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Hello, my lovelies ~~
I know, I know, long time no write, but that's another post in itself, and for the time being I wanted to get this out to you.
Look what was just delivered to my door:
It's probably wrong to be so enamored of an inanimate object, but . . . whatever. Because the good things in life need to be fawned over. They need to be reveled in. They need to not ever be taken for granted.
And so, my dear ones, I had to share. And by the way...
I'm baaaaaaaack!
Missed you all, mwuah mwuah!
Love always,
Mad {madly!}
And just to prove I love you, here is a long snippet from A WITCH IN TIME:
I've often been told happiness is relative and that truth is subjective. Words of wisdom usually wielded with deflating precision by cautioning mothers, well-meaning aunts, busybody neighbors . . . and always, always intended to keep you on the straight and narrow. Because that was important, you know. Can't let a girl get a big head about things. Too much happiness is bad for the complexion, or was that the equilibrium? No matter. And truth . . . well, no one really wants to hear it, do they? Regardless of how much they ask. So of course it's good to put out the notion that it depends on something nebulous, something individual, something completely indefinable. That way, when you argue your truth with someone of a different mind, your truth can always trump theirs, simply by playing the "Subjectivity" card.
And that, dear friends, really is the cold, hard truth. Hoosiers like the cold, hard truth . . . but only when it doesn't apply to themselves.
And then there are stoic platitudes. They're very popular here. You get out of it what you put into it. There are two sides to every story. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. Patience is a virtue. There's no such thing as ghosts. Do unto others, before they can do unto you . . .
Whoops, that last one isn't quite right in spirit, is it?
And yet we see its effect day after day as it is reenacted in the day-to-day.
Dark thoughts for a sunny mid-August afternoon, I admit . . . but I couldn't seem to help myself. Month after month, every time I thought things were getting better, every time I thought, surely that was it, now the town can get back to healing itself . . . Time after time I had been proven wrong. It was too much.
I shook my head to clear away the mists of worry that hovered there on the fringes as I rang up the purchases for what would likely be Enchantments' last customer of the day. At least I hoped it was our last. For once, I was Ready. To. Go.
"That will be thirty-nine ninety-six," I told our customer, a regular, as the numbers totaled on the cash register. It had been a long, hot day, our air-conditioning had been acting up, the HVAC crew was missing in action, and a seemingly endless period of Mercury being retrograde in the cosmos had ensured that Murphy's Law was alive and kicking. Things at the store had been chaotic at best. Add in the missing shipments, a broken crystal vase thanks to my little furry fiend, I mean, friend and store kitten Minnie, and a laptop whose hard drive suddenly stopped talking to its keyboard, which forced us all to rely on memory to locate items in our extensive inventory, and what you got in total was frazzled nerves.
All mine. Liss was, as per usual, as cool as the proverbial cucumber. My proverbial cucumbers, on the other hand, always turned out pickled.
"How do you do it?" I asked her when the customer had walked out with a gift bag packed chock full of goodies and a smile of satisfaction on her face. The admiration coloring my tone was not for effect. I would be the first to admit that I aspired to achieve my boss's Zen approach toward life someday. It would be nice not to be affected by all of the small annoyances and frustrations some would consider a normal part of spending time on this earth.
"What's that, ducks?" Liss asked, peering at me from over her half-moon glasses as she tucked a pencil absentmindedly into the hair above her ear and pushed the return key on the non-functioning laptop.
"Stay calm and cool in the face of adversity?"
Liss laughed, a lovely, merry sound that in all the months I'd known her had never yet failed to make me feel better. "I wasn't aware that we were facing adversity. I'll have to keep my eyes open now, won't I?"
Her unfaltering good mood stopped me in my tracks. Was I making too much of things? "You're right. I'm being overly dramatic." And I, for one, despised melodrama.
"It's just the heat getting to you, love. Now, where are those repairmen? They were supposed to be here hours ago. This old building needs some TLC."
She was right. August had been sizzling, steamy, and sultry and just plain abysmal as far as the weather went . . . not that that was unusual for this time of year. But sometimes there was a sense that we were all dancing around like grease on a forgotten griddle. You've heard of jumping from the frying pan into the fire? Yeah. Despite all of the good things that had been happening in my life of late—the most interesting of which had been the blossoming of a new and potentially promising pairing with the not-nearly-so-dark-as-everyone-thought but nevertheless dangerous-to-my-equilibrium Marcus Quinn—there was still an element of edgy uncertainty swimming around in the mix. Or was that just me, being dramatic again?
Liss was right. What was a little hot weather in the overall scheme of things? What were a few minor annoyances? It was the town gone mad that we had to worry about.
And on that cheery note . . .
"Would you like me to wait with you for the repairmen?" I offered, although I freely admit that for once the offer was only half-heartedly made. Tonight was a scheduled off night for me, and I had made plans. Big plans. Hopeful plans.
I caught Minnie gazing at me with her luminous bi-colored eyes. I shot her a meaningful look that said, And said plans will not require input from you, Missypants! None of your funny business. She just blinked at me, the soul of innocence, then bent over to acrobatically lick the back of her leg.
"Oh, my dear. I wouldn't dream of keeping you. Now, now," she said, brushing away my hands as I made a move to tidy the counter. "None of that." She examined me more closely. "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were procrastinating."
"I'm not procrastinating! I'm— " I wasn't, was I? I double-checked myself. Of course I wasn't. What was there to procrastinate about? A night of movies, munchies, and Marcus in front of the television at his house, away from the nervous energy cycling through town . . . what was there to be nervous about that?
Except the butterflies in my stomach were calling me out as a liar. Because that after three weeks of exploring every facet of making out with Marcus like a teenager in the heated throes of new love, I knew that we were standing on a precipice that would change things forever, for better or for worse, and while I wanted it as much as I thought he did, there was still that edge of uncertainty about what it would mean to the relationship. What it would mean to us.
Get a grip, Maggie, I told myself. It's not like you've never done this before. Visions of a young Madonna flashdanced through my head, and I don't mean the beatific one.
But it really had been a while, and all the What Ifs were making me crazy.
Hormones. I blamed hormones. They get all out of whack when not let out of their padded cells every once in a blue moon.
"I'm not procrastinating," I repeated, ducking away from her all-seeing gaze. "I just . . . I . . . well, tonight's a big night," I finished simply, unable to find the words to explain further.
It didn't matter. Liss seemed to understand. The soft look she gave me was both compassionate and reassuring. "Deep breaths, my dear. Don't fret. Whatever is troubling you, you'll make it through with flying colors."
That was Liss for you. She always understood. She did however seem to be waiting expectantly for me to offer up what it was that I was so nervous about. But somehow I just couldn't. Despite the fact that I knew without a doubt that Marcus and Liss had never been the item I had originally imagined them to be, it still felt a bit like the new girlfriend comparing notes with the former. Silly, really. But there it was.
To ward off her preternatural ability to read my thoughts and moods, I bent down and picked up Minnie, who had raised herself on her hind legs and had planted her front paws against my kneecaps. (The little minx was growing so fast! Sniffle . . .) She'd also been hitching her rear quarters back and forth like a hula dancer with a bad knee--in preparation for launching herself up my body, no doubt. Poor girl--foiled again! She didn't seem to mind so much. She'd closed her eyes and started to purr the moment I'd scooped her into my arms. "Well, look at you," I cooed to her. "Pretty girl."
Liss went back to fussing with the laptop. "Minnie, dear, do tell your mummy that a few well-placed red and pink candles can do much for generating a lovely romantic glow. Not that I think you'll need it, mind you," she said, switching the point of her attack to me. "Marcus seems to know what he's doing, good lad. But the Love candles are upstairs in the loft in the event you feel the need to prime the magickal pump. So to speak."
So much for thwarting her psychic prowess. "Stop that," I said, the heat in my cheeks speaking volumes for the blush I knew must have taken root there.
"Stop what, dear?" Liss asked, guileless as any mother gently guiding her child through a troubling situation.
"Stop being so good at the whole Vulcan mind meld thing. I swear, sometimes you are positively spooky." And sometimes a girl liked to keep her secrets.
"Thank you, my dear. I do try."
She didn't have to try, and I knew it. It was just a part of her, a very positive, very para-spooky part of her. One that I could only hope to aspire to one day. It could come in handy, at that.
More and more I thought of Liss as a second mother . . . only one who didn't have a vested interest in the eventual advantageous outcome of my life's trials and travails, and unbiased by anything more than a bighearted wish to help and a goodly dose of love. My own mother could have learned a thing or two from that. I love my mom, mind you, but Holy-Mary-Mother-of-God, that woman really knows how to push my buttons. God love her.
The Goddess, too. And all the angels and saints and protective spirits, to boot. My mother needed all the divine intervention she could get to counteract what was a majorly controlling nature.
"Come on, Minnie," I said, placing a resounding smooch on the velvety fur between her pointy ears, "let's leave Liss to fight with the computer gremlins. You and I have places to go. People to see."
Movies to watch.
Men to . . .
Come to think of it, maybe the candles would be a good idea. They certainly couldn't hurt.
"The candles are in the top right drawer in the large cabinet up in the Loft," Liss couldn't resist calling after me as I covertly made my way toward the stairs. "I dressed them myself in Goddess oil, cloves, dragon's blood, and cinnamon for that extra boost. Should be just the trick."
No use pretending I wasn't interested. I paused in my cross-store trajectory as a thought occurred to me, and turned back to face her. "Liss . . . can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, dear. You can ask anything you like."
"Well . . ." It took me a moment to find the words. It could be a sensitive subject, after all. "Why is it you haven't found yourself a willing male and taken your own counsel?"
"You mean, why am I not out, looking for love in all the sacred spaces?" I was relieved that she took the question for what it was—curiosity. Humor crinkled at the corners of her eyes. "What makes you think I'm depriving myself?"
I had seen the woman in action, charming every man of a certain age that she came into contact with . . . but: "That doesn't mean you have opened yourself up to love."
She smiled, and I saw a hint of wistfulness behind the pragmatism. "One does not control or influence the heart. Love happens only if or when it is meant to happen. Not before, not after."
It had been four years since her husband Geoffrey had crossed beyond the veil that parted the earthly plane from the more nebulous realms of spirit. Perhaps it was still too soon, I mused, for her to move on in that way. The romantic in me wanted all of my girlfriends to be completely and utterly happy, and while a man should never be deemed a necessary ingredient for a girl's happiness, the fact remained that having one around sure could make life a whole lot more interesting. But maybe it would always be too soon for Liss. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be.
I was getting myself all misty. I cleared my throat. "So. Top right drawer, big cupboard."
"You're welcome."
The Loft was one of the most peace-filled places I had ever been lucky enough to experience. It was Liss who had made it that way, injecting her own personal energy into the space until the entire area sparkled with life. When the weather outside prevented her from using the circle in the forest clearing on her property just outside of Stony Mill, the Loft was where she performed many of her meditations, rituals, and spells. I myself often came up here when I needed a few minutes to clear my head, or when I just wanted to meditate and soak up the powerful atmosphere of the place. Powerful in a good way. In a way that spoke of protection, and lightworking for the good of all, and keeping out the dark. In a way that called up my own power from deep within.
Good magick.
I slid my hand along the gallery rail as I made my way toward the wall of cabinets, mostly big solid antiques. As was my habit, I circled around the center rug that marked the ritual area—to me it was sacred space, just as much as her forest glade, and not something to be crossed lightly and without regard. My deference might also have something to do with the protective Invisible Threshold wards Liss cast over the area, although as one of her inner circle, it's not as though I wasn't allowed to spend time there.
I found the candles right where she'd said I would, in a drawer clearly labeled "Candles, Red and Pink—for all romantic magickal purposes." Bingo. I selected three, a power number. Going for the big bang, without bankrupting the store for my own personal gain. I preferred to cache my romance karma, thankyouverymuch. Better safe than sorry.
"Might I suggest that you take a sampling of rose petals and violets from the bulk stores as well?" Liss called up the stairs, ever helpful. "Although now that I think of it, you might not want to burn it in his presence. Marcus is a smart cookie--it's not as though he doesn't know what the herbs are for. A sachet, perhaps, to tuck into your pocket?"
I decided to forgo the herbs. She was right, Marcus wasn't oblivious. And besides, while I wasn't against a little bit of pump-priming, I really didn't think much of it was needed in this case. If the last few weeks were any indication, things were well primed as it was. Granted, it had been a while for me . . . but not that long! I did, however, grab a little package of dried catnip to keep the wee one well plied.
Call it insurance.
Liss was waiting for me when I returned once again to the main floor. "Or maybe some fresh fruit. Strawberries, cherries, apples are all good for love. Add in a bit of chocolate, and a savvy witch is in business." She arched a meaningful brow.
I shook my head at her persistence and grinned in spite of myself. "Goodnight, Liss."
A savvy witch also knows when to butt out. Which she did. Gracefully, of course. "Goodnight, ducks. And good everything else, too," she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
Honestly, maybe she should rethink her stance on finding love again, I thought to myself as I gathered Minnie into her soft-sided carrier and hit the gravel parking spaces behind the store. If her current zeal for the topic was a true measure, it seemed quite possible to this armchair therapist that she was living vicariously through others as a defense against reentering the dating game for her own gain. Always a matchmaker, never a match of her own. P'raps the two of us would have to have a talk one of these days. When the time was right.
In the meantime, I had places to go . . .
And so it was with a wildly beating heart that I loaded Minnie into my aging VW Bug (early on in our partnership my dad had jokingly compared her to Stephen King's Christine due to her cantankerous and unpredictable nature, and the mostly affectionate epithet had stuck), and headed home to my basement apartment in the aging Victorian on Willow Street for a quick pit-stop to freshen up before my scheduled meet-up with Marcus.
"What do you say, Minnie?" I asked the Furry One, who blinked at me sleepily from her spot in the sun on the passenger seat. "Have a little kibble while I get dressed?"
Lifting Minnie's carrier, I made my way across the surprisingly-green-for-August-thanks-to-a-bevy-of-rainstorms lawn to the sunken entrance to my basement apartment. Eager to escape the steam, I let myself in, grateful for the immediate blast of cool darkness. My basement apartment wasn't exactly Home Beautimous material, but at least it was always temperate, despite the weather raging outside. My things I set down on the old dining room chair just inside the door, all except for Minnie's carrier, which I placed on the floor. Immediately she began pawing at the zippered escape hatch.
"Hold on, silly. So impatient!"
The moment she could wiggle her way out, she did, squeezing through the gap I was making like a squirt of ink from a plastic bottle. Once free, she shook her head hard enough to see stars. She blinked blankly until her vision cleared, then scampered off to the kitchen. I knew what was coming next; I stood to one side to watch the entertainment unfold. First, the industrious pawing at the food dish until it scooted right off the soft braided mat that kept the kitty dining area mess-free. Next came the unrelenting flicking with hooked claws at the bottom of the door to the cupboard where I kept the kitty kibble. Finally, she hopped from the chair to the tabletop to the counter, meowed at me—loudly—and while I waited to allow her to finish what had become a nightly performance, she proceeded to knock any item within reach to the floor. Notepad, pencil, keyring. When her beady little eyes fixed on her next target, I moved in quickly.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa there, Turbo. Not the glass," I said, putting it in the sink. "I take it you want food?"
She began to purr and sauntered back and forth along the counter. And then, just to seal the deal in the event I was a little too dense to understand her meaning, she waited until I had bent down to open the cupboard before stretching out a paw and deliberately pushing the salt shaker over the edge. It missed me by inches, dousing me with a shower of salt crystals as it fell. "Hey, knock it off!"
She tilted her head quizzically to one side as if to say, But I just did . . .
I scooped the crunchy kibble into her bowl and set it down on her mat. Before I could straighten again, Minnie had taken a falling leap from the counter, landing gracefully, and started crunching away happily. I only wish I could eat with that same lackadaisical absence of guilt. Instead I had to worry about the elastic on my underwear creating unsightly ripples.
You know, sometimes I think coming back as a cosseted housecat wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Smiling indulgently down at my girl, I dug the milk out of the fridge and poured a bit into a clean dish. The moment I set it down beside her, Minnie changed tactics and pushed her nose deep into the newest offering, her bubblegum pink tongue lapping away.
I watched her until I realized I was postponing the inevitable . . . what was I waiting for?
Leaving Minnie to nosh at her usual breakneck pace, I bypassed the lights blinking on my answering machine, because I knew it was bound to be nothing more pressing than the daily calls from my mom, just "checking up on me," and I really wasn't in the mood to handle her queries and complaints just yet. Instead I slipped directly into my bedroom. I'd worn ankle cropped pants with ballet flats and a close-fitting tee to the store this morning—which was fine—but I thought maybe I'd kick things up a notch. One flirty, drapey, babydoll cami and a pair of strappy Mary Jane peeptoes later, and I felt I'd heightened my sex-appeal enormously. To this I added some earrings that sparkled and flashed when I moved my head, and deepened my makeup just a tad. After shaking out my hair, which had been twisted up in clips all day to keep its unruly waves from frizzing in the August steam, and running my fingers through it, I looked in the mirror to find I actually looked quite . . . good. Maybe even better than I'd intended. Hm. That was a happy surprise.
"What do you think, Min? Do I meet with your approval?"
Minnie had finished with her evening feast and was now perched, round-bellied and satisfied, in the middle of my bed, watching me. She tilted her head sideways and gave me an inquisitive stare.
"Now, don't go giving me that look. Yes, I'm going out tonight. But you get to go, too—we're going to Marcus's house."
Minnie yawned, but I knew it was all an act. Pretending to be disinterested, when inside that fuzzy little noggin waged schemes and daydreams of mayhem and mischief, and possibly even world domination. She perked up again the instant she saw me pick up her favorite toy, a stick-string-feather combo that would have her dancing around like a Spanish flamenco dancer, but before she could leap I popped it into a canvas tote along with her nibble treats, then cast an eye around me for anything else Minnie could possibly need.
Yet another stalling tactic on my part, and an obvious one at that.
I couldn't believe how nervous I was about tonight. It wasn't the possibility of rejection that was making me as distracted as a cat in a room full of parakeets—with Marcus, rejection had never really crossed my mind. It was the possibilities that were making me run both hot and cold today. And what possibilities they were! Because my deepest fear was that I was falling for him, fast and hard, and my track record with love hadn't been what anyone would call "exemplary." In fact, I was the poster girl for sad tales with bad endings. I had definitely been left nursing a wounded heart once or twice before. But that shouldn't be a concern with Marcus. Should it?
Good grief, my sister was right. I am neurotic.
I took a deep breath. There was no reason to worry. Not this time. Things were going swimmingly with Marcus. So much so that it was easy to forget the strange events that had brought me to him. The weirdness in town. The murders. The rise in the tide of spiritual energies, light and so-not-light. My unexpected awareness of said energies, an awareness that, once acknowledged, had kept growing and growing and growing, until now it had evolved into something I didn't understand, with no clear end in sight. But none of that mattered, as long as this one thing in my life was going well.
So . . . what was I so afraid of?
Minnie's placid stare seemed to echo what the voice in my head was whispering:
What are you waiting for?
What, indeed?
Taking a deep, fortifying breath, I made myself move.
The first step is always the hardest, Margaret. . .
The voice of my conscience all too often took on the vocal stylings and attitudes of my late Grandmother Cora. It wasn't something that I relished—Grandma C had always been a pragmatically stern woman of country ways and devout sensibilities, and that side of her had never failed to come across loud and clear, even as a whisper in my head. Does everyone out there have a snarky conscience? Or was I the only one?
It was because of that that I now turned a dubious eye inward. Because . . .
Since when had Grandma C ever been on my side?
Suspicious minds, Margaret, the soundless voice tsked.
And just what was that supposed to mean?
Only that they always find what they expect to find. Remember that.
Hmm. There was something to that, actually. Deepest fears always seemed to manifest into the direst of circumstances at the worst of times, somehow, some way. It was the biggest reason Murphy's Law was viewed as truism with a capital T. It was up to all of us to do our best to banish the Murphmeister from our lives. I understood that. In theory. Practical application proved trickier, but I was trying.
And you see Marcus as good for you, I think? the Grandma C conscience voice prodded.
Yes. Oh, yes.
For once, Grandma C had it going on. And with her, and Liss, and Minnie on my side, how could I resist?
Crosstown traffic was clearing by the time we ventured past our quiet neighborhood. Not that Stony Mill rush hour could ever compare to or compete with a larger city, but with narrow streets and parking along the curb, safe passage could at times be a complicated process. I cut across via the byzantine residential routes, wending through subdivisions, until I hit the sleepy older neighborhood on the outskirts that Marcus called home. Before I got to know Marcus, I would never have envisioned him living in a one-and-a-half story Craftsman-style bungalow, complete with a deep porch and low-slung roofline. The spiky iron fence at the front might not have matched in theory, but the river stone posts separating the sections made it work. The house was far from modern, but it possessed a quiet dignity that felt comfortable and familiar. I loved everything about it, from the faded linoleum in the kitchen, to the carriage barn in the rear that had been converted into a garage-slash-motorcycle workshop, a.k.a. the ideal Man Cave. Now that was what I had always expected from my Marcus.
My Marcus. I smiled at the very thought.
I parked at the curb. Deep breaths, Maggie my girl, I told myself. A quick check in the mirror I'd long ago velcro'ed onto the visor assured me that neither the heat nor the humidity had demolished my best beauty efforts yet, though getting out of the elements would certainly help. I glanced over at Minnie and smiled.
"Here we go."
I grabbed my bag, Minnie's carrier, and the canvas tote of kitty goodies and let myself in through the front gate. It made the usual squawk of the hinges as I closed it and dropped the latch into place. The cobbled walk under my feet felt like the curving yellow brick road of Oz, leading me to . . .
"Hello, sweetness."
I felt a flush of pleasure sweep through me as I looked up to find Marcus waiting for me in the crook of the old-fashioned wooden screen door and looking nothing like the wily Wizard. I stopped in my tracks at the base of the steps. Even from deep in the belly of the porch, his eyes seemed to glow in welcome. My heart did a little bounce and wobble.
Oh, yeah, I was in big trouble, all right.
I lifted my hand and gave a weak, fluttering wave. "Hi."
"I've been waiting for you."
Another wobble, and this time my stomach got into the act. Keep your head on, nice and straight,Grandma C's voice intoned inside my head. "You have?"
"Oh." I was having trouble getting the gears in my brain to function. All they did was whirr. Madly.
"You going to stand down there all day?" he asked, a lilt of amusement lifting one corner of his mouth as he leaned a shoulder indolently against the inner doorframe. "Or did you want me to come down there and get you?"
Well, that option did present some distinct possibilities . . .
Flustered, I cleared my throat and made a show of displaying my things as I mounted the steps. "I come with baggage."
"Do you, now. Hello, Minnie." He reached down to take them all from me, setting it all inside the door, which he still held propped open with one foot, then turned back to face me. His clear blue eyes searched mine. I couldn't help wondering how much he saw there. "And you . . ." he said, his voice trailing off as he took my face between his hands and lowered his mouth to mine for one long, heart-stopping minute.
Big trouble.
Oh yeah.
"Hellooo, Miss O'Neill." The low croon teased my tingling lips most pleasantly.
"Hello, Mr. Quinn," I breathed back, linking my fingers together behind his neck.
"I've been waiting to do that all day."
"You have? That's funny. Me, too."
The slow curve of his lips was all I could see. Truth be told, it was all I wanted to see. Without another thought I slid my arm around his neck and kissed him soundly, pressing myself to his body tight enough that he was forced to reach behind himself to grope for the doorframe with one hand to support us both. His other arm was wrapped up and between my shoulder blades, his long fingers cradling the nape of my neck. I couldn't have gotten away if I'd wanted to.
I didn't. Want to, that is.
Nervous . . . had I been nervous? How ridiculous. This was exactly what I had been hoping for. What was to be nervous about this?
I didn't know how long it was before I drifted away from the enchantment of his mouth and back to the realization that we were standing on his front porch, displaying the full measure of our mutual fascination before God, Goddess, and the entire county. I pulled away slightly, regretfully, my hands lingering on his chest. "We should probably go inside. Someone might see."
He raised one eyebrow in amusement. "And?"
"My mother has a lot of friends."
"You ashamed of me, Maggie?"
"Of course not."
"Or are you just afraid of your mother?"
I frowned at that. I was less than three weeks away from my thirtieth birthday. A woman, full grown and in charge of her own destiny. I did not need my mother's approval for my life. On the other hand, it certainly did make life easier if the two of us weren't at loggerheads with each other.
Tricky, tricky.
"I'm not afraid of her," I told him, and I couldn't help nibbling on the inside of my lower lip. "I'm . . . wary of her web of spies, that's all."
"I see. Well, in that case, maybe you'd better come on inside." He took my hand and tugged. "I have a special way of dealing with spies and busybodies and other unwanted entities."
I knew he was just being funny, but I had seen firsthand how he dealt with unwanted entities, and in truth the experience had both frightened me and made me feel very safe in his capable hands, all at the same time. There was something deeply reassuring about his knowledge and mastery of all matters spiritual, a certainty I did not yet possess. Maybe I never would. But one thing I did know: Next to Liss, Marcus made a pretty good counselor of the mysterious. Between the two of them, I was covered.
I followed him inside, privately enjoying the warmth of his hand holding mine.
"What's all this?" I asked him when my eyes had adjusted to the more shadowy interior. Unusually shadowy. I couldn't help noticing that all the curtains were drawn, and that set up in front of the big windows were what appeared to be a couple of cameras on tripods, as well as a couple of other odd-looking devices whose purposes I couldn't guess. Heavy wires, neatly bound with tie-wraps, snaked across the hardwood floor and down the hall toward the bedroom he used as his own private digital compound. While on his stint in the military, Marcus had served in Intelligence. Something told me he hadn't completely gotten that lifestyle out of his system.
"This? Nothing, really. Call it . . . insurance."
Marcus wasn't usually this circumspect. I peered up at him, curiously. "Insurance for what? What's going on?"
He shrugged away the question. "Nothing I can't handle. Trust me on this."
I had no misgivings about his ability to handle, oh, just about anything. Without a doubt he had an innate understanding of how to handle me.
"Cameras. Wires. What's this?" I asked him, pointing to a round dishlike object.
"Just a little listening device."
"And this?" I indicated a smaller black box.
He grabbed my hand and drew me away, carefully avoiding the various tripods and tripwires. "A voice amplifier. Nothing to worry about."
Noooo, nothing to worry about here. Nothing at all . . .
"And why are we doing the whole James Bond thing with the neighbors?" I pressed, knowing the story had to be a good one.
"I would never spy on my neighbors without good reason," he protested as he plopped down onto the sofa and pulled me into his lap. His arms closed immediately around my waist to hold me in place.
Distractions were not going to work on me this time. No sirree . . .
"And you explain all of the devices and whatnot pointed at them, how?"
He tilted his head back on the sofa, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling for a moment. "Hm. Would you believe me if I told you that they're not directed toward the neighbors specifically?"
I glanced over my shoulder. The cameras certainly seemed to be aimed in all the pertinent directions.
He sighed, his fingers toying with one of my curls. "I take it you're probably not going to be able to just let this go."
"I suppose you're going to need an explanation."
The one word answers seemed to be working in my favor. "Well," he said, considering his options, "I suppose I was kidding myself to think that you could come over without wondering what was up."
"So I guess you're wanting answers."
"Mmhmm." Was that one word, or two? Or none?
"You're awfully cute when you're curious," he said with a wicked grin.
Maybe the one word answers weren't working so well, after all. "Stop trying to confuse me."
"Maybe I want to confuse you. Maybe—" he twirled the strand of hair around his index finger then flicked his gaze to mine— "just maybe—" he said, his voice dropping to a low murmur intended to warm a girl's blood in an instant, "that was my plan all along."
Before he could lean in to kiss me and scatter my senses to the four winds, I placed my fingertips over his lips. "Neighbors?" I prompted.
"Can't see a thing, I promise."
"But you can see them."
"Nah." He shook his head. "It's not for the neighbors, Maggie. I told you that."
"Then who is it for?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out."
All of this talking in circles was making my head hurt. I just looked at him, waiting patiently.
Finally he relented. "Take a peek through the view finders."
I got to my feet and walked over to one of the cameras, bending close to peer through. To my surprise, the object in view wasn't the house on the opposite side of the street. "It's pointed at the street itself," I realized, frowning.
"Check another."
I did. Same story, second time around. The camera that seemed to be pointing at the neighbor's house next door was actually capturing anyone approaching the house from that direction.
"There's another camera in the dining room," Marcus told me.
The question was, why? I turned to him in bemusement.
"I think someone has been watching my place. I just wanted to see if I could catch said someone in the act. Get it on film. Try to figure out what's up."
My eyebrows lifted and I glanced sharply toward the window. "Someone's been watching you? Why would anyone do that?"
"I don't know."
"How long has this been going on?"
"I don't know," he repeated. "A week? Two weeks? I'm not sure. I've been a little distracted lately." He winked at me.
I could relate. Boy, could I ever.
While I was up, I unzipped Minnie's carrier and set her down on the floor. "There you go, little one." She stretched and yawned, hooking her claws down to the floor as though searching for carpet to latch onto. I handed her one of her catnip mousies. "Run and play."
Obediently she picked up the tiny mouse in her mouth and darted for the nearest hidey-hole. She was almost as comfortable at Marcus's house as she was at the apartment. We'd been over often enough that Marcus had surprised us both by setting up a litter box in the laundry room and a soft kitty bed in the office window that overlooked a group of bird feeders he had installed in the yard, and by installing resident food and water dishes in the kitchen. Already Minnie thought of Marcus's place as her own.
I turned back to the living room. Still as bemused as ever, I sat down next to Marcus on the sofa. Immediately he drew my legs up over his and placed a steadying hand on my knees to hold me in place.
"Who do you think it is?" I asked him.
"Not a clue," he said, I didn't like the way his gaze slid away from mine. Why did I have a feeling that wasn't entirely the truth?
"Well, have you said anything to anyone?" I persisted, "About all this?"
"Uncle Lou and Aunt Molly know."
"I don't mean them. I meant, have you filed a report?"
His eyebrows rose. "With the police? Uh, no."
"Why not?"
The look he gave me made me realize with a start how pointless the question was, considering Tom's role with the S.M.P.D.
"Oh. Oh, yeah." And yet the situation frustrated me. Worst of all, I knew it was entirely my fault. Not intentionally . . . but did that make a difference when someone's heart was hurting? "There has to be some route available to you. What if this turns out to be serious?"
"Hey . . . Hey." Turning, he tipped my chin up to look at him, and my heart turned over. "It's no big deal, Maggie. I've got it covered."
He pressed a kiss to my lips to quiet my protests. "No worries, okay?"
It was easy for him to say. He wasn't the one who was responsible for his inability to go to the police if he needed to. I was.
"So . . . what's in the bag?" he asked, purposely deflecting my concern toward another topic altogether. I understood immediately what he was doing, but since there was no easy solution to the stalker problem, I quickly decided we might as well try to forget about it. For now.
"Oh, just a few goodies for tonight."
My airy reply made his eyebrows lift in interest. A slow smile began at the corners of his mouth. "You know, this sounds promising."
"Maybe." I kept things light and teasing, though inside me the element that had perked up was far more fiery in nature.
"Mmm. So are you going to show me what you've got? Or are you going to make me wait?" The blue of his eyes blazed a little hotter. "I'm not sure I'm going to be good at that."
I smirked. I couldn't help myself.
"Waiting," he supplied quickly as clarification. "I'm not great at waiting."
I giggled this time. I couldn't help that, either.
"I assure you," he leaned in closer, pinning me with his gaze, "I am very good at the rest of it."
Copyright 2010 by Madelyn Alt. All rights reserved.
****** A WITCH IN TIME will appear magickally on bookstore**********
****** shelves April 6, 2010, or you can pre-order it today***************
A WITCH IN TIME (#6, The Bewitching Mysteries)
Berkley Prime Crime
Coming April 6, 2010


text:
Winner: Heroes For Hire #13
Publisher: Marvel
Award: HENTAI FOR KIDS- kudos to Marvel for slapping together a totally sexy cover. What more could your red-blooded 12-tear old comic reader want more than a comic about three large-breasted women bound and molested by a tentacle monster?
"I don't know what went into that cover. I know the editor is Mark Paniccia, the father of a one year old daughter that he loves more than anything. I know Mark well enough to hazard the guess that he wasn't trying to "oppress" women, "oppress" Misty Knight, or follow a secret agenda. He was probably just trying to sell more books. I imagine Sana Takeda wanted to sell more books. The really really sad thing is that inside the Biosphere, up on the mountain, probably nobody gave this a second thought. Nobody thought that "Misty Knight and the Black Cat and Colleen Wing shouldn't be shown this way because it demeans them as characters."
And you know what's even sadder? That no one at Marvel or DC will ever say a word about any of this. The Mary Jane statue controversy had been going on for well over a week, and been on TV shows, with nary a peep out of an official spokesman at either company. Will anyone ask Joe Quesada or Paul Levitz about any of this? Will anyone remember?
And that, ladies and germs, is why we can't shut up."
--The BEAT
'MANSTREAM' is a term coined by Lea Hernandez (divalea) .
Inspired by divalea and the blog When Fangirls Attack , every week the Society seeks to recognize (and make fun of) images published under the Marvel or DC comics banner which appeal to the 'manstream'- that is, the reptillian part of the fanboy psyche which responds to images of excessive female flesh, ginormous breasts, females in bondage, vapid cheesecake, poor female characterization, etc. In other words, pictures that would probably get you slapped by your girlfriend if you were stupid enough to show them to her.

subset: commoncrawl


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On February 24, 2017 Tamar Morchiladze, an associate at BGI Legal, participated in the 6th Annual Tbilisi Pre-Moot Arbitration Conference. Tamar moderated a debate in British Parliamentary Style, addressing the issue of admissibility of claims in international commercial arbitration.
The conference was organized by Arbitration Initiative Georgia, a non-profit organization established by the alumni of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot and was sponsored by the USAID-Promotion Rule of Law in Georgia (PROLoG), implemented by the East-West Management Institute (EWMI) and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ).
The Tbilisi Arbitration Conference was followed by the 6th Tbilisi Pre-Moot, which aims to prepare Georgian and foreign teams for international rounds of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot held annually in Vienna, Austria. 6th Tbilisi Pre-Moot involved students from German, Dutch, Latvian, Turkish and Georgian Universities.
Notably, Tamar is a coach of the Free University of Tbilisi team, which was acclaimed as the winning team of the 6th Tbilisi Pre-Moot.
The event was attended by students, young practitioners and experts in international commercial law and arbitration, representatives of academia, as well as Government officials and civil society representatives.


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Samsung Q530E driver download
The Samsung Q530E is another superbly built laptop from Samsung, among a graphite-effect lid and silver keyboard panel that's uncluttered by excess keys or LED flashlights. Its beauty isn't skin deep, either: inside you'll find an Intel Core i3 350M processor with near-desktop performance, and a Nvidia GeForce GT 330M graphics chip able of performing 3D games.
Among average performance, a great-quality display and the ability to play games, the Samsung Q530E is an attractive package, and it looks great too. However, it's expensive; MSI's FX600 is likewise powerful, but has a Blu-ray drive and costs £77 less. Unless you can find the Q530 for less, it can't compete with the MSI for value.
While the physical connectivity covers the basics okay, the Samsung Q530E does lack in a few departments. There are no eSATA for instance, and only three USB ports despite the ample space for a fourth. That said, with HDMI and VGA onboard, the Samsung Q530E should suffice for most users. A memory card reader is conveniently placed on the front edge, and naturally, there are two dedicated audio jacks as well.
Download Samsung Q530E drivers for Windows 7 32bit and 64bit
Please select a driver to download like Chipset, TouchPad, VGA, Ethernet, Wireless LAN, Bluetooth or Audio for your Samsung Q530E from below links.
Sound / Audio
OS : Win 7 (32bit / 64bit)
Version : 22.214.171.12483
Size : 54.68 MB
File name : Sound_184.108.40.20683.zip
VGA / Graphics
NVIDIA VGA / Graphics Display
OS : Win 7 (32bit)
Version : 220.127.116.1111
Size : 66.04 MB
File name : External_VGA_NVIDIA_32bit_126.96.36.19911.zip
VGA / Graphics Display NVIDIA
OS : Win 7 (64bit)
Version : 126.96.36.19911
Size : 84.54 MB
File name : External_VGA_NVIDIA_64bit_22.214.171.12411.zip
OS : Win 7 (32bit / 64bit)
Version : 184.108.40.2065
Size : 2.47 MB
File name : Chipset_18.104.22.1685.zip
Turbo Boost
Intel Turbo Boost
OS : Win 7 (32bit / 64bit)
Version : 22.214.171.1242
Size : 1.07 MB
File name : Turbo_Boost_126.96.36.1992.zip
OS : Win 7 (32bit / 64bit)
Version : 22.214.171.124
Size : 8.04 MB
File name : HDMI_184.108.40.206.zip
OS : Win 7 (32bit / 64bit)
Version : 220.127.116.11
Size : 28.33 MB
File name : Touchpad_220.127.116.11.zip
Intel Rapid Storage
OS : Win 7 (32bit / 64bit)
Version : 184.108.40.2064
Size : 10.34 MB
File name : Intel_Rapid_Storage_Technology_220.127.116.114.zip
OS : Win 7 (32bit / 64bit)
Version : 188.8.131.5200
Size: 63.38 MB
Filename : Bluetooth_18.104.22.16800.ZIP
Lan / Ethernet
OS : Win 7 (32bit / 64bit)
Version: 220.127.116.11
Size: 1.31 MB
File name: LAN_Win7_22.214.171.124.zip
Wi-Fi / Wireless LAN
ATHEROS Wi-Fi / Wireless LAN
OS : Win 7 (32bit / 64bit)
Version : 22.214.171.1240
Size : 33.73 MB
File name : WLAN_Atheros_Win7_126.96.36.1990.ZIP
BROADCOM Wi-Fi / Wireless LAN
OS : Win 7 (32bit / 64bit)
Version : 188.8.131.52
Size : 46.03 MB
File name : WLAN_Broadcom_Win7_22.214.171.124.ZIP
The Driver and Software Installations for Samsung Q530EIf you are looking for the steps of installation the series of Samsung Q530E, here we go.
How to install Samsung Q530E Driver with the Manual Instruction
Because you are going to use your printer, you need to do and follow the instruction of the installation correctly on your Windows operating system.
- After you finish with the downloading process of Samsung Q530E, you can click and open the directory where you save the software of the driver. Commonly, the driver software will end with the name .exe.
- Then, try to double click the driver file or try to right-click on it and choose "run as administrator." Wait for the several while the process of extraction of the driver files of Samsung Q530E is completed.
- Soon after the process of completed, you need to follow the next instructions in the installation steps.
- The process of installation of the program for Samsung Q530E is just easy since you only follow the instructions shown on your computer screen and you will come to the finishing process. Then, your Samsung Q530E is about ready to use.
How to uninstall Samsung Q530E Driver with the manual instructions
In order to uninstall the Samsung Q530E driver on your Windows operating system, you need to follow these instructions.
- First, try to click the "Start menu." Second, select "control panel" or you can simply type "control panel" down on the search box.
- Then, you will see some icons and you click "programs" menu named "uninstall an application." On the first list of the installed application, you need to search for "Samsung Q530E computer driver" that you are going to remove or you simply type the name in the search box.
- After that, you need to double-click the icon of the Samsung Q530E driver and choose "uninstall/change." In order to complete the process of uninstallation, you need to follow the following instructions given on the computer screen.
How to Install Samsung Q530E in Mac Operating System:
- Steps for Samsung Q530E Installation Driver:
- After you have finished with the downloading process, the driver software will be stored in the certain folder. You can find it out in your computer settings.
- Then, double click the downloaded driver file and try to mount it on the Disk image.
- Double-click the mounted disk image.
- Furthermore, try to double click the package of the driver file. The installation process will begin automatically.
But you need to notice that the installation process can be different depends on the platform o the device that you use for the Samsung Q530E. The process mentioned above is for Windows 7. For the Windows XP and Windows 8, the process will be not really different.


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Some People Like Us
Kaseem Bentley and Casey Ley keep selling out venues with their show Some People Like Us (because they are so funny and likeable and have racial and sexual minorty statuses that straight white people feel good about laughing at), so they decided to put it in the smallest place yet. Come see a killer lineup of their favorite comics at SF's best underground comedy club, CineCave at Lost Weekend Video. Hot ticket!
with Steve Hernandez, Julia Loken and James Fritz


text:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It would not be a bad idea for the European Central Bank and other central banks to follow the U.S. Federal Reserve's example and change course away from an ultra-accommodative monetary policy, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said.
Speaking on the sidelines of International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington, Schaeuble said the ultra-loose monetary policies in place in many areas of the world were not helpful.
"It is encouraging undue risk-taking, political complacency, capital misallocation and asset price bubbles," he added.
"The Fed has initiated the exit from loose monetary policy. It wouldn't be a bad idea, if the European Central bank and others were to start following this example," he said.
Three ECB policymakers said on Wednesday - days before a tense French presidential election and the ECB's own policy meeting - that prospects for the euro zone economy had improved but the time to withdraw support has not yet come.
Investors are on tenterhooks before Sunday's first round vote in France, where two of the four leading candidates are threatening to leave the European Union and the euro currency.
Any turmoil in the bond market after the French vote would push up borrowing costs for countries and companies - undoing some of the stimulus the ECB is providing - and even raise questions about the euro's survival.
While stressing that the ECB, and not the German government, sets monetary policy for the euro zone, Schaeuble added: "It is true that the euro being undervalued, from a German perspective, benefits our exporters."
German officials have said Schaeuble and his delegation will stress the importance of globalisation and free trade for growth at the talks in Washington this week, as well as the need for reforms to increase resilience against future shocks.
(Reporting by Gernot Heller; Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Alison Williams)


text:
My aesthetic approach: the fusion of old and new to create the timeless. Recycling and recovery are at the core of my ethos. Found objects and reclaimed wood provide not only ecologically savvy raw material, but also the conceptual inspiration for the piece's re-incarnation. I tap into the memories and experiences resonating from the found object. I look past flaws to mine the object's rich functional and structural potential, challenging myself to bring these strengths to the fore. This marriage of form and function is my muse. My work engages and emphasizes the increasingly porous borderline between utility and art, furniture and sculpture.
Yoav Liberman Design
from Chestnut Ridge, NY
I strive to create pieces that are most beautiful when they are being used.


text:
Search Vacancies
Find your feet with a traineeship. They're a great way to help you build your CV. That's because traineeships help you learn the essential skills that every employer wants. And they'll set you on the right path to compete for apprenticeships. In short, they're that vital first stepping stone to getting ahead.
From recruitment to training, Truro and Penwith College is an expert on every stage of the Apprenticeship progress. They offer the best possible experience to you as an Apprentice and the Cornish businesses they work with. The college offers over 40 different Apprenticeships, so plenty of opportunities to chose from.
Truro & Penwith focus solely on Cornwall, so whether you live at Land's End, in Launceston or anywhere in-between, they've got your Apprenticeship covered
Truro and Penwith offer a huge scope of on the job training. From Accounting and Customer Services to Carpentry and Bricklaying. So whether you prefer working behind a desk or a more hands on role you will find the Apprenticeship to suit you. Plus they offer a range of specialist programmes tailored and developed in partnership with local businesses. Including; Retail, Engineering (CNC Manufacturing), Engineering Maintenance, Digital Administrator, Software Engineering and Licensed Hospitality and Management.
Search Provider Vacancies
At GetMyFirstJob we're different.
We don't just provide apprenticeships – we care about young peoples' futures and do everything possible to connect them with opportunities that will transform their lives. Providing choice, easy access to skills learning and that all-important break into their first job. Find out more..
Please Enter A Valid UK Postcode


text:
McKnully, 27 Feb 2013And of course, it is only possible with cheap labour force with dreadful conditions.
No thanks!all the top manufacturers also use the same cheap labour and dreadful conditions to produce phone.
The iphone is an shining example of this..no wonder they make their phone in china and sell it commercially at 8 times the price
Vegetaholic, 27 Feb 2013guys are you serious???? It's probably crappiest 4 core phone you can get, cpu probably weaker... moreXperia Play - that's a great device.
It's a very nice product as compared to the new 5 inch 1080p smartphones.............
UMI is doing a brilliant job.. better than all mobile company in this world.. a good competition with micromax. Fool people will boy overprices porducts but rational and intelligent people will UMI X2 and micromax kind of products..
if the current specification is true, then UMI X2 is the bestest mobile in this world..
Paying 14,000 inr($260 usd) for this and then COMPLAINING about customer service, and no updates is IDIOTIC! at that price just buy it and BE happy with it! if you want customer service, and timely updates, then go buy a SAMSUNG, but be prepared to pay nearly THRICE that amount!! Are you willing to pay extra 28,000 for customer service AND timely updates? I THOUGHT SO!!! So SHUT your mouth and appreciate what this company is doing!
[deleted post]Your repectless attitude towards other proves that you only deserve this kind of sh*tty devices.
Whats the point of inventing wheel again and again? How come it makes sense to introduce a device just with different wallpaper? Tons of this kind of crap has already been made. Even cakes in Bakery has some what innovation or fresher look.
when these all specs are coming under this price than why other companies price are approximately double , brand can never be only side, they all provide same warranty period.
You gotta be kidding me..!!!
POWERVRSGX544 with 1080p screen in 14k ??
is it joke?? even if its a joke ..its not funny...
Seems promising but the only concer will b durability n after sale service.if umi would provide service then it gonna 2 a big hit.a big threat 4 micromax
the umi, newman, oppo, zoopo and jiayu are the most phones sold in china and have very nice quality with a low budget, the jiayyu is most famous in price-quality
look the jaiyu basic model for 218 dollars and advance model 248 dollars
please reviw this brands
guys are you serious???? It's probably crappiest 4 core phone you can get, cpu probably weaker than my 1 core xperia play and I'm not talking about gpu or durability or quality of screen, you will get what you pay for trust me
if you by what you get per price this is best phone to get :O,wish sony made phone whith these specs that way you could be more sure about updates,but who cares with these specs at this price you couldnt care less about updates
And of course, it won't come to Europe... Not everyone here has a tree of money in the backyard.
anonymous, 27 Feb 2013Double the specs as compared to the international version of S3 n almost half the price......Yeah, and for your information the S3 came out almost a year ago... So it should be really embarassing not to outspec a 1 year old phone, don't you think?


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Sunday, October 18, 2009
curious cats
Aaron Rift of TheCatDiaries has done it again! He has cat-urded the essence of the joy of catnip. Enjoy!
I love his videos, don't you? Leave a comment and share.
I love his videos, don't you? Leave a comment and share.
Posted by kneadstoknow at 3:38 AM
4 comments:
- Vicki said...
What a cute video. I always wondered why cats love catnip so much. Then I decided catnip must be the same to a cat as a chocolate milkshake is to me.
- October 18, 2009 at 7:46 AM
- Donna said...
How totally cute...and catlike. I think that must equal 3 Bud Lites to a hooman! hehe
- October 18, 2009 at 9:56 AM
- jmuhj said...
She's definitely 'nip buzzed! LOVE this video! ;'
- October 18, 2009 at 2:12 PM
Yep seems about right! I love cats reactions to catnip.
- October 19, 2009 at 1:44 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 1-3 (Update 3) (2015/PC/Repack/Rus|Eng) от xatab скачать торрент
Genre: Action, Adventure
Developer: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Publisher: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Publication Type: RePack
Language: Multilingual | English
Language: English
Tablet: enclosing (CODEX)
The story is told in Resident Evil Revelations 2, continues the episode of the original Resident Evil Revelations.Initially RER 2 will be released each week as a separate series for download starting from February 24th, 2015 Players will also be able to purchase a full season or boxed version.Thus, fans will receive each episode as they become available, together with additional material.Each episode in the Resident Evil Revelations 2 includes content mode "Raid", as well as two completely ready-to-play scenarios that are dedicated to the heroes of the previously announced Claire and Moira and recently confirmed the storyline Barry and Natalie.
✔ Operating system: Vista SP1; 7; 8.
✔ Processor: Intel® Core ™ 2 Duo E6700, AMD Athlon X2 2.8 GHz
✔ Video card: NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GTS, AMD Radeon HD 3850
✔ Memory: 2 GB
✔ Sound Card: Sound device compatible with DirectX 9.0
✔ Hard disk space: 23 GB
The return of the genre survival horror - A completely new story in the saga Resident Evil Revelations comes in the form of weekly episodes to download.
Plunge into the most terrible adventure of the year - each episode - a few hours of chilling adventure, every time terminating the most interesting place, forcing the players to look forward to the next turn of this exciting thriller.
Starring Claire Redfield and Moira Burton - The favorite of the public Claire will meet again with their nightmares from the past, along with Moira Burton, daughter of legendary Resident Evil Barry Burton.
Barry is back! - The favorite of the public and a veteran of STARS Barry Burton back in the game! He is looking for missing daughter trapped on a remote island-prison.
Evil is watching - Prison on a remote island only looks deserted and uninhabitable - in fact the horrors await players around every corner. Can we escape from here?
New types of enemies - Rotten, which shine through the body of the bone, will not stop at nothing in their hunt for a living, and awful Revenant made of sewn together pieces of human bodies.
Based on mutual multiplayer mode - Players will need to switch between the two characters (Claire / Moira Barry / Natalya) to defeat the monstrous creatures in a single mode with a partner-AI, or multiplayer mode offline.
Powerful mode "Raid" - In addition to the well-developed narrative mode, and the mode returns to "raid" with spectacular intense battles for one or two players (over the network and out of network).The updated and enhanced mode "Raid" contains 15 characters and more than 200 steps, as well as a variety of new materials:new stages of the previously released games RE, better-designed mechanics of passing additional difficulty levels, new weapons and parts, and four times as many skills and character than it was in the Revs 1.
"Partially cut all localization except Russian and English / Do not recoded
» Пропатчено до 1.0.3 [Update 3]
"Setting time 20 minutes
"Unlock all the DLC:
- Claire's Rodeo Costume
- Moira's Urban Ninja Costume
- Natalia's Lottie Suit Costume
- Barry's Commandant Costume
- Costume Pack
- Raid Mode Character: HUNK
- Raid Mode Character: Albert Wesker
- Raid Mode: Throwback Map Pack
- Raid Mode: Weapon Storage A
- Raid Mode: Weapon Storage B
- Raid Mode: Weapon Storage C
- Raid Mode: Parts Storage A
- Raid Mode: Parts Storage B
- Raid Mode: Parts Storage C
- Raid Mode: Album Storage A
- Raid Mode: Album Storage B
- Raid Mode: Album Storage C
»Repack by xatab
Скачать Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 1-3 (Update 3) (2015/PC/Repack/Rus|Eng) от xatab торрент:


text:
Breakaway Movie WikiBreakaway Movie Wiki with information about Breakaway full cast, its story and confirmed Breakaway release date in 2011 along with the movie reviews, stills & photos and Breakaway movie trailer HD video.
Breakaway (2011)
A hockey enthusiast since 12 years of age, Toronto-based Rajvinder Singh, even went to the extent of trimming his hair, discarding his Pagri/turban, did not complete his education, incurred the wrath of his father, Darvesh, who wanted him to be involved in the family business as well as confirm and respect Sikh religion principles and values. Hoping to play professional hockey, Rajvinder, along with other fellow Sikh players, instead finds himself treated as the object of ridicule, referred to as a 'joker', by mainstream Caucasian players. Even his friends tease him and ask him to take up 'Guli Danda' and Kabaddi', while his father makes him work for Uncle Sammy as a truck driver. He is attracted to stunning law student Melissa Winters while her brother, Dan, offers to coach Rajvinder and his team. Unable to get themselves included in any team, they form their own...
- Robert Lieberman
- Rob Lieberman
- Jeff Schechter
- Matty Simmons
- Vinay Virmani
- Release Date: 2011-09-30
- Views: 164
- Country: CA, IN
- Language: English
- Runtime: 101
Breakaway Full Cast
Akshay Kumar
Anupam Kher
Vinay Virmani
Russell Peters
Camilla Belle
Rob Lowe
Gurpreet Ghuggi
Sakina Jaffrey
Noureen DeWulf
Ali Mukaddam
Al Mukaddam
Sorry, no results found.
- Published Full Review


text:
Performance Details
Event Pole Vault
Mark 6-6
Place 2nd
Race/Results Page Girls Results
Round Finals
Heat 1
Native Country USA
Season Outdoor 2016
Level HS
Meet Date Mar 14, 2016
Date Added Jan 21, 2018
Grade 2020
Timing FAT
Personal Best? No
Season Best? No
Venue Bentonville High, Bentonville, AR, USA
No comments on this performance. Add a comment


text:
KS Associates is a family run Quantity Surveying Consultancy providing a comprehensive range of services to the construction industry. We provide both pre-contract and post-contract services to Main contractors, Project Managers, Developers, PQS Practices, Construction Management Companies and large Subcontractors.
Since 1999 our team has developed and grown, achieving continued success year-on-year. We believe this success is due to the quality of our support services that provide our clients with the flexibility and confidence they seek.
We work in all market sectors and procurement routes on projects up to £500M. We offer a tailored approach to each project we undertake, providing a fixed fee proposal together with the relevant PI Insurance.
In January 2013 KS Associates launched a Procurement Consultancy division, KSA Consultants, that is specifically aimed at providing services to Clients and Project Managers. For more information please click here to visit the KSA Consultants website.


text:
From the special effects-laden trailers, "Bridge to Terabithia" looks for all the world like the second coming of "The Chronicles of Narnia." It's not -- and that's a very good thing.
Firmly grounded in the real world and based on Katherine Paterson's 1977 Newbery Award-winning novel, "Bridge to Terabithia" is a wonderfully heart-wrenching love story for tweens, teens, and even adults who fondly remember when a friendship could be ignited by a gesture as simple as offering a stick of Juicy Fruit.
Set in a present day nondescript rural town, the film brings together two fifth-graders who couldn't come from more diverse backgrounds. Jess (Josh Hutcherson) is an aspiring artist and a local boy lost in the shuffle between four sisters and his parents' financial troubles. In contrast, Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb) is the well-to-do new girl in town, and with her boyish looks and trendy high-tops, she's instantly branded as the oddball whose writer parents don't own a TV.
Together, they escape the pressures of the real world by swinging across a creek on an "enchanted" rope and entering a forest Leslie dubs Terabithia, a world fueled by their imaginations and filled with dragonfly warriors, hairy vultures and other fanciful creatures. Watching Terabithia come alive courtesy of Weta Digital requires a leap of faith not needed in the novel (which describes Terabithia in only the vaguest terms), and as a result, the computer-generated special effects, while spectacular, often call too much attention to themselves.


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Added gandi.net
Added Criteo
Added Criteo Advertiser
Added Google
Facebook Retargeting Pixel
Criteo is a "personalized retargeting company" that works with Internet retailers to serve personalized online display advertisements to consumers that have previously visited the advertiser's website With Criteo, advertisers can reach more customers with the same return-on-investment as they get from search marketing. Every da...
Facebook Ads Advertisers.
Advertisers using Criteo
DoubleClick is a provider of digital marketing technology and services. Companies come to DoubleClick for expertise in ad serving, media, video, search and affiliate marketing to help them make the most of the digital medium.
Websites with cart functionality on them
Website using the € symbol on their website - meaning it may accept payment in Euros.
websites using the $ symbol on their website - meaning it may accept payment in this currency used in Israel.
PayPal is a American international e-commerce service that enables companies and individuals to send money and to accept payments without revealing any financial details.
Google Analytics is a service offered by Google that generates detailed statistics about a website's traffic and traffic sources and measures conversions and sales. Google Analytics can track visitors from all referrers, including search engines and social networks, direct visits and referring sites. It also displays advertisin...
Mobile deep linking system to increase engagement and retention.
Show you how visitors are really using your website, collect feedback and turn more visitors into customers.
FancyBox is a tool for displaying images, html content and multi-media in a Mac-style "lightbox" that floats overtop of web page.
jQuery UI is a curated set of user interface interactions, effects, widgets, and themes built on top of the jQuery JavaScript Library. Whether you're building highly interactive web applications or you just need to add a date picker to a form control.
jQuery: The Write Less, Do More, JavaScript Library.
Websites using some type of Facebook technology.
Websites using Google technologies
Facebook's Like button is the quickest way for people to share content with their friends. A single click on the Like button will 'like' pieces of content on the web and share them on Facebook. You can also display a Share button next to the Like button to let people add a personal message and customize who they share with.
Google+ platform websites integration using the Google+ platform tag.
See what your Facebook friends have liked, shared, or commented on across the Web. This includes all variations of Like, Share and Follow Buttons, Embedded Posts, Comments, Activity Feed, Recommendations Feed, Recommendations Bar, Like Box and Facepile.
Let visitors recommend your content on Google Search and share it on Google+.
Facebook Connect allow users to connect their Facebook identity, friends and, privacy to any website. Facebook Connect is Facebook's first attempt to allow access to Facebook user data outside of Facebook itself. The company is describing it as giving third party applications access to much of the same data as Facebook applicat...
Zendesk chat (formaly Zopim) is a web based chat application for online business owners, born out of frustration for existing Live Chat solutions. The Live Chat industry for web based customer sales and support is not new, and neither are the solutions – they have not evolved to adapt to web users behavior, and are usually dif...
This site uses the viewport meta tag which means the content may be optimized for mobile content.
Zendesk provides an integrated on-demand helpdesk - customer support portal solution based on the latest Web 2.0 technologies and design philosophies. The product has an elegant, minimalist design implemented in Ruby on Rails and provides seamless integration of the back-end helpdesk SaaS to a company's online customer-facing...
The Apache HTTP Server is an open-source HTTP server for modern operating systems including UNIX, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS/X and Netware. The goal of this project is to provide a secure, efficient and extensible server that provides HTTP services observing the current HTTP standards. Apache has been the most popular web server ...
The Platform for Privacy Preferences Project (P3P) enables Websites to express their privacy practices in a standard format that can be retrieved automatically and interpreted easily by user agents. P3P user agents will allow users to be informed of site practices (in both machine- and human-readable formats) and to automate dec...
The DOCTYPE is a required preamble for HTML5 websites.
Websites using https protocol.
Open graph type entity tag
Open graph url entity tag
Open graph description entity tag
The Open Graph protocol enables any web page to become a rich object in a social graph, a open protocol supported by Facebook
Open graph image entity tag
Open graph site name entity tag
Meta Keywords are a specific type of meta tag that appear in the HTML code of a Web page and help tell search engines what the topic of the page is.
This page contains a meta robots tag which tells search engines and robots to index or not index the page.
Meta descriptions are HTML attributes that provide concise explanations of the contents of web pages. Meta descriptions are commonly used on search engine result pages (SERPs) to display preview snippets for a given page.
Sites who has this tag are verfied by google to use WebMaster tools
Wesites using favicon rel tag
The average rating based on multiple ratings or reviews.
Any offered product or service. For example: a pair of shoes; a concert ticket; the rental of a car; a haircut; or an episode of a TV show streamed online.
An offer to transfer some rights to an item or to provide a service—for example, an offer to sell tickets to an event, to rent the DVD of a movie, to stream a TV show over the internet, to repair a motorcycle, or to loan a book.
UTF-8 (8-bit UCS/Unicode Transformation Format) is a variable-length character encoding for Unicode. It is the preferred encoding for web pages.


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Tempus, a company founded by Eric Lefkofsky is now teaming up with the University of Chicago. The partnership involves Tempus providing patient data and data analysis to medical providers who are studying and treating cancer. Tempus will provide patient info and treatment info to doctors in an effort to learn from past treatments and past patients on what the most effective route for treating cancer is for new and existing patients. The data analytics company will also attempt to gather and store as much data on cancer patients and treatments as possible and give it to cancer researchers who can then glean information from the data to come up with customized solutions for patients.
Besides Tempus, Eric Lefkosky has founded numerous other companies. Lefkofsky is a venture capitalist who has his own venture capitalist investment bank called Lightbank. This firm invests in startups, products and new ideas, especially in the tech industry that have the potential to develop into big ideas, firms or products. Another company that Eric Lefkofsky has founded is called Media Ocean. This company uses software to streamline and organize marketing. One of the hall marks of Media Ocean is aggregating data from both the company, vendors, third parties and customers into one channel to create a central point from where all marketing can be based upon and begin to take root in.
Besides being involved in venture capitalist firms such as Lightbank and businesses such as Tempus and Media Ocean, Eric Lefkofsky is a leading philanthropist in the United States. Being a billionaire, Eric Lefkofsky realizes that giving back to the community is very important. To that end, Eric Lefkofsky has established the Eric and Liz Lefkofsky Family Foundation. This Foundation gives grants to medical research, education, the arts, and non-profit groups that raise awareness of key issues.


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His two fellow 2007 high school baseball stars are off to slow starts, but at least outfielder Jake Smolinski (Boylan) and Seth Blair (Rock Falls) are playing in Class AA for the Marlins and Cardinals.
His two fellow 2007 high school baseball stars are off to slow starts, but at least outfielder Jake Smolinski (Boylan) and Seth Blair (Rock Falls) are playing in Class AA for the Marlins and Cardinals.
Cody Scarpetta is just trying to get healthy again.
The former Guilford right-hander made it to the majors for a day with the Milwaukee Brewers two years ago. But he missed all of last year after having Tommy John surgery on his righ arm in spring training and is now recuperating at extended spring training in Arizona.
"I'm getting closer to being healthy," Scarpetta said in a phone interview. "I'm up to two innings right now. I'm supposed to do three innings pretty soon. I'm trying to progress, but it's a long — a very long — process."
Especially when he was asked to start all over right when he was so close to the finish line.
Smolinski (a second-round draft pick who led Boylan to the state tournament as a junior) and Blair (a first-team All-American at Arizona State) were bigger high school stars.
So was his dad; Dan Scarpetta had the most dominant pitching season in NIC-10 history as a senior at Auburn and made it as high as Class AAA.
But Cody Scarpetta was making the best run of the four toward the Majors. The big right-hander with the big curveball was ranked as high as the Brewers' No. 2 prospect.
Now he's no longer in the top 20.
"It's frustrating," Scarpetta said. "The immediate reaction is, 'I was really close.' But once it sets in it's, 'If I want to have that chance again, this is what it's going to take.' I have accepted that fact. I'm ready to do it."
Scarpetta, who had been on the Brewers' 40-man roster, was released last fall after not pitching all year. He then re-signed with Milwaukee.
"I have to work even harder, especially after being taken off the roster, to climb the ladder once again," he said.
"It's about what you do now. I haven't pitched in a game in awhile. It's going to take some proving to show I can get back to where I was. But if I do get back to where I was, I will be right where I left off.
Scarpetta doesn't know when — or where — he will return to the minors. It depends on how much he can throw and how well. He said he has to prove he can throw 45 pitches before he's activated. "After you get to that, it increases to 60 or 65 pitches, and that will take you to the end of the season. Then shut it down," he said.
He started throwing again in October.
"Luckily, I've had no setbacks," Scarpetta said. "From what I understand, it's going pretty good. As long as I keep progressing, that's all I can ask for.
"My velocity is down a bit, but I'm comortable where it is. Trainers, coaches, everyone is pretty happy. Now I just have to keep throwing and let the arm get used to what's happening."
One of Rockford's most promising baseball careers has been interrupted. But not ended.
"My focus," Scarpetta said, "is trying to get back to normal."
Matt Trowbridge: 815-987-1383; firstname.lastname@example.com; @matttrowbridge


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Large Lot of Secluded Cul-de-sac. Restricted residential lot in Oak Creek, an excellent gated neighborhood with a mandatory HOA and private park on Geronimo Creek. Private Roads. Springshill Water and GVEC electric. Neighborhood is all electric. Many lots to choose from ranging in price from $50,000 to $195,000. Plat, restrictions and Addendum to Contract available.
In Seguin, go East on E. Court St, past the HWY123 Bypass Intersection. Continue East past Randolph-Brooks FCU. Turn right on Elmwood Dr. At curve, turn Left into subdivision.
The approximate monthly Principal & Interest payment for this property would be $768. This payment is based on a 30-year loan at a fixed rate of 4.45 % with a down payment of $16,950. Actual lender interest rates and loan programs may vary.
Use our Mortgage Payment Calculator to determine a more exact payment estimate.


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The common thought about hyperemesis (severe nausea and vomiting of pregnancy) is that regardless of severity, all problems will vanish (at the latest) at the birth of the baby. Then voila, all systems are go and mama is back to full health .
However, in observing many Facebook conversations among post-hyperemetic mothers, it is easy to see that this is not the case. Complications from hyperemesis can easily continue for months or years after baby's birth, and it seems that it is common for HG mothers to experience various problems for the long-term.
What are the possible post-birth problems following a hyperemetic pregnancy?
Firstly, there is the rare form of hyperemesis that continues full-force after baby's birth. Thankfully, this is extremely rare. I have only heard personally of two cases (one I know personally, one by hearsay). Unfortunately, there is no knowledge of this in the medical literature.
More commonly, post-pregnancy complications involve any of the following:
- Long-term fatigue and exhaustion
- Long-term nutritional deficiencies
- HG injuries such as damaged teeth or Mallory-Weiss tears
- Gut health problems
- Postpartum nausea, which may peak at various times during a woman's cycle (often at ovulation and pre-menses)
I took the time to consult several OB's about this issue of postpartum residual nausea. Each time, I got the same answer - complete silence and a distinct "deer in the headlights" look, followed by a how-quickly-can-I-change-the-subject response. Not one of them had anything to say about this condition, nor did any of them even seem to know about its existence. The take-away lesson was, as with many health issues - you're on your own. Modern medical science often can't to help you - so be prepared to research and experiment on your own with post-HG postpartum symptoms.
Here are the three stages of my journey through dealing with post-HG postpartum nausea:
Step #1: I started the very low carb (VLC) diet while preparing for a subsequent pregnancy.
Result: The nausea got much, much worse.
This really scared me. I was starting a diet to prevent HG, and it was making my already-present postpartum nausea worse? How could this possibly help?
Thankfully, some internet searches quickly gave me the scoop on what was going on. In my attempts to begin the very low carb diet, I had unintentionally made the diet very low carb AND low-fat. This was a major mistake. Do not attempt a diet that is both low-carb and low-fat. In doing so, I made myself very sick! A VLC diet must also be high-fat to be healthy and successful.
However, having been raised in the eighties and nineties, I had grown up well-brainwashed with the "fat is evil" mindset, and I was still unintentionally cooking that way.
Step #2: I added the high-fat component to the VLC diet.
Result: Success!
To jettison the habits of 30 years took some real work, and I had to work on cooking high-fat intentionally. This meant lots of avocados, lots of cheese and cream, lots of butter and peanut butter.
Within several hours of adopting the new high-fat component, I felt better! Not only was the over-and-above nausea gone, but about 90% of my postpartum nausea vanished - just like that.
Additionally, I felt great. I am now a huge proponent of the low-carb high-fat diet and have experienced many awesome health benefits from it. If you're still nervous about this, check out this wonderful book - "The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat, and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet." This is the best book on food history that I have had the pleasure to read, and it was a distinct learning experience.
Step #3: Fermented Foods
Result: Complete Success!
However, there was still that tiny, nagging 10% of residual nausea still sticking around. Ugh! However, I was happy with how far I'd come, and I didn't have any more ideas. I was okay with where I was.
Then, about a year ago, something amazing happened. A friend of mine found the answer to her repeat-hyperemesis in an H. pylori treatment protocol. Wow! I was so excited!
The biggest part of my friend's treatment plan was the addition of large amounts of raw, lacto-fermented foods to her diet (almost all of which are completely missing from the standard American diet). These include (among hundreds of possibilities):
- Raw fermented pickles (NOT typical storebought pickles)
- Raw fermented sauerkraut (NOT typical storebought sauerkraut)
- Plain, full-fat yogurt
- Plain, full-fat kefir
- Non-pasteurized kombucha
- Lacto-fermented vegetables (kimchi, lacto-fermented salsa, etc.)
Almost immediately upon adding lacto-fermented foods to my diet, that last nagging 10% of my postpartum nausea vanished.


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an edit of a previous thing I wrote. Can't seem to write new things, and enjoying going over old stuff.
– – –
My heart is hurting. With a perpetual longing for connection, for healing, for safety. Safety in ourselves, in others, in community. Hurting heart.
My heart is bitter. It has become judgmental, mean, protected. From all the times I thought I would get what I needed: connection, care, community. Bitter heart.
My heart is tired. Tired of thinking there are places for us. Places for broken, messed up hearts. Places to rest. Places of refuge. Tired heart.
We can sense other hearts. Hurting hearts, bitter hearts, tired hearts. But like us, they are guarded by sharp-beaked, short-fused egos. By brains of great dominance; survivor super organs. They get us through, keep us moving.
I have become a fine connoisseur of over-developed ego. I am the president of the Protective Brains for Feeling Eradication Society. And I am hurting. I am heartbroken. Broken hearts let egos run rampant.
Head over heart.
We're Mean. Insecure. Defensive. Malicious.
Big brained. Broken hearted.


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What is the idea of a haunted place that most of us have in our mind? Those of us having grown up watching spooky Hollywood and Bollywood flicks will undoubtedly be flashed with the image of place with dark and secluded surroundings covered with dense trees, rare visitors, located off the nearby city or town, a big house or a bungalow majority of the times and forests, jungles and other deserted places the remaining times. But who would have thought of beach as a haunted place. Dumas Beach located near the city of Surat in the state of Gujarat is reportedly haunted
[Click here to read full article]


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Last weekend, during the week of prayer for Christian Unity, Carrs Lane Church hosted the Birmingham Churches Together 24 hours of prayer. I am delighted that I was able to be involved in what was such a beautiful celebration of who we are and who we can be as church.
12 months ago, St Philip's Anglican cathedral held a similar event, marking Christian Unity and launching their 300th anniversary celebrations. An email exchange afterwards suggested it could happen again, perhaps becoming an annual celebration, and we agreed to take it on for this year. A small group of us, from different churches, have met periodically over the year and last weekend all the hard work paid off as we came together for an amazing 24 hours which celebrated our unity in all its diversity as we turned together towards God.
There were many wonderful things about being able to be involved in the organisation of #pray24brum, and in the day itself.
Since having my eyes opened to both its potential and its struggles as a student lucky enough to experience the wonderful Lancaster University Chaplaincy Centre, and later the Taize community, ecumenism has been very close to my heart. I know I am incredibly lucky, and perhaps relatively unusual, to have had my faith journey enriched by a wide variety of traditions: all of which have had value, none of which have been perfect.
With each hour of the day and night being led by a different church or group from a wide variety of different traditions, the event certainly felt like a space in which all of that diversity was being celebrated. There were churches with whom I am familiar and comfortable, and traditions which take me out of my normal experience. They all added something: but it was together that they were complete.
Birmingham is a very diverse city: therein lies its beauty, and what I have come to love about this city I now call home. But no-one would ever say such a reality is always plain sailing: and the complexity and struggle and at times anguish of this city also take root in that same diversity. The same could be said of the church with all its painful history and for me, last weekend was a beautiful witness to the possibility of reconciliation; the possibility that different as we are, there can be, there is, a point of commonality where we can draw close to one another.
Perhaps even more important than that, was that this whole event was about creating a space for prayer. Too often, in busy lives and, let's be honest, even in busy churches we can get so caught up in the detritus of life that sometimes prayer is the easiest part to sideline.
Prayer is easy to set aside because God is not going to insist. I believe in a God of love, and love does not force or impose. While other activities and expectations will shout at us, literally or metaphorically, God merely whispers. A whisper that is, perhaps intentionally, easy to ignore. A whisper that, if we dare to stop long enough to listen to it, is infinitely valuable.
Re-prioritising time for prayer has been a key impetus to the life we are trying to live here, and the day of prayer was a valuable boost to that vision. It came at the right time. I was just coming out of what had been a difficult couple of weeks where I had struggled with the reality that some of the things I hold most dear seemingly hold little of the same value for others. Precious indeed, then, to arrive at Sunday morning buoyed up by a reminder of why I have chosen the life I have, and perhaps particularly importantly, feeling supported by others in holding to that vision.
Having been involved in the organisation from the beginning, I had made the decision well before the day itself that I intended to stay for the whole event. I was a little bit tired by the end, but was also buzzing with enthusiasm and have zero regrets about staying throughout. I have, a week on, recovered from the sleep-deprivation, but on balance I would still rather be back last Sunday afternoon. Not just because a nap felt totally justified, which is always a good thing, but because I felt uplifted and inspired to be part of all that the church is, and should be, and can be and aspires to be: united, diverse and with prayer the very centre of its being and purpose.
I am very grateful to all who made it possible!
For some comments, clips and photos that might give something of a feel for what it was like:


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CBS NEWS 60 MINUTES | "Death-defying free dives push boundaries"
Watch the video or read the article here.
DECEMBER 2010 The hectometer has officially fallen. In December 2010, William Trubridge became the first man to freedive to 100 meters with no assistance of any kind.
William Trubridge is a 15-time world record holder and current freediving world champion, as well as Suunto Vertical Blue champion and 2010 and 2011 World Absolute Freediver.
Vertical Blue is both a school and an annual freediving event on Long Island, in the Bahamas, founded by William Trubridge. For more information on both, please visit the Vertical Blue website.


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Gold had an unusual 10 minutes midday on Friday. After spending the first hours within a $2 trading range, the price fell $10 as more than 65,000 contracts traded hands. That's the equivalent of 6.5 million ounces of gold - or $8.3 billion worth.
Where'd that kind of move come from?


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Kate Middleton Gives London an Edge Over New York As World's Fashion Capital
London – London overtook New York as fashion capital of the world in 2011, it was announced Wednesday, thanks in part to royal bride Catherine Middleton and the tragic suicide of British designer Alexander McQueen.
London and New York were followed by Paris, Milan, Los Angeles and Hong Kong in a list of "Top Global Fashion Capitals" compiled by Texas-based media analytics company the Global Language Monitor.
Barcelona, Singapore, Tokyo and Berlin rounded off the top 10 of the list, which this year featured 50 cities.
New York had reclaimed the crown from Milan last year, before which it had been the top fashion capital for five years running.
Bekka Payack, fashion correspondent for the Global Language Monitor, said, "We are seeing what the impact of two genuine media stars -- Princess Kate and Alexander McQueen -- can have upon a global ranking. Our numbers show that it was their presence that tipped the victory to London over New York."


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Over the past couple of weeks, I've had the idea in the back of my mind to build an infrastructure for automated Windows installs, for my users' machines. I've been doing some research (including on ServerFault), and have created a list of software that seems to attempt to fill that niche.
First up is Norton Ghost. From what I can tell, it seems to be the standard image-creating software around. It's been around forever, and according to a slightly skeptical view, seems to be the equivalent of Linux's 'dd' command. It's a piece of commercial software that seems primarily Windows based, but according to the Wiki page supports ext2 and ext3. It does have advanced features, but it looks like you need one license per machine cloned (Experts-Exchange link: scroll to the bottom), and I'm not into spending that sort of money.
Speaking of not spending that sort of money, Acronis True Image has some amazing features. Larger enterprises should probably look into it if they aren't already using it. Just click the link and check the feature set. Nice!
Available for free (sort of) is Microsoft Deployment Services, courtesy of Windows 2008 Server. It's the redesigned version of Remote Installation Services in Server 2003. Word on the street is that it's going to be the recommended way to install Windows 7, winner of the "Most likely to be the next OS on my network when XP is finally unsupported" award. The downside is that I don't currently have any 2008 servers, nor do I plan on upgrading my AD infrastructure. I suppose I could use Remote Installation Services, but eventually I know that I'll upgrade, and then I'll be left learning the new paradigm anyway.
So lets examine some free opensource offerings.
It seems like the most commonly recommended software has been Clonezilla so far. Based on the Diskless Remote Boot in Linux (DRBL), along with half a dozen other free softwares, it seems to support most filesystems capable of being mounted under Linux (including LVM2-hosted filesystems). It comes in two major releases. Clonezilla Live, able to be booted from a CD/DVD/USB drive, and Clonezilla Server Edition, a dedicated image server. If I were going to implement it, I think I'd keep one of each around. They both sound pretty handy for different tasks.
Next up is FOG, the Free Opensource Ghost clone. I haven't come across a ton of documentation for it, but it sounds intriguing. Listening to Clonezilla -vs- FOG peaked my interest, and this is on my list to try. Feel free to drop feedback if you've used it.
Ghost4Linux exists. That's about all I've found. If you know anything about it, and it's good, let me know.
What I've been considering most heavily, Unattended seems very flexible and extensible. It seems to primarily consist of perl scripts, and instead of dealing with images, it automates installs. This has several advantages, mostly that instead of maintaining one image per each model of machine, I can save space by pointing an install to specific drivers necessary for an install, and keep one "base" set of packages.
As soon as I have time, I'm going to start implementing some of these, and I'll write more about them. If you have any experience with this stuff, I'd love to hear from you.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Windows Desktop Automated Installations
Posted by Matt at 8:30 AM
Labels: automation, imaging, installation, windows


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When It comes to choosing products for your little one, you of course want only the best.
I was excited at the opportunity to work with the Baby Box Co.
The Baby Box Co recommends only the best products for moms. I was sent a set of organic wash and burp cloths to review.
As soon as I opened the box, I was immediately impressed.
I love the cotton fleece on the back side of them!
I love how soft and gentle they are!
They are also easy to clean! Just throw them in the washing machine.
I cannot wait to try these out on my sweet baby girl when she gets here.
The Baby Box has many other awesome boxes to choose from. They contain all sorts of things from baby mattresses to pacifiers. Right now, they are offering a coupon code that will save you 15% off storewide on your next order at their website! Just enter WAB15 at checkout!
Be sure to head on over and like them on facebook! Make sure you let them know that The Married Life Blog sent you!
Use your coupon code at


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BIBF plays a vital role in the training and development of human capital in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Our commitment to excellence has strengthened our position as the top provider of quality education across all major business disciplines.
BIBF covers a wide spectrum of subject matter, with over 300 different courses offered to the financial and corporate market; tailor-made training solutions based on organisational requirements; specialised programmes taught by leading market specialists; and professional qualifications and degree programmes in partnership with major international organisations.
BIBF is committed to providing quality programmes with industry recognition, global portability and professional excellence. We offer our participants the flexibility to find and register in our courses online, and access our library services.
Social Media Channels
BIBF offers a wide range of short-courses designed to meet the training needs of the Banking & Financial Services industry. These courses are offered at a special rate for member organisations but are also available to non-member organisations and self-sponsored students.
Follow Me!
Building 1456, Road 4034,
Manama, 340
Kingdom of Bahrain


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Forough Farrokhzad
Forough Farrokhzad (5 January 1935 - 14 February 1967 / Tehran)
» Click to list general statistics » OR, select a date :
The Sin [gonah]
I sinned a sin full of pleasure,
In an embrace which was warm and fiery.
I sinned surrounded by arms
that were hot and avenging and iron.
read more >>
- Hits: Number of visitors who read the poem on the given date.
- Posts: Number of visitors who posted the poem to a friend (via e-mail) on the given date.
- Dates that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list.
- Dates, poems and poets that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list. Statistics are generated daily.


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The proportion of women who voted in the UN's MyWorld Survey tended to be higher when gender equality was higher.
As some of my developmenty readers would know, this year the United Nations (UN) is set to decide on a new set of global targets to replace the soon-to-expire Millennium Development Goals.
Although I'll leave the details to somebody else to explain. Which targets are chosen will have far-reaching implications for billions of dollars of aid and those who rely on it for their well being (which dare I say also includes many of my developmenty readers).
7 Million Voters and the United Nation's MyWorld Survey
As you might expect the global development community is taking it pretty seriously with more meetings and panels than a stick can be poked at. Which is where the UN's MyWorld Survey comes in:
Launched in 2014 by the UN, the MyWorld campaign asked people to vote for the aspects that they considered to be most important for them and their family (such as gender equality, healthcare and education).
2 years and 7 million votes later, the results are in:
- Over 50 percent of voters were thirty years old or younger.
- 65 percent of voters had finished secondary school or above.
- Most voters were from countries with low levels of human development (as measured by the UN's Human Development Index).
- Around 48 percent of voters were female.
And while the almost 50/50 gender parity would seem a good result, when looking at the votes closely the proportion of female voters varied a lot from country to country: ranging from as low as 9 percent for Ethiopia and as high as 69 percent for Moldova.
Which brings me to my fortuitously timed 'graph of the week' which seems to suggest that, on average, countries with the highest share of female voters were those with lower levels of gender inequality:
Female Voter Shares in MyWorld Survey and Gender Inequality
Countries with higher levels of gender inequality also tended to have a lower proportion of voters in the MyWorld Survey
Of course, it's worth remembering that this is just an interesting pattern and doesn't prove that one causes (or even influences the other). The tired old adage of 'correlation does not imply causation' certainly applies here.
Despite this, for a stats nerd like me it is interesting and warrants further investigation. Particularly, given the crucial role women and gender equality plays in human development.
For those of you who are interested in taking a look yourself, there are links to the data sources below.
Data Sources:
Background to the Gender Inequality Index:
The UN's Gender Inequality represents a score representing the loss of achievements in reproductive health, empowerment and labour market participation due to gender inequalities. A higher value indicates higher level of gender inequality.


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Christmas Day dining at Balsan
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Head to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in the Gold Coast for a four-course dinner featuring soft-poached duck egg with wild boar ham, lamb loin with buttered turnips and chocolate-hazelnut buche de noel. For some extra decadence, you can sub out your appetizer for foie gras terrine with winter truffle for an additional $12.