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Cluster and propensity based approximation of a network
Methods, software and technology
The models in this article generalize current models for both correlation networks and multigraph networks. Correlation networks are widely applied in genomics research. In contrast to general networks, it is straightforward to test the statistical significance of an edge in a correlation network. It is also easy to decompose the underlying correlation matrix and generate informative network statistics such as the module eigenvector. However, correlation networks only capture the connections between numeric variables. An open question is whether one can find suitable decompositions of the similarity measures employed in constructing general networks. Multigraph networks are attractive because they support likelihood based inference. Unfortunately, it is unclear how to adjust current statistical methods to detect the clusters inherent in many data sets.
Here we present an intuitive and parsimonious parametrization of a general similarity measure such as a network adjacency matrix. The cluster and propensity based approximation (CPBA) of a network not only generalizes correlation network methods but also multigraph methods. In particular, it gives rise to a novel and more realistic multigraph model that accounts for clustering and provides likelihood based tests for assessing the significance of an edge after controlling for clustering. We present a novel Majorization-Minimization (MM) algorithm for estimating the parameters of the CPBA. To illustrate the practical utility of the CPBA of a network, we apply it to gene expression data and to a bi-partite network model for diseases and disease genes from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM).
The CPBA of a network is theoretically appealing since a) it generalizes correlation and multigraph network methods, b) it improves likelihood based significance tests for edge counts, c) it directly models higher-order relationships between clusters, and d) it suggests novel clustering algorithms. The CPBA of a network is implemented in Fortran 95 and bundled in the freely available R package
The research of this article was originally motivated by two types of network models: correlation networks and multigraphs. After reviewing these special network models, we describe how structural insights gained from them can be used to tackle research questions arising in the study of general networks specified by network adjacencies and more generally to unsupervised learning scenarios modeled by similarity measures.
Background: adjacency matrix and multigraphs
Networks are used to describe the pairwise relationships between
For a weighted network,
In an (unweighted) multigraph, the adjacencies
are important statistics pertinent to finding highly connected hubs. In an unweighted network (a graph),
Background: correlation- and co-expression networks
Network methods are frequently used to analyze experiments recording levels of transcribed messenger RNA. The gene expression profiles collected across samples can be highly correlated and form modules (clusters) corresponding to protein complexes, organelles, cell types, and so forth
A correlation network is a network whose adjacency matrix
Weighted gene co-expression networks have found many important medical applications, including identifying brain cancer genes
measures how well a network factors
In co-expression networks, modules are often approximately factorizable
is called the module membership measure or conformity
Unlike general networks, correlation networks allow assessment of the statistical significance of an edge (via a correlation test) and generate informative network statistics such as the module eigenvector. But correlation network methods can only be applied to model the correlations between numeric variables. An open question is whether correlation network methods can be generalized to general networks by defining a suitable decomposition of a general network similarity measure. In the following, we will address this question.
Results and discussion
CPBA is a sparse approximation of a similarity measure
Consider a general
The right-hand side with
Objective functions for estimating CPBA
In practice, CPBA parameters
Our second objective is the Poisson log-likelihood
Our later multigraph example interprets Poisson(
In the Methods section, we describe a powerful MM algorithm for optimizing the objective functions and estimating its parameters. We now pause and briefly describe a few major applications. First, the sparse parametrization can be used to derive relationships between network statistics; our previous research highlights this possibility
Second, since our optimization algorithms also strive to choose the best cluster assignment indicator
Other major uses depend on the underlying model. In the Frobenius setting, the model can be used to generalize conformity-based decomposition of a network as shown in Example 2. In the Poisson log-likelihood setting, our model suggest a new clustering procedure. In contrast to other clustering procedures, the CPBA models provide a means of relating clusters to each other via the cluster similarities
In the following three examples, we illustrate how to generalize a variety of network models to include clustering.
Example 1: Generalizing the random multigraph model
We recently explored a random multigraph model
Although the parametrization (Eq. 8) of PPP is flexible and computationally tractable, it ignores cluster formation. To address this limitation, we propose to exploit the CPBA parametrization. This extension is natural because many large multigraphs appear to be made up of smaller sub-networks, often referred to as modules, that are highly connected internally and only sparsely connected externally. For example, consider a co-authorship multigraph where an edge is placed between two scientists whenever they co-author an article. Scientists working at the same institution and in the same department tend to be highly connected. Similarly, scientists tend to collaborate with other scientists working on the same research topics. Cluster structure is also inherent in biology. For instance, genes often function in pathways, and proteins often cluster in evolutionary families. Thus, when a network exhibits clustering, the propensity to form connections within a cluster is usually higher than the propensity to form connections between clusters. This phenomenon cannot be modeled using our original PPP model
To keep the number of parameters to a minimum, the cluster similarity matrix
Example 2: Generalizing the conformity-based decomposition of a network
To demonstrate the value in our clustering model and tap into the wealth of data on weighted networks
for all
MM algorithm and R software implementation
Our software implementation of CPBA is freely available in the R package PropClust. On a laptop with a 2.4 GHz i5 processor and 4 GB of RAM, PropClust can estimate the parameters for 1000 nodes for a given cluster assignment in 0.1 seconds. For 3000 nodes, the same analysis takes 1 second. In practice, initial clusters are never perfect and must be re-configured as well. PropClust adopts a block descent (or ascent) strategy that alternates cluster re-assignment and parameter re-estimation until clusters stabilize. Block descent takes under 10 rounds on average if initial cluster assignments are good. Note that all parameters are fixed in cluster re-assignment, and all clusters are fixed in parameter re-estimation. Furthermore, both steps decrease the value of the objective function. Early versions of PropClust re-estimated parameters as each node was moved. This tactic proved to be too computationally burdensome on large-scale problems despite its slightly better performance in finding optimal clusters.
Judicious choice of the initial clusters is realized by a divide-and-conquer strategy. First, hierarchical clustering coupled with dynamic branch cutting
Simulated clusters in the Euclidean plane
Our first simulated dataset suggests a geometric interpretation of propensities and cluster similarities. For this dataset we simulated four distinct clusters on the Euclidean plane by sampling from a rotationally symmetric normal distribution with covariance matrix
Figure 1
Four clusters were simulated in the Euclidean plane by sampling from the rotationally symmetric normal distribution with means corresponding to the different cluster centers and variance matrix I
Four clusters were simulated in the Euclidean plane by sampling from the rotationally symmetric normal distribution with means corresponding to the different cluster centers and variance matrix I. The numbers of points in the clusters were 50, 100, 150, and 200 for the black, red, green, and blue clusters, respectively. A) A plot of the points is shown colored by cluster. B) Heatmap that color-codes the ordered adjacency matrix, calculated using the formula
Simulated gene co-expression network
To illustrate how CPBA generalizes to weighted correlation networks, we simulated gene expression data using the
Figure 2
Gene expression simulation results
Gene expression simulation results. Gene expression data were simulated using the
Real gene co-expression network application to brain data
In this real data example, we demonstrate that CPBA generalizes weighted correlation network analysis and can deal with fairly large data sets. The human brain expression data in question were measured on the Affymetrix U133A platform
Figure 3
Human brain expression data illustrate how CPBA can be interpreted as a generalization of WGCNA
Human brain expression data illustrate how CPBA can be interpreted as a generalization of WGCNA. A) Hierarchical cluster tree based on WGCNA. Color bands show the WGCNA modules (first band), CPBA modules identified by propensity clustering (second band), and the modules identified by Oldham
These results demonstrate that CPBA is roughly equivalent to WGCNA in a typical co-expression network. We expect that CPBA will also be helpful in understanding network topology. For example, Figure
OMIM disease and gene networks
Here we present an application that is not amenable to correlation network models but is arguably well suited for multigraph models. Specifically, we consider a bipartite multigraph between genes and diseases based on curated data from the reference Online Mendelian Inheritance of Man (OMIM), which tracks published links between diseases and corresponding genes
Following Goh et al.
We categorized the diseases using MeSH with little success. Nearly half of the diseases (47%) were not mapped to any category, and another 36% were mapped to multiple categories. Using the clustering obtained from the CPBA analysis of the disease network, we looked at whether any MeSH categories were overrepresented in a cluster. Ignoring diseases present in multiple MeSH categories, we found 8 significant categories at
Figure 4
OMIM disease network
OMIM disease network. The intramodular connections between the nodes of the eye disease cluster are shown. Diseases are colored based on their MeSH categories, with diseases categorized as eye diseases (colored green), diseases linked to multiple categories (colored grey), and diseases that were not found (colored white). Note that more nodes should have been classified into the eye cluster by MeSH based on the name alone. Primary examples of this include retinitis pigmentosa, cone-rod dystrophy, retinal dystrophy, and microcornia. In spite of the failure of green labeling, these nodes were correctly classified by CPBA. Node and font sizes are proportional to a disease's propensity.
Additionally, we found 540 significant connections between diseases at
Looking at the complementary gene network, we checked for overrepresentation of Gene Ontology (GO) terms using BinGO on Cytoscape
Figure 5
OMIM Gene Network
OMIM Gene Network. Genes are colored based on their cluster membership, and node size is proportional to a gene's propensity. This view was achieved with a spring-embedded layout in Cytoscape using the number of edges between two genes as weights. Note that CPBA based clustering identifies modules of highly interconnected nodes.
Empirical comparison of edge statistics
In this section we compare our current CPBA model with our original Pure Propensity Poisson (PPP) model on two real datasets: the OMIM disease network and the complimentary OMIM gene network. On the whole we find that the CPBA model produces more plausible P-values for the edge-count tests. Conditioning on clusters enables CPBA to detect significant intercluster connections often missed by the PPP model. It also produces more reasonable P-values within clusters since propensities are not artificially deflated by the lack of connections between nodes from different clusters. We now consider how these trends play out in the OMIM disease network and the OMIM gene network.
In the disease network we find that, among the 20 most significant connections under the CPBA model, 5 are intercluster connections (See Table
Comparing the intracluster connections, we find that CPBA and PPP produce similar results, with 8 connections present in both lists. However, the P-values of these connections differ sharply under the two models. Since the PPP model essentially assumes a single cluster, estimated propensities trend lower in response to the lack of connections between nodes from different clusters. This results in lower means for the Poisson distributions and more extreme P-values. This phenomenon is especially evident in the pairing between Adrenoleukodystrophy and Zellweger syndrome; in the CPBA model the test for excess edges has −Log10(
The same story holds for the gene network. Among the 20 most significant connections under CPBA, 7 are intercluster connections (Table
To summarize, the CPBA model was able to find significant intercluster edge counts that the PPP model missed. Indeed, the PPP model was unable to find a single signficant intercluster pair in either data set. Although conditioning on clusters resulted in less impressive intracluster P-values, the CPBA model was still able to detect most of the significant intracluster pairings found by the PPP model. Figure
Figure 6
OMIM CPBA versus PPP Analysis
OMIM CPBA versus PPP Analysis. Scatterplot of the Log10(
Simulations for evaluating edge statistics
To drive home the last point, we took a block diagonal adjacency matrix containing 1's in its diagonal blocks and 0's in its off-diagonal blocks and introduced a few off-block connections. In our initial matrix with three diagonal blocks of 100, 200, and 500 nodes, we changed 60 off-block entries from 0's to 1's. Each pair of node sets accounted for 20 of these switches. We then analyzed the modified matrix under both the CPBA and PPP models. Figure
Figure 7
Simulated CPBA versus PPP Analysis
Simulated CPBA versus PPP Analysis. Scatterplot of the −Log10(
Hidden relationships between fortune 500 companies
To illustrate the utility of CPBA in a non-biological setting, we briefly describe a multigraph model of cross-company management. Specifically, we took the Fortune 500 Companies of 2011 and put an edge between two companies for each shared member on their boards of directors. The original data is found in Freebase
Based on the underlying probability model, we ascertained the significance of the edge counts for company pairs. Table
Relationship to other network models and future research
Because so much effort has been devoted to the mathematical and statistical explication of complex networks, we can only touch on the relationship of the CPBA parametrization to other network models. Complex networks can be described by random graphs (the Erdös and Rényi model
This reformulation of the model is consistent with construction of an MM algorithm for parameter estimation
Growing random networks (GRNs) are also of interest since many networks grow by the continuous addition of new nodes and exhibit preferential attachment. Thus, the likelihood of connecting to a node depends on the node's current connectivity
For homogeneous connection kernels,
which, importantly, assumes that node
Relationship to other clustering methods
Although the MM algorithm that estimates the CPBA parameters naturally generates a clustering method, CPBA is not just another clustering method. Our applications highlight the utility of the parameter estimates and the resulting likelihood based tests. CPBA not only provides a sparse parametrization of a general similarity matrix, but it also identifies hub nodes and clusters and enables significance tests for excess edges (between nodes) and shared similarities (between clusters). We do not claim that CPBA based clustering outperforms existing clustering methods in the simple task of clustering.
Substitutes for CPBA clustering include hierarchical clustering, partitioning around medoids
The current paper introduces the CPBA model (cluster and propensity based approximation) for general similarity measures and sketches an efficient MM algorithm for estimation of the CPBA parameters. These advances will prove valuable in dissecting networks involving functional or evolutionary modules. The CPBA model is attractive for several reasons. First, it invokes relatively few parameters while providing sufficient flexibility for modeling observed similarities. Second, the cluster similarity parameters are good at revealing higher-order relationships between clusters. The row sum of the cluster similarity matrix can be used to define a cluster connectivity measure and to identify hub clusters such as the neoplasm hub in the disease network. Third, the CPBA model naturally generalizes network approximations that are already part of scientific practice, namely, the propensity based approach in multigraph models, the conformity decomposition in weighted networks, and the eigenvector based approximation in correlation networks. Fourth, the connections to the MM algorithm make the model well adapted to high-dimensional optimization. Fifth, the Poisson multigraph version of the model enables assessment of the statistical significance of edge counts and similarities between clusters. Sixth, likelihood-based models such as the Poisson multigraph model provide a rational basis for estimating the number of clusters. While it is beyond our scope to evaluate different methods for estimating the number of clusters in a data set, it is worth mentioning that our R implementation allows users to initialize clusters via hierarchical clustering. This tactic obviates the need to pre-specify the number of clusters.
Using simulated clusters in the plane and simulated co-expression networks, we demonstrate that CPBA generalizes existing methods. The planar examples show how a propensity can be intuitively seen as a measure of a node's closeness to its cluster's center and how a cluster similarity can be seen as a measure of proximity between two clusters. The simulated gene expression dataset exposes the CPBA model's close ties to the previously studied concepts of intramodular connectivity, module eigengenes, and eigengene adjacency. Our analysis of real gene expression data reassures us that CPBA clustering results are similar to those of a benchmark method used in co-expression network analysis. The CPBA propensity parameters mirror the module eigengene based connectivity
To illustrate the versatility of CPBA, we applied it to the gene and disease networks of OMIM. The evidence that CPBA identifies biologically meaningful clusters is readily apparent in the significant enrichment of MeSH categories in the disease clusters and in the significant enrichment of GO terms in the gene clusters. While many other clustering procedures could have been used, CPBA has the advantage of dealing with dissimilarity measures as opposed to numeric input variables. It also provides Poisson likelihood based significance tests for edge counts (either pairs of genes and or pairs of diseases) that respect the underlying cluster structure. Finally, the row sums of the cluster similarity measure can be used to define hub clusters, and the estimated propensities can be used to define hub nodes. As we hoped, there were biologically meaningful ties between significantly connected pairs of genes and diseases. Several of these biologically plausible explanations are discussed in the text.
Although our examples are mainly biological, one can apply CPBA in many other contexts. For example, we employed CPBA to highlight shared board members among the Fortune 500 companies. This example illustrates how significant connections mirror the underlying ties between nodes. The edge count significance test suggests that the antitrust suit against GM and DuPont was no accident. To its credit, CPBA not only generalizes correlation network methods to general similarity matrices, but it also provides a valuable extension of random multigraph methods to weighted and unweighted multigraph data. CPBA is not just another clustering procedure but offers unique test statistics that permit identification of hub clusters and significant edge counts. We anticipate that the CPBA model will prove attractive to a wide range of scientists.
Maximizing the Poisson log-likelihood based objective function
Our algorithm for maximizing the Poisson log-likelihood (Eq. 6) given a clustering assignment
To optimize the objective function for a given cluster assignment, we employ block ascent and alternate updating
equal to zero and solving for
We expect the estimated
To update the propensity vector
is the key to minorizing the Poisson log-likelihood. Substituting the right-hand side for
In practice, this MM algorithm may require an excessive number of iterations to converge. To accelerate convergence, we employ a Quasi-Newton extrapolation specifically designed for high-dimensional problems (Methods and
Minimizing the Frobenius norm based objective function
Minimization of the Frobenius objective function (Eq. 5) employs block descent and again alternates updating
equal to zero and solving for
To update
In majorization, one is allowed to work piecemeal. Thus, we majorize the term involving (
taking into account squares. The term involving −
Substituting upper bounds side for (
As in the Poisson case, acceleration is advisable for both inner MM iterations and the outer block descent iterations. The same Quasi-Newton extrapolation
Model initialization
Initial cluster assignment
Many algorithms exist for creating initial cluster assignments
Initial propensities
One way to initialize propensities is to assume a single cluster and estimate propensities as suggested in our earlier work
This initialization can be motivated by showing that the above equation holds if
Cluster similarity parameters
Because the block updates (Eq. 11) and (Eq. 13) for the cluster similarity parameters only depend on cluster assignment and propensities, it is natural to use those updates for initialization as well.
Clustering algorithm
1. Choose the objective function (Frobenius or Poisson).
2. Initialize the cluster assignment, for example, via hierarchical clustering.
3. Initialize the propensity vector
4. Parameter Estimation: Given cluster assignments, re-estimate parameters through the updates (Eq. 11) and (Eq. 12) or (Eq. 13) and (Eq. 15). Declare convergence when the objective function changes by less than a threshold, say 10−5.
5. Cluster Reassignment:
(a) Randomly permute the nodes.
(b) For each node taken in order, try all possible cluster reassignments for the node.
(c) Assign the node to the cluster that leads to the biggest improvement in the objective function.
(d) Repeat step 5 until no nodes are reassigned.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until no nodes are reassigned.
7. (Optional) Repeat steps 1- 5 for other cluster numbers and use a cluster number estimation procedure for choosing the number of clusters.
Quasi-Newton acceleration
In this section we briefly review a Quasi-Netwon acceleration method described more fully in
Quasi-Netwon acceleration approximates
Construction of
Thus, the quasi-Newton acceleration can be expressed as
This update involves inversion of the small
Estimating the number of clusters
Estimating the number of clusters is the Achilles heel of cluster analysis. While this topic is beyond our scope, it is worth mentioning that an advantage of model based approaches is that likelihood criteria can be brought to bear. Since adding clusters entails more parameters, it is tempting to use the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) or the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) to estimate the number of cluster in the Poissom model
Ethical approval
This article involved publicly available human data sets which are completely anonymized. This study is therefore exempted from requiring ethics approval. No animal data were used. We fully comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and the "Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments" (ARRIVE) guidelines.
Availability and requirements
Project name:
BA: Barabasi Albert; CPBA: Cluster and propensity based approximation; ER: Erdos renyi; GO: Gene ontology; GRN: Growing random network; kME: Connectivity based on the module eigenvector or eigengene; MeSH: Medical subject headings; MM: Minorization maximization or majorization minimization; PPP: Pure propensity poisson; SFT: Scale free topology.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Authors' contributions
JR, SH, and KL jointly developed the methods and wrote the article. JR carried out the analysis and implemented the software. PL helped with the R software implementation and carried out the example analysis on empirical expression data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
This research was supported in part by United States Public Health Service grants GM53275, HG006139, MH59490, and UCLA CTSI Grant UL1TR000124.
A tutorial on spectral clustering
Cluster analysis and display of genome-wide expression patterns
A gene-coexpression network for global discovery of conserved genetic modules
Functional organization of the transcriptome in human brain
A general framework for weighted gene co-expression network analysis
Systematic discovery of functional modules and context-specific functional annotation of human genome
Analysis of oncogenic signaling networks in Glioblastoma identifies ASPM as a novel molecular target
Gene connectivity, function, and sequence conservation: predictions from modular yeast co-expression networks
Conservation and evolution of gene coexpression networks in human and chimpanzee brains
Harnessing naturally randomized transcription to infer regulatory relationships among genes
A gene expression network model of type 2 diabetes links cell cycle regulation in islets with diabetes susceptibility
An empirical bayesian framework for discovering differential co-expression
From 'differential expression' to 'differential networking' -identification of dysfunctional regulatory networks in diseases
Analysis of oncogenic signaling networks in glioblastoma identifies ASPM as a novel molecular target
Integrating genetics and network analysis to characterize genes related to mouse weight
Weighted gene coexpression network analysis strategies applied to mouse weight
The unfolded protein response is an important regulator of inflammatory genes in Endothelial cells
Geometric interpretation of gene co-expression network analysis
Understanding network concepts in modules
A Poisson model for random multigraphs
A simple physical model for scaling in protein-protein interaction networks
Eigengene networks for studying the relationships between co-expression modules
Defining clusters from a hierarchical cluster tree: the dynamic tree cut library for R
WGCNA: an R package for weighted correlation network analysis
Online mendelian inheritance in man, OMIM®
The human disease network
Medical subject headings
Peroxisome biogenesis disorders
BiNGO: a Cytoscape plugin to assess overrepresentation of gene ontology categories in biological networks
Structure of human Oxyhaemoglobin at 2.1 a resolution
A human protein-protein interaction network: a resource for Annotating the Proteome
U.S. National Institute of Health's informational page on Usher syndrome
U.S. National Institute of Health's informational page on Waardenburg syndrome
U.S. National Institute of Health's informational page on Craniofacial-deafness-hand syndrome
Investigation of association of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and a serotonin receptor 2A (5-HTR2A) genes with voluntary and involuntary attention in schizophrenia
Freebase open data resource
DuPont Wikipedia entry
On random graphs
Collective dynamics of 'small-world' networks
Emergence of scaling in random networks
Statistical mechanics of complex networks
Random graphs with arbitrary degree distributions and their applications
Connectivity of growing random networks
Exploring complex networks
Spectral clustering and transductive learning with multiple views
Mixture models and exploratory analysis in networks
Component models for large networks
Bayesian approach to network modularity
Learning systems of concepts with an infinite relational model
Mixed membership stochastic blockmodels
Modularity and community structure in networks
Graph clustering
A sparse conditional gaussian graphical model for analysis of genetical genomics data
Co-expression networks: graph properties and topological comparisons
A tutorial on MM algorithms
The MM alternative to EM
A quasi-Newton acceleration for high-dimensional optimization algorithms
A new look at the statistical model identification
Estimating the dimension of a model


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August 2017 M T W T F S S « Apr 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
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Teri Sonal
Thank you – this peaceful place, relaxes the body, rejuvenates the mind.
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The perfect chill out place.
Grant Bettjeman, Auckland, NZ
There is nothing more magical than seeing a dream come to life and we had a real sense of that this weekend – its been so special to share in this dream over the last few days. Nicky you and your team and Lance too absolutely get the importance of the overall "experience". You have breathtaking mountains and bush, a beautiful luxurious lodge, delicious food and sounds of the outback and you have wrapped it all up in your unique personalities and exquisite attention to detail and our experience has bee one of total indulgence and we've felt absolutely spoilt. The perfect wedding anniversary. Thank you.
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I shall return one day, With sons and daughter, To this heavenly place Called Shearwater, Where the girls have wings And the dogs have smiles Where the men have halos And where you walk for miles!
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A unique and exhilarating few days – great company, guides, staff and location. Congratulations to Nicky & all the people who make this experience what it is, thank you.
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Simply glorious, great company, wonderful food and a truly magical location. Congratulations to all the team for creating paradise in paradise.
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Nicky – you have created a wonderful lodge and experience for people. Thank you so much for the opportunity to experience this land, and thanks for your work for the Shearwaters. Thanks also to Lance, Eve, and Maryanne for their guidance and gracious company.
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We have hiked all over the world, but Shearwater Lodge is absolutely unique. It is unique because all involved make you feel at home, while running daily routine with total professionalism. Eva and myself feel very privileged to be able to be part of this paradise, thank you Nicky
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Truly exhilarating and memorable experience. Nicky and her team were knowledgeable and enthusiastic and demonstrated that truly remarkable progress can and should be made in protecting and enhancing our environment. Many thanks and best of luck with all your endeavours. Mike and Alison.

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Top Illini recruit Jeremiah Tilmon asks for release
April 6, 2017
Filed under Basketball, Columns, Men's Sports, Showcase, Sports
Jeremiah Tilmon has requested a release from his National Letter of Intent with Illinois.
The 6-foot-10 center from East Saint Louis, Ill., made the announcement via Instagram Wednesday afternoon. Tilmon had verbally committed to play for former head coach John Groce on July 11, 2016, and signed his National Letter of Intent in November.
The top-25 recruit claimed the release was due to recent coaching changes at Illinois in his Instagram post.
"My family and I feel it's only fair that we hear all opportunities and not be stuck in one situation," Tilmon said via Instagram. "We will wait patiently on the release from the NLI."
Tilmon caused a stir in November when he waited to sign with Illinois until the last possible day in the early signing period. The delay caused concern for many Illini fans.
This past week, Tilmon had retweeted his own tweet from last summer when he verbally committed to Illinois. Many fans and analysts took this social media move as an indication that Tilmon was still on board with Illinois basketball and new head coach Brad Underwood.
According to 247sports.com, Tilmon ranks as the top player in Illinois and No. 29 in the nation. He has received offers from Missouri, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan State, North Carolina, Texas and UCLA. His crystal ball has Missouri as the front-runner on 247sports.com.
Tilmon's request for his release changes a lot for the Illini.
Illinois' recruiting class of 2017 now shrinks down to three signees consisting only of guards. Before Tilmon's shocking news, the Illini were ranked as the No. 11 class in the nation, according to 247sports.com and ESPN.
With the graduation of Maverick Morgan and Mike Thorne Jr., there was a strong chance Tilmon would get major minutes as a freshman and be heavily relied upon as Illinois' go-to big man. After watching his highlights, I've noticed that Tilmon has great footwork and soft touch around the rim. He can step outside for a midrange jumper and has great length to block shots on the defensive end. This would be huge for Illinois.
If Tilmon chooses to commit to another school when all is said and done, this will really put Illinois in a bind. Without Tilmon, the Illini will have to look upon Michael Finke as their center. While Finke has demonstrated a pretty good feel for the position, he seems more suited for the stretch-four spot on the court, given his three-point capabilities.
It's peculiar that Tilmon waited a couple of weeks after Groce's firing to request his release, especially with his recent retweet. It seems a bit odd that he didn't make an announcement earlier. A few days ago, fans were feeling reaffirmed on his commitment. This is a very quick change of pace in the situation.
Regardless, I think it's important for people to respect Tilmon's decision. He's a senior in high school and has one of the most important decisions of his career on the line. For about eight months, he was under the impression he would be playing for Groce, and now he needs to decide if he was committing to play for a school or a coach.
This will be a great test for Underwood. I am curious to see how he approaches this decision and if he can persuade Tilmon to recommit to Illinois. I think Underwood is a great coach and would absolutely utilize Tilmon in his system if he decided to recommit.
Tilmon will continue to be sought out by some highly rated programs and some other schools that have recently changed their landscape. Missouri could be a school on the rise with Cuonzo Martin as the new head coach and a recent commitment from the No. 1 prospect in the nation, Michael Porter Jr.
I certainly wouldn't count Illinois out yet. Underwood retaining Jamall Walker as an assistant will definitely help keep the Illini in the mix for Tilmon.
"Illinois will always remain an option because of my ongoing relationship with Coach (Jamall) Walker but this is my future and I need to be certain before I come to campus in June," Tilmon said in his Instagram post.
The regular signing day for basketball will begin April 12 and end May 17. Only time will tell where Tilmon ends up.
Matt is a Junior in Business


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2017-03-17 / Health & Wellness
New program feeds low-income seniors
Campaign will deliver 3,500 food kits each month
Every day, 10 million seniors in America worry about where their next meal will come from, according to a 2016 report from the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger.
While help is available through various programs, some seniors may feel embarrassed about asking for aid or overwhelmed by the documents needed to apply for assistance.
Now, a new local program is delivering free food once a month to about 3,500 low income seniors without requiring them to complete the usual and sometimes burdensome income documentation.
Seniors age 60 and older who earn $15,444 or less a year only need to state their income to qualify for the commodity supplemental food program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"Not only does this remove the stigma surrounding food assistance that many seniors experience, but it also removes many of the barriers seniors have to overcome to receive assistance," said Briana Frank, spokesperson for FOOD Share Inc. of Ventura County.
USDA officials recently approved the regional food bank to take part in the program, one of three food banks in the state approved to participate this year. The two others are Community Action Partnership in Kern County and Foodlink in Sacramento.
This year the federal program, which was created through the Agricultural Act of 2014—also known as the Farm Bill—received about $236 million to buy food to be distributed to health and social services agencies in 47 states. This year California agencies received about $6.9 million of the funding.
A shipment from the federal program arrived this month at FOOD Share's Oxnard warehouse, where employees will package the items into "senior kits" of food selected to fill "the nutritional gaps that are most common in seniors who are food insecure," Frank said.
Officials at the food bank and other participating agencies go to the federal program's website and select from a list of about two dozen items the USDA recommends for older people, such low-sodium canned vegetables, unsweetened juices, low-fat milk, and packages of grains and pasta.
FOOD Share is distributing the monthly packages to senior centers in Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Oxnard and Fillmore.
On Tuesday, qualifying seniors in Thousand Oaks picked up free food kits at Goebel Adult Community Center on Janss Road.
In Camarillo, low-income seniors will receive packages through the program from 9 to 11 a.m. Wed., April 5 at Pleasant Valley Senior Center, 1605 Burnley St.
"A new distribution site was confirmed at the Simi Valley Senior Center, but we have not been provided any additional details on that distribution site just yet," Frank said in a March 10 email.
Nationwide, this year's program is expected to feed some 697,865 seniors a month, about 78,865 more than last year, the USDA's website said.
In addition to the new supplemental food the county agency is now supplying for low-income seniors, FOOD Share operates the Senior Share program, which delivers groceries to more than 25 sites around the county.
It also delivers prepared meals and groceries to homebound seniors in Oxnard in partnership with the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging, Frank said.
The number of seniors in need of food locally and across the nation is expected to increase because the older population is projected to reach 79 million by 2040, more than double than in 2000, according to Feeding America, a nonprofit food assistance program.
"The average Social Security benefit is just over $1,200 a month, and a majority of seniors today rely on Social Security as their largest source of income," said a 2011 AARP report on seniors and hunger. In 2016 the average benefit was just over $1,340.
Senior hunger is "a problem often hiding right in front of us," the report said.
In Ventura County, one out of every 12 seniors experiences hunger, FOOD Share said.


text:
|<< Previous book
(The Sword and the Scimitar)
A novel by David Ball
|"Crowded with events that both forecast and mirror the conflicts of today... Ball's wealth of realistic detail and depth of characterization bring to vivid life this exciting 16th-century historical adventure. I couldn't put it down, and thought about it for days later."
Jean Marie Auel
|"An epic adventure with action, suspense, and romance. David Ball brings alive sultan's palaces, the world of corsairs and knights and the realities of 16th-century medicine and combat."
Phillip Margolin
From the cruelty of the slave markets of Algiers to the majesty of Topkapi, the sultan's seraglio in Istanbul, to the convent of the noble Knights of St. John in Malta, this is a novel of the timeless struggle between the religions and cultures of the east and west. Nico and Maria, Maltese brother and sister, are separated when young Nico is abducted by Moorish slavers. Taken to Algiers to be the personal slave of a wealthy merchant, he becomes a pawn in household politics and sets out to escape. Extraordinary events lead him to the court of Suleiman, the magnificent Sultan of the Ottomans. Maria, stranded in Malta with unsympathetic parents, makes her own plans to escape the island and find her brother. She joins a group of Jews - forced by their Christian rulers to renounce their faith - who continue their rituals clandestinely. French aristocrat Christien de Vries yearns to prove himself as a surgeon in the Order of St John, to which he was pledged as an infant but joined only as a result of a life-altering oath. These unforgettable characters find themselves caught up in the sweep of history as the Ottomans confront the Knights in the historic Siege of Malta, and the fate of Europe hangs in the balance.
Similar Books by other authors...
The Religion
(Tannhauser Trilogy, book 1)
Tim Willocks
The Kappillan of Malta
Nicholas Monsarrat
Fortress Malta
James Holland
The Sword and the Scimitar
Simon Scarrow
Used availability for David Ball's Ironfire
See all available used copies of this book at Abebooks UK or Abebooks US
Hardback Editions
December 2003 : USA Hardback
|Title: Ironfire: A Novel of the Knights of Malta and the Last Battle of the Crusades
Author(s): David Ball
ISBN: 0-385-33601-2 / 978-0-385-33601-7 (USA edition)
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA
December 2003 : UK Hardback
|Title: Sword And The Scimitar
Author(s): David Ball
ISBN: 0-09-179941-4 / 978-0-09-179941-0 (UK edition)
Publisher: Hutchinson
Availability: Amazon Amazon UK
Paperback Editions
April 2005 : USA Paperback
|Title: Ironfire: An Epic Novel of Love and War
Author(s): David Ball
ISBN: 0-385-33806-6 / 978-0-385-33806-6 (USA edition)
Publisher: Delta
Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA
August 2004 : UK Paperback
|Title: Sword And The Scimitar
Author(s): David Ball
ISBN: 0-09-945795-4 / 978-0-09-945795-4 (UK edition)
Publisher: Arrow
Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA
February 2004 : UK Paperback
|Title: Sword And The Scimitar
Author(s): David Ball
ISBN: 0-09-180023-4 / 978-0-09-180023-9 (UK edition)
Publisher: Hutchinson
Availability: Amazon Amazon UK
Audio Editions
December 2004 : USA Audio Cassette
|Title: Ironfire
Author(s): David Ball
ISBN: 1-4025-1723-8 / 978-1-4025-1723-5 (USA edition)
Publisher: Recorded Books
Availability: Amazon CA
Kindle Editions
December 2007 : USA, Canada Kindle edition
|Title: Ironfire: An Epic Novel of Love and War
Author(s): David Ball
Publisher: Delta
Availability: Amazon Amazon CA
Genre Pages


text:
Marriage is one of the most anticipated days in our lives. It's a proof that we've found someone worth spending the rest of our lives with. However, in reality, it is the day that a fraction of the people regret having. Being committed to someone is more complicated than what fairytales make it seem. How many times will you get married? Click now to find out!
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What is JotForm?
JotForm is a free online form builder which helps you create online forms without writing a single line of code. No sign-up required.
At JotForm, we want to make sure that you're getting the online form builder help that you need. Our friendly customer support team is available 24/7.
We believe that if one user has a question, there could be more users who may have the same question. This is why many of our support forum threads are public and available to be searched and viewed. If you'd like help immediately, feel free to search for a similar question, or submit your question or concern.
iMIS integration with JotFormAsked by AOACINT on February 03, 2016 at 11:54 AM
iMIS is a nonprofit association engagement management system software made by advanced solutions international. Is there a point of contact for assistance with testing JotForm integration with iMIS?
Daniel Reiss
301-924-7077 *112
JotForm Support
Since iMIS integration is not available at the moment, let me forward this thread to our backend team as a feature request to evaluate the implementation. I cannot promise you that the feature will be implemented or cannot provide you any ETA at the moment. If there is any update in this regard, you'll be posted through this thread.
Thank you!
Hi Daniel,
BSCI has a package integrated in iMIS for questionnaires, surveys, evaluations, etc. I would be happy to discuss this with. Feel free to contact me when you would like to discuss further.


text:
Say your height and how you feel about it please :)
Most Helpful Girl
Great. I'm 5'5 1/2.
I don't feel tall and I don't feel short.11|00|0
Say your height and how you feel about it please :)
Great. I'm 5'5 1/2.
I don't feel tall and I don't feel short.
Have an opinion?
5'1 and 3/4s of an inch.. I hold on to as much as I can.. :P I kinda like being short, I like feeling tiny, but, it can be a pain for sure, but I love having a huge height difference between me and my boyfriends, so, in that sense its nice :). how tall are you?
6'6" :)
im 5'1". and a half. (I need that half!)
and I wish I was a lot taller. I want to be at least 6'3". that would be so awesome! :D
I am 5 feet.
I like my height because being any shorter than 5 feet, you start to get weird proportions and look like a midget. Plus even if you're only 115 pounds you look like 140.
I like tall guys. ?
5'6" I feel that for me my height's perfect, so I'm pretty happy with it :)
i'm 5'2" and I love being short. I never have to worry about a guy being shorter than me :P also I have a lot of guy friends and they like to mess with me since I'm "fun sized" according to them hahaha.
I'm 5'2 and I wish I was 5 feet. But it's not something I obsess over. I like my height for the most part. Lots of short girls on this question. Usually they all answer that they're 5'5 and up.
5'9" and I love it!
5'6,pretty happy,but I'd like to be 5'8
5 feet. Short but it's OK I don't care. xD
I'm 5.1 and I love bieng short. Most tall guys go for short girls and vice versa. But its not the rule. I used to want to be taller but that thought went away once I started dating. It feels really nice when a guy can pick you up, and lean down to kiss you. Makes you feel all girly.
im 5'8", and I'm pretty happy with it...its kinda like the perfect height, not too short, not too tall...altho I am a bit taller than the average woman so its kinda hard to find a guy that's taller than me haha
I am 4'8 lol and I love my height I get teased a lot by guys lol I enjoy being fun sized :P.
oh about 5'6" and I am good with my height :) actually in my family I am one of the short ones but that's okay with me!
5'6 I feel pretty good about it
I used to hate it cos I was the only tall girl in my family and amongst my friends. Now I bloody love it. I wear heels all the time and there aren't many disadvantages to being tall :)
I'm 5'2 and love it.
I'm 6 and I love my height! the only con is that I can't wear heels much
5'9. I like it, but would be taller if I had a choice, ha ha :)
5'2 1/2
I like it :P
Guys like it & mess around with me for being kinda short, but it's all good :P
i'm 4'11..n I've learned to accept it because I look great, and guys seem to like that :)
5'4". Sometimes I wish I was taller and sometimes I wish I was shorter. But overall, it's nice being in the middle. I'm usually shorter than guys and about the same as girls. It works out nicely :3
5'3, love it :)
You're cute ;)
I'm 5'5 and I love my height.
5'1 ... I would like to be a bite taller because I like long legs ... but you have to work with what God gave you...;)
5'3" I like it. It's average but just a bit short, which I like being a girl. When I was younger I was really really short and I hated it so much. Lucky I had a huge growthspurt during puberty. I thought I was gonna grow to be 4'10" haha
5'5., wish I was a little taller though.
5'1" I don't really like it because apparently is automatically makes me cute and I find that beyond annoying all my friends are taller than me and I think it looks better, I wish I was 5'4".
I'm 4'8, and I love being small (: I just think its cute:)
I'm 5'7" and find myself hoping to get taller. I really don't want to shrink with age.
I'm 5'2" and I love my size especially because I have to look up at my boyfriend,he's about 6'3"
I'm 3' 7" and I couldn't be happier.
lol It's a harsh world
I'm around 6'5". Do you know that scene in Titanic when Leo is like.. "I'm king of the world!" or w/e? I feel like that everyday. People automatically respect you for being bigger.. it's such a silly concept but we all do it. I'll take advantage of it though.
I've never seen the titanic ha ha But yeah I know what you mean.
damn! I knew it!
im getting some stilts!
I like it. I'd go taller if I could, but of the things I could change about myself, that's not a high priority.
6'2. it's fine, it's not as if I can change or control it.
Both legs touch the ground, so it must be OK. Taller than all the Chinese women, what more do you need? JUst under 6'
I'm contempt with it
6 feet. I'm alright with it. My siblings are a little taller and my brother is catching up.
I have a bit of a more conservative look at relationships and it seems like most women in my country feel the same. They like taller men then them. Since most women are shorter then me, it works out.
Ima 5'7 and I guess I can't really do anything about it so I just live with it. I do wish I was taller though it would help a lot on the dating world and on sports, and since I play soccer it would help a lot when it comes to heading.
6'0" and loving it! I also believe I have maybe an inch or two more to grow! :D I like being tall, even if it means I'm more likely to get struck by lightning :P
I'm like 5'11" and am fine with my height...
6 ft ...average height I guess, I like it
6'2" glad I'm tall. I wouldn't mind being a little shorter, but id rather be tall than short
5'10'' when I'm not slouching, which is most of the time.
I feel that I should have bad posture. If I were perfect in every way it would be unfair to women out there.
6'4 and 195lbs...feel pretty good about it
6'3" and I love it.
feels on top of the world ;)
6"2 and I love it-perfect height
Grreat :)
5'8" and I like it
5feet. Am happy as I would never be able to date, I hate relationships and girls. It automatically makes me ineligible for girls and relationships.
5'10. Best height for action sports even though a lot of the pros are like 5'7
5'10 and 5/8ths so I always round up to 5'11 heh
I can't complain but wish I was about 2-3 inches taller because women usually have ridiculous preferences when it comes to height.
6 feet 6 and three quarter inches. Love it.
We're about the same height then!
You cannot undo this action. The opinion owner is going to be notified and earn 7 XPER points.


text:
Blade 300X/300CFX Heavy Duty Tail Servo Mount (Red Devil Edition) by Lynx Heli
Store Availability Learn More
Frederick, MD
Unavailable In StoreCheck More Stores
|Low Price:
This product was added to our catalog on September 16, 2015.
This is an optional Lynx Heli Blade 300 X Heavy Duty Tail Servo Mount. The 300 X is an amazing RTF helicopter. Lynx has analyzed the helicopter's performance, and have found a number of areas for improvement. One of these was the standard Tail Servo Mount. The stock plastic mounts can't clamp to the boom as needed, causing vibration and tail wag, reducing the tail performance. So Lynx Heli Innovations redesigned the standard plastic tail servo mount, using aluminum alloy. Once this mount is installed it locks to the boom, helping to deliver a rock solid tail.
- Direct replacement for the standard 300 X part
- Optimized tail servo support for a "rock solid" clamp
- Increased rigidity improves tail performance by reducing tail wag and vibration
- FEA (Final Elements Analysis) assisted design delivering light weight and maximum strength
Tail Servo Mount Material: Aluminum 7075-T6
Screw material: Carbon steel 12.9 class
Assembled Weight (including hardware): 3.75g
- (2) CNC 300X Tail Servo Mount
- (2) M2x8 Hex Cap Screw
- (4) M2x6 Hex Cap Screw


text:
|Rendering of Planned Mixed-Use Project, Financial District, San Francisco, CA
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Commercial real estate investment banking firm George Smith Partners has successfully arranged $34 million in ground-up construction financing for the development of a mixed-use property comprised of 90 for-sale housing units above ground-level retail space in San Francisco's Financial District, according to George Smith Partners' Principal Jonathan Lee, Senior Vice President David Stepanchak and Vice President Adam Candler.
"As job growth continues based on high-paying tech industry positions in San Francisco, demand for housing remains on the rise," says Lee.
"Downtown San Francisco offers a lifestyle that is appreciated by a myriad of demographics, from Millennials to Baby Boomers, and we were successful in demonstrating that widespread demand to lenders."
George Smith Partners secured the loan on behalf of the developer, real estate investment and development firm Encore Capital Management.
Hector Calderon, Managing Director of Encore Capital Management, says, "San Francisco's mid-market has transformed in the past four years, attracting major tech companies such as Uber, Square, Dolby and Twitter. The result is a tremendous number of new jobs within walking distance of our planned development."
|David Stepanchak
Calderon notes that walkability is a prime consideration when developing in this urban core.
"Our target buyers are singles and young couples who want to be near the vibrancy of mid-market, as well as empty nesters that are retiring, downsizing and moving back into the area.
"These are individuals who want to enjoy a walking lifestyle, and take advantage of being within four or five blocks of some of the hottest neighborhoods in the city," he explains.
The project's price point will be entry level, according to Calderon.
"Buyers in San Francisco can be easily discouraged by the high cost of housing. We plan to offer most of these condos for less than $1 million per unit, providing an accessible option for San Francisco workers hoping to buy."
The planned development is located in the heart of the San Francisco Financial District, within walking distance of several popular dining and shopping destinations. The ground-floor retail space is designed for restaurant use, and can be sold to a single user or easily subdivided and sold to two separate owner/operators in the future.
|Adam Candler
"The flexibility of this proposed project, coupled with its irreplaceable location in the urban core of San Francisco made it an attractive project for lenders," says George Smith Partners' Jonathan Lee.
"The challenge, however, was in addressing lenders' concerns with regard to fluctuations in the current residential market.
"Conflicting reports have emerged in recent months regarding the potential 'cooling' of the San Francisco condo market.
"To alleviate these concerns, our team focused on demonstrating the strength of the sponsor, as well as the steady demand for well-located mixed-use space that delivers the live/work/play environment today's consumers are seeking."
Ultimately, George Smith Partners was able to secure the $34 million non-recourse construction loan with only a completion and carve-out signature – there is no repayment guarantee. Sized to 60% of actual costs, the loan is priced at LIBOR plus 400 with a term of three years, and includes an option to extend an additional one year.
For a complete copy of the company's news release, please contact:
Miki Conant / Jenn Quader
Brower, Miller & Cole
(949) 955-7940


text:
Haven't joined yet? Join MYX |
February 2 marks the 38th birthday of award-winning Colombian singer Shakira!
Shake those hips as you listen to her hits and read some interesting facts about her!
About Shakira
1. Her full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll. "Shakira" is Arabic for "graceful" or "full of grace."
2. Shakira is multilingual! She's fluent in Portuguese, Italian, English, Spanish and Arabic!
3. Aside from having a rocking body, she does not have a single tattoo on her!
4. She could pass for a genius with an IQ of 140!
5. Shakira's Lebanese grandmother taught her the art of Arabian Belly Dancing to stay true to her Middle Eastern roots!
Video Posted by: shakiraVEVO
Shakira's music
6. Shakira was only 13 when she recorded her very first album.
7. In 2011, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
8. Laundry Service is her first English album.
9. She is a huge fan of Gloria Estefan and appreciates what she has done for Latin music.
10. The biggest selling World Cup Song of all time is Shakira's song "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)"!
Video Posted by:shakiraVEVO
Shakira's humanitarian efforts
11. In 2010, President Obama invited Shakira to the White House to discuss early childhood development. The next year, Shakira was appointed as a member of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.
12. She is an international UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and a devoted advocate for children.
13. She is also the founder of the Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet) Foundation which provides underprivileged children in Colombia access to quality education.
14. She even auctioned off more than 40 stage costumes she wore on her 2007 "Oral Fixation" tour to raise funds.
Shakira's love life
15. In 2000, Shakira began dating the son of Argentina's then-President, Antonio de la Rúa. However, the couple separated after 11 years together.
16. Shakira shares the same birthday with her husband Gerard Pique. The Spanish football player is 10 years younger than the singer.
Shakira beyond music
17. She was reportedly offered a part in the 1998 film "The Mask of Zorro", but turned down the role because she believed her English wasn't good enough.
18. She has made cameo appearances as herself on "Ugly Betty" and "Wizards of Waverly Place".
Video Posted by: shakiraVEVO
What's your favorite Shakira song? Feel free to share in the comments section.


text:
Date Added: August 10, 2017
Location Pennsylvania
Job Type Full-time
Category General Psychiatry
Adult or Geriatric Psychiatrist need to cover up to 5 nursing homes. This can be either a full time salaried position with benefits or can work as a contract doctor that is a part time position with no weekend call!
How to Apply
If you are interested and would like more information, please contact Jay Holland at 800-783-9152 x225 or email us at firstname.lastname@example.com regarding job number PA262


text:
I've been neglecting my blog recently (sorry, ladies!). However, t have a good reason. And I'm announcing it here first — I'VE WRITTEN A BOOK! Not surprisingly, it's about my favorite subject — quilting!
The idea for the book began in 2010, just after I'd purchased my longarm. I attended a machine quilting show and was talking to a longarm repair person. This gentleman mentioned that many women regretted buying their longarm machines. I was shocked. It never dawned on me that someone would spend $15,000 on a longarm machine and not use it, since it seemed like everyone in the quilting world dreamed of owning one. I decided to write a guide that would help women understand the reality of owning a longarm machine, and allow them to make an informed decision.
The book is called: "Longing for a Longarm: Should You Buy a Longarm Quilting Machine?" It is available on Amazon.com for $4.99. Below is the description from Amazon.
If you're a quilter, you've probably considered buying a longarm quilting machine – either for business or pleasure. At the very least, you've wondered what it would be like to own such a cool machine. Would it be a great decision or an expensive mistake?
This book, written by a former longarm business owner and fifth generation quilter, is the "real scoop" on longarm ownership.
Written in a humorous manner, "Longing for a Longarm" is packed full of information that will help you decide if a longarm machine will enhance your quilting experience. You'll learn about the reality of owning a longarm quilting machine, including the amount of space required, the best location for your studio, and how to select the right machine for your needs.
After reading "Longing for a Longarm," you will know why some quilters give up and abandon their longarms. You'll understand the physical demands of longarm quilting, as well as challenges longarm quilters face when quilting for customers. You'll also understand some of the stresses and issues that make longarm machine quilting challenging.
By the end of the book, you will know the pros and cons of longarm ownership, as well as the commitment required to be a successful longarm quilter. You will also have a great list of resources to help you become a better quilter.


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Haile middle school engineering mason f
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HEY Today's rockets are remarkable collections of human ingenuity that have their roots in the science and technology of the past. They are natural outgrowths of literally thousands of years of experimentation and research on rockets and rocket propulsion. One of the first devices to successfully employ the principles essential to rocket flight was a wooden bird. The writings of Aulus Gellius, a roman, tell a story of greek named Archytas who lived in the city of Tarentum,now a part of southern italy. Somewhere around the year 400 B.C., Archytas mystified and amused the citizens of tarentum by flying a pigeon made of wood. safety is good for you because it keeps you safe. wear safety gogles so you don't get hit in the eye and get injured. make sure you stay far away from trees because it will break. A water rocket is a 2 liter bottle and a paper towle roll for the noes of the rocket. You also need water and tape and thats all u need for a water rocket. When u put the water in the 2 liter bottle u fill it up less then half way.Full transcript


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This is my grandfather(6foot3)and dad(23 months) have you ever seen one this tall? Dad is now almost 71 so, its an old photo. Wonder what kind of sunflower it is?? Look at the size of those leaves!!!
SOLVED: how TALL is this sunflower do You think???
I've heard tell that the one called Paul Bunyan will reach 14 feet.
That is one tall plant.
it could be the original helianthus giganteus before breeders got their hands on it and turned it into dozens of varieties.
there is one in my seed catalog called
Helianthus uniflorus giganteus which grows to 10 feet +. I assume by the name it means one flower like the one in the photo.
wow! thanks for the info!!!
Oh, my gosh! I held a ruler up to your pic (the bigger one that showed up when I clicked on the one above) and guestimated that your grandpa's image was 2cms tall and the flower was FIVE cms tall!!! That translates to fifteen and a half feet!!! WOW!!!!! Wish I had some seeds of that sucker!!
You did the math!!!! Good job!!!. And did you notice there is one right behind him too. . that was probably more than likely taken at my great~ grandfathers farm....so, maybe they had a little help with something farmie in the soil? I still think its a cool picture and I wanted to share it ....Its a mighty big one thats for sure!
That's so neat! What a pity that they didn't save any seeds.. Or did they? :)
the seeds I mentioned are available from Chilterns seeds.
never heard of them....could I have a tad more detail? thanks! Am VERY interested in trying. have a good day
Here's Chiltern Seeds Garden Watchdog page: http://gardenwatchdog.com/c/221/ And here's the listing http://www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds/pages/moreinfo.asp?Table=Product&RecordID=1510943 They only say it gets to 10 feet, but maybe with "something farmie" in the soil... ;-)
BTW, I checked my SSE yearbook (the 1999 one ~ the only one I can find right now) and they have a "Giant Size" listed: "very large flower, large yield of good to eat seeds, have had some grow to 15' tall, I've been growing for years." I couldn't afford to send in my member dues for this year. ;-( Maybe next year? Is anybody here a member? Can you check this year's yearbook to see if they're still there?
thanks for all your effort you& everyone went through! Appreciate it. :)
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#ERWE3X75 Dryer Drum Bearing - Replacement for GE WE3X75
This is an Exact Replacement Part for GE WE3X75 Drum Bearing
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Who are we?
Our department covers a wide range of film and media history, with an emphasis on question of film culture. Our work asks not only what's in the film, but also what's happening around it: what kinds of infrastructure, institutions, networks, ideas, technologies, and embodied practices make certain films and styles possible at certain moments? Particular strengths include work on film festivals, non-theatrical and "useful" cinema, and silent film culture.
Our staff members are leaders in their field. Together, they have authored or edited over twenty books, some of them award-winning, including Walter Ruttmann and the Cinema of Multiplicity (Michael Cowan), White Robes, Silver Screens (Tom Rice), Texture in Film (Lucy Fife Donaldson), Cinemas of Paris (Dina Iordanova), Film Nation: Hollywood Looks at U.S. History (Robert Burgoyne), Montgomery Clift, Queer Star (Elisabetta Girelli), and Creating the Witness: Documenting Genocide on Film, Video and the Internet (Leshu Torchin).
We have an excellent record of funding and research projects with grants from AHRB, Leverhulme Trust and the British Academy, among others.
Formed in 2004, we are a small but rapidly expanding department. We have recently added three new staff members Michael Cowan, Lucy Donaldson and Anuja Jain.
Professor Robert Burgoyne
My work centers on historiography and film, with a special emphasis on American cinema, history and national identity, and the counter narratives of nation that have emerged in many films.
Professor Michael Cowan
My main areas of expertise are European film, visual culture and media history, particularly in the French and German contexts. Related interests include digital theory, film theory, experimental film and non-theatrical cinema.
Dr Lucy Fife Donaldson
My research focuses on film style, texture, performance and the body. I am interested in bringing together close textual analysis with issues of embodiment, experience and sensation.
Professor Richard Dyer
My work focuses on issues of representation and entertainment and especially the relations between them: how the form that a representation takes has much to do with its entertainment value, how entertainment works through representations.
Jean-Michel Frodon
I am a world-renowned journalist and film critic at weekly "Le Point" (1983-1990), "Le Monde" (1990-2003). I was editorial director of "Cahiers du Cinema" between 2003 and 2009.
Dr Elisabetta Girelli
My research focuses on stardom, performance, cultural analysis and discourses, sexuality and gender in film, subversion and difference. My current sphere of interest is silent cinema. Prior to this development, I concentrated on the creation of identity on screen, and its link to cultural analysis. I especially worked on queer […]
Dr Dennis Hanlon
I am a specialist in Latin American, South Asian, and European (especially German) cinemas, and my research explores the transnational articulations among them.
Professor Dina Iordanova
As the founder of the Film Studies department, I am particularly proud to have been the first Chair in Film Studies in the University's 600 year-long history. I am an international authority on transnational cinema, global film industries, and film festivals, as well as on Eastern European and Balkan cinema.
Dr Anuja Jain
My research and teaching interests revolve around South Asian film, media and visual culture; transnational film history; documentary film; Asian Cinemas; film, memory and historical trauma; and film poetics and aesthetics with a special interest in questions of spectatorship.
Dr Jennifer O'Meara
My research and teaching interests include film dialogue, sound and music; American independent cinema; fandom; digital media; contemporary authorship; performance and stardom; and women in cinema. I hold a PhD in Film Studies from Trinity College Dublin. Prior to teaching at St Andrews, I taught at Maynooth University, the National […]
Dr Tom Rice
With a focus on film history, my research examines the complex relationship between political and cultural movements and cinema.
Dr Leshu Torchin
I research topics in research in documentary, Holocaust and genocide studies, media and activism (such as economic and social justice, human rights, feminism), film festivals, and politics on film. Other interests include media and migration (both travelling cultures and the expanded realms of film), and tourism. Proposed theses on these topics are welcome.


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having issues with the app.. iv waited for sooooo long for this to happen yet it has so many terrible glitches..
am i alone with the glitches or do they need rectification. ?
Most Helpful Girl
Hi red_knight,
Please make sure you have installed the latest version as we do make updates to fix issues as we find them. What specific issues are you experiencing?10|10|0
my messenger keeps crashing.. and also I cannot inbox anyone first.. they have to inbox me even if we both following each other... currently I'm uptodate but it still persists...
- Show AllShow Less
Just to follow up, we have corrected the issue so you should be able to send messages to anyone on the app now, just make sure to download the update. :)
sure thing.. thanks for quick response
Most Helpful Guy
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1970 Ford Mustang GT-350 5.8L Cobra Convertible
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text: ArchiveOccupation soldier killed in ambush One US soldier has died and a second wounded in a resistance attack on their vehicle northeast of Baghdad. 10 Sep 2003 03:53 GMT Opposition to occupation mounting across Iraq An explosive device was apparently lobbed at the patrol along a major supply route on Tuesday, according to a statement posted on the US Central Command's website. Occupation forces have come under almost daily resistance attacks since ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. But this was the first US death reported in the past week. A total of 68 US soldiers have died in resistance attacks since US President George Bush declared an end to hostilities on 1 May. Dozens others have died in "non-combat" incidents. Source: Agencies


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Yusaf Mack, a tough Philly fighter, always knew that he had enough natural talent to become a world champion in boxing. Maybe he relied upon it just a little too much during his run through the super middleweight division.
Mack ate the wrong foods, never really focused on training properly and gained the reputation of a boxer who didn't have the stamina to go the distance.
It cost him twice -- most recently against Librado Andrade last October. Mack dropped Andrade in the first round, but ran out of gas and Andrade stopped him on a seventh-round TKO.
It was shortly after that fight that Mack's father, Terry Smith, told him that time was running out on his career and if he wanted to get the most from all that natural talent, he was going to have to apply himself more fully to his profession.
Terry Smith died of cirrhosis of the liver in February, but those words still rumble inside Mack's head every day he steps into a gym to prepare for a fight.
"Before he passed away he said, 'Win a title for me,'" Mack said. "That was a lot of motivation for me. I'm still going through some stuff [from his death]. But he's feeding my fire right now. What he said is really making me work harder than ever."
Mack (24-2-2, 15 KOs), who is now campaigning at light heavyweight, will take on Daniel Judah (20-2-3, 10 KOs) in a 12-round match at the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn, N.Y., in the main event of ESPN2's "Wednesday Night Fights."
The clock is ticking for the 28-year-old Mack. He fought at super middleweight for eight years, but fell short in his bid to fight for a world title. Mack isn't exactly starting over by moving up, yet he can't afford to waste time and he can't afford too many setbacks.
"This is a good fight to let Yusaf know that there are no walkovers anymore, so when you get the next shot you'll be prepared," said promoter Tommy Gallagher, who used to train Mack.
Memories of his father might light a fire under Mack. When he steps in against Judah on Wednesday, Mack will wear trunks that honor his father, who was only 56 when he died. Mack said his father was instrumental in keeping him and his brother, Steven, focused on boxing. Mack's brother was shot and killed by a robber in Philadelphia in 1995.
"Yusaf plays the part of the tough guy and he doesn't really want to show it, but there was a lot of love there with his father," Gallagher said. "His father and his mother really took care of him. He came from a tough environment [West Philadelphia], but the kid has some great qualities, like loyalty. When his father passed I think that's when he said now I have to stand on my own legs and go forward."
Mack appears to be making the kind of changes that his father implored him to make before he died. He is working with a new trainer, John Tandy, a Brit whose specialty is building stamina in his fighters.
Before the Andrade fight, Mack's manager, Rory Donadio, contacted Tandy in England and asked him to draw up a fight plan. Tandy came up with the plan and forwarded it to Mack.
"Obviously he didn't follow it," Tandy said.
Well, Mack followed it for one round, but he ran out of gas before he could complete the plan.
With Gallagher busy with some family obligations, Donadio decided to ask Tandy to train Mack full time. Tandy moved to the U.S., setting up training camp in Newark, N.J. Mack moved from Philadelphia to Newark. It was just another indication that Mack was serious about his commitment to fulfilling his potential.
Mack had been straining to make 168 pounds for a few years, getting down to 171 pounds and then killing himself to trim the last three pounds.
"I'd be so weak when I got down to 171 it was crazy," Mack said. "I couldn't make the weight anymore, but I kept fighting it."
The first change Tandy instituted was moving Mack up to 175 pounds. Then Tandy changed Mack's diet, which Mack said consisted primarily of cheesesteaks, cheeseburgers and fast food, and Tandy added a heavy dose of running.
At first, Mack bristled at the changes. But after he stopped Ernesto Zamora on a second-round TKO in his first fight under Tandy, Mack began to buy into the program.
"It's getting better," Mack said of his training regimen. "JT's got me feeling like a new man."
Donadio said he has noticed a change in Mack's attitude since his father died and Tandy began working with him.
"All boxers have big egos, but there's something more humble about Yusaf now," Donadio said. "You don't even have to ask him to run anymore. He takes it upon himself to get in his running. It's like he's become a man now. Like he's grown up."
Time will tell if Mack has matured. If he can navigate through the early waves of the light heavyweight division, he could make some compelling matches with the men at the upper echelon like Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson, Roy Jones and Chad Dawson. Chris Byrd, former heavyweight champion, thought he could make a name for himself in the division but was ambushed by Shaun George in a ninth-round KO in May.
"I feel like I could fit in there," Mack said. "I didn't win a world title at super middleweight, but I did get the USBA belt. I feel like I have all the talent to be a world champion. All I need to do is to train to get the best out of my talent."
And if he ever wants to slack off, he will have his father's words rattling inside his head to keep his motivational fires stoked.
Tim Smith is the boxing columnist for the New York Daily News.


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Garden Tomato and Basil Pesto (Cooking Light)
Be the first to review
READY IN: 30mins
Recipe by cmrb734
Fresh mozzarella is easier to slice when it is very firm. Place mozzarella in the freezer just until firm, and thinly slice. Any brand of prebaked pizza crust will work for this recipe. 8 WW Points
See Discussion:
Ingredients Nutrition
- 1 (12 ounce) prebaked pizza crusts
- cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons commercial pesto sauce
- 1 cup thinly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes (about 2 large)
- 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1⁄4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
Directions See How It's Made
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Spray crust with cooking spray.
- Place crust on a baking sheet; bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Spread pesto evenly over crust, leaving 1/2 inch border. Top with mozzarella cheese slices and tomato; sprinkle with pepper. Bake at 450 for 5 minutes or until cheese melts and crust is golden. Sprinkle with basil.


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NeoDefender Classic
By Meyume Ltd
Open iTunes to buy and download apps.
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Fixed the game hang/crash when resume from background
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- Size: 46.5 MB
- Language: English
- Seller: MEYUME LTD
- © 2014 Meyume Ltd
Compatibility: Requires iOS 4.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.


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Conference Update: The Big 12 Lives
The University of Texas at Austin announced late Monday that it would pass up a lucrative invitation to join the Pacific-10 Conference and remain in the Big 12 Conference. The decision, which surprised many commentators who had predicted just hours earlier that Texas' move to the Pac-10 was "imminent," reportedly came after the Big 12's commissioner, Dan Beebe, made a last-ditch proposal that would more than double the revenues that each member of the league derives annually and let individual members (notably Texas) create their own independent television networks for their teams. (As has been the case throughout the latest round of conference shenanigans, Orangebloods.com, an online publication that covers the University of Texas' sports programs, had the most detailed and accurate information about the goings-on.) The Big 12 had been all but left for dead after the University of Nebraska left for the Big Ten Conference and the University of Colorado at Boulder bolted for the Pac-10. But the additional money that Beebe's plan would carve out for the colleges -- perhaps more than the intense pressure placed on them by lawmakers in Texas and Kansas university leaders who would have been left behind in a severely weakened Big 12 -- appears to have helped persuade UT to stay in the Big 12 and keep the Midwestern league alive.
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Was in a club last night, had a blast. Was looking left and right and the thing was packed with female. Danced a little, talked with some girls. My buddy was there to present me his girlfriend, a girl that I knew. Nice there together. She presented me her friends one who was F***k HOT. I started talking with her and subtly showing that she was hot. When she left the circle she went to give a light kiss on the cheek of a guy.
They've been dating for like 2 years.
Why da f**k do hot chicks always have boyfriends. I'm not the waiting type. When I want something I like, I don't care who end's up hurt I'm gonna get her.
Thoughst? Advices? Beat the crap out of the guy in public so that, the girl has to justify why he dates a loser? What would you do? Has it ever happened to you?
Most Helpful Girl
I am a girl, and I would advise you to start with some respect first. If she is a true goddess of hotness, then everything about her should be like that (at least seem to be so - super cool). That means her friends and her choices of guys are a part of her magical beauty too! So, if you want to admire her, learn to admire her friends, her choices, her boyfriends...everything about her!
I would basically come to her and say "you look very attractive/sexy/hot/mind-blowing/stunning/beautiful/etc." . Just tell her - this way you let her know that you find her attractive. After that, try to have a conversation without pressure of you being so interested in her. Talk about her country, her favorite foods/music/books, ask about her family history or education/career goals...just try to talk (not about whether she has a boyfriend or not or willing to give you her number right away) - it does not matter if you can keep in touch or not as long as you can be next to a hot girl for a few moments - you should be in heaven! If she then shows any more interest in you, mentions that she'd like to talk more write you an e-mail or something like that (ONLY THEN give her your number or ask for her contact info!) If it's so GREAT from the first time, keep in touch and see where it goes! If she does not show any interest in you or desire to keep in touch, but you still want to pursue - it'll be ugly. Just forget it! OR, you'll end up turning into the main hero of the movie MISERY. IT's the best psychological horror thriller I ever watched. Many people don't notice how their "love" or "adoration" turns into "obsession" just like in that movie. But the woman in that movie TRULY honestly thought that her love for the victim-man was so important that she had to "keep" him at any cost. I mean, she was violent. But you don't have to be violent to be that horrible. Don't try to "keep" a girl. Let her be with you because she FEELS like it – not because you "pressure" her with your extreme "desire"/"attraction"/ "love" or whatever passionately-obsessive. Just keep pursuing no matter what, and you'll be just like that MISERY woman! Never push! Besides, you DON'T want a girl who does not want you! That sucks! You want a girl who'd do anything to please YOU! OK – that's real bliss! So, try your best, and then let her be if nothing comes out of her! It's that simple!
Awesome advices. Thank you so much


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Saiga, the Swordsman of the Void
Void Samurai Style Fighter Assassin
So here's a new concept of mine. An assassin/fighter type champion with a unique combo/stance system. That system is pretty simple. Each time he uses an ability, he switches stance, adding new effects to his main abilities. So the order of his skills greatly affects his gameplay and duel capacity as a fighter. His main con would be very low defensive stats, but as an assassin he has high burst, but can also be a good dps. Relying on mana, there's only so much he can do in his lane until he gets itemized a bit, but his skills enable him to dish out fair damage and keep an aggressive play style through early game. This build is of course not perfect, and any constructive criticism is gladly accepted!
Please be sure to also check out my other champion concept, Gauss, The Cosmic Mastermind
Passive: Swordsman of the Void
Saiga changes combat stance every time he uses an ability, granting an additional effect to the next skill used depending on the current stance. He reverts back to Standard stance every time he does not use an ability for 9 seconds.
- Stance Order : Standard > Combo > Finisher > Standard
Q: Aeon Assault (Targeted)
-Cost: 35/39/43/46/50 Mana
Standard: Saiga dashes through his target and strikes, dealing physical damage and marking the target for 6 seconds.
Combo: Saiga strikes twice in a quick succession in 0.5 seconds.
Finisher: Saiga strikes twice and teleports through his target instead of dashing, granting him a brief invulnerability.
- Physical Damage Per Strike: 40/50/60/70/80 (+80% Bonus AD)
- Cooldown : 4
- Range : 550
Note: Saiga's main ability. It works like Fizz's Urchin Strike. if the enemy is close he will dash through, up to the max range of the ability. The damage would be dealt quickly after the dash ends, something like 0.1 second after initial cast. If not used with a Finisher stance, can be interrupted by pretty much any hard CC.
W: Nether Shift
-Cost: 85 Mana
Standard : Saiga quickly sheathes his sword, granting him a shield for 5 seconds or until it breaks and damaging marked enemies for physical damage, consuming the marks.
Combo: Heal Saiga for 25% of the damage dealt by the marks.
Finisher: Heal Saiga for 35% of the damage dealt by the marks and creates an additional, stronger shield that blocks an incoming spell within the next 3 seconds.
- Cooldown : 19/17/15/13/11
- Shield Strength : 60/95/130/165/200 (+100 % Bonus AD)
- Physical Damage/Mark: 20/35/50/65/80 (+30% AD)
- Range: 900
Note: This ability is meant to function kinda like Twitch's Expunge (but targets can only be marked once), dealing damage to marked targets within range, consuming the mark, but with two additional effects. He can heal off the marks and gains a shield to help him in duels, but the shield is not so good against counter-harassing as it has a brief cast time, stopping his movement. Maybe about 0.325 seconds.
E: Imminent Chaos
-Cost : 75/85/95/105/115 Mana
Standard: Saiga slashes with blinding speed, striking a circular area close to him after a short delay (0.6 seconds), dealing magic damage, marking for 6 seconds and slowing enemies hit for 2 seconds.
Combo: Doubles the damage dealt and slow.
Finisher: Knocks enemies up, doubles the slow, damage and the affected area.
- Cooldown : 14/13/12/11/10
- Magic Damage: 60/70/80/90/100 (+75% AP)
- Slow: 20/25/30/35/40 %
- Range :300
- AOE Size : 400
Note: Imminent Chaos was inspired by a video character I really like if you guys hadn't noticed. Vergil from DMC. It's pretty much one of his iconic moves and since Saiga his a samurai type champion, I tried to find a way to implement this cool attack. It works a bit like Cho's Rupture, dealing delayed damage after a while and with a Finisher stance, also knocks up affected enemies. It can also be used to simply mark a creep wave and detonate the mark to heal a fair amount. Though this combo can make you very mana hungry early on.
R: Eternity Calling
-Cost: 125 Mana -Cooldown : 100/80/60 s.
Saiga permanently gains his Finisher stance for 3/4/5 seconds and does not lose it until the end of the duration. He also gains a boost in movement speed for the duration and passive cooldown reduction.
- Passive Cooldown Reduction 5/10/15%
- Duration : 3/5/7 seconds
- Bonus Movement Speed : 30/40/50 %
This steroid type Ult is meant to enable Saiga to continuously pummel his enemy with his main damaging skill, Aeon Assault. Since he keeps his Finisher stance for the whole duration, he also has access to different, very disrupting combos. And since he is heavily reliant on his abilities to deal damage, he gains some passive CD reduction from it.
So that's it folks! Please be constructive as once again, he is no where near perfect but I like how he is so far. Please take your time to read and comment! Thank you!