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A cocaine kingpin sent two thugs to slash a notorious gangster on a busy street in the heart of Edinburgh in broad daylight, underworld sources claimed today.
They believe Sean "Lugs" McGovern was targeted because of his friendship with convicted fraudster Robert Kelbie, who has been feuding with the kingpin for years.
Heroin baron McGovern, 32, was ambushed just yards from the popular five-star Balmoral Hotel.
He was knifed in the back of the head by two men - disguised as joggers in baseball caps and sunglasses - who jumped him as he stepped out of a £42,000 motor.
A gangland source told the Daily Record : "McGovern was fortunate to get away with his life.
"He's friends with Robert Kelbie.
"The feud is escalating and no one knows where it may end."
After trying to chase the attackers, one of which appeared to be armed with a blade, McGovern then slumped to the ground, ashen-faced and clearly in shock.
The revenge attack, which lasted just seconds and was apparently carefully planned, left his grey hoodie stained red with blood.
McGovern was later helped into an ambulance with his head, neck and left hand bandaged.
Kelbie, 32, was shot in the back in a health club car park in 2010 in an attack said to be linked to the vendetta.
Reports at the time said he drove himself to hospital and discharged himself after treatment.
The source added: "This will have repercussions in the underworld. McGovern is not someone to mess with lightly."
Dozens of shoppers and tourists saw the violence in Waterloo Place. Tour buses were picking up and dropping off holidaymakers nearby.
McGovern was slashed at 12.30pm as he prepared to board a G4S bus to return to Castle Huntly open jail after home leave.
He was jailed for almost 17 years in 2009 for dealing heroin in the capital – and for firing a shotgun at a pub in a warning to a rival.
McGovern arrived in Waterloo Place in a £42,000 Mercedes. It parked behind the prison bus.
His fiancee Jade Cameron, 29, was in the car when he was attacked. Staff at her beauty salon in Edinburgh said she wasn't working yesterday
A witness said: "The man got out of the car and looked around for a few seconds, then opened the back passenger door and leaned inside as if he was picking something up.
"Two men in running clothes ran over and one of them leaned inside the car. There seemed to be a struggle in the back.
"Then the two men sprinted off down the middle of the street at full pelt. The man ran after them, shouting.
"Blood was running down his face and body. His T-shirt was soaked with it. It looked like he'd been stabbed in the neck or the back of his head.
"A woman got out of the Mercedes and started shouting, 'You b******s!' She was screaming hysterically.
"Everyone on the street seemed frozen. No one could believe what they were seeing."
The attackers ran a short distance to a white Skoda Rapid driven by an accomplice. It then raced away – but only after the pair struggled to get in.
Another witness said: "The car was being driven along about 200 yards from the Mercedes. It slowed a bit but the men were running alongside with their hands on the door handles, trying frantically to open them.
"One of them was shouting in a Scottish accent, "Let us in the f****** car!
"After a few seconds, they managed to get the doors open and the car sped off.
"The driver had a scarf covering the bottom of his face."
The attackers wore baseball caps and sunglasses. One could clearly be seen carrying a knife as they ran to the getaway car, which drove off east along Waterloo Place.
McGovern walked back to the Mercedes after chasing the attackers. Members of the public hurried to help him as he held a grey top to his head to try to stem the flow of blood.
He paced around, agitated, as people tried to tend to him.
Then he slumped down against a wall, his face white. He sat saying little, looking tired and grimacing in pain.
Police quickly arrived in force in three cars and two vans and cordoned off the scene. Uniformed officers directed the traffic and detectives began speaking to witnesses.
An ambulance drew up at about 12.45. Paramedics treated McGovern on the pavement then brought a fold-up chair out of the ambulance to lift him inside. But he was able to walk into the vehicle with help.
McGovern, 32, was back in Castle Huntly last night after hospital treatment for his wounds.
A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said: "We don't comment on individual prisoners."
An underworld source told the Daily Record the attackers clearly knew when McGovern would arrive to catch the bus back to jail.
They added: "They obviously targeted him when he was out because it's hard to find someone to carry out a hit in Castle Huntly.
"The inmates are near the end of their sentences and won't risk jeopardising their release. McGovern is a hard man and he's respected in jail. He's had little bother."
Police appealed for witnesses to the attack. Detective Sergeant Neil Spowart of Gayfield CID said: "This part of the city centre, just past the east end of Princes Street, was very busy at lunchtime with shoppers and visitors.
"I want to speak to anyone who was in the area and may have seen the assault, or the two men beforehand or afterwards."
McGovern is behind bars after firing two rounds from a shotgun outside the Gauntlet Bar in Broomhouse, Edinburgh, in 2008.
It was a warning to rival Jamie Hyland, a regular at the pub. McGovern got six years and nine months for the gun attack and 10 years for running a heroin empire in Edinburgh.
Judge Lord Turnbull told him at the sentencing hearing: "You were at the head of a very profitable and large-scale enterprise."


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14th-15th c.: How Powder and Ball etc. Were Kept Before Powder Flasks Appeared
12 Attachment(s)
As both additional and preliminary notes to my thread on earliest trapezoid powder flasks of the 16th c.,
I would like to post the few earliest sources of period artwork depicting vessels like bags, belt pouches, ammunition chests (Zeugtruhen) and late 15th-early 16th c. powder horns.
Again, this is a subject nobody has cared to do research in so far.
The earliest known dated illustrated sources seems to be as late as the 1480's. Unfortunately, we do not know how arquebusiers carried their ammunition on them for about 100 years before. They must have used some kind of leather bags or pouches though which must have been logically equiped with compartments for powder, balls and wadding - plus some early sort of powder measure for one round.
By the early 16th c., depictions of powder horns, bandoliers and flasks have become quite frequent; such small accouterments did not seem important enough to illustrate during the 14th and 15th centuries although they must have been in use.
Remember: clothes did not have pockets before ca. 1600!
The earliest devices to go and carry ammunition and small accouterments, such as wadding or cleaning tools, seem to have been leather bags and pouches, either worn on the belt or around the shoulder. Early-16th c. arquebusiers are also frequently shown to carry leather 'purses' which actually were belt bags and contained a lot of small compartments, accomplishing manifold purposes and helping the soldier carry all those little things of importance - including ammuntion and tools for his arquebus. In many cases, an additional powder horn and shoulder bandolier with powder measures for each round can be identified.
Powder horns are recorded from the 1480's to the 1530's when flasks - either wooden and trapezoid or wooden and round, as well as of staghorn (antlers) - seem to have taken over.
Interesting enough, powder horns saw a late 18th c. revival as scrimshaw horns in the U.S. colonies.
Attachments, from top to bottom, showing excerpts from
- the Swiss Berne Chronicle, 1483, by Diebold Schilling
- the Lower Bavarian Landshut Armory Inventory (Zeughausinventar), 1485, by Ullrich Beßnitzer (small wooden powder measures, the predecessors of bandoliers!)
- the Tyrolean Maximilian Armory Inventories (Maximilianische Zeugbücher), 1495-1515
- Hans Schäufelein, The Triumphal Procession of the Emperor Maximlian I, ca. 1513
- a North German watercolor of ca. 1515-20, in the Museum of the Fürstentum Lüneburg
- the Löffelholz ms, Nuremberg, ca. 1525-30, depicting a shooting range with an ammunition chest and powder measures and - in color - all the many arquebusier's accouterments!
- the Battle of Pavia, 1525, in a painting by Ruprecht Heller in the National Museum Stockholm, and a series of Brussels tapestries in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples
- The Battle of Alesia, Bavaria, 1533, by Melchior Feselen
- Nuremberg Landsknecht woodcuts of the 1530's
- a Swiss Landsknecht watercolor by Johann v. Schwarzenberg, 1530's-40, Kantonsbil. Appenzell, CM ms. 13, 54r
12 Attachment(s)
The remaining attachments.
8 Attachment(s)
And the rest, including
- a stone sculpture of an arquebusier and his horn, ca. 1490-1500, in the cathedral in Chartreuse, France
- and a painting of the Resurrection, from the Herscheider Altar, ca. 1510, in Burg Altena, depicting an arquebusier with his leather belt bag, small round priming flask worn on the chest, and powder horn
The First Cartridges!
3 Attachment(s)
I addition to the attachments from the shooting rage of ca. 1520-30 posted above, depicted in the Löffelholz manuscript, I wish to point out some details.
The first close-up attached shows an arquebusier's ammunition chest containing a couple of loads (Ladungen) explictly labeled as comprising powder and ball in the description (!), spare powder in the drawer on the left, and balls assorted at the bottom.
This makes this tiny bottled load (illustrated not to scale because it was important for the Late-medieval artist!) the ancestor of paper cartridges which are recorded by at least the midldle of the 16th c.
Illustrated on the right is a powder bucket, and a funnel for fiilling the powder below.
Another close-up of such a bottled load is attached.
For more information, please refer to my related threads and posts:
6 Attachment(s)
In the Museo d'Arti Applicate (Museum of Applied Arts), Milan, there is a highly interesting and small, beveled container of thin, embossed and blued/browned iron, the top fitted with a hinged lid, the sides fitted with four loops for suspension.
It is dated 18th c. by the museum and believed to have been used for grenades.
Its measurements are 19 x 18 x 11 cm, at a weight of 60 grams.
Stylistic comparisons clearly denote that the riveted petaled decoration on the lid is characteristic of the Late-Gothic period, 15th c., corresponding to the decoration on a huge number of wooden caskets and chests, mostly West or North German or French.
In my eyes, this little portable container was most probably meant to carry the ammunition of an arquebusier: a forerunner of mid-16th c. cartridge boxes.
3 Attachment(s)
The Battle of Pavia, 1525, revisited.
Three details from an attachment to post #2, a Brussels tapestry in the Museo di Capodimonte Naples, showing the top mounts of early powder horns comprising nozzle and vertical cut-off measure.
2 Attachment(s)
This is the oldest known large powder horn (29 cm) that ever occurred to me, ca. 1540-60.
The basal plate on the iron top mount shows a Late-Gothic embossed and curved decoration and a combined spring-loaded top lever and cap, on the underside (belly) there is a spanner for a wheellock.
All the iron mounts retain a lot of their original blueing, the item is heavily patinated overall.
Sold Czerny's, 16.2.2002, lot 266.
7 Attachment(s)
Two more Late-Gothic German ammunition chests/caskets partitioned for various accouterments are illustrated in the Kunst- und Wunderbuch (Book of Arts, Crafts and Miracles), Weimar, ca. 1520.
Please note small leather pouches (for bullets?) and longish measures in the fist chest, a very early ball mold in the second, plus another similar mold!
3 Attachment(s)
A Swiss musketeers bandolier, ca. 1600-30, featuring the unusually small number of only five wooden and leather-covered powder measures, plus a priming flask with tapering nozzle, a ball pouch and a length of characteristically 'stiff' Swiss matchcord (Wittstock, Museum of the Thirty Years War, from Fischer, Lucerne).
3 Attachment(s)
When regarding representations like the ones in post #1, reading descriptions such as leatherin pulvertaschen (Old German for leather powder bags), we may resume that the arquebusier of ca. 1500 just reached with his hand into his powder bag, grabbed a portion of powder and rammed it down the barrel of his arquebus together with the ball. Most probably he basically carried a small powder measure in that bag as well.
By the early 17th century, the musketeers trousers had integral pockets, and we know of inofficial reports of early-Thirty Years War soldiers who, instead of using the flask or bandolier, just grabbed a portion of powder from their pants pockets, thus being quicker on the reload than others obeying the strict rules. How many cruel accidents may have happened that way we can all but speculate. And of course, with no wad to hold the sub-caliber rolling ball in the barrel, they could not fire downhill without losing the ball ...
For early 16th c. arquebusier's bandeliers with small powder measures of tinned iron etc., please see
4 Attachment(s)
Here are two characteristic so-called soldier's 'purses', although the term 'purse' is way too narrowly considered and short-sighted.
Only the few small pouches with pull cords were meant for coins, while the other compartments had to hold all the tiny everyday things - in a period before ca. 1600 when pockets in garments had not been invented! For an arquebusier, accouterments like powder, wadding, pieces of cloth, a little bottle with oil and cleaning tools like a worm and a scourer were indispensable.
So, as I pointed out in my book
the term 'side bag' or 'belt bag' is more apt.
Both these bags were made in Nuremberg, ca. 1525-30. The first features some tricky and really cunning hidden mechanics to correctly open the iron frame, plus 8 compartments for various utensils and 5 pouches for coins; it once was in my collection. The second I photographed in the GNM (Germanic National Museum) Nuremberg.
Hi Michael,
a very nice purse indeed (and of course as I am especially interested in all things leather)!
While you are certainly right for the most part, for the record there actually is a leather jerkin found in the wreck of the ship Mary Rose (sank 1545) that has a single pocket on the inside of the jerkin's left flap (Julie Gardiner: Before the Mast: Life and Death Aboard the Mary Rose (The Archaeology of the Mary Rose). p39).
Hi Martin,
Alright, a jerkin made for a certain soldier and for a special purpose may be the proverbial exception that proves the rule. :)
1 Attachment(s)
Medieval german Containers for medicines looks like powder measures from Landshut Armory Inventory (Zeughausinventar) 1485
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Do these issues plague your business?
o Messy IT inventory and un-structured Network? Is yours perceived as a "necessary evil" and not as integral to improving business performance?
o Security fear? Worried that vulnerable servers, laptops or PCs may be putting your organization at potentially devastating risk? Heard of Ransomware?
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• Ashley Hasti, 31, married Mainak Sarkar on June 14, 2011. The couple were together for another year and then separated.
• She was a student at the University of Minnesota Medical School and a former tutor at North Hennepin Technical College.
• In a 2013 Facebook post, Hasti wrote "Second year med school is great and all, but I keep having dreams where I'm being diagnosed in the doctor's office with the disease I'm studying."
• Brooklyn Park police discovered Hasti's body at 12:35 a.m. Thursday after her name was found on a "kill list" Sarkar left in his St. Paul apartment. She died of an apparent gunshot wound, according to a Brooklyn Park police official.
• Hasti first enrolled at the University of Minnesota Medical School in 2012. In 2008, she received a bachelor's degree from the U in Asian languages and literature, a U spokesman said.
• She attended a one-year post-baccalaureate pre-med program at Scripps College in California from 2009-2010. That's when she met Sarkar, who was getting his Ph.D. at UCLA. Her Facebook page shows photos of Sarkar in an album, "Last Days in LA" that she posted in May 2011 around the time she was posting several albums. Included in the 129 photos in the LA album is one of the "Engineering IV" building at UCLA where Sarkar's former professor William Klug was killed in his office.
• Public records show that the home where Hasti's body was found is owned by her father, Wayne. A neighbor said Ashley lived there with her father, "but they weren't around very often." Her mother died at the age of 49 in May 2011.


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What Your Farm Insurance Should Cover
Agricultural insurance or farm insurance saves farmers and those participating in agri-business from losses sustained by natural catastrophes. Policies under this insurance are ordered to protect the basic needs of the homestead. This is particularly important for farmers because their farms are both home and business in their opinion. Once the farms are damaged or destroyed, the farmers will be left with no home and money. Farm bureau insurance may spare them, but there isn't anything like a full policy agricultural insurance.
Get More Info here Farm Insurance Delta
What are the things that should be paid for by a good farm insurance plan? There are several, and a great insurance covers them all. However, it is typical for most insurance packages to pay only three or two out of the many conditions. The best solution for farmers is to ascertain exactly what they most want and receive the insurance which covers this specific need. It can be harvest insurance, homestead insurance, or automobile insurance. To give you a clue about the probable requirements an insurance provider might offer, below are some ideas of the possible insurance policy.
You are more valuable than your own farm so make certain you obtain an insurance with terms for pest control. These provisions protect you from accidents sustained during farm work like falls, burns, or even pesticide poisoning. Additionally, these provisions protect your house from harm so long as the damage was sustained in the course of farm work or natural disaster. These plantation insurance provisions protect your premises in instances like flood, fire, or hurricanes.
Farm property provisions cover damages to selected properties like livestock. This is very critical for farms and farmers residing in hurricane, tornado, and landslide-prone areas. Statistics reveal that a large percentage of those casualties during those calamities are mostly livestock such as horses and cows, which do not have evacuation choices. A kind of farm bureau insurance generally covers this risks.
Some plantation insurance policies have provisions for the specific protection of their homestead and everything within it. These provisions protect the farmer from losses sustained due to home damages such as leaks and theft. If your farm stands on the far side of town where there aren't many neighbors to watch on your property if you're away, you may want to consider embracing this ailment.
Farm vehicles and equipment have been put to demanding work regularly. Thus, they are prone to breaking down. This translates to big costs for the farmer. If you would like to prevent this situation, consider including this condition in your insurance policies. Even better, consider getting a extensive farm automobile insurance to protect yourself from financial damage as a result of broken machines and equipment. Farm insurance is an asset, but only in the event that you understand how to choose them wisely.
To know more about Farm Insurance Surrey


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Power BI – Tips for a successful rollout
The Power BI toolset from Microsoft is changing the game in the data visualisation space. With major monthly releases building on the functionality and rapidly incorporating new features, combined with its competitive pricing we are seeing many clients dipping their toes into the world of Power BI.
Altis surveyed some of our Power BI users to collect feedback on their experience of rolling out the tool and to share some of the lessons they learnt along the way.
Not everyone is aware that PowerBI is a fully Cloud based solution. While PowerBI Desktop offers local development, the final published reports and dashboards are pushed into the cloud on the powerbi.microsoft.com website. This means ensuring you engage with the right people in your organisation for architecture, data security and infrastructure in advance so that everyone comes on the journey. Validate your security requirements early on and continue to validate regularly with key users after the initial roll out.
Microsoft are working on an on-premise version which according to their roadmap will first be an enhancement to Datazen.
The competitive pricing of Power BI Pro opens it up to a larger potential audience than compared to traditional business intelligence tools. Self-service may be completely new and users may not be familiar with some of the underlying data modelling concepts. We recommend setting up a Power BI user group and use creative ways to encourage people to join and participate. For example, have a "report of the month" competition; promote knowledge sharing to bring everyone up to the same level of understanding and make it easy to access current documentation and FAQs. https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/support/
There are differences between the Free and Pro versions which is worth becoming familiar with so as not to be limited down the line.
As people can build their own reporting on a mix of data sources, you may have varying degrees of trust around the different reports being published. A great suggestion from one client is to put in place a folder structure that attaches a level of trust or confidence against reports and dashboards. For example:
- Gold – Built on trusted data sources with reporting that has been system and UAT tested and approved
- Silver – Reporting is on trusted sources and individual users have tested, but it hasn't gone through the full testing and approval cycle
- Bronze – Reports are built on sources that are not yet validated and approved
Have a central approval team and have clear instructions that document the approval process. Leverage the Power BI user group to contact users with "silver" of "bronze" reports and encourage them to move their reports through the cycle.
Communicate and have a process around managing the monthly Power BI updates
Microsoft have a very good blog that lists all the new features and updates being released at https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/, as well as a forum for suggesting ideas on how Power BI can be improved. Our experience is that Microsoft are being very responsive to client feedback and some of our clients who have posted ideas have now seen this new functionality released and they are able to leverage it in their dashboards.
Join the conversation
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Woman accused of embezzlement from local clinic
A former employee at the WIlson Family Planning Clinic is accused of embezzling over $90,000 while she was an administrator.
Dana Marie Wilson, 62, was arrested last week and charged with a third-degree felony theft. She was out of Wichita County Jail Saturday afternoon on $5,000 bail.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit:
An employee with Wilson Family Planning Clinic contacted police to report embezzlement by a former program administrator. The person said an audit was performed in July of 2016 during the merger of the clinic with the North Central Texas Medical Foundation while Wilson was the administrator.
The audit revealed Wilson had used her position as an administrator to access and manipulate the payroll system to give herself excessive paid time off and sick time hours. The hours claimed were in excess of the time accrued by Wilson.
According to WIlson's contract, any change to her salary required board approval. WIlson didn't seek board approval for the payment of the unaccrued time to avoid being caught.
A report from a certified public accountant showed a loss from 2011 to 2016 of $90,260 through theft by Wilson supplementing her base pay by manipulating paid time off and sick time hours. Wilson withdrew the funds by writing checks to herself through the use of the payroll system.
The affidavit also notes the theft amount doesn't include the employer-matched funds into Wilson's 403(B) retirement account. Employees' annual earnings are matched at a percentage.


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Find local maxima in the image that may be seeds for a segmentation.
EXAMPLES Server: 99_Community/01_Image_Processing/01_Tutorials/02_Application_Tutorials/10_Find_Seeds/01_Find_Seeds99_Community/01_Image_Processing/01_Tutorials/02_Application_Tutorials/10_Find_Seeds/01_Find_Seeds*
Download a zip-archive
* Find more about the Examples Server here.
The link will open the workflow directly in KNIME Analytics Platform (requirements: Windows; KNIME Analytics Platform must be installed with the Installer version 3.2.0 or higher). In other cases, please use the link to a zip-archive or open the provided path manually


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Harajuku trio stepping out on the street in mixed casual streetwear looks.
80s Japanese Street FashionBrowsing
Harajuku teen sporting a bright and colorful 1980-inpsired style while out and about on the street.
Harajuku guy in colorful casual streetwear style.
Japanese students sporting colorful kawaii looks while out and about on the street in Harajuku.
Harajuku teen wearing a zip up jacket, corduroy pants, white sneakers, purple backpack and cap, and glasses.
Harajuku student in colorful retro fashion wearing a pink jacket, a purple t-shirt, yellow shorts, knee high socks, white sneakers, a backpack, badges, and a My Pet Monster plush toy.
Harajuku teens in purple sweater fashion with pink denim pants, cuffed jeans, black sneakers, platform sneakers, zebra print backpack and a round chain bag.
Harajuku guy in a red and black layered outfit with maxi skirt and headband.


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Inflating Fund Performance
The Securities and Exchange Commission announces charges for New York-based investment adviser Premium Point Investments LP. The charges are for inflating fund performance. Altogether, the firm inflates the value of private funds it advises, by hundreds of millions of dollars. The SEC charges Premium Point's CEO and chief investment officer Anilesh Ahuja. In like manner, the SEC charges Amin Majidi, a former portfolio manager at the firm, and former trader Jeremy Shor.
According to the SEC's complaint, the scheme's duration lasts for roughly six months. The high-level scam relies on a secret deal. Specifically, within the confines of the deal, the firm exchanges trades to a broker-dealer, in return for inflated broker quotes for mortgage-backed securities (MBS). Not to mention, the defendants use "imputed" mid-point valuations. Undoubtedly, the valuations prove useful for further inflating the value of the securities. For context, the aforementioned practice allegedly boosts the value of many of Premium Point's MBS holdings and further exaggerates investment returns. Finally, the complaint alleges the defendants overstate the funds' value in order to conceal poor fund performance, and attract and retain investors.
"Investors rely on their investment advisers to fairly and accurately value securities, and that is especially true when the securities trade in opaque markets," said Daniel Michael, Chief of the Enforcement Division's Complex Financial Instruments Unit. "As we allege, Premium Point masked its true performance, which denied investors the opportunity to make informed investment decisions."
Serious Implications Realized
The SEC's complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, charges the defendants with fraud, with aiding and abetting fraud, or both. The SEC complaint seeks permanent injunctions, return of all ill-gotten gains with interest, and civil penalties. Correspondingly, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York charges Ahuja, Majidi, and Shor.


text: Composing argumentative essay is merely a piece of cake if you're familiar with its vital capacities. Most of all, don't overlook that exercise is as vital as writing the authentic essay. Authorship is only a tough task for many. Also the writers must have a blue Continue reading "Making Money on the Internet"


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- #1
- 194
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I need some quick bits of info regarding solubility. How do I determine whether one substance is more or less soluble than another substance? I know to look at the solubility rules but other than that, what characteristics and properties should I be looking at? Also, how do I determine between two substances how soluble antoher substance will be? For instance, would boric acid be more soluble in ethanol or in benzene? And I know that the larger the ion, the lower the energy of hydration but what about Mg2+ and Al3+?


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Latest News!
Welcome to my website. I'm Harley: Actor, Writer, Mom, Green-eyed (bleach) blond, Aquarius-with-Pisces-rising, non-native Californian, vegetarian, caffeine junkie, lover of Shakespeare, Sondheim, Stoppard, Spock & Kirk, Mulder & Scully, Watson & Holmes, dogs and cats, French & Italian, Dr. Seuss, Dr. Who, yoga, running, naps, Richard Feynman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Robert Sapolsky, Byron Katie, 007, Tina Packer, Ram Dass, tap dancing, tango, Costco, the New Yorker, New York, New Orleans, London, Paris, Bing cherries, double espresso, rain, ghost stories, string instruments, string theory, Adrienne Rich, Obi Wan Kenobi, Georgette Heyer, Virginia Woolf, Captain Jack Sparrow, Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, Christmas, full moons, new moons, old boyfriends, shooting stars, checkerboards, jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, labyrinths, Halloween, magic, fairy tales, the 12 steps, space heaters, seances, geniuses, comic books, Krav Maga, Aikido, Susan Peirce Thompson, Junie B. Jones, grand pianos, popcorn, clocks, poems, Winnie-the-Pooh, gel pens, heated pools, Randy Rainbow, libraries, train stations, trains, hot air balloons, blue jeans, children's choirs, memories of my mother, Central Park, Topanga Canyon, candle light, twilight, fancy fonts, my kids, other people's kids, and anything that makes me laugh. This is not a comprehensive list.
Join Harley's Newsletter!
I've never written one before, but this could change at any moment.
And on the plus side, I won't be cluttering your in-box very often.
Note: this is a private list—your email address will not be shared,
and you can easily unsubscribe at any point.


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2011 Tige R20
2011 Tige R20 $41,000.00
(Click the picture to see more pictures of this boat.)
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Draft: 2′
Condition: Excellent
Found on Page: http://www.WPRocket.org/used-boats/index1.htm
Original Listing: http://BoatsForSaleByOwners.net/94059


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For special creative projects, licensing enquiries and commissions please email directly to firstname.lastname@example.com Please include detail (including timeframes) about the proposed project in your initial email.
You can see the latest artwork from Corokia Studio here:
If you purchase from Corokia Studio please take a photo and use the hashtag #corokiastudio on social media to show how it looks in your home or office. Thanks!


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Leadership Inspirations Activities
Send a message around the room as accurately as possible
10 minutes
Team Stage
Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing
Type Of Activity
Icebreaker, Game, Experiential Activity
Short Story Prepared
Groups focus on communicating clearly and effectively as they pass a message from person to person around the room.
- Have a short story prepared for participants to read.
- Have enough space for your group to sit in two separate circles.
- Split into two groups and have each group each pick one person to remember a story.
- Take the two people aside and have them silently read the story.
- Use a short children's story of no more than a few paragraphs and give them five minutes to try to memorize it.
- After five minutes, have them go back to their group and quietly recite the story to one member of the group.
- Once they are done, that person must pass the story on to another member of the group.
- This continues until everyone has heard the story.
- Have the last person recite the story that they heard and then read the original story to the group to see what changed along the way!
- Instead of using a story, use a shorter but random or silly phrase.
- If you would like to keep your group together for this activity, consider starting a telephone phrase at two different points in the circle, and have them pass in opposite directions.
- You can also try Telephone Pictionary.
- What was the goal of this activity?
- Did your group do well? What could have improved?
- How did your group make decisions? Was it effective or ineffective?
- How did your group manage conflict that arose?
So What?
- Who are you currently accountable for as an individual and a group? Who holds you accountable?
- What is effective accountability? Are our methods as a group effective?
- What role do you play in your own accountability and the group accountability?
- Are we the only ones that define our purpose? What or who influences our purpose?
- How do we communicate our purpose to new members or people outside of our group?
- Why is it important that we all understand the purpose of our group/activity/etc.?
- Why is feedback important? What kind of feedback is important?
- What does constructive/effective feedback look like?
- How did positive/negative/or no feedback affect your success?
Now What?
- What does this activity tell you about the strengths of your group? The areas for improvement?
- What's one commitment each person can make?
- What are three lessons the group has learned that they can continue to work on?
- How can we implement these lessons in our school/organization?
- What can you do differently moving forward?


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Holiday Hypermarket: Mancunian Travellers Seek Out Holidays in Cancun
30 Jan, 2012, 08:00 GMT
LONDON, January 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
- Holiday comparison community say travellers from Manchester are choosing Cancun over all other holiday destinations -
Holiday Hypermarket, a UK based holiday comparison community, say that holidaymakers from Manchester are choosing to fly to Cancun more than any other destination, taking the lead over holidays to Cuba and other popular far flung destinations. Data collected by Holiday Hypermarket showed that the Mexican region is the most popular with Mancunian travellers, accounting for a large percentage of overall bookings.
Over 400 flights carrying Holiday Hypermarket travellers left from Manchester airport in the first three weeks of January 2012 and flights to Cancun accounted for 7 per cent of the total. Holidays to Tenerife were its nearest contender but slightly less popular, amounting to 5 per cent of bookings. Holiday Hypermarket say the popularity of holidays to Cancun with Mancunians marks a recent shift in the city's booking habits that can be traced back to the its burgeoning youth culture.
Calum MacDonald, Online Marketing Manager for Holiday Hypermarket, comments: "It's no surprise to us at Holiday Hypermarket that Cancun's popularity with Mancunian travellers is on the rise. Cancun is known for its extremely lively nightlife, which is a big draw for young travellers from the city. When you consider that Manchester is home to a huge number of young professionals as well as one of the UK's largest student population, it's clear why this makes Cancun the destination of choice for Mancunians.
"On top of the fantastic nightlife in Cancun, Mayan ruins are but a stone's throw away for curious travellers, while the stunning white sand beaches and beautiful weather are enticing for those looking to escape big city living and Manchester's famously moist climate. Holidays to the Mexican Caribbean coast are getting cheaper all the time, making visiting this destination increasingly affordable for young travellers and ensuring Cancun's popularity will continue to climb in 2012."
About Holiday Hypermarket:
Holiday Hypermarket (http://www.holidayhypermarket.co.uk/) is a UK based holiday comparison community. We are passionate about helping people in the UK explore, learn and enjoy the world by removing the obstacles that keep them from getting the most out of their holidays. We do this by providing a completely independent travel comparison site that allows you to effortlessly find the best deals with the assistance of a knowledgeable community of fellow travellers who love to share travel advice.
With Holiday Hypermarket you have access to a huge number of travel suppliers which will help you put together flexible, restriction free, itineraries. This, combined with our excellent customer service and vibrant online community, makes Holiday Hypermarket a great place to start exploring the world.
SOURCE Holiday Hypermarket


text:
We are an Italian company that promotes a project born in 1990. Our brand "solidsteel" is specialized in the making of racks, cabinets, audio stands, speaker stands and wall-shelves for Hi-Fi, High-End, Video and Pro Audio components.
A smart and free tool designed for choosing the best racks and speaker stands for your AV System.
Click here. Give it a try, thank you!


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~ Enterprise & Marketing Consultants ~
are a creative entrepreneurial and consulting business.
New Venture Start-up & Venture Capital Services
|Starting up a new business venture?
|The Best in the Business can provide you with valuable services
in the following areas -
We normally restrict our dealings in venture capital to lots of US$0.5 to US$5 million. We are particularly interested in start-ups in new non-IT hi-tech, and in (broadly)
To process your application, we will need to receive a copy of your business plan for evaluation. Your plan should be accompanied by a bank cheque / IMO for US$240 or equivalent, being our initial reading fee. Please mail these to -
Our reading fee is non-refundable.
Should your business plan be inadequate, either because of incompetent presentation or because the proposal is assessed as non-viable, we will return it with comments, and expect that you will resubmit a revised plan, or engage us to produce one. We offer a creative strategic venture structuring service, allied with business plan production and proposal writing services. Typical fees for these services start at US$100 (AU$160) per hour.
If we assess your plan as adequate, and of a viable opportunity, we will ask you to provide any further information required, and to associate that into the plan before it is progressed further. For this reason we suggest that you preserve the original business plan text etc as a word-processing file on floppy disc.
We develop plans based on client perception of opportunity and aspirations, and our own and supplied research. Our unique marketing advantage in this - our competitive edge - is our superior ability to generate a highly creative structure for the venture, along with appropriate and equally creative strategies; aimed at optimising the mechanisms for exploiting the opportunity as well as optimising the venture's attractiveness to an investor. For our client venture capital companies we also provide the reverse - production of insightful and incisive critical summaries and evaluations of business plans submitted to them.
We usually produce business plans in two parts -
We must advise you that most venture capital providers will want to have a voice in the direction of the venture. Since these people will tend to be individuals with a background of success in your industry, they will have experience and contacts that will be of great potential benefit to your project, and so we suggest that you make such an application for participation most welcome in your proposed business structure.
Once a venture capital provider expresses interest in your project, you will be given the opportunity to meet in order to discuss the project together. A representative from The Best in the Business will be available to attend this meeting, to provide you with support, should you require it, at standard consultancy rates. Again, should you require it, consultancy is available from us to negotiate terms and conditions, and to assist in set-up, at similar fee rates.
Our success fee is a modest three (3) per cent of the capital negotiated, up to US1.5 million; plus two (2) per cent on the sum from US$1.5 million up to US$5 million, payable at first delivery of funds. For above $5 million, terms will be negotiated. In certain cases, we are prepared to accept equity in the venture in lieu of part or all of our success fee.
Once the venture is funded, we are available to act as mentor, providing hands-on expertise and access to our network of business contacts. This service is usually charged for at a per-hour rate of AU$120 - $180 (plus costs) depending on the nature of our involvement.
The Best in the
ABN 64 405 807 493 © Hugh O'Connor, Australia, 2002


text:
Cock rings are one of the simplest sex aids around. Cock rings work by preventing blood from flowing back down the penis, which in turn helps to make erections feel harder and last longer than normal, making your enjoyment last longer and orgasm more likely. Gentle and safe, cock rings are a great alternative to libido enhancing pills and delay sprays.
Cock rings are also available with clitoral stimulators attached in the shape of little spikes or nobbles, but more excitingly you can buy vibrating cock rings. Providing special sensations to both partners, these mini male sex toys should be an essential in every bedside drawer.


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A NEW £30,000 piece of community artwork is to be unveiled in the Midlands to mark the end of a £2 million revamp of a canal network.
The work, a sculpture entitled Cycle of Life, is to be sited at Catshill Junction, in Brownhills, where the Daw End and the Wyrley and Essington canals meet.
British Waterways commissioned the sculpture from local artists Ron Thompson and Julie Edwards but nearby residents were heavily involved in its design.
It is a semi-circle of cast iron, bearing pictures of historic canalside scenes, which when reflected in the water makes up a full circle to represent the past and future of Brownhills.
Walsall Mayor Coun John Cook and his mayoress, Lynn Staffiere, will unveil the work on December 12.
British Waterways project manager Jenny Allen, who has been responsible for co-ordinating the project, said: "We really have had the backing of the entire community in creating this sculpture and we are delighted it has finally been completed"


text:
Michael Harrington
Los Angeles, California, US
Los Angeles, California, US
Startup Experience
First time founder
About Michael
I am looking for an OSN programmer/developer and blockchain engineer to play a key role in a social media platform that addresses creative digital content. The idea is to combine several web 2.0 technologies in a unique way, but the OSN is the key element. A deep interest in any creative digital technologies including music, photography, video, eBook authoring, design, etc. is highly desired.
The startup co. is called tuka. Here is the landing page with our mission statement and basic outline of the business model:
Create, Share, Connect - it's what the digital economy's all about. - Self
Teaching fellow/ Visiting lecturer
September 1990 - August 2000
UCLA Anderson School of Management
MBA Finance
1982 - 1982
PhD, Political Science
1998 - 1998
Bixel Exchange - Los Angeles


text: Discover the future of mobility with BMW i, which offers models with both all-electric engines and plug-in hybrids. Together, these two options allow drivers to find their perfect electric driving solution, whether it's for everyday adventures or hitting the open road. With BMW i, there's never been a better time to drive electric.


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Hosting Provider:
For a few years now, I've hosted all my severs with Linode. They are great.
In the past, I've had shared hosting plans, Virtual Private Servers (VPS), and full blown dedicated servers with many different providers. So why Linode? Well, for starters, they are priced right. I can spin up a 1024 virtual host (1gb of memory) for $10/mo https://www.linode.com/pricing. That's hard to beat. They also make it easy to scale the servers vertically, I can in a matter if minutes add resources to an individual Linode with ease. Making it easy to grow with traffic increases.
Linode provides a great API allowing me to automate things like Linode resizes, DNS changes and server reboots programmatically. Since I've been with them, they've more than doubled the resources provided to a single Linode, and have preformed HUGE network and infrastructure updates. Including generous chunks of space on SSD arrays. I can't say enough good things about Linode. If you are in the market for hosting, I'd seriously encourage you to check them out.
Note: I've not been compensated in any way for this article by Linode, however if you'd like to thank me for pointing you their way feel free to signup using my referral code:
Operating System:
Now that I've selected the location for the servers the first step was to provision them, a few clicks in the Linode account manager, and I had 3 simple installs of Ubuntu 14.04 (the current long term release from Ubuntu). I know there are those of you who would fault me for going with Ubuntu over CentOS or Redhat or any of the many other perfectly fine Linux Distro's out there (and believe me there are many and I've used them and they are all fine). I choose to stick with Ubuntu because that's what I've used for years, and it has worked for me.
I started with completely blank servers, and began the setup process. I configured all 3 to have 1 public and 1 private (internal to Linodes network) IP address. I gave each machine a descriptive name; LoadBalancer, webserver1, and webserver2. I also setup a DNS entry for each server in Linode's DNS Manager to make it easier to connect to and test each server independently.
I gave each server a through test and ensured connectivity from each to each, making sure each server could talk to both the public and private IPs of each of the other servers in the cluster.
Once I was satisfied that the networking was stable, I configured SSH. Since by default Linode assigns a root password for each server, I decided to lock that down. I uploaded my SSH Keys (both public and private) to /root/.ssh and configured ssh to only accept logins for root with a Key. I could go through the setup process for all of this here, but the basics are covered for it over in the Ubuntu Community Pages: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SSH/OpenSSH/Configuring. It's always wise to disable root access completely or at least have it protected by a strong password and SSH key based encryption.
Server Software:
The next step was configuring the software. The first is to ensure the operating system and installation sources are up to date.
Two simple commands to do this:
apt-get install update
apt-get install upgrade
This ensures that you have the latest versions of the core Ubuntu packages ready and at your disposal.
Step 2 Install Apache:
Another single command to install Apache and any dependent packages.
apt-get install apache2
We should always check each step to be sure it's working, going back to figure out what we missed or what didn't work after several steps makes troubleshooting a nightmare. To check that Apache is alive and serving pages, simply navigate to the public IP of the server in your browser, something along the lines of http://188.8.131.52, if you did what I did and assigned a DNS entry for each server you could also navigate to that address (eg. http://webserver1.example.com). You should be greeted by a simple "It Works!" page from Apache.
Step 3 PHP Install:
Next step install PHP:
apt-get install php5 libapache2-mod-php5
That command installs PHP, the Apache PHP module. Again, lets test that to make sure it worked. To do this I delete the basic "It Works!" page provided by Apache usually stored at /var/www/html . I replace all the contents there with a single php page named phpinfo.php.
The contents of this page should be
Then we test that out by again navigating to the server in the browser (eg. http://webserver1.example.com/phpinfo.php) which should give you a chunk of data about your PHP installation. Feel free to take a read through the stuff there. Lots of interesting tidbits.
So now that we have Apache and php working well together, I like to add in a few common PHP Modules. Your needs may vary, but I find that I want at least the PHP GD module (for image manipulation), the MCrypt module, which handles cryptography functions for PHP, and the CURL library, which is used for communication with other servers. You may want to install others, or may not even need these. The nice thing is it's always easy to add them later if you find you need one.
apt-get install php5-mcrypt php5-gd php5-curl
Just to be sure we are still ok, we will restart Apache
service apache2 restart
And just for warm fuzzies, lets pull up that phpinfo page again (eg. http://webserver1.example.com/phpinfo.php) to be sure installing those modules didn't break things.
Step 4 Install MySQL:
Lets install MySQL, and the Apache and PHP modules.
apt-get install mysql-server libapache2-mod-auth-mysql php5-mysql
At some point during the install you should be prompted for a root password, this should again be a secure password. Make sure to store this password somewhere, as you will need it again.
MySQL comes with a few configuration scripts. Lets run them first
You will be prompted for that root password that we set a minute ago. It will prompt you with a few Yes or No questions for a secure installation, you should select yes for all of those, except for maybe changing the root password.
Step 5 Fail2Ban:
Fail2Ban is a great utility, it monitors the logs for multiple servers. I particularly like it for SSH (It can also protect Apache, ProFTP, Postfix, Dovecot, and many more). There are multiple configuration options for it, but I find the the defaults usually work for me. Some people like to make modifications to the config file to setup email notifications, and IP Addresses to ignore. I don't do either of these, I see enough bans in the log that I would get a never ending stream of emails. While I like the idea of reserving a hole for myself by ignoring my IP or the IPs of the other servers, in the event that one of my machines is compromised, it would allow an easy path to compromising the next machine in line, and since the bans automatically expire we can just wait for that in the event we accidentally ban ourselves. More info is available for this in the Ubuntu Community https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Fail2ban
Install Fail2Ban:
apt-get install fail2ban
We can test this pretty easily, ideally from another location, by attempting to SSH into your machine with incorrect credentials. After several incorrect tries, Fail2Ban should add that IP to the Jail (I tested this from my Android phone over 4G so I didn't ban my home IP).
On the server you can check that the IP address has been added to the Jail by running:
iptables -L
That should be enough to get you running with an extra level of protection.
Step 6 Webmin:
I'm sure this one will catch me some flack from the "hardcore" Linux administrators. Generally for administration of my servers, I'll use SSH and issue command line commands to perform nearly all major work, however for some common tasks I find Webmin to be very useful. I like it for reviewing logs, the log viewer has a simple search function ("Only show lines with text"), as well as the ability to limit it to a selectable number of recent lines. Handy for managing CRON jobs, users and groups, MySQL and Apache. I find it much easier to pull up Webmin to make quick changes when I'm away from a computer, than to make a SSH connection from my cell phone. A quick note about Apache, I noticed as of the current versions Webmin 1.700 and Apache 2.4.7, that Webmin still seems to be using the "Allow from All" format for access permissions instead of the newer "Require All Granted" that came with Apache 2.4.
Installation of Webmin is pretty easy, I prefer to install everything using APT if possible, as it provides a simple method of keeping them updated.
First, edit the /etc/apt/sources.list file to add the lines:
deb http://download.webmin.com/download/repository sarge contrib
deb http://webmin.mirror.somersettechsolutions.co.uk/repository sarge contrib
The easiest way to add these lines to the sources list via the command line is to execute:
add-apt-repository 'deb http://download.webmin.com/download/repository sarge contrib'
add-apt-repository 'deb http://webmin.mirror.somersettechsolutions.co.uk/repository sarge contrib'
You'll also need to add the authors GPG key to APT, using the following commands:
cd /root
wget http://www.webmin.com/jcameron-key.asc
apt-key add jcameron-key.asc
Once that is done, have APT update the sources and install webmin.
apt-get update
apt-get install webmin
If everything went smoothly, APT should have installed Webmin and all of it's dependencies, and you can now log in to Webmin at https://webserver1.example.com:10000 . I must point out at this point that Webmin does allow login as root, with out the SSH key restrictions, so it is of vital importance that you have a strong password for the root user, and look into using one of the 2 factor authentication methods built into Webmin.
Finishing Touches:
Now would be a good time to switch over to the Linode Manager and "Imagize" (currently in beta) your new Linode. Linode allows you to save 10gb worth of disk images to be used to image new Linodes, making starting additional Linodes much easier and faster as your new working config is instantly in place. If you are going to continue on with the rest of this guide, setting up multiple load balanced machines, this will be very helpful. I'll get more into that in the next few articles along with setting up file system sync, MySQL replication, and other essentials.


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Do you have a room in your home that just has unbearable glare? You're not alone. And, while knowing that may help you feel a bit better, it doesn't fix the problem. You need a solution for eliminating glare, and we've got a before and after transformation to show you!
Does this Seem Familiar?
It's the morning. Up and ready, you'd like to catch up on some emails with a cup of coffee. The problem? You can't read a single word on the screen, due to the strong glare flooding through your dining room windows. By adding stylish window treatments to this room, not only will you gain a beautiful design element, but also some great functionality you need in your home.
It's Not Just Eliminating Glare...
So many issues can accompany that frustrating glare. Let's chat about the heat. Arizona sunshine is no joke. And, if you have bare windows, all of that heat is going to keep your AC running around the clock. What about the interiors? You love that area rug on your floor. But when it comes time to rearrange the furniture, the flooring will have faded, leaving a large outline. Another concern? You need privacy. Your neighbors don't need a front row view into your home.
Window Treatments Here to Save the Day
Here at Grand Valley Window Coverings, we want to help you! We want to find the perfect solutions for your windows in each of your rooms so we can work on eliminating glare in your day-to-day. These before and after photos are convincing! Finding the ideal shades will be life-changing.
Look! The glare is completely gone. Also notice, it isn't dark in there. Many people think that adding window coverings will cause you to lose all of your natural light. That doesn't have to be the case! We have so many shade options that are great at eliminating glare, but will also light your room well and add to your established style.
Top Down Shades are Perfect
"Have your cake and eat it too?" Top down bottom up shades are a perfect example of having the best of both worlds! These window treatments allow the perfect amount of light coming in toward the ceiling, but also eliminate all the extra heat trying to come into the room. They'll protect the interior of your home from those harsh, furniture fading rays of sunshine. Along with those benefits, you also get to enjoy the view of your beautiful backyard that you've worked so hard for. How amazing is it that you can overlook your yard, but still obtain a level of privacy from all of your neighbors?
Motorized Shades
Smartphones and smart home devices are becoming more and more popular by the day. So why wouldn't you want to be able to connect your blinds and shades to your smart home features, too? With a quick tap on your phone or a few words to your Google Assistant, you can have your shades adjusted before you even enter the room. That means you can relax–without blinding light–in automatic comfort.
Customizable Window Coverings
One of our most attractive features for our window treatments is that they are customizable. Whether you want a classic and timeless look, or modern and crisp, our window treatments can add a clean and stylish element to your home, while also bringing you all the top performing functions.
Grand Valley Window Coverings wants to help you with eliminating glare in your home! Contact us today to get started on finding your ideal window solutions and to set up your FREE in-home consultation.


text: I really like the concept of Literary Detectives having to protect books and their characters. The humor is a bit campy, which is fine by me, but there are few apparent editorial quirks, Dad's role is a bit distracting, and the love interest was so-so. I withhold a more severe commentary until I see where Jasper takes this concept. See my full video book review here!


text:
You Can Only Be Who You Really Are
Have you struggled in the past to accept your weaknesses in the same way you accept your strengths? Or do you still struggle with this today, berating yourself for not being better at being totally self-sufficient, totally well-rounded, totally excellent in all areas of life? What do you think about the idea that perhaps you can't be everything, anything, after all, but you CAN be the most excellent YOU who has ever lived?


text:
- Guaranteed for 2 full months
- Pay by PayPal or Credit Card
- Instant Digital Download
You're one in a million!
Just over two years ago (back in April of 2006) I started a blog here at Digital Photography School with the hope of connecting with others with a passion for digital photography. I knew there were others out there who like me wanted to learn to use their cameras to their fullest potential and get out of Auto Mode and suspected that a blog was the best way to connect with them.
It turns out that my suspicion was right as hundreds of thousands of readers each month have come together here on the blog to learn about how to be better photographers.
Today I'm excited to announce that last month we've reached a new milestone – 1 million unique visitors to this blog in a single month.
We've been closing on the magical 1 million reader mark on the whole site (blog and forum) for a while now but July saw us not only reach it for the combined two areas of the site but also just for the blog itself. Over both areas it was actually just under 1.5 million unique readers! Together you all viewed over 3.4 million pages of digital photography content at DPS in July.
So what did the readers come to DPS to read over the last month? Here's the top 10 most popular posts accessed by readers in July:
Thanks to everyone for being a part of Digital Photography School – I look forward to continued community with you in the coming months!


text:
Because justice for some is no justice at all.
Lakeshore Legal Aid is a not-for-profit law firm providing a range of free civil legal services to people who are low income, seniors, and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in our communities.
Civil Services, Senior Services, Family Law, Domestic Violence and more.
Find Legal Help
Phone Hotline, Walk-In Hours, Community Events, Standing Clinics.
Learn more about what we've been doing, and how we may be able to assist you.
To help Michigan families potentially at risk of eviction, Lakeshore Legal Aid created this 7.5-minute screencast on Michigan's Eviction Diversion Program. Watch the screencast to learn about Michigan's Eviction Diversion Program.
Volunteer Opportunities
Please join Lakeshore Legal Aid by participating in our Eviction Defense Clinic in 36th District Court. In 2017, of the more than 32,000 evictions that were filed in Detroit, only 4.4% of tenants had an attorney.
There is a tremendous need for pro bono attorneys in these cases. Please consider signing up to volunteer for an afternoon.
Training provided.
Legally Speaking
CEO Ashley Lowe hosts important and thought-provoking discussions on critical legal issues that not only educate but impact the communities we serve. Click on the links to view the shows.


text:
He climbed in through the window and then crawled into bed into a home he didn't live in.
GREEN An intoxicated man, who believed he was crawling into his own bed early Sunday morning, not only had the wrong bed, he had the wrong home, according to Summit County Sheriff's deputies.
Deputies say Zachary Ciocca, 22, of Green, told them he believed he was just going into his own home and crawling in bed about 6:45 a.m. Sunday when he accidentally went to the wrong home, according to Inspector William Holland.
Police were called to the Town House Lane residence by a man who said a "very intoxicated" stranger had just climbed in through his window and crawled into bed with him. The man demanded the intruder, later identified as Ciocca, leave, but Ciocca ran into a closet to hide.
Holland said Ciocca was only there a few seconds before the man chased him from the home.
Deputies found Ciocca down the street about 10 minutes later, Holland said.
He was jailed on charges of burglary, criminal damaging and theft.
Holland said while Ciocca also lived in Green, he did not live near the home into which he had climbed and never lived there.
Ciocca remained in the Summit County Jail later Monday.
Reach Lori at 330-580-8309 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
On Twitter: @lsteineckREP


text:
The Bear
Q.1. Describe the quarrel between Smirnove and Popova.
Or Why does Popova call Smirnove Bear and Bourbon?
Or Why does Smirnov demand of her and why? 1997
Or what is the attitude of towards Smirnove?
Smirnov is a landowner and retired army officer. Nicholai, Popova's late husband, had owed him a sum of 120 rubbles before he died. He comes to Popova for the repayment of the loan. She is in her mourning condition and does not deal with money matter. She says that she has no ready cash that time. Moreover, her steward will pay him when he comes from the town.
Smirnov has his own problems. He has to pay interest on a mortgage the next day. If he fails to pay, they will take his estate. Secondly, his debtors avoid him on one excuse or the other. He is filled with rage and insists on getting payment. Popova says that she cannot pay him that day. They both lose temper and assume hard attitude to each other. She forbids him to get inside. But Smirnov does not budge at all. He prefers to stay at her place even if it is for a week or for a year.
Popova is in a great fix. She does not know to deal with such a strong headed person. He becomes just like a rough or ill-mannered person. He shouts and threatens Luka, her servant. He criticizes women. When it all becomes intolerable for her, she calls him a boor, a bear and a monster for many times due to his rough and ill manners. The title bear is named after her word. They both challenge to fight a duel with pistols. Popova does not know how to fire. There is turning point when he tells him he how to fire. During this training they fell in love with each other. 276
Q.2. Explain the life/feelings of Popova after the death of her husband?
Or what kind state of mind is Popova in? 1997
Or Why does Popova shut herself in the four walls of the house?
Popova is a young and beautiful with roses in her cheeks. She becomes widow at the prime of her life. Her husband was a rich land lord of Russia. She loves her husband very much. When the play opens, Popova is in deep mourning. She has fixed her eyes on the photograph of her late husband. She has mourned the death of her husband for seven months. Luka, her servant, wants her to come into lime light and enjoy life but she does not heed to Luka's advice. She declares 'My life is already at an end. He is in his grave, and I have buried myself between four walls. We are both dead.' She feels that life has lost all its meaning for her since her husband died. 'Let his ghost see how well I love him.'
She loves her husband even though he was unfair, cruel and unfaithful. She professes her sincerity and loyalty to her husband by saying, My love will die out with me, only when this poor heart ceases to beat. Nickolas, her husband, deceived and quarrelled with her. He neglected her for weeks. She claims that she loves him in his death and will never forget him though he wasted her money for his own enjoyments. She says that she will not marry anybody till the last moment of her life. She further says as: "This best of men shamelessly deceived me at every step! After his death I found in his desk a whole draw full of love letters." Despite the shameful acts of her husband, she claims that she loves him truly. (Words 270)
Q.3 What are the complaints of Popova against her husband?
Or Why does Popova condemn her husband?
Or Write a note on popova's married life.
Popova is a young and beautiful with roses in her cheeks. She becomes widow at the prime of her life. Her husband was a rich land lord of Russia. She loves her husband very much. She is a loving wife but she is not satisfied with her husband. In her own words she is a good virtuous little wife. She condemns him and has many complaints against him. She says that her husband was unfair, cruel and unfaithful to her. He always deceived and quarrelled with her. She says to Smirnove, I gave him my youth, my happiness and my fortune but this best of men deceived me at every step. He was thankless and satisfied his animal spirits. As a young imaginative woman she loves him sincerely and passionately. But he was not a worthy husband. He led his life like an irresponsible foolish playboy. He made fun of her feelings. He spent her wealth lavishly. He used to leave Popova alone for weeks. She could not enjoy the pleasures of matrimonial life. She says, "He used to make love to other women and betray me before my very eyes." She further says as: "This best of men shamelessly deceived me at every step! After his death I found in his desk a whole draw full of love letters." Despite the shameful acts of her husband, she claims that she loves him truly. (Words 234)
Q.4. Is Popova true to her profession of love for her dead husband?
Or Popova catches our attention by not what she says but by what she does. comment. 2008
Or Popova makes a mere show as a mourner. Discuss.
Or The Bear shows the hypocracy of human beings. Discuss.
Or Discuss Popova as an unreal and fake prude.
The Bear is a satire on man's hypocritical nature. Popova seems not to be true to her professions of love for her dead husband. She pretends and protests to be a true lover of her late husband. But she does not do what she says. It seems as if she were mourning for not enjoying the happiness of matrimonial life. She proved to be an unreal and fake prude by her false claims of being true to her husband even after his death.
When the play opens, she is in deep mourning. She has fixed her eyes on the photograph of her late husband. She declares 'My life is already at an end. He is in his grave, and I have buried myself between four walls. We are both dead.' She feels that life has lost all its meaning for her since her husband died. 'Let his ghost see how well I love him.'
Nickolas deceived and quarrelled with her. He was unfair, cruel and unfaithful. He neglected her for weeks. He wasted her money for his own enjoyments. She professes, besides these that her love will die out only with her death.
Popova protests love too much but changes her attitude just when Smirnov comes in her way. At first sight, he falls in love with her and offers to marry her. After a little show of anger, she accepts the offer because he is rich and strong masculine character. She can enjoy her missed matrimonial bliss. This attitude of Popova also brings the attention of the reader towards her. 261
Q.5. What does Luka Advise to Popova? 1999 or Give Character Sketch Of Luka
Luka is an old faithful servant of Popova. When the play opens, we see him as an adviser. He is experienced. He is faithful and sympathetic. He takes care of Popova. He shows concern for her. He advises Popova to stop mourning for her late husband. She is young and beautiful. She must come out and mix up with the neighbours and the army officers. She must enjoy her life. He gives his own example to her. He tells that his wife died when her time came. He grieved over her and wept for a month. He advises her to give up her isolation and resume her social life. She does not heed to Luka's advice.
At the arrival of Smirnov he is in a fix. Luka provides food for laughter. His reactions, exclamations, his fears and worries about the new situation are a source of enjoyment for us. He is to obey his lady and he is intimidated by Smirnqv. He finds himself on the horns of a dilemma. He obeys Popova but he is helpless before Smirnov. Luka at once turns into a defender at the prospect of the duel. He begs Smirnov to leave the place but does not succeed with him. He is much worried about the duel. He cares for his mistress too much. He raises hue and cry to protect Popova. He calls the servants who rush with their respective tools to save their lady. He collects them to lace Smimov. But they are all surprised to see the couple in love. 258
Q.6 Discuss the play "The Bear" as a farce 2009 I
Or The play "The Bear" is a farce full of noisy boisterous and laughter. Discuss
Or Write a short note on the comic elements in the play "The Bear".
Or Bring out the ridiculous behavior of the characters.
"The Bear" is a farce full of noisy boisterous laughter. The humour lies in the strange behaviour, actions and witty remarks of both Popova and Smirnov. Both are serious as well as non-serious. Both are obstinate as well as yielding. Both are ridiculous, funny and sentimental.
Smjrnov can mimic any situation. His way of talking, mimicry and pointed remarks provoked laughter. His way of entering the house is very enjoyable. His noisy remarks and orders to Luka excite laughter. Popova says that she is not the pleasure of being either your husband or your fiancé, so please do not make scenes." When she gets angry, he bows before her and calls her "poetic creature". Again he calls her gunpowder for her fiery nature which excites laughter.
Popova is also equally a source of laughter. In the beginning, she seems to be cherishing the memory of her dead husband. In the end, we see her in the arms of her enemy. She accepts Smirnov's challenge to fight a duel. Then she tells him that she does not know how to fire a pistol. This thing provokes laughter. Once she rebukes Smirnov in these words "Do you think I am afraid of you because you have large fists and bull's throat," She calls him Bear, Monster and Bourbon and then she falls in his arms. The expected end of the play, the duel fight, also proves farce.


text:
The most famous episode of The Brady Bunch is the one where Marcia takes a football to the nose.[1] In the beginning of the episode, she is asked out by the school's star football player and breaks off a date with her friend Charley, a rather unremarkable suitor by comparison. In breaking off the date, […]
A Discussion on Law and Gospel – Jady Koch and Steven Paulson
Another one of our favorite talks from the OKC conference in the fall. "What we want to do more than anything is help equip you to go into the world to be … these people who can actually have their burdens relieved and then, by extension, help relieve other people of these burdens." Just about as classic as it comes.
A Discussion on Law and Gospel — Jady Koch and Steven Paulson from Mockingbird on Vimeo
Grace in an Age of Distraction II – Steven Paulson
The second of Steven Paulson's stellar presentations at our recent OKC Conference, this one's gotten a lot of love from those who've heard it. It works both in concert with and independent of the first one:
Grace in an Age of Distraction 2 – Steven Paulson from Mockingbird on Vimeo.
Grace in an Age of Distraction 1 – Steven Paulson
Voila: the first video from our recent conference in Oklahoma City! Here, keynote speaker Steven Paulson — author of Luther's Outlaw God — introduces the conference theme: distraction… Trust us, you'll want to give your attention to this one. 😉
I Don't Identify as Human: The Hidden Image of the Hidden God ~ Adam Morton
With sincerest apologies to the much esteemed and beloved Rev. Morton, this video fell through the cracks! Behold, the final breakout video from our Spring Conference in NYC, featuring a cover image for the ages:
I Don't Identify as Human: The Hidden Image of the Hidden God – Adam Morton from Mockingbird on Vimeo.
T-Minus 2 Weeks 'til OKC: Talk Titles (and Darwin's Appeal)
In two short weeks, we'll be gathering in Oklahoma City for our Fall Conference (10/11-13)! Our theme is "Grace in an Age of Distraction" and the details are coming together beautifully. The finalized talk titles are as follows:
- Grace in an Age of Distraction I&II – Steven Paulson
- In Praise of Distraction – Curt Benham
- Marriage-Salvation Events – Ellis and Debbie Brazeal
- Instagram Scrolling and Twitter Rants: Today's Solutions to Luther's Anfechtung – Kelsi Klembara
- Grace in Distracted Parenting – Nathan Carr
- Walker Percy on Distraction and Selfhood – Scott Johnson
- The Distraction of Our Lives – Jady Koch
- I'm So Worried: How God Loves Me Through Anxiety – Carrie Willard
- Sinners in the Hands of—SQUIRREL! – David Zahl (ht AJ)
Keep your eyes peeled to the conference site for further details as they develop, including the menus from The Kitchen at Commonplace. And to whet your appetite even more, here's one more passage from Steven Paulson, this time via his essay "Life Without a Preacher: Darwin's Origin of Species," ht AD:
"Is it any wonder why a person would prefer the law's death to the gospel? Darwin did not reject the beginning of Genesis as a preached God because its science is faulty, but because its divine election is appalling. God elects humans over plants for no legal reasons. God elects Jews who had become idolaters and were taken away to Babylon, only to be freed by Cyrus, the strangest of all Messiahs… Yet, as Darwin traveled around the world he naturally asked, what about all these people who have never had a preacher? What about the unnamed animals of Galápagos? There must be a more rational way God operates than that. Why not make God into a silent pigeon breeder? So Darwin bravely went about discovering life without a preacher. Indeed, that life seems to be a much better arrangement than the election by baptism in opposition to the law—unless, of course, you are the weak."
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Fear of the Gospel (According to Steven Paulson)
Can't believe we're less than four weeks away from our conference in Oklahoma City (10/11-13)! What better way to prime the pump than reproducing a quote from keynoter Steven Paulson's latest book, Luther's Outlaw God? Dr. Paulson is speaking here in reference to the great 16th Century epistolary debate between Martin Luther and Erasmus:
"For Erasmus, freedom… is precisely the problem–it means freedom even from the law, which he will not abide as a good Christian man. Erasmus's fear is the same held by Paul's congregations in Galatia. Will people who are freely forgiven abuse their freedom once they realize the law does not save? If excessive gospel causes tumult and loss of concord in the church and society, shouldn't the gospel be curtailed? No, said Paul, and Luther followed suit. That temptation to truncate the gospel for its possible ill effects is the 'temporal leprosy' that must be endured. Such abusers of the gospel, if they arise, are not worth suppressing the gushing public fountain of God's word. Erasmus backed himself into a terrible corner by defending God's law as the means of electing the righteous. In the end, all he could do was blame the gospel itself for the evil of the world. This fear of gospel is the nadir of unfaith–the prison of the will."
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What Plato and Aristotle Did Not Know (But Luther Did)
Two more remarkable passages from Steven Paulson's Luther for Armchair Theologians:
Faith in Christ's promise, not works of the law, alone saves. But we will have to be very careful, since the word "faith" is one of the most abused words in our vocabulary. It does not mean for Luther "accepting," or "deciding for," or "committing oneself for Christ," or any of the misuses this word has received. Faith is perfect passivity for Luther–being done unto by God, or simply suffering God. It is literally being put to death as a sinner and raised as a saint, which is decidedly God's own act through preached words. This is a teaching that Plato and Aristotle did not know… (pg. 51-52)
Salvation is not the progress of a spiritual athlete for whom practice in the law makes perfect. It is not even like a sick person getting well on the medicine of grace, for those pictures of Christian living leave Christ on the sidelines while human free will takes center stage. Such notions leave Christ idle, displacing him by the star of that drama, the free will that dreams of becoming ever more holy under the law. Why then the cross? Did Christ come simply to remind people of the law that Moses already gave, or even to give an improved version of the tablets of stone? Is Christ to be patient while you try to solve the puzzle of God's law? The story of scripture, Luther begins to understand, is not how we make our way up the mountain by getting grace and then topping it off with love and works. Scripture is the story of how God came down to meet us–while we were yet sinners. Christ is the mover and the shaker, the active subject, the star of the show. And when Christ comes the law ends. Luther coined a phrase–crux sola nostra theologia (the cross alone is our theology)–and put it in capital letters to stand out boldly as the chief truth he found while lecturing on Psalms for the first time. (pg. 62-63)
Two Notes, Not One
Another quote from Steven Paulson's Luther for Armchair Theologians:
"When a tone-deaf person sings, it can be painful to hear. But if you have to listen to theologians who know only the one note of the law, it is not only painful but deadly. They like to describe the big picture of God's plan as a test to see whether you will pass. They explain God's mind or the order of God's plan for salvation and how you can fit in if you follow the rules of the game that God plays. Then the church and its leaders act as referees deciding who is in and who is out of salvation by passing some test. Thinking this way makes it impossible to grasp what Luther is saying when he distinguishes law and gospel as what is old and done for and what is newly arriving with Jesus Christ…[Law and Gospel are] two notes, not one."
The Tune Stuck in Luther's Head
Luther said "I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. "Bound by the Scriptures" with a conscience "captive to the Word of God" hardly sounds like freedom. But scripture's freedom has never been an isolated, individualistic, lonely and ultimately death-dealing notion like the ones that capture our imagination today. True freedom is being captivated by Christ's promise for forgiveness of sins. It is like getting a tune stuck in your head that you can't get rid of, only this time instead of a legal refrain, "Have you done enough?" it repeats a promise: "God is pleased with you, on account of Christ."
Gerhard Forde on What Matters
From the brilliant Gerhard Forde's sermon on Galatians 6, found in his work on the Captivation of the Will:
For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Peace and mercy be upon all who who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God.
-Galatians 6:15-16
"The God of all grace and mercy whose intention it is to relate to us through faith and trust has (you might say) two big problems with us – both of which destroy the relationship God purposes.
One is quite obvious. It is the problem designated by 'uncircumcision,' or the problem of our lawlessness, our existence among the lesser breeds without the law, our immorality and waywardness and heedlessness, even our temptation to boast in it. We are all aware enough of such things to acknowledge the problem and to recognize that it destroys faith and trust.
But the other problem is more subtle, and mostly hidden from us, especially at this place. It is really the main one that Paul wrestles with in his letters. It is the problem of the 'circumcision,' the problem of our lawfulness, our morality, our holiness, our so-called sanctification, our do-it-yourself religions, and all of that. What we don't see is that the 'circumcision' destroys the relationship of faith and trust as surely as the 'uncircumcision.'
So now God has acted finally in this very proclamation by his apostles to have his way with us. God has taken the whole business out of our hands. Neither your lawlessness nor your lawfulness, you immorality nor your morality, your unholiness nor your holiness – none of it matters a bit now, but a new creation. Indeed, in most radical fashion, Paul announces not only that it no longer matters but that it is now exposed as sin! 'The scripture consigned all things – good and bad! – to sin, that what was promised to faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.' 'Whatever is not of faith is sin' (Gal 3:22; Rom 14:23). All escape routes shut down. There is nothing to be done now but just listen. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision count for anything, but a new creation. Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule."
Killer-Maker Spirit: From Steven Paulson's Lutheran Theology
From Steven Paulson's mighty recent work on the Lutheran tradition, Chapter 9, "Freedom from Death" looks into the Lutheran doctrine of Spiritus Exstinctor et Creator–the simultaneous killing and reviving power of the Holy Spirit. How does Christ free us from death? The same way he was freed–by the Holy Spirit. When and enemy ensnares us, […]