text:
Tuesday was our official Leaving Day and while Christopher did the responsible stuff like check us out of the lodge, I did the stuff I like and went around photographing things. It's an arrangement that has enabled us to have a very happy marriage thus far.
This room had couches, tables and lots of Easter lilies, hanging plants, and various other forms of greenery. It was all very pretty.Apparently Austrians think having animal heads up on the wall adds to the beauty of a room.
Since we missed this part of the tour on Sunday, we stopped by the cemetery where the von Trapps are buried. I almost said "where the dead von Trapps are buried" but that seems a little redundant, as well as quite obvious.
We also drove by the cows one more time. In case it's not clear by now- we liked the cows.
All weekend long we saw signs pointing the way to Inky Dinky Oinkink. The signs were never clear what type of establishment it was, so it was a conversation piece for days. My guess was perhaps it was a tattoo parlor simply because of the 'inky' part. Not that I personally would name my tattoo parlor such a fluffy name, but to each his own. We stumbled upon it by accident as we were leaving and discovered that it is a very yellow bed and breakfast/tea garden. Very different than a busy tattoo parlor.
Stowe happens to be the home of the Ben & Jerry ice cream factory and since we are not ones to turn down the chance to get free ice cream, we stopped for a tour. Tour guide Bob was no less than 6' 10" tall, a fact that has nothing to do with ice cream but is interesting nonetheless.It was POURING on the ride home and we barely made it through the flooded areas without having to call Noah for assistance. As a precautionary measure,we had a lengthy discussion about how to escape a car the finds itself submerged in water. We do so enjoy light-hearted topics.
Thankfully neither Noah nor escaping a submerged car were necessary as we found the ferry to take us across the river.
And so we returned from our honeymoon to our apartment. We both agreed that honeymoons are so fun that we should go on them more often(with each other,of course).


text:
The Portland Trail Blazers Club was founded in 1970 in Portland, Oregon, USA.
The idea of creating the NBA franchise in Portland appeared back in 1955. It belongs to sports promoter Harry Glickman. He suggested expanding the NBA into two teams: one in Portland and the other – in Los Angeles. However, for several reasons, the National Basketball Association's leadership granted the right to create a franchise in Portland only fifteen years later.
In 1970 a competition for the team's best name was announced. Among the ten thousand variants of the names, "Pioneers" was the most popular one. However, this option was excluded because it was already used by the university teams of Lewis and Clark College, located in Portland. As a result, Trail Blazers, the name that received 172 votes, was chosen.
The team colors are red, white, black, and silver. The last one was added in 2002. The team logo was developed by Harry Glickman, the cousin of the team leader.
The name Trail Blazers refers to the builders of railways in Oregon that goes through forests and mountains. The name of the team is often shortened to Portland Blazers.
Blaze, the Trail Cat, is the mascot of the Portland Trail Blazers. It has been the team's official mascot since 2002.
Portland Trail Blazers logo history
Portland has used the stylish minimalist logo for 18 seasons. Nothing can spoil memories of him – even in 1984; Portland preferred Sam Bowie than Michael Jordan in the draft.
The Blazers will never drop out of the top 10 until they use this logo, the masterpiece of abstract art in American sports. Five red and blue stripes symbolize the top five competing teams on the court, which interact on one side, and on the other, converge in opposition. Of all the symbolism of the NBA teams, only the emblem of Portland reflects the poetic nature of the sport.
1971 – 1990
Almost 50 years ago, Portland, Oregon, became a home city for a new basketball franchise with the pretty catchy name "Portland Trail Blazers." The team color scheme included black, red, and white. The initial logo featured five black and five curved red lines, intertwining in the middle to make a circle. The five lines on either side of the image represented five offensive players and five defensive players. The image was crowned with black-scripted "Portland" wordmark, while "Trail" and "Blazers" written in red and black respectively were placed under the image. The logo was very minimal and cool.
1991 – 2002
After 19 years, the club logo was changed, but only slightly. The primary colors remained the same. The previous logo's interlaced lines were mirrored to the previous ones, turning the pattern on 45 degrees and decreasing in size. To the right of it, the logo developers arranged an abbreviated version of the name of the team – Blazers. It was made in large, bold red letters with a black outline.
2002 – 2003
The third change of the team logo brought some volume and a three-dimensional view. Designers increased the interlaced lines in size again, placed them in the center, and mirrored the previous picture. They replaced the black lines with the white ones, added a black outline, and a narrowing of the ends. As a result, such changes made the drawing more attractive and modern. There was the word "Blazers" below, made in italics in black with a slight red outline to add volume.
2003 – 2004
In 2004, the logo was changed again. Designers replaced the white lines from the previous logo with silver ones. They placed the whole picture together with the name in a black rectangle with silver edges, twisted at 45 degrees. There was the word "Blazers" at the bottom of the rectangle. This time it was white with red outlines. Fourteen years later, the name of the city "Portland" was added above again.
2004 – 2012
In 2005, updates were made to improve the graphics rather than to change the design completely. Indeed it is: with the help of shadows and new technologies. Thus, the drawing became neater and more voluminous. The only innovation was the addition of the original word "Trail" to the logo.
2017 – Present
The last update of the basketball team from Oregon occurred in 2017. The main changes were made in the picture, where the red lines were directed upwards and the white lines downwards. Besides, the designers have combined them under a single black contour line from both the top and the bottom. Also, they have made the word "Portland" in big black letters. The letters "P" and "T" were made with serifs – small lines at an angle of 45 degrees. As one of the Blazers players explains, this is a reference to the 45th parallel going north and passing through Salem, Oregon. The inscription "Trail Blazers" is located below the name of the city.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Dear Miniature Enthusiast,
Happy New Year! Isnt it wonderful to have a fresh new year stretched out in front of you with all its potential for new and exciting adventures! I dont usually make new years resolutions but this year I made a promise to myself to build more dollhouses and try new techniques on each one. I think the Greenleaf line of new laser cut dollhouses was my motivation for that resolution! They have so much potential that they have me excited about trying things Ive never done before. Its going to be a great year!
This month were going to start the new year in reverse by looking at some fabulous finishing touches for your dollhouse. Gina joins us with some great ideas for landscaping and layouts while Corwin shares his favorite way of creating the perfect coordinating drapes for every room. Well also take a look at how to make a stone fireplace coordinate with your wallpaper for an extra special finishing touch to any room.
Deb Roberts
Editor in Chief
There is no denying that landscaping a dollhouse gives it that special finishing touch to its display. Landscaping is so popular that it's one of the most asked about questions in the miniature hobby. But you don't need unlimited space and money to give your dollhouse the added realism of a pretty garden or yard. I will give you some great cost effective landscaping ideas to enhance your dollhouses exterior.
Full Story...
This easy Paperclay project solves the problem of harmonizing fireplaces and its fun to do too! If youve never tried Paperclay, this is a great starter project for working with that medium.
Follow along with Corwin as he shows us how to make the perfect window treatment to coordinate with your wallpaper.
I would love to introduce you to our January Member of
the Month, Annie (Fantail). Annie has been a member
of the Greenleaf forum since March 21, 2008. Annie is
a wonderful edition to the many talented miniaturists
on the forum.
Read more about Annie...
I would love to introduce you to our January Member of the Month, Annie (Fantail). Annie has been a member of the Greenleaf forum since March 21, 2008. Annie is a wonderful edition to the many talented miniaturists on the forum.
If you'd like to submit your pet's picture for
consideration for the Critter Corner, you can upload
pictures in the "Good Pets
acting bad!" or "Good Pets acting cute!"
galleries at the Greenleaf Forum.


text:
LIVERPOOL will be hoping to secure the services of Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak this summer.
French giants Paris Saint-Germain have also indicated their interest in the Slovenia international.
The Merseyside giants are reportedly preparing a swoop later this year, according to Spanish outlet AS.
Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that he will not be signing a new shot-stopped during the January transfer window.
CLAIM YOUR FREE £20 BET Sun Bets have this brilliant offer when you sign up and bet a fiver
They will have the money to fork out following Philippe Coutinho's £145m switch to Barcelona.
The goalkeeper remains under contract until 2021 after joining from Benfica in 2014 for £14.2m.
Oblak's contract features a release clause of £89m, but the Reds will be looking to negotiate a lower fee.
PLAY DREAM TEAM WEEKENDER Pick seven players to win £5k!
The 25-year-old recently confirmed that he is yet to have talks with Atletico Madrid over a new deal.
Liverpool's first choice goalkeepers, Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius, have both suffered criticism in recent weeks.
Karius was given the nod for the 4-3 against Manchester City, but once again he failed to impress.
And Anfield legend Jamie Carragher says the Reds will never win the title until they axe Mignolet.
The Reds are currently chasing third in the Premier League table, with Manchester United and City leading the race.


text:
USciences Professor Lead Effort to Update Clinical Practice Guidelines
Published on April 20, 2018
A team led by David Logerstedt PT, PhD, MPT, MS, a physical therapist and faculty of the University of the Sciences, the clinical practice guidelines regarding the best current practice of orthopaedic physical therapy for ligament strains, and meniscal and articular cartilage lesions were recently updated and published.
For their update, Dr. Logerstedt and colleagues from the USA, Norway, and Australia focused on finding the best existing evidence from more than 2,200 published articles for diagnosis/classification, differential diagnosis, examination, and treatment options to decrease pain, improve mobility and function, and return patients to previous activities.
Produced by the Orthopaedic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association the guidelines are used by orthopaedic physical therapists, academic instructors, clinical instructors, students and patients.
Categories: Publication, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty, Physical Therapy, Samson College of Health Sciences


text:
The Institut Fizik Malaysia (Malaysian Institute of Physics) is the local host of the 14th Asia-Pacific Physics Conference 2019 (APPC14) in November 2019. This is the 14th in the series of APPC organized by the AAPPS. For the 1st time this is organized together with the divisions of Plasma Physics (DPP), Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravity (DACG), Division of Nuclear Physics (DNP) and other divisions . The Conference is organized in cooperation with various Physics Departments in Malaysia. The scientific objective of the Conference is to provide a forum for interaction involving world-renowned researchers as to stimulate and enhance interest in Physics around the Asia Pacific region.
Supporters of the Conference:
Asia-Pacific Centre for Theoretical Physics
Academy of Sciences Malaysia
17 – 22 November 2019
Borneo Convention Centre Kuching,
Sarawak, Malaysia
For any inquiry, please email us at email@example.com
Conference Photos and Videos (25 Nov 2019)
Conference Proceedings (23 Nov 2019)
Each participant is allowed to submit only one paper for the Conference Proceedings without page charges. All submission must be done on or before : 12th January 2019
The maximum number of pages are as following:
For those who need further extension, please write to us (firstname.lastname@example.com).
Group Photo (20 Nov 2019)
Press Release 2 (6th November 2019)
AAPPS-APCTP CN Yang Award 2019 – Professors Igor AHARONOVICH, Prof. Xiong-Jun LIU and Prof. Song HE are selected as 8th (2019) Winners.
Program Schedule (4th November 2019)
The final program schedule is released.
Conference Program
- The program is listed as Day 1 (18th November) to Day 4 (21st November).
Conference Registration
- Registration starts at 1500 and ends at 1800 on 17th November 2019 at Hilton Kuching. Light refreshments will be provided.
- Registration will continue at the Foyer of Borneo Convention Centre Kuching from 18th November 2019.
Latest Issue of Fusion in Europe (16th Oct 2019)
A digital version of the latest issue is available on the EUROfusion website: https://www.euro-
Accommodation, Program & Registration (15th Oct 2019)
Hotel rooms are running out in downtown Kuching
We have worked out a special deal with the https://ucsihotels.com/ucsi-hotel-kuching.html. The UCSI is opposite to the Borneo Convention Center. Please contact Gene (firstname.lastname@example.com) and state APPC and FIT rates.
Conference Program
- Tentative Program and Poster Schedule are online and please check for changes. The final program may change due to errors or withdrawals. Please keep checking.
- The program is listed as Day 1 (18th November) to Day 4 (21st November).
Conference Registration
- Registration starts at 1500 and ends at 1800 on 17th November 2019 at Hilton Kuching. Light refreshments will be provided.
- Registration will continue at the Foyer of Borneo Convention Centre Kuching from 18th November 2019.
Early Bird Rates Extension & Abstract Submission (16th Sept 2019)
- EARLY BIRD RATES EXTENDED to 11th October 2019
- POSTER & ORAL SUBMISSION CLOSED. If you still plan to submit, please contact email@example.com
Press Release 1 (16th Aug 2019)
Subramanyan Chandrasekhar Prize of Plasma Physics — Professors Liu Chen and Kazunari Shibata are selected as 6th (2019) Laureates.
Beware of solicitations from outside sources by phone/email on accommodation etc. So far ONLY one speaker was contacted from Switzerland for accommodation but was not registered in our website. However, his name was listed in the List of Invited Speakers. Please see our list of Official hotels which are listed under General Info menu (Accommodation). If you receive emails from other hotels, please beware and immediately inform us.
List of Invited Speakers being updated continuously under Program Details.


text:
The chief of Iran cyber police said cyber crime victimizes a person every 12 seconds around the world.
Brigadier General Kamal Hadianfard addressing the ECCO International Communications Network Conference in Tehran said expanding information technology and communications has a direct impact on relations between societies, and thanks to the United Nations, measures have been taken to coordinate research efforts in tackling cyber crime.
Seventy percent of cyber crimes in developed and 40% in developing nations are international in nature and ''this is precisely why we should cooperate in confronting such crimes,'' he said as reported by ISNA.
He said it cost the international community $113 million to fight cyber crimes in 2013 alone with criminals making $338 million from their fraudulent activities.
HadianFard said about 112 companies were targeted in 2013 by cyber criminals who launched fake tutorials 'to teach people not to fall prey to cyber crime'. He said police inefficiency in dealing with such crimes had made the web a paradise for cyber thefts. ''Iran is now a leader in the region in combating cyber crime,'' he claimed and said the country is ready to share its expertise with other nations.
He emphasized that cyber security is important for families and said with the establishment of cyber police in the country, they were able to track 65% of the crimes.
Hadianfard proposed that the Internet be governed by an international body under the supervision of the UN and pointed out that Iran is determined to fight cyber crime. He criticized US dominance of the Internet and said all countries should be assisted to confront crime in cyber space.


text:
Top Ten Animals Named After Star Wars Characters or Star-Wars-Related Things*plays Star Wars opening track* A long time ago, in a strange strange world of animals...
...Ahem, there are lots of Star Wars fans here. Heck, even some scientists are Star Wars fans too. They even named animals they've discovered after Star Wars characters or stuffs. There are quite a lot of animals with Star Wars related names, here are some of them
The Top Ten
It's also frozen in rock like him...or is that someone else? - xXIMABEASTXx
Han Solo is a species of agnostic trilobite
It's the only member of its genus. Originally, the "Han" part was a reference to Han Chinese, which the largest ethnic group in China, and the "Solo" part references to the fact that it's the youngest Diplagnostidae fossil found to that date, suggesting it was the last surviving member of the family. But the namer of this animal, Samuel Turvey, stated somewhere else that he named it Han Solo because his friends dared him to - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX
Wockia Chewbacca is a species of moth
The scientists who discovered this moth (along with Wockia Mexicana) referred Chewbacca as a "very large and hairy Wookie", and this large and hairy dull grey moth has similar characteristics as him - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX
Note: That picture I added is Polemistus abnormis. I couldn't find a picture of Polemistus yoda, Polemistus vaderi, or Polemistus chewbacca - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX
Polemistus Yoda is a species of wasp
Polemistus Yoda, along with Polemistus Vaderi and Polemistus Chewbacca, were named by Arnold Menke and Charles Vincent. Arnold Menke also named other 2 wasps Aha Ha and Pison Eu (pronounced like "Piss on you") - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX
Xenokeryx Amidalae is an extinct species of ungulate from the family Palaeomerycidae, which is believed to include the ancestors of giraffes
It's named after Padmé Amidala because it has a strange T-shaped horn on its head that resembles Padmé Amidala's hairstyle when she was the queen of Naboo - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX
Adelomyrmex vaderi is a species of ant
It's was named after Darth Vader perhaps because it towers over its kinds, like Darth Vader. It's one of the largest ants of its genus - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX
Tetramorium Jedi is a species of ant
It was named after the Jedi, main protagonists of Star Wars, because the entomologists who discovered it also discovered many other ant species at the same time, so they need to look for names from many sources - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX
Luke... I am your father.-Vestalis
Darthvaderum greensladeae is a species of mite
It's the only member of the species, and sometimes referred to as Novazelandiella greensladeae - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX
Peckoltia greedoi is a species of armored catfish
It's named because of its resembelance to Greedo, a bounty hunter that appears in the first movie - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX
Aptostichus sarlacc is a species of trapdoor spider
Named after Sarlacc, a monster that appeared in Return of the Jedi. Well, this name suits the animal well, because trapdoor spiders lure prey into a pit-shaped web which resembles a Sarlacc's mouth - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX
Yoda purpurata is a species of acorn worm
It was named after its large lips which resembles Yoda's ears. The name means "purple Yoda" - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX


text:
|Just some of the unfinished series I own
30 thoughts on "Talking Series-ly; When one book MAY be enough…"
What a fantastic discussion post!
I have to say, it isn't just YA that experiences the series phenomena. Urban fantasy and epic fantasy are *just* as bad. I once counted the number of series that I was partly invested in and it stretched to almost 100! And that is without starting a massive number that I am interested in reading!
I don't mind trilogies (which epic fantasy is well-known for). At least you know it will be coming to an end. I admire those who write a complete series and then stick at that – the Vampire Academy series and Harry Potter, for instance.
What frustrates me the most are those long running series that just keep going and going – Anita Blake, Sookie Stackhouse etc. Even the great series like Rachel Morgan by Kim Harrison or the Dresden Files like Jim Butcher become a serious trial to keep up with. I want to read the series but find myself suddenly four or five books behind.
This year, because I no longer have to maintain my blog, I am making an effort to catch up with those series that I know I LOVE.
But then I am missing out on all those fantastic new books being published *sigh* I don't think we can win!
I think that if a series has really strong characters, it's nice to go back and spend more time with them, but there has to be more of their story arc to reveal, not just a retread of the earlier books. I think my favourite "series" are when the stories are standalone but are linked by the characters or world, as in Terry Pratchett's Discworld books or (to some extent) Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunners – you aren't left desperately waiting for the next installment, so it's a real pleasure when a new one does come out and you can dive back in!
Thanks Amanda 😀
I haven't even tried to step into adult urban fantasty/PNR etc and it's probably a LOT to do with the series thing. Most of the adult books I read are stand alones and it's what is making them more and more appealing.
Anne, I think you make a good point about series being linked by characters rather than plot. I'm always a bit excited to see a character from a book I've loved get their own story, and usually you can read them out of sequence without feeling lost.
I'm not a huge series fan, but I read three books this week that have sequels planned. Karen Sandler's Tankborn worked as a standalone, but I'm clamoring for the next one. Kerstin Gier's Ruby Red was clearly only part of a story — very little was resolved — but it was so much fun I want to read the others. The third book — which shall remain nameless — started strong but really took a bad turn in the middle and ended with an infuriating cliffhanger. Infuriating because I am really mad and no way will I read more after that writer wasted my time like that. Now I wonder if the bad turn in the middle of the novel took place because the writer shoe-horned in additional plot to turn a satisfying standalone into a trilogy. Regardless, one was enough.
I feel the same way, I look at my TBR shelf/books to be reviewed on Kindle and about a half of the are series, and another quarter are the furst in series and I struggle to keep up. I really don't have a problem with trologies, though i have lost interest in a lot, but The House of Night/Morganville Vampire kind of series – with like 10books, I couldn't be interested in those characters for that long.
Fantastic post!
That situation with your third book is so annoying. It does feel a lot of books are stretched to make sequels.
I think I bought the whole 9 Morganville books I have in one go in a 3 for £5 deal…and before I even started one there's another one or maybe two out. I have FAR too many other books I want to read to catch up so I probably won't be starting it at all. It's a LOT to ask of a reader!
Writers have a reason for liking series (even Terry P :). If you are writing somewhere other than in the real world, you have to build the world. For the speculative fiction writer, being able to set more than one story in the same universe saves an *awful* amount of work creating new worlds. Most of my books are either SF or a variant of urban fantasy. When I was outlining 'Aphrodite's Dawn', at least as much time went on the worldbuilding as it did on the characters and story. It has to, to create an infrastructure that is believable and stable. I have an outline for the sequel to Aphrodite's Dawn (but only one) and if my new book 'Warrior Stone' is well received, I have at probably two more tales to tell in that world.
I don't think that makes me lazy as a writer – I tell myself I'm being 'efficient' 🙂
But, I can so agree with the comments above about series that just don't seem to have an end, that keep churning and churning. Robin Hobbs springs to my mind, and the way David Eddings seemed to recycle characters and plots in the latter end of his output – and in both cases taking the edge off of early work that was very high quality. I can't say I approve of asking a reader to join you on a journey when you apparently don't have any idea when or where the journey will end
I used to be a series fan 'till my so-called favorite author disappoints me-Honestly, I don't like the feeling, it's like a bad break-up 😦 I can't move on. lol
There are some series that shouldn't have been going on for so long – Morganville Vampires and House of Night is just one example. Kitty Norville has pretty much otlived itself already… I think 5-6 books in the series I can live with, anything bigger? I would struggle, especially if I have to catch up. I just won't pick these books up.
I like series books, I like revisiting characters that I loved in earlier books, but I agree I've started so many series and only have the first book and then due to the amount that I want to read and time I end up leaving the series after one or two books.
That said if a book in a series can stand on it's own two feet without knowledge of the previous (and without a lot of backstory worked into the plot) books I don't really mind.
I'm not a fan of accidentally picking up book 2 or 3 without realising it's part of a series (I've done this a few too many times lol)
I used to try really hard to stay away from series because I know I'd inevitably stop reading them. Now it's nearly impossible because everyone is writing series. So far, the only series I've ever finished is the Harry Potter series. The Twilight series is going to be the next series I finish but it's taken me almost four years to read the books- I've spent over a year on book 4, and I'm only half way through it! As much as series like Vampire Diaries pique my interest, I know I'll probably never touch the series because there are like A MILLION books in it! (with the exception of Harry Potter) usually after book three I'm worn out on the series. And, I also find that the longer the series is, there is a greater chance that I will discover a dud in the series, and that's usually when I put the books down and never pick them back up again.
I wish I was like those people who are series-aholics. I wish I could waiting, biting my nails for the newest book released. I wish I could look forward to reading about X, Y, and Z's newest adventures. But I don't.
OH! And, the most disappointing thing? Picking up a book and reading it all the way through thinking it's a stand alone novel, only to discover that you've picked up yet another series. Sometimes I don't even bother reading the rest of the series after that realization. Most of the time the book ended where it should have ended, and to read beyond that point, to read book two would almost ruin my reading experience. Like, I recently read Hollowland by Amanda Hocking. I thought it was a stand alone, and at the very end realized it wasn't. I liked the story a lot, but I doubt I'll pick up the second book because I thought the problem had already been resolved.
I can see why building complicated worlds might need a series (and sincerely hope this post doesn't come across as criticising series authors as lazy, definitely not where I was heading…more about acceptance we realistically can't keep up with them all!)
My favourite authors probably write more stand alones, so I've never been in that position but I imagine it hurts after a long relationship!
That's the conclusion I've come to. I have to face facts…I'm NEVER going to catch up now so why start?
That's a major problem Jesse and usually how I get behind. Then I have a load of series I need to catch up on as well as other books I really want to read. Keeping the amount of series I read to a minimum instead of wanting them ALL seems a good way to go.
I've never even got to Breaking Dawn yet. Part of me feels I should..for closure ha! But the other part knows I hated each book a little bit more, so why put myself through it? Too many books, too little time.
looking at all my favourite books last year. Mainly stand alones.
I like the occasional series, but generally I prefer standalone. I hate starting a series only to find I don't like where its going – its heartbreaking! But when you find a series you love, thats a different matter.
Great minds totally think alike! This has been on my mind SO much lately. I'll be reading a great book and then I get to the end and there is a ginormous cliffhanger. Which is a whole other topic in itself. I mean, can't they at least tie it up nicely for us? Can't there be some sort of resolution? No. It's always got to be the cliffhanger. So then I need to wait a whole freaking year until the book comes out. Then I'l waiting a whole 3-4 years to get the whole story. Is it worth it?! I'm not so sure anymore. I love gorging myself on a story, but the cliffhangers and the waiting are just doing my head in. It's time to stop. I'm def going to be more selective. Doing some research to make sure it's a stand alone or a companion novel. I need a break from the series.
Oh, I felt that way too! The first two were okay. Then I read the third book and it took me forever to get through it. I actually skipped half a chapter in the book because it was boring. It took me forever to even start book four because 3 was…irritating? But I'm so close to the end that I just want to finish the series.
I don't mind reading a series, but if it's going to continue for more than three or four books there needs to be a very good reason for it.
The Tamora Pierce books namely The Protector of the Small series, were a perfect length to me. They covered a couple of years of Keladry's life, in fact the third book covered two or three years alone, with very good pacing.
I LOVED the first two Obernewtyn books, but after that I developed a large amount of resentment for the series. I stopped reading after the fourth book because the 750 page doorstop only covered about three weeks worth of timeline.
So for me, it's mostly about the editing. If it's been well edited, and I can tell that each chapter of a book is there for a reason and that each title in the series is driving the series forward then it's all good and I'll love it. But I get really disheartened and put off if I think the series is being drawn out to increase sales.
I actually love series. But only ones where they feel realistic. I love the Vampire Academy series for example, it feels as long as it needs to be, and that's fantastic. Same for the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy and the Strange Angels series (both of which finished recently). My problem is when a series gets stretched out past the point it needs to be, or when a standalone gets turned into an unnecessary series. Prime example of the former being the House of Night series, which just NEVER ends and the books have descended into garbage. Or The Goddess Test which was a standalone and is now a totally pointless trilogy.
I think it's also important to remember that sometimes this is a publisher's decision, not an authors, and they might have very little say over how long their series is/whether it is a series. Problem is, they don't care whether you're reading them, only that you're buying them (which a lot of the time we are!)
Great post though, and I totally agree with you. I stopped reading the Morganville series because I just couldn't keep up, and the prospect of catching up now is too daunting. I'd love to see more standalones.
Some series get better and better with each book (Harry Dresden) and some should be retired and put out to pasture (Anita Blake).
I could probably be counted as a series addict but I have been lucky in my choices and I am very choosy about starting new series. I too have noticed that when you say YA it generally means part of a series but I guess that is to be expected as series generates revenue for publishers and are more reliable than one off novels that may or may not work. This is the same as the music industry still pimping Beatles tracks several decades after the fact, they think hey we know it will sell so why try anything new.
This is just to show that Harry Potter and Twilight can't take all the blame but this is not necessarily a bad thing. I don't know why having too many good series would be a reason for us readers to complain. I follow a number of long running series, House of Night, Morganville Vampires, Vampire Academy/Bloodlines, Southern Vampire Mysteries, Alex Cross, Heroes of Olympus. I make time for reading them because I want to read them if you find yourself in a place where you think you'll never get to this series or that or to catch up then maybe you just don't like it enough.
Oh no you have lambasted my two favourite series Morganville and HoN. While I will agree with you that there have been some changes made to House of Night in its structure and to a lesser degree its style that I don't like I still can't wait to read what happens next. HoN is great because of the multiple characters that have their own plot points and character development. Morganville Vampires is a great series with a believable heroine and well worth the investment it is less like a series than one long story.
I definitely agree, I dont mind if I know the series will only be two or three books long but it has to keep me really interested. I've not read the third Beautiful Creatures book yet because of this and I'm put off starting books like House of Night and Sookie Stackhouse because of the length of their series'
What a fab post! I've been gritting my teeth lately about the amount of books in a series. I get to the sequel and I think 'AHHH, I have no idea how the first book finished' etc and I lose all enthusiasm for the book. I definitely want to see more standalones in the YA section.
I can't get enough of series! I do read stand alones, but I love going on a journey with the characters of series, seeing them grow as the stories continue. I learn to love them! Sometimes, I get annoyed that stand alones don't have sequels, because I want more. I'm rarely disappointed with books in a series, and it's just great to pick up a book I KNOW I will like because I loved all the previous books. One of my favourites is the Morganville Vampires series, because it just keeps going, yet stays original, unique, and completely unpredictable. I can't get enough of them!
Here here!


text:
UFC veteran, Chris Lytle has found himself a new opponent in the form of Australian stand-out, Brian Ebersole when the promotion heads Down Under later this month for the second time for UFC 127. And not only has he found an opponent but may be looking past him, after he revealed today that he hopes long-time UFC champion, Georges St-Pierre doesn't move to the middleweight division for a super fight with Anderson Silva any time soon because he wants his shot at the Canadian first.
Lytle, speaking to Duane Finley, said:
"Without a doubt I want to fight St. Pierre. I don't think it's going to happen but if Georges gets beat by Jake Shields…if he slips and falls on his way into the cage, hits his head and gets beat by him I'd still like to fight St. Pierre. I'd love the title but in my opinion Georges St. Pierre is the best fighter right now and I'd like to fight the best. I want to test myself and I'd like to see how I would do against him because in my opinion he's the best and that's who I want to fight. I really hope he doesn't go up to 185 lbs. so I'll get that chance."
36-year old, Lytle remains one of the most exciting fighters on the UFC roster, he has won his last four fights inside the octagon and was last seen defeating former 170 pound champion, Matt Serra via unanimous decision at UFC 119 just last month. Ebersole has racked up eleven wins in his last twelve fights since moving from the U.S. to Australia, with that sole loss coming at the hands of Bellator middleweight champion, Hector Lombard.


text:
Today I'm simply posting a variety of Christmas photos from the past twenty-five years. You may or may not recognize a few people and houses in the photos. We've been privileged in the past to photograph some great light displays and some hard-working people who helped decorate Caddo for the holidays.
Post a comment
Comments are moderated, and will not appear until the author has approved them.
Your Information
(Name and email address are required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)


text:
Dear colleagues and visitors of the Internet site of the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union!
For over three years the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union in Minsk has been administering international justice.
The objective of the Court is to ensure uniform application by the Member States and bodies of the Union of the Treaty on the EAEU, international treaties within the Union, international treaties of the Union with a third party and decisions of the bodies of the Union.
The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council at the level of heads of states had formed the first composition of the Court, which includes two judges from each Member State of the Union:
from the Republic of Armenia – Airiyan Erna Vladimirovna, Tumanyan Armen Eduardovich;
from the Republic of Belarus – Kolos Denis Georgievich, Fedortsov Alexander Adamovich;
from the Republic of Kazakhstan – Baishev Zholymbet Nurakhmetovich, Seitimova Venera Khamitovna;
from the Kyrgyz Republic – Azhibraimova Aizhamal Musuratbekovna, Skripkina Galina Anatolievna;
from the Russian Federation – Neshataeva Tatiana Nikolaevna, Chaika Konstantin Leontievich.
The past period is characterized by an increase in the number of applications received, reflecting the relevance of the Court having regard to its jurisdiction.
Not only Member States, but also economic entities of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine submitted applications to the Court. The applications of entrepreneurs related to issues of customs and tariff regulations, anti-dumping, classification of goods for customs purposes, indirect taxation, the responsibility of the customs declarant, monitoring of implementation of international treaties by the Eurasian Economic Commission, the legality of its decisions.
In the judgements delivered the Court guided by the principles of the integration association has developed fundamental approaches to the establishing within the Union of a single market for goods, services, capital, as well as for the observance of the principles of market economy and fair competition.
Today, the judges and the Administration of the Court have a difficult and challenging task to strengthen and develop an independent, professional and objective judicial body of the Eurasian Economic Union.
I am confident that as a result of the joint efforts the Court's activities will become a key to the development of the Eurasian Economic Union and will contribute to the improvement of the law of the Union and to the strengthening of the integration process.
President of the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union
Zholymbet N. Baishev


text:
The Forex world is constantly evolving and during its weekly trading hours there is a wealth of news a trader must keep on top of if they want to make the most money possible. Indeed, because the market can be affected by a number of dynamics, it is essential they know exactly what's happening at all times in order to avoid any unprofitable deals.
For example, let's assume the US Dollar is trading well against the Great British Pound during the first half of the week. This would be a good time to invest some money and reap the benefits of a positive market condition. However, by Wednesday a series of negative news stories emerge from the UK and affect the country's economic performance. These dynamics then adversely affects how well the two currencies are trading. At this point it's important to know what's just happened because it will influence whether or not someone should cease trading this currency pair for a while or continue.
Knowing the value of each currency based on various internal and external factors is crucial and the reason why FXBrokerSearch.com's Forex news centre is a vital resource. Drawing on a number of resources, our information section provides the latest information and data from which users can refine their trading activity.
Beyond shifts in the currency market itself, FXBrokerSearch.com's new section has been designed to give traders an insight into the best offers and promotions. By monitoring each of our 200+ Forex brokers we're able to quickly tell users about the latest updates and bonuses.
By compiling all this current data into one portal we believe investors will be able to make even more money in the Forex market. Indeed, thanks to our dedicated team of analysts and experts, users can find out the latest market developments as well as the best deals in the industry. Putting all this together should help everyone gain a better understanding of the market, which in turn should give them the ability to make even more money.
SolarCity Corp (SCTY.O) on Wednesday said it will begin offering Tesla Motors Inc-made batteries with its commercial solar systems, allowing businesses to cut what they pay to ..
Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT) F-35 fighter jet is making good progress as it nears initial combat use by the U.S. Marine Corps in July 2015, but the company must still fin ..
Americans with chronic illnesses—who are expected to be among the biggest beneficiaries of the health law—face widely varying out-of-pocket drug costs that could be obscured o ..
China Mobile Ltd , the country's largest mobile operator, has signed a long-awaited deal with Apple Inc to offer iPhones on its network, the Wall Street Journal reported ..
A South Korean regulator informed Goldman Sachs' (GS) local unit this week of its intent to impose disciplinary action for possible breach of domestic capital markets rul ..
To hear his former aide tell it, even a client's death posed no problem for Bernard Madoff as he perpetrated his massive Ponzi scheme. Testifying in a trial in New York o ..
ATLANTA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Virgin American will buy the take-off and landing slots at New York's LaGuardia Airport that US Airways Group ..
President Barack Obama prodded Congress to raise wages and secure the social safety net as he issued an overarching appeal Wednesday to correct economic inequalities that he s ..
(Reuters) - Barrick Gold Corp (ABX.TO), under fire for missteps in a tough market, started to address investor demands for a more independent board on Wednesday, by replacing ..
Shopping mall giant Westfield Group (WDC.AX) said on Thursday it would buy the remaining 50 percent interest in New York's World Trade Center for $800 million, which will ..
Risk Disclosure: fxBrokerSearch.com will not be held liable for any financial loss or damage caused by users acting upon any information contained within this website, not limited to and including: all numerical data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals. Moreover, please be advised that Forex trading is one of the most volatile investment forms in the world and all trades should be placed with full consideration of the risks and costs.
fxBrokerSearch.com does not support nor encourage the execution of any investments. Trading with a margin is high risk endeavour and not suitable for everyone, therefore, each investor should carefully consider all relevant trading conditions, such as experience, risk and cost, before taking part in any type of trading, including Forex.
While every effort has been made to ensure all our data is as accurate as possible, fxBrokerSearch.com cannot be held responsible for any prices that are not in line with real-time data. Indeed, the currency exchange market is constantly changing and all CFDs (stocks, indexes, futures) and Forex prices are set by market makers.
This means advertised prices may not be accurate and could differ from the actual market conditions. For this reason it is not appropriate to rely on any data presented by fxBrokerSearch.com for the purposes of trading.
Based on these conditions, fxBrokerSearch.com will not be held responsible for any losses incurred through trades conducted in light of data presented on this site.


text:
Search filters applied: 2005, 1999 AND infrastructure, internal controls and governance, project management AND published .
Actions for Relocating Agencies to Regional Areas
Relocating Agencies to Regional Areas
Decisions to relocate government agencies to non-metropolitan areas are not made purely for cost reasons. They can also serve government policy objectives, such as promoting regional economic development. Regardless of the policy objectives that may exist, I would expect that decisions on individual agency relocations would be based on sound business cases. Those business cases would show how the relocation achieves any relevant government objectives, w
Actions for Liverpool to Parramatta Bus Transitway
Liverpool to Parramatta Bus Transitway
Several of my recent audits have identified a need to improve our public transport system – both for the benefit of travellers and to assist in achieving better air quality. Bus Transitways can provide a good public transport solution for lower density population areas, potentially at a relatively low capital cost. This audit examines the transitway running between Liverpool and Parramatta, the first of several planned for Sydney. This audit should cont
Actions for Implementing Asset Management Reforms
Implementing Asset Management Reforms
Hospitals, schools, public housing, roads, bridges, buses and trains are just some of the assets used by government in providing services to citizens. The NSW Government's asset base is impressive in size - with a value of around $167 billion and with government plans to spend around $8 billion acquiring or replacing assets in the current year. Another $2 billion is spent each year on maintenance. Good asset management is very important to government;
Actions for Managing and Measuring Success: Department of Juvenile Justice
Managing and Measuring Success: Department of Juvenile Justice
Criminal or anti-social juvenile behaviour affects us all. Some of us may be victims of juvenile crime, some may be apprehensive about their personal safety, while others may know of young people who have been in trouble with the law. And, as taxpayers, all of us contribute to the costs of juvenile justice. Currently about one in every 200 young people in NSW is convicted of a crime each year. The Department of Juvenile Justice works with these young of
Actions for In-year Monitoring of the State Budget
In-year Monitoring of the State Budget
The annual Budget is one of the most important and visible statements about a government's financial intentions. Once a Budget is released, it is important to monitor variations from the projections it contains. This is done for two reasons - first, to ensure that individual agencies are properly managing their budget allocations and that any genuine emerging need for additional funding is met. second, to ensure that any changes to the State's overall
Actions for Coordination of Rescue Services
Coordination of Rescue Services
Nearly 11,000 rescues are carried out each year in New South Wales, the majority involving motor vehicle accidents. In metropolitan areas we have three emergency services providing general land rescue - NSW Police, the Ambulance Service and the NSW Fire Brigades. The two volunteer services, the State Emergency Service and the Volunteer Rescue Association, generally cover the remainder of the State. Rescue arrangements in NSW are different to all other
Actions for Follow-up of Performance Audit: Bus Maintenance and Bus Contracts
Follow-up of Performance Audit: Bus Maintenance and Bus Contracts
Periodically we review the extent to which agencies have implemented the recommendations they accepted from our earlier audits. This gives Parliament and the public an update on the extent of progress made. In this follow-up audit, we examine changes following our May 2002 report on how well the: State Transit Authority maintained its buses Ministry of Transport administered contracts for the provision of regular passenger bus services. Parliament
Actions for Planning for Sydney's Water Needs
Planning for Sydney's Water Needs
Reliably supplying water to our State's principal city, Sydney, is a major responsibility for the Government. The community has been made keenly aware in recent years that inflows have been decreasing, and that Sydney has been using more water than is available. In April 2005 the water in Sydney's storages dropped to 41.5 per cent of their capacity – the lowest level since the construction of Warragamba dam in 1960. As Sydney continues to develop, it i
Actions for Managing Air Quality
Managing Air Quality
Air is fundamental to our existence. The quality of our air is a key issue for everyone. It directly affects our health. It also affects our environment, and can even affect our economy. And air pollution does not respect geo-political boundaries. Pollution produced locally may have regional and global implications. The substances which may pollute our air can interact in complex ways, which even the best scientists do not fully understand. Strategies
Actions for Follow-up of Performance Audit: Management of Intellectual Property
Follow-up of Performance Audit: Management of Intellectual Property
Periodically we review the extent to which agencies have implemented the recommendations they accept from our earlier audits. This gives Parliament and the public an update on the extent of progress made. Intellectual property (IP) can have value to the agency concerned and may have the potential for wider commercial use. Poor management of IP can impose risks, including the risk of lost opportunities. Because it is not 'tangible' like a building or pla


text:
Book your private air charter via Falcon Field, otherwise known as Atlanta Regional Airport (FFC) today with Charter Flight Group (CFG). When you choose a private air charter with us, you will understand what many are now referring to as the CFG Difference. Whether traveling to Atlanta Regional Airport (FFC) for business, personal reasons, or to take in a great game at Falcon Field, the CFG Difference is a championship flight.
Serving private air charter clients for more than 30 years, on board thousands of private air charter jets and turboprops, we know that you expect only the finest service possible. To achieve championship service every time, we start with the basics…safety.
The CFG Difference is achieved through not only a strict discipline to all FAR Part 135 requirements, but also all foreign regulations as well. We then follow that up with repeated audits by not one, but two of the best third-party auditors in the world: Wyvern and ARGUS.


text:
Hepatitis C is a rarity among public health issues – one we can eliminate in a short amount of time. Political leaders from across the political spectrum have spoken out on World Hepatitis Day to express their support for elimination. Ambitious action and firm political commitment to tackling hepatitis C is a no-brainer; it will save countless lives and is highly cost-effective. On behalf of the UK Government, public health minister Steve Brine said:
Latest news
1 year 11 months ago
1 year 11 months ago
New data released by The Hepatitis C Trust to mark World Hepatitis Day shows a widespread lack of awareness of the transmission risks and symptoms of the potentially deadly virus hepatitis C. Despite 80% of respondents stating they thought they knew what hepatitis C is, less than 40% knew that it infects the liver, and less than 30% knew the virus is curable.
1 year 11 months ago
Many of us will know from personal experience that the route to hepatitis C diagnosis can be long. A variety of factors create barriers to getting tested and seeking treatment. Confusion about routes of transmission leads to a lack of understanding that we have been at risk. Hepatitis C is often symptomless for decades and we simply don't realise we may have it. A lack of awareness of hepatitis C from GPs may lead to investigations of other causes and conditions when we present with symptoms like fatigue, depression and digestive problems.
1 year 12 months ago
The Wales Infected Blood Support Scheme (WIBSS) is looking for patient representatives to sit on its Appeals Panel. WIBSS was established in October 2017, to provide support to people who have been infected with hepatitis C and/or HIV following treatment with NHS blood, blood products or tissue. Taking over from the previous UK schemes (Eileen Trust, Macfarlane Trust, MFET Ltd, Skipton Fund and Caxton Foundation), WIBSS aims to provide both a streamlined financial payment service and personalised support for Welsh beneficiaries.
2 years 4 days ago
Baroness Randerson, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Liver Health, today (9th July) tabled a question in the House of Lords on the government's strategy for eliminating hepatitis C. Lord O'Shaughnessy, responding on behalf of the government, confirmed that the government currently has no plans to release an elimination strategy, but emphasised that they are working closely with the NHS towards an ambition of eliminating hepatitis C by 2025, five years ahead of the World Health Organization (WHO) target.
2 years 1 week ago
The Terms of Reference for the Infected Blood Inquiry were published on Monday 2nd July, with the UK Government and devolved institutions accepting the terms recommended by the Inquiry Chair, Sir Brian Langstaff, without amendment.
2 years 1 month ago
MPs today (12th June) held a debate in Westminster Hall on eliminating hepatitis C, led by Sir David Amess MP (pictured). The debate was secured following the publication of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Liver Health's 'Eliminating Hepatitis C in England' report in March of this year, which The Hepatitis C Trust supported as the secretariat for the group.
Win a hand-painted Ben Eine x Ibiza Rocks Plectrum plus a trip for two to the legendary Ibiza Rocks hotel
2 years 1 month ago
2 years 1 month ago
In line with the new General Data Protection Regulations, The Hepatitis C Trust has updated its Terms & Conditions and cookies (here) and Privacy Policy (here). Any questions regarding our policies can be sent to: The Office Manager, The Hepatitis C Trust, 27 Crosby Row, London SE1 3YD or to firstname.lastname@example.com.
2 years 1 month ago
The Infected Blood Inquiry has confirmed that recommendations regarding the inquiry's terms of reference will be made to the Cabinet Office shortly, and the inquiry expects to begin gathering evidence in June.


text:
utilicom Australia is offering free demonstration of our latest push rod camera that are very useful as drain, sewer camera, you can see all blockage inside your sewer, Our highest quality camera will not only help you in visibility of underground location, But also helpful to see all locations of upper ground as well. Our executive can give you free demonstration at your own area.
Pay per Click Program - Earn 10 cents per click per visitor
martialartsgear is No 1 choice in Australia for karate Gi and all accessories since last 15 years, We are now offering complete liberty to our valuable customers to get your custom karate Gi done in least time and very affordable price, customer can provide your measurements on our website and select your custom made uniform done, we not only provide uniform, But also all kinds of martial art accessories.
GM Roofing Repairs Sydney is offering maintenance and insurance for your roof, Our expert team will help you in finding leak roof detection, slate roof repair, Terracotta tiles leaking detection, maintenance and insurance, you can contact for free quote and free consultancy, Our executive will first analyze your damaged commercial and residential property for which you need to be repair and then provide you free consultancy.
The American paleo Association is No 1 choice for many great dietitians who appreciate Our research and work, they also agree that if a person wants to live a long life span, he or she should take paleo diet or caveman diet, which contains fresh vegetables, fruits, fresh meat, green leaves, and should completely avoid junk food, oily or spicy food, Regular consumption of paleo or caveman diet food gives long and healthy life span


text:
Competitive rates on long-term fixed-rate financing options.
Meet the routine cash flow needs of your business and manage risk.
Modernize with affordable, convenient financing.
Conveniently manage daily farm and family needs.
Acquire flexibility and potential tax benefits.
Financing farm-related services such as custom application.
Maximize returns by putting idle funds to work where they generate the best return.
Financing for ag equipment and irrigation systems.
Purchase or refinance your country home easily with a variety of fixed and adjustable rate options
Go from construction to permanent financing with one simple simple loan package – so there's no refinancing required when the project is complete
Buy the land you want for your dream of country living, with fixed rate financing options available
Enjoy your own private space for horseback riding, hunting, fishing and other recreational activities
Offering established row crop farmers the caliber of financing they need to remain competitive and expand.
Large-scale producers receive financing to stay competitive and manage, improve or enlarge their operations.
We help producers embrace opportunities and surmount milk price hurdles the market can present.
Specialized financing for food and protein processors, feed millers, retailers and
Large, established poultry and egg producers receive financing that takes market swings and regulations into account.
Large-scale pork producers, integrators and processors receive guidance and resources to help expand their operations.
We help sawmills, wood processing operations and large timberland owners work to achieve profitability.
The stories, people and programs that are making an impact in rural communities and agriculture.
Collaborating with businesses and others in the agricultural industry that passionately care about rural America.
Initiatives that contribute to the economic vibrancy of rural communities and agriculture.
Where agriculture meets business and expertise meets Insight.
Meet the people and explore the forces shaping the place you call home.
At Farm Credit Mid-America, we work with a diverse group of people with a wide range of experiences and capabilities. People who are more than a job title. People who work together for a purpose — to secure the future of rural communities and agriculture.
At Farm Credit, we encourage sharing helpful coaching conversations, unrestricted by reporting relationships, for the good of each other, our association and our customers.
Our core values — honesty, respect and commitment — are part of everything we do as we work together to pursue our purpose.
Giving back to local communities to create stronger and more economically vibrant places for our customers and employees to live and work is part of who we are and how we live our purpose.
What sets Farm Credit apart is the reason we're here — our commitment to rural communities and agriculture.
We want to recruit, employ and retain the best and most qualified employees. And that means we offer more than just a paycheck. We have a generous benefits package that includes health, dental and vision insurance; vacation and sick days; a 401(k) package; a $1,000 employee referral bonus; and some benefits you won't find anywhere else.
Employees pursuing additional education and training can be reimbursed up to $5,250 per calendar year. In many cases, even employee dependents are eligible for up to $2,000 annually.
Life happens, and no employee should be left on their own. We help employees with everything from daycare searches to finding care for an elderly parent.
Farm Credit will provide an eligible employee $1000 toward normal closing cost expenses associated with the purchase of their first home.
Farm Credit Mid-America has been named one of Kentucky's top 15 best places to work for the past seven years.
"At Farm Credit, we're all different, but we share one purpose."
"I was looking to build a career at a company where I could make a difference."
For verification of employment inquiries, please contact:
Farm Credit Foundations
1-800-892-7924, option 2


text:
|| China Fairs | China Cities | Fair List | Calendar | Hotels | Exhibition Showroom | Exhibition News | Contact us |
Technology exchange was rising quietly
It would be held the large and medium-sized Special Report, Cooperation Fair and Technical Exchange during each exhibition in order to complement the exhibition held. Of which the high international workshop, various Technical Exchanges with the abundant content and Special Report has become the highlight.
Like 1996 Car Show, the Discuss Exchange reached 25 fields; include Special Report of Auto industrial reformation and development was formed by the Organizers; the large model technology seminar of the introduction of Europe auto industry development was formed by EC with Organizers; The Chinese and Foreign "Auto spare parts cooperation seminar" was formed by HK Productivity Council with Organizers; The "car with the motor sports seminar" was formed by Chinese car sports league with China Auto Industry Corporation; The special Report about America TRW Company of "Best model technology system of Auto airbag" and "Multifunction Switch with Driver information center" which attracted many professional technical staffs to discuss and exchange.
The International learning seminar of "21st Century World with Chinese Auto Industry" was held during the Seventh Beijing International Auto Exhibition 2002, of which the conference topic was that China auto industry would be faced with the Opportunities and Challenges after entering WTO, as well as the impact of Auto Industry for the economic globalization.
Adhere to innovate, strive to perfect
Each Beijing International Auto Exhibition, the Organizers will introduce some new measures to perfect the exhibition's management and service function, to excavate the exhibition's social and cultural connotations.
For instance, continue to amend the hardware facilities of the exhibition, to improve the conditions of services and surrounding traffic environment, and install the touch screen-tour guide in the entrance hall; it holds the exhibition of "Photo championship", "Exhibition Model Contest" and "Auto Fengyun List Selection" during the exhibition period, which adds the cultural color for the exhibition; it also launch the exhibition's "Mascot", "Solar super-show television display" and create the exhibition area named of the "Exhibition in exhibition", set up the "Beijing International Auto Environmental Park" in Beijing Zhaoyang Park, where can be held the exhibition's "Special performance" and others, it creates the preferable cultural atmosphere, and it also incarnates the organizers' spirit of seeking the "reformation and innovation" actively.


text:
National Assembly President Heng Samrin shut down opposition members on Friday, abruptly cancelling a debate and calling to vote a draft law that opposition members say would have promised civil servants better compensation before being amended by the ruling party.
According to Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Son Chhay, the original draft of the law had laid out housing, travel and fuel benefits for civil servants with the aim of subsidising their relatively meagre salaries, but Friday's bill – which passed 85 to 94 – had been heavily redacted, making no mention of the benefits.
When the opposition protested the changes on the floor, however, Samrin promptly cancelled the formal debate, saying that most members of parliament agreed on the law already, and that Chhay could not "comment more, because you comment a lot during debates".
Chhay said yesterday that under parliamentary procedure, the two sides each offer a brief summary of their positions before the actual debate begins – something that never happened Friday.
"After we mounted [our] overall view on the law, the speaker decided to skip the real part of the debate and vote on the law, and everyone raised their hand," said Chhay, noting that he had never seen a debate cancelled altogether before.
The decision to strip the legislative processes out of later additions, he added, was also troubling.
"The [ruling party] changed that article to say that the government will determine the civil servant payment through a sub-decree, so my concern is that the government is not really using the law," he said. "They are using sub-decrees to replace existing law."
Koul Panha, executive director of the election monitoring group Comfrel, said that for the opposition, the current term of the National Assembly had been "stricter and stricter compared to the previous term" due to the diminished presence of royalist parties, which used to mitigate the CPP's influence.
However, Nguon Nhel, first deputy president of the assembly, defended Samrin's decision, saying on Friday that the president has discretion to lead the debate as he sees fit, and that Son Chhay's preliminary argument was "enough".


text:
One mum struggles to keep her cool
It's all very well when they are under-five and you can chip about with your posh buggy in interesting kimonos and capri pants. It actually makes you feel quite young and chipper, all that business, and I'm sure Victoria Beckham will be busting out some seriously enviable 'new mum' ensembles when Harper Seven gets to run around on Malibu Beach, or wherever.
When they start school, there's a whole different vibe to contend with. I try to keep a tight grip on the 'real' me, but I'll admit that sometimes the mum bit takes over and I find myself cramming my work (and shopping schedule) around sports days, summer fairs, lolliprotests (seriously), PTA meetings and (gulp) cake sales.
The only way I find I can cope (and sleep at night) is to dress for all of the above events in my normal, slightly OTT stylee. At least that way I get to regain some of my self composure – and can kid myself that I have a little bit of street cred (ha!) left.
I also have a very important rule; always volunteer for the job that involves serving alcohol. That way, you can play the role of a cheery barmaid. I've just run the fourth Pimm's stall in a row for the annual summer fair. The first year (armed with lots of Pimm's paraphernalia that the old man "acquired" from a boozer), people thought me and Mr. Fashion Detective were Pimm's employees. That, my friends, is the desired effect.
|Deffo Pimm's o' clock (photo by Robert Worby)


text:
I know I'm a bit late to jump on the Alice Through the Looking Glass bandwagon, but I was recently asked by a client to recreate the Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter look. After designing my own design of the makeup, my self and my photographer, EmiBee Photography, decided to do a photo shoot of the look. So I thought I would show you our results and let you know I achieved this look.
We had some drama from the very start! The camera I have always used to film in the past was dead and I had left the charger at my flat in the city! We resolved this by using one of Emily's cameras that had a good quality recording element. However, she was having similar problems in that her charger had been damaged the previous week by her dog and so we had to rely on the old fashioned way…AA batteries. We had an emergency stash of batteries, the problem was none of them were particularly charged. We ended up filming the makeup application in two minute bursts before the camera would die and we changed the batteries. BUT we finally got there and all things considered I was very happy with how the video turned out. Thankfully Emily had another camera to take the pictures for the photoshoot! Here are our favourites from the finished product.
To begin I primed my face using Barry M Matt Primer. I then used Kryolans Cream Foundation in white, setting it with translucent powder. Using my Real Techniques blush brush I contoured my cheekbones, temples and jawline with Kryolan eyeshadow in Magenta. I used the same eyeshadow and a dome eyeshadow brush to contour the sides of my nose. I did not high light as I find the white foundation creates enough shine on a camera.
For the eyes I used my Real Techniques eyeshadow brush and created a cat eye shape over the lid with Kryolan Blueberry shadow. I then went over the centre of the lid with BarryM loose blue eyeshadow powder; this has a beautiful iridescent finish. On the under eye I used Ben Nye Azalea from the Lumiere Palette. I made sure to leave a small gap directly under the eye so that I could apply the orange from Kryolan Supracolor palette (288). I also applied this carefully to the waterline and continued with the same colour and an angled brush to fill in the brows.
For the lips I placed a layer of Burts Bees Lip Balm to hydrate before filling them in with the pink from the Supracolor palette (R21). To complete the look I used a water based white face paint and a disposable mascara wand to coat both my upper and lower eye lashes.
I then curled my hair my with smallest curling iron and back combed from the roots before adding my hat.
To watch the full application of the makeup check out the video here.
I hope you liked my Mad Hatter Transformation. Let me know if you would like to see more! Let me know in the comments or on Twitter, just follow the bird!
Also a big thanks for Emily at EmiBee photography! She's currently in the process of setting up her website, but I will link you too it when it's done!
Ay x


text:
AARC Weekend September 9 and 10
Dates to put into your calendar
Second Saturday Shabbat Morning Service
Saturday September 9, 10am-noonish
Jewish Community Center of Ann Arbor
2935 Birch Hollow Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Our once a month Shabbat morning service is informal and relaxing, a lovely way to learn and share Jewish tradition while forming closer bonds of community. September's Second Saturday will be Rabbi Ora's first as our new rabbi.
Everyone welcome!
Annual BBQ Picnic
Sunday September 10, Noon-2ish
Lillie Park
4365 Platt Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48108 (Platt and Ellsworth)
Accessible North Shelter
AARC will provide drinks, charcoal and paper products. You bring something to grill, a side dish to share, and your summer stories! The BBQ will be at a new location this year, Lillie Park.
Our annual BBQ picnic is a very nice time for all ages to relax together, introduce new people to the congregation, reconnect after summer travels.
Thinking of joining? New member? Want to meet Rabbi Ora? Everyone welcome!
First day of Beit Sefer/ Religious School
Sunday September 10, 10am – noon
Lillie Park, gather at the North Shelter.
Parents meeting 10:45-11:45
Since Beit Sefer Director, Clare Kinberg is teaching the K'tanim (Little Ones) this year, Beit Sefer Committee Chair, Becky Ball will convene the meeting.
Please, at least one parent from each family attend.


text:
From Mothering Magazine (www.motheringmagazine.com) comes a tasty recipe that is healthy and quick to make. Great for breakfast, or for a light afternoon snack, these Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins are egg and dairy-free, which is wonderful for those with sensitivities.
Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup molasses (for increased sweetness use half molasses and half honey)
1 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Mix the oil molasses, and applesauce. Mix together the dry ingredients. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Stir in the raisins. Drop into muffin cups and bake 18-20 min. Makes about 12 muffins.


text:
Well, after reading S.D.Perry's excellent "Aliens: The Labyrinth", I was in the mood for another "Aliens" novel. And, after looking online, I found a couple of old second-hand omnibuses going cheap.
Once they arrived, I tried to work out which novel to read first and then I noticed that one of the novels – "Alien Harvest" from 1995 – was written by none other than Robert Sheckley.
I remembered his name because the very first book review ever posted on this blog (way back in 2013) was of one of his "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" novels that I read after being curious about all of the one-star reviews it had got online. Since I enjoyed that novel and since I wanted to read something by an author I hadn't read in a while, I decided to read "Alien Harvest".
So, let's take a look at "Alien Harvest". Needless to say, this review may contain some SPOILERS.
"Alien Harvest" begins in a dystopian future where Earth is in the later stages of recovering from an attack by ferocious alien creatures. Famed roboticist Dr. Stan Myakovsky is having a bad day. Not only has his spaceship been reposessed by a court order, but a visit to the doctor reveals that he is suffering from a terminal case of melanoma. The doctor offers him some illegal narcotics, made from alien secretions, to ease the pain – but points out that the disease has progressed to an incurable level.
As Stan sits around at home and begins to feel sorry for himself, there is a knock on the door. The mysterious visitor turns out to be an expert thief called Julia Lish who needs Stan's expertise with robotics to pull off the heist of the century. Since Stan has got nothing to lose and since the heist will be a way to get back at his hated rivals in the BioPharm corporation, Stan agrees. After all, how difficult can a daring raid on an illegal secretion-harvesting operation on an alien-infested planet be?
One of the first things that I will say about "Alien Harvest" is that it is absolutely excellent, but it is also a very different novel to what I had expected.
If you're expecting a relentlessly gruesome sci-fi horror novel, then you're going to be in for a shock. This novel is many things – a brilliant piece of old-school science fiction, a gripping thriller, a drama, a bit of a comedy and a gloriously mischievous heist story – but it isn't really that much of a horror novel. Even so, it is absolutely awesome 🙂
One of the best ways to describe this novel is that it's kind of like a quirky 1950s/60s-style sci-fi novel (think Harry Harrison, Philip K. Dick etc..) but with a few brilliant hints of cynical "1980s cyberpunk"-style dystopian grittiness too (eg: in addition to the dystopian Earth locations, the early meetings between Stan and Julia are vaguely reminiscent of both the first meeting of Case and Molly in William Gibson's "Neuromancer" and the friendship between Pris and J.F. Sebastian in "Blade Runner").
This novel also has an absolutely brilliant three-act structure too. The first third or so of the novel is a gloriously slick 1960s-style caper story involving daring heists, criminal plotting, glamourous gambling dens and other such things. The second third of the story is a good slice of traditional space-based sci-fi drama. The final third is a little bit more of a horror/action thriller story, with some drama elements.
Although some readers may find this structure a little bit unusual or slightly slow-paced in parts, it works absolutely brilliantly and each segment of the novel segues into the next one perfectly.
In addition to this, this novel has personality 🙂 Although it is set in the universe of the "Alien" films, it is as fresh and different as a totally original novel would be. Not only does this novel have a gloriously quirky and nerdy sense of humour (eg: one of the characters is a surprisingly eloquent robotic alien called Norbert, there's a Data-like android called Gill etc..), but the "world" of the story is also described in a brilliant way too. In addition to this, there is actual characterisation in this novel 🙂
Seriously, I cannot praise the characters in this novel highly enough 🙂 All of them come across as three-dimensional, albeit stylised, people who all have personalities, emotions, history, flaws and quirks. Yes, they all fit into the archetypes you'd expect (eg: genius scientist, master criminal, washed-up spaceship captain etc..) but they are all clearly shown to be interesting, unique people. Seriously, for a novel in this franchise, I was surprised at how much humanity it had.
Interestingly, most of what makes this novel so compelling is just good old-fashioned drama and storytelling. Yes, there are a few brief action-based scenes and a few brief moments of grisly horror but, for the most part, this novel is a cross between an old-school adventure yarn and a drama. There are perilous missions, mysterious locations, complex relationships, daring gambits, treacherous mutinies and other such things. All with lashings of gloriously nerdy old-school science fiction too 🙂
In terms of length, this novel is a little under 300 pages in length. Although the slightly slower pace in some scenes and the slightly more descriptive narration makes the story feel about 50-70 pages longer than this, the story never really feels particularly bloated. In other words, the story is well-suited to the length and never outstays it's welcome.
As for of how this 24 year old novel has aged, it has aged in a really interesting way. Although the (mostly) third-person narration is still very readable these days, the fact that the novel almost seems more like a 1980s-influenced version of a classic 1950s-60s sci-fi novel gives it a wonderfully "retro" quality. It seems both very old and fairly modern at the same time. Not only that, the excellent characterisation means that the story's human drama is pretty much timeless. Plus, although there are a couple of mildly "politically incorrect" moments, there's nothing seriously eyebrow-raising here. So, on the whole, the novel has aged surprisingly well.
All in all, this novel is astonishingly good. It goes beyond being a mere sci-fi movie spin-off novel to being very much it's own thing. If you like very slightly nerdy old-school sci-fi, if you like slick heist thrillers, if you like daring adventure or if you just like compelling human drama, then this novel is well worth reading 🙂 Yes, you might be a little disappointed if you're expecting a splatterpunk-style horror story, but everything else about this novel more than makes up for the slight paucity of horror.
If I had to give it a rating out of five, it would get a five.


text:
Saturday, March 17, 2018
8:45 AM to 5:30 PM
A small flock of keen birders headed to Algonquin Park for EOB's final winter-season tour of the season. EOB has had a great run at Algonquin in particular, with four memorable trips this past winter. As was the case during the previous tours, there was no shortage of winter finches. Along Highway 60, we observed both species of crossbill, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch as well as Purple Finch. While walking along the Logging Museum Trail, we heard a Brown Creeper singing; this is a "good" date for a singing creeper in the park, so I decided to send Ron Tozer a note. Ron replied, mentioning that our observation was the first-of-season observation of its kind in the park; neat! The Visitor Centre was a real highlight, with close views of winter finches, such as the remarkable Evening Grosbeak, as they visited feeders. Gray Jays showed well, especially along Spruce Bog Trail, where they were a "lifer" for two of the three participants. We all agreed that they are adorable and incredibly fascinating to observe. Thank you, Helena, for offering the Gray Jays cranberries; they loved them. In the afternoon, we enjoyed a nice, long hike along the trail behind the dumpsters at Mew Lake campground. About 1 km down the path, we heard and observed a small flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets. We heard one bird sing, as well. Perhaps our most, well, I should just stop right there and call it what it is; absolutely our most exciting bird observation came outside of the park itself, during our drive back to Ottawa. We were driving home during the golden hour when top predatory birds and mammals tend to ramp up their hunting. We were just past Golden Eagle, when, to our absolute shock, we observed a perched Great Gray Owl right beside the road. We were flabbergasted by this sighting and spent over 30 min sitting in the car, photographing the bird through the car windows. What a rare treat!
Photo: Male Evening Grosbeak perched near the feeders at the Visitor Centre at Algonquin Park.
Photo: The Phantom of the Northwoods, spotted. Golden Lake-area.
eBird checklists
East Gate (AM): https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43713466
Logging Museum Trail: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43714756
Highway 60: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43715586
Visitor Centre (AM): https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43717260
Spruce Bog Boardwalk: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43719670
Visitor Centre (PM): https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43722656
Mew Lake campground: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43725536
Highway 60 (PM): https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43728964
Highway 60 (Golden Lake-area): https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43729641


text: Meet Hoskins! He is an adorable loving 1 1/2 year old that was rescued off the streets of Thailand. He was born on the street, and had fended for himself since birth, watching many of his friends and siblings die along the side of the road. He then was scooped up in a monthly sweep of the city from the Government, and ended up in a shelter that houses over 5,000 dogs. Only a handful will ever get out of this facility. They congregate by the hundreds dying of illness and being attacked. He was one of the very lucky ones. He was seen by some of the rescuers that we work with there and was pulled out, cleaned up, stayed for a 30 day health check to guarantee his health, and then once completely healthy, was flown here to Los Angeles to now search for his new future and a life he once only dreamed possible. He is a sweet adorable boy who is ready for his new chance. His one ear was ripped off on the streets of Thailand. He has had such a hard life and now only wants love and a family. Our adoption fee is $400 which helps offset some of the flight costs. If you are interested in adopting, please go to our website and fill out an online application form. https://form.jotform.com/oscarlucy/dog-adoption-app


text:
- 3 Trendy Summer Salads with Protein
- 5 Causes of Chronic Inflammation and How to Prevent Them
- Be UTI-free with Utiva
- The Easy Way to Grow Your Own Food
- Grow Your Own Tomatoes
- Fresh Herbs for the Spring
- How to Grow Sprouts
- Top 5 Spring Superfoods
- Psst. Juicy Juicing Secrets
- Finding peace in nature during the COVID-19 Social Distancing
- 6 Herbs and Foods for Gentle Detox
- How Not to Get Sick This Winter
- Winter Deluge Health Survival
- Looking at CBD for your Dog
- KLIIN Creates a Splash!
The Extraordinary Benefits of Omega-3
Research on the incredible health benefits of omega-3s is published almost daily. The marine omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) play a crucial role in brain, nervous system, and eye development. Here are some of the findings.
In a Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada position statement the foundation recommends consuming more polyunsaturated fat, especially omega-3 fatty acids (fatty fish, flaxseed). In their statement they claim omega-3 fat helps prevent blood from sticking and clotting and helps lower triglycerides.
In the American Heart Association's scientific statement on omega-3s' effect on heart health, it endorses raising DHA and EPA levels by eating fish or taking a daily fish oil supplement.
Studies show omega-3 fatty acids improve blood flow through the constricted arteries of heart disease patients. EPA and DHA support normal blood pressure, while increasing protective high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Higher HDL substantially reduces heart attack risk.
The Alzheimer Society of Canada offers tips for making healthy food choices and recommends including foods rich in omega-3 oils, such as cold-water fish and walnuts.
For adults, omega-3s improve mood, memory, recall, reasoning, and focus and support brain health as we age. Chicago's Rush Medical Center found people with the highest levels of DHA had a 60 percent lower risk of Alzheimer's than those with the lowest levels. The University of Sheffield Psychiatry Department researchers found omega-3 fish oil supplements help alleviate the symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder, and psychosis.
Omega-3 EPA has a positive effect on inflammatory response. EPA competes with pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid in the body. This means EPA helps regulate body inflammation, which may benefit painful inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis. Patients with psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and bronchial asthma have also experienced benefits.
Decreased frequency and severity of migraine attacks were noted in a study at the University of Cincinnati. The majority of people who took fish oils experienced a 40- 50 percent reduction in migraine frequency and severity. Participants took nine fish oil capsules daily, with each providing 180 mg of EPA and 120 mg of DHA.
Recent studies find taking fish oils improves insulin sensitivity and reduces insulin resistance in older adults. Since insulin resistance may lead to type 2 diabetes, this is welcoming news. The Norwegian Institute of Health established the role of omega-3 fatty acids in controlling diabetes. The study shows giving cod liver oil to children during their first year of life reduces the juvenile diabetes risk by as much as 25 percent.
Omega-3 is helpful for brain development. Many pregnant and nursing mothers shape their baby's intelligence and happiness by supplementing with fish oil. Exciting studies show children (and adults) with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, and compulsive disorders experience a greatly improved quality of life when taking a daily dose of approximately 700 mg of combined EPA and DHA.
We simply cannot afford to ignore the lifelong benefits of fish oils. At all ages, from the cradle to our golden years, omega-3s help keep us vibrantly healthy, strong, and sharp!
Courtesy of Carlson Labs. Visit: www.carlsonlabs.com