text:
If you have been following my blog you would know that my dear was never one for cakes. However certain cakes he will partake of. This particular swiss roll happens to be one of the last desserts I had made for him. So for now I leave you with this.
Matcha Durian Swiss Roll
Recipe Adapted from Creative Culinaire
Ingredients for the Cake Roll:
100g cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp matcha powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
50g caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt
60g vegetable oil (like corn oil or canola oil)
75g water (at room temperature)
5 eggs (60g per egg), separate the yolks from the whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
70g caster sugar
For the Filing:
1 cup "Whip & Pour" (or thickened cream)
1/2 cup of fresh durian flesh
1) Grease a full size jelly pan and line with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 200C.
2) Sift together cake flour, baking powder, matcha powder, salt and baking soda into a clean bowl and set aside.
3) In another bowl, whisk by hand the egg yolks, 50g sugar, oil and water until the mixture is light in colour and slightly thicken. This should take about 1 minute.
4) Add the flour mixture to the egg and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
5) In a clean bowl whip the egg whites until slightly frothy. Then add in the cream of tartar and continue to whip for about 1 minute. Then add the remaining 70g sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks.
6) Fold 1/3 of the egg meringue into the yolk mixture. Fold gently until mixed well. Then add in the remaining 2/3 meringue and continue to fold gently using either a whisk or spatula. Fold only until the white streaks have disappeared. Do not overfold or you may deflate the batter.
7) Pour into the lined jelly pan and smoothen the top to ensure an even surface. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Check at 10 minutes baking time - do not over bake or your roll will become hard.
8) Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes before removing parchment paper. The roll should be completely cool before adding the whipped cream.
To Assemble:
1) Trim off the sides of the roll to have clean lines. Place the roll on top of a clean sheet of parchment paper. Place one side of the long end of the roll at the edge of the parchment. This will allow you to roll the jelly roll easily.
2) Whip the "Whip & Pour" (or thickened cream) until stiff. Add the durian flesh and mix until combined. then spread the durian filing on the jelly roll, leaving about 1/2" border on the sides.
3) Using the end of the parchment paper, start to roll away from you. Keep the roll tight as you continue to roll. Once you have finished use the parchment to wrap the entire jelly roll and place it into the refrigerator to set for about 3 hours.
4) To serve dust the roll with some icing sugar.


text:
For information on property A10723006 contact us right away, properties are often times removed because they are no longer available, but this is not always the case.
To get the latest information about MLS ID: A10723006, inquire below for the full status update or for listings very similar to it.
David W. Pulley, P.A., CLHMS, GUILD
Director of Luxury Sales | Sports & Entertainment Division
Douglas Elliman Real Estate
Phone: 305.794.1500 | Office: 305.695.6300 | Email: firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
After losing 7-1 to Germany in the semifinals, the third-place match against Netherlands was Brazil's last chance to save some dignity as the host nation of the World Cup. Instead, they were embarrassed 3-0 after falling behind 2-0 in the first 16 minutes.
The onslaught began immediately, with Arjen Robben of Netherlands getting free and appearing to have a 1-on-1 with the keeper. But Brazil's Thiago Silva pulled Robben down from behind and a penalty kick was awarded.
The foul did start outside the box although it may have continued into the box.
More amazingly, Silva was only given a yellow card and was not sent off with a red.
This led to a perfectly-executed penalty kick by Robin van Persie who placed the ball into the upper-right corner.
Then, in the 16th minute, Netherlands played a cross in front of the goal. Unfortunately for Brazil's David Luiz, his momentum was towards the goal, so when he tried to head it clear, it landed at the feet of an unmarked Netherlands player in the middle of the box.
Not many players are going to miss from this spot. Daley Blind, a lefty, even converted this with his off-foot.
But this goal was not without controversy. The pass just prior to the cross into the middle appeared to be offside.
At halftime it was 2-0 and no team has ever trailed by two or more goals at halftime of a World Cup match and come back to win. Sensing this, Brazilian supporters were booing their national team as it walked off the pitch.
Brazil was unable to mount much of an attack in the second half. Of their five second-half shots, only one was on target. Netherlands added one more late goal to make the final score 3-0.
In Brazil's final 200 minutes of play at the World Cup, they scored just one goal and that was in the final minute of their 7-1 loss to Germany.
Business Insider Emails & Alerts
Site highlights each day to your inbox.
Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.


text:
The following form allows you to view linux man pages.
#include <stdio.h>
int scanf(const char *format, ...);
int fscanf(FILE *stream, const char *format, ...);
int sscanf(const char *str, const char *format, ...);
#include <stdarg.h>
int vscanf(const char *format, va_list ap);
int vsscanf(const char *str, const char *format, va_list ap);
int vfscanf(FILE *stream, const char *format, va_list ap);
Feature Test Macro Requirements for glibc (see feature_test_macros(7)):
vscanf(), vsscanf(), vfscanf():
or cc -std=c99
The scanf() family of functions scans input according to format as
described below. This format may contain conversion specifications;
the results from such conversions, if any, are stored in the locations
pointed to by the pointer arguments that follow format. Each pointer
argument must be of a type that is appropriate for the value returned
by the corresponding conversion specification.
If the number of conversion specifications in format exceeds the number
of pointer arguments, the results are undefined. If the number of
pointer arguments exceeds the number of conversion specifications, then
the excess pointer arguments are evaluated, but are otherwise ignored.
The scanf() function reads input from the standard input stream stdin,
fscanf() reads input from the stream pointer stream, and sscanf() reads
its input from the character string pointed to by str.
The vfscanf() function is analogous to vfprintf(3) and reads input from
the stream pointer stream using a variable argument list of pointers
(see stdarg(3). The vscanf() function scans a variable argument list
from the standard input and the vsscanf() function scans it from a
string; these are analogous to the vprintf(3) and vsprintf(3) functions
The format string consists of a sequence of directives which describe
how to process the sequence of input characters. If processing of a
directive fails, no further input is read, and scanf() returns. A
"failure" can be either of the following: input failure, meaning that
input characters were unavailable, or matching failure, meaning that
the input was inappropriate (see below).
this is a matching failure.
Each conversion specification in format begins with either the charac-
ter '%' or the character sequence "%n$" (see below for the distinction)
followed by:
? An optional '*' assignment-suppression character: scanf() reads
input as directed by the conversion specification, but discards
the input. No corresponding pointer argument is required, and
this specification is not included in the count of successful
assignments returned by scanf().
? An optional 'm' character. This is used with string conversions
(%s, %c, %[), and relieves the caller of the need to allocate a
corresponding buffer to hold the input: instead, scanf() allo-
cates a buffer of sufficient size, and assigns the address of
this buffer to the corresponding pointer argument, which should
be a pointer to a char * variable (this variable does not need
to be initialized before the call). The caller should subse-
quently free(3) this buffer when it is no longer required.
? An optional decimal integer which specifies the maximum field
width. Reading of characters stops either when this maximum is
reached or when a nonmatching character is found, whichever hap-
pens first. Most conversions discard initial white space char-
acters (the exceptions are noted below), and these discarded
characters don't count toward the maximum field width. String
input conversions store a terminating null byte ('\0') to mark
the end of the input; the maximum field width does not include
this terminator.
? An optional type modifier character. For example, the l type
modifier is used with integer conversions such as %d to specify
that the corresponding pointer argument refers to a long int
rather than a pointer to an int.
? A conversion specifier that specifies the type of input conver-
sion to be performed.
The conversion specifications in format are of two forms, either begin-
ning with '%' or beginning with "%n$". The two forms should not be
mixed in the same format string, except that a string containing "%n$"
specifications can include %% and %*. If format contains '%' specifi-
cations then these correspond in order with successive pointer argu-
ments. In the "%n$" form (which is specified in POSIX.1-2001, but not
C99), n is a decimal integer that specifies that the converted input
should be placed in the location referred to by the n-th pointer argu-
ment following format.
The following type modifier characters can appear in a conversion spec-
be one of e, f, or g and the next pointer is a pointer to double
(rather than float). Specifying two l characters is equivalent
to L. If used with %c or %s the corresponding parameter is con-
sidered as a pointer to a wide character or wide-character
string respectively.
L Indicates that the conversion will be either e, f, or g and the
next pointer is a pointer to long double or the conversion will
be d, i, o, u, or x and the next pointer is a pointer to long
q equivalent to L. This specifier does not exist in ANSI C.
t As for h, but the next pointer is a pointer to a ptrdiff_t.
This modifier was introduced in C99.
z As for h, but the next pointer is a pointer to a size_t. This
modifier was introduced in C99.
The following conversion specifiers are available:
% Matches a literal '%'. That is, %% in the format string matches
a single input '%' character. No conversion is done (but ini-
tial white space characters are discarded), and assignment does
not occur.
d Matches an optionally signed decimal integer; the next pointer
must be a pointer to int.
D Equivalent to ld; this exists only for backward compatibility.
(Note: thus only in libc4. In libc5 and glibc the %D is
silently ignored, causing old programs to fail mysteriously.)
i Matches an optionally signed integer; the next pointer must be a
pointer to int. The integer is read in base 16 if it begins
with 0x or 0X, in base 8 if it begins with 0, and in base 10
otherwise. Only characters that correspond to the base are
o Matches an unsigned octal integer; the next pointer must be a
pointer to unsigned int.
u Matches an unsigned decimal integer; the next pointer must be a
pointer to unsigned int.
x Matches an unsigned hexadecimal integer; the next pointer must
be a pointer to unsigned int.
X Equivalent to x.
f Matches an optionally signed floating-point number; the next
pointer must be a pointer to float.
c Matches a sequence of characters whose length is specified by
the maximum field width (default 1); the next pointer must be a
pointer to char, and there must be enough room for all the char-
acters (no terminating null byte is added). The usual skip of
leading white space is suppressed. To skip white space first,
use an explicit space in the format.
[ Matches a nonempty sequence of characters from the specified set
of accepted characters; the next pointer must be a pointer to
char, and there must be enough room for all the characters in
the string, plus a terminating null byte. The usual skip of
leading white space is suppressed. The string is to be made up
of characters in (or not in) a particular set; the set is
defined by the characters between the open bracket [ character
and a close bracket ] character. The set excludes those charac-
ters if the first character after the open bracket is a circum-
flex (^). To include a close bracket in the set, make it the
first character after the open bracket or the circumflex; any
other position will end the set. The hyphen character - is also
special; when placed between two other characters, it adds all
intervening characters to the set. To include a hyphen, make it
the last character before the final close bracket. For
instance, [^]0-9-] means the set "everything except close
bracket, zero through nine, and hyphen". The string ends with
the appearance of a character not in the (or, with a circumflex,
in) set or when the field width runs out.
p Matches a pointer value (as printed by %p in printf(3); the next
pointer must be a pointer to a pointer to void.
n Nothing is expected; instead, the number of characters consumed
thus far from the input is stored through the next pointer,
which must be a pointer to int. This is not a conversion,
although it can be suppressed with the * assignment-suppression
character. The C standard says: "Execution of a %n directive
does not increment the assignment count returned at the comple-
tion of execution" but the Corrigendum seems to contradict this.
Probably it is wise not to make any assumptions on the effect of
%n conversions on the return value.
These functions return the number of input items successfully matched
and assigned, which can be fewer than provided for, or even zero in the
event of an early matching failure.
The value EOF is returned if the end of input is reached before either
the first successful conversion or a matching failure occurs. EOF is
also returned if a read error occurs, in which case the error indicator
for the stream (see ferror(3)) is set, and errno is set indicate the
ERANGE The result of an integer conversion would exceed the size that
can be stored in the corresponding integer type.
The functions fscanf(), scanf(), and sscanf() conform to C89 and C99
and POSIX.1-2001. These standards do not specify the ERANGE error.
The q specifier is the 4.4BSD notation for long long, while ll or the
usage of L in integer conversions is the GNU notation.
The Linux version of these functions is based on the GNU libio library.
Take a look at the info documentation of GNU libc (glibc-1.08) for a
more concise description.
The 'a' assignment-allocation modifier
Originally, the GNU C library supported dynamic allocation for string
inputs (as a nonstandard extension) via the a character. (This feature
is present at least as far back as glibc 2.0.) Thus, one could write
the following to have scanf() allocate a buffer for an input string,
with a pointer to that buffer being returned in *buf:
char *buf;
scanf("%as", &buf);
The use of the letter a for this purpose was problematic, since a is
also specified by the ISO C standard as a synonym for f (floating-point
input). POSIX.1-2008 instead specifies the m modifier for assignment
allocation (as documented in DESCRIPTION, above).
Note that the a modifier is not available if the program is compiled
with gcc -std=c99 or gcc -D_ISOC99_SOURCE (unless _GNU_SOURCE is also
specified), in which case the a is interpreted as a specifier for
floating-point numbers (see above).
Support for the m modifier was added to glibc starting with version
2.7, and new programs should use that modifier instead of a.
As well as being standardized by POSIX, the m modifier has the follow-
ing further advantages over the use of a:
* It may also be applied to %c conversion specifiers (e.g., %3mc).
* It avoids ambiguity with respect to the %a floating-point conversion
specifier (and is unaffected by gcc -std=c99 etc.).
All functions are fully C89 conformant, but provide the additional
specifiers q and a as well as an additional behavior of the L and l
specifiers. The latter may be considered to be a bug, as it changes
the behavior of specifiers defined in C89.
returned string, as in the following example:
char *p;
int n;
errno = 0;
n = scanf("%m[a-z]", &p);
if (n == 1) {
printf("read: %s\n", p);
} else if (errno != 0) {
} else {
fprintf(stderr, "No matching characters\n");
As shown in the above example, it is necessary to call free(3) only if
the scanf() call successfully read a string.
getc(3), printf(3), setlocale(3), strtod(3), strtol(3), strtoul(3)
Copyright © 1999 - 2016 by LinuxGuruz


text:
SmartMeter will provide water metering solutions for the residential market
Elster recently announced the introduction of its SmartMeter AMR-enabled products to the North American market. Elster recently acquired the SmartMeter product portfolio from Severn Trent Services, a member of the Severn Trent Plc group of companies. With the acquisition of the SmartMeter, Elster AMCO Water continues to expand its portfolio of products developed for the North American water utility business.
The SmartMeter features a fluidic oscillator solid-state design, containing no moving parts to deliver higher accuracy throughout the flow range, greater reliability and advanced intelligent metering features such as tariffs and event monitoring to residential metering applications.
Executive Vice President of Global Water Jerry Lauzze said, "The SmartMeter technology is a perfect fit with our advanced metering solutions and systems. As with all our products, the SmartMeter demonstrates our commitment in offering highly innovative, value-added products to meet the needs of the water industry now as well as in the future."


text:
The Daily IKN email digest, get all daily posts sent to you next day (& no ads)
The Friday OT: Foo Fighters; Miss the misery
What an amazingly good track of rock music this truly is.
For strange reasons, I fell in love with the Foos this week after a long absence. Now it's your turn.
A Flash update...
...has just been sent to subscribers, 10:15am EDT Friday moning. Belt'n'braces post complete.
More evidence that The Americas were populated 30,000 years ago
A team of Uruguayan researchers working at the Arroyo del Vizcaíno site near Sauce, in Uruguay has found evidence in ancient sloth bones that suggests humans were in the area as far back as 30,000 years ago. The team describes their evidence and findings in a paper they've had published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
Most scientists today believe that humans populated the Americas approximately 16,000 years ago, and did so by walking across the Bering Strait, which would have been frozen over during that time period. More recent evidence has begun to suggest that humans were living in South America far earlier than that—just last month a team of excavators in Brazil discovered cave paintings and ceramics that have been dated to 30,000 years ago and now, in this new effort, the research team has found more evidence of people living in Uruguay around the same time.
In this new effort, the researchers found over a thousand bones at the Arroyo del Vizcaíno site, (from approximately 27 different animals) most of which once belonged to the now extinct giant sloth. What was most remarkable however, were the deep slash markings on some of the bones—indicative of human stone tools. Also interesting was that the bones were all from the remains of large, full grown sloths—all in a single place where they wouldn't have died in other ways such as from falling off a cliff. Taken together, it appears the sloths were killed individually, as needed, and eaten, most likely, by humans as no other known animal could have pulled off such a feat.
continues here
Pretium (PVG) (PVG.to) is subject of the day in the junior mining world...
I don't see why PVG should rally on the NR, barring a relief-type pop that then fades as the smarter end of the mkt uses it as a useful exit opportunity (see how LYD has traded recently for a model). The doubt has never been about the gold content of the sample. Today we find the sample has gold (and perhaps a little more than expected) but so what?
The key word in the whole story is still "representative" and it doesn't matter whether the 10kt bulk sample comes in with triple the amount of gold than expected, the question of whether PVG's testing method represents the larger deposit has not gone away.
If it runs harder than i expect today, i'll short it.
The Scariest Chart For Stock Bulls Ever!!!
Seafield Resources (SFF.v): Smoke and mirrors
During the recently completed "Confirmatory Metallurgical Test Work Program" for the feasibility study for the Miraflores Project, it became evident that the measured gold grades within the chosen samples were generally well under the targeted grades. After further investigation, it appears that some of the gold was being lost during the core cutting and drilling processes. During the previous campaigns, the standard procedures in place were insufficient to capture the respective slurries and test them to ascertain the component of gold contained within these slurries. The key areas for further study are the high grade vein zones whereby the gold is generally associated with argillized material as well as in the more porous areas of the breccia. Seafield believes that it is important to design a program targeting these inefficiencies and review the measured gold grades in an attempt to capture the true grades of the deposit, which may have a positive impact on the resource estimate at Miraflores. As a result, the Company has decided to design a work program to analyse the potential impact on the project and to delay the completion of the Feasibility Study until this issue has been fully evaluated.
At September 30, 2013, the Company had a working capital deficit of $1,854,761, compared to a working capital of $1,796,387 at December 31, 2012. The Company had cash and cash equivalents of $665,714 at September 30, 2013, compared to $2,255,941 at December 31, 2012.
Alix Resources (AIX.v) and FuckYeahBitcoins! Chapter Two
Chapter One was last week, just before Alix Resources (AIX.v) had their trading asses halted.
Chapter two has just arrived. Oh what fun
And make sure you read VancVenture's brand new DD post on AIX.v, you'll get a better idea of how smelly this one is
November 21, 2013
Alix Provides Update on Bitcoins
VANCOUVER, BRITICH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Nov. 21, 2013) - Alix Resources Corp. ("Alix" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:AIX)(FRANKFURT:37N) (ARXRF-US CLEARING SYMBOL) announces that, with regards to the proposed launch of a bitcoin exchange (see PR dated November 14, 2013), the company will not be proceeding with the implementation of a bitcoin exchange at this time, instead the company will conduct additional due diligence on the bitcoin sector prior to making a decision as to whether to implement a Bitcoin exchange. The Company will provide an update to its shareholders when the due diligence process is complete.
The Company further announces that it intends to continue its proposed bitcoin service payment plan with its mining service providers, whereby such service providers will accept payment in bitcoin for their services. Since the Company's initial announcement, the Company has received favorable responses from other entities in the junior public mining exploration industry, and anticipates that it may enter further bitcoin service payment plans with others. The Company will provide further updates as they arise.
Michael England, President
Money talks, Augusta Resources (AZC) (AZC.to) edition
Catching up with that Casey Pretium (PVG) call
"I'm putting my money where my mouth is, and have instructed my broker to place what is, for me, a large order. And I know I'm not the only one here at Casey Research doing so. We had active stink bid guidance to buy under $5, which I hope was filled for many of you."
The Gran Colombia Gold (GCM.to) business model
Fino: "So here's the plan: We'll set up a gold mining company, then we'll raise a whole heap of cash to fund it, then we'll produce gold at a higher cost than its market value, then we'll make a series of quarterly net losses until the money runs out, then we'll raise another pile of cash from the market, then we'll continue to produce gold at a loss until that money runs out, as well. Then we'll raise more cash from the market."
Maria: "Cool! Do we get to pay ourselves a fat cash salary?"
Fino: "Sure, of course. $350k or $400k a year. This is capitalism, after all. We need to be rewarded for our hard work."
UPDATE: Setty reminds your humble scribe of another aspect of the GCM.to biz model which had slipped the mind at the time of posting. Thanks due.
MAG Silver (MAG.to) (MVG) has a friend
UPDATED Augusta Resources (AZC) (AZC.to)
It's not the Ross Beaty cash, it's the Ross Beaty timing
One man's broken slot machine is other's reversion to the mean: Here's PR newswire:
TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has dealt a dramatic and potentially devastating blow to Augusta Resource Corporation's proposal to build the Rosemont mine, a massive open-pit copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains just south of Tucson.In a Nov. 7 letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the EPA recommended that the proposed Rosemont copper mine should not receive a permit that would allow the company to dump potentially toxic mine wastes into area waterways.After completing a comprehensive and detailed analysis, EPA concluded that Rosemont's proposals to mitigate the mine's severe and permanent damage to area water supplies are "scientifically flawed" and "grossly inadequate," and advised the Corps of Engineers that the project "should not be permitted as proposed."The EPA's recommendation to deny Rosemont's permit application is a potentially devastating blow to the mining project because EPA has veto authority over the permit, which would be issued by the Corps of Engineers only if the proposed mine meets Clean Water Act standards. The permit is required before construction could begin on the mile-wide, half-mile deep open-pit mine.
UPDATE: ok, this is interesting. AZC has sent this NR out tonight, here's how it starts:
TORONTO , Nov. 20, 2013 /CNW/ - Augusta Resource Corporation (AZC.TO) (NYSE MKT: AZC) ("Augusta" or "Company") comments on the Save the Scenic Santa Rita's (SSSR), a local project opponent, inaccurate press release, which makes inappropriate comments and distorted interpretations in relation to a recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) letter issued to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) on November 7, 2013 ."The SSSR press release today was not only inaccurate but another attempt to harm our company," said Gil Clausen , Augusta's president and CEO. "This group has historically mischaracterized the level of impact that letters between agencies have and obviously do not understand the permitting or the evaluation process. SSSR totally misrepresents the contents of the letter and the EPA's comments actually said that they were looking forward to working with the Army Corps on mitigation and risk based assessments. For example, nowhere in the EPA's letter did they discuss discharges as 'toxic mine wastes'. The SSSR is fabricating information and attributing that information to EPA in an effort to scare our shareholders and disrupt markets."The Company states the EPA has been working diligently with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and other Federal Agencies to finalize the work required to complete the permitting process. The EPA letter refers to old plans and issues which were the basis of discussion and not decision. The ACOE will make their decisions based on facts, rules and regulations as they continue to maintain good dialog with the EPA. continues here
Fun no? Maybe we're about to witness an enviro group be sued, class action style, by a bunch of disgruntled sellers? Or maybe AZC is overstating its case? One thing's for sure, one of these sides has got it wrong.
Wednesday whimsy: Louis CK
A Flash update...
...has been sent to subscribers this fine Wednesday morning, pre-opening bell. A near-term trade outlined.
Chart of the day is...
...Bitcoin, over the last...oh, wait a moment, my mistake, it's silver Jan 2009 to June 2011:
Behre Dolbear's 2013 mining risk survey and its obvious flaw
However, IKN has spotted the Achilles Heel in Behre Dolbear's scoring system and is here to help, with the hope that BD fixes things for next year's survey. Here's the problem, it comes from page 1 of the PDF and I quote:
The 25 countries considered in this year's survey are ranked based on 7 criteria:
• the country's economic system
• the country's political system
• the degree of social issues affecting mining in the country
• delays in receiving permits due to bureaucratic and other issues
• the degree of corruption prevalent in the country
• the stability of the country's currency
• the competitiveness of the country's tax policy
The problem is that there's an eighth category missing, "Knows more than fuck all about hard rock mining". If "Knows more than fuck all about hard rock mining" had been added to the survey, Peru would have caught up and probably passed Colombia (for one thing because it deserves double points, what with the subject matter at hand and all that) and Colombia would have scored a big fat zero for "Knows more than fuck all about hard rock mining", or even negative because truly, the people running the show have shown, time and again over the last five years, that they know less than fuck all about hard rock mining. And that's a negative score, by definition.
So BD, as you might imagine it's kind of difficult to take your survey seriously, what with the basic level errors glaring at you from the top. I didn't get past page two, there really wasn't much point.
UPDATE: Dear Matson15, it's fucking Colombia with an "O", not fucking Columbia with a U. Please continue showing your ignorance in other locations, fuckwit.
Guillermo Moreno resigns
UPDATE: OK, this one is now confirmed. He's being put out to pasture as the Argentine Commercial Attaché
Correction re Bellhaven Copper & Gold (BHV.v)
Snap Quiz Time!
Gold: The bottom is in (part deux)
The Venezuela Central Bank (BCV) and Goldman Sachs are ready to sign a foreign exchange agreement using gold held in international reserves, which will run between October 2013 and October 2020, according to the contract.
The amount in the deal is the equivalent of 1.45 million ounces of gold which is held in the Bank of England vaults and the transfers would me made directly to Goldman Sachs once delivery times are confirmed.
The deal consists of the delivery of the BCV gold, which would receive in return dollar from the US-based company. The transactions would run via a financial instrument negotiated through the international markets continues here
The Cochilco 2014 copper price forecast is out
Mining PRs and the Ottotrans™, part 78
This is what they wrote
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov 19, 2013) -
All amounts are in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated.
Alamos Gold Inc. (TSX:AGI)(NYSE:AGI) ("Alamos" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the launch of its new corporate website.The launch of our new website reflects the growth Alamos is experiencing as a company. Our Mulatos mine continues to perform well, we are advancing our development projects in Turkey and with the recent acquisitions of the Esperanza Gold Project in Mexico, and Quartz Mountain Property in Oregon, we have enhanced our peer leading growth profile.
With approximately $420 million in cash, no debt and strong ongoing cash flow generation we remain in an enviable position in the industry with a peer leading, fully funded growth profile, and the balance sheet strength and management depth to pursue additional growth opportunities. Please take the time to navigate through our new website at www.alamosgold.com.About Alamos
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov 19, 2013) -
All amounts are in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated.
Alamos Gold Inc. (TSX:AGI)(NYSE:AGI) ("Alamos" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the launch of its new corporate website.
The launch of our new website reflects the lack of imagination Alamos is experiencing as a company. Our website cost thirty grand to renew and although it doesn't contain any new information, the corporate photos have been updated and there's a 50% increase of those shots of cute smiling children, which always go down well. More importantly, we want to underscore how our corporate culture is stuck firmly in the past by making a big song and dance about a website upgrade, issuing this waste of space NR and patting ourselves on the back for the type of move that no company worth its salt in 2013 will ever make a fuss over. We are aware that the mining industry has no clue about tech or investor relations trends and we're proud to celebrate that fact by releasing non-news via Marketwired, Stockwatch and CNW.
With approximately $420 million in cash, no debt and strong ongoing cash flow generation we have more money than common sense and will continue to let the morons in our IR department waste it in any way they see fit. Please take the time to navigate through our new website at www.alamosgold.com.
About Alamos
Bitcoin vs US Dollar, 12 months:
Tough market for explorecos?
Yup, tough market.
This from October 24th:
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Oct. 24, 2013) -Bellhaven Copper & Gold Inc. (TSX VENTURE:BHV) ("Bellhaven" or the "Company") announces that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement financing of up to 26,000,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.05 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $1,300,000 (the "Offering").Each Unit consists of one common share (a "Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant (a "Warrant") of Bellhaven. Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Common Share of the Company's stock at a price of $0.08 for a period of 36 months following the closing date of the Offering. The securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be continues here
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Nov. 18, 2013) -Bellhaven Copper & Gold Inc. (TSX VENTURE:BHV) ("Bellhaven" or the "Company") announces that, further to its news release of October 24, 2013, the Company has closed the initial tranche of its private placement, issuing 2,550,000 units for gross proceeds of $127,500. Continues here
The one thing that never changes about a bullshit newsletter pump and dump scam...
...is that only the people at the centre of the scam know when the plug gets pulled.
Blind Faith
Chart of the day is...
The IKN Weekly, out now
Chile: The Count
UPDATE: It's looking like Bachelet will not pass the finishing post today and we'll need a second round run-off to sort things out. 20.31% of the votes counted and 'Chelle is still at 46.11%. The sample is beginning to be big enough to be representative.
UPDATE 2: 69.51% of votes counted and 'Chelle has 46.69%. Statistically it's all over, this one is going to a second round, assuming of course that Matthei doesn't throw in the towel.
What do you go for in a girl?
My thanks to supertwitterpal @karaspita for the headsup:
Peru Presidential Polling: Ollanta still down low
The new model Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, CFK2.0, reappears tomorrow
Here's what to expect from CFK2.0 now that the surgical improvements have been bedded in:
The operation was a complete success.


text:
EA: "Microsoft has been very aggressive with us, as had Sony" says Moore
EA and Microsoft seem to have a special relationship as of late, what with Titanfall exclusivity, free FIFA 14 for European pre-orders and first dibs on Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare. Regardless, Peter Moore has stressed again that the company is not favouring Microsoft over Sony, and has said they are both quite aggressive.
Speaking with GI.biz about EA's relationship with Microsoft and Sony, Moore said, "We have relationships with both companies that go back many many years, so I think that what you saw [during EA's gamescom conference] was, just from a phasing perspective, you saw a little bit more of the Microsoft stuff. We have a lot of partnership opportunities with Sony, with the PlayStation 4, which we have done for many many years, that maybe we should start talking more about.
"But it may have seemed that way, I don't think that we're favouring one over the other, we love them both dearly. It's important to the publishing community that both are very successful and I think they will be very successful. I think the gamers, the fanboys, I'm an Xbox guy, I'm a PlayStation guy, they're going to make their choices. I see a lot of talk about people who are going to try to get both.
"Microsoft has been very aggressive with us, as had Sony, we're a very powerful publisher obviously, that has the ability to deliver great content and makes a difference on their platforms, and they want to make sure they get that."
On Microsoft and EA's partnership to gift FIFA 14 to every Xbox One pre-order customer in Europe, Moore continued, "We look at opportunities to put as many copies of FIFA into consumers' hands as we possibly can. We're very proud of that game, we're very proud of the fact that it's not just a game that you play off a disc but the digital services, FIFA Ultimate Team, in particular is important to us, so the more consumers that own FIFA the better opportunity we have to interact with them, to be able to offer services to them, so it's worked out well.
"Microsoft, particularly in Europe, feels it needs to catch up a little bit with the PlayStation brand and this is one way to do it. You take soccer and you add Europe to the mix and then you bring it together. And I suspect as well Microsoft is looking at ways to add value, as I'm sure Sony is here to make the price points feel a little bit more of a bargain. We sat down a while back and talked about this and that's how it happened."
What do you make of EA's relationship with Microsoft? Don't forget that Microsoft did announce it was in partnership with Microsoft back in May.


text:
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?" on DVD ! And Season 3 coming soon. Look for an all new season in 2013!!! on an all new network!In case you don't know, Dan was co-producer of Who Do You Think You Are along with Lisa Kudrow. Here's a link to Who Do You Think You Are?: Season One and Who Do You Think You Are: Season 2
But what I'm excited about is the teaser about an all new season in 2013! I haven't been able to find out any more details but will let my readers know as soon as I do.


text: When does honeymoon planning become honeymoon over-planning? (Plus 3 secret Disney World tips) #Honeymoon Advice#disney#honeymoon Updated Oct 12 2015 (Posted Oct 8 2014) Guest post by juliegolick Like looking at wedding porn, is there a time when you need to stop the honeymoon planning? Offbeat Bride member juliegolick explores this question while giving all you Disneyworld geeks TONS of travel tips… Lenox's "Mickey & Minnie's Dream Honeymoon" figurine My future husband and I had a conversation last night about our Disney World honeymoon ("Disneymoon"). It wasn't an argument — there were no raised voices, it wasn't even that tense. But what we had here was a failure to communicate, and it stemmed from our different planning styles. When it comes to vacations, he has a more general "wing it and hope for the best" attitude. He told me yesterday that the last time he went to Disney World, about a decade ago, he showed up, got his tickets, and then had a blast for three days. This would drive me batty. I'm a consummate planner. Some would say I'm an over-planner, and I'm willing to live with that label. When I start a new project or undertaking, I try to learn as much as I can so that I can make informed decisions. I'm willing to accept that I might not be able to get everything I want — but at least I want to know my options. So for the last month or so, I've been spending a lot of time reading about Disney World. A lot of time. Probably more time than I should. I like feeling, if not like an insider, then at least as close to it as I can get. Related Post Vintage snack: honeymooners and a hat tragedy This couple from 1948 jets off to their Chicago honeymoon looking straight out of a magazine. Don't fall too hard for her hat though --... Read more I also like sharing this knowledge. In true geek fashion, I want others to know what I know and be equally excited. Last night I started telling my fiancé some of the stuff I'd learned, and his eyes glazed over, and then he got a kind of concerned look on his face that I'd seen before. My Man of Honor, however, thinks a lot like I do and is happy to listen to me prattle on about the interesting new tips or tricks I learned that day. (And believe me, I can prattle on.) For instance… Magic hours I like knowing, for example, that cursory research will reveal that Disney World offers "extra magic hours" (i.e. extended hours either before or after park opening) at one pre-announced theme park per day to guests staying on-site at Disney World hotels. Everyone who's spent five minutes on the Disney World website knows this. What they may not know is that Disney World maintains 85% occupancy year-round at over 25,000 resort rooms. If there are an average of three guests per room, that's over 60,000 people. And if they've all heard only one thing, it's "extra magic hours!" Most of them will only go to one park per day. That means there will be an extra 50-60,000 people all day in the park with extra magic hours, gumming up the works and doubling wait times for rides. Avoid at all costs! On the other hand, if you can "park hop" over late at night, in the hour or two before closing, the wait times come way down and you can practically walk onto a lot of the rides that had hour-or-longer lines in the afternoon. Dining secrets I like knowing that cursory research will reveal that you can book advance dining reservations (ADRs) 180 days before your visit. Slightly longer cursory research will reveal that a lot of the very popular restaurants (Victoria and Alberts, Cinderella's Royal Table, Le Cellier, etc.) will sell out within minutes. But deeper research will reveal the best restaurants to go to when you don't have a reservation. It will reveal that if you want to go to Be Our Guest restaurant for lunch, you can wait an hour at 11:30 or walk right in at 2:00. It will reveal that many restaurants have attached lounges that are first-come, first-served and use the same menu as the place next door that's been sold out for six months. Crowd-avoiding I like knowing that you can watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the beach at the Polynesian for a great view and that you don't have to stand in a packed crowd on Main Street or spend a lot of money at 'Ohana or California Grill to see them. I like knowing that some counter-service restaurants have little-used second floors. I like knowing that even when Test Track in Epcot may have a 50-minute posted standby time, going through the single-rider line might cut that down to 10 minutes. I like knowing about hidden Mickeys. I know why my fiancé gets that concerned look on his face when I share all this with him. But I'm not learning all this stuff because I want to plan our days down to the minute. (Though if we wanted to show up for rope-drop, I like knowing that someone has figured out the to-the-minute best plan for doing the most rides in the least amount of time.) I actually don't want to do too much specific planning for when we're there. It's our honeymoon, damnit, and if we decide to sleep in one morning, order room service, and spend some "quality time" in the hotel room, then that's what we're gonna do. I'm learning all this so I can be spontaneous. So that when we show up and it's 2pm on a hot day, I can say, "Dear God, man, what are you thinking getting into line at Splash Mountain?! That's where everyone's going! We'll be waiting for an hour! The Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor is air-conditioned and the lines are way shorter — let's go there instead!" Or when it's dinnertime in Epcot and all the headliner restaurants have long since sold out their reservations, I can suggest we go to Restaurant Marrakesh in the Morocco Pavilion, which pretty consistently has spots for walk-ins and features belly-dancing entertainers. Or cut across the Boardwalk to Beaches and Cream and get a ridiculously delicious sundae. I want our honeymoon to be fun. Relaxed. Minimally structured. And while my fiancé might be able to just show up and "wing it," I can't do that. I'll feel like I'm missing out, or that I don't know where to spend my precious little time. I'll worry that I'm spending an hour in line when I could have done three or four other rides if only I'd known what they were. I want to figure out my priorities and — just as important — the things that aren't my priorities and that I'd be okay skipping. (Half-hour wait for the 42-second Barnstormer? No thank you!) And then, when I have that knowledge, I'll let the chips fall where they may, knowing that I've done as much as I could to smooth the way to a great trip. Am I over-thinking things? Maybe. But it works for me. I'll just have to try to contain my excitement at minutia when I'm talking to my fiancé. At least you other Disney World enthusiasts will listen to me. Who else is dealing with honeymoon over-planning? How are you keeping yourself or your partners in check? Guest post written by juliegolick I'm a geeky gamer girl from Montreal, Canada. When not wedding planning, I play D&D, do karate, and participate in a medieval reenactment community where I'm affectionately known as "The Pocket Bard." Sometimes I work as an editor or an executive assistant, but right now I'm looking for work. My other half is a forest fire fighter, a paramedic, and a DM. How lucky can a girl get? http://tribe.offbeatbride.com/members/juliegolick PREVIOUS Christine & Brian's nature-inspired steampunk wedding NEXT Melissa & Daniel's hometown nerd-lite shindig Show/Hide comments [ 19 ] You are so lucky! And you sound like my dream best friend… Anyways… Thank you so much for sharing this. I think you're suggestion near the end is perfect for working with the differences you and your husband have. You do the research you enjoy and he gets to wing it but you have the info to save yourselves from being ripped off and stuck in crazy crowds. This sort of thing works with me and my other half too (he's the organised one). Thanks for the disney tips 🙂 Reply Brief update: Another thing I learned while doing research is that Disney World tends to change things up A LOT. So at least for now, Be Our Guest restaurant is only accepting FastPass+ for lunches, i.e. you can't just walk in and wait to be seated. On the other hand, I believe that if you just want to check out the décor, you can do that without a pass. Reply In this case, I think you are right on…Disney World is best when there's at least some preplanning involved. And Marrakesh is one of my favorite places to eat! I love their brewat (sp?) rolls. Reply With all this research you're doing, I hope you've found Jen at Epbot.com. So funny. She lives there in Orlando so goes very often to the parks. You can find so much stuff about DisneyWorld etc from her. Reply Ooh! I hadn't! My main blogs so far have been EasyWDW, Disney Tourist Blog, Disney Food Blog, and All Ears. I'll definitely check out Epbot! Thanks! Reply Another good one: Epcot (just across the way) is where the bars are. You can do a "around the world" bar crawl through all the themed bars, with traditional drinks at all the "countries". It's kinda epic. Reply "I'm learning all this so I can be spontaneous." Totes! My hubby & I recently went to the Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orland, & I spent an insane amount of time pouring over blogs & online guides to the new Diagon Alley theme park to figure out what was worth doing & what wasn't. We had exactly one day (we were visiting family nearby, that was the real point of the trip), & I didn't want to waste any time. My hubby grumbled at first, but as soon as we got there, we were both thrilled & happy to see how we easily packed it all in, thanks to a little forethought. We had plenty of time & spent big chunks of it just sitting around marveling at the fabulous geeky scenery together. Go you, planny-pants girl! You've got it going on. Reply Disney has taken the joy and even the ability to really "wing it." I grew up in Orlando. I remember the days before Fast Pass and Pass+ or whatever it is now. Unless you do plan in advance and take advantage of those tools, you'll spend all day in line and riding very little. 🙁 Reply We approached our honeymoon in Vegas similarly: a balance between overplanning and winging it. Overplanning meant we walked into the Bellagio and Wicked Spoon buffets at 1:30p rather than waiting in line for an hour at 11:30. It meant amazing pool chairs, strategic cab rides to avoid walking, and finding the best places to drink. And that meant that we could play the rest of the day by ear! Reply Hopefully you are spending lots of time on the DIS boards! That's where most of us certified (or is that certifiable?) Disney nuts are. 🙂 My family loves to tease me about my "compulsive" WDW planning… but then they're the ones amazed when they're not standing in lines, when we're having fabulous meals, when we're sitting so close to the parade you could put a foot out and trip a float, when we're standing in juuuuuust the right spot to have Tinkerbell fly right over our heads. Planning makes spontaneity look and feel effortless. And what did they say in the "Unofficial Guide"? To paraphrase, winging it with a Disney trip works about as well as winging it on your taxes, and both will end in tears, lol. Have a *fabulous* wedding and honeymoon!! And don't forget to pick up your "Just Married" buttons free at City Hall. 🙂 Reply Thanks! I'm planning on picking up the buttons when we check in at our hotel (Port Orleans French Quarter) and also hopefully getting the bride and groom mouse ears. I really want to wear the bride ones, though my fiancé has said he'll need some convincing to wear the groom ones. I'm not on the DIS boards because there's a limit, even for me, and I think those boards would suck whatever remaining wedding planning time I have left. 🙂 Reply Where are the DIS boards? Reply http://www.disboards.com/ Reply It also helps to have a friend or family member with a Florida Resident seasonal pass, as they go so often that they know ALL the secrets – including little food kiosks that are hidden from the majority of tourists, the rhythm of the crowds, weather conditions on those crowds (rain), and other gems you'd miss or the official sites won't mention. The creators really do reward the fan who spends a lot of time there, and those fans love sharing those gems with their closest family and friends. I am also an over-planner with my beloved being the spontaneous one (our trip to Toronto was his doing … made me decide to plan a few things out, like making sure the hotel had heat!), so I know where you're coming from. Doing as much research as possible gives you a choice of options instead of settling for "this is all we could find right now". Planning is what makes it look effortless and fun when you get there. And word of advice that I practice: don't share your finds with the spontaneous one, they won't appreciate your efforts. They want to be surprised. Be knowledgeable, and you'll pleasantly surprise them. 🙂 Reply Indeed! For those of us who don't have those passes, though, there are some blogs out there who give a pretty detailed "inside scoop" with things like crowd rhythms, inside tips and tricks, etc. My favorite at the moment is EasyWDW, because it's a little bit snarky and sarcastic and SUPER-USEFUL. But I'm sure there are others that are equally good. Reply My two best tips for a Disney vacation are this: plan a rest break away from tbe park every afternoon and visit any non-Disney places you want to see first. Disney is a vacation, but it is also an endurance test. You will need a break where you are off your feet (even if you don't actually nap). That way, you can be refreshed for more evening activities in the park. As far as non-Disney attractions goes–Disney will skew your perspective after a couple of days. A perfectly fine non-Disney place will seem dirty with a surly staff after Disney. You won't enjoy it as much, and you will be more likely to fall into the grumpy, unreasonable customer zone. Reply Totally agree with Courtney. We loooooved our honeymoon is Disney World but planned for 5 days at the park. After the 3rd day, we didn't even want to eat dinner there so we ate outside at Long Horn (where man, the manager is awesome and treats you right!). We had two more days of tickets but only had one more day in us and just scrapped the 5th day since we had no energy left. Granted, we did have Extra Magic hours and fully took advantage of it each evening. That was probably the best part of all the perks we took advantage of. It doesn't seem like a lot – especially when non-Extra Magic guests are still lingering in the park – but you'll be amazed at how many times you can go on Test Track in that extra hour. 🙂 Reply Going on a honeymoon especially during the touristy season can get really annoying sometimes, especially when you have to rush around with the other tourists, and not be able to get any quiet time with your partner. So on your honeymoon, I would suggest you to take it is a slow and relaxed pace. On my honeymoon with my husband, we want to Rome and Florence. We did all the regular sight seeing but it was getting quite tiring after a while. So one of the days we just spend the day strolling by the parks in Rome, and had a bike tour with one of the locals in Rome. She then suggested us to try out dining with BonAppetour. Reply You sound exactly like me and my Fiancee! We're going to Disney for our honeymoon and he keeps getting freaked out by all of my research and planning. But just like you, I want to be informed and make the most of our trip. Thanks for the post! It was super helpful 🙂 Megan Reply Join the conversation Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sign me up for your offbeat awesomeness newsletter! No-drama comment policy Part of what makes the Offbeat Empire different is our commitment to civil, constructive commenting. Make sure you're familiar with our no-drama comment policy. Biz owners & wedding bloggers Please just use your real name in your comment, not your business name or blog title. Our comments are not the place to pimp your website. If you want to promote your stuff on Offbeat Bride, join us as an advertiser instead.


text:
S2 Security's S2 NetBox
Version 4.0 of the S2 NetBox includes numerous enhancements to the popular integrated security management system in a web-based network appliance, both at the user level and internal to the system. Offering access control, alarm monitoring, video management, identity management, intercom and other advanced capabilities, the S2 NetBox scales to handle the smallest single facility to global networks of related facilities.
Visit www.s2sys.com
ISC West Booth No. 10117
Product Category:


text:
FAW necessitava di un nuovo design di pagina web con programmazione e ha lanciato un contest su 99designs.
È stato scelto un vincitore tra 24 design presentati da 9 designer.
Need a creative design for a legal client that wants an independent blog to help people that blow the whistle on companies. This is the first of numerous blogs being designed into a blog network so the winner will be in pole position for more work. Needs to be easy to make SEO adjustments, add widgets etc. I am happy to answer questions.
Whistleblowers Protection
Desired Color Scheme:
open - see disc.
Desired Style:
Creative - easy - 2.0 not stuffy / busy see disc. for details
This contest is for the full design of a WordPress Blog and a great opportunity for the winning designer.
The site will focus on helping, advising and discussing whistleblowing in a corporation. (Think Enron, Worldcom etc.)
The visitors to the site will typically be people who have reported fraud in companies or those that think they may need to report corrupt management or practices.
The tone of the site should be relaxed and authoritative. The Blogger is a legal client of ours and wants to try blawgs as a means of helping people and for finding potential clients. It will not be branded by the law firm so you are free and encouraged to let your vision flow.
Be Creative! It is important that it retain a credible expert feel without being complicated, busy or stuffy. We are here to help people and to get good information out.
My preference would be to overhaul an existing template known as adflex blog available for download free here
http://www.vklabs.com/wordpress/ I am fine of course with keeping the links to the creators vkLabs (and potentially yours). There is a small advantage in winning if this template is used.
I do NOT really like the style/layout of this template, I love the flexibility of it and for the speed and ease of doing little adjustments, especially SEO without diving into the code at all...
If you cannot use this template then my preference would be a 3 column content-left layout.
General direction
2.0 clean & easy to read (probably light background)
expert / authority feel but not stuffy. think reliable, trustworthy, solid
This site is about helping people report fraud properly, laws around this action,
their rights, dangers and recovering.
Photo headers etc are fine but you must be able to sell final design if you win, photo costs you will need to cover.
The central theme is about whistleblowers protection
No set colors. Purple, Toned off red, solid blue your call - be creative, logical and easy on the eye.
A couple of sample blawgs (law blogs) are
http://madisonian.net/ I like the slider - neat. Its clean. 3 column, content left
http://lawyerlike.blogspot.com/ very different but pleasant blawg design. nice yet simple
http://www.mayitpleasethecourt.com/journal.asp? overdone a bit and busy - but it is unique
One final point is simplicity for users and blogger. This is a first time blogger so aim for it to look fine only to have a fairly short
homepage with a 2 to 5 recent posts in summary , I do not see this blog ever needing more than 3 or 4 post intros on the index and I would
consider slightly larger font or narrower content column so length of blog is not a weakness, however this is not a huge factor.
I will be checking for questions every couple hours or email me. I am happy to do a short call (english) as well if that
would help, just email me to arrange around our time zones.
email is JollyRogerX (@) gmail (.) com
As a final note I am Chief at a Marketing Company and have other blogs, blawgs and projects. This design will
be the seed to what will be a Blawg network and winning this is key to the inside track to quite a bit more... Good solid work is rewarded.
We urge you to enter and to contact us so we can keep a look out for your design... We pay the winner fast.
We prefer the the new blog to be installed (notify us prior to close if not possible) hosting with latest clean WP will be provided.
Brand, Tagline optional if you have ideas feel free to make suggestions.


text:
- Format:Paperback
- Subject(s):History
- Author(s):Quentin Deakin
- Available from: September 2000
An engaging range of period texts and theme books for AS and A Level history.
Send a Query×
Seventeenth-century Europe was characterised by war, rebellion, social upheaval, economic expansion and scientific discovery. In this accessible book, Quentin Deakin addresses key issues central to an understanding of the period: Why did the Thirty Years' War break out in 1618. How did Richelieu and Mazarin extend the power of France? Why did Spain decline and Holland enter its 'golden age'? Why was there a European witch hunt in the first half of the seventeenth century? And was there, indeed a 'scientific revolution'? The book is illustrated and contains a range of primary sources.
- Contents
The AS textbooks are ideal for students who have never studied the history of these periods before. they provide detailed background information on the period studied, and include notes explaining key terms, lists of significant dates, and focus questions to consolidate learning.
All of the AS titles have been endorsed by OCR for use with their AS specification for history, and several of the titles will also be appropriate for Edexcel and AQA study units.
Many of the books include a seperate document section, where students can study and evaluate a range of source material.
Shorter themed books explore particular topics in greater depth. The topics examined can be linked with the period covering foundation texts, providing students and teachers with flexibillity in structuring A Level courses.
- Introduction
- 1. The people divided
- 2. Powers and faiths
- 3. France: Richelieu
- 4. France: Mazarin
- 5. Revolt and decline in Spain: Lerma and Olivares
- 6. The extent of decline in Spain
- 7. The economic and social foundation of the United Provinces
- 8. Causes of the Thirty Years' War
- 9. The war and its consequences
- 10. The European witch hunt
- 11. The 'Scientific revolution'
- Index.
Latest newsAll news
01 June 2020
TOK-bite video 3 (part 1): how to make TOK relevant to learners
Video tips from our expert Cambridge TOK authors.
Catalogues & Ordering
Please sign in to access your account
Not already registered? Create an account now. ×
Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service.
If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly.×


text:
ART HISTORY ON-DEMAND Cultures and Civilizations copyright dedecms
Many accepted traditions of Western culturein philosophy and government as well as in art and architecturewere first defined in Greece centuries ago. The Greek concept of beauty was based on a pleasing balance and proportion of form. The design of graceful columned Greek temples has influenced architecture from the Renaissance to modern times. Greek sculpture established an ideal standard for the human form that served as a model for artists in ages to come. ��������dedecms
People have lived in the area of Greece for thousands of years. Two great cultures developed in the region during the Bronze Age (about - B.C.). One was located on the island of Crete. It is called the Minoan culture after the legendary King Minos. The other was located on the Greek mainland. It is known as the Mycenaean culture after the city of Mycenae. The Mycenaean culture flourished slightly later than the Minoan and was greatly influenced by it.At the end of the Bronze Age, the Mycenaean culture disappeared. Many of the old sites were burned down or abandoned. New settlements were established. For several hundred years the area entered what has been called the Dark Ages. People continued to live in the area, but in smaller, isolated groups. Painted pottery, a characteristic art form of ancient Greece, continued to be made. Few buildings of this time survive because they were made of wood and mud brick. ֯�κã���֯��
The Geometric Period (- B.C.) ��������dedecms
After about B.C., a rebirth occurred. Small settlements grew into cities. Sanctuaries (places of worship) were founded. And people began to create art in great quantities once again throughout the region. ��������dedecms
In pottery painting, a new style of decoration developed. It was based on geometric designs--s, dots, and straight and angled lines. Human figures were introduced by the s B.C. They first appeared on large pots used as burial monuments. These early, primitive silhouette figures marked the first depiction of people in Greek art. As artists began to portray the natural curves of the human body, the angular figures were gradually replaced with more rounded and realistic shapes. ֯�κã���֯��
Architecture during this period still consisted of small structures of wood or mud brick. Sculpture was mainly small figurines. copyright dedecms
The Orientalizing Period (- B.C.) ֯�κã���֯��
Beginning about B.C., Greek art was greatly influenced by art from Egypt and other advanced civilizations in the Near East (part of western Asia, which was once known as the Orient). In a remarkably short time, the geometric style of vase painting was replaced by a bolder, more expressive style as artists experimented with Eastern images. These foreign influences are particularly evident in art produced in the city of Corinth. Potters there made colorful vases decorated with animal figuressuch as owls or roaring lionsas well as rosettes and other Eastern designs. ��������dedecms
The Archaic Period (- B.C.) ֯�κã���֯��
It was during the Archaic period that Greek art and architecture attained its distinctive style. In some ways this style was a combination of the old geometric style and the newer influences from the East. ֯�κã���֯��
Architecture dedecms.com
After about B.C., the Greeks began building temples to honor their gods. Greek temples were built in three different styles, or orders: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Each of these styles is best identified by the distinctive design of its columns and capitals (the decorated tops of the columns).
The Doric order was developed by the Dorian tribes on the Greek mainland. It had a , sturdy, and relatively undecorated design. Unlike the other orders, Doric columns had no base. The Ionic order was developed by the Ionian Greeks living along the coast of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). It was more delicate and ornate than the Doric order. And it had longer and more slender columns that were often topped with a spiral or scroll-shaped capital. The Corinthian order developed in the city of Corinth during the classical period, well after the Doric and Ionic styles. It is a variation of the Ionic. But its capitals have carved acanthus leaves instead of scrolls. ֯�κã���֯��
Inside the Greek temple was a smaller, freestanding structure called a cella. The cella was surrounded by a row of columns (a colonnade). Inside the cella was a statue of the god to whom the particular temple was dedicated.
The Archaic period saw a rapid development in the portrayal of the human figure. At the beginning of the period, sculptors began to carve life-sized and larger figures of men and women for use in sanctuaries and grave monuments. These figures had stiff upright postures. Males were typically portrayed nude. Their arms were close to their sides and one leg was extended slightly forward in a style adopted from Egyptian sculpture. Females were clothed in elaborately draped garments. Like all Greek sculpture, the statues were painted with many colors.
By the end of the period, sculpture had become much more realistic. Poses were less stiff and more natural. The drapery on female figures ter reflected the shape of the underlying body. Figures were also more idealized. This means they were meant to depict the ideal male or female form.
Painting ֯�����ݹ���ϵͳ
Although the art of wall painting was popular in ancient Greece, few examples remain today. However, many examples of vase painting have survived. By the Archaic period the depiction of human and animal figures had reached new heights. ֯�κã���֯��
Two different techniques were used for vase painting at this time. The earliest is called black-figure painting. It was invented in Corinth in the s B.C. Figures were painted with liquid clay, which turned a glossy black when fired in a special oven called a kiln. The black silhouettes were then given details by incising, or scratching, lines through them to reveal the red clay body of the vase. Details were emphasized by white or red paint.
About B.C., a new technique, red-figure painting, reversed this color scheme. Backgrounds were painted black and the figures--more natural and lifelike than those in black-figure painting--were left in the color of the clay. Details were added with diluted black paint. Additional colors were rarely used. Scenes from mythology and, later, everyday human life were popular. Many vases were signed, indicating a pride in craftsmanship.
On other vases, the whole background was sometimes painted an ivory white. The figures stood out more strikingly on this white background. Details were highlighted by the use of red, blue, yellow, or brown. These white-ground vases are rarer than black- or red-figured ones.
The Classical Period (- B.C.) ֯�κã���֯��
Scholars date the beginning of the classical period with the invasion of Greece by the Persians and its end with the death of Alexander the Great. During the second half of the s B.C., Athens, which had emerged as the most powerful Greek city-state, was the center of Greek art. Even after its defeat by the city of Sparta in the Peloponnesian War (- B.C.), Athens artistic achievements continued to influence Greek art.
copyright dedecms
The Parthenon was built ween and B.C. on the ruins of an earlier temple destroyed by the Persians. It is considered the greatest example of the Doric order. Larger than the standard temple, it measures feet ( meters) long and / feet ( meters) wide. It has eight columns across the front and back, and down each side. The Parthenon was built entirely of marble. It was decorated with magnificent sculptures portraying various battles, a procession of Athenians honoring the Greek goddess Athena, and scenes from Athenas life. Although now a ruin, the Parthenon still stands today, dominating Athens Acropolis (the highest point of the city). (For more information on the Parthenon, see the Wonder Question, What are the Elgin Marbles? accompanying this article.)
The Erechtheum was built on the Acropolis about years after the Parthenon. It has the slim proportions and decorative details typical of the Ionic order. Unlike most other temples, the Erechtheum has porches extending from both sides. One of the porches is the mous Porch of the Maidens. It has columns in the shapes of female figures.
Another notable Doric temple is the temple of Apollo at Bassae. Built ween and B.C., its interior contains the earliest known Corinthian columns. After the s B.C., architects continued to work with the Doric and Ionic orders. But they tended to add ornamentation and experiment further with combining the orders in a single building. ��������֯��
Among the other architectural forms created by the Greeks during this period were the stoa and the theater. The stoa was a long roofed hall or promenade that had a solid back wall and a colonnade at the front. The structure was used as a shopping center, a law court, or simply a shelter from the weather. Stoas were also used to enclose spaces, such as markets. Theaters were an important part of every Greek city. They were usually situated against a hill where the audience could sit to watch the performances. Performances were dedicated to Dionysus, the god of wine.
Few original sculptures of the classical period survive. Much of what is known about the great sculptors of this age comes from copies made by the Romans. The Romans also recorded the names of many Greek artists in their writings. copyright dedecms
The growing interest in realism, as well as in the idealization of the human body, can be seen in a mous early classical sculpture called the Discus-Thrower. It was carved about B.C. by Myron of Thebes. But it is known today only from a Roman copy. The athlete is caught in mid-movement, at the instant he is about to hurl the discus. Another mous example is the Charioteer (about B.C.). This life-size bronze statue was discovered at the great sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi. Bronze was a vorite material from which to make statues in the early s B.C. However, very few large bronze statues have survived because they were melted down long ago to make useful objects, such as spearheads.
Classical sculpture peaked after the middle of the s. Two of the greatest sculptors of this period were Phidias and Polyclitus. Phidias was known for his sculptures of the gods. He was in charge of the sculptures created for the Parthenon. Two colossal gold-and-ivory statues of Zeus and Athena were his masterpieces. Both are now known only from descriptions. Polyclitus specialized in statues of athletes. His works, such as the Spearbearer, firmly established the ideal measurements and proportions of the body. The pose of this figure, with one leg drawn back and the weight of the body shifted onto the other leg, continued to be used throughout the history of art. ֯�����ݹ���ϵͳ
Relief sculpture--sculpture carved to stand out from a flat background--often decorated temples. The long horizontal bands called friezes that ran above Ionic columns often featured relief sculptures of human and animal figures. An example is the frieze that runs along the outer top of the Parthenons cella.
Between and , the influence of Athens on Greek art declined. A variety of differing styles emerged. The great sculptor Praxiteles introduced a soft, subtle style. In his Hermes and the Innt Dionysus (about B.C.), he portrays the gods in graceful human form with relaxed, leaning poses. In contrast, another sculptor, Scopas, conveyed strong emotions by his use of twisting, active poses. A third sculptor, Lysippus, introduced a new system of proportions for the human form. He made the head smaller and the limbs longer. Lysippus was the court sculptor for Alexander the Great. ֯�����ݹ���ϵͳ
Except for vase painting, very little painting has survived from the classical period. Literary works of the time note the names of individual painters as well as their use of realism, color, shading, and perspective. (Perspective is the technique of showing the illusion of distance on the flat suce of a painting). The work of a vase painter of the mid-s B.C. known only as the Niobid Painter provides evidence of some of these techniques. The Niobid Painter did not arrange his figures in a row, as was common in red-figure vase painting. Instead, he arranged them on different levels and in different sizes to show perspective. During this period, red-figure painting became more ornate as more color and even gilding (coating with gold) was used. By about B.C. red-figure vase painting had died out in Athens. Simpler non-figured designs took its place.
As early as the s B.C., the Greeks began creating mosaics. Mosaics are pictures formed by laying small colored stones, pieces of marble, or glass in cement. In early mosaics, black and white river pebbles were set into cement floors to depict animals, flowers, or scenes from mythology. The mosaics served as decorative floor coverings in important rooms of a house. ֯�����ݹ���ϵͳ
The Hellenistic Period (- B.C.)
The period ween the death of Alexander the Great in B.C. and Romes conquest of Greece in B.C. is known as the Hellenistic period. During this time Greek culture continued to influence the many non-Greek people conquered by Alexander throughout the Middle East. The Roman Empire later spread Greeces influence throughout most of Europe and into northern Africa. dedecms.com
Architecture ֯�����ݹ���ϵͳ
Architects working in many parts of the Greek world continued to use all three orders, particularly the Corinthian. The Corinthian order was used as the basis for a similar design used throughout the Roman Empire. Architects also began combining different styles of decoration and changing the proportions of various elements in buildings. With the rise of great cities, urban architecture flourished. And the invention of the stone arch offered new possibilities of construction. ��������֯��
Hellenistic sculpture reflected the variety and diversity of Hellenistic society. Sculpture was still used for dedications and grave monuments. But art was also used as decoration and propaganda (created to persuade others). Although the earlier classical styles were still somewhat influential, Hellenistic sculpture portrayed not only youthful adults in peak physical form but also children and the very old, often in stark realism bordering on melodrama. For instance, one sculpture portrays a boxer seated on a rock, his ce and body realistically battered. Perhaps the most original Hellenistic sculpture comes from the small kingdom of Pergamon, on the coast of modern-day Turkey. Here the great Altar of Zeus was erected ween and B.C. It commemorates the victory of the Pergamenes against an invading tribe of Gauls (a Celtic people from the area of France). A relief frieze around the altar shows a battle of gods and giants. It suggests that the defeat of the Gauls had the scale and drama of a mythological struggle. copyright dedecms
Two of the most mous sculptures of ancient Greece date from about this period. The Venus de Milo, or the Aphrodite of Melos, was carved from marble by an unknown artist. The statue is missing its arms. But it is an outstanding example of the idealization of the human form. The Winged Victory of Samothrace is also by an unknown artist. It depicts the Greek goddess Nike standing on the prow of a ship with her wings spread wide and her garment flowing in the wind.
Unlike painting from earlier periods, some original Greek paintings from the Hellenistic period have survived to modern times. They are mainly found in the tombs of Macedonians (people from Macedon, a region in northern Greece). The complicated composition and the use of colors and perspective found in these works indicate that wall paintings produced in ancient Greece at this time were of high quality.
Mosaics dedecms.com
Methods of mosaics improved during the Hellenistic period. Instead of pebbles, small cubes of cut stone or glass were used and laid in more intricate patterns. A mous Hellenistic mosaic found in the Roman city of Pompeii depicts Alexander the Great leading the Macedonians against the Persians. This and other mosaics may have been copies of Hellenistic paintings. Like the paintings, they were colorful and complex works of art. ֯�κã���֯��
William R. Biers
Professor Emeritus ��������֯��
University of Missouri, Columbia
Author, The Archaeology of Greece: An Introduction�Ը���Ů����.�Ը���Ů����.�Ը���Ů����. dedecms.com


text:
September 18, 2008
What motivates a walk-on? Clemson University's role players speak
By Scott Keepfer
CLEMSON -- Behind every James Davis, theres a Ronald Watson.
Behind every Michael Hamlin, theres a Kantrell Brown.
Behind every Thomas Austin, theres a Ben Ramsey.
But while their well-known counterparts steal the headlines, Watson, Brown and Ramsey roam the sidelines.
Theyre the walk-ons on the Clemson football team -- players who endure the practices, the hits, the pain and the long hours without benefit of an athletic scholarship.
Some do it for love of the game, others for love of the school, and still others for both reasons, but theyre certainly not doing it for the money.
Im here because I want to be here, not because theyre paying me (with a scholarship), Ramsey said.
Try as they might, most walk-ons are far removed from Saturday afternoon glory, often only visible under the heading Tiger Reserves in your Clemson football program. But each has a story.
Walk-ons were good high school players, but probably not blue-chippers. Some suffered injuries, which tends to bring a premature end to the recruiting process.
Almost all had offers from smaller schools, but opted for Clemson because they felt some connection to the school or sought the challenge of playing at the Division I level.
I can remember coming to games when I was in high school and watching them run down the hill and the hair would stand up on my neck, Ramsey said. I thought, Just give me any chance in the world to do that once or twice.
As a reserve behind starting center Thomas Austin, Ramsey has gotten that chance several times in the past two seasons.
A redshirt sophomore out of Greensboro, N.C., Ramsey is a top-tier walk-on, if you will, having played about 50 snaps last season and 20 in the Tigers recent victory against The Citadel.
And he actually played last season on scholarship before losing it due to a high number of incoming recruits.
Its a year-to-year thing, said Ramsey, who broke his leg three games into his senior season at Greensboros Grimsley High School. Thats just the way it goes. I looked at it as they paid for a year of my school, and thats a year my mom and dad didnt have to pay for, so I was nothing but appreciative and thankful.
Ramseys father and sister both attended Clemson, so when assistant coach Brad Scott promised him a shot -- even as a walk-on -- he was quick to jump at the chance.
A lot of people would give their right arm to be on the team and to travel and to play, Ramsey said. Its a heckuva ride, just being a part of it.
At the other end of the spectrum is Watson, a walk-on who has never been on scholarship and never been on the field during a game.
Hes been a running back at Clemson for three years, but his playing time has been confined to toting the ball on the scout team, where hes counted on to mimic the opposing teams running back on a weekly basis.
Watson, whose father, Ronald Sr., was a letter-winner as a freshman on Clemsons national championship team in 1981 and later a starting defensive back, played at South Florence High, where he was team captain as a senior.
In addition to his father, Watsons mother graduated with degrees in microbiology and nursing at Clemson, so the younger Watsons choice was obvious.
I figured I didnt have a choice, Watson said, laughing. Clemson was the only school I applied to.
Like many of his fellow walk-ons, Watson says he regularly hears comments from students who want to know why he remains with the team. His answer is simple.
I dont quit -- Ive never quite anything in my life, Watson said.
So what satisfaction does he derive from being a Tiger?
Just being around my friends, Watson said. Everybody on the team has this relationship I just cant describe, a bond. I love these boys. They keep me going.
Watsons perseverance on the field also has paid dividends in the classroom -- hell graduate next fall with a degree in civil engineering.
Kantrell Brown falls somewhere in between. Hes a redshirt freshman from Saint Matthews and Calhoun County High, where he was an all-area receiver and safety.
I had offers from Howard and S.C. State, but I just wanted to play at the D1 level, Brown said. I knew it was going to be a process -- its still a process -- but Im still working. Youve got to keep fighting. Thats what Im aiming for, a scholarship. Thats the biggest goal.
Walk-on success stories arent common, but there have been some notable ones, including Steve Ryan, who came to Clemson as a walk-on and left as an All-Atlantic Coast Conference defensive back in the late 1970s.
Brown dreams of as much.
Working at third-team safety and keeping an eye on Michael Hamlin in hopes of gleaning some skills, Brown got in for two plays a couple Saturdays ago against The Citadel and came up big with two special teams tackles.
It was pretty fun, Brown said. I got a couple of handshakes, a couple of people saying, Good job.


text:
New guidance from the EEOC classifies HIV/AIDS as a workplace disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, reports POZ.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency responsible for enforcing laws against workplace discrimination, has released the final revised version of its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations, according to an EEOC statement. The EEOC's new regulations clarify that impairments of major bodily functions-such as being HIV positive-qualify as disabilities under the law. The revisions were triggered by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, which overturned a number of Supreme Court rulings that defined "disability" narrowly, reinforcing the inclusive intentions of the original legislation.
The full EEOC statement can be read HERE.
This is very good news. The new regs will have a major impact on HIV positive persons ability to receive Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Disability benefits. It will also impact private, employment-based health insurance and disability coverage.
Persons living with HIV/AIDS are already protected from discrimination by the Americans with Disabilities Act.


text:
John Mayer must have been high when he did this interview with Playboy. Not that I disagree with anything he said, but you know the Axis of PC is gonna be calling for his dreaded n-word pass to be revoked.
PLAYBOY: If you didn't know you, would you think you're a douche bag?
MAYER: It depends on what I picked up. My two biggest hits are "Your Body Is a Wonderland" and "Daughters." If you think those songs are pandering, then you'll think I'm a douche bag. It's like I come on very strong. I am a very…I'm just very. V-E-R-Y. And if you can't handle very, then I'm a douche bag. But I think the world needs a little very. That's why black people love me.
PLAYBOY: Because you're very?
MAYER: Someone asked me the other day, "What does it feel like now to have a hood pass?" And by the way, it's sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass, you could call it a nigger pass. Why are you pulling a punch and calling it a hood pass if you really have a hood pass? But I said, "I can't really have a hood pass. I've never walked into a restaurant, asked for a table and been told, 'We're full.'"
PLAYBOY: It is true; a lot of rappers love you. You recorded with Common and Kanye West, played live with Jay-Z.
MAYER: What is being black? It's making the most of your life, not taking a single moment for granted. Taking something that's seen as a struggle and making it work for you, or you'll die inside. Not to say that my struggle is like the collective struggle of black America. But maybe my struggle is similar to one black dude's.
PLAYBOY: Do black women throw themselves at you?
MAYER: I don't think I open myself to it. My dick is sort of like a white supremacist. I've got a Benetton heart and a fuckin' David Duke cock. I'm going to start dating separately from my dick.
PLAYBOY: Let's put some names out there. Let's get specific.
MAYER: I always thought Holly Robinson Peete was gorgeous. Every white dude loved Hilary from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. And Kerry Washington. She's superhot, and she's also white-girl crazy. Kerry Washington would break your heart like a white girl. Just all of a sudden she'd be like, "Yeah, I sucked his dick. Whatever." And you'd be like, "What? We weren't talking about that." That's what "Heartbreak Warfare" is all about, when a girl uses jealousy as a tactic.


text:
Tyrion must return for season five of Game of Thrones. When it comes to Melisandre we are all rooting for Jon Snow, quite literally. The Wall is cold, and a man needs a burning desire.
Remember Gendry? Surely he will play a part in the Lady Stoneheart plot.
Daenerys' storyline needs more action, and fast.
(Spoiler alert: If you haven't read all of the Game of Thrones books, do not read on.)
On mourning the loss of Game of Thrones for another year (April, 2015 just can't come quick enough), thoughts immediately turn to next season and why there are certain elements of George R.R. Martin's books that devoted readers want to see come to fruition on the screen, and quickly.
For example it became blatantly apparent on Twitter shortly after the season-four finale ended that book fans were disappointed that Lady Stoneheart did not make her entrance in what would have been a pretty amazing teaser for next season.
But on reflection, I can see why showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff didn't want to introduce her just yet. Don't forget there is still that tantalising element for TV viewers of not knowing who Lady Stoneheart is, and the series will get to draw out the terror that Lord Walder Frey's men experience at the hands of some mysterious bunch of murderous bandits. Followed by the big unveil to Brienne of Tarth.
That's a whole series there, so my bet is that Stoneheart will help launch the new season.
Interwoven with that is the reintroduction of Gendry, who we last left sailing away in season three while escaping from Dragonstone, and where he will be placed going forward. I suspect he has a greater role in the story than even the books have alluded to yet. He, Jon Snow and Ramsay Bolton are the bastards upon which a great number of plot lines can still be centred (claims to the Iron Throne, anyone?). And before you start commenting that Jon, like most of the Starks, will meet a bloody end, I disagree.
Hasn't Lady Stoneheart taught us anything?
Getting back to season five, Jon Snow's ascension to Lord Commander is clearly next, now Stannis Baratheon has arrived at the Wall. But as a fan of both book and the show, I really want to know whether Weiss and Benioff plan on making Melisandre a complicating love interest. It was only a look, but what a tantalising look she gave Jon through the smoke of Castle Black's burning bodies during the finale. And we know Jon has a thing for women who have been "kissed by fire" – Melisandre comes straight off a Redheads match box.
Although the book never goes there, we know how much sex and naked bodies have been a staple of the show and there were plenty of hints coming from Sam Tarly, as well as possibly Wildling-king Mance. Sam pointing out that the vows taken by men of the Night's Watch never explicitly meant celibacy (although this could just be in reference to his own desire for Gilly), but when coupled with Mance's suggestion that Ygritte was not enough to turn Jon, suggests Jon's days of naked romps may not yet be over (challenge accepted Melisandre?). Which will certainly make for an interesting dynamic with Stannis, although knowing him he might condone Jon spending a little time in a (ahem) bushfire in exchange for ensnaring him as Warden of the North (I'm not sure if they'll bother with Mance's Wildling sister-in-law).
Then there are the Stark girls, who we can see from Sansa's new dark do are going to really come into their element rather than being led around by men in their lives. The trouble is that the books don't really offer much in the way of Sansa's story going forward, except that Robin seems to accept her as a surrogate mother. The TV show has already fast-tracked Littlefinger's creepy crush and added her bad-ass element, which for many of us who have defended Sansa's character (based on the books' insights) is a welcome twist. So she may not return for season five but perhaps season six (by then Martin may have written another book (fingers crossed) but I have to acknowledge that three more TV seasons have been commissioned without him publishing another word.
Or, going off plot and thinking outside of the box, could Sansa eventually lead the northern revolt against Ramsay Bolton (instead of Lord Wyman Manderly)? She has declared herself publicly to the Vale, and reminded them of their failings to her family. And I'm guessing that Ramsay needs to carry out the charade of marrying Arya Stark, who is really Sansa's friend Jeyne Poole (returned from the dead), to continue the plot line, as well as give him something sadistic to do. The role of Jeyne is the salvation of Reek (aka Theon Greyjoy) and the motive for Jon to send a rescue team to Winterfell. I doubt Ramsay's sicko girlfriend (randomely introduced in the show) can fill that void.
But really Arya is where all the visual fun and excitement is at, especially upon landing in Braavos. Yet I suspect that her introduction to the Faceless Men of the House of Black and White may still be a way off, as it was in the books, which will allow her to simply become a street urchin for a while. A murderous one, don't get me wrong, but she has a language to learn and a new port city to explore (although in the books she wasn't quite in Braavos – but surely that would be too confusing for watchers).
And when it comes to new things, there are a plethora of new characters yet to be introduced. Which leads me to disagree with Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson, who wrote that next season the show will morph into something unrecognisable, and not as good.
"Certain beloved characters will stay stuck and stagnant (anyone hoping that Daenerys will get out of the dang slave desert anytime soon should probably stop holding their breath), while a bunch of new characters are introduced who, as far as any of us have read anyway, really don't have anything interesting to do," Lawson claims.
"Will viewers be happy to meet more salty, stolid Iron Islanders? Will various antics involving other Dornish folk intrigue them as much as Oberyn's plotline did? I'm just not sure they will."
Shame on Lawson, for dismissing all the action in Dorne so swiftly. The repercussions of Oberyn's death on the Sand Snakes and Cersei Lannister's daughter, Princess Myrcella, provide a great deal of new political intrigues, sex scenes and betrayals. Which in turn spawns some of Martin's most-inspired material since the Red Wedding – revenge plots on the House of Lannister.
Enter Young Griff (although strictly speaking he's not the only Martell iron in the fire). This new character had me jumping up and down with glee, made all the more delightful that it is through Tyrion that we get to meet him. And let's face it, I don't think any TV fan can go without Tyrion for a whole season, so I would stake my fictional character's life (if I had been so lucky as to have won Martin's offer of being written into one of his books) that we will meet Young Griff in series five. And Tyrion's adventure is so action-packed that it would no doubt take three seasons to play out.
I only hope (unlike the books) Varys plays a part in guiding Young Griff into the lives of TV viewers, because the eunich, played brilliantly by Northern Irish actor Conleith Hill, was well missed in season four.
You also have all the developing fun of King's Landing as Margaery and Cersei wrestle for control of Tommen (of which I relish the day that Cersei makes that famous walk through the city). But there is much to come in the way of Cersei befriending and bedding Taena Merryweather, empowering the Faith Militant and losing Jaime, as he is once again road-bound for Riverrun and eventually Brienne.
I also can't imagine Lady Oleanna sitting idly by as Cersei self-sabotages (as she mostly did in the books) since the Queen of Thorns is Highgarden's Tywin Lannister (a real prick). I think her's will mostly be an Agatha Christie plot, full of mystery and twists, as Cersei digs further into Joffrey's death.
Not to mention the fact that season four did not kill off the Martell's sworn enemy, The Mountain – who at the hands of Qyburn-Frankenstein sounds like he's about to become a monster. To what end, who knows?
And just for the blood and gore factor there is always the rebellion against Daenerys Targaryen. But I have to admit her storyline needs to ramp up radically, even if it means fast-tracking the action of much later chapters. In that much, Lawson and I agree.
Iron Islanders be damned, they will just be a pawn in the much bigger chess game that Game of Thrones thrives on and has kept us hooked from the begining. Because in the game of thrones you win or you die. Valar Morghulis!


text:
Tex hopes to provide Yanks with stability at first
ST. PETERSBURG -- Mark Teixeira is hoping to restore some normalcy to the Yankees' first-base position, as the five-time Gold Glove Award winner was activated from the 15-day disabled list before Sunday's 5-1 extra-innings win over the Rays at Tropicana Field.
Teixeira strained his right hamstring on April 4 in Toronto, and in his absence, the Yankees were forced to use a mishmash of fill-in first basemen. Kelly Johnson entered the season with three career games at first base, while Francisco Cervelli and Scott Sizemore had never played the position before this season.
"They did a great job," Teixeira said. "We have a lot of good athletes over there, guys who have played all over the infield. It's not like we took a big DH and threw him over there and said, 'Good luck.' So those guys did great."
Teixeira, who batted fifth on Sunday, was 2-for-6 with a fielding error in the contest -- his third miscue in five games this season. Still, Teixeira said that his hamstring felt fine, and noted that he would have fought harder to stay in the lineup if the injury had happened later in the season.
"It felt good pretty much right away," Teixeira said. "I wasn't sprinting, that's the thing. What you don't want to do is push it too early, and we didn't. We were really smart about it, and it feels good."
Teixeira's return creates some uncertainty for hot-hitting rookie Yangervis Solarte. Manager Joe Girardi had Solarte penciled in the lineup on Sunday, playing third base, and it is possible that Solarte and Johnson could platoon at third base. Solarte could also see time at second base as a super sub behind Brian Roberts.
"All these guys are going to play. I think it's important that they all play, that you keep them all fresh, that you make sure that they're all involved in case you do have an injury or something," Girardi said.
"With the age on our team, I think that everyone is going to play. There will be plenty of opportunities to play everybody. Just think about how much [Ichiro Suzuki] has played already."


text:
UVA was up 10 with 42 seconds left in their ACC tournament game with Miami. That's a lead that a Bill James formula defines as 100 percent safe. Then, this happened: Miami three, missed free throws, Miami three, turnover, Miami dunk, turnover, Miami layup.
Perhaps even worse, from first three to tying basket only took 24 seconds. Virginia was lucky to get it to (and lose in) overtime.
[via DC Sports Bog]


text:
k3nn4 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 216 diseños de 69 diseñadores freelance.
We are a IT Computer Shop that aims to provide the following service to the general public:
-Outstanding customer experience
-Sustainably connecting people with new technology, and improving the quality of life for all.
-Make the Latest Technology affordable for everyone
We will also be manufacturing our own laptop and other computer hardware, thus having a logo that represent our company is important to us.
we will require that to go on our products.
General Public, from all ages who uses computer.
We would prefer a logo with a more stylish look to it, to enable to carry the message across that the new generation is here.
I would prefer logos base on the letters of "GEEKS TECHNOLOGY", be creative around the company name.
I need logo that can be used on both BLACK and WHITE background.
CORPORATE LOOK Design is preferable
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.