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Chapter Two
Blink. A ray of light fell on Midnight's face and she instinctively moved to cover her eyes, but Arragus pulled her hand down. He stepped in front of her, inside of what looked like a marketplace. At first it was too bright for the girl to notice much around her, and both the Centaur and Valrya were moving so close together, holding her by each arm, that she had a hard enough time trying not to fall down but, slowly, her eyes began adjusting and all she could do was stare.
Midnight knew she wasn't supposed to move around but she found the temptation difficult to resist. It was, by far, the strangest place she had ever seen. Even the forest seemed strange here, not cold and dangerous like before, but large and welcoming and warm. It was still a forest, but the trees had grown taller and thinner, and the paths were paved with bricks. There were no more roots sticking out of the ground and it didn't even seem as dark anymore. Instead, the trees stood very close together and their branches intertwined high above their heads, into a thick ceiling of bright green leaves and vines.
The marketplace was crowded. People came and went quickly, most of them hidden under their hoods, so Midnight couldn't see their faces, but, occasionally, some of them would stop to look around or talk with someone else. When they did so, the girl could see them clearly as they uncovered their faces in a polite greeting. They were so different; no matter how hard she tried, Midnight couldn't find two that would look alike.
Some of them were very small, like children, and had long pointed ears and a few strands of red hair that stuck awkwardly from their otherwise bald heads. Others were even shorter men with pale blue or deep red skin. They looked serious and seemed to have a permanent frown on their faces. Whenever they stopped to talk they didn't take down their hood completely, like everyone else, but simply shrugged it back a little, looking stern and displeased.
Suddenly, two hooded figures appeared in front of her and Midnight had to move out of their way so quickly she tripped over her own feet and would have fallen but for Arragus who was firmly holding her arm. He looked at her and frowned.
"I tripped. Sorry," she said, apologetically.
She turned around to find the two figures staring at her and suddenly she realized that they were girls. Both of them had long black hair, braided up to their waist in intricate patterns, and large blue eyes. Suddenly, Midnight found herself hypnotized by their strange gaze. Their faces were perfectly oval in shape and their skin was pearly white, shining oddly in the sunlight. The girls whispered something to each other, then turned away, walking - or rather gliding gracefully - into the crowd, where a couple of boys - maybe fourteen years of age - had started a sword fight. The others, watching from a safe distance, shouted excitedly, waving their own wooden swords.
Out of the corner of her eye, Midnight noticed Arragus looking at Valrya. She nodded and grabbed the hilt of her sword, holding it so tight her knuckles stuck out from under her skin. She stepped forward, her eyes piercing through the crowd.
As they stepped into the light of the marketplace, the atmosphere suddenly changed. Almost instantly, all conversation stopped. Several people gasped in shock and Midnight could see that they were all pulling closer together, until they were just a mass of colored figures. Even the fighting boys had run away.
Silently, the Centaur pushed through the crowd, pulling Midnight to his side and followed by Valrya. Left and right all around them, everyone was trying desperately to get out of their way, hiding their faces under their hoods.
All except for one. Midnight had noticed him before, standing in the crowd with his face completely uncovered. It struck her as odd, that he wasn't trying to hide or avert the Centaur's gaze. Instead, he cast him a glance that sent shivers down the girl's back. His brow furrowed for just a second but then he quickly pulled the hood over his face and vanished into the crowd. After a while, a second man did the very same thing and then several more, as they went on down the road. Midnight looked at Arragus, unsure if she should speak or not. The Centaur's face was filled with tension. His eyes moved from face to face, carefully examining everyone there. Valrya, to Midnight's left, seemed to be just as calm as ever as she, too, glanced around. Only her hand, the girl noticed, showed any sign of tension, as it closed tightly around the hilt of her sword.
Soon after, the crowd disappeared as the road took a sudden turn to the left. Every now and again, people moved past them, too hurried to even notice their presence at all.
"We have to go back before nightfall." the Centaur whispered so quietly it was difficult for the girl to understand him for a moment. He looked at the ceiling of leaves above them. It wasn't as green as when they had first come through the gates. The sun was going down.
An unpleasant thought crept into her head. Her heart started pounding.
"Go back where? Are you taking me back?"
This time, it was Valrya's voice that broke the silence.
"Don't be ridiculous, how could we do that?" she said, her sharp gaze fixed on the girl's blushing face. "You can't go back."
Midnight's pale face turned even whiter. "What do you mean? Why not?" she fought the urge to stomp her foot like a child.
Valrya sighed, irritated.
"And how would you like to do that? Zarina destroyed your house and nearly destroyed you. And now you know the way in! No place in this world is going to protect you, except for the castle!"
For a moment Midnight fought the sudden urge to start laughing at the woman's words.
"I'm sorry...there's a castle?"
The fairy woman frowned and there was repulsion in her voice as she spoke.
"Fairlings are so ignorant! Where do you think you get your stories from? Everything they know has its roots here, in our world. They think they invented it all! Ignorant..."
Midnight frowned. It seemed odd to her that Valrya hated her people so much, when she was, in fact one of them. Or at least that's what the lizard-man had said...
They turned left and right and right again several times, and with each turn the forest seemed to transform even more. The trees were thick again, but this time she could see animals watching them through the thick bushes. She could even see a few strange looking houses - or at least she thought they were houses. Some were simply huge stomps from trees that had probably fallen a long time ago. Others were carved inside tree trunks and others were made of a strange combination of wood and rocks. Only now and then did she see a regular looking house, made of bricks or wood, with smoke coming out of a little chimney on the roof. They all had large round windows, but Midnight couldn't see any doors.
Looking around at the strange houses and the even stranger faces staring through the windows, she noticed something in the distance, not too far ahead.
"We're almost there..." the Centaur spoke, relieved.
"Is that...the castle?" the girl asked in a shocked voice.
"Part of it, yes."
It was beyond unnatural. From where they were standing the view was more that Midnight could have ever imagined. Right there in front of them, in the middle of a meadow, stood the castle she thought only existed in her Grandmother's fairy tales. Midnight could see the dark towers, like spirals, so tall they almost touched the green ceiling and behind them, a lower, round building with a glass roof. There must have been light inside, because Midnight could see shadows appearing through the glass, like someone was pacing back and forth.
"Well, what do you think?"
"It...it reminds me of the cities Gram used to tell me about in her stories."
The memory of her Grandmother sprung into her head and she moved to brush away a tear. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew the hood of her head and Midnight froze in mid-step. She thought she could hear...but was it possible? Her stomach felt so small for a moment she thought it had disappeared completely. It had only been for a second, but she could have sworn she'd heard whispers. She put her hand on her heart. It was beating rapidly and she suddenly felt stricken with panic, like something terrible had, or was about to happen.
"What is it?"
Valrya's voice was tense. She turned her head to the side, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. They stood in complete silence for a minute or so, until Midnight's heart slowed down.
"Nothing. I suppose...I must have...I'm just tired."
Valrya eyed her suspiciously but before she could say anything, the Centaur pulled the hood back on Midnight's head and whispered:
"We should get going. No point in staying in one place for too long. And you can't be too tired before you get there."
The girl wondered exactly where she was supposed to get to, but the tense feeling she'd had just moments before quickly chased away any other thought.
They walked the rest of the way in silence. From time to time, the fairy ran ahead to search the area around them, but mostly they stayed close. Midnight's head was still spinning around the voices she had heard. They seemed even more distant to her as she tried to remember them.
"You're scared."
Midnight turned her head. The Centaur's eyes were fixed upon her face. He looked worried.
"No, I..." she took a deep breath. "You didn't hear anything before? When...when the wind blew?"
There was a twitch at the corner of the Centaur's lips. His brow furrowed for a moment, but only slightly, before he spoke.
"What wind?"
His voice was tense now.
Surprised, Midnight turned to look at him. He wasn't joking.
"Just before...it blew my hood off!" she said, alarmed.
Arragus looked at her for a second, then sighed and smiled reassuringly.
"Sometimes, the forest can play tricks on people. I've been here for a long time, I'm used to it, but it' more difficult to focus when you're tired. Don't think about it. If there was anyone following us, we would have heard them long before you could have. Your hood must have fallen on its own and you thought it was wind blowing through your hair. That's all."
There was small comfort for Midnight in his words, but she decided to leave it at that. It hadn't been the forest, that much she knew. She'd felt it. Those hadn't been just sounds she'd imagined; there was more to it than that. A feeling...unease...worry...fear...
The sound of metal falling against metal broke into her thoughts and Midnight looked up from under her hood, startled. Two men wearing heavy-looking metallic armors were walking toward them. One of them had long red hair, braided to one side of his head. He was taller than the other. A bow was swinging on his right shoulder and there were five arrows in his quiver. The other man, although shorter than the first, was definitely stronger. He had a hood over his head and it covered most of his face, except for his eyes. He kept looking back to the castle, like something dangerous was about to come out of there, but then he saw the three up ahead and stopped. His companion did the same. They stood there for a second and Midnight's heart started racing, but, almost immediately, they turned around and stomped angrily out of sight.
"I don't like this." the Centaur spoke in a concerned tone of voice.
"Me neither. Something must have happened."
"In only two nights?"
Concern had now turned into alarm.
"We should wait until we get inside before we jump to any conclusions, Arragus. It's safer. But yes. I'm not surprised. We're almost inside, let's not waste time."
They passed the tall spiral-shaped towers and even some lower buildings which Midnight hadn't noticed before and she knew immediately that they were on castle grounds. The road quickly started filling with people going left and right, but nobody was paying attention to the three travelers. No one stopped to talk anymore, no one even bothered to exchange greetings with anyone else. They all went about their business, their expressions stern and suspicious. Midnight felt the heavy tension but before she could think about it too much, Valrya pulled her hand.
"Get inside."
Arragus grabbed both her shoulders and pushed her through a tall door. Surprised, Midnight stumbled and fell flat on her face.
"Whoops. Easy does it. You should really pay more attention."
The Centaur bent to pick her up while somewhere, someone started laughing. Still on her knees, Midnight looked up to meet four pairs of eyes watching her intently. She blushed and struggled to get up, but she was so tangled in Valrya's cloak she couldn't even move. Someone giggled loudly. She looked up again and saw a boy and a girl leave the group, pointing at her and whispering. The other two, also a boy and a girl, shot them an angry look and went in the opposite direction.
"Come on!" barked Valrya, pulling Midnight up and straightening the cloak. She put her hand on the girl's shoulder, pushing her along.
"Once you're inside, you'll have to meet the Council members," her voice was just a low whisper, "and then someone will escort you to your quarters. Until then, you do not speak to anyone else. You do not do other than instructed and you do not ask any questions. Understood?"
The fairy woman's eyes looked into Midnight's for so long the girl felt they could have burned a hole right through her head. She nodded and Valrya's grip tightened.
Just as she spoke, something caught Midnight's attention and she gasped. The castle itself was a beauty beyond anything she could have ever imagined. It shot up into the sky and seemed to go on forever. It was made up of a solid stone base, but after a few levels it separated into hundreds of towers and other smaller constructions interconnected by a web of bridges and stairs. An armed guard stepped out on the ledge, looking down at them, but Valrya dismissed him with a move of her hand and stepped through the tall black doors. So did Midnight.
The room they entered was round and very large. A glass ceiling stretched above their heads and the light that came through it gave the floor a greenish color. On the left, partially obscured by the darkness, was a marble staircase, spiraling up and out of sight. The marble shone in the green light, but it didn't give off the color with the same intensity as the floor. It only glowed faintly, almost unnoticed.
Suddenly, a wave of voices swept over them. Midnight started and gasped but the Centaur didn't seem to be too impressed by the event. Instead, he glared at her like it was the first time he noticed she was there. The voices were all just echoes now, but Midnight had felt them, their anger and despair, and it made her shiver.
"Time to move on" Arragus said, pointing at the marble staircase. Midnight started to climb a few steps but then turned around, confused:
"You're not...coming?"
The Centaur laughed and looked at his legs.
"No can do. Stairs don't sit well with four legged things like me."
"But then...which way do I go?"
"Oh, well...They said you'd be okay on your own. I didn't understand it, either, but Marcus knows these things better than me. I guess I'll be seeing you, then."
He smiled and raised a hand, waving at the girl. The next moment he ran back out through the doors.
Still not convinced, Midnight turned to face the darkness ahead. Taking a deep breath, she climbed another step and became completely still in the blackness that now surrounded her.
Then she understood what they had meant by 'being okay on her own'. It was an odd feeling, like the steps vibrated below her feet every time she touched them with her shoes. Suddenly, there was no more darkness. It was as if she had connected with the marble steps somehow; she could see - or rather sense them in her mind, much in the way she could sometimes tell there was a candle burning in a room without opening her eyes. The stairs just seemed to light up as she touched them. Intrigued, she took another step and the marble below her foot began lighting up in her mind, while the previous step faded away. It wasn't easy, and it certainly came over-hand, but it also intrigued her.
Every now and then, when she stepped in a certain spot, she could feel a sudden burst of emotion hitting her square in the chest. Sometimes it was worry; sometimes she could almost hear a faint girlish laughter. She was still annoyed at the fact that no one had seemed to be even slightly bothered by these sudden sounds like she was, but before she could think about it for too long, Midnight reached the top of the stairs and was forced to once again direct all her attention to what had now lit up in her mind. It looked - or felt - like a long corridor, but she could only see the floor, stretching out and fading away ahead of her, like it was completely suspended in mid-air. A draft of wind caught in her hair, swirling it around her head and more echoes burst in her mind.
'Should be her...'
'Just plain useless...'
'Don't understand...'
'Patient...soon be discovered...safe...'
Unlike the other times, these voices seemed to hang around her, growing louder as she tried to walk forward through the corridor. They had now become more or less a mixture of sounds and words that Midnight tried desperately to ignore, as their intensity made her lose focus and stumble.
Suddenly, there was a cracking noise below her and a sound so intense and loud flooded her mind, Midnight clutched her head with her hands. It was the sound of someone screaming louder than she had ever heard anyone scream. It seemed almost inhuman, like they were being tortured past all reasoning by something, or someone invisible to Midnight's eyes. The fierceness of the scream made her so dizzy she stumbled aside, falling into what she thought was complete darkness. She screamed and her voice echoed in her own mind.
Instead, hands forward, Midnight touched another rough surface. The surprise and the shock caused her to jump back, a little discouraged. The small wall lit up in her mind but it faded as she pulled away. The scream inside her head had also disappeared, leaving Midnight in a frightening silence. Slowly, she put her hands up in front of her, reaching out until she could feel the wall again. She needed to touch the surface, Midnight realized, to be able to see it like she did the floor.
"How strange." she found herself saying. Both the wall and the ground seemed to vibrate at the sound and then Midnight could hear her own voice again, only this time it felt like she was witnessing the moment rather than hearing another distant echo. For only a fraction of a second, she could see a red-headed girl, propped up with her hands against the wall, speaking those very same words. Then the image was gone. Still holding one hand on the surface of the wall, she turned and continued to walk forward. Every now and then her hand touched something harder inside the wall, like a small metal figurine of some sort, but she paid little attention to it. Her head had begun to feel heavy and she'd begun to lose control over her newly found power. By the time she reached the end of the corridor there were moments the floor disappeared altogether from her head, leaving her feeling suspended in mid-air.
As she took the last step, Midnight's foot hit something hard. Harder than wood, but not metal...Her exhausted mind didn't react to the new object and she was forced to grope around until she could figure out that she was standing in front of a door of some kind. After a moment, she was able to find the handle and turned it. The door opened noiselessly.
Behind it, a series of torches lit up another narrow passageway. Trying to get adjusted to the light, Midnight leaned against the door which, as she was now able to tell, was made of marble. She could still feel the floor underneath her feet, even with all the light around her. It was even more confusing than walking around in the dark only with faint shadows to guide her. Now that she could see perfectly well, the extra-sense was making Midnight anxious and a little disoriented. It wasn't until her eyes became adjusted to the light that she really noticed what set this place apart from all the other parts of the castle she had seen.
Looking closer, she noticed carvings in the walls: strange letters and symbols that she did not recognize, and something else engraved in the stone...Curious, Midnight grabbed a torch and brought it as close as she could to the markings in the wall. There were five of them, repeatedly engraved over the entire stone surface: two vines intertwined like two chain rings - one vine bearing leaves, the other one thorns; three adjacent diamonds forming the shape of a crown, each one marked differently - a wavy line on the middle one, a zigzag line on the one on the left and a straight line on the one on the right. She fought back a smile at the third symbol: a sword pointing upwards, through a spiraling line finished in an arrow tip. Midnight had recognized the sword, for the fairy woman had a very similar one. The fourth and fifth symbols were set higher than the rest. One of them was the symbol of a winged serpent, wrapped around itself and biting its tail, while the other one represented a stallion, with its front legs raised in the air and a quiver dangling around its waist, looking like it was about to charge. As she walked along the wall, the symbols appeared over and over again. Sometimes one, sometimes more, but always followed by a series of strange letters that the girl couldn't read. From time to time, Midnight thought she could see a sixth symbol, but the markings were so worn out by time, that she couldn't understand what it stood for.
Suddenly, the writing stopped and the stone became smooth again. Surprised, Midnight lifted the torch up in front of her. Before her eyes, the hallway split into two corridors, both dark and unusually quiet.
"They said you'd be okay on your own."
She hadn't understood it before, but now...She lifted her hand, putting it on the left corridor's wall. Instantly, her eyes snapped shut and images began to form in Midnight's mind.
She could see a man. He looked very, very old, his simple robe hanging loose on his tall, thin body. He, too, held a torch in his hand and Midnight noticed an odd scar on the back of his palm. He was running, his shallow breath echoing in the little corridor. The fear that he felt flooded her head; its intensity was almost maddening and Midnight automatically let her hand slide off the wall.
She stumbled back, her teeth chattering violently, her heart almost beating its way out of her chest until the images died from her mind completely. Taking a deep breath, she moved on to the wall of the corridor opening to her right, touching the cold hard stone just slightly with the tip of her fingers.
This time, Midnight's mind relaxed as the scene unfolded before her. It felt like she was floating through the air as she watched a group of people enter the hallway. The first one she recognized as Arragus, the Centaur. The next one was a tall, pale woman, with a sword swinging on a thick, metal belt. Midnight knew it was Valrya, although her face was hidden behind her long silver hair. She held a pouch in her hand, making a very distinct metallic noise as she walked with it. The third one was a rather short, funny-looking man. His head was bald and red, except for a handful of green hair right in the middle of it, pointing up. Even his walking style was ridiculous. He took short, quick steps, gasping for air as he walked, trying to keep up with the others. Compared to Valrya and the Centaur, he was indeed small; the top of his head would have barely reached Midnight's shoulder. He wore a long, green robe that reflected the light from the gigantic torch he was holding - which made him look even stranger - but, as he turned, Midnight noticed the symbol on his right sleeve: interconnected vines decorated with leaves. Another woman came after him and, as she walked into the light, Midnight gasped. She was incredibly beautiful. Her hair was a black so intense it threw off the light around her and it fell around her head in neat, wavy lines, curling slightly just below her shoulders. Three strands of her hair were braided and pulled together with a round, sharp pin with a pearl at one end. She wore a long, red dress slit on both sides up the entire length of her legs, swaying around her when she walked.
The woman turned around and Midnight noticed that she had large, round eyes, just like the girls in the marketplace. Looking closer, she noticed her dress was made up of millions of little diamond shapes that made a singing-sound as she moved. Another little man appeared in the now dim light. At least, Midnight thought it was a man, from the sound of his voice, because his face was hidden under a large purple hood. He was a bit shorter than the other one, but not by much. He had a torch in his hand, too and as he bent, the symbols on his sleeve became clear in the light: two vines set widely apart, each one bearing thorns.
"Brohand," the woman spoke coldly. She took the torch from him and they walked away together.
Before the light from their torch could die completely, another man stepped into the corridor. He looked old and, Midnight thought, much like the frightened man she'd seen the first time. He had a long dark - blue beard and his hands were long and skinny. In a slow, deliberate move, he turned around and looked at the walls of the corridor. For a second, he stood there, almost completely in the dark. His hand moved over the stone wall as he spoke to the air around him.
"We'll be at the end if you need us."
Midnight let her hand slip from the wall. It was painfully stiff and her fingers were cold from touching the stone. She rubbed her shoulder, realizing she's been there for quite a while. The corridor ahead of her didn't look much more welcoming than the other, Midnight thought to herself, holding up the torch. Well, at least she wasn't lost.


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This is a discussion on Open carry in Arkansas within the Open Carry Issues & Discussions forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; Well, it appears that each individual county and some cities interpret the new laws differently. Much confusion in the Natural State lately even with same ...
Well, it appears that each individual county and some cities interpret the new laws differently. Much confusion in the Natural State lately even with same sex marriages. There have been many open carry group demonstrations throughout the state in the larger cities all peaceable and nobody has been arrested. testing the waters, I have a good friend that I visit with often that lives in Fayetteville in Washington county. According to the county and city administration and law enforcement, open carry is perfectly legal and you will not be harassed in any way. My friend is currently painting a house that he is fixing to move into next month. I have open carried while going with him to many places without incident. Lowes, Home Depot, WalMart, Harp's, and several dining venues in the area over the past week. What I have surmised at this point is that the general public does not seem to take notice or they think it's fine and commonplace for folks to carry in public. Not sure if it's just the locals accepting the idea or what. I just haven't gotten up the nerve to do this in my home town yet because it's still pretty much a one-horse town and all. I sure wish the state would define the intent of the laws past last year more clearly. But for now I am enjoying open carry in Arkansas. That's the way it should be.
You have to remember the most of the northern part of Arkansas is very conservatives s its the southern, more liberal part of the state that will have more trouble with the idea of open carry. I think that this is more of a party thing, the ones that are the most outspoken are Democrats and the ones that don't oppose it or even openly support it are Republicans.it has been widely discussed here on the state level.
I know where I live, for the most part there are no issues with open carry.
Universal Background Checks...the next step towards registration and confiscation.
AR. CHL Instr. 07/02 FFL
Like custom guns and stuff? Check this out...

subset: commoncrawl


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Let me start by saying I am a 100% remain backer. As a young Londoner, I guess I'm the exact profile to be a remain voter and was heartbroken to learn that we voted to leave the European Union.
I loved visa-free travel, as travelling is another huge passion of mine. But more than anything else, I loved being part of a modern, connected Europe.
However, one potential silver lining of the Brexit vote is that the impending EU regulations on e cigarettes will not affect me.
New EU regulations are currently being pushed through which will mean that pretty much all box mods, EGO style vape pens and all ecigs that aren't the sort of mass produced ones that tobacco companies will make will be outlawed.
They are trying to outlaw them on the basis of leaking and the potential for nicotine solution to leak onto your skin, and obviously all good vape pens will have some risk of leaking!
This means that all the small businesses that are driving innovation in the vape scene will have a huge market crashed overnight, and all we'll be left with is crappy vape pens you can buy in tescos.
No choice but to go underground and buy directly from China.
There is no doubt in my mind that much of this is being pushed through by big tobacco companies who want to retain as much control of the market as possible and see vaping as a threat to their profits, because it is so much cheaper and healthier.
They are also going to make tank sizes smaller, with a maximum 2ml cap.
THe regulations will also enforce extremely stringent testing and regulation on eliquids and ecigs too. This sounds great, but each test will cost tens of thousands, which once again will bully the smaller manufacturers who are creating the best stuff out of business.
As the register put it in this article:
"The Belgian regulator is asking producers for €4,000 for testing a liquid, and requiring separate procedures for each strength in a batch (2mg, 4mg and so on). Here the cost is £150 per batch, and that covers all concentrations in a batch, with an £80 registration fee. (See the fees SI here.) That should make producing e-liquids economic. It's far lower than was feared some three years ago, when it appeared only big companies could afford to stay in the game (or enter the game – high fees simply ensure survival for today's tobacco companies, rather than the diverse market we have today).
There's a six-month grace period for producers before applications (for new products) need to be sent up to the MHRA. Any liquids produced before 20 November can continue to be sold. Only by the 19 May 2017 will non-TPD compliant products need to be removed from the shelves.
The most immediate impact will be on British exporters, as the cross-border regulations nominally designed to ease trade actually tie it up in knots.
Dorn thinks higher-concentrate liquids should be continue to be obtainable through word of mouth channels, rather than overt channels like eBay, or in the e-cig shop itself. But with anti-vaping fanatics eager to see the practice stamped out, only a repeal of the TPD/TRPR itself will ensure the long-term market."
Scary stuff indeed, but perhaps a Brexit will make UK lawmakers rethink their position on life saving e cigs.


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Laces out!by Chris Piascik
Free Worldwide Shipping on T-Shirts Today!
American Apparel T-shirts are made with 100% fine jersey cotton combed for softness and comfort. (Athletic Grey and Athletic Blue contain 50% polyester / 25% cotton / 25% rayon)
I'm not a big sports fan, but after working with the Alphabet Arm guys for 4 years, I couldn't help but follow the Patriots games. It's been about 2 years since I left Alphabet Arm, but I still catch myself watching a game every now and then. Today was the championship game against the Ravens and the Pats just barely won. In the final seconds the Ravens missed what should have been an easy—and game tying—field goal. All I could think of was Ace Ventura... LACES OUT!!!


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Bin Laden tape: Moussaoui had no link to 9/11"
"Osama bin Laden said Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person convicted in a U.S. court for the Sept. 11 attacks, had nothing to do with the operations, according to a Web site audiotape released on Tuesday.
Bin Laden said he had personally assigned tasks to the 19 hijackers who carried out the attacks on U.S. cities on Sept. 11."
Whatever......Moussaoui still staying in jail. You don't get a do-over based on the word of a punk "трус" hiding behind a camera.
Whatever.....Posted by Jack Moss
Bin Laden tape: Moussaoui had no link to 9/11"
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- Sophie Réhault-Godbert, Valérie Labas, +9 authors Yves Nys
- The Journal of biological chemistry
- 2013
Ovalbumin family contains three proteins with high sequence similarity: ovalbumin, ovalbumin-related protein Y (OVAY), and ovalbumin-related protein X (OVAX). Ovalbumin is the major egg white protein with still undefined function, whereas the biological activity of OVAX and OVAY has not yet been explored. Similar to ovalbumin and OVAY, OVAX belongs to the… (More)
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Egg defence against bacterial contamination relies on immunoglobulins (IgY) concentrated in the yolk and antimicrobial peptides/proteins predominantly localized in the egg white (EW). Hens contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms export specific IgYs to the egg (adaptative immunity). No evidence of such regulation has been reported for the antimicrobial… (More)
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An aqueous marine-sulfated polysaccharide (MSP) extract, prepared from the green macroalga Ulva armoricana, was tested as an antibacterial compound against 42 bacterial strains and isolates found in livestock animals. Both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria growths were affected. The most susceptible pathogens were Pasteurella multocida, Mannheimia… (More)
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Municipal Cooperative Bank Mumbai Recruitment 2015
Municipal Cooperative Bank, Mumbai is in search of deserving and dedicated aspirants to fill up 02 vacant posts of Deputy General Manager and Assistant General Manager. Get more update on recruitmentinfosite.com . Eligible and suitable aspirants can apply by sending their applications latest by 13th of May, 2015. Further details on the subject of recruitment are as follows :
Details of the Recruitment :
Name of the Position-
1). Deputy General Manager
2). Assistant General Manager
Count of Vacant Positions-
1). Deputy General Manager : 1 Post
2). Assistant General Manager : 1 Post
Age Block- Age limit for applicants interested in the concerned posts is 45 years.
Emolument Details- Scale of pay offered to newly hired candidates will be the as per the norms followed by the organization.
Academic Requirement-
1). Deputy General Manager : Post Graduation degree in Economics or Commerce / ICWA / CA / MBA degree.
2). Assistant General Manager : CA / ICWA / M.Com. / MBA degree (Banking / Finance)
Process of Selection- Decision of the concerned authority will be the basis of recruitment of job hunters.
Procedure of Applying :
Eligible and suitable job hunters can apply for the above mentioned posts by sending their applications in the correct manner as available on the web portal : municipalbankmumbai.com . Detailed resume and photocopies of required documents should be attached along with the duly filled application form. Contenders must send the application and other documents to the following address :
Post Box No. 1027,
General Post Office,
Mumbai-400 001
Aspirants must mention the name of the post applied for on the cover of the application.
Essential Dates :
Closing date for submitting the application is 13th of May, 2015


text:
Ray Williams sentenced for his part in the collapse of HIH
Broadcast: 15/04/2005
Reporter: Emma Alberici
EMMA ALBERICI, FINANCE EDITOR, 7.30 REPORT: He seemed quite resigned to his fate, that he was expecting to go to gaol, and you could see that on his fairly steely, kind of, presence. But I think he was, like the rest of the court, quite surprised by just how lengthy the gaol term actually was; two years and nine months at the minimum non-parole period, and four and a half years for a maximum.
KATHY BOWLEN, PRESENTER: From the outside that doesn't seem such a lengthy sentence for a $5 billion collapse?
EMMA ALBERICI: Yes, but of course the Royal Commission, and indeed today repeated in the court, Ray Williams wasn't in and of himself responsible for the collapse of the company, even though he was, of course, the chairman and the ultimate boss. The fact is that this was just a case of mismanagement, not one person did anything like, you know, sort of scarper away money or anything like that, there was no major fraud. Ray Williams, basically, was overinflating the performance of the company. Indeed in one of those years he actually wrote in the accounts that it made $92 million more than it actually did, in an effort to make the public think that the company was in a better financial state than it actually was.
KATHY BOWLEN: What impact will the sentences this week of Ray Williams and Rodney Adler have on corporate Australia?
EMMA ALBERICI: Well, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the corporate watchdog, has actually said they're very pleased with the sentences coming one day after the other, the first gaolings of people in relation to the collapse of HIH, because they do send a message to corporate Australia that white collar crime will be prosecuted and will be chased down.
KATHY BOWLEN: Do you think that the impact of the collapse of HIH around the country had some effect on the length of the sentence?
EMMA ALBERICI: I do, and when we talk about the length of the sentence today, versus Rodney Adler, that's a 45 year old man being put away for a minimum of two and a half years, versus Ray Williams, at 68 years old, being put away for nearly three years at the minimum. He'll be spending his 70th birthday in gaol. It is a lengthy time for someone of that age, who, the Court actually said today, was unemployed and unemployable as a result of what he's done. In a sense that's a part of the punishment. In a broader sense the collapse of HIH and what we're seeing now, with nine prosecutions; three have been completed, with Rodney Adler, Ray Williams and Bill Howard, who was another executive of HIH, those three cases have now ended. There are six more in train and others that ASIC have said they will be pursuing through the DPP, so...
KATHY BOWLEN: And...
EMMA ALBERICI: ... there are more prosecutions to come.
KATHY BOWLEN: What impact did the collapse of HIH have on the insurance crisis?
EMMA ALBERICI: Well the insurance industry more generally felt the effects of this $5 billion collapse because, of course, with such a big player having gone it put pressure on the rest of the industry. We know HIH had kept their premiums artificially low, so when they left, in order for the rest of the industry to be able to survive, they needed to put their contracts up. So we saw all sorts of people affected that were in industries that had absolutely nothing to do with HIH, because of the mere fact that they tried to seek insurance and saw their premiums absolutely skyrocket.
KATHY BOWLEN: Emma Alberici, thanks for your time.
EMMA ALBERICI: Thank you.


text:
a large cave on the island of Staffa in the Hebrides, Scotland. It is well known for its large rock columns. Many poets and musicians have visited the cave and written about it, but it is best known as the subject of Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture (1832), which is also known as Fingal's Cave.jump to other results
Fingal's Cave
BrE ; NAmE
Check pronunciation: Fingal's Cave


text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|PCT number
|Publication date
|Aug 19, 1997
|Filing date
|Jun 25, 1993
|Priority date
|Jun 7, 1991
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Laurent Linguet
|Original Assignee
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (6), Referenced by (21), Classifications (12), Legal Events (4)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
The present invention relates to a method and a device for amplitude modulation of a signal. It applies particularly to power transmitters known as "solid state" transmitters in the radio frequency field, which are produced on the basis of field-effect or MOSFET-type power transistors.
With the advent of power transistors, which are easy to control and have short switching times making them capable of operating at frequencies from a few hundred kilohertz to one megahertz or more, vacuum-tube transmitters, which are expensive and bulky, requiring very high-voltage power supplies which are difficult to maintain, are tending to be replaced by transmitters the amplifier stages of which use these types of transistors. These transmitters generally consist of elementary power amplifiers or modules assembled in parallel or in series in such a way as to transmit the required power. The usual architecture of these modules is of the H-bridge type, also called "full bridge". Several solutions currently exist for amplitude modulation of the output signal from these transmitters. One is described by the patent application No. 2,567,338 and entitled "Amplifier with amplification stages switchable as a function of the amplitude of the signal to be amplified", filed in France in the name of the Applicant.
This solution is relatively simple to implement and requires no particular management of the operation of the elementary modules. Nevertheless, it requires many chokes and capacitors, dimensioned for sizeable voltages and circuits, as well as transformers with many secondaries, and is therefore an expensive and bulky solution of mediocre efficiency.
Another solution comprising digital management of the modules allows an enhancement of the efficiency but at the cost of great complexity in management of the modules. In this case, the envelope of the transmitted wave is constructed by superposition of the signal supplied by each of the power modules fed with the same voltage E and the operation of which is controlled by the digital part. However, in order to refine the envelope of the signal to be transmitted, it is necessary to use additional power modules fed with a voltage E/2, E/4 . . . E/2p. This constitutes a major drawback since the elementary modules are no longer all identical, and thus denies the complete interchangeability of these modules. Neither does this allow a mode of operation at degraded or reduced power, since placing at least one module out of circuit, following any malfunction, entails distortion of the transmitted wave in contrast to a solution consisting of interchangeable modules the stopping of one or the other of which entails only a reduction in the transmitted power, while, fairly often in certain particular circumstances, such an operating mode may remain satisfactory for the application.
Moreover, this solution requires many different voltage sources, and the continual switching of the modules generates interfering stray signals. It should be noted, moreover, that the absence of complete interchangeability of the modules entails additional difficulty and cost of maintenance and development.
The object of the invention is to alleviate the abovementioned drawbacks.
To this end, the subject of the invention is a method of amplitude modulation of a signal by a modulation signal characterized in that it consists in breaking down the signal to be modulated into a first and a second signal of the same amplitude and of opposite phases, in phase modulating the first and second signal by the modulation signal and in adding the first and second phase-modulated signals in order to obtain a resultant amplitude-modulated signal.
A further subject of the invention is a device for implementing the abovementioned method.
The main advantages of the invention are that it allows great flexibility in the control of the output power, better precision in the amplitude of the output signal as a function of the modulation signal at the input of the transmitter, and very good overall efficiency. It moreover allows easy maintenance and a degraded-power operating mode.
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge with the aid of the description which follows, given with regard to the attached drawings which represent:
FIG. 1, a vectorial diagram for illustrating the modulation method implemented by the invention.
FIG. 2, an embodiment of a device for implementing the modulation method according to the invention.
FIG. 3, an embodiment of an adder circuit for implementing the device of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4, an embodiment of a control device of the embodiment of FIG. 2.
FIG. 1 illustrates the basic principle of the invention. In this figure, the vectors V1 and V2 constitute the vector representation according to the Fresnel method of two sinusoidal signals of constant frequencies, phase shifted respectively, with respect to a reference signal VREF of the same frequency, by an angle and by an angle -. Considering the case in which these two signals have the same amplitude E and where their frequency is equal to f, the time function of the signal associated with the vector V1 can be written
V1 (t)=E cos ([2πf]t+) (1)
and the time function of the signal associated with the vector V2 can be written
V2 (t)=E cos ([2πf]t-) (2)
t represents time
the abovementioned phase-shift angle
E the amplitude of the vectors V1 and V2
The sum signal of these two signals V1 (t)+V2 (t) is associated with the vector Vs of FIG. 1, vector sum of V1 and V2, and its maximum amplitude is 2 E cos . It keeps the same frequency f.
From this result, the method according to the invention consists in using elementary power modules each consisting of two amplifiers delivering output signals of the same frequency, equal to the transmission frequency, and of the same predefined amplitude but phase shifted, one by an angle , the other by an angle - with respect to a reference signal, then in summing these two signals. According to the abovementioned result, a signal results therefrom with a frequency equal to the transmission frequency and with an amplitude which is a sinusoidal function of the abovementioned phase-shift angle . Amplitude modulation of the output signal from the elementary module can thus be achieved by acting on the phase shift angle .
A device for implementing this method is represented in FIG. 2. This device includes a first and a second amplification channel consisting respectively of a first preamplifier 1 coupled to a first power amplifier 3 and of a second preamplifier 2 coupled to a second power amplifier 4. The respective outputs of the power amplifiers 3 and 4 are coupled respectively to a first and a second input of a voltage adder circuit 5. The output of the adder circuit 5 is coupled to the input of a filter 6.
In this description, the signals V1 (t) and V2 (t) described previously by the relations (1) and (2) are added by the adder circuit 5 to give the resultant signal Vs (t) associated with the vector Vs of FIG. 1. An embodiment of a corresponding adder circuit is shown in FIG. 3. This circuit includes two transformers, with transformer ratio equal to 1, for example, and the primaries of which are linked respectively to the outputs of the amplifiers 3 and 4 and thus have the signals V1 (t) and V2 (t) at their terminals, their secondaries are wired in series, which makes it possible, at the terminals of this series assembly, to obtain the sum V1 (t)+V2 (t)=Vs (t).
At this point in the description it is worth making the following comment: the vector summation carried out according to the principle of FIG. 1 applies only to sinusoidal signals of the same frequency, whereas, in the invention, the sum produced by the adder 5 may, for example, apply to signals of the same frequency but square. Nevertheless, the result remains valid for the output voltage Vs *(t) of the filter 6, by virtue of the superposition principle. This is because the abovementioned square signals are the sum of an infinite series of sinusoidal or harmonic signals, whose harmonics of the same frequency can be added. For each of these sums, the amplitude of the resultant signal is actually a sinusoidal function of the abovementioned phase shift angle , thus, in particular, this is satisfied for the main harmonic or fundamental remaining at the output of the filter 6. Thus if E is the defined amplitude of the output signals V1 (t) and V2 (t) from the power amplifiers 3 and 4, and Vs (t) the output signal from the elementary module, then Vs =2 E cos , which is the outcome sought.
The signals V1 (t) and V2 (t) at the output of the amplifiers 3 and 4 are synchronous with the control signals s1 (t) and s2 (t) at the input of the pre-amplifiers 1 and 2. These two signals are phase modulated, and they can be derived in the way represented in FIG. 4. The purpose of this control device is to supply a phase-shift angle as has already been described, as a function of a datum value or of a modulation signal applied to its input. This modulation signal is converted digitally by the analog-digital converter 7. The conversion frequency is equal to the transmission frequency, for example, or to one of its multiple frequencies. The digital processing circuit 8 receives the data item leaving the analog-digital converter and carries out an operation the result of which corresponds to the value of the phase shift to be produced on the control signals for the switches or transistors of the power amplifiers 3 and 4. That is to say, in fact, if Am corresponds to the maximum amplitude of the modulating signal and B the amplitude of the modulating signal at the instant of analog-digital conversion, the corresponding phase shift is given by the equation:
=arc cos B/Am
Having stored the previous phase shift angle in memory, the digital processing circuit 8 calculates the variation in the phase shift to be applied to the control signal. To this end, the digital processing circuit 8 may, for example, be produced from memories including programmable logic circuits and tables.
The inverter 9 changes the sign of the digitized phase-shift variation output by the digital processing circuit 8 so as to obtain a symmetric phase variation -Δ. The two data items Δ and -Δ are presented to the input of a buffer circuit 10 in order to be synchronized before being multiplexed by a multiplexer 11. The data items Δ and -Δ always present at the output of the multiplexer 11 are acted upon by digital oscillators 12 and 13 known by the abbreviation NCO for "Numerically Controlled Oscillator". The circuits used may, for example, be circuits with the reference STEL-1175 marketed by the STANFORD company registered in the United States of America. These NCO circuits each generate a periodic digital signal varying sinusoidally at the transmission frequency of the signal to be modulated, the phase of which varies according to the phase data item present at their inputs, therefore following the phase variation Δ or -Δ calculated by the digital processing circuit. The output signal of each NCO 12 and 13 is converted into analog by a digital-analog converter 14 and 15. The signals at the output of the converters 14 and 15 are filtered through filters 16 and 17. This results in two sinusoidal signals at the transmission frequency s1 (t) and s2 (t), one phase shifted by an angle , the other phase shifted by an angle - with respect to a reference signal, being a function of the modulation signal at the input of the control device. These two control signals, amplified and shaped by the preamplifiers 1 and 2, are applied to the respective inputs of the two power amplifiers 3 and 4, as has previously been explained.
The multiplexer 11 serves to select either the modulation data item (Δ, -Δ) or the frequency data item, the latter, not represented in the block diagram of FIG. 4, serves to initialize the start-up frequency.
From the description of an elementary module and the description of a control device, it is apparent that the symmetric phase shifts produced on the output signals from the power amplifiers 3 and 4 correspond to the phase shifts produced in terms of the signals s1 (t) and s2 (t) output from the control, these phase shifts themselves being a function of the modulation signal at the input of the control device. With the amplitude of the output signal from a module being a function of these phase shifts, it will therefore be a function of this modulation signal, which is exactly the outcome sought. The type of modulating signal may correspond to all magnitudes whenever it can be converted into a phase-shift angle. Moreover, as all the elementary modules of the transmitter are identical, they can be controlled by the same control device. In practice, for reasons of convenience and development, several control cards shared by groups of elementary modules could be defined.
The power required at the output of the transmitter will dictate the number of elementary modules. These could, for example, be assembled in parallel or in series. Circuits for balancing currents or voltages could, for example, be added, as well as short-circuit protection.
One possible variant of the embodiment of an elementary module consists in using four power amplifiers instead of two, the output signals from which each have the phase shifts 1, -1, 2 and -2 respectively with respect to a reference signal, 1 playing the part of the phase-shift angle described in the present invention, 2 serving to reduce any possible distortion of the output signal. It can be envisaged, moreover, to increase the number of power amplifiers per elementary module, which can only enhance the quality of the output signal; nevertheless, their number may be limited for reasons of feasibility and of cost.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Jun 16, 1980
|Mar 9, 1982
|Continental Electronics Mfg. Co.
|Phase modulated square wave generator
|Feb 29, 1980
|May 25, 1982
|Hewlett-Packard Company
|Digital phase domain amplitude modulation method and apparatus
|Jul 14, 1980
|Oct 19, 1982
|Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
|Phase shift and amplitude modulator
|Sep 25, 1990
|Mar 3, 1992
|Hewlett-Packard Company
|Phase based vector modulator
|Nov 12, 1979
|May 28, 1980
|Continental Electronics Mfg. Co.
|Circuit and method for generating modulated oscillations and a modulated oscillatory signal generated by the method
|Title not available
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Dec 17, 1998
|Nov 23, 1999
|Datum Telegraphic Inc.
|System and methods for stimulating and training a power amplifier during non-transmission events
|Dec 17, 1998
|Nov 23, 1999
|Datum Telegraphic Inc.
|Compensation system and methods for a linear power amplifier
|Jun 19, 1998
|Apr 25, 2000
|Datum Telegraphic Inc.
|Digital control of a linc linear power amplifier
|Jan 15, 1999
|Nov 14, 2000
|Fujant, Inc.
|Amplification using amplitude reconstruction of amplitude and/or angle modulated carrier
|Mar 2, 2000
|Nov 6, 2001
|Datum Telegraphic, Inc
|Use of antiphase signals for predistortion training within an amplifier system
|Mar 10, 2004
|Jan 3, 2006
|Vcom Inc.
|Amplitude and phase modulation using dual digital delay vectors
|Mar 10, 2004
|Mar 14, 2006
|Vcom Inc.
|Modulation using discrete amplitude adjustment and dual digital delay lines
|Mar 10, 2004
|Feb 17, 2009
|Vecima Networks Inc.
|Method and apparatus for digital vector QAM modulator
|Jun 25, 2004
|Jan 19, 2010
|Sige Semiconductor (Europe) Limited
|Transmit signal generator and method
|Aug 31, 2006
|Jun 8, 2010
|James Stuart Wight
|Computational circuits and methods for processing modulated signals having non-constant envelopes
|Jun 11, 2014
|Jul 14, 2015
|Electronics And Telecommunications Research Institute
|System and method for synchronization between digital-to-analog converters (DACs) for high speed signal processing
|Nov 19, 2001
|Jun 20, 2002
|Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd
|Phase offset calculation method and phase offset circuit
|Mar 10, 2004
|Apr 28, 2005
|Gerald Harron
|Method and apparatus for digital vector QAM modulator
|Mar 10, 2004
|Jun 2, 2005
|Gerald Harron
|Modulation using discrete amplitude adjustment and dual digital delay lines
|Mar 10, 2004
|Jun 2, 2005
|Gerald Harron
|Amplitude and phase modulation using dual digital delay vectors
|Aug 31, 2006
|Aug 30, 2007
|Wight James S
|Computational circuits and methods for processing modulated signals having non-constant envelopes
|Jun 11, 2014
|Mar 5, 2015
|Electronics And Telecommunications Research Institute
|SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SYNCHRONIZATION BETWEEN DIGITAL-TO-ANALOG CONVERTERS (DACs) FOR HIGH SPEED SIGNAL PROCESSING
|Jun 24, 2003
|Aug 12, 2004
|Siemens Ag
|Arrangement for generating quadrature modulated transmission signal has two phase modulators generating phase-modulated signals from two input signals, addition circuit for summing phase-modulated signals
|Jul 18, 2000
|Mar 7, 2007
|QUALCOMM Incorporated
|Parallel amplifier architecture using digital phase control techniques
|Jun 23, 2005
|Aug 8, 2007
|Sige Semiconductor (Europe) Limited
|Transmit signal generator and method
|Jun 23, 2005
|Jul 15, 2009
|Sige Semiconductor Europ Ltd
|Transmit signal generator and method
|U.S. Classification
|332/151, 332/183, 455/108, 375/268, 375/300
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Jan 26, 1996
Owner name: THOMSON - C S F, FRANCE
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:LINGUET, LAURENT;REEL/FRAME:007784/0753
Effective date: 19951212
|Mar 13, 2001
|Maintenance fee reminder mailed
|Aug 19, 2001
|Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees
|Oct 23, 2001
|Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee
Effective date: 20010819


text:
Blue Water
A story about an adventure in one of my favorite places :)
I sighed and leaned back into the damp shadows, enjoying the cool grey limestone on my sweaty legs. The long hike and the tough scramble up the cliff had been worth it. I pulled out my water bottle and took a quick drink. I loved hiking alone along the Bruce Trail, facing whatever challenges were in front of me. Today was just a practice run to reacquaint myself with the trail near the Grotto. Tonight I would drive up to Tobermory and tomorrow morning very early I would start on the hardest hike in the world. I had finished the challenging Marr Lake Trail in very little under an hour, a little slower than my normal pace, and now I was taking a break at Indian's Head Cove.
There were swarms of people below me in the two o'clock sun, laughing and shrieking as they jumped into the 60 degree water and then burst right out again. A little white dog ran around yipping and its owner was trying to calm it down by yelling at it. A toddler was throwing some of the round stones into the water, and his parents were laughing and encouraging him. There were crowds of teenage girls huddled together, admiring the guys jumping off the cliff.
I had been planning to go swimming here too, you know, pop in for a second and cool myself down. (That was the trick on this hike, wear your bathing suit under your clothes so you can cool down any time.) I decided against it though, there was another swimming hole a ten minute hike from here, and it couldn't be as crowded as this one. I leaned back in my secret hiding place, a crevice nestled back in the limestone cliff, and took another swig of water.
Suddenly I heard voices, male voices, very close to the top of the crevice. I shrunk back, out of the path, and decided to ignore them. The two guys were laughing and joking as they climbed easily down the short stretch of challenging rock face. They looked like brothers maybe, both tall and strong, one more muscular than the other. They were almost out of the crevice when one of them, the wiry one, glanced back. He had light brown hair and a hint of a goatee. He blanched and became silent. Then the other one glanced back. For a second his eyes locked with mine. Then his face relaxed and he smiled and apologized for bothering me. I smiled an "apology accepted" smile and glanced away. He had been distinctly better looking than his brother, and hadn't seemed to notice my disability. Oh well, I thought, it won't take him long if we ever meet again.


text:
AUDIO: Mark Pritchard – Make A Livin'
Posted In Bass,Beats,Electronic,New Music by Toasty
Hands up if you danced frantically to Africa HiTech's dangerous beats that killed the dance a couple years back? If you liked that, then this will be right up your street. One half of the heavy hitting production, Mark Pritchard returns with a four track EP Make A Livin' dropping November 11th. He hangs up his alias, yet still delivers the footwork enthused, dubbed synths and rave ready sound. Using the ever popular 20th Century Steel Band's 1975 single 'Heaven & Hell Is on Earth', the Aussie producer creates his own entity out of the frequented sample. Ranging from pulse racing 8 bits to a smooth transition towards the rear which transform into a jungle riddem. Wait for the drop and the album on Warp early part of next year.


text:
It only takes a minute to get started. Fill out our simple sign up form and login to the website.
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Product Details
Style: 219677
Enjoy the mountain life in any weather with the Foursquare Richardson Insulated Snowboarding Jacket. Synthetic insulation wrapped in a waterproof and breathable shell means no more days of shivering though long, wet chairlift rides in the wind. You'll ride every free day you have no matter how cold or gusty. The shell blocks wind and sheds water while the insulation keeps you toasty. A cloth pulls out of the Richardson Jacket's sleeve to clean your goggles between rides, and a soft mirror in the ticket pocket allows for a quick check of your smile after lunch.
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- Waterproof/breathable to keep you dry 10k/10k
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- Check Yourself soft mirror
- Larger handwarmer pockets
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text:
Sail Date: May 27, 2016
Reviewed: 11 months ago
Traveled As: Couple
Room Type: Balcony
Refused to change to balcony room we paid for...instead got a rusty corner that you could not sit on....Bookit refused to help. Food poor quality. I had a piece of glass in my drink...only said sorry! Cancelled shore trips at last minute. Activities poor.....never will use The line again. This was our 11 cruise, third on
Royal Caribean. Very disappointed in bookit.
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|Cabin / Stateroom
|rusty, dirty and no balcony
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|Food and Dining
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|Seward (Anchorage), Alaska
|Cruise Hubbard Glacier
|Juneau, Alaska
|Skagway, Alaska
|Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska
|Ketchikan, Alaska
|Cruise Inside Passage, Alaska
|Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia
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text:
mbissi Review
Kids love it
My girls, age 9 and 6, love the chairs for watching tv and playing video games in our loft. They are loungers with little back support but are perfect for us. Not difficult to open and set up as previous reviews have stated. We got the chocolate Nd they look great.
- How did the color on site compare with the actual product? Excellent
- Please tell us about the quality of the product. Is durable, attractive and comfortable
- How accurate was the on site description of the product? Excellent
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text:
Senior counsel K.K. Venugopal, appearing for the CBI, told the apex court bench headed by Justice H.L. Dattu that the chargesheet would be based on evidence collected within the country as the Malaysian authorities were refusing to cooperate.
Venugopal told the court that "we have problem about Malaysia. For the last two years they are asking proof of criminality. They even wrote a strongly worded letter to our ambassador pointing to the various statements being made in India".
At this, Justice Dattu said the union of India will have to take up this matter. Venugopal said some strong measures will have to be taken.
The CBI Tuesday told the court that it needed a replacement for special public prosecutor U.U. Lalit whose name has been recommended for judgeship in the Supreme Court.
The court asked Venugopal to suggest three names of independent people to be considered by it.


text:
Shawn Phillips - At The BBC (Live) (Music CD)
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BB&T Insurance Holdings has agreed to increase its partnership in AmRisc, the largest catastrophe-focused Managing General Agent (MGA) in the US. In a related agreement, BB&T Corporation has agreed to sell American Coastal Insurance Company (ACIC) to certain members of the AmRisc management team.
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By IVES GALARCEP
Jurgen Klinsmann will call in is first U.S. Men's National Team squad since the World Cup later today for next week's friendly against the Czech Republic, and there stands a good chance of being some new faces in the mix as Klinsmann starts working toward a new World Cup cycle.
In my latest Goal.com column, I revealed my picks for the Uncapped American Best XI, a collection of talented young American players who Klinsmann could be taking a look at very soon. Some of the players included in the group could be heading to the Czech Republic next week, while others might have to wait a while for that first call-up.
As noted in my story, and as I discussed in detail in the latest episode of The SBI Show, the Uncapped Best XI is meant to look at younger players who could develop into options for the next World Cup cycle, which means veterans like Mike Magee weren't included. We also left out young players who have either not made pro debuts yet, or only recently made their pro debuts.
Klinsmann isn't likely to turn to an entirely new group of players right off the bat, but we should start seeing some new faces trickle into the mix very soon.
You also have the issue of dual nationals who are surely on Klinsmann's radar, but may or may not be eligible yet.
In terms of eligible young Americans who are currently seeing regular playing time, Klinsmann has a good number of options to take a closer look at in the coming friendlies. From red-hot Los Angeles Galaxy forward Gyasi Zardes, to Club Tijuana left back Greg Garza.
Give my story a read and let us know what you think of the picks. Who was left off the team that you feel deserved consideration? Who made the team that you hope receives their first cap soon?
Share your thoughts below.
The only players from this list that look like legitimate USMNT World Cup starters would be Wil Trapp and potentially Zardes. Zardes isn't even the best prospect for Galaxy forwards–that'd be Haji Wright.
We neeeeeed Zelalem!
Mark from LA
Is Jose Villarreal off the radar? Even though I'm in LA I haven't been following close enough to know. Anyone?
Lost in Space
Based on the stipulations for selection:
1) leave out all the players currently not eligible to play for the United States who just might gain eligibility in the coming months and years…Darlington Nagbe, Gedion Zelalem, Diego Fagundez, Dom Dwyer, Shawn Parker and Tesho Akindele
2) won't bother discussion players who haven't even played professional yet, or those who only just recently broke through with their club teams… Emerson Hyndman and Rubio Rubin.
3) lack of foreign-based players on this list….because any young Americans earning regular playing time in Europe have already earned national team looks before.
Even taking the players who could have been added if these stipulations were not made…
players like Gyau, Gatt, Stanko, Canouse, Hyndman, Rubin, Parker, Arriola, Gooch, etc….there is some decent talent in the 11 players identified.
Hedges & Packwood are good prospects in Central Defense.
Powers, Trapp & Kitchen (not mentioned) are good prospects in Central Midfield
Wings & Strikers are a little weak….but then we've had issues finding players there the last 6 years or so. Thankfully the we have young Outside Backs & Strikers already in the player pool with Caps (Yedlin, Chandler, Lichaj, Jozy, Boyd, Johannsson, Green, etc…) who will hopefully continue to develop and bridge the team till others can be found.
haji isnt with galaxy. so zardes is second behind jamieson.
The Imperative Voice
Sarkodie is basically Corey Ashe that can hit a cross. He stinks. Not good man marking and gets caught out of position. There is a reason Houston sheds goals.
He does have the YNT pedigree but he lacks basic savvy of how to play a wing back spot, and you can spin him around like a poor DB with fakes.
He's the 2nd leading scorer on the Galaxy behind Keane. He is tied for 8th in MLS with Obafemi Martins/Dempsey/Wondo at 10 Goals, and he's only 22! He is tied for the most goals among Americans with Wondo and Dempsey. In fact, he's also tied in .59 goals/90 min with Keane.
Keane is the best offensive player on the Galaxy hands down (some here would argue it's LD). I see it when I watch them play, and, according to the stats, he leads the Galaxy in goals scored and assists provided. He's second only to Henry in assist/90 min.
Did the folks, who play in Germany, like Gyau and Parker, not make the 11 best uncapped because they are not as good as the players picked or was the list limited to players who play for non-European teams?
Lost in Space
Gyau has made a USMNT appearance. Parker was not included because he is not currently eligible to play for the USMNT.
Gyau was called in against Russia at the end of 2012, but didn't appear. I don't think he has been called in since.
I was not aware that Gyau made an appearance with the national team. Are you sure? I know that he played for U23 and was called up to a national team camp, but a call up is not the same as being capped. And, why is Parker not eligible? He is a US citizen and while he played for various German youth teams, he can still switch to the US. In fact, in a recent interview, he made it clear that he won't rule out playing for the USMNT in the future. For obvious reasons, Germany remains his first choice, but he is keeping the door open to the USMNT and stated that he would be proud to represent the country his father is from.
I think what it really comes down to is how many games have we been able to watch guys like Gyau or Parker (or Hynman, Rubin, etc.) play? 2? 3? There's a tendency to assume that since they're in a big league, they must be the best Americans around. In reality, they're really young, and have only played a few professional games, and it's far too early to tell how good they will be. Certainly they have a ton of potential, but how many young, talented, over-hyped Americans have to wash-out before we learn potential doesn't guarantee later success?
It is true that potential does not guarantee later success, but this equally applies to the players who made the list. And, in my view, players who were good enough to sign with Dortmund (Gyau) or feature for German youth teams (Parker) are likely to have a higher ceiling/potential than the guys who play in the MLS or Mexico. At a minimum, these young players are getting better technical and tactical training at their Bundesliga clubs than their MLS/Mexican league counterparts. This increases their chances to become successful in the future.
The Imperative Voice
Yeah, there's a list of players like Hyndman I think are better prospects than these. Irwin, Trapp, I can see some of them. But a lot of them will be long shots because there are better players abroad.
How do you know they're better players? How many games have you watched of these players abroad?
The article makes it pretty clear why a youngster like Gyau or an undecided like Shawn Parker weren't mentioned. R.I.F.
Benjamin C.
I know it is very early for him, but I have a feeling that Romain Gall will be showing up on a similar list by this time next year. Excited about his prospects.
I'm pretty sure Gyau got capped vs canada guys
I really don't get the love for Irwin. He's good, but he ain't in Hamid's league.
Wendell Harrison
Add Tommy Thompson to the list…kid runs at defenders, presses high, and tries the audacious when needed…kid has a future
I'm pretty high on Packwood, Trapp, Shipp, and Zardes in particular.
Stanko deserves to be in here. pro contract with Freiburg is impressive at his age. wish he was called up because he has been getting time with Freiburg II.
Okugo still uncapped? If needed this cycle i could see Magee playing a Gordon-Wondo type role, Dillion Serna is a great player to keep an eye on.


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Kings of Christmas
By Anonymous
To play the media you will need to update yourFlash plugin.
Concert Band Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet (in Bb), Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Trumpet, Horn, Baritone (in Treble Clef), Tuba, Mallet Percussion, Bells, Xylophone, Timpani, Percussion I, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Tambourine, Percussion II - Grade 1
For Band. Composed by Anonymous. Arranged by Joseph Compello. This edition: complete set. Carl Fischer Beginning Performance Series. Classical. Score and Set of Parts. With Standard notation. Duration 2 minutes, 30 seconds. Published by Carl Fischer (CF.BPS28).
Item Number: CF.BPS28
ISBN 0825851335. Key: E-flat major.


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Tauranga's Waste Management and Minimisation Plan
Council's aim is to ensure sustainable waste management (rubbish collection, disposal and reduction) which protects public health and the environment.
This also means keeping our city clean, tidy and free of litter.
Council's manages waste collection and disposal, litter collection, closed landfills and waste minimisation programmes:
Litter, abandoned vehicles and street sweeping
Kerbside collection and Tauranga City Council rubbish bags
Waste minimisation programmes
Our challenge over the next decade is to reduce the waste that has no potential to be reused as a resource (residual waste) to an absolute minimum.
Tauranga City's Current Waste Statistics
All of Council's solid waste operations take into consideration the principles of the waste hierarchy: Avoid, Reuse, Recycle, Recovery and Disposal.
Avoidance is the best way to reduce waste. When you are considering purchasing a new item, ask yourself:


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Njxnyjsfwbldms.com is a 1 year old domain.
It was registered by Han Long Duan , who can be reached at . The site is owned by Nan Jing Xian Nong Ye Ji Shu Fu Wu Bu Long Duan Men Shi. Registration details show that it was registered on 10 Jan 2016 through hichina zhicheng technology ltd. and will expire on 10 Jan 2017.


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As someone who reinstalls macOS several times a year, I've gotten into a habit of powering through the initial setup process without thinking much about it. Today, I'd like to share 10 of my favorite initial setup tips with new Mac users. But even if you're a long-time Mac user, you may still find a helpful gem or two within this how-to. expand full story
install Stories February 22, 2016
install Stories June 19, 2013
Parallels announced an update to Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac today that introduces experimental support for OS X Mavericks. That means developers with access to Mavericks will be able to run Parallels Desktop 8 on the OS and also install the OS X 10.9 preview in a virtual machine.
The company has an article available to walk devs through getting Desktop 8 for Mac running on Mavericks and another outlining best practices for installing it as a virtual machine. While you can't yet install Mavericks into a blank virtual machine, you will be able to update an existing OS X install to the developer preview. Those error messages some users were getting when attempting to run Mavericks on Parallels Desktop 8 should also be taken care of with the latest build.
Parallels hinted more news about Mavericks and its integration with Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac is on the way and is answering questions in its forums here and here.
Good news if you don't yet own a copy: Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac is currently 25% for a limited time. expand full story
install Stories April 16, 2013


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What franchises should look for in an email service provider
Franchise marketers know that their job comes with a set of unique challenges. So naturally, the tools they use need to be designed with those same challenges in mind. A couple of examples: You have to address the individual needs of multiple locations, yet somehow maintain a cohesive brand image across all of them. You want to empower your franchisees, but at the same time ensure you're providing a consistent experience.See full article


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Professional grade polytunnel joining and repair tape. UV stabilised. Good, thick quality for a lasting join. Also useful for repairing split seams and tears on mini greenhouses or cloches.Measurements: 6.5cm (3) wide x 25m long
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All orders are processed within 1 working day. Orders are sent with Royal Mail 48, or heavier items are sent with DHL. First-class orders are sent with Royal Mail 24, or with overnight DHL. We can track and trace most orders - please call us on 01903 233299 with any delivery issues.


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Macrame by Rashida Coleman-Hale Knotty Midnight
$ 8.99
Start the year off right, the newest shipment of Cotton + Steel has arrived, and we couldn't be happier. Now that the holiday rush of making is over pick up some yardage of these beauties and make something special for yourself! 100% Midweight/Quilting Cotton 44" Width
We currently have 4 in stock. With fabrics, this may be approximate. All fabrics are sold by the yard. For less than yard quantities, call us or order the full yardage and make note in the cart of the quantity you want (down to the quarter yard), we'll cut accordingly and refund the difference!


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For nearly thirty years, SideFX has been providing artists with procedural 3D animation and visual effects tools designed to create the highest-quality cinematic results. We are passionate about what our customers do because our roots are in production, both as artists and as pioneering technical innovators.
Leaders in Procedural Software since 1987
In the beginning there were two: Kim Davidson and Greg Hermanovic – animation enthusiasts with a flair for UNIX coding. In 1985 they joined Omnibus, a pioneering company in the then emerging world of computer graphics. They immersed themselves in production, writing their own software and creating visual effects for film and broadcast.
In 1987, with an opportunity to bring 3D graphics to a wider audience, Davidson and Hermanovic created Side Effects Software and released PRISMS. Developed and rigorously tested in production, PRISMS was a procedural graphics application which would lay the groundwork for Houdini.
Since then SideFX and Houdini have been a big part of the feature film VFX with Houdini customers regularly winning awards for their excellent work. Recently, Houdini and Houdini Engine are being used by game developers to create next gen content and high-end cinematics.


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Playing Cards, Ch.16 - Truth & Lies
I sped into the plastic contaminated room, a look of terror across my face, with my eyes darting around the crowded room for someone to help.
"Help!" I called, "I need help!" Ben and I had driven to the hospital with James as his car was the fastest out of the three. Mum and the McFarlows were on their way.
"We need help here!" Ben joined in, his voice matching the panic in mine. A woman in a nurse's outfit, with blonde hair, walked towards us.
"Can I help you?" she asked calmly… why was she calm? Couldn't she see that the little boy in my arms was in no way okay?
"Yes, I think he's having an allergic reaction to the nuts in a cake." I told her, running my fingers through James' sweating, dark curls. His bellows were deafening and his coughing had gotten worse in the car. The nurse took note of the condition he was physically in and flew to the reception desk, asking for the lady sat behind in to page one of the doctors.
"He's going to be okay, isn't he?" I asked, as she came back with a clipboard, with an attached form and pen, in her hand.
"We won't know until we can get him checked out. May I ask your name and your relationship to him?" she replied, handing the clipboard to Ben. My heart began to beat hard. I'd never told anyone the truth about James, outside of Mum and the McFarlows. Should I tell the truth? Or lie? Ben was here after all… what was I supposed to do? What was I supposed to say?
The nurse raised an eyebrow, urging me to hurry up. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth: "Casey Stewart… and he's my son." I caught a glance, out of the corner of my eye, at the flicker in Ben's eyes as I'd said it, though neither of us reacted to it verbally. The nurse nodded, relieved for my much awaited for answer.
"You'll need to fill in a few details for us," she told me, reaching out and taking James out of my arms. He was red in the face and his cheeks, lips and throat were swollen, "please take a seat and someone will call you in momentarily." She smiled weakly before rushing off through a set of double doors, James' cries becoming distant each step away he went.
I could feel the tears trickling down my cheeks, but banished them away with a swoop of the palm of my hand. I turned to face Ben's expressionless face.
"I'd better fill in those details then." I murmured, retrieving the clipboard from his tight grip. I steered myself over to one of the plastic chairs in the corner of the closely packed waiting area.
Had I really just done that? Had I really? Maybe this was all just a nightmare and I was really still at home, fast asleep on the sofa, or something, with Ben bouncing James on his knee beside me, happy and healthy.
The seats were really uncomfortable here. I shifted my weight, in an attempt to find a better position, and knocked my knee against somebody else's beside me. I looked up to apologise and jumped when I met Ben's mossy, deep green eyes. He'd crept up and I hadn't even noticed him sitting next to me. His face was stone frozen. He almost scared me looking like this. I'd never seen him look so… empty.
"I'm sorry…" I whispered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear and looking down onto my lap, causing the strand to fall out of place again.
"What are you apologising for?" he asked softly, yet sternly. I looked up again; his expression hadn't changed.
"I don't know," I admitted, "it just felt like the right thing to say." I looked back down to the clipboard and began to tap the, nearly empty, blue biro against the cold, metal sheet. It rang slightly, dissolving into the gradual noise surrounding us. I stopped.
"Why did you say that Jamie was your son?" Ben blurted out, in an 'out of the blue' type manner. I knew that he was actually confused about what I'd said, and possibly even worrying. Had he added up the months in his head and was now suspecting something? Had he twigged on that he was actually James' father? Had all my lying finally backfired?
"I had to." I told him flatly, contemplating what I was going to tell him… the truth? Or more lies?
"You had to?" he asked, questionably. He furrowed his stony brow and pursed his lips slightly in concentration… or frustration… I couldn't tell which… I mixture of both, perhaps? What was going around in his head? What was he thinking?
"Yeah. I had to tell them he was my son, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to see him." I told him, looking straight into his questionable eyes, willing him to believe me, "they wouldn't have seen him if he wasn't with a blood relative… not at his age." Lies… I'd chosen to lie. I didn't even know if what I was saying was true, but it seemed to work. Ben's expression softened, but his eyes lost their sparkle. Disappointment? Could he tell I was lying to him? Had he been able to tell this whole time, but never mentioned it? I didn't know…
"So he's not your son?" he asked.
"No." I lied.
"Okay…" Silence. Neither of us spoke to each other. I filled in the form I'd been given, whilst Ben played with a pack of playing cards he'd found amongst the out of date magazines, in the rack, by his chair. He had the queen of hearts and the kind of spades facing up and all the others in a huge mess, facing downwards on the coffee table, beneath the two upturned cards in front of him.
I couldn't help but look at the display on the table and wonder what the motive was behind his choice of placement. Coincidence? A particular reason, perhaps?
"Casey Stewart?" called a male voice above the sea of heads. I looked up and saw a young male doctor in a white coat and stethoscope around his neck. I stood up.
"That's me!" I called back. He noticed me and shuffled around the assortment of bodies blocking his route. He smiled when he came to stand in front of Ben and I, who had also stood up and was close beside me, "how is he? Is it a nut allergy?"
"My associates and I can confirm that your son has a severe nut allergy. We've given him a mild dose of an adrenaline injection, which has decreased the affects. He was lucky… a couple of minutes later and he could have suffered far worse than he has." He informed us. I gave a sigh of relief and placed one hand against my racing heart. Ben took hold of my other hand and squeezed it tightly.
"Can we see him?" he asked, his tone of voice shocking me. Although he was relieved and thankful that James was recovering, desperation was strung around each syllable. He wanted to see James as much as I did.
"Yes, but we can only allow blood relations to come through." Dr. Webber, as it said on his ID card around his neck, informed us.
"No problem, I'm his father." He replied with a smile. Dr. Webber nodded and prompted us to follow him. I looked up at Ben, when Dr. Webber's back was turned to us, and he winked, pulling me after him and Dr. Webber.
He'd lied to the doctor, like I'd done to the nurse. Well, he thought we'd been lying…


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SpongeBob Stretch Band Bracelet
Crafting Time:
- Under 1 Hour
Skill Level:
- Beginner
Project Courtesy of: Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores
Additional Information
• Rubber band loom
• Hook
• Forever Collectibles Nickelodeon Spongebob Squarepants Logo Loomz Charm Pack
1. Review http://snapguide.com/guides/make-a-stretch-band-bracelet/ to learn the basic stretch band technique.
2. Fold a rubber band in half and attach to a clip.
3. Using another rubber band, squeeze and loop it through the rubber band attached to the clip. Repeat, alternating colors for desired length.
4. Add decorative bead as desired to bracelet.
5. Attach clip to the final folded rubber band to finish.
6. If using the rubber band loom and hook follow the Single Loop Bracelet instructions that are included with the loom to create bracelet.


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Northborough: Mini Cooking Program at Free Library
February 1, 2012Registration Required
Event Navigation
Children ages 7 and up are invited to First Course Mini Cooking from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Children's Program room at Northborough Free Library, 34 Main St. Come make some cheesy appetizers, a mini salad, and a fun, fizzy beverage! To register or for more information, call 508-393-5025 ext. 4.


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Michelle Tomei Model
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Zoom in on the evolutionary genius of bugs and discover how humans are using bugs as inspiration for new technologies.
Celebrating the history, culture, achievements and survival of Victoria's Aboriginal people.
A wondrous place for babies to 5-year-olds where children will explore, play and learn.
Top Designs 2017 showcases the work of Victoria's best young emerging designers.
Museum Members are invited to view Bug Lab: Little Bugs, Super Powers before Melbourne Museum opens
Celebrating a major turning point in Australian history, Bunjilaka presents an exhibition marking the 50th Anniversary of the 1967 Referendum. This collection of work by local Koorie artists reflects on a national movement united for Aboriginal Human Rights.
Join Museums Victoria's conservator of paper, images and audiovisual materials, Belinda Gourley.
Draw birds and mammals from the museum's Heritage Collections alongside books depicting the specimens on display.
Three members of the Great Melbourne Telescope restoration team will discuss aspects of the forensic investigation undertaken to rediscover how it was designed and built
Offers a glimpse for the first time into the ancient women's practise of shell stringing by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community.
Giant bugs are on the loose at Melbourne Museum! You never know what you might see when you visit.
Over 600 birds, reptiles, mammals and amphibians from around the world.
Walk among skeletons of prehistoric animals.
Join curator Stacie Piper and artist Hayley Miller-Baker in a presentation and discussion around bringing the One Day, Many Voices Exhibition together.
The origin and evolution of life in Victoria.
The most immersive cinematic experience in the world.
One of the world's most destructive conflicts recalled through the experiences of eight people.
Watch a writhing mass of hungry eels gobble up their lunch!
An exhibition packed with icons of the city's past and present.
The amazing world of insects and spiders!
Walk through a stand of Victoria's mountain forests in the middle of the city.
Explore Bunjilaka's beautiful Indigenous garden.
A fun place to learn about interesting stuff.
The processes and mechanisms of evolution.
A brilliant, immersive exhibition about our ever-changing Earth.
An etched zinc wall that spans the north wall of Birrarung Gallery and surrounds the entry to First Peoples.
Dramatic underwater footage, vivid photographs and rare specimens bring Victoria's marine animals to life.
Watercraft and other objects from nearly every Pacific Island nation.
Monthly lecture series presented by Museums Victoria's Humanities Department.
View your body inside, outside, up close and over time in this exhibition about our own biology.
Come and see our giant red blood cell and make your own pom-pom haemoglobin.
Think about the workings of your own mind and the minds of others.
Australia's greatest racehorse.
Introduction to the museum's displays.
Discover the history and beauty of this magnificently restored building.


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Questions about EMC Forum?
Feel free to contact at 1‑866‑GET‑EMC2 or 1‑866‑438‑3622
With the persistent call for cloud-readiness and rapid deployment of workloads, converged infrastructure (CI) systems, which combine compute, network, and storage resources, provide a fast track to bringing your infrastructure to the next level. Come learn about how you can match the right CI system to your application need. There many options for deploying infrastructure. Whether you need choice and flexibility, stability and predictability, low cost and simplicity, or cloudscale, EMC has a portfolio of CI products that are redefining the market and enabling business to take the next step in innovation.
EMC Forum is a hybrid event experience designed for IT managers and executives seeking insights to cloud solutions and opportunities to network/share with peers. It is ideal for technical architects, storage administrators, and infrastructure and information security managers/directors.


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Puma x MCQ Tech Runner Sandal - White
Puma x MCQ Tech Runner Sandal - White
$ 220.00
Fusing the devil-may-care attitude of Alexander McQueen's design sensibilities with the trappings of 1990s sports gear, the McQ Tech Runner Sandal is an open toed sandal with the framework of a basketball high top. With translucent overlays and mesh and leather details, the lightweight take on retro-future sportswear is just in time for warm weather. Available now at Alumni in very limited quantities.