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Annual Meeting of the Paleface Ranch Association 09-09-06
The meeting was called to order by vice president Toby Newlin. It was established that those in attendance were sufficient to meet a quorum.
The minutes from the last annual meeting were previously distributed. A motion was made to accept the minutes and it was seconded.
Secretary Ken Thoresen presented a preliminary plan for improvements to be made to the front entrance. The basic plan would call for a cover to the mailboxes, removal and alteration of the bulletin board, and planting the west side of the entrance. Other improvements could be made, such as building rock columns around the existing fence posts, depending on the overall cost. Discussion on the improvements followed and some of the main topics included:
- We should allocate monies to maintain the areas.
- We should prioritize funds for the eventual road improvement.
- Several bids should be procured to get the best value.
- We should change and improve the bulletin board.
- A more appealing entrance would attract potential buyers.
- All lot owners should fund the maintenance of the entrance.
- A comprehensive plan should be developed before improvements begin.
- The board will determine the final development plan.
The discussion about the entrance improvement was tabled to consider it's implications on the budget.
Treasurer Donna Keel reviewed the budget. She noted that last year we had many legal expenses but that the outlook for this year was much better. Two budgets were reviewed for the coming year. The first was if the dues remained the same and the second was if the dues were increased. The first budget included ten thousand dollars for entrance improvement and the second included twenty thousand for the improvement. Other budget items remained the same. Part of the budget is for road maintenance and it was noted that this is following a schedule based on research and estimates from several years ago. It was suggested that new research be done so that the estimates for road expenditures be as accurate as possible. Further extension to the boat ramp was suggested but it does not appear there would be any benefit to it as it is now down to the flat river bed. Annexing the roads to the county was suggested but the roads are not to county standard and most residents prefer to keep a gated community.
The proposed dues increase was introduced as it had significant bearing on the above topics. One resident suggested the dues be increased more than the suggested amount. He noted that several other smaller subdivisions have much higher dues and are better able to maintain and beautify their area. He offered to pay up to $1500 for the development of an entrance improvement plan and, if masonry was needed, up to $2000 for masonry labor. Director Bruce Garlick reported that the increase amount was discussed by the board and that the suggested amount seemed to be the most responsible for the community as a whole. Including proxy votes the proposal to increase the dues to $300 per lot per year passed with 71 in favor and 14 against.
A motion was made to accept the proposed budget based on the $300 dues rate. There was discussion to include maintenance expenses in funds devoted to the entrance improvements. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
Two board members terms expired. Nominated to serve on the board were Gail Finnegan, Mike Natinsky, Mike Hellrung and Sue Bennett. Mrs. Finnegan and Mr. Hellrung were elected and will serve for two years.
Jim Brown gave an update from the Architectural Control Committee. Two homes are currently under construction with several more in the planning stages. Mr. Brown urged that a site development plan listing all improvements be submitted when submitting plans for building a home. For existing homes that wish to add features such as a pool, a similar plan should be submitted.
Old Business:
Director Bruce Garlick recognized the board and the opposing parties for resolving the recent lawsuit. The issue regarding a resident having three horses remains unresolved but one of the horses is for sale. It was noted that several street signs need to be replaced. Residents Gary Scharrer and Rich Watson will work to replace them.
New Business:
Resident Pam Scippa noted that there will again be a neighborhood Halloween hayride.
Mr. Hellrung suggested purchasing an "Oscar Road" sign to be placed on Highway 71 but there was little support for this. He further suggested that the lights for the Paleface Ranch entrance sign be repaired. Volunteer help will be sought for this repair. It was noted that several wells have gone dry. Lowering the pump and installing a retention tank were suggested. It was noted that Time-Warner cable services should be installed by the end of the year. Improvement to the park area was suggested but it does not appear to be a priority for the near future. Megan Klein will take over management of the paleface ranch website.
The meeting was adjourned by Mr. Newlin.
Resident Nancy Lambros gave a report for the Wildlife Coop. She encouraged residents to join the coop. Those who now have an agriculture tax exemption will loose it if they do not choose to join the coop. To join requires completing a membership form that Ms. Lambros can provide. We currently have about 97 lots representing 84 owners. Ms. Lambros suggested that those who are currently in the Wildlife Coop start to provide the food or water now or at least by the fourth quarter of this year. A bird count was recently completed and a deer count will begin soon. There is a company who will set up and maintain the wildlife support for you. Though there is a fee for this you will save money by keeping your tax exemption. Contact Ms. Lambros or David Wigington for information.
Respectfully submitted
Ken Thoresen, secretary


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If you work with PowerShell but don't consider yourself to be a developer, then when people get excited by the new (newish) testing framework named Pester you might think "what has that got to with me" …
Pester is included with PowerShell 5 and downloadable for older versions, but most things you find written abut it are by software testers for software testers – though that is starting to change. This post is for anyone thinks programs are like Sausages: you don't want to know how either are made.
Let's consider a way of how we'd give someone some rules to check something physical
"Here is a description of an elephant
It is a mammal
It is at least 1.5 M tall
It has grey wrinkly skin
It has long flexible nose"
Simple stuff. Tell someone what you are describing, and make simple statements about it (that's important, we don't say "It is a large grey-skinned mammal with a long nose" . Check those statements and if they are all true you can say "We have one of those". So lets do the same, in PowerShell for something we can test programmatically – this example has been collapsed down in the ISE which shows a couple of "special" commands from Pester
$Connections = Get-NetIPConfiguration | Where-Object {$_.netadapter.status -eq "up" }
Describe "A computer with an working internet connection on my home network" {
It "Has a connected network interface" {...}
foreach ($c in $Connections) {
It "Has the expected Default Gateway on the interface named '$($C.NetAdapter.InterfaceDescription)' " {...}
It "Gets a 'ping' response from the default gateway for '$($C.NetAdapter.InterfaceDescription)' " {...}
It "Has an IPV4 DNS Server configured on the interface named '$($C.NetAdapter.InterfaceDescription)' " {...}
It "Can resolve the DNS Name 'www.msftncsi.com' " {...}
It "Fetches the expected data from the URI 'http://www.msftncsi.com/ncsi.txt' " {...}
So Pester can help testing ANYTHING, it isn't just for checking that Program X gives output Y with input Z: Describe which says what is being tested
Describe "A computer with an working internet connection on my home network" {}
has the steps needed to perform the test inside the braces. Normally PowerShell is easier to read with parameter names included but writing this out in full as
Describe -Name "A computer with an working internet connection on my home network" -Fixture {}
would make it harder to read, so the norm with Pester is to omit the switches.
We describe a working connection by saying we know that it has a connected network, it has the right default gateway and so on. The It statements read just like that with a name and a test inside the the braces (again switches are omitted for readability). When expanded, the first one in the example looks like this.
It "Has a connected network interface" {
$Connections.count | Should not beNullOrEmpty
Should is also defined in Pester. It is actually a PowerShell function which goes to some trouble to circumvent normal PowerShell syntax (the PowerShell purist in me doesn't like that, but and I have to remember the famous quote about "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds") the idea is to make the test read more like natural language than programming.
This example has a test that says there should be some connections, and then three tests inside a loop use other variations on the Should syntax.
$c.DNSServer.ServerAddresses -join "," | Should match "\d+\.\d+\.\d+\.\d+"
$c.IPv4DefaultGateway.NextHop | Should be "192.168.0.1"
{Test-Connection -ComputerName $c.IPv4DefaultGateway.NextHop -Count 1} | Should not throw
You can see Should allows us to check for errors being thrown (or not) empty values (or not) regular expression matches (or not) values, and depending on what happens in the Should the it command can decide if that test succeeded. When one Should test fails the script block being run by the It statement stops, so in my example it would be better to combine "has a default gateway", and "Gets a ping response" into a single It, but as it stands the script generates output like this:
Describing A computer with an working internet connection on my home network
[+] Has a connected network interface 315ms
[+] Has the expected Default Gateway on the interface named 'Qualcomm Atheros AR956x Wireless Network Adapter' 56ms
[+] Gets a 'ping' response from the default gateway for 'Qualcomm Atheros AR956x Wireless Network Adapter' 524ms
[+] Has an IPV4 DNS Server configured on the interface named 'Qualcomm Atheros AR956x Wireless Network Adapter' 25ms
[+] Can resolve the DNS Name 'www.msftncsi.com' 196ms
[+] Fetches the expected data from the URI 'http://www.msftncsi.com/ncsi.txt' 603ms
Pester gives this nicely formatted output without having to do any extra work – it can also output the results as XML so we can gather up the results for automated processing. It doesn't allow us to test anything that couldn't be tested before – the benefit is it simplifies turning a description of the test into a script that will perform it and give results which mirror the description.
The first example showed how a folding editor (the PowerShell ISE or any of the third party ones) can present the script as so it looks like a the basic specification.
Here's an outline of a test to confirm that a machine had been built correctly – I haven't filled in the code to test each part.
Describe "Server 432" {
It "Is Registered in Active Directory" {}
It "Is has an A record in DNS" {}
It "Responds to Ping at the address in DNS" {}
It "Accepts WMI Connections and has the right name" {}
It "Has a drive D: with at least 100 GB of free space" {}
It "Has Dot Net Framework installed" {}
This doesn't need any PowerShell knowledge: it's easy to take a plain text file with suitable indents and add the Describes, Its, braces and quote marks – and hand the result to someone who knows how to check DNS from PowerShell and so on, they can fill in the gaps. Even before that is done the test script still executes.
Describing Server 432
[?] Is Registered in Active Directory 32ms
[?] Is has an A record in DNS 13ms
[?] Responds to Ping at the address in DNS 4ms
[?] Accepts WMI Connections and has the right name 9ms
[?] Has a drive D: with at least 100 GB of free space 7ms
[?] Has Dot Net Framework installed 5ms
The test output uses [+] for a successful test, [-] for a failure, [!] for one it was told to skip, and [?] for one which is "pending", i.e. we haven't started writing it.
I think it is good to start with relatively simple set of tests, and add to them, so for checking the state of a machine, is such-and-such a service present and running, are connections accepted on a particular port, is data returned, and so on. In fact whenever we find something wrong which can be tested it's often a good idea to add a test for that to the script.
So if you were in any doubt at the start, hopefully you can see now that Pester is just as valuable as a tool for Operational Validation as it is for software testing.

subset: commoncrawl


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Writing a TV Movie & Breaking Into the Business
Lynn Grant Beck began her career as a playwright in New York. She moved to LA in 1996 and got her first job as an assistant in the television movie department of Kushner-Locke. After that she became a Creative Executive at Interscope Communications where she went to Australia to shoot PITCH BLACK with then unknown Vin Diesel. She left Interscope to pursue writing full time and has also worked as a script consultant and writing teacher at Santa Monica College. Her television movie 12 GIFTS OF CHRISTMAS premiered on Hallmark in November, 2015.
Click to tweet this article to your friends and followers!
The hardest part of building a career as a screenwriter is breaking in. As the major studios continue to reduce the number of theatrical films they produce each year (and base more and more of them on comic books) the difficulty of breaking into theatrical feature films has never been more difficult. But as the number of broadcast, cable and online TV networks continues to increase, the need for original television movies has never been greater. Individual networks cater to a specific audience and often produce a specific genre of film, so if you write a television movie that caters to the needs of a specific network, the odds of selling one are greatly increased.
This is the Golden Age of television and even though there are currently a vast number of opportunities, the business is still extremely competitive. It's still exceedingly difficult to land a coveted job on a series without an agent or manager, but it's entirely possible to sell a television movie all on your own. Once you have interest from a producer and/or network, then you can reach out to agents and managers, because the best time to secure representation is when you have a "deal on the table." Getting a produced credit lends a screenwriter legitimacy, which opens doors to valuable networking and more work. Even if you have representation, it is your responsibility to build your career and TV movies are a great way to start.
The true secret to becoming a successful screenwriter is to become a really good one and it doesn't happen over night. Writing is a craft that must be honed through educating yourself and putting in hundreds of hours in front of your computer. The good news is there are so many resources now available to writers in the form of books, online courses, blogs and webinars that you have no excuse not to become the best writer you can be. The industry constantly evolves so it's important to continue to educate yourself in both the craft and business of screenwriting throughout your career. A key component to your education is reading the type of scripts you want to write and television movie scripts are no exception. Watch specific movies, then read the scripts to see how they're translated to the screen.
Many writers make the mistake of attempting to launch their career by starting at the top, rather than at the bottom. They write a big theatrical spec script, then approach agents and managers with it. When the agents and managers refuse to read it or do read it, but pass on it, the script never sees the light of day again and the writer is no further ahead in his or her career. The reason that this approach usually fails is that the number of spec theatrical scripts sold each year is extremely small. (SpecScout.com is a great resource to track theatrical script sales.) The vast majority of these scripts are sold by writers who already have representation and/or a track record so it's extremely difficult to compete in this arena. You're far more likely to have success if you get your script into the hands of a producer who is working either in the independent film world or in television movies. The average feature takes years to produce, but the most successful TV movie producers make multiple movies a year and they continually need product. What they're looking for is very specific, so if you cater your script to the type of movies they make, the odds that they'll read and consider buying your script are very high.
The prevailing wisdom is that you should write the type of movies you like to watch, but there's another strategy to consider. If you want the best chance of selling a TV movie script, you should write one for the networks that are currently producing the most movies. Broadcast networks, basic cable networks, premium cable networks and online networks are all making original movies, but by far the two networks which currently make the most movies are Lifetime and Hallmark. Lifetime makes about 60 films a year and Hallmark plans on making 75 original movies in 2016. Both networks have a loyal fan base and they need product. Both networks are also "female driven," which means that your protagonists must be female. By and large Lifetime produces melodramatic thrillers and Hallmark produces family friendly romantic comedies. The latter's new movie channel, "Hallmark's Mysteries and Movies," produces family friendly mysteries and romantic dramas. If you aren't familiar with the movies on these networks, pick up your remote and DVR a bunch of them. The movies on both of these networks have numerous commercial breaks so you definitely want to to tape them. When you decide what you want to write, time the act breaks so you get the formatting correct.
One of the most valuable resources screenwriters have today is IMDb.com (Internet Movie Data Base). IMDb has valuable information about every movie that television networks produce, including the names of the producers. So do your research. Go to the network websites, look at the movies they've made in the past year, then go to IMDb and see who's made them. IMDb Pro has contact information as well. Most writers far prefer to send an email than to make a phone call, but in a day and age when producers get inundated with dozens, if not hundreds of emails every day, email is not the most effective form of communication. If they don't know you, you run the risk of them deleting your email without even reading it. Calling a producer is far more effective. Time is the most valuable asset in Hollywood, so always be respectful of peoples' time. Keep your call short and to the point. Watch one of the producer's recent movies, give them a brief compliment, then tell them you wrote a TV movie for the network they work for and ask if you can give them the logline. If they pass on your idea you can ask them if they're looking for anything in particular. If there is something they're looking for, you can then ask them if you could write up a treatment for that idea. If they don't like your script idea and aren't willing to share what they're looking for, politely thank them for their time and tell them you'll think of them again when you have your next script. Even though making phone calls can be uncomfortable, you can begin to establish a relationship with producers. This is next to impossible to do through email. If you're far too shy and uncomfortable to call producers, then send them a query letter via old fashioned snail mail. Since everyone else sends emails, producers don't currently receive a lot of query letters and they will read them. Again, be short and to the point with your query letter. Respect the producer's time.
When a producer agrees to read your script, make sure it's as polished and professional as possible. Use professional screenwriting software to make sure the formatting is correct and have at least one person read your script to proof it. Spelling and grammar mistakes are the signs of an amateur writer and will taint the quality of your writing. One of the best ways to get feedback is to join or start a writers group. There are dozens of them on Meetup.com, but again do your research. Look for a group that has professional writers. That way not only will you get good feedback, but you may also get access to valuable contacts and networking information.
Lastly, stay up on industry news. There are numerous websites that detail who's making what on a daily basis: HollywoodReporter.com, Variety.com, SSNInsider.com, Deadline.com, etc. When you take a meeting with a producer you want to sound knowledgeable about the current state of the entertainment business, as well as professional in the craft of screenwriting. There are so many opportunities in television. With new networks premiering all the time and over 400 series currently in production, the sky is the limit. But first you have to break into the business and writing and selling a TV movie is a great way to start.


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"Bellator 127: Straus vs. Wilcox" took place Friday night inside Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California.
A featherweight affair between Justin Wilcox and Daniel Straus headlined tonight's show.
Here are the official results from tonight's fights:
Preliminary Card:
Ray Sloan Defeats Nick Moghaddam via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Saad Awad Defeats Sergio Rios via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Keith Berry Defeats Joe Pacheco via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Defeats Malik Merad via TKO (strikes) at 4:04 in the 2ndRound
Ricky Rainey Defeats Johnny Cisneros via knockout (strikes) at 3:18 in the 1stRound
Justin Baesman Defeats John Mercurio via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Shawn Bunch vs. David Duran
Main Card:
Rafael Silva Defeats Rob Emerson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Fernando Gonzalez Defeats Karo Parisyan via TKO (strikes) at 1:43 in the 1stRound
Kendall Grove Defeats Christian M'Pumbu via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:14 in the 2ndRound
Daniel Straus Defeats Justin Wilcox via knockout (strikes) at 0:50 in the 1stRound


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European archaeology and the world: dependencies and mutual development
As of 2014, the World Heritage List (UNESCO) has 759 cultural heritage sites. Archaeology has a special role in the study, preservation and classification of these sites as it reveals and enlightens the context for most of them.
This explains why many archaeological sites are listed as World Heritage. Despite this fact, archaeology is not always taken into consideration within the management plans of the major heritage sites. Preventive archaeology in particular and its core concept of preservation through study are not yet fully apprehended.
A scientific approach should be proposed in order to protect the sites and their surroundings from urban and touristic development.
This issue is particularly important in non-western countries, where heritage management infrastructures are in the process of development and where both governmental and international support for heritage management is limited. In these circumstances, an innovative approach to community involvement could make the difference for the future of heritage preservation.
Community involvement is actually one of the central points of present and future archaeological activities and heritage management. This is not just for the benefit of the heritage, but in particular for the communities itself as well. It not only empowers people if they take responsibility for the historic environment, it may as well bring along socio-economic opportunities.
Local populations are generally highly interested in their heritage and motivated to engage with it. Yet, in many places in the world such involvement still fails to be enforced. This is either due to a lack of knowledge and skills of archaeologists, to financial limitations of the heritage projects, or to deficiencies in local capacities. Community involvement does not happen spontaneously, it must be organized. Moreover, for public engagement to be effective, capacity building is crucial. Communities need to be able to understand how to preserve, maintain and manage a site and they need to construct a stable managerial infrastructure that will function smoothly once implemented.


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|Shining Flycatcher Myiagra alecto pair, male above, female below, Kakadu NP.
He is the same glorious blue-black below as above.
This monarch flycatcher is generally found near tropical waters, including mangroves and monsoon forests.
|Australian Shelduck pair, Bethungra Reservoir, New South Wales, male right, female left.
A very poor old pic, my apologies; a slightly better photo of the male below, at Esperance, Western Australia.
|Above Kelp Geese Chloephaga hybrida, Chiloé Island, Chile and
below Upland Geese C. picta, far southern Chile.
In both cases the males are white and the females are coloured.
|Green Thorntail pair Discosura conversii, Mindo Valley, north-west of Quito, Eucador; male on the left.
|Superb Fairy-wrens Malurus cyaneus, male (Canberra) above,
female (Eurobodalla Botanic Gardens, Batemans Bay) below.
One of south-east Australia's best-known and best-loved birds.
Males moult in winter and follow the females into brown obscurity.
|Flame Robin Petroica phoenicea pair, taking a break from attacking the invaders in the mirror,
Namadgi NP near Canberra.
|Hooded Robins Melanodryas cucullata, central Australia, above and below.
I seem to be incapable of taking a decent picture of this species, but I'll keep trying!
|Rufous Whistler male (Tinbinbilla Nature Reserve near Canberra)
and female (Mt Scoria Conservation Park, Queensland)
|Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula male (Mareeba Wetlands, Queensland) and
female, Namadgi National Park near Canberra, below.
|White-winged Triller Lalage tricolor pair, Longreach Waterhole near Elliott, Northern Territory.
This was part of a large flock moving south to breed - he is still moulting into his full breeding plumage.
|Satin Bowerbirds Ptilonorhynchus violaceus, male, National Botanic Gardens Canberra, and
females, Jerrabomberra Wetlands, Canberra.
The day when bowerbirds get their own posting here is surely approaching!
|Orange Chats Epthianura aurifrons, Bourke, New South Wales.
Now recognised as being well within the honeyeater family, some of the Australian chats nonetheless exhibit a strong
dimorphism that other honeyeaters lack.
|Red-rumped Parrot Psephotus haematonotus pair, Canberra.
An exquisite little ground-feeding parrot, common in suburban parks.
|Red-winged Parrot pair Aprosmictus erythropterus; a glorious parrot found across much of the
tropics and eastern inland Australia, as well as southern New Guinea.
|Above Chestnut Teals Anas castanea, south coast New South Wales, and
below, Cinnamon Teals Anas cyanoptera, Arica, northern Chile.
|Andean Cocks-of-the-Rock Rupicola peruvianus, males above at a display lek,
female, below, eastern slopes of the southern Peruvian Andes.
|Austral Negritoes Lessonia rufa, southern Chile, above and below.
These active little ground-feeders are members of the old South American family of tyrant-flycatchers.
|Thick-billed Euphonias Euphonia laniirostris, Aguas Calientes, below Machu Picchu, Peru, above and below.
Euphonias are members of the huge and colourful tanager family; this species is
found across much of north-western South America.
|Great-tailed Grackles Quiscalus mexicanus, Puerto Jeli, Ecuador.
These bold urban scavengers are North American blackbirds, whose ancestors arrived in
South America relatively recently, as South America crashed into North America.
|Masked Trogons Trogon personatus, Andean cloud forests north-west of Quito, Peru.
(And remember that you can get a reminder when the next post appears by putting your
email address in the Follow by Email box in the top right of this screen.)


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1st Source Bank Donates $7,500 to Healthier Moms and Babies
Fort Wayne, IN – 1st Source Bank has donated $7,500 to Healthier Moms and Babies to assist in their efforts of reducing infant mortality and improving the outcome of pregnancy for women in Allen County.
1st Source Regional President Larry Mayers joined 1st Source Trust Officer Rob Patrick in presenting the donation to Paige Wilkins, Program Manager of Healthier Moms and Babies.
"1st Source Bank recognizes the positive impact that Healthier Moms and Babies is having on the lives of women and babies in our community," said Mayers. "We are pleased to present this $7,500 donation to ensure more children have a strong future."
1st Source Corporation, parent company of 1st Source Bank, has assets of $5.19 billion and is the largest locally controlled financial institution headquartered in the northern Indiana-southwestern Michigan area. The Corporation includes 81 banking centers, 22 1st Source Bank Specialty Finance Group locations nationwide, eight Trust and Wealth Management locations and ten 1st Source Insurance offices. For more than 150 years, 1st Source has been committed to the success of the communities it serves. For more information, visit www.1stsource.com.
Photographed left to right: Rob Patrick, Paige Wilkins and Larry Mayers
Media Contact: Angie Dvorak, (574) 235-2000


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Ah, and so the aughts come to a close with 2009. For gamers, it was a great year filled with some excellent titles, technological advances galore and, if you looked really hard, a masterpiece or two. Here's what we at Loading Reality thought stood out most in an exceptional year of video gaming.
I dont agree with the top10 at all most those games are just above a 8.


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Weekly Horoscopes for 3/11-3/17, 2019
Hi kids!!! Welcome back to Mr. Saturn's Stars.
Here's a new "Separated at Birth" pair; the whining crybabies, Bart O'Kavanaugh and R. Kelly………pobrecito…..everybody's against them!
Aries- With the Sun and Mercury retrograde behind the scenes in the intuitive sign of Pisces and both of them squaring Jupiter in your House of Philosophy, you may be thinking to yourself, "why not?" in regards to a matter you might otherwise think is completely crazy. This is partly because Mars in your House of Self Worth and Venus in your House of Dreams are making you feel adventurous, while both Saturn and Pluto in your House of Career have made it so that you can afford to take a risk and not lose the farm. The only thing to watch out for here is unaspected Uranus entering your House of Self Worth. A famous Photographer once said, "Chance favors the prepared mind," so before you charge like the Light Brigade into anything, just make sure you've done your homework.
Taurus- You are a stable sign so the entrance of aggressive Mars and crazy Uranus into your domain might initially startle you, like a gunshot or an unexpected tap on the shoulder. The good news though is that any surprises coming your way at this time will see both Saturn and Neptune aligning nicely with Mars from your Houses of Philosophy and Dreams respectively. What does this mean? In short, trust your intuition and take your time, after all, it's a lot less likely that you'll overlook something if you're paying attention to details. Jupiter in your House of Shared Resources squaring Mercury retrograde could make you more gullible than usual so be careful whom you trust. Venus in your House of Career should also be a motivator for you now, but only if your ambitions encompass a greater perspective than just your own personal success. Like Bernie Sanders say's, "Not me. Us."
Gemini- Both Mars and Uranus have slid behind the scenes in your chart so be careful whom you trust because a lot more may be at stake than you realize. The Sun, Mercury retrograde, and Neptune are all passing through your House of Public Image and as they square Jupiter in your House of Partnerships try not to fall into believing that you are somehow above it all. Those who smile to your face may very well end up having a very sharp knife ready when you turn around. Saturn and Pluto in your House of Transformation are about nothing if not compromise, so be willing to give up something to get something. Having a take no prisoners attitude may very well end up making you a hostage of your own ego.
Cancer- If the world starts to get really crazy what will you likely do? That will be a relevant question this week as both Mars and Uranus are in your House of Groups, which could represent anything from a riot to even more impatience than usual on your part when it comes to silliness and/or a lack of professionalism. Saturn and Pluto in your House of Relationships could see you making some significant changes in whom you take seriously or what you're willing to put up with at all. Let Mars in your House of Dreams and Venus in your House of Transformation allow you to trust your creative vision, especially with the Sun, Neptune, and Mercury retrograde in your House of Philosophy. Maybe something you used to believe in but gave up on is really true after all? Think about it.
Leo- Has anyone ever called you stubborn? With Mars and Uranus in your House of Public Image and Venus in your House of Partnerships you may be more demanding of others than you realize. Add to this the Sun, Mercury retrograde, and Neptune in your House of Change confronting Jupiter and some folks might even go as far as to say that you're oblivious to their needs to the point of being downright insensitive. Surprised? You won't be for long as Saturn and Pluto detonate some timely upsets in your House of Routines so that if you have been ignoring others they won't be returning the favor. Your saving grace here is that no matter how selfish you may have seemed you really didn't mean to slight or insult anyone. With that in mind, make sure you make amends ASAP after you've been made aware. A word to the wise.
Virgo- What you hope your relationships would be and what they actually are may no longer be an illusion you can afford. Reality and fantasy may complement each other as balancing forces in a philosophical sense, but they cannot occupy the same actual space in time and have the situation remain peaceful. Jupiter at your Foundation straining the Sun, Neptune, and Mercury retrograde in your House of Partnerships will likely cause any associations that are not grounded in reality to fall apart like a log raft in a monsoon. At the same time Mars and Uranus in your House of Philosophy squaring Venus in your House of routines will likely challenge you to learn how to swim very quickly. The good news is that Saturn and Pluto in your House of Creativity aligning with Mars in your House of Philosophy will assist you in finding solutions, if in fact real solutions are what you're truly after.
Libra- It was said in the film "Gladiator," "when death smiles at a man all he can do is smile back." As Mars and Uranus make their way across your House of Transformation and slowly come into alignment with Saturn and Pluto at your Symbolic Foundation, there may not be many smiles exchanged between what is dying in your life and what is being born, but things will certainly start to look a lot different from what you're used to! Jupiter in your House of Communication squaring Mercury retrograde could bring you some unexpected blasts from the past, both pleasant and unpleasant, so it will be up to you to either set the record straight and resume where you left off or else burn a bridge that's not worth repairing. Venus in your House of Creativity could help you to put your finger on the pulse of someone who is going through something you have experience with; remember the Greek Gods used to visit people disguised as unfortunates and rewarded those who were generous with their help and hospitality. If the shoe fits, wear it.
Scorpio- It is time for a realization. Are you aware of how much energy it takes to believe something that is true as opposed to believing something that isn't true? Answer; the same amount of energy is used whether you believe the truth or an illusion. With that in mind, be careful what you're convincing yourself of at this time. Jupiter in your House of Thinking is squaring Mercury retrograde in your House of Creativity, meaning that it's high time you realize depression and optimism are both creative acts though the offspring of each are quite different. Saturn and Pluto at the bottom of your chart are death and resurrection, so if something has rocked your world recently try to understand that if the Phoenix (your totem animal) was never thrown into the fire it wouldn't have been able to rise from the ashes. "What does not kill you makes you stronger," if you don't believe me ask Mr. Nietzsche.
Sagittarius- With Jupiter in your sign and Mercury retrograde at your symbolic Foundation you need to realize that your hopes for the future are rooted in being able to understand (and let go) your past. Saturn and Pluto in your House of Self Worth have been setting the stage for this kind of inner work, but only if you're willing to get knee deep in your own shit and clean up your illusions. Mars in your House of Health is probably making you feel more energetic than usual, which should help you break out of the gravity pull of any energy vampires you encounter. Make sure you have your silver bullets and garlic cloves handy if you have to spend any time with a difficult family member or recalcitrant co-worker. Venus in your House of Communication aligning with Mars should help with speaking your truth, just make sure you're clear (and comfortable) with whatever that is.
Capricorn- With Pluto and Saturn in your sign (symbolizing death and resurrection respectively) you're emotionally kind of like a holograph now, except that you're flesh and blood. Now if that doesn't seem to make any sense, just consider the viewpoint that we are all essentially spiritual beings who are required to negotiate physical experiences, which in turn are designed to teach us that getting what we want is nothing more than a fleeting concept and ultimately doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Sorry for the paradoxes, but I'm just trying to bring you up to speed because with Jupiter behind the scenes squaring Mercury retrograde and the Sun in your House of Thought, the temptation now is for you to only believe that something exists if you can physically experience it. If that's true then what is there to be said for all the effort you're making to not have certain experiences? Hmmmm.
Aquarius- Venus in your sign could be spreading you too thin, especially if you're overly concerned with appearances and/or what others think. You have some immediate challenges that need to be handled which are being complicated by Saturn and Pluto behind the scenes playing the guilt police and Neptune in your House of Self Worth representing the vanity bandits who are trying to distract you from your responsibilities. This inner conflict will continue to rage as long as you allow pompous Jupiter in your House of Groups and naïve Mercury in your House of Self Worth to dominate your mindset and put image before substance. Uranus entering your House of Foundations will likely ratchet everything up to an emergency level, so stop looking in the mirror and instead look to fix what needs to be fixed. The message right now is clearly, take care of business, so get down and do it!!!
Pisces- The Sun, Mercury retrograde, and Neptune are all in your sign and as they each generally square Jupiter in your House of Public Image you could be experiencing a real identity crisis now or, at the very least, a lack of confidence about what lies ahead for you. Saturn and Pluto in your House of Dreams has you thinking a bit differently about something you used to want, while Mars in your House of Thinking continues to plow ahead as though nothing has changed. At this point enter rebellious and unpredictable Uranus, which if you are conflicted at all about what you're doing will muck matters up royally so that you could find yourself making stupid mistakes as though you just didn't care, and well, you don't. You're changing so it would make perfect sense that what you want would change to. Be willing to acknowledge that and straighten things out accordingly.


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Rare Bob Dozier "Arkansas Made" Classic Retro Hunter in mint condition! As I recall this knife was first offered by AG Russell. See photos for condition and judge for yourself. Knife has wonderful balance, "just feels right" in your hand. 4.5 drop point blade.
Legendary Dozier D2 steel heat treated to Rockwell 60 RC. Ebony wood handle with black micarta, red fiber and brass spacers. Some minor blemishes on one side where guard rubbed against sheath (see photo close-up). Original leather sheath (has initials -- see photo). The item "Bob Dozier Knives AG Russell Classic Retro Hunter" is in sale since Wednesday, August 14, 2019.
This item is in the category "Collectibles\Knives, Swords & Blades\Collectible Fixed Blade Knives\Modern Fixed Blade\Custom & Handmade". The seller is "1moreknife" and is located in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, China, Sweden, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Bermuda, Bolivia, Gibraltar, Iceland, Jordan, Cambodia, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Martinique, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Uruguay.


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Panama City Florida senior photographer
Being a Panama City Florida senior photographer is so much fun!!! I love getting to meet so many high school seniors every year! Its such a fun time in every seniors life! You have the entire world at your finger tips. Who will you be? How will you make a impact on this world? Nothing is there to hold you back, so go fight to make your dreams a reality.
The beautiful girl rocked out her senior portraits down at the beach!! She is from Panama City Beach, but we headed over to Seaside Florida to have some fun!! I LOVE doing sessions down along 30a. we have the most beautiful coastal towns.
Come view my high school senior portrait gallery
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Links! Click them All!
Facebook Art Page - Paintings & Updates
Paintings for Sale
Tumblr Page - daily photo, paintings in progress, beautiful random things
Personal Twitter
my dirty drunk rock band - High Heels Lo Fi
High Heels Lo Fi facebook page - please join
High Heels Lo Fi Twitter
Want to chat about my art, or book my band for a gig? firstname.lastname@example.com


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Letter from Congress calls ATF sting tactics 'almost unimaginable'
Calling the ATF's tactics appalling, alarming, disturbing and "almost unimaginable," congressional members on Thursday slammed the agency for how it conducted storefront stings across the nation and renewed their demand for answers.
The sharply worded letter is the latest salvo from members of Congress to U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Director B. Todd Jones regarding the undercover operations.
Members of both parties have been demanding answers from the agency and Jones since last January when a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation exposed a series of foul-ups and failures in an ATF sting in Milwaukee dubbed Operation Fearless.
Thursday's letter — signed by lawmakers who led the congressional probe into the agency's flawed Fast and Furious operation in Arizona — follows an investigation published by the Journal Sentinel in December that detailed how the ATF used rogue tactics in storefront stings across the nation, from Portland, Ore., to Pensacola, Fla.
"Much as in operation Fast and Furious and Operation Fearless, it appears that poor management was the norm in these other storefront operations," the letter said.
The letter was signed by U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Rep. Darrell E. Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the chamber's head investigative panel; and U.S. Rep. Robert Goodlatte (R-Va.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), whose name was not on this letter, signed similarly worded letters critical of the ATF in the past.
The Journal Sentinel found that the ATF used mentally disabled individuals to promote their operations in at least five cities — including paying one to get a tattoo on his neck advertising their storefront — and later had them charged with gun and drug crimes. The tattoo was of a giant squid smoking a joint.
In Milwaukee, three guns belonging to the case's lead undercover agent, including a machine gun, were stolen. The machine gun remains missing.
Across the country, agents put stings near schools and churches, increasing arrest numbers and penalties — and attracting juveniles with free video games and alcohol. They paid so much for guns and other goods that in some cities it encouraged burglaries. In some cases, defendants bought guns at stores such as Gander Mountain and sold them to undercover agents hours later for more than double what they paid.
"In all of these cases, ATF apparently wasted taxpayer dollars on purchases," the lawmakers wrote, citing two examples detailed in the Journal Sentinel's reporting, including one where a defendant bought a gun at the store for $700 and sold it to undercover agents hours later for $2,000.
"Operations like this raise questions as to whether ATF was manufacturing crime that would not have otherwise occurred, effectively increasing the overall crime rates in the neighborhoods where the storefronts were located," the letter said.
The lawmakers said they were particularly disturbed by the agency's placement of stings near schools.
"It is almost unimaginable that any law enforcement agency would recklessly endanger children in this way — particularly an agency that is tasked with responding to school shootings," the letter said.
The congressional members noted the Journal Sentinel investigation showed the ATF failed to follow its own policy on storefronts. That policy states the agency should only participate in such operations if the potential defendants "are active criminals worthy of federal interest."
"We are appalled by ATF agents' lack of judgment in recruiting juveniles and developmentally disabled individuals," the lawmakers wrote.
Also receiving copies of Thursday's letter were U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz and other members of Congress.
ATF spokeswoman Ginger Colbrun did not respond for comment on the letter Thursday. Earlier, she said the agency enacted reforms after the failures of the Milwaukee sting and the national problems identified by the Journal Sentinel happened before those changes were made.
She also said the ATF created a best practices manual on storefronts in response to the Milwaukee operation, telling agents not to pay inflated prices for guns and to come up with plans in case armed felons try to leave the stings — as happened several times, according to the Journal Sentinel investigation.
Questions unanswered
The agency has failed to answer many of the questions sent by congressional members starting nearly a year ago.
The letter sent Thursday includes a batch of new questions and demands a response by Jan. 16. Such deadlines have been routinely ignored by Jones and the ATF in the past.
In a briefing with congressional staffers last April, ATF officials did not dispute any of the Journal Sentinel's findings regarding the Milwaukee operation, but indicated the problems found in Milwaukee were isolated.
Citing an earlier letter, the congressional members wrote "we pointed out that ATF's failure to be forthcoming with information was a serious source of concern. In addition to creating significant image problems for an agency charged with upholding public trust, it is detrimental to the efforts of the vast majority of ATF agents and managers who are acting ethically and responsibly."
In that April meeting, ATF officials also told congressional members that personnel investigations were underway and a "disciplinary action was pending" against Bernard "B.J." Zapor, special agent in charge of the St. Paul Field Division, which oversees Milwaukee, according to the letter sent Thursday.
Before the Journal Sentinel investigation was published, Zapor was promoted by Jones, who as the former U.S. attorney for Minnesota worked with Zapor.
Zapor was later transferred back to being in charge of a field division, taking over the Phoenix office, where Operation Fast and Furious was conducted.
"The continued lack of accountability at ATF is disturbing," the letter says.
Last month, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) sent a letter to Horowitz critical of the ATF operations and seeking further investigation, and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) issued a statement calling for greater congressional oversight of ATF.
Horowitz, the inspector general, already is investigating the ATF's Milwaukee storefront sting, as part of a review of reforms promised by the agency in the wake of its disastrous Operation Fast and Furious, where agents watched as criminals obtained thousands of guns, many which ended up at crime scenes in Mexico.
The Department of Justice issued a statement saying Horowitz "can and should" widen his probe to include the Journal Sentinel's new findings. The ATF also asked Horowitz to expand his investigation.
Horowitz has not indicated if he will widen his investigation to include storefront stings in cities other than Milwaukee. His spokesman declined to comment Friday.
Following the Journal Sentinel investigation in December, The Arc, a national disability rights group, sent a searing letter to Holder questioning how the ATF used mentally disabled people and then charged them.
In a subsequent meeting with Arc officials, ATF leaders defended the operations but agreed to consider new training to avoid it happening in the future.
Special Section: Backfire
To read more of the Journal Sentinel's Backfire investigation into the ATF's flawed storefront sting operations in MIlwaukee and across the nation, go to jsonline.com/atf.
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Email, call 414-224-2318 or use our tip form.
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Daniel Bice, the Journal Sentinel's watchdog columnist, holds politicians and the powerful accountable


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African parliaments have been challenged to ensure good governance and accountability to end injustices.
The call was made by the Pan African Parliament President, Roger Nkodo Dang, who says they parliaments have a great role to play in pushing for respect for the rule of law in their countries and using their positions to foster dialogue between warring parties.
He cited discrimination based on social, economic, religious and political grounds as one of the leading factors triggering terrorism on the African continent.
The PAP MPs were deliberating on the Role of the Pan African Parliament in Combating Terrorism, Monday, 17 October 2016 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
Meanwhile Prof Ogenga Latigo said terrorism is a regional issue that requires coordination between countries with a common perception of what must be done.


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Following the successful pilot of the Researcher Consultancy, we're delighted to announce the launch of a new round. Whether you're considering consultancy as a longer-term career move, you want to develop key employability skills such as self-management, team working, business and customer awareness, problem solving and communication, or wish to boost your understanding of the commercial sector and gain hands-on experience of tackling real-world strategic problems, this may be a perfect opportunity for you. Whatever your career plans, including further research and academia, participants can benefit significantly from the programme.
So how does it work?
Participants volunteer some of their own time to work in small teams, over a 4-month period, to address a strategic issue or business opportunity for a client organisation. Our clients list includes start-ups, businesses, local and international charities, community organisations, University departments and Government agencies.
Want to know more?
For more information see CareerConnect or contact Lili Pickett-Palmer. The closing date for applications for the Spring-Summer programme is 30 April 2018.


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Savvy travelers' book cruise vacations six or more months in advance.
Mill Valley, CA (PRWEB) March 05, 2013
Winter is almost over and spring is almost here, and though there's still a chill in the air, and it's tempting to think of warming up in Hawaii or the Caribbean, winter is the time to think about places like Alaska or Europe's North Cape. Likewise, during the dog days of summer is the time to book next winter's tropic getaway. CruiseOne of San Rafael, California has some tips on when and how to book a cruise vacation.
Steve Faber, the owner of CruiseOne of San Rafael, says that the key to booking is to get the timing right. He believes it's a good idea to book well in advance.
"Savvy travelers book cruise vacations six or more months in advance," said Faber. "They get the pick of the litter when it comes to decks, cabins and dining times."
A popular misconception is that the best way to get a great deal is to wait until the last minute to book. Faber says this is not true. Cruise lines offer substantial price incentives when a ship is first open for booking, and prices usually increase as the departure date approaches, governed by the Capacity Control department, which monitors the pace at which a ship is filling up in comparison to graphs, algorithms and historical trends. If bookings are ahead of the curve, the price grows more quickly. If the converse is true, prices glow slower, stay flat or even drop.
Faber is quick to point out, however, that the early booker is still at an advantage. Most of the contemporary – or mainstream – lines reward the early buyer with fares that are guaranteed to be the lowest available and to remain so nearly all the way up to the date of departure. If a lower fare does become available, the cruise line will adjust the early purchasers fare to match.
In addition to providing possible exclusive perks, cruise discounts, special deals, onboard credit and stateroom upgrades, an Independent Vacation Specialist can be depended on to monitor price improvements on their clients' bookings.
Faber does warn that there are restrictions imposed by the cruise lines in return for bargain-basement pricing. Typically, the deposit and sometimes the entire fare are non-refundable. Penalties can also be imposed for anything that requires additional attention to or modification of the reservation, including charges for name changes, etc. Travelers often can protect against financial loss from these restrictions and penalties by getting travel protection insurance.
About the company:
Traveling the world as a travel writer to report on cruises, Steve Faber has been blessed with the opportunity to sail on 98 cruises on 71 ships of 31 cruise lines. As an independent CruiseOne cruise specialist, Faber capitalizes on combining his knowledge of ships and destinations with the powerful marketing clout and superlative client service of CruiseOne, the world's largest seller of cruise vacations. Faber serves the Bay Area. Contact him to discuss cruise itineraries, cruise discounts, adventure travel, river cruises and more by calling 415-485-0100 or book online at http://www.sfaber.cruiseone.com/travel/HomePage.html.


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ECORUN 10K – Goals, Assumptions, Reality
Going into this race I set my goals on a sliding scale of reality and wishful thinking. Finishing in under 1 hour was my most unrealistic and ambitious goal. Running a negative split was the more realistic goal, because I could ease into the race, completing the first 5k in whatever time I needed to, in order to feel like I still had something to offer during the second half. I finished the race in 1:08:10, my MOTOACTV watch clocking the distance as 6.37 miles, and also failed to run a negative split. Pretty disheartening, no?
Well, yes and no. But mostly yes. Let me explain. The ECORUN's website and registration page still listed all of the details from last year's race, indicating that the race was on 100% asphalt. So it was quite the surprise when around 2.5 miles into the race we were steered out and onto sands of of the beach at Playa Herradura. The giant sand trap lasted about three quarters of a mile and sapped a lot of energy from my legs as I tried to maintain a reasonable pace. The worst part was trying to get off the beach because it was a fairly narrow route leading back onto the roads and previous runners had turned the sand over so much it literally felt like it was sucking you back in as you attempted to run. Back on the road finally, I relaxed and felt fairly comfortable as my watch ticked off the completion of the first 5k a few minutes later.
Having run a fairly decent 5k time (for me) and considering the terrain and heat, I decided I had the opportunity still to shoot for a negative split, so I gradually tried to pick up the pace, seeking to catch a runner 100 yards or so ahead of me. Things were going well for a brief time, and then we hit the golf course. No shade whatsoever, completely exposed to the elements. And completely uphill. The timing could not have been worse. Right where I was planning to test my meddle by increasing my effort on the flats I was greeted with 1.5 miles of pure climbing and winding. The combination of the sun, slightly faster pace and hills proved too much and I was forced to walk several times during this stretch in order to avoid blowing up. This was incredibly demotivating because instead taking on a time trial challenge head on, I was now facing doubts about finishing without embarrassing myself.
Full race data from the MOTOACTV watch is here.
Mile Elapsed
10:36 10:36
9:56 20:32
10:14 30:46
11:02 41:48
12:33 54:21
10:17 1:04:38
3:28 1:08:10
As you can see, after 4 miles I knew that breaking the 1 hour barrier would be next to impossible unless I could miraculously manage 2 sub 9 minute miles, something I have not accomplished in training yet. But I was still fairly positive about the possibility of a slight negative split. Look at that mile #5 disaster: 12:33. As ugly as ugly can be. At that point the run literally became about survival. I bounced back decently with a 10:17 in mile #6, and the final .37 miles (according to my watch, anyway) were at 9:19.
Do not rely on website information or previous race data when planning or visualizing your race plan. If you have the opportunity nothing beats first hand knowledge of the course.
If I'm too shy to make a phone call or ask detailed questions during packet pick-up I don't deserve to run a good race.
Goals are great, but don't let unpleasant surprises break you down mentally. Be stronger than the elements, if not faster.
Don't judge a book by its cover. I was secretly sizing a few people up during the pre-race routine and I don't even know why. Maybe I didn't like their shoes, gear or loud personalities. Maybe it was my way of getting psyched up for a competition. I don't know. But it was a pointless waste of mental energy and is a negative vibe to avoid. Plus, all three of them finished ahead of me. Time for some humble pie.
Every run will not be a great run. I ran 13.1 miles two weeks ago and was overconfident today, believing that the distance was no longer an issue and my only concern was how fast I could finish. Some runs are going to throw the kitchen sink at you and if you don't adjust quickly and decisively, you may not like what happens next.
My experience as a runner and my fitness level still do not allow a great difference between my relaxed pace and a 'race' pace. There is still so much work to do in training to address both my aerobic endurance and my race pace stamina.
Sharing a get-away weekend with my wife, running a 10k together, regardless of finishing times, is a great bonding experience and if you aren't an elite or pro runner don't ever let yourself get caught up in a disappointing result so much that you lose perspective of how great things really are.


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The world is growing day by day. We get to see new techniques, software and technologies every day.
Training is basically learning these new techniques, software and technologies. When a person gets employed, he is qualified enough but as we said there are new techniques and technologies every day. So, training is very important for the workers of a corporate in order for them to be competitive and extraordinary.
Today, we will tell you the advantages of corporate training which are very important for your corporate.
Productivity is high. One advantage of corporate training is that the productivity of the employees would be high. When the productivity would be high, the profit would also be high.
Employees are happy. Employees who are happy work better than employees who are irritated or frustrated. According to some people, if the employees are sent for corporate training from time to time, they are able to work actively and the rates of growth are also better.
Learning chances. Corporate training is actually very much advantageous in this way. It is a good chance for the employees to learn new things and techniques to run the corporate. For instance, a person has been working in a specific field for more than five years. He is quite experienced by now. But, he doesn't know about the new technologies that has been introduced. So, here comes the corporate training for such people to learn new techniques and skills.
Performance of employee is increased. When the employees go for corporate training, their performance is increased and also their motivation. Corporate training increases the skills and knowledge of the employees which increases the performance of the job. This way the efficiency of the corporate is increased.
Reputation is improved. A corporate always wants to be known and stay well reputed. With, the corporate training, the reputation of a corporate is improved.
So, now you know that training is very essential for the improvement and efficiency of the corporate. It is advantageous because it increases the profit of the corporate.
Corporates in Dubai focuses on corporate training and this is why corporate training in Dubai is very popular and successful. Make sure that you send your employees for training once in a while to keep them and your corporate updated.
Visit https://protraining.net/our-solutions/team-building-conferences/ to benefit from team building activities.


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Rod mill is widely used in metal and non-metal mines and water conservancy, building materials departments to grind all kinds of ore or rock.
The main body of the rod mill is a low speed rotary shell mounted horizontally on two large bearings. The mill shell is driven by the motor through the reducer and the surrounding large gear reduction drive or by the low speed synchronous motor directly through the surrounding large gear reduction. The shell is equipped with a suitable grinding medium - steel rod. Under the action of centrifugal and frictional forces, the grinding medium is lifted to a certain height and falls in a state of drop or discharge. The abrasive material continuously enters the shell from the feeding port, which is crushed by the moving grinding medium, and the product is discharged out of the machine by the overflow and continuous feeding force for next process.


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News and information on Royal Dutch Shell Plc
Posted in: Business Principles, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Shell, Shell Tax Avoidance.
Tagged: Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell
TERRIBLE: They cut off my 87 year old moms phone. This isn't just a phone for people of that age its and essential lifeline. After spending an hour on hold I eventually got through to the customer service department. They said a bill hadn't been sent because of billing issues. That's why it wasn't paid. So, I settled the bill over the phone. The following day the service was resumed and a demand for the money paid over the phone was sent to her house. How incompetent are these people. I spent another hour on hold. No reply to the call at all this time. No response to my emailed complaint. Obviously I now have to find another provider. But a lot of stress for my mother. DO NOT DEAL WITH THESE PEOPLE. They are the worst of the worst. Date of experience: 10 September 2022
Zero Stars: Zero stars I have no written or verbal contract with shell energy . the same goes for the British government who cannot sell or pass a contract to any utility company that did not exist on my part , I will not be intimidated or threatened or money demanded by fraudulent acts , ie fraud by misrepresentation, fraud by misdirection, and fraud by abuse of position or power read the law shell even the government can't force me I have no contract remove your meters I will starve and freeze before I pay you a penny I paid them nearly 2, 200 quid to get rid they now say I owe them 2,518 they add on not take off I have no contract with you , you are breaking the law bye
on hold for over an hour!: Been on hold for over an hour now. No idea what the customer service is like because I can't get through to anyone. Why did you take over Post Office Broadband customers as you clearly don't have enough staff to cope?
Uncaring, horrible, hassling, profiteering bunch.: Uncaring, horrible, hassling, profiteering bunch. I'm 80 with bipolar disorder I am an 80 year old with multiple health issues and diagnosed with bipolar disorder. These people at shell energy are disgusting. I've been unable to log into my account for months. I live in a one bedroom flat and they are taking £250 per month from me, that's before the increases in October. Despite contacting them, I still can't log into my account. I've now been told my (not so) smart meter can't be reached and I have to provide monthly meter readings, when I can barely get down stairs from my flat to the meter because of mobility issues. Worse than that, when I put my email address in to change my password and access the account, I was suddenly logged into an account in the name of Mr Knox, at an address I don't know, who they claim owes them £4,800 and hasn't made a payment in months. It's neither my name nor address. This isn't my account, but it has my personal email address registered against it. Despite advising them of this, I received the standard 'we are receiving a high volume of messages' garbage. They have since emailed me another bill for the imaginary Mr Knox. They are hassling me by sending me someone elses bills and bringing me to the verge of a mental breakdown. According to my son, £250, which they have taken from my bank EVERY month, is way too much for a one bedroom flat too, but I have no idea what I have used because my email logs me into another account in another area. IF THEY DON'T SORT THIS OUT, I'M GOING TO HAVE A MENTAL BREAKDOWN. ASK MY DOCTOR. Uncaring, horrible, hassling, profiteering bunch.
Useless broadband and company: Useless broadband and company,40 minutes on hold on phone about my internet dropping all the time,told openreach would come on the Monday, NOTHING no call message or openreach. Sent email wanting to know how long I've left on contract as I want to leave them and get another provider NOTHING. I hate ringing up having to wait almost 40 minutes on hold only to talk to someone who don't have any idea what they talking about.
-By Zik Gbemre: SHELL'S NOTICE TO VACATE NIGERIA OVER UNENDING OIL THEFT: NOT GOOD FOR THE NATION The rampant oil theft that is forcing Shell out of the Niger Delta, indeed out of Nigeria is one critical embarrassment that has overwhelmed a Federal Government that has failed in all sectors of the country. The petroleum sector remains the only sector footing the entire bills of the country, yet attention is not being given to protecting it from ceaseless sabotage. Against law-abiding citizens engaged in legitimate peaceful protests, trigger-happy security operatives will swing into action to crush any peaceful protest. The common man is driving his car on the road, Police will act to intimidate him, with all manner of contorted allegations and threats, to extort him. But then assign security operatives to check oil theft, they get so connected in no time and begin to aid and abet the oil theft they are mobilised at an outrageous cost to the nation. So, the Military and Nigeria Security & Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) are as much connected to oil theft as the oil theft is connected to the host communities' leaders, oil company workers and contractors responsible for welding/clamping/clean-up/remediation contracts induced by vandalism. They vandalise pipes and valves to steal crude oil and condensate and the more these occur the more contracts are awarded for repairs/clamping of pipelines and clean-up/remediation activities. So, a lot of people are connected to oil theft beyond those who sell and buy the stolen condensate and crude oil. The fight against oil theft has become a lost battle as they sabotage with a huge economic toll on the commonwealth will continue to thrive, hence Shell has decided to quit her Niger Delta operations to concentrate on the 'deep sea offshore' of the Niger Delta that illegal bunkering syndicates can't access easily. In other shades of oil theft, you have DPR staff that are supposed to keep records of production and volume exported also involved in under declaration of figures. A lot is happening behind the scene at the points of exports, in the terminals. Even among key stakeholders like the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ministry of Petroleum Resources, NNPC and Accountant General of the Federation, it's an annual drama of conflicting figures when they are subjected to probe and accountability on the revenue generated from oil, condensate and gas, given a particular time frame. Again, the violent youths, also known as restive youths, created by Niger-Delta politicians are also there to disrupt the operations of Shell (SPDC) and other oil companies. Because politicians are not accessible immediately after they win elections and can only engage a few as personal aides thereafter, the rest are going about wreaking havoc on oil companies which they look up to as alternative governments. What's more, politicians and Public officeholders in the Niger Delta are only interested in the monthly allocations from Abuja from which they allocate outrageous portions into security votes that are never accounted for, contracts are inflated to syphon kickbacks into private vaults. All of these stakeholders' knaveries are making onshore operations so unattractive to Shell and other International Oil Companies(IOCs). And it's not a good one if they have to leave. By Zik Gbemre July 13, 2022
Bogus Group: Shell Energy Retail wants to increase customers by over 300% by 2030, however there's no mention about the level of satisfaction that will entail. https://www.shell.co.uk/media/speeches-and-articles.html
Bogus Group: David Bunch aims to more than treble Shell Retail Energy customers by 2030, but no mention about current customer satisfaction. https://www.shell.co.uk/media/speeches-and-articles.html
Impossible to move home with them: I recently moved from a home where I was a Shell Energy customer, to a home that is also supplied by Shell Energy. After 5+ calls and emails promising me my account and most importantly, my tariff, would be carried over, they have failed to do so and they are now ignoring my emails. Their customer service is absolutely diabolical.
Truly awful cancellation experience: Firstly i have no problem with the broadband quality and general customer service but i have just had a horrendous experience trying to cancel my contract in favour of virgin. i made it very very very clear i just wanted to cancel but the bloke insisted endlessly on try to persuade me otherwise to the point where i was getting proper stressed out. i won't ever go back to Shell
Rubbish Company: Where do I start ... AGAIN! Just received ANOTHER message from you regarding my account! Advising me to contact debt management company!. I am, as I keep TRYING to tell you, I'm on Universal Credit but, at the moment I've been sanctioned until the end of July, and also have a hardship fund payment of £*** which I have to pay back until next February! I have no money for all my usual bills off-line this one, so maybe YOU can tell me how I'm supposed to pay this bill with no money! I can't even afford to buy food to last me a month. I have NO MONEY! If Green Star Energy I ad sorted out this problem in the 1st place, I wouldn't be in this mess! Unfortunately I don't have a money tree in my garden, not do I have a money making machine. I'm as poor as a church mouse! I haven't had enough money for 3 years now! Is anyone else having problems with this company? I'll say no more!
Sylvia Holmes: Was with the Post Office broadband until Shell took over. Was emailed to activate my account which I did , WiFi went off. Called several times was kept waiting for someone to answer, must now total 4 hours +. Eventually Ayisha answered must be a fault on the line from the exchange. Then router not recognised! Engineer appointment was made for 31/5/22 — 8am till 1 pm No show. Rang again why no show..Naeem says I'll transfw you to the technical team ..was cut off. Emailed customer help, reply line is ok , reset your router with a pin, check your wires are fully in the plug. Pat, said she will contact outreach either Tuesday or Wednesday. Meanwhile I'm without WiFi? What's occurring Shell?
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Maybe you saw the post on May 10th about the Velvets MC charity benefit for the Downtown Women's Shelter, and maybe you were even there last weekend. But did you know when the final numbers were added up Team RideApart took home the big prize? Specifically, myself (Woody), Colonel Jim Downs of the Union Army Cavalry (retired), and our trusty scout Sasha won the mechanical bull riding contest, though I think it was mostly Sasha's ride that did it.
We had set out to make a good showing in front of all those L.A. motorcycle scenesters, but when the bull malfunctioned and blew several fuses early in the evening, things did not look good. Our strategy had been to drink just enough Pabst Blue Ribbon before riding to loosen us up, but not so much that we would get sloppy —basically the same gambit you use when bowling or playing pool. After the hour long delay getting the beast going again, we were all getting dangerously close to a "fall off and don't care" level of drunk. Luckily, just as the assembled DIY community was getting ready to hotwire the rented contraption, the owners showed up and set it back to rights.
Jim Downs lead the charge (as you would expect from a cavalry officer). He vaulted onto the bull, took one last swig of the rye in his hip flask, and tossed it nonchalantly over his shoulder to me, waiting in the wings. Jim made a good showing of it, and you can tell he spends a lot of time on off-road bikes by the way he was able to hang on as the bull tried to buck him off.
READ MORE: 10 Motorcycle Tricks You Don't Know, Yet | RideApart
Obviously, this was not Jim's first rodeo. But it sure was mine. I didn't leap, hop or vault onto the bull. In fact, it took me two tries to get up on it. It didn't go very well from there. The rules stipulate you can only hold on with one hand (I suspect this is so you can hold onto your hat with the other). At about 15 seconds in to my ride, I thought to myself: "I'm not left handed, I should be holding on with the other hand," and promptly fell off. Jim had my phone, so you all get video of this one:
Now it all came down to Sasha: That little lady managed to stay on top of the bucking bull for what seemed like five minutes (101 seconds officially), and it didn't go easy on her either. It's a testament to the concepts of inertia and concentration of mass that this petite woman was able to hold on for so long when larger men — with (ostensibly) stronger arms — got thrown off in less than a minute.
READ MORE: 10 Things You Need To Know About Motorcycle Body Position | RideApart
I'm fairly certain that it was our spectacular showing in this event that lead to the recent acquisition of RideApart by Motor1.
READ MORE: 10 Top Most Frightening Motorcycles | RideApart
All in all, it was a good time for a good cause. Thousands of dollars were raised for the women's shelter and hundreds of pairs of panties were donated. Unfortunately, one less pair than maybe should have gone to charity though. During the unscheduled intermission, when the bull took a nap, the MC for some reason stripped down, put on a pair of woman's panties, and started challenging other guys to arm wrestle. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of this, but just imagine Joe Dirt in red panties and a cowboy hat, and you pretty much got it.
Thanks so much to the Velvets MC, and Lucky Wheels DIY membership workshop for putting on such a great event. Hopefully this will become an annual tradition on the L.A. motorcycle calendar, and we can defend our title next year. 'Til then, the trophy goes on the shelf at RideApart HQ right next to Jim's recent AHRMA awards.
(Second image of Jim by Jenna Stellar)


text:
Dean of Academic Affairs; Professor of Government
Email: email@example.com
Phone: 540-441-8236
Educational Background:
Ph.D. in Government, Georgetown University
M.A. in Philosophy, Gonzaga University
M.A. in Government, Georgetown University
B.A. in History, Crown College
Time at PHC: 2002 to present
Mark T. Mitchell served as Chairman for the Government Department for many years prior to accepting his current role as the Dean of Academic Affairs at Patrick Henry College. He teaches courses in political theory. He is the author of The Limits of Liberalism: Tradition, Individualism, and the Crisis of Freedom, The Politics of Gratitude: Scale, Place, and Community in a Global Age, and Michael Polanyi: The Art of Knowing. He is co-editor of Localism in the Mass Age: A Front Porch Republic Manifesto, The Humane Vision of Wendell Berry, and The Culture of Immodesty in American Life and Politics. He is the co-founder of the web-zine Front Porch Republic. In 2008-2009, he was a fellow at the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University.


text:
80 x 90 x 80 cm.
clay, zinc sheet, brass sheet, blind rivets, bolts, nuts, washers.
Odds Are is the first sculptural element of an upcoming larger installation.
Like the artist's previous works, this installation brings together different temporalities.
The basket recalls the ancient African tradition of weaving and its purpose: a container allowing travel that protects intimacy. Each basket is woven in zinc, the material composing Parisian's roofs. They become protection and armour, storytellers of bodies' narratives.
These narrations are inspired by the fantasized world of Osiris. The mummified being having accessed to the afterlife, free from its containers that have allowed its conservation, explores the integrity of the seven elements that compose itself: Ba (the energy of movement), Djet (the body envelope), Ka (the static energy), Akh (the transcendence), Name (the recognition), Ib (the heart as the seat of memory, thought and consciousness), Shaï (the temporality), Shout (the shadow).
This installation continues the artist's research on corporeality and the mechanisms of instinct and how the permeability of the body is altered by mental mechanisms.
Photos credit: Pablo Saguez
32 x 17 x 12 cm.
Video credits: Pablo Saguez + Yohann Vorillon
Photos credit: Pablo Saguez
80 x 87 x 24 cm.
paper, glue, pigments.
Too Dimensional questions the dimensionality of our bodies.
The body represented is sculpted as a relief, belonging to flatness. The distortion creates an anamorphosis. It evokes a past action of the body trying to extract itself, calcined in time and space, in between flatness and volume.
Photos credit: Pablo Saguez
82 x 130 x 53 cm.
aluminium sheets, oxidised zinc and steel sheets, copper sheets, fired clay, jesmonite, acrylic and oil paint, chive, screws, washers, nuts, castanets of my childhood.
"Wahshani" means « I miss you » in egyptian arabic (addressed to a female entity).
This sculpture questions the temporal permeability of our bodies with each other and with their environment. It tells the tension between the different identities of the artist, born in France from Egyptian parents, the plurality of the "home" entities generated a latent lack for one or the other. A mask of Dalida, an icon of femininity of the artist's childhood is found hooded resting in the remains of an armour/body trying to interact with a contemporary architectural object, a bodies abacus.
65 x 54,5 x 15 cm.
Jesmonite, aluminium sheets, copper sheets, oxidized steel sheets, coral pearls, brass screws, a safety pin, embroidery threads, buttons, glue, oil paint, acrylic and gouache.
« El bint » meaning "the daughter" in arabic.
El bint merges different speed of temporalities. From her original image linked to the Fayoum portraits to its contemporary relation to femininity and masculinity, she attempts to stay still in the context of our contemporary hopes and constraints.
100 x 74 x 10 cm.
green lentils growing in cotton, non fired terracotta clay, air dry clay, pink quartz, buttons, aluminium sheets, blind rivets, glue.
Time gets slowly annulled as preservation techniques are perfected, parallel times are zoomed out to unification. A wish for an alternate universe, the digital and the spiritual still remains in the factual time, both longing for sharper verticalities.
As the virtual and factual are merging forward, some stones and metals still remain steady, voluptuous women and men carrying our buildings, responsible for our roof sturdiness, ornaments and bas-reliefs keep spying on us, the ever changings. New mythologies gets born, ornaments are longing, –an emptied shield refuses to fight and chooses to believe in the power of its rose quartz linked to the electric power of the sky through the sacrum reaching the joined palms by growing the braided rewards of what they seeded, savour of the labor.
Place cotton then seeds on top with water, watch how they grow and water them, as they gain stronger start a stems' braiding meditation till you can tight them to the palms. Enjoy the presence of the rose quartz, as it absorbs suffer to trade it for love it will need purification, – unplace the stone and run it under flowing water, feel as you are the stone being purified –and to recharge, place it under the moonshines.
75 x 36 x 20 cm.
fired terracotta clay, air dry clay, aluminium sheets, blind rivets, automotive wires, concrete, artifcial rotted moss, a bobby pin.
Referencing Franz Kafka, In the Penal Colony (1919), The Officer is a self satire portrait of the artist's own utopia.
177 x 150 x 70 cm.
aluminium sheets, blind rivets, bolts, nuts, washers, automotive wire, sandpaper, anti-slip tape, foam, lighting filter gel, fired terracotta, air dry clay, ribbon, thread, embroidery thread, safety pins, paint, prints, punched pockets, a bobby pin, mirror, performer, video.
Appel enregistré acts as a shattered body cynically enjoying the thrill and pain of the repetition of a static path. Lying in the wait for an ending materialisation to its own utopia, it develops a normative behaviour towards its own flaws.
Different characters share their responsibility in this quest for achievement :
Utopia :
Realised, finally,
I am matter so I exist,
without this body.
I set myself free,
to please and pleasure me,
grow free.
The Mind :
We are alike,
I mean.. you are me or me are you,
you play me or I play you,
well.. in the end, I don't know,
this is the way I am,
I, it's all I live.
The Spine :
I am alone. Condemned.
Jiggling on their prayers.
They don't hear me anymore.
They all fools think they don't need me.
Five Left Toes :
We have taken a decision,
twenty-seven years ago,
to stick to this ship no matter what!
Our shadows are getting thicker,
they want to get rid of us!
a Human :
In front of the
elevator's doors
my call flashes
I know all I know
it's coming for me
to take me
to destination
self realisation
impatient I pray
blue to reach red
the moment waits
stretches my passionate impatience
impatient passion
still hoping
for it to come
I dance
Performers: Sarah White, Marie Aimee Fattouche
Photos credit: Alessandra Sormani
Video credit: Paolo Capelli
200 x 180 x 180 cm.
aluminium sheets, protection plastic film, coat hanger, blind rivets, bolts, nuts, performer.
Metro boulot dodo presents a cynical theatrical scene as the artist's response to contemporary urban routine. "Metro boulot dodo", literally meaning "tube work sleep", is a French expression referring to the simpleness of the automatic urban repetition. (This expression was borrowed from the poem Couleurs d'usine by Pierre Bearn, 1951.)
Hanged, disposed and hooked on a coat hanger, three nuclear families of dominoes are stabbed, stuck in their physicality: standing up, sitting or laying down. Only understood through their form and potential performance, the dominoes are associated to feed the physical production and meet the pace expectation of this routine. The dominoes stop existing outside of these three physical positions, any attempt for movement not serving the routine mutes into residue.
In opposition to the sculpture Dominoes' mektoub (click here to see), the dominoes are here understood for their form and not through their content. As they are not associated with the understanding of their numerical dual singularity, the dominoes lose the need of these points of tension, –only their cast matter to serve the routine logic needs, their individuality disappears as their points suffocate, invaded by black toxic plastic.
The artist performs activating the routine as a self-confession of her participation to the urban pace logic. Performing with her own body, she intends to expose the contradiction lying between the fluidity of her own body and the rigidity of her standardised environment.
Video credit: Sarah White
140 x 180 x 100 cm.
aluminium sheets, automotive wire, embroidery, scaffold clamp, blind rivets, bolts, nuts, washers.
Mektoub literally meaning "written" in Arabic, is often used as a way of saying "it is inscribed" or "it is meant to be".
Dominoes' tiles when understood for their content and not their form seek to reach collateral connections by understanding their own dual nature. They construct a community web where each tile is a part of the global structure balance. One tile owns unbalance reach closer to the probability of numeration equilibrium through connections. The fragility of the balanced harmony allows a breach instant of creative tension.
Dominoes could be here understood as humans, forming and shaping the structure of a community, allowing the architecture to support them instead of shaping them.
Surrendering to what is meant to be, — a powerful moment of tension understanding one tile duality, allowing the creation of consequential movement (fan), form (pattern of the embroidery) and colour (red + blue = purple).
Dominoes' mektoub seeks to question urban segregative architecture and to highlight the creative power of community-based societal structure.
Photo credit: Alessandra Sormani
200 x 80 x 80 cm.
aluminium sheets, blind rivets, bolts, nuts, washers.
Looking at presents an analysis of social segregation, questioning the essence of our contemporary societal system.
The work is inspired by a text written by the artist Looking at (click to read). It reflects on the origin and the built-up of the artist's self-segregation in the urban context.
The sculpture presents a systematic construction build on and from an outdated construction, while already reaching to start a new process of construction.
It intents to question the necessity of a systematic structure to build from the destruction of another one.
Photo credit: Alessandra Sormani
200 x 200 x 150 cm.
aluminium sheets, blind rivets, bolts, nuts, washers, metal wire, pulley wheels, performer.
I dispose is a confession of the consumerist behaviour of the artist herself. As a quest for more collective responsibility, I dispose's process built up as construction, from a first systematic sculpture to a new system constructed from the ripped off part of the first mechanism. In the performative process of disposing of her own work, the artist wrote the text I dispose (click to read), as an attempt to understand and question the collective understanding of ownership in consumerist physicality.
As one takes the handle to pull, the systematic mechanism built up, mimicking the buyer's action to bring closer to oneself as an act of ownership.
The sculptural elements are inspired by the supermarket-scape of shelves and escalators, being themselves objects of systematic construction intending to guide a consumerist path.
Photo credit: Alessandra Sormani
500 x 500 x 300 cm.
aluminium sheets, steel tubes, fabric, scaffold clamps, blind rivets, bolts, nuts, washers, metal wire, pulley wheels, performers.
Ubuntu, meaning literally 'human-ness" in Nguni language is a Southern African philosophy relying on the inter-connectedness of the whole.
By pushing the doors to enter the room, the unconscious viewer chooses without noticing to surrender to the proposed path. As the structure awakes, natural physics' law of gravity and motion operate in synchronicity and exert a balanced tension between polarities. Thrown back in a unified field, the performer contributes involuntarily to the whole.
The structure arises as an absolute metaphysical intelligence being activated by the unification of the human to the All.
Photo credit: Alessandra Sormani
300 x 500 x 300 cm.
Metal, plastic, video.
One wishes to let the observer wander through a rhythm of unified dualities. It merges various layers of dual occurrences into a single environment.
Mimicking the shadows of the material presence, the virtual projected video challenges the sculpture's physicality. The metal's rigidity complements the plastic's flexibility. The purple (blue+red, unification of cold+hot) and the green (blue+yellow, the unification of dark+light) of the virtual projection questions the black and white of the dual physical reality.
As the motion starts, the shadows of the physical sculpture blend into the concentric movements of the non-material video, unifying the factual and the metaphysical.
To achieve a total experience of the one, the viewer is immersed in this dynamic internal back and forth between dualities. Through this cyclic continuous movement, each pole is given an impulse to reach for each other. As the opposites unify, the energy gets intuitively recycled as two complementary colours evolving in a new one.
Photo credit: Alessandra Sormani
500 x 120 x 120 cm.
mirror and mixed technics on wood.
Breath of Brahma presents a theatrical scene where the viewer is invited to step on a soft mirror-topped pedestal.
As the outer's perspective grows to an inner stage, the seeming division among the layers of circles transmutes in a single manifest organism. Physically occurring at the centre and suggested over images at both ends, his energy expands in a universal omnipresence. The physical distance becomes null as the central presence radiates through the reflection of a 3D reality in an infinite unified 2D image.
The chaotic 'toxic look-alike' textures extend gradually from dark to brightness, revealing the wholeness within the viewer as a stable and balanced yet dynamic internal movement, arising the conscious of his own self.
The perception of depth allows the viewer to get immersed into a spatial experience, at the core of the 'Unified Field'. The passive viewer transfigures and performs as part of the work. Transposed back in the wholeness, the balance between his own conscious and unconsciousness can harmoniously arise.


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| Welcome, my name is Keith Nickerson and I'm a custom cue maker in Tucson, Arizona.
A high quality cue should look good, feel good, and most importantly hit good. If any of these criteria are missing, I simply won't sell the cue. You can be assured that the best quality possible is the objective on each and every cue I build. From construction of the parts you don't see, all the way to the final finish, attention to detail is always more important to me than the time it takes to build the cue.
I'm willing to stake my reputation as a craftsman on each and every product that comes out of my shop.


text:
This is an opinion column by Del, Ken Plum (D), who represents Reston in Virginia's House of Delegates. It does not represent Reston Now.
A chicken-or-egg kind of debate has been going on in Virginia recently as a result of a report from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC). The agency is charged by law with the responsibility of providing an annual report on the growth of state spending over the last 10 years while identifying the largest- and fastest-growing programs and functions in the budget.
The most recent report was for the period FY 2006 through FY 2015. Among its other findings was the fact that the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) has overtaken the Department of Education (DOE) as having the largest appropriation of any state agency. The appropriation for DMAS represents 18 percent of the total state budget with DOE being 15 percent, Virginia Department of Transportation at 10 percent, and all the other agencies of state government at under 10 percent each.
The largest program increase in total appropriations from FY 2006 to FY 2015 was in the area of medical program services (Medicaid) from $4,672.8 million to $8,148.6, an increase of 74 percent. Some opponents of an expansion of Medicaid have focused on this number as being a reason to not expand Medicaid for presumably it would cost too much.
Fortunately, the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis has done some research that puts the increase in context. As the Institute points out, "the growth occurred largely during the worst and most prolonged economic recession since the Great Depression and then a sluggish recovery made worse by federal sequestration.
Most recently, Virginia ranked 48th nationally in economic growth. When you lose your job, you lose your health coverage if you were lucky enough to have it in the first place. At the same time, the number of Virginians 65 years and older grew more than three times as much as the overall population resulting in a 30 percent increase in enrollment."
Beyond these external factors affecting Medicaid costs, state legislators added more than 4,300 waiver slots over the past 10 years for long-term care services for people who are intellectually and developmentally disabled.
These waivers that are critical to the individuals and families who need them are among the most expensive of medical services. An intellectual disability waiver costs about $71,000 per person per year, and a developmental disability waiver costs nearly $33,000 per person per year. The Institute found that last year alone the waivers added $285 million to the budget. Waivers are not limited to persons of low incomes as the rest of Medicaid programs are.
Is it then the chicken or the egg that came first? Did the availability of medical services run up the cost of Medicaid or was it the growing population of older persons and the extension of services to the most needy that added to the cost? In either case, does it not make sense to use 100 percent federal dollars to meet the needs of the working poor and save the 350 million state dollars that are currently appropriated for the indigent? People who need health care come first making an expansion of Medicaid essential.
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