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7 Ways to Automate Your Home
The term "smart home" can cover a broad number of devices, components, appliances and systems — all performing various functions within the home. As technology advances, so do the capabilities of these devices. Where it was once thought that a programmable thermostat was cutting edge, we're now in a world where it can be controlled by a smartphone from anywhere.
There are several options when it comes to automating your home — from smart lights to robot lawn mowers and anything in between. Smart devices exist to help you save time, energy and money, aiming to make your life a little easier.
Decide What to Automate First
To determine what makes the most sense to automate in your own home, think of a typical day. What devices do you turn on and off on a regular basis? Do you regularly adjust the temperature in your home throughout the day? These types of repeated habits or activities are great places to start when considering what to automate. Next, take a moment to determine which ones are most important to you and begin there. You'll have a much better idea of what may work for you as you start to shop for smart home devices.
Here's a quick look at seven ways you can automate your own home.
1. Smart Lighting
One of the most popular ways to automate your home is through the use of smart lighting. With a smart lighting system, you can control your lights remotely or set them to turn on and off automatically. There are a few choices when it comes to smart lighting. You can purchase smart bulbs, which connect via your home's Wi-Fi network or Bluetooth. There are also kits available to buy that control entire rooms.
Typically, a smart light is controlled via a smartphone app, which makes it simple to use. Through the app, you can create a specific lighting schedule. For instance, if you want the outside lights to come on and turn off at sunrise and sunset, you can do all that and much more through the mobile app.
2. Smart Plugs and Outlets
While you may often hear these two terms used interchangeably, there is a difference between a smart plug and a smart outlet. A smart plug resides on top of your already existing outlet. You'll notice it sticks out a bit from the wall. Smart outlets, on the other hand, replace the outlets already in your home.
With smart plugs or outlets, you may not only set up automatic behaviors, but you may also save on energy. Plugged-in devices consume electricity, according to Energy.gov, even when they're not in use, so a plug or outlet that turns off automatically — usually based on a schedule you create in the smartphone app — may come in handy to help reduce energy use in your home.
If you're familiar and comfortable installing switches and fixtures in your home, then you'll notice putting in a smart outlet is quite similar. Otherwise, if you're even a little unsure, contact a professional electrician to help you out.
With smart outlets or plugs, you can create certain rules so that devices mimic your habits and lifestyle. For instance, you might want your smart outlet to turn a TV on or off so that it corresponds with your daily viewing time. Or, you could set the outlet to turn off at a given time each night, so that anything connected to it automatically loses power.
3. Robot Vacuums
Most robot vacuums connect to your home's Wi-Fi network, which you then connect to through a smartphone app. Some of the more advanced robot vacuums have mapping features that can create floor plans of your home — to determine where they have vacuumed and where they have yet to clean. No matter how your furniture is arranged, robot vacuums are able to find a way to clean your floors.
You'll discover that robot vacuums are easy to schedule around your lifestyle. You can tell the device when to start a cleaning cycle by going into the app and hitting a button. Imagine: You can watch a movie or read a book and get your vacuuming done at the same time. Before you start any cleaning cycle, make sure to pick up all loose toys or clothing off the floor to help prevent the vacuum from getting stuck on those items. It might also be a good idea to review the owner's manual to make sure you're operating the vacuum safely.
4. Smart Ovens
Smart ovens connect to your home's Wi-Fi network, so you can pair them with your virtual or smart home assistant. All you have to do is tell the assistant to set the oven to a certain temperature and watch as it starts to preheat. Remember, please don't leave the home when using your oven.
5. Smart Home Assistants
A lot of folks like to keep their smart home assistants in their family room, but it may also work well in the kitchen. For instance, you can have it keep a running grocery list as you prepare dinner or play your favorite songs while you make food. You can also ask your assistant to pull up a recipe and walk you through how to properly cook a meal. You can do all these things with just the sound of your voice — there is no need to pull out your phone and look for an app.
6. Robot Lawn Mowers
Robot lawn mowers are new to home automation. These battery-powered, Bluetooth-enabled mowers move independently around your yard cutting the grass. You can turn the mower on or off via an app. Setting up a robot lawn mower takes a little work, as it requires you to bury a perimeter wire — a few inches deep — around the edge of your yard to help keep the mower within the boundaries of your property. These mowers also have several safety mechanisms to help prevent a mower from running over a hose or lawn ornament. Make sure to read over the owner's manual before operating the mower. Keep in mind that these devices are expensive, so you have to decide whether or not it's worth the investment.
7. Smart Sprinklers
Smart sprinkler systems connect to your home's Wi-Fi network to gather the latest weather reports. Then, the system determines whether or not you may need to water your lawn. If it does rain, the system automatically adjusts its schedule so it doesn't overwater your lawn.
The vast majority of smart sprinkler systems can replace the system you may already have. This makes them a good fit if you're looking for a way to save money and time as you'll no longer have to manually determine the right sprinkler schedule or remember to turn off the system after it rains.
If you're interested in a smart sprinkler system, you can either contact a professional and ask for a quote, or do a little research and find a do-it-yourself solution you're comfortable with installing yourself.
Automating your home to be smart doesn't have to happen overnight. It can be done gradually and systematically. Start by choosing systems or devices that fit into your budget and make small, incremental changes along the way. Keep in mind that as you add more features, you want to be sure that everything syncs up together, so be aware of integration. Take your time and find what works best for you.


text: I bought what is purported to be a 2005 EJ Strat. There is no date stamp anywhere on the neck or body. It is definitely an EJ neck and body. Is the sticker inside the pick-guard (shown) typical for this guitar? Any comments on the pickups (note: bridge pu is out right now) or the wiring assembly?? I am pretty sure I have not been faked-out, but if some of you EJ experts think differently, let me know! Thank you.

subset: commoncrawl


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A while back I posted about my struggle with negativity and judgment towards people in my life. Thanks to everyone for their positive thoughts and encouragement. It is always nice to know I am not alone, but it also makes me sad that a so many of us have these sorts of struggles.
When I wrote that post I mentioned my feelings of hypocrisy towards a person in my life, what I didn't mention is the slow change that has taken place in me in the last few years that I think has helped my behavior for the worse in this situation.
If you were to ask me a few years ago if the glass is half full or half empty I would have said half full without a thought. That has changed. Lately I am pretty sure I would be more likely to say half empty. It seems it is a lot easier to make judgments about others when you are seeing the world through pessimistic and cynical eyes.
What happened to me?
What happened to my positive attitude?
Honestly, I blame the media. Just kidding. I don't really know where the change came from. Maybe it was just living life a little. I do know that I don't like it. Cynicism doesn't look good on anyone, even me.
After sharing my struggles with you all I started looking within myself for a solution to my judgmental thoughts instead of just focusing on the thoughts themselves. No more wallowing in the knowledge of my struggles, it was time for action.
I thought outnumbering the negative thoughts with positive thoughts might start me down the right track. For every negative thought that creeps into my head about someone, and sometimes places and things, I quickly try to outnumber with three positive thoughts about the same person, place or thing. Yes my solution to negative thoughts is bullying them. A funny thought I know. Three to one, the odds are definitely in favor for the positive thoughts so the negative thoughts generally don't stand a chance.
Unfortunately my negative thoughts are probably not my only struggle worth fighting. One fight at a time though.
We all have our own weak spots worth working on. I can already feel my efforts making a difference but something tells me it will take more than a month to get my brain back on the right track. The positive one.
Lesson learned: Sometimes you have to make yourself see the good.


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February has been a mixed month of weather. Having left behind days of relentless rain, things have turned brighter, drier, colder; then warmer, almost balmy on the beaches, with some crazy humans actually swimming in the sea at half term; then the chill returned. We have escaped the snowfall that came as close as north and east Cornwall, so it has seemed as if the Roseland has never really had a winter until the end of February, when the wind started to blow sharp and bitterly from the north east. The effect of the changing weather has been noticeable on nature.
A number of plant species are already showing bud-burst, spurred on by the warmer temperatures in the middle of the month. Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.), elder (Sambucus nigra) and willow (Salix spp.) are well ahead in this respect, while hazel is not far behind. Early spring flowers are in full bloom. There is barely a hedgerow that does not have a clump of daffodils (Narcissus spp.) nodding brightly somewhere along it.
You may well have remarked on the birds sounding territorially vocal. They are already establishing their rights to resources to attract a mate, as well as displaying aggressively to others of their kind, or even to other species. Some birds are visibly active in preparing for imminent reproduction. The RSPB has received reports of early breeding activity among robins (Erithacus rubecula), blackbirds (Turdus merula) and blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). I've seen sparrows (Passer domesticus) already carrying nest material to boxes, continuing to do so even when the weather turned much colder at the end of February.
Our ponds are full of frog spawn right now. I was offered some recently to put in my own pond (which already has a full compliment of spawn) but transferring frogspawn is not advised by conservation group Froglife. One reason for this is that garden ponds may contain invasive alien plantlife, such as New Zealand pygmyweed (Crassula helmsii) and even disease pathogens; transferring frogspawn is likely to transfer these organisms hiding amongst the spawn.
It is part of the frog's reproductive strategy to lay what appears to us to be far too many eggs. Nature always creates its own balance through evolution: the superabundance of frogspawn mitigates the activity of predation by fish and other organisms in the pond. Around one in fifty of the eggs will eventually make it to froglet stage, leaving the pond to face even more predators on land. The animals that make it to adulthood are the ones who have inherited the best survival skills and will pass on their genes to the next generation of frogs. Check out Froglife for some great advice for people interested in creating and maintaining ponds.
Before the weather turned grey, cold and windy once more the beaches were a delight to visit. During one such stroll I came across an old piece of broken, sea-worn pipe that had been colonised by a number of small marine creatures. One of these was an immature slipper limpet (Crepidula fornicata). Very unlike our native common limpet, slipper limpets probably arrived here by chance from their native North America towards the end of the 19th Century, in association with the oyster trade. They are considered to be a pest of mussel and oyster beds. Although beaches in south east England can be littered with the empty shells of these animals, so far we have yet to see the same occurrence here.
Things to look out for this month in the Roseland
• Dolphins (Delphinidae)
We are occasionally delighted by the sight of a pod of Dolphins crossing Gerrans Bay and this occurred mid February. So keep your eyes peeled for more!
• Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus)
There are still grey seals beaching south of Towan. A recent count totalled 17 animals but there have been more in the past. They are best viewed from the cliff top, from where they will not feel overly threatened by humans staring at them.
Here are some things you can do to help nature in the Roseland in March:
• If you don't already have some in your garden, then consider planting honeysuckle. There are many species and garden cultivars, available from garden centres, but our native wild version is just as worthy of consideration. The attractive flowers are beneficial to insects, providing a rich, sweet nectar; many birds eat the berries and some birds use the bark of mature stems to build nests, as it is a highly pliable, weavable material.
• February 14th (St Valentine's Day) was the start of the BTO's National Nest Box Week. Whilst that is now over, there is still much you can do by putting up as many nest boxes in your garden as you can. If a nesting attempt fails, the box will be abandoned and then not be used again by the same pair. You can clean out the box if you know this has happened, because a different pair of birds may be attracted to the box. Otherwise the box may have to remain unused for the ramainder of the breeding season.
Building your own nest box is easy. See here for advice from the RSPB.
• BTO Nest Box Challenge
The BTO want you to help them to monitor the breeding success of birds in through their Nest Box Challenge scheme. To take part, register your nest box online and then submit regular updates on whether it is used, what birds are using it and the progress of any nests.
Slipper Limpet – Crepidula fornicata – General information
Will Rayment 2008. Crepidula fornicata. Slipper limpet. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 26/02/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=3086>
Enjoy more Roseland wildlife and landscapes – visit my
Heart of Roseland Facebook page:
Sarah Vandome is a conservation scientist and fellow member of the British Trust for Ornithology
All Photography © by Sarah E Vandome.


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As far as I'm concerned TEDx events are one of the best things that have happened in the world of continuing adult education this past decade. Imagine a day filled with brilliant speakers offering a suite of short, carefully prepared talks, demonstrations and performances that are idea-focused, and cover a wide range of subjects to foster learning, inspiration and wonder – and provoke conversations that matter, and you'll have the shadow of an idea of what those events are.
There are now several thousands TEDx events organized every year worldwide. Each event has 10 to 20 presentations that last anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. Eventually the video of each is posted on youtube.com for free public access (at the time of this writing there were over 126,000 of them.) The best place to get started your exploration is here.
Dozens of leading experts in the world of laughter therapy have presented on a TEDx platform. Here is my ego-boost of the day: As of 2019 I remain the only one who's presented there twice.
Here are the videos of my two laughter TEDx.
2017: TEDx Manhattan Beach (USA)
2018: TEDx Patras (Greece)
Related links
- Benefits Of Laughter: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet
- Laugh Therapy: 99 Ways In 99 Days
- Laughing Exercise: If You Love To Laugh You'Ll Love This How To Guide!
- 120 Inspirational Quotes About Laughter


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If you care about your own health, then you are definitely right in this. This is because health is so important, and it is one of the greatest investments that you will ever make in life. You will be happy to know that keeping track of your health has become so much easier because of modern technology. For instance, you can buy a fitness watch through which you can track the progress of your health. When you buy a fitness watch of good quality, then, you can be sure that you will be able to gain a lot of benefits. What are these benefits? Here are just some of them.
1. When you buy a fitness watch, you can be sure that you can more easily reach your goals. Maybe you go running each day, but you do not really know how far you go. Also, you cannot keep track of your heart rate, so you do not know if you are doing more today and less on other days. This being uncertain makes it so much harder for you to reach your goals. On the other hand, when you buy a fitness watch, you will be able to keep track of all your activities, your heart rate, and so on and so forth. This will help you to reach your goals so much more easily. More interesting details found in this site.
2. When you buy a fitness watch, you can gain enjoyment as you reach your fitness goals. Having a watch like this makes things so much more convenient. For instance, you can download a music app, and listen to your favorite songs through the watch. This will make all of your workout sessions so much more enjoyable, as you can run or life weights to your best tunes.
3. When you buy a fitness watch, it will add to your sporty appearance. If you are able to find the best company that offers fitness watches, you will be excited to find that these watches come in a lot of different styles and a lot of different designs. No matter what your taste in fashion is, then, you will be able to find something that matches it well. What is more, you can pick the color of your watch for something that is even more unique and special. Not only will your watch help you enjoy greater fitness, then, but it will also improve your appearance in a wonderful way. You can click for more info.
Learn more here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitness


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Executive Council Outreach (EXCO)
- Last Updated on 31 March 2014
- Hits: 2880
The Northern Cape Cabinet had its EXCO visit at Mier on the 11th of February 2014. The outreach programme is to establish problems that the communities are facing in the district, and enables the government to identify parts that need urgent attention.
The ZF Mgcawu District Executive Mayor, Mr Gift van Staden visited the Swartskopdam community hall where the Noenieput community was also present. The district's Executive Mayor was accompanied by the Northern Cape Director General, Mr Justice Bekebeke, Councillors, officials from the Premier's office and departments.
"the cabinet visit is not
because it is elections time;
they must remember that this
is an annual programme, it
happened last year, it is going
to happen again."
The executive mayor said, addressing the community in Afrikaans that "the cabinet visit is not because it is elections time; they must remember that this is an annual programme, it happened last year, it is going to happen again."
Various complaints due to service delivery have been mentioned in the gathering. Some of the issues were raised last year; each department had submitted a report on the progress of those matters. According to a report that was read in front of the community, they have received chemicals to clean their water for the whole year. On the same day of the EXCO visit, Noenieput received pipes to begin the process of fixing their drains in the area. Some of the critical issues raised included Housing, water, sanitation, cellphone reception and health. These issues will be addressed by the relevant government structures.


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The Battle Map details all the explorable areas available to battle in in Summoners War: Sky Arena. This includes all scenario areas, as well as the various dungeons, Arena, Trial of Ascension, and Isle of Conquest.
Scenario areasEdit
- Main article: Scenario
The main story of Summoners War consists of thirteen different areas, with each consisting of seven stages. To complete an area and advance to the next, players must clear all seven stages of an area, which includes a boss stage. Additionally, each stage is divided into three difficulties: Normal, Hard, and Hell. To advance to higher difficulties, players must finish all stages on one difficulty. This means that all Normal difficulty stages must be finished to advance to Hard and so on. Only normal difficulty is required to advance to the next area.
Clearing a stage awards the players with various rewards, such as experience, Runes, and Monsters. The higher the difficulty of completion, the higher the rewards.
- Main article: Arena
The arena is a Player versus player (PVP) competition area where players will use their monsters to battle against other players. Battles are one-on-one, with each player allowed up to four monsters in battle. Winning battles will award players with experience, mana stones, and occasionally crystals. Additionally, Arena Points (Victory Points) and Glory Points are awarded to winning battles.
Arena Points are used to determine weekly rankings, with prizes given out based on how high a player ranks. Glory Points act as a form of currency, and is used to purchase items from the Glory Shop.
In addition to other players, computer "Rivals" are also available to battle against. Defeating Rivals awards a player with a small amount of crystals. The monsters each Rival possesses is fixed, although the quality of their monsters is directly proportional to player level.
World ArenaEdit
- Main article: World Arena
The World Arena, also known as Real-Time Arena, is a special variant of the regular arena. As its name suggests, whereas regular arena battles match up players based on geographic location with AI controlled defense monsters, World Arena battles match up players on all geographic servers, allowing battles to take place on a global scale. Additionally, battles are in fact real-time so both teams will be player controlled at all times.
World Arena battles have several unique rules compared with regular arena battles. Players cannot use duplicate monsters, nor can they use the same monsters as their opponent. Additionally, each player will take turns selecting their team, with players alternating their selections in small groups until both players have a team of five monsters. After selections are done, each player will have the opportunity to ban one monster on their opponent's side. This monster cannot be used in the battle.
Similar to regular arena, players will be awarded Victory Points for each battle won, as well be deducted points for a loss. Players will be ranked on a seasonal basis (with each season lasting approximately three months) based on the amount of Victory Points accumulated. Additionally, players will also be awarded Medals for each victory, which can be used to purchase from the World Arena Shop.
Cairos DungeonEdit
- Main article: Cairos Dungeon
Cairos Dungeon, also known simply as the Dungeon, is where players battle to gain special rewards. This area is divided into several sections: the Hall of Elements, Hall of Magic, Giant's Keep, Dragon's Lair, Angel Garden, Rainbow Garden, and the Secret Dungeon. Not all of these sections are available at all times, with the Angel Garden, Rainbow Garden, and Devilmon Cave only available once a month, and the Secret Dungeon open by chance in the Halls of Elements and through events.
Trial of AscensionEdit
- Main article: Trial of Ascension
The Trial of Ascension is a special dungeon made up of 100 stages. Players are required to battle against various monsters to progress. As players progress through each stage, the monsters encountered will get progressively more difficult. Every tenth stage requires players to battle against a boss in order to advance.
Besides experience, mana stones, summoning stones and occasionally energy and crystals, players are also awarded various prizes based on how many stages have been completed adasd
Isle of Conquest Edit
The Isle of Conquest is a special area that is used for Guild based content. It is located on the right side of Telain Forest. Only players in a guild will have the opportunity to access this area.
Guild BattleEdit
- Main article: Guild Battle
Guild Battles are special Guild vs Guild PVP contests in which players must battle defensive teams set by another guild in order to win. Guild members are awarded for both attacking a guild successfully and defending against attacks from other guilds. Battles are done in one-on-one contests similar to Arena.
Siege BattleEdit
- Main article: Siege Battle
Siege Battles are another type of Guild vs Guild contests in which players must battle defensive teams set by another guild in order to win. Unlike Guild Battles, Guilds will be both attacking and defending at the same time in three way battles. Points are awarded for successfully controlling towers on the battlefield for a given amount of time, with guilds being ranked in the battle based on points accrued.
Tartarus' LabyrinthEdit
- Main article: Tartarus' Labyrinth
Tartaru's Labyrinth is a special kind of cooperative PVE area, in which players must team up with Guild members in order to take down special bosses. Players progress through the dungeon in stages, with each stage offering tougher boss fights until the final boss fight. Clearing the final boss unlocks another Labyrinth in which stages and boss fights are mixed up in different orders.
Dimensional Rifts Edit
- Main article: Dimensional Rift
Dimensional Rifts are random portals that open up daily beside the Scenarios after all Scenario areas are completed. It requires a special crystal to enter and 3 crystals can be obtained everyday just by logging into the game and collecting the crystals in the Daily Mission, Start of the Day.
There are 2 modes available: Normal (20 Energy) and Hard (30 Energy).
Each of them have 5 waves of monsters and upon clearing them, a large amount of energy and experience is awarded.
World BossEdit
- Main article: World Boss
The World Boss is a server wide boss which players can battle with using a team of 20 monsters. The boss requires the cooperation of everyone on a server to take it down, with each player wearing down fractions of its total health. Players are given rewards and ranked based on how much damage is inflicted on the boss, both after the boss battle and after the boss is taken down. The World Boss is only available after a Dimensional Rift is closed for the first time.
Rift of WorldsEdit
- Main article: Rift of Worlds
The Rift of Worlds is a special area where players can participate in Raid battles against a large boss. Players may take with them up to 2 additional players in Raid battles for a total party of 3. Parties may be organized privately or through public rooms. Once in battle, players all fight simultaneously against the boss, with each player attacking a specific portion of the boss. If players are successful in defeating it, rewards are given out based on damage contribution in the battle. The Rift of Worlds is available after players fight the World Boss for the first time.
|World Map
|Garen Forest • Mt. Siz • Kabir Ruins • Mt. White Ragon • Telain Forest • Hydeni Ruins • Tamor Desert • Vrofagus Ruins • Faimon Volcano • Aiden Forest • Ferun Castle • Mt. Runar • Chiruka Remains
|Cairos Dungeon • Hall of Light • Hall of Dark • Hall of Fire • Hall of Water • Hall of Wind • Hall of Magic • Giant's Keep • Dragon's Lair • Necropolis • Secret Dungeon • Hall of Heroes • Angel Garden • Rainbow Garden • Devilmon Cave
|Dimensional Rift • World Boss • Rift of Worlds


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Vacation in Iceland: Bucket List ✔
I'm in love with Reykjavik…
In mid-November, the husband and I got to spend 5 days in Reykjavik, Iceland for our long overdue honeymoon/pre-baby bucket list! I'm not going to go on and on about it too much, but give you guys a quick rundown of what we did, plus some pictures!
(Side note: the best way to see pictures is on my Instagram, and if you followed me live, then you saw it on my Snapchat and Instagram Story!)
Three Favorite Sights:
1) Thingvellir National Park: a historic park where you can also see the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. Such an incredible place to walk around, take pictures, and hike around the volcanic rock!
2) Blue Lagoon: a beautiful mineral hot springs and spa where you can swim, drink, and get mud masks while floating in the mineral rich, hot springs! Incredible relaxing and luxurious and everyone needs to do this!
3) Geysir: some of the world's largest natural geysers are here, and you can see them explode every few minutes! It's so powerful, and I've never seen anything like it!
Three Firsts:
1) I ate a lot of strange things on this trip. When in Iceland, you know? Anytime I travel, I'm determined to try the local cuisine and put myself out of my comfort zone. Well…I did that. *squirms* We ate horse, reindeer, puffin, whale, etc. Honestly, it was all pretty tasty, but mentally, I died a little (haha!).
2) This was our very first time across the Atlantic, and the difference of styles and architecture–even the hotel rooms–was so interesting! I actually was obsessed with our little European style room!
3) We saw the Northern Lights! If you're wondering why this isn't listed on my favorites, it's because we didn't get the best views because of the cloud coverage while we were there. However, we still had the chance to see a good bit (even though it didn't show up on my iPhone camera), and it truly was incredible!
Three Memories:
1) Gullfoss Waterfall: literally the "golden waterfall", this was an incredible natural beauty! It was multiple waterfalls, so loud and powerful! Despite the fact that I was freezing, this was one of the most beautiful memories I'll have from the trip.
2) Pre-bursting geysers: there's a moment right before the geysers erupt that this bright blue bubble appears over the surface of the hot spring and it's incredible. My camera doesn't even do it justice to what it looked like in real life. It was one of the most fascinating phenomenon's I've ever seen!
3) The Countryside: We drove over twenty hours total through Iceland's countryside to get to all the different attractions and cool sights, and because of that, we saw massively beautiful things on our way. Huge mountains of volcanic rock, wild Icelandic horses (very unique creatures!), random hot springs, geothermal hotspots where the ground steamed, beautiful small forests, miles and miles of snow and ice covered grounds…it was sprawling and incredible. Just driving through this country was one of the most beautiful parts of the whole trip.
Three Recommendations:
1) If you go to Iceland, stay at the Reykjavik Lights hotel.
2) Use Gray Line Iceland tours to see the amazing sights and get around the island. Definitely do the Golden Circle tour, plus Northern Lights and Blue Lagoon.
3) Visit Islenski Barinn for some incredibly exotic local cuisine, like puffin and reindeer.
Want to see more pictures and videos from our trip? Make sure to check out our Instagram (here) and my Facebook posts (here, here, here, here) or my live Facebook video (here)!


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NZ Secret Santa is taking a holiday.
As many of you will be aware, WebSam initially brought NZ Secret Santa to the Twitter community in 2010. It grew bigger than WebSam's giant pumpkins, so NZ Post volunteered to take the reins in 2012. While the Elves at NZ Post have loved their time managing the game, we must close up Elf HQ for 2018 after six wonderful years.
However, this might not be the end. Though we can't help organise anything for this year, we welcome any large NZ businesses to get in touch with us in early 2019 to discuss a changing of the Elf Guard.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2019.
The Elves from NZ Post


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Microsoft Outlook Advanced Training Course Outline
Audience: Outlook Advanced course is aimed at those wishing to learn how to further their knowledge of Outlook as an information management tool.
We are happy to arrange for a trainer to contact you to help tailor you course.
Course Duration: 1 day.
Course Availability: Monday – Saturday
Course Types: Group bookings, public courses, 1-2-1 sessions, bespoke tailored courses and office migrations.
Course Location: This Outlook Advanced training course can be delivered either at our London training venue or at your offices.
Tailored Course Content: Course content can be customised to meet your specific requirements, with scheduled dates to suit you.
At Course Completion
After completing this course, students will be able to:
- Manage mail messages using the Rules Wizard
- Out of Office
- Track Messages
- Use Voting Buttons
- Archive messages
- Schedule Appointments
- Planning Meetings
- Identify scheduling conflicts
- Free busy time and private settings
- Use Multiple calendars
- Calendar Quick View
- People Card
- Meeting View
- Import and Export Outlook data
- Task request
- EAI (Email address internationalisation )
- Collaboration with OneDrive
Course Outline
Module 1: Recap on Basics
Module 2: Email
- Email options
- Creating search folders
- Creating Quick Steps
- Quick Steps Automation
- Mail Alerts
- Handling junk email
- RSS feeds
- Conversation view
- Instant search
- Ignore conversation / conversation clean-up
- Forgotten subject line
Module 3: Enhancing Email Format
- Selecting a default message format
- HMTL format and plain text
- Using stationery
- Pictures, styles and hyperlinks
- Resize attached photos
- Creating screen shots
Module 4: Tracking
- Applying message tracking options
- Viewing message delivery status
- Creating message voting buttons
- Tracking voting button status
Module 5: Rules Wizard
- Online and Client Rules
- Creating and editing rules using Rules Wizard
- Creating an automatic reply (Out of Office) rule
- Editing rules
- Deleting rule
Module 6: Calendar (Basics)
- Changing calendar views
- Date navigator
- Printing a calendar; selecting print styles
- Inserting calendar information to a message
- Duplicating appointments
Module 7: Calendar (Setting up an Appointment)
- Scheduling a single or recurring appointment
- Editing and deleting an appointment
- Adding reminders to the appointment
- Making appointments more visual by applying categories
Module 8: Calendar (Scheduling Meetings)
- Invite attendees to appointments
- Working with meeting responses
- Updating existing meetings
- Additional scheduling topics
- Free busy time; private setting
- Plan a meeting tool
- Using a group schedule
- Schedule view
- Quick View
- Meeting suggestions
- Calendar Groups
Module 9: Calendar (Managing Calendars)
- Creating additional private calendars
- Opening additional calendars
- Viewing multiple calendars
- Setting calendar permissions
- Duplicating appointments across calendars
- Working with scheduling conflicts; overlay mode
- Using online calendars
- Sending calendar details via email
- People Card
Module 10: Calendar (Tasks)
- Entering tasks in calendar view
- Adding additional task information
- Completing tasks; automatic task updating
Module 11: Contacts
- Creating a contact
- Organising the contacts; applying filters and categories
- Sending contact details as VCards
- Creating a business card
- Setting up distribution lists
- Printing Contacts; contact print styles
- Updated Summary Cards
- Mail merge
Module 12: Tasks
- Creating and updating tasks information
- Entering recurring tasks
- Applying task reminders
- Task views
Module 13: Managing Tasks
- Assign task request
- Updating tasks – task updates; task status
- Using the task timeline
- Additional task topics
Module 14: Importing and Exporting Data
- File types supported for exporting
- Exporting to data in an Outlook data folder
Module 15: Managing Mailbox Storage
- PST files explained
- Creating and managing personal folders (.pst)
- Opening and closing personal folders
- Applying a password to personal folders
Module 16: Sharing Outlook information
- Sharing your folders
- Applying and editing access permissions
- Accessing others folders
- Sending messages on behalf of others
- Adding additional mailbox to the Inbox
Module 18: Outlook Groups
- Create an Outlook.com group and add members
- Learn more about Outlook.com group members and owners
- Send email to an Outlook.com group
- Edit or delete an Outlook.com group
- Join or leave an Outlook.com group
- Follow an Outlook.com group in your inbox
- Share files with an Outlook.com group
- Create a meeting on an Outlook.com group calendar
Module 18: Additional Topics
- Collaboration with OneDrive
- Outlook Social Connector
- Voice mail Transcripts
- EAI (Email address internationalisation )
- Mailbox Clean-up
- Weather option


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There are a lot of people who usually apply for debt consolidation loans to clear off their debts. Apart from the local banks around you, there are other places where you can apply for this type of loan. There are many online lenders who are always in a position to provide you with the amount of cash you need.
Getting a debt consolidation loan can solve problems by paying off current debt to make just one monthly loan payment. The monthly payment is typically lower than the payment amounts for all of the other debts combined prior to consolidation. You can improve your credit and save money with a debt consolidation loan.A consolidation can be approved for people with good or bad credit.
Steps To Take When Looking For Debt Consolidation Loan
1. Calculate all the debts that you have. By doing this, it is going to be easy to know how much cash you should apply for. When adding up your debts, you have to include all the loans that you have and any unpaid credit card accounts. Having a list will ensure you won't leave any debts out by mistake.
2. Find out what the interest rates are on the accounts and loans that you currently have. This too needs to be paid, and you have to carefully calculate the whole amount. Find out what the interest rates are from your monthly billing statements or call your creditors to get the amount.
3. Start searching for a lender. There are many financial institutions and other lenders that give great rates and services for consolidation loans. Compare what their terms and conditions are for the loans offered, and choose one that is reasonable for you and your present situation.
4. Pick a lender who has the best consolidation loan. All the lenders will differ according to the rates, terms and conditions, amount of cash you can borrow and the interest rates available. The amount of income you have will always determine which consolidation loan lender you should go to.
5. Request for the loan application form and fill it in. You need to ensure that you thoroughly read through the terms and conditions before filling in the form. It is important that you give true and accurate information, as it will determine whether or not you can get the loan. Once the form is turned in, you have to wait for a decision from the lender.
Unsecured Debt Consolidation Loans
There is a possibility of getting an unsecured debt consolidation loan from lenders. This type of loan does not need any collateral, and this loan is mostly used to clear credit card debt. The interest rate is usually high, but you will be able to clear all your debts.
However, the amount of cash you will receive for the unsecured debt consolidation loan is usually lower than if you were to take out a secured consolidation loan. There are professionals who will explain to you how it works, and who will help you decide which loan to take out. The payment period always differ from one lender to the next.


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IDM & Privacy
Identity management systems have become very important in the 21st society. They allow administrators to control access and to confer authorization rights to persons for places, computer systems and e-applications. Biometrics is hereby used as a way to link persons to an identity to make sure that individuals are the ones they claim to be.
Biometrics based identity management systems, however, raise privacy concerns. Biometric characteristics are unique and once they are compromised (for example, in case of identity theft), they are compromised forever. Biometric identifiers shall therefore be revocable if desired or if needed. In addition, the personal data stored in the identity management systems shall in principle be limited to a minimum in order to protect the privacy of the individuals. This includes that transactions of persons shall not be observed or linked if not required and that persons shall be in control over the use of their data. Biometric identity management systems shall also guarantee a maximum security.
TURBINE aims at defining, developing and demonstrating that fingerprint biometrics can be used in identity management systems for increasing the security while preserving at the same time privacy. The researched identity management solution will provide for the creation and verification of secure multiple identities (pseudo-identities), based on fingerprint protected templates, with the capability to revoke and renew such identity based on the same fingerprint in case of need. The biometrics could be stored locally on an object under control of the individual and the pseudo-identities will be interoperable if needed for multi vendor solutions. Cryptographic techniques will prove the security of the system. The partners in TURBINE will hereby also contribute to the further development of international standards.


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I'm quickly realizing that 2015 was one of my most documented years (other than my months of study abroad, where every meal was documented). So in looking back at what happened, the pictures say much of it best.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and there are over 100 in here, so I'll let them speak for the most part. They convey the spirit of 2015 well, but there's a lot that wasn't documented because it couldn't be.
Like the month I didn't have a phone. I was off the grid for a while. And you won't see pictures of the classes I took or meetings I had. You won't see pictures of hours and hours spent at a study carrel in the library or sitting on my favorite couch homeworking. Or when I was trying to do homework and getting distracted.
You won't see pictures of heartfelt conversations or prayers said or sermons heard or books read or tasks completed. Those may have been the most significant moments.
Life is not lived on camera, even if you're on reality tv. At least, not the best life. The flies on the walls of our lives have a better view. They see discouragement before it turns into hope and fear before it resolves to courage and happiness before disillusionment.
The pictures do help though. It's pieces of a year. Here's the abridged version of my 2015!
February: Liesel helped me dye my hair bright red. Did I know it would be that bright? No.
I took my first business trips to St. Louis for a sales conference (where I realized I'm not really a sales person) and for a fashion revolution celebration.
Spent a lot of time with these cuties, eating ice cream, playing in the sunshine, being silly.
Watched some of the coolest people play music: Switchfoot, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, Needtobreathe, Ben Rector, Judah & the Lion. Brooke passed out on me at one of those concerts, and it was super scary but we learned an important lesson about hydration on super hot days when you've been standing outside for 6 hours.
Two of my friends married each other! And some high school friends and I got to witness the blessed event.
And there were friends. So many, doing so many things. Eating (often), holding the Genovian flag, seeing Broadway shows, painting, asking Siri if she has a personal relationship with Jesus, making soup, walking a long way in the snow to get to church, holding a stuffed platypus.
There were holidays; we celebrated them together.
I lived in a house in the fall. You already know about that.
I hung out with my parents more than before. Dad and I went to a food truck fair, Mom and I worked at Art2Heart together, there was mini golf, there were car trips.
There were some personal accomplishments, like working full-time (represented by the branded cookies), writing a memoir, finishing that darn to-do list, helping change my own car battery (let's be real, I didn't do much of it, but I watched), and graduated.
There were Twins games! I saw them win like once, and Tori Hunter got real mad at one of them. A sight to behold.
I got to spend quality time with my sissy. She visited me twice in Chicago (once when I was phoneless), and once we rode the Megabus together… not something we're going to do again. There's nothing like sisterhood.
I visited family, and they visited me! It was a year of reconnecting and discovering that I am master of my own time as an adult and am capable of purchasing plane tickets.
And there we have it. A year for the books, 12 months of life wrapped up.
And that's not all of it, because there's always more than what we see. Probably more happened than I could even remember.
You could apply most adjectives to this year and find they stick in some way or another.
Now, onward to 2016, where the path in unknown, but the Partner is certain.


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On the blog this week, we've featured a brand that's new to Front Door Fashion, Tara Jarmon.
On the blog this week, we've featured a brand that's new to Front Door Fashion, Tara Jarmon.
Front Door Fashion is excited to announce we will now be carrying the coveted Gal Meets Glam Collection! The Charleston based brand is a line of modern, feminine dresses designed by blogger Julia Engel. Julia Engel started her fashion blog, Gal Meets Glam, out of her college dorm room in 2011. What she didn't know was that it would catapult her career.
At Front Door Fashion we don't sell footwear but we absolutely know the importance it plays in the look of every outfit we style. FDF Stylists include shoe suggestions in their written notes about each outfit. They utilize what we call a "seasonal shoe card" that features photos of on-trend footwear. This gives our clients a sense of what kind of shoe will complete the look of the outfit we've sent her. For a company that doesn't sell shoes, we spend a lot of time thinking about what styles of shoes will work best with clothing items when buying our seasonal inventory.
For this month's feature of Created by Women for Women we are pleased to introduce your to two fabulous Texas-based jewelry brands. Both Catherine Page and Sarah Briggs are woman-owned jewelry companies. Each designer offers handcrafted pieces that celebrate their unique creative prospective. Scroll on to read about the women behind the jewelry!
Catherine Page says that while she grew up in a small town with little artistic encouragement she is and always has been "filled to the brim with creative energy." She hopes that her jewelry reflects "the shimmer of truth of who you are" and causes "your inner and outer self to match." Catherine, who earned her Masters in Medieval Art History, says that her love of history and art is "the wellspring from which the jewelry gets its depth and soul."
We fell in love with Catherine Page pieces that featured charms made from original lead Chanel hardware recast and repurposed in white bronze with a 22K gold overlay. Catherine, true to her love of using vintage materials, purchased these Chanel pieces in New York when the iconic fashion house retired them. Now it is new again in luxurious jewelry that is steeped in tradition and fresh at the same time.
Catherine Page uses gold, bronze, silver and various gemstones in her jewelry construction to create a truly unique collection that we are proud to carry at Front Door Fashion.
At Front Door Fashion we have an affinity for brands that create beautiful accessories to complete the outfits we style for our customers. Three Bishops, a recent jewelry brand discovery for FDF, is owned by three sisters living in Texas and we are delighted to introduce you to them. Melody Bishop, Jennifer Bishop Blumenstock, and Natalie Bishop Martin founded their business in 2007 under their maiden name. For the buying team at Front Door Fashion, finding Three Bishops was a love-at-first-sight kind of thing. As we researched and learned more, we became even bigger fans. Three Bishops weaves together beauty and meaning in every piece to showcase the individual characteristics of the stone. The three Bishop sisters believe, and we agree, that handcrafted jewelry made with genuine gemstones and metals is a true luxury. Read more below about some of the specific pieces we selected to offer our FDF clients.


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All the Celebrity Front Row Style at New York Fashion Week!
The Style Set Takes Over Fashion Week's Front Row
Photo 33 of 96
Katharine McPhee looked polished in a plunging colorblock top and loose-fitting black trousers at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center. Nude pumps and a navy clutch completed her look.
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St. Louis Globe-Democrat – April 22, 1961
Bob Ellis pinned Wladek (Killer) Kowalski and Johnny Valentine pinned Sonny Myers in a pair of main event matches on the St. Louis Wrestling Clubs program at Kiel Auditorium Friday night. There were 6275 fans present.
Ellis booted Kowalski out of the ring five successive times with his kangaroo kick. On the "Killers" fifth trip through the ropes his legs became entangled in the ropes and he hung there as referee Babe Martin counted him out. The Time was four minutes 34 seconds.
Valentine was able to work out of Myers sleeper hold on three straight occasions. When Myers jumped on Valentine back for a fourth try at the hold, Johnny raced for the ring corner bent over and sent Myers sailing head first into the ring buckle. Myers fell to the mat and Valentine pinned him in 24 minutes 29 seconds.
Other matches – John Paul Henning defeated Buddy Austin with a bow and arrow hold in 7:41.
Guy LaRose & Ray Gordon won on a disqualification from Nikita & Ivan Kalmikoff for throwing their opponents out of the ring after winning the match (referee Babe Martin reversed the decision).
Rip Hawk pinned Bobby Graham in 13:21.
Roy McClarity and Taro Myaki went to a draw in the opener.


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Banking giant Citigroup (C) posted a second-quarter profit of $2.95 billion, or 95 cents a share, on revenue of $18.6 billion as the bank noted growth in both loans and deposits Monday.
Comparatively, the bank posted net income of $2.93 billion on revenue of $19.4 billion in the first quarter. However, the company's earnings fell from $3.3 billion from last year and revenue declined from $20 billion.
While Citigroup annual earnings are down, the bank beat the average analyst estimate of earnings in the range of 89 cents a share. Its ability to best analyst opinions pushed Citi's stock higher during early morning trading.
Still, the company reported positive activity across the board despite feeling some financial impact from a net loss on the sale of its stake in Akbank T.A.S. and credit valuation adjustments on derivatives.
The mortgage segment helped drive retail banking revenue, which grew 32% overall to $1.6 billion from the second quarter of 2011, the bank reported.
The company's loan loss reserves release is down 50% from last year at $984 million in 2Q.
Citigroup loans grew 10% from the previous year hitting $527 billion. Meanwhile, Citi's loan holdings declined 24% from last year to $128 billion.


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Screened Shelters
Screened Shelters
- Number of Sites: 19
- People per Site: 8
- Electricity
- Lantern post
- Picnic table outside
- Fire ring with grill
- Outside water spigot
- Restrooms with showers nearby
Plus daily
entrance fee
Note: Information and prices are subject to change. Please call the park or park information (1-800-792-1112) for the latest updates. The daily entrance fee is charged in addition to any facility fees, unless otherwise stated. A Texas State Park Pass will allow you and your guests to enjoy unlimited visits for 1-year to more than 90 State Parks, without paying the daily entrance fee, in addition to other benefits.
Pets are not allowed in any Texas State Park buildings. For other general pet restrictions check the Texas State Park Regulations. For park specific pet restrictions contact the park.
Call the park or park information (1-800-792-1112) for more information.


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It's Called Droplet, and You Can Tow It With Your Sedan
Queen-sized bed and full kitchen, at your service
And now, a dispatch from our friendly neighbors to the North, in the form of the small but deceptively amenity-packed Droplet trailer.
Sometimes they like to call it a camping pod, which is fine by us, because not many sub-1,000-pound tow-alongs can fit a queen-sized bed and a covered, kitted-out kitchen, all while having more windows than a greenhouse.
And that light load? It's thanks in part to the high-tech laminate used, which was inspired by aeronautical and nautical engineering. That means even your mid-sized rig should be able to tow it — from a Ford Focus to a Volkswagen Golf.
droplet (3 images)
Droplets are designed in Vancouver, B.C., and it's clear the vision was aiming to hit somewhere between camping and glamping, with a focus on comfort for moments when you're at rest: big windows make stargazing a must, wide doors for entry make it body-friendly ("no need to be a Yogi to get in") and there's plenty of clever storage for your creature comforts and outdoor gear.
Buying options include a road-ready package and an off-grid package for trips that might have more electrical needs, or there's a "naked" option that is sans kitchen — but offering you more customization options. Not ready to pull the trailer (heh)? You can also rent one through their partnerships with Airbnb, Outdoorsy, Kit2Kamp and more, and if within six months you decide to buy, they apply your rental fees to the total price.
Happy trails.


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Home » Brave decision to have breast reconstruction built Jane Miller's confidence
Former newsreader Jane Miller spoke to the Hobart Mercury about breast reconstruction after a double mastectomy and recommends it to other women.
Read more
Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons Inc (ASPS) is the peak body for Specialist Plastic Surgeons (both reconstructive and cosmetic plastic surgery). Our main role is to protect the integrity of Plastic Surgery as a specialty. Our mission is to provide the highest quality plastic surgery care to all Australians.
Read More
Patient Update re Covid
14 May 2020
Suite 503, Level 5, 69 Christie Street
St Leonards NSW 2065
Phone: +61 2 9437 9200
Fax: +61 2 9437 9210
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Info Hotline: 1300 367 446
Follow us:
Visit the Plastic Surgery Glossary for more medical terms.
Website by Hyper Hyper Marketing
© 2020 Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons — All Rights Reserved


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The Victory Hand - also known as the Peace Sign - decorated this polished sterling silver charm. Expressing feelings of peace, love and understanding the emoticon-inspired design features textural beaded details that highlight its shape.


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[Film] The Art Report: MNL – Max Balatbat
The Art Report Manila, in partnership with IndustreeTV, is pleased to present an episode of The Art Report Films featuring Max Balatbat (MaxBal), recipient of the Il Lorenzo Magnifico at the 2009 Florence Biennale (previous award winners have included the likes of Marina Abramovic) and various awards locally.
Stay tuned for an article featuring his full interview. Subscribe to The Art Report and be the first to know by sending us an email at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Last week, I sat down with the express purpose of starting Marvel's Daredevil and watching as many episodes that I could get away with in one go. While I'm definitely a binge watcher during my work off season, I decided to review this particular show not as one big she-bang, but in parts over a series of weeks. This system relieves the pressure of having to binge watch the entire season, while allowing me to marinate on the themes and characters of this new Marvel phenomenon. Let's get started, shall we?
Spoilers ahead, Sweetie…
Episode 1: Into the Ring
What Happened
Daredevil begins with Matthew Murdock, a lawyer who, along with his buddy Foggy Nelson, sets up a lawfirm in the middle of Hell's Kitchen for the innocent, whom he can pick out via their heartbeat and his keen sense of hearing. Matt is blind, but he doesn't let that get in the way of his job, either as a lawyer by day or vigilante by night. When Matt and Foggy pick up their first case, it is that of Karen Page, a secretary who found herself in a room, with a knife and a body, but no recollection of how she got there. Karen fears she is being set up, and, spoiler, she has been. Karen found out something that she shouldn't have, and there is a larger villain at play in terms of her story that we only barely get to see. All we know is that she survives because she is allowed to survive, and, while she may have leaked vital information about her former workplace to the press, the Big Bad isn't interested in killing her, yet. The end of the episode reveals three major crime families working together in the city, and Matt encounters on part of the conglomeration, the Russians, while busting up a sex trafficking ring. It becomes obvious the streets of Hell's Kitchen need cleaning, and Matt Murdock is just the man to do it. He fights like a old school boxer, and boy, can that man take a punch. He has no qualms kicking ass, and even seems to enjoy it, which we come to understand is the reason the opening scene shows us Matt in the confessional, struggling with the dark part of himself that seeks justice and forgiveness, but not penance.
My Thoughts
The show uses flashbacks to reveal to viewers the history of Matt's blindness, the relationship with his father and his journey into vigilante-ism, while not giving away too much of the story. There are also vague references to an "incident" that almost destroyed New York a while back, which I'm assuming is the Avengers fighting the Chitauri, and it made my fangirl heart happy to see the MCU tie-in. I also appreciate that blindness is part of the narrative and a topic the writers don't shy away from. We see in the final sequence of this episode blind factory workers packaging drugs and there is the introduction sequence of the show, which has the image of a blind Justice, balancing the scales. Matt discusses his affliction and the people around him ask questions about it, bringing blindness into the discussion of survival, instinct and purpose. While this episode wasn't overwhelmingly exciting, it provided a base of reference and enough build up, that I'm excited to keep pushing through.
Episode 2: Cut Mat
What Happened
While chasing after the Russian sex-traders, Matt walks into a trap and the beginning of this episode finds him in a dumpster, bleeding out and unconscious. We meet Claire Temple, a nurse who pulls Matt out of the dumpster and into her apartment to tend to his wounds. There are two storylines happening in this episode, Matt and Claire in her apartment dealing with the Russians, while Foggy and Karen grab a drink and try to work through Karen's trust issues. There is an obvious visual and textual juxtaposition between Foggy, who is trying to convince Karen that the city isn't full of crazies like she is wont to think, and Matt and Claire, who capture a Russian and torture him on the rooftops above Hell's Kitchen.
The torture scene is dark and riveting. Along with Matt, audiences are surprised to see what Claire is willing to do to help her city and those in need. In order to survive and to capture the bad guy, Matt has to tell her the truth about himself. She has seen his face, but he doesn't give his name and, when she hears the story of the Russians, who kidnapped a man and his son to lure Matt into their trap, she vows to help him. Both in masks on the roof of her apartment, Claire guides Matt into stabbing the Russian in a painfully sensitive place on his face, and watches as Matt kicks the man off the roof and onto the ground below.
This ain't your mama's superhero.
My Thoughts
Rosario Dawson brings depth to this episode that was lacking in the first one. I enjoy her performance and the lengths Claire is willing to go to in order to keep innocents safe. I want these two to team up again and I really hope that we get to see her in future episodes. The story is gaining momentum, and, even though we don't interact with the Big Bad as of yet, we are seeing more of his PA, James Wesley, who is as professional as he is creepy. So far, so good.
Episode 3: Rabbit in a Snow Storm
What Happened
This episode opens on the most violent scene of the show so far, involving a bowling ball crushing the skull and exposed broken bones with plenty of blood on the side. After being put on retainer by James Wesley and his mysterious boss, Foggy and Matt are immediately placed on the case of John Healy, the man who smashed a skull in the opening scene and then surrendered to the police. The theme of morality and purpose run through this episode pretty blatantly, with Foggy at first desperate for a case because they're broke and need the money, while Matt is not sure about taking on Healy, who is obviously guilty. With Matt's undercover, nighttime vigilante activities and super heartbeat hearing skills, he discerns that the case of Mr. Healy might lead him to Wesley's boss, who Matt suspects is a criminal behind the sex-trade activities as well as Karen's set-up. The case goes to trial, and Matt and Foggy, even though they suspect their client is guilty, fight for his freedom and win. Healy is free to go, but is intercepted in a dark alley by the masked vigilante. Healy's fighting style is similar to Matt's, and it makes me wonder if these men are two sides of the same Hell's Kitchen coin. Fist fights in city streets have led them to opposite sides of the law, and the confrontation between the two is gritty and exciting. Matt gets Healy to reveal the name of his employer, Wilson Fisk, but even a low-level criminal like Healy knows when he's fucked. Healy stabs himself in the face with a fence post after telling Matt that he and his entire family are already dead.
We also get the story of a reporter, Ben Urich, who looks to be fighting against the crime families of Hell's Kitchen with his mighty pen and paper. He and Karen meet, which leads me to believe she has more of a story to tell and hopes that Urich will be the one to help her tell it.
My Thoughts
Well, this just got dark.
I'm digging the dual storylines, but I do miss the flashbacks to Matt's father and his childhood. We finally get a peek at the Big Bad at the very end of the episode and Vincent D'Onofrio is a wonderful balance of intimidating and pathetic, even in the single scene we get of Wilson Fisk at the end. I'm excited to see where this show takes the mytharc and especially pleased to see the story revealing the consequences of what happens when superheroes like the Avengers save the Earth but leave the small time crooks to the vigilantes.
Onward and upward, my friends. I plan to watch episodes 4-6 and write about it next week, Friday. See you then, you little Daredevils.
xoxo The Collectiva Diva
Find me over on Twitter and Tumblr for more Marvel madness!


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Deadline for Hotel Registration
If you are planning on attending the joint conference of the Mark Twain Circle and American Humor Studies Association, "Humor in America" (Chicago, July 12-14), note that the deadline for conference hotel registration ends on June 11. Here is the link to the hotel information: https://humorinamericaconference.wordpress.com/hotel-information/
New Officers of the Mark Twain Circle
At the American Literature Association annual conference in May in San Francisco, new officers were elected. Lawrence Howe of Roosevelt University was elected president, and Sharon D. McCoy of the University of Georgia was elected vice president. Many thanks to Kerry Driscoll of the University of Saint Joseph for her service as president.
The 2018 Mark Twain Annual will be the last for editor Chad Rohman of Dominican University. We welcome the fourth editor of the journal, Ben Click, St. Mary's College of Maryland, who will edit the 2019 edition.


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Five things that add value to a van
Senior Commercial Vehicle Editor | Glass's
Some options can really enhance the value of a light commercial vehicle or make it easier to sell when the time comes. Here are the top five optional extras that, according to Glass's, add value when it comes to selling your van.
A van equipped properly with extras sourced from the manufacturer will often add value. Equally, there are plenty of options that are expensive when new but have little resale appeal or return when the van is offered on the open market.
Our advice to van buyers is, unless it is a requirement for your business, avoid loading up your vehicle unnecessarily with extras that won't give you a return when you sell."
The top five options recommended by Glass's are:
1. Air conditioning/climate control – driven by health and safety, this is now the first thing buyers look for in a used van, and before long, we believe will feature as standard specification on all LCVs.
2. Fully integrated Bluetooth – another feature that is part of health and safety concerns. An essential extra for the van buyer and another feature that should be standardised. To be able to keep in touch with customers safely whilst on the move is imperative.
3. Alloy wheels and appearance packs – although not suited to many large panel vans, those at the lighter end of the scale that double as lifestyle vehicles will benefit significantly from colour coded bumpers and wing mirrors as well as an upgrade on the standard wheels to a nice set of alloys. There is a fine line though – too much bling will put potential buyers off.
4. Paint colours – metallic paint, if damage free, looks great on a van and enhances the overall appearance. The right colour will add value and the van will sell more quickly on the open market. Stick to a nice metallic dark blue or silver/grey to achieve the best return.
5. Load area protection/ply-lining – this is a cheap but essential extra for all vans that are not kitted out with internal racking. It will not necessarily add value to your van, but will protect the vehicle both inside the load area and also from those in-to-out dings that are so difficult to repair.
Note: Glass's is the largest vehicle data provider in Europe, offering products and solutions that are invaluable at every stage of a vehicle's lifecycle. These include key valuation, technical and fleet management data, estimating, bodyshop and dealer management systems and web-based services.
Posted on: June 10th 2016


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For those who like a little nibble in the bedroom these Skins Flavoured Condoms are perfect.
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Some women are born knowing who they are, what path they are meant to be on and what their purpose is. For some it could be becoming the President of the United States or finding a cure for cancer. For Lauren Santerre, her path has been God, and as the Executive Director at Brigid's Place, she has touched many lives and those that know her are grateful for her warm heart, caring spirit and loving soul, because she is truly a woman of real beauty.
A Woman of Real Beauty
A woman of real beauty is a woman who is doing great things in the city with a beautiful soul. Lauren Santerre has the most beautiful soul that we have ever witnessed. What makes her a woman of beauty other than her beautiful soul? She recognizes that she isn't perfect and that staying balanced is a daily ritual for her. She knows her strengths and her weaknesses. She is constantly working on each to improve them and she cares about everyone around her. She is vibrant, from her red hair to her blue eyes to her bubbling personality. She VIBES with beauty.
Lauren Santerre
Lauren Santerre has a degree in spiritual direction and a Masters in Urban Ministries. Growing up Methodist, she says her mom put her on the path of God before she was even born, but she remembers sitting on the red velvet carpet as a child in Church and how peaceful and right it felt for her. She never questioned what her path was going to be. When her parents divorced, Lauren felt as though God had taken on the role as father. She was raised by her mother and her Godmother was also very involved in raising her. Growing up she was surrounded by strong female influences, which explains her interest in strong feminine women from the Bible, such as Mary Magdalene, whose legacy is being celebrated in a month long celebration at Brigid's Place that starts with an art opening Friday July 10 and ends with a workshop the weekend of July 24.
Keeping Balanced
Lauren is a busy woman. She not only runs Brigid's Place, implements amazing programs, is involved in the community and mentors, she is also getting married. She has realized that balance is very important and everyday she has certain practices that she puts into place to keep herself spiritually centered and mentally present.
- Journal – writing out her thoughts and daily affirmations
- Meditation – to keep herself calm and balanced
- Reading Scripture – to keep herself close to God and her path
- Listening to Christian music – to help her spirit and reminds her that she is loved by God
- Talking to her Fiance – to remind her that things aren't always so serious, as he brings out the playful side in her
- Remembering to play – goes to movies, dinner or out dancing
- Doing things for others – whether they are big or small
Lauren loves her life and her calling, and she especially loves Brigid's Place. She loves to be present for peoples life experiences and seeing people hearts because she feels like God has visited them. Lauren Santerre has a motto:
"To love God and to love people.
She has done just that.


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Information and discussion on all aspects of British photographic history
The curatorial job at Tate Modern, previously occupied by Simon Baker is open to applicants. Since Tate Modern opened in 2000, its programme of major temporary exhibitions, collection displays, commissions, live performance, and film programme has developed in diversity, scope and profile. In 2016 Tate Modern opened the Blavatnik Building increasing the scope and breadth of the exhibition and collection displays. The Tate Modern Curatorial Team ensures the highest standard of content and delivery of this programme.
This exciting position offers the chance to play a leading role helping Tate to fulfil its ambition of rethinking the history of modern and contemporary art by leading the development of Tate's collection of international photography through acquisitions, gifts and bequests as well as leading the strategy for representing photography in the programme; researching, developing and curating exhibitions and collection displays.
As a member of Tate Modern's senior management, you will provide strategic leadership and management to the Curatorial department as well as working collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation on shared projects or initiatives. You will be able to combine your curatorial flair with excellent operational and leadership skills and an ability to work collaboratively and make an effective contribution to the running of the department. With an inclusive leadership style with proven ability to lead, you will possess the ability to inspire your colleagues, share your expertise and motivate and support the development of our curatorial team.
You will be an experienced curator or specialist with an expert knowledge of modern and contemporary art with a particular specialism in photography, supported by a relevant post-graduate degree. An impressive track record of publication and research, an established network of contacts and a knowledge and understanding of the issues surrounding collecting modern and contemporary photography as well as extensive experience of the processes involved in staging exhibitions and displays will be essential. You will also be a first class communicator with the capacity to write authoritative texts for a specialist readership as well as accessible texts for a general public. International in your outlook, the ability and willingness to undertake extensive travel nationally and internationally and to attend out of hours functions is essential.
How to apply:
Our opportunities are open for you to apply online. Please visit our website via the button below. For all opportunities, we ask candidates to complete an online application form for the vacancy they are interested in. If you need an application form in an alternative format, please call us on 020 7887 4997.
Opportunity type:Permanent, Full-time
Working hours:36 hours per week
Salary:£45,000 to £50,000 per annum dependent upon the skills and experience of the successful candidate
Location:London - Tate Modern, Bankside
Closing date:01 April 2018 at midnight
Closing date: Sunday, 1 April 2018 at midnight.
More here: https://workingat.tate.org.uk/pages/job_search_view.aspx?preview=pr...
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It's the word the Bible writers' used to described the Christian message. It's a Greek word, they spoke Greek. It means 'Good news'.
Have you ever thought (or understood) that Christianity is essentially news. It isn't advice, it's a report of something that's happenned. Advice tells you 'do this and you'll be happier' or 'try this and you can be better.' ADVICE is offered and rejected, ADVICE can be taken or left, news is different. NEWS is static, NEWS reports, NEWS isn't concerned primarily with your response but with the facts of what's happened.
Here's some Bible quotes that back that up:
Peter talking to the crowd on Pentecost 'You handed him over to be crucified but on the third day God raised him to life.' NEWS
Paul tells his closest friend 'Christ Jesus died for sinner's of whom I'm the worst' NEWS
John tells the religious leaders 'There is no other name under heaven given to men by which they must be saved' NEWS
Paul writes to a church 'Jesus defeated the powers of darkness and triumphed over them at the cross.' NEWS
NEWS, NEWS, NEWS... Our world is full of news. We have 24hr news channels, daily newspapers, news apps. on our phones and news bulletins on the radio.
Some pieces of news lasts for only a day (like the fact that George McCullen won first place in the school cake baking contest), some pieces lasts for a few weeks (like the suicide of a prominent politician), whilst some pieces of news dominates our papers for years (like the death of Princess Diana). It is BIG news this week that Osama Bin Laden is dead and we're told it'll change the world quite considerably. News plays a big part in our lives. Good news travels especially fast:
'It's a boy!'
'She said yes!'
When Riley arrived in the world I delivered the news to my family and friends and my life has never been the same since. The event of his birth has set my life in a new direction. I have a new routine, a new priority and even a new name 'dad'.
The Christian piece of news that has been talked about throughout history, the world over is this:
'Jesus has beaten death, our shortcomings have been forgiven, God is offering friendship and new life to all who want it.'
The event of Jesus' resurrection is one of the most historically verifiable events of all time. The implications of that event are innumerable; life, the history of the world, the purpose of our lives have been set in an entirely new direction.
That's the difference that news can make.
The next time you're tempted to think that Christianity is basically about behaving well or living right or that the church exists to tell people what to do, stop and remember:
Christianity is good news, not good advice.


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The fresh scent of clean towels warm from the dryer with notes of lemon, apple, lavender and lily.
Hit the road with fragrance! Keep your car smelling great inside with this authentic, true-to-life Yankee Candle scent. Try it in small spaces as well! Car Jars provide up to four weeks of fragrance.
Please contact us for more information
Please contact us for our Delivery & Returns Policy


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Omega-3 Wild Cod Bombs Ready Meal
BPA Free Container 800-950gr, Frozen
Home Made
- ฿399 per Frozen Meal(ex VAT)
Back in stock soon!
You know and love crab cakes, with their crispy edges, zesty seasoning, and velvety sauce pairings—but have you tried cod cakes? Our chefs bake the fish until tender, then flaking and blending it with tangy aromatics,almond powder, potato, and eggs. Formed into cakes and pan-seared until golden, they're served in an aromatic tomato and fennel based broth. Ingredient : Wild Cod Fish, Pastured Fed Duck Eggs, Potato, Onion, Garlic, Almond Powder, Pecan, Parsley, Paprika, Asparagus, Celery, Broccoli, Fennel, Oregano, Thyme, Tomato, Sea Salt, Black Pepper And Olive Oil Heat in the oven or microwave. When oven reheating please remove it from the container or your house will smell slightly funky for a while.
|Per Jumbo
|Total Fat
|38 g
|Total Protein
|87 g
|Total Carbohydrates
|82 g
|Total Fiber
|22 g


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This version of Flood 2.0 APK includes several changes which are mentioned below. You can Download Flood APK directly from APK4Market, all you have to do is click the Direct Download Link given below.
APK Description: Flood is a classic puzzle game in which you must fill the game board with a single color in the fewest number of steps
Zen Mode:Zen Mode comes with 4 board sizes and 5 color options…
What's New in Flood 2.0 APK
Undo functionality
"Optimal Play" calculation
Brand New Color Themes
Levels and Stars for tracking progress
Tons of performance and UI improvements
|File Name
|Flood 2.0 APK
|Current Version
|Package Name
|Requires Android
|4.1 and up
|Content Rating
Download Flood 2.0 APK:
Download Flood 2.0 APK
Don't know how to install an APK file in your phone? No Worries, just follow the tutorial below and you'll get how to do it easily!
How to Install Flood 2.0 APK in your Phone?
By following the step-by-step guide below, you'll be able to easily install any app in your Android Smartphone or Tablet using a File Manager.
Step 1 – Firstly, Download Flood 2.0 APK to your computer or you can also download it directly to your phone. If you downloaded it directly through your phone, then it will be in the "Downloads" folder with the name Flood 2.0 APK.apk.
Step 2 – Secondly, Download any File Manager App through Google Play. Most popular App is Astro File Manager.
Step 3 – Thirdly, go to Settings > Security and then check "Unknown Sources". A warning will pop up, ignore it and Tap "OK". Now you're good to go.
Step 4 – Connect your Phone or Tablet to the PC and copy the Flood 2.0 APK.apk file to your phone. And then disconnect your phone or tablet.
Note: Ignore the Step 4 if you downloaded the file directly to your phone or tablet.
Step 5 – Now in your phone, go where you copied the file or downloaded it, then Tap on it, a new screen will come up showing permissions and stuff like that. Tap on "Install" button and you're done!
If you had any trouble installing it, Contact us or drop a comment below and we'll be happy to assist you!
Source: www.apk4market.com
Disclaimer: APK4Market only provides the Android Apps which are already available throughout the Internet on several websites. If you are the Copyright Owner of this App and you want it removed from here, please Contact Us and We will remove your App ASAP. 🙂


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Eyeing IPO, Ring Raises $61 Million
Smart doorbell manufacturer Ring of Santa Monica has raised a $61.2 Million Series C round from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Richard Branson.
The investment funds will be used for international expansion into Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South America and South Africa, as well as additional research and development efforts.
Ring's doorbell video camera, speakers and microphone can be accessed using a mobile app. The so-called smart doorbell also has motion-detection sensors that prompt the video camera to automatically record nearby activity. Customers are also alerted to the activity via the app. Ring doorbells cost $200 or $250.
Chief Executive Jamie Siminoff declined to explicitly disclose Ring's valuation in this latest round, but he said the reported valuation of about $200 million was close. Ring is planning an initial public offering of its shares by the end of 2017, he added.
"The money that we are raising today is for the things we will do in 2017, 2018 and 2019," he said. "It allows us to get some R&D stuff going, (and) deeper algorithms around video processing."
New computer vision technology could allow users to search video footage using text keywords. For example, a customer could type in "red car" to look for clips where a red car is present, said Siminoff.
Ring now has about 300 employees and runs its operations almost entirely off its own revenue, said Siminoff. The company has raised $100 million since it was founded in 2011.
Technology reporter Garrett Reim can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @garrettreim for the latest in L.A. tech news.
For reprint and licensing requests for this article, CLICK HERE.
Stories You May Also Be Interested In
- Investors Come Knocking for Stake in Doorbell
- Silicon Beach Deal Flow: March 18
- Smart Doorbell Startup Ring Receives $28 Million Round
- Ring, Pondering IPO, Launches Security System to Compete With ADT
- Silicon Beach Deal Flow: Aug. 21
- Mobcrush Lands $11 Million, Months After Seed Round
- Ringer Makes D Series Noise
- Tradesy Nabs $13 Million


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The Fund's management board is headed by the Prime Minister and the membership of the following:
– Minister of Finance.
– Minister of International Cooperation.
– Minister of State for Economic Development.
– Minister of Communications and Information Technology.
– Minister of Foreign Trade and Industry.
– Minister of Higher Education and State for Scientific Research.
– Minister of Education.
– Four experienced are chosen by a decision of the Prime Minister on the nomination of the Minister of Higher Education and the Minister of State for Scientific Research and the Minister of Education and the approval of the Board of Directors and attend the meetings of the Board of Directors of the Secretary-General of the Fund.


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A North East university has strengthened its links with China after signing an agreement.
Staff from the media schools at the universities of Sunderland and Wuhan are looking forward to working together in a number of areas, including joint research work and the exchange of scholars and PhD students.
Wuhan is one of the top three higher education institutions in China.
Dr Luke Hockley, associate dean of media at Sunderland, said: "We are delighted to be working with Wuhan University. The agreement proves we are carrying out world-class research."
Six delegates from Wuhan travelled to Sunderland to visit the university and its facilities.


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Leader in Food Delivery in Lanzarote
Order high-quality takeaway online from top restaurants, fast delivery straight to your home or office .Get amazing food from an incredible selection of local restaurants .
Don't forget to add your Drinks !
Great Indian Food . More than a 100 dishes, amazing value.
***Food & Drinks(24h) Delivery Service - TakeawayLanzarote Group | Canarias | Las Palmas.
Order high-quality takeaway online from top restaurants in Costa Teguise, fast delivery straight to your home or office .
***Delivery Fee for this Takeaway 2.99€ .
***Free Delivery for orders over 50€ (Tax and Delivery Excluded)
No products for this restaurant.


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Sunday, January 23, 2011
first steps!
Our baby started walking today! He took a good four steps between Ian and I this morning, and has taken a few here and there several times today. He's growing up way too fast!
Posted by just a mama... at 12:45 PM
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The Best of Everything: The Definitive Career Spanning Hits Collection is a celebration of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' incredible output, in addition to crucial songs from Mudcrutch, one of Petty's other marquee projects.
The massive set is out today via Geffen Records/UMe, and it's truly a must-have for fans — pick up the 2-CD set here or the 4-LP edition here.
As detailed previously, The Best of Everything looks to be a complete, definitive collection of Petty's finest recorded works, presented in a unique fashion:
Petty's family and band-mates rallied together once again to fulfill his dream. Rather than chronological order, the special cross-label collection was sequenced as a hard-hitting playlist giving the entire catalog equal prominence, including songs from his solo projects, songs with world-class musicians The Heartbreakers, as well as essentials from the reformed Mudcrutch.
The new compilation also serves as a companion piece of sorts to An American Treasure, which was the focus of a lengthy feature from Rock Cellar's Jeff Slate last year:
Remembering Tom Petty with an Inside Look at the 'An American Treasure' Box Set with Producer/Engineer Ryan Ulyate
Stream the set below, via Spotify:
Here's the track listing for the 2-CD set:
Disc 1
1. "Free Fallin'"
2. "Mary Jane's Last Dance"
3. "You Wreck Me"
4." I Won't Back Down"
5. "Saving Grace"
6. "You Don't Know How It Feels"
7. "Don't Do Me Like That"
8. "Listen To Her Heart"
9. "Breakdown"
10. "Walls (Circus)"
11. "The Waiting"
12. "Don't Come Around Here No More "
13. "Southern Accents"
14. "Angel Dream (No. 2)"
15. "Dreamville"
16. "I Should Have Known It"
17. "Refugee"
18. "American Girl "
19. "The Best Of Everything (Alt. Version)"
Disc 2
1. "Wildflowers"
2. "Learning To Fly"
3. "Here Comes My Girl"
4. "The Last DJ"
5. "I Need To Know"
6."Scare Easy"
7. "You Got Lucky"
8. "Runnin' Down A Dream"
9. "American Dream Plan B'
10. "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" (feat. Stevie Nicks)
11. "Trailer"
12. "Into The Great Wide Open"
13. "Room At The Top"
14. "Square One"
15. "Jammin' Me"
16. "Even The Losers"
17. "Hungry No More"
18. "I Forgive It All"
19. "For Real"


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Congressional and Public Affairs
Richard J. McIntire
(202) 720-9113
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2016 – The Noble Spoon, a Santa Rosa, Calif. establishment, is recalling approximately 289 pounds of beef and chicken entree products that were produced without the benefit of federal inspection and do not have a federal mark of inspection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The fresh beef and chicken items were produced on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28, 2016. The following products are subject to recall: [View Labels (PDF Only)]
The products subject to recall did not undergo federal inspection and do not bear an establishment number or USDA mark of inspection. The products subject to recall have the Sell-by dates of "02 03" or "02 04" printed on the back of the packaging. The items were shipped to retail locations in Marin and Sonoma counties in California.
The problem was discovered by FSIS while conducting surveillance activities at retail establishments.
There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about a reaction should contact a healthcare provider.
Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.
FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.
Consumers and media with questions about the recall can contact Charles Lindner, company director of nutrition services, at (707) 525-0143, ext. 131.
Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. The online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/reportproblem.
|USDA Recall Classifications
|Class I
|This is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.
|Class II
|This is a health hazard situation where there is a remote probability of adverse health consequences from the use of the product.
|Class III
|This is a situation where the use of the product will not cause adverse health consequences.


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the land trust for santa barbara county
The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County was formed when the Santa Ynez Valley Land Trust and Carpinteria Valley Land Trust combined to serve the entire county. Today, the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County has helped to preserve over 25,000 acres of natural resource and agricultural land, including the Arroyo Hondo Preserve, Sedgwick Reserve, Carpinteria Bluffs, Coronado Butterfly Preserve, Point Sal, Carpinteria Salt Marsh and several ranches on the Gaviota Coast. The Land Trust works to preserve and enhance our county's natural open spaces and agricultural heritage for present and future generations.
Santa Barbara County


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Check my IP
This page was last updated on July 10, 2014.
Internal (LAN) IP
To check your internal (LAN) IP, type this command in a terminal window:
ifconfig | grep 'inet addr:'| grep -v '127.0.0.1' | cut -d: -f2 | awk '{ print $1}'
External (WAN) IP
To check your external (WAN) IP, type this command in a terminal window:
wget -q -O - checkip.dyndns.org|sed -e 's/.*Current IP Address: //' -e 's/<.*$//'
Obligatory Happy Ending
And they all lived happily ever after. The end.


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I'm a VPN user since more than 20 years now and I tried most of the top ones personally I can't tell many negative things about what I've seen so far, NordVPN, ProtonVPN, PIA and others doing a good job. Some providers are slower or faster, some have different jurisdiction and at the end, you never know what they really see and if they hold their promises – it's more a game about words, trust and marketing phrases. There some charts which are often outdated or incorrect, the most accurate you will find is this one but at the end, you need to test out how their service performs at your end.
I often test some VPN's in trial mode or in a test phase in order to see if they hold what they promise, sometimes I even pay for them and after my test is finished I want my money back, well it's not the best practice but you can check if there is a difference between 'free' and 'paid. I did this with like 50 providers over the years to check them out and write about them.
PIA + Proton VPN is a part of my daily Internet usage
I mostly use PIA on my Router and Proton VPN on the client side when I need to switch or test something. I really like this setup and I I trust both providers. I know that some people might say now '… but PIA is US' – well, let me say that the server location doesn't matter since we know that NSA and FBI want to collect all data from around the globe and not only from the US, that said there is no gurantee that other countries not log the same, almost all countries have (officially) an own program (Five, Fourteen, Nine, Cooperative and what not) and (inofficially) all other might also build their own programs or work with others together (you never know). However, the encrypted was especially on PIA always strong and no one so far revealed that they log something. Proton VPN is quite 'new' compared to PIA but they provide reasonable information how they handle their servers, encryption and what they do in order to protect you which gives you some kind of a trust feeling.
… Perfect Privacy
So why do I need or want a switch? Did something happened, let me say, no I still recommend PIA and Proton in the first place cause both are big players and their overall speed was okay-ish. It should be mentioned that the server load is always different because on someday it's faster because there no new Jennifer Lawrence nudes and on another day it's slower because there was maybe something that people want to download – maybe a forced Windows upgrade, who knows?!
I tested perfect Privacy now for a long time, like 3 months and I have to admit I was impressed, the support was really good, of course, there always good examples and people which saying 'everything is shit' but that is quite normal.
Perfect Privacy is not as cheap as other VPN providers, that's for sure. However, I' willingly to pay the money if they hold what they promise and from what I can see they are trustable. The speed and latency is also not bad, same as almost all others they have a huge FAQ which already explains the most stuff. One of the bigger reason is that I like to switch over to IPv6 and PIA blocks IPv6 (leak protection on) and Perfect Privacy is hardened when it comes to IPv6 security.
The company says it doesn't store or logs user data. Instead, according to their website, it stores log files temporarily on RAM disks. There, it is erased forever whenever the storage server shuts down. Perfect Privacy touts this strategy as a defence against attempts to force it to reveal users' data.
On Windows and on Ubuntu Linux, Perfect Privacy provides a very rich and easy user experience. Rather than requiring users to use a generic VPN client to connect, it provides a custom application with an intuitive interface that lets users configure VPN cascading, set up port forwarding and more.
So overall they provide lots of (more or less) usefully features for power users like me and that's what I always search for.
That's basically it
With this announcement given I will do a giveaway in order to give someone my PIA and Proton VPN account. I'm not sure when this will happen because I must first ensure my private information gets changed but I expect this to happen this summer.
24 Month PP here I come!


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Type: Non-interest bearing loan
Synopsis: Well it finally happened, pretty boy zombies are walking the Earth. I knew Warm Bodies was a harbinger of things to come. Or is it the other way around? Any who, a girl with glasses can see the dead and become the indentured servant of two undead zombie hunters who survive through borrowed time. Because debt follows you everywhere, even beyond the grave…
Pros: The character interactions of Zombie Loan were really top notch, and most definitely the highlight of the show. The lead Michiru, Akastuki, and Shito played off each other very well. They made Zombie Hunting seem fun. Their banter during non-action scenes was sorta like if Ghost Busters had starred anime people instead of comedians (Big ups to Harold Ramis). The heavy shadows and lanky body artstyle also fit very well with the macabre story elements.
Cons: The action is not great and the story plot is uninteresting. The show was building towards a conflict between Zombie Loan and various organizations, which doesn't really pay off because the show only had one season. You can obviously tell that this was based on a manga. Some things are overly complicated, like Shito's backstory. I just couldn't get into the actual plot scenes as much as the throwaway character scenes. If you'r not too worried about being a bit lost, I'd say skip around a little to get to the talky bits. They're usually the best parts.
Watch it?: There are hints of greatness, but overall its pretty average (3/5)
MVP: Michiru Kita
She's the viewers's eyes (get it?)
Best Episode: Ep. 3 "Dead Man's Tongue" (It got the story going)