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It's likely that you don't even remember the first time you heard Madonna, that, to you, she just was and is. She's the gap-toothed dancing goddess dubbed the Queen of Pop, managing to almost always have at least one track in the top 100 every time she drops an album. There's no arguing that she's a legend for a reason, but how many trends does one get to set in a lifetime? How many times can you possibly, genuinely reinvent yourself before you succumb to merely vying for marketability? How much pop is in one star? Possibly not enough. Definitely not over three decades-worth.
To be fair, I was already annoyed with Madonna for the prolonged kiss she laid on Drake at her Coachella performance earlier this year before really giving this total flop of an album, Rebel Heart, a listen. I have every right to be concerned having seen what happened to Britney after she got a Madonna kiss. No doubt in my mind that lip-lock sent him straight to Meme City, USA, so, I wasn't exactly eager to find out what was next when she unleashed the video, "Bitch, I'm Madonna" (Yes, bitch, we know.)
Madonna's a known chameleon and that fickleness manifests itself this time around as a crazy party girl in a hot pink studded jacket who's just too cool to care. There are pandering celebrity cameos as the camera swirls around a generic neon night club, giving us money headshots of the star-studded VIPs in attendance — proving she's got hip friends. There's a fair amount of trying-too-hard styling and a latent borrowing of Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Girls. It's not believable, or it's terribly believable if you consider that this is what a 57-year-old thinks the kids are into. It's also rather dated.
The entire feel of the video calls to mind visions of a friend's birthday party where her parents let you drink because you might as well do it at the house, but her hot mom has one too many wine coolers and gets wild on the dance floor, "You guys having fun yet? Bet you didn't think I still had moves like this!"
Sure, you want to join in — it's her house after all — but you're a little embarrassed, and besides, you really only showed up to the party — or clicked on the link — to see Nicki Minaj. Madonna is clearly aware that hip-hop and R&B are currently in favor in the Top 40, but knows better than to dive right in. I suppose we can be glad she left the rapping to someone else this time, we don't need another repeat of "American Life" (2003), wherein she rhymes "soy latte" and "double shot-eh" with "hot bod-tay," along with the riveting wordplay of "feeling super-duper" in her "Mini Cooper."
We'll always love Madonna, but perhaps it's more for what she was rather than what she is. Gone are the days of the '90s sex book dom-Madonna and wannabe British yogi-mom children's author. I'm not saying sexy has an age or an expiration date, and neither does being cool. However, Madonna appears to just be playing it safe, while attempting to stay relevant. Like my mother once said, "Don't be afraid of getting old, be afraid of getting boring."
After unapologetically opening the doors for a gaggle of alternative pop stars and building a fanbase empire, we're now forced to watch her brag about staying up all night while kissing a bevy of babes and saying the B-word. But bless her heart, it's 2015 and everyone has already pushed the envelope she set down. Taylor Swift is giving the American Sweetheart thing a good-old college try, Beyoncé has choreographed dancing on lock, Lady Gaga came out of an egg that one time and Miley Cyrus is a full-blown adult-baby wearing a diaper and sucking on pacifiers, so it's not easy staying in the game, even if you helped write the rule book.
Maybe it's our fault, maybe we're just asking too much of our female pop stars.
It seems that the ultimate goal in reaching the global pop status that Madonna has attained is the allowance to do whatever the hell you want. No one is going to tell you no, even if they should. Still you must admit there's something admirable about continuing to do what you love whether anyone likes it. This is a tenacious tour, no doubt, and perhaps the only thing that could be worse is seeing a purely nostalgia act. In fact, if you happen upon a ticket to go see Madonna you're probably not going to pass it up and you're probably not gonna not dance.


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The gift is that from today, December 7 through 15, all jewelry orders shipped to U.S. addresses will not only have the usual insurance & delivery confirmation coverage but will receive a complimentary upgrade to priority rate! This means that instead of waiting up to 5 delivery days plus the 3 days for Paypal to clear the bank, you should receive your packages within a week and most likely less…nice surprise, huh? And I will happily ship it directly to your gift recipient if you prefer.
And to top that off, for every item purchased in my Etsy shop through December 31st at http://RockerJewlz.etsy.com, you will receive an entry into my holiday giveaway. The prize is your choice of any pair of earrings OR pendant available in the shop (not limited to cupcakes this time as in the past)…and TWO of you will be winners, woohoo! Now that is something to celebrate on Sunday, January 3rd, when the winners will be randomly drawn.
For more chances to win, here is how you can easily get extra entries. Just follow these TWO guidelines:
1. You MUST email me with the url where you announce the RockerJewlz Holiday Giveaway and be sure to include info on how your readers they can find my blog announcement at http://RockerJewlz.blogspot.com. Any public website is fine with me (i.e. your blog, website, Twitter and Facebook) but I have to be able to GO there to see it so be sure to include it.
(To reach my email address, go to the left side of this blog, find "A little about me", and at the bottom of it, "view my complete profile".)
2. The email MUST include the url, AND your name AND street address (otherwise, how will I mail your prize if you win?).
3. Go shopping with me on Etsy to see what you will choose as your prize! Could this giveaway be any easier?)
In addition, I now have plenty of cupcakes on 18 or 20 inch sterling silver chains.
Have fun shopping and I'll talk to you after the New Year with the winner announcements,

subset: commoncrawl


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@inproceedings{DBLP:conf/vldb/BarjaPFWD94, author = {Maria L. Barja and Norman W. Paton and Alvaro A. A. Fernandes and M. Howard Williams and Andrew Dinn}, editor = {Jorge B. Bocca and Matthias Jarke and Carlo Zaniolo}, title = {An Effective Deductive Object-Oriented Database Through Language Integration}, booktitle = {VLDB'94, Proceedings of 20th International Conference on Very Large Data Bases, September 12-15, 1994, Santiago de Chile, Chile}, publisher = {Morgan Kaufmann}, year = {1994}, isbn = {1-55860-153-8}, pages = {463-474}, ee = {db/conf/vldb/vldb94-463.html}, crossref = {DBLP:conf/vldb/94}, bibsource = {DBLP, http://dblp.uni-trier.de} }
Copyright © 1994 by the VLDB Endowment. Permission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial advantage, the VLDB copyright notice and the title of the publication and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by the permission of the Very Large Data Base Endowment. To copy otherwise, or to republish, requires a fee and/or special permission from the Endowment.


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ColorWare has setup their website to accept custom BlackBerry paint jobs! You can either send in your BlackBerry, or order a new BlackBerry (for $50-$100 over retail) sent to you direct with a fancy new paint job. Not bad!
ColorWare is even offering a standard 1 year warranty with the unlocked phones they sell, and an option to upgrade to a 2 year warranty for another $149.
The ColorWare designer allows you to create custom colors for the Pearl, Curve, and 8800 Series. Click here to try out their designer. It's very cool, fun...and seems like a great way to customize your Berry.
For customizations, the base price is $99 for one color throughout the device. You can also choose colors for the sides, back and bottom for $15 each. The color palette to choose from includes 15 solid colors and 20 metallic colors. Pretty cool!
I'm very tempted to send in my 8800 for a custom 'CrackBerry' theme, however I don't want to give up the Berry for any extended period of time. I'm not sure I could survive without having my Berry for three to four weeks. Maybe the better option in that case would be to go with a custom skin from MyTego.com.
At any rate, check it out. ColorWare looks like an amazing one-of-a-kind way to customize your Berry!
Special thanks to our friend Ronen over at BerryReview for this one!


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While I was sitting with my mother in her illness this past year, I have had a lot of time to ponder some things. To look deeply at myself. I asked myself some hard questions, examined what I believe and maybe more importantly, what I am unsure about. Short of you being the terminally ill party, nothing draws out your inner feelings like watching someone you love die.
Humanity seems poised to slide into global despotism. Tyranny and false worship of the collective and its goals seems to be more than just a fad here in 2019. Our system of representative government has utterly failed. What is worse than one royal tyrant? Thousands of them. Our public servants have become our masters, by force and by coercion.
The public at large seems more than willing to allow themselves to be completely enslaved in a system where they exchange their labor, and therefore their very lives, for the chains which will hold them. They actually demand it. Giving power to men and women who despise them and who will use every machination to keep that power. It indeed is like watering the tree that holds up the noose around our necks.
As I have eluded in the past, I believe that individualists are incapable by and large of herd mentality and are more solid in their principles. So we see in the comments at big sites like WRSA, and eloquently explained here…
So we probably will not ever come together like the collectivists do because their nature is the collective while ours is the individual (and then tribal).
Where does this leave us?
In reality, not really in such a bad place.
Read this from NC Scout about how perhaps lots and lots of individuals could really give collectivism a bad time.
Now to the man in the mirror.
What am I willing to do? What are you willing to do?
TL recently opined that the time for words is about done. That we are into nut cutting time. Are we? Are you?
Are you really good with it? It isn't like the movies. I don't think we will feel good, or inspired or even vindicated. I think we will feel hollow. I think our souls will ache and our hearts will dry up. If you enjoy it, what is to come, then I don't want you around me and mine honestly.
We each should be examining ourselves, making peace with the requirements of our position. Hesitation will spell doom, the time for fleshing out your willingness is long before you are faced with opportunity.
Masks are coming down. It isn't a matter of coexistence with these people. Like (i) slam and many other evils, it is come along or be killed.
They mean to convert you, to heal your thinking and if not… they will kill you or imprison you.
We seem to be waiting for a sign.
Tick Tock


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Awaken your senses to the wonders that surround you by joining one of our award-winning bicycle tours of New Mexico!
As locals, experts, and storyteller guides, we love our state and take great pride in showcasing the culture, arts, history, and spirit of New Mexico. Our all-inclusive tours feature local treasures and hidden gems finely curated to provide you with experiences that will become cherished memories.
We offer tours and bike rentals for all skill levels and group sizes (including solos) that fit within your time frame – day-trips and multi-day vacations created just for you.
Enjoy your ride; Let Routes be your guide!
Daily tours offered in Santa Fe & Albuquerque. Rentals available in Albuquerque.


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Posts Tagged 'Property Service'
Cypriot Vulture Funds
|Since the start of 2020, we have seen a spike in enquiries, particularly from those with problematic Cypriot mortgages due to Cypriot Vulture Funds.
It has been common knowledge for some time now, but the Cypriot & Greek Banks have been lining up the sale of their NPL loan books for a while.
A recent article in the excellent 'Cyprus Property News' https://www.news.cyprus-property-buyers.com/, confirms a €4 billion sale by two players in the mortgage market. This will develop as the Banks look to 'tidy up' their loan books STILL reeling from the 2008/9 crash.
With any Foreign mortgage, trying to decipher what is truly going on, is difficult. Sometimes the teams within the Banks don't even know, so why should you.
This niche area needs serious negotiators with strong knowledgeable legal representation on the ground in the country in question. EU Property Solutions has the complete package here – right across Europe.
Getting the right advice, from afar is difficult at best….impossible in most instances.
NPL's can arise from any Banking covenant failure that may arise. Typically, these Banking covenant failures can arise from:
Loans that revert from Interest Only to Repayment.
The issues above continue to plague mortgage holders and with over 60,000 British and Irish mortgage holders in Cyprus alone, these problems are not going away any time soon.
EU Property Solutions only ever act for the client and despite offers, would never act for banks.
That said, we recognize that the Banks of today are in an invidious position as they try to move on. They face the task of trying to unravel the awful loans written by less than scrupulous Banks and Brokers back in the day.
At best, the Banks are in zombie mode with all the pressure to bear from Bank of Cyprus, IMF etc, requiring them to sort these issues, but not providing them with the resources such as a Land Registry system that works.
EU Property Solutions and their sister company Bell & Company www.bellcomp.co.uk have over the past 10 years come across many, many debt purchasers such as the debt purchasers listed below.
The comments above are not in any way malicious about the teams in these Vulture Funds, but realistic. The teams within Vulture Funds have a job to do…and do it they will. Vulture Funds buy distressed debt/NPL's from struggling financial institutions but get all the rights of the debt at their outstanding value i.e. the loan amount plus all costs and interest.
They are not long-term holders of this type of debt and look merely to maximize their return on the loan book and each and every loan in it.
What does this mean to those under such pressure, knowing a Vulture Fund now owns your mortgage?
Any other actions they see fit to maximise the return on their loan purchase.
Active engagement is vital, but, be aware Vulture Funds are far more clinical in their approach. There are no friendly chats here. They will hang on your every word; unlike previous conversations, you may have had with the Banks and their debt collection teams in Cyprus.
Third-Party Representation in such cases, where Vulture Funds now own your mortgage, is absolutely vital.
Vulture Funds are very effective in their work – which could possibly put mortgage holders at serious risk with UK assets.
Our mantra in our sister company – Bell & Company is always #KnowtheWorstAchievetheBest and it is so relevant with the Vulture Funds now buying up NPL's in Cyprus


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Hole More Putts launches in the UK
Whilst there are numerous affordable and effective swing analysis systems already available to buy for the club golfer to measure their performance from the tee, there has been nothing of note to either measure or give personalised instruction on the most important part of the game – putting - until now. Until the invention of HOLE MORE PUTTS™.
Created and developed in Ireland in collaboration with experienced PGA Professionals and respected international coaches David and Ian Kearney, HOLE MORE PUTTS™ is the ultimate high tech, portable solution to one of the most difficult parts in the game of golf – getting the ball in the hole.
Featuring an iPad type tablet and patented infrared technology, HOLE MORE PUTTS™ measures the five key elements of the putting stroke – face angle, impact point, path, angle of attack and speed – providing instant analysis of the stroke on a hi visibility screen in the top right hand corner of the tablet.
Using the putting tablet in tandem with a Mobile App and website, HOLE MORE PUTTS™ provides personalised instruction, including a series of tailored, easy to understand practice drills that are both effective and measurable.
Proprietary software analyses the putting stroke and calculates a player's 'Putting Index' – their putting performance score. The interactive website provides the golfer with a visualisation of each putt, a detailed analysis of the stroke, and personalised improvement instruction, based on the feedback, in an easy-to-follow video format.
Dave Kearney, who is the head PGA Professional at Grange Golf Club in Dublin, and High Performance Director for the Irish Ladies Union, believes that all golfers will see instant improvements from regular use of HOLE MORE PUTTS.
"Without feedback, players don't know if they're practicing a good habit or just repeating a bad one. Without solutions and drills, they won't know what to practice to improve.
HOLE MORE PUTTS instantly provides golfers with this information and instruction based on what they see on screen. The golfer can now see what to focus on to get the greatest improvements, quickly.
Over 90% of golfers involved in our initial research showed significant improvement after using Hole More Putts, with an average improvement of 9%."
Requiring no set up, and very little space, HOLE MORE PUTTS™ can be used indoors and outdoors, at home or in the office, to improve putting performance. Ongoing use will help golfers of all standards to build a clear picture of their putting strengths and weaknesses, to develop a stroke that is effective time after time.
HOLE MORE PUTTS™ can also improve green reading and distance control, and will enable every golfer to have a putting stroke that is consistent, no matter what conditions they are faced with on the green. And with consistency comes confidence – the key to great performance.
With an RRP of just £399, HOLE MORE PUTTS is also an extremely affordable option for amateur golfers to experience a level of analysis that can currently be only offered to tour professionals and visitors to specialist putting studios.
1. The golfer takes five putts from the Tablet.
2. A digital display on the board provides instant feedback on face angle, impact point, path, angle of attack and speed, and gives a 'Putting Index' score measured as a percentage.
3. This data can then be uploaded via Bluetooth to a Smartphone and the Web.
4. The HoleMorePutts App provides stroke analysis and improvement routines whilst the HoleMorePutts website a gives more detailed analysis, opportunity diagnosis, and comprehensive video instruction routines.
5. Go out on the golf course and start holing more putts!
HOLE MORE PUTTS™ will be available to purchase online and at major golf retailers. For Pre-orders visit www.HoleMorePutts.com
What do you think? leave your comments below (Comments)
Tags: Hole more putts


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On Thursday, Republicans took the first in a series of steps toward what is, for many, the culmination of a lifelong dream: slashing the corporate tax rate and lowering the tax burden on the long-suffering rich. By narrowly passing a budget resolution in the House, lawmakers are now closer to being able to use the reconciliation process to pass tax reform with a simple majority in the Senate (the Senate Budget Committee passed its own budget on Thursday and is expected to send the resolution to the floor for a vote in two weeks). The proposed G.O.P. budget naturally takes a sledgehammer to federal spending on the poor, which is fitting since the party's corresponding tax cut would do so much for the rich. The final product would combine drastic cuts to the social safety net with a tax plan that could see some members of the middle class paying more in taxes—a one-two punch that would knock the non-rich in the ribs when they're already down on the ground. (Hope you can swing that E.R. bill!)
The G.O.P. budget would cut $5 trillion in spending over the next 10 years, with a trillion of those dollars coming from the Medicaid program and half a trillion from Medicare. ("Entitlements" like housing assistance and food stamps wouldn't fare much better.) Meanwhile, the Pentagon's budget would increase to $620 billion.
Democrats, naturally, are alarmed. The House budget "targets disproportionately the most vulnerable," said Representative Jim McGovern. "Budgets represent our values, and if this represents Republican values, then shame on you. That, to me, is what this budget represents—it's about making things worse for people . . . to pay for a tax cut for wealthy people." Equally incensed were Representatives John Yarmuth and Nancy Pelosi, who accurately described the budget as "a slap in the face [to] anyone who isn't a millionaire" and "miserable, deceptive, [and] horrible," respectively.
Republicans offered a not-entirely-convincing rebuttal, pointing to the fact that just because their program would impoverish grandma and grandpa that doesn't mean said budget cuts will actually make their way into law. Sure, it's on their wish list, but a lot of things could go on a wish list that might never materialize, like a call to exhume Ronald Reagan's body and parade him around the Capitol on special occasions. If that's the case, why not throw in a call to raise money by selling the healthiest elderly's organs on the black market? People are really in no place to get upset if it's unlikely to happen!
If you would like to receive the Levin Report in your inbox daily, click here to subscribe.
Speaking of tax cuts…
While the passing of the House budget was surely cause for excitement inside the Capitol, not everyone got the memo that it was a special day. Reuters reports that just as Republicans were celebrating this important step, the killjoy academics at the Fed had to open their mouths and ruin everyone's good time. Although Federal Reserve officials usually refrain from commenting on fiscal policy, San Francisco Fed President John Williams apparently felt the need to offer his two cents in light of the fact that the tax plan revealed last week is so patently ridiculous. Williams said that the framework unveiled by the Trump administration and the G.O.P. might cause a "short-term growth surge" but could ultimately feed "unsustainable growth" that would "ultimately be undone by asset price bubbles, inflation, and possible recession."
Area investor pioneers new way to avoid alimony
In November, billionaire property developer Asif Aziz and his wife of 14 years, Tagilde Aziz, officially divorced. Now, Aziz wants the decision to be reversed, but not because he's realized it was all a huge mistake and Tagilde is the love of his life, but because he figures that if he can prove they were never actually married in the first place, he won't have to split his fortune with her. Per Bloomberg:
Asif Aziz, founder and chief executive officer of the real estate investment company Criterion Capital Ltd., says he was never married to Tagilde Aziz under English law, in a case that lawyers say is one of the largest divorce cases ever in a U.K. court. Tagilde Aziz counters she is the mother of his four children and that he "presented to the world" that they were married. She is seeking a "fair share" of his wealth, which she values at 1.1 billion pounds.
The dispute at a London court Wednesday centers on whether an event that took place in Malawi in 2002, and a previous ceremony in Wimbledon in 1997, were valid weddings. . . . Asif Aziz, for his part, argues that "no ceremony took place at all" in Malawi. He calls the Malawi affair an excuse to obtain "a certificate of convenience" that would allow them to get a passport for a child that they had "informally adopted."
"The parties have never been married, therefore there's no marriage to be dissolved by this court," Aziz's lawyer, Richard Harrison, argued at a hearing on Wednesday. "I mean not married as a matter of English law."
Elected official endorses theory George Soros funded Charlottesville Nazi rally
For a certain deranged subset of the far-right fringe, billionaire financier George Soros is a sort of ur-bogeyman, responsible for natural disasters, the bubonic plague, and the disappearance of every child whose face appears on a milk carton. Still, it takes a uniquely unbalanced individual to posit that the Hungarian-born Jew, who lived through the Holocaust, paid the white supremacists and neo-Nazis who descended on Charlottesville last August as part of some kind of false-flag campaign. Amazingly, one of those uniquely unbalanced individuals is Representative Paul Gosar, whose conversation with Vice News, in which he endorsed the theory first postulated by known crockpot Alex Jones, is . . . really something.
VICE News: In fairness, antifa is in the news because of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.
GOSAR: Well, isn't that interesting. Maybe that was created by the Left.
VICE News: Why do you say that?
GOSAR: Because let's look at the person that actually started the rally. It's come to our attention that this is a person from Occupy Wall Street that was an Obama sympathizer. So, wait a minute, be careful where you start taking these people to.
And look at the background. You know, you know George Soros is one of those people that actually helps back these individuals. Who is he? I think he's from Hungary. I think he was Jewish. And I think he turned in his own people to the Nazis. Better be careful where we go with those.
VICE News: Do you think George Soros funded the neo-Nazis who marched in Charlottesville?
GOSAR: Wouldn't it be interesting to find out?
JPMorgan's bylaws now include clause in the event of a nuclear disaster
Nothing to see here, just the largest U.S. bank adding a new section to its rules stating that in case there's a "nuclear or atomic disaster," any member of the company's operating committee or board can call a meeting using "any available means of communication," and that one person is enough to establish a quorum. Sleep well tonight!
Bank Behind Fearless Girl Statue Settles U.S. Gender Pay Dispute (Bloomberg)
Treasury Watchdog Finds Mnuchin's Aircraft Use Violated No Laws (W.S.J.)
The One Fed Choice That Would Really Spook The Bond Market (Bloomberg)
Tax reform not needed for bull market to continue, says investing expert (CNBC)
Banks consider fleeing Catalonia over split from Spain (CNN Money)
"What's cool about my fund . . ." (N.Y.P.)
Wells Fargo executives, board must face lawsuit over fake accounts, federal judge says (Reuters)
Bitcoin's Rise Happened in Shadows of Finance. Now Banks Want In (Bloomberg)
The Many Places Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Calls Home (W.S.J.)
Guinness World Records: Italian man pulls on 13 pairs of underwear in 30 seconds (U.P.I.)


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Laura Chapman's THE MARRYING TYPE Blog Tour Stops Here!
Today I welcome my author friend,
Laura Chapman, to my blog to chat about
how Jane Austen inspired modern books and movies!
Don't miss the giveaway at the end of the article. Take it away, Laura!
I enjoyed Jane Austen reimaginings before I even realized they were a thing. One of my favorite movies growing up was Clueless, which is a modernization of Emma. From then, I've gone on to read and watch other contemporary adaptations, so is it any wonder I went on to write one?
My new novel, The Marrying Type, is based on Austen's Persuasion, told with a modern and American twist. In honor of contemporary Austen retellings, here's a list of ways some of these stories have been part of my life.
1. I dressed as Cher from Clueless for Halloween in fifth grade. While the costume wasn't perfect (How can you recreate Cher's expensive and flawless style when you're 10 and shopping at a cheap, second-hand store?), but I had a blonde wig, gold high-heel shoes, and my best friend dressed as Tai.
2. Bridget Jones's Diary was my gateway to chick lit and Austen. I read the book based on the advice of a friend, and after finishing it on a sick day my junior year of high school, I picked up the sequel. Thus began my mass consumption of chick lit novels. And after learning the books were based on Austen (Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion respectively), I spent the summer reading a few of her most famous works. Senior year, I revisited Pride and Prejudice during AP English. (No big deal, but I earned an A on both my paper and presentation.)
3. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and Emma Approved gave me an enjoyable mid-morning coffee breaks twice a week for months on end. These clever web series inspired me to consider convergence as a form of storytelling and challenged me to make my modern adaption (which already had a first draft) shine as much as it could. If you haven't already watched either of these series, you might as well start now:
4. Austenland was the ultimate pool-side read and later summer storm watch. I finally checked out the book and movie last summer, and loved them both, though each is different. I read the book on a sunny Monday afternoon by the pool and I watched the movie during a thunderstorm the next evening. That's Nebraska for you.
5. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies served as the inspiration for my best literary-themed painted pumpkin ever. Just take a look at it:
Have you read or watched any modern Austen tales? Which ones are your favorite?
Thanks so much to Caroline for having me on the blog today!
Author Bio:
Laura Chapman is the author of The Marrying Type, Hard Hats and Doormats and the Autumn and Tuck series, which appear in Merry & Bright and A Kind of Mad Courage. A native Nebraskan, she loves football, Netflix marathons, and her cats, Jane and Bingley. Until she fulfills her dream of landing a British husband or becoming a Disney princess, you can find her in a bar penning her next novel.
Connect with Laura!
Twitter: @lmchap
Facebook: laurachapmanbooks
Instagram: @lmchap614
Website: www.laurachapmanbooks.com
Blog: www.change-the-word.com
Find the Book!
Amazon: https://bit.ly/themarryingtype
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-marrying-type-laura-chapman/1121256561?ean=2940151308946
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25009611-the-marrying-type
Always the wedding planner, never a bride, Elliot Lynch is famous for orchestrating the splashiest weddings in Charleston, South Carolina. When her father's sloppy management practices leave them on the brink of bankruptcy, Elliot will do whatever it takes to save the family business. When asked to appear on "The Marrying Type," a reality TV show about the people behind the scenes as couples exchange I dos, she says yes to the invasion of privacy (and the hefty paycheck that comes with it).
With a camera crew capturing every detail of her life, Elliot faces her most challenging contract yet: planning a wedding where her ex is involved in every part of the process. Add in a lazy assistant, liquor-loving bridesmaid, and rival planner encroaching on her turf, and Elliot's wedding season goes from high-end to high-stress.
Forced to confront her past, Elliot must live out her troubled present on national TV if she has any hope of saving her future.
Follow Laura's Chick Lit Plus Blog Tour!
April 6 - Christy Herself – Excerpt
April 7- The Book Bag – Review, Guest Post & Excerpt
April 8 - Sultry, Steamy Reading – Review & Excerpt
April 9 - eBook Addict – Q&A
April 9 - Living Life With Joy – Guest Post & Excerpt
April 10 - Chick Lit Plus – Review
April 14 - Caroline Fardig – Guest Post
April 15 - Cindy Arora – Q&A
April 16 - Annabel & Alice- Review
April 17 - Ai Love Books - Review
April 21 - Kaisy Daisy's Corner – Review & Excerpt
April 22 - Doorflower – Guest Post
April 23 - Book Mama Blog – Excerpt
April 24 - Two Children and a Migraine – Review
April 27 - Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock – Review
April 28 - Novel Escapes – Q&A
April 29 - Chick Lit Club Connect – Guest Post
April 30 - Terry's Book Addiction – Review & Excerpt
May 1 - Jersey Girl Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
May 4 - Polished and Bubbly - Review
And don't forget about the giveaway!


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GE Technology Helps Drive Russia Oil and Gas Industry
GE Aeroderivative Gas Turbines Ramp Up Power Production for LUKOIL's Busy Astrakhan Operations
HOUSTON, TEXAS and ASTRAKHAN, RUSSIA—April 28, 2011—One of the world's leading oil and gas companies, LUKOIL, will use GE's (NYSE: GE) innovative aeroderivative technology to provide additional energy for its operations in Astrakhan, Russia, continuing GE's history of growth in the region.
Four GE LM6000™-PF dual fuel dry low emissions (DLE) Sprint aeroderivative gas turbines will help provide heat and power for LUKOIL's operations in the region where oil and gas production is a primary industry. The project represents the first dual fuel DLE LM6000-PF units packaged from GE's Houston facility. These units use two fuels— diesel and natural gas. These new turbines will join two LM6000s that began service for LUKOIL in Astrakhan on April 26, 2011.
"The LM6000's proven track record and GE's steadfast commitment to develop innovative global energy solutions, coupled with the ability to use two types of fuel and to reduce emissions, made this a good choice for LUKOIL," said Darryl Wilson, vice president—aeroderivative gas turbines for GE Power & Water. "The LM6000 product heritage of nearly 1,000 installed units and 20 million operating hours with more than 99.8 percent reliability and complete operational flexibility has made it the engine of choice in its class by the energy industry over the last 15 years. We will continue to provide solutions that drive customer success and productivity."
The LM6000-PF dual fuel DLE capability gives it the capability to operate at low emission levels in gas or liquid fuels without the need for water injection. The LM6000-PF reduces CO2 emissions by 15,000 metric tons, reduces gas consumption by over 278,000 GJ, reduces NOx emissions by 360,000 Kg and saves 37,400 cubic meters of water yearly.
The CO2 emissions reduction is the equivalent of removing 7,600 cars from E.U. roads and water savings is the equivalent to filling 15 Olympic-size swimming pools every year.
The LM6000-PF is the second aeroderivative gas turbine to receive GE's ecomagination certification, joining the LMS100 in providing customers with additional proven frame and gas turbine technologies to meet the growing need in the world marketplace.
LUKOIL is one of the world's leading vertically integrated oil and gas companies. Main activities of the company are exploration and production of oil and gas, production of petroleum products and petrochemicals and marketing of these outputs. Most of the LUKOIL's exploration and production activity is located in Russia, and its main resource base is in Western Siberia. LUKOIL owns modern refineries, gas processing and petrochemical plants in Russia, Eastern and Western Europe, near-abroad countries. Its products are marketed in Russia, Eastern and Western Europe, in near-abroad countries and in the United States.
For more than 100 years GE has been supplying equipment to develop Russia's energy infrastructure. GE Energy has had a significant presence in Russia and CIS since the early 1900s. Today more than 600 gas-turbine units, 69 steam turbines, 660 compressors, 400 of GE's reciprocating gas engines and more than 600 units of other equipment including air coolers, condensers, gas separators and pumps produced by GE Energy and GE Oil & Gas have been installed in Russia and CIS to date.
This contract is the latest in a series of announcements from GE's aeroderivative business. On Nov. 17, GE announced its first contract to provide two LMS100™ aeroderivative gas turbines to meet current and future energy growth in Brazil for Bertin Energia. On Oct. 7, GE announced that following the initial success of the world's first use of sugarcane-based ethanol in a gas turbine system, it has received a contract from Petrobras to convert a second unit at the site to burn this alternative fuel. That same day, the company announced that it is building a US$10 million facility in Petropolis, dedicated to servicing the aeroderivative and oil and gas sectors in Latin America.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is an advanced technology, services and finance company taking on the world's toughest challenges. Dedicated to innovation in energy, health, transportation and infrastructure, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.
GE also serves the energy sector by providing technology and service solutions that are based on a commitment to quality and innovation. The company continues to invest in new technology solutions and grow through strategic acquisitions to strengthen its local presence and better serve customers around the world. The businesses that comprise GE Energy www.ge.com/energy—GE Power & Water, GE Energy Services and GE Oil & Gas—work together with more than 90,000 global employees and 2010 revenues of $38 billion, to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; as well as other alternative fuels and new grid modernization technologies to meet 21st century energy needs.


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Monday, September 26, 2011
Blogging on the back burner...
1 comment:
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Family gathers to establish Larson scholarship
The family of Wayne H. and Kathleen E. Larson gathered Friday at Trine University to contribute funds to establish an endowed scholarship in their parents' honor.
The Wayne H. and Kathleen E. Larson Endowed Scholarship Fund will provide scholarships each year for one or more Trine University students.
Both Wayne and Kathleen Larson were Steuben County natives. Wayne, who passed away Nov. 2, 2015, graduated from Tri-State College, the forerunner of Trine University, in 1951 with a bachelor of science in business administration degree. He served on Trine's board of trustees from 1981 to 1993.
"Wayne and Kathleen were longtime generous supporters of Trine University, and it is fitting that their legacy will continue to impact the lives of Trine students through the Wayne H. and Kathleen E. Larson Endowed Scholarship Fund," said Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D., Trine president.
Wayne was the head of the WH Larson Insurance Agency in Pasadena, California. At one time Wayne, Kathleen and their eight children all worked for the company.
Kathleen Larson passed away April 12, 2013.


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PRIME Support
PRIME is a pay-for-performance delivery system improvement program and one of the cornerstones of the Medi-Cal 2020 waiver, providing up to $3.2 billion in funding to California's public health care systems if all targets are met. The program is nothing short of ambitious, with a minimum of nine required projects for CAPH members, who must report an average of 50-60 quality metrics twice yearly to the State.
To ensure members have the support needed to meet key reporting deadlines, SNI provides timely, responsive hands-on support to PRIME leads and their teams at California's public health care systems through one-on-one targeted technical assistance and the publication of in-depth guides and manuals.
In addition to the technical support for reporting requirements, SNI fosters a peer group for the PRIME leads through a series of webinars and workshops, where members share on-the-ground implementation challenges and lessons learned – with topics ranging from PRIME governance, to data validation, to best practices on strategically aligning PRIME with other care transformation initiatives.
SNI's PRIME support also aligns closely with our Ambulatory Care Redesign offerings, in which we are identifying and sharing successful operational and clinical practices for the six required PRIME projects.
Learn More
- PRIME program update (Dec 2019)
- Improving the Quality of Care In Medi-Cal: Results from PRIME (Jan 2019)
- PRIME program update (Dec 2018)
- Reducing Health Disparities at California's Public Hospital Systems (May 2018)
- PRIME program update (Dec 2017)
- PRIME Issue Brief (May 2017)
- PRIME projects list and an example project description and metrics
- Medi-Cal 2020 waiver


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SHANGHAI, July 4 – China's top economic planner is to investigate 60 pharmaceutical companies for excessive charges, including several joint ventures with foreign firms, state media reported Thursday.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which is already investigating foreign baby formula producers over prices, will send teams to check wholesale prices and production costs of dozens of companies, the Securities Daily said.
In a statement the NDRC said firms targeted in the investigation include Sino-foreign joint ventures with Britain's GlaxoSmithKline, Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim and global healthcare firm MSD.
The inquiry will also look at several Chinese companies, among them industry leader Sinopharm Group and Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, which specialises in anti tumour drugs.
Chinese police are already investigating senior staff of GlaxoSmithKline in China for suspected "economic crimes" but it was unclear whether there was any connection between the two probes.
The NDRC, which helps regulate prices in China, said the four-month survey aimed to "timely set and adjust drug prices".
Analysts said providing healthcare at affordable prices was a political platform of China's ruling Communist Party.
"There always has been a lot of pressure to make sure that common drugs are available at very cheap prices relative to what they would be sold for in a lot of Western markets," said Ben Cavender of the China Market Research Group consultancy.
It is also common practice for Chinese pharmaceutical firms to offer doctors and hospitals bribes to have their products used, industry officials say.
State media reported Tuesday that the NDRC had launched a probe of foreign baby formula makers for high prices resulting from a monopoly like situation.
The government agency declined to confirm the reports but companies targeted said they were cooperating.
A unit of Swiss based Nestle, Wyeth Nutrition, responded by slashing its baby formula prices in China by as much as 20 percent, while France's Danone said it planned to cut prices as well.


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Last updated March 2022.
You probably want to leave no stone unturned when it comes to getting the best deal possible on a student loan.
While many of the big lenders are shouting at you with virtual megaphones, you might miss out on a great deal from a smaller lender that just doesn't have the resources to cut through the online clutter.
That's why a site like LendKey can be a big asset to the student loan shopper.
What is LendKey? And why should you check it out during your student loan search? Let us fill you in.
LendKey is one of the most exciting new players in the student loan space. It connects borrowers with smaller, local banks and credit unions around the country, giving you access to potentially great deals that might not otherwise be on your radar screen.
But that's not all. Loans offered through LendKey are also serviced through LendKey. That means you can apply online on LendKey's site, select your repayment options through their online portal, and then make payments through LendKey. That allows you, as the borrower, to enjoy a sophisticated level of service and convenience that you might not otherwise get through a smaller lender.
|Rates (APR)
|1.13% - 12.60%1
|Loan Types
|Variable & Fixed
|5 - 15 years
|Undergrad & Graduate
LendKey offers an unusual and extremely attractive benefit to save you money. After you've paid off 10% of your loan, you may qualify for a 1% reduction in your interest rate.
Plus, because LendKey works with financial institutions like credit unions, it can offer loans at some of the lowest interest rates around. Keep in mind that credit unions are non-profit lenders, whose purpose is to serve members rather than stockholders.
If you're someone who believes in supporting small businesses, LendKey serves that mission. In addition to offering great deals to consumers, LendKey helps smaller financial institutions get in front of new customers through its online portal. Working with LendKey allows banks to keep operating costs low, so they can offer more competitive rates to consumers.
LendKey offers undergraduate and graduate student loans.
When you apply, LendKey will match you with credit unions or other lenders based on certain characteristics, such as location or affiliation with certain groups.
Loans are considered with a household income of $15,000 or more.
Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S., and students must be enrolled in school at least half-time in order to qualify.
Applicants must have good credit or apply with a qualified cosigner. As with all loans, borrowers with excellent credit are generally entitled to lower interest rates.
Most students apply for college loans with a cosigner. Cosigners may be released after 24 consecutive on-time payments.2
As we mentioned above, LendKey offers some of the most competitive interest rates around, with variable interest rates from 1.13% to 11.23% APR, and fixed rates from 3.50% - 12.60% APR (as of March 2022) for qualified individuals.
You may need to join a credit union in order to qualify for a loan through LendKey. Often, that involves making a nominal charitable donation (around $20) to meet the membership requirements for a particular credit union.
LendKey offers payment terms from 5-15 years. Borrowers will have the repayment option of Full payments (Principal and Interest).
There is no application or origination fee to apply for a student loan with LendKey.
There is no penalty for early payment.
LendKey offers a 0.25% reduction in interest rates if you sign up for autopay.3
Plus, as we already mentioned, after you've paid off 10% of your loan, LendKey may reduce your interest rate by 1%.3
To apply, you or your cosigner will need contact info, a recent pay stub, and basic school information (such as anticipated graduation date).
It takes just a few minutes to apply, with results in as little as 2 minutes.
If you're looking a private student loan, LendKey is definitely worth a look. With attractive terms and a streamlined application and repayment process, there's not much more you could want from a student loan.
Learn more about private student loans from LendKey.
1 - Terms and Conditions Apply:
Applicants must be either U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents in an eligible state to qualify for a loan. Certain membership requirements (including the opening of a share account and any applicable association fees in connection with membership) may apply in the event that an applicant wishes to accept a loan offer from a credit union lender. Lenders participating on LendKey.com reserve the right to modify or discontinue the products, terms, and benefits offered on this website at any time without notice. LendKey Technologies, Inc. is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse, any educational institution.
2 - Cosigner Release:
Some lenders participating on LendKey.com may offer the benefit of cosigner release. Cosigner release is subject to lender approval. In order to qualify, the borrower, alone, must meet the following requirements: (1) Make the required number of consecutive, on-time full principal and interest payments as indicated in the borrower's credit agreement during the repayment period (excluding interest-only payments) immediately prior to the request. Any period of forbearance will reset the repayment clock; (2) The account cannot be in delinquent status; (3) The borrower must provide proof of income indicating that he/she meets the income requirements and pass a credit review demonstrating that he/she has a satisfactory credit history and the ability to assume full responsibility of loan repayment; (4) No bankruptcies or foreclosures in the last sixty months; and (5) No loan defaults.
3 - Autopay Rate Reduction:
Subject to floor rate and may require the automatic payments be made from a checking or savings account with the lender. The rate reduction will be removed and the rate will be increased by 0.25% upon any cancellation or failed collection attempt of the automatic payment and will be suspended during any period of deferment or forbearance. As a result, during the forbearance or suspension period, and/or if the automatic payment is canceled, any increase will take the form of higher payments.
Nitro College is not a lender and makes no representations or warranties about your eligibility for a particular loan or financial aid. The rates and terms listed for each lender are estimates and will change depending on your credit profile and other information you provide to lenders. Lenders are solely responsible for any and all credit decisions, loan approval and rates, terms and other costs of the loan offered and may vary based upon the lender you select. Nitro College receives compensation from lenders that appear on this site.


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Now that I'm home, I'm cleaning a metric ton of stuff out of our master closet and bedroom proper. Since I use a corner of the master as my home office, I'm especially annoyed when it gets cluttered, and it's been cluttered for a good year. I know, I'm telling you all my secrets. So far I've lightened my wardrobe by three trash bags full, and this week I'll take them to a local thrift store that supports a domestic violence shelter.
The bedroom is just the beginning. Greyson's room and closet need a thorough tidying, and we have an extra closet in the main part of the house that needs a good pick through. I'm looking at everything, really. Do I still enjoy that knickack that's been gathering dust? Am I ever going to use anything in this junk drawer?
I recently watched the documentary, Minimalism, and while it wasn't that great, it did get me in a lather to clean up and clean out. After the bedroom...my "favorites" bookshelves. If I won't re-read it or teach it, it goes!
The first day of 2017, like the beginning of every year, feels like an opportunity for new beginnings. Another chance to do better, be better, live purposefully. My goals, both reading-related and otherwise, seem simpler this year, though no less important:
- Learn
- Make things
- Help
- Curate
- Do more
- Purchase less


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What's different is that Risk Legacy' changes over time based on the outcome of each game and the various choices made by players. In each game, players choose one of five factions; each faction has uniquely shaped pieces, and more importantly, different rules. At the start of the first game, each of these factions gains the ability to break one minor rule, such as the ability to move troops at any time during your turn, as opposed to only at the end.
What makes this game unique is that when powers are chosen, players must choose one of their faction's two powers, affix that power's sticker to their faction card, then destroy the card that has the other rule on it – and by destroy, the rules mean what they say: "If a card is DESTROYED, it is removed from the game permanently. Rip it up. Throw it in the trash." This key concept permeates through the game. Some things you do in a game will affect it temporarily, while others will affect it permanently. These changes may include boosting the resources of a country (for recruiting troops in lieu of the older "match three symbols" style of recruiting), adding bonuses or penalties to defending die rolls to countries, or adding permanent continent troop bonuses that may affect all players.
The rule book itself is also designed to change as the game continues, with blocks of blank space on the pages to allow for rules additions or changes. Entire sections of rules will not take effect until later in the game. The game box contains different sealed packages and compartments, each with a written condition for opening. The rule book indicates that these contain the rule additions, additional faction powers, and other things that should not be discussed here for spoiler protection.
The winner of each of the first 15 games receives a "major bonus," such as founding a major city (which only he will be allowed to start on in future games), deleting a permanent modifier from the board, destroying a country card (preventing it from providing any resources towards purchasing troops in future games), changing a continent troop bonus, or naming a continent, which gives that player a troop bonus in future games. Players who did not win but were not eliminated are allowed to make minor changes to the world, such as founding a minor city or adding resources to a country.
Initial games take approximately 30-90 minutes to play, which includes a brief rules explanation and setup.
- 012 International Gamers Award – General Strategy: Multi-player Nominee
- 2012 Golden Geek Most Innovative Board Game Nominee
- 2012 Golden Geek Best Wargame Nominee
- 2012 Golden Geek Best Innovative Board Game Winner
- 2012 Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming Nominee


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What is the difference between Programmatic Guaranteed deals and preferred deals?
Programmatic Guaranteed deals are imcompatible with conversion pixels
Programmatic Guaranteed deals have required minimum spend
Preferrred deals do not allow targeting edits in Display & Video 360
Preferred deals have required minimum spend
Programmatic Direct helps connect buyers and sellers of digital advertising. For publishers, Programmatic Direct allows them to package together specific inventory on their sites or apps (such as unique formats, verticals, audiences and subsites), and make it available to a global community of marketers to buy programmatically. Programmatic Guaranteed deals have required minimum spend.


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A museum honoring a legendary Iowa jazz musician will be built his hometown. The Bix Beiderbecke Museum and World Archives group is planning the first-ever Bix Museum, to be located in downtown Davenport.
Museum president Howard Braren says Beiderbecke's music is still adored today, which is why he wants to preserve and exhibit the life and career of the coronetist, pianist and composer.
"This is the place where Bix still lives in the hearts and minds of people," Braren says. "We have the Bix Run every year. We have the Bix Festival every year. This is where we should have the Bix Museum."
Beiderbecke was born in Davenport in 1903 and became a globally-renowned jazz musician in the 1920s. When he died in 1931 at age 28, he was considered one of the world's most influential jazz soloists. The planned 15,000 Bix Museum will have a classroom for students, as well as the musician's last piano and archived items, like some of the letters Beiderbecke wrote and received.
Braren says, "We have, from the Phil and Linda Evans collection, precious photos and recordings that they took during their lifelong work of researching Bix and his music, of national figures that played with Bix during his career that have never been heard or shown." The museum will be on the lower floor of the River Music Experience building near the Mississippi River in downtown Davenport. It should open in mid-2017. The group has raised $200,000 so far. It hopes to raise $625,000 with an additional $250,000 endowment.
(Thanks to Chloe Dale, Iowa Public Radio)


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Today's blog is a guest post from a couple of amazing PLN members based in Asia, Ben Parsons, and Ryan Dloski. I have been connected with Ben now for a long time and have been lucky enough to meet and lead learning together in South Africa recently. Ben is a lifelong learner and educator who has taught a generation of students in Australia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. He currently works as the IB Diploma Programme Coordinator at Noblesse International School, Philippines. He has a particular interest in 3D design and Minecraft. Connect with Ben on Twitter and via his blog www.benparsons.org. Ryan has taught college anthropology to students in Detroit,
Michigan and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He has cross-cultural experience living and studying on three different continents, and currently teaches IB courses at Noblesse International School in the Philippines where he lives happily with his wife and young daughter. Connect with Ryan on Twitter.
Howdy, crafters! It seems everybody is playing Minecraft these days, and it also seems like it's taking over the world! More than ever, we are seeing it used in schools and other organizations for a range of purposes, including to teach subject content and make student learning more connected, meaningful, and enjoyable. But…. what exactly is Minecraft, what can it do, and how can I do it?
What is Minecraft?
Technically, Minecraft is what's known as a "sandbox video game", meaning that players are free from the traditional structure and direction of a standard video game, and basically have the freedom to do whatever they want. Minecraft is centered around building things with 3D blocks in an infinite 3D world, so players can literally build anything they can imagine. Think digital lego, times a million. The ability to freely create anything in a 3D environment means that, in essence, Minecraft is more like Computer-Aided Design software, or CAD, than a game.
In 2014, Microsoft bought Minecraft for a whopping 2.5 billion dollars, and in 2016 they released the fantastic Minecraft Education Edition, built especially for schools and classrooms. I've found that 99.999999999% of my kids love Minecraft, and when they learn with Minecraft, they love learning even more!
The Education Edition is quite similar to the standard edition but packs a range of cool features and mods for teachers. Firstly, the Minecraft Education Edition website has a huge repository of downloadable, ready-to-go worlds and lessons for teachers to use straight away. For example, students can download and explore the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Social Studies, or conduct safe, virtual experiments in the World of Chemistry mod. In Biology class, kids and teachers can explore a 1:1 3D model of The Human Eye, or in English class, explore the world of the novel The Island, by Max Brooks. In addition to the worlds, there are also hundreds of free lesson plans, such as building 1:1 models of famous landmarks such as The Eiffel Tower, and Designing and 3D Printing cool stuff!
Minecraft Education Code Builder
Perhaps the coolest thing in the Education Edition, however, is the sparkly new Code Builder. Using the Microsoft Code Connection app, teachers and students can connect to popular coding platforms such as Makecode.com, Code.org, Tynker and Scratch, and build things in Minecraft worlds by writing lines of code! So, kids not only learn 3D design and harness their creativity, they can also learn a range of computer programming languages as well!
Minecraft @ Noblesse International School, Philippines
Noblesse International School deployed Minecraft Education Edition schoolwide a year ago, and it has been rocking our world ever since! We are using it in almost every class at every grade level, and we've even found ways to integrate it into IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) classes!!! We'd love to share some of our work with you.
The "Little Architects" Project
Our Design and Technology teacher and his students are currently working on a fantastic project to recreate a 1:1 model of our school in Minecraft, and then 3D print it using the school's 3D printer. First, our "little architects" went about exploring the school and measuring out our main building, gymnasium, soccer field, and other physical elements in the school. Then, students split into groups and began planning the design of their model. Many challenges had to be considered and overcome, including measuring and spacing out all of the classrooms and other interior features of the buildings, deciding on what materials to use, and dividing work up between group members so that they worked collaboratively and efficiently.
Once students had perfected their model, it was time to export it into 3D modeling software. Awesomely, Minecraft Education Edition now supports 3D exporting of models natively, which is an amazing feature. To export a 3D model, students place a "Structure Block" next to their model, which opens a 3D exporting interface. Using some basic math skills and tinkering with the X, Y & Z axis representing a 32 x 32 x 32 block build area, students are able to capture things they've built in Minecraft for export as a 3D file, which is then able to be opened and edited with other CAD software (I designed and posted a cool 3D Printing tutorial lesson here!)
One of the problems students encountered while exporting was being limited to a 32 x 32 x 32 block capture area, so students had to think critically and creatively about which parts of the model to export in segments, and then join them later with 3rd party CAD tools. It took a long time and a bit of tinkering, but they finally cracked it, and each group was eventually able to get their model together and ready for printing. Check some of them out below!
Using Minecraft in IBDP Anthropology to Study Different Cultures
Minecraft is only good for Elementary and Middle School students, right? Sorry to burst your bubble, but think again! At Noblesse International School, we've found ways to integrate it into rigorous IB Diploma Programme subjects as well. Our DP anthropology teacher, Mr. Ryan Dloski, has found Minecraft to be a fascinating method of exploring and representing different cultures with his students. Here, students are exploring the social and cultural context of the Huli from Papua New Guinea and creating a relevant representation of their culture in a Minecraft world. Using Minecraft means that students can explore another culture, build a 3D representation of it, bring it to class and give other students a "virtual tour".
The use of Minecraft Education Edition was an additional option for students to choose (rather than a posterboard or online 2-D programs) to create a visual and written presentation of their understanding. The students who chose this option are very much enjoying the collaborative creation of a world that brings the "other" culture to life, and we are excited to 3D print it for presentation and display purposes. Allowing students to choose their own process and presentation method gives them ownership of their learning and increases motivation, especially when one option is a game they love to play outside of school! As IB student Evan Palo wrote upon reflection, "Using Minecraft to build their world helps us to understand the culture better because to do so we must think and behave like them. With Minecraft, the students can be more immersed in what they are learning."
Other Projects @ NIS
One of the best things about Minecraft is that it can basically do anything, and at NIS, we've been pushing it to the limit! We've had regular brainstorming sessions and tried to come up with ways Minecraft can improve learning in various subjects. We've tried out dozens of projects across all subjects and grade levels at our school, and the possibilities are only limited by the imagination and creativity of the teacher. In English class, kids have been recreating the worlds from classic tales such as The Hunger Games and A Midsummer Night's Dream; in Social Studies the kids have been exploring and building the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu; in Chinese class, the kids have been practising their calligraphy by building characters out of blocks; and in math class kids have been exploring surface area and volume of shapes.
What's Next for Minecraft?
Interestingly, Minecraft is not only exploding in popularity in education; it is also now being harnessed in a range of other contexts, most notably for Urban Planning. Using a Minecraft add-on known as Block by Block, urban planners in Haiti are using Minecraft to redevelop their waterfront, Kosovo's government is using Minecraft to redesign its capital city's parks and public spaces, and the government of India is using Minecraft to help develop the slums of Mumbai and improve the lives of its citizens.
Using Minecraft for Urban Planning in Mumbai, India (Photo Credit: UN-Habitat http://citiscope.org/story/2017/using-minecraft-engage-public-and-plan-better-public-spaces)
Would you like to know more?
Head on over to https://education.minecraft.net/ for info on getting Minecraft Education Edition at your school, or contact me for a further chat.
Become a Minecraft Certified Educator and Start Collecting Badges
Design an interesting Minecraft lesson and make some forum posts, and you'll earn your Minecraft Certified Educator badge! Become a respected voice in the community by helping others, and you'll get the Minecraft Global Mentor badge. And then, top it all off by earning the Minecraft Certified Trainer badge and train other teachers on harnessing the power of Minecraft in the classroom.


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Mega Moolah Slot
Mega Moolah
The slot game Mega Moolah by Microgaming graphic designers has won huge applaud in the gaming market. The game jostles your imagination by bringing you in a tropical jungle with animals helping you fill up your pockets. Yes, the monkeys, being the scatter of Mega Moolah are not snatching away your edibles here; they are just making you earn huge amounts of money.
About the Developer
Headquartered at the Isle of Man, being into the business, since 1994, from 22 long years, the developer is continuously mesmerising the casino players worldwide. With the introduction of online slots with which the players can play casino games on their smartphones and hence the increasing revenue, Microgaming has left no rock unmoved in coming out with ever so different creative ideas for creating such slot games.
About the Game
You need not give a second thought of being the part of the greenery in the animal kingdom of Mega Moolah. The game has 5 reels and 25 paylines. The 2,3,or 4 wild symbol of the lion aid in providing 15, 125 and 1500 coins respectively. The minimum bet is 1 and the maximum bet is 125 coins.
The symbols of antelopes, striped zebras, huge elephants, water buffaloes, and yellow giraffes distinctly set the atmosphere of the game. There are also some of the playing cards' symbols from Nine to Ace used as other symbols of the game.
If the wild symbol of the lion appears in any of the winning combination, the win amount gets doubled. There is also a mega bonus available in the game and this is obtained through spinning a simple wheel of fortune deciding your mega jackpot.
Mega Moolah, being the work of Microgaming developers also makes you available a whole range of progressive jackpot options by which you can do nothing but earn. This is the reason for it becoming one of the very admired and loved slots in the gambling market. The jackpots and the features of the game are designed for all sorts of players such that it has something to offer to almost everybody.


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Analyst: Wage hike would cost California taxpayers $3.6B
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Raising the minimum wage in California to the highest statewide level in the nation would eventually cost taxpayers an additional $3.6 billion a year in higher pay for government employees, according to a legislative analysis released Wednesday.
The estimate was disclosed as an Assembly committee considered boosting the wage to $15 an hour by 2022. The full Assembly and Senate could vote on the deal between Gov. Jerry Brown, labor unions and Democratic legislative leaders as early as Thursday.
The financial projection does not examine the broader economic impact that the proposed wage hike would have on businesses in the state.
The University of California, Berkeley, Center for Labor Research and Education projected the ripple effect of the increase could raise pay for 5.6 million Californians by an average of 24 percent.
Latinos would benefit most because they hold a disproportionate number of low-wage jobs, the university researchers said.
At $10 an hour, the current minimum wage in California is tied with Massachusetts for the highest among states.
Brown previously said the first-year cost to the state would be $20 million, when the minimum pay bumps to $10.50 on Jan. 1.
The proposal would increase the minimum wage to the next whole dollar amount in each of the five years, with a one-year delay allowed for businesses with 25 or fewer employees. The wage would rise to keep up with inflation after 2023.
Los Angeles, Seattle and other urban municipalities have recently approved $15 minimum wages. Oregon officials decided earlier this year to increase the minimum to $14.75 an hour in cities and $12.50 in rural areas by 2022.
Brown, a Democratic, argued that California's growing economy can absorb the annual wage increases. He noted that the agreement lets the governor pause the raises if there are budgetary or economic downturns.
Business leaders and economists fear the wage hike would prompt layoffs and other unintended consequences.
Matthew Sutton of the California Restaurant Association, an opponent, told lawmakers the $15 minimum wage had not been adequately studied.
"In a three-day period, you're looking at doing this huge experiment of $15," Sutton said.
The bill is intended to replace a November ballot measure by the Service Employees International Union that would ask voters to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2020 or 2021. A second wage-raising ballot measure also is gathering signatures.
California extended three annual paid sick days to approximately 6.5 million employees in 2014, but left out in-home care providers due to cost concerns. The wage agreement phases those workers into the law, allowing them one paid sick day per year beginning in 2018, two days after 2020 and three days after 2022.
The legislative analyst suspects that would cost the state $468,000 in 2018 and up to $227 million in 2022.


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Kireru, IWA Deadpool guy, someone you could not miss if you were at IWA, also know by his real name Thomas, was our guest for this interview. Dedicated Airsoft player, designer for ASG, this trooper has been around the block…and then some. What we wanted to find out was his take on Airsoft outside the office. So let us begin.
I took a look at your blog , so you've been playing for 10 yrs now. What's been like playing 10 years ago up till now?
It all started with me and my buddy went for a weekend trip to London, just to go shopping and have a good time. During this whole weekend we were like "Yeah, airsoft, it looks cool, blah, blah, blah, blah" and I've had airsoft guns before, I've had the Smith & Wesson Spring and a cheap M4, But now we were talking about getting into it seriously. And on last day there, we actually agreed to save up for whole year and after that year buy everything at once. We didn't want to start up with, you know, jogging pants and sneakers, looking like totally noobs. I've been playing Counter Strike for a long time, I was like semi-pro nerd level, so I knew what kind of setup I wanted. I've always been into guns, so I kinda knew what I wanted and I wanted everything at once. I didn't want to build up. About six months went by and we had already saved up enough. So my buddy, he has family in the US, he went over there and he goes like "Dude, there's like the biggest amount of surplus stores here, I'm gonna buy everything now" and I'm like "All right, cool!". So we got all the gear then and went on to order our AEGs online from HK. So when we went out for the first time I had full woodland BDU uniform, I had a black semi-nice tactical vest, a fully pimped out TM G36, glasses, coms, everything…side arm…everything. And I was like "Yeah, I look badass". You know, the first time you put everything on, you get that super soldier feel. So we went out to play in some woodland area and I panicked. I mean, I was shooting at trees because it looked like a guy, and I didn't know the range of my rifle, I've only been shooting mostly in backyards, I didn't really have the full extent of range definition in airsoft. You see a guy a 100m away, you start shooting and you realize "Oh, my, God, my BB's are falling halfway down", right? So, there was a lot of panic with a lot of fast situation awareness, what are my limits, that kind of a reality hit.. i had to quickly realize what my limits were. Airsoft is a game it's not real life. The limits with your weapons dictate how you play. There was lot of adrenaline pumping in me, and I remember, I was just, like, all over the place, I wasn't running around like you would in a, for example, paintball game, cause airsoft always has this small touch of tactical realism. The gear, the people, all that. So you're a lot more cautious and stealthy while you try to look tactical, even though you're not. Luckily, the people we were playing with were super cool and they talked a lot to us, like "this does that" and "this is how this works" and "there are rules". So a basic woodland game day, with no skills and kills. These days though… HPA has made a lot of heads turn lately, a lot of people are using it and it's kinda changed the game a lot, the dynamics of the game, is now more speedball type games. There's a lot more "run-and-gun". So for my own personal preference, I like games where you're, I won't say limited, but there are more challenges. I like more serious games, maybe 30-round cap, medic rules, no full auto…something that keeps the game more dynamic, something that makes you think twice. So, today, I'm more relaxed with my game play and pick the games that are more suited for my preferences. The first time is always fun when you're out playing and after that you get comfortable within your preferences and your box of comfort if you will. And my box of comfort is – I like it real. I don't want speedballing, jumping over obstacles, doing a ninja roll and shooting left and right using my laser trail of BBs to aim. Plus, I'm 35, I'm too old for that shit.
You're never old for airsoft.
No, you're never too old for airsoft, but you're too old to be jumping around and doing ninja rolls and backflips. It's like mainstream airsoft is turning into paintball. The paradigm shift you see now is the new generation of airsofters coming, and there's a lot of them that are young and what they are introduced into is – not gonna bash HPA, cause it's not HPA's fault – it's more like a mindset issue. With social media, you tube and all that, airsoft has become a lot more fast and racy as a hobby. And with the borders opened in Asia, you get a lot more different brands of guns than you would have back then, so these days any kid can buy a cheap-ass rifle, put HPA or just buy some psycho internals and shoot, you know, 30 rounds per second and have a 3000 high cap mag. And that's usually what you get into when you start playing, that's what you normally see but it's like, if you divide like a learning curve of airsoft into sections you have your beginner, your casual, your, I would say more "lifestyle" airsofters and then your "hardcore: mil sim people. And I'm not saying everyone's going to go through this evolution, but it seems like a lot of people are starting in the first and in the second. the new beginners and the casual, speedball types. There's not that evolutionary curve where you want to become more. You're fine with your cheap made gear, you're fine with your sportsline rifle that you just threw some psycho internals in so it shoots fast and hard. You're kinda settled with that. Where I'm at, and I'm not saying it's a better evolution, I'm not justifying me as being higher as anyone else, but that natural need to try more, learn more, that mindset it's kinda disappeared in mainstream airsoft, in my opinion. But you see a lot more game types changing, the videos are changing, this Call of Duty killing spree kind of stuff, you don't see a lot of people doing training, drills or any of that sorts any more. So, for me, airsoft personally has become more like a realism training element for me, as a hobby.
What is it like to work as a Graphic Designer and Social Media Manager for ASG?
Well, to be honest, it's not as glamorous as you might think. A lot people think, when they look at AGS or any manufacturer for that matter, that working for an airsoft company is all fun and games with guns It's not. I mean, airsoft, for the most part, for the manufacturers, is about selling your product, you gotta pay rent. Of course, they have a close relationship with retailers and players. ASG does listen to the community and try make that the next best new thing. I think ASG listens a lot to the community. But I'll probably say for my position, because I play airsoft and I do social media, and I'm also somewhat of the company personality when talking to video interviewers or stuff like that so I get to do things others don't. Maybe 85% of it is normal work, sure I'm surrounded by airsoft guns, but 85-90% of my work is meeting up at my office, turning on my computer and doing the graphical work and doing my social media stuff. It's nice to have the social media part, to have relationship with news sites, like yourself, that way I get to meet a lot of great people and talk to them. I also get to develop some of the art work concepts for new projects like out EVO. The packaging and the look of the whole EVO universe that was my design – I spearheaded that. So, it's nice to see your work come out in stores, something you can be proud of. A lot of people loved the EVO, I'm proud that I was in that process, I didn't do so much with the gun itself, the engineering part, but I had my airsoft experience taken into account – what do I like, what do I think, which direction we should take. But I'll probably say, the biggest benefits, personally for me, working for ASG is that I've gotten to go to IWA, I get to see behind the scenes, what the airsoft and real steel industry looks like. I kinda knew a little bit of that from my former job where I worked for a store called "PX shop Denmark" where I sold tactical gear to police and military personnel, even the SF guys. So I kinda knew what the industry looks like and it's a great industry, I love being here and ASG gives me the opportunity to still have a foot inside the industry. But I will say this – you learn a lot about what the airsoft industry is like, and not just with ASG, but in general. It's not the la-la land that every one thinks it is. So it's nice to see the real business part behind airsoft, it's nice to get that insight as well, so you know how everything is kinda connected.
Tell us more about Kireru Airsoft?
Kireru is my gamer nickname since I was, I think, 13 Maybe 14. I got it of a documentary I saw once about Japanese people, especially students. Japan has something called "kireru" which is slang for people going nuts without reason. Snapping. You see a lot of that with students in Japan, because they are under a lot of pressure, with school and family and sometimes they go nuts. So, back then I thought it was kinda cool to use as my Counter Stike gamer name. kireru kinda stuck with me throughout almost everything. I'm called Kireru in almost every game that I play and one day I just decided to buy kireru.dk. But with Kireru airsoft, I actually started it after I started at ASG. Ibplayed airsoft before i started at ASG. I kinda wanted to tell the story of airsoft in Denmark. I didn't want to be that guy with a gun cam only doing killing spree videoa, and only be about "look at me! Look at me!". I wanted to show other players. So, I bought a Ronin M, which is a 3 axis gimbal and a Canon 70D, because it has auto focus, and I started filming. I wanted a professional look, I didn't want that hand held, running behind people look…i wanted nice, smooth footage of people playing. I wanted to film other people, how they play. I think for me, it's more interesting to see how people duck behind cover, how they run, what kind of gear they have, their normal human behavior when they play under stress. That sorts. I mean, a lot of people threw uploads POV videos that's about it, right? I wanted to tell more about airsoft in Denmark, instead of just my own airsoft experience. But, lately, with this paradigm shift that has been in mainstream airsoft, I kinda backed away from airsoft generally and try focusing on some specific things, like gear, reviews and articles every once in a while about the mentality behind airsoft or other more serious topics Round the tactical mindset. I'm trying to promote more of that next stage in airsoft where it's not about having some fancy gun and just shooting everyone. It's more about training, gear, the understanding of it, appreciation of the gear, I mean, you have a lot of people with gear that looks nice but they have no idea what it's really for. So, I'm trying to switch format.
From what I understood, your goals in Airsoft are a little bit different than those of a regular player. Tell us more about your goals.
I touched on it before in my previous answer. I mean, airsoft is a hobby, people see it as a sport, but for me sport is something you train, something you practice, something you want to be better at and most people are content with going out on Sundays and playing. I always thought there's more to it. Airsoft is just a gateway, in my case. It's a gateway to a bigger universe. Airsoft has guns, it has gear and it takes on from real life. Real operators, real squads, real situations, and a lot of people forget that. They put on their gear and they're soldiers for the weekend and then Monday they tag #IwannaplayagainSunday, #airsoftislife #operator but they never really go out and train, they never go out and do 9-hole training, transition training, physical training, so for me, my goals in airsoft is that of a different mindset. It's about being better. It's about understanding more of what airsoft imitates. Cause airsoft is basically an imitation of real war operators and gear. Sometimes, I think mainstream airsoft kinda forgets that. They don't really want to get into the things that requires hard work or learning or anything like that. I'm not bashing airsofters that are comfortable as a casual players – but a lot of airsofters, they are comfortable with what they have and that's it. They don't wanna see what's on the other side, what the next step could be. And that's kinda what my goals in airsoft are, I wanna learn more about gear, I wanna learn more about weapons manipulation, can we do more work-outs related to tactical training. Airsoft for me first was a hobby to go shoot people but now airsoft is more of a gateway to understanding more credible things, more real things.
Any other hobbies beside Airsoft?
I'm a pretty avid gamer. I like playing video games, I used to play Counter strike like a lot. I came close to that semi pro status with version 1.4-1.6…. That's way back. But playing 8-10 hours a day only gets you so far in LiFe before adulthood steps in. I like to film, I do that for my blog as well, I've taken a liking to do filming and editing, a little bit of motion graphics. I workout when I can. Nothing serious but it's nice to stay in shape…. Round is a shape. But Im gonna say, gear and the mindset behind the real world training. It's it's own hobby outside airport. Because it's not related to airsoft, it's more related to being a gear-whore. Movies, I like movies. My favorite movies are Die Hard, Fight Club, Seven, I like movies by David Fincher, especially movies that are really nice cinematically.
A birdy told me you will be attending Project Gecko. Are you into Fast Roping?
About Project Gecko – Project Gecko is a German company run by Eli who has a background from the military. He offers a lot of different courses within the tactical element, based on real world training and simulation and he offers this mainly to military and law enforcement, but he also has some courses that are open to civilians. Last year, I hosted a CQB course here in Denmark where he came and showed a small handful of airsofters who were committed to learning and understanding the military tactics from a technical aspect. It's a great course and I consider Eli a good, close friend, as well and I'll have the opportunity now to go to Prague, end May and attend a course called Air Assault. Now, the Air Assault course is more than fast roping and deploying from helicopters. The military framework and mindset behind the course and the challenges are what really make try to push myself more. It's not that I like fast roping, I'm actually a little scared of heights, but again, it's about pushing your boundaries and seeing how far you can go. For me and for a lot of people, I would say having a military frame or a military doctrine of teaching and training and then doing it, is a lot more acceptable and easier than some guy who took a course about fitness telling you you just gotta run 10km. It's more tangible to get a better feel for because you have people with experience from the military telling you how to do stuff and how to push your boundaries. It's about mindset. Pushing your boundaries and, hopefully we will see more of it in airsoft, is about mindset. It's about where you want to go, how do you want to improve on certain qualities of your own being. But, yeah, I'm gonna be flying around in some helicopters, fast rope down, do some really nice tactical stuff, really looking forward to it. You can always go to a Project Gecko, their website and learn more about they they can offer. So if you're really into learning real CQB tactics, learning fast rope or whatever just google Project Gecko.
Tell us about your Airsoft team.
I got a lot of friends that play and that's how I usually team up these days. The former team I was on was called SCAR Inc. We disbanded last year, in 2016. I played with SCAR for over a year and I still game with them as we are friends still.. But I can tell you when I was playing for Scar Inc. It was a very serious team and it kinda set the bar really high on what I would expect from my next team. They have same preferences that I do; push yourself, train, learn and develop yourself. They all attended Project Gecko CQB course i Denmark. It was a serious team, but we still had fun. Our Thursdays were either a meeting day or we did training and practice – 9-hole, cardio, we did long walks with comms. That was Thursday and then, come Sunday, depending on what kind of mood we were in, we would either train again on or go playing. So it was kinda like a sports team. If you played basketball, you practiced two days a week and then have a league game. That's why I don't get why a lot of people's argument that airsoft is a sport. Because you're doing nothing for it to be a sport, except going out on Sundays and flash your gear. A lot of people claim and try to put airsoft on a pedestal but they're not doing anything to keep it there. Putting #operator on your Instagram post, that doesn't mean you are doing more to develop or push yourself. Buy new gear and running around for me has it's limits.
Your loadout and gear?
I actually got some new stuff and some of the stuff I have now is gonna get switched out, hopefully soon. But, for my plate carrier I have a Perroz design low-profile, slick plate carrier. LPSPC. Perroz, who makes plate carriers and other types of gear, is located in Canada. It's a really small, compact plate carrier. It's nice because it had the Velcro front and the swift clips so I could put on my Haley strategic disruptive chest rig on it. You just click it on the plate carrier and the Velcro and you're ready to go. I have the OSO LAP (Light Assault Pack) that goes on the back panel of my plate carrier. It has a big pocket for my tri 152 radio. It has a big compartment for whatever I want to put in it. I used to rock a Platatac DAX Mark 2, pants in Kryptek. I was one of those guys who thought Kryptek was the new shit and now I kinda regret it. The pant sizing is a little bit off, kneepads are nowhere near my knees when I bend them. If it weren't for the knee issue, they are ok. they're werent totally satisfying. But i just recently got a pair of Combat System CZ combat pants. They are a reproduction of CRYEs combat pants and they sit a lot better and, I gotta say, the quality is top dollar. Usually I like to say that I like real steel stuff or the original manufacturer's but in this case, I couldn't get Crye combat pants in woodland. I probably could, but it would cost me $600 cause it's so unique and never in my size. But, I gotta say, Combat Systens arw made really nicely and the people who make it are professionals, so it's not a replica, it's a high end reproduction. I'm really satisfied with it. On my belt side, I have a Platatac SICC Mark 2 which is a gunfighter belt. I got two G-code m4 scorpion soft shell pouches on the belt along with a 5.11 dumppouch. On the belt theres also have a predator gear, they're called Bjorn Holsters now, a Danish manufacturer that makes custom Kydex holsters. It was actually originally made for my PO9, but for some strange reason, it fits my Hicapa. Its a custom TM Hicapa from Elite Shooting Centre in the UK. Nothing special in terms of looks.Ita got a Springfield armory slide on it. I've bought it like 8yrs ago and it still shoots pretty decently considering. I have a UR/OPS shirt combat shirt. Oakley M frame 2.0 as my ballistic goggles/glasses. As my primary, I have a Systema PTW 2008 model with a HERA Arms IRS 12 inch M-lock front. I have a Surefire M600 A sitting on a Haley Strategic thorntail with a 45 degree offset. On top of the rifle is a Aimpoint comp 4. I have a Blue Force sling on it as well. For comms I use Sordins Supreme CC Milspec and a TRI PRC 152 radio, Solomon boots GTX 4D and my helmet for now is a replica airframe.
Favorite Milsims?
I mean, I always like MERCs in Sweden. It's nice and close by and it's about 200 players and always good fun. It's nothing serious, but you can play seriously if you want to. But it's always good because it's with a lot of Danish players that I know, it's kind of a mil sim/big game type. Some years they have vehicles, sometimes they don't. I wish Denmark would do some more mil sims, because they are pretty strict with what the mil sim is, they have a lot more rules, they are more into keeping it serious but, as of late, I haven't attended that many newer mil sims. But, there is one in Sweden called Panteon, which I would love to attend.
I can't really tell (for a favorite one), I haven't had that ultimate mil sim experience yet, so I can't really pick a favorite.
Plans for this summer?
Yeah, I've had the opportunity to be invited for a small webseries, that's gonna be filmed in Serbia. It's gonna be a high-end production webseries, featuring airsofters backed by professional filming and choreography, so it's gonna be like, for airsofters by airsofters. It's gonna be a great opportunity for me to try that aspect of being in a real Movie production when it comes to filming. Again, I'm into filming myself, so it's nice to see how professionals really do it and I know the people who are behind it are gonna do a great job and I'm really looking forward to working with them.
Any last words?
Always try to learn more and It's all about mindset.
Talking to Thomas was a pleasure, and I hope you guys enjoyed it. If you have any questions, suggestions or just wanna stalk him, kireru.dk is your stop.
Keep shootin', keep playin', see you next time!


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Every summer for quite a few years now my family has made a pilgrimage to one lake or another. Usually for some time period between a long weekend and not-quite-a-week. We swim, we wakeboard, we camp in epic style. There are anywhere from 10 to 20 of us–kids (oh wait, are we the grown-ups now?), cousins, grandparents. Dogs.
Sometime I will have a post about growing up in a camping family, where outdoor activities were the assumed default for vacation time and any time we stayed in a motel was a definite luxury. This isn't that post, though. This is just some pictures of what it's like to hang out at Union Valley Reservoir for a few days and soak up the sun and water and family time.


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The question that is resounding today in ministry is not, "Are you willing to let God use you?". Rather the question is, "Are you willing to let God mold you so that he can use you?". When coming in for your first year, you will be inundated by the knowledge of God and the Love of Jesus, the Son of God.
The second year is considered the year of information. It is here where you will continue your leadership journey. You will be prepared mentally, intellectually, and academically. The knowledge obtained during the second year will prove to be indispensable for longevity in leadership and will establish some paradigms that will lead you to become a better leader for today.
During the third year of Ignite you will be submerged into a hands-on ministry approach, while still learning timeless lessons such as conflict resolution, counseling, communication in ministry, budgeting and team building.
The Ignite Classroom is the place to recalibrate, refocus and rebuild the necessary foundation of the Word of God. Regardless of Campus location, ISM provides a group of diverse and practical classes that not only will challenge students in their spiritual walk, but will provide them with the essential tools to be well-rounded leaders.
Students have the option of choosing a practicum, a versatile group of classes that provide students the ability to put their learning into practice.
As an ISM student you have the opportunity to earn a Degree or Ministerial Credentialing. In conjunction to our world-class courses, we have partnered with the University of Valley Forge and Ignite Ministerial Institute to grant all ISM students two pathways that align with their vision, goals, and calling all the while living out the Ignite hands-on experience.
See below what choice fits you best!
Our partnership with UVF will grant ISM students the opportunity to graduate with a degree.