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Social Benefits of NearshoringPosted by InterVenture on March 16, 2018
As new technologies continuously emerge, having a virtual team taking care of different IT and software solutions became commonplace. Outsourcing is a handy option for companies who want to focus on business development or other factors rather than software development. It can be due to lack of time or staff, or simply a way to unlock new possibilities by bringing in professionals to solve problems and complete projects.
Many companies choose nearshore software development as an outsourcing option for its simplicity. The main difference between nearshoring and outsourcing is the proximity of the outsourced team. In outsourcing, it can be anywhere in the world, whereas nearshoring mainly focuses on outsourcing to neighboring or closeby countries, that ideally share a similar working culture, the same time zone, currency and are easier to manage and visit due to the closer distance.
However, one particular impact of nearshoring deserves special consideration; the social benefits. Many times choosing local is not only good for practical reasons but its social impact. We live in an age where businesses increasingly pay attention to the imprint they leave around themselves in response to consumers' ever-increasing demands for more ethical and sustainable operations. Companies have to get used to being accountable for the decisions they make, and choosing their outsourcing team is one of them.
So what are the social benefits of a nearshoring partner?
Economic Benefits
When considering Europe, it is evident that the nearshoring partner should be within European borders. Thus naturally, the first direct benefit is economical. As money gets injected into the same trade area, it will remain in its circulation and help benefit all parties within the area creating a win-win situation. Creating jobs for local companies and paying taxes there helps to boost the local economy and ensures that it keeps thriving. In the recent years' boom for local has also become to stand for quality – choosing local ensures that you will get what you expect.
Shared Legislation
Choosing an outsourcing team from within the same union also ensures that the legislation is the same and increases accountability. International law can be tricky. Without a detailed contract, modifications might be hard to pursue and solutions could be unclear. Staying within the same legal borders provides security for both parties.
Building a Functional Team
In recent years, companies have realised that social performance should be considered just as much as financial performance. Working in teams is not purely a professional relationship. Teammates should get along well and understand each other without major obstacles. Nearshoring ensures that the cultural background is similar and there are no major barriers to working habits or communication. By ensuring that the team feels comfortable with the collaboration, the work quality should be better too.
All in all, it is easy to see that social and financial benefits are tied together. Creating a well-functioning team takes dedication and hard work. Choosing local companies that share the same values and work ethics can remove some of the burden. Ultimately, choosing nearshoring is not only financially but also socially beneficial for both the hiring and the host company.


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GoPro Hero4 Specifications Announced. 4K at 30fps. Built In Touch Screen
The good folks at Petapixel got the scoop on the specifications for the new GoPro Hero4 Black and Hero4 Silver. Here is a rip from the post. There was no mention of exact price or availability just yet.
"The HERO4 Black is a powerhouse action camera that doubles the performance of the previous GoPro (yet again). Touted as "the most advanced GoPro ever," it has improved image quality and a 2x more powerful processor.
The Black will capture 4K video at 30 frames per second, up from the 15fps of previous GoPros, allowing for extremely high-quality footage that's much more usable for a wide variety of applications.
Here are the available resolutions and frame rates: 4K at 30fps, 2.7K at 50fps, 1440p at 80fps, 1080p at 120fps, 960p at 120fps, and 720p at 120fps. It appears these cameras are no longer capable of 240fps.
For still images, you'll be able to capture 12 megapixel photos at 30 frames per second.
Audio capture is also improved, with the new system capturing 2x the dynamic range.
On the front of the camera is an ultra-wide angle glass lens, and the camera can be set to three different field-of-view settings: Ultra Wide, Medium, and Narrow.
There will be new manual settings for both photography and videography — controls such as color, ISO limit, exposure, and more.
The camera is waterproof down to 131 feet (40m). Other features include built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, exposure settings for nighttime shooting, a "HiLight Tag" feature for marking key moments in footage, a QuikCapture feature for powering up and recording with one button press, and auto low light features.
Regarding the issue of backward compatibility, the Black and Silver will both be compatible with all GoPro mounts and accessories."
Source: Petapixel

subset: commoncrawl


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This video will give you a 3 minute overview of the project.
Overview of Gandep
The Gandep Training Centre is a neutral, multi-tribal, community located in a remote area of the Madang Province of PNG. The land was set aside by the five surrounding villages to function as a training college, community meeting place, trade centre, and bible college. There are approximately 170 villages with 20,000 inhabitants in this area. Gandep is located on a trade route between Manvek, on the Keram River and Tsumba, on the Ramu River. This trade route is a dirt road built by a mining company in the 1960s and subsequently abandoned. The track has since deteriorated significantly and is now very difficult to walk. There is an abandoned airstrip near Tsumba.


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"If Microsoft ever does applications for Linux it means I've won."
– Linus Torvalds
I thought this was a blog about web design, now you're talking about installing Linux, CLI's and dual-booting, whatever the hell that is. This week I decided to try out Linux, following recommendations I chose the (baby tier) Ubuntu distro: Cinnamon Mint. I like Linux, I think the CLI (command line interface) is great – something Windows seems to lack – but I don't like permissions (which for the beginner me, caused me much pain trying to get WordPress up and running the way I like it). I have it installed alongside Windows now, I use it occasionally for some programming tasks, but I prefer Windows, at least for now.
Also another harrowing descent into computer science had me grappling with the infamous SICP, a core text (or at least it used to be) for many comp-sci courses. Though many programming books age badly, SICP does not as it's principles are more or less static concepts. I found the original lectures helped a lot when understanding the book itself, they are dated but just imagine it's the 80's, into the time machine you go! How far you travel down the road is up to you, it's a bit of an investment but certainly it'll pay off for you.


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What is this all about?
Here's some quick facts about Professor Elliot...
Professor of what subject?
This was a nickname given to Elliot when he was younger due to his tendency to share odd facts.
Elliot is a student of all subjects. "There's always something new to learn!"
Can I buy you a drink?
Certainly! You can do so by visiting the shop (which currently includes a couple of posters).
Document the Obscure?
There are things in the world that are not well known, but are worth sharing. Professor Elliot is mildly obsessed with odd, mysterious, and strange things.
When are updates?
Whenever Professor Elliot has the time, he creates new content and posts it online. If you'd like to be notified of new content via email...
What kind of content?
Just like his love of all fields of study, Professor Elliot does not seem to stick to one medium. He's produced blogs, videos, podcasts, books, and given lectures. Much of that content is on this site!
Can I contact him?
Feel free to reach out under the "Contact" page! Professor Elliot reach out to you as soon at his earliest convenience!


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The Millennium Meltdown Essay, Research Paper
Brian Beatty Book ReportsThe Millennium MeltdownByGrant R. Jeffery The Millennium Meltdown by Grant R. Jeffery describes the crisis America may face if we continue to ignore the computer date implications. "As the new millennium begins, millions of computers throughout the world will begin to crash. The lights will go out where the computers that run the electric power grid fail to make the transition to the next century. Many government agencies and businesses will be unable to function as there essential computer programs either shut down or produce false data. The failure to correct this massive problem before the year 2000 deadline will threaten jobs, our food, and our finances."1 Jeffery describes in his book how dramatically this will impact Americans and outlines practical strategies to protect the family in what may be the greatest technological crisis ever. Jeffery also gives reasons why this crisis may lead to the revelation to the Antichrist. Although I do not agree with everything this book says, it has caused me to plan for the future. After reading this book, I set my own computer s date at December 31, 1999, with no repercussion as it changed to the year 2000. I still had Internet access and all of my software work. Jeffery said this will not be the case with government and banking computers because they are date sensitive. In the 1970 s, when computer memory was very expensive, a lot of money was saved by only using two digits to represent the date. When the date turns over, since the computer has no common sense, they will think that it is the year 1900 not 2000. This could have many adverse effects. This computer problem could adversely affect our economic system. The financial industry is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to tackle with the problem they do not feel it will be done in time. Merril Lynch and Citicorp have budgeted 800 million dollars to fix their systems. According to Reuters, October 1, 1997, issue, "It is our prediction that it will only take five to ten percent of the world s bank payments systems to not work on that one day to create a global liquidity lockup….I don t think the markets have quite grasped the implications of what will happen if the entire system goes down." We have a global economy so everyone could be affected by the inability of computers to function properly and orderly on January 1, 2000. The United States government still runs n 1970 s mainframe computers. No one expected these ancient computers to still be in use at this time. The IRS may be unable to calculate taxes, Social Security may be unable to pay monthly benefits or Medicare payments, and welfare recipients may be denied their money. This will cause massive financial chaos and stress to a large number of Americans. The stock market, if not prepared, may crash as well resulting in a depression greater that that of 1929. The author hopes we learn a lesson from the previous crash.
The United states military is totally computer dependent. During tests that were conducted to simulate the year 2000, many problems occurred. The defense department software is written in archaic languages such as COBOL, C, and ADA. In order to properly fix the program, 100,000 COBOL-trained programmers to fix its mission-critical programs before the next century. In a recent simulated Y2K test on four intercontinental ballistic missiles, the test failed miserably. Two of the missiles refused to launch, while the other two went into unauthorized launch mode and would have fired. This could bring about catastrophic events.In order to resume normal functioning of a society, the author feels we will enter into a cashless culture. The technology has been developed by MasterCard International to place all personal information, including your fingerprint on a computer chip embedded under the skin. Bible prophecy describes this as similar to the financial system used by the Antichrist to govern the world. Taking this computer chip will not immediately align someone with he Antichrist, but it will be the end of personal privacy, the loss of civil rights and freedoms and give government the ability to survey every movement of every individual. The author says at a later time a chip will be added that will secure alliance to the Antichrist. As Christians, we know this is something we could never do. Grant Jeffrey has outlined numerous strategies so that we can be prepared if there is chaos during the beginning of the year 2000. He says if possible, we should have a couple thousand dollars cash on hand because this crisis will happen during the winter, alternative heat and water sources should be set up. Non-perishable food should be stored. The author reminds us of Proverbs 3:9-10 and Malachi 3:10 that say when the Lord is honored with the first part of our money, He in return will pour out so much blessing we will not have enough room for them. My family is implementing some of the suggestions in this book. While I do not think that this problem is unfixable, some members of my family are preparing for the worst. We have a wood stove to heat out home and a hand pump to get water out of the well. We also own a generator and plan to store 80 gallons of fuel in our motor home. Because we live in a wooded area full of game, we feel our meat supply will be plenty. A huge vegetable garden is planned for next summer. Hopefully this insurance will be unnecessary but a wise man is prepared for all things.The Millennium Meltdown


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Methadone Maintenance is Finding Success Behind Bars
According to data from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, approximately 2.3 million Americans are currently in prison or jail, and 65 percent of this population meets the medical criteria for addiction.
In many cases, this high rate of addiction correlates directly with high rates of recidivism, or repeat incarceration. In other words, issues with drugs often lead to continued criminal activity. And with the current opiate epidemic in full-swing, more and more inmates are entering the system addicted.
The Breakdown
Currently, only 11 percent of inmates receive any type of addiction treatment, which includes methadone maintenance for opiate addiction.
As a general practice, inmates are systematically cut-off from their methadone program or cut-off cold turkey. However, according to a recent study, this methadone policy may lessen the likelihood an inmate will seek treatment upon his or her release.
"What we are doing with methadone in our correctional system is we are systematically taking people off it," said study lead author Dr. Josiah Rich, professor of medicine at Brown University.
"It's the only medication that is summarily stopped upon incarceration. This study questioned that policy to find out what happens."
Setting Inmates Up for Success
Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the study was conducted by researchers from Brown University. Researchers focused on 223 inmates who were incarcerated for six months or less at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, all of whom were working a methadone maintenance program upon entering the facility.
The 223 inmates were divided into two groups: 114 inmates received ongoing methadone treatment until their release dates, while 109 inmates underwent the tapering-off protocol that many prisons currently follow.
Upon release, the members of both groups were offered support. That support came in the form of financial assistance, professional care referrals and/or logistic help meant to ensure access to methadone maintenance treatment facilities.
Following Up Post-Incarceration
A follow-up survey showed that every inmate who received methadone throughout incarceration ultimately sought treatment within their community upon release, compared to 48 percent of the inmates who tapered off.
One month later, 18 percent of the tapered group self-reported they had returned to opiate use, compared to just 8 percent of the inmates who continued methadone maintenance.
"For most of these people, the very reason they are caught up in the criminal justice system is related to their addiction to begin with," said Rich.
Although this study was relatively small, its findings are potentially huge. In fact, this may be the first real step toward addressing the relationship between opiate addiction, criminality and the combined effect both can have on an already overpopulated prison system.
While some may claim treatment measures such as continued methadone maintenance are costly, there's no denying that repeat incarceration carries an incomparably higher price tag.
Additional Reading: Drug Addiction is Killing a Huge Number of Inmates


text: We keep limited office hours so the best way to get in touch is through this contact form. If you don't receive a reply within a few business days, please check your spam folder before following up. Unfortunately we have discovered that our email addresses are often filtered into spam. We look forward to connecting with you.


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On May 23, NTDS will offer the first in its new webinar series. The webinar event will present a case-based approach to strengthening infection prevention strategies with the nephrologist as leader and champion.
What is NTDS?
Nephrologists Transforming Dialysis Safety (NTDS) is an ASN initiative resulting from a 3-year contract awarded to ASN by the CDC to promote infection prevention in dialysis facilities. Nineteen Nephrology Community members and five CDC members drive the NTDS goal: the elimination of dialysis associated infections.
While realizing this is a difficult and bold goal, "targeting zero infections" is necessary to promote a change in culture and to make a long-range impact.
2017 NTDS Webinars
The webinar on May 23 from 12-1 pm ET, is to be the first in a series of educational webinars on the full range of topics comprising the strategic initiatives of NTDS. The second is planned for September 27, 2017. The live webinars will offer CME and CE credits .
Please register to secure your attendance to the webinar event.
This first webinar, "Targeting Zero Infections: Where Do We Begin?", will include:
- A case presentation concerning a Hepatitis C outbreak in a dialysis facility related to a breakdown in hand hygiene and environmental decontamination
- A discussion around the case involving:
- Role of leadership in the infection events
- Rethinking our approach to errors in dialysis care
- Resources (CDC Tools, Root Cause Analysis Action (RCA2), Model QAPI, NTDS White Paper on Systems Thinking, Medical Director Toolkit)
The second webinar, "Targeting Zero Infections: Combatting Blood Borne Pathogens", will focus on Antimicrobial Stewardship.
The NTDS Webinar series will investigate and provide strategies for addressing infection prevention at dialysis facilities and will reference the educational and strategic agenda of NTDS. Over time, the webinar series will review the current infections risking serious adverse events (such as MRSA), emerging threats (such as Hepatitis B and C, MDRO's and Antibiotic Stewardship concerns), and lessons learned from outbreaks (such as Ebola and Zika). While most are familiar with NHSN, there is less generalized knowledge of State level HAI programs and the reporting duties attendant to those. Useful information on these topics will also be discussed.
We intend to make you better aware of NTDS, its mission and the direction of its educational efforts. We at NTDS want to help each dialysis facility, with Nephrologists as their leader, carry out quality improvement efforts that greatly reduce and eventually eliminate dialysis-associated infections. This article will be continued as Part 2, to be published on Kidney News Online in the forthcoming weeks. That final part will present a compelling case for your participation in the May 23 webinar.


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Japan has earmarked $7.3 billion to build a new stadium and other infrastructure in anticipation of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, even as the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hopes that the Games will provide Japan with a psychological boost, help him revive the nation's struggling economy and breathe life into the business of sports.
As this year's Games closed in Rio de Janeiro, excitement was already building in Japan, which won 41 medals in Rio—its best Olympic performance.
However, the budget for the Games is expected to rise, in addition to billions of dollars for upgrading transport networks. The central bank says that investment will boost Japan's gross domestic product by up to 0.3 percentage point annually in the next two to three years.
Mr. Abe hopes the Olympics will help him meet his goal of doubling the number of annual tourists to the country to 40 million by 2020, two years after his term ends.
More broadly, Mr. Abe proposes to make sports "a core industry" as part of his effort to boost Japan's nominal GDP by 20% from the 2015 level.
Japan's sports industry, which includes production and distribution of sports gear, the organizing and broadcasting of sports events, and operation of sports facilities, generated sales of $55 billion in 2012. That was more than a fifth less than it was in 2002, the government said, due mainly to the population's graying and decline.
Now, the government wants to double the sports industry by 2020 and triple it by 2025, making sports entertainment part of everyday life. The Abe administration is calling for building more attractive sports stadiums, expanding audience engagement programmes at sports events, increasing sports-related travel, and popularising sports viewing at pubs and restaurants.


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By Hannah Stevens @hannahshewans
Scroll down for the full story
Videographer / director: Aakash Bakshi
Producer: Joe Roberts, James Thorne
Editor: Sonia Estal
Cara Cruz, 36, from New Brighton, Pennsylvania, developed lipoedema and lymphedema as a teenager and the growing problem had a devastating impact on her confidence.
But after starting an Instagram on a dare from her boyfriend, Cara burst out of her shell and into the body positive community and now she is determined to flaunt her curves.
Through her 25,000 Instagram following and meet ups with Yinz's Bopo group, the curvaceous beauty hopes to inspire more people to start their own journey to self love.
She said: "I think a lymphedema warrior is someone who fully embraces it and shows to the world out there that is part of me, this is a condition I can't control.
"What I would tell my younger self is, it's gonna be okay no matter what hang ups or issues are in your head, or the voices from other people knocking you down, it's more their issue than your actual own issue.
"Just because I have these conditions that make me more pear-shaped and bottom heavy, doesn't mean that I can't put on a nice dress, still wear my compression socks, go out and look great."
Lipoedema is a chronic condition that causes a build up of fat cells in the legs, thighs and arms and lymphedema is a condition of localised fluid retention and tissue swelling, which is caused by a damaged lymphatic system.
Cara said: "The fat cells hold in the lymph fluid and they can't be lost through diet or exercise, they're kind of damaged.
"Lymphedema, I have it my lower legs, it's where the lymph system is damaged so the lymph fluid flows down properly, but it doesn't flow back up, it's blocked."
Although she was always a little bigger as a preteen, Cara never noticed until middle school when her peers began to slim down.
"I had some weight issues as a child, I was always the chubbier child throughout my classes. I don't think it was really noticeable, noticeable until middle school, when everyone else started to slim out.
"I got the curves, but it was definitely disproportioned, or definitely pear shaped," she said.
But it wasn't until later in high school that she developed the chronic conditions.
Cara added: "I realised I had lymphedema when I was junior/senior year of high school, I had fallen and I thought I had actually broken my leg, or my ankle, because I heard such a loud crack.
"When I hit my leg on the step, I damaged tissue. I started to get a quarter size knot that would balloon up on the front of my leg, it would go down if I massaged away.
"Then life happens and you forget about it, next thing I know I have one the size of a football on the front of my left leg.
"I was affected a lot with it, I was teased for it."
To help push the fluid back up her legs and flow effectively, Cara wears compression stockings and socks every day.
While the conditions can be managed, there is no cure for either and it is not possible to 'lose' the damaged fat cells naturally.
Cara explained: "To actually lose the wight and the damaged fat cells, the only real way to go about that is a special type of liposuction, which of course the US insurance doesn't cover because it's cosmetic in their eyes."
Cara's whole life used to be dictated by her discomfort with her body and her wardrobe matched her inner turmoil by hiding her body and her luscious curves.
Nowadays she makes a point of wearing form fitting clothes that 'hit the curves in all the right spots' and she has also used a love of tattoos to embrace her body.
She said: "I started the sleeve to kind of hide the upper arm lymphedema issues. I figured they're staring at me anyway, I'll give them something to look at."
When she's not advocating for self love online, Cara is hanging out with other body confident women at Yinz's BoPo group, which brings women together to develop body positivity as a collective.
She said: "The Yinz's BoPo group they're the most amazing group of women I have ever met, hands down. I instantly felt welcomed.
"When you can get together with a group of likeminded women that remind you to be like, yeah so what if you wear compression garments, rock who you are."


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Now go and find the Gatemaster he should be close the Main Town Gate
usually if you turn right and walk forward from there for a little bit
he should be one of the first people you come to. Sometimes these guys
seem to toddle off to different places if this is so then just hunt around
till you find him. Get the Gatemaster to join your party he will cost 2000
gp and take 20% of the loot from corpses but don't worry. If you can afford
it also get an identifier dude.
Now go to the Bank and search the walls until you find the fly scroll,
it's usually in the North Wall. Now go to the Buccaneer's Lair and you
will see that it has four sticking out platforms on the second floor. Find
the one so that you are facing South when you are looking at it head on.
Get your Sorcerer (You DO have a sorcerer don't you..?!?) to use the fly
scroll and then fly up to this platform (Watch out newbie flyers ! The
tower will fire fireballs at you if you got too high). Save your game now.
Enter turn based mode and press the wall in front of you. You will now
be in Dragonsand and facing the Shrine of the Gods (The big Rock thing).
If you look around you will see loads of dragons ready to give you a good
kicking. Don't worry though they won't get a chance. Run like hell into
the structure and make sure you end up in the left hand alcove as soon
as you are there enter turn based mode again.
Now providing everyone is o.k. (reload if not) have each character touch
the Shrine of the Gods and you will receive +20 to all stats (cool huh..?).
Now still in Turn Based Mode press the wall on ahead of you. This transfers
you to the NWC Dungeon which has lots of cool stuff in it and is very easy
to complete. Explore the dungeon completely get everything you possibly
can (there are lots of hidden extras and some items are random so if you
get duff stuff worth reloading to a previous save). Kill all the NWC staff
and peasants. DO NOT pick up any cash lying around until you find a chest
that give you 500 gp every time you click on it until you reach 10000 gp
then go back and get all the gold.
Watch out for a cabinet that gives you items but makes you instantly
drunk (if you keep going poisoned) when you click on it. Even if your character
is drunk or poisoned, keep clicking on it to get 1 or 2 food (about every
other click), you can easily build up a few hundred food. When you have
completely explored the dungeon (there are only two levels) have the Gate
Master cast town portal. I suggest having him take you to Mist as this
is an easy place to get lots of new skills (Make sure you get learning
skill!) When you have finished in Mist it may be worth trying to go to
Blackshire to pick up Dark Magic Skill (but watch out nasties in Blackshire).
When you have finished have the Gatemaster send you back to New Sorpigal
to complete the goblinwatch code mission from the Town Hall or to Castle
Ironfist (Don't know if you will get sent to prison for being so nasty
or not) to deliver the letter. Dump the Gatemaster as soon as you have
finished traveling long distances as they are not worth having will in
dungeons as they take so much money.
There you go you should now still be in the first 3 days of the game
with +20 to all stats 10k gold and a whole bunch of cool magic items including
Hope this helps! Darkheart
Lord of Midnight


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SINGAPORE - Her eloquence and charisma won over many Singaporeans in the 2011 election. And now, the National Solidarity Party (NSP) is trying to woo her back.
Ms Nicole Seah, now 28, was part of the NSP five-man team who won 43.4 per cent of the vote in Marine Parade GRC in 2011 - the third-best opposition performance in a group representation constituency.
But she left NSP in 2013, and moved to Bangkok last year for work.
NSP acting secretary-general Hazel Poa told reporters at a walkabout in MacPherson on Sunday that the party has "initiated contact" with Ms Seah via WhatsApp, but has yet to hear from her.
She added her hopes that Ms Seah would rejoin the party, although she stopped short of saying whether the party wants to field her as a candidate in the next election.
During the walkabout several residents were also heard asking NSP members: "Where is Nicole Seah?"
MacPherson was carved out as a single-seat constituency from Marine Parade GRC in the recent elections boundary report. Its MP is Ms Tin Pei Ling, who was widely compared to Ms Seah in the 2011 election, due to their comparable age.


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- Hannah Moloney
The girl who didn't deserve what she got
Updated: Jan 27
A reflection of the time I spent with Catherine, a solo-female traveller from the United States who was brutally murdered on Bocas del Toro, Panama.
This piece is a sad story but something I want to share as it covers issues that are close to all of our hearts.. Solo female travel and the dangers.
We can all wish it's the same as solo male travel, but the reality of it, is it's not. Having boobs and a booty change the way you travel.
I was in Bocas del Toro when the beautiful Catherine from New York was murdered. She was a solo traveller who had crossed 6 continents and had worked in Vietnam as an English teacher. I met the 23 year old the night before her disappearance. We chatted over beers and homemade Mexican quesadillas in our Hostel on Isla Colon. We even invited her to stay with us on her next trip to Mexico. As we drank the last of our beers, we swapped Facebook details so we could stay in touch and gave her a hug goodnight.
The next morning Catherine headed off by herself to Isla Bastimentos for a day on Wizards beach. A common place for tourists to venture to and somewhere that I had spent the previous week camping with friends. Online reviews had suggested that the 20 minute trek through the dense jungle to get to Wizards beach was considered dangerous.
Whilst we were camping on Wizards Beach a weird thing happened on our last evening, making us raise our guard by 10 fold. Two local men rounded up all the tourists off the beach and walked them back to civilisation due to safety concerns. Being in a group of 6 we decided that we would stay one more night, making it a total of 3 nights and trek back the next morning. That night carrying a hint of paranoia, we dug a hole in the sand and buried our passports and money, and slept with machetes and pocket knives under our pillows.
As we packed up our tents and hammocks the following morning, police came by to speak to us. "Have you had any trouble camping here?"
My Brazilian friend Joe replied in Spanish explaining the weird situation that occurred the previous day.
"Ok, well you need to leave the beach today, as we won't be around to protect you at night from local gang-members. Some of them even carry pistols" said the officer as he scanned the beach suspiciously.
We knew robbings were common on Bastimentos, but little did we realise that these gang-members were capable of murder. After Catherine never returned that night, the Hostel alerted authorities. She went to Bastimentos with only $20 cash and her phone, making concern levels rise immediately.
When it hit the 48hr mark of her disappearance, chaos hit Bocas del Toro. The search party was upped with International police and the American FBI being flown in. The search party covered the Bocas del Toro archipelago with officials everywhere on land and helicopters flying above.
The moment her family was warned of her disappearance, her parents and siblings jumped on the next flight to Panama. Catherine was an intelligent and well-traveled worldly chica. She had a grin from ear-to-ear and stood half a foot taller than the average female.
Her family arrived the same day as her body was found strangled in the jungle. Stories hit the town like there was no tomorrow. Locals gossiped about what had happened and tourists were overwhelmed with a sense of fear and sadness. The whole community was shaken with fear and disbelief.
Catherine was a curious girl who loved the world she lived in. She happened to be alone in the wrong place at the wrong time. This unfortunate piece of the puzzle lead to a drastic turn in fate for Catherine and her family. Whether it was an attempted robbery gone wrong or an event that held evil intentions, someone took away one bright-shining soul from planet earth.
As female travellers, we are faced with a unique set of risks different to men. Reality has it, we are not as physically strong. It's all too common that women are taken advantage of whether it be getting robbed, lead into a vulnerable situation or sexually abused.
I wish I could say that everyone I have met traveling were kind and friendly, but that would be naive. I have met people that were sneaky, I've been in situations that felt dangerous and I've taken risks that I probably shouldn't have taken.
But just like Catherine and millions of other women, I choose to travel too. I am aware of the risks and the dangers, but I also know that travelling makes me feel alive.
I feel inspired everyday I'm in a foreign country.
I am continually trying new things.
I see incredible sights and visit amazing places.
I hear the stories of people from around the world. I am a more compassionate and understanding human because I've seen inside the worlds of people who would usually be worlds away from me.
I've felt how they love.
I've experienced how they live.
I've seen their happiness and I've felt their sadness.
My dears, I encourage you to travel and to see the world. I want you to feel inspired by nature, by culture and by the people you meet. I want you to understand that other people live differently to you, but they still love and have have the same basic needs as you and I.
But be sure to travel respectfully, make conscious decisions and be safe always.
Trust your instincts, follow what your gut tells you and use common sense.


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One thing Baxter does so well in The Reformed Pastor is to lay out the gravity of the task. Some of the student quotes in the previous post alluded to this. While I would also want to say the task is also a source of deep joy, this truth of the gravity of the task is so often overlooked.
I hope these quotes challenge us and convict us. Godly challenges like this expose our inadequacies. They may even chase away some who are not called of God to pastoral ministry. However, if the Lord has called you to this (and this is verified by the church), conviction from such statements should not lead us to being cast down, but lead us back to the throne of grace to receive help in time of need (Heb 4:16). These statements should, to use a Piper phrase, provide a withering blast on our pride and self sufficiency and cause us to see all the more our desperate need of the Lord's provision. If this happens we will have been blessed.
"Oh, what qualifications are necessary for that man who has such a charge upon him as we have! How many difficulties in theology need to be understood! What fundamentals of the faith must of necessity be known! How many obscure texts of Scripture must be expounded! How many duties must be done, wherein we may fail if we do not understand clearly their character, their purpose, and their context! How many sins we need to avoid, which cannot be done without understanding and
How many sly and subtle temptations we need to expose before our people's eyes – in order to escape them! How many weighty and intricate cases of conscience do we need almost daily to resolve! Can so much work, and such work as this, be done by raw, unqualified men?
What strongholds have we to batter down, and how may there are of them! What subtle, diligent, and obstinate resistance must we expect to deal with in every heart! How prejudice blocks our way in seeking to obtain a fair hearing! Often we are not disputing on equal terms, but with children who cannot understand us." (29-30)
"O dear brothers, what men then should we be in skill, in resolution, and in unwearied diligence, that have all this to contend with and to do?" (30)
"So may I say to every minister, seeing how all these challenges lie upon us, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy endeavors and resolutions for our work!" (30)
"Do not your reason and conscience tell you that if you dare to venture on so high a work as this, you should spare no pains to be fitted to perform it? It is not now and then a random and idle exercise or taste of studies that will serve to make a sound man of God." (31)


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Scientists Now Claim Earth's Closest Exoplanet May Be Able To Sustain Life After All
Could we be one step closer to finally putting this cursed rock we call Earth in our rearview forever and moving on to a new world? While that may thinking a little too far ahead, new research published in the journal Astrobiology suggests that the exoplanet closest to us –Proxima Centauri b – may have what it takes to sustain life.
The team of researchers used computer model simulations to study a range of climate scenarios on Proxima Centauri b, a planet 1.3 times the mass of Earth that orbits a red dwarf star just over 4 light years away from our sun. Operating under the assumption that Proxima Centauri b has an ocean and an atmosphere, they were able to create and run 18 simulations that considered variables like continent sizes, thinner/thicker atmospheres, and ocean salt content, all to determine how living organisms on the planet would fare in the different scenarios. "The major message from our simulations is that there's a decent chance that the planet would be habitable," NASA Goddard Institute scientist and lead author Anthony Del Genio told LiveScience. Proxima Centauri b is in its host star's habitable zone, but one part of the planet experiences eternal darkness because it never faces the star. However, according to the new simulations, heat may be transferred to that part of the planet by a circulating ocean, which would presumably keep it from being a dead frozen wasteland.
In the study's abstract, the researchers note that "an ocean-covered Proxima b could have a much broader area of surface liquid water but at much colder temperatures than previously suggested, due to ocean heat transport and/or depression of the freezing point by salinity. Elevated greenhouse gas concentrations do not necessarily produce more open ocean because of dynamical regime transitions between a state with an equatorial Rossby–Kelvin wave pattern and a state with a day–night circulation."
"Even though the night side never sees any starlight, there's a band of liquid water that's sustained around the equatorial region," Del Genio told LiveScience. He added that "the larger the fraction of the planet with liquid water, the better the odds that if there's life there, we can find evidence of that life with future telescopes." There is no real consensus yet when it comes to PCb's habitability, and with each new study things seem to get more complicated. Solar winds may be a threat to life there and solar flares may have scorched everything just last year. Either way, we're not getting our hopes up because any plans to colonize the planet likely won't happen in this lifetime.


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No one doubts that Etsy sells some shit. Keyword shit. Does the world really need more eco-friendly bird feeders or shabby-vintage handmade nose rings? The answer is no. However, the world DOES need more handmade bondage gear and Etsy is my new "go to" one-stop shop.
My torso went numb when I saw this handmade bondage stock listing. This bad boy is advertised as a "Dungeon Quality" bondage stock. Not some weak ass, Fisher Price bullshit that you'd be embarrassed to roll out at your next neighborhood barbecue and flogging session. It's made in America, so you know it's quality you can trust.
You can choose from 4 different colors - basic black to hemorrhage purple.
It includes a detachable ankle stock that also rotates so it can be used in spurpleding, or kneeling positions. Because everyone hates to have waste value time messing about with tricky ankle stocks.
Can double as an attractive mountain bike rack.
What are you waiting for a cold Jolly Rancher Zima? Stop fucking around, get your ass back on the rack and tell the world you're a real ass-whipping dungeon master by adding this hardware to your arsenal!
It's a steal at $749 (girl not included - thank God!).


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Rear Admiral (ret'd) James Goldrick AO, CSC is a Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of NSW in Canberra (ADFA).
Hugh White has responded to my critique of his views on maritime warfare and the protection of seaborne communications, but has done little to satisfy my concerns.
For a start, his summary of the history of trade warfare paints a much distorted picture of this aspect of modern conflict. What is better described as the 'war of supply' is a much more complex story than he tells.
To suggest that it somehow became less of a feature of state-on-state conflict after 1800 than it had been before is to misunderstand the historical record and misapply it to the present day.
As we commemorate and re-examine the onset of World War I, Hugh's comments sound remarkably like those of pundits of that era, particularly in the incorrect belief that the globalised 'just in time' economic system which had come into being in Europe in the early 20th century was so sensitive to disruption that a major conflict had become unthinkable. Germany and Britain were, after all, major trading partners with highly interdependent economies.
It is also curious that Hugh spends so much time decrying the possibility of a supply war because of its horrendous implications, yet proposes an approach to strategy, and thus to force structure, which is itself clearly based on warfare at a scale, level and potential intensity that is just as extreme. His let-out seems to be that the capabilities he espouses would be successful in their own right as deterrents. Deterrence, however, depends on credibility which in turn depends on capability.
Such credibility is not achieved by a force structure that ignores glaring national vulnerabilities, even if its offensive capacity is otherwise considerable. Indeed, where I see a historical resonance with Hugh's ideas is Japan's complete and telling failure to protect its sea transportation system between 1941 and 1945, partly motivated by similar preoccupations with offensive warfare.
In talking about shipping, Hugh also constantly confuses trade and the transportation of vital materials, which are not necessarily the same thing. He is right to say that Australia could never defend all its sea trade by itself, but no one has ever suggested that it could.
We would clearly need to work in a coalition to achieve this, as we have done in every major conflict, and would again. But, there are some supplies and thus some ships which will need to be protected if we are to be even partially 'self-reliant' and preserve some sovereign strategic freedom of action.
If our trade fails, our economy and whole way of life diminish, with terrible results. If our vital supplies fail, things just stop, with consequences that are even worse.
Ignoring this reality remains one of the flaws in Hugh's theoretical construct of defending Australia based only on successful interdiction of an approaching enemy, after war has broken out, when deterrence fails. Such a campaign cannot be conducted without surety of fuel supplies, which must largely be moved by sea around northern Australia and from overseas. Until he can provide some explanation of how fuel supply will be managed without such movement by sea within the operational concept which he has so long theorised, Hugh cannot legitimately decry the need for a national capacity for the protection of shipping, however limited.
And another thing: Hugh's academic obsession with the size of surface ships is one that has long marked and perhaps warped his interventions in defence debates.
Even ignoring oceanography, geography and sea-keeping, as Hugh does, his theories continue to be dependent on overly simple comparisons of supposedly slow and vulnerable surface ships with 'smaller', 'cheaper' and 'faster' units. This serves only to mislead lay audiences into thinking that warfare is simply a matter of matching one platform against another.
What a 'retired rear admiral' can say is that there is much more to it than this. It is surely high time Hugh, as a 'retired deputy secretary', attempted to use his remarkable gift for prose to provide his audience with a greater understanding of the real complexity of the issues and the interaction of all the elements of force structure, the physical world and national requirements.
Image courtesy of the US Department of Defense.


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Is the Weak Loonie a Worry?
By Peter G. Hall
Vice-President and Chief Economist Export Development Canada
America is worrying about its strong currency. For the most part, Canada's weak currency has been hailed as a good-news story, a benefit to the long-suffering manufacturing sector. On a net basis, the immediate effects will be positive, boosting nationwide GDP growth by up to 1.2 per cent over the next 18 months. But the news isn't all good. In a globalized economy, there is more inflow of goods and services associated with higher exports to the rest of the world. Is there a downside to recent movement?
The strong positive impact of a falling currency has to do with our huge exposure to the US dollar. Almost three-quarters of Canada's trade is with the US, a strongly dominant position that is more or less permanent. On top of that, much of the global commodities trade is denominated in US dollars, and as such, the greenback determines an even larger part of Canada's global trade activity. A third key factor is that trade across the globe in less-developed markets is often cleared in US dollars as a means of avoiding currency risks in countries where no hedging facilities are available. Given this further dominance of the US dollar in our trade activities, is that the end of the story?
Not quite. Increasingly, larger emerging markets are moving toward local currency transactions. As global financial markets expand, derivatives are increasing the scope of currency hedging and other means of mitigating currency risk. At the same time, Canada's international trade is diversifying away from our traditional markets. Exports to emerging markets have almost tripled as a share of GDP since 2000, a trend that is expected to continue into the long-term future. At the same time, as the world continues to globalize, spreading technology further afield and intensifying competitive pressures, import options are also expanding at a very rapid pace.
Not only that, but Canada is increasingly investing in emerging markets as the scope of domestic operations expands globally. A depreciating currency makes foreign investments that much more expensive. But given the increasing dispersion of trade and foreign investment, it follows that, more and more, Canada is exposed to a variety of global currencies. How then are we doing against a broader basket of currencies?
Here, the news brightens. While we have depreciated against the greenback by 12 per cent in the past 8 months, the trade-weighted index of non-US currencies is actually remarkably flat. Versus the Euro, there has been volatility, but little overall movement in the trend CAD-Euro rate. Given that Canadian manufacturers are beginning to ramp up investment in machinery and equipment, this is very good news – Europe is a well-known source of high value-added equipment, notably in the auto sector. With the CETA moving closer to reality, currency stability is actually a plus.
Canada has also been an avid investor in Mexico. Happily, the CAD-peso rate has not moved significantly from its trend rate, so peso deals will not be as affected as they might otherwise be. The same is not true for all countries, but in general, there are a good number of locations where, in terms of the goods and services that we import and the foreign investments we are making, the currency movements are much more stable than is currently the case with the US dollar.
This situation suggests that there may well be a shift in the sourcing of inputs to the Canadian production process. Sales to the US will benefit from the lower loonie, but inputs, carefully selected from other locations, could boost margins even further. True, many supply chains are well-established, so the flexibility may not be there – but as global growth ramps up, there are sure to be new sources of product popping up in a broad array of locales that provide alternatives to Canadian buyers.
The bottom line? A weaker Canadian dollar poses a threat to imported inputs to Canada's production machine, and to future Canadian investments abroad. But the soaring US dollar isn't the only currency in play. Movements in other currencies are less dramatic. Perhaps this is an opportunity to scan the globe both for inputs to our production process and for direct investment undertakings in less-traditional markets.


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Momentum 2019
How did I do it? I just tried, and failed…again and again…and then I soared!
After our first full year of creating D&D 5e content, what did we learn, where did we fail, and how did we succeed? Through this unorthodoxically transparent post, I hope other TTRPG creators can gain some tips and inspiration, and avoid some mistakes, so we can all be the best creators we can be!
*all figures are as of December 29, 2019.
2018 vs. 2019
While we started publishing in to the DMs Guild in March of 2018, it wasn't a great year. January of 2019, when our Booms, Heals, and Bleedings was featured in an official bundle really kicked off a great year, which grew exponentially as I went on. Here's some comparison's between 2018 and 2019:
In 2018, in about 9 months of production, we published 7 total products. All were solo products, and 6 were Pay What You Want or free. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse later became a paid product, eventually hitting Copper in 2019. No products reached best seller status in 2018.
In 2019, in a full year of production, we collect royalties on 27 products. 22 of those products are royalties from editing or non-project lead collaboration, 2 are from 2018, and three were project management/lead collaborator projects. We produced no "solo" products in 2019 as we hired out both editing and layout. We have multiple best-selling metals ranging from Copper to Platinum.
In 2018, including free copies, our products were downloaded 1,786 times. We made a total of $82.56. Payment from PYWY was about .5% of total downloads, with each "donation" averaging about $.05.
In 2019, not including free copies, our produced products were purchased a total of 2,038 times, about half of which came from the official January bundle. Furthermore, products we have a royalty stake in, but were not in charge of producing, were further purchased a total of 1,756 times. Total income earned from all royalties equaled $5,044.88, 60% of which came from two titles: Grazilaxx's Guide to Ancestry and Balduran's Guide to Kingdom Building. Another 20% came from Booms, Heals, and Bleedings (January Bundle).
Affiliate Sales
In 2018, we started affiliate sales in November of 2018, and in two months referred a total 45 titles for $6.05 in affiliate revenue.
In 2019, we referred a total of 745 titles for a total affiliate sales revenue of $135. This averages out to about 62 titles ($11.29) a month, or 2 titles a day. The average affiliate sale per title is about $.18.
Twitter Followers
We started our twitter in September of 2018, and while there's no way to tell how much we had by the end of that year, we currently have 696 followers. Much of that growth came in the last 4 months of 2019 from successes like Grazilaxx's Guide to Ancestry and "Follow Fridays" (#FF).
What to Do
So what did we learn from a year that we deem relatively successful? We think other creatives can benefit from the following advice:
- Diversify Your Skillset. Most of us aren't going to be good at every aspect of creating, and very few of us will ever even be "triple threats" (writing, layout, and art). But if you're able to develop more than one skill on the creative side, you reduce the amount of royalties you have to give away, and you double your chances for collaborations. So if you're a writer… learn to do editing or layout. If you're an artist, try your hand at some writing.
- Advertise. Ashley May has an excellent document about how to market your stuff, so we won't go into it too much. But if you want to sell, you have to be involved in some aspect of the community whether it's Twitter (the best), facebook, various discord groups, or a forum some way. Most people won't just stumble upon your stuff, so if you want to take this seriously (it's fine if you don't), do at least minimal advertising.
- Collaborate. Collaboration is like creative magic. Somehow, it yields more than sum of it's parts. Get on as many collaborative projects as possible and make a good impression. After that, lead your own projects. Even if you only end up with 2% royalty on some projects, it can still very much worth it in the long run. It's the compound effect.
- Always Say Yes (To A Bundle). For Dms Guild creators in particular, ALWAYS say yes to an officially sponsored bundle. You can read up above what it did for me.
- Take Risks. Not every project is going to hit it out of the park. In fact, some will be complete flops. That's ok–it helps you learn, refine your skills, and gauge the market. Plus, you'll still sell some. So take some risks with the type of stuff you produce and with your time. I don't recommend taking a risk with your budget, though.
- Track your Progress. Track your progress, whether it's monthly, weekly, or daily. It helps you keep track of where you're at, how much you're earning, set your goals, and keep up enthusiasm. If you're not running this like a business, once a month is probably enough. I update my earnings, goals, etc. every day. If you're excited to check, you should… if you're not excited to check, you probably still need to.
- Help Others. "A rising tide lifts all ships" is a phrase I often hear in this community. We value relationships, often equally or more so than our earnings, and mentoring and learning from others increases your own capabilities. The adage, "it's not what you know, it's who you know" is accurate in this community in all the best ways. Helping others makes you feel great, and it'll help you in the long run as well.
- Create What You Love. Don't waste your precious time and mental energy creating things you're not interested in. Whether it's your project or someone else's, get invested in the project or say no. Life is too short, and we make too little money, to work on things we dislike. There's exceptions of course, especially for jobs that might be quick or easy, or are guaranteed to pay out, but those aren't the norm.
- Pay Fairly. Pay others as much royalties as you can afford to give them. If you can, pay flat rate even. Also pay yourself. It's a hard line to tread, but most of us understand slim margins and will do what we can to work for what we can. Price your products well so you can afford to pay yourself and others.
- Work on Yourself. If you're running this like a business, you need to develop your personal growth. You'll need to become better at project management, people skills, finance, whatever skillsets you need (writing, editing, etc.), marketing, and most importantly–mindsets. Setting habits, getting out of your head, and persevering will eventually make you feel successful, no matter your "earnings" or "production numbers". I recommend the Improvement Pill, which is one of the youtube channels I watch every morning when I wake up. It psychs me up for my day!
What Not to Do
- Blow Your Budget. Margins are already slim, so set a fair and modest budget and do what you can to stick with it. You don't have to have fancy art or covers to sell stuff, and many people will work for royalties for the right project. If you have money to burn, then definitely disregard this, but if you're doing this as an actual gig (or side-gig), manage your money!
- Damage Your Reputation. Reputation is pretty much everything in this business, so do everything you can to cultivate a good reputation. Help others, apologize when you make mistakes, and realize that everyone has something to offer you.
- Get Burnt Out. It's ok to take breaks, even if that means you won't meet your goals. We all do this because we love it, the money is more or less a perk. If you feel yourself burning out, communicate with your teams and step back for a bit. There's always more to do, but there's only one you.
- Work with People You Don't Want To. This one might be controversial. Of course we should aim for diversity in who we work with, and we should always be reaching to bring in new people. But if you've worked with someone and aren't passionate about working with them again, then don't! There's plenty of people to work with, finding the ones you work with smoothly will be better for everyone in the long run.
- Get Stuck In Your Head. Your head is dangerous, so stay out of there. It will tell you you're not good enough, don't have what it takes, and are a fake. Watch self-improvement videos, practice positive self-talk, and surround yourself with other creators who support you… but for all that is good and holy, don't listen to the voice in your head!
While we're keeping some of our goals for 2020 more private, there's a couple we'd like to share.
- From Momentum to Fluency. Instead of setting New Year's Resolutions, I prefer to pick a "word of the year" and focus on that. Last year my word was "momentum" and I think I did pretty well gaining it. This year, it's "fluency": my goal is to become so knowledgeable and adept at the TTRPG publishing process that it becomes almost second nature to me.
- Production. Our goal is to increase the products from which we receive royalties by four per month, for a total of 48 for the whole year. This includes products published on Drivethrurpg.com, and will bring our total up to 75 products!
What goals can we help you achieve this year? What is your "word" for 2020?


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Why Mt. Shasta? It is a singular mountain in northern California, USA. At about 14,162 feet above sea level, it rises about 10,000 feet above its surroundings. What does it mean to you? It's where the earth has bubbled out so I can get closer to its innards. It is where the earth has aspired to heights I can reach and remember my ascent. And it is an altar, with a sense of holiness in its very being. Gray Butte is a small peak on the south side of Mt. Shasta, up from Panther Meadow and the end of the highway up the mountain. It is a fine place to visit and pay respects to Mt. Shasta.
Mt. Shasta was the first high mountain my son climbed. We did it together, with my sister, in 1975. For me it was the first and last high mountain climb. That special breath of fresh air from the top has lasted a lifetime. I remember it each day when doing the yoga poses and spiritual exercises that came to me as we camped halfway down, on the side of Mt. Shasta. (See them in the book Mt. Shasta and the Galaxy People, on page 8.)
Here's a panoramic view of the picture shown above. You need QuickTime to see it. On a trip in 1993, this carolyoga color gathering from snow sparkles happened at Panther Meadow. From there you see views of Gray Butte and Mt. Shasta.
See also Mt. Shasta from Gray Butte and Mt. Shasta, a ritual space. For more about what this site means to Wholeo, see Gaia Point. Local information: 2016 website for Mt. Shasta Wilderness. 2016 website for Mt. Shasta Chamber of Commerce and their Visit Mt. Shasta page.
See immersive imaging for help, info, and all other immersive imaging, including QuickTime movies, at Wholeo Online.
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Team Ninja, Spark Unlimited Collaborating with Kenji Inafune on Yaiba Game
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Koei Tecmo revealed at the "Team Ninja Night 2012" event in Tokyo on Wednesday that Keiji Inafune (Rockman/Mega Man) and his company comcept are collaborating with Team Ninja (Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive series) and Spark Unlimited (Lost Planet 3) to create Inafune's Yaiba zombie game, now renamed as Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z.
Comcept is currently streaming a new promotional video for the game.
The game will star a new ninja named Yaiba, who is chasing after Ryu Hayabusa, the protagonist of the Ninja Gaiden video game.
Inafune had revealed the game in an announcement trailer earlier this month. Inafune remarked at the time that since he is associated as a "zombie lover," he wanted to create a zombie game. He also noted that he thought up the concept for the game soon after becoming an independent game developer, and the game will be filled with things that he likes: zombies, action, ninja, and mecha.
Inafune is currently also working on Soul Sacrifice, due out this winter, and the Guild01 sequel Guild02. Inafune and Marvelous AQL just released the J.J Rockets spartphone game last week.
Source: Famitsu via My Game News Flash
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history


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Attr. George Clint, Portrait Of Lydia Augusta Allen
A beautiful portrait of Lydia Augusta Allen (1810-1890) wearing a sumptuous black dress, gold bracelet, and small purple rose.
Lydia hailed from Leamington in Leicestershire and married John Roy Allen (1798-1875), a Cambridge-educated barrister from Somerset. Following their wedding, John Roy began plans for a large marital home in Taunton, which became known as Lyngford House. This quirky building (completed around 1844) had a central octagonal stairwell hall with a cantilevered stair - so it was far from the norm.
Lyngford was one of several properties owned by John Roy and Lydia also spent time at Gatchell House, Trull. For more information on these buildings, please visit http://landedfamilies.blogspot.com/2014/01/101-allen-of-lyngford-house-and.html.
Together, the couple had six children, five of whom were boys.
The portrait was probably completed in around 1835, just a few years after Lydia's wedding. It's been superbly rendered with a Joshua Reynolds' style classical landscape providing a rich backdrop to the image.
The artist, George Clint RA (1770-1854), first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1802 and was generally known as a painter of theatrical subjects. Several of the landed gentry sat for him including Lord Suffield and his family, Lord Egremont, Lord Essex, and Lord Spencer. One of his works, 'Falstaff relating his valiant exploits' is currently at the Tate Gallery.
The canvas is housed within a coved Victorian-style reeded frame with decorative inner and outer borders.
Oil on canvas
41½" x 33" / 106cm x 84cm
|Year of creation
c. 1835
Areas of craquelure but generally in beautiful condition throughout following its light restoration. Canvas relined.
Artist's auction highlight
£8,370 achieved at Christie's, USA, in 1995 for 'The Leicestershire Lass'.


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When you live in an apartment, you should only expect to take the items that you brought into the unit with you when you move away. But, this rule does not apply in the same way when you are selling your own home. Hiring movers for this process can make the move go a lot smoother, but you may not know about everything that you are going to bring along to your new house.
Going through some of the optional items beforehand will ensure that moving professionals are able to help with disassembling, packing, and loading these possessions for the move.
Window Treatments
If you have curtains all throughout the home, you could keep them there because they fit well. But, you may be interested in taking them along because you like the color, pattern, or sizing. You can even remove blinds or shutters from the windows if you want to keep them. The built-in installations you will want to discuss with buyers to avoid complications as you are leaving.
Shelving Units
To keep your garage organized, you may have several shelving units in the space. While their measurements may be optimal for the space, many two-car garages are similar in size. This means that you will likely be able to move the shelving units and fit them in your new garage.
The shelving units may be rather large, and if they cannot be disassembled, a moving company will need to accommodate for their size by getting a large enough moving truck. This means that you will want to let them know beforehand if they plan on talking the shelving units along.
Although the chandeliers in your home may have played an important role in attracting buyers, you should not feel obligated to keep them in the house if you are fond of them. Removing chandeliers is not an easy task because there is risk in damaging the chandelier or the house. Chandeliers need extra careful packing to avoid damage while driving to its new residence.
Some buyers will want to keep the appliances in the home. If the buyers are not interested in them, you may decide that you want to bring them to your new house to avoid extra shopping. If they are fairly new and in great shape, you should have movers pack them up for the move.
When you hire movers to help with transporting items to your new home, you should consider all these items to make sure they get on the moving truck if you decide to take them. For more information or assistance, contact companies like Modern Movers, Inc.Share


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The Blogger Recognition Award | From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's books
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In 2010, Yikang Feng gave up the lifestyle of stockbroker in Sydney to become an officer in the Australian Army.
Now, seven years later, he is serving in Iraq on Operation Okra for his second deployment to the war-torn country in just two years.
This Anzac Day, Captain Feng is deployed with Task Group Taji Rotation Four – a combined force of Australian and New Zealand Defence Force personnel that's training Iraqi Security Forces north of Baghdad.
He's the only member of the Task Group on his second 'tour' – he deployed to the same location in 2015 with Task Group Taji Rotation One.
"When I was here in 2015, we were training the Iraqi Army for the Battle of Ramadi," he said.
"It was a tremendously difficult time for the Iraqi Army and this time around, their morale has improved.
"I am genuinely impressed by the progress of the Iraqi Security Forces since 2015.
"There's a quiet confidence among their soldiers and the desire to grow as a professional Army."
For the next few months, Captain Feng will be deployed at the Taji Military Complex, where he's the Second-in-Command of one of the training companies.
His role is to lead a group of experienced trainers who are instructing Iraqi soldiers and policemen in a wide range of military skills from marksmanship to infantry tactics.
"I was the Platoon Commander of the Force Protection Platoon last time I was here," he said.
"This time around, my role has changed significantly but it's equally satisfying.
"My role as a liaison officer involves enabling and facilitating the training package we deliver, and, on top of that, ensuring the daily operation of the company runs smoothly."
One of his most memorable moments took place recently, when his training team finished an exhausting training task and returned to base after dark.
"It was the final assessment for a large group of policemen," he said.
"We started early in the morning and didn't stop all day.
"As I was giving the patrol debrief, the sunset glowing at the background. I looked at all my trainers, sunburnt, dirty and exhausted and I felt immensely proud knowing we had done our best.
"It is such an honour to serve with these guys."
After growing up in Shanghai, Captain Feng moved to Australia at the age of 18 to pursue his education.
He went on to work as a stockbroker for major banks before joining the Army Reserve.
"I enlisted as an infantry soldier in the Army Reserve out of curiosity, I wanted to find out more about military life," he said.
"I made the decision to transfer to the regular army while I was deployed to Rifle Company Butterworth in Malaysia.
"What really attracted me was the military lifestyle - it's simple and noble, and its given me the opportunity to serve Australia.
"I am grateful that Australia has given me fantastic opportunities to grow as a person and I want to give back to Australian society."
After he was commissioned as an army officer at the Royal Military College - Duntroon in 2011, Captain Feng was posted to the 1st Battalion, then the 8th/9th Battalion followed by the 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment.
"It was a very busy couple of years in the regiment, but I learnt a lot," he said.
"For me, battalion life will always be a fond memory."
While it is difficult to be away from family and loved ones for long periods of time, Captain Feng says he has settled well in Iraq.
"I brought my sketch book with me," he said.
"I bring my sketch book everywhere I go.
"I did couple of paintings last time I was at Taji, and I noticed how much it had changed when I returned.
"I also play cello as a hobby, but I haven't touch my cello for so long my fingers feel itchy.
"So I'm really looking forward to going home and playing some music."
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Anti-poppy drive remains superficial in past 15 years: Survey
Anti-poppy drive remains superficial in past 15 years: Survey
KABUL (Pajhwok): A recent survey shows the fight against narcotics and policies in this regard have been only superficial and illusive over the past 15 years.
Financed by the European Union (EU), the survey conducted by Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) interviewed several hundred of farmers in Balkh, Helmand, Kandahar and Nangarhar provinces over the past one and a half years.
The survey shows discussions held regarding policies making for elimination of narcotics production in the country remain confusing and ambiguous.
"It is not wondering that policymakers and the international community are unaware about the facts in rural areas because they cannot go of Kabul city, they even cannot go out of their residence," the report said.
It said most of people with poor economy in rural areas grew poppy due to its multi seasonal harvests and higher income.
Paul David Fishstein, a researcher in the survey, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the aim of the survey was to find out reasons why people grew poppy and to find an alternative to the crop.
"The report mainly focuses on prospects of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan and finding ways for its reduction or complete eradication," he said.
Fishstein said agriculture had a complex system, therefore donor countries, charity organizations and the Afghan government should focus more on agriculture and help farmers identify better alternatives to poppy.
The report said a comprehensive assessment of national priority programs, diversity in cultivations and incomes collected through it, finding alternative to poppy, investment for development in rural areas, identification of activities that fuel opium production and distribution of land plots to poor famers could reduce the poppy production in the country.
The report also suggests that generating job opportunities also could play role in reduction of poppy production.
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Sony Xperia M5 Features, Price And Release Date
Sony is all set to launch Xperia M5 and Xperia C5 Ultra on 3rd August 2015 and the Japanese company made this announcement on their twitter handle recently : "Focus closely now, a new way to capture split-second photos is coming : 03.08.15".
Sony Xperia M5 sports 5 inch Full High Definition screen display & Mediatek Helio X10 chip set processor coupled with a 3GB RAM and internal storage is 16 GB, expandable up to 64GB via microSD slot.
The Sony M5 also includes a 2,600mAh battery which is capable of a 2 day battery life. According to the sources, a dual SIM variant will also be there. The front facing camera of this upcoming smartphone is expected to be 13 Mega Pixel. Apart from this, the M5 also incorporates a IMX230 CMOS camera sensor with a 21.5 Mega Pixel rear Exmor RS sensor camera that is capable of hybrid auto-focus, f/2.2 & fast auto focusing feature (0.2 secs). The flagship will also support 5x zoom feature with no perceptible loss in image quality and a 4K video recording.
Beside this, the M5 has a thickness of 7.6mm and will be available in 3 colors – black, silver & gold. This Sony flagship will also have an IP65/IP68 dust and water certification and a USB port. Other specs includes a metallic feature on the edge, but the back of the phone is plastic. The expected price of the Sony Xperia M5 is expected to be around USD$400 (25,000 INR). Also Read : iPhone 7 Features
The Sony Xperia C5 Ultra on the other hand has giant 6 inch screen display with 1080p resolution and is 0.8mm thin. It sports a 13 mega pixel rear camera and a strong 13 mega pixel front facing camera for taking selfie. The C5 Ultra is powered by the MediaTek MT6752 chip set processor along with 1.7 GHz octa core CPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage & a expandable microSD slot support.
Other features of C5 Ultra includes NFC and dual SIM card support and weighs 187 grams.The battery of this device has a capacity of 2,930mAh, which looks to be disappointment for a such a big display phone. The price of Sony Xperia C5 Ultra is expected to be around USD$350 (21,000 INR).
For more news and updates on Xperia M5 and Xperia C5 Ultra, stay tuned to giztimes and follow us on facebook, twitter and google plus for more updates !


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Autumn Sketchbook
Inspire your child to enjoy the colorful fall foliage by creating a seasonal sketchbook! Watch as they fill the pages with the warm reds, bright yellows and brilliant browns found in the fall scenery. See trees and plants emerge as your child creates imaginative sketches to celebrate the fall season.
This activity will encourage your child to utilize their observation skills, develop aesthetic awareness, build artistic drawing abilities, and learn about the seasonal environment. Additionally, a cover created by collaging natural fall materials will help your child become a budding naturalist—collecting their own scientific specimens. Choose recycled materials for the book-making portion to add in a fantastic environmental awareness lesson.


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Luxurious, Contemporary Villa with Glorious Sea Views
The Home
Villa Zlato Biser is a luxurious Villa of contemporary design, situated within the picturesque Dalmatian village of Okruj Gornji. The villa boasts glorious vistas over the sparkling Adriatic and offers an exciting range of features and amenities that will keep guests entertained and comfortable throughout their stay.
The villa's interior is spacious and modern; think elegant furnishings and large glass doors. The sitting room is stylishly decorated; the plush sofas and lovely views make it and excellent place for the group to socialize, play cards or simply relax. Next door is the well-appointed open-plan kitchen and dining-room with the former kitted out with all modern appliances where guests can try their hand at a local recipe or two! This excellent space, with its fabulous views, is perfect for sitting down to lengthy indoor meals.
Head upstairs via the modishly striking staircase and the bedrooms...
Choose Your Dates
At a glance
At a glance
Home Features
Enjoy the comforts of home and beyond with these distinctive features.
Air Conditioning
Pets Allowed
Building Elevator
Free Parking
Concierge Services
Hot Tub
All Stays Include
We believe certain amenities should be standard. Every home comes outfitted with these best-in-class essentials for a worry-free stay.
Home Details
Beds & Bath
Review bedroom arrangements to make sure each is right for you. Full and half bathrooms are shown as one total.
Outdoor Dining Area: Private
Pool: Private
Pets Allowed
Outdoor Dining Area
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea maker
Air Conditioning
Barbeque Grill
The Neighborhood
Villa Zlato Biser is located in Put Diruna, an easterly district of the traditional Dalmatian town of Okrug Gornji which is one of the oldest settlements on the small (9 miles x 2 miles) island of Ciovo. A drawbridge charmingly connects the island itself to the UNESCO heritage town of Trogir. As such, the villa is an easy walk from the centre of Okrug Gornji (1.4KM) and a 15-minute drive from beautiful Trogir. The much-loved city of Split is about an hours drive from the villa. Steeped in antiquity, Okrug Gornji offers much that will keep visitors occupied. Okrug beach is a favourite with both locals and those who are visiting; nicknamed 'Copacabana' and boasting spectacular white-sand beaches, it is the perfect location from which to sample the delights of the Trogir Riviera. Okrug Gornji also caters well to the culinary appetites of its visitors with an exciting array of beachside restaurants matched to most budgets and tastes. Around the bay from Okrug Gornji lies the beautiful Konoba Duga beach. Secluded and serene, visitors can spend happy afternoons basking on the sand or may take delightful boat trips to explore the nearby Islands of Fumilia or Solta. For those more inclined towards historical exploration, nearby Trogir, which bridges Ciovo to the mainland, is entrancing. Characterised by a unique fusion of Romanesque and Renaissance architecture, Trogir's rich and varied history - of the Ancient Greeks, the empires of Rome and Byzantium, of the Ottomans and the Hapsburgs - is accessible to all who saunter through its streets. As evidenced by its status as a UNESCO world heritage site, there are myriad palaces, cathedrals and churches for visitors to explore. The Church of Saint Lawrence, for example, is a magnificent example of the Romanesque-Gothic style, being partly designed by the Croatian master Radovan. Other notable historic sites include the Cipiko Palace, the St. Michael Bell-tower and the Karmalengo Castle. For those keen to get a flavour of local culture, there is a wealth of opportunity in Trogir. The plethora of lively restaurants offering Croatian culinary delicacies and the renowned local grappa, as well as a vibrantly colourful market scene, will delight all.
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- Guests may cancel for free provided that: (1) cancellation is within 48-hours of reservation request, and (2) reservation request was made at least 10 days before arrival.
Payment Policy:
- 90 days or less prior to arrival: Guests pay 100% at time of reservation.
- More than 90 days before arrival: Guests pay 50% at time of reservation (non-refundable), the remaining 50% will be charged 90 days prior to arrival.
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Cancellation Policy:
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House Rules
- Security deposit : €500 payable on arrival
- Arrival time : 4.00 pm
- Departure time : 10.00 am
- Energy costs included? : Included in the rental price
- Linen & towels included? : Linen & towels included in the rental price
- Pets welcome? : Pets are allowed on request (charges may apply)
- End of stay cleaning included? : Included in the rental price
- Smoking Allowed? : No smoking inside the villa
- Insurance : It is recommended that all guests take out insurance to cover against potential cancellation and any accidental damage caused during your stay at the property
- Internet access? : Wi-Fi connection included
- Other Ts and Cs : Breakfast 30€ per person and per day
- Tax : Included in the rental price


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The ongoing court case filed at the Adamawa state high court by the Movement for the restoration and defence of democracy (MRDD) continue to trails the political scene of Adamawa state.
A court case filed by Rev Eric Theman Dollars seeking for court injunction to restrain INEC from conducting the scheduled supplementary election because of non inclusion of his party logo.
Eric who is the gubernatorial candidate of MRDD party in an interview with our reporter cautioned the independent national electoral commission, INEC, to accept the gross mistake they have done of not including the logo of his Party in the last 9th March,2019 governorship election, and organize another fresh election in the entire state.
He shed more light in his legibility and authenticity of being a certified candidate of MRDD that submitted all relevant documents and passed through the necessary INEC scrutiny
He revealed that the commission is aware he presented Rashida Balarebe as his deputy and cannot deny that because is having his records on ground and his facts are intact.
He questioned that how would he have signed the Peace accord without his running mate?
According to him, he has been attended all meetings with INEC and other candidates of other parties and his deputy equally in attendance.
"Anyway I really don't have much to argue, my facts,evidences and exhibits are with the court,let INEC come and defend themselves that I don't submit the name of my running mate to them." Eric
He continue to say that he maintain his ground, he will follow the case to its logical conclusion and is less concern with what others says in the public domain.
" Their noise will never change my believe on what I stand for,as a matter of fact they cannot distract me rather, they are gingering me to fight the more.
"My prayers to court is for a fresh election of the office of the governor of Adamawa state to be conducted where it can properly capture the logo of my party.
"This is my fundamental human right and I can go to any length to fight my right until it is stated otherwise by a competent court of law" He added
Recall that an agency report (NAN) published on the 10th November,2018 indicated that two women were cleared by INEC to run for the position of deputy governor and were; Hadiza Mohammed of Democratic Alternative and Rashida Balarabe of Movement for the Restoration and Defence of Democracy (INEC)


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For the base:
For the filling:
How to make Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
1. Preheat oven to 170C.
2. Grease the bottom of a 22 by 22cm baking pan with butter. Then place parchment paper over the top, pressing down at the corners. In a food processor, process the sugar, cinnamon and digestive biscuits until you have the texture of breadcrumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse a couple of times to fully incorporate. Pour into the lined baking pan and gently pat down with the base of a glass. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes until golden. When done set aside to cool.
3. Add cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar to the food processor and mix until well combined. It should have a smooth consistency. Pour onto the cooled base and then cover with blueberries. They will sink slightly but should still be half exposed -- as the cake bakes they will sink a little more and break down.
4. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the center only slightly jiggles. Remove from the oven and cool completely before refrigerating for at least 3 hours. Once set, remove from pan using the parchment lining and slice into 10 rectangular bars. Dust with icing sugar.
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Nostalgic East: Thetford
PUBLISHED: 17:15 26 March 2019 | UPDATED: 17:15 26 March 2019
From the museums and bustling shopping areas, masses of local businesses, plus hotels, restaurants, schools, the leisure centre and beautiful flint cottages, there are many draws to Thertford.
Fans of the much loved BBC sitcom Dad's Army know Thetford well. The original series was filmed in Thetford and the town has a Dad's Army and a museum dedicated to the series.
The town's roots go back to pre-Roman times, and the adjacent forest is said to be Britain's largest lowland pine forest – it's home to more than 200 species of tree.
The forest boasts mountain bike tracks, with many routes available, from three miles to more than 10, from leisurely to more strenuous.
A short drive away are the Neolithic flint mines Grimes Graves – 360 depressions in the Breckland heathland which are the infilled shafts of the mines dug some 4000 years ago by pre-historic man.
Highstreet names and independent shops and services offer a diverse shopping destination. So, whether you're shopping to update your wardrobe or just looking for unique gifts, make time to explore this ancient town.
Did you know?
Thomas Paine, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, was born in Thetford in 1737. His writings convinced many American colonists that the time had come to break free of British rule.
If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Eastern Daily Press. Click the link in the orange box above for details.


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text: These pictures are to show everyone that Brad Pitt is a normal guy. I mean look at him back in 1987, he's not even a movie star yet! What a loser! Celebrities: they are just like us…only way better looking and also better than us in every way. Enjoy the photos!


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After our first touch, we headed inside to exchange gifts. I had thought long and hard about what to get Cam, and settled on a fancy watch. While we were scoping out jewelry stores for our wedding bands way back in the spring, we were browsing the cases and I started sneakily asking his opinions on various watches they had. I even got Groomsman App's opinion on the matter—we settled on a nice, silver band with a white face Citizen watch. I had every intention of engraving the back of it and it was going to be great.
Cam had other ideas.
A month or so before the wedding, the day I decided to go buy said watch, Cam mentioned to me how much he had his eye on a particular watch and that he thought it would be really nice to wear the day of the wedding. A quick text to Groomsman App helped prevent him from purchasing the watch, but it also got me the information I needed. I went to the mall and instead of buying the Citizen watch I had intended, came home with a Fossil watch that Cam "loved to death" according to Groomsman App.
Umm…$300 less than I had been prepared to spend? No arguments here. Thanks for not being super fancy, Cam! I had it wrapped up pretty in a little box, and was ready to fork it over to BM Mom to deliver downstairs to Cam. Robert was there to take pictures, of course.
And then I realized…I forgot the card. I had already written it that morning, and I signed it "See you at 5:30"³ alluding to the watch. It was in my hotel room. And the ceremony was due to start in 30 minutes. I was so sad because it was so cute. I got it from an Etsy shop called "marrygrams" and it said "Today I have loved you for 1,436 days." No worries,菲律宾申博国际娱乐网, he got it the next morning when I had loved him for 1,437 days,申博sunbet娱乐官网, and all was well.
Side note: Here's what the card looked like. I got "Thanks for being my bridesmaid" cards from here as well,申博太阳城大客户服务 [求助] 申博太阳城大客户服务 付款求一个微信支付购买注册码的插件, and they turned out so cute! Check them out.
Image via Marrygrams on Etsy
When BM Mom came upstairs from dropping off the gift, her hands were empty. Apparently Cam had forgotten the entire gift back at the hotel and was scrambling trying to find someone to bring it to me. I had a feeling I knew he would get me jewelry, but I had gotten some "backup" jewelry just in case. And good thing I did, or else my pre-ceremony photos would have not had a necklace or earrings!
Eventually, the present arrived and I sat down to open it.
Yes, those are Solo cups behind me. We're nothing if not classy.
Flower Girl M wanted in on the action
Confession: I like the necklace I bought better with the neckline of my dress,菲律宾申博太阳城sunbet娱乐官网 商业保险补充养老储备 菲律宾申博太阳城sunbet娱乐官网 可发挥压仓石作用_保险消费_理财规划_新浪财经_新浪网, but the one Cam picked out is so pretty. I, of course, opted for Cam's, but sometimes I look at the photos and wish I had gone with the longer strand of pearls I bought myself. Marriage means sacrifices, ya'll!
Did either of you forget your gifts for each other? Engaged bees—make sure you don't do this! I felt awful, awful, awful. Luckily Cam married me anyway, even though I forgot the card!
Previously on Picture Perfect
I beg you to take mental pictures so you don't forget everything like I did. We hit the road for Charleston but not after putting out our new initial doormat! We eat seafood on the waterfront, and party in the USA on top of a hotel. We get our nails did and play with a bidet. Cam surprises me with the most romantic thing of all time. Our rehearsal dinner is a hit-complete with a custom groom's cake for Cam! My wedding eve is much different from what I originally planned. My long awaited Starbucks run didn't go quite as planned. I get my hair did and I love it. Our friends had a pool party and we weren't invited. I have a wave of emotion hit me while the girls get dressed. Mama Camera's handmade veil gets fastened to my head. Mama Camera sews my somethings into my dress. I put on the most important dress I'll ever wear. We take girly photos Cam has some manly time We have a first un-look PREVIOUS POSTJungle Love: Down the Aisle We Go NEXT POSTGallery of the Day: December 18,
申博手机APP下载 宁波国通快递申博国际开户招文员-北仑招聘-新北仑-阿拉宁波网, 2013 Related Posts #HereComesMcBride: FOOD!12/15/16 @ 5:43 pm A Midsummer Night's Dreamcatcher: All Good Gifts, Bride and Groom Edition!11/11/16 @ 8:16 am How the Sixes Became Mr. and Mrs.: Doom of the Blooms02/21/17 @ 9:50 am The One with the First Look01/26/17 @ 9:36 am