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Esther Vergeer born on July 18, 1981, in Woerden, Netherlands is the greatest wheelchair tennis player of all time. Since 2003, she has won every singles match she has played – around 444 matches in the last nine years.
In 1999, at the age of 18, Esther became world number one. She is now 30, and she still plays on. Between 2004 and 2006, she never lost a set – winning 250 in a row. During her career, Esther has won 39 Grand Slam titles – 20 singles and 19 doubles, as well as five Paralympics and 22 year-end championship titles.
Esther has been nominated six times including 2012 as Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability. She won this prestigious award twice – in 2002 and 2008.
Esther Vergeer was paralyzed from the waist down in 1990 at the age of eight after undergoing surgery for a spinal defect and brain haemorrhage. Part of her rehabilitation programme involved playing sports, and she found she had an aptitude for wheelchair tennis and basketball, eventually choosing to concentrate on tennis from the time she was 17. She says that she no longer sees herself as disabled.
"At the beginning, I didn't realize I'd be paralyzed the rest of my life. I was little and in pain and in hospital and all those things together made me think that when I got home and I didn't have pain any more, I would be able to walk again," she told Marianne Bevis of The Sport Review.
"But when I got back home, had to go back to school, play with my friends, it dawned on me it would be the rest of my life.
"In the beginning, it's hard, of course, everything I did I compared with before: It was easier when I could walk, it was more fun when I could walk, so it was difficult.
"I guess sports, and the people around me, made me realize that the world doesn't end. Now I can do all the things that other 30-year-olds do so I don't see myself as a disabled.
"I love this game more than anybody. It's a lot of sacrifices, it's a lot of effort, but I do enjoy that.
"My main motivation is the inner game: I just love the sport, I love the training, but then also the way I see that I can improve in so many aspects still.
"Then there's the motivation of the Olympics: You have to set certain goals, and this year for sure I've set my goal – my mind – on the Olympics."
Away from the court, Esther with her own charitable foundation continues to work tirelessly to encourage a new generation of athletes by organizing wheelchair sports clinics. She also continues to work closely with the Johan Cruyff Foundation and the Dutch National Paralympic Committee and is also a member of the Laureus Friends & Ambassadors programme.
I have posted below some images of Esther Vergeer – the world's greatest Wheelchair Tennis player.
Esther Vergeer attends the Laureus Sports Awards at the Palau Sant Jordi on April 2, 2007, in Barcelona, Spain.
Esther Vergeer after winning Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability award in 2008.
Esther Vergeer poses with the championship trophy after winning her women's wheelchair final match against Korie Homan of the Netherlands during day thirteen of the 2009 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 31, 2009, in Melbourne, Australia.
Esther Vergeer and Rafael Nadal of Spain pose for a photo during day two of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament at the Ahoy Centre Rotterdam on February 10, 2009, in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
.Esther Vergeer poses with her award at the ITF World Champions Gala on day ten of the French Open on June 1, 2010, in Paris, France.
Esther Vergeer with her trophy celebrates after she defeated Daniela Di Toro of Australia in her women's wheelchair singles final during day fourteen of the 2010 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 12, 2010, in the Flushing neighbourhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
.Esther Vergeer poses with the Women's Wheelchair Roll of Honour Award during the ITF World Champions Dinner at Pavillion D'Armenonville on May 31, 2011, in Paris, France.
Esther Vergeer celebrates with the championship trophy after defeating Aniek Van Koot of the Netherlands in the Wheelchair Women's Singles Final during Day Fourteen of the 2011 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 11, 2011, in the Flushing neighbourhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
Esther Vergeer (L) poses with the winner's trophy after defeating Aniek Van Koot (R) of the Netherlands in their Women's Wheelchair singles final match during day thirteen of the 2012 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2012, in Melbourne, Australia.
Esther Vergeer poses in the Winners Studio during the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards at Central Hall Westminster on February 6, 2012, in London, England.
- Esther Vergeer (en.wikipedia.org)
- Wheelchair tennis (en.wikipedia.org)
- Esther Vergeer: Tennis's best keeps getting better (thesportreview.com)
- ESTHER VERGEER CALLS TIME ON UNBEATEN CAREER (mariannebevis.org)
- Ellie May Challis vs Oscar 'Blade Runner' Pistorius (tvaraj.com)
- Ellie May Challis, the Little Girl with No Limbs. (tvaraj.com)


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subset: commoncrawl


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Eva Marie Saint dishes on Hollywood
LOS ANGELES – Eva Marie Saint has a perfect right to act like Hollywood royalty.
She won an Oscar for her film debut in "On the Waterfront," holding her ground against Marlon Brando in his prime. She was Cary Grant's dangerously sexy squeeze in "North by Northwest," conquered Paul Newman in "Exodus" and counts greats Alfred Hitchcock and Elia Kazan among her directors.
But Saint is winningly candid in a Turner Classic Movies special and an interview, a contrast to her luminous screen presence and stellar career. She remains a working actress as she nears her 90th birthday this summer, on July 4.
The industry has changed during her more than six decades in it, but Saint said she takes it in stride.
"You know how to stay young? Go with the flow," she said. She also keeps in mind advice that she heard from film great and mentor Lillian Gish, whom Saint worked with in "The Trip to Bountiful" on TV and onstage in the early 1950s.
"It's today and tomorrow, and don't get cranky," Gish would advise actresses worried about their future, Saint recalled.
"Eva Marie Saint: Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival," a conversation between Saint and TCM host Robert Osborne, airs 8 Monday night as part of a TCM tribute that includes showings of "On the Waterfront" (1954), "North by Northwest" (1959) and "Raintree County" (1957).
Saint, who spoke to Osborne at the 2013 TCM festival in Los Angeles, is charmingly direct about her film and TV career, her colleagues and how she combined family life with her demanding profession.
Director Jeffrey Hayden, her husband of more than 60 years, offered support from the audience.
"There are no small roles," he called out when Saint mentioned a lesser part she had played.
For Saint, there were certainly no minor leading men.
She appeared with "the most enviable list of co-stars of any actress of her time," Osborne said, including Gregory Peck, James Garner and Warren Beatty (in Saint's personal favorite, "All Fall Down," 1962). "She's also a wonderful storyteller and has great tales to tell."
Saint proves that in the TCM special. At one point, she delightedly recounts how "Exodus" director Otto Preminger took over from Newman in one scene to demonstrate how better to give her a smooch.
"I mean, he's telling Paul Newman how to kiss?" she said, laughing.
Brando, she recalls, was both "really adorable" and a little frightening during filming of "On the Waterfront."
"I felt that he could see right through me," Saint said of "The Godfather" star that she considers one of the finest actors ever.
"I don't know what happened to Marlon," she added, referring to his late career decline. "I think he lost – possibly, I'm not a psychiatrist – the joy of acting."
That joy is something Saint retains, although she said she envies the respect and movie roles accorded veteran British actresses including Judi Dench and Maggie Smith.
"We don't have quite that attitude in Hollywood," she said in a recent interview. But she has outgrown the familiar industry practice of fudging one's birthdate.
"You reach a certain age and you're so proud that you're walking and breathing and loving and working and all of that at 90," she said.
The still-elegant Saint is on the big screen again after an absence of several years, appearing in the fantasy romance "Winter's Tale" with Colin Farrell and Jessica Brown Findlay ("Downton Abbey"). In 2006, Saint played Martha Kent in "Superman Returns" and starred in "Because of Winn-Dixie" in 2005.
She's still charming her co-stars: Farrell gave her five dozen roses on the final day of shooting. But her focus remains on her husband and family, including son Darrell Hayden, a design instructor at a San Francisco university; daughter Laurette Hayden, a marriage and family therapist; and three grandchildren.
Acting "could be a lonely life. I met older actresses who never married, never had children. That's not for me," said Saint. As a young woman, she recalled thinking, "Much as I love this business, I don't want to grow old alone."
She and Hayden take an hourlong walk daily to help stay healthy, she said.
But work still beckons, including promotion for her TCM special.
"Then I'll be on to something else," Saint said, confidently.


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Is she lovable? No! Just a FOOL! The answer is a resounding, YES! If you want to become a "liberated", "independent" feminist, you must adopt their ideology. In order to do that, you are also required to abandon your Christian faith because the two are irreconcilable. Unlike feminism, Christianity teaches its adherents to love, and therefore become … Continue reading
Tagged with Feminism …
Good Guys – Vatican Cardinal Robert Sarah Condemns America's Liquidation of God
In May of this year Cardinal Sarah was a speaker at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC. He told the prominent Catholic clergy, and lay people, in attendance that politically correct lies promoted as truths, will destroy America. Cardinal Sarah railed against same-sex marriage, transgender bathrooms and attacks against the family as "demonic." … Continue reading
Good Guys – St. Louis Archbishop Robert J. Carlson Rejects Girl Scouts of America for Promoting Abortion
In 2010, when Sharon Slater, President of Family Watch International, first exposed the destructive underbelly of the Girls Scouts of America, and its international parent organization WAGGGS, the world was SHOCKED! Many people asked, "How could an organization, that claimed to concern itself with the betterment of young girl's lives, advocate for abortion, sexual explicitly, contraception, homosexuality, … Continue reading
Short Essay – Why has Civility Ceased to Exist?
Simply put, without Christian women, civility cannot exist. Without the high standards of behavior to which Christian women hold themselves, all else regresses. Without young Christian women's virtuous, and upstanding behavior, young men devolve as well. Without Christian mothers holding their children to those same high standards of behavior, the children cease to thrive. Without … Continue reading
Admirable Women – Pediatrician and Author Dr. Meg Meeker Maligns Feminism's Malicious "Dumb Dad" Deceit
Dr. Meeker is a best-selling author, lecturer and pediatrician. She is in practice with her husband in northern Michigan. She is more importantly the mother of four grown children and one beautiful grandchild. Meg Meeker is a Catholic and the best-selling author of six books. Each book addresses the crisis in child-rearing that is crippling … Continue reading
Short Essay – Dad, Is It Time to Drag Your Daughter To Daylight?
I realize that millions of men have been unfairly denied their families through divorce. I fully understand a father's deep sorrow when he is unjustly forced to vacate the home he has worked so hard to provide for his family. I profoundly empathize with a husband's untenable situation when he discovers that his cheating wife … Continue reading
Short Essay – Do You Routinely Pet Your Children or Do You SNAP and GRAB Them Instead?
There is so much stress, and frustration, involved in daily living today that millions of people are on the verge of snapping. Unfortunately, this is especially true for women. Radical, second-wave feminism's promotion of "career", over family, has left women with NO time to truly enjoy their lives. They don't have ample time to relax, … Continue reading
Longform Essay – Men, Why Are You Afraid To Express Your Christian Faith in Public AND in Private?
The 38 million men of the baby boom generation were the first substantial group of young men to be intimidated, by outside forces, away from expressing their Christian faith in public. Ironically, as very young men they were aided and abetted in this unprecedented retreat from religious expression by the Catholic Church! This reversal of Christian men's religious … Continue reading
Admirable Women – "Millennial" Moms May Save the Day!
There is, once again, a glimmer of hope for the future of Christian Western Civilization and, at the same time, a hint of progress towards the demise of radical, second-wave feminism, thanks to a very unlikely group of young women. These young people are referred to by the statisticians as the "Millennials." They include young … Continue reading
Admirable Women – Journalist Emily Yoffe Exposes Radical Feminist's Deliberate Distortion of Campus "Sex Assault" Stats
I can't tell you how tired I am of watching the ongoing, never-ending, brainwashing of young women, to believe the worst of Christian men, by lying radical feminists! Isn't 50 years long enough? This subtle, subliminal siege continues unchecked, especially on our college campuses, by generation, after generation, after generation of non-Christian radical, second and third-wave … Continue reading


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Samsung has revealed that 3D movies are set to come to its internet connected TVs in the UK this year, and PictureBox is looking to be the first service to offer 3D movie content through its on-demand app.
Samsung is no stranger to on-demand 3D movies. It recently partnered with Virgin Media to showcase the cable company's 3D offering but it has yet to pipe 3D films through its own app platform.
This is set to change this year, with Darren Petersen, Content Services Manager - Smart TV at Samsung, hinting to TechRadar that we will see something in 2011.
"We are hoping that 3D movies will be available [through Smart Hub] later this year," said Petersen to TechRadar.
"The technology is there we are just waiting on our partners to come up with something."
3D streaming
There is already 3D content on the Smart Hub in the US, with a number of apps offering 3D functionality – but there's no movies as of yet.
PictureBox, a newcomer to Samsung's Smart Hub, is hoping that it will be the first of the partnered movie apps to stream a 3D movie, with a spokesperson explaining: "We are looking to stream our first 3D movie in Q3, but there's still a lot to do technology-wise.
"We have to optimise the content for a number of different devices and this takes time."


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Editor's note: CNN's new series i-List takes you to a different country each month. In April, we visit the Republic of Georgia focusing on changes shaping the country's economy, culture and its social fabric.
Tbilisi, Georgia (CNN) -- At the end of a Sunday church that lasts more then three hours, the frail spiritual leader of Georgia's Orthodox Christians emerges through the doors of Holy Trinity Cathedral's ornate wall of icons, and steps towards the waiting congregation.
The crowd surges forward. Hundreds of men, women and adolescents, reach for Patriarch Ilia II. Guided by bodyguards, the bearded cleric works his way through the sea of arms, touching and blessing his admirers' hands as he slowly walks out the cathedral to an armored limousine. Teenagers chase after the vehicle, as the patriarch drives away.
Mariam Turbanidze and her seven-year old son Nikolos stood watching the car disappear, oblivious to the pouring rain. Her family traveled hours from the Black Sea port city of Batumi to attend Sunday's service.
"The patriarch is Nikolos' godfather," Turbanidze explained. She proudly held up a framed church document as proof.
President Saakashvili interview
Ilia II has led one of the world's oldest Christian communities for more than 30 years. In a country that has suffered four wars in the past two decades, and experienced harrowing political and economic transformation, the patriarch is seen by many as a respected source of stability.
According to a 2008 poll published by the Tbilisi-based International Centre on Conflicts and Negotiation, 94.2 percent of Georgians surveyed ranked Ilia II the most trusted man in the country.
Born Irakli Shiolashvili, Ilia II was crowned "His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia" in 1977, when Georgia was part of the Soviet Union.
He assumed leadership of a church that Soviet authorities had targeted and repressed for decades.
"Many spiritual figures were persecuted and shot. Many churches were closed and some were destroyed," Ilia II said.
He spoke to CNN at the patriarchate's residence in downtown Tbilisi, a three-story building full of icons and church artifacts that had been seized and used as a police headquarters during Soviet times.
"After the liberation of Georgia from the Soviet Union, of course conditions improved. The people go to church, especially the youth," Ilia II explained.
In the last 20 years, the church in Georgia - and its leader - have become some of the most powerful institutions in the country.
In December of 2007, the patriarch announced he would personally baptize newborns in an effort to battle Georgia's declining birthrate. Thousands of people turned up to mass baptisms, during which smiling parents watched as robed priests plunged screaming babies into ornate vats full of holy water.
Irma Amirejibi and her husband Giorgi were among those to answer the patriarch's call. They already had four daughters and decided to have a fifth. Last year, their youngest daughter Nino was baptized by the patriarch.
"We think that with this baptism the patriarch's kindness will bless our family and protect my family in the future," Amirejibi said, as she balanced wriggling Nino on her lap.
Official statistics show that in 2008, Georgia had its highest number of births in nine years. Ilia II claims partial credit for the surge in births.
"I have already baptized about 5,000 children," he said. "Parents decided to give birth to these children because they had a chance to be the patriarch's godchildren."
In person, Ilia II is visibly frail. His voice is at times barely audible and he keeps his eyes averted from bright lights. But the patriarch speaks unapologetically about his position of authority in a country where 84 percent of the population identifies itself as Orthodox Christian.
"The patriarch is not a person who needs a government office," Ilia II said. "That is why the most objective ideas can be expressed by the patriarch and the church."
In his sermons and speeches, Ilia II periodically veers from spiritual advice to outspoken commentary about political events.
Addressing thousands of worshippers at a Sunday service last month, Ilia II denounced a hoax news report on Georgian TV about a fake Russian military invasion. He called the controversial program, which spread panic throughout the population, a "crime against humanity."
After Georgia lost a brief-but-bloody 2008 war with Russia, Ilia II was the highest ranking Georgian dignitary to meet face-to-face with Russian president Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow.
In a recent interview with CNN, the cleric accused Medvedev of failing to follow through on a pledge to allow some of the 30,000 ethnic Georgians displaced by the fighting to return to their homes in Russian-controlled territory.
"First of all he said that refugees must return to their homes. This was very happy news," Ilia II said. "But it is a fact that these words remained just words. And they were not fulfilled. He [Medvedev] is soft-spoken and clever."
In March 2008, Ilia II helped negotiate an end to a hunger strike led by opposition parties against the Georgian government.
"It is tradition that the church has to moderate. The church has to calm down everything," said Alexander Rondeli, a political analyst with the Georgian Foundation for Strategic Studies. "He [Ilia II] is playing this role quite well."
Throughout his career, the patriarch has made political missteps. Three years ago, he called for restoring the monarchy in Georgia, which was dissolved in 1801 when Russia annexed the Georgian kingdom.
Georgia's political elite offered a tepid response to the proposal. Then in 2009, with the patriarch's blessing, two descendants of the Georgian royal family were married in Holy Trinity Cathedral. Less than two months later, the couple were reported to have separated.
Ilia II says his greatest accomplishment has been to help unify Georgia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
"Society was divided into separate pieces," he said. "My aim was to unify the people, to make them one nation. And I knew that would happen."
At 77, the patriarch is not a young man. Many Georgians now worry about the health of the elderly priest who has helped guide his country through 19 stormy years of independence. Succession to the patriarch could pose a significant challenge, said political analyst Alexander Rondeli.
"Someone else has to be better or at least of the same caliber [as Ilia II]. This is the problem," Rondeli said.
Ilia II is not only a national symbol. He is a leader whose interests extend far beyond faith and politics. During Sunday prayer services, the choir in Holy Trinity Cathedral performs a choral piece called "Kyrie Eleison."
It features a female soloist, backed by an all-male choir. Their full-throated harmonies echo off the stone walls of the huge church, triggering goose bumps among listeners.
The composer of this hauntingly beautiful hymn is the man standing at the front of the cathedral in front of thousands of worshippers: Patriarch Ilia II.


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Developer Steven Troughton-Smith seems to have discovered that running unsigned (custom) firmware—even firmware that bypasses the activation process—is super easy.
Not only can you use the Konami code to get the phone into dev mode, you can hold the volume-up button while it's booting in order to set it to restore mode. Once in that mode, you can use Palm's firmware flasher app to place on your own custom firmwares (doing whatever the hell you want to the phone) even if it hasn't been authenticated by Palm. Expect lots of low-level hacks that can do some really, really cool things. [Stephen Troughton-Smith via Daring Fireball]


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McCain: Immigration reform 'difficult, but achievable'
U.S. Sen. John McCain delivered the following statement Monday on the bipartisan framework for comprehensive immigration reform released today with Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ):
The introduction of these principles is the first step in what will be a very difficult, but achievable, reform to our immigration system.
No one here needs reminding that the last major attempt at immigration reform was over six years ago. Now we will again attempt to commit the remaining resources needed to secure the border, modernize and streamline our current immigration system, and create a tough but fair path to citizenship for those here illegally.
I am the first to admit that the security situation along the Southwest border is not perfect. There remain several areas, particularly in Arizona, where people's homes are being invaded, where drug smugglers are crossing property every night. These citizens deserve the same level of security that all of us standing here have. But there is no question there has been a significant reduction in illegal crossings over the past five years. Apprehensions of illegal immigrants by the Border Patrol have dropped 70 percent from 2005 to 2012 – from 1,189,075 down to 340,252. But as we all acknowledge, the work is not yet complete.
Greater focus needs to be paid to drug traffickers and criminals that cross the border. Arizona continues to be a major smuggling corridor and distribution hub for drug trafficking organizations. According to the Arizona High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, 36 percent of marijuana seizures along the Southwest border happen in Arizona. Often, scouts and spotters employed by drug cartels are used to assist backpackers hauling drugs through the Western Desert.
To combat this, we need to continue to invest in UAVs, radar, and other proven surveillance systems that will give Border Patrol the ability to detect and apprehend all illegal entries into the United States. This is achievable and can be completed within the next few years if we truly commit to it.
After the border is secure, the next most important step to ensure we do not repeat the mistakes of 1986 immigration reform is to build out a nation-wide electronic employment verification system that will end the hiring of future unauthorized workers. Coupled with increased fines on employers that knowingly hire illegal workers, I believe we will be able to effectively shut off the magnet that attracts illegal workers to the U.S.
Just as critical, we will put in place a legal worker program to provide a humane and effective system that allows immigrant workers to enter the country without seeking the aid of human traffickers or drug cartels. Any immigration legislation that passes Congress must establish practical legal channels for workers to enter the United States – whether they are high skill, low skill, or agriculture workers, so we can free up federal officials to focus on those individuals truly intending to do our nation harm through drug smuggling, people trafficking and possibly terrorism.
Providing an expedited path to citizenship for DREAMers, developing a measurement to determine when the border is truly secure, reforming our future immigration system to better meet the needs of our employers, ensuring an entry-exit system to combat visa overstays, and creating a program that makes certain U.S. agriculture has the necessary workers to maintain America's food supply, are just some of the issues that we have committed to addressing – and solving – in a bipartisan manner.
And, finally, we come to the most controversial piece of immigration reform. That is how to deal with the approximately 11 million people living in the United States outside of legal status.
What is going on now is not acceptable. In reality, what has been created is a defacto amnesty. We, the American people, have been too content for too long to allow individuals to mow our lawn, serve us food, clean our homes and even watch our children while not affording them any of the benefits that make our country so great.
I think everyone here agrees that it is not beneficial for our country to have these people here hidden in the shadows. Let's create a system to bring them forward, allow them to settle their debt to society and fulfill the necessary requirements to become law abiding citizens of this country. This is consistent with our countries tradition of being a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.
John McCain is a Republican Senator from Arizona.


text: Back Understanding Outpatient Surgery If you need surgery, there's a better-than-average chance that you'll have it and go home the same day. Thanks to advances in technology and anesthesia, nearly 6 of every 10 surgeries performed at hospitals are done as "outpatient" procedures, which means you go home the same day you have your surgery. Nearly 35 million such surgeries are performed each year in the U.S., according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Why? Some reasons outpatient surgery has become more popular with patients and health care providers: Convenience. With outpatient surgery, a person returns home on the same day as the procedure. Advances in medical technology. These advances allow doctors to use less invasive procedures than were once needed. Lower cost. Care costs are much lower for outpatient surgery because there are no charges for hospital rooms and care. Less stress. Most people find outpatient surgery less stressful than inpatient surgery because they can recover at home. What? Procedures routinely done in outpatient settings include removal of tonsils and adenoids, adding ear tubes, hernia repairs, gallbladder operations, colonoscopies, hemorrhoid repairs, cataract surgery, liposuction, cosmetic surgery, and some foot, ankle, and hand operations. Where? Outpatient surgeries are performed in a variety of settings: Hospital outpatient centers. These are hospital-owned and operated facilities (on hospital grounds) that specialize in outpatient surgery. Freestanding surgery centers. These are owned by a group of physicians or for-profit companies. Physicians' offices. Doctors can perform minor procedures in their offices. These include skin biopsies, mole removal, and wrinkle removal.


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Ellen DeGeneres, Walmart donate $1 million to J.J. Watt's Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund
Ellen DeGeneres is starting off her 15th season off with a bang.
While taping her show in Houston that will air Sept. 7, Ellen announced a $1 million to donation to J.J. Watt's Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, courtesy of Walmart.
"Tell me exactly what the people of Houston need most," Ellen asked Watt during the show taping.
"So, the biggest thing that we're doing right now is a) we're obviously raising the money, but then b) the thing that we've heard the most people need is just water. They need drinking water – they need water to clean, they need water to bathe, so we're getting water," he said.
That puts Watt's totals at more than $8.5 million Wednesday evening.
Watt began his relief fund Sunday with a $100,000 donation. The fundraising effort took off this week. His goal is now $10 million.[iframe width="575" height="324" src="//widgets.ellentube.com/videos/0-ogqveysb/" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""][/iframe]


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11/02/2017 Liebherr wins the European Innovation Impact Award 2017
On 27 and 28 September 2017 Liebherr-Hausgeräte GmbH received the award for the best ideas and innovation management within the framework of the ideasEurope conference in Brussels.
Various keynote speakers from industry, politics and training institutions from all over Europe came together on 27 and 28 September for the conference in Brussels. European delegate Ulrike Müller described the event as an "ideal platform" for further development and the exchange of information and ideas in the area of ideas and innovation management. The European Innovation Impact Award is awarded every year to companies and organisations in Europe that are to be honoured for their inventiveness and innovation.
The forum in Brussels was a basis for the international exchange of information and ideas between players from various European countries in order to compare processes in ideas and innovation management and together develop a holistic view for new approaches. The highlight of the event was the awards ceremony for the best ideas and innovations in European companies. The structural anchoring of ideas and innovation management in the company and its general relevance in corporate culture was particularly important for the jury. Six companies were awarded here in different categories, including Liebherr-Hausgeräte GmbH in the "Best Innovation Management" category. Roland Rausch, President of the ideasEurope forum, stated: "What impressed us at Liebherr is the structure of the innovation management which is very clear and strategic. With the defined areas where Liebherr wants to develop, it is a very consistent system that will make an important forward-looking contribution to the company".
Liebherr was nominated by the German Centre for Ideas Management to participate in the international ideasEurope conference. "The award proves that we are on the right path with the existing structures and processes and we are living the "We are innovative" principle within the domestic appliances division", adds Helmuth Bauer, Development Division Director of Liebherr-Hausgeräte GmbH. Thomas Kandolf, Innovation Manager of Liebherr-Hausgeräte Lienz GmbH, also proudly stated: "We are delighted with the award and also very happy that we can keep pace with leading European companies in the area of innovation management. Our systematic approach to new ideas and how we turn them into innovative products and services is what sets us apart."


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Fans turned out by the hundreds to see burgeoning media star Grumpy Cat Tuesday evening at Kitson's Santa Monica store.
Event organizers expected at least 500 people would line up for a chance to see Ms. Cat; they estimated more than 800 showed up for a pawtograph by the sour-looking puss. The feline celebrity, who became a viral star last year, already has a movie deal in addition to "Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book," which arrived on shelves Tuesday.
She already looked bored by the trappings of fame at Kitson's. There were whispers in the line that "Sharknado" star Ian Ziering was in attendance; those proved to be unfounded. No matter. All eyes were on Ms. Cat.
Also read: Rise of the Hollywood Cats: Inside Grumpy Cat and Lil BUB's Big Deals
There was no dilly-dallying. Fans were rushed through the line; they handed their cameras off, posed next to Ms. Cat, took the photo, and were ushered out, a complimentary Grumpy Cat poster in hand. Some left gifts; one boy offered Ms. Cat an inflatable unicorn horn.
Also read: Grumpy Cat Lands Movie Deal
Ms. Cat barely noticed any of it, content to nap on her lush brown suede-look throne through the scheduled hour and a half. (An extra half hour was generously tacked on to give everyone a chance to meet Ms. Cat).
Her only response to the camera flashes and the squeals of delight from fans was a few twitches of the ear. She didn't even seem to notice when a few fans broke the clearly-stated rules and tried to pet her.
"No touching! No touching Grumpy Cat!" the security staff cried. "There is no touching Grumpy Cat, please!"
Also read: Robert De Niro Meets Lil BUB in Meme-Tastic Tribeca Moment
About an hour and a half in, Ms. Cat needed a break. She was brought to a small bowl of water, but did not linger. Grumpy Cat does not have a drinking problem.
Ms. Cat, who also stopped by Book Soup and the Century City Kitson on Century City on Wednesday, had no plans for a book tour, her owner's brother, Bryan Bundesen said. And as impressive as Tuesday night's power puss appearance was, it paled compared to the turnout at South by Southwest a few months ago.
"At South by Southwest we did 1500 people in two hours," Bundesen said.
Ms. Cat had no comment; she cannot speak.
At least a few people were in Kitson Tuesday night to shop. One man wondered what all the fuss was about.
"What is that?" he asked.
A store employee quickly answered: "THAT is Grumpy Cat."


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President Obama as a Superhero on JibJab
Here's Your JibJab. Barack Obama Takes on the World
JibJab Video: President Obama as a superhero
Obama to hold news conference Tues.
Comedy Site JibJab Spoofs Obama To His Face – And He Liked It! (Video)
Inside a formal Washington DC dinner
How To Pay For Obama's Health Care Plan
Weekend Roundup: Carrie Prejean, Nerds, at RTCA Dinner
Super Barack to everyone's rescue
Vid-Biz: LG, White House, WetPaint
JibJab's latest video satirizing President Obama (watch it here)
JibJab's first Obama administration spoof debuts in front of the President (video)
President Obama as a Superhero on JibJab
Watch the Jib-Jab video of superhero prez Barack Obama!
VIDEO: JibJab: Obama saves the day
Super Barack to everyone's rescue
Hilarious Video: He's Barack Obama!
JibJab Creators Debut Barack Obama Animation at Correspondents' Dinner
JibJab Obama Song Steals Show at Correspondents Dinner
Get ready for the Radio-TV Correspondents' Dinner
All Atwitter at Correspondents' Dinner, Minus Twitter
JibJab's Latest Video Spoof: "He's Barack Obama"
Animated movie on President Obama released
Obama the cartoon character unveiled
JibJab Debuts "He's Barack Obama" With President Watching [Video]
JibJab Takes on Superhero Obama: 'He's Come to Save the Day!'
Animated Obama saves the world
Animated movie on President Obama released
Animated movie on President Obama released
Obama is the target of internet political parody
President Obama target of Internet parody
Video: JibJab parody turns prez into super hero
Super Barack vient nous sauver!
Obama target of new internet political parody


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No West concession; partial recount ordered
WEST PALM BEACH — Firebrand GOP Rep. Allen West, whose made-for-TV rhetoric made him a prized voice of extreme conservatives, has been ousted by political newcomer Patrick Murphy, according to the state's vote count Saturday, but the incumbent was not planning to concede.
Though above the threshold for a full recount, St. Lucie County agreed late Saturday to recount early votes on Sunday. Barring a sizeable shift, the complete but unofficial numbers showed Murphy with 50.4 percent of the vote and held a 2,442-vote lead in the District 18 race. Still, West's campaign said they would press forward.
"We're simply not going to just walk away from the race until we see that the numbers add up," West campaign manager Tim Edson said.
Murphy declared victory early Wednesday morning and has held his lead ever since, even as thousands of absentee and provisional ballots were processed. He issued a statement Saturday saying "it is now time to put the campaign behind us" and has repeatedly said his win is a signal that voters are tired of the extremism exemplified by West.
"I look at it as a movement of moderation in our country," he said. "I think this is a signal to the public and to, really, Congress that we need people who are willing to compromise, willing to come together."
West's campaign insists there are many unanswered questions in the race, mostly centered in St. Lucie County, the only one of three counties in the district that Murphy won. They've expressed concern votes were counted twice and have asked to review sign-in books from the polls to ensure the number of voters matches the ballot count.
Jeffrey Scott Shapiro, an attorney with West's campaign, said the St. Lucie recount would determine the Republican's direction going forward.
"It doesn't satisfy every concern but it may become a moot point depending on what the results are," he said.
Under state law, West still could contest the election if they believe misconduct or fraud might have changed its result. Edson suggested if the campaign is able to review ballots to its satisfaction, that might be avoided.
"If all the votes have been counted and we see that those numbers do add up," Edson said, "then obviously the congressman will concede at that time."
In an interview Friday with television station WPEC, West said "being a member of Congress does not define who I am" and that he was not conceding because he believed the voters deserved such action.
"If I come out on the short end of the stick, guess what?" he said. "I salute the flag, I wish you good luck and I continue on, and hopefully my replacement will be able to go up and contend with these monumental issues."
The race was the country's most expensive, and one of its most closely watched House contests.
West, a former Army lieutenant colonel, has a passionate legion of supporters and an equally passionate opposition. He has elevated his profile with a seemingly unending string of headline-grabbing statements, from calling scores of congressional Democrats communists to labeling Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz as "vile" and "despicable." He said President Barack Obama, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and others should "get the hell out of the United States."
West, 51, moved north to District 18 after redistricting made his old seat an unlikely win. Murphy, 29, followed him and has sought to portray the congressman as an extremist who has done little else in Washington than stoke partisan fires with his trademark controversy.
West had out-fundraised Murphy more than four-to-one, flooding the district in advertising and seeking to paint the Democrat as an empty-suited rich kid. The two sides had raised nearly $21 million as of Oct. 17, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, and Super PACS supporting the candidates poured in about $6.6 million.
The campaign's most attention-getting ad featured Murphy's mugshot from a teenage arrest, seeking to undermine his trustworthiness and portray him as unfit for leadership.
"The most difficult thing for West to do in this election was to campaign negatively against somebody who really has no record at all," said Kevin Wagner, a political science professor at Florida Atlantic University. "It's hard to hang too much on Murphy, so you end up reaching back to a barfight when he's 19."


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Report Identifies Seven Countries Where Atheism Is Punishable by Death
The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) released a report on Monday analyzing how secular people around the world are treated, and found that seven different countries have laws that make atheism punishable by death.
The report, "Freedom of Thought 2012 – A Global Report on Discrimination Against Humanists, and the Nonreligious," is 72 pages long and details some of the most extreme cases of persecution or discrimination targeting non-believers around the world. IHEU describes its vision as "a Humanist world, in which human rights are respected and everyone is able to live a life of dignity. The mission of IHEU is to build and represent the global Humanist movement that defends human rights and promotes Humanist values world-wide."
Afghanistan, Iran, Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Sudan are the seven countries identified by the organization where it is possible that people who admit to being atheists could face capital punishment.
"When 21st century technology collides with medieval blasphemy laws, it seems to be atheists who are getting hurt, as more of them go to prison for sharing their personal beliefs via social media," said Matt Cherry, the report's editor, in a press release. "Across the world the reactionary impulse to punish new ideas, or in some cases the merest expression of disbelief, recurs again and again. We even have a case in Tunisia of a journalist arrested for daring to criticize a proposed blasphemy law!"
The report takes a closer look at a number of cases where atheists have also been imprisoned simply for sharing their views on social networks such as Facebook. Among the imprisoned are Alexander Aan, an Indonesian atheist activist serving two and a half years for Facebook posts declaring that he doesn't believe in God, Turkish pianist Fazil Say for "blasphemous" Twitter posts, 17-year-old Gamal Abdou Massoud and Bishoy Kamel from Egypt facing three and six years in prison, respectively, for posting "blasphemous" cartoons on Facebook, and others.
IHEU notes that in recent years, the number of blasphemy related cases has actually increased – in part due to the spread of social networking phenomenons like Facebook and Twitter that make it easy for the average Joe to share his thoughts with hundreds and thousands of people around the world.
"It is often not the case that when people hear of freedom of religion they interpret that in terms of the non-religious too," Bob Churchill, a spokesperson for IHEU, told NBC News. "This report shows clearly how people who mildly criticize religion may go on to suffer months or years in jail, even awaiting a death sentence."
U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Heiner Bielefeldt is said to have welcomed the report as it raises awareness for the plight of atheists around the globe.
The majority of countries highlighted in the report are located in Asia or Africa, and it examined nations where laws "deny atheists' right to exist, curtail their freedom of belief and expression, revoke their right to citizenship, restrict their right to marry." The report also points the finger at laws that "obstruct their access to public education, prohibit them from holding public office, prevent them from working for the state, criminalize their criticism of religion, and execute them for leaving the religion of their parents."
Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Kuwait and Jordan were identified as nations where any sort of promotion of atheist views is totally banned or strictly limited under local laws.
In other countries, such as Malaysia, citizens are forced to register themselves as adherents of a small number of officially recognized religions, which are typically limited to Christianity, Islam or Judaism.
"Freedom of Thought 2012" also looks at examples from Europe and the U.S., however, where atheist rights are also suppressed, they claim. The report picks out Greece and Russia as two countries that allegedly protect the predominant Orthodox Church from all criticism, while seven U.S. states still have laws on their books barring atheists from public office.


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Please help improve this article. The discussion page may contain suggestions.
Distances are measured differently in some editions of Grand Theft Auto. In early editions (GTA1 and GTA2) measurements are based on the grid system of the landscape data file format. In later editions, they use meters and divisions of meters.
None of the environments in any Grand Theft Auto edition attempt to mimic the Earth's curvature, they use flat planes and straight lines to base positions from.
The map data for these levels is constructed from a grid of cubes. There are 256 cubes from East to West and 256 cubes from North to South. There are 6 layers of cubes, creating a total of 393,216 cubes. In both editions, the face of each cube is able to take one texture of size 64×64 pixels. This provides a regular grid which can be used for the placement of objects.
Negative values are not required in GTA1 and GTA2, as the whole environment is covered by positive coordinates.
Cube Coordinates
A cube in GTA1 and GTA2 is the same size as the length of a regular 1990's American family car, which tend to be around 4.5 meters long (some are larger, some are smaller). Therefore, each side of a cube in GTA1 and GTA2 is 4.5 meters long. This makes the game environment 1,152 meters from East to West and the same amount from North to South. In contrast, it allows just 27 meters in height. The total game area is 1,327,104 square meters, or 1.327 square kilometers.
Coordinates in these games start from the upper North West corner of the environment at (0,0,0) and finish in the South East corner at (255,255,5). In GTA1 these coordinates must all be integers but in GTA2 decimals can be used, such as (12.3,98.75,3.5). Integer cube coordinates place an object precisely on the North West corner of a cube.
Sea level is generally placed on the lowest level to allow all of the very limited height to be used by buildings.
Pixel Coordinates
Because GTA2 can use decimals in its cube coordinates system, it does not need a more precise unit. However, GTA1 does require a more precise unit and it uses the location of pixels on the faces of cubes to do this. They start from the upper North West corner of the environment at (0,0,0) to the South East corner at (16383,16383,383).
There are 64 pixels to a cube. A pixel coordinate which can be divided by 64 with no remainder will place an object precisely at the North East corner of a cube. An offset of 32 pixels will place an object precisely in the center of a cube.
Some objects in GTA1 and GTA2 have an offset from the coordinate system, most notably the TELEPHONE object in GTA1 (creates a payphone from which the player can receive missions) and the TOWER object in GTA2 (to make special walls and towers solid).
Some objects have special requirements about how they are positioned on the vertical axis (Z axis or third coordinate position). In general, objects should be created inside the cube above the cube they are intended to be placed on. However, some objects (such as DUM_MIS_TRIG in GTA1) must be placed on the cube above this.
The distance units in the 3D editions of Grand Theft Auto were standardized and based accurately on one meter. Therefore, one unit in GTA3, GTAVC or GTASA equals one meter. These "standard units" can use a floating point decimal but this inevitably lacks precision near the edges of the game boundaries. Therefore, much like GTA1, a secondary coordinates system is introduced. This uses "precision unit" which are each one sixteenth of a meter (6.25cm) and also allow decimals, creating a much more accurate coordinates system.
The size of the game environment in each edition is different and became larger with each edition:-
- From (-???,-???,-???) to (???,???,???) standard units.
- Total area: ?.??? square kilometers.
- From (-2300,-1900,-INF.) to (1540,1900,INF.) approximately, standard units.
- Total area: 14.6 square kilometers.
- From (-3000,-3000,-INF.) to (3000,3000,INF.) standard units.
- Total area: ?.??? square kilometers.
This section is incomplete. You can help by fixing and expanding it.
Those limitations can be increased using several tools like the SA Limit Adjuster.
Sea level is generally placed a little above the vertical level of the origin, normally between 0 and 100 units above it. This is to make the placement of buildings use positive numbers for their Z axis position, presumably to make the data easier for humans to understand.
Standard Units
These 3D editions measure positions roughly from the center of the game environment using standard graph axes. As such, positions below and to the South West of the origin are negative on all three axes while positions above and to the North East are positive in all three axes. Other positions have a mixture of negative and positive values.
Each standard unit is precisely one meter in length. The maximum possible range for the type of number used is from -1.5 x 10^-45 to 3.4 x 10^38 but this is limited to the size of the game environment for most purposes. It is important to note the precision of the float single (32 bit float) data used by the games is best used within -2048..2048 units, possibly maximum of -4069..4069 units. going beyond these numbers could cause jittering vehicles, unstable and imprecise physical simulation of the game environment.
Precision Units
These only seem to be used by AI paths to overcome the lack of precision when creating paths near the edges of the game environment. They are measured from the exact same origin as standard units in the same directions and therefore require negative numbers to be used for some areas of the game environment.
Each precision unit is precisely on sixteenth of a metre (6.25cm) and decimals are allowed. The maximum possible range for the type of number used is from -??? to ??? but this is limited to the size of the game environment for most purposes.
GTASA allows coordinates beyond the normal game environment to be used but there are limits on how they can be used. Mission scripts allow a number of map objects to be placed beyond the boundaries. The player can freely roam beyond the boundaries. This is not a practical way to add extra land and islands to the game but it does allow extra possibilities for long distance mission scenarios.
External Links
- CoordStudio by Cerbera - allows conversion between all units used by PC releases of Grand Theft Auto.


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In July, ATZ posted Circus Portraits: Photography by Kevin C Downs. Circus Vidbel was in Coney Island for an abbreviated run, but Kevin Downs photographs of the performers have a timeless quality that evokes the classic portraiture of the Golden Age of the Circus. You can view the complete set, including a few candids, on the photographer's website.
The 1927 film "IT" made Brooklyn-born Clara Bow a sex symbol. In August, Video of the Day: "IT Girl" Clara Bow in Coney Island featured anecdotes about Bow and this scene from the film. She plays a shop girl who goes on a first date with her boss to Coney's Steeplechase Park, where the Human Roulette Wheel and the Barrel of Love help them get acquainted.
Brooklyn-born singer-songwriter Garland Jeffreys' album "The King of In Between" has been called "as uncannily fresh and forceful as the songs on his debut record, from 1973″ by the New Yorker and it's on plenty of year-end Top 10 lists. You'll see why in this live performance of Coney Island Winter: Garland Jeffreys Live on Letterman
New York City hasn't had any snow since the freaky October snowstorm dubbed Snowtober on the web. In addition to a snow-covered Coney Island Boardwalk, photographer Bruce Handy's flickr slide show offers snow-dusted Halloween characters and the rare sight of the Wonder Wheel's cars, which ordinarily have been taken down for the winter before the first snowfall.
As ATZ reported exclusively early this month, Miss Coney Island and Coney Island Always, along with Skin the Wire and two or three other games, are moving from Jones Walk to booths on West 12th Street. Their location is next to the Coney Island History Project. Bring a roll of quarters because it will still be "25¢ to Laugh," "25¢ to Smile," and "25¢ to Fall in Love" with the famed mannequin, who is expected to debut a new outfit and new music this season.
Related posts on ATZ…
December 30, 2011: Amusing the Zillion's Fave 11 Posts of 2011 – Part 1
December 27, 2011: Amusing the Zillion's Top 10 Coney Island News Stories of 2011
November 15, 2011: Coney Island 2012: What's New on the Boardwalk
January 1, 2011: Amusing the Zillion's Top 10 Coney Island News Stories of 2010


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I start each morning like most people. I wake up, make a cup of coffee (with a spoon full of hot cocoa), and then head to the bathroom to get ready for the day. The mirror always reveals the damage of a solid nights sleep. My hair is always looking crazy, with frizzy hair and random … Continue reading Who's in your mirror?
Tag: Jesus
Stepping Up
I am broken and flawed. I am far for being the ideal sister, daughter, friend, or wife that I continuously long to be. Daily, I struggle with finding kind words to say over nagging, hurtful remarks. To show acts of love over sighs of discontent. To live as Jesus did, rather than living for my … Continue reading Stepping Up
Time For Nature
A few years ago, I was nanny to a beautiful family. They had three children, the youngest being 4 at the time. I journaled about an eye opening moment that she blessed me with. I stumbled upon it again and wanted to share this moment with you: Today, I captured the essence of nature through the mind … Continue reading Time For Nature
You may be wondering why I chose to name my blog Woodnotes. You might not even know what the word means (I didn't up until a few days ago). I discovered the word Woodnote to have the meaning of "the sound of a forest bird or animal" and I fell in love with that. One … Continue reading Woodnotes


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Apple today revamped its iMac, MacBook and Mac mini lines in a long-expected refresh that company executives hinted yesterday was imminent.
But as is Apple's custom, the company did not lower prices for the least-expensive new models.
"Same old, same old," said Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research. "Boring."
The new iMacs — 21.5-inch and 27-inch models — replace the former 20-inch and 24-inch iMacs, and are priced starting at $1,199. The low-end MacBook also remains at the $999 mark, putting an end to talk by analysts that Apple would drop the price of its entry-level notebook, perhaps as far as $699.
While the three lowest-priced iMacs are powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor running at 3.06GHz, the priciest model, the $1,999 27-inch iMac, is equipped with a 2.66GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core processor. Customers can swap out that CPU for a 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 quad-core for an additional $200. This is the first time that Apple's dropped a quad-core processor into its iMac desktop line, but buyers will have to wait if that's the iMac they want: The quad-core models don't ship until next month.
Storage space has also been boosted in the new models. The $1,199 iMac comes with a 500GB hard drive — versus the 320GB drive in the older 20-inch iMac — while the other three models come with a 1TB drive as standard. All boast 4GB of RAM.
The new iMacs' profile is significantly wider to accommodate the larger displays and features an all-aluminum back, replacing the black plastic used on earlier models.
Prices start at $1,199 for the low-end 21.5-inch iMac, progressing to $1,499 for the upper-end 21.5-inch, and $1,699 and $1,999 for the two configurations of the 27-inch system. The latter two are priced $100 and $200 less than the corresponding 24-inch iMacs that they replaced.
Apple's lowest-priced iMac uses the Nvidia GeForce 9400 integrated graphics, includes four USB ports, a single FireWire 800 port and a new SD card slot, the latter positioned below the optical-drive slot and designed to accept memory cards — like the kind used in most digital cameras — for quick copying of images and video. The higher-priced iMacs feature an ATI Radeon HD 4670 or 4850 graphics card with 256MB or 512MB of memory.
All the iMacs come with a wireless keyboard and Apple's new wireless Magic Mouse, which the company bills as the first multi-touch mouse. The top surface of the Magic Mouse accepts several gestures; a two-fingered swipe within Safari, for example, moves back or forward a page in the browser.
The last time Apple refreshed its iMac line was March 2009, when upgraded the desktops with faster processors, more memory and storage, and more capable graphics. At the time, Gottheil called the new models "underwhelming."
Apple also retooled the MacBook, which, like its more costly MacBook Pro brethren, now comes in a sleeker case. Although the $999 13.3-inch MacBook features a "unibody" enclosure, the material remains polycarbonate, not the more stylish and sturdy aluminum used in the MacBook Pro line.
The MacBook boasts a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics chipset and a 250GB hard drive. Some of those components are upgrades from the new model's predecessor, which relied on a 2.13GHz CPU and included a 160GB hard drive. It also includes the same long-running built-in battery — Apple claims it will power the laptop for seven hours — used in the MacBook Pro, and an LED-backlit screen and multi-touch trackpad to match the parts in the upper-end line.
All the new iMacs and the MacBook come with Mac OS X 10.6, aka Snow Leopard, the operating system upgrade that Apple launched nearly two months ago.
"I'm sorely disappointed," said Gottheil, of today's new models. "They're clearly sticking with what they've got and being very conservative. It would have been very interesting if they had dropped the entry point of the MacBook, but they didn't." Gottheil, along with many other analysts, had put their money on Apple cutting the price of the MacBook as a recognition that laptop prices have been effectively "reset" to a lower mark in the last 12 months.
"It sure looks like Apple won't have to lower prices, not with the quarter they just had," Gottheil added, referring to the blowout earnings for the quarter ending Sept. 30 that Apple announced yesterday. "There's no urgency for them to do so, and obviously they're not being compelled by the market to do it. They could barely meet demand earlier."
Last summer, Apple's executives said in a conference call with Wall Street analysts, MacBook Pro supply was tight after an early-June refresh, enough that some buyers were forced to wait until July — in the third calendar quarter — to get their hands on the laptop.
Even so, Apple will eventually have to wake up and smell the pricing coffee, Gottheil argued. "I don't think Apple wants to be the vendor that charges several times more than the average of the category that they're in," he said. "They don't want to be the Lamborghini of computer makers, they want to be the BMW."
Apple also updated the Mac mini — its lowest-priced, but display-less Mac — today, with two models at $599 and $799, and added a new entry dubbed "Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server" at $999.
"This one is significant," said Gottheil. "It's a 'My First Server' device, a 'My First Pony,' for small offices that want to get serious about backup and hosting their own e-mail."
All the new Macs except for the quad-core iMacs are available immediately at Apple's retail stores, and through its online store. The dual-core iMacs currently show a one-to-three day delay in shipping, but the MacBook and Mac minis will ship within 24 hours.


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Welcome to our website! As we have the ability to list over one million items on our website (our selection changes all of the time), it is not feasible for a company our size to record and playback the descriptions on every item on our website. However, if you have a disability we are here to help you. Please call our disability services phone line at (416) 635-6111 during regular business hours and one of our kind and friendly personal shoppers will help you navigate through our website, help conduct advanced searches, help you choose the item you are looking for with the specifications you are seeking, read you the specifications of any item and consult with you about the products themselves. There is no charge for the help of this personal shopper for anyone with a disability. Finally, your personal shopper will explain our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, and help you place an order if you so desire.
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Brooklyn Furniture in Toronto, ON is an authorized dealer of Schnadig Products. With a proud heritage that can be traced back to 1880, Schnadig International Corp. has long stood for well designed, well made furniture. In 2009, they became a wholly owned subsidiary of Markor International Furniture Co., Ltd., a world class furniture manufacturing and retail store operation based in China, with 10 modern manufacturing plants and a state-of-the-art global distribution center. As a vertically integrated company, they are now able to offer a surprising mix of styling, special designer details, modern day comfort and exquisite craftsmanship normally only found in the most expensive furniture. For these reasons and more, Schnadig truly is In a Class of its Own.
So if you are looking for Schnadig products in Toronto, Richmond Hill, Markham, Newmarket, Mississauga, Oakville, Milton, Maple, Woodbridge, Burlington and Thornhill, or if you have any questions about Schnadig products, please feel free to call us at (416) 635-6111 or simply stop by Brooklyn Furniture at any time and we would be glad to help you.


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Rifaat Assad, President Bashar Al Assad's uncle has claimed that the Syrian people needed a strong, stable hand to end the crisis - suggesting he could be the man. The former Syrian vice president and military strongman who many say he has blood on his own hands, was speaking from his exile in Paris.
The 74-year-old told the AP: "We are going to bring him down. Even if it takes time and is difficult, I am going to work to topple the regime and give power to the people."
Rifaat, who also attempted and failed to take power from his brother in the mid-1980s, described his nephew as weak and ill-suited for power. He added that Bashar should return to his medical practice.
And he stated he said he had "heard many voices in Syria, the Arab world and even beyond that the crisis in Syria can only be resolved by Rifaat Al Assad". Rifaat said he would support international military intervention in Syria, insisting it should involve a combination of Arab League forces and UN peacekeepers. According to him, he would return to Syria to oversee a transitional government until elections could be organized - and then step down.
Rifaat claimed the Assad clan was the only one that could bring stability to the country: "The people want the Assad family," he said.


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Hi all,
I'm doing a bit of research for a radio show I do at CFRC (campus/community out here in Kingston, Ontario) and wanted to do a block on the dimly remembered New Music Search that CFNY did in the early '90s. I'm trying to find the facts on it -- entrants and winners -- and validate my vague memory that the award was locally famous in Toronto as the "Kiss of Death" award: a win there was a guarantee that you'd never make it as a band.
Can anyone recall or point me to facts about the contest? Track lists of the NMS CDs and the winners' names would be especially helpful. Thanks!
List of New Music Search winners / "Kiss of Death" facts
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In my opinion, what happens this evening as both the Sun and Moon set in the West is very symbolic. This has nothing to do with astrology or predictions or any nonsense that is involved with the 9/23 cult. Matter of fact, not many are talking about it if there are any at all. The irony of what's happening today is that this false sign falls on National Occult Day.
Just after 5pm Pacific time, as the Sun sets Saturn leaves the constellation lines of Ophiuchus. I have brought this up before and November 18th just so happens to be the day. With what had gone on this last year leading up to the 9/23 false sign, I believe we have been witnessing false signs in the Heavens. And today's event us no different.
In ancient mythology Saturn is represented as Satan, the lord of the rings. Saturn has been in Ophiuchus for almost 2 years except for a little stint at the beginning of the year where it entered Sagittarius. This was also rare in and of itself. Ophiuchus is called the serpent bearer or the restrainer. Read this about what is actually happening today. I believe we are seeing a symbolic view in the Heavens of what Scripture says.
Before I go on, I want to show you the scripture/picture that popped up on my Daily Bible for today (November 18th). How fitting right? Notice the Milky Way that is at Ophiuchus. Its almost the same image as what's happening today at sunset.
In 2nd Thessalonians 2 we see the restrainer being taken out of the way.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
I personally believe these verses parallel Revelation 20 where Satan is released from the abyss to decieve the nations. I believe this will prevent the spread of the Gospel of Jesus and shut out Truth, who is Jesus.
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Satan cannot indwell this man of sin like he did with Judas (who was the perfect type and shadow of the Sun of perdition and also went to perdition) not until that spiritual restraint is gone. I see this sign that happens at sunset the perfect symbology for what we read in scripture. Do I think something like this will happen instantaneously as Saturn leaves Ophiuchus? No I don't. I think its a sign of what's coming and it will be progressive as the days go by. And I think this AI agenda has everything to do with it.
Notice verse 7 that he is taken out of the way. I don't think its coincidence that these AI gurus have now come out and said they are forming their own AI church and AI god. Notice his church is called "Way of the Future". I will post this below but first look at Daniel 11.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. 38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. 39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
Now I believe that this phrase "in his estate he shall honour the god of forces" may be connected indirectly to this "birth" of the AI revolution. And these wandering stars of September 23rd along with Saturn are all connected to it. This is a lengthy read but well worth it in light if what's going on. Albert Barnes says this in his commentary on Daniel 11:38. (Emphasis is mine)
Albert Barnes Commentary on Daniel 11:38
"But in his estate – The rendering proposed by Lengerke is the true rendering, "But the god of forces (firm places, fastnesses – der Vesten) he shall honor in their foundation" (auf seinem Gestelle). The Vulgate renders this, "But the god Maozim shall he honor in his place." So also the Greek. The phrase "in his estate" – על־כנו 'al-kanô – means, properly, "upon his base," or foundation…Here it seems to mean that he would honor the god referred to in the place which he occupied, or, as it were, on his own throne, or in his own temple. The margin is, "or stead;" but the idea is not that he would honor this god instead of another, but that he would do it in his own place. If, however, as Gesenius and De Wette suppose, the sense is, "in his place, or stead," the correct interpretation is, that he would honor this "god of forces," in the stead of honoring the god of his fathers, or any other god. The general idea is clear, that he would show disrespect or contempt for all other gods, and pay his devotions to this god alone.
The God of forces – Margin, Mauzzim, or gods protectors; or, munitions. Hebrew, מעזים mâ'uzym; Latin Vulgate, Maozim; Greek, Μαωξεὶμ Maōxeim; Syriac, "the strong God;" Luther, Mausim; Lengerke, der Vesten – fastnesses, fortresses. The Hebrew word מעוז mâ'ôz means, properly, a strong or fortified place, a fortress; and Gesenius (Lexicon) supposes that the reference here is to "the god of fortresses, a deity of the Syrians obtruded upon the Jews, perhaps Mars." So also Grotius, C. B. Michaelis, Staudlin, Bertholdt, and Winer. Dereser, Havernick, and Lengerke explain it as referring to the Jupiter Capitolinus that Antiochus had learned to worship by his long residence in Rome, and whose worship he transferred to his own country. There has been no little speculation as to the meaning of this passage, and as to the god here referred to; but it would seem that the general idea is plain.
It is, that the only god which he would acknowledge would be force, or power, or dominion. He would set at nought the worship of the god of his fathers, and all the usual obligations and restraints of religion; he would discard and despise all the pleadings of humanity and kindness, as if they were the weaknesses of women, and he would depend solely on force. He would, as it were, adore only the "god of force," and carry his purposes, not by right, or by the claims of religion, but by arms. The meaning is not, I apprehend, that he would formally set up this "god of forces," and adore him, but that this would be, in fact, the only god that he would practically acknowledge. In selecting such a god as would properly represent his feelings he would choose such an one as would denote force or dominion. Such a god would be the god of war, or the Roman Jupiter, who, as being supreme, and ruling the world by his mere power, would be a fit representative of the prevailing purpose of the monarch.
The general sentiment is, that all obligations of religion, and justice, and compassion, would be disregarded, and he would carry his purposes by mere power, with the idea, perhaps, included, as seems to be implied in the remainder of the verse, that he would set up and adore such a foreign god as would be a suitable representation of this purpose. It is hardly necessary to say that this was eminently true of Antiochus Epiphanes; and it may be equally said to be true of all the great heroes and conquerors of the world. Mars, the god of war, was thus adored openly in ancient times, and the devotion of heroes and conquerors to that idol god, though less open and formal, has not been less real by the heroes and conquerors of modern times; and, as we say now of an avaricious or covetous man that he is a worshipper of mammon, though he in fact formally worships no god, and has no altar, so it might be affirmed of Antiochus, and may be of heroes and conquerors in general, that the only god that is honored is the god of war, of power, of force; and that setting at nought all the obligations of religion, and of worship of the true God, they pay their devotions to this god alone.
Next to mammon, the god that is most adored in this world is the "god of force" – this Mauzzim that Antiochus so faithfully served. In illustration of the fact that seems here to be implied, that he would introduce such a god as would be a fit representative of this purpose of his life, it may be remarked that, when in Rome, where Antiochus spent his early years, he had learned to worship the Jupiter of the Capitol, and that he endeavored to introduce the worship of that foreign god into Syria. Of this fact there can be no doubt. It was one of the characteristics of Antiochus that he imitated the manners and customs of the Romans to a ridiculous extent (Diod. Sic. Frag, xxvi. 65); and it was a fact that he sent rich gifts to Rome in honor of the Jupiter worshipped there (Livy, lxii. 6), and that he purposed to erect a magnificent temple in honor of Jupiter Capitolinus in Antioch – Livy, xli. 20.
This temple, however, was not completed. It will be remembered, also, that he caused an altar to Jupiter to be erected over the altar of burnt-sacrifice in Jerusalem.
And a god whom his fathers knew not – This foreign god, Jupiter, whom he had learned to worship at Rome.
Shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones … – That is, he shall lavish these things on building a temple for him, or on his image. This accords with the account which Livy gives (xli. 20) of the temple which he commenced at Antioch in honor of Jupiter."
Now as you can see, Antiochus worshipped this god of forces and he is another perfect type of this man of sin. Not only did he honour Jupiter exclusively but paid homage to Mars. I want you to also notice this all stemmed from Syria. I have talked about this Syrian Pentagram and how this and the Arch is bringing about this man if sin. This is there invocation and conjouring of this ancient spirit that has been restrained since Jesus gave Satan that head wound at the cross and resurrection.
Also think about all of the Mars talk in the last 6 month's. Everyone wants to go to Mars. There is a race to Mars which I believe is just code for war. Remember, order out of chaos. And this AI prophet claimed his AI religion and god would be established before they went to "Mars". Then I same across this. Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams.
In the second episode "Impossible Planet" that came out on September 24th, 2017 – Two bored space tourism guides, Norton and Andrews, are approached by a very elderly woman, Irma Louise Gordon, who offers them a large sum of money to take her on one last trip to Earth. As they are not sure the planet even exists anymore, having been evacuated centuries ago due to solar flares, they head for a similar planet, although Irma's robot servant is onto the subterfuge. Irma has a very specific dream about her grandparents swimming in a river in Carolina, and wants to re-enact this with Norton, who is identical to her grandfather."
Now Irma is a variation of Irene who was a goddess. Some believe this is just another form of Isis and Diana, which I believe it is. So we have this character Irma wanting to go to earth which isn't there anymore. And sure wants to go to the Carolinas, where the eclipse on August 21st exited the United States. Now the interesting thing in the episode is how they say everything has changed since earth was gone. Saturn has lost its rings, Mars turned pale-green of "phosphorus" and Venus gained a ring. 2 of the four wandering planets.
Lucifer is connected to phosphorous. So its not really strange that Mars the red planet has somehow been turned into the new Lucifer with its pale green color. There has been a big push in the last year for Mars exploration and its little green men. It seems Dick is pushing this same alchemical transformation with Mars.
"Origins of Light Bearing (Lucifer)
phosphorus (n.) "substance or organism that shines of itself," 1640s, from Latin phosphorus "light-bringing," also "the morning star" (a sense attested in English from 1620), from Greek Phosphoros "morning star," literally "torchbearer," from phos "light," contraction of phaos "light, daylight" (related to phainein "to show, to bring to light;" see phantasm) + phoros "bearer," from pherein "to carry" (see infer). "Phosphorus (Greek Φωσφόρος Phōsphoros) — a name meaning "Light-Bringer" — is the Morning Star, the planet Venus in its morning appearance. Φαοσφόρος (Phaosphoros) and Φαεσφόρος (Phaesphoros) are forms of the same name in some Greek dialects.
Another Greek name for the Morning Star is Heosphoros (Greek Ἑωσφόρος Heōsphoros) — meaning "Dawn-Bringer". The form Eosphorus is sometimes met in English, as if from Ἠωσφόρος (Ēōsphoros), which is not actually found in Greek literature, but would be the form that Ἑωσφόρος would have in some dialects. As an adjective, the Greek word φωσφόρος is applied in the sense of "light-bringing" to, for instance, the dawn, the god Dionysos, pine torches, the day; and in the sense of "torch-bearing" as an epithet of several god and goddesses, especially Hecate but also of Artemis/Diana and Hephaestus.
The Latin word lucifer, corresponding to Greek φωσφόρος (Phosphoros), was used as a name for the morning star and thus appeared in the Vulgate translation of the Hebrew word הֵילֵל (helel) (hALAL) — meaning Venus as the brilliant, bright or shining one — in Isaiah 14:12, where the Septuagint Greek version uses, not φωσφόρος, but ἑωσφόρος. As a translation of the same Hebrew word the King James Version gave "Lucifer", Modern translations of the same passage render the Hebrew word instead as "morning star", "daystar", "shining one" or "shining star", the SUN." (https://www.patreon.com/posts/lucifer-is-light-4778357)
Another interesting AI connection to Philip K. Dick is that Hanson robotics (those that made Sophia) also have a Dick robot. Everything is connected, literally.
Notice his book below. He's got a cross with a face over a robot. And he wants the sheep to be "electric". I don't think I need to spell it out.
Way of the Future
Now look at this religion of AI being formed in light of Daniel 11:38. Way of the Future AI Church. Welcome to the body of the hive mind. Their logo is a inverted triquetra with a circle. It's called three corners or triangular and represents the triple goddess divine feminine. Completely demonic. Here is what there prophet Anthony has to say.
"With the internet as its nervous system, the world's connected cell phones and sensors as its sense organs, and data centers as its brain, the 'whatever' will hear everything, see everything, and be everywhere at all times. The only rational word to describe that 'whatever', thinks Levandowski, is 'god'—and the only way to influence a deity is through prayer and worship.
"Part of it being smarter than us means it will decide how it evolves, but at least we can decide how we act around it," he says. "I would love for the machine to see us as its beloved elders that it respects and takes care of. We would want this intelligence to say, 'Humans should still have rights, even though I'm in charge.'" (https://www.wired.com/story/anthony-levandowski-artificial-intelligence-religion/)
Now back to this inverted triquetra logo. You can understand where this worship of AI is coming from. Its coming full circle with this worthless goddess worship.
"As most of us now know (particularly with the advent of movies such as the DaVinci code) the inverted triangle is an esoteric symbol of the divine feminine, or feminine power in general. The upside down trinity knot meaning would fall nicely in-line with this philosophy as the trinity is an aspect of the feminine energy (mother, maiden, crone).
Although not a trinity knot, we see an inverted triangle as a focal point in the center of the Muladhara, or root chakra. Here this emblem signifies the tap root of primal power, sexual power. At this one (inverted) point ignites the spark that surges heat up the rest of the chakra spine. Outlining inverted triangles are also seen in the solar plexus (Manipura), heart (Anahata), throat (Vishudha) and third eye (Ajna) chakras.
Again, although not technically a trinity knot, we can still turn the alchemists for symbolic meaning. In this sense, an inverted triangle represents the element of water. Esoterically speaking, water is symbolic of intuition, motion, emotion, psychic perception and transition among other meanings." (http://www.symbolic-meanings.com/2008/03/03/upside-down-trinity-knot-meaning/)
And this transition will happen before they go to "Mars" (or what I like to call WAR). "Quite how Levandowski's idea will play out is unclear, but he claims that the Transition will start sooner than expected, "before we go to Mars." Considering how Musk wants to start sending humans to Mars by 2024, it might not be that far away a date."
National Occult Day
Now lets go back to what day this actually falls on. November 18th which happens to fall on a Saturday. Ironocally it falls on right before the 19th as the Sun sets for a Jewish end of Sabbath day. Now I mentioned that this is National Occult Day that Saturn leaves the restrainer. Notice the picture below and do you see the "crystal ball"? Now remember the recent sale of the Antichrist painting of Jupiter Serapis/Isis holding a crystal hall? Nothing is coincidence.
Here is a little history of their holiday.
"When you start to notice the mystical, the mystical will start to notice you."
― Dacha Avelin
History is full of rich and mysterious religions, practices, and beliefs that shaped the world we live in, hinting at powers below the surface of the mundane world. Occult Day encourages us to delve into this mysterious world, to commune with spirits and seek the truths that hide behind the stars and between the shadows. If you've ever heard strange whispers or dreamt dreams that became prophetic, then Occult Day is your opportunity to listen a little closer, dream a little deeper, and reach for those mysteries that lie just beyond the reach of the common man.
History of Occult Day
Occult Day was established to encourage those who walk in the sun to take some time dancing in the shadows. Occult practices are not all dangerous paths and profane dealings with entities of dubious moral intent, instead they are a way to expand our consciousness and understand the part of ourselves that lives outside the material. Every culture has its mystery religions and occult practices, whether it's the complex workings of Ritual Magic or the exploration of G-d through the Kaballah in Judaism, there isn't a single culture that isn't touched by the Occult.
The word occult itself is based in the word occultus in Latin, a word which means "clandestine, hidden, secret" and which was extended into Occult to mean "Knowledge of the Hidden". The hidden that is referred to isn't merely that which lies beneath the stone or hidden in the dark, but those places within ourselves that call out in our wilder moments, asking us to truly embrace our spiritual selves and the secrets it has to impart on us. Occult Day is a chance to finally listen and move forward into your greater knowledge." (https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/occult-day/)
We also have another connection here with the series Stranger Things. They introduced the Shadow Monster or what is called the Mind Flayer this last season. It is considered the "brain" of the Bee hive and preys on humans like cattle. It looks similar to a octopus with its tentacles on its face. Notice the picture above is of the Mind Flayer or Shadow Monster that is advertising this occult holiday. Artificial Intelligence is demonic and it is nothing more than Satan posing the demonic as electronics. This is the one thing that will control those who aren't sealed with the Spirit of God. The "brain" will invade their brains.


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Emperor Claudius Restores Trophies from the German
Prints and Drawings
|Object type
|Medium, technique
|engraving on paper
238 x 185 mm
|Inventory number
|Prints and Drawings
|On view
|This artwork is not on display
In 1513-1514, Dürer made three "master engravings", similar in format, among them Melencolia I, whose enigmatic symbols and multifarious meanings have made it one of the most often discussed works in art history. The title refers to the theory of temperaments, which was of ancient origin but survived into the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and according to which each man belongs to one of four basic temperament types, those of sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic personalities. Each class represented the supposed dominance of one of four bodily humours: blood, choler or yellow gall, black gall and phlegm. In medieval representations, the melancholy humour was considered the least desirable, partly for the predominance of black gall, and partly for the detrimental influence of the planet Saturn. Following Aristotle, the Neoplatonists of Florence reinterpreted this temperament and emphasised its positive features. They thought such people of eminence as philosophers, poets and visual artists were essentially melancholic, and considered the temperament a dangerous but privileged trait of the artist. Dürer's engraving follows this idea in interpreting Melancholy as the distinguishing trait of the artist endowed with genius.
The winged female figure, sitting on a stone stair, resting her head on her left fist, her face gloomy, represents in part the disposition for musing and the inability to act. This trait relates to mediaeval representations of Melancholy: this temperament was associated with Sloth, one of the seven vices. The compasses in her right hand, the objects and tools lying around her are traditional attributes used in allegorical representations of Geometry, one of the seven liberal arts. The book, the inkpot and the compasses are the paraphernalia of pure geometry, and the tools denote applied geometry, while the truncated rhomboid stands for descriptive geometry. The objects hung on the wall of the edifice behind the woman – the scales, the hourglass and the bell – also refer to measurement, that of weight and time, respectively. The wall also bears a magic square, in which the sum of the numbers in all directions is 34. To ward off cold and dryness, qualities ofMelancholy and Saturn, the female figure wears a wreath of watercress and water ranunculus, plants of a marshy habitat. Astrology and the relationship to Saturn are referenced by the comet in the background, the rainbow and the body of water engulfing even the trees. The comet and the water relate to a prophecy that intrigued Dürer's contemporaries, according to which the conjunction of the planets would cause floods in February 1524. The bat, which in the mediaeval tradition represents Superbia and Doubt, and which now bears the inscription Melencolia I, flees from the comet and the light of the rainbow. In one interpretation, the animal represents the negative aspect of Melancholy, in contrast with the positive side, the winged female figure ofMelancholy II, which stands for genius. Florentine Neoplatonist philosopher Marsilio Ficino associated the melancholic temperament with intellectual creative power in his De Vita Triplici (Three Books on Life, 1489). Following Ficino, Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim differentiated between three types of melancholiacs in his De Occulta Philosophia, the first among them being artists governed by imagination. The number "I" in the title of the engraving may refer to this first group.
Text: © SZILVIA BODNÁR
This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.


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It took some of my guildies a little less than 24 hours, and a lot more of my friends aren't even anywhere close, but for me it took about eight days. Last night, a week after the release of World of Warcraft's newest expansion Warlords of Draenor, I hit the new level cap of 100.
I have to say, the experience just keeps piling on in this expac. My husband and I weren't pushing hard towards 100 by any means, mostly keeping to our regular gaming schedule and only playing a couple hours in the evenings, a bit more on the weekends.
Not to mention, I kept getting distracted from questing by about a million other things — treasure hunting, collecting and battling companion pets, archaeology…and most of all, I got constantly waylaid in my leveling by my Garrison. Every half hour or so I'd be hearthing back to my base to set up new missions, check in on progress and status of my buildings, start new work orders, etc. It's bloody ADDICTIVE.
It's actually a wonder I made it to the new cap in only about a week.
Obviously there's so much to do in WoD. Even though I've achieved level 100, I know I've only scratched the surface. I'm happy about a lot of the new content and while my overall impressions are positive, it's still probably too soon for me to do any in depth write-up. The expansion has been keeping me quite busy though, and that's good thing (though not for all the other stuff I have to do this month)!