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The Setup / Katy Goodman
Who are you, and what do you do?
I'm Katy Goodman. I'm a musician, and also a junior web developer. I went to Rutgers and studied physics and education, but then decided to pursue music instead of becoming a teacher. I've been playing in 2 bands for the last 8 years (Vivian Girls, La Sera), and travel the world playing shows and having fun and loving it. But when I'm not on tour, I love learning to code and developing websites. I just started working for CASH Music, where I'm training to do backend development. In my spare time, I'm going to college full time studying Computer Science, I have 2 cats and a dog who I hang out with a lot, and I go hiking sporadically.
Read the full interview: http://katy.goodman.usesthis.com/
Not That Kind Of Python: How An Indie Rock Star Became A Coder | Co.Create | creativity + culture + commerce
Katy Goodman of indie band La Sera talks about how she got serious about her longtime interest in coding while pursuing a music career.
"La Sera frontwoman Katy Goodman is an indie rock star equally at home among musicians as she is, shall we say, among a geekier crowd. For proof, look no further than the fact that she's gone back to college to get her computer degree, an outgrowth of her long fascination with computers and with the intellectual stimulation of programming.
Goodman has actually dabbled in coding with varying degrees of intensity over the years. The programmer side of her might not have seemed as obvious to her more casual fans, especially with Rolling Stone calling Goodman an "artist to watch" as it did a few years ago; it seemed like the stage—and recording studio—were where she was destined to call home. Nevertheless, long before fronting a group adept at big, insistent riffs and personal lyrics delivered in her dreamy, California-girl vocal style, computers were the thing she wanted to be around, a programmer the thing she wanted to be.
So much so, that Goodman found herself becoming a kind of hobbyist programmer, writing programs of her own in Visual Basic and coding her own websites for fun. She had ambitions, and she even thought about seeing where that interest might take her as she pursued higher education, but life, as it tends to do, got in the way.
Here, Goodman explains what happened next, and how she ended up throwing herself into computer coding in a big way."
Read the full article: http://www.fastcocreate.com/3043042/not-that-kind-of-python-how-an-indie-rock-star-became-a-coder
CASH Music Launches New Platform, Adds La Sera's Katy Goodman as Developer | Billboard
By Harley Brown
"CASH Music, a non-profit that creates free open-source tools for musicians, literally embodied their mission with an announcement on Wednesday: along with a new platform launch, the organization hired Los Angeles-based bassist, singer and songwriter Katy Goodman, who records and performs as La Sera and, on the sly, has been blogging about learning to code.
"Her skills are perfect for what we need," says CASH co-executive director Maggie Vail, who first met Goodman during her 17-year tenure as general manager for indie stalwart Kill Rock Stars (back when she was "Kickball Katy" with punk-y Shangri-Las revivalists Vivian Girls), "and what better way to build things for musicians than to hire a musician?"
For now, Goodman will be working on an application for CASH's venues database, accessible to artists, managers, labels, and other music industry-focused entities. "Think of it like a phonebook," explains CASH co-founder Jesse Von Doom. "Open code is great, but it needs to be paired with open data. We don't want artists to have to enter details for Terminal 5 or the Echo every time they're talking about tour dates. That should just live somewhere for everyone to know. There are services that collect all that data, but their databases are closed, the info is private or exclusive, so there's lock-in. F— that.""
Read the full article: https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6509686/cash-music-launches-new-platform-adds-la-seras-katy-goodman-as-developer?utm_source=twitter
Support Mental Health Awareness and Buy this New Album: VA – One Hundred Thousand Voices
Limited Handmade CD to Benefit Active Minds, Inc.
01. Like Ships in the Night – "If We Cut a Record"
02. The Aquadolls – "Don't Mean Jack"
03. The Lovely Bad Things – "Hear or Anywhere"
04. JD Debris – "Panic Attack" (Prod. Bodek)
05. Eddi Front – "Superhero Style"
06. Faces on Film – "The Rule"
07. Lady Lamb – "Shoulders"
08. Marissa Nadler – "Carnival"
09. Michael Mirra – "Baby Blue"
10. Death Valley Girls – "Get Home"
11. Dum Dum Girls – "Lost Boys and Girls Club"
12. La Sera – "Love That's Gone (Katy's Demo)
13. Lay Low Moon – "Thru & Thru"
source: http://ohtvoices.storenvy.com/products/13018425-one-hundred-thousand-voices-cd


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You can take your shots in those chintzy Mariachi glasses your friends brought you back from their Mexico vacation. Or, you can bust out the heavy artillery and have some drinks in the above Muzzleshots. Machined out of a solid block of aluminum, the glasses are shaped like an M16's A2 flash suppressor, and are then Mil-spec anodized for a army matte finish. They're virtually indestructible, and will definitely look pretty badass next time you bust them out at a poker game or something. Each 1.5oz. glass is $35, but if you want four of them in a custom-desgned Pelican case, it's going to cost you $200.
[ Product Page] VIA [ GearHungry ]

subset: commoncrawl


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Download another brand new single by Tatiana Manaois – Get Back That Feeling
"Get Back That Feeling" is another brand new single by American base R&B Singer Tatiana Manaois
She kick start the new year with new single after enjoying 2018.
The track is off her Forthcoming project that is set to be release next week.
Tatiana Manaois who released the two new tracks from her upcoming project last year titled "I Feel Good" And "You Mean To Tell Me?"
"I Feel Good" is the latest trending track of the American female R and B singer.
American female Pop singer Tatiana Manaois nicknamed Itstatianam released her third single in the space of week.
The rumor of her new project to be drop today die down and she shift the expectation to next week.
The California born came to limelight by showing off covers for songs of top musicians. She has published covers of Chris Rene, Ed Sheeran , and Justin Bieber to her YouTube channel.
She is also an independent singer-songwriter with albums titled "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Pain" and "Lovely" , the latter of which features her hit single "Helplessly," and " Like You ".
The track bring breath of hope after a shattered relationship .
Listen and Download Tatiana Manaois – Get Back That Feeling Mp3 below;
Check Out Music: Lil Keed – Move It ft. Offset


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NEW YORK — The family of former Bears safety Dave Duerson has agreed to donate his brain for research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition linked to athletes who have sustained repeated concussions.
Chris Nowinski at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University School of Medicine told The Associated Press he was contacted by a representative of the NFL Players Association on Friday, then worked with a representative of Duerson's family.
"I can confirm that Mr. Duerson's family has agreed to donate his brain to the CSTE at BU School of Medicine," Nowinski said in an e-mail.
Duerson died Thursday in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla. The Miami-Dade medical examiner ruled the death a suicide, Miami-Dade police spokesman Roy Rutland said Sunday. He confirmed that a gun was used but did not specify where Duerson shot himself.
It's unclear why Duerson killed himself, although his company had been forced into receivership several years ago and he had lost his home to foreclosure, former Bears coach Mike Ditka told the AP in a phone interview Sunday.
"I knew he had some problems, I knew he lost the business, I knew all that," said Ditka, whose Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund works to help provide for retired players, which includes funding research into health-related issues such as brain injuries.
"It's just a tragedy," Ditka said. "It really is."
A native of Muncie, Ind., Duerson was a third-round draft pick by the Bears in 1983 out of Notre Dame and played 11 seasons in the NFL. He won Super Bowls with the 1985 Bears and 1990 Giants and played in four Pro Bowls.
Ditka said he isn't sure whether Duerson was having any issues connected with his playing career, but he acknowledged that it has become common among former players.
"A lot of these guys have gone through a lot of suffering," Ditka said. "You played the game, you had a concussion, and you went back in. That's how it was. If they showed you three fingers, and you saw two, it was good enough. You played the game."
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is associated with cognitive and behavioral problems later in life and eventually causes dementia. Also known as punch drunk syndrome, it has been most common in boxers. In recent years, CTE has been shown to exist in other athletes, including professional and college football players and a pro hockey player.
CSTE is a collaboration between BU Medical School and the Sports Legacy Institute that's addressing what it calls the "concussion crisis" in sports. The group has been at the forefront of research into head trauma in sports and received a $1 million gift from the NFL, which it has pushed for better treatment of concussions.
Nowinski, a former pro wrestling star and football player at Harvard, is the president at the Sports Legacy Institute.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said as he arrived for labor negotiations Sunday that he didn't know details about Duerson's case.
"He's a good man," Goodell said. "It's sad."
Did RHOA's NeNe Leakes Steal Money From Sheree?
Steve Harvey's Ex-Wife Gives Final Interview On Divorce Drama
Blake Griffin's Close Friend, Ex-Teammate Dies Of Cancer


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The Twins pulled out a very nice 4-2 win over the BoSox on Wednesday night, but because the power was out at my house for most of the evening, I wasn't able to catch the game on TV. Instead of a game recap (which I'm sure you'll be able to find at one or more other blogs), I wanted to discuss a topic that has always intrigued me: the difference between the 2002 Minnesota Twins and the 2004 Kansas City Royals.
As most baseball fans already know, Royals GM Allard Baird has announced that he is willing to trade almost every veteran player on the Royals' roster before the trading deadline. 2004 has been a complete nightmare for the preseason's 'chic' pick in the AL Central. The Royals, who most believed would challenge the Twins and White Sox for a playoff spot this season, currently sit in last place at 28-40, 10 games behind the first-place Twins. For all intents and purposes, this season is over for the Royals.
Before this season began, many people (including myself) likened the 2003 Royals to the 2001 Twins. Both teams were relatively young; both were perennial losers in the latter part of the 1990s; and both emerged as surprise contenders in the weak AL Central only to come up short in September. In case you don't remember, the Twins finished with a record of 85-77 in 2001, and the Royals finished 83-79 in 2003. I distinctly remember many "experts" being cautiously optimistic about the Twins' chances in 2002, but we all know that they far exceeded anyone's expectations. With that precedent already in place, many of these same experts were quick to anoint the Royals as the favorites in 2004. They had kept nearly every piece from 2003, and even added a few new ones: veteran slugger Juan Gonzalez, ageless catcher Benito Santiago, and steady reliever Scott Sulivan. They also brought back 2003 mid-season acquisitions Brian Anderson, Kevin Appier, and Curtis Leskanic.
So what gives? Logic says that the Royals should have been a better team in 2004 than they were in 2003. Now, I fully realize how "flukey" their good record was in 2003 when you look at such things as the Pythagorean standings (more on them tomorrow). But that argument has been done to death, and quite frankly, I'm sick of it. Instead, I would like to briefly compare, position-by-position, the 2002 Twins and 2004 Royals.
Catcher: A.J. Pierzynski vs. Benito Santiago
When I saw that the Royals had signed Santiago this past off-season, I wasn't exactly sure what the move would accomplish. I don't know exactly what the Royals were expecting to get out of the 38 year-old catcher (perhaps just veteran leadership?), but it's safe to say that he has been just average this year (.763 OPS). He recently broke his hand and is out 8 weeks, so the Royals won't even be able to trade him! A.J., on the other hand, blossomed into one of the game's best young catchers in 2002, as he was one of the team's better hitters. The biggest difference between the two is the sticker price: A.J. made the minimum while Benito will cost the Royals $4.3 million over the next two years.
Advantage: 2002 Twins because of age, potential, and money
First Basemen: Ken Harvey vs. Doug Mientkiewicz
Although the two were originally slated to share the 1B/DHing duties, I have chosen Harvey over Sweeney for this spot because Sweeney's injuries have forced him to DH more. Harvey has been a pleasant surprise this year, hitting .350 with a .897 OPS. There aren't many bad things you can say about those numbers. Dougie Baseball, on the other hand, had a mediocre 2002 season as he hit .261 with just 10 HRs and 64 RBIs. Both made (or are making) around the minimum as 2nd or 3rd year players. Mientkiewicz is far superior defensively, as he won a Gold Glove in 2002.
Advantage: 2004 Royals, as Harvey is a young player having a breakout season; although had I done this analysis before April I may have gone the other way.
Second Basemen: Luis Rivas vs. Desi Relaford/Tony Graffanino
Ouch. The competition at this position isn't all that fierce. Rivas was injured early in 2002 and never really got on track following his stellar 2001 season. Relaford was a key part of the Royals' 2003 success, but he's having a terrible 2004 (.197 BA). Graffanino is a role player who has played well in limited duty at 2B, but there isn't a whole lot of potential there. This is a tough one to pick.
Advantage: Draw. Rivas at least showed signs of potential in 2001 and 2002, but despite Graffanino's decent 2004 performance, he is what he is And pretty much everyone knew Relaford was a fluke in 2003.
Third Base: Corey Koskie vs. Joe Randa
Joe Randa's lack of power this year is one of the main reasons why the Royals have been so terrible, as he has just 2 homers in 229 at-bats this year. The Royals were counting on him to produce, and he has flopped miserably. Now Koskie wasn't a ball of fire back in '02 (.815 OPS but just 15 HRs and 69 RBIs) following his breakout 2001, but Randa isn't on pace to even come close to those numbers. And Randa makes a lot more money ($3.25 mil) than Koskie did ($300K).
Advantage: Big-time 2002 Twins. Koskie is simply far better all around than Randa, in almost every facet of his game. And the price was right.
Shortstop: Angel Berroa vs. Christian Guzman
The Royals were really counting on Berroa, 2003's AL ROY, to step it up in '04 and anchor the infield. He has struggled with injuries and sickness and has been very underwhelming (.686 OPS in 218 ABs) thus far. However, Guzman also had a disappointing 2002 after his All-Star 2001 season, so this is a tough matchup to call.
Advantage: 2004 Royals. We have the value of 20/20 hindsight on this one. Guzman has yet to live up to his potential, while Berroa, despite his weak performance thus far, has at least shown flashes of brilliance. However, both teams counted on much more from their shortstops. The Twins were able to survive, while the Royals obviously haven't.
Outfield: Jacque Jones/Torii Hunter/Dusty Kielmohr vs. Matt Stairs/Carlos Beltran/Juan Gonzalez
Each of these two contestants have their strengths and weaknesses. The Twins' foursome (including the infamous Mohr/Kielty platoon) was young, cheap, hungry, but somewhat unproven entering 2002. The Royals' ideal OF consisted of three veterans, including the superstar Beltran. Stairs has actually played quite well (.802 OPS and 10 HRs), but Gonzo was a complete (and predictable) failure. Baird knew he was taking a risk when his signed the oft-injured Gonzalez for $4 million this off-season, but like almost everything else, it turned out quite badly for our foes down the interstate. Gonzalez only had 17 RBIs before he was injured, and it appears the Royals are stuck with his contract. Baird also passed up myriad chances to trade Beltran this off-season in anticipation of the 2004 "pennant drive that never was". While he has been his normal productive self, he almost certainly will be traded within a few weeks. In '02, Jacque and Torii cost a fraction of what Gonzo and Beltran will make this year, and I guarantee the latter won't come close to matching the production of the former.
Advantage: 2002 Twins. The Gonzalez signing was a dumb risk, and you don't win championships with a bunch of "maybes" (a common theme with the 2004 Royals). Beltran is still very good, but even he's not worth what the Royals will pay him this season.
Starting Pitching: Radke/Reed/Lohse/Milton vs. Anderson/Gobble/May/Affeldt
Here we are at last. This is the category that separates the pretenders from the contenders. The big question surrounding the 2004 Royals was: "Will their starting pitching come through?" The answer, as we all know, has been a resounding "NO!". Brian Anderson was supposed to be the ace of this "staff", yet he proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that his solid 2003 was a fluke with a 7.00 ERA so far this season (and we're in late June!). The Royals gave Darrell May a big contract this winter following a very good 2003, but he has an ERA of almost 6.00 this season. Young Jimmy Gobble has been the Royals' best starter, but even he has been mediocre (4.54 ERA w/4 wins). Affeldt struggled with injuries and was moved to the bullpen, but he has been surprising bad this year as well (1.65 WHIP), especially for someone so talented.
I fully realize the Twins starting rotation in 2002 wasn't the world's greatest by any means, but at least they had a few guys (Reed, Radke, and Milton) who had proved themselves at the big league level for more than one year. Sure, all four were pretty middling in '02 (except Reed, who had a pretty good regular season), but they were good enough.
Advantage: 2002 Twins. This is the X-Factor. The Royals took an awful risk with their 2004 rotation, and it failed miserably. The Twins played it safe (despite the added costs) and it paid off in the long run.
Bullpen: Guardado/Hawkins/Romero/Jackson/Fiore vs. Sullivan/Grimsley/Leskanic/MacDougall
This is a no-brainer, for obvious reasons. The 2002 bullpen was quite possibly the best in franchise history (especially with wunderkind Johan Santana). Many thought the Royals' bullpen would be solid this year, and if you look at individuals, it hasn't been all that terrible (Sullivan and Grimsely have been pretty decent). But the collapses of Leskanic (since released) and MacDougall have been crippling. MacDougall was an All-Star last season, but he has only pitched 3.1 big league innings this year. What was perceived as a potential strength before the season has turned into yet another weakness for the Royals, while exactly the opposite was true for the 2002 Twins.
Advantage: Big-time 2002 Twins. There is little explanation even needed here. The Royals tried to go with proven bullpen arms, but they have simply not lived up to expectations. The Twins went with unprovens, yet it turned out spectacularly. Go figure. Had you compared these two teams before their respective seasons, the verdict might have been a little closer, but I still don't like cobbling a bullpen together with a bunch of overpriced middle relievers. The Twins went for a blend of young arms and veterans, which seems to be a much better recipe for success.
Well, there you have it. I realize this rudimentary analysis was done with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, but as you can see, the rest of the country should have realized before the season began that the 2004 Royals would never hold a candle to the 2002 Twins. If you have any thoughts of your own, feel free to drop a note in the comments section below, or e-mail me at firstname.lastname@example.com. Thanks for stopping by Twins Chatter and have a good day.
Thursday, June 24, 2004
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The lanolin content of the wool will naturally repel stains and moisture, and it will last lifetimes with proper care.
- Vacuum weekly.
- To shake the rug out, hold it on the long side (non-fringe side).
- Spot clean with a soft toothbrush, gentle soap and cold water.
- Hand wash or machine wash on gentle cycle, with gentle soap and cold water.
- Do not put in the dryer.
- Allow the rug to dry outside, out of direct sunlight.
- If the rug becomes very soiled, it is recommend to dry clean with a local cleaner that deals with rugs.
- If the rug is to be a wall hanging, please remember that it is wool and therefore susceptible to moths. Take the rug down regularly, vacuum
- Keep your rug out of direct sunlight for long periods of time to avoid fading of the colors.
- To store, roll up rug.


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New Trier West High School
Who lives where - click links below to find out.
1 lives in Alabama
1 lives in Alaska
14 live in Arizona
55 live in California
21 live in Colorado
5 live in Connecticut
1 lives in District Of Columbia
27 live in Florida
5 live in Georgia
373 live in Illinois
3 live in Indiana
3 live in Iowa
3 live in Kansas
1 lives in Kentucky
1 lives in Louisiana
1 lives in Maine
2 live in Maryland
8 live in Massachusetts
4 live in Michigan
10 live in Minnesota
7 live in Missouri
4 live in Nevada
2 live in New Jersey
2 live in New Mexico
13 live in New York
6 live in North Carolina
5 live in Ohio
6 live in Oregon
5 live in Pennsylvania
2 live in South Carolina
2 live in Tennessee
10 live in Texas
1 lives in Vermont
5 live in Virginia
6 live in Washington
13 live in Wisconsin
1 lives in France
1 lives in India
1 lives in Ireland
51 location unknown
Know the email address of a missing Classmate? Click here to contact them!
Hi Classmates!
We are so happy so many of our classmates and their guests were able to join us in October for our 40th reunion. It was great to catch up with you. We have heard from many of you that the reunion was a success!
If you have photos you'd like to share, please click on 40th Reunion Photos on the left and submit them. If you couldn't make it, be sure to check out the photos.
We hope to keep in touch with you from time to time through the website. Keep us posted on your whereabouts, so that we don't lose contact with you. There is talk of a 45th reunion. We'll give it some thought in about 4 years or 2020!
If you left the reunion without your goody bag and would like one, please let us know.
Wishing you all the best! Go Cubs!
The Reunion Committee
Edye Aaron Gershman
Cheryl Balaban
Mindi Berman Gold
Debbie Burnstine Walt
Lisa Eatman
Chris Fardoux
Sari Gold Factor
Marcee Gutman Epstein
Margaret Klapperich Brodeur
Robbie Maller Hartman
Ruth Packtor Hudak
Dana Pearl
Randi Perlman Orlov
Abby Rifken Isaacson
Philip Ruben
Karen Schachtel Siegel
Linda Wechsler Settler
Caryn Zagon Shulman
Sari Zimbler Smith
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Double Banana Cream Pie
We won't blame you if you can't help but drool over today's recipe because the title alone is already mouth watering! Rejoice because you're about to learn the secrets of how to make a "Double Banana Cream Pie." You don't have to wait for Thanksgiving or Christmas just to make this. You can make each day a special occasion when you have this served on the dining table. It is simply irresistible that children of all ages will love it. The best part is that it's not only delicious, but since bananas are the main ingredient here, you are at least getting some health benefits in your treat!
There are plenty of reasons why bananas are good for your body. And today, we're going to share a few of these reasons with you, so you'll be more inspired to make this scrumptious dessert. This fruit has the ability to help you fight depression in case you're going through it. It is packed with vitamins and minerals that will also improve your memory and way of thinking, so in a way it does help you become smarter. Bananas can also cure hangovers, so if you happen to have one of those too-drunk-to-function kinds of nights, this dessert just might save your day in case you need to get up for work again!
For those who are suffering from morning sickness, guess what? Just grab a banana and give it a try. This amazing fruit could help you prevent having kidney cancer and other known diseases like diabetes and even osteoporosis. It can also protect your eyes from going blind. After reading all these, we bet you're surprised at the many health benefits this fruit can give you. And did we mention that it could also heal the itch from a mosquito bite? Seriously, we could go on and on, but by now we know you get the picture on why bananas are important in our lives.
Some of the other things you can use bananas for are banana bread, banana pudding, banana custard, banana pie, fried bananas, banana ice cream, banana chips, banana smoothies. Bananas are an excellent source of vitamin B6 and contain moderate amounts of vitamin C, manganese and dietary fiber. Bananas are often thought to supply a lot of potassium content, but it is actually is low compared to some other common foods such as beans, milk, apricots, carrots and sweet potatoes.
Now that you have all this information, it's safe to say that you're now also even more motivated to make this pie! What's great about this dessert is the thick vanilla custard layered with ripe bananas, which is also in a sweet arrowroot-cookie crust. There's only one word to describe each bite and that would be "divine."
Get ready about 5 ounces of gluten-free arrowroot cookies, sugar and unsalted butter to create the crust. For the filling, you will also need some sugar, cornstarch, salt, low fat milk, large egg yolks, vanilla extract, banana extract, unsalted butter, 3 ripe bananas, whipped topping and some almond brickle chips.
Learn MORE / Get RECIPE at My Recipes
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Facing an accusation for theft is no small issue; for those going through such an unfortunate situation, proving innocence can be an overwhelming task. Even if the theft was small, many Pennsylvania residents find themselves in a prolonged legal battle.
The other side to a theft charge
Pennsylvania's response to the opioid epidemic
With the opioid epidemic showing no signs of slowing down, lawmakers and state officials are increasingly shifting focus toward putting a halt to drug trafficking and keeping a keener eye on the types of drugs used in overdoses. However, recent news shows that Pennsylvania's recording of drug types in fatal overdoses is lacking. How effective are current efforts to combat illegal drug trafficking, and might the state see a change in the ways it tracks cases involving drugs and overdoses?
How are drugs classified?
If you or someone you know has been charged with a criminal offense in Pennsylvania related to a controlled substance, there are many things you will want to know about as you or your friend get into the criminal defense process. One of the things to understand is that different drugs are rated differently by the government and that the particular rating associated with a substance may contribute to the actual charge a person may face.
Alleged drug dealer arrested after man dies
Pennsylvania residents have likely known for a while that they may be at risk of being arrested and charged with a crime if they use or consume an illegal substance like heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine. It has also been a practice for law enforcement officers to arrest those persons who are suspected of dealing or transporting these substances when believed to have done either or both things.
Can law enforcement search your car during a traffic stop?
Being stopped for a traffic violation in Pennsylvania is a fairly common occurrence. Usually the officer pulls you over for speeding and the consequences generally are not too serious, especially if this is your first offense. But what if there are drugs in your car? If the officer searches and finds them, you get arrested for drug possession and your life becomes very complicated.
Encounter at Solebury Township park results in teacher's arrest
Ask any teen in Greensburg about their readiness to deal with adult matters, and most will tell you that they are more than prepared to do so. Yet the actions of their particular demographic often indicate otherwise. Thus, when issues arise between teens and adults (especially those of a sexual nature), the immediate reaction is often to place the blame for any incidents that occur on adults. That blame is magnified when the adults involved are in positions of authority over the teens, as it is often assumed that they either used such authority to compel the teens to do what they wanted, or that they simply should have known better.
Pennsylvania's Drug Overdose Response Immunity Law
Most people are aware of the devastation caused by the recent opioid epidemic. In many communities, there has been a steady increase in the number of overdose deaths each year. Many who have died could have been saved if prompt medical treatment was received. And in some of those cases, medical treatment was not received because a friend or family member, who may not have realized the seriousness of the situation, failed to call 911 out of concern that criminal charges would be filed. In response, the Pennsylvania General Assembly enacted the Drug Overdose Response Immunity Law, 35 P.S. § 780-113.7.
Right to a Speedy Trial - PA Rule of Criminal Procedure 600
A person charged with a crime has a right to a speedy trial under Article I, Section 9 of the Pennsylvania Constitution and the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. While neither Section specifies the time within which a criminal defendant must be brought to trial, the Pennsylvania Criminal Procedural Rules Committee has adopted Rule 600 (formerly Rule 1100) which sets forth when a defendant must be brought to trial in various situations.
Pennsylvania and the opioid crisis
Drug crimes -- especially those involving opiates -- are a bleak but concerning matter in Pennsylvania. The state is not exempt from the opioid crisis currently at stake across the country, and recent news shows that officials in the area are cracking down on the issue now more than ever before. While the drug problem is one the nation hopes to see come to an end sooner than later, Pennsylvania law enforcement say they are here to stay until the epidemic's bitter end.
Car theft and the numbers
Vehicle theft is no small crime in Pennsylvania. Regardless of the motivation of the crime, the state penalizes incidents of theft seriously, and through a complex and detailed system. However, some situations create doubt as to whether a defendant intended to steal the property; such legal situations can stem from a defendant's age, mental capacity and other factors. While determining a charge can prove to be a complicated process, it is also important to know the state's regulations, crime climate and other factual information on car theft.


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Alex Borinsky
Essay Time
@Gray Spaces: Clusterf*ck
January 13, 2018 @ 8pm
Tickets: $25 (+Free Drink) –>
Alex Borinsky is a playwright and performer, originally from Baltimore. Recent projects include Of Government, a play, with Clubbed Thumb, and Weird Classrooms, a plaything, with University Settlement. Coming in May is Ding Dong It's the Ocean, with Rady&Bloom at JACK. He is writing a young adult novel called Sasha Masha.


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Be sure that the audio settings for the player match your home setup closely. If the player is connected directly to your TV with HDMI and no home theater is in use, set the digital output setting to PCM Stereo.
Check the DRC setting. Dynamic Rage Control will keep the sound at a consistent level. This can give you the impression of low audio especially with action films. Basically the parts of the film that should be really loud are made quieter to match the dialogue of a quieter scene of the film. If this appears to be the case, set this option to Off and play the disc again to see if the issue is improved.
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The demographic problem has also become entwined with Iran's long-running conflict with the West over its nuclear program. One of the leading sources of Iran's economic troubles is the series of harsh Western economic sanctions imposed in recent years to punish Tehran and to bring it to the negotiating table.
Tahereh Labbaf, the medical adviser to the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, which deals with the population issue, said that the birthrate for the country's Sunni Muslims is around four children per couple. "This is very sobering," a conservative website, Tasnim, quoted her as saying.
Keep in mind, though, that Sunni Muslims represent only about 10 percent of Iran's population, so they are unlikely to drive trends in any important way.
Experts say that while birthrates in Iran are very low, there is no real crisis just yet. But they also say that financial incentives and faith will not by themselves reverse the population decline.
The critical factor, said Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi, head of the demographics department at Tehran University, is the economy.So, in the end, we see that one of the most effective policies that western nations can implement to lower another country's birth rate is to impose economic sanctions. This also has worked in Cuba, where the average woman has 1.8 children--below replacement level. Economic sanctions do not seem capable of overthrowing governments, but they do seem to bring the birth rate down. Call it the unintended birth control plan.


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Herbs to Grow in the Kitchen It is amazing to see people using jars of dried herbs from the supermarket and wondering why their food remains bland. Most herbs bought from the supermarket contain a lot of rubbish. The companies that make them will dump anything into the shredder to …Read More »
Companion Planting
Companion Planting a beginners Guide. When it comes to arranging our vegetable gardens we have a tendency to lump all plants of the same type together in beds, a practice known as monoculture. Gardening just seems easier when things are organized like that, but it may not actually be the …Read More »
Growing Vegetables in Shady Spots
Growing Vegetables in Shady Spots The weed infested plot near the compost heap, the bit behind the shed you left to pasture, that odd corner where you slung the third water butt. Shady spots! Our gardens are full of them. But what can we do? It is tempting to want …Read More »
Edible Perennials
It is morning and warm shafts of light pierce the kitchen windows. The cat lounges where they fall, birds are out in song and snowdrops nod approvingly. Your soul lifts as you realize that finally the first days of spring are upon us. While drinking your morning brew your head …Read More »
Starting a Herb Garden
Every garden should have an herb patch. Preferably spreading a number of herbs around the place would be more beneficial. Some herbs, such as basil, complement other fruit and vegetables like tomatoes. Others such as lavender and citronella are perfect for sunny patio doorways to add a summer's evening aroma …Read More »


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by William Moultrie
Columbia, SC – The South Carolina Republican Party (SCGOP) doesn't have too many regrets following this year's sweep of statewide offices, but their final disclosure reports reveal a major outlay of funds spent to craft a racism defense that went unused.
"The first thing we did in June when we found we were stuck… um… when we nominated Nikki Haley to run for governor," said Karen Floyd, chairperson of the SCGOP, "was to put ourselves in our opponent's place, figure out where our weaknesses were and formulate a defense."
What they came up with, Floyd continued, was a likely attack on Haley's Indian background.
"It seemed as obvious to us as referring to the president as Barack Hussein Obama on every possible occasion. It's what we would do in a heartbeat — seriously, what's more American than questioning how American someone is? I still don't get why they didn't use it — maybe they just ran out of money."
Documents obtained from party insiders show an extensive plan consisting of indignant responses and appeals to other ethnic minorities to show their solidarity.
Floyd explained how it might proceed.
"Obviously, we were waiting on someone on the other side to kick it off with some sort of reference, basically anybody with a 'D'after their name — a current or former elected official or some pissant staffer working on a down-ballot race — didn't matter, but we needed some Democrat somewhere to call her by her given name so we would have something to be indignant about. We had some of our favorite editorial boards ready to go denouncing whatever was said, and then we had a plan to flood the newspapers with letters and send our prized African-American Republican, Tim Scott, around the state to denounce the statement at the black churches. It was a beautiful plan, and I guess I shouldn't be upset that we didn't get to use it since we won, but we put a lot of planning into that."
"Hell," Floyd continued, "we even got Jakie Knotts to say some crazy offensive stuff just so the Democrats wouldn't feel as uncomfortable saying mildly offensive stuff; though to tell you the truth, he didn't need much convincing."
Floyd says it's not a total loss, though.
"She'll probably be running again in four years, so we'll have it ready to go."


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17 September 2010
Reflections in the Japanese Garden
This is an upsidedown reflection in one of the pools of the beautiful Japanese Garden on Avenue Princesse Grace. Look carefully and you see the white painted balconies of an apartment building.
This peaceful garden is a great place to relax in Monaco.
Labels: Gardens - Japanese Garden
6 comments:
- maria said...
Beautiful, very peaceful, and the koi swimming through the branches....!
- 17 September, 2010
- joanny said...
What a fabulous photograph, just stunning,love the 'Zen' feeling I got from it.
- 17 September, 2010
- Cushyco said...
It is a very effective photo!
- 18 September, 2010
- Nathalie said...
Nice !!!!
- 20 September, 2010
- this too will pass said...
very nice
- 20 September, 2010
- tennisjazz said...
Lovely, looks like an oil of a pine by Tom Thomson or another of the Group of Seven.
- 20 September, 2010
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by Ken Murphy, Editorial Director | insiderPROFILES, Volume 6, Issue 2
April 1, 2015
Grab a seat along the boards and read how the National Hockey League (NHL) supercharged its statistics portal with SAP HANA to put fans in the driver's seat for creating a personalized and customizable real-time statistical experience. At NHL.com/Stats, now powered by SAP HANA, fans have an interactive portal with which to discern real-time insights from the fastest game on ice.
Among its diverse fan base, the National Hockey League (NHL) is affectionately known as the fastest game on ice, showcasing the speed and skill of the best hockey players in the world nightly in a fast-paced physical game with very little stoppage in play. Among the four major professional sports leagues in the US, hockey is the only one where possession has to be earned, as teams relentlessly battle for the puck on every shift. This creates nuances that don't show up in an NHL box score. Goals, assists, and goaltending statistics such as save percentage tell only a small part of the story. A snapshot of a moment in an NHL game yields a plethora of revealing information: Who hustled for a loose puck? Who separated an attacking winger from the puck? Who created a shooting lane? Who did the dirty work on a penalty kill?
Capturing elusive unofficial statistics like these, which play an integral part in an NHL game, is a challenge that the NHL turned to SAP technology, specifically SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud, to help solve. League executives knew that presenting some of these statistics in a visually appealing way would not only please the avid and astute hockey fans who cherish these nuances, but also help average hockey fans better appreciate the subtleties of the game.
In hockey-speak, it was time to shake up the lines.
"The game continues to get faster every year," says David Lehanski, NHL Senior Vice President of Integrated Sales. "As the game becomes faster and stronger, it becomes somewhat more of a challenge to tell the story of how good it is and how incredible some of the plays are. We realized that we needed to advance our statistical platform, and in addition, do it in a way that could help us tell the stories that we weren't telling and tell the stories we were telling better."
We needed to advance our statistical platform, and in addition, do it in a way that could help us tell the stories that we weren't telling and tell the stories we were telling better.— David Lehanski, Senior Vice President, Integrated Sales, NHL
We needed to advance our statistical platform, and in addition, do it in a way that could help us tell the stories that we weren't telling and tell the stories we were telling better.
— David Lehanski, Senior Vice President, Integrated Sales, NHL
An exhaustive search for a technology partner steered the NHL toward SAP, both for help with an overhaul of the NHL's statistics portal as well as for opportunities to modernize its IT infrastructure. In both cases, SAP HANA was the platform of choice to assist the NHL with extending its technology landscape. Just as with the elimination of the two-line offensive pass, the NHL wasn't afraid to shake things up in a push to break free from tradition to generate more excitement.
In February 2015, the NHL unveiled the initial fan-facing aspect of its partnership with SAP with its new statistics platform at NHL.com.
According to Lehanski and Chris Foster, the NHL's Director of Digital Business Development, another contributing factor in the NHL turning to SAP as its technology partner was the NHL's existing familiarity with the company — the San Jose Sharks play in the SAP Center. One driver for change was the need to make the portal more interactive and comprehensive. Before the move to SAP software, statistics were presented in a simple spreadsheet format. League leaders, for example, defaulted to points scored and a user could sort team and player statistics by various categories, such as win percentage, power play goals, assists, or penalty minutes. Embedded links would take fans to a player or team page, but other than some thumbnail images, it was a mostly text-heavy, table-based presentation.
Another driver was the surge in popularity of fantasy hockey. In fantasy, fans act as the general managers of their own team; they compile a roster in a mock draft, and those real statistics then determine a fantasy team's performance in competition with other fantasy teams. Because of this, analytics is playing a more prominent role in how fans assess and understand the game. Fans can join a fantasy league and access a trove of fantasy information directly from the NHL.com/Stats homepage.
To improve the user experience, the NHL's directive for SAP was to create a destination that put NHL fans in the driver's seat to consume statistics and information in a more individualized fashion. The vision was that customizing data should be as personal an experience as watching a game; every NHL fan who visits the site could conceivably come away with a different story — one that they designed themselves.
"SAP helped us take the wealth of data that we have and put it to scientific analysis," says Foster. "Now, we can layer that on some new statistics to help us explain the game better and tell those stories. It's a toolset for fans and enthusiasts to go in, create and experiment, and really make their own analysis."
Headquarters: New York
Industry: Professional sports
Revenue: $3.7 billion (2013-2014)
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Future plans for the new NHL.com statistics platform will include the digitized versions of historical box scores — information that hadn't been available on the previous site. That historical record is one example of how the new site will be more interactive, with users able to easily pull up and compare teams and players from different eras. With SAP Lumira as the visualization layer, users are not restricted to table-based sorting but can instead populate colorful charts and graphs with information they select.
"This is the central idea behind the fan-driven experience," Lehanski says. "Take goalies as one example. Save percentage and goals against average have served as the primary statistics for a goalie's performance. But now fans can look at that in a much richer context, taking into account the score of the game, the time of the game, whether it is a shorthanded goal or a power-play goal. The fan is now the data scientist. From our research, we know the average NHL fan is incredibly tech-savvy and is on the cutting edge as far as consuming advanced technologies, and we needed a digital platform that could deliver on those expectations."
Because SAP HANA stores data in memory, it delivers information in near real time. This means fans can derive instantaneous insights from almost any query, while behind the scenes, the SAP HANA processing engine is making calculations on millions of data points. The benefit of the refreshed statistics page is not limited to how appealing the site looks to a curious and engaged fan base.
Announcers can much more easily put in-game statistics into historical context, quickly finding out how often a scoring feat has been duplicated, for example. The use of SAP HANA in a cloud-based environment optimizes the dissemination of information to a wide range of parties.
"This encompasses NHL.com, our mobile app, the NHL Network, our partnership with NBC, and all NHL-owned media," says Lehanski. "Representations and utilizations of these statistics and analysis will cover all of those platforms."
In February 2015, the NHL unveiled its new statistics platform at NHL.com. Fans can join a fantasy league and access a trove of fantasy information directly from the NHL.com/Stats homepage.
According to Lehanski and Foster, though one of the contributing factors in the NHL turning to SAP as its technology partner was SAP's existing NHL ties; after the NHL executives saw what SAP HANA could do, any affiliation meant far less than what the technology could deliver.
"From the technology standpoint, we were shown demos of SAP HANA, and it proved to be an incredibly powerful, fast, and flexible platform and certainly unlike anything we were currently working with," Lehanski explains. "When we beta tested some of our data, we received some pretty instantaneous output and we were won over."
While there are still ongoing discussions between SAP and the NHL concerning which of its on-premise systems will best be served by migrating to the SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud, the NHL does foresee utilizing SAP HANA throughout all of the league's channels and brands, and not limiting SAP HANA as a platform solely for statistics.
"There's an SAP HANA play across several pieces of business," says Lehanski. "We've amassed some fairly significant customer databases from a variety of our platforms, including for NHL GameCenter LIVE, shop.NHL.com, and our NHL app. This data currently all resides in different databases, and the plan is to migrate all of it to SAP HANA, with appropriate security measures in place, which will open analytics beyond a statistical standpoint and allow us to apply some predictive analytics as to how to better serve this customer base."
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After creating a new statistics page powered by SAP HANA on its website (NBA.com/Stats), the NBA noticed more clicks - and longer visits. With SAP HANA powering through league stats...
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2018: Congratulations
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Imagination Library Contest! We received many excellent submissions and wished we could have awarded every single family with a prize.The Eugene Public Library Foundation is pleased to congratulate the Heying family for submitting the winning entry, and to our runners up, the Potter, Bryant and Sandoval families, who received honorable mentions.The Heying family received an invitation to the 2018 Imagination Library Luncheon on April 5 at Valley River Inn, and wins a basket of family-friendly and reading-related goodies, including a Kindle eReader, worth around $200. Our runners up received a luncheon invitation and were each awarded a $25 Tsunami Books gift certificate.
Thank you again for your participation and for your support of the Imagination Library. We are so honored to bring this amazing program to our city, in partnership with the Eugene Public Library.
Winner: The Heying Family
(Pictured is Elysia on the left, 8 months old with her first book, and her big sister Adalynn on the right, with her book Maple.)
One of my best memories growing up was reading bed time stories with my grandpa. I excelled in reading and writing in school, and to this day, believe I owe it all to my grandparents for empowering me with the skills to read and really enjoy books. When my little family of 3 moved to Eugene I heard about the Imagination Library program and immediately signed my daughter Adalynn up! We soon after, October 2016, found that our little family would be expanding by one, which meant A LOT of big changes for my three year old. Just after the time we found out about our new addition to the family, I was struggling to find a book to help my toddler understand she was becoming a big sister. Then her October Imagination Library book came in the mail, Maple, by Lori Nichols. Oh my gosh, this book, and the timing was perfect! Adalynn and I read about Maple growing with her tree that her parents planted for her when she was "a whisper". Soon a new tree was growing and she found she was a big sister. Maple showed her new sister, Willow, the tree she had grown with and kept company with, they laid together under the tree while the leaves danced for the both of them, like it had once done for only Maple. After reading only a few times, my daughter began to understand more and more what having a new baby and being a big sister would entail. Adalynn couldn't wait to share things and show her new sister things. It really is incredible what children absorb and learn just from words we can read and pictures they can associate with from the pages of a book! In that moment, I felt Imagination Library was allowing me to pass along the tradition and memories books provided for me growing up. Elysia, now 8 months, received her first book in January. Corduroy's Shapes by Viking Children's books. Adalynn is able to sit and show her little sister all the shapes while we read through it together and she recognizes and tells me the letters that make up all the words I'm reading to them. Imagination Library is allowing me to empower my own children with the knowledge of reading and really loving and enjoying books, which allows me, now as an adult, to feel they are being set up for success for their future. The opportunity for families to receive monthly books through Imagination Library is really amazing, and the number of doors that open up for our children's futures with books is countless!
Runner Up: The Potter Family
This is my son, Pax (14 months in the photo), and his daddy, Troy, reading his favorite book, Goodnight Gorilla.Troy had traveled all day to Eugene from Pennsylvania, where he had been to attend his first son's college graduation – he made it home just in time for Pax's bedtime routine, which includes reading at least a handful of books, many of which are from the Imagination Library program. Pax has been a recipient since his birth in September 2016.
Pax requests Goodnight Gorilla every night, without fail.
Goodnight Gorilla is a special book. With very few words, it could be easily dismissed, but it is through this book that I have seen Pax's mind grow! At first, I was surprised when Pax became enthralled with the funny story I had made up about the animals cozying up in Zookeeper Joe's bedroom, but night after night, he kept requesting it.
The first thing I noticed after several nights of it being The Book of Choice – he got up to go retrieve his stuffed elephant! This was the first sign that Pax was starting to understand words and connect them with objects! A few nights later, he went to retrieve his stuffed lion! Later, he connected the image of the flashlight with the one we keep under our bed! Then saying 'night night' happened! And the page with the eyeballs lead to the discover of pointing to his and our eyes! Recently, Pax learned about bikes when we got him a helmet – that night, he pointed to the bike in Gorilla's cage, which I had never even noticed before. Another day, he got a balloon from a grocery store – again, the same night, he pointed out the pink balloon that is on nearly every page of the book – something I hadn't noticed before either! The transformation of Pax as seen through this nearly-wordless book has been incredible!
As if Pax's love for Goodnight Gorilla wasn't enough to solidify my love for the Imagination Library book program, seeing the absolute joy on his face when he checks the mail with daddy and receives a new book is tear-jerking!
I tell everyone I know about this program – it is an incredible opportunity and we feel lucky to have access to it in Eugene!
Sidenote: Goodnight Gorilla is Pax's first book to require the pages be taped. Swoon!
Runner Up: The Sandoval Family
As a family of five, we often have busy evenings filled with homework, dinner prep, and all the other necessities of life. One of these evenings in particular, I happened to be particularly busy in the kitchen and hadn't noticed my three-year old Liliana set up all her stuffed animals around her. I looked up, saw her, grabbed my camera and snapped this lovely picture of Lili joyfully reading one of her favorite books, Home for Bunny, to her friends Zebra and Kitty. The smile grew across my face as I watched her "mimic" reading, turn the pages, and carefully show Zebra and Kitty each picture before she turned to the next. Amazingly, she even tracked her finger along as she "read" the words.
These are the moments that help develop and instill in my daughter (and all the other recipients of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library) a true love of reading. These are the moments that will stay with us as she continues to grow into a skilled reader. As adults, we often look back in our lives to the time when we first became readers or when we read a certain favorite book. This can literally be life-changing. I know, as I see these little moments, Lili will have great early memories of how she became that reader.
I truly believe that being part of the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program has shaped my daughter into a reader that will stay with her all her life. The foundation that Dolly Parton is building by simply putting books in the hands of babies, toddlers, and growing minds is magical. When I saw Lili "reading" in her little language partly made up of words from the story and partly just her own imagination, I knew the gift of having this library of books around her was contributing so much.
The books that Lili receives each month have really become a part of our family. Sometimes, as in this case, Lili is reading to her "stuffed" friends, but other times, it is her older ten-year old brother reading to her. Sometimes Daddy and Mama are sitting on the couch reading to Lili. It's amazing to see the relationships that grow from the simple of act of enjoying a good book.
We are humbly grateful to the Dolly Parton Imagination Program for contributing to these magical moments. Zebra and Kitty are in full agreement!
Runner Up: The Bryant Family
For my baby shower, I asked for books instead of cards to create a small library for my child. A friend of mine put a flyer to the Imagination Library in the book that she gifted to me. I immediately signed up online as soon as our daughter was born. We started receiving a new book every month that was of great quality, age specific, and that we loved to read to her. It's not a book we picked out and bought for her, so the book is a surprise for us too and I think she can sense that when we read them to her.
Now that she's almost 4, she knows what "book day" is, the day the Imagination Library book magically appears in our mail box and she's always so ecstatic for book day! She knows that she gets to hear a new story before bedtime, and I know I'm going to read that book every night to her before bed until she memorizes it, so that she cane "read it to me". She loves to read to herself by flashlight, and we catch her in her room often still awake past bedtime trying to remember what words went with a certain page. I also believe that the memorization is helping her to become an early reader, and for this, I'm so thankful for the Imagination Library books!
I think we have close to 40 Imagination Library books. Some of which we've donated to the free little libraries around our town in order to keep spreading the joy, some we've kept because she still really enjoys them, a couple even went in my hope chest, as they were her favorite ones and I want to keep them for the day she has a child. These books are not just a treat for her; they're a treat for the whole family. We love to read to her and she loves to be read to. I love that these books come at a price that anyone can afford (FREE!) is absolutely a blessing. We're proud that our child is so into reading, but I believe the excitement of receiving a book in the mail that's addressed to her makes it even more special. She never knows what adventure is going to be behind the pages of her new book, and I never know what new voice I'm going to have to come up with in order to put some personality into my reading.
Thank you Imagination Library for helping to add to our nightly educational, fun, free, family ritual in our home. I can only hope that more families feel the way I do, as family time is so important and when it's fun and educational everyone benefits! And when it's free and delivered straight to your home, it makes it easy to do.
2017 Winners
Winner: Lily, the Little Blue Engine
This is Lily, my two-year-old daughter, reading The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper, her first Imagination Library book. Here she sits with the book, flipping through the colorful pages, and retelling the story, which is a mashup of what she remembers from being read to and what she creates based on the pictures.
She reminds me of the Little Blue Engine when I see her reading. She is small, she has never been over the mountain of proficient literacy, and by most standards she is unqualified to read a book because she doesn't even recognize her alphabet yet. But that does not stop her. She thinks she can read, and so approaches books with self-confidence, curiosity, and most of all, joy.
She is on the railway to literacy and a new book each month moves her farther up that mountain. Thank you, Dolly Parton and the Imagination Library for believing in my daughter and for supporting families like ours who value early literacy.
Runner Up: The Kempe Family
We've been recipients of books from the Imagination Library since the beginning when it was first offered in Eugene. We love the program and our oldest son has really enjoyed reading all of the books. We read them together all the time and often times, he ends up choosing one of the Imagination Library books for his bedtime story. He has learned his letters this way (ABCers was a great book for this), memorized several of the stories (some of them before he was even two!) and is developing a strong love for reading. This program is amazing.
Even though we love reading ourselves and promote reading in our house, there's not always money to purchase books; the fact that each child gets their own special book each month is such an incredible blessing. We are lucky to live in a community that supports a program like this. We also really appreciate the book choices: the themes are relevant and inclusive and have consistently featured diverse characters. Diversity is so important in children's literature and we really appreciate that these books help familiarize children with people of different backgrounds, race, language (bilingual books), etc. Thank you.
Runner Up: Nate the Fireman
This is Nate (or, "Nate The Fireman," as he dresses in this outfit 90 percent of the time). He is three-and-a-half years old. We have been enjoying books from The Imagination Library since Nate was a baby. We always enjoy the new books and it is fun to have something new to add to our rotation each month. Nate is always excited to get a new book in the mail. Unfortunately, Nate does not know to give credit to the Library. 😉 He thinks that since the mailman delivers the books, they must be from him. And so, over time, they have developed a very sweet relationship. Nate is quite shy and hardly says hi to anyone but he loves our mailman. On the mornings we are home together, Nate runs to say hi to our mailman when he hears the mail truck. Last week when this book came, we missed the mailman but I caught a couple of photos of Nate excitedly getting the mail with our monthly gift from The Imagination Library project. Thank you so much for the generous gift of a new book each month. We have really enjoyed the books! And we have really enjoyed getting to know our mailman.
Runner Up: Brenner
Oh, the Imagination Library! A monthly book, in the mail, addressed to my two-year-old son, Brenner.
Thanks to the Eugene Public Library Foundation and legendary performer, Dolly Parton, my son gets the gift of a new adventure every month. This is truly an amazing program, especially in a time where children are exposed to advanced technology everywhere–a book still reaches you how a screen cannot. Reading a book gives you the ability to create the ideas and descriptions in your head–in your imagination.
Dolly Parton came to Eugene in 1972, and that night she was here, feeling ill and tired, she still performed for our community. She was so touched by the love and support from the crowd that night that she wrote a song entitled, "Eugene, Oregon." Among the lyrics is "Oh, Eugene, Oregon, I have been trying to find a way to say thanks again." Forty-five years later, a two-year-old sits in his room, holding the monthly thank you card from Dolly and the Eugene Public Library!


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"And now that many airlines consider bikes acceptable luggage, you might not even have to pay any fee for flying with it."
Really? Maybe long haul, but I've not found one in Europe which doesn't charge. Lufthansa claim they don't charge, but their hilarious rules mean unless you have a Brompton you will pay for it. Airlines have their own weight limits for Sports Equipment once you've paid. EasyJet is the best, 32kg for 35 quid each way. IIRC Monarch is 23kg, still enough for most road bikes but big DH mtb's in this bag get close.


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About Acuprint Systems
Acuprint Systems is a division of Huhtamaki PPL Ltd - a leading flexible packaging company. We manufacture and supply quality rotogravure cylinders to leading converters in the industry. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology with complete automated line, Acuprint has cylinder manufacturing facilities in India and the UAE. We also have specialist team of design professionals for advanced prepress services backed by cutting edge technology & software.
Acuprint Systems is certified under ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007.
In Asia region, we have manufacturing facilities at Taloja near Mumbai and at Bengaluru. Primetech in UAE has manufacturing facility in Dubai. These manufacturing units service leading converters in their regions apart from supporting the converting operations of HPPL.
Approved by the Ministry of Environment & Forests (Govt. of India), Acuprint Systems has effluent treatment plants ensuring compliance with established norms. Rainwater harvesting and sewage water treatments are some of our humble contributions to the nature.
Contact us
Acuprint Systems (Division of Huhtamaki PPL Ltd.) - Corporate Office: 12A-06 B-wing 13th Floor, Parinee CRESCENZO, C-38/39 G-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex , Bandra (E), Mumbai 400 051, Maharashtra, India Tel.: +91 - 22 - 2653 1320, Fax.: +91 - 22 - 2653 1310
Acuprint Systems (Division of Huhtamaki PPL Ltd.) - Bengaluru
Plot No. 152, Bommasandra - Jigani Link Road Industrial Area, Anekal Taluka, Bengaluru - 560 105, Karnataka, India.
Tel.: +91 - 80 - 30565000, Fax: +91 - 80 - 30565100
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com, Web: www.acuprintsystems.com
Acuprint Systems (Division of Huhtamaki PPP Ltd.) - Taloja
P.O. Box No. 55, Plot No. V-26, MIDC, Taloja Industrial Area, Taluka Panvel, Dist. Raigad - 410 208, Maharashtra, India.
Tel.: +91 - 22 - 39211600, Fax: +91 - 22 - 39211610
Email: email@example.com, Web: www.acuprintsystems.com


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Far Hills, N.J. (Sept. 15) – The United States Golf Association announced today that the Virginia State Golf Association (VSGA) will join the Golf Handicap and Information Network® (GHIN) in 2009, becoming the 63rd state and regional golf association to subscribe to the handicap service."We are very happy to have the Virginia State Golf Association become part of the GHIN service," said Steve Smyers, a USGA Executive Committee member and chairman of the GHIN Committee. "After the VSGA did an extensive review of its options in a very competitive marketplace, we think it speaks volumes about what GHIN has done in developing our products and services to assist and support golf associations, and its member clubs and golfers." Beginning Jan. 1, 2009, the VSGA will make the switch from its current handicap provider. The active season dates of March 1 – Dec. 1 for Virginia will remain unchanged. "We are very pleased to be joining the many associations and golfers currently using the GHIN service," said Steve Smith, president of the VSGA. "We look forward to continuing to provide the best services possible for our members. In the interim, we can assure golfers in Virginia and our member clubs that there will be no interruption in their service, and that they will continue to receive the same top-level support in regard to handicapping and all their needs." With some 80,000 members, the VSGA is the largest golf association to join the GHIN service in 17 years. The Idaho Golf Association became part of the network this year, with the Toledo (Ohio) District Golf Association and Bermuda signing on in 2007. Approximately 2 million golfers and 10,000 clubs throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and Bermuda now utilize the GHIN service, making it the world's largest handicap service provider. With GHIN, VSGA members can expect to see the following benefits and services:
In addition to the above, VSGA members clubs can expect the following benefits and services:
The handicap and tournament software (TPP®) packages that accompany the GHIN service are developed by the USGA and will be supported by the VSGA


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NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
The NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms features 8,492 terms related to cancer and medicine.
We offer a widget that you can add to your website to let users look up cancer-related terms. Get NCI's Dictionary of Cancer Terms Widget.
- Bloom syndrome
- listen (… SIN-drome)
A rare, inherited disorder marked by height that is shorter than average, a narrow face with redness and a rash, a high-pitched voice, and fertility problems. Patients with this disorder have an increased risk of cancer, especially leukemia and osteosarcoma (bone cancer). Bloom syndrome is caused by changes in a protein that normally helps cells make copies of the DNA. Changes in this protein cause many breaks, rearrangements, and other mutations in the DNA. It is a type of autosomal recessive genetic disease. Also called Bloom-Torre-Machacek syndrome.


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I talk to a lot of people about my work as a doula. The most frequent response I get is
"Oh, I couldn't handle giving birth without an epidural, I'm not that strong! I love what you do though!"
I'm always a bit confused by this response. First, because doulas and epidurals are never mutually exclusive. Second, because as a doula I never have an opinion on your birth choices or your birth outcome.
You call the shots at your birth and I support you and your family, no matter what!
I have supported clients through unmedicated births, augmented births, inductions, epidurals, and more. The beauty of my support is that everyone, no matter what their birth plan is (or isn't), benefits from the care and support of a doula.
You and your partner and family do not stop needing support at your birth just because you decided to go any kind of way during your birth.
I do not abandon you. I stay with you every step of the way. You can count on me to encourage you, be with you, and provide my non -judgmental support no matter what.
That's what I do. From an unmedicated birth through epidurals and all the way to planned and unplanned Caesarian births, my value does not stop at any point. If you're curious how my support can benefit your unique plans, give me a call! I would love to chat about it—no obligation whatsoever.
Leave a Reply.
Erin Stephens
Erin love to write about topics that families are interested in, to help spread awareness throughout the community, and to help her clients and future clients better understand her services. She loves chatting with people about her blogs, so feel free to contact her!
October 2017


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Up Comming Litters
We are excited to announce two litters due in Early 2017.
English Springer Spaniel Puppies:
Sup Ch Kinsheran Ferrando x NZ Ch & Ch Taniwha Hinemoa ET (Imp NZ)
Clumber Spaniel Puppies
Sup Ch Clussex Kangaroo Jack (Imp USA) x NZ Ch & Ch Taniwha Paunamu Kahurangi (Imp NZ)
Both litters are due around Easter. We are taking orders, please contact Caitlin to discuss further.
Contact DetailsC J Ryan
Keysborough, VIC, Australia
Phone : +61450576228
Email : [email protected]


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for sale crusher plant in phillipines
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Jacqueline Fernandez has shot some raw lovemaking scenes, posed a la Bipasha in Jism
The Bhatts are best known for two films Jism and Murder. Remember that sexy pose of Bipasha Basu from the former?
Of course you do; just as clearly as you recall the steamy scenes from Murder.
Jacqueline Fernandez is trying to recreate the sexy pose of Bips and Mallika Sherawat's smooch-a-lot act from Murder in the film's sequel Murder 2.
Jackie plays a dare-bare character for the first time. She has also shot for some raw lovemaking scenes with co-star Emraan Hashmi under the direction of Mohit Suri.
Suri says, "I signed her as she fits the role very well. Murder is a brand and I feel Jacqueline carries the sensuality that the character required, very well."
He adds that though Mallika was very keen on doing the sequel he wanted a new girl for Murder. "We wanted give the project a fresh look.
The first Murder also had a new girl (Mallika), which worked. People are also anticipating steamier and more intense love making scenes in the sequel.
All I will say is that you will have to wait and watch. As you know, Murder came in 2005. It will be 2011 when Murder 2 will release so obviously the level (sic) will be higher."


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Gero Schipmann
London Guitar Academy's guitar tutor in Streatham, Gero, is an patient, highly, experienced, motivated, dedicated and knowledgeable tutor ready to help improve your guitar playing TODAY. Lessons with Gero's are easy to reach If you are driving there is free on-street parking any time of the day. and if you are arriving by bus the 417 or N137 will get you to the bottom of Rosedene Avenue. Here's a some info about LGA's Gero. Gero was born in 1988 close to Cologne, Germany. After several years of keyboard lessons and general music education, he took up playing the guitar in his early youth and soon gained prolific experience as a guitarist in Rock-, Pop-, Jazz- and big bands, as a session musician and as a guitar teacher. After living in Iceland from 2007 – 2008, he returned to Cologne where he began his studies in Jazz guitar at the Cologne College of Music from which he graduated in 2014.
For Fun or to go Pro, beginners to advanced. Play the way you want-learn everything you need!
In November 2015 the debut album of his quartet Esja 4, which he founded and leads, was released on Nabel Records, featuring exclusively compositions by Gero.
Apart from working as a live- and session guitarist, he also composes film music, having written the score for short films including Having Krebs (2012), Stadtatem (2012) and Samara's Evil Spirit (2013).
With more than ten years of experience as a guitar tutor, both privately and at music schools, Gero will happily teach from his fantastic home music studio in Rosedene Avenue, Streatham, London, SW16 2LT from which he is fully is equipped to teach a wide range of musical styles to students of all age groups and skill levels. You are welcome pop into LGA's Streatham studio , meet Gero , have a chat about your guitar lesson goals and aims, take a look at his brilliant home studio look over his personalised lessons material and get you started with Gero in in Streatham.
Apart from teaching the guitar, he also gives lessons in harmony and improvisation, either combined with instrumental lessons or taught separately.


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I remember my mom having her friends over for ladies' luncheons when I was a kid. She'd make mint-flavored iced tea or lemonade to drink, fruit salad for dessert, and usually serve one of two things for lunch: a pretty arranged salad on a bed of greens along with a couple of sides (one of which was always cottage cheese with chives – her favorite), or tuna salad sandwiches.
My sister and I always felt so grown up at those lunches…and to this day, tuna salad sandwiches are a favorite of mine. This chicken salad is based on classic tuna salad, but with chicken instead of tuna and some of the mayo replaced with Greek yogurt. It's incredibly simple, but always a favorite.
Serves about 4
1 (12.5 oz) can chunk chicken breast, drained
1 small onion, finely diced*
2 large stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Stir together all ingredients; keep refrigerated until using. Eat on top of salad greens, in a sandwich, stuffed in pita bread, or spread on crackers.
*If you prefer, you can substitute 4 scallions (white and green parts) instead of the onion.
Announcement: I'm thrilled to share a project with you that I've been working on for a while now — my online photo gallery/portfolio! Feel free to take a peek around! (Update: If you have questions about my camera, lenses, etc., feel free to check out my FAQ page where I give quite a bit of info on my photography…if you don't see the answer to your question there, feel free to email me.)


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Johnny B. Groove
Disco Avengerz
Johnny B. Groove
Disco Avengerz
Johnny B. Groove is a part of dj collective called Disco Avengerz from Helsinki, Finland.
The collective hosts a modern disco radio show at Spin FM every sunday and organizes clubs at heart of Helsinki. The four-member collective Disco Avengerz is Ice, Johnny B. Groove, Dr. Savoy and Soul Blade... get your groove on!
Upcoming events featuring Johnny B. Groove
No upcoming events.


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When you're at Disney, you do a lot of walking through a lot of places. And if you're rushing to a ride or a meal, you don't even notice the scenery around you!
So today's #WhereinWDW trivia is dedicated to one of those walk-through spaces:
When during your trip might you find yourself walking down this path through a secluded swamp? There's Spanish moss hanging from the tall trees above you, and it's so peaceful.
If you've sped through this space to catch a certain kind of Disney transportation, post in the comments!
Last week's monorail sign is, as you probably guessed, at the Contemporary Resort. You'll see it when you're up on the monorail platform, in the winding queue!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Where in WDW: A Peaceful Path
Posted by Miss Emma at 3:00 PM
2 comments:
- @JenAnsbachJune 26, 2013 at 6:17 PM
I love walking down here to catch the boat to Magic Kingdom from the Wilderness Lodge! So quiet. If you wait a few minutes after everyone disembarks, you can have the space to yourself to watch the birds and turtles.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 27, 2013 at 9:18 AM
OH! I think I know this one! It's the walkway from the Wilderness lodge to catch the boat to the Magic Kingdom!ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
After all the hype and anticipation; controversy surrounding questionable viral videos and shockingly violent leaked footage; lack of dedicated servers, uproar amongst PC gamers and multiple boycotts; it's clear to see Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has a lot to live up to and answer for. This type of attention is normally reserved for a major Halo or Grand Theft Auto release, but after the success and praise heaped upon Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward have propelled themselves to the forefront of gaming. As a result, Modern Warfare 2 doesn't try to shake up the formula; rather it ups the ante in the single player stakes, and makes subtle tweaks and improvements to one of the best multiplayer experiences in recent years. It's a winning formula almost worthy of the hype.
Set five years after the original, Modern Warfare 2 sees tension between the United States and Russia ever increasing. As before, play is split between multiple characters and units, with the elite Task Force 141 catching up with CoD4's main protagonist Captain "Soap" MacTavish. Although while that games story was plausible – to a certain degree – Modern Warfare 2 goes all out and turns into a big action blockbuster, full of melodrama, twists, over-the-top scenarios and the predictable loose ends and plot holes. The vast majority of the story is told through the satellite imagery loadings screens and as a result it's often too easy to miss important plot points. There's no real impact behind the narrative when told like this so it's hard to care what's going on between missions. Towards the end of the game things pick up and a lot of the story is told in-game, so it's a shame the rest of the storytelling didn't follow suit.
"Modern Warfare 2 adopts the bigger is better approach to sequels and it's obvious from the off."Of course once you're in the thick of the action the story takes a back seat to the non-stop intensity of the gameplay. Modern Warfare 2 adopts the bigger is better approach to sequels and it's obvious from the off. With multiple characters, Infinity Ward has the ability to shift the action between various locations; from the snowy, blizzard-ridden mountains of Kazakhstan, to the tight, claustrophobic slums of Rio de Janeiro, the American frontline in Afghanistan and even the historic streets of Washington D.C. itself – including its most famous landmarks. One minute you'll be part of a two-man sniper team, silently infiltrating an enemy stronghold; the next you'll be on top of a burger restaurant, holding off waves of enemy forces. The variety is certainly welcome; however, it does lack the cohesion of previous games in the series, especially when combined with the muddled story. Nonetheless, the stunning vistas and fantastic set pieces never let up. It's difficult to say anything without spoiling too much, but you can expect plenty of 'wow' moments throughout the campaign. It's almost as if Infinity Ward tried to re-create the famous nuclear blast from the first game every hour, or so. It can seem a bit much at times, but it fully encompasses that feeling of being in an action-packed Hollywood blockbuster that it's hard to fault it.
Now, if you're going to be facing this much adversity you're going to need some new weaponry. Modern Warfare 2 introduces a plethora of new guns, attachments and devastating equipment. The guns pay more dividends in multiplayer, but the new attachments and equipment definitely add to the single player experience. Take, for example, the heartbeat monitor. When a blizzard sweeps through the Kazakhstani mountains this thing becomes your eyes, revealing nearby enemies as small dots, allowing you to avoid their paths and slip my unnoticed as they struggle with the harsh conditions. Even thermal vision changes the gameplay as enemies deploying smoke reveal themselves as easy targets. Of course, if you want something more explosive then look no further than the skies. CoD4 had the AC-130; Modern Warfare 2 introduces the Predator Missile. A user controlled strike from above that can take out multiple enemies at once, weakening their numbers and giving you an advantage.
The abundance of new equipment thrown your way, along with the vast amount of set-pieces and locations is staggering at times. However, that lack of cohesion definitely hurts the single player experience. You're never quite sure what you're doing, and the way it bounces between locales and characters is quite difficult to follow at times. CoD4 felt like a more driven and focused campaign, whereas Modern Warfare 2 just throws a bunch of fantastic situations together into one big, loud mess and hopes it makes some kind of sense. It's still an amazingly intense thrill ride, but it's one of the weaker single player campaigns in the series; and at around five hours, it's one of the shortest as well.
"The multiplayer has always been the main pull here, and Spec Ops is a welcome addition to a robust online component."Of course, if you're a veteran of the series the single player takes a back seat after one playthrough anyway. The multiplayer has always been the main pull here, and Spec Ops is a welcome addition to a robust online component. The majority of it can be played solo, but to get the most out of it you'll need to draft in a friend over Xbox Live or split screen. Spec Ops uses some of the best environments from the single player campaign – and a few from CoD4 – and tasks you with earning stars to unlock higher levels. Over the 25 on offer there's a vast array of objectives to complete. No one level is the same and the increasing difficulty provides a hefty and rewarding challenge; especially when you need to complete them on Veteran to earn the maximum three stars. They can range from anything to killing a set amount of enemies in an area, to racing down the mountains in a snowmobile or something more absurd like destroying every vehicle on the level in a set time. You can even climb back into the ghillie suit and make your way through the radiated grassland of Chernobyl.
However, the best levels are reserved for two-player only. One sees one player take control of the famous AC-130 gunship, while the other must make their way to checkpoints on the map. It's fantastic fun helping your buddy out by raining death from above, and the view from the ground is stunning as, once dangerous, enemy soldiers are blown to pieces in a cloud of smoke. Treyarch's Call of Duty: World at War may have introduced Nazi Zombies, but Spec Ops blows that out of the water with its mixture of gameplay styles, new and old environments and enjoyment whether it's played solo or co-operatively – it will suck up the hours.
Although the majority of your time will, of course, be consumed by the online multiplayer. If you've played CoD4 before then the basic gameplay fundamentals will feel extremely similar. It's the subtle tweaks and improvements layered on top that build-on and improve the multiplayer tenfold. Even before playing the game there are so many different aspects to look over. Creating classes will be first on the agenda, with a multitude of attachments and perks ready for you to kit out exactly how you want. Fan favourites such as Stopping Power and Last Stand still remain, complemented by new perks including Scavenger, which lets you pick up ammo from dead enemies, and Scrambler which jams any enemy radar in your vicinity. You can even unlock Pro versions of each perk which improve their effectiveness; so something like Stopping Power will deal out more damage against enemy vehicles, thus helping the team take down helicopters or even the new Harrier jets. There are so many ways to outfit it for your play style. If you want to be stealthy you can virtually run around undetected with the right attachments and perks equipped. It's fantastic. There's just so much customisation here and that trend continues throughout.
Infinity Ward listened to fan criticism and dropped a few disliked perks including Martyrdom, which is now back in the shape of a Death Streak. If you die three times in a row you have the ability to use a Death Streak as a way to give you a minor advantage for one life. So, say you're constantly being killed, you can use the Copycat streak and steal the weapon and perk layout of the last person who killed you. It's a great way to help out struggling players and ease newcomers into the game. Of course, for the good players out there you'll also be rewarded with Kill Streaks. When you go back and look at CoD4 it was rather limited with only a UAV, airstrike and helicopter. Modern Warfare 2 ups the ante once again with an abundance of new kill streaks – although you can still only take three into a game at a time. These Kill Streaks go all the way up to 25 kills, but if you want to be a bit more realistic you can unlock them at 5 kills, 7 kills, 9 kills and so on. Every 10 levels you can unlock a new one and then you have the chance to mix and match the three open slots. So you might take in a UAV, Predator Missile and Attack Helicopter, or a Care Package, Harrier Strike and the powerful AC-130. It's fully customisable and you need strategy behind it; do you choose something that takes less kills to acquire that's less powerful, or choose something like a Stealth Bomber, that can unleash devastating damage but requires a much higher streak? The risk and reward is all part of the game.
"It's amazing Infinity Ward managed to maintain the balance that could have so easily killed the game on its feet."Now, one concern may be that all this firepower will unbalance the game, but Infinity Ward have done a great job preventing that from happening. One team might be able to call in helicopters and AC-130s, but you now have the means to taking them down. Secondary weapons now stretch beyond the range of pistols so you can now equip shotguns, machine pistols and even rocket launchers. Getting pinned down by a Harrier jet? Lock-on and fire away with your Stinger missile and it'll be barrelling to the ground in a ball of flame in no time. If your team is equipped correctly it's generally quite easy to counter the other team's big weaponry. Of course, if you've earned something on an 11 Kill Streak you deserve to do some big damage, and these vehicles are definitely harder to stop, often deploying flares to push missiles off course. The other team might complain but that's not unbalanced; they just earned the right by playing that well. When you consider the amount of high-damage Kill Streaks on offer, it's amazing Infinity Ward managed to maintain the balance that could have so easily killed the game on its feet.
Visually Modern Warfare 2 isn't a huge step up from CoD4. The textures and character models are obvious improvements, but it's the wealth of effects that really stand out. Snow and rain looks brilliant, and the carnage consistently portrayed is stunning with some amazing explosion and particle effects. The steady framerate is one particular highlight, especially considering the amount of action going on at any one time. And the high production values carry over to the sound design. Legendary composer Hans Zimmer (The Dark Knight, Gladiator, The Lion King) provides the majority of the score and his ability is evident, complementing the action and downtime perfectly.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is one of those rare breeds to actually live up to the hype. The single player, albeit disappointing, is still an excellent thrill ride and precursor to the main pull: the multiplayer. CoD4 cemented its place as one of the best online shooters going and Modern Warfare 2 builds on it, adding a plethora of new features that constantly reward and amaze. Infinity Ward has managed to improve on the multiplayer without changing the fundamentals that made it so great in the first place. If you don't have Xbox Live it's not worth the inflated price tag since the short single player isn't worth it, but Spec Ops and the multiplayer are so superb that it's hard not to call Modern Warfare 2 one of the games of this generation.


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Exclusive cycle bag for carrying everything you need while pedaling. Comfortable, beautiful and functional, it is made in Spain in an artisan way using the highest quality materials. A current and timeless complement, specially designed for those who live the city from their bicycle.
Comes with a strap so you can use it as a bag when off the bike


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Brazil sugar production continues to reduce
Brazil's center-south is likely to produce an even smaller amount of sugar next year after a sharp drop reported in the current crop, as a harsh drought and reduced crop care will lead to a poor cane harvest, according to industry representatives.
It is reported by Reuters.
The world's largest sugar producing region is expected by most analysts to cut output in the current crop, which runs from April 2018 to March 2019, to around 28 million tonnes from 36 million tonnes in the previous crop as cane volumes fall and mills prioritize ethanol production at the expense of sugar due to better returns for the biofuel.
«It is hard to believe, but we see an even smaller cane crop next year», — said Dib Nunes Jr, a director at consulting firm Dr. Cana.
Analysts project the ongoing center-south cane crop to fall to 560-570 million tonnes from 596 million tonnes last year, as most fields have not had widespread rains for more than two months.
If next year's crop shrinks, it would be the fourth consecutive reduction since the record 617 million tonnes of cane in 2015/16. With less cane and the focus on ethanol, sugar output would decrease again.
«Most mills are short of money, they are cutting investment in plants and cane fields to pay bills», — Nunes said.
He expects around 11 percent of fields to be renovated this year, lower than an ideal level of 17 to 18 percent, which will lead to older cane fields that tend to produce less.
Marcos Tulio Bullio, a cane industry consultant at MTB Consultoria Empresarial, agrees that crop care is going to be weak this year.
«They will be happy if they at least manage to apply herbicides, forget about other things», — he said. Weed killers are key for cane plantations, to avoid weeds that 'steal' nutrients from cane.
Even with poor crop care, there is a possibility for a larger cane crop next season if it rains a lot in the Brazilian summer from December to March, sugar and ethanol broker and analyst Tarcilo Rodrigues said.
Celso Jungueira Franco, owner of the Santa Adélia mill, disagrees.
«We haven't seen a drop in the Araçatuba region for almost 90 days. Mills aborted planting plans due to poor soil moisture. Even if it rains a lot, that will not compensate», — he said.
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