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Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Around the World in 80 Plates: Russia
Another one from Vegan Eats World today (did you order your copy yet??) this time from Russia! It's called Shchi or Sauerkraut Mushroom Soup served up with Coriander Rye Muffins. It's another hearty fall soup filled with mushrooms, sauerkraut, carrots, potatoes and more all mixed into a veggie broth and spiced with caraway and marjoram. It's one of those soups that warms you up from the inside that you want after walking outside on a cool fall day (which it definitely is here today). I served them up with another recipe from Vegan Eats World, Coriander Rye Muffins which are super quick to put together but give you the flavour of rye bread to eat with your soup. Also try it with the Sour Dilly Cream which isn't pictured here but was in there after. I loved it so much I want to put it on everything (p.s. it goes great with Epic Potato Pierogi, also in the book) and again it's super quick to put together. If you want a chance to win a copy, don't forget to check out this post (http://threeandahalfvegans.blogspot.ca/2012/10/around-world-in-80-plates-finland.html) and leave a comment! And remember it's open worldwide so any one can enter!
2 comments:
I'm dying to make this soup, but my husband is not at all the sauerkraut enthusiast that I am. Is the sauerkraut flavor pretty prominent in the flavor of the soup?ReplyDelete
That's a tricky one since I lve sauerkraut. I wouldn't say so but sometimes when you don't like something it's like all you can taste even if others can't. I do recommend it...maybe half the kraut?ReplyDelete
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subset: commoncrawl


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(this is a slightly edited copy of a second recent BLOG comment I made in response to someone at Bilerico.com, a web site that primarily geared towards the LGBT community that was started in Indianapolis. Bil Browning, the founder, and I probably don't agree on lots of things politically, but he is a good guy and has had great success with his site which covers an eclectic range of topics.)
Before I start, it is important that everyone set aside their political bias and the rhetoric that gets thrown about as the two incumbent parties attempt to plunder on behalf of their own constituencies. Let's just logically look at things.
The United States has the 2nd highest corporate tax rate in the developed world (Japan's is higher). When we think about taxes being a "price" that is paid for government services, setting aside whether or not government SHOULD be doing everything it does, if the price moves beyond a certain threshold (overcoming the frictional barriers of moving) then those activities will be conducted in a place where the price is lower. While people will be quick to demonize this behavior, everybody benefits from lower prices which means they can expend dollars on other economic activity that they might otherwise not.
Also, we must consider where the taxes paid by corporations come from and what they do with their profits. The price of each item we buy contains a portion of the taxes that corporation will pay. When we talk about increasing taxes on corporations we are saying increase the cost of the things we buy OR decrease their profits (many don't have profits [GM, FORD, Chrysler, most airlines it seems .. why can't our own companies make any money in America? Another long discussion to have.])
Leftover profits, if the company is public, go to their shareholders or to grow the business. For most publicly traded companies those shareholders include institutional holders like mutual funds, pension plans and other retirement vehicles. So, when these companies make money and they distribute dividends, A LOT of those dividends end up in people's retirement accounts (including police and school teacher pension funds). The value of those holdings also rises and falls based on earnings.
The next fact we must examine is that the total value of our government debt (current and future existing obligations) now surpasses (a) the value of EVERYTHING our country owns and (b) the earnings ALL OF US will make for the next 8 to 10 years. You can jack tax rates all you want, our elected officials have already bankrupted us and will now attempt to "inflate" their way out of the mess. Inflation of course hurts the poor the most as those at the top of the food chain get the benefit of the inflation (increase in the money supply without a commensurate increase in wealth or production) before the economy adjusts price levels upward to compensate for the devalued currency.
Besides, "The latest data from the Internal Revenue Service show that more than half of all federal individual income taxes—50.8 percent—are paid by the five percent of taxpayers who earn the most." (Tax Foundation)
Considering that infrastructure is not a very big tax item, these people (arguably) utilize the big budget line items of government the least which means we are basically transferring (plundering) from one group to another and we must remind ourselves that the Law is primarily purposed with avoiding plunder (Bastiat), not being a tool for such purpose as it largely is today.
I would argue that without the tax reductions of JFK and Reagan we might not have made it as far as we have. Unfortunately, under Reagan the necessary reduction in government bloat and expense didn't occur and our deficit exploded and has continued to (especially when intellectually honest and removing any current Social Security surplus from the numbers that politicians like to spin).
It is important that people not just parrot the rhetoric of the political class. Keep in mind that most of them are just parroting and haven't really thought for themselves.


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The Reason We Need More Antioxidants (And Why We're Not Getting Them)
Glucose is the primary fuel of the human body. We consume glucose and breathe in oxygen to make the energy needed to power our bodies. Plants then take the water and CO2 we breathe out to make oxygen and organic compounds like glucose—and the circle of life continues. The word carbohydrate means, basically, hydrated carbon, which is what plants use to make carbs and all that's left after we burn them for energy in our muscles and brain.
This process of oxidizing glucose to make energy is messy, though, and generates free radicals. Chugging sugar water increases the level of oxidation in our bloodstreams over the next few hours as our bodies metabolize the glucose. (Digestion isn't the only physiological source of free radicals—exercise is too. See Preventing Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress With Watercress). Why would we evolve to have a negative reaction to our primary fuel? Because over the millions of years we evolved, there was no such thing as sugar water—all sugars and starches came pre-packaged with protective compounds: antioxidants. In nature, sugar always comes with phytonutrients.
If we drink the same amount of sugar in the form of orange juice, we don't get that spike in oxidation, because the sugar in fruit comes prepackaged with antioxidants. We can't just drink vitamin C enriched sugar water either, because it's not the vitamin C in the OJ but the citrus phytonutrients like hesperetin and naringenin that beat back the oxidation. And it's always better to eat the whole fruit than drink the juice (See Best Fruit Juice and Apple Juice May Be Worse Than Sugar Water).
If we don't eat phytonutrient-rich plant foods with each meal, then for hours after we eat, our bodies are tipped out of balance into a pro-oxidative state, which can set us up for oxidant stress diseases. That's why we need to ideally eat antioxidant rich foods with every meal.
In the above video, we can see the levels of oxidized fat in our blood one, two, and three hours after sugar water ingestion, and the corresponding drop in vitamin E levels in our blood as our body's antioxidant stores are being used up. If we don't eat phytonutrient-rich foods with our meals, our body has to dip into its backup supply of antioxidants. We can't get away with that for long. So while ideally we should stuff our faces with as many phytonutrient-rich foods as we can. In the very least we should eat enough antioxidants to counter the oxidation of digestion. We don't want to slide backwards every day and end up with less antioxidants in our bodies than we woke up with.
A chart in the above video shows the amount of antioxidants we need every day, depending on how much we eat, just to counter the oxidation of digestion. Men in the U.S. average about 2500 calories a day and so should be getting at least 11,000 antioxidant units a day. Women eat about 1800 calories and so should get at least 8,000 units just to stay solvent. However, the average American doesn't even get half the minimum–no wonder oxidant stress related diseases abound. We're getting so few antioxidants in our diet that we can't even keep up with the free radicals created by merely digesting our meals. We are a nation in chronic oxidative debt.
Developed societies eat a lot of food but not enough plants, which could result in exaggerated and prolonged metabolic, oxidative, and immune imbalance. This presents opportunity for biological insult that over time could supersede our defense and repair systems, and manifest in cellular dysfunction, disease, and ultimately death.
Is there a refined sweetener that doesn't cause free radical formation? Yes: Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant.
What's the best way of reaching our daily minimum of 8,000-11,000 antioxidant units a day? That's covered in my video How to Reach the Antioxidant "RDA".
In health,
Michael Greger, M.D.
PS: If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my free videos here and watch my live year-in-review presentations Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death and More Than an Apple a Day.
Eating Outside Our Kingdom
Tricks to Get Adults to Eat Healthier
Combating Common Diseases With Plants


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Brought in some of the herbs to dry! Harvested at least half of the rosemary, thyme, oregano, and savory, and bit of the basil. Took in a cabbage, too, and another musk melon. Ohhh they are so juicy good! Brought in a little kale, too, but our kale has been plagued. :(
Aside from those herbs, cabbages and muskmelon, this bed also has broccoli, kale, peppers, onions, parsley, sage, dill, and some of the tomato plants.
Here's the basket we brought in today! Minus the melon because we ate that already, it was so good... : )
Speaking of harvest, we went to the DeGraaf Nature Center's Heritage Harvest Day, too. Kaia's dipped a candle and made a corn husk doll. We saw a hammered dulcimers band, (so cool! Katalin loved them, too,) a bench built (which Kaia tested,) watched some dying, spinning, and weaving, made a little friend, made a big friend, ran through some giant mud puddles, and got to have some apple cider and even some vegan chocolate chip cookies!


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Labels that can already be found on most packaged foods include:
- Nutrition facts box
- Ingredients list (in descending order by volume)
- American Heart Association's Check mark (indicating higher fiber and whole grain content)
- At least 5 major food companies use their own healthy choice icons, further confusing consumers (notably Kraft, PepsiCo, Kellog's, General Mills, Unilever)
- Questionable labels on many convenience and junk foods tout the benefits of minimal healthy components to help sell such sugar, fat or salt-laden foods to parents of clamboring children.
The newest programs, such as Nutrition IQ, NuVal ratings and Smart Choice ratings are each based on different criteria and may exclude snacks, desserts and condiments. As a result, one system may give a food a low rating, while it receives a much higher rank from another system.
One example is Kellog's Frosted Flakes cereal, which receives low scores by two rating systems and yet qualified as a "Smart Choice" by the American Dietetic Association. Go figure how Tony the Tiger was able to get nutritional kudos.
Given all this confusion, how is a smart shopper supposed to sort through all the propaganda? Start by asking yourself three important questions:
- Is it real or artificial?
- What chemicals, preservatives, food coloring, herbicides, and artificial ingredients are present?
- Is it a fresh, unprocessed food? (No ingredient label usually equals fresh and unprocessed. An example would be a vegetable)
Remember, processed foods lose much of their natural nutritional value. If optimum health is your goal, try to purchase most of your foods from the outside edges of the supermarket: produce, dairy, meat, fish, poultry, bread (better yet, make your own). It's also good to own and use a guide to food additives--something like the one I've highlighted below. You can purchase it by clicking through here, right to Amazon. I do try to make healthy living easier for you.
Of course, you'll need staples from the interior of the store. Think "The Basics" and check my posts at Saving Money on Organic Meals and Saving with CSAs, Coops and Buying Clubs, for ways to save on your food budget.
Check back for an upcoming post on grocery staples. I'll evaluate my list of staples: fresh vs. processed and we'll see how it stacks up.
Sources: FDA, NYU, Orlando Sentinel


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Tuesday around 02:00 UTC as I was leaving work to slog through a drive home three times longer than it usually was because of snow I saw firetrucks. A lot of firetrucks. I was crossing the bridge right after I left work (it took 15 minutes just to get across the bridge) and firetruck after firetruck after firetruck went zooming by with sirens on. I wondered where they were going and what the big fire was that needed so many firetrucks. When I got home I checked on the local news and couldn't find anything at all. Nothing on the 11 PM news either. Just lots about how all kinds of people were stuck in the snow and such.
Today at lunch I found out... the fire was in the building where I work. The alarms went off minutes after I left the building. And it was not a false alarm as happens occationally. The lobby was apperantly actually full of real smoke from some sort of real fire.
But it seems it was small and taken care of quickly by the dozens of fire trucks. Today there is no sign whatsoever that there was any problem at all. I have no idea where exactly the fire was. There is no obvious damage anywhere.
Anyway, that is what the firetrucks were for.
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I have once again gone too long without posting an ancestor. So now it is time. No picture again, they are sporadic in this generation. In any case, this time it is the turn of my Father's Father's Mother's Father, Christian Eber Smith.
He was born in 1839, died in 1905. Lived basically his whole life in Glenn Springs, South Carolina. Married Henrietta Anderson in 1870 and had 8 kids of which my great-grandmother was the second. He started college, but left to fight in the Civil War (on the Confederate side). After the war he became a farmer as his family's fortunes had been wiped out in the war. He also became an elder in his local church.
And that is about all I know. What additional details I know are at the Abulwiki page linked above.
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This morning in the second game of the latest big "Human Champion vs Computer" match current World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik did not only lose but was actually checkmated by Fritz. It was a one move blunder. Kramnick made a mistake, then wham, checkmate. That is just plain not supposed to happen to a world champion. Games at this level almost always end with someone resigning, or with an agreed draw. An actual end of the game due to a mate or a by the rules draw is very very rare. So it was kind of cool to see happen. Well... I missed the exact moment because I was on a conference call with Europe, but I saw right before and right after...
Anyway, two games into this match it is dissapointing to me even though the computer is ahead 1.5 to 0.5 at the moment. Cause the first game was a draw, and apperantly some people think Kramnik should have been able to pull out a win. And this second game was again definately a draw, with some people thinking Kramnik should be able to pull out a win... before he made his stupid move.
It has been years now since Deep Blue first scored a point against Kasparov. Now, DB was a custom built computer, whereas the program now competing with world champions can be purchased by anybody and runs on commodity windows machinces. So I guess there has been improvement and all, but I am looking for the point where the world's best machine can wipe the floor with the world champion the same way that the world champion human could wipe the floor with a five year old who just learned the rules. So far that just isn't happening.
It is looking more and more like the humans will remain good enough to be able to at least manage a draw if they don't make big mistakes. That is kind of disappointing. Well, we'll see how it goes given a few more years.
And there are a few more games left in this match. I have been getting up early to watch them online. Maybe there will be more excitement in the coming games. The actual checkmate and all is cool, but it would have been nicer if the computer had outplayed the human all game long instead of there just being a stupid mistake at the end.
Also... just to repeat a tirade I make every time I watch one of these human/computer matches... traditions and respect for your opponant and all that nonsense aside... a computer in a human computer match should NEVER resign and should NEVER accept a draw. And this game shows exactly why. The human can make a stupid mistake. The computers should accept the human resigning, but otherwise should force the game to go to the bitter end no matter what... either a checkmate or a draw by the rules (Stalemate, Insufficent Material, Threefold Repitition, Fifty Move Rule). Because up until that very last moment, the human could always screw up and let the computer back in the game, even if the computer was losing previously. Computers should NEVER resign and NEVER accept a draw offer. Period.
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Last weekend we watched one of Amy's movies. This was supposedly loosely based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night". But I had never seen or read that play, so I can't evaluate that. But basically it is all about a girl who decides to pretend to be a boy (taking the place of her brother in order to prove she can play soccer as well as the boys) and all the hi-jinx and romantic triangles and rectangles and such that ensue.
There were a few funny moments. But this most definitely was aimed at the 10-13 year old girl demographic, not at 36 year old men. It was cute and all, especially if you managed to completely and totally forget about the fact that she was not a convincing male and all the huge plot holes. But forgetting that, it was cute and there were a few moments to laugh at.
And if you happen to have a 10 to 13 year old girl around, they will enjoy it I am sure. :-)
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I don't remember for sure what we did last year, but now two out of last three years we have spent Thanksgiving Eve in the Emergency Room.
Two years ago Brandy's back was in so much pain her routine RXs were not enough and she was basically completely immobile. So we ended up in the ER for hours until she got the appropriate shots and such. When we left she was telling all the hospital staff how nice they were and was promising to bake pies for all of them. (Oh, and by the time we left the ER that time I was almost at the point where *I* needed the ER because a kidney stone chose that evening to make itself known as well, but I managed to get home and take my own pain RX and make it through.)
This time....
About 24 hours ago as we were leaving Amy's first bass lesson with her new teacher Brandy fell on a wet step. She thought she had twisted her ankle. When it was no better this morning she made a Doctor appointment.
Turns out she fractured her leg just above the ankle. The primary care Dr was not allowed by VA rules to do much of anything. At least not and have VA pay for it. Brandy paid for a temporary splint anyway even though it would not be covered. But they told her she had to go to the actual VA hospital to get a longer term cast or walking boot and crutches and such.
So here we are, in the waiting room at the hospital ER (since the rest of the place is closed). We'll probably be here a decent number of hours before we are done.
Two out of three years isn't enough. We need to make this an annual Thanksgiving family tradition. Perhaps we can take turns on who is in need of urgent medical attention each year though. No need for Brandy to do it every year. We can set up a rotation!
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This morning it was sunny. For the first time in weeks it seemed. And for a few hours my mood was also lifted. It was sunny! It was a good day! I was actually feeling somewhat upbeat for the first time in a long time.
Then it started raining again. If the weather guy on TV this morning is correct, after today this November will officially be the rainest month ever recorded in Seattle since they started keeping records of such things. It is grey. It is gloomy.
Weather aside, I haven't been in a very positive mood these last few weeks anyway. The sun this morning was a nice change. Too bad it only lasted about 5 hours.
When I first got here in January we had a record streak of some 40 days in a row with rain or some such. Now we have the most rain in a single month (with plenty of time left in the month for more). Yay!
Ya know, what they say about Seattle winters does appear to be true. Six months of darkness and gloom. Hibernation really would be a good option.
Wake me up in March.
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Teens Arrested
(Steven Elbow, The Capital Times)
Madison police arrested two teens for allegedly making bomb threats at West High School.
Sam Minter, 17, and a 16-year-old girl allegedly made the threats at about 10:30 a.m. on Monday. School district spokesman Ken Syke said the threats did not disrupt classes.
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Amy explains her group's display on the Dead Sea Scrolls to a passerby. Right now the ENTIRE school (6th to 10th grades) is here at Seattle's Pacific Science Center showing their trimester projects... all on various aspects of the Dead Sea scrolls. The museum is closed, it is just the kids, teachers and parents. After the time for everybody to see the school projects is over we'll all go in and see the museum's actual exhibit of some of the scrolls and related artifacts.
All very cool. Eastside Prep is definately working out very well and is a good match for Amy. She loves school and is showing lots of enthusiasm every day and a strong desire to work and do as well as she possibly can. And they do fun things like this!
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Amy's new bass arrived Wednesday. Her old one broke just as she was outgrowing it last year, then we had a rental for the rest of the time in Florida. But she has been without one (and hasn't been taking lessons) since arriving in Washington in July.
The new bass is here now though, and she resumes professional lessons next week. It will be a good thing. She has been without a bit too long and is probably a bit rusty. but I'm sure she'll snap back into place quickly. This also means we need to get the designated "music room" in shape to be used. Right now there are a bunch of random things in that room.
This is a big purchase, but Amy has been seriously studying the bass for years now with private lessons and all, not just school orchestra or whatnot. It is also a physically BIG purchase. I haven't seen it in person yet, but it is HUGE. You can see the crate it came in on the picture, but it is certainly much bigger than Amy is and big enough so that it is difficult to transport. It should last a few years though. At the end of that time Amy will need the next size up... and we'll need an SUV just to have any hope of being able to transport it back and forth to her lessons. :-)
Some have asked us why we would get a new bass rather than renting or buying a used one. I frankly don't remember all the details, but Brandy spent MONTHS researching the tradeoffs between cost, availability, quality, etc before picking this particular bass from this particular vendor, etc. If I remember though, and Brandy can say more in the comments if she wants, but some of the reasons were.... Basses in this particular size are not all that common, as the bass isn't a that commonly chosen an instrument anyway (compared to say, violins), and it is even less common amoung children Amy's size. So it is hard to find used ones anyway. And unless they get mistreated (in which case there is a quality issue anyway) basses of any decent initial quality actually tend to appreciate in value over the years rather than depreciating... so good used ones actually tend to cost more than new ones. And rentals tend to only be economically optimal if you end up renting only a short time... say a school year or part there of. If you are going to keep and use the instrument for years, buying rapidly becomes the better deal... more cash up front, but less over the total life of the instrument. This one should be good for maybe four years... above that threshold. And it is fully insured in case something "bad" happens to it before that time. If in that time Amy decides to give up the instrument, we sell it used. It'll still probably be the best option economically. (Other than having her switch to a smaller cheaper instrument. :-)
In any case, Brandy and Amy have been giddy with excitement ever since FedEx called Tuesday to say they would be delivering Wednesday. The crate was too big to come into the house (even into the garage). So Brandy had to unpack it outside. I presume by the time I get home Amy will have given the new bass a spin.
I look forward to many evenings of hearing bass (and piano and electric guitar) practice happening downstairs while I hide in my office upstairs. :-)
She's in a chorus that gives outlet to public performances on the vocal side. One she has resumed practice on the instruments for awhile, we'll probably start looking for some performance outlets on the instrument size. (Her school is too small for an orchestra at the moment, although they are working on expanding their musical offerings.)
Anyway... new bass. Amy (and Brandy) are happy. :-)
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I got an email from my dad yesterday that started with this sentence:
News - today Cynthia passed her road test for drivers' license, so she can drive alone or with an adult.This is quite scary. I remember when you could fit her in a picnic basket! And now she is driving!
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Last night some sort of error occured here at work and the Windows passwords for a variety of people we reset to unknown random strings. I was lucky enough to be one of those people who had this happen to them. The result, I can't log into my laptop at all, I can't get to my work email, etc. Logging into my Linux box (which was not effected) I am able to get to the Internet and the Intranet. But most of my work, with exceptions of meetings (of which I have one today) requires email. The handful of things that don't require email, for the most part still require access to things I have on my laptop. I think there are a couple things I could do involving editing some things on some internal Wiki pages, but even that would be aided by access to everything else.
So basically, I have been out of commission in terms of doing anything useful most of the day today. Now, on the one hand, having a little extra time to relax and surf the web (since I *do* have Internet access) is nice and all. But on the other hand basically sitting in an office stareing at a screen knowing there is work to do but that you can't do it effectively gets really old after a couple of hours. Even though I had a pretty good night's sleep yesterday (after basically staying up all night watching election coverage the night before) I am still getting tired out of boredom. Luckily, in just over 15 minutes I need to catch a shuttle to a different building for a couple of meetings. That will basically occupy at least two hours and basically take me to the end of the work day.
Then hopefully by morning, all the issues will have been worked out and solved, and I'll once again be able to log in and work normally. The appropriate people are actively working on it as a high priorty. So I assume it will get fixed in that timeframe if not before. Quite annoying though.
I should get ready for my meeting now though.
PS: This is the post that will knock my Zuri obituatuary off the home page of abulsme.com. On the one hand, I have been posting at least once a day in part specifically for that to happen sooner rather than later, cause it was a somewhat painful reminder. On the other hand, now more than a week later, as the emotions subside a bit, instead I am a bit sad to see it go. I really like that picture of me and her. It is a low res low quality webcam picture, so it won't necessecarily print that great, but maybe I'll still make the highest quality print I can from the original and hang it in my office at home or something. Maybe not quite yet, but maybe once a little more time goes by and I can see it and think happy things rather than sad.
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OK, Montana and Virginia have not yet officially been called. But the Dem is leading by a decent margin in Montana. And the Dem is leading in Virginia too. It wil be close enough that Allen will be able to request a recount if he wants, but probably enough of a margin so a recount won't end up making a difference. So, there may be a surprise yet... but as of right now that looks like what will happen.
So, looks like the 49-49-2 split actually happens. Very nice. It would be far more interesting if the two independants were really and truly independant, and were able to force "interesting" arrangements. But even as it is... it will be a fun next two years I think.
I am on the couch sandwiched between a sleeping dog on one side and a sleeping daughter on the other. It isn't exactly comfortable... but it is nice to have them both here. I think I will have to adjust my position soon though.
I was trying to stay awak at least until they offically call Montana, but last I heard mentioned, it sounds like it could be a few more hours yet. So maybe that won't happen. Even though I'm on the west coast, it is still pretty late now. Sleep is sounding good.... If I can find a position here where I can get comfortable without disturbing the daughter or the dog...
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CNN pisses me off. (What's new?) For the first few hours of the evening they were doing it correctly and had 2 seats in the Senate in the "I" row. Sanders and Lieberman. About half an hour ago they moved the two of them to the "D" row.
Now, yes, both of them will caucus with the Democrats and will end up counting toward the Dems taking control of the Senate if that ends up happening... but it is just plain not accurate. The reason to do this is of course so you can tell which party will end up controling the senate just by looking at the "R" and "D" rows, without having to know what to do with the "I"'s.
In other words, to help stupid people figure out what is going on without having to explain it. Even if it means what you show is actually untrue.
Reminds me why I hardly ever watch CNN any more.
Maybe they will "correct" it later in the evening, but I am not holding my breath.
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Everybody has been thinking that the Dems will pick up the House, but that they wouldn't quite do it in the Senate. I'd been waiting for the final projections from the Blogging Ceasar because in the 2004 elections his record was pretty good using his methodology. As I write this he's still updating his final update for 2006. His final house numbers are not up yet, but his final prediction for the Senate is up. It is that we will end up with:
49 Democrats
49 Republicans
2 Independants
To me this would be a really fun result. (It probably won't turn out this way, but...)
The two independants would of course be Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Now, Bernie is very liberal and will just go with the Dems without anything interesting. Lieberman has of course promised to "caucus with" the Democrats as well, so this is essentially a Democratic win. But...
It really isn't completely. It potentially puts Lieberman in a position where he could threaten to withold his vote to organize with the Democrats into a majority block unless he got concessions on certain issues he cared about or on who exactly would be in the leadership slots. Not that he would vote with the Republicans to put in Republican leadership, he has made clear that he would not do that. BUt what do house rules say on leadership votes? Is 50 to 49 with one abstaining good enough to organize? A 50/50 tie is broken by the vice president, but 50/49/1 is not a 50/50 tie.
Does someone out there know exactly what happens in this scenerio?
No, if only Bernie was also a moderate, you would have control of the house essentially determined by the will of that "third group" and they might be able to force some sort of interesting arrangements. But... that is not quite what we would have.
And Lieberman, if put into a position like this, might just try to "kiss and make up" with the dems by not demanding anything at all and just voting for Pelosi for leader and be done with it. But given the way the Dems have treated him, milking it a bit and demanding a few concessions would be quite reasonable I think. And holding the stick at the ready that at any point if they pissed him off, he would call for a new leadership vote and put the R's back in power... priceless.
And just to note, if any of that comes to pass, it is entirely the fault of the Kossites and the like who thought flexing their muscle and pushing out Lieberman was the smart thing to do. Ha!
Anyway, probably won't be so lucky as to actually get 49/49/2 as the split... that would just be too good. But this will be fun.
As of now we still don't have DirecTV up and functional at the new house. We'll be working on that tonight. Cause I fully intend to spend most of tomorrow evening glued to election coverage. Love this stuff.
PS: Own personal view... either the R's or the D's in charge of everying is bad. It is critical right now that the D's get back at least one house of congress if not both... However... if a Democrat wins the White House in 2008, I would very much hope that at least one house of the congress went Republican again. When *either* party controls all three, they just make a horrible mess. Just the tension between the legislature and executive given the seperate ways they are elected used to be enough to provide appropriate checks and balance regardless of party, but it seems these days for there to be any counterweight, the executive and legislature MUSt be controlled by different parties.
PPS: In the mean time though, regardless of the outcome, the process is fun to watch. We'll see just how far off the projections all are. Do the Dem's really take the House? The Senate? Or do they completely fall apart. Oh, can you just imagine the Dem reaction if they end up NOT taking at least the house? They would be apoplectic!
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I have spent most of the last week oscillating between sadness and anger. The anger has seethed inside me most of the time. I have retreated from members of the family who even though I rationally know I should not blame, emotionally a big part of me does. I have been cold. I have been mean. I am trying not to be, but it is very difficult. The anger is a poison. And I have not yet figured out the way to purge it. Distraction is part of it. Getting so caught up in something (be it work or something else) that I have no time to think of it. But then, when I get to the moment of stillness... either the sadness or the anger comes rushing back. One or the other. And that in turn makes me sad.
A week ago I had a big loss. I am still working through it. I know in the big scheme of things, it is a little thing, there is so much worse in the world at large, but in my world, it was huge. And it still hurts. And I am still wounded. I have been taking it out on myself, and I have been taking it out on those around me. That is wrong. I need to stop. I need to understand and forgive those around me, and I have to forgive myself and stop punishing myself as well.
But even when your head wants to, the heart sometimes takes awhile to forgive and accept and move on.
But it knows it needs to. Cause otherwise the damage just spirals, and everything gets worse and worse and never gets better. And that can't happen.
I have been told by many (not this week, thank you) that I am overly emotional and sensitive at times when it comes to certain things... like this... and I know that. But it doesn't change the fact that I am in fact that way. So things hit me hard, and it takes me longer than most to get over them.
I know where I need to be. I know I am not there yet. I know that I have to work to be there. And so I will.
It has been a hard week. And I apologize to those I have been hard on.
Another week begins. Forgiveness and acceptance will come.
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In the evening after the tragic events of last weekend, nobody could sleep, so we watched a movie. This was also the first movie I have watched on our projector since the bulb expired a very long time ago. It is now up and mounted on the ceiling with a new bulb. It is now a bit old and there are nicely better ones out there for reasonable prices. A replacement with full 1080p resolution is probably on the agenda for 2007... but for now this is very nice to have again.
Anyway, the movie... I knew absolutely nothing about it before starting it. It was from Brandy's Netflix list. When I saw Ashton Kutcher come on the screen I despaired, cause basically I've never liked him in anything... but I was pleasantly surprised. Later on in the movie I was thinking "Ashton Kutcher can act! Who knew?".
The general theme... being able to think hard enough about it and go back in time to critical moments to change things... but then watch out for the unpredictable consequences... was perhaps not the best theme given the circumstances under which we were watching the movie. Because of course I desperately wanted to go back just a few hours... but that aside, I am a sucker for time travel movies... I really got sucked in and liked this.
It was the Director's Cut we watched. Apparently there are quite a few minutes of explanatory material that help things make more sense. But more importantly, apparently the ending is completely different. Having only read about the version as it was theatrically released, I can't do a good side by side comparison. (Well, the original version was also on the DVD, but I don't care quite enough to go watch it too.) But just from reading about it on the Wikipedia page, it seems the Director's Cut ending is much more powerful.
Anyway... liked the movie. Glad I saw it. Worth a rental for sure.
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With all the commotion the last couple of months I never took the needed steps to get registered to vote here in Washington. A shame as it appears our local house race is one of the competitive toss up ones. And I knew when the deadline was... I just missed it.
I probably could have absentee voted in Florida but I wouldn't have felt right about that. I don't live there.
Oh well. Tuesday will be interesting to watch even if I can't participate.
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For many years now if I suddenly walk from a warm building to cold outdoor air for a few minutes I will get very queasy for a few minutes. It usually last maybe 5 minutes maximum, usually not even that long. I'll almost always at least feel it some. I good portion of the time I will hack and wretch for a minute or so. A very small but non-zero portion of the time I will actually yack a little bit. It seems to require at least a sudden 30 degree temperature drop to trigger it. So going from 70 degress to 60 won't do it. But 70 to 40 certainly will.
I've tried to google this to see if this effect has some sort of name, but I have found nothing.
Brandy thinks it is all in my head. I think it is a real physical effect.
Has anybody actually heard of this? Anybody else have this?
Anyone? Anyone?
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OK, well, not really afraid. But this time of year sucks. Even more so this far North. What with the mass crazyness of everybody suddenly up and deciding to do everything one hour later for the winter (damn "fall back" nonsense) and the shorter days on top of that.... Not only is sunset moving earlier and earlier... in mid summer sunset can happen as late as 4:11 UTC. By early December it will happen as early as 0:18 UTC here. That is bad enough without the change in everybody's schedule.
Before this last week my "normal" target routine was to get into work between 16 and 17 UTC, and leave around 1 UTC the next day. Now, we do everything an hour later. Come in between 17 and 18 UTC, leave around 2 UTC the next day. I'd be leaving after dark anyway even without the schedule change I guess, but it is MORE after dark. It is darker damn it!
I guess the benefit is supposed to come in the mornings and not having to get up in the dark. But in late December sunrise gets as late here as 15:58 UTC, and Amy in the winter has to be at school by 16 UTC, so we'll have to be awake while it is still dark anyway.
At the shortest the "daylight time" here in Seattle is only 8 hours, 25 minutes and 14 seconds. I know that is nothing for folks living even further north, but it is still pretty short! I will miss the daylight this winter. Time to hunker down and hibernate I guess. :-)
Maybe I need one of those lights for seasonal affective disorder that try to fool your body into thinking it is still daylight when it is not.
Or, maybe I'll just find more things to do in the dark.
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On a happier note, a few hours ago we packed up the last things in the apartment I was in from the end of February until October. Then we turned in the keys. We are completely gone from that place now, and completely in the new place.
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Download VLC Media Player Terbaru Keren Untuk Android - VLC Media Player for Android finally releases the first time for android, you can download it directly on this blog or the official website of Google Android Play Store. VLC Media Player is a media player application for playing music or vidio, VLC is very popular and widely used in computers because of features - its attractive and easy to use.
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Download VLC Media Player Terbaru Keren Untuk Android - VLC Media Player Untuk Android akhirnya rilis pertama kali untuk android, kalian bisa mendownloadnya secara langsung di blog ini atau di situs resmi Google Play Store Android. VLC Media Player adalah sebuah aplikasi media player untuk memutar musik maupun vidio, VLC ini sangat popular di komputer dan banyak digunakan karena fitur - fiturnya yang menarik dan mudah digunakan.
Screenshoot VCL Media Player :
As it has already been mentioned earlier, it's just a beta version, so there are many issues with this version of VLC Media Player for Android. I have already tested it, and will now conclude that it often gets closed up while playing large video files although the audio files are seemed to be played up nicely. Apart from that, it takes some significant time to load all the videos in the media library as well as provides slow playback for HD videos. As for now, it is only supported on the devices with ARMv7 CPU having support for NEON. So, if your device does not meet this primary requirement, then I won't recommend you to install it on your device. If you are an experienced Android user, then you can download it right now for free from the Mediafire and Google Play App Store via the link provided below :
via google play


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WHS Question: Resizing the Home Server Console
In response to a recent blog comment/question on if it is possible to resize the Home Server Console... the answer is yes... but it's almost worthless.
With a little bit of hackery (ie not through the normal interface) it is possible to resize the Home Server Console form to a smaller size, say 800x600, only it becomes clear that the form most of the add-ins out there were never written to do so:
The above picture is the Console running on the server itself, if you actually run it from the client you can easily resize the console, but not the parent window with out some hacking on both the client and server where you end up with this:
So still no real benefit.
Some add-ins (like Web Folders 4 WHS) actually do resizing, however they are rare, largely because such functionality is basically worthless at this time because the larger application doesn't support it.
So to answer your question Ryan... it is possible, however there is no advantage to doing it today, maybe in V2.
Labels: Windows Home Server


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$22 per box or 3 sets for $60
Enjoy beautiful Heidi Rosner reproduction prints on best quality cardstock
Heidi Rosner note cards are miniature works of art printed on high-quality, heavy stock with blank insides for writing your message. Cards are packaged in an attractive box and include envelopes.
To order please contact Heidi Rosner directly.


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Kattia Chacon
skype : kattia1172
Information about hotels and accommodation in our tours
Boasting a convenient location near the historic city center, the Radisson Hotel San Jose, Costa Rica offers comfortable accommodations in the city's vibrant financial, commercial and government district.
The hotel is also close to major attractions including the National Theatre, Golden Museum and a range of shopping and dining options.You will enjoy on-site amenities such as a Fitness Center, Executive Lounge, an on-site casino, spacious meeting rooms and two restaurants - everything you need for a truly exceptional hotel stay.
Situated in the heart of San Jose, Hotel Torremolinos is within walking distance of Spirogyra Butterfly Garden and Museum of Costa Rican Art. Also nearby are Gold Museum and National Theater.
Dining options at the hotel include a bar/lounge. Guests are served a complimentary breakfast. Complimentary wireless Internet access is available in public areas and an Internet point is located on site. This 3-star hotel features business amenities including a meeting/conference room and audiovisual equipment. Additional amenities include an outdoor pool, multilingual staff, and laundry facilities. Onsite parking is complimentary.
The hotel is located just 2.5 miles from the town of La Fortuna's Central Park at the very feet of the world-famous Arenal Volcano. The hotel's strategic location makes it ideal for exploring the many attractive tourist destinations in the area.
Right in front of the hotel, you will enjoy a breathtaking, panoramic view of the magnificent volcano. In back of the recently-built premises, the splendor of other lush, natural beauties such as mountains and ever-green valleys appeal to the eye of those in search of extreme natural beauty and a bit of hard-to-find peace that only ecological jewels as this area can now offer its visitors.
This is a rain forest-resort, located in the pacific coast of Costa Rica. One of the Costa Rica's top tourist choices, becoming a favorite of birdwatchers and nature lovers.
The Hotel features 58 rooms surrounded by lush tropical gardens sitting in the midst of a private 500 acre rain forest reserve, with a beautiful river flowing alongside the resort complex..


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Do you get LinkedIn messages in your inbox that you consider spam?
Maybe you're wondering what you should or shouldn't do (or send) on LinkedIn?
Many people are confused as to what to do, what not to do, who to connect with and what to send to new connections on LinkedIn. One of my most popular blog posts was one on LinkedIn etiquette. This leads me to believe that people really do want to know the right way of doing things on LinkedIn.
However, every day I'm surprised by the number of message I receive from my connections or fellow LinkedIn members, which break some of LinkedIn's most important rules of etiquette.
These messages, will often hinder rather than improve your ability to achieve your goals on LinkedIn whether it is to connect with like minded professionals, find a new job or generate new leads for your business. Maybe you have seen these message in your own LinkedIn inbox or perhaps, you have sent one or more of these yourself without knowing better.
Here are seven messages that you should never send on LinkedIn and why.
1. The Default Connection Request
It is rare that I accept these. I usually just hit Ignore. If someone takes the time to write to me and tell me why they want to connect with me, I almost always accept their connection request.
TIP: Particularly on mobile devices, it is easy to accidentally send the default connection request before you have had the chance to personalize it. Make sure you go to the person's profile and from there; you can choose to send a personalized connection request. (Check out Tip 18 on how to Personalize Connection Requests on Mobile).
2. Requesting a Recommendation From Someone You Don't Know
Yes this really does happen!
If you don't know the person, DON'T ASK for a LinkedIn recommendation or an endorsement.
When reaching out to someone who knows you and the work that you do, the key to successfully requesting a recommendation is to invest some time into personalizing your request.
TIP: When you writing your request for a recommendation, it is helpful to tell your connection why you are asking (you can simply say you have been working on your profile and now it's time to get some recommendations).
Also include some bullet points that would be relevant for them to mention in the recommendation they write for you on LinkedIn. This can be very helpful and actually increase the likelihood someone will take the time to write you a recommendation, because many people don't know what to write.
If you ask them to address specific things about your product, service, or their experience in working with you it can give them the inspiration they need to craft a thoughtful and effective recommendation.
Recommendations = Social Proof
Recommendations are a very important part of "Social Proof" as when people are in doubt of who to do business with, they look to the decisions others have made. Just think about Amazon reviews or on any other review site. People want to see what others are saying before they make a decision as to which product or service to invest in.
3. I Saw You Viewed My Profile
While it is a great idea to regularly check who has viewed your profile and to reach out to them, find another reason to explain why you are connecting, rather than simply saying "I see you viewed my profile." There can be many reasons a person may have viewed your profile, so rather than addressing why they viewed your profile, tell them why you would like to connect with them.
4. Requesting Too Much Too Soon From New Connections
One example I get a lot is brand new connections requesting to have a call with me for no apparent reason. I don't know anything about them, I don't know what they want to talk about and they are requesting to take time out of my already very busy day.
TIP: You wouldn't ask someone you just met to marry you, instead you would date and get to know the person first. It is the same in business. You need to build a relationship with people before you ask for their time. And if you are going to ask for their time, give them a reason why you want to chat with them.
5. Pitching Your Product Or Service
This is a great way to get blocked and/or reported as spam. It will definitely turn most people off.
LinkedIn, like all social media, is a platform to find, connect and build relationships with your ideal clients. Don't pitch your services if you haven't built some kind of relationship. To get the best results, provide value and build some credibility and trust first, then ask to take the relationship offline before making your pitch.
6. Mass Messages
While I used to support sending the very occasional mass message if you unchecked box that says "Allow recipients to see each other's names and email addresses", this option is no longer available in the new LinkedIn Message Center rollout. You now have no way to send mass messages without sharing everyone's contact information with everyone else included in the message. Because of this change, I would recommend not ever sending out mass messages, except in cases where you are either:
- a) introducing your connections to each other or
- b) all participants are willingly engaged in a conversation.
It is important to note that anytime anyone in the conversation replies, everyone will see it and there is no way to remove yourself from the conversation (although you can mute receiving notifications for the conversation).
7. Overtly Personal Messages
Regardless of whether you think you are being respectful in your approach to sending this type of message, you need to think about how the other person will receive it. The person on the other side might not feel the same way in which you meant it to be received.
Remember LinkedIn is not a dating site, it is a business platform. Always keep it professional.
For a thorough explanation of each of these seven messages you want to avoid sending on LinkedIn, watch this video.
What types of LinkedIn messages do you receive that drive you crazy? Is there anything I missed on this list of messages not to send on LinkedIn? Let us know in the comments below.
Want to learn more about what kind of messages you should send on LinkedIn? Check out this comprehensive online training Cracking the LinkedIn Code 2.0.


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It is my 3rd month of wearing Fitbit Flex 2, an activity tracker, after some 6 months of hesitation (of whether to buy or not, remembering the price is not so cheap) and regret (for not having the time to look for it when I was in Singapore). Since I joined my current employer, I drive to work, meaning the amount of walking has significantly decreased. With that concern, and the self consciousness that I had gained weight, I decided that I need to monitor my daily activities. I don't want to replace my beloved watches, so the smarter tracker with screens are out of options.
So far, I have to say that this Flex 2 is the tracker I'm looking for.
- Cheap (compared to other Fitbits, still more expensive than Xiaomi Mi-band 2, which, by the way, I cancelled buying because it doesn't sync with iOS). I bought it online for SGD 160 in Indonesia (unfortunately they only sell certain, more popular Fitbits in stores), where in Singapore you can get for SGD 108 or USD 60 in US.
- Simple and small, just like regular bracelets. Unlike other bulkier trackers, this one is really like bracelets and comes with 4 color options (black, navy, lavender and magenta).
- Waterproof. Yes, I don't swim, but yes, I tend to wet my wrists during my daily activities. Or even worse, forget to take the tracker off and take it to the shower after workout.
- Reminder to move. This is the most useful feature (which I tend to ignore after 2 weeks of using, but still it's useful). You can adjust the reminders according to your needs. For example, I have the reminder every hour during working hours. And it will vibrate every hour (for you who are too lazy to read the manuals, when it vibrates to remind you to move, the LED will turn magenta with 2 white LEDs on).
- Long battery life. As advertised, the battery can last up to 5 days with normal use. I tried synchronizing Flex 2 with my phone for calls and text messages alert (yes, this includes WhatsApp messages alert), and the battery only lasted 3.5 days.
- Bangles and pendants available for purchase, making it fancier to wear.
- No Heart Rate sensor. The ones with HR sensor are approximately $100 more expensive, so I thought, why would I need one? But then today I feel like I need it during exercise.
- Only recognizes walking and running, despite the claim that it can auto-recognize 4 types of workout (walking/running, swimming, aerobic, yoga).
All in all, I'm satisfied with this tracker, because it's definitely what I need. I can set my own goals and get alerted when I reach my daily goals. I don't, however, input my calorie intakes anymore after 3 weeks. Too lazy to do that. LOL. It will be a great help if the app can automatically calculate the calories after I upload a picture (of food).


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I know you think you know me
I know you are afraid of being hurt,
I know you want to make things right,
but this cloud of 'being sure seems' to shadow your judgement .
I know you question love more than you believe it,
I know you have been broken, rejected and abuse,
I know you claim that love is a fraud
I know what you said about me.
But you can't claim to know me
If you are afraid of being close to me,
You can't claim to own my happiness
When happiness is written all over my face.
It takes a lot to be me,
it takes a lot to believe in love
It takes a lot to grow over their lies and hurt,
It takes a lot to live the life of your dreams.
Don't be in hurry to die when you are yet to live, because it takes a lot to grow up and be who you were meant to be.


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Why is it that we call the day after Thanksgiving "Black Friday" and everyone who was so busy being thankful the day before runs out to consume, consume, consume?
Do people flock to Mass on Good Friday to mourn the death of Jesus?
Doesn't this seemed wrong that we will shop and celebrate "Black Friday" and give so little thought to Good Friday; the day Our Lord died for our sins?
For me, Good Friday is more like Black Friday. I drape a black cloth in my home and outside on my porch.
I guess the point I am trying to make is that our society has turned a shopping event into something more important than the death of Jesus.
As we enter into Advent, may we all focus on the gift Our Father gave us--His Son.
As we progress through Advent, may we focus our hearts, souls, and minds on Jesus that as well come to Lent we will be able to see Good Friday as "Black Friday" and mourn for Our Lord so that on Easter Sunday we can Rejoice for the gift of the Resurrection.
Jesus died for our sins! Could we repay Him by making Him the center of our lives? Could we repay Him by working to save the unborn?
Blessed be God Forever!


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The future roadmap for Bytes Systems Integration and Alcatel-Lucent Enterprises' African partners is undoubtedly bright. This was the key message delivered at the recent annual Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Partner Conference. Held at The Birchwood Hotel in Gauteng between 13 and 15 November, the focus of this year's conference was on supporting partners for future growth.
According to Rob Griggs, MD of Bytes Systems Integration, the conference targets channel partners across sub-Saharan Africa and is held to outline new Alcatel-Lucent products and features, to provide updates on the latest news regarding Bytes, and to outline the partner roadmap for 2014.
"This time around, we had to provide our partners with information on the significant changes Bytes has undergone over the past year. In addition, we updated them around our own expansion plans for Africa as a whole and from Alcatel-Lucent's side, the company outlined its plans, progress and roadmaps with regards to the new technologies it is introducing," says Griggs.
"Furthermore, our two organisations focused on delivering a common message to all our partners, describing the new campaigns we have planned and the smarter ways we have developed for us to assist our partners in doing better business."
Griggs says that the event received fantastic support from local partners, who travelled from as far afield as Rustenburg, East London, Newcastle, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Nelspruit and Richards Bay to attend. Additionally, there was an exceptional turnout from the continental partners, with organisations from a total of 13 different African regions in attendance.
"We had a strong EMEA and Africa presence at the event, as well as a number of local representatives. This created a great vibe and a wonderful atmosphere and there was plenty of useful networking done as well. I feel that the key message our partners will take away with them is that Alcatel-Lucent is a significant player on the continent and they can expect it to stay that way for the foreseeable future."
He adds that thanks to the technical roadmap presented at the event, partners are now also able to plan more effectively for the year ahead.
"The conference also presented us with the opportunity to thank our partners and to recognise some excellent achievements by them during the course of 2013," he states.
"At our awards banquet, Global Africa was announced as the South African Partner of the Year, while Swaziland Post and Telecommunications Company (SPTC) won African Partner of the Year. Our Most Improved Partner of the Year went to GlobalCom Mauritius."
Griggs adds that Bytes and Alcatel-Lucent delivered a clear message to its partners at the event, highlighting the fact that since their business model is based entirely on the partner programme, these partners are the foundation of their joint success.
"As we are fully dependent on our partners to sell our Alcatel-Lucent products into Africa, we were eager to get them raring to go for 2014, as they are absolutely critical to our ongoing success.
"Our overarching message to our partners is that we want them to expand and grow their businesses, and we plan to provide them with the support that will make it better and easier for them to do business in Africa. After all, the future is up to all of us together," he concludes.


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Population profile
Most of the geographical area is served by Counties Manukau Health (CMDHB) is part of the territorial authority (TA) of Auckland Council. However, small areas of the southern extent of the DHB are part of Waikato District and Hauraki District territorial authorities.
Population size
- The estimated Counties Manukau population for 2016 is 534,750, 11% of the total New Zealand population.
- DHB planning is based on estimated resident population projections and sociodemographic information from the latest Census – as of January 2016 projections based on Census 2013. Health service utilisation information is also used to inform service planning.
- The link below is updated annually with population projections from Statistics New Zealand, produced, specifically for the Ministry of Health with prioritised ethnicity as used in the health sector.
DHB Population projections by age, gender and priortised ethnic groups (2015 Ministry of Health Update, based on Census 2013.
Population demography and needs
- A range of documents provide information on the demography and health needs of the people of Counties Manukau available on the Health status documents page. Information is also available in various Counties Manukau Health Planning documents.
- For the purposes of service planning and integration, the area served by CM Health is divided into four localities – Mangere/Otara, Eastern, Manukau and Franklin.
- Within each locality, there are two populations of note in relation to planning – the people who live in the locality and the people who are enrolled in primary care practices in the locality. These two populations overlap but are not the same and the variance differs across the localities.
- There is information specific to each locality across the Counties Manukau District available under the Localities planning page.
Population composition
- The population of Counties Manukau is multiethnic with high numbers and proportions of Maaori*, Pacific and Asian peoples (see table below).
- Ethnicity mix of the CM population varies by age, with younger groups having higher proportions of Maaori*, Pacific and Asian peoples than the population aged 65 years and over (where two thirds of the population are NZ European/Other groups).
- Within the area served by CM Health, the four localities have quite distinct mixes of these different population groups. While all areas have people from most ethnic groups, based on the distribution at the time of Census 2013, a high proportion of Pacific peoples live in Mangere/Otara, Maaori in Manukau (particularly Manurewa and Papakura), the Indian population in Manukau, Chinese and Other Asian groups in Eastern and NZ European/Other groups in Eastern and Franklin localities.
- While our population is aging, Counties Manukau still has a higher proportion of children than the overall NZ population. Twenty-three percent of the population is aged 14 or under (123,400 in 2016); 13% of New Zealand children aged 14 or under live in Counties Manukau.
- Fertility rates in New Zealand have been reducing in the last decade and particularly in the last three-four years. Counties Manukau has a high birth rate compared with many other areas. This contributes to relatively high demand on our maternity, child and youth health services. However birth rates in Counties Manukau have also decreased in recent years, particularly among young, Maaori and Pacific women.
Population growth
- The Counties Manukau population is growing at 1-2% per year, an additional 8-9,000 residents each year on average. This rapid growth mirrors growth in the metro-Auckland region, and places a significant load on health service provision.
- The population aged 65 and over is growing at 4-5% per year and projected to increase by over 14,000 people from 57,720 people in 2015 to just under 71,000 by 2020. This group are high users of health services.
Socio-economic status
- At the time of the 2013 Census 36% of the Counties Manukau population were living in areas classed as the most socioeconomically deprived (based on the NZ Deprivation Index 2013, deciles 9 and 10 being the 20% relatively most deprived areas in New Zealand). Applied to the estimated population for 2016, this would equate to 192,510 people living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation.
- Maaori* and Pacific residents and children of Counties Manukau were concentrated in decile 9 and 10 areas – 58% of all Counties Manukau Maaori*, 76% of Counties Manukau Pacific peoples, and 45% of the 0-14 years old in Counties Manukau were living in decile 9 and 10 areas at the time of Census 2013.
- The high proportion of the Counties Manukau population living in socioeconomic deprivation has a significant impact on health and health service provision. For example, Counties Manukau has a high rate of illnesses linked to overcrowded and poor quality housing. The avoidable mortality and hospitalisation rates for the Counties Manukau population are higher than the national rates, with Maaori* and Pacific residents having higher rates than those in Asian and NZ European/Other groups.
- In addition, conditions related to smoking, obesity, poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, misuse of alcohol and other health issues are more prevalent for people living in poverty. Work to address poverty and to make social and physical environments more supportive of healthy living is important to help address these issues.


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Here in the desert it's been hot! Yesterday we were 121° in the shade. So how are we keeping our home cool? We use our swamp coolers and a few Ozeri tower fans.
Just recently, I got a new Ozeri tower fan to review, the Ozeri 360 Oscillating Tower Fan. Let me just tell you right now - this is the best fan yet that Ozeri has come out with. What makes it the best? It oscillates 360° all the way around! It cools a whole room and does it so quietly.
This fan goes completely around in a full circle to give your room and the occupants in it the best cool air coverage. There is nothing like a fan to help circulate the cool air in a room, and this one does the best job.
Like most fans, the Ozeri 360 has three different speeds, but there is a twist to the style of speeds you can also choose from. There is steady on - which is normal fan stuff. Then there is the natural wind style. This one feels like the wind blowing gently on you like you are at the beach or in a forest. Finally, there is a style that will help you sleep. It's like the natural wind style, but a little different. It does help you to relax.
Whichever speed you choose and whatever style you desire, you will find that the breeze they create is all whisper quiet. Do you find that you have to shut a fan off when you are talking on the phone because the airflow is just too noisy? You won't get that with the Ozeri 360. With its long turbine within that utilizes advanced cylindrical motion technology with over 200 noise-reducing micro-blades, you don't hear this fan hardly at all. All of Ozeri's tower fans are quiet, but this one is the quietest. We use this one in our room when we sleep, and it doesn't disturb us at all.
Of course, most of the controls are located on the top of the fan, too. The is one button only on the remote, and that is the night mode display. This one shuts the lights off on the fan for night. I like that as the display can be quite bright in a dark room.
At night, we set the timer function so that the fan automatically turns off. The timer feature can be set in 30 minute increments for up to 8 hours. We like to set it for 2 or 3 hours at night. By that time, the desert and the house has finally cooled down after a long hot day.
Now I can see the Temperature Auto Lock as a good energy saving mode. For me, I usually turn the fan on when it gets to 80° in a room, and I am hoping that it will get cooler. I don't want that fan to shut off. This is not a feature that I will be using in the summer, but will probably use in the fall or spring.
The Ozeri 360 Oscillating Fan is truly a handsome fan that is very stylish and adds some flair to our home. With a great quiet airflow that can really help to cool down a room, it's super functional. We feel that we are in for another hot summer desert day, and we are so happy that we have this fan to cool us off. We highly recommend it!
See my other reviews for Ozeri Tower Fans:
Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for my honest review and they are 100% my own opinions. I received no compensation for this review and I am not required to give a positive review - I was asked to give my honest opinion on this product. I am in no way associated with the seller.


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A few months ago I saw this pattern and thought it would be perfect for the boys room. Nice and bright in modern prints, not girly and I could mix prints and colours to suit while still remaining similar. Pattern is Pow Wow by Cluck Cluck Sew.
Aim was to use from my stash, nice modern and retro prints, nothing dull and no real floral prints. I want these quilts to have deeps sides and be extra warm and to last for there early teenager years.


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This luxe bracelet set is a striking addition to any wardrobe. Faceted glass stones and hammered coin charms make up these beautiful bracelets. Comes in a set of 2 bracelets that gently stretch to fit.
All our jewelry is handcrafted by survivors of human trafficking. Slight irregularities and variations in craftsmanship or natural characteristics of the materials are unique and individual to each item. These characteristics are considered a part of the beauty and charm of the item and should not be considered a defect.
However, we want you to love your purchase! We stand behind our products and warrant that all items will be free from manufacturing defect.* If you are dissatisfied with your choice, please see the Returns & Exchanges page.
*General wear and tear, misuse and tarnishing are not covered under the warranty. Our warranty does not provide for replacements or refunds for lost or stolen items.
Our jewelry is made with love and care. Following these steps will help keep your unique pieces looking their best year after year.
This dainty heart-shaped chain in silver or gold-tone goes with everything so you or your loved one can wear it day or night. Layer it with other PURPOSE pieces that say you stand for freedom.
Join us in raising awareness and supporting survivors of human trafficking. When you purchase with PURPOSE, you give hope.
The exclusive Justice bracelet was created to commemorate Human Trafficking Awareness Month in January. This friendship bracelet is adjustable and features a blue string and a simple brass oval charm. Buy one for yourself or a few to share with friends so you can all spread awareness of this hidden epidemic. This item is part of the "Hope Line" which consists of introductory pieces made by our new artisan, and it tells a powerful story of fresh beginning
Join us in raising awareness and supporting survivors of human trafficking. When you purchase with PURPOSE, you buy a bit of hope.
This distinctive bracelet makes a perfect statement all on its own or when paired with the Daydreamer necklace or earrings. Adjustable up to 2 ¾", this unique design depicts movement and whimsy and was initially drawn by our designer completely by freehand.
Finished in elegant 14k gold or luminous rhodium - a rare, precious metal that is tarnish-resistant and more brilliant than sterling silver.
A knockout piece, the Goldie bracelet winds around the wrist like a sleek and captivating gold metal ribbon. Versatile and distinct, the Goldie was among our most highly anticipated designs from the time it first appeared on the drawing board.
Your purchase lets everyone know that you stand against modern-day slavery and support women and girls escaping human trafficking.
The Forest Bracelet features a double row of ruby red or clear crystal glass beads.
The Promise Bracelet glistens in the light and plays a melody of freedom. Hammered coins in various sizes adorn this sparkling piece that can be worn day to night.


text: I believe my last post left off with our home being on the market...well it sold...fast! Only two weeks! I'll have to give you a post on our new house tour...but I got a little ahead of myself as I am only about 90% finished with my NEW living room! Here is a peak....I will be back soon with details!


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03-09-2015 12:40 PM - edited 03-20-2015 09:04 AM
Hi all,
We want to give an opportunity to everyone who wants to enjoy Killzone Shadow Fall Intercept but seem to stumble upon an empty warzone.
Therefor we would like to use this topic to become a meeting point for everyone who wants to play intercept and team up with a few people.
So leave a message here with your PSN name and maybe your region you are playing from.
on 03-09-2015 02:19 PM
Saskatchewan1973 ... Canada. Central Time Zone
on 03-09-2015 02:56 PM
I'm game sick of playing by myself. Pu_L_sE
on 03-10-2015 10:18 AM
is this the same as co-op? i find its not bad but i get tired of playing against AI
on 03-10-2015 04:18 PM
Intercept is our Co-Op mode yes! Where you play only against AI soldiers.
The key is to reach the score as quick as possible through banking your points and keeping the points under your control.
on 03-10-2015 07:29 PM
on 03-10-2015 07:48 PM
Asylum93 Central Time
on 03-10-2015 07:48 PM
on 03-10-2015 07:58 PM
yo i recived your request what time you wanna play ?
on 03-10-2015 11:34 PM


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Aug. 31, 2012
Without a doubt, the strength of the Buckeye Club comes from our generous members. For over 35 years, the members of the Buckeye Club have joined us in our common goal of supporting the Ohio State Student-Athlete Scholarship Fund. With your help, we hope to continue in this mission by adding to the loyal Buckeye Club family.
In an effort to increase our support of the 1,000+ Ohio State student-athletes, our goal this year is to expand the Buckeye Club by 1,000 new members. To reach this goal, we will need your help, as representatives of Buckeye Nation, to champion our mission and encourage new Ohio State supporters to join the Buckeye Club.
For each new member you bring to the Buckeye Club, you will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win exclusive Buckeye prizes for yourself and your new member!*
In addition to being a champion for our student-athletes, you could receive:
Each year, the athletic department transfers over $15 million to the university to fund student-athlete scholarships. This year, thanks to the contributions of our members, the Buckeye Club raised $11.6 million to aid this support. While this shows the tremendous support of Buckeye Nation, it is our hope that, with your help, we can continue to build the Buckeye Club's membership and move closer to fully funding our student-athlete scholarships.
Every member, and every dollar donated makes a direct impact on our student-athletes. With your help, we can ensure that our Buckeyes continue the Ohio State tradition of excellence. Be a champion for our Buckeyes.
For information about how to refer a new member, please call (614) 292-9908 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
*Your name and Buckeye Club account number must be provided with the new member information.


text:
It would look odd whenever you lock your screen (showing Login Window) it will show the default desktop picture instead of your customized desktop picture. To change the default desktop picture, you will need to know where your picture is stored. Open the terminal from Application>Utilities and type the following:
- cd /System/Library/CoreServices
- sudo mv DefaultDesktop.jpg DefaultDesktop_original.jpg
- sudo cp Path/image.jpg DefaultDesktop.jpg
Thats it! you've just renamed the original desktop picture used in Login Windows to DefaultDesktop_original.jpg and copied your image from Path\image.jpg as DefaultDesktop.jpg. Have fun!


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The Edith Wharton Writing Competition
We hope you may have heard about an Edith Wharton workshop at Glasgow University on Wednesday 4 October – free, friendly, open to all: https://transatlanticladies.wordpress.com/blog/
To tie in with the workshop, we're holding a competition. Again, it's open to everyone, so whether you're in Glasgow or further afield, we would love to hear from you. If you can't join us for the workshop on the day, take part another way with this competition. (We want lots of entries from workshop attendees too of course.) And, yes, there will be prizes!
There are two options for the competition. We would like you either to write a summary alternative ending to any work by Wharton, or a sequel. Your entry can be anything from a single sentence to a passage of up to 250 words. It can be any style, any genre: prose, verse, comic, serious …let your imagination roam.
Have you sometimes wished a work by Edith Wharton ended differently? Now's your chance! Or have you sometimes wondered what might have happened after the final page? Let us know…
In alternative Wharton narratives, does The House of Mirth's Lily Bart marry Rosedale, marry Selden to live un/happily ever after, marry neither? Move in with Gerty and learn to embrace dinginess? Does The Custom of the Country's Undine achieve her latest wish and become an ambassador's wife? Does Summer's Lawyer Royall get up from the armchair only to be stabbed by Charity with the brooch? Could there even be a happy ending to Ethan Frome – or is that beyond all our imaginations? The choice is yours!
Whatever your "take", we'd love to hear from you. Please email us your entries, subject heading "Wharton competition", giving your name and location to email@example.com by Friday 29 September. We're delighted that our Wharton speakers at the workshop have agreed to act as judges for the competition. We'll be announcing the winners at the workshop, and posting the decisions online shortly after. We'd love to post some of our favourite entries on the TLW site (with first name only, and general location), so unless you tell us otherwise in your emailed entry, we take it that you are happy for us to do this and to share your narrative.
That's it! Happy writing. Don't forget: deadline Friday 29 September. We're looking forward to travelling with you to other Wharton worlds….


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One that warms my heart.
I like almost all animals except of mosquitoes that bite me, so I may find some other animals to honour during the next two weeks as well, but since I so love my dogs - I will start with a portrait of one of my Rhodesian Ridgebacks, they are with me each day- we have much fun together and we love each other .
It's an Altered Book spread - a quick watercolour sketch.
Liyongo (10)----------- Quinnie (6)
it's also meant for 99 faces


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392 questions
454 answers
537 comments
179,902 users
Alright thank you!
I am currently stuck at trying to access the microSD card. I bought the JeVois with the microSD card having the software flashed, so I did not need to do that step.
But whenever I use the "jevois-usbsd start" command, I get errors. Currently, I am getting a "Timeout communicating with JeVois -- ABORT". I also receive "Cannot access /dev/ttyAMC0 -- is JeVois plugged in? -- ABORT". I am not sure how to proceed. I figured if I am able to access the microSD's contents, I can then program using Python and build my machine vision algorithm there.
Any ideas as to why these errors come up and how to fix them?


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By Charles Kennard
LandMarks leads the reader on a tour of the changing vistas and enduring landmarks of the Bay Area's past four hundred years. Over 220 evocative duotone images by photographer/author Kennard complement vivid descriptions by explorers, settlers, missionaries, immigrants, and present-day commentators - all participants in the great adventure of forging a life in California. Accompanying captions unfold the story of a diverse landscape and the effotrs of people through the ages to put their "mark" on the land.
Follow Kennard and explore all nine Bay Area counties, from Mount S. Helena to New Almaden, from the Farallon Islands to Mount Diablo. LandMarks adds immeasurably to a personal appreciation of the beauty and history of the San Francisco Bay Area. Packed with fascinating detail on the region's natural and human history, this is the book for visitors, newcomers, and longtime residents who treasure the past and want to plan for the future.


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4 Clubs are bumping up General Admission Prices to theirHome Games,in a apparent experiment.
We are not one of those Clubs.
Apparently,FREMANTLE which is increasing that category by$1 and West Coast by $3,isn't one if the 4 either.
Now what was thatLegal Action being taken against them recently,over ticket prices?
AFL Ticket Prices - On the Rise
For all things non Essendon related, tell us how much you hate the Blues, Pies, etc.
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Affairs Afloat
, New York
Pier 40 (West Houston Street and West Side Hwy)
, New York 10014
Sponsored Link
Rock the Boat with Affairs Afloat!
Price Range: $
Our boats, The Queen of Hearts and The Star of Palm Beach, are the two largest floating nightclubs in New York. Check out our events and keep cruisin'!


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Game Introduction – Montopia
Montopia is a strategy-lite RPG game where you explore to find new creatures, fuse them to create more powerful creatures and battle other players—much like Pokemon. Gamezebo's quick start strategy guide will provide you with detailed images, tips, information, and hints on how to play your best game.
Quick Start Guide
- To download the game, click the "Play Now" button at the top of this page.
- Once downloaded, click the "play" button
- That's it! You're ready to start the game!
How to Play
- Selecting Your First Monster: When you first enter the game, you get to select your first monster. You have three choices: Woodhog, Aquazard, and Blazion.
- Elements: If the names don't indicate this already, this is a game where elements play a large role in battle. Earth is strong against water, water is strong against fire and fire is strong against wood. Selecting your first monster doesn't necessarily lock you into one specific element or give you advantages for picking it aside from the fact that the first monster that you choose will be fairly rare and will likely be your best monster for quite some time.
- MonstaMatic: To gain new monsters in a very easy way, you can play the "MonstaMatic" every day. Touch the middle of the screen and you get a new monster. Most of the monsters that you get here are fairly common and not very special, but at the same time, you can use them to upgrade other monsters and they're free, so what the heck, right? Additionally, for every 10 "Monster Points" you can play MonstaMatic and gain a new monster.
- Selling Monsters: When you gain a monster, you have two choices—sell them or fuse them. When you sell them, you gain coins.
- Coins: Coins are the base currency in the game and can be used tofuse monsters to create tougher, stronger monsters. There is a push/pull versus gaining new monsters and selling off monsters that don't necessarily do a whole lot for the team you would like to create. You want to gain monsters, but at the same time, coins can be hard to come by when you are fusing together too many monsters.
- Cash: Cash is the premium currency Montopia. Cash is used to buy energy, items and rare monsters. Cash, incidentally, requires real world cash to acquire.
- Exploring: Exploring is where you find new monsters (outside of the MonstaMatic), gain coins and find fragments that can unlock new monsters.
- How it Works: There honestly is not a whole lot to exploring. Rarely do you encounter a random battle where your current lineup of monsters goes head-to-head versus a CPU squad of monsters. There is not an actual in-game fighting engine to worry about—each monster has their attack/defense rankings and then there is a dice roll fight where you are updated on whether you win or lose. Most of the time you are hitting the "explore" button and moving forward collecting monsters, coins and fragments.
- Health and the Effects of Exploring: One of the constraints that you have is health. On the screenshot above, you have the red "heart" in the top of the screen. In this case I have 15 health. With each press of "explore", right underneath "The Adventure Begins" it shows what each button press means when you push forward—one health is declined. When you run out of health, you cannot explore any longer, but you can battle.
- Experience: Additionally when you explore, you can experience. The experience bar is in the top left of the above screenshot, and underneath "The Adventure Begins" you can see that you gain one experience point for each exploration on this particular level. As you level up, the health, experience and coin rewards goes up.
- Recharging: Much like a city-building game, health is recharged over time. You can purchase, with cash or receive as a reward, energy herbs that regain your health. The time isn't very long between recharging, so every 50 minutes or so you can check the game and progress if you can remember. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you want to play), the game doesn't have any notifications when you are recharged, so it's really up to you to figure out how committed you are to the game.
- Fragments: As the screenshot above shows, every time you collect fragments you can unlock new creatures. You find these by exploring, but you can also attack other players by specific fragment type to get the fragments you need and unlock the monster that you really want to get.
- Ability Points: As you level up your character, you gain ability points that you can allocate to health, attack and defense. You can auto allocate these points to evenly split to make it easy, or if you want to tinker with your character, you can put in the points as you see fit.
- Fusion: Fusion is one of the most important aspects of the game. You want to fuse characters of similar elements (so don't fuse water/fire together), as the boost is much better. However, when you are running low on coins, sell off your monsters that are a little bit baser and more common to gain coins and fuse together two more rare monsters to create one, much more powerful creature.
- Co-op Fusion: Certain fusions take more than one player to do. In this, you have to ask other players to help you fuse. There isn't anything necessarily special that they have to add—they just have to have multiple players to complete the fusion.
- Crewmates: Thankfully, finding people to do co-op fusions with isn't really that hard. In other games of this type, it can be daunting to find enough people to play with. In Montopia, you can just search for crewmates around your level, and then send them an invite. You can have 14 crewmates and it's beneficial to have all 14 spaces filled up. In addition to helping you battle other players, you can do co-op fusions, and poke and high five them to gain monster points for the MonstaMatic.
- Messages: In the bottom right corner of the screen you have an "inbox". This houses all of your co-op fusion requests and your crew mate requests. Monitor this to help your crew mates complete their tasks so they'll be more likely to help you out.
- Battling: To start a battle, click the "Vs" Battle button on the home screen.
- Selection: You can select by a fragment that you need, level of character, and rivals. Rivals are people that have attacked you consistently and you want to give them a taste of their own medicine. You want to take on the lowest level possible to ensure that you can win. The more crewmates you have, the more likely you have the backup needed to take out the opponent and the more people you have to do co-op fusions with to make better monsters. From there, it's a simple dice roll and you are told of your success or failure. When you attack and win, when looking for fragments—you get that fragment and some coins. Failure costs you some coins
- Additional Battle Tips: Since my main attack is a fire monster, make sure to attack players with a leader of an element that is weaker to you. In my case, it will be players with an earth monster as their leader. Refer to the first tip with the elemental advantage breakdown. Also note the "battle buddy" that you have. For each crew mate, you can choose the cream of their crop. In this case, I had a level 19 buddy that had another fire character that helped me win my battle.
You have completed Gamezebo's quick start guide for Montopia! You should be all set on your way to play your best game! Be sure to check back often for game updates, staff and user reviews, user tips, forums comments and much more here at Gamezebo!


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Neither the Chamber of Commerce nor the ND Game & Fish Department can recommend one guide service over another. However, we suggest you check with the ND Game & Fish Department, to ensure the guide is licensed and/or certified. Licensed guides are North Dakota residents that have paid a fee to ND Game & Fish Department. Certified guides have also met the following requirements: proof of insurance, proof of current CPR certification and proof of First Aid certification.
Ask the guide service for the name, address and phone number of past customers that you can contact for a recommendation.


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Hey everyone! How the heck are ya?? I hope you're all doing well!
Although, it's been kind of quiet around here, I have been keeping busy the last few weeks and I thought I'd give a quick update!
1. One of the really exciting things is I've been hired to design a formal living room and guest room for a client. The project is in South Orange County and the house is absolutely beautiful, so the design process has been really fun. I'll share more about those projects when we get closer to implementing the ideas but here's one of the schemes I'm working on...
2. I also switched my living room and bedroom around again. I was bored :-) You can check out the last time I did it here. Here's a quick iPhone pic of the end result - it's still a work in progress but I'll be sharing more soon!
3. Last Saturday, some friends and I went to the Hollywood Bowl for the Grease Sing-a-long. It's the largest sing-a-long in the world and was SO MUCH FUN!! They put the words up on the screen and everyone sings along (hello, obvious.) It's good times.
4. I've also been "stepping up" my training for the YMCA Stairclimb at the end of September!
Having this event on the horizon has been a huge motivator to get moving and thanks to my Fitbit I can totally track how many flights I've climbed each day. This was a great day with twenty seven!!
5. My BFF bought a sweet old dresser and nightstands from her new landlord (and it was conveniently already in her garage!) It has beautiful lines and we've been working on transforming it for her master bedroom! Here she is before...the after is coming soon.
6. And finally, I rarely post pictures of myself (and don't plan on making it a habit!), but I got a new haircut this week and my stylist (who is amazing...love her to pieces!) curled it and made me feel all pretty!
It's not as short on that side as it looks....the light from the window just gives that illusion :-)
Anyway, happy Friday!