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Stop being your own worst enemy!
Change your brain. Change your thinking. Master your life.
Anger & Mood Control
Emotional Resilience
The Practical use of Mindfulness in every day life
A powerful course for Individuals and Practitioners
Level 1 – 8 weeks – 2 hours per week
Level 2 – 4 weeks – 3 hours per week
Please see below for prices, times & dates
Integral Life Centre, 44 High Street, Bagshot, Gu19 5AZ
(workshops can be attended individually if space permits)
Certificate of attendance for CPD if required
Gayle's knowledge and understanding have helped me to see how I have made myself more angry, upset and frustrated through my own thinking. I've stopped blaming and started to gain better control over my relationships.
(NC, Entrepreneur, London)
What this course will cover:
Level 1 (8 Weeks, Group or Individual sessions, 2 hours per week)
Mastering your Brain
- Mindfulness is about controlling your thoughts (It is NOT meditation!)
- How you create your own suffering
Why you lose control and how to gain it back
- How the 'pain body' is formed
- Chemistry, emotions and thoughts
- Examining limiting beliefs, unmet needs, and other unconscious stuff.
Why conflict occurs
- …because you aren't always right! (Seriously. It's true.)
- Brain dominance and how it creates chaos in relationship
- Levels of Development (The Trump factor!)
- Other human differences which matter
How to deal with criticism and conflict (without losing your cool!)
- Patterns of self-sabotage and disempowerment
- How we disempower ourselves and get the opposite result to what we really want
- The three most important questions you will ever need to ask yourself
- Why what you think you want may not be what you really want
Why you can't trust your thinking
- Expectations vs Reality
- The importance of questioning your thoughts (We will use The Work, by Byron Katie)
- Does it mean what you think it means? Are you sure?
Communication styles and how to get what you really want
- How mindful listening and mindful speaking empowers you
- Why conflict avoidance makes things worse
- Transactional Analysis – a communication tool that works and how to use it
- How to deal with uncomfortable emotions
The STOP Process – how to reset your unconscious reactions
- The need for a crystal clear vision of who you you want to be, and how to use it
(This is a unique process I have developed and refined to combine both the conscious and the unconscious mind to work for you, not against you.)
Taking responsibility for your happiness
- The purpose of pain
- Prioritising and setting your intentions – are you asking for the right things?
Level 2 (4 Weeks, Group Sessions Only – 3 hours per week)
Weeks 1 & 2
Unmasking the Shadow
- What you see in others is about you!
- Disproportionate emotions reveal your dark side (your box of frogs!)
- Shadow work helps you to turn your "box of frogs" into a treasure chest!
Weeks 3 & 4
- Profoundly respect yourself and others
- Learn to say "No" with zero guilt
- Design your own boundaries
The course includes:
- Meditation and Mindfulness Techniques
- Cognitive Therapy Techniques
- Meditations and visualisations on MP3 for your home use (Hypnotherapy, NLP)
- Exercises and worksheets
- Personal support via phone, private online group or email during the course*.
*within reason
Warning: You will need to put some effort in between sessions (homework, exercises, meditations) to make this more than head knowledge!
Course Fee
£400.00 per person
LEVEL 1 (8 weeks / 2 hrs per workshop)
LEVEL 2 (4 weeks / 3 hours per workshop)
Starting Dates & Times
12 Weeks with possible breaks in-between if agreed by the group)
Please register your interest – the current course is full, but would be happy to arrange another one if there are enough people interested.


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The Biggest Loser – is it making us sicker? MTR in Sunday Herald Sun
Tacky show is not worth the weight
REALITY weight-loss show The Biggest Loser claims to be all about health – leading a new "social movement" against the "obesity crisis".
But many authorities – and those suffering from disordered eating – say it actually contributes to bad health.
Parading and humiliating obese people, dangerously rapid weight loss, severe calorie restriction, pre weigh-in dehydration and punishing exercise do not develop healthy patterns for long-term health.
Whenever the series returns, Melbourne woman Jodi, 24, (who asked her surname not be used) avoids TV.
Seeing the show, or even ads for it, can trigger harmful eating patterns.
As a recovering binge and restrict eater, and accredited exercise scientist, Jodi says just hearing about TBL makes her feel "sad, pathetic, not good enough".
"My logical self knows that I'm not overweight or obese, but my eating disorder tells me I am," Jodi says.
"Contestants receive so much praise and recognition for their weight loss, which contributes to me linking my self-worth with my weight.
"It makes me aware that other people notice my weight and might judge me on it.
This makes it harder for Jodi to trust her treatment team, which encourages her to take small steps, eat mindfully and exercise in a healthy way.
Hearing trainers screaming at contestants that they are just weak undermines professional advice.
"I'm concerned as this is being passed onto the fitness industry, where trainers now think it's OK to train clients at those same intensities."
The show can also scare people off exercise. Researchers in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation found that watching a short video of The Biggest Loser fuelled negative attitudes toward exercise.
"People are screaming and crying and throwing up, and if you're not a regular exerciser you might think this is what exercise is – that it's this horrible experience where you have to push yourself to the limits, which is completely wrong," says Tanya Berry, Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity Promotion.
Authorities say that because the only measure of success is scales, the show is purely about weight-loss not about overall health. The fact that contestants can't even cover their bodies in a lightweight top during the weigh-in shows TBL is about sadistic voyeurism – and fuelling a $414 million weight-loss industry.
Eating disorder professionals say the show makes their work harder, as clients believe what they see on the show is realistic in daily life. Sarah McMahon, co-director of BodyMatters Australasia, says there is no evidence to support long-term sustained weight loss and behavioural change in most contestants.
"These clients are typically young and have poor media literacy and limited education about exercise and physiology," she says.
"It makes a humiliating public spectacle of them under the guise of 'self- improvement'. They will actively participate in their own persecution because the dream of being thin has been sold so convincingly".
Dr Rick Kausman, Director of The Butterfly Foundation and author of best-selling If Not Dieting, Then What?', says if you wanted to make a show that helped people be healthy, you'd do the opposite of TBL.
"Instead of shaming you would use compassion.
Research shows self-compassion helps us take care of ourselves much better than self-criticism.
Instead of a focus on weight, small meaningful changes in behaviour are much more likely to be sustained."
"Rather than inspire people to make change, the show is more likely to make people mentally and physically unhealthy.
"Stigma around weight acts as a barrier for people seeking health care.
"Studies shown that patients are less likely to see their doctor for regular check-ups for fear of being told off about their weight." he says.
"This is a disaster for preventative health".
If we truly cared about helping people be healthy, we'd take this manipulative and highly emotional propaganda off-air immediately.
As published 7 April 2013

subset: commoncrawl


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I'm on a steep learning curve when it comes to using the correct names for the various parts of the boat. My first big mistake has been to refer to the foredeck as the cratch. Apparently the cratch is the name of the vertically mounted triangular board mounted between the bow and the foredeck. The plank that runs from the top of the cratch to the cabin is the king plank and the cover that goes over the whole area is the cratch cover (that part is logical).
We've decided to be somewhat unconventional with the windows in the cratch board. They will open on the hypotenuse (the long side of the triangle for my Australian readers!). There are two reasons for this. The first is they will act as an air scoop during those long hot summer days. Ignore the current weather in the UK…. there must be some hot days during the year! The second reason is they will fold away from the bow hatch which is where our water inlet pipe will be. If the were to open outwards on the vertical post then they would foul the hatch cover. If they opened inwards over the foredeck then they would foul that area.
I was think of bring some Australian Jarrah timber with me and having the cratch made from it. Jarrah is a very heavy and strong Western Australian hardwood. So hard that termites have considerable difficulty eating it. However in the end we have decided not to do this as the cost of shipping the timber from Australia makes the idea too expensive.
Now we need to think about the design of the cratch cover.


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Did you participate in track or cross country in high school or college?
In high school I participated in the long jump, the triple jump and the pole vault.
How long have you been running?
Since 2011 – I like any sports!
What's your favorite race?
One with a good after party.
What's your top running accomplishment?
The X-Country Marathon at Alafia State Park.
Why are you involved with BRC?
To help make it a better club.
How long have you been on the board?
For three years in total. I've been vice president for one year. I help with whatever needs to be done with the club — marketing, acting as race director, volunteering with races.
Favorite BRC Memories?
Too many favorites to list…
How does BRC impact the community?
We've gotten more people to be part of the club, as well as volunteer for the club at community races.
What is your career?
Pharmaceutical rep


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Madiha Noman is one of the highly skilled and talented designers of our fashion industry. She offers many different kinds of outfits for women. She released Madiha Noman New Year collection 2013 for women. Included in the collection are great casual wear and party wear outfits. The shirts are all off-white. They are made from karandi fabric, which is quite suitable for the winter season. The collars and sleeves of the shirts are all block printed. On the back of each shirt in the stylish dresses of Madiha Noman New Year collection 2013 for women is a beautiful floral motif. Funky buttons have also been used to adorn the shirts. The shirts are paired with printed palazzo pants and churidaar pajamas. Due to their stylish and beautiful designs, we are sure that many women will want dresses from Madiha Noman New Year collection 2013 in their wardrobes.
Madiha Noman started designing clothes for women many years ago. She was basically a professional engineer but to be thorough she did short courses in Fashion Designing from a renowned art school of our country. The designer provides all sorts of clothes from bridal wear to casual wear. She recently released Madiha Noman formal wear collection 2012 and now, she has launched this collection,
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MN-Fashion/291919418122


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If you pay estimated taxes, don't forget that your 3rd quarter estimated payments to the IRS (and states) are due Monday, September 17, 2007. The 3rd quarter is usually due on 9/15 but since it falls on a Saturday this year, you get a couple more days to write the check and get it mailed.
If you are reading this and saying, "What the heck are estimated taxes?" and "Should I be paying them?" then read on…
Income tax is collected on a pay-as-you-go basis. For most of us, that is done by the amounts employers take out of each of our paychecks (based on our IRS Form W-4) and then send to the IRS and state agencies.
Usually it's the self-employed folks and sometimes the retired folks who are paying estimated payments. For self-employed folks, four times a year, they need to estimate their income taxes for the year and pay estimates for those taxes and also for their self-employment taxes. Since they don't have an employer paying the matching amount of their Social Security and Medicare taxes, they have to pay both halves. So their estimated payments are covering both income tax and Social Security and Medicare taxes.
Retired taxpayers often pay estimated taxes if there is no withholding on their pension income and/or they receive hefty income from interest and dividends and the like for which there is no tax withholding.
So when do we employees need to pay estimates? Usually it happens if we receive a high amount of income that's taxable and there is no withholdings taken out of the income. A typical example is selling an investment, such as stock, for a large gain. We then need to do one of 2 things…either increase our wages' withholding or pay estimated taxes.
To figure out those estimated payments, check out TurboTax's Paycheck Withholding Calculator. Find a copy of your 2006 tax return and your (and spouse's) latest paycheck stub(s). Then go to Paycheck Withholding Calculator. Be sure to select tax year 2007. Answer the questions on each screen. There will be screens that deal with your to-date wages and withholding and expected other income like interest and stock sale. There will be screens dealing with your expected deductions for 2007 such as mortgage interest and real estate taxes. After you've entered all the data, TurboTax will calculate your tax for 2007, take into consideration your to-date wages withholding(s) and let you know how much you may still owe for 2007. Again, you can either increase your wage withholding by changing your W-4 (the calculator will show the change) or pay the balance due as an estimated tax.
For additional information:
IRS Publication 505-Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax, Chapter 2.
IRS Estimated Tax for Individuals
IRS Topic 306 – Penalty for Underpayment of Estimated Tax


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The Wisconsin Medical Society joined with 15 other advocacy groups and organizations to oppose any introduction of a bill in the State Legislature to legalize the sale of unpasteurized (raw) milk. Under the umbrella of the Safe Milk Coalition, the Society and others oppose the legalization of raw milk because milk that is unpasteurized can cause serious symptoms that are dangerous and potentially life-threatening for children and infants, pregnant women, older adults and those with compromised immune systems.
"Doctors, public health leaders and microbiology professionals recognize the substantial risk for serious infectious diseases to occur with the consumption of unpasteurized milk," the Safe Milk Coalition said today in this letter to state lawmakers.
In 2010, legislation to allow the sale of raw milk was approved by both houses of the State Legislature before then-Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed it. The Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Wisconsin Medical Society and other public health organizations were influential in convincing the governor to veto the legislation.
In today's letter to lawmakers, the Safe Milk Coalition reminded the Legislature that "In 2011, 16 fourth-graders and their family members from Racine County became ill after they drank raw milk at a classmate's birthday party. One of the children became hospitalized as a result of the outbreak."
For more information, e-mail Chris Rasch in the Society's Government Relations Department.
Back to February 28, 2013 Medigram


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Show Villa by David Chang
David Chang Shares The Lanting Pavilion Show Villa
David Chang, the designer of the awarded design Show Villa by David Chang points out, The project is located on the east bank of Yangcheng Lake. The property is built in the traditional Suzhou garden style to highlight the beauty of local culture and the harmony in the landscape and building are refreshing to mind and body. The design is dominated by the new Chinese style with modern minimalistic design set by Chinese images and symbols, and with the landscape embroidered to create the graceful poetic scenery. .
Show Villa by David Chang Images:
End of the article, click here to go back to previous page, or alternatively go back to A Design Magazine homepage.


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Long zoom lens. GPS. Good high ISO performance. 1080p60 video capture.
Softer images. Slow to start and shoot.
Bottom Line
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 squeezes a 20x zoom lens into its compact body. It isn't the fastest camera, and the lens lags behind the competition in sharpness, but it does well at higher ISOs and has a built-in GPS.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 ($349.99 direct)ZS10. Its lens isn't the sharpest we've seen, but the long-zooming camera does do well at higher ISO settings and features a GPS so you can easily geotag your photos. The 14-megapixel camera doesn't manage to better our current Editors' Choice compact superzoom, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V, but it is less expensive, making it a solid option for superzoom seekers on a budget.is a marked improvement over its predecessor, the
Similar Products
Design and Features
The ZS20 follow the blueprint of most compact superzoom cameras. It measures 2.3 by 4.1 by 1.1 inches, weighs only 7.2 ounces, and has a modest grip on its front. The rear is dominated by a large touch-screen LCD, and there are a good number of controls squeezed into the svelte body. The ZS20 does make one departure in design when compared with its current competition—most other cameras in this class, including the Canon PowerShot SX260 HS feature a pop-up flash that hides in the body when not in use. The ZS20's flash is placed right on the front of the camera, next to the grip, so you'll have to be careful not to block it with your finger when shooting.
The lens is a 20x zoom covering 24-480mm (35mm equivalent) range. It isn't the longest in this class, but it is one of the widest. Only the Samsung WB850F is wider—its 21x lens starts at 23mm. The 3-inch rear LCD is a touch-screen design with a sharp 460k-dot resolution. You can tap the screen to fire and focus the camera, zoom the lens, navigate through menus, or swipe it to scroll through images in playback mode. It's not as responsive as a smartphone screen, and doesn't support multi-touch gestures like pinch, but is definitely above average when compared with other touch-enabled point-and-shoots. The touch input on the Canon PowerShot Elph 320 HS is unresponsive in comparison.
There are a good number of physical controls, including a Mode Dial, a dedicated Movie button, and a button that allows you to quickly adjust EV Compensation. Other shooting settings are adjusted via the Q. Menu, an overlay display that gives you access to White Balance, ISO, Drive Mode, Video Quality, Metering Area, LCD Brightness, GPS, and Image Resolution settings. Other settings must be adjusted via a standard text menu, which must be navigated via the on-camera controls—touch input isn't supported here.
The ZS20's GPS works quite well. It takes about 45 seconds to acquire a signal for the first time. Once enabled, the GPS does try and find at a regular interval when the camera is powered down, so you'll want to turn the GPS off when not using the camera if battery life is a concern. There's also Map functionality with landmarks, so you can see where a photo was taken.
Performance and Conclusions
It takes about 2.3 seconds for the ZS20 to start and take a shot, fires off a burst of 10 photos in just over a second, and records a respectable 0.3-second shutter lag. If you don't mind a slower burst rate, you can shoot at 5 frames per second, grabbing about 17 photos before the camera slows down to about 2 frames per second. The Canon SX260HS is slower in terms of shot-to-shot time, topping out at 2 frames per second, but is able to start and shoot in 1.8 seconds and has a slightly faster 0.2-second shutter lag.
I used Imatest to check the sharpness of photos captured by the ZS20. It is a bit lacking, notching only 1,662 lines per picture height, shy of the 1,800 lines required for a sharp photo. The Samsung WB850F has a much sharper lens—one of the best we've seen in a compact superzoom—it resolves 2,377 lines.
Imatest also checks noise, which can harm image quality and make an image appear grainy at higher ISOs. Noise is kept under 1.5 percent through ISO 800, and image detail holds up very well through that setting. At this setting images look a smidge better than those from our Editors' Choice, the Sony HX30V, although the HX30V has an edge at ISO 1600 and 3200.
Video is recorded in either AVCHD or MP4 format. If you opt for AVCHD you can choose from 1080p60, 1080i60, or 720p60 resolution. You're limited to 1080p30, 720p30, or 480p30 video when you choose MP4 format. Regardless of resolution, the camera does a great job recording footage—it's sharp and bright with autofocus. You can zoom in and out while rolling footage, and there's also a digital zoom that extends the lens beyond its 480mm extreme, without giving up too much in terms of quality. There's a proprietary USB port, which doubles as the charging port—no dedicated battery charger is included—and a mini HDMI port to connect to an HDTV. Standard SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards are supported.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 may not be the best compact superzoom that we've tested, but it's far from the worst. It leaves a bit to be desired in image sharpness, but it does run neck and neck with our Editors' Choice Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V in high ISO performance. Both cameras have a GPS and support 1080p60 video, but the HX30V, which is $70 more expensive, adds Wi-Fi. If Wi-Fi isn't a must, you should also consider the Canon PowerShot SX260 HS. It's priced the same, its lens is sharper, and image quality is comparable through ISO 800, but it's limited to 1080p24 video capture.
More Digital Camera Reviews:
Sony a6600
Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay
Canon EOS M6 Mark II
Canon EOS 90D
Leica V-Lux 5


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|Pancreatic Cell News 9.06 February 13, 2018
α-Cell Glucokinase Suppresses Glucose-Regulated Glucagon Secretion
The authors showed that α-cell glucokinase (Gck) plays a role in the control of glucagon secretion. Using mice with α-cell-specific inactivation of Gck, they found that glucokinase is required for the glucose-dependent increase in intracellular ATP/ADP ratio and the closure of KATP channels in α-cells and the suppression of glucagon secretion at euglycemic and hyperglycemic levels. [Nat Commun] Full Article
(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)
Single-Cell Analyses of Human Islet Cells Reveal De-Differentiation Signatures
Investigators scrutinized ex vivo human islet cells from healthy donors and showed that they exhibit de-differentiation signatures. Using single-cell gene expression and immunostaining analyses, they found healthy islet cells to contain polyhormonal transcripts, and INS+ cells to express decreased levels of β-cell genes but high levels of progenitor markers. [Cell Death Discov] Full Article
Aging Potentiates Diet-Induced Glucose Intolerance, β-Cell Failure and Tissue Inflammation through TLR4
Researchers investigated the combined effects of high fat/high sucrose diet (HFD) feeding, aging and toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4)-deficiency on tissue inflammation, insulin resistance and β-cell failure. In young mice, a short-term HFD resulted in a mildly impaired glucose tolerance and reduced insulin secretion, together with a β-cell mass compensation. [Sci Rep] Full Article
Epicatechin Potentiation of Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion in INS-1 Cells Is Not Dependent on Its Antioxidant Activity
Scientists examined the effects of different concentrations of epicatechin (EC) on H2O2 or hyperglycemia-induced ROS production, as well as on saturated fatty acid-impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in INS-1 cell line in vitro. They showed that EC at a high concentration, but not a low concentration, significantly decreased H2O2 or hyperglycemia-induced ROS production in INS-1 cells. [Acta Pharmacol Sin] Abstract
Virus-Like Infection Induces Human β Cell Dedifferentiation
The authors examined whether viral infection could induce human β cell dedifferentiation. Using the functional human β cell line EndoC-βH1, they demonstrated that polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid, a synthetic double-stranded RNA that mimics a byproduct of viral replication, induces a decrease in β cell-specific gene expression. [JCI Insight] Full Article
Oncogenic HSP60 Regulates Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation to Support Erk1/2 Activation during Pancreatic Cancer Cell Growth
Investigators demonstrated that HSP60 was aberrantly expressed in human pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines. Analysis of the Cancer Genome Atlas database revealed that HSP60 expression is positively correlated with pancreatic cancer. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article
Association of Cytosolic Sialidase Neu2 with Plasma Membrane Enhances Fas-Mediated Apoptosis by Impairing PI3K-Akt/mTOR-Mediated Pathway in Pancreatic Cancer Cells
Scientists observed lower expression of sialidase (Neu2) in different pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells, patient tissues, and a significant strong association with clinicopathological characteristics. Neu2-overexpressed cells indeed showed increased enzyme activity even on membrane. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article
The MAZ Transcription Factor Is a Downstream Target of the Oncoprotein Cyr61/CCN1 and Promotes Pancreatic Cancer Cell Invasion via CRAF–ERK Signaling
Researchers present evidence that Myc-associated zinc-finger protein (MAZ) mRNA expression and protein levels are increased in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell lines, tissue samples, a subcutaneous tumor xenograft in a nude mouse model, and spontaneous cancer in the genetically engineered PDAC mouse model. They also found that MAZ is predominantly expressed in pancreatic cancer stem cells. [J Biol Chem] Abstract | Full Article
Contrasting Roles of H3K4me3 and H3K9me3 in Regulation of Apoptosis and Gemcitabine Resistance in Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells
Investigators tested the hypothesis that epigenetic dysregulation of apoptosis mediators underlies pancreas ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) resistance to gemcitabine, the standard chemotherapy for human PDAC. Inhibition of histone methyltransferase (HMTase) by a selective HMTase inhibitor, verticillin A, significantly increased human PDAC cell sensitivity to gemcitabine-induced growth suppression. [BMC Cancer] Full Article
Novel Agents for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Emerging Therapeutics and Future Directions
Biomarkers concerning the treatment outcome and patient selection are being discovered in preclinical or clinical studies. Combination therapies of classic chemotherapeutic drugs and novel agents or novel therapeutic combinations might bring hope to the dismal prognosis for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients. [J Hematol Oncol] Full Article
Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the pancreatic cell research field.
Roivant and Poxel Announce Strategic Agreement for Development and Commercialization of Imeglimin in the U.S., Europe, and Additional Countries Worldwide
Roivant Sciences and POXEL SA announced the signing of a strategic development and license agreement for imeglimin, an investigational oral therapy which has been developed by Poxel for the potential treatment of type 2 diabetes, in the U.S., Europe, and all other countries not covered by Poxel's existing agreement in East and Southeast Asia. [Roivant Sciences Ltd.] Press Release
JDRF Advocacy Results in Congressional Approval of $300 Million in Diabetes Research Funding
Congress approved legislation for a two-year extension of the Special Diabetes Program, providing $300 million for type 1 diabetes research through the National Institutes of Health. [Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation] Press Release
MabVax Therapeutics Announces Positive Interim Data from Expanded Cohort in Phase I Trial Evaluating MVT-5873 in Combination with First-Line Chemotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer
MabVax Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. announced positive interim results from the company's ongoing Phase I trial evaluating MVT-5873 in combination with standard of care chemotherapy in patients newly diagnosed with pancreatic and other CA19-9 positive malignancies. [MabVax Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.] Press Release
Applied Therapeutics Initiates Phase I Trial for AT-001 In Diabetic Complications
Applied Therapeutics Inc. announced initiation of a Phase I clinical trial for AT-001, an oral small molecule in development for diabetic complications. [Applied Therapeutics Inc. (Business Wire, Inc.)] Press Release
Trump Science Budget Sows Confusion
US president makes last-minute decision to abandon proposal for major cuts to National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and Department of Energy's science office. [Nature News] Editorial
Few UK Universities Have Adopted Rules against Impact-Factor Abuse
Institutions have made little progress against the misuse of research metrics when hiring and promoting academics. [Nature News] Editorial
NEW Annual Meeting of the Israel Stem Cell Society 2018
Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.
NEW Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Diabetes (University of Chicago)
NEW Postdoctoral Research Assistant – Stem Cell Biology (University of Oxford)
Postdoctoral Fellow – Diabetes Research (Joslin Diabetes Center)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Pancreatic Cancer Metastasis (Moffitt Cancer Center)
Postdoctoral Position – Pancreas Development and Stem Cells (Helmholtz Zentrum München)
PhD Student Position – Pancreatic Cancer Metastasis (University Medical Center Freiburg)
Research Program Manager – Pancreatic Cancer Program (University of Cambridge)
Postdoctoral Research Scientist – Pancreatic Cancer (Columbia University)
Professorship – Pancreas Development and Disease (Technischen Universität Dresden)
Tenure-Track Group Leader Position – Pancreatic Cancer Biology (University of Copenhagen)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Pancreatic Cancer (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)
Recruit Top Talent: Reach potential candidates by posting your organization's career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.
Have we missed an important article or publication in Pancreatic Cell News? Click here to submit!
Comments or suggestions? Submit your feedback here.


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South African Mineral Law: Theory, Context and Reform
South African Mineral Law: Theory, Context and Reform
Course Convenor: Prof Hanri Mostert
Entrance requirements: Pre-requisite: RDL2002H (Property Law) at Preliminary B level; Co-requisite PBL4001W (Administrative Law)
Course outline:
In enabling study of the theory and practice of mineral law, this course focuses on building understanding of the complexities of South African mineral law in its historical, constitutional and political setting. It introduces the topic by dealing with the origins and historical development of mineral law, and the core concepts thereof. It deals specifically with the nature and content of rights to minerals and the current regulatory framework for these rights. In doing so, it analyses critically the extent of current regulatory controls and / or lack thereof, focusing specifically on provisions dealing with social and environmental responsibility and the recording of rights to minerals. This allows students to gain a critical understanding of the practical context in which mineral law operates, and the need for reform.
DP requirements: None
Coursework (assignment or class test) 30%
Examination 70%


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March 20, 2012 – 11:04 p.m.
GOP Budget Sets Up Appropriations Fight
By Paul M. Krawzak and Kerry Young, CQ Staff
As House and Senate budget writers put together long-term plans that stake out sharply divergent goals, appropriators at both ends of the Capitol said they are prepared to begin work using different spending levels for the coming fiscal year, all but guaranteeing a new round of fights between the chambers later this year.
The House Budget Committee is scheduled to begin the process Wednesday with its markup of the fiscal 2013 budget resolution released by Chairman
The House is likely to write its spending legislation to the $1.028 trillion limit in the House budget resolution, challenging Democrats by coming in lower than the $1.047 trillion discretionary limit specified in the August debt limit law (PL 112-25). Senate Democrats said after Ryan, R-Wis., unveiled his plan that they will stick to the limit set in the law.
The Ryan tax and spending blueprint proposes spending $5 trillion less over a decade than the budget offered by President Obama last month, and it would reduce the deficit by $3 trillion more than the president's plan, the GOP said. Ryan's plan also calls for simplifying the tax system, restructuring federal health care programs and replacing automatic spending cuts with a mix of reductions in discretionary and mandatory programs.
Republicans said they expected strong support for the plan from GOP lawmakers in committee and on the House floor.
"If we don't pass a budget we deserve criticism, because we've been criticizing the Senate for not passing a budget," said
But one conservative freshman on the committee,
Senate Budget Chairman
Conrad on Tuesday filed a resolution for committee allocations, setting in motion the process for the Senate to proceed with the spending bills.
A Realistic Number
House Appropriations Chairman
GOP Budget Sets Up Appropriations Fight
"I think it's a realistic number," Rogers said. "It's a number we will be able to work with, I think, and pass the appropriations bills."
Senate Democrats are determined to stick with the higher discretionary cap in the debt limit law.
In a written statement, Senate Appropriations Chairman
"It's a formula for a great deal of confusion and chaos and yet another crisis, which the Republicans have specialized in," Price said.
The difference goes beyond the relatively small $19 billion gap between the limits in discretionary spending the House and Senate will use as starting points because they will be working with widely different caps for defense and domestic discretionary spending.
The Senate will write its Defense appropriations bill to stay under a $546 billion ceiling and all domestic spending bills to meet a $501 billion limit, the caps in the debt limit law. But the House, following the budget resolution, will use $554 billion as the Defense limit and $474 billion as the domestic cap.
Rogers said "it's getting tougher" to cut domestic spending, but he said, "We'll make it work."
The House and Senate have disagreed on discretionary spending limits in the past. But the difficulties are magnified this year by automatic spending cuts provided for in the debt limit law.
Unless Congress takes action to repeal the spending "sequester," $109 billion in automatic cuts will take effect in January, pruning about $55 billion out of defense, about $43 billion out of domestic discretionary programs and the balance out of mandatory programs.
The GOP budget calls for replacing the sequester for fiscal 2013 with a combination of alternative savings. About $19 billion in savings would come from reducing the discretionary appropriations cap, and an additional $261 billion would be achieved through a handful of changes to entitlement and other mandatory spending programs.
Most Democrats also oppose the automatic spending cuts, but have yet to advance a plan to replace them. In general, however, they favor using a combination of tax increases and spending reductions.
GOP Budget Sets Up Appropriations Fight
A bigger plan that addresses the sequester "is what remains to be done," Conrad said. "That has to be done in some bipartisan way, and so I am hopeful that as we go through this year, we will find a way to do that."
Support in the Senate
It is unclear how much support for the House GOP budget there will be among Senate Republicans.
"If we can actually do better than that, we ought to look at doing better than that," said Thune, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, at an afternoon news conference. "I suspect that there will be amendments offered on the floor by Republicans to get closer to where the House numbers are. I think there is a real belief that if we can do better, we ought to try and do that to get spending down to the lowest level possible."
Frances Symes contributed to this story.


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Search Vineyards By Property Type
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Vineyards Country Club
Vineyards real estate in an established private, gated golf and country club community conveniently located in the heart of North Naples in Southwest Florida, comprised of unique luxury single-family homes, villas and condos, existing within 1,375-acres of well-manicured tropical terrain and offering an array of floor plans and options that give buyers the freedom of choice. The Vineyards community is situated just east of I-75 exit 107 off of Pine Ridge Road, located 30 minutes from Southwest Florida International Airport.
Additionally, Vineyards golf course is just a short drive to the breathtaking beaches and waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Naples Bay, five-star luxury hotels, superior hospitals, medical facilities, schools, upscale shopping and gourmet dining at The Village on Venetian Bay, The Waterside Shops, Mercato, The Coastland Mall, the boutique shops and fine gourmet restaurants of Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South, The Naples Philharmonic at Artis-Naples and The Baker Museum, The Barbara B. Mann Center, The Naples Zoo and The Naples Botanical Gardens.
Vineyards Real Estate
Spanning across diverse landscaping, Vineyards real estate consists of five prestigious residential communities… Avellino Isles, Aspen Palms, Hammock Isles, Venezia Grande Estates and Vista Pointe.
The well-planned spacing and location of residences provides homeowners with impressive unobstructed views of the golf courses, tropical fauna and flora, sparkling fresh-water lakes and water features. The Vineyards community strives to protect the environment with providing a quality wildlife habitat and for conserving the natural resources of this attractive area.
Vineyards Homes For Sale
Vineyards Condos For Sale
Vineyards Golf Club
Within this amazing Vineyards community, championship golf is everywhere. The Vineyards is truly a paradise especially when it comes to playing the game of golf. Members have the choice of two world-renowned 18-hole par 72 championship golf courses, each one pristine and well-maintained. The stunning North Course was designed by PGA professional Mark McCumber, and replicates golf play on a Scottish links-style course. The North Course has universal appeal with an agreeable layout and multiple tee placements, permitting each individual to play to his and her skill-level.
The beautiful South Course appeals to both the amateur and the professional player, and was designed by Bill Amick. Challenging but never overly arduous, the course offers an intriguing combination of shots that test imagination as well as tactical ability and skill. As a former host of the Naples' PGA Senior Event, the South Course has earned the reverence of many celebrated PGA players.
Both the North Course and the South Course integrate the natural environment throughout the entire layout of the golf course…rolling lush fairways, flowering marshes, crystal-blue fresh water lakes, manicured greens, towering oak trees, pines and palm trees, sandy white bunkers, flowering natural vegetation and well-maintained tropical landscaping is intermingled amongst the lovely custom residences.
Experienced onsite PGA golf professionals and a teaching staff assist with improving the game of golf, and the pro shop is fully equipped with all of the latest sportswear trends and state-of-the-art golf equipment. As an added feature, there are reciprocal golf programs with many area clubs during the summer months, enlarging the scope of golf play.
Members of the Vineyards community are privy not only to spectacular championship golf, but to a variety of benefits, facilities and amenities that include a beautiful 70,000 square foot clubhouse with breathtaking views of the surrounding golf courses and tropical landscaping, providing the members with casual to fine gourmet dining.
Furthermore, there are multiple resort free-style outdoor swimming pools and a luxurious spa, a contemporary Tennis Complex with a certified USTA professional staff and access to twelve-lighted Har-Tru tennis courts, a modern Fitness Center and Aerobics Center with professional trainers and an array of exercise activities including aerobics, Zumba, spinning, yoga, free weights and dance.
Additionally, the Vineyards golf community offers its residents convenience and an array of amenities, including a well-maintained baseball field, racquetball courts, basketball courts and numerous dining facilities. Vineyards is also biking and jogging friendly, providing several long distance paths throughout this well-designed residential community.
Vineyards Golf and Country Club is proud of its diverse membership and strives to provide various options to suit every individual's needs, thereby offering a variety of memberships. There is truly something for everyone at Vineyards…from gourmet and casual dining, tennis, award winning championship golf, an array of social activities and unique private events. Please note that Full Golf Memberships, Sports Memberships and Tennis Memberships are currently available.
Since each and every member at Vineyards has specific preferences, the Vineyards Golf and Country Club has arranged a number of membership packages from which to choose, ranging from a Social Membership to a Full Membership Package. Additionally, prices and fees are subject to change.
Vineyards Naples Florida Membership Fees
Membership fees should be verified prior to execution of sales contract as they are subject to change, please call the membership director at: 239-353-1500
|Membership Info
|Full Golf Membership Fee:
|Annual Membership Dues:
|Social Membership Fee:
|Annual Dues:
|Food And Beverage Fee:
|Equity Percentage Returned:
|Golf Cart Trail Fee:
|Course Year Opened:
|Course Designer:
|Number Of Holes:
|Maximum Members:
|Current Full Members:
|Number of Homes in Community:
|Vineyards Real Estate Price Ranges
|Single Family Homes
|$450,000 -$4,000,000
|$180,000 – $900,000
Vineyards Country Club
400 Vineyards Blvd
Naples, FL 34119
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Transaction Broker For Vineyards Naples Homes
For discrete and professional service, please call me to schedule a private viewing of any one of these Vineyards real estate listings. If you would like for me to do all of the research for you, please call me with your search criteria and I will email you all of the listings that you should be considering, and that specifically match your lifestyle requirements. 239-963-6590.
I have been selling Marco Island and Naples Real Estate since 1978. I make it easy and enjoyable, while presenting you with all of the FACTS necessary to make an informed decision. There is a lot which one needs to take into consideration when buying Vineyards homes for sale in Naples Florida to insure that you are not only buying the lifestyle that you are searching for; but, that the property does not have any ISSUES and that you are getting a good VALUE.
Please take the time to read the "About Us" in the top navigation bar to see my 35 year background in Custom Home Building, Development and Real Estate in Naples, Marco Island and Palm Beach, Florida.
Corey Cabral ~ 239-963-6590


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A blog from Durango, Colorado's Luke Mehall. He has four books available from Benighted Publications: Graduating From College Me, American Climber, Climbing Out of Bed and The Great American Dirtbags.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
More Spring Indian Creek Action
The Freedom Mobile with the Disappointment Cliffs in the background.
A horse and a pony grazing out in the Broken Tooth area.
The Reservoir Wall (left) and the Paragon Prow (right).
The Bridger Jack Mesa at sunset.
Alex on Trip to the Vet, Cat Wall.
Climber on the classic Rock Lobster, Broken Tooth Wall.
Lou on the off-width climb, Incisor, Broken Tooth Wall.
Clouds looming over the Fin Wall.
Freedom in front, Broken Tooth Wall in the background.
Below is a link to the Indian Creek guidebook. I'm hooked up through Amazon, so if you buy it from them I get hooked up! word.
Indian Creek: A Climbing Guide
1 comment:
- Michael said...
Vicariously, my brother from another mother, That's how I'm climbing now.
Thanks for the great stories and photos. Climb safe.
I have been searching for some vertical urban lovin'. Boston is pretty rich with the stuff. Bridges and retaining walls and even some apt. buildings. Although the MAN isn't so cool with that last venue.
I'm gonna try to get after it a bit harder this summer. If you can travel New England is pretty rich with good climbing.
I was able to get my new brothers in law infected with the climbing bug last fall and they are lovin' it.
- March 25, 2011 at 5:38 AM
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Contact address
Universität Konstanz
Fachbereich Biologie
Fach 611
78457 Konstanz, Germany
+49-(0)7531-884027 (Secretary)
send email
Algae are unique and ecologically highly important organisms. We have focused mainly on the biology of diatoms, unicellular algae that have a cell wall of silica and that are very important for the global carbon cycle. We are studying genomics, biochemistry, physiology, endosymbiotic processes, the ecological role of diatoms, as well as their importance for biotechnology using tools like genetic transformation, fluorescence microscopy, gene silencing, proteomics, cell counting, and 2D gel analysis.


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I was walking down the grocery aisle and saw this family hugging each other. Being the shy person that I am, I said, " Can I get a hug too? " ( In retrospect, that was just weird of me, but hey…) The woman juts her hand out to me and shows me her diamond ring. "I just got engaged! " , She bubbled. I then said, " Right here by the spaghetti???" She told me no, that she was just so happy she had to hug her fiancee and daughter right then. IT WAS ADORABLE!
I snuck over and bought a big bouquet of flowers for her and asked a grocery clerk to give it to her and tell her " Congratulations, may God bless your marriage! " I was checking out and instinctively HID behind the counter so bubbly engaged woman would not see me. The grocery bagger looked down at me and said, " Excuse me, ma'am are you hiding down there? " It was at this moment I realized how crazy I looked, but when I heard the engaged woman's happy laughter after they gave her the bouquet and it was awesome!
Sara, TX


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Mission and Vision
"Our Mission is to build client relationships and trust."
"J.F. Morgan is a progressive and innovative company driven by our client's values, sustained through, achieving common goals and teamwork leading to accelerated project delivery."
Within our 21 year history, we have embraced the use of technology in our day-to-day business, encouraged creativity among our clients and staff, and focused our efforts on creating the ultimate client experience on each of our projects. Our team maintains strong relationships throughout the community and supports organizations that are key to building successful communities and partnerships. We pride ourselves on building a solid foundation based around integrity, improvement, fun, exceptional, trust, and staying connected. These values are the driving factors of how we perform work and conduct ourselves throughout every project we complete.


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Barry White - The Man
LP in near mint condition, just a few superficial scratches that do NOT affect play; sleeve and inner sleeve have light wear. Original 1978 20th Century-Fox LP release. This is NOT a promotional copy. No need to ask, I do not sell bootlegs.
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The Isle of Gigha is clearly visible from the Kintyre Peninsula and a short 20 minute ferry ride across the Sound of Gigha is all that separates the two. The close proximity doesn't stop me feeling the same excited anticipation that always precedes an island adventure, or from standing on deck braving the gusty wind and regular soaking from sea spray as the main settlement of Ardminish draws closer.
This is an Island I have been meaning to visit for a while and a last minute decision to pop over and fill a free day in my diary sees me making my way to the little lump of land that the Norse King Hakon originally named Gudey, meaning the Good Isle or God's Isle, and which the Gaels later adjusted to Gigha (pronounced Geeea).
There aren't many Scottish Islands that you can feasibly visit and explore in 1 day but the community owned Isle of Gigha is the ideal destination for those looking to experience a little piece of Hebridean paradise in a short amount of time thanks to its close proximity to the mainland and bijou size.
It is the most southerly Hebridean Island and only 7 miles long by 1 1/2 miles at its widest point, with one main road dissecting its length. Having the car meant I could explore most of the island in an afternoon, however it is equally doable in a day by bike (bike hire is available locally) or on foot.
There are not many man-made attractions on Gigha but the beautiful natural scenery is enough to make a visit worthwhile and although there are no museums, the history of the island is told through the objects that intertwine the landscape from the standing stones to the modern 'Dancing Ladies' wind turbines.
White Beaches and Turquoise Water
If the very mention of 'Hebridean island' conjures up an image of flawless white sandy bays, clear turquoise water and rugged coves, you'll be pleased to know Gigha won't disappoint with its own bite sized slices of paradise. Being only 1 1/2 miles at its widest point and 1/2 mile at its narrowest, you are never far from the coast and at certain places you can even admire the tempting stretches of sand along both sides of the island at the same time, talk about a dilemma!
Views to Islay and Jura
You can almost smell the waft of whisky from Islay and reach over to touch the Paps of Jura which both sit teasingly close off the west coast of Gigha. If a visit to this miniature Hebridean oasis leaves you hankering for more, then gazing across at its imposing relatives is guaranteed to add to your island wanderlust and immediately booking you next ferry trip.
Honesty Table
I have got to admit I am a bit of a sucker for the honesty tables that I often find on my travels around Scotland, so I was delighted to find one on Gigha and instantly knew that my purse was about to get a bit lighter. This type of small scale entrepreneurship means everyone is a winner; I can get my hands on a unique souvenir or some tasty local produce and the maker gets all the profit. In this case I picked up a lovely card with an image of one of the perfect local beaches, which now sits on a shelf in my living-room and reminds me of my lovely wee day on Gigha. (Top tip - If you are travelling around Scotland it is always wise to have some spare change as you never know what goodies you might come across).
Every time I see one of these tables it also reminds me that they can only exist because people are generally good and trustworthy and I hope that never changes.
Kilchatten (St Cathan's) Church
Sitting slightly uphill with an open view to Kintyre, the now ruined Kilchatten Church dates from the 13th Century although it became derelict in the 18th Century. Thanks to careful conservation work, the building has been partially preserved and retains some interesting lancet windows and grave slabs which date from the 15th Century or earlier.
I always get goosebumps visiting sites like this where the stones are full of stories and history oozes from every uneven surface and although there is not much left of the original building it is still an atmospheric place to visit.
Ogham Stone
Just past Kilchatten Church you will find the Ogham Stone which has a Pictish inscription although I personally couldn't make anything out. It is said to be a grave stone with the name of the deceased and his father and is thought to date from the earliest settlement of the Scots in Dalriada.
Achamore Gardens
Probably the best known attraction on Gigha is Achamore Gardens. Before the community bought over Gigha it had many private owners over the years and in the 19th Century it was bought by the Scarlett family who built Achamore House and began to create a garden which included hybrid Rhododendrons. In 1944 Colonel Sir James Horlick (of the malted drink family) worked alongside garden designer Kitty Lloyd Jones to develop the grounds even further, introducing rare and unusual plants from around the world. After the community buy-out in 2002, the islanders took over the management of the acclaimed gardens.
Before my visit I read an interesting blog post by Laura at Laretour who had just visited Achamore and found the gardens now looked abandoned and on my visit I found the same sad signs of neglect. My spooky experience was very similar to Laura's and if you want to find out more she has written a whole blog post on the 'Mystery of Achamore Gardens', lets hope it is just a temporary situation as the gardens are a massive asset to the island.
The Druid or Hanging Stone
As you head towards the northern end of the Island you cant miss the large standing stone by the side of the road known by several names, each with there own associated legend. Sometimes called the Druid Stone, it is said to have been used in Druid ceremonies; also known as the Hanging Stone, it was said people who were found guilty at the nearby Court Hill had their heads positioned in the cleft of the stone before being left to hang to their deaths. The legend I like best is that of a giant on Kintyre with toothache who pulled out the painful tooth and threw it across the water where it landed on Gigha, resulting in the stone also being known as the Giants Tooth.
The Gigha Cairn
Just at the cut off to The Boathouse Cafe Bar lies an ever growing pile of colourful stones known as the Gigha Cairn. Designed as a physical marker of the community takeover of the island, the first stone was laid by Jim Wallace, the deputy First Minister at the time, who took it from the site of the new Scottish Parliament building in Holyrood. Since then colourful rocks from around the world have been added and if you're planning a visit you might want to contribute your own addition.
I certainly found it possible to see much of the island in a short space of time although if I had another day I would have followed some of the walking trails, which gives me a reason to return...
13/5/2016 12:45:11 am
Looks like a fun day. We've been to Barra, 4 times as big but a lot more remote!
29/7/2018 09:51:21 am
Yes, Gigha is a beautiful place & we were told that the twin beaches at the north of the island are a regular stopping off point for the royal family to go ashore and explore on their Hebridean cruises. Never know who you'll see if you visit!
9/8/2018 02:44:33 pm
Hi Lorna,
17/11/2019 01:13:05 pm
Hello, I'm going there in Dec. Just thought of asking if you can commute by ferry in the evening as Ive heard that there is no public transport in the evening. Would appreciate your response! Can I go back later in the evening and still cover as many things in a day? Mainly I want to see the beach and eat.
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Bennett Gets His Knuckles Rapped After Pointed Remarks at Summit
Washington--William J. Bennett was scolded by the White House a day after he launched into a widely reported, sarcastic diatribe in which he derided as "pap" the content of a discussion at the education summit, Marlin Fitzwater, the President's press secretary, confirmed last week.
Summit observers had predicted that the former secretary of education would, in the words of one gubernatorial aide, "get his knuckles rapped" in the wake of his biting remarks.
"Thanks for your comments. They weren't helpful," White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu told Mr. Bennett, Mr. Fitzwater informed reporters last week.
Mr. Fitzwater, who reportedly announced the reprimand without prompting, said Mr. Bennett "has probably gotten the message."
Mr. Bennett, now the nation's so-called "drug czar," made his controversial remarks at a news confer4ence where he was asked to describe a discussion session he had moderated during the first day of the summit.
"There was standard Democratic pap. There was standard Republican pap," he said.
"And there was something that rhymes with pap," he continued. "Much of the discussion proceeded in an absence of what works."
The remarks became the talk of the summit, and several governors publicly denounced Mr. Bennett's opinion.--jm
Vol. 09, Issue 06
We encourage lively debate, but please be respectful of others. Profanity and personal attacks are prohibited. By commenting, you are agreeing to abide by our user agreement.
All comments are public.


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Slick Slider
Turn your native WordPress galleries into beautiful fully responsive sliders. Adjust the slider to your needs on a per gallery base.
Slick Slider turns your native WordPress galleries into beautiful fully responsive sliders. Choose from a wide range of options to adjust all sliders to your needs with a simple click.
Slick Slider allows you to change default options valid for all sliders or to adjust them on a per gallery base.
Available options (amongst others):
- Turn autoplay on or off
- Change default speed of animation and autoplay
- Turn fade effect on or off
- Turn arrows and dots on or off
- Use center mode to see partial prev/next slides
- Make slider infinite
- Pause slider on hover
- Adjust slides to scroll and slides to show
- Enable lazy loading for better performance
- Stack images up in rows
- Turn vertical sliders and RTL support on or off
- Link your images using native gallery settings
- Many more
Note: No support for slick's responsive options feature (different options at different breakpoints) at the moment.
Note: Slick Slider requires at least PHP 5.6! That means it won't work on websites which are powered by PHP older than version 5.6!
If you don't know your website's PHP version ask your host and request an update if necessary. Click here for more information.
Slick Slider uses the awesome slick slider written by Ken Wheeler.


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Oberon, Inc. Wireless Access Point Enclosures and Mounting SolutionsSince 1999, Oberon, Inc. has been providing WiFi infrastructure solutions to wireless consultants, integrators, installers, and end users. Oberon's wireless access point mounting solutions and enclosures are used where the wireless coverage, infrastructure security, environmental robustness, aesthetics, and serviceability are paramount in the network design and implementation. Oberon offers the widest variety of ceiling, wall, outdoor, and challenging environment mounting solutions for Wi-Fi access points from all leading wireless vendors. Oberon's installation solutions have helped thousands of wireless professionals in the global healthcare, government, transportation and logistics, education, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing achieve optimum mobile network performance.
Products & Services
Wireless Enclosures - Secure, aesthetic, convenient
Our locking ceiling enclosures and antenna products preserve the integrity and safety of the ceiling system and airhandling space by effectively moving the wireless equipment into a conveniently accessed ceiling location. The ceiling enclosures generally look like a standard 2' x 2' ceiling tile, aesthetically concealing the wireless equipment. The products improve wireless infrastructure physical security by allowing the wireless equipment to be "locked down" in otherwise open office spaces. Wireless coverage is improved using the ceiling-mounted enclosures as the enclosure door provides an effective back-plane for the antenna, thereby optimizing the antenna pattern for in-room coverage. Moves, adds, and changes are facilitated by permitting easy access by authorized personnel. When you use Oberon's ceiling enclosures, once the enclosure is installed, you'll eliminate the need to lift ceiling tiles in search of above ceiling mounted wireless equipment.
Oberon's wireless product line includes locking enclosures for virtually any building construction, indoor and outdoor. This includes wall-mounted locking enclosures and cut-away ceiling enclosures for hard lid areas, and NEMA 4 enclosures for outdoor environments. The products are constructed of steel and aluminum and are electrostatically powder coated for an attractive, extremely durable finish.
Zone Enclosures - Bringing Bandwidth Closer to the User™
Oberon's zone and telecommunications enclosures offer flexibility by securing networking and A/V components in the workspace where they are needed. Mounting access switches in the workspace brings bandwidth closer to the user, and reduces congestion in the telecom room.
Manufacturing and Support
Oberon's specialty is wireless and telecom enclosure and mounting solutions, and the products are designed and tested by an experienced technical staff with extensive wireless networking survey, design, and installation experience. Oberon's products have been tested with most of the industry-leading wireless networking vendor products.
As a product and design service vendor, we provide outstanding support to our market channel partners - the distributors, network designers, installers, and integrators responsible for enterprise wireless LAN installation. Our combination of patent-pending, innovative products, and industry-experienced staff will provide the wireless infrastructure designer exceptional cost, performance, security, aesthetic, and installation value.


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IBD Intensive Advanced Course
"We could promise nothing from this course, except hard work."
(Words of Welcome at the 1st IBD Course)
The annual IBD Intensive Advanced Course is a 1 1/2 day course which takes place prior to the ECCO Congress. It was initiated in 2003 by EduCom with the general aim to provide advanced fellows and junior faculty in gastroenterology with a multidisciplinary broad base of knowledge in inflammatory bowel disease. Participation is based on invitation; students are nominated by the ECCO National Representatives. The course offers an excellent opportunity for young clinicians and researchers to meet colleagues from many European countries with different standards of medicine and establish a network for future collaboration.
In every course a pre- and post-test is held in order to document the learning effect provided by ECCO:
Upcoming IBD Course
The 18th IBD Intensive Advanced Course will take place at the 15th Congress of ECCO in Vienna.
- Feb 12-13, 2020
- Feb 12, 2020: 08:00-17:00
Feb 13, 2020: 07:30-12:00
- EduCom
- Regular/Y-ECCO Membership 2020 - register/renew now!
- CME Accreditation
- tbc


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Movie Review: Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox
Is truth stranger than fiction? Have you ever used Dr. Bronner's soap and wondered how this tingly product has so many uses? In Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox, director Sara Lamm follows around the Bonner family in their quest to sell soap and unite everyone under one plan (the Moral ABCs), listed on the side of every bottle, along with a variety of other quotes and directives. Dr. E.H. Bronner's life is the stuff that movies are made of, which is probably why someone decided to make a movie about a family of soapmakers, which does not exactly sound like the stuff of blockbuster movies.His tactics (and personality) might seem kind of wacky, but his intentions are simple — to offer people a good product on a human level. This movie is entertaining but also full of examples of one company that spent the last 40 years working to get their message of uniting everyone under one plan of taking care of each other on spaceship earth. The soap works on your body, on your dishes, on your car, even on your dog. The movie also explains ingredients in the soap and the method behind the madness - No petroleum, fair wages, and they offer one on one time with customers. The movie is full of interviews with people all across America who are new to the soap and who have been using it since the 1960s.
Yet, there is more to this story besides just making soap. Dr. Bronner himself has an interesting history of escaping from Nazis, escaping from a mental institution where he had shock-therapy, and continuing to promote his product while being completely blind towards the end of his life. Dr. Bronner also frequently called the FBI to rail against communism, and has a lengthy file, which also contains remarks that he has a considerable amount of scientific knowledge.
The story becomes even more interesting as the children and grandchildren are interviewed. Ralph, one son, was admittedly abandoned at a young age as his father traveled the country, and lived in 15 different foster homes growing up. Today Ralph is quite possibly the biggest proponent of the soap and his father. Ralph even puts his home phone number on all materials and answers the calls directly and continues to travel the country today passing out soap and hugs.
Read the synopsis and words like Nazis, insane asylum and magic soap show jump out at you. The director herself even says "its sad and funny and weird and even sometimes awkward ". Awkward it does become towards the end of the movie when it becomes hard to follow the story thread but it ends nicely showing how the current Bronner's are continuing the legacy of Dr. Bronner. The company continues to use socially-conscious practices like developing and using the first 100% post-consumer recycled bottles and capping the owner's salaries at no higher than 5 times what the lowest paid, fully vested workers make.
This movie is quirky and fascinating and by the end you don't find the family strange, but rather endearing and it makes you want to purchase a bottle. While their practices (and history) might not be conventional, you find yourself rooting for this family to succeed.
Dr. Bronner's is also the maker of Sun Dog Body Care products and ALPSNACK Organic snack bars.
For more information, you can visit them online at Dr. Bronner's. You can find out more about the movie at Magic Soap Box dot com. The movie premieres June 29, 2007 in New York City.


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6 of Tati's seminal films, restored and collected together for the first time!
Daring, colourful, whimsical and fun, Jacques Tati – also known for his infamous comedic character Monsieur Hulot – is one of the great comic icons of French cinema. A Gallic equivalent of Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton, Tati's works as director, writer and actor are well-loved classics, appealing to a broad and diverse audience as well as critics.
Lovingly and painstakingly restored and available as a collection for the first time in Australia, this boxset unites his 6 classic comedies (JOUR DE FETE, M. HULOT'S HOLIDAY, MON ONCLE, PLAYTIME, TRAFIC, PARADE) with 7 rare short films, so that audiences old and new can delight in Tati's charms.
Special Features
- 7 rare Tati short films, collected for the first time in Australia!(ON DEMANDE UNE BRUTE; DEGUSTATION MAISON; FORZA BASTIA; COURS DU SOIR; L'ECOLE DES FACTEURS; GAI DIMANCHE; SOIGNE TON GAUCHE)
- Documentary THE MAGNIFICENT TATI


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Ron & Gretel Hibbert
Ron and Gretel Hibbert have been members of this Church family since the late 1980s, Both Ron and his father having played a key role in the development and oversight of what was then known as Emmanuel Pentecostal Church (or AoG roots).
Now, with decades of experience in networking, supporting and training pioneer leaders in over 40 different countries, the Hibberts continue to invest their time and efforts into inspiring the cause of global cross-cultural mission. It is an honour to support them monthly and invest in the work they do, here in the UK but also in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and beyond.


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The current [2019-01-08] release of SystemView Source [V2.52e] contains the file GLOBAL.h which #includes "TYPES.h", but the file TYPES.h (would probably contain typedef's for U64, U32, etc. ) is missing
[SOLVED] TYPES.h file is missing (referenced at Global.h) [SystemView V2.52e]
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This was a total interior remodel all the way down to the drywall. This house was over 40 years old and sunk two or three times from hurricanes. It is an above ground house and was warped badly. I was a little scared of it when I first looked at it. However, this was a friend of mines mother in a bad situation and on a tight budget. So, I had to step up and help her out.
First I am going to show you some pics of the completed project, then I will walk you through the process.
Starting in the dining room
Next the Kitchen
Living Room
Now, I am going to walk you through the whole process with more pictures. I don't have very many pictures from the very early stages of this because my phone broke. Also, all pics were taken with an iPhone so please excuse the quality of them.
The first thing that we did here was tear out the kitchen and dining room floor. Then we sanded down the living room, hall way, and bedroom floors. These floors were over 40 years old and were already redone once. They were in rough shape but the home owner wanted to save them because she did not have the money to replace them. So away we went with the drum sander and got the bulk of the old stain up.
We then covered the floors with paper so that we could paint the house. The reason we used the drum sander before painting was because it was very messy. We had to sand the floor a lot because it was last stained dark and the home owner wanted them a semigloss cherry look. So, after cleaning the dust cloud we had, we patched all the holes in the drywall. When this dried, we primed then painted all the walls and ceilings. Sorry, these pictures got lost when my phone broke, but you will be able to see the paint job in some of the following pictures.
Following the paint, we hung wooden beadboard sheets on the kitchen ceiling.
Once we got it hung, we went back and puttied all screw holes and sanded all the seams.
Finally, we painted it.
From there, we hung and painted the crown molding and door casings.
Next, we cased in all the windows.
When we finished this, we painted all the doors and moved on to the floors.
We began the floors by laying hardy board in the dining room, kitchen, and bathroom floors.
Then, we cleaned the floors and got all the dust up then laid the tile. I really liked how the tile came out because they were big 18"x18" and we ran them on a diagonal.
When we finished the ceramic, we uncovered the wood floors in the living room and bedrooms, did a final sand, stained and polyurethaned them with semi-gloss clear coat.
We also laid a new wooden floor in the master bedroom, but unfortunately I can't seem to find any of the pictures of the master bedroom.
Now it was time to lay the baseboards. Here we built a three piece baseboard consisting of a 1"x8", base cap, and toe board.


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Topics :: Las Vegas
1 thru 10 of 163 Stories
Las Vegas Pride :: October 11-12, 2019
Downtown Las Vegas celebrated its largest Pride yet, with a fabulous nighttime parade and a day and a half of festival fun.
Park MGM: A Feast for the Senses
The Park MGM offers an urban oasis that integrates coveted dining venues, A-list entertainment, and a museum-worthy art collection into the typical slot machine dings and rolling dice found along the Las Vegas Strip.
Temptation Sundays at The Luxor Resort Las Vegas :: May 12, 2019
MGM resorts kicked off pool season with the 10th anniversary of Temptation Sundays at the Luxor Resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The steamy weather brought out hot bodies and cool drinks as everyone enjoyed hanging out at the Oasis pool next to the pyramid.
Las Vegas Rolls Out the Rainbow Carpet: 7 Can't-Miss Events
Las Vegas is rolling out the rainbow carpet this year with signature events, including the tenth anniversary of Temptation Sundays at Luxor, as well as Pride, Dining Out For Life, and Bigger Vegas.
'Only Vegas Moments' Campaign Sparks LGBTQ Pride
The campaign's cultural storylines reinforce the destinations's identity as the paramount purveyor of adult freedom and encourages visitors to embrace unique only-in-Vegas moments of self-truth.
It's a Woman's World: ClexaCon Returns to Las Vegas
Returning to Las Vegas for the second consecutive year, ClexaCon is a unique kind of media and entertainment convention for LGBTQ women and allies.
Las Vegas Reports Fewer Visitors in 2017
The agency responsible for promoting Las Vegas says preliminary numbers show that fewer people visited the destination in 2017.
Las Vegas' 'What Happens Here' Slogan Returns After Shooting
The official slogan of Las Vegas is back by popular demand three months after it was paused following the mass shooting that rattled the city.
Celebrate Your Anniversary: Vegas Style
No matter if you're a newly-minted couple out to mark your first year of wedded bliss or you're rejoicing in a decades-long relationship with each other, Las Vegas is the perfect place to fete your endless love.
A Hotter Honeymoon: Las Vegas Style
With a wealth of world-class accommodations, dining and entertainment, Las Vegas serves up everything a just-married couple could wish for, including lots of luscious opportunities for romance.
1 thru 10 of 163 Stories


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Belcher, Edward. Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Samarang, during the years 1843-46; Employed Surveying the Islands of the Eastern Archipelago; Accompanied by a Brief Vocabulary of the Principal Languages. Reeve, Benham and Reeve, London: 1848. 1st Edition. 2 vols., 8vo. Publishers blind blocked cloth; vignette of seated Korean Chief blocked in gilt to front, blind on back. Re-backed, paper label to spine. Vol. 1. 3 original folding maps in new pocket on front pastedown. pp[i]..(xl), 358, blank, pp8 publishers Ads, 25 full page illustrations, 7 of which tinted, 2 full page maps. Vol2. Title, pp574, 5 full page illustrations, 2 of which tinted. Binding cloth is faded, age soiled and rubbed. Re-backed in buckram of sympathetic faded colour. New endpapers and new map pockets. Some top edges uncut to Vol. 1. Light age tone to page edges. Illustrations have a few light fox marks and most with original tissue guards. Maps are in good, clean order. Some small slits at fold lines, a little print offset where folded. A good complete pair of rare books. ABBEY 528. Please contact me at enquiries(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)rozhulse.com if you would like to more about this item.
Cat. No. 93819 £2200


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Male fertility problems generally occur when the quantity and quality of sperm is not good. Whether it's because the amount is small, the shape is not good, or the movement is not fast or agile to fertilize the ovum or egg.
Apart from being an age factor, this is also influenced by a healthy lifestyle. So, what healthy lifestyle can improve sperm quality?
If you and your partner want to get a baby immediately, it is recommended to live a healthy lifestyle both before, during, and after the pregnancy program is complete.
Because the sperm released during the analysis of sperm before undergoing the IVF program are sperm formed since three months ago.
This means, if you want a pregnant program with a successful partner, then you have to apply a healthy lifestyle long before planning a pregnancy.
The following is a healthy lifestyle that must be done to improve sperm quality.
1. Eat Balanced Nutritious Food
Sperm quality can be influenced by many factors, both internal and external factors. One external factor or external factor that can affect sperm quality is the type of food consumed.
Until now, there are still many people who are mistaken and consider certain types of food can increase the fertility of men and women. For example, men should eat bean sprouts so the sperm is good and women should drink honey to improve fertility. In fact, the reality is not always the case.
Actually, there are no certain foods or drinks that can improve sperm quality. The most important thing is to ensure the food consumed is in accordance with the principles of balanced nutrition.
This does not directly improve sperm quality, but certainly makes the body healthier. In addition, nutritious food can also increase male libido or sexual arousal.
If the body is healthy and accompanied by good sexual arousal, then the fertility rate will also increase. As a result, pregnant programs that are being undertaken with a partner can run smoothly and the opportunity to have a baby is greater.
2. Regular Exercise
Obesity is one of the causes of decreased sperm quality in men. Because the excess body weight can interfere with the number and quality of the sperm itself, both in shape and movement that is not good. As a result, sperm actually cannot fertilize the ovum optimally.
One of the best ways to control weight is by regular exercise. In addition to helping to lose weight, exercise can also make the body become more fit and better equipped to undergo a pregnant program.
Choose the type of exercise that you like and according to your health condition. For example by jogging, yoga, swimming, and so on.
Also Reading: How Bathmate Works?
3. Avoid Smoking
For those who have fertility problems and want to immediately have a baby, you should immediately stop smoking. In fact, the quality and quantity of sperm in active smokers is worse than non-smokers.
Especially if you and your partner have been declared difficult to get pregnant, then this bad habit can further aggravate the situation. But remember, smoking is not the only reason that men become infertile, but can aggravate sperm disorders.
4. Reduce The Use Of Plastic Bottles
Plastic bottles that contain BPA can actually cause a decrease in sperm quality. BPA itself is an estrogen-like compound that is known to reduce the concentration and number of sperm in men.
Therefore, avoid using drinking bottles made from plastic which contain many harmful substances. Bring a place to drink from home and make sure the place contains BPA free to make sure the bottle is safe.
Avoid Using Tight Underwear
The habit of using tight underwear can affect the decrease in sperm quality. Again, this is not only caused by one factor, huh.
An example like this. If we diligently exercise and eat nutritious food, the use of tight underwear is actually not too much of a problem.
It's just that, this is indeed a risk of suppressing and increasing the temperature of the testicles aka scotum which becomes the storehouse of sperm itself. Moreover if you are obese and become active smokers, this can further aggravate the decline in sperm quality.
In addition to the use of tight underwear, the habit of a sauna or hot bath can also reduce sperm quality, you know. Because the temperature of the heat that affects the testicles can damage spermatogenesis or the process of sperm formation in men. In the end, fertility will decrease and make it difficult to have children.
Articles Sources: bathmatesystem.com


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The Healthy Villi Spring Conference
The Healthy Villi, a greater Boston area celiac disease support group, invites you to attend their spring conference to learn more about the latest in celiac disease. The conference will feature keynote speaker Dr. Ciaran Kelly, MD, Medical Director of the Celiac Center at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). Speakers also include Melinda Dennis, MS, RD, LDN of BIDMC and Pam Cureton, RD, LDN of Massachusetts General Hospital, among others.
When: Sunday, April 28, 2013
Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Sheraton Four Points
Cost: $30 for members, $45 for non-members before April 18
For more information, the conference program and to register, visit HealthyVilli.org.
Note: Beyond Celiac provides information on gluten-free events as a service to the community. Please note that Beyond Celiac cannot assure the event participant or restaurant patron of the gluten-free practices or knowledge of the restaurants cited if they have not completed the Beyond Celiac GREAT Kitchens program, which provides accredited gluten-free training to restaurants and other foodservice providers. Please call the venue directly to learn more about their preparation processes.


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Forgive us, Father, for we have sinned.
Brooklyn Stevens sits in a pool of her own blood, tied up and gagged. No one outside of these dank basement walls knows she's here. No one can hear her scream.
Sofia Flores knows she shouldn't have gotten involved. When she befriended Riley, Grace, and Alexis on her first day at school, she admired them, with their perfect hair and their good-girl ways. They said they wanted to save Brooklyn. They wanted to help her. Sofia didn't realize they believed Brooklyn was possessed.
Now, Riley and the girls are performing an exorcism on Brooklyn—but their idea of an exorcism is closer to torture than salvation. All Sofia wants is to get out of this house. But there is no way out. Sofia can't go against the other girls …unless she wants to be next…
In this chilling debut, Danielle Vega delivers blood-curdling suspense and terror on every page. By the shockingly twisted end, readers will be faced with the most haunting question of all: Is there evil in all of us?
Consequently, I was expecting some kind of horror movie Mean Girls, something Heathers-esque, some Jennifer's Body shit. I don't think that's completely unreasonable, and in fact, I kind of feel like the first half of the book reinforced it.
Obviously I have no way of knowing if the impression I got was intentional or if it was just me seeing what I expected to see, but the first ~fifty pages of this book struck me as intensely self-aware, as though everything – the characters, setting, conflicts – were extremely stereotypical on purpose. Presumably because the book wanted to make sure you recognized these (awful) tropes before it deconstructed and/or subverted them. It seemed so self-aware that for a really long time, I was convinced that something clever and unexpected had to be waiting in the wings, because this book couldn't possibly be as shallow and trite as it seemed.
I've run this thing through my mind backwards, forwards, and upside down, and if there is any kind of insightful commentary or allegory in there for female friendships and/or mean girls and/or bullying and shit, I'm not seeing it. Even the bare minimum morality play that you'd expect from this sort of premise – bullying is bad, stand up to peer pressure, rah rah – is completely undone by the ending, so I guess you could say that there's a subversion of the expectation that this book should have bare-minimum morals?
At any rate, without the presence of any meaningful deconstruction, what we're left with is the story of three stereotypical high-school alpha bitches torturing a stereotypical high-school "bad girl", while the most FRUSTRATINGLY PASSIVE HEROINE EVER waffles on whether or not to interfere, with some (ineffective) gore and horror movie jump scares thrown in for good measure.
So basically, a novel centered around a trope that I hate, played completely straight, taken to an infuriating extreme, for no meaningful reason and no appreciable payoff. LOL! Girls are awful sociopathic monsters that all secretly hate one another, and cut each other into ribbons over boys! Here, let me describe a fingernail being sliced off, isn't that so scary?
There is a twist, because of course there is, but given that there were only maybe three possible SHOCKING REVERSE-PSYCH! options, it is not, in fact, all that twisty. Turns out the girl that they're torturing for being a demon is actually a demon! Surprise!
The only thing the twist does is undermine any weight the novel might have had with some fucking ambiguity, and retroactively justify the cruel antics of the, again, literally torturous Alpha Bitches. The book attempts to recast the girls as victims for the last ten pages or so, as Brooklyn exacts her (kind of warranted) revenge, but it's an utterly ridiculous ask, because who could possibly care about what happens to these girls after they spent an entire night LITERALLY TORTURING SOMEONE?
Honestly, even post-twist, I'm still inclined to sympathize more with Actual Demon Brooklyn than any of her tormentors. Sure, she was legit a demon, but she didn't actually do anything to any of the girls except for sleep with one of their (ex)boyfriends, and Not-A-Demon-Just-Evil Riley didn't even wait for her to do that before she started plotting the extended torture session.
I honestly don't know why I'm supposed to have enjoyed this book at all. It goes out of its way to make its characters caricatures of human beings, piling on their cruelty, their pettiness, their selfishness, their genuine murderousness, without doing a lick to humanize them in the opposite direction. It's obviously meant to make them seem like monsters – which it does – but it also makes the story dumber, more cartoonish and less emotionally affecting on any level other than rage.
We're probably supposed to be invested in our heroine, Sofia, but by the time we got to the exorcism, I wanted to punch her in the face, too. I get wanting to have friends and fit in, but Sofia is dense and ineffectual in a way that I have no patience for. I mean, Riley begins their relationship by nearly drowning her in a bathroom sink, and then literally BREAKS INTO HER HOUSE AT NIGHT WHILE SHE'S SLEEPING to drag her out for a nighttime excursion. I repeat, she BREAKS INTO HER HOUSE. And Sofia is RELIEVED and GOES WITH HER.
That is so absurdly far over the line for acceptable new-friend behavior that I genuinely don't understand how the book could continue after it. THAT IS SO FUCKING CREEPY. Who does that? More than that, who wouldn't IMMEDIATELY kick her out and then possibly call the cops? HOW MANY MORE WARNING SIGNS DO YOU NEED, SOFIA?
Sofia's characterization doesn't get any better once the exorcism actually gets underway. She and Grace – the only other character to be portrayed as something akin to an empathetic human being – are successfully kept in check by two skinny-ass teenage girls, despite the fact that I'm sure one well-timed punch or tackle could have ended Riley's reign of terror before it began.
There's no real rhyme or reason for why Grace or Sofia go along with this, despite generally being portrayed as decent people (up until the end, which we'll get to). Grace gets a throwaway line in the beginning about how Riley ended a campaign of racist bullying against her when she first moved to town, and how she'd "do anything for her", but assisting in the kidnapping and torture of a human being? Really?
The thing is, I feel like there's a completely obvious explanation for why Sofia and Grace would be hesitant to go against Riley that the book never acknowledges: they are two young women of color relatively new to a small Mississippi town that is canonically racist as shit. Seriously, even aside from the racist bullying, it's described as having "row after row of perfect suburban houses with Mississippi flags hanging from their porches."
For reference, the Mississippi flag:
Yeah, fuuuuuck that. A Mexican girl and a black girl having to live in a town with those flags lining every street? I'd be terrified. I could easily imagine Grace and Sofia being weary of going against Riley and Alexis, two pretty, wealthy white girls from influential families, because they know that they could easily cry their white girl tears and point the finger at the them, quite possibly the only two brown girls in this unapologetically white-supremacist town.
It'd be so much easier to understand their hesitation if this angle were in any way acknowledged. The foundation is there for it, and I find that whole Mississippi flag scene – along with the discussion that follows, about how Grace and Sofia feel so much safer in the land of stars and bars than in either of the cities they came from – too fucking oblivious to be anything but intentional. Yet the book never explicitly addresses it. Grace has her line about doing anything for Riley and then largely fades into the background for the rest of the book, and Sofia's endless rationalizations never touch on any social power imbalance between them. Like the intense homoeroticism, it's another weird angle that goes nowhere.
Oh shit, did I not mention the intense homoeroticism? Because that's a fucking Thing. Riley and Brooklyn are really, REALLY touchy-feely with Sofia. They get up in her space constantly, and there are long, drawn-out moments of close-enough-to-kiss tension that I thought were intentional. I thought maybe there had been some angsty affair between Brooklyn and Riley, and that Riley's violence was an expression of her religiously-driven internalized homophobia. I mean, I didn't want that, necessarily, but at least it would have been SOMETHING to give this book context, to make Riley's actions make some kind of sense.
But it doesn't matter, because like most of the shit in this book that seems like it's going to be significant, it's not.
Anyway, Sofia. Even if you could get past her acting like the girl that you yell at for running up the stairs in a horror movie enough to care about her, you'd just be falling into the book's cheap trap, because she also turns out to have been a murderous demon all along. Not in any kind of fun, stabbin'-and-fuckin' way, mind you, but in a boring, agency-less sort of way, where she just alludes to some traumatic event from her past a lot, and then has a surprise last-page reveal. She's a demon-possessed murderer! But only sometimes and she feels bad about it, maybe? We have no way of knowing, because the book just drops that "bomb" and then ends. Fuck you, reader!
So much bullshit, and that's not even touching on how this book associates skuzzy and evil with poverty, piercings and tattoos, or how Alexis' legitimate impulse-control disorder (trichotillomania; she plucks out strands of her hair) is used as an indicator of her twisted fragility, or how difficult the action is to follow, how glitchy the continuity is between scenes, or even how SO MUCH MURDEROUS DRAMA in this book is triggered by girls fighting over a goddamn BOY.
Christ, this book is a clusterfuck of awful. And yes, I get that ~it's a horror book~, and that it doesn't have to have grand social commentary or moral message to be good, but a) if you're gonna center your story around girlhate, then yeah, I kind of need you to do something with that, and b) it DOES at least need to be scary, and The Merciless is not. It's more violent than I expected it to be, but the violence isn't scary, just infuriating in this context. It goes for a few tried-and-true movie creeps, but without atmosphere they're meaningless, file under "You can't just describe a scene from a horror film and expect it to be scary in a book".
So yeah, fuck this noise. There was nothing redeeming about The Merciless for me except its brevity.


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Paid Surveys � The Legitimate Paid Survey Sites Strive to Beat the Scams
Many survey takers are ringing the bell that numerous survey scams are trying to compromise the quality services of the legit paid survey sites. Whereas experienced survey takers cannot be beguiled by the pyramid sites that emerge every day, the newbie survey takers may well fall victims of the scam artists in paid surveys. How can you protect yourself from the illegitimate survey sites?
About the Author: The author is an amateur writer focusing primarily on Paid Surveys related topics. For more information on Free Surveys visit her site http://www.surveysponsors.com


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Friday, January 11, 2013
Hollywood's Chinese Theater Naming Rights Bought By Chinese TV Manufacturer
The Hollywood Boulevard landmark will now be known as the TCL Chinese Theater as part of a $5 million deal.
As American films invade China, theaters stateside are being taken over by Chinese companies.
Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Hollywood Boulevard landmark built in 1927 and Los Angeles' most famed movie and premiere venue, will now be known as TCL Chinese Theater as part of a 10-year, $5 million deal with the TV manufacturer TCL. The company, based in China, is the fourth largest maker of televisions in the world, and is looking to get a foothold in the American market.
The theater is still heavily used, as the preferred location for Hollywood red carpet premieres. It draws four million visitors a year.
The LA Times reports that the deal includes a marketing campaign to promote both Tinsletown and the theater, as well as the obligation to fund improvements to the structure built 85 years ago by Sid Grauman. The deal comes after producers Ellie Samaha and Don Kushner bought the theater from Warner Bros. and Viacom in April of 2011. It was originally built with architectural elements from China, including bells and pagodas, and was declared a landmark in 1968.
China's Wanda Group finalized a purchase of the AMC movie theater chain in September for $2.6 billion, and pledged $500 million in renovations to the chain's various facilities.
Read More: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywoods-chinese-theater-naming-rights-411270
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Marvel Unlimited Unboxing, Lula Roe, Disney Parks news – WDW Tiki Room
Kristen and Aljon are talking about the latest Disney Park news, Lula Roe Disney inspired clothes, and unbox a Marvel Unlimited Plus subs...
Walt Disney Imagineering has compared footage of a full onboard of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train side-by-side with an original CGI ride-thr...
Kristen and Aljon are talking about the latest Disney Park news, Lula Roe Disney inspired clothes, and unbox a Marvel Unlimited Plus subs...


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Infosecurity Europe 2014: Get Zombified!
Planning to attend Infosecurity Europe 2014 in London? Be sure to drop by Tripwire's booth (G108) to get yourself immortalized in the fashion of a true conference zombie, join us for our Happy Hour with plenty of libations to go around, get your own customized t-shirt printed on the spot, enter to win an Xbox Kinect and much much more!
You can get your complimentary Expo pass for the show where you can mix and mingle with your security peers from all over the world, load up on great conference swag, and catch up on the latest in information security solutions.
And don't forget to grab a good seat for the session One Big Threat to Cyber Security: IT Geeks Can't Talk to Management with panelists Dwayne Melancon, Stephen Bonner, Marc White, Thom Langford on Tuesday, 29 April from 14.00-14.25.
One of the biggest challenges CISOs have is the ability to effectively communicate the value of their team's efforts across the organization, especially upstream to the C-Suite, Board of Directors and other non-technical executives.
In this panel, CISOs will share their experiences about how to communicate the benefits of a proactive security effort in a language the rest of the organization can understand. It will also discuss key metrics used to engage in meaningful conversations with key business stakeholders.
Benefits of attending:
- Understand the key aspects the board need to know about IT security
- Identify the key metrics to report on the state of security of your organization
- Find out how to discuss security with the board to get their support on security investments
- Understand how to talk effectively about security risks that affect the business
- Determine what information security details the board does not need to hear about
We will also have caricature artist Christian Marshall from DigiToons in the booth helping our guests get "zombiefied" – so drop by the Tripwire booth (G108) to get your very own!
Then be sure to join us on Wednesday for Happy Hour with where we will be serving up plenty of complimentary beer and wine while you get the chance to network with other security pros.
And grab one of Tripwire's knowledgeable EMEA crew to find out more about our market-leading network security solutions and vulnerability management products that can help your organization find confidence in a cybersecure world.
Don't forget to download the PDF version of The Ultimate Conference Zombie Survival Guide before you go to the show.
Why do you need this valuable guide? Because while everything may seem to be great on the surface, there are many evils that lurk behind the flashy demos and blinding smiles at a big security conference.
What's this? You want more? We have you covered – literally!
Get your own custom "Breaching Bad" T-shirt that we will be printing up right there at the booth. and while you are there, use your Infosecurity Europe Passport to Prizes to enter to win an Xbox Kinect!
Looking forward to seeing you at the show!
Hasta pronto,
The Executive's Guide to the Top 20 Critical Security Controls
Tripwire has compiled an e-book, titled The Executive's Guide to the Top 20 Critical Security Controls: Key Takeaways and Improvement Opportunities, which is available for download [registration form required].