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Hey there everyone! c: Well this a bit different from what I normally write, but I feel good about it! Now I must warn you this is very heavily opinion based. If you cannot handle other's opinions then I wouldn't read it if I were you, anyways if you do read I hope ya enjoy! I started this back in June and finished a few months ago, but I got distracted with other projects and forgot to post it. Anyways... Read one if you wish.
Important Topics. By Kristin.
Hey there! The name's Kristin and I'm here to discuss some topics, that I feel need to be talked about more.
Also as I talk about each topic... Just know that I'm giving MY opinion on them, and its fine if you feel different about something I discuss. Because no one is gonna agree on everything! Now then let's get started!
1. Abuse: Ah yeah... Abuse it's something I hate with every fiber in my body. Growing up in a abusive home I know how hard it is to deal with the issue. I often had to stand up for myself, deal with yelling and yes even at times... Being hurt physically. It wasn't fun for me and I'll admit even outside of my family... I've been harassed and abused as well. In the house it was mostly my father, but then there was my mom and sister who like me had to fight back in order to survive. Well let's just say that at times when you're abused and you learn to stand up for yourself. You become an abuser too. Not in the way that the person you're fighting is... But you're still an abuser. My mom and sister changed their ways though. And so did I after my dad left. However we thought we were out of the drama, but it was only beginning. A few months later in August I was about to go back to school. I'd be in 7th grade and I was excited! However... The excitement died down faster than I thought it would... My dad got a girlfriend and they both began to harass my mom, sis, and I... So badly that they'd stalk us... Tried to break into our house... Blamed my mom for s**t got an order of protection against her for no reason... And yes we went to court. It was a horrible year just horrible. I went on Homebound. Which is like home schooling, but instead of your parent teaching you, a teacher from your school comes to teach you your lessons and gives ya homework to do.
It was all I could handle at the time... I tried so hard to stay in school. I tried as best as I could, but... When I was there all I could think about was how I was always worried about my sister and mom getting hurt cause I wasn't home to make sure that they were safe.
My friends and my teachers picked up on my emotional state too. Many asked if I was okay... I'd be tired in classes nearly falling asleep... And a few times I did fall asleep, but luckily I would wake before anyone seemed to realize. When my friends asked me what was going on... I'd say I was fine and I'd pretty much make up any excuse to avoid the conversation... But at one point... I was out of school for two weeks because I got so sick from being anxious, lack of sleep, and overloaded on work. When I got back it was clear to all the of people I knew that I wasn't okay.
I finally opened up to my friends about everything I was going through... They made me feel better! I began to spend more time with them at school. We'd talk a lot and well yeah... There they were helping me. My mom and my teachers talked a lot too. They cut down on my homework, and school work to help with my stress, I began to go half a day to school too, which the school does for students dealing with huge issues... However there were days I still couldn't go to school. And it finally came to at a point where one morning I woke up and it was about Ten O'Clock. I went downstairs and my mom told me I was going on Homebound. I agreed with her right away. Cause god... I knew it was the best thing for me. And even though I had known that for a while, I still went to school cause I was trying hard to stay for my friends... But sometimes you just have to do what's best for you and no one else... So that's exactly what I did!
I felt horrible though... I left my friends without being able to explain why I was gone all of a sudden. Some who had my number tried calling me too... I couldn't bring myself to answer... I was just too depressed. I was Homebound for the rest of 7th grade... And then in 8th grade too. And as 8th grade was almost ready to begin... I was preparing myself for a new year when I found out my dad and I were going to go to counseling, and see each other again.
I didn't like the idea at all, but I wanted to try and so try I did. It seemed as if things were getting better for me. Even though my dad and I still had ups and downs... It wasn't anything like the year before.
Then... It came the last nine weeks of the school year. It was the busy and busy... I had finals, I had agreed to go back to school for the 8th grade grad... I had homework, tests nearly all the time, and I was on very little sleep. I didn't miss a day of Home bound, my teacher would stay for three to four hours it was a lot.
I worked so hard and guess what? At the grad I got a math realized and great marks! But... My friends seemed to hate me as I came back for grad practice the day before the real ceremony.
They wouldn't talk to me... Of course they thought I had up and left them! Cause I did, but if they had just given me the chance... They would get why I couldn't talk to them, or even go to school.
However a few people I knew did come and talk to me. They weren't in my old group of friends, but I knew them and they were nice. We were friends we just didn't have the same group, but we did share classes and stuff.
Anyways the next day I crossed the stage proudly and that night I went to Olive Garden with my family, and then I left with my grandma, aunt, and one of my cousins for a trip at my grandma's house for a week.
It was amazing and so much fun! As summer went on I was going to go back to school for my Freshman year, but... I was getting scared because I would be going to new school... That was huge... Where I really would be alone. Without friends I didn't know where I'd fit in or belong... I didn't want to be alone cause it sucked.
So I was on home bound again... Because I just couldn't do it... Not yet at least. But at the end of Freshman year... My teachers, mom, and I all had an IEP meeting at school. I'm in Special Ed which is for students with learning disabilities. I have Asperger's syndrome which in many ways I have been able to over come, but I still struggle with it from time to time.
This always seemed to be something that made me different, from all of my old friends. None of them had a a learning disability. So they didn't know what it was like... But anyways back to the point... At the IEP meeting we discussed a lot of things... And the whole getting me back into school thing came up. Well turns out that meeting was one of the best things that has ever happened to me!
At the meeting there was a teacher named Miss. Diehl who is very very nice! She teachers special Ed classes, and so... I asked if I could try and maybe come a few days to her class... See if I could get comfortable and used to the school. At first I wasn't really counting on staying in the class... But as I went a few days that first week... I made friends right away and I was welcomed to the group. Everyone in the class is so nice and mostly are together for the whole day. I soon realized that they were the friends I had always wanted. And so... I told them I'd be in the class next fall and they were all very excited! I was in the group before Freshman year ended! And then went on to summer ready to see them again next August.
So from being harassed and abused... Which was the thing that made me leave school, my friends, a lot of what I knew... Didn't keep from going back which was hard, but knowing I'm welcomed there now I feel fine!
Abuse knocked me down... But I got back up and fought! Cause no matter what anyone does they won't make Kristin fall.
2: gays/ Lesbians.
: This is something that is a really important to me. A topic that everyone talks about and something that a lot of people don't agree on.
But often I wonder... Why? Why can't people agree on it. This is personal to me because I'm a lesbian and I'm really really close friends with bisexuals, gays, and lesbians, I'm friends with straight people too! I don't hate them at all. And those people are awesome! Doesn't matter what their into they can still be amazing! A lot of others think that not being straight, means you're not a good person, you're horrible, that you're gonna go to hell and that they won't be able to do anything. But that is wrong they're wrong. Because being different is fine! I mean look at me I'm a lesbian and I've been through a lot and I've overcome so much.
People who put down others who aren't straight, make fun of them, hurt them, hate them or do anything negative to them are stupid and blind. They can't face that others aren't always going to be like them. And if we're all god's children. as they say... Then why are they like this? I mean really because... When others are mean to people who aren't the same. It doesn't send the message that we're all god's children.
So... That saying doesn't make any sense... And I don't think it ever did to be honest. The Bible says so many things, but they're not all true. In fact... I don't see how any of them are 100% true at all... it's supposed to be is that it's a girl and a boy? No one said it's supposed to be that way! And it's not supposed to be that way and it's doesn't have to be! It won't be and it never will, and it's never supposed to have been the straight path, and it will never be that way.
Because a girl and a girl, a boy and a boy are just as right as the straight couples are! So everyone who thinks otherwise well I'd say you've been brainwashed. You're not opening and accepting and that's bad! Being welcome to different people is an awesome thing to have, but without it... You think so locked up that you can't see the whole world and what it's worth. And you can't see that even different people are as awesome as you are. The Bile Is A Book Of Faith, and yes I believe in god. I'm a christian, but that doesn't me I gotta go by every word the book says.
So yeah not this is just how I look at it. So if you feel different that's fine!
3. Trans Genders And Cross dressers: I have nothing against these people, I have a cousin that is Male To Female Trans Gender and she is a wonderful person! I love and care about her with all my heart! And cross dressers I know a few of 'em and they're great people! So yeah like others who aren't straight, Trans Gender and Cross dressers are awesome people too! Cause being different is fine, because different is what makes the world go round. I don't see why it's such a big deal with these people. They're just like the rest of us! So what if cross dressers wear other gender's clothing? So what if Transgenders change their bodies to be who they really are? These people know what they want, and exactly who they are! Nothing is wrong with them.
5. Ranking: Okay so there's a lot of people, who seem to think that if they're higher, than someone else... That the person in the lower position can't do much as them... Nor can they ever be better than them. Yeah that's something that really pushes my buttons... Because those high up people who are snobs... Think they're smarter and everything because of harder classes in school, being talented at sports, and being all popular um yeah... I don't like those people at all. Also the same thing seems to go for a lot of parents.. Haha very funny cause seriously? Lots of parents are High School drop outs, or just plane idiots. In fact I've got friends with this issue as I've dealt with it myself with my dad. Now with school this seems to be very important to a lot of students... I don't see why it is though. You don't have to be popular to have friends or do anything stupid like drugs, beer, or smoking for others to like you either. Cause are those people worth it? Um no no they're not. So like what gives? It's so annoying that people have be snobs, think they're better than the others, cause they're not better then anyone. They're just mean, are way too freaking proud, and are blind in the eyes.
So it shouldn't matter someone's ranking! They can actually be very talented! And yes even smarter at a lot of things. Cause for one I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs. And yeah my life doesn't involve snobby people and neither do my friends.
6: Putting The Right People First: This is a very good topic to discuss. Putting friends, family, and your best friend first before anyone you're dating, or married to is very important to do.
As they say Bros Before Hoes! Of course that is more towards guys putting their friends a girlfriend, but my friends and I despite some of us being girls use that term too. So... When someone you're with wants all of time... Uh yeah I don't see how anyone could stand that. Also if you're always blowing your family and friends off for this guy or girl... Well soon enough they're gonna know they've had a enough and won't be your friend anymore, and if they're your family they won't be happy with you.
Cause when you start having problems with your lover, or you two break up. Who will be there to comfort you? No one... Cause you've lose your friends and your family is probably just gonna stand there and say: "What I tell you? I knew you were making a huge mistake, but you wouldn't listen to me," So yeah do yourself a favor and do not put your girlfriend, boyfriend, etc before anyone else!
7: Bullying: Okay so this I think could've been talked about in the abuse topic, since bullying is related to it in many ways... In fact I don't know it's not related to it at all. But anyways... This topic has been talked about a lot these days. And I'm gonna be honest here bullying is horrible! Kids being mean to other kids. Teens picking on a smaller, or weaker one. Why? Why would be do that? See here's the thing. It seems to me that if someone takes something the wrong the way at times, or is pissed off cause they got a mean message, text, got called bad names often become bullies themselves. Yes it's right to stand up for yourself, but to stoop to their level is wrong. You're then being just as immature, stupid, and mean as them. So here's some tips: If the bully comes up and starts something out of the blue, just ignore them and walk away. This way you're being the BETTER person. If they come after you or follow. Just keep ignoring 'em. No matter how upset they make you feel. That's what bullies do they want a reaction. So don't you dare give them one!
Bullying is wrong, it's always wrong! Don't try and get a bully back either! Cause as I said then you're a bully too. It makes you no better than them. I don't care if they did something bad, it doesn't mean you have to and you shouldn't! So stay yourself no matter what happens!
8: Drinking, Doing Drugs, and Smoking: God I hate these people who think they're all that, just because of these dangerous, stupid, and worthless things.
Yes things... I hate bottles of beer, other dangerous drinks, drugs, and cigarettes with such a passion, that they're not even worthy of nice names.
I don't know who first came up with the idea for these, but if I ever found out I'd go back in time and stop them from making the idea come true.
All they do is hurt, kill, and get people in trouble. They have no good purpose at all they've done is make our world a lot worse.
But really! They haven't done a good thing and they won't... To be honest I wish they'd just off the market and become unavailable to everyone.
9: Religious Beliefs: Okay someone's religious beliefs depend on their religion. Here's a list of the many religions around:
1. Abrahamic religions.
1.1 Babism.
1.2 Bah ' Faith.
1.3 Christianity.
1.3.1 Other groups.
1.4 Druze.
1.5 Gnosticism.
1.6 Islam.
1.7 Judaism.
1.8 Rastafari movement.
1.9 Black Hebrew Israelites.
1.10 Mandaeans and Sabians.
1.11 Samaritanism.
1.12 Shabakism.
2 Indian religions.
2.1 Ayyavazhi.
2.2 Bhakti movement.
2.3 Buddhism.
2.4 Din-i-Ilahi.
2.5 Hinduism.
2.6 Jainism.
2.7 Meivazhi.
2.8 Sikhism.
3 Iranian religions.
3.1 Manichaeism.
3.2 Mazdakism.
3.3 Mithraism.
3.4 Yazd nism.
3.5 Zoroastrianism / Parsi.
4 East Asian religions.
4.1 Confucianism.
4.2 Shinto.
4.3 Taoism.
4.4 Other.
5 African diasporic religions.
6 Indigenous traditional religions.
6.1 African.
6.2 American.
6.3 Eurasian.
6.4 Oceania/Pacific 6.4.1 Cargo cults.
7 Historical polytheism.
7.1 Ancient Near Eastern.
7.2 Indo-European.
7.3 Hellenistic.
8 Mysticism and Occult.
8.1 Esotericism and mysticism.
8.2 Occult and magic.
9 Neopaganism.
9.1 Syncretic.
9.2 Ethnic.
10 New religious movements.
10.1 Creativity.
10.2 New Thought.
10.3 Shinshukyo.
11. Left-hand path religions.
12. Fictional religions.
13. Parody or mock religions.
So I don't even know what most of these religions believe in. But I do know that people believe in whatever they want, and worship any god that they have. I don't have anything against different religions, or beliefs. And neither should you. You don't have to understand the different people, you just gotta accept that they can have different beliefs than you, and lots of people don't even have a religion or believe in god and that's fine too! It's whatever they want.
10: Blacks, Whites, And other cultures/ races.
So I've heard so much about people not accepting people from different countries, and having different colors.
Yeah the law changed how Blacks can live, but there's still people who do not like them, and I just don't get why that is. How would someone who's white feel if they were judged just because they weren't Black? Not too good that's for sure.
It doesn't matter what anyone looks like, because if they're beautiful on the inside and that's all that counts.
And now on to different races and cultures.
I don't get why people are against others who are not in their race, or are from a different place where cultures are not the same.
This really makes me mad how some think these people are evil, not skilled, etc just because they're different.
As I said before being different is what makes the world go round, and without difference how could we keep learning about so many things? That's just it we couldn't...
So yeah knock it off. Cause being different is just fine.
11: Furries: Now this topic is a bit more difficult to talk about. Simply because rather than someone of another color or from a different place, a furry is harder for me to accept, or rap my mind around.
As I've said I'm really opened minded about a lot of things. However this furry thing is just really, really, really hard to understand.
A person who dresses up in a costume everyday, goes out as an animal, never really takes their outfit off, even when it comes to sex. As I've heard they cut a hole in their clothing for that... Now I 100 percent accept and support cross dressers. I see nothing wrong in liking another gender's clothes. And you'd probably think well... Why does it matter then when someone dresses daily as an animal? The answer to that is simple. Because furries go way over board. Thus making it so inappropriate that it's unbearable.
Don't get me wrong I wouldn't be so bothered by it, if they weren't so over the top about it. But due to the fact that these people mostly wear the same thing everyday, and do mostly everything in the costume... Well it's just a bit scary.
I mean like... I can look past it for friends, family, and anyone I care about, but strangers... Just that gives me the chills seeing someone like that around town.
I'm not hating on furries or anything. Hating is wrong, but they just go too far for my taste. Anyways that was the last topic I wanted to cover. I felt it would be a good idea to write about the issues we're facing today. So hope everyone enjoyed this. I didn't mean to offend anyone so if you're reading this and are now mad... Please calm down.
My Stories.
Writing Is Wonderful.♥ 83


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We feel it's important to emphasize to gamers that are not aware, that the importance of DN Forever is an homage to all video gaming we've experienced within the last three decades combined. This project albeit highly anticipated is not only expected to be legendary in itself, but even if it falls short of being 'epic' it will still hold it's own in the heart of any true game enthusiast, and for that we give you the great news. Duke Nukem Forever will be released to EVERYONE June 3rd without any prior purchase necessary (okay well the Demo is). However the full version will release shortly theerafter. Watch the video below to find out all the details. Details below.
Today Gearbox Software had a very special announcement for us all. Thank god it wasn't another Duke Nukem Forever delay. I'm not sure the babes could wait any longer. Hell, Duke's babes are 40+ now anyhow. Nobody messes with his cougars!
Anyway, for those of us who got the Borderlands GOTY edition or Pre-ordered DNF, congrats – You get access to the demo on June 3rd!
The Video below requires an age check for verification, but includes an update on the status of Duke Nukem Forever and includes certification on all platforms so rest assured this game is going to ship and everyone will be permitted to play this game. Why is the video rated for adults only? Well, it's the game being mentioned, other than that there is nothing in this video that shouldn't be seen by everyone anyway. Attention getting? Sure. Anticlimactic? Absolutely. But hey, watch it anyway, it's 'THE KING'
New York, NY – May 16, 2011 – 2K Games and Gearbox Software are overly-excited to announce that eager Duke Nukem First Access Club members will be the first to properly stimulate their joysticks playing the demo* of the highly-anticipated Duke Nukem Forever® beginning June 3, 2011. Over 15 years in the making, Duke Nukem Forever's historical arrival will happen on June 10, 2011 internationally and June 14, 2011 in North America on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. Gamers can experience this watershed moment and become a part of history by playing one of the most anticipated games of all time. The big question everyone will ask is "Where were you the first time you played Duke Nukem Forever?" – and the only way to play the game before launch is to be a member of the First Access Club.
Strictly for the biggest Duke Nukem fans, the First Access Club grants members access to highly volatile, eye-popping content, including never-before-seen materials, top secret information, and for-your-eyes-only art concepts. There are several ways fans can join the ultra-exclusive First Access Club, including pre-ordering the game from select retailers and by purchasing theBorderlands Game of the Year Edition on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system and Windows PC.
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subset: commoncrawl


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The World Giving Index score is based on an average of three measures of giving behaviour - the percentage of people who, in a typical month, donate money to charity, volunteer their time, and help a stranger. The three behaviours are also looked at on an individual basis within the report.
This year's report shows that, though the pace of economic expansion has slowed, the levels of involvement in giving – for all three measures – has increased on last year's results. However, looking at the longer term, only the percentage of people saying that they have helped a stranger has exceeded 2008 levels.
Key findings and conclusions
Source: World Giving Index


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PHILADELPHIA -- Devin Brown sank two free throws with 0.2 seconds left after Philadelphia was brought back from the locker room and the game seemingly over, lifting the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 91-90 win over the 76ers on Monday night.
The Sixers appeared to have won after Lou Williams hit a fadeaway jumper with 5.1 seconds left, his second go-ahead basket in the final minute. Instead, Brown was fouled by Samuel Dalembert with only a couple of ticks left. The Sixers thought the game was over and ran off the court, while the refs huddled at midcourt to look at the replay. The Cavaliers stayed on the bench, with some peeking over and hoping to hear the decision.
LeBron James scored 27 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 22 and the Cavaliers clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs against Washington.
Wizards 117, Pacers 110
WASHINGTON -- The Wizards' backups were more than enough to eliminate the very sub-.500 Pacers from the playoff race.
Coach Eddie Jordan went to his bench early and often, getting 31 points from Roger Mason, 14 from rookie Nick Young and little resistance from the Pacers' defense.
Celtics 99, Knicks 93
NEW YORK -- With his three All-Star teammates resting, Rajon Rondo had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Boston in what may have been Isiah Thomas' final home game as Knicks coach.
Boston improved to 65-16 despite giving Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen the night off. Sam Cassell added 22 points for the Celtics, who learned during the game they will face the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs.
Raptors 91, Heat 75
TORONTO -- Rasho Nesterovic scored 20 points, while Chris Bosh had 15 for the Raptors. Anthony Parker had 13 and Jason Kapono scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter as the Raptors locked up the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round matchup with Orlando.
Nesterovic was 10-for-19 from the field, scoring double figures for the 17th consecutive game, and grabbed seven rebounds.
Daequan Cook had 22 points and Chris Quinn added 14 for the Heat, who lost for the 21st time in their past 24 games. Miami must beat Atlanta at home Wednesday to avoid the worst record in franchise history. The Heat went 15-67 in their inaugural 1988-89 season.
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Hiding my bald spot is my top priority for 2014, jokes David Cameron
DAVID Cameron joked keeping his bald spot hidden is his top priority for 2014 at a lavish dinner in Westminster last night.
The last time I was at a dinner this posh, Boris spent the rest of the night in prison.
The Prime Minister was speaking at the annual Westminster Correspondents dinner before an audience of journalists.
The event - revived for the first time since 1974 - was an opportunity for Mr Cameron to show off his sense of humour and poke some gentle fun at his tormentors in the press.
He also used the opportunity to mock his membership of the notorious - and exclusive - Bullingdon Club, along with London Mayor Boris Johnson and Chancellor George Osborne when they were students at Oxford University.
The club reportedly used to trash restaurants and pay for the damage with cash.
Surveying the crowd of reporters dressed up in black tie in the grand surroundings of the House of Commons Members' dining room, Mr Cameron said: "The last time I was at a dinner this posh, Boris spent the rest of the night in prison."
Mr Cameron also recounted a day spent canvassing with the London mayor, when a woman answered their knock on the door with the words: "Boris, you're the father of one of my children."
A moment's horrified flustering by Johnson was ended as she added: "It's your daughter, I'm her maths teacher."
As well as worrying about his bald spot, Mr Cameron said his other priorities included keeping the coalition on the road while Nick Clegg "the product of the mean streets of Westminster and Cambridge", tried to differentiate himself from the public-school Tories, and keeping Lib Dem Home Office minister Norman Baker off the television.
He insisted he had not known in advance that his hairdresser was getting an MBE in the New Year's Honours but he added: "If you can make cuts and stop recession at the same time, you deserve an honour."
He praised backbencher Penny Mordaunt for her decision to appear on ITV's Splash to raise money for charity, adding: "If every Tory MP who's taken their clothes off in recent years had had such noble intentions, we would be in a much better position."
He even had kind words for his greatest adversary in the House of Commons - shadow chancellor Ed Balls - with whom he claimed to have a lot in common.
"We both love The Sound of Music, we both love Delia Smith - for different reasons - and we both like the Antiques Roadshow," he said. "I like it for the heartwarming stories, Ed likes it when they sell the family silver."
Mr Cameron ended with praise for Britain's tradition of a free and fearless press, paying tribute to The Guardian's parliamentary sketchwriter Simon Hoggart, who died earlier this month.
"At its best, the British press and the political press has a vital role to play in our country," said the Prime Minister.
"Tenacious, uncontrollable, sceptical, often uncomfortable for us politicians, British political reporting is deservedly respected around the world for the way it probes, inquires and scrutinises. These things are lynchpins of our democracy."


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Genre: Crime Drama
Premise: Eddie Arlette is a down-on-his-luck New York police detective. Dumped by his girlfriend and responsible for a drug bust gone bad, Eddie is sent to England with his rambunctious dog, Pete, to clean up the mess he made from his botched narcotics sting. During Eddie's first week, he contends with a host of characters and unfortunate circumstances, which ultimately lead him to make a life-changing decision: Either continue on this downward trajectory or get up and rediscover the world around him and his place in it.


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BB regular taking Android for a test drive...
- How goes it folks?
Decided to try out a Fascinate just out of curiosity and to see if Android's really worth jumping ship over (to be completely honest, I find myself more interested in the flow of webOS and WP7, but that's another flam----I mean, argument for another thread, lol).
I've been a pretty big Crackberry user for the longest, going from a Curve => Bold 9700 => Storm 2 (my current love), and while every phone and OS has it ups and downs, I figured I can't really praise (or flame) another type without actually trying them out for myself. So hear I am with my Fascinate.
I'm not gonna lie: as far as entertainment goes, this thing SCREAMS. I'll wholeheartedly admit that. Messaging (texts/tweets/emails/etc.), on the other hand?...I find myself reaching back towards the Storm and taking care of business without a second thought.
Maybe things will change as the days go by. Or maybe they won't? Who knows?
Anyway, thanks for reading.
I want REAL smileys. LOL!03-05-2011 10:31 PM
- Nothing wrong with that. With me, it's quite the opposite. There's something about having a physical keyboard that makes things flow much faster for me. And nobody does it quite like my BB.
- Cyber WarriorRobots Will KillAlso an ex BB CB user. I would take that test drive out for a spin and never turn around. Welcome to AC... enjoy your stay.03-05-2011 11:29 PM
- I'm sure you would.....I'm SURE you would. LOL.
But I don't want to sound like I'm forcing android on you take it for a spin, but give it an honest go and see what happens.03-06-2011 07:53 AM
- The first Android phone I had had a keyboard since I had the OG Droid. The keyboard was nice, but keyboards (unless it's a Blackberry or like the Droid Pro) tend to add the extra bulk since it needs to slide out somehow, and I guess to me I prefer the thinner sleeker look.03-06-2011 07:59 AM
- The first Android phone I had had a keyboard since I had the OG Droid. The keyboard was nice, but keyboards (unless it's a Blackberry or like the Droid Pro) tend to add the extra bulk since it needs to slide out somehow, and I guess to me I prefer the thinner sleeker look.
Sent from my Nook03-06-2011 09:09 AM
- Welcome to the group!
Coming for a BB Tour, it was interesting switching over to a non-physical keyboard. After a week, I was pretty fluent with Swype, and I haven't really looked back. I still use my Tour on occasion, but my Mesmerize (same as the Fascinate) is now my daily driver.
I did have to tweak the device to work better for me. That is one thing that I did notice when moving over from BB to Android. Android is made to be tweaked, so tweak it!
I ended up adding apps like NoLED to have message notifications, Quick Profiles to make switching sound profiles quick, Bedside to have bedside mode back, and a few other apps that made the device better for me. The trick is to not expect everything to be fully set up out of the box. Tweak and adjust the device to fit what you do with it.
If you don't like Swype, try Smart Keyboard (which has autotext), or SwiftKey (which predicts your typing). That's another thing that is really nice about Android - you can change out virtual keyboards for whichever one works for you. Personally, I like Swype in portrait mode, and SwitKey in landscape. I'll be rooting my device soon and adding in Keyboard Manager so that it will automatically switch between the two based on how I hold it.
The flexibility to change things is one of Android's greatest strengths. It is probably also one of the frustrations that BB users go through when switching over. Tweak away and hopefully you'll find the apps, settings, and adjustments that work for you.03-07-2011 06:42 PM
- Hey all, just a little bit of an update. Spent the last two weeks with the Fascinate as my main phone. Gotta say my initial opinions maintains. I COULD moan about the (and this is a BB user talking) abysmal battery life, but that something this fan base already knows about. Did not realize that some of the staple apps took up the most RAM space.
I do like to thank Xopher for his suggestions, though. SwiftKey is SUCH a better keyboard to deal with and pretty damn accurate to boot. Other than that, I guess I'm still going through the motions.
- Forum
- Android Central Community
- New to the Forums? Introduce Yourself Here!
BB regular taking Android for a test drive...


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The Overseer thread waits 1500 ms before it polls for new events. The wait should be eliminated and it should just wait for new events till they come the way it is done in OverseerCollectionProcessor
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As I understand it, the reason behind the wait are to group the processing of multiple events together so that the cluster state change is not broadcasted to all watching nodes too many times. But this can work along with splitting the cluster state in SOLR-5381.
Shalin Shekhar Mangar Originally we did not have a blocking lookup of the queue. that was also one of the reasons.
Originally we did not have a blocking lookup of the queue
Right - the history is that Sami wrote the Overseer loop first, later I wrote the OverseerCollectionProcessor loop - I didn't like the polling and used the blocking lookup of the queue and just never got to catching the Overseer loop impl up.
What if there are state change events happening in quick succession (like a rolling restart) will it not lead to too many updates getting propagated to all the nodes? Is it a real problem?
Shalin's original comment? Yeah, I suppose it does make sense. How much of a problem it is probably depends on the scale.
In my patch it would ensure that any event would get processed within the STATE_UPDATE_DELAY or all normal events would get processed within 100ms
This time w/ all the tests passing
Mark Miller please do a review . If it is fine I can check it in soon
I've looked it over, but I have to look closer at a couple things and I got tied up in other issues. Let me take a closer look tomorrow.
Looks good.
Here is the same patch but with some minor cleanup and that eliminates the 5 second poll of the main queue.
I kept the 5sec peek() on purpose. Because if the OverSeer changes and no state event happens there is no way for the node to know it. So let's keep it
Because if the OverSeer changes and no state event happens there is no way for the node to know it.
There is no reason the Overseer needs to pull every 5 seconds to avoid this. We know when a new Overseer is elected.
If we keep the 5 second poll of the queue, this issue gains very little IMO.
If for some odd reason the Overseer stops being the Overseer without losing it's connection to ZooKeeper, this patch will stop the current Overseer from running when it's alerted the Overseer has changed.
Keep in mind, that latch watcher will fire on zk connection events as well as when items are added to the queue.
Yeah the Latch Watcher gets a callback , but it the peek(true) would not return unless there is some entry is added to the queue. What happens when the OverSeer changed and no entry is added to the queue ?
Ah, right - good point. We don't catch the watcher connection event and have peek fail.
The latest change should handle this case though. Either the connection to ZK is gone and the peek call will fail when it retries after getting the connection watcher event. Or the connection might have failed and come back before the retry tries to talk to zk - in this case, the code change I just made should kill the current Overseer threads - either when we are alerted the Overseer has changed or when we start a new overseer because the zk connection was expired.
New patch - I was a little off there.
For the case where the queue loop does not fail on a down zookeeper because it bounced quickly or something, I said that when we start a new overseer, that will close the old threads - but that only happens if we are elected the overseer. This patch stops any local overseer threads on joining the overseer election.
does this patch take care of this scenario?
The Overseer went into a GC pause or something and others nodes assume it is down and re-elected another OverSeer. And there is no event in the queue and this OverSeer is still waiting on the queue
I don't see the exit condition from the loop in the peek() method
The Overseer went into a GC pause or something and others nodes assume it is down and re-elected another OverSeer.
This will only happen if our ephemeral overseer leader node goes down - which means we lost our connection to zookeeper. If we lose our connection to zookeeper, the queue thread will exit trying to talk to zk. If we reconnect to zookeeper before the queue loop has a chance to fail (some kind of wicked quick flap), we will stop the overseer threads on getting in line to be the Overseer again. Also, if zk tells us the overseer leader went down, we stop any overseer threads we might have.
I think its about as strong as the poll.
I don't see the exit condition from the loop in the peek() method
You shouldn't need one.
You could of course explicitly add one - catch the connection change notification from the watcher and then cause the loop to fail on the next run. I don't think it's strictly necessary, but it wouldn't hurt.
I think that exception handling is better in peek() method better than expecting the consumer of the API to take care of that
either way it works
better than expecting the consumer of the API to take care of that
It's really an Overseer specific thing though - I don't think it's a problem for the consumer of the DistributedQueue API. We are dealing with special Overseer considerations, and I don't really see the strategy for that as a consumer.
A standard consumer of the queue API does not necessary need to detect this kind of zk connection flap - It's kind of Overseer specific I think.
Adding may actually hurt the distributedqueue consumer experience - you expect to keep working the queue in the face of zk connection/disconnection without any special handling.
This patch is even better. It ensures we stop any Overseer threads before we reconnect to ZooKeeper on an expiration. This should be even stronger than the 5 second poll.
One more patch attached - fixes silly NPE bug when BeforeReconnect was null.
Commit 1544255 from Mark Miller in branch 'dev/trunk'
[ https://svn.apache.org/r1544255 ]
SOLR-5436: Eliminate the 1500ms wait in overseer loop as well as polling the ZK distributed queue.
Commit 1544257 from Mark Miller in branch 'dev/branches/branch_4x'
[ https://svn.apache.org/r1544257 ]
SOLR-5436: Eliminate the 1500ms wait in overseer loop as well as polling the ZK distributed queue.


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Elizabeth Bowen, in full Elizabeth Dorothea Cole Bowen (born June 7, 1899, Dublin, Ire.—died Feb. 22, 1973, London, Eng.), British novelist and short-story writer who employed a finely wrought prose style in fictions frequently detailing uneasy and unfulfilling relationships among the upper-middle class. The Death of the Heart (1938), the title of one of her most highly praised novels, might have served for most of them.
Bowen was born of the Anglo-Irish gentry and spent her early childhood in Dublin, as related in her autobiographical fragment Seven Winters (1942), and at the family house she later inherited at Kildorrery, County Cork. The history of the house is recounted in Bowen's Court (1942), and it is the scene of her novel The Last September (1929), which takes place during the troubles that preceded Irish independence. When she was 7, her father suffered a mental illness, and she departed for England with her mother, who died when Elizabeth was 12. An only child, she lived with relatives on the Kentish coast.
With a little money that enabled her to live independently in London and to winter in Italy, Bowen began writing short stories at 20. Her first collection, Encounters, appeared in 1923. It was followed in 1927 by The Hotel, which contains a typical Bowen heroine—a girl attempting to cope with a life for which she is unprepared. The Last September (1929) is an autumnal picture of the Anglo-Irish gentry. The House in Paris (1935), another of Bowen's highly praised novels, is a story of love and betrayal told partly through the eyes of two children.
During World War II, Bowen worked for the Ministry of Information in London and served as an air raid warden. Her novel set in wartime London, The Heat of the Day (1949), is among her most significant works. The war also forms the basis for one of her collections of short stories, The Demon Lover (1945; U.S. title, Ivy Gripped the Steps). Her essays appear in Collected Impressions (1950) and Afterthought (1962). Bowen's last book, Pictures and Conversations (1975), is an introspective, partly autobiographical collection of essays and articles. Love's Civil War: Elizabeth Bowen and Charles Ritchie: Letters and Diaries 1941–1973 (edited by Victoria Glendinning), a record of Bowen's lengthy affair with a Canadian diplomat, was published in 2009. The work, which features her letters and his diaries, provides insight into Bowen's sometimes tumultuous personal life.
Learn More in these related articles:
Carmilla" (1872), the latter a lesbian-inflected vampire story; both were influential precursors to Stoker's Dracula. Elizabeth Bowen, herself an author of Big House novels, saw a connection between her novels and Le Fanu's:
The hermetic solitude and the autocracy of the great country house, the demonic...


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So long, farewellFebruary 29, 2016
A lot can happen in a few years. Four girls were brought together and became the best of friends. Working late nights to meet a deadline. Getting on the VIP list at pretty sweet events. Those addicting chocolate and sea salt covered almonds from Trader Joe's. Receiving funny press releases announcing pet psychic services. Chatting for hours before even mentioning the meeting agenda. The feeling of wrapping a successful shoot with photographers, models, stylists and collaborators that we only dreamed of working with. And, of course, this is only a small sample of the highlights from the past three years of Bow & Arrow.
Time moves forward and so do our lives. And this time, in different directions. Don't worry, we're still friends, (and we'll still be eating those chocolate almonds together), we just aren't working on Bow & Arrow any longer. You've maybe noticed a lapse in the magazine and in our content. And we're sorry for keeping you hanging. This has been a very difficult decision to make, and its ripples are bittersweet.
But each of us has a great piece of life to live that continues to morph every day, with one another and on solo adventures, too. So follow along because the best is yet to come. Who knows what is in store for us, but that's part of the excitement.
While it may be the end of our magazine and blog, it's not the end of BAM. It's clear that BAM was always meant to be, and always will be: Jaclyn, Katie, Laura and Vanessa.


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Wants to Meet Up
- Last login 39 minutes ago
Join Couchsurfing to see Mahmoud's full profile. It's free!
About Me
Travel(currently on hold), Meet new people ,Have fun.
my name is shaheen and I am an old school couchsurfer. I've been to many countries and I stayed there for long periods and lived the local way. Travelling is my joy and it's my learning method in life.
do what you can while you still can.
You will regret more things you didn't try than things you tried whatever the result is.
The world is such a beautiful place so you have to try it out before you say it's boring
Why I'm on Couchsurfing
Well am ready to host in egypt once am in.
I invite those whom i stay with to my country food as i cook very well.
I try to give the real image of my culture to those who i meet.
Some aren't mentioned here, but I am a member since 2011. So you do the math regarding my experience ;).
3 days in penang malaysia
4 days in phuket thailand
4 Days hosted a friend in cairo
4 Days in Penang again :) with different host
4 Days in KL
5 Days in Hong Kong
And counting on
Reading all kind of books
i used to like cars races but then i had an accident and stopped :(
public speaking and debate am quit good at that one :D
I love driving my motorbike
I like good movies
- culture
- books
- dining
- cooking
- movies
- reading
- cars
- swimming
Music, Movies, and Books
Harry potter, Kill bill, MOZART,The lord of the rings,Star wars (the old one not the new) The hunger games, House ,How i met your mother, friends, Hugo, Batman series, Iron man comic book, The hunger games, kind of like twilight the book the movie not that much only one time watch type of movies.
who moved my cheese? (Greaaaaaat book )
All charles dickens
One Amazing Thing I've Done
Once my money was stolen in thailand and am in the middle of nowhere literally nowhere and i had only my cell phone and what is equivalent to 2$ and no body in that village spoke english :D
How i survived ? LONG FUNNY MOVIE TYPE STORY
Teach, Learn, Share
I love people who are into sharing their language basics since it's a lot of fun to learn something new.
Those who ask me to teach them the basic arabic it's huge fun for me.
Countries I've Visited
Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Viet Nam
Countries I've Lived In
Egypt, Malaysia, Viet Nam


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The search for a Canyon Country teen last seen leaving a friend's house on New Year's Day continued this weekend as more than 150 people, including on- and off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies, and sheriff's helicopters scoured the Santa Clarita neighborhood where Sarah Katlyn Alarid had rung in 2013.
Alarid's uncle told NBC4 the group planned to continue searching until nightfall Saturday, but were unsure of their search plans Sunday because of rain. The group has been going door to door with flyers.
The 19 year old is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, about 110 pounds with reddish-brown hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen between 3:30 and 4 a.m. on Jan. 1 as she left a friend's house on Poppy Meadow Street in Santa Clarita, sheriff's officials said.
Alarid was said to have driven from the home in a silver 2002 Ford Focus with California license plates 4WXE737. The four-door sedan has a faded decal of the pink cancer ribbon on the left side of the rear window.
Alarid has two lip piercings, a young piercing and ear gauges in both ear lobes. She also has several distinctive tattoos:
- a gun on her left middle finger;
- a skull on her right shoulder;
- three bats on her left calf;
- a moon containing the face of the character "Oogie Boogie" from the film the Nightmare Before Christmas on her right calf;
- under the moon on her right calf is a tattoo of two trees shrouded in fog;
- a red and black sun on her inner left forearm.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Missing Persons Unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at (323) 890-5500.


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Mascot Contest - Printable Version
+- Kodi Community Forum (https://forum.kodi.tv)
+-- Forum: Discussions (https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=222)
+--- Forum: Kodi related discussions (https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=6)
+--- Thread: Mascot Contest (/showthread.php?tid=100434)
- Dr Gonzo - 2011-06-01
I like the roundness it gives the smaller, blue logo, but the gradient doesn't look all that great now, the shine in the middle just looks a bit off, i much prefer the earlier one i quoted.
Also, I know it's supposed to be a mascot, but i preferred the slightly abstract look, without the eyes and smile. It was much cleaner.
- wmclain - 2011-06-01
Dr Gonzo Wrote:I like the roundness it gives the smaller, blue logo, but the gradient doesn't look all that great now, the shine in the middle just looks a bit off, i much prefer the earlier one i quoted.
I agree with you, I prefer the flat version with a single eye, the reason for the mouth is that it could be hard for someone to tell its a fish.
And im not 100% on what the developers of XBMC are looking for in a mascot.
So im trying give as many variants of the concept as i can.
Thanks for the comment
freezy Wrote:Graphically the fish is nice but what makes me shudder is this.
Its a X and a B merged together that also happens to look like a fish, No religious undertones intended.
- da-anda - 2011-06-01
stoli Wrote:So what would a spiff Zapy look like?
by "spiff" you mean some more polished ones like I posted some pages ago?
I'm working on some new ones, but work is currently killing me, so I really don't have the time to finish them right now (deadline's near - I know).
- Jezz_X - 2011-06-01
da-anda Wrote:by "spiff" you mean some more polished ones like I posted some pages ago?
By spiff he means the xbmc dev spiff I guess
- rflores2323 - 2011-06-01
I think zapy is still the most versatile mascot out tjere. he could be integrated into skins, promotions, conference/exhibit material etc...
- stoli - 2011-06-01
Jezz_X Wrote:By spiff he means the xbmc dev spiff I guess
More specifically Spiff the "Grumpy Bastard Developer" All in fun.
- da-anda - 2011-06-01
stoli Wrote:More specifically Spiff the "Grumpy Bastard Developer" All in fun.
there you go
(quick Photoshop shading this time)
I had that troll like idea and had to create it right away Hope that fits somehow as I don't know him in person.
Spiff, you know it's just fun, right?
- spiff - 2011-06-01
- stoli - 2011-06-01
da-anda Wrote:there you go
There are a LOT of great entries so far, but I think it will be a damn shame if you don't win this. That character just lends itself to so many different scenarios.
Great Work!
- da-anda - 2011-06-01
updated the zappified version of Spiff above. Gave it some more polish and a now branded beer bottle
- spiff - 2011-06-01
please make it dahls http://images.mylot.com/userImages/images/postphotos/2138444.png =)
- Chris! - 2011-06-01
Well if anything at least this thread has yielded spiff a new avatar!
(I like it!)
- vampire666 - 2011-06-01
Just to be safe, is this the correct time for Central Standard Time (competition ends on June 3rd at 12PM, Central Standard Time)?
Thank you.
P.S. By the way, awesome mascots guys! Congratulations to all of you.
P.P.S. A lot of you deserve the first prize (...therefore there should be more first prizes...hehehe...just kidding :p)
- natethomas - 2011-06-01
vampire, that is, indeed, the correct time.
- x23piracy - 2011-06-02
da-anda Wrote:there you go
what about a user customizable zappy?
(If you can do some more the single parts can be switched so everyone
can create it's own zappy like the spiff one
Finally your gfx talent is great.
Greetz X23


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Easter always seems to sneak up on me, no matter how late it is. I really can't believe it's only ten days away! With the holiday fast approaching, I figured I'd check out some of the creative Easter projects being posted by my fellow crafters on the web. There were so many cute options, it was hard to pick my top nine crafts for Easter, but here they are:
- Paper Flower & Easter Egg Garland from Happy Clippings
- Knit Easter Peep Ducklings from Kat Crafts
- Easter Wreath with Clothespins from Chica and Jo
- Marshmallow Bunny Pops from Cute Food For Kids
- Easter Tree from Bird's Party
- Easter Finger Puppets from Patti Milazzo
- Easter Egg Door Decoration from Two Succulent Sisters
- DIY Flower Easter Eggs from Pizzazzerie
- DIY Bunny Straws from Byte-Sized Pieces
What are your favorite projects to make for Easter? Will you try any of these out?
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Posted on: 08-30-2012 - Updated on: 02-01-2014 - viewed 28807 times
Sometimes, you need to zoom way, way out to get an edge on the competition. With this max camera distance macro for Wow, you can do just that. Just click it and zoom out – you'll have to do it every time you sign in and sometimes it resets during play. Just a warning…
/console SET cameraDistanceMaxFactor 3.4
omg ty thats much better :)


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I currently have a 3,000 square foot home heated by propane. The bills are enormous in the winter! I have been doing a lot of reading about converting to a heat pump and keeping my propane secondary. Does anyone have any suggestions for this? In the past, heat pumps were always getting a "bad" rap. However, I believe they are made much more efficient now. I only use propane for heat.
Has anyone done this and can comment on their satisfaction level with the heat pump? Does the heat pump run continuously? Have you seen a decline in your monthly expenses? Do you feel that your home is warm?
I am sorry if these questions sounds elementary, but I am such a novice when it comes to this. Thank you for any information!


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Artists at the Chalk Gallery in Lewes are delighted to have raised more than £1,600 for The Peace Project through sales of small original artworks donated by the artists, and a silent auction of Jo Ansell's beautiful sculpture, 'Nu'.
Even more exciting for the artists was the news that the funds raised before Christmas were immediately put to good use by holding a Christmas party for sponsored children in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Parents were given money to purchase a gift – for many of the children this was the first time they had received a Christmas present.
A further sum of money raised at the gallery is setting up a soap-making business for a double amputee – the soap making machine is on its way to him.
The Peace Project is an international social movement powered by the belief that through creativity and community we can change the world – problems that were previously thought almost insurmountable can be solved and sustainable peace can be created in communities and countries around the world.
It was launched in July 2010 when Lisa Schultz, founder of online creative community 'TheWhole9.com', asked: "If one person can singlehandedly establish World Peace Day, what can an entire creative community do?"
Lisa has passed on her thanks to the artists for their "incredible support".
The Peace Project book 2014, featuring art from all over the world has been published. Three Chalk Gallery artists have their work included, and they are thrilled to be part of this project. Copies of the book are available at the gallery in North Street.


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Fatal crash in Waterville Twp.
Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:54:20 GMT —
One person is dead after an accident near Whitehouse Tuesday morning.
The crash occurred on SR 295 at the intersection of Neapolis-Waterville Road in Waterville Twp, south of Whitehouse.
Police say a 2001 Mack tractor-trailer, eastbound on Neapolis-Waterville Road, failed to stop for a stop sign and struck a 2003 Honda Pilot that was northbound on SR 295.
The Mack tractor-trailer, driven by James J. Gombash, 53, of Swanton, also struck a 1986 Chevrolet pikcup that was stopped westbound on the Neapolis-Waterville intersection. Gombash's tractor-trailer then veered off the left side of the roadway and overturned.
The driver of the SUV, Richard R. Seel, 46, of Grand Rapids, was pronounced dead at the scene. His children, Regan Seel, 9, and Wyatt Seel, 13, were passengers in the vehicle and were life-flighted to Toledo Children's Hospital.
The driver of the pick-up, Michael Ackerman, of Walbridge, was taken by lifeflight to St. Vincent's Mercy Medical Center. His passenger, Thomas L. Magrum, of Helena, was taken to St. Luke's Hospital.
Gombash suffewas not injured.
Officials say fuel was also spilled as a result of the crash.
Berkey Southern Road (SR 295) was temporarily shut down between Stiles Road and Neapolis-Waterville Road in Waterville Township. The roadway is now open to traffic.
The crash remains under investigation.


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Darren embarked on an unforgettable journey into the depths of the Silver City.
Darren recently visited Broken Hill and told me a hilarious story about a seemingly innocent jaunt he made here many years before. He was just a kid, didn't have much cash, and so took his flatmate's misguided advice to sell mangoes to help fund his trip.
He arrived to our fruit fly free zone with a conspicuous three crates of mangoes under his arm and had no idea what this venture would bring. It took him to busking on the street, swilling beers with the locals, and entertaining in the bars. Soon he became fondly known as the 'Mango Kid' and began to enjoy his new found fame. As his fruits ripened and their smell intensified however, things got desperate and took a turn for the worse.
Click here to read Darren's story and find out what happened. His writing takes you straight to the moment and is not too dissimilar to a scene out of Midnight Express. I promise you'll enjoy it!
This month's theme for 500 Words is 'An Act of Rebellion', so if you have a story click here to submit it.
Please check your inbox and click on the link in this email within the next 2 days to complete your subscription.
If you don't find the confirmation email in your inbox, please look in your 'junk' mail folder (also sometimes called 'spam').


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Why Is The Braun Series 3 Shaver The Best?
The Braun Series 3 Shaver boasts being tough on beards with a close, perfect shave and faster results than ever before. Using MicroComb technology, this series of shaver can handle anything as tough as a three day old beard but leaves behind nothing but smooth skin. If you're tired of disposable razors that rust after a few days in the shower, a Braun Series… Read more


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From Anime-tion Scanlation
Erika lied to her friends about having a boyfriend by showing a picture of an annonymous guy who turned out to be a a schoolmate of hers and was shortly recognized by her friends. Their conversations then was overheard by the guy, Sata Kyouya. Erika went to explain and proposed her idea of faking as lovers. However, Sata who gave off the nice-charming feelings guy turns out to be a black prince and used her reasons to blackmail her instead.
Author: -
Category: Comedy, Romance, School Life, Shoujo
Date Added: Jan 01, 1970
Status: Ongoing Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji 59 is coming next...


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We got a pleasant surprise in the mail yesterday, in the form of a bottle of Akvinta Vodka, a brand we hadn't heard of before, but bills itself as the world's "first luxury Mediterranean vodka." The stuff is made of Italian wheat and Dalmatian water, and is triple-distilled and filtered through birch, marble, silver, gold, and platinum. According to the Akvinta website:
Akvinta has a light lemon citrus nose with a touch of sweetness, a light peppery mouth feel, and very smooth finish with no burn. It is luxurious and well- balanced when drunk on its own, in mixed drinks or simply served over ice; and it works wonderfully in all cocktails especially those with citrus and fruit ingredients.
A while back, we introduced you to the McNuggetini, an assplodingly horrible idea for a cocktail. "But wait," you're probably saying to yourself. "I remember this McNuggetini story, but I ignored it since it was not in video form!"
Fret not, dear readers, for we offer you the McNuggetini in full, Technicolor, motion picture glory! You'll thrill at the barbecue sauce-rimmed cocktail glass! You'll swoon as vanilla vodka and chocolate shakes are combined in a cocktail shaker! You'll gag as you watch the look on their faces as the ladies take that first nauseating sip! All we can say is they'd better deliver that ham daiquiri they promise at the end of the video...
via BuzzFeed
We're not exactly sure why we're including this as a Physical Challenge, because we don't recommend anyone do it unless they are A) a member of or B) a roadie for Cephalic Carnage, the band that came up with it, according to Drunkist...apparently they read the whole article that went with the video. Oh well, we're not the types to get weededed anyway. And another thing...wait, man...what were we saying?
Anyway, just get out your vaporizers and crackers or whatever and watch the video. It's pretty intense...like The Strikeout from Beerfest if you got mystically transported into a Cannibal Corpse album. On a side note, is it just us or does Weed Vodka sound like it would taste like Satan's bunghole?
@Metal Injection
For those of you who don't know Olivia Munn is the co-host of G4's Attack of the Show, and she is funny as Hell and hot as Hades. We don't know how we missed this last year, but we've just dug up a vodka tasting she did in November 08. There seems to be a lot of shots of her A) posing with the bottle and B) spitting vodka back into a cup, then C) ripping on it. Check out our favorite lines below, and hit the video (as well as some more serious reviews of how "chick friendly" the vodkas are) after the jump.
Oh, and also, we realize the Princess Leia pic was completely gratuitous since we're posting video, but it was too awesome NOT to. Don't you agree?
"It smells like Tito's hands."
"It smells like a 12 year old girl's chapstick."
"I don't know why they call it Los Angeles...maybe because it's a little douchey?"
"How much would you have to give a 14 year old girl to get what you need?'"
"It looks like a cherry that's been nutted on."
Sometimes we get a liquor in to review that feels...well, it just feels too classy for us. You know, like we're the only guys in shorts and flip flops who show up at a black tie affair. Belvedere's Black Raspberry vodka is one of those bottles - we feel like we should handle the bottle with white gloves so we don't smudge the finish.
Then we remember Belvedere puts their pants on one leg at a time, and we crack the bottle and get to sipping.
Some of our favorite memories involve lounging about on our plantation, fanning ourselves and drinking sweet tea while complaining about The Union. Oh, wait...that's not our memories. That's Scarlett O'Hara's. We get confused sometimes.
But if we ever wanted to tie on a good buzz while we did that, we're pretty sure we'd turn to Jeremiah Weed's Sweet Tea-flavored vodka. It's got sweet tea, it's got vodka, it's got Jeremiah Weed. How can you go wrong?
Log on at Jeremiah Weed to let them know how you take your weed.
We've been looking forward to reviewing Oval Vodka ever since we got the bottle a little bit ago. We've finally had time to sit down and give it the look-see (and smell-taste) it deserves, and we're excited to share the results. Ever since we heard about the 11 day "structuring" process Oval goes through, we've been excited about giving it a go - after all, who makes a vodka with a proof as strange as 84 unless there's a damned good reason? Find out why after the jump.
We've gotten our grubby little paws on a bottle of Belvedere Black Raspberry vodka, just in time for the weekend. Expect our breath to smell of raspberries, but possibly not in a good way, come Monday. We're so excited about the bottle, we're thinking about doing a little maceration of our own, if you know what we mean.
Maceration Is Natural
We have a confession to make - we've never had elderflower liqueur. It's not that we have a problem with drinking flowers, it's more like we just haven't had an opportunity. We dug up this good-looking springtime recipe featuring Oval Vodka, and it seems like a good reason to get out there and snatch up a bottle of St. Germain.
Check out the recipe below, and don't hesitate to whip up a batch in honor of Earth Day.
We've had good and bad experiences with flavored vodkas in the past, but one that's got our attention right now is Belvedere's Black Raspberry. A combination of blackberries and currants, this is another macerated vodka to join the company's line of other flavored vodkas, Citrus and Orange. Their flavored vodkas are macerated and they're focusing their campaign around what that word sounds like.
We're guessing they won't want to associate their brand with going blind, but maybe a few good hairy palm jokes, or maybe someone getting caught macerating by their spouse? Good times, good times.
The Maceration Is Natural site isn't up yet, but keep an eye out for more information there in coming weeks.
Von P commented on Jello Shots Today...Pudding Shots Tomorrow: I've got recipes for a variety of pudding shots which include Reese's Peanu...
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IBM Water Cooling Enables a Super Solar Dish
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PORTLAND, Ore. — In cooperation with Airlight Energy Manufacturing SA of Biasca, Switzerland, IBM Research of Zurich has repurposed its micro-channel water cooling system for high-performance computing that is 10X more efficient than air cooling. The dish-based photovoltaic system that concentrates the sun's rays up to 2,000X and converts up to 80% of them to produce 12KW of electricity and 20KW of heat -- enough for several houses -- from multi-junction InGaAs solar cells. In addition, it can reuse the heated water for cooling air or desalinating and making drinkable 30 to 40 liters of water in arid climates near the sea.
"The water cooling system is modeled after the biological hierarchical branch network of blood vessels in the human body to minimize the pressure drop in cooling to only 1%," Bruno Michel, a research scientist at IBM, tells EE Times.
Airlight Energy already produces trough-based solar concentrators that produce megawatts for industrial applications, but it is collaborating with IBM to bring the price of solar power down enough that individual businesses and homes can afford these products. Airlight Energy recently spun off Dsolar (dish solar) to market, license, and sell standardized dish-based solar concentrators worldwide. Dsolar pays royalties for cooling technologies it has licensed from IBM.
"Airlight Energy has proved the concept, and by the end of 2014 will have a full-scale prototype, ready for pre-commercial early adopters by the end of 2015," Ilaria Besozzi, business development manager at Airlight Energy tells EE Times. IBM is also announcing today a Smart City Challenge to cities and communities worldwide where two winners will have Dsolar dishes installed on their sites in 2016. Airlight Energy is also offering an Early Adopters in businesses challenge, the five to seven winners of which will have Dsolar dishes installed in 2016, too. Then in 2017 Dsolar will offer fully commercial dishes for sale to anyone.
Most solar concentrators achieve about a 500X increase, but because of IBM's chip cooling system, they can increase the solar concentration to 2,000X, allowing the system to reduce the number of expensive multi-junction solar cells required.
Thus the "Sunflower" as its inventors call it, reduces the cost of the solar cells by a factor of four -- since four times more sunlight is concentrated on them. Replacing a steel dish with reinforced concrete cuts the dish's cost by a factor of three. Besozzi points out that combining electricity generation with desalinization and air cooling (based on a thermal-driven sorption chiller cooler) makes the Sunflower a unique value for areas of the world where all three types of systems are needed and otherwise would have to be purchased separately.
Airlight has been experimenting with concrete substrates and plastic foil mirrors for several years, the first two were trough-based, but the sunflower is its third-generation solar concentrator. The Sunflower is 10 meters (32 feet) in height. The dish measures 40 meters (132 feet) in diameter. It can be molded into any shape in less than four hours, with a mechanical strength similar to aluminum at one-fifth the cost.
The concrete dish houses 36 elliptic mirrors made of 200-micron-thick aluminum foil with a silver coating that concentrates the sun's energy on an array of multi-junction photovoltaic cells, each one centimeter (0.4 inches) square, each of which produces 57 watts on a sunny day. A tracking system rotates the Sunflower to keep it directly aimed at the sun for maximum electricity generation. The whole assembly is enclosed in an inflated greenhouse-like plastic dome to keep it clean.
The Sunflower has an expected lifetime of 60 years with proper maintenance, including replacing the mirrors every 10 to 15 years and the photovoltaic cells every 25 years.
For more information view the TED@IBM presentation, which will be available soon.
— R. Colin Johnson, Advanced Technology Editor, EE Times
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AN artist has already gained notoriety by having his first gallery exhibition censored before it has even opened.
An oil painting of a man lying nude on a bed near a toddler wrapped from the waist down in a towel has caused a furore at Teesside University where it will go on public display on Friday until April 17.
The floor to ceiling glass windows of its Constantine Gallery have been covered with paper so passers-by are unable to see inside and a warning sign reads: "Some may find the images in this exhibition offensive. Please enter at your own discretion."
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Action was taken after staff complained that the image suggests paedophila, an assertion third year fine art student Phil Larry strongly denies.
He said his work merges two self portraits, one of him now and the other based on his two-year-old self.
"I am portraying a character in this figurative work, I feel very strongly about objectifying yourself," he said.
"I am almost being discriminated against by being a man. Some people have said it would have been more acceptable if it had been a nude woman showing a 'mother and child'. I also think the reaction would have been different if a woman had painted it."
The 25-year-old from Middlesbrough, who is applying for MA courses in Glasgow and London, said he has been supported by his art tutors as well as Professor Gerda Roper, Dean of Teesside University School of Arts & Media, who told him it was a "gutsy painting".
"I think the problem is what's happening inside these people's heads, they are putting the two figures together. I cannot control the viewer's own perception," he added.
"I am not shocked but maybe I was a bit naive to think that people would accept this as art."
Mr Larry said he was not putting up explanation cards but briefing notes would be available and he was happy to discuss the meaning behind the work with visitors.
Professor Roper said: "Art had always had the power to provoke, shock and challenge as well as delight and that is something that all artists are aware of.
"There has always been controversy in art throughout history as artists challenge the status quo through their creativity. Phil's work already seems to be having this effect."
She added: "The work is on public display but it has been covered from general view from people passing by as we wish to respect the views of people who are not visiting the exhibition. This way people can make their own choices about viewing the exhibition."


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Students' hard work gets couple back on the road
Thu, 01 May 2014 03:28:43 GMT —
Students in the automotive department at Northwestern Michigan College have been working all semester repairing a mini-van. Wednesday, with the help of Goodwill Industries, those students gave the vehicle to a couple in need of transportation.
Susan Cavendish said she and her husband were invited to the end of the semester barbecue. She thought it was to celebrate the studentsâ?? hard work, and was shocked to find out there was more to it than that.
â??Absolutely stunned, totally,â?? said Cavendish. â??I couldn't believe anyone, that people could be so generous to us.â??
The students knew the vehicle would be donated to a family in need.
â??The students had a sense of purpose on this vehicle,â?? said Wayne Moody, NMC Automotive Department Program Coordinator. â??They were excited all semester about doing this.â??
â??It brings a good feeling to you to help somebody out,â?? said Luke Carlson, a sophomore at NMC. â??You go out and know this vehicle is for a purpose. It's not just learning, but you're taking everything you learned at NMC and you're applying it to help somebody.â??
The car will be a big help for the Cavendishes.
Susan's husband is undergoing cancer treatment and has been having to rely heavily on family members to get him to appointments.
â??So if he has to be at Munson, he'll be able to go. That will be great, without going, "how am I going to make it there this time?"â?? said Cavendish.
When it came to daily tasks and errands, the couple had to walk.
â??If I've got shopping, I've been putting it in a backpack and walking with it. It's a bit heavy,â?? said Cavendish.
The students also collected money to give to the couple to help pay for car-related expenses, like plates and registration fees.
The program director said heâ??s proud of his students and that he's thankful it's not uncommon for community members to be generous.
â??Everywhere you go, there's people and organizations that want to help. We're just one of them,â?? said Moody.
Ironically, neither Susan nor her husband has a driverâ??s license here in the states. The couple is from England. They were able to drive there, so now getting a driverâ??s license in Michigan is on top of the priority list.
Moody said heâ??d like to see the giving continue.
â??If there's a vehicle you've got that needs more work than it's worth for you, give me a call. We'll see what we can do.â??


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[jwplatform HNq8B3ac]
Columbus, MS (WCBI) – Students at MUW are trying a new way to beat the stress of mid-term exam week.
Mu Theta Chi, The Music Therapy Club at MUW, hosted a drum circle to encourage students to find a healthy way to relieve their stress.
Drum circles are used in many cultures as a form of celebration. In music therapy, they are used to create a sense of unity and promote a secure environment for self-expression.
Wednesday's event also served to kick off Music Therapy Awareness Month at MUW.


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Circa 1960-1980s, this vintage art features Leonardo da Vinci's 'Ginevra De Benci.'
It is a harder-to-find print that was distributed by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
This print was sold as a souvenir for those visiting the museum and we recently discovered it at an Atlanta estate along with a stack of other vintage prints from a similar era (1950-80s). We will be listing them over the next week or so.
This print measures 14" high x 11" wide. The image view is 9.5" high x 9" wide. It is without a frame and was beautifully printed on heavier weight paper. There is age-related toning and foxing along the white border (consistent with age), but the image is flawless.
This print is in overall excellent condition, without rips or tears, and is ready for framing.
A lovely vintage print for any haunted wall.
(Shipping insurance is optional for this item.)
7 other shoppers have this item in their Cart or Wish List .
Without the dark, we would never see the stars.
We are a PLATINUM shop with over 2,000 sales! Stop & smell the roses at Kitsch & Couture, our other RL shop.


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Brendan Rodgers: Suarez needs to apologise… he won't be going to Arsenal [Video]
After Liverpool's 1-0 defeat to Celtic in their final pre-season friendly, Brendan Rodgers was questioned about Luis Suarez and was pretty forthright in his views.
Rodgers: "Initially there will be a recognition that [there needs to be] an apology to his team-mates and the club. I have seen him over a period of time I know it is not the Luis Suarez we know and I have to protect the fans and the players because they deserve more than that. He has spent some days working on his own. The group has been separate to that and working very hard."
The Liverpool boss added: "When he is back from his international trip [Suarez will travel to Japan with Uruguay in midweek] we will assess it from there. I spoke to John [Henry] when we were in Norway during the week and we are all on the same page really. We are adamant that he will not be going to Arsenal – that is for sure. We want to keep him. Luis missed a few games at the end of last season and we continued to score and win without him. That is not to say that we don't want him here. He is a world class striker and when he is committed to the cause of playing for Liverpool then we will welcome him back with open arms."
Will Suarez apologise and ever play for Liverpool again?
And, it doesn't feel like Arsenal are giving up on Suarez. Still feels like this transfer saga has a while left…


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On Friday and Monday we publish the problems that will feature in a forthcoming Dear Jeremy advice column in the Guardian Work supplement, so readers can offer their own advice and suggestions. We then print the best of your comments alongside Jeremy's own insights. Here is the latest dilemma – what are your thoughts?
I have worked in financial services for 15 years. Prior to this I gained a BA (Hons) degree in finance and an MBA in business administration. The roles I had then were offering support to relationship managers and speaking to counterparties on behalf of traders.
The collapse of Lehman took place in September 2008 and, by 2009, I was made redundant from Citi. The next job I had was a management accountant role and there was no job satisfaction. It was then I realised how much I enjoyed speaking to people and interacting with them on a daily basis. That contract came to an end and I got another job which was accountancy based but my phone rang only once or twice a week and I really miss interacting with individuals or "performing a service" to help someone.
I spoke to a career coach and she advised me to do a job that I find fulfilling and one I enjoyed. After analysing my personality profile I realised that I am an ENFP (extroverted, intuitive, feeling personality) and I would like to work in learning and development (HR).
How do I approach a recruiter or a firm and convince them that I can do this job very well and I am the right one to select to work in their HR department?
• For Jeremy's and readers' advice on a work issue, send a brief email to email@example.com. Please note that he is unable to answer questions of a legal nature or reply personally


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Vazquez-Marquez Part 4 on The Way?
The way Gary Shaw sees it, making a fourth fight between Rafael Marquez and Israel Vazquez is nothing short of a no-brainer. They have already fought what is considered one of the greatest trilogies in history - Vazquez has won two of the three brutal and thrilling fights - and doing it a fourth time would be incredible. Rare, too, because a fourth fight tacked on to a terrific trilogy is at best uncommon. Especially in recent times.
"It is, absolutely," said Shaw, "especially for fighters of this caliber and promotions of this magnitude. I don't know of any that went four fights."
Shaw, who promotes Marquez, said Tuesday that he is all for it. Without getting into specifics, he said Showtime has offered the kind of cash seldom seen by 122-pound fighters.
"There is enough money on the table for both fighters to take this fight and it is a fight that will again go down in history and a fight that every fan and every writer is looking forward to," Shaw said.
Shaw said he was concerned that Showtime had given the parties a deadline to make the fight, and that it was not met. Frank Espinoza, who manages Vazquez, admitted Tuesday that he had missed a recent meeting with some of those involved, but that he was hopeful of getting together with Shaw and Showtime executive Ken Hirschman on Saturday at Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
There, Vic Darchinyan and Cristian Mijares will square off in a super flyweight title unification fight. Shaw promotes Darchinyan. And Espnioza, of East Los Angeles, will be on hand as a fan.
"It would give me more hope," said Shaw, when asked if meeting with Espinoza could help seal the deal.
The trio of fights began in March 2007 at Home Depot Center. Marquez won that one when Vazquez retired after the seventh round because of a severely damaged nose. Five months later, in August 2007, Vazquez redeemed himself with a sixth-round technical knockout of Marquez in Hidalgo, Texas. Then last March, Vazquez made it two out of three with a split-decision victory.
Espinoza said in the ensuing months that Vazquez would not fight again this year, and he has not. Espinoza also said that when Vazquez did return, he would rather him take an easier fight than go right back into the fire with Marquez. That fourth fight, Espinoza said, would have to come later.
Espinoza said Tuesday that in some ways he would still prefer to go that route, but that he is ready and willing to make that fight for early next year if the money is indeed right. Marquez and Vazquez have put each other through quite a bit, so the pay would definitely have to be on a grand scale.
"Right now, at this particular time, I feel the same way," Espinoza said about a tuneup fight before another fight with Marquez.
"But, definitely, it is something to consider. You have to look at what is out there for Vazquez. There are a lot of opportunities, but this is business and obviously the Vasquez- Marquez fight would be the one that would pay the most.
"I haven't closed the door on this; I never have. I just have said, yes, I would like to get a fight before Marquez. But if the money is right and it makes sense, then I'm always open to negotiations."
There are those in the boxing world who believe that a fourth fight between the two Mexican warriors would almost constitute cruel and unusual punishment because of the vicious nature of the first three. But, as Espinoza pointed out, there is risk in any bout.
"There is always concern about physical health about any fight you could fight," Espinoza said. "It could be an easy fight and you could get hurt."
It will be interesting to see if anything other than a good fight between Darchinyan and Mijares comes out of Home Depot Center.
"I want to go to the fight on Saturday and talk to Shaw or Ken Hirschman," Espinoza
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The large Amish made entertainment centers shown above are perfect when you need to take up a large wall. With the addition of bookcase ends and stereo cabinets, these units will store numerous components and media. Our large Amish made entertainment centers are available in Oak, Cherry, 1/4 Sawn Oak, Maple and Hickory and are available in a variety of sizes.
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Business in Dallas, TX


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[1]Mogujie.com launches C2B group-purchase
Mogujie.com launched a new online product, "Free Group Purchase", at 5 p.m. on the 1st of March, encouraging users to initiate a group purchase on any product they want. This "C2B" group purchase would be achievedas long as they round up enough participants. So far, more than 15,000 group purchases have been started, 100 of which have been successful.
[2] Launch of meishixing.com
Social platform meishixing.com has at last launched a web version. For what is essentially a Pinterest clone, this web version features organizing and sharing features for foodies to share photos of all their favorite eats. You're also able to search for the hottest content (or shoulf that be filling?) in your city and share that with your online friends too. Think of it a bit like social bookmarking of menu pages.
[3] Data Consumption Released by Taobao.com
Taobao.com released its 2011 yearly report on users' consumption data on 27th of February. The report looks at the consumption behaviors of online shoppers and strives to anticipate the fashion trends of 2012. It also picks out the various preferences of different regions across China, which is quite good fun.
[4] Starbucks China App.
Starbucks China have released their first App (click to download) for iPhone and Android. Mobile phone users are able to download it by scanning the smartcode or sending a text message. When successfully installed, you can search for your nearest Starbucks store, manage your personal reward card account, share unique Starbucks "experiences", and synchronize it with other social networks.
[5] Burson-Marsteller China Social Strategy Guidebook
BM China, the leading PR and communications consultancy firm, have released a new social media strategy guidebook: "Weibo: Seven Steps to Better Corporate Reputation, Crisis Preparedness and Digital Communications in China."
Burson-Marsteller's guidebook outlines an actionable framework for reputation management and brand communication via weibo – China's microblog medium – from development of social strategy to measuring efficacy. The weibo guidebook shares Burson-Marsteller China's perspectives on better digital communications, more effective tracking and brand reputation.
[6] Twitter to Expand Mobile Advertising
Twitter is planning to expand its advertisement services on iPhone and Google Android devices. Twitter announced the scheme via their official blog that ad services are to be known as "Promoted Tweets" and "Promoted Accounts". At the same time, weibo.com in China has announced that its mobile microblog advertising system would begin in the second quarter of 2012.
[7] Baidu's Real Time Search for Sina Weibo
Baidu's real time search service for weibo.com was launched on March 2nd. Relevant keywords will be shown in real time search. Baidu has already established cooperation with Sohu.com, Tencent.com and 163.com, and has included their search result on Baidu since November last year.
[8] "CIC 2012 China Social Media Landscape"
We have recently released CIC's 2012 China Social Media Landscape, the fourth edition. This edition classifies social media into four categories: Core Networks, Value-add Networks, Basic Networks and Emerging/Niche Networks.
See detailed information and picture, click the link below:


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Kemao Peng
Kemao Peng received his B.E. degree in aircraft control systems, his M.E. degree in guidance, control, and simulation, and his Ph.D. degree in navigation, guidance, and control, all from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA), Beijing, China, in 1986, 1989, and 1999, respectively. From 1998 to 2000, Peng served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Automation and Electrical Engineering at the same university. From 2000 to 2006, Peng served as a Research Fellow at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore. From 2006 to 2012, he served as a Research Scientist and, since 2013, he has been a Senior Research Scientist in the Temasek Laboratories at NUS, Singapore. His current research interests include guidance, navigation and control, robust control, nonlinear system control, autonomous flight control, and vision based autonomous flight control, unmanned systems.
Biography Updated on 31 July 2013


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Customs department spokesman Leslie Gamini said the issue carrying a photo of a prominent Myanmar monk under the headline: "The Face of Buddhist Terror" would be held.
"By operation of law these magazines will be confiscated," Gamini told AFP.
"We did not allow this issue to be distributed in Sri Lanka because we felt it could hurt the religious sentiments of the people."
Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka, where tensions with Muslims and other minority religious communities have been rising, is the second country to censor the edition after Myanmar also blocked it.
The online version of the magazine was still available in Sri Lanka, however.
The local subscription agent, Emit International, said more than 1,000 copies of the issue were held back by customs, but the July 8 issue has been cleared without any problems.
"We were asked to get media ministry clearance, but we never got it," a manager at Emit said.
"It is too late to distribute this (July 1) issue to our subscribers."
Religious tensions spiked in Sri Lanka this year after a radical Buddhist group objected to the halal certification of food in the country, overseen by Muslims.
Several mosques as well as Muslim-owned businesses were targeted by radicals, sometimes led by saffron-robed Buddhist monks.
President Mahinda Rajapakse, who is a Buddhist, urged monks earlier this year not to incite religious hatred and violence.
Sri Lanka shares close religious links with Myanmar.
Several episodes of religious fighting in Myanmar have exposed deep rifts in the Buddhist-majority country and cast a shadow over widely praised political reforms since military rule ended two years ago.
In March at least 44 people were killed in sectarian strife in central Myanmar with thousands of homes set ablaze.
Communal unrest last year in the western state of Rakhine left about 200 people dead and up to 140,000 displaced, mainly Rohingya Muslims.