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By: M.S.Yatnatti: Editor and Video Journalist Bengaluru: At a high level, digital marketing refers to advertising delivered through digital channels such as search engines, websites, social media, email, and mobile apps. Reportedly with the rise in the internet and digital networks, digital marketing has become an indispensable need for businesses looking to promote themselves. As consumers are turning tech-savvy, entrepreneurs and digitally-enabled companies are building their brand on digital marketing platforms, in the next five years, India will add half a billion more internet users, which will compel most companies to turn to digital channels for promotions to reach out to more number of people.This will lead to a rise in demand for people with digital marketing skills, as a result of which more than 18,00,000 digital marketing jobs will be generated by the end of 2020. This will open new doors for fresh talents with an in-depth knowledge of digital marketing.
It is to be noted that everyone has to take the first step, and your first potential step into the digital market space might be an opportunity at the lowest level. Do not hesitate; you can always keep updating yourself on better options through employment sites, and look for alternatives while building up a portfolio and learning while you work.Making a foray into digital marketing can be challenging . Its components, including social media marketing, email marketing, SEO, content, web development, mobile marketing, analytics, AdWords, have its separate rules and operational system. Experts can help you navigate through these different yet connected realms to help you understand the basic concepts well enough to conceptualise, design, and execute online campaigns for different companies with latest online marketing tools. Taking up training and getting certified can help remove the conventional barriers to enter this career.The internet is vast, and digital marketing has to cater to a variety of different channels and media to communicate with potential customers. The digital marketing field, therefore, offers a wide range of career options that you can choose from on the basis of your interest or existing skills. You could choose to be anything from a digital marketing executive, to social media marketing executive to SEO expert or a Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) specialist.In each of these roles, there is a hierarchy based on your skillset, experience, and other factors. Personal branding is one of the tactics to market or showcase one's talent to attract better opportunities to improve one's digital marketing career. Make it a point to exhibit your skills and achievements on your social media networks, especially LinkedIn as it is one of the best professional platforms. Create a winning resume that showcases your competencies, to win over a potential employer.
According to press reports unlike some other professions where the basic foundation of required skills does not change over the time, digital marketing is a constantly evolving space. Although the need for skilled and creative people in the field remains unchanged, changing trends mean that the methods and processes utilised can change quickly. If you do not keep yourself updated with the latest industry developments, you are likely to be replaced by someone more clued in. You can keep yourself updated on the latest in digital marketing through online resources such as YouTube channels and blogs.Reportedly knowing the right people can make a huge difference, so it is important to reach out to and build relationships to create a robust network on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter etc. Companies looking to hire you would like to have evidence in real-time of your ability to deliver a successful digital marketing campaign; thus, you must have some examples of your work easily accessible on social media. So, make it a point to create blogs or vlogs connected to your area of interest and specialisation. It is important to remember that the best brand builders are constantly building and improving their networks, and you should do the same.Instant Messenger whatsApp and Telegram are a great way to do business if used properly within legal limits. With Telegram 4.1, we're increasing the maximum size of supergroups to 10,000 members each. That's a lot of people packed into one group, and now users and admins can use search to find specific users among them: Nearly no-cost no-frill .If used smartly it can change the way communication is done in India and across the globe .The world is literally running on communication .Be it is job application or a political campaign or anything under the sun communication is pivotal for their success and with gamut of brands rapidly using to communicate with their consumers and customers on daily basis .The companies are providing their what's App numbers in tier advertisements so that potential customers could enquire about their products and services . whatsApp can be used for internal group discussion in the enterprises .The companies can have separate groups for each business units and teachers can have each group for their students wherein important information can be shared with everyone.It is a perfect tool to keep everyone in loop and help each team member by offering information needed. It is interesting to note that while whats app is great tool to do business efficiently but Indian companies yet not have embraced it fully .Once they realize the value of of this simple App and it could be next big thing in communication space in the country. WhatsApp Marketing is a tool for interaction: WhatsApp should only be used as a tool for quickly interacting with known persons and un-known persons. For instance, if you own a furniture shop, you should use our WhatsApp Markeingto send many pictures of new stock items to existing customers and new customers. Change your display picture to your products: And change your WhatsApp status to either your website or an obviously marketing status. For instance: "Get in touch with me in case you're looking to purchase quality furniture".


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Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf
For me, garden design isn't just about plants, it is about emotion, atmosphere, a sense of contemplation. You try to move people with what you do. You look at this, and it goes deeper than what you see. It reminds you of something in the genes — nature, or the longing for nature. Piet Oudolf
Revolutionary landscape designer Piet Oudolf is known for designing public works like New York City's popular High Line and the Lurie Garden in Chicago's Millennium Park that redefine our conception of gardens as works of art in themselves.
This gorgeous, meditative documentary immerses viewers in his work, taking us inside Oudolf's creative process. From his aesthetic theories to his strikingly abstract sketches to the ecological implications of his ideas, the film poetically reveals how Oudolf upends conventional notions of nature, public space and, ultimately, beauty itself.

subset: commoncrawl


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Flexible Benefits Systems, Inc. is a third party administrator (TPA) for retirement and health plans. We assist your employer in delivering the best possible plan support to you - the participant. FBSI understands you wants and needs to manage your own plan. You can maintain control and an understanding of your plan by using the tools available on our website:
FBSI also understands the importance of personal attention, and we have made this our number one priority. We provide:
So, contact FBSI for more information regarding your plan!


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Kuhl Bandita Convertible Pant
Retailers' Descriptions
Here's what other sites are saying:
The Bandita Convertible pants from Kuhl offer you 3 options in 1 for supreme packing convenience. They're pants, they're capris and they're shorts!
Kuhl covers all the bases by giving you three different ways to wear the Women's Bandita Convertible Pant. Its versatile 3-in-1 style lets you wear the Bandita Convertible as a pant, zip off the lower leg to create a below-the-knee capri, or, if you're really working up a sweat, roll up the cuffs and enjoy the cool comfort of 11-inch shorts.
- Backcountry.com
The Kuhl Bandita Convertible is the perfect pant for any type of hiking. Change from pant, to capri, to short with ease and hike anywhere with it's UPF 40, and side stretch panels for comfort and movement.
- CampSaver.com
When you want a hiking and outdoor pant that doesn't look like one, the women's Bandita Convertible Pant from Kuhl fits the bill. Its stylish look and lines fools all who see it, making it a great town and trail pant. PRODUCT FEATURES: Fabric: Drypoint 1). 77% Nylon 23% Cotton 2). 84% Poly 16% Spandex Inside fabric of poly/spandex allows skin like flexibility for natural stretch and comfort Non-stretch fabric on the outside Side stretch panels for comfort and movement 3 in 1-- Zip off legs for Capri Rolls up from Capri for shorts, full pant Capri inseam 18", short inseam 11" Combed, peached, super sueded for softness UPF 40 achieved through mechanically spun yarn Easy-care wash and wear
- Appalachian Outdoors
The Bandita has a trim mountaintown style that slyly masks the twoinone design Mobilityenhancing spandex strips mimic the zipper lines so they stand out less and small slots swallow the zipper pulls And for hiker who say the backcountry is no place to worry about looksthat function always trumps formdont worry The Bandita also packs a bestinclass array of clever technical features BACKPACKER MAGAZINE Fabric Drypoint 1 77 Nylon 23 Cotton 2 84 Poly 16 Spandex Fabric weight is 4 ozsq yd Inside fabric of polyspandex allows skin like flexibility for natural stretch and comfort Nonstretch fabric on the outside Side stretch panels for comfort and movement 3 in 1 Zip off legs for Capri rolls up from Capri for shorts full pant Capri inseam 18 short inseam 11 Combed peached super sueded for softness UPF 40 achieved through mechanically spun yarn Easycare wash and wear
- Bentgate.com
Where to Buy
Help support this site by making your next gear purchase through one of the links above. Click a link, buy what you need, and the seller will contribute a portion of the purchase price to support Trailspace's independent gear reviews.
previously retailed for:
$21.83 - $89.00
$21.83 - $89.00
The Kuhl Bandita Convertible Pant is not available from the stores we monitor. It was last seen October 31, 2015 at REI.
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Lord Jim was built in 1976 at Camper & Nicholsons yard in Southampton to Lloyds 100A1 class (being the most rigorous classification available for any vessel at that time) enabled her to engage in her circumnavigational career.
Her strength and hull shape make Lord Jim an unbeatable all weather round the world comfortable platform for enjoyment and expeditions, currently completing her fourth circumnavigation.
Comprising of a steel hull, aluminium deck house and newly fitted Burmese Teak decks, make this classically designed twin-masted sailing vessel aesthetically pleasing for both non boat and boat connoisseurs.
Those who are pleased by her classic lines will not be disappointed by the beautiful mahogany interior which boasts three fully appointed luxury en-suite cabins and a two to four berth forward cabin for larger parties or children.
The attention to the detail of the soft furnishings, sumptuous towelling and monogrammed robes, would be the envy of many high calibre hotels.
Relaxed in the knowledge that the large fully equipped wheel house is taking care of the business end of the navigation and sailing, there is also ample room for guests to use this as an all weather viewing platform.
It's not difficult when you see the high specification galley, to appreciate that in this attention to detail, you might expect the same quality from the cuisine produced there, and you won't be disappointed.
Once the sun has "dipped below the yardarm", relax in the saloon area and request some rather special attention to your drinking choices pre-dinner.
You will find our selection of Malt Whiskies and cocktails to be as mouth watering as the food.
Being fully equipped for all forms of water activities and outdoor adventure, makes Lord Jim the ideal resort for your Sailing experience in the Mediterranean.


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Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
Adho mukha śvānāsana, adho mukha shvanasana, downward-facing dog Pose, downward dog, or down dog is an asana.
Step by step:
Adho mukha śvānāsana, adho mukha shvanasana, downward-facing dog Pose, downward dog, or down dog is an asana.
Step by step:
- Come on the floor on your hands and knees. Set your knees directly under your hips and your hands slightly forward of your shoulders. Spread your palms , index fingers parallel or slightly turned, and turn your toes under.
- Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor . At first keep the knees slightly bent and your heels off the ground. Lengthen your tailbone to the back of your pelvis and press lightly to the pubis. Against this resistance , lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling , and your inner ankles draw the inner legs up into the groins.
- Then with an exhalation , push your top thighs back and stretch your heels onto or into the ground. Straighten your knees but be careful not to block them. Compacting the outer thighs and roll thighs inward slightly . Reduce the front of the pelvis .
- Firm the outer arms and press the bases of active index in the soil. From these two points lift along the inner arms wrists to the tops of the shoulders. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then expand and attract them to the coccyx. Keep your head between your arms, do not let it hang .
- Adho Mukha Svanasana is a sequence of poses in the traditional Sun Salutation. It is also an excellent yoga asana all on its own . Stay in this pose anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes . Then bend your knees on the floor with an exhalation and rest in child's pose .
Benefits of Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) pose:


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Phone number: 0403 12....
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Design & Drafting Innovations can help with professional advice and innovative solutions to create designs for small to large residential, commercial, industrial projects.
Have an idea! We can help with the rest. We can provide you with all the assistance to make it happen without the stress while remaining within your budget.
Call or email us, for an obligation free quote or a FREE first hour consultation.
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The need for speed can be thoroughly obtained when you choose the sleek and aggressive aerodynamical advantages of the 2015 Corvette Z06. But if it's just agility, stability and enhanced handling that you crave, look no further. Chevrolet delivers with the maximized performance of the Z06.
Every exterior feature on the all-new Chevy Corvette Z06 serves a functional purpose. The wider flared fenders accommodate larger, wider wheels and tires for a more secure grip. Larger vents provide more air to the engine, brakes, transmission and differential for increased track capability. And the aerodynamic package generates incredible downforce for tight handling and stability. For even more grip, Z06 comes standard with larger Michelin® summer-only Pilot® Super Sport ZP tires.
When you choose the supercharged power of this supercar, you can also select from three different levels of dominant downforce.
Z06 Aero Package – Level One
The standard Z06 features a front splitter, spats around the front wheel openings, a unique carbon-fiber hood with a larger vent, and a rear spoiler from the Corvette Stingray's available Z51 Performance Package.
Z06 Carbon-Fiber Aero Package – Level Two
An available Carbon-Fiber Aero Package (in either black or a visible carbon-fiber finish) adds a carbon-fiber front splitter with aviation-style end plates, carbon-fiber rocker panels, and a larger rear spoiler with a fixed wickerbill – a small, vertical tab at the edge of the spoiler that significantly increases downforce.
Z07 Performance Package – Level Three
The available Z07 Package includes the carbon-fiber rocker panels from level two Carbon-Fiber Aero package, adds even larger end plates to the front splitter, as well as with an adjustable, transparent wickerbill on the rear spoiler for track use. With this package, the Corvette Z06 delivers the most aerodynamic downforce of any production car that GM has ever tested. In addition to the aerodynamic elements, the Z07 Package also includes Michelin® Pilot® Sport Cup 2 ZP Forbes contributor Karl Brauer agrees that the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is one of the most impressive supercars available today, saying, "(It) shatters even the high standards set for 21st century sports cars. The performance capabilities offered by the new Corvette Z06 are truly astonishing."
If you have had your eye on the Corvette Z06 and have specific questions about purchasing this vehicle, contact Bachman Chevrolet. We would be happy to answer any questions you have and start the process getting you into this powerful supercar.


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Additional lyrics by Alby Martinez
This song was inspired by my dad Alberto E. Martinez. I will always remember those hot summers days on the boat fishing, water skiing, and cruising around in the Gulf of Mexico. I wrote this song to make my daddy happy knowing that among all his many talents, his ability to relax and enjoy life will always inspire me.


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Well, we are on Day 3 of my 4-day weekend (*w00t*), so I thought I would bring you up-to-date on all the excitement in my life.
So, on Friday, I mostly ran errands. I also ran a few miles. I went to the Giant and bought some necessary supplies, like kitty litter and paper towels. Then, I did a little grocery shopping at the Whole Foods. And, I may (or may not) have had a slightly boozy lunch at Adega.
Once home, I took a long nap. Then, I cleaned the bathroom. Yay clean bathroom!
As I was doing all this housework, I was reminded that my iron had died. I also remembered that I had a Target giftcard. SO, I went to target.com and did a little shopping. I bought a new iron (yay!), a new rug for the bathroom, a shoe rack, and some Halloween novelty lights. YAY!
And I spent the rest of the evening watching Downton Abbey, Season 2. LOVE!
On Saturday, I journeyed out to Wheaton to talk to the people who are designing my kitchen. AND, I totally LOVE LOVE LOVE the design. However, it is a bit more expensive than I had budgeted. I'm trying to see how I can make do.
I do have one major decision to make: the floor.
The cabinets are wood with a brushed aluminum veneer. And the countertops are this ice-stone-like recycled materials red. With the floor, I can't decide between white cork and red linoleum. Here are the options. What do you think:
I am leaning towards the red flooring.
After meeting with the kitchen people, I met my friend, V, for brunch. We went to Eggspectations. Yum. Then, we went back to my place and "watched a movie." (*wink wink nudge nudge*).
And, then, we came home and went to bed.
This morning, we slept in. Had some coffee. Eventually (after a little "movie-watching"), we walked over to El Golfo for brunch. On the way there, we met another V, the woman who was the front-desk receptionist at the company I used to work for in Silver Spring. She lives across the street from me. Such a nice woman :-) ... Brunch at El Golfo was delicious.
We came back home and took a long nap on the sofa. Then, he had to drive back to Philly (*sad face*). And, after we found his car, I went on a 7 mile run.
Now, I am home, about to have dinner, crack open a bottle of champagne and watch the last episode of Downton Abbey, Season 2.
I'm so glad I'm off tomorrow, too!
Have a great night and a Happy Monday (especially if you are off!).
P.S. the fabulous Earl Cootie is celebrating 101 Days of October. And, I'm a guest poster. Check out my October photo here (and send him some of your Fall pix too)!


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Friday, February 1, 2013
FEAST 05 grant winners
Congrats to Jennifer Davis and Su-Ying Lee of Rear View Curatorial Collective, winners of the FEAST Project Grant, and Layne Hinton, winner of the Student Grant sponsored by XPACE.
Davis and Lee won $915 for their project Super Furniture:
"Super Furniture is an installation by architect and graphic novelist, Jimenez Lai, that is commissioned by Rear View Curatorial Collective for the Summer of 2013. Conceived of as "a building that is too small and furniture that is too big," this installation offers visitors the opportunity to inhabit windows of a life-sized comic book page. Located in a laneway behind Sheridan Ave (Brockton/Little Portugal neighbourhoods), the project revives the eternal fascination of chidhood fort building, club founding and playing out of sight of 'grown ups'. Super Furniture is a novel proposition for how we might live and socialize in the unique, but often overlooked, spaces of Toronto."
Hinton won $300 for her group project Integrated Media Thesis Exhibition and Publication:
"We are a group of twenty students currently working in digital, new media, film, video and installation art. As colleagues in the Integrated Media (INTM) major at OCAD University we are in the midst of our thesis and graduating year. Our aim is to curate a cohesive exhibition representing a generation of technology-minded multi-disciplinary artists and showcase our final work for the year. We are also putting together a short series of INTM publications of both visuals and writing that will complement the show and provide a more critical look at the work. Our cohort is exploring a variety of concepts; investigating our current relationship with technology, the post-internet world and gaming, as well as ideas of energy, architectural and spatial boundaries, and how people perceive themselves in a space."
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Used Aircraft Guide
October 2015 Issue
Beech Baron 55:
Its a bargain to acquire, but far from cheap to maintain and operate. Still, the 55-series baby Baron pays back in speed and handling qualities.
Fly most any Beechcraft model and you will likely come away impressed with its sturdy feel, excellent build quality and, especially, its handling qualities. All the way down to the lowly Musketeer, Beech just took pains to get the airplanes flying manners a cut above everything else, and that applies in spades to the Baron series. Even so, every aircraft company has to make compromises. In the 55 Baron, for instance, what many find to be pleasant handling characteristics can prove to be a handful in poor weather, or when the air turns green with turbulence. And nothing comes for free, particularly in a higher-end Beech.
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Saturday, December 6, 2014
Christmas, It's the Gayest Time of Year
'Tis the season to be merry and gay! I always knew that Christmas was fabulous but just how fabulous? I had no clue.
Many of us dress in drag for one night a year on Halloween but at Christmas time, most men get a month long holiday full of flashy cocktails, dinner parties, bow ties and Michael Buble.
Yesterday, I was doing some Christmas shopping and as I was standing in line at the check out counter I noticed a large, middle aged male in front of me purchasing perfume by Nikki Minaj (God only knows what that smells like) a gift collection of lotions from Victoria Secret and a box of Godiva chocolates. Any other time of the year this gentleman would have had to make a qualifying statement to go along with his most feminine of purchases, "It's for my girlfriend! The woman I have sex with! Because I am not gay! Not that there is anything wrong with that!" (I thought I would get you something nice for Christmas, so enjoy your Seinfeld quote)
Christmas time is the only time of year when men can unapologetically purchase almost anything! A pink hand gun? Why not. Tiny shorts that say, "Juicy" on the bum? Sure. A rabbit vibrator? Absolutely! The new One Direction album? It's NOT for my daughter, it's for ME!
I then realized that I asked my husband to buy me People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive issue because it had Chris Hemsworth on the cover. I also asked him to get me plenty of candy. Only Christmas morning will tell if he bought me these audacious items but if he did, I am sure that he looked like a man on his period buying these gifts. Next time I will be sure to sweeten the deal with tampons and the box set of Sex and the City.
This holiday season let your freak flag fly, dudes! Buy the soundtrack to Frozen, that you secretly love. Pamper yourself with a gift certificate to a spa and then fulfill it by yourself in January! Indulge in a pint of your favorite ice cream. No one will be the wiser! Except maybe for that tattle tail Elf on the Shelf...damn that thing is creepy.
Men buying gay things like nikki minaj perfume, victoria secret body lotions, chris hemsworth sexy man alive people magazine they might be on their periods
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History | Veterans Monument
FirstEnergy Stadium as seen from the air in its first decade of existence. The original seating grandstand and brick wall perimeter, which remain to this day, can be seen in this photo. The Reading Indians were the ballpark's first tenants.
Completed in 1951, FirstEnergy Stadium is now the oldest home in the Eastern League. It assumed that distinction after Toronto's Double-A affiliate departed from Yale Field (1927) in New Haven, Connecticut, following the 2003 season. The home of the Reading Phillies is 36 years the senior of any other park in the EL. Harrisburg's Commerce Bank Park (formerly RiverSide Stadium), built in 1987, is the league's second oldest park.
While the facility has undergone a series of renovations over the years, the original seating bowl, dugouts and exterior brick wall have all remained and continue to provide tangible links to the past.
THE EARLY YEARS - In its infancy, Reading's Municipal Memorial Stadium was used for much more than just Minor League Baseball. High school football games, circuses and concerts changed the scenery at the stadium several times per year. Despite the variety of events, the physical makeup of the ballpark changed little from 1951 until the mid-1980s.
The ceremonial first pitch is delivered on
Opening Night - April 23, 1952 - by Mayor
James Bamford.
On March 28, 1945, Reading City Council voted unanimously to purchase 27 acres of ground known as Cathedral Heights at a cost of $64,491 for the purpose of building a municipal stadium. In 1947 the grading of the land began and by 1949 the initial stages of construction could be seen. With a final price tag of $656,674, the stadium was completed on April 15, 1951. Named in honor of the service men and women who gave their lives for our country, Reading Municipal Memorial Stadium was dedicated on July 15 that same year.
While it was also slated to be used for various civic and athletic events, the stadium needed to lure a professional sports organization to ensure financial success. Fortunately, the Cleveland Indians signed a lease and moved in for the 1952 season. They would call Municipal Stadium home for the next ten years.
The Indians pulled out of Reading following the 1961 campaign and the stadium was absent a Minor League team for the next year. The Boston Red Sox moved in for 1963 and 1964, after which the Indians came back for a second, but brief, stay which lasted only the 1965 season. Following another year without a team, the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to affiliate with Reading. The relationship remains to this day and the is third longest between a Major League franchise and a farm team.
While the Minor League tenants rotated somewhat frequently in the stadium's first two decades, the look of the ballpark remained virtually unchanged. Even into the mid-1980s, the only noticeable upgrades from the original stadium were an electronic scoreboard and advertisements on the outfield fence.
THE ERA OF UPGRADES (1988-present)- From 1988 through 2008, over $6 million worth of improvements have been made to this classic ballpark. And even with all of its modern conveniences and luxuries, FirstEnergy Stadium retains the old-time ballpark feel that baseball fans cherish.
In 1987, Craig Stein purchased the team and almost immediately began renovating the ballpark. From October of that year until January of 1989, Municipal Stadium experienced its first significant improvement in its then 36-year history. The wooden bench seating in the main grandstand was replaced by individual seats and a roof was erected to cover 1,500 of those seats. The press box was also expanded in the project, which totaled more than $500,000.
The renovations would not stop any time soon. In October 1989, construction began on the third base picnic area. That project was finished in time for the 1990 season at a cost of $125,000. Turning attention to the other side of the stadium, the right field food court was started and completed in the 1991-92 off-season at a cost of $45,000.
After the 1992 season, the left field bleachers were razed and a new grandstand was erected, doubling that area's capacity to 1,600 seats. The project was completed in time for the 1993 season, costing $275,000.
The stadium's exterior was the next area that received a facelift. Starting in October 1992, a project was undertaken to enhance the appearance of the park's front façade. As part of this improvement, the team offices were expanded and renovated and a souvenir shop was added. This was completed in March 1993 with a price tag of $850,000.
Following the 1993 season, a series of upgrades took place. For the first time the playing surface was targeted for improvement and a field irrigation system was installed at a cost of $150,000. At the same time a batting tunnel was built behind the third base bleachers for $35,000. The left field deck was also constructed that off-season, providing the stadium with its first "home run" seats and first bar that overlooked the field. In 1996, 483 individual seats and eight private boxes were added to the deck. The cost of the entire addition was $500,000.
Further improvements to the playing field came about in the fall of 1994. A new drainage system was implemented at a cost of $40,000. The number of rainouts per season dropped from an average of ten before the drainage system to just three after its installation.
After a slight break from major renovations, the wheels of expansion began turning again in October 1997. The "Boardwalk" was added to the left field deck area at an expense of $40,000. This added standing room for about 150 between the existing deck and the left field fence. The headliner for the fall of 1997, though, was a $675,000 video scoreboard. Along with two new video cameras, the state-of-the-art board gave the Phillies the capability of showing color video during games.
The advancements in technology led to another electronic addition for the 1999 season. A radar system and speed of pitch indicator were added so all fans could play amateur scout and gauge just how hard pitchers throw at this level.
While no renovations took place in the fall of 1999, a major transformation did affect the ballpark that November.
The giant dog tags outside the stadium's main entrance remind visitors of the sacrifices made by members of all branches of the United States military.
In the fall of 1999 Reading Municipal Memorial Stadium was renamed GPU Stadium. In March the following year, a statue in the form of giant dog tags was placed outside the main entrance in a special rededication ceremony to honor the county's veterans.
The organization undertook its largest and most expensive endeavor in the renovation process in September 2000. With help from the state, the R-Phils assembled a $1.4 million pool pavilion beyond the right field fence. The centerpiece was the 1,000 square foot heated pool, but the pavilion also provided some functional purposes. Another picnic buffet area for fans, umpires' locker rooms, a weight room and much needed storage space was all included in the undertaking. In a separate project, the Power Alley Pub was built for $25,000 in March 2001. The pub became an extension of the left field deck.
Before the 2002 season, GPU Stadium was renamed FirstEnergy Stadium, giving the ballpark its third title in 53 years. In the fall and winter of 2002-2003, the individual seats in the left field deck were replaced by a four-tiered picnic area and the Classic Café was constructed beneath the first base bleachers.
During the 2003-2004 offseason four more projects came to fruition.
The centerpiece of the 2003-2004 renovations was the new video board. Like its predecessor, the new screen is a Daktronics ProStar. However, the new model is three times the size of the original with a sharper resolution.
Reading's first video screen, which was replaced an estimated four years before it needed to be, measured 15' W x 11' H. Within each square foot of its 165 sq. ft. surface area there were about 80 LED's (light emitting diode). At the time it was the first of its kind in the Minor Leagues.
The new screen measures 36' W x 15.5' H (558 sq. ft). With the ability to display 68 billion colors through approximately 185 LED's per square foot, the picture quality of the new screen is more than twice as vibrant as the old.
New video equipment and the Daktronics V-Play Operating System enhances the product on the screen immeasurably.
The marquee on Rt. 61 was also manufactured in South Dakota by Daktronics. It displays announcements of upcoming games, events and promotions to motorists and pedestrians on Centre Avenue.
While most of the capital improvements to FirstEnergy Stadium have been geared towards the fans, ballplayers from T-ball to the pros were the beneficiary of two other projects for 2004.
The home clubhouse was renovated and the players quarters were expanded by 128 sq. ft. The more spacious area allowed for seven more lockers to be installed and eliminated what was a crowded house.
With more comfortable quarters for the players checked off the to-do list, attention turned to player development - for the Phillies and area youth.
Enter a new batting/pitching tunnel - Baseballtown Academy. This state-of-the-art facility benefits Phillies prospects by giving them an indoor, climate-controlled facility complete with video room where they can train anytime.
The Baseballtown Academy also hosts camps, clinics and private lessons year-round for amateur players looking to gain an edge.
During the winter of 2004-2005, two more improvements added to the Baseballtown experience. The first is an exploding train, which resides in right-center field above the fence. Sponsored by National Penn Bank, the train will be a large replica of the black engine depicted in the R-Phils retro logo. When the Phillies have runners in scoring position, the train whistle blows, the railroad crossing lights flash steam will spew from the smoke stack. After a run scores, the train tracks light up and a burst of fireworks are shot from the engine.
The second winter project involved an expansion of the right field food court. In order to alleviate congestion in the concession lines, several new food stands were added. The additional purchase points should reduce the lines and make traffic in the food court area more free flowing. Also, several new items will be available at the extra stands. In order to make room for the expansion of the concessions, the customer service booth was moved to the Classic Harley-Davidson gift shop and the mascot autograph booth will be relocated to the Phunland area.
The team opted to upgrade FirstEnergy Stadium once more in 2010-11 by creating a slew of new areas including the Tompkins VIST Bank Plaza, a climate controlled walk-in team store, brand new office space for front office members, more parking spaces and much more. The renovations kicked off in September 2010 after the team won the Eastern League Championship, and were completed by April 14, 2011-Opening Day.
The main focus on the reconstruction was the Tompkins VIST Bank Plaza, an area where all fans can mingle and eat from the time gates open until they close. Fans will have the opportunity to listen to local music on the new permanent stage, which features a state-of-the-art sound system and video capabilities.
The Food Court jumped four times its original size, increasing from 36 feet to 81 feet. Fans are able to purchase foods from old favorite stands, which used to be located in the main concourse, and from brand-new stands. One thing fans will not have to worry about anymore while eating in the VIST Financial Plaza is being hit by a foul ball. The Fightins took precautionary safety measures by adding protected netting that is 23 feet high and spans the entire concourse. This ensures fans that they can move freely around the Food Court and VIST Financial Plaza without the risk of injury. Expanded bathrooms for men and women were created, and one of two family bathrooms is located in the plaza area-the other can be found in the main concourse closer to the third base side.
The focal point of the Tompkins VIST Bank Plaza is the Weston Center Winning Smiles Stage, which is located in the heart of the plaza. Whether fans are just entering the gates or heading to their seats, the music can be heard thanks to the new state-of-the-art sound system. Fans also are able to watch the performance via video capabilities. With the addition of the permanent stage, musical performances aren't limited to just game days. Throughout the offseason, concerts will take place right here in FirstEnergy Stadium.
During the season, the Weston Center Winning Smiles Stage showcases the musical talents of the Reading Fightin Phils Mascot Band and local performers, including youth musicians. Select games throughout the season feature a Community Showcase that awards school choruses & orchestras, glee clubs, and youth bands an opportunity to sing or play to a large crowd.
The Fightins Team Store is the first climate controlled walk-in store in the team's history, and allows fans to purchase great gear and memorabilia in one-stop shopping. The store features sports apparel along with classic Reading Fightin Phils' gear such as t-shirts, caps, baseballs, and other collectible items.
The store is accessible from three areas on the ballpark grounds, with the first is outside the Tompkins VIST Bank Plaza. An outside entrance guarantees Fightins fans a chance to purchase team wear both during the season and in the offseason. The final two entrances are located inside the ballpark entrances. Once fans enter the main gates at First Energy Stadium, they are able to enter the team store to their left. Or if they decide during the game to go shopping, they can enter the store via the main concourse. Unlike some stores, the Fightins Team Store is aimed for both adults and kids, offering a wide variety in shirts and ball caps. Kids have their own special entrance-a child-size door.
The Fightins organization took preemptive steps in ensuring that fans spend less time waiting in line to enter the stadium and more time enjoying the pregame and game activities. The organization was able to do this by expanding its ticket plaza located right out the Tompkins VIST Bank Plaza gates. The ticket plaza became four times its original size, and went from having five ticket windows to eight.
The Fightins organization is proud of its classic feel, but felt the need to accommodate the players in their home away from home. The Fightins clubhouse increased in size by 45%, providing a more comfortable atmosphere for our players. One thing that the organization guaranteed wouldn't change during the clubhouse renovations was the entrance to the playing field. Part of the experience at FirstEnergy Stadium is the fans' ability to watch rising stars walk across the concourse. The visitor clubhouse also grew in size, increasing by 80%. Visiting players will also be required to walk across the concourse to the playing field. Another great addition to benefit all players is the padded outfield walls, which will offer protection to athletes.
Fans that come to the ballpark enjoy the luxury of free parking, and with these renovations, more spaces were added. The final few updates to the stadium were the addition of light poles and cement in the main grand stand.
Almost 10 years after installing a new video board, the team decided to improve the video board quality in 2012-13. Though there was nothing wrong with the old video board, it didn't offer fans the best experience. The core improvement was the installation of a 30' x 60' HD10 video board in center field. The new installation, which would total 1,800 square feet, is the largest video board amongst all Double-A teams and the 4th largest in Minor League Baseball. This video board is just the fifth HD10 board installed by TS Sports, located in Dallas, Texas, and the largest that TS Sports has ever installed. The previous FirstEnergy Stadium video board measured 16.5' x 36'.
A new addition to the stadium is a 6' x 100' ribbon board sits above the Coors Light Left Deck. The left field ribbon board will display the night's line score, out-of-town scoreboard, and cutting edge video capabilities. With this new addition, elements that were previously displayed on the main video board can be relocated to the ribbon board maximizing the space on both boards.
The project that totaled $1 million also included a 4' x 8' video wall that sits atop of the Weston Center Winning Smiles stage and 25 flat-screen HDTVs that are located throughout FirstEnergy Stadium. With HDTVs all around the stadium, fans will never miss any action of the games. For video production, the team now has replay capabilities, enhanced HD cameras, and improved wireless camera connectivity.
During the 2014 offseason, general admission ticket prices were lowered, making family fun even more affordable. Another new addition for the 2015 season is the swapping of seat colors in the main grandstand. Reserved green seats replace the former red seats, marking the first time in stadium history that the main grandstand is exclusively for reserved seating. The first and third base stands, which now consist of all red seats, offer fans with general admission tickets in hands, a place to sit.


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For the fans, however, Saturday's disaster really began on Friday night. The U.S. Men's National Team, in the middle of World Cup qualifiers, lost a frustrating game 2-0 to Guatemala, in which Mix Diskerud's back scored an assist in the first goal and the second was scored by 36-year old Carlos "Fish" Ruiz, a man loathed by D.C. United fans for his ignominious tenure on the team during the ill-fated season of 2013, the memory of which still clouds the team. My brother and I had gone out to watch the game at Summer's and when Ruiz scored that second goal, the half of the bar watching with us groaned in disgust. (The other half, watching a peppy Uruguay-Brazil match, were still enjoying themselves. Bastards.)
This being Easter weekend, my family had planned to have Easter dinner early on Saturday afternoon. My brother, my sister-in-law, my sister (visiting from Massachusetts), and I would then head down to RFK for a pleasant evening watching soccer, after which my brother and sister-in-law would continue on to southern Maryland for her family Easter dinner on Sunday. With a baby on the way, my brother isn't going to have many more chances for live soccer this year and he wants to make every last game count. And not only would this game be a fun family reunion of sorts but--to my family's endless amusement--I'd signed up to help carry the American flag during the opening ceremonies. "You should sign up to be a ball kid next," my mom teased me. But, hey, the e-mail said 12 or older, it didn't say how much older!
My gang left me at Gate F with the other nerds who had signed up for flag duty. We were given wristbands marking out special status. Thankfully, it wasn't a bunch of kids and me. I was firmly in the middle of the age range of the group, which seemed to be a mix of dudes, dudes with girlfriends/wives in tow, a handful of ladies, and a few kids--including one who must have just been 12 because the staff member assigned to herding us around needed to assure the kid's parents that he would personally walk Junior back to their seats after flag duty. (So cute!)
The flag carriers were funneled out through the supporters section and down to the far end of field where we were left to wait and watch FC Dallas ran through their warm-ups. "Why'd they have to stick us down by the bad guys," quipped an older gentleman standing behind me as we idly watched goalkeeper Chris Seitz stop practice shots. I agreed. But neither of us were serious. The mood was relaxed: the sun was warm; the grass was green; the sky was a beautiful shade of blue; and the crowd noise was barely more than a buzz. I could have happily laid down and dozed my Easter dinner off on the sidelines.
Eventually the players all filed back inside and it was time for the flag carriers! We were corralled into two side-by-side single file lines and a rolled up flag was passed between us. I ended up directly across from a delightful pair of troublemakers, a husband and wife. As we were instructed to back up into a service tunnel--while still carrying the flag and under no circumstances dropping it on the ground--the wife sighed, "I guess this is why they wouldn't let us get beer first." Her husband laughed. "But I'm more coordinated with beer."
We waited in the dank tunnel. I was glad I'd worn sturdy boots. The kid in front of me, wearing socks and sandles, had stepped directly into a puddle of mud. And then we marched out. I'd been under strict instructions from my brother and his buddy D. to keep both hands on the flag lest I end up gif'd like the infamous NFL saluting guy. I was positioned towards the back of the line, desperately trying to keep a hand on the flag as we uncoordinatedly lurched back towards the field. As we unrolled the massive flag, I was moving backwards, hoping there was nothing behind me to trip on and that my skirt wouldn't blow up in the breeze. Nothing like having your ass towards camera. And then it was done. My 15 seconds of fame. We rolled up the flag and raced back to our seats hoping that we wouldn't miss anything.
(I'm like three to the right of Talon at the very end of the back row, in the white skirt.)
I joined my group seated in the quiet section and my sister handed me a beer. I'd need it.
The first ten minutes or so were great. We weren't going to be taking on the English Premier League but the team seemed to be in control and it was only a matter of time until… Dallas scored. Off a ridiculous mistake from Taylor Kemp and Kofi Opare in which they ran at each other Keystone Cops style leaving the ball to be picked up by Dallas and put directly in the net. And then the game was over.
After that first goal, all cohesion seemed to have been drained from D.C. United. Passes went nowhere. Fabi began steamrolling over everyone else on the field, really ripping into Nick DeLeon at one point. Bobby Boswell seemed to have left his mental wherewithal back in the locker room. Patrick Nyarko seemed to be attempting to pull the team forward through force of sheer will. Chris Rolfe was trying to come out from underneath a small storm cloud. And Marcelo Sarvas got furious, real furious after Fabi missed a penalty kick.
To be fair to Marcelo, there were some egregious missed calls that should have gone DC's way. His fury at the ref when he landed that red card and was sent off echoed the fury in the stands. We'd all stood up when the penalty kick was lined up--many with cell phones out ready to record--and then Fabi missed. Badly. What the fuck was happening on the field? Why couldn't we just put the ball in the net?
On the quiet side, without organized chants and songs to keep my energy up, the fight drained from me about the same time Marcelo angrily stormed off to the locker room. My sister kept us amused by narrating what she imagined Benny Olsen's "Disappointed Dad" lectures would be based on his body language. We started people watching. The families who began trickling out. The herd of bros straight out of my nightmares in a veritable rainbow of khaki and blue shirts. The young girls sitting behind us who were people watching us in a crazy mirror-universe of people watching. We tried to keep the sour mood growing in the stands from overwhelming us.
Towards the very end of the second half, a group of young kids to our left began an earnest chant of "Let's go, DC!" I joined in. The game isn't over until it's over.
But then the game was over and the mood in the stadium was like a deflated balloon.
On Wednesday I'd gone to a Wizards game with my friend E., possibly the person most amused with my newfound sports fandom besides my brother. As we watched the Wizards blow a nice lead in the third quarter and eventually lose--in between heckling Chris "Mr. Kardashian" Humphries ("Where's Kim? WHERE'S KIM?!") and booing the Hawks in general--we had a long talk about sports narratives and superstition. Neither of us are superstitious but human psychology is funny. Placebos don't work except that sometimes they do. If you believe a placebo is working, it may actually work. Not always but sometimes. Superstition is bullshit but human nature isn't. Missing two penalty kicks doesn't mean you'll miss a third but if you believe that you'll miss, if you let yourself get talked out of taking that third penalty kick… then it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.
We don't know yet if this 0-3 loss, this deflated performance, is the low point of the season or a harbinger of worse things to come. We don't know if Benny's experiment with Nicky in central midfield will tank or if we're seeing growing pains. Is this a team that is willing to put a bad game behind them and come out stronger or is it a team that has already given up, in March?
Before the U.S. Men's National Team game last night, I spent some time watching videos of Carlos Ruiz and between some real gems--Ruiz overturning a water cooler like a giant baby after getting subbed out--there was this depressing post-loss video from 2013 in which the eternally uncharismatic Molly Bruh interviews Ruiz in her trademarked monotone.
It was startling to watch the passionate Ruiz half-heartedly spout sports cliches: "We tried our best to score a goal and that's good." But there is no conviction in his voice. If the 2013 season could do this to Carlos Ruiz, an outsized ego of a man who still has balls enough to score against the U.S. national team in 2016, what would it do to the men on D.C. United right now? We cannot let this depressing mess happen again. We have the pieces. We have some really good players. Now, let's put the ball in the net! Chris Rolfe, dude, you got this. Don't let Fabi bully you off another penalty kick. You can do it. I know you can. Bobby, get your head in the game, bro. With Hamid out you have to organize the defense. If you're going to check out, fully check out and let six-thirty Birnie and Opare get the start. Nicky, work on finishing, my friend. Travis Worra, we got you. Keep working hard.
I'm going to be here until the bitter end but for the love of Marco Etcheverry, let's win some fucking games!


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A welfare support charity has suspended activities in the Heanor area following a £92,000 funding cut from Derbyshire County Council.
Derbyshire Unemployed Workers' Centres (DUWC) will cease operating its weekly advice centre at Salcare on Ray Street after the council decided to not renew its grants.
DUWC spokesman Colin Hampton said: "The trustees have been presented with difficult choices given the withdrawal of DCC funding and nothing coming from Amber Valley Borough Council.
"Heanor and Loscoe Town Council have been very supportive and given us a small grant but this does not cover the work we do in the borough that often involves the Derby and Nottingham courts."
The service has operated in Heanor since 1993, in which time staff have helped countless local residents challenge the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over issues with benefits, tax credits and care allowances.
DUWC says the result has brought hundreds of thousands of pounds into the local economy, often going to the most in-need and vulnerable members of the community.
The service operates throughout former coalfield areas of Derbyshire, and has seen demand rising recently due to the troubled roll-out of the Universal Credit system.
Colin said: "Since the decision to cut funding, DUWC has received letters of support from cancer charities, Armed Forces charities, community organisations and disability groups who are all reliant on DUWC to help their members navigate the benefit system."
In previous years, the charity had received grants of £50,000 from the council's public health budget, and £41,769 towards core costs. Both will cease on March 31.
Announcing the decision last month, a council spokesman said: "We acknowledge the importance of this work and continue to invest more than £4million in advice and financial inclusion across the county, including Citizens Advice in GP surgeries, children's centres and other venues.
"We will be offering a wide range of welfare, financial and other advice services at new wellness hubs from April."
Colin is also hopeful that events later in the year could see DUWC services resume: "The suspension of services is pending the borough council elections in May, and the possibility of renewed local authority support.
"We will try our best to carry on helping where we can in the hope that these decisions can be reversed."


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Spoof Space
Laughter – good medicineA while ago the wonderful comic strip that features a retired gentleman named Pickles showed him just sitting quietly on a park bench beside another man reading a newspaper. In the next scene, Pickles simply laughs once, "Ha!" Then with a big grin he breaks out into a, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" The man next to him asks, "What are you laughing at?" Pickles replies, "Myself. I've found that life is a lot easier if you learn to laugh at yourself." And then he loudly goes, "Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!" In the last scene, the man has disappeared and Pickles is commenting to his dog that laughing at yourself makes it "less crowded too."
The strip nudged me into the world of laughter-medicine. And it's a good thing too, because like everyone else in the world, I've become an obese, victim oriented, obnoxious, politically correct, worried, opinionated, overtaxed blob in need of a stress reduction program not mandated by a government agency.
Fortunately, my son sent me a newspaper story about two very special women in Las Vegas, Suzanne Pappas and Betty Evens, who instruct a class once a month on Laughter-Yoga. I decided it was a must and spent an hour being converted into a laughter-is-good-for-you-nut. And discovered there are laughter classes all over the place. The concept of Laughter-Yoga was developed by a physician in India, Dr. Kataria, who sponsors the practice as a Global Movement for Health, Joy and World Peace. Well, it works for laughter anyhow, because "laughter is simulated as a body exercise in a group, with eye contact and child-like playfulness that turns into contagious real laughter," according to the doctor.
Suzanne and Betty, as enthusiastic practitioners, enjoy the fun they are able to generate for people looking for a distraction from every day worries, arthritis, bills, stress and whatever ails you. It works. The medicine is a "Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho pill." No matter how embarrassing it sounds to do the pretend ho, ho, ho as you clap your hands together, you soon can't help but find your funny bone and join in a room filled with the real stuff. Strange how free from worry you can become by reawakening a childhood blessing like laughing out loud with a bunch of crazy people all doing the same thing.
Maybe Laughter-Yoga isn't quite like everyday Yoga, but the research gurus say the heavy breathing caused by deep laughter, fake or real, helps to release endorphins – chemicals in our brain known as neurotransmitters. They interact with opiate receptors and make us feel good. Better? Damn good?
But for really convincing evidence, the Center for Neuroimmunology at Loma Linda University in California did a serious research paper confirming the benefits of laughter.
Importantly, at the conclusion of the impressive study, they cite the human elements that lend wisdom to scientific conclusions by referring to an Apache myth. The creator of human beings, the 2-leggeds, endowed them with ability to do everything – talk, run, see and hear. But he was not satisfied until the 2-leggeds could do one more thing – laugh. So men and women laughed and laughed and laughed. Then the creator said, "Now you are fit to live."
The final paragraph ends by saying, 'Mirthful laughter and associated eustress emotion may be the intuition and music of the soul that confirms the biblical wisdom of Proverbs 17:22, "A merry heart doeth good as medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones." Go forth and laugh. Ho, ho, ho.
James White is a retired mathematics teacher who enjoys sharing fascinating trivia. He can be reached at email@example.com.
Fourth marriage
A woman who had been married three times walked into a bridal shop one day and told the sales clerk that she was looking for a wedding gown for her fourth wedding.
"Of course, madam," replied the sales clerk, "exactly what type and color dress are you looking for?
The bride-to-be said, "A long frilly white dress with a veil."
The sales clerk hesitated a bit, then said, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but gowns of that nature are considered more appropriate for brides who are being married the first time - for those who are a bit more innocent, if you know what I mean? Perhaps ivory or sky blue would be nice?"
"Well," replied the customer, a little peeved at the clerk's directness, "I can assure you that a white gown would be quite appropriate. Believe it or not, despite all my marriages, I remain as innocent as a first-time bride. You see, my first husband was so excited about our wedding he died as we were checking into our honey moon hotel. My second husband and I got into such a terrible fight in the limo on our way to our honeymoon hotel that we had that wedding annulled immediately and never spoke to each other again."
"What about your third husband?" asked the sales clerk.
"That one was a Democrat," said the woman, "and every night for four years, he just sat on the edge of the bed and told me how good it was going to be, but nothing ever happened."


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Five Things From the Webcast You Should Know about Freeport
So we've just posted our transcript of last night's Freeport Revamp webcast. If you don't want to read the whole thing and just want the top five items you should know, here you go:
|You will not be able to fly/leap/glide in Freeport.
This is something that was promised by SmokeJumper at this year's Fan Faire before the art team had put in the development hours. They found that framerates were absolutely abysmal if you were able to fly, leap, glide, etc.
|You will not be able to start characters in Freeport.
The revamped Freeport provides a smattering of new race-specific and class-specific questlines starting at level 20 ranging up to level 80. Some of these quests scale to your level.
|All players with "inn" or newbie housing will now reach this housing via the Jade Tiger.
Larger houses that have balconies and otherwise a view of the city of Freeport will have their exteriors changed to match the revitalized Freeport, while the interiors will remain unchanged.
|North, South, East, and West Freeport have been combined into a single large zone.
Some buildings have been demolished or changed, others spruced up. The 'hoods or suburbs have been turned into instances and housing has been moved out of them.
|Age of Discovery / Game Update 62 Beta is planned to start on Tuesday or Thursday of next week, assuming today's internal company playtest goes well.
and a sneak about Beastlords:
|There will be over 50 animals that you can befriend or "tame" on your Beastlord.
Tags: age of discovery, beastlord, freeport, freeport revamp, game update 62
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Comments (20)
Wow, hopefully they will pull the plug on Qeynos update if this is what they consider an improvement.
This really bites >>> You will not be able to fly/leap/glide in Freeport
I am disappointed that I won't be able to start a character in Freeport. I am quite tired of Gorowyn and Neriak. I don't care if I can't fly, leap, or glide.
Maybe they should actually invest into revamping the game engine? Of all the games I have ever played, I have never seen a more poorly optimized game than EverQuest 2.
No leaping, flying, gliding in a new zone? Seriously? They could have put in artifical ceilings like in thundering steppes or height restrictions like in any other zone …that is just pure laziness in my opinion.
Good news about beastlords ..although I did kinda like how in eq each race had its own regional style pet.
What about the "tons of information" SJ promised us this week regarding AoD? You know, answers to the repeated questions like:
1. Release date?
2. Does this expansion include all the other expansions?
3. Cost of the AoD expansion?
4. Pre-ordering? Perks for pre-ordering?
Plus the details of the expansion itself.
In typical $OE style, their CR fails the community again.
To bad were not getting the starting isles back, and that explanation they used was lamer than the first explanation of nobody was playing on them.
Oh well that's my biggest gripe about it, you would have though all the post and threads over the past year they would have clued up but no, they are bound and determined to do whatever and ignore their play base input.
Oh well I guess I got to create my beast-lord in neriak yet again.
Is revamping the game engine even possible at this point?
SOE lied….Whats new?
It seems we are still not getting an answer with regards to Freeport breakout homes. Should we pack them or can we leave them?
You can still access the starting isle's if you had a character camped there before access was removed from them.
@necromancer, yes we all know that, thats not the problem. The problem is rolling a new toon, your stuck with new halas (cough), neriak (ok), or fayland uggg. So if I want to create a beast-lord I best hope I can create an evil one.
The starting Isles were cool easy to do and fun, all the bs excuses we getting for them removing them don't fly.
Im glad theres no flying and leaping in the city. It would be annoying having those obnoxious leapers bouncing all around the city. I hope they continue to add more quests from the cities.
Flirpy Irondoe
Wow I'm glad I started enjoying LOTRO. So much negativity in EverQuest 2 these days, it's bad for your health!
People should really stop blaming the players for pointing out obvious mistakes by SOE and EQ2 management.
When this site started, I brought up the "good" and the "bad" as fairly as I could. I still do, but the "good" side of the scale is awfully light these days. It also helped when I had communication with SOE and could give them a chance to respond/address issues before I'd roll with an article. They don't want interaction with fansites anymore.
Landacet From Guk
" They don't want interaction with fansites anymore."
Thats 100% correct, they do not give us the right information, they somehow manage to break things that were never meant to be broken (and for you omg coding omgs bugs, this is a Multi-million Dollar company, even mom and pop shops that designed websites take more responsibility.
Here's my problem: why did the team find it necessary to put as they state "1000s" of hours into this revamp, when it doesn't sound all that interesting or of value to the game? Aren't there other projects that would keep the game fresh that would be of more value to the players? How about more public quests — or fix Storm Gorge so people actually want to participate in it? Fix the dungeon finder, so people actualy want to use it. On Butcherblock, the channels are still full of people LFG, so clearly they aren't using the DF. I have used it twice, and both times it put me in the Shard of Love … no thanks. Small zone that gives house items, not really my thing more than once.
I understand that Freeport and Qeynos are "pivotal" to the game, but so much so you would devote this much team effort into making it one zone? Guild Halls are pivotal and a core part of the game now, not these two cities. I am just not getting it.
@feldon, its just not the fan sites, it the entire player base. That is the largest problem that we have, as in they don't want to hear from us unless we say something they like or want to hear. I am sorry they are not talking to you, looks like there's been a lot of changes in mid level management over at soe.
However we do appreciate everything you do feldon. I try not to be so negative but honestly some of the stuff the are pulling is the same old mistakes we seen in other games (SWG), and that is devs being totally disconnected from the player base.
@kwill its not only your server it is guk too, I see folks all the time in global channels looking for groups. I tried DF several times, and I always get with a group of folks who have no idea of what teamwork is. Thus making me go back to using global lfg channels (not the lfg tool).
What got me hot was when I read the transcript, and the dev team said we had nothing else to do so we did a revamp. I was like how about all the bugs, fix itemization, fix progression, fix SG, I could go on and on.
Please don't get me wrong I love my eq2, and that is why I get so passionate about it when I see the dev team about to blow it yet again.
Originally posted by Isest:
What got me hot was when I read the transcript, and the dev team said we had nothing else to do so we did a revamp. I was like how about all the bugs, fix itemization, fix progression, fix SG, I could go on and on.
The line about "we had nothing else to do" by SmokeJokester was clearly stated in jest and got shocked looks from the devs. They genuinely feel that spending time revamping Freeport makes sense, unfortunately they missed the point by not making it a starting area, having no 1-20 content, and not allowing flying.
I understand they believe that Freeport is the place to put their energies, even though there are a myriad of other issues to deal with, but using sarcasm during a video cast is a very poorly chosen response. Everyone had to cover for him after that comment, as Feldon pointed out, and it was quite awkward. I will say this, Scott Hartsman would NEVER have said something that stupid. I know he wasn't a favorite of everyone, and Rift leaves something to be desired, but he was a good team leader and did get things done, and never put his foot in his mouth (that I am aware of). That's probably the reason the dev team doesn't communicate as much any more, they don't have an appropriate person who can do good PR. That never stopped SOE before, f course, but they had made some inroads in repairing community relations in the past. Today, they again have problems.
I suppose they feel currently that being involved with fan sites hasn't gotten them the good PR that they hope for, and are circling the wagons. It's a shame, but when there are more mistakes than triumphs there's nothing to really say to the fan sites, is there?
I do hope they get it together and this Freeport revamp and the new expansion works for the dev team, and the players. I truly do.


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How 'Battle Creek' Will Revive the Small Town Crime Drama
Lionsgate via Everett Collection
If Battle Creek, Michigan is known at all, it's for being the home of Kellogg's, the country's largest cereal manufacturer. If Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan has anything to say about it, however, that's all about to change. Gilligan, along with former House executive producer David Shore, has the crime drama Battle Creek premiering on CBS in the fall. The show follows Josh Duhamel as an FBI agent dispatched from Detroit to the Southwestern Michigan city to set up a new field office, who has to work with a local detective, played by Dean Winters (Law & Order: SVU). It's a high powered affair with X-Men: Days of Future Past director Bryan Singer helming the first episode and serving as one of the show's producers.
In Breaking Bad, Gilligan charted the rise of Walter White, an unlikely drug kingpin in the semi-odd location of Albuquerque, New Mexico. While that locale was strictly chosen for financial considerations — the cost to shoot there was cheaper than California — this time the show's setting was done with a purpose.
By placing the show in a small, economically depressed city — especially one surrounded largely by rural areas and tied to the rest of the world by the interstate that runs through it connecting Detroit with Chicago — Gilligan has set his story up to deal with issues that we don't normally see a big city crime drama delve into. The detectives on the show will be working with basically no budget and without much support. Unlike, say, the detectives on Castle, a show where there is a seemingly neverending supply of resources, Battle Creek's law enforcement will be forced to work with the outdated technology and Duhamel's earnest FBI agent won't be getting a warm reception from the locals (who also include Kal Penn and Janet McTeer).
Settling in a Midwestern city, where there's a stark racial disparity between the population within the city limits and the population just outside, gives Gilligan and his writers an opportunity to address social issues that frequently get ignored these days by most police dramas… namely the rifts that still exist throughout much of the nation along both racial and socioeconomic lines. In a nod to Breaking Bad — and given the actual level of the crime in the actual Battle Creek — expect to see some storylines that deal with crystal meth producers.
Unlike some other crime shows that have been set off the beaten path — such as Twin Peaks or Justified — the feel of Battle Creek isn't meant to come off as unique or quirky. The real Battle Creek is a mix of urban decay, Midwestern values and apathy brought on by the steady decrease in the area's industry and economy (full disclosure: I grew up in the area and still pass through on a semi-regular basis). It's a situation that is germane to a lot of small cities that once had a wealth of manufacturing that helped it grow but then did not have anything to replace the jobs or money when those companies moved or closed.
Gilligan originally tried to sell his pilot script about 10 years ago at the onset of the country's economic downturn. Years later, the situation hasn't changed markedly for Battle Creek and dozens of cities exactly like it. Deciding to tell a police story amidst that reality is an interesting choice… what Gilligan and his team decide to do with it will be fascinating to watch.


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NSF - NSF Romania, Romania
NSF Romania is part of NSF International, an international company present across the World. Since 1944, NSF is dedicated to being the leading global provider of public health and safety–based risk management solutions, while serving the interests of all stakeholders, namely the public, the business community and government agencies. NSF carries human health and safety mission by: standards, testing, certification, auditing, consulting and training. The company relies on a large pool of internal experts in all its activities, such as agronomists, food technologists, nutritionists, market researchers, engineers, veterinarians and international projects managers.
Role in the project
The company will be involved as co-leader of work package 5 and leader of task 5.3. Thanks to its multilateral practical experience along the food value chain, from production and processing to distribution and final consumer, NSF will work on the identification of barriers and drivers from farmer gate till retail level in various business models.
Key persons involved
- Georgiana Jelescu
- Tatiana Borodin, Co-leader work package 5, leader task 5.3
- Mano Demeure, Task 5.3
- Stefan Potums, Task 5.5


text: What is Martin going to do now! Hello Martin, You alluded to some things that you might like to do once the dust settles. Would you like to stay in EV or move on? I was wondering if you will look for projects where you can have 51% and therefore control :wink: ? Are you open to pitches (EV based)? Apologies for this brazen spruiking, think of it as a form of flattery. Ciao, Mike


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thread: 2006-11-06 : Mechaton campaign battle plan
On 2006-11-17, Madu wrote:
I hope you are ready for fan art, because I have some here. Whether this is a good thing or a bad one, I leave to you.
As for the factions with kewl technology, I am sorry that you get no propaganda poster. Let me simply say my loyalties will always lie with those who use clunky, ugly, crudely-functional diesel-powered thingies, regardless of race, creed, or species.
While I'm on the subject... what are the general thoughts on drones? I have a setup with a rogue insurgent in a generation 4.1 ptiman—it has 4 remote-linked hover drones that it controls. I was thinking a red die (short range) and a single white die for each drone—but that if lines of fire and terrain permit, the drones can pool their dice for maximal effect. The drones and the ptiman have IFF transponders so they don't accidentally shoot each other, but that's about it. The rogue has a pocket nuke (stolen from the Nyetchen rebels up north) and his goal is blow up a provisional gov't office, or an invader's army barracks. Kind of a moving target a la the PM.
Permit me to wind up by saying "Kudos!" to all involved. I have followed this blog with glee.
Warm regards,


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Friday, February 17, 2012
Blythe A Day 16 ~ Favorite
My favorite girl Charlotte in some of my favorite things, Button Arcade Dress, Little Gamusina Bear Cap, KK In Lala Land Hair Bow, A mustache and of course a stached Domo Kun in her pocket!
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Lynx Studio Technology To Ship the Hilo Reference AD/DA Converter System
The new Hilo Reference AD/DA Converter System has been released and is now available at Lynx dealers in the US and Canada. International shipments will begin the week of March 12. Long awaited since a soft introduction in May, 2011, Hilo's feature set has been augmented and its user interface is completely redesigned with many new features. Hilo functions include two channels of AD converter, six channels of DA converter, world-class headphone amplifier, all controlled and monitored via LCD touch screen. In addition to these core features, Hilo also acts as a monitor control system, location audio device (via optional battery operation), and a must-have unit for any mastering facility.
Hilo significantly changes the performance and possibilities of two-channel converters. Unlike most other models on the market, Hilo offers analog-to-digital as well as digital-to-analog conversion. Its headphone amplifier and secondary monitor output have their own D/A converters which are fed from the on-board 32-channel mixer. This provides the ability to create three unique stereo analog mixes as well as a plethora of sub mixes for the digital outputs. The included LT-USB allows 16 channels of USB input and output to also be utilized.
Hilo's touch screen is an invaluable and innovative tool. For visual reference, the initial release will feature a retro VU style meter as well as modern bar style meters. Any input or output pair can be chosen for any meter. Hilo has five sets of user-selectable parameter menus to fully customize the Hilo experience. And since the operation of Hilo is entirely software-driven, Lynx will offer new features, screens, upgrades and enhancements, available by a simple download from the Lynx website.
Hilo's analog I/O section includes two balanced inputs and four balanced outputs plus headphone out. Digital connectivity includes AES/EBU, S/PDIF (via coax or optical), 8 ADAT, and 16 channels using the included LT-USB. Any mix of inputs can be sent to any output, made possible by the internal mixer. Initial shipments will feature a silver front panel. A second unit with black front panel will be available by mid 2012.
"There are very few products that redefine a genre and Hilo is one of them," stated Phil Moon, VP Sales and Marketing. "The combination of features, control and monitoring via LCD touchscreen, and stellar audio quality is the first in a new generation of two channel AD/DA converters.
Hilo has a suggested retail price of $2495 and is now available.


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NTSB hearing to focus on D.C. Metro automated controls, gaps in oversight
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Next week's federal safety board hearing on the fatal Metro crash in June will focus on the subway's automated crash-avoidance system and on holes in safety oversight at the local, regional and national levels.
The National Transportation Safety Board rarely holds hearings on accidents it investigates, but it will take sworn testimony and question witnesses for three days beginning Tuesday because of serious safety concerns about Metro and widespread interest in the accident.
"It rings both of those bells," said Robert Sumwalt, the safety panel member heading the inquiry. Riders take 750,000 subway trips on an average weekday, and "there are significant safety issues evidenced by the number of safety recommendations we've already issued," he said.
The June 22 crash, which killed nine and injured 80, was the worst in Metro's 34-year history. The NTSB is investigating three other Metrorail accidents, an unprecedented number for a single transit agency, officials said.
"It's disturbing," Sumwalt told reporters in a briefing Friday. "It's our intention to learn more about the operations of [Metro] through this public hearing."
It will be several months before the NTSB issues a formal finding on the probable cause of the crash. Sumwalt said the board hopes to do that by the first anniversary of the crash.
But next week's testimony, and information already released by investigators, should make clear the general outlines of what caused the crash, officials said.
In addition, the NTSB wants to address broader issues: how Metro identifies and corrects safety problems, and the adequacy of state and federal oversight.
Officials from Metro, its regional safety monitor and the Federal Transit Administration are among the nearly two dozen witnesses scheduled to testify. Witnesses from Metro are scheduled to testify the first day. They include departing General Manager John B. Catoe Jr.; the rail chief and acting deputy, Dave Kubicek; the acting chief safety officer, Michael Taborn; and Metro's board chairman, Peter Benjamin.
Federal investigators have focused on the failure of the automatic train-control system in the June crash, in which one train slammed into the back of another that was stopped north of the Fort Totten Metro station. The board has issued several safety recommendations urging Metro to install a real-time backup to the automated system and has advised other transit agencies to make sure that they have adequate safety redundancy.
Metro officials described the failure of the control system as a "freak occurrence." But an investigation by The Washington Post found that the system failed more than once before the crash. Ed Dobranetski, chief NTSB investigator on the crash, said the board will examine those incidents.
The board will also scrutinize Metro's testing procedures and maintenance of its train control components, he said. Five days before the accident, a Metro crew replaced a key piece of circuitry, but the equipment malfunctioned and no one at Metro detected the problem, investigators and transit officials have said.
Most of the hearing will be devoted to state and federal oversight of transit agencies.
Unlike with other forms of transportation, the federal government cedes primary oversight of subways to a patchwork of state-level safety oversight boards. For Metro, the monitoring body is the Tri-State Oversight Committee, an organization with no employees, no office and no phone number. The committee has no direct regulatory authority over Metro. Committee members work for local and state transportation departments, and much of the panel's work is contracted out.
In recent months, a Washington Post investigation has documented repeated instances in which the committee was unsuccessful in obtaining information from Metro about near-collisions and other safety breakdowns.
Safety experts and federal officials say the incidents reflect a fundamental flaw with subway systems: a lack of effective and enforceable oversight, which leaves transit systems in charge of policing their own safety.


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Koskinen Video Productions worked with Tyler Koyama as camera operator on this 90 second web spot. As an example of KVP's ability to deliver a quick professional turnaround, this spot was scripted, shot, edited and hosted online in under 48 hours. Click here for a testimonial from Cindy Scott, the voice and star of the spot, also the inventor of "The Little Acre."
PRODUCT IMAGES by Koskinen Video Productions / Tyler Koyama


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After eight years of living and working in New Zealand, the Wijerathne family face returning to Sri Lanka after their work visas were cancelled.
Living in a one-bedroom former camping ground cabin in Queenstown are three brothers, their mother and father.
From left: Binath, 10, mother Dinesha Amarasinghe, Senath, 8, Sam and Subath, 11.
There's not much space but the family's priorities are clear. On the walls are maps and mathematics charts. Desks and chairs cluttered with books and papers sit in a line under the window. Cricket bats and guitars are piled in between.
The Wijerathne boys – aged 11, 10 and 8 – attend Queenstown Primary School, where they are regarded as excellent students. Two made it to the recent finals of the Otago-Southland spelling bee. They were invited to sit Australian academic exams. They are swimmers and cricketers, playing for the Queenstown Club where dad Sam coaches. They go to church every Sunday.
It isn't an easy life. Their Sri Lanka-born parents have worked long hours as a chef and a taxi driver in one of the most expensive places in the country to support them and their mother has developed health issues. But it is better than the life they left behind eight years ago.
However, that is set to change. The family have been told they have to leave New Zealand on November 21.
The boys' mother, Dinesha Amarasinghe, tells her story through the tears that flow through her day, every day, since her latest application for a temporary working visa was declined.
She says the boys are angry with her. Her eldest son, Subath, wants to know why he can't join his friends at the new Wakatipu High School, which opens next year. Eight-year-old Senath wants to go to school camp. He was a year old when the family left Sri Lanka. New Zealand is his home.
"I blame myself all the time," Dinseha says. "They're very good kids at sports and studies. We are not doing any wrong things. We are helping at the school . . . everywhere. My kids, they can't go back there [Sri Lanka]."
Looking for a better life for their children and with Sri Lanka undergoing civil war for 25 years, Dinesha applied to come to New Zealand as a hospitality student in 2010. She had 10 years of industry experience and started working as a cook in Auckland in 2011, under Immigration New Zealand's skilled migrant category.
Late in 2011, the family moved to Queenstown, where she worked as commis chef at the popular Lone Star restaurant. Based on Dinesha's visa, Sam was granted an open work permit and worked at New World supermarket, the Hilton and as a taxi driver.
In 2014, Dinseha slipped on the floor while working and was later diagnosed with a lumbar sprain. Despite the pain in her leg, she continued to work while awaiting treatment but in January 2015, continuing problems forced her onto ACC. In May 2015, she had a brain scan and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).
In October this year, because Dinesha was unable to work, her skilled worker temporary visa was declined. Without it, Sam can no longer work and the family have to leave the country by November 21.
The family have an application for residency sitting with Immigration NZ. They applied in April 2013. Their lawyer, Shane Robinson, was not involved with their case then but says that for the application not to be resolved to date is unusual.
Immigration NZ area manager Marcelle Foley said it usually took between six and 12 months to process a residency application. However, it was not unusual for longer processing times in complex cases "as is the case in the situation".
The processing of their residence visa has now been suspended as they have been unlawful in New Zealand since July, she said
Robinson said a large part of the delay was because Sam overstayed a working visa in Japan in 2006 and was deported. Despite that, he was given a visa in New Zealand as a special direction in 2012 but a dispute over the facts was continuing and was unresolved. However, Dinesha's health has now taken over as the key issue.
Confusing the family though is the fact that Dinesha was granted a new temporary work visa in 2016, despite her MS diagnosis. Robinson says Immigration NZ's operational instructions state MS disqualifies someone from getting a temporary work visa but Immigration NZ allowed it in this case partly because it was unclear what degree of her health issues were caused by the 2014 fall and there was the ability to grant a waiver in the case of a residence visa (which was still in progress).
"In hindsight, it may have been fairer on the family for INZ to decline the applications then and not give them false hope."
Foley said the organisation was aware in 2016 that Dinesha had MS. However, it was not until this year they became aware she had had a prolonged absence from work and she acknowledged that she would be unable to work in full-time employment for some time.
Dinesha was advised she was likely to impose significant costs or demands on New Zealand's health services or special education services, Foley said.
"All non-New Zealanders coming to New Zealand must have an acceptable standard of health so as not to impose undue costs or demands on New Zealand's public health system," Foley said.
Still, when the family's application to renew the visa was declined in October, they were taken by surprise and plunged into the desperate situation they are now in. Dinesha cannot work to the extent that is required. Sam can work but was declined for a work visa-partner and doesn't fit the "skilled employment" category.
Robinson said a request was being made for visas to be granted as a "special case" but the chances of that succeeding were low.
"We have also been instructed to file an appeal on humanitarian grounds . . . If both of those options fail, then the family's only hope is intervention by the minister of immigration."
The family dread the prospect of returning to Sri Lanka. Last year they visited for the first time since they have been in New Zealand. Subath, 11, has sad eyes and speaks quietly of the trip. "I don't like to go back to Sri Lanka," he says. "I don't like the mosquitos and we have don't have many friends there."
His parents are even more desperate to stay. "I'm not thinking about my future as a rich man but I'm thinking about education for my children another few years. We are asking for a chance," Sam says.
Life is hard in New Zealand but if they return to Sri Lanka they will have no money – it has all been spent on immigration and lawyers. Dinesha will not have access to the medicine she needs. Pay rates are low – not enough for Sam to support his children and wife – and the children, who are having great success at school now, will struggle with the native Sinhalese language and likely be finished school at 14 and become fodder for the gangs that are rampant in poorer communities.
"I'm not asking anyone for money. I've brought money from Sri Lanka to live here . . . now everything is gone but [in Sri Lanka] I have no house. I don't know where to start. Our parents are old, we can't ask them for help. They don't have money – we need to help them."
They are proud people but with Sam no longer permitted to work and with rent to pay, the $2500-a-month cost of Dinesha's medication and mounting legal costs, they have become reliant on charities, friends and the kindness of others.
"I can manage everything if they give me a chance," says Sam. "That's why we don't ask anyone for a hand. But with both not working it's really hard."
Dinesha questions why after years of working and paying taxes in New Zealand, the family should be treated this way.
"I came to New Zealand along with my family holding heaps of hopes and ambitions."- Stuff
tarzan Tuesday, 14 November 2017 10:54 AM
only rohinya muslims have no right to live in sri lanka ?????????
Snowy Tuesday, 14 November 2017 11:09 AM
Sri Lanka reaps what it sows. Ah!
ANTON Tuesday, 14 November 2017 11:21 AM
Dee Tuesday, 14 November 2017 11:27 AM
I know some who were managers here and went on student visa then brought down husband and children and now doing cleaning jobs. Not happy apparently and not at all well off. No car even. Asked why they continue to stay. Shy to come to SL because of society and shame . They were very well off here. Sad.
malik Tuesday, 14 November 2017 01:45 PM
society and shame? Anywhere is better to progress than SL. SL is where morons Elect crooks, then cry about their situation. Hope they get to stay in NZ
akilaa Tuesday, 14 November 2017 11:40 AM
What are NZ offering you that you dying to stay there??
gamini Tuesday, 14 November 2017 11:53 AM
respect for human life, democracy and corruption free state
Citizen Tuesday, 14 November 2017 12:09 PM
Kid says its a Mosquito free country. Isn't it a worthy course.
shanthapriya Tuesday, 14 November 2017 11:59 AM
Schools in colombo like St Thomas, St petes, St josephs, who are greedy to grab local talents to their schools in order to uplift their rank, pls give these students a chance to study in your schools free of charge
sanjeeva Tuesday, 14 November 2017 12:09 PM
mister, get your facts to the point. private schools never do fishing as such. the so called 'maha vidyalayas' are the ones who are raking the good students thru grade-5 exam.fess of charge - nothing is free in this world. typical sri lankan attitude of asking things free. the biggest folly of providing free education is reaping good harvest if you see the local campuses.
ceylon Tuesday, 14 November 2017 12:53 PM
they tried the luck for better life.its good effort.new zealand is a haven in world compare to dirty and corrupt srilanka.hope they get another luck of help. via DM Android App
Hautaum Tuesday, 14 November 2017 12:58 PM
SL gov system and protocol still have to be developed. As the accident has taken place in NZ. has responsibility to look after family as they given Visaa skill worker. They were/are numbers (Tamils) such cases were spoiled with out knowing. Who doesn't believes Homeland would face such a situation.
alex Tuesday, 14 November 2017 01:55 PM
they would be covered to the extent of their employing companies insurance cover. It is not the duty of the state to cover for a non resident.What would happen if this accident happened in SL. Would your govt. look after them.Please note they are not PR or Citizens of NZ
Arnold Tuesday, 14 November 2017 02:39 PM
You chase Rohingya, they chase you. Karma!!
rogynt Saturday, 18 November 2017 04:45 AM
Rohingya weren't driven off by burma people not by sri lankans. don't be ridiculous. I can't believe dailymirror even approves silly posts like these.
ceylon Tuesday, 14 November 2017 04:43 PM
why lankans of rich and poor alike want to live in other countries is simple.british gave government with millions of savings. budget surplus.answer is simple.. via DM Android App
sach Tuesday, 14 November 2017 08:07 PM
economic immigrants
Independent Wednesday, 15 November 2017 07:00 AM
They go for better life, but they suffer a lot. Her health issues could be because of over working... Remember health is the greatest wealth. Come to SL and live a healthy
siva Wednesday, 15 November 2017 11:53 AM
Well they are not refugees . They also do not have a record of discrimination or suffering in Sri Lanka so they have been asked to go home.
email@example.com Wednesday, 15 November 2017 02:04 PM
can someone from that area help these kids to stay and continue their studies??, we all know if they study in NZ, they will have a better future which the parents struggling to achieve...We have a nice country and enough resources but some families ruled from day one just tried only to gain for themselves leaving us in this situation...I blame only politicians for this mess, Singapore PM wanted to make Singapore like Sri lanka once...but today after many years passed, we are struggling....we are good exporting slaves....Pathetic...
Ajja Sunday, 19 November 2017 05:24 PM
Come back,,You have a country of yours where u were born.we dont have war now and this is a peacefull and a beautiful country.here you are treated as first class citizen but in NZ u r a third class citizen,There are many job oppotunities in SL.,very good local and international schools,public and private univercities.world reputed food outlets u name it we have it.say good bye to NZ and when u are sick if NZ wont look after u what is the use.come back and live a respectable life in SL.I am sure people will help u stand on your own.
Thiwanka Monday, 20 November 2017 12:30 AM
it seems like they are economic refugees. Still try to sell the civil war ended 8 years back.
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Intelligence-driven kinetic means can only do so much. The acid test would be
'A supplementary budget of 190 million rupees for two bulletproof vehicles
There was a collective anguish over helplessness and isolation inside the gar
Mohammed Zahran the founder-leader of the National Thawheed Jama'at and sus


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Sharing Christmas Love
At Bank of Memories & Flowers, we had to share this exquisite arrangement that just got delivered to another lucky lady. This design is a beautiful example of holiday romance. What could be more romantic this season then receiving our premium red roses?! The added touch of pine cones, birch, and matching ribbons makes this arrangement a real show stopper.
I am so excited that this December we were able to get in tulips and even beautiful burgundy and white peonies!! Stop in at either location for some last minute gift ideas. We will be open from 8 til noon on Christmas Eve. Show your love this season!!