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You know the drill. Click here to read previous Installment.
The Hanover Papers:
Installment VI
by Jeffrey Hollar
Alright people. Everybody please take your seats and insure that all items are securely stored in either the overhead compartments or underneath your seats and that…Aww to hell with it!! Just sit down and shut the hell up and let's get this show on the road. Since, once again, you worthless idiots got me off of topic last time; we have a lot of ground to cover. I should have come to expect as much by now. Anyway, I have a poker game in a coupla hours that I do not intend to miss on your accounts. Malt liquor and microwaveable foods do not pay for themselves so thus the need to go shear some sheep at the tables. You can wish me luck if it will make you feel better, but I cheat whenever the opportunity arises, so luck is not really a factor. Okay Fuzzy. Focus boy, focus!
So there I was, standing on my back porch and staring out at the tranquil yard. I remember thinking, Wow, this ain't so bad. For the record, I do think that those are five of the most stupid words that I have spoken in my entire life. And I have been known to say some pretty stupid shit so keep that in mind over the next few minutes of the story. Let's clear up one other thing before we dive in here because there really won't be time once the story begins. A lot of what I am about to relate to you I have little conscious recollection of. It was passed on to me via an audiovisual recording and I was able to assimilate it all a lot better after the fact. That being said, here goes nothin'.
Standing on that small porch, I gazed out at the world around me. To recap, it was a clear, cloudless day and bright sunlight streamed down. There was a light breeze that caused me to shiver in the shadowed place where I stood. I grasped my pen and pad firmly in hand and started down the three steps to the yard proper. As my feet left the steps, I stood on smooth paving stones and once again looked around skeptically. No, there were still no threats of any kind to be seen, just the grass and hedges and stuff one would normally associate with a nicely-maintained yard. So, with a deep breath, I summoned up my courage and stepped out of the shade and in to the morning sun.
Now this is where it gets firmly in to the realm of mega-freakin', holy crap, yowza man weird! Looking back on the recordings after the fact, I am fairly amazed that I survived the experience at all. As I stepped forward and left the shade, all hell broke loose. Literally…seriously folks, all hell literally broke loose. The jeans and tee shirt that I was wearing were shredded to rags and my faithful old sneakers literally exploded off of my feet. A primal scream burst forth from me, rattling the house's windows with its sheer force. And thus, the transformation began. Yeah, you read it right. Transformation. Now, if you shut the fuck up and just munch on your popcorn and sugary beverages quietly, I won't have to go off on you. Consider yourselves warned!
For convenience and to remain orderly, I will describe what took place next in as ordered a fashion as possible. It was as if my entire body had been doused in a particularly nasty blend of flaming gasoline, thermite, sulfuric acid and rusty razor blade fragments. Oww! Yeah, I know how fun that sounds to you guys. Simply put, it wasn't. I fell to my hands and knees on the soft grass, alternately howling and groaning loudly. It seemed as if my bone structure and my skin had become oddly fluid and malleable. The pain was beyond anything I can possibly describe to you. So, I ain't even gonna try. As much as I know you fucks were looking forward to taking joy in my misery…not happening today.
From my forehead, bony protrusions burst. They grew in both length and thickness and then curled backward to form a pair of very respectable ram's horns. My forehead swelled and ridges of bone pushed forward, forming plates of armor that served as protection for my eyes. My jaws stretched and elongated. I could feel my teeth becoming longer and sharper and it felt like there were far more of them than I had had just moments before. I could feel that two of my teeth had reformed themselves to become fangs that would have shamed the proudest saber-toothed tiger ever. My ears swelled in size and shape and came to most closely resemble those of an enormous bat. The changes to my head and face were only the beginning of the process.
The skin on my entire body continued to flow and writhe becoming something other than what it had been. My skin was harder, thicker…redder. All of my muscles seemed to grow and swell until it seemed impossible that I could be any more muscular and still move. Sharp spikes of bone formed at my shoulders and sprang up along my forearms. My fingers became longer and thicker and resolved themselves with razor-sharp claws. My feet became broader and my largest and smallest toes grew to become brutal claws. At my heels, a single thick spur of bone formed talons. There was an inexplicably odd sensation in my hindquarters that was, in fact, explained seconds later as my long, sinewy tail lashed menacingly about. The spiked ball at the end of the tail glistened with what I could only assume was venom. The molten burning sensation faded to a dull glow as the physical transformation ended.
I felt, at once, immensely powerful and yet oddly weakened. The process had been exceptionally intense and I am not sure that my body much liked it. I staggered unsteadily to my feet, trying to resolve all of the changes in to something my mind could grasp. As if some unheard alarm had been triggered by my ability to rise, the next stage began.
If I thought I had experienced pain at this point, boy was I in for a fuckin' nasty surprise! In the blink of an eye it seemed as if my head exploded. I know I previously touched on the various aspects of Demonborn sight. Experiencing it for the first time was too surreal for me to put in to words. While not previously mentioned, ALL of my senses are either modified or enhanced by virtue of my demonic heritage. My nose, while having broadened and flattened to my face, was assaulted by half a thousand different scents and odors of varying degrees of acceptability. Please do not force me to reminisce about the smells. Wow!! My newly formed ears were overwhelmed by a gamut of sounds both natural and man-made that most New Yorkers take for granted and ignore. However, when your ears have never heard such sounds before and said ears are immeasurably more sensitive than any mortal creature, it is pretty fuckin' daunting. My tongue flicked across my lips as if sucking odd flavors and tastes from the very air itself.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the various affronts seem to lessen in intensity. My senses dazed, my body violated, I simply wanted to get back to the familiar safety of the house. Not only had I lost the pen and notepad, I am positive that I was in no shape to be jotting down my experiences for posterity's sake. Orienting myself, I managed to focus on my objective of the stairs back inside. On shaky legs I started up. My hand and foot claws gouged deeply into the soft stone and my enhanced strength caused me to snap off a section of the wrought iron handrail. With hands made clumsy by my newly grown claws, turning the door knob might prove
problematic but there was a good chance I could just rip the door off of its hinges if necessary.
As usual, it never made sense to underestimate the house and its capabilities. I grasped the door knob and, of course, it failed to turn. It seemed that the four hour assignment time had not yet passed. I was really NOT in the mood for technicalities at this point. Bunching my new-formed muscles I braced myself and made ready to remove the annoying barrier the hard way. I may as well have been a Chihuahua trying to drag off a side of beef. The door and its frame did not creak, groan or in any way recognize my attempts at all. I grunted and strained. I pushed both of my powerful feet at the base of the door and bowed my back so far that my horns nearly brushed my heel spurs but the door would not surrender. Sometimes I REALLY hated that house.
After finally realizing the futility of my efforts, I slumped down on the back stairs breathing heavily. There seemed little to do, so I passed the time trying to grow accustomed to the changes I had undergone. Slowly, the sun climbed higher on the sky and I sensed that the required time had to have passed and yet here I sat. I was stretching and muttering under my breath about the undependable nature of the house when it happened. In spite of my enhanced senses, there was no telltale warning as the back door swung suddenly open and cracked me a good one right in the back of the head. I drew back my taloned fist and threw the strongest punch I could at the offending portal. It was like something out of one of those old-assed Tom and Jerry cartoons where Tom punches an anvil and his hand gets all huge and shit. It stung. It hurt. It hurt a lot and yet the completely undamaged door swung open just a bit, as if to taunt me. Sometimes, I really, REALLY hated that damned house.
Before it had an opportunity to change its mind, I scrambled to my feet and lunged through the door. It slammed shut behind me narrowly missing my tail. That is to say it would have narrowly missed my tail if my tail had still been there. It was not. I was laying face down and completely nude on the hard, cold kitchen tiles. My body had, in an instant, reverted to its normal short, pudgy self. I was me again. Well, not that I hadn't been me outside the house, but at least I was now a me that I recognized. There was nary a mark on my pale skin and, as I got to my feet, I could tell that the transformation had reversed me back to "normal". Yeah, you shits, I acknowledge that there just ain't much about me that could be termed normal by any stretch of the imagination. I would like to reward all of you for your astute observations by saluting you with the ceremonial Fuck You Bitch hand gesture. If you form an orderly line, I will also distribute sharp blows to the forehead from the fabled Claw Hammer of Congratulations to all you worthy recipients that so desire.
I really had no fuckin' idea what had just happened to me or why. I had some nasty suspicions that I would, most definitely, confirm when I got back to The Library in the morning. Yep, I was calling an end to the school day. I really didn't give a shit whether the house retaliated against me on The Library's behalf or not. I was sore. I was tired. I was hungry and I needed a shower. For once, I didn't really even care about what was on TV. I was still curious about the specifics of the outdoors time but it was a curiosity I could put a damper on until tomorrow. With a groan and with soreness in muscles I didn't even know that I had, I staggered through the house towards my room. The hall clock chimed to remind me it was time for Loretta to come up for lunch. Could the house work any harder to make my life miserable today? As if in answer, an ottoman I don't remember ever have seen before, slid out and tripped me up nicely. Hardwood met forehead and I really, REALLY had a headache now.
I made it to the appointed spot just in time for the door to appear and Loretta to come storming in for her lunch. She took one look at my naked, disheveled appearance, before stomping a boot heel down on my defenseless foot and telling me to go put some clothes on my heathen ass. I stumbled away, grumbling perhaps too loudly, for her boot heel next connected with an even more vulnerable part of my male anatomy. Looking back now, there are actually some times I truly miss mom. Fond memories like the ones of that day usually help those feelings of nostalgia and loss to pass quite nicely.
Anywho, I got things to be and places to do so…uhh…oh never freakin' mind! It has really not been a day that I enjoyed reliving for the benefit of a bunch of useless meat sacks such as you. I know you think you have had a rare glimpse in to the vulnerable, weak side of Fuzzy. You haven't. Well, maybe you have but I would heartily encourage you to NOT try exploiting that knowledge. It would only serve to piss me off and to make you more dead than you are now. So, if I hurry I have just enough time for a shower and to make myself presentable (don't GO there asswipes) before my poker game. Peace out humanoids. See ya and sure the fuck wouldn't wanna be ya.
Copyright© 2011 Jeffrey Hollar. All rights reserved


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The schools are managed by the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and have over 1070 schools under them. The Schools come under the purview of the HR Ministry and all schools are affiliated to CBSE. There are 4 KVs in Moscow, Tehran, Kuwait and Kathmandu.Each KV has a managing committee with headquarters at Delhi.
There are KVs in the civil sector, defence or Public sector or Institutes of Higher Learning.All the KVs in Bangalore have classes till 12th and all of them are more than 30 years old. The oldest is the ASC center started in 1963. Malleswaram branch is one of the best KVs in Bangalore having a good academic track record.
More Kendriya Vidyalayas are being planned and all of them are to be computer aided schools. You can check out the websites for detailed information and transparency too!
There are 13 Kendriya Vidyalayas in Bengaluru.
Under Defense Sector
Kendriya Vidyalaya
ASC Centre South
Bengaluru- 560047
Kendriya Vidyalaya
Hebbal, Sadashivanagar
Kendriya Vidyalaya
No 1 AFS Jalahalli West
Kendriya Vidyalaya
No 2 Jalahalli East
Kendriya Vidyalaya
MEG Centre
Kendriya Vidyalaya
AFS Yelahanka,Yelahanaka
Under Project
Kendriya Vidyalaya
DRDO Complex
Kendriya Vidyalaya
NAL Campus
Under Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) Sector
Kendriya Vidyalaya
Indian Institute of Science
Under Civil Sector
Kendriya VidyalayaMG Railway Colony,Okalipura
Kendriya Vidyalaya
18th Cross Malleswaram
Kendriya Vidyalaya
RWF Yelahanka
Yelahanka, Bengaluru
Kendriya Vidyalaya
CRPF Yelahanka
Admissions to the Kendriya Vidyalayas are the same all over and if you are into any of these categories it has been prioritised and there are lots more criteria. If you fit any of these then you look for additional guidelines in any of the KV website or www.kvsangathan.nic.in. (These schools don't look at parents salary or whether top rankers, yet they churn out good quality students academically and sports wise). There are quotas for sports and only girl child criteria also.
The basic guidelines are in order of priority:
(A) Kendriya Vidyalayas under Civil/Defence Sector :
- Children of transferable central government employees including ex-servicemen.
- Children of non-transferable Central Government employees including ex-servicemen.
- Children of transferable and non-transferable employees of Autonomous Bodies/Public Sector Undertaking/Institute of Higher Learning of the Government of India.
- Children of transferable State Government employees.
- Children of non-transferable employees of State Government.
- Children of transferable and non-transferable employees of Autonomous Bodies/ Public Sector Undertakings/Institute of Higher Learning of the State Governments.
- Children from any other category.
(B) Kendriya Vidyalayas under Public Sector Undertakings / Institutes of Higher Learning :
- Children and grand children of employees of the Public Sector Undertakings/Institutes of Higher Learning which finance the concerned Kendriya Vidyalayas fully.
- The priorities given for Kendriya Vidyalayas under Civil/Defence sector will follow in the same sequence, thereafter.

subset: commoncrawl


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Strange occurance today, but it seems that 3 out of the 4 cards featured today has a purple colour tint to it...?
Oh well, back to the main topic for today. It seems that a lot of players in Japan have been preparing for the WGP 2010 taking place soon. Every card shop I went to in Akihabara last weekend had droves of players looking through the card shops... last minute deck adjustments??
【Today's Cards】
★Weiß Schwarz★
"I look forward to meeting you. Ikari Shinji"
Kaoru on the moon's surface 渚カヲル from 「ヱヴァンゲリヲン 新劇場版」
"Please stop asking these difficult questions"
Curiosity killed the cat 好奇心、猫をも殺す。 from 「真・恋姫†無双~萌将伝~」
★Victory Spark★
"I won't let you get in our way!"
Girl with the name of a flower, Sophie ソフィ from 「テイルズ オブ グレイセス エフ」
Konoe: "I understand. Due to your 'vessel of feelings' after all"
Vessel of feelings コノエ from 「Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID-」
I should be done with the photos from Singapore soon, and will post a small report on it soon. Stay tuned... Xp


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GCH's SAN Health Check (SAN Audit) includes the following:
- One laptop with the SAN Monitoring & Analysis Software
- SAN Monitoring and/or Analysis Appliances
- Use of TAPs (Traffic Access Points)
SAN Health Check: A Step by Step Guide
- Client meeting to review the SAN infrastructure and perceived SAN issues
- Determine probe/tap placement and the number of probes
- TAP's Installation
- Deploy SAN Monitoring Appliance
- Configure SAN Monitoring software
This can be installed either in one of your servers or it will come in a ready configured laptop that we will be provided in order to collect the necessary statistics. This laptop will be connected directly to our SAN Monitoring equipment and it will not interfere with your network.
- Generate initial report using initial statistics
- Provide necessary product training for end users (if necessary)
- Return to client after agreed period (up to 30 days)
- Evaluate collected statistics for any important trends or issues
- Generate custom baseline report using the collected statistics.
- Generate a series of reports (see below) that characterize the "Health of the SAN" for the monitored environment. An Xgig Analyser may be installed in order to capture a trace if that is necessary.
- Appliances Removal
STANDARD REPORTS for:
- Baseline SAN Performance
- Combined SAN Summary Report
- Disk Performance Analysis
- SAN Capacity Summary
- SAN Latency Trend Analysis
- SAN Link Queue Depth
- SAN Max Latency Trend Analysis
- SAN Summary Report
- Client Custom Reports
- and much more


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In Conversation With… Michael St Maur Sheil
In this month's 'In Conversation With', we speak with acclaimed photographer Michael St Maur Sheil about his latest exhibition examining American WWI troops, and his experience of touring the exhibition in the USA and UK.
Tell us about the project and how it has developed.
Our first exhibition was hosted by the French Senate in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris in April 2014 which we then transferred to St. James's Park, London for the period of August to November.
In 2015 the Turkish government commissioned an exhibition which was mounted in Istanbul at the inauguration of their international commemorative programme for the Gallipoli centenary.
Then in 2016 with the support of the Royal British Legion we created Fields of Battle, Lands of Peace: SOMME 100 which was hosted by the City of London. This was the first time that a photographic exhibition has been held in the Guildhall Yard: at the same time the City commissioned an associated exhibition on Verdun which was probably the only exhibition on the subject held in the U.K. We then transferred this exhibition to Ireland where it was mounted as a cross-border reconciliation project in both Belfast and Dublin and we were especially delighted to be asked to extend the show in Dublin by two month
This year the U.S. National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City have commissioned the creation of Fields of Battle, Lands of Peace: The Doughboys 1917-18 to introduce people to the story of American involvement in WWI. This is an especially challenging project as Standard8, our exhibition designers and builders, were required to mount two identical exhibitions simultaneously on 6 April in both the U.S. and the U.K. These two exhibitions will now tour five cities in both countries so I feel that we have created a rather special link between the two countries. In addition I am mounting two small exhibitions, one in France and the other which will open in Passendale Church in June.
What do you want people to know about WW1 and why?
The concept is very simple: the intended audience are people who have possibly have no interest in the First World and who would never undertake a visit to a museum or art gallery. We seek to achieve this by creating an outdoor photographic exhibition which is mounted in public places so that people just come across it and are hopefully drawn into the exhibition with the pictures act as a gateway through which they can visit the battlefields of WWI.
The content is simply landscape photographs of the battlefields, as they are today, combined with archive pictures and supporting text. We are not seeking to explain the history but are rather using stories to create a narrative that introduces the visitor to the subject and which hopefully encourage them to read further for themselves.
What does Centenary Partnership mean to you?
When I started working on this project in 2005, it was impossible to interest any but a few in the centenary and it was pretty lonely working without any response from official bodies. The Partnership was really the first official body who showed any interest and they have helped introduce me to other people and bodies who have similar aims and attitudes when it comes to centenary commemoration.
What does the centenary mean to you?
It means the completion of a project which I commenced, in collaboration with the late Prof. Richard Holmes, back in 2005 and thanks to the goodwill and support of some fantastic people, Field of Battle, Lands of Peace has established itself as the only international project which tries to involve other participant countries and the various exhibitions have now been seen by over five million people in eight different countries.
From the outset Richard and I were agreed that this work should accept that the war has passed from all living memory and become history. We felt that it was only the landscape that could tell the story of those tumultuous events but that it was a landscape where time and nature had healed the scars and created places of great beauty and tranquility. So these photographs are intended as a reflection on reconciliation, hence the title Fields of Battle – Lands of Peace.
As a photographer it has been the most challenging and sustained assignment of my life and I have been the client from hell because I always knew when I wasn't trying my hardest so to be honest I am looking forward to 'the peace" in November 2018 when I can retire and concentrate of long walks with my greyhound.


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A Fleetwood pensioner is fighting for his life after a blaze tore through his home.
Neighbours were evacuated to Fleetwood Police Station until the early hours of the morning while firefighters tackled the North Albert Street blaze.
Fire crews were called to the pensioner's end-terrace property shortly after 2.30am on Tuesday morning.
Neighbours told how they were driven to Fleetwood Police Station until their homes were deemed safe after 5am.
Fire fighters had to force entry into the property to rescue the man, in his 70s, who they said was only semi-conscious and had suffered severe burns as well as the effects of smoke inhalation.
There is not yet any indication as to how the fire started.
Neighbours, who named the pensioner as Bill, said they were all hoping he would pull through after the terrifying ordeal.
He was taken to Royal Preston Hospital.
Next door neighbour Kate Bird, who is pregnant, was woken at around 2.30am by the fire alarm sounding from the man's house.
She said: "At first I didn't think anything about why the alarm was going off, but them I smelt smoke.
"I looked out of the window and noticed it was coming from the house next door.
"I phoned the fire brigade and after they arrived I saw him being carried out on a stretcher."
She added: "I only know him by his first name, Bill, but I say hello and we exchange Christmas cards.
"We just hope he's all right."
Pensioner Marion Hartley, 85, who lives next door-but-one, added: "The police and firemen came and told us we would have to leave our houses, just to be sure there was no danger.
"It was a bit frightening, because you don't want your house to blow up.
"We were there at the station until after five o'clock in the morning.
"I don't know Bill very well but he always speaks when he sees me.
"It is a bit of a shock.
"I'm hoping he isn't too seriously hurt."
Coun Lorraine Beavers, of Pharos ward, said: "It's a good job the neighbours were alert.
"Fleetwood is a large town with a village mentality and it's good we still have community spirit here.
"Let's home this poor man will be alright."
A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: "A man in his 70s was rescued from inside and has serious burns.
"We are now satisfied this was an accident and there are no suspicious circumstances."
Three engines, from Fleetwood and Bispham fire stations, battled the blaze until around 6am, which ripped through the ground floor of the home.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is continuing.
At teatime last night, the burns victim remained in a critical condition.


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Microsoft launches an application that brings voice dictation to Office applications
Dictate currently supports more than 20 languages, with simultaneous translation into 60 languages.
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Microsoft Garage , a Microsoft project that transforms its employees' ideas into real projects, launched a new application that allows users to write in Office applications through dictation and typing.
Microsoft said on the new application's Web site, called Dictate , that it is a plug-in for Word, PowerPoint and Outlook applications that allows users to write hands-free, using speech recognition technology to convert speech to text.
The DeciteT application now supports more than 20 languages, with simultaneous interpretation into 60 languages, adding support for voice commands, such as New Line, Stop dictation, Enter to give users more control.
The application also supports two different numbering modes, automatic and manual for the English language, as well as an optical response that shows the user that dictation of speech is underway.
It is noteworthy that the application of "DeciteT" uses a very sophisticated speech recognition technology, along with the artificial intelligence technology adopted by Microsoft in its digital assistance Cortana, and the interface of speech on the search engine Bing, and Microsoft Translator.Viewing:-250
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Minister for Communications and the Arts
Manager of Government Business in the Senate
Liberal Senator for Victoria
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MEMBER FOR McMILLAN
2 June 2016
"It is a pleasure to be here in Pakenham to mark yet another milestone for the nbn rollout after reaching one million customers last week," Minister Fifield said.
Member for McMillan Russell Broadbent said the region should take full advantage of the door opening to Australia's new digital era and residents should contact their preferred service provider to discuss options or place an order for an nbn service.
"From tomorrow the entire city will have nbn access, that means upgraded internet is available to around 20,000 homes and businesses across Pakenham and Officer," Mr Broadbent said.
"Another 37,000 homes will be able to switch over to the nbn service between now and September at major centres including Moe, Warragul, Drouin, Wonthaggi, and Inverloch and my electorate of McMillan will be one of the most connected in Australia.
"Access to fast broadband at affordable prices can be revolutionary for small businesses, farms and households with students," Mr Broadbent said.
The nbn's FTTN network uses the existing copper lines already running into homes to deliver superfast broadband, enabling nbn to dramatically speed up the network rollout, save on construction costs, and reduce the time residents must wait for better broadband.
"The nbn rollout is building momentum right across Victoria with construction due to get underway in Narre Warren, Berwick and Ferntree Gully later this year," Mr Wood said.
At the 2013 election, under the previous Labor Government, fewer than 20,000 houses in Victoria were connected, despite Brunswick and Ballarat being among the first areas to go into construction in 2010.
"Under Labor, nbn rollout timelines weren't met, contractors walked off the job, and people's homes became construction zones," Minister Fifield said.
"Our changes to Labor's original rollout have prevented monthly internet bills increasing by up to $43 per month; saved around $30 billion in total funding and brought forward the finish date by 6 to 8 years."
The nbn network is now available to more than 470,000 premises in Victoria and within that coverage footprint there are 226,000 paying customers.
For more information about the nbn rollout visit: www.nbnco.com.au


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Traditional forms of construction are still the norm in the Middle East as the low labour costs means there is no major incentive to adopt new innovative methods
From Burj Khalifa to twisted towers, the Middle East is famous for its outlandish skyscrapers and buildings, constantly pushing the boundaries of architecture and engineering.
Despite this, the construction process to bring them to reality is still very traditional, with the low cost of labour meaning there is no major incentive to adapt more innovative and less manual methods of construction, experts said this week in Dubai.
Speaking during a panel discussion held at the Big 5 construction exhibition, which was organised by Thomson Reuters Projects, Marwan Abu Ebeid, a senior Building Information Modelling (BIM) manager at Turner International Middle East, the project management company which helped to build and deliver Burj Khalifa and Louvre Abu Dhabi museum, was asked about how new methods such as robotics and 3D printing were being adopted by the industry.
"Is it feasible? Actually not yet," he told delegates. "Maybe in the future it might be easier and more feasible," he added.
His views were echoed by Gurminder Sagoo, business development director at consultancy firm WSP, which has worked on the expansion to The Dubai Mall and the construction of the Doha Metro.
"The other challenge to automation and robotics, particularly in the Middle East, is the access to cheap labour ultimately means there is no incentive to go down the route of robotics," he said.
While markets in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, have seen "a paradigm shift from manual labour to machines" this is because techniques like robots can gain a lot of long-term savings over the lifecycle of the project, he said.
"That incentive doesn't necessarily exist here in the Middle East, particularly in Dubai. We are in a geography that is massively aspirational and builds the biggest and tallest buildings and pushes the boundaries of engineering, but the execution is quite traditional," he added.
Despite some industry experts' conservative views, Chris Kelsey, the CEO of 3D printing firm Cazza, said the technology advances will help to revamp the industry. Speaking ahead of the Big 5 event he said: "3D printing means a total disruption on how we build with concrete. We are no longer bound to straight shapes or to moulds, nor labour-intensive methods that represent safety risks for workers… We are able to design any shape that you can think of, increasing creativity and pushing the limits of architecture." (Read more here)
Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in May last year unveiled the Office of the Future, the world's first 3D-printed office. However, construction of a large-scale skyscraper using the technology is unlikely in the near future, a design expert who helped to work on the project told delegates at last year's Big 5 construction summit. (Read more here)
While a skyscraper may not be on the horizon anytime soon, many government departments in Dubai are already looking to invest in these modern forms of construction. Earlier this month, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced it will use 3D printing technology to implement projects such as pedestrian bridges, bus stops, and marine transport stations. (Read the full report here)
The Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA) also announced at the Big 5 that it is reviewing the regulations in relation to new construction technologies, including 3D printing. (Read the full release here)
The future development of the industry has also been put under the spotlight by a series of workshops launched last month by the American University of Sharjah Enterprises (AUSE), in associated with Finland's Oulu University of Applied Sciences.
Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO, AUSE and Sharjah's Research, Technology, and Innovation (STRIP), was quoted as saying in a press release: "The construction industry is poised for unprecedented growth… Such partnerships will pave the way for more high-quality and technology-focused initiatives in support of the comprehensive and sustainable development plans in the emirate and the rest of the state."


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Abd al-Hamid Kishk
Abdal-Hamid Kishk
|March 10, 1933
Shibrakheet, Egypt
|December 6, 1996 (aged 63)
Cairo, Egypt
|Alma mater
|Al-Azhar University
Abdal-Hamid Kishk (March 10, 1933 – December 6, 1996) was an Egyptian preacher, scholar of Islam, activist, and author. He was a graduate of the prestigious Al-Azhar University in Cairo and was known for his humour, popular sermons, and for his outspoken stance against music, restrictions on polygamy, and injustice and oppression in the Muslim world.[1]
Abdal-Hamid Kishk was born in 1933 in Shibrakheet, a small village near Alexandria, Egypt. His father died before Abd al-Hamid reached schooling age. He joined one of the schools of Azhar and by the age of 8 he had memorized the Quran. It was at this time that he was inflicted by an illness which took his sight. However, rather than demoralize him, the loss of his sight encouraged him to learn more and persevere further. He graduated as a scholar from the faculty of Usoul al Din in Azhar and was appointed as an Imam, giving khutbas[2] throughout Egypt.[1]
Around 1964 he took up the minbar of 'Ain al-Hayat mosque in Cairo as his platform. A vocal critic of the Egyptian government, he was imprisoned in 1965 for two and half years. "The peak of his fame" is said to have been "between 1967 and early 1980s," when crowds of 10,000 would regularly attend his often "hilarious" Friday sermons at a mosque in the Kobry Al Koba district in Cairo.[3] A French scholar noted:
In the last years of the Sadat's presidency, it was impossible to walk the streets of Cairo without hearing [Kishk's] stentorian voice. Climb into a collective service-taxi and the driver is listening to one of Sheikh Kishk's recorded sermons... They listen to Kishk in Cairo, in Casablanca, and in the North African district of Marseilles. A Saudi-funded magazine has dubbed him `the star of Islamic preaching`... none commands his incomparable vocal cords, his panoramic Muslim culture, his phenomenal capacity for improvisation, and his acerbic humour in criticizing infidel regimes, military dictatorship, the peace treaty with Israel, or the complicity of al-Azhar... So great was his fame that the Ministry of Waqf had to build several annexes to the mosque to accommodate the Friday crowds. In 1981, however, even these were insufficient to shelter the approximately 10,000 people who regularly attended.[4]
Kishk's audience grew across the Arab world with the distribution of over 2,000 of his sermons in audio cassettes[5].
He was arrested again in 1981 shortly before Sadat's assassination, but was released by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 1982 under the condition that he end his career as a public activist. His cassette tapes continued to be widely available thereafter, but the mosque in Cairo where he preached was converted into a public health center.[6]
Beliefs and political activities[edit]
As a preacher at 'Ain al-Hayat mosque he condemned the social conditions in Egypt and the suppression of the Islamic Movement. This did not stop him from having distinctly spiritual approach to life, something which his speeches reflect. He was a dissident under the Nasser regime, refusing to sanction the government's execution of Sayyid Qutb or assert compatibility between Islam and socialism. He was boycotted by the official media under the Anwar Sadat regime (1970–1981), but cassette tapes of his sermons were widely distributed all over Egypt and the Arab world. Kishk held political views opposed to the modern bureaucratic state, and emphasized personal and private piety in his speeches.[1]
Marriage law[edit]
Kishk attacked Egyptian secularists for the "abolition" of "personal statute" (al-ahwal al-shakhsiyya). This referred to the passing of a law (44/1979) on spousal relations which required men to inform their wives if they had married another woman. "Under the new law, if the first wife objected, she could immediately obtain a divorce and would preserve the right to live in the husband's home until their children attained the age of mateurty. This law was drafted by the office of the Ministry of Social Affairs and a commission of Al-Azhar scholars, and aroused the fury" of Kishk and other sheikhs, who held that it "contravened the shari'a".[7]
Greater jihad[edit]
According to Kishk, the greater jihad is a continuous struggle aimed at subduing one's baser nature and attuning oneself to Allah's moral standards. It is the basis for personal moral development, creating pious and philanthropic activism, promoting justice and prosperity in society, while combating ignorance, injustice and oppression. As a result of this greater jihad, says Kishk, Islam "heals those societies which follows its guidance and are built on consciences which have been awakened and hearts which have been illuminated by the light of belief."[8]
- ^ a b c "Kishk Biography قصة حياة الشيخ كشك". 1999-08-28. Archived from the original on 1999-08-28. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
- ^ "عبد الحميد كشك - الدروس - طريق الإسلام". islamway.com.
- ^ Fadfadation. "Fadfadation". fadfadation.blogspot.com.
- ^ Kepel, Gilles, Le Prophete et Pharaon, English translation published in 1986, University of California Press. Original French edition published in 1984, Le Prophete et Pharaon, Editions Le Decouverte, p.172, 175
- ^ "الشيخ كشك.. فارس المنابر ونزيل السجون". Retrieved 2018-01-23.
- ^ John Esposito, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, Oxford University Press 2003
- ^ Kepel, Le Prophete et Pharaon (1986), p.181
- ^ 'Abd al-Hamid Kishk, Dealing With Lust and Greed According to Islam (London: Dar Al Taqwa, 1995) pp.2-9
External links[edit]
Media related to Abd al-Hamid Kishk at Wikimedia Commons


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Welcome to the Colorado Springs South SDA Church in Colorado Springs, CO. We are a Christian community and would love to have you join our family. To learn more about what we believe you can visit our About Us page. Please join us for Bible study, worship, and prayer. We currently meet in the Springs Adventist Academy.
Pastor Wayne Nazarenus
Colorado Springs South SDA Church
Join Us This Saturday
Service times:
Sabbath School: 09:30A
Worship Service: 10:45A


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"Why do we fall down? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up" One of my favorite movie quotes of all time best said by, Thomas Wayne father of Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins.
Overcoming Obstacles is a metaphor for life and has given me, the strength to find a way out of some of the roughest, toughest, terrains in the world, under some of the most stressful situations.
This past weekend's WORLDS TOUGHEST MUDDER #WTM17 was by far the greatest example of life truly feeling like an obstacle course each and every day.
We start out great, get knocked down, get back up, face our fears [most don't even really exist] Get fired back up, start doubting our motives, successfully get through a nasty situation, refuel, recover and get back in the fight.
How successful our day and the entire [24 hours] in it, is truly up to us and how we look at life.
Do we feel sorry for ourselves and what's standing in our way of personal success and accomplishments?
Or do we accept where we stand and what needs to get done by heading straight into the fire and owning up to the challenges ahead?
So how do we get through the coldest, darkest, most painful times in our life?
- Find a TRIBE and utilize teamwork
- Train your mind and your body will follow
- Take extreme ownership of every situation
- Visualize your success
- Always be positive
- Focus on one task at a time
- Help others and pick them up when your down
- Use fear as fuel to ignite your inner strength
To learn more about how you can overcome any obstacle,
post a comment below and let's get after it together!


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One month tomorrow
It's hard to believe our little man will be one month old tomorrow. Time has gone by so fast.
What have we learned about Manaaki so far?
He loves a bath.
He loves to eat.
He's a good sleeper at night, thank you. But daytime is party time. So unless he's snuggled in someone's arms, he doesn't sleep.
And, he's gorgeous.


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Are there any recommend settings or best practices when using the MXA910?
Also see: MXA910/MXA310 Training and Certification
The following settings and recommendations are based on extensive experience helping customers tune and commission MXA910 in AV Conference and Voice Lift Systems. Though some of these settings may seem aggressive at first, they are a good starting point. If the system does not perform well after implementing the settings below, dialing them back to something more moderate may better address the specific issue. Listen and adjust as needed to achieve optimal sound quality.
- Please read the MXA910 User Guide first.
- Important: it is critical that you have some method of listening to the MXA910 pre-DSP and/or codec. This is the best way to position lobes, and to verify the microphone array is setup correctly. Please bring a set of headphones to the job site, along with a Dante-enabled headphone amplifier. The MXWANI devices, which are often used for Dante-to-analog conversion with the MXA910, already have a headphone jack.
Aim lobes at the areas where the talkers are located:
- Do not use the pre-loaded templates without further adjusting the aim of each lobe to match the talker's position. These templates merely provide a starting point.
- Each lobe can pick up one talker or many talkers. There is no specific requirement that you should only have one talker per lobe.
- Use the fewest possible number of lobes to cover the desired area. Don't be afraid to use Medium and Wide lobes, if necessary.
- Delete any un-used lobes.
- Auto Position helps aim the lobe to the center of the desired area. (Note: do not use test tones with Auto Position. The algorithm is optimized for speech detection, test tones will not result in correct positioning.)
- Use headphones to verify aiming by listening to talkers inside and outside of lobes. Adjust as needed.
EQ: Starting with firmware version 1.3.4, the MXA910 comes equipped with a Low Frequency Shelf EQ designed to provide optimal low end response from the array. This EQ is enabled by default, but may be disabled if you would prefer to tailor the response to suit a particular application. We recommend running a test conference with the EQ enabled before deciding whether or not to disable it.
For voice lift applications, additional EQ may be required on the output of the DSP that drives the room loudspeakers. This additional EQ would be in the form of Parametric EQ and it should be deployed at frequencies that are naturally amplified in the room. A measurement tool may be needed to determine those frequencies. A feedback reducer can also be used in place of the PEQ.
Use an external DSP to apply AEC (Acoustic Echo Cancellation) and NC (Noise Cancellation) processing on each MXA910 output channel to help control echo and room noise.
- Less is more: As a starting point, the NLP (Non Linear Processing) in the AEC processor should be set to OFF, or the lowest setting.
- The NC should also be set to a "Low" setting, or approximately 6dB.
Use an Automatic Mixer processor post EQ/AEC/NC, with the following recommended settings:
- Use a GATING Automixer with the Off-Attenuation set to at least -12 dB when only 1 to 4 channels are in use, and -18 dB for 5 to 8 channels. If more than 8 channels are in use you can increase Off-Attenuation by -6 dB per doubling of channels, i.e. -24 dB attenuation for 16 channels.
- When using a third-party automixer, if the GATING Automixer does not properly activate for talkers, a Gain-Sharing Automixer can be employed, but only if EQ has been set pre-automixer, exactly as described above in #4.
Adjust the transmit level to the lowest possible level while listening from the far end. Audio codecs "hard limit" the audio level to a specific standard prior to encoding and transmitting. When too much level is sent to the transmission codec, the far end does not necessarily hear the near-end talkers louder, instead only ambient noise and low frequencies are boosted, making the system sound noisier and less intelligible. Adjust as follows:
- Write down your starting automixer output level for later comparison.
- While listening from the Far-End, turn the output of the automixer described in #6 down by 20 dB, or more.
- While someone is talking in the Near-End (where the MXA910 is located), listen carefully to the Far-End receive audio while turning up the automixer output in the Near-End slowly until the level of the speech of the talker stops getting louder. This may require two people, or remote control of the DSP.
- Back down the output of the automixer to the setting where an increase in speech level was last perceived. This may be 2 to 4 dB down from the current setting.
- Write down the new output level setting for comparison. Go back and forth between your starting level from step 7a, and your new level from 7d. Overall, you may find that the resulting new automixer output level is 10 to 15 dB below your starting point and that ambient noise and other undesirable sounds have been attenuated significantly, while speech level remains the same.


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|Height Weight Analysis is another gadget for Google Desktop. This is a perfect gadget for the users keeping their figures. With the aid of this gadget you will be able to learn how much you should weigh taking into account your height. The gadget can show the data both for men and women. You can arrange the gadget's menu in any convenient place on your desktop and it will always be at your disposal.
Author: Prashant Sabnekar


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Wed, 07 April 2010 at 9:20 am
Paula Patton & Robin Thicke Welcome a Baby Boy!
Actress Paula Patton and hubby Robin Thicke are the proud parents of a baby boy!
Julian Fuego Thicke was born on Tuesday (April 6) in Los Angeles. "Mother, father and son are all doing well," Robin's rep told People.
Robin, 32, and Paula, 34, tied the knot nearly five years ago and will celebrate their anniversary in June.
Congratulations to the happy family!! Can't wait to meet Julian!
Just Jared on Facebook
Photos: Jason Merritt/Getty Posted to: Celebrity Babies, Julian Thicke, Paula Patton, Robin Thicke
Sponsored Links by ZergNet


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The free testing phase of OMP Tools runs for 30 days. Afterwards You can choose to opt out, or sign up.
OMP Tools costs you R1.490 per month at a term of 24 months. If you are working with more than 2 AdWords accounts or spend more than R75000 we invoice you 5% of the advertising budget you spend with Google.
OMP Tools is completely free during the testing phase. You just define the advertising budget that will be spent on Google AdWords campaign.
OMP Tools is very simple to use, there are no special skills needed. All you need is a Google AdWords Account.
A campaign in OMP Tools can be set up in a few short minutes.
This feature is not available at the moment, but we are constantly working on extending our features. We have a few new developments launching soon that will increase the performance of Google campaigns.
OMP Tools keeps you up to date with all your current campaigns. You have access from the dashboard and/or we can send you email alerts.
No problem. We also offer optional full-service where we take care of everything. Just contact us on firstname.lastname@example.com.
OMP Tools not only optimizes your campaigns, it also takes care of their creation and the direct transfer of them into a Google AdWords account. With this tools You don't need to take care of anything and therefore You can fully focus on your core business.


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A-Level Results 2015
We are delighted to announce yet another year of extremely pleasing A-Level examination results with 40% of our examination entries being achieved at A*, A or B grade – a significant increase on external targets and a further increase on last year's results. Joint Headteachers Richard Gill and Neil Warner said 'These results are a real endorsement of the hard work and dedication put in by all members of our school community. We are so proud of the achievements of our Sixth Form who truly are a fantastic group of young people.' These impressive results have been achieved across a wide range of subjects at a time when students are facing the challenge of addressing further changes to the examination system. We are pleased that these results will enable our students to move onto their next life stage successfully, with the vast majority of our students accessing University. A list of notable achievements is provided below: We wish all our departing students the very best for the future and eagerly anticipate hearing news of their future successes. We hope they will stay in touch and we look forward to our current AS students emulating their success as they move into their A2 studies. Name Grade A* Grade A Grade B Krajewski, Jakub 0 3 2 Davison, Helen 0 2 3 Lai, Khoi 1 3 0 Hines, Megan 1 2 1 Ip, Matthew 0 4 0 Slinn, Carrie 1 1 2 Howard, Eloise 0 3 1 Hunt, Abigail 0 3 1 Campbell, Bryhanna 1 1 1 Morgan, Lauren 1 1 1 Court, Alexander 0 3 0 Dyer, Natalie 0 3 0 Morris, Isabelle 0 3 0 Street, George 0 3 0 Griffiths, Oli 2 2 0


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News: firstname.lastname@example.com • Restaurants • Map • Movies • Library Catalog • Library Activities • Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Monrovia vs. Los Altos | Mauna Loa Killing | Pacific Plate | Wine & Dine
~ Sports writers think Monrovia will do well against Los Altos. http://goo.gl/FPTXmd
~ More on woman killed on Mauna Loa Avenue ( http://goo.gl/CzWnpE ). Boyfriend charged with murder ( http://goo.gl/FritKb ).
~ A Taste of Old Town Monrovia, Oct. 19, 5-8 p.m. will also include craft beers by Monrovia's Pacific Plate Brewing Company. Tickets $50 in advance, $60 at the door. Proceeds to local youth programs.
~ Wine & Dine raffle tickets for $10 each. You could win an $1,100 gift basket. Tickets at Monrovia Chamber of Commerce and The Dollmakers' Kattywompus. All money goes to the Monrovia Kiwanis Club and the Monrovia Chamber.
- Brad Haugaard
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Other Major Projects>>
|Project Summary
|Location: Port of Orillia
|Budget: $2.3 Million
|Timeline: Project is complete.
|Current Status: Grand Opening took place Tuesday, June 20, 2017.
|Project Contact: Kent Guptill, 705-325-2998, firstname.lastname@example.com
On December 17, 2014, the Port of Orillia building was destroyed by fire. To continue operations and maintain the level of service provided by Chamber of Commerce staff, temporary facilities were put in place to accommodate immediate boater needs; office space for visitor information and Port boat slip rental information, shower facilities, and public washrooms.
In order to address longer term possibilities now available for the public realm space, Council directed staff to retain the services of Urban Strategies Inc. to examine potential future development opportunities for the Port of Orillia and its immediate surroundings in context with the goals and objectives of the City's Downtown Tomorrow Plan. Consultants, working with the City's project team, completed the project Scope of Work and after a number of stakeholder consultations have developed conceptual draft plans.
At an Open House held at the Orillia Public Library on June 25, 2015, Urban Strategies Inc. presented their 4 conceptual draft Framework, Site Design and Facility plans for the public's review and comment. Those who were unable to attend the June open house were invited to review Urban Strategies presentation including background information and conceptual designs and complete the online feedback survey which closed July 17, 2015.
Council, at its meeting held on August 20, 2015 passed a motion authorizing staff to utilize a "design build" process for the replacement of the Port of Orillia Building. As outlined in the project update report (DS-15-16), staff estimates that the design build process for a new Port of Orillia building could be completed within approximately twenty-one (21) months.
Council on October 26, 2015 was presented the Final Orillia Port Area Public Realm Plan and adopted, in principle, the recommended Sweeping Curve Frame Work option in addition to a proposed Two-story building model, approximately 16,000 sq.ft., as outlined in Option 3 of Report DS-15-37. This design includes additional space for a restaurant or community room and could be completed as part of the initial build or left unfinished for future expansion.
On November 16, 2015, Council discussed report FAC-SP-2015-07 regarding final designs and budget allocations for the Port of Orillia building replacement. Council adopted recommendations and passed a resolution which directed staff to release a Design/Build tender with a total construction budget of $2.3 million.
A Request for Proposal for a Design/Build project was released on January 26, 2016. Submissions were accepted until 3:00 p.m. on March 9, 2016.
At its meeting on April 11, 2016, Council ratified its decision to move forward with local firm, Bradanick Construction Services Inc., for the design-build construction project, as recommended in Report FAC-SP-2016-03 from the Port Project Team which was presented to Council Committee on April 4, 2016.
Construction of the new Port of Orillia building started in September 2016 and was completed in June 2017.
View the video below that demonstrates how the timber roof was installed.
|Proposed Frame Works and Concept Designs
|Design Renderings
|Media Coverage
Article - Orillia Packet & Times (June 21, 2017)
News Story - CTV News Barrie Video (June 20, 2017)
News Story - CTV New Barrie Video (April 12, 2016)
News Release - Local contractor wins Port of Orillia design-build project (April 12, 2016)
Article - Orillia Packet and Times (April 4, 2016)
Article - Orillia Packet and Times (October 20, 2015)
News Release - Public invited to comment on port concepts (July 8, 2015)
News Release - Provide input on Port of Orillia design concepts (June 16, 2015)
Municipal Monthly Feature - Orillia Packet and Times (April 18, 2015)
The City of Orillia attempt to make our website documents Accessible however, some of these documents, such at the Orillia Port Area Public Realm Plan, are produced by third party consultants and may not completely meet the AODA Accessibility requirements. If you require assistance or communication support, please contact Kent Guptill at 705-325-2998.


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Tiziano Treu
Tiziano Treu, Professor Emeritus of Labour Law at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, has over 30 years of experience in the fields of employment law and welfare institutions and in September 2015 has been appointed as a "Senior Advisor" of Optimum Asset Management S.A.
He is currently leading some of the most prominent national and international organisations in the fields of Law, Pension and Welfare. He currently seats as Chairman of the International Society of Labour and Social Security Law – ISLSSL, a recognised scientific think-tank promoting collaboration among some of the most prominent academics, lawyers and experts across the world – and Advisor of the Italian Government in the field of labour and employment law. In the past he has been Special Commissioner for the Italian National Institute of Pension and Welfare (INPS), the largest European Pension Fund that he left in March 2015, and in the past 30 years he covered some of the most important and strategic institutional roles within the Italian Government, such has Minister of Labour, Pension and Welfare, Minister of Transportation and Chairman of the "XI Commission for Labour and Welfare" of the Italian Senate, of which he also covered the role of Vice-Chairman.


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If you live in Tucson or surrounding areas, you know how brutal the summers can be. Record-high temperatures are the norm and a muggy monsoon season doesn't help the cause. With daily temperatures over 100 degrees, having a high-functioning AC unit should be a top priority. If you have an outdated or low-performing air conditioning unit, you could be wasting money on your electric bills. Haven't had a checkup in awhile? ACS Air Conditioning Services can help! We can diagnose you AC unit and recommend any necessary solutions. Need an AC repair? We specialize in fast AC repair in Tucson and we always keep our customers as the #1 priority! When you call us for an AC repair, you'll be in good hands. We can quickly come out to your home or business and get the problem fixed in a timely manner. We understand how time-sensitive these repairs can be. Not only are you sweaty and uncomfortable, prolonged exposure to the heat can be damaging to your health. This is why we are a very responsive company. We can be at your door within minutes to get your AC unit back up and running. See below for reasons why we're the best in the area:
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Since then, ACS has emerged as Arizona's leading Trane Comfort Specialist dealer while receiving several industry awards for service and excellence. We not only believe in what we sell, but most importantly, we stand behind it with our 100% Client Satisfaction Promise:
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Garcia's House @ Cancún, Mexico
You can find concrete in all different forms and finishes in this Mexico home. But this is not the only thing why we love this project from Warm Architects. Advertisements
You can find concrete in all different forms and finishes in this Mexico home. But this is not the only thing why we love this project from Warm Architects. Advertisements
When we talk about concrete and Switzerland, Valerio Olgiati's name has to come up eventually. This time we will show you a residential building by his office with an extraordinary […]
Who said concrete creates a cold atmosphere? There is nothing cold about this family house by Estudio Dayan Arquitectos, and not just because it's in the sunny Buenos Aires.
Have you ever used Archicad 15? Did you always think that the picture on the opening screen is just a nice render? I sure did.
When a family decides to extend their house with a few rooms, it's always a good decision to go with concrete.
If Japanese architects talk about bonding the interior with nature, and you don't really know what they mean, this house from Ikimono Architects will explain it all.
It might look like we switched to being a 'cool pools' blog, but it's not the case. Although the fact that this house was built from concrete is a perfect […]
I think we can agree that a little concrete works perfectly in an interior. But how would you like that if it was literally ALL over the place?
Let's go on a journey to the far-far East, over the Ural and even the Himalayas, all the way to Bangladesh. What you find here is sustainability at its best […]
There are just a few things better than exposed concrete in an interior: the combination of exposed concrete and colorful elements. House Cliv features red accents and smooth concrete surfaces […]
We can talk about concrete buildings all day, but how often do you find a house that is entirely made of our favourite material?
Is it a concrete block floating above the ground in Lombardy? No, it is a house, where you probably would like to move in.
Smartly shaped concrete cantilevers are reaching towards each other in the stairwell of this Japanese masterpiece.


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Classical music has a genteel reputation – but controversies and scandals abound. Clemency Burton-Hill selects some of the fiercest rows.
"It feels almost like murder" is how the 21-year-old composer Jonas Tarm described the recent cancellation of a performance by the New York Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall of his award-winning piece March to Oblivion. Describing his piece as "devoted to the victims who have suffered from cruelty and hatred of war, totalitarianism, polarising nationalism – in the past and today," the winner of the prestigious First Music competition had quoted musically from both Ukraine's Soviet-era anthem and the Horst Wessel Lied, the official song of the Nazi party. Tarm did not make it clear that he was doing so – or why – in his programme notes.
In a lengthy public statement, the Youth Symphony's executive director declared that "given the lack of transparency and lack of parental consent to engage with this music we could not continue to feature his work on the program". Tarm vigorously defended the right of music to "speak for itself" and described the move by NYYS as an act of censorship. (It is, by the way, still illegal to play the Horst Wessel Song in Germany.)
The question of whether music, a collection of sonic vibrations, can 'mean' anything – and if so, how we should respond to that meaning – is an old and vexed one, which we are still no closer to answering. Classical music may have the reputation of being a refined and rather genteel genre, but controversies and scandals abound in its history – consider the ongoing provocations of Wagner, or Stravinsky, whose Rite of Spring sparked the most legendary riot in musical history. Here are some other classical works that have caused a hullabaloo – whether for political, textual or aesthetic reasons – over the past few centuries.
St John Passion by JS Bach (1724)
We don't exactly think of the father of classical music as a scandalmonger – although, as John Eliot Gardiner's outstanding 2014 biography proves, nor should we think of him as a saint simply because he wrote such sublime music. But Bach's ravishing setting of the Gospel of St John, a cornerstone of the classical canon, leaves a bitter taste in the mouth for some. In 1995, a student protest broke out at Swarthmore College in Philadelphia, after members of the choir refused to sing what they considered anti-Semitic words. (The gospel in question refers to the enemies of Jesus as "the Jews, the Jews, the Jews"; the word is repeated 70 times throughout the 110-minute work. In 2000, the 250th anniversary of the composer's death, there were public demonstrations against a performance of the Passion at the Oregon Bach Festival, with one rabbi picketing the event and another resigning from a festival planning committee. Critics have weighed into the debate: Michael Marissen's study Lutheranism, Anti-Judaism, and Bach's St John Passion expertly probes Bach's handling of the "challenging" gospel text. Most commentators, however, reflect the esteemed Bach scholar Robert L Marshall's view that the St John Passion "gives voice to some of the loftiest sentiments of the human spirit [and] neither that supreme masterpiece nor its incomparable maker needs any apology."
Symphony No 3: 'Eroica', formerly known as 'Bonaparte' by Ludvig van Beethoven (1804)
The story behind the dedication of Beethoven's third symphony is the stuff of musical legend. As BBC broadcaster Tom Service writes: "Imagine if events hadn't intervened, and Beethoven had stuck to his original plan, and his third symphony had been called the 'Bonaparte'. Imagine the reams of interpretation and analysis that would have gone into aligning the piece with the Napoleonic project, its humanist ideals and its all-too-human historical realisation."
'Napoleonic' certainly describes the scale on which Beethoven conceived the work – he even sketched out a programme of Bonaparte's life within the symphony's movements – until the moment in 1804 when he was informed that Napoleon had styled himself Emperor. The original dedication to Bonaparte was defaced: Beethoven announced that Napoleon was "a tyrant", who "will think himself superior to all men", and re-named the symphony the "Eroica".
The symphony was also controversial musically, causing Beethoven's great admirer Hector Berlioz to exclaim at one point "if that was really what Beethoven wanted… it must be admitted that this whim is an absurdity!"
Absurd or otherwise, the Eroica stands as one of the most important cultural monuments of all time.
Parade by Erik Satie (1917)
"Sir and dear friend – you are not only an arse, but an arse without music." Such was the verdict of Erik Satie on the critic Jean Poueigh, who had slated his music to Parade, a 15-minute ballet commissioned for Diaghilev's Ballet Russes, which also brought together the iconoclastic modernist imaginations of Jean Cocteau and Pablo Picasso. Poueigh subsequently sued Satie in a bitter court case – and won. Ever the offbeat and eccentric composer, Satie's score utilised then-radical sound effects such as a typewriter clacking, milk bottles clanging, gunshots, foghorns and sirens. Avant garde? Certainly, but the audience at the Paris premiere on 18 May 1917 sided with Poueigh: they booed, hissed, and even threw oranges at the orchestra.
4'33" by John Cage (1952)
Cage, who studied with Arnold Schoenberg, declared 4'33" was his most "important" work; his critics declared it a very bad joke. The score of the three-movement piece instructs performers not to play for the entire duration, in order to encourage the audience to engage with the ambient sounds of the concert hall. Cage, who was hugely influenced by Zen Buddhism, had first broached the idea of composing an entirely silent piece during a lecture at Vassar University in the late 1940s. He predicted, however, that such a piece would be "incomprehensible in the Western context," and was apparently reluctant to write it down: "I didn't wish it to appear, even to me, as something easy to do or as a joke," he said at the time. "I wanted to mean it utterly and be able to live with it." In 1951, he spent time an anechoic chamber at Harvard University, and the resultant experience gave him the intellectual confidence he needed to proceed with the idea. "I heard two sounds, one high and one low," he explained. "When I described them to the engineer in charge, he informed me that the high one was my nervous system in operation, the low one my blood in circulation."Triumphantly, he added: "Until I die there will be sounds. And they will continue following my death. One need not fear about the future of music."
Some audiences, however, would say the future of music has never been under such threat. Ever since the first performance, in Woodstock, New York, in 1952, detractors have been baffled, angered, and irritated by 4'33". "They missed the point," said Cage, of that first audience. "There's no such thing as silence. What they thought was silence, because they didn't know how to listen, was full of accidental sounds. You could hear the wind stirring outside during the first movement. During the second, raindrops began pattering the roof, and during the third the people themselves made all kinds of interesting sounds as they talked or walked out." But as Julian Dodd's recent TED talk proves, the debate rages on. Is it even music? You decide.
Four Organs by Steve Reich (1970)
New York classical concert-goers are generally a pretty demure bunch, but not so on 18 January, 1973. Reich's piece, scored for four Hammond organs and maracas, had been commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra's visionary young conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, who had no qualms including it in programmes alongside the likes of Mozart, Bartók and Liszt. (These composers had themselves once been the architects of musical revolutions.) But reactions in the audience that night at Carnegie Hall ran the gamut from "lusty boos", according to one critic, to yelled threats, to someone running down the aisle screaming "All right, I confess!", to an old lady banging her shoe on the stage in a bid to get the BSO to shut up.
Cut to 2011, and Carnegie Hall was mounting a landmark celebration of the 75th birthday of "one of American's greatest living composers". You guessed it, Steve Reich…
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Missing 18-yr-old girl's naked body found in Sidhwan Canal
An 18-year-old girl who went missing after school on Wednesday has been found murdered after being possibly raped.punjab Updated: Sep 03, 2015 23:30 IST
An 18-year-old girl who went missing after school on Wednesday has been found murdered after being possibly raped.
The police said the victim's naked body was fished out from Sidhwan Canal near Barewal village. The legs were tied with a piece of cloth.
The girl's uniform was found stuffed in her schoolbag lying on the bank of the canal, from which the police found her identification card and informed her parents.
A resident of New Janta Nagar, the victim was a student of Class 12 at Teja Singh Sutantar Senior Secondary School, near Kwality Chowk.
A post-mortem examination conducted at the civil hospital revealed that the girl was strangled to death. Besides, some gash marks inflicted by a sharp-edged weapon were found on the head and an arm.
A board of three doctors, including Dr Gurcharan Singh, Dr Ruchi and Dr Geeta, that conducted the autopsy has suspected rape. A vaginal swab has been sent for chemical examination to a laboratory.
In his statement to the police, the victim's father, who is a jeweller, said he dropped his daughter to school at 7am on Wednesday. When she did not return home till evening they started a search for her and came to know that after school she had gone to a nearby stationery shop to get her school notes copied through Photostat.
"We also checked the footage of CCTV cameras installed in the area to locate her, but to no avail. Thereafter we filed a missing person's report at Basant Park police post of Shimlapuri police station," the distraught father said.
"Around 3:30am on Thursday, the police informed me that they had found a girl's body in Sidhwan Canal near Barewal village and asked me to identify it," he added.
Inspector Gurbinder Singh, station house officer (SHO), Shimlapuri police station, said some passersby noticed a school bag lying on the canal's bank and sounded the police, following which a search operation was initiated and the body was fished out.
A case of murder has been registered against unidentified accused. The inspector said once confirmed, rape section would be added to the FIR.
First Published: Sep 03, 2015 19:29 IST


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"I could go on, forever / about how you could make the/ good things, better."
A cross between superstar hybrid White Widow and an unidentified North American landrace indica, White Rhino is known for it's potency and high THC content. Sadly, White Rhinos, the multi-ton mammals who share this strain's name, are as in-demand. These giants are often poached because their horns are ground into powder and used as an ingredient in some traditional Asian medicines. The horn is believed to help with a variety of ailments. Wouldn't it be better for us all to just smoke White Rhino instead? This earthy and pungent strain, used to treat pain, insomnia and lack of appetite will give you "A Good Feeling."


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The early days of engineering firm WH Allen Sons and Co Ltd features in the next Queen's Park Lives talk.
'The History of Queen's Works' looks at the company that was instrumental in the growth of the Queen's Park area.
The illustrated talk will cover details of WH Allen's family and the growth of the business from its origins in London to its important role in the First World War and beyond.
The talk will be at the Parish Room, All Saints' Church in Westbourne Road, on Thursday, September 8 from 7.30pm to 9pm.
Pictured from the archives is Miss Wootton being presented to King George V, as she represented women workers at the Queen's Works.
Admission to the talk is £2 and there will be refreshments and a raffle.
For more details call 01234 308053.


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Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth were in an on-screen matchup.
Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth were in 3 on-screen matchups, notably Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason(2004), Bridget Jones's Diary(2001) and Bridget Jones's Baby(2016).
Renée Zellweger is a 49 year old American Actress. Born Renée Kathleen Zellweger on 25th April, 1969 in Katy, Texas, USA, she is famous for Jerry Maguire, Bridget Jones Diary, Chicago and Cold Mountain.. Her zodiac sign is Taurus.
Colin Firth is a 58 year old British Actor. Born Colin Andrew Firth on 10th September, 1960 in Grayshott, Hampshire, England and educated at Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, Eastleigh, Hampshire (1976-1978), he is famous for Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones's Diary. His zodiac sign is Virgo.
Help us build our profile of Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth!
to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions.
Borrowing liberally from Austin's masterpiece Bridget Jones Diary reminded us just how thin the line is between loathing and loving.Rene Zellwegger admirably managed to keep desperate singleton Bridget the right side of likeable and Colin Firth made sure Mark Darcy was the kind of pompous human rights lawyer you probably wouldn't mind marrying in the end.Despite Hugh Grant's best womanizingefforts, they were always clearly destined for each other.Proud Mr Darcy really does fight Naughty Daniel Cleaver for Bridget's love... albeit in a hysterically realistic wayBeyond its fisticuffs and big pants silliness, the film actually manages to deliver one of the most honest and important romantic messages.When you love someone, it's always in spite of the flaws.Whether it's dodgy sideburns or idiotic ramblings, at the end of the day we love them just the way they are.
Uau vai arrasar
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Things to do near Dubai Marina | Visit STACK
Things to do near Dubai Marina
Buzzing with life and activity, Dubai Marina – a modern district and one of the world's largest man-made marinas – is complemented by luxurious waterside residences, 5-star hotels, lively cafés and restaurants, vibrant nightlife and an array of sports, leisure and cultural activities. Whether you are looking for a place to have a quiet weekend with the family, the city's best sun-strewn golden beaches, a home base for a fishing jaunt, or just a place to explore the fast-paced urban lifestyle of the city dwellers – Dubai Marina is the perfect locale to loll about and satisfy every member of the family.
Take a tour of Dubai's architectural marvels
Sample Dubai's gleaming urban architecture in close quarters of the Dubai Marina. A highlight is the stunning Burj Al Arab, the most luxurious hotel in the world, located only 15 minutes and the Burj Khalifa in Downtown Dubai is 23 minutes from Dubai Marina.
Cruise along the marina
Cruise through the heart of Dubai along the architectural marvels of the city overlooking the Dubai Creek and take in the sheer beauty of the city's skyline and the glittering reflections of it in the Marina waters. While you watch the scenic views pass by, indulge in a delicious buffet dinner of exquisite Arabic and international cuisine with relaxing live local music and some great entertainment shows onboard any one of the top Dhow Cruises in Dubai.
Spend the day shopping
Dubai is synonymous with shopping and is home to a number of shopping options guaranteeing something for all tastes and budgets. Dubai Marina Mall is perfect for your Dubai shopping needs. The mall offers everything from fashion labels to speciality stores. The Marina and its nearby area, Jumeirah Beach Road (JBR) is also home to some of the finest shops and luxury boutiques in Dubai, including Boutique 1, Cottage Chic, S*uce, Hamac and Seduce. For an outdoor retail experience, head to the Covet Garden Market in The Walk at JBR. No shopping experience would be complete without visiting the Beach – the longest beachfront mall in the world – a trendy outdoor destination next to JBR that offers a mix of shopping outlets and a great outdoor atmosphere to rewind.
Take a stroll at The Walk
Known as one of the most popular destinations in Dubai, The Walk is Dubai's first outdoor promenade along the beach. It is only a minute from Dubai Marina and is packed with people during weekends. Stroll on The Walk to discover plenty of upbeat shops and fashionable boutiques, al fresco dining options, creative art displays, cultural events and many outdoor activities.
Dine out with the family
Enjoy the many exceptional restaurants and cafés the city has to offer. For those who love eating out with the sight and sound of the sea, Dubai Marina and JBR have a number of restaurants and cafés for some casual dining experience in sight of the shore including, Pappa Roti, The Cheesecake Factory, Operation:Falafel, Eggspectation, and Pots, Pans & Boards. Ruth's Chris Steak House, Rhodes Twenty10, Atelier M, Pier 7 and Bice are few options for a fine dining experience.
Relax on Dubai's golden sandy beaches
Dubai boasts several opportunities to enjoy a quiet day at the beach. If you want to pull yourself away from the city noises and crowd, and stretch your legs, then Jumeirah Beach is an ideal place to be. The beach offers a relaxing spot to kick your legs up and watch the sunset paint the sea and the neighbouring buildings pink and gold.
Visit STACK at Skydive, Dubai Marina
Nothing brings the family together like a fun and engaging LEGO® game at STACK – the largest event for fans of LEGO® in the Middle East! Come and enjoy a unique opportunity to play, create and build with LEGO®, take part in fun activities and explore exciting attractions in each of our zones. The event will be a place for you to meet Adult Fans of LEGO® (AFOL), do freestyle LEGO® construction exercises or take part in building challenges and competitions. STACK will keep all in the family thoroughly entertained and give the little ones a great play experience. Come and have a play with LEGO® at STACK in Dubai from the 19th to 22nd of October 2016. There are cool prizes up for grabs at this four-day LEGO® extravaganza. Book your tickets here.


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Protectores Vitae was initially denied the right to exist as a club on campus by the Kwantlen Student Association (KSA). This decision was overturned and Protectores Vitae is now an official club on campus.
The following is further information on the case.
Case Timeline
October 12, 2012 Protectores Vitae submits its application for club status.
October 26, 2012 The KSA Executive Committee of Council met.
Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) amends its Club Procedures policy document. The original wording stated:
Article 2. Relationship between Club and the KSA
1. Clubs are basically autonomous in their activities as long as they adhere to official KSA Rules. Club privileges can be withdrawn if KSA Rules are not adhered to.
The article was expanded to provide a much wider basis for rejecting a club's application.(The amendments can be found on page 14.)
The minutes report that: "Discussion arose on the motion: -Some executives stated opposition to some proposed activities of the Club; -Possible issues with the Abortion and a Woman's Right to Choose policy of Council were found; -The Executive Committee does not have the authority to deviate from Council policy." (Minutes can be found starting on page 8.)
The motion was, as such, deferred to the next meeting.
Shortly thereafter the meeting was moved in camera "for the consideration of legal issues." (See page 9).
November 9, 2012 The KSA Executive Committee of Council met. The status of Protectores Vitae was listed on the agenda under 5. a. (See Agenda on page 1). No minutes are available from the KSA website as of Nov. 27, 2012. Minutes have been requested and not yet received.
The Director of External Affairs emails Oliver Capko to inform him: "your application for a club has been rejected. After some consideration, the Executive Committee decided it was against the interests of the Kwantlen Student Association, and it's Executives, to vote in favor of the creation of a club that is clearly against our own standing policy on Abortion and a Woman's Right to Choose." [Correspondence between Protectores Vitae and the KSA can be accessed here.]
November 25, 2012 The JCCF acts on behalf of Protectores Vitae and sends a letter demanding that the KSA cease its illegal discrimination of the pro-life students. (The letter can be accessed here.)
November 27, 2012 The club issues a press release to draw attention to the situation. The club calls upon the KSA to rescind the decision.
December 3, 2012 When the KSA fails to rescind the decision, the club announces it will pursue court action. Press release can be found here.
December 5, 2012 The KSA meets. According to Kwantlen's student newspaper, The Runner, the KSA reversed its earlier decision during a two-hour in-camera session and granted Protectores Vitae status as a campus club. The specific content of any motions from the meeting was not made available, nor was the record of how the individual board members voted.
Oliver Capko, the president of Protectores Vitae, was contacted later that evening by Christopher Girodat, the Chairperson of the KSA Executive Committee, who informed him of the decision.
December 6, 2012 A press release announces the KSA's decision.


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501 Corte Madera Avenue, Corte Madera, CA
Sold at $3,900,000
This is quite simply one of the most stunning and sexy homes in Marin. A high-end developer's own masterpiece underscoring his amazing eye for detail and focus on extraordinary finishes. Exquisitely built in 2013, and offering commanding views of the Bay and hills, this luxury 3BD/3.5BA property is the intersection of contemporary design, superb craftsmanship and the magic of nature. Ideally sited on more than 1.5 acres of private forest, this spectacular Corte Madera home feels miles away, yet is conveniently located close to the best restaurants and shops. Light pours into the main home that includes 2 en-suite bedrooms, an office and half bath together with a 1BD/1BA guest quarters with private entrance, kitchen and laundry. A generous 2+ car garage, separate workshop, storage room, half bath and spacious unfinished bonus/storage room is the ultimate for a car or sports enthusiast. Bay views, patios, decks and level lawn off the "Great Room" are ideal for easy sophisticated entertaining. 501 Corte Madera Avenue is bold, exciting and truly a one-of-a-kind
trophy property.
- Exterior is stucco with a bonded matrix finish and wood (Grappa-a South American fine grade exotic timber)
- Upper Level: Master bedroom suite with awesome walk-in closet, bathroom with separate tub and shower; 3 additional bedrooms and 2 baths; family room; laundry room with built-ins
- Metal standing seam roof
- Hardwood floors: Grappa
- Carpet: 100% New Zealand wool- Woolshire Carpet Mills
- Center Pivot entry door
- On-demand hot water
- Aster Cucine Imported Italian Cabinets-Kitchen & baths
- Double helix custom staircase- custom railing and metal is machine rolled. Treads hand made by a woodworker in Hood River, Oregon
- Ceasarstone countertops in baths and laundry room
- Lualdiporte custom curved doors
- Contemporary rolling glass doors by Jack Smith Glass
- Regency Horizon gas fireplace
- Kitchen/DR light fixtures: Symphony Chandelier and pendants by Tech Lighting
Chef's Kitchen
- Cabinets: Aster Cucina-Rosso Corsa
- Stainless appliances: Miele, Kitchen Aid and Marvel
- Glass countertops: Spandrel Glass
- Windows: Custom & Milguard Windows
Master Bath
- Aster Cucina cabinets
- Shower door: Precision glass bending
- Waterworks tub: Anne Sachs and Raffi glass tile
- Heated towel rack
- Custom built-in closets
- Bonn pendent light fixture
Powder Room
- Vitraform glass sink and countertops


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Antiques - by owner
1952-1954 Vintage 108 art prints book set
$5 each by Tye Di in Warner Robins , 17 hours ago
Art Treasures of the World books. These art books contain "108" removable, framable prints from the early 1950's The Toulouse Lautrec has been sold
Posted in: Antiques - by owner. 3 people are following this item.
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Circus Odyssey
Jeffrey Wharton
Sheriff of Bournemouth
The Sheriff and the Prince Resticus Fore of Bournemouth do not get along very well because Jeffrey knows about his failings and dislikes that he is showing no humility whatsoever and blames everything that happened on others.
For Jeffrey personal responsibility and loyalty to his sect is one of the most important parts of his code of morals. Resticus took dangerous risks to the camarilla for personal gain and got punished for it. As far as Jeffrey is concerned not severe enough.
Jeffrey and Anne are running most of the official business of the town due to the Princes lack of interest and incompetence.


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Alternative Titles
Japanese: ティンクルセイバーNOVA
Type: Manga
Volumes: Unknown
Chapters: Unknown
Status: Publishing
Published: 2004 to ?
Authors: Fujieda, Miyabi (Story & Art)
Serialization: Comic REX
Score: 7.161 (scored by 33 users)
1 indicates a weighted score. Please note that 'Not yet published' titles are excluded.
Ranked: #75512
2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity: #21068
Members: 166
Favorites: 1