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Greece Euro 2012 Team Chances
Greece stunned the football world in 2004 when they became European Champions after defeating host nation Portugal 1-0 in the Final. Greece had pre-tournament odds of 100/1 as they sprung the biggest shock in European Championship History. They were unable to repeat this success in Euro 2008, losing all three games as they finished bottom of their group.
Greece were placed in Euro 2012 Group A with co-hosts Poland, Russia and the Czech Republic. Fernando Santos' men drew 1-1 with Poland in the tournament's opening match. They were then defeated by Czech Republic 2-1 meaning they went into their last game against group favourites Russia needing a win. Against the odds they managed to upset their opponents and sneak a win and finishing runners-up to Czech Republic in Group A.
The 2004 champions currently have long odds of 50/1 in the Euro 2012 Betting.
Greece Euro2012 Fixtures and Results
The three Group A matches that Greece are involved in:
8th June 2012
Poland 1-1Greece - National Stadium, Warsaw (Opening Match)
12th June 2012
Greece 1-2 Czech Republic - Municpal Stadium, Wroclaw
16th June 2012
Greece 1-0 Russia - National Stadium, Warsaw
Key Players
The Greeks have no stand-out players but they work hard as a team to crave out results. They have an inspirational captain in Giorgos Karagounis and striker Angelos Charisteas who has 25 goals for his country.
Greece European Championships Previous Form
Greece were the shock winners in 2004.
Greece Squad
Greece's 23-man squad for Euro 2012:
Michalis Sifakis
Kostas Chalkias
Alexandros Tzorvas
Vassilis Torossidis
Kyriakos Papadopoulos
Sokratis Papastathopoulos
Avraam Papadopoulos
José Holebas
Giorgos Tzavellas
Stelios Malezas
Kostas Katsouranis
Giorgos Karagounis
Giannis Maniatis
Giorgos Fotakis
Grigoris Makos
Giannis Fetfatzidis
Sotiris Ninis
Kostas Fortounis
Dimitris Salpingidis
Giorgos Samaras
Fanis Gekas
Nikos Liberopoulos
Kostas Mitroglou
Greece Group F Qualification Results
- Greece 1-1 Georgia
- Croatia 0-0 Greece
- Greece 1-0 Latvia
- Greece 2-1 Israel
- Malta 0-1 Greece
- Greece 3-1 Malta
- Israel 0-1 Greece
- Latvia 1-1 Greece
- Greece 2-0 Croatia
- Georgia 1-2 Greece


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Excerpt: The University of California today (Jan. 12) announced the appointment of Kathleen Salvaty to fill the new position of systemwide Title IX coordinator, reporting directly to President Janet Napolitano in a role that will lead efforts against sexual violence and sexual harassment throughout the University. Salvaty, an attorney who most recently worked as Title IX coordinator at UCLA, will direct the University's ongoing efforts to change the culture around issues of sexual violence and sexual harassment. This includes education, prevention, adjudication and sanctioning in such matters involving faculty, students and staff. In conjunction with campus chancellors and leaders at UC medical centers and labs, she will oversee local Title IX coordinators to ensure coordination, consistency and timeliness in implementing University policy...
Full announcement at https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-hires-first-systemwide-title-ix-coordinator
Probably, the key words are coordination and consistency. At the campus level, the local procedures have caused results that have created "problems" for the UC prez. Examples include the cases of a history professor at UCLA and a dean at Berkeley. So tamping down such problems and controversies is probably the key goal. In addition, the incoming Trump administration is likely to produce dramatic changes regarding Title IX guidelines. Such changes could also create problems for UC.
In short, what's wanted is:

subset: commoncrawl


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Hello everyone and welcome to yet another article! In this article i will be writing about the coming Eu Reboot server that has been highly anticipated by many players that quitted Luna quite some time ago, and actually (in my opinion probably gave up hope on ever see this day!)
Let us start with 25 starforce!
Now many players have released guides and videos where they talk about optimal gear for the new starforce increase. If you search 25 starforce global maplestory on youtube there should be some videos, IF your intressted in how the endgame players discuss this new starforce increase!
My own speculation on how the 25 starforce will be after it has been released, for starters there will be tons and tons of players going to look for the same items they potentially destroy cause they aim for 20+ starforce. Ofcourse i might be completely wrong in this reguard but i still think this might be one of the ways this release of 25 starforce has on players.
On the otherhand there might be players who have already prepared for this increase for months already, but we wont know, i personally wish all players good luck on their endeavors to get to 20+ stars!
Now lets move onto rEUboot server!
I personally have been waiting 3~4 years for reboot to come to the european side of maple! I was destroyed when we didnt get it on ems and then we where gonna merge with gms instead, and in the moment i read the notice about the migration i thought "YES, we will have Kradia, Demethos and Reboot" but that ofcourse didnt happend and we got Luna ATLEAST! im happy that we have had luna, sadly i gotta say that this has not been an easy gms time for me atleast. Our economy is screwed, our player base is slowly but steadily decreasing (hopefully it will get players back for rEUboot) but we will see! I just hope that we will see an small increase of players once again!
I personally will be on reboot starting over just to hopefully get something more to do then the current dailies and some weekly bosses i do currently on luna! (i know one day i will be in the same position on Reboot BUT it will take time and thats what gives me motivation to play Reboot).
So What are your expectations about the 25 starforce increase and the rEUboot server?
Tell us in the thread over on the forum called "25 stars and rEUboot article discussion"
Thanks for reading and i will be back soon with another article!


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The client is Full, we worth our clients, customer fulfillment guaranteed as well as customer is actually our concern, you may have heard these types of service slogans plenty of period. But tend to be these simply marketing jargons, that are different in the real image. Whenever you purchase a item, you aren't buying just the merchandise but an event which enables you to revisit the actual store. Consider your preferred restaurant, why would you go presently there? Is it the meals only or even the atmosphere, the songs, the support, the cleanliness, etc. Your experience in general count for you personally developing choices or liking for any shop or perhaps a restaurant. Likewise, buying through an online shop is also an event, which enables you to a replicate customer for an eCommerce website. Let us take a look at what provides you with a amazing effect whenever you buy through an on the internet shopping shop.
Variety — An on the internet shopping store should offer you the biggest variety associated with products through different manufacturers. It can help you compare numerous products your self, to create a well knowledgeable decision. The evaluations and evaluate options construct your trust online. You can get to purchase a product that suits your financial allowance and needs.
Overall high quality – Purchasing from on the internet shopping website always simply leaves you skeptical concerning the quality. Whether the merchandise delivered to you'd be new or will be tampered. A great online shop will always supply you product, which adheres to top quality standards. The quality from the product is among the major requirements for incredible customer encounter.
Delivery — Delivery is really a major issue while buying online. It's the key element which differentiates a typical eCommerce website from an exceptional online shop. The pace of shipping matters to some customer, particularly when the client is buying goods to have an occasion or even event. The faster the products reach the actual customer's front doorstep, the much better it can make them really feel. This evolves trust between the customer, which leads to repeat buy.
Ease associated with return — While purchasing online a person sometime encounter issues with the item, whether it isn't of the best size, colour, etc. or there's some production defect. A great online shop provides you to definitely return the merchandise within particular duration. Some stores exceed customer satisfaction by giving home get of these products to end up being returned from no extra cost. This plays a role in giving the shoppers a satisfaction that they are able to rely about the online shop.
Secure repayment – A great online shop has trustworthy payment partners that offer you secure payment gateways to create secure payment with no concern of the confidential greeting card information exposure. This evolves credibility within the mind of the customer. This enhances the client experience because they do not have to bother regarding online thefts as well as phishing.
Flexible repayment modes – A great online buying store enables you to pay via various settings i. at the. either via card or even cash upon delivery. Some online retailers even permit you to pay within installments. This really is an additional advantage for that customers, which supply them the advantage of buy right now and spend later.
Reward strategies – The actual branded conventional stores possess a membership greeting card, which provides you with reward points that may be later accustomed to get discount rates. A incentive scheme can make an online shop stand from the crowd. Once the customers obtain rewarded with regard to buying often from an online shop, they really feel valued along with a relationship develops.
Value for the money – Among the reason clients buy online may be the prices these people pay tend to be relatively less than the conventional shopping techniques. They additionally get bargains on products as well as discounted costs. Some good online retailers have a specific day from the week once the prices tend to be cheaper compared to other days because of the discounts. This stimulates customers to buy in mass.


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Lloyd Returns to Music With His Latest Single "Caramel".
Lloyd has finally returned to music. The Atlanta singer is currently prepping for the release of his upcoming album "Tru" with his new single "Caramel." The smooth R&B record finds Lloyd serenading his lady of silky production. Check out the full track below and let us know your thoughts in the comments. For more music news, XXXTentacion Attends His Funeral in Latest Visual for "SAD!".


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Your ability to use and to interpret language has a direct influence on your ability to control your life.
We all think and communicate using the English language, and in many respects language controls our sense of the world as we know it. Developing the perceptiveness and sophistication of reading skills, and nurturing the range and command of spoken and written English, are the key aims of the English Department at Clyst Vale. The teachers in the Department endeavour to deliver lessons in a creative and engaging way for all students whatever their ability. We aim to pass on our passion for English and we hope that it will continue into adulthood for our students.
Throughout their time with the English Department, students will be expected to read regularly across a broad range of texts and genres.
In Year 7 and 8 the focus is placed on improving the technical accuracy of writing, developing a critical vocabulary that enables students to explore how writers achieve particular effects, and on encouraging them to become more self-aware and mature as creative writers.
In Y9 students are encouraged to develop skills that will be required at GCSE. They will analyse a variety of literary and non-literary texts and craft relevant responses to them. Establishing these foundations in Y9 enables students to make a smooth transition to GCSE in Y10 and 11. All students are taught English up to the end of Year 11.
Students may choose to study English at A Level, and there is a good blend of those who will continue studying English at university and those specialising in other subjects who recognise the importance of refining their analytical skills and the precision of their expression. Those who study English at Post 16 find it richly rewarding to read more challenging texts and to approach these from different theoretical perspectives. Throughout the two year course students are taught to think conceptually about texts, theories and the relationships between them.
There are many opportunities for students to enhance their study of English whilst at Clyst Vale. These include trips to the theatre, drama workshops, visits from writers, BBC School Report, public speaking and the College Newspaper.
KS3 Curriculum Plan
Please use the link below to view the KS3 Curriculum Plan
Assessment Objectives:
English Language GCSE:
A01: Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas. Select and synthesise evidence from different texts
A02: Explain, comment on and analyse how writers use language and structure to achieve effects and influence readers, using relevant subject terminology to support their views
A03: Compare writers' ideas and perspectives, as well as how these are conveyed, across two or more texts
A04: Evaluate texts critically and support this with appropriate textual references
A05: Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences. Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion of texts
AO6: Candidates must use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.
English Literature GCSE:
AO1: Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to: maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response. Use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations
AO2 Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate
AO3 Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written
AO4 Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation
KS3 Reading List
Recent Releases
Samantha Alexander – Racing Start
David Almond – Counting Stars
Neil Arskey – Playing on the Edge
Malorie Blackman – Dangerous Reality
Lauren Brooke – Heartland
Meg Cabot – The Princess Diaries
Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl
Trevor Colgan – The Stretford Enders
Susan Cooper – King of Shadows
Gillian Cross – Tightrope
Jamila Gavin – The Track of the Wind
Adele Geras – Watching the Roses
Anna Halam – Dr Franklin's Island
Frances Mary Hendry – Chains
Kevin Crossley Holland – At the Crossing Places
Anthony Horrowitz – Point Blanc
Catherine Macphail – Bad Company
Sue Mayfield – Blue
Margaret McAllister – Ghost at the Window
Ishbel Moore – Daughter
Philip Pullman – The Amber Spyglass
Celia Rees – The Witch Child
Louis Sachar – Holes
Marcus Sedgwick – Witch Hill
Paul Shipton – The Man Who Was Hate
Suzanne Staples – Shiva's Fire
Robert Westall – The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral
Benjamin Zephania – Refugee Boy
Have you considered Audio Books?
J K Rowling – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
David Almond – Heaven Eyes
Kevin Crossley Holland – The Seeing Stone
Alex Rider series – Anthony Horowitz
Award Winners
David Almond – Skellig
Rachel Anderson – Paper Faces
Malorie Blackman – Hacker
Tim Bowler – Shadows
Gillian Cross – Wolf
Berlie Doherty – Dear Nobody
Anne Fine – Flour Babies
Frances Mary Henry – Chandra
Philip Pullman – The Amber Spyglass
Robert Swindells – Stone Cold
Sue Welford- The Night After Tomorrow
By Royal Command – Charlie Higson
Old Favourites
Louisa M Alcott – Little Women
Charles Dickens – A Christmas Carol
Ann Holm – I am David
Laurie Lee – Cider With Rosie
Arthur Ransome – Swallows and Amazons
J.R.R.Tolkein – The Hobbit
Sue Townsend – The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole
Key Stage 3 Classics
Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice
Charlotte Bronte – Jane Eyre
Charles Dickens – Great Expectations
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – The Hound of the Baskervilles
William Golding – Lord of the Flies
Ernest Hemingway – The Old Man and the Sea
Robert Louis Stevenson – Treasure Island
Jonathan Swift – Gulliver's Travels
H.G. Wells – The Time Machine
Lord of the Flies – William Golding
Easy Reads
Ros Asquith – The Teenage Worrier's Panick Diary
Stephen Elboz – Ghostlands
Leon Garfield – Mr Corbett's Ghost
Adrian Henri – Spooky Poems
Knife & Packer – Teachers: The Naked Truth
Dav Pilkey – The Captain Underpants Extra Crunchy Book of Fun
Jacqueline Wilson – The Dare Game
Dianna Wynne Jones – Howl's Moving Castle
Film & TV Books
Gillian Cross – The Revenge of the Demon Headmaster
Phillipa Pearce -_Tom's Midnight Garden
Paul Ruditis – Sabrina, The Teenage Witch
Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (Junior Challenge)
Making Robot Warriors From Junk
Planet of the Apes
Here Be Monsters – (Buffy. The Vampire Slayer)
David Burnie – The Kingfisher Illustrated Animal Encyclopaedia
Terry Deary – Horrible Christmas (Horrible Histories)
Neil Grant – The Oxford History of the World
Eileen O'Brien – Internet Linked Introduction to Music
Chris Powling – The Book About Books
Lesley Sims – A Visitor's Guide to Ancient Rome
Space: Earth: Bugs (Marshall Minis)
Touching the Void Joe Simpson
Multicultural Books
John Agard – Get Back Pimple
Lynne Reid Banks – One More River
Rosa Guy – The Friends
Bette Greene – Summer of My German Soldier
Esther Hautzig – The Endless Steppe
Beverley Naidoo – No Turning Back
Morton Rhue – The Wave
Hans Pieter Richter – Friedrich
Barbara C. Smucker – Underground to Canada
Robert Swindells – Smash
Mildred Taylor – The Road to Memphis
James Watson – Ticket to Prague
KS4 Curriculum
|English Language
|English Literature
|Sets 1 – 7
|English Language GCSE 9 – 1
Exam Board Edexcel
|Sets 1 – 6
|English Literature GCSE 9 – 1
Exam Board Edexcel
|Set 8
|Entry level certificate in English
Exam Board AQA
Presentation on new Language and Literature GCSE courses
KS4 Reading List
To enhance students vocabulary and engagement with the written word, we have created a list of books that may be suitable for wider reading at KS4
This is a list of texts that have been influential to a number of teachers at school- male and female.
The Rachel Papers – Martin Amis (Fiction)
Mother Tongue – Bill Bryson (Non-Fiction)
A Brief History of Britain – Andrew Marr (Non-Fiction)
1984- George Orwell (Fiction)
Wild Swans- Jung Chang (Fiction)
Chaos- (About Chaos Theory) -James Gleick (Non-Fiction)
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (Fiction)
Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams (Fiction)
The Time Traveller's Wife- Audrey Niffeneger (Fiction)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night- Mark Haddon (Fiction)
Catch 22 – Joseph Heller (Fiction)
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee (Fiction)
The Catcher in the Rye – J D Salinger (Fiction)
Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad (Fiction)
Long Walk to Freedom- Nelson Mandela (Non-Fiction, autobiography)
Roots – Alex Haley (Fiction)
The Bookseller of Kabul- Asne Seierstad (Fiction)
Dreams from my Father -Barack Obama (Non-Fiction, autobiography)
Of Mice and Men- John Steinbeck (Fiction)
The Book Thief -Markus Zusak (Fiction)
Birdsong-Sebastian Faulks (Fiction)
Sophie's World- Jostein Gaarder (Fiction)
Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkein (Fiction)
The Belgariad – David Eddings (Fiction – 10 books in series)
The Colour Purple- Alice Walker (Fiction)
A Streetcar Named Desire- Tennessee Williams (Fiction)
The Lovely Bones- Alice Seabold (Fiction)
Eat, pray, love- Elizabeth Gilbert (Fiction)
Prime of Miss Jean Brodie- Muriel Spark (Fiction)
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen (Fiction)
Frankenstein- Mary Shelley (Fiction)
The Other Hand- Chris Cleve (Fiction)
Never Let Me Go- Kazuo Ishiguro (Fiction)
The First 15 Lives of Harry August- Claire North (Fiction)
Moriarty- Anthony Horowitz (Fiction)
KS5 Curriculum
AQA A Level English Literature spec A
The new A Level consists of three units delivered over two years:
Love through the Ages
40% of A-Level
3 hour examination (3 essays)
This focusses on three texts; Shakespeare, poetry and prose and will involve comparative analysis.
Texts in Shared Contexts
40% of A-Level
2.5 hour examination (2 essays and one critical analysis of an unseen text)
This is the study of 3 texts; prose, poetry and drama from pre 1900 and post 2000.
Independent Critical Study: Texts across Time
20% of A-Level
This is comprised of two components:
A comparative critical analysis of two texts (one of which must be pre 1900)
An extended essay and bibliography
Typical texts on offer in the course would be:
|Up the Line of Death
|A Doll's House*
|Scars upon My Heart
|Wuthering Heights
|A Streetcar Named Desire
|Feminine Gospels*
|Oh! What a Lovely War
|AQA post 1900 Anthology
|Top Girls
|Jane Eyre*
|Journey's End
|Ae Fond Kiss
|The Great Gatsby
|The Taming of the Shrew
|Sonnet 116
|The Handmaid's Tale
|The Winter's Tale
|To His Coy Mistress
|The Color Purple
|The Help*
|Yellow Wallpaper*
*current choices
|Mrs V Oldfield
|Head of English
|Miss S Watt
|KS4 Co-ordinator, Teacher of English
|Miss C Haynes
|Post 16 Co-ordinator, Teacher of English
|Mr N Simpson
|Teacher of English, Literacy Co-ordinator, Acting KS3 Co-ordinator
|Mrs N Beer
|KS3 Co-ordinator, Teacher of English
|Mr C O'Brien
|Teacher of English
|Mrs K Borgen-Davis
|Teacher of English
|Miss C Hall
|Teacher of English


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Freedom Makeup Lipstick in Smooth
I love this shade. The formula is like a lacquer, which I normally steer clear of, but I actually don't mind this one, it's not sticky. And, well, there is that gorgeous purple colour!
Bourjois Rouge Velvet in Don't Pink Of It
Love this formula, love this colour, I am definitely keeping this one.
Kat Von D Everlasting Lipstick
I was so excited to try my first ever KvD liquid lipstick. The colour is stunning, but I hated the tacky finish. I am sad to be decluttering this one, but I just won't use it.
Revlon HD Gel Lipcolor in Lava
This shade will be staying in my collection. It's so comfortable to wear and is such a flattering red.
I won this 6 pan MAC palette and will be keeping it for now. I don't generally reach for a lipstick palette and if I find myself not using, I will destash. I know, it's MAC, but I've got to be brutal!
Rimmel The Only One Lipstick in Mauve-ment
Another winning formula for me is the Rimmel Only One lipsticks. I do like the nude shade, so it will be staying in my collection.
Savvy High Shine Lipgloss in Paparazzi
I am not keen on this shade, so I've got to say goodbye!
My lipstick tally is now 43


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ACT I | Aji 16 June 2018
All Audiences Est. Time: 90 Minutes PUB F⊗ | Widgets
Theme, Vol. I | "Flea Markets, No. 1″
EPISODE 1 | aji
< The harvest colors of a butterfly, – a cardui, with round, black eyes, – deftly faded as a rustling souse of leaves in a glimmer of the sun. The fingers of a hand unfolded; it was, unmistakably, a hand, the hand of a macaque, and it wobbled in the air with awkward delight, trying to comfort the chrysalis.
A shade tree grieved for a missing hollow; it was part of its timber, it grew together for more than a century, into a final "Y" sprawling to the sky; parts of the hollow were hew to the trunk. Scarce notice was given to it; both were nearly felled by Hurricane Matthew. In fact, the storm shaped the hollow with a modest, empty wall of bark, and middling splinter; a day in the ensuing months, an elderly woman plunged into a pocket of her Bermuda shorts, and garnered a feast of wild bird seed to strew into the remnant; it is a bowl.
A man may notice, and even oblige two or three of nature's graceful moils in the course of a life's time; the basin hew is rare, and antique; but the tree's tenants – a family of squirrels, an alert salamander, and a tarry of vagabond crows – became patrons, and commend it as unremarkable.
The palms of his hands, flat and outstretched, Gabriel spun and glowered, his features vexed at the open, seventh-floor window of a Coney Island flat. He proclaimed, rather inexplicably: "Imagine a world in peace, with all men gazing at the wonderful-overcast-city," and his father nodded slowly. Gabe advised him, "You know Pop, that's a gunshot," and he insisted, again, — this had been observed four times: "A lady derringer. It's life-threatening."
His father's name was Red. Krakow, who was sleepy, whose beak slightly failed, uttered an "Aw," and blinked rather blankly at the son. Krakow was a macaw.
Abruptly, Red's eyes widened into a roust, "A lady derringer is a compliment to anyone who lives in New York," imputing neither he, nor the slug were presently en route anywhere to anywhere else. He issued a native family bromide: "We won't miss the Mets."
Stewed, Gabriel asked, "Maw?"
Red plunged into his glider, more assured Gabe was properly redacted, and corrected him, "Mother."
"Maw," Gabe reiterated.
"Maugham, then, like Somerset Maugham," said the father, sternly distracted, but without either interest, or resolve.
Red was an Arab-Jewish American. He inspected the oak construction of his glider, and shifted from right to left; the easy chair was as soothing as a handmade casket, except for the parallel lines sewn in colors of bright red, bright yellow, and bright orange; visitors observed the chair was "ghastly," as said one.
Red was prone to blush from most exertion. "Red" derived from his legal name, Reddick. He searched for his calves in the Coney Island apartment, and stretched one, then the other into his plain sight. He was not blushed. Gabriel sat on a stuffed ottoman near the window, and he drummed his knees with his thumbs. He asked, his eyes rolling, thoughtfully, but with a discipline of patience, "He home?"
"No," Red grumbled. "He's still in Florida. Your mother, either. She's not home."
"She left New York sixteen years ago, Pop," Gabe said, rising, and began to spin. He spun a lot, suspecting a ballroom dancer lay within his makeup. He flexed his arms outward, commenting to the macaw, Krakow: "I'm fly," peering intently at the overcast sky.
"I'm fly," Krakow repeated. The macaw was not compelled to speak on a given occasion, and usually did not. He was listless. Krakow continued bleakly surveying Shell Road in Gravesend, abiding in a secret propriety. His window, Krakow's domain, had been installed in the "Ice Age," a time ice men used the fire escape to deliver a block of ice; it had no screen. He invested the street traffic, the tourists, vendors, and strangers seven floors below, finally declaring, "Make him bring it! Make him bring it!"
"Better batter, better batter!" Red cheered to the macaw, a dite hoarsely. A macaw is one of the world's largest flying parrots.
Krakow groaned, and turned, using his beak to point from the window sill; pausing at Red, like a stern Pope, the bird commanded, "Bacon."
Red leaned to one side of his glider, feebly clasping a hand to his heart.
His neighbor viewed Surf Avenue, the Coney junipers, and Luna Park in the spring light, repairing from months of millennial gusto in Florida, and was listening to the thumps of waves from the beach. He loved New York. He asked Aji, "Is this a true story?"
Aji gauged his expression, and said, "True, yes."
"It's unique," he said. "You're unique. You're maybe too unique. Is it the only Obelisk, that is, besides Arthur Clarke's? Who built it? What about the inscription? Why was it built? Is it a marker of some kind? A marker of what?"
"I can answer the questions," she said. "Yes."
"What did the expedition say, that posse?"
Aji said, "Well. Nothing."
"Nothing," he repeated. "There's one individual, a Will Adorjan, the great nephew of a yet unborn American pioneer, Bud Adorjan. It's all too far-fetched. You're searching for this guy. He's been missing twenty years."
She opted for the ring toss. Aji said, "Will was flawless. And I prefer cairn, or caryatid, to Obelisk." He shrugged. "I saw it all," Aji said, reflecting. "Happen. I know the image of those clouds. Hours at the rewind button of a black-and-white monitor. Will it fail? Then the clouds disappear. (Pause.) We have 10-magenta skies; dark, brushed peaks of cocoa peaks, copper sand. Will's ship was cranky. The crew was cranky. (Pause.) It's the…legend of Coda."
He said, "It's centuries away. Light years away. Away. From now."
"If you were Adorjan, you would want to know something like, is space flat?" Aji responded. "There are questions, answers belying the legend, yes. Is it a last stop? Is this the edge of space?"
He rolled his hands, and mused. "You're invading my space. Just…unplug your rover from my Satellite radio, and we're good here. This Adorjan thing? I can't begin to guess."
"If it were as simple, yes," Aji uttered, frustrated. "None of us want to guess. And I'm not…asking you."
Her words were muffled by the siren of the New York Fire Department, which was responding to a burst of flames under the hood of a black Audi, parked in a space at the New York Aquarium on West Eighth across from Surf toward the beach. "You're really a space…person?" he rejoined, turning from the Audi incident, and wanting to say, "This is New York. We're all from somewhere else," but Aji brushed past him sideways, and sprinted toward a Boardwalk arcade.
"What, Pop?" Gabriel asked. Red winced, and eased helplessly from the glider.
The son grabbed his father's shoulder by the seam of his red, green, and yellow flannel shirt. Red seldom wore the shirt without a careful schedule of outward bounds, and not since a deer hunt in January in south New Hampshire; meanwhile, an oval stain, a deep cruor, oozed in thick goo under the arm. Gabe saw it, and yelled, "You're bleeding out!"
"No, nah," Red said, twenty minutes out from Jeopardy, annoyed, "I caught one, that's all. We'll see about it. Day, or so. What a loon! He's waving this pistol out of the car, a big Lincoln! Probably know it. V-8; yellow, big…boat of a car, flopping off one sidewalk to the other. He fires rounds into the air. Sure, sure. Why not? Ping off the concrete. Ping off the dumpster. Ping! Ping. Lunatic."
"It is lodged in your back, Pop," Gabriel said, pulling at a receiver from the winding cord of a black telephone with his hand. "I'm dialing." He pressed the keys: nine-one-one.
"It's like a bee sting," Red evinced, nervously checking the clock on the wall over the television. "A pebble in the shoe, the casing, they call it. It'll fall out! I had eleven bits in Korea. They fall out on their own. Hey. Jeopardy."
"Shrapnel, yeah, it's bad," Gabe stated, relaying information to the ambulance, with one eye watching his father; a 67-year-old, Caucasian male with…yes, Medicare.
"Listen, Gabe," Red wheezed, rallying, as if an emergency might arise, slurring his words. "Like the Alamo, Gabriel. Your mother's in Vegas. We got a bird. We've got you. We got me. And a bird. That's it. Nobody else."
Gabe lightly capped the receiver and said, "The ambulance's coming." Red relaxed; seemed happy a crisis had subsided. He praised Gabe with another family saying, adding a touch of finality, "Son, you'll leave us penniless."
He was spooked by an anteater, scurrying in a dash along the wood baseboard of the island arcade, and decided to embrace the adolescent safety of skee-ball. The callow eyes of the beige, lonely anteater were wont to commune with the middle-aged man, marauder to marauder. "Goo 'way," he suggested, as the anteater slunked beneath a row of mini-hoops. "You look like a – VW bus."
He tried sinking small basketballs through small rims into small nets, not liking it much. "Why me?" he asked. "What do I know about space, and time?"
"More than you realize," Aji remarked, searching for common knowledge. "Maybe it's not the physical edge. Maybe it's porous. Coda. Or permeable; a thin path to another reality," and finally, "Does it sound worth playing for?"
"Is this Star Trek, or Survivor?"
The anteater accidentally landed in the netting of one of the hoops, and wrestled in the twine for freedom; it had already knocked over a set of tiny bowling pins. A Nebraska couple frantically dialed numbers into a cell. Moments later, he heard, "There it is!" A New York firefighter shouted, and rushed towards the game.
Aji neglected the commotion. "Adorjan's ancestors were from Earth, from New York," she said, subdued. "He has not been found, one way, or — the other."
His mind wandered sullenly to a frozen Salisbury steak defrosting on the bar in his flat. It could create a puddle of water puddle, was it a body of water? He decided the notion was entirely stupid, squeezed a skee-ball with his right hand, and, eventually, protested, "Bah!"
Red was lost in a daydream. A dual tube in his nostrils assisted the absorption of oxygen. He was forcefully hefted into a portable bed with aluminum rails on either side. Red remembered the surreal day of his capture in Pyongyang in fifty-two, but abandoned the memory; too frightening for a flesh wound. Red called to Krakow: "What do you say, boy? Hah!"
"Easy," Gabriel counseled. He used an index finger to transport the bird.
Plaintively, Red asked, "Can Krakow go?"
Red squinted at Krakow. "Time, it's time to get the – "
"Shoe on the rude!" Krakow reported. "Shoe on the rude! Shoe on the rude!"
"Life-threatening," said Gabe.
Red braced with the rails, and soldiered, "We won't miss the Mets."
No longer grist of the shadows, Aji was afloat in La Grande Lumineres, and she beamed in a throe of blissful shock. It was not the ponds, but it was not the ponds. "My-y!" she said. "I can't tell him. Look at Laniakea! The strings of Hydra!"
And she breathed, "La Grande Lumineres – a majesty of stars, a glowing cascade, a billion years before the universe."
Theme | "Flea Markets, No. 2″ | playlist, nos. 1-15
"The Shadows" is one of three works by SODA TOM.
Selections have appeared on Tumblr, and Medium, including "The Shadow of Mines."
Copyright Notice
"The Shadows," by Soda Tom, Vol. I of III,
from The Echo By Seas; & Other Stories
Copyright (C), 2018; 2017, ff., by the author
All Rights Reserved
Created by Soda Tom


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Maria Downing stated, "Two-thirds of adults who use the computer are between the ages of 48 and 66. With divorce rates at an all-time high, we knew we had to create a dating site that catered specifically to Baby Boomers."
Tampa, FL (PRWEB) August 15, 2012
On August 1, 2012 BoomingHearts.com proudly announced the official launch of its website that provides Baby Boomers with their own online community for finding friends, companionship, and love.
For years, dating sites have concentrated on bringing couples together with long, complicated personality surveys that match them up based on similarities and compatibility. While it tends to be much easier for the younger, tech-savvy generation to navigate around these expansive websites, most Baby Boomers report that they found it challenging and frustrating. BoomingHearts.com eliminates the learning curve with an easy to use site, designed for a community of single, widowed, and divorced men and women, in their late 40's to early 70's.
Co-founder and Vice President of BoomingHearts.com, Maria Downing stated, "Two-thirds of adults who use the computer are between the ages of 48 and 66. With divorce rates at an all-time high, we knew we had to create a dating site that catered specifically to Baby Boomers." The solution? BoomingHearts.com, a fully interactive website that has completely changed the online dating world for men and women in her targeted age group.
The first thing a visitor notices when viewing BoomingHearts.com is its simple, clean layout. Even with it's simplicity, BoomingHearts.com is easy to use and navigate.
BoomingHearts.com's unique advanced search feature has technology that many other dating sites do not; allowing users to search for specific keywords on other users' profiles. This technology translates to finding compatible people with similar interests, hobbies, or community involvement. Users are able to find their ideal mate who shares a love of dogs, Bingo nights, or has the same dream of sailing around the world in a matter of seconds on BoomingHearts.com.
Quick and easy personality questionnaires allow Baby Boomers to answer questions about their lifestyles and personalities, along with noting acceptable answers that their ideal mate will fill out on the same questionnaire. After the questionnaire is complete, BoomingHearts.com gives the user possible matches for them, depending on their answers, importance, and relevance of each question, for the best possible match. The user then has the ability to contact their potential match and see if they can open up communication and arrange a possible date.
When Marie McInerney from Cape Cod found BoomingHearts.com through her Facebook account, she was hesitant to try another dating site, but decided to give Boominghearts.com a chance. "I had spent over five hundred dollars on memberships to dating sites that were too complicated for me to understand! BoomingHearts.com is a fantastic site. I met someone within the first week of joining!" While the two have only been on a few dates, both Marie and fellow Booming Hearts member, Jack, believe they have a long future ahead of them.
BoomingHearts.com has officially launched its website as of August 1, 2012, and is already fully equipped with instant messaging, live webcam chat, engaging knowledge quizzes, discussion forums, blogs, dating advice and links to Baby Boomer relevant articles. Signing up for an account seems simple and easy for novice internet users. They work directly with their users and welcome any advice or feedback to further personalize the site to meet their Baby Boomers' needs.


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You've done your best your whole life to provide for yourself and your family. All your years of hard work have paid off; now you're retired and looking forward to enjoying this time. You like being independent; free to make your own decisions. But have you considered what you will do should you need some extra cash? Having spare cash can help you remain in control of your affairs. Maybe you won't want to dip into your savings if an unexpected expense crops up. That's where a life settlement can really make a big difference.
What You Need to Know About Life Settlements
If you've never heard about life settlements, we're glad you visited our website, because we'll be happy to discuss them with you. The idea is to sell your life insurance policy for a one-time cash payment. Now, you may not have known that your life insurance is actually a liquid asset – you're free to sell it, provided someone wishes to buy it. Sounds easy enough. The process can get a bit lengthy if you try to sell it yourself, or go through various brokers or agencies. It literally pays to work with an experienced insurance specialist, such as Harbor Life Settlements, because we have access to the market that wants to buy life insurance policies, and we can get you the best price for your policy quickly (in some cases in as little as 14 days).
Imagine how life-changing having as much as 70% of your policy's death benefit, in cash, would be! Think of all the things you could do: the choice would be yours. You could put the money towards long term care costs, purchase a home in your favorite locale, travel the world, or anything else you want. It's your choice.
How The Life Settlement Process Works
Getting started is easy. Call Harbor Life Settlements at 1-800-694-0006, or visit our website for details. We'll provide all the information you need and we'll ask you a few questions to determine if you are eligible. Then, once your eligibility is established (in most cases you need to be aged 70 or older and your policy must be for at least $50,000), we'll shop your policy to interested parties and get you the very best price. Then we'll present the best price offer to you. All of this takes just a few weeks, vs. months using other methods. When it comes to decisions as important as this, we want you to have the value of your policy as soon as possible.
Free Service & There's No Obligation to Sell
One of the best parts of our service is that you can have us complete the process and present you with your cash offer, and you can decide not to sell. Our goal is to have as many seniors as possible know the value of their life insurance policies. Maybe you don't want or need to sell right now, but you're curious about the policy's value. Why not find out? As a good planner and provider, knowing this information may come in handy one day, should you need a lump sum of cash. And you'll have peace of mind knowing that you have a valuable asset you can redeem for cash when, and if, you think the time is right.
More Options for an Independent Lifestyle
Who doesn't want options in retirement? It's great to be in control of those choices! With a life settlement from Harbor Life, you get more options, with a cash payment for your unneeded or unwanted life insurance policy. Here's a fact that may surprise you: 85% of people let their life insurance policies lapse. That's not hard to understand, since the premiums go way up as people age. Add that increased expense to increased healthcare costs, and the financial burden can become too great. A life settlement can ease that burden by providing cash you can use any way you want.
We hope you've learned a bit about life settlements and how they can be a valuable tool to give you peace of mind in retirement. Harbor Life Settlements can help with its fast, FREE, no obligation service.
Ready to see how much your life insurance policy is worth? Call Harbor Life Settlements at 1-800-694-0006, or visit our website for a free quote.


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Frank William Richardson
From Our Contribution
|Personal Information
|Date of Birth
|26 Jul 1925
|Place of Birth
|Kelmscott, Western Australia
|Age at Enlistment
|17 years, 3 months
|5'10½" (1.79m) tall ; ; fresh complexion ; brown eyes ; brown hair
|Church of England
|25 Hill street, Kelmscott, Western Australia
|Next of Kin
|Mother , Mrs Margaret Jane Richardson
|Military Information
|Reg Number
|Date of Enlistment
|17 Nov 1942
|Able Seaman
|Ships Served On
|Ship Name
|HMAS Westralia
|Tour Dates
|22 Apr 1943 ‒ 31 Dec 1943
|Ship Name
|HMAS Parkes
|Tour Dates
|25 May 1944 ‒ 21 Dec 1945
|Post War Details
|Returned to Australia
1939-45 Star
Pacific Star
Defence Medal
War Medal 1939-45
Australian Service Medal 1939-45
Pre War
War Service
Enlisted in Port Adelaide and was sent to HMAS Cerberus for basic training which occupied him from 17 Nov 1942 until 21 Apr 1943. On 22 Apr 1943 Frank was posted to HMAS Westralia as an Ordinary Seaman II. The Westralia had been requisitioned from her civil owners for operating as an Armed Merchant Cruiser until Frank joined her and after as a Landing Ship Infantry. There on 26 Jul 1943 he was re-rated as Ordinary Seaman I, remaining with the ship until 31 Dec 1943 when he was transferred to HMAS Moreton in Brisbane.
His next ship appears to have been the HMAS Parkes, an Australian manufactured minesweeper. He joined as part of her Commissioning crew and soon after they were escorting convoys between Australia , New Guinea and Thursday Island from their base in Darwin. In late September 1944 the Parkes was transferred to Fremantle for a short time before returning to Darwin where she resumed convoy escort duties.
Frank's records hint at his transferring to shore duties in HMAS Melville, in Darwin in Sep 1945, to HMAS Leeuwin in Fremantle in December and then to HMAS Torrens in Adelaide later the same month. Frank was discharged on 25 Mar 1946, giving Kelmscott as his proposed address. As he had Annual leave, leave in lieu of re-establishment, and deferred pay owing, he departed the navy with more than £165.
Post War


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Don't forget that the thryoid is one of the most important glands for fertility and you have to be nice to it!
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is focusing attention on a new study that has found that PFOA, a chemical used to make Teflon, food wrappers and other products, may be dangerous to health. The study, which looked at 69,000 people in West Virginia and Ohio who live near a DuPont manufacturing plant where the chemical is used, found that the chemical may harm the immune system, liver and thyroid and cause raise cholesterol levels in children.
In addition to various health concerns, the study found that "thyroid function was clearly affected in PFOA-exposed people, with the effect strongest at moderate levels of exposure, rather than the highest exposures."


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Season Recap
Amerks Had Some Performance Anxiety on Home Ice
The Rochester Americans have finished their regular season and after looking at the numbers they may want to think about limiting the number of tickets sold for Friday games in the playoffs. Not really. Well, maybe. Overall the team finished with a 21-17 (21-14-2-1) record on home ice. One win was on the road in …
Read more


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The Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) Joseph Whittal has served notice his outfit is ready to receive complaint from the Modern Ghana journalist who maintains he was abused by personnel of the national security.
According to him until the matter is formally reported to CHRAJ, they cannot step in.
"As CHRAJ, we comment on issues that are egregious. Unless a complain is brought to us, we cannot jump unto the scene. We are a body set up to receive concerns and so the journalists can engage us free of charge on the matter," he told Francis Abban on the Morning Starr Thursday.
Editor of ModernGhana, Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri has recounted how he and his colleagues were detained and abused by officials of the national security.
Abugri has said that he was tortured and beaten by National Security operatives while in detention following a raid of their office and their subsequent arrest.
Mr Abugri, who was released on Saturday, 29 June 2019, said he was not spared by his captors who, he claimed took turns to hit and taser him.
However, the National Security said there was no physical abuse on the suspect.
"The National Security Council Secretariat has taken notice of reports that Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri, one of the two suspects from Modern Ghana who was arrested for engaging in cyber-crimes, has made claims of being subjected to acts of torture whilst in the custody of its officers.
"The Secretariat takes a very serious view of these claims, and wishes to state, in no uncertain terms that these allegations are false. We consider it to be a clear and deliberate attempt by the suspect to discredit the investigations and the case against him. Torture and manhandling of suspects are not part and parcel of the culture and architecture of the secretariat under the administration of President Akufo-Addo," a statement from National Security said.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM


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PD Workshop Storytelling 10101 Feb 2017
Come to the TAP PD Storytelling workshop! We'll be teaching the basics of good storytelling, focusing on different aspects, such as movement, tone, expressions, and story structure. At the end of the session, you will be able to tell a beautiful, passionate story to the entire group! Storytelling is a critical skill, especially in your professional life. Sales teams and CEOs, for example, use storytelling as a tool to grow business, raise capital, impassion colleagues, and more. So come join us on February 26 and learn how you can develop your skills to become a better storyteller!


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Now that you've pre-ordered a copy of my latest novel The Good Kill…
Uhm, you have pre-ordered it, right?
Of course you have.
Anyway, while you impatiently await the novel's release on July 1, 2019, may I recommend that you fill the time between now and then by reading my first novel, Inside the Skin?
It's a good read…
At least that's what two out of three of my children tell me.
The third hasn't yet mustered up the gumption to read it as of yet so his opinion is still yet to be determined.
But I'm pretty sure he'll enjoy it as well.
As I am equally sure you, too, will.
So, why don't you go ahead and give it a read while you wait?
And if you prefer to not pay the cost, send me an email through the contact page and I'll send you a complimentary copy right back.
No, really.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Boot Camp didn't join the navy to be a hero or to perform courageous acts—that was hardly his character—he joined simply to prove to himself, and to others, that he has what it takes to be a sailor, a real sailor.
However, after reporting to his first duty station, a laid-up warship filled with a disgruntled crew who welcomes him aboard with a brutal hazing and violent displays of homophobia and harassment, he quickly learns that to become that sailor of his ideals, a real sailor, he would have to step outside his true nature and put himself into harm's way to achieve those ideals.
But after Flavor—Boot Camp's only true shipmate and an eccentric nonconformist who, himself, had to learn to navigate the dangerous and sometimes deadly waters of homophobia and harassment—is discharged from the navy, Boot Camp is left on his own to face the hazards that await him.
Alone, he has to find that courage and strength so uncommon to him and stand up for his own self, his own identity, and fight for what is right, regardless the rules, and regardless how dangerous and deadly the costs may be.
You can happily and easily purchase Inside the Skin right here.
Oh, and after reading, please don't forget to leave a review for me. It will be much appreciated and it will certainly help with the release of my next novel, regardless how you decide to rate it.
Thanks, buddy.


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"The Black Hussar," a comic opera in three acts, the music by Carl Millöcker, was produced at Vienna in 1886.
Friedrich von Helbert, colonel of the Black Hussars, disguised as an army chaplain. Hans von Waldmann, adjutant of the Black Hussars, disguised as a student. Theophil Hackenback, Magistrate of Trautenfeld. Piffkow, his factotum, with numerous offices. Mefflin, a tragedian of the Meininger Company No. 14. Francois Thorillière, a captain of the French army. Rubke, a captain of the Prussian army. Wutki, Hetman of the Cossacks. Shadow, a pedler. Bruck, a scissors-grinder. Eiken, Selchow, a ratcatcher. Prittwitz, a bookseller. Putnam, quack doctor. Ro Minna, setta, Hackenback's daughters. Barbara, an orphan, Hackenback's housekeeper.
The scene is laid in and near the town of Trautenfeld, on the border of Germany and Russia. The time is 1812.
The piece opens at the Magistrate's house, where a chorus of citizens are descanting on the disadvantages of living on the border at this time of Napoleonic activity, for they are continually involved in turmoil and the French and Cos-sacks pay them unwelcome attentions.
Hackenback, Magistrate of Trautenfeld, is a pompous fellow, who spends so much time congratulating himself on his might and wisdom that the weight of his office falls upon his factotum, Piffkow. The aforementioned consumes a large part of the first act enumerating his duties, which range from collecting the taxes to airing the poodles.
At this time news has been brought to camp by a chaplain with a " Dragoon's bold air " (Colonel von Helbert of the Black Hussars who is in disguise) that two hundred Germans, four hundred Frenchmen, and a large number of Cossacks will soon be quartered on the town. Helbert is trying to foment an insurrection against the Napoleonic oppression and the French are busily hunting for him. Hackenback is a sad trimmer and his aim in life is to carry himself diplomatically between the French and the Russians, so when he takes down the description of the miscreant, Helbert slyly manages to make it the magistrate's own, such complimentary terms as " spindle legs," " vermilion red nose," aggressive mole" and " crazy old top-knot " being included.
Upon being introduced to the Magistrate's daughters, Minna and Rosetta, we find that their parent has another eccentricity, that of disguising them in the most frightful fashion, so that the men will not carry them off. They are compelled to paint their faces grotesquely, " roam on crutches," erect humps on their backs, and wear dresses that are " simply wild and weird." But rebellion is brewing in the domestic camp, especially since the arrival of the good-looking chaplain, whom they shrewdly suspect to be no chaplain at all. As soon as the girls rid themselves of their atrocities, Helbert falls in love with Minna, which is fortunate, since Rosetta and his adjutant, Hans von Waldmann, are already very fond of each other.
The second act opens in the market-place with an amusing gossiping chorus by the village wives. They succeed in arousing the curiosity of the men and then laugh at them for exhibiting this supposedly feminine trait. Piffkow arrives in the guise of a hero and relates an adventure, in which it appears that he has broken into a company of actors playing " Julius Caesar," has taken it all seriously, and has carried off the assassin, Brutus.
Hackenback, embarrassed by the arrival of both French and Russian troops, is reduced to the necessity of making use of the mongrel cry " Napolexander." In spite of his precaution, he is arrested on the evidence of the posted description and marched away to jail. Matters are simplified by the arrival of the Black Hussar regiment, which captures the French troops, just after they have captured the Russians. So all disguises are cast aside, and the remainder of the opera is devoted to love-making.


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Blasters of the Universe is an intense bullet hell by Secret Location and it is getting ready to launch on PS VR on February 27. The game offers '90s VHS cover art with multiple full-featured Campaign levels, Endless modes and a chance to fight retro-inspired bosses. You can pick and choose from tons of parts and modifiers to make your own customized weapons.
We made Blasters of the Universe with Archiact to inject the pure intensity of classic bullet hell games with modern VR's innate ability to immerse and impress gamers. This game also really takes advantage of VR's accessibility, making the infamous bullet hell genre a cinch to pick-up-and-play while still honoring its challenging roots.
Here are the key features of the game:
- Intense first-person bullet-hell gameplay that requires you to duck, dodge and maneuver through tons of enemies and hundreds of bullets
- Customize your weapon with 130,000 possible load-out combinations
- Battle for glory on the online leaderboards
- Campaign mode with item and level-unlock system
- Constantly updating Challenge modes with unique gameplay that ensures there is something new to play every day
Blasters of the Universe will be available for PS VR on February 27. Stay tuned!


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I was meaning to get a jump on this earlier, but it slipped my mind....
We did a similar discussion and resulting guide last year and I found it very useful for us that don't stay on top of current gen stuff as much but want to be aware of old-school goodness.
Here's the guide for last year
http://www.racketboy.com/retro/the-best ... es-of-2017
Let me know what games we should include for 2018.
It doesn't have to be sprite based necessarily (although sometimes preferred), but needs to have an old-school feel.
If you can chime in about what makes the game great or give a brief synopsis, that would be awesome too.
We will primarily highlight brand new games or remakes from the year.
However, like with last year, we will also highlight some of the retro stuff that got digital or physical releases this year despite having an original release in a previous year.
Edit: Here's the completed round-up http://www.racketboy.com/retro/the-best ... es-of-2018


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Manzanita Driftwood Bundles
The Betta Mopani Wood creates the increasingly popular "dark water" effect which simulates a bettas's natural habitat. In turn, this can encourage natural behaviours, such as bubble nesting. The wood also provides additional shelter, interest, and enrichment which may help reduce stress.
Aside from it's health benefits, it showcases deep ridges, swirls and nooks on it's darker side while the lighter wood colour on the opposite is mostly smooth.


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Hair Stylist School: List of Schools with Hair Stylist Education Programs
Hair stylists cut, color and style hair, generally in salons, spas or other personal care facilities. To become a hair stylist, you'll most likely need a high school diploma or a GED equivalent and either an associate's degree or certificate from a state-licensed school with a hair stylist education program. Waukesha County Technical College, Milwaukee Area Technical College and Trinidad State Junior College are just a few hair stylist schools.
Details of Hair Stylist Education Programs
Certificate in Hairstyling/Cosmetology
In order to become a licensed hair stylist, you'll need at least a certificate in cosmetology. Classes cover subjects like hair and scalp care, nail design and make-up application. Cosmetology programs include heavy lab requirements, where students practice learned skills and techniques on mannequin heads and/or hair models. Many cosmetology schools operate adjacent salons, which might offer reduced rates for clients willing to receive services or treatments from enrolled students.
Associate of Applied Science in Hairstyling/Cosmetology
The primary difference between a certificate and associate's degree program in cosmetology is that the latter includes general education requirements in subjects like mathematics and English. Some associate's degree programs in cosmetology also include business courses, designed for aspiring salon owners. Exact core curricula vary by institution, but students typically learn the basics of hair care, design and styling, as well as additional beauty services.
Public and Private Schools with Hair Stylist Education Programs
|School Name
|Institution Type
|Mailing Address
|Phone Number
|Milwaukee Area Technical College
|2-year, Public
|700 W. State St, Milwaukee, WI 53233
|(414) 297-6282
|Waukesha County Technical College
|2-year, Public
|800 Main St, Pewaukee, WI 53072
|(262) 691-5566
|Gateway Technical College
|2-year, Public
|3520 30th Ave, Kenosha, WI 53144
|(800) 247-7122
|Chippewa Valley Technical College
|2-year, Public
|620 W. Clairemont Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54701
|(715) 833-6200
|Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College
|2-year, Public
|505 Pine Ridge Dr, Shell Lake, WI 54871
|(715) 468-2815
|Mid-State Technical College
|2-year, Public
|500 32nd St. N, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494
|(715) 422-5300
|Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
|2-year, Public
|1800 Bronson Blvd, Fennimore, WI 53809
|(800) 362-3322
|Emily Griffith Opportunity School
|< 2-year, Public
|1250 Welton St, Denver, CO 80204
|(720) 423-4700
|Trinidad State Junior College
|2-year, Public
|600 Prospect St, Trinidad, CO 81082
|(800) 621-8752
|Eastern Wyoming College
|2-year, Public
|3200 West C. St, Torrington, WY 82240
|(866) 327-8996
|Nicolet Area Technical College
|2-year, Public
|5364 College Dr, Rhinelander, WI 54501
|(715) 365-4410
|Pickens Technical College
|< 2-year, Public
|500 Airport Blvd, Aurora, CO 80011-9307
|(303) 344-4910
|Moore Norman Technology Center
|2-year, Public
|4701 12th Ave. NW, Norman, OK 73069
|(405) 364-5763
Featured School Choices:
Penn Foster High School
Penn Foster High School responds quickly to information requests through this site.
Suggested programs:
- High School Diploma
More information about Penn Foster High School
Waukesha County Technical College
Waukesha County Technical College responds quickly to information requests through this site.
United Beauty College
United Beauty College responds quickly to information requests through this site.
South Texas Barber College Inc
South Texas Barber College Inc responds quickly to information requests through this site.
Seymour Beauty Academy
Seymour Beauty Academy responds quickly to information requests through this site.
Red Rocks Community College
Red Rocks Community College responds quickly to information requests through this site.


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Can we have a competition to find the most beautifully trained morello cherry tree? It must be worth the trouble if it looks like the one on the ancient pigeon house in the walled garden at Rousham, near Oxford. This is my nomination for the best I have ever seen.
Is this work of art not also easier to net against the birds?I would take up Edward Olleson on his view as to how sour a ripe morello can be, but I find them wonderfully refreshing on a warm July day!
Tom La Dell
See also previous post below: 'Morello cherry – trained or bush form?'
Trained morello cherry growing in Nottinghamshire – see comment below from Adrian Baggaley


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Together We Will Create A Marketing Plan As
Distinctive As Your Home.
We wish to thank you for placing your trust in the Fine Homes Group to help you through the process of selling your home. With a proven track record of sales and over 30 years of combined real estate experience, you know that no detail will be overlooked.
There are 4 key areas that we will be focused upon. First, we will establish the best price to sell your home for the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time. Next, we will create the most effective and distinctive marketing campaign to attract as many potential buyers as possible! Then we will make sure the offer and acceptance is structured in your benefit to best achieve your goals. Lastly, we will manage the negotiations and transactional process to ensure they go smoothly until closing.
Additionally, you will see very quickly you are dealing with a professional team and organization that understands the market and how-to best service your needs, while achieving your real estate goals.
We welcome the opportunity to serve you and look for-ward to working with you during the
marketing process.
Dan, Lesley and Derrick


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Everything you need to know about local events and news in the Etobicoke, Toronto area: Welcome to the Deluxe Inn Toronto blog!
|Visit the Toronto Zoo!
|Chocolate Lovers are Welcome to
|John Mulaney Comes to Toronto th
|The Aurora Winter Festival Comes
|Don't Miss This Year's Cavalcade
|Slurp Up At The Toronto Soup Fes
|You're invited to the second ann
|Toronto's One Love Music Festiva
|Join the Official Launch of the
|Who doesn't like free things?


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It Is Enough To Say Old School Vs New School
19/09/2016 | CARS, DRAG RACE, MUSCLE CARS, VIDEOS | No Comments|
This is a fun race, new Z06 vs old Nova (it's a little unfair, the Nova is setup for this)
I gotta say I'm surprised the Nova pulled out on that Z06 on the roll race. That black Z06 makes around 1000hp.
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In Pakistan, the common definition of a literate person is one who could write his/her name in English. According to this definition, literacy rate of Pakistan is 58% (down from 60%) which is very low as compared to regional peers. In 2015, when the UN laid down Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), quality education was set as Goal No.4 out of 17 goals. The definition of literacy was also modified to cover financial literacy i.e. a person is deemed to be literate if he/she could undertake basic banking transactions.By virtue of this, the literacy rate of Pakistan will be even lower given the fact that there are only 48 million bank accounts.
By spending less on education, we are losing on two counts. On one hand, our semi-skilled labor force could not fetch the much-needed foreign exchange for the country, while on the other hand, those wishing to pursue their dreams over here are constrained by illiteracy. It is important that the federal government increases education budget to 4% of GDP only then provinces will be able to increase their allocations, as promise of increasing education budget to 4% of GDP was made by the government. While the government has tried to balance developmental and education expenses yet the promise of making education an important component of government priorities should have been kept in mind when allocating finances during the budgetary allocations for 2018-19, which could still be done by the incumbent government if they bring in revisions and amendments in the finance bill.
Financial literacy could help improve financial inclusion in the country. It may also address the issue of low access to finance especially for SMEs and women as financial illiteracy is one of the reasons, which put finance out of their reach. With the number of mobile users increasing day by day (150 million users so far), banks could introduce customer service models like multi-lingual MFS application interface, symbolic imageries, voice based interaction for low literacy segments and simplified service offerings. Literacy programs (financial and basic) could also be conducted by or on behalf of financial services providers for clients and potential clients to improve access to financial services and the utilization of finance. Engaging industry champions and intellectuals could also enhance financial literacy, which would create a virtuous cycle thereby addressing the issue of low savings rate and asset creation.
SMEs and microfinance are two areas where financial literacy could bring surprising results. In view of expulsion of expats from Gulf countries, it is pertinent to promote entrepreneurship through SMEs for which the corporate sector and academia must play their role by setting up funds for SME financing.
Following criteria could be set up for entities seeking literacy program grants:
- Clear and compatible vision for increasing access to financial services to poor and marginalized groups
- Resolve to create awareness about/demand for financial services and raise literacy levels
- Legally recognized entity
- Experience in family literacy programs that target both parents (adults) and children (optional)
- Appropriate levels of portfolio quality
- Appropriate levels of transparency
- Adequate human resource
- Outreach to present/potential microfinance clients specially women
- Rural outreach
- Estimated number of beneficiaries shall be at least 100 individuals
Launch of mobile wallets is another effort to provide impetus to financial literacy. A level zero mobile wallet is a bank account, which allows a customer Rs.50,000 transaction value and is accessed through a phone. While the commercial banking industry has managed to open 48 million bank accounts, the microfinance industry, in the past four years, has been able to open more than 10 million mobile wallets with over Rs.100 billion in savings. The industry has also been successful in managing the gender gap (55% female borrowers) and urban-rural divide (51% rural).


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Rare chance to own in Hickory Station Estates! This home has it all...location, size, schools, land. It has 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, open floor plan, 4,500+ sqft, 3 car attached garage, over 3 acres of land, horses allowed, ALL Hickory schools! Bedroom with a full bathroom downstairs, master bedroom is huge has gas fire place, sitting area and large closet. Kitchen is a chiefs dream with a commercial range and hood, built in griddle and deep fryer. From the kitchen and living room you can walk to the sun room that over looks 3+ acres backing up to woods for privacy. All 3 acres have irrigation system and home has back up generator hook up. Seller will provide flooring allowance for carpet. Hot tub and zero turn do not convey but are available for sale.
Listing courtesy of Stateline Realty. Selling Office: .
© 2020 REIN, Inc. Information Deemed Reliable But Not Guaranteed. The listings data displayed on this medium comes in part from the Real Estate Information Network, Inc. (REIN) and has been authorized by participating listing Broker Members of REIN for display. REIN's listings are based upon data submitted by its Broker Members, and REIN therefore makes no representation or warranty regarding the accuracy of the data. All users of REIN's listings database should confirm the accuracy of the listing information directly with the listing agent. © 2020 REIN. REIN's listings data and information is protected under federal copyright laws. Federal law prohibits, among other acts, the unauthorized copying or alteration of, or preparation of derivative works from, all or any part of copyrighted materials, including certain compilations of data and information. COPYRIGHT VIOLATORS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SEVERE FINES AND PENALTIES UNDER FEDERAL LAW. REIN updates its listings on a daily basis. Data last updated: . This application does not include information on all of the properties available for sale at this time.


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Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga walking out onto a stage together is what forgiveness and accountability looks like.
I watched a lot of baseball this summer—my son played in a competitive league. It was a season of flukes: weird and wacky things happened on the base paths this summer, and it felt that the calls too often went against my son's team. How hard it is to forgive the blown calls that mean the difference between a close win or a close loss.
It got me to thinking about Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga.
In July 2010, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was on his way to a perfect game. A PERFECT game. (If you don't follow baseball and don't know how rare that is, let me tell you, it is extremely rare. There have been 20 perfect games all time. That's 20 since the 1800s.) It was the ninth inning, with 2 outs already in the books. The Detroit Tigers just needed one more out to complete the perfect game. When the Cleveland Indians shortstop, Jason Donald, hit a ground ball, the Detroit first baseman fielded it and threw it to Galarraga who touched the bag ahead of the runner. It was the final out—but umpire Jim Joyce called the runner safe.
I watched this live. (Perfect games in the making get immediate attention.) I could not believe the call, and I will never forget Galarraga's reaction. I have to believe that anyone else—anyone—would have thrown their glove and had a major meltdown. There would have been swearing and dirt kicking and ugly displays of anger. But Galarraga handled it with admirable composure. He was stunned, and he threw his head back in disbelief and disappointment, but the game went on. After the game, when almost anyone else might have been vomiting up their anger and disappointment, he said, "We're human. Everybody's not perfect."
That's class.
After the game, Jim Joyce watched the replay and realized his mistake. He immediately owned up to it and apologized to Galarraga, but he struggled with the implications of his blown call. Felt sick about it.
What admirable accountability.
For the game the next day, Armando Galarraga was the player who handed the line-up card to umpire Jim Joyce. A few months later, they walked out together to present an award at the ESPYs (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award). The man who had pitched a perfect game, and the man who had robbed him of it stood together on stage, an inspirational picture of forgiveness and accountability.
Armando Galarraga will always be a footnote in the perfect game statistics column, but he will be at the top of the list for class and forgiveness.
Jim Joyce's career as a major league umpire will always be marked by the blown call, but he will be at the top of the list for upfront accountability.
Stories like this help me to set aside my irritation with calls that set back my son's baseball team. If Armando Galarraga can live in peace with a call that robbed him of a perfect game, then I can live with an occasional ball that should have been a strike.
After all, we're human. Everybody's not perfect.


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Black Friday and Cyber Monday bring several types of deals, including massive discounts from gaming, music and TV services on their subscription fees. The latest offer for Hulu subscribers lets you pay only $0.99 per month for an entire year of service.
Keep in mind that after your 1-year subscription expires, you will return to the usual $7.99 per month price. You can, however, decide to unsubscribe at that point if you are unhappy with the cost or service. The discounted package includes 'minimal' commercial interruptions, unlike Hulu's pricier $12 package, but essentially offers the same content.
Additionally, this offer is only available to new subscribers and customers who have not been on Hulu in the past 12 months or more. This deal cannot be combined with any other offers or pricing plans from Hulu.


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A few months ago, we reported that astronomers had found the largest object in the universe. Except now, they've discovered something even bigger.
The new object is five billion light years across, meaning it's unfathomably large. Again, there really isn't a human on Earth who can seriously comprehend how big that actually is. But if we were able to see it here from Earth, we know it would appear 70 times larger than the moon, occupying 36 per cent of our sky. That's considering that the object is seven billion light years away from us right now.
Are you ready to find out what it is?
The first massive object we reported on turned out to be a giant blob–mildly disappointing. But this new discovery is actually a ring of nine massive, connected galaxies! They were found by tracing a series of gamma-ray bursts (giant releases of energy thought to be the result of massive stars collapsing into blackholes) that occurred in each galaxy, which astronomers often use as a tool to measure distances in far-away places. They soon discovered just how massive this thing was.
But the real find here isn't the object itself, but what it does to our understanding of the universe.
For one, it undermines Sir Isaac Newton's Cosmological Principle, which states that, when looking at it from a large enough scale, the universe is uniform–it will essentially have the same makeup no matter where you go. But the existence of random, super-size objects like this one refute that notion, suggesting a much more uneven cosmos.
"If we are right, this structure contradicts the current models of the universe, lead scientist Prof Lajos Balazs said in a statement. "It was a huge surprise to find something this big – and we still don't quite understand how it came to exist at all."
Their next mission? Figuring out how it came to exist at all.


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"Change before you have to."
Jack Welch
Jon's Favorite Book:Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion. Jon's Favorite Podcast: Untangle – Powerful information and phenomenal interviews.
Jon's Favorite Thing
A great magazine. They've got great articles and I think you'll really love it.
Jon's Favorite App
Great information to keep you up on all of the sports news and scores you need
Jon's Favorite TEDTalk
"The Power of Words" | Mohammed Qahtani, Toastmasters International


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Sunday, October 7, 2012
I Burn For You by Calista Fox (Guest Post)
10 comments:
- jmkbuddyOctober 8, 2012 at 4:43 PM
Wow, consider me entered, firstname.lastname@example.com. Good Luck with your tour and roll-out!ReplyDelete
- Amber GreenOctober 8, 2012 at 4:53 PM
What a fun idea!ReplyDelete
I love the premise of this story. It is on my TBR!ReplyDelete
bournmelissa at hotmail dot com
I prefer to read long novels but short once are great specially if my previous long read was a disappointment.ReplyDelete
bituin76 AT hotmail DOT com
Look intense, but cool!ReplyDelete
- ShannonOctober 12, 2012 at 6:45 AM
Short stories are great since I don't have as much time to read as I'd like with a busy toddler. Thanks for sharing this steamy readReplyDelete
I feel the same way, except I don't have a toddler :D But yes, definitely enjoy shorts these daysReplyDelete
the cover is pretty hot isn't it :DReplyDelete
if the book is super good and from my favorite author, I definitely enjoy long novels :D But if it is some kind of erotica, I do prefer it short and straight to the pointReplyDelete


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Dahlonega Gold Adventure All-Abilities Playground Open Now!
Nestled in Hancock Park, at the corner of Hawkins Street and North Meaders Street, sits the newest addition to the Dahlonega Square, "The Gold Adventure All-Access Playground".
On June 1, 2019 The City of Dahlonega opened the playground to the public.
Climb on the one of a kind rock wall, swing to new heights on the Cloud 9 swings, and crawl your way through Charlotte's Web. Children can ride on the backs of creatures native to Dahlonega such as a bear cub and leaping trout. The playground celebrates our natural history with a 6' mine shaft climbing structure painted to resemble the rocks found in actual Dahlonega-area gold mines. The soft Poured-in-Place rubber matting is colored to resemble a river flowing through a grassy area. The Dahlonega Gold Mine All-Abilities Playground also features three Freenote Outdoor Musical Instruments that are designed to enhance physical and mental development through the exploration of sound. These instruments, like the sculptures and swings in the Playground are accessible to children with physical and developmental handicaps.
The park is open each day from Sunrise to Sunset.


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Product Catalog
Visitor Statistics
I. General information about Vietnamese papper product
Vietnam currently has about 200 pepper processing and trading companies, of which 15 are leading enterprises, accounting for 70% of the country's exports. In particular, there are five foreign-invested enterprises, accounting for nearly 30% of the export market share. Vietnamese papper products are mainly exported, accounting for 95%, domestic accounts for 5%. Pepper processing technology in Vietnam has reached the standards of the world market in general. Enterprises having high technology processing factories according to ASTA, ESA, JSSA standards have created diversified products: black pepper, whole white beans, ground pepper, small packing. But in general, Vietnamese papper products are mainly exported raw, lower value than the price of India, Malaysia.
A papper garden in Phu Quoc
Normally, Vietnamese papper products are seasoned in dry or fresh form. With aromatic flavor, spicy pepper special is an irreplaceable spice. Black pepper is used most, they are an indispensable spice in the kitchen of every family. White peppercorns are white, they are often used in cream sauces, in dishes from Vietnam, Thailand, China. White pepper for salad, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes... substitute for black pepper, which makes the dish more beautiful. Blue pepper produces a distinct flavor, slightly spicy, and deodorizes a variety of foods. Spicy and spicy dishes thanks to green pepper. Green peppers are used to cook dishes such as green peppers, green peppers, green peppers, etc.
II. Pepper products
1. Salt pepper
Pepper green pepper is made from the unripe pepper. After picking, carefully separate the Vietnamese papper products to avoid breaking, stamping the fruit. The pepper (green pepper) is soaked in vinegar and salt to keep the natural green and crispy green pepper. Delicacies are delicious flavors consumers accept.
Papper- product is good for health
2. Black pepper
Total fruit pulp consists of peel and seeds that are dried to a moisture content of 13%. Black pepper is black with the wrinkled seed coat, white pepper, or black pepper. Older ripe buds are separated from the outer shell and then dried. The white finished product is round grain white ivory.
3. Pepper oil
Essential oils, extracted from pepper by means of steam distillation. It is a natural, translucent liquid, green to yellowish green
4. Oleoresin resin oil
Also known as peppermint oil, is a concentrated extract by extraction with conventional solvents or extraction at high temperatures. Oleoresin is a mixture of essential oils, resins, and compounds such as piperine alkaloid. Pepper oil is full of the flavor characteristics of spicy pepper
5. Pepper powder
Dried peppercorns are crushed in different sizes depending on the requirements of the consumer. Recent low temperature melting technologies has been applied to avoid the loss of volatile aromatics when grinding pepper. Low-temperature Vietnamese papper products also remove bacteria and mold.
Pepper, which favorite products of every home
6. Green pepper dehydrated
This is a product made from green pepper, by treating the seeds at high temperatures to neutralize the action of the enzymes that make the seeds brown. Green pepper is heat treated and then dried or dried at the controlled temperature, thus retaining the natural green color as harvested. After soaking in water, these Vietnamese papper products will recover theirs shape and color similar to green pepper when harvested.
7. Green pepper improves
To overcome the physical deficiencies and the taste of green pepper dehydration, to overcome the disadvantage of packaging costs of salt-pickled green pepper, people have made improvements in green pepper processing. To produce this improved green pepper, the green pepper is washed in water, the next step is to soak in salt water for 2-3 months, flush out the juice and can to market.
8. Green pepper freeze
A premium green pepper product is prepared by drying green pepper to a moisture content of about 4% at a temperature of minus 30-40 ° C under vacuum conditions. The color, aroma and physical properties of green pepper are much better than that of green pepper dried in sunlight or dehydrated by drying. This product can be kept at room temperature. Once moistened again, the Vietnamese papper products are like freshly harvested green pepper.
Green pepper freeze
9. Red pepper
When Vietnamese papper products are completely ripe, the color of the pepper turns from green to red. Red is very attractive compared to black or ivory white. To process red pepper, harvest Vietnamese papper products when many fruits in ripe fruit are ripe. These fruits are carefully separated from the fruit bunch. The remaining fruits are incubated for 2-3 days until the red color is further processed into the red pepper. The red pepper after being separated from the fruit must be processed during the day. The red color of the pepper is retained by soaking the pepper and saline or salt and vinegar with food preserves. Then the pepper can be dehydrated like the dehydration process of green pepper.
10. Perfume with black pepper
A warm and tender aroma, characteristic of black pepper. Black pepper aroma brings a sense of excitement, warmth, pleasant and fun.
Tin mới
- Embassy of Vietnam in India organises trifecta forum in Kolkata Two places bound by Ho Chi Minh - 24/11/2019 07:02
- Song Nam expands dragon fruit business in India with 2 brands and 7 box colors - 29/09/2019 13:56
- Fresh dragon fruits treated by Vapour Heat Treatment - 30/08/2019 13:09
- Banana - high value products - 11/09/2018 07:14
Các tin khác
- The necessary information about the longan - 31/08/2018 02:56
- Few obstacles that Vietnamese fresh fruits might have - 27/08/2018 07:07
- Discover interesting things about black pepper - 27/08/2018 03:43


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The Enhanced Voice Services Codec - Improving audio for the Internet of Talk
OK, I'll be the first to admit it -- I have a somewhat unhealthy fascination with codecs. While I've always been one for a thrilling tale of analog to digital quantization, my head pretty much exploded when I first read about the mechanics behind G.729, aka CELP: Code-excited linear prediction. I mean, seriously, how cool is that name? Even now, when I read it, my mind is awash with the prospect of enthusiastic bits of data foretelling their future (albeit conservative) path. I was always so happy for them. And, of course, that wasn't the end of CELPs story. These bits quickly became math whizzes (Algebraic/ACELP), which then became quicker (Low Delay/LD-CELP) but then formed some sort of strange growth (conjugate-structure/CS-ACELP), which I admit was a little sad. What I learned about CELP, circa 1995, was from technical "books" -- typically heavy objects costing in the region of one million dollars, in today's money.1
With this knowledge, it should come as no surprise, therefore, that digging into the details of a new codec is a fun time for me. Indeed, it's not the first time since I've been blogging here at Metaswitch, having espoused the merits of SILK (of Microsoft Skype and Metaswitch Accession fame) in previous posts.2 While this one was originated by the stodgy 3GPP and therefore is assigned an appropriately boring name, the specifications and rationale behind the Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) codec are nothing of the sort. For one thing, like its 'adaptive multi-rate' (AMR) predecessor, EVS employs ACELP at its core, meaning that those books were money well spent, if only I could remember anything I'd read.
A Short History of EVS
About two and a half years ago, SA4 (the technical specifications working group within the 3GPP focused on codecs) ratified EVS as the next-generation conversational codec for Release 12 and on. "Why on earth would they do that?" I hear you cry. Why not simply employ Opus, the open source successor of SILK and the preferred codec of WebRTC, introduced by Google and ratified by the IETF in RFC 6716? The answer lies in the patent courts, with vendors in the mobile space claiming intellectual property infringements, much like they did with a precursor called VP8. Those cases were eventually tossed (or "dismissed," as I believe it's officially referred to) and in the meantime EVS advanced through the 3GPP. That's not to say EVS shouldn't have been. Yes, it is, ultimately, another licensed codec, but it was designed specifically for mobile infrastructures and therefore tuned to the needs of mobile operators and emerging mobile use cases. Put another way, it has some redeeming qualities for the Internet of Talk.
A Quick Codec Sidebar
We categorize codecs for their ability to support four grades of voice and audio transmission. Narrowband is the classic POTS quality we know and love. That thin and tinny noise that grates on our nerves after listening to it for 20 minutes. Or is that only when I'm talking? Wideband (or HD voice) is what we are increasingly coming to expect, courtesy of OTT communications applications. Both of these are categories for voice transmission and not appropriate for audio. Super wideband encompasses the sort of frequency range that makes music listenable but has not been particularly exploited outside the fixed line business communications market. Fullband, however, is an audiophile's dream, which is why we see streaming music codecs like ACC and MP3 in that category.
The grades of voice and audio transmission with examples of supporting codecs
Naturally, there are differences between the codecs listed – even if they are in the same category. G.729, which started my voice compression love affair, operates at between 6.4 and 11.8 kbps with a MOS at 8 kbps of around 3.92 and a 10ms compression delay, but scores high on the complexity scale, which means more processing power. AMR-NB is low complexity and can operate at lower bandwidths 4.75 – 12.2 kbps while achieving the same MOS but with double the compression delay. Of course, most codecs come kitted out with discontinuous transmission (DTX), voice activity detection (VAD) and comfort noise generation (CNG), all of which serve to reduce bandwidth utilization by shutting down audio and sending white noise instead, when no one is talking, with their efficiency and accuracy improving over time.3
The need for EVS
With its dependency on the broad availability of voice over LTE (VoLTE), the roll-out of wideband HD voice is only now beginning in any discernable scale. Why, then, are we already talking about fullband? The fact is that the delays in deploying mobile packet voice4 have put cellular operators on their back foot and they must now accelerate the deployment of enhanced audio features in order to keep their voice services relevant. Sound quality and reliability are key -- and indeed critical if voice is to remain relevant to today's (and tomorrow's) generation of mobile users. It's not only voice quality, though, that is important. Ubiquitous HD through the broad implementation of AMR-WB would take care of that. To the near-future generation of subscribers, raised on the broadcast lifestyle, the fullband experience will be essential. Simply put, the success of the Internet of Talk will hinge not only on the ubiquity of high-quality speech but also the clarity of streaming music, which might be pushed between callers along with the flawless transmission of the ambient background noises that add to the context of a call. Or "Hey! Listen to this band!"
All right, but we have perfectly good fullband codecs right now, in the form of ACC and MP3, etc. Why do we need a new one? The problem is that these codecs are continually running at full-tilt. They are perfect for playing Panic! At The Disco but a little overkill for even the greatest oratory elocution. EVS and Opus are a little more ingenious in their execution in that they actually comprised two encoding and decoding techniques, one oriented toward real-time speech and another targeted at streaming audio. In the case of Opus, talk (up to wideband / HD) is transmitted using SILK, while EVS employs a wideband CELP extension, of G.729.1 and G.718 fame. For music and environmental (background) noise, both leverage modified discrete cosine transform (MDCT), a technique already employed by pretty much every other streaming music codec. According to the EVS datasheet, "content-dependent on-the-fly switching between speech and audio compression" occurs, in the case of EVS in as little as 32ms -- a first, according to the developer's marketing department.5 As open source, Opus doesn't have a team of highly experienced and invaluable Marketeers like me to dispute that point, which obviously means it's true and EVS wins. Yay! While I tweet that alternative fact, take a look at this high-level architecture diagram.
A high-level architecture diagram of the EVS codec
As you will note from the diagram, the switch also determines whether to engage the comfort noise generator. A genuine feather in the EVS cap, however, is the addition of an AMR-WB interoperable (IO) mode, which, as the name suggest, provides native backwards compatibility with any endpoint or network function that does not support the EVS codec. Detailed traffic analysis in the pre-processing stage results in a granular classification of the signal type, allowing the switch to target the correct core EVS codec to employ. A switch between modes and the core EVS codec can be performed at each 20ms frame boundary.
FEC 'n FEC
Although the Internet has seen fit to remove at least one irreplaceable image in that historic post, I went into quite a bit of detail regarding FEC in the aforementioned article. While I'm not one of those people to recycle my words and revisit that topic, the tech community has seen fit to recycle the acronym. Talk packet loss in today's codec circles, and you'd better be ready to clarify whether you are talking frame erasure concealment FEC or forward error correction FEC. In all fairness, many references make the distinction by referring to the former using the alternative label of packet loss concealments (PLC), which is much nicer to us all. Some flip-flop between both. Thanks, ETSI/3GPP. Personally, I would favor "error loss lessening," which would enable me to refer to the combination as FEC 'n ELL. Genius.
Forward error correction is applied at the encoder at varying degrees of resiliency, depending on link quality, to provide physical protection against packet loss by appending redundant copies of pertinent packets to other packets. Any lost or late arriving packets can be reliably rebuilt at the decoder, albeit at a lower sampling rate. If FEC fails, packet loss concealment techniques, a function of the decoder, mitigate the erasure by either repeating the previous packet (waveform substitution) or by guessing what audio waveform the packet contained based on what was received prior (model-based method) and having the post-processor play that instead.
The Mighty MOS
In all my decades working with (and on) the latest advancements in voice transmission technologies, nothing pleases me more than that fact that, ultimately, the true test of our progress is measured by a few people sitting in a room and listening. That's it. Me and my very own wax-laden lobes could personally determine the fate of a fancy new algorithm, regardless of whether I'd just been to an AC/DC performance the previous night. Luckily it's not me -- it's probably you. Or some other random person. But at least it's not me. Like any new codec, EVS went through the mean opinion score (MOS) wringer and the people had some pretty nice things to say. I've chosen two of the many charts, out there, which carve up the MOS results every which way, from a source that pitted EVS against Opus.6
Clean speech and mixed audio MOS for various codecs
What we note here is not the fullband results at 32kbps but what was subjectively heard in the wideband and fullband ranges at the sort of encoding rates we might favor or expect to be able to maintain across a broad mobile infrastructure. EVS excels, delivering mean opinion scores either much higher at identical encoding rates or on-par but at much lower rates. Shake it any way you want, EVS would appear to be tuned for the Internet of Talk and that makes it good, in my book -- whatever the price.
Join the movement: www.metaswitch.com/iotalk
1. A clichéd but true story. I used a book on ISDN to shore up a broken desk caster for about 10 years, with the irony being the book cost more than the desk. Which, I guess, might explain the defective caster, now I think about it.
2. http://www.metaswitch.com/the-switch/a-silky-smooth-sbc
3. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c6c6/34783ba4f3a70952d77b79ce10d3f5b68cd7.pdf
4. Lack of ubiquitous 4G coverage, reliability/complexity of CSFB, handset availability, etc., etc.
5. http://resources.alcatel-lucent.com/asset/200002
6. Yes. The same one (5) I vaguely accused of nepotism, previously. All good. Moving on.
Simon is the Director of Technical Marketing and a man of few words.