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PCalc has been available in various forms and on different platforms for more than two decades — James Thomson, the man behind it, has taken care to keep it updated over the years, transitioning quickly to new operating systems when they came out. It was in the App Store on day one and it did very well, according to its maker. I've been lucky enough to beta test it for a while now and I can quite frankly say that the new 3.3 build, which supports iOS 8 and it's new features, is my favourite version.
I currently run three different "calculators" on my home screen — Soulver [App Store link], which I use to write up various expenses when I don't want to open Numbers, Percentage Calculator for people who can't do maths [App Store link] which I favour when splitting the bill with friends and when trying to figure out tips, and PCalc [App Store link] for when I actually need to get some maths done. I used to have various converters to translate feet into metres, Fahrenheit into Celsius and so forth, but today PCalc has me covered.
PCalc seems simple at first glance, but it can been anything you want it to be — that's the beauty of the product. James has managed to cram an astounding amount of functions into its small UI that should suit even the most demanding of users. I could probably write a book about it, but instead, I'll just focus on three things which got me hooked.
The first big thing is the ability to totally customise the look of every single button. It's possible to change their look, layout, functions, size and more. Since I'll be travelling soon, I've already set myself up with various currency conversions which I had to do in my head last year. If you look at the photo at the top of this page you will see that I've dedicated the two top rows for just that and picked four currencies which I'll need — Indian Rupees, Polish Zloty, American Dollars and Euros. Adding them was as simple has entering edit mode by holding down a finger on any button, deleting the default buttons and adding empty ones in their place. Setting up their functions is just a few taps away and extremely intuitive. The default labelling is also exactly what I was expecting and needed no adjustments on my part. Oh, layouts can sync via iCloud to other iPhones and iPads. Perfect!
The two other new features that got me hooked are support for Handoff and PCalc's widget. Handoff — one of iOS 8's new features — means that I can start my calculations on my iPhone and should I choose to pick up my iPad, a little icon will appear on the lockscreen, allowing me to continue where I left off. I've actually had a few situations where this worked out perfectly. The only downside is that Handoff support in iOS 8 is still a little bit finicky — sometimes it just refuses to work.
The third gem is the new widget which pops up in Notification Centre. The widget naturally doesn't use the custom layouts from the app itself, but it's really handy and accessible in situations where I don't want to or can't take the time to open up the app itself. I've actually used it in a number of situations and have nothing but praise for its implementation. The beauty of it is that if someone is in the middle of their calculations while using the widget, they can just choose to open the app itself from Notification Centre and continue working — they synchronise their content with each other.
I have nothing but praise for James's work. PCalc satisfies all of my needs and more, surprising me with things I didn't think I'd use, especially the widget and custom layouts. It has totally replaced the default iOS calculator and now I just wish I could change the Control Centre icon to launch PCalc instead. PCalc is currently available for both iOS (as an universal app) and OS X:
★ PCalc for iOS — €8.99 / $9.99
★ PCalc Lite for iOS — free with IAP
★ PCalc for Mac — €8.99 / $9.99
You can also find James Thomson on Twitter.
James was also nice enough to answer a few of my questions despite his tight schedule — I'm still trying to get him on my podcast though.
PCalc has reached legal drinking age in many countries — I believe it's going to hit 22 in December. Personally, I'm in awe that one application has managed to stick around for so long. You've obviously put a lot of heart into the project. How does all of this make you feel in perspective?
I'd say my main feeling is surprise! I never thought that PCalc would be still going twenty–two years later, and nor did I think that the small test app I wrote when the iPhone SDK first arrived over six years ago would still be so popular. Surprise and gratitude that I can make a reasonable living from something I first started writing while I was an undergraduate at university.
I don't want you to get into specifics, but there was a long discussion, started by Jared Sinclair, on indie developers, business and life in the App Store. I know that you've been frustrated at times in the past with people being reluctant to pay for software. Has any of that changed since PCalc is in both App Stores?
Sales of PCalc are stronger now than they ever have been, so I can't complain. Partly that's down to putting in a lot of work keeping PCalc updated with each major OS release, as well as adding new features. But also I know it's a lot of luck with being in the right place at the right time. People certainly seem happier to pay for PCalc via the App Store than they did through a payment service like Kagi though.
Obviously both versions of PCalc have, what many believe, a steep price. I, for example, want to pay for quality software to support developers, just so that they continue to update and enhance their products. And create more great things. What do you believe the future will be in regard to payment models? Are you in any way partial to Marco Arment's freemium model he recently spoke of?
It's amazing that in less than ten years, a price tag of $10 for a pretty complicated piece of software has become steep! PCalc started out at $20, and I halved the price for the first App Store release, so from my perspective it's actually cheap. :) Honestly, I think it's reasonably priced for what it is, and for how much work has gone into it. But, if it was 99c, I would not make enough money to be able to keep working on it. I have tried many experiments with pricing, and if you halve the price, it doesn't necessarily even double the sales over the long term — I think, partially because PCalc is not a mainstream consumer product and the goal is to have something that's sustainable over a long period of time. I think it is difficult to know what the future will bring — I hope that people will continue to support developers who do good work. Sales are higher now than they have been in years, so I don't think the future has to mean that people will stop paying for software. And if they do, there won't be any developers left. As for freemium, I do that already. PCalc Lite is a free version with limited functionality, which lets you upgrade in full or in part, with in–app purchases. And yet, over 80% of people buy the full version outright. If I eliminated the full version, and went completely freemium, my suspicion would be that my revenue would fall dramatically.
Do you have any thoughts on the new iPhone resolutions and how to plan for them and others in the future? What was your experience with PCalc in this regard?
Well, it was fairly straightforward to adapt PCalc to the new iPhones — I had written the code to be flexible with regard to screen–size before the phones were announced, and it worked as I hoped it would. I've added some enhancements to take better advantage of the extra space already, and I'll continue to do so as I work with the actual devices. I've only had my iPhone 6 for just over a week at this point, and I think you need to have it in your hand for a while to get a real feel for what works best.
Would you care to share what's coming next for PCalc? Any plans for something extra special for the 6 Plus?
Next will be the Yosemite version, taking all the features I've added for 3.3 on iOS and moving them back to the Mac. After that, I'll probably be looking at the Apple Watch SDK, or maybe even the Apple TV SDK! I don't think I will get any rest for a while, certainly.
Have you hidden any new easter eggs in PCalc for iOS and OS X? I actually spent some time looking for them… Failed miserably.
There are actually surprisingly few easter eggs in PCalc! I used to have a sound sample of Douglas Adams saying "Don't Panic!" in version 1.0 on the Mac, which you could trigger by putting 42 in all the registers and the memory and clicking on the display, but I took it out a long time ago. The only one that I can think of is extremely boring — if you tap the PCalc logo in the About screen on iOS, it will set the display to the free memory left on the device. I put that in when I was developing PCalc on the original iPhone that only had 128MB of memory.
I'd love to hear a few Steve Jobs and Phil Schiller stories, if you have any.
Well, I am pretty sure that Phil Schiller was responsible for one of the biggest sales of PCalc, so I am very grateful to him. I talked to him once at a party at WWDC back in 2001 and told him about my app, and some time later Apple contacted me wanting to bundle PCalc with the new iMacs. I don't think it was a coincidence! In the end, it ended up on about a million machines that year. See my previous statement about being in the right place at the right time!
Thank you James, and good luck!


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Recently announced that it has successfully completed its annual Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) No. 16 Service Organization Control (SOC) 1 compliance for its data centers based in India and US. (May 15, 2017)
Conducted by independent auditors, the audit involved an analysis of policies, operating procedures and controls in regards to financial reporting of individual, concerning the validation of the company meeting its declared control objectives. Received its SSAE 16 Soc 1 for both Type 1 and Type 2 after undergoing critical risk assessment procedures. The Type 1 reports involves test of design and implementation control, where the report on an enterprise's suitability of design of controls is provided as of on a specified date, whereas Type 2 includes testing of operating effectiveness of the controls, which is it reports on the potency and testing of the control design over a period of time – typically once in 6 months. Earning this certification affirms the design and operating effectiveness of the controls and defines how an enterprise treats the security, confidentiality, integrity and privacy of customer data.
"We strive to keep making significant improvements in our offerings and frequently ensure to go beyond the standard compliance requirements to assure the safety and security of our systems and the data of our customers," said Nikhil Rathi, Director. "The SSAE 16 Certification for both Type 1 and Type 2 defines our commitment to deliver best data center services to our clients. As one of the most renowned data center service provider in India, customers look upon us for gaining access to quality-driven services. With our SOC report, clients can be assured that we are dedicated to optimum security levels, ensuring safety in our IT facilities," he further added.
Offering data center and web hosting services for over two decades, has been committed to complying with different set of security standards and meeting varied compliance requirements. Recently, the industry leader in data center solutions provider achieved the PCI DSS and HIPAA compliance certification, and now, the SOC certification has added another milestone to its cluster of attainment.

subset: commoncrawl


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President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades is set to meet UNSG Antonio Guterres in New York on the 28th of September, according to CNA.
President Anastasiades will travel to New York next week to attend the General Assembly of the United Nations. While in New York, Anastasiades is expected to have a number of bilateral contacts as well.
The President of the Republic will depart from Cyprus on the 19th of September, since the EU heads of state will gather in Salzburg, Austria, for an informal meeting. The summit will be hosted by Sebastian Kurz, Chancellor of Austria.
On Monday, September 17, Anastasiades will be in Athens to meet Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras. Anastasiades and Tsipras are expected to discuss topics such as the Cyprus problem, or the possible tripartite partnerships of Greece and Cyprus with other countries of the region.
It is to be noted that a Trilateral meeting is going to be held in October in Greece, between Cyprus, Greece and Egypt.


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Author: Alexander Mikaberidze
Historical dictionary of Georgia
The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Historical dictionaries of Europe № 50
Pages: 774
Format: pdf
Size: 22,7 mb
Language: English
Quality: excellent
Few countries have fought so long and so hard to affirm their right to statehood as Georgia—a tiny republic squeezed between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and in the vicinity of great empires. Its emerging principalities and kingdoms have had to struggle to achieve a semblance of unity and then fight even harder to maintain independence from—among others—the Greeks and Romans, the Byzantines and Persians, the Mongols and Turks, and then the Russians, in the guise of an empire, a soviet republic, and at present a state. That there is an independent Georgia today—even one shorn of regions that once belonged to it—is a bit of a miracle. And it is hardly surprising that even within its borders there are regions that have broken away or might seek to do so. This helps to explain why present-day Georgia has so many political, economic, and social problems. But it has overcome even more serious challenges in the past and just may do so again. Georgia is not a big country, and its population is not particularly numerous, but it has an amazingly complicated history and rich culture. Thus, to do it justice, a somewhat larger volume than normal was necessary. This historical dictionary starts with an extensive chronology that follows the many twists and turns of a very long history and one that keeps generating events at an astounding pace. This is followed by an introduction that presents the country and its people and summarizes its history. Then comes the dictionary section—an unusually large one, containing about 780 entries on important persons, places, and events, and on politics, the economy, society, religion, and culture. The appendixes provide lists of dynasties and rulers—kings, presidents, and prime ministers—and pertinent demographic and economic details. Given the dearth of literature (especially in English), the bibliography is particularly important to help readers follow up on aspects of particular interest. This Historical Dictionary of Georgia is one of the last in the European series, and it is not surprising that it was so long in preparation, since it was particularly hard to find an author who could present so many aspects in such detail and do so in English. This author is Alexander Mikaberidze, who graduated with a degree in international law from Tbilisi State University in 1999 and obviously has a keen interest in everything related to Georgia as well. In addition to pursuing his legal studies, he received a doctorate in history from Florida State University and taught European, world, and Middle Eastern history there and at Mississippi State University as well. His lifelong interest in history has centered not only on Georgia but on military history, particularly the Napoleonic Wars on which he has written extensively. This unique reference work on a unique country will doubtless fill some of the countless gaps in the general public's understanding and will also help specialists track down some elusive information.


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Friday was Rocks Off's last day in Austin and it couldn't have gone any better, even if we had put on sunscreen. While free day parties are great and have tons of free beer and swag - another term for "free promo merch" when it's not used to describe Odd Future Wolf Gang, but we'll get to that later - they also have tons of free sun and limited restroom facilities.
We caught Ty Segall at the Rhapsody day party and then made our way over to Scoot Inn for the Thrasher Day Party to see Das Racist (for the fourth time) and Odd Future Wolf Gang. While there, we ran into Fat Tony, Ipod Ammo, A.D.D., and Lisa E.
The crowd grew steadily until 4 p.m. when, after aggressive chants of "Odd Future!" the camp came to the stage. We tried to position ourselves in a decent location so that we could see them, but when we realized that would be impossible, we moved to the middle of the crowd with Fat Tony and A.D.D. The crowd shouted, "Wolf, Gang, Swag" and later, "Golf, Wang, Golf Wang!!" and apparently some dude who jumped on stage got his nose broken.
After screaming, "FUCK STEVE HARVEY!!" Tyler, The Creator climbed on top of the speakers on the side of the stage to rap for a bit and then jumped off feet-first into the crowd. Later on, Hodgy Beats one-upped Tyler and got on the roof, from where he also jumped.
There was a considerable amount of moshing, which we could only tolerate for about 10 minutes. Basically, the show was everything we imagined it would be like: raucous, full of rage, and incredibly entertaining. Swag!
Follow Rocks Off on Facebook and on Twitter at @HPRocksOff.


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Redrawn from the cover of Pep Comics #89.
The logo spells Dilton's last name "Doily", although later appearances spelled his name as "Doiley".
Fashions, etc., by Barbara Rausch (Flint, Mich.), Janet Smith (Grantford, Ontario, Canada), Kathy Hibbard (Brooklyn, Pa.), Mary Swatley (Lenoir, N.C.), Armando Cosio (Los Angeles, Calif.), Lynn Griffin (Syracuse, N.Y.), Linda Ewell (Cape Charles, Va.), Frank Mullen (Duquesne, Pa.), Joanne Maguire (Bayshore, L.I., N.Y.), Sharon Dutkus (Long Beach, Calif.), Jake Jones (Forest City, N.C.), Elmer Cavender (Pearsall, Texas), Rita Rosenbloom (Philadelphia, Pa.), Pam Pussey (Collinswood, N. J.), and Jane M. Odmeda (Astoria, L.I., N.Y.),
List of 48 persons (ages 7 to 14) desiring pen pals. In addition to the United States, countries include England and Canada.
List of eight winners of "Why I Like to Ride a Bike" contest: Richard Pidgeon (Norfolk, Va.), Carmack Daugherty (Parsons, Tenn.), Sidney Hollender (Dorchester, Mass.), Donald Rumbaugh (Tucson, Ariz.), Reesa Lasky (Haddonfield, N.J.), Patricia Glinska (Buffalo, N.Y), Carla Sue Cane (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), and Eva Norton (Hazelwood, Mo.). First prize of $5.00 to Elaine Bermanke (Brooklyn, N.Y.) for an article on etiquette. Second prize of $3.00 to Gregg R. Narber (Des Moines, Iowa) for article on the human heart. Third prize of $2.00 to Ruby Kaye West (San Antonio, Texas) for four jokes. Also head shots of Archie, Betty, and Veronica from previously-published art.


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Cheap Hotels in Little India
Most recent review
"Location is very convenient for traveling as the MRT station is just beneath the hotel. There are also many food stalls and restaurants around the hotel. I just wish that the shower room is bigger and that more channels be available on the cable tv. But, overall, it was a pleasant stay. Will defi..."
"Everything was o.k. except the size of the room. Too small to travelers with large luggages"
"Always great to stay here. Mr. Prabha is always great! Kudos to him and his team!"
"Room is clean, and nice, but the room is small. The location is convenient, close to metro station, and there are hawker center around. The cleaning lady doesn't refill shower gel and shampoo everyday, and the TV didn't function well, no channel to chose."
"It was a great stay however on the last day the hotel made a mistake and therefore our luggage was left in the hotel and we left without it as we trusted the hotel entirely. Which then left us worried at the airport as we were about to board our plane in less than 2 Hours. However, I would like t..."
"Fantastic trendy hotel with cool coloured rooms and great staff. The handy mobile phone with free data and calls that you can take around the city was also great. Location in little india was a little bit of a miss for us and the restaurant in the hotel was pretty expensive, but overall we enjoye..."
"Loved it. Will definitely stay here again. The Rocher MRT station is a two minute walk and Bugis is about a 5 minute walk. Also, there's a vibrant night market on your way to Bugis."
"Comfortable as an budget hotel. Serves the purpose. Just that the toilet should be slightly bigger."
WHAT are the best hotels to stay in little india ,bangkok? | Yahoo Answers
Little India is adjacent to Chinatown, there aren't too many hotels in that area but there are some. Check out these websites for hotels in Chinatown, they have reviews and good prices for hotels in that area:


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Where Do Good Middos Come From?
He must also do what is necessary to acquire good character qualities (middos) and avoid the opposite. A person may not say, "I'll trust You Hashem to teach me to be patient." He has to train himself to overcome his anger and not be impetuous. He may not say, "I'm going to trust Hashem to keep me from being prideful and arrogant." No, he has to work on himself and become modest and humble. He has to change his middos by himself. He may not leave it up to Hashem. -- Ohr Avigdor Shaar Bitachon.
Comments are closed.


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On Friday night in Arizona Fall League action, the Scottsdale Scorpions lost 3-1 to Surprise, dropping their record to 7-8 and putting them 3.5 games back of the division leading Mesa Solar Sox.
Gift Ngoepe was the only Pittsburgh Pirates player in the starting lineup. He batted ninth and was at second base. He came into the game just 2-for-22 on the season. In his first AB in the third inning, Ngoepe came up with a man on first and no outs. On the sixth pitch, he grounded into a double play. In his second at bat leading off the sixth inning, Ngoepe lined out to left field. In his third plate appearance, he grounded out to for the first out of the eighth inning.
Ngoepe came up in the ninth with his team down by two runs. There were runners on first and second with one out. He grounded out to the shortstop, who went to second base for one out, but Ngoepe was able to reach, putting runners on the corners with two outs. The next batter struck out to end the game.
Tyler Waldron came in to begin the fifth inning. He retired the first batter on a line drive to left field. The next hitter reached on an error. Waldron then gave up a triple to bring home the first run of the game. He then gave up another run on a single, before retiring the last two batters of the inning.
Waldron came out for the sixth inning and got two quick outs, then allowed a double. He got out of the inning without any damage, picking up the last out on his first strikeout. Waldron threw a total of 33 pitches, 24 for strikes. He allowed one earned run on three hits.
Matt Benedict came in to pitch the eighth inning. He got the first batter on one pitch, getting a ground out to third base. Benedict then issued a four pitch walk to the second hitter. He picked off that runner, then struck out the third hitter. Benedict threw a total of ten pitches, four went for strikes.


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A special session on Reducing Internet Latency will be arranged by RITE at the upcoming European Conference on Networks and Communications (EuCNC 2015) in Paris. The special session will be held on Tuesday June 30 before lunch and will feature four paper presentations:
- Internet Latency: Causes, Solutions and Trade-offs
- Reducing Transport Latency using Multi-path Protocols
- Evaluation of Priority Scheduling and Flow Starvation for Thin Streams with FQ-CoDel
- Coupled Congestion Control for WebRTC
All paper are authored by RITE researchers, with contributions from in total seven RITE partners.
EuCNC brings together the worldwide research and innovation community in the strategic domain of communication networks and systems, reaching to services and applications. It is an important meeting point and an excellent opportunity for RITE to disseminate some of the project results. Today there are more and more applications and scenarios where low latency is critical and reducing latency for the benefit of Internet users thus constitutes a key challenge for the networking community over the coming years. We hope that the special session will not only present recent solutions for reducing Internet latency to conference attendees, but also help spur further research in this area.


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It was a full house at school district's board meeting Aug. 20.
Dozens of patrons attended, but did not address the board during the public part of budget hearing.
After a brief period, the board unanimously approved the budget with no discussion. However, the board did hear a budget presentation during a prior meeting and it has been published in The Gardner News, as required by state statute.
The more than $30 million budget maintains last year's mill levy rate.
Patrons commented after the meeting that it was difficult to hear board members and directors' reports due to a poor audio system. There were also concerns that the patrons were "evacuated" from the board meeting while six board members met in executive session and ate pizza.
And as usual, no one spoke during the public input portion, maybe because persons wanting to address the board are required to fill out a comment card first and because they are unfamiliar with meeting protocol.
Requiring comment card sign in can be intimidating for persons who would feel more comfortable speaking spontaneously, and there has been a marked decrease in public participation at school board meetings since that policy was implemented.
Although this policy may be more convenient for board and staff, it may not be the best policy to increase taxpayer participation.
It's encouraging to see better public attendance at the board meeting, and it's important the board "step up to the plate" to encourage public involvement.
From public comments heard after the meeting, there are several ways to accomplish this:
• Publish the agenda and previous, unapproved minutes several days in advance online.
• Have copies of the directors reports available at the meeting for patrons to read or make the reports available online for patrons to read.
• Turn the audio system on so the public can hear.
• Have directors stand to read to present their reports or step to the podium.
• Determine if a police officer is needed for safety, or whether the inclusion intimidates rational public discourse.
• Don't "evacuate" the board chambers during executive session; board members should move to another room; and while munching on pizza may encourage camaraderie between members, it also appears cozy and excludes the public.
School board should make public feel more welcome
It was a full house at school district's board meeting Aug. 20.


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Huawei Honor 7 Review, specifications and price
The new Honor 7 is an upgrade to Honor 6 Plus, which was launched last year. Here's a quick sneak peek into our Huawei Honor 7 review and we have also included the review video at the end for those who are too busy to read the whole thing! Though Huawei as a brand has been in Indian market for quite some time now, but from last 1 year we have seen that it's making its presence known by focusing on launching devices of its online brand- Honor. And the latest launch of this brand is Honor 7, which was launched at a recent event at New Delhi and has been priced at Rs 22,999.
Design and build:
At a first glance, the design of Honor 7 would look really elegant and classy to you. The device comes with all metal unibody which is a happy upgrade from carbon fiber material on the previous phones. The back panel has a metallic and glossy finish. The branding on the device has been kept minimal, includes only a logo on the back side at the center.
The device weighs about 157 grams and is 8.5 mm thick. The back side comes with a fingerprint scanner placed right below the main camera. The front side of the phone comes with the 5.2-inch display and a smart key button that can help you perform few tasks with only a single or double click. The volume button and power button are right next to each other on the right-hand side. The only disadvantage of the good design is that phone might feel a little slippery to some people. Also, it would have been great if volume button would have been a little protruding out, that would have made it easier to press.
Huawei Honor 7 review, the Hardware:
Honor 7 has vastly improved its hardware from its predecessor by introducing Kirin Chipset in the device. The device houses latest Kirin 935 SoC which comes on Octa-core processor and two quad core cortex a53 cluster at 2.2 GHz and 1.5GHz respectively. There is also Mali T628 MP4 for graphics solution. The device is available in two variants, 16GB, and 64 GB. You can also expand the storage by loading the device with an additional MicroSD card. The Kirin Chipset makes sure that even in the benchmarks and other day to day activities the device performs good enough. On paper the chipset might not sound as powerful as its Snapdragon counterparts but in practice it is so.
Huawei Honor 7 review, the Display:
As mentioned above, Honor 7 comes with 5.2 inches full HD display which looks sharp and clear. The IPS panel ensures good viewing angles and works perfectly under bright sunlight. The biggest disadvantage is that the display is good but isn't something stellar which we have come to expect from flagship devices by other brands.
Huawei Honor 7 review: Camera.
Huawei Honor 7 comes loaded with a 20 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front camera for selfie addicts. There is a front flashlight with the front camera so that you can get clear selfies without adjusting your face towards the light. Keeping in mind the social photo sharing these days, two kinds of effects have been made available in the camera segment: Good food mode to enhance food photographs and Light Painting mode which can help you with light graffiti and editing. The camera app is fairly advanced and the camera on this device is really great.
We have also included the full size picture samples for you to see!
Here's an unedited full HD video sample from the Honor 7:
Here's a time lapse video sample from the Honor 7:
Here's our Huawei Honor Band Z1 review for those people who are interested in wearables:
A massive 3100mAh Li-polymer battery can help you use your phone care free for at least 1 day on papers, but when you use it excessively, the battery will exhaust within 14-17 hours. Also, one of the biggest disappointment is the non-removable battery, which is truly a hassle for many users.
For the price at which this smartphone retails it's a tough competition for the OnePlus Two and many other budget flagship smartphones out there.
Here's is our initial review for the Huawei Honor 7 smartphone:
Keep visiting for more such tips and tricks, gadget reviews, internet news, lifestyle tips, and remember we cover,
"Everything under the Sun!"
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- OnePlus Two review, the final verdict
- Xiaomi Mi4c specifications and price
- YU Yunique review
- Oppo R7 plus specifications and price
- Oppo R7 lite specifications and price


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Rapid detection of Escherichia coli in water using a hand-held fluorescence detector
Wildeboer, Dirk ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1298-7511, Amirat, Linda, Price, Robert G. and Abuknesha, Ramadan A. (2010) Rapid detection of Escherichia coli in water using a hand-held fluorescence detector. Water Research, 44 (8) . pp. 2621-2628. ISSN 0043-1354 [Article] (doi:10.1016/j.watres.2010.01.020)
The quantification of pathogenic bacteria in an environmental or clinical sample commonly involves laboratory-based techniques and results are not obtained for 24–72 h after sampling. Enzymatic analysis of microbial activity in water and other environmental
samples using fluorescent synthetic substrates are well-established and highly sensitive methods in addition to providing a measure of specificity towards indicative bacteria. The enzyme b-D-glucuronidase (GUD) is a specific marker for Escherichia coli and 4-methylumbelliferone-
b-D-glucuronide (MUG) a sensitive substrate for determining the presence of E. coli in a sample. However, currently used procedures are laboratory-based and require
bench-top fluorimeters for the measurement of fluorescence resulting from the enzyme–substrate reaction. Recent developments in electronic engineering have led to the miniaturisation of fluorescence detectors. We describe the use of a novel hand-held fluorimeter to directly analyse samples obtained from the River Thames for the presence of E. coli. The results obtained by the hand-held detector were compared with those obtained with an established fluorescent substrate assay and by quantifying microbial growth on a chromogenic medium. Both reference methods utilised filtration of water samples. The miniaturised
fluorescence detector was used and incubation times reduced to 30 min making the detection system portable and rapid. The developed hand-held system reliably detected
E. coli as low as 7 cfu/mL river water sample. Our study demonstrates that new handheld fluorescence measurement technology can be applied to the rapid and convenient
detection of bacteria in environmental samples. This enables rapid monitoring to be carried out on-site. The technique described is generic and it may, therefore, be used in conjunction with different fluorescent substrates which allows the assessment of various target microorganisms in biological samples.
|Item Type:
|Keywords (uncontrolled):
|Microbial detection; water testing; fluorescent substrates; β-D-glucuronidase
|Research Areas:
|A. > School of Science and Technology > Natural Sciences
A. > School of Science and Technology > Natural Sciences > Biophysics and Bioengineering group
|ISI Impact:
|Item ID:
|Useful Links:
|Depositing User:
|Dirk Wildeboer
|Date Deposited:
|16 Feb 2010 08:53
|Last Modified:
|13 Oct 2016 14:17
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|View Item
Additional statistics are available via IRStats2.


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Vodafone Portugal renews SIC distribution
December 21, 2015
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
Portuguese media group Impresa has signed a new distribution deal for its thematic channels with Vodafone Portugal, valid until 2018.
The agreement, which commences on January 1st 2016, will see the distribution of the SIC Notícias, SIC Radical, SIC Mulher and SIC Caras.
SIC Caras will be available to over 400,000 Vodafone Portugal subscribers for the first time, as the channel, dedicated to entertainment news, was previously carried only by rival pay-TV operator NOS.
National commercial broadcaster SIC is also negotiating the extension of its existing channel distribution contract with PT Portugal's Meo that expires at the end of this month.
SIC's rival, TVI, is also in the process of re-negotiating a TV channel distribution deal with Meo.
For its part, Portuguese public broadcaster RTP managed to sign a new distribution deal for its TV channels with Meo last month.
Vodafone is the third largest pay-TV platform in Portugal, with a 9.6 per cent market share in September, behind NOS and Meo. However, it has been registering the highest growth rate in the segment for the past few months.


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Important Note: These are the Secret Blogging Tips written to guide the new bloggers who want to learn about blogging. Even if you are an intermediate blogger, you can get a huge benefit from it.
I still remember my initial stages of blogging, when I used to seek the ways to learn blogging in a quick way. Though it's not the quick learning process, and may take a certain amount of time to get a command on it.
If I look back, the journey of 2 years makes me feel that I have acquired some grasp on it. However, there is a very similar scenario, even today. The newcomers in the blogging, still struggling to give a perfect start for the blogging, but getting failed.
Even I have seen, some of the newbies are just copy-pasting and scraping the original content. They don't get anything out of it, but failure for sure.
Blogging is getting a more importance day by day and a lot of blogs are being launched in every second worldwide. Most of them get a failure due to the inadequate guides and strategies applied to them.
However, I am not an expert blogger, but in this blog post, we are going to discuss a few Secret Blogging Tips that helped me a lot and surely will help you too.
7 Personal Secret Blogging Tips for New Bloggers
How will you get an idea to write your next blog post? Obviously, you will go to your favorite search engine and look for your topic. But in most of cases, you will not get any idea about what topic you should write. At that time, the best thing to do is reading other people's blogs what they are saying.
I know your mind is not the Google search engine and you will require something fresh and spicy that can make your brain color red and you will be able to create some new post ideas that time.
In my case, I go offline and observe things nearby me or read something away from the internet. It could be the newspaper or some kind of magazines.
Being Original
Google loves the original content more and obviously the blog reader too. If you are a blogger, then your blog reader will always expect something fresh and unique from you. If you get failed to provide them the fresh content, you will lose the blog.
If you are not getting any clue about the topic, then you can go for the first tip very well.
The interaction
Now you have a blog with some awesome unique content, and you now need to bring the audience and readers for it. Any idea about it? No.
The simplest answer is to interact the other bloggers with the same and related niche. If you are interested, then you can read these tips to create a relationship with fellow bloggers, that I had written a few times ago.
Social Media Strategies
Today, the social media has become the best place to market yourself. If you want to create your online presence with the blog, then, nothing is better than social media. You can create the social network profiles for you and your blog.
The platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and Pinterest are some popular social media networks that can create the awareness of your brand over the Internet.
Also Check :
Choose a Topic and Maintain Consistency
The most important thing in the blogging is being regularly and having a consistent posting schedule. You will not succeed if you don't have a perfect strategy for your blog. Currently, I update this blog twice a week with some useful content.
Don't think that you must update the blog every day. However, it depends on the Niche of the blog. If you are writing some time-based posts, then it becomes necessary to update it every day with a few numbers of post.
If you are writing some evergreen contents, like health or personality development, then you can create the one article at least in two days. If you don't have any idea about article writing, you can check this post how to write your first blog post.
If you have enough time, then it's all up to you as there is no hard and fast rule for posting. But being consistent is most important.
Writing for Yourself
You know, people love to read personal stories more than any kind of content. If you have some expertise in a particular field, then it will be beneficial to choose that topic as blogging niche. If you have expertise, then you could be able to write it with more passion and perfection.
Sharing the experience with the world could be more than blogging. You will definitely enjoy it while writing and share.
Blog Design
The last thing is the most of the bloggers worry about blog design. However, it will not give a boosting to our blogging, but a poor design of the blog will throw away the reader of the blog.
It's better to keep the reading place neat and clean without interruption. Imagine yourself in a library where you find no place to find your favorite books and surrounding with a noise. Would you be able to read anything on such place? No.
Think about the readers. Labnol.org has a very very simple design but with worthy content. Your blog design will do nothing if you are providing million dollar content to someone.
Final Words
I hope you enjoyed these secret blogging tips. However, it will take a time to be stable in the blogging. What can you do is read more and more and gain knowledge about your topic in the meantime. If you are still readings this article, then you should not make it late to share this worthy content with your fellows.


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Follow this expert's advice to target big fish
Every summer, when July and August roll around and Tommy Vidrine can tear himself away from catching hammer speckled trout at Grand Isle for a while, he heads offshore in pursuit of another hard-fighting fish.
He's after mangrove snapper, and he says now's the best time of the year to catch them.
"July and August are probably the best for mangrove. Right now, they get greedy, greedy," said Vidrine, an independent contractor for Aflac who lives in Baton Rouge. "It's not uncommon to go out there and murder them if you have the right setup — and a little bit of knowledge and skill."
To that end, Vidrine shared his Top 3 tips and tactics to help you mop up on mangroves this summer.
1. Use the right equipment
Vidrine favors a Carolina rig to deliver live pogies and croakers to the depths where mangroves lurk around offshore rigs.
"We use 80-pound braid and I put a 1- or 1 ½-ounce lead weight on top of a swivel, with about a 4-foot, 50-pound fluorocarbon leader," he said. "That's about the biggest I can tie really good on a small hook. If you get too heavy with the leader, it's hard to tie a little hook on."
If he's targeting smaller mangroves in the 2- to 3-pound range at closer-in rigs in 30 to 40 feet of water out to about 3 miles, Vidrine downsizes his hook to a small 1-inch, 1/0 J-hook. But he beefs up hooks when he heads to depths greater than 100 feet.
"If you want to get the wolves like I call them — the 6-, 8- or 10-pounders — you have to go to 70 to 100 feet of water minimum," he said. "Then I use a 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook. That way you don't have to set the hook, you let the fish hook himself. When they bite, people have a tendency to want to set the hook and lift it, but you can't do that. You have to wait until that rod is almost bent in half, then you lift up and reel.
"People that go out there that aren't experienced miss a lot of fish because they jerk it when they feel that pull."
The right rod is also critical, he said.
"You need a nice offshore rod that's not too limber because you have to be able to horse them out of the rigs," he said. "Another thing that's important, especially if you're fishing with your wife, is a hard plastic fighting belt. My wife, as small as she is, gets all the leverage she wants pulling on that fish with the belt that clips around you — not the tie-on.
"It makes all the difference in the world if she's reeling in a 10-pound mangrove in her being able to handle the fish or having to pass it to me. The belt is very important unless you're a big bulky man that wants to be macho."
2. Go only in the right conditions
Vidrine heads offshore in a 24-foot bay boat, so the right weather is crucial for him to even attempt a trip.
"I like to go when the tide is not too strong — that's my favorite time," he said. "But I look at the seas No. 1. One- to 2-foot seas with a 5 to 10 mph wind are ideal to be comfortable out there.
"It seems like when it's slick calm, that's when I really smoke them."
If possible, he likes to head out when the moon is small, too.
"Every time I go around a full moon, it seems like I get a lot of sharks. I can hardly get my bait in the water," he said. "It's like it puts them in a frenzy. I think the moon has a lot to do with sharks."
3. Use the proper techniques
Vidrine said live bait is crucial to consistently catch more fish — he's partial to croakers and pogies.
"The pogies catch all the big fish," he said. "If the water is clear, I think they'll come out 30 or 40 feet away from the rig if they see that pogey struggling on that fluorocarbon line with a small hook. They're not always in the rig like people think. But if you're fishing with dead bait, make sure to hide the hook."
Free-lining is obviously tough with any tidal movement at all, so Vidrine prefers to deliver the live bait directly down to where the mangroves are gathered via the Carolina rig. But how far down is that?
"If the water is clear, I always say let your bait down until you can't see it anymore. When it disappears, that's about where you want to be," he said. "Sometimes you can see 30 feet down. When it's that far, they're going to be deeper because they're a little shy. When the water is murky, they might be only 15 feet from the top."
Adjusting your drag is also vital to success, Vidrine said.
"Tighten your drag all the way down. Those first 2 or 3 feet when you have to turn his head are very important," he said. "So I put the drag all the way down. I'm just trying to get them out of there, and if you're close to the rig, I keep the drag tight. If you can get off the rig a little bit, you might not have to horse them so fast."
Vidrine isn't a fan of chumming because of the sharks it attracts, but he's definitely not afraid to try all sides of a rig to locate mangroves.
"It's like selling — there's not one right way to do it," he said. "You can try the easiest way first, which is down current with the rig hook. But I'll try up current, and even go on the side of the rig and run my motor if I have to.
"I like trial and error."
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Last year a school class of twelve year olds reported ToysRus Christmas catalogue to the Advertising Ombudsman in Sweden for "sexual discrimination" in their advertising - and won.
The class said that in the catalogue "All the girls are always dressed in pink, only found on the princess and Barbie pages, posing 'awkward' and never included in any of the action toy areas". The kids suggested that the background colors of the catalogue should be made neutral instead of stark pinks and blues, that girls should also been seen on the Lego and Toy car pages and that the princess and knight dress up pages could be gender mixed as suggestions on how to "stop reinforcing traditional gender roles". The class ended their motivation with calling the catalogue "old-fashioned and insulting". The Advertising Ombudsman took their time, but have now agreed with the class and Toys R Us need to rethink that pink. Source: Aftonbladet
Last year: Fourth graders make Pottery Barn change their catalog to be more gender neutral.


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For nearly 20 years, Shelley Clark has been involved in the hospitality industry, orchestrating marketing communications campaigns that have launched, built and expanded brands. Equally versed in the operation of hotels – boutique to grand - and restaurants – casual to fine dining – she is adept at identifying the distinguishing characteristics of a brand's DNA that are most likely to command consumer interest, while distinguishing it in the marketplace.
Prior to founding Platform Communications in 2007, Clark served ten years as vice president of Lou Hammond & Associates, one of the most respected hospitality and lifestyle-focused public relations firms in the United States. During her tenure there she directed the promotion of such international icons as The Waldorf-Astoria (for which she introduced Laurent Gras to the American market at Peacock Alley), Relais & Châteaux (North America) and Tavern on the Green. All of which she garnered prestigious awards from the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, for placements in the likes of: The New York Times, USA Today, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Food Network, New York Post, Nations' Restaurant News, Restaurants & Institutions, Wall Street Journal, Good Morning America, Crain's New York Business and Financial Times. In addition to her work with such well established entities, she launched new restaurant and hotel concepts and rehabilitated the public image of others.
Regardless of a brand's maturity, Clark developed strategic partnerships, organized noteworthy special events and created innovative programs that captured the imagination of the media, as well as drove business.
Clark began her hospitality industry-centric career in the early '90s as the director of communications for the Crowne Plaza-Manhattan, the flagship for what was then the new upscale brand of Holiday Inn. A member of the hotel's opening team, Clark took a cue from the property's location on Broadway to position it as the Theater District's premier hotel, attracting Broadway openings and helping to establish the Broadway Walk of Fame.
Her success in making the hotel a new star on New York's hospitality landscape, attracted the attention of legendary restaurateur Warner LeRoy, who recruited her to his famed Tavern on the Green – an association that remains in place to this day. Recent Tavern on the Green initiatives driven by Clark include the publishing of the landmark restaurant's first book, the forging of a brand extending relationship on QVC and securing a contract for a pilot from a major cable television outlet.
Other current clients include: Pera Mediterranean Brasserie, rated a Top 5 Newcomer by Zagat 2008 and 230 Fifth, New York City's largest rooftop bar.
Before becoming entrenched in hospitality, Clark logged public relations experience in the general lifestyle arena.


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Thursday's serving of... 'MiracleGro for Your Mind'
(Click on any image to enlarge.) #3048-Thursday
You already possess the SKILLS... to discover your own greatness!
You already possess the SKILLS... to discover your own greatness!
Think of the 'IQ Morning Report' as... "Breakfast for your Brain"
If you're a hard worker who still has unanswered questions about the actions and
activities that lead to habitual success... you've certainly come to the right place.
activities that lead to habitual success... you've certainly come to the right place.
Even more cures for 'Stinkin Thinkin' can be found in...
Featuring... "The lessons they didn't teach you in school."
Happiness "Hamburgers"
The Art of... Selling Yourself
How to Tell a Good Story - Nancy Duarte
Two short "Build-A-Better-Life" videos from "Peak Performance Experts"
Your ultimate success is secretly buried
within your daily behaviors.
Dr Gilbert has the details...
(To watch the video click anywhere on Dr Gilbert's image.)
'You Don't Sell Products, Benefits
or Solutions - You Sell Feelings'
(3 new notes for your notebook)
(1) As professional persuaders, we must identify which of 16 deeply seated core psychological needs motivates a specific prospect to take action. It is our job to keep that motivational vision of a better life alive so the prospect continues to see the ultimate value you offer as they achieve their dreams.
(2) Several years ago, Yale University did a study that found the most persuasive words in the English language are: you, new, money, easy, discovery, free, results, health, save, proven, guarantee and love. All these words share three characteristics: they are simple, familiar and dramatic.
(3) The words 'I noticed' have a powerful subconscious effect on people because they send a subliminal message to them that they stood out in the crowd, that they are attractive or charismatic or that they impressed you. People love recognition and attention.
Your situation in life is a mirror reflection of your THINKING
The "IQ Morning Report" is published by Jim Vaughan featuring...
"Ideas to improve all the tomorrows of your life."
The IQ Morning Report is a website that exist for educational purposes. The architecture of this site is a link directory, linked to audio, print, photography, and video content, freely available to anyone who has the time to search for it. The primary benefit we offer you is the amount of time (about three hours for each edition) we save for our "build-a-better life" subscribers.
We are proponents of the ownership rights of copyrighted materials Our lead in and link to content on your site, in our opinion, falls under the "Fair Use" clause of copyright law. Fair Use, noun, (in US copyright law) the doctrine that brief excerpts of copyright material may, under certain circumstances, be quoted verbatim for purposes such as criticism, news reporting, teaching, and research, without the need for permission from or payment to the copyright holder. Should you or your company own copyrighted material that we link to and you would prefer we not do so in the future, send us an email and we will cheerfully, immediately, comply with your request. email@example.com
Some of the training courses we talk about on this site offer affiliate marketing programs meaning, if you buy from them we are paid a commission. Nothing you will see on this page was chosen for that reason. If we believe in the program, we added it to the site. Our long term reputation for excellence is far more valuable to us than any short term commissions we might earn from a sale. If you are not 100% satisfied with any vendor, please let us know. We can make that vendor disappear faster than we were able to add them. Jim Vaughan, Editor
"Shared" content from a variety of Social Media platforms.
IQMR's Voicemail Hotline - 941-227-6277


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Forecasting The Rebound And Bottom.
Written by Syndicated Publisher 2 Comments
June 7, 2012
Last night on the radio show I said that the market would likely get a very strong bounce today due to the hints that QE 3 was on the way as Jon Hilsenrath of the WSJ hit the wires with last night stating "Disappointing U.S. economic data, new strains in financial markets and deepening worries about Europe's fiscal crisis have prompted a shift at the Federal Reserve, putting back on the table the possibility of action to spur the recovery." I said that the first target would be a bounce to 1313 and then our targets set out in last weekend's missive of 1337.
In just one day the markets not only reached the first target of 1313 but also retraced 50% of the oversold condition that existed as of yesterday. Let me be clear. This is not the beginning of a new bull rally. This is the extreme oversold bounce that we stated would happen as stocks and commodities had reached 2 and 3-standard deviations below their moving averages. We also stated the interest rates would reverse as money moved out of bonds and back into risk assets. This is exactly what occurred today.
The question is now what does happen next?
In each of the past two summers the market has experienced an initial very sharp decline which took the markets from extremely over bought to extremely over sold. This temporary washout allowed for a bounce back to previous resistance levels where investors, previously trapped into the decline, begin liquidating out of the market.
It was at this point that the markets retraced and set new lows as concerns over a weakening economy, the lack of liquidity and Eurozone crisis that continued to plague the markets. As stimulative programs were introduced in late summer and early fall the markets rallied and broke out of their respective downtrends.
I highly suspect that the current rebound will last only a few days more at the most. I mentioned last night that positions should be sold at levels of 1313 to 1330 and this is still the most recommended course of action at the current time.
Do not dismiss the many headwinds that currently face the market:
- The economy is very weak and susceptible to external shocks
- The Eurozone will slow economic growth in the U.S. – the only real question is how much?
- The "fiscal cliff" will have to be dealt with – but when and will it be too late?
- The debt ceiling debate is approaching, again.
- Emerging markets are slowing as well putting more pressure on the U.S. economy.
- Economic indicators are all beginning to signs of increased weakness
- The Eurozone crisis continues with no real solution in site.
- Corporate profits continue to weaken
- Market valuations and price targets are still very optimistic
All of these issues, and many more, currently put equity investors at risk. This is why we have recommended holding higher cash levels than normal and waiting for a better risk/reward entry point ahead. With our "sell" signals currently in play it has paid to remain cautious since our initial recommendations back in April.
The bottom of the next decline will likely be between August and September with a potential of 1200-1250 on the S&P 500. If this occurs, and I suspect that this will coincide with the initiation of a new round of bond buying (QE3), which will provide investors with the best opportunity to increase equity exposure in portfolios for the end of the year.
Recommended Actions and Allocation
On this rally it is important to take action to raise cash and reduce portfolio risk. We related these actions to the concept of managing a garden. If you don't weed, prune and harvest the garden it will die and the bounty will wither and rot on the vine. These recommended actions in our recent interviews still remain salient today:
- Sell laggards and losers and remove them from portfolios entirely. (weed the garden)
- Harvest profits in winners by reducing weights back to original purchase sizes. (harvest the bounty)
- Reweight portfolio allocations to align with recommended target levels – 35% Cash, 35% Fixed Income and 30% Equities. (prune the garden)
The next buying opportunity will come when we start getting more information about the next quantitative easing program from the Fed. It is only a function of time as there are simply no other tools available to support the markets and the banks. Do not be fooled – QE is only about supporting the banking institutions and Wall Street and has no real effect on the economy. In fact, I would argue, that QE is actually very bad for the economy longer term as it creates inflationary pressures that immediately attack the average household in the forms of higher food, energy and utility costs.
The only problem that currently exists is that we do not know WHEN it will arrive, or in what form, which will have various effects on the market and asset classes. DISCLAIMER: All of the analysis in this report is based on the assumption that the next QE from the Federal Reserve will arrive between August and September of 2012. If it arrives earlier than that then the recommendations will immediately change.
When it comes to technical analysis – we are making an evaluation of what is most likely going to happen in the future based upon the weight of evidence of what has occurred in the past. It is NOT an exact science and must be constantly measured, evaluated and tweaked.
- You must be prepared to sell investments at a loss.
- You must be prepared to be wrong.
- You must be willing to take action today that may have a negative result in the future.
These are all part of the risks of investing in the financial markets. If you cannot comply with these basic rules you have no business investing in the market. However, by limiting losses, taking profits and following some sort of investment discipline that keeps you on the right side of the trade 60-70% of the time – you will be a successful investor over the long term.
Remember – the biggest detriment to your success as an investor are your own emotions. It is always generally better to do exactly the opposite of what you feel. "Buy" when you are scared and "Sell" when you are greedy.
More often than not – you will be right.
Images: Flickr (licence attribution)
About The Author
Lance Roberts – Host of Streettalk Live
After having been in the investing world for more than 25 years from private banking and investment management to private and venture capital; Lance has pretty much "been there and done that" at one point or another. His common sense approach has appealed to audiences for over a decade and continues to grow each and every week.
Lance is also the Chief Editor of the X-Report, a weekly subscriber based-newsletter that is distributed nationwide. The newsletter covers economic, political and market topics as they relate to the management portfolios. A daily financial blog, audio and video's also keep members informed of the day's events and how it impacts your money.Lance's investment strategies and knowledge have been featured on Fox 26, CNBC, Fox Business News and Fox News. He has been quoted by a litany of publications from the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, The Washington Post all the way to TheStreet.com as well as on several of the nation's biggest financial blogs such as the Pragmatic Capitalist, Zero Hedge and Seeking Alpha.


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I'm so busy lately and my blogging is not so efficent as I would like but there are moments that you just have no time at all.
I will do my best to keep this place full of inspirations as much as I can but I suppose that till the day of my Wedding will be very difficult... :)
Find here this very cool lookbook by Thread & Stone.
IDAD on Facebook / Pinterest / WEB


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Anti-tank mines stolen from train in Warrington
- Published
Detectives are searching for anti-tank mines stolen from a freight train after it pulled into Warrington.
Ten packages of munitions, each containing four weapons cases, were on the train when it left Longtown, Cumbria, at 11:30 BST on Wednesday.
They were found to be missing when the train arrived at Didcot, Oxfordshire.
Seven were found near a railway line near Folley Lane, Warrington, but three packages are still missing, North-West Counter Terrorism Unit (NWCT) said.
The Ministry of Defence-owned munitions were taken off the train when it was temporarily stationary in Warrington, police said.
'Could be hazardous'
They are appealing for anyone who has seen the packages to get in touch.
The mines are described as being rectangular plastic tubes, approximately 4ft (1.2m) in length.
Greater Manchester Police's NWCT is investigating, along with the Metropolitan Police Service, British Transport Police and Ministry of Defence.
Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney, of the NWCT, said: "At this stage there is nothing to suggest the theft is terrorist-related, but due to the potential complexity of the investigation, our inquiries are being led by counter-terrorism officers.
"I want to make it clear that, in their normal condition, these munitions are stable and do not pose a risk to the public.
"However, the materials could be hazardous if they were to be tampered with and we therefore ask that anyone who sees them or knows where they are to call the police as soon as possible."


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"Rev. Dave" is recuperating at home after a successful procedure at UPMC Presbyterian hospital, Pittsburgh. He and Peg thank you for your continued prayers and good wishes.
So far, his doctors report that there are no apparent complications. He was discharged Thursday evening and is now resting. (At the recommendation of his doctor, Rev. Dave and Peg also continue to ask you to please refrain from visiting, though cards and notes are gratefully accepted.)
The pastor is in contact with senior warden Karen Slobodian and other members of the church vestry.
Please also keep other members of the parish in your prayers, including Ed Seddon, who is also recovering from a recent medical procedure.


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Interview Tip:
Show Your Humanity
Some candidates are overly concise on questions about hobbies, family, and spare time activities. But these questions often mean the difference between getting an offer and a rejection. You may be competing with people whose qualifications and accomplishments are very similar to your own. The interviewer and others in the organization want to know that you'll fit. So let them get to know you as a person. Telephone interviews, preparation of written material such as the resume, networking, research, and good grooming—they're all important. But selling yourself during the interview is the most critical part of implementing your career or job change.


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Read about Josh Ritter's forthcoming release 'Gathering'
Josh Ritter's New Album Due September 22
First Single Premieres
Extensive Tour Dates Announced
Gathering and will be available September 22 2017 on Pytheas Recordings/Thirty Tigers.
The release of Gathering marks twenty years since Ritter began recording and performing music. Along with his loyal band-mates, the Royal City Band, and engineer Trina Shoemaker, Ritter returned to the Clubhouse studio in Rhinebeck, NY with more songs than he'd ever had before at one time.
Re-energized after a recent collaboration with legendary musician Bob Weir and—at the same time—tired of living in the shadow of his earlier self, Ritter felt charged with exploring the possibility of cutting himself loose from his own and others' expectations. In his words:
"I began with an exciting sense of dissatisfaction, and what emerged, as I began to find my voice, was a record full of storms. I still can't tell what era these stories are from. They feel part roustabout, part psalm to me."
The thirteen songs featured on the album touch on themes of uncertainty, mania, laughter and sadness. One of the tracks 'When Will I Be Changed' features special guest vocals and guitar from Weir.
In support of the release, Ritter and the Royal City Band will kick off an extensive tour including a debut headline performance at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium on February 16. Tickets for the tour go on-sale this Friday, July 21 and include a download of the forthcoming album upon release date. See below for complete details.
Over the course of his acclaimed two decade career, Ritter has released eight full-length albums including his most recent, 2015's Sermon On The Rocks, which received widespread critical praise.
In 2015, Ritter began a close collaboration with Weir and went on to write or co-write many of the twelve songs on Weir's acclaimed 2016 solo album, Blue Mountain.
In addition to his work as a musician, Ritter made his debut as a published author in 2011 with his New York Times best-selling novel, Bright's Passage (Dial Press/Random House). Of the work, Stephen King writes in The New York Times Book Review, "Shines with a compressed lyricism that recalls Ray Bradbury in his prime…This is the work of a gifted novelist."
The Royal City Band is Zachariah Hickman (bass, acoustic guitar, wurlitzer), Sam Kassirer (piano, organ, synthesizers, percussion), Josh Kaufman (guitar, synthesizer) and Ray Rizzo (drums, percussion).
1. Shaker Love Song (Leah)
2. Showboat
3. Friendamine
4. Feels Like Lightning
5. When Will I Be Changed (feat. Bob Weir)
6. Train Go By
7. Dreams
8. Myrna Loy
9. Interlude
10. Cry Softly
11. Oh Lord (Part 3)
12. Thunderbolt's Goodnight
13. Strangers
October 22—Dallas, TX—Granada Theater
October 23—Birmingham, AL—Saturn
October 24—Atlanta, GA—Variety Playhouse
October 25—Carrboro, NC—Cat's Cradle
October 27—Boston, MA—House of Blues
October 28—Portland, ME—State Theater
October 29—New York, NY—Brooklyn Steel
November 1—Pittsburgh, PA—Mr. Smalls
November 2—Washington, DC—Lincoln Theater
November 4—Northampton, MA—Calvin Theater
November 5—Philadelphia, PA—Union Transfer
November 8—Toronto, ON —Opera House
November 9—Chicago, IL—The Vic
December 2— Berlin, DE—Passionskirche
December 3—Nijmegen, NL —Doornroosje
December 4—Amsterdam, NL—Paradiso
December 5—London, UK— O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
December 6—Belfast, UK—Mandela Hall
December 7—Dublin, IE—Vicar Street (seated show)
December 8—Dublin, IE—Vicar Street (standing show)
December 10—Limerick, IE—Dolan's
December 11—Cork, IE—Cork Opera House
January 12—Austin, TX—ACL Live at the Moody Theater
January 13—Houston, TX—Heights Theater
January 15—Tucson, AZ—Rialto Theater
January 16—San Diego, CA—Belly Up
January 17—Los Angeles, CA—Teragram Ballroom
January 19—San Francisco, CA—The Fillmore
January 20—San Francisco, CA—The Fillmore
January 24—Portland, OR—Crystal Ballroom
January 25—Seattle, WA—Neptune
January 26—Spokane, WA—Knitting Factory
January 27—Boise, ID—Knitting Factory
January 29—Denver, CO—Ogden
January 30—Lawrence, KS—Liberty Hall
January 31—Minneapolis, MN—Fitzgerald Theater
February 16—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
Read about Josh Ritter's forthcoming release 'Gathering'
Read about Josh Ritter's forthcoming release 'Gathering'
Read about Josh Ritter's forthcoming release 'Gathering'


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Stress is a perfectly natural feeling that everybody experiences in one form or another.
Everyone has 'mental health' and this can be thought of in terms of:
Being mentally healthy is also about having the strength to overcome the difficulties and challenges we can all face at times in our lives, to have confidence and self-esteem, and to be able to take decisions and believe in ourselves.
It is quite normal to sometimes feel worried, anxious or upset when things don't go as you hope – everyone faces pressure in their lives at certain times and these can include:
There is plenty of help and support to guide you if you need help with your emotional wellbeing.
Watch the video below where Carrie Hope Fletcher talks about ways to deal with a stressful life:
Northamptonshire County Council are working together with local partners to develop local transformation plans for delivering improvements in children and young people's mental health and wellbeing in Northamptonshire over the next 5 years.
This is to ensure that every child or young person gets the help they need when and where they need it. Find out more on the
Northamptonshire Clinical Commissioning Group Future in Mind website.


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American President Lyndon Johnson makes a dramatic call for more forces to Vietnam.
Short Summary
United States of America & Vietnam.
Title reads 'Strength and the Striving for Peace'.
CU. American President Lyndon Johnson at microphone delivering a speech - natural sound. He says: "We have learned at a terrible and a brutal cost, that retreat does not bring safety and weakness does not bring peace. And it is this lesson that has brought us to Vietnam".
GV. American wooded countryside. GV. Flyover highway system. MS. Modern American train. LS. Golden Gate bridge. Top shot, Manhattan. People walking and picnicking at one of America's national parks. MS. Man fishing from edge of lake. MV. Pan down a palm tree onto tropical beach. Voiceover talks about the need to help defend 'the small and valiant nation' - Vietnam.
Cut back to President Johnson continuing his speech: "What are goals in that war stained land? First we intend to convince the Communist that we cannot be defeated by force of arms or by superior power. Second, once the Communists know, as we know, that a violent solution is impossible, then a peaceful solution is inevitable".
LS. New York street with illuminated sign telling news on draft increase. Various shots of the newspapers arriving at stalls, the headlines read 'Draft Doubled'. GV. Front of US Army building in New York. Various shots of young volunteers queuing to enrol, they start to fill in the enrolment forms. MS. Instructor telling them what to do. CU. Sign 'Oath Room'. MS. Recruits with their hands raised taking oaths.
Various shots of the helicopters ready for jungle sorties in Vietnam. MS. F-105 Thunderchief aircraft on tarmac. Air to air shot of Thunderchief flying low and dropping bombs. Air to air shot of group of Thunderchiefs in flight. Ground to air shot of B 52 Jet bomber 'Flying Fortress' flying over. Several shots of tanks on ground. Air shot of wooded area in Vietnam.
CU. President Johnson continues his speech: "We are ready as we have always been to move from the battlefields to the conference table. I stated publicly and many times again and again America's willingness to begin unconditional discussions with any governments at any place at any time. Fifteen efforts have been made to start these discussions with the help of forty nations throughout the world but there has been no answer. But we are going to continue to persist if persist we must until death and desolation has led to the same conference table for others to now join us, and at much smaller cost."
Various shots of the Vietnamese village and town. Several shots of the lorries with US troops moving along Vietnamese countryside. Various shots of the American troops and doctors helping Vietnamese villagers, attending sick and teaching young.
(comb. F.G.)
Date found in the old record - 02/08/1965.
- Film ID:
- 3124.15
- Media URN:
- 88113
- Group:
- Unissued unused
- Archive:
- British Pathé
- Issue Date:
- 1965
- Sound:
- Sound
- HD Format:
- Available on request
- Stock:
- Black & White
- Duration:
- 00:05:19:00
- Time in/Out:
- 01:31:11:00 / 01:36:30:00
- Canister:


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Richmond — Tales of kids taken for emergency mental care in handcuffs prompted a legislative panel to step up the pace of change in the way people in mental health crisis get to the hospital.
Paying for an alternative to a trip to the hospital in the back of a police car could cost $10.2 million if phased in statewide, but the panel decided to seek that instead of a more modest $1.7 million program meant to launch alternatives in two regions of the state.
The idea would be to hire firms that operate ambulances or other medical transportation, with staff specially trained to manage adults and children who are in the midst of a mental health crisis, said state Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Warm Springs, the panel's chairman.
The panel endorsed Gov. Terry McAuliffe's proposals to boost spending on mental health programs, including $11.8 million to expand access to same-day mental health assessments at all the state's Community Services Boards, $11.2 million to support outpatient clinics for medical care of people with serious mental illness, $6.9 million on discharge assistance planning to help some 80 to 90 state hospital patients who are ready to leave, and $4.8 million to fund community mental health services for former state hospital patients.
But the governor's budget is structured in a way that would fund those services by tapping Affordable Care Act funds to expand Medicaid, said state Sen Emmett Hanger, R-Mount Solon, a panel member and co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
The General Assembly might not go along, but several members, including Hanger himself, are looking at ways to expand access to Medicaid, he added.
McAuliffe has pushed for Medicaid expansion for four years, but what had been an overwhelmingly Republican House of Delegates has refused to go along. It rebuffed Hanger's own efforts to find a compromise.
But after Tuesday's Newport News recount, the House is now split 50-50, after the election of 16 Democratic challengers, campaigning largely on the need for expanded Medicaid.
Deeds, the panel chairman, said he strongly supports Medicaid expansion as a way to finance badly needed improvements to Virginia's mental health system.
Hanger said he's looking at approaches that might expand eligibility for Medicaid, now income-based, to focus on diagnoses.
Currently, Virginia covers adults with disabilities only if their household incomes are less than 80 percent of the federal poverty level, or $9,648. That is about two-thirds the average disability benefit Social Security pays.
Amy Woolard, an attorney with the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville, told the panel about two instances in which a 7-year-old and 10-year old in mental health emergencies were cuffed before police officers took them to the hospital.
"I don't blame law enforcement … there's no alternative," she said.
"But the 7-year-old was in foster care and had just seen his father arrested and handcuffed," she said.
She added that re-enacting his father's experience made it that much harder for the 7-year-old to recover from the crisis.
State Sen. Janet Howell, D-Reston, said she's been hearing complaints from sheriff's departments, families of people with mental illnesses, providers of mental health treatment and courts that Virginia needs to find an alternative for getting people in a crisis to care.
Sheriffs complain about the cost and say deputies can be tied up for hours as mental health officials try to find a hospital bed — often one across the state that requires hours of driving. Families and therapists say the process is traumatic.


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Last August, just before her wedding, Valerie Brosdal, 53, was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Having always lived a healthy lifestyle and not smoking a day in her life, it was a diagnosis that shook her and her soon-to-be husband Ralph Kapostins' world.
During the months following her diagnosis, Valerie received immunotherapy infusion treatments, as part of a clinical research trial at the University of California Cancer Center. It was a difficult time that sent Valerie into a "very dark place".
Trying to lift her spirits, Ralph took her for a pedicure. When it came to choosing a polish color, Valerie chose her favorite color – purple. In the hopes of making his wife laugh, he decided to paint his toes with purple too.
And according to Ralph, it seemed to do the trick!
Wanting to share the funny moment with friends, Ralph posted a picture of their matching toes on Facebook. That was just the beginning of the awesomeness that was to come.
Friends shared the photo, and others started painting their toes purple and sending Valerie pics. Then strangers got in on it. Valerie started receiving photos from people all over the world, and the hashtag #PurpleToes started to trend on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest!
Ralph's simple gesture quickly turned into a fundraising campaign, now called The Purple Toes Campaign. With the help of friends the campaign has raised more than $12,000 with the money being donated to Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation.
Even the nail polish company OPI has gotten involved. For donations of $25 or more made to the campaign, donors will receive a bottle of OPI's Purple with a Purpose color, which is being generously donated by the beauty brand.
What started as a small gesture of love from a husband to his wife has turned into a something so much more, helping so many others. Valerie and Ralph remain committed to spreading the word about the value of early detection of lung cancer, particularly in people who have never smoked, like Valerie.
Here's how you can get involved:
- Donate to the campaign
- Submit a photo of your purple toes to firstname.lastname@example.com. Photo will be included in the living mural that is being created by Ralph, Valerie's husband.
- Go viral by joining the #purpletoes conversation and sharing your photos on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter to show your support.
- Follow Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF) on Facebook as well as Twitter @End_Lung_Cancer to learn more about the fight against lung cancer.
- Get the word out to family, friends, co-workers and others to participate.
- Ask your nail and hair salon(s) to post the Purple Toes Campaign Flyer so their clients can participate.
- Host a Purple Toes Party and paint everyone's toes purple – women, men and even pets! Each bottle of Purple with a Purpose will polish approximately 45 sets of toes. Send in the pics!


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Taken to standout status courtesy of a unique white-washed finish, this modern oak cabinet - handcrafted in Northumberland - is the ultimate statement piece.
British Statement
Silky oak is the main material of choice for this unique cabinet. Master artisans introduce distinctive form and texture to the design by gently applying a white wash finish, while a solid antiqued brass base and handles add a luxe metallic touch.
Immaculate Interior
The design opens to reveal three chunky shelves inside and two cupboards, all finely finished with an exquisite oak veneer to match the exterior. The design can also be created as a wardrobe with a single hanging rail - please contact our Concierge team to discuss custom requirements.
FBC Design
FBC London designs are the creative brainchild of Fiona Barratt-Campbell - one of Britain's leading interior designers. Her pieces showcase the best of British craftsmanship, as well as her eye for extraordinary materials and elegant modern aesthetics.


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Canada has a strong democratic tradition, and it's up to us to keep it that way.
The latest Democracy Index rankings, released earlier this month, put Canada in fifth place out of 167 countries around the world. Other countries near the top include Norway, Iceland, Sweden and New Zealand.
The annual index is conducted each year by The Economist, a London-based news magazine and evaluates each country on several criteria.
The most robust democracies were listed as full democracies, where elections are fair and free, and civil liberties are respected.
By comparison, the United States placed 25th and was listed as a flawed democracy.
The U.S. has been declining in the rankings in recent years.
The index also includes authoritarian regimes such as North Korea, China and Cuba. It also lists hybrid regimes, where election fraud and corruption are common, as is low participation in the political process.
Canada's democratic system is something to be treasured, but in order to maintain this tradition it takes a commitment from all of us.
This involves participating in the electoral process, by voting and perhaps by registering as a candidate or volunteering to help a candidate or political party.
In a democracy, there is room for many voices at decision-making tables.
Maintaining a strong democracy also requires respect for the processes we have in place and respecting the outcomes of elections – even if not all are happy with those results.
And it means holding elected officials to account. Governments, whether at the federal, provincial, regional or municipal levels, exist to serve the public, and those who are elected are there to act in the best interests of their constituents.
A strong, fully functioning democracy also shows itself in the participation of the public, even when elections are not happening.
Those who have concerns about a topic can and should raise their concerns.
We in Canada are able to participate in all levels of government, which is not the case in many other parts of the world. It is up to all of us to maintain that freedom.
— Black Press
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County Championship: Three-day Sussex-Warwickshire finish likely
Last updated on .From the section Counties
|LV= County Championship Division One, BrightonandHoveJobs.com County Ground (day two)
|Warwickshire 180 Robinson 6-33 & 180-7 Clarke 32*, Hobden 4-48
|Sussex 191 Wells 92; Patel 4-24, Clarke 3-45
|Warwickshire lead by 169 runs
|Sussex 3 pts, Warwickshire 3 pts
|Match scorecard
The bowlers were dominant again at Hove as a further 12 wickets fell on day two of Sussex's County Championship Division One game against Warwickshire.
Resuming on their overnight 140-5, Luke Wells reached 92 as Sussex were bowled out for 191 for an 11-run lead.
Rikki Clarke took two of the five morning wickets, then proved the Bears' main contributor with the bat too.
Matt Hobden caused afternoon chaos, taking a career best 4-48. but Clarke is still there on 32 out of 180-7.
|Sussex looking to repeat last season's double
|Sussex did the Championship double over Warwickshire last season, having not won any of the preceding 13 clashes - but the Bears are unbeaten on their last five trips to at Hove (won one, drawn four).
Earlier, Wells had become a fourth victim for Bears off-spinner Jeetan Patel (4-24), who had taken three quarters of his haul the previous evening.
The wicket still offered plenty of seam movement but Wells showed what was possible with careful application until he was bowled trying to cut a ball that kept a shade low.
With opener Ian Westwood absent after being struck on the thumb by Chris Jordan on the first day, Warwickshire began their reply with Ateeq Javid and Varun Chopra, who was leg before to the 10th ball of the innings.
Warwickshire promoted Chris Wright from No.10 to first wicket down and he and Javid survived until lunch before Hobden cut a swathe through Warwickshire's middle order in the afternoon.
Following the lead of fellow seamer Ollie Robinson, who took six wickets in the first innings, he claimed four scalps in 10 hostile overs.
Sussex bowler Matt Hobden:
"I do enjoy bowling down the slope at Hove but I have had trouble with no-balls. So I worked on running in slightly straighter with our bowling coach Jon Lewis and it has paid off.
"If you bowl that heavy, fuller length there is some variable bounce in the wicket so it's great to get four good wickets and hopefully I can get my first five-for in the Championship tomorrow.
"It's very well poised. If we can bowl Warwickshire out cheaply then I think we'd fancy our chances of chasing around 200."
Warwickshire wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose:
"We're 169 ahead and, although you have never got enough runs, we have already got a score we can bowl at.
"To say batting is difficult is an understatement though. At times, it has been nigh on impossible. It has swung on the first two days which has meant there always seems to be a ball with your name on it.
"If you put enough deliveries in the right areas the pitch will do the rest and it could be that the team who gets more luck will win."


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Digital Immortality, Avatars and, Mind Files
Hey guys and gals how are you this week? Have you given any thought to my last blog?
Well today we're going to discuss Digital immortality, Avatars, and Mind Files.
So, you want to jump on the band wagon. Maybe you have heard about Digital Immortality and you want to live forever.
Wait hold up, live forever, what are you talking about?
Digital Immortality is the hypothetical concept of storing a person's personality in more durable media, i.e., a computer. Yes you can now take part in a web based research project by creating a digital Mind File with www.LifeNaut.com
Stop, so now you are asking what is a mind file? At Life Naut you can create a digital back up of your life. Thus you can digitally store, picturs, videos and other documents that create a digital archive of your memories from your life.
The result might look like an avatar behaving, reacting, and thinking like a person on the basis of that person's digital archive.
Yes you can build a photo based Avatar that can become your own artificial intelligence driven interactive digital virtual representation of yourself. Yes, and did I mention that you can talk to it?
It is very easy to do. You train it via this barely complex thing called conversation. Just be yourself and talk to it. And let the artificial intelligence do the rest. It will learn as you go.
The best way to teach your Avatar is to just be yourself and talk to it, as if you are the Avatar yourself.
I am sure that by now you have heard the computer term garbage in garbage out. used to express the idea that in computing and other spheres, incorrect or poor quality input will always produce faulty output.
Well here I am trying to tell you that as you talk to your Avatar at first it will just repeat everything that you say to it.Like a Parrot But eventually after around 2000 lines of communication your Avatar will begin to actually piece your conversations together to make more sense.
But lets get back to choosing our Avatar photo and building the Avatar. A photo that you place as your Icon,just as your photo is placed here,but can be any picture you chose,Avatar,is a picture which represent,s you.
Once you have created an account username and password for Life Naut click on the build tab and simply follow the directions to animate the photo that you have decided upon. Go ahead give it a shot. If you have any questions, topicd you want me to blog about, or if you would like to friend me on Life Naut just search for me by name, or email me
Randy Rolo ONeal
I look forward to meeting some of your Avatars once you get started
Check it outnow.


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Combining an intricate flowering Clematis illustration and digitally created vellum, this is an elegant, memorable Rehearsal dinner invitation. Available in purple, teal, green and gold, it is perfect all seasons
* Revisions include basic changes such as color and font. Major adjustments or a design rework outside of standard revisions will be billed as additional design time.
** Some templates are not eligible for all design services. If a designer determines work cannot be completed on the selected design, a full refund will be processed.
Please wait while we translate the page for you.


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Browsing Lambda Alpha Journal, v.39, 2009 by Subject "Bricolage"
Now showing items 1-1 of 1
Practice, culture and belief among independent inventors: A preliminary study (Wichita State University. Department of Anthropology, 2009)This research looks at a number of cultural resources, material and ideological, inventors use to produce, justify and market inventions. While the sample is small, and limited to one particular kind of inventors, the study ...


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"Writing is the painting of the voice." Voltaire
What does it take to be a writer? No it isn't the flashiest computer money can buy. It has little to do with your opinion. It's really nothing more than a discipline. So, as with all things that require repetition and thought, do it regularly. Some days are better than others. We can ignite a page with words that seem like literary genius or we can have no merit whatsoever. The fact that we continue to write is key.
I've been a writer since I was old enough to put words together on paper. I'm an average writer. There are far more talented people out there who know how to mesh words together into a tapestry so brilliant that they inspire, encourage and motivate.
I discovered early on that I wasn't good at keeping a journal, but I encourage students to do so. My problem is that I can't read my own handwriting, so I go straight to my computer to compose. However you choose to write – write. Set aside a time each day that works for you. I've trained myself to do my writing early morning, since that's the time my mind seems to function best.
Find a quiet place to do it. Having many things going on around you can be a great distraction, and as we get older, multi-tasking isn't easy. The beautiful thing about writing is that all you need is a corner of a room devoted for that purpose. I've found that making a habit of writing before I do anything else in a day, has worked for me. Choose what works best for you.
Take time to think before you put your thoughts down on paper. Do any research necessary. Write things you know about – your experiences as a parent, your hobbies, your talents, your testimony, your walk with God. Those things may seem mundane to you, but they may be just what someone needs to hear at the moment.
Don't expect to become famous or rich. Being an artist of any kind is really over rated. Many think that those in the arts are independently wealthy, because the have time to pursue their "hobby." For most artists, their "hobby" is their livelihood and if you sell something it's great, but the sales don't come often. There aren't many authors who can rely only on what they make as a writer to pay the bills.
Don't go into any of the arts with the feeling that you are the only one good at your craft. There are thousands of writers, performers and artists out there, with the same idea of success that you have. However, you should never underestimate your own gifts. God has blessed all of us with amazing talents. Our job is to figure out how to use them to advance His kingdom


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Our team was exited because this year (unlike last year) we were in the Flight 2 bracket. This meant that we would actually have a chance to play all weekend and possibly win this bracket because we would be better matched against the teams.
Last year we were in Flight 1 with all the big schools and on our first game we were eliminated by the team of giants that went on to win the entire tournament. That was extremely disheartening.
But this year, we felt like we could take the lower tiered bracket and bring home a trophy.
We had our first game on Friday night and won handily. The boys played well so we were on to game 2 on Saturday morning. This game was tougher but we held on and won which meant we were on to an afternoon game.
During the afternoon game, we played hard for 3 quarters and managed to stay in the lead through some questionable calls from the refs but as the game progressed, I could feel it slipping away. And at the beginning of the 4th quarter, our best player fouled out and then the whole team imploded.
Peter was angry at the outcome, the officials, the other team, etc. but not with his own team who had their own hand in the loss even though Peter refuses to see it that way. So there were a lot of teachable moments with this game.
Dan's dad made him memorize this poem when he was a teenager:
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,And—which is more—you'll be a Man, my son!
- by Rudyard Kipling
And yes, it's the same poem that Tom Brady posted on social media after the Patriots epic Super Bowl comeback. So, yes, technically my husband and Tom Brady are practically twins.
After our game on Saturday, I told Dan that I think it's time he makes Peter memorize this poem.
And now basketball season is over and we're all feeling a little down and not just because of the loss. I always feel that way when one season ends and another begins. I absolutely love all the boys on Peter's basketball team and their parents, and it was great spending so much time with them. It's always sad when something like that ends.
But track starts next week and so does swimming for Sarah so our evenings will still be busy and time still marches on and that's the way it's supposed to be, but it's still a little bittersweet.


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Things That Go Pump(kin) in the NightPosted: October 31, 2012 Filed under: desserts | Tags: brownies, chocolate, desserts, eggs, food, pumpkin, recipes, seasonal 4 Comments
Happy Halloween folks! Nothing's spookier than a treatless house, right? So bake up these chocolate and pumpkin brownies tonight. Truth-be-told, you're supposed to swirl the layers together, but I guess my swirling skills aren't up to par because I ended up with distinct layers. I actually think I prefer seeing the stripes of chocolate and pumpkin. More festive that way.
Chocolate-Pumpkin Brownies
– 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of unsalted butter
– 6 oz of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
– 2 cups of flour
– 1 teaspoon of baking powder
– ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
– ½ teaspoon of salt
– 1 ½ cup of sugar
– 4 large eggs
– 1 tablespoon of vanilla
– 1 ¼ cups of pumpkin puree
– ¼ cup of vegetable oil
– 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
– ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
– ½ cup of chopped hazelnuts
Heat your oven to 350º.
Lightly butter a 9×13 baking dish (or similar) and set aside.
Melt the butter and the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy and well combined, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the flour mixture a little at time until incorporated.
Pour half of the batter, about 2 cups, into a separate bowl and stir in the chocolate mixture. To the remaining batter, stir in the pumpkin, vegetable oil, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Next, pour half of the chocolate batter into the bottom of the baking dish and use a rubber spatula to smooth out. Top with half of the pumpkin batter, and smooth out with a spatula. Repeat to make one more chocolate and one more pumpkin layer. With a knife or small spatula, gently swirl the 4 layers of batter to create a marbled effect. Top with the chopped hazelnuts. Bake until set, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool and then cut into squares.