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The impact of the genomic imbalances on the clinical outcomeof 34 patients with lymph-node positive high-risk breast cancer (HRBC) was investigated using comparative genomic hybridization. All of the patients were uniformly treated with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation. The average number of chromosomal imbalances per tumor was 11 (range, 2–24), including DNA overrepresentation on chromosomes 1q (59%), 17q (38%), 8q and 16p (35% each), 20q (32%), and 19p (26%), and genomic losses involving 9p and 18q (41%), 8p, 11q, and 18p (38%), 17p (32%), 4p and Xq (29%), and 16q (26%). The most significant association among genomic changes and clinical-pathological features was the correlation of the loss of 8p with progesterone receptor positivity (P < 0.005). With a median follow-up time of 74 months, 15 patients (44%) have relapsed. In the univariate analysis, patients with gain/amplification of 17q including the HER-2/neu gene locus had a longer disease-free survival (P = 0.02), whereas those with genomic loss of 18p had a higher probability of relapse (P = 0.003). In multivariate analysis, the loss of 18p was the only parameter correlated with shorter disease-free survival (relative risk, 4.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.57–14.8; P = 0.006). In summary, our data indicate that the tumoral genomic profile may represent a valuable marker for predicting the clinical outcome in HRBC. Furthermore, the genomic loss of 18p may identify a poor prognostic subgroup of patients with HRBC.
The presence of axillary lymph nodes affected at diagnosis is the most significant factor in overall survival of breast cancer patients (1) . Adjuvant chemotherapy has been demonstrated to improve outcome of these patients, but it is still controversial whether the use of HDC3 followed by ASCT may be beneficial (2, 3, 4, 5) . Little is known about the impact of the tumor genetic changes on the outcome of patients with lymph node-positive HRBC. Most studies have evaluated single genetic markers that in some cases have been associated with increased risk of relapse (6, 7, 8, 9) . Despite these efforts, based on current knowledge it is not possible to predict the outcome of patients with HRBC after intensive therapy.
Using CGH, tumors can be screened for DNA copy number variation genome-wide (10) . This technique has revealed typical aberrant genomic profiles that include amplification and deletion sites unknown previously in most cancer categories (11 , 12) . In breast carcinomas, distinct patterns of genomic imbalances have been described in the different clinical-pathological subgroups (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27) . However, the correlation of the CGH data with patient survival has been scarce. Isola et al. (14) reported that genetic aberrations detected by CGH predict outcome in lymph node-negative breast cancer. In a recent report, genomic profiles were valuable prognostic parameters in patients with HRBC (21) . The identification of recurrent genomic changes associated with the outcome of patients with HRBC would reveal novel clinically useful markers.
We report on the CGH analysis of a group of patients with lymph node-positive HRBC treated with a uniform protocol. Our aims were to define the pattern of genomic imbalances in this cohort, to correlate CGH findings with clinical-pathological features, and to identify possible genetic aberrations that might influence in patient outcome.
Tumor Samples.
Breast tumor samples obtained at diagnosis from 34 patients were studied. They were consecutively diagnosed at HRBC stages II or III. Those with >10 lymph nodes affected at diagnosis (n = 24) received six courses of FAC/FEC (5-fluorouracyl 600 mg/m2/day and doxorubicin/epirubicin 50/75 mg/m2/day, respectively, and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2/day), whereas patients with 4–10 lymph nodes affected (n = 10) received induction chemotherapy (four courses of FEC 75), followed by breast resection and two additional courses of FEC 75. Subsequently, all of them received pretransplant conditioning chemotherapy regimen (STAMP-V or CEM) followed by ASCT. Median follow-up time after diagnosis was 74 months (range, 18–96). The clinical and pathological characteristics of the patients are shown in Table 1⇓ .
DNA was extracted from frozen and paraffin-embedded tumor tissues using standard procedures. CGH analysis was performed as described previously (28) . Chromosomal imbalances were interpreted as genomic gains when DNA tumor:test ratio exceeded 1.2, genomic losses when the ratio was <0.8, and gene amplifications when the ratio was >1.5. The Imaging Software QUIPS XL Workstation (Vysis, Downers Grove, IL) was used for analysis interpretation.
FISH, Western Blot, and IHC Analyses.
These procedures were performed to evaluate gene amplification and/or overexpression of HER-2/neu gene in the tumor samples. FISH methods have been reported previously (29) . The PathVysion HER-2 DNA Probe kit (Vysis) was used on paraffin-fixed tissues following manufacturer's instructions. IHC studies were performed on paraffin-embedded tissue blocks using the HercepTest (DAKO, Oslo, Norway). For immunoblotting analysis, protein extraction and blotting were performed as reported (30) . The anti-HER-2/neu monoclonal antibody clone CB11 (Biogenex, San Carlos, CA) was used.
Statistical Analyses.
Significant correlation between the genomic imbalances with themselves and with clinical-pathological parameters were analyzed through 2 × 2 contingency tables using Pearson's χ2 test unless there was an inadequate number of observations, in which case a Fisher's exact test was used. All of the resulting Ps were two-tailed. DFS time was calculated according to the Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Ps with the log-rank test. Multivariate analysis using the Cox regression model was performed only on the variables with a P <0.05 in the univariate analyses. Both backward and forward analyses removed the same nonsignificant variables. Finally, the factors were removed one at time, based on the Wald test that was used to determine the level of significance; only statistically significant factors remained (P < 0.05). All of the clinical variables included in statistical analysis were dichotomized, i.e., estrogen and progesterone receptors were considered positive or negative when protein level were higher or lower than 10 fmol/mg, or age that was considered as ≤50 or >50 years. The statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS 10.0 software for Windows 98.
All 34 of the tumors showed genomic changes (Fig. 1)⇓ . The average number of chromosomal imbalances per tumor was 11 (range, 2–24), including 5 gains (0–11) and 6 losses (0–15). A variable spectrum of genomic aberrations occurring across the entire genome was observed, including DNA overrepresentation on chromosomes 1q (59%), 17q (38%), 8q (35%), 16p (35%), 20q (32%), 19p (26%), and 11q (24%), and chromosomal losses involving 9p (41%), 18q (41%), 18p (38%), 8p (38%), 11q (38%), 17p (32%), Xq (29%), 4p (29%), 16q (26%), 4q (24%), and 22q (24%). In addition, three amplification events were observed in 6q21-q22, 8q24, and 20q13.
A number of associations among the most common genomic changes were detected: the loss of chromosome 8p and gain of 8q (P = 0.002), possibly as a consequence of an isochromosome 8q; losses of 18p and 9p (P = 0.01) or 4q (P = 0.002); losses of 18q and 9p (P = 0.005); and loss of 18q and gain of 20q (P = 0.002; Table 2⇓ ). Significant correlations between recurrent genetic changes and clinical-pathological characteristics were investigated. Loss of 8p was significantly correlated with progesterone receptor positivity (P < 0.005). In addition, gain on chromosome 8q was detected in 73% of tumors and was correlated with stage III, whereas all of the samples with 19p gain corresponded with tumors in stage II; however, the few tumors in the study prevented us to adequately perform the χ2 test. There was no relationship between any other single chromosomal abnormality and the clinical-pathological variables, including changes occurred at high frequency such as gains of 1q, 17q, 16p, and 20q, and losses of 11q and 17p.
With a median follow-up from diagnosis of 74 months (range, 18–96), 19 patients (56%) are alive, and disease-free and 15 patients (44%) have relapsed. DFS for the whole series is shown in Fig. 2⇓ . Clinical-pathological features and genomic imbalances were evaluated in Kaplan-Meier survival curves to identify factors associated with DFS after diagnosis. There was no correlation between the total number of genomic imbalances and the outcome of patients. However, the number of genomic losses was associated with inferior outcome: patients with tumors containing <4 losses had a better DFS than those with ≥4 (P = 0.03; Fig. 3A⇓ ). When individual genomic imbalances were analyzed separately, two different associations were found. Gain of chromosomal material on 17q was correlated with a lower risk of relapse (P = 0.02), whereas patients with tumors displaying losses of chromosome 18p showed higher risk of relapse (P = 0,003; Fig. 3, B and C⇓ ). No other association between chromosomal aberrations and DFS was found. A multivariate analysis (Cox model) was applied to analyze those parameters previously found statistically significant in the univariate analysis. Both backward and forward analyses retained only the loss of 18p associated with increased risk of relapse (RR = 4.8; 95% CI, 1.57–14.8; P = 0.006). The correlation of gain of 17q with superior DFS retained a borderline significance (RR = 3.24; 95% CI, 0.87–12.10; P = 0.06) in the multivariate analysis, whereas the number of genomic losses was not statistically significant (P = 0.146)
Because the HER-2/neu gene is located in band 17q12, we evaluated the status of this gene in the patients. All but one of the samples with genomic gain of 17q showed amplification of HER-2/neu gene documented by FISH and/or augmented protein expression according to immunoblotting or IHC. Among the 21 remaining tumors without genomic abnormalities of 17q, 5 had HER-2/neu alteration (data not shown). No differences in DFS were observed when patients with and without HER-2/neu abnormality detected by FISH, immunoblotting, or IHC were compared.
Patients with lymph node-positive breast cancer have markedly different clinical courses and treatment responses from those without. In this cohort, the use of HDC and ASCT is currently being assessed (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) . Within this subgroup, whether genetic changes may have an impact on patient survival is unknown. We report here that the pattern of genomic imbalances may be correlated with different clinical outcome in patients with lymph node-positive HRBC treated with HDC and ASCT. Our results also show that the median number of genomic aberrations per tumor was higher than in other CGH studies of breast tumors (see Table 2⇓ for references). This may reflect the advanced clinical stage and the aggressive histological grade (II and III) of most patients studied herein, with subgroups reported to show more genomic changes than other categories (18 , 21) .
The pattern of genomic aberrations found in our study did not differ significantly from other CGH data reported previously (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27) . The most common regions of genomic gain were 1q, 17q, 8q, 20q, and 16p. These aberrations occurred in the majority of reports independently from the clinical-pathological features, possibly indicating that these gains occurred at all stages of tumor development. However, the pattern of genomic losses was more variable than in series reported previously. Some of the common deletions observed in our study (9p, 18q, and 18p) were rarely seen in other reports, reflecting that they may develop primarily in patients with advanced or aggressive disease. A summary of the genomic imbalances reported in previous CGH analyses of breast cancer is shown in Table 3⇓ . Despite the few patients in the series, we found some associations among genetic changes and clinical-pathological characteristics. The loss of 8p was correlated with positive progesterone receptors. This association showed a small P (<0.005) in the Fisher's exact test, therefore supporting that it is not coincidental. Other correlation included the gain of 8q that was frequent in tumors in stage III. This alteration has been associated with tumor progression (14 , 20) and is present not only in the majority of breast tumors but also in other malignancies (11) . On the contrary, gain of 19p was characteristic of tumors in stage II. However, in the associations among the gains of 8q and 19p with tumors in stage III or II, respectively, we cannot exclude a coincidence because of random sampling because of the few patients. The association between 8p loss and 8q gain as a consequence of an isochromosome 8q formation was already known (14 , 21) .
The number of genomic aberrations did not influence the clinical outcome of patients. In contrast, Isola et al. (14) reported that relapsed patients with lymph node-negative breast cancer had a greater number of genomic changes than those that were disease free. However, in our series, the number of genomic losses was associated with higher risk of relapse, confirming previous studies of breast tumors (14) and of other malignancies (12) . This finding supports the hypothesis that the loss of genomic material affecting tumor suppressor gene loci may play a critical role in tumor progression.
In a univariate analysis, gain in 17q was associated with favorable patient outcome. The long arm of chromosome 17 at 17q12 is the locus of HER-2/neu gene. This oncogene is activated in 20–30% of breast tumors through amplification and overexpression. HER-2/neu positivity is associated with adverse prognostic factors and shorter survival of breast cancer patients (26 , 31) . Nieto et al. (6) reported that HER-2/neu overexpression was an independent negative predictor of relapse in HRBC treated with HDC and ASCT. In contrast, in other reports HER-2/neu overexpression seemed to increase tumor sensitivity to intensive chemotherapy regimens containing doxorubicin or paclitaxel (7, 8, 9 , 32) . In agreement with these studies, we report here that the gain of 17q including the HER-2/neu gene locus is associated with a superior DFS in HRBC treated with intensive chemotherapy including doxorubicin. However, in our series, when HER-2/neu status was evaluated by FISH, Western blotting, or IHC, it did not influence patient outcome. Therefore, according to our data it is the genomic gain of 17q and not the HER-2/neu alteration that the predictive parameter correlated with prolonged survival in HRBC. In 17q, two different regions of amplification have been reported. These loci harbor a number of additional genes that are also amplified in breast tumors and may be critical in the pathogenesis of the disease: RAD51C, S6K, PAT1, and TBX2 in 17q23, and GRB7, MLN64 and TopoIIα in the HER-2/neu amplicon in 17q12 (33, 34, 35, 36, 37) . TopoIIα gene amplification is associated frequently with frequently amplification. It has been postulated that the increased gene dosage of TopoIIα may relate to an increased sensitivity to TopoII inhibitors such as doxorubicin in patients with breast cancer (35, 36, 37) . Whether the amplification of other genes in the 17q12 amplicon, in addition to frequently and TopoIIα, may be of clinical significance in HRBC is at present unknown.
Despite the results of the univariate analysis, the only parameter correlated with shorter DFS in the multivariate analysis was the loss of 18p, whereas the association of the gain of 17q with superior DFS had a borderline significance. For the multivariate analysis, ∼10 events per independent variable (in our case, tumor relapses) are required to produce a statistical model of reasonable accuracy (38) . As it was not possible in our series, results of the multivariate analysis should be interpreted carefully. Nevertheless, in our series the status of 18p was the only significant predictive factor for clinical outcome, and it was independent from other genomic changes. Thus, loss of 18p may be an important indicator of adverse outcome in HRBC. The status of 17q was a marginally significant indicator of response to the treatment and seems to show trends to favorable clinical outcome; this is probably related to the few patients included in the series and to the P of 0.02 in the univariate analysis. On the contrary, in the multivariate analysis the 18p loss retained its statistically significance because of the lower P (0.003) observed for this specific correlation in the univariate analysis. Nevertheless, because of the limited number of patients, these results should be confirmed in larger trials.
The deletion of 18p has not been reported as a frequent change in previous CGH studies of breast cancer patients (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27) , but it was a common event in breast tumor cell lines (39) . Loss of heterozygosity on 18p was detected in patients with breast tumors (40, 41, 42) . In one report, the allelic loss on 18p11.3 occurred early in ductal carcinoma in situ (40) . This genomic loss is also common in other malignancies (12 , 41) . The association of the genomic loss of 18p and shorter DFS has not been reported previously in breast cancer. Our results suggest the presence of one or more tumor suppressor gene(s) on 18p with a role in breast cancer progression.
In summary, using CGH we have identified a subgroup of patients with HRBC with 17q gain or with 18p loss who have a significantly different clinical outcome after HDC and ASCT. The biological importance of these two regions and their definite clinical relevance warrants additional evaluation in a larger series of patients. Our results indicate that HRBC patients with genomic loss of 18p have an adverse clinical outcome and may benefit from more intensive or novel experimental therapies. Future studies using large-scale CGH to microarrays and gene expression profiling will help in the identification of genes at these regions targeted by gene amplification and deletion.
We thank Dra. Maria J. Terol (Department of Hematology, Hospital Clìnìco Universìtarìo, Valencia, Spain) and Prof. Francisco Martinez (Department of Statistics, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain) for their help with the statistical analysis, and Dr. Samuel Navarro (Department of Pathology, University of Valencia) for IHC analysis. We also thank Dr. Jose Palacios (Centro Nacional de Investìgacìon Oncologìca, Madrid, Spain) for histological evaluation of tumors and Dr. M. J. S. Dyer (Department of Haematology, University of Leicester, UK) for critical reviews of the manuscript.
The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
↵1 Supported by grants from Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC-1999) and Spanish Ministry of Health (FIS 01/0040-01) and Aventis Pharma. M. J. G-B. is supported by a grant from Spanish Ministry of Education (MEC AP99)
↵2 To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínico, University of Valencia, Avda Blasco Ibañez, 17, Valencia, Spain 46010. Phone: 34-96-386-2650; Fax: 34-96-362-2238; E-mail: martinez_jos{at}gva.es
↵3 The abbreviations used are: HDC, high-dose chemotherapy; ASCT, autologous stem cell transplantation; HRBC, high-risk breast cancer; CGH, comparative genomic hybridization; FISH, fluorescence in situ hybridization; IHC, immunohistochemical; DFS, disease-free survival; RR, relative risk; CI, confidence interval.
- Received April 2, 2002.
- Revision received August 2, 2002.
- Accepted August 6, 2002.


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Invigorate your project with tiles, waterproof panelling and accessories from leading manufacturers.
Choosing tiles to suit your home can make the overall feel you want to create in your room. The options are endless; from stone, porcelain or timber look, there is a tile for every room. While choosing may seem overwhelming, the final decision depends on the look you want to create and what material best serves your home.

subset: commoncrawl


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Why are the new Star Wars lands at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort opening at different times?
Theme Parks – Frequently Asked Questions
We have always planned on separate opening dates because the construction schedules have been staggered since the announcement of the expansion.
Learn more about Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at the Disneyland Resort or Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Walt Disney World Resort.


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Musical "Next to Normal" on stage at Northwestern
Thursday, January 25, 2018
The musical "Next to Normal" will be presented by Northwestern College theatre Feb. 15 and 22–24 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 17 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning show will be performed in the England Theatre of the DeWitt Theatre Arts Center.
The rock musical deals with grief, depression and other mental illness. The performance on Thursday, Feb. 22, will be followed by a panel discussion with members of Northwestern's psychology and social work departments as well as a mental health counselor from the college's wellness center.
"Next to Normal," with music by Tom Kitt and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, focuses on the lives and relationships of the Goodman family. Diana Goodman has bipolar disorder, and her worsening condition and self-destructive behavior is affecting her family and their stability and mental health.
Director Robert Hubbard chose the play in part because of the powerful impact it had on him when he first saw it. "I saw 'Next to Normal' on Broadway in 2009 and loved it. It's a very serious subject, but—perhaps because of the wonderful rock music score—the show is also full of humor and joy. It's truly a remarkable piece of theatre with powerful themes of redemption and hope."
Just nine musicals have won the Pulitzer Prize for drama (the most recent being "Hamilton"); "Next to Normal" won in 2010. The show also won three Tony Awards, including the award for best score.
Tickets for "Next to Normal" are $8 for adults and $4 for students and are available starting Feb. 5 for Theatre Patrons and Feb. 6–24 for the general public.
Tickets can be reserved at www.nwciowa.edu/tickets or by visiting the DeWitt Theatre box office between 5 and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday or between 1 and 4 p.m. on Saturday. The box office can also be reached by phone, 712-707-7098, or e-mail, email@example.com.


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Battle Points are points used to do actions (usually combat related).
Regeneration and MaximumEdit
Battle Points regenerate at a speed of 10BP every 10 minutes. Once they reach the maximum of 40BP, regeneration can no longer occur and this action is discontinued. Unlike Health Points and Magic Points, the maximum cannot be increased.
Using Battle PointsEdit
BP is not used in any non-combat or magical actions. Looting corpses uses 2 BP per steal. Pickpocketing, Siphoning Magic consume 1 BP. Combat actions, whether they hit or miss, consumes 1 BP.
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


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The Ravens look to rebound from their tough loss to Pittsburgh this Sunday when the make the short travel to Washington. The Redskins are probably playing their best football that they have all season, which could be bad news for Baltimore. Robert Griffin III seems to be improving every game and will be a real threat to score on the Ravens defense. Another rookie on the offense has been arguably even more impressive. Alfred Morris has already rushed for over 1100 yards and 6 touchdowns, while Griffin has also rushed for 700 himself. Griffin has also over 2600 yards through the air despite inconsistent play from his receivers. He has led an offense that is first in the NFL in rushing, but just 21st in passing. Griffin continues to improve though so that number should improve.
The Redskins are riding on a 3 game winning streak against all 3 of their division rivals. The offense has been on fire, but they have struggled all year stopping the pass. They will be coming into this game with the 31st ranked pass defense in the league. Flacco needs to step up in a big way to win this game. With Cedric Griffin suspended Torrey Smith could get some real opportunities to go down field. That should be the best way for Baltimore to come out on top.
It won't be easy though. The Redskins are favorites in this game with all the momentum on their side. I still feel that Baltimore is the superior team on the field. Injuries are really catching up with them, though. Dannell Ellerbe is ruled out once again, which is good news for Morris and the running game. Terrell Suggs will try to give it a shot, but his playing time will depend on his performance. The offense is mostly healthy though, so they should be able to light up the scoreboard against this secondary.


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Cuba is in the middle of a tourism boom. There are many articles detailing how amazing Cuba is but this is not one of them. Don't get me wrong, Cuba has a lot of beautiful beaches, good food and charming towns, but there are lots of thing I wish I knew before I travelled there. Here is what to expect from Cuba.
Cuba is not cheap
I thought spending in Cuba was going to be like any other Latin country, turns out it's more like going to Europe. One CUC (the currency for foreigners) is equivalent to one euro, so I spent way more money than I expected. There are some places that accept Cuban peso (the local currency) but they are diminishing by the minute as everyone sees the huge profit margin in overcharging foreigners.
I hate it when locals think that foreigners have money just because they are travelling. We don't! We don't have money because we are travelling. So, it really pissed me off to see this behavior so entrenched in Cuba's touristic sector.
Transportation between cities is not cheap, a two-hour car ride costs 25 CUC per person, so anywhere you go ends up costing you 25 Euros, even a 2 hour ride to a beach. The public buses are cheaper but since scamming tourists is a great business they are always 'sold out' or its 'dangerous'. We stayed with some friends for a while at the bus station and talked to the ticket guy which reluctantly sold us the bus tickets. The bus was completely empty.
Massive tour groups
I went to Viñales to see the tobacco farms and the green scenery, which was beautiful, but I encountered flocks of tourist groups that made it feel like any random town in Latin America. At 7 pm every restaurant gets flooded with tourists willing to pay 20 CUC for a cheese pizza, with their Che Guevara T-shirts and Revolution hats. Imagine if Che Guevara saw that scene; tourists being overcharged by capitalism while wearing his face on a shirt. Depressing.
These tour groups have skewed the transportation dynamics in the region. I stayed at a "Casa de Familia" which was more of a hostel than a family house, and since I arrived, the lady kept saying that I had to book my car leaving Viñales NOW, even if it was in a few days because everything would be filled out. I don't know if she was just pushing us to buy, which was shitty, or if really transport fills up so fast which is also shitty. Another couple wanted to go to small non-touristic towns and the lady kept saying it was impossible to get there because most of the buses had predetermined routes either going to Habana or to Trinidad. Also she kept saying that taking buses from vendors on the street was dangerous and illegal so we should book with her for 10 CUCs more. We didn't fall for it but the whole situation was extremely uncomfortable. She was filling us with lies and terror. We realized that the cars she was selling us were air-conditioned private cars while the others were small buses with no air conditioning, if she had explained that we could've made an informed decision. We ended up taking the bus which was fine.
Varadero was and still is the party site of old, rich 'gringos'. Everything is over-priced, the service is horrible and the food is tasteless and overcooked, but is has an old fashion vibe that reminds people of a 'better time'. The 'Beatles' bar is full every night with old people singing along to the hits of their youth. The beaches are very blue and the sand is very white but there is nothing extraordinary that is worth it. The value for money is cero.
The people
As I said before, everyone in the touristic sector is trying to get money out of you and it seems like they have a prearranged agreement for this. You know you are being scammed but no one will tell you the right prices. People are really nice and helpful but they are like that everywhere in Latin America so I didn't feel specially welcomed or helped.
Be careful with airport workers, they are specially mean, I know they hate their job and they get paid horribly low wages, but come on, everyone who works at an airport hates their job but I have never been so ignored, and mistreated in an airport ever. The exit stamp was a very light shade of pink and it wasn't visible in our passports, so we asked the lady to do it again since we didn't want to not have an exit stamp out of Cuba, the lady looked at me like I had just spit in her face, and told me "Don't you see the ink ran out" and proceeded to stamp my passport aggressively 5 times in the same spot "You see, it doesn't work".
Cuba is definitely not a secluded communist island anymore. It has, from long ago, been invaded by capitalistic ideals. The first thing I saw when I got off the plane was a huge ad for a Samsung S7. Every single person in the tourism sector, drivers, hostel owners, etc have iPhones and the latest Samsung phone, HD TVs and state of the art technology. This is not inherently bad, people can have nice things but it creates more division between the normal working class and people in the tourism sector. Also, what are they using that phone for? There's no internet.
In the central park in Havana (where all the vintage cars are) you can see a Mango or Zara store that's surrounded with constructions of immense hotels. Word on the street was that they were being built by arab investors.
Bonus: lame museums
The museums suck. The revolution museum is the saddest museum in history. I was expecting at least a chronological historical recount of the revolution, with some fun facts, patriotic pictures, I don't know, something interesting. What I found was an extremely messy museum (which is not free) that has random objects in display about random moments in the revolution like the piece of rope Che Guevara used to climb a tree (or something).
What I did like …
I liked the architecture, it does feel from an old time, that doesn't need to be 'modernized'. The fact that there's no internet really influences how people interact with each other. There's no rush, people chill out on the street, they are willing to talk to you and tell you about their lives. When you take the time to talk to people they will share with you their opinion on Cuba, on Castro, communism, climate change, colombian reggaeton singers, the Voice Mexico, etc. I found that cubans generally don't like to give their opinion on politics, when you ask them about communism, Chavez or Castro they say things like "Yeah we don't know much" "That's how it is", "Oh yeah I heard something about that".
I think it's hard to imagine living in a different system, of course if someone asks me if I wanted to work for no money, have no private property and not be able to leave a country I would say "No, Thanks!", but if that's what you know and it comes with free healthcare, job security, guaranteed housing and free education maybe you wouldn't be so quick to change. When asking people if they would rather have options but no job, health or education they had to really think the answer. I don't know which system is better, I think both are horrible and make people suffer in different ways.
We stayed on night in Matanzas, there's nothing to do there, we went inside a tourism agency and they literally said "There's nothing to do here", but we saw part of the 'real' Cuba. That night there was a neighborhood assembly in the street we were staying, to discuss the achievements of local government, discuss problems among neighbors and recognize the good behavior of the citizens. There was a huge picture of Castro hanged on a window, speakers, a microphone and all the people of the street. At the end, they started to give certificates for good behavior, to young people, adults, elders, certificates for everyone! At the end, a little girl walked up and read the 'Revolution Poem' that detailed the heroic characters and successes of the revolution, the patience and resilience of the cuban people and the importance of sharing and caring for others.
Cuba is definitely an interesting place, if you wanted to feel stuck in the 60s' the time to go has passed, but Cuba is still filled with interesting people and stories. I didn't have the time to visit small towns so I would definitely recommend that instead of Varadero and Havana. Probably there you can be further away from the capitalist influence and the tourist scams. I don't regret going but I had a completely different image of Cuba in my mind.


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Dungannon Angus sell to 2800gns
Aberdeen-Angus bulls reached a ceiling of 2800gns and 11 lots sold to average £1871 at the native breeds show and sale, hosted by Dungannon Farmers' Mart on Monday 25th October.
Trade was underpinned by dairy and suckler producers with the stronger, better fleshed bulls finding a ready market, while the plainer types proved harder to sell.
Topping the trade at 2800gns was the reserve male champion, Drumcorn Elbando J685, brought out by husband and wife team John and Ann Henning, Maghaberry, County Armagh. This April 2009-born entry was sired by the US easy calving trait leader and high performance bull, GT Triple Band. His multi-award winning dam, Drumcorn Elist D313, by Drumlister Cherry Boy, is bred from the herd's foundation cow – Elcara of Drumlister, who attained more than 30 championships in her long show career.
Boasting a Self Replacing Index of +38, and a milk value of +6, he sold to William and David McMurtry, Coleraine, County Londonderry.
Second highest price of the day, 2700gns, was paid to William Wallace, Dromore, for the second prize Woodvale Bachelor J874. Bred by Alwyn and Carol Armour, he was born in March 2009 and is by the Vermilion Dateline son, Woodvale Mr Awesome E207. His dam is the Ankonian Elixir daughter, Woodvale Beautiful Kitty. He sold to Pat Breen, Kircubbin, County Down.
Next best at 2100gns was John and Avril Robson's March 2009 born Glenhoy Einar J134. This third prize winner was sired by the 32,000gns Rawburn Rommel E423, and is out of the privately purchased Idvies Euxette B106. He was snapped up by dairy farmer, David Todd, Dungannon, County Tyrone.
Mr Todd also paid out 1800gns to secure the fourth prize Findrum Pajo J243 bred by Sean McCullagh, Ballygawley, County Tyrone. This March 2009-born bull was sired by Cheeklaw Eirwyn D165 and is out of a home-bred Fordel Eisenhower Y423 daughter.
Leo Cherry from Cookstown, sold his best at 1900gns. The March 2009-born Tamnaskenny Emerald J066, by Bramley Grange Black Brindley D064 out of a home-bred Bruno of Spittal Shore daughter, Tamnaskenny Etaar E797, sold to J J McDowell, Castlereagh, Belfast.
Judge, Tom Noble, Lisbellaw, awarded the male championship to the March 2009-born Glenhoy Einar J134, exhibited by John and Avril Robson, Augher, County Tyrone. By the Hoff Limited Edition son, BJ's No Limits 15S and out of Logie Ladymire F458, this bull attracted attention from many admirers around the sale ring, but failed to meet his reserve and was withdrawn unsold at 2800gns.
The collective entry of Aberdeen-Angus females peaked at 2800gns for one from James Porter, Upper Ballinderry, Lisburn, for the May 2008 born female champion, Croftburn Edwina H497. She was sired by Netherton Kular D318, and is out of the Liss Banker Y213 daughter, Croftburn Edwina C622. She was scanned in-calf and joins the Dartrey herd owned by Hilda Mills, Scarva.Scooping the reserve female championship was the March 2009-born Home Farm Roscor Beaut J732, brought out by Fintan Keown, Belleek. Sired by Fordel Eisenhower Y423, she was bred from a Galcantray Preditor V9 daughter. This heifer attracted strong attention from the packed ringside audience, but failed to meet the vendor's expectations and was withdrawn unsold at 3100gns.
Adrian Parke's two-year-old heifer Coolermoney Rose H922 came under the hammer at 1800gns, selling to Rory Best, for his Loughans herd, Poyntzpass, County Armagh. This Rawburn Eventer 2nd daughter is out of the home-bred Coolermoney Rosita Y301.
A draft entry of females from Robert Campbell's Lister herd based at Seaforde, County Down, reached a ceiling of 2300gns and six lots sold to average £1563.
His sale leader was the eight-year-old cow, School House Eclipse B335. Sired by 2000 Royal Highland reserve supreme champion, Ballamanaugh Estefan, she is out of the Barbi of Skaill daughter, Espirit of Drumlister. Scanned in-calf to Lister Ebon J604, she was accompanied by her March born Lister Extra Special G453 heifer calf and sold to John McCauley, Downpatrick, County Down.
A draft entry from Hilary Baxter's Lochmore herd, Newry, saw prices peak at 2000gns, while the six females changed hands to level at £1461 a head.
Leading the Lochmore offering was the March 2006 born Ringbane Kathy Pride F056. Sired by Ankonian Elixir 100, she sold with her January-born heifer calf by Jeremy Eric of Bridgefoot to Ken Craig, Ballyclare, County Antrim.
Averages: 11 bulls £1871 (Dungannon Farmers Market).


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A few years ago my good friends and colleagues Alicia Sometimes, Sean M Whelan and Paul Mitchell formed Science in The Dark a collaborative directed by Alicia Sometimes to put on Elemental, Poetry At The Planetarium. It was a show as part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival in late 2009. Poets worked with film-makers and musicians including Nat Bates (Liquid Architecture) and Lawrence English (Room 40) to create one piece each on a scientific theory which was then projected onto the huge dome screens of the planetarium. It was pretty rad.
We also commissioned an original composition from British experimental group Nurse With Wound to give us The Big Bang (which naturally opened the show.) Each poet chose a theory to work with, I chose Dark Matter, cause it was mysterious and no-one to this day knows what the hell it is. I did a lot of reading and listened to interviews with this wild scientist Bernard Heishe (The God Theory) who suggested that Dark Matter lives here on earth and that it's the actual stuff of God.
I wrote this poem while I was travelling through the ancient ruins of Mexico, I looked right into the eyes of history which were so deep and dark they made the bottom of the ocean appear like a glass of water. There's still so much more to explore, but I had to start somewhere…
Dark Matter
There are 13 dimensions in the universe; four to be exact,
three plus one.
1. Dark matter woke up the day that light slipped into consciousness.
Travelling at the speed of time, entering through the god-beasts – Man.
In the beginning, when an ocean was just a glint in an asteroid's eye.
2. In utter blackness the only thing that exists is possibility.
3. There can't be possibility without imagination. There is no imagination without consciousness. There is no God without imagination.
4. With our thoughts we make the world – Buddha
Once upon a time, a man accidentally wandered into Paradise and fell asleep under a big oak tree. When he awoke he felt so hungry he wished for food, and in Paradise anything you desire appears, so magically a delicious meal came out of nowhere. The man ate. He was too hungry to question its origin. (When your stomach is empty, you are not too philosophical.) After his hunger abated he felt thirst and thought a drink would be nice. Suddenly, precious wine appeared before him and he grew suspicious – what was this place? Why are things materialising? It must be haunted! And instantly, ghosts appeared. Ghosts, he thought, are bad news. So the ghosts became ferocious and horrible. Surely I will die! he thought. And with that he was gone.
All that is, is the result of what we have thought – Buddha
The universe is expanding like a mind. Every idea breathes it just that little bit wider. Dark matter existed before anything went bang. Before a rock knew what it was, before time uncurled and opened its deep black mouth to yawn out the multiverse. In the beginning even nothingness was not: but that doesn't Matter.
5. The god-beasts think it's a coincidence that lungs resemble trees in autumn, that land has veins, that the sea looks like an aerial map of human skin,
an elephant detail, a thirsty universe of pathways as long as DNA.
They are clearly a consequence of the whole; everything in existence has no choice. We share the same mother, we spin around the same star.
When a snake eats a deer, it becomes the deer, it becomes the grass it chewed, the mother it grew in, the water it drank, the river it traveled, the pink of its skin, the frost of its breath – all now sleep inside the snake.
6. When everything is so overwhelming you can't breathe, when you feel genuinely astounded by a frog's skeleton, or you are frozen by the grandeur of a moose, the breathtaking magnitude of Saturn, or the dizzying complications of a flower, and don't know what your place is in this world is:
look to corn.
Its young seedlings poking out of the earth like a tongue. Unfolding into inevitability, a sculpture in reverse. It knows what it's going to be, it just has to make its destined shape. It goes about its husky purpose; magical silk fingers move in night winds collecting wet powdered sex to make its tiny soft, sweet bumps. It dreams of nothing but the sun, it dreams in yellow. Corn knows what's going to happen and its death is a thousand different afterlives, a universe of papery speckled seeds floating in the blue of its earthbound heaven.
Corn knows not to worry.
7. Man started off big, likening themselves to the earth, to the holy mountains, to the sky, till Copernicus stubbed a beautiful and unique snowflake out on their holy books, and Einstein showed them that space is as bendy as fishnet. It was the sun heaven revolved around, not them.
8. They found themselves small, smaller than an eyelash, so small they can slide on an amoeba's skin gloss, swim the rivers on the palm of a child's hand, sail the Nile of their lifeline. They found themselves as important as a tea-leaf in a whale, a string inside an electron, a quantum haiku lost in the geometry of language.
But size doesn't Matter.
Early on, just after the monkey wore off, Man asked: What is air? Then, What is water? What is space? What is the fractional dimension hiding the squirming neutrino particles traveling through your skin, breathing with you, swimming on your brainwaves like microscopic ducks? They built lakes to watch the stars, traced patterns, carved fortunes. Understood the nausea of prophesy, fought wars, drank blood straight from the hearts of their enemies, and eventually all had to ask: Who was this one god dripping with gold and gore hanging on the southern cross, with hazelnuts for eyes? He is a suffering mess and we are expected to worship him? You throw away the soul of fire, the essence of rain, the mother of the gods. You mutilate our idols, smash in each and every one of their faces and build a haunted church from the rubble where your god hangs like a curtain?
9. Time is squashed inside all of us like tobacco into a cigarette.
10. God laughed, a big white Santa laugh, and said: 'It's a whole Galileo of possibilities.'
11. It's the thing that's around you now, the one you don't have a mouth for, the chi, anah, ki, mana, pranamaya-kosha. It's the gap between the sun drinking a sacrifice off an altar, leaving behind soft crunchy flakes like garlic paper.
It's underground sulphuric prayers, offerings of boiling black rain, the making of land, a billion-year heartbeat, a trillion primordial fireballs leaving space stains. It's the clicking of a cursed skeleton in the back of an anthropologist's car.
It's a disappointed scientist's heart collapsing like wet origami.
12. The man in Paradise didn't know he was in Paradise. Had he known his thoughts could determine his fate, he may have thought of the hardest thing any man can ever think of: Nothing.
13. Man didn't know time would determine God and God didn't know man would take everything so literally.
Before you knew what you were, the sun had determined your shape, it pulled life out of the ocean and made it duplicate and writhe.
For everything that lives is holy, life delights in life – William Blake.
There can be no possibility without consciousness. In the beginning, even nothingness was not. It's just a Matter of time.
Re-post – first posted @ http://atomicladybomb.wordpress.com/ on 3 May 2012 by Emilie Zoe Baker
Image via 50 Watts


text: Which pirate incubated chickens in camel-dung? What would Blackbeard do if you didn't hand over your jewellery (it wasn't nice)? Which pirate was called "The Exterminator"? Where's the treasure buried? Why were two women dressed as men on the same pirate ship? Who made the Jolly Roger famous? And who was the greatest pirate ever? This audiobook history answers all these questions and many more; it is the ideal introduction to the facts behind the great legends of piracy. Whatever you think you know about pirates, the truth is even more extraordinary!


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May Higher Energy Costs Assist Obese People in america?
Higher energy costs possess unintentional outcomes to the economic climate, this simply leaves customers along with less bucks within their wallet. In the event that this arrives throughout the Xmas purchasing period this affects merchants, all of those other period this affects the rest of the company versions too for example dining places, amusement, as well as support companies. In several relation higher energy costs tend to be just like a taxes about the general culture.
This actually will get even worse simply because every thing all of us purchase, be lent, or even lease additionally arrives through pickup truck, airplane, teach, deliver, or even shipping truck — plus they just about all make use of energy. This particular boosts the buying price of every thing all of us purchase, there is no 2 methods about this. At wholesale prices inflation isn't an extremely fairly point when you are attempting to increase your loved ones. Therefore while, you will find unintentional outcomes nearly as well several to say in this brief post, such as individuals problems over, there's also good quality points.
For example, these types of higher energy costs could easily get individuals to trip the woman's bike much more, consider the actual coach that will relieve visitors, or even possess their own children stroll in order to college. Really individuals are extremely good stuff. There is a fascinating item lately upon Slashdot entitled; "As Gasoline Costs Rise Therefore Will Town Bicycling, inch submitted through the well-known as well as actually dependable Soulskill upon Oct fourteen, 2012.
Right now after that, this is accurate, actually the actual bike store had been mobbed these days, I'd to hold back 20-minutes simply to speak with somebody, individuals purchasing brand new bikes as well as wheeling all of them away the doorway, promoting plenty of add-ons as well, hello perhaps individuals will forfeit a few pounds as well?
This isn't to express that people ought to choose higher essential oil costs or even higher energy costs within our economic climate, the economic climate will far better once the costs tend to be reduced with regard to this kind of essentials. Whenever customers convey more cash to invest they're away purchasing much more points, consequently much more points want to get produced as well as offered, consequently you will find much more work, certainly this is the method this functions. This is exactly why whenever we reduce taxation's the actual economic climate will take off and also the federal government really gathers much more within taxes income simply because much more individuals are operating.
The actual price associated with diabetes within colleges is actually excessive, as well as general People in america tend to be as well body fat. This really is growing the price of health care, as well as health care insurance coverage nicely. In the event that much more individuals might trip their own bike to obtain close to, specifically for nearby outings, they'd end up being more healthy, more happy, as well as much less consumed with stress. It's benefits to the culture, also it can change the actual life from the people included. Consequently, it isn't just about all poor, even though it looks. Certainly I really hope you'll make sure you think about all of this as well as believe onto it.


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We are a full-service market research agency based in Milan.
We conduct both qualitative and quantitative research in Italy.
We offer strong expertise in research methodologies,
together with a deep knowledge of the Italian market.
why Flair ?
because we offer:
What we do
We manage both qualitative and quantitative research, using different methodologies, based on clients' needs, and have an extensive experience in many different industries.
Hall Tests
Online Surveys
Clinics (Automotive)
In-home interviews
Telephone interviews
Focus Groups
In-depth interviews
Ethnographic interviews
Forums /Communities
Web Chats
Online Focus Groups
Co-creation Workshops
Observational Research
We conduct recruiting for our clients' projects according to the highest quality measures and controls, strictly following the specified criteria.
We have particular experience in developing the screener questionnaires, in recruiting through special algorithms when requested by clients (e.g. recruiting special segments, etc.) and we offer regular updating of recruitment status.
We provide moderators and quantitative interviewers all over the country.
Our moderators are all fluent in English, thus promoting the relationship and the comprehension with clients. We offer the most experienced moderators in each specific area of study, who also support clients during the fieldwork, thanks to their direct knowledge.
Our managers will assist you through the whole process.
Our reports are directly written in English through either our own analysis scheme or following the template provided by our client.
Through extensive background information, we help the reader frame findings in the right local cultural context.
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Online FGs / Forums
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text: Sitting here, thinking of the right header and the right words to use so that I can do justice to what this place is all about. Although I know, no matter how hard I try I would fail to provide with the right words of the experience that I have had. It's a completely different zone altogether, something that you don't get to see a lot in this country. Something that takes you to a different place, far from cliche and normal. Because this is Magnetic fields festival!


text:
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos toured The Blue Room, a new addition to this year's national convention and expo, that's full of interactive technology and educational tools. DeVos also walked around the convention center with FFA members talking about their experiences with the organization.
"First of all, it's really inspiring to be here," DeVos said. "Meeting these young people and seeing their enthusiasms for their futures and seeing the definition of multiple pathways and opportunities. FFA is a great organization for a meaningful future."
DeVos made her way to the expo and made a few stops at the booths including John Deere and FFA educational resources.
"It's such a great opportunity here to see some of those things and give students a whole new vision for what might be," DeVos said.


text:
The essay of a former Marine caught my attention, appearing as it did in the Op-Ed section of the New York Times. There Brian Adam Jones wrote:
"I've been out of the Marine Corps for a little over three years, and I still get chills when I see an American flag billowing in the wind. More times than I care to remember, as a young corporal in Afghanistan, I stood and saluted at ramp ceremonies as the bodies of the fallen were carried into an aircraft for the journey home, their caskets draped in American flags."
Jones went on to point out that one of the freedoms he fought for was the freedom of speech that Colin Kaepernick demonstrated in refusing to stand for the national anthem. As he wrote:
"One of those central values is freedom of expression, which Colin Kaepernick has every right to evoke. If the flag symbolizes freedom of expression, Kaepernick was absolutely correct to focus his protest on the flag. If the flag is a sacred symbol for America's values, we should honor it by rigorously debating what those values are, and whether we are doing them justice.
As a veteran, I revere the flag. As a black man, I share in Kaepernick's anger and concerns over violence toward black men. And as an American, I respect his right to share his voice, and I admire his willingness to subject himself to scrutiny and to risk his career. Standing with his teammates, following along with everyone else, requires no courage. Blind obedience to the flag is not something I, or anyone I know, fought to defend."
And it is indeed freedom of expression Kaepernick exhibited, irrespective of what we may personally think about it. It also harks back to what Charles Reich once ruminated on in his 'The Greening of America': Do national symbols dominate and control US, or do we as free agents have the right to question and control them, say in terms of our own expressions of our first amendment rights?
The issue also came up for consideration some years ago when the Right tried to get a constitutional amendment passed that outlawed flag burning. In this pursuit they clearly believed that a piece of fabric, cloth ought to dominate the lives of citizens. Thankfully, the Supreme Court ultimately made it clear that flag burning is protected speech even after a lower court said the same.
As I pointed out in a post from two years ago (July 24):
"in the case Texas v. Johnson (1989) flag burning was upheld as symbolic free speech which could not be curtailed under the 1st amendment. "
And further:
"In 1990 another conservative congress tried to pass a law to outlaw burning the flag but again it went down. This was in the case United States v. Eichman, 496 U.S. 310 (1990). While the Johnson decision only affected a Texas state law this decision was broader. . In the wake of the earlier decision, the federal government had enacted a law that also prohibited flag burning. In order to try to get around constitutional challenges, that federal law prohibited all types of flag desecration, with the exception of burning and burying a worn-out flag, regardless of whether the action upset others.
The Supreme Court held that this law did not cure the constitutional defect and the same 7-3 majority from Johnson held that the law still impermissibly discriminated upon viewpoint and struck it down."
Logic and good sense dictate that if flag burning is permitted free speech then not pledging allegiance to the flag at all, period, must likewise be. One is here not burning or destroying a flag but simply passively not pledging any allegiance to proclaimed principles that others insist are behind it. This was Kaepernick''s right and those who are aware of the NFL's own rules also know that they do not demand a player MUST stand and pledge allegiance.
Common sense here also tells us that the SYMBOL of a nation cannot have more import or viability than the principles it is supposed to protect. Nor have soldiers "fought and died for the flag". No, you do not fight and die for a piece of fabric, you fight and die for the PRINCIPLES the flag stands for - all listed under the Bill of Rights (including free speech)! That some 'Muricans can't or won't get that through their skulls is beyond belief.
In the end this issue should not be about Kaepernick being "un-American" or a "secret raghead" but in fact being an American and patriot in the fullest sense of all - by exercising his first amendment principles just as other so daringly declare and self-proclaim in their assorted blogs.
See also:
See also:


text:
🌳 Retro-style 2D RPG game engine for Unity, inspired by Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal.
- Unity 2019.2.10f1+
This software is copyrighted and licensed under the MIT license.
This software comes bundled with data and graphics extracted from the Pokémon series of video games. Some terminology from the Pokémon franchise is also necessarily used within the software itself. This is all the intellectual property of Nintendo, Creatures, inc., and GAME FREAK, inc. and is protected by various copyrights and trademarks.
The goal of this project is not to create and/or distribute a game, but to learn how to create similar retro games in Unity. So this project, apart from being a possible base engine for future similar projects unrelated to the Pokémon franchise, has mainly educational purposes.
The author believes that the use of this intellectual property for a fan reference is covered by fair use and that the software is significantly impaired without said property included. Any use of this copyrighted property is at your own legal risk.
This software is not affiliated in any way with Nintendo, Pokémon or any other game company.
A complete revision history of this software is available from https://github.com/route1rodent/newbark
Created by @itsjavi


text:
Collection Information
Size: 1 partial microfilm reel.
Summary: Letters, 1766-1767, from Francis Hopkinson regarding his stay with Benjamin West; letters, 1817-1840, to Joseph Hopkinson from or regarding artists, among them Clevenger, C.R. Leslie, Thomas Sully, Benjamin Trott, and John Trumbull (2 letters regarding sales to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the work of Benjamin West); letters from Hopkinson's tenure as President of the PAFA relating to exhibitions, purchases, donations and acquisitions including Murillo's "Roman Daughter" and other works by American and European artists, complaints from artists, loans and gifts from Hopkinson to other collections, the commission of a series of medals of generals based on paintings by Thomas Sully and Moritz Furst;
letters relating to Joseph Bonaparte, Count of Survilliers whom Hopkinson represented in legal and art matters, including requests for gifts from the Count's collection; an early biographial sketch of Joseph Hopkinson, and a list of the contents of the Bordentown house.


text:
The Signature Sunset
2 hours Prices From:
Departure: Grand Canyon South Rim
Destination: Grand Canyon South Rim
Adventure Tour
Tour Description
There is simply no sight more beautiful than the sun setting over the Grand Canyon. Witness this spectacular feat of nature for yourself when you visit the Grand Canyon National Park. This thrilling outdoor expedition features an open-air Hummer vehicle fitted with a windowless cab, allowing for unmatched photography and sightseeing opportunities. Set off along Desert View Drive en route to some of the most scenic stops throughout the Grand Canyon National Park. You'll reach the last destination just in time to watch the sun cast its setting rays against the canyon walls. Watching the sun set across this magnificent desert landscape truly is the experience of a lifetime.
What's Included:
- Hummer specially designed for sightseeing
- Forward-facing stadium seating
- Professional and knowledgeable driver/guide
- Sunset views of the Grand Canyon
What To Bring:
- Bring your I.D. - All passengers booked on a tour must have government issued forms of identification.
- Be sure to book your tour as early in your trip as possible.
- Water: You may bring a bottle of water.
- Don't forget your camera! Cameras and phones are allowed and encouraged.
- Not sure what to wear? Layered clothing is recommended through the months of March to September, and winter clothing should be worn from October to mid-March.
- Wear sensible shoes. The ground at the location you are visiting is rough, rocky, and uneven. It is important to wear sturdy, toe-covering shoes that can handle rough terrain. Sneakers or hiking boots are highly recommended.
Important Information
Tour Duration
Approximately 2 hours
Check in at the Buck Wild Hummer Tours terminal 20 minutes prior to departure.
Hummer Tour
Board a customized Hummer and venture off into the Grand Canyon National Park. Your knowledgeable driver/guide will share interesting facts about the Grand Canyon and choose the perfect location to enjoy the vibrant colors of the sunset. Explore the canyon surroundings and capture the stunning array of sunset colors displayed on the canyon walls.
Return to the Buck Wild Hummer Tours terminal via Hummer.
Upgrade Your Tour
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text:
LILLE, France (AFP) - A man was found dead on Tuesday in the Channel Tunnel, the authorities in northern France said, in yet another example of the lengths taken by migrants desperate to reach Britain.
Vehicle shuttle services and Eurostar passenger trains were delayed as one of the six sections of the tunnel was closed for investigations, although it remained unclear how the migrant had died.
"Following the discovery of migrants on a freight shuttle, early this morning, the shuttle was immediately stopped," local authorities in the Pas-de-Calais region said in a written statement.
"During an investigation by border police, a deceased migrant was found in the tunnel," they added.
"For the moment we suppose he wanted to climb onto the shuttle, which he missed, and that he was hit by the train itself," said Mr Patricio Martin from the border police, referring to the shuttle train that takes road vehicles through the tunnel. The identity of the migrant was not known, but he was among some 40 people evacuated from the tunnel.
Although traffic was only briefly interrupted in the tunnel, the incident triggered three-hour delays on vehicle shuttle services coming from the British side and an hour from France, according to operators Eurotunnel.
Eurostar trains were also delayed.
Intrusions into the undersea tunnel have risen in recent weeks as increasingly desperate migrants seek new tactics to enter Britain.
On Friday night, about 150 people tried to enter the boarding area before being pushed back.
"Currently they are increasingly turning to the tunnel under the Channel, that is why we have security reinforcement at night and it is true that we have more intrusions than usual," said Mr Martin.
Thousands of migrants are camped out around the port in the northern city of Calais, in the hope of climbing aboard lorries travelling to Britain on ferries or entering the nearby Channel Tunnel.
The migrants, whose presence has long caused friction between London and Paris, sometimes go to dramatic lengths to smuggle themselves into Britain, and have even been recorded trying to swim across the Channel.
In recent days, traffic through the Channel Tunnel has been repeatedly disrupted due to protesting French sailors, as well as attempts by migrants to enter the tunnel.
Late last month, a migrant from Ethiopia died near the tunnel as he tried to get onto a train in the hope of getting to Britain.


text:
Los Angeles - Bae Sang-Moon was in familiar territory atop the Northern Trust Open leaderboard on Friday, and the South Korean believes he has what it takes to stay there this time.
Bae played Riviera Country Club without a bogey, firing a second-round 66 for a nine-under par total of 133.
He has a one-shot lead over former champion Aaron Baddeley of Australia and American Robert Garrigus in the $6.7 million US PGA Tour event.
"I love this course," Bae said of the par-71 Riviera layout. He had a share of the halfway lead here last year but dropped out of contention after slumping to a third-round 76.
The 27-year-old said it was a salutary experience, and he went on last season to add his first US PGA Tour title at the Byron Nelson Championship to his 11 international victories.
"It was a really, really good experience and I learned a lot," he said of his weekend struggles here last year. "Patience -- that's it."
Bae said he'd learned not to get angry over every putt that failed to drop, and instead take the bad breaks more in stride.
With that attitude he said, "I can play well the next two days."
Baddeley has plenty of good memories of Riviera to draw on after winning here in 2011 to end a four-year victory drought.
The Australian hasn't won since but he stormed into contention with a six-under 65, capped by four straight birdies. He was joined on 134 by Garrigus, who posted his second straight 67.
"To birdie the last four was extra special," said Baddeley, who rolled in putts ranging from 13 to 26 feet at 15, 16, 17 and 18.
"Today was good because I made a couple of good saves, but coming in I had some good looks and made them."- 'Nice to see the Riv' -
Garrigus kept himself in contention with a round that included an eagle at the par-five 17th. He said the firm, fast conditions were a boon for him on a course where he has failed to shine in the past.
"I'm hitting it straight, and if I'm hitting it straight and I'm swinging confident it's going to be a lot of fun this weekend," Garrigus said.
"It's starting to be kind of nice to see the Riv every day."
Charlie Beljan, who lost a playoff to John Merrick here last year, was alone in fourth after a 68 for 135.
Overnight leader Dustin Johnson carded a one-under 70 to sit fifth on six-under 136. He was joined by Brian Harman (69), William McGirt (67) and Jim Furyk (68).
Monday qualifier Jason Allred had the low round of the day - a 64 that included nine birdies before back-to-back bogeys at 15 and 16.
The 33-year-old who has spent most of his career on lower-rung circuits was in a group on five-under that included former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa.
Six players failed to finish before darkness halted play. None figured in the top 30, but it meant the projected cut of one-over par won't be official until the second round is completed on Saturday.
Leading second-round scores on Friday in the US PGA Tour's $6.7 million Northern Trust Open (Round halted by darkness with six players on course. USA unless noted. Par-71):
133 - Bae Sang-Moon (KOR) 67-66
134 - Aaron Baddeley (AUS) 69-65, Robert Garrigus 67-67
135 - Charlie Beljan 67-68
136 - Brian Harman 67-69, William McGirt 69-67, Dustin Johnson 66-70, Jim Furyk 68-68
137 - Blake Adams 67-70, George McNeill 69-68, Jason Allred 73-64, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 69-68, Scott Brown 70-67
138 - Matt Every 69-69, Jordan Spieth 72-66, Jimmy Walker 67-71, Keegan Bradley 68-70, Bryce Molder 69-69, JB Holmes 67-71, Kevin Stadler 69-69, Cameron Tringale 68-70, Charley Hoffman 67-71
139 - Brendan Steele 68-71, JJ Henry 70-69, Bill Haas 72-67, Harris English 70-69, Jhonattan Vegas (VEN) 70-69, Lee Westwood (ENG) 69-70, Scott Stallings 67-72, Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 70-69, David Lingmerth (SWE) 70-69


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Should I lower the overcurrent? I have it set at 500A right now. I'm using 8 IGBTs in total, so it should work (each of them is rated for 225A pk in the datasheet)
Could it have been overcurrent? I think the current rises quite a bit when the secondary shorts. I've heard the OCP might be slow and take a few cycles to actually trigger. In that case 500A might be too high.Also, for my next project, I might use the 120N60 IGBTs, which seem to have 600A peak current in a TO264 package. Would this work? Here's the datasheet: https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/240/Littelfuse_Discrete_IGBTs_PT_IXG_120N60B3_Datashee-1591813.pdf


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Porec Croatia Porec
Porec Croatia
Porec is situated on the west coast of Croatia, within the beautiful region of Istria. It is predominantly a tourist destination, with a pretty harbour, safe beaches, calm waters and 37 kilometres of coastline.
The weather here, as with the whole of Istria, is pleasantly mild, with the hottest temperatures reaching a bearable 30C in the height of summer, with an average of ten hours sunshine each day. In the winter, temperatures drop; mainly due to the cold wind arriving from the North, but you will rarely have to deal with anything below 5C, even in January and February.
Approximately 12,000 people live in and around the city, with a further 5,000 residing in the outskirts of the area. Most are Croatian, but a quarter of the population is made up of other nationalities; mainly Italians, Serbs and Albanians, a factor that does not seem to cause any tensions in this part of what is, historically, a racially sensitive country.
Although other industries are developing, the city's economy depends greatly on tourism, and this is evident in the facilities available to holidaymakers. In both the north and the south of the city, several 'holiday centres' have been established to cater for all visitors' needs.
Most tourists arrive on flights from the nearby airport at Pula Croatia, or from the larger Trieste airport. However, the area's road network is well linked to other major cities in the country.
Porec's main attractions are its beautiful beaches and the breathtaking landscape that surrounds the city, where a wide range of produce is still farmed, including an impressive range of quality wines.
Within the city there are many historically significant buildings to look at, including Romanesque houses, Venetian palaces and the Byzantine church, The Euphrasian Basilica, which is over 1500 years old and one of the best examples of Byzantine art in this part of Europe.


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Ressa returns to Manila, confirms arrest warrant against her
Rappler chief executive officer and executive editor Maria Ressa confirmed that an arrest warrant had already been issued against her.
"Our lawyers have verified. A warrant of arrest was issued. I'm ready to post bail. I will do what our lawyers advise," Ressa told reporters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 as she arrived in Manila on Sunday.
She added: "It is easier to navigate a conflict zone, a war zone than it is to navigate the social media world and the legal weaponization of laws in our country. But we hold the line."
Ressa and Rappler face four tax evasion cases filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Three of the cases were filed before the Court of Tax Appeals and the other one was filed at the Pasig City Regional Trial Court.
Based on the complaint, Ressa and Rappler Holdings Corporation failed to indicate in the company's 2015 tax returns the total gain of almost P162.5 million, which was due to the issuance of Philippine Depositary Receipts to Washington DC-based NBM Rappler LP, a unit of North Base Media and Omidyar Network Find LLC.
Ressa had been mostly out of the country to receive several awards for Rappler including, including the 2018 Knight International Journalism award given in Washington, DC by the International Center for Journalists and the Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award given in New York City by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
READ: DOJ files four counts of tax raps vs Rappler
Ressa reiterated that she legally raised money for Rappler, saying "I successfully and legally raised money to make an idea a reality."
"Even as the government filed these tax cases, they continue to send tax agents to our office looking for documentation to beef it up," she said.
Ressa also maintained that the cases have no basis: "We have multiple cases and we will continue to fight every one of these cases, each of these cases have no real basis."
"I'm personally under attack. Rappler as a company is under attack. I think we all know that the line has been moved," she added. /cbb
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.


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Elegant men's wallet in genuine sapphire python leather.
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Copyright © 2003-2019 Gleni SRL


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Sourcebooks Casablanca, $6.99, ISBN 978-1-4022-6603-4
Historical Romance, 2013
It doesn't take much to see that the heroine of this story, the Lady Mercy Danforthe in the title, is inspired by the heroine of Jane Austen's Emma. That way, whenever romance readers accuse the heroine of being an unfeminine and unlikable bossy twit, the author can hug her bast of Jane Austen and tweet back at those snotty sourpusses, "See, Jane Austen did that too, so where's your likability checklist now, huh? Go drown in pink tutu and get lost."
However, I hope people aren't expecting a melodrama of manners when they open this book. Any similarity to the time period of early 19th century is mostly like a happy accident.
Lady Mercy Danforthe is now all grown up from her last appearance in the author's Sydney Dovedale series. And by "grown up", I mean she has grown breasts and can have sex even by today's legal standards without making the reader fear that the FBI is going to break down the door soon and drag everybody to jail. She has the reputation for being manipulative and bossy, and it's a reputation that she revels in – going as far as to don disguises to do what she feels is needed to be done. There is a "failure" that she doesn't like to talk about, though. Five years ago, she and our hero Rafe Harley eloped in the heat of the moment, only to have the whole thing dissolved by her brother shortly after.
When the story opens, Rafe is left standing at the altar by Mercy's maid, and Mercy feels that she should help fix up Rafe again so that he and Molly can get back together and make a go at marriage like she knows they are meant to do. Rafe resists, as he blames her for everything that is wrong with his life, including his latest aborted effort to walk down the aisle. (It's her fault to take Molly to London, you see, as if Molly remained a provincial backward lady, she wouldn't have big dreams that do not involve Rafe.) But the passion between them remains strong even five years later, and you know how hormonal randy fools can be sometimes. When the loins get going, everything goes.
Now, I am not usually a stickler for historical details being all accurate in my stories. That's because I lack the background knowledge to nitpick the author's work, heh, but seriously, while I may make fun of a gross error or two, usually a little boo-boo won't put me off the story completely. Here, however, the author's approach to historical accuracy – or the lack of it – is my biggest hindrance to enjoying the story.
This early 19th century England is a wonderfully democratic place where maids marry Earls and ladies marry farmers without anybody that matters batting an eye. Mercy having a criminally lax brother and Rafe having parents that were the poster couple for Democratic Fantasy England may explain a bit about their attitude, but still, it's hard to buy what the author is selling here. You see, one of the main reasons why Rafe resent Mercy is because she believes that she ranks higher than him in the social hierarchy of things and has the gall to say so into his face. But the thing is, she's right. She's the sister of an Earl. He's the illegitimate son of a nobleman. No matter how he dissects it, she's right – she is his better when it comes to the way things are in those days. Therefore, one of the main conflicts in this story is the hero having it out for the heroine for something that should have been perfectly acceptable in that time.
See my problem here? It's like a story set in the Viking days where the heroine hates the hero for raiding other lands and looting those places. The author is asking me to actively impose the values of today into her story, to judge the characters based on these values, when I'd prefer that she creates a story that is believable for the time period the story is set in and let me immerse myself into that story. I don't want the story to conform entirely to my values to the point of it being totally unrealistic, but that is what the author is serving up here.
It doesn't help that the only character that judges our good guys by the standards of that time is portrayed as an object of derision – her values are so antiquated and undemocratic. That, or pity. The poor dear, being against marriages of people from different stations in life, what kind of 19th century person is that!
And then, we have Mercy visiting Rafe in his house many times and spending a long time there each time, alone and unchaperoned, with nobody blinking an eye at the whole thing. There is Mercy who doesn't mind making out and more with Rafe without thinking of what this can do to her reputation and social standing. Or Rafe seducing her without any intention of marrying her or thinking of the consequences if he is caught messing with the Earl's unwed sister. People talk to one another like equals even when it's between a farmer and an Earl.
This won't be so awful if the author had gone completely magic fantasy England on me, creating a version of England populated by flying ponies and unicorns and what not, but she just has to have her characters bring up propriety and social norms of that time when it's convenient, just as these characters dismiss or forget these things when it's convenient at other moments. The author can't have her cake and eat it too, if you ask me. She can't be all wishy washy and go from "Screw the rules!" to "Hey, let's talk about the rules because the characters need an excuse to prolong the coitus a bit more!" She should have gone all or nothing, as right now, she gives people enough rope to hang her for committing sacrilege to the sacred tropes blessed by Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen, the scribes of the English historical romance bible.
The best thing about this story is the author's sense of humor, which is a nice mix of clever wit and ribaldry. However, her humor is on the undisciplined side – she's like a stand-up comedian who also happens to be the person in the bar that is most impressed with her routine. The characters have a tendency to argue for too long over the same thing, going in circles chapter after chapter until they resemble loud bickering children that just won't stop. Also, these characters don't show clear character growth – they are the same people from start to end – and the whole battle of sexes thing is reduced into a dumb "women are sneaky and manipulative, but they are powerless to resist the mighty penis/men are all dumb brutes with only sex on their minds, but that's okay, because women love penises (attached to their true loves, of course, because these women aren't whores)" routine.
If that's not disappointing enough, Rafe is unappealingly self-absorbed, doing things and wanting to stick it everywhere in Mercy without thinking of the consequences on her. Late in the story, he does a 180 and decides that she's too good for him, so he dumps her – just like that, without even thinking for a second that he may just have ruined her even worse than he already had by doing so. But this is bad only if I hold him to the norms of the time that this story is supposed to be set in. If I think of the whole cast as the lunatics of Saved by the Bell, then he's just an annoying puppy that just won't stop humping everyone's leg and bites when one tries to shoo him off.
Lady Mercy Danforthe Flirts with Scandal shows some promise, but until the author reins in the self-indulgent excesses in her writing, the promise is going to remain just that – a promise.


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Lithium Quartz Points
Lithium Quartz is a wonderful beneficial material for many who suffer from any emotional imbalances or need to relax and get out of their own head. This quartz is similar in the way that pharmaceutical drugs can help but with no side effects! This mineral is helpful for depression, anxiety, opening up your heart, insomnia and sleep deficiency. Its up there with one of the most helpful crystals out there for us at this time who are in need of this type of balance. Other stones in this arena would be Lepidolite and Petalite. These stones work well with Garnets and Hematites and Galenas.
* These stones are not to replace your current medication. Always consult with you physician.


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Your issue has been escalated to a Verizon agent. Before the agent can begin assisting you, they will need to collect further information from you.Please go to your profile page for the forum, and look in the middle, right at the top where you will find an area titled "My Support Cases". You can reach your profile page by clicking on your name beside your post, or at the top left of this page underneath the title of the board.
Under "My Support Cases" you will find a link to the private board where you and the agent may exchange information. This should be checked on a frequent basis as the agent may be waiting for information from you before they can proceed with any actions. Please keep all correspondence regarding your issue in the private support portal.
We have not heard back from you on this issue. Please create a new thread if you have any other questions.
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7 Central Principles of Personal Mastery
Principles behind personal and self mastery are actually fundamental concepts that are essential when building professional, social, interpersonal, and spiritual relationships. The first principle stresses being aware of how you define success. In personal mastery, along with its central component of emotional mastery, internal change, in the here-and-now is actually more important than what has happened in your past.
Personal mastery is also based on how you have come to define and understand your own reality – what it is you believe about your life right now, about yourself and about others. Personal mastery is central to how you think and what you believe and the level to which you are or are not aware of your own thoughts and their effect on how you feel and even more importantly how your thoughts and feelings play themselves out with others.
7 Central Principles of Personal Mastery
- Set goals for yourself and take action to achieve them
- Be open to learning how to deal effectively with difficult and challenging situations
- Identify positive behaviour and feelings and validate yourself
- Challenge your thoughts by looking for "objective" evidence for against what you believe
- Let go of negativity that can keep you stuck in resentment and blame
- Develop and nurture an inquisitive mind-set and an attitude of gratitude
- Learn to ask skillful questions of yourself that will help you understand yourself better
It is important for you to invest your time in and energy on things that you can control. This means focusing on yourself and what you want to change and not focusing on trying to change or fix anyone else. It is important to let go of any proclivity to have a reactive attitude that can lead to feelings of resentment, rejection-sensitivity, negativity, blame, and shame, that are obstacles to healthy change and that can keep you stuck in repeating old and worn out patterns of relating that cause you to continue suffer. When you are invested in suffering, it is suffering that you master. Not personal self and emotional mastery.
Another principle behind self mastery is understanding that what happens to in your life is based on your own choices – accepting personal responsibility is the way to create change moving forward in your life. Decisions about your life need to be made by you in a conscious and aware way. A proactive way. Not a reactive way.
Having a clear vision of what you want and what you need to learn more about to achieve your goals is also very central to building your personal mastery. After identifying your goals it is important to create a plan of action that will help you to achieve your goals. Taking action steps toward the achievement of your goals is the way to apply your vision, values, and principles to your self-improvement, emotional and personal mastery. Mastery means you are continuing to build and strengthen your emotional, psychological, and psychosocial competence.
Overall, an individual who actively engages his or her own process of personal mastery will be able to raise self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-responsibility. The central gift, of the process of and engagement in personal mastery, is that individuals will recognize that they are part of a bigger picture in life – connected to humanity. As you continue to know more about who you are you will also be forging a deeper connection to others.
Personal mastery is something that does not happen unintentionally or overnight. It requires discipline and reinforcement, mindful conscious intention and attention. It needs to be nurtured. Each person who is on the path of personal mastery can benefit from personal coaching and/or counselling to make sure that what they continue to learn about in the process of transformative change and healing of personal mastery is supported and validated in ways that increase awareness and confidence in navigating all the new and wonderful ways that each person will come to better know him/herself.
Personal mastery helps each person, on this journey in his or her life, understand that life is full of opportunities for expanding individual vision and skills in ways that can transform pain and suffering in ways that increase personal enlightenment, emotional, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual balance. This expanding consciousness and the ways that it can transform suffering into aware living that is competence being strengthened and supported in action is life in the flow of Grace.


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Monthly Archives: May 2019
Share International Magazine Update – May 2019
The latest abridged and online version of Share International magazine can be viewed by clicking here. "In almost every corner of the world communications flourish, and bring the events of each day to the attention of all. Nowhere is it possible to be unaware of the swift and often savage happenings which assault the eyes and ears of billions daily. In a very real sense the world has shrunk to village size and, as in village life, the actions of one affect the lives and interests of all. No longer can any nation stand aside and claim immunity from the results of its misdeeds. Power alone no longer confers this privilege. More and more, the nations are awakening to their mutual dependence and responsibility, and this fact augurs well for the world. Gradually, it is being realized by those who make decisions that time is not on the side of those who despoil and poison the planet, that resources are not unlimited, and that nature recoils from exploitation and assault. There is a growing awareness that careful and concerted action, on a global scale, alone can remedy the many transgressions of the natural order which man's ignorance and greed has brought about. A start is being made, but many years of dedicated action will be required even to halt the menace of pollution and depredation which threatens man now. Fortunately, not all in the future sounds so dark a note. Man, as ever, is not alone, and steps have been taken to release to him the knowledge of new and cleaner and safer modes of generating power. Technologies altogether new will transform daily living and leave man time and impulse to explore his own Being and purpose." From: Awakening to responsibility, by the Master —, through Benjamin Creme click here for more A hard copy of Share International magazine is freely donated on a monthly basis to the Central Library (Reference Library), George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EG and to the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre, 5 Upper Bow, Edinburgh, EH1 2JN.


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2013 is officially a great year for music! Justin Timberlake is bringing sexy back. Can you believe it? The wholeTwitterverse has been talking about since the am when he released this statement saying,
"Justin Timberlake
Thursday, January 10th, 2013 at 9:01 am PST…"
He hasn't had a solo album in 7 years.
Check out the teaser below: