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17 February 2012
Diesel price nudges record while stronger pound softens wholesale price surge
Average UK diesel prices have risen to 142.80p a litre, a fifth of a penny shy of the record set in May last year (143.04p), according to February's AA Fuel Price Report.
Over the past month, petrol rose 1.46p a litre and now averages 135.00p a litre – still 2.43p off the record. Since the start of the year, when petrol averaged 132.25p a litre, the monthly fuel bill for a family with two petrol cars has risen £5.84.
Petrol prices would have been 1.5p higher had the pound's value not strengthened from around $1.53 to $1.58 over the past month. Even so, the rise in NW Europe wholesale petrol from $900 a tonne at the end of November to over $1000 a tonne at the beginning of February is now overwhelming the stronger pound.
The UK's rate of inflation may have fallen but that comes as cold comfort for consumers and businesses that depend on their vehicles and see pump prices nearing last year's records
Edmund King, AA president
Over the past month, the average price of diesel has gone up 0.8p a litre, rising from 141.90 in mid January.
"The UK's rate of inflation may have fallen but that comes as cold comfort for consumers and businesses that depend on their vehicles and see pump prices nearing last year's records," says Edmund King, the AA's president.
In a period of stagnant wages, petrol costs 23p a litre more and diesel 29p a litre more than in February 2010, when fuel price rises picked up pace. A typical 50-litre petrol refill now costs £11.50 more and filling an 80-litre commercial van tank with diesel has risen £23.20.
In inflationary terms, that is a 20.5% rise in two years for petrol and a 25.6% increase for diesel over the same period.
The AA will be reminding the Chancellor before the March Budget that his 3p fuel duty increase ear-marked for 1 August should be scrapped if these high pump prices persist.
Price differences between towns have grown to as much as 5p a litre for the cheapest petrol, in counties such as Nottinghamshire and Kent. In Europe, manipulative pump pricing has led to countries like Austria and Denmark extending the role of their domestic energy regulators to oversee road fuel pricing.
In Austria, all fuel stations are legally obliged to log their prices and any changes on an official database. At midday, the database is closed to view and fuel stations register a price during a short 'window'. This stops retailers matching competitors with higher prices. Once the database is re-opened to view, retailers are only allowed to reduce prices during the day and must notify the database within 30 minutes of each change.
In Denmark, a list price is published the evening before, based on the movement of the wholesale price. The list price becomes the legal maximum which is registered on a national price database and comes into force at midday. Retailers are allowed to lower the price but have to notify the database of the change. The Danish system not only resets all prices daily to the same level but gives drivers the opportunity to spot a likely increase and buy at the previous day's adjusted prices before the market is reset.
In both countries, the consumer is empowered to report any violations by taking a picture on a mobile phone and sending it to the enforcing authority.
These countries don't benefit from the UK's pioneering pump price transparency, created from the logging of fuel card transactions at petrol stations and made available online and via mobile phone.
"The additional benefit of a system that shakes up prices at midday and could reduce the price jams blighting so many UK towns could become attractive," says Edmund King.
More important is the growing involvement of a regulator in the road fuel market. Although the AA's preference would be for greater market transparency, particularly comparing movements in the wholesale price with those at the pump, a regulator acting as an honest broker between fuel suppliers, retailers and consumers may be a role worth exploring. With independent retailers often complaining about how much they are charged for fuel and the pricing of other groups in the market, a regulator offers a potential solution.
A regional comparison of UK fuel prices shows that the highest average price for petrol is being charged in Northern Ireland at 135.9p a litre, 1.7p dearer than the lowest, in the North (134.2p). Diesel is also most expensive in Northern Ireland, averaging 143.5p a litre, compared to 142.3p in the cheapest regions, the North and Yorkshire and Humberside.
Drivers on islands around Scotland and the Isles of Scilly are due to start benefiting from a 5p fuel duty rebate from 1 March. Community pumps, a growing source of fuel in remote areas of Scotland, are already passing on the saving with two in Shetland cutting prices last week. The lack of transparency between wholesale and pump prices still means that it will be difficult to gauge how much of the rebate is passed on by suppliers to retailers or retailers to drivers.
(17 February 2012)
Fuel price data supplied by Experian Catalist


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Tomorrow is Valentine's day so I wanted some sort of heart themed challenge, but I didn't necessarily want it to only be a Valentine one...when I saw this photo I knew it would be perfect!
How will you be inspired? hearts, clean & simple, stripes, colors, pop of color...
I chose to go with the colors and create a baby boy card. I used the Summer Stories and Stationary Noted collections by Teresa Collins along with some dies from My Favorite Things and Divine Twine.
I can't wait to see what you create!
Rules for Playing:
Create a NEW project for this challenge.
Be sure to link your blog with a direct link to the post you would like me to visit.
Please put a link on your post to this challenge.
Create a project with no more than 5 challenges including this challenge.
Feel free to use any crafting products you have!

subset: commoncrawl


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Kenneth Nally had suffered deep depression and nervous breakdowns for years before he took his own life at age 24 in Sun Valley, Calif. His parents blamed his church for the suicide and they sued.
Suing one's minister for malpractice is no longer taboo. Disgruntled parishioners and their enterprising trial lawyers are taking the clergy to court.


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Following Miami's streak-snapping loss to the Bulls' B Team on Wednesday night, LeBron James voiced his displeasure with the fouls that Chicago was putting on him in a hard-fought game.
The media has had a field day with it, with much debate about whether or not LeBron is right to question the "basketball" nature of those physical fouls. On Thursday, Celtics president Danny Ainge was on a Boston sports radio show and voiced his opinion. Keep in that that is Danny Ainge who is unloading on James. If you ever saw Danny play, you will know why this is so funny:
From NESN.com:
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said he didn't want didn't want to hear any complaints from James during an interview with WEEI on Thursday, calling it, "embarrassing."
"I think the referees got the calls right. I don't think it was a hard foul," Ainge said on Salk & Holley. "I think the one involving LeBron against Boozer, that was flagrant. I think the officials got it right.
"I think that it's almost embarrassing that LeBron would complain about officiating."
For breaking news, rumors, exclusive content, and contests sent right to your inbox, sign up here for the Dime Email Newsletter.
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Visiting Japan during Sakura season is definitely one for the bucket list. It's no secret that I'm a huge Japan-lover, which you can probably sense from the sheer amount of posts I've written about Japan. Yes, I had visited Japan many times, but my favorite had to be when I went during the peak of Sakura (Cherry Blossom) season.
Here is a bit of a back story – when I booked the trip I didn't even know it was going to be Sakura season! I went because I was meeting up with one of my bestest friends from college, Kat, whom I hadn't seen in person close to eight years and was flying in from LA. So it was already a huge trip for me, and the pleasant surprise only made the trip even more memorable.
What you need to know about Sakura season
Cherry Blossom season, or locally known as Sakura, is indeed a very magical time to be in Japan. The entire country is covered in a pink blanket of the delicate flower. The Sakura trees were literally everywhere, and you can even see bits and pieces of them as you are taking the train into the city from whatever airport you flew in from. Sakura is clearly an important part of Japanese culture – important enough to warrant its own emoji! 🌸🌸
Best time for Sakura-viewing
The Sakura season varies each year from late March to late-April / early May. Sakura season is such an important time in Japan that each year they'd have an official Sakura forecast published by the Japan Weather Association. For us English-speakers, we can always count on japan-guide.com to publish a translation of the Sakura forecast here, including the predicted best time for viewing.
Sakura flower is quite fragile and they fall off very easily. Each time the wind blows even just a little bit, a drone pink petals would rain down all around you. While this undoubtedly makes for a beautiful sight, this also means the flowers won't stay around long – it could take as short as one week from the start of the bloom to the pink petals falling off. I heard it could be even shorter if it happens to rain a lot that year.
Although Sakura trees can be found everywhere in Japan, we have to remember that it is a country that goes long from North to South. The temperature varies from the one tip of the country to another and because of that, the Sakura season also varies from region to region depending on where they sit geographically.
Generally, the southern area warms up first and the Sakura trees in those areas would bloom earlier, while the Northern area might not see Sakura blooming until a month later. This is why the forecast is such a big deal!
Hanami: The Japanese Sakura-viewing tradition
For centuries, Japanese have long celebrated the blooming of Sakura as a happy mark to the start of spring and to welcome warmer weather. At the peak of Sakura bloom, many would flock to the nearest park and have a picnic party with friends and family while enjoying the sight of Sakura. This tradition is called Hanami 花見 which literally means "flower-watching" (Hana 花 = Flowers; Mi 見 = Eyes / to watch)
If you happen to be in Japan during this time you can try participating in Hanami, but you need to know what to expect – the parks can get very crowded and getting the best viewing spot is extremely competitive. You can read more about Hanami and etiquette during Hanami here.
You can also just visit the park and just walk around while enjoying the flowers. This is what we did when we visited Arashiyama in Kyoto – we found a park by the river with tons of Sakura trees and just sat around while watching the pink flower. There are usually plenty of street food and snack vendors around the park in case you get hungry!
Traditional Food you can enjoy during Sakura Season
During Sakura season, Japanese love to incorporate Sakura into their food, most notably into their desserts. Everything seems to have "Sakura" in them, but I think these two sweets are the most traditional in relation to Sakura and spring season:
1. Hanami Dango
My favorite is the Hanami Dango (花見団子) – yes, it's THAT 🍡 mysterious emoji. Japanese eats dango (rice dumpling) as snack all-year round, but this variation with pink, white and green is traditionally eaten during Hanami or spring season. The pink color comes from either Sakura flower itself, or azuki (red beans) and the green is from green tea. It is said that the pink, white and green symbolizes the blooming Sakura, the white sky and the green grass the trees grow on.
2. Sakura Mochi
I also loved the Sakura Mochi (桜餅), which is beautiful pink rice cake with sweet red bean paste in the middle, wrapped in pickled sakura leaf. There are two versions of sakura mochi, one made with rice flour (Kanto/Tokyo style) or glutinous rice (Kansai style). Since I was in Kansai during my trip, I had the Kansai style Sakura Mochi!
Alright, I hope that helps! I'll end off this post with a photo of us goofing off in front of Sakura trees, which is basically what we did 90% of the time we were there :p


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With friends and American neighbours celebrating Thanksgiving next week, it fits that the challenge theme over at Catch The Bug would be "Let's Talk Turkey". We want you to make any card/project with a Thanksgiving theme. So, hop on over to Catch The Bug for all the details. Good luck!
I've used the digital image Bobblehead Thanksgiving - Pilgrim Girl for my card, which I colored with Copics. The designer paper is the Rouge & Mocha paper pad by Making Memories.
Make It Monday – #63 Anything Goes.
Anything Goes Challenge – #54 A Real Sweetie.
Celebrate The Occasion – #39 Thanksgiving & Punch.
Scrap-Creations – Thanksgiving.
Simon Says Stamp – Thanksgiving/Thanks.
Aud Sentiments Challenge – #41 Thanksgiving.
The Sisterhood Of Crafters – Giving Thanks.
Crafts And Me Challenges – #61 Simple.
Raise The Bar Challenge – #84 Time To Feast.


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The London Eye, the biggest ferris wheel in Europe, is celebrating its tenth birthday these days. It was built to celebrate the 2000 Millenium, but it was not until March 2000 when it was open to the public. It's 135 metres tall and it's got 32 egg-shaped passenger capsules, each of which can fit up to 25 people. It moves so slowly that it doesn't have to stop to let people on and off.
More than 36 million passengers have travelled in it: it's become one of the main attractions in London, ant it's even a romantic place because many people have got married on board.


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Main Sponsor
Akshayapatra Foundation
"The BigTech Program has enhanced our administration and day to day activities and has helped us become more efficient and consequently serve more children! In our quest to reach 5 million children by 2020, we realize the important role of technology and BigTech as an important tool. We hope that BigTech continues to support us so we can together have a positive impact on the future of our Indian children."
HOPE Foundation
"We are grateful to BigTech for providing original Microsoft applications at a very concessional rate. Being a charity, we firmly believe that each and every donation is valuable and goes to eradicate poverty. Every rupee saved is every rupee earned for the betterment of the poor. Plus, the original applications have increased our work efficiency. As part of the BigTech initiative, we also lend our helping hand to fight piracy."
Teach to Lead
A very big thank you to NASSCOM Foundation for donating software to our organization. Teach For India is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to create a movement of leaders who will work to eliminate educational inequity in the country. We are working on systems to create efficiency in our operations and this donation is helping us make a big step in that direction. We thank NASSCOM Foundation for making the whole process so seamless and superseding all our expectations with the really quick turn around time."
Joy Daniel, Institute for Integrated Rural Development (IIRD)
"Thanks to BigTech, we were able to get the Quickheal antivirus in our office. Before this, we were using free antivirus software that we had downloaded. There were difficulties with updating the software and somehow viruses were still able to get through despite the Antivirus software. This resulted in lots of time and efforts being wasted due to data loss or inability to perform some critical information services - printing or sending emails for instance. As a non-profit social development organization, we could not afford the high costs of commercial Antivirus Software that has the qualities comparable with QuickHeal. Most of our resources are focused to improve the living conditions of the rural small farmers in one of the most backward regions of India - the Marathwada region. Our work encompasses care for the elderly destitute, vocational training of the unemployed youth, and promotion of organic farming. It was a great boon for us to get the QuickHeal which is now installed in all our computers and makes our work much easier. BigTech and QuickHeal has made our lives a lot easier and we now focus on what matters most for the small farmers."
"Winrock International India is very thankful to BiGTech for giving us the opportunity to avail of the benefits of its Software Donation program. We were in the middle of a crisis when our old server reached its maximum limit and we were faced with the task to upgrade the hardware and software. As an NGO, it was very expensive for us to buy licensed software and licenses at market rate. With the help of BiGTech's software donation program support, we now have the licenses of windows software's and that too the latest version. This has helped our organization very much in terms of costs as well as providing our employees with new and licensed software which also helps in productivity and work flow. The funds saved are now utilized for other strategic marketing work."
Mr. Abhijit S. Jorvekar, Country Head, Quick Heal Technologies
"Our association with NASSCOM Foundation is a point of pride for us. Under their BiGTechprogramme, NASSCOM Foundation has already reached out to hundreds of NGOs and social service groups across India.
Quick Heal Technologies wants to give back to the society in which we thrive, this platform allows us the means to reach out to the needy and provide the kind of service which we are best at."
Centre for Civil Society
"The Center for Civil Society is a non-profit, research, education and advocacy think tank committed to increasing opportunity, prosperity and quality of life for every Indian by reinvigorating civil society and readjusting political society.
Our mission is to promote social change through public policy by being a resource for innovative community and market based ideas for critical policy issues particularly in the areas of education, livelihood, governance and environment.
It is essential for a think tank to have a good IT Infrastructure for basic day to day activities and research requirements. We are certain that software made available through the NASSCOM Foundation and Microsoft will enable us to become more efficient and productive and take us closer to achieve our vision of enabling social change through public policy."
"We are a state of the art support centre, aiming to work towards the holistic development of visually challenged persons, located at St. Xavier's college, Mumbai.
Our Project X-Sight works towards equipping the visually challenged persons with the required skill sets and the right attitudes to meet the challenges of life. The social advocacy programme Project Access continuously seeks to expand the "access" and reach of visually challenged persons in their day-to-day living by challenging the myths and barriers that get put in their path.
Our work expands each day with new ideas coming our way that keeps us moving ahead one step at a time expanding access and challenging barriers! This donation will help us to keep our system upgraded and in the training programs that we run for our visually challenge members. It will also support us in maintaining and running our day-to-day office activities."


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The holidays are upon us, and that means there's not much time left to do your holiday shopping! There are lots of great kitchen knives at Blade HQ that would make excellent gifts whether you're looking to get a set of kitchen knives for your spouse or your kid who's out at college. Here are some great kitchen knife gift ideas, but make sure to order your gifts soon so that they get delivered on time!
This is a great little knife set. It's colorful, it's affordable, and it doesn't take up much space. This set would make a great stocking stuffer or gift under the tree for your friends and loved ones. It contains the essentials for any kitchen: a pantry knife, serrated knife, vegetable knife, and vegetable peeler. This set would make a great go-to knife set for any chef, experienced or not, but because it's pretty compact, it would also work great for preparing meals while camping or hiking. The blades are made of stainless steel, and the handles are made of "stabilized Hormbeam wood." This material is pretty neat because it is very germ and bacteria resistant, but it's also dishwasher safe. So like I said, it's perfect for indoor or outdoor use.
Boker 7" Ceramic Santoku Kitchen Knife
This knife has a lot to offer, and it would make a great gift if you're looking to spoil someone special in your life this holiday season. The blade on this knife is ceramic, which means it will stay sharp for a very long time. It also has a really good feel and motion to it when you're using it, thanks to the handle; it has a very comfortable shape and grippy material. The overall length on this knife is 12 inches and the blade totals 7.125 inches in length.
The fine YouTube team at Blade HQ did a competition with kitchen knives last month in honor of Thanksgiving, and they used this Boker kitchen knife. If you want to see this knife in action, watch their video "Competition Kitchen Knives."
Chris Reeve Sikayo Kitchen Knife
This Sikayo kitchen knife is more proof that Chris Reeve doesn't do anything halfway. Like the Sebenza, the knife most people know Chris for, the Sikayo showcases superior quality and functionality. Its name "Sikayo" is the Zulu word for "sharp," and I'd say that accurately describes this knife. The blade is made of S35VN steel, and it's ground on only one side for improved slicing and cutting action. It also has a full tang and a really comfortable handle for sturdy and comfortable use.
Benchmade also makes some nice kitchen knives. This set includes a chef's knife (13 inches overall with an 8-inch blade), utility knife (10.25 inches overall with a 6-inch blade), and a paring knife (7.09 inches overall with a 3.5-inch blade). The blades are made of 440C steel and the handles are made of Wine Wood and Micarta.
I hope these kitchen knife gift ideas help give you an idea of what you'd like to get your friends or loved ones for the holidays. If you're not seeing anything you like here, head on over to Blade HQ's kitchen knife section to check out even more gift options.
Have a happy holiday season!


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Fiona Robertson
Ventilator is set in two locations in Scotland; a derelict ventilation system on a rooftop in the city of Glasgow and a beach on the Ayrshire coast. This short experimental video comprises of a mixture of animation and filmed work, with the two protagonists- a woman and a masked, distorted man, encountering and being encountered by a variety of objects, mundane and foreign, many with motive-force of their own. The film is edited to be fragmentary and non-linear, with scenes dissolving and elements collapsing and bleeding into one another. Land art, totemic heads, and the repeated emergence and disintegration of masks throughout the piece represents not a cryptography for the audience to decipher, but an invitation to engage within the 'logic of sensation'.
- Year
- 2016
- Type of film
- Shorts
- Running Time
- 6mins 35secs
- Format
- digital h264
- Director
- fiona robertson
- Producer
- fiona robertson
- Co-Producer
- fiona robertson
- Executive Producer
- fiona robertson
- Editor
- fiona robertson
- Screenwriter
- fiona robertson
- Director of Photography
- fiona robertson
- Production Designer
- fiona robertson
- Sound
- fiona robertson
- Music
- fiona robertson
- Principal Cast
- katrine turner, niall turer, aidan turner
Please let us know if we need to make any amendments to this Film entry mailing us directly at
Last updated 15th March 2017


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The External Effects of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Reprioritization Efforts
(Redacted for Public Release)
Audit Report 05-37
September 2005
Office of the Inspector General
The Criminal Investigative Division (CID) is the primary component within the FBI responsible for overseeing FBI investigations of traditional crimes such as narcotics trafficking and violent crime. According to the FBI, the CID revised its organizational structure during FY 2004 in an effort to better reflect current trends in criminal activity.
The CID addresses issues four through eight of the FBI's national priorities (listed on page 2 in Chapter 1). The organizational structure of the CID consists of branches, which are further separated into sections and units that focus on specific crime areas. Prior to the FY 2004 reorganization, the CID's structure consisted of two branches: (1) Integrity in Government/Civil Rights, Financial Crimes, & Operational Support; and (2) Drug, Organized Crime, Violent Crimes and Major Offenders, and Criminal Intelligence.18 The restructuring involved a realignment of sections and units within two newly named branches: (1) National Crimes, and (2) Criminal Enterprise. Exhibit 2-1, on the following page, presents the current organizational structure of the CID.
Generally, the sections within each branch remained intact after the restructuring process. However, the Violent Crimes Section was moved from the new Criminal Enterprise Branch to the National Crimes Branch. Other than this shift, the National Crimes Branch (previously called the Integrity in Government/Civil Rights, Financial Crimes, & Operational Support Branch) did not experience further revisions.
The Criminal Enterprise Branch experienced more significant change than the National Crimes Branch. One of the primary modifications was the creation of the Americas Criminal Enterprise Section (ACES), which addresses drugs, gangs, and major thefts, and the Transnational Criminal Enterprise Section (TCES), which continues to investigate organized crime matters. These sections were formerly known as the Drug Section and Organized Crime (OC) Section.
In addition to its restructuring, the Criminal Enterprise Branch also experienced a major management policy change. In February 2004, the FBI Director approved the implementation of the Criminal Enterprise Plan, a strategy that provided the impetus for restructuring the CID.19 Essentially, the Criminal Enterprise Branch attempted to pool resources to enable the FBI to more effectively investigate criminal enterprises.
The CID previously operated with separate squads designated to oversee investigations of specific crimes using a set number of resources. However, with reduced criminal resources, the FBI has focused its investigations on higher-threat targets, particularly criminal enterprise organizations. The FBI concluded that most of today's criminal enterprises could not be addressed simply by crime type, as these organizations usually perpetrate a variety of crimes. Therefore, field agents are no longer allocated specifically to drug, organized crime, major theft, or street gang investigations. Beginning in FY 2005, these resources are considered as one allocation – called criminal enterprise – enabling field managers to assign staff to investigations according to case needs and an assessment of local threats.
According to a senior CID manager, the Criminal Enterprise Plan concept establishes a new mindset for the FBI. In the past, Special Agents in Charge (SAC) monitored "burn rates" to ensure they were utilizing agents at expected levels for distinct crime problems.20 However, the FBI reported that SACs were constantly frustrated trying to monitor burn rates while also attacking the most prominent crime threats. The Criminal Enterprise Plan attempts to alleviate this situation by providing field offices the flexibility to utilize resources to attack poly-criminal enterprise operations. According to senior CID officials, under the enterprise approach field office managers can assess the different facets of a case and assign agents with the requisite experience and skills to conduct the investigation. For example, using the criminal enterprise resource approach to investigate a street gang involved in theft, drugs, violence, and identity theft, a field office can develop a squad with expertise in each of those areas, similar to how the FBI creates an internal task force.
The Criminal Enterprise Plan was a major catalyst in restructuring the CID in that it realigned units and sections of the FBI. According to the FBI, the approach enabled a more fluid resource management approach to addressing criminal enterprise organizations, affording FBI field divisions flexibility in combating traditional crime problems with fewer resources.


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With autumn here and the holidays looming (in a good way!) this salad was a natural to put together, and the taste, let me tell you it is wonderful. Maple, beet, and feta might seem like a mismatched trio, but in truth, they play very well together.
A good rule of thumb regarding fresh beet salads is that the smaller and fresher the beets, the better the salad. Save the larger beets for winter over storage and cooking.
|Red Beet Salad with Cranberry Maple Vinaigrette
Red Beet Salad with Cranberry Maple Vinaigrette
by the seat of my pants
1/2 dried cranberries
1/2 c water
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c mild oil ( we use avocado oil)
1/4 c real maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
1/8 t salt
few grinds of pepper
4-6 small to medium beets, peeled and shredded (a spiralizer works great for this)
1 crisp red skinned apple
1/2 feta crumbles
Combine the dried cranberries and water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until most of the water has evaporated. Cover and remove from heat, let cool.
|Start to finish, simmered cranberries, vinaigrette in the making and beets ready to shred.
Combine the cooked and cooled cranberries, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper, and maple syrup. Puree in a blender. Set aside.
Peel and shred beets, Add dressing to the beets, stir well. Cover and refrigerate at least 2-4 hours. When ready to serve the salad, core and dice the apple, (do not peel). Toss with the beets and cranberry vinaigrette.
|Fresh beet salad, ready to serve and enjoy.
Thank you for visiting Our Sunday Cafe, as always we appreciate your time when you visit and your wonderful comments!
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this post shared with:
souper sundays @ kahakai kitchen
homestead blog hop @ not so modern housewife
full plate thursday @ miz helens
our simple homestead blog hop @ on the home front
foodie friday @ rattlebridge farm
friday favorites @ condo blues
weekend cooking @ beth fish reads
pink saturday @ how sweet the sound
tuesdays with a twist @ back to basics
the homestead hop @ floyd family homestead


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QPS have bulk ink feed systems available for most common wide format printers including Roland DG, Mimaki, Mutoh and more.
We also supply CISS systems for Epson desktop printers.
Bulk ink systems enable moderate/heavy users to lower their ink costs even further than simply replacing OEM ink with Nazdar cartridges, and also streamlines the production process through prolonged unattended printing without the fuss of changing cartridges, this also significantly reduces waste in the form of empty cartridges.
These systems have been designed with simplicity in mind and therefore require minimal user-intervention when running, ideal for the the busy wide-format print environment.
It will take a Nazdar Certified Technician just a few hours to carry out an installation.
For further information please email or call us on Tel: 01704 897575


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It was SO much fun and such an honor.
These cards/projects could only be seen in the Dirty Dozen gallery until now.
this card uses the Feb. 2013 KOM Lucky to Have You:
and it's NEVER too early for a little Christmas, is it?
THANKS for visiting and have a FABULOUS YOU day! You deserve it!


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Member Favorites: 0
Hyouma Takeda (武田 彪馬)First appearance: Chapter 329
He is a hunter from Kanagawa. He responded to Kurono's and Reika's call, to join the Tokyo team and fight against the invading aliens. He seems more interested in Reika, than the fight considering that he jealously asked Kato if he was Reika's boyfriend. Takeda seems to be more of a gentlemen type.
He assists his team in rescuing humans from the Mothership. When they are attacked, he attempts to retaliate using the H-Gun but he couldn't fire it as a human was caught by the three headed beast.
Voice ActorsNo voice actors have been added to this character. Help improve our database by searching for a voice actor, and adding this character to their roles here.


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Valley Yarns 379 Bilateral Cardigan
From looking at it, you'd never guess that this cropped Bilateral Cardigan is made from just two hexagons, but follow along and see how it works! Alternate two different skeins of Valley Yarns BFL Worsted Hand Dyed by the Kangaroo Dyer for subtle, blended colors, or make each hexagon with different skeins for a two-toned effect.
Learn more about this pattern on our blog!
Finished Chest Measurements: 32 (36, 40, 44, 48, 52)"
Yarn: 3 (3, 4, 4, 5, 5) skeins Valley Yarns BFL Worsted Hand-Dyed (100% Blue Faced Leicester Wool, 100g/216yds) color Midnight
Needles: US 9 (5.50 mm) 24"- 40" circular and DPNs
Gauge: 16 sts and 24 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch


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Join us as we explore the rich history, fascinating people and events that have made Bethlehem, Pennsylvania what it is today.
The Christmas City welcomes tens of thousands of visitors every holiday season, but Bethlehem shines year round. Nestled in the heart of the Lehigh Valley, you'll find a charming historic town responsible for creating many American firsts.
This city's a find for anyone who loves those "did you know" type questions. Did you know Bethlehem boasts the first Bach choir, and the first pumped municipal water system? Did you know that the oldest girls school in the American colonies started here?
There's a wealth of incredible things to know and experience in this extraordinary, ordinary town.
A small group of Moravians founded Bethlehem in 1741. The Protestant religious group's work ethic set them apart. Buildings still remain from that era, and today Bethlehem maintains the finest collection of 18th century Germanic style architecture in the U.S.
While things thrived during the industrial revolution in the 1900's, the city took a downturn in the seventies. Diversification, industrial parks and high tech businesses helped turn things around.
Musikfest, a ten-day music celebration generates business for the city too, and entertains about a million visitors each summer.
As we look to the future, developers hope their plan to build a casino and reuse former steel land will spark an even larger economic engine.
Go with us as we take you on a tour to meet the people, see the places and witness the events that experts say make this one of the best places to live in America. *
*Ranked according to Money Magazine among top 100 most livable places in America. 2006.


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About an hour from home is a bed and breakfast that I recently learned about. It it called Three Falls Cove. I wanted to check out the fall foliage and check out the place for a possible future weekend adventure.
The place has a spring fed pond and they stock it with fish so my husband was very interested. I was interested in the landscape.
I added the Phoebe texture from Kim Klassen Café's blog to this photo to soften it.
We arrived and a church group had rented the area for the entire day, but the owners said we could walk around and have a look.
My son discovered some cattails and had to touch one and make it burst into fluff.
I attempted to take a family photo.
And after lots and lots of attempts, my son was happy the photo session was finally over.
It was such a pretty fall day.
Tomorrow will be cold and maybe some snow Tuesday. I am glad we enjoyed this lovely day and some time together before I leave town for work.
Did you do anything different this weekend?
Linking to
Sweet Shot Tuesday @ My 3 Boybarians
Texture Tuesday @ Kim Klassen Cafe


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Chicago progressive metal act Divinity Compromised – featuring The Skull guitarist Lothar Keller on vocals – will release the sophomore album "Terminal" independently on July 28, 2017. The album is the follow up to the debut 2013 debut "A World Torn."
The band released the opening and title track "Terminal," which you can hear in the player below. The song features a guest appearance from Witch Mountain/Helion Prime vocalist Kayla Dixon.
"Terminal" features the following track listing:
1. Terminal
2. Shelter in Place
3. My Escape
4. The Definition of Insanity
5. The Last Refugee
6. Free to Speak
7. Legacy
8. The Fall of Æstoria
9. Saving Grace
Check out "Terminal" here:


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Beautiful Kitchen Fixture Remodels for Columbia Homes
You've had a dream for the perfect island in the center of your kitchen for years. It'll have a sink with two sides, an industrial garbage disposal that the kids can't clog no matter how hard they try, and your dream dishwasher. You have the plans for your additions, but you shouldn't rely on the general contractors for the repiping your island will require. You need kitchen plumbing remodeling performed by professionals experienced in plumbing renovation, and Aero Plumbing has been helping Columbia homeowners with their residential plumbing remodeling since 1946. We understand the desire to have a new kitchen. We've been owned and operated by the same family since our doors opened, and we love to gather around the table for some good food and family time. We understand that kitchen plumbing remodeling can turn this room into a new and improved version of itself.
Renovating Your Bathroom Plumbing
Of course, your renovations are not limited to your kitchen. After you've pulled miniature toy cars out of the garbage disposal for the millionth time, you need a relaxing bath in a spa tub. This work, too, requires separate expertise. When renovating your bathroom, you want to make sure that all of your new elements will work with your old piping system. There's no sense in spending the money to install new fixtures only to have another bill for replacing leaking lines if your old system can't handle them.
Contact Us in the Camden Area
When creating a brand-new kitchen and bathroom, you need a new construction plumber.This specialist focuses on your entire plumbing system, including your pipes and lines. Aero Plumbing helps residents in Columbia, Camden, Richland, Lexington, Kershaw and Fairfield counties with their water systems. You can rely on us to provide you with top-notch service every time. Call us today at 803-736-9300.


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If the phrase 'affiliate marketing' sounds like Greek to you, this is the guide you've been waiting for. Andrew Slack, MD of MoreNiche.com, gives a simple, easy-to-understand overview of the affiliate marketing industry, with ten handy tips to get you started. You could generate big returns from this online marketing strategy.
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a way of making money by referring people to purchase items online. More and more companies are starting to use this form of marketing to reward affiliates for generating website visitors to their business. Affiliates are only paid when sales are completed so it's an extremely cost-effective tool.
PC World, for example, pay a 5% commission for every visitor an affiliate recommends who makes a purchase. While it's a small commission, the affiliate is able to benefit from PC World's brand awareness which can often result in sales being generated on a regular basis.
Commissions range from as low as 1% with established retailers, right up to 75% on some digital products. The health and beauty industry is one of the most affiliate heavy markets, with average commissions around 30%.
How do I become an affiliate?
Becoming an affiliate is very simple and although each program may have their own criteria for approval, they are normally free to join and have no pre-requisites.
The best way to find suitable brands to promote is by simply using a search engine using: '[Brand] + Affiliate Program'. Some companies run in-house affiliate programs however, this is a very specialist area. Therefore, most companies opt to employ an 'affiliate network' which has already built a large base of affiliates and gained years of experience in running successful programs for clients.
You need to generate regular content and reviews around a certain topic. Typically the more content and research you generate the greater the likelihood of you generating significant sales, which is why I'd always recommend marketing something that interests you.
Top 10 tips on making money as an affiliate
1. Choose the correct niche. This is one of the biggest determining factors of whether you'll succeed in making money online.
If you enjoy camping, for example, then start off by looking at Millets or Blacks and you'll have hundreds of products to choose from. However, if you try and market something you don't enjoy just to make money then it's possible you'll get bored and give up.
2. Find the correct affiliate program. When comparing affiliate programs in your selected niche, you should consider more than just the amount of commission you'll earn.
The two most important elements we believe make a successful affiliate campaign include:
Can you speak to the affiliate manager in charge of the campaign? A good affiliate program will have a dedicated affiliate manager who should be very accessible and responsible for helping you make money.
Do the products or services you are considering promoting really stand out? Will they convert visitors into sales? Would you purchase it yourself?
If you answer no to either of these questions it might not be a product for you.
3. Find a mentor. When first starting out there's a steep learning curve. You will need to answer questions like, How to make a website? Which products should you promote? How can you get visitors to your website? Once the visitors are on your site, how do you convert them to sales?
I'd always recommend finding an affiliate network which offers a personal mentor, assigned to help you make money. MoreNiche currently runs a 14-day course which we think can turn anyone from a beginner into a fully functioning affiliate.
4. Join a community. In addition to a mentor, you should also consider joining a community of like-minded individuals. Here you can ask questions and get lots of unique feedback. Some leading affiliate forums include Affiliates4U, ABestWeb, and WickedFire.
5. Get a free blog. Use a free blogging platform like WordPress or Blogger to create a site for free which can start to make you money. They're completely free, can be setup in minutes and are extremely easy to use.
6. Stay Focused. It's very easy to get drawn into promoting lots of different products on the same site which, from a visitor's point of view, can be confusing. I'd recommend sticking to one topic on each of your websites.
Ensure you provide plenty of information about each product which will make the consumer feel knowledgeable enough to purchase after reading your site. It's essential you become a master of your niche and understand it inside out.
7. Don't spend money. The aim of affiliate marketing is to make money, but it's also very easy to spend money, which makes it harder to see a return. I'd suggest concentrating on free traffic generation while you find your feet, rather than spending money on Pay Per Click advertising.
When you become more experienced and knowledgeable you might want to think about buying new web addresses and paying for additional traffic generation.
8. Content is king. Until you have cash, content is your king. The more articles, product reviews, visitor feedback and information you can publish on your website (or blog), the greater the chance you have of attracting visitors to your website.
Search engines like to show fresh content so I'd recommend adding new pages to your website at least every few days. Make sure they're easily found by your visitors though a good side navigation or sitemap.
9. This is not a get rich quick scheme. You shouldn't expect to put up a website tonight and wake up in the morning with your first cheque; affiliate marketing is not a get rich quick scheme and does involve work.
I've seen affiliates from all walks of life, based all around the world and with completely different skill sets, but the one thing they all have in common is, dedication to their sites.
10. Enjoy it! Affiliate marketing should be enjoyable and you have the flexibility to work when you want, where you want, and on whatever niche you want.
A large percentage of affiliates earn money running sites as a hobby alongside their full-time job and many have been able to add significant second income streams by doing so.
Go about it the right way and you can learn a lot about the internet, your chosen niche, and consumer behaviour. By joining a community and working with a mentor there's also the chance to meet new people along the way, whilst making some money.
Find out more about MoreNiche.com
To help you on your business journey, we've created Smarta Business Builder, the complete online tools package for growing your business.
To help you on your business journey, we've created Smarta Business Builder, the complete online tools package for growing your business. Website Builder, Business Plans, Accounting Software, Legal Documents, and Email - all in one place - from just £20 per month with no contract! Try it out today.


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Our Team
The international team facilitate students' integration
EPITA international department encourages and develops student mobility and creates prestigious international programs. To facilitate students' integration, the international team oversees all administrative and pedagogic procedures that students must take care of.
International package offered
An international package is also offered, which includes :
- Airport pick-up.
- Assistance in finding an apartment near campus and signing the rental contract.
- Assignment of a French student as a mentor.
- Integration week: 3 nights off campus outside Paris. Accommodation, transportation, full board and activities are included in the price.
- Enrollment fee at EPIWorld association for the first year.
- Cultural activities on and off campus.
Multiple cultural activities, meetings and enriching experiences are set throughout the year.


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And now, it's 2014 and I still do! (on my mobile, lmao)
does ANYONE really use msn anymore?
LOL, I did that a lot a few years ago.
great idea
Looking to do a Zutara RP to get some ideas for my fanfic...which if I don't start and finish my fans will bite my ankels off. I'm a 21 yo male and I can play Zuko. (Yeah I know, I'm a dude and yes my fans request Zutara...and I give them Zutara lol) Rating on rp and fanfic will not exceed pg-13, no exceptions. I can download your chat engine of choice. Let me know, it's hard to find anyone who rp's anymore whats up with that?! Messege me if your interested, thanks! Want to get this rolling Asap!
teh best grounds to rp!
so do i
What is MSN? I role play but not on there...
hehe. i thought it was just me
Yessss I RP on MSN XD
I use the doodle function to draw my RP parts
I use the doodle function to draw my RP parts
I don't because what I want to role play my friends most likely won't
i need someone to rp with on skype ; n ;
Im new to RP and Im adictd! But i dont hav MSN soI just do it over email with my friend. I need a RPer RP with!
I do too!
I do this too.
That sounds fun
MSN the best
Deviantart and such you'll need to wait too long for a reply :/
Deviantart and such you'll need to wait too long for a reply :/
I do.
I do. XD
lol Does anyone actually do that? XD
Oh, I do. All the time.
Lyri: Believe me, I noticed...
Me: O.O
Lyri: Believe me, I noticed...
Me: O.O
any rps im open hit me up and we can start
I need MSN RP. Any dragon lovers out there that need some attention?
There is nothing better then Role play on msn. but, i have no one left to rp with on there. so i chose a website instead.
I role play o.o random person
I do a role play on myspace as well. if you want to roleplay! i need to or imma go insane.
IKR If I go to long without role playing I get all BLAH XD I role play here on DA using the chat MSN meebo Gaia never role played with myspace o.o
With myspace. It's cool cause you can create this profile for your character and poeple get to know them much better. I use windows live for my msn and it is also easier and fun to when you have four poeple in a party chat role playing too
You are not the only one my friend!
Yes! xD Almost every day.
*raises toast to MSN RPing*
*Toast to MSN RPing*
*toasts to MSN RPing*
I cannot favourite this stamp hard enough. OMG. Finally xD
Darn straight! My favorite way to do it.


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A skydiver. A first-time author. A nuclear submarine captain turned English tutor. A man in his nineties who walks to fight hunger. These are the residents of Sun Health Senior Living's three Life Care communities. Individuals living a carefree lifestyle surrounded in luxury while being as active as they want to be. Our nonprofit organization is home to more than 700 residents and includes:
- Grandview Terrace – located in Sun City West, Arizona
- La Loma Village – located in Litchfield Park, Arizona
- The Colonnade – located in Sun City Grand, Arizona
Our independent living communities offer unsurpassed amenities, resort-style living and acclaimed health and rehabilitation services. From independent and assisted living, to more concentrated rehabilitation, skilled nursing care and memory support, we offer successful aging programs designed to enhance the lives of each resident.
Each Sun Health Senior Living Arizona Life Care community offers an unsurpassed retirement experience, including:
- A variety of living arrangements and floor plans to suit every need
- Masterpiece Living®
- Resort-style amenities
- Distinctive dining options
- State-of-the-art fitness centers with indoor pools
- On-site movie theaters and activity rooms
- Daily scheduled outings and enrichment classes
- Endless recreational activities
- Seamless health and rehabilitation services
For over 40 years, Sun Health has been an innovator in developing healthy living programs that enrich the lives of all it serves. When you choose a Sun Health Life Care community, you are building a relationship with an industry leader.


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Esearch shared this in our Facebook group but I wanted to put this opportunity out to a wider audience with a blog post. Many of us have done studies for Esearch in the past and they are a reliable research firm. Hope some folks get accepted into this study- fantastic pay 🙂
$350.00 Product Testing Opportunity for parents with kids 3-8 months old. Esearch.com will be recruiting parents starting next week. If you're not already a panel member, please join at http://www.esearch.com/join/ And please pass this on to other parents with babies. We need several hundred for this opportunity.


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FREE Mother/daughter tea plus Investing 101 Seminar at Vienna Coffee
May 3, 2017
My sweet friend Ashley Morrell Anderson is hosting a mother/daughter tea and class on investments at Vienna on May 11. It's free. Here are the details:
Investing 101 Tea Party on May 11
ATTENTION Women and Girls: You're invited to a tea party on Thursday, May 11, at 5:00 PM. There will be tea, scones, and a brief learning session on investing (just the basics)! Bring a friend, mother, or daughter! Crayons will be available for younger girls.
Topic: Investing 101 from Morrell Investment Management, Inc.
Date/Time: May 11, 5:00-6:00 PM
Location: Vienna Coffee House*
RSVP (optional): 865-981-1439
*Vienna Coffee House is located at 212 S. College Street in Maryville. We will meet in the conference room.
Entry filed under: Events, Local Business. Tags: .
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This is of course a VERY rough draft, but you get the basic idea. I think I am in love with it. I'm not sure exactly how I would do the details, like the stems and such, but I think it would be so fun for a little girl. Perhaps my little girl?! (I sure wish I didn't have so many other projects that were first in line....) :)
Oh, and I really love the fabric that Rachel used, so I would definitely go with a softer pallet. Not too bright, with a cream background (not my usual first choice, but I would like it here. ok, maybe white. I don't know).


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Next Episode of The Cyril Fletcher Show is
not planed. TV Show was canceled.
The Cyril Fletcher Show was a sketch series which was broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom. It featured Cyril Fletcher in a variety of short sketches.
Looks like something went completely wrong!
But don't worry - it can happen to the best of us,
- and it just happened to you.
Please try again later or contact us.


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Clark County soon might give the Las Vegas Monorail Company permission to extend its route along the Strip.
After a nearly nine-month hiatus, the monorail company is scheduled to appear before county commissioners Wednesday to request land-use permits for a 1-mile extension south from MGM Grand to Luxor and Mandalay Bay resorts.
The monorail company also will seek the commission's permission to continue drawing from a long-standing escrow account to pay for design and engineering costs while financing is acquired for the more than $100 million project.
Monorail spokeswoman Ingrid Reisman said the company would not give any interviews on the project until after the meeting Wednesday.
Expansion plans forming
Talks of expanding the monorail to connect convention centers along the Strip have been occurring for close to two years.
Urgency for the project was renewed after planners said the monorail could be a public transportation option for pedestrians traveling to a NFL stadium being built west of Mandalay Bay. In July the monorail company paid $2.5 million for a 35-unit apartment complex sitting on a 0.9 acre plot at 93 E. Reno Ave., which is expected to lie in the monorail's new route.
But the project has been delayed while the monorail company has revised the new route.
The route proposed a year ago had to be changed because it could damage or block a water pipeline vital to the Strip. The Southern Nevada Water Authority is OK with the new route, agency spokesman Bronson Mack said.
The new route would place support footings on McCarran International Airport property along the south side of Reno Avenue that is leased to Atlantic Aviation and The Ribeiro Companies.
Airport spokesman Chris Jones said the monorail company must reach agreements with those businesses and receive approval of its plans by the Federal Aviation Administration before the extension can be built.
"Any approval next week would be conditional on the resolving the issues, and that's currently a work in progress," Jones wrote in an email.
Atlantic Aviation and The Ribeiro Companies did not return the Review-Journal's request for comment Thursday, but Reisman wrote in the email that the monorail company is working with the two companies and the FAA.
Project needs funding
How the monorail extension will be financed is unknown, but the company plans to pay for costs leading up to the construction by borrowing money from a "doomsday account" meant to pay for the demolition of the monorail should it ever need to be removed.
The account was established in 2000 with $6 million. In May 2016 the county allowed the monorail company to begin withdrawing the account's interest earnings to pay for the design and engineering of a route expansion. That agreement expired in March.
The monorail company will ask commissioners for permission to continue withdrawing the interest earnings through March 31, 2018. County CFO Jessica Colvin said about $800,000 remains.
Any money withdrawn collects interest at a rate of 4 percent a year. If financing for the extension is not closed before July, the proposed agreement states the monorail company will begin making monthly repayments of $16,666.
The monorail company is also asking commissioners to sign a resolution that would allow the company to ask the county for up to $4.5 million a year in excess resort corridor room tax revenues to pay for the maintenance of monorail track if no other money is available.
"It's at the (county commission's) absolute full discretion to say yes or no," Colvin said.
Contact Michael Scott Davidson at firstname.lastname@example.com or 702-477-3861. Follow @davidsonlvrj on Twitter.


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Moxie Marlinspike discussed the SSL Null Prefix Attack several weeks ago at BlackHat. Due to flaws in the handling of SSL Certificates, at the time of his talk, all browsers were vulnerable. Shortly after the talk Mozilla patched Firefox for the flaw. Unfortunately, other browsers have not yet followed suit.
What does this mean for you? There is now a ficiticious paypal certificate in the wild. The certificate looks like this:
If you are using a browser other than Firefox, your browser will determine the above certificate to be valid for SSL connections to paypal.com. This means that an attacker with this certificate can execute a Man-In-The-Middle attack against your connections to PayPal and your browser will not alert you to anything. Again, because the non-FF browsers believe the certificate to be legitimate.
It's time for the other browsers to catch up and patch this flaw ASAP.
-Michael Coates


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What a hectic couple of months, as with work commitments and every day life, it's certainly had an impact in regards to my ability on posting regular updates on my blog. But fear not I have still been very busy on the hobby front' and as you can see in the pictures. I'm really enjoying the project and it's probably one of the best bits when you look back and see things starting to really take shape. I'm still working on other chaos stuff which are under development and hopefully over the next couple of weeks I'll be able to showcase them.
Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Sunday, 15 March 2015
My 40k BATTLE ZONE MORTALIS board set.
Like most of us I cannot justify spending money to buy an official one from forge world, so I have decided to have a go at making one myself. And as always I'm looking to keep things as cheap as physically possible, using materials that you can easily get around the house. So after I did a little bit of research I realise that I plan to make a 4X4 boards worth of tiles Plus in time I'm going to make little bits and pieces of scenery as well as bulkheads doors, to make things look a little bit more realistic.
The tiles themselves are very simple to make, using polystyrene cardboard formboard and textured paint.
A simple project and hopefully it will inspire you to make your own as you can see of hundreds of pounds doing it yourself and as always with a little bit of work, it's easily enough done, and looks great on the table top.
For painting I wanted it to be dark and Gothic I didn't want to much colour which and I also ruled out painting the floor silver as I thought it didn't look quite right. As things stand I'm really pleased and in time Will definitely be doing a couple of other little bits and pieces to add a little bit more character to the boards look over all.
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text: We have a Delfield ST-4248 commercial refrigerator with prep top in good condition. Unit has been refurbished and is in perfect working order. The prep top is brand new and just added to the table. Refrigeration works flawlessly. Save thousands and have the reliability of Delfield and also our years of expertise. Warranty is included with all our products and you may purchase an extended warranty as well.


text:
Sales leads
Budget $10-30 AUD
Need to find out different company contact detaisl from google and etc search engine.
13 freelancere byder i gennemsnit $31 på dette job
Hi, Are you looking for SEO service ? Ranking ? Organic Traffic ? leads ? All are connected directly or indirectly connected with SEO & SMO because business as a general rule of thumb, sites that appear higher up in Flere
Hello there, Please send me message. I will provide a sample for you to prove our ability before awarding. I have read description carefully and I understand your project concern and ready to start immediately. I wil Flere
Hi we are expert in sales. Votiko is established in 2004. Votiko has 45+ superstar telemarketers Team available to provide telemarketing service. At votiko, we have a professional, high performing and vibrant wor Flere
Hi, I can help you out wit your requirements , Can you please send me a Message so that we can discuss about your requirements in brief. Thanks.
Hi, We have 6+ year's experience in SEO and Marketing. We have done many websites SEO and achieve good position ranking using white hat method. We do work step by step. We will build strategy to improve your sit Flere
Hello dear, Hope you are doing well . I have 127k email leads which you can use for promoting music related products and service. Feel free to contact me if you are interested. thanks Heron
Hi, we do sales leads and leads gen with other companies, currently have campaign's on two eCommerce companies for this type of work. Happy to offer a free trial for you to sample our experience and expertise. On Flere
Currently my vacations are going on , so i am completely free and can dedicate my whole time on this and give you results faster
Hi, We have gone through your project details and we assure you that we can do it as we got all the skills required for this project. We have already completed a lot of similar projects in the past so it is ou Flere
Hi! I have here a list of Assorted Small and Mid Level Businesses & Companies. Name of the Business, Address, Business phone number, and there Website, and Emails. UK and US


text:
Westport-Weston Family Y offers new classes for special-needs children
Two new classes for children with special needs -- a yoga course and one in arts and crafts -- are being offered by the Westport Weston Family Y.
Both are geared to children ages 6 to 12.
The five-week yoga class begins Friday, March 7, and will be conducted from 4:15 to 5 p.m. each Friday. The class will be taught by Mary Beth Colleran, a special education teacher with the Bridgeport public schools who also is a certified yoga instructor, the Y said.
The cost $90 for Y members, $130 for non-members. The class will be limited to five students, and parents may take the course with their children for free, the Y said.
The six-week arts and crafts course begins Thursday, April 3, and will be conducted from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. each Thursday. The Y said plans are for participants to leave each class with a completed project to take home.
The fee is $80 for Y members and $120 for non-members.
To register for either program, visit www.westporty.org. For more information, email Meg George at email@example.com or call her at 203-226-8981.


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Christie Betker threw a pair of complete games, striking out 17 batters in total, as the McPherson College softball team swept Sterling College, 6-2 and 2-0, in a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) doubleheader Thursday night at the Sterling High School diamond.
Betker, who pushed her season total to 177 strikeouts, broke her own single-season mark of 160 set a year ago.
Game 1 McPherson 6, Sterling 2
The Warriors grabbed an early lead as Tiana Bonde led off the second inning with a solo home run.
The Bulldogs responded with a run in the top of the third as Kylecia Taylor led off the frame with an infield single, then scored on a triple to deep right by Taylor Hires-Caulk.
McPherson pushed the lead to 5-1 with four runs in the fourth. After loading the bases on a walk and a pair of base hits, Destiny Bacon and Taylor rapped back-to-back RBI singles to short. Taylor Perez and Hires-Caulk followed with consecutive sacrifice flies before Sterling finally got out of the inning with a groundout back to the circle.
The Warriors got one run back in the bottom half of the frame as Dominique Salgado doubled in Miranda Escalera.
The Bulldogs answered in the top of the fifth as Jenna Christensen scored on a Bacon RBI single. McPherson left two on in the sixth and one in the seventh but could not add to their lead.
McPherson retired Sterling in order in both the fifth and sixth innings and Betker worked around a one-out error in the seventh by striking out the final two batters of the game.
Betker took the win, allowing just one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out 12.
McPherson had 11 hits, including two each from Ali Smith, Bacon and Taylor. Bacon and Hires-Caulk each drove in a pair.
Christensen hit a double, drew a pair of walks and scored twice.
Mia Luques took the loss in the circle for Sterling, while Salgado and Bonde each had a hit and an RBI.
Game 2 --- McPherson 2, Sterling 0
Betker and Stella DeLuca engaged in a pitcher's duel early on in game two with the Warriors stranding a runner in each of the first two innings.
McPherson didn't get its first base-runner until the third inning when Perez hit a one-out single to shallow right-center. Nothing would come of that base-runner, but the Bulldogs broke throuw for a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. Conrad led off the inning with a single through left side and stole second before coming around on a Maile Deutsch (Palmer, Texas, Ennis HS) RBI double. Christensen followed with another RBI double to score Deutsch, which signaled the end of DiLuca's night.
The Warriors got out of the inning with a couple of groundouts and a strikeout. Sterling loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the frame on a pair of walks and a hit batter, but Tiah Grass popped out to Taylor in foul territory to end the inning.
Betker worked around a walk and a single to open the fifth and retired the Warriors in order in the sixth. She struck out the first two batters in the seventh, then allowed back-to-back singles to put the game-tying run in scoring position but Escalera popped out to short to end the game.
Betker struck out five while scattering four hits and five walks in the complete-game shutout.
Deutsch had two hits, including a double, and an RBI to lead the Bulldogs offensively.
DiLuca took the loss, allowing two runs on four hits while pitching into the fourth. Byanka Diosdado gave up just two hits and walked one while striking out three.
Chica Bati had two of Sterling's four hits from the leadoff spot in the order.


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American Family Insurance this week announced it's offering its Minnesota customers a $99 Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm for free.
The device, made by Google-owned gadget developer Nest Labs, sounds the normal loud alert tones inside of a house when deadly smoke or carbon monoxide is detected. It also connects via Wi-Fi to the homeowner's computing devices: desktop, tablet, phone or wrist. In that way, someone who is out of their house can get a warning that the Nest Protect has detected something wrong.
American Family wants to use its Minnesota customers as a test for usage of such devices. It is offering a 5 percent discount on homeowners' insurance to customers who accept and activate the device and allow American Family to monitor one specific thing: that it is actually on.
"If we find out the battery is dead, we'll get in touch with the customer," Janet Masters, spokeswoman for Madison-based American Family, said. "We may even send a battery to replace it."
The value for the insurer is that broader use of such warning devices may help prevent losses, Masters said. "Our innovation group has taken a lot of interest in home automation," she said.
Minnesota is the first state in American Family's testing of the Nest Protect device, which came out in 2013. "We'll evaluate how customers respond," Masters said.
Nest on Wednesday announced that the device, along with several others, is about to be updated. Nest went all through 2014 without rolling out any new products and, with sales leveling out, the company is looking for new ways to reach customers. Its CEO mentioned its work with insurers in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
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This fun sketch is from Jen's Deconstructed Sketch, and its a great one. Completely perfect for my love of these Fishtail Flags STAX Die-namics. You *are* going to pick those babies up right? I have a feeling they're going to fly off the shelves! I've also cut all my circles today with the Circle STAX Die-namics (both sets.) The circles are anchored on the Open Scallop Doily Die-namics.
Do you see the Pinking Border Die-namics peeking out behind the number grid layer? What a fun, easy to use element. I love the little bit of detail it adds without detracting from your overall project.


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Content Scramble System (CSS) is a data encryption and authentication scheme intended to prevent copying video files directly from DVD-Video discs. CSS was developed primarily by Matsushita and Toshiba. Each CSS player licensee is given a key from a master set of 409 keys stored on every CSS-encrypted disc. The theory was to allow a license to be revoked by removing its key from future discs. The CSS decryption algorithm exchanges keys with the drive unit to generate an encryption key that is then used to obfuscate the exchange of disc keys and title keys that are needed to decrypt data from the disc. DVD players have CSS circuitry that decrypts the data before it's decoded and displayed, and computer DVD decoder hardware and software must include a CSS decryption module. All DVD-ROM drives have extra firmware to exchange authentication and decryption keys with the CSS module in the computer.
DVD Ghost is a software which can help you enjoy Region-free DVD movies. Click here to download and enjoy its trial version.


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Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Random Harvest
22 comments:
Gorgeous outfit! I just adore your tulle skirts....ReplyDelete
I love the song that you chose for this post! In fact I just saw The Piano Guys last Saturday in concert and they actually played that song all on the same piano like in the YouTube video. If anyone's curious, here's the link to post I did about the event: http://chumaniphotography.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-piano-guys-and-lyceum-orchestra_12.html
I love your dress.
I am wondering...what lip color you might be wearing? I love it too.
Lovely! Dress. Book. Story. Everything. Good job taking time for yourself. If I lived closer I'd swing by for a dose of Bleak House. That ending is such a relief!ReplyDelete
This is surely Anne of Green Gables worthy...ReplyDelete
Wow, that dress is beautiful Kellie! AlexReplyDelete
Oh, Kellie, this dress is stunning! You look like a dream in it, and your grey tulle skirt works perfectly underneath (and over top!)ReplyDelete
So beautiful :)
I'm glad you took the time to create something just for you.
Have a beautiful evening!
Your new dress is beautiful! I love the fabric and the piping. You did a terrific job. : )ReplyDelete
What a perfect summer outfit for the contra dance! What a beautiful blend of Tulle and linen ! I love the description from Hilton about autumn while looking at this grey tulle skirt. You can almost feel the grey blanket of fog and cool mist of the late fall eves. And, if I could stop by the Wall Tent Studio for a visit this evening, I would come armed with wonderful lavender shortbread cookies from a recipe I found. Lavender Fields was the gift that keeps on re-creating itself and the perfect late summer cookie with tea. What time is the visit?ReplyDelete
Ohh, with Fall rapidly approaching, it would be too fun to peek at the preview board in your studio full of ideas getting marshaled into the new KFD fall line!
Kellie, that dress is so beautiful! From the beautiful floral to the accent of the blue bias trim. It's divine!ReplyDelete
The Day after Day dress has actually been on my list of dresses to copy too! :P
How nice it would be to have a nice little visit to the Wall Tent Studio! "Sigh..."
The Middle Sister and Singer
Your dress is lovely!ReplyDelete
Oh wow. Hilton does description like few others. <3
Loverly, loverly frock, Dahling! Very Molly Gibson--reminds me of the dress she wears when we see her as a young woman for the first time. Love the colors in yours--so cheery and Summery. And the piping--the perfect touch!ReplyDelete
See you later! :-D
God bless,
Major book envy!! And loving the dress - so perfect for contra dancing. :)ReplyDelete
That dress is darling, and I just love that ring you are wearing! :)ReplyDelete
Such a gorgeous dress! I'm sure it was fun to dance in. :) The fabric you used is so pretty and kinda reminds me of the feedsack dresses from the 1930's.ReplyDelete
What a beautiful frock! I love it with the tulle skirt underneath as a petticoat, but I also love it with the tulle on the outside.(: That grey tulle is gorgeous!ReplyDelete
Ooh, and a bit of Bleak House sounds wonderful! I've got such a pile of books on my reading list at the moment, and I think I may have to add some Dickens to the pile.(;
Decked Out in Ruffles
Hey Kellie,ReplyDelete
I want to ask you a fashion question for a blog post that I am going to be putting up in the future. Is there some way that I can contact you? email? You can email me at: boyerfamilysingers(at)gmail(dot)com. Thank you so much!
The Middle Sister and Singer
Gorgeous Kellie! Love the floral pattern and the quote! What a lucky (book) thrift find!ReplyDelete
Loved every bit of this post!ReplyDelete
Your dress is so sweet! Absolutely darling. =]
I love old books so much! They are so much more beautiful than any new book could be.
And we had to rent the movie cause we hadn't ever seen it. It was SO good! I love Greer Garson and Ronald Colman is definitely going on my list of 'must see more of's. =]
When we finished the movie my Mom said, We should own this one. Ha ha.. So, it definitely scored big. =]
You're about to make my day! Thanks so much for leaving a comment - I absolutely love to hear from you!


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Auto Detect Keywords from Meta TagHelp December 22nd, 2009
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Where it's ready, click OK and these keywords will be added for the profile.
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It's Completely Free! Download CuteRank Free Edition now and enjoy the easy of checking your keyword rankings on multiple search engines, and more!
Posts you may be also interested in
4 Responses to "Auto Detect Keywords from Meta Tag"
Tweets that mention Auto Detect Keywords from Meta Tag | CuteRank -- Topsy.com Says:
December 23rd, 2009 at 12:24 AM
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Barry Nutley, CuteRank. CuteRank said: CuteRank Tips Auto Detect Keywords from Meta Tag http://bit.ly/8Zsdjm […]
ekspos rakyat Says:
January 18th, 2011 at 8:07 PM
great software.. very helpful
farazeee Says:
April 12th, 2011 at 3:52 AM
thanks this is really helpfull.
Glenn Ferrell Says:
December 19th, 2012 at 1:31 AM
Ignore last question I see this is v3.5.6 feature and I haven't installed the update yet.


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Will your company's traditional pension plan be there when you retire, and what can you do now to prepare for the possibility that it might not be there?
The last few years have seen the implosion of several major corporate pension plans, particularly in the airline and steel industries. Hundreds of other companies have reported to the federal government that if their pension plan ended today, they wouldn't have enough money to pay their future obligations.
But there are steps you can take to assess the solvency of your company's pension plan and to put a contingency plan in place in the event the pension plan runs into trouble.
First, try to get as accurate a picture as possible of the true health of your employer's pension plan. Unfortunately, this isn't easy. Companies must disclose in their annual report the funding ratio for the "current liability" of their pension plan-how well they're able to meet current retiree payments. But they don't have to report how well they're funded in the event the plan is frozen or terminated.
For example, according to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the federal agency that backs most defined-benefit pension plans, the pension plan for U.S. Airways' pilots had reported shortly before the company filed for bankruptcy that its current liability was 94-percent funded. Yet, after the bankruptcy filing, the pilots learned that the plan was only 33-percent funded on a termination basis.
To get the most recent information available, go directly to the plan administrator. Check to see if the PBGC covers the plan. Funding numbers typically change, so you'll need to monitor them. Current liability funding often moves with the markets. Compare the plan's net asset value at the start of the year with its value at the end of the year.
Assess the overall financial soundness of the company and the industry. Is the company's credit good or bad? A company's financial health can change quickly, of course-how many employees of United Airlines in the late 1990s would have thought their company would file for bankruptcy a few years later? But the long-term outlook for a company and industry at least provides some measure of the company's ability to fund the plan's obligations.
What happens to your pension payments if the worst happens-the plan is terminated? Pension plans pay insurance fees into the PBGC, which in turns takes over making pension payments should a particular plan fail. The problem for retirees is that the government agency is limited to how much it can pay out per worker.
For example, the maximum payment from PBGC for someone retiring in 2005 at age 65 is $45,614 a year, or $3,801 a month. At age 60, they'd receive a maximum of $29,649 a year. Thus, higher-paid employees won't receive all of what they would have received from their plan.
For example, some United Airlines pilots retiring at the mandatory age of 60 are qualified to receive $100,000 a year in annual benefits, or $8,333 a month. Yet the most they'll receive monthly from PBGC will be $2,471.
Furthermore, PBGC bases payments on money earned up to the point the plan terminates. You can't earn additional benefits. If you're 55 and work another 10 years at the company, your payments will be smaller than if the plan had remained solvent until you reached age 65.
What can workers do to minimize the impact of a potential pension insolvency?
Move on: The most drastic, but sometimes necessary move, is to change employers or even industries. You might then take a lump-sum payout from the pension plan (if allowed) and roll it over into an IRA, though you should discuss this with your financial advisor before doing so.
Build your own pension plan: If you stick with your employer, contribute to that employer's defined-contribution plan, such as a 401(k), if available, or contribute to an IRA or consider annuities. You'll control these accounts.
Go easy on company stock: If the company's pension plan is in bad shape, the stock is likely to be in bad shape, too.
Decrease risk in other areas of your portfolio: Guaranteed pension plans are usually viewed as a lower-risk source of income, so if the plan is in doubt, you'll want to reduce portfolio risk in other areas.
Paul Coan is managing partner with Wealth Planning & Management LLC, a fee-only registered investment advisor, and author of "Asset Protection and Wealth Preservation." Views expressed here are the writer's.
Source: XMLAr02800.xml


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Everyone's talking about Madonna's upcoming Super Bowl performance, as they should. She is THE Queen of POP, after all! Rumor has it that Elton John made yet another dig at her, saying "Make sure you lip-synch good!" Let's ignore his minor grammar mistake, shall we? He is an icon, and deservedly so. However, it all gets me thinking. I don't know if any of you watch Wendy Williams (talk show host de Jerzey, PREMIER!), but those of you who do may recall when she spoke about this issue a few weeks ago. Wendy stated that she'd rather see Madonna, and other dance-type performers, like Janet and Britney (in her hey-day) lip-synch and dance, as opposed to stand and actually sing, and I agree! I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure it's almost physiologically impossible to sing beautifully while doing a complex, physically taxing dance routine. Even the strongest people can only exert their bodies to a certain extent. Y'all may not believe me, but even Beyoncé (allegedly) rerecords live versions of her dancier tracks for performances, adding vocal flourishes here and there to fool us into thinking that she's singing live, and that's fine! I'm down for buying into the illusion. She has the ballads to prove her vocal prowess. You have to be practically immortal to be able to dance and sing at the same time. Beyoncé is one of the best dancers out of all POP stars currently around, so if she has to (allegedly) mime the dance numbers, that's fine with me. I want to see her shake her groove thang. Lots of people can sing; not everyone has the capacity to memorize and then perform a set of intricate choreography.
With all that said, Madonna has practically reached god-like status, and understandably so. After years of complaints about her (alleged) lip-synching, she sang live on her last two tours. Using what sounded like auto-tune type plugins to work out various vocal kinks, she was able to dance and sing at the same time, which takes some sort of immortal stamina - I think she made a deal with the devil. The only other performer who's able to do both simultaneously is P!nk, and she was a gymnast for years.


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Oyun için yorum yapılmamış. Yukarıdaki alandan ilk yorumu siz gönderebilirsiniz.
- How to Play ? : Here is a wonderful intelligence game. If you trust your intelligence and your skills about combining clues this game is just for you. You have to solve all codes to be able to escape from the room you are in. Good luck.
Tags :
Played : This Game Played 6793 times.
Points : ./5
Date & Category : 28.02.2014 - Hidden Object Games


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…how my Vietnam project is progressing, the answer is 'It doesn't' and here's the reason why. Now that I'm done with it, I have every intention to spend some more time with those Flashpoint minis.
I must however admit that I'm not sorry for being distracted – this little Zero from Airfix turned out to be a lovely little kit and I enjoyed working on it quite a lot. And I dare say that it may very well be my best build since I've started making model kits again.


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It's a little strange to talk about the "Chinese circus," because it frames the art in Western terms. The world of Chinese acrobatics and variety is a vast, ancient and revered art form. It contains elements of Peking Opera, Shaolin martial arts (kung fu), spiritual Qi Gong study and street performance. Its history ranges through Confucius (whose father was an acrobat), the Great Wall period, Kublai Khan and even the Cultural Revolution.
Every year, more history unfolds in tiny paragraphs from books, the internet or my own travels. My husband and I (we're clowns) have been lucky enough to work in China six times, including competing in a "circus" competition (it's an acrobatic competition in their parlance). I wish I could share with you Peking Opera-- the art form Jackie Chan was trained in-- where opera, kung fu, acrobatics, juggling and theater all mix into one form. Imagine a Broadway show on steroids. Someday I hope a Lion Dance like I saw in China comes to the States, so that you could see the breath-taking partner acrobatics balanced atop dangerously high poles inside of a huge lion puppet that comes to life with blinking eyes, wagging tails, and comical personality.
Alas, this blog will have to do. Here are a few quick notes on Chinese circus and the world it comes from. I hope you someday also fall in love with Chinese circus and enjoy it as much as our own Western form.
First of all, Chinese acrobats are real artists, too. My Western peers casually comment on Chinese circus as if it were easy. Well, the Chinese just do that, they were born that way, or -- the worst -- they must have been forced to do that. This happens with contortion, especially. It's easy for her, she was born with double joints, it's nothing special.
Well, no, it is not easy for her. She has trained for many many years to do that. In the Western mind, we think nothing of a bevy of young girls standing on their bleeding toes for ballet, or for boys to wear thick pads for football. In China, the circus is valued as a celebrated art form, not merely kids' entertainment as it is often considered here in the States, and many towns have a circus training club. Just like in ballet and sports, only a very small percentage make it professionally. You are seeing the best of the best, and it took a long time and a lot of practice to get there; it's hard everywhere in the world to do a solid handstand.
Circus is an ancient art form in China. What we Westerners think of as circus is equestrian-based, and was only started relatively recently by English trick rider Philip Astley in 1768. In China, however, it has a tradition of over 2,000 years, and really got its groove on during the Han dynasty, around 100 BC. In particular, Wuqiao, a city 170 miles south of Beijing, is credited as the birthplace, and it is said that everyone in this town participates in the circus in some way. Every two years, an international circus competition happens in Wuqiao, and the world still comes to them to find the best new acts.
Modern American circus is influenced by Chinese technique. When Traces, Birdhouse Factory, and many other circus shows came to The New Victory Theater, audiences saw young Western acrobats doing classical Chinese acts like Chinese pole and hoop diving. That's because many of these performers came from San Francisco, and had been trained by Master Lu Yi, the former artistic director of the Nanjing Troupe in China. He has been there for more than two decades, passing on techniques to students who specifically go to California to train with him. Here's a quick video of him teaching.
Chinese circus traditionally uses ordinary objects in extraordinary ways. You may see plates, hats, urns, umbrellas, bikes and chairs in a Chinese circus. Even hoop diving, which looks unusual to modern eyes, was from the wooden hoops that held a mesh to clean grain, and the now common "Chinese pole" was originally bamboo. In ancient China, a great way to sell your wares was to gather a crowd and perform with your sales items. If a performer can stack 6 chairs and do a handstand on top, first of all, you're going to notice and watch, and even more importantly, you know those chairs are high quality and worth buying.
Many Chinese acts are "ground" acts, meaning that they are performed on the ground. Most classical Chinese acts are from the old tradition of the marketplace and outdoor performance. Aerial work is a European circus tradition, which requires extensive rigging and which came about fairly recently; Jules Leotard invented the flying trapeze in 1859. Techniques have been crossing oceans, and the Chinese are now performing aerial just as Western circus artists now use classical Chinese apparatuses. One example of this exchange is China's neighbor, North Korea, which has exceptional and innovative flying trapeze troupes. Women often star in these acts, performing astounding tricks that rival their Western, traditionally male-starring counterparts.
Clowns are not often in modern Chinese circus, though there are clowns to be found in Chinese history, most notably in Peking Opera. The most famous clown in Chinese history is Yu Sze, the court jester during the building of the Great Wall. It is said he saved thousands of lives in his interactions with the Emperor. In Peking Opera, famous to Western tourists who take home small trinkets of the elaborately painted faces of the characters, the clown actually wears far less makeup than you might expect, the inverse of our Western circus clown tradition.
Instead of a red nose and painted face, the Chinese "chou" has a small white patch between his or her eyebrows and the rest is a natural face color. I was fortunate to see some famous Peking Opera clown performers in Shanghai, and I was amazed at the expressiveness of such a small rectangular spot of white. Every emotion contracted or expanded easily, and it appeared that the performers built the spot to suit their individual face, much as our Western clowns create their own makeup.
Large group acts are common. Western circus is based on the star system, and often in high-end circuses, performers do only one act. That's not so with a Chinese troupe, as the majority of the performers do multiple routines in a show. Watch the performers closely, and you'll recognize the base in the hat routine as the high jumper in the hoop dive act and the pole act. The plate-spinning women may also be in the contortion and diabolo acts. (Diabolo is also called the Chinese yo-yo, and it is not uncommon to see retirees playing with it early in the morning in the parks.) Much like a corps de ballet, this multi-disciplinary training approach gives greater flexibility in creating a show, helps prepare newer performers, and uses unison choreography to great effect. When you do see a soloist, it is someone who has reached the pinnacle of training and technique.
Whew! Now that you've got a little more background information on the rich history of Chinese circus, keep a close eye on the acts you'll see in Cirque Ziva. I hope you'll appreciate the twisting contortionists and precise tumblers even more than before.
Image source
Christina Gelsone works with her husband, Seth Bloom, as the Acrobuffos. Since becoming clown partners in 2006, they have created 5 shows together, competed in international circus festivals, performed in over 20 countries, juggled on Letterman, were featured in The New York Times, and headlined at the Big Apple Circus. The couple, who married each other in Hangzhou, China, also recently presented their new work for family audiences, Air Play, at The New Victory Theater as part of the New Victory LabWorks Artist Residency Program. Their websites are acrobuffos.com and airplayshow.com.


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Princess Miri: An Erotic Coming of Age Monster Romance by Cerys du Lys
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This book was.....well, it was super naughty and kinky. Mostly WAY too naughty and kinky, at least for me. Don't get me wrong - I am not a prude in any way, shape, or form, and I do enjoy really hot and graphic sex scenes, but this was quite a bit out of my comfort zone. When I read the title and the descriptor "An Erotic Coming of Age Monster Romance," I imagined that it would be a twisted version of Beauty and the Beast. Yeah, the guy she's getting it on with is a Troll, but I figured he would still be portrayed as human - just maybe oversized and ugly. Yeah, not really. Thump (the troll) is described more as an animal than a human. Towards the end of the story Miri teaches him to speak, somewhat, but even then he gives off the vibe that he is still only an above average beast, or a severely mentally handicapped human. His physical "attributes" *ahem* run a little too closely along the lines of a farm animal, and then in the last chapter, Miri's enemy Fleur actually crosses that line into semi-bestiality when she is seduced by a centaur. Ermmmm, once again, not really my thing.
I can see where the author was trying to go with this - I think. It seemed as though it was supposed to be a story about an evil princess who looks past the physical appearance of a gruesome "monster", and sees the good underneath. She then falls in love with this "monster" and in the process discovers the good in herself and civilizes the beast. However, the story never quite achieved this goal for me because I kept getting sidetracked by the grossness of the sex scenes. I mean for eff's sake, she kept describing the yellowness of Thump's teeth, and the way he would drool all over Miri during sex. Yuck! Not exactly a hot mental image.
On the plus side (and the only reason I gave this book 2 stars instead of 1) it is very well written. A lot of times with Erotica, the story, grammar, punctuation, dialogue, is non-existent or so horrendously written that I can't even make myself read it. Cerys du Lys writes beautifully and tries to weave a story in between the sex scenes. Unfortunately, these said sex scenes just didn't do it for me.
View all my reviews
April 27, 2013
"Princess Miri: An Erotic Coming of Age Monster Romance" by Cerys du Lys
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