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Originally published December 26, 2012 at 6:44 AM | Page modified December 27, 2012 at 1:18 PM
Local home prices dip, though up 5.7 percent over 12 months
Seattle-area house prices fell slightly in October but remain up roughly 10 percent from their bottom last February.
Seattle Times staff and Associated Press
Seattle-area house prices fell slightly in October but more or less held to their levels of recent months, suggesting that the local market may have plateaued after a sharp rise earlier this year.
House prices nationally fell from September to October in 12 of the 20 cities tracked by the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index, according to new data released Wednesday.
Seattle's monthly decline of 0.2 percent exceeded the national decline of 0.06 percent, but was still very modest overall.
Those declines likely reflect the end of the peak buying season.
But prices remained above their levels of a year earlier in all but two cities, New York and Chicago, suggesting that strength remains in the national market even as it moves into the more dormant fall and winter sales period.
The national Case-Shiller index rose 4.3 percent in October compared with a year ago. That's the largest year-over-year increase in 2½years, when a homebuyer tax credit temporarily boosted sales.
Phoenix led all cities with a 21.7 percent gain, followed by Detroit, where prices increased 10 percent.
In Seattle, prices rose 5.7 percent year-over-year. While recent prices are at their highest levels since late 2010, the Seattle Case-Shiller index is still more than 26 percent below its July 2007 peak.
Local home prices hit bottom in February, when the Seattle index was nearly a third off its pre-bust peak. But the local index jumped nearly 10 percent over the next five months; it's held fairly steady at that level since.
Still, the broader national trend is encouraging. October marked the fifth straight month of year-over-year gains, after nearly two years of declines. Prices rose in mid-2010 in the final months before the tax credit expired. They had fallen sharply in 2008 and 2009.
"It is clear that the housing recovery is gaining strength," said David Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at S&P Dow Jones Indexes.
The S&P/Case-Shiller index covers roughly half of U.S. homes. It measures prices compared with those in January 2000 and creates a three-month moving average. The October figures are the latest available.
Steady gains in home prices have helped drive a modest recovery in the housing market. Rising prices encourage more potential buyers to purchase homes. And more people may put their homes on the market as they gain confidence that they can sell at a good price.
Higher home prices also can make homeowners feel wealthier and make them more likely to spend more. Consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of the U.S. economy.


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Using Visual Art in ClassesMore Related Discussions
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I'm wondering what experiences you all have, in terms of using visual art in classes -- such as language arts, science, etc. I've used lots of paintings, photos, collage, etc. in English Composition classes.
I've used photos as writing prompts. I really like it and the kids seem to as well. For some students (many with learning disabilities/many without) it's hard for them to visualize what they want to convey in words. Giving them a photo helps make things more concrete.
It's also really helped with including details in their writing. Again, I think seeing the image helps them to develop the details that contribute to good writing.
Recently I used a picture of my uncle - I didn't tell them who it was until after they finished their short stories. I was really impressed with their creativity!
A fellow teacher uses R.A.F.T. in her Social Studies class. She uses a picture related to the topic she's teaching. RAFT stands for: Role - who are you in the picture; Audience - who are you writing to/for; Format - letter, diary, MySpace, blog, article; Tone - what feelings will your writing have. It's really great! Students get really into it. It's a great way to have students really connect with what they are learning.
I have picture rings. I've collected art and photos and strung them up on a metal ring. I have about nine of them. Students are free to use them whenever they need an idea. I teach it by giving the example of pushing pause during a movie. What happened before the frozen photo and what is going to happen after you press play?
Don't forget 3 dimensional art forms! There are many people with learning disabilities to whom photos or pictures are a bit of a puzzle- and the 3rd dimension really helps them- real objects, interactive objects, sculpture, etc. AND- how about the student who might make a great architect, but has trouble with the mental translation from 3-D to Blueprint and back again?
One of my favorite tools for integrating visual arts across the core curriculum is VoiceThread. You can browse their collections for ideas - or head into the VT Library
Students in my junior English class write descriptive poetry (called ekphrasis) based on paintings.
Other online sources of ekphrasis are available. They post the painting and their writing in a Moodle forum so that other students may read and respond to their work.
Like Rosanne, I used to have students in my 9th-grade English class write ekphrastic poetry. A description of that lesson and lots of resources can be found in Backing into Ekphrasis: Reading and Writing Poetry about Visual Art. I love Gaetan's idea of the picture ring. I think it's so important for students to get to choose what to write about and what photo or image to take their inspiration from. My students always seemed to love it when I brought out my shoeboxes full of picture postcards. I wrote up some of the ways we used them in Have Postcards Will Teach.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Eating fruits and vegetables of all types is just good for your health, most types of fruits and vegetables have been associated with a significant reduction rate of life-style relation health issues. Several studies proved that eating plenty of plant foods like pumpkin decreases the risk of obesity, cancer, heart diseases, asthma and vision problems. Eating pumpkins also helps in …Read More »


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Professional and Biographical Information
Ph.D., University of Virginia (2013)
B.A., The College of William and Mary (2008)
Most of the courses I teach at Amherst are related to developmental psychology. However, the curriculum here allows me to teach a wide range of classes, from larger introductory courses, to more advanced courses of research methods and topics within developmental psychology. While every course is different, my primary goals are twofold: to engage students in some of the important questions of psychology, and to train students in the skills of evaluating claims and building and defending their own theories. We practice these skills using the lens of psychology, but I believe that learning to apply skills in a broad range of contexts is a unique strength of a liberal arts education. Therefore, I also design my courses so that students can identify and practice application of their skills outside of the classroom, in a wide array of experiences and pursuits.
The ability to communicate, especially for the purposes of teaching and learning, may be what distinguishes humans from many of our closest genetic relatives. The goal of my research is to explore the essence of our predisposition to teach and learn from others. Specifically, by examining the ways that young children behave in pedagogical situations, I hope to understand some of the fundamental expectations and assumptions that humans have about communicating for the purpose of conveying information to others. One way I have explored these interests is by examining children's expectations about nonverbal communication, specifically pointing. Results suggest that children's early experience with pointing has led them to expect the gesture to be informative and truthful, and also to believe that those who use pointing are doing so because they have knowledge to share. Thus far, I have used pointing as a means to address important and interesting questions about children's interpretations of pedagogical exchanges. I anticipate continuing this line of research with the particular goal of comparing the inferences that children make about others based on their pointing and those they make based on others' verbal testimony. However, there are also many important and interesting questions to be addressed about pointing itself, including how children decide when someone's point is a good one. Do children have a standard by which they judge pointing? If so, what is included in this standard? I am also interested in whether being able to point changes our cognitive processes. Given that pointing requires understanding what information others may find important or interesting, are infants who can point more likely to understand others' minds than those who cannot? In my future work, I plan to develop lines of research in both domains, using pointing as a tool to understand how children learn about their world, while also investigating the principles of pointing gestures themselves.


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People always ask what's with the weird company name. It comes from our failed first product. You can read the story. That product is long gone, but it made cool pictures like this one!
The Name
By Jeff Butterworth| October 21st, 2010|Alien Skin Software, Fun|Comments Off on The Name
About the Author: Jeff Butterworth
Jeff Butterworth is the founder of Alien Skin Software. He used to create the products, but now he does marketing and gets coffee for the programmers.


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Minnesota Sports Briefs: U women's hoops team loses to Northwestern
MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota women's basketball lost a home game to Northwestern yesterday, 70-63.
Minnesota led at halftime, but could not overcome some foul difficulty for star player Rachel Banham. Banham picked up her fourth foul when the game was tied in the second half and Northwestern was able to grab the lead for good. Banham finished with a team-high 19 points, while Micaella Riche chipped in with 17. The Gophers are now 15-11 overall and 4-8 in the Big Ten. Minnesota is at Ohio State on Thursday night.
Chris Paul posted 20 points, 15 assists and four steals to lead the Western Conference over the Eastern Conference 143-138 at the NBA All-Star Game in Houston last night. Paul was named the game's MVP. Kevin Durant scored 30 points with six rebounds for the West, which has won three straight over the East. Blake Griffin added 19 points for the winning side. Carmelo Anthony tallied 26 points and 12 boards for the East. Dwyane Wade added 21 points and seven assists in defeat. LeBron James totaled 19 points and five assists in the loss. There were no Minnesota Timberwolves involved in the game.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have a couple of more off days as part of the NBA All-Star Break and will host Philadelphia on Wednesday night at the Target Center. The Wolves had no representatives in the All-Star Game itself over the weekend, but did have Alexei Shved and Ricky Rubio in the Rising Stars Challenge game on Friday night. Shved had 12 points and four assists while Rubio scored five points with 10 assists to help their team win the game 163-135.
Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire says he enjoys spring training and is looking forward to seeing how this year's training camp works out. He says with starting jobs up for grabs in at least four positions, this could be the most interesting spring training he's had in awhile. He says the final 12 roster spots will likely be determined based on how players perform at spring training, and he says that might be the most since he's been the team's boss. The Twins open the spring training game schedule on Saturday against the Orioles in Sarasota.
The University of Minnesota baseball team lost to No. 2 UCLA 14-1 yesterday in Los Angeles. The Bruins ended up taking two of three from Minnesota, after the Gophers captured the series opener on Friday night 6-2. UCLA won Saturday's game 14-2. The 1-3 Gophers host Western Michigan at the Metrodome on Friday.
One sled dog was killed and two others were hurt early Sunday when a Minnesota musher's sled dog team collided with a truck while competing in a race in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Frank Moe of Hovland was not injured in the crash during the annual U.P. 200 race from Marquette to Grand Marais, Michigan and back. Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association President Pat Torreano says a volunteer tried to halt Moe's dog team before the road crossing but the dogs were barking and the musher couldn't hear. The injured pair of dogs is listed in "serious but stable condition" at a Michigan veterinary clinic. Torreano says the accident is the first vehicle-sled team collision in the race's 27-year history. Moe, a former DFL state representative from Bemidji, was vying for the race's lead when the accident took place.
Danica Patrick is the first female in NASCAR history to win the pole for the Daytona 500. One day after recording the fastest lap in practice, Patrick made her qualifying lap around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway at 196.434 mph to grab the top starting position for the February 24th season-opener in the Sprint Cup Series. Jeff Gordon will share the front row with Patrick in the Daytona 500. The three-time winner of NASCAR's most prestigious race of the season turned a lap at 196.292 mph. The rest of the 43-car field will be set following Thursday's twin-qualifying races at Daytona.


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BTRD was founded by the team who developed advanced synthesizable processors and OFDM communication devices. Our expertise are in development of custom digital logic for FPGA and ASICs, algorithm development and low level software.
Hardware design, including FPGA and ASIC
Software design, including toolchains, low-level up-to GUIs
Algorithm design, including DSP, adaptive, control
Telecommunications, including protocol desing


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Save More by Combining Coupons With Sales
You can save even more money, and still get the clothes you like early in the season, if you use coupons on sale items.
If you have your eye on an outfit at a favorite store when it's full price, try waiting. Many new-season styles are available long before Mother Nature has decided it is the new season, so by the time their first sale begins, you will still have plenty of time to wear your new clothes.
If you have signed up for the store's e-mail newsletter, you'll be the first to know when their sales begin. Hit the sale while the selection is good. The store may even include a coupon in their sale announcement e-mail. You also can check a coupon code site to find more coupons for the store.
By combining the sales price with a coupon or a coupon code, you may save as much as 40 percent to 60 percent well before the season really begins.
Combine to save!
Save More by Combining Coupons With Sales


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Bag Lady
Bag Lady's are far too often ignored - I bet you looked twice at this one...
The shopping bag texture was photographed in Bangkok while the alluring female back belongs to a model who wishes to remain anonymous.
Limited Edition720 numbered and signed prints
|Melting the Ice
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Need help? Advice?
10-6 EST, m-f
Although Mary Poppins was caring for kids who were beyond diapering age, her magic carpet bag was clearly the ultimate diaper bag: just imagine being able to pull out a clean outfit or a perfectly heated bottle out of your bag without having to pack them first?
With the Timi & Leslie Hannah Diaper Bag, you can be very nearly as prepared as the famous magical nanny, and twice as stylish! The gorgeous Hannah Diaper Bag is big enough to pack the items you'll need for every baby contingency, and has enough pockets and cool accessories to keep you super-organized, so neither keys nor pacifiers nor wallet nor watch need ever go missing.
As with all Timi & Leslie designer diaper bags, the Hannah bag is made for versatility: this is a "stealth diaper bag" that looks no different from any other enormous purse, so you'll be happy to keep using it long after the kids are potty-trained. The glossy PVC-free faux leather fabric and custom antique brass hardware really pop. We also love the included matching mini-purse, which works as a teeny shoulder bag, a wristlet, or a clutch, depending on how you position the strap; with an interior pocket and credit card slots, it's the perfect bag for those rare outings sans kids!
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Every office has one. You know the type. They arrive bright and perky in the morning, always immaculately turned out, greeting you with a cheery hello. During the course of the working day, they engage you in good-natured banter, tell jokes, and cast witty asides, while walking around the office smiling, and generally emanating positivity. As they speak on the phone, they enquire after the welfare of peoples children, and their gleeful laughter echoes around the office.
My question is this. Would a jury take all these facts into consideration, as mitigating factors, even provocation, when considering a guilty verdict in a murder trial? If, purely hypothetically, someone were to bludgeon them to death with the fuser unit out of a photocopier?


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Nilo Cruz's A Park in Our House is a record of the human spirit when the human body exists in a totalitarian state and survives on a continuum not of belief but of disbelief. The romantic, the idealist, the realist, the repressed, the rebel, and the messiah -- these are the characters (however stunted) in this drama that tells the story of a Cuban family in 1970, when the island was the equivalent of a Soviet satellite state. The play becomes a poignant portrait of politics. (It also is the inauguration of several plays to come this season by one of the nation's most noteworthy young playwrights, who was born in Cuba and raised in Miami.) With their mouths the characters of A Park in Our House speak of the revolution. With their hands they amend what their mouths cannot say. With their eyes they defend both their hands and their mouths. And with their bodies they seek freedom, or at least temporary exile. When a young Russian scientist, Dimitri Yefimovich Khruschov (Javier Suit), visits a small unnamed Cuban town through an international exchange program, he affects the lives of his host family irrevocably. Each character must negotiate between reality and dream, hope and despair, to survive the oppressive political system in which he or she lives.
Despite the political content of the play, Cruz's characters are so well drawn that the drama never appears to be thinly veiled rhetoric. His language is rich with humor, sarcasm, and the veracity of daily life. Combined with director Teresa Maria Rojas's choice of dynamic actors, this creates a stage experience that feels very organic. Ofelina (Patricia Azan-Clavelo) is the realist, the den mother -- a long-suffering strong woman with a wry sense of humor who is always solving problems. Hilario, Ofelina's husband (Alfonso DiLuca), is the idealist. He also is a sellout in that he must be a part of the system, holding out hope that perhaps it just might work. The metaphor for his waxing and waning faith is his dream of using his government job as a way to get a park built in the town. Fifo (Alain Mora) is the artist and the rebel. Once a photographer whose work was censored, he is now condemned to the cane fields to prove he is part of the system. Camilo (José Santisteban) is mute, having lost his voice in a traumatic event that is only alluded to.
Ofelina's niece, Pilar (Diry Cantillo), is the romantic. By glorifying and romanticizing Russia, she gives meaning to her own nation and to her role as a communist. She even goes so far as to eroticize communism, counting Dimitri's fingers and naming his body parts Red Square, the Kremlin, Stalin, Lenin, and other Soviet icons. Cantillo plays the role with the necessary degree of self-awareness, because on a more pragmatic level, Pilar hopes Dimitri will fall in love with her and take her back to Russia with him. In Pilar we find the seeds of jineteria (a form of prostitution by Cubans who want to escape the island that arose with the arrival of tourism in the late Eighties). Her body is a vehicle for survival.
A Park in Our House
MDCC, Wolfson Auditorium, 300 NE 2nd Ave
Presented by Promethean Players. All performances in English, through December 2 (evening performance Friday and Saturday at 8:00). 305-237-3263. Call for reservations.
Dimitri represents communism for each member of the family, and it is through him that each character grapples with the meaning of that ideology and the role Cuba has played in the world. In a particularly gripping scene, Hilario goes on a tirade about the reputation Cuba has earned as the whore of the Americas: "What has the Caribbean been to the world? These islands? These specks? We've been whores. We've been beds and pillows for some tired ships." Ironically the Russian is a reluctant messiah at best. He turns out to be equally disillusioned and unhappy with the system and life in his country.
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Ofelina is the one character who interacts intimately with all the others. Clavelo's energy and theatrical range are commendable. She delivers her lines passionately, without falling into the hysterical-female stereotype. She has a survivalist's humor that helps offset the harsh reality of a life where everything -- such as trading a radio for a lean pig to put meat on the table -- must be done in a clandestine manner. Ofelina exclaims, "I'm not going to jail for a skinny pig," while wrestling comically with the carcass, underscoring the Cuban tendency to laugh at misery. When Dimitri says his great-grandparents used to drink cow urine for medicinal uses, Ofelina comments, "I wouldn't drink cow urine to live to 100. I'll drink cow milk and live to be 50." She speaks with ever-vigilant practicality; she's no dreamer.
Numerous scene changes make this play seem like several vignettes that ask multiple dramatic questions: Will Pilar seduce Dimitri and find a way off the island? Will Camilo get his voice back? Can each character find hope where there seems to be none? The changes also create a sense of the inexactitude of time and space. This is particularly apparent in the more lyrical scenes. But at other times, the many scene changes break up the dramatic action, giving the piece a disjointed feel, creating more chaos than suspense, and interrupting the dramatic action instead of enhancing it.
A sleepwalking scene and an invisible character, the espiritista (spiritual advisor), balance the realism of the play with more magical elements. When Ofelina seeks the advice of an espiritista to help Camilo regain his voice, she is told to take him to the ocean. In a powerful scene in which the sounds of water and the color blue wash over them, Ofelina and Camilo bow down to the sea and she shouts to the Afro-Cuban deity Yemalla: "This is your son! Give him his voice back!" The visuals in the sleepwalking scene are very enigmatic and reminiscent of Beckett as Ofelina and Hilario weave around each other, exiting and entering the stage. "I have a dream that my hair won't stop growing. That I am growing a beard," Ofelina laments. As in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's fictional Macondo, Cruz's unnamed town is the site for harsh human realities and miraculous surreal moments, moments that dramatize the characters' inabilities to live, think, and dream freely within the boundaries of their society.
A Park in Our House is a first on many fronts. It's the first performance in the Promethean Players' new space, which is warm and intimate. It is appropriate that they chose one of Cruz's plays to christen their stage. The playwright was a student and actor with the group from 1984 to 1986. What is not so clear is why his works are just now being performed in Miami after receiving critical acclaim on both coasts. Last year the lauded A Bicycle Country made its South Florida debut at Florida Stage in Manalapan, but this is the first time one of Cruz's works has been put on for a Miami audience. A Park in Our House also has been performed by Florida Stage, as well as in Princeton, San Francisco, and New York. Some speculate that Cruz is the prodigal son for Miami theater, honing his craft before bringing it home. Others have implied that the political content of his works might make producers and/or theatergoers uncomfortable. Whatever the reason, Miami-based venues are making up for lost time. This season alone A Bicycle Country will run through January 28, 2001, at The Coconut Grove Playhouse. New Theatre will produce the world premiere of Hortencia and the Museum of Dreams in conjunction with Teatro Avante, which also will produce Two Sisters and a Piano.


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Niles Elliot Goldstein is the founder and rabbi emeritus of The New Shul in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. He has written for Newsweek and the Los Angeles Times on the topics of religion and spirituality, and has been featured in Time, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor, and other national publications, as well as on international television and radio.
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Bruce Bochy has announced his lineupfor the Giants home game against the Chicago Cubs at Scottsdale StadiumTuesday.San Francisco GiantsAngel Pagan, CF
Melky Cabrera, LF
Pablo Sandoval, 3B
Buster Posey, C
Aubrey Huff, 1B
Brandon Belt, RF
Ryan Theriot, 2B
Brandon Crawford, SS
Madison Bumgarner, LHPThis is as close to what may be Bruce Bochys Opening Daylineup as weve seen so far in Cactus League play.
The only potential changes I can think of would be Freddy Sanchez starting atsecond base, assuming hes healthy and ready to go, and Nate Schierholtz inright field over Brandon Belt, who will either be on the bench or in Triple-A. Ofcourse, Tim Lincecum will be on the bump instead of Madison Bumgarner as well.Buster Posey is in his usual spot, catching and battingcleanup, and is scheduled to catch four innings. Bochy said Monday that Poseywill get the nod to DH in Wednesdays game.Other than Brandon Crawford, every played in Bochysstarting lineup got the day off Monday against the Kansas City Royals inSurprise.Aftey a flurry of transactions cut down the Giants spring roster, Bochy cangive his projected starters and players fighting for a big-league job moreopportunities to see game action.Nate Schierholtz is not in the lineup after playing Monday. He is nursing abruised hip that does not appear to be serious.Mike Fontenot expected to play against the Cubs after missing time with a groininjury, but is not in the starting lineup or on Bochys extras list. Check back after the game for updates on Fontenot andSchierholtz from Bochy.The only other interesting aspect of Tuesdays lineup is the noticeable absenceof a designated hitter. Bumgarner will get his hacks in at the plate inaddition to what will likely be four innings of work.


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Though Hostess is officially closing shop, some of its brands -- including Twinkies -- are still proving very profitable, leading many to believe there's hope for one or several of the company's snack cakes.
On top of huge name recognition, Twinkies so far this year have brought in $68 million. That figure could keep hope alive that Hostess will sell the name and rights to the Twinkie recipe as the company heads to bankruptcy court later Monday.
It has yet to be seen whether Hostess brands like Ding Dongs, Ho Hos and Susie Q's will be bought up by another company.
Last week's labor strike ended Hostess' fight for survival. Illinois' Schiller Park bakery is one of 33 being closed along with 65 distribution centers, about 5,500 delivery routes and 570 outlet stores as part of a company "wind down." Operations have been suspended at all plants, putting about 1,400 out of work in Schiller Park.
Illinois workers said they expected this but noted it's difficult to imagine not being here.
"It's a weird feeling after being at a place for 30-something years once they pull the rug out from under you," said worker Abdul Waheed.
A company spokesperson said Hostess already has gotten several inquiries from other companies interested in buying several of the brands.
That's important to know before anyone considers spending big bucks on a box of Twinkies. The boxes are going anywhere from about $10 to $10,000 on eBay as of Monday morning.


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Nearly seven grand, before counting the cost of the speakers and the source component... That's "affordable" to you guys?
Affordable Channel Islands
Get outta here.
Yes, that IS extremeley affordable to us "guys".
What planet are you from? What are you doing on this website if you think 7 grand is expensive for an excellent playback system?
Get a job and maybe you can afford something better than made in China plastic piece of crap.
I am not even sure that price includes the cost of the DAC from the description here. And several of these named products do not exist on the CI website unless I missed something, so I can't seem to figure out from there if the Converter mentioned here contains the DAC.
I gather many companies do not want customers who are not psychic.
The cost of the DAC is included...
The Transient MKII($699) is a USB converter that has a built-in DAC in addition to 75 ohm S/PDIF, and two I2S outputs (Alchemy and PS Audio formats). Also, the cost for the VDC-5 MKII is incorrect (price is $329, not $399).
These are both new products which were unveiled at the show. The VDC-5 will be available next week, and Transient will start shipping in about 4 weeks. We hope to have info on our website soon. Sorry for any confusion.
Dusty Vawter/CIAudio
Mr. Vawter, don't bother.
These idiots are obviously in the wrong place. Your product line is
are delusional.
A more intelegent response is that there are MANY very affordable high quality products on the market today, or will soon be on the market in the coming months ex. Schiit Bifrost and Gungnir. To have to shell out $700 pops without a power supply is a bit pricey in todays market to be honest. With the Gungnir you get a dual power supplies, discreat analog output and a well thought out DAC/clocks for about the same bucks. Its a great time to be a cheap bastard audiophile!


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Fri 8th Feb 2013 10:00amZuma Jay's Widemouth Bay Surf Report
A small messy wave today folks 2ft only i'm afraid with strong winds. HIGH 16.14 LOW 10.11. Click the Zuma Jay shop link for the live surf cams and full surf report.
View the Widemouth Bay Surf Report and Forecast. Zuma Jay's Reports have received a total of 1298978 views.
This report has received 200 views since 8/2/13.


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I have a quick post for you today to tell you about my new favourite thing: Tabata Training. Though I do a lit of HIIT, I never really incorporated real Tabata Training into my workout routines. Electra and Meg have done a great job at summing up what Tabata is in the past.
What is Tabata?? The Tabata Protocol is based on 4 minute high intensity workout sessions.
How do you do Tabata?? Perform one exercise with all out effort for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, and repeat 8 times (for a total of 4 minutes).
Why do Tabata?? It increases aerobic and anaerobic capacity, results in the "after burn" fat-burning effect, and can be as or more effective than long steady state cardio.
(above info taken from Electra's Talkin' Tabata post)
I did a full body workout the other day using this Tabata Training method. I did 4 exercises during my lunch break (totalling 16 minutes) and 4 exercises after work (another 16 minutes). Seems easy breezy, right? I think not. My body hurts and I love that feeling so much that I will be doing Tabata on a regular basis now! It's perfect for squeezing in an amazing workout in a short amount of time.
Here are the 8 exercises I did for a pretty well-rounded workout:
- Weighted sit ups (using my pink sandbag)
- Treadmill sprints
- Weighted oblique twists (using my pink sandbag)
- Weighted squats (using my pink sandbag)
- Pushups (using my equalizers)
- Reverse pushups (using my equalizers)
- Jump rope
- Upright row (using my pink sandbag)
It was fan-freaking-tastic. I did another session this morning that included more bicep and tricep work!
Have you ever tried Tabata training?
What are you eating for lunch today?


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Home » Intelligent Design » The Amazing Stickleback
The Amazing Stickleback
|April 16, 2010
|Posted by Cornelius Hunter under Intelligent Design
It's worth repeating that if Charles Darwin had explained that evolution proceeds in fits and starts, his theory would have been ridiculed from the start. Imagine if Darwin had explained that, according to his theory of evolution, species rapidly appear as if planted there, and then go unchanged for eons. Darwin would have been laughed off the stage. Darwin had to present a narrative of gradualism. Funny thing is, the fits-and-starts narrative is today precisely what evolutionists tell us. Read more
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Every year the same thing takes place right around Jan. 1. New Year's resolutions are made and the gym is packed for about four weeks and then suddenly the numbers begin to dwindle and as January turns to February many of those "fitness resolutions" have been broken.
I know many of you have already decided that "getting in shape" is your goal for 2009. But have you really taken the time to reflect on what that means to you? Deciding to "get in shape" is a great idea, but without specifics, then the goal is often blurry. I would like to believe that for all of us there is a steppingstone to overall fitness. By this I mean a starting block, a hurdle to leap, a line to cross — you see where I am going with this? Whatever has kept you from becoming the person you see in your mind's eye should be taken care of first.
If the last time you went to the doctor was in a prior decade, that is your steppingstone, GO and you will surely find out what you need to do, realistically, to take steps in a more fit direction.
If you avoid exercising because you don't like to sweat, take up swimming or more meditative forms of yoga (because some do make you sweat big time) and you will soon find yourself craving activity.
If you have difficulty sticking to a healthy diet, start looking into local workshops or classes that help you create your own healthy diet that doesn't involve sticking to a pre-designed menu. Remember, dieting doesn't work; eating right and in balanced proportions does work.
If you have avoided stepping into a gym because of your own self-consciousness, I assure you that you are not alone. Your biggest hurdle is opening the front door — any door, any gym. There are literally hundreds of people who feel this way. The good news is that you don't have to leap into the most challenging fitness class on the schedule. Most people who start out loving the treadmill eventually move into other areas, because the gym can be a really great social atmosphere to help keep you motivated.
If you really believe that you "can't do it alone," well I believe you are absolutely right! By this I mean that everyone needs someone to be their supportive rock, whether it is your spouse, your child, your best friend or a trainer. The first six weeks of anything are always the most difficult, and who doesn't feel good if they have their own personal cheerleader?
Overcoming habits that have been in place for years is something that can't be fixed by making a resolution on New Year's Eve. The clock strikes midnight and you are still you, but are you prepared to take your body to new physical and mental challenges in 2009? The mind and body work together, so before you resolve to change the body, make sure you have addressed what part of your mind is making it difficult to make the change and it will be easier to open that door or pick up a bag of carrots instead of chips. Happy New Year!
Victoria MacKenzie, the group fitness coordinator for Ramona Fitness Center, has been a fitness instructor and personal trainer for 10 years.
Victoria MacKenzie, the group fitness coordinator for Ramona Fitness Center, has been a fitness instructor and personal trainer for 10 years.


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On Monday night, city commissioners expressed concern about fast-tracking the installation of an Iwo Jima monument along the bayfront. As a result, the donation application for the statue was withdrawn.
During Monday's meeting, Commissioner Susan Chapman expressed concern about a special meeting of the Public Art Committee to consider a donation application for the statue and a plaza, at which it would be displayed alongside Unconditional Surrender. Chapman said she believed the meeting, scheduled for July 3, would not receive enough public input due to its proximity to the Fourth of July holiday.
Chapman moved to slow the approval process and send the proposed installation to more committees — Parks and Recreation, Planning Commission and Public Art again — and the motion was passed 3-2, with Commissioner Paul Caragiulo and Mayor Shannon Snyder offering the two dissenting votes.
Tom Savage, founder of the Sarasota Public Art Fund, said he pulled his donation application due to a belief that he did not have enough support from the commission for his vision. That vision included the completion of the project by Nov. 10, the 238th birthday of the Marines, which necessitated the special meeting of the art committee this week. He said sending the bill to the committees signaled the ultimate intention of the commissioners to deny his application.
"We already know the position of the committees," Savage said. "It's an exercise in futility."
Perhaps the pivotal vote was that of Vice Mayor Willie Shaw, who Savage said had originally expressed support for the project. Asked about Savage's decision to pull the application, Shaw said he was sad to see the donation withdrawn. He rebuked the idea that his vote was a signal that he opposed the installation of the statue. He said information presented at the commission meeting caused him to vote for a more protracted procedure.
"I would like to see it come out of committee or out of the process before I made any decision," Shaw said. "There could be information brought forth that we didn't know before."
Four people offered public comment at the meeting, all of whom expressed unease about the donation. Concerns were raised about the appropriateness of the location; the failure of the statue to receive a minimum bid at auction; the quality of the concrete statue; and the permanence of the display.
Shaw cited the existence of a similar concrete statue in Cape Coral, which was said to have needed significant restoration, as new information presented at the meeting that affected his vote.
The vote tally upset Snyder, who voted against the motion. Snyder called it a "sophisticated attack" on Savage rather than a vote on the issue itself. He said there were valid questions about the statue, but that they should have been addressed at the art committee meeting July 3. Snyder also said debate about where the monument should be placed should have given precedence to from where the money was coming.
"Why didn't anyone else write the check and contact the Veterans Administration and try to place it somewhere?" Snyder asked. "The people who raised the money wanted it at the bay, wanted it as an educational thing for young people in the community, and I guess that wasn't the will of the majority of the commission."
Chapman said Savage's withdrawal was a signal that he knew public support wasn't behind him. She said the intent of her motion was only to get a better response from the community on this issue and that the committee's responses would be valuable public comment.
"Citizens are on the committees," Chapman said. "I thought it was a way to get adequate public input on the project."
Commissioner Suzanne Atwell, who also voted for a slower procedure, said it seemed the process had been hijacked to meet the November deadline Savage had set. Although she acknowledged the significance of the date, she said it was more important to thoroughly vet the project.
"We need to take our time on major projects like this," Atwell said. "We are in charge of land use — this is a decision we have to make about what our legacy is, what goes on one of our most prized pieces of land."


text: has anyone used those packing cubes that are supposed to make your packing easier and more organized ? My wife bought a few at The Container Store ( love that place ). I have to say, though they do make it easy to organize your clothes, I don't know if they help you save space. They seem to make packing a little more bulky. Does anyone else have this issue ? Or am I packing wrong ?


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Laurie Hallenbeck: Hayden news for Feb. 6
February 6, 2011
Happy birthday wishes to Brandon Shipman and Mindy Yoast. Special birthday wishes to brother and sister, Chris Brookshire and Rick Villa. Also a special happy birthday to Dean Cork who is serving in Afghanistan.
Totally Kids is having its annual Valentine's Day banquet and auction fundraiser from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Haven Community Center. Tickets are $10. The money raised during the banquet and auction will be used to support Totally Kids. For more information or to buy tickets, please call Carolyn at 970-846-9083.
Digital Photograph, Basic Drawing, Line Dancing and Baby Signs classes are being offered through Colorado Northwestern Community College in February. For more information, call Lindsay Giessinger at 970-276-7291. Lindsay also is working on summer classes. Give her a call if you have a class request or if you can teach a class of any type.
New location
Check out Hayden Mat and Frame's new location at 175 W. Jefferson Ave., the former location of Wolf Mountain Pizza. Owner Jim Folley will keep the same business hours of 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.


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'Two by Pinter' North Coast Repertory Theatre
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m. Sunday through June 17.
Where: 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Suite D, Solana Beach
Tickets: $32-$49, with discounts available
Phone: (858) 481-1055
A waiting game propels the plots of "Two by Pinter," now in well-acted new productions directed by David Ellenstein for his North Coast Repertory. "The Lover" and the more frequently seen "The Dumb Waiter" make a good pairing — both are early and suspenseful one-act comedies by the late English master Harold Pinter, written before the theater world came to expect the long silences and pregnant pauses of the style dubbed "Pinteresque."
In "The Lover,'' an upper-middle-class man and wife enact their morning ritual. Conservatively dressed, the businessman leaves for work, his goodbye punctuated by a calmly posed question: Will she be entertaining her lover that afternoon? "The Dumb Waiter" reveals a pair of hit men, the senior pro Ben, and his chatty sidekick Gus. Two questions create the tension here. Who keeps sending unwanted food orders to their basement hideout in a clunky dumbwaiter? And who will be their next victim?
As the dapper husband Richard and perky wife Sarah in "The Lover," Mark Pinter and Elaine Rivkin seem the image of English propriety, their bed neatly made, their manners impeccable, though he admits to spending time with his favorite prostitute partly to retaliate for her insistence on keeping the lover. There's a subtle edge of threat in the actors' back and forth that devolves to laughter, then escalates to menace when Sarah's lover Max arrives and turns out to be her husband posing as a leather-clad low life with an entirely different accent.
Ellenstein (and the playwright) take the sexual charade only so far, the couple's game leading to discreetly hidden lovemaking on the living room floor. At one point, though, the game stops being a turn-on, and Richard as Max unilaterally changes the rules, and Sarah panics before resuming her revised role. The script deftly suggests that any marriage needs much more than probity and role-playing for a relationship — and the couple's libidos— to last.
The play mostly elicits head-shaking laughter with its precise language, careful pacing and the detailed, nearly stylized acting of Pinter and Rivkin. Whatever sadness exists in the subtext gets swept away by the self-conscious charm of the performances. Renetta Lloyd's 1960-era costumes — sheath dresses, skinny ties — and Marty Burnett's drawing-room set are spot on.
"The Lover" has a third character, a milkman, who makes a cameo appearance when he arrives suggestively asking Sarah if she would prefer "cream." Actor Richard Baird proves creepily seductive in the tiny part, and returns after intermission as Gus, the younger hit man in "The Dumb Waiter."
He's paired with the wonderful Frank Corrado as Ben. Relaxed, real, confident in his accent and exclamations, Corrado creates the consummate straight man to Baird's blustering, oafish Gus, this odd couple trapped as they await their next "assignment."
Part clown show, like Beckett's "Waiting for Godot," the Pinter play elicits a different kind of laughter than "The Lover," with the dialogue of the hired killers initially hilarious (to anyone who has been stuck speculating in a waiting room) and soon discomfiting as the tension between them mounts. At North Coast Rep, though, the sinister political undertones of "The Dumb Waiter" were almost entirely absent, at least on opening night. Baird's extreme agitation as Gus came on too suddenly and led to a blurring of what should be a crisp, surprise ending.


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Syrian Tanks Storm Restive City of Hama, at Least 44 Killed
Firing at random, tanks surround restive city from four directions.
Syrian army tanks on Friday stormed the city of Hama, a hub for opposition protests against the government, killing at least 44 people, among them women and children, activists said.
"Tanks are attacking the city from four directions. They are firing their heavy machine guns randomly," activist Abu Omar told DPA by phone over the sound of gunfire in the background.
Tank shells were falling at the rate of six a minute in and around northern Hama, said the activist, who is based in the suburb of Reef Hama and goes by a pseudonym.
According to Abu Omer, scores of people were wounded, while bodies were lying uncollected in the streets, and blood for transfusions was in short supply in most hospitals across the city. Electricity and water supplies to the city's main neighborhoods had been cut, a tactic used regularly by the military when storming towns to crush protests, he added, predicting that the death toll would rise.
The regime of President Bashar Assad is trying to suppress the uprising against his 11-year rule that broke out in March and was inspired by revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen.
In the northern province of Idlib, a booby-trapped car exploded near an army checkpoint killing at least one soldier and wounding others, activists said.
Activists in other restive areas in Homs, Daraa and Idlib, said mass rallies in support of the people of Hama were taking place.
In the city of Aleppo, which experienced relative calm since the protests against al-Assad started, activists reported that three people were killed when security forces fired at protesters in the Marhej neighborhood.
More than 5,400 people have been killed in Syria since the pro-democracy uprising erupted in mid-March, according to the United Nations.
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$ 35.00
Calling cards with my starburst pattern in gold on mint. Double sided cards ... pattern on front, text on back. Square size shown, but also available in standard size.
Select your quantity, font style, and size. Fill in your personalization. (Please note that serif fonts in options 2 and 4 are CAPS ONLY.) Please leave any additional instructions (ie omit gold arrow). You will be emailed a proof (within 2 business days) for your approval before your item goes to print.
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Arsenal: What Bacary Sagna's Departure Means for the GunnersJune 16, 2014
Last week, Bacary Sagna brought his Arsenal career to an end after he agreed to a three-year deal with Premier League rivals Manchester City, per BBC Sport.
The Frenchman's departure will leave a huge void on the pitch, where he's long been considered among the best right-backs in world football; and in the locker room, where his seven years at the club made him a veteran voice in a perpetually young Arsenal side.
As posted on the defender's Instagram account, Sagna looked back on his Arsenal tenure fondly, saying:
... i just wanna thank the whole Arsenal fc... a family to me , a club who taught me so much in 7years...a club who change the kid i was to the man i am today...
A club statement reported by BBC echoed Sagna's sentimentality:
"Everyone at Arsenal Football Club would like to thank Bacary for his fantastic contribution and wish him all the best for the future."
If he wanted a simple money grab, he could've opted to return to Ligue 1 and sign a big-money deal, as the uber-wealthy duo of PSG and Monaco were both interested in acquiring the veteran full-back, via the Express.
However, his inter-league move elucidates his Premier League title ambition, and signifies his unmitigated desire to win at the highest level—a desire he was unable to indulge at the Emirates.
Since joining the Gunners in 2007, the 31-year-old won just one trophy—the 2014 FA Cup. He could've decided to remain at the Emirates, where he would've reprised his role as starting right-back for the next few seasons, but chose to accept a reduced role for a better shot at a league title.
He'll be Pablo Zabaleta's backup, but with the amount of competitions City are involved in on a regular basis, Sagna should still see significant pitch time.
It's never easy to lose a player as influential as the Frenchman, and Arsene Wenger will be expected to dip into the transfer window to find Sagna's replacement.
He's leaving big shoes to fill, as even in his final season at the club, Arsenal's No. 3 was a massive part of a Gunners defense that ranked as the league's fourth-best in terms of goals conceded.
Sagna ranked in the top-five for tackles, interceptions and aerial duels won per game amongst Arsenal players who appeared in more than three league matches, according to statistical database Whoscored.
The only natural right-back now on the Gunners' books is Carl Jenkinson. While Jenkinson clearly gives his all for the team when called upon, there are better options out there as the 22-year-old would be best utilized as a rotation player at this point in his career.
Wenger will need to dip into his transfer kitty, and with the premium that quality full-backs command, a sizeable portion of that fund may now be spent on Sagna's replacement.
This may limit what Wenger could splash on his needs for other areas in the squad.
Let's take a look at some of the players who have been tipped to succeed Sagna, as well as others who haven't been formally linked with a switch, but could fit nevertheless.
With many of world football's elite full-backs already playing at top clubs, Wenger's options are limited.
That's not to say there isn't quality available and one rumor that is sure to ramp up in the coming weeks is Arsenal's purported move for Ivory Coast international Serge Aurier.
The Toulouse man was the best player on the pitch in his team's World Cup opener against Japan, assisting on both goals in a 2-1 Ivory Coast win.
A move to the Gunners seems to interest the 21-year-old, via Sky Sports, and with the track record Wenger has of developing Ligue 1 talent, it could be the perfect match.
Nick Ames of the Guardian (h/t FIFA), quotes Didier Drogba saying that his compatriot is the best right-back in France and the stats certainly support that claim.
Aurier's six goals were the most of any Ligue 1 full-back and tied him with Saint-Etienne's Loic Perrin for most of any Ligue 1 defender. His six assists were tied for sixth in all of Ligue 1 and second amongst full-backs, behind just Lyon's Henri Bedimo, who finished with a ridiculous 10 helpers.
According to positional data from Whoscored, Aurier made the vast majority of his appearances as a right-wing back in Toulouse's 3-5-2, shouldering huge attacking and defensive onus. An switch to Arsenal may mean Aurier would be deployed in a more traditional right-back role, but would still be given lease to get forward as the 4-2-3-1 Wenger employs is heavily reliant on overlapping full-back play.
Valued at just over £5.7 million by Transfermarkt, Aurier has started his World Cup 2014 in sensational form, and will be a hot property following the conclusion of Ivory Coast's campaign.
His stock is way up, and should Toulouse sell their prized defender, the club could—and should—demand at least double that £5.7 million valuation.
Aside from Aurier, who has to labelled as the top right-back target, there are other suitable players to be had.
Sebastien Corchia has long been linked with a move to the Emirates, per Wayne Veysey at Goal, and after a January transfer to Lille fell through, Wenger could cut a bargain for the FC Sochaux standout, who has just a year left on his contract.
Newcastle's Mathieu Debuchy was arguably the league's best right-back last season and has to like the idea of Champions League football. He wouldn't come cheap, but he was excellent in the 2013-14 term and has Premier League experience.
Matteo Darmian and Ignazio Abate are two of Serie A's top right-backs and despite the lack of Italian presence in North London, could fit.
Darmian was excellent for Torino last season and could see an extended run this World Cup. The former AC Milan man started in Italy's 2-1 win over England and with Mattia De Sciglio battling injury, he'll have the platform to showcase his quality.
Abate, like much of the Milan squad, was disappointing in their 2013-14 seventh-place Serie A finish, but has been one of the better right-backs in world football over the past few years.
He has fantastic speed and uses it to great effect, closing down attackers and getting forward. Negotiating with Milan wouldn't be easy as the club's brass would try to squeeze every cent out of Abate, but he's a solid, experienced footballer.
There's a strong German corps in place at the Emirates and the Bundesliga boasts a number of quality right-backs that Wenger could look to add.
Borussia Monchengladbach's Tony Jantschke split time between centre-back and right-back duties last season and was a pivotal cog in Gladbach's formidable defense.
He's strong in the air and likes to put in a tackle, but his poor crossing limits his efficacy going forward. He's a stout defender and his presence would allow Arsenal's right-wingers to focus on creating goalscoring opportunities.
Oliver Sorg was Freiburg's standout defender last season, and with the club struggling to compete in the Bundesliga, Sorg would get top flight security and competition with Arsenal.
His averages of 3 tackles per game and 2.2 interceptions per game are superb and his 1.6 dribbles per game illustrate his will to support the attack.
Eintracht Frankfurt's Sebastian Jung is the most potent attacker of the three. He racked up seven assists in 30 matches last season and is a well-disciplined defender.
He isn't as prolific a tackler as either Jantschke or Sorg, but his ability to overlap makes him a nice fit for the 4-2-3-1.
Statistics are courtesy of Whoscored unless otherwise noted.


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Sundowner at the Araluen Arts Centre
When a loved one starts to lose their memories, how do we hold on to them?
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Sundowner is an intergenerational story that celebrates the love that binds families together.
Combining dance, drama and original composition, Sundowner, examines the experiences and frustrations of younger onset dementia.
Dementia is often viewed as a taboo subject and one which few playwrights or directors are willing to tackle. The result of two years of research, community engagement and creative development, Sundowner presents challenging subject matter in an accessible and engaging way that has had a powerful impact on audiences. Sundowner shines a spotlight on a relatively unrecognised illness that affects millions of people around the world.
The story is based around writer Peggy (Helen Morse) who, in her late 50s, has younger onset dementia. Seen through the eyes of three generations, Sundowner explores the mysteries of dementia and Sundowners Syndrome - the unexplainable phenomenon where many with Alzheimer's become particularly disorientated and confused when the sun goes down.
Be listening to Drive with Rohan Barwick on Monday 22 April to Wednesday 24 April for your chance to be our guest at the theatre.
Sundowner | Araluen Arts Centre
Saturday 27 April | 8pm
783 ABC Alice Springs is a proud supporter of the Araluen Arts Centre.


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Can you tell me how to post a query to Passport office, under RTI. Is there a way of posting such a query online and giving the required amount of money by way of credit card ?
Can you tell me how to post a query to Passport office, under RTI. Is there a way of posting such a query online and giving the required amount of money by way of credit card ?
Dear maybeles,
You can get the address of the passport office where you applied from here
Indian Passport, Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India
You can write to the PIO of that particular office about your RTI query.
As of now there is no such system of payment of RTI fee by credit card.
You can look here for more information about RTI application regarding passport
You can check your status of passport from the status page of
Indian Passport, Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India
Best Wishes
Dear Maneesh
Thankyou very much.I wonder why no one has so far taken up the issue of sending in RTI query through electronic mail and also paying through credit card. It can save lot of time and effort for older, infirm or invalid and women folk who are not able to trudge all the way to offices of respective organizations.
Hello Maybeles,
You suggestion for improvement is really good, and I intend to start a new thread where-in suggestion for improvement can be added.
Dear Maybeles,
What you suggested is good initiative, may be in some recent time it will come through where in you can pay your application fee through the credit card.
Who knows one day in ATM you will find an option of payment of fee for RTI and the agency (bank) collecting the fee will do liasioning on your behalf.
Who knows one day some one will open an online gateway where in for a fee one can file professional RTI application.
Who knows that this RTI act can give rise to a new industry of information seekers and data collectors where in a person can retrieve data for a cost.
These are question for the future and depends on the needs. But as the things stands today, RTI is still evolving. And people (babus) are slowly changing their mindsets.
Even if people (babus) change their mind set are they equipped enough to provide information. What about the time and cost of providing information in a totally non IT setup?
We all have a long way to go with RTI with help and support of patrons like you. We can see the signing of the bright tomorrow on the horizon and I am sure we will reach there.
Best wishes.


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Renee Damiani
There's a sense of imagination and playfulness that happens when exploring materials for their shape, colour, size, texture or unusual appearance. Something magical takes place when putting selected materials together, where the piece evolves and takes on its own direction.
Renee Damiani's playfully colourful bubble creations are filled with fun and quirkiness. Her current body of work is sourced from re-purposed plastics and combined with precious metals, then transformed into oversized sculptural creations to become wearable art pieces.
Renee completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts and Applied Design, and also holds a Diploma in Advertising and Graphic Design. As a children's art workshop teacher, she is challenged to create imaginative projects for children which in turn inspires an intuitive and inquisitive approach to her own work and the materials she uses. Her works are regularly featured in fashion magazines such as Oyster, Marie Claire and Yen.


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Written on: 28/11/2013
If you need a visa then let Visa Genie take the hassle out of it for you. I was going to do it myself but decided it was worth the extra £30 or so to know that my form was correctly filled in. Good service, prompt attention. Really recommend them.


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ArchiveHome »
Skating open road on event tracks
Recently it came to our attention that some riders were riding open road on tracks which are used for an event. This was the main reason to jump back on the keyboard and type some words about it.
Read more... about Skating open road on event tracks
Wallonhill becomes an all Belgian event
For quite some time, the Belgian freeride Wallonhill is heavily visited by Dutch downhill riders, who lack any facilities in their own country. This has caused many Belgian riders not be able to register, so Wallonhill made a decision for 2018.
Read more... about Wallonhill becomes an all Belgian event
Downhill events in North and South America 2017
Next to our annual European list, this year we also did an American list featuring both North and South America. We have 41 events spanning 8 countries.
Read more... about Downhill events in North and South America 2017
Downhill events in Europe 2017
It is that time again, time for our annual list of downhill events in Europe for this season. We have a total of 60 events on there, spread over 14 countries.
Read more... about Downhill events in Europe 2017
Freerides v5
On January 6, 2013 Freerides started as a simple, white website with just a list of events, nothing more. A little over 4 years in, you're now looking at Freerides v5.
Read more... about Freerides v5
IDF Board Voting 2017
In a few days the IDF voting booths will open up again, so its members can vote on who'll be elected as board members, who will serve for the coming 2 years.
Read more... about IDF Board Voting 2017
Subscribe to our downhill calendar
If you want to keep your calendar synchronised with our events list, there's a real easy way to do so. In this post we'll explain you how you can do this.
Read more... about Subscribe to our downhill calendar
A look back on 2016
Depending on where you are in the world, the downhill season is over. The IDF has concluded its 2016 tour and the weather in Europe is too bad in most places to organise an event.
Read more... about A look back on 2016
The 100 mph club
Last weekend the Top Speed World Challenge took place in Canada. Riders were hunting for the fastest speed on this hill, trying to break previous records set by others.
Read more... about The 100 mph club
Fastest skateboarder ever
A few weeks ago Erik Lundberg broke the downhill speed record by setting it at 81,37 mph / 130,63 kph. Colorado native Kyle Wester went out on his own and literally SMASHED this record.
Read more... about Fastest skateboarder ever
Root's Eseposibele Tour
Root Longboards sent their team to a remote island to shoot some nice videos. This is the 2-part result.
Read more... about Root's Eseposibele Tour
Downhill events in Europe 2016
Publishing our mega list of events has become an annual recurring thing and each year the list gets bigger. We started out with one list world wide, but it just becomes too much for one list.
Read more... about Downhill events in Europe 2016


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Tea Addiction said
Save money....
There's one day left to take advantage of our discounted shipping prices for March. (All orders over $50 ship FREE and anything less than $50 ships for just $4.95.) Personally, I'd love to spend my Thursday sending out tons of orders versus doing other things associated with work…like organizing my desk, etc. Save me from my misery and enjoy saving money in the process!
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It has not been billed as a farewell tour, but in a very big way, it is one for Steve Ignorant, co-founder of the '70s British anarchist-punk band Crass.
"I'm able to announce now," he says in a video posted on his website during the weeks prior to the current North American tour, "there is a final date to the Last Supper."
Ignorant plans to stop playing Crass material forever after a concert on Nov. 19.
Steve Ignorant performs at Fox Theater Pomona, www.foxpomona.com. Fri., 9 p.m. $20 in advance; $23 at the door. Tickets purchased for the rescheduled March 18 show will be honored. All ages.
Why? He has fears the Last Supper tour could have gone on for years. "And that would have become embarrassing and meaningless," Ignorant (born Steve Williams) says from a tour stop in Montreal. "The other reason is that I want people to know that, although I love performing the songs, for me, it has to stop at some point. I think this is the time to stop it."
Careful never to bill himself as a Crass reunion tour, in 2007, Ignorant performed Feeding of the 5,000; Crass-mate Penny Rimbaud (Jeremy Ratter) expressed displeasure. But not so much in 2010, when Ignorant toured Crass songs again, this time in the first of the Last Supper tours. Commerce may have played a part in Rimbaud's thaw. "When I told him I would be selling his books on the merchandise table, he suddenly got really excited about it all," says Ignorant, as he laughs.
But either way, Ignorant has hedged his bets and built a support network as if quitting playing from his old band's set lists is like kicking nicotine. "I've sworn to some of my friends I'm not ever gonna perform Crass songs live again, and they said to me, 'Can we hold you to that?' And I said, yeah. They said, 'If we ever hear you've been performing Crass live, we'll kick your head in.' All right, fair enough."
Crass have been called the definitive anarchist-punk band. They embodied the proletariat vision that a lack of musical skills should never limit one's participation in a band. Better to be a true pain in the ass to the Thatcher administration, they reckoned, than a mere virtuoso. As such, Crass were the first wave of DIY punks. They were hard-line radicals; their gigs were thrash-all loud fests; and they lived, as best they could, their assumed roles as agents of social change.
With the exception of Penis Envy (Ignorant stood down while Joy De Vivre and Eve Libertine sang the lyrics), Ignorant fronted Crass from the band's inception in 1977 to 1984 when they disbanded.
"I'm 53 years old now. Yeah, 53. I've done my time, if you know what I mean. I look around, and I think, 'Well, come on, you young'uns; why aren't you tearing things down like we used to?' But maybe there will be a massive revolution some day. That'll shut me up."
Ignorant says Crass did more than inspire future punk bands. "I think we made people think, and we made people question. Did we change people's lives? I think we did, really."
Did Crass get anything wrong? "Certainly, yeah," he says. "In the '80s in England, it was really bad, you know, with skinheads and stuff making trouble at gigs. We should have gotten baseball bats and smashed their bloody heads in and not even let them cause trouble. But no, we tried to embrace them. And it backfired on us, and in the end, they did fight back."
Ignorant spent his post-Crass '80s and '90s fronting bands such as Conflict, Schwartzeneggar and Thought Crime. This time around, he has a different plan for his immediate future. "Well, I'm hoping to do, like, the spoken-word thing, which will be a smaller thing with some visuals and actual lighting and maybe a piano with a bass guitar. It would be almost like watching a play. And I'll basically be talking about me, of course, and everything I've done."
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He admits he already has a lot of the material in print in the form of his recently published autobiography, The Rest Is Propaganda.
But Nov. 19 looms, and before he does anything else, Ignorant is focused on closing down this chapter of his life. "I know damn well two days after that last gig in November, I'll get a phone call from some rich tycoon offering me $20,000 to come perform at his daughter's garden party. And I'll have to say no."
This article appeared in print as "Crass Goodbye: After this tour, Steve Ignorant plans to stop playing Crass songs—forever."


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Blur duo to play at Oasis star Noel Gallagher's concert
Former Oasis star Noel Gallagher has asked long-time Blur rivals Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon to perform at a charity gig to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Gallagher, who famously feuded with the band during the Britpop years, said: "I was on tour with Graham and asked him if Blur would do it but he said they'd kind of put Blur to bed.
They decided that just the two of them could do it. It's going to be great.
And 10 years ago, who would have thought it."
Belfast Telegraph


text: ISIS Spa Jet combines hydrofusion (the blending of two heat technologies – steam and far infared heat) with true hydro-massage therapy via vichy shower and under body water massage. The hi-tech environmental capsule creates a mood like no other – an enrapturing sensation of colour bath chromotherapy mixed with aromatherapy and sound. ISIS Spa Jet treatments are an asset to your health & movement and are highly recommended to detox, relief muscular aches, encourage relaxation and increase blood flow.Highly recommended for arthritis, cellulite healing or just for fun. Choice of Detox, Muscle Recovery, Destress, Hydration, Cellulite Reduction Can be used as a stand alone treatment or you can have with a facial or Body Wrap.


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Tofu is very healthy as it is a soya bean extract. The protein rich food with spice can be a part of meal every week. Even the diet freaks can prefer this Chinese appetizer recipe with less oil and more vegetables.
Chinese Appetizer Recipe
- 1/2 pound pressed and firm tofus (pieced and dried)
- Any refined oil for frying
- 2 green onions (chopped finely)
- 1 capsicum/chili pepper (chopped finely)
- ' tsp ginger paste
- 1-2 chillies (sliced)
- ' tsp salt and pepper seasoning mix
Preparing Pepper Tofu:
1. Deep fry the tofu pieces in oil until golden brown and crisp. Drain all the excess oil using paper towels.
2. In a separate pan, fry the chopped vegetables with spices ( upto 30 seconds) and add the deep fried tofus.
Serve the pepper tofus hot with lemon dipping sauce, white sauce or even tomato sauce.
Read more about: vegetarian recipes, chinese recipes
Story first published: Monday, January 30, 2012, 14:10 [IST]
Other articles published on Jan 30, 2012


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Size-in accordance with the orter
The size of one plate 600*600*30 mm
Price for 1sq m 198 000 AMD
The model is made from a special plaster mixture with reinforcing additions. The technology of production is Italian. Тhe material is eco-friendly, has noise reduction and thermo-insulation qualities. It's absolutely fireproof.


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|Just another Perl shrine
Comment on
|( #3333=superdoc: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
Heh... I've consistently found, with all such languages, that if there is even one "syntax error," everything else is totally-bogus until that error is fixed. Each syntax-error represents a point where the parser/lexer landed completely and unceremoniously on its (ice-skating) ass, then struggled valiantly to get back on its feet and to continue with the program ... knowing, alas, that it would never win the medal. (At this point, the only objective is to see how many additional times the skater might trip up.) Until the source-code parses clean, no other messages the compiler/interpreter may generate are worth anything at all. (At that point, it's just trying to smile and keep up appearances.)
In reply to Re^2: scoping problems
by sundialsvc4


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Representative Patsy Mink had been a driving force in Hawaiian politics for decades. Now in her 12th term representing the non-Honolulu sections of Oahu and the rest of the 50th state, Mink had been hospitalized a month ago with what was initially diagnosed as "adult chickenpox." It turned into pneumonia. Sen. Daniel Akata tells United Press International that, although small in stature, Mink was a "powerful voice on Capitol Hill." She displayed leadership qualities from childhood. She was valedictorian during her 1944 graduation from Maui High School. She eventually practiced law and became the first non-Caucasian to be elected to the House of Representatives from Hawaii. Patsy Mink loved a political fight. She fought many during the past two dozen years. The search for a successor could become an interesting race in the coming days. Patsy Mink was 74.
Remember when former LAPD detective Mark Furhman turned from his days connected to the Simpson case to become a novelist? His first book, about the Martha Moxley murder case, was instrumental in bringing Michael Skaken to justice. Now the New York Post says the detective-become-novelist is about to turn his powers of deductive reasoning to another unsolved mystery ... the case of the death of Christopher O'Connor. According to the publication, O'Connor was found dead outside a New York City nightclub in 1987. Although witnesses reported that he was beaten badly by the club's bouncers, O'Connor's death was ruled as alcohol poisoning. In the years since his death, a wealthy friend, mail order king Michael Salem, has been spending tons of money investigating the case. Now he has Furhman on his side. He continues to offer a huge reward for more information and has turned the trove of stuff he's gathered in the meantime over to Furhman.
The producers of movies in Tinseltown have never let things such as facts get in the way of good moviemaking. Now they are bending the truth again in the production of Salma Hayek's latest film. Columnist Richard Johnson says that the photogenic actress is going to play the lead in a biopic about Frida Kahlo, the passionate, cigarette-smoking Mexican painter responsible for the production of what many reviewers called "disturbing art." Kahlo painted through suffering -- afflicted with polio as a child and nearly skewered to death by a piece of pipe during a bus crash. She was rendered nearly bedfast in her later years, after more than 30 operations. Now, although Hayak may be able to adequately portray Kahlo's twisted body and convey her troubled soul, there may be some mis-casting. The script for the movie shows Kahlo as a fiery Mexican woman, ignoring the fact that she was actually Jewish with a German father. By the way, Kahlo died in the 1950s.
He's the last of his kind. When venerable broadcaster Paul Harvey leaves the airwaves, the tradition of stand-out voices -- from H.V. Kaltenborn to Lowell Thomas to Gabriel Heater to Merrill Muller to Walter Winchell to Edward R. Murrow -- will become part of this country's glorious past. But, for the time being, Harvey keeps going strong. On his Web site, paulharvey.com, there's even a chance to hear his past broadcasts. If you are a fan of Harvey, whose line-up of radio stations is the largest in the world (he's heard on nearly 2,000 stations every day), you can now listen to him via the Internet by clicking on the Web site. The winner of this year's Marconi Award from the National Association of Broadcasters, Harvey is about to receive another special honor from the folks in his headquarters city, Chicago. More on that in a future report.
Well, true to predictions, Barbra Streisand has "come out of retirement" to sing again. But, because she donated her time at a recent Democratic fundraiser, she didn't violate her promise "not to sing for money again." The singer, who is often called "Little Miss Perfect Pitch," wowed 'em at a gala at Hollywood's new Kodak Theatre. Party organizers tell media that as much as $6 million may have been raised by the event and associated programs. Streisand is now 60, but you would not know it. Her voice is as strong as ever. She continues to be a national treasure and a treasure-creating headliner for the Democrats.
While some of the biggest names in country music have turned up on the list of nominees for this year's Country Music Association Awards, there would seem to be at least a few glaring omissions. The folks at Country Music Television are wondering out loud why the names of Faith Hill and Shania Twain (two of the biggest stars in country music) were not on the final list. Alan Jackson got an amazing 10 nominations and Toby Keith got six, but Hill and Twain ended up with goose eggs. Additionally the meteoric group SHeDAISY -- which scored with a platinum-selling CD this year -- was not named as a nominee, nor were Trace Adkins nor Trick Pony. Of course, there's no time to nominate everyone (unless you are planning an Emmy Awards show), but many in the world of country music are wondering why the nominations are so lopsided this time around.
Inspired by an incident over the weekend that happened while listening to an old Jack Benny radio program, here is today's question: "When was the last time you got the giggles and began to drown in your own laughter?" Put GIGGLES in the subject line and send to firstname.lastname@example.com via the Internet.
Last week we asked about the worst mess ever created in your home or apartment. From a quick dip into the e-mail inbox, we came up with some real winners. First this one from VOXEN. Because she had a house full of antique furniture 20 years ago she elected to have her pet cat declawed. It was a mistake. When the vet called and asked that the pet be taken home early -- since it's whining was bothering the office -- VOXEN picked up the animal, still bandaged, and brought it home. The next day it broke its stitches, exposing a major vein. Then, spouting blood like an oil well, the cat ran around the house for several minutes. Four minutes later the cat was subdued. Four rooms of beige carpet and antique furniture had been splattered, walls included. Back to the vet. It took days of painstaking work to undo the damage. (Luckily, the poor cat survived and lived to be 19.) Rebecca reports that a disgruntled roommate -- after being evicted -- put broken glass between the sheets of her bed then poured maple syrup and granulated sugar and flour all over the kitchen floor. (With friends like that ...) Ali once started to move a huge, multi-wick, 400-hour candle to higher ground for fear a visiting three-year-old would mess with it. During the move the holder broke sending, a flood of red candle wax onto a white carpet. It took days to clean, but Ali did such a good job you can't see where it fell. TOMORROW: More screensavers. GBA


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Personalized First Easter Infant Baby Bodysuit
It's not just any old Easter, it's your baby's very first. Celebrate your little one's first Easter with this adorable infant bodysuit that is adorned with a cute bunny and the name of your choice.


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The boys, who were aged about 10, died of carbon monoxide poisoning after apparently burning charcoal inside the container to keep warm.
A refuse collector discovered the bodies in the city of Bijie in Guizhou province. The overnight low temperature in the mountainous city was 6C.
Photographs uploaded to the internet showed the bin is about 1.5 metres long and 1.3 metres wide, with an airtight lid.
Post-mortem examinations confirmed carbon monoxide poisoning as the cause of death, the Xinhua news agency reported.
It said leftover burnt charcoal was found inside the bin, which indicated that the boys might have been burning charcoal for heat before they died.
The tragedy has sparked an outcry on the web. A post on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like microblogging service, had more than 2.5 million hits as of Sunday evening.
While some users accused the local government of negligence, others said the parents of the children were also to blame.
"It reminded me of The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen. Isn't it that such things only happen in fairy tales?" wrote one user called Saludika.
"What a cold world this must be for the five children," said another, Lu Yao.


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Paytm Promo Code, Coupons & Offers 18 November 2017
Presenting brand new Paytm promo code, 100% cashback offers and working coupons for mobile recharge, postpaid bills, dth. Paytm was founded by Vijay Shekhar Sharma in 2010 and now it's one of the largest recharge service provider in India.
Earlier they were supporting only few services like recharge/dth/bill and electricity payment but now it supports online shopping similar to Flipkart, Snapdeal & Amazon.


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Keywords: power engineering, energy conservation specialisms, energy efficiency, consumption of energy resources, energy and economic situation, structure and levels of energy consumption, Ukraine
Ukraine: energy and economic situation, energy conservation policy distinctions of energy consumption
In the article, the main directions of state policy in the field of energy conservation are considered. An analysis of the energy and economic situation is carried out, the condition and directions of development of a fuel and energy complex in Ukraine are shown. The subject of energy conservation policy is determined, its priority directions chosen, the evaluation of energy consumption efficiency and potential for energy conservation and also necessary costs for its realisation are discussed. The analysis of energy consumption specialisms is given, its structure and dynamics are shown.
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Nürburgring set for long term F1 deal
17 June 2014 – The Nürburgring is inching closer to becoming the permanent home of the German Grand Prix from next season, according to the new owners of the circuit.
The Nürburgring and Hockenheim have shared hosting duties of the race since 2007 after both circuits encountered financial difficulties.
The Nürburgring has had financial problems for the last few years following an ill-fated renovation project but its new owners have announced their intention to host the race on an annual basis from 2015.
"The head of the Formula One Group, Bernie Ecclestone, and Capricorn founder Dr. Robertino Wild, the main partner of the Nürburgring, have been holding negotiations on a long-term strategic partnership for Formula 1 at the Nürburgring", read a statement.
"Mr Ecclestone and Dr. Wild share a desire to hold the prestigious Formula 1 race at the Nürburgring every year for at least five years from 2015. Both sides are convinced that this will deliver significant advantages and added value for all stakeholders of the event.
"It will also generate optimum, long-term planning opportunities for sponsors and business partners. A lasting commitment of Formula 1 to the Nürburgring is thus achievable and within reach.
"The partnership approach also paves the way for a new financing model, which provides for a balanced distribution of the profits in a way that fairly reflects the positions of both partners. The intention is to extend the partnership beyond five years. There is also agreement between Mr Ecclestone and Dr. Wild that immediate discussions with potential partners and sponsors will now be held."
This year's event takes place at Hockenheim on the weekend of July 18-20.


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I'm more than a little angry at myself for not posting this sooner. The people over at Common Craft have done an excellent job explaining the power of RSS and subscribing to content in this video titled, RSS In Plain English:
Seriously, you need to pass this around your office, to your clients, colleagues, family and friends.
I still think the word" RSS" freaks people out, and when you say "subscribe," people are thinking there might be a cost or a need to give out personal information. We need to get everyone on the same page and I believe a video like RSS In Plain English, can help us get there faster.
(thanks for this Matt).


text: Exit this survey >> Geocaching Experiences This survey is being conducted by researchers at Kodak Research Labs in Rochester, NY, USA and the University of British Columbia, Canada. (All of us involved in the project are also fellow geocachers!) The goal of the work is to understand geocaching practices and how they may differ between different areas around the world and even between individuals. Ultimately, this knowledge will help us to design enjoyable location-based technologies that allow people to connect with others, and to share media and stories. Your answers will be used solely for us to understand your geocaching experiences. Kodak will not use your data for any other purposes. All results will be reported anonymously in any research publications/presentations. The survey should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Thank you for completing the survey. We really appreciate your time and efforts. Dr. Carman Neustaedter, Kodak Research Labs Anthony Tang, University of British Columbia -- Please note that this online survey company is hosted by a websurvey company located in the USA and as such is subject to U.S. laws. In particular, the US Patriot Act which allows authorities access to the records of internet service providers. This survey or questionnaire does not require you to enter personal identifiers or any information that may be used to identify you. The websurvey company servers record incoming IP addresses of the computer that you use to access the survey but no connection is made between your data and your computer's IP address. If you choose to participate in the survey, you understand that your responses to the survey questions will be stored and accessed in the USA. The security and privacy policy for the websurvey company can be found at the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/Monkey_Privacy.aspx. Next >>


text:
Rokuhan update new product available
Expand Messages
- I have been testing the new Rokuhan curved turnout R195 mm to R 220
mm, R026 and R027, wood tie, R57 R58 for Precast concrete ties. They
come set up for power routing, but as with other Rokuhan turnouts it
can be converted to non power routing by inserting two screw in the
bottom plate as shown in their instruction sheet with the screws
supplied. Rokuhan states that the only engine that does not work on
this turnout is the Tenshodo C52 (Hudson). I found that the Hudson
will transit from small radius to larger radius fine but does not like
going the other way. IN Nn3 My K27 and K28 operate fine through these
turnouts, In fact I did not find anything in my stable of Z and Nn3
that would not run through this turnout . They are available in Japan
now and should be available in North America in late April or early
May. Somebody else will have to comment on Big Boys and Challengers
and GS4's in Z.
best regards Garth
- Garth,
Thank you very much for your Rokuhan updates. Reliable curved turnouts will be an important addition to Z scale. It's too bad the tie spacing is European instead of N. American, but it seems ideal for the Nn3 railroaders. And, on a Z scale layout that is a small price to pay for reliable running.
-- Malcolm Z
MCZ Models
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Recycled accessories brand Elvis & Kresse was born in 2005, when co-founder Kresse Wesling discovered a beautiful piece of fire hose that was destined for landfill. After rescuing this fire hose and many others, she decided to create durable yet classically stylish accessories from the fabric, donating 50% of the proceeds to a charity associated with the fabric's source. Here, she talks about the origins of her business and the importance of green fashion in the coming decades.
I never thought I'd work in fashion; I wanted to be a politician. But I realised while I was at university that politicians don't really get the opportunity to get stuff done, and I'm very action-oriented – I like to fix things. Running a business is an incredible way to do that – especially one like Elvis & Kresse where I can save waste fabrics from landfill and make something beautiful from them.
I met my husband and business partner Elvis in Hong Kong about 12 years ago on a boat, he was dressed as Superman, I was dressed as Tomb Raider. It was a superheroes party. I followed him to the UK in 2004.
I have a bit of a hobby for looking through landfill sites – I'm very intrigued by them. After a chance meeting with the London Fire Brigade in 2005 I discovered they were sending a fire hose to landfill and I asked if I could go and see it.
It was so beautiful, so rich with history and potential, such an incredibly durable material. Just because there's a big massive hole in the middle of a 22m hose it doesn't mean that the other 21.9m aren't worth saving. It couldn't be used as a hose anymore but that doesn't mean it couldn't find a new life elsewhere. I was determined to find out what that life would be. I took it home with me.
We discovered that it required a lot of work to make the fire hose into a usable textile, meaning there is a huge cost embedded into it, so we had to make something that reflected that cost.
Although I never envisaged myself working in fashion, I think the luxury sector really suits me because it's the way I shop. That's why we focus our designs on absolutely classic pieces that last. When we were deciding what to make we spoke to people in Harrods and Selfridges to find out what people were buying, and discovered it was wallets and tote bags - so we decided to use our crazy, wild material to make something that's an investment beyond one season. The fire hose range is our equivalent of the original brown Louis Vuitton monogrammed luggage – it's the corner stone of our brand.
There's a mixture of ways we source our fabrics now. Sometimes I find things on an industrial estate, destined for landfill, but more often people and organisations call up with their problem waste and donate it. We only take the materials that are hard to recycle, that people are really stuck with but we also focus on taking things that have some inherent beauty and an incredible story.
What I love about fashion is that it gives you a real chance to communicate directly with the consumer. All of our pieces come with a history of the fabric and where it started its life, while 50% of every sale goes to a charity associated with the waste. The linings of our bags are made from decommissioned parachute material, so the British Forces Foundation receives a cut from that. The charitable aspect of our business is hugely important.
I think un-green, unethical fashion has had its moment. I think the only future we've got is where people respect resources and the workers involved. With the way the world is heading with raw supplies there's nothing else we can do.
Kresse Wesling was the winner of the 2012 Cartier Womens Initiative and will be speaking at the Oxford Forum on Women as Entrepreneurs on 20-21st May.
As told to Rebecca Cope