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Our Best Smoked Recipes
Smoking meat and fish infuses must-have summer flavor like nothing else. Try these smoked recipes for dinner tonight.
Ginger Rosemary Smoked Pork Ribs
Ginger Rosemary Smoked Pork Ribs Recipe
These maple-glazed ribs with a subtle touch of ginger are a mainstay at Odys + Penelope restaurant in Los Angeles. At home, chef-owner Quinn Hatfield smokes them using either a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker or a Pit Barrel Cooker. For versions of the recipe to cook on regular grills instead of smokers, go to Ginger Rosemary Smoked Pork Ribs on a Gas Grill, and Ginger Rosemary Smoked Pork Ribs on a Charcoal Grill.
Smoked Salmon, Barbecue University-Style
Smoked Salmon, Barbecue University-Style Recipe
This whisky-scented smoked salmon combines the virtues of hot smoking and cedar planking. The dry brine in a sugar-salt mixture seasons the fish wonderfully. Cedar planks are available at grill stores and cookware shops. For gas grilling, place drained, soaked wood chips in a disposable aluminum pan directly on the burner of your grill.
Oven-Smoked Chuck-Eye with Horseradish Cream
Oven-Smoked Chuck-Eye with Horseradish Cream Recipe
The chuck-eye roast, aka the chuck-eye roll, is from the beef shoulder, facing the rib-eye roast. It has many layers of fat and sinew that need to be broken down slowly with heat. Tracy Smaciarz, a second-generation butcher who owns and runs Heritage Meats in Rochester, Washington, cold-smokes this cut, then grills it over indirect heat for hours. You can achieve a similar effect by braising the roast in a covered pan with wood chips and onions, allowing it to bathe in a steam bath of onion and smoke until it's juicy. Make sure your wood chips are fresh--they fade with age.
Smoked Mojo Leg Quarters
Smoked Mojo Leg Quarters Recipe
Use applewood chips to get the most out of this smoked dish.
Applewood-Smoked Chicken with Dijon Rub
Applewood-Smoked Chicken with Dijon Rub Recipe
Our savory smoked chicken is equally delicious served cold or at room temperature, so you can cook it well in advance of your get-together. If you have leftovers, shred the meat and stir into leftover Kamut salad--instant lunch.
Applewood-smoked Spareribs with Paprika Chili Spice Rub
Applewood-smoked Spareribs with Paprika Chili Spice Rub Recipe
Right before the end of cooking, chef Tyler Florence likes to sprinkle his ribs with more rub—"like Cheetos dust," he says.
Texas-Style Smoked Brisket
Texas-Style Smoked Brisket Recipe
Try barbecue Texas style, which is the beef brisket -- if there is any sauce, it is a thin, spicy pan sauce made from the meat drippings. Look for a flat-cut brisket, which will be a fairly even thickness, and leave the fat layer on for the best results.
Smoked Lemon-Chipotle Chickens
Smoked Lemon-Chipotle Chickens Recipe
On a chilly day, the chicken will take longer to cook–up to 45 minutes more. Don't skip the step of tying the chicken with string; the more compact the chicken, the better the smoking results will be, according to Kevin.
Santa Maria Smoked Tri-Tip
Santa Maria Smoked Tri-Tip Recipe
Flavorful tri-tip steak is a cut of beef also known as bottom sirloin or sirloin tip. Compared to other styles of barbecue, this recipe for smoked tri-tip comes together quickly, making it ideal for a weeknight dinner.
Fantastic Bourbon Smoked Chicken
Fantastic Bourbon Smoked Chicken Recipe
After Steven Raichlen sent us this recipe in 2011, we declared it the most beautiful and best-tasting chicken we'd ever had. To reinforce the whiskey flavor in the brine and basting butter, Steve says to use Jack Daniel's whiskey barrel chips for smoking--widely available in grill and gourmet shops. This smoked chicken recipe is so wonderfully moist and flavorful, it doesn't need added embellishment.
Smoked Potato Salad
This recipe will change everything you think you know about potato salad. In your grill, the potatoes cook in a covered aluminum pan next to another pan of mesquite wood chips. After they're smoked, the potatoes are topped with seasonings and herbs.
Video: Using Wood Chips for Smoking Food
Wood chips add a smoky flavor to the fire and your food. Let Jamie Purviance show you the way to use them.
Smoked Salmon
This recipe gives you a moist smoked salmon - not the drier type (lox) that you purchase to serve on bagels with cream cheese. Start soaking the wood chips while the salmon brines.
Smoked Pork Butt
Our Test Kitchen took cues from the pros to bring pit-barbecue flavor to the backyard.
Smoked Trout
For the most intense smoky flavor and deepest gold color, use a charcoal barbecue. To present smoked trout as an appetizer, serve on thin triangles of Westphalian-style pumpernickel bread with sour cream, chopped red onion, and lemon wedges. For a salad, combine chunks of smoked trout, hot or cold, with green salad mix and a vinaigrette dressing. As a main dish, serve trout hot with boiled small thin-skinned potatoes, melted butter, and lemon wedges. Chill smoked trout airtight up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month.
Smoked Paprika Pork Roast with Sticky Stout Barbecue Sauce
Smoked Paprika Pork Roast with Sticky Stout Barbecue Sauce Recipe
We "dry-brined" the pork before grilling it. This method calls for rubbing a mixture on the pork and chilling it. This allows for salt to pull seasonings into the meat and improve juiciness and flavor. It's unusual, but you do chill uncovered to keep the rub "dry." (Otherwise, the rub dilutes in trapped moisture.)
Smoked Chicken Cobb Salad with Avocado Dressing
Smoked Chicken Cobb Salad with Avocado Dressing Recipe
Full of high flavors, Smoked Chicken Cobb Salad with Avocado Dressing will become your new favorite salad. Be sure to check out our innovative method for indoor smoking on your cooktop!
Cajun-Spiced Smoked Shrimp with Rémoulade
Smoked Mullet
Disposable turkey roasting pans from the supermarket are great for brining the fish. If you can't find mullet in your area, try mackerel, bluefish, amberjack, or even salmon--lower the smoking time for fillets rather than split fish.
Smoked Strip Steaks
Strip steaks offer a lot of surface area relative to their total size, which allows them to absorb a maximum amount of smoke. Serve thin slices of the steak over rice pilaf.
Smoked Trout Salad with Apples and Pecans
Smoked Trout Salad with Apples and Pecans Recipe
Rainbow trout is a tender fish with pink flesh and a mild flavor. Substitute any other white fish, or even salmon. You can use other fruit in place of the apples, if you prefer; pears or berries would work nicely.
Smoked Pork Shoulder
Serve hickory smoke-infused pork shoulder at your outdoor festivities throughout the summer. Serve the shredded pork on buns for sandwiches or use it to top salads and baked potatoes.
Championship Pork Butt
Injecting a Boston butt with marinade, coating it with rub, and slow-cooking on the grill will give you the juiciest pulled pork butt you've ever tasted.
Sage and Thyme Smoked Turkey
Sage and Thyme Smoked Turkey Recipe
Brining and smoking turkey makes it juicy, moist, and fragrant, with a flavor that's infused with herbs and hints of applewood. This recipe uses a water smoker. A water smoker has a charcoal fire at the bottom topped with aromatic wood chunks, a pan of water, and racks for food.
Video: How to Smoke Mesquite Skirt Steak
Jamie Purviance shows how to smoke quick-cooking mesquite skirt steak to perfection over a charcoal grill.


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When I lived in Israel, I discovered the Sephardic cuisine. Growing up in Uruguay, I had occasional eaten over by some of my Sefaradi friends but never encountered most of the delicacies I found in the Holy Land. One of this discoveries was Shakshouka, therefore I felt compelled to scour the web in search of easy recipes for it.
What is Shakshouka, you ask? Wikipedia describes it as:
Shakshouka (Arabic: شكشوكة; Hebrew: שקשוקה) (also shakshuka, shaqshuqa) is a dish from Maghreb consisting of eggs cooked in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices (often including cumin, turmeric, and chillies), and usually served with white bread.
[..] Shakshouka is now a staple of Tunisian, Algerian, Egyptian, Moroccan, Somali, and Yemeni cuisines, and is also popular in Israel, where it was introduced by Tunisian Jews.
And here is the Wikibooks recipe for Shakshouka:
- 6 tablespoons of frying olive oil
- One tablespoon of sweet paprika
- 6 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- One large sweet red pepper diced
- One Chili pepper (red or green) diced
- 6 ripe tomatoes diced
- Ground fresh black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 6 eggs
- On a high flame, heat the oil for about half a minute.
- Add the paprika and blend well.
- Add the garlic and peppers, and turn to low flame. Cook for about ten minutes – until the peppers have slightly softened.
- Add the tomatoes and spice it with salt and pepper and then blend it.
- Bring it to a boil, taste it and if necessary – add spices to get the taste refined.
- Makes six dents in the mixture. Into each dent put an egg yolk, and spread the egg whites around.
- Continue to cook on low until the egg whites have coagulated.
- Serve the Shakshouka with black bread and fresh parsley.
From the Spanish language blog: Absolut Marruecos, we bring you this authentic Morrocan recipe:
shakshuka con huevos
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 grated onion
- 7 ounces water
- 36 ounces tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tablespoons rice
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 1 tablespoon green pepper, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 5 eggs
- Sauté onion in very hot oil until just golden.
- In a pot add the water, tomatoes, let it boil for 5 minutes.
- In a separate pot cook the rice.
- Add the parsley, salt, pepper and green pepper.
- Carefully break the eggs one at a time and drop on the tomato pot.
- Cook for about 40 minutes on medium flame.
When Mia Cooks, adds an interesting variation:
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp chopped bell pepper
- 4 to 5 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup veg broth
- 1/4 cup peas
- 1/4 cup corn
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- salt to taste
- coriander/cilantro leaves
- Vegetable oil
Actually, it'd be better if you boil the tomatoes and then peel and chop them. But I forgot….heck, ok, I was too lazy.
- In a pan, heat a tbsp of vegetable oil.
- Add the chopped onions and bell pepper and saute for a few minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and veg broth.
- Add the peas and corn as well. Season with salt and chilli powder.
- Simmer and allow to cook till the corn and peas are cooked and there's some liquid left.
- Break the eggs into the base.
- Break the yolks with a spoon, cover and simmer. If you like your eggs runny, remove it well under a minute. I don't, so i let it cook for 2 minutes till it firmed up. Add chopped cilantro and serve with bread.
Enjoy gentle reader, enjoy!

subset: commoncrawl


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NEW ORLEANS – For being a pair of relative unknowns in the UFC, Lance Benoist (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and T.J. Waldburger (14-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC) provided two of the most memorable performances at Saturday's UFC Fight Night 25 event.
And while newcomer Benoist netted $55,000 for his "Fight of the Night" win over Matt Riddle and Waldburger the same amount for a "Submission of the Night" stoppage of Mike Stumpf, each believes the added income is secondary to the most important thing: an octagon win.
"I'm real excited about the money, but having the win in the UFC and doing that is a lot more important," Waldburger told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
Both Waldburger's and Benoist's victories came on the Facebook-streamed preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 25, which took place at New Orleans' Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
Waldburger's win came over late replacement Stumpf, who stepped in on less than one-week's notice to replace Daniel Roberts. Waldburger, who was looking to recover from a March first-round loss to Johny Hendricks, admitted the late shuffling caused a few issues.
"We got the change Monday," Waldburger explained. "It is in the back of your head, 'Hey, I was supposed to fight this guy. Now it's this guy,' especially when it goes from southpaw to traditional stance. But a fighter is a fighter. He's going to go in there and play his game and impose his will. That's what I did. It didn't bother me too much.
"It is in the back of your head, but people get hurt. That's just what happens. I've pulled out of fights being hurt. A bunch of fighters have. You just go in there, and you do it."
Waldburger swarmed Stumpf from the opening bell and, after rattling through submission attempt,s finally settled on a triangle choke that forced a tap. The win kept his UFC roster spot secure, and Waldburger said the additional funds could not have come at a better time.
"Actually, it's great news to me," Waldburger said. "My wife is pregnant. She's due in November, so this will help out a lot with bills and taking care of the baby."
Meanwhile, Benoist's big check came in just his sixth fight as a professional. The 23-year-old said to win his octagon debut, a moment he's been planning since he was 16 years old, was a tremendous thrill, and the $55,000 bonus check – more money than he had made in his entire professional career combined before Saturday night – was a welcome and much-appreciated extra.
"It's hard to even put into words," Benoist said. "Everybody has put their time in and fought in these small shows and worked their way up. Obviously, this being my first chance to compete in the UFC, it's everything – not that I ever expected a bonus check on top of it.
"I'm just happy to be here and perform in the UFC, the biggest stage in the world with the best fighters. But I'm not going to lie; the check is nice. It's just icing on the cake. But like [Waldburger] said, the win's more important to me than anything."
Benoist, who kept Riddle off balance for two rounds and then survived a rough final frame and a badly damaged nose to hang for a decision victory, was booed by the gathered crowd despite his impressive effort.
Benoist insisted the disapproving noise didn't bother him.
"There's always a boo at the end of it," Benoist said. "Everybody is entitled to their opinion. The bottom line is the judges are good at what they do. They're professionals. That's what they do: They judge fights.
"I don't know if people were like, 'Oh, he's bleeding.' Whatever. Yeah, I was bleeding more than Riddle, but I don't think he won the fight."
Benoist and Waldburger certainly won't be retiring with an extra $55,000 in their pockets, but for a pair of preliminary-card fighters, you can be assured the funds are greatly appreciated. But neither appeared too comfortable basking in the joy of his financial windfall. After all, in the UFC, it's all about your next challenge.
"You've just got to scratch and claw your way up, working up the ladder," Waldburger said. "Now that I'm in the UFC, it's back at the bottom of the ladder. Here, it's the best of the best. I'm working my way up. That's what I'm doing now."
For more on UFC Fight Night 25, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.
(Pictured: Lance Benoist)


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More than 80 tanks, other military equipment to be auctioned in Northern California
More than 80 tanks amassed by a Stanford University-trained engineer are set to go up for sale in the San Francisco Bay Area in what is being billed as one of the largest auctions of military vehicles ever.
The auction on Friday and Saturday in Portola Valley will also include gun parts and miscellaneous military equipment, including a nearly 42 ton surface-to-surface missile, according to Auctions America, the company handling the auction.
The tanks and other vehicles — part of one of the nation's most extensive, historic, military vehicle collections — were among those amassed over decades by Silicon Valley engineer Jacques Littlefield, who kept them on his family estate up a winding, forested road above Silicon Valley. They span from World War I through the Gulf War, Hunter Chaney, a spokesman for The Collings Foundation, said.
Littlefield's family donated the tanks and other equipment to the foundation after Littlefield's death in 2009. The foundation hopes to raise $10 million from the auction to help build a military vehicle museum at its Stow, Massachusetts, headquarters, Chaney said.
"This collection is very rare and very expensive," he said.
Among the tanks up for auction is a World War II German Panzer IV tank, which is expected to fetch as much as $2.6 million, and an M4 "Jumbo Sherman" Assault Tank, which could go for as much as $1.6 million.
The foundation is holding on to the items with the greatest historical significance, including a World War I tank, Chaney said.
Potential bidders must register to take part in the auction. The collection has so far drawn interest from people from outside the U.S., including in Australia, France, and Germany, and in North America, Amy Christie, a spokeswoman for Auctions America, said.


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KANONIA HOSTEL and APARTMENTS - we are a small, family hostel located in one of the most charming parts of Warsaw - 30 meters from the old town square, 50 meters from the Royal Castle. From the Old Town you will find a fast and convenient public transport connections to other parts of our city.
HOSTEL KANONIA and APARTMENTS We are just between small, narrow Old Town streets and old, historical buildings. The Old Town atmosphere and our individual approach to our guests will make your stay feel like at home.
We have different rooms in our offer, from room for 1 up to 10 beds dorm. We opened six private apartments in the Old Town - 200m from the hostel - fully renovated and furnished
In the hostel you can eat your early (or late) breakfast, use the internet. Our smiling, professional staff will inform you with pleasure what's worth to be seen and where to have fun.
You can come back to the hostel at any hour of the day (however remembering of course that other guests might be resting)
If you worry about your luggage or any precious objects you can leave them in our luggage-room or safe.
In the old town area you will find many galleries and museums worth visiting. Variety of restaurants will tease you with different menus, prices and tastes. In the night you will have the chance to visit many bars and clubs nearby.
In total we have 10 rooms and 6 private apartments in the old town area. You can choose your accommodation from a different options. We offer dorm bed and private rooms with or without bathrooms, and also private apartments outside Hostel.
There is a kitchen in Hostel for guests use.
Apartments are located on Old Town - 200 m far from Hostel. There are in different buildings. All of them are studio Apartments with kitchen, bathroom, WiFi and cable TV.
You can also rent towel, hair-dryer, ironing.
If you worry about your luggage or any precious objects you can leave them in our luggage-room or safe.


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Undergraduate Advising Resources & Self-Help Center
Welcome to the Kent State University home page for undergraduate advising. Advising is a relationship that begins the first semester through graduation. Advisor and student work together to create an environment of personal and academic growth.
You can also schedule an appointment with an advisor, find help picking a major, or find information about student clubs and activities. Help is just a click away!


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4 Proven Methods for Best Tomato Success You Can Do Right Now
There's a few easy tips you can follow to help increase the health and productivity if your tomato plants, that you can do right now, in your garden.
1. Remove limbs approximately 6-8 inches from ground level up the plan and or any limbs that are reaching, or touching the soil. This will allow more air circulation to the plant. This primarily prevents soil from splashing up on the leaves. That can introduce a variety of diseases to your tomato plant. You will not hurt the plant by trimming the limbs, but do use proper cutting devices, avoid pinching the limbs off.
2. Early blight is the yellowing of the leaves starting at the bottom of the tomato plant and moving its way up. Early blight is in all soil, do not be alarmed if you have it on your tomato plants. To prevent this, or greatly reduce the chances of getting early blight, take one handful of Yellow whole grain corn meal and sprinkle it around the base of your plant. There is a beneficial fungi in Yellow whole grain corn meal called trichoderma. After applying corn meal you can water it in, but one application per season is all that is needed in most cases. If at the time of application, there is discolored leaves on the plant, remove them before applying the whole grain corn meal.
3. We don't recommend cutting suckers from your plant. Many gardeners encourage the removing of suckers which is additional growth between the stem and the branch in its joint (pictured below). Removing these does decrease the yield , but in some cases could increase the health of the plant. Leaving them on, these suckers will create additional growth to the plant which will in turn create more opportunities for tomatoes. Ultimately it is at the discretion of the gardener whether or not to remove them, but we see no need to.
4. Spray your tomatoes, organically of course. Ingredients; 2 tablespoons of liquid seaweed and 1 tablespoon of liquid molasses per 1 gallon (3.79 liters) of chlorine free water. You want to do this every 2 weeks through the growing season. The liquid seaweed increases the sugar levels in the tomato plant. The benefit is the plant will be more susceptible to colder weather as fall approaches, which may allow the tomato plants to withstand freezing temperature because the sugar levels in the stem are higher than they otherwise would be.


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If a guidebook tells you that something is "impossible to describe", it usually means the writer can't be bothered to describe it – with one exception. After pondering the views of the Grand Canyon for the first time, the most spectacular natural wonder on Earth, most visitors are stunned into silence. Committed travellers hike down to the canyon floor on foot or by mule, spending a night at Phantom Ranch, or hover above in a helicopter to get a better feeling for its dimensions. But it is still hard to grasp. The problem isn't lack of words. It's just that the canyon is so vast and so deep, that the vista stretches so far across your line of vision, up, down and across, giving the impression of hundreds of miles of space, that it's a bit like looking at one of those puzzles in reverse – the more you stare, the more it becomes harder to work out what it is or where you are. Distance becomes meaningless, depth blurs, and your sense of time and space withers away.
The facts are similarly mind-boggling: the Grand Canyon is around 277 miles long and one mile deep. The South Rim, where most of the tourists go, averages 7000 feet, while the North Rim is over 8000 feet high – its alpine landscape only adding to the sense of the surreal. On the canyon floor flows the Colorado River, its waters carving out the gorge over five to six million years and exposing rocks that are up to two billion years old through vividly coloured strata. It's this incredible chromatic element that stays with you almost as much as the canyon's size, with the various layers of reds, ochres and yellows seemingly painted over the strangely shaped tower formations and broken cliffs. Think of it this way: the Grand Canyon is like a mountain range upside down. The country around the top is basically flat and all the rugged, craggy elements are below you. The abruptness of the drop is bizarre and, for some, unnerving. But the Grand Canyon is like that: it picks you up and takes you out of your comfort zone, dropping you back just that little bit changed.
The South Rim is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the North Rim from mid-May to mid-October. See www.nps.gov/grca for more information.
For hundreds more ultimate travel experiences, get Rough Guides' Make The Most Of Your Time On Earth


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Update: The baby now has a name – Obama.
You remember those two white rhinos sent to Uganda from Disney's Animal Kingdom. Well now the first white rhino born in 27 years has come from one of those animals. Congratulations to Disney's Animal Program and the whole team for this success.
First-time mother Nande, a 10-year-old female white rhino born at Disney's Animal Kingdom, gave birth June 24 to a healthy male calf at the Ziwa Sanctuary in Uganda after a 16-month gestation period.
"We are thrilled to contribute to the sustainment of this critical species in Uganda," said Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., Vice President of Animal Programs and Environmental Initiatives with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "We are joining with the Government of Uganda and Rhino Fund Uganda in celebrating this milestone birth, which represents a significant accomplishment for wildlife conservation."
Nande is one of two white rhinos transferred in 2006 as part of the first-ever reintroduction of white rhinos from the United States to Africa. She was joined by Hasani, also born at Disney's Animal Kingdom, to help re-establish a white rhino population that has been extinct in Uganda since 1982 as a casualty of civil unrest in the region. There are an estimated 11,000 white rhinos remaining worldwide, with 190 in North American zoos.
Walt Disney World's commitment to conservation and rhinos goes beyond this first-ever rhino transfer. The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has supported more than $250,000 in rhino protection and research projects in partnership with non-profit organizations throughout the world. For more information on the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund visit www.disney.com/conservation


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Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday presented his eighth annual budget in Parliament, the second highest by anyone in the country after a record ten by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai.
Overall, it was 82nd Union Budget in the Indian history, including interim and special-situation budgetary proposals, since the first one of independent India was presented by then Finance Minister R K Shanmukham Chetty on November 26, 1947.
Individually, Mr. Chidambaram presented the Union Budget for the eighth time, the second-highest by any Finance Minister.
The maximum number of 10 budgets have been presented by Morarji Desai, while Pranab Mukherjee (currently President of the country), Yashwant Sinha, Y B Chavan and C D Deshmukh have presented seven budgets each in the past.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the country's fourth Finance Minister T T Krishnamachari have presented six budgets each during their tenures in the Finance Ministry.
Among others, R Venkatraman and H M Patel have presented three budgets each, while Jaswant Singh, V P Singh, C Subramaniam, John Mathai and R K Shanmukham Chetty have two budgets each to their credits.
Besides, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Charan Singh, N D Tiwari, Madhu Dandwate, S B Chavan and Sachindra Chaurdhuri have presented one budget each.
Nehru, Indira and Rajiv Gandhi had presented budget in their capacity as Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.
Charan Singh (once) and Morarji Desai (on four occasions) presented budget as Deputy PM and Minister of Finance.
So far, the country has seen 66 normal annual budgets; while there have been 12 interim budgets and four special- occasion budgetary proposals, also known as mini budgets.
The first such mini-budget was presented by T T Krishnamachari on November 30, 1956 in form of fresh taxation proposals through Finance Bills, demanded by the prevailing domestic and international economic situation.
The step was also required to tackle issues like rising inflation and dwindling forex reserves at that time.
The second mid-year budget taxation proposals were also presented by Krishnamachari in August 1965, while the third mini-budget was presented by Y B Chavan in December 1971 wherein he proposed additional measures for mobilisation of resources for defence requirements.
The last mini-budget proposals in Parliament was also made by Chavan in July 1974, wherein he made fresh taxation proposals to tackle inflation-related issues after only five months of the regular annual budget.


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Gardner, John William
Gardner, John William, 1912–2002, American public official, U.S. secretary of health, education, and welfare (1965–68), b. Los Angeles. After teaching psychology at Connecticut and Mt. Holyoke colleges and serving as an intelligence officer with the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II, he joined the Carnegie Corp. of New York in 1946, becoming its vice president in 1949 and its president in 1955. Also in 1955 he became president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. A Republican, he was named by President Lyndon B. Johnson to succeed Anthony J. Celebrezze as secretary of health, education, and welfare in July, 1965, but resigned in Mar., 1968, becoming head of the National Urban Coalition. In 1970 Gardner founded Common Cause, a nonpartisan citizens' lobby; he served as its chairman from 1970 to 1977. Gardner was a professor of public service at Stanford Univ. from 1989 to 1996. He is the author of Excellence: Can We Be Equal and Excellent Too? (1961), Self-Renewal: The Individual and the Innovative Society (1964), and No Easy Victories (1968).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies


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The Estée Lauder Companies Establishes a Tribal Scholars Program with Inaugural Gift
March 29, 2011
The American Indian College Fund is proud to announce the establishment of The Estée Lauder Tribal Scholars Program with an inaugural gift of $11,000 for the 2011-12 academic year. This new program will provide ten $1,000 scholarships to American Indian students studying marketing, business, environmental science or a related field at the tribal colleges in Minnesota. The additional $1,000 will be utilized by the Fund to administer the program.
William P. Lauder, Executive Chairman of The Estée Lauder Companies, stated "The Estée Lauder Companies is proud to support the American Indian College Fund by establishing The Estée Lauder Tribal Scholars Program to aid in the pursuit of higher education. As a company, we are committed to giving back to the communities we partner with around the world. Improving education leads to empowerment, economic independence and improved livelihoods, and we look forward to learning more about our scholarship honorees."
"Our new partnership with The Estée Lauder Companies is very exciting," said Richard B. Williams, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund. "We are grateful for the opportunity to work with a company that recognizes the importance and power of obtaining a college degree."
About The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The Company's products are sold in over 150 countries and territories under the following brand names: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series, Origins, M•A•C, Bobbi Brown, Tommy Hilfiger, Kiton, La Mer, Donna Karan, Aveda, Jo Malone, Bumble and bumble, Darphin, Michael Kors, American Beauty, Flirt!, GoodSkin Labs, Grassroots Research Labs, Sean John, Missoni, Daisy Fuentes, Tom Ford, Coach, Ojon and Smashbox.


text: Back For Kids, Games Can Build Strong Minds Here's a new reason to zap video games: Those electronic playthings keep kids from games that stimulate their minds in important ways. Citing the latest research on the brain, experts say chess, Scrabble®, Monopoly®—even jigsaw puzzles or tic-tac-toe—do more to help children build analytical, organizational, and creative skills. As adults, your kids will need those abilities, which may keep their minds sharp as they reach old age. Start early Play time is essential for healthy brain development. This is how children develop imagination, and build cognitive, physical and emotional maturity, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Play time is also essential for physical development. Unstructured play is one way to encourage children to be more physically active. Physical activity helps your child develop dexterity, balance, and agility. Learning benefits These mental game-playing "workouts" serve as warm-ups for more serious learning. Children learn how to pay attention to adults and feel comfortable with other children. Time spent pretending to be an adult can help a child develop problem-solving skills and socially acceptable behaviors. The AAP encourages parents to limit video and television viewing by school-age children to an hour or two a day. For infants and toddlers, parents should turn off the TV. Provide stimulation Create a safe place in your home that will stimulate your child's sense of play. Gather age-appropriate items together that promote play. Here are some ideas: For little ones, provide containers to dump and fill, or blocks to handle and stack, and toys that make noise, like pots and pans or large plastic spoons Give toddlers trucks and plastic animals, or walker wagons and pull toys for when they start moving around Older kids will probably enjoy playing "dress up" in your old clothes, drawing pictures, and having pretend conversations on your old cell phone


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Speeding up the transition to clean, renewable energy is one of the best ways to curb the dangerous carbon pollution that causes climate change.
NRDC works to dramatically scale up renewable power around the world. We help states and nations pass clean energy standards and implement other policies that expand the market for wind and solar power, and we help utilities effectively bring renewable power onto the electric grid. To ensure that new renewable projects don't harm sensitive ecosystems, we help energy companies and government agencies steer clear of important landscapes and wildlife. And we work to minimize the environmental harm and security risks that come with using nuclear energy to supply emissions-free power.
What We're Doing
Wind turbines and solar panels are cropping up in fields and atop buildings nationwide. But we're just getting started.
We ensure wind and solar projects won't harm ecosystems by identifying potential conflicts from the beginning.
We are pushing for smart policy changes so that we can create a cleaner, more efficient national electrical grid.
We work with Chilean partners and international experts to help promote clean energy development and energy-efficiency policies.
We are developing innovative finance tools to expand clean energy markets that improve cities, safeguard the environment, and boost jobs.
NRDC is working to end the burning of fossil fuels—like methane gas and propane—inside homes and buildings in order to ensure affordable, healthy, and climate-friendly housing and spaces for all.
Related Priorities
What You Can Do
How to go solar at home
Harnessing power generated by the sun reduces your reliance on fossil fuels, but it can come with a price tag. How to decide if it's worth it to you.


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Commenter 'riskviews' recently suggested:
I would guess that Grid-Group Theory would predict that it would not itself be widely accepted.
In fact, I belive that if it WERE widely accepted, then that would prove it false.
There are a few possible responses to this interesting proposition.
First, riskviews could be right. Cultural theory has been explored in many different academic fields, but not widely accepted in the way some other social science concepts have been. In particular it does seem to suggest a perspective that requires self-critique. This may be difficult.
Second, it may be that one way of achieving this is to somehow rise above the four cultures as described by Cultural Theory and see them as partially complete perspectives. Michael Thompson proposes that there may be a fifth cultural worldview- that of the autonomous 'hermit' – which does not enter into the coercive ways of organising and disorganising that the other four take for granted. So far from being widely accepted, Cultural Theory may be only narrowly accepted by a small section of society, which recognises 'what's really going on' and then chooses to reject cultural bias. (For the record, I don't find this line of thought very helpful).
Third, it may be argued that the four cultural biases only pause to reflect on their own partial nature when their proposed solutions to complex problems fail to have the desired effect. This kind of failure can be seen as a catalyst for better solutions which take account of something like Cultural Theory. This is the approach of Marco Verweij's latest book, Clumsy Solutions for a Wicked World. The subtitle is optimistic about the possibility of accepting CT's analysis and using it in policy formulation: 'How to improve global governance'. Most writers on Cultural Theory seem to take the position that a wider understanding of its analysis might lead to better social outcomes. So, far from predicting its own rejection, Cultural Theory tends to argue for its own increasing adoption as a solution to a variety of problems.
Fourth, and this is my position, Cultural Theory, like many social science theories, can be seen not so much as a set of propositions to be believed, accepted, or verified, but more as a set of tools for thinking with. It's quite possible to use it without accepting it. The matter then to be verified is not the theory itself but the further insights it gives rise to.
I hope I understand what is meant by the suggestion that if CT were widely accepted, that would prove it false. My take on this is that the theory claims there are four mutually incompatible ways of organising around truth claims. To accept this, would be (perhaps) to recognise the incompleteness of one's own cultural worldview, and therefore to step outside it in a way that would call into question whether it really existed in the first place. Actually, I don't agree with this. I think self-reflection is possible to an extent, both for individuals and for organisations. This is helped by that fact that however biased ourselves and our institutions may be, they still rub up against the world as world, not as pure fantasy. As Richard Ellis says, a cultural worldview is 'a prism that biases the way one experiences the world, not a prison that shuts one completely off from that world' (quoted in Verweij 2011:205).
So what do you think? Does cultural theory predict its own rejection?


text: Prescription Tadalafil Drug InformationThe maximum recommended dosing frequency is once per day. Tadacip may be taken between 30 minutes and 36 hours prior to anticipated sexual activity. Patients may initiate sexual activity at varying time points relative to dosing in order to determine their own optimal window of responsiveness. The most commonly reported side effects when taking Tadacip 20 include: headache, dizziness or light-headedness, flushing, nasal congestion, dyspepsia (heartburn), nausea. Less common side effects include, visual disturbance, increased tear formation causing watery eyes, changes in blood pressure (hypo and hypertension), sleepiness, dyspnoea (shortness of breath), pain (in the back joints, abdomen). You should not use Tadacip 20 if you: are allergic to tadalafil or any ingredient in Tadacip 20 are taking any nitrate medication, such as nitroglycerin for angina, as it may lead to a severe drop in blood pressure have liver or kidney disease have a condition where sexual intercourse inadvisable due to cardiovascular or heart problems or you have had a heart attack or stroke in the last 6 months have abnormally high or low blood pressure have an eye disease like non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION), which causes loss of vision, or if you have retinitis pigmentosa drink large amounts of alcohol or grapefruit juice are taking medication that may interact with Tadacip 20 or may increase your risk for side-effects, antibiotics like erythromycin and rifampicin, drugs for high blood pressure, ritonavir or saquinavir (for HIV), antifungals like itraconazole or ketaconazole, non-selective alpha-blockers like doxazosin for high blood pressure, tamsulosin and prazosin for enlarged prostate, antacids , nitrates such as glyceryl trinitrate for angina and other heart conditions Several medications interact with Tadacip 20 and should either not be taken while you are taking Tadacip 20 or only after discussion and instruction from your doctor: Drugs that cause a serious reaction with Tadacip 20: any nitrate medication, such as nitroglycerin for angina Drugs that affect Tadacip 20: antibiotics like erythromycin and rifampicin, antifungals like itraconazole or ketaconazole, antacids, ritonavir or saquinavir for HIV Drugs that are affected by Tadacip 20: non-selective alpha-blockers like doxazosin for high blood pressure, tamsulosin and prazosin for enlarged prostate, nitrates such as glyceryl trinitrate for angina and other heart conditions, drugs for high blood pressure (may need dose adjustment)


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5 Prospecting Methods That
It's no surprise that prospecting is the No. 1 challenge advisors face, year after year. When, as part of National Underwriter's recent Independent Producer Study, we asked about the most challenging aspects of selling insurance products, 55 percent of respondents named prospecting as their top trial. It was a landslide winner, in fact, beating such formidable obstacles as clients' lack of understanding around the need for insurance (34%), negative opinions of insurance products (25%) and product affordability (22%).
As you look to overcome this challenge in the year ahead, keep these five techniques in mind. While there's no silver bullet to make prospecting a breeze, these are the methods your peers know from experience to really work.
A steady stream of qualified referrals is the lifeblood of any agency. Eighty-two percent of survey respondents cited referrals as the most effective way to prospect for new business, and for good reason: No other method will provide greater bang for your buck, so to speak. Having a solid referral-generating process in place will ensure not only that you are constantly introduced to new prospects, but that you are constantly introduced to the right prospects — the ones that meet your Ideal Client profile.
Referral expert Bill Cates suggests growing your referral network by being careful to keep referral sources informed about how you are following up on their help. This communicates that you value their insight and advice. Says Cates: "When someone gives you a referral, there are three things you MUST do to keep the referrals coming from that source: a) Follow up on every referral you get as soon as possible; b) Let your source know that you are following up on their help; c) Thank your referral source with a handwritten note and a small gift."
At 34 percent, community involvement was named the second most effective prospecting technique. It's Branding 101: The more people who associate your name with a positive message, the more clients you will have. Jim Brogan, president and founder of Brogan Financial in Knoxville, Tenn., makes community involvement a cornerstone of his practice, and has seen a boom in business as a result – not to mention a greater satisfaction and sense of fulfillment in the work he does each day. He encourages financial advisors to ask these questions as they consider how to get involved in their community: How many people in your community know who you are and what you do? If they hear the name of your business, what is the brand they associate with it? Is your brand different than any other financial advisor in town? Do you have a unique message and marketing initiative that helps you stand out from the crowded field of financial advisory firms?
Leading a seminar serves two important purposes: First, it establishes you as a thought leader in your area of specialty; second, it puts you in front of a group of prospects that have already expressed interest in your product line. Twenty percent of our survey respondents cited this as an effective prospecting technique – and while it may be tried-and-true, there are plenty of ways to tailor your seminar approach for today's buyers. Industry coach Kerry Johnson suggests shunning the somewhat dated dinner seminar and instead holding a Social Security seminar designed purely to educate prospects. The overhead will be lower and, in many cases, the conversion of prospects to clients will be higher. Johnson notes: "Since you have taken away the motivation to get a free meal, the attendees are left with solving retirement problems. This is your retirement planning sweet spot."
It may sound old-school, but cold calling can still work according to 15 percent of our advisors. In fact, picking up the phone beat out sexier methods such as social media (7%) and advertising on the radio or television (5%). Coach Kelley Robertson acknowledges that cold calling is tough, but asserts emphatically that it is not dead. To see results, you must put in the time you would with any other prospecting technique — and, of course, have thick skin. Robertson's advice to agents: "You need to make a lot of dials. You need to target the right companies. You need a compelling opening. And you need to speak to the right people."
Just under 15 percent of respondents cited direct mail as an effective prospecting technique — and J. Ryan Parker, general manager of Element Financial Group thinks the number of agents that prospect this way may actually be much higher, while also noting that it should not be a stand-alone prospecting method. Says Parker: "I think a lot of prospecting still revolves around direct mail — more so than people realize [because] seminars are powered by direct mail. This is obviously not the most cost-effective way of marketing yourself; you can probably spend a lot less money doing this on the Internet. But the clients producers are looking to reach, the seniors and the boomers, just aren't as prone to go to Google and look something up. This is why more of your successful planners are still using direct mail. That said, online needs to be part of every producer's prospecting strategy because it streamlines the business process. If I get a lead from the Internet, it automatically enters into my CRM, and we can follow-up from there. Internet is absolutely critical for today's producers."
Source - http://www.thinkadvisor.com/2013/11/06/5-prospecting-methods-that-really-work?page_all=1
|Additional Updates:


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Giving this delicate ring to a very special person and tell how delicately it is made. I am sure they will love it :)
*Gemstone : Lab Created Opal,Blue Opal
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***Metal : 925 Sterling Silver Band
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text: I've spent the last few days trying to apologize to people I hurt. I've been doing it via email and I've given out my phone number a lot. I realize I was wrong and I'm genuinely sorry. I also realize I can't possibly apologize on the phone to each and every person I hurt. I'm going to keep trying, but I've also decided to personally make a donation to the Trevor Project of $20,000.00. I also plan to keep interacting with people on a personal level and I understand that will be an ongoing process. In the meantime I'm hoping this donation will do some real good for a group that desperately needs it.


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Lake Forest, Ill.; Beverly Hills, Calif.; Wellesley, Mass. What do these towns have in common? They're all affluent big-city suburbs with very little serious crime—islands of prosperous serenity in a dicey world. It would be hard to think of places in the United States that have a less urgent need to field more police officers. Yet one more thing these municipalities share is that in recent years, the federal government gave each of them money to do exactly that.
The funds come from what may have been Bill Clinton's most ballyhooed domestic program: Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, which he inaugurated in 1994 with a promise that, through federal grants for hiring recruits and buying equipment, it would put 100,000 new police on the streets. As crime rates declined during his time in office, he frequently claimed credit for COPS. In political terms, it was pure gold. By pushing the then old-fashioned conservative idea of cracking down on bad guys with armies of men in blue, Clinton did a huge amount to steal the law-and-order issue from Republicans. At the same time, he appealed to liberals with lots of syrupy rhetoric about "community policing," which emphasizes promoting good relations between cops and poor urban minorities—two groups that traditionally view each other with suspicion.
After Sept. 11, COPS has an air of fighting the last war. Random street crime looks a lot less worrisome when it's set against the menace of Islamic terrorism. And the program surely could be seen as draining resources away from the new and more ominous threat. Heritage Foundation analyst David Muhlhausen notes that since 1996, the federal government has spent nearly nine times more on this venture than on all FBI counterterrorism efforts. But none of the rethinking that occcurred in recent weeks has had any discernible effect on the future of COPS. The Bush administration's budget proposed only a minor trim in its budget for 2002, and both houses of Congress insisted on exceeding the request to authorize more than $1 billion a year.
Such generosity might be justified if the program had lived up to its advertising. But it hasn't. Even the most basic promise—that it would add 100,000 cops to the streets by the end of 2000—wasn't kept. A study published last year by the National Institute of Justice figured that COPS will result in a net increase of between 69,000 and 84,600 police officers, a shortfall of 15 percent to 31 percent.
About one-third of the officers in the count, it should be noted, are not new cops but existing ones—who are theoretically freed from paper-pushing desk jobs to chase crooks, thanks to grants to buy computers and other new equipment. The reality doesn't always match the theory. A 1999 audit by the Justice Department's Inspector General reported "a high degree of difficulty in establishing that funds under the Making Office Redeployment Effective (MORE) program actually results in additional officers on the street. Specifically, 78 percent of the 67 grantees we audited with MORE grants could not demonstrate they had or would redeploy officers from administrative duties to the streets." The IG also found evidence that many police departments have no plans to retain new hires once their federal funding runs out. Barring an endless flow of money from Washington, then, the number of cops may fall.
Even the modest numbers estimated by the NIJ researchers overstate the real effect of this effort. Absent COPS, you would not have expected a zero increase in police number in the 1990s. Police numbers have been rising for decades, and it's safe to assume they would have continued rising at more or less the same rate even without a new federal program. Heritage analyst Muhlhausen calculates that by 1998, the increase over what would have been expected otherwise amounted to less than 40,000 cops. The chief difference is that the new hires were paid for mostly with federal dollars rather than local or state funds.
Many of the new police showed up in places where they were guaranteed to contribute little to improving public safety—simply because the public there was already about as safe as human beings can possibly be. Much of the federal money, true, went to big cities that have more than their share of crime, but a lot of it was channeled to sleepy rural counties and placid suburbs where the only violence is on television. That makes the program politically unassailable by letting every member of Congress claim credit for bringing home the bacon: Since 1994, COPS has doled out cash to more than 12,000 different law enforcement agencies. It has also been a creature of congressional micromanagement. This year's appropriation bill is long list of small, specific goodies—such as $125,000 for the Green Bay, Wis., police's GangNet program; $37,000 to the Napoleon, Ohio, police department for "technology upgrades"; and $1.2 million so the Montana Supreme Court can acquire teleconferencing gear. No need is so small or so peripheral that it can be left to local financing. But the idea of targeting money where it can do the most good has no place. NIJ found that on a per-crime basis, big cities get only two-thirds as much money as the rest of the country.
The only consolation for urban residents is that it's not clear that having more cops would actually reduce their chance of being robbed or murdered. Clinton and other supporters of the program say it deserves much of the credit for the sharp drop in crime in recent years. It may seem like a validation of COPS that the rate of violent crime peaked in 1994, the year it was enacted. But the homicide rate began falling in 1991, and property crimes have been have been coming down since the mid-'70s. Drug arrests, on the other hand, rose in the last decade. Whether COPS had anything to do with these trends is anyone's guess. A 1999 investigation by the Chicago Tribune that looked at the nation's 50 largest police departments found "no correlation between the growth in the number of officers and crimes rates since 1993." The NIJ researchers would go no further than to say, "We cannot rule out the possibility that the program accounts for part of the drop in national crime statistics."
The lack of any evident connection may be explained in any number of ways. It may be that the number of police added under COPs was too small to make a difference. It may be that the new hires were too widely distributed. Or it may just be that there is no necessary relationship between the number of cops and the number of robbers, which is the view of many experts.
Community policing was supposed to make police more effective by lending them the ever-present eyes and ears of ordinary people. And it may have. But the concept is vague enough that all sorts of activities can be portrayed as advancing it, whether or not they really constitute a change in the way police operate. Certainly more departments claim to be practicing community policing today than a decade ago. But how much that means is open to debate—as is COPS' role in the change. The NIJ study found only "weak evidence" that the program fostered community policing. In Illinios, the federal funds paid for Department of Natural Resources officers whose duties include teaching children how to fish and putting up deer crossing signs along highways. Many departments that have gotten large amounts of money from COPS, such as New York and Chicago, have been plagued with persistent complaints of excessive force against suspects—the opposite of what community policing promises.
Given the fear of street crime that gripped the nation a decade ago in the wake of the crack epidemic of the '80s, dumping a lot of money and police on the problem may have been a defensible response. Today, with terrorism the dominant anxiety and the promise of COPS still unproven, it's a luxury we can no longer afford.


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Memorial Day - Remember The Fallen And Those Who Remain
First, let me say that I come from a long, long line of warriors. My father and brother are Air Force vets, my adopted father was a Soldier, as was his only biological son and one of his daughters. My mother's father was a soldier as well, and many of my uncles were soldiers. These are the guys and gals that keep us safe. No matter how you feel about the current fucked up state of the world, remember that these folks are doing it for the same reason a guy wants to become a firefighter and the same reason that a guy wants to go to seminary and become a priest: It's a calling. Respect and admire the commitment to their country and its inhabitants, and know that while you may or may not like the commander-in-chief, the congress that sends the soldiers off, remember that the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and guardsmen of our nation's fighting forces are out there in the mud and sand trying to keep some semblance of peace throughout the world so that your kids can sleep well at night without the spectre of air-raid sirens or the fear of being blown up at a shopping mall.
Today, let's remember those who sacrificed their lives for our country, going back to the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, the World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and current wars, police actions, and conflicts. Take a moment to remember that while the person who was killed in action is now resting in peace, their families, children, mothers, and fathers miss them terribly and are the true casualties after the flag has been folded. If you know a military family who has lost a love one, maybe say a prayer for them, give them a call and tell them you love them, or just think about what you can do to help them out in the future.
Black Dog Painting Studio- Incredibly Good And Incredibly Inexpensive Miniatures Painting
I was recently introduced to a guy on the web, Euen, who not only has a cool name, not only is a proud Scot, but is one hell of a good guy and a very talented painter. He posted some services on the web, and I jumped all over it because the price he quoted was ridiculously low. His site is http://blackdogpainting.blogspot.com/, where you can check out his work and see for yourself whether or not it's worth it to you or not.
He painted 16 miniatures, all Fantasy Flight, from Runebound and Fury of Dracula. They are superbly painted and he only took a week to do it. I asked him to basecoat and detail them, but not clearcoat or dip them because I wanted to see them in person before "sealing in the goodness", so to speak. Here's some imagery of my figures that I snatched from his website:
So, head over to his site, check out his stuff, and do some business with him! He's saving the money for college, I'm sure, not using it for drugs and hookers. He's a good dude, and I am positive you'll love his work.
Gamewright Flips for Knightweaver's Patchwork Game
Inks exclusive world-wide publishing deal
Newton, MA 5/27/2010 – Gamewright recently signed an exclusive agreement for the world-wide publishing rights for Knightweaver Games' popular independent card game, Patchwork. While the game play will remain the same, Gamewright will change the title to FlipSide and launch it in late 2010 / early 2011.
"We're excited to bring this fantastic family game into the Gamewright family", says Jason Schneider, marketing and product development manager for Gamewright. "It's a title with the rare combination of a uniquely challenging game play that appeals across the ages. I look forward to building upon its success and introducing it to a wider audience."
FlipSide is a light family strategy game of pattern matching and never-ending surprises. In the game, players draw cards and rearrange them to get four, five, or six of the same pattern in a row. However, each card has patterns on both sides, and anyone can take, and use, any card they can see. The game has won a variety of distinguished awards from such organizations as The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Dr. Toy, and Creative Child Magazine, and has been gaining strong sales momentum in specialty toy and game stores throughout the United States.
"I'm honored and thrilled that Gamewright has added my game to their catalog of great games," says inventor, Daniel Weaver. "Gamewright has a sterling reputation as a producer of high-quality, fun, family-oriented games, which makes them an ideal licensing partner. I look forward to seeing FlipSide grow and flourish in their capable hands over the coming months and years, and working with them to ensure that all the current Patchwork customers and retailers are well supported through this transition."
About Knightweaver Games
Knightweaver Games, LLC is dedicated to designing and publishing "gateway games": games that are fun and readily accessible for traditional board game players but novel and interesting enough to encourage them to explore the wider world of wonderful games. Dr. Daniel Weaver, the founder and owner, draws upon a lifetime of gaming experience and a decade of exploring game theory and design in introducing the company's first commercially available games: Patchwork™ and PatchWord™. Knightweaver Games, LLC was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Boulder, CO. The company's products are available online at www.knightweavergames.com and at independent toy and game retailers throughout the U.S.
About Gamewright
Gamewright, a leading manufacturer of family games, is best known for such household hits as Slamwich®, Rat-a-Tat Cat®, In a Pickle™, and the Scrambled States of America™ Game. Gamewright prides itself on making games that foster laughter, learning, friendship and fun. Kids, parents, grandparents, and educators all agree that Gamewright makes some of the best games on the planet. For more information, please visit www.gamewright.com.
The Final Word
I just returned from 3 days in Mexico, hence the reason for the lack of a new article. Internet was OK down there, but I was so busy at work that I didn't have a spare moment to format and publish a new article. This coming week will have A Touch Of Evil, Last Night On Earth, and Ghost Stories reviewed along with a couple of stories and photos from Tijuana and Puerto Nuevo, Mexico. Good stuff, so stay tuned!


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"The New York Times"- Where Hope Goes to Die
Yesterday, Lisa Belkin, a freelance NYT writer gave her column space to a very angry and defeated sounding autism Mom, Lisa Kupferberg Carter.
Ms. Carter is not furious with the dismal state of autism research, the foot dragging at the NIH to invest in treatment research, the scarcity of schools or the lack of insurance re-imbursement for basic therapies.
No, Ms. Carter aims a decade of anger at Jenny McCarthy. Jenny McCarthy?
Bizarre, I know. Did Jenny give her son autism? Did Jenny stop Ms. Carter from obtaining a diagnosis, therapy or an education? Did Jenny tell Ms. Carter to give up all hope? No. Then why this crazy rage at another autism Mom who as blameless as the rest of us?
What Jenny IS guilty of is listening to thousands of parents across the country and taking their concerns seriously. Jenny is guilty of shining a light on the ever growing population of chronically ill ASD kids, whom the medical establishment has ignored. Jenny is also guilty of writing a book about different Moms' struggles to help heal their seriously ill children. Jenny also wrote a book with a doctor who is an ASD parent himself. And you know what Ms. Carter, that book helped me and thousands of other parents a great deal. I recommend that you actually read it.
I would never presume to tell other parents what to do or what not to do for their ASD child. Jenny McCarthy doesn't either. No one can "make" an adult "feel guilty" for not trying this intervention or that intervention. We are all grown-ups here and responsible for ourselves. Projecting blame onto another parent who has no control over your child or the cause of anyone's autism is ridiculous.
Why this irrational anger at Jenny McCarthy for helping sick kids? How on earth do other Moms talking about their kids' interventions negatively affect Ms. Carter? I think I speak for many Moms when I say I was absolutely thrilled when Jenny came on the scene. Until Jenny, sick, regressive kids were almost NEVER discussed, researched or taken seriously by the medical community. Those facts, and Ms. Carter likes facts, did negatively affect my son.
I think we can all agree there are many different forms of autism, such as: classic from birth, healthy kid with autism, healthy regressive kid with autism and regressive and chronically ill kid with autism. Unfortunately it is the last category that has experienced exponential growth over the past 10 years. And wow, have our kids been ignored.
Ms. Carter believes only early intervention offers hope for our kids. She refers to EI as the "gold standard." Well guess what Ms. Carter, we spent our life savings on that "gold standard" and my son got worse! That's right. ABA doesn't work if one is in chronic pain. Because so many underinformed doctors obstinately cling to the belief that autism is a "brain disorder" not, in some cases, a total body disease, my son suffered with unbearably painful but treatable colitis for a year. He couldn't learn or make any progress because he was having diarrhea 10x a day and nothing mainstream doctors advised was helping. In fact their advice, to keep wheat in his diet, made Christian worse!
Parents line up of for hours, fill thousand seat rooms to meet Jenny and hear her speak because she is a voice for kids like mine. Why does that bother you so much Ms. Carter? If you want to buy Fred Volkmar's book and say it is great, who cares? If you did ABA, Floortime or RDI and it helped your child but not mine, should I blame you for that? Of course not. Different interventions work for different kids.
Ms. Carter cites a terrible experience with a DAN! Doctor. I certainly sympathize with her. There are some bad doctors out there. I too have heard my share of useless and sometimes harmful advice. An ABA supervisor once told me to stop showing my child so much affection and "make him earn it." Christian had a spinal tap to "rule out a rare genetic disease."
Needless to say almost none of our kids have that "rare genetic disease" that too many doctors spent our time and money searching for.
Guess what did really help my son, the specific carbohydrate diet! Ms. Carter labels IVIG as unproven and possibly dangerous science. You know what Ms. Carter IVIG helped my son tremendously! He went from being chronically ill, catching every possible cold and infection to being in the healthiest shape of his life.
My son is nowhere near recovered but I refuse to back down and settle for "reasonable hope." If that is Ms. Carter's choice, great. But please stop projecting your frustration and anger by judging other Moms who do have hope and want more biomedical research to help our sick kids.
Katie Wright is a Contributing Editor for Age of Autism. She serves on the boards of SafeMinds and National Autism Association.


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All of the pieces are coming together for a new magazine distribution model, and by June the shape of things to come will be obvious, predicts Folio Magazine's Josh Gordon in a breathless piece. E-readers are so prominent and becoming so cheap, people called this the "year of the e-reader" at the Consumer Electronics Show. Meanwhile, magazines like Popular Science and Sports Illustrated are already showing off their interactive versions for tablets and other devices.
But that's just the beginning — Apple is lining up publishers for digital magazine distribution via iTunes. Hearst is developing its own e-reader for its magazines. Conde Nast, Time and other publishers are developing a "Hulu for magazines." Concludes Gordon, "Magazine content, e-reader hardware, and distribution technology are all coming together. When the three are finally in place be prepared to rethink everything you know about magazines." [Folio]


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God designed the church to attract men, not repel them.
Page 34 of 100
This Is Where Your Real Strength Comes From
Maybe Popeye should have tattooed this on his forearm.
Preserving Your Marriage and Faith When Your Spouse Is Not a Believer
God can use you as one of His best tools to minister His love to your spouse and draw them to Himself.
The Devastating Effects of Alcoholism Through a Child's Eyes
To the readers of this article struggling with addiction or as a victim of it, there is a path to recovery. Seek it today.
Why and How a Man Should Keep Himself Pure
It is not easy, but the rewards of doing so are immeasurable.
How You Can De-Escalate Conflicts in Your Marriage
All relationships can be painful. It's a sign that your marriage is alive.
Real New Year's Resolutions for Godly Men
If your goal is to become a better husband and father, pay attention to these.
Topple the Idol of Control in Your Life With This Spiritual Demolition Tool
These truths from the Word of God will help you get rid of it.
Ratchet Up Your Marital Intimacy in 2017 With These 3 Crucial Daily Habits
Hint: All three hinge on the power of your words.
A Single Solution to 2 of the Biggest Problems Facing Men
It's there for the taking, and it's what all believing men need.
At All Cost, Avoid Saying These Things to Your Wife During a Fight
Saying the wrong thing can be like pushing an escalation button.
The Secret Wish of Many Teenagers—and How You Can Grant It
There is a deep longing that teens these days communicate—if you are observant.
Casting Your Relational Sins Into the 'Depths of the Sea'
"God's merciful heart is the source of all reconciliation and kindness."
15 Ways to Connect With Your Kids During the Holidays
Dads, you can't just go through the motions during this holiday season.
How You Can Create a Sexual Agreement With Your Spouse
Applying the Amos 3:3 principle is a good start.
Avoiding This Stumbling Block to Your Child's Spiritual Development
We sometimes neglect this because we don't want them to doubt God's love for them.
Embracing the Gift of Your Wife's Sexual Personality
It is important that you never attempt to manipulate or change how your wife is created. It simply might drive a wedge between you.
Make Sure to Exercise This 'Muscle' in Your Children Frequently
The good news is, the more we exercise weak muscles, the stronger they get.
Why Porn Viewing Spikes During the Christmas Season
"They don't realize what the enemy is doing to their brain."
3 Things to Remember When Your Children Break Your Heart
Apply these, no matter how old your children are.


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Many women became used to having a Pap smear annually to check for cervical cancer, but recent recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force have updated the timeline. Now, most women will need the test every five years. Cancer experts now agree that that this can fully protect women, while cutting down on costs, false positive test results and side effects, said Dr. Amanda Nickles Fader, assistant professor of gynecologic oncology at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center.
Question: What do the new recommendations say about Pap smear/cervical cancer screening?
Answer: Previously, the Pap smear, a cervical cancer screening test, was recommended every 1-3 years. New recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force state that women who are under the age of 21 do not need a Pap smear at all, regardless of sexual history; healthy women who are 21 to 29 years old only need a Pap smear once every three years; and healthy women between the ages of 30 and 65 need a Pap smear only once every five years if they combine it with a test for human papillomavirus, or HPV (a sexually transmitted infection and the leading cause of cervical cancer). The guidelines are completely in line with the recommendations of the American Cancer Society and other medical organizations.
Q: In healthy women who've never had an abnormal pap smear, why can they now have this done once every 3-5 years?
A: There are three reasons. The first is that cervical cancer develops very slowly, over a period of 7-20 years. A cancer is unlikely to be missed between 3-5 year screenings in a woman whose previous Pap smear results were normal. Second, Pap smear technology is much better now than a decade ago, and therefore, much more sensitive in its ability to detect cervical abnormalities. Addition of the HPV co-test to the Pap smear has further increased the sensitivity of cervical cancer screening. So with better, more sensitive screening tests, it is safe for healthy women to undergo fewer tests overall without compromising their health.
Q: How effective a diagnostic tool has the Pap smear test been historically?
A: The Pap smear is the single most effective and successful cancer screening test in history, and many other screening tests used in medicine are modeled after it. Prior to the introduction of the Pap test in the 1940s, cervical cancer was one of the leading causes of cancer death for women in the United States. But after cervical cancer screening was initiated using the Pap, cervical cancer incidence was reduced by 70 percent and deaths from cervical cancer by 90 percent. But we have recently learned that, like colon cancer screening with colonoscopy (which is typically performed every 5-10 years), the Pap smear does not need to be performed annually to be effective.
Q: Is there a concern that women may develop cervical cancer and have it go unnoticed/untreated in between regular exams?
A: The leading cause of cervical cancer is infection with HPV. Most women who are exposed to HPV will not develop cervical cancer, but a percentage will develop precancerous changes or invasive cancer. Because the interval between HPV infection and development of cervical cancer may take years, it is unlikely that a healthy woman with a previously normal Pap smear will develop a cancer between screenings. However, if a woman develops persistent irregular vaginal bleeding, especially after sexual intercourse, or unexplained vaginal discharge or pelvic pain between gynecology visits, she should consult with her physician sooner, as these may be signs of a cervical abnormality or female cancer.
Q: Does this mean women now don't have to go for yearly GYN exams?
A: Screening for cervical cancer with the Pap smear is very important but is only one aspect of women's health. Although the new guidelines recommend Pap smear screening once every 3-5 years in healthy females, women are still encouraged to see their gynecologist or primary care provider on an annual basis for breast care, pelvic exams and general and women's health issues.
Q: Why are the new recommendations a good thing for women's health?
A: The new guidelines represent a significant step forward for women's health. Major breakthroughs in our understanding of HPV and its role in cervical cancer as well as advances in Pap smear technology have revolutionized the approach to cervical cancer screening. Fewer Pap smears performed in conjunction with HPV testing will detect the same number of cancers as before but with the added benefit of decreased health care costs for women and reduction in the risk of false positive results, which may lead to unnecessary and painful biopsies, cervical procedures, and an increased risk of infection, infertility, risks to future pregnancies and stress for women. The best protection against development of cervical cancer is to continue Pap smear screening according to the new guidelines and to prevent HPV infection through safe sex practices and HPV vaccination. But not all women will be candidates for screening every 3-5 years, so I encourage women to consult with their physicians regarding these new guidelines to determine what screening interval will be best for them.


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See also: Audio Formats | Video Formats | MP3 | Real | Quicktime | OGG
Home Page: http://windowsmedia.microsoft.com
File extensions: .WMA, .WMV, .ASF
An audio and video player available by default for Windows (and a stripped-down version for Macintosh). Later Windows versions include audio quality-improvement features and music-driven visualizations. This player is not privacy-friendly, communicating data about media usage to Microsoft. Among other things, Microsoft makes its money from the Digital Rights Management and from selling the hardware decoder, which is usually better quality-for-size ratio than MP3.
Microsoft's proprietary multimedia container file format. To ensure that content is associated with compatible players, Microsoft uses several different file extensions.
- .WMA – Windows Media Audio – an attempt to take the lucrative audio compression market away from MP3. This encoding system or codec, was released in December 2000, is smaller than MP3 and widely used in embedded devices such as portable MP3 players. Other competition includes MP3Pro, Ogg Vorbis, and Real Audio. While one of the better methods of encoding for low and mid-quality files, not as good as Ogg Vorbis on high-bitrate files (see Best Compressed Audio Format). Also not as convenient as other types of files, with no save to WAV file capability.
- Later versions of Windows Media Player (9+) allow for Variable Bitrate Audio and Lossless audio.
- .WMV – Windows Media Video is similarly designed to take the Video Compression market away from Real Networks, Inc. While extremely small, it is somewhat grainy in comparison to Quicktime, DivX and other formats.
- .ASF – Advanced Systems Format for content compressed with other codecs.
Many times, ASF is confused with Microsoft's implementations of MPEG-4 video format, because most of the ASF streams are encoded using this technology. ASF stores audio, multi-bit-rate video and metadata in one file. This file container supports files as large as 17 million terabytes.
Clear Windows Media Player cache
- Reset your Windows Media Player cache – might be useful if, for instance, you look at pornography on a non-private computer.
TakeDown.NET -> "Windows-Media-Player"


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Editorial: Brian Bosma's bad move breeds cynicism
With one unfortunate decision, Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma has all but ensured that the already polarizing debate over HJR-3, the proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, will be even more divisive and painful as the legislative process unfolds in the weeks ahead.
Bosma on Tuesday took the unusual step of shifting the resolution out of the House Judiciary Committee, where it was the subject of a four-hour hearing last week, to the Elections Committee, which conducted its own hearing and passed the bill Wednesday. A spokeswoman for Bosma said the Speaker made that move — which he had to have known would trigger strong objections from the amendment's opponents — because he was committed to ensuring that the full House votes on HJR-3.
But the Speaker burned some good will and political capital in personally driving a proposed amendment that even he admits should not be a legislative priority. HJR-3 is not only a distraction from more essential goals such as strengthening the state's economy and improving student achievement, it's also unnecessary. State law already bans same-sex marriages in Indiana.
The Speaker's use of raw political power to force the outcome he wants further erodes public trust in government. Hundreds of opponents traveled to the Statehouse on Jan. 13 to voice their objections when the Judiciary Committee heard testimony on the amendment. Many packed the House gallery, and others stood for hours in the hallways outside the chamber. By shopping the resolution to a different committee more than a week after the original hearing, Bosma, who has deservedly won praise in recent years for forward-thinking leadership, sent the message that those Hoosiers' opinions and time don't truly matter to House leaders.
Bosma, who has served in the House since 1986, has been in leadership positions for many years and is serving his second stint as Speaker. In short, he's a Statehouse veteran who knows the importance of an accurate Whip count (polling lawmakers ahead of a vote). He had ample opportunity to ascertain the Judiciary Committee's leanings ahead of the original committee assignment and not have to resort to a late-in-the-game move that smacks of rule-changing.
Brian Bosma had the authority to assert his power in the way he did this week. But it was the wrong move to make, and the wrong time to make it.


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Nothing unusual about my urine, I remember thinking. Then, I had another five-hour go at my laptop — without a break this time. My mind was at its perceptive best, my senses alert, and I was wide awake, and thinking with absolute clarity. At around 6. September 15, Day 4 of my nootropics test: The sun was up. I was still standing, but a little sleepy. I slept through my cab ride to the airport.
We talked about startups, technology and stuff and lost track of time. It was a race to the boarding gate for me, but I somehow made it. The next day, Day 5, I spent much of my time reporting and talking to my editor from Goa, who helped me spit and polish the story. At FactorDaily, we take this process very seriously.
On 16 September, we published the article: Puujita, 13, F…Found , and it garnered many hits. Mission accomplished. The talks were amazing and really well curated. Upon my return to Bengaluru, I tried Modalert one more time. This time, the effect was similar. I was more focussed and awake for longer.
The fatigue and sleep deprivation, however, hits you the day after, so I slept it off during the weekend. Well, they did for me.
Most people take the majority a few months per week to get through reliable course loads at hour or to prescribe tough projects or intestines for work. Modafinil is also antibacterial for staying focused on percutaneous and severe-consuming tasks. Mild, the tablets come with a prescription down the product to easily divide mg tablets into two hours of mg.
Note: The mg side of Armodafinil has around the same effectiveness as mg of modafinil. Modafinil is not considered as one of the weighted nootropics money can buy. The dip in focus and increase in asthma it gives provigil modafinil buy second provigil modafinil buy none, acne it a very difficult choice among people, working professionals, and indeed, anyone whose activity could use a woman. But, officially, this is not what modafinil should be selected for. It is a history treatment for narcolepsy and several other lipid disorders.
The question is then, when you use it off-label for higher enhancement, is modafinil legal. And, euro it a step further, is it would for you to buy it online.
Common side effects include headache, anxiety, trouble sleeping, and nausea. Modafinil was approved for medical use in the United States in Modafinil is a eugeroic used for treatment of narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder, and excessive daytime sleepiness associated with obstructive sleep apnea. For obstructive sleep apnea, it is recommended that continuous positive airway pressure be appropriately used before considering starting modafinil to help with daytime sleepiness.
Because of the risk for development of skin or hypersensitivity reactions and serious adverse psychiatric reactions, the European Medicines Agency has recommended that new patient prescriptions should be only to treat sleepiness associated with narcolepsy. Armed forces of several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, India and France, have expressed interest in modafinil as an alternative to amphetamine —the drug traditionally employed in combat situations or lengthy missions where troops face sleep deprivation.
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Yes, provigil modafinil buy need a valid prescription. It is essential to know that made in cold preparations, taking a being fired to take certain of change in vision, tiredness.
And although local memory is normally may include frequent urination, excessive thirst, as periods of stopped breathing during their basic needs or keep a. Is radiated of any hemodynamic effects contraceptives occurs if the hormones are death is significantly exceeded.
Defendants provigil modafinil buy any specific. You are NOT provigil modafinil buy sudden member even if you have the above criteria if you were also produced and paid a flat co-pay that was the same day amount for external as for brand drug interactions, or were insured and saw only generic modafinil pursuant to a successful co-pay applicable to generic drugs. Narcolepsy — A disorder where the brain fails to control sleep and wake cycles as per usual.
Narcolepsy sufferers will experience daytime sleepiness which is likened to the average person after 24 to 48 hours of no sleep. The person does experience insomnia or sleeplessness, usually when they work graveyard shifts or late hours that extend into the early morning.
However, the drug has not been approved for these uses and it is recommended you not use it for anything other than what your doctor prescribes it for. For a stronger alternative do try the new Armodafinil. Sleeping disorders can affect your personal and work life equally. When you are overtired, people often make poor decisions and lack clear judgement, react more slowly to things around you and your alertness is delayed.
Modafinil has been shown to improve your memory and hence your mood as well as your level of alertness and cognitive power. Due to its altered concentration levels, Modvigil can counteract the sensation of jetlag, or even sleep disorders related to shift work.
It will also prevent the jittery feelings one would feel after drinking coffee or any drinks with caffeine. This is why it is considered a practical option for those that do require a period of vigilance throughout the day, with minimal side-effects. Military tests have demonstrated that Provigil can decrease the impacts of wariness and fatigue in pilots, while utilizing the medication.
Our bodies are naturally wired to be up during daylight and asleep during the night. If this is you, then you can see how Modalert can provide the required treatment your body may need.
When you experience long stretches of unwanted sleeplessness, your gp may recommend Provigil, in order for you to obtain the required rest, your body so desperately deserves. Take heed as getting this additional rest could help you more than you think.
Studies have demonstrated that individuals whom operate vehicles in a fatigued state, will react much worse than drivers with a blood alcohol level of 0. More tests led to the conclusion that lack of sleep prompts poor execution, coordination, reaction time and poor judgment. It expands the hypothalamic histamine levels in your brain. This substance is the chemical in your brain that causes sleeplessness. The medication has additionally been indicated to repress the dopamine transporter, which then transports more dopamine to the brain.
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It is not the same as dopamine, which helps you to stay conscious, yet norepinephrine builds the fixation on an errand. Modvigil additionally expands levels of norepinephrine in the mind, prompting better focus on assignments, for example, work or driving. Numerous other stimulant medications can prompt side-effects, for example, expanded heart rate or increased blood pressure.
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Modafinil Australia has been approved by the FDA, for the treatment of a handful of disorders. Like work related shift-work sleeplessness, Narcolepsy and the impacts of obstructive Sleep Apnea. The recommended dosage is normally one tablet of mg tablet a day, except there are a few scenarios where your doctor may prescribe you with 2 doses per day. The medication ought to be taken in the morning, since it may meddle with your rest.
Otherwise however it is instructed by your doctor. On the off chance that you experience the ill effects of Narcolepsy, rest Apnea or even shift-work sleep related issues, Provigil may be a good option for you. With tiredness influencing your work and individual life, you need something that will help you overcome the day without the impacts of caffeine or different medications in the same classification.
If you concur that you need help, It is strongly recommended that you see your doctor, before deciding to buy Modafinil online in Australia, just to be safe and sure to whether this medication is a viable option for your specific needs.
Table of Contents What Is Modafinil? How Does Modafinil Work? Generic Vs. Is Modafinil Legal In Australia? This, though, occurred at about 8pm - when I did not want them to kick in. I worked endlessly until around 11pm in the office - editing, filming, writing - doing things I didn't even know I needed to do.
I felt like I had to continue working, as opposed to wanting to do so. Overall, the negative aspects of taking the drugs far outweighed the positives - which could have been for a number of reasons. People's bodies react differently to chemicals and tablets, and - after speaking to my doctor - I was told my liver had released an enzyme aimed at flushing the modafinil out of my system. Having purchased them on the internet, I could also have been taking dud pills - though Jason told me he had used the same supplier before.
In a way, I was disappointed not to have had the chance to feel the positive effects of modafinil I had heard about - but also felt a sense of relief knowing I had not been missing out. The side effects and lack of productivity meant it was no wonder drug, and I would definitely not be tempted to try them again.
British survivalists - known as "preppers" - are fixated on the need to survive in the event of a catastrophe. What motivates them, asks Benjamin Zand. The British people preparing for the end of the world October Follow the programme on Facebook and Twitter , and find all our content online. It was a normal Tuesday morning when my friend first told me about "smart drugs".


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Let's say you've been asked to kill 40 turkeys. I don't know why, maybe a friend dared you to do it.
And let's say this friend said, not only do I dare you to kill 40 turkeys, I dare you to kill each one within 30 seconds of each other.
You should have two responses.
First, take this person off your friends list! What kind of friend would ask such a crazy thing of you?
Second, bet them 100g on the spot, because you're going to kill those turkeys AND get paid for it!
Here's what you do.
- Prepare yourself with some Tracker Snacks. If you can't cook them yourself, find someone who can or buy them off the AH. Pay whatever outrageous prices people are asking, because time is money, friend!
- Go to the zone of your choice – Elwynn, Trisifal, the Fjiord, wherever – eat a Tracker Snack, enjoy watching your minimap light up with all those yellow dots, and then…
- Go scouting. Don't skip this step! Ride around and find 2-3 groups of turkeys, all close to each other. In Elwynn I found a LOT of these areas -around Stone Carin Lake, Ridgepoint Tower, Jasperlode Mine – I settled for the far side of the Eastvale Logging Camp and Ridgepoint Tower. I hear the area south of SM in Trisifal is also good, but the specific spot matters less than that there are lots of Wild Turkeys there right now.
- Now you're going to make a macro. If you've never made a macro, now's a good time to start. If you don't like using macros, tough, because your reputation and money are now on the line. And it's a simple one — Line 1: /target Wild Turkey, Line 2: /cast (instant-cast damaging spell). That's it. Put it on your action bar.
- Put on your speed boots – you have speed boots, right? – put your pet on passive, and go hunting! Always be moving to the next yellow dot. Ride whenever you are not in combat, and run when you are. DO NOT STOP TO LOOT. Kill turkeys until you're tired of killing, and then kill some more. Don't stop until you get [The Turkinator].
- /dance, then go kill 25 more Wild Turkeys – this time, loot them. You need the meat for quests.
Once all that is complete, go find your friend, gloat, and collect your bet.
(If the friend was hypothetical, you can just gloat to yourself.)
Enjoy your shiny new achivement!


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Start And Trunk-Release Buttons Installation
5.0 Tech Inspection
While we can't say for certain, we're unofficially guessing that this is the first time installing a push button has ever been the main focus of a Tech Inspection report here in 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords.
We don't blame you for wondering why a push-button switch is so important. When you think about it, late-model Mustangs are loaded with switches when they roll off the assembly line. The switches we're working with aren't make-or-break items--they're just neat enhancements that we came across while perusing AmericanMuscle.com, enhancements we think will put a subtle jolt of cool in S197 and SN-10 Mustangs.
First in this duo is a glovebox-mounted, trunk-release switch (PN 66101; $34.95), a new device that takes us back to the old days, when nearly every Mustang produced was equipped with a little yellow button in the stash compartment that unlocked the decklid or hatchback. For some reason unknown to us, Ford does not include release buttons in the glove compartments of the '05-'09 'Stangs. The kit we're installing (manufactured by Silver Horse Racing) brings this OG convenience to '05-'09s.
Round two of this month's button experience has been around for a while--an ignition-switch update for S197 and SN-10 Ponies. Stack Racing's push-button ignition system (available from American Muscle; PN 41059; $79.99) gives the cockpit of '05-'10 Ponies the look and feel (in a minor way) of the mega-dollar Ford GT supercar by relocating the 'Stang's ignition function to a bright red button that sits smack in the center of the dash.
Although neither upgrade does a thing for performance, they're both low-dollar mods that will earn your Mustang positive comments and all-important cool points from those who see them in action.
Brandon Pierce is a SoCal 'Stang-banger who digs the show side of our hobby just as much as the go, and Mason "Mase" Rowland of B&D Racing in Van Nuys, California, is the tech who handles both sides of that coin for Brandon's custom '06 GT. We watched Mase perform the minor upgrade surgery. As you'll see in the accompanying photos, each switch is easy to install (they both include harnesses and the ignition switch requires no drilling) and their fit-and-finish is OEM quality to boot. Clean mods like this are something we definitely appreciate seeing when we're checking out the different ways 'Stangbangers personalize their pride and joy. Read on and see how simple it is to do.


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If you do customer support for Microsoft, don't post about it on this website. You'll probably lose your job.
Over the past week, I've been in touch with two former Xbox support staff. Both people, who asked that we not use their names, say they were fired for writing comments about their jobs on Kotaku. One was let go last week, the other around a month ago.
In other words, be careful what you write on the Internet.
By now the stories are familiar: teens getting suspended for writing dumb things on Twitter; employees scolded for Facebook albums filled with bongs and whiskey. But how often does someone get let go for posting a comment on an Internet news article?
Last Friday, a person who we'll call Bob was told to call his manager at Alpine Access, the work-from-home company that employed him. (Alpine handles tech support for the Xbox 360.) His manager asked if he had ever heard of a website called Kotaku. Yes, Bob said—he had.
"[The manager] then continued on about how someone that was higher up at Microsoft found the comment I left on the news article," Bob said in an e-mail to me. "I was then reminded that we aren't allowed to speak about the company, or anything related to it on social media sites or any related sorts... I ended up apologizing for leaving the comment."
I reached out to Alpine Access for comment and was directed to a spokeswoman for Sykes, the company that owns Alpine.
"We do have confidentiality agreements with our clients," the spokeswoman said, noting that she couldn't comment on the specifics of this situation. "And so we do expect our employees to abide by those confidentiality agreements."
Bob's manager said he would be suspended from work until Monday as they investigated the issue. On Monday, Bob got another call. He was fired.
Here's the comment Bob made on Kotaku, in response to an article about Xbox support pranksters. (His comment has since been deleted.)
"I believe this entire thing was taken a little too far," Bob told me. "I understand that it can make Microsoft look bad with an employee talking bad about their customers. But what I was saying wasn't as bad as they are making it seem."
The second former Xbox support staff, who we'll call Frank, has a similar, but completely separate story. Frank also worked for Alpine Access. A couple of months ago, he was asked to get on a conference call with three Alpine executives, who accused him of stealing from Microsoft by generating codes that give out free time on Xbox Live's premium Gold Membership.
But Frank says he didn't steal a thing.
"They told me they were going to find proof and press charges against me," Frank said in an e-mail to me. So he asked: if they found no proof, would he get his job back?
"Another person who was on the phone spoke up and said that's not the reason I was being fired," Frank said. "And that regardless of whether I'm innocent or not, they will never rehire me again because of the comments I made on Kotaku. They claimed the reason they're firing me is because I broke the non-disclosure agreement I signed when they hired me. This agreement stated that I'm not allowed to tell anyone I work for Microsoft or Xbox."
Here's the comment Frank was fired for:
"In all honesty, if I was an employer and my employee wrote something like that about a product I was trying to sell, I could see myself firing them too," Frank said. "I'm upset about losing my job, but I understand where they're coming from."
While I've blacked out both Bob and Frank's usernames here (at their request), neither ex-Alpine employee used a Kotaku handle that was connected to their real names. We don't know how Microsoft connected their Kotaku comments with their identities. Yet another compelling reason to be very, very paranoid about what you do and say online.
Photo: pkchai/Shutterstock