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Tax Law Affects How We Buy Medical Care
January 20, 2004
The Health Savings Accounts (HSA) recently signed into law might be the most important piece of legislation of 2003. These new tax and medical insurance rules have the potential to transform health-care finances, bringing costs under control and making health care reflect what patients and their doctors really want, according to economist Martin Fedlstein.
Here's how HSAs can substantially reduce costs for a family without increasing its financial risk:
- Blue Cross of California sells a traditional family policy with a deductible of $500 per member ($1,000 per family) that costs $8,460 per year.
- It also offers a similar policy with a $2,500 deductible per member ($5,000 per family) that costs $3,936.
- The difference in savings of $4,524 actually exceeds the maximum additional out-of-pocket that the family would face if they reached the maximum deductible per family.
- A family that earned $50,000 per year faces a marginal tax bracket of 45 percent (a 27 percent federal income tax rate, 15 percent payroll tax rate and a state income tax rate of about 5 percent).
- If the $4,524 premium saving was turned into taxable salary, the individual's net income would rise by only 55 percent of $4,524 or $2,488.
- But when the saving of $4,524 is put into a Health Savings Account, there is no tax to pay and the funds can accumulate tax-free.
High-deductible policies give individuals and their doctors an incentive to avoid the wasteful health spending of the past. When the spending costs come from the individual's own HSA, doctors and patients have a strong incentive to balance the cost of medical procedures against the favorable impact on health.
Source: Martin Feldstein, "Health and Taxes," Wall Street Journal, January 19, 2004.
Browse more articles on Health Issues


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Justin G.
Garland, TX, 75040
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subset: commoncrawl


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More than 600 CPAs and other financial professionals descended on the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City for NJCPA's 12th Annual Convention & Expo on June 14 to 16, 2017. Aptly dubbed "Steadying the Course," the Convention brought members, nonmembers and academia together to discuss topics ranging from solving school funding issues to battling high state property taxes and New Jersey's pension liabilities.
Attendees heard leadership tactics and inspirational messages from Bill Rancic, winner of The Apprentice, entrepreneur and author; Captain Larry Brudnicki, the former Coast Guard captain associated with The Perfect Storm rescue (which the book/movie were largely based on); Gene Marks, CPA, The Marks Group, P.C.; and motivational speaker and best-selling author John O'Leary.
New Jersey Senator Steven V. Oroho (R) took part in an economic roundtable discussion with G. Scott Clemons, chief investment strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman, and Michael Symons, statehouse bureau chief for NJ 101.5, which was moderated by Ralph Albert Thomas, CEO and executive director at the NJCPA.
More than 65 exhibitors were on hand to display new virtual solutions, technology enhancements, or improved customer service offerings. Attendees were also treated to evenings of cocktails, dinner, dueling piano shows, and dancing.


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Such details B. The photos are terrific. The layering is really great. Don't know how you do it. I forget which one goes down first. LOL!
What a fun, vibrant, Hawaii Halloween page!! You got great pics for this one :)
Bonnie - I love everything about this. I just sat mesmorized starring at it and kept seeing more and more detail in it! The mixtures of papers - its a perfect mix! And the photos and costumes! The shield is so awesome with the Hibicus. I would love to know how to do that becuase I'm going to do a Hawaii 5-0 layout from when we saw a film shoot for the show and I'm a blank on how to do it. That shield is perfect! Love your Halloween letters and the cat. Very awesome! What a great idea to include the police car! I think this is one of my favorites you done Bonnie! Just love it.
So fun, and you know how I love our Halloweens with your signature theme costumes - love your fussy cuttings and highlight your non-use of the usual halloween colors especially.
These look awesome! Love the colors and the subject matter. Is your Halloween title a rub on?


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Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has perfected the modality for the employment of the first set of 10,000 unemployed persons in the state in fulfillment of his electioneering promise to create 200,000 jobs.
The governor, who made the disclosure in Benin, said government would introduce the Point of Service, POS, electronic platform for revenue collection via scratch cards for those who do not have ATM cards.
Consequently, Governor Obaseki has directed Heads of Local Government administrations in the state to forward names of contractors initially contracted as revenue collectors to Government House to jumpstart the job scheme.
A statement, weekend, by the Interim Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. John Mayaki, said the submission of the contractors' names was in furtherance of government's avowed commitment to streamline tax collection in the state.
The statement said government's decision followed Governor Obaseki's meeting with stakeholders in Government House on Friday. Speaking after the meeting, Chairman of Edo State Internal Revenue Service, Chief Oseni Elamah, said the concerned contractors are those previously selected to collect revenue on behalf of the local governments.
He disclosed that the concerned contractors were also required to supply the names of their staff, phone numbers and passport photographs respectively, adding that, "this is with a view to capturing their details in our employment database."
Source – Vanguard


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This sums it up, really. Early voting has been a great success. So the Republicans want to ban it and replace it with ID checks. I remember when conservatives were the ones who didn't want mandatory government IDs, but this system would force you to have one just to exercise your most basic American right as a citizen.
The GOP is blatantly anti-democracy. They'd bring back Jim Crow laws if they could.
The GOP is blatantly anti-democracy. They'd bring back Jim Crow laws if they could.
They Want to Make Voting Harder?
One of the most promising recent trends in expanding political participation has been allowing people to vote in the weeks before Election Day, either in person or by mail. Early voting, which enables people to skip long lines and vote at more convenient times, has been increasingly popular over the last 15 years. It skyrocketed to a third of the vote in 2008, rising particularly in the South and among black voters supporting Barack Obama.
And that, of course, is why Republican lawmakers in the South are trying desperately to cut it back. Two states in the region have already reduced early-voting periods, and lawmakers in others are considering doing so. It is the latest element of a well-coordinated effort by Republican state legislators across the country to disenfranchise voters who tend to support Democrats, particularly minorities and young people.
The biggest part of that effort, imposing cumbersome requirements that voters have a government ID, has been painted as a response to voter fraud, an essentially nonexistent problem. But Republican lawmakers also have taken a good look at voting patterns, realized that early voting might have played a role in Mr. Obamas 2008 victory, and now want to reduce that possibility in 2012.
Mr. Obama won North Carolina, for example, by less than 15,000 votes. That state has had early voting since 2000, and in 2008, more ballots were cast before Election Day than on it. Mr. Obama won those early votes by a comfortable margin. So it is no coincidence that the North Carolina House passed a measure along party lines that would cut the early voting period by a week, reducing it to a week and a half before the election. The Senate is preparing a similar bill, which we hope Gov. Beverly Perdue, a Democrat, will veto if it reaches her.
Republicans said the measure would save money, a claim as phony as saying widespread fraud necessitates ID cards. The North Carolina elections board, and many county boards, said it would actually cost more money, because they would have to open more voting sites and have less flexibility allocating staff members. Black lawmakers called it what it is: a modern whiff of Jim Crow.


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GraphicRiver Black Seamless Floral Pattern 3725856
Stock Vector \ Decorative \ Patterns
Floral \ Seamless \ Pattern \ WallpaperLuxury \ Vintage \ Textured \ Vignette
Stock Vector - Black Seamless Floral Pattern 3725856 by neyro2008 @ GraphicRiver
Stock Vector \ Decorative \ Patterns
Luxury Seamless Floral Pattern gray on black. EPS10 opacity. Editable EPS and Render in JPG format
Layered: No; Graphics Files Included: JPG Image, Vector EPS; Minimum Adobe CS Version: CS.
Empty Transparent Glass; Rose Flower; Bank Equipment And Payment Concepts; Vector Banners With Cottage Houses In Flat Design; Vector Set Of Whale, Dolphin And Shark Icons; Vector Selfie Design Concepts; Vector Street Cafe Poster.
Keywords: antique, art, backdrop, background, baroque, black, dark, decor, decoration, decorative, design, drawing, element, fashioned, flora, floral, illustration, luxury, ornamental, ornate, paper, pattern, repetition, retro, seamless, silk, textured, vignette, vintage, wallpaper.


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ISRAEL Folau will return as part of a new-look NSW Waratahs back three in this weekend's crunch Super Rugby clash with Western Force in Perth.
Folau will start alongside Cam Crawford and Rob Horne after regular wingers Peter Betham and Alofa Alofa were ruled out earlier in the week.
That has resulted in a return to inside centre for Kurtley Beale while the forward pack remains the same after a dominant display in the 22-11 victory over the Stormers last week.
Folau hasn't played since the round-six victory over the Rebels in Sydney, with the dual international missing both matches in South Africa through a throat injury.
The Force are yet to name their team.
Waratahs: Israel Folau, Cam Crawford, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Kurtley Beale, Rob Horne, Bernard Foley, Nick Phipps, Dave Dennis, Michael Hooper, Jacques Potgieter, Kane Douglas, Will Skelton, Sekope Kepu, Tatafu Polota Nau, Benn Robinson. Res: 16. Tolu Latu, 17. Jeremy Tilse, 18. Paddy Ryan, 19. Stephen Hoiles, 20. Pat McCutcheon, 21. Brendan McKibbin, 22 Jono Lance,23. Matt Carraro.
Originally published as Izzy back as Tahs change three


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Monday, October 20, 2008
more from the road...
To continue the sage of my two week road trip, the first location we purposely made a stop at was Todd, North Carolina. You may not find it on your map. I only found one other reference to it on Google. This general store is about all there is to see except for the beautiful surrounding countryside. I had been there once before many years ago, and wanted to return.
From Todd, we went north to cross the state line into Virginia. Virginia's gas stations had gas, western North Carolina didn't most of the time. I had no interest in running out of gas on some rural mountain road.
The last two pictures in the previous post were taken on route 58 going east in Southern Virginia. A very pretty drive if you have the time to avoid interstates like we did.
I'll let you off the hook for the locations pictured in this post.The first is Clarksville, Virginia. We stayed on Buggs Island Lake. At this point we just relaxed for a day. Had a very nice dinner and walked the historic downtown. After driving all the curvy mountain roads it was a nice change to be back on flatter land. The only problem I had with the area is that it was totally devoid of cell phone towers. Everyone had to guess where we were and when we might be expected.
The next stop was Virginia Beach. The giant statue of Neptune is located at the board walk by 31st. It was a beautiful day to walk the boardwalk.
We spent a couple of nights there before moving on.
Now you may have noticed my new flagrant attempt at self promotion to the side of my blog. Yes, I have registered on Zazzle. I had designed the poinsettia painting to be reduced as a holiday card, so when a certain Ms. Fromage (today I'm French, just yesterday I was British) suggested I sell some things on zazzle, I went over to check it out. It would be nice to make a little extra moola from my efforts, so...oila! I'm zazzling
Posted by Bubbie at 2:55 PM
Labels: north carolina, vacation, virginia beach, zazzle
3 comments:
- Mandy Crest said...
Come get your award!
- October 20, 2008 at 4:16 PM
- Denver Refashionista said...
Cool statue!
- October 20, 2008 at 8:42 PM
- Miss Chris said...
I love Virginia Beach!
- October 22, 2008 at 7:25 PM
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I love doing the USA Challenge. I did it last year just for fun, but didn't actually get all 50 states! So this was definitely one I wanted to do this year!!
The goal is to read a book that takes place, at least in part, in each of the 50 states.
{Each book can only count for one state.}
**Bonus Points: You can earn bonus points for reading a book set in a country other than the US.**
One point per country.
Books from other challenges count!
It would be nice if a review was done for each but that's not a firm requirement. It's just about having fun and getting some books read. There will be one big post that you can link reviews up to so we can all check them out. Yall feel free to bop around and comment on each others posts too.
Have fun!!


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I think any writer is a fool if he doesn't do it for money. There needs to be some kind of incentive in addition to the project. It all goes together. It's fun to sit there and think of characters and get them into action, then be paid for it.
Elmore Leonard


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Nothing compares to this Stewart's classic! Large showy stems of waxy blooms open apple green and age to a bright chartreuse keeping the bold reddish-purple lip. Very Fragrant. Sturdy bifoliate growths.
To learn more about about this plant, including time to first flowering please click on the 'Additional Information' tab below
|Pot Size
|3" pot
|Limited Edition
|Plant type
|Bloom Color
|Yellow, Green
|Expected First Flowering
|These plants are expected to be flowering size 2-3 years or less
|Noticeably Fragrant
|Light Requirements
|Bright, Indirect Light
|Size Expected at Maturity
|Standard- Large growth habit, at least 15"-18" tall, excluding flowers
|Blooming Season
|Suitable for Windowsill or Under Artificial Lights
|Temperature Requirements. (Based on Carter & Holmes Orchids recommendations for plant growth)
|Intermediate/Warm Grower- This plant can tolerate a range of temperatures from 55-90 degrees with adequate humidity and airflow.
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|This item is approved for CITES export outside the continental United States including Hawaii, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands
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Goal of this page is to laconically detail where I, George Samaras have travelled, since I usually forgot some places…But I always remember this: a flight to my destination lasts a day, or just an hour, however, the memories, last for a lifetime! 🙂
I will list (in random order) were I have been to and say some more about the non-Greek places I have been after 2012. It's also good to write down the memories… 🙂
Greece (history & beauty), and here is a list, made by mama.
- Σπήλι Ρεθύμνου 1992 (ήσουν μωρό)
- Πλακιάς Ρεθύμνου 1993 (ήσουν ενός έτους)
- Ζάκυνθος 1994 (Ο αδερφός σου μωρό)
- Λευκάδα 1995
- Άγιος Νικόλαος 1996
- Νάξος 1997
- Σύρος
- Σκιάθος
- Κύθηρα
- Σούγια Χανίων 2001
- Αγία Φωτιά Ν. Λασιθίου 2002
- Φολέγανδρος 2003
- Σκόπελος 2004
- Σκύρος 2-3 φορές με Μάρα+Μανώλη
- Θάσος 2005 // we had seen that island as its maximum green forests, before people burned it, as always in Greece!
- Σίφνος 2006
- Άγιος Νικόλαος (Πλάκα) 2007
- Παλαιόχωρα Χανίων 2008
- Κάλυμνος 2010
- Σάμος 201..; δεν θυμάμαι … 2011 ή 2012;
- Τήνος 2013
- Γιάνενα -Ζαγοροχώρια -Μέτσοβο 2002 Γενάρης
- Θεσσαλονίκη -Σέρρες- Ξάνθη 2002 Μάρτης, 2009 πενθημερη
- Χαλκιδική 2002 Πάσχα
- Κατερίνη-Βεργίνα -Δίον -Καστανιές -Έδεσσα-Λιτόχωρο 12ος 2002
- Κοζάνη-Φλώρινα- Πρέσπες
- Γιάννενα -Ζαγοροχώρια- Κόνιτσα 2005
- Τρίκαλα -Καλαμπάκα- Περτούλι -Ελάτη-Λίμνη Πλαστήρα 2006
- Λεβίδι 2α λυκείου, 3ήμερη
- Πάρος 2010 (μετα τις πανελλήνιες)
- Μύκονος 2011 ή 2 (DIT)
- Ίος 2014
- (Πάος Αρκαδίας a.k.a. Σκούπι) Χωριό (κάθε καλοκαίρι+αρκετά Χριστούγεννα+Πάσχα)
- Ηράκλειο Κρήτης 2015, Χερσόνησος + Ανισσαράς 2016 για το παρουσίαση Κρήτη. Με Μαριεύη.
Ύδρα 2017, Αγιου Πνεύματος με Μαριεύη.
The tree that I had a memory from the trip I organized for my school, as the Student President.
Egypt (history, giant Pyramids, when I first show them, it was foggy and they appeared dark in the background, like the movies when a huge monster comes by for the 1st time, that was unique).
Sphinx guard Pyramids at Giza
Tunisia (two worlds in one country, south a traditional Arabic one and north a European Tunisia. At every country, we would stay in a 5-6 stars hotel, but in Tunisia's ones, the food was superb. Moreover, one night we stayed at the Presidential Suite. Also the village in the middle of nowhere in the desert, built only for the Star Wars movie was nice (you could see the light swords, etc.) .)
Star wars movie village
Spain: Barcelona – nice architecture & visited the best so far restaurant for me, named 7 Portes, where I had the honor to sit at Maria's Kalas favorite spot. Paella was also there, but it was ok. Salvadore Dali's museum was pretty nice. In the aquarium there, I saw the most bizarre fish in my life, despite the several years of underwater fishing and such, the Sunfish, which was in the same area with sharks and I remember myself scared that it was half-eaten by a shark!
A Sunfish in Barcelona's aquarium
La Sagrada Familia
- Monaco (the most rich "village" you will ever go. Most unique cars I have ever seen in my life, casinos and the F1 track. Been there thanks to Eirini, who I didn't even know before our date for travelling to Monaco.)
Eirini and me and Monaco
Turkey, at Constantinople (aka Instabul) (Hagia Sophia, Topcapi palace, Bosporus (the river) and the biggest diamond in the world, who was at that time in an exhibition there, maybe in Dolmabahçe.)
Hagia Sophia from inside
Switzerland : 2012-2013 (my story here, great friend Hugo there and the Chinese couple Hao Hu and Liang Zhou, where the former had eaten all the Melomakarona my mother had sent me (not mines, the ones I gave to them).
Great Greek guys there too, Kokosioulis (perfect roommate), Vassilis Papapanagiotou and Triglianos(TA at web development), Thodoris Myrilos and Panos Cheilaris (lectured us in Algorithms) were the most important, along with some Greek girls (Vicky Mazzei who was willing to help me when I had a problem with my teeth). Also the Italian teacher was really nice. Moreover, Juxi Leitner was another TA we discussed a lot.)
A sweet Christmas story was unveiled at that time, when my mother made some Melomakarona and shipped them from Greece to Switzerland. They were really nice and I treated some of them to my friends around.
The Chinese couple could not be an exception of course, so I gave them some. The next day I asked them how they tasted and Hao laughed…Liang explained that "the biscuits" as they called melokarona were so delicious, that she couldn't resist in eating them all, leaving Liang without a bite, eventually leaving as all with a big smile! 🙂
France : 2014 (The dessert cremes were superb. Internship in research centre Inria, where I got great Greek support by Dora, Christos, Alisia (Fr.), Netko, Alex (bf of Dora) and Aiman(Djibouti), Devdeep and Darsh (India) were nice colleagues in the office.
At CIV, Matias(Chile) and Mohssine(Marocco) were great company, along with Nima(Iran), Liang(China), Marc(Fr.), Osama(Yemen), the Senagal and the Elephant guy (Ivory Coast) and last but not least, Mourjo (India). Romain(Fr.). Also Sara(Tunisia) was the girl in our company!
Also the people of Mediterranean days were important too, like Costas Ioannou, Alex Sibetheros, John Chronis(Gr.), Meriam and Amal (Tunisia).
Students from all over the Mediterranean visit Inria, 2014
Film festival at Cannes was nice. Nice people there and a necklace of 167.000 euros, displayed in a store like a normal product.
The second departure from France was for sure the most unique of all the departures I have ever lived. Firstly, I thought that I was flying from Nice at 18:00, then from Zurich at 20:00 and I land in Athens at 00:40. However, the first departure was at 06:00, which meant that I had to go to the airport from the previous day.
So three days, three airports and me, going to Greece on Monday to play a Cage match, since it would be the only common day of me and Stathopoulos, before summer. The plan was that I leave CIV at around 7 and taking two buses.
However, the guys suggested that we go after launch to Nice, to see Mohssine's new apartment and visit the beach. Finally only me and Mohssine went and instead of the beach we went to see the Champion's league final (Real Madrid vs Atletico Madid). That meant however that I should take the night bus, which had three scheduled routes and we got the final (at 01:10), since we also went for a kebab (the first one traditional kebab I ever tasted).
Mohssine insisted to come with me, since the bus would not stop out of the airport and I would have to walk a bit. It turned out the bus was intended to stop out of the airport, so I said Mohssine to disembark and go home, in order him no to have to arrive alone and sleep at 2-3 o'clock at the night.
The bus however had something different from all the other buses I have travelled with in other countries. Three policemen (or bus security), which stroke my attention. It wasn't long since I got why. People, explicitly black immigrants, were drunk (and as informed after "had smoked weed").
After some time, the people on the back of the bus were screaming and making noise for fun, so the three policemen were scolding them. However, at some point the situation was too bad and the bus stopped. A police car arrived and some policemen jumped in the bus and made -violently, since they were resisting- some guys disembark the bus. These guys were so high, that they had to get slapped twice by the police to actually realize that something was down.
We continued. However, the situation was becoming again noisy. At at some point, the situation became too noisy, so the bus stopped and many police cars arrived, making the night blue. Many guys were forced to leave the bus. The bus accelerated, but a guy from the back was saying something. I went near the driver, because I wanted to ask about my stop.
The bus driver was of course really frustrated with all this situation. He stood up and starting yelling to the guy and vice versa, until the driver had too much and took his bag and say that the bus will not continue and I recall him hitting a button in the bus and all the police cars(+some more) were all over the place again(the also had a tog (like Rex), which probably was useful to smell drugs).
I told the police I had to go to the airport, so they put me and another girl in a police car and started to get going. They drove the girl home and then we headed for the airport. The driver asked me if I was late, I said that I have 4 hours left and he said "ah you are late", but I think we knew that I wasn't.
Suddenly he accelerated, initiated the blue lights of the police car and was going really fast to the airport. We arrived, shook hands and here I am, writing this story, with the Wifi of the airport to be unlimited free I think (without a time limit) and Eirini, despite being drunk, sending me the photograph of Monaco, that one can see above.)
Matias, Mohssine and I in front of the Red Carpet in the Film Festival of Cannes
Aiman, Darsh, me and Deevdep in our office in Inria
From left, Marc, Nima, Sara, me, Mohsinne and Matias in our first breakfast in the balkony of CIV
Paris is the new destination, visited at mid January 2015, just after the week of the Charlie Hebdo incident, in order to participate in the Winter school "Combinatorial and algorithmic aspects of convexity", where the two main lecturers were Mr. Vempala and Mr. Bárány. Institut Henri Poincaré (I.H.P.) fully supported (financially) my trip. I was able to have a discussion with Mr. Vempala about my project which aims to search for Nearest Neighbors in a high dimensional space.
Before a talk.
Above: Vangelis, Silouanos, me and below: Chasapis, Psarros and the only Greek girl around, Lambrini!
Vissarion was somewhere else in Paris at that moment.
We tried to see as many places as possible, but Paris was too big. A beautiful city and I felt sometimes why it is called the City of Light. Except Eiffel tower, Notre-Dame de Paris was spectacular for me, especially because I could see the "monsters" that I had seen in the movie (a Gargoyle for example). The bridges over the river Seine (Sikouanas for Greeks), combined with the medieval buildings and the light emitted by the Eiffel tower was something nice too. And many more..
An interesting night was when Psarros and Vangelis had to accompany Nemparis to the metro station, but we should get going too, but I was hungry, so I stepped into a Kebab shop which was about to close (thus it was empty). I figured out that the guys were Turkish people, so I asked them if I was correct and they said yes and they asked me back.
Then we were laughing and mentioning how many things the two nations share, such as soutzoukakia, raki, tsifteteli and more. The point is that we had such a good time and I am thinking about the hate that lies in the minds of some people, that is cultivated. The more I travel, the more I admire this quote: "Fascism is treated reading and racism is treated traveling. (Miguel de Unamuno)".
I met Benjamin (Austria) who had visited Greece and Cyprus and Joe (Ohio, US). Last but not least comes Marjorie, who was my financial secretary for that trip. Her step father is Algerian, who decided to go back home when he had exams for the Math uni, in order to focus on studying. However, when he tried to return to France, Algeria did not allow him to do so, because his military service was still pending. He was really good in Mathematics and managed to become an officer. When he was done with the army, he went back to Paris.
When she saw my surname she knew already I was Greek and asked why. One of the reasons was that her family has a home in Mani, which they visit every Summer. Then she was telling me that she bought online two watch straps from Greece, but they send her one and they didn't reply to her e-mail. So I decided to offer my help and go to the store in Athens if needed. 😉
For the first time in my life I was the major photographer of the trip, so here are some selected pics. Moreover, another unique event took place in Paris. I watched (via webcasting) my last lecture as an undergraduate student in DIT. The lecture was the OS course with A. Delis.
Eiffel tower by night
Eiffel tower by night, as seen from the river
Notre-Dame de Paris. If you look closely, you *may* see Quasimodo. 🙂
USA, California, Silicon Valley + San Francisco: Summer 2016. Yahoo! gives me the chance to come here, both as a tourist (funded by Yahoo!, in The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square hotel; Union Square has events every weekend, open to the public and free, really cool, like music, dance, karate, movies, etc.) and later as a Software Engineer Intern, in big data, image processing, deep-learning and distributed computing.
San Francisco (SF) being foggy most of the time, is a port that brags about its geological location. San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto's 2nd city must have been San Francisco, since I can see many places in common (however GTA really beautified the bad neighborhoods of SF, which are very dirty and with many homeless people lying on the streets). The Russian hill, Pier 69, the Tram, the steep slopes in the roads, Bay Bridge is the bridge that is near the garage of CJ, and Golden Gate is the bridge above a club (the building also exists), that CJ did some missions there. The city has many companies, most of them doing cutting-edge technology improvements, especially in the Bay area, where I live. There are many skyscrapers, which hide the sun that comes out usually around the middle of the day, such a catastrophe…On the other side, it's expected to see building like these here, it's a relative small space for the people that want to be here, so skyscrapers might help in squeezing more people in this city.
SF is a multi-cultural city, without question. The most bizarre people, are the Chinese, so tiny..Some females also do some weird moves with their hands, it must be something related to religion, like a pray. Notice that a century ago, massive Chinese moves were a thing, causing an uproar against them from the workers in the port, similar to what we see today with the immigrants. As a result, the Chinese element is very vivid here, and a part of the city is named Chinatown (that's where I go and eat fried rice with shrimps), where 10k people are literally zipped in it, living probably in tiny places. It appears that some Chinese are the corresponding Gypsies of Greece, searching the trash, probably for bottles. However, Chinese seem to be respectful, they won't steal from you…
Streets can be unpleasant here, with homeless people lurking around, and they are the more violent ones I have ever seen, most of them are black, or white crazy people, that scream at their own, for no obvious reason- really frightening. They will ask you for money and/or try to sell you something they just stole. For example, the place in Market St., where the tourist trolley starts gathers many tourists, thus many homeless people and street "artists".
One of them tried to sell me a liquid detergent (!?) and I ignored him, but he wouldn't give up that easily, he followed me and literally shouted to my ear, until I turned and looked him, telling him that I am not interested! Surprisingly enough, they are allowed to walk into clothing stores-the other day one stole something, but I was asking the security guard for directions, so when the beep sound and the guard talked to him, he stormed out of the place, risking a car crash!
Yahoo's headquarters are in Sunnyvale (part of Silicon Valley), which is hotter than SF, but the Vision Team is here, so I work in SF. Sunnyvale, has superior food than the office here, it also has baristas, something that's expected, since the campus there is huge, and far, far more people work there than here in SF. In general, many popular and strong companies are here, and their funders too. For example, in the San Francisco Marathon, Marc Zuckerberg was running along.
A very important achievement for me was the fact that I was the one behind the main Greek Yogurt supplier for Yahoo!, with Chobani (it said to be Greek Yogurt, but it's Turkish) being all over the place when I came in, now FAGE replaced them. The Business Manager of FAGE in New York answered back to me, after I contacted FAGE and I set up a communication bridge between him and the food department here in Yahoo!, the Vision Team also supported this shift from Chobani to FAGE! 🙂
This trip had its unpleasant surprise, not as big as the one in France with the wasted black guys, the police and the airport, but still, something remarkable. I was with Yannis Kalantidis, colleague in Yahoo, outside of the Falafel place at 5th and Market. A homeless guy was messing with the store owner and on their vocal fight, he called him Nigga. A black pedestrian interrupting him- lecturing him on that, I guess.
All this, got us distracted, but as soon as it got over, we were standing, while Yannis wanted to show me something at his brand new corporate phone (he dropped his previous corporate phone in the sea the previous weekend). Out of a sudden, a hand grabbed his phone, Yannis screamed "hey, that's my phone" and started chasing them.
Despite the fact that I know that chasing the thieves is always wrong, due to the instinct that we have, I stormed behind the thieves-group, two black males and one black female, which I targeted, since it seemed to be the easiest target. It didn't take me long to come into a position of taking her down. However, just as I made the final stretch to smack her down, my body refused me this action, since it understood that I didn't have support from my shoes (turns out my shoes cords were not tight), which resulted in my body simulating a controlled fall, and 6 years of Cage football, has teach me how to fall in hard terrains, so I wasn't hurt.
However, my favorite Billabong jacket, mama and brother had bought me, was torn apart during my fall. Yanks (which had two black males in the case), fortunately, stopped when he saw me falling, I stood up right away, we wondered just a bit, to see them gone, and since we knew that what we did was wrong, we stopped chasing them. What is important to remember, is that my favorite jacket won't be returning home with me. Fortunately, that was the only loss (including the phone), but who cares? We were safe and healthy after that, and that (and only that) is what matters. What would be the situation if we caught them? I am pretty sure these punks would have some kind of weapon, and we could have been severely injured!
During this trip I learned that giving a gentle slap to the back of the neck to the person that's just got a new haircut and telling him "Me Yia" is something Greek (or maybe Turkish? Since we share a lot…). Americans, Germans, Chinese, Ghanaians and Netherlanders don't do it. I do not remember to who I did it first, probably Dylan, but it was obvious he wasn't aware of the concept..Another nice incident was on a Friday, when Clayton, Blake and me were having desert and I got my hands dirty (too much vanilla cream!), and said: "I eat like a gypsy!". Lot of laughing that afternoon, with the narration of several stereotypes..
I told them that in my village, we were threatened to be given to the gypsies if we didn't eat all our food, then they told me about the "White people can't dance", and so on. We also discussed about the chicken game and how amusing did Clayton find that we would be able to park his car wherever it could fit, when he was in Greece. He also found Athens cheap, but not Santorini. Blake is going to Mykonos and Santorini this Thursday (on my last week here).
The last Sunday in San Francisco was also the best one for me, the weather was so sweet, it almost felt like Greece! I went to the Coit tower, where I had to walk through several steps, surrounded by beautiful flowers and much green. That tower was built from a rich lady, which after her death left enough money to build that beauty, just like leaving her jewelry for the neighborhood. I also visited the Aquarium, just across Alcatraz. Children would be amazed by the fish that are like Nemo and Dory, saying there names loud, since they have obviously see the cartoons. It was fun, there was one fish to stand up, as pictured below, the California sheephead (all sheepheads are born as females, but eventually transform into males…). However, the amazement was not as much as the one I had in Barcelona's Aquarium with the Sunfish! Moreover, the videos displayed here were of lower quality than the ones displayed in Crete's Aquarium. A unique feature of that Aquarium for me though, was the fact that we were able to touch baby sharks and stingrays. The skin of the sharks was so rough.
An important fact is while in San Francisco, you can sense that large companies that are active in the Computer Science area are located around, such as Google, Yahoo, Apple, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and many more. Moreover many smaller companies exist here and there is much Tech going on in the Bay Area.
Nice people during my trip were the guy from Nestle as I first took the BART to go to my hotel, the Chinese guy that I helped reach the airport the day I was leaving (he was about to take the wrong train!), le petit Ivan in the airplane, and last but not least, Pedro, the researcher from Portugal, which was an Intern in MemSQL at the same period as me, but hadn't a paid vacation as me, that's why he came a week later in SF.
"A little less conversation, a little more action", thus I am listing some images below, and you can see all my 1205 images in Flickr.
My hotel (Westin St. Francis) and the lovely Union Square.
Harry Mavroforakis, Antonia Saravanou, Orestis Polychroniou, Stratis Karatzas, me and Anna Persis, in my first night out (of course, I had forgotten my ID and was denied access, went back home to get it – I learnt nothing in Switzerland!)
A church, view behind the waterfall of that park near my home, often closed for private parties.
Vision Team, Yahoo! San Francisco office. (Jack Culpepper was missing) Spencer Cappallo, Saurabh Kumar, Rob Hess, Kofi (name given to males born on a Friday, in Ghana) Boakye, Blake Carpenter, Tobias Baumgartner, Bart Thomee, Gerry Pesavento, Stacey Svetlichnaya, Yannis Kalantidis, Samaras, Stevie Chancellor, Marissa Connor, Clayton Mellina, Pierre Garrigues, Dylan Paiton, Huy Nguyen and Frank Liu.
California sheephead, San Francisco Aquarium, last Sunday of my trip, 2016.
Nike (νάικι, από το νίκη), just do it!
Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption
My office at Yahoo, SF. On the left my Turbo-X, on the right my MacBook Pro, on top the Mac of Yahoo and its monitor. Notice my favorite cranberry juice and choco-cookies, as well as the Fage yogurt, which I accomplished to get it to Yahoo's fridge! The Stack Overflow swag is also something notable.
Palace of Fine Arts, a nice lake, Greek-like architecture and many birds!
The Golden Gate
Transamerica Pyramid — a bank!
Sunrise from the tail of the A380, I was on its 2nd floor when going to Paris!
Malmo, Sweden: Spring 2017. Traveling for the EuroCG 2017 conference, to present my Master Thesis and DOLPHINN, I first went to Copenhagen and then took the train to Malmo, same as E. Papadopoulou, my professor back in Switzerland. The first talk was from her student, Elena, which was my TA back as USI.
Malmo had nice buildings, reminding old cities from central Europe, but the colors were not so bright. The food was good and my hotel perfect. The city had lakes and sea, which made water birds appear occasionally and it was nice to hear them as you were walking in the centre of the city. The ducks were common, probably the most of the countries I have visited by now.
My talk was at the same day with the museum visit, where the aquarium was the most interesting part, where 3 ancient crabs were alive there! These crabs have blue blood. It had also some dinosaurs and modern animals, as well as art. I also met a Cuban guy, which was part of Spanish team. The interesting part is that he also felt bad for Cuba and the situation Fidel Castro had brought the country so far, "forcing" him, and many others (I had met similar people to USA), to leave the country. In general, it's essential to hear the story from the people of Cuba, rather than the Facebook posts. With Cuba for example, everybody was praising Castro for his acts (somehow forgetting that he gave the presidency to his brother without elections), which in theory were nice (such as resisting the capitalism), but in practice – as usual with such regimes – the people of Cuba were extremely poor and starving.
The weather was relatively good, like the autumn in Greece. It is quite remarkable though to remember what happened when I arrived. A guy didn't find his luggage when we were waiting for them. When all the passengers left, except him, there was a luggage that nobody took. As a result, he assumed that this luggage was taken by someone else accidentally. He then went to the Information kiosk to fill a report, where they told him that they will track the luggage and then send it to him, in 24h. However, I am pretty sure this will not be that easy. So, what one should remember is that (s)he should rush to the luggage area and as soon as the luggage start coming out, to be alert for his/hers.
The Niagara building, where the conference and my talk took place.
Walking by the river.
Ancient blue-blooded crabs.
Ducks were all over the place, but Swan is my favorite.
Vienna, Austria: Spring 2017. Traveling for the first time with Marievi abroad! After her rejection for Hilton, we stayed in Airbnb, where the private apartment we had payed was actually shared, but we managed to get a refund. Palaces and aristocratic stuff, as well as museums were in the heart of our interest; don't forget Gloriette, where the couples did secretly meet. Schnitzel was the main dish. It snowed, despite the fact that it was Easter. In Cafe Central, my very expensive (but broken) umbrella was stolen, but thankfully this happened on the last night. We also had booked Opera tickets in Vienna State Opera, but missed the concert, because we thought it was on a different day, but eventually bought really cheap standing tickets for another concert, where we had the chance to experience a classic concert, but also admire the elegance of the concert hall itself.
Austria's Parlament with Athena been the main attraction!
Belvedere palace: Great gardens, but poor interior design.
Schonbrunn Palace Ballroom that features in Princess Sissi's movies.
Kunsthistoriches museum, great exhibits in the 1st floor and a cool audio guide. Theseus statue features on the background. Almost all museums had something greek, do not forget; museum is a greek word!
Vienna State Opera, where we forgot our booking, but were able to recover.
Schonbrunn palace, walk in the huge garden and don't miss the view from Gloriette.


text:
Introducing the first ever 'Memory League Online Knockout (MLOK)'
Introducing the first ever 'Memory League Online Knockout (MLOK)'
Hi guys,
With the blessing of the Memory League owners, I am organizing an online knockout tournament and it is open to everyone!
There is no prize money, this is not an official event, it is just for fun.
Here is how it will work …
- 1 random opponent.
- Best of 5 games (1 game of each discipline)
- You have 3 days maximum to complete your match.
- One of you is knocked out, one advances to the next round.
How to enter …
Starting right now, anyone who wants to enter can reply to this post, or pm me.
I will need the name you use for Memory League. Facebook and The Art of Memory if you have one.
The deadline to sign up is 11pm, London time, Friday 9th.
This means the first round of matches can happen over that weekend.
Who can enter …
Anyone can enter if they have an account on Memory League, even if they are not a subscriber and even if they are not level 10 for each discipline.
Because this has not been done before, I cannot guess how many people will play.
I myself will not enter.
The Format …
This is straight knockout tournament.
Depending on the number of entries, it is likely that some people will get a bye straight through to round 2.
You will be drawn at random against an opponent (unless you get a bye).
You will then have a maximum of 3 days to play each other once at each of the 5 disciplines.
This can comfortably be done in a half hour session if you both have the time.
The order of the 5 disciplines will also be drawn at random at the start of each round.
This avoids any need for discussion or disagreements.
At the end of the match, someone will win 5-0 or 4-1 or 3-2
Once one of you reached 3 wins, you can choose to stop there or complete all 5.
At this point could you both either post the result as a reply here or pm it to me.
If a discipline is a draw, please play it again.
The loser of the match is out of the tournament, but don't worry, you can still arrange any matches you want on Memory League with a specific person or a random opponent.
Once you both click ready, there are no retries … If your internet goes down, or you are distracted or your computer freezes … Basically if anything bad happens, the result has to stand, unless your opponent is kind enough to let you start again.
If you both agree, that is fine and I hope we can all do this and keep it friendly but there is no compulsion to do this. This is the only way to ensure there are no disputes.
When all matches have been completed, there will be another random draw for the next round and once again the order of the 5 disciplines will be drawn and you will have another 3 days to complete your matches with your new opponent.
This will continue until we have a champion!
If two people are drawn against each other who are on different levels, you can still play as normal but you need to click 'Friendly match' instead of 'Rated match'
The rules for a win are slightly different than it shows on the software in this scenario.
Currently when two different levels meet, it gives the winner as the person with the highest percentage, however for this tournament, the winner is the person with the highest score.
As an example … If you are given 80 digits and recall 70 whilst your opponent is given only 60 digits and recalls all 60, for this tournament, the 70 digits wins.
If both people are level 10, please click on 'Rated match'
For anyone who is not a subscriber, you can only have 3 attempts per day.
As you have 3 days to play your 5 games, this should not be an issue if you use them carefully.
Please inform your opponent if you are not level 10 for any discipline and/or if you are not a subscriber and only get 3 goes each day.
It is your responsibility to arrange your matches with your opponent and then publish or pm me your results.
If you have any questions, please direct them to me and not the Memory League staff as they are busy making the site as awesome as possible and I have committed to give my time to ensure all is fair and everything goes smoothly.
The one areas that may not be fair and that I cannot control is languages.
I can only speak English and there may be a scenario where two opponents struggle to communicate with each other.
We will deal with these situations as they happen, but hopefully this will not be a major issue.
And the final thing to add …
It would be fun to try to track the best overall performance for each discipline over the course of the whole tournament, so if you match or beat any of these levels, please let me know because your score could be one of the best …
Cards – 52 in 25 seconds
Numbers - 80 in 23 seconds
Images – 30 in 15 seconds
Names – 27 names
Words – 45 words
Good luck!
Clay Knight
(Organizer of the Memory League Online Knockout)
Thanks for organising, Clay!
Since you don't have to be level 10, I'll be in this. I will probably give someone an easy first round as I'm completely out of practice in Cards and Numbers.
My username is "Simon Orton" everywhere.
Why don't you enter yourself, Clay? Since there are no prizes, I don't think anyone would mind you being both organiser and competitor.
Awesome, I am glad you will enter!
I already said on the post I wouldn't enter so I probably cannot change my mind now.
Also, I wouldn't want anyone questioning the fairness of the whole thing,.
Ok the draw for the first round has been made.
We have 36 competitors and here are the fixtures ...
Kevin Schulz Niklas Hendrik
Dan Holloway Chris Forde
Johannes Mallow Simon Reinhard
Florian Dellé Konsti Skudler
Marcin Maskow Kowalczyk Simon Orton
Christian Schäfer Takeru Aoki
Simon Luisi Lahcen Oulhadj
Johnny Briones Lance Tschirhart
Egor Dubrovin Boris Nikolai Konrad
Katie Kermode Trianto Adi Prasetyo
Bartłomiej Boral Sylle Arvidieu
Daniel Evans Caleb Thompson
Nelson Charles Dellis Jonathan Wright
Marius Ihlar Maxie Berkmann
Edric Liew Tobiasz Boral
Francis Blondin Marlo Knight
Scott Sussex Melanie Höllein
Ben Pridmore Jan-Hendrik Büscher
So this means ...
Kevin plays Niklas,
Dan plays Chris,
Johannes plays Simon
And so on ...
The order for the disciplines for round one are ...
Please could you all play your games in the order listed to avoid any potential disagreements.
The order for the 5 disciplines and the draw for who plays who were both drawn using Art of Memory's random number generator.
You can now go ahead and message your opponent and make arrangements to play your 5 games.
Once you have a winner, you can either post the result here or pm me if you would prefer.
Let's try to get all of these matches completed by Tuesday morning 8am UK time at the latest.
If you happen to produce a great score and want to screen capture and send it to me, we can try to find the best score for each discipline during the whole tournament.
If you have any questions, you can post here or pm me.
Remember, this is just for fun, no prize money, just the kudos of winning the first ever
Memory League Online Knockout Tournament.
Very unlucky for Simon Reinhard and Johannes Mallow that you ended up drawn together.
These are the two champions of this format in the first 3 years of XMT.
Good luck to all 36 of you!!!
The second round has been drawn and here are the matches ...
Melanie Höllein v Lahcen Oulhadj
Tobiasz Boral v Boris Nikolai Konrad
Nelson Dellis v Bartłomiej Boral
Konsti Skudler v Christian Schäferr
Marcin Kowalczyk v Marlo Knight
Daniel Evans v Simon Reinhard
Kevin Schulz v Marius Ihlar
Katie Kermode v Lance Tschirhart
Dan Holloway v Jan-Hendrik Büscher
We are now down to the semi finals ... Here are the latest results ...
Simon Reinhard Marlo Knight 4 v 3
Boris Nikolai Konrad Nelson Charles Dellis 3 v 4
Katie Kermode Konsti Skudler 5 v 1
Melanie Höllein Jan-Hendrik Büscher 3 v 4
This is the draw for the semi final ...
Jan-Hendrik Büscher v Nelson Charles Dellis
Simon Reinhard v Katie Kermode
These are the best scores for each discipline recorded across the whole tournament so far ...
52 CARDS 20.21 seconds - Simon Reinhard
30 IMAGES 14.91 seconds - Marcin Maskow Kowalczyk
30 NAMES 30 in 48.92 seconds - Jan-Hendrick Büscher
80 NUMBERS 22.40 seconds - Melanie Höllein
50 WORDS 50 in 50.57 seconds - Katie Kermode
The semis will be the best of 7 games.
Good luck!
We have now reached the final of this exciting event!
We started with 35 entries and in a series of randomly drawn heads up matches we are down to 2 players.
Jan-Hendrik Büscher and Simon Reinhard
Here are all of the matches so far ...
FINAL - Round 5 - 2 entries
Jan-Hendrik Büscher Simon Reinhard
Semi - Round 4 - 4 entries
Jan-Hendrik Büscher Nelson Charles Dellis 4 v 3
Simon Reinhard Katie Kermode 4 v 3
Round 3 - 8 entries
Simon Reinhard Marlo Knight 4 v 3
Boris Nikolai Konrad Nelson Charles Dellis 3 v 4
Katie Kermode Konsti Skudler 5 v 1
Melanie Höllein Jan-Hendrik Büscher 3 v 4
Round 3 play off, 9 to 8
Kevin Schulz Boris Nikolai Konrad 2 v 5
Round 2 - 18 entries
Melanie Höllein Lahcen Oulhadj 4 v 1
Tobiasz Boral Boris Nikolai Konrad 1 v 4
Nelson Charles Dellis Bartłomiej Boral 4 v 1
Konsti Skudler Christian Schäfer 3 v 2
Marcin Maskow Kowalczyk Marlo Knight 1 v 4
Daniel Evans Simon Reinhard 0 v 5
Kevin Schulz Marius Ihlar 5 v 0
Katie Kermode Lance Tschirhart 3 v 2
Dan Holloway Jan-Hendrik Büscher 0 v 5
Round 1 - 35 entries
Kevin Schulz Niklas Hendrik 5 v 0
Dan Holloway Chris Forde 3 v 2
Johannes Mallow Simon Reinhard 2 v 3
Florian Dellé Konsti Skudler 0 v 2
Marcin Maskow Kowalczyk Simon Orton 5 v 0
Christian Schäfer Takeru Aoki 5 v 0
Simon Luisi Lahcen Oulhadj 0 v 3
Johnny Briones Lance Tschirhart 0 v 3
Egor Dubrovin Boris Nikolai Konrad 2 v 3
Katie Kermode Katie through, dnc
Bartłomiej Boral Sylle Arvidieu 4 v 1
Daniel Evans Caleb Thompson 5 v 0
Nelson Charles Dellis Jonathan Wright 5 v 0
Marius Ihlar Maxie Berkmann 3 v 1
Edric Liew Tobiasz Boral Tobiasz through, dnc
Francis Blondin Marlo Knight 0 v 5
Scott Sussex Melanie Höllein 0 v 5
Ben Pridmore Jan-Hendrik Büscher 2 v 3
Details on the final to follow ...
Memory League Online Knockout
THE FINAL!!! (Round 5)
Jan-Hendrik Büscher v Simon Reinhard
Matches will be the best of 9
This is the order of games ...
1 - Jan-Hendrick's first choice
2 - Simon's first choice
3 - Numbers
4 - Names
5 - Jan-Henrick's second choice
6 - Simon's second choice
7 - Words
8 - Cards
9 - Images
Your second choice cannot be the same as your first choice.
As before, please could you all play your games in the order listed to avoid any potential disagreements.
The order for the disciplines was once again drawn using Art of Memory's random number generator.
We are also following the best scores for each discipline and these are the best of the best so far ...
Cards - 20.21 seconds - Simon Reinhard
Images - 14.91 seconds - Marcin Maskow Kowalczyk
Names - All 30 in 48.92 seconds - Jan-Hendrik Büscher
Numbers - 22.40 seconds - Melanie Höllein
Words - All 50 in 50.57 seconds - Katie Kermode
So we have 5 different people leading the 5 disciplines.
As stated before ,,,
If you have any questions, you can post here or pm me.
Remember(for the last time) this is just for fun, no prize money, just the kudos of winning the first ever
Memory League Online Knockout Tournament.
Good luck to both of you!!!
Congratulations to Simon Reinhard!
Beating Jan-Hendrick 5-3 to become the winner of the first ever
We started with 35 competitors and Simon was the last one standing.
This is not new to him, he also won the Memory League's for-runner, XMT, 2 out of the 3 years it has been run.
Here are Simon's results ...
XMT 2014 - Matches 6-0 - Finished 1st of 16
XMT 2015 - Matches 6-1 - Finished 3rd of 24
XMT 2016 - Matches 7-0 - Finished 1st of 24
MLOK - Matches 5-0 - Finished 1st of 35
Boris Konrad is the only person to have beaten him
(Semi final 2015)
Johannes Mallow is the only other winner
Congratulations also to Jan-Hendrik Büscher for making the final and finishing 2nd overall.
A final congratulations to the competitors with the best results across the event for each discipline ...
CARDS 20.21 seconds - Simon Reinhard
IMAGES 14.91 seconds - Marcin Maskow Kowalczyk
NAMES 30 in 48.92 seconds - Jan-Hendrik Büscher
NUMBERS 22.40 seconds - Melanie Höllein
WORDS 50 in 50.57 seconds - Katie Kermode
See you all in the next one :)
I'm in
This comment was after the deadline but I am working on a solution and i have pm'd you.


text:
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital | 100 Great Hospitals in America 2017
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text:
"NVIDIA test model(SHIELD)" with Tegra K1 on AnTuTu
Subject: General Tech, Systems, Mobile | April 27, 2014 - 03:30 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: nvidia, sheild, shield 2, AnTuTu
VR-Zone is claiming that this is the successor to NVIDIA's SHIELD portable gaming system. An AnTuTu benchmark was found for a device called, "NVIDIA test model(SHIELD)" with an "NVIDIA Gefroce(Kepler Graphics)" GPU, typos left as-is. My gut expects that it is valid, but I hesitate to vouch the rumor. If it even came from NVIDIA, which the improper spelling and capitalization of "GeForce" calls into question, it could easily be an internal prototype and maybe even incorrectly given the "SHIELD" (which is properly spelled and capitalized) label.
Image Credit: AnTuTu.com
As far as its camera listing, it would make sense for the SHIELD to get one at standard definition (0.3MP -- probably 640x480). The fact that the original SHIELD shipped without any, at all, still confuses me. The low resolution sensor still does not make sense, seeming like an almost pointless upgrade, but it could be used by NVIDIA for a specific application or built-in purpose.
Or, it could be an irrelevant benchmark listing.
Either way, there are rumors floating around about a SHIELD 2 being announced at E3 in June. It is unlikely that NVIDIA will give up on the handheld any time soon. Whether that means new hardware, versus more software updates, is anyone's guess. The Tegra K1 would have been a good launching SoC for the SHIELD, however, with its full OpenGL 4.4 and compute support (the hardware supports up to OpenCL 1.2 although driver support will apparently be "based on customer needs". PDF - page 8).
Waiting. Seeing. You know the drill.
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Telefonix is a leader in technology development for complex electrical and mechanical assemblies and the software that drives them.
Telefonix's own product development services are greatly enriched by our strategic partnership with PDT.
A premier, award winning product design and development firm, PDT is known for its work in tightly regulated industries including medical, defense and aerospace and quick-moving spaces like consumer electronics and TeleMedicine.
Together, Telefonix and PDT have collaborated on complex LRU (Line Replaceable Unit) design and fabrication for airline infotainment systems, EV (Electric Vehicle) charging stations and turnkey solutions for consumer electronics.
Prototyping is an invaluable tool in the design process. On-site modeling machines allow our designers to validate each step of the development process. To see if a part will fit into the configuration as planned, our engineers can create a model overnight for early morning testing. By verifying progress along the way, prototyping eliminates potential integration and installation problems down the line and expedites the design process.
Precision crafted representations of your design validate all aspects of functionality and aesthetics prior to production.
PDT then assembles, tests and ships the prototype directly to you.
Ask us about
• Fully Functional Working Prototypes
• Proof-of-Concept
• Appearance Models
• Iterative Mechanical Refinement
• RTV Molding
• Objet Polyjet 3D Print
• Color and Material Matching
• High-Speed CNC Machining
Cord Reel Testing
Understanding that customer use of our cord reel technology can be unique, every cord reel design is validated utilizing both mechanical and human interface testing that is designed to simulate actual use.
Environmental Compliance Testing
Telefonix operates under an ISO14000 environmental compliance system and is dedicated to implementation of environmental compliance programs for our customers. Telefonix has unique processes in place to ensure material compliance within our supply base and validates material compliance during both development and product lifecycle management, utilizing our XRF scanning equipment. Whatever your requirement, RoHS, REACH, Conflict-Mineral compliance or some other requirement, we are prepared to support your needs.
At Telefonix, we have long recognized that to be a true partner means being there every step of the way. To that end, we continue to grow capability sets aimed at ensuring that products are tested and verified throughout the development life cycle. Depending on the product being delivered, the type of testing and timing will vary, but what never changes is the company's commitment to excellence.
Whether your program calls for engineering validation testing, environmental compliance testing, UL or CE certification, FAA, EASA or OEM Certification or FDA testing, our team is ready to lead the effort. From test fixture and setup design to documentation and test execution, we have experienced staff members ready to work with you to achieve success.
Aerospace Documentation and Certification Services
We have a fully staffed team of documentation specialists ready to help with Qualification Test Plans, Qualification Test Reports, Flammability Statements, Component Maintenance, Aircraft Maintenance Manuals or anything else you might need.
Telefonix is an AS 9100, ISO 9001 and ISO 14000 certified manufacturer, with employees trained in Lean, Six Sigma, and 5S. With our primary design resources and production facilities co-located at the company's headquarters in Waukegan, Illinois, design and industrial engineers have the benefit of working side-by-side to ensure not just cutting-edge design but design for manufacturability. Every project begins with a comprehensive plan and early involvement with operations. We track all stages and gates of manufacturing to maintain target delivery dates.
Strategic sourcing through our network of partners allows us to work around embargo and short-term raw material gaps to maintain the precise delivery control our customers demand.
Our continuous improvement and ongoing training efforts keep assembly performance efficient and ensure Telefonix has quality-focused assembly talent at all times.
While all Telefonix products for regulated industries are manufactured at our headquarters, for larger volume programs, we have a trusted network of partners in Asia that can be called upon.
Copyright © 2017 Telefonix, Inc. All rights reserved. Telefonix is a registered trademark of Telefonix, Inc. For a complete Telefonix patent and trademark listing, please visit our legal page.
2340 Ernie Krueger Cir., Waukegan, IL 60087, (847) 244-4500


text:
Реферат: English writer: William Shakespeare
I would like to tell about a writer who became a symbol of theEnglish literature.
William Shakespeare, the greatest English poet and dramatist, wasborn in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. When he was 13 he left schooland began to help his father in the trade. He was glad when groups of actorsvisited Stratford. William watched them and decided to become an actor.
William went to London when he was about 21. He began to work inLondon holding the horses of those people who came to see the plays at thetheatre.
Later he became an actor and then he began to write plays himself.Very many of his plays were performed in a London theatre called The Globe.Life itself was shown in his plays. Shakespeare's heroes are still on the stagein his plays Othello, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and other.
William Shakespeare died at the stage of 52 and was buried in fineold Parish Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.
His plays and poems were translated into many foreign languages.People all over the world enjoy them. As for me, I like Shakespeare's sonnetsvery much. They tell about great love and beautiful dame and a man is a knight.They are ordinary people but great love makes their feelings beautiful. Maybe,that is why I like the sonnets. I hope someday to read his poems and plays inEnglish and enjoy them in the original.
Perform– выполнять
Globe – земнойшар
Dame – дама
А man is a knight – человек – рыцарь
They are ordinary people – Они обычные люди
Plays– пьесы
Список литературы
Дляподготовки данной работы были использованы материалы с сайта bazamstu.dax.ru/


text: Human Rights Observatory Questions, Answers on What's Ahead for Jimmy Carter What's next in Jimmy Carter's cancer treatment depends on how widely the disease has spread and where, and how aggressively the 90-year-old former president wants to fight it. Carter said Wednesday that surgery on August 3 to remove a mass in his liver revealed cancer that had spread to other parts of his body. He did not say whether the cancer started in his liver, or even whether the origin was known. His father, brother and two sisters died of pancreatic cancer, and his mother...Read complete article© Voice of America - Thursday, August 13, 2015


text:
- Please select a date to see the proper prices!
Description of the accommodation:
Rooms, services Quality Inn & Suites Steamboat Springs would be pleased to host you for a few days trip or a longer holiday in Steamboat Springs. The hotel is offering 52 tasfefully furnished, nice rooms for those looking for a place to stay at in Steamboat Springs. In case you'd like to have a meal or a drink on the spot, you will be provided freshly prepared dishes in the restaurant every day. Available wellness services will provide you the opportunity to refresh yourself, an indoor pool will also be waiting for you. If you have a suitable portable device, you can connect to the Internet via a wireless network (WiFi) available at the hotel. The exact equipment and the exact list of available services of Quality Inn & Suites Steamboat Springs can be read on the information sheet below.
Payment Credit card guarantee or advance bank card payment may be required for the reservation, depending on the chosen room, date and price.
Arrival, opening hours The earliest time to check in at the hotel is 16:00, the latest time to check out is 11:00. You will be able to speak with the personnel in English.
Quality Inn & Suites Steamboat Springs rooms Rooms
- Please select a date to see the proper prices!
Accommodation services
Free WiFi in shared places
- Indoor pool
Pet friendly
Own restaurant
Hairdryer, Fridge, Microwave oven, Tea/coffee-maker


text:
MOVIE SYNOPSIS [ General Audiences ] With the film direction of Joe Urban, Annette Hubbell heads the cast of this feature film originally of USA, with original script in English (see subtitles), whose premiere was scheduled for 2013. You can watch Witness to Gettysburg online on TV cable or theaters with original audio in English at different dates. This film premiered in theaters in 2013.
Rating: 5 by 9 users./
Runtime: 69 minutes
Annette Hubbell.
Documental, Drama, Historic.
69-minute film (full movie) directed by Joe Urban.
The original audio of Witness to Gettysburg has dialogues in Dolby Digital, it was produced in USA.
It premiered in cinemas or television in 2013.
Screenplay written by Annette Hubbell.
Annette Hubbell.
Composed by Justin R. Durban.
Without commercial breaks, the full movie Witness to Gettysburg has a duration of 69 minutes; the official trailer can be watched in streaming on the Internet. You can watch this full movie free in EnglishDolby Digital in movie TV channels, renting the DVD or with VoD services (Video On Demand player, Hulu) and PPV (Pay Per View, Netflix).
See the page of this full movie, Witness to Gettysburg in FULLTV Movies.


text:
Blanco Renaissance Museum is an unofficial landmark in Ubud, the house and studio of the late flamboyant Philippine-born maestro, Don Antonio Blanco. Located on a hilltop overlooking the lush valley of Campuhan, it houses paintings, collages and illustrated poetry, together with lithographic artworks of his favourite subject: nude Balinese women.
The private residence and lavish studio has guided tours of the facility, with the artist's family members hosting you if you're lucky. The thought-provoking collections, lush garden surroundings and a fine restaurant established in the name of the artist's late wife and muse all provide a great stopover on your trips to Ubud.
- Bali Hai Sunset Dinner Cruise
- Bathe & Breakfast with the Elephants
- Royal Mengwi Temple, Monkey Forest & Tanah Lot Excursion
- Quad or Buggy Driving Adventure & Tubing Excursion
- Romantic Aristocat Evening Cruise with 5-Course Dinner
- Bali White Water Rafting at Telaga Waja River
- Fast-Track Waterbom Bali Admission
- Lembongan Island Leisure Day Trip
- Private East Coast Tour
- Highlights Of Bali Full-Day Tour
Interested in this tour? Book it here.
Free cancellationBook
A five-minute drive westward from the Puri Saren royal palace and the main Ubud hub, the museum is hard to miss, on a hilltop above the Campuhan valley. A sharp turn and steep driveway leads you right up to the arched entrance gates. Inside is a large garden lawn and courtyard before the main palatial building that blends Balinese and Spanish architecture, a homage to Blanco's heritage.
Admission is 50,000 rupiahs, which gets you a fresh welcome drink and access to the galleries, studios and grounds. Enter the main building, and a massive marble hall lined with Blanco's artworks in lavish and unusual frames soon surrounds you. Many colourful nude portraits hang in this room, while out towards the studio you will see various collages with 60s-era paintings and paintbrushes and dried paint in front of an artwork in progress, most probably that of his son Mario, who follows his father's passion in arts.
Here you will find only Blanco and his son's works, there are no other artists' collections. We recommend this museum strictly for adults and art lovers – not for children, apart from the palatial gardens and a collection of gorgeous parrots and other exotic birds in the courtyard.
Some of the art pieces occasionally bring a smile to your face; others a slight cringe. There are even some shady pieces with snippets of porn magazines overlaid with soapboxes, sand and seashells. Moreover, knowing that one of Blanco's paintings was once sold for 5 billion rupiahs in Singapore in 2012 really makes you want to explore more of the displays. After the main gallery, you are guided through other studios, before exiting into a private parking shed.
There are several Blanco Litographs and books about Antonio Blanco available for purchase at the museum. The Blanco family provides personal tours of the museum and grounds. While visiting, the museum encourages visitors to take a stroll outside to the surrounding areas of the main building.
The Blanco Renaissance Museum features a range of facilities to aid your journey into the arts. A studio where Master Blanco used to paint as well as the gallery exhibiting Mario's works can be found inside.
The museum also features a gift shop, café and the Blanco's family temple. The museum's café features a cozy Balinese atmosphere and serves a range of European and Asian menus and snacks. The contiguous tropical gardens throughout its grounds are lush and enjoyable to spend even a full day visit at the museum.
Blanco Renaissance Museum
- Opening Hours: Mon-Sun, 09:00 – 17:00
- Location: Jalan Campuhan, Ubud
- Tel: +62 (0)361 975 502
Tours You May Like
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The focal landmark of Ubud, the Ubud Royal Palace is one of the region's most prominent highlights, located at the Read More...
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text:
Silver Rainbow delivers aged care awareness training to a broad range of staff and interest groups nationally.
The first national project of its kind, MindOUT! is funded by the Commonwealth Government to work with LGBTI organisations and mainstream mental health organisations to improve mental health and suicide prevention outcomes for LGBTI people and populations.
QLife is Australia's first nationally-oriented counselling and referral service for LGBTI people. QLife provides nation-wide, early intervention, peer supported telephone and web based services to diverse people of all ages.
Research & Policy
The Alliance provides a national voice on policy related to the health and wellbeing of LGBTI people. Our aim is to provide an informed voice, consult widely, be inclusive, and dynamically responsive to the needs of LGBTI populations.
Wingmen now online! A mental health support hub for gay men…
Wingmen supports gay men to feel confident about helping each other in tough times. The online toolkit contains expert advice, resources and an online network of support for gay men who are worried their partner or friend may have anxiety, depression or be suicidal.
Health in Difference
Health in Difference 2018 will take place from 11 – 13th April 2018, in Sydney. This is Australia's premier conference on the health and wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer and other sexuality, gender, and bodily diverse people and communities.
Knowledge Hub
National LGBTI Health Alliance
Dr Stephen Kerry
Organisation Intersex International Australia (OIIAU), Androgen Insensitivity Support Syndrome Support Group Australia (AISSGA), & Intersex Trust Aotearoa New Zealand (ITANZ)
Sally Morris, Atari Metcalf, Jude Comfort & Cristyn Davies
Sally Morris & Ross Jacobs
National LGBTI Health Alliance


text: WPT Enterprises, Inc., is the creator of the World Poker Tour (WPT) – the premier name in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in land-based tournaments, television, online and mobile. Leading innovation in the sport of poker since 2002, WPT ignited the global poker boom with the creation of a unique television show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments. WPT has broadcast globally in more than 150 countries and territories, and is currently producing its 15th season, which will air on FSN in the United States.


text:
Results 1 to 1 of 1
Thread: panasonic mkep
04-29-06, 14:32 #1Registered User
- Join Date
- Apr 2006
- Posts
- 1
Unanswered: panasonic mkep
i am trying to salvage an older machine that is running win95. evidently the drivers have been corrupted for the cdrom. i get the msg. to insert 95 disk so driver mkep can be loaded but the cdrom is not being shown in my computer. does anyone have a solution for this problem. can you send me a copy of this driver via email attachment? my a drive is active. i am 82 yrs. old, legally blind which is reason for larger fonts. any help will be appreciated. email@example.com="Arial Black"][/FONT]


text:
Kuipers back at Boston
By Paul Higham
Last Updated: 01/01/70 1:00am
Boston have taken Brighton goalkeeper Michel Kuipers back on loan.
Boston have taken Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Michel Kuipers back on loan.
The Dutch shot-stopper turned out for The Pilgrims at the end of last year as he made his way back from a long-term injury problem.
Kuipers will now go back to York Street to join Steve Evans' side for another month after falling out of the first team picture at Championship strugglers Brighton.
Seagulls manager Mark McGhee has frozen Kuipers out of the action after being impressed by Wayne Henderson after he arrived from Aston Villa.
With the Irishman now ahead of Kuipers in the pecking order, the Dutchman will drop back down to League Two in search of regular action.
Boston boss Evans needed a new goalkeeper after Leicester City recalled the services of Conrad Logan, and Kuipers will now fill the void.


text:
A while ago I excoriated Kevin Powers for his poor showing in the NYTBR column "By the Book." Today's column featured James Patterson. Awesome! After all, he's got a whole series about women - The Women's Murder Club series - so surely we can expect a peek into his reading list to be peppered with inspiring women, right?
Okay. Counting, counting....ouch! James, my man, you come in with 25 men and only 3 women - one of whom was Angelina Jolie, who you want to have "dinner" with. (Presumably the conversation would be literary? Or...not?) I'm even spotting you those references to Klee, Chagall and Peter Pan. At least you know slightly more ladies than good old Kevin Powers - 10.7% versus his rather more poor showing of, well, zero percent.
Look, I'm not trying to humiliate any of you guy writers. I mean, my own brother copped to a bias last time, but at least he vowed to be more mindful about his reading choices in the future. That's all I'm asking. Just...think for a minute.
I mean, what if your daughter wants to grow up to work with words? Wouldn't you like her to have a fair shake? I know I would. Speaking of which...
Yesterday, my baby girl started college. Here she is, all moved in to her freshman dorm, and flanked by her loving family. She's going to thrive - and woe to anyone who gets in her way. Littlefield women don't cotton to being told no. :)
Sunday, August 25, 2013
James Patterson: wants to dine with Angelina Jolie, but only reads dudes
Posted by Sophie Littlefield at 10:53 AM
2 comments:
- GunDiva said...
I love that you're doing this - I find it interesting.
Congrats to Junior on starting school.
- August 25, 2013 at 6:40 PM
- Laura Benedict said...
Yay, Baby Girl! She's going to rock it, and so are you!
- August 26, 2013 at 3:25 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Though Charles S. Brooks (1878-1934) is barely remembered today, his familiar essays (collected in Chimney-Pot Papers, Like Summer's Cloud, and Roundabout to Canterbury) were tremendously popular in his own time. Here--in an essay developed with examples, analogies, and personification--he offers an extended comparison of wit and humor.

If you enjoy "On the Difference Between Wit and Humor," you may be interested in reading "On a Rainy Morning" and "The Writing of Essays," also by Charles S. Brooks.

On the Difference Between Wit and Humor*

by Charles S. Brooks

I am not sure that I can draw an exact line between wit and humor. Perhaps the distinction is so subtle that only those persons can decide who have long white beards. But even an ignorant man, so long as he is clear of Bedlam, may have an opinion.

I am quite positive that of the two, humor is the more comfortable and more livable quality. Humorous persons, if their gift is genuine and not a mere shine upon the surface, are always agreeable companions and they sit through the evening best. They have pleasant mouths turned up at the corners. To these corners the great Master of marionettes has fixed the strings and he holds them in his nimblest fingers to twitch them at the slightest jest. But the mouth of a merely witty man is hard and sour until the moment of its discharge. Nor is the flash from a witty man always comforting, whereas a humorous man radiates a general pleasure and is like another candle in the room.

I admire wit, but I have no real liking for it. It has been too often employed against me, whereas humor is always an ally. It never points an impertinent finger into my defects. Humorous persons do not sit like explosives on a fuse. They are safe and easy comrades. But a wit's tongue is as sharp as a donkey driver's stick. I may gallop the faster for its prodding, yet the touch behind is too persuasive for any comfort.

Wit is a lean creature with sharp inquiring nose, whereas humor has a kindly eye and comfortable girth. Wit, if it be necessary, uses malice to score a point--like a cat it is quick to jump--but humor keeps the peace in an easy chair. Wit has a better voice in a solo, but humor comes into the chorus best. Wit is as sharp as a stroke of lightning, whereas humor is diffuse like sunlight. Wit keeps the season's fashions and is precise in the phrases and judgments of the day, but humor is concerned with homely eternal things. Wit wears silk, but humor in homespun endures the wind. Wit sets a snare, whereas humor goes off whistling without a victim in its mind. Wit is sharper company at table, but humor serves better in mischance and in the rain. When it tumbles, wit is sour, but humor goes uncomplaining without its dinner. Humor laughs at another's jest and holds its sides, while wit sits wrapped in study for a lively answer. But it is a workaday world in which we live, where we get mud upon our boots and come weary to the twilight--it is a world that grieves and suffers from many wounds in these years of war: and therefore as I think of my acquaintance, it is those who are humorous in its best and truest meaning rather than those who are witty who give the more profitable companionship.

And then, also, there is wit that is not wit. As someone has written:

Nor ever noise for wit on me could pass,
When thro' the braying I discern'd the ass.

I sat lately at dinner with a notoriously witty person (a really witty man) whom our hostess had introduced to provide the entertainment. I had read many of his reviews of books and plays, and while I confess their wit and brilliancy, I had thought them to be hard and intellectual and lacking in all that broader base of humor which aims at truth. His writing--catching the bad habit of the time--is too ready to proclaim a paradox and to assert the unusual, to throw aside in contempt the valuable haystack in a fine search for a paltry needle. His reviews are seldom right--as most of us see the right--but they sparkle and hold one's interest for their perversity and unexpected turns.

In conversation I found him much as I had found him in his writing--although, strictly speaking, it was not a conversation, which requires an interchange of word and idea and is turn about. A conversation should not be a market where one sells and another buys. Rather, it should be a bargaining back and forth, and each person should be both merchant and buyer. My rubber plant for your victrola, each offering what he has and seeking his deficiency. It was my friend B--- who fairly put the case when he said that he liked so much to talk that he was willing to pay for his audience by listening in his turn.

But this was a speech and a lecture. He loosed on us from the cold spigot of his intellect a steady flow of literary allusion--a practice which he professes to hold in scorn--and wit and epigram. He seemed torn from the page of Meredith. He talked like ink. I had believed before that only people in books could talk as he did, and then only when their author had blotted and scratched their performance for a seventh time before he sent it to the printer. To me it was an entirely new experience, for my usual acquaintances are good common honest daytime woollen folk and they seldom average better than one bright thing in an evening.

At first I feared that there might be a break in his flow of speech which I should be obliged to fill. Once, when there was a slight pause--a truffle was engaging him--I launched a frail remark; but it was swept off at once in the renewed torrent. And seriously it does not seem fair. If one speaker insists--to change the figure--on laying all the cobbles of a conversation, he should at least allow another to carry the tarpot and fill in the chinks. When the evening was over, although I recalled two or three clever stories, which I shall botch in the telling, I came away tired and dissatisfied, my tongue dry with disuse.

Now I would not seek that kind of man as a companion with whom to be becalmed in a sailboat, and I would not wish to go to the country with him, least of all to the North Woods or any place outside of civilization. I am sure that he would sulk if he were deprived of an audience. He would be crotchety at breakfast across his bacon. Certainly for the woods a humorous man is better company, for his humor in mischance comforts both him and you. A humorous man--and here lies the heart of the matter--a humorous man has the high gift of regarding an annoyance in the very stroke of it as another man shall regard it when the annoyance is long past. If a humorous person falls out of a canoe he knows the exquisite jest while his head is still bobbing in the cold water. A witty man, on the contrary, is sour until he is changed and dry: but in a week's time when company is about, he will make a comic story of it.

My friend A--- with whom I went once into the Canadian woods has genuine humor, and no one can be a more satisfactory comrade. I do not recall that he said many comic things, and at bottom he was serious as the best humorists are. But in him there was a kind of joy and exaltation that lasted throughout the day. If the duffle were piled too high and fell about his ears, if the dinner was burned or the tent blew down in a driving storm at night, he met these mishaps as though they were the very things he had come north to get, as though without them the trip would have lacked its spice. This is an easy philosophy in retrospect but hard when the wet canvas falls across you and the rain beats in. A--- laughed at the very moment of disaster as another man will laugh later in an easy chair. I see him now swinging his axe for firewood to dry ourselves when we were spilled in a rapids; and again, while pitching our tent on a sandy beach when another storm had drowned us. And there is a certain cry of his (dully, Wow! on paper) expressive to the initiated of all things gay, which could never issue from the mouth of a merely witty man.

Real humor is primarily human--or divine, to be exact--and after that the fun may follow naturally in its order. Not long ago I saw Louis Jouvet of the French Company play Sir Andrew Ague-Cheek. It was a most humorous performance of the part, and the reason is that the actor made no primary effort to be funny. It was the humanity of his playing, making his audience love him first of all, that provoked the comedy. His long thin legs were comical and so was his drawling talk, but the very heart and essence was this love he started in his audience. Poor fellow! How delightfully he smoothed the feathers in his hat! How he feared to fight the duel! It was easy to love such a dear silly human fellow. A merely witty player might have drawn as many laughs, but there would not have been the catching at the heart.

As for books and the wit or humor of their pages, it appears that wit fades, whereas humor lasts. Humor uses permanent nutgalls. But is there anything more melancholy than the wit of another generation? In the first place, this wit is intertwined with forgotten circumstance. It hangs on a fashion--on the style of a coat. It arose from a forgotten bit of gossip. In the play of words the sources of the pun are lost. It is like a local jest in a narrow coterie, barren to an outsider. Sydney Smith was the most celebrated wit of his day, but he is dull reading now. Blackwood's at its first issue was a witty daring sheet, but for us the pages are stagnant. I suppose that no one now laughs at the witticisms of Thomas Hood. Where are the wits of yesteryear? Yet the humor of Falstaff and Lamb and Fielding remains and is a reminder to us that humor, to be real, must be founded on humanity and on truth.

* "On the Difference Between Wit and Humor" by Charles S. Brooks first appeared in the collection Chimney-Pot Papers published in 1919 by Yale University Press.


text:
Random Thoughts1. If something isn't going to matter a week from now, it's not worth getting worked up over it. Some people say if it's not going to matter a year from now, but I like to start small.
2. Apparently the bevel of the needle should be directed to the surface of the bone when injecting LA. That's the last sentence I read in Malamed before I promptly fell asleep.
3. Cooking too much food eventually means eating too much, leading to weight gain if one doesn't control the situation.
4. I'd forgotten how good Il Dolce Freddo's tasted until I relived the experience a couple of nights ago. It is divine. Amazing that I actually worked there for 3 months.
5. Watched Priceless yesterday. Ridiculously unrealistic story line, but amazing clothes and accessories to ogle at.
Labels: Ramblings


text: Human Rights Observatory British PM Warns Russia on Actions in Ukraine British Prime Minister David Cameron said "Russia's relationship with the rest of the world will be radically different in the future" if it continues what he called Moscow's "illegal actions in Ukraine." In a speech Monday, Cameron said Russia's actions are "destabilizing a sovereign state" and pose a "grave danger to the rest of Europe," 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. "[Former Soviet leader] Mikhail Gorbachev has warned...Read complete article© Voice of America - Tuesday, November 11, 2014


text:
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas created the best board game that was never to exist – Holochess, the Millennium Falcon's holographic monster battler. Now, thanks to a partnership with Lenovo and through the power of augmented reality, Chewbacca's favorite game will now (in some form) come to life.
Announced at the D23 Disney fan event (along with a load of Disney gaming and movie news) Lenovo is building a Star Wars-specific augmented reality headline.
Clouded, the future specs for this headset are, with Lenovo yet to reveal full details of the hardware. But we do know what it's going to be powering: an AR experience called 'Star Wars: Jedi Challenges'.
Forceful fun
Lenovo and Disney are keeping quiet on specific details, and have yet to show off exactly what the AR games will look like. But conceptually, it's teased a real-time ground combat game, a lightsaber battle, and (yes!) HoloChess, for anyone that likes their checkmate with a side of arm-from-socket ripping.
Here's a video teaser, and a glimpse at what looks like a transparent front face plate, allowing for digital objects to be mapped on your real-world surroundings:
Visit the Lenovo page to sign up for more details about Jedi Challenges. We'll keep you posted on any further updates on the headset and games as they're announced.


text: What are some of the main differences of fresh or DC? Im new to rooting, Do you have to install a custom rom when you root? Is there a list of all the custom roms or at least the most popular ones? Also I was looking at the simple 3 click root, what is "unlock Nand" and what is "flash recovery"?


text:
$39,540 CARFAX Value
No Accident or
Damage Reported
No accident or damage reported to CARFAX
CARFAX 1-Owner
Purchased on 02/18/15 and owned in CA until 10/11/17.
Personal Use
Driven an estimated 6,850 miles/year.
Service History
Last serviced at 17,176 miles in Buena Park, CA on 04/22/17 • Recommended maintenance performed • Maintenance inspection completed, Battery/charging system checked, Brakes checked, Brake fluid flushed/changed, Tire condition and pressure checked, Safety inspection performed, Vehicle washed/detailed, Front wiper blades/refills replaced


text:
- Type: House, Gîtes
- Living surface: 370
- Plot size: 4680
- Bedrooms: 7
- Total rooms: 12
- Bathrooms: 5
- Heating: Electrical heating, Wood burners
- Close By: Recreation lake, Hiking & Cycling
- Languages spoken: Français, English
Farmhouse with gîte business with Swimming Pool and great views!
Price: € 249 000 | Ref.: 2568 | Views: 1 286
Semi-detached farmhouse with 4 bedrooms (152 m2) and spacious barn conversion with 3 bedrooms (218 m2). In rural hamlet with superb views of forest, lake and mountains. Ample outdoor areas (4680 m2): garage, terraces, balcony, pergola, porch, lawns, pond. Farmhouse can be used as one or two gîtes. Location is Berètte, Bezues-Bájon. Nearby towns are Masseube, Boulogne-sur-Gesse and picturesque Saint-Blancard with its fairy-tale castle. These last two both have leisure lakes.Nearest ski resort is Saint-Lary at 1h10m. Toulouse airport is 1h15m.
-Garden level: large sun terrace, shady pergola, porch
-Studio Gîte: Kitchen/living room with wood stove inset and french doors onto porch, quaint spiral staircase leads to bedroom on mezzanine with en-suite shower room with toilet.
-Main farmhouse gîte:
-Ground floor: living room with large fireplace insert housing wood stove, kitchen/utility room, bathroom with toilet
-First floor: Three bedrooms, shower room with toilet.
-Garden level: swimming pool (12m x 5m), patio
-Ground floor: Games room, storage, garage. There is potential to develop a small studio gîte here (foundation already laid).
-First floor: Large open-plan kitchen/living room leading onto balcony, three bedrooms, two bathrooms with showers (one en-suite).
-Second floor: Large open plan mezzanine overlooking the kitchen/living room, excellent potential for development into further bedrooms.
Sunk concrete swimming pool (12 x 5 m) surrounded by lavender banks and old cedar decking. Sweeping gravel drive leads to sheltered garage area in rear of barn where there is ample room to park two cars as well as store wood and many bits and bobs. There is a large pond with pike and carp surrounded by majestic poplar trees There is a veggie plot (organic) and various fruit trees around the property. The rest of the property is lawn. There is an old iron well pump.
The farmhouse is semi-detached to the only neighbours in the hamlet (separated by tall hedge), a retired couple. The house is surrounded by farmland with no dividing fence. The crops rotate but can be sunflowers, maize, wheat or rape. Great views are afforded up the lake, along the forest clad valley sides and down the valley at the snow-peaked Pyrenées.
Other information
Technical Info:
Heating is mainly via wood burning stoves, of which there are three, one for each living area. This is sometimes supplemented by electric radiators and portable gas stoves. There is broadband and fibre optics has recently arrived to the commue. The house is wel insulated.
The property is ready to move in as is. It could be improved with installation of central heating and maybe a snazzy modern kitchen in the main accommodation.
Earning potential. The owner has a gîte site and can recommend advertising platforms. It's a pleasant way to bring in an income and leaves plenty of spare time. Please feel free to contact thew owner via the form here to request a visit or to ask the web address