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immersed in the practice of creating, all things that exist were birthed in Him. His breath filled all things with a living, breathing light–a light that thrives in the depths of darkness, blazes through murky bottoms. it cannot and will not be quenched."
– john 1:3-5, the voice
last week i was out on a walk by myself, trying to get some sanity back, pondering why certain simple things at the refuge seem to sometimes "work" better than others. what i mean by that is why are certain gatherings easy to pull off, filled with wild and beautiful surprises, and compelling? why do other things sometimes feel like more work?
this simple thought popped into my mind: "when we start with real life and open ourselves up to seeing God in it, it works. when we try to start with our notions about God (or what-we-think-we-should-be-talking-about-because-it-counts-as-"spiritual" ) and try to fit life into it, it sometimes feels contrived."
it doesn't mean real life first, God second.
it means when we feel the need to lead with ideas about God, many times we never get to real life. (i know so many people were in small group bible study after small group bible study but no one actually knew they were depressed, addicted, lonely, or on the verge of divorce).
but when we start with real life, God can always, always be found (even in the honesty of acknowledging we don't feel or see him right now)
God's kind of amazing that way.
but there's no question, we have to open our eyes and hearts and eyes and ears and hands and feet to notice.sometimes it's in a language that we've never heard before that doesn't at all sound religious. sometimes God smells and tastes and looks differently than we've ever experienced before. sometimes it's a clear–here's where i'm seeing and feeling Jesus–and other times it's not quite so evident. sometimes it's in the beauty of the scriptures that bring life or hope and challenge in a moment or in a poem or song or moment that stirs a soul. but goodness gracious, is it pretty when the Holy Spirit blows through a room where people are talking about their real lives, no matter how simple or complicated those lives are.
it's so much easier for me to think of a Bible verse that stirs my heart after i hear a good story than to think of a story that goes with a Bible verse.
it's so much easier for me to experience God's healing, freedom, hope, peace, mercy, compassion when i am tangled up in a real-in-the-flesh relationship with other people, engaged in my own story and their story than when i am sitting in a room abstractly talking about God's healing, freedom, hope, peace, mercy, and compassion or reading a book or a blog about it.
it makes me think of why 12 step groups are incredibly transforming. there's a desperation for God that has nothing to do with head knowledge. it's about real lives in need of God's help. it's about the unplugged rawness of the good, bad, and ugly parts of our lives shared out loud with others who are trying to become better human beings, too, and become less divided.
when i think of all the crazy little spaces where i see God in my week, where my faith is somehow renewed, where my soul is somehow stirred, where my belief in the crazy wild ways of Jesus is re-born yet again, it is always always always in organic wild and incredibly simple moments of people sharing about or engaging together in real life.
i know some are already thinking the "but what about's" and how important it is to keep God at the center of everything.
[quote type="center"]but what if we started with the premise that God is already at the center of everything, God is and was and will always be. and the best way for him to be revealed is through real life. through our stories, through our friend's stories, through the world's stories.[/quote]
through flesh and blood in desperate need of spirit and hope.
if we're not careful, we'll always default to wanting to talk about God first instead of talking about our real lives and noticing and honoring God-alive-and-moving in them no matter how small or big. we've got a default to want to stay up high and in our heads and in our biblical interpretations and our spiritual language and in our protect-ourselves-from-how-vulnerable-it-is-to-share-our-real-lives-with-others-and-be-brave-enough-to-notice-God-in-the-midst.
i keep realizing it's not sacred or secular, sacred vs. secular, or sacred better than secular.
it's somehow about honoring the sacred in everything.
ps: here's a picture of the refuge's new space, which will hopefully be a place where real lives and God's hope collide in all kinds of beautiful, natural, and simple ways. thanks for your love and support for our little crazy dreams; it means more than you know.


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LaCie Little Big Disk (2TB) Review: More Affordable Thunderbolt Storageby Anand Lal Shimpi on October 31, 2011 3:00 PM EST
- Posted in
- Storage
- Mac
- Apple
- LaCie
- Thunderbolt
- Little Big Disk
Thunderbolt is the absolute fastest consumer interface available for users who want high-speed external storage. We proved this in our Pegasus R6 review where we sustained transfer rates of 1GB/s (8Gbps) from an array of five SF-2281 SSDs. There are just two problems with Thunderbolt today: 1) It's practically only available on Macs, and 2) the Promise Pegasus is extremely expensive.
In its cheapest configuration, the 4TB Pegasus R4 with four 1TB 3.5" HDDs will set you back a cool grand. Want the 6-bay version? That'll be $1500. And the top of the line 12TB model is priced at $2000. Less than $500 of that $2K bill is the retail cost of the hard drives, the rest is all chassis, controller hardware and of course manufacturer profit. As great as the Pegasus is for professionals who need the storage and performance, it's priced too high for most consumers who also want fast external storage.
LaCie hopes to offer an alternative for those who want more affordable Thunderbolt storage. Note that I said more affordable, and not just affordable.
Last month LaCie released its Little Big Disk, a two bay (2.5"), all metal Thunderbolt enclosure. Like Promise, the Little Big Disk is available only with drives pre-installed. Sadly our hopes of meeting a BYOD Thunderbolt enclosure remain unfulfilled. LaCie's pricepoints are a bit more attractive than Promise's, although you are getting a far lower performance solution in return:
|Thunderbolt Storage Lineup
|# of Bays
|Drive Configuration
|Default Capacity
|LaCie Little Big Disk 1TB
|2 x 500GB sw RAID-0
|LaCie Little Big Disk 2TB
|2 x 1TB sw RAID-0
|Promise Pegasus R4 4TB
|4 x 1TB RAID-5
|Promise Pegasus R4 8TB
|4 x 2TB RAID-5
|Promise Pegasus R6 6TB
|6 x 1TB RAID-5
|Promise Pegasus R6 12TB
|6 x 2TB RAID-5
The drives are available on Apple's online store as well as Apple's retail locations. The 240GB SSD model is still several weeks away from availability, so what we're looking at today is the 2TB HDD solution. I only had a limited time with the Little Big Disk and wasn't allowed to take it apart, so forgive me in advance for the brevity of this review (although I did try to hit pretty much all of the highlights of the device).
The Chassis
|LaCie Little Big Disk Dimensions
|LaCie Little Big Disk (2TB)
|140 mm
|40 mm
|85 mm
|650 g
|Promise Pegasus R6 (12TB)
|242.9 mm
|188.9 mm
|254 mm
|9.25 kg
As its name implies, the Little Big Disk is pretty small. The blue orb at the front functions as a power/activity LED as well as an on/off button. The design is beautiful and the construction very solid. LaCie likes to think the Little Big Disk is small enough to be portable, but its weight may discourage you from taking it wherever you go. Even if you don't travel with it, the Little Big Disk's size makes it a considerate resident on a desk.
There's not much assembly required, the unit is ready to go as is. If you want a bit more stability however, LaCie supplies a small stand in the box that slides onto the bottom of the unit to prevent it from toppling over. The Little Big Disk does not come with a Thunderbolt cable, so be sure to tack on another $50 to your budget. Power is supplied via an external AC adapter that ships with swappable plugs for use in the US, UK, Australia and the EU.
Inside the chassis are two 2.5" SATA hard drives connected to a basic, non-RAID SATA controller. The SATA interface is then routed over PCIe to an Intel Thunderbolt controller and finally sent out via a Thunderbolt cable to your Mac. LaCie was pretty strict on not having us take apart its review sample so the best I have are the shots of the internals we saw surface a while ago. A closer look seems to indicate a Marvell SATA controller (not a surprise) but it's impossible to tell whether or not it's a 6Gbps solution.
Given the absence of a RAID controller, LaCie relies on OS X's software RAID. By default a single Little Big Disk is configured as a two drive RAID-0 array. For the 2TB model that means you've got 2 x 1TB drives inside, and for the 1TB model that's 2 x 500GB drives.
My LBD sample had two Samsung HN-M101MBB 1TB drives inside. These are 5400 RPM 3Gbps SATA drives with an 8MB buffer, 5W max power draw and 2.2W typical. Interestingly enough, the first user who posted pics of a dissected LBD found a pair of 7200RPM Hitachi 7K750 (500GB) drives in his. I don't have enough of a sample set to know whether or not all 1TB models use 7200RPM drives and all 2TB models use 5400RPM drives, but it looks like you can expect to see some variance between models.
With only a pair of 5400RPM 2.5" hard drives, the Little Big Disk isn't going to break any performance records. In fact, had LaCie outfitted the chassis with a single SSD we would've seen higher performance than the two-HDD setup it comes with from the factory. That being said, if you're a Thunderbolt Mac owner, the LBD is the second fastest external solution you can buy today (without resorting to an ExpressCard to eSATA bridge or something similar):
|LaCie Little Big Disk Performance
|Sequential Read
|Sequential Write
|4KB Random Read (QD16)
|4KB Random Write (QD16)
|LaCie Little Big Disk 2TB (RAID-0)
|207.0 MB/s
|205.0 MB/s
|1.22 MB/s
|0.56 MB/s
|Promise Pegasus R6 12TB (RAID-5)
|673.7 MB/s
|683.9 MB/s
|1.24 MB/s
|0.98 MB/s
Sequential performance is obviously the LBD's strength, at over 200MB/s in both of our Iometer tests. This is the sort of performance you'd see moving large files (e.g. videos) to/from the device. We are completely limited by drive performance here, Thunderbolt is capable of at least 8Gbps as we've seen from our tests and the Little Big Disk is only pushing 1.66Gbps. Random performance is of course what you get from mechanical storage. An internal SSD will do better for your OS and apps, but for use as backup or media storage (photos, videos, archives, etc...) you'll see performance closer to 200MB/s.
Thunderbolt Display Compatibility
One of the first things I tested was to see if the audio corruption issue I experienced with the Pegasus and Apple's Thunderbolt Display was present on the Little Big Disk. To recap, if you were playing music on the TB Display (via its internal speakers or USB audio connected directly to the monitor) while writing tons of data to the Pegasus you'd eventually get audio corruption. I tried the same test with a Mac connected via Thunderbolt in place of the Pegasus and didn't see an issue. I repeated the test with LaCie's Little Big Disk in place of the Pegasus and once more, didn't see an issue. The only time I got audio corruption was when I plugged in the LBD while the Thunderbolt Display was already playing music. Resetting the audio codec at that point fixed everything and I didn't see the problem resurface. As I alluded to in our Thunderbolt Display review, Promise developed and released the Pegasus before the TB Display was available. LaCie had the luxury of continuing testing and validation after the TB Display was launched, which likely gave it a bit of a leg up in this department.
Interestingly enough, I couldn't get the LaCie LBD to daisy chain with my Pegasus, although I'm not sure which device was at fault there. If I connected the Little Big Disk after the Pegasus, the LaCie drive wouldn't work. If I connected the LBD before the Pegasus, the Promise array wouldn't work. The Little Big Disk did work properly connected directly to my MacBook Pro and Thunderbolt Display. Update: Moving the Thunderbolt Display to the end of my Thunderbolt chain (rather than the middle) fixed this issue. After I did that, both the LBD and Pegasus appeared. I was then able to move the Thunderbolt Display back to its original position in the chain and both drives continued to work as expected.
Power Consumption
Thunderbolt is capable of delivering 10W to a connected device, however the drives alone in the Little Big Disk can consume as much as 10W (2 x 5W) during startup. Add in the SATA and Thunderbolt controllers and you can quickly understand why the Little Big Disk needs an external power supply.
|Power Consumption Comparison
|Load (Sequential Write)
|LaCie Little Big Disk 2TB (RAID-0)
|Promise Pegasus R6 12TB (RAID-5)
Power consumption isn't in-line with expectations. At idle the Little Big Disk pulls just under 8W, while under load (sequential writes) it's a hair over 12W.
Noise & Thermals
The Little Big Disk is cooled via a single internal fan. The size of the chassis limits the fan size, which puts LaCie in an interesting predicament. LaCie could either allow internal temperatures to get uncomfortable warm and keep the chassis quiet, or keep temperatures in check and sacrifice noise. It picked the latter.
Under normal operation the 5400RPM drives in my LBD sample remained at around 44C. The highest I ever saw the drives hit was in the low 50s. Internal drive temperature doesn't seem to be a problem with the Little Big Disk, which is good news.
Unfortunately the chassis is loud as a result. It's louder than both the Promise Pegasus and a 15-inch MacBook Pro (at normal temperatures, under load with fans at full speed the MBP is louder). Thankfully there's no whine, it's just the sound of a lot of air being moved via a relatively small fan. It almost sounds like you've turned on a small desktop somewhere in the room. The noise is my biggest complaint about the Little Big Disk. My only hope is the SSD configuration will be able to back off on the cooling requirements and deliver a quieter solution.
Final Words
Thunderbolt products are finally starting to roll out. The Pegasus was a good start, and the Little Big Disk gives customers a more palatable price point. To hit the lower price LaCie does sacrifice a bit on capacity and performance. The move to 2.5" hard drives and only being able to accommodate two of them in its small chassis limits peak performance to around 200MB/s. Compared to USB 2.0 and FireWire 800 options however, that's not bad at all. Even compared to GigE, you're still looking at a significant performance improvement. If you do a lot of large file transfers onto your external storage, the Little Big Disk will likely be a huge step up from your current solution.
My biggest complaint about the Little Big Disk is its noise. While I'd rather accept a louder solution than one that kept drive temperatures uncomfortably high, I'd much rather not have to choose between either. LaCie may have painted itself into a corner here by aiming for such a small device size. If you're a stickler for quiet computing the LBD may bother you. If you're fine with some extra fan noise then you'll be just fine.
I do like the Little Big Disk chassis a lot, I only wish LaCie would offer it sans-drives to hit an even more affordable price point. The empty chassis game is a race to the bottom however and I don't see LaCie wanting to play in that space. We'll have to wait for other manufacturers to jump on the Thunderbolt bandwagon before we see a BYOD solution.
If I can't have an empty chassis, here's hoping that LaCie's forthcoming SSD version will be everything I hope for in an external Thunderbolt solution. With lower cooling requirements it could address the noise issues and performance should obviously go up. The only question is, will LaCie be able to deliver a solid-state Little Big Disk at a reasonable price? We'll find out soon enough...
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Penti - Tuesday, November 1, 2011 - linkWell there actually is USB3 drives from Lacie and they could release such a adapter, they have already done both Mac ExpressCard USB3.0 adapters and PCI-e variants for Mac Pro. So it's simply something they haven't prioritized. Of course there is Thunderbolt to Expresscard-adapters around if you like a workaround :) So yes you can actually extend you Thunderbolt Mac to support USB3.0 via an ExpressCard-box. Should set you back about 200 dollars though! Compatibility issues aside with other hardware it wouldn't be hard for Lacie to support TB>USB3 adapter together with their own USB3 disks.
There's lots of adapters around, Thunderbolt to FibreChannel and such. I'm sure there will be 10GbE adapters, USB3, eSATA etc around eventually. It's however just not suitable really for consumer stuff right now, just the cable is about 50 dollars and it makes the hardware containing TB-compatible components expensive. HDD's will not exactly be cheap no any how when Western Digitals capacity is ruined. I would have liked to see a single-disk solution too rather then some solution trying to force on soft RAID-0. If performance isn't the highest demand you have I would rather see a Thunderbolt drive with a 2TB, 3TB or 4TB drive for less then this 500 dollars. Seagate Goflex 4TB single-drive is 299.99 USD right? Choice should be good and it will get there eventually, I wouldn't like to archive stuff to a software RAID-0 drive any way. Working on that should be fine however. Reply
enderwiggin21 - Thursday, November 3, 2011 - linkI don't know how stable CalDigit's USB3 driver is, but I've had no issues with my CalDigit card in my MacPro under Lion.
As an aside, I've Bootcamped Windows 7 and captured 10-bit uncompressed video via USB3 using a BlackMagic Intensity Shuttle. Ironic, considering BlackMagic refuses to release an Intensity Shuttle driver because they say Mac USB3 hardware just isn't there yet.
That may be, but the same hardware under a different OS functions just fine. Reply
cptcolo - Monday, October 31, 2011 - linkWhat they need to make is a super small case that would hold two 1.8 inch drives. The case would be designed for 1.8" SSDs in SATA3 in RAID0 and thus would need no fan and no external power supply. It would be fast as hell. Reply
Death666Angel - Monday, October 31, 2011 - linkJust a fyi: the UK is part of the EU. Reply
ac2 - Wednesday, November 2, 2011 - linkCaptain Obvious... The point is that the power adpaters required are different... Reply
Mordicgka - Monday, October 31, 2011 - linkI purchased one LaCie 2TB and one LaCie 1TB LBD. It is very easy to take the LBD apart and install your own drives. I removed the two 500GB drives in the 1TB model and replaced them with two Western Digital SiliconEdge Blue SSC-D0128SC-2100 128GB drives. Using AJA and OS X Activity Monitor I was able to record ~370 GB/s writes and ~480 GB/s reads in Raid 0. Unfortunately, in real world transfers the LBD would often hang up when transferring large file directories (20+ GB) and I had to set the LBD up as two independent SSDs. The transfer rates fell to ~170 GB/s write and 230GB/s write, in line with the WD SSD specifications.
The was very little difference in the 1TB and 2TB LBD mechanical drive performance, even with the different speed drives.
Overall, while the non-Raid 0 SSD speeds are not "spectacular" they are still better than anything I can get with any other type of file transfer on my MacBook Air. Overall, the LBDs have been fun to play with and I don't regret the purchase. I don't know if the Raid 0 / SSD problem is a LBD or OS X issue? Reply
repoman27 - Monday, October 31, 2011 - linkThe person who posted the original teardown photos on MacRumors posted some further close-ups of the logic board shortly thereafter. The SATA controller used is a Marvell 88SE9182, which is indeed a 6 Gbit/s controller.
Several other forum members proceeded to swap out the internal drives with SSD's and experienced mixed success. Apparently the lack of native Mac OS driver for this particular SATA controller results in performance being a bit limited. This is most likely the reason why the SSD version did not ship at the same time as the HDD version, LaCie is still working out the driver issues in order to provide full performance.
What I found remarkable was the ridiculous amount of silicon required to provide DisplayPort output from this little storage device. I counted some 10 chips:
2x NXP 6D212
1x Parade PS161HDM DisplayPort to HDMI/DVI Converter
1x Parade PS8321 Dual Mode DisplayPort Source 2:1 Multiplexer
2x Parade PS8301
2x NXP LPC1114F
2x PI3VeDP
Also, I was a bit cnfused by the statement "Power consumption isn't in-line with expectations." How wasn't it? Reply
FelixO - Monday, October 31, 2011 - link"Compared to USB 2.0 and FireWire 800 options however, that's not bad at all. Even compared to GigE ..."
Forget all that, what about a comparison to USB 3.0 real-world performance? Reply
Mordicgka - Monday, October 31, 2011 - linkThe USB 3.0 is not the real world for Macs. Thunderbold, USB 2.0, and to a lesser extent FireWire 400/800 is the Mac World - USB 3.0 is vaporware. Make all the criticisms you want folks, we have to live with what we have. For me, I'm not about to give up on Macs just because USB 3.0 is only available currently in the Microsoft Universe.
If you want USB 3.0 wait a month or so for the (long delayed) Sonnet Echo ExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt Adapter.
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/echoexpresscard3... Reply
FelixO - Monday, October 31, 2011 - linkValid point. However, I am interested in buying large and fast storage in the next 6 months so for me the comparison is important.
Also, not including a comparison with existing products on the market, albeit for a different platform, seems to be a peculiar choice for a review site. Reply

subset: commoncrawl


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Product Description
When these essays first appeared in Artforum in 1976, their impact was immediate. They were discussed, annotated, cited, collected, and translated–the three issues of Artforum in which they appeared have become nearly impossible to obtain. Having Brian O'Doherty's provocative essays available again is a signal event for the art world. This edition also includes "The Gallery as Gesture," a critically important piece published ten years after the others.
O'Doherty was the first to explicitly confront a particular crisis in postwar art as he sought to examine the assumptions on which the modern commercial and museum gallery was based. Concerned with the complex and sophisticated relationship between economics, social context, and aesthetics as represented in the contested space of the art gallery, he raises the question of how artists must construe their work in relation to the gallery space and system.
These essays are essential reading for anyone interested in the history and issues of postwar art in Europe and the United States. Teeming with ideas, relentless in their pursuit of contradiction and paradox, they exhibit both the understanding of the artist (Patrick Ireland) and the precision of the scholar. –This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.


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Latest News in January 2010.
BABC Prep Classic @ Chelsea HS
Sunday at the BABC Prep Classic in Chelsea, MA had a great showing of college coaches in the stands for the 3 games ( Worcester & Brimmer and May, Brewster & St. Thomas More, and Tilton & St. Andrews. Among those in attendance were West Virginia's Bob...
Ryan Woumn scores his 1000th in Lynn English win
Senior Guard Ryan Woumn (pictured left) scored his 1000th point in the 4th quarter of the Bulldogs 91-60 victory against Saugus in front of his hometown tonight. He joins teammate and fellow Senior,Jarell Byrd, (pictured below) in the 1000 point club as...
Monday Massachusetts hoops happenings
* With the loss of Super Sophomore Nerlens Noel to injury it is going to be imperative for Everett's guard play to conitune to improve. Junior guards Matt Costello and Dequan Lee (pictured right) will have to take some the heat off of Senior football...
2009 NEPS Player of the Year
Our 2009 New England Prep Stars football player of the year goes to Billerica (MA) QB Nick LaSpada. LaSpada who is only a Sophomore proved MVP worthy by leading Billerica to the D2 playoffs this season. His team could of, and in our opinion would of,...
Popular Articles
Check out some of the most popular articles on MAPS
Latest Articles
Check out some of the latest articles on MAPS


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This year 53 restaurants, more than 300 menu items and 11 new restaurants will be showcased at Taste of Chicago. New restaurants include: Abundance Bakery, Bobak Sausage Company, Carbon, Churro Factory, Cubby Bear, Dorreen's Pizza, lyanze, Pegasus, Shokolad Pastry and Café, Summer Rice and Noodle and Timothy O'Toole's Pub. In addition to regular-priced offerings, restaurants will feature two "Taste Of" portions at $2 or less. This year, 108 "Taste Of" selections will be showcased. For attendees who might have missed them last year, 2009's new restaurants to Taste of Chicago will be returning this year: Garrett Popcorn Shops and Manny's Cafeteria & Delicatessen.
The popular Chef's Table will be featured again this year and will offer a selection of sweet creations which are personally selected by TV personality and ABC Channel 7's "Hungry Hound", Steve Dolinsky. Chef's Table restaurants will partner with Washburne Culinary Institute students to create Steve Dolinsky's favorite sweets in the city. The restaurants and bakeries featured at this year's Chef's Table include: Bittersweet, Floriole Café and Bakery, The Goddess & Grocer, Ina's, Kristoffer's Café and Bakery, Lovely: A Bake Shop, Petterino's, Thai Pastry and Vinci.
"Taste of Chicago celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year," says Sheila O'Grady, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association, "and the festival continues to attract millions of Illinois residents and tourists every year. We commend the City of Chicago and Mayor Richard M. Daley for their ongoing commitment to represent the city's cultures and their diverse cuisine."
Taste of Chicago will be held in Grant Park, June 25 - July 4, 2010. This year's event will feature 53 daily vendors as well as nine restaurants participating in The Chef's Table, located at Buckingham Fountain. Admission to Taste of Chicago is free. Tickets for food and beverages can be purchased in strips of 12 tickets for $8.
The Illinois Restaurant Association manages the food and beverage portion of the Taste of Chicago for the Mayor's Office of Special Events. In preparation for this annual celebration, America's premier food and music festival, the Illinois Restaurant Association begins working months in advance starting with a review of all applications, vendor training and on-site management.
Taste of Chicago
Grant Park
June 25- July 4


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Ryanair has announced its first ever flights from Belfast, while speculation continues that Aer Lingus may set up its UK hub in the Northern Irish capital.
From October 30 Ryanair will launch daily flights from George Best Belfast City to Liverpool, Glasgow and East Midlands airports. The carrier said that it would look to expand operations from Belfast in the next 12 months, although no other destinations have been announced as yet. Due to limitations on expansion at the airport the budget airline will be limited to carrying 140 passengers on inbound flights on its 737 aircraft, although flights leaving Belfast will be allowed to run at full capacity.
Meanwhile rival carrier Aer Lingus looks increasingly likely to announce Belfast International Airport as its first hub outside the Irish Republic. According to reports in The Sunday Times, the airline will look to launch transatlantic services to the US from Belfast, although a spokesperson for Aer Lingus said that the airline was still "in discussions with a number of airports" – Birmingham is also believed to be under consideration. The carrier is said to be considering a major UK expansion, including the possibility of a Heathrow-Belfast international service (a route currently only plied by Bmi).
The speculation follows last month's decision by the European Commission to block Ryanair's proposed £1bn bid for Aer Lingus. The commission said that a merger would harm competition as it would have created a monopoly on 22 out of the 35 routes in and out of Ireland.
Resurgent Belfast has become an increasingly attractive proposition for airlines, with Air France launching London City to Belfast City flights earlier this year. And it seems that BA, who scrapped its Heathrow-Belfast International route back in 2001, would also consider a return. CEO Willie Walsh told the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce back in June that he would "love" to reinstate the route, although this depended on an increase in runway capacity at Heathrow.
For more information visit ryanair.com, aerlingus.com, ba.com. For a look at Belfast's recent regeneration projects, read the current Irish Special of Business Traveller.
Report by Mark Caswell


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My friends from the Little Button Diaries have a craft book empire. They have so many great craft books to help you get creative with your children. The Big Book of 100 Little Activities is one such book.
You can read more about the darling and dynamic duo behind Little Button Diaries here in my Oh Creative Lady interview.


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Disgusting "world's largest flower" blooms in Japan, smells like corpse
A gross, giant flower said to be the world's largest has bloomed at a Tokyo park for the first time in five years. The wrinkly, shriveled phallic flower stands 6.5 feet tall and stinks like rotting meat.
The flower, Amorphophallus titanum, is commonly known as the corpse flower due to its horrific aroma. The smell of dead animal attracts pollinators - and tourists - apparently.
The flower is notoriously difficult to propagate and has been classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as "vulnerable" - one level below endangered.
Here's a cheesy time lapse video of a different blooming corpse flower named Jesse:
facts about the corpse flower:
The flower's latin name is Amorphophallus titanum which comes from Ancient Greek. Amorphos means "without form, misshapen;" phallos means "phallus"; and titan means "giant."
The corpse flower is native to western Sumatra, where it grows in openings in rainforests on limestone hills.
The plant generally needs 7-10 years of growth before it can bloom. Three to ten years pass in between each blooming, which only lasts a couple of days.
Cover image: BBC


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India, which has emerged as the world's second largest mobile market, is also the fifth largest producer of e-waste, discarding roughly 18.5 lakh tonnes of electronic waste each year, a study says.
Telecom equipment alone accounts for 12 per cent of the e-waste, a joint study by Assocham-KPMG said.
Matter of concern
The rising levels of e-waste generation in India have been a matter of concern in recent years. With more than 100 crore mobile phones in circulation, nearly 25 per cent end up in e-waste annually, it said.
"India has surely emerged as the second largest mobile market with 1.03 billion subscribers, but also the fifth largest producer of e-waste in the world, discarding roughly 18.5 lakh metric tonnes of electronic waste each year, with telecom equipment alone accounting for 12 per cent of the e-waste," the study said.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified e-waste management rules, 2016, in which producers are for the first time covered under extended producers' responsibility (EPR).
Waste collection target
The rules prescribe a waste collection target of 30 per cent waste generated under EPR for the first two years, progressively going up to 70 per cent in the seventh year of the rule.
The rules prescribe stringent financial penalties for non-compliance. However, the study said the unorganised sector in India is estimated to handle around 95 per cent of the e-waste produced in the country. Given the huge user base and vast reach of telecom in India, it is practically difficult and expensive for the handset manufacturers to achieve the targets prescribed in the rules from first year, the study added.
Phased manner
"It is suggested that electronic waste collection targets are implemented in a phased manner with lower and practically achievable target limits. Also, detailed implementation procedures for collection of electronic waste from the market need to be followed," the study said.
Source: The Hindu


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Kids can do strength work, but there are several caveats to this general rule in order to avoid injury. Problems arise when children lift too heavy, too soon, and without proper form; if you want your child to start lifting weights, enlist the help of a personal trainer or strength coach well-versed in the special needs of children lifters.
Young Children and Fitness
Fitness is an important part of overall health, and fitness in children is no exception. Organized sports and exercise for children begin at early ages and getting kids involved is important. Strength training - when done properly - can help children avoid injuries in their other activities.
Safe Starting Age
The recommendation by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is that children as young as 5 or 6 can begin performing uncomplicated resistance training exercises, but it's important to note this refers only to resistance training and not necessarily heavy lifting. The International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) suggests an appropriate age to begin very basic weight lifting is 5 to 12. ISSA further states age 13 to 20 is the appropriate time to start serious weight training with a qualified trainer. Follow these guidelines to determine if your child is ready.
- The child is interested, willing and motivated to perform the exercises.
- The child is able to perform the exercise in a safe, correct form.
- The child is capable of performing exercises which uses the body as resistance, such as sit-ups or push ups.
- The child is involved in a variety of physical activities.
- A physician or physical therapist approves the child to begin weight training.
Lifting at Age 10
At this age, it's unlikely a child will experience significant "gains" from weight lifting. The focus should be on fun movement and proper form. Children at this age should not be lifting heavy to failure but instead work toward consistency; lighter weights with higher reps are a much better choice than heavy weights, low reps at this age.
Lifting at Age 12
Boys who encounter puberty at this age will probably notice muscle growth from regular weight training sessions. Both boys and girls will notice increased strength and may experience higher self-esteem as a result of their weight training.
Lifting at Age 14
Children of this age may be ready to lift heavier weights, but only if they have already taken the time to learn proper form in order to avoid injury. It's important to supervise lifters at this age to ensure they don't push beyond their capabilities.
Olympic Lifting Ages
Olympic-style weight lifting involves heavy weights and complex movements. This type of lifting can be dangerous to anyone - regardless of age - if they do not train correctly. Team USA has two categories for children in this sport:
- Youth: 13-17 years old
- Junior: 15-20 years old
Terminology Differences
Finding a study that claims strength training is great for kids is not the same as saying "kids can lift heavy weights." Strength training can refer to body weight exercises or even light weights. Kids who lift too heavy (especially with improper form) put themselves at risk for injury.
Does Weight Training Stunt a Child's Growth?
The idea that weight training will stunt a child's growth is a myth that continues to dissuade parents from allowing their kids to lift, but a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't support this idea. With both NSCA and ISSA endorsing the idea of proper weight lifting for adolescents, parents should focus on finding a credible youth strength coach to help their child learn this activity and progress incrementally. A child's growth plates or cartilage shouldn't be affected as long as the training is done correctly and appropriately.
Weight Training for Children
Take care when starting children on weight training routines. An adult beginner and a child beginner will have two very different sets of goals, techniques and capabilities.
Adding Weight
Before adding weight to a child's strength training routine, or increasing the weight already being lifted, make sure they can safely complete at least eight reps correctly with the given weight. Before moving up to the next level, a child should be able to complete eight to 15 reps easily and without strain - and with proper form.
Fitness, Not Bulk
If a pre-adolescent is beginning a weight training routine, the focus should be on fitness, not bulk. Pre-adolescents' muscles are not designed to grow large or bulk up, so expectations of what strength looks like should be adjusted accordingly.
Children should perform approximately six different exercises two to three times a week that work all major muscle groups. Adding additional workouts or weight training will not increase benefits and can lead to muscle strain.
When adding free weights or weight equipment to a child's exercise routine, make sure that proper supervision is given. To lift the weight safely, make sure that the child has been instructed on proper form with no weight or resistance before adding a safe amount of weight.
Mix It Up
While weight training is a great way to add to a child's fitness routine, it should not be the only component. Make sure to include plenty of aerobic exercise as well to strengthen the heart and lungs.
Weight Training for Increased Fitness
Lifting weights correctly can be a great first step toward a healthier future. Make sure a child is ready, both physically and mentally, for the challenge and can remain motivated to continue lifting safely. Add weights to a fitness routine and increase strength, health, flexibility and overall fitness for life.


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According to Nick Denton, traffic is returning to normal after plummeting in February and March due to the redesign.
Page views are roughly where they were at this time in 2010, with unique visitors lagging behind but increasing.
According to Denton, most of the issues came from poor SEO -- which has been fixed -- rather than users turning on the redesign.
But does traffic really matter?
On some level, yes, of course. Page views and unique visitors are an easy metric complete with pretty graphs and measurable statistics. (Even if the numbers range from Quacast and comScore to Google Analytics and internal measures.) But more to the point, they are relatively harmless and, therefore, almost useless.
Which brings us to revenue, the statistic that actually matters. Denton -- and other big web publishers -- are businesses. They need to make money. More than they will admit, decisions to redesign are driven by what will generate revenue.
This is true of the Gawker Media as well.
We can pretend the redesign was about page views, highlighting scoops, and quality content -- and, to some extent, it was -- but the bottom line success or failure is revenue.
The CPM model is dying. Denton knows that; he's always ahead of the game. He had to find a way to score premium advertising. The new design was the solution.
Felix Salmon addressed the point in a long post in December.
"In the medium term, then, Denton's ambition is to be able to charge premium rates for delivering large, high-quality, video-based ads to a young and deep-pocketed generation which is becoming increasingly difficult for advertisers to reach," he wrote on his Reuters blog.
GM's own advertising page says as much as well: "The new layout will accentuate multiple media formats and our user interface will not only allow for more editorial freedom, but provide new ways to gracefully blend advertising into our publications."
The more important figure than page views is Denton's assertion that revenue is up 35 percent in the first half of the year, impressive both because of the redesign and the departure of sales head Chris Batty. Moreover, the new video and interstitial offerings will be rolling out soon, and those will likely increase revenue further.
In the end, page views are nice but it's always about the Benjamins.


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In an article at Securityinfowatch I argue that technological change has made the video surveillance industry more fragmented and that it is likely to consolidate in the coming years. The article can be found here.
Category Archives: IP Video surveillance
Polaroid enters the video surveillance industry?!
Polaroid went bankrupt in late 2001 as digital imaging destroyed its profitable revenues from instant film photography. In 1997, the stock was traded around 60 dollars, four years later it was frozen at 28 cents.
Ever since, the brand has lived on in various shapes and in various settings, art being one of them. The company recently announced that
it will enter the commercial security market, something that at first appears to be an odd move.
Looking at the current structure of the video surveillance industry this event makes more sense. Video surveillance is undergoing a technological discontinuity where analog CCTV is increasingly replaced by digital, internet-based cameras. Such transitions usually create a temporary spike in firm entry as new companies with different competencies see abundant opportunities. Moreover, most of the components required for manufacturing a surveillance camera are readily available on the market, implying that entry barriers are rather low. And besides, in what other imaging application would Polaroid re-emerge? The regular camera business is fiercely competitive and demands huge economies of scale.
Whether the company will be successful or not remains to be seen. At present, its entry into video surveillance can be regarded as an indication of the hype and Klondike behavior that currently characterizes the security industry. Sooner or later, this must come to an end and the industry will become more consolidated.
The ongoing shift to IP Video Surveillance and predictions of future growth
Back in October 2009, I made some predictions regarding the growth rate of IP video surveillance. Video surveillance is currently undergoing a technological transition from analog CCTV to digital cameras that are connected over the internet.
The presentation below summarizes my predictions concerning growth rates that could be expected in the period 2009-2013. By drawing upon theory concerning the diffusion of innovations, I argued that growth might be faster than estimates suggested back then. In 2009, IMS Research suggested that about 50 percent might have switched to IP in 2013 whereas I was even more bullish. For a more detailed description of my rationale, please read this presentation:
Current estimates suggest that by the end of 2012, about 40 percent of the market had made the transition to IP. While this figure will continue to grow in 2013, it is still clear that I have been overly optimistic. The presentation above points out that technology is not adopted in a linear way. As the snowball comes into motion and more people become familiar with a technology, the adoption rate increases. How could this argument result in an inaccurate forecast then?
The answer is probably related to how the market is defined. Recall that S-shaped growth patterns occur in a homogenous population where the preferences of users are reasonably similar. If this is not the case, the S-curve of diffusion will be misleading.
Having learnt more about IP video and the technology transition, it has become clear to me that one needs to make a distinction between large and small installations. In larger installations, benefits of IP are more obvious (scalability, lower integration costs) whereas in smaller settings (3-4 cameras), IP has so far been less competitive compared to traditional CCTV. Growth has indeed been phenomenonal in the segment for larger installations and followed a traditional S-curve pattern.
Two conclusions can be drawn from this observation.
1. When making predictions about how technologies grow, one has to be careful about how the market is defined and delimited.
2. In the case of IP video surveillance, there are extensive growth opportunities in the segment for smaller installations.


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The below trailer scared the hell out of me when I was a kid. I had that scream in my head at night and I peeked around every corner. This is a 70's B Drive-in type movie…but I enjoyed it. I could not talk my mom into taking me to see this one in 1977.
It's Alive was released in a limited run in 1974. It was reissued with the below commercial in 1977 and that is when I heard that damn scream. The budget was $500,000 and the US gross was over $14,000,000 and by 1977 it climbed over $30,000,000 worldwide. Mr. Cohen did very well… there were sequels….but of course.
The Davises have had a baby but they are not sending out any announcements. Most new parents are a little scared when they have a baby. The Davises are terrified. You see there is only one thing wrong with the Davis baby… IT'S ALIVE…(insert scream)
The movie is about a couple who have a killer mutant baby but it does have some social commentary about the medicines and chemicals we take that will cause trouble…as in mutant killer babies.
It was written, produced, and directed by Larry Cohen. The couple's name was Frank and Lenore Davis…Lenore had been given contraceptive medicine and the doctor who prescribed the drugs to Lenore is contacted by a pharmaceutical company executive. The executive acknowledges that the child's mutation may have been caused by the drugs. He tells the doctor that the child must be destroyed to prevent the discovery of the company's liability.
It's Alive Cast… Cast. John P. Ryan as Frank Davis. Andrew Duggan as the Professor. Sharon Farrell as Lenore Davis. Guy Stockwell as Bob Clayton.James Dixon as Lieutenant Perkins. Michael Ansara as the Captain.William Wellman Jr. as Charley.
The film was followed by two sequels, It Lives Again (1978) and It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987) and a remake, It's Alive (2009).


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July 14, 2017
12 Stones – Picture Perfect (Album Review)
Posted at 14:26h cryptic rock, CrypticRock, Music reviews, News, Reviews 0 Comments
The early 2000s was a strange time for Rock-n-Roll. Grunge was all but in the rearview mirror, Nu-Metal was still making an impact, and the scene in general seemed to lack an identity. Then came along a fresh crop of talented young bands like Seether,...


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Fedora 27 Modular Server Gets Canned; Fedora 27 Server Classic Released
The Fedora Project's plans on delivering an initial "Fedora 27 Modular Server" build constructed under their new packaging principles has been thwarted.
Due to less than stellar feedback on their Fedora 27 Modular Server build, the Fedora Modular working group is going back to the drawing board for determining a brighter future to its design. Previous to being canned, F27 Modular Server was delayed to January but is now being abandoned in its current form.
With an official Fedora 27 Modular Server not happening now, the developers have composed a "classic" spin of Fedora 27 Server for release today. The Fedora 27 Server is constructed similarly to Fedora 26 Server and simply offers all of the updated packages and changes as already premiered by Fedora 27 Workstation last month.
More details on the Fedora 27 Server "classic" release and the Modular Server going back to the drawing board can be found at FedoraMagazine.org.


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Gade TP, Tucker E, Nakazawa MS et al.
From the Penn Image-Guided Interventions Laboratory (T.P.F.G., S.J.H., C.N.W., G.J.N.), Department of Radiology (T.P.F.G., S.J.H., C.N.W., G.J.N., T.W.I.C., M.C. Soulen), and Department of Pathology (E.E.F.), Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa; Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 421 Curie Blvd, 456 BRB II/III, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (E.T., M.S.N., W.W., B.K., M.C. Simon); Abramson Family Cancer Center (B.K., R.K.A.) and Department of Chemistry (J.D.W.), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.
Radiology. Mar 2017.
Purpose To characterize hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells surviving ischemia with respect to cell cycle kinetics, chemosensitivity, and molecular dependencies that may be exploited to potentiate treatment with transarterial embolization (TAE). Materials and Methods Animal studies were performed according to institutionally approved protocols. The growth kinetics of HCC cells were studied in standard and ischemic conditions. Viability and cell cycle kinetics were measured by using flow cytometry. Cytotoxicity profiling was performed by using a colorimetric cell proliferation assay. Analyses of the Cancer Genome Atlas HCC RNA-sequencing data were performed by using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software. Activation of molecular mediators of autophagy was measured with Western blot analysis and fluorescence microscopy. In vivo TAE was performed in a rat model of HCC with (n = 5) and without (n = 5) the autophagy inhibitor Lys05. Statistical analyses were performed by using GraphPad software. Results HCC cells survived ischemia with an up to 43% increase in the fraction of quiescent cells as compared with cells grown in standard conditions (P < .004). Neither doxorubicin nor mitomycin C potentiated the cytotoxic effects of ischemia. Gene-set analysis revealed an increase in mRNA expression of the mediators of autophagy (eg, CDKN2A, PPP2R2C, and TRAF2) in HCC as compared with normal liver. Cells surviving ischemia were autophagy dependent. Combination therapy coupling autophagy inhibition and TAE in a rat model of HCC resulted in a 21% increase in tumor necrosis compared with TAE alone (P = .044). Conclusion Ischemia induces quiescence in surviving HCC cells, resulting in a dependence on autophagy, providing a potential therapeutic target for combination therapy with TAE. (©) RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is available for this article. Pubmed


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Learn all about Sunset here.
My perfect beach vacation is…
Low-Key Paradise
Brush up on your hula because you're headed to Kailua, on the eastside of Oahu. Picture a low-key cross between a small town and a suburb, but with some of the best beaches and shave-ice in the Pacific. There's a reason President Obama vacations here.
More: Plan your trip to Kailua


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Recommended Citation
Postprint version. Published in Nuclear Physics A, Volume A, Issue 726, October 6, 2003, pages 134-156.
NOTE: At the time of publication, the author Thomas Gutierrez was not yet affiliated with Cal Poly.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclphysa.2003.07.003.
Strange baryons have long been known to exhibit a leading particle effect. A recent comparison of Ξ‾ production in π‾, n, and Σ‾ interactions with nuclei show this effect clearly. These data are supplemented by earlier measurements of Ξ‾ and Ω production by a Ξ‾ beam. We calculate the Ξ‾ and Ω xF distributions and nuclear dependence in hA interactions using the intrinsic model.
2003 Elsevier.
Included in
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/phy_fac/334


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Starbucks Canada has announced that they have launched Nitro Cold Brew in six Vancouver locations. Nitro Cold Brew is Starbucks newest take on its signature Cold Brew, infused with nitrogen for a smooth, creamy texture. After handcrafting the Cold Brew recipe, baristas perfect the pour by pulling the tap and allowing the Cold Brew coffee to mix with the nitrogen to deliver an entirely new cold coffee experience. Nitro Cold Brew is deliciously cold right out of the tap so it is served without ice and as with Cold Brew, it's served unsweetened to highlight the flavour the cold brewing process brings out in the coffee.
While premium handcrafted espresso continues to be a best-seller; the company is experiencing an increased shift in consumer preference to cold versions of these beverages. Iced beverage sales saw approximately 30 per cent growth over the past two years and represents one of the fastest growing areas of the business. Approximately one in two beverages sold out of home in Canada are cold and Starbucks expects to more than double the size of its cold beverage business in Canada within five years.
"Our success is rooted in delivering exceptional customer experiences. We know that our customers are seeking flavour experiences that are unique and Nitro Cold Brew delivers on a cold coffee experience that we know they will enjoy," said Caroline Ternes, vice president, Starbucks Western Canada. "When we combine innovation with an engaging barista who is skilled in making handcrafted customized beverages, it produces something really special."
The introduction of Cold Brew in March 2015 was received with an exceptional Canadian response, fueling +65% Cold Coffee growth at launch time. Following the highly successful nationwide launch the company introduced new innovation with the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew in June 2016, which is now available throughout the year, and is now offering Canadians even more coffee-forward innovation with the introduction of Nitro Cold Brew.
"For over 40 years we have perfected the craft of roasting and brewing the finest hot coffee and while we have always offered our customers new options in cold coffee, nothing will compare to the pace of flavour, craft and brewing innovation we will see in the next few years," continues Ternes.
Nitro Cold Brew will now be available at the following six Vancouver locations: English Bay (at Denman and Davie Street), 600 Dunsmuir (at Dunsmuir and Seymour Street), on the corner of Robson and Thurlow Street, 2906 Hebb Avenue (at Renfrew and Hebb Ave), 2193 W 41st (at West Boulevard and W 41st Avenue) and 930 Burrard (next to the theatre on Burrard and Smithe Street)


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South River Fly Fishing Expo - Waynesboro
Saturday, April 23 through Sunday April 24, 2017
Downtown Waynesboro
9am-5pm both days
The South River Fly Fishing Expo is held on the banks of the South River near Downtown Waynesboro. The South River is a popular destination for fly anglers due to the great fly fishing opportunities and ease of access. One of the goals of the Expo is to provide funding for continued conservation habitat improvement efforts on this great fishery.
For more info regarding the event visit http://southriverexpo.org/main/


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Smash Hit: Top 10 tips, hints, and cheats to help you achieve your best distance yet!
In Smash Hit you're tasked with getting through the game unscathed by smashing through glass and other obstacles. You're given a set number of balls in the beginning but it's up to you to collect more along the way. If you run out, game over. Timing and strategy are key in Smash Hit and that's where iMore comes in. Here are our top 10 tips and tricks to earn your furthest distance ever!
1. Crystals are number one priority
In Smash Hit when you run out of balls, the game is over. Crystals are what replenish your stash of balls so be on the lookout for them. For each one you successfully smash, you get three balls. If you get a streak of 10 crystals in a row you'll activate multiball mode which automatically shoots out two balls at once, but only docks you for one at a time.
Definitely make sure you look out for pyramid crystals since those give you 5 more balls instead of the standard 3.
2. Two balls max rule
Two balls are enough to smash through almost any obstacle that stands in your way. Single panes of glass almost always can be destroyed with one, no matter how big they are. Larger blocks may need two in order to make an opening large enough for you to fit through. Waste not, want not. It's super important to make sure you're conserving balls whenever you can.
3. Save infinite ball rounds until you really need them
Infinite rounds are extremely helpful when you're running low on balls. Many times it can be the difference between getting a game over and continuing on to rack up lots of balls. I find them extremely useful when you have to take a hit and lose 10 balls on certain obstacles like lasers. Keep using them over and over and you won't actually lose any of your own balls.
4. Aim for strings
Every once in a while you'll see objects like blocks of glass dangling from strings. Don't waste balls trying to blast through them. Just aim for the string and they'll simply fall down, and you only burned through a single ball to do it.
5. Timing is key
In Smash Hit how you time your balls is everything. For instance, when you face windmills, two balls always do the trick but you have to wait until you're extremely close. Almost right on top of the windmill. Then rapid fire two balls off. This gives you just enough time to slip through, and that's all you need. You also won't burn through any time boosters this way.
6. Leave certain sliding objects alone
Some sliding objects that move back and forth or rotate aren't ever actually in your way. That means there's absolutely no reason to waste balls on them. Just leave them be and you'll pass by them unscathed without wasting a single ball.
7. Closeup shots
This goes along with tip number 5. Sometimes it's better to wait until you're right on top of an object to blast it. This typically means there's more power behind the shot and an object may require less physical balls. This also applies for items that are dangling and swinging. A closeup shot may be enough to throw it of its course long enough for you to pass by.
8. Improve your checkpoint standings
If you are ever having a hard time advancing to another checkpoint, try going back one. You'll notice that you start at a checkpoint with however many balls you had when you passed it last. If you had a very low amount, it can make it extremely difficult to advance. Instead, go back and focus on racking up tons of balls. That way it saves over the last time you passed the checkpoint with your new ball count. Then if you die trying to advance you at least have some extra balls in your arsenal to go to battle with.
9. Restart levels when you need to
If you're doing badly there's no point in continuing the level. Just pause the game and restart from the last checkpoint. This is especially useful if you mess up early on and don't want to continue on.
10. Aim and loft balls from afar
Some people don't seem to realize you can loft balls. Wherever you tap on the screen is typically the max height your ball will reach. If you see crystals off in the distance that are huddled together, start lofting balls early. It takes some practice to become good at lofting balls but it's possible. It also means you can rack up balls faster and from further away, which is a great skill to have.
Your tips?
If you've been enjoying Smash Hit, what tips and tricks do you have to offer? Let me know in the comments as well as what your current best distance is!
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iMore senior editor from 2011 to 2015.
There's so much cool stuff in this game I have never seen. I guess it's time to upgrade so I can save my progress!
Frugal use of balls is a big help. Going into level 9 with 280 balls that shoot 5 at once is a cinch to make it to endless mode. The Mediocre guys recommend launching two balls at once to knock down the big metal bars (in level 8, I think). It's not easy. Mediocre also knows about the hidden crystal bug in endless mode and they are working on it.
Hidden crystal bug? Do tell! Sent from the iMore App
After a door opening there is a crystal that you can't hit because it's so close to the door.
Orange exploding ball to the left of every third door as you pass through. The explosion js large enough to hit the crystal.
I hate the infinite leves and the hidden crystal bug. sometimes I can get it, some times I miss. my score is 11475. is that good ?
Those are some great tips! Thanks for sharing. Sent from the iMore App
So this is the game my niece has been raving about... :)
This game is crazy fun. Good stress reliever as well. Breaking stuff is always fun. Graphics are simplistic but really cool. Works great on my ipad!!
How do I get through those pink electric fences??
Hit the pink glass on the very left-hand side of the laser fence
My high score is 13125 i'm not joking, and i also do not have premium i average 12k+ per run, i have gotten into endless mode with over 300 balls, if someone tells me how to post and make a guide i will
I've hit 13930 and have started endless mode with 631 balls. But, I got that 13900 when I had started endless mode with about 550 balls. I hate that I can't get higher than that now that I have more balls to start the final round. Also, there are 2 "SECRET" achievements left that I have no idea what they are. Can someone help me with that?
I'm at 12230 and don't feel I can get much farther until they fix the hidden crystal bug in endless. I tried lobbing exploding balls all over the sides every time I go through a door to no avail. As it is I go in with 5 balls and give up every time a crystal I can't see much less hit takes me down to one ball when I go through a door.
Every third room has a crystal off to the left just inside the door. An orange ball smashing left as you pass the door will hit the crystal. It will come up again three doors later. As long as you can keep finding the orange exploding balls you are fine. That's more about luck than anything.
2 secret achievements: Buy the game
Watch/Smash all the obstacles in the credits
Developer Love and Developer Smash. To earn Developer Smash, you smash every object in the credits. To earn Developer Love, you have to buy the premium version.
Why can you get through some glass at one point, then not at another. There seems to be an inconsistency with how much of a particular obstacle you need to actually clear. Am I the only one who thinks this?
The obstacles for every section are preset, but it's randomized so you encounter them in different orders and quantities with each run.
already done the checkpoint one most of mine have over 100 and a lot of multipliers on most of them
How to go through those hanging glass attached by four threads at some weird angles
Wait till your extremely close then fire takes 1 ball :) x
Either get close and throw one ball or throw two balls at two adjacent places where the glass meets the rope, which can completely knock the shape out if done right. In case of Checkpoint 6's triangles, only use one. Also in Checkpoint 6, the squares with the metal centers need the two-ball knockout because throwing a ball at the metal part won't do anything.
11883 is my score you just save as many as you can for the infinite round :) love this game addictive much !
OMG, thank you so much this was very helpful! I am sure to go on this website more often if I need any help!
What about the power ups? There are yellow ones and purple ones. I'm always so caught up in the game that I don't use them. Someone explain? Thank you :)
The green one gives you an endless amount of balls for a limited time, the yellow one gives your balls explosive power, and the purple one slows time down so it's easier to hit obstacles exactly where they're going to hit you.
My score is 7700ish and I haven't purchased the game yet. My tips are: the glass blocks held up by 4 strings can be easily bypassed by throwing a single ball at it up close. Second most of the hammers in the first wave won't hit you. As for the ones that will I suggest aiming for the part where the glass base of the hammer meets the swinger as it's much easier to hit.
Hi James, your tips are correct, but don't boast about your highscore as you have not played very far obviously. Other tips for getting through Smash Hit include;
-Do not hit the sliding lasers in Stage 3 or 4, can't remember which.
-If you launch a ball right when a pane of glass is swinging up, it doubles the force of impact, and you do not need to worry about it hitting you coming back up.
Buy the Premium version
Run levels without throwing any ball. Then, you will learn that some objects move very close but will never hit you, so you will save balls later in a real game
Smart suggestion. Thank you.
My highest score is now at 15886 Mediocre and I am at the unlimited level with 5 balls and 385 points to start with. I've been trying to beat the unlimited round still and I'm not actually sure there is an end to it? Tips: Aim high with the balls, and as soon as the objects come into focus then strike. Timing is key...you will soon learn the sequence of rotations of swingning glass panels etc. If there is an obstacle in the way, then a crystal after that...aim high for the crystal/s and get them, then hit the obstacle, you have enough time.
On the round with the "octapus" arms :) get the crystals that look like stars because they earn you 10 points instead of 5. That goes for any rounds that have star shaped crystals.
On the round where you go through an "elevator shaft" type thing...throw balls down the shaft to hit the 10 star crystals, before they turn into 5 point crystals and also watch out for the same colored "red" planks that come out of nowhere, they can trick you :) Just remember you don't have to hit all the obstacles, some when you get close to them, you can pass through without throwing a ball at it. Always aim for the middle of the obstacle as well if its a pane of glass etc. With the pink laser's, just hit your ball/s where the arrow points to or at the LEFT end of the laser's...be prepared for falling planks though...aim high on those as well. Very addictive game and probably the best well put together application that I've played!
Does anyone know the trick to smashing down the floating cube clumps that send glass cubes towards you at the end of all the Mayhem Challenge levels? I've managed to get through them to level 7 but I keep using up all the balls at the very end trying to smash those things down, lol.
Never mind, I think I figured it out. If anyone's wondering I think you hit the part/side of the floating cube that lights up…at least that's worked for me lol
You hit each of the panes that isn't lit up, and they'll turn grey and cracked. Once each pane but the lit up one is broken it will fall down.
Reached endless mode with 400 balls. Current score is 15500, mediocre. Anytime you have two or more objects in a row and 3 or more balls aim so that some of your balls fly over. Especially when two or more crystals are lined up. Lose one ball, hit 2 crystals or knock down 2 or more hanging blocks. :-) waste not want not.
So, is 15000 where you get Mediocre?
WARNING this game is insanely addictive! Any way, you can get up to 5-ball, if you lose 5-ball, Stuart over and try again. If you ever lose multiball, start over. Terry again. Don't be afraid to go through a level to see which obstacles need to be broken and which don't. In classic, you should be able to get over 100 at checkpoint 1.
Damn Swype....
I only play the free game and my best is 13216. Does anyone know what the high score record is for the free version?


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Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
Section of Optometry
Farah Gulaid, OD, joined the Emory Eye Center in August 2016, as part of our medical/surgical care team with an emphasis on glaucoma.
Dr. Gulaid earned her degree in optometry from the University of California, Berkeley and followed that education with a residency program at the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Baltimore, MD. During her residency, she completed a five-month clinical rotation at Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, in addition to working with several private practices in the areas of retina and glaucoma management.
She gained additional experience through externships at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, FL, Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, and Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Reno, NV.
She has administered vision screenings and provided care for adult and pediatric patients, including volunteering with a group that assessed more than four thousand patients in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
· Comprehensive eye exams with an emphasis on management of
ophthalmic manifestations of systemic disease, including
hypertension and diabetes mellitus
· Medical management of adult glaucoma
· Medical management compliance
· Optical coherence tomography interpretation
Postgraduate Education: OD, Berkeley Optometry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 2010-15
Residency: Cornea Service, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University: Nov 2015-March 2016
Residency: VA Medical Center, Baltimore, MD: July 2015-
Copyright © Emory Eye Center - All Rights Reserved | Emory Clinic Building B, 1365B Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30322 USA


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Grey's Anatomy Marquis 3-Pkt V-neck Top
(41452) Grey's Anatomy Marquis V-Neck Scrub Top
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Additional Information:


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The Balticconnector project's offshore pipeline has been completed. Of the five worksites of the project, the offshore pipeline was the first one to reach completion.
The approximately 77 kilometres long bidirectional offshore pipeline runs from Inkoo to Paldiski, located about 50 kilometres west of Tallinn. Environmental considerations, the seabed's formation, ship routes, and crossing structures were taken into account during the planning stage of the pipeline. The concrete-coated pipeline installed on the seabed has been partly covered with quarry stones.
Pressure tests have been carried out for the offshore pipeline, followed by emptying and drying the pipe to enable gas transmission. The planned service life of the pipeline is 50 years.
"Completing the offshore pipeline work on schedule is an excellent example of the good cooperation between all parties. I would especially like to thank the neighbours living near the worksite for their cooperation," says Tom Främling, Project Director.
The Balticconnector gas pipeline is due to be commissioned by the end of 2019.
"The expertise and ambition of our personnel and partners ensure that everything will be ready for gas to flow between Finland and Estonia at the end of 2019. The completion of the offshore pipeline is one of the most important milestones in the journey towards opening the gas market," maintains Herkko Plit, the President and CEO of Baltic Connector Oy.
Once completed, Balticconnector will connect the gas infrastructures of Finland and Estonia and enable the opening of the countries' gas markets in practice.
Further information:
Tom Främling, Project Director, tel. +358 50 326 2918
President and CEO, Herkko Plit, tel. +358 50 462 0788
Balticconnector offshore pipeline completed on schedule 5.8.2019.pdfKoko: 0,08 MB Tyyppi: pdf
Balticconnector offshore pipeline completed on schedule 5.8.2019.pdfKoko: 0,08 MB Tyyppi: pdf
Baltic Connector Oy is a state-owned company set up in 2015 to implement the Finnish part of the Balticconnector gas pipeline to be built between Finland and Estonia. When completed, Balticconnector will connect the gas networks of Finland and the Baltic countries and will enable the opening of the gas market in Finland. The EU has granted funding to cover 75% of the project, and the Balticconnector gas pipeline is due to be completed by 2020.
© Koodiviidakko Oy - Y-tunnus 1939962-1


text:
Size 23cm x 23cm
Material | Front Fablic / Cotton / Back Fablic / Polyethylene & Polyester
Color| NAVY
Country Of Origin | Japan
Cold Sense Towel
The material used for the outer side of the towel is cotton pile from the towel producing area of lmabari. You can use it like a regular hand towel.The inner side of the towel uses "Zero Cool," a material produced by Nemours Co., Ltd. that gives a cold sensation. Even when dry it feels cold. After wetting the towel, the cold sensation manifests itself even better. You can use this towel when it is hot or when playing sports.
Payment & Security
Your payment information is processed securely. We do not store credit card details nor have access to your credit card information.


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In a few hours, the USMNT will try to play Dwight Schrute by finally rising to the top. What am I babbling about? Check it...
- Greg Seltzer
Friday, June 7, 2013
On the road again...
Posted by Greg Seltzer at 5:10 PM
Labels: by Greg Seltzer, CONCACAF, USMNT, Videos, World Cup 2014
2 comments:
- dikranovich said...
Michael BRADLEY Evans... to much comedy
- June 7, 2013 at 11:30 PM
- dikranovich said...
come on Honduras, get us a late goal please!!!!
- June 7, 2013 at 11:56 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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New Delhi: BJP patriarch L K Advani's statement that "forces that can crush democracy are stronger" now created a buzz in political circles leading to speculation that it was a barb aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi but RSS dismissed it while Congress and other BJP rivals shared his concern.
"At the present point of time, the forces that can crush democracy, notwithstanding the constitutional and legal safeguards, are stronger," Advani told Indian Express in an interview.
In the years since the Emergency in 1975-77, he said, "I don't think anything has been done that gives the assurance that civil liberties will not be suspended or destroyed again. Not at all."
"Of course, one can do it easily…But that it cannot happen again–I will not say that. It could be that fundamental liberties are curtailed again," the former Deputy Prime Minister, who is now a member of the BJP's Margadarshak Mandal, and was incarcerated during the Emergency along with a number of opposition stalwarts then.
Advani also said that he did not see any sign in the polity that assures him any outstanding aspect of leadership with a commitment to democracy and to all other aspects related to democracy is lacking.
"Today, I do not say that the political leadership is not mature. I don't have faith because of its weaknesses. I don't have the confidence that it (Emergency) cannot happen again."
Commenting on Advani's remarks, RSS ideologue M G Vaidya said Advani is a member of the BJP's Magadarshak Mandal and he did not think he was sending a message to Modi.
"I don't feel anything like that. He (Advani) is quite senior in age and experience. So he can talk to Modi. He is in the 'Margdarshak Mandal' of BJP. I don't think he has an intention of sending a message to Modi through this interview." (More)
BJP spokesperson M J Akbar also felt it was not aimed at individuals but at institutions.
"I think Advanji was referring to institutions rather than to individuals. I respect his views, but I personally don't see emergency, any chance of any emergency being reimposed in the country. I think that age is over, Indian democracy is too strong, much stronger now," he said.
However, Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan latched on to Advani's remarks saying the "jury is out" from the ruling party itself and he was indeed hinting at "emergency-like" situation under Modi's rule.
"Today the jury is out. Advaniji is vocal. What he had to say, he has said," he told reporters. "It is obvious whom he is talking about, whose government is there, who is the Prime Minister. He knows it. But he is a statesman-like leader of the BJP. He did not want to name the Prime Minister. But whoever reads the interview, he/she would understand he is talking about Modi," Vadakkan said.
Quoting from Advani's remarks, he said the veteran leader is "right" when he says the present situation in the country signals towards emergency.


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Watch the Life movie trailer, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Olga Dihovichnaya, Ariyon Bakare, Hiroyuki Sanada and Ryan Reynolds. Life will be released in theaters on March 24th, 2017.
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DISCLAIMER: I would like to apologize to Ray Clancy for not publishing this sooner. It was written a few days BEFORE the strong WGN rumors began circulating so keep that in mind when you read this column and are formulating your feedback. - Brad Dykens (The OWW Puppet Master)
NWA-TNA is close to staring death in the face, and it figures as soon as I start getting heavily into it, it may seemingly be non-existent for the next little while.
A few months ago I published an article on why to watch WWE, and ignore TNA. I am now stating publicly that I did this for the simple fact that someone prior to my article bashed my true love, the WWE, My article was a simple response sticking up for my life-long love. I did more TNA bashing than I wish I had now. So to all TNA fans, I apologize for the sarcastic remarks I made. Truth be known, at the time I had no interest in it. But like any TV show, if you watch it steadily, even for just a short period of time, you become hooked. Now it has a level of interest to me.
Anyways, back to business. The title of this article may seem a little harsh, therefore I will give an explanation. All week long all over the internet I have read that this Friday's edition of "TNA Impact!" will be the last one on Fox Sports Net. That could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you are. But here is where the major issue lies. TNA does not have another company they have officially signed with to air their programming, mainly "Impact!". So where does this leave them"
Anyone who has been monitoring this situation closely already has a responding question to the previous paragraph; "What about WGN, or Spike TV"". Well, landing a television deal with either network would in all likelihood make TNA wrestling more public to the diehard wrestling fan. The only thing that will not work out is the start-up date for either network to begin airing TNA. Spike won't air it until the start of their new fall schedule, so that would be a little over 3 MONTHS without weekly programming and their monthly Pay-Per-View event. Although WGN would probably air TNA as soon as possible. However, keep in mind that from reliable reports Spike
TV is most likely where TNA will end up.
Now here's the big one...how can a company survive without cable wrestling leading into the three hour pay per views" I have 2 solutions until a cable network begins airing TNA. If it so happens that Spike TV doesn't air TNA until the fall season, leaving TNA with three months of non-televised wrestling, TNA can do one of the following. The first thing that comes to mind is to air the weekly pay-per view all summer long, plus keep the three hour one. Either that or steal a WWE idea, that being the "Webcast". WWE only airs pay-per-views on the web though. Since TNA may not have any public TV for a while, why not tape "Impact!" and have it on tnawrestling.com from Friday until Sunday. This way TNA fans have three days to watch the show and not fall behind. If I were TNA I would use the webcast idea, but hey, that's just if I WERE TNA!
So it's time for the infamous conclusion. Is TNA in hot water" Seemingly, yes they are. In reality, no they aren't. The people in TNA are certainly smart enough to figure out a solution to this possible summer of no public cable shows. And if it ends up being one of my two ideas, I'd LOVE to say I told you so. So to all TNA fans, I conclude by saying this. Don't worry, many wrestling organizations have gone through tests, and this is TNA's biggest test to date. Plus it's not like there isn't a way to avoid not being seen, because there is. It's just a matter of whether or not TNA decides to do one of those two things, or even something else. Just as long as we don't miss "Impact!" TNA will be just fine. If anyone wishes to respond as to how TNA
will come out of this or how "Impact!" can still be seen feel free to do so,
it would be greatly appreciated. SAVE TNA!
by Ray Clancy..


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At 55, I hope to be thinking about early retirement: move to Florida, buy five cats, get a boob job. Seems like Gary Numan doesn't share my vision. His career has spanned about thirty-five years, making electronic music that's inspired generations of musicians, and it doesn't look like he's letting up any time soon. Releasing his 21st album this month, Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind), we've got an exclusive stream right hurr for you to enjoy. He's got some UK tour dates as well, so you can see him from the comfort of your hometown.
Gary Numan dates 2013
Oct. 17-18—The Masonic Lodge at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery—Los Angeles, California (SOLD OUT)
Oct. 25—The Masquerade—Atlanta, Georgia
Oct. 26—Mountain Oasis Festival—Asheville, North Carolina
Oct. 27—Black Cat—Washington, D.C.
Oct. 29—Music Hall Of Williamsburg—Brooklyn, New York (SOLD OUT)
Oct. 30—BB&T Center—Sunrise, Florida *
Oct. 31—Amway Center—Orlando, Florida *
Nov. 7—O2 Academy—Bristol, United Kingdom
Nov. 8—The Button Factory—Dublin, Ireland
Nov. 10—Rock City—Nottingham, United Kingdom
Nov. 11—O2 Academy—Sheffield, United Kingdom
Nov. 12—O2 Academy—Newcastle, United Kingdom
Nov. 13—O2 Academy—Glasgow, Scotland
Nov. 14—Manchester Academy—Manchester, United Kingdom
Nov. 15—O2 Academy—Oxford, United Kingdom
Nov. 16—Roundhouse—London, United Kingdom
Nov. 18—The Dome—Brighton, United Kingdom
Nov. 19—Wulfrun Hall—Wolverhampton, United Kingdom


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Children are people, our future, and should know they are valued. We believe helping children in their difficult situations can improve their confidence and self esteem, letting them know people care. We strive to help children know their self-worth and create self-love to become the incredible adults they are meant to be.We want to keep children from becoming just another statistic.
Children should know all the possibilities of becoming whatever they want in life. By offering to give them the ability to achieve their dreams, we are giving them the building blocks needed to be successful in life and letting them know people care about who they are and believe in who they can become.
KDM aspires to help children any way we can, in large groups or one child at a time. Children should be able to rise to any height and become whomever they want when they grow up without hesitancy or road blocks. No matter their financial position or physical barrier, they want to be like their peers and have the same things and same opportunities others around them might have and we want to make sure that happens. If they can dream it, they should be it.


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Poetry can often be inspiring, and today this crossed my desk:
Our joys as winged dreams do fly; why then should sorrow last? Since grief but aggravates thy loss, grieve not for what is past.
Thomas Percy, English poet 1729-1811
Grieve not for what is past ... our joys as winged dreams do fly ... doesn't it make sense that we behave the same way with our grief as we do with our joy? As the poet - Thomas Percy - says, are joys tend to leave us very quickly. And yet we dwell on our sorrows.
This is in fact, an unusually interesting statement about the human condition. We have a much greater tendency to stay with those aspects of our lives that are not bright and clear, that do not have sunshine and warmth, and tend to bring on the clouds swollen with rain. Why do we do this? Is it just a wired into us? Wired into our hearts? Wired into our brains?
I don't think so. This may very well be due to what part Eckhart Tolle calls the pain body, and what Chris Griscom calls the emotional body. I've written about this in the past, so I'll just briefly reiterate the basic points:
- the pain body is seductive
- the emotional body has an emotionally sticky quality that we find hard to pull away from
- both pain body and emotional body are familiar to us because they represent pain, difficulties, and hardships that we have been subject to in the past
- this very familiarity based on the amount of time we have spent revisiting those difficult moments, is what causes us to field the seductive pull
- once we give in to the seductive pull into the pain or the negative emotions via our memory needs, we tend to wallow in the pain, much as pigs wallow in mud
- why?
- Because we prefer the familiarity
- if we spent as much time revisiting our joyful moments as we do our painful ones, we might find - ironically - that we experience greater familiarity with our joy than with our pain - and wouldn't that be a wonderful state of mind to be in...
Have you ever considered why the sum total of your life very possibly seems to have an uneven tipping of the scale in favor of the negative? Could it not be simply because of where you spend much of your mental time? And don't you agree that where you spend much of your mental time is a matter of choice? And if it is a matter of choice, why not spend more time with your memories of the joyful moments, as opposed to memories of the painful ones? It really is that easy.


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Ambassador's Statement to Media Regarding the Borjomi Wildfire (August 22)
Let me say, first of all, that I've been in close contact with senior officials from this government starting last night, late last night, continuing into today. We understand that the fire is extremely worrisome, extremely difficult. We know that hundreds of Georgian firefighters are in harm's way. We, as Georgia's partner, would like to ... Read More»


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Most of us have a read a book that has changed our lives. It has inspired and given us a new lease on life. What is one book that you feel should be required reading for
everyone? What was it about this book that made it so significant for you? Was it a specific theme, quote or character?
Reflect and write


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WASHINGTON >> The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations by a decisive margin today as Republican-led committees paved the way for three more of his Cabinet nominees to be approved just days into the new administration.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley won strong support for the U.N. post despite her lack of foreign policy experience. Senators voted 96-4 on Haley's nomination.
Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the Republican chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said Haley is a proven leader who will be a "fierce advocate" at the U.N. for American interests.
But not everyone was sold. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said Haley didn't convince him that she'll serve effectively. The U.S. ambassador to the international body should be an expert on international affairs, Coons said, "not someone who will be learning on the job."
A Senate vote is expected soon on Trump's choice for secretary of state, former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson. The Foreign Relations Committee narrowly approved his nomination Monday, 11-10. No Democrats on the panel voted for Tillerson.
Tillerson's bid got a key boost when Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced his support today. Manchin, who faces re-election in 2018 in a state that backed Trump heavily in the presidential election, said Tillerson's extensive business career "will bring a unique perspective to the State Department."
The vote on Haley capped a day when the GOP-led panels endorsed Trump's choices to lead the Transportation, Housing, and Commerce departments. Yet congressional Republicans criticized Democrats for not moving quickly enough on all of the president's selections.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, forced a one-week delay — until Jan. 31 — of the committee's vote on Trump's attorney general nominee, Sen. Jeff Sessions.
Feinstein said senators "owe it" to the more than 1 million women who marched in Washington and other locations on Saturday to be careful in considering Sessions' nomination and his willingness to protect equal rights. She also said the committee received 188 pages of new material that needs to be reviewed. Committee rules allow any member of the panel to delay a vote.
Deliberations over two of Trump's picks turned testy as both nominees faced questions from Democrats over their personal finances. Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., the president's choice for health secretary, defended his decision to invest in health care companies as he testified before the Senate Finance Committee.
Panel staffers found Price undervalued around 400,000 shares of stock in Australian drug company Innate Immunotherapeutics that he purchased last August. He reported the shares were valued at $50,000 to $100,000, but those shares were worth up to $250,000. Price blamed a "clerical error" and answered "no" when Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked if he'd used poor judgment.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Trump's nominee for budget director, South Carolina Rep. Mick Mulvaney, should be disqualified because he failed to pay more than $15,000 in payroll taxes for a babysitter more than a decade ago. Mulvaney said he discovered the unpaid taxes while preparing for the nominating process. He has since paid the taxes.
Trump's choice for education secretary, Betsy DeVos, is also being scrutinized by Democrats about her qualifications, political donations and longtime work advocating for charter schools and school choice in her home state of Michigan.
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., delivered a withering critique of DeVos, saying he has no confidence she will fully support traditional public schools and students.
The Senate Commerce Committee approved by voice votes Trump's choices of conservative billionaire investor Wilbur Ross to run the Commerce Department and Elaine Chao to lead the Transportation Department.
Ross has specialized in buying distressed companies that still have a potential for delivering profits. He has known Trump for more than 20 years, was an early supporter of his presidential campaign and served as an economic policy adviser to Trump's team.
Chao, an experienced Washington hand, was labor secretary in President George W. Bush's administration and deputy transportation secretary under President George H.W. Bush. She is also the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Chao is expected to play a major role in Trump's effort to fulfill his campaign promise to generate $1 trillion in infrastructure investment.
Ben Carson, nominated to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, won unanimous approval from the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. The former Republican presidential candidate and celebrated neurosurgeon would lead a sprawling agency with 8,300 employees and a budget of about $47 billion.
Sen. Michael Crapo of Idaho, the committee's Republican chairman, praised Carson and said the department "will benefit from having a secretary with a different perspective and a diverse background." Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, the panel's top Democrat, said he had reservations but welcomed Carson's promises to address lead hazards in public housing.