development projects
"I will take the lead in driving growth in Rhode Island. I will make the governor's office the center for planning and marketing exciting new development opportunities in Rhode Island's key growth centers, especially the 20 acres in Providence's Jewelry District opened up by the relocation of I-195, the new Station District at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, Quonset Point Industrial Park in North Kingstown and 30 acres abutting Naval Station Newport next to the Newport Bridge."
Make major infrastructure improvements, including super high-speed Internet access
"Clustering our economic development strategy will allow us to create a critical mass for growth. In addition, we can target major infrastructure improvements, such as super high-speed Internet connectivity, that will attract businesses just as traditional transportation systems attract business."
Will audit all economic development tax deals
"I will conduct audits of all economic development tax deals. We need to stop the bleeding of state resources through tax credit programs that have no discernible impact."
Upgrade state website to put government services such as obtaining drivers licenses online
"I will upgrade RI.gov to ensure that citizens can take maximum advantage of the public services they pay tax dollars to fund. The upgrade will include putting online government services that currently require a trip to state offices, such as making DMV appointments and renewing drivers' licenses. This initiative will make online services available for free."
Will make the state procurement process more transparent.
"Government procurement has become synonymous with fraud and inefficiency. I will eradicate this longstanding trend by introducing transparency to the procurement process. Like the federal BetterBuy Project, our administration will offer citizens a way to submit, comment on, and vote on ideas for making our state's procurement process more effective."
Lower taxes on personal income and corporate profits when economy improves
"When the economy improves, Chafee backs lowering taxes on personal income and corporate profits."

subset: commoncrawl


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About Our Church
Who We Are
New Dublin Presbyterian Church maintains its rich tradition of worship as a dynamic experience of the presence of God through Word, Sacrament, Music, and Community. We pray to empower people to discover the leading of the Holy Spirit through active faith and service to the world in Jesus' Name.
About Our Worship
We sing a variety of traditional and contemporary hymns, including the classic standards and music written in different parts of the world. Our younger children participate in worship by leading us in the passing of the peace. Then, children attend a form of children's church called Worship and Wonder (click here for more details). Sunday worship is always based upon Scripture: whether reading the Bible, preaching, or praying, we try to experience Scripture as God's Living Word for our lives. As part of every service, the congregation stands as one and recites the ancient yet continually relevent confession of faith:
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN.
~ the Apostles Creed (Traditional English Version)
May 25, 2019
Check our calendar for Easter events.
Join Us!
If you're curious about what a truly nurturing community of believers is like, then you should come to the Join Us section to find out how you can get involved.
About Presbyterians
Find out about the Presbyterian Church and its history on our About the Presbyterian Church page.
Building Security Responsibilities and Refreshments
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Design Projects, Dream House News, and Happy Holy Week!4/15/2014 05:14:00 PM
Aside from all the dream house related stuff up my mind for the last 100 years or so, we actually have to do some work to have some funds to finally push that house into reality...
Although I haven't posted design updates or introduced new projects in here, they are happening. I just don't want to be all excited and share details, and then never post any reveal until a year later. I know it's annoying. Haha.. So I wanted to at least have an almost complete project before sharing so the reveal will not be far behind. I'm not sure I can keep up with that because when I'm excited, I share.
So here are some happenings the past month...
Remember the moodboard I shared for Hub Stylebreaker way back? Well the place is almost done and we're onto decorating. She's a dear cousin of mine and I'm just helping out here and there with some recommendations but she made lots of decision herself. I presented options, she chooses. Since she has a bold personality, I wanted it to shine. And boy did it shine. Haha.. You'll see....
This is one of the walk-in closets.. yup, one of two!
Pink main door, you think that's bold?
Pink stripes office, a little bolder right?
Now this is bold. Neon pink window frame that spans the entire living dining space! The lighting here is crazy right now but it's crazy good in person.
Not pink, but a mint kitchen. :) We since then changed it to a more subdued pale mint to better coordinate with the tiles, it will be good. Not seen here since the floors is covered but we have a black and cream diagonal stripes somewhere in there. Can't wait so see this kitchen not covered in newspaper and dust.
This is going to be one colorful place! She just sent me pegs for furniture we're going to have custom-made and the hope is by May, stuff are going to go in here and we can see the space in all it's rainbow glory.
Another project that just commence is a spacious combined unit. We're grinding down walls as we speak. It literally just started this morning and we are on a very tight deadline! The next 6 weeks is going to be crazy. Add to that a few more projects commencing so it's happy challenge I'm diving into head on.
Now this project is a far cry from the pink ones above as we are going for a neutral, airy, streamlined space with lots of simple interesting details. I'll spare you all the details for now as that should be another post of its own.. for now here's some of the boards I presented. Most furniture will be custom-made.
I'm excited for the kitchen. I wanted it a little scandinavian, a little glitz with a stainless penny backsplash. It's bold choice but still neutral.
I'll be sharing all the other rooms sometime soon but as I said, I wanted it to share them closer to the reveal if that's at all possible. Haha...
The construction on this project is coming to a close but we have some more shopping to do so it's not yet done, done. But loving the look we're going for here. It's quite small that needs to have a lot of function, mostly, the living/dining space should also house a bedroom for a 12 year old boy. That's a challenge since the boy needs some privacy and we don't want to have a bed right there in the middle of it all.
So we had a nook built in with wood slats to act as divider but not totally closed off the sleeping area. It's still a little private, but it's not claustrophobic at all.
The other side is where we'll fit a living, dining, and a fridge. Tight, but cute. :) Oh and bricks. Yep, the client asked for one and I happily obliged.
I hopefully can share all these in details soon with some peeks of the actual spaces, that would be nice. But before all that, lets all have a great holy week, shall we? We're going to Baguio for some recharging before the hectic months ahead, so looking forward to that.
Oh for Project Dream House related news, we're having plans drafted care of the bf's architect friend, I'm excited! I already have a rough floor plan sent to him so I can't wait to see it all official and technical.. Haha...
Happy Holy Week!


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Come and spend an excellent and hot night..
Come and spend an excellent and hot night, full of live salsa music, dinner, open bar, professional dancers in the best place in the Carlos & Charlies area.
*Does not include return transportation, tip.
Did you prefer a personalized attention? Call us now, send us an email or fill our Contact Form


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This past weekend I had the pleasure of traveling up to Montreal for my bachelor party. I am the bachelor so I was kept in the dark about many
details. All I knew was that I was going to Canada and we were using a party service. What I did not know was how much fun we ALL were going to have. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy myself but so did the rest of my friends with me. The service Montreal VIP provides is incredible, not to mention the beautiful and lovely host we had. She was there on time every time she said she would be. She made sure everything we requested was provided. I even called her while she was sleeping and she still answered my questions very nice and without an attitude. She helped plan the party, host the party, and parties with us. We liked the service so much that we handed out the business cards we received while we were in town to other bachelor parties that did not have a guide like Montreal VIP.
Thanks for the memories


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Apple Mulls Ditching Google for . . . Microsoft!?
On Wednesday, reports surfaced that Microsoft (MSFT) was in talks with Apple (AAPL) to make its Bing search engine the default option for Apple's blockbuster iPhone, replacing Google (GOOG). The thwarting maneuver by the two technology stalwarts with a deep-rooted, decades-long rivalry is testament to Google's growing might. But for Google investors, it should serve as a reminder that the search giant has a tendency to bite off more than it can chew.Deals in technology have a tendency to fall apart and are often more about posturing than anything else. So iPhone users shouldn't count on Bing being their default search engine just yet. But the fact that Apple, a company long seen as a Google ally – Eric Schmidt, Google's CEO served on Apple's board until last summer and Google's maps were marketed prominently when the iPhone launched – would even entertain defecting to Microsoft demonstrates how frantically the tech world is scrambling to deal with the search giant's expanding clout.
Opposing Forces
Apple and Microsoft are not alone as they worry about Google's rise. The old media guard is increasingly vocal in its resistance. News Corp. (NWS), for example, has howled about Google's use of its content. Viacom (VIA) had also lobbed a $1 billion suit at Google on similar grounds.
Telecom giants like AT&T (T) are also thought to be working to undermine Google behind the scenes. Not only are there tensions about hot button issues like net neutrality, but Google's push into phone services challenged their existing carrier businesses.
And now there is China, where Google is in the midst of tense standoff following massive cyber attacks on its services. While many have commended the company for pushing for more openness in the authoritarian country, the skirmish also presents a major headache and lost business opportunity for Google.
Google's outsize ambitions have hardly served shareholders, however, and all the acrimony may be hurting partners and investors alike.
Despite big plans to upend countless industries, 95% of Google's revenue still comes from search advertising. With revenue growth sharply declining, new investors are unlikely to get on board before the company can make real headway in other businesses.
Distrust Grows
But rivals like Microsoft have now made it a point to capitalize on the distrust Google's ambition breeds across industries. Potentially poaching Apple would be a big victory on that front.
Some Google partners like Motorola (MOT) – which staked its turnaround on Google's Droid mobile operating system – with much less breathing room than the search giant also suffer the consequences of the companies strategy, meanwhile.
On Wednesday, some analysts at Morgan Stanley took down their estimates for Motorola's Droid handsets by 500,000 to 1.5 million because of Google's tensions with China. Google has put a freeze on launching mobile phones in the country as talks progress.
The blow to Motorola comes amid speculation that CEO Sanjay Jha may have been badly burned when Google launched its own phone and became a direct competitor to the handset maker.
But despite all the bad blood, some estimates put Google's first week sales at a mere 20,000. The iPhone, which the Nexus One was hyped to seriously challenge, sold 1.6 million units over the same timeframe.
Google's approach will only make it easier for Microsoft to poach potential partners. And the company will have little to show for it when it comes to the bottom line if it keeps going down this path.


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Finally, after years of ridicule, Liverpool forward Mario Balotelli can put the embarrassment of bib-gate behind him - he's beaten the bib!
Footage from the Liverpool Echo shows Balotelli lay those demons to rest, and as an added bonus, there's a new figure of bib-based fun in town. Liverpool strike partner Fabio Borini can be seen grappling with those awkward blue pull-overs. Oh Fabio.
Related articles
- Five better striker signings than Mario Balotelli
- Balotelli says Gerrard is as good as Pirlo
- Balotelli departure is helping AC Milan flourish
As you can see in the video, which can be watched here, Balotelli is now a consummate pro - grabbing the pesky wear and slipping it swiftly over his head with the skill and grace you'd expect from a 23-year-old Italian that's lived in the fashion capital of Milan.
As for Borini. Poor Borini. He's not had the best of time at Liverpool since his move from Roma. The injuries, the loan spell, the public nature of his potential permanent move to Sunderland, his stubbornness to stay. And ultimately his limited impact on Brendan Rodgers' squad.
As Liverpool prepared for the visit of Real Madrid this evening, Rodgers put his side through their paces at Anfield.
Liverpool prepare for Madrid
Captain Steven Gerrard has admitted that the reigning European champions are unlikely to come to Merseyside with any real fear, even though their last trip ended in a humiliating 4-0 defeat to an inspired Reds team.
It's a very different squad now though, and Real Madrid come to town with Cristiano Ronaldo, the favourite for the 2014 Ballon d'Or, and a team bus full of Galacticos.
Liverpool have Rickie Lambert, playing League One football not too long ago, a striker in Balotelli experiencing an awkward goal drought and Borini, who can't dress himself.
Still, the game starts 0-0...


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Shareholder anger over EMPG deal
Shareholders in Education Media & Publishing Group have been denied an opportunity to vent their anger at being wiped out by two massive debt restructurings, as the second was completed yesterday without an extraordinary general meeting.
A spokesperson said the Barry O'Callaghan-led company was not required to hold an EGM on a deal that saw 60pc of the group's $6bn-plus (€4.4bn) debt mountain converted into equity. It has also received a $650m cash injection from "a deep, institutionalised investor base", understood to be led by its senior debt holders
"I'm very unhappy with not even being given the chance to have a token say on the transaction," said one shareholder, who had maintained a small holding since 2003. Riverdeep, an education software company, merged with US education publishing giant Houghton Mifflin in 2006 in a $5bn deal. The new entity later acquired US education provider Harcourt for $4bn, leaving it with debts in excess of $7bn. Mr O'Callaghan said it now had "the strongest capital structure in its history and the financial flexibility to continue to build the world's leading education company".
The deal sees former shareholders left with "warrants that will enable them to participate in 5pc" of the company if its overall valuation recovers.
Irish Independent


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Rudson Valuation Group Inc. is a Toronto firm devoted exclusively to Business Valuation, Quantification of Economic Damages, Family Law Issues (valuations, income assessments, tracing of excluded assets) and Forensic and Investigative Accounting.
The firm provides business valuation and litigation support services to law firms, private and public companies, non-profit organizations and individuals. Rudson Valuation Group Inc. was established in 1998. We have authored over 500 valuation reports and have been involved in over 200 litigation matters with damages ranging from nil to $150 million.
Our cases include allegations involving breach of contract, professional negligence, breach of fiduciary duties, patent infringement, construction delays, compensation and income measurement, personal injury and lease terminations.


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DEAR ABBY: My husband lost his job more than a year ago because his plant closed. He was almost retirement age, so he took an early retirement. The problem is, he isn�t adjusting well to the change.
DEAR ABBY: My husband lost his job more than a year ago because his plant closed. He was almost retirement age, so he took an early retirement. The problem is, he isn�t adjusting well to the change.
He has his hobbies, but he seems to have lost interest in them. He is angry a lot of the time and lost at other times. I understand it�s a huge adjustment for him, but I�m concerned that it has been going on too long. I have tried to get him interested in things, but he doesn�t take my suggestions well anymore. He thinks I want him out of my hair, but it�s not true. I want him to be happy.
I know he�s depressed but he denies it. When other people ask how he likes retirement, he says he loves it. I think he feels silly for not enjoying it. He doesn�t want to spend money for counseling, even though he knows he can get the fee adjusted according to our income.
I�m at a loss about what to do to help him. He reads your column regularly, and I think he would take seriously any advice you could offer. � CONCERNED WIFE IN MICHIGAN
DEAR CONCERNED WIFE: Retirement is not for everyone, and not everybody �loves it.� That�s why it�s so important that before a person retires, he or she have a plan in place for staying mentally and physically active.
Your husband may have valuable skills he could pass on by mentoring others. He could volunteer in the community, delivering meals to shut-ins, coaching youngsters� sports, help out at the police department or a hospital. All he needs to do is go to his computer and type in �volunteer opportunities in Michigan� to find plenty of opportunities. He can donate as little or as much time as he wants. But first, he will have to admit that he ISN�T loving retirement and needs an outlet. Please make sure he sees this column.
DEAR ABBY: I�m 12, and for the last five months my family hasn�t been getting along. We act like we love each other, but I�m not so sure. My mom and dad have been fighting. I saw something Mom left on our computer she had been looking at, and the title was �How to Let Go of Emotions During the Divorce Process.� I don�t know if my parents are getting a divorce or not, but it�s slowly tearing my family apart, and I don�t know what to do. What can I do to prevent it? � CONFUSED PRE-TEEN
DEAR CONFUSED: Tell your mother you saw the article she left on the computer, and ask her if she and your dad are separating. If the answer is yes, tell her you hope they�re getting counseling.
It is important you understand that while they both love YOU, they have reached a point where their relationship may no longer be working. Much as you might like to, there is nothing you can �do� to head this off because their problem has only to do with them and not you.
DEAR ABBY: I was just wondering why when men drink and get drunk, they always talk about themselves. � HEATHER IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
DEAR HEATHER: They may do it because the alcohol allows them to loosen up and open up. Or, because they think the subject is fascinating, and you are a willing listener.
Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.


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My Name is Hiland, One Lucky Guy!
My goal is that the information on this web log helps other wait list, heart-diseased and transplant patients know what to expect along the way to a happy landing. To further that goal, I share my experiences, some pertinent background information and experiences of other transplant patients that I have met.
If you would like to contact me, please post comments or e-mail me directly at firstname.lastname@example.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
On Monday November 2, 2009, I received a heart transplant at Tampa General Hospital. I had been in congestive heart failure since February 7, 2007 and on the wait list for 25 months, during which time my status bounced around a bit. For 17 months, I was listed at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York. With the help of my insurance carrier, I transferred to Tampa General Hospital in early March 2009.
Eight months later, I received the big call and within hours a wonderful new heart. I feel blessed, but it was a long road with more hard work ahead. The transplantation experience is a life experience and touches all one's family members, neighbors, friends and associates.
From my experience, I have come to realize that heart transplantation is a multi-step process that requires a very strong support network, a good amount of discipline and a healthy amount of inner strength. I definitely made miscalculations and mistakes along the way but was blessed with expert cardiologists at every step of the way.
Even after a fair amount of research and attending very worthwhile pre-transplant courses at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, I was ill prepared for the post-transplant recovery and especially the effects of the mandatory medications.
At every stage of my heart disease, from my first heart attack, through open-heart surgery to heart failure and wait listing, including the actual transplant and post-operative care, I have received only the most professional and dedicated care.
Unfortunately, I may not have been the most knowledgeable or easiest patient. Thanks to my team of cardiologists, a wonderful family friend and general physician and a very patient transplant psychiatrist, I learned the importance of being informed, disciplined and compliant in approaching the end result. Once on the wait list, it was clear that the wait would be complicated, often confusing and difficult. The closer I came to transplantation, the more warnings I received about recovery.
At every level of the process, I admit to periods of frustration, pain, exhaustion, limited mobility, shortness of breath, fluctuating weight and more frustration. For myself, a certain amount of meditation, stretching, aqua-therapy, a totally revamped diet and a loving bride helped get me through the endless waiting period.
The observations and experiences on this site are drawn from my observations about my transplantation and are certainly not intended to be anything more or less.


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Here is the sketch from Sunshine for Day 12 of 24 Days of Christmas
The stamps are from Sunshine's Stamps: Christmas is, Christmas Morning, Candle Ornament and Ribbon, The ribbon and DSP are Stampin' Up as is the whisper white card stock and the ink used. There are too many colours to list but the fun thing is when you get the stamp from Sunshine you can use what ever colours you like. The Rhinestonse are Kaisercraft. And yes you guessed it if you have been looking at my blog lately. The green base card is from my friend. I think I will be able to make every card for the next year using this base green card that she gave me.
So go on over to Show and Tell cards and check out the 24 days of Christmas and especially day 12 for Sunshine's Sketch challenge and a chance to win some goodies.
Thanks for spending a little bit of your precious time with me and I will see you again very soon.
Take Care,


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On February 18, 2016 the Clean Energy State's Alliance (CESA) and the Northeast Electrochemical Energy Storage Cluster (NEESC) co-hosted the "Hydrogen and Fuel Cells for Resiliency:: Financing Energy Resiliency" webinar.
States and communities are increasingly investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy to achieve air quality, economic, and energy goals. Innovative financing programs, such as Connecticut's Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program, can leverage and supplement traditional financing options to increase the affordability of fuel cells and other energy reliability projects. In both Connecticut and New York, existing state funds (systems benefit charges) were repurposed and Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) funds have been used to provide initial capital for technology deployment that both enhances energy resiliency and environmental performance.
CT Green Bank and NY Green Bank discussed their programs and how funds can be used to facilitate development of renewable energy systems, such as fuel cells. Participants learned about ways to finance projects and utilize existing financial tools, such as long-term and low interest rate loans, revolving loan funds, and low-cost public investments to leverage hydrogen and fuel cell projects for resilient power.
Click here to View the Recording


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Read more after the jump! :)
In case you missed the post earlier today and don't feel like being dazzled by those beautiful polishes right now, here's some info on the swatches from my earlier post: all polishes are shown in one coat over a base colour and topped with LaCC 2013 top coat. Formulas were all a little thick, but that allowed me to get lots of glitter on the nail in one easy coat! These glitter mixes are so complex that I won't even try to start naming everything that's in each bottle, you can tell Cindy puts a lot of thought and effort into her polishes!
Cristina is a stunning mix of primarily dark teal glitters with some red in there for good measure. I layered one coat over Barry M Watermelon; I absolutely love this combination!!


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It all begins with you! Closet Design Center of Appalachian Blind & Closet Co. in Boone, North Carolina offers custom closet and storage solutions for your home and office in Boone, Banner Elk, Blowing Rock, Linville, Newland, West Jefferson, Lenoir, Wilkesboro, NC. Closet Design Center of Boone, NC, is a locally owned and operated closet design and storage solutions company. Our team of closet specialists have been serving the High Country of Western North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee and Southwest Virginia since 1993.
All of Closet Design Center's custom systems are manufactured in the USA using the highest quality of materials and to your exact specifications and needs.
Call Closet Design Center, Inc. today at (828) 264-1395 to schedule your free at-home closet design consultation!


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I hadn't seen a Water Vole for some time in the narrow ditches that skirt the east and west scrubs. So I was really pleased to see this very young individual feeding in the edges and showing little concern about the humans and dogs who passed by every few minutes.
On the bird front, things are changing too with the arrival of the first Summer migrants, notably the Chiffchaffs. There have been a few on site right through the Winter but now numbers seem to have risen and the air is full of their monotonous but very welcome song. More melodious was the first Blackcap song of the year from the individual below who was singing from the area around the NW corner of Brooklands lake. Further round the lake, close to the NW corner of the sunken marsh, was where a Ring-necked Parakeet flew by me and over bucket wood. That was a surprise and although not a site tick, was only my second ever in the area. Buzzards deserve a mention too. I lost count of how many I saw that day, but a minimum of nine in the air all at once was bordering on a flock. Good to see, even without all the other individuals and pairs and trios also drifting over during the morning.
Yesterday morning I got a text from Glenn to sat he'd just had a probable Short-eared Owl from bucket wood. This has now been confirmed by his own pics that he managed to take and is a great record for the site, especially as it came across the river and over to the sunken marsh. Am I jealous? I sure am. That's why I visited this morning in the very faint hope that it would return. Of course it didn't, it was probably just passing through. But I did manage to find my first Sedge Warbler of the year, singing intermittently right alongside the Blackcap who was also still in full voice.
On the first of October 2015 I drove down to Dungeness to see and take some pics of the Firecrests and Goldcrests who had arrived to spend the winter here and were feeding up before dispersing into the wider countryside (including New Hythe as it happens). On the first of April 2016, exactly six months later I went back down to Dungeness to see their return.
I was a bit late to see them in the numbers that were there a few days earlier but I probably got to see half a dozen or so as they fed incessantly, along with a few Goldcrests.
Unfortunately the sun shine was a bit patchy and the breeze didn't help, but I was quite pleased with some of the pictures that I managed to take when they stopped for half a nano second!
Here's a Goldcrest who wasn't too shy.......
.......and here's another who was.....
.....and here's another who looked a bit odd posing on the grass.
The RSPB reserve was a bit quiet. I did spot this rather distant Gt White Egret. But apart from that it was mostly Reed Buntings really. Although just before I reached the approach to Dengemarsh hide a pair of Bearded Tits flew straight over my head. Somebody a bit sharper than me (no pun intended) might have got a quick shot of them, but my 'birds in flight' skills are notoriously poor. Must try harder.
I don't know who was more surprised when this Stoat ran across the path in front of me and disappeared into a patch of Gorse. When I tried to call it back it surprised me again by popping up behind me. Just as well I wasn't a Vole in distress or I'd have probably been lunch.
Anyway, realising he'd been duped, he left the scene double quick. 'A clean pair of heels' I think this is called.
On my way round the reserve I'd heard and seen a few Marsh Frogs. And at first I thought this was one. But it was crossing a wide track away from the water and it was walking, not hopping. Must be a Toad then..........


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10th Anniversary
Celebrating ten years of recruitment success
We're celebrating 10 years of success, having been responsible for recruiting professionals across a variety of roles in science, technology and industry since 2006.
Techconsult prides itself on providing the best possible recruitment solutions to businesses and organisations operating in some of the most demanding sectors and its track-record speaks for itself.
To mark a decade in business we bring you an insight into ten of the many placements that Techconsult has made across a variety of industries including; Offshore, Process, Petrochemical, Oil & Gas, Renewable and Subsea Sectors.
#1 Russ Prevett, Controls & Instrument Supervisor, Maersk Oil Qatar
Offshore professional Russ Prevett turned redundancy into an opportunity, with the help of Techconsult UK, and is now undertaking a dream role as Controls & Instrument Supervisor at Maersk Oil Qatar.
After being dealt a blow while working as an electrical engineer in 1998, Russ took the opportunity to retrain as a programmable logic controller. Following a spell working with a small special purpose machinery builder, and with a raft of experience under his belt, he approached Techconsult to investigate opportunities within the subsea industry where he successfully secured a role as lead control engineer working on a project with Technip based in Aberdeen.
The initial break into the offshore sector has acted as a career catalyst and he is now undertaking a varied and technical role within the Al-Shaheen Field. His broad scope of responsibilities include maintaining safety systems, acting as a day to day lead for a team of electrical and instrument maintenance technicians, implementing safety change management systems and operating Permit to Work procedures.
Russ commented: "Techconsult helped me break into working for one of the major players in the sub-sea industry on some great projects and with some brilliant people. The placement gave me great visibility of the Oil & Gas Sector and posed some great challenges.
"My three years at Technip gave me the confidence and experience to find further challenges with companies like Wintershall, Subsea 7 and now Maersk. It's a challenging career but one that brings with it a host of opportunities," he added.
#2 Garry Ingoldsby, Business Development Manager, Materials Processing Institute (MPI)
Engineering expert Garry Ingoldsby is back doing what he loves best after contacting Techconsult UK for help to renew a career within the sector.
As business development manager at The Materials Processing Institute (MPI) in Teesside, Garry is responsible for building relationships with customers operating in the offshore energy and engineering sectors.
The role represents a return to his roots having completed an engineering apprenticeship in 1980 and subsequently a degree, and then going on to undertake a number of senior roles within large multinationals before changing direction and running his own design and print business for five years.
"I enjoyed the experience of running my own business, however after a while I had a strong desire to get back into engineering on a full-time basis so I contacted Techconsult UK for help in finding a suitable opening.
"I was immediately impressed with the industry knowledge and his desire for best fit recruitment. Techconsult understood my passion and capability and went about finding the most suitable role to best match both the client and my own skill set. My current role at MPI is the second position where Techconsult has placed me and they have both been an excellent match," commented Garry.
The role at MPI involves developing new contacts where the Institute can use its expertise and experience to address any technical gaps and challenges through Research and Development (R&D) and innovation.
"What I enjoy most about the role is the environment and the people. The facilities at the Materials Processing Institute are world-class and the scientists and engineers are amazing, some are world authorities in their field and never fail to impress," he added.
#3 Neil Murch, Commercial Manager, Tracerco
Former apprentice Neil Murch is working for a world-leading industrial industrial technology company after receiving a helping hand from Techconsult UK.
Neil was appointed as commercial manager for instrumentation control systems at the Teesside headquarters of Tracerco in December 2013 and is responsible for ensuring the company's technology solutions are matched to the operational and process needs of their client's assets and plants.
Neil started life as an apprentice for an injection moulding company which provided the opportunity to gain practical hands-on skills, while learning the theory of electrical and mechanical engineering at Sunderland College.
After going on to study for a degree while working, Neil secured a broad range of engineering experience in sectors including automotive, pharmaceutical manufacturing and oil and gas before being approached by Techconsult about the opportunity with Tracerco, part of Johnson Matthey Plc, a British speciality chemicals and technology company. Tracerco's products and services include radiation monitors, nucleonic instrumentation, process diagnostics, subsea technologies, reservoir characterisation, radiation protection, analytical services and product assurance technologies.
Neil comments: "It seemed like an interesting position and a good fit with where I was planning to be, the next logical step if you like. Techconsult offered me some good advice throughout the recruitment process and were knowledgeable about the company, which helped me plan for the first stage interview. They also assisted during the negotiations and were only a phone call away if required. Needless to say, I got the job".
"My role is extremely varied and rewarding. I travel all over the world meeting new people, working in different cultures/environments and maintaining relationships with existing customers which is vital for securing any future business. The oil and gas industry is a very vibrant, wide-ranging and interesting sector to work in, even through the current downturn, there still maintains to be a number of large scale projects and opportunities," he added.
#4 Annette Gregory, Business Support Manager, EpiValence Limited
Finance expert Annette Gregory has found the job diversity she'd been looking for since securing the role of Business Support Manager at EpiValence Limited, a manufacturer of advanced chemicals for the electronics industry, based at Wilton in the heart of industrial Teesside.
Techconsult UK helped Annette secure the role which involves all aspects of finance including sales, purchase and nominal ledger activities, cash flow, banking, VAT and payroll. She also has a responsibility for the packing and shipping of dangerous goods as well as the general administration of running the office.
Having spotted the vacancy online, Techconsult UK was able to offer Annette the insight into the role and the business itself to ensure it was suitable.
Annette commented: "I spoke to Techconsult about the dynamics of the organisation and decided that I would make a perfect fit for the company. I have always worked in finance and this role attracted me as it offered some variety from purely finance activities.
"I started working for EpiValence in June 2014 and hit the ground running, my first step was training in the shipping of dangerous goods and since then I have been solely responsible for the shipping of all goods. I have also taken on the administration of two European projects.
"What I enjoy most about the job is the fact that every day is different and the work in both varied and interesting. I would definitely recommend working in the chemical sector."
#5 Iwan Edwards, Senior Process Engineer, Applied Graphene Materials
A role with a pioneering technology firm is proving to be a fresh challenge for engineer Iwan Edwards.
Iwan secured the position of senior process engineer at Applied Graphene Materials with support from Techconsult UK in late 2015 and he is relishing the challenges involved with the development of new graphene manufacturing processes and applications which will enable the potential benefits of graphene to be delivered in everyday products.
After graduating from university Iwan embarked on an Engineering Doctorate in Formulation engineering with the University of Birmingham where he was based with the project's industrial sponsor, Johnson Matthey. He then moved on to work in a group that develop Johnson Matthey's catalyst manufacturing technology for existing and new manufacturing plants around the world.
Iwan commented: "Techconsult UK supported me in my most recent career move into a dynamic role that is an excellent fit with my skills and experience. It allows me to use all the skills and knowledge I have developed in my career so far to develop a new business and deliver new and exciting products.
"I love the variety of problems and challenges the role brings; the biggest challenge being delivering the right solutions to tight timescales.
"Process development, and Process engineering in general is a very rewarding career. It requires a good balance of creativity and technical skills. I would advise anyone thinking of entering this sector to try and gain as much hands-on experience as they can within the process industries, and think about the kind of industry and company they would like to work for."
#6 Daniel Calleja-Martinez, Biochemical Engineer, Centre for Process Innovation
Biochemical Engineer Daniel Calleja-Martinez is fulfilling his career potential after receiving advice and support from Techconsult UK.
Daniel began working with the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) in October 2015 after finding out about the position from Techconsult.
"I first applied for a technical role in fermentation, but the Techconsult consultant advised me about another role that would match better with my studies and experience, this was a more senior position. The application process was really straightforward," said Daniel.
Prior to securing the role Daniel had completed a degree in chemical engineering before studying for a doctorate in bioprocess engineering, which provided the experience required to move into the biotechnology field. The role at CPI is enabling Daniel to put his studies to full use, utilising both his knowledge of chemical engineering and bioprocessing.
"I really think that biotechnology, or bioprocess engineering, is the future for production of goods and services as it is usually more cost-effective than pure and classical chemical production. One of the biggest challenges is persuading companies to move from a well-known process to a new more beneficial one. All processes need to be optimised and improved, so there's a definite opportunity for budding chemical and bioprocess engineers, he added."
#7 John Wallace, Lead Marine Systems and Pipelay Integration Engineer, Technip Brazil
Marine Engineer John Wallace's career has taken him to far-flung shores after being presented with an opportunity to work with energy giant Technip Brazil which is responsible for the engineering, development and maintenance of oil fields owned by Petrobras.
As Lead Marine Systems & Pipelay Integration Engineer within the new build department, John oversees the design, construction and commissioning of Pipelay Support Vessels destined for long-term operational charters with Petrobras.
The opportunity for John to make the transition from operations to the project side of the marine engineering industry presented itself when a vacancy for a project engineer with Technip UK arose through Techconsult UK in 2008. Eight years on he is working with the Brazilian entity of the group based in Rio. Having successfully completed the delivery of four new Pipelay vessels, his responsibilities have expanded to encompass discipline lead and managerial positions in various shipyards across the world.
He said: "Techconsult provided me with the initial opportunity in 2008 when they submitted my CV to Technip UK for appraisal, one week later I flew to Aberdeen for an interview and commenced work the following week.
"Techconsult also provided advice in relation to the content and format of my CV in addition to helpful guidance to get me through a successful interview process, in part due to their in depth knowledge of the client and their requirements.
"I find project work interesting as the working landscape is in a constant state of flux, new people, countries, working cultures and of course, the technical and cost challenges associated with delivering an asset on time and within budget."
#8 Moosa Farzaneh, Lead Planner for the Four Lines Modernisation (4LM)programme, Thales UK Ltd
Project manager Moosa Farzaneh's career in the rail industry is right on track after getting a break into project management in 2011 with the help of Techconsult UK.
Techconsult assisted Moosa in securing his first contract position as a project planner with Technip in Aberdeen in 2011, where he progressed to the role of planning manager up until August 2015 when the contract came to an end. Techconsult was instrumental in a smooth transfer to Moosa's current role with Thales UK Ltd, after he decided to switch industry sectors as a result in the downturn in oil and gas.
He said: "Techconsult UK helped me to secure my first contract position that provided me with valuable experience in project management. They also ensured that the transition to my new role went very smoothly and I had a great experience dealing with their professional consultants.
"I decided to change industry and move to more stable sector and as there are plenty opportunities in rail industry."
Responsibilities in his current role for the Transport for London modernisation programme include leading a team of project planners, monitoring programme schedules, costs and resources and heading the programme integration group responsible for integrating UK and Canada programmes
He added: "I enjoy all aspect of my job. To be able to see the whole project life cycle from beginning to the end with having insight to all details from tender stage to engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning is interesting and at the same time challenging."
#9 Angela Hogg, Data Input Clerk, Technip UK
Former librarian Angela Hogg has found an ideal opportunity to utilise her skills in the private sector as a data input clerk working for oil and gas giants Technip UK in Aberdeen.
Angela applied for the post after seeing it advertised on the Techconsult UK website and felt it was the right fit with her experience and qualifications, having completed a degree in librarianship and information studies in 1992.
The role was initially a contract position, however she has now been permanent staff at Technip for almost three years.
She said: "I've worked in the library and information world for over 20 years since graduating, so the lure of information work drew me to this private sector position.
"The information sector can present a lot of interesting opportunities and it provides an opportunity to increase your own knowledge as you go along.
"Contract posts can become staff posts even if they are not advertised as such, so it can be worth taking the chance on them."
#10 Andrea Parr, Business Development Manager, Materials Processing Institute (MPI)
Sales professional Andrea Parr is diversifying her industry experience having secured a role as business development manager for the chemicals and process sectors at an independent research and development organisation.
Andrea was presented with the career opportunity at the Materials Processing Institute (MPI) in Teesside by Techconsult UK who have been engaged by MPI to help identify high calibre candidates to enhance the organisation's outward facing commercial team.
Having started in the role in August 2015 Andrea is relishing the challenge that the change in sales environment is offering.
She said: "The position with MPI has provided an opportunity to experience a totally different environment to the one I had started in, enabling me to mature as a sales professional."
"What I enjoy most about the role is working with many different people as a result of collaboration across different functions internally and different companies externally. I would advise anyone wishing to enter a commercial role to not underestimate the benefit of a multi-discipline background, or the significant value of experience of very different work areas."


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Dragon Guardian - THE BEST OF DRAGON GUARDIAN SAGA
review - 08/29/2015 - Fuki and ANZA light up this compilation that couldn't have come soon enough for Dragon Guardian's international fans.
mouse on the keys - The Flowers of Romance
review - 08/27/2015 - mouse on the keys gives us their dark jazz take on philosophy.
Interview with Silhouette from the Skylit
interview - 08/24/2015 - The rock band answers some speed questions for JaME.
Haruka – Anthems
review - 08/23/2015 - With this polished debut album, singer-songwriter Haruka proves breezy pop-rock can have just as much emotional depth as sentimental ballads.
Interview with Gacharic Spin
interview - 08/21/2015 - Gacharic Spin speaks to JaME in a detailed interview after their J-POP SUMMIT gig in San Francisco.
Color Pointe - first pointe
review - 08/20/2015 - Electropop ballet group Color Pointe puts out a mini-album full of feel-good vibes and auditory goodness.
MUCC at C-Club in Berlin
live report - 08/18/2015 - The penultimate gig of MUCC's European tour was full of intense, delirious energy, and a heartwarming surprise was witnessed during the encore.
KING BROTHERS Live at Asakusa Kurawood
live report - 08/16/2015 - KING BROTHERS unleashed the true spirit of rock'n'roll at Tokyo's Asakusa Kurawood.
Interview with Dead Children
interview - 08/14/2015 - Ray, bassist of visual kei newcomers Dead Children, talks with JaME about the band's genesis and the band's forthcoming mini-album, Haunted Vox.
syrup16g - Kranke
review - 08/13/2015 - This mini-album continues syrup16g's foray into a more upbeat sound.
Interview with WagakkiBand
interview - 08/11/2015 - Kiyoshi bites and Beni talks clearly in her sleep.
Momoiro Clover Z vs KISS - Yumeno ukiyoni saitemina
review - 08/10/2015 - Who saw this one coming?
Interview with [Alexandros] at JAPAN NIGHT in London
interview - 08/09/2015 - [Alexandros] spoke to JaME in a brief interview where vocalist Yoohei Kawakami and guitarist Masaki Shirai delivered their answers in flawless English.
Interview with Ling tosite sigure at JAPAN NIGHT in London
interview - 08/07/2015 - Ling tosite sigure chatted with JaME about their habits, best-of album and more.
JaME WORLD Charts on PROMIC.tv #2
file - 08/05/2015 - Check out the latest JaME WORLD Charts on PROMIC.tv, plus an exclusive interview with visual kei enka singer Mogamigawa Tsukasa.
JAPAN NIGHT at HYPER JAPAN in London: Night #2
live report - 08/05/2015 - The JAPAN NIGHT banner invited fans to move with the music of Japan, and move they did.
LUNATIC FEST. at Makuhari Messe: Part #3
live report - 08/03/2015 - X JAPAN and LUNA SEA bring the night to an emotionally-charged close in Part #3 of JaME's live report on LUNATIC FEST.
Interview with OKAMOTO'S at JAPAN NIGHT in London
interview - 08/01/2015 - Sho Okamoto speaks to JaME about the band's latest single and more.


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Josh Holloway ("Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol," "Lost") has joined the cast of Robert Luketic's adaptation of Joseph Finder's thriller "Paranoia" at IM Global and Relativity Media.
Liam Hemsworth plays a blue-collar guy who is blackmailed by his boss into spying on a rival company. Holloway will play the investigating FBI agent keeping a close eye on Hemsworth. [Source: Variety]
Blood, Bones & Butter
Gwyneth Paltrow is in negotiations to star in an adaptation of Gabrielle Hamilton's 2011 indie food memoir "Blood, Bones & Butter".
Writers are being sought to adapt the book about Hamilton's unconventional background and unexpected trajectory to becoming a chef. [Source: THR]
Adam Rodriguez ("CSI: Miami") and Rachael Harris ("The Hangover") have joined the cast of the indie rom-com "Lovesick". Matt LeBlanc, Ali Larter, Chevy Chase and Kristin Johnson also star.
The story follows Charlie Darby (LeBlanc), a sweet high school principal who goes off the rails whenever he falls in love. Rodriguez plays his married best friend, while Harris pops up as an aggressive date. [Source: Deadline]


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Barani, Luca (2003) "Sport Governance and European Integration". In: UNSPECIFIED, Nashville, Tennessee. (Unpublished)
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This paper is concerned with the issue of interaction between Sport governance, performed by private sporting authorities at the national and trans-national levels, and the dynamics of European integration promoted by the Community institutions. The object of the paper is going to be the functioning of the decision-making mechanism in the European Union (EU) in a specific case study, namely the Sport regulation. A special attention is given to the role played by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), in connection with other EU institutions, in the making of the regulatory framework to apply to the Sport field. This paper will try to make a contribution to the discussion, initiated before the Maastricht Treaty, about the likely process of re-politicization of the integration process, which was expected to happen as a consequence of this highly significant step. The period taken in consideration stretches from the Bosman ruling, December 1995, to the Nice Treaty, December 2000.
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|Law-in-Context; Sport regulation.
|Subjects for non-EU documents:
|EU policies and themes > Policies & related activities > political affairs > governance: EU & national level
EU policies and themes > EU institutions & developments > European Court of Justice/Court of First Instance
EU policies and themes > EU institutions & developments > institutional development/policy > decision making/policy-making
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|European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 2003 (8th), March 27-29, 2003
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|Luca Barani
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|07 Apr 2003
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From the print comes screaming. Rip. Rip again. Once more, a ripping.
Eugenics in art. All those works in progress, good ideas poorly executed, trite ideas beautifully made. Someone else did it better. I've done it better. Intriguing failures, halfway to something. All the way to nowhere.
Too good to throw out, not good enough to survive.Besnotted whelps, misfortunate slunks, step right this way. Your time is now never.
I've been wandering into the print storage room and committing mayhem.
Early albumen. Rip. Meh sort of platinum. Rip. Dinged. Rip. Boring. Rip. I've done better. Rip. What was I thinking? Rip. Puerile. Rip. Jake the Ripper comes a screaming.
An odd mix of tristé and despair. From wading into mediocrity springs morose petulance; why am I not better? And the joy, and freedom of acceptance. So much just won't ever be better than now, this is as good as they get. They need to get gone.
Oh, if they were only wine, aging in the dark, patiently towards sublime. But no.
Vinegar then, vinegar now. Rip.


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Join us for Altona's Signature event.
The Manitoba Sunflower Festival has been entertaining residents and visitors alike since 1964.
Please talk to your children and agree to meet at the Info booth if you are separated. Volunteers will bring lost children to information booth.
Festival volunteers will be wearing festival shirts the colour will be announced before the festival.
There is an information booth located near the North entrance to the park.


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Spot on is a new feature of the LSB blog that invites community reaction to advertisements. It is the brainchild of Lee Schmidt and will appear on a monthly basis on these pages. Feel free to continue the conversation started by Lee and Rachel.
Lee Schmidt serves as associate creative director and copywriter at LSB. Before beginning his advertising career, Lee was a professional big-wave surfer, zip-line eco tour guide and Hugh Hefner's personal proofreader. He tweets at @DonDraperCD
Rachel Yanofsky is an Assistant Account Executive at LSB. Though originally from Boston, she now prides herself on her cheese-devouring and milk-chugging abilities and has no sign of a Bahhston accent whatsoevahh. She tweets at @rsy22
The Commercial: KY "Jelly Sandwich"
LEE: What appeals to me most about this TV spot is its understatement. No fireworks, no over-the-top imagery. It's very sly, very low-key. I like how it lured me in.
RACHEL: While this appeals to me as well, I feel that the message is almost too understated. Perhaps if it provided a more descriptive tagline at the end, I would've felt that the ad was more complete.
LEE: The picture tells me the whole story. But I don't think you're alone, Rachel. This spot was created by an agency in Brazil. If an American ad agency had produced it, I suspect it would have a tagline. Do you think this spot would air in the U.S.? I mean, other than on some cable channel?
RACHEL: I believe it would air in the U.S. considering its message is portrayed discreetly and remains tasteful. Also, it seems pretty tactful compared to America's K-Y TV Commercial "Shocked" that aired recently. Since you've been in the ad industry longer than I have, what is your opinion on this?
LEE: The spot does take a tasteful approach. Still, there's a double standard on TV. Programs in prime time can say and show and suggest things that commercials cannot. I suspect "Sandwich" could run on American TV but not during "family programming." By the way, I thought the music track really helped tell the story. Sometimes music is incidental to a spot. Just background. But in "Sandwich" it helped set the mood.
RACHEL: I definitely agree that the music helped set the mood. Also, I liked how they included the natural sound of running water and toast popping in order to draw attention to important elements of the ad. One aspect of the commercial I did not like was the abrupt cut to the product at the end. Not only was the image of a night table and photo cliché, but it just seemed repetitive and unnecessary.
LEE: Good points. The ending was a bit ham-handed. Overall, however, the spot succeeds. I'd love to see commercials in this country take their cue from this spot. It treats the audience intelligently. It doesn't telegraph the punch line. It leaves you with a smile.
RACHEL: When I was younger, I always used to judge commercials. Too often I seemed to come to the conclusion that there were a lot of bad commercials out there. Commercials like this one make me think maybe I was just too young to understand some of them!
If you have more thoughts on this commercial or spots in general add to the conversation in our comment section. Rachel and Lee would love to hear them.


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zee aye double k
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'like' means kill 'ummm' is an insult to sing ..remember to mock them kill them and deny them.... they are already dead
you can hear the public talking wrong everywhere I go, while face touching and now its over lapping, you can hear them audio failing and talking wrong when I point it out, and then you get yawning and scratching....
and then more audio, complete with denial of anything going on.
exactly why they kill them all, thanks for the proof.
cough at them, mock them, talk about them to their faces and deny anything is going on .. and sing 'its not''
while laughing.
thtas what I learned from freemasonry.#
also, kill all of 14 was already on, venice beach just killed itself , like the nagger across from me making audio and face touching and getting mad its getting joked cuz its white flashing, makng signs and acting out nothing is going on.
and its doing it more and more live at the library while the thing next to me sings 'SO' and now is going NO and laughing... after audio failing.
you canb hear the wrong talking and hear htem making extra noises, audio failing and acting wrong.
anyone can record it.
hear the masonic coughing and sniffing in the background.
they do both and say its fake...
in front of everyone.


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Opera House, Wellington (7pm)
Sunday, June 11
To conclude a most excellent jazz festival the Sunday night show featured the Harold López-Nussa Trio featuring Harold on piano, his brother Ruy Adrian on drums and electric bassist Julio Cesar Gonzalez.
López-Nussa is a fluid, expressive, dynamic pianist – his opening piece showed his hands
near forming a blur as he pounced over the keys. His recordings are lovely, stately, but live there's some real fire. Still in his 20s he's a prodigy, a fearsome talent – and his drummer brother did his best to nearly upstage him several times – in fact the stage arrangement was just so – drums and piano to the fore, Gonzalez the anchor, sitting further back and in-between, smiling to himself as Adrian and López-Nussa exchanged mock-grimaces and delighted grins – in "battle" of a sort.
The brittle-beat percussion was something to watch – and hear. Dextrous and full of colour as woodblocks and bongos were struck in and around the cymbals, snare and toms. And though Ruy Adrian was a tower of strength and speed behind the kit he could also play at a whisper's breath, stunningly dynamic.
The music – from 19th Century classical Cuban themes, to solo pieces, to a wonderful double-act where the two brothers played the piano together, percussively working at the music stand and the lid of the grand to punctuate the flourishes across the keys – was wonderful. Every piece. Every breathing space.
From son to salsa, rhumba to the cha-cha-cha, it was a masterclass in multi-discipline rhythms and gorgeous melodies. The electric bass – almost incongruous, you would expect acoustic in this type of trio, normally – gave a nice edge, subtle but probing, almost Stanley Clarke-esque; the perfect foil for the two flashy soloists.
The evening raced by with the audience hanging on to the edge of their seats for much of it, elated, impressed, all but blown away in fact.
A wonderful concert. And the perfect closing act to a spectacular jazz festival; the best in a decade or more.


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Wazir movie review
The surface vim and vigour on show in Wazir is considerable, but Bollywood's first big release of 2016 is disappointingly low on substance.
Cinematic tales of parents mourning the loss of a young child constitute an effective genre that has been well exploited by filmmakers over the years, and Wazir has two such fathers grappling with the dual burden of grief and guilt.
Bejoy Nambiar's directed emotional thriller Wazir There are a few movies which manage to handle two extreme emotions at a time, fewer yet, movies that showcase almost impeccably, how one extreme tangent of emotion can make you overcome the other.Wazir' entails a similar tale – a tale of loss and victory.
ATS officer Danish Ali (Farhan Akhtar) begins this story of vengeance with a blissful married life to wife Ruhana (Aditi Rao Hydary) and a daughter. When the daughter gets killed due to father's irresponsibility, we see the story taking a swift twist full of guilt and revenge.
The plot written by Vidhu Vinod Chopra is outstanding, matching this exquisite quality of the film is the top-notch performance by ace actors Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar and Manav Kaul. Although there are a few other stars – John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukhesh and Aditi Rao Hydary who appear only fleetingly.
You witness the winning aspect of the film when you watch the two major protagonists coming face to face, mingling in their little yet meaningful conversations, indulging in their chess-game strewn camaraderie. The two grip you with taut and intense exchanges, which show you the semblance the game of chess has with this movie, after all. Like the game of chess, life too, is about making the right moves, and like Panditji (Amitabh Bachchan) reminds Danish in one of the scenes, although there is a chance of undoing a wrong move in chess, life unfortunately, doesn't bestow us with this golden gift.
So Panditji (Amitabh Bachchan) and Danish meet and begin their chase for justice. They realize soon enough that although they differ a lot in their lives and age – they share a common grief – the pain of losing a dear one. After last year's constipated Amitabh in 'Piku', Panditji is equally commendable.
He is intelligent and pained at the same time. And it is this ache of life, this revenge-driven approach of the two – that makes up for the rest of the story. Manav Kaul who plays the role of wicked politician is impressive here, and deserves a mention.
The script is slow, but considering the running time of the film, it never makes you feel tired. For a movie with such a tight script, thanks to Vinod, and soulful music by Shantanu Moitra, Ankit Tiwari, Prashant Pillai, Rochak Kohli, Gaurav Godkhindi and Advaita, movie barely puts you off in the entire run time.
Nambiar impresses us after 'Shaitan' and 'David although a few fight sequences could have been more unique and luscious to the eyes. The first movie of 2016 is here – watch if you like chess, Amitabh and Farhan – and ready to ignore the obvious, yet minor cinematic pitfalls.
Neil Nitin Mukesh in the guise of the menacing Wazir makes the most of the single scene the screenplay gives him, but there is absolutely nothing special about John Abraham's 'special appearance Wazir, Bejoy Nambiar's third venture after Shaitaan and David, bears the director's imprimatur. But its visual and technical sheen pales in the absence of a truly gripping story.
Wazir is at best a one-time watch, if only for the academic interest of viewing Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar in the same film.
Big B Amitabh Bachchan first choice to replace Aamir for Incredible India
Priyanka Chopra wins Favourite Actress award for Quantico at People's Choice Awards
Bigg Boss 9 Priya Malik out of the Race to Finale!
Rajinikanth told me not to play villain in 'Robot': Big B


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Mr Mister Cafe, WindsorMr Mister is a cafe along the Chapel St eatery/shopping strip in Windsor, a couple of door down from another place I'd blogged about in the past, Journeyman. It's easily accessible by any of the trams that pass through Chapel St, or a short walk from Prahran/Windsor stations.
There's a cosy and comfortable feel to the cafe with its white walls and simple plant decor, and the area we were sitting in was indoors but with glass ceilings, allowing the sunlight to stream through for a relaxing atmosphere, together with the soft upbeat music and lively chatter from the customers. The service wasn't too bad, and the staff were attentive, though we had a bit of an unfortunate incident where the staff clearing the plates from the table behind us accidentally dropped one of the knives, and my friend got tomato sauce splattered onto her clothes.
Both breakfast and lunch are served all day at Mr Mister, and there's a good range of dishes to choose from. We all went with ones from the breakfast menu; the Open Omelette ($19.50), Baked Eggs ($18) and the Potato Rosti ($19). We also all ordered fresh OJ ($6), which for the price was quite a small bottle. The juice was refreshing though a little on the sour side, but went well with the heavier flavours of the dishes we ordered.
The open omelette consisted of smoked salmon, asparagus, peas and preserved lemon with dill creme fraiche, shaved fennel, watercress salad and toasted baguette. Overall this dish was a bit disappointing, with the dill creme fraiche flavour coming out too strongly that it overpowered the flavours of the egg itself, and there was too much peas in the omelette - the ratio felt a bit off. Also, there were only three small pieces of smoked salmon with the dish, and the watercress salad was quite bland that would've been better with some dressing.
The baked eggs came with chorizo, spiced tomato and pepper sauce, manchego cheese, toasted almonds and toasted baguette. The eggs too lacked flavour, and the sauce wasn't spicy at all. However, the chorizo and manchego cheese were both quite salty and strong, so it did help to balance it out somewhat. There was also spinach in this dish which was unexpected but actually a very welcoming element, with its smooth texture that did manage to soak up some of the tomato flavours. The toasted almonds made for extra texture, and the portion was good.
The potato rosti came with a chicken, ham and pistachio terrine, as well as apple cider chutney, baby spinach, poached eggs and croutons. As it wasn't a weekend, we were able to switch the eggs from poached to scrambled, and it came in its own little dish on the side which was quite nice. Given that the potato rosti was supposed to be the main ingredient in this dish, there wasn't actually a lot of it, in particular in comparison to the terrine. However it was really delicious and crunchy, and flavoursome. The scrambled eggs though nice and fluffy, had too much parsley in it which was quite strong, but the relish had good flavour and was enjoyable.
As there are a lot of good cafes around the Chapel St area, this may not be my first choice to brunch in the area. Not too bad a experience but not enough for me to definitely want to return again anytime soon.
Ambience: 8/10
Service: 7.5/10
Food: 7.5/10
Price: $$


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Spark a Career!
Welding is an art, it is a science, and it is a precise, reliable, cost-effective, and high-tech method for joining materials. Most of the objects around us, from buildings to bridges, to vehicles, computers and medical devices, are welded.
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Learn more about the opportunities that exist in the Welding profession! Visit CareersInWelding.com!
The Career Centers Automated Welding Technology class provides students with an opportunity to explore a wide variety of welding techniques for entry-level employment settings, as well as the knowledge, skills, safety, and professional behaviors necessary for competent performance as a welder or welding technician.Students master basic skills by working on state-of-the-art equipment, including robotic welding. The curriculum covers most common welding and cutting processes, including:
- Gas Metal, Shielded Metal, Gas Tungsten, and Flux Cored Arc welding
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Students who are successful in this program are creative, enjoy working with their hands, and are problem solvers with average math and reading skills.Success Indicators for Welding
- Strong academic skills in Geometry and Algebra
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Eric Johnson(517) 768-5103Certifications
Entry Level Welder * (American Welding Society)
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* Students are qualified to take this industry-level test upon successful completion of the program.


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An application that provides you color measurement and analysis
Makes two images out of one
Add text to images and watermark digital photos easily
Design a photo album by a few mouse clicks
A homespun collection of 300 beautifully textured buttons that can be used in a variety of...
A high quality tool for batch resizing photos and pictures
Give your photos a professionally framed look
Create bitmaps fast and easy.
Easily create SpiroGraphic DXF for your CNC projects.
This tool allows you to generate and design button images
DNA sequence analysis and plasmid drawing software for Windows PCs
Fast and simple Bar Code generator
Enhance your desktop with this tool
Easily add over 400 frames to multiple graphics files at the click of a button
Turn regular pictures into black and white works of art
A paint program that records your drawings and saves them as sketch maps.
An application that will help you apply various filters to your images
Generate bigraphs with this tool.
Batch scanning of books or series of documents for delivery as PDF files
A small application that can convert text into images
Converts and resizes multipage tiff to tiff or pdf
An easy-to-use userbar generator that helps you create good looking userbars.
A pen-drawing tool for children
A powerful barcode labeling program.
View waveforms with this application
A software for analysis and visualization of multidimensional biomedical images
3D scanning made easy.
A text-image reader for Windows
A simple tool for vectorizing bitmap shapes
Easily view the based-on structure of your paragraph styles
An effective wizard-based image watermarking protection software
Compile game maps with this utility.
Printable Business Stationery & Office Stationery Designer
A graphic tool to help you with your work.
A tiny utility to create ASCII code out of any BMP file
Converts Bmp or Jpg digital image files into 3d G-Code.
Useful for a number of simple image manipulation tasks
Now you can make professional looking banners for your own products or affiliate products directly...
3D modeller for Game Maker
View and edit image tags
With Bricks'n'Tiles you can create perfectly seamless brick textures in photorealistic quality...
A simple to use 2D map editor for your personal computer.
An ActiveX graphics viewer for software developers.
A penrose-tiling editor that will edit shape to shape
A home-base for Lego hobbyists
Resize your images fast and easy.
Image resizing made easy.
A program to demo Beizer curvers!
Recognize or read barcodes from images.


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Retaining minimal design elements from the original site, FormatMag.com has been redesigned to accommodate features, news, and navigation in an enhanced user friendly, sleek, colorful, new website.
Bianconiglio is a nice puppet made of pile, wool and leather, by the italian Megadito
A speaker that bring you the sound;)
Working prototype realised by Bnko , enjoy more of his artwork on his blog .
Well it was that time of the year when the weather was nice and people go out for a barbeque. But I was always missing the decent sound out there in the green. So there it was, the beatbox with 4x150Watts and 2 attachable subwoofers in an old Grundig case.
I'm hooked on John From Cincinnati (HBO's latest show, form the Deadwood guy)~ and amused by the way the flash site yells at you when you smoosh the window too small.
minimalist, zen-style house. stunning. - 30 elm has some really interesting home design case studies.
Chris Holewski's HTML Portfolio, just one flipping huge image of work. Check it out.
Wine in a Box done rght! The new and stylish way to serve the wine from your bag-in-box is finally here! VinUno from Denmark is designed by Lars Erdman.
The V2 Flat: It's versatile and cool getaway in the middle of the desert... fully customizable, costs about $200/sq ft
Compenion - by Felix Schmidberger, is a concept laptop featuring two OLED for a complete touch sensitive laptop experience.
FEATUREDElise review ~ unboxing and close ups of the latest gorgeously packaged and designed vibrator "pleasure object" by swedish Lelo.
NOTCOT for Aural NY : we designed the boxes and colors for their latest line of headphones... the green is my favorite... and maybe the black & white too.
GORGEOUS animated shorts from Gobelins art school in France. Make sure to watch them all! No two are alike.
FEATUREDNOTCOT.org made it into the latest Web Design Index 7 by Pepin Press!!! (i'm kind of giddy)
Awesome Swords tee by Mike Perry
Blik teams up with Malaysian Artist Undoboy for a special line of wall decals
FEATUREDMystery solved ~ Generation Praktikum exhibition makes you rethink tees and pop up shops at the Frankfurt "The Design Annual" show.
FEATUREDYouTube REMIXER Beta launched ~ you can now have the instant gratification of simple web video editing thanks to Adobe Premiere Express.
VIDEOShadow Monsters: monsters materialise from the shadows cast by the hands of participants, reacting to and elaborating on their gestures with sound and animation
I see your Palumb0 M80 and raise you a Lightning GT. Zero to 60 in 3.9 also, but 100% electric.
GREENER POSTURE is "Hacking through the biodegradable, zero-carbon, ecochic overhype". I just hope all that stuff was greenwashed with lead-free paint.
Yeah, this is my next hybrid... presenting the Palumbo M80. 46Mpg and 0-60 in 3.9 seconds.
Museum of the History of Science University of Oxford, attempts to make permanent, the temporal nature of information in a blackboard age.
Oh. I like! Very sexy clock - now if only the laser-etched crystal images were in fact animated holographics. From the geeks at Oregon.
Richard Wentworth, allow us insight into our found object world.
The Ultimate Coffee Cup! The fluidity of the design enhances the enjoyment of the fluid. Innovative contemporary design coffee cup/mug.
Put it behind the ears and activate it by a button attached to your belt. In this way everybody will know your intention to turn right or left.
What goes perfectly with a pocket ninja? a Shawnimal's Pocket HUG! freshly launched at Free Hugs @ DOMY books in Houston!
A set of six English bone china plates illustrating the minimal beauty of white-rendered pre-war modern masterpieces across London.
more Sam Javanrouh pictures of Daniel Libeskind's new addition to the Royal Ontario Museum. (see more images from day before and day after)
To keep up your score on crazy nights.
In the end it's a game...
FEATUREDSocial Atelier's Ethical Night Out in Culver City: Darfur Benefit, Ridiculously Comfy Tees, Provocative Typography, Fred Segal Man and more!
Holiday House in the Rigi, by swiss architects AFGH featured in Plataforma Arquitectura.
Oilflask can be used either as a flacon containing massage oil or a device for actual massage. nice gift!
Eco Ware
Home ware made of bio-degradable plastic, 80% Bamboo. Remaining 20% is a resin binder compsoed of synthetic compound polymers
The Easy-Glider, winner of the 2007 ISPO BrandNew Award. Like a segway, but without the over-hyped geek factor.
Can you really make purses from recycled soccer balls? German company Abteil did it and other recycled designs
FEATUREDFunction ~ Doctor prescribed... ok well not exactly prescribed, but doctor made? Seems like Vitamin Water, these magical elixirs have fun names as well.
Nodikat has some really cute vinyl stickers (yes yes, i know we're quite over them ~ but this was pretty cute graphically) - the love bubble.
I can't stop laughing at this great "i'm so crafty, i make people" button, bags, etc etc. Perfect for the pregger crafsters in your life.
The Big G Money Box designed by Camile Prada for Thorsten Van Elten is bone white china and has a plastic stopper. Looks like a funky evil piggy.
The Mod Rocker by Iglooplay is a beautifully designed rocker for children. Available in three wood finishes and with or without the non-slip pad
a whimsical salt&pepper shakers, the latest addition to mr.p family, designed by a design studio, PROPAGANDA, from Thailand.
Site of russian design studio Ladio. Follow the ornament!
NOTE: Flash site best viewed at full screen.
Wheely dope // Michelin have re-invented the wheel!
Ladies and gentlemen - the TWEEL.
Dutch designer Tejo Remy's presentation 'Playground Fences' allow for a more active interaction between those on either sides of the fence, providing seats, benches, nooks and playspaces for children.
Dirk Westphal has elevated the status of the goldfish from pet to creature worthy of worship by putting its photo on, of all things, surfboards
Designer Slash Model: This video from Digital Kitchen shows why all models must become designers now. Art school might be like this. [Editor's note: this hurt my head... but its bizarre enough to share]


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Recently introduced during HTC One launch event, HTC Sense 5.0 received a full overhaul. The new version of Taiwan-based mobile maker is much more minimalistic-looking and its more responsive now and it includes an interesting new feature called BlinkFeed.
In response to one of HTC customers question, an employee acknowledged that "HTC will be offering upgrades to some of its existing devices in the next few months, including global variants of HTC One X, One X+, One S and the HTC Butterfly. Also, note that some features enabled by the new HTC One hardware will not be available in the software updates."
What this means for world-wide HTC consumers? It means that HTC will be offering software upgrades to a newer Android version which will include HTC Sense 5.0 too and whats great about this news is that HTC One X, One X+, One S and Butterfly are not the only devices schedule for an upgrade.
Make sure to follow our daily reports because PocketDroid reporters will keep you folks posted on this topic whenever we learn more!


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Barret Jackman interview after Bob Plager jersey retirement
Barret Jackman, Bob Plager, Bobby Plager, Hockey, jersey retirement, NHL, No. 5, St. Louis Blues
Tweets by ThePostGame


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Star Power!
I've greatly enjoyed reading the comments from my last post about the Quarter Incident at the Queen Mary. The discussion, the lines of thought and the way that people differ in their analysis of this event is one of the things that I most cherish about the power of my line of work. I love being able to be the catalyst for that.
You know, It continually amazes how much utter garbage is on TV. The work to getting something like The Skeptologists that is not only entertaining, but is thought provoking and dare I even say it aloud: "educational" on TV is stupendously difficult.
The problem that we (And I mean we as Skeptics) really have is that we're not cool. Ah ah ah, don't even start… Nope, we're not. Granted, there's a few that tip the scales towards coolness, and heck most of you all are some of my biggest heros! I am humbled by the intellect, provoking discourse and ability to wrangle science like a frontier cowboy. BUT! Compared to the stars of the entertainment world, sports, politics and just pure celebrity, we don't got it. Well, not yet anyway.
I'm not worried though. That's not what it's all about. The issue however is convincing the TV execs that in this case, the star power is truth and science! They want celebrity-star-power and a sure fire hit. One reality that is very evident by the response that we get as we work through the process of selling the show, and other projects that I'm working on is that no exec will put his or her individual neck on the line and go to bat for a show anymore. They want consensus, unanimous opinion and a way to point both their fingers in opposite directions and say "it was their fault" when the ratings start to fall, as they eventually will, no matter how good a show you have. All the TV executives want a clear and unobstructed way out. If you watch a few hours of network prime-time, you'll quickly understand why everything pretty much looks and feels the same within a few major genre's… They all can point to another show and say "But American Idol was a hit! So America's Got Talent has GOT to work!" Everyone around the big mahogany table nods appropriately, and bang-o you got a network deal.
A very wise TV man told me recently, "They are all looking for a reason to say no."
It's so true, and if you let it, that'll tear you up into little pieces and make you want to go drive one of the little caged lawnmower things that pick up the driving range golf balls for a living, cause well, you feel about that small. But I can't. I won't. I refuse! (Bang!)
The Skeptologists is a risk. For all of us, creatively, financially, emotionally. A big one if your a TV exec. We've created a show that was calculated to be a marketable show, and we now have that. Our presentation is getting very high marks, thanks to our awesome team both in front of and behind the camera. And I'm happy to say that we're still in the running for the opportunity to get the show on my #1 network pick. We've got a long way to go, and mostly we're waiting for decisions to be made behind closed doors. And man, If you thought waiting for the toast to pop-up sucked, try waiting for the next big moment in your career to pop up!
How would you do it? How would you convince a 20-something exec that you just brought them the newest 7 stars of TV. To stick their neck out, to go to bat, to make that call?
I love this show, and I really want to watch this show. It's what I would break out the popcorn and Pepsi and wrap up with a blanket for. Hell, I might even turn off my cell phone, well, OK no, I wouldn't do that, I have TiVo. But the almost 3000 emails of support for the show, and the constant comments and support from everyone that I talk to about this show ought to count for something, because I think that not only are the Skeptics ready for a show like this, but a good portion of the nation is ready for this. I feel the Winds of Science and Reason beginning to howl and you'd better hold onto your hat! This one is gonna be Big Baby! We got Star Power! (Call me. Mean it.)


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Lets face it, nothing says soft, warm and cozy like top quality Cashmere! And we are proud to present some of the highest quality cashmere you can find direct from the goat herds of Mongolia to you. This ultra soft yarn is the world renowned for creating scarves, sweaters, cowls, and any other project when you are looking for soft & warm without being bulky. Whether it is for yourself or for a gift, this 100% Cashmere yarn is to die for.
Size: 400 yd / 2 oz (365m / 55g) skeins
Content: 100% Mongolian Cashmere
Weight: Lt Fingering. 16 wpi or US Fine, #2, No. 1 - 4 needles, 6 stitches per inch.
Care Instructions: Hand wash, dry flat for best results.
Note: Colors may vary slightly by dye lot, please make certain to purchase sufficient quantities to complete your project.


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Go to Siemens Global Website
Go to Siemens in your region
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Go to Siemens Global Website
Go to Siemens in your region
We're making a difference to the world we live in every day. We've reduced congestion in cities by 20% by using intelligent real-time traffic data; we've built offices using nothing but a 3D printer; we've created software that communicates with turbines in the middle of the ocean; and we helped NASA develop the Curiosity rover and land it safely on Mars.
By working with like-minded companies around the globe, we can create innovations that contribute to society's success. It's what inspires 351,000 people at Siemens to come and work together each day.
For me, 'Ingenuity for life' stands for ingenious people who relentlessly strive for engineering innovation that benefits society.Joe Kaeser, President and Chief Executive Officer
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