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Thursday, August 20, 2009
Deep Apologies to Facebookers and Friends afar
Its really not personal. At least, I don't mean it to be.
Its because the Facebook app steals my messages or they get lost before I finish them. Most days I am extremely interrupted at home. I only type freely on days off or at night or a bit at naptime if Frost is out. So, I really intend to do better and shall try harder because I much prefer dialogue to an endless soliloquy.
Please forgive me for now and if you really want a reply, include your email in your Facebook message. That way, I can just paste it into my gmail and respond to you there.
To those of you who know the evil truth that my email is backed up for days as well please know that I have composed emails to you in my mind. We have had conversations. We have sipped our wine. Tamsyn, David, Mum, James, Kelly, Natasha, Jeanelle, Sandy - I am thinking of you and/or emails you have sent but just never get around to writing in more than sound bites. I hope we catch up eventually.
Bizarre Injuries bring out the Seer
I was a bit OCD as a child. I thought that if I did anything I had to repeat it (MyAge+1)x or I would die. This included things like skipping, hopping over lines in the sidewalk without touching and throwing and catching a ball. It became harder as I grew older but I also had more skill so my fear of death receded over time.
I also collected numbers. I liked to keep my bus tickets (each one had a discrete serial number) and recorded the numbers that city workers left on things like fire hydrants and sidewalk access hatches. I felt that there might be some clue to life, some code that could be solved. Something that the adults were doing that they hadn't told me.
Later, I read a Roald Dhal short story about a man who has a form of extra-sensory perception that allows him to see through cards. I borrowed books on ESP from the library and spent a long time researching Kundalini and Uri Geller to see if I could read minds. For a long time I believed that I had a super-power of microscopic vision and that those little motes of fat one sees dancing across the eye were actually microscopic particles in the air that only I could see!
Anyway, after a few more decades of reading the potents in tarot cards and secret societies I have largely morphed my belief in portents into a healthy respect for the buddha's teachings and a quixotic category of "I don't know but I like to imagine" which includes looking at the stars in dark places and being SURE that Wren did so well in his last surgery because I found so many sand dollars on the beach the month before. [I found lots on Vashon before his July appointment so the significance was confirmed.]
This brings me to yesterday.
Yesterday, I received two strange injuries and they feel ominous [omen-ous?]
FIRST I was mauled by a chicken. The artifact is a large red scratch across the side of my face onto my eyelid.
SECOND I squeezed a sliver of my stomach between the upper and lower sections of a loft bed we were assembling. The artifact is a small red line of broken blood vessels.
I am really at a loss to know what the universe is telling me. Is it that I should lose weight and give people more space? Should I become vegetarian?
[ASIDE: In the bath last night I was feeding Wren his leftover beef fajita when he asked:
"What is this stuff? It look like chicken poop."
[Wren throws it on the bathmat.]
"Its beef, meat from a cow. Don't throw meat."
"A cow?"
"A cow from the shop."
"Which cow?"
"I don't know which cow."
"You went to the farm and which cow did you picked the body off?"
"No, someone else killed the cow and sold it at the shop."
"Cow is very strong. It is hard to bite it."
Anyway, I shall post a picture of my mortal injuries later. Actually, not my belly. I am not ready to post a picture of my belly yet.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tuesday being busy kind of
I felt great afterwards.
Next was Taking Wren to Art School. He was querulous when we arrived and decided it was time to go home. Now. Immediately. I told him he could go home after art class so he did one painting and then said it was time to go home. Now. Immediately. The teachers are very nice and allow parents to stay so I prepared to sit in the lounge and wait with Frost reading Farside. Wren found that too alarmingly far and cried to go home (now, etc etc) so I had to join him on the mat playing with small stuffed rodents in a basket. I played squirrel, chipmunk, beaver (rodent?) and oppossum (not rodent?). Then I played with the little people and the stuffed bears. I started to tell Wren the story of the 3 bears in a funny voice and before long I had half the preschool class gathered around involved in the story. Thankfully the teacher came over with the Three Bears story and suggested storytime so I was able to escape and am now typing this post from a spot in the shrubbery outside preschool. It is shady and there are no children in sight.
After Wren is done at preschool I will be going to the chiropractor. While I was lying on the massage table I did my best to get the masseur to tell me to stop seeing the chiropractor but she said that some bodies respond well to bone adjustment. I shall have to see how I respond. Right now I feel that I prefer the deep probing to the violent wrenching
Update on the Chiropractor
I am going to see the chiropractor a few more times but I am not sure I like her. I mean, I like her but she has really drunk the Koolaid on chiropractic work and wants to do direct debits from my checking account for a monthly total of 12 visits. Are you insane woman? Anyway, after the adjustment I feel worse than before but have failed to find any google records for chiropractors who have actually broken patients necks so it must just be a feeling I have.
I may try another chiropractor recommended by my naturopath. He doesn't see you more than every few weeks. I welcome successful chiropractor stories. Actually, I welcome any stories of chiropractors who break necks, too. It would help my though processes.
Then later on...
Later, I have someone coming over for my 3-bin-compost system (which I made with my own hands and saw and hammer in the days when I did things like that) which I donated FREE on Craigslist. The people who are taking it are going to use it in a P-Patch (community garden) in West Seattle which is a good home for it.
Later still still, I hope to meet my friend Laurie for drinks. We have tried to talk while our kids have playdates but its too hectic to speak. Those childless among you may not believe me. But it is impossible to speak sequentially while 2, 4 and 8 year olds are playing.
Follow up to the career crisis post
Thank you to all of you who responded to my earnings angst, my career crisis, my big-blob of motherhood moment. I can divide responses into two groups. The first group is from mother's who have gone through the same thing and come out the other side. They said [to paraphrase] come and talk to me, you need to work at this, its not your fault, we have been there and you will get through it]. This group includes my mother. Thank you.
The other group of responses said [to paraphrase] "you are obsessing about this and should just follow your heart and do what you are interested in love and if it doesn't work there is still the chance to do something else, life's not rigid, you are talented, you are still you, there are plenty of jobs out there. Just get one if you want." This group loosely includes my husband.
And lets just say that that sort of talk is kind but nonconstructive.
Some time ago I read a copy of Brain Child in which a writer complained that when she was at home full time the cost of her labor at home was effectively deducted from her husband's paycheck but when she wanted to go back to work the cost of the childcare was supposed to be met by her nascent employment. This makes it very hard to earn enough to make it viable to afford quality childcare.
I like the idea of organizing childcare and then getting a job but that may be unrealistic - what if the hours don't match or I can't find a job soon enough? Anyway, I am going to avoid the whole cost-of-childcare obstacle while I weigh my options.
Aside, for my mother and Josh
I know you are the only one interested in the details of my neck diagnosis. The masseur is trained as an osteopath, pilates instructor AND masseur. She says she is very pleased that all my neck symptoms 'make sense' and then explained what is wrong. Apparently I have a lot of tension across my front upper chest which you can see by my rounded shoulders which cannot pull back. This puts my neck at the wrong angle - leaning too far forward. It is also asymmetrical - probably from those years carrying Frost on one side in the sling. This means my right shoulder pulls my neck vertebra to the left where there is a lot of muscle tension. The right side overcompensates lower down to pull it back. Her goal is to open up my front breastbone area (am I a chicken or is there a better word?) and muscles so my back and neck alignment is correct. Then the muscles will stop the spasms. I need to strengthen my core muscles to help holding my chest more erect rather than slumping. My first exercise is to lie on my back on a tennis ball to work into the tight muscle under my right shoulder blade.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Golden Gardens Low Tide
Realizing this over the weekend (it is no longer light when Wren wakes before 6am) I flew into a panic to do all the summer things I had planned but have not got around to yet. This morning we made it to Golden Gardens by 8.45am for the low tide. Some of the beach firepits were still smouldering when we arrived and fishing boats were putting out from the Marina across a glassy surface of the Sound. In the distance the Olympics were a wash of pale blue with rare patches of remaining snow. The water was far out at a -1.8 foot tide. Wren loved the hermit crabs and I managed to capture a large crab in the eelgrass. He was missing one large pincer but still waved the single one around menacingly. We stroked anemones to feel their sticky arms and froze our toes off on the incoming tide. I found a tube worm that is not in our Beachcombers Guilde to PNW seashore life but it was interesting in having built itself out of shells and pebbles.
While Wren was willing to go along with the sudden urgency to Get Out and See the Sun Frost was not cheerful about it. I don't know what happened to the nature-boy who used to accompany me on all the icy low tides near dawn but he complained that beaches are sandy and lay on a towel with 3 volumes of Foxtrot comics. He asked whether coming to the beach with me instead of staying home to play screentime and read and do D&D would constitute a chore he could tick off on his weekly responsibilities. I said "no" in that kind of restrained way that means I am biting my tongue to stop saying "WTF?".
Big Orgre Fighting Guy is MINE
On the way home we visited Gary's Games for some more D&D miniatures and then had brunch at the Sunlight Diner. The boys set up all the miniatures and Wren clung to a huge evil green snake monster and a big Ogre Fighting Guy which Frost will have to reclaim in due course. I have now had my morning fix of summer treats but Frost is hoping to go bowling later and I am hoping to water the garden and do some cleaning of the garden beds while its pleasant out there. I have a few plans for fall planting (some new lavender and perhaps a tree) and have to clean out the old plants and harvest the next crop of tomatoes for canning sauce. Finally, I am going to do the weekly garbage battle.
Rant about garbage
Seattle recently switched to 'compulsory' green waste recycling. Green waste includes food scraps and recyclable food containers as well as yard waste and it gets collected weekly. While I love the idea of all that composting of city garbage it has made a lot more work in my garbage day. Now I get to drag the HUGE yard waste container weekly (instead of bi-weekly). At the same time they removed our glass bins and told us to add all the other recyclables to the one bin. My recycling bin is always overflowing by Week 2 - so much so that I lifted all 65 lbs of Frost up into the bin and asked him to jump around on it to compact it ("ew, there is GLASS IN HERE!"). That was then hauled down the stairs to the street. Finally, I have the regular garbage AND my two ancillary yard waste containers which have leaves and tree clippings. I feel like a mini city transfer center outside my house each week. At least the lack of diapers has reduced our garbage bin to a new lightness.
To add to my complaint - we have had maggots in the yard waste TWICE. They are disgusting little things that crawl up the sides and out. Why? If they could stay inconspicuous I would not object to flies breeding in my garbage but they must not Come Out. Another time, I became confused and dumped the green waste ON TOP of the recycling. Lets just say that the kitchen debris is not fresh so that was fun to sort out.
I was down at Storables yesterday and I know that I am not the only one facing these complications of our new Green Friendly Policy. The shelves with nicely screened kitchen waste collectors that you can be proud to have in your kitchen [rather than quick to eject from your kitchen] were doing quick business while I shopped for a reusable soap dispenser which Wren has claimed as some kind of weapon.
I guess summer is starting to sound like the Domestic Goddess is Ranting. I shall go and drink tea (drinking water has been one of those fall-by-the-wayside things) plus I need to continue my research into netbooks and reschedule the visit to the chiropractor I avoided by doing the beach this morning.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
You don't GO anywhere on a treadmill
What I wanted to say was that life with the boys is rambling and roaring along at a happy pace of cupcakes and chores and chickenpoop but I don't have any time to think about my own goals (can mothers have such things?). As a result I live in a perpetual state of rushing without reflection which feels like running on a treadmill over a trapdoor. At any moment I could trip the switch [ie, Wren could enter elementary school before I have my 'career back', Frost could become a teenager or something will change] and I will fall down into a huge chasm of midlife crisis.
I know its waiting.
Recently I did some googling of potential employers. Employers with whom I would like to work and would have done well pre-motherhood. I looked at PATH and the Gates Foundation (which is based only 10 minutes from my home), some non-profits with work in Africa. I also googled masters courses in public health, public administration and other areas of interest.
Instead of being productive, this made me question how I got so far from the person I think I am. You know, brainy, successful, thin, doing regular exercise and valued by clients. Me - a straight A scholarship student in everything I have ever attempted can't even qualify for a masters without doing a GRE and seem unable to make myself appear anything but aged on a resume.
Worse, the students and employees whose faces grace the pages of these colleges and employers seem to personify the Other Path - where one can be young, free and embody dedication to the cause. I would love to be dedication to the cause 3 days a week but I am finding it hard to carve out the space for myself to gather the clarity to market myself.
Am I OLD at 42?
Then there are the big questions:
1) After a substantial career break, do you try and return at a similar level or just get any job. Marketing Director to checkout chick? Its looking good at this point.
2) Should I take the risk of working in non-profits where I may earn a lot less than the private sector but could have a more meaningful long term focus? I liked earning a good salary (Josh and I had the same salaries when we married. I now earn zilch. Nada. Nothing. I can't even apply for a credit card on my own. However, I was tired of FMCG and loved the social policy side. Also, should I focus on larger corporations that offer good health benefits in case we need some supplemental cover for Wren. We don't now but who knows down the track. Smaller non-profits are unlikely to be able to cover Wren as things now stand.
3) Should I try and find 'at home' work - or contract work which would allow me to dictate more flexible hours [=returning to work as a part-time qualitative research moderator if I could]
4) Should I work full-time? [=many more options but problems with young kids]
5) Should I work part-time? [=few opportunities in professional or well paid positions. I could be a checkout chick at PCC]
This is not very productive thinking. I simply create the same list of questions every time I consider this issue. Still, if you have read this far I appreciate it. It helps to put things down somewhere.
Did I say I hadn't had time to reflect? Now I have. TICK.
Wren has been acting more like a 3-year old every day. He is much more opinionated and verbal and the outbursts of screeching have subsided. He loves to help me around the house as long as I don't ask him to. For example, if I start mopping or vacuuming without him he rushes to me and grabs at me "STOP STOP" while he gets his own mop or vacuum. However, if I ask him to pick up toys before snack / another game / books / gardening he refuses until he sees I am serious.
Frost is very into graphic novels. He is reading fairly adult cartoons and enjoys the Farside, Footrot Flats, Marvel comics and the Simpsons. He has almost finished the last of the Riordan series - The Last Olympian and will probably get back to the Warriors series (the second one) after that. He is still complaining about chores and was sulky, sad and self-recriminating when he realized he wasn't getting allowance this week because he had failed to do the required 15 chores this week. He can do things like recycling, cleaning his room, helping in the garden, checking the chicken's water and doing something extra to help but had only 9 'ticks' on his list. He is saving for Brickcon (to buy Brickarms) so he was miserable.
Anyway, its late. Its been a long day and I am always lazy at this time. I am sorry I have been a bad blogger. I am storing up posts for the time I get a moment in a coffee shop or a day when the kids are occupied. It hasn't been happening recently because my neck injury has had me using my time off for seeing doctors and a chiropractor.
Josh is in the kitchen trying to figure out what is going on with our dishwasher which is making a loud alarm signal at a time when the kids are sleeping. Last night Wren woke in the night very upset so I am not keen to disturb him again.
We bought Frost a loft bed today. It will arrive on Tuesday so we will be doing a mini-room remodel at that point.


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Thank you to Pandemic Partners Bend for creating this resource page and for Family Access Network (FAN) for sharing it in their newsletter. The resource page provides information for anyone to access information about community resources in Central Oregon. Our FAN Advocates are working harder than ever to help children and families in need. Please … Read More
Quarterly Rent Rate Newsletter
Hello! The link to our rent rate information for 3 bedroom homes in Central Oregon is below. We will continue to update this on a quarterly basis. As always, if you or your clients are curious about what a specific property would rent for, please let us know! We are happy to do a free … Read More
Our Story
For our first post we wanted to share a little bit about ourselves. Mark and I met in high school, attended colleges a couple thousand miles away from each other, then got married shortly after. Prior to moving to Bend in 2006, we taught high school and coached football and volleyball in Northern California. … Read More

subset: commoncrawl


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It's getting late, so I'm going to keep this short: My musical Thursday began with a trip to the River Stage where Sadie Hell was performing.
Sadie Hell, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 10, 2008
They sounded great, but my true destination was the Black Sheep Stage, so I only stayed for a couple of songs.
Plants and Animals, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 10, 2008
The only band I was really interested in seeing was Plants and Animals. The Polaris Prize-nominated combo had already attracted a hefty crowd. They sounded pretty sweet, but they didn't grip me live to the same degree as their debut EP.
Eli 'Paperboy' Reed, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 10, 2008
There was no one else I was particularly hankering to see that evening, just a few promising acts, the first of which was Eli 'Paperboy' Reed, and unabashedly retro performer from Boston. He's influenced by the soul and R&B music of the 1960s and has a mighty voice which he uses to good effect.
Remesha Drummers, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 10, 2008
After catching Reed I went back to the Black Sheep Stage to see The Mighty Popo. When I got there a huge crowd was covering the entire paved area in front of the stage. For a moment I was wondering if Popo had attained amazing new heights of popularity, but in fact it turned out that a good chunk of the space was occupied by Burundi's Remesha Drummers, who were knocking the crowd dead with some bouncy polyrhythms and lots of enthusiastic jumping.
The Mighty Popo, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 10, 2008
As for The Mighty Popo, he's played around town for what seems like ages, but I'm embarrassed to say this is the first time I caught his act. On another night I would have stuck around, but I was feeling a bit footloose so I walked over to the Roots Stage to see Michael Jerome Brown.
Michael Jerome Brown, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 10, 2008
I watched Brown - a short fellow in a snappy suit - run through a capable set of folk and blues accompanied by Steve Marriner and a couple of ringers from the Steve Barry band. He played covers by Bo Diddley and Tommy Johnson and a few solid originals. I wandered off again as he was rounding things up to see what was happening on other stages. I watched the kids going wild for Three Days Grace and less wild for Kid Beyond - young people these days! - then went back to the Black Sheep Stage to see Sean Kuti. But hark, what sound beckons from o'er yonder hill?
The Dynamites, featuring Charles Walker, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 10, 2008
As it turns, out, the funky rhythm was being produced by the Dynamites (and the Dynamite Horns). The funky band has brought former Chess, Decca and Champion veteran Charles Walker aboard, and they make a soulful sound much in the vein of early James Brown. It was pretty rocking, and I stuck around for half an hour or so before going back to see what Sean Kuti was up to.
Sean Kuti and Egypt 80, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 10, 2008
Young Kuti has inherited his dad Fela's band, but they didn't grab my attention like his brother Fema's outfit did last year, so I headed off.
Black Crowes, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 10, 2008
On the way out, I stopped to watch a song or two by The Black Crowes, but I can't dig the big concert scene. Small clubs are my style: The Bytown Tavern for example, about which more later. I will grant that the Crowes were making a swell psychedelic racket as I bicycled off into the night ...
Friday, July 11, 2008
As the bird flies
1 comment:
- starlagurl said...
Oh man, I wish I got there in time for more of Plants and Animals, but I was misguided...I was glad I got to hear the song about the bear waking up though...I like that one. I also hate...HATE... Eli "Paperboy" Reed...*eyeroll* He should seriously get a life...And also! The Black Crowes were AWESOME, but I'm a little biased. They could've defecated on stage, and I would've loved it. However, they didn't do that, so it was good tunes all night long...ohhhhh yeah.
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A state official says crews have made progress in putting out a large mulch fire in southern Indiana that's burning for its third day.
Indiana Department of Homeland Security spokesman David Hosick said Saturday the fire at the Fibertech plant in Mitchell was 90 percent contained. He says crews continued using heavy equipment to reach the burning sections.
Hosick says rainfall Saturday in the area about 75 miles south of Indianapolis was helping douse the fire.
Officials say more than 50 people sought treatment at emergency rooms on Thursday and Friday because of smoke-related complaints. Hosick says he had no additional illness reports Saturday but people were still being urged to avoid the smoke's path.
Fire crews could remain at the scene for a few more days.


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- preshette
- Flag Newbie
- Registered: July 12, 2010
- Posts: 2
Multiple Pro Counters
Currently, I am using the free flag counter and I love it
If I upgrade to a Pro Counter, is there a limited number of flag counters that I can create for my various sites?
Also, since I work with a partner in another country, can we share the same Pro Counter account? She works on some of the sites and I work on others but they are as one business.
- Goalzilla
- Flag Collector
- From: Lower Saxony, Germany
- Registered: October 8, 2009
- Posts: 284
Re: Multiple Pro Counters
you can use the same flagcounter on as many sites as you want, so sharing is no problem. so you dont have to buy fcpro for a complete new counter than that, that you already have.
Last edited by Goalzilla (July 12, 2010 3:51 pm)
- preshette
- Flag Newbie
- Registered: July 12, 2010
- Posts: 2
Re: Multiple Pro Counters
That's cool!!! Thank you so much for your quick reply
- •Thread Starter
- Jeremy
- Administrator
- From: United States
- Registered: August 30, 2009
- Posts: 2,734
Re: Multiple Pro Counters
You can use your Flag Counter Pro on as many sites as you like, but your visitors will not be counted separately.
Flag Counter Developer
Boardhost.com, Inc.
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Tilt wall panels are one of the most economical options for a building exterior. The concrete walls not only give a good insulation value and durable structural element, they can also be very detailed to give the building a stylish and elegant look. JAY-TON is an expert in tilt wall construction with over 20,000 panels erected. See examples below
JLA Home1,099,335sf
Port Wentworth, GA
1,000,000sf Tilt Up Distribution Warehouse with 650,000sf Paving
TBC Distribution Center1,500,240sf
Rossville, TN
1,500,000sf Tilt Up Distribution Warehouse For Tire Distributor
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Main Menu
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Beautiful waterfront lot with over 100' of frontage at Lake Carroll! Parcel is .31 acres and has fantastic lake views. Property slopes to the rear making it ideal for a walk-out lower level home! Located just 2 hours west of chicago, Lake Carroll is a private lake/golf/recreational community with a 640 acre lake, 15 mile ATV/snowmobile trail system, indoor/outdoor pool complex, 18 hole golf course with clubhouse, restaurant & pro shop, ski hill, campgrounds, tennis courts & more. All property sales subject to LCA transfer fee.
Listing provided courtesty of GARY SHELLHAUSE, FAWNRIDGE REALTY, INC.


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Bags with eyes of their own? Yes please!!!! Nothing feels better than literally having 2 pairs of eyes wherever you go, one watching ahead and the other keeping your side in check, it's an eyeful of sight! The most exciting thing about this bag is not only that gazing bags are hot on trend but the fact that they cost me close to nothing… £2.50!!! Imagine that! This is by far my coolest unexpected find whilst aimlessly browsing through ebay, I was even tempted to get them in a few more colours lol.
Along side my googly eyed beauty that I grabbed for pennies(yes I'll say it again!) I have a borrowed tie from my husband's wardrobe (Call me Cheap! Low maintenance is a virtue lol!). I find myself wanting to accessories almost all my outfits these days with mens' tie hanging loose especially stripy ones. To me they sort of add an extra something every time I incorporate them into my look. We've been on the subject of scarves and bandannas for too long I'm itching for a little variation and my mans' tie just fits the bill so why the hell not? He's probably wondering where half his stash is gone meanwhile I'm being busy styling… Wink*
Happy Mayday to you guys by the way!… it'such a relief not having to do the usual Monday madness and all, I'm talking breakfast in bed, Pj's all day and box set bingeing, food and sleep on repeat. I wonder how you'll be spending the day? Whatever happens have the chillest day ever and best wishes for the rest of the week. Thanks a lot for stopping by and I'll see you again shortly. Love Ada. X
I'm Wearing;
Bag; Ebay HERE
Sleeveless Dress; Topshop Similar HERE
Pants; Marks&Spencer Similar HERE
Sneakers; Adidas HERE
Tie; Husband's Tie Similar HERE (Or just borrow your mans' :))
Jumper; Wallis Similar HERE


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Women's Rights after the Arab Spring
Have women in Arab countries achieved greater equality since the revolutions swept the region, and which rights are yet to be won?
The revolutions that swept across the Middle East in 2011, known as "The Arab Spring," promised greater freedoms for many in the region, including women. While there have been some advances in women's rights, the promise in many cases has not been realized.
In this month's show, Women's Rights after the Arab Spring, we travel to Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey and the Gulf States to assess how and where women's rights have progressed.
Written and Edited by Martha Little / Produced by Jacob Conrad, Rob Sachs and Flawn Williams / Reporting by Kimberly Adams, Joseph Braude, Safouène Grira and Dalia Mortada/ Photos by Kimberly Adams, Amr Nabil/AP, and Gigi Ibrahim, Arrasio, and Wassim Ben Rhouma via Flickr Creative Commons Host: Barbara Bogaev for Madeleine Brand / Length: 51 minutes / Airdate: February, 2014
While the new consitutions in Egypt and Tunisia guarantee greater rights for women, the laws that keep women safe are often not enforced. Kimberly Adams reports from Cairo and Safouène Grira talks to women in Tunisia, who say violence against women and rape have become a daily concern.
Turkey has often been at the forefront of women's rights in the Middle East. But the recent rhetoric of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and more conservative social norms encouraged by the Justice and Development Party (or AKP), have raised increasing concerns about equality for women. Dalia Mortada reports from Istanbul.
While the Gulf is often considered more conservative when it comes to women's rights, attitudes may be shifting. We hear from Saudi media personality Turki al-Dakhil about which rights have been won for women in Saudi Arabia. And reporter Joseph Braude explores some gains made for women in another Gulf state, Kuwait.


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Chin Siu-ho, a former undercover cop, seeks refuge at the Wutang Mountains after suffering a serious setback. He re-encounters his martial arts senior, Yuen Qiu, who now operates an inn and martial arts school. She allows Siu-ho to stay to work as a chef and also takes in the mentally retarded Derek Kwok, who has an unknown background. The originally peaceful place is disrupted by a group of martial arts students from Hong Kong, which includes Yuen Qiu's daughter (Tavia Yeung), a champion fighter with a serious illness (Timmy Hung), a wealthy heir (Jonathan Cheung), a female personal bodyguard (Toby Leung) and a model (Regen Cheung). It turns out that Siu-ho and Tavia had already met in Hong Kong. Her reappearance brings up painful memories for him. Later, he discovers that the real purpose of her trip is to convince her mother to sell the inn to a Hong Kong corporation. Yuen Qiu deliberately injures herself and asks Siu-ho to take over as the martial arts instructor. She promises that if Tavia can win a competition within three months, she will fulfill her wish. As the course nears an end, Derek suddenly becomes normal again and recognizes Siu-ho's real identity, thereby surrounding the Wudang Mountains with great danger...
Theme Song
I like the theme song. Title is No Fear (無懼) sung by C AllStar. It's a fast an upbeat song. I like it and try to create the upbeat tempo in my piano cover. Unfortunately, my I didn't realize my webcam was vibrating and the video is shaky. My apologies for this.
Do like, Share and Subscribe to my youtube channel if you enjoy this song
Support me by making a donation to motivate me to arrange more piano covers and piano sheet for free. It takes a lot of effort, time spent to arrange the piano sheet and play it out. Just click the "Donation" button below
Hope you enjoy my arrangement for the theme song
Hou Yean Cha


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Miniaturized pacemakers with a surface consisting of a Ti alloy may have to be removed after several years from their implantation site in the heart and shall, therefore, not be completely overgrown by cells or tissue. A method to avoid this may be to create at the surface by laser-ablation self-organized sharp conical spikes, which provide too little surface for cells (i.e., fibroblasts) to grow on. For this purpose, Ti-alloy substrates were irradiated in the air by 790 nm Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser pulses at fluences above the ablation threshold. The laser irradiation resulted in pronounced microstructure formation with hierarchical surface morphologies. Murine fibroblasts were seeded onto the laser-patterned surface and the coverage by cells was evaluated after 3–21 days of cultivation by means of scanning electron microscopy. Compared to flat surfaces, the cell density on the microstructures was significantly lower, the coverage was incomplete, and the cells had a clearly different morphology. The best results regarding suppression of cell growth were obtained on spike structures which were additionally electrochemically oxidized under acidic conditions. Cell cultivation with additional shear stress could reduce further the number of adherent cells.
New miniaturized and smart medical devices are more and more used in all medical fields, including miniaturized pacemakers. Via a catheter, these miniaturized pacemakers are directly implanted into the right ventricle of the heart [1]. The pacemakers with a surface consisting of a Ti alloy may have to be removed after several years (for instance, at the end of the battery lifetime of the device) and shall, therefore, not be completely overgrown by the cells or scar tissue after implantation [2]. Cardiovascular implants consisting, for instance, of Ti or Ti alloys often have surfaces which are repellent for adsorption of proteins and cells to avoid clotting or stenosis. This is achieved by surface modification or coating with thin films [3,4,5]. The aim of these treatments is either to make the surface bioinert, to apply coatings which release pharmaceutical drugs or agents preventing adsorption of cells or proteins, or to make the surface bioactive that it can be covered by endothelial cells which form the natural linings of the blood vessels. The surface modifications are also done to suppress corrosion and fouling of the implants in the human body environment and, for applications in hard tissues, to reduce friction and wear or to increase the osteointegration [6,7,8].
Laser structuring offers a simple contactless one-step process for controlling the surface morphology of almost arbitrary materials ranging from transparent organic polymers to strongly absorbing metals [9]. Even when the irradiation is performed with a homogeneous spatial laser beam profile, repeated irradiation of the same surface spot by several laser pulses transforms the roughened surfaces via inter-pulse feedback phenomena into characteristic self-ordered surface morphologies, such as nanometric laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) [10,11,12,13] or micrometer-sized grooves and conical spikes [14, 15]. The feedback mechanism during repetitive treatments selects specific spatial periods of the roughness distribution that can absorb radiation better [16]. If laser scan processing with Gaussian beams is employed for structuring of large surface areas, the latter micrometer-sized spike structures are usually covered by the sub-micrometric LIPSS structures, resulting in hierarchical surface morphologies. The latter surfaces are often strongly hydrophobic, featuring the well-known water repellent Lotus effect [17]. The amount of different self-ordered surface structures renders various ways of particular surface functionalization possible—as demonstrated in applications for surface colorization [18], the reduction of friction and wear [19], the control of cell or biofilm growths [20, 21], or the promotion of protein adsorption [22].
Ranella et al. [23] have demonstrated that femtosecond laser-induced conical spikes on silicon surfaces can hinder the adhesion of fibroblast cells, at least for several days in culture. The laser irradiation was performed in an SF6 atmosphere and the resulting surface with the laser-induced microstructures was super-hydrophobic. The suppression of the cell adhesion was probably due to the fact that the microstructures are too dense and sharp for the cells to fill the gaps in between the spikes and that the resulting surface for cell adhesion at the structure tips becomes just too small to form enough adhesion junctions in the cell membrane. In addition, the chemical composition of the surface is important. When the surface was oxidized, it became not only super-hydrophilic, but it also could be colonized by the fibroblast cells. The confinement of the area of adhesion has also been reported for other laser-induced structures. We showed, for instance, in an earlier publication that shallow laser-induced LIPSS structures on polymers with a period of 250–300 nm restricted the cell-surface contact to the structure tops, while the cells could follow laser-induced structures with a wider periodicity [24]. These findings are in good agreement with the recent work of Yiannakou et al. [25] on femtosecond laser-induced structures on Si irradiated in water. They showed that LIPSS structures on Si with a periodicity of about 150 nm suppressed cell adhesion, while coarser (but not too sharp) laser-induced structures in the µm range could be well colonized by cells.
Titanium is like aluminum, niobium, tantalum, and others a valve metal, which forms in contact with the air or aqueous solutions at its surface a stable passive oxide film. The native thin-oxide layer can be thickened upon anodic polarization [26, 27], which, for Ti, is accompanied by a visible color change [6, 28]. This electrochemical oxide growth occurs via high-field-assisted migration of Ti cations outwards and of oxygen ions inwards. Local oxidation was performed by means of a flow-type scanning droplet cell microscope (FT-SDCM) for which the measuring head was manufactured by 3D printing [29]. The thickness, composition, crystallinity, and charge distribution of the Ti–O films influence strongly their interaction with cells and other biological materials. For instance, it has been shown that oxide layers formed by ion implantation, sputtering, or ion beam enhanced deposition provided a good hemocompatibility of Ti surfaces [30, 31]. Proteins adsorbed on an oxidized Ti substrate prior to its colonization by cells had a major influence on initiating and directing cellular activities. It has been shown that Ti–O surfaces with sponge-like texture formed by chemical oxidation of Ti films with H2SO4/H2O2 could significantly promote or limit the adhesion of specific proteins [32].
In the current work, we investigate whether it is possible to suppress cell adhesion on a Ti-alloy surface (with a similar composition as that of the casings of the miniaturized heart pacemakers) by laser-induced nano- or microstructures in combination with electrochemical surface oxidation. For the cell tests, we chose murine fibroblasts. The cell cultivation was done either under static conditions or with additional shear stress mimicking the blood stream.
Ti-alloy substrates
Commercial grade-5 Ti-alloy samples (Ti6Al4V, 3.7165) were purchased from Schumacher Titan GmbH (Solingen, Germany) as rods of 25 mm diameter. These rods were cut into circular slabs of 8 mm thickness and were mechanically polished, resulting in a mirror-like surface finish with an average roughness Ra < 10 nm. For control experiments, 1 mm-thick flat medical grade Ti6Al4V samples with an area of 20 × 20 mm2 were employed, which were purchased from Zapp Precision Metals GmbH (Schwerte, Germany).
Laser-induced microstructure formation on Ti substrates
For laser processing, a Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser amplifier system (Femtolasers, Compact Pro) was used, generating linearly polarized laser pulses (τ = 30 fs, λ = 790 nm center wavelength, f = 1 kHz pulse repetition frequency). The laser pulse energies E were measured by means of a pyroelectric detector (Coherent 3Σ, J-25LP-3A-2K head). The laser pulses were focused by a spherical dielectric mirror of 500 mm focal length.
The samples were mounted on a motorized x–y–z linear translation stage (Micos VT-80, Germany) and placed normal to the incident laser beam. In the geometrical laser focus, a Gaussian-like spatial beam profile with a radius w0 (1/e2) < 29–73 µm was measured. The corresponding peak fluence, ϕ0, in front of the sample surface was calculated via ϕ0 = 2E/(πw02). By linewise meandering movement of the sample under the focused laser beam (scan velocity vx = 0.145–0.365 mm/s, line-offset Δy = 0.015–0.05 mm), areas from 2 × 2 to 8 × 8 mm2 were processed. At these conditions, the effective number of laser pulses per focused laser spot diameter D = 2w0 (for a single laser-processing pass) accounted to Neff = (D × f)/vx [33] in the scan direction. These processing parameters corresponded to a laser peak fluence of ϕ0 ∼ 3.0 J/cm2 along with an effective number of laser pulses of Neff ∼ 400. Using an ultrasonic bath, the samples were cleaned in acetone after the laser processing.
The morphology of the laser-processed surfaces was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, Carl Zeiss Gemini Supra 40).
Contact angle measurements
To evaluate and compare the wetting properties of the unprocessed Ti-alloy surfaces with the laser-irradiated and chemically treated surfaces, contact angle measurements were performed. Prior to the measurements, the sample was rinsed with ethanol to remove possible impurities and dried. The sessile drop method was used to measure the static contact angle on the different surfaces. Each time, a droplet of 1 μl of distilled water was used. For each surface, five contact angle measurements were performed and the mean values and standard deviations were calculated.
Coverage by murine fibroblasts
Cells and cell culture
Cells from a murine fibroblast cell line, namely, LTK (ECACC 85011432, UK), were used as test system. They were grown in DMEM (Lactan, Graz, Austria) + 2 mM Glutamine (Sigma) + 10% Foetal Calf Serum (FCS, Biochrom, Berlin, Germany), supplemented with 50 U/ml Penicillin + Streptomycin (Serva, Heidelberg, Germany) in H2O-saturated atmosphere with 5% CO2 at 37 °C. They were split typically once a week at a ratio of 1:10. Finally, the cells were seeded onto the Ti-alloy samples with the laser-written microstructures, which were placed in Petri dishes, and cultivated as described above for 3–21 days.
For shear stress experiments, a home built cone rheometer with a tip angle of 5° was used. Revolution speed was adjusted yielding a shear stress of 1 dyn/cm². Cells were sheared in the incubator for 5 days.
Electron microscopy of cell covered surfaces
Cell attachment at the surface and cell morphology was evaluated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). For this, the cells were fixed with 6% glutardialdehyde (GA; Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) in PBS (phosphate buffered saline) over night followed by dehydration by means of ascending ethanol series (30, 40, 50, 70, 80, 90, 96%, 3 × 100%) 30 min each. Then, the samples were transferred into 100% hexamethyl-disilazane (HMDS; Merck). HMDS was exchanged three times. The HMDS was evaporated over night. Finally, samples were sputter-coated with gold. SEM images were obtained with a Philips SEM 525 (Philips, Germany) at 15 kV.
Figure 1 shows SEM images of laser-induced microstructures on a Ti-alloy surface after irradiation with about 400 fs Ti:sapphire laser pulses per spot at a fluence above the ablation threshold, taken at four different magnifications. The images were acquired under a tilt angle of 60°. The surface is covered by quasi-periodic conical spikes with a spacing of about 5 µm and a height of > 5 µm. Due to the linewise scanning of the laser spot, the spikes are arranged in rows, which is most obvious in Fig. 1a. The spike structures are covered by more regular parallel sub-micrometric LIPSS grating structures, resulting in a hierarchical surface morphology. The periodicity of the LIPSS grating is about 300–350 nm, which is considerably lower than the laser wavelength of λ = 790 nm. The linear polarization of the laser beam is parallel to the grating vector of the LIPSS structures.
Figure 2a shows a Ti-alloy sample after electrochemical oxidation at five spots with a diameter of about 3.5 mm. The spot 5 in the middle is hardly visible. The sample is covered by cells and is, therefore, placed in a Petri dish. The arrangement of the five spots is schematically shown in Fig. 2b. The electrochemical treatment of the different spots is described in Table 1. The oxidized spots have a gold, brown, or blue color, which correspond according to reference [6] to an oxide layer thickness of about 10, 25, or 40 nm, respectively. However, it is not clear whether those results can be directly transferred to our investigations, as it is, for instance, not clear which specific Ti-alloy composition and treatment conditions were used there. However, it is consistent that the spot 1 with the highest applied voltage (potentiostatic, 18 V) and the longest treatment time is blue and that spots 2 and 3 with potentiodynamic 0–10 V have a darker gold/brown hue than spots 4 and 5 with potentiodynamic 0–3 V. Under the same conditions, the spots treated in NaOH were darker than those treated in H2SO4.
SEM images of fibroblasts 2 weeks after seeding are shown in Fig. 3. On a flat Ti-alloy substrate without laser processing or electrochemical treatment (Fig. 3a), the cells are confluent and form dense multi-layers. The cells have an elongated shape (which is typical for fibroblasts), but show no preferred orientation over longer distances. Fibroblasts grown on areas with laser-induced conical spikes (Fig. 3b) are separated and seem to grow only on the tips of the spikes. Between the cells, there are free spaces, where the underlying laser-patterned Ti-alloy surface is visible. While it was easy to distinguish in the SEM laser-treated areas covered by cells from flat untreated areas covered by cells, the distinction between electrochemically treated areas covered by cells and flat untreated areas covered by cells was difficult, at least in the SEM images. We had to mark the visible colorized spots with scratches. A closer look, however, showed that the cells on the electrochemically treated areas (for example, in Fig. 3c) have a more pronounced shape than those on the untreated areas (Fig. 3a), which may be an indication that their density is lower. The fact that there are more spherical small cells, which are not adherent and are not integrated into the cell layers is, however, not systematic. Such cells are also visible on other places at untreated areas (not shown) and on the laser-processed area, as shown in Fig. 3b. Here, they are hard to distinguish in the SEM image from the spikes.
Figure 4a shows the schematics of the head of the FT-SDCM setup used for the electrochemical treatment. The orifice of the head had a diameter of 7 mm, which was chosen to overlap the full 4 × 4 mm2 areas of the laser processing. The arrangement of the different areas is shown in Fig. 4b. The round spots (1–5) are the five electrochemically treated spots (with the conditions in Table 1) and the black rectangles were laser processed before the chemical treatment. The black lines between the rectangles indicate the fact that the laser was not switched off when moving from one rectangle to another. The sample was large enough that water contact angle (CA) measurements could be performed on areas which were laser processed and chemically treated (LP + CT), only chemically treated (CT), or unprocessed (Ti). The contact angle value on the unprocessed Ti-alloy area (shown in grey in Fig. 4b) is about 75° ± 5°, i.e., it is moderately hydrophilic (Fig. 5a). The contact angle on the laser structured area (with no additional treatment) has a value of 113° ± 10°, that is, laser irradiation renders the Ti-alloy surface hydrophobic (Fig. 5b). The contact angle values for the five chemically treated Ti-alloy surfaces are summarized in Table 1. It can be seen that the chemical treatment made the Ti-alloy surface more hydrophilic (Fig. 5c). The contact angle measurements on the laser processed and later chemically treated areas showed that a combination of these two factors (surface roughness and chemistry) resulted in an even more hydrophilic surface. When applying a droplet of water, it immediately spread on the surface, forming a contact angle lower than 15° (Fig. 5d).
An SEM image of the rim between a laser-processed area with spikes and flat Ti surface is shown in Fig. 6a. Both areas were also electrochemically oxidized under acidic conditions (the same as spot 3 in Table 1). Clearly visible are the laser-induced microstructures at the right side of the image. Figure 6b shows the same sample at a similar position after cultivation with fibroblasts for 1 week. While on the only chemically treated flat area, the fibroblast form multi-layers with additional spherical non-adherent cells, which sometimes form clusters, only few adherent cells can be found on the right side of the image of Fig. 6b. The sample had again five spots with different electrochemical treatment conditions (i.e., those of Table 1). Regarding suppression of cell adhesion, the best result was obtained for the conditions of spot 3 in Table 1, the second best for the conditions of spot 5. For both spots, the electrochemical oxidation was performed in H2SO4 (with two different potentiodynamic voltage ranges and different scan rates). Another sample, again with five spots treated under the conditions of Table 1, was kept for 2 weeks in the cell culture and then evaluated. The results remained qualitatively the same (e.g., best suppression of cell adhesion for spot 3), even though more cells were found on the laser-processed areas. On the upper right side of Fig. 6b, there are a few adherent spread fibroblasts at the laser-processed area and also spherical small non-adherent cells. It seems that the latter are also present in the lower right side of the image, but it is again difficult to distinguish them in the SEM image from the spikes.
The suppression of the cell adhesion can be increased if the cell culture is not performed under static conditions but with additional shear stress. This is shown in Fig. 7 for a sample which was kept for 5 days in culture with a shear stress of 1 dyn/cm2, which is produced by a rotating cone in the culture dish. Again, the best result regarding suppression of cell adhesion was obtained for the conditions of spot 3 in Table 1, which is also shown in the figure. There are no adherent cells in the laser-processed area, but only spherical non-adherent cells, which sometimes form clusters. Most of the laser-processed area is completely free of cells. LIPSS sub-structures on the spikes are visible in many places of the magnified image, as shown in Fig. 7b. On the lower right edge of Fig. 7b, a closer look also reveals some fibrilar material which is most probably collagen produced by the fibroblasts, as this is typical for this cell type.
The thermal penetration depth lth for laser processing is given by lth = (D × τ)1/2, where τ is the laser pulse length and D is the thermal diffusivity [9]. In control experiments, we irradiated the Ti-alloy surfaces with λ = 284 nm KrF excimer laser pulses with pulse lengths of τ = 20 ns and a fluence above the ablation threshold and observed only surface melting without formation of conical spikes, probably due to the larger value of lth compared to femtosecond laser treatment. Just on the rim of the irradiated spots, we found sharp features (with dimensions similar to the spikes in Fig. 1), which were probably formed by re-solidified melt splashes. We seeded cells on these features and found some influence on the cell morphology and cell density, but much less pronounced than for the femtosecond laser-induced spikes, as shown in Fig. 3b. These nanosecond laser-induced microstructures were also smooth and not covered by finer LIPSS patterns, as the process for their formation is mostly thermal and the laser radiation also was not linearly polarized. Therefore, the worse results regarding suppression of cell adhesion may also be attributed to the missing LIPSS structure.
The features of the structured and oxidized Ti-alloy surface address three different aspects in cell adhesion. The flexibility of an adherent mammalian cell is limited, and therefore, it cannot follow sharp surface features like the laser-induced spikes. The contact area is limited to the tips of the spikes, which considerably weakens the possible adhesion forces. The trans-membrane adhesion proteins in the cell membrane (i.e., the integrins) are clustered to focal adhesions which have sub-µm lateral dimensions and typical distances of up to a few µm. The effect of sub-µm LIPSS structures is probably that they restrict the number of focal adhesions which are in contact with the ridges of the ripples leading also to weaker adsorption. In addition, forced unfavorable distances of the focal adhesions in the cell membrane may induce cell-internal signal pathways leading to a separation from the surface. It is assumed that the individual integrins are not connected directly to the surface of an implant or cell-culture substrate but to extra-cellular matrix proteins, which are adsorbed on the surface, either originating from the surrounding medium or produced by the cell itself. The oxidation of the surface may additionally limit the adhesion of important adhesion-promoting proteins or promote the adhesion of adhesion-limiting proteins (as suggested in [32] for various proteins) if the properties of the oxide layer are optimized for this purpose.
As we have shown in Fig. 5d, the areas with laser-induced spikes and additional electrochemical oxidation are highly hydrophilic. This is remarkable as many (but not all) bioinert surfaces, like Teflon, are hydrophobic, which may cause problems regarding clotting in contact to blood. We also tested blood and other body fluids and found that the surfaces of Fig. 5d are completely wettable by these fluids. This seems to be in accordance with the findings in the references [30, 31], which claim that oxidized Ti surfaces are hemocompatible.
We performed our cell test with fibroblasts and not with endothelial cells, which form the natural inner linings of blood vessels, because the histological analysis of the tissue around an encapsulated pacemaker in reference [2] revealed that it consisted mainly of scar tissue, i.e., of fibroblasts and extra-cellular matrix proteins like collagen produced by these cells. Murine fibroblasts from cell lines are renowned for their excellent adhesion properties. Thus, it can be expected that a surface which is repellent for these cells also repels primary adherent cells of this and other cell types.
The shear stress experiments reported here were performed at a rather low shear stress rate of 1 dyn/cm2 compared to 5 dyn/cm2, which is a typical value for the venous system. We expect that in vivo, in the body blood stream, non-adherent cells and also extra-cellular matrix material would be washed away even more efficiently than in our in vitro experiments at low shear rates, where we already see clear effects.
For the application with the implantable miniaturized pacemakers, one would probably only pattern a relatively narrow ring around the casing of the pacemaker with laser-induced spikes. As it is shown schematically in Fig. 8a, this ring should control the depth of the ingrowth of the implant into the heart wall. Probably, one would arrange the rows of the spikes around the casing perpendicular to the axis.
The Ti-alloy TiAl6V4 is often used for medical implants. We showed that femtosecond laser irradiation of that material can result in the formation of sharp conical spikes which are covered by sub-wavelength laser-induced periodic surface structures. We could demonstrate for the first time that in combination with electrochemical oxidation, these structures form a cell-repellent surface which is also hydrophilic. These surfaces may have interesting applications in the field of medical implants or prostheses, which have to be removed from the body some time after the implantation or which should be overgrown only partially.
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Open access funding provided by Johannes Kepler University Linz. This work was supported by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG under Grant No. 853390 ("LaMiCellPro") and the EU Horizon 2020 FETOPEN programme by project "LiNaBioFluid" (Grant Agreement No. 665337). Financial support by the Austrian Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth and the National Foundation for Research, Technology and Development is also gratefully acknowledged (Christian Doppler Laboratory for Combinatorial Oxide Chemistry). The authors would like to thank S. Benemann (BAM 6.1) and H. Habibzadeh (JKU IAP) for SEM characterization and S. Binkowski (BAM 6.3) for polishing the titanium samples. We also want to thank D. Bäuerle for initiating this cooperation and Medtronic Österreich GmbH for the interest in our investigations.
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Heitz, J., Plamadeala, C., Muck, M. et al. Femtosecond laser-induced microstructures on Ti substrates for reduced cell adhesion. Appl. Phys. A 123, 734 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-017-1352-0


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4 Steps to Implementing a Solid Marketing Plan for the New Year
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Year of release: 2009
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan, Geraldine James, Kelly Reilly, William Hope, William Houston
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Synopsis:Guy Ritchie's new film following "RocknRola" and "Revolver" is a story about Sherlock Holmes, based on the famous character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but not an adaptation of one of his books per se. The film follows Sherlock Holmes and his partner in solving crimes, Dr. Watson as they face a superlative villain, Lord Blackwood. Holmes and Watson are this time facing a criminal who claims to use the occult to trick death and who wants to rule England (and the world by extension). To make matters worse, Holmes also has to deal with the reappearance of Irene Adler, whom he was romantically involved previously. All these characters intersect in a plot filled with conspiracies, all for Holmes to tackle and sort out. Guy Ritchie has approached this film in a very muscular/action oriented way - this isn't the Sherlock Holmes from BBC with Jeremy Brett. This Sherlock Holmes has the wit and sarcasm, but also the physicality to employ it when needed. This modernization of Sherlock Holmes is however it's biggest downfall, since it makes the film feel just like most action films, except for the period setting. Having explosions, boxing matches with slow motion editing, doesn't add anything to a film about a character who surpasses these cliches. The strongest point for the film is the great cast: the always talented Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law do a good job embodying these characters. Rachel McAdams doesn't have much to do and Mark Strong is as always competent playing the villain. Forgettable.


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At least one person has been killed, and another four wounded, following two separate shootings, in the US state of Texas.
One person is dead and four others have been hospitalised after two separate shooting incidents in the Texan city of Austin, police say.
Both crime scenes are now secure, Austin police say, after earlier reporting an "active shooter incident".
The shootings happened in the city's entertainment district.
Categories: North America, Texas, United States, World


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Firstly, the statement about the originality of the venture is completely false.
Indeed. See also: Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen.
I'm not sure what the problem is here. Hype and made-up stories in order to gain success. It's nothing new. I'd wager that most of us would have to throw out a sizable chunk of our music collections if we really objected to stuff like this going on.
One thing that springs to mind is surely these internet gigs must have been shit if they were live. I've never seen streaming video that looked and sounded decent without constantly needing to rebuffer.
What's really annoying is that KT Tunstall (who I love) is in her thirties, and been scraping a living making music all over the place for many many years, in crappy little pubs, obscure fests and the like, learning her trade, and she's just now (at an advanced age for the music business) got people to recognise how good she is (whether you agree is perhaps a subject for a different thread). Then along comes some PR machine to announce that they've found 'THE NEW KT TUNSTALL!', who's been performing, er, in her flat. For a bit.
When i heard the song, i honestly thought it was a joke as there is nothing to it and, also, it has some of the WORST lyrics ive heard in a very long time. Something very 'weak' and 'schoolgirlish' about it.
QuoteWhat's really annoying is that KT Tunstall (who I love) is in her thirties, and been scraping a living making music all over the place for many many years....This is the thing though, from what I can gather Sandi Thom has actually paid her dues (if not to the same extent as Tunstall) over the last couple of years
What's really annoying is that KT Tunstall (who I love) is in her thirties, and been scraping a living making music all over the place for many many years....
Who needs 'the new KT Tunstall' when we've only just realised that the 'old' one is fucking brilliant? One album, one Ivor Novello award. We don't need a 'new' one, ta.
Exactly- airy-fairy, faux-naive nonsense that positively reeks of cynical, committee-based songwriting.
On the plus side, on almost every other forum "friends" of Thom's have been leaping forward to defend her. I'm really happy to see that on here, all we get is someone saying "A friend knew her, and she was a horrible grumpy old cow". Things like that make me realise why I post on here...
The whole basis for Thom's success is essentially fraudulent.
When record shops were still on topAnd vinyl was all that they stocked
And footballers still had long hair and dirt across their face
When music really mattered and radio was king, When accountants didn't have control And the media couldn't buy your soul And computers were still scary and we didn't know everything
I was born too late to a world that doesn't care Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
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Council to transfer ownership of beach access mat
A NOT-for-profit disability group will take ownership of the council's beach access mat after revelations it had only been used 10 times since January last year.
Documents from Fraser Coast Regional Council reveal ownership will be handed over to disability organisation Community Lifestyles Agency.
Councillors will vote on the proposal today.
"For 27 years they have provided support to people with a disability locally," council documents read.
"They are committed to providing a sustainable community service by ensuring the mat is available by prior arrangement all year round."
A location near Fishermans Park in Urangan has been proposed as the new roll-out spot.
Acting Mayor George Seymour said the mat was being handed over so it could be made available as much as possible.
He told the Chronicle the mat had only been used about 10 times since it was purchased in January 2017.
"A really central part of living on the Fraser Coast is having access to the beach," Cr Seymour said.
"It's a real shame if people aren't able to access the beach because of their disabilities.
"Community Lifestyles Agency is an organisation better placed to know where and when to roll it out."
Cr Seymour said the mat served no purpose if it was left "rolled up in the shed".
Fraser Coast Regional Council rolled out the mat after its purchase with volunteer assistance from FSG Australia, Headspace, the Endeavour Foundation and CLA.


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IoT Agenda
Internet of Things (IoT) Standards and Certifications
IoT to grow out of awkward adolescence in 2018 and other trends for the new year- infiswift 10 Jan 2018
Why governments must take the lead on IoT security frameworks- PwC 09 Jan 2018
Evolution of wireless: Marching toward interoperability and simplicity- Bluetooth Special Interest Group 08 Jan 2018
It will be 2018 in which IoT grows up and offers true innovation. Infiswift's Arup Barat discusses this and more IoT trends for the coming year.
To solve the IoT security issue, a basic yet detailed and continuously updated IoT security framework must be put in place for innovators to build on, says PwC's Marin Ivezic.
Bluetooth SIG's Jim Katsandres explains where the wireless revolution started and how it is evolving to handle the IoT landscape of the present and future.
Wired to wireless: The next big change in advanced metering infrastructure and connected societies- Delta Energy & Communications 04 Jan 2018
802.11s will allow us to rethink how wireless networks are designed in individual homes and businesses and, eventually, communities and smart grids.


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Sr. KG: Highlights Of The Fortnight.(2nd-11th January)
Circle Time:
- Good morning dear Earth
- Each like a petal, of one great flower
- The north wind came along one day
- Little golden leave
- Jingle bell , jingle bell jingle all the way..
- New year
- Laal peeli kaali neeli
Phonological Awareness :
- Rhyming words
- Blending
- Alliteration picnic basket
Read aloud:
Read aloud from Sr. KG monthly book list.
Closing circle story:
The tale of 3 fishes
UOI 1 : Celebrations
- Transdisciplinary theme: How we express ourselves
Central idea: Celebrations and traditions are expressions of shared beliefs and values.
- Drama presentation for Uttarayan, Lohri & Pongal.
- Uttarayan, Lohri & Pongal~ Story, significance, traditions and symbols were catered.
UOI 2 : Games
- Transdisciplinary theme: Who we are
Central idea: Games can enhance our understanding about us
- Tuning in to the unit through PPT.
- P.E. integrated slot for various games (Langdi, Throw ball, Rugby) .
- Formative Assessment
- Introduction of skip count by 10
- Introduction of number names 51-60
- Revision of taught digraphs (Identification of digraph, blending and segmenting of taught words)
- Introduction of /oi/ digraph through a story
- /oi/ song and action
- Blending and segmenting of /oi/ words
- Dictation of /oi/ words
- Word list: "oi"
|oil, boil, soil, coin, joint, point, spoil, spoilt, boiling, spoilsport, foil, coil, toilet, tinfoil, oilcan
- Mixed bag dictation of digraph words
- Parking game
Language: Uppercase and lowercase alphabet writing worksheet.
Math: Write – Number names 41-50 (once) in the notebook.
Important note:
- Kindly note that during the winter season, thermals (only black or white or grey color) can be worn inside the school uniform.
Have a festive weekend! Wishing you all a very happy Uttarayan, Lohri and Pongal!
Sr KG Team


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I was doing a little Facebook "clean up" involving tweaking privacy settings on a few things.*
The "quotes" sections on my profile caught my eye:
"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions."– Albert Einstein
"If you bake a bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man's hunger."– Kahlil Gibran (in The Prophet) (On 'Labour with love")
"The wisdom which a wise man tries to communicate always sounds foolish."– Hermann Hesse (in Siddhartha)
Carefully selected and reproduced years ago (at least 12 years back, when I joined Facebook) I am very happy to report that these are words that I continue to abide by.
There are many new dimensions to my beliefs, which have slowly crystallized over the the past decade. I might update this quotes section with some of those. In fact, I just went ahead and updated it with the quote which appears in the header of this blog:
I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string." – Lucy Maud Montgomery
* – Last year I had changed my date of birth settings to be completely private. The bittersweet consequences of this little act of rebellion will need a post by itself. With my learnings from last year, and with the knowledge of the surprising (to me) fragility of my heart, this year I have changed the setting so as to hide the year of birth, but still show the date and month to Facebook "friends".


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A look under the front hood of the blue metallic Lamborghini Diablo Alpine edition ...
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Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV
Get excited about the 2017 Nissan Maxima. With fewer than 25,000 miles on the odometer, this 4 door sedan prioritizes comfort, safety and convenience. Smooth gearshifts are achieved thanks to the 3.5 liter 6 cylinder engine, and for added security, dynamic Stability Control supplements the drivetrain. All of the premium features expected of a Nissan are offered, including: delay-off headlights, power front seats, speed sensitive wipers, a built-in garage door transmitter, an automatic dimming rear-view mirror, heated seats, and 1-touch window functionality. Features such as automatic climate control and leather upholstery prove that economical transportation does not need to be sparsely equipped. Premium sound drives 8 speakers, providing you and your passengers a sensational audio experience. Passengers are protected by various safety and security features, including: dual front impact airbags with occupant sensing airbag, head curtain airbags, traction control, brake assist, anti-whiplash front head restraints, a panic alarm, and 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS. This car was designed with safety in mind, allowing you to drive with even greater assurance. It also arrives with a Carfax history report, providing you peace of mind with detailed information. Our aim is to provide our customers with the best prices and service at all times. Stop by our dealership or give us a call for more information.


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Mr. Pharmacist Plays The Fall and More, Back to The 80's at the Linsmore!
Saturday night part of Back to the 80's Month at the Linsmore Tavern, Mr. Pharmacist makes their triumphed return playing an evening of The Fall and more! These guys are absolute MONSTERS and put on one helluva a show to a capacity crowd every time they play the Linsmore Tavern. The Fall released 8 studio albums throughout the 1980's and has a huge Cult following, which is evident every time Mr. Pharmacist plays the Linsmore Tavern! Not only are you getting to see Mr. Pharmacist rock the house this Saturday night, but the show is for free!! That's right, there is no cover, which is extremely rare for a Saturday night at the Linsmore Tavern! The show starts at 9:30pm!


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| 13.1°C Dublin
So there I was, luxuriating in the hotel's warm, wine-scented bubble bath with classical music playing in the background. After about 20 minutes I had almost dozed off, when my blissful reverie was shattered. "Finished!" announced the no-nonsense Hungarian lady, as she yanked out the plug and extended a hand to haul me out of my bubbly heaven and back into the cruel world.
Well not too cruel, as it happens, given that I was in beautiful Budapest for the weekend. My wine (or beer, if you prefer) bath took place in the Danubius Health Spa Resort on the island of Margitsziget (Margaret Island), after I had enjoyed bubbling in the hotel's thermal baths and jacuzzis. Thermal spas are big in Budapest, and while mine was indoors, I saw some amazing outdoor ones at Szechenyi, where hardy souls braved the freezing air temperature to enjoy the spa's rejuvenating qualities. I was getting goose-pimples just looking at the men in their Speedos and it wasn't for any kinky reasons -- it was bloody freezing out! It was, however, that crisp, dry cold that is so much better than the damp weather we get here.
The outdoor skating rink was being erected when we arrived, and the spirit of the festive season was very much in the air. We headed straight for the legendary Christmas market at Vorosmarty Square in the heart of Budapest, which runs every year from mid-November to the end of December. The market is very pretty, with cottage-style wooden stalls and the smell of traditional honey cookies, mulled wine and cinnamon permeating the air. All kinds of lovely things are on sale.
My companions were berating me for not being dressed for the cold weather, so when I happened upon a stall selling the prettiest hand-made hats and scarves, I bought myself a set to shut them up. Knitted from cosy black wool with multi-coloured bobbles on one side of the hat and at the end of the scarf, I thought it was a bargain at €7.20. Until I realised later that I had actually paid €72 for the set -- there were 331 Hungarian forint to the euro that day and maths was never my strong point.
To recover from the shock, I had a delicious, warming hot chocolate in the famous Gerbeaud's pastry shop, (www.gerbeaud.hu). Alas, having given up cakes and sweets for 2011, I was unable to partake as my companions tucked into the most fabulous-looking concoctions -- never has my resolve been so sorely tested.
The great thing about going to Budapest for the weekend is that the Malev Airlines' flights are so perfectly timed. You could fly out on Friday morning at 7.30 and return home on Sunday on a 7.30pm flight -- all year around, seven days per week.
There is so much to see and do in Budapest. I would highly recommend the Legenda sightseeing tour by boat along the Danube (www.legenda.hu). For €16.30, you get to cruise along the extremely pretty illuminated river, while enjoying a complimentary glass of sparking wine and listening to headphones that give a guided tour of all of the sights you are enjoying.
Everyone loves the architecture in Budapest, of course, but I am more of a fan of lights, and I thought the illuminated bridges, castles and palaces were so beautiful.
We transferred to another boat for dinner afterwards, to dine at a restaurant called Spoon Cafe, where we had a lovely evening meal on board.
After that, it was back to our gorgeous hotel, the very centrally located four-star Danubius Astoria, which has an underground train station just outside its door. We went downstairs to the bar for a nightcap, and it was as if we had stepped back in time as men and women waltzed and tangoed around the dance-floor.
It was like something out of a film, we decided, and as the dance partners seemed to change pairings frequently, we had great fun trying to work out who was actually romantically involved!
Dinner the following evening was at Gundel (www.gundel.hu), the most prestigious restaurant in Hungary. Very beautiful, it has played host to the likes of Pope Benedict, the Queen of England and a host of celebrities.
Having nosily inspected the gorgeous rooms available for private functions, we sat down for a sumptuous dinner in the lavish dining-room, where we were serenaded by a group of classical musicians. They decided to throw in a few Irish jigs towards the end of the evening when they discovered we were from Ireland, and soon everyone was up dancing and doing what can only be described as a dubious version of Ballai Luimnigh. I would safely say that the good people of Gundel had never seen the likes of it in their lives!
After this debacle, we went to Szimpla Kert, one of the city's famous Ruin pubs (www.ruinpubs.com). Ruin pubs were established at the beginning of the 21st Century in the tenement houses and factory buildings doomed to destruction. They were equipped with the rejected furniture of old community centres, cinemas, and private flats, and became popular social haunts among the youth of Hungary. We loved Szimpla, where there was so much to look at and take in, from a black-and-white film showing on a screen suspended from the ceiling, to food vendors, all sorts of crazy-looking decorations and statues. From the very posh Gundel, to this most enjoyable madness, it was safe to say that there was something to suit all tastes in Budapest. Which kind of sums it up really -- no matter what it is that you are looking for, Budapest is the place that will provide you with the answers.
Andrea travelled to Budapest courtesy of Malev Airlines, The Hungarian Tourist Board and Danubius Hotels. Malev operates flights year round from Dublin to Budapest up to seven days a week. Promotional fares from Dublin to Budapest start at €149 return -- for full details see your travel agent or visit www.malev.com
Prices for the four-star Danubius Hotel Astoria, until March 31, 2012, are from €69 for a standard room and €79 for a deluxe room, including VAT and local taxes. Special offers of "Stay 3, pay 2" or "Stay 4, pay 3" are available during this period with the following extras: (1) free admission to one of three historic spas (Szechenyi, Gellert, Rudas) (2) Budapest Card -- for the price of a 48-hour card, you get a card for 72 hours. www.danubiushotels.com/ astoria or contact +36 1 889 6061
Sunday Indo Living


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These are such a surprise–much needed and much appreciated. Thank you Michael Alex Artis! Happy Feet!!!
Good Morning Michael,
Thank you very much for my surprise gift of Saucony Walking Shoes. The fit is perfect because I purchased a pair from Amazon.com September 2012. They are shot, but the best walking shoes I had. That until today. These feel SO MUCH better. They will make a BIG difference in my walking. Now, I look forward to doing so.
Again, thank you Mike!!!
I love you!!!


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Review & Giveaway! The Mistress by Tiffany Reisz
The Mistress (The Original Sinners #4) by Tiffany Reisz
Harlequin MIRA (July 30, 2013)
Heroine: Nora Sutherlin - Writer, Switch
Hero: Soren Stearns - Priest, Sadist
Hero: Kingsley Edge – King of Kink, Switch
Hero: Wesley Railey – Prince of Kentucky, Vanilla
There's punishment-and then there's vengeance.
Nora Sutherlin is being held, bound and naked. Under different circumstances, she would enjoy the situation immensely, but her captor isn't interested in play. Or pity.
As the reality of her impending peril unfolds, Nora becomes Scheherazade, buying each hour of her life with stories-sensual tales of Søren, Kingsley and Wesley, each of whom has tempted and tested and tortured her in his own way. This, Nora realizes, is her life: nothing so simple, so vanilla, as a mere love triangle for her. It's a knot in a silken cord, a tangled mass of longings of the body and the heart and the mind. And it may unravel at any moment.
But in Nora's world, no one is ever truly powerless-a cadre of her friends, protectors and lovers stands ready to do anything to save her, even when the only certainty seems to be sacrifice and heartbreak....
When we last saw our dear and delightful Nora in The Prince, she had just been taken hostage by a deranged ghost. A person long thought dead by Soren and Kingsley has reappeared and has only one thing on their mind: vengeance. Our not-so-dead ghost also has a fondness for story time. And who better to tell stories than Nora? Through her stories, we become privy to some of Nora's - and thus Soren, Kingsley, and Wesley's – most intimate moments.
And each one of our beloved Sinners are put through hell in this book. Their worlds are shaken up, threatened, and we have to sit by and watch them struggle and suffer. See how they handle it. Who they turn to, what they do... Grief and fear cause some interesting reactions in them. Some very, very interesting reactions…
The scenes – both present and past – between Nora, Kingsley, and Soren are the heart of this tale. Seeing the history, the love, between Nora and Soren or Kingsley and Soren… finding out exactly why Nora and Kingsley have a love/hate relationship… was all very tender and beautiful and complicated. These three have one wild, passionate, all-consuming love.
Plus, I will take each and every sentence said by or about Soren and treasure them with all my heart. Soren is, quite simply, amazing. Over the course of this series, he has been a lot of things—intimidating, provoking, dark and compelling. Sexy (oh, so, sexy!). An enigma that I'm compelled to figure out. With each book, a little more of him has been revealed. The Mistress is no exception. And while Soren is still very much a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma—he's become more human. More flesh and blood. No matter how perfect I think he is, he's still fallible. Especially since Nora is his biggest weakness.
There are a lot of points-of-views in this story—Nora, Kingsley, Wesley, Grace (Zach's wife), and Laila (Soren's niece). Usually too much view point switching leaves me feeling a bit schizophrenic and disjointed but, honestly, I cared for each characters story within the story. I wasn't sure that I'd care for Grace or Laila but I did. Laila in particular, since she had a unique view and insight on Nora and Soren. Each view truly added to the story, it didn't detract or distract.
The Mistress was emotional, engaging, suspenseful, sexy—you name it, Reisz gives it to us. Since The Mistress is the final book in this particular story arc, I will say that I am 99% happy with the way things end. One not-so-small part has me wriggling in my seat, anxious and sad and worried and generally discomfited. Okay, kind of depressed too. But also oddly happy. (You'll see what I mean…) Miz Reisz absolutely kills me with the ending. She always does, so I shouldn't be surprised. I'd say that she's evil if I didn't enjoy it so much. I love the way her mind works, how she never gives us what we expect—but always exactly what we need. That sums up The Mistress for me almost perfectly.
Now bring on The Priest!
Favorite Quote:
Outside the bedroom, he was all euphemisms and elegance. Once she started "sharing his bed," she discovered the gentleman outside the bedroom turned into a savage inside it, inside her. Sex with Soren was raw, brutal and merciless, and she'd loved it, reveled in it, couldn't get enough of it, enough of him.
About the Author
Tiffany Reisz lives in Lexington, Kentucky with her boyfriend (a reformed book reviewer) and two cats (one good, one evil). She graduated with a B.A. in English from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky and is making both her parents and her professors proud by writing BDSM erotica under her real name. She has five piercings, one tattoo, and has been arrested twice.
When not under arrest, Tiffany enjoys Latin Dance, Latin Men, and Latin Verbs. She dropped out of a conservative southern seminary in order to pursue her dream of becoming a smut peddler. Johnny Depp's aunt was her fourth grade teacher. Her first full-length novel THE SIREN was inspired by a desire to tie up actor Jason Isaacs (on paper). She hopes someday life will imitate art (in bed).
If she couldn't write, she would die.
|Find Tiffany Online:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Tour-wide Giveaway!


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Hold the Holy Land close to your heart wherever you are. Beautiful Cross Pendant, produced from genuine, natural Holy Land Olive Wood from the Holy Sites such as Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee in the Holy Land. These same Olive Trees served a major Historic role, shading the paths on which the "Footsteps of Jesus", stepped on while he made his historic journeys all over and the Holy Land of Israel, while sawing the seeds of the Roots of Christianity. Engraved with "JERUSALEM" on it, this hand-made, truly beautiful, unique and authentic gift / souvenir is for all who are yearning to experience connection with the most sacred religious sites in the World – the Holy Land. Each product is supplied with an unconditional Holy Land Certificate of Authenticity.
Cross Pendant size: length 9.5 centimeters / ~ 3.7 inches.


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Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas mark 4. Thoroughly grease 4 ramekins.
Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the flour and cook gently for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously. Gradually add the milk, stirring all the time, until you have a smooth sauce.
Remove from the heat and stir in the grated Leerdammer. Cool slightly and add 2 of the egg yolks, beating well to form a smooth, glossy, thick sauce.
In a large clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff, and then gently fold into the mixture using a large metal spoon. Add seasoning to taste.
Spoon the soufflé mixture into the prepared ramekins and bake for 15-20 minutes or until well risen and golden brown.
Serve immediately for a delicious starter or light lunch with a side salad.
Cook's tip: For a perfectly-risen soufflé it's important to heat the oven before baking and try not to open the oven door until the soufflés are almost cooked. They can be left in the oven for a few minutes once cooked as long as the heat is turned down low.


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The Second Age was the period of time where the cosmos began to evolve into separate elements.
The Kuei-jin and Hsien refer to it as the Second Age of the Great Cycle or the Age of Beauty, when the Middle Kingdom and Spirit Courts were still close together. The Hengeyokai speak of the Age of the Ten Thousand Things, where the San Yuan, the Triat, was brought into existence and life as it is known today was formed. The Chi'n Ta similarly speak of the creation of the Metaphysic Trinity in the form of the Three Ministers, who supervised the formation of the Five Elements which would give way to the Ten Thousand Things.
The Second Age ended with events identified with the Severing, the appearance of the Yama Kings and the formation of the Wan Xian.
- KOTE: Kindred of the East Rulebook, p. 13, 43-44
- WTA: Hengeyokai: Shapeshifters of the East, p. 26-27
- MTAs: Dragons of the East, p. 40
- CTD: Land of Eight Million Dreams, p. 19-20


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Need a low voice with gravitas? That's me! Need a cute toddler
voice? Also me! And what about something even lower or something in between? That's right, me again!
Narration, commercials, telephony, video games, promos, podcast intros and outros are all in my realm of professional experience.
My goal is to give voice to your projects on time and as you envision it.
So, what are we waiting for?
Let's get to work make me your hourly voice over talent!


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We are migrating towards a new forum system located at community.teamspeak.com, as such this forum will become read-only on January 29, 2020
Did the Creators Update today and TS will not load. No error message nothing just won't load. Tried to reinstall, same result.
Last edited by dante696; April 10th, 2017 at 09:21 AM. Reason: merged
After updating to Windows Creators Update teamspeak doesnt work. Same as higher described
Last edited by dante696; April 12th, 2017 at 10:04 PM. Reason: moved to right thread
It seems to be incompatible with the Windows update.
It seems that the windows Update does mess around with users permissions.
Try to create a new windows User and start the client from there.
Or Update to client 3.1.4 to make sure your Nvidia driver does not cause any conflict.
When sending me private messages: Please make sure to include reference link to your forum thread or post.
TeamSpeak FAQ || What should i report, when i open a client thread?
Hi there,
Just update windows with Creator Update and TS 3.1.4 doesn't start anymore. Nothing happening when I launch TS.
I tried reinstalling with a new config, with no success but it works with a second user. I tried to copy the files from second user to my main session but it doesn't work.
I have an AMD graphic card. Please Help me.
I have exactly the same issue.. Windows just updated and amongst a number of things that needed attention. TS3 does not work. Although it does say it is running in Task Manager (and using approx 20% of my CPU.
I have tried all of the above potential solutions, but none of them work. (another person with an amd graphics card, with the drivers up to date before the win update). Everything was working fine before this Creators update.
Please help.
i had the same issue after install win10 creators update the ts3 client does not start and stuck with 25% cpu (1 core) and no error mesages
tried start the update.exe noting work
then i changed the security setting from ts3client.exe (right click on properties then security tab)
there are as default 3 Users
-Administrator (YourPCNAME\Administrator)
-YourUsername (Yourpcname\User)
The first 2 have fullaccess
the last not after give them fullaccess it works
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)


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Twitter Introduces 360-Degree Video Live Streaming
Twitter just took a huge step in unveiling 360-degree line-video support through Periscope.
Twitter just took a huge step in unveiling 360-degree line-video support through Periscope.
Trade shows provide a unique opportunity to network, make new business connections, and build a brand. And it's no secret that these days, social media apps have begun playing a major role in trade shows—allowing both attendees and non-attendees to stay on top of all the goings-on at each event.
However, it seems as though the way exhibitors use social media in trade shows is once again changing, as less conventional social media applications such as Instagram, Periscope, and Snapchat are being used in innovative ways.
Conventional Apps and Trade Shows
As far back as the mid-2000s, social media has been used at trade shows and continues to be used today. For example, Twitter has become a popular platform; trade show attendees regularly use it to send "tweets" re-capping memorable takeaways from presentations and different exhibits. In other words, Twitter—along with its use of hashtags—has served as a sort of collaborative note-taking platform for trade show…Read more…
By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information


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These two-bite quintessential cocktail-party scallops never get old. The bacon adds nice smoky flavor, but you can also prepare this recipe with prosciutto or pancetta. Slideshow: More Scallop Recipes
How to Make It
Preheat the oven to 425°. Set a rack in a rimmed baking sheet.
Season the scallops with salt and pepper and wrap each in 1 slice of bacon, securing it with a toothpick. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with the butter. Roast for 18 to 20 minutes, until the bacon and scallops are cooked through. Serve warm.


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Table of Hope: The Table of Hope is a ministry associated with the First United Methodist Church in Weirton, WV, that provides free meals and hope to people in need. If you would like to donate there is a con on the table outside the office. Thank you for your donation!
Bible Study: The Tuesday afternoon Bible Study with Susan Spencer-Smith in the Paris Presbyterian Coffee House. This study is open to all, no homework is assigned, and you may attend regularly or occasionally as your schedule permits. Class time is 1-2 PM and features Bible study and group discussion.
Reminder class will be on break through Advent and Christmas.
Mat Class:
Every Thursday from 10:00 am-11:00 am we have a group of women from the
community who come together here at the Church and make mats for the homeless. They
are in need of volunteers to come crochet mats. If you are unsure how to
crochet don't let that stop you from coming. We will teach you. If you have any
questions, please contact the office at 724-729-3450.
Work Wednesdays: Building and Ground Crew meets 6 P.M.
Christian Ed: We are in need of volunteers to help teach the kids on Sundays. If interested please contact Rev. Tina.
Outreach: Meets the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm. Come and share your ideas for ways we can minister to our community.


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It seems that more government workers are retiring, which is leaving a void in this workforce. Find out what problems now exist in the following post.
The long awaited mass of retirements is finally hitting the federal government sector, but it comes at a time when attrition is high, budgets are tight and salaries are frozen, causing a number of workforce issues for agencies, Federal Times reports.
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Top Internships for Students
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