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Your Professional Plumbing & Heating Specialists | Shrewsbury MA
Direda Plumbing and Heating is the complete solution for all your plumbing, heating and air conditioning needs. We offer quality workmanship at the most competitive rates in Shrewsbury MA. Whatever the project size, A. Direda will work hard to ensure you get back to living a comfortable lifestyle. We specialize in residential repairs in both new and old homes, and offer a variety of services in areas such as heating and cooling, plumbing, piping, and water tanks.
Contact Us
Click here to Email: email@example.com
Phone: 508-842-9068
Services include and are not limited to:
Water Heaters Repair and Installations
Tankless Water Heaters
Piping (drain, gas, water, ect..)
Heating Systems
Now servicing Auburn, Grafton, Northborough, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Westboro, and Worcester.
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24 Hour Emergency Service
Free Estimates - Click here to schedule an appointment


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'Bernie Baby' Dead: Social Media Sensation Tragically Dies Of SIDS At 4 Months
This is heartbreaking. The baby who captured the hearts of Americans everywhere when he appeared at a Las Vegas rally dressed as Bernie Sanders, tragically died due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in February, his family announced on March 4. He was just shy of 4 months. It's so sad!
America is mourning Oliver Jack Carter Lomas-Davis, affectionately known as the "Bernie Baby," after learning of his sudden death caused by SIDs. Oliver, who's photo went viral after delighting Bernie Sanders, 74, when he showed up to a rally rocking a mop of gray hair, a tie, and black, thick-rimmed glasses, had become a charming representation of the election. Now, at just 4 months old, he's gone — his death has shocked the nation.
"Oliver Jack Carter Lomas-Davis was an adorable infant who brought smiles to not only his family, but to millions online," his online memorial read. "Oliver's mother, aunt and family are mourning the tragic and surprising loss of this incredible baby boy." Oliver, who became an Internet sensation after the photo of him dressed as Bernie went viral, became known as "Bernie Baby," and just like that, the world fell in love with the infant.
The pictures from that Las Vegas rally, show Oliver being held by Bernie while both Bernies — old and young — smile at each other. It's seriously adorable! Bernie has been notified of Oliver's death and spokesman Michael Briggs has said that the campaign will release a statement soon. "It's very sad," Michael said. Sad is an understatement!
#berniebaby Please come share w/us the short, beautiful life of Oliver who will be greatly missed but not forgotten pic.twitter.com/P0eGITdwzz
— Susan Lomas (@SusieLomas) March 3, 2016
Oliver's aunt, Anastasia Lomas, told The Associated Press her nephew was "happy, joyful, and full of love, and he shared that with everyone he came into contact with. He was extremely healthy and was tragically taken too early by SIDS." Our hearts are breaking.
And now the Lomas-Davis family is mourning his death along with the rest of the country. "Please come share w/us the short, beautiful life of Oliver who will be greatly missed but not forgotten," his mother, Susan Lomas, posted on Twitter. A wake is scheduled for Monday. And the child will be buried Tuesday. The devastated family is also currently raising money to help cover burial expenses and counseling.
Our thoughts are with the Lomas-Davis family during this extremely difficult time.

subset: commoncrawl


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Arrow in the Head news has grabbed a couple of new stills from the upcoming remake 'Sorority Row'. The movie featuring an impressive and sexy hottie list including Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung and Audrina Patridge (ex-star of MTV's 'The Hills') but maybe better known for those Playboy test photos of the star topless and nude. Go on then, go and Google it you seedy little man!
You can check out the two new stills below.
The first shows Briana Evigan (playing Cassidy) attempting to escape from death and the second shows Evigan again (can't complain!) mooching about with her damn fine and sexy sorority sisters.
"Sexy college juniors CASSIDY (Evigan), JESSICA (Leah Pipes), CLAIRE (Jamie Chung), ELLIE (Rumer Willis) and MEGAN (Audrina Patridge) are sorority sisters sworn to trust, secrecy and solidarity, no matter what. But their loyalty is tested when a prank at a raucous house party goes terribly wrong and Megan ends up brutally murdered. Rather than confess to the crime and risk destroying their bright futures, the girls agree to hide the bloody corpse and keep their secret forever. Fast forward one year to graduation.
As they prepare to say goodbye to the house and each other, the girls plan one last alcohol-fueled bash on Sorority Row, confident their dark secret remains buried. But does it? As the party rages in the front yard, the bedrooms and the hot tub, the girls receive cell phone videos taken the night of Megan's murder from an anonymous sender who threatens to forward the videos to the police. Then, one by one, the sisters and their unsuspecting boyfriends are stalked by an unseen killer. Has Megan returned from the dead to exact her revenge? Or was their secret discovered by someone else - someone now determined to make them pay?"
'Sorority Row' arrives in US theatres on 2 October.


text: For all the Le Creuset fans out there, today we're going to make your day with two competitions in which you can win Le Creuset goodies. In the first competition, you stand a chance of winning R1,000s worth of Le Creuset jars. Le Creuset is bringing home-made style to your table or picnic blanket. The new range of stoneware preserve jars turns tea with friends or a simple breakfast into a patissier's dream. Each jar is available in the signature Le Creuset colours, adding a touch of style to the table.


text: I was digging through the Twisted IMAP code tonight and I noticed something puzzling... PLAINAuthenticator.challengeResponse() uses the following statement to send auth credentials to the server return '%s\0%s\0' % (self.user, secret) which would give auth credentials of the form: authid<NUL>password<NUL> (where <NUL> is the NUL character) However, both RFC2595 and RFC4616 (both define the PLAIN SASL mechanism), say that credentials should be passed this way: [authzid]<NUL>authnid<NUL>password (where <NUL> is the NUL character and [authzid] is optional) Now even if one was to leave the authzid out of the equation, you would end up with something like this: <NUL>authnid<NUL>password and the version Twisted's IMAP code uses appears to be invalid. Am I crazy? Am I missing something? Is it just way too late and I should put the RFCs down and back away slowly? Kevin Horn -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://twistedmatrix.com/pipermail/twisted-python/attachments/20090729/881af7b5/attachment.htm


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� E.R. Anders
All Rights Reserved
"Glad you could make it, Son!"
"Yeah, me too, Dad". Brian was genuinely happy to see his father. He felt the time since their last visit almost as a physical weight. He also felt guilty for allowing the weight to grow so heavy. The "Old Man" looked good; tanned face, bright smile. His handshake was strong belying his age. His dad wore a long billed fishing cap. Over a plaid shirt he wore a khaki fishing vest with lots of pockets. He picked up his tackle box, fishing rod and reel and began walking down the path that led from the cabin to a wood plank pier that jutted out into the lake. Brian followed.
With a picnic basket and Envirofoam cooler already loaded, the two men clambered aboard the small electric powered boat tied to the pier. Brian's dad did the steering as they eased out into the lake. A briar pipe clinched tight in his teeth, the sheer joy of being out on the water radiated from the older man's face. Brian marveled. How did they do that, he wondered?
"What are you smoking, Dad?"
"Captain Kidd, Rough Cut." Brian's dad replied grinning.
The two men fished for several long minutes without catching anything but silence. The only noticeable sounds were those associated with the rhythms of their casting, reeling and casting again, accompanied by the low hum of insects and the sudden caw of a lake bird.
"What's the matter son? You look like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders?"
Brian was waiting for that question. His dad always knew when something wasn't right.
"Nothing much." Brian began. The usual bluff, then the words started to come out slowly. He talked about the job. He cast around the problem first, dragging the bait low, waited for the tap that would mean a bite. "The problem, Dad, is that I'm good at what I do. Damn good. But, I don't know for sure what that means anymore." He paused, backing up in his mind. "There was a time when everything was a challenge. I would jack-in and go like a shark, moving fast and sure. Sometimes there would be difficulties, mostly bureaucratic stuff, but I could get by it all. No real problems, I had the pump or my client could get it. Still, the challenge was there, gliding on down, adjusting to the information differentials, remembering them off the top of my head or dropping off a marker for later retrieval." Brian looked up from where he was watching his line go into the water. He glanced at his father to see if the discussion was getting too technical. His dad nodded for Brian to continue. "It's hard to explain, Dad. I really believed in what I was doing, once. Information was everything. It was power and glory and all that gnosh they teach you in school. Like, what we were doing helped people. Helped decision-makers solve problems and make things better for everyone. But..."
"But what?"
"Dad, it all seems the same, now." Brian pulled hard to reel the feel of it in. "I mean, it doesn't seem to make a difference, anymore. I can't tell the difference from one collect to another. Even the data all seems to be the same; just more of it, whole universes of numbers, sounds, pictures and what all." He paused and tried to gauge the effect of the words he was using. "It just doesn't mean a thing anymore." Brian stopped. After netting the words he wanted to use, he was disappointed with the catch. They seem too small to keep.
Brian's Dad said nothing for a moment.
"Funny. We used to say that in Korea."
"It don't mean a thing." The older man set his fishing rod down. He took the pipe from his mouth. Slowly and deliberately he tapped the tobacco out and tucked the pipe into one of the many pockets in his vest. "It was a leftover from another war. 'It don't mean a thing' was what we said when things sorta just happened or didn't happen the way we wanted."
"So what then? What did you do?"
"Well, we all did something different. Some of us got very, very, good at what we were doing at the time, like patrolling or calling in artillery or shields." He looked at his son steadily. "I think in some cases too good to be altogether healthy." He continued, without explaining. "Some got into mind-benders; others simply got careless and dead."
"What about you, then."
"I found your mom or rather, she found me. She saved my life, really." Brian knew the story. G. I. on leave in Tokyo meets girl from home. They fall in love and marry. The rest was history.
"I've got a girl." Brian said suddenly.
"Do you love her." Brian's Dad asked, voice low and even.
"I don't know. I guess you could say we're sort of used to each other"
"Well, that's something." The older man relaxed, retrieved two beers from the Styrofoam cooler and offered his son one. "You'll be all right". He said.
Brian took the beer. He felt the cool wetness of the can in his hand. He popped the top. The sound was reassuringly familiar. He suddenly felt relieved, like a switch inside of him had been activated. They started catching fish.
"Yes, thank you." The doctor's office was clinically white, utilitarian and efficiently cool. "I 'd like to see him, Ah you know?"
"I understand." Dr. Chu spun half around in his chair to a computer terminal and touched the screen. He'd anticipated the request. "It's a good time. Your father's scheduled for a physical therapy session right about now. Ill gladly take you to him."
The amphitheater on Level 5 was cavernous. Capsule or "Cans" as the staff called them, lined the circular enclosure, stacked five high. They'd brought his dad's capsule down to the main floor where the physical therapists were already working with several other residents. The residents, trailing coaxial, still wore data-bands around their heads like silver bandannas. Brian watched closely as they worked with his dad, moving the old man's limbs slowly, carefully and rubbing his skin.
"Some Resident Homes use robotic therapist. But, here, we still believe the touch of the human hand is important." Dr. Chu intoned, softly, almost reverently as he stood next to Brian. The amphitheater floor was separated from viewing by family members by floor to ceiling, see-through plastic windows.
"He looks so small."
Dr. Chu nodded in understand. Family members always said during after a "visit". Chu shifted uneasily on his feet. He wished he could think of something soothing to say. But, there was only just so much that modern day cyber-gerontology could do. "I assure you, he is receiving the very best care." Immediately, Dr. Chu hated himself for saying that. It always sounded so clinical and cold, no matter how softly he spoke the words.
"Thank you Doctor." Brian answered.
Dr. Chu left the young man then, to his own thoughts.
Brian touched his fingers to the window as Dr. Chu's footsteps echoed away. Brian Knew his dad was fine. They'd planned all the details of "The Cabin" cyber-habitat for a long time. The shell of the virtual environment was chosen from one of the best on-line catalogs on the Net. They'd spent hours, together, customizing everything from the three dimensional terrain to the cabin's furnishings.
And, his father could always leave. That was no problem. Brian had plenty of room in his apartment in the Valley. But, they both knew what "leaving" would mean for the old man. He was too old and frail to walk without assistance. There would be no fishing or hiking around a mountain lake. His life in actual reality would be that of a helpless invalid.
A strange, bitter-sweet sadness came over Brian as he watched the white clad figures through the glass. A sudden truth expanded in his mind. He smiled to himself in realization. His father's virtual life held more joys and attractions than anything in his, Brian's, own and very real existence. Turning away at last, for a long moment, he envied the old man.
The End.


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Warcraft & Dota Customkeys Overview:
Warcraft 3 Hotkeys
|QWER HotkeysBest
|YXCV Hotkeys
Dota Hotkeys
|QWER for DotaBest
|Config.Dota file (QWER)
|Dota Hotkey Tools:
|RGC WarkeysBest
|Dota Hotkeys (Inventory Hotkeys)
|Wc3isk2 (Inventory Hotkeys)
|Dota Allstars Editor (for config.Dota)
|AucT Hotkeys Tool (Multi Key Bind)
|Other Web Tools:
|DR Jones Customkeys Generator
|Dota Customkey Web App
Warcraft 3 and Dota Hotkeys
To play Warcraft 3 and Dota on a high level, it is necessary to setup good Customkeys that fit your individual playstyle and your hardware peripherals (Gaming Mouse with special keys, Gaming Keyboards).
You can create awesome Warcraft 3 Hotkeys in many different Ways!
I played a lot of Warcraft 3 and Dota so i can tell you I tested them all. 😉
Its up to you how you want to create your own Warcraft 3 Hotkeys, I defintely recommend to use the QWER Hotkeys for Dota and Warcraft3.
What are Custom Hotkeys for Warcraft 3 and Dota?
Custom Hotkeys allow you to bind spells and actions onto the hotkeys on your keyboard that fit perfectly to your personal needs. The basic default Warcraft 3 and Dota Hotkeys are very mixed and randomly spread over the whole keyboard!
By grouping these hotkeys to a minimum of selected keys, gamers are able to maximize the effectivity inside the game! If you know every key for every command blindly, you will be faster and better! Dota and Warcraft 3 are about APM, APM stands for 'Actions per Minute', with the perfect custom hotkeys the apm will increase!
Warcraft 3 Customkeys Selection
That's it! Choose the best Warcraft 3 Hotkeys – it's up to you!
If you do it right you can massively optimize your in-game skill by setting nearly everything on Keys! Some of my friends use like 10 Keys JUST ON THEIR MOUSE! 😀 That's a matter of taste maybe.
Choose the best Hotkey Tool & Customkeys.txt now and have fun playing! 😉


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The Only One Of Its Kind: 60ft Wellington Bomber Aircraft Mural
A 60ft Mural, outside the Wellington Pub in Norfolk, has been dedicated to theWellington Bomber aircraft and crews of 75 New Zealand...
A 60ft Mural, outside the Wellington Pub in Norfolk, has been dedicated to the Wellington Bomber aircraft and crews of 75 New Zealand Squadron who flew from RAF Feltwell in WWII.
It is believed to be the only one of its kind in the UK.
Work began on the mural project back in June and has finally been unveiled today.
The pub, who organised the mural project, is dedicated to all the crews who flew the Wellington Bombers, who operated from the station, and to all those who supported them on the ground in WWII.
They already have a collection of aviation artifacts that are displayed in the pub and a series of full-colour paintings depicting various scenes from World War 2.
It is hoped that the mural will become part of the areas heritage trail as there is so much to see.
Part of the mural is dedicated to James Ward VC of 75 NZ Squadron who climbed onto the wing of his Vickers Wellington bomber to extinguish a fire.
The 22-year-old sergeant pilot met Winston Churchill shortly after his famous endeavor.
Unfortunately, James Ward was killed in action two months later on 15 September 1941, when his Wellington bomber was hit by flak over Hamburg.


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The SpaceX CRS-1 Mission launched from Cape Canaveral on Sunday, October 7 at 7:35 PM CDT. A Falcon 9 rocket carried the Dragon spacecraft into orbit, where it docked with the ISS and stayed for a few weeks before returning to Earth. However, not all went well during the rocket's ascent through the atmosphere.
Monthly Archives: October 2012
Early Results Using GNU Radio
Using GNU Radio with a custom receiving antenna may take longer to implement, but the end result can be closely tailored to the project's needs while minimizing costs. Cheap hardware combined with free software ensures that the final cost of a ground station will be well below the high-end estimate of $1100. But can this low-cost approach achieve the fidelity and performance required to filter hundreds of Sprite signals sent from space, each powered solely by solar panels no wider than a fingernail?
Sprite Ground Station Options
DIY ground stations for receiving satellite signals can be as cheap as $20-$30 or as expensive as $1500, and in this case more expensive is not necessarily better. Sprites are small, powered only by a solar panel, and many of them will be sending signals from orbit at once. Making sure that all of them can communicate with the ground successfully requires carefully selected software and equipment, along with some smart radio tricks.


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Letterkenny makes shortlist for coveted tourism award
Fáilte Ireland has confirmed that Letterkenny has made the shortlist of ten top towns from across the country selected for their 2013 Tourism Towns award. The shortlist was announced at the National Tidy Towns Awards in The Helix, Dublin. Ireland's Top Tourism Town in 2013 will now be selected from this shortlist and announced this November.
The ten commended towns will now be visited in the autumn by external assessors who will meet with town representatives to further explore and evaluate the town's commitment to tourism.
Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring emphasised the important premise behind the Award scheme.
He said: "This award is all about recognising Irish towns and villages which are working hard to make Ireland even more attractive for tourists. This important work brings benefits to local communities and local economies across Ireland. The scheme is now in its second year and is going from strength to strength."


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September 21 2017 Info Session
We're holding an info session in preparation for our upcoming October 25th Dinner Pitch Event.
We invite companies looking for investment to come and meet some of the Open Angel team, hear about our dinner pitch events, and ask questions about what investors want to see. We're happy to answer questions about your company directly.
Investors and other community members are also welcome to attend.
Please fill out the form below to let us know you're interested in attending.
Thursday September 21, 2 - 4 pm
VentureLabs, 555 W Hastings, 12th floor Harbour Centre
Our Office
Venture Labs, 12th floor, Harbour Centre
555 W Hastings Street


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Moderators: BestOfBreed, dungeonjoe
19TERRIER19 wrote:No offense. Samford is going to get this work. They don't stop the run. Wofford controls the clock and continues to play top 10 level defense. Wofford establishes itself this week. Get accustomed family. I told you all off season what was coming. Wofford is back
mudrat43 wrote:OK, boys and girls, lets look at this body of work so far. We've played two bottom feeders and Ole Miss. so far. The better gauge is how we dealt with Ole Miss. They played very well in a no win situation. If Ole Miss. comes at us like they did against FSU, who knows what the outcome would have been. Against ETSU I predicted a score of 31-10, thinking ETSU would at least get a few points at the end, our defense had something to say about that. Chatty hammered Sammy 41-21 with a balanced attacking offense. Could have been worse. I'll say again, no problem with Sammy in this one too.......we double them up......24-12. Matters not who the QB is at this point......pretty equal, and we ain't throwin' it anyway!
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


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Argentine Tango FIESTA DE QUINCE
Saturday 27th October 2012
Location: Sala Grande, 1st floor
"…Tango is a way of living, feeling and conceiving passionately existence and the world".
Looking for a beautiful and different evening out? Join us for a gorgeous evening of tango at the Fiesta de Quince on Saturday 27th October 2012, a fabulous and elegant celebration of Argentine Tango.
Experience the depth, desire and intensity of Argentine Tango at the unique gem in Mdina, Palazzo de Piro. Doors open from 7.30pm onwards. The Tango will start warming up at 8.30pm. Deborah Harrison and Laura Best will enthrall the guests with their jazzy voices for a half an hour programme at 9.30pm.
Tango dancing and music will take us until 1am. Dance, chillout in various rooms in Palazzo de Piro or watch the dancers. Enjoy the golden age music from the 1930s onwards.
Entrance including a glass of sparkling wine: €10
Play the part! Women glam up with elegant wear and crystals and sparkle on the night. Men, think 3 piece suit and don those hats.
Argentine Tango was proudly introduced to Malta by Maestro Eric Jørissen and Isla del Tango in 1997. The Maestro will be in attendance.
Kindly sponsored by Verve Boutique Naxxar & Perfect Look Beauty Salon Mellieħa with Organic Systems.
Photographic credit: Elaine Bugeja


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You are here: Event Management » Exhibition Entertainment & Attractions » Exhibition Entertainment » Digital Mannequin
Digital Mannequin
Our Virtual Mannequin is a projected display system that is able to possess the form of either an actual person or of a character; you are able to decide how the mannequin looks. The mannequin is projected on to a custom made Acrylic cut out and contains unique Content, such as what you desire the mannequin to say. This ensures that there is always a message being delivered to your audience, which also attracts attention from passers-by and the targeted audience in mind is drawn in creating potential clients. These Virtual Mannequins enhance the experience for the customer and shoppers and creates a unique selling point that your competitors will not have giving your exhibition stand the edge.
If you are looking to have a unique factor at your stand our Virtual Mannequins are the perfect interactive product to inform potential customers, visitors and guests, whether promoting a special offer, promotion or you are using them as entertainment at a special event.
The video content and acrylic cut out can be of whatever you desire whether that be your own company MD or a Staff Member, a hired model or even a cartoon character, the choice of the entity is in your hands. With Pro AV Media Content Management we have the capability to offer you our Interactive Virtual mannequins which are able to perform separate content to other screens using bespoke interface software & programming units.
Why not take a look at our other Exhibition entertainment. Our exhibition entertainement Pinterest tab offers a wide variety of attractions at your event and is all available for hire in London and around the UK. If you are looking for other entertainment then our Pinterest Page is perfect for you. Our Pinterest tab offers a wide variety of entertainment and is available in London and around the UK.
Follow Julia Charles Event Management's board Exhibition Entertainment, Attractions and More... on Pinterest. Follow Julia Charles Event Management's board Entertainment on Pinterest.


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Main menu:
Exclusive Products
At The Way of The Witch, our primary goal is to ensure that everyone has access to the healing products and tools they need.
If you would like to make any of our hand-
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Be sure to check out the list of ingredients located on each product page for a detailed description of all the components and their benefits!
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The products on this site represent some of our most highly sought after formulas. Used in both my personal and professional practice, they are created with the highest degree of care to help the user achieve ultimate balance and optimal health.
Love, Balance, Heal


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Dear bloggers,
My apologies for not blogging sooner this week, my sciatica has taken to a new level of pain and the drugs have left me feeling like a grogger… that's prescription drugs for the pains and not recreational just incase you were wondering!
Now I am feeling perkier, probably thanks in part due to my online shopping order which arrived this morning – always puts a smile on my face! So I thought I should blog about some other things which make me happy and wanted to start with clothing, materialistic yes I know but two of my favourite things clothing-wise are my maxi skirts and my Converse trainers. They are so easy to throw on, comfortable and an easy quick style for a chilled weekend.
I'm not into pulling off the done up look, heels, immaculate tailoring and so on, I much prefer to wear a comfortable style, however now and again I will do the whole "done up" thing but mainly for parties and special occasions which my feet normally make me pay for in blisters afterwards!
I've trawled the web and found my favourite examples of other bloggers styling out the maxi skirt and Converse look – hope you enjoy 🙂
And credit and thanks to the bloggers and their photos.


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16 Wishes Bracelets by Jac Vanek
Debby Ryan got together with designer Jac Vanek to design a few LIMITED EDITION bracelets for 16 Wishes. Follow contests here, on Facebook, and @16Wishes on Twitter to get the latest on how to win these awesome pieces!
Want a bracelet now? Go to the Jac Vanek store to get your own!
Oh god! I want one of those bracelets!
I totally want one of those bracelets! That would be so amazing (:
o those look awsome, i want one please
OMG i want one : )
I would love to have the bracelet too
I would love one.
That bracelet is so pretty!!! its like A- MAZ- ING!!!!!! ♥☺
OMG! i want one so bad! i hope they don't run out! it looks super cool and i would always wear it!
OH MY GOD! i loveeeee Debby Ryan! She is so amazing and talented, and GORGEOUS!! I love Suite life on deck! i'm her biggest fan! that bracelet is soo cool i would LOVE to win ittttt!! pleaseee??
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Charter Solutions is very attentive to the needs of our clients and our consultants. We believe in the personal touch and make every effort to ensure that all expectations are clearly defined and visible, clear communication channels are in place, and that our project team has the resources needed to be successful.
As a client of Charter Solutions, you can expect to have direct access to our senior leadership team at all times. Whether you would just like to check-in, discuss a project issue, or explore alternative ideas or approaches, you can be assured that we will be there for you.
As a consultant for Charter Solutions, you can expect complete support from the entire team. From regular check-ins by our management and account executives to access to our full consultant knowledge base, we make sure you have the insight and support needed to deliver the best possible outcome to our clients.


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Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band's album Against The Wind turns 38 today (February 25), and it has the distinction of being the only album in Seger's catalog to hit the number one spot on the Billboard 200 album charts.
Of course, Seger isn't alone in this regard. Here are a few other albums that stand as the only number one album from an artist.
Bob Seger, 'Against The Wind'
Seger's 11th studio release stands as his only number one album and has sold over 5 million copies in the U.S. The album also features guest backing vocals from Eagles' Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit.
Bob Seger, "Against The Wind" - Final Show at The Palace 09/23/17
Bob Seger plays one of the last songs ever heard at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
David Bowie, 'Blackstar'
Release just two days prior to his shocking death, Blackstar is the only album from David Bowie to ever hit number one on the Billboard 200. There's going out on top, and then there's this incredible moment.
David Bowie - Blackstar
"'Blackstar" off David Bowie's album Blackstar available now on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/blackstar_itunes Amazon: http://smarturl.it/blackstar_amazon Spotify: http://smarturl.it/blackstar_spotify Vinyl: http://smarturl.it/blackstar_vinyl LimitedEdition Lithograph & Music Bundles: http://smarturl.it/blackstar_dbstore Limited Edition Clear Vinyl: http://smarturl.it/blackstar_clearvinyl Follow David Bowie: http://davidbowie.com http://facebook.com/davidbowie http://twitter.com/davidbowiereal http://instagram/davidbowie Subscribe here: https://goo.gl/vwp7PR
James Taylor, 'Before This World'
If anyone deserves to number one, it legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor, who after 47 years and 16 studio albums finally topped the Billboard 200 in June 2015 with Before This World.
Today Today Today
"Today Today Today", the first single from James Taylor's Before This World, coming June 16, 2015. #B4ThisWorld Pre-order now: http://smarturl.it/BeforeThisWorldD2C
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, 'Hypnotic Eye'
After 38 years, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers finally got their first number one album with July 2014's Hypnotic Eye.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: U Get Me High [Official Audio]
"U Get Me High" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from the album 'Hypnotic Eye' CONNECT Facebook: www.facebook.com/tompetty/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/tompetty Instagram: www.instagram.com/tompettyofficial/ Website: www.tompetty.com
Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock blogger who once did a presentation in a college public speaking course about why The Rolling Stones were better than The Beatles. (She received an A.)


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Sean and I are standing on the edge of a precipice. And we have three options: we can step back and walk away; we can jump and crash and burn; or we can jump and hope and maybe–just maybe–take flight.
What I am referring to, of course, is the very complicated decision to try to have a family. Or to not.
Our situation is common among young couples; our circumstances and actual options are not at all common. Our decision has to be carefully determined and planned. It could never just happen accidentally or on a whim. Whatever we decide will be fraught with heartache. And we are OK with all of that.
Let me explain why.
Let me also say at this point that if you choose to read further–and especially if you are new!–there are things you will learn about me that you can't unlearn. There is a strong possibility you will see me in a different way. I am me in my most open form here. This may not be what you are used to depending on the way in which you interact with me. I am a rather protected person and I rock a good poker face (probably except, oddly, during actual poker). And this is mostly because this is where I feel most confident and comfortable expressing myself; not because I can hide behind a computer screen. I just write better than I talk. The shit I write here is never anything I can stuff away nor walk away from; I live it every day.
I also swear a lot. Like, a lot.
So if you're easily offended then now's the time to stop reading.
No, really, you can stop.
Are you sure?
This might be a psychology experiment.
Can't put it down, huh?
Okay, you're committed…
I also want to express that what I believe and feel and what Sean believes and feels are not at all viewpoints towards how others live their lives. These are decisions and viewpoints we have made for ourselves for a variety of reasons, some I can explain and some I cannot. So if you find yourself getting to a point where you're thinking, "Ugh, so close minded" or "but my situation…" then, well, you're reading for the wrong reasons. All I can tell you is my story, our story. Take it with a grain of salt. I have yet to find the manual on life or the manual on cancer (can I borrow your copy? What?! You didn't get one either?! Shiiiit). Life seems to be more like a Choose Your Own Adventure story. We're all just wingin' it.
To catch you up on a long story: I had breast cancer in 2012. Surgery, surgery, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation treatment, "adjuvant therapy" (fucking Doctor terminology: this means drugs, meds, scrips, and probably BS and feeling shitty for an unknown outcome). As a science nerd, I have quickly learned that Doctors haven't got it figured out–and, yeah, it's not fair for us to think they do but when you get sick with something shitty like cancer, you just want all questions answered and the path to be clear and obvious (do I really need to think about decisions and weigh them all? Life. I just choose that so do what you need to for that to stay happening). So they don't exactly know what to do with me. Maybe I was cancer-free with surgery. But they weren't sure. So I had all that additional stuff, chemo and radiation and the drugs. It all sucked. And every day I got to think about death. And guess what? Even though it's all pretty much over and it started 3 years ago, I still get to think about death every day! It's "gone" but since it's cancer it can always come "back," (or it's currently cold chillin' in my body waiting for the right environment to start up again. Like the shittiest house guest you can imagine!). So, yeah, there's that.
And I'm OK with all of that. I know it sounds like I'm not but I'm as OK with it as possible! The thing that really crushes me is my Doctors' responses. Some of them are cool but a whole lot of them are quite the negative nancies! Shit, dude, I have/had CANCER, tell me something good for once. They are very doom and gloom. Do NOT get your hopes up. Sometimes I think they need smile therapy. Or new jobs. And this is where I am going to be really specific: they are rather AGAINST any possibility of Sean and I having a baby (the kind of baby that involves me getting pregnant).
Woah, Serena, did we just go there?
Yeah, we did and there's more.
Seat belts on, team.
I think you need to know something important. I am a biologist. That means that I know–believe? whatever, leave your opinions at the door–that the majority of living things need three things for their species to continue: food, shelter and progeny (that means babies, you don't have to google it). Ah, ruminate on that.
For me, that means I want to have kids. And even that desire in me is complicated. I never imagined I would have to decide at this age (I will be 32 in a few days); I really thought, naively, that I would have time to think about it and one day, poof! I would just get pregnant when I felt the mommy urge. HA! I always thought I would have kids. It was just a given, something I didn't think too deeply on. I'm good with kids. I have been baby-sitting since I was 11, teaching since I was 21. Yeah, I get burnt out on kids sometimes, especially when I see kids being shitty. But I know on some level I'd like to give it a whirl. I don't have the undeniable urgent need now but I know I don't want to not have the option to have kids (negatives can kind of cancel each other out there); I don't want to miss my opportunity.
And I definitely don't want anyone telling me no! OH HELL NO! You tell me no? I want it more. Like when I was a freshman in college and this great professor said to the class, "well, if you are having a hard time with chemistry or physics, you might want to reconsider being a marine biology major." Um, excuse me? I hate chemistry and physics but I ain't leaving. And by the way, even though I have to take those sucky classes, I'm here for marine BIOLOGY. Fuck you. I'll take a C here and there to get through those shitty necessary classes. And then I will take my fucking degree in marine biology, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Clown. Great teacher. He might have even taught me reverse psychology there. But I really think he just wanted to slim down the competitive major and field so all the hard core marine science nerds could find jobs later! (It didn't work).
So when I told the doctors, after all the shitty treatments and such, what does this mean about having kids? They said, wellllllllll……. You should wait. You shouldn't have kids. It might not happen. You might not get your cycle back (I did, step one). And then the crusher…
Well, you don't want to make your husband a single dad raising a kid by himself. You want to be around for that child.
FUUUUUUUCK YOUUUUUU!!!!!! (Ah the cursing, I know, I know).
I have been told that by 2 doctors, one recently. I want to fucking scream at them (I don't, I'm usually blind sided and stunned. I curse up a storm in my head later). Worst fucking thing you can say to me; worst load of crap you could pull on me!
Back to that science thing, for a moment, about all living things needing 3 things to continue existing. I am not going to live forever, why can't I want to create the next generation to, biologically, pass on genetics? Yeah, Sean and I are not the only creators of the next generation but why when I ask about this part do my [scientifically-minded, biology-based] doctors look at me like this is a novel and wild idea?! It's not the sole reason to have a kid and it's not even the strongest reason to have a kid but for crap SAKES! BE A SCIENTIST for 5 seconds and understand where I am coming from. Yeah, I've thought about it: if I died and left a kid behind that would SUCK but it would be the greatest thing I could do with my life. And I married my husband because I know without a doubt he would be a great father.
Also, I could walk out of the office and get hit by a bus and NOT DIE FROM CANCER. Stop being doom and gloom! You told me my cancer was gone! But now when I want to move on from it, they're all well, um, yeah, well, death, no, maybe, um, no, death. I can't fucking win with them.
Most importantly, IT'S OUR DECISION! Thank you for informing me, but ultimately Sean and I will decide to try to have a kid or not. Doom and gloom won't work on me. I've heard it enough these last few years. Research is limited and they just don't know what will happen to me with the cancer coming back or not. No one knows so why can't we err on the side of me living my life? I can do it cautiously to a point but if you crush my hopes and dreams then you are not the right doctor for me.
I've gotten my rant and the gist of it out and now I can tell you the reality of where we are at.
I've been going to a fertility specialist. Wait wait wait. It's not what you think.
You're thinking shots and all that.
Thankfully, I can't do that. Taking hormone shots would be like giving an addict free drugs: my cancer type loves that shit! It could "flare up" (I thought that sounded nice and manageable; it sounds better than "return as a giant hostile tumor in any body organ or all of them"). Yeah, shots are never a possibility. And I say thankful because… that's just not for us. If we can have a kid, I'd like to just conceive naturally or not at all. I know it's rough for you to imagine that I can be so all or nothing about it but I am and we are. I just don't want to force something that isn't meant to be. It would be too hard and stressful. I've had enough of that these last few years. Conceiving a baby needs to something that is fun and easy and if it happens, great; if not, it's OK. I'm OK with that.
So, in review, our options: 1) walk away; 2) try to conceive and fail; 3) try to conceive and succeed.
I think I can be OK with two of those.
And if you know me at all, it is NOT to walk away!
We've done some testing with the specialist. I have the egg supply of a 41 year old: not great but not impossible. We'll face countless challenges and heartache going forward but we are prepared for that. Sean and I have a plan that we will discuss with the doctors in the coming weeks and we will see where it takes us. It's not radical; it's responsible; it might run the course of many years. And it's very us in many ways; in a few ways, it goes against our nature but it a wonderful way that we are learning more about ourselves and what we can handle.
But the most important thing is we have each other. And we'll figure it out. We have made peace with our options and potential decisions and outcomes (even if we can't prepare for all of them) and we are ready to move on and move forward. As we learn more, things will inevitably change. Like, maybe, better doctors that can be more open-minded. And maybe a few other hiccups on the way. We had this shitty thing happen to us; but that's ok, let's move forward.
All I know for sure is: you don't tell me not to try; you don't tell me not to dream big, even if it's too big; you don't knock me down and expect me to stay there. I am happy to be humbled–and Lord knows I have been these last few years–but I don't give up!


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Posted on August 6, 2017
That's Forked Up. Too Spoon?
One of my favorite kitchen utensils is the wooden spoon. Why? I don't know. It was always a form of punishment growing up so I should want to have all of them banished from the kitchen, but they are too damn useful.
They also make great gifts like dish towels. "Oh man, I hate new clean towels," said no one ever.
But a wooden spoon alone may seem a bit dull, so why not pass on words of love, encouragement or advice. Everyone loves hearing your opinion, I promise.
I met my lady friends out for a crafterday breakfast. As the server brought us beautifully made coffees and eyed us for being weirdos with wooden spoons and pencils, we drew away.
Woodburned spoons
Wooden spoon
White eraser
Wood burner
Take the time to draw out your design with a pencil So you aren't running out of space to fit that last letter with the wood burner. Getting a spoon that says "caution ho" instead of "caution hot" may be awkward.
Wrap them with some yarn and a hand-knit dish towel and you are good to go!


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This past year has been a bit crazy and sadly I didnt get to stay up to date with this blog, My goal this year is to post deals and freebies I find and attempt to post all my shopping but with a new baby due with in the next few weeks how much of my shopping I will be able to post is something I am unsure of but I will be keeping track of my savings and spending and my goal is 1200 again this year and with my stockpile as it is and the baby food and formula stockpile growing and the diaper stock pile complete I should be able to keep it close to the 1200.00 mark!
Happy New Years Eve Everyone and Welcome 2010!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here


text:
review, Review of Coping With Madness (self published, 2009, www.lulu.com, single-spaced, 84 pages) by Philip Fletcher of unknown location
by Barbara Bialick
Coping With Madness is a blog-like set of streams of consciousness from the 1990s when the author was lonely and sex-starved and in his 50s. I think there's lots of people who could relate to that, but don't look for high art or poetry. Even saying that, I'll throw in some quotes that have an interesting twang such as: (from Seemingly Nothing, Bloke on the Dole aged 48)—"Another night's soulless sleep and one more barren day to come. I live in a social vacuum…I sit on my favourite park bench in the early morning light, watching my dog relieve himself…an overweight middle-aged woman comes shuffling towards me, led by a squat Scottie dog…the hopeless case stares straight ahead, telling someone off who only she can see. Even the birds are in a bad mood, scrapping in the trees…I might as well go home and back to bed for a few hours." There are many other lonely, moody, sardonic entries but they are often too obscene to recount here…
Many of his fellow writers could, however, relate to "Dear BLOODAXE BOOKS":
"I'm nearly 51 years old, I've been visually handicapped all my life and now I have Arthritis…I don't know what I'll do if you turn me down, I've set my heart on being published by you, I like your name and you're not as far away as London…I'll probably get clinically depressed again. Yours, etc. (How could they have refused me after a letter like that? I ask you?)"
An enty at the end from 2007, sums up his book, "Aged 60, I'm now concentrating on my personal paradise. My version of the afterlife might differ greatly from yours. It'll be me, aged 23, and a whole harem of beautiful women Living miles apart in an idyllic green and lush setting, letting me Play Lord and Master whenever I deigned to pay them a visit…And that's it, please let that be it; if I ever get the urge to write again you can shoot me and speed me on my way to my happy ever after, where the sounds of sex and laughter are all I'll hear."
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Review of Coping With Madness by Philip Fletcher
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