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First Responders
Study says AFD needs more staff and more gear to answer calls quickly
Albuquerque Fire Department Capt. Frank Soto Jr. grew up as the son of a Marine. He knew from an early age that he wanted to be like his dad and enter public service. Soto has been a firefighter for 17 years.
"For us in the fire department, it is not about being a hero. It is about the lives you save," Soto says. "You know you could die doing it. You know you won't make a million dollars doing it. But it is in our blood, and we just need to do it."
The Albuquerque Fire Department has about 700 sworn personnel who work out of 22 fire stations. The majority of the firefighters jump on a crew after graduation and start responding to the 76,000 emergency calls that roll in every year. That's more than 200 calls every day on average from across 182 square miles. Other firefighters run the fire academy or work at the city's dispatch center.
While about one-fifth of calls are for vehicle or structure fires, most are for medical emergencies. City firefighters work rotations of two days on and four days off. Some of those days on mean 48 hours of one emergency call after another. Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest.
Two studies that take different critical looks at the fire department were released within a week of one another last month. The first was done at the request of the local firefighter's union. "Two years ago we asked for the International Association of Fire Fighters to do a Geographical Information System analysis of the city and county fire departments," says Diego Arencon, president of the Albuquerque Area Fire Fighters Local 244.
Mayor Richard Berry requested the other study in March 2012 to see where the city could save some money. Since the two became public, there's been a lot of finger pointing in a typical union vs. management controversy.
The union-commissioned GIS study points out the need for more fire trucks and staff. It also suggests better coordinated communication between the city and the county departments. The GIS study says the city department can't respond to 90 percent of roads in Albuquerque within the nationally recommended time frames. Certain roads were identified as especially troublesome—with heavy traffic or sharp turns—around the edges of the city where it meets the county.
"This report cuts costs with no regard for firefighter or the public's safety."
Diego Arencon, president of the Albuquerque Area Fire Fighters Local 244
But both the fire brass and the rank-and-file are eager to soothe public concern: There is no danger of not receiving help when someone calls 911. "We are getting the job done," Soto says. "We are responding to those calls. We are just doing more with less."
Back in March, the City Council barely approved Mayor Berry's request to spend $200,000 to have the Matrix Consulting Group prepare a report. Matrix is an out-of-state firm that recommends ways for government entities to cut costs. The firm took a look at all of the city's divisions, including the fire department.
The almost 600-page Matrix report says the city could save more than $500,000 a year by having only one paramedic on each rescue unit instead of two and by combining the police and fire dispatch centers, which would mean staffing them with civilian personnel instead of sworn firefighters. It also recommends that senior officials with AFD re-evaluate the number of personnel sent to structure fires, with the implication that they're sending too many. "This report cuts costs with no regard for firefighter or the public's safety," Arencon says. "Having firefighters do the dispatching is key because they know from experience what responding units will have to face when they get on scene and can more accurately dispatch the needed help."
Politics aside, Fire Chief James Breen wholeheartedly agrees with Capt. Soto on one point. "Our firefighters are a dedicated bunch that are getting to calls quickly and saving lives," he says. The GIS study is useful, he adds, but also confusing because it analyzes roads, not incidents. He notes that budget money doesn't come easily, and finding an additional $9 million for recurring salaries and more than $20 million for equipment is just not possible within the city's two-year bond cycle. Breen declined to comment on the Matrix report, saying he hadn't yet completely analyzed it.
"The GIS study recommendations don't have to be implemented all at once. They can be phased in," Arencon counters. "Budget cuts, by the mayor or the Council, should not be done in the area of public safety." The city, he says, should not skim millions from operational coffers for pet projects like Mayor Berry's ABQ: The Plan.
Over on the Bernalillo County side, Fire and Rescue Communications Division Chief Greg Perez says the two departments have come a long way in their working relationship, and there are always financial constraints. "Our latest joint endeavor to ensure the closest unit responds to an emergency, regardless of whether it's in the city or the county, is a step in the right direction," Perez writes in an e-mail.
Regardless of money issues, local firefighters take a lot of pride in what they do every day. Capt. Soto says: "That one life you save is why we do this."


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This morning marks the official beginning of spring training for the Orioles as pitchers and catchers will report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex here in Sarasota, Fla.
Players will stroll into the complex over the course of the day. Some position players who have reported early will work out on their own. Tomorrow, the pitchers and catchers will have their first workout of the spring.
So much has happened since this time last season. Few would have predicted anything more than a fifth-place finish in the American League East for the Orioles last season. The Orioles brought 30 pitchers into camp, none of them with guarantees. The talk of the early days of camp was the team's sparkling new training facility, not the promise of the product on the field. Still, all the while, manager Buck Showalter trumpeted that the Orioles' new digs helped eliminate the past excuses for mediocrity.
Now, after last season's playoff push, expectations have been raised. The Orioles' goal isn't merely a .500 record -- that happening this season after last year's performance would equivocally amount to failure. It is not only to compete for a division title but a World Series championship.
Beginning tomorrow, Showalter will run his camp dedicated to details. Pitchers fielding practice drills (also known as PFPs) will be run ad nauseum, with Showalter watching every break to cover first base, every bunt in front of the mound with piqued interest.
Last season, Showalter pointed to those days on the back fields of the Ed Smith complex -- in front of dozens of fans – as ones that established the foundation of success and prepared his team for the rigors of surviving a 162-game season with a playoff berth.
On Friday, the first full-squad workout commences. Eight days later, the Orioles will host the Twins in their Grapefruit League opener.
While the Orioles have received their share of criticism for not doing enough this offseason to build on 2012's success, Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette built last year's Orioles not with an open checkbook, but with opportunity. And that's how their success will be sustained.
And that's what will make the next seven weeks here in Sarasota so interesting. There aren't as many holes to fill on this year's team. That's a byproduct of success. But seeing how Showalter and Duquette build the 2013 Orioles will make this spring training worth watching.

subset: commoncrawl


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American Cancer Society Man to Man Support Group meets 7-8 p.m. the second Thursday of every month.
American Cancer Society Man to Man Support Group
American Cancer Society Man to Man Support Group meets 7-8 p.m. the second Thursday of every month at Halifax Health — Medical Center of Port Orange cafeteria, 1041 Dunlawton Ave., Port Orange. George Janek: 386-761-7130.
Breast Cancer Support Groups
Halifax Health — Breast Cancer Support Group meets 5:30-7:30 p.m. the third Monday of every month at Halifax Health Medical Center, France Tower, Meeting Room G, 303 N. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach. Elizabeth Watkins: 386-239-2328.
- "I'm Still Here," breast cancer support group meets at 5:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month at Twin Lakes Imaging Center, 1890 LPGA Blvd., Suite 110, Daytona Beach. 386-672-2492.
Fitness classes in Deltona
What's your fitness personality? Do you prefer high-energy dance moves, combat-style workouts, or gentle stretches? Try your hand at all three during a fitness smorgasbord at the Deltona Regional Library, 2150 Eustace Ave., Deltona, on Wednesday.
Fitness experts will offer introductions to three forms of exercise:
- Zumba: 10:30-11 a.m. Try out some energetic Latin dance moves with YMCA instructor Lourdes Leon.
- Body combat: 11:15-11:45 a.m. Leon will introduce participants to this intensive cardio workout inspired by mixed martial arts.
- Yoga: 1-2 p.m. Certified trainer Christine Kee will demonstrate the gentle stretches of yoga, which can soothe your soul and tone your body.
Each class will include a brief history of the discipline, an explanation of movements and a demonstration. Come dressed for physical activity; bring a mat or beach towel and a bottle of water.
Reservations are not required. 386-789-7207, ext. 236.
Healthy Weight, Diabetes Prevention Programs
The Volusia Flagler Family YMCA will soon be offering a new Healthy Weight Program and new classes for the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program.
The eight-week Healthy Weight Program begins in February, focusing on helping people achieve a healthy weight by increasing physical activity, getting educated about proper nutrition and developing a support system.
Groups will meet twice a week for exercise and once a week for an education session. The program will be available at DeLand Family YMCA, Port Orange Family YMCA, Ormond Beach Family YMCA, Four Townes Family YMCA and Southeast Volusia Family YMCA.
The Y is also forming new classes for the Diabetes Prevention Program. Over the course of a year, a trained lifestyle coach teaches participants about healthier eating, physical activity and other behavior changes. The program is for people that are either diagnosed with prediabetes or have significant risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Several factors that could put a person at risk for type 2 diabetes include family history, age, weight and activity level.
Beverly Johnson: 386-738-9622; vfymca.org
HOPE Oncology Support Group
Halifax Health — HOPE Oncology Support Group meets 1-2 p.m. the third Wednesday of every month at Halifax Health — Center for Oncology, Ground Floor Conference Room, 303 N. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach. Elizabeth Watkins: 386-239-2328.
Incontinence Lecture
Women, especially those who have had children, are increasingly likely to develop incontinence as they age. Local women are invited to learn more about the different types of incontinence and what treatment options are available at a free seminar, featuring Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center gynecologist-urogynecologist Dr. Julie Schneider.
"Conquering Incontinence" begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, Medical Office Building, 1st Floor Classroom, 305 Memorial Medical Parkway, Daytona Beach. Space is limited. RSVP required; 386-231-2229.
Lifeguarding course at Daytona State College
For seasonal or career opportunity, the American Red Cross-certified lifeguarding course at Daytona State College provides training to help individuals develop rescue skills and learn First Aid, CPR and AED. Participants will learn how to prevent accidents through knowledge of lifeguarding, proper use of equipment and understanding responsibilities.
The course begins at 5 p.m. Feb. 19 with a required pre-test consisting of a 300-yard continuous swim, a timed swim of 20 yards followed by a surface dive to recover a 10-pound brick and return to start point, and two minutes of treading water.
Successful participants will then begin the class with three hours of instruction from 6-9 p.m. The course continues from 6-9 p.m. Feb. 20-22; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 23 and 1-7 p.m. Feb. 24. Course fee is $225 and requires a $75 non-refundable deposit due by Feb. 8.
The course, which consists of classroom and pool time, will be held on the college's Daytona Beach Campus, Lemerand Center, Building 310, Aquatic Center, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd.
To register or for more, call the DSC Aquatic Center, 386-506-4386.
Neck pain, headache, arm numbness workshop
Neck pain, headache and arm numbness workshop is planned for 12:30-1:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at Daytona State College, Building 110, Room 112, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach.
Presented by the Daytona State College Fitness Center and Cheryl J. Wynn, DPT, the workshop focuses on increasing strength and flexibility of your neck and upper back, sleeping better, decreasing arm numbness, improving your posture, learning how to make driving safer and more comfortable and learning proper computer ergonomics.
Attendance is free.
RSVP to reserve your space. 386-506-3830.
Run with the Ranger
The 4th Annual "Run with the Ranger 5K Run and Walk" will be Saturday at Canaveral National Seashore, 7611 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach. Presented by Canaveral National Seashore, Coronado Beach Elementary PTA and the Friends of Canaveral, proceeds will be used to promote family fitness and healthy lifestyles at Coronado Elementary, and to enhance the Environmental Education program at Canaveral National Seashore.
The course begins and ends on the historic Eldora loop road in the National Seashore.The race begins at 9 a.m. and a free "Jr Ranger Fun Run" will be at 10 a.m. Entry fees for the 5K are $20 youth younger than 18, $25 per person or $65 for a team of four for pre-registration. Day of race registration begins at 7:30 a.m. for an additional $5 fee. Register online at friendsofcanaveral.org and active.com; forms can be picked up at Coronado Elementary, NSB Parks and Recreation, the Information Center at Canaveral National Seashore, the Edgewater and Port Orange YMCAs, Heath Health Foods and Spike's Athletic Shoes in Holly Hill. Refreshments will be available after the race.
Participants will be admitted without charge to the National Seashore and will be directed to park in one of the four main parking areas. Transportation will be provided from the parking areas to the race site and return after the event.
The event is designed not only for the competitive runner, but also an opportunity for school children and their families to enjoy a unique event in the Canaveral National Seashore. For each participant from an area school, $5 of the entry fee will be returned to their PTA. Last year, over $500 was returned to the area PTAs other than Coronado.
CONTACT US: To submit local health/fitness listings, email: firstname.lastname@example.com; fax: 386-258-8623; mail: Accent Dept., The Daytona Beach News-Journal, P.O. Box 2831, Daytona Beach, FL 32120-2831. Deadline is noon Wednesday for Monday publication.


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The worst potholes will gradually be smoothed over starting next week. The planned mill and resurfacing project remains on the table.
The worst potholes on Northwest 16th Avenue/23rd Avenue — a stretch of highly traveled road that has been planned for reconstruction for years — will gradually be smoothed over starting next week.
Alachua County crews will begin repairing potholes next week, according to a county news release. Some repairs will require lane closures, and those have been scheduled for the week of March 25 to coincide with spring break for Alachua County Public Schools.
The timing will minimize the construction work's impact on traffic flow, officials said.
On both weeks, the work will likely be done over the course of a couple days but shouldn't last the entirety of either week, said Brian Singleton, project manager.
The planned mill and resurfacing project for Northwest 16th Avenue/23rd Avenue remains on the table, but this roadwork is not part of it, according to the county.
In early February, County Commissioner Susan Baird asked staff to look into possibly patching potholes along Northwest 16th Avenue as an interim measure before construction on that project begins. She said she considers it a "Band-Aid" that could in the meantime improve road conditions for drivers.
County staff had already planned to fill in the potholes but hadn't scheduled the work yet, Singleton said.
Work on the larger construction project, which will run from Northwest 57th Terrace to Northwest 13th Street and span four miles in length, will begin in late summer, according to the news release.
The work will include resurfacing and rehabilitating existing pavement and addressing operational and safety concerns by modifying the intersections and median openings.
In 2010, the county conducted road tests to determine the traffic pattern impact of closing median access near the street's busy intersections at Northwest 13th Street and Northwest 43rd Street, as previously reported by The Sun. At the time, it drew feedback from residents who opposed modifying or closing the medians.
The median at Northwest 13th Street is currently closed and will remain so after the project is completed, and a median near Northwest 43rd Street will be closed after construction finishes, Singleton said.
The decision to close them is based on crash histories, which had higher levels of incidents than would be typical at those locations. The study showed the traffic impacts of closing those medians were minor compared to the safety benefit.
During that larger project, crews also will add new bicycle and pedestrian facilities, as well as upgrade the pedestrian facilities already in place to meet standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The current facilities were built before the ADA was established and must meet requirements that include having clear passages and accessible curb ramps, he said.
Retaining walls along Northwest 16th Avenue also will be stabilized.
County staff is in the midst of developing the final plan and utility coordination for the project, according to a Public Works Department document. It is negotiating the final land rights and obtaining a stormwater permit exemption.
Contact Morgan Watkins at 338-3104 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Weezer to Tour to Australia After 16-Year Absence
Sometimes we American music fans take our bands for granted. The United States is such a huge market that most artists make the land of the free a must in their touring plans. Australians, on the other hand, will have to wait years for some acts to even be in the same timezone. Weezer are one of those bands, but now they plan to visit the land down-under for the first time in 16 years.
As Tone Deaf points out, Weezer will head to Australia for a four-night stint in January. The Los Angeles, Calif. outfit will play their classic 1994 'Blue Album' in its entirety. The last time Weezer were in the home of Foster's beer was to promote their 'Pinkerton' record in 1996. Tickets for the concerts will go on sale July 26. See the four dates below.
Before all that happens, Weezer will keep stateside fans entertained starting this Friday (July 13) in Buffalo, N.Y. They will play a handful of shows this month, take August off and hit a few festival dates starting in September. One festival that Weezer won't have to worry about is SoundTown 2012 in Somerset, Wisc. Organizers of the event were forced to pull the plug, which was supposed to take place July 26-28, due to poor ticket sales.
Weezer 2012 Tour Dates in Australia:
1/13/13 – Brisbane | Entertainment Centre
1/16/13 – Melbourne | Sidney Meyer Music Bowl
1/19/13 – Sydney | Entertainment Centre
1/23/13 – Perth | Perth Arena


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Are you familiar with azodicarbonamide? It's a chemical that bleaches flour and conditions dough. It's banned in many other countries, including the U.K., Europe, Australia and Singapore, because it can cause respiratory problems. Here in the United States, the USDA and the FDA say it's safe to consume.
Azodicarbonamide is not a chemical that's used only in food, though. It's also used in rubber products like yoga mats and soles of shoes. It really doesn't seem like the same chemical should be used in both food and shoes, does it?
Subway, the largest fast-food chain in the world, has decided to remove azodicarbonamide from its bread products. The company says it's already in the process of removing it, and expects to have it out of all bread products soon.
The announcement from Subway came just days after the Food Babe website started a petition to have the fast-food chain remove azodicarbonamide from its products. Vani Hari, the owner of Food Babe, explained more about the chemical and why she was calling on Subway to stop using it in breads in a video she posted just two days ago. (The day after, Subway made its announcement that officials are already in the process of removing it.)
Subway isn't the only fast-food chain that has used the chemical in its breads. McDonald's, Wendy's, Arby's and even Starbucks use it in some of their products, according to Hari, who has an informative Azodicarbonamide 101 post on her site.
Related on MNN:
- General Mills makes huge GMO statement
- Why does food safety testing matter? Consider this pizza
- FDA releases new food safety standards


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A report from Charles Robinson at Yahoo! Sports says that the legal team for former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is planning to "seek federal subpoenas in the coming weeks to compel testimony from Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and other officials familiar with the president's agenda on protesting NFL players." Kaepernick's lawyers are hoping to show that comments made by President Trump had a negative impact on his standing with the league and are part of the reason why he remains unsigned by an NFL team.
The decision to force the President to testify comes after a report that league owners spoke with Trump when crafting the new policy that requires players who are on the field during the national anthem to stand. President Trump has routinely called out the kneeling players, both at rallies and on Twitter.
There is no guarantee that Trump or any other official from his administration will be forced to testify. Robinson explained the lengthy process just to get the subpoenas issued:
The quarterback's legal team first must notify the system arbitrator of the need for targeted depositions beyond the boundaries of the agreement between the NFL and the player's union. That would entail presenting a detailed argument to the system arbitrator overseeing the grievance, spelling out the relevance and impact that testimony from Trump or others could have on the grievance. If the arbitrator rules the testimony would be justifiable, that would open the door for Kaepernick's attorneys to seek the subpoenas in a district court under the Federal Arbitration Act.
If a subpoena is granted, there is no guarantee that Trump will testify. Trump could fight the subpoena and let the case play out in the federal court system.
Photo: Getty Images


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MARYVILLE, Mo. (AP) — A northwest Missouri prosecutor said Wednesday that he's asking for a special prosecutor to look at the case of a 14-year-old girl who says she was plied with alcohol and raped by a 17-year-old acquaintance.
The announcement from Nodaway County prosecutor Robert Rice came amid increased scrutiny in recent days over how he handled the case.
Melinda Coleman, the mother of 14-year-old Daisy Coleman, claims justice was denied when Rice dropped felony charges against the 17-year-old boy in March 2012, two months after Coleman found her daughter passed out on the family's front porch in below-freezing temperatures. The mother also has said the family had to move from the small town of Maryville because of harassment over the allegations.
The county sheriff and Rice have insisted their investigation collapsed after the Colemans became uncooperative with investigators and refused to answer questions. Coleman says she and her daughter did cooperate and that investigators didn't do enough to push the case forward.
Rice stood behind his earlier statements at a news conference Wednesday but said he was asking a court to appoint a special prosecutor because of publicity surrounding the case and recent media stories questioning the integrity of the justice system in the county. Rice said the special prosecutor will investigate and decide whether charges will be refiled.
The incident happened in January 2012, after Daisy and a 13-year-old friend left the Colemans' house in the middle of the night to meet some boys.
Daisy's 13-year-old friend also said she was forced to have sex with a 15-year-old. The 15-year-old was charged in the juvenile system.
Charges against a 17-year-old who allegedly videotaped the incident involving Daisy on a cellphone were also dropped in March 2012.
Daisy said the boys gave her alcohol and she doesn't remember much of what happened next. The boys said the sex was consensual.
Rice has said there wasn't enough evidence to pursue the charges because the accusers had stopped cooperating and asserted their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Rice said Wednesday that he had been concerned about the Colemans' decision and so he had asked that they assert their Fifth Amendment right under oath in a deposition. He said he couldn't release the deposition because it's a closed record.
Asked to speculate on the accusers' reasoning, Rice said, "I can't go into their minds. I don't know. I can tell you this: We were very careful, very deliberate to make sure that they recorded that there was no misunderstanding, that they understood that at that time when they invoked their Fifth Amendment right that by doing so was going to force the dismissal of the case, that they understood that."
Melinda Coleman did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment after Rice's announcement. But in an interview with The Associated Press earlier in the day, Coleman insisted she would help investigators in any way she could, even if the case never made it to trial.
"I think just having it looked at fairly and having other people know how much we were bullied goes a long way. Even if that's all that ever comes out of it," she said. "That may be enough to move on and have some peace and some security."
The Associated Press does not generally name victims of sexual assault but is naming Daisy Coleman because she and her mother have been granting public interviews about the case. The AP is not naming the boys because there are no longer active charges against them.
Robert Sundell, who represented the teen accused of assaulting Daisy, was out of the office Wednesday and didn't immediately return phone message left before and after the news conference.
In a statement Tuesday, Sundell said his former client cooperated with the investigation and freely admitted to the sexual encounter. He said that while many may find his former client's behavior "reprehensible," the legal issue was whether a crime was committed.
The case has drawn international attention to Maryville and city officials said they've had to increase police patrols because of threats made against residents and the city in general.
However, Coleman said harassment her family faced in the town was from just a few residents, mainly friends and family members of the boys accused. She said that otherwise, she liked the town.
The mother of the boy accused of assaulting Daisy pleaded with people to stop making threats against people who are from Maryville, telling reporters that some people no longer feel safe going to work or school.
The case has drawn comparisons to one in Steubenville, Ohio, where two 17-year-old high school football players were convicted of raping a West Virginia girl after an alcohol-fueled party in 2012. The case was furiously debated online and led to allegations of a cover-up to protect the city's celebrated football team.
Before Rice's announcement Wednesday, pressure had been building on Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster to intervene. Koster's office has said it had no authority under state law to reopen the investigation on its own.
Missouri House Speaker Tim Jones, a Republican who had called on the Democratic attorney general to step in, said the decision to seek a special prosecutor is good progress.
"However we get to the point of examining this matter more closely is really irrelevant to me," said Jones. "The point is there seemed to be too many questions out there about this case for it to just be suddenly closed."
News from The Associated Press, and a taste of the great journalism produced by AP members and customers. Managed 24/7 by these editors: apne.ws/APSocial Read more ›


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Finally, a vintage crocheted granny-square blanket that caught my eye. I've seen them from time to time, but never actually bought one. I liked the colors and size of this one and the price was right, so I went for it. Still not sure what I'm going to do with it though.
And finally, believe it or not, I've actually done some sewing. It's been a while but perhaps by the end of this week I'll actually have something finished to share. It would have been today, except last week I took a massive trip off my front porch and broke the fall with my right hand/wrist on the cement three-steps down. Turns out your right hand comes in pretty handy. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's just a bad bruise and that it will continue to get better. If only someone had got that fall on video, I could have put it on YouTube and made a fortune. It had to have been an entertaining moment for the neighbors.


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contributed by
Dr Hani Salam
on September 07, 2010
- "
The patient went on to have surgery.
This is a high-grade mixed oligoastrocytoma that shows necrosis; which should be classified as g..."
View full size version of Anaplastic oligodendroglioma NOS
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Supreme Court Still Split
Those who just days ago were proclaiming a new "era of good feelings" on the Court have been definitively proven wrong. Indeed, the last two weeks have seen more 5–4 divisions than the entire rest of the year to that point. While we have seen more unanimous rulings and fewer narrow splits than last term — when a full third of the cases came out 5–4 — this is clearly a function of the vagaries of the docket and not any shift in ideologies, judicial philosophies, or voting strategies. True, the Court under Chief Justice Roberts' direction has increased the portion of business cases (typically more technical and therefore less divisive), but still the constitutional cases that catch the public's eye — relating to social issues, civil rights, and national security — divide the Court on predictable lines. While this is in some senses unfortunate — we would prefer the highest court in the land to speak with one voice in resolving the nation's deepest disputes — it is better for five justices to hold to their constitutional duty to say what the law is than to have nine produce a lukewarm opinion that either splits the baby or, worse, legislates from the bench. All in all it was a pretty good term for those concerned with upholding constitutional rights and limiting governmental powers (as well as reining in lawsuit abuse), but a sanguine consensus remains a pipe dream.


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To be able to use VEGA Tools, Internet Explorer 8 at least is required. Internet Explorer 9 or a current version of Firefox or Google Chrome are optimal for working with VEGA Tools.
» Instrument Search
You can get detailed information on the instrument by entering the serial number.
» Configurator
In the Configurator, you can access information on the entire VEGA product line. After selecting the desired product, you can combine the available options and find out the resulting article number/code.


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|Sulacu (talk)
|Date Created:
|May 17, 2008
|Please feel free to edit constructively!
|7,500 gp
|Body Slot:
|Caster Level:
|Moderate abjuration
|Use activated (continuous)
|— lb.
These ornate talismans have a solid, angular shape and are inset with a perfectly square emerald. When activated, they project a protective shield around the wearer.
The shield bestows the wearer with a +1 deflection bonus to Armor Class that remains even if the shield is depleted. The shield has a total of 15 hit points, and can absorb up to 10 points of damage from any form of attack that is not a gaze attack or a psionic power that allows a Will save. Damage over the amount absorbed is dealt to the wearer, and any damage reduction or energy resistance the wearer may have still applies to the damage reduced by the shield. The shield cannot absorb more damage than it has hit points remaining at any time.
The shield protects the wearer and any items on the wearer's person against both targeted and area effects, but does not grant its protection to any other creature sharing the wearer's square.
The shield regains 3 hit points per minute.
Prereqs: Craft Wondrous Item, false life, shield, CL 6th.
Cost: 7,500 gp; 3,750 gp + 300 XP.
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Equipment


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It's December 1962 and family and friends have gathered for a near-Christmas dinner. I've just gotten my first 35mm camera, a Kodak Retinette, and with the help of my trusty Kodak Master Photoguide, manage to ace this Kodachrome bounce-flash exposure. That's me, age 16, strategically positioned in front of my father, who's still in his supermarket work garb, so it's obviously not Christmas day. Next to me in front are Aunt Grace and Uncle Jack, my mother's oldest brother. At the time I probably thought his shirt/tie combo was corny, but now I love it. Mother's on the left looking pleased, perhaps because the serendipitous arrival of identical cards made for a pleasing symmetry in her card tree on the wall. In back, my brother and our friends Colleen and Bob. Bob had been my brother's Cal Poly college mate, and later lived with us a bit before marrying Colleen.
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Contradiction? Dark Little Rooms go outside in the light
Little Dark Rooms
at Plan 9
Saturday, March 22
Most of my Saturdays and Sundays look about the same: get up, work on Hook, slowly, until it gets dark, and then– like a music-addicted vampire (Noteferatu?)– hit the town looking for tunes.
I'm vastly oversimplifying, of course, but my current schedule does not do anything to increase my supply of vitamin D or improve my health– or in some cases my sanity– and when I have the opportunity to do Hook recon work during the day, I usually jump at the chance.
Saturday, March 22, an extremely beautiful and warm day, saw the group Dark Little Rooms do an in-store at the Plan 9 on the Corner, and I crawled out of my hole and down to see the show.
The in-store turned out to be an "out-in-front-of-the-store," and I joined the few spectators waiting for the band to go on. The group consists of the other standard rock group set-up (the primary one being singer/guitarist/bassist/drummer): a keyboard/vocalist, a bassist, a guitarist sporting a nice Telecaster, and a beyond-exuberant drummer.
They hail from the far-away realm of Richmond. I really appreciate the Plan 9 guys throwing free shows every once in a while– though I know capitalism mostly gets the credit for in-store performances in general, they are still always nice.
Dark Little Rooms started their set with a half dissonant noise/half pop song, which at times (notably the chorus) drifted into the latest British Invasion of Travis/Coldplay territory. The keyboardist/singer's voice, in particular, did that high flying falsetto thing British rock is known for of late– think Coldplay's chorus to "Yellow."
The group's second song, a jazzy '70s style tune in quick-time, was better than their first, but still you could see the heavy influence of the aforementioned overseas groups. Not bad, but not spectacular was how the group sounded through most of their set.
People came and went during the group's six songs; made up mostly of passersby, the crowd would stick around for a song or two, then after getting their fill, continue on down the thoroughfare.
I saw the whole performance, and it wasn't until the last song that the group really showed off what they could do. For this last tune the group finally left the British Isles behind, infusing the set with some soul especially the singer.
More or less a standard pop song, but with an ending that built to a crescendo of noise and melody, this song was the group's piece de resistance, but it left me wondering why Dark Little Rooms doesn't play up the plainly superior soul aspect of their sound.


text:
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text:
Brazilian left-wingers want to silence pro-life Archbishop of
In the citation, Judge Luiz Felipe Francisco ordered:
I determine that Cardinal Eusébio Oscar Scheid and Auxiliary Bishop Dimas Lara Barbosa are to be notified to guide all of the parish priests, parochial vicars and deacons or any other eventual celebrant of religious services to abstain from any political-ideological comment or reference, under penalty of disobedience to the present judicial order.
Cardinal Scheid didn't sign because he does not agree with the notification. Allegedly, the citation came about because leftists were annoyed with some priests who had been distributing pamphlets against abortion two weeks ago.
Last week, the same
Dom Eusébio noted that even in the military dictatorship times Brazilian authorities were not so insolent.
They didn't find anything.
Jandira is a very known as a feminist defending a change in the abortion laws. She wants to expand the situations where abortion is allowed. Catholics are against it.
Do these new measures imply that now in
The Kingdom of God Universal Church (KGUC) owns the party where Brazilian vice-president, José Alencar, is a member. KGUC makes open proselytism on behalf of Lula and leftist Protestant "bishop" Crivella, an important KGUC official. Yet, the
Reference Notes:
Source: Last Day Watchman


text:
Amarok's Summer of Code Review
This year, Amarok had two summer of code projects under the KDE umbrella. Both of these projects have finished while remaining in continued
Ian Monroe, Model/View Implementation and Usability Improvements for
Amarok 2.0 is going to provide users with a new interface - one which is more
Leo Franchi, Web Services Integration
The Amarok project has always striven to provide users with the best
When I thought KDE4 couldn't get any cooler
Amarok 2 looks to be a jaw dropping improvement over the previous version. Will the Plasma used in the context view be able to use data engines and visuals on the desktop and vice versa?
By Skeith at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Re: When I thought KDE4 couldn't get any cooler
It actually would make some sense to allow Amarok plasmoids to be plasmoids on the desktop. This might happen at some point, but it is not a priority.
Being able to put desktop plasmoids in the Amarok context view would be kind of silly IMO. :)
By Ian Monroe at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Re: When I thought KDE4 couldn't get any cooler
For me it sounds just logical that a plasmoid can be used technicly anywehre you want to. It doesn't metter if you put it on your desktop into your Deskbar (fka kicker) or into Amarok. I think that is the idea behind Plasma that it can be used anywhere if you implement it.
And maybe you don't want to put Desktop Plasmoids into Amarok but maybe anybody else. It could be usefull to put the clock into Amarok or something like that.
I gueas that every plasmoid can be used on either one Desktop and Amarok.
By baumhaus at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Re: When I thought KDE4 couldn't get any cooler
You are absolutely right! Silly would be not to be able use desktop plasmoids in Amarok CV and Amarok plasmoids on the desktop because that would imply two different and incompatible implementations of basically the same framework/functionality.
By Fredrik Larsson at Fri, 2007/09/21 - 5:00am
Re: When I thought KDE4 couldn't get any cooler
It's Leo's baby, but I know Amarok plasmoids are in-process to Amarok. Libplasma was originally designed with only the plasma process in mind. It just happens that Amarok needed to solve similar problems as libplasma so now Amarok uses it.
By Ian Monroe at Fri, 2007/09/21 - 5:00am
Re: When I thought KDE4 couldn't get any cooler
exactly. isn't there a media center form factor? not that I am saying amarok should and must use that form factor, but that they were dreamed up to accommodate for this very sort of thing
By Mike Wyatt at Sun, 2007/09/23 - 5:00am
Playlist: Sorting and Information
Quick question about the playlist. While I do like the new fancy layout of the playlist, I'm wondering about two things:
1. In the previous column-based playlist, users can add/remove columns of information. With this new playlist, are we only limited to those 4 pieces of information in that screenshot?
2. One of the advantages of the column-based playlist is being able to sort the list in ascending/descending order, based on title, artist, album, time, etc. Will that still be possible in the new playlist?
Other than that, I like it! I used to doubts as to the placement of the playlist (moving from "playlist-centric" to "context-centric") but as I observed by Amarok usage recently, they don't really affect it. Keep up the great work!
By Juan Carlos Torres at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Re: Playlist: Sorting and Information
Yep we'll figure out sorting and customizing what info is visible, no worries.
By Ian Monroe at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Re: Playlist: Sorting and Information
That's great news then. More power to you! :)
(Can't wait for the first beta that I would be able to run in my KDE 4 beta)
By Juan Carlos Torres at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Re: Playlist: Sorting and Information
In current column-based playlist I always have some difficulty to organise it, as some tacks has very long names, others long album name, others two or three artists, so I could not see it all.
By pilpilon at Mon, 2007/09/24 - 5:00am
Playlist Time Alignment
No, not another comment bashing the new playlist. ;)
Just a comment about the alignment of the track length display. Wouldn't it be better to have it right aligned rather than left aligned with what I think is the album title?
In the screen shot, the track name of the second item is being cut short purely because the album title is long. The whitespace to the right of the track length is essentially being wasted. Not having the track lengths aligned (with each other) also makes it difficult to quickly scan the track lengths of those that are visible too as the eyes have to keep jumping to left and right as the scan down (or up).
I believe it's not a difficult thing to change which tends to make me think that the current layout was chosen based on some merit. I'd be interested to hear what that merit is, but would likely still lean toward right aligned.
By Jason Stubbs at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Re: Playlist Time Alignment
Nah, it wasn't chosen on some merit, it's just how I first implemented it.
By Ian Monroe at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Re: Playlist Time Alignment
May I propose dropping the two-coumn layout of a playlist item in favor of just a line-based solution (like currently OSD shows its information)? Since the width of the playlist is probably going to be cut by >50% compared to Amarok 1.x, I'd say it's really important to not waste any more horizontal space than absolutely necessary..
I know it's nitpicking, I really appreciate the work being put into Amarok 2, and am really looking forward to using it myself!
By bsander at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Re: Playlist Time Alignment
No thats not nitpicking, thats saying it should be completely different. You would have to make a mockup or something to show what your trying to say.
By Ian Monroe at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Re: Playlist Time Alignment
Like I said, just as Amarok 1 does with OSD. I found a screenshot at http://www.linuxos.sk/media/IMG/amarok/osd.jpg
Basically it's just two lines of text, so no extra vertical alignments of (as in the screenshot) for instance the album and the track length. I think it'll save horizontal space that way :)
By bsander at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Re: Playlist Time Alignment
Ah ok, I see what your saying. Yea that is nitpicking. :) Sure we'll play around with it.
By Ian Monroe at Fri, 2007/09/21 - 5:00am
Re: Playlist Time Alignment
The article does mention being able to customize the information displayed in the playlist cells. It sounds like you might already be able to "deselect" some of the information and implicitly make it one column.
By Justin Noel at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Complements to the chef
Great job Ian & Leo.. I was going to post about sorting as well but that question's already been answered. Best of luck with your future work, and I'm looking forward to the beta too :D *nudge nudge*
By Rahul at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Amarok Plasmoid ideas
Well, i've got some idea's for additional Amarok plasmoids:
1. A full screen "now playing" plasmoid replacing AmarokFS
By Fred at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Re: Amarok Plasmoid ideas
Well, that would be plasmoids for the desktop, right? It's cool that Amarok2 uses plasmoids too, but AFAIK there's some "restrictions" (maybe modifications would be a better word). One example is how the positioning of plasmoids.
I've seen many great ideas of plasmoids, and I'm sure we'll see lot of cool them in the near future. :)
By Hans Chen at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Re: Amarok Plasmoid ideas
Indeed, those sounds like plasma plasmoids, not Amarok plasmoids. :)
Amarok will have a full DBus interface of course, so please make cool plasmoids for the desktop. :)
By Ian Monroe at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Re: Amarok Plasmoid ideas
I second Eean :-)
And even better, since we have dropped support for the old player window, it would be really cool if someone were to write a cool desktop plasmoid for taking over some of its functions
By Nikolaj Hald Nielsen at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Re: Amarok Plasmoid ideas
< Edit to my post: remove a "how" >
About the player window, isn't that what leinir is investigating? Oh. Maybe we'll see a THEMEABLE player window - now that would reduce one of the feature requests we often see.
By Hans Chen at Thu, 2007/09/20 - 5:00am
Amarok - Plasma portability
Awesome work!!
I got a question about Amarok's Windows port. AFAIK plasma will not be ported to non-X platforms, so what will happen to Amarok on those platforms?
Thanks in advance. :)
By Lucianolev at Fri, 2007/09/21 - 5:00am
Re: Amarok - Plasma portability
I think the plasma library (libplasma?) that Amarok will be using will mostly be completely portable to whatever platforms QGraphicsView supports. The only problems (that I heard of) were that some X11 specific code is/was in 'libplasma' so the Amarok devs were helping move it out (or at least thats how I remember what I think maybe was happening... possibly!)
By Sutoka at Fri, 2007/09/21 - 5:00am
amarok and podcasts
Please allow me to give a some feedback on amarok 1.4.6-1 in KDE 3.5.7 (Debian testing):
First, I noticed that amarok is not associated to itpc:// protocol, which is the protocol related to podcast in iTunes (I presume).
Additionally, it would be confortable if amarok could harvest the podcasts and media from a URL given by the user.
Finally, once all these podcasts are imported in the playlist panel, it would be handy to be able to move and sort them. That is not possible in amarok 1.4.6.
Thanks for your jobs, and i have good hope that amarok 2 will especially focus on ergonomy improvement.
Thanks and Regards,
By David at Sun, 2007/09/23 - 5:00am
Re: amarok and podcasts
oops : it is possible to move and sort podcasts in 1.4.6. Sorry.
By David at Sun, 2007/09/23 - 5:00am


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Drunk Fan Rushes Mound to Fight Pitcher in Minor League Game [VIDEO]
Fans can get close to the action at minor league sporting events, but this is a little much.
A Texas League game between Corpus Christi Hooks and Midland Rockhounds turned ugly over the weekend when a fan ran onto the field to try and fight Midland pitcher Blake Hassebrock after Hassebrock hit Hooks batter Telvin Nash.
The Midland bench and umpires all swooped in quickly to diffuse the situation.
Nikolas Swope, 35, was reportedly drunk. He's looking at charges of criminal trespassing.


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|New Year Party Forest Escape HIGHSCORE OTHER WALKTHROUGHS MOBILE APP
|Live Escape
|New Year Party Forest Escape Live Escape WowEscape Games New WowEscape Games Fun Escape Games
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In this escape game, A Glorious Girl curse in this forest. You need to rescue the Glorious Girl from that place by finding useful objects, hints and s..
In a beautiful small village, there were some homes and people. The villagers lived very happily. A frightful creature lives in that village. Those p..
Imagine that you went to a Farmer house to get take him to the farm. When you went there; he you got trapped in this house. Find some hidden object to..
Assume that you are trapped in the forest house and you try to escape from the forest house by using objects, keys, hints, and by solving puzzles. Can..
Enchanted Forest Escape is a new point and click escape game developed by Selfdefiant for Mouse City.You woke up all alone in the enchanted forest. Lo..
Imagine that someone has been locked inside of this place and you have to find the way to rescue. You can find useful stuffs and interesting clues sym..
A drowsy rhino lived in a forest near a desolate old palace. The drowsy rhino went through the palace to find food. At that time, the palace was untou..
Imagine that you have planned to go out for Hunting with a neighbor boy. So you went to his house, there you noticed that he got trapped in his house...
Imagine that you have planned to go out for trekking with a neighbor boy. So you went to his house, there you noticed that he got trapped in his house..
In this escapegame,you are trapped inside the health care hospital. No one is there to help you.you have to escape from there by finding useful object..
One rodent brown rat lived in a terrible palace. The rodent brown rat was playing happily. Then the rodent brown rat was caught in a place unexpected...
Assume that you have been stuck in this island and you have to find the way to escape from this island. Use your own skills to find the way to escape...
Note: The Google Chrome browser comes with the Flash player pre-installed automatically. I recommend Chrome as a secure browser to use when playing flash games online.
WowEscape.com is a specialised developer and publisher of escape games. Ever imagined being locked in a room and challenged to break out using nothing but your brainpower? Escape game, is a type of point-and-click adventure game which requires a player to escape from a place, house or room by utilizing the objects in that surroundings. On WowEscape.com you can find all type of escape games for all kind of people! We have a massive selection of best free online escape games! Wowescape.com is the first website to release all the new escape games daily. We make every effort to offer the best escape games for the escape gaming audience. WowEscape.com is a safe website to visit, as our website is also easy to use, and we mainly include games that meet the varied demands of the escape gaming audience. In short, we offer top best online escape games that have been appreciated from the gaming community and from the experts. You can also give suggestions for us through contact us link to keep improving the quality of the games and website. With a team of highly professional and experienced creative art production and programming teams, we are delivering the finest online escape games to the world. We are devoted to excel in our services and work towards delivering high quality escape games. We intensively support as well as encourage our users and game companies to download, and use our games for their pleasure and business purposes.


text:
Filippo Monteforte / AFP - Getty Images
A view of the wreck of the cruise liner Costa Concordia lying aground in front of the Isola del Giglio (Giglio island) on Jan. 23, after hitting underwater rocks on January 13. Two more bodies were found on Monday from the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, bringing the official death toll to 15.
They found two more bodies today onboard the Costa Concordia cruise ship, bringing the death toll to 15. The ship is now stable, and as they continue their search for the missing, they will also begin pumping fuel from the stricken ship, possibly as early as Tuesday. They also began collecting floating deck chairs today. More photos are in our slideshow below.
The Costa Concordia, carrying more than 4,200 passengers, ran aground Jan. 13 off the coast of Italy. At least 15 people died in the accident, and rescuers continue to search for others missing.


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A few weeks ago I was fortunate to be able to spend a week at our place in Palm Springs, CA with my sister Kim from Howell, Michigan. We lounged by the pool, shopped Uptown, cocktail'd and dined about town, rode bikes, sipped tea before bed and enjoyed valuable time together without kids, partners or other distractions. I am simply blessed to have such a supportive and loving sister that is one of my best friends. A trip to always be remembered.
Dinner at Copley's, the former estate of Cary Grant…
The highlight of her visit was our trip to Joshua Tree National Park and the surrounding sites and towns. Coincidentally, a few days before our outing there was a great article written by Christopher Reynolds in the Los Angeles Times with highlights of what to see and do while in and around Joshua Tree National Park. We printed the article, grabbed snacks and the map and hopped in the car for our day trip adventure hoping to see and experience the best of the area.
Our first stop was Big Morongo Canyon Preserve which is a desert oasis located in Morongo Valley, CA. The bright green trees within the oasis provide a stunning contrast against the desert brown hues and the snow-capped mountains. The preserve has several easy hikes (ours was on a beautiful winding boardwalk) which showcase the vistas and the supposed 1400+ pairs of breeding birds.
Our next stop was just down the road in Yucca Valley, CA. About 5 miles off the main drag is Pioneertown which was built in the 1940's and was used as a set for films and television shows including some old western favorites such as Annie Oakley and The Cisco Kid. The town touts that its' Post Office is the most photographed in the United States and the oldest working bowling alley is located here as well (Gene Autry frequently hosted his weekly variety show here). A fun stop for photos and I am sure that the kids would love it.
Another dozen miles or so down the road is Twentynine Palms which is a small desert town in the Oasis of Mara and also the northernmost entrance to Joshua Tree National Park. The town boasts a training center for the Marines who prepare for combat and other missions such as their work in Desert Storm. The area is known for its' murals that can be found on dozens of buildings throughout town. The murals often pay respect to the work of the Marines as well as other local community heroes and families.
After taking in the murals we were ready for lunch. We wandered to the 29 Palms Inn and enjoyed a poolside lunch. Kids played in the pool and over excited businessmen from "the city" talked at length about their tough lives. Argh. Enjoy the day boys – relax. The resort was built in the early 1900's and is a series of cottages scattered about several acres of land that shares the entrance road to the park.
After our satisfying lunch we made our way into Joshua Tree National Park. If you have never been it is a bit hard to describe and visualize through photos. This desert park is vast and expansive and is filled with unique flora and fauna with mountain peaks and ravine lows. There is an indescribable beauty to the park. As odd as this may sound, it almost feels like you are on a movie set (as Kim noted). Time in the park forces you to connect with your spirituality and illuminates our small and mortal place in this world. My sister and I talked about how amazing it would be to stay the night in the park to experience both the sunset and the amazing sunrise. We immediately began to plan and RV trip back to the park this fall. Remember from my profile that I am the organizer and by the way, my sister is too! With all the beauty there is also wonder about how families and farmers actually lived in this type of terrain years and years ago. There was more water and less harsh conditions back then but there was no electricity or other services available. The families that settled here were adventurers looking for peace and serenity in a new world that others could not even imagine. Our drive through the park took us to Jumbo Rock, Hidden Valley and Barker Dam. While at Barker Dam we ventured out for a less than two-mile hike into the valley where a dam had been built to provide water to the cattle herds that roamed. So much to see in this amazing park and just not enough time to explore it all.
We exited the park through the Joshua Tree, CA station (Joshua Tree is also the name of a town) and stopped at Ricochet for a traditional date smoothie and a refreshing and locally made ginger kombucha. When in Rome – right? The eclectic shop also sold local art and vintage aprons and displayed a coffee cup that stated, "Robert Plant drank from this cup." I suppose that means that we had found the right place for a drink.
I had read a lot about a newly refurbished motel in Joshua Tree, CA called the Mojave Sands. It seemed so odd to read about this remote motel in all of the travel and design rags this past Winter so we stopped by and met the owner, Blake Simpson. Blake purchased, gutted and remodeled the property and has many new improvements on the way including a pool. A great place to overnight if you plan to get in some serious exploring in the park and don't want to hassle with the one hour commute back to Palm Springs. The motel is perfectly suited for what I call "LA Hipsters." Do you follow?
After browsing around the town of Joshua Tree it was time to head back toward home. We wanted to make one more stop in Desert Hot Springs to relax our muscles, reflect on the day and maybe even have a cocktail while soaking in the famed mineral hot springs. We arrived at the Desert Hot Springs Spa and took our towels, bathing suits and flip-flops in hand to pay our $5 entry fee for a soak. Well, I am not sure what to say other than you might want to find another spring to soak. We immediately left after a few minutes in the spa and hurried home for hand-made cocktail and a warm shower. But hey, I am up for trying anything at least once. You can take this advice and save yourself some time.
We loved the determination, attire and focus of one of our fellow "soakers." She had definitely been here before and knew her way around the grounds. Don't mess with her.
If you come to Palm Springs for vacation I would highly recommend a day trip to the Joshua Tree National Park and would check out some of the surrounding attractions as well. There is no other place like it. And if you don't make it out this way, be sure to find time to spend with those that you love.
Our last dinner in Palms Springs with the mountains as our backdrop for the sunset at the Purple Palm in the Colony Palms Hotel.


text:
Even More South Asian Food to Find in NYC
More South Asian Eats
Punjab and Pakistan »
Bangladesh and West Bengal »
Maharashtra, Mumbai, and Gujarat »
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Sri Lanka »
Chettinad and Andhra Pradesh »
As last week's foray into the south Asian food available in New York made clear, there are excellent options in town for authentic regional cooking from the subcontinent. So what more could a New Yorker ask for?
For a start: credible cooking from Lucknow and Kashmir, two legendary North Indian cuisines.
For centuries, Lucknow (the capital city of Uttar Pradesh) was home to Mughal rulers* whose chefs were charged with creating exciting new dishes for lavish court feasts. That innovative food culture eventually spread beyond the elite confines of the Mughal court, giving rise to a famously sophisticated and flavorful food scene in Lucknow. Even today the city is known for its food, especially its meat and vegetable kababs.
* Recall that the Mughals—Muslims from Central Asia—ruled Pakistan and much of India in the 16th and 17th-centuries.
There are a few options for Lucknowi cuisine in New York, but they barely do justice to this complex cuisine. Easiest to come by are the Seekh Kebabs (spiced mixtures of ground chicken or lamb grilled on skewers) sold at Pakistani kabab shops like Haandi in Murray Hill and Kabab King in Jackson Heights.
Another option is Chote Nawab in Murray Hill, which advertises its Mughal specialties from Lucknow and Hyderabad (in Andhra Pradesh). The Tunde Ka Kebab (skillet-cooked ground lamb "patties" named for Lucknow's famous kebab house), Kakori Kebab (spiced minced lamb grilled over charcoal), and Roomali Roti (flatbread that's handkerchief-thin) all have legit Lucknow origins. But it's hard to pick out these Lucknowi specialties on the menu, amid the dizzying array of dishes from several other regions of India.
Finding real Kashmiri food in New York City is nearly impossible. (Don't be fooled by all the restaurants with Kashmir in their names—they usually serve Pakistani and Punjabi food.) Rogan Josh (mutton simmered with tomatoes, yogurt, and fragrant spices), Kashmir's most famous dish, is on the menu at many Indian restaurants here. Unfortunately, Gushtaba (lamb "meatballs" seasoned with fenugreek, fennel seeds, cumin, and a dozen other spices, served in a mild yogurt gravy), a Kashmiri delicacy reserved for special occasions, is nearly impossible to come by, though Junoon serves an unconventional version made with duck.
Kashmiri food incorporates plenty of meat (usually lamb/mutton or trout from mountain streams), as well as greens (haaq saag) and hearty vegetables, like potato, kohlrabi, and lotus root. The key to Kashmiri cooking is its bold flavors: pungent mustard oil, licorice-y ground fennel seeds, ginger powder, smoky black cardamom, wild shallots (praan, similar to ramps), and mild Kashmiri chilies. Harisa, a hearty breakfast dish, combines many of these in a heavy meal that sustains Kashmiris during the cold winter months.
Kashmir is also known for its unique tea traditions, which reflect the influences of neighboring Afghanistan and China. Kahwah, brewed with green tea, saffron, spices, sugar, and almonds, is popular after meals and on festive occasions. Pink-hued Noon Chai (aka sheer chai or salt tea), brewed with green tea, milk, spices, salt, and sodium bicarbonate, is associated with afternoon relaxation. The latter is on the menu at Haandi but rarely seems to be available.
What Else?
Food from Karnataka (home to Bangalore) is often overlooked, even in India. But its piquant flavors and fresh, light dishes (e.g., kosambri, shown above) are wonderful. For now, New Yorkers can enjoy a great version of Karnatakan Besi Bele Bath (spicy-tangy rice seasoned with tamarind and spices) at Saravanaa Bhavan in Murray Hill and on the Upper West Side.
Goan cooking is known for its Portuguese colonial influences melded with fresh seafood and South Indian flavors. Fiery hot, vinegar-spiked vindaloo, fragrant xacuti, and tangy-sweet ambotik are signature Goan dishes. Luckily, you can try a few of them at Malai Marke in the East Village.
If You Cook It, They Will Come
South Asian cuisine is clearly incredibly diverse—from the north (where winter coats come out in December and January) to the tropical south (where beaches and banana trees proliferate), and the far east (where the flavors of neighboring Tibet and Myanmar intermix).
On the subcontinent these days, regional cuisines are enjoying new popularity and spreading well beyond their traditional boundaries. A more affluent and cosmopolitan younger generation of Indians, in particular, is embracing new flavors and ingredients drawn from throughout south Asia.
Here in New York City, similar change is afoot. New Yorkers are no longer content to make do with endless variations on the tikka masala theme. Which brave restaurant entrepreneurs will bring us more and better regional cuisines from south Asia? If you cook it, we will come.
Additional reporting by Max Falkowitz, Pavan Sahgal, Chitra Agrawal, Malini Sood Horiuchi, Rabia Ahmed, Carolyn Lengel, Sunita Apte, Chichi Wang, Reena Geevarghese, Naomi Baumol, Ken Start, Jared Cohee, Purnima Sahgal, Padmashree Tadepalli, and Sarah Khan.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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ZODIAC NECKLACE SET virgo
All sale items are final sale.
Whether you're a passionate Aries or an ambitious Capricorn, you can personalize your look with this 14KT Gold Plated pendant necklace set. This set includes two necklaces in two different lengths so you can layers like a pro and dress up that classic tee, or break them up to create a new look. Grab one for yourself or choose between 12 Zodiac signs to make the perfect gift for your BFF.
- 14KT Gold Plated
- Lobster claw closure
- Adjustable chain
- Smaller pendant 12" L
- Larger pendant 16" L
- To prevent tarnishing necklaces should be kept away from any moisture and liquid cosmetics, including soap and perfumes and should not be worn in the shower


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Cook the Book: Scallops with Pea Purée and Ham
I love the way that Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's mind works. Pairing seared scallops with crisp chips of Serrano ham and a minty purée of peas is reason alone to invest in a copy of his latest cookbook, River Cottage Every Day.
Simple, beautiful, and and astonishingly easy to prepare, these Scallops with Pea Purée and Ham are a plate that you'll want to make over and over again until the last of the spring peas are gone. It's got "dinner party" written all over it—the sort of dish that elicits all sorts of oohs and aahs but doesn't require any sort of cheffy skills or serious time commitment in the kitchen.
The peas are blanched tender and whirred together with mint and a single clove of just browned garlic with a bit of cooking water and softened butter for creaminess. Once your purée is buzzed and ready to go, slices of ham are sizzled until crisp and scallops are seared in the rendered ham fat until browned on either side. Plating is just a matter of placing the ham, scallops, and pea purée on a plate and drizzling it with a bit of olive oil. The salty ham, sweetly browned scallop, and a fresh burst of pea and mint flavor in the purée are almost magical when eaten together—balanced, fresh, exciting—the kind of starter that does its job perfectly, a little, thrilling bite that primes you for the next course.
As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of River Cottage Every Day to give away this week.
Adapted from River Cottage Every Day by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Copyright © 2009. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved.
- Yield:4 as a starter
- Active time: 40 minutes
- Total time:40 minutes
- For the pea purée:
- 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen baby peas
- 1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
- 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Leaves from 1 large bunch of mint, chopped
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the scallops:
- 1 tablespoon sunflower or peanut oil
- 4 large, paper-thin slices serrano ham or prosciutto (or 8 thin cooked bacon slices)
- 12 diver scallops, cleaned
- A little extra-virgin olive or canola oil, to serve
First, make the pea purée: Cook the peas in boiling salted water until tender, then drain, reserving the cooking water, and empty the peas into a blender or food processor. Put the oil and garlic in a small pan and allow to sizzle gently for barely a minute until the garlic just begins to color. Quickly pour it into the blender with the peas. Add the butter, mint, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Blend to a purée, adding a little of the cooking liquid if necessary to give a consistency similar to that of coarse hummus. Taste and adjust the seasoning; keep warm.
To cook the scallops, put a large, nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Tear the ham into large shreds and add to the pan, turning the pieces over in the oil as soon as they start to crisp —this should take less than a minute. Transfer to a warm plate. Season the scallops, add them to the pan, and cook for about a minute, until golden brown underneath. Turn them over and cook for a minute on the other side.
Immediately transfer the scallops to 4 warm plates, adding a few scraps of ham to each one. Put a good dollop of pea purée next to the scallops, drizzle with a little extra-virgin oil plus the juices from the scallop pan, and grind over some pepper. Serve right away.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Did you know that you can customize the way you see a website in your browser? We've all heard of the Greasemonkey add-on for Firefox, right? If not, check out the articles that have been written here on MakeUseOf and you'll be sure to find out some neat stuff about it.
Basically, Greasemonkey allows users to write and implement scripts that customize the way you interact with websites.
Until now, people who knew nothing about writing scripts have been limited to just installing scripts made available by others. Well, not anymore my friends! Now we have a whole new, user-friendly, no scripting necessary way of changing the way we interact with our favorite websites. Sound too good to be true? I thought so too! Please check out the Customize Your Web Firefox add-on.
The way this add-on works is really neat. Basically when you are on a site you want to customize Firefox, click on the hand-dandy icon in your Firefox tray and start customizing.
In this post I would like to walk you through how to set up a few customizations I have found useful.
Automatic clicking
With this add-on you can make it so that a specific button is clicked upon the load of a website. For instance, when I head over to the login screen for my blog, timmyjohnboy, I always have to click on "log in." I already have the username and password fields auto-filled but perhaps I'm just too lazy to click the stupid button. Come on, you can't tell me you've never felt that way!
Anyways, just click on the icon (or press F10) and you'll be given a bunch of options.
You'll also notice that as you move your mouse across the site, the objects highlight and if you click them, you're given some options.
For what we want to do, and that is saving us from the overbearing task of clicking the "log in" button, click "click." Then a window pops up giving you the options you're looking for.
Make sure the left button is chosen and make sure that the repetition behavior is set to "run always" if you want this to happen every time. Then, hit "OK." Then, in the script properties sidebar, click save for the settings to be saved.
OK, now I can be automatically logged in just by making a few adjustments! This can obviously be done for any website where you want to automatically click any button.
Get ride of elements you don't want to see!
For the sake of demonstration, let's head over to GodlySheep and get rid of Brett's nifty little sheep icon! OK, I am not saying that I don't like the icon, I really do! It just makes a really good object to make an example of!
Basically just follow the same steps (browse to godlysheep.com, click the icon in the tray, and click on the sheep graphic) but this time click on "remove."
Just like before, make sure that the repetition behavior is set to "run always." Then click the same "save" button. This is what you should now see:
Cool, huh? This trick can be applied to many different objects, including ads! For instance, if you're like me and you hate those MySpace ads, all you have to do if remove them!
Move objects or elements (cut, copy, and paste)
Let's say we also want to rearrange the sidebar on GodlySheep.com to better suit your usage patterns. Let's move the banner below the navigation links. All it takes is some simple cut and paste actions. Click the banner and then click cut,
choose the appropriate settings, and then click the navigation area and click paste after.
That's all it really takes. Always make sure you save your changes.
It is also necessary for me to mention that changes you make can ALWAYS be deleted so don't worry too much about ruining something. You can also do many MANY more modifications with Customize Your Web, including toggling the visibility of objects, keyboard shortcuts and so much more!
Whilst exploring this add-on to customize Firefox, let us know what tricks you like the most!
Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!
New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/
Related posts
- 4 Cool Firefox Tools That Are Not Addons (38)
- View A Multi-Page Article On One Single Page With PageZipper (14)
- Three Firefox Security & Privacy Add-ons that can Co-exist (20)
- The Winners of 'Extend Firefox' – Best Firefox Addons (12)
- The Ultimate Guide To Speeding Up Firefox 3.5 (125)
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I think about the only people who didn't think Obi was dead were the Lars', Vader, and perhaps Palpatine.
D'oh yeah, that's true... Well Bail would have known and told Leia I guess...
Kenobi probably had a freaking autograph signing in Mos Eisley and everyone knew who he was.
It's kind of sad but Padme's own parents wouldn't know the children were born and stuff. Their grandkids they'd never know. That's sort of ******, actually.
Yoda knew. Hell he maybe was even having some kind of interaction with Obi if Obi was interacting with QGJ through the force and Yoda was doing likewise. Hmmm, there's a thought.
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Welcome to Hydrologic
|At Hydrologic, we're in the business of getting cleaner water for more people. And yes, we believe that business is a powerful way to do that. To paraphrase the old fish saying: give a man a water filter, and one family will have clean water; set up a water filter supply chain, production facility, and sales force, and soon the free market is delivering a lot more water filters to a lot more people than you thought possible. Jobs are being created, and the economy is growing.
Getting water filters into households is still our top priority. We continue to partner with other NGOs to distribute Tunsai Water Filters to Cambodia's poorest households, proudly taking over a project that International Development Enterprises has championed for the last 10 years. More than 150,000 households have already been supplied with Tunsai water filters through charitable distribution networks.
But Cambodian spending power is increasing every day, and we've designed the Super Tunsai as an iconic consumer product to be distributed through conventional retail channels. We're investing in a highly trained Cambodian manufacturing and sales force, providing professional development and important non-agricultural jobs in rural areas. We've already partnered with 600 retail centers throughout the provinces for distribution, and more are added every day.
We're leading the market by example with our commitment to transparency, product quality, and superior value. We're delivering a product to Cambodians that they demand and deserve. And by saving thousands of tons of firewood that would otherwise be burned to boil water, we're helping to save Cambodia's forests and improve the global climate.
Hydrologic is a Social Enterprise legally registered in Cambodia under the Ministry of Commerce. Please, take a few moments, look around our site, and consider joining us in this unique venture.


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Hagley Museum hosts family activities for holidays
By ACL
Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington offers new ways for families to enjoy the season together during "Holidays at Hagley."
From Dec. 7 through Jan. 6, there will be exhibits and programs which interpret the du Pont family holiday traditions of exchanging gifts on New Year's Day and the celebration of Twelfth Night. The du Pont family's first American residence, Eleutherian Mills, will be decorated to interpret the elegant traditions that the family brought with them from France to their new life on the Brandywine. On Twelfth Night, Jan. 6, Hagley will be open free to all visitors.
Families can explore Hagley's 235-acre National Historic Landmark property using the new holiday-themed adventure backpacks. Holiday Activity Backpacks can be checked out and returned to Hagley's visitor center. Each includes a map, activities to complete at different locations throughout the museum property, and a kid-friendly craft to try together. Activity Backpacks are included in the cost of admission, and are free for members and children 14 and younger.
At Hagley's Family Caroling Workshop on Dec. 7 from 1 to 3 p.m., families can learn carols, make jingle bells and toy drums, and spread cheer by caroling throughout the property. Advance reservations are required. Call (302) 658-2400.
Children and adults can learn about the tradition and "Make Your Own New Year's Day Calling Gift" every Saturday and Sunday in December at Hagley. Participate in the long-standing du Pont family tradition of presenting small, handcrafted gifts to loved ones, and also for children spending the season in the Nemours Children's Hospital. The program is included in admission.
Families can also visit the du Pont Barn, the first structure built by the du Pont family at Hagley, and create their own New Year's resolution ornaments to hang on Hagley's resolution tree. Decorating begins Dec. 7 and runs through Jan. 6.
During the extended Twelfth Night celebration, Jan. 4 to 6, visitors can learn about King Cake traditions in Hagley's Gibbons House, create a Twelfth Night crown in the Wheelwright Shop, and discover the tradition of wassailing with hot spiced cider and mini King Cakes at the Belin House Organic Café.
For more information, call 302-658-2400 weekdays or visit www.hagley.org.


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Roto Dynamics Inc. is a Southern California based Rotational Molding House, Company, which specializes in the production of custom rotationally molded plastic parts. We produce an array of products for various industries ranging from, material storage units, automotive accessories, fluid treatment systems and water tanks.
With the experience gained from manufacturing a large portfolio of products we are confident that we can assist you in the design development and production of your rotationally molded plastic parts.
Our Services include; Rotational molding, custom battery box, Custom material handling, custom plastic product, Custom plastic tanks, Manufacture plastic products, Rotocast, Rotomolded tanks, Rotomolding, and Vacuum molding.


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MONTREAL - The long-anticipated crown jewel of Concordia University's downtown campus is finally within reach. The last of the sisters moved out of the Grey Nuns residence last weekend and the university became the official proprietor of the historic building.
Of course, taking possession of an important site for campus development at a time when universities are facing severe budget cuts means the sprawling property is somewhat of a blessing in disguise at the moment.
"You might call it a challenge and an opportunity at the same time," said Chris Mota, media relations director for Concordia. "We're in no position at this time to convert the property, but we do have pressing needs we believe it can address."
So the university has opted for a transitional plan to use the space for badly-needed residences and study space until a later date — still unknown — when there may be an even grander plan to perhaps use at least part of the heritage building to house the Fine Arts faculty, or some other faculty.
In the meantime, the building is in the heart of the "Quartier Concordia" the university has been striving to transform into a place with a real campus vibe; it will provide much-needed green space to the urban campus and it will add about 350 more badly-needed residence beds and 600 study spaces to address an acute need.
But what may be singularly important, at least to the aging nuns who vacated the building nine years earlier than expected, is that the space will continue to be used as a place of reflection.
"The nuns liked the fact we were an educational insitution. It fit their mission," said Mota. "The fact is they could have sold it to a developer for condominiums and probably made substantially more money."
Concordia bought the property — which is bordered by René Lévesque Blvd. and Ste. Catherine St., Guy and St. Mathieu Sts. — for $18 million in 2004 with plans to eventually take over the site by 2022. In 2007 it began using part of the building for 227 residence beds, as well as a daycare.
But on the eve of Good Friday last week, the remaining 134 nuns — whose average age is 85 — surrendered for good the stone Motherhouse they have called home since the Sisters of Charity of Montreal built it in 1871.
The sisters are moving to long-term care facilities or apartments in Rosemont.
For Concordia, it has huge significance.
"It has more than doubled our downtown footprint," said Mota.
For students, it is good news to have more space devoted to their needs.
"We see it as a positive thing," said Simon Pierre, vice-president external for the Concordia Student Union.
Lucie Lequin, president of the Concordia University Faculty Association, agreed that dorms are needed and green space is always welcome. Her only concern is that the heritage building should never become "a bottomless pit" that eats up money as she has seen from some university developments.
Most notoriously in Quebec is the example of the Université du Québec à Montréal's disastrous Îlot Voyageur development, which forced the government to bail out the university for $400 million.
But Concordia is proceeding cautiously and has opted for residences precisely because it promises to be a break-even investment as the residences bring in income. The building will still require some construction and the university hopes to have it ready for June 2014.
However, the sisters will always be welcome to visit and to spend time in the open crypt which will remain beneath the Motherhouse Chapel, and where 276 people are buried.
"That is part of the heritage of the site and we will treat it with respect," said Mota.


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Vancouver, WA — Sherborne Investors has wasted little time making some changes in the direction of Nautilus Inc. now that it controls the board. Last month, Nautilus' board terminated the company's shareholder rights plan and the purchase of a Chinese manufacturing plant, Land America Health and Fitness Co. Ltd., for $63 million.
The cancellation of the plant purchase would likely cost Nautilus the $18.5 million nonrefundable deposit it had already paid for the plant, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing by the company. Sherborne Investors, which is the largest Nautilus shareholder, had opposed the purchase of the plant since Robert Falcone, president and CEO of Nautilus, announced the plans last year. Sherborne had said that the plant purchase would put the company at a greater financial risk due to fixed expenses and debt load. The plant is one of 12 in Asia that manufactures much of Nautilus' equipment.
The move is expected to save the company $46.5 million, according to Eric Wold, an analyst with Merriman Curhan Ford.
The terminated shareholder plan allowed one right to be distributed for each share of the company's common stock outstanding as of Nov. 8, 2007. It was to expire in 2010 unless terminated or redeemed sooner by the company. The plan noted that if any person or group acquired 20 percent or more of the voting power of the company's outstanding common stock without board approval, their voting power would be diluted.
The plan was put in place last year when Sherborne Investors, which owned 23.5 percent of Nautilus stock, called for the removal of board members and the election of some of its representatives to the board.
Sherborne Investors, which is a Delaware investment firm, was successful in getting Nautilus to hold a shareholder meeting in December. At that meeting, shareholders approved Sherborne Investors' plan to replace four Nautilus board members with Sherborne representatives. That vote put control of the Nautilus board in the hands of Sherborne, which is headed by Edward Bramson.
Last month, the new board elected Bramson as chairman, replacing Falcone, who remains with the company as president, CEO and a member of the board.


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The full (and full-color) issue of our monthly denominational magazine New Horizons is now available in PDF. To view the issue in your browser, click on the link near the top of the New Horizons page. The direct link to the January 2012 issue is here. Don't forget that in most browsers you can adjust the size of a PDF document by holding down the control (Ctrl on a PC) or command (on a Mac) key and simultaneously pressing plus (+) or minus (-). Let us know if you find the online New Horizons useful (click Contact Us above).
|© 2020 The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Chaplains and Military Personnel


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- This event has passed.
Men's Cooking Class
June 25, 2019 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every month that begins at 5:00 pm on day Fourth of the month, repeating indefinitely
Join us for cooking and health education! Have fun as you learn skills in the kitchen. Sit back and relax while you enjoy the meal you created.


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NCCA uses cookies so that you have the best possible browsing experience on our website. If you agree that we can store and use cookies just click "Accept and Close"
or you can learn more about cookies.
Starting with Junior Cycle English and for new subjects and short courses, you can now:
Watch the video on the right to learn how the site works and watch out for other subjects in Junior Cycle...coming online soon!
Create your own curriculum library with the clipboard function. You can now save pages of content, organise them and generate your own pdfs.
Now you can convert curriculum content to word documents!
Here you'll find useful resources and the latest news about what's happening in education from early childhood right up to senior cycle.


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Deep Cuts: Research Library Collections of SF
Here at AboutSF.com, we're continually looking for new academic materials to share with all our users. We are all about helping people reach a better understanding of SF, and we know that the field is changing significantly, on a constant basis. As such, if you have anything you'd like to share with us - syllabi, course assignments, reading lists/bibliographies, critical reviews, etc. - feel free to get in touch with us at firstname.lastname@example.com.