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From Wikipedia: "In 1992, [Brian] Eno described his time with Roxy Music as crucial to his career, stating that 'as a result of going into a subway station and meeting Andy (saxophonist Andy Mackay), I joined Roxy Music and as a result of that I have a career in music. If I'd walked ten yards further on the platform or missed that train or been in the next carriage, I probably would have been an art teacher now.'"
"I'm not giving up my caring about music or listening to music," Sheridan wrote early on in the piece. "That would be equivalent to asking my heart to stop beating...I won't care if I've heard the latest band. I won't sacrifice work and family interests to drive four hours to see a band I just saw the night before. Music will continue to be a part of my life. It just won't be my life."
James Brown, Aretha Franklin, The Kinks, Cash, Springsteen, Dylan, The Stones, half of The Beatles and Lennon's two kids when they were the in-thing; R.E.M., Husker Du, U2, the Cure, the Replacements, the original Guns N' Roses and Metallica with Cliff, Iggy, the Sex Pistols, three-quarters of Zeppelin, "Pink Floyd" and Waters, the Heads and David Byrne, New Order, Sabbath, The Who (¾ of them); Pere Ubu, The Grateful Dead with Traffic (½ of them); Marillion performing Brave in its entirety, The Police, Genesis and Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, the Pixies, the original Kiss, Steely Dan, Jane's Addiction, The Ramones, Jeff Buckley, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Jesus and Mary Chain, Eagles, Devo, King Crimson (the double-trio), Prince, Paul Simon, Nine Inch Nails (opening for Peter Murphy in a small hall) and Pearl Jam (in a similarly small hall, where the fire code was clearly broken)… Radiohead and David Gray in the same small hall… and probably every important and soon-to-be unimportant band emerging from 1986 until a couple years ago.
You know, Brian Eno did a wonderful thing back in the 70s. When he realized that he couldn't "rock and roll" anymore, he literally backed off (you watch, Trent Reznor will go and do likewise after last summer's NIN/JA tour). Eno left Roxy Music – under the guise of scrapping with Bryan Ferry – and went into producing other artists and making them better (see U2, David Bowie, James, Talking Heads, et. al) and creating his own atmospheric music that he wanted to hear.
To paraphrase Sheridan, that doesn't mean you won't find me in the record store, scouring the bins for some treat or treasure. It just means I won't be flipping my lid if I miss someone coming through town anymore.
I think I'm only going to collect my few favorite player cards from now on, hit those must-see shows (referrals are often brilliant that way) and I'm gonna leave that extra pair of tickets out there otherwise... I'll let the rest of the fanatical completists out there worry about the rest of the card set.


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If the funky synthesizers and some weird guy staring at you aren't enough to make you want to hop in a time machine back to 1987, we don't blame you. However if you can look past the strange music and 80s style of this amusing vintage dealer promo, you'll see the 1987 Chrysler Conquest TSI.
Thanks to the wonders of badge engineering the Mitsubishi Starion became the Conquest sold by Dodge and Plymouth from 1984-1986 and by Chrysler for 1987-1989. To make things even more confusing, the wide body sport version of the Starion had ESI-r tacked onto the name while it was TSI for the sport Conquest—both were only available with a 5 speed manual transmission.
Whatever you called them, by 1987 these cars featured a turbocharged and intercooled 2.6 liter inline 4 cylinder engine complete with electronic fuel injection—a pretty advanced set up at the time. While some would argue these cars haven't aged any better than the terrible synth music in this commercial, we would still love to take a turbocharged trip back to the 80s behind the wheel of the badge engineered TSI.

subset: commoncrawl


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Happy Easter!
It's so much more fun to write a recap for win instead of a loss. And even more fun when it's so much more fun to write a recap for win instead of a loss. And even more fun when it'against the Celtics.
The Knickerbockers won its eighth straight game on Sunday, defeating the Boston Celtics 108-89 at the World's Most Famous Arena. They now have a 4 ½ game lead in the Atlantic Division, and the magic number to clinch the division is at 6.
With the win, the Knicks took the season series from the Celtics 3-1, and have all but ended Boston's reign atop the division.
The Knicks dominated this game from about the second quarter on, and held a double-digit lead for the majority of the second half. Carmelo Anthony led the way with 24 points on 9-19 shooting, despite only taking a handful of shots in the second half. He was also a beast on the offensive glass and grabbed 10 rebounds in all, but really looked aggressive crashing the basket.
The key to the game was the bench. Chris Copelandia poured in 22 points the lead the second unit, a role usually designated to J.R. Smith. After three straight 30-point games, Smith scored 15 on 4-12 shooting. He didn't have the great shooting nights he has had in the past week or so, but Smith did a lot of good things tonight. He continued his drive-first mentality and got to the free-throw line 10 times, as well as grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out four assists.
Copeland played a huge role with Kenyon Martin being sidelined due to a strained abdominal muscle, and played 20 important minutes. He was 6-10 from the field en route to his 22 points, and also grabbed five rebounds. He got to the line nine times himself, and as a unit the Knicks took 31 free-throws.
Overall, this was a fairly easy win for the Knicks, and they coasted for most of the contest. It was exactly the way they wanted, especially since they travel to Miami on Tuesday. Maybe Lebron, Wade and Chalmers won't play again? No shot.
Here are a few other notes from the win:
- The ball movement was excellent again tonight, and led to 14 three-pointers. The Knicks shot 52% from behind the arc and allowed them to build the lead and put the Celtics away. The Knicks have shot extremely well from 3 during this winning streak, and is coming from the crisp ball movement and spacing; the keys to an efficient Knick offense.
- Raymond Felton had a solid game tonight, despite having only four assists. He hit 3 three pointers and scored 18 points in total. The addition of Pablo Prigioni to the starting lineup continued to be effective with the two point guards. Prigioni dished out five assists, and Kidd off the bench because of the change is doing a lot of little things for the second unit.
- Steve Novak took more two point shots than three pointers tonight. That has to be the first time that's happened.


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Following is a digital image of a copy of the oldest photo I have - the best estimate I can make is that is was taken in the Spring of 1844, shortly before some of her children (her son, Walter and his family, at least) moved from Belmont Co, Ohio, to Bureau Co, Illinois. It is believed that she died later in 1844, although we are still seeking confirmation documentation.
This is Mary (ISAACS?) KINNICK, my 4th great-grandmother. Those of you who recall the KINNICK migration story will recall that we always discuss the migration from Maryland after the Revolutionary war as "John and Ann and their family moved to North Carolina and John and Mary and their family moved to Ohio." this is the Mary of John and Mary! [line is John and Mary, son Walter, son Walter Watson, son Alonzo, son Paul was my maternal grandfather]
Mary's husband John was the son of William KINNICK, Sergeant Major in the 6th Regiment of the Maryland Line in the Revolutionary War.
I want to thank members of the family of her granddaughter, Catherine KINNICK FLETCHER, for preserving this photo down through the years, and making a copy available to me.
Families are Forever! ;-)
This Blog focuses on Ancestor Stories, both the stories themselves about my family's ancestors and discussions of where they come from and how to prepare and share them. These stories may be non-fiction or fiction – we will always tell which is which, of course. Also see my KINNICK blog and The HOMEPLACE Series Blog, left sidebar, scroll down.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Treasure Chest Thursday - Oldest photo
Posted by Dr. Bill (William L.) Smith at 1:10 AM
Labels: Kinnick, Thursday, Treasure Chest
5 comments:
Truly a treasure.ReplyDelete
WOW--that photo just leaves me speechless. Thanks to you and Catherine K. Fletcher for sharing it with us.ReplyDelete
What a wonderful picture! Hopefully, you will be able to confirm a death date for her.ReplyDelete
You are a busy man! Wonderful photo! Thank you for sharing it and your blog with us!ReplyDelete
Awesome - keeping my fingers crossed that you will find that documentation!ReplyDelete
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McKesson Sweetens Buyout Bid for Germany's Celesio
U.S. drug distributor McKesson (NYSE:MCK) unveiled a deal on Thursday with Celesio's majority shareholder to sweeten its buyout offer for the German company.
Continue Reading Below
The deal comes as shareholders face a Thursday deadline to accept McKesson's $8.3 billion bid, which was first unveiled in October. The agreement calls for 75% of Celesio shareholders to sign off on the deal, an unlikely outcome before the more lucrative offer.
McKesson said it agreed with Franz Haniel & Cie, which owns 50.01% of Celesio, to boost its bid to 23.50 euros per share ($31.90), up from 23 euros previously.
San Francisco-based McKesson called this its "best and final offer."
McKesson also said it reached a deal to acquire convertible bonds held by hedge fund Elliott, subject to the completion of the buyout. Elliott controls about 25% of Celesio and had criticized the valuation of the transaction.
Founded in 1835, Celesio is based in Stuttgart, Germany, and supplies 65,000 pharmacies and hospitals each day with up to 130,000 pharmaceutical products. The company employs 38,000 people and operates in 14 countries.
Celesio shares fell 2.04% to 24.00 euros in European trading on Thursday as hopes of an even more lucrative offer were dashed.
McKesson shareholders reacted favorably to the news, bidding the company's shares 3.06% higher to $175.00 in premarket trading.


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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Gov.-elect Pat McCrory and the nine other North Carolina executive branch officials elected in November have sat down and talked about trying to work together for the next four years.
McCrory's transition office confirmed the 10 members of the incoming Council of State met for the first time Tuesday. Eight of the current members were re-elected. Only McCrory and fellow Republican Lt. Gov.-elect Dan Forest are newcomers. The two GOP additions mean Democrats will hold six of the Council's 10 seats come January.
McCrory spokesman Chris Walker said the incoming council met informally and had what he described as a good dialogue.
Walker said the group didn't discuss the current council's decision earlier Tuesday to lease the Dorothea Dix hospital property to the city of Raleigh to build a park.
This article was provided by The Associated Press. (Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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As this section has been inactive since sometime in 2014 thought I'd get a new post going. If there are any bottom dwellers out there that would like to jump in, please do.
I play a 4 string P Yamaha bass with flats and foam. And a no line fretless Rogue with flats and foam. No line was a mistake I need the fret markers to keep me from moving out of tune. Will take it back into the public after I add some fret decals. Suggestions welcomed.


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Hearst Connecticut Newspapers Super 15 Softball All-Stars
Recommended Video:
Junior compiled a perfect 27-0 record with a 0.37 ERA for the Panthers, who won the Class L and SWC championships ... Of her 27 wins, 18 were shutouts, four were no-hitters and two were perfect games ... Struck out 289 batters in 171 innings... Named Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year, CHSCA Player of the Year and CHSCA Female Athlete of the Year ... Also batted leadoff with a .506 average with 42 hits and 28 RBIs ... Has only allowed nine earned runs in her career ... Selected to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association first team East Region ... Three-time All-State and All-SWC ... Has verbally committed to play at Florida Atlantic.
Fallon Bevino
Junior has a .430 career batting average for the Lions, who reached the Class L and SCC championship games ... Three-year starter hit 23 doubles, three triples and five home runs ... Also has career totals of 58 runs scored and 80 RBIs ... SCC All-Hammonasset.
Senior outfielder led the Vikings to the FCIAC quarterfinals and Class LL second round ... Finished season with a .545 batting average with 32 RBIs ... Of her 30 hits, had four home runs, three triples and five doubles ... Four-year varsity player ... All-FCIAC, All-State first team ... Will play at Ithaca.
Tori Ceballos
St. Joseph
Junior posted a 6-2 record with 58 strikeouts in 52 innings for the Cadets, who reached the FCIAC championship game and the Class M second round ... Batted .443 with 35 hits and only five strikeouts in 83 plate appearances ... All-State first team, All-FCIAC first team.
Sophomore first baseman batted .473 with 15 RBIs ... Led the Hatters to the FCIAC quarterfinals and the Class LL second round ... Hit two home runs and six doubles ... Had a slugging percentage of .728 and an on-base percentage of 1.275 ... All-FCIAC first team.
Senior hit a two-out, two-run walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh to lead the Panthers to the Class L championship ... Batted .451 with 31 runs scored, 27 RBIs and 37 hits ... Helped Masuk finish a perfect 27-0 and win the SWC title ... Had an on-base percentage of .537 and a slugging percentage of .605 ... Two-time All-State and All-SWC ... Will play at Molloy.
Senior had a .420 batting average with 29 RBIs for the Nighthawks, who reached to the SWC quarterfinals and the Class LL second round ... Had 11 of her 29 hits go for extra bases ... Started all 20 games as a senior ... Finished career with a .424 batting average and 17 home runs ... All-SWC first team ... Will attend the University of Delaware.
Sophomore posted a 22-3 record with a 0.86 ERA for the Wolverines, who won the Class S championship and reached the SWC quarterfinals ... Had 380 strikeouts and only 12 walks ... Also hit .350 with five doubles and one triple ... Struck out 15 batters and allowed only three hits in the Class S title game shutout ... All-SWC first team.
Junior led the Lions to the Class L and SCC championship games ... Has a two-year pitching record of 44-8 with 503 strikeouts and a 0.90 ERA ... Struck out 12 and allowed only four hits in a win in the SCC semifinals ... SCC All-Hammonasset.
Brenna Martini
Fairfield Ludlowe
Junior captain led the team in hits (31), batting average (.500), home runs (seven) and RBIs (27) ... Helped the Falcons reach the FCIAC semifinals and Class LL second round ... Chosen to play in the Connecticut Junior Select All-Stat Game ... All-FCIAC first team.
Erika Osherow
Sophomore pitcher finished season with a 16-4 record, posting a 1.35 ERA and striking out 180 in 109 innings ... Led the Blue Wave to the FCIAC semifinals and Class LL quarterfinals ... Offensively, hit .500 with 26 hits and 23 RBIs ... Had a 1.173 slugging percentage and a .634 on-base percentage ... All-State, All-FCIAC first team.
Senior batted .475 with 41 RBIs and 39 runs scored for the Class L and SWC champion Panthers ... Of her 38 hits, had nine home runs, nine doubles and four triples ... Posted a slugging percentage of 1.025 and an on-base percentage of .579 ... Named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association second team East Region ... All-State Class L, Academic All-State Class L, All-SWC first team .. Will play at LIU-Post.
Senior led the Black Knights to the Class LL semifinals and the FCIAC quarterfinals ... Had a .581 batting average with 35 RBIs and 36 runs scored ... Of her 43 hits, 14 were doubles, two were triples and 11 were home runs ... Had an on-base percentage of .783 and a slugging percentage of 1.270 ... Also stole 23 bases ... All-State, All-FCIAC first team.
St. Joseph
Senior catcher batted .446 with 33 hits and eight home runs for the Cadets, who played in the FCIAC title game and reached the Class M second round ... Hold school records for most career home runs (18) and career RBIs (97) ... Had a .973 slugging percentage last season ... Three-time All-State and All-FCIAC ... Will play at Manhattan College.
Jordan Ventura
New Canaan
Senior captain helped the Rams capture their first FCIAC championship and reach the Class LL first round ... Had a .462 batting average with 30 RBIs and 29 runs scored ... Went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs scored and six RBIs in a win over Wilton ... Had 40 hits, including six doubles, six triples and four home runs ... All-FCIAC first team.
Coach of the Year
Coached the Panthers to the Class L and SWC championships and an undefeated 27-0 record ... Class L Coach of the Year ... Collected her 250th career win in 2013 ... Since returning to coach at Masuk in 2003, has a 227-53 record for an .811 winning percentage.
The Champions
CSC: Platt Tech
FCIAC: New Canaan
NVL: Torrington
SCC: Mercy
SWC: Masuk
Class LL: Southington
Class L: Masuk
Class M: Waterford
Class S: Oxford


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On previous Saturdays, we have reported all of the known ancestor lineage surnames through the great-grandparent surnames (see earlier Saturday Surname posts in the left column, scroll down - back into 2009; or use the Surname tag, of course).
From the "round of sixteen" - great-great grandparents (scroll down a bit...) - we have already reported six of the eight male surnames, two are unknown (from Denmark). Five of the eight on the female lines are known: ROLEN, BUTLER, CARLE, SIMMONS, and DUNCAN; these are being reported in this set.
Today, we will look briefly at SIMMONS. Mary Estelle SIMMONS (1843-1909), daughter of George SIMMONS (1816-?) and Mary Elizabeth LEE (1825-?), married Walter Watson KINNICK (1840-1919) on 6 Feb 1862 in Tiskilwa, Bureau Co, Illinois. Walter Watson at age 20 had enlisted on 14 Apr 1861 in Co. I, 12th Illinois Infantry. He had come home on furlough when they were married. Walter re-enlisted 10 Aug 1862 in Co. D, Seventh Regiment, Kansas Volunteers, Cavalry. He took his bride with him to Corinth, Mississippi, where she acted as nurse for troops in camp there. He was discharged 2 Dec 1864 from St. Louis, MO.
They had 12 children with 10 living to adulthood.
Families are Forever! ;-)
This Blog focuses on Ancestor Stories, both the stories themselves about my family's ancestors and discussions of where they come from and how to prepare and share them. These stories may be non-fiction or fiction – we will always tell which is which, of course. Also see my KINNICK blog and The HOMEPLACE Series Blog, left sidebar, scroll down.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Surname Saturday - SIMMONS
Posted by Dr. Bill (William L.) Smith at 1:05 AM
2 comments:
My Dad loved tracing our family tree. Alas, neither of his daughters has acquired that particular family trait...ReplyDelete
The Saturday Sphinx
If you ever come across a link to Thompson's or Mocks from Mississippi or Louisiana, I'd sure be interested in knowing more.ReplyDelete
Love your blog.
~ Just Joany
Red Wagon Flights
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Electrical workers at Skowhegan paper manufacturer reject contract offer
SKOWHEGAN, Maine (AP) � Electrical workers at a Skowhegan paper mill have rejected a new contract offer, setting the stage for a possible strike.
The 59 members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers at Sappi Fine Paper voted against the contract offer on Thursday.
Union local president David Boudreau tells the Morning Sentinel (bit.ly/TkgySe) the next step is to schedule a meeting for a vote strike. That meeting has not been scheduled. Boudreau wouldn't specify what issues union members had issues with.
Management could not be reached.
Members of machinists union at Sappi agreed to the contract.
Sappi is the largest maker of coated paper in North America.
There are about 800 employees in Skowhegan.
Information from: Morning Sentinel, http://www.onlinesentinel.com/


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EO Report - Summer 2003
Note: An updated list of co-signers to the Statement on the Education of Future Teachers (seen below) is available online.
Bernard Khoury
Announcer, Vol. 33, Iss. 2
Teacher Preparation: What Role for Physics Departments?
A while back, AAPT joined with several other physics-based associations to develop and endorse a resolution encouraging physics departments to take active roles in the improvement of teacher preparation programs across the nation. In doing so, we were joining a national chorus of concerns about the state of K–12 education, especially education in math and science at those levels. However, we went further than a mere expression of concerns by urging members of our physics community to get involved in the solution of the underlying problem.
This is the resolution along with the names of the associations that joined with AAPT in its endorsement.
Statement on the Education of Future Teachers
The scientific societies listed below urge the physics community, specifically physical science and engineering departments and their faculty members, to take an active role in improving the pre-service training of K–12 physics/science teachers. Improving teacher training involves building cooperative working relationships between physicists in universities and colleges and the individuals and groups involved in teaching physics to K–12 students. Strengthening the science education of future teachers addresses the pressing national need for improving K–12 physics education and recognizes that these teachers play a critical education role as the first and often-times last physics teacher for most students. While this responsibility can be manifested in many ways, research indicates that effective pre-service teacher education involves hands-on, laboratory-based learning. Good science and mathematics education will help create a scientifically literate public, capable of making informed decisions on public policy involving scientific matters. A strong K–12 physics education is also the first step in producing the next generation of researchers, innovators, and technical workers.
American Association of Physics Teachers
American Physical Society
American Astronomical Society
American Institute of Physics
Acoustical Society of America
American Association of Physicists in Medicine
American Vacuum Society
We all know of physics departments that play an active and successful role in the preparation of teachers. (As members of AAPT, those college and university faculty reading this issue of the Announcer are likely to be affiliated with one of those active departments.) Many of us know also of physics departments that do not play such active roles, treating with apathy and maybe even in some cases with disdain educational efforts in schools of education.
In an effort to encourage active consideration of the role of physics departments in the training of prospective teachers, AAPT recently joined with our sister associations, the American Physical Society and the American Institute of Physics, to bring the above resolution to the attention of all physics departments and to encourage their faculty to endorse the national resolution adopted earlier by the associations.
Why are we interested in having physics departments adopt such a resolution? What good can be gained by consideration of such a statement of principle?
What we want to do is to encourage physics departments to consider what kind of role and responsibility they have with respect to the preparation of K–12 teachers, including those who will teach little or no physics. While some physics departments already pay lots of attention to prospective teachers, meaning those who are in pre-service programs, many other departments see a minimal role for themselves, often isolating their activities from teacher prep programs in their schools of education. In this latter kind of department, the physics faculty might bemoan the sorry state of K–12 education in the country, but they accept little or no responsibility for that problem or for its solution.
So our first intent is to stimulate such conversations, even if it turns out that the conversation reaffirms a department's practice to give little consideration to such issues.
Another intent is to see how many departments "buy into" the resolution that was adopted by the national organizations. If lots of departments support this statement, which is clearly a statement of principle rather than a promise to take any specific action, we hope to publicize that fact. If very few departments agree with the statement of principle, that might mean that the problem is as intractable as many suspect; or it might mean that any solution will not involve the efforts of physics departments.
Basically, we would like to encourage more awareness and involvement in teacher prep issues by physics departments across the country. Consideration and endorsement of a resolution seems like a direct first step toward this end, and our letter to all physics departments is trying to stimulate such involvement.
Not unrelated to this effort to have departments consider their role in teacher prep is a parallel effort within AAPT to encourage our Sections across the nation to engage in discussions of teacher preparation issues, especially as they impact their own state and regional practices and standards. (See the AAPT statement sent to all Sections.)
While there are many teacher preparation issues that can be reasonably discussed from a national perspective, there are very important teacher preparation issues that vary from region to region, state to state, and school district to school district. For example, local certification requirements, curricula, textbooks and examinations are often based on statewide standards. In these and other ways, discussions and actions about teacher preparation and the success of teachers in their classrooms are very much local and regional issues. AAPT Sections that engage such discussions will be assisting members and other teachers to address these important topics.
Getting physics departments to consider and articulate their roles in teacher preparation and encouraging our sections to provide opportunities for teachers to discuss the preparation and professional development of teachers are two important ways that we want to engage our community in the nation's most significant long term priority: high quality education for all of our children and all of our students. If your department is inattentive to these issues or if your Section does not plan a discussion of teacher preparation, you should speak out to stimulate such attention.


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Monday, June 24, 2013
Note: This was my initial first draft and then my PC hanged and I thought I lost it and I gotta draft again. So since I found it's still here , I might as well post another entry with more pictures. May have repetitive elements.
It's A BIRD. It's A PLANE!
It's Plus Size Kitten's Birthday Bash. WOOOHOO!I was so egg-cited when I got to know that I won not one but two seats @ TGV's Latest BEANIEPLEX for my ultimate movie experience, watching MAN OF STEEL AKA SUPERMAN. It was a celebration for Tammy's Plus Size Kitten's Blog Birthday! (www.plusizekitten.com) Special thanks to TGV for hosting it for her and her followers! And it was my first time at the Beanieplex. I was jumping for joy like a little girl who just discovered candies. :)
Best Dressed Winners! Hooray!
YAY! Cake Cutting Session.
Just a few days ago, I was told by Tammy via Instagram to wear Red & Blue as it will be the theme of the day. I was down in Johor for an event an did a little shopping there.
Got myself not one but two Superman top. I was planning to match it with my red skirt back home but could not decide which colour I should buy so I bought them both.
Was at KSL walking an found this shop that sells imported Iron-On T-Shirt Logo and look what I found? I got myself a DIY Superman logo. Still undecided what to do with it, I thought I wanted to convert it into a hairband or a hair pin. Went home to test it out and didn't want to end up looking like a "soh poh" (Orang Gila)
In the end found a Blue Shiny Hairband and tested it out with blue tac stuck on the logo I just bought and VOILA! I love the effect. I really feel like a superhero with the DIY Head Gear.
Here's what you need to create my AWARD WINNING SuperGirl Look.
1) A Superman T-Shirt
2) A Red Skirt
3) A Red T-Shirt (to tuck in behind and turn it into a cape)
4) Simple DIY Headgear (as described above)
Initially I was quite malu to wear it walking around One Utama. Upon arriving at TGV baru I put on the whole costume and started taking some pictures. Here's the outcome. Love it?
Posted by choypengism at 7:44 AM 2 comments :
Saturday, June 22, 2013
It's A Bird. It's A Plane.
It's Plus Size Kitten's Birthday Bash.
Thanks to TGV and www.plusizekitten.com I was one of the privilege few to attend.
I scored two seats from the Instagram Photo Contest and the movie was shown in the BEANIEPLEX.
YAY! My very first experience at TGV's latest Beanieplex.
I was so excited and looking forward to it. The movie screened was Man of Steel aka SUPERMAN. Got there super early and the table setting was awesome. Tammy, Regina from TGV & team put so much effort into making it a successful birthday bash. Awww..Tammy Happy Birthday! Look at the table setting. We were all spoiled with sweetness, all so colourful & edible. So much thought was put into the concept to blend in with the show.
I must say. GREAT JOB!!!
Food presentation was done in great detail.
Check out the cupcakes!
Yummy Cookies.
Colourful Jelly Beans & Sweets.
More Munchies.
The Goodies & Props.
This was how I "relaxed" at the Beanie seats. AAahhhh!
MY Partner for the day
Group Shot (Opps I closed my eyes)
One shot with the hostess, Tammy.
Was one of the best dressed winner. Won a bagful of prizes sponsored by Olay. Now I can go back & hadiahkan to my mom. HEHEEHE!
Got to know some new friends there at the party. Chency (www.thechency.com) & Amelie (http://ellieyap.blogspot.com) 2 lovely bloggers. We were having so much fun at the after party.
Check out the pics below.
Love your blue hair, Chency! And your lashes, Amelie!
Rainbow colour cake by BISOU.
Cake Cutting Ceremony.
And the conclusion to my costume.
You will need:
1) A Blue Superman top
2) A Red Skirt
3) A red shirt to fold behind as a cape.
4) A DIY Hairband with Iron On Sticker
VOILA, you will have my supergirl look.
Day Ended with more shopping & strolling till 6pm at One Utama.
What an awesomely fruitful day!
Posted by choypengism at 7:49 AM 2 comments :
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by Kiersten White
Published July 26, 2011 by HarperTeen
But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie's faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there's a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.
For a complete review which may contain SPOILERS, please click 'Read More' below:


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No, your eyes weren't deceiving you. That really was Amy Schumer you caught a glimpse of in the background of a recent episode of "Judge Judy." And social media users can't get enough.
In an Instagram post, the actress appeared in the audience for one of Schumer's favorite shows.
"Hell yeah! You know I was in the audience on #judgejudy My sister and I sat in on the cases for they day because we love her!!!!!" Schumer wrote.
Twitter users expressed their surprise to see the star in the background of the daytime program.
The comedian posted videos of her visit to the courtroom TV show back in May. She also took a quick turn sitting in the Judge Judy's chair when she wasn't looking.


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ctwing had een nieuw logo ontwerp nodig en lanceerde daarom een wedstrijd op 99designs.
Een winnaar werd gekozen uit17 ontwerpen ingezonden door9 freelance designers.
We are looking for an update to an existing logo, which can be viewed here: http://www.winterwoodtimberframes.c…o_orig.gif.
Please see the full description for complete details of the updated look we are looking for...
Winterwood Timber Frames
Traditional Vermont Homes and Outbuildings
Desired Color Scheme:
green, but open to ideas
Desired Style:
This is an update to an existing logo, retaining the tree, wood, timberframe theme.
Accepted File Formats:
We are looking for an update to an existing logo, which can be viewed here: http://www.winterwoodtimberframes.c…o_orig.gif
Here are some of the update ideas that we are looking for:
1. I like the overall shape of the perimeter. Perhaps adding a touch of joinery to the corners or something might help - maybe make it seem more 3D. Increase room for lettering and decrease tree image size.
2. I like green for the perimeter color, although open to other ideas.
3. I like the idea of a tree - it's the source of our building material, it represents strength, groundedness, etc.
3. Possibly incorporate our by-line be incorporated into the logo: "Traditional Vermont Homes & Outbuildings"
4. I definitely don't want to start over with the logo - some renewed version of the existing one, but making sure it represents our strengths in design as well as something people will remember.
Thank you!
Bekijk hoe een ontwerpwedstrijd werkt of leer meer over logo ontwerpdiensten.


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Heartbreak and bossa nova
Her ballads unite grand emotions with the lightness of bossa nova: In a stroll along the beach, the young singer Bianca Chami speaks about her music and the Brazilian way of life
Without sorrow and a broken heart, Bianca Chami would perhaps never have become a musician. She needs heartache to compose, she overcomes her lovesickness in her lyrics. Originally, she dreamed of becoming an actress and studied drama in England. Then she started writing: not novels or poems, but short pieces, intense and full of rhythm. Bianca Chami realized that she had written song lyrics.
Chami describes her lyrics as confronting a broken heart with irony. The young singer from Rio de Janeiro combines several different Brazilian music styles and coats her romantic songs about love and sorrow in the lilting lightness of the bossa nova's four-four time.


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Known for her iconic dance moves, Bollywood diva Madhuri Dixit is all set to make her debut at the IIFA and says she is very excited about it.
The 14th edition of Videocon DDB IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) weekend will start July 4 and the actress will perform on some of her unforgettable songs on July 6 at the 15,000-seat Cotai Arena in The Venetian Macao.
"I have never been to an IIFA before and I'm very excited to be performing on the IIFA stage for the first time. I think that it a great fit especially since we're celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema," Madhuri said.
With 100 years of Indian Cinema being the theme of this year's celebrations, Madhuri will recreate the magic of cinema with her most memorable numbers including Ghagra from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Dance of Envy from Dil Toh Pagal Hai and Ek do teen, the song that made her a queen of hearts in the 1980s.
The IIFA Awards 2013 will be choreographed by Remo Fernandes.


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Saturday, November 26, 2005
Hoosick Falls visit
Here is a picture of the Hoosick Falls protest house I blogged about last month. They've painted over the side that is most visible to the town, and the front porch area. Why? Sorry I never got a photo.
The side that faces the neighbor's house is still good.
Below is Don's Barber Shop, which I visited to get a photo of his clock - made by Dee Shaw. The bottom half is a picture of John Street, with Don's shop in the middle, on the left. Don was the mayor of Hoosick Falls for about thirty years. Dee burns local scenes onto pieces of wood, sometimes adding color. I have four or five.
Here is a picture of Don cutting Mr. Eberle's hair. He is holding a fake winning scratch-off lottery ticket, HAR HAR! Don was the Mayor of Hoosick Falls for (about) thirty years.
WARNING: Don't get your hair cut here.
Look at this wild car, the back seat is crammed full of stuff. Can you see the little sign in the back window? What's going on? Is the car for sale?
No. It is only Pampers for sale. Click here for a bigger picture, and to be able to read the list of other products available. I think my mom bought a sofa and chairs from this guy.
Across the street from Don's, Mrs. Loretan has opened a small gallery. Below is a photo of one of the two Thomas Moses paintings she has in her window. The next building up is the storefront that first displayed the paintings of Grandma Moses, Thomas Moses' great-grandmother.
Thomas Moses is good! I'm going to post some more photos later.
Posted by Martin at 8:00 PM
Labels: cars, funny, hoosick, outsider(?), photography, Upstate NY/Western MA/Southern VT
4 comments:
- Anonymous said...
this is GREAT! one of your best blog entries yet! ;)
- Hungry Hyaena said...
You're from a great part of the country, and one I often fantasize about living in one day.
Excellent post.
- Martin said...
I want to live in a protest house, wear protest clothes, and drive a protest car.
- Unknown said...
The owners of the house in your first two pictures wanted to zone the house multi family and were denied by the village zoning board. They painted the house like that as a fuck you to the village. Sadly it became one of the things Hoosick Falls was known for. I believe that it's been painted over in recent years though.
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LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas runners who participated in Monday's Boston Marathon all apparently escaped unharmed when bombs exploded during the event.
Thirty-seven Arkansans were registered to run in the race, 21 of whom had completed the race and five others had passed the halfway point when it was called off after bombs exploded near the finish line.
Authorities reported at least two people died and news reports said more than 100 were injured in the blasts, which occurred just before 2 p.m. CDT.
Eleven other Arkansans had not reported reaching the midpoint of the race at the time.
The five who were more than halfway through the 26.2-mile race — Julie Bridgforth, Mary Jo Brinkman, Abdi Dubed, Jeffrey Glasbrenner and Jamie Merriman — all were reported safe.
Two sources close to Bridgforth's family said the 62-year-old who works in administration at Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff and her husband, who was a spectator, were unharmed, the Pine Bluff Commercial reported.
Brinkman, 71, works in administration at Summit Medical Center in Van Buren. Her employer was able to contact her after the explosions and confirm that she had not been injured. Another runner from the Fort Smith area, Dr. Joni Carmack, started the race but had not recorded a halfway point time before race organizers ended the marathon.
The Boston Marathon website said Dubed, 29, a former cross country runner at the University of Arkansas, and Merriman, 53, who works for The Learning Institute in Hot Springs, were uninjured.
Glasbrenner, a writer who lives and works in Little Rock, also was uninjured, according to an employee at the Go Runner store in Little Rock, a Glasbrenner sponsor.
Nearly 27,000 runners representing 96 countries competed in the race, organizers said.


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08-Jul-2019 04:19
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George Springer
OF / University of Connecticut
Bats-Throws: R-R
Height/Weight: 6-3/200
Hometown: New Britain, Conn.
Previously Drafted: Twins '08 (48)
Birthdate: Sept. 9, 1989
SCOUTING PROFILE: Springer was part of the same vaunted 2008 Connecticut prep class that included the Salisbury School's Chris Dwyer (signed with Kansas City in 2009 for $1.4 million) and Anthony Hewitt (first-round pick of Philadelphia Phillies), and Amity Regional High shortstop Jason Esposito (Royals unsigned seventh-rounder, now at Vanderbilt). As a 48th-rounder that year, Springer was clearly overlooked at the time, but he has a chance to surpass the accomplishments of that high-profile trio in June, when he is expected to be scooped up in the top half of the first round. Springer put himself on the map with a breakout freshman season in 2009 for UConn, hitting .358-16-57 with a school-record 75 runs, and has only added to his profile over the next two years. As a sophomore, he hit .337-18-62, was successful on 33 of 35 stolen-base attempts and broke his own school record with 84 runs scored. With his elite combination of power and speed, Springer may rank as the top five-tool athlete in this year's draft. He also receives high marks for his right-field arm strength and sound defensive ability, even as a center fielder. The area of Springer's game that continues to evolve is his hitting—both his mechanics and approach. He has always swung with a lot of effort and tended to come off pitches too quickly, resulting in a long swing path that sophisticated pitchers have been able to exploit. When he gets his bat head through the zone and is direct to the ball, though, he can hit pitches a long way. He can especially punish fastballs, but tends to get over-anxious against off-speed stuff, especially with two strikes. Springer was a little slower than normal rounding into top form this spring, especially on his team's early-season trip to California, but soon began to showcase his outstanding bat speed and huge raw power potential. He made some more minor tweaks in his approach (he was more closed with a short front stride; and quieted down some of his hand movement in his load) that got him off and running. Through 40 games, he was hitting .362-6-47 with 20 stolen bases in 26 attempts. Springer is going to have to continue to make adjustments at the plate as he progresses through the minor leagues, but of all the elite position prospects in this draft, Springer's ceiling may be higher than anyone; however, he may have farther to go to reach it.
Projected Draft Position: First round / top 8-15 picks.
Perfect Game Events Attended
2006 Northeast Top Prospect Showcase
2006 WWBA Underclass World Championship
2007 WWBA 2007 Grads or 18u National Championship
2007 Northeast Top Prospect Showcase
2007 NE Top Prospects Games
2008 Rawlings
2008 WWBA 2008 Grads or 18u National Championship


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A mammogram is an X-ray picture of your breasts. You might have had one done because you or your doctor thought it was time for you to have it (this is called a screening mammogram), or because you had a problem with your breasts that made your doctor decide you needed one. The mammogram is read by a radiologist, who is a specialist interpreting X-ray pictures. When they see "something" in one or both breasts, they are most commonly talking about either a spot within the breast which looks different than the normal breast, or about calcium deposits. A spot can also be called "a density", or it can be called "an area of asymmetry", or it can be called "a mass," or it can be described in several other terms. Calcium deposits are commonly reported as "microcalcifications," or they are described according to how they look on the mammogram. Finally, the radiologist gives the mammogram a code number, which is called a "BIRADS" code. For example, the radiologist might say that the findings merit a "BIRADS 4" classification, or a 3, or any one of seven (from 0 to 6) categories. The BIRADS code summarizes what the radiologist thinks about the findings. So, a BIRADS 4, for instance, means the radiologist thinks the spot seen on the mammogram should be biopsied.
At this point, then, you probably will be referred to a physician, usually a surgeon, who will examine you and explain to you what he/she thinks needs to be done. The physician who checks you can be one your doctor is referring you to or someone you choose. You may also choose to make an appointment with a doctor from the list you will find in this website. Remember that the mammogram report not always coincides with the decisions your surgeon might suggest. This means that sometimes, for example, the doctor might suggest waiting even when the mammogram suggests a biopsy, or the opposite: you might be asked to proceed with a biopsy while the mammogram suggests waiting.
An ultrasound is a picture of your breasts obtained using sound waves which cannot be heard by the human ear. Most commonly, an ultrasound is done after a mammogram has shown something that needs further evaluation, although this is not always the case. An ultrasound study may be done instead of a mammogram because the patient is fairly young, for instance. This may be the case because a mammogram is not as useful when the breast tissue is very dense, as is usually the case in young women.
Most commonly, an ultrasound is done to help the physician decide if what was seen in the mammogram is solid or cystic. If it is cystic, the concern level goes down, because cysts are very common and usually harmless. However, there are variations on this theme and your physician will explain about cysts in further detail after you are evaluated.
When the radiologist reads your mammogram, he or she might find something in the X-rays that requires more detailed imaging. When that is the case, the radiologist will want additional pictures, to help decide if what they see is of concern. Many times, the area of interest seen on the X-rays is not a real finding. This can happen, for instance, because normal breast tissue overlaps and shows on mammogram as an abnormal area. After more pictures are taken, the radiologist can decide one way or the other. If an abnormality is really present, the radiologist can have a better idea of what the problem might be and suggest a course of action.
When the X-rays of your breasts show calcium deposits, the radiologist will look carefully at the characteristics of the calcium before reporting his/her opinion. Calcium deposits are more common in older women and post-menopausal patients. They can show up in the breasts for many reasons: commonly, patients have some type of fibrocystic condition that attracts calcium. So, calcium can be seen in patients with cysts, in patients who have had previous breast surgery, and so on.
Calcium deposits can be large or small. When they are large, they might show like white dots in the mammogram. They can also show along the veins and arteries of the breast. In these cases, the radiologist will usually report the calcium deposits as benign (which means non-harmful).
Sometimes, the calcium shows up in small clusters with irregular shapes. This type can suggest cancer, so it is common that your doctor will want to sample the tissue that contains this type of calcium. The probability that this type of calcium deposits is cancerous is approximately 25%, which means that 75% of the time these suspicious findings are actually benign.
If you want to know how these deposits are sampled, read the section about a biopsy. To do that, scroll down to the section titled "I was told I might need a biopsy."
The normal breast usually feels lumpy, because the glandular tissue is grouped in clusters called "lobes." So when a patient is checked by the doctor because she has a lump in the breast, the first thing the doctor does is to decide if the lump is part of the normal lumpiness of the breast, or if the area in question is different from the rest of the breast tissue. If the doctor feels an area that is different from the rest of the breast, he/she will describe that area as "a dominant lump," meaning that the lump he/she feels is real. Sometimes, the examining physician will describe an area of thickness, rather than a lump.
When a real lump is found, the physician will want to determine what kind of lump or thickness it is. The doctor can, for instance, run a mammogram, or an ultrasound, or both, to see what kind of lump it might be. For instance, an ultrasound might show that the lump is only a cyst. It is possible that the physician will choose to place a small needle in the lump, which he/she can do by feel, or under the guidance of an ultrasound machine, for example. Most of the times, if the lump is not a cyst, the physician will choose to do a biopsy, which nowadays if usually done with a needle and fnot with an incision.
Nowadays, breast biopsies are most commonly performed using a needle instead of an incision. In general, the type of needle used is one that allows the doctor to take samples of tissue. Sometimes, the physician will use a fine needle that only allows removing cells for analysis, rather than actual tissue. The biopsies that remove only cells are called "fine needle aspiration biopsies," while the ones that remove actual tissue are called "core biopsies."
Because a biopsy is done without an incision, you will hear that they are referred to as "minimally invasive" biopsies. This means that the patient really goes through a fairly simple procedure, despite the complex machines used to perform these kinds of biopsies.
These "minimally invasive" biopsies refer mostly to two different types: one which is called a "stereotaxic biopsy," and another which is called "ultrasound guided mammotome biopsy."


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Mossberg's Mailbox
Deciding Whether to Repair a Laptop
There's no other major item most of us own that is as confusing, unpredictable and unreliable as our personal computers. Everybody has questions about them, and we aim to help.
Here are a few questions about computers I've received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about a crashed laptop, the new iMacs and high-speed data networks from cellphone companies.
It's the first week of my senior year at college and my [laptop] Windows PC just crashed and died with the blue error screen. I've had my laptop since freshman year, so should I bring it to Best Buy or Circuit City to see if they can replace my hard drive or should I find someone on campus who's a computer genius? Should I get a new computer altogether?
What you need to do is get this diagnosed right away, see what's wrong and then make a decision. It doesn't matter if you take it to a store or to a "genius" on campus, as long as they can deduce what's wrong. It could be a number of things, not necessarily a bad hard disk. Once you know the problem, and how serious and costly it might be to fix, then you can decide if you should buy a new PC, assuming you can afford it.
If it does turn out to be the hard disk, and you have important files on there that haven't been backed up, you will also want to find someone who might be able to recover your files and move them to a new disk or a whole new PC.
I am switching from a Windows computer to the Apple iMac. I just read your Sept. 23, 2004, article on the iMac G5. Can I use this article as an information base for buying an iMac, or have there been important changes since then that later articles would bring me up to speed on?
While today's iMac looks a lot like the G5 version I reviewed in 2004, there have been huge changes in the machine. Today's version is thinner, faster and more capable, but it actually costs less in most cases. The G5 processor has been retired in favor of dual-core Intel chips. There is now a built-in camera, a remote control and built-in wireless networking. Plus, the new models can run Windows as well as the Macintosh operating system.
Wednesday, Apple announced yet another boost in features and cut in prices on the iMac. All iMacs now have Intel's latest Core 2 Duo processors. The models with built-in 17-inch and 20-inch screens also have twice the memory, but have been cut in price to $1,199 and $1,499, respectively, from $1,299 and $1,699. And there are two new models — an entry-level 17-inch unit with slightly reduced specs for $999, and a new top-of-the-line model with a huge 24-inch screen and a better video card that goes for $1,999. I have previously called the iMac the best desktop computer on the market, and the fact that you can now get one for $999, and get another with a 24-inch screen, makes it even more attractive.
I haven't reviewed these latest models yet. But my review of the first Intel-based iMac, from January of this year, can be found at: http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/solution-20060118.html. This column mostly focuses on the processor switch. A slightly earlier article, from late 2005, focusing more on the overall design and other hardware features, is at: http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/solution-20051130.html. Both articles are free.
In your review last week of new laptop cards that connect with high-speed data networks from cellphone companies, you compared the Verizon and Cingular networks, but left out Sprint. Why?
I received a batch of emails stating this question, mostly from Sprint employees around the country. The answer is simple: I was reviewing a new type of connection card that fits in a new, smaller slot called the ExpressCard slot, which is showing up in new laptops and which can't accept older cards. So far, these new ExpressCard cellular modems exist for Verizon and Cingular, but not for Sprint, so Sprint was irrelevant to that particular column.
Sprint lagged behind Verizon in launching a high-speed technology called EVDO, and it is also behind Verizon in coming out with ExpressCard data cards. But it plans to move first to a new version of EVDO, called Revision A, that permits faster upload speeds, and it is likely to have an ExpressCard modem, and other types of modems, in the coming months.
* * *
Because of the volume of email I receive, I can't routinely answer individual questions by email, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.
Write to Walter S. Mossberg at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Cheung Chau Bun Festival or Cheung Chau Da Jiu Festival is a traditional Chinese festival on the island of Cheung Chau in Hong Kong. Being held annually, and with therefore the most public exposure, it is by far the most famous of such Da Jiu festivals, with Jiu being a Taoist sacrificial ceremony. Such events are held by mostly rural communities in Hong Kong, either annually or at a set interval of years ranging all the way up to once every 60 years ( the same year in the Chinese astrological calendar). Other places that may share the folk custom include Taiwan, Sichuan, Fujian and Guangdong.
Cheung Chau's Bun Festival, which draws tens of thousands of local and overseas tourists every year, is staged to mark the Eighth day of the Fourth Moon, in the Chinese calendar (this is usually in early May). It coincides with the local celebration of Buddha's Birthday.
HistoryOne story of the origin of the festival is that in the 18th Century the island of Cheung Chau was devastated by a plague and infiltrated by pirates until local fishermen brought an image of the god Pak Tai to the island. Paraded through the village lanes, the deity drove away evil spirits. Villagers also disguised themselves as different deities and walked around the island to drive away the evil spirits.
One story of the origin of the festival is that in the 18th Century the island of Cheung Chau was devastated by a plague and infiltrated by pirates until local fishermen brought an image of the god Pak Tai to the island. Paraded through the village lanes, the deity drove away evil spirits. Villagers also disguised themselves as different deities and walked around the island to drive away the evil spirits.
A notice announces that McDonald's is selling vegetarian burgersEvery year on the 8th day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar, the islanders organise a weeklong thanksgiving, the Cheung Chau Bun Festival usually in April or May. The festival lasts for seven days. On three of these days the entire island goes vegetarian; most of the island's famous seafood restaurants adhere to this tradition. The local McDonald's also takes meat off the menu and instead sells burgers made of mushrooms.
In addition to traditional lion dances and dragon dances, children dressed as legendary and modern heroes are suspended above the crowd on the tips of swords and paper fans. They form the parade-in-the-air and are all secured within steel frames, though they appear to glide through the air. Parents consider it a great honour for their offspring to be part of the parade.
This fascinating procession is accompanied by the bedlam of musicians loudly beating gongs and drums to scare away evil spirits. It is led by a spectacular image of Pak Tai, the God of Water and Spirit of the North, to whom the island's Temple of the Jade Vacuity is dedicated.
Here are some divinities Cheung Chau people celebrate in the festival:
Pak Tai
Since Cheung Chau is traditionally an island of fisherfolk, Pak Tai is its most revered divinity, since it is believed he has the power to confer smooth sailing for the fishing boats as well as providing good catches for their crews. Pious believers recognise him as "Pei Fang Chen Wu Hsuan T'ien Shang Ti" (True Soldier and Superior Divinity of the Deep Heaven of the North).
Tin Hau
The second of the significant deities whose images add a supplementary splatter of Oriental holiness to the pageant is the much-revered Tin Hau, Goddess of the Seas and protector of all fishermen and boat people. Celebrated for providing warnings of imminent storms and saving countless lives from wreckage, she is in many ways Pak Tai's competitor for the fondness of the fisherfolk.
Kuan Yin and Hung Hsing
Two more gods complete the celestial divinities taking part in the parade: Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy with her tranquil and ever compassionate smile; and Hung Hsing, the terrifying God of the South with his menacing head-dress, unkind face, bushy black beard, and stave at the ready to chastise all enemies.
Bun Snatching
Steamed buns for the "Bun Mountain", being stamped the crimson characters of the respective district, "Northern Society" shown in a combined way) on the island.The centrepiece of the festival is at Pak Tai Temple where are the "Bun Mountains" or "Bun Towers", three giant 60-feet bamboo towers covered with buns. It is those bun-covered towers that give the festival its name. Historically, young men would race up the tower to get hold of the buns; the higher the bun, the better fortune it was supposed to bring to the holder's family; the race was known as "Bun-snatching". However, during a race in 1978 one of the towers collapsed, injuring more than 100 people. In subsequent years, three designated climbers (one climber to each tower) raced up their respective towers and having cleared the top buns proceeded to strip the towers of their buns as they descended.
In 2005, a single tower climbing event in the adjacent sports ground was revived as a race -- with extra safety precautions including proper mountain-climbing tools as well as tutorials for participants (which now include women). A teamwork version of the event was added in 2006.The revised version of "Bun-snatching" as well as the traditional three "Bun Mountains" still have their buns removed from the towers at midnight of the Festival.
In February 2007, it was further announced that the buns on the single-tower construct will henceforth be made of plastic. During the festival, Chinese operas, lion dances, and religious services also take place on the island.
At a quarter to midnight a paper effigy of the King of the Ghosts is set ablaze, enormous incense sticks are lit and the buns are harvested and distributed to the villagers, who, pleased to be sharing in this propitious good fortune, rejoice late into the night
The new "Bun Mountain" used for bun-snatching competitions. The bun-snatching ritual was abandoned by the government due to the 1978 collapse. Still, a large portion of Cheung Chau villagers regard this as part and parcel of their daily life, and the precious culture of Hong Kong to boot. In addition to the villagers' immense urge to resume the ritual, a local cartoon movie "My life as McDull, " recalled the forlorn ceremony, giving a tinge of nostalgia to its audience. As such, the long-awaited ritual was reintroduced on 15 May 2005. Safety measures were intensified: only 12 well-trained athletes selected from preliminary competitions were permitted to climb on one single "Bun Mountain"; instead of bamboo, the framework of the "Bun Mountains" was made up of steel


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Dee Dee Warwick, whose classic northern soul single "Worth Every Tear I Cry" / "Lover's Chant" can fetch upwards of 500 dollars or more, has died; she was 63. Dee Dee, who was the sister of singer Dionne Warwick, cousin of Whitney Houston, and niece to gospel singer Cissy Houston, passed away last Saturday in a nursing home in Essex County, New Jersey. She had been in failing health for several months.
Born on September 25, 1945 in Newark, New Jersey as Delia Mae Warrick, she got her start as a gospel singer. As a teenager in the 1950's she sang with her older sister as The Gospelaires and later with the Drinkard Singers, a long-running gospel group managed by their mother. Before embarking on a solo career in the mid 1960's, Dee Dee sang back up for the likes of Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett. Eventually she signed a deal with the Mercury label where she enjoyed considerable R&B success with such hits as "I Want to be With You" and "Foolish Fool." "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," initially released by Warwick in 1966, was co-written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and was later covered by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations.
Dee Dee Warwick was also twice nominated for a Grammy in the early 1970's for "Foolish Fool" and "She Didn't Know" for the ATCO label. Earlier this year she was featured in the title track from her sister's gospel album Why We Sing and toured with Dionne on her My Music and Me show throughout Europe. Below are a couple of Dee Dee's best cuts, "We're Doing Fine" and "Worth Every Tear I Cry."


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135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF lens
€ 1,555.00(incl. VAT and WEEE)
135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF lens
Colours and features may vary by country and model
Colours and features may vary by country and model
Tailor-made for beautiful defocus
135mm F2.8 [T4.5] Smooth Transition Focus lens (SAL135F28)
This unique lens has been specifically designed to deliver smooth transitions between crisp in-focus areas and creamily defocused background and foreground areas.
This 35MM Full Frame lens works with Sony α cameras.
Smooth Transition Focus
Smooth Transition Focus (STF) optics produce images with high resolution at the plane of focus, melting away to beautifully diffused out of focus rendition.
Say goodbye to blur
Pair the lens with a camera by Sony featuring built-in SteadyShot™ image stabilisation and you'll enjoy smooth, blur-free results when shooting handheld.
Refined optical performance
Special apodization elements cause the intensity of the defocused point light sources to fade out radially so that no sharply defined edges or geometry remain.
- Minimum Focus Distance
- 0.87m
- Maximum Magnification ratio (x)
- 0.25x
- Filter Diameter (mm)
- 72mm
- Weight
- 730g (25.8oz.)
What's in the Box
Lens hood (ALC-SH0014: round shape, bayonet type), Lens front cap, Lens rear cap, Case


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|go ahead... be a heretic
Re^4: Neither system testing nor user acceptance testing is the repeat of unit testing (OT)by leriksen (Curate)
|on Oct 24, 2005 at 01:53 UTC ( #502356=note: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
OK - in reponse to your challenge, I've got one word to say to you - Exception Flows ;-)
Say you have a function/method, as part of your interface, that writes a file out somewhere. This isnt the main role of the function/method, its just part of the work it does for you. The normal flow is to open the file, write whatever, and close the file.
But there is also code to deal with being unable to open the file, not all the data being written or the file not being able to be closed.
How these failures get communicated back to the client can vary too - from not saying a word through to throwing an exception or even calling exit().
My opinion is that the developer is required to setup test cases for each of these failure modes, and this requires a white box approach. Knowing that the code writes a file may not be inherently knowable from the interface (whether it should be is a different point), but only by looking at the code do you _know_ that it writes a file, and that it does different things for different failures. Even if the interface doco states that it writes a file, detailing the different failure paths is almost certainly not part of the interface design or doco (but may well be part of the interface _implementation_ doco).
The function/method writer can test all the normal stuff just by reference to the interface, but setting up file-open failures and checking that the function does the right thing needs more detailed knowledge related directly to the code. This is where tools like Devel::Cover can help - exception flows pretty much stick out straight away as bits of code, related directly to your chosen implementation of the interface, that you have got to write test cases for.
...reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled. - R P Feynmann
In Section Meditations


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Synaxis in honor of the Archangel Gabriel
This festive Synaxis is celebrated to the glory of the Archangel Gabriel, since he ministered to the marvelous mystery of God's incarnate dispensation.
Apolytikion of Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel
Fourth Tone
O Commanders of the Heavenly Host, we the unworthy beseech you, that through your entreaties you will fortify us, guarding us in the shelter of the wings of your ethereal glory, even as we fervently bow before you crying: "Deliver us from all danger, as Commanders of the Powers on high! "
Kontakion of Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel
Second Tone
Supreme Commander of God and minister of the Divine glory, guide of men and leader of the bodiless hosts: Ask for what is to our profit and for great mercy, since thou art Supreme Commander of the bodiless hosts.
Blessed Feast Day
Share the feast of Synaxis in honor of the Archangel Gabriel with an icon greeting ecard.


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In many ways, Claire was a typical 14-year-old. Her favorite store was Forever 21, her favorite food was macaroni and cheese, and her favorite TV show was Bad Girls Club. As a ninth-grader living in St. Louis, she was a member of her school dance team, and she was (of course) on Facebook. A pretty and stylish girl, Claire was a strong student whose long-term goal was to become a lawyer.
In other ways, however, Claire's life was decidedly not typical, and the odds were seriously stacked against her. At age 6, she entered foster care after evidence of abuse and neglect surfaced in her home. She then lived in six different settings, including foster homes and group residences; her current home was a facility. Although she navigated those challenges with remarkable grace, her prospects were, statistically speaking, bleak. She would "age out" of the foster-care system when she turned 18, at which point she would have to fight to keep her head above water. There are nearly half a million American children in foster care; one 2007 survey found that of the young adults who age out, about half don't complete high school, about a third are arrested, and almost as many struggle with homelessness. Only 38% of those working at age 18 are employed a year after leaving foster care, and among the women, roughly half are pregnant within 12 to 18 months.
But in November 2009, Claire got a lucky break: her case was randomly selected to be part of an innovative program known as Extreme Recruitment. Pioneered by a 23-person St. Louis based agency called the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition, Extreme Recruitment seeks out the foster children who are the hardest to find homes for kids older than 10, kids with special needs, sibling groups and African Americans and not only matches them with permanent adoptive families but also does so in a fraction of the time such matches usually take. Success depends on close coordination of a professional team one that includes detectives who track down enough potential adoptive relatives to fill a small dance hall. Although half of all foster kids wait in custody for one to five years, Extreme Recruitment aims for a match in 12 to 20 weeks; instead of finding "forever families" for 40% of the children they work with, as the agency did before 2008, Extreme Recruitment finds families for 70%.
"We think it's the best thing since sliced bread," the coalition's executive director, Melanie Scheetz, says of Extreme Recruitment. "But until we can prove it as an evidence-based practice, it's just that nice little program that people are doing out in St. Louis." In 2008 the coalition partnered with the state of Missouri on a five-year federal grant to compare Extreme Recruitment's family-matching methods with foster-care business as usual an evaluation Scheetz welcomes. As interest in the program rises and the coalition hosts visitors from around the country eager to observe and replicate its methods, Extreme Recruitment might remain just a nice little program out in St. Louis, or it might pave the way to revolutionize the foster-care system in America.
The Need for Speed
Extreme recruitment came about while its creator was waiting for Desperate Housewives to come on TV. That is the "very embarrassing but very true" story, as Scheetz describes it, of how she decided to dramatically shift the way her agency approached finding homes for children. She was sitting in front of the television in her family's living room on a Sunday night in March 2008, impatiently watching the last few minutes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. "How can they build a house that fast?" she remembers wondering. "If they can do that and they do it not because they use any new technologies or processes; they just coordinate their massive team of professionals and volunteers in a highly effective way the question is why can't we do that too in finding homes for kids?"
Of the 424,000 American children currently in foster care, according to the Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, close to a quarter will remain in care for more than three years. At the coalition prior to Extreme Recruitment, a social worker typically checked in with a child's caseworker once a month, and the various other players the educational advocate, the therapist, the court-appointed special advocate were rarely in the same room.


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But some not-so-ethical reporters in print and in TV use the flash-bang technique to put the story target on the defensive. It works like this: You slip in a quote you know can be misunderstood, you accept a number from a questionable source without verification or you construct the story in such a way that something shocking or "negative" is inferred.
A former colleague introduced me to what I now call the flash-bang style of reporting. Law enforcement units deploy flash-bangs to surprise or stun people they are trying to overcome. This usually happens during hostage stand-offs, the occasional distraught-with-the-state-of-the-world types barricaded in the back bedroom of granny's house and other SWAT-style adventures of the hazardous kind. I know these things because I have a deputy sheriff son-in-law on a special-weapons team and because I watch cable TV. The reason good editors demand that reporters get things correct the first time around is because we know that the first story may be the only story a reader gets to see on any given issue or topic or person. The day of the passionate daily newspaper reader has passed, which is why good, tight back-grounding is necessary in every story. You just can't count on people following a story from the first day through to the bitter end. But some not-so-ethical reporters in print and in TV use the flash-bang technique to put the story target on the defensive. It works like this: You slip in a quote you know can be misunderstood, you accept a number from a questionable source without verification or you construct the story in such a way that something shocking or "negative" is inferred. This is not to be confused with the "smoke-'em-out" technique, but that's a separate column. Now you've got the story target – be it an individual, a group or whatever – back on his or her or its heels, scrambling to repair the damage or get the corrected information out onto the street. Sometimes flash-bang happens because reporters are human and only one human being that I know of was perfect. (Well, there's my granddaughter, but that's her opinion.) It has become a standard practice in a profession where the honorable, the fair and the ethical have become blurred by competition and poor training. The principle involved of course is that people usually form opinions and take action based on first impressions. It stems from our biology and cultural experience. The ignoble in my profession like to use this to their advantage: Create the spectacular story, make a big noise and maybe you'll get ahead. If it pleases the court, let us examine the Internet, the citizen journalist and blogging. Newspapers and their Web sites have credibility. You can make all of the jokes you want about it, but the reason our detractors especially make jokes about it is because it's a fact of life. The bloggers like newspaper Web sites because they, the bloggers, can borrow at no interest our credibility and because we have a fairly consistent audience. Also, a daily newspaper's audience is larger in our base communities than almost any other media most of the time. I've always thought of blogging akin to the personal journals some assign to high schoolers in lieu of serious writing/composition training. "Dear Diary…" Tsk-tsk-tsk. I have to admit, however, that some of the bloggers do a good job writing and digging up information. Others are better at sharing what they think than they are at sharing what they know. Newspapers and other media Web sites hide behind a court ruling that determined as long as we do not edit or filter our blogs, we are simply a common carrier – like a phone company – transmitting information. Blogging has a ton of momentum and is going to be a key part of all future news Web sites, whether I approve or disapprove. When it comes to blogs and the flash-bang artists, I don't have to forewarn you. You're all good citizens, and all good citizens know better than to form an opinion without careful research through a variety of sources. Steve Trosley is available at email@example.com. Mr. Trosley is the publisher at The Journal-Standard in Freeport, IL, and former publisher at the Norwalk Reflector in Norwalk, Ohio.


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Statistical translation techniques have been successfully applied to decode an 18th century document written using an encryption scheme that has baffled scholars for decades.
The Copiale Cipher was found in book housed in an East Berlin Academy after the Cold War. The book's pages contained about 75,000 neatly hand-written characters featuring abstract symbols and doodles alongside Roman and Greek characters. The mysterious cryptogram, bound in gold and green brocade paper, was inscribed in a 105-page book thought to contain the rituals and writings of an 18th-century secret society in Germany. The manuscript can be dated back to between 1760 and 1780.
The cipher had withstood previous attempts by crack it. But computer scientists from Sweden and the United States found that decryption was possible using statistical translation techniques of the kind used by Google Translate, Wired reports.
University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering computer scientist Kevin Knight – and colleagues Beáta Megyesi and Christiane Schaefer of Uppsala University in Sweden – first transcribed a machine-readable version of the document before applying various approaches to cracking the code.
The team firstly tried isolating the Roman and Greek characters and tried to uncover its meaning using translation project software and a library of 80 different languages. "It took quite a long time and resulted in complete failure," Knight said, in a statement on the work.
The codebreakers hit on the idea that the recognisable characters might be there just as a smokescreen. They formed a theory that abstract symbols sharing similar shapes might represent the same letter, or a common letter sequence. Testing this theory using German and frequency analysis allied to statistical translation techniques yielded some meaningful words including "Ceremonies of Initiation" and "secret section". More on the code-breaking technique applied can be found here.
After this breakthrough, the researchers knew they were on the right track and they were subsequently able to decode the book, which has been revealed as the rituals and political thoughts of a German secret society, with a strange fascination for eye surgery and ophthalmology. Members of the secret society were not themselves eye doctors.
"When you get a new code and look at it, the possibilities are nearly infinite," Knight said. "Once you come up with a hypothesis based on your intuition as a human, you can turn over a lot of grunt work to the computer."
Flushed with their success, the group plans to apply their techniques to other documents that have baffled crypto-analysts, such as an unbroken message from the Zodiac Killer, a serial murderer who terrorised northern Californians in the the '60s as well the medieval Voynich Manuscript.
Knight is an expert in machine translation – teaching computers to turn Chinese into English or Arabic into Korean – not cryptography. "Translation remains a tough challenge for artificial intelligence," said Knight.
With researcher Sujith Ravi, a PhD in computer science, Knight has been approaching translation as a cryptographic problem.
The team hopes the approach will not only improve human language translation but also prove useful in making sense of languages that are not currently spoken by humans, including ancient languages and communication between animals. ®
Sponsored: Ransomware has gone nuclear


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By working together, we can better identify complete end-to-end solutions that enable you to get the most productivity out of your day-to-day operations.
Integrating revolutionary print and finishing technologies, certified technicians, comprehensive training and an unwavering dedication to partnership is just the beginning.
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The Teamsters have stood in solidarity with worker struggles in other countries since our founding. With economic globalization, our ability to organize increasingly depends on our ability to build alliances with workers on a global scale.
More than ever, Teamsters are organizing and bargaining with multi-national companies. A key objective of our Global Strategies Campaign is to build strong alliances with unions around the globe who organize and bargain with common employers. Our focus is on workers in the emerging global supply chains – the infrastructure of globalization.
Globalization creates new opportunities for international worker solidarity. We seek common cause with workers around the world to build social justice for all workers and the communities in which they live.
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Quote:Boxing is no good Wing Chun is better???
Quote:Quote:Boxing is no good Wing Chun is better??? I can't stand statements like this. Whenever I hear the whole 'boxing doesn't work for self defense' diatribe, I think of incidents like this:http://uk.youtube.com/watch?search=&mode=related&v=6iDlzL7zrNUWC and boxing both have more characteristics that are similar than most of these 'sifus' want to admit, the most common one being that they train the holy hell out of the punch (or at least should). Even though the mechanics and theories are different, the end result is the same - a good, solid, snappy, powerful punch that doesn't require cocking back or loading up for.Also, sport boxers have conditioning that can't be beat by any martial arts hobbyist - there is no argument there. The ability to 'exchange blows' or simply take several shots without getting taken out of the fight is nothing to scoff at. I once asked a teacher from a different lineage what to do if your defenses are penetrated and you get hit hard. His answer was pretty much 'well, if your kung fu is good you won't get hit, but if you're worried about it perhaps learn some iron shirt technique.Ok, so either way you're looking at 15-20 years of slow, fairly esoteric training there... or I could just keep myself in shape and actually GET HIT once in a while...Hmm...Anyway, I learned how to box way before taking up WC and I still love to train boxing as much as I can. My WC is in my boxing, and my boxing in my WC etc. and that's just how it is. Just different parts of the whole. It irks me that so many CMA practitioners knock boxing, but have never even tried it.Sorry, that was kinda long
Quote:Wing Chun and boxing are NOT that similar.
Quote:Wing Chun just doesn't seem very useful in application against determined opponents..as far as I can tell?
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Romantic Monday – The Road Trip
Imagine you and I in my car driving down a dark, desert highway on one of our spontaneous adventures. I sing Oh! Darling in a gravelly voice just to make you laugh. I take off my shoes and then stretch across the seat, swinging my feet up into your lap. You play with my toes, tickling me. You tell me it's my turn to laugh.
I lay my head against the window and look up at the stars, asking you questions I know you will answer.You speak eloquently about the stars and the sky, and although I am listening I am very aware of the wonder that is you.
Sleep overtaking me, I grab your jacket and throw it over top of me like a blanket. I snuggle my nose into its collar, breathing in your scent as I drift off to sleep. You steal glances at me while you drive, loving me in silence.


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