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Photographer Zacharie Gaudrillot-Roy Makes Intriguing Lonely Facades Photo Collages
French photographer Zacharie Gaudrillot-Roy is fascinated by facades and front facing walls.
Whether it's from a house, a shop, or the most mundane building, he captures its essence in a mesmerizing way: he digitally erased the rest of the buildings, only leaving the one wall that still stands. In the shadow of the end of the day, only enlighten by a few streetlights, his facades stand alone, telling different stories. A gorgeous series.
More info: Zacharie Gaudrillot-Roy, Instagram, Facebook (h/t: fubiz)
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subset: commoncrawl


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Remember that popups can be a distracting to limit their frequency below.
This beautiful dark blue herringbone tweed saddle cover is made from a fine piece of Scottish woven cloth and nicely framed with a soft cognac coloured leather rim. Too cool for skool! and incredibly comfortable to ride...
Also available in Slim-Fit for a narrow bicycle saddle.
As with all the PedalShed covers, this fine fella has three layers of textile, a unique top for style, an insulating middle layer for extra comfort and a splash proof base for protection from a wet saddle. Making your ride that much more enjoyable!


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yoga & pilates
these days, just about everyone wants to take good care of themselves and to stay in excellent shape. you want to remain strong and flexible for as long as you can, and one great way to stay in shape is through practicing yoga or pilates with the help of a specialized yoga and pilates mat and other handy yoga supplies. to properly practice yoga or pilates, you need the right work out gear. five below is here to help with all the best yoga mats, yoga and pilates mats, exercise mat bags, and pilates sets and kits. and the best part about getting your yoga and pilates gear at five below is that everything you need from pilates sets and kits to yoga mats is available on five below.
from 12-sided specialty yoga dice to pilates sets and kits and every color of yoga mat you can imagine, five below is your one-stop shop for all things exercise. exercise mat bags, yoga and pilates mats, yoga mats, and whatever else you need to stay in shape is available for a fantastically great price at five below. you can choose from lady's sports bras, cross training workout pads, yoga and pilates mats, water bottles and more. shopping for all the exercise mat bags and other essential gear you need to support your fitness regimen on five below means that you have cash left over for yoga and pilates classes and retreats.
pilates and yoga don't require much gear in order for you to get started. but you need to have some cash available to pay for instruction, because doing yoga or pilates without the proper introductory courses of instruction can lead to injury. make sure that you can afford the instruction you need in pilates or yoga, by saving dough shopping for all the exercise mat bags, yoga and pilates mats, yoga mats, and earbuds that you need to complete your work out.


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Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
Inspired by Tarangire National Park in southern Serengeti, Tanzania, the Tarangire evokes the beautiful array of greens, browns and yellows you can see there daily. The piece contains vintage blue/green Czech bugle beads surrounded by hematite, root beer, green and yellow Czech seed beads, tiny and lustrous African waist beads, and a few 100 year old Antique African Masai warrior beads. We are pleased to introduce modern handmade Krobo beads from Ghana, fair trade purchased from Soul of Somanya, in Signal Mountain, TN. Purchasing these beads helps local African craftsman earn a living at a fair price and keeps the tradition of bead making alive in Africa. See the detail picture for a good look at these beads. Elegant and casual at the same time, wear a piece of African tradition.
We gather our beads from all over the world, taking particular notice of those beads with culture, history and collectability, and string them on sturdy elastic cord. PLEASE READ OUR ABOUT PAGE FOR EXPLANATION OF BEAD VARIATION AND COLOR.
3-5 business days
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Just contact me within: 14 days of delivery
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But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.
We value your business and respect your privacy. Social networking journeymenbeads.com is not bad for the business, but bad for our customers. We want you to know that when you come to our site your data is as safe as we can get it. If we had a social presence we could not say that.
We make all our bracelets in standard women's and men's sizes. Our men's size can also be ordered for women as a double wrap anklet. Standard women's size is 22.5 inches for a three wrap, men's 24.5 inches. As always custom sizing is available and if you find the bracelet too tight or too big, we can always alter it an no charge. Just ask...
Yes of course! We can make any of our styles in any length. We also offer commission orders and will do our best to collaborate with you to get the best result. Remember, we only use vintage and antique beads so inventory may be gone when you ask for a customized style.
Many of our bracelets include antique bone, horn and natural seed beads. All of these are susceptible to damage from excessive moisture. We recommend not wearing them while swimming or exercising. Our metal beads and some of our bone beads will patina over time. This is normal and the original color pallet accounts for the transition in tone.


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Creating a Shattered Mind: On Writing Crazy Dead
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Creating a Shattered Mind: On Writing Crazy Dead
My desolate mind cannot erase
The darkness within…it's God's disgrace
There's not much left but a splintered soul
Why won't my psyche let me be whole…
—Bradley, age 19, fictional patient at a psychiatric ward
When I wrote Bradley's poem, the fourth book in the Cordi O'Callaghan mystery series, Crazy Dead, was born. My protagonist, university zoology professor, Cordi O'Callaghan, had suffered from depression in the earlier books and I had grappled with how well I could describe a person suffering from clinical depression while simultaneously have her solve a mystery during a stay at a psychiatric ward. Could Cordi do it?
While Cordi is recovering in hospital, she wakes one morning to find her roommate dead in her bed. Of course, Cordi sets out to find the murderer. I wanted to populate the book with suspects suffering from different sorts of mental illness, from schizophrenia and alcoholism to bipolar, panic, and obsessive compulsive disorders and clinical depression and to show that people with these illnesses are trying to live their lives and trying to control their illnesses through medication and cognitive behavioural therapy, with varying degrees of success. Having been there myself I know some of the problems.
The pain of mental illness, unlike a broken leg or a cancerous growth, can't be seen or X-rayed. Too often the mentally ill are marginalized as people who just can't pull up their socks. If only it were that simple. For example, clinical depression is common among people suffering from mental illness. All of us have been depressed at some point in our lives and have sucked it up and perhaps think we are experts, but clinical depression is desolation incarnate. It is a total loss of the desire to do, feel, think, or care about anything at all. A monstrous void. An empty shell. A shattered mind. It can develop from nothing. Often there is no reason for it. It hits hard and is merciless. There is no pulling up your socks or sucking it up with clinical depression. It requires medical attention to ease the psychological pain, just the way a serious physical ailment requires medical attention.
I, too, have been where Cordi is, when I have her admitted to a psychiatric ward in Toronto. Also, I ran a drop-in centre for schizophrenic youth in my early twenties. It was here that I met a young poet who later inspired the poem "God's disgrace". While Crazy Dead is not autobiographical, the first chapter and the psychiatric setting are patterned after my own experiences. And true to my secondary plot of mental illness, Crazy Dead deals with the real and the hallucinatory, and Cordi must tease out which is which.


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We started the 2015 Love4Gambia run on Tuesday morning, right at the border of Senegal and The Gambia. The first 5km are on a dirt road, but it looks more like a hiking trail! Since it's the end of the wet season (there are only 2 seasons in The Gambia: wet and dry), the roads are full of puddles and mud… But the good side about this time of the year, is that the nature is very green. I did have to stop a few times to take pictures. The Gambia is a beautiful country! 🙂
First day went really well. I had a week off running before my trip so I was super fresh, but I knew I had to take it easy because there were 16 more days of running in front of me. Yankuba, Pa Modou and Modou are an awesome support crew. There is always one guy running with me to keep me good company! And whenever I want to stop, right away they will offer me water, snacks and they will even massage me with the stick roller! This is what I call first class service!
The second day didn't start exactly the way we planned.. The jeep got stuck on a dirt road right at the back of the hotel (we wanted to take a short cut….lesson learned!). 2 hours later, we finally got it out with the help of a dozen really nice men that stopped to give us a hand. It's in the Gambian culture to help each other like that, it's wonderful!
But that means we started our run at the worst time of the day, around noon. It was very warm, humid and the roads were very muddy, but it is part of this whole experience, right?! It reminded me of a saying a friend told me before coming here: When things don't go to plan, they usually make good stories at the end of the day! That night, we were already laughing about it!
Today was my favorite day so far. We started the run on the trans-Gambia highway that leads to Banjul. No more dirty shoes! Yeah! Throughout the day, we had the chance to visit a few schools. The students are always so happy to meet and greet us! They want to shake our hands, take pictures with us and they always thank us for what we are doing. Their smile and energy are fuel for me, for my run. It's a great reminder of why I'm doing this.
I'm in heaven right now. So far, this experience is beyond my expectations. I'm doing what I love the most, running and traveling, while helping others. I'm really looking forward to the next two weeks! 🙂


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Older and Wiser ?
Went to the Toyota service center to fix a problem with the hatch door. Had a rude shock when the Girl at the counter(probably 20-22 years old) said
"It will be 120 dollars to diagnose the problem and then fixing will have separate charges".
Me : It is just a little door opener like the ones in the patio in my house. Why dont you just replace it ?
Girl : But what if it is just some sub component which can be changed for 3-4$ ?
Me : It is still going to cost me 120$ and an extra 3-4 $?
Girl : You are right. Let me see what I can do ..
Me : Isnt this covered under warranty ? please help me. give me a discount if there is one.
Girl : We normally dont do this. Okay, here is what I will do. The part is free because of warranty. The extra stuff we will do and I will subtract the 120$ towards the work we do! Anything to make you customers happy! (and she kind of smiled - it was not a condescending smile or a giggly smile.. just an all knowing smile)
Me : Fine, do it.
While she is filling out the paperwork, I get curious..
Me: Normally you guys dont do this type of thing. How come you are doing this ?
Girl : Actually you remind me of my dad !!!!! That is why I talked to the manager and got this for you !
Me: Do I look like your dad ?
Girl : (big laugh, her co-worker on the next terminal also starts laughing) NO! you talk like him !
For a second I was in shock. I am in my mid-thirties and I am already reminding a 20 year old girl of her Dad !! Do I really look that old ? Granted the only exercise I get is when my fingers type on a keyboard and I have long gotten used to my belly and the receeding hairline or the grey hairs ! But still ??
I was kind of relieved that it was my bargaining attempt that reminded the girl of her dad ! There is no shame in bargaining. I am not just getting older, I should be getting wiser too...


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I've always loved books—they were a temporary escape, a source of freedom, for me for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I primarily borrowed them from the library, but I also had a small, perpetually growing, personal collection. Most of them had been purchased second-hand from musty old shops with names like, "The Rabbit Hutch" or "Marshall's Attic" but some rare few were purchased new from a Scholastic book fair at my school. And they were almost always softcovers. Hardcover books were an incredible luxury and I owned only a very few until recently.
My first ever hardcover book was a copy of The Black Stallion by Walter Farley. It still have it. It is inscribed:
Merry Xmas Rhonda
Love Mom
1984 means I was eight years old when I received it. Eight years old and crazy about horses. I never owned a horse—oddly enough they tend to be even more expensive than hardcover books—but from Kindergarten to grade three I spent every lunch hour and recess playing 'Unicorns' with my friend Linda, and every Friday I'd sleep over at her house and we'd ride her horses. Her real horses.
A couple years later we moved and I made a new friend—Miranda. Miranda also had horses—Raven Chick and Mr. Tuxedo. We called them Raven and Tux (or Tuxy) for short, and I spent a lot of weekends at Miranda's farm. Weekends that always included some horse time.
While our mutual love of horses wasn't the only thing that informed my friendships with Linda and Miranda, horses were one of the reasons we were friends. Horse people attract other horse people—even beyond childhood. To this day a great many of my best friends and favourite people are horse people.
And of the horses themselves, what is the attraction?
I can't speak for anyone else but for me it's a whole lot of things. Physically they are gorgeous, gorgeous creatures. They've great, dark, gentle eyes that might just be the origin of that whole 'windows to the soul' idea. And they are so strong, so clever, so amazingly intelligent—yet they let us ride on their backs. Their spirits are wild, and they are freedom made physical.
There was a lot I wanted to escape from when I was younger, and what could possibly be a more romantic escape—more freeing—than galloping off into the sunset on the back of a horse?
Given how often horses, books and imagination had provided an escape for me (separately as well as in different combinations with one another) how could I possibly resist the idea of making the final installment in the Magical Menageries anthology series about horses? I could not.
I didn't have a good answer to that question either, which is why in this anthology you'll find stories of horses, and unicorns, and flying horses, and Sleipnir, and demon horses, and… you get the idea.
They are all here, waiting to gallop you away new worlds, new adventures with them. And the two things they all have in common is that they include an equine creature and an offer of freedom.
When I was re-reading these stories during the production process the themes of escape and freedom came up again. And again. And again.
I hadn't consciously chosen freedom-themed stories for Equus, but as it turned out, that's what I ended up with.
And given my history with horses and escape, I couldn't possibly be happier. Things worked out perfectly.


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This Week at Trinity
Sun Mar 30
Mon Mar 31 Pastor's Day Off
Tue Apr 1
Wed Apr 2
Thu Apr 3 Preschool Obstacle-A-Thon
Sun Apr 6 Fifth Sunday in Lent
Serving At Trinity
CR=Creston, MA=Mount Ayr
Sun Mar 30
Wed Apr 2
Sunday Apr 6
Serving in April
Serving in March
Attendance Report
3/23/14—Worship –106, C-78
3/19/14 –Lenten Worship—56
Lenten Congregational Pot Luck
Wednesday, April 9th at 5:30 pm.
Please join us for this time of fellowship and food.
~Mission Fest Sunday, April 6th, 2014~
Trinity Lutheran in Mount Ayr, IA
5 pm Light Supper
6 pm Program with Rev. Dan Vogel
Everyone is encouraged to attend!
Engaging Your Community Event
LCMS Rural & Small Town Mission
Reaching Rural America for Christ
Saturday, May 10th
8:00 am—3:00 pm
Trinity Lutheran Church—Mount Ayr
Featured Presenters:
Rev. Todd Kollbaum
Rev. Ray Smith
Understanding Your Community;
Life Together
Lenten meals will be served to confirmation students at 5:30 pm.
Thank you to everyone for the prayers for Bill Reidy and my family. For my travel to Indiana and home safely to Iowa . Your friendship means the world to me .. Thank You For Caring Marti Williams and family and my family in Indiana
WALTHER LEAGUE REUNION Plan to attend the Walther League Reunion on May 3 at Cronk's Restaurant in Denison. Registration begins at 3:30pm with social hour, business, and get-acquainted time. The buffet starts at 5pm. Cost is $12. Worship hour at Zion in Denison at 6:30pm. For more information or to RSVP, contact Janet Askew at 641-740-0200 or 641-742-3703.
We will now be serving a light lunch at all voters meetings as requested by members of the voter's assembly. Please contact the congregational president to volunteer to be the host.
What better way to train a child than to give them an opportunity to join the fun for Cub Weeks at Camp Okoboji on July 13 - 19th. The Camp Auxiliary is giving away scholarships for a week at camp for children who will have completed grades 3-6 as of June 2014. The path is simple. Complete an application (available on Narthex table). Children need to be members of a Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. They must in their own words 100 or less tell our board why they would love to go to camp this year. If they are selected, the auxiliary will pay the cost to attend Cub Weeks. Applications must be received in the camp office no later than April 14, 2014.
On Saturday, April 5th at 9:00 am members of the Worship/Altar Committee will meet to clean and polish the altar ware & furnishings in the chancel. Cleaning supplies will be provided. Thank you in advance to those who are able to help with this project. Questions? Contact Janette.
You are invited to come and join Rev. Nabil Nour (a native of Israel) on a spiritual journey to the Holy Land–Israel and Jordan, which will be a journey and experience of a lifetime. Information is on the Narthex table.
Stewardship: These days post-modernists may not have asked Jesus what sin the man born blind committed to end up as he did (John 9:2). But they may ask, "What purpose does he have? What quality of life does he have? "What can he contribute to society?" Jesus' answer would be the same, "that the works of God might be displayed in him" (9:3). Our meaning and purpose in life do not come from what we are able to do or not do, but from what God does in and through us. Prayer: Lord, whatever my circumstances, may Your works be displayed in me. Amen.
Building Healthy Families: Wives, want to build up your marriage? Stop and think about your husband's gifts. (No, not the ones he gave you for Christmas!) What are his talents? What are his spiritual gifts? What does he love to do? What are his accomplishments? Recognize them, name them, and communicate your respect for them . . . to him and to others. Lutheran Family Service of Iowa 515-251-4900.
Want Some Help to Make a Stronger Marriage? Lutheran Family Service can help. Visit http://helpingmarriageswork.com/ for tools and contact information to help you with the hard task of keeping your marriage on the right track.
Confession and Forgiveness is an emphasis of Lent. Please make an appointment for Private Confession / Absolution with Pastor Watt during Lent. Call Pastor Watt 515-462-0566 or e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com. Also available 6-7pm at the Creston Location without an appointment during Holy Week (April 14-18).
Members who are participating in the Adopt-A-Preschool Student are encouraged to attend the Preschool Obstacle-A-Thon April 3rd. Morning class will be at 1030am. Afternoon at 12:30pm.
WHERE DOCTRINE IS LIFE...Issues, Etc. is a radio talk show hosted by LCMS Pastor Todd Wilken and produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL. This week's topics include: The Book "Killing Jesus," Comforting the Bereaved, Joseph the Patriarch, 16th Century Artists Lucas Cranach & Albrecht Durer and more. You can listen to what you want when you want at www.issuesetc.org
JOIN IN THE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION --- on your Lutheran Radio Station Worldwide KFUO The program Concord Matters dives into the Book of Concord, what it's about, and how we can use it daily in our lives. This week we look at the 7th Commandment "Thou shalt not steal". Join us Saturdays 10:00-11:00am CT. Find us at kfuo.org and follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/KFUOradio.
There will be an Engaging Your Community Event at our Mount Ayr location May 10 beginning at 8am, sponsored by Rural and Small Town Ministry of the Lutheran Church--Missiouri Synod. Featured Speakers will be Rev. Todd Kollbaum and Rev. Ray Smith. The cost is $25 including lunch. Please visit TrinityCreston.org/EYC for more information. What will you get out of an EYC Event: * Bible Studies * Community Demographic Studies * Identifying Congregational Strengths * Community Outreach Ideas * Table Discussions * Fellowship * Please visit TrinityCreston.org/EYC for more information.
Vacation Bible School is scheduled for our Creston location July 13-17 and for our Mount Ayr location July 20-24. Go to TrinityCreston.org/vbs to sign up to volunteer or register a student.
Cancer: Kenneth Goeglein; Mike Rollings; Merle Triggs; Al Davis; Grace Weese; Janice Shepherd; Wes Keeler; Lois Watt; LaVern Otte; Jeff Bierle; Tim Stalker; Cindy Ray; Larry Davis;
Christian Care: Jane, George, Jabes, Jefery our sponsored orphans in Africa;
Condolences: Family of Bill Reidy (Brother-in-Law of Marti Williams)
Illness Injury Surgery &Recovering: Ethan Bulgrin; Gailen Foreman; Marie Burmiester; Danna Rains; Jace Zellmer; Don Harris; Paula Bowman;
Military: Aaron Hoogland; Michael Kaufman; Denise McClary;
Missions: Concordia Mission Society; Dr Oliver (Seminary in Taiwan); Ivan and Jennifer Rasch, Africa; Pastor Daniel Vogel, Hispanic Missions in Iowa; Pastor Dennis Konkel, Deaf Missions in Iowa;
Seminary Students: Timothy Meyer (Vicar: Macomb, MI), Chris Troxel, and Martin Herzberg;
Shut-ins: Mary Carson; Ruth Chase; Wilma Cottrell; Jeanne Herzberg; Frieda Porter; Lonny Riley; Don Campbell;
Trinity News >


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No more messy curly cords hanging down across the dash! Hide the power lead, freeing up your cigarette lighter lead for temporary use in another vehicle.
Use this smart hard wire kit to mute the alerts (all models) and mark GPS locations (Passport MAX and Escort 9500ix only).
Suitable for Escort Passport MAX, Valentine V1, Escort Redline, 9500ixi, Beltronics Bel XR, Bel Magnum, Bel RX65, Bel v950a.


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Hi! I'm Miranda. I'm new around here (Geek Buffet, I mean, not the Internet). I'm excited to be part of this blog, since I like buffets, and I also like some geeky stuff. That's all you need to know about me for now. Today I'm going to talk about what I know.
But, like the title of the post says, everything *I* need to know about life, I learned from Sid Meier's Civilization. I don't mean any individual title, I mean the entire franchise. My life can be neatly chaptered according to its installments; it has formed my understanding of, you know, Civilization Itself. My involvement with it goes back to the fall of 1991, when I was 8 years old and in the third grade.
*flashback noises* Or, wait, scratch the flashback noises, let's start how Civ starts: "In the beginning, the earth was without form, and void…" Pretend Leonard Nimoy spoke that. OK!
During recess one day, my friend Brendan pulled a computer game out of his backpack. Remember how they used to come in gigantic, quality cardboard boxes? It was one of THOSE. And everything he brought was really good.
"This game is so great! You should copy it!" he said.
I thumbed through the instruction manual (dude, you guys, do you remember when those were like, analog?). This sentence struck me: "And if you use a pirated version of this, may your citizens flay you in the electronic streets."* I thought, "Cool! Pirates!" (My father and I would find Sid Meier's Pirates! in a bargain bin two summers later). Then I asked Brendan what "flay" meant, and he didn't know, so we went back to the classroom to look it up. I was pretty sure at that point that this was actually the coolest game ever. I could not WAIT to get home and find the pirates!
(Dear Sid Meier: a) I was 8 years old and b) I have bought so much other stuff I probably paid for at least 2 tiles in your guest bathroom, or, like, the equivalent of 2 board squares in the board of your house. At this late date, I make no apologies.)
I don't remember actually learning a whole lot in elementary school, but I do remember learning systems in the games I played. I spent that fall sitting in my parents' garage using my dad's computer to play Civilization and wage wars and build spaceships, though like I said, it took a couple years to really find the PIRATES!.
How did the world work? You built little cities on squares, and you hit enter, and time passed, and the cities made little shields, that you used to build stuff so eventually you could take over the world. It was also good to have little wheat plants. And beakers. Beakers meant you could get technology so you could build spaceships, and also better weapons with which to thwomp your enemies.
A more serious reflection on this game convinces me that it is a product of its time: Civilization I tells us more about culture and politics in 1990 than it tells us about military or science history or anything else.
In 1990, another media object central to my childhood premiered (50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth). In 1991, Civ debuted, complete with what was later referred to as "whack-a-mole" pollution. You build too many tanks? Uh oh, send your settlers to clean it up, fast! A few months after Gulf War I and just a few years after the end of the Cold War, two victories are imagined: one, a peaceful-enough path of rational technology and colonization of Alpha Centauri (another later title). the other, conquest of every other civilization on your planet. At the dusk of Bush I, Civilization I used limited computing resources to circulate an environmental, relatively Eurocentric ethos, and presented two types of success: one militaristic and one technologically imperialistic. You get extra points for turns without wars (3 for world peace), but you lose 10 points for each square of pollution. When I was 8 years old, I thought pollution was about 3.333333 times as bad as war.
When I was in 7th grade, I lived in a new house and went to a different school. Sid Meier very nicely came out with Civilization II. All the good features of Civ I but better, with that fancy CD-ROM technology and video clips. Leonardo Da Vinci would obligingly upgrade your military and it was really important to build both Women's Suffrage AND Cure for Cancer. Instead of creating settlers to wander in and irrigate your desert for the whole of human history, you had ENGINEERS! I was getting to the age when kids have to hear a whole bunch of suggestions about what they should do when they grow up. Gifted kids all got told to be engineers and oh god, can't you please at least pretend to care about algebra? I was a gifted kid. I took great pride in outsourcing menial tasks to MY engineers, but that's just me. Anyway, during those Information Superhighway Days, when the onramp was metaphorically, I don't know, that one shot out of Godard's Week-End or something, Civilization II deployed some pretty sophisticated multimedia with its wonder movies and advisory council. In the post-Republican Revolution and pre-9/11 world, you could establish your government as "Fundamentalism" and recruit "Fanatics" to fight for you. The game, like Civ I, still circulated a strong faith in technology, particularly the development of technology that fought wars or enabled colonization of other worlds.
Civilization III came out at the end of my first semester of college, right after 9/11. Shockingly enough, this edition of the game had neither Fundamentalism nor Fanatics, though you could win with Culture. For the first time, the civilization you played as meant more than the city names and colors. Suddenly, it was possible to dazzle people at cocktail parties by being able to name two adjectives about many historical leaders and cultures. I am sure there were parties I attended in college where I said, approximately, "America is, like, totally expansionist and industrious. I read somewhere that the Persian culture is very…scientific. And industrious! We're so similar, guys." As the Bush II era dawned, Civilization III tweaked the system by adding corruption and oil: corruption as a way to shut down city's production, and oil as a scarce resource that was needed to build plum units. As SUV's became increasingly common, the game concept of "pollution" was eliminated. As America sought to shock and awe Iraq, suddenly three new paths to Ultimate Civ Victory were presented: Dominance, Diplomacy, and Culture. You can read this in two ways: As a reification of Bush-era politics (you win by being the biggest! And having the most McDonald's / Mickey Mouses! [Mickey Mice?] And using a Western institution, the UN, to unite the world! Or as a critique, perhaps, of these same politics: Spread the good word of your civilization and its virtues and get everyone on your side. The beauty of Civilization, one supposes, is it can be both and neither to any player.
The year after I finished college, the year I was in Germany, was the year of Civilization IV. Perhaps because I know this installation the best, I feel that it is the best *game* of the franchise. Civilization IV introduces two new sub-systems: religion and corporations, both of which are spread the same way. In the years of the zenith of American consumerist excess, and the "declining years of the long war," Civilization IV equated religion with corporatism. Oil was still a precious, scarce resource. So was kitsch: Leonard Nimoy was the voice of the game. So were animals: Suddenly, big scary mammals could attack you; the game always helpfully tells you that a "barbarian" wolf attacked and killed your settler, just in case you thought it was French or something. Just like real life, your civilization sometimes had unpredictable Events: natural disasters like hurricanes or scandals like intra-faith marriages. Only months after the rise of Perez Hilton and what I consider the total takeover of celebrity / pop culture, the game introduced the individualistic concept of Great People, units named after Real Historical Individuals who could greatly advance civilization by building special buildings, discovering technology, conducting missions, "creating great works," etc. Oil is again a scarce resource, and sometimes your "corporate advisors" request that you take it by force. At the zenith of the housing bubble (the final expansion for Civ IV, Beyond the Sword, came out in 2007), the array of things you could build in a city was simply dizzying, and the wonder movies focused on process, depicting the wonder from a blueprint to construction site to final product. This is a game that reflects excess.
This year, the year I finished my PhD coursework (!), Civilization V came out. I'll be honest: I haven't had much time to spend with it, and I haven't been that impressed. Suddenly, in the last gasps of the PC game market, it's important that the game be all different and like, marketable, and fairly stupid. Gone is the ability to garrison more than one unit in your city; gone is the ability, it seems, to really build up a city. Luxuries aren't serendipitously found but rather held by city-states, which, according to the Civ chronology, must have existed before the big bang ("the earth was without form, and void" – yet you get notifications about them immediately). I haven't spent enough time on it yet to really have a full opinion as to How It Tells Us Everything We Need to Know About Year of Our Lord 2010, but I have some ideas that I will expound upon at a later date.
SO WHAT? Did you read all of that? I like to think this is more than a tl;dr nostalgia trip (since I have been mentally composing this essay or whatever for, like, months). I feel that using Civilization, we can see a historiography of the past 20 years and how changed cultural thinking is reflected in a game. Moreover, I think the Civilization franchise is inherently American: essentially, the game is a growth strategy. That's the most yeah-duh genre thing ever, but let's think about that for a second: in Civilization, you start with almost nothing, and you leverage your resources to build an empire (as defined, one imagines, in the West). You follow a good old-fashioned bootstrap narrative of building something huge out of nothing. You raise your people from barbarism (loosely defined) to a specific type of victory: a corporatist, Western-rationalist, military-industrial complex type. Ultimately, to win the game, every action or choice you make should help you get one step closer to dominating, destroying, or gaining the technology necessary to dominate or destroy other planets. So in that sense, is Civilization not really AMERICA? Is this game introducing people to the idea of other civilizations but within the rubric of Americanist aims and values? What would a non scientific-rationalist or Western-centric version of Civilization look like? How does Civ V reflect changes in the world since Civ IV came out?
I say this not to be critical. I have spent untold thousands of hours of my life with this game; I'm obviously not going to give it up. However, nobody I can think of has ever thought about it from a critical / cultural standpoint before, and it's obviously long overdue.
What do you think? About the game franchise, I mean, not how overdue an examination of it is, or how long winded I am.
*Many, many years later, I would pay 50 cents for a copy of the same instruction manual in a thrift store in Sarasota, Florida. That is how I know my memory is correct enough for this quote (Despite the fact that 2 seconds of Googling revealed it online in HTML). And yes, I footnoted a blog. It's just how I roll.


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Kansei Matsuno Custom F09 Friction Folding Knife 2.875" D2 Hand Rubbed Two-Tone Blade, Desert Ironwood Handles, Leather Pouch
KNSNF09DIW: Custom F09 Friction Folder, Desert Ironwood
Kansei Matsuno Custom Knives
The Kansei F09 Friction Folder is your next go-to EDC tool. It's a non-locking folding design from Kansei Matsuno that is just the right size and a pleasant knife to hold and to use. It features an extended blade tang which fits down into the handle and prevents it from closing during use. The ergonomic handle feels great in the hand thanks to its slim nature and rock-solid construction, even though it does not lock. It's a gentlemen's folder you can use every day and includes a black leather slip pouch.
The blade is made from D2 tool steel with a hand rubbed satin two-tone finish. There is no pocket clip on this model but it does come with a small paracord lanyard from Kansei Matsuno. We love the blade to handle ratio this knife possesses as it gives you a lot of cutting power in a compact, lightweight package. This is a simple folding knife design with superior materials and excellent ergonomics for a nice utility blade that you will look forward to using each and every time you do. Exact wood grain pattern may vary.
- Blade Length: 2.875"
- Cutting Edge: 2.875"
- Closed Length: 4.25"
- Overall Length: 6.75"
- Blade Material: D2 Tool Steel
- Blade Thickness: 0.123"
- Blade Style: Trailing Point
- Blade Grind: Hollow
- Blade Finish: Hand Rubbed Satin Two-Tone
- Handle Material: Desert Ironwood
- Handle Thickness: 0.42"
- Liner Material: Stainless Steel
- Locking Mechanism: Friction
- Pivot Assembly: Bronze Washers
- Pocket Clip: None
- Sheath Material: Leather
- Weight: 2.4 oz.
- Weight with Pouch: 2.7 oz.
- Designer: Kansei Matsuno
- Handmade in Japan


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Sveza Titan
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Researchers have found that attempts to keep children in as sterile an environment as possible may be counterproductive, as those growing up on farms appear to have a lower risk of asthma.
Previous studies had reported that asthma may be related to exposure to farming environments, but researchers from the University of Alberta now believe that the endotoxins from animal viruses and manure may stimulate the immune system to fight bacteria rather than trigger asthma.
An analysis of 13,524 children under the age of 12 revealed that the cumulative incidence of asthma was only 2.3 per cent in farm children, compared to 5.7 per cent for urban children and 5.3 per cent for those in non-farming rural environments.
Carina Majaesic, co-author of the study in Respirology journal, said that the findings could be used to identify high-risk children and educate parents.
'This research suggests that we should discourage childhood exposure to tobacco smoke, encourage breast feeding, and not worry about keeping children's environment too sterile,' she added.
© Adfero Ltd


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I've been reading your posts, and particularly your recent discussion on a State Diagram of the War
Personally, "Arabia Delenda Est" sounds good to me. I'm really afraid that if we don't move towards it QUICK our descendents will be - what was the term? dhimmis at best and corpses more likely.
I understand that you feel that in a few years we'll have a good idea of how the experiment in Iraq will come out, and then it may be time to re-evaluate the choices. I'd like to get you to think about it more now.
I'm terrified by the whole subject. I feel like you and other bloggers are all talking about theories and debating issues and wanting to avoid "getting your souls sticky" and in the meantime the last free time for westerners is blowing away, and I'm so afraid that very soon it will be too late for the future of my kids.
I don't know if Iraq was going to be a problem or not, I don't care really, Islam is a problem, and I wish they'd just gone after all of them. Going after the Saudis would be good. I am afraid that it's all going to be so limited and people trying to be reasonable and you can't be reasonable with the Islamicists.
I know you think the Gunpoint Democracy option may work. I hear you say that a lot. (I'd really like it to work myself.) Given what an incredibly high set of stakes there are, I wish you'd think more on "what if it won't".
I've seen you say that you want to see what the underlying assumptions are. Let me point out one that I am seeing.
There seems to be an underlying assumption of "It will be just as easy to do Arabia Delenda Est later, as a backup to Gunpoint Democracy, as it would be to do Arabia Delenda Est now. So we'll try Gunpoint Democracy first." I am thinking that Arabia Delenda Est will get harder and have a lower chance of success as time passes and the Islamicists embed themselves in other countries and gain more and more control, as they are doing in Europe. It may be that if Arabia Delenda Est isn't picked up soon, it may vanish as an end state, leaving, I fear, Global Caliphate far more likely.
This is a major risk of trying Gunpoint Democracy.
I'm not saying I'm fond of any of this. Only I want me and mine to survive. Kipling, if you will -
Man propounds negotiations, Man accepts the compromise.
Very rarely will he squarely push the logic of a fact
To its ultimate conclusion in unmitigated act.
Our contentions must be our children - all of our children, and all of theirs. They have declared that they want to commit genocide on US, and are trying their best. This is a pretty clear message! Doubt and pity go right over the side, as the poet saw.


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This article is from the archive of our partner .
We're pretty big Calvin and Hobbes fans here, so if we had the money we think we might have paid more than $107,550 for an original Bill Watterson watercolor of the philosophical six-year-old and stuffed tiger duo. But that's how much the print went for this week at auction at Heritage Auctions, according to The Washington Post.
The painting was produced for a 1989-1990 Calvin and Hobbes calendar cover (shown above), midway through the beloved comic strip's run from 1985 to 1995. After 1995, the semi-reclusive Watterson retired to paint, only releasing his first piece of art last April. Or as the Heritage Auctions website puts it, "Since Watterson is one of the few cartoonists to shun the merchandising bonanza of a popular character and is a very private person, his artwork is in incredibly high-demand. Only a very small handful of originals have ever come onto the market." Apparently, this one was personally signed by Watterson for a comic-strip historian named Rick Marschall who may or may not be in good graces with Watterson after selling a personal gift.
In any case, given Watterson's reclusiveness, we're just giddy anytime Calvin and Hobbes makes headlines. We wouldn't mind Watterson or friends of Watterson leaking some more Calvin-inspired art onto the open market. Once we can afford it of course.
This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to email@example.com.


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South Florida's high school football coaching fraternity lost one of its members Tuesday.
The Miami Sports Tribune learned and confirmed that longtime Miami Carol City High School assistant football coach Andre Stafford passed away Tuesday at the age of 43.
Affectionately known as "Coach Dre", Stafford – who also served as the school's Dean of Discipline, girls' flag football coach and wrestling coach in addition to his role as associate head football coach – suffered a series of strokes over the past two weeks and passed away in a local hospital Tuesday afternoon due to heart failure.
Stafford's twin sister, Andrea Stafford, called her brother "unique".
"Andre was unique. My brother was very unique," she said. "He loved his family and he was crazy about football."
"It's a big loss to the family. It's really hard."
The news of Stafford's passing not only hit the family hard but the entire South Florida community.
Rip to 🏈 lcoach Andre Stafford 🙏🏽 #chiefpride 4Life
— Yung Rénzél 👑 (@RickRoss) June 19, 2018
The South Florida HS coaching fraternity has lost a good brother. Prayers, positive thoughts and condolences to the family & friends of Coach Andre Stafford. He was one of the engines that powered @CarolCitySr1 athletics and exemplified #ChiefPride. #ZUUNATION 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/5mKSypFkzp
— J.T. Wilcox (@JTWilcoxSports) June 19, 2018
The Chief family sends it's deepest condolences to the family of Coach Andre "Dre" Stafford @coachdre3. He was the epitome of what it means to be a Chief! Your legacy will forever live on in the halls of Chief Country! We🧡You! #ChiefPride pic.twitter.com/rXiDEBSSYq
— Miami Carol City Sr (@CarolCitySr1) June 19, 2018
Carol City athletic director Xavier McCray called Stafford an icon.
"Coach Dre was an icon in the Carol City community," said McCray, a high school teammate of Stafford's.
"He's an 'Old Chief' – meaning he's from the old building…and the old building had a lot of tradition. Having Coach Stafford here was like bringing something from the old building to the new building. He would always make the kids understand Carol City tradition – 'this is Carol City, I am Carol City'."
"Every school needs that type of person and Coach Dre was that person for us," McCray said.
Stafford was a fixture at Carol City for more than two decades.
A 1992 graduate, Stafford played football for the Chiefs under legendary head coach Walt Frazier. He joined Frazier's coaching staff in 1996 and worked under Frazier through 2007, when Frazier retired.
Even through multiple head coaching changes since – from Harold Barnwell, to Aubrey Hill, and to current head coach Benedict Hyppolite – Stafford always seemed to maintain the role of "right-hand man" to the head coach.
"He was the constant figure at Carol City," McCray said. "Whenever new people came to the school, they would all go see Stafford. He took pride in running the team out the tunnel and the kids responded to him because he represented everything Carol City."
While football was his calling card, Stafford's fingerprints were on the entire Carol City athletic program.
He coached girls flag football and wrestling, but also worked the scorer's table during home basketball games and was the school's unofficial social media coordinator – as he routinely shared graphics, videos, and photos promoting Carol City's student-athletes.
Coming to your city near you! @TouchMoney6_ @Touchmoney_11 @Ray8Malcolm @JTWilcoxSports @larryblustein @doc_d12 @B0SSMAN_5 @4way_tat @HarveyMartin89 @CoachDub305 @CoachGMoss @mikejones10 @J_TAYLOR94 @CoachA_Hill @FOOTBALLVILLETV #JOINTHETRIBE pic.twitter.com/02gyLPqqRd
— Coach Dre ☝ (@coachdre3) June 3, 2018
— Coach Dre ☝ (@coachdre3) June 3, 2018
Hill, also a Carol City alum who led the program to a state championship in 2016 before joining Florida International University's coaching staff, made a tribute to Stafford Tuesday night via social media.
Hyppolite expressed similar sentiments Wednesday.
"Coach Dre made a huge impact on me as a mentor," Hyppolite said in a phone interview. "He showed me how to do things the Carol City way. He made sure that whoever came understood the Carol City tradition. He knew the ins and outs of everything in Carol City and he had everyone's respect.
"I remember the first day I got the job, he introduced himself to me and was by my side every day since then. The spirit of Carol City lived in Andre Stafford. You look up Carol City in the dictionary, Andre's picture should be there," Hyppolite added.
"I'm just thankful that I had the opportunity to work with him. He was the icon of Carol City."
Stafford is survived by a son, D'Andre Stafford, who is a junior wide receiver on Carol City's football team and plays basketball for the Chiefs. Hyppolite said that Stafford's son plans on playing the 2018 season and that he and the entire team is dedicating the year to Stafford.
Hyppolite also confirmed that award-winning rap artist and Carol City alumnus Rick Ross personally called the family to express his condolences.
The impact of Stafford's passing stretches far beyond any playing field though.
Carol City students – current and former – also took to social media to express their grief, send condolences, and reminisce about the impact Stafford had on their lives.
RIP Coach Dre🕊 it's crazy cause you started that 5 back thang now I'm official back n you not here to witness greatness.God had other plans I'ma handle business naturally just watch over me spiritually.I swear ima getchu that State/National Title. Love Coach❤ #FunTimes pic.twitter.com/bENptMLYf0
— NW5⃣ (@B0SSMAN_5) June 19, 2018
Sleep in peace big homie thanks for everything coach Dre love you 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/8AHvaJvgFz
— Choc Gray (@Godschild__choc) June 19, 2018
McCray said Stafford had an impact on students because they sensed how much he cared for them.
"Kids gravitated towards him because he loved them, he always tried to reach the kids," McCray said of Stafford. "Instead of just admonishing a kid for doing something wrong, he would reach out – talk to them, talk to their family – and do whatever he could to keep them from getting in trouble again."
"Coaches like Andre Stafford need to be appreciated. He meant so much…people can come and go, but Coach Stafford – that's Carol City."
Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time, but the Stafford family confirmed that a memorial for Coach Andre Stafford will be held Friday at Carol City High School.


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Monday, 17 October 2016
Santorini (A Photo Essay)
Posted by Unknown at 05:44 442 comments
Labels: Greece, Photography, Places, Santorini, Travel, travelling
Location: Oia 847 02, Greece
Friday, 23 September 2016
Rocabella Mykonos Art Hotel & SPA, Greece
Now that summer is officially and unfortunately over, I have been going through all of the photos that I took and recapping on my travels. Back in August I travelled to the Cyclades, the group of screensaver-worthy Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. Our first stop was an island that I've heard many people dub 'the new Cannes', famous for it's extravagant nightlife, designer boutiques, landmark windmills and the traditional white-and-blue stucco town overlooking the sea; as far as Instagram is concerned – Mykonos seemed to be the place to be this year! With the help of my trusty friend TripAdvisor it really didn't take long to find the dream hotel: Rocabella Mykonos, with 1,254 reviews, 902 of them rated 'excellent' and 62 'very good', we booked in for the duration of our stay on the island. Perched on a serene stretch of coast next to the unspoiled beach of Agios Stefanos, just two kilometers from Chora (Mykonos' main town), Rocabella's location was close enough to the action without compromising on much-needed relaxation...
Posted by Unknown at 08:47 45 comments
Labels: Food, Greece, Mykonos, Photography, Places, travelling
Location: Mikonos 846 00, Greece
Thursday, 14 July 2016
adidas Ultra Boost LTD 'Cream', in Paris
The Ultra Boost is my favourite sneaker silhouette that Adidas has brought out in the last few years. Consisting of a Primeknit (adidas' knitted sock-like material) upper and sitting on a Boost mid-sole - I believe the Ultra Boost is possibly the comfiest trainer in the world and it is definitely Adidas' biggest success story in recent years. Boost is Adidas' latest technology; effectively a polystyrene-looking material made up of thousands of tiny foam pellets glued together, acting in unison to form a pillow-y shock absorber for your feet...
Posted by Unknown at 03:48 50 comments
Labels: Adidas, All Saints, AMI, Boost, Denim, Le Labo, Lifestyle, Our Legacy, Paris, Sneakers, Streetstyle, Style, Trainers
Location: Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris, France
Friday, 8 July 2016
Wilsons Restaurant, Bristol | Review
For all those that know me, I think they would confidently support me in saying that I don't simply eat to live… I live to eat. Food is one of my biggest passions, and whilst I haven't documented that appetite so much on this platform, it's something I really hope to do more of. I've found it hard to photograph food when in all honesty I prefer to enjoy it there and then. How can you pull out your camera and snap away when you are in company and have amazing food in front of you? However, it is something I will endeavor to do… this hopefully being the first of many…
Posted by Unknown at 10:21 27 comments
Labels: Bristol, Food, food&drink, Places, travelling
Location: 24 Chandos Rd, Bristol BS6 6PF, UK
Thursday, 16 June 2016
The 'Felpato Shirt' by Haider Ackermann
This oversized 'Felpato' ('brushed material' in Italian) shirt by Haider Ackermann has a brushed felt texture. The shirt is in a bold washed International Klein Blue (IKB) shade: IKB is a deep blue hue first mixed by the French artist Yves Klein and comes from its heavy reliance on Ultramarine. IKB was a key colour in both Haider Ackermann and Givenchy's SS16 shows and is a brilliant statement tone for the warmer months. Both the wash and texture of the Felpato shirt strongly resembles that of a classic French 'Chore' jacket (which I have been on the hunt for) whilst the cut reminded me of a baggy painter shirt that you could imagine Picasso throwing on…although you wouldn't want to get paint on this piece...
Posted by Unknown at 07:21 54 comments
Labels: Haider Ackermann, Saint Laurent Paris, Style, Wyatt Boots
Location: Chance St, London E2 7JB, UK
Sunday, 5 June 2016
Music Streaming / May Playlist
Last summer I shared my first curated playlist on Apple Music, along with my initial thoughts on trialling the streaming service (view post here)… Since then I eventually had to bite the bullet and subscribe to the service, which has ran along side my Spotify subscription. Despite having access to both Spotify and Apple Music's entire catalogue of music, I found myself less interested in discovering and listening to new tunes than ever. This was entirely due to being in limbo between the two and not having one source for my music. With the release of Kanye West's new album: 'The Life of Pablo' (TLOP), my music streaming service predicament was exacerbated. In typical Kanye style, he released the album exclusively on Jay-Z's streaming service Tidal…
Posted by Unknown at 14:30 3 comments
Labels: AppleMusic, Beats1, Drake, Kanye West, Lifestyle, Music, Other, Playlist, Tidal
Monday, 30 May 2016
Current Top 5 Luxury Watches
As a man we are limited on the way we can accessorise. I believe when it comes to jewellery for men, less is often more and a good watch is the only essential men's accessory that boasts strong heritage and masculinity. On days I forget my watch, my outfit feels incomplete, like it's missing something; a watch can really tie it all together. Wristwatches were once a necessity, or else you wouldn't know the time of day. Nowadays people are more than able to find out the time on their smartphone, but a watch represents time much more than a smartphone does, it reminds you that time is always moving: the hour, minute, and second hands are not going to stop moving, you better get living and doing all those things you're planning...
Tuesday, 3 May 2016
The Wyatt Boot by Saint Laurent
It's official, Hedi Slimane, photographer and former Dior Homme creative director that controversially revamped the Yves Saint Laurent fashion house to the youthful Saint Laurent Paris as we now know it, is sadly leaving the building. After many extremely successful seasons Slimane brought his rock n' roll chic to the iconic Parisian fashion house and created an extreme buzz in menswear. Since Slimane's rein you all know I've been fanatic about the denim, and the same goes for the boots. The classic Wyatt 40 Harness Boot has been on my list since the first AW13 show; and with Slimane's announced departure it was about time I bit the bullet and bought a souvenir from his time at Saint Laurent...
Posted by Unknown at 12:32 38 comments
Labels: Boots, Celine, Denim, Fashion, Fear of God, Levi's, Menswear, Saint Laurent Paris, SLP, Style, Sunglasses
Monday, 11 April 2016
French for 'clothes' and pronounced vet-MAHN; the new anti-fashion brand taking the industry by storm is being ran by Balenciaga's new creative director: Demna Gvasalia. The Georgian-born, Antwerp fashion academy-trained designer has designed womenswear for Maison Martin Margiela and was the head designer for Louis Vuitton's womenswear line. Demna, and his anonymous crew of experienced designer's, head up the Parisian design collective and are moving against the traditional industry business model. Vetements has a strong celebrity following and has recently become extremely popular in menswear despite being a womenswear brand with the likes of Kanye West and Travi$ Scott donning the oversized sweats...
Posted by Unknown at 05:46 10 comments
Labels: adidas Originals, Fear of God, Saint Laurent, Saint Laurent Paris, Streetstyle, Style, Vetements, Yeezy, Yeezy Boost
Location: Bristol, City of Bristol, UK
Monday, 29 February 2016
Yeezy Boost 350 'Oxford Tan' (On Feet)
At the end of last year Kanye West and Adidas' extremely hyped 'Yeezy Boost 350' sneaker was back in the 'Oxford Tan' colour way. The 350's are without doubt one of my favourite sneakers due to their great silhouette and comfort. Find out how I managed to grab a pair, my thoughts on the hype and what I like to style them with...
Posted by Unknown at 06:38 9 comments
Labels: Adidas, Canada Goose, Fear of God, Kanye West, Our Legacy, Saint Laurent Paris, SLP, Sneakers, Style, Yeezy, Yeezy Boost
Location: Cleaver Square, London SE11 4EA, UK
Wednesday, 17 February 2016
An evening of grooming c/o Farfetch
Last week I was treated to an evening of grooming in preparation for Valentines Day courtesy of Farfetch. For those unfamiliar with Farfetch, it is effectively 400 of the world's best independent designer boutiques available on one e-commerce platform; or as Farfetch put it '400 boutiques, 1 address'. Farfetch makes it easy and straightforward for us as consumer's to browse and purchase from over 30 countries without moving from our sofa. It also allows for boutiques to focus on the quality of their brick-and-mortar stores without worrying about running an e-commerce site, whilst giving them the opportunity to still compete with the major players in online retail...
Posted by Unknown at 12:15 24 comments
Monday, 18 January 2016
Steve Jobs swag
This minimal outfit was unintentionally inspired by Steve Jobs' famous signature look. The visionary's style was as functional and simplistic as the products he designed. St. Croix took credit for Jobs' signature black turtle neck leading the company to an 100% increase in turtleneck sales over night after the death of the Apple CEO; however, Jobs' turtle neck was in fact designed by Japanese designer Issey Miyake...
Posted by Unknown at 08:32 24 comments
Labels: AMI, APC, Denim, Fear of God, New Balance, Overcoat, Reiss, Selvedge Denim, Sneakers, Streetstyle, Style


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The 2015 Rural Policy Forum will provide an opportunity for skill-building, networking, resource development, building relationships and educating each other about the needs and services in rural Arizona. Activities include capacity-building sessions, receptions, workshops, keynote presentations, and roundtable discussions.
Breakout sessions and workshops will focus on a variety of important topics pertaining to building thriving rural communities of all sizes. Topics include tourism, nonprofits, international trade, policy, rural downtown main streets, civil discourse, financing and funding, education, economic development, arts and culture, capacity building, regional collaboration, and volunteer service. Forum attendees will have the opportunity to join many of these workshops throughout the two-day conference. A continuously updated agenda can be found at http://azrdc.org/2015-rural-
Registration for the 2015 Rural Policy Forum is now open. Early bird registration is $99 until July 15 and includes attendance at the two-day conference, four meals, and many opportunities to network with stakeholders from around Arizona. Pricing increases to $119 after July 15. Attendees can find more information and register here: http://azrdc.org/2015-rural-
Attendees will also have the option of attending three outside events associated with the Rural Policy Forum:
- On Wednesday, August 5, Rural Policy Forum attendees can participate in a tour of the area aboard the Verde Canyon Railroad. This four-hour wilderness adventure will take place in the living room-style comfort of a refurbished train car and will feature stunning views, great company, heavy appetizers and a champagne toast. Cost per person is $29.
- Following the train tour on August 5, guests can join other Rural Policy Forum attendees at a social dinner at the Copper Art Museum at 7:00 p.m. Cost per person is $20.
- On Thursday, August 6, guests are invited to dinner and a show at 6:00 p.m. at Blazin' M Ranch in Cottonwood following the first day of the Rural Policy Forum. Cost per person is $25.
Registration for all of these events and the Rural Policy Forum is available here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Sponsors of the 8th Annual Rural Policy Forum include the Marley Foundation, Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Foundation, Amigos, APS, the Arizona Lottery, the Arizona Community Foundation, and Resolution Copper.
About the Arizona Rural Development Council
The Arizona Rural Development Council (AZDRC) is Arizona's official, federally-recognized State Rural Development Council in the National Rural Development Partnership. AZDRC's mission is to equip communities with resources to advance rural Arizona while honoring their heritage in a changing world. In May of 2013, the Rural Development Council merged with, and became a program of, the Local First Arizona Foundation.
About the Local First Arizona Foundation
The Local First Arizona Foundation (LFAF) is a non-profit sister organization of Local First Arizona, a statewide non-profit organization working to strengthen communities and local economies through growing, supporting, and celebrating locally owned businesses throughout the state of Arizona. LFAF's mission is to catalyze the community to leverage the resources, opportunities, and information needed to build sustainable local economies throughout Arizona, resulting in a high quality of life for all.


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Dallas — There is no mystery to the allure of Sutton Foster. Her singing is broad and open, frank and friendly. She is completely at ease with the stage, whether in a small cabaret setting or in a large orchestral hall. Her shows are one giant smile shared between performer and audience alike.
Her performance with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra on Friday, conducted by guest John Morris Russell, was trademark Sutton, flitting from clever medley to show-stopping curtain droppers, with the occasional change of pace or mood for a quiet ballad or two. The full extent of her astonishing vocal range was on display — sometimes within the tag of a single song. So too was the magnificent ability to personify the character of a song that is her stock in trade. At times her performance felt like a "plug-in," where the orchestra was not quite in sync with her; nevertheless it was a performance of wonderful spirit and enjoyment.
The two acts of the performance were mirror images of each other each starting with the type of medley for which her recordings and cabaret acts have prepared us. On Friday night, she opened with "Cockeyed Optimist" (from South Pacific) before segueing neatly into Sondheim's "Everybody Say Don't" and then the song "Yes." The overwhelming optimism set the theme for the very upbeat program while the Sondheim song gave play to her virtuosic vocal agility. She followed with a short medley of songs from her Broadway shows, but the whole program was refreshingly devoid of self-congratulation.
She did sing two pieces from her Tony Award winning-smash performance as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, but in both cases, she reflected her own awe and gratitude at being given the opportunity to sing the part. The first song, "I Get a Kick Out Of You," led to a delicious mini-set of less commonly performed Cole Porter songs: the ancient but comical "Don't Look at Me That Way," "C'est Magnifique," and "Give Him the Ooh-La-La," which brimmed with champagne bubble sex appeal as only a concoction of Sutton Foster and Cole Porter can bring. It's worth noting that "C'est Magnifique" was performed with just strings and featured a beautiful duet between Ms. Foster and the first violins, sharing the melody. One of her greatest gifts is the generosity of her performances and this beautiful and casual number displayed her willingness to allow the orchestra to take a leading role.
The remainder of the first act was taken up with two pleasant songs by Jason Robert Brown which suffered somewhat by comparison with the mastery of Cole Porter. Finally, she raised the roof with her performance of the song "Anything Goes." Unfortunately, the volume of the orchestra occasionally overwhelmed Ms. Foster's singing, whether due to a mismatch in the balance or a glitch in the sound quality. The cost was the tremendous raw power which she usually shows at the finale as well as the iconic and signature swoop on the ultimate word "goes" that makes the song hers.
The second act featured Ms. Foster in a sparkling purple gown which reflected the effervescence of her performance. The first medley, "If I Were a Bell" mingled with "Singin' In the Rain" was a confectionary delight. It is hard not to be overjoyed when she opens her arms and spins to the short orchestral bridge of "Singin'," a slight reminder of her skills as a dancer as well as singer. Having won us back into her spell, she performed a wondrously simple and elegant version of Hoagy Charmicheal's "The Nearness of You" backed only by her mentor and accompanist Michael Rafter on the piano. For all her larger than life power and vivacity, the beauty of her art is in the tiniest of details. The way she says the word "kick" in "I Get a Kick Out of You"; the way she lilts the phrase "splashing my dressing" in "If I Were a Bell." In this charming subtle piano-voice duet, the intoxicating breathlessness of a simple phrase, "Oh my," draws the listener into the wonder and beauty of the emotion of love.
She immediately countered the treacle sweetness with a rousing, although now stock for her, rendition of the tart Harold Arlen song "Down With Love" and followed with a stirring duet on the song "Flight" with her close friend Megan McGinnis. John Denver's "Sunshine On My Shoulder" and then another Sondheim tribute, the short medley "Anyone Can Whistle" and "Being Alive," completed the short group that was the only portion of the concert that was not completely new from other tours. Each of these pieces, if not novel, were extraordinary in their emotive power.
The final medley, returning to "Cockeyed Optimist" followed by two lesser known songs, "Take Me to the World" and "Starting Here, Starting Now," was a bit less cohesive than other parts of the concert. It made a curious ending for the performance, not allowing her the last, big breathtaking moment of song that the audience expected.
Of course, the audience was not to be disappointed as her encore provided all the power and pizazz that anyone could ask for. Her rendition of "Gimme Gimme," a signature song from Thoroughly Modern Millie allowed her to exercise the full range of her skills ending in a wild jazz cadenza that had every member of the orchestra tootling their heads off. Unlike other parts of the concert, however, there was no overpowering of Sutton Foster here. Firmly rooted in a song that had made her what she is, she soared far above the accompaniment. Her full magnetism on display, there was only one possible focus for this ending. The power of her personality and voice had lifted the audience out of their seats.
It is a wonderful thing to see a performer at the height of her powers and Sutton Foster displayed just such control at her performance with the DSO. To be sure, the orchestra could have accommodated her voice a bit better and some of the portions of the show could have demonstrated more cohesion between guest vocalist (and accompanist) and host instruments. But the overall effect was stirring and satisfying. Exactly what you would expect from a Sutton Foster performance.


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Certified by Winetourismspain
This tour can be booked at no extra cost from our partner´s website winetourismspain.com, Spain´s leading wine travel portal)
To check up to date availability and book the tour simply click on the "Book this tour" button
Beautiful country and wonderful wineries! Our tour guide was the best. I cannot say enough good things about this trip and especially Raul. I highly recommend.
How do I make my reservation?
To make your booking, simply send us your request by clicking on "Book this tour". A callendar will open in a new tab. From there select the date you would like to book your Rioja Wine Tour and complete the required data.
Payment with American Express
Payment with American Express is not possible through our website. Please contact us if you would like to pay with Amex.
Cancellation policy
If cancelled more than 30 days before the tour date, 15% of the total cost will be deducted. If cancelled 30 to 15 days before the day of the tour, 30% of the total cost will be deducted. Tours cancelled within 15 days of the tour date are non-refundable.
This tour can be booked online by clicking on the "Book this tour" button. The tour is available for online bookings every weekeday and saturday.
You will visit 3 of the top wineries in Rioja that we will choose for you based on our knowledge of the area, but we are very happy if you have any specific places that you would like to visit.
Visits to specific wineries depend on availability for visits in English.
This tour can be booked at no extra cost from our partner´s website winetourismspain.com, Spain´s leading wine travel portal)
To check up to date availability and book the tour simply click on the "Book this tour" button
After experiencing the all beauty and hustle and bustle of Barcelona let us take you to enjoy the tradition and wines of Rioja. Let us whisk you away to the magical wine region to enjoy the wine, the food, and tradition. After two nights sleeping in a castle, you won't want to go back, but we will drop you off back at your hotel in Barcelona.
Only a little over an hour south of Bilbao, we find Rioja and one of the more unique experiences you can have in Spain. Relax and enjoy one of the worlds top wine producing regions by visiting 3 different wineries with a private guide who will pick you up at your hotel and drop you off so all you have to do is soak in one of the most unique places Spain has to offer.
This 3-day trip will allow you to enjoy two of Spain top wine regions: Ribera del Duero and Rioja. Each has their own distinct differences and are special in their own way. You will get to see Spain in a way not many get to experience. All you have to do is kick back and relax and let us take you on an unforgettable journey across Spain.
If you want to visit the tourist attractions of La Rioja and Rioja Alavesa, you can do it booking our private tours to Rioja.


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The growing strength of extremist groups across the Middle East and Africa has led the Obama Administration to begin a classified review of just who it can go after under its targeted killing program.
The current congressional authorization to use military force, allows the President to "use all necessary and appropriate force" against any persons or organizations involved in planning or carrying out the September 11th attacks–its been interpreted to include al Qaeda affiliates.
But emerging terrorist groups sympathetic to al Qaeda do not necessarily have a direct link to the core Al Qaeda network responsible for the September 11th attack, CNN's Barbara Starr reports.
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The cheapest and most effective way to eliminate terrorists and Islamic clerics is to pay bounties to Muslim women including giving them exit visas. Osama Bin Laden Laden was captured because he was betrayed by his concubines.
Well its about time. Criminy. I do not like my country that I love, being given a bad name to the rest of the world for being a hypocrite. Truth, Justice and the American Way? We dont assassinate, right? Lets have the big guys think back to when they were in law school. Come on now. JC, do you really think that your position gives you special permissions and authority to go around the law? Or if you and Congress sneak around it, is that what you want to set a leadership example of? And by the way, this is how the world will look at it too. I am HUGELY glad to see this review. Someone with the sense to stop and think and look things over. I grant that is not easy to do midway into something. Kudos.
Obama's Drone Program besides reinforcing his hypocrisy, also validates Bush administration's more reasonable programs: wiretapping and water-boarding. In retrospective, Bush was right when he declared the "War on Terror". He was vilified by the liberal media for his prudent decisions – the very media that is now largely silent when it comes to condemning the Drone Program. Sigh!
this is not an ideological battle between left vs right, GOP vs Dems, Statism vs liberty, socialism vs free markets. This is ethnic warfare against white people.
Why are hostile globalist elite supporting Israel as a Jewish ethnostate with Jewish only immigration, but turning white majority Europe, North America into a multi-ethnic multi-cultural Gulag with dystopian non-White colonization?
Why do gullible Whites kowtow to hostile Jewish elite, who maim White soldiers in bankrupting wars, infiltrate and subvert our central banks and intelligence agencies, indoctrinate us in classrooms and mass media, impose trillions in debt, and plunder our wages?
East Asia is 99% yellow. Africa is 99% Black. West Asia is 99% Brown. But 3rd world colonizers are annihilating Whites, just as Chinese colonizers are annihilating Tibet. This is the endgame.
"Native" Americans are not native. They invaded from East Asia. Whites were not the only slave owners, imperialists. Muslims, Jews, China, India, Mayans, Africans all are guilty of slavery, imperialism. Whites were victims of Arab, Jewish, Turk, African, Mongol imperialism, slavery.
Gullible Whites should reject suicidal anti-White Jewish ideologies like libertarianism, feminism, liberalism, socialism. White people should reject venomous smears of racism, collectivism.
Love to all, hatred to no one, but White people must unite and organize to advance their families, their fertility, their interests. Reading list:
If u r allowed to carry machine guns then the government and be allowed to have drones. The truth remains some Americans are trying to attack other Americans like Jared lee lough ear, Adam Lanza, kkk etc.
The cheapest and most effective way to eliminate Islamic terrorists, Islamic clerics and devout Muslims is to pay bounties to Muslim women to get rid of them and provide the women with exit visas to avoid retaliation.
Osama Bin Laden was captured because he was betrayed by his concubines.
As long as government of countries where these terrorists hide okays, I don't see any issue in killing them, government of Pakistan does not count.


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'Silicon Valley' vs 'Battle Field Church?'
(Note: Swami Sachidananda is a former Indian Air Force Squadron Leader turned promoter of peace and sustainable development after an encounter with death in an air accident in 1982. He professes himself to be an ardent disciple of Sadguru Jesus Christ, the Prince of peace and Son of God. He is also the Founder & Acharya-guru of 'Disciples of Christ for Peace' (DCP), 'Tyagarchana Shanti Mission' (TSM), 'Dharma Bharathi Mission' (DBM), 'Dharma Rajya Vedi' (DRV) and a number of other Organizations, Institutions and Ashrams for a culture of peace and sustainable development in India.
He has travelled widely and has authored a number of books. He was one of the delegates who represented India in the 'Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious & Spiritual Leaders' organized by the United Nations at New York in August 2000. With effect from 25th November 2017 he has shifted residence from Navasrushti Ashram near Nagpur to Dharma Bharathi Ashram at Mulanthuruthy near Kochi. (Mobile-8281874941;
E-mail: email@example.com & URL: www.navasrushti.org & www.dbmindia.org, james kottoor editor ccv)
A friend of mine who is a former Jesuit priest and clinical psychologist and a severe critic of the Church, had called me early morning one day. This was the day after Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church in March 2013. The new Pope-elect had also taken the name 'Francis' after St. Francis of Assisi who is known to the Catholic World as the 'second Christ'. My friend sounded very excited. He told me that the Holy Spirit seemed to be still working in the Catholic Church! I had to remind him that the Church of the crucified and risen Christ has always been guided by the Holy Spirit in spite of Popes and Bishops and people like him and me.
On the day of his election as the Pope, I had said a silent prayer thanking God for the gift of Pope Francis to the Church and the world at this particular juncture in history when both the Church and the world are threatened by violent forces of consumerism and materialism. Last four years have been years of great challenges for Pope Francis. He has been working very prayerfully, tirelessly and fearlessly to wake up the Catholic Church from the spiritual inertia and moral slumber that she had fallen into. He has been trying to bring Christ and His Gospel of love and peace back to the heart and center of the Catholic Church once again.
Pope Francis today is both adored and opposed by a large number of people all over the world. He is now facing serious challenges from a number of conservative Cardinals and Bishops. There are also many other leaders of the Church and of the secular world among the increasing number of his critics. He has emerged as a great threat to their vested interests. There is a 'Dharma Yudh' in the making. The battle lines are being drawn and the battle cries are being heard. On whose side will we stand? With the Vicar of Christ who is a man of simplicity and humility, or with 'powers and principalities' of consumerism and materialism who want to make the Church a 'Silicon Valley'?
I do believe that Pope Francis is a man of destiny chosen by the living Spirit of Christ to bring His Church out of its slavery to consumerism and materialism that are threatening to destroy world today. I also believe that just as the institutionalization of the Church had begun from Europe with Rome as its center, the spiritualization of the Church has to begin from India with Kerala as its center. In this global 'Dharma Yudh' of the third millennium the Syro-Malabar Church has a very crucial role to play.
But the Syro-Malabar Church itself is faced with a similar crisis. The forces led by the Christ-Spirit of simplicity and humility and the forces led by 'the powers and principalities' of consumerism and materialism in the Syro-Malabar Church are already in the battle field. In the socio-spiritual milieu of India, the forces led by the Christ-Spirit of simplicity and humility are sure to win. This will in turn lead to a spiritual regeneration of the Syro-Malabar Church.
A spiritually regenerated Syro-Malabar Church will stand by Pope Francis and the Christ-Spirit of simplicity and humility in the global 'Dharma Yudh' of the third millennium against the 'powers and principalities' of consumerism and materialism that are threatening to destroy the Church and the world today.
Come, Oh Holy Spirit, come to be with us
In our Dharma Yudh in this third millennium
Against the powers and principalities
Of consumerism and materialism
That are threatening to destroy
Your Church and the world today.


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My wife and I recently watched a documentary film called Queen of the Sun: What are the bees telling us? This film is so inspiring and informative and I believe everyone should sit down and watch it… tonight. Here is my personal review of Queen of the Sun.
I will start my review by saying: "Watch this film." Even if you don't read this entire article, jot down the name of the movie and go watch it. Even if you're not a beekeeper, go watch this film. Even if you have never heard about Colony Collapse Disorder, Varroa mites or other ailments affecting bees across the globe, go watch this film. You will not regret it.
Queen of the Sun is an extremely powerful documentary that highlights the importance of bees for pollination throughout the world as well as the potential factors that are leading to the disappearance of these same bees.
This film doesn't focus too much on any single factor that may be contributing to colony collapse disorder but rather presents the viewer with an array of ways that humans have interfered with these wonderful creatures that we rely on for producing 1/3 of all the food that we eat.
Throughout the film, there are also some great interviews with beekeepers from around the world. It's amazing to see beekeepers from England, Australia, France, Italy and the United States all providing their insight into a global epidemic. It's also very interesting to see the different types of beehives that each one uses. (Check out the special features on the DVD for more information on each hive type).
At the very end of the film, there are some great tips that I wanted to share here. Here are six ways that you can do your part to help the honeybees in your area:
- Grow flowers, plants and herbs to help provide food for bees.
- Eliminate pesticides in your garden and lawn.
- Bees are thirsty. Provide a continuous shallow basin with clean water in your garden.
- Buy directly from a local beekeeper who avoids chemicals and produces raw honey.
- Eat organic and pesticide free food.
- Become a beekeeper with sustainable practices.
This documentary did not necessarily change my overall views on beekeeping, but it served to open my eyes a bit wider on the subject. I suddenly found that I have become a bit more passionate about bees when talking to others, and I tend to bring up this film frequently when involved in beekeeping conversations. This is a film that I believe everyone should watch.
Purchase the DVD from Amazon:
Queen of the Sun: What are the bees telling us?
Here's the trailer for Queen of the Sun: What are the bees telling us?


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- For other uses, see Flamethrower.
- For similar weapons exclusive to Zombies, see Gauntlet of Siegfried and Hellfire.
The Purifier is a Specialist Weapon featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Call of Duty: Mobile.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III[edit | edit source]
Multiplayer[edit | edit source]
The Purifier is exclusive to Krystof "Firebreak" Hejek, but can be obtained by Blackjack through his Rogue ability. It functions similarly to the M2 Flamethrower, and can be used as a useful close-quarter combat weapon. Once hit, enemies will slowly burn and die, regardless of how many times the Purifier hits, though they will go down much faster when its fire stream continuously hits them.
A huge weakness of the Purifier is its range. The fire stream can extend several meters, but it takes time to reach full length. Enemies in close proximity can be hit almost immediately, but it may take a second or two to hit enemies further away. If the player can predict where an enemy is approaching, it may be beneficial to start firing early so that the stream is at full length when engaged.
Another huge weakness of the Purifier is its inability to kill immediately if it only hits once. If confronted face-to-face with the Purifier, an enemy can gun down the player before they die, trading kills and ending its use early. This is not a problem in Hardcore game modes, as it is guaranteed to kill in one burst of flames, though the use of a Specialist Weapon in Hardcore when all weapons can kill in one or two shots is questionable at best.
The Purifier is very easily capable of exposing the player's cover. Shots with the Purifier appear on the mini-map and are fairly audible even if far away, alerting enemies to its usage. As such, care must be taken when using the Purifier to not get gunned down at a medium distance, where the Purifier may not be able to even hit the enemy at all.
Killing two enemies in quick succession with the Purifier awards the "Crispy" medal. Killing three or more enemies awards the "Melted" medal.
The Purifier is usable underwater but as a small, blue flame. This significantly decreases its effective range.
Zombies[edit | edit source]
The Purifier appears in a Power-up form in Dead Ops Arcade 2: Cyber's Avengening, replacing the M2 Flamethrower from the original Dead Ops Arcade. The Purifier's effectiveness is debatable, since it may take some time for it to kill zombies, although its long ranges compensate for the low damage, allowing the player to burn many zombies at a time.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4[edit | edit source]
- "Flamethrower that shoots a steady gout of flame, scorching enemies within close range."
- — Description
The Purifier makes a return in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
Call of Duty: Mobile[edit | edit source]
- "Flamethrower that blasts a stream of scorching fire within close range."
- — Description
The Purifier returns in Call of Duty: Mobile as an Operator Skill.
Purifier - H2O[edit | edit source]
- "A special high-pressure liquid ejector that causes continuous damage to enemies within a certain range. Send them to a watery grave."
- — Description of the H2O variant
A Legendary variant, the Purifier - H2O, was added on July 29, 2020 as part of the Season 8 The Forge update, during the Days of Summer event. Its statistics are the same as the base version, with the exception being that it shoots water instead of fire.
Gallery[edit | edit source]


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Middle Ages
Benedictine monasteries were the primary source of medical knowledge in Europe and England during the Early Middle Ages. However, most of these monastic scholars' efforts were focused on translating and copying ancient Greco-Roman and Arabic works, rather than creating substantial new information and practices. Many Greek and Roman writings on medicine, as on other subjects, were preserved by hand copying of manuscripts in monasteries. The monasteries thus tended to become local centers of medical knowledge, and their herb gardens provided the raw materials for simple treatment of common disorders. At the same time, folk medicine in the home and village continued uninterrupted, supporting numerous wandering and settled herbalists. Among these were the "wise-women", who prescribed herbal remedies often along with spells and enchantments. It was not until the late Middle Ages that women who were knowledgeable in herb lore became the targets of the witch hysteria. One of the most famous women in the herbal tradition was Hildegard of Bingen. A 12th century Benedictine nun, she wrote a medical text called Causes and Cures.[citation needed] Dioscorides' Materia Medica, c. 1334 copy in Arabic, describes medicinal features of cumin and dill. Medical schools known as Bimaristan began to appear from the 9th century in the medieval Islamic world among Persians and Arabs, which was generally more advanced than medieval Europe at the time. The Arabs venerated Greco-Roman culture and learning, and translated tens of thousands of texts into Arabic for further study. As a trading culture, the Arab travellers had access to plant material from distant places such as China and India. Herbals, medical texts and translations of the classics of antiquity filtered in from east and west. Muslim botanists and Muslim physicians significantly expanded on the earlier knowledge of materi
medica. For example, al-Dinawari described more than 637 plant drugs in the 9th century, and Ibn al-Baitar described more than 1,400 different plants, foods and drugs, over 300 of which were his own original discoveries, in the 13th century. The experimental scientific method was introduced into the field of materia medica in the 13th century by the Andalusian-Arab botanist Abu al-Abbas al-Nabati, the teacher of Ibn al-Baitar. Al-Nabati introduced empirical techniques in the testing, description and identification of numerous materia medica, and he separated unverified reports from those supported by actual tests and observations. This allowed the study of materia medica to evolve into the science of pharmacology.[34] Baghdad was an important center for Arab herbalism, as was Al-Andalus between 800 and 1400. Abulcasis (936-1013) of Cordoba authored The Book of Simples, an important source for later European herbals, while Ibn al-Baitar (1197–1248) of Malaga authored the Corpus of Simples, the most complete Arab herbal which introduced 200 new healing herbs, including tamarind, Aconitum, and nux vomica.[35] Avicenna's The Canon of Medicine (1025) lists 800 tested drugs, plants and minerals.[36] Book Two is devoted to a discussion of the healing properties of herbs, including nutmeg, senna, sandalwood, rhubarb, myrrh, cinammon, and rosewater. The Canon of Medicine remained a medical authority, used at many European and Arab medical schools, until the early 19th century.[37][38] Other pharmacopoeia books include that written by Abu-Rayhan Biruni in the 11th century[citation needed] and Ibn Zuhr (Avenzoar) in the 12th century (and printed in 1491),[39] Peter of Spain's Commentary on Isaac, and John of St Amand's Commentary on the Antedotary of Nicholas.[40] In particular, the Canon introduced clinical trials,[41] randomized controlled trials,[42][43] and efficacy tests.


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