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I'm sure there have been threads on this topic before. I've been thinking of quitting the big blue F, or at least trying to vastly cut down on my time there.
Found this article the other day:
I'm trying some of the steps and they are working out for me. Over the years, I've gotten disillusioned with FB (and social media in general). The other night, I got in a political fight with someone and ended up blocking them and leaving the group we were both in. I try NEVER to get in political arguments with anyone, both IRL and on the 'net. I ended up yelling and crying to spouse that I hated FB.
I have noticed over the past couple of days, more of a sense of peacefulness and well-being. I've dropped into FB just to see what's going on, and to check Messenger (my best friend's brother-in-law is seriously ill and she has been updating me on Messenger). I've also stopped following a couple of people.
It seems that the crap FB is throwing at me is overwhelming--all these posts they think I would like, suggested friends, etc. etc. I only joined it b/c at the time, I had intentions of selling my handmade jewelry, and let's face it: it's one of the only places you can advertise that sort of thing for free. There are also some cool trade/sell groups for art supplies, and other stuff. Lots of my art friends were on there, so I joined up.
I don't sell my jewelry anymore, so that is not a reason to stay. My excuses have been 1) boredom; and 2) keeping in touch with friends. I gotta ask myself, though: How did I keep in touch with friends before Facebook?
Have you weaned yourself off FB (or any other social media)? How did you do it? How has your life improved? Or do you regret it?
I'm interested to know about your experience.


text: Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) is a common autoimmune animal version used to analyze rheumatoid arthritis (RA). DBA/1J rodents develop osteoarthritis with you mg/ml MT while C57BL/6J mice need and 3–4 mg/ml MT in order to develop arthritis. CIA develops slowly but surely in C57BL/6J cases and mice of arthritis will be mild in comparison to DBA/1J rodents. This process describes immunization of DBA/1J mice with type 2 bovine collagen and the immunization of C57BL/6J mice with type 2 chicken collagen. Materials and Reagents Boeotian Collagen Type II (Chondrex catalog quantity: 20021) Chicken breast Collagen Type II (Chondrex catalog quantity: 20011) Accomplish Freund's Appurtenance (CFA) (Chondrex catalog quantity: 1mg/ml 7008& 4mg/ml 7001) Incomplete Freund's Adjuvant (IFA) (Sigma-Aldrich listing GHRP-6 Acetate number: F5506) Ketamine (KetaVed) (VEDCO listing number: 078908598) Xylazine (AnaSed) (LLOYD Labs catalog quantity: 078081939) Distante acetic acid(Fischer Scientific listing number: A38-212) Mice DBA/1J mice GHRP-6 Acetate men 8 weeks previous C57BL/6 men 8 weeks previous Equipment Filtration (Corning listing number: 431096) Interchangeable Syringes (Micro-Mate listing number: 148251A) Nylon 3-Way Stopcock (Kimble Chase listing number: 4201634503) Needle (BD catalog quantity: 305109) Throw-away syringe (BD catalog quantity: 309623) Mouse button Restraint (Braintree Scientific listing number: TV-150) Caliper (Kafer catalog quantity: 217901) Treatment A. Collagen-induced arthritis: Immunization of DBA/1J mice with type 2 bovine collagen Preparation of bovine collagen stock you Prepare zero. GHRP-6 Acetate 01N lactic acid in filtration and ddH2O through a zero. 2 μM membrane to sterilize diluent. Store for 4 °C. 2 Thin down 10 magnesium of boeotian collagen with 2 . your five ml of 0. 01 N lactic acid for a last concentration of 4 mg/ml collagen. four Secure sport bike helmet and put the collagen bottle in 5534-95-2 IC50 aluminum foil to avoid mild exposure. some Rotate the bottle for 4 °C or till collagen is totally dissolved suddenly. 5 Numeral collagen choice (500μl aliquots) and freeze out at? twenty °C. Aliquots of collagen can be kept at? 20°C for six months Aliquots should not to end up being thawed a lot more than 2 times just before injection. Preparing of anesthetic 6 Make 5534-95-2 IC50 a working choice of twenty-five mg/ml ketamine and installment payments on your 5 mg/ml xylazine in PBS. Retail store working choice for 14 days at room temperature or 1–3 months at 4 °C. For a 10 ml solution combine 2 . 5 ml of ketamine stock and 0. 25 ml of xylazine 5534-95-2 IC50 stock with 7. 25 ml PBS. Each mouse will be anesthetized through an intraperitoneal (i. p. ) injection with 0. 1 ml of stock solution for a final concentration of 2. 5 mg ketamine and 0. 25 mg xyalzine per mouse. Preparation of bovine collagen emulsion with CFA for Day 0 5534-95-2 IC50 immunization 5534-95-2 IC50 *Important preform in sterile tissue culture hood 7 Connect two autoclaved 2 ml glass luer lock syringes to the 3-way stopcock. 8 Place glass plunger into one of the syringes and stand the opposite syringe against a 50 ml tube rack. The syringe with the plunger will need to lay over the surface of this hood as the second syringe stands for a 90° angle towards the syringe along with the plunger (Figure 1a). Work 1 Syringe Assembly being unfaithful Create a functioning solution of collagen by having 4 mg/ml collagen share to zero. 01 Klf1 In acetic acid for a 1: you ratio inside the standing syringe (Figure 1b). 10 Put CFA towards the syringe for a 1: you ratio of collagen functioning solution inside the standing syringe. Example: 500μl 4mg/ml collagen 500 zero. 01 lactic acid and 1mL CFA Real volumes of this working choice and 5534-95-2 IC50 CFA GHRP-6 Acetate will be dependant upon number of rodents to be immunized where every DBA/1J mouse button receives zero. 1 milliliters of the last emulsion. Blending the emulsion will cause zero. 4 milliliters of the emulsion to be misplaced in the stopcock be sure to are the reason for this when ever determining amounts of reactants. 11 Transform the prevent cock handle to close the valve starting not linked to a syringe. 12 Put the plunger inside the standing syringe. 13 Mixture the solution between your two syringes slowly simply by plunging the whole solution in to the opposite syringe 20 circumstances. This will make a white emulsion (Figure 1c). 14 Dive all of the collagen into a single syringe. While retaining the syringe containing the collagen stopcock end up (Figure 1d) take away the stopcock and connect a.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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WBEZ Blogs
Lollapalooza 2012 Day 2: Festival experience weighs heavier on the mind than the music
Day two of Lollapalooza was really a day split into two. But I suppose there's no way around that; an evacuation that forces the cancellation of some of the most anticipated acts (i.e. Alabama Shakes) can't be expected to not shake people up.
Before this weather all went down, the day was starting out to look a lot like Friday had; hot and slightly dull. I caught a few minutes of Aloe Blacc, who had reinterpreted his song "I Need A Dollar" (which you may recognize as the theme from from the now cancelled HBO show How to Make it in America) to the point where it almost sounded as though someone else was performing it.
Blacc was preferable to Neon Indian though; during their set, I heard someone remark "Who the f*** is this?" But, let's cut Neon Indian some slack; perhaps they were too affected by their act being cut short due to the oncoming weather. "Apparently we have to walk offstage in 10 minutes, so let's make it count," said lead singer Alan Palomo, before launching into their only particularly recognizable song, "Polish Girl." Unfortunately, all I wanted was the Hood Internet version.
"We will make it up to you we swear," added Palomo. "We've been looking forward to this day for a very long time." I'm not sure how they planned to do that, and we'll probably never know; the evacuation from Grant Park that followed was anything but organized.
It's pure luck that things went as smoothly as they did -- one moment, I was watching Neon Indian; the next, a random man came onstage to ask us all to leave. There was no mention of where to go or when things might be getting back up to speed, if at all. The city and Lollapalooza officials may have had a plan, but few were privy to it (see Annie Minoff's explanation below). It's difficult to chalk up the relative calm that followed to anything other than a lot of people who just didn't want to ruin the day they were having.
Calvin Harris was less moving, despite his clear intention to be, through the common refrain "Let me see you bounce!" Don't get me wrong, I love pop music, but there was something almost scary about the trance-like vibe he had all of Perry's stage and what seemed like half the park under.
Night was falling, and things had begun to get wild, which meant there was mud everywhere and a young man who appeared to be on drugs had to be physically restrained for multiple minutes by security, before they managed to get a total of six people to cart him away. Zip ties were involved. There's nothing weirder than watching someone look as though they're having a seizure trying to escape from several someone's sitting on them, while thousands surrounding the scene dance to Rihanna. In security's defense, it appeared that he had done something and was running away from the crime.
Oh yeah, and then there was Red Hot Chili Peppers, though from the little of "Snow (Hey Oh)" I heard, it seems I didn't miss much. Better yet, to cap the day off, I got to take in Frank Ocean's set, which soothed any sore wounds I had from a surreal festival experience.
Ocean started off with an acoustic version of Sade's "By Your Side" -- no joke. He also touched on Coldplay and Kanye West, all successfully woven into the set list, as well as a reinterpreted "American Wedding," of which Ocean said, "I got into a little trouble over this song. I made a couple changes; hopefully you'll agree with them" (it samples The Eagles' "Hotel California").
Ocean took the vibe coming after The Weeknd's amazing R&B vocals one step further, as the Google Play stage made me feel okay for missing Santigold. He took time, engaged with his audience ("I fux with Chicago. Some of the flyest architecture I've seen in my tour so far") and left us all feeling just fine.
-- Kate Dries
There's nothing like a forecast for "domes of heat," lightening, and squall lines to get you really jonesing to see some rock n' roll. Sure Tom Skilling's morning weather report left me feeling a little queasy, but when I arrived at Grant Park around noon, things seemed normal. Blistering heat was my only complaint.


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The employment office I
by luc • 14 November, 2003 • Uncategorized • 3 Comments
With the missing form we got from the emigration police we drove to the office where I work in the centre. With the help of Popi, short for Penelope, I filled in the form. Somebody needed to sign it and I suggested that she would do that. That was a little bit too much for her, so we send it by fax to the village office where my boss could sign it and return it by fax. Which he promptly did. Unfortunately going through the wires twice had not done anything to improve the quality of the — already umpteen times – copied form. But we thought it would still be acceptable, so off we went to the Employment Office.
That is to say, we went to the location were the man in the police station had directed us to go. I had to park my car in a really awkward spot, but Greek people do it all the time and Yvonne assured me that it was okay, she had parked there too 2 weeks ago. We left the car and went into the office building. After some searching around we found a person who tried to communicate something obviously important to us which we failed to understand. After 15 minutes and the help of some other people it became clear that the office we were looking for had moved to another building in another part of town.


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Today, a bill that would greatly assist high school building and trades programs by allowing them to employ a licensed realtor to sell homes constructed as a part of their curriculum passed in the full House of Representatives. SB 2823 was introduced in the Senate by Sen. David Koehler (D-Peoria) and on behalf of Pekin Community High School, which maintains a highly successful building and trades class as a part of its sophisticated vocational program. After receiving Senate approval, Representative Mike Unes (R-East Peoria) was proud to sponsor this legislation in the House.
Current law limits a school district to selling the property by public auction, the same way that other "state" properties must be sold. SB 2823 grants Illinois school districts the secondary option of employing a licensed realtor at a commission rate not to exceed 7% for the purpose of selling the property. Selling a home on the market is often a much more profitable and efficient option compared to the arduous public auction process, and having this option benefits these school districts by allowing them to recoup the cost of building a home more quickly while also maximizing their ability to reinvest their curriculum.


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On March 4, 2017, President Donald Trump sent out an arsenal of tweets accusing Barack Obama of a barrage of political crimes. Trump has alleged that during the 2016 presidential campaign, Obama authorized a wiretapping conspiracy campaign against the candidate.
The presidential tweet read: Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!
The president read this information in a Breitbart news article, written on March 3. The previous day, Mark Levin outlined the steps, he believed, the Obama administration took to form a conspiracy against Trump.
Timeline of Obama's Conspiracy Against Trump – According to Breitbart News
June 2016 – A request was filed with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA), by the Obama administration, to audit the communications of Trump and his advisers. Request denied.
July – Emails leaked from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) proved there was a conspiracy to remove Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, as a presidential candidate. Trump also made public comments challenging Russia to find Hillary Clinton's missing emails.
October – John Podesta's emails were released. This leak created a slew of scandals on a smaller scale.
Another request was made by the Obama administration to the FISA court. This request narrowed in on a Trump Tower computer server. There was a suspected conspiracy between the presidential candidate and banks in Russia. Even though there was no evidence, wiretaps were approved for reasons of national security, according to Andrew McCarthy, a writer for the National Review. If this is true, the former administration abused the powers of U.S. federal intelligence agencies. This is according to Breitbart, none of this has been proven.
January 2017 – CNN and Buzzfeed reported that a former foreign spy had put together a file of the communications between the Trump campaign and Russia. Included in the dossier was information that could discredit the current president. Nothing has been verified but some data was discovered to be false.
Also in January, the outgoing administration granted greater power to the National Security Agency (NSA), allowing them to globally share any personal communication intercepted with 16 other government intelligence agencies. This was expected before implementing any privacy protections. This could make it easier to leak data collected. It could also mislead people. Possibly another conspiracy theory to confuse the American people.
Jan. 19 – The day before Trump's Inauguration, the CIA, FBI, NSA, and the Treasury Department were tracking the communications of members of Trump's campaign. This monitoring was due to suspected ties between Russia and associates of the president-elect. Reporters from several newspapers stated that there was a multi-agency group that was organizing the investigation throughout the government. Breitbart makes a point to state that it is unknown how the media learned of the classified investigation. More conspiracy theories.
February – The FBI presented evidence from 2016, that proved Michael Flynn, Trump's choice for National Security Adviser, had regular communication with Sergey Kislyak, a Russian ambassador. This was discovered while intelligence agencies were monitoring Kislyak, not Trump or Flynn. Sanctions Obama imposed on Russia were discussed during these conversations.
The New York Times reported that four former and current U.S. officials revealed that members of Trump's presidential campaign were in regular contact with Russian intelligence. Admittedly, the newspaper stated there was no evidence to support their claim. However, the report caused members of Congress to question if there were illegal leaks from U.S. intelligence agencies. More conspiracy?
March – Attorney General Jeff Sessions contacted the Russian ambassador twice, during the 2016 presidential campaign, by The Washington Post. The New York Times reported that while Obama was still president, evidence was distributed throughout intelligence and government agencies. The end game was to leave a trail for investigators, a conspiracy claim made by The New York Times.
The Breitbart article, highlighted Levin's statements on his radio show where he referred to these unfounded incidents as a "silent coup."
Media and White House Response to the Conspiracy Claim
The Washington Post proclaimed that there is not any evidence to support the claims made by Levin.
The White House demanded that the possible wiretapping be added to the investigation of Russia's role in the presidential election. Sean Spicer stated: "Reports concerning potentially politically motivated investigations immediately ahead of the 2016 election are very troubling."
The members of Trump's campaign, who were fully aware of the ongoing contact with Russian intelligence, lied about these allegations.
Spokesman for Obama, Kevin Lewis, stated that it was the administration's "cardinal rule" to not involve themselves in any investigation held or led by the Department of Justice.
As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false.
James R. Clapper Jr., the former national intelligence director, told NBC that there was not any wiretap activity while Trump was campaigning or as president-elect. He assured the network that if there was any such monitoring he would have been aware.
There are news outlets that think Trump knows exactly what he is doing. It is widely believed that he is attempting to misdirect the media and American citizens.
The Conspiracy-Theory President
News agencies have stated that a claim of conspiracy, of this nature, requires proof and clarification for the nation's citizens.
The Washington Post called Trump the conspiracy-theory candidate because he often made claims that had been proven false or offered no proof at all. He stated that Obama was not born in the U.S., accused the father of Sen. Ted Cruz of taking part in the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and stated that Muslims celebrated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. There is also the recent claims that the media is conspiring against the president.
James B. Comey Responds to Conspiracy Theory
FBI director, Comey, has requested that the Department of Justice denounce Trump's claims that Obama ordered any sort of wiretapping. He asserts that the allegations are false and the record must be set straight. The accusation is not only against the Obama administration but the FBI. The charge infers that the bureau broke the law. Spokespeople for the Department of Justice and the FBI declined to comment on this issue.
Comey has the same information as the Department of Justice. It would be unusual for him to make a public statement, but there is nothing to prevent him from doing so. The justice department has not released a statement.
By Jeanette Smith
Breitbart: Mark Levin to Congress: Investigate Obama's 'Silent Coup' vs. Trump
The Washington Post: Conspiracy theorist in chief?
The New York Times: Comey Asks Justice Dept. to Reject Trump's Wiretapping Claim
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Izzy LeCours' Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inline Image Courtesy of Surian Soosay's Flickr Page – Creative Commons License


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I can't wait for this event. I have done a booth through WildtRiot before and it was a lot of fun. I met a lot of amazing, inspiring, and independent women and it was such a great experience. It made me crave more with creating and networking. Only great things will come from this event… Continue reading New Booth Event!!
Tag: Los Angeles Events
Booth Event – The El Cid
Ahh!! I'm so excited!! I always get beyond thrilled when I sign up to be a part of a new booth community. BUT THIS?! I'm about to pee my pants! First of all, the El Cid in Los Angeles is an amazing venue. They have amazing food, great atmosphere, and amazing events to boot. In… Continue reading Booth Event – The El Cid


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Welcome to Good Karma: Center for Yoga & the Healing Arts
Good Karma: Center for Yoga and Healing Arts provides Milledgeville and the surrounding middle Georgia area with a full range of yoga classes. From beginners new to the mat, to the most advanced yogis, we offer everything needed to grow your yoga practice. Enjoy our peaceful, serene studio in downtown Milledgeville while taking small group yoga classes or individual yoga lessons. We offer regular classes at different difficulty levels under a variety of Yoga teachings. Other offerings include meditation, Jiu Jitsu, drum circle and yoga workshops. We love hosting community events to showcase local art, literature, and musical talent!
We are excited to welcome you to the Good Karma family!


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No Jive: My Friends Weren't Jonesing
Being an up-and-coming pop sensation just doesn't get you the respect it used to. Columbia artist JIVEjones discovered that recently when he was tossed out of Spa during the release party for his debut album, Me, Myself and I. When security staffers noticed two of Jones's friends taking some pills, they quickly moved in and began escorting the pair out. Jones went over to help, insisting that the ingestibles in question were mere aspirin. More bouncers arrived, the argument spilled onto the street, and, according to Jones's rep, the singer and his friends were sent into the night. A Spa spokesman insists, "Mr. Jones came out and pleaded for his friends, but he went back inside. We were going to throw him out, but he wasn't doing drugs -- his friends were." Jones counters that he never saw the inside of Spa again that night but escorted his group of outcasts to Chaos. When we told the Spa rep that Jones insists the pills were aspirin, he replied, "It wasn't any Tylenol or Tic Tacs or anything else. It was ecstasy. Come on, these bouncers know what it looks like." Jones, however, stands by his pals, telling us, "I never thought a headache could turn into such a pain in the ass."
Gwyneth's Blythe Spirit
What did Environmental Advocates do when their master of ceremonies for tonight's 2000 Advocate Awards, Blythe Danner, canceled at the last minute? They contacted her next of kin, of course. As a member of the organization's board of directors, Danner agreed to host the event, but later decided to join her husband, Bruce Paltrow, at the London premiere of his film Duets. Golden child Gwyneth Paltrow came to the rescue, graciously agreeing to take her mother's place for the two-and-a-half-hour ceremony while she's in New York to promote her latest film, Bounce. "I'm indebted to my daughter for filling in for me. I'm thrilled that she's doing it," says Danner. The Advocate Awards celebrate representatives from New York's environmental movement, honoring those who shape public policy. We hope Gwyneth doesn't steal the spotlight from the cause at hand.
Ben Affleck Gets Carried Away
For only the second time in twenty years, Carrie Fisher held her annual birthday party without co-host Penny Marshall, but that doesn't mean she spent the evening she turned 44 without a partner. According to an industry insider, the daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher spent the latter part of the evening snuggling and smooching on a couch with Hollywood hunk Ben Affleck -- as guests like Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Meg Ryan, Courtney Love, Gillian Anderson, Laura Dern, Robin Williams, Paul Allen, Ellen DeGeneres, Fisher's former boyfriend the superagent Brian Lourd, and her former stepmother Elizabeth Taylor looked on. Says one witness, "It was very casual but a bit bizarre. They were having fun -- I guess he had some Princess Leia fantasy." When called for comment, Fisher's rep told us, "Oh, good for her." But Fisher's own response was a more circumspect: "The only person that I ended up with at the end of the night was my daughter Billie." Affleck had no comment.
Mainstream Moby Takes Stock
Napster enthusiasts may have been among the first to discover Moby, but he's not shedding any tears over the recent decision to start charging them for access. We asked the rocker about the latest blow to the online community when we ran into him at the Hetrik-Martin Institute's annual Emery Awards, which honor advocates for gay and lesbian youth. "On the one hand, I like the idea of people being exposed to music," he said. "But I also like the idea of having professional musicians, and in order to have them, people have to get paid." Moby went on to say that few people are aware of the insidious effect Napster has on certain musicians: "Because most college students and most relatively well educated people are downloading music and burning CDs, sales for good artists are down," he explained. "Radio looks at sales charts and says, 'Oh, all these boy bands from California are selling records, so that's what we'll play.' But the truth is, people are still listening to good music; they're just not paying for it." Speaking of getting paid, we asked Moby how it feels to have finally made the jump from cult figure to mainstream celebrity. "The only real difference," he said, "is, do I have a medium-size portfolio or do I have a big one? I hope that doesn't sound sleazy." What's sleazy?
Versace's (Colorful) Cold Shoulder
After Versace offered her a consulting position in September, fashion flack Hilary Heard resigned her job at Louis Vuitton, gave up her New York apartment, and had her belongings shipped to her parents' place in Ohio. She hasn't heard from Versace since. Heard tells us she met with Donatella Versace in Milan in mid-September, at which point Versace's right-hand man, Giovanni Galbiati, verbally offered her the position. Later that day, Heard contends, Versace P.R. head Victoria Hennessy gave her a tour of the offices, introducing her to staff members as "Hilary, who will be working with us." Back in New York, Heard received a draft contract along with a note from human-resources director Giorgio Bernini saying, "Mrs. Versace would like you to be here on September 20th." Heard says she told Bernini she couldn't start work until the 30th, since she would have to give Louis Vuitton two weeks' notice. On the 21st, Heard got a flight confirmation from Versace's travel office, including instructions for transporting her cats to Milan. But the next day, Heard received e-mail from Bernini regarding contract questions from her lawyer; the note suggested she put her move "on hold." That's the last she heard from Versace, despite numerous efforts to get an explanation from the company. Heard managed to get her apartment back but says she's giving up the fashion biz for good. Versace spokesman Lou Colasuonno confirms that while a job was discussed, "Versace never reached an agreement with Ms. Heard," adding that the company "clearly advised her not to leave her current employment until she had a signed contract. Ms. Heard has acknowledged that she was so advised."
Front-Page Follies at the Post
The day after the election was an anxious one for Post staff, not over worries about who would be the next president but because they didn't know where to get their hands on copies of the now-famous bush wins! front page. According to a source close to the paper, in the wee hours of Election Night, so many television news crews showed up looking for copies to put on the air that there were scarcely any left when the day shift came on in the morning. "At first, they'd put a stack of copies in the lobby and a security guard was giving them out to the TV crews," says the source. Eventually, though, the eager TV folk made their way to the tenth-floor newsroom and were being treated to copies right from the city desk. By morning, the tipster says, "someone had even made off with the library's bundle, and there weren't any left for the archives." On Thursday, however, Post trucks brought back enough of the framable editions from newsstands around town to satisfy the memento-hungry journos -- who can now save them for the grandkids.
Erin Proves Voters Are No Boobs
Erin Brockovich recently voiced her opposition to California's Proposition 37, joining the list of celebrities making those quirky recorded telephone solicitations for votes. The measure, dubbed the Polluter Protection Act by Brockovich and her environmentally conscious cohorts, was sponsored by the oil, tobacco, and alcohol industries to avoid paying for damages that their products inflict. It would have reclassified fees for cleaning up ongoing health and environmental hazards as taxes (requiring complicated voting procedures before they'd ever be collected). An excerpt from the message: "This is Erin Brockovich. You might have seen the recent movie about my real-life fight against big companies that poisoned drinking water in California." The proposition was defeated last week. Erin didn't even have to cuss -- or flash cleavage.
A Cuban Mojito Crisis
Will we have to say adios to a West Village dining hot spot? The Cuban model mecca Isla had its liquor license revoked on a technicality thanks to a lawsuit filed against the New York Liquor Authority by five area residents. One source tells us that this is "a case of a handful of people imposing their tyranny on the neighborhood," since the restaurant has been open for a year without complaint. According to block-association president Armando Buria, as the sixth liquor-licensed business to open in the past five years, Isla contributes to the area's noise as well as its inability to support the increased pedestrian and vehicle traffic. The restaurant's rep believes that "Isla has become the scapegoat," singled out among other area restaurants like Blue Ribbon Bakery, Boughalem, and 'ino because it is the newest addition to the neighborhood. Another resident quips, "I wish they had opposed McDonald's instead of this classy restaurant." Isla's owner, Diane Ghioto, says her license remains valid pending an appeal. "This is all about six seats at the bar," she says. "The Liquor Authority always sides with the community board when there is opposition, but I'm a member of the community, too." Even Castro lets you drink.
Next, She'll Shoot Jane Fonda in Black
It's truly a jungle out there. Last week, designing diva Donna Karan sent her troops to Vietnam to shoot an upcoming ad campaign. Milla Jovovich and Jeremy Irons star in the new ads, shot by Mikael Jansson in and around Ho Chi Minh City. When asked what the steamy ads are trying to convey, Karan says the campaign is about "an adventurous, romantic journey where East meets West." Spotlighting men's and women's clothing from the spring 2001 Donna Karan Collection line, the ads begin running in March.
Additional reporting by Abbey Goodman and Paige Herman.
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Gumpaste Peony Tutorial
I love sugar flowers! They are so elegant and beautiful ( I even like them more than real flowers on a cake... don't tell my sister-in-law the florist). The only down side is that they are time consuming and you need to either see one made or have a great artistic eye to sit down and make one. So for you I created a picture tutorial on how to make a gumpaste/sugar peony.
Here are the tools that you need:
*From left to right: Square squishy foam pad (don't know if it has a real name or not), sugar glue (see the recipe section for how to make it- it is much better than water and makes a more secure hold with your gumpaste flowers and figures) or buy here , A ball tool to thin and curl your petals, a thinning pad (it is very thin, the pads I have are Wilton brand and they work great) and cornstarch in a knee-high stocking.
*Saran Wrap
Directions to make the Peony:Roll our your gumpaste (or fondant that has CMC or Tylose Powder added to it) really, really thin. When you are making flowers you want to roll it really thin until when you lift it, it becomes almost see through.
Cut out your pieces. With these cutters you need to cut out ten of each petal size. But gumpaste and fondant dry out really really fast so you need to cover it. I only had cut out 2 of the petal sizes so the flower can dry in between while I prepared the next size of petals.
Once your petal is thinned you need to curl it to give the petal some movement. You switch it to the thicker squishy pad and using the same ball tool start at the edges and pull in toward the center of the petal and the petal will curve into you.
Then place some sugar glue on the center of the petal down to the tip and begin attaching them to the ball.
The first petal is laid over the top of the ball just so no matter where your petals are place the center is colored and you don't see any Styrofoam or rice crispy treat.
Once you have your first size petals done it is best to hang the flower upside down so the petals don't flop back while you are thinning and curling the next size. The rice crispy was difficult to do this because it was so heavy so eventually right before I was ready for the next set I ended up putting it in the bowl with lots of paper towel to support it.
As your flower gets bigger keep overlapping the petals and I begin to attach them with the flower upside down because it is easier to see where to place the next petal and keeps the petals in the correct place (no flopping). Every once and a while I flip the flower over and just check from the top that it looks good.
Once all the petals are on place in on the cup that is covered in foil and use little pieces of paper towel or saran wrap to help lift and shape your petals so they look realistic.
Last couple steps are let it dry. It is so tempting to try to pick it up! But I would let it rest 2-3 days to make sure it is totally dry. And be extremely careful when you do pick it up because since the petals are thin it breaks really really easily.


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Investor Exchange
Providing an avenue to liquidity for commercial real estate investors
Even the best things in life aren't perfect. Take for instance, real estate investing. Many people see the inherent value in owning commercial real estate, but balk at what sometimes can be a decade or longer hold period.
If only there was a way to get all the benefits of long term real estate investing without the drawbacks...
Acquire is proud to announce the first online exchange for limited partnership interests in commercial real estate.
By adding the potential for liquidity to a historically illiquid investment, we're transforming the way people view commerical real estate investments.
"By offering our investors an avenue to liquidity, we've addressed their chief concern in investing in Commercial Real Estate offerings wtih longer investment horizons."
-Josh Klimkiewicz, President - Acquire Real Estate
-Josh Klimkiewicz, President - Acquire Real Estate
Acquire's Investor Exchange™ provides users with a guided process, as well as tools for selling, valuing, and buying limited partnership interests.
Transfer of these interests can be complicated, assuming it's even allowed by the properties' subscription documents.
Acquire has transformed this manual legal process from a headache to one of relative ease using our coordinated investment transfer process.
Our tools easily facilitate the exchange between buyer and seller, and most importantly, are provided free to our users with their membership.
Transferring interests on the Investor Exchange™ is easy and can be done very quickly:
Did you miss out on one of our great investment opportunities? Maybe it was sold out before you even joined the site. Well, you may very well get a second chance at purchasing some through the exchange.
We'll even provide you with tools to help you value these secondary investments you're bidding on.
Forget about hiring a lawyer and coordinating a closing. Let us do it all for you. Our coordinated transfer process ensures you'll be buying or selling investments in no time.
The Investor Exchange™ uses patent pending technology.
Acquire Real Estate, LLC is not a broker-dealer and charges no fees for using the Investor Exchange toolset.
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© 2014-2015 Acquire Real Estate, LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Patent Pending.
Acquirerealestate.com is a website operated by Acquire Real Estate, LLC (Acquire Real Estate) and by accessing the website and any pages thereof, you agree to be bound by its Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Acquirerealestate.com is intended for accredited investors only who are members of Acquire Real Estate and familiar with and willing to accept the risks associated with private investments. Investments posted on this website are membership interests and are not publicly traded, are subject to holding periods and are intended for investors who do not have a need for a liquid investment.
Any financial projections or returns shown on the website are illustrative examples only, and there can be no assurance that any valuations provided are accurate or in agreement with market or industry valuations. Any investment information contained herein has been secured from sources Acquire Real Estate believes are reliable, but we make no representations or warranties as to the accuracy of such information and accept no liability therefor. Acquire Real Estate does not endorse or promote any of the opportunities that appear on this website nor make any recommendations regarding the same to any Investor. Direct and indirect purchase of real property involves significant risk and investments may lose value and are not insured by the FDIC or by any other Federal Governmental Agency nor are they guaranteed by Acquire Real Estate. Investors must be able to afford to lose their entire investment.
At Acquire customer satisfaction is our top priority. We are always here to answer your questions or help you with a problem. Please select your desired method of communication from the list below:
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Managing dyslipidemic patients with the metabolic syndrome - Focus on the HDL-triglyceride axis
A roundtable discussion for HDL Forum held during the
European Atherosclerosis Society Congress, 26-29th June, 2011 Gothenburg, Sweden
The metabolic syndrome is a combination of synergistic risk factors driving accelerated cardiovascular disease. Dyslipidemia involving low HDL cholesterol and elevated triglycerides is a key feature of the metabolic syndrome and a major cardiometabolic risk factor as highlighted by a recent EAS Consensus Panel paper.*
Statins are the cornerstone of dyslipidemia management. However, there are differences between the statins in their capacity for HDL-raising, of relevance to the management of individuals with the metabolic syndrome.
Key opinion leaders met during EAS 2011 to discuss the rationale and pharmacological considerations for statin prescribing in these patients, in the context of recent evidence and new guidance.


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Looking to plan a special anniversary dinner or private dinner party
Have a special birthday coming up? Celebrating an Anniversary or looking to host a private family meal? The Orchid Hotel makes the perfect setting for your dinner party whatever the occasion. With a well stocked wine list, we can ensure that your celebration really goes with a swing.
Or if you prefer your parties a little more lively, we can accommodate DJs or other live music in our spacious function room with space for up to 100 guests. Why not take advantage of our 32 en-suite bedrooms and really give your guests an evening to remember?


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First Posted: 7/28/11 02:48 PM ET Updated: 7/28/11 03:34 PM ET
A small group of religious leaders was arrested Thursday afternoon in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. after refusing to stop a prayer vigil asking for lawmakers to keep social safety net programs intact during negotiations to raise the nation's debt ceiling and cut federal spending.
The group, which included representatives of ten religious groups and denominations, has held daily vigils at the United Methodist Building near the Capitol for three weeks, but organizers said the continued lack of a resolution to the debt ceiling crisis led them to take more drastic action.
"Congress is paralyzed by toxic partisan politics while people suffer," said the Rev. Michael Livingston, Past President of the National Council of the Churches of Christ (USA), in a statement. "Our elected officials are protecting corporations and wealthy individuals while shredding the safety net for millions of the most vulnerable people in our nation and abroad. Our faith won't allow us to passively watch this travesty unfold….Today, we 'offer our bodies as a living sacrifice' to say to congress 'Raise revenue, protect the vulnerable and those living in poverty.'"
The representatives said that if programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are cut or changed as part of spending reductions, responsibilities for assisting the poor and elderly would fall heavily on houses of worship, which they said are already strained for resources.
In addition to Livingston, those who were arrested included Jim Winkler, General Secretary of the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church; Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Shalom Center in Philadelphia; the Rev. Jennifer Butler, Executive Director of Faith in Public Life; the Rev. Paul Sherry, Director of the Washington Office of Interfaith Worker Justice; the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Director of Public Witness in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); Sandy Sorenson, Director of Washington Office of the United Church of Christ; Martin Shupack, Director of Advocacy of Church World Service; Jordan Blevins, Director of Peace Witness Ministries of the Church of the Brethren; and the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, President of Common Cause.
Also on Thursday, 70 Catholic clergy, theologians and scholars from Ohio released a letter to Republican House Speaker John Boehner, who is from the state and is Catholic, encouraging him to not slash social programs.
"As one of the most powerful Catholics in Congress, you are now faced with a monumental choice. You can heed to the consistent moral calls from Catholics who have urged lawmakers to decrease our debt fairly and protect the most vulnerable or you can heed to growing political pressure from Tea Party Republicans," the letter read.
The letter follows a similar statement to lawmakers that was released Wednesday by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Also this week, religious groups ran radio ads in Ohio, Kentucky and Neveda with testimonies from pastors about the effect of debt ceiling negotiations on their communities and Sojourners, a liberal Christian network, released it's latest ad in Politico telling lawmakers that "God is watching" the debt ceiling and deficit reduction debate.


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Meet Blue
Meet Blue! He is a friendly and sweet 4 year old boy who loves life despite a rough past. He is a velvety, dashing, blockheaded sweetheart who adores meeting new friends and hanging out with them! He is inquisitive, joyful, and has a nice medium energy level which makes him perfect as a companion pup. This gentle and engaging boy loves tasty snacks, having a soft towel or blanket to lay on, and chewing on his nylabones. He's a volunteer and staff favorite because of his sunny disposition and never letting his troubles get him down.


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Authors United, Readers United, and Stephen The Mad Irishman
Hmmm...apparently while I was getting lost in the mountains all weekend the battle between Amazon and Hachette Publishing has escalated from DEFCON 5 to DEFCON 3. I'm not sure what happens when we reach DEFCON 1. Will Amazon launch drone strikes on NYC publishing houses? Will James McPatterson enlist his crack squad of ghost-writers to pen skeevy biographies about Jeff Bezos? Who knows? But it's sad to see the once beautiful and relatively harmonious publishing industry so divided.
On the one side, you have Authors United, representing 900 best-selling authors (and probably 10x that many who would like to sign but are afraid of reprisals from Amazon). And on the other side you have Readers United, which isn't really readers, but Amazon itself turing George Orwell's words upside down and urging their self-published authors to rattle some cages.
Where do I stand on all of this? Well, I'm on Hachette's side of the argument (for now), but with a fierce independent streak. Think of me as Stephen, The Mad Irishman in Braveheart — "The Almighty tells me he can get me out of this publishing contract, but he's pretty sure you're fucked."
That being coarsely stated, here are some general thoughts:
- I sell books on Amazon. But, I've been openly critical of them. I love America, but at times I'm openly critical of the govt. That's okay. That's healthy. The attitude of "Love it or leave it!" when applied to ANYTHING is lame.
- Everything Amazon does is for the primary benefit of Amazon (and their shareholders). And they've never made a profit, so as Paolo Bacigalupi stated so beautifully, they're a subsidized underseller. As a business model, that makes me sad because I have an affinity for mom & pop stores on Main Street America and they have a hard time competing with an entity that doesn't need to make a dime.
- With that in mind, everything Amazon does, PR wise, should be taken with a grain of salt. This is a company famous for hosting press events and showing bar graphs with no numbers (But look at our upward trend!) So when Amazon calls Hachette a $10 billion dollar evil, greedy corporation, they've ignoring the $150 billion dollar mote in their own eye. Amazon is in no way the underdog here. This is like a billionaire NBA owner doing battle with a millionaire NBA player.
- That being stated, I didn't sign the Authors United thing because, well, James McPatterson doesn't write his own books and I have a hard time siding with someone who is basically the Burger King of literature. I'm sure he's a nice guy, he doesn't kick puppies and beat his child, but I'm not that impressed. Also, I like having my own voice and there's the off chance I could do/say something crazy and then I'd sully Authors United with my big mouth.
- Speaking of big mouths, many of the self-published mega authors who are always championing the little guy (you know, Amazon), they all have special deals and get special treatment like all-expense paid trips for them and their families, free goodies, and worst/best of all, non-exclusivity, so I find it disingenuous (and borderline unethical) when they tout Amazon as the Messiah to other indie authors who won't get the same treatment. It's like Animal Farm, where all indie authors are equal—just some authors are more equal than others. They are Amazon's "Golden Children" and Amazon's de facto PR dept. There's a saying, "If I tell you I'm the world's greatest lover, that's advertising, but if I ask a friend to tell you I'm the world's greatest lover, that's PR." These guys are blog-happy, constantly saying, "Amazon is great in the sack" and for them, Amazon really is.
- But what about the bazillion indie authors signing that petition at Change.org? *facepalm* When I think about Change.org, I think about altruistic things, not a lover-letter to a billion dollar corporation. They also changed the wording of the letter AFTER thousands of people signed it, which tells me that some indie authors could use a good editor.
- There's a lot of animus toward traditional publishing. No doubt about it. My agent receives 40,000 queries each year, so there are a lot of budding authors out there who've been told that their baby is ugly by the traditional publishing world. It's easy to sell this group on the notion that Hachette is big and evil and Amazon is their new BFF. Hence the Readers United email which didn't go to readers, it went to Amazon's self-published authors.
- But, it's all about price! No, it isn't. Seriously. It's about making eBooks the preferred platform and giving Amazon total dominance of that market. Imagine how much easier it would be for the workers in Amazon warehouses if people stopped ordering physical books and simply ordered off their Kindles. This is about pushing the eBook platform over traditional books. It's a win, win, WIN for Amazon. Traditional publishers are worried about that agenda, because the lower pricing will hurt their bottom line and give too much control to an entity that already controls 50% of the marketplace. Do you want that? I don't want that. I like bookstores and I like balance. But I also live in Montana and there are communities that can't sustain a bookstore, so Amazon and eBooks are great! But real books are more important. I'm doing an event with Bernie's Book Bank in Chicago this fall. Bernie's gives new books to poor kids in inner city neighborhoods. These are kids who don't own a single book—not one! They're certainly not going to have a Kindle lying around.
- And lastly, it's worth noting that a year ago I offered a free short story to anyone who pre-ordered SONGS OF WILLOW FROST from a traditional bookstore. Someone at Amazon lost his or her mind over this. They called my publisher and took issue with my tiny gesture of kindness to indie booksellers. And when I refused to include them in my free deal, it was intimated that my book was being considered for Amazon's September Book of the Month and that status was now in jeopardy. I told them to go perform hideous obscenities upon themselves. I don't like bullies, even if they do offer free shipping.


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Learn postures and breathing techniques to bring balance and harmony to the body, mind, and spirit.
We hold a variety of yoga classes throughout the week. Classes last one hour, and no advance registration is necessary.
Participants pay a very reasonable rate for each class you attend. See our monthly calendar to find out when
the next class will be held.
Here at Two Visions, we offer the following types of yoga classes:
Here at Two Visions, we offer the following types of yoga classes:
Gentle Beginners Restorative Yoga
Explore the wonder of your body and the stillness of your mind. This class is perfect for beginners, and restorative for all levels. It is a great way to relax and stretch your muscles and still your mind. The body and breath come together for self exploration. 7.00/class Join this class anytime.


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Behold Nicki Minaj ""Till The World Ends" " Video, a new offering from Nicki Minaj, which was released on Tuesday, November 15th, 2011. Nicki Minaj's rap artistry continues to improve with every release, something which is most definitely evidenced on Nicki Minaj ""Till The World Ends" " Video. His ever - expanding catalogue is definitely better for it, and we're looking forward to the next piece of the puzzle - aren't you?
Can you appreciate the bars here?
Peep the new visual for Nicki Minaj's Nicki Minaj "Super Bass Live At Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" Video.
If you're feeling this, make sure to hit up Nicki Minaj's profile page for the latest info, news, songs, and mixtapes. Remember to follow Nicki Minaj on Facebook and Twitter.


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Whether you're having to squint just to read road signs or find yourself suffering from blurry vision, Escondido Eyecare can help. Our optometrists will perform your annual eye exam to determine if you need corrective lenses and to prevent future eye issues. We take pride in our customer service, and we always put your health and well-being first when providing an eyecare solution.
Escondido, CA's Escondido Eyecare can help you with all of your eye-related needs. Our eyecare facility offers:
Your annual eye exam is just as important as your annual physical. Escondido Eyecare can help you diagnose and prevent potential eye issues before they become a problem. Our optometrists will be able to detect signs of:
613 East Grand Avenue
Escondido, CA 92025
Call Us
Phone: (760) 747-7979
Mon: 9:00AM-5:00PM
Tue: 9:00AM-6:00PM
Wed: 9:00AM-6:00PM
Thu: 9:00AM-6:00PM
Fri: Closed
Sat: Closed
Sun: Closed


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Hot Wheels - Worlds Best DriverPosted in News on May 10, 2013
We were recently invited to the premiere of the new Hot Wheels film, 'World's Best Driver', to check out some of the wild and custom off-road vehicles they built for their new flick. The movie pits some of the worlds best and most talented drivers from all facets of motor sports against each other in a head to head competition that bridges the gap between childhood fantasy and real world racing.
All the Team Hot Wheels drivers were recruited to test some of the wildest vehicles designed by Hot Wheels and attempt the challenging stunts at their secret location known as the Hot Wheels Test Facility. Eight drivers were selected to race against each other to find out who is the world's best. The drivers, only known by their color: Red, Yellow, Green and Blue, race across seven of the most extreme zones at the Hot Wheels Test Facility but at the end, only one of them can claim the coveted title of the World's Best Driver!
Although this movie is geared towards a younger audience, some of the off road action and stunts that were performed in the new Hot Wheels movie is just mind blowing. We were especially impressed with the rad little off-road hot rod buggy which seemed to look just right from every angle we looked at it. Since we know you love looking at cool pictures rather than listening to us ramble on, check out our exclusive coverage of the premiere of Hot Wheels' 'World's Best Driver'!
For more information, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/HOTWHEELS


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We landed safely in Taipei on July 30th. There were so many times on our trip that we were truly blessed. When we arrived at the airport, the airline charged us much less in baggage fees than we anticipated. They also needed more carry-on room on the plane so we were able to voluntarily gate check one of our bags for free. This meant less baggage to drag through all the airports.
On our flights we had at least 1-2 empty seats beside us at all times (including the 13.5 hr Atlanta to Tokyo flight). So we were able to spread out and not be cramped. We had excellent flight attendants and the in flight entertainment was good too.
When we arrived in Taipei, we made it through customs quickly and without issue. We each received a 90 day visa for free. When we picked up our bags in baggage claim, they were all there. PTL! We were a little worried about our gate checked bag but it turned out it was the very last bag on the belt so there was nothing to fear.
After departing customs, we found our driver waiting for us as planned. He didn't speak English but he was very nice and we had directions prepared in Chinese to give him. He found our hotel without issue and we were able to check in with the owner, Sam. Sam spoke English well, and made sure we were all settled and had everything we needed.
Our stay in Taipei (2 days) was fun. We went around and did some tourist-y things. We had fun and were able to make it back to our hotel each night.
On Friday morning, the same driver who picked us up at the airport came back to drive us and our bags to Taichung. The drive was beautiful and took a little over two hours. Upon arrival we were able to check into our temporary housing. This was a little challenging as they didn't speak much English but we managed.
The last two days we have been busy running around Taichung with our new found friends Kyle and Jenny Mulaney who have been invaluable in setting up our new apartment. I don't know how we could have done all this without them!
Now as we sitting here waiting for the phone/Internet guy to come, I am writing to you. Thank you, God for our new friends. Thank you for everything we have been able to get accomplished in the past two days and the chance to relax in Taipei. PTL for our save travel and for all our baggage arriving in one piece. Hopefully I will be able to upload pictures soon so you can see what we have been doing.
Grace and peace,


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The eBOX671-885-FL powerful industrial-grade embedded vision system features PoE (power-over-Ethernet) support. To provide better computing performance, the powerful PoE embedded vision system supports LGA1150 socket 4th generation Intel® Core™ i7/i5/i3 or Celeron™ processor (Codename: Haswell/Haswell-refresh). Its four channel Gigabit PoE ports allow multiple cabling to cameras and any PoE power device. With high-end CPU and multi-I/O connectivity, this fanless embedded vision system is well suited to multi-camera imaging applications such as optical inspection, surveillance system and IoT & M2M-related applications.
Fanless Embedded System with LGA1150 Socket Intel® Core™ i7/i5/i3 & Celeron® processor, Intel® Q87, 2 HDMI/VGA/DisplayPort, 4 GbE LANs, 6 USB 3.0, Wide Range DC-in and PCIe Mini Card


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I cannot for the life of me now see the 'not right' part. The middle leaf needs a bit more work done to it but I am liking the overall look of it and the layering of so many shades of green creates on the leaves.
The completed leaf is stitched in Battlement couching which creates a lovely layered shading.
3. Next you stitch a third layer, again using a different colour thread and placing each stitch along side each in the previous layer.
4. To finish, each intersection of the TOP layer only is couched in place.
Although it is not a super common stitch it is quite often used in traditional crewel work. What I really like about it is the even and subtle blending of colour it forms within a shape.
I don't think so any longer.


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As you know, Blueprint LSAT Preparation recently gave away five free copies of our brand new LSAT book, The Blueprint for LSAT Logic Games. If you missed out on the drawing, don't sweat it. We've got another pre-law book giveaway to announce right here, right now.
This time, though, we're giving away five free copies of Law School Expert Ann Levine's books The Law School Admission Game (two copies) and The Law School Decision Game (three copies).
Both books are great resources for applying to law school, covering everything from the factors you should weigh in choosing a school to what you can expect working for Big Law. See for yourself in this review of The Law School Decision Game.
With five books, there are five ways to enter:
1) Comment on this LSAT blog post (nothing offensive, please)
2) "Like" this Facebook post about the contest on the Blueprint LSAT Prep Facebook page
3) Comment on the Facebook post
4) Retweet this LSAT blog tweet about this contest
5) "+1" the post about this contest on the Blueprint LSAT Prep Google+ page
You can only win one book, but you can increase your odds by entering all five ways. Sorry, the contest is only open to U.S. residents. We'll announce the winners next Friday, April 26.
Speaking of winners, we recently held an LSAT blog photo caption contest to give away $100 off a Blueprint LSAT Prep online course. Here's the photo:
And here's the winning caption:
Congratulations to Mia! Your Blueprint LSAT Prep online course was just made $100 cheaper.
While Mia had to come up with a funny comment in order to win her prize, all you have to do is come up with any comment to be entered into our latest contest. So fire away, and we'll see you on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ with other entries.
Good luck!


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I am not an expert on perspective, but logic tells me that the man on the left is farther away than the streetcar, therefore he should appear smaller than the people riding it--the ones that are so tiny you can't even see them. Maybe he's walking away dejected because the conductor told him he was too big to board. More likely it's a case of turn-of the century photo editing. The image probably seemed a little dull, but nothing the addition of a streetcar wouldn't fix!
Trams have been operating continuously since 1876 in Milan, with transitions from horse-drawn to steam-powered, and then electric. Although there were also post WWII cuts that persisted through the 1970s, the system survived. As in a number of other cities, trams have managed to regain favor in Milan resulting in a revival of tram service.
The second card shows a seemingly congested center terminus in front of the magnificent Piazza del Duomo in Milan. There was no photo editing here. They didn't even remove the wire or cable that crosses the image diagonally.
Here's the ultimate edited postcard image, showing Berlin's Nollendorfer Platz. My guess is that the street was empty on the original image. I like the final result though.
Here's the back of the card.


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Now a printer in every pocket.
Zink Imaging has come up with a 'zero ink' printing technology that does away with cartridges, ribbons or toner. Instead, three layers of dye crystals - yellow, magenta and blue - are embedded in the paper.These crystals start off clear, revealing their colour when heated by a thermal print head.
The clever part is that different combinations of temperature and 'baking time' are required to activate each layer.
The company's web site will go live after an announcement at the Demo 07 conference on January 31. http://www.zink.com/ The relative simplicity of the mechanism means it could be built into camera phones or as the basis of pocket-sized printers.
Mobile banking a target for criminals?
"The success mobile banking and payments, as well as the concept of the mobile wallet, will be measured against the industry's ability to effectively contain the malware problems to a level that is at least on par with that of the existing Internet channel", said Bob Egan, Chief Analyst at TowerGroup and author of the research.
Of course analysts must prove their worth by coming up with new thoughts in order to sell their reports. To label some of the ideas presented as "absurd" would be to complement the analyst. The best case in point is the fear created in humankind about the "Y2K-problem". This will probably go down in history as the biggest analyst scam ever.
To be able to write a full report on how criminals will target mobile banking users by means of "malware", is not on the same scale, but falls in the "Y2K" category. Sure, bad deployments of mobile banking solutions (especially if it is a porting of an Internet banking site onto a browser on a phone) may be exploitable. This is definitely possible, but will only be applicable if mobile banking was implemented without due consideration of state of the art techniques and by contracting professionals.
Because of the nature of mobile phones and the design available to specialists in mobile banking, it is possible to deploy mobile banking solutions that is more secure than any other means commercially available today. As a matter of fact, we at Fundamo have deployed the first three-factor authenticated banking solution commercially (it is being used successfully by a major bank). This means that a customer interaction is authenticated on "something he/she has" (the SIM card in his/her phone), "something he/she knows" (a PIN that is never in the clear), and "something he/she is" (a digital voice print).
In a recent test, we gave access to a professional hacker to a test environment running Fundamo software. The conclusion was that mobile banking (implemented correctly) is "un-hackable".
Mobile banking a target for criminals? - you be the judge.
DVD players now cost less than the disks.
Asda started offering a player for £9 over the weekend as part of a marketing ploy to wallop the business of traditional electrical stores. The arrival of the £9 DVD player demonstrates how supermarkets are shaking up the high street.
Asda, which is part of the American Wal-mart empire, has launched a major move into home electricals, as have Tesco and Sainsbury's.
More than 80,000 of the DVD players will be made available, and it will be on sale at every one of Asda's 316 stores and seven Asda Living stores throughout the UK and Northern Ireland.
The Asda £9 DVD player is also indicative of a shift in manufacturing to the Far East, where wages and other business costs are a fraction of those in the UK. The machine is made at a factory in China.
China launches 4G wireless services skiping 3G
The country has set a goal of conducting field tests of the 4G system and putting it into trial commercial use between 2006 and 2010, according to the FuTURE Project. The FuTURE Project involves about 10 leading domestic institutions.
It has obtained more than 200 patents and some of its core technologies have been adopted by international standards organizations, positioning China as one of the world's front-runners in 4G technologies. China has yet to award domestic telecom operators licences to build 3G (third generation) mobile phone networks. One thing is certain. China has shown that it can develop its own systems, patent it own inventions, bring out its own technical innovations which jump neatly over the competition.
If China makes most of the world's mobile phones and if China is moving to 4G then how long will it be before we are all living in a 4G world?
Tips to protect yourself at wireless hot spots
But there are somethings that you can do to keep yourself safe.
1. Disable ad hoc mode: Little-known fact: You don't need a hot spot or wireless router in order to create or connect to a wireless network. You can also create one using ad hoc mode, in which you directly connect wirelessly to another nearby PC. If your PC is set to run in ad hoc mode, someone nearby could establish an ad hoc connection to your PC without you knowing about it.
The fix is simple: Turn off ad hoc mode. Normally it's not enabled, but it's possible that it's turned on without your knowledge. To turn it off in Windows XP:
1. Right-click the wireless icon in the System Tray.
2. Choose Status.
3. Click Properties
4. Select the Wireless Networks tab.
5. Select your current network connection.
6. Click Properties, then click the Association tab.
7. Uncheck the box next to "This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network."
8. Click OK, and keep clicking OK until the dialog boxes disappear.
In Windows Vista, there's no need to do this, because you have to take manual steps in order to connect to an ad hoc network; there's no setting to leave it turned on by default.
2. Turn off network discovery: If you're a Vista user, a feature called Network Discovery makes your PC visible on a network so that other users can see it and try to connect to it. On a private network, this is useful; at a public hot spot, it's a security risk. When you connect to a hot spot and designate the network as Public, Network Discovery is turned off, so again, make sure to designate any hot spot as Public. However, you can also make sure that Network Discovery is turned off for your hot spot connection. When you're connected, choose ControlPanel-->View network status and tasks. Then in the Sharing and Discover section, click the Network Discovery button, choose "Turn off network discovery," and click Apply.
3. Encrypt your e-mail: When you send an e-mail at a hot spot, it goes out "in the clear" -- in other words, unencrypted -- so that anyone can read it. A lot of e-mail software allows you to encrypt outgoing messages and attachments. Check how to use yours, and then use it at a hot spot. In Outlook 2003, select Options from the Tools menu, click the Security tab, and then check the box next to "Encrypt contents and attachments for outgoing messages." Then click OK.
Technology to prevent Spam over VOIP
NEC recently has announced the development of new technology for the prevention of spam over Internet telephony (SPIT). The new technology, VoIP SEAL, which defends against the threat of rapidly increasing spam IP phone calls. The technology discovers whether a caller is a human or a machine by testing the machine's capability to perform human-like conversation. Once the technology determines that a machine has made the call, it blocks the connection, preventing the user's phone from ringing. Calls arising from spam-generating-software and calls from real individuals are separated by a Turing test.
Before connecting the call, VoIP SEAL detects and blocks the unauthorized access based on the communication pattern observed during a call.By adopting a module structure, VoIP SEAL enables rapid response to new kinds of SPIT attacks, without adjusting the system, by adding and updating modules to respond to new and different kinds of SPIT.
Breakthrough that could increase the computing power and speed for a decade
Using new materials and a new manufacturing process, the two companies announced breakthroughs that would increase the speed and power of chips for another decade. This development will ensure that Moore's Law will thrive well into the next decade. Moore's Law is the name given to a prediction by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, who said in the 1960s that the number of transistors on a chip would double every two years.
That prediction has proved to be an industry benchmark that has paved the way for faster, cheaper and more reliable computers, cell phones and other consumer electronics.
Intel will use a new material with a property called high-k for the transistor gate dielectric, and a new combination of metal materials for the transistor gate electrode. As per Intel the combination of the high-k gate dielectric with the metal gate for its 45nm process technology provides more than a 20% increase in drive current, or higher transistor performance. Conversely it reduces source-drain leakage by more than five times, thus improving the energy efficiency of the transistors.
The competing breakthroughs from Intel Corp. and IBM Corp. should silence doubts, at least for several years, that the industry can prolong the decades-long trend of pushing semiconductor performance while cutting size and cost.
Picodrive For Symbian 3rd Edition
This is still a alpha version, and there're problems to be fixed, like the alternate renderer.But it's quite good for a first release.
Should work with all 3rd edition phones.If it doesn't work with some game, try changing emulator settings
-For a better performance, go to "Configure screen" and choose "portrait" mode.Also disable the three sound chips in "Configure sound"
-If a game doesn't work, or music is slow, go to "Configure screen" and choose a region manually rather than using "auto"
Interchange Fees
It is therefor interesting that a number of regulators are considering the impact of interchange fees. See for instance (http://www.finextra.com/fullstory.asp?id=16433, and http://www.mg.co.za/personalfinance/articlePage.aspx?articleid=290403&area=/personal_finance/pers_fin_banking/)
The question is: When will the cost of leveraging the interchange fee be bigger than the actual fee? This would be the time to totally abolish interchange fees, and maybe the time is near?
More secure Internet Banking
Furthermore, a masssive 91% are willing use a new authentication method, beyond the standard username-and-password procedure, if their banks decided to offer stronger security. Over two third of respondents (69%) say banks should replace the standard username-and-password log-in procedure with stronger authentication."
This is very encouring and shows an awareness in consumers that Internet banking is not as secure as they would like , but more important that they would be happy to use a more secure mechanism for Internet banking. Of course, the challenge for banks is how to do this effectively. The only way to really increase security is to distribute "something" to the client: either a random number generator, or a once use password booklet, or a digital certificate stored on something... and this is going to be a costly exercise.
The most obvious way to distribute a secure digital certificate is by means of mobile phone distribution channels. The SIM card in GSM phones is an ideal vehicle to distribute digital certificates. As a matter of fact these certificates have already been distributed in many markets.
The Fundamo mobile payment technology has been designed to make use of these digital certificates, not just to increase the security of mobile banking, but also Internet banking.
HD-DVD, Blu-ray AACS Copy Protection Broken
Hollywood studios have been in a tizzy since CSS-copy protection on regular DVDs was broken, and cited a pressing need to prevent pirates from jacking movies in full 1080p resolution. HD-DVD and Blu-ray make use of two methods of controlling the data, the HDCP "protected-pathway" of hardware authentication, and AACS signal encryption. Advanced Access Content System. The technology is used to protect high-definition DVDs in both the Blu-ray and HD DVD formats. The system was created by a coalition of technology and entertainment companies, including The Walt Disney Co., Microsoft Corp., Intel Corp. and Panasonic.
On Thursday a consortium of movie studios and technology companies backing the encryption system for high-definition DVDs on Thursday confirmed that hackers have stolen "title keys" and used them to decrypt high-definition DVDs through flaws in DVD player software. A report published in The New York Times identified the DVD player software as WinDVD. The software is distributed by InterVideo Inc., which was acquired last month by Canada-based Corel Corp.
The confirmation of the attack comes about a month after a hacker called Muslix64 described in an online posting how he defeated the encryption system by using DVD player software.
LG's new phone resembles with Apple's iPhone
LG soon will start selling a new mobile phone that incorporates a buttonless touch-screen resembling the much-hyped iPhone from Apple. The LG Prada Phone, alias the KE850, features a no-button interface with the entire phone face covered by a touch-sensitive screen. Like the iPhone, this phone too, is super-thin; it's just 12 millimetres thick, which is only about 0.4 millimetres thicker than the iPhone.
LG's phone, priced at $US780 ($1100), will go on sale in Europe next month and in Asia from March. Apple's iPhone is set for US release in June and will cost $US599 ($NZ860) for the high-end model with 8Gb of internal memory. Also like the iPhone, the LG Prada Phone can play most popular digital music/video formats, and has a two mega pixels camera.
However, unlike the iPhone, the LG phone's memory can be expanded with the help of cards. Other features of this new phone include: MP3 player, video player, document viewer, music/messaging multitasking capability, Bluetooth, and USB 2.0 port.
Now expose your music to the world using this service
With this new service from iJigg.com you could discover great music. If you are a music artist and would like to expose your creation to the world, you should try iJigg. Here you'll be able to easily upload your music files and share it with others on the site itself or via emails, blog/site embed and even post it to your facebook account (if you have one). You don't have to be a registered user - to do that.
iJigg is the place for you to find those rare addictive tunes from musicians worldwide. As an iJigg member, you can submit music, rate music and chime in on conversations.
This great site is not just for artists. It is for every one who like to listen to music and discover good new songs. You can choose to listen to the most popular songs, most recently posted or to search for your favorite genre.
Mobile Banking Profitability
Notwithstanding the fact that banks operate much the same way in different markets, it seems that some banks (in some markets) are just more profitable than others. Banks issue credit cards and provide loans (usually at a healthy interest differential to the Central Bank), banks finance cars and homes and support payment systems. Yet, the profitability of banks in some markets are just higher:
For instance Korea: "Encouraged by record-breaking third-quarter earnings at South Korean banks, analysts expect profits there to grow strongly into 2006. www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=23&issue=20051202 ,
Or South Africa: "Banks profitability increased significantly from already healthy levels in 2003" IMF Worldbank www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2005/cr05345.pdfI was looking for a reason, when I realised: mobile banking penetration is big in both Korea and South Africa, and people actually use it.
Mobile Banking Satisfy People
One of the markets with the highest penetration of Mobile banking is South Korea. The usage of mobile banking services provided by most banks have seen unpresedented growth during the last two years (both in terms of number of subscribers and transaction volumes). It seems to be a good market to review the satisfaction of consumers with mobile banking.
In a recent survey conducted in Korea, looking at convergent services on mobile (Mobile TV, Location based etc.), consumers were by far more satisfied with mobile banking than with any other service. The article conclude in the following way:
"The survey, based on 110,455 mobile users, also said that mobile users are generally satisfied using mobile banking service as only some 10 percent showed negative reactions.
``Consumer satisfaction levels are considerably higher for mobile banking than those for other mobile convergence services. If security and convenience are provided, the future of the mobile banking market looks bright,'' said Kim. "
This finding is of particular importance in markets where mobile banking deployments have lagged, and banks and mobile operators in these markets should consider the deployment of suitable product to focus on providing in the need of consumers.
People want Mobile Banking
Two surveys conducted by well-known research firms indicated that Britians would want to use mobile banking, if it were available.
The first survey conducted by Forrester Research on behalf of Meridea, surveyed existing online banking users aged between 16 and 34. Some of the interesting findings in this research indicate that more than half of the survey sample would try such a service. Even more interesting is that almst a quarter of the surveyed sample would consider SWITCHING their bank if it did not provide mobile banking! (www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2147681/mobile-ban... )
The second survey conducted by the Henley Centre on behalf of BT on a sample of respondents aged between 25 and 44, had similar results. The survey found that more than a third of the respondents would like to conduct their banking by means of mobile phones. The study also indicate the types of transactions that consumers would like to conduct by making use of their mobile phones. (www.finextra.com/fullstory.asp?id=14667 ).
These two studies indicate the growing consumer demand for mobile banking services. In both of the reports conclusions indicate that banks must expect this demand to grow into the next year.
'The Venice Project' is now called 'Joost'
Most importantly, Joost has yet to strike any marquee partnerships with top film or TV producers. Without them, their challenge is a tough one: convincing studio executives and the like to turn over their content to Joost when the company has yet to attract a big audience. BitTorrent, the San Francisco-based distributor of a competing peer-to-peer company is also vying to license technology to Internet video companies.
Another threat could come from the growing number of sites that offer top cable and movie channels without permission.
Camera that sees through Rock-solid Walls
The Israeli manufacturer, Camero, has raised $14 million for their inimitable development accounting for a total of $20 million afetr Xaver 800 was announced. Technically, the camera produces ultra wideband signals and the data gathered is then utilized to form 3D models of things. The ploy being employed is that the camera has the ability to capture the signals in messy conditions and through solid objects.
The Xaver 800 is a portable system whose unique mechanical design with folding 'wings' allows compact and easy transport. Its operation is simple and intuitive and does not require extensive training. The Xaver 800 also offers a number of flexible options, including using the system at a stand-off from the wall and remotely locating the sensor at a distance of more than 100 feet from the operator.
51GB Triple-Layer HD DVD-ROM Disc launched
The new disc can store up to 7 hours of high-definition video and adds an extended capacity, high-end option to the already extensive line-up of HD DVD-ROM discs. Toshiba aims to secure approval of the new disc by the DVD Forum within this year.
Toshiba has been featuring this new disc at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2007, in Las Vegas.
Free remote desktop viewing feature
iRemotePC service provides the user with unrestrained secure access and full view of the user's home/office PC via any web-browser from a distance, allowing the user to see and work on the user's PC in real-time and have immediate access to the user's files, emails and programs.
Using this service you can alos invite guests to PC to partake in presentations or present demos, stream files directly out of your PC to friends or family without the hassle of uploading or sending large emails.
Moreover, Share files directly from your PC without the hassle of uploading. Send your music files, documents and pictures (small or large files) to your friends, family or colleagues without the hassle of uploading or wasting time sending large emails. Your recipients can download any file you specify directly out of your PC. Best of all: They don't need to have any kind of special software installed on their computer.
Link: https://www.iremotepc.com/
Com One's Wi-Fi IP Radio launched
It's got some retro styling going on with its fully exposed speakers and rotary dial, but this is high-tech stuff people. Along with the specs above, the radio also includes an alarm clock, eight preset radio station buttons with a search mode, analog outputs, and Bluetooth support with Com One peripherals sold separately. The Phoenix also supports WMA, MP3, WAV, AIFF, and Real Audio formats, and includes a rechargeable battery so you don't have to keep swapping double-A's while you're on the go.
Phoenix really makes your heart flutter, the radio will run you $249. So far, no release date is known.
The $100 Laptop not available to general public yet.
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project is expecting to deliver its first machines into the hands of children in countries including Rwanda, Libya, Egypt and Venezuela by July. The devices, dubbed 'XO', feature a free Linux operating system with a software interface called Sugar, due for a beta pre-production release in February 2007. Although the focus of the OLPC project is mainly on delivering five million laptops to developing nations, one idea for commercial viability is for Western citizens to sponsor a machine for a developing world child.
One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), headed by MIT Labs' Nicholas Negroponte, insisted suggestions that the XO laptop would be sold through eBay, to anyone who was willing to pay for a second machine for third-world countries, were untrue. News organisations forced to retract their earlier reports included the BBC, which had to change the headline on its $100 laptop story from "Public can buy $100 laptop" to "$100 laptop could sell to public".
Apple has unveiled iPhone at MacWorld '07
iPhone introduces a new user interface based on a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software, letting users control iPhone with just their fingers. The device also ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, which completely redefines what users can do on their mobile phones.
The iPhone will go on sale in June in the US and during the fourth quarter in Europe. It will be available in Asia next year.the iPhone, which comes with touch-screen controls and combines features from the iPod music player, will be available with four gigabytes of flash memory and sell for $499, and with eight gigabytes of flash memory for $599.
The phone automatically synchs your media - films, music, photos - through Apple's iTunes digital content store. The device also synchs email content, web bookmarks and nearly any type of digital content stored on your computer.The phone features a 2-megapixel camera and a photo management application, wherein users can browse their photo library, which can be easily synced from their PC or Mac. iPhone is a quad-band GSM phone that features EDGE and Wi-Fi wireless technologies for data networking
LG announces dual-format Blu-ray/HD DVD player
The specifications of the device do not indicate that buyers will have to deal with a whole lot of compromises. 1080p resolution is supported for both Blu-ray and HD DVD, and the player can cope with the formats MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264, MPEG1/2 audio, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, DTS and DTS-HD audio. This means that you can throw any currently available high-definition video at the BH100 - including upcoming Blu-ray discs that hold HD video that is encoded with H.264 and 18 Mb/s. While it won't be cheap at $1200
Google Earth 4 is officially released
( http://earth.google.com/ ).
Here are some highlights of the latest version of Google Earth 4..
* 3D Models - GE 4 supports a new format which allows for models which have textures. It also supports the new 3D buildings layer. The official release of GE includes lots of optimizations to improve 3D viewing.
* Time Animation - the new time slider appears when KML content has been stamped with time. Read about the new time feature. And, here is a list of the top ten time animations done in 2006 for GE 4.
* New Look - GE 4 has a much cleaner look than GE 3. It devotes more attention to the main 3D view, and has a new navigation gadget which appears in the upper right corner. There are too many enhancements to list them all. Some notable ones are: Support for radio buttons in KML, network link icons animate when loading, new organized menus, and more GE Options.
* Controllers - Support for joystick controllers and flight simulator yokes. And, best of all, the new SpaceNavigator (Windows only at the moment, but a Mac driver soon).
* Regions - GE 4 supports very large image overlays which can be "tiled" or "regionated" so you can view the full detail as you zoom in. See the "Rumsey Historical Maps" in the "Featured Content" layer for an excellent example of this powerful feature.
Danger-signs for Chip and Pin
Microsoft announce plans for the Windows Home Server.
HP also plans to ship later this year its HP MediaSmart Server that runs Windows Home Server.
Now lets see what exactly is this home server…
A Windows Home Server is a simple box that lies at the center of your home network. The Server works without interaction (it doesn't run programs like typical operating systems, doesn't even have a monitor port), simplifying some very complex tasks among all the computers in your home.
Home Server is where your family will store all of its important files. All music, video, photos, documents and even some software will sit on the Home Server, and all the computers in the home will be able to access it over your network (wired or wireless) as if they were on the computers themselves.
Home Server also keeps your computers protected from disaster, by backing up every byte of data on every computer in the home. It can take an unlimited amount of storage space, backing up to internal and external hard drives the entire contents of every PC, not once, but twice, letting you restore files or entire PCs immediately.
Minimum system requirements:
1 GHz Pentium 3 (or equivalent)
80 GB internal hard drive as primary drive
Bootable DVD drive
Display (only for software installation)
100 Mbps wired Ethernet
Keyboard and mouse (only for software installation)
The home network must have a 100Mbps or faster Ethernet connection and computers running Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista. The Home Server requires a wired Ethernet connection to the router, but client PCs can access it via a wireless connection.
Advanced video search engine launched
Blinkx uses visual analysis and speech recognition to better understand rich media content. Users can search for content, create personal TV channels that automatically splice relevant content together and even use their download feature to automatically download content to mobile devices.
Link: www.blinkx.com
A device that brings broadband to the car
Autonet will charge $49 a month for that access. The Autonet unit will come with the radios inside for the 3G backhaul connection. You won't need to have a separate EV-DO or HSDPA card to plug into the hardware. Using a network layer the company calls TRU Technology, Autonet will manage the network connections.
Also inside is the Wi-Fi radio for use by multiple end users (with the exception of the driver, of course) to connect laptops, PDAs, smartphones, gaming handhelds, etc
The role of Banks and Mobile Operators
The fact of the matter is that the aims the approach and the structure of mobile banking differs significantly if provided by banks or mobile operators, but the important fact is that both are capable of deploying mobile banking succsesfully. In considering mobile banking and the role of banks or mobile operators, one should take the following into account:
- What market segment is the target market (people with mobile phones, but no/little banking exposure, or people with bank accounts looking for additional access channels?)
- What revenue models is supporting the initiative (how large is the telecommunication revenue in support of the business case?)
- What are the secondary objective of mobile banking (Retention of marketshare, or brand enhancement or the basis for other services?)
- The maturity of the banking industry in the specific country/marketplace
- The banking support and infrastructure (electronic clearing, ATM's etc)
- regulatory considerations. Dispensations exist in some countries to support electronic money payment systems from a regulatory perspective, for instance.
This new search engine offers 5GB free email account
Other features of Kakle.com include mobile downloads, flash-based games, personalized portal and "meta results " that ranks the major search engines. The community social network gives users, the ability to upload 24 and videos, free of charge. Also, Kakle.com offers a directory of categories, such as shopping, travel, entertainment to search from.
The site is currently looking for feedback from users and advertisers, but is functional and is looking to come out of beta soon.
Link : http://www.kakle.com/
Wikipedia bans anonymous edits from Qatar
Qatar has earned the wrath of Wikipedia as the latter has banned the people of the country from editing or loading any entry in Wikipedia due to what Wikipedia says excessive spam and wreckage of the content.
But there is a problem Wikipedia bans the IP address and as there is only one service provider and that also stands banned so the members will now have to take help of proxy servers to login.
This country of about 1 million people has got only one ISP service provider Qtel and the anonymous edits have been banned but the members are free to do to visit and edit the content.
What simply put Wikipedia might have done was to ban all the anonymous edits and ask the users to login before editing content.
Copy protection used on HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs is said to be "cracked"
The movie industry has been trying to shift the market away from DVD and towards high-definition formats partly because DVDs have become so easy to copy.
Both HD DVD and it"s main competitor Blu-ray were finally released this year after long delays caused by disagreements over what kind of copy protection the discs should carry. In fact, the DVD Forum announed that HD DVD was the official replacement format for DVD all the way back in 2003. Many have cited the long delay to market as part of the reason HD DVD and Blu-ray have so far failed to capture public interest the same way that DVD discs did when they were first released.
It seems fitting then that the copy protection that for so long delayed the release of HD DVD has already been at least partially cracked. And the the programmer, who identified himself as Muslix64, announced in the Internet discussion forum Doom9 on Dec. 18 that he had successfully copied movies distributed in the HD-DVD format. The note directed readers to a site where demonstration software he had written could be downloaded.
There is no official word from this issue from the HD-DVD coalition which includes companies like Microsoft, Intel, Toshiba and NEC; the Blu-ray camp has Sony, Philips and Samsung. Among studios, Universal is exclusively backing HD-DVD. Paramount and Warner Brothers also support HD-DVD, but not exclusively. Representatives of Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers are on the board of the Blu-ray group.


text:
July 21, 2017
- prevaricate (verb)
- \prih-VAIR-uh-kayt\
- What does it mean?
- : lie
- How do you use it?
- When Liam's dad angrily demanded to know who had left the garbage can in the driveway because he had just run it over with the car, Liam didn't prevaricate and admitted it was his fault.
- Are you a word wiz?
English picked up the word "prevaricate" from a form of the Latin word "praevaricari." What do you think the literal meaning of "praevaricari" is?We're not lying: the right answer is C. When you "prevaricate," you lie by quibbling over the facts or by trying to confuse the issue. You might think of it as walking crookedly rather than in a straight path to the truth. This is what Latin speakers had in mind with "praevaricari," the root of "prevaricate." They used "praevaricari" to mean "to act in collusion" ("collusion" means "a secret agreement or cooperation for an illegal or dishonest purpose"), a figurative use of its literal meaning "to stand with the legs apart, straddle." "Praevaricari" traces ultimately back to Latin "varus," which means "bowlegged."


text:
With summer just around the corner, you are sure to need a beautiful and functional journal for those upcoming vacations, projects and anything else you care to write about! Whip up one or both of these gorgeous Multi-Purpose Journals for yourself for the special man or woman in your life! The coordinating cards make these perfect gifts!
The tutorial for this handy project, which was designed by Julie Warnick, can be found at Craft Project Central. Have you started your subscription yet? The projects this month will not disappoint!


text:
Now you can get up-to-the-minute weather for Port Angeles, and surrounding areas. You can also check out your local weather right here on our web site; just type your zip code in the area provided.
When planning your next vacation or get-away be sure to check the latest weather forecast here on our site.
Reservations you can call us direct at our toll free number: 1.800.421-0706
Local number: 360.452.9285
Email Us: email@example.com
We are located at: 111 East 2nd Street - Port Angeles, Wa 98362
We welcome all your questions and comments and look forward to hearing from you about your upcoming stay.


text:
Associate Dentist St Andrews, Fife Ref: IND1999-19
- Full-time Associate Dentist
- 2000 patient list with excellent private potential
- Excellent potential for further private growth
- Established multi-surgery dental practice
- Very established well-maintained list
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Associate Dentist Jobs in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Associate Dentist, St Andrews, Fife. NHS 2000 patients + excellent private potential. Zest Dental Recruitment working in partnership with an established dental practice is seeking to recruit an Associate Dentist in St Andrews, Fife.
- Full-time Associate Dentist
- St Andrews, Fife
- 2000 patient list with excellent private potential
- Excellent …


text:
Next Episode of Princess Nikki is
not planed. TV Show was canceled.
Work-shy former Big Brother contestant, and wannabe footballer's wife Nikki Grahame is put to the test as she experiences a series of everyday jobs to see how she copes. The show's slogan being "will she work or walk".
Nikki Grahame(Nikki Grahame)
Looks like something went completely wrong!
But don't worry - it can happen to the best of us,
- and it just happened to you.
Please try again later or contact us.


text:
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