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I got a lot of cards done while I was on my trip. I didn't use every single stamp set I brought nor did I use every type of supply I brought, but I did use quite a lot and made some really nice cards. I even learned some new tricks as I had to compensate for a lack of certain tools.
Scroll back though my posts of the last couple weeks to see how I made each one.
While we were gone
I visited my brother and his family in San Antonio, Texas.
We went to the high school football game of 2 of my nieces and experienced Texas high school football. (There was never that much fan fare for high school football when I went to high school in California!)
We celebrated my brother's birthday with him. When he was a pilot in the US Air Force, his call sign was Chewie because of his size. Thus, lots of Star Wars themed stuff for his birthday. Good thing he likes it.
When we got off our plane for the layover in Chicago (on the way to the second set of relatives) we were greeted by this beauty. Never thought I would see a dinosaur in an airport!
In Columbia, Missouri, where my sweetie's family is, I was once more amazed by the mosaics downtown.
We spent some lovely quiet time with my sweetie's dad and step-mom on their farm outside of Columbia..
.. and got to see the herd of rat terriers again (there are 12 of them currently, mostly rescues).
My sweetie also got to spend time with his old high school buddies.
The vacation was lovely, but I can't wait to get home to my kitty, who I am sure thinks we've abandoned him. It's been great being able to see him on camera (Cyber Cat Lodge in Surrey, BC), he can't see us and we can't snuggle him.
We're heading home tomorrow, starting at an insane time in the morning but, because of time zones, we're getting home mid-day.


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So, I've recently started stretching my earlobes, which may also be referred to as gauging: a process of gradually stretching a pierced ear hole, often on the lower part of the ear.
This can be a lengthy process depending on the desired size. It requires a lot patience as the ear needs time to properly stretch. Failed to do so and you'll face a nasty ear infection, a tear, or worst a "blow out" which is when the skin is pushed out from the inside. Trust me you'll regret googling it.
I was never opposed to the idea of stretching; but I didn't have much interest in having a large and very much visible hole on my ears either.
And then, I don't know, I can't remember how or when it started but I became fascinated with the thought of having a tunnel that can be seen through my ears.
Well, actually it happened around the time I turned 30, so perhaps I was trying to revert my age, who knows.
One thing's for sure, it's definitely becoming an increasingly common practise in our society. Like other body modification, it's a form of self-expression.
The first thing people almost always ask me is "why?" Honestly, I like the way it looks. It's different, definitely not your regular 1mm piercing that most people have. It's challenging at times and painful, but exciting especially when you reach the next size.
I like that it throws people off too, it's not something one expects from a mother of two, unless they really know me, and then they'd know I had my tongue pieced before (only to be removed because my husband, then boyfriend didn't seem impressed).
As the hole grows bigger, it becomes addictive. It may be the reason some people end up with gauge size nearly as big as their own ear.
As for me, I'm staying at 0 gauge, anything bigger than this and it's harder for the skin to return to its original size (it's not necessarily a permanent thing).
Whatever the reason I am in love with my new holes.

subset: commoncrawl


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Monday, January 27, 2014
Pick a Project #3 & #4
9 comments:
I love sending my niece care packages!! it makes them so happy!ReplyDelete
Oooh, I like that rug! I like Tuesday Morning but I never remember to go there when I actually have time to look at everything.ReplyDelete
The care package is so sweet and I love the rug! That's great that you are doing regular projects, what better way to know you are accomplishing your goals? Keep it up!ReplyDelete
My most recent 'project' was creating a calendar of what types of posts I'm doing for each day of my blog. That way I have an exact idea of what I will be doing each day of the week and can stay motivated. I'm posting about it tomorrow!
I am sure the kids loved that care package!ReplyDelete
That kitchen rug is so cute! Love it! What a great package for your nieces and nephews.ReplyDelete
I love that you sent the littles a care package!!!!! :D Such a good aunt! :)ReplyDelete
Cool kitchen rug. New post up.ReplyDelete
Oh, I love that centerpiece! I think they're so simple and sweet...perfect for any home!ReplyDelete
The centerpiece is so pretty!ReplyDelete
Has anyone told you that you are AWESOME today? Well I just did. Thanks for the support, comments, and general amazingness. Keep being great!


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String Lights, 20 Rice Bulbs, Green Wire, Plug-In, Multi-Color
Sold OutDR-LT60-6
Use DecoLights to add a decorative luminescence to any environment, occassion or project. Enhance your floral and craft designs. Ideal for adding that special glow to weddings, holidays and special events.
- Bulb Type: Incandescent Mini Lights
- Light Count: 20
- Lighted Length: 6 ft
- Bulb Spacing: 3.5 in
- Lead Length: 2 ft
- Tail Length: 0 ft
- Wire Color: Green
- Plug Type: Fused, Stackable
- End-to-End connectable: No
- Grade: Indoor use
- Power (Strand): 120V
- Ideas: Christmas Tree String Lights


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|BioCentrum will perform crystallography studies for the Institute of Biotechnology and Antibiotics
BioCentrum (Selvita Group) and the Institute of Biotechnology and Antibiotics announced commencement of cooperation concerning conduction of crystallography studies as an element of preparation of the registration dossier for a medicinal product.
Institute of Biotechnology and Antibiotics as a coordinator of the consortium of several Polish academic institutions, aiming at the development of technology and conduction of preclinical studies testing the properties of recombinant human insulin analogues with a modified hypoglycaemic effect, decided to entrust BioCentrum (Selvita Group) with the crystallographic studies required to determine the spatial structure of chosen insulin analogues.
Scope of this project, includes development of methods for creation of insulin analogues crystals with the quality suitable for crystallographic measurements, tests using X-ray crystallography to determine the spatial structure of the analogues with atomic resolution, and a detailed analysis of the obtained structural models as well as for the development of a detailed documentation.
We appreciate the possibility of strengthening our cooperation with such renowned research institute as the Institute of Biotechnology and Antibiotics. We are very pleased that IBA has a high opinion of their cooperation with the Selvita Group and has trusted us with another project. We believe that the unique capabilities of our dedicated protein biochemistry and crystallography teams will provide the highest quality of work which is to be conducted in this project - said Dr. Milosz Gruca, Director of Research and Development, Board Member of BioCentrum.
Entrusting Selvita Group with this project, we've guaranteed ourselves services of an experienced team that has the appropriate research facilities, scientific knowledge and the ability to work in accordance with the international quality standards of R&D. With such partner by our side, who approaches the tasks in our project with competence and full commitment , we are confident that we will achieve the intended goals - said Bożena Tejchman-Małecka, Head of the Department of Chemical Analysis at the Institute of Biotechnology and Antibiotics.
The project covered by this agreement will be conducted in a way that all the results and prepared documentation will be available for direct use for the registration of a medicinal product by the entity implementing the project.
All tests performed by BioCentrum will be carried out in accordance with the regulations of the Polish and European pharmaceutical law, as well as according to the directives of the European Medicines Agency.
Selvita Group is an innovative Polish company providing research and development services and IT solutions. We deliver comprehensive solutions for pharmaceutical and research companies targeted at lowering the cost of bringing products to market. The group also includes BioCentrum, which has been audited and qualified by the General Pharmaceutical Inspectorate in the field of therapeutical substance manufacturing for the physicochemical analyses of the substances and their certification. BioCentrum's offer includes services in chemical analysis (eg. development, validation and transfer of methods of API analysis, stability testing, dissolution profiles), protein chemistry (incl. analysis of amino acid composition and sequencing), in vitro preclinical studies (ADME) crystallography, and enzyme production.
The Institute of Biotechnology and Antibiotics (IBA) is a state-owned research and development organization established in 1985 by the Minister of Industry. The IBA operates in the health service and pharmaceutical sector. It employs 151 people, including 34 research scientists. The IBA's mission is to conduct scientific research in biotechnology, and the development and implementation of antibiotic technology and other biologically active substances; strengthening, and improving the image and position of the IBA within the scientific communities and in the pharmaceutical sector; as well as to disseminate the quality assurance policy for IBA operations.
Media Contact:
Natalia Pawela
tel: +48 784 069 418


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Do you want generating some extra money from the Internet? If so, paid surveys may just be the thing that you have been in need of. Your age, expertise, and qualifications aren't any barrier in order to participation, hence there is no reasons why you can not work with paid survey sites like others that are already generating enough extra money to pay off their minor bills. When you find out how to begin, you'll ponder why you never thought to do this before.
If you are looking to earn extra money taking surveys, please visit https://www.makemoneytakingsurveys.com/ for more details.
Free Surveys
A sprinkle of ground work is usually first necessary, in order to get the best paid survey sites for you. There are more than enough legitimate sites offering these kinds of opportunities, but there are, unfortunately, several less honest ones around too, so do some research before deciding which ones to sign up at. Evaluations and reports on independent forums are ideal for getting a good understanding of how particular websites work and whether they are suitable for your needs.
You should definitely have a valid PayPal account set up first, as that's how the majority of sites will pay you for your time spent filling in the surveys online.
Your email address and that PayPal account should be all the personal information you ever give the site.
Next, having signed up at both PayPal plus some survey sites, it is time to see how many surveys listed you qualify to fill out. It will have a number of which are only offered to precise groups of folks, so be sure you answer all questions correctly in terms of your age, gender, where you live, etc.
Make Money Online With Paid Online Surveys
As for the actual research themselves, they can be a wide range of subjects, although they will usually be based on products that you might have purchased before, or kinds that may interest you in the future. Various survey sites may also focus on various types of studies, so you can focus on consumer products, another on vacations, and another on overall health.
A few sites can also offer deals in which ask you to sign up to free trials of products or some type of program. You may also earn some money by signing up for email or newsletters from certain websites. These deals don't require that you continue to purchase a product or service or remain a long term customer of a website in order to receive your money.
Online Survey Sites – What To Expect
What you can expect to make is completely determined by just how much effort you spend. You may earn a nice income consistently providing that you are self motivated and put in the time. It isn't likely that you're going to get a significant sum by completing any one survey, but when you complete several a day, 5 days a week then the smaller amounts rapidly add up.
A lot of people use this as a part time initiative or even in conjunction with other types of online work, such as article marketing or online marketing. Even though you just do the surveys within your time or devote less than fifteen minutes a day at it, you can bring in enough extra money to pay for a bill or two each month.
Keep in mind even though that it's not really intended as a full time occupation, and that it is not likely that you'll be capable of making enough to totally support your way of life. If you join understanding that, and also the mindset that this is additional money rather that required money, then you'll undoubtedly be happy with your decision.


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Become An Agent
Being a approved curafinder.com Certified Agent allows you to earn income very easily from the comfort of your home or your existing business. This opportunity is best suited for anyone working in Graphic design, web design, social media, printers and any industry that offers branding and/or marketing services to local businesses.
What you earn:
- $25 for each new curaBasic package subscription
- $15 for each new curaPro package subscription
- Listing setup fees can be charged at agent's descretion. curaFinder charges $65 for a basic setup (Integration of logo, pictures/videos, "About us" text, map, contact info, minimal photoshop if required). Basic setup does not include tags (Keywords) management.
What you get from us:
- 2 Personal Promo codes which will offer your customers $10 OFF the CuraPro package monthly fee and $5 off the CuraBasic package.
- 1 Free CuraPro package for your business (As long as you maintain a minimum of 1 new subscription per month)
- 1 personal "CuraFinder Authorized Agent" logo with promo code to be used on all your communications.
- 1 Sales sheet with all the benefits of having a CuraFinder listing to facilitate your sales pitch
How you earn:
- Utilize your existing client base/ Business relations and inform them of the essential necessity of having a curafinder listing for their business.
- Maintain contact with your customers at least once a month to make them active on their page by posting new promotions, new photos, etc... This inderectly helps you to sign up more subscribers, because the more the site is active, the more it is popular....and the easier it is to book new subscribers.
- Use your social media outlets to promote curaFinder.com by using your agent code (Provided to you once you are approved).


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Below you'll find a summary of my work, education and other computer science related activities. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me on Twitter.
February, 2016 (ongoing)
Joined the Swift team at Ray Wenderlich as a technical editor.
February, 2016
Taught evening classes at CVO Het Perspectief for two years, teaching programming with Swift and iOS application development to complete beginners.
October, 2012
Taught evening classes at CVO Panta Rhei for a year. The main focus of my courses was on Java and Java EE.
October, 2010 (ongoing)
Started teaching computer science at the University College of Ghent (HoGent). I still teach there today and am currently focusing on Swift and iOS (previously Java and Java EE).
November, 2008
Quit my job at Ghent University to start teaching mathematics at high school. I loved working with kids and still consider returning to high school sometime in the future.
October, 2006
Started work as a scientific aid at Ghent University where I developed a learning environment for students of numerical analysis. I also briefly researched possible applications of machine learning in the field of network recovery.
September, 2006
Graduated from the teacher training programme at Ghent University.
July, 2005
Graduated from Ghent University with a master's degree in computer science, majoring in software development.
June, 2001
Graduated from high school where I majored in mathematics and science.
September, 2018
Gave a talk on building server-side web apps with Kitura and Stencil at the 2018 server-side Swift conference.
September, 2018
Taught a workshop on building server-side web apps with Kitura and Stencil at the 2018 server-side Swift conference.
January, 2018
Wrote a Stencil extension for Visual Studio Code. This includes a TextMate grammar, snippets and indentation rules.
November, 2017
Was invited to guest blog for Swift@IBM about Swift Blog.
September, 2014
Gave a short talk on Swift and education at Swift London. This was my first time speaking outside of a school setting, my first time speaking abroad, my first time speaking in English and a lot of fun.
May, 2014
Co-organised Apps City, a local conference on mobile applications. I ran and supervised the hack-a-thon during my first (and hopefully last) 30h working day.
November, 2012
Started a blog titled "A Sip Of Java", the predecessor to this site. I started the blog mainly to share some of my teaching materials with others and was surprised to see how quickly it became popular internationally. It reached 12.000 pageviews when it turned one and 35.000 when it turned two, which was about the time I started work on this site.
October, 2012
Joined the applied computer science programme committee at HoGent. Resigned after 2 years, concluding my time was better spent teaching.
June, 2012
Wrote a plugin for NetBeans to allow me to copy code to the clipboard as rich text (to preserve syntax coloring). People seemed to like it.
October, 2004
Worked on Libisofs for a while, as part of my master's thesis.


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Stories from a Holiday Heart - an anthology
Life is filled with many daily events—most go unnoticed and then are quickly forgotten. However, there are those precious moments, which we hold dearly that rise above the ordinary and are forever recorded in our life book.
Within the pages of Stories from a Holiday Heart anthology are tales created and drawn from the deepest parts of the hearts of the writers. You will read stories that will change your day—from the ordinary—into a most special one.
The acclaimed, contributing writers want to share these memorable stories with you—their Stories from a Holiday Heart.
Eden Baylee presents her Grandfather's Gift as we witness a young Asian girl enduring a sudden, tragic loss during a holiday.
Taylor Grant artfully tells us how A Whiter Shade of Christmas can mend a broken heart by a shared tragedy.
R. Jeffreys will take you on a journey of rediscovering what a true gift is in a Christmas Comes Home, Again.
William Kenower endearingly brings us back to simpler times when two boys dreamed aloud under the Christmas Lights.
Richard Thomas' unusual story Farmland will shock you by what one man will sacrifice for the ultimate good of his family on Christmas day.
Kellyann Zuzulo's marvelous story Home For Dinner will surprise and enthrall you when you find out who comes home for a very different Thanksgiving feast.


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Welcome to the Bonaire Business & Employers Association
The Bonaire Business & Employers Association (BBE), founded on November 30th 2012 represents the social economic interests of its members, assists its members with social economic issues and promotes the dialogue between entrepreneurs, employers and section organizations on Bonaire.
Collaboration is essential in making BBE and consequently Bonaire as a whole, successful. By joining forces we can maximize the (business) potential we have on Bonaire.
We try to achieve our goals by promoting the establishment of shared points of view within the membership, and to promote and defend these opinions where ever applicable and appropriate. We do this through meeting with third parties, such as the local and national government, and through cooperation with similar organizations, in particular entrepreneur and employers organizations in the other parts of our Kingdom. We promote, and if needed initiate rules and regulations needed by our business community. BBE represents the interests of the employers and entrepreneurs of Bonaire in a number of counsels and organizations, such as the Bonaire Trade and Investment Board, the E-team, Central Dialogue (tri-partite), the Island Crime Prevention Platform.
Membership is open to individual companies, registered with the Chamber of Commerce on Bonaire, as well as section organizations, based on, and registered with the Chamber of Commerce on Bonaire. Please contact us for more information on membership.


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I love a sunburnt country. A land of sweeping plains. Of ragged mountain ranges. Of droughts and flooding rains.
The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily the views of the blog management, (on the other hand, they are not necessarily not the views of the blog management).
No effort has been made to stay within the bounds of the truth in this blog as it has always been the view of the management that the truth should never be allowed to stand in the way of a good story.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
A new home for holtieshouse.
|Rate this post
4 comments:
- kenju said...
I hope that all your stuff arrived as promised. Having moved last July, and getting rid of the detritus of 31 years in one house, I know how daunting - and satisfying it can be. But I only moved 7 miles away, not the huge leap you made. I wish you well, Peter!!
- Sat Mar 22, 01:04:00 am
- Lee said...
How wonderful for you, Peter that the sale and purchase occurred so effortlessly. That certainly must have been a giant load off for you.
I'm so pleased all is well with you again, health-wise. It sounds like 2014 is going to be a great year for you. Enjoy your new home; surrounds and good health to your utmost.
Best wishes for this new chapter in your life. :)
- Sat Mar 22, 06:50:00 am
- Robyn Lee said...
It was meant to be...that's why it all went so smoothly. The Universe was on your side, Peter. Queensland does seem empty without you though!
- Thu Mar 27, 08:49:00 pm
- عبده العمراوى said...
- Tue Aug 29, 08:44:00 am


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Some of us have a lot of time, some of us not so much time. Here are some DIY Projects with varying lengths and times!
Ever wanted a small personal fire pit? Or just a fire pit in general? Here is one you can make for just $25 and is an easy Saturday afternoon project! With this pit, you'll be the not so cool kid in town, but the one with the hottest DIY for the summer!
This one takes a bit more time, but after you get it started it shouldn't take too much thought and can be a project you do while you watch Netflix after a hard day of work. A rope hammock is relaxing, and you can make it a stationary or a large travel hammock and can be used in an emergency if you get in a survival situation! Very practical, and puts a modern spin on an old-fashioned styled hammock! Get sailing in this sail hammock over the grass!
We all have that one tree that we've stared at since we were a kid and wanted to make it something more, well now you can! A very simple treehouse, for a simple evening. Whether stargazing, a romantic picnic, or just a reading nook (since you can easily make a teepee with a blanket to the tree and to the edge of the platform), this is an easy and enjoyable long term project to work on! If you like squirrels, join 'em.
This is a long term project for the summer that you may want to ask for some help on. This project is a giant scrabble bored that the whole family and/or friends can enjoy on a Friday evening. Big words for a big day!
Well will you look at that, this is for all of the summer traveling everyone is doing. If you forget a wall plugin, adapter, or even a cable, it can be tough to find another one. So stop worrying, and here's a way to save a few bucks. If you have a cable (if not buy one, but no adapter), most TVs have a USB plugin and you can plug straight into it! Saving a few dollars is always a wise thing to do!


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Lovely 4 Bed home swap in Cambridge, England
Spacious and refurbished family accommodation over three floors on the south side of the city of Cambridge.
Use our bikes to explore the historic city (colleges, museums, galleries, gardens, punting and pubs). A 50 minute train takes you right into the middle of London (we're only a ten minute cycle from the station). The Norfolk coast is within easy reach too.
We have four bedrooms. The master bedroom (top floor) has an ensuite wet room. The first floor has two single rooms, one double room and a bathroom. Downstairs, there is a large kitchen with a breakfast island, a family/dining room, a music/reading room and a cloakroom/toilet.
Delightful garden, with a summerhouse/games room that can sleep a further 2.
Type of home swap
- Home Exchange
- Weekend Exchange
- Open to Offers
Conditions of home exchange
- Non smokers only
- No pets allowed
- Pet Care Offered
- Children welcome
- Washer / Drier
- Garage / Parking
- Car exchange offered
- Use of bike
- Garden
- Internet / WiFi
- Boating
- Fishing
- Golfing
- Horse Riding
- Tennis
- Walking
- Car not required
- Good public transport
- Local restaurants
- Shopping facilities
Nearest city: Cambridge
Property type: House
Location type: City
Cambridge (HE25209)
Cambridgeshire, England
- 4 bed (sleeps 6) 2.5 bath
Preferred destinations
- Open
Dates available
Swap duration: Open to offers
Meet the member
Membership expiry date: 05 Feb 2012


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Hi Friends! We are so EXCITED because we just received our package with our business road sign and car decals! So, it will now be easier for our clients to find us when PICKING UP and DROPPING OFF orders. (And all the people said AMEN!) Oh, if y'all happen to spot us in town with our car decals, be sure to give us a HOLLA! 😉
29 July 2015
Look What We Just Received…
posted by Leave a Comment


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As promised, here is the first 7" to kick off a small series of seven inch rips by the Cowboys from Sweden. This one needs no real introduction, everyone should already know how amazing this little record is! Slogan is probably one of my favorite tracks by anyone ever with it's dark and sexy groove layered with orchestral stabs, groovy bass lines and harpsichord melodies so good that they are maddening! Talk about a duet, this one is unmatched! Beautiful, breathy, highly melodic and almost aggressive with passion. More please. Anyhow, I'm sure you all know it. So the real gem here is the B-Side. A little instrumental track called "Evelyn" which I believe was Jane Birkin's character's name in the film this was made for (the 1969 french art film Slogan). Great film as well, I highly recommend it! Anyway, Evelyn is a breathtaking piano driven number with a hypnotic groove and breezy instrumentation. Over all, it has a bit of a melancholy vibe to the melody, which is probably the reason I am such a sucker for it! This record is pretty hard to find and it occasionally fetches astronomical prices online. As far as I know, this 7" is the only official release of Evelyn (aside from the Serge Gainsbourg CD box set of film music put out some years ago). A true rarity, hope you enjoy it as much as I, and please spread it around...
A. La Chanson De Slogan
B. Evelyn


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Photos Now Available on Flickr
I have started publishing my photos on Flickr now as well. To see my photos there, go to:
For now, the plan is to upload most photos there, and then keep some of the best here locally. As for now, I do not have a Pro Flickr account, so there are not so many. I plan to upgrade shortly and start uploading my backlog of photos.


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Daryl Powell admits he has some tricky selection decisions to make ahead of Castleford Tigers' massive local derby with Leeds Rhinos.
Castleford's battling display in beating Hull last week with a team missing six first teamers has given head coach Powell food for thought and with full-back Luke Dorn and forwards Nathan Massey, Matt Cook and Frankie Mariano all available to add to last week's victorious squad he has more to pick from.
He told the Express: "We've got people coming back who are going to give me a little bit of a headache, but it's obviously one of the better headaches I tend to have.
"Easter's an important period and we've got a deep squad. We've got places that are there to be grabbed at the moment.
"Frankie Mariano will be available over the Easter period and it's good to get him back.
"Lee Jewitt will be available for the Hull KR game and we'll see how he goes in training.
"But there's Michael Channing who hasn't played much recently, Luke Dorn will come back into contention after his injury and Scott Moore hasn't played in the last couple of games so will come back in the running. Ryan Boyle missed last week and is available.
"Nathan Massey and Matt Cook also return after their one match suspension, two players who have been playing real well for us.
"Massey's been probably consistently our best forward and Cook gives us a lot of energy when he comes on the field with his carries in particular.
"We have got a couple of question marks, though. Mike McMeeken injured his hamstring in training and Junior Moors is a doubt for Easter. He's got a stress fracture in his knee, which is not as bad as it sounds, but still it's likely to need him to be off his feet for the Easter period."
Powell added: "It's getting to that point round Easter where pretty much everybody gets a run and coming out of Easter you should be knowing what your best team is.
"I'm hoping that over the next couple of games we start to see who the players are that are going to be playing in the big matches. But it's important that the players keep pushing each other."
Tickets are now on sale for Castleford Tigers Supporters Club's popular annual race night, to be held at George V WMC on Friday, April 24.
Tickets are £4, which includes pie and peas, vegetarian pies available. Doors open at 7pm with first race at 8pm and everyone is welcome.
Tigers players will be in attendance and tickets are available from the Tigers Den, George V WMC or at Cas home games in the Tiger bar.


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Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr., the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, famously said, "All politics is local." The same is true for business, says marketing expert John A. Quelch, dean of the China Europe International Business School, China's foremost business school.
His belief in the primacy of place — the local touchstone that animates consumers and triggers purchases around the globe — may strike some as an anachronism in an age that is relentlessly focused on global markets and global strategy.
Those naysayers will have to revise their thinking after reading his new book, "All Business is Local: Why Place Matters More than Ever in a Global, Virtual World" (Portfolio, 2012), written with Katherine E. Jocz, a former research associate at Harvard Business School.
[Going Global: Worldwide Expansion Within Reach for Small Businesses]
They argue that it's possible for any business — from global mega-brands to small-town stores — to influence their customers more effectively by making "place" a part of every strategic decision. For consumers, all business is local.
"I have written this book as an antidote to conventional wisdom that the world is flat and that globalizations preoccupy us all," he says.
Though Quelch sees the positive aspects of globalization, he cautions businesses not to be seduced by a single-minded focus on a global, interconnected world that glosses over the myriad competitive benefits of strategically using the concept of place. The best global brands, from IBM to McDonald's ubiquitous golden arches, are also the best local brands, he says.
But the world will never be entirely global or local. It is a hybrid place, at once flat, spiky, globalized and local.
Quelch recently elaborated on his views for BusinessNewsDaily.
What do you mean when you say all business is local?
John A. Quelch: The world is not flat. It is flatter than it was but 90 percent or more transactions involve a local buyer and a local seller.
BND: You discuss the role of the 4Ps in marketing mix. What are they?
JAQ: The 4Ps are product, price, promotion and place. Because place always appears fourth in the lineup, it gets short shrift. Place, now more than ever, cannot be an afterthought.
BND: Why does place matter in marketing?
JAQ: Too much emphasis is attached to the glamour of building global brands, not enough to the heavy-lifting and excellent execution required to place brands in all the right locations for sales to be maximized.
BND: What are the fundamentals of place?
JAQ: Place is a very important component of our self-identity, and we navigate the world in relation to time and space. Marketers have to manage their products in physical place and in virtual place. For example, they have to place their products prominently on supermarket shelves but also enable them to be found easily by shoppers in the virtual world.
BND: How can businesses be both global and local?
JAQ: All great global brands are also great local brands. Take McDonald's, a global brand with a consistent positioning worldwide but one that sources raw materials locally, develops local management talent, adapts menus and store designs to local preferences and works with local businessmen as franchisees.
BND: How can the world be both flat and spiky?
JAQ: The world can be flat for the luxury goods marketer skimming the surface, appealing to the homogeneous, price-insensitive global elite. But, for the marketer who wants to penetrate the mass market in emerging economies, the world is much more spiky.
BND: What happens when place gets misplaced?
JAQ: Place can be a liability. Made in China does not yet connote reliability or, in the case of food, safety. Place identifiers sometimes have no basis in reality: London Broil, for example, appears on menus in U.S. steakhouses but not in London.
BND: How can a small business leverage place to compete with global competition?
JAQ: There are three ways small businesses can leverage place. First, the place they are from may be especially well-known for a product category—Thai silk, Gruyère cheese. Second, they can create a mythical place that appeals to the dreams of their target audience, as Pepsi has done with Mountain Dew. Third, small businesses can leverage being close to customers. Local, organic farmers can provide fresher produce to nearby cities because of short supply chains.
Reach BusinessNewsDaily senior writer Ned Smith at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @nedbsmith.


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Before we get to our winners, I'd like to introduce our guest for the month of April! We're so excited to have her join us and I'm sure you're going to love what she does!! Let's welcome...
"Hello there! I'm Thanh (pronounced "tan"). I live in the Metro Vancouver area of Canada in a suburban apartment. I'm so honoured to be your April Guest Designer here at the Little Miss Muffet Challenges Blog!!! I was first introduced to LMMS after receiving a complimentary image during my Guest DT gig over at DYSU? and I've really enjoyed the LMMS images since! The Sugar & Spice line just happens to be my favourite.
You can also find me at The Greeting Farm and Raise the Bar as a designer for both teams. If you would like to learn more about me, please visit me at my blog. Take care and I look forward to creating with you in the next month!"
Now on to our winners!
This week's random winner of the challenge will receive two free images from Little Miss Muffet Stamps AND if you'd like to join us as a Guest for the next challenge then you can select an additional image to work with!! That lucky winner is...
#20 ~steph~Congratulations! :D You've won two digi stamps of your choice from Little Miss Muffet Stamps and an additional image if you'd like to join us as a Guest for the next challenge! Check them all out and email me with your selections and don't forget to grab your "I'm a Winner..." badge from the sidebar!
Our spotlighted projects for this round did a wonderful job - they all had wonderful elements and embellishments and such fun layouts too! Check them out...
#4 Asia K
#6 Linda Wescott
#10 Pawla Kay-Bourland
#14 Leigh Snaith-Brunton
#6 Linda Wescott
#10 Pawla Kay-Bourland
#14 Leigh Snaith-Brunton
Congratulations ladies! Well done and don't forget to grab the "I've Been Spotlighted..." badge from the sidebar and display it proudly on your sites!


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Who is that cutie pie?
Her name is Tori and if you have a sec, I'd like to share a sweet story with you.
Tori's mom is Tiffany. Tiffany is our customer service Director at Simon Says Stamp. We love Tiff, and Tiff shares in our passions for all things paper art. In fact, at home Thursday night, Tiff was watching some of the Tim Holtz' "how to" demo videos with little Tori. ( The vids are really awesome - Tim is charismatic, easy to follow and has really fun and cool techniques.) Inspiring! So inspiring that Tori fell in love and NEEDED to do these things too! The videos made things come to life for little Tori and she is HOOKED! Tiffany came into work Friday and told me Tori totally wants to do some Tim Holtz projects at her 9th birthday party coming up. AWESOME! I was so excited to hear another artist coming out of her shell! She wanted to start with the alcohol ink /splatter spray can technique from the demo below.
We loaded Tiff up with supplies for Tori JUST YESTERDAY.
Tiffany texted me this morning to see if she could stop by the office. I was on my way... perfect. She had Tori with her and Tori wanted to show what she made with the Tim Holtz goodies from JUST YESTERDAY! The whole family (even in-laws) were at Tori's house last night practicing and perfecting the Splatter technique. Tiffany said it was a blast. I could tell by the look on shy little Tori's face and her excited little voice that she was bursting with excitement.
Above is a picture of Tori just outside our Simon office showing the beautiful piece of art she made and gave to me. My heart is warmed.
This is what it is all about folks! Not just making art, but sharing and creating. It's food for the soul and what a beautiful thing that Tim Holtz is inspiring our children to make art with us! Thank you Tori! Thank you Tiff! Thank you Tim!
Have a delightful weekend,
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Sunday, March 16, 2008
New outfit for Katie finally done
It took me so long to finish this outfit, the pants are almost too short!! Katie had a huge growth spurt!
The pants are from Target. The were supposed to be a sz 3T but are no where near it. I bout 4 pair of these and am going to have to cut open and alter every pair! They are 5 inches too long and about 2 sizes too tight in the tummy!! So I ripped open the side seams and put in panels, then added elastic to the waist! Viola.. diaper room!
I made the shirt. It is the Hilda/Tilda pattern from Ottobre issue 6/2007 #27 size 98.
You can see in the pic of her modeling the outfit, she is leaning to the right a bit. She has fallen twice in the past month and twisted her left ankle and doesn't want to put any weight down on the left. It was sooo hard to get this picture!
Posted by Unknown at 10:34 PM
Labels: Ottobre, Sew n Show
2 comments:
- Girl in Louisiana said...
She's so sweet!
Oh I should have been looking at the clothes right?
Nice job there too!
- March 22, 2008 at 4:59 AM
- Peu de Maison Bleue said...
Phish, it gave me a blogger account lol
This is Bhambaby from SM btw. Posting now with my regular blogging site name.
- March 22, 2008 at 5:03 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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The Dark Shire
by Geoff Gander
Special thanks to Shawn Johnson and Paul Dooley
To many a traveller, the Five Shires is a pleasant, tamed land, populated by the kindly Hin. To those who treat them (mistakenly, for certain) as children, the Hin hide behind façades of child-like simplicity - the better to get past their would-be detractors' defences and get what they want from them. This deception extends beyond mere protection of one's ego; it conceals a far darker secret of the Hin.
A Dark Secret Revealed
The history of the Shires is a strife-torn one; of great victories, of horrible defeats, of love, of loss, of heroes and villains. Though the annals of history record the names of many Hin who, left with no other choice, drew deeply from their reserves of inner strength, and overcame those who sought to oppose or destroy them, there are many more who were not so fortunate, or who suffered a fate worse than death. Many Hin, for example, know well the cruelties of Othrong or Loktal, and they rightfully celebrate those ancestors who rejected oppression; but they forget those who sided with their erstwhile overlords for personal gain, or out of conviction that the cause of the Hin had been lost. It was these latter Hin, who forsook their kin and heritage, who would come to inhabit "the Dark Shire."
During the last years of Furgh Oorr's rule, when the Hin rose in rebellion against their masters to reclaim their lands and their birthright, there erupted a bloody feud among those brave folk. As their forces pushed back the humanoid menace, it soon came to light that the orcish legions, dating back to the time of Thrail almost thirty years earlier, had acquired valuable information from a number of clans living in and around the village of Nimbrendabbas, in what is now Heartshire. Those traitors had sold their kinfolk into slavery for a fair sum of gold, and received guarantees that their orcish masters would leave them to their own devices, secluded in their hill-girded homes. They had told the orcs of the Hin battle tactics, of the rivalries that existed between the clans, and of the best places to hide, to attack, and to retreat - such that the orcs appeared to be masters of the land before they had even conquered it. For this act of greed, the five clans of Nimbrendabbas - the Shortfellows, the Bingleysides, the Nimbrendonnors, the Lynnleyfields, and the Llandoloths - were declared forevermore enemies of the Hin. Nevermore would they be welcome elsewhere in the lands of the Hin, nor would they be spoken to, or referred to by name. Ever after, they were to be known as the Shunned.
So it was that the Hin developed their lands and grew as a people, never speaking to the Shunned, or doing business with them. As more Hin chased the Shunned away from their homes, so those five clans withdrew. As the years passed, so knowledge of the lands around Nimbrendabbas faded into rumour; parents began telling their misbehaving children that the Shunned would take them away if they refused to be good, and accidents or bad storms became known as "work of the Shunned". So things would have remained, were it not for the "Summer of Vengeance".
Though decades had passed since the Shunned had been cast away, they remembered every slight levelled against them, every insult, and every curse. With every passing year, they became more bitter, more cruel, and in mind, word, and deed more like the scoundrels their kinfolk believed them to be. So it was that, one peaceful summer, they began a campaign of looting and burning across the breadth of what is now Heartshire and Seashire. In their years of isolation, they had grown greatly in number, and had domesticated a variety of dire wolf - which inhabited the light forests at that time - to use as a riding animal. Fearsome were those raids, and many were the pillars of smoke that filled the skies - mute testament to the brutality and terror of the Shunned in their wrath. For weeks the attacks continued, and more of the wealth of the Shires made its way north to Nimbrendabbas. Though the resolute folk of the Shires were many, they could not match the prowess and ferocity of the Shunned. So these troubled times would have continued, were it not for the final banishment of these dark Hin by the enigmatic Masters.
The Banishing of the Shunned
As the Summer of Vengeance began to draw to a close, a special meeting of the Shires' greatest Masters was held. They agreed that, if the Shunned were allowed to continue their depredations, the Hin could be weakened once more, and the dream of an independent and free homeland for their people would never come to fruition. Thus, it did not take them long to agree upon a course of action - if the Shunned could not be kept away from their kinfolk by moral or legal means, they would be removed by magical means - never to cause harm again. Immediately, the Masters set about researching a way to harness the power of the Blackflame to remove the Shunned from the Shires, and to place them elsewhere, where they could harm no one. While they worked, the heroes of the Shires hunted the Shunned relentlessly, forcing them to retreat closer to their homes.
After months of hard work, an answer was found, and the Masters, under the protection of Hin warriors, gathered outside Nimbrendabbas to banish the Shunned forever. They eagerly pooled their talents to open a gateway into another dimension, and to invoked the power of the Blackflame to move the village, and its inhabitants, through it. Once the Shunned has crossed to the other side, the gateway was allowed to collapse, sealing the evil Hin away from the Shires for all time. Such as act was costly - many of the older Masters succumbed to the great effort required to master the full power of the Blackflame, but the deed had been done. Those few Shunned who remained in the Shires, who were not hunted down in the weeks that followed, either fled northwards into the Cruth Mountains, or eastwards into the Blight Swamp. Despite the great victory won that day, so exacting was the deed that from that day forward, no Master would be willing to perform the Ceremony of Banishment.
In the years that followed, the Hin began to forget about the Shunned once more, for now there was no trace that they had ever existed. It is said among Hin farmers in the more remote communities of Heartshire, even today, that on some nights, when the moon is full and the nights overly cold, the Shunned may return to the Shires to redo that which had been done centuries before. Few Hin believe these tales, though, thinking them to be the tales of isolated countryfolk.
The Dark Shire - What It Is and How to Get There
Around fireplaces and in pubs across the Shires, tales such as the one above might be told by greybeards in exchange for a pint of the barman's best bitter, but there is more than a little truth to such yarns. The Shunned were indeed banished, in BC 682, to a place resembling greatly the region of the Shires in which they had lived - so much so that even the passage of time was identical. In the years since then, the Shunned grew more numerous in their new home, founding new villages farther afield, and strengthening their hold on the land. The Shunned do not know how large their new home is - explorers have ventured forth and never returned - but there always seems to be another valley beyond the next row of hills, and across the sea, dark Hin sailors claim to have found many islands, and possibly another large landmass. For the most part, the dark Hin are much like their Mystaran kinfolk; they prefer to stay close to home.
The Dark Shire is, more than anything else, a prison. Though the dimension in which it exists has weather, seasons, a cycle of day and night, climate, and even wildlife similar to the Shires, the dark Hin know they cannot leave, a fact which has only deepened their hatred for their kinfolk with the passage of time. Fortunately for them, a way exists for them to visit their estranged cousins on occasion.
Owing to intricacies in the Ceremony of Banishment, and of the fundamental nature of Blackflame, the Dark Shire cannot be sealed away from the Prime Plane all the time. Indeed, the strength of the barrier fluctuates with the seasons, and with the phases of Matera, Mystara's visible moon. The barriers are at their weakest during a full moon in the autumn, and strongest during a new moon in spring. It is during the barrier's weak period that it is possible to enter and leave the Dark Shire.
Unlike most other portals and gateways that bridge the distance between planes and dimensions, those that guard the entrances to the Dark Shire are not readily visible; in fact, the average traveller would likely not even notice that he or she had entered the prison of the dark Hin, for there is no transition zone, or any sensation of being moved by unnatural means. The magic of the gateways even works such that the traveller is placed in an area that resembles their point of origin as much as possible; if they were walking along a forest path, they will appear on one in the Dark Shire. So subtle is this process that travellers will only notice it by making a halved Intelligence check. Perhaps what makes reaching the Dark Shire so difficult, though, is the fact that the gateways move over time to no discernible pattern. Where player characters might end up in the Dark Shire would be up to the DM entirely. All such portal are bi-directional; they may be used to re-enter the Prime Plane as well.
The Dark Hin
The dark Hin are almost identical to their Mystaran cousins in most respects - their size, hair, and skin colouration is the same, their choice in clothing is very similar, and they share a preference for dwelling in burrow-like homes. They also share the Mystaran Hin love of pipe smoking and telling tales - though dark Hin stories tend to be far more violent. What separates them is difficult to notice, but telling all the same. Their eyes have irises that are a pale yellow in colour, and they tend to glow in the dark (though the dark Hin do not possess infravision). All dark Hin youth, upon reaching adulthood, have their front teeth filed into sharp points, and those that can grow facial hair, do so.
Due to their many years in isolation, the development of the language spoken by the dark Hin has deviated from that of the Mystaran Hin. The dark Hin language has retained many of the older Hin words - many of which are now lost in the Shires - and those loan words which had already made their way into the Hin language at the time of their expulsion evolved in different ways. Despite these differences, most Hin, at least, would be able to understand the dark Hin language, though an Intelligence check would be required to decipher the more technical or convoluted sentences. Fluency in the language for Mystarans would require either a language slot, or a skill slot spent as a language.
Perhaps what makes the dark Hin so different from their Mystaran cousins is their cultural outlook and overall attitude as a people. Shaped by their centuries of exile, and their deeply-entrenched anger and bitterness directed towards their estranged cousins, the dark Hin are a profoundly violent-tempered and vengeful people. Few dark Hin will allow any insult, perceived or real, or go unanswered, and the most common recourse in a dispute is to resort to violent means. As a result, bloody feuds are common among the five clans - so much so that any settlement of reasonable size is walled, and few dark Hin venture far from home unarmed. Most clans maintain some degree of contact with their neighbours, though this often consists of little more than intermittent trading. Having had no contact with other races since their expulsion, the dark Hin do not really have any opinions about other peoples, though memories of the Mystaran Hin are kept alive, and it is for them that true hatred is felt.
As a people, the dark Hin venerate no Immortals. Instead, they have developed a theology based around vengeance against their Mystaran cousins for what they see as their unjust expulsion. The tenets of this quasi-faith are fairly simple: The Hin of the Shires have wronged the dark Hin, and everything should be done to prepare for the Day of Reckoning as foretold by the clan elders shortly after the expulsion, when the dark Hin are no longer imprisoned and may return to the Shires and rule over their errant cousins.
As with many religious faiths, this set of beliefs is propagated through institutions, in this case Shrines of Vengeance - the Dark Shires equivalent of a temple or church. In them, red-robed warrior monks guide worshippers to find their own hatred for their Mystaran cousins, as well as train those who wish to become proficient in the military arts. Almost every settlement of reasonable size (ie: over 300 inhabitants) has a Shrine of Vengeance.
The Dark Shire - A Rough Guide
The area known as the Dark Shire is a confined geographical area. To the west and south lie the Barrier Peaks (as the dark Hin name them), tall, forbidding spires of granite through which many narrow passes wind their way. In the years since their initial confinement, the dark Hin have tried on numerous occasions to follow these passes to their ends, and in so doing find out what lies beyond them. Few have ever returned from such journeys, done in by rockfalls, the extremely low temperatures high up in the mountains, the various predators known to inhabit the range, and starvation. Only one dark Hin ventured into those mountains and returned, but he died soon afterwards of a strange fever that rendered him incoherent. Amid his babblings about ferocious rocs and organised tribes of rock baboons, he claimed that he did see what extends beyond the mountains - a great, unending desert.
Even the foothills of the Barrier Peaks are seldom visited - especially those in the west, though they have been found to contain small veins of silver, tin, and gold. In the western hills, cold winds whip down from the tallest mountains, flattening any vegetation that grows more than a few inches in height. Those few dark Hin who mine the hills do so only during the summer, for in the fall and winter months the weather becomes dangerous, as great gales and thunderstorms batter the hills with freezing rain and hail. Some of the first miners did try to remain in the area year round; the ruins of their meagre homesteads remain today as testament to the vengeful nature of the western Dark Shire. The southern foothills, by comparison, are covered with lush grasses and the occasional stand of evergreen or maple trees. In the summer, herds of mountain goats descend into the hills to graze and mate, and the local goatherds capture some of them to add to their herds. Still, the southern foothills are a fairly rugged land, and most dark Hin prefer the richer plains in the heartland of the Dark Shire.
To the east of the Dark Shire lies the Great Ocean, whose waters are fairly calm around the coasts, but steady become stormier the further east, north, or south one sails. This, and the presence of numerous rocky spires jutting just inches above the waves, makes navigating these waters extremely dangerous. Nearer the coasts, some of the dark Hin have managed to make a living from fishing.
To the north, beyond the forested hills that mark the northernmost extent of the lands claimed by the dark Hin, extends a seemingly endless stretch of pastureland and grassy plains. Called the Empty Steppes by those dark Hin living in the north, it is uninhabited, though some do travel there during the summer to capture the small, but sturdy, steppe ponies known to live there, and to hunt the herds of deer which wander south during that season. Known predators include regular and dire wolves, and in the hills the occasional lynx is seen.
Faced with these seemingly insurmountable barriers, most dark Hin have turned inwards, keeping to themselves in their scattered villages and homesteads - largely centred upon their clans. Owing to their rather antisocial, bitter natures, there are relatively few large settlements in the Dark Shire, since dark Hin of differing clans seldom interact, and each clan controls a fairly large territory for its overall size. Despite this, the dark Hin population has grown considerably in the roughly 1,500 years since their imprisonment. In total, almost 35,000 live in the Dark Shire, their numbers more or less evenly divided among the five clans. Those settlements of significance are listed below.
Bingleyhaven: As the name implies, this village is the main settlement of the Bingleyside clan. The roughly 700 dark Hin who make this fortified village their home cultivate tobacco, grains, and various root vegetables and tubers (such as carrots, turnips, and potatoes), as well as a small number of vinyards. The Bingleyside clan guards its territory jealously - all the lands between the Bingley and Frost Rivers, and the riverbanks all along their frontiers, are patrolled closely. As with most other dark Hin settlements of note, Bingleyhaven contains a Shrine of Vengeance, which is staffed by no less than 15 monks at all times.
Fleggleton: This small coastal village of 420 is home to the mainland branch of the Lynnleyfield clan, which manages to make a living from the sea, and from coastal tracts of farmland which produce a small amount of wheat, corn, and other vegetables. Originally, Fleggleton was one of many Lynnleyfield settlements along the southeastern coast of the Dark Shire, but ongoing rivalries with the Llandoloths forced many of the Lynnleyfields to flee their homes for the relative safety of Hinrock Isle. Aside from impressive wooden watchtowers, and an imposing earthen palisade and ditch, nothing distinguishes Fleggleton from its neighbours.
Harrowtower: This settlement is little more than the dilapidated keep (really a crumbling tower, plus a half dozen outbuildings, surrounded by a moat), and the scattered farmhouses which cluster around it. In all, roughly 140 Shortfellows make their homes here. In earlier times, Harrowtower was poised to become a major waystation for those Shortfellows who wished to settle the Empty Steppes. The failure of those colonies, whether due to the depredations of lynx packs, frequent storms, or more sinister causes, led to a major exodus towards the more settled lands further south. In the many decades since then, Harrowtower has languished is relative obscurity, its original purpose - to guard the northern fringes of Shortfellow lands - largely forgotten. Together with the fortress of Tostleford, Harrowtower marks the northern border of those lands claimed by the dark Hin.
Misty Harbour: This village, situated in a natural harbour on Hinrock Isle, is home to a large number of Lynnleyfields - about 900 in all. What makes this village stand out from its neighbours is that it is surrounded by a formidable stone wall on its landward sides, and a great seawall nearly encircles the harbour. Within its walls can be found a large Shrine of Vengeance, numerous markets, and a great fortress overlooking the village. The harbour itself is busy around the clock, with Lynnleyfield ships bringing in fresh catches of fish, or sailing to Fleggleton to purchase goods not available on Hinrock Isle. Around the village spread numerous vegetable plots and homesteads which feed the populace within Misty Harbour's walls. Dotting the countryside, as well, are fields of barley and hops, which are cultivated and brewed into a passable ale.
Nimbrendabbas: The oldest settlement in the Dark Shire, Nimbrendabbas is also the largest, having almost 6,000 dark Hin living within its walls. This large town is unique in that representatives from all five clans may be found here, although they rarely interact; each clan occupies a "Fifth" (that is, roughly one-fifth of the town), each of which has a gate providing access to the lands outside. The Fifth of the Nimbrendonnor clan is the largest. The only means by which one might enter other Fifths is to enter the Hall of Remembrance, which stands in the centre of town, and pass through there into another section. There are no other means of entering another Fifth, apart from scaling one of the interior walls. The Hall itself stands over the remains of every clan's elders, entombed in catacombs deep underground. It also contains the records of the expulsion of the dark Hin. Traditionally, only clan elders have free access to all Fifths.
The interior walls were constructed around AC 450, in the aftermath of a particularly bloody dispute among the clans concerning which one had rightful ownership over the entire town. Once the rubble had been cleared, the clan elders determined that all clans have a right to live in Nimbrendabbas, but that none should have exclusive right to it. Thus, the walls were erected, some of them cutting through buildings and across streets, and since then the clans have largely kept to themselves. Each Fifth is thus a self-contained community, having its own inns, markets, businesses, and Shrines of Vengeance.
Ningolf: This village, among the southernmost, is the main settlement of the Llandoloth clan. Though the village itself is home to 660 dark Hin, there are numerous farms and homesteads in the surrounding hills and valleys, which bring the regional population up to almost 1,300. Many of the Llandoloths are farmers - growing vegetables and raising sheep and goats - and are thus fairly self-sufficient. There is little incentive for many of them to venture far from home, and few will be seen elsewhere in the Dark Shire, aside from those living in the Llandoloth Fifth in Nimbrendabbas. At the centre of Ningolf is a Shrine of Vengeance, which is always tended by 15-25 monks.
Pindabbath: This village, the largest of those inhabited by the Shortfellows, stands near the fortress-village of Harrowtower, and indeed is connected to it by a wide road - though this is used rarely now. Almost 1,000 dark Hin live within Pindabbath's earthen walls, and many practice various artisan crafts, such as carpentry and glassblowing, while numerous farms and vinyards produce enough foodstuffs and wine to sustain the entire region, and to keep it in relatively good spirits. As a testament to the ongoing feuding with the Bingleyside clan, Pindabbath is well-guarded, and contains four Shrines of Vengeance - each of which is staffed by 20-30 monks, all of whom have pledged their aid in the defence of the village.
Tostleford: This settlement is little more than a guard tower and loose collection of outbuildings, surrounded by an earthen palisade. It is home to roughly 110 Shortfellows, most of whom are the soldiers who staff this fortress. Unlike its more easterly neighbour, Harrowtower, Tostleford is in good repair - in part owing to the continued threat posed by organised tribes of rock baboons, as well as flocks of griffons. Together with its sister fortress, Tostleford marks the northern frontier of the Dark Shire.
Offshore Points of Interest
There are three islands of reasonable size, which are not too distant from the mainland of the Dark Shire, and are known to its inhabitants. They are described below.
Galass Isle: Galass Isle, so named because the discovery of its natural wealth was pure luck to the Lynnleyfield explorers who discovered it, is located in the midst of a rough section of the Great Ocean. It was first discovered almost 400 years ago by dark Hin explorers in search of new lands, who sailed around the island, and then dropped anchor in one of its natural harbours to take on fresh supplies. The island was indeed found to be bountiful, with many species of plant and animal - some of which could not be found in the Dark Shire. After spending many restful weeks there, the dark Hin headed home, intending the share the news of their discovery. The Lynnleyfield clan elders were eager to take control of the island, once they had heard of it, as the Llandoloths had become very aggressive on the mainland, and had seized several coastal villages near Fleggleton, the largest Lynnleyfield settlement in the area. Many dark Hin from those conquered villages and homesteads wished to leave the mainland far behind them, and thus were eager to set sail for Galass Isle, and settle it. Over 300 would-be settlers left Misty Harbour in search of their new home, and have not been heard from since. In the years that followed, expeditions were mounted to locate the island and the missing colonists, and those who returned admitted that no trace of either was to be found.
Hinrock Isle: Separated from the mainland in some places by only a couple of miles of calm water, Hinrock Isle is home to most of the Lynnleyfield clan. Though the only settlement of significance there is Misty Harbour, there are numerous hamlets and farms dotting the south and east coasts of the island. The southern third of Hinrock Isle is mainly clear pastureland, broken by the occasional forested hill. Towards the north, the land becomes more hilly, and the vegetation thickens. Only a handful of dark Hin live in the north, most of them being woodcutters and hunters. The northern woodlands are largely unexplored, and many strange, dangerous creatures have been spotted in its darker corners.
Leerhar Isle: To most dark Hin, this island exists only in legend. It first appeared on navigational charts roughly 600 years ago, after one adventurous member of the Lynnleyfield clan, seeking new lands for his people to claim, washed up on the shores of Hinrock Isle - alone. He told an amazing tale of encountering a violent storm east of the island, in which many of his crew perished. Those that survived managed to guide their battered ship northwards, out of the storm, and near a strange, hilly island covered with tall grasses and isolated stands of oak. Surprised at their mysterious discovery, they named the place Leerhar Isle (Leerhar being the Lalor word for "mystery"). They pulled into a large bay in the middle of the island, and spent several weeks repairing their vessel and restocking their supplies. The weather was mild, and fruits and nuts were plentiful; though there was no animal life whatsoever to be found there. The greatest mystery of the island, was the presence of dozens of worn granite pillars putting from the highest hills. None of the dark Hin visitors could read the faint glyphs carved into their surfaces, not could they determine who built them, or how long they had been standing. Eager to share their news, the dark Hin sailed for home once their ship had been repaired, though a sudden storm dashed the vessel to pieces not far from Hinrock Isle. Since that time, many Lynnleyfields have sailed eastwards to locate the island, but few have ever returned, and of those who have, none have found Leerhar Isle.
Using the Dark Shire
This article was intended to provide the DM with a means to add a little twist to the way Hin could be portrayed in a campaign. Traditionally, Hin are presented as being wholesome, good-natured people who enjoy the comforts of home. This is certainly fine for most campaigns, but it may tend to produce a rather tranquil setting where large numbers of such Hin are involved - such as the Five Shires. The dark Hin provide one potential solution - introduce a subgroup of Hin who are the very antithesis of everything their stereotypical counterparts stand for. They are nasty, deceitful, conniving little buggers who would certainly not think twice about fighting unfairly, blowing smoke rings in people's faces, or about robbing their opponents blind and leaving them at the side of some isolated road to die. Allowing a few dark Hin to escape into the Five Shires, for example, would be a wonderful way to spice up local events for a little while, and to keep your little players busy. That said, there are a number of ways in which this material could be presented in a campaign:
As a final note on this topic, owing to the small size, geographically, of the Dark Shire, it could be inserted into any campaign world without much difficulty. This may be a benefit to those DMs who would rather not have to bother too much about adventuring between dimensions.
DM Notes - Dark Hin
Since it is more than likely that your players, should they find themselves in the Dark Shire, will do battle with the dark Hin, generic statistics for them have been provided:
Dark Hin
AC: 7 (or 5, see below)
Attacks: 1 bite or 1 weapon
Damage: 1d4 or by weapon
No. Appearing: 3d6 (5d8)
Save As: H1
Morale: 7 or 10 (see below)
Treasure Type: (Q) C
Intelligence: 11
Alignment: Chaotic
XP Value: 10
Dark Hin are the sole sentient inhabitants of the Dark Shire, and may be found anywhere within its borders. They conduct their lives very much like their better-known Mystaran cousins, the halflings - the main difference being their generally foul natures; though they reserve true hatred for their Mystaran counterparts (they must make a morale check at a -4 penalty when meeting one, otherwise they will attack). In combat, dark Hin attack as 1st level fighters (being able to use appropriately-sized weapons, or biting their opponents), receiving a bonus of +1 to hit using missile weapons, and a -2 to AC when fighting larger than man-sized creatures. Additionally, they have a 20% chance of hiding themselves. For every 10 dark Hin there is one leader (who fights as a 3 HD monster) who raises their morale to 10, which is otherwise 7.
Dark Hin Monk
AC: 5 (or 3, see below)
Attacks: 1 bite or 2 punches or 1 kick or power-attack
Damage: 1d4 or 1d4+1/1d4+1 or 1d6 or 1d6+1x4
No. Appearing: 2d4 (3d6)
Save As: H2
Morale: 8 or 11 (see below)
Treasure Type: (Q) C
Intelligence: 12
Alignment: Chaotic
XP Value: 25
Dark Hin monks are those dark Hin who have taken vows to propagate the philosophy of Vengeance, and to train those of their people who would take up arms against the Mystaran Hin. All monks - male or female - shave their heads and dress in shapeless red robes, and are cloistered in the many Shrines of Vengeance which dot the Dark Shire. Much of their time is spent practising the various battle stances, sparring, meditating, and lecturing those dark Hin who visit the Shrines for enlightenment. In battle, they attack as 2nd level fighters, and may bite, punch, or kick their opponents, or they may expend additional energy in a single "power-attack". To do so, the monk must concentrate for one entire round; they cannot evade any blows directed towards them (attackers get a +2 bonus to hit), and if they are hit during that time, they must start over. Having spent the round in concentration, a monk may make a "power-attack" against an opponent. This consists of making a running leap, and assaulting the intended victim with four powerful spinning kicks - each rolled separately. Monks may also attempt to block one unarmed attack against them every round (treat as a Weapon Mastery "deflect" option), or dodge any attack once per round (AC is reduced to 0 against one attack). For every 20 monks, there is one "Vengeful Brother", a grand monk who has 5* Hit Dice and is worth 300 XP, and who raises the monks' morale (normally 8) to 11.
Copyright (c) 2000, Geoff Gander. Used by permission. All rights reserved.


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Real Housewives of New Jersey newbies Jim and Amber Marchese got a taste of reality TV fame, and they loved it. Now they're not about to sit back and wait patiently for Teresa Giudice to get out of prison for a second helping.
In December, Amber insisted waiting for Teresa to film season seven would be "silly," adding, "I think they have an excellent cast, as is, and we can carry on." Later, Jim argued that Teresa wasn't the star of the show. He even pointed out that the most talked about episodes from season six – the trip to Florida – had nothing to do with Teresa.
I think it's safe to assume that no decisions have been made, still, because Jim continues to throw Teresa under the bus. Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree with Jim, but desperate much? Can't he just sit home and count his $8 million?


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THE 5th EPOC[h] / SPECTRUM { EMBODIMENTS } 5 DAYS INTENSIVE WORKSHOP
META MACHINES REGISTRATION firstname.lastname@example.com DOWNLOADS
THE 5th EPOC[h] / SPECTRUM {EMBODIMENTS}
19th-23rd August 2013 / National Park Brijuni / Istria-Croatia
Workshop is Part of The Symposium - proto/e/co/logics003/super-seeding
Workshop is Part of The Symposium - proto/e/co/logics003/super-seeding
The more we explore the architecture of matter, the more we realize the fabric of our reality is ultimately made of information; such information is not a purely abstract entity, it needs a body in order to express itself as such. We do not simply observe reality; our brain builds continuously dynamic models made of spatialized (embodied) information. The process of architecture starts when the embodiment takes place, from the set of relations that define a system, by establishing relations among independent objects (which, in turn, are information systems on a finer scale).
We build such models in our brains first and as tools and models then, causing as a feedback effect the reconfiguration of our brains so they comprehended the world on the same terms as our toolmaking hands interacted with it. So, the topology and morphology of our bodies matter in the way we understand our reality and interact with it, we learn through our body as well as through our brain.
Ray Kurzweil classified evolution 6 epochs, each corresponding to the mechanism of storing information: chemistry, biology, brains, hardware & software are the first four. "The fifth epoch, which we are now initiating, is when the technology creating species (that's us) uses its technology to understand (that is, to reverseengineer) its own biology, including the methods of its brains, and incorporates
the design ideas borrowed from biology into its own technology." (Ray Kurzweil Why Language Is All Thumbs Foreword notes).
The workshop will thrive on the idea of the fifth epoch as an entry point to speculate (through brain patterns mapping done with Emotiv EPOC braincomputer interface and codes written in Processing) on the translation of real time information from brain signals into object oriented spatial individuations (bodies) that then will interact and mutate according to the persona's feedback, other generated bodies and/or a dynamic environment. The real time visual feedback with the coded body influences the brain pattern that feedbacks to the same body modifying its morphology and/or behavior, thus enabling through propagation and feedback an ecology that is not merely analytic, reducible to a bare inputoutput signal sequence, but searches a "loop through", a dialogue through the otherness to (re)define the self. In other words, an emerging empathy: a more vibrant way of relating with bodily, spatial and computational based sensibilities through a fast, dynamic iterative tuning within ever changing conditions.
The aim is to expose the consequences of the established relations both in form of generated bodies' morphology and behavior (embedded information) and information patterns for mapping and communication (coded information) through interactive digital models, stills and videos.
DAY 1 > workshop introduction & lecture 'emerging empathy'' the Emotiv EPOC headset tool Processing morning session EPOC uses in art, music & design examples & case studies Processing afternoon session time to practice.
DAY 2 > Processing morning session lunchbox talk Processing afternoon session time to practice.
DAY 3 > processing morning session lunchbox talk processing afternoon session time to practice.
DAY 4 > all day intensive design (tutored work).
DAY 5 > morning intensive design & material finalization final presentation.
SKILLS, SOFTWARE & HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS > No specific skills required to participants. Any programming language skill is welcome as well as an interest in one or more of these topics: #brain #cognition #intelligence #computation #biohacking #evolution
PROCESSING TOPICS > All topics will be explored with the aid of reference code sketches.
FOUNDATION > recalls of basic programming principles, mathematics and geometry for creative computing.
MODULARITY > introduction to Object Oriented Programming: objects, behaviors, libraries.
CONSTRUCTION OF COMPLEXITY > bottomup logics, iteration, recursion, feedback.
AGENCY & MATTER > programming behaviors, agentbased systems, material dynamics
BODY BUILDING > understanding topology, building geometry, growing by isocondition, diffusion, aggregation.
MAPPING & INFOSTHETICS > inputoutput of data, mapping operations between domains, export as graphic, image, movie, 3D geometry Schedule.
Based on the latest developments in neurotechnology, Emotiv presents a revolutionary personal interface for human computer interaction. Emotiv EPOC is a high resolution, multichannel, wireless neuroheadset. The EPOC uses a set of 14 sensors plus 2 references to tune into electric signals produced by the brain to detect the user's thoughts, feelings and expressions in real time. The Emotiv EPOC headset is already used in many scientific research, art & interaction performances and videogames applications.
Alessio Erioli, Andrea Graziano
Co-de-iT / Computational design Italy a collaboration between
Co-de-iT and MLAUS / proto/e/co/logics


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Friday, March 6, 2009
Have ya voted? Huh? HUH!?
It's the BYUSA president elections this week.
*Dun dun DUUUUUUUNNN!!!* [horrified shriek]
Honestly, I admire people for wanting to get involved and all that jazz, but when you come up to me with your stupid flyer and get all up in my grill and ask me multiple times if I voted, then I'm not going to be a happy camper. There's a reason I'm listening to my iPod! It's to ward off people like you! I prefer to be stuck in my own bubble, thank you very much.
I did not have as bitter a day as that previous paragraph suggests. It's been pretty good. But really, that whole election thing? A little bit ridiculous.
6 comments:
- Kristina P. said...
I hope you have a better weekend!
- March 6, 2009 at 7:06 PM
- Kristina P. said...
I hope you have a better weekend!
- March 6, 2009 at 7:06 PM
- live, laugh, love said...
Haha our elections were last week... and I'd feel the same way except for next year I WILL be that person. Haha this year it was all my friends running, so I have to be supportive :)
- March 6, 2009 at 10:09 PM
- E.m.K. said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- March 7, 2009 at 2:07 AM
- E.m.K. said...
The mistake was that you chose a passive avoidance. If you're going to be listening to your ipod to avoid contact, you at least need to be singing out loud. Otherwise, people will not believe you are truly involved with your tunes, and therefore cannot be interrupted. For me, I made more frequent-than-usual calls as I walked across campus. It's a sure-fire way to avoid the guilt-tripping. I even voted! But I just like getting from point 1 to location B without being interrupted. Sometimes when that happens I totally forget where I was going and end up wandering aimlessly with no motive and direction so sometimes I just go visit my good friends the vending machines which actually make me feel rather icky sometimes so I think
- March 7, 2009 at 2:09 AM
- Whitney Leigh said...
You were SO anti-humans. hahahaha I'm dying.
- September 8, 2015 at 1:00 PM


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NCSL Girls Under 17 (Players born in 2003) Team Tryouts
The FC Dulles Spirit Academy is seeking highly skilled players born in 2003 for our rising U17 Academy travel teams for the 2019-20 season. Tryouts begin the third week of May. Our Academy travel teams are coached by qualified licensed coaches who teach the FC Dulles curriculum. Our curriculum is based on the current US Soccer Player Development Initiatives and the US Youth Soccer Player Development Model and provides a consistent development pathway for our players to improve and reach the next level.
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