text:
System for producing labels from a web
A labelling system (10) dispenses a web (36) of label material having a coating (43) of non-tacky activatable adhesive, subsequently activates the adhesive, cuts the web (36) preferrably using a pair of laser beams (52a, 52b) to produce labels (80) therefrom, and then applies the labels to respective packages (18). In another embodiment (90), a carrier sheet (104) is separated from an adhered web (102) whereupon the web (102) is then cut using a laser beam (52) to form labels (112) and a waste matrix (114). The labels (112) are then rejoined to the carrier sheet (104).
Latest Greydon W. Nedblake, Jr. Patents:
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of label manufacture. More particularly, the invention concerns a labelling system that dispenses a web of label material having a coating of non-tacky adhesive, subsequently activates the adhesive, cuts the web using a laser beam to produce labels therefrom, and then applies the labels to respective packages. In another embodiment, a carrier sheet is separated from an adhered web whereupon the web is then cut using a laser beam to form labels and a waste matrix. The labels are then rejoined to the carrier sheet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, pressure sensitive labels are produced by using a die to cut a printed web releasably adhered to a carrier sheet in order to form a label and a waste matrix. The matrix is then removed leaving the labels spaced on the carrier sheet that is then formed into a roll. In order to apply the labels to the package, a label dispenser strips the labels from the carrier sheet and applies them to respective packages. The carrier sheet is then discarded as waste.
As those skilled in the art will appreciate, this prior art system of labeling packages presents a number of problems. For example, the carrier sheet typically represents nearly one-half the material cost of label production. This is a tremendous waste of financial and natural resources, and the spent carrier sheet presents an on-going trash disposal burden.
Additionally, a die must be custom manufactured for each type of label and additional dies provided as replacements for worn-out dies. Furthermore, these dies must be stored between production runs.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The label production system of the present invention solves the prior art problems discussed above and provides a distinct advance in the state of the art. More particularly, the invention hereof eliminates the need for a carrier sheet in the production and application of labels to packages, and eliminates the need for custom manufactured dies for cutting labels from a web.
The preferred label production system is used at the site of package production. A web of non-tacky label material having a coating of activatable adhesive thereon is dispensed from a supply, preferably in the form of a roll. The adhesive is subsequently activated. A laser beam cuts through the web along a continuous, predetermined path in order to produce a label from the web. The label, with the adhesive already activated, is then applied to a package.
In preferred forms, the adhesive coating is heat activatable and is preferably activated by a laser beam. Additionally, the preferred system simultaneously uses two laser beams to cut along divergent paths of the web. A preferred vacuum belt arrangement conveys the cut label body from the web matrix to the package.
Another embodiment is concerned with the production of pressure sensitive labels. A carrier sheet and adhered web are dispensed from a supply and then separated. A laser beam cuts the web while separated in order to produce spaced apart labels and a waste matrix. The web is then rejoined to the carrier sheet and the matrix removed in order to produce a carrier sheet with spaced, pressure sensitive labels thereon.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view of a schematic representation of the preferred label production apparatus;
FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 showing additional detail;
FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 showing the laser and web cutting;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 3; FIG. 6 is a partial elevational view of a schematic representation of a label production apparatus in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a partial, top view of a schematic representation of the laminate embodiment of the label production apparatus of the present invention; FIG. 8 is a partial bottom view of the apparatus of FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is an elevational view taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 7; FIG. 10 is a plan view taken along line 10--10 of FIG. 9; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11--11 of FIG. 7; FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12--12 of FIG. 7;
FIG. 13 is a schematic representation of blocked web embodiment of the present invention showing the roll formation process;
FIG. 14 is a partial sectional view taken along line 14--14 of FIG. 13;
FIG. 15 is a schematic representation of the embodiment of FIG. 13 showing the dispensing process;
FIG. 16 is a partial sectional view taken along line 16--16 of FIG. 14;
FIG. 17 is a schematic representation of the wound roll of the dual web embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 18 is a partial sectional view taken along line 18--18 of FIG. 17; and
FIG. 19 is a schematic representation of the dual web embodiment of the present invention.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawing figures, and in particular to FIGS. 1-3, preferred label production apparatus 10 broadly includes web dispensing mechanism 12, laser unit 14, and label application assembly 16 for applying labels to packages 18. In more detail, web dispensing mechanism 12 includes dispensing reel 20, in-feed tension dancer 22 having rollers 24a and 24b, web feed input roller 26, web spacing rollers 28, out-feed drive rollers 30a and 30b, web take-up reel 32, and photoelectric web registration sensor 34 with web 36 routed through mechanism 12 as illustrated. Reel 20 dispenses web 36 from a supply in the form of a roll 38.
Web 36 presents front face 40 with spaced label indicia including registration marks printed thereon, and presents rear face 42 having a coating 43 of non-tacky, heat activatable adhesive. It should also be understood that a wide range of heat activated adhesive materials can be used activatable by infrared or ultraviolet, for example, solvent activated adhesives, or the adhesive could be applied at the site of application. In this way, web 36 is non-tacky as dispensed from supply roll 38 until the adhesive is activated in activation zone 44 as discussed further hereinbelow.
Laser unit 14 includes laser 46, mirrors 48a and 48b and controller 50. Laser 46 is operable to produce upper and lower, continuous, narrow laser beams 52a and 52b , and to produce pulsed, broad laser beam 54 that is routed by mirrors 48a,b to impinge upon web rear face 42 at zone 44 in order to activate adhesive coating 43. Laser 46 is a conventional industrial unit well known to those skilled in the art. The preferred laser unit includes two, 80 watt, carbon dioxide lasers for producing respective beams 52a,b available from Laser Machining, Inc., of Somerset, Wis.
Upper and lower laser beams 52a,b are shiftable in the Y axes in the orientation of FIG. 4 in order to cut through web 36 as it moves past laser 46. These movements are controlled by a beam positioner operated by controller 50, both available from General Scanning, Inc., of Water-town, Massachusetts. Controller 50 is programmed to control the movements of beams 52a,b in coordination with the movement of web 36 and the operation of application assembly 16. More particularly, controller 50 is connected with the electrical components of dispensing mechanism 12, laser unit 14, and application assembly 16 for control thereof, and includes label data stored in memory used to control the movement of laser beams 52a,b as required for a specific label.
Label application assembly 16 includes arcuate vacuum shoe 56, belt drive roller 58, tensioning idler roller 60, porous endless belt 62 extending around forward surface 64 of shoe 56 and around rollers 58,60 as illustrated, photoelectric label sensor 66, photoelectric reflection mirror 68, and photoelectric package sensor 70. Vacuum shoe 56 is preferably composed of aluminum with forward surface 64 polished to present minimal resistance to the movement of belt 62 thereover. The walls of shoe 56 define an interior vacuum chamber 72 coupled with a conventional vacuum source 74. Additionally, a plurality of vacuum openings 74 interconnect chamber 72 and forward surface 64 in order to draw a vacuum through porous belt 62 for holding a label against the outboard surface 76 thereof.
To operate apparatus 10, the appropriate label cutting data is loaded into the memory of controller 50. Roll 38 is placed on reel 20 and the leading edge of web 36 threaded through components 22-30 and onto take-up reel 32. In operation, movement of web 36 is continuous. In response to the detection of a registration mark detected by registration sensor 34, controller 50 activates laser 46 to pulse beam 54 in order to activate adhesive coating 43 on the label portion of web face 42 opposite the corresponding label indicia printed on web face 40.
As the label portion moves through cutting zone 78 defined between rollers 28a,b, laser beams 52a,b cut through web 36 along a predetermined path defined by the label data stored in controller 50. As illustrated in FIG. 4, laser beams 52a,b move up and down to cut through web 36 as it moves past the beams in order to produce a label 80 and a web matrix 82.
As the label portion of web 36 exits cutting zone 78, matrix 82 moves around roller 28b. The leading edge 84 of label 80, however, is no longer constrained by web 36 and bridges the gap between dispensing mechanism 12 and application assembly 16 so that belt 62 engages leading edge 84. The vacuum being drawn on shoe 56 causes label 80 to be held against outboard surface 76 of belt 62. This engagement begins before laser beams 52a,b completes the cutting of label 80. In this way, leading edge 84, and thereby label 80 as a whole, is supported on belt 62 before the cutting of label 80 is complete. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the speed of belt 62 is matched to the movement of web 36.
The movement of belt 62 carries labels 80 with the front indicia face 40 against belt outboard surface 76 with activated adhesive coating 43 exposed outwardly. Sensor 66 detects when leading edge 84 of label 80 interrupts the photoelectric beam as reflected by mirror 68. As label leading edge 84 approaches the trailing end 86 of shoe 56, it moves beyond the area of vacuum openings 74. This releases the hold on label edge 84 and allows edge 84 to extend beyond the shoe 56 toward an approaching package 18.
Package sensor 70 detects the leading edge of a package 18 so that the movement of package 18 is coordinated with the presentation of label 80, and so that the face of package 18 engages the adhesive activated face of label 80 at the same speed at which the label 80 is dispensed from application assembly 16. When leading label edge 84 engages the face of package 18, it adheres thereto as does subsequent portions of label 80 until the label is fully engaged and adhered to package 18.
FIG. 6 illustrates apparatus 90, which is a second embodiment of the present invention. Apparatus 90 includes a conventional label manufacturing machine and further includes laser unit 46 operable to produce laser beams 52a,b, controller 50, carrier sheet detachment shoe 92, roller 94, attachment shoe 96, pinch roller 98, and matrix roller 100. Web 102 and carrier sheet 104 are threaded through apparatus 90 as illustrated. Web 102 includes a coating of conventional pressure adhesive on lower surface 106, and carrier sheet 104 includes a conventional release coat on upper surface 108.
In a conventional label manufacturing machine, a continuous roller die is used to cut through web 104 while leaving the carrier sheet intact. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, dies are expensive to manufacture and a custom die must be produced for each type of label. Apparatus 90 eliminates the need for a cutting die by using laser unit 46 to cut web 102 according to label data stored in the memory of controller 50.
In operation, carrier sheet 104 is stripped from web 102 at detachment shoe 92, extends around roller 94, and is rejoined with web 102 between attachment shoe 96 and pinch roller 98. Laser beams 52a,b cut through web 102 in the manner described above in connection with apparatus 10 as web 102 moves through cutting zone 110 extending between shoes 92 and 96. With this configuration, the need for a precisely controlled depth of cut is eliminated because of the separation of web 102 and carrier sheet 104 in cutting zone 110. In this way, more powerful laser beams can be used for higher production speeds.
The cutting of web 102 by beams 52a,b produces labels 112 and matrix 114. The leading edge of a label 112 engages carrier sheet 104 before the trailing edge is cut from web 102. Compression between pinch roller 98 and shoe 96 ensures secure reattachmen to Matrix 114 is then stripped from sheet 104 at matrix roller 100 leaving sheet 104 with a plurality of space labels 112 releasably adhered thereto as illustrated.
Laminate Embodiment
FIGS. 7-12 illustrate laminate assembly 120 of the present invention for use in connection with apparatus 10 when it is desired to produce a laminated label. Turning initially to FIG. 7, assembly 120 includes separation roller 122 (FIG. 8), reversing roller 124, laminating roller 126 and pinch rollers 128a and 128b. As illustrated, rollers 122 and 126 are each positioned at about 45 degrees relative to the direction of travel of web 36a, but are oriented at about 90 degrees relative to one another. In the preferred embodiment, assembly 120 is used with web 36a including base sheet 130 and laminate sheet 132. Base sheet 130 is preferably composed of Mobil Label Lyte synthetic resin film and presents top face 134, bottom face 136 with a coating 138 of pressure sensitive adhesive (Union Carbide Polyacrylate) applied to bottom face 136. Laminate sheet 132 is preferably composed of Mobil Label Mate synthetic resin film and presents upper surface 140 and lower surface 142 with a coating 144 of pressure sensitive adhesive thereon. As viewed in FIG. 11, adhesive coatings 138 and 144 are releasably engaged to superpose base sheet 130 and laminate sheet 132. In other words, as dispensed, base sheet bottom face 136 is engaged adjacent laminate sheet lower surface 142.
In operation, separation roller 122 engages and separates laminate sheet 132 from base sheet 130. The separated portion of laminate sheet 132 is then oriented at right angles to the direction of travel of web 36a. Reversing roller 124 reverses the direction of the separated portion of laminate sheet 132 whereupon laminating roller 126 repositions laminate sheet 132 relative to base sheet 130.
As dispensed from laminating roller 126, laminate sheet lower surface 142 engages top face 134 of base sheet 130 and is adhered thereto by adhesive coating 138. In so doing, laminate web 36b is formed with laminate sheet 132 now on top of base sheet 130. In the preferred embodiment, base sheet top face 134 bears label indicia thereon but does not include any release coating. Because of this, laminate sheet adhesive coating 144 permanently adheres laminate sheet 132 to base sheet 130 to present web 36b with a clear protective lamination. Web 36b then proceeds through apparatus 10 where laser beams 52a and 52b form the desired labels.
Blocked Web Embodiment
FIGS. 13-16 illustrate blocked web embodiment 150 of the present invention for forming a laminated web. As illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 15, web 152 includes base sheet 154 and laminate sheet 156. Base sheet 154 is preferably conventional pressure sensitive stock with reduced caliper for cost savings such as opaque or transparent Mobil Label Lyte film. Sheet 154 presents top face 158 and bottom face 160 having a coating 162 thereon preferably composed of Union Carbide polyacrylate. In the preferred embodiment, label indicia are printed on base sheet top face 158.
Laminate sheet 156 is preferably composed of Mobil Label Mate film and presents upper surface 164 and lower surface 166 with release coating 168 on upper surface 164. Blocked web embodiment 150 further includes conventional adhesive applicator 170 and compression roller 172.
In operation, web 152 passes over applicator 170 which applies adhesive coating 174 to laminate sheet lower surface 166. Coating 174 is preferably a thermal activated adhesive such as Exxon polyisobutylene. Web 152 then passes under compression roller 172 where web 152 is formed into roll 176. As web 152 is formed into roll 176, adhesive coating 174 permanently bonds laminate sheet lower surface 166 to the underlying base sheet top face 158. This process forms laminated web 178 (FIG. 16) in which laminate sheet 156 is permanently bonded to top face 158 of base sheet 154.
Referring now to FIGS. 14 and 16, when laminated web 158 is dispensed from roll 176, base sheet bottom face 160 and pressure sensitive release coating 162 releases from the underlying upper surface 164 of laminate sheet 156 because of the presence of release coating 168 thereon. As dispensed from roll 176, laminated web 178 presents base sheet 154 with transparent laminate sheet 156 thereon and can be used as the supply for apparatus 10.
Dual Web Embodiment
FIGS. 17-19 illustrate the dual layer embodiment 180 of the present invention. Referring initially to FIG. 17 and 18, dual web 182 is formed and then dispensed from roll 184. Web 182 includes first printed web 186, triadhesive layer 188 and second printed web 190. Triadhesive layer 188 is composed of non-tacky activatable adhesive layer 192 on the inboard face of first web 186, a second layer 194 of non-tacky activatable adhesive on the inboard face of web 190, and a relatively thin layer 196 of pressure sensitive adhesive between layers 192 and 194. Adhesive layer 196 maintains webs 186 and 190 in the face-to-face relationship illustrated in FIGS. 17-19.
FIG. 19 illustrates embodiment 180 using dual web 182 and includes roll 184, separation rollers 198a and 198b, direction rollers 200a and 200b, matrix removal rollers 202a and 202b, and two of laser units 46 designated as units 204a and 204b, each with a dual beam output as described above for cutting labels from the associated webs.
In operation, dual web 182 is dispensed from roll 184 and travels between separation rollers 198a,b where webs 186 and 190 separate at adhesive layer 196. More particularly, web 186 with activatable adhesive layer 192 separates from web 190 carrying its layer 194 of activatable adhesive. Web 186 then travels around roller 200a to the vicinity of laser unit 204a which cuts labels 80 therefrom as described above in connection with apparatus 10. Waste matrix 206a is then removed. Subsequently, adhesive layer 192 is activated and labels 80 applied to the package.
Similarly, web 190 with activatable adhesive 194 thereon separated at roller 198 and travels around roller 200b to the vicinity of laser unit 204b which cuts labels 80 from web 190. Waste matrix 206b is then removed by way of roller 202b.
As those skilled in the art will appreciate, dual web embodiment 180 provides a convenient way to double the label production rate of labels dispensed from a single roll. The production of the dual web also presents economies of manufacture.
Dual web 182 can also be configured with adhesive layer 188 to include two layers of adhesive instead of three. In this bi-adhesive embodiment one of the web adhesive layers is a conventional pressure sensitive adhesive and the other is a non-tacky activatable adhesive. The pressure sensitive adhesive portion maintains the dual web in the face-to-face relationship until separated. With this arrangement, only one stream of labels would need to have the adhesive activated.
1. A method of labelling a package comprising the steps of:
- dispensing a web of label material from a supply thereof;
- cutting through said web using a laser beam along a continuous, predetermined path in order to produce a label body therefrom; and
- applying said label body to a package,
- said web including
- a base sheet presenting a top face and an opposed, bottom face, and
- a laminate sheet presenting an upper surface and an opposed, lower, adhesive surface having a coating of adhesive thereon with said lower adhesive surface releasably adhered to said bottom face of said base sheet,
- said dispensing step including the steps of
- removing a portion of said laminate sheet from said base sheet to present a laminate sheet portion and a separate, base sheet portion, and
- placing said adhesive surface of said laminate sheet portion in contact with said top face of said base sheet portion to form a laminated web as said web for said cutting step.
2. The method of claim 1, said dispensing step including the step of providing said lower face of said base sheet with a coating of adhesive.
3. The method of claim 1, said dispensing step including the step of providing said laminate sheet as a clear film.
4. The method of claim 3, said dispensing step including the step of providing said base sheet top face with indicia thereon.
Type: Grant
Filed: Dec 15, 1994
Date of Patent: Apr 29, 1997
Assignee: Greydon W. Nedblake, Jr. (Kansas City, MO)
Inventors: Greydon W. Nedblake (Kansas City, MO), John Garber (Fenton, MO)
Primary Examiner: Esther Kepplinger
Assistant Examiner: Curtis E. Sherrer
Law Firm: Hovey, Williams, Timmons & Collins
Application Number: 8/170,706
International Classification: B32B 3100;


text:
Let's get one thing out of the way first. I don't believe porn, or pornography as people in weird grey-ish clothing tend to call it, is evil. Or inappropriate. Or even inherently sexist. What I actually do believe is that -in all its varied guises- porn is both interesting and a frankly under-explored medium. Also, I quite love it, and if you don't or have anything against mankind, sex, having fun and/or life in general, and thus feel offended, well, that's not my fault. I'm a bloody misanthrope too, you know (especially on Mondays).
Besides, porn wasn't the first thing that came to my mind for my belated Game Cabaret premiere after all. It's just that tackling deep ludologic issues might be a bit too much for me at the moment. Urban geography is taking up far too much time, and I obviously digress. Also I should have finished this article ages ago.
So, what is porn really? Or, to rephrase the question, is every depiction of sex pornographic? Well, no, though admittedly the answer could change depending on the society within which the matter is discussed. 18th and 19th century Europeans for example were so shocked by the perceived obscenity of ancient Greek and Roman nude statues, that literally went on and chopped their dicks off (the statues', not theirs unfortunately), whereas pornographic depictions of sex were pretty standard in the practice of a variety of more humane religions. Personally -obviously influenced by contemporary society, too- and while cunningly avoiding narrow puritan definitions, I do tend to define any attempt at intentionally, sexually stimulating ones audience as pornographic.
Whether I (or anyone else) is actually stimulated is another matter altogether. It's the creator's -perceived or actual- intention I care about, in a way not dissimilar to what I would use to classify a horror movie. Or game.
Were I actually discussing cinema, I would definitely not consider any uncensored sex scene as reason enough to classify a film as porn. Baise-moi for example does sport quite a few sexually graphic scenes that are definitely not meant to arouse. The contrary rather. Then, there are films like Novecento where one or two sex scenes are merely added as just another story element or for purely realistic/artistic/whatever reasons. Wouldn't call that porn either.
Proper porn movies, on the other hand, the garden variety of dirty flicks if you wish, fail on everything else besides the sex scenes, and one could even argue that most of them aren't that good or varied to begin with. It was Clive Barker I believe who actually tried to define quality porn, as something that manages to captivate its audience even after said audience has climaxed and, sad as this sounds, the only porn movie I think managed to achieve such a lofty goal was Deep Throat with its -at times- brilliant humour (mind you, humour and porn do work quite well together it seems).
Thankfully though, quality porn is more than a theoretical construct or merely a wish. It can be found -among other places I'm sure- in literature, and as most should be familiar with Marquis/Citoyen De Sade's works, indulge me while I go on and briefly focus on Andreas Embirikos. Embirikos, you see, besides being my favorite surrealist poet, a pioneer in Greek psychoanalysis, a photographer of beautiful girls, an excellent writer and, when in the mood, a socialist, was also a great pornographer. And an immensely proud one too. His greatest contribution to porn, Megas Anatolikos (The Great Eastern), was an epic novel spanning one hundred chapters, taking place on the titular cruise ship and eloquently showcasing the glory of almost every imaginable perversion. Frankly, absolutely nothing was considered taboo or perverted enough to be left out and, were the book released in our era, the censors would be having an editing party. What's more, the sex scenes were at once poetic, funny, arousing, plot advancing and brilliantly complemented with giant penises rising from the ocean or extensive descriptions of the ship's library. Oddly, it was quite a publishing success too.
Let us now move from literature to video games (a humongous leap indeed), where the story so far is rather sad. Pathetic even. To begin with, sex, let alone pure gratuitous porn, is virtually absent in the mainstream and to such a degree that a semi-naked woman is easily considered scandalous, whereas -say- a mutilated corpse goes largely unnoticed. Standard puritanic medium-wide ethics aside, even when sex is present, it usually is presented in a ridiculously sexist/immature way and lazily treated as a reward for gamers. Interactive sex, truly arousing scenes playing on the medium's strengths and thus proper video game porn is, for the time, nigh-on unthinkable.
Cataloging every attempt at sexy games is of course beyond this article's scope, but briefly discussing a few of the niches in porn games most definitely is not. First of all, we have the virtual dollhouse games a la 3D SexVilla or the less germanic Virtually Jenna, that besides their grotesque attempt at realistic graphics don't offer much of a gaming experience either. Pathetic and marginally more fun than undressing your children's dolls or something is what they are. Then, we have more or less proper games that tend to vaguely stick to a genre or another, while cunningly introducing an erotic theme and a few sex scenes, just like the Lula series that eventually spawned the atrocious Lula 3D, or a variety of Tetris-clones and chess games that sort of reward the player with the odd video of a tit being all titty. Slightly better are the Japanese choose-your-own story offerings, which aren't totally unlike watching a hentai porn DVD with a marginally less than obvious chapter selection feature. Finally, and after ignoring such bizarre masterpieces as the wonderfully nonsensical Sex Station 7, we do have games (in name only) that are nothing more than glorified adult chatrooms. Oh, yes, and a myriad of games like Leisure Suit Larry that never claimed to be pornographic, never tried to, but were still horribly misunderstood by the sex-starved gaming audience (and this of course does not include our readers; male or female). In a nutshell: video gaming porn is and has always been in dire straits. At best.
The question thus can only be: Could it work? Could there actually be a video game that manages to be arousing? Well, I'd say yes, but only in theory and in the realm of the indie scene, as I just can't see anything interesting happening in the world of children focused consoles or mainstream PC gaming. Quite obviously an erotic text-adventure/piece of interactive-fiction would be a nice start, and a rather easy one too, especially if one were to follow -as is rather typical for this kind of games- classic literally rules while adding a touch of interactivity. Interestingly, and that could be a positive sign indeed, women have been -up to now- more interested in the sexier side of gaming (have a look at the Sexy Videogameland)... This could probably spare us the sexist bits.
Oh, and on an absolutely unrelated and definitively closing note, let me remind everyone that Woody Allen (I think) was correct: being punctual is a very lonely experience indeed. On the other hand, I'm absolutely positive Mr. Allen was the one to also insightfully notice that sex between two people is a beautiful thing. Between five, it's fantastic.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Oh video game pornography, where art thou?
Let's get one thing out of the way first. I don't believe porn, or pornography as people in weird grey-ish clothing tend to call it, is evil. Or inappropriate. Or even inherently sexist. What I actually do believe is that -in all its varied guises- porn is both interesting and a frankly under-explored medium. Also, I quite love it, and if you don't or have anything against mankind, sex, having fun and/or life in general, and thus feel offended, well, that's not my fault. I'm a bloody misanthrope too, you know (especially on Mondays).
Posted by gnome at 2:00 AM
Labels: Game design, Ludology, Porn, Sex
20 comments:
- The Sports Satirist said...
Naked women!!!! Now, this is my kind of content. Oh, dear. I need a cold shower.
- June 13, 2008 at 6:57 AM
- NebachadnezzaR said...
That was a great read, gnome. Congratulations.
In this matter, unlike the RE5 racism case, I pretty much totally agree with you on the various topics you talked about. I also can't understand why a mere picture of a naked body is considered pornography, or why the hell people consider the natural act of sexual engagement way more offensive than blowing heads or bodies cut in half, specially considering that everyone, sooner or later, will have sex, while just a few of us will actually kill people like we do in games, and those are usually not consider "normal" people, but rather criminals and the scum of society.
Fortunately sometimes there are games that boldly dare to push the boundaries by showing sex, even if not totally explicit, and even better, not as the main attraction of the game, but as just another natural part of it. Yes, I'm talking about Mass Effect, and I definitely hope that we'll see more games like that in the future, because this industry really needs them.
- June 18, 2008 at 7:00 AM
- gnome said...
Ah, so glad we are back to agreeing with each other dear Nebachadnezzar... Mind you, just remembered the only disturbing sex scene I've ever seen in a game and it was in Fahrenheit. Oh dear... zombie love is creepy...
- June 19, 2008 at 5:20 AM
- Jonathon Wisnoski said...
I don't remember any zombies in Fahrenheit or the sex scene being disturbing...
But anyways, nice post.
I would agree with everything everything you said.
Unfortunately any more sex in games at this time would probably only inflame opposition to games in general.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
• 3 matches will be spotlighted every Sunday morning based on their nostalgic qualities, their in-ring performances, their campiness, and their performers' contributions to today's wrestling world.
• Not EVERY match will be a squash, but it's always nice to see the fan favorite totally dominate.
• Main event of Squash Match Sunday will normally have a title on the line, and will ALWAYS be a quality wrestling match.
…Let's get to the action!
"The Juicer" Art Barr takes..on..uhh…what a creepy friggin' gimmick. Watch some creeper in face paint run around with kids in face paint for your Early Bird Special.
T.J. Perkins takes on Mr. "Desmond Wolfe" himself, Nigel McGuinness in the Mid Card Hangover match this morning. After all the booze you drank last night, I'm sure your head must feel like you just got hit with Nigel's "Tower of London" finisher.
Things to keep an eye/ear out for:
• Every wrestler from here on out who is on the receiving end of a wristlock should exclaim "OIIII!" the way Nigel McGuinness does in this match.
• Seems like Perkins got caught in the air for a bit during that frog cross body splash. Because he's very light, you see!
Lawrence Taylor and Bam Bam Bigelow headline your SUPER BOWL-themed Main Event of the Morning in a Lumberjack match at Wrestlemania XI. Look out for Steve "Mongo" McMichael as well as other former NFL players who are probably dead broke around now.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Your main event worthy commentary of the afternoon:
• Funny to see Pat Patterson as a ref, and Nikolai Volkoff as a guy at ringside with a cent sign on his shirt.
• Big props to Bam Bam for jobbing to an ex(?)coke addict…then again this IS the WWF in the 1990s.
• Please answer the following question in the comments below: Would you wear a WWF Lawrence Taylor jersey? I know it's hard to imagine without the bike shorts but you KNOW that would strike up some interesting conversation!
Well that about does it from my end, enjoy your Sunday afternoon!


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I knew before receiving this supplement that endometriosis can cause issues with egg quality. What I didn't know at the time was that I in fact has diminished ovarian reserve. My FSH was high, meaning my body was working too hard to ovulate every month, and my AMH and follicle counts were both low, meaning my body was running out of eggs. Unfortunately I was not able to try to get pregnant while on them but I did have a repeat of my FSH levels after I had started taking them.
Pros -
Cons -
Overall I feel that this is a great supplement for women with endometriosis or any issue that may cause egg quality issues. The company is great, the supplements contain well researched ingredients, and the price to help boost fertility is worth it.
Where to buy: Fairhaven Health
Leave a Reply.


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The iconic REALTOR® logo is changing in June of 2018.
The REALTOR® brand represents the organization's unique role and heritage in shaping the real estate industry over its 100-year history, where it has built tremendous brand equity among its members, partners and property buyers and sellers. But after 45 years, even an iconic brand needs an evolution to better represent our multi-faceted members and REALTOR® organization.
Evolving the REALTOR® logo required keeping the equity and recognition of the current bold, powerful and trusted trademark, while modernizing it to meet the realities of today's marketplace and digital distribution. It also signals where the organization is headed and how it will continue to lead the real estate industry in the years ahead.


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A study conducted by the SBA (small business administration) shows that in every three new small business one of them will fail after two years. The same study further went on to point out that 58 percent of small businesses fail after their first five years. Regardless of these odds, you can succeed in your business.
In this article, we are going to be looking at some ways you can …Continue reading


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Business processes are the key to the way that almost every company operates. That's because they are the blueprints that are followed to achieve all kinds of business functions, and they enable the different parts of the organization to work together and to interact with suppliers and customers.
That being the case, it's not hard to see that a company can only be as flexible, efficient and agile as its business processes interacting with each other.
Many companies develop business processes in isolation from other processes they interact with, or worse, they don't "develop" business processes at all. As a result, many companies are hampered by their processes, and will continue to be so until those processes are optimized.


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The Concourse is a Action game.
Release date: 1 June 2016
Developer: A & B Game Studios, LLC
Platform: PC
Genre: Action
Language: English
If you are looking for where to download The Concourse torrent, welcome to CompTorrent.com! On this page you can download the full PC version of this game for free and without registration. Before that ou can read description of this game and see screenshots. If you like the genre Action, you can find other games of this genre on our site. To do this, go to the appropriate category or use the search form.
Detailed description:
The Concourse is a futuristic foot racing game where you race against your friends, conquer obstacles, dodge energy attacks and try to get to the flag first! Each game is played over the course of 10 rounds with the winner having the most points at the end. We know, we know… You've seen it all before. What makes The Concourse different is that whoever winds up crossing the finish line first modifies a factor in the next race. Want to run faster? Tired of getting slammed by «Energy Attacks»? Feel like the attacks aren't recharging fast enough? Win and control those factors and more. Each track is a procedurally-generated maze, meaning each race will offer a completely different layout for a new challenge every time. Rely on your cunning and skill. With all of the obstacles we throw at you, you'll need a little luck too.


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Walmart Shoppers Ran for Cover When FBI Task Force Used Flash-Bang Grenades
By Steve Neavling
Walmart shoppers were in for a scare Monday when they mistook flash-bang grenades as gunshots.
The FBI Street Task Force in Colorado used the flash-bang devices to help arrest three people.
Unaware of the task force's presence, shoppers ran for cover.
"All of a sudden all these people started running down the aisle yelling, 'Active shooter,' shopper Edward Johnson told CBS4. "The Walmart employees herded us in the backroom and locked the door. We were in there for 15 min then they let us out," Johnson said. "But, there were cops everywhere. Then, they started arresting a lady. It was absolutely the scariest situation I have ever witnessed."
No more information was available late Monday.
Posted: May 21st, 2019 under News Story.
Tags: Colorado, FBI, FBI task force, Walmart
Comments: none


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Scientists at the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan have completed what they consider to be the first study that shows a definitive association between regular tea consumption and a reduced risk of hypertension.In their study, published in a recent issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, the scientists found that drinking a half-cup or more of green or oolong tea for a minimum of one year could cut a person's risk of developing hypertension by approximately 50 percent, even after taking into account factors such as differences in lifestyle and diet.
After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. A staple of Chinese culture and cuisine for centuries, more than 350 varieties of tea are known to exist, with approximately 300 grown in China alone. Researchers estimate that certain varieties of tea can contain more than 4,000 chemical compounds. While some of them have been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels, and may even protect the body against certain types of cancer, the vast majority of the ingredients in tea may affect the body in ways that have yet to be determined.
One area of research that has intrigued scientists for years is the apparent ability of tea to treat hypertension. In China, regular tea consumption has long been associated with reduced blood pressure, while animal studies conducted in Japan in elsewhere have shown that long-term use of green tea can lower blood pressure substantially. To date, however, comparatively few studies have examined the role of green tea in reducing blood pressure levels in humans.
To determine the effects regular tea consumption could have on reducing the incidence of hypertension, a group of scientists led by Dr. Yi-Ching Yang recruited 1,507 men and women living in Tainan, a large city in southern Taiwan. All of the participants were at least 20 years old, and had no previous history of high blood pressure. Blood pressure readings and body mass index measurements were taken by physicians and trained nurses at the start of the study as part of a screening health examination.
The subjects were divided into two groups based on reported tea consumption. Those who drank less than 120 milliliters (approximately 4 ounces) per day were labeled "non-habitual" tea drinkers. The remaining subjects, "habitual" tea drinkers, drank at least 120 milliliters of tea per day for one or more years, and were further divided based on tea intake: 120-599 milliliters per day and 600 or more milliliters per day.
Because the size of the cup used in drinking tea varies widely in Chinese culture, participants were asked to provide details about what kind of cup was used, how the tea was prepared, the amount drank, and the frequency of drinking to calculate average daily tea consumption as accurately as possible. Participants were also asked to record what kind of tea they used (black, green or oolong), and whether milk and/or sugar were added.
In addition to tea consumption, the study participants were asked about a variety of lifestyle and dietary factors, including cigarette smoking, amount and duration of physical activity, sodium intake and types of food eaten.
Approximately 40 percent of the participants met the criteria for habitual tea consumption. An overwhelming majority (96.3 percent) drank either green or oolong tea; only 4.8 percent added milk to their tea on a regular basis.
Habitual tea drinkers tended to be male, were about two years younger than non-habitual drinkers, and had higher educational levels. Interestingly, habitual tea drinkers were also considered "more generally and centrally obese," than non-drinkers, and "smoked more, consumed more alcohol, ate fewer vegetables, and had more frequent high sodium intake" than those who did not drink tea regularly.
Despite these findings, the investigators were surprised to find that after adjusting for all of the lifestyle factors, regular tea drinkers still had lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels (SBP and DBP) compared to non-tea drinkers. Those who drank larger amounts of tea for longer periods of time had the lowest blood pressure readings of any group. "The adjusted mean SBP and DBP values were lowest among the subjects who drank 600 milliliters/day or more, or those who drank for 10 years or more, compared with the other two subgroups," the authors noted. "Although the differences in SBP and DBP were small, these could be significant on a population-wide basis."
Perhaps most importantly, the number of people who developed hypertension over the courts of the study was significantly lower among those who drank tea on a regular basis. According to the researchers:
"Compared with non-habitual tea drinkers, the risk of developing hypertension decreased by 46% for those who drank 120 to 599 milliliters/day, and was further reduced by 65% for those who drank 600 milliliters/day or more, when we adjusted using five covariates for lifestyle (total physical activity, high sodium intake, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking and coffee consumption) and seven selected dietary factors (vegetable, fruit, unrefined grain, fish, milk, food with visible fat, and deep fried foot intake) in addition to the traditional major risk factors for hypertension."
The study authors were unable to pinpoint the element in tea that reduces blood pressure, but offered several possibilities, including:
- caffeine, which is known to reduce blood pressure, but only for short intervals;
- theanine, a component of the amino acids found in green tea and a neurotransmitter in the brain, which has been shown to reduce blood pressure in rats;
- polyphenols, which act as antioxidants and help reduce the effects of free radicals;
- extracts in green tea that may relax smooth muscle; and
- other, as-yet-undetermined compounds.
While failing to confirm which ingredient is responsible for lowering blood pressure in humans, they were able to establish a link between tea consumption and reduced risk of hypertension, using a large patient base and adjusting for a variety of dietary and lifestyle factors that could otherwise skew the results of the study. They also recommended that future long-term studies be conducted using a randomized sample of patients to validate their findings. As the scientists noted in their conclusion:
"In this study, we noted a comprehensive link between lifestyle factors and tea consumption and improved control for potential confounders and measurement of the many characteristics of tea, including duration and amount of consumption in detail ... The possible protective effects of tea consumption on hypertension risk have been suggested by our epidemiological study, and the possible blood pressure-lowering effect and mechanism of tea extracts were supported by some animal laboratory studies. However, more evidence is needed to fortify our preliminary inference about the link between tea consumption and hypertension risk.
- Yang YC, Lu FH, Wu JS, et al. The protective effect of habitual tea consumption on hypertension. Archives of Internal Medicine July 26, 2004;164:1534-1540.


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Question 1: For the positions labeled on the image, list in order from highest to lowest potential energy of the roller coaster. How is the kinetic energy of the roller coaster related to these
Get an answer for 'In the book Great Expectations, explain Pip's feelings about his sister's death when he returns to the forge and sees Biddy and Joe. Charles Dickens' and find homework help for.
A toaster once nearly set Elizabeth Warren's kitchen on fire. Here's why the story sticks with her. Posted on by Price. Category: Mortgage News. Contents. Reddish brown spots. but leaves it in the toaster too long. The bread is black and the kitchen if full of smoke.
Should I buy a home for my student daughter? Home builders are a buy again, says Wedbush Gov. Candidate Blames 'Progressive' Policies For Making Calif. a Poverty-Stricken Racist Dystopia California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas also exist, FWIW.. The odiousness of his policies was just somewhat masked by the last fumes of the old-school Republican "genteel" racism, sexism, xenophobia, etc.. that the Tea Party and then Trump blew away.. starting with either of the candidates in CD2 or any of the Dem Gov candidates.Remodeling provides the indispensable business tools, product information, design ideas, cost-estimating tools, and management advice that enable full-service remodeling businesses to thrive.California's largest energy-saving home development being built in Clovis While California reels from the double whammy. The state claims the largest crew base outside the coasts – more than 3,000. A new studio complex is being built in Santa Fe. With its iconic downtown.Foreigners can freely buy a house in Holland, but it's important to know the quirks of the dutch housing market before buying a property in the.Available definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary The editorial style guide is intended as a reference for members of the University community to help ensure accuracy, clarity, and consistency among print and online publications. Reflecting the.
im sorry, quote me on where i was a dick about this? i believe i said "should have told her subarus are made in america and mustangs are made in mexico". might not be word for word, but either way, definitely not inflamitory. why dont you shut the **** up and learn to read before you start talking ****.
The 600-pound Chambers stove from 1953, however, though an incredible oven to cook in, was extremely old, and popping it into a brand, spankin' new kitchen was not an option.
Banks find that investing in Android pays off Cruise Control: Settling into Homeownership Actor rob lowe wins another cut in his california tax bill His plan adds no taxes.. But the Republican actor's pledge to avoid tax increases was less than airtight. He said an earthquake or other disaster could strike California, so "you can never say.He'd be wary of owning a driverless car – "I don't even like cruise control" – and he's grown suspicious. In the novel he lives into old age, honored and revered, and his work has created.It would be a crime to ignore life insurance Central American Towns Empty as Migrants Rush to U.S. Border Loopholes Cuban caravan attempts to rush border near McAllen, TX, as non-Central american migrant numbers soar daniel Horowitz July 5, Central American Towns Empty as Migrants Rush to U.S. Border Loopholes.. Militia Group Says Members Will Intercept Central American Caravan at U.S. Border.Santa Barbara-based American Riviera Bank opens its first slo county location The American Riviera Bank plans to merge with the Bank of Santa Barbara in a deal that places the community banking institutions in a position to better lend and conduct business.Gov. candidate blames 'progressive' Policies For Making Calif. a Poverty-Stricken Racist Dystopia Do condos appreciate as fast as single-family homes? Answer may surprise you Actor Rob Lowe wins another cut in his california tax bill robert hepler Lowe is an American actor, producer, and director. He is the recipient of two Screen actors guild awards and has been nominated for six golden globes awards and a Primetime emmy award. lowe made his acting debut at the age of 15 with ABC's short-lived sitcom A New Kind of Family. Following numerous television roles in the early 1980s, he came to prominence as a teen idol and member of the Brat Pack with roles in films like The Outsiders, Class, The Hotel New Hampshire, oxford bluestitle insurer First American Says App Defect May Have Exposed Customer Data For instance, ThreatConnect, a threat intelligence product and services vendor, says it has found evidence that an attack on the health insurer's infrastructure may have started as early as.Title Insurer First American Says App Defect May Have Exposed Customer Data First American says product defect could have caused customer data exposure. title insurance company First American Financial Corp said on Friday it had learned of a design defect in one of its.in making government work better for local communities. A must-. Politics + Policy + Point of View.. Under a 2017 state law, California. with dystopian visions, as compelling as. cast their vote for the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.. with issues of justice, to talk about poverty alleviation and.Life insurance issued by Farmers New World Life Insurance Company, a washington domestic company: 3120 139 th Ave. SE, Ste. 300 Bellevue, WA 98005 (CA#: 0378-0). Farmers New World Life is not licensed and does not solicit or sell in the state of New York.ReadyforZero: Pay Off Debt cost: free platform: android, iOS, Online ReadyForZero touts helping people pay down $180 million in debt – and counting. The app lets you link all your debt accounts, make a payoff plan, and track your progress toward meeting your debt goal.
Heres why ( Oct 20, 2016 , www.theguardian.com). pointing up the ways entrepreneurs benefit from publicly funded services like roads and schools and fire departments.. Whether the story ends with her confirmation or being driven from town, it's almost certain that the character of Elizabeth Warren will come out looking just fine..
North West will have 49 per cent of a Mexican joint venture company set up to administer the contract, which covers nearly a third of the city, including the most affluent western residential area. Its partner is Grupo Gutsa, one of the biggest construction groups in Mexico. Each will.
The cooking fireplace and bread oven to the left was built in 1990 and is a pretty good reproduction of a Williamsburg style working fireplace circa 1760 except that the fireplace is a Rumford.
DIY Retirement Savings Exacerbate American Families' Already High Economic Instability Malians respect laws and I don't believe this will come with a high-handed change in political direction. about the miner's production at its Mali operations amid political instability in the.
At this point, you have to ask why. of her BEST friends! Your brother was somewhat of an "odd duck," what today I would describe as a bit "eccentric." We were friends in the neighborhood (at least.


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Here are some updates of the information on the new VtES expansion "Ebony Kingdom". Orange Devil posted this as comment to an earlier post, but for added visibility I put it up here (and did some formatting):
Both "Taming the Beast" and "Devil-Channel: Feet" are included in the boosters as commons. Aye and Orun are both also included in the boosters as rares. Furthermore, each booster display contains 10 Aye and 10 Orun. Each booster contains, from front to back:
- 4 commons
- 3 vampires
- 1 rare
- 2 commons
- 1 rare
for a total of 2 rares per booster. Furthermore, each booster is incredibly easy to open, so yay for that.
Here are the card texts for the two "missing" cards "Taming the Best" and "Devil-Channel: Feet".
#07: Devil-Channel: Feet (EK:C)
Cardtype: Combat
Cost: 1 blood
[abo] [Reflex]: Cancel a frenzy card played on this vampire as it is played.
[abo]: Frenzy (this vampire). Not usable if the opposing minion has flight. Strike: dodge with an optional press.
[ABO]: As above, and this vampire taps an Aye on him or her to untap.
[Draft]: [cel]: As [abo] or [ABO] above.
#35: Taming the Beast (EK:C)
Cardtype: Combat
[sbo][Reflex]: Cancel a frenzy card played on this vampire as it is played.
[abo]: Strike: Hand strike at +1 damage. This combat, this minion cannot cancel frenzy cards nor press to end.
[ABO]: As above, but strike: burn equipment.
[Draft]: [pot]: Strike: hand strike at +1 damage.


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Flight to Australia!
Hamble, Medway and Arun have finally returned back from their trip to Australia from last week. They all had a great time and the inflight entertainment was superb! The year 6 ground handlers did a great job with their bags and the cabin crew worked very hard with the in flight refreshments! The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves and learnt many facts about Australia and the culture. Here are some photos of their flight.
Netball tournament
On Wednesday our netball team played in a tournament. We lost the first game against Shelley A-team but then won against Billingshurst B-team. The girls played well as a team; they demonstrated great passing skills and understanding of the game. The members of the team were: Molly, Olivia A, Olivia K, Emily, Verity, Coco and Lillie. Our coach, Mrs Harvey was a fantastic team motivator and we are very lucky to have her on board! All the girls were excellent representatives for the school and we are looking forward to the next tournament at the end of November.
By Molly and Olivia
Respect and Reverence
Our Christian Value is Respect and Reverence. The children will be looking at how they can show respect for each other and adults in the school community and how they respect and value their own and other people's belongings. They will also learn about how Christians respect God's greatness and acknowledge how the world was created. Aspects of awe and wonder, surrender and sacrifice may also be covered in class
Slinfold Primary School
February 2020


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The agency delivering the Pounds 45 billion Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative has been forced by the credit crunch to go cap-in-hand to the European Investment Bank to secure funds.
The approach to the bank is an attempt to ensure that the vast school renewal programme is not undermined by the economic downturn.
Partnerships for Schools (PfS), the delivery body, has blamed the recession, claiming that the "challenging" financial conditions have meant UK banks are either unwilling or simply unable to back the scheme.
It is understood that talks are "well under way" with the European Union's investment agency to bail out up to five local authorities that are struggling to find private cash.
Among those local authorities hoping to receive a funding boost is Barnsley, which is bidding to build nine new secondary schools, with the European bank supplying up to 50 per cent of the cash.
A PfS spokesperson said: "These are challenging times. Lending conditions in the private finance initiative market have tightened considerably and we are working extremely hard to manage the current challenges and minimise any delays.
"Exploratory discussions with the European Investment Bank are now well under way, with a view to them contributing to the funding of a number of BSF deals."
It is not the first time the partnership has had to turn to the bank. It has already provided funding for Newcastle's BSF programme.


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Youtube uploader fesadrs shares a wonderful moment of two unlikely but sweet buddies that will definitely complete your day. Meet Zeke the puppy and Winston the cat.
Zeke just got home from the vet — being allergic to certain grasses, he broke out in hives and they gave him steroid and benadryl shots. This is Winston, loving and taking care of him
Share this video with your friends!


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Trwa nabór na zajęcia w e-klasie, planowany start 11 i 16 sierpnia 2020.
The details of the course including price and account number for bank transfer, together with course agreement will be sent in the informational e-mail after filling in the registration form below. We issue invoices.
The total price depends on the number of participants, location, type (student/standard) and/or E-learning form. We answer directly to the interested students.
It is recommended to have B1/B2 level of English. We will contact interested candidates in person to get to know each other and verify language fluency.
It is possible to arrange individual classes or stationary courses all over the world.
Find below registration forms for our current courses.


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Athlete Spotlight
Allison Brock
Hometown: Loxahatchee, Florida
Discipline: Dressage
As a horse-loving child growing up in Hawaii, Allison "Ali" Brock did it all. She show jumped, rode western, took dressage lessons, and was very active in Pony Club. At 17, Brock left Hawaii for the mainland to chase her dressage dreams. She became a working student for many prominent equestrian professionals, including Olympian Sue Blinks. The time spent with Blinks helped lay the foundation in becoming a top dressage athlete.
While working with Blinks, Brock had the opportunity to learn what it takes to be an elite dressage competitor. She accompanied Blinks to the 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games and developed her first FEI horse from start to finish. She also learned training fundamentals, horsemanship, and stable management. When Blinks moved to the West Coast, Brock got a job with Fritz and Claudine Kundrun. The dressage enthusiasts decided to sponsor and develop Brock for elite competition and gave her a head trainer position at their DeerMeadow Farms.
Currently, Brock is competing the Kundruns' stallion, Rosevelt.


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Whether you are out on the road or just watching television at home a
neck pillow is a great idea to help you relax while sitting up. If you are
an animal lover this Black Cat Neck Pillow (or one of his friends) adds a
bit more cuddly whimsy to a quick nap.
These cervical support pillows come in a variety of bears, cats, and pigs for you to choose from. Each one is cute and adds a touch of fun to your road trip, airline flight, or TV watching time. They are also nice and plush to give you the feeling of being a kid again -- complete with your favorite stuffed animal.
To order a Black Cat Neck Pillow (or one of his friends) for yourself or as a great gift for a friend, click here.


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At only 16 years old, Teenage Climate Activist Greta Thunberg has already been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her influence in spreading climate change awareness. She first became a household name in September 2018 when she started the School Strike for the Climate, which took place in over 2000 cities worldwide and involving an estimated 1.4 million participants.
"The year 2078 I will celebrate my 75th birthday. If I have children maybe they will spend that day with me. Maybe they will ask me about you. Maybe they will ask why you didn't do anything while there still was time to act. You say you love your children above all else and yet you're stealing their future in front of their very eyes. Until you start focusing on what needs to be done rather than what is politically possible there is no hope."Greta Thunberg
Although more than 7 out of 10 Americans now believe that global warming is a real personal threat, little has been done politically to overcome the climate crisis and ecological crisis we are currently facing. In response to a major UN report revealing the ravaging impact humans continue to have on our planet, Ms Thunberg said that "the message is clearly not getting through" to people in power. She firmly believes that determined and immediate action must be taken to mitigate pollution issues before answering economic questions.
"And yes, I know we need a system change rather than individual change. But you can not have one without the other."Greta Thunberg, Brilliant Minds Conference
Of course, this is a tough pill for many politicians and businesspeople to swallow. But let's remember that it took just one determined teenager to spark mass global awareness on climate change. She has now gotten millions of students, adults, and celebrities on board so politicians are now forced to listen.
Greta Thunberg reminds us all that we are never too small to make a difference. Join bUnited today and together we can change the economy to make companies act more responsibly towards our planet.


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Boys Junior Varsity Lacrosse, Boys Varsity Lacrosse · Lacrosse Information/Booster Meeting 9.27.17
The Canton Chiefs Boys Lacrosse team will be having their first Booster Club Meeting on Wednesday, September 27 @ 7pm in the Canton HS Media Center. This is an informational meeting on the upcoming 2018 Lacrosse season and all of the off season activities. All parents/players are welcome to attend. Go Chiefs!


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SMOK NOVO Pod System Kit 450mAh
Product introduction
SMOK NOVO Kit is a newly designed pod system device which looks a tiny whistle with cobra pattern at front and back and shining plating at the side, exquisite and convenient. Novo's mouthpiece is designed ergonomically, it can fit your mouth perfectly, giving you more convenience when vaping. Powered by a built-in 450mAh battery with 2ml replacement pod cartridge, it can fire up from 10W to 16W power range to offer you stable and superior vaping. It has no fire key, no up/down button, no hassle of leaking, and the battery indicator will inform you at low voltage, it's a perfect device for your relax time. Adopts an innovative air-driven system, this SMOK Novo Pod System Kit will produce massive cloud and you can discover more fun from every single puff. And inside there're two 2ml pods for your favorite e-juice. Available in 8 colors.
Size: 88.3×24.3×14.3mm
Battery Capacity: 450mAh
Power Range: 10W-16W
Standby Current: <200uA
Capacity: 2ml
SMOK NOVO Kit comes with
1×NOVO Mod
2×Pod(No e-liquid)
1×USB Cable
1×User Manual
1. With Gorgeous Cobra Pattern Appearance
2. Ergonomically Designed Mouthpiece
3. Air-Driven System, When The Air Is Inhaled, Novo Can Be Automatically Started, Producing Massive Cloud.
4. Novo Has A Mini Body, Smaller Than Your Hand, You Can Easily Put It Into Your Pockets Or Bags.
5. No Fire Key, No Up/Down Button, No Hassel Of Leaking, Just Inhale. It'S A Perfect Device For Your Relax Time.
6. Intelligent Battery Life Indicator
7. Novo Provides Multiple Protections To Avoid Potential Risks.
8. Top Rotary Refill Makes Filling An Easy Thing. Leak Proof Slot Can Significantly Solve Leaking Problem.
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A few years ago I came across this recipe in Marion Cunningham's "The Fanny Farmer Cookbook." My copy is the 12th edition from 1979. I love this cookbook and recommend it as a basic book to have in your library of cookbooks. Mine is old, stained with splotches of food and oil, the binding is broken...and yet I refer to it again and again.
Anyhow, I cannot take full credit for this recipe because it was in this cookbook that I first saw it. However over the years I've modified the original recipe enough where I believe I can call it my own.
It is October and the Macintosh apples are now in the market. These apples are my preferred apples when baking. Here is the recipe for the pie:
Basic pastry dough for 9-inch two pie crust
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup cranberries
1/2 cup raisins (I used golden raisins)
grated rind of 1 orange (I hate to say this...but you can tell when it is enough)
5 large tart apples (my ratio is 4 Macintosh, 1 Granny Smith)
2 tablespoons of butter
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9-inch pie plate with half the pastry dough. Stir the sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, flour, orange zest together in a large bowl. Pell, core, and slice the apples and toss them in the mixture of sugar, flour, etc. Pile the filling into the lined pie plate and dot with the butter. roll out the top crust and drape it over the pie. Crimp the edges together and cut several small vents in the top. Sprinkle with your sugar/cinnamon mix. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 30-40 minutes or until the apples are tender when pierced with a skewer and the crust is browned.
Leave a Reply.
Family, friends and home are the treasures that bring me the most pleasure. Through my blog, I wish to share part of my life and heart with readers.
October 2020


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WaPo Rips Off Its Own Story
As the expression goes, imitation is the greatest form of flattery. But what about when a newspaper imitates itself, what then?
Today's WaPo Style section cover piece by Deneen Brown profiles a white D.C. teacher Frazier O'Leary and his AP English class. He's is the very teacher and AP class that staff writer Ian Shapira profiled in a lengthy story last year in January 2009.
O'Leary is teaching the same AP English class at Cardozo High School that he was last year. Last year, Shapira's story involved the class reading Toni Morrison's A Mercy ; this year, Brown's piece reports that O'Leary's AP class is reading Ernest Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying, as recommended by the D.C. Public Library and the D.C. Humanities Council as part of "Big Read" sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.


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Strong storms blow through central Iowa
Thunder, lightning, hail and 70 mph wind gusts slammed central Iowa Wednesday afternoon.
The storms started just as most people were heading home from work, and left debris scattered everywhere. Strong, straight-line winds sounded the alarm in Windsor Heights.
"Well you couldn't really see too much, because the wind was blowing so hard - it was really whipping the wind, you couldn't hardly see about 4 feet outside the front of the house," said Rick Johnson.
The wind shoved a tree onto power lines, and another tree got cracked to its core.
Heavy rain caused street flooding in some spots. John Reischl pulled over, but many people just plowed right through.
"Well it was hard to drive in. You couldn't see. So we had to pull over," said Reischl.
Josh Fife was napping in his house when a giant tree from his neighbor's yard came crashing down.
"All of a sudden it just came down, and I was taking cover. I didn't know what was going to happen. I came outside and then the whole half of that tree came down on garage and on my car," said Fife.
His car is destroyed, and his house is severely damaged.
View and share u local storm photos below.


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Lens manufacturing in steps
Step 1
Calculation of individual lenses
Freeform is a new way of corrective lens manufacturing. It is based on nanoHDVision technology for calculation of optical surfaces at all individual lenses – Magic Alpha, Sport, Acomoda and unifocal. It allows for the highest optical quality at every point of the lens surface and in all viewing directions.
The technology takes into account all the individual characteristics of the user – physical as well as biometric. It is recommended that the optician enters into the order form any other specific information about the customer; for example, we can make lenses with widest possible far vision zone for the drivers (model Outdoor), for working indoors we can make lenses with widest possible near vision zone (model Indoor).
We offer the optimal design selection to people in virtually any profession.
Variable inset (nasal shift of near vision zone in relation to far vision zones) significantly expands near vision zones by considering different convergences. For the users with larger pupil distance and larger convergence, lenses with larger inset are made, and vice versa. It is also possible to make lenses with variable inset, also asymmetric if pupil distance to the left and right eye is different. If the leading eye (if the other eye has a low visus) does not converge, it is recommendable to make a lens for the leading eye without the inset – near vision zone will thus be utilised in full.
When making calculations, we also consider pupil height, pantoscopic tilt of PANTO glasses, horizontal wrap of the ZTILT glasses, distance of cornea from the lens – vertex or BVD.
Dimensions and shape of the eyepiece (in combination with previously mentioned individual data) enable the concentration of simulation rays in the eyepiece, so the calculation of surfaces is extremelly efficient and precise.
|information on pupil distances IPD, fitting height (OCHT), and sizes of eyepiece and bridge
|pantoscopic tilt PANTO and vertex distance from cornea to the lens (BVD)
|horizontal wrap of frame ZTILT and
front curve of lens F BASE
| horizontal and vertical decentration
HDEC, VDEC – based on input data are calculated automatically
Step 2
Calculation of individual lenses – continued
|software for calculating individual lenses
Using this information we calculate lens surface (infinite number of points), with nanometric accuracy. The result are lenses with larger vision zones and smaller peripheral aberrations. The user gets used to the lenses very quickly. Even at longer and demanding tasks the eyes remain rested. Lenses manufactured with this technology are top-quality personalised product.
Using this advanced technology we avoided cases of customers not getting used to MAGic progressive lenses, especially Alpha in Alpha VIP, which can be mounted also in wrap-around sport glasses.
Similar is true of Sport lenses which enable comfortable viewing with sport glasses and wrap-around sunglasses to the users with higher diopters.
Aberration compensation
Because rays fall onto the lens under a certain angle, we encounter aberrations in the form of unwanted cylinders and prisms. The power of these errors depends on several parameters, especially on horizontal index ZTILT and vertical tilt PANTO.
In all individual lenses these errors are addressed with compensation, so that the user is given the required diopter at each point on the lens surface.
Measuring these lenses with an ordinary focimeter will give different data from the data on the ordered lenses, which is why one must refer to the data that include compensation when checking these lenses.
Step 3
Lens thickness optimization – CTO
In Alcom we can, using the eyepiece silhouette and positions of pupil centers, computationally determine optimal lens thickness – Computer Thickness Optimization – CTO.
Suitable for:
– thickness matching,
– lens optimization for nylor,
– lens optimization for screws.
|Printout of thickness calculation – more about that …
Step 4
Freeform manufacturing of individual lenses
Surface production
|Satiloh Orbit VFT
Manufacturing of individual lenses is done on Satisloh automatic devices.
Linear motors with tools made of natural diamond, cinematic control with nanometric accuracy, and self-calibration lead to precision in surface design.
|fine surface processing with natural diamond
|automatic measuring of the surface
Polishing with flexible tools
robot for manipulation with flexible polishing tools
computer-controlled polishing process
Individual lens control
Geometry control
Manufacturing of lenses requires advanced software and computers, experienced operators, precise machines for surface processing, and quality diamond and polishing tools. Only if each of several tens of parameters is correct, we get a quality lens that enables perfect vision.
For the analysis of freeform individual lenses we use automatized computer-guided instrument Dual LensMapper by Automation&Robotics. This is a state-of-the-art tool that checks in detail all points of a freeform lens. Every optical lens manufactured at the company is tested.
Such exact and quick checking of lenses eliminates any potential problems – human factor, materials, machine error, damaged tools, …
Automatic engraving detection examines the location of progressive surfaces. Diopter is measured with two types of rays – reflection checks individual surfaces, while transmission uses several thousand rays to measure optical performance of the entire lens. The comparison of measured values with theoretical ones is offered in 2D and 3D report for manual evaluation of results, whereas the computer, using ISO tolerance values, confirms whether the lens is flawless.
Each measurement is recorded in the database for subsequent analysis.
automatic device for measuring optical analysis of surfaces using reflection and
the surface of a freeform lens multi-point analysis with transmission
automatic engraving detection ensures the correct
position of optical surfaces
UV-A and UV-B PROTECTION and POLARIZATION
Longer exposure to UV radiation increases the risk of permanent eye damage (early cataract …). Certain damage can be treated, while other can lead to permanent loss of vision. UV radiation is completely invisible and consequently more dangerous, especially on sunny days when UV index is very high. Also dangerous is altitude UV radiation (in the mountains and where there is snow, the reflection off the snow is dangerous), as the radiation increases by 10% every 1000 altitude meters.
Therefore, quality sun lenses are very important. We recommend darkening over 75%, i.e. both-sided UV protection coating, or at least inner anti-reflection coating.
All additional protective coatings are permanent.
Natural light creates discomforting glare when it is reflected off the following surfaces: ice, snow, asphalt, water, windscreen. Polarization filters can prevent this glare.
Lenses are available in the following colours: gray, brown, green, and the new colour, 60% gray which can also be darkened. The lenses can be made with indexes 15, 16 and 167 and in variations Sport, Magic and as ordinary unifocal lenses.
Unbreakable polarized lenses are also available in NXT material.
The advantages of polarized lenses are:
– glare prevention,
– UVA and UVB protection,
– better contrast,
– extremelly sharp vision,
– detection of natural colours.
|Most popular sun colour.
Perfect for strong sun and light.
Ensures correct colour detection and low colour distortion.
|Improves colour contrast, stressing red and green colours.
Blocks blue light.
Reduces eye fatigue.
|Improves contrast in poor light conditions.
Reduces eye fatigue under strong light.
|Similar characteristics as Gray 3, but lets more light through.
Available in any colour with over 65% darkening.
|Ensures correct colour detection and low colour distortion.
|Improves colour contrast and reduces eye fatigue.
|Improves contrast in poor light conditions.
Reduces eye fatigue under strong light.
|Improves colour contrast through green and red maximums.
Darkens from 55 to 80%
Step 7
Colouring and hard coating – HC
Users are becoming more and more aware of how important is to protect the eyes against strong sunlight, which is why many users choose sunglasses with coloured corrective sun lenses.
What are the advantages for the user?
– quality colours and efficient and permanent UV protection,
– quality is checked with spectral analysis using an industrial photospectrometer,
– colouring and coating do not affect corrective characteristics of the lenses,
– we offer warranty on our products.
– if using colour patterns, the lens colour is identical to original sun lenses,
– for drivers a transition darkness (viewing through a bottom, clearer part enables safe driving in a tunnel),
– an option of using two colours – bicolour,
– we consider user preferences, e.g. the length of transition,
– unlimited number of colours and shades,
– we also colour thinned lenses, e.g. 167 over 85%,
– lenses can be coloured with medical filters.
If adding hard coating or anti-reflection coating, please allow for minimal differences between the final colour and the sample.
Hard coating TS-HC
Hard coating is an extremelly important part of an organic lens. For hard coating we use automatic machines by Optimal Technologies.
Coating technology
In dustless chamber we use ultrasound cleaners to remove impurities, and also to activate lens surface.
In the second part of the process hard coating is added; everything is controlled by the computer. Because the surface is active, a permanent and strong bond between hard coating and lens is formed.
Finally, the layers are heat-polymerized to give them resistance to mechanical damage. Also, this makes hard coating ready for later addition of anti-reflection coating.
A combination of surface activation before adding hard coating and its hardness provide a very good resistance against mechanical damage and temperature changes. This ensures long service life and a good basis for Opal Ultra/UV anti-reflection coating.
Step 8
Opal Ultra IAD – Ion Assisted Deposition
Opal Ultra is a package of lens enrichment, made on Europea machines and materials, and using European-based processes.
The basis for quality and permanent anti-reflection coating is quality hard coating.
Opal Ultra is made on computer-run machines by Leybold Optics. In a high vacuum (10-6 mbar) and using ions thin anti-reflection coating is added to reduce glare.
Then hydrophobic self-cleaning coating SuperClean is added to ensure smooth surface, which prevents greasiness and makes cleaning easier. These coatings reduce any contact between the lens and dirt and liquids to a minimum. Water drops practically bounce off the surface, contact angle is more than 115 degrees.
This coating makes lenses:
– extremelly smooth, which makes it more difficult for dirt and dust to get stuck to lens surface,
– easier to clean,
– less prone to fogging.
Lenses are smooth on touch, water drops "bounce off" the surface and flow off the lens.
Lenses with IAD coating have longer service life since it is more difficult for hard particles to reach the lens, and they cause less damage.
NEW: Corrective lenses with this coating have a two-year warranty. A temporary coating is added to prevent the turning of the lens during edging.
Quality of coatings is subjected to constant control and testing:
– computer control of steaming parameters,
– Bayer test of surface hardness,
– Weathering test of durability,
– Hot water test.
This gives us lenses with maximum light permeability ->99%, which enables cristal clear vision and makes lenses resistant to mechanical damage.
IAD – Ion Assisted Deposition
To increase the hardness of steamed coatings we use an ion canon that emits argon ions. It accelerates ions towards the lens, activating the surface and enabling layers to merge with hard coating. Bombarding with argon ions takes place during steaming of metal oxides, which increases their density.
Layers steamed in this way are:
– much stronger and resistant to mechanical damage,
– more resistant to temperature changes.
Regular anti-reflection coating – Opal Ultra with IAD (Ion Assisted Deposition)
porous layers, less resistant layers are compact and resistant to mechanical damage
Step 9
Coating quality control
Quality and durability or coatings are important for user satisfaction. In Alcom, using different devices, we daily test samples of lenses made of different materials and having different coatings.
1. QUV or Weathering test is a reproduction of damage caused by weather conditions in several years of wearing glasses every day. Automatic tester device exposes lenses to strong UV light for several hours, followed by several hours of exposure to 100% humidity and 60° temperature. The process is repeated for 10 days and equals lens damage that occurs over 2-3 years.
2. Bayer test shows the level of lens resistance to mechanical damage. Front surface of a test lens and a control lens CR39 without coatings is inserted into a chamber containing abrasive sand. During testing the chamber with lenses is moved to and fro, and abrasive sand is moving across lens surface. A test sample with coatings is significantly less damaged than the control lens without any protection; the difference is even bigger when testing the lens with Opal Ultra coating.
3. For hot water test lenses are submerged into hot water with added salt, and then cooled in cold water. By repeating this test several times, we test the lens resistance to temperature shocks..
Mounting lenses
The last step involves mounting the lenses into the frame.
In Alcom, mounting is conducted on a 4-axis CNC machine, which is the only machine that can mount lenses into nearly any frame, even wrap-around sport frames.
An additional axis on the machine enables the manufacture of different bevels, dioptrical lenses are mounted in a sport frame, similar to normal lenses, without the process resulting in frame deformations or causing the lenses to fall out.


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PA Consulting, a global innovation and transformation consultancy that's bringing ingenuity to life, announced that it has acquired Essential Design, a Boston-based innovation strategy and product design business. Essential are experts in user-centred design, improving customer experiences and driving innovation to market.
PA Consulting acquires Essential Design
Essential complements PA's global capabilities in strategy, innovation, product design and engineering and manufacturing process improvement. PA's team supports world-leading innovations such as Virgin Hyperloop One's reinvention of transportation, Skipping Rocks Lab's efforts to create sustainable plastic alternatives, and Monica Healthcare's quest to save lives of unborn babies through innovative monitoring.
Formed in 2001, Essential has flagship clients in the consumer, life science and healthcare sectors. Its diverse team of researchers, designers and engineers inform and translate innovation strategy, to create breakthrough physical and digital products. Essential's work has won international recognition and received numerous industry awards for excellence in design research, design strategy and design development.
In a world where strategies, technologies and innovation collide, the combination of PA's and Essential's capabilities will enable organisations to transform the way they bring new products and experiences to market. The acquisition provides PA with a new centre of excellence for innovation and product design in the United States, which will work in partnership with PA's long established Global Innovation and Technology Centre in Cambridge, UK.
Frazer Bennett, PA Consulting's Chief Innovation Officer, said: "We are delighted to welcome Essential Design to PA Consulting. Their team is passionate about understanding and empowering people; creating design-led visions that inspire change. This fits perfectly with PA Consulting's Purpose: 'We believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future in a technology-driven world'. As well as enhancing our US presence, the brilliant Essential team will extend our capabilities at the front-end of design, bringing our clients' customers a world of ingenuous opportunities."
Essential Design's founding partners, Scott Stropkay and Richard Watson, said: "We're very much looking forward to joining PA Consulting. Their range of expertise, commitment to client success and unique ability to deliver innovative physical and digital solutions, building the futures we both imagine, is awesome. Becoming part of PA Consulting allows us to design more comprehensively, affecting more positive change for our clients."
The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
PA Consulting Group is an innovation and transformation consultancy. We believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future in a technology-driven world.


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Anti-tamper Techniques to Thwart Attacks on Smart Meters— Hardening a meter against magnetic tamper attacks: Transformer Based High-Side Power Supplies
Detecting magnetic tampering using hall-effect sensors
For anti-tampering, it is common to try to detect the presence of a strong magnet. In this section, we will cover the use of hall sensors for low-power detection of strong magnetic fields in three dimensions. Details on our magnetic tamper detection reference design, TIDA-00839, will be provided as well as some of the design considerations that were kept in mind when creating this reference design.
Hardening a meter against magnetic tamper attacks
In this section, we will cover how to harden a meter against these magnetic tamper attacks by using shunts for current sensors. For poly-phase implementations, I will go over how to use isolated delta sigma modulators to add the necessary isolation to use shunt current sensors and create magnetically immune poly-phase energy measurement systems. The TIDA-00601 and TIDA-01094 reference designs, which show how to implement a poly-phase isolated shunt measurement system, will be discussed as well as the associated AMC1304 high-side power supplies used in these designs.
Webinar series Analog Signal Chain - Session 1: Understanding Isolation Technology for Industrial Applications
Dual active bridge DC:DC power stage for a level 3 (fast) EV charging station (pile)


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'Nyria' Large Pond YachtA wonderful large scale pond yacht with plank on frame hull and lead weighted keel; mounted on ebonised stand. Circa 1910.Enquire
The original boat 'Nyria' was designed by C.E. Nicholson and was launched on the 10th April 1906. In 1922 she was sold to Mrs Workman who had her re-rigged in the manner of a J Class yacht
Dimensions: 181.5 cm/71½ inches (length) x 192 cm/75½ inches (height) x 21.5 cm/8½ inches (width)#This item is now sold.
Please do enquire if you would like us to help find something similar.
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Listen to Bag Of Money (Remix) , the latest track from Wale, featuring Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, T-Pain, Omarion, Yo Gotti, Black Cobain, & French Montana . The cut dropped on Wednesday, August 15th, 2012. Wale's future brightens with every new release, and Bag Of Money (Remix) certainly isn't an exception. It's a fitting addition to a solid catalogue that Wale has been developing since stepping foot in the game. We're excited to hear more.
Hear more of Wale on Bag Of Money (Extended Remix) , featuring Rockie Fresh, Trina, Tyga & More. If you dig this, visit Wale's profile for the latest info, news, songs, and mixtapes.
How's the chemistry here? How do you feel about the production here?
Quotable Lyrics
"Be like Wa Le
My stroke game be on point, yea
Shorty losing her mine
Her composure in most of her voice
And she said she hate the word moist
But she can't escape from the vibe
Play fight with that cat


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Anker PowerPort 2 Dual Wall Charger + Micro USB 3ft Black B2021L11
The High-Speed 2-Port USB Wall Charger
Reduced price!
New product
From ANKER, America's Leading USB Charging Brand
Faster and safer charging with our advanced technology
20 million+ happy users and counting
Fast-Charging Technology
Anker's exclusive PowerIQ and VoltageBoost combine to ensure the fastest possible charge.
2 ports pump out 24 watts of power, enough to simultaneously charge two iPads at full speed.
MultiProtect Safety System
Surge protection, short circuit prevention, temperature control and more keep you and your devices safe. 12 / 24 volt input.
Incredibly Compact
Compact design with foldable plug makes PowerPort 2 one of the most portable dual-port USB chargers on the market.
LED Indicator Light
Green lets you know your device is plugged in and charging. Blue means fully charged or idle.
Worry-Free Warranty
At Anker, we believe in our products. That's why we back them all with an 18-month warranty and provide friendly, easy-to-reach support.
Input :AC 100-240V~0.7A 50-60Hz
DC Output :5V / 4.8A
Size :2.2×2.1×1.1in / 57×54×29mm
Weight :3.4oz / 96g


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In our 2018 IPO watch, we're keeping track of Forbes' Sept. 26, 2017, list of 25 startups whose valuations could reach $1 billion or more.
Private companies with a valuation of $1 billion or more are known as "unicorns," and there were four unicorns that went public in Q2 2017.
They were Okta Inc. (Nadsaq: OKTA), Cloudera Inc. (NYSE: CLDR), Delivery Hero AG (ETR: DHER), Blue Apron Holdings Inc. (NYSE: APRN).
That's double the two that went public in Q1 2017.
A billion-dollar valuation isn't a guarantee a company will go public, but we do know the CEO of one company on the list has already said he wants to go public by 2019.
If you haven't heard of these companies yet, that's okay. We are going to share the first 13 now and the next 12 within the next two weeks.
And the first company on our IPO watch list is a data-insight provider that's expected to generate $70 million this year…
IPO Watch, Company No. 25: Looker
Looker is a data platform that provides its clients with customizable reports so they can receive real-time insights.
Companies can monitor web analytics through Looker to easily see changes in daily active users, bounce rates, and new versus returning visitors, in real time. That lets marketers quickly know the effectiveness of their ads and marketing campaigns.
Looker has big-name clients like the music-streamer Spotify, dating site OkCupid, and Dollar Shave Club.
So far, the data company has raised $178 million. Its anticipated 2017 revenue is $70 million.
IPO Watch, Company No. 24: Optoro
Optoro calls itself a "reverse logistics" company, which is a fancy way of saying it handles customer returns and overstock issues for other businesses.
Instead of having to deal with returns directly and trying to relist them for sale, companies can outsource their returns and overstock with Optoro.
Once an item is returned, Optoro can immediately list an item through its network of direct-to-consumer and business-to-business marketplaces.
To date, it has received $129 million in funding, and estimated revenue this year is expected to top $50 million.
IPO Watch, Company No. 23: Orbital Insight
Orbital Insight uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to gather information from satellite images.
For example, satellites can take pictures of parking lots, and artificial intelligence could relay to a parking lot operator information on how many spaces are available at certain times.
Provided with that information, a parking lot operator could consider whether they need to expand or decrease the amount of lot attendants they have at certain times of the day.
Orbital Insight has raised $79 million, and its anticipated revenue for 2017 is $20 million.
IPO Watch, Company No. 22: Outreach
Outreach sells software subscriptions that helps salespeople manage their workflow.
It also lets organizational leaders measure the performance of individual sales reps, teams, and entire sales organizations.
Energy Breakthrough: One gallon of this new "crystal fuel" could get you from New York to L.A. and back… seven times! Read more…
This lets managers have more data-driven coaching conversations.
Outreach has raised $60 million and should net $27 million in revenue for 2017
IPO Watch, Company No. 21: PillPack
It's important for patients to take medication at the appropriate time and the appropriate day. PillPack helps them do that, by mailing prescriptions already divided by the day and time.
All the patients have to do is open and take their prescriptions. More than 40,000 people use PillPack.
Introducing PillPack
PillPack has raised $118 million. Its 2017 revenue forecast is $100 million.
IPO Watch, Company No. 20: Plaid
Plaid develops software that connects startups in technology with the banking sector.
It offers account and routing number authentication, verification of income, and real-time balance checks.
Payment system Venmo, stock exchange Robinhood, and cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase are all Plaid customers.
Plaid has received $60 million in funding and could net $40 million in revenue for 2017.
And the next company on the list is becoming a leader of the U.S. food home-delivery market, which is expected to climb 176%, from $43 billion in 2017 to $76 billion by 2022…


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Stamp Duty
NSW Plans To Abolish Stamp Duty
error We have a page on NSW stamp duty changes with information on stamp duty waiver for first home buyers, effective from 1 August 2020. In order to revive the NSW economy that has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, NSW's Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has laid out...Read more
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3 Home Loan Discounts Exclusive To Doctors
Are you a doctor looking to buy a property? Did you know that you can get exclusive home loan deals just because of your profession? Medical professionals are the most favoured professionals for banks because they are considered to be low risk borrowers with high incomes. Here...Read more
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Australian House Prices In 10 Years
Be prepared! If you missed it, we recently gave you a prediction of what a house in Sydney may be worth in the next 50 years and believe us, we're not trying to scare you. We just want potential home buyers to be prepared for the Sydney of the future, a property market that...Read more
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How Much Does It Cost To Buy A Home?
Awareness is key! If you're planning to buy your first home, it's important to be aware of the fees that you'll be expected to pay in order to reach settlement. Find out more by using our calculators: LMI calculator: Find out how to save thousands in mortgage...Read more
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Foreign Investment Tips From Experts
A stable economy and rising property prices make Australia one of the better countries to invest in, but what if you have never invested here before? How exactly does an international property investor get started in the land down under? If you have been asking yourself that...Read more
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Over 55's Stamp Duty Exemption
The NSW Government has just extended the Seniors Duty Exemption under the NSW Home Builders Bonus Scheme to people aged 55 years or older (previously only 65 years or older). This will affect the purchase of new properties with a contract date between the 1/7/2011 and 30/6/2012. Requirements? The...Read more
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