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Last Sunday (Mar 12) saw a double-header in the 6th round of the C&C Marine 2017 T20 tournament at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) with Team ACG (ACG) taking on Island Cricket Club (ICC) in the morning game, while Phuket Cricket Group (PCG), who were hoping to maintain their unbeaten run, faced tough competition in the afternoon game against a motivated Patong Cricket Club (PCC) who were looking to get back their spot back at the top of the league table.
In the morning game between ACG and ICC, ICC's skipper R Naik won the toss and made the decision for his side to bat first.
Openers S Ullah and A Virdikar got off to steady start for ICC, that was until the 5th over when Virdikar (19) was caught by F Mir off the bowling of Mushtaq, ending a 30 run opening partnership.
This brought Naik (19) to the crease, who after a brisk innings was caught by Dupont off the bowling of Khan. Not long after opener Ullah (15) was clean bowled by Malik.
Next batsman in was H Singh (3) who took to the crease just before the drinks break, but was trapped LBW by Khan.
With the score at 60 runs at the 10th over stage, ICC were looking to increase the run rate going into the second half, but things didn't go to according to plan as B Dessai (6) was trapped LBW in the 12th over by Baxter, he was shortly followed by A Kalakar (4) caught and bowled by Beigh.
However, S Kandolkar provided some much needed runs towards the end of the ICC innings, scoring 30 off 22 deliveries including two 6s, but was eventually caught by Sadarangani off the bowling of Bilal.
Last batsman out was M Denskar (3) caught by Mir off Mushtaq which left S Kumar (1) the not out batsman.
ICC had set ACG 112 runs to win.
With a meager total to chase, ACG opened with F Mir and R Sadarangani. Both batsmen started positively and were looking to score off every delivery and reach the total with all wickets intact, the pair were unfazed by the ICC bowlers and went about their job with relative ease until ICC got a breakthrough in the 6th over, Sadarangani (45) caught by Virdikar off the bowling of Kalakar.
This ended a superb opening partnership of 86 runs, with Sadarangani just missing out on his half century scoring 45 runs off just 17 deliveries, including five 4s and three 6s.
This brought B Beigh to the crease with just 26 runs needed for victory and plenty of overs in hand, and together with opener Mir (43) they steered ACG to victory, hitting the winning runs in the 12th over.
Mir's innings of 43 runs (not out) came off 39 deliveries including two 6s and five 4s.
ICC's poor run in the C&C Marine T20 continues as they chase their first win.
In the day's second game PCG had a weakened line up as they were missing a few regular players, but they made that up in quality as the side included the Kashmiri brothers Ibrahim and Waseem who are a force to be reckoned with on the cricket field.
PCG won the toss and elected to bat first, and Captain Ibrahim made his intentions clear with a flying start of 33 (25) inside 6 overs, but that was before he skied one and was caught and bowled by M Kohler.
That wicket brought about a steady fall of wickets without any partnerships forming, that was until Waseem made his way to the crease. And his first ball from spinner J Robertson will go down in ACG folklore – a fast and well directed bouncer to the fastest bowler on the island.
However, maybe this fired Waseem up as soon after he started blasting the ball to all ends of the park, although he did ride his luck and was dropped no less than six times on his way to an unbeaten 72.
The two brothers were the only PCG players to reach double figures in their innings which finished at 137 for 7 after the 20 overs.
Chasing 138 for victory, PCC openers Hamilton and Raju started slowly, losing Hamilton for 5 in the 4th over. However, the momentum then started to shift and some solid partnerships formed as PCC focused on getting the runs required.
Raju (12) and Wetherell (35) scored 27 before H McDonald strode to the crease, and he and Wetherell added a quick 38 before the dismissal of Wetherell, and then the fireworks really began.
Kohler, adding to his earlier bowling performance, came to the crease and smashed three 6s in a row, then McDonald went on a similar rampage doing the hat-trick himself as he brought up his half century and finished not out at 53 off an just 23 balls.
PCC comfortably reached the required 138 runs needed to win the match with almost five overs to spare, meaning they have re-claimed the top spot in the league table.
This Sunday (Mar 19) will see PCC take on Team ACG with the start time set for 11am.
For further information about cricket on Phuket, visit the Phuket Cricket Group (PCG) web-site at www.phuketcricket.com or e-mail the PCG committee at firstname.lastname@example.com. New players are always welcome & would be well received by the current teams on the island.


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"What's happening????" A screening + Q&A @Tribeca Film Festival, 9/27
You've been there from the beginning. Our Kickstarter somehow found its way to your inbox some 6 years ago, you believed in what we were setting out to achieve with + POOL, and supported the idea.
Now with the project in full-time, full swing, we're gathering all our friends from Kickstarter for a backers-only project update presentation to answer the question we get all of the time: "What's happening????" We'll be sharing the ins and outs of the project: where we're at in the long process with the City of New York, whats happening with the patent of the filtration system, and any other questions you have about + POOL and its realization in New York.
This exclusive event for Kickstarter backers of + POOL will be hosted by the Tribeca Film Festival in their screening room. (Thanks, Andrew Essex!!!!) This summer, Tribeca Studios produced a documentary short that tells the story of + POOL to date, which we will share at the event. Floating an Idea: The + POOL Story is amazing because it's helping us reach larger audiences and raise awareness about + POOL, while directing audiences to share their desire to swim with the City of New York at swimintheriver.com.
Wednesday, September 27
Tribeca Film Festival
375 Greenwich St.
Drinks by Heineken
See you there? RSVP at this link.
Archie, Jeff, Dong, Oana and Kara

subset: commoncrawl


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I know most of you love scrubs... so here is a fantastic recipie for a DIY body Scrub! (This also makes a fantastic revitilising foot scrub for tired feet)
30grms fine sea salt (Epson Salt or Himalyan salt works best)
90 grms grapeseed oil
60 grms finely grated natural soap
1/4 teaspoon peppermint essential oil
1/3 teaspoon orange essential oil
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest (optional)
Mix everything well in a clean bowl and store in a sterile jar. Shelf life 1 month.
All materials can be bought online from www.SoapCafeMalta.com under the category ''DIY Cosmetic Supplies''


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As expected, the Yankees have officially activated Derek Jeter and his strained calf off the 15-day DL. He is in tonight's lineup, batting second and playing shortstop. Preston Claiborne was sent to Triple-A Scranton to clear a roster spot. Their season ends one week from today, so Claiborne will be eligible to return to the club next Tuesday, before the ten-day period expires.
River Ave. Blues » Yankees officially activate Jeter, send Preston Claiborne to Triple-A


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Oh my gosh I can't believe how long I've left this post go!! I forgot to officially introduce you all to our newest little family member, SPOOK! I know I briefly mentioned her in my birthday blog but this post is now all about her! Trent got me Spook for my 23rd birthday as a surprise from the RSPCA. I knew they had black kittens at the shelter but I was unsure if we were going to buy one or not. I came home one day & bam black kitten. Her name was decided before I got her, I wanted a 'spooky' little black cat = Spook! And because I got her on the 29th of September & that is kind of close to Halloween so it was a suitable name!
Because she was from the RSPCA she came with all her needles done, flea treated & wormed. When we first got her she was still too young (I believe she was 5 weeks) to get desexed so once she reached 1 kg I took her back to the RSPCA and they also desexed and microchipped her for me! And because we got her so young she was originally only 'fostered' to us, but we had paid the adoption fee etc. So after her desexing that is when she 'officially' became our cat!
She is really loving which is a big change to Mishka! Mishka (my other cat for those that don't know) is a very independent cat. She does not enjoy snuggles (unless it's to advantage herself. To gain warmth in winter , etc.) She will never just come sit on my lap (she will however to Trent). This being said most nights she will sleep at the foot of my bed on my side.
Spook however wants to sleep on top of me, under the covers, beside me or under me. Pretty much as long as she is close to me, she is happy! She will also come sit on my lap if I am blogging or watching TV. She will let me pick her up whenever I want for snuggles & she doesn't bite! All of these things are so strange to us as Mishka is not a people lover. She is a Trent lover but even some days she isn't happy with him! Spook and Mishka get along kind of good, I guess they are like normal sisters. Sometimes they are friends, other days they tease each other & others they just tolerate one another. They aren't super cuddly friends, like they don't clean each other or sleep snuggled together. But they do sleep on our bed, so in the same space. And they like to play 'tag' a lot. They have never had a big cat fight or anything which is great! Little Spook is not a big fan though of Daisy and Duke, she puffs up and hisses at them through the back door! (This is all the contact she will have with them as they are indoor cats & outdoor dogs. Except in winter the dogs sometimes come in if it's freezing!) So Spook has settled in really well to our little family & we all love her!
Now for some photos;
This is the exact moment Trent gave my Spook on the 29th of September... (Yes we have a personal photographer that follows us everywhere. Thanks Nikki)
My little Rag-a-muffin and I on my actual 23rd birthday! Best present ever!
My 2 girls. Not the best photo, Mishka looks like a serial killer & Spook looks like a day dreamer. Actually that's pretty accurate.
Photo Booth fun!!
Baby cat love.
I love this photo, it is adorable!!
Gorgeous baby.
Sleepy cat.
This is what happens when she see's Duke or Daisy!!
Before her desexing.
After the operation :(
Conehead. Poor kitty!!
She just loves sleeping on top of us. She is so sooky it's adorable!
My Spooky cat!!
Spook and I.
My Spook and I. I love her. Yes I am aware that in the bottom photo the poor cat looks terrified!! LOL.
I hope you all loved meeting little Spook! Stay tuned for more blogs coming up! If you want to win a book 'Animal People' by the talented Charlotte Wood head over to my last post HERE... Just comment on that blog post, make sure you are a subscriber and you could be a winner!! It's an awesome book, so make sure you enter!!
Love you all.
PS; Head on over to my Facebook's LIKE page I've been posting some free beauty sample links on there!! So go check it out HERE!


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Sunday, October 26, 2014
It's True: Grit.
Department lore had it that the guy ahead of me would frequently practice trumpet for three hours a day. While I was known to sometimes hang out in the practice rooms for three hours at a time, I usually spent much of that time talking to a pretty girl if I could find one (I married one of them, so I maintain that I actually won in the end). It became prevailing wisdom that there were two top trumpet players in my class--one who worked, and one for whom things came easily. Contributing to this narrative, the other guy was dyslexic. For him the very act of reading music (or anything else) was significantly harder than for the rest of us. To celebrate the efforts he'd made to overcome his difficulties (or maybe because we were jerks), we would write his name backward (MOT NODDES) on the black board--sort of like a SmartBoard, but not as colorful--in the band room. We'd list it among the other pieces we were scheduled to play in that rehearsal, just to see if anyone would notice. This guy has since earned his doctorate and landed a professorship at a distinguished institution of higher learning. So, it seems that, despite obstacles, beating me at trumpet was to be the least of his accomplishments.
Speaking of talent (but otherwise unrelated), my high school had one of those families that probably exist in most communities. There were five children, all of whom were physically beautiful, athletically dazzling, engaging writers, and math and science whizzes. Consequently, they were star athletes, prima ballerinas, prom kings and queens, and valedictorians of their respective classes. Though each worked very hard in a variety of arenas, it was difficult to shake the perception that they were swimming in a different talent pool (did I mention that they also won races in pools?) from the rest of us. If they're starting to sound like the vampires in that book, maybe picture something like that, but not rich. Or douchey. Or homicidal.
They have followed a wide variety of degree and career paths, as well as some more eclectic pursuits. Among them are a few post-graduate degrees from Duke and MIT, a published doctoral thesis, residencies at summer arts incubators, write-ups in the New York Times, and appointments to the faculties of fine institutions of higher learning. Conventional (i.e. boring) accomplishments like these are mixed with more eclectic triumphs, including a stint teaching Greek...in a Jesuit school...on a lovely little island; building an off-grid farmstead from the ground up; and playing in a rock band successful enough to play weekend nights(!), in bars with doors on the bathroom stalls(!!). None are doctors, or lawyers, or business executives, but any of the five could have been any of those things if they'd chosen to go that way.
It should therefore have come as no surprise when the youngest of the children recently become suddenly famous for her novel, The Girl in the Road. Unlike the smattering of self-published efforts that likely pollute your Facebook feeds, this is a real deal book with a reportedly six-figure advance, and an even more enviable accomplishment--being blurbed by Neil Gaiman (yes, that Neil Gaiman).
I started to wonder how she did it, in case I ever complete my NaNoWriMo book. I've read lots of books that have made lots of money. I know lots of smart people, some of whom have written professionally (or amateurly with professional quality). Yet, I have never personally known anyone who reached the point at which he or she could conceivably make a living writing fiction. I toyed with the idea of asking her how she managed it, but luckily hadn't followed through before she told us all. Slacker tendencies rescued me from yet another embarrassment.
In a piece originally posted to her blog, and later run as an article in the Washington Post, Monica detailed how she got so "lucky." You are welcome to read it—in fact, avid Slacker Guide readers will wonder where the other 1,200 words are—but even more succinctly summarized: she developed the book over many years and then submitted it (along with a number of other pieces) over and over to agents, contests, publishers, festivals, and so on. Along the way was rejected nearly as often as she submitted. She enriches the story told by her spreadsheet by differentiating those rejections that involved some sort of personal interaction, like something scribbled in the margin of an otherwise boilerplate rejection letter--in other words, she parsed out the failures from the failures with an asterisk. Her rejection rate was something like 96% (not even close to a B-), and yet she has achieved tremendous success by any measure.
Monica's book, not coincidentally, is clearly the output of a worker. It is the product of extensive research, a background in science (a graduate degree at MIT, no less), and deep and extensive rewrites. She describes the technology of the story's time period in such vivid detail and technological plausibility that you sometimes wonder if you could stop by Best Buy and pick up a few of them. Monica demands similar work of her readers: two protagonists with nearly identical names; two seemingly unrelated story lines—rich with back-stories of their own; and a Tolkien –esk geographical footprint that makes Middle Earth seem like a suburban backyard. Okay, Monica's universe actually exists, but it's all the way over there on the back side of the globe. Who can be expected to know their way around those places?
Monica's Washington Post piece is a stern reminder that her success wasn't merely the result of her considerable talents. As previously mentioned, if her family's potential were translated into money it would be in the range of a moderately sized hedge fund. She was also blessed with the flexibility to travel for research (and eat food, and live indoors) while enduring all of those rejections. In the end, though, it seems she succeeded by way of that ever-so-trendy personal attribute: Grit.
We're talking about Grit a lot in education these days. There are studies that demonstrate that students who can pass the Marshmallow Test, or are willing to work longer on math problems that are impossible, experience outsized success in their lives. Look it up if you want (here, for example), but studies show that Grit is a better predictor of all sorts of measures of success than the SAT, or even I.Q. Once they develop a standardized test for Grit we may finally be permitted to drop all of the others. Therefore, it would seem a simple matter of installing Grit as an optional plugin to students' operating systems. However, it would fly in the face of the entire concept of The Slacker's Guide to School to allow this become a "try harder" post, so let's see what we can do.
I submit that Grit, like height, is partially something you're born with (or not). It is heresy to suggest that hard work comes from anything other than superior moral fiber, but why is it that we believe that hard work, and moral fiber for that matter, aren't subjected to the same kind of have- and have-not distribution as all of God's other gifts?
People with talent are sometimes defensive about how their talents contributed to their success. They resist being called geniuses or prodigies (see also: here, here, and here). MacArthur Fellowships are more often called "'genius' grants" than "genius grants," and when did you last hear the word "savant" without its prefix "idiot"? The truth is, while people of enormous talent sometimes work very hard, sometimes they don't (which is, sort of, the thesis statement for this blog). If you want to see someone who has accomplished great things freak out, complement him on his talent. If you want to see her truly lose her mind, suggest that her very capacity for hard work is in itself a talent. If his/her talents include the language arts, you can achieve similar results by using the word "literally" figuratively (see also: here).
I'm inclined to do it anyway--maybe because of all of that, to tell the truth. Thinking of Grit as a talent moves it out of the virtue column and in to the personal attribute column. We do have some control over our personal attributes--I've spent twenty years trying to convince myself that I'm a morning person, for example--but we are always working in concert with, or in conflict with, our natural tendencies. Smart, talented people work from a certain advantage. Stick-to-it-ive people from a certain advantage. It may be more possible to escape the powerful Slacker genes, than those of diminutive height, good looks, husky build, or fabulous hair, but we're not all working with the same raw materials. Taking note of our gifts and deficits isn't license to never improve, but it may be helpful in recognizing our own personal starting line.
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Situation Update: Devastation Worsens in Sindh
Continued heavy rains in Sindh Province have compounded the crisis which started last month.
A further 29 deaths have raised the death toll to 226 while the number of homeless has now surpassed 300,000. Four and a half million acres of land, including 1.2 million homes, farmland, and relief camps in Badin, have been flooded. Crops have been lost, including an estimated 13% of the cotton crop, a major source of income for the region. Link roads in the Pangrio area have been wiped out by the rains, leaving 25,000 people isolated and without any access to relief services.
Aside from need for immediate relief assistance, the affected population is concerned for its livelihood and housing losses. In an interview with Donna Fernandes, CWS-P/A Communication Officer, a landless farmer, Mohammad Suddhir expresses this concern, "I do not have money to rebuild my house and, at present, lost our cotton crop. I do not have money and only get paid a few thousand rupees from the landlord." Mohammad lost ten acres of his cotton crop and his two room house; similar stories are heard throughout his village, Haji Ladho Khaskhelly, and the surrounding areas in Thatta.
Many villages remain cutoff as the monsoon continues, further complicating efforts by the government, UN agencies, and I/NGOs to provide rescue and relief services. An estimated 222,000 displaced people are in dire need of the food, shelter, and medical care as the unsanitary conditions into which they have been forced make these individuals dangerously vulnerable to waterborne diseases and severe hunger.
Karachi, already destabilized by months of ethnic, religious, and political tension, was paralyzed by flooding; up to 100mm of rain has been recorded in the economic capital of the country, killing 7 people and bringing the city to a standstill.
The WFP, WHO, OCHA, UNHRC, IOM and Pakistan Red Crescent Society are currently working to provide relief services to those in the worst-hit areas. Currently, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar, Nawabshah, and Thando Allah Yar are suffering from severe flooding, with rainfall measuring between 501 – 1200mm, while Thatta, Thando Muhammed Khan, Hyderabad, Matiari, Karachi, Jacobabad, Dadu, Khairpur, Sukkur, Larkana, and Naushahro Feroze are experiencing moderate flooding with rainfall measuring 100 – 500 mm.
CWS-P/A Response:
CWS-P/A finalized the beneficiary selection in Thatta in consultation with targeted communities, OCHA, and the government. Distribution of tents and blankets will take place tomorrow. These relief items meet Sphere minimum standards, particularly accounting for family size, climate, and weather conditions. Due to the extreme weather conditions, the relief items only reached the warehouse yesterday which also delayed the start of the distribution. All other preparations have been completed, including putting in place the standard CWS-P/A complaints response mechanism.
CWS-P/A's basic health unit in Badin continues to serve the affected population despite having to relocate three kilometers from its location due to inaccessibility caused by the rains. A large portion of the health care recipients come from the displaced population living along the roadside.
CWS-P/A continues active coordination at the national and local levels. CWS-P/A's emergency response team members are conducting assessments, preparing for distributions, and ensuring quality and accountability of the planned response. CWS-P/A's operations, procurement, finance, strengthening humanitarian assistance, human resource, global funding unit, and communications departments are providing full support.
A Preliminary Appeal will be launched shortly. CWS-P/A has also submitted its proposed response plans to the UN Flash Appeal.


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Watch Plastic Little The Adventures of Captain Tita
Genres: action, adventure, comedy, ecchi, romance, science fiction
Plot Summary: As Elise is being followed by the army because she knows more about the secret military project of her killed father, she's getting protection from Tita and her friends. Together, they will try to stop the imperialistic plans of the army commander Gaizel.
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I am so happy to have an online store. When we only had retail stores our audience was very limited to the people that walked by. most of our customer were New Yorkers. Now we have kept those customers, but we also get so many more! We are getting orders from Russia, England, Australia, Canada, & Germany just to name a few.
We recently had an Eastern European blogger named Yanina Kud mention us, she runs a jewelry store called Madame Broshkina! Click here to visit and follow her Facebook Page!
It feels like my store window is facing the world!


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History's Revenges
Peter Clarke
- The Illustrated Dictionary of British History edited by Arthur Marwick
Thames and Hudson, 319 pp, £8.95, October 1980, ISBN 0 500 25072 3
- Who's Who in Modern History, 1860-1980 by Alan Palmer
Weidenfeld, 332 pp, £8.50, October 1980, ISBN 0 297 77642 8
It is doubly true these days that the experts are the last people we can rely on. We rely on them because the compartmentalisation of knowledge in every field means that they are the only guides left. The last people, however, because they have retreated into their specialised enclaves, content to communicate with each other rather than a lay public. It never was any use putting a mathematician on the spot for a nimble piece of mental arithmetic. Likewise, if you want to know the time, the day is long gone when you could ask a policeman. We have now reached the stage when it is impossible to get a straight answer out of so humble a practitioner as a historian. 'Not my period' has become proverbial as an attempt to pass off ignorance as professionalism. So where can we get the facts? Historians are voracious consumers of reference works and it is wholesome that they should occasionally produce volumes like these, serving common needs in an unpretentious way.
The full text of this book review is only available to subscribers of the London Review of Books.
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Vol. 3 No. 4 · 5 March 1981 » Peter Clarke » History's Revenges
pages 11-12 | 1532 words


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Book of Saints – Rutilius
(Saint) Martyr (August 2) (3rd century) This steadfast Christian, an African, did all in his power to escape arrest under the persecuting edicts of his time. He wandered from place to place; but nevertheless, was at last denounced and brought to trial. He bore himself bravely in the torture chamber, and was afterwards burned to death. His martyrdom cannot be dated later than the reign of Decius (A.D. 250).
- Monks of Ramsgate. "Rutilius". , 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 1 August 2016. Web. 23 January 2019. <>


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The novel Uncle Tom's Cabin written by Harriet Beecher Stowe is very fascinating in a sense that it not only reflects a significant period of time in North American history, but it also applies today since racism has not completely disappeared from our society. The fact that Stowe was able to write such a controversial novel at that time is very astonishing. Also, because of context of the novel, it attracts readers from all different backgrounds and gives them a better understand of what it was like to be a black person ["negro", as referred to in the novel] during the 18th century in the United States. Some of the hardships that Stowe describes that black people had to go include: lack of respect, feelings of helplessness, and lack of choice.
To begin with, Stowe illustrates in her novel that since blacks were treated like slaves, they received absolutely no respect.
Not only that, but they were treated worse than animals, they were sold, traded, loaned, basically treated like assets rather than human beings. After reading this novel, at first, I refused to believe that anything of this sort could ever take place. But then I soon realized that I myself have seen it happen, maybe not to the same extent to what is being described in the novel.
Next, one of the themes in this novel is helplessness. It can be clearly seen when not only the slaves, but also their children are sold off to other slave-traders and all the parents can do is watch. They cannot protest, neither complain, fearing that it might result in more hardships for them to deal with. As if their lives' are not already harsh. I can also personally relate to Stowe's writing since I have gone through a period of time in my life when all the decisions were made for me without any consultation.
Lastly, in her novel, Stowe shows that slaves had absolutely no choice. They could not even choose whom they wanted to marry. They had no choice of religion, and many of the slaves were forced to convert to Christianity. I also liked the strong female characters in the novel. Characters such as: Mrs. Shelby [slave owner], and Eliza [Slave]. Stowe also used specific symbols to make the text more interesting. For example, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" symbolizes freedom and liberty, all the things that were held back from the "negros". The novel also criticizes the American culture. It does that so by showing how contradictory the laws were, where people were not even treated the same because of the differentiation in the color of the skin. This also reflects human nature, the fear of change and fear of the unknown. How people are willing to go to extreme lengths to "protect" themselves from the "unknown" rather than to question it and accept it as a fact of life.
In conclusion, the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe illustrates some of the different obstacles that blacks had to overcome to finally be accepted as real people. I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in reading a novel of serious-nature that deals with the traditions of society, hardships of life and the bleak American history.


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Definition of 'ray'
Word forms: plural rays
1. countable noun
Rays of light are narrow beams of light.
...the first rays of light spread over the horizon. [+ of]
It can be seen clearly in a ray of sunlight or under a lamp.
The sun's rays can penetrate water up to 10 feet.
Synonyms: beam, bar, flash, shaft More Synonyms of ray
2. See also cosmic rays, gamma rays, X-ray
3. countable noun
A ray of hope, comfort, or other positive quality is a small amount of it that you welcome because it makes a bad situation seem less bad.
They could provide a ray of hope amid the general business and economic gloom. [+ of]
The one ray of sunlight in this depressing history is her meeting and falling in love with Martin.
4. countable noun
A ray is a fairly large sea fish which has a flat body, eyes on the top of its body, and a long tail.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Image of 'ray'
© Jiang Zhongyan, shutterstock
Video: pronunciation of 'ray'
a slight indication, esp of something anticipated or hoped for
a ray of solace
3. mathematics
a straight line extending from a point
a thin beam of electromagnetic radiation or particles
7. astronomy
8. botany medullary ray
(of an object) to emit (light) in rays or (of light) to issue in the form of rays
10. (intransitive)
(of lines, etc) to extend in rays or on radiating paths
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin of 'ray'
any of various marine selachian fishes typically having a flattened body, greatly enlarged winglike pectoral fins, gills on the undersurface of the fins, and a long whiplike tail. They constitute the orders Torpediniformes (electric rays) and Rajiformes
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin of 'ray'
(in tonic sol-fa) the second degree of any major scale; supertonic
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin of 'ray'
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
John. 1627–1705, English naturalist. He originated natural botanical classification and the division of flowering plants into monocotyledons and dicotyledons
Man, real name Emmanuel Rudnitsky. 1890–1976, US surrealist photographer
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Man1890-1976; U.S. painter & photographer
Satyajit1921-92; Indian film writer & director
Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
any of the thin lines, or beams, of light that appear to come from a bright source
a graphic representation of one of these, as in heraldry
any straight line that extends from a point
a disclosure of mental or spiritual enlightenment
a ray of intelligence
5. Botany
a medullary ray
6. Physics
a stream of particles given off by a radioactive substance
any of the particles in such a stream
a straight line along which any part of a wave of radiant energy is regarded as traveling from its source to any given point
a beam of radiant energy of very small diameter
7. Zoology
any of the bony spines supporting the fin membrane of a fish
any of the sectors of a radially symmetrical animal, as a starfish
verb transitive
to send out in rays; emit
to supply with rays or radiating lines
Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
raylike (ˈrayˌlike)
Word origin of 'ray'
Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin of 'ray'
Example sentences containing 'ray'
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
It uses a shell of ice to shield its inhabitants from cosmic rays, which can damage cells, increasing the risk of cancer or causing acute radiation sickness. Times, Sunday Times (2016)The club is a ray of light for them. Times, Sunday Times (2008)He saw the first ray of sunlight and heard the first crash of a wave. Christianity Today (2000)There is also one small ray of warm civic pride. Times, Sunday Times (2010)They have white rays and a bright yellow disc in the middle. Times, Sunday Times (2009)Wireless networks and mobile phone masts emitting spectral rays are ideal fodder for this sort of panic. Times, Sunday Times (2006)Some figures suggested a ray of hope. Times, Sunday Times (2009)The ancients built stone circles to greet the first rays of the solstice. Times, Sunday Times (2007)She was such a ray of light. Times, Sunday Times (2007)It is also not clear how much cosmic rays are involved in making clouds. Times, Sunday Times (2012)But there is one ray of hope. Times, Sunday Times (2012)It seemed ironic that a ray of hope should come from the far north. Times, Sunday Times (2010)His emblem is a ray of light. COLLINS DICTIONARY OF SAINTS (2004)After this he switched to research on cosmic rays. Times, Sunday Times (2011)But the coach can see rays of hope. Times, Sunday Times (2007)The one small ray of light shining through the dark hours was that there were still no new victims. THE LAST OF THE GENTLEMEN ADVENTURERS: Coming of Age in the Arctic (2004)Construction workers are at higher risk due to long spells working in direct sunlight and ultraviolet rays reflected from surfaces. The Sun (2011)There are some rays of light. Times, Sunday Times (2010)The first rays of sunshine are finally reaching the British economy. Times, Sunday Times (2013)Meanwhile, how to harness those first rays of spring? Times, Sunday Times (2008)I thought it was rays of sunlight reflecting off my glasses. Times, Sunday Times (2015)Each blossom has a ring of bright yellow rays, and in the middle a disc that is the colour of old gold. Times, Sunday Times (2006)The centrepiece is a vast aquarium filled with 65,000 sharks, rays and tropical fish. The Sun (2012)Out on the reef, we discovered waving purple coral, tropical fish and a ray as thick as my thigh. Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Word Lists
Trends of 'ray'
In Common Usage. ray is one of the 10000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary
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Translations for 'ray'
British English: ray NOUN
Rays of light are narrow beams of light.
...the first rays of light spread over the horizon.
Nearby words of 'ray'
Definition of ray from the Collins English Dictionary
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text:
Red Fox Babies At Play
I came home from my walk with my dad and grabbed my camcorder when I saw there were SIX fox kits and they were wrestling, chasing each other and just having a good time. Mommy kept a close eye on them but let them do their thing.
Length: 09:23


text:
The goal of this video is to give an overview of Flask's template support.
- [Narrator] Flask template usage. In the previous video, we looked at how to configure routes and how to handle request permitters in a Flask application. Now let's continue and check how to use templates inside Flask. In this video, we are going to take a look at Flask template engine, what folder structure should an application have for template usage, and how templates can be used and how to create template filters. First, let's take a look at the standard for the structure of a Flask application. Inside the main directory, flask_tutorial, we have two important folders.
The static folder holds all the static files which are returned by the application, or used as reference inside the templates. These include CSS files, Javascript code, and if we have images in the web application, then those should be stored here as well. The templates folder holds all the files which are rendered by the Jinja2 template engine. For the application, I use Bootstrap as a UI framework. I use the customized theme for Bootstrap UI kit, called United. This can be freely downloaded from bootswatch.com/united.
Bootswatch is a website which contains free themes. Now let's take a look at our application. Our application starts with the Home screen, where we state that we should select an option from the menu. If we navigate to the About page, then we can see a description about the project and what is its purpose. If we select the Entities menu item, then we can navigate to the Candidates, the Projects, and Experience screen. If we go to the Candidates screen, then we get listed all the senior candidates what we have in our database.
For each candidate, we display the first name, last name, the domain, and the years of experience the candidate has. If we select the Projects screen, then we have two options. The first is to load all the projects. Then we are listed all the projects what we have in our database, and for each project we receive the description, and the ID, name, and start date. The second option is to create a new project. We can do this by specifying the project name and the description.
Now let's see how to use templates in our application. Let's open up the routes.py file, and let's take a look at the page index function. In the page index, we use the render template, Flask_App or method. The first parameter is the name of the template, in our case it's index.html. All the parameters after the template name are passed to the template context, and can be used inside the template. Since these are name parameters, it can be referenced using the same name, in our case selected_menu_item. The routing setup for the website pages is done using the add_url_rule method.
We have covered this method in the previous video. Now let's open up the layout.html file. This is a standard HTML file with some Jinja syntax inside. Jinja engine supports block definitions, which means inside our HTML code, we can define blocks of code which can be redefined in other template files. An example of block definition can be seen in the head section. Block definition starts with the block keyword, and we have to specify a block name, and the blocks end with the endblock keyword. In certain HTML file it can define many blocks.
In our layout.html file, we have five blocks: head, navigation, content, footer, and scripts. This is a base template which contains the HTML skeleton of the website. Its child templates just fill the empty blocks. In the navigation block, we use the URL4 method, and this was presented in the previous video. We use this to generate the rule for the index page. The URL4 method generates a URL to the given endpoint. In the highlighted code region, we can see how paramaters sent through the render template method can be used.
Here we check the if selected menu item's value is index, it means we are on the home page, so the link for the home page should not navigate anywhere. In case the selected menu item does not have the index value, we define the link for the home page using the URL4 method. Please notice that the code inside double curly braces are evaluated, and the result is printed. Usually, the curly brace percentage block contains longer statements, like if statements or for loops.
Now let's open up the candidate.html file. In the candidate.html file, we can see how template inheritance works. Using extends template name structure, we can define what should be the base of our template, and after that we can override any previously defined block. We can see this on the highlighted code. In our case, we override the content block. Below, we are using a for loop to create a new HTML table row for each senior candidate.
Inside the loop, we can access the variable defined in the for loop, candidate, and all its properties. The pipe into senior candidate is a matter for filtering inside Jinja. This is called filtering because the filter methods usually reduce the amount of data, or reduce the data structure size which we are applying this to. The Jinja2 engine has a lot of pretty fine filters, like sort, reverse, upper, lower, URL encode. We can find examples and their usage on this website.
Now let's check the method which renders the template for candidates. We should go back to the code and open up the routes.ty file. First, we load the candidates from the data service, then we use the render template method, specify the template name, then the selected menu item's value and the last parameter is the candidate which we want to display. Please note that the templates are located in the templates folder. The code for the senior candidate filter can be found in the app.py file. This is a normal Python function which receives a parameter.
All this does is cycle through the candidates' experience, and if the candidate has five years or more experience, then we append this candidate's result list. In order to use a method as a template filter, this has to be annotated with a template filter annotation. We can specify the name of the filter as a parameter for annotation. In this video we have covered how to use templates inside Flask. We learned how to define and use template filters. We learned what is a standard folder structure of Flask application. In the next video, we will check how to use Flash messages, and how to create custom error pages.
Thank you for watching, and see you in the next video.
Regardless of platform, you will need to build APIs to serve data between different client applications and endpoints. Good APIs are a necessity for web and mobile projects, especially with the modern, mobile-first approach to development. This course delivers the fundamental knowledge required to enable highly connected interactions between applications via RESTful web APIs. Follow along with Gergo Bogdan and learn how to build up and structure an effective web API that can be used by any client application accessing it over HTTP, using Flask, the Python microframework.
Find out how to implement CRUD operations using SQLAlchemy and MySQL as the data store. Get an understanding of how REST works relative to APIs, and learn how to test APIs written in Python with the support of Flask. Explore token-based authentication and find out how to store passwords securely in your database. Along the way, Gergo introduces best practices and design guidelines when building large applications.
- Setting up Flask
- Using Flask templates and routing
- Implementing CRUD operations
- Implementing pagination
- Configuring RESTful authentication
- HTTP caching
- Securing web APIs
- Testing the application


text:
Pronouns: He, Him, His
Dave has been on the staff of Out & Equal since 2004, during which time he has managed both the departments of corporate engagement and communications. As senior manager of corporate engagement he plays a key role in supporting the corporate engagement team's ongoing efforts to increase revenue through corporate partnerships, fundraising, and strategic communications within the corporate engagement department. Prior to joining Out & Equal, Dave was Communications Manager in the Alumni Relations Department at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA, and 10 years as VP of development and marketing for United Way of the Bay Area. He earned BA degrees in Journalism and Communications from Central Michigan University. Before moving to California he worked six years as a promotional writer for Oldsmobile Division of General Motors Corporation in East Lansing, MI. Dave lives in San Francisco.


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I've been meaning to do this for a long time. I think what held me back was having to put WHITE nail polish on my hands. (OPI Alpine Snow) Like I don't look fishbelly pale enough! I screwed up my courage for this challenge and went for it! I had the bright idea to add a layer of China Glaze White-Kwik-Silvr which is a creamy, shimmer pearly white that, on it's own, takes FIVE COATS to become opaque. But over two coats of the OPI it added a bit of a softening effect and a tiny shimmer to the base. Neon dots are all Color Club's Electro Candy from summer 2009. Seche Vite to top.
|you can see a bit of shimmer on the pinky
|and now I know I need to attend to my cuticles


text:
There are total 9 letters in Ballyhoos, Starting with B and ending with S.
Ballyhoos is a scrabble word? Yes (17 Points) Ballyhoos has worth 17 Scrabble points.
An Anagram is collection of word or phrase made out by rearranging the letters of the word. All Anagram words must be valid and actual words.
Browse more words to see how anagram are made out of given word.
In Ballyhoos B is 2nd, A is 1st, L is 12th, Y is 25th, H is 8th, O is 15th, S is 19th letters in Alphabet Series.
Copyright © Word Creation 2017. All Rights Reserved


text:
In many ways, designing the interior of a yacht follows the same principles any other design project. The eventual aesthetic should reflect the owner's taste and interests, each element should contribute to a cohesive whole, and function should be blended as seamlessly as possible with form. Although you may have a few more practical considerations than you have on land, not to mention slightly less space to play with, all it takes is a little innovation to create your desired effect. With these intelligent and imaginative trends, it's easier than ever to design the yacht of your dreams.
Convertible spaces
Even on a super yacht, space is often at a premium, and just as in modern homes, the popularity of use-specific rooms has waned. Instead, the most highly prized yachts have flexibly designed spaces that can effortlessly reinvent themselves at the touch of a button. The indoor/outdoor concept championed by leading companies like Feadship and VSY transforms open-air decks into sheltered, air-conditioned lounges using moveable glass walls that preserve the feeling of being outside. Recognising that wood-panelled, formal dining rooms are often overlooked in favour of dining al fresco on the deck, these open-plan galleys allow you to watch the sunrise while you eat, with protection from the elements on hand whenever it is required.
Intelligent lighting
Although little effort is needed to maximise natural light on deck, creating open, airy spaces below deck can be more of a challenge. Expanses of clear glass help to blur the boundaries between nature and the home, and rows of spotlights are a contemporary way to illuminate a confined space. Their round appearance can effectively mimic the porthole shape of traditional ships' windows, enhancing a nautical design theme. LED lighting can also be employed underwater on the exterior of the ship, to create a colourful aura around your yacht that appears after sunset. Choose aquamarine or royal blue to illuminate the sea itself, or opt for a phosphorescent effect with white or green.
Swimmingly sustainable
As the value of eco-friendly designs continues to rise, yacht builders are finding ever more innovative ways to improve the green credentials of their vessels. Traditionally run solely on diesel, modern yachts utilise solar panels, organic fuel and electric energy to power everything from the engine to the air conditioning. Not only does this minimise the ships' impact on the environment, but electric energy is also notably quieter than diesel, allowing everyone on board to appreciate lapping waves rather than the roar of the motor. In interior yacht design, synthetic woods have been crafted to be almost indistinguishable from real teak and mahogany, while bamboo is gaining popularity as a natural, sustainable wood.
Usable technology
Technology in modern homes is becoming more sophisticated every year, and yacht owners are increasingly unwilling to make compromises on their entertainment systems at sea. On-board cinema rooms are fast becoming the norm, while workout equipment is positioned to enable guests to enjoy entertainment while they exercise. It's advisable to hire a specific crewmember who can fix any technological glitches, avoiding the delays caused by finding a specialist at port.
If you are interested in purchasing or chartering a yacht, contact Engel & Völkers. Our experienced advisors can help you find, construct and refit your perfect vessel.


text:
Hey guys im new on this app. I.have a little question about eating.
What do u guys usually eat when long time cooking seems not possible to do..
Im not talking about suplements. Its about real food.
Need suggestion. Thx b4
And sorry about bad english
Hey edward thx for the suggestion. I eat canned tuna once a time and it taste no good.. How do you cook em?
i am 5'4 and 125 pounds i am trying to put on 10 pounds in a healthy way how do i do it. i am toned but would love to build muscle mass. help!
Is that a linkbucks or something?
sorry i was trying to post my own comment ... not sure how to do it
Ahaha. Protein food worth the bad taste..
Did u mean mayonaise?
Manaise and tostada is not very common in my place..
Thx tenaya. 😺
In this case. I mean what kind of cook.. More Like scramble egg. Omellete. 4 egg
But thx 4 helping anyway
I've created my own high protein meal named 'The Musclecake'.
250 g quark
1 egg
1/2 apple (cutted in pieces)
a pinch of cinnamon
Mix it all up, put it in a bowl and let it cook 5 mins in the microwave. Absolutely delicious and full of protein!
wow. nice job harry..
i want to try make that food too..
but i think quark is not easy to find here. can i substitute. with regular cheese?
I don't know if this will work:
Try to find curd cheese or mix up cottage cheese with buttermilk.
I'm the same height but trying to get down to your weight. Any suggestions? I'm a six/eight now what size can i look forward to?


text:
I have started to go through my about 50.000
slides ( that is before the digital era ) and it
took me a while to find the fastest way to scan
the important ones. the results will be posted soon.
it's not the most incredible quality, but - it is only
about 1/30 of a sec. per slide compared to 2 min.
of a big scanner. now you know what year I will be
for me this is not just scanning, it is going back in
time, remembering what happend around that
moment. and connecting all the strings from
the past to now. it is very emotional. you don't
look at your past that close all the time.
anyway - if you enjoy to participate, or if you
were even part of it - have fun, and a thoughtful
moment once in a while.
whenever there is enough time I will continue
this journey through my 'animated' years, so -
please be patient.
it will be a very mixed basket of memories.
from the beginnings with ALFRED J.KWAK,
ROGER RABBIT, BEAUTY + BEAST to
LIONKING, then via AMBLIMATION with
CATS and BALTO to DISNEY in the nineties.
and some other events inbetween.
this is where it all started - in ESSEN WERDEN in
germany, sept.1969. FOLKWANG SCHOOL, - a very well
known artschool, follow-up-school of the BAUHAUS
in dessau before the war. I even had a few teachers
they had started in dessau. and the education-
program was pure BAUHAUS. it was the best time in
my life, being able to draw all day together with
others crazy like me. and the school was something,
it had been a monastery in the 14th century, very
old buildings, with that old smell. the mensa looked
like AUERBACH's CELLAR in THE TALES OF HOFFMAN. and
the whole village of WERDEN in the suburbs of ESSEN
was very charming, with very old pubs and traditional
old houses. we had lots of fun - some of the parties
took place in a house, built in 1377, only 2.50m
wide but 3 stories tall. a lot of the older semesters
met during events like that, from all the other
faculties as well. very similar to the CAL-ARTS school
in valencia/L.A. we had MUSIC, THEATER, DANCE and of
course DESIGN. that included GRAPHIC DESIGN, PHOTOGRAPHY,
and PAINTING.
because I had so many friends in all the other faculties
I had a chance to get some 2nd hand education in all
those directions, especially PHOTOGRAPHY, TEXTILE-
and INDUSTRIAL DESIGN. it was a very good school and
a lot of the photography students at that time are
today world famous photographers with MAGNUM and
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. the illustration class was very
well known as well. anyway, at that time we had a lot
of different things than study in our minds.
funny is, that a few years later I started to teach
there myself, part time, animation and comic strip
illustration. and I became very good friends with a
lot of my former teachers.
the school had been integrated into the university of
essen and the old charme was gone.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
here we go...
Posted by a Blogger at 12:15 AM No comments:
Friday, December 30, 2005
Posted by a Blogger at 12:15 AM No comments:
Friday, December 23, 2005
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Posted by a Blogger at 12:14 AM No comments:
Sunday, December 18, 2005
d a r k
limbolo's prague pictures were the inspiration
for these 'golem'-mood sceneries.
hope you like them, neil
for these 'golem'-mood sceneries.
hope you like them, neil
Posted by a Blogger at 12:11 AM No comments:
Friday, December 16, 2005
d r e i
we say in german 'aller guten dinge sind drei',
well, this is blog nr.3 and I hope it will be a good one!
I will start soon with the posting, just arrived back
from L.A. here in manila.
well, this is blog nr.3 and I hope it will be a good one!
I will start soon with the posting, just arrived back
from L.A. here in manila.
Posted by a Blogger at 12:09 AM No comments:
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text:
Ohio Bartender Pleads Guilty To Over-Serving Drinks To A Man Who Later Died!
Video from inside an Ohio bar shows the moments just before a man died after having too much to drink. Police reports say the bartender served him the equivalent of 18 drinks in an hour and 20 minutes. Last year, Nicholas Yorko died. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner says he died from a mix of alcohol, heroin, and fentanyl. But recently, Annie Harte was convicted on a charge for overserving alcohol. However, she was not charged with causing the death. Posted By Persist
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text:
2:20pm PT by Andy Lewis
Trailer Report: 'Transformers' Vies With 'Godzilla' For Summer Movie Interest
The game is afoot.
Transformers: Age of Extinction's first official trailer scored 26.3 million views on YouTube in its first week, according to technology firm Zefr, which tracks the numbers.
That performance followed by one week the big opening for Godzilla's first official trailer, which also scored 26.3 million views. Those numbers put the two films at the head of the class of most-anticipated summer movies, with first week trailer numbers head and shoulders above the competition.
Monsters vs. machines in the great box office showdown of the summer of 2014!
Honestly, we weren't to excited for Transformers--it's the fourth movie in the franchise after all. Hot damn, this trailer gets us excited: Mark Wahlberg looks all Mark Wahlberg-y, Titus Welliver is perfectly cast as the bad guy and who doesn't get a little choked up seeing Optimus Prime come back to life? Most important, the transformers look excellent. There's a couple of transformer vs. transformer smackdowns teased in the preview that are going to look excellent on the big screen. This is a well-done trailer that ticks off all the boxes--introduce the heroes and villains, set up the story, preview the action but don't give to much away--that need to be ticked off to get fans pumped to see it.
Transformers: Age of Extinction opens June 27.
The second through fourth spots were also held by new trailers, but for the second week in a row the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 was immense. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For's first trailer did a very respectable 3.7 million YouTube views. The second installment of the comic book-based film (with a script from Frank Miller) opens Aug. 22.
The third spot was held by the Annie reboot starring Jamie Foxx and Quvenzhane Wallis (and what appears to be a horribly over-the-top performance from Cameron Diaz. Ouch!) with 2.5 million views. It doesn't arrive in theaters until late December. This trailer is so-so. Wallis is a young superstar in the making. Her voice sounds great, but some extended singing and dancing scenes would be good. There are to many quick cuts in this trailer--especially of the Blue Man Group-influenced dancing, which looks awesome. The trailer for a movie like this should be rousing, getting viewers humming to themselves and tapping their feet in their seats. This one didn't do that for me. The upshot? The movie looks like its going to be better than trailer.
At No. 4 is the creepy horror film Occulus (dead people in a haunted mirror hence the title Occulus. Don't get it? Google it.). You can scare yourself with that one on April 11. This was a pretty good trailer that set up the premise (horror movies don't have plots so much as premises) and teased some of the scary parts. It could have been a little scarier, but overall Occulus looks like its gonna be a fine old school (it has a great 70s vibe) horror movie.
The rest of the top ten consisted of returning favorites--Godzilla, Guardians of the Galaxy, Amazing Spider-Man 2--and one crazy surprise--Jinn. We can't say we'd heard of this movie before it showed up in the No. 9 spot with 1.1 million views. I watched the trailer, but honestly I have no idea what this movie is about (a curse, a mystical creature (of fire?) is about all I got), the special effects seem so-so and the cinematography looks muddy. This trailer totally failed to do its job for me: Get viewers excited to see the movie, though there appear to be about a million viewers out there who might disagree with that view.
Andy firstname.lastname@example.com andyblewis


text:
JB's latest news.
Yes, I'm still around but very busy playing physio therapiost for Johanna. She fell and compressed several vertebrays which may take 6 or more months to recover from.
I miss being on here. Just found out that a swelling on my right chest at the nipple can be cancer. Going up for a ultra sound test and a biopsy to see if there is any malignancy in there. Will go there in about a week.
It is just raining problems for us ever since our car accident.
Diabetes is all over the place. If there is anyone around with the same chest swelling, I would like to hear about it. Thank you.
6 replies
just remember all things are possible with GOD AND PRAYERS SO i WILL KEEP YOU AND YOURS IN MY PRAYERS.
Thanks for letting us know what has been keeping you too busy to post. I've missed you. Hope you ge your ultrasound and hear what's happenig soon. Wiating to get a test and then waiting for the test results is frustrating. I have an ultrasound on Monday so am playing the waiting game.
Hope the rain changes to good things falling your way soon.
A male friend of mine had a problem with ches swelling last year. It turned out to be caused by a medicine he was on and not cancer. Had him very worried while waiting for the test resuls.
Next Discussion: Money Matters: Match Up Sites »


text:
Wynn Nightlife Artist Alesso is showing his range of musical taste and talent with his latest release featuring YouTube sensation and musician, Rudy Mancuso. The original track's mid-tempo sound flows smoothly with a catchy beat, making this music collobaration a unique playlist addition for the summer. Click here for your first listen.
Be sure to get your tickets for Alesso at Wynn Las Vegas here.


text:
The Band
Blackbird Sing has found the recipe to blending the swaggering bravado of punk, emotively captivating lyrics of the grandest forms of folk, rural country music aesthetics, the experimentation of an indie band with nothing to lose, and good old fashioned Americana that can only be described as exclusively their own. If asked, lead singer Vito Salinas will tell it like he has countless times before, "It's not how you play. It's what you play that really matters."
Ladies and Gentlemen Blackbird Sing:
Vito Salinas: Singer/Songwriter, Guitar
George Ransom: Bass
James Magallanez: Guitar, Percussion, and Harmonica
Daniel Magallanez: Drums
Andy Salazar: Lead Guitar, Piano, and Trumpet
Sounds like:
Wilco, Chris Isaak, Felice Brothers, Frank Turner, Old 97's, The New Amsterdams,
The Avett Brothers, and Texas in July!


text:
It wasn't all that long ago that I was positively bearish on Citigroup (NYSE:C), lumping it in with Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) as a financial leviathan still deeply damaged from the banking crisis, still far from turning the corner back into operational normalcy, and therefore not a safe, profitable place for investors to put their money.
Citi is still a leviathan, but it is turning that corner more quickly than I'd previously thought possible -- quickly enough to convince me to buy a few shares as a sort of test run. Here's a quick overview of how I think the bank is still currently viewed by investors and how I think it should be.
A glass half empty
Of the big four banks, B of A was unarguably damaged the worst in the financial crisis, but Citi wasn't far behind. Both banks overindulged in the housing boom, and ended up with massive amounts of toxic mortgage debt on their books.
Citigroup put its bad assets into a "bad bank" called Citi Holdings, which moved the toxic debt off the main balance sheet but didn't absolve the superbank -- or its investors -- of the responsibility to deal with it. In the most recent quarter, Citi Holdings cost Citigroup $1.1 billion in losses. In the first half of 2012, the losses totaled $2.02 billion.
Also, since the financial crisis, I think the leadership at Citigroup has mainly been at a loss as well. Vikram Pandit, the bank's former CEO who came on in 2007, needs to be given credit for stabilizing the bank at what was undoubtedly its moment of extreme crisis (and repaying $45 billion in federal bailout money ), but also needs to take the blame for not maximizing the superbank's significant assets.
One example of this is the sale of the remainder of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney back to Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last fall. It's generally thought that Citi botched the deal, coming around too easily to Morgan Stanley's lowball valuation of the joint enterprise. The superbank ended up losing $2.9 billion on MSSB.
A glass half full
The good news regarding Citi Holdings is that the bad bank's balance sheet and losses are both on the decrease.
In the fourth quarter of 2011, Citi Holdings' net loss was $1.3 billion, but was just $1.1 billion a year later. And total assets in the bad bank were $156 billion for Q4 2012, 31% lower than for Q4 2011. Finally, the continuing resurgent housing market means poorly performing assets might get even more of a boost in the right direction moving forward.
As for leadership, it's no secret that Pandit is now gone -- replaced in a coup engineered by Citigroup chair Michael E. O'Neill last October -- but exactly how his successor would behave is no longer a secret.
Michael Corbat was O'Neill's handpicked replacement for Pandit and is a well-regarded 30-year veteran of Citi who took over the bank's global wealth-management unit at the height of the financial crisis. Most recently he ran Citi Holdings.
But more impressive than his background is the way he's handled himself since he assumed the role of CEO. In his first statement, he humbly acknowledged the work his predecessor did in beginning to turn the bank around. Then, in a statement to a group of Citi executives in February, he said: "You are what you measure." This was an attempt to succinctly explain how bank executives and their performance would be judged moving forward.
While perhaps not as emotionally satisfying as a typically brash statement from JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, it's clear to me that Citi needs a measuring man like Corbat much more than it needs a swashbuckler like Dimon.
Finally, just weeks ago, Corbat conspicuously didn't request a dividend increase or significant share buybacks from the Federal Reserve, even after his bank did decidedly well on its 2013 stress tests. To me, it's a sign that he's more concerned about the long-term health of his bank than the short-term happiness of his shareholders.
Foolish bottom line
This article isn't meant to be the end-all, perfectly persuasive pitch to buy Citi. Citi still has a ways to go before it's operating completely normally and at its full potential for profit, but I think it's turned a corner and is worth taking a chance on right now.
Fool contributor John Grgurich owns shares of Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase. Follow John's dispatches from the bleeding edge of capitalism on Twitter @TMFGrgurich.
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