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The hide at Nigg Bay lies on the northern end of the huge Cromarty Firth, just above Inverness. The area, particularly Nigg Bay itself, is renowned for its gatherings during the winter of pink-footed geese, ducks and waders. At this time of the year the pink-footed geese are assembling prior to their migration towards breeding grounds that will include Iceland and Greenland.
On the day I visited, the weather was squally with huge, menacing low clouds of amorphous forms that rolled in from the south-west. The ever-changing shapes seemed to spill over into the firth and it was almost as if you could sense them without actually seeing them. The frequent storms meant I did not spy the bird I had come for – skylarks – but the geese and other birds were more than compensation.
Without going to the hide the geese were by far the dominant bird both visually and vocally. Many hundreds were flying up from the mudflats and heading south-east. They were in groups, small and large, and calling all the time. A few single birds went over me and so low that I could make out their feathers. Perhaps they were going to a feeding area, or simply preparing for their final trip north, but they appeared restless, as though uncertain what they were doing.
The larger flocks seemed to vary in formation with some trying to form a skein. Their numbers seemed to make no difference to the very large numbers of geese still resting in the bay itself. Meanwhile, lapwings were displaying over the fields; these enigmatic birds in greater numbers than I have seen for some time.
The highlight of the day was just before I reached the empty hide when, low over my head and calling loudly, came two whimbrel – these wading birds flying so close that I felt I could reach out and touch them.


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Desk Accessories
Our work desk accessories will help you create an adaptable, ergonomic work space, customized to your specific needs, that will optimize efficiency, comfort, and overall health and wellness. Adjustable height sit-stand workstations, adjustable monitor arms, acoustic panels, storage drawers, keyboard trays, and more. We invite you to take a look at how you can change the way you work.

subset: commoncrawl


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Shiny glass marbles fill the jars of my mind.
Gingerly I plinck one out. A pink and red flowered orb rolls between palms. A mix of petals spell a four letter word: P -A -I -N. Braced for familiar thistles that scab pick, I hold loosely. This time isn't the same. This time warm healing infuses my hands. I did not expect this.
Another marble, same healing.
Each marble a conundrum.
Pain that heals.
Let go to hang on.
Die. And life is birthed.
Dabbing my scrapped knees, I take in the rabbit hole these paradoxical marbles have pushed me down. This upside down kingdom opens doors to a new world. Am I Alice? Dare I walk into the memories and buried emotions?
Yes, this time I do. Gathered marbles and I head out the small door… that leads down a narrow path. Wandering to a broad field with blades of peace and a brook babbling freedom.
I sit next to the living water, stretching my marbles in a line. Left left left right left they march into my willing fingers. Gingerly I cradle a black and blue globe.
Pain mercifully kisses redemption into my bruised hand. All better?
Not yet. But soon; soon.
~Soon disappointment resurfaces as wisdom for a girl I mentor
~Harsh words lobbed at me refresh my mind to tame my tongue toward another
~Rejection feeds passion to keep home fires burning, welcoming others to my heart & home
Letting go of the pain, I catch hold of the truth: He makes all things new. He makes all things good.
The more I roll the pains around, eeking out their redemptions, the lighter my heart. The lighter the marbles. Until they transform into winged prayers of gratitude, catching flight on the currents of praises to the heavens for what the Lord has done.
Gladly will I lose these marbles for the healing and redemption found. You too?
Carve out time to sit quietly in the Lord's presence. Open your palms as you pray, signifying letting go of the pain {and memories birthed out of it}, and receiving the redemption, truth and healing available.
What pains readily come to mind? Ask the Lord how He can and will redeem these.
Can you share these pains with a friend over coffee or during a walk? Ask her to pray, seeking wisdom for pain's lasting transformation.
Memorize this upside down verse: Zephaniah 9:12, Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. Click here to unpack this verse.
xoxo, Sam
Go deeper still on our Jumping off the Train {of negative thought} series!


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Matt Hicks, Staff Writer
Dak Prescott vs SEA: Start
Prescott is like Dr. Jekyll (with Zeke) and Mr. Hyde (without Zeke). In Weeks 1-9 when Zeke was active Dak went 163-259 (63%) for 1,818 yards, 14 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Since Week 10, Dak's gone 107-167 (64%) for just 1,146 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. With Zeke back, and an outside shot at the playoffs on the line, look for a motivated Prescott to have a big game.
Matt Ryan vs NO: Sit
Ryan has been consistently disappointing this season, and we discussed in our Atlanta vs New Orleans preview that Ryan should be avoided this week against a tough New Orleans defense.
Blake Bortles vs HOU: Start
Bortles is one of our championship caliber streamers this week. He's got the perfect combination of being red hot and having a great match-up. Bortles has finished as a Top 10 QB in 3 of the last 4 weeks and has thrown for 1,063 yards and 7 touchdowns, with just 1 interception, in the process. The 49ers have allowed the 9th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks over the last 4 weeks, and the 3rd most on the season.
Matthew Stafford vs CIN: Start
Stafford is quietly the QB10 on the season, and has posted a successful month; going 109-143 (76%) for 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions against defenses that included Baltimore and Minnesota. This week Stafford faces a depleted Bengals team with no playoffs hopes. Over the last 4 weeks, Cincinnati has allowed the 6th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. This combination could make Stafford the difference maker in your fantasy championship.
Drew Brees vs ATL: Start
Brees is QB9 on the season, and looked strong when he played Atlanta in Week 14. We breakdown Brees more in-depth earlier this week.
Jimmy Garoppolo vs JAX: Sit
Garoppolo has been nothing but impressive since taking over the starting job in San Francisco, going 77-113 for 1,008 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. This week, however, he faces off against Jacksonville's defense; who has allowed just 190 yards per game to opposing quarterbacks and have more interceptions (20) than touchdowns allowed (14).
Ben Roethlisberger vs HOU: Start
Big Ben has been on fire since Week 11; going 153-226 for 1,727 yards, and a 14:5 TD:INT ratio. That's propelled him to QB7, making him a sure fire QB1. This week he faces Houston, who has allowed the 2nd most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season. Even without Brown, Roethlisberger has enough weapons to lead you to fantasy glory.
Case Keenum vs GB: Start
Green Bay has allowed 7 touchdowns over the last 2 weeks, Keenum has 4 touchdowns over the last 2 weeks. Green Bay has allowed 14 touchdowns over the last 4 weeks, Keenum has 8 touchdowns over the last 4 weeks. Keenum has been a safe play since Week 12; finishing as QB 13, QB 6, QB 17, QB 4. He's sure to make an impact against the Packers who have allowed the most points to opposing QBs since Week 12.
Tom Brady vs BUF: Sit
Brady has fallen off since Week 13; completing just 62% of his passes (67-108) and throwing 2 more interceptions (4) than touchdowns (2). He's failed to record a touchdown in one of those games, and didn't break the 300-yard mark once. In Week 16 he faces off against Buffalo, who held him to 258 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception in Week 13. Buffalo has allowed the 3rd least fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season and has allowed the least fantasy points over the last two weeks. It's tough to bench Brady, but consider him a low-end QB1; who can be replaced for players with better match-ups this week.
Running Backs
Carlos Hyde vs JAX: Sit
Hyde has rushed for 100 yards just once this season, and has rushed for more than 55 yards just once over the last 3 weeks. He's scored just one touchdown since Week 6, and was shutdown in Week 15 against Tennessee; only putting up 25 yards on 16 carries (1.6 yards/carry). Jacksonville hasn't allowed a touchdown to opposing running backs over the last 4 weeks; allowing just 91.5 rushing yards/game over that time-span. Hyde should be considered a flex play this week, and avoided in all but deep leagues.
Frank Gore vs BAL: Start
Baltimore sounds like an intimidating match-up, but for running backs it's not. The Ravens have allowed 7th most fantasy points to opposing running backs over the last 4 weeks. That includes allowing 8 touchdowns and 4.1 yards/carry. Over those 4 weeks, Gore has rushed for 284 yards and caught 6 passes for 64 yards. He's averaging 3.7 yards/carry and 19 carries a game. Gore is the RB20 on the season, making him a weekly RB2; this match-up secures his value as a starter.
Jordan Howard vs CLE: Sit
Howard is a tricky play; he's one of the top boom/bust players of 2017. He's rushed for more than 125 yards 4 times this season, but he's rushed for less than 75 yards 8 times. His production seems to be touchdown dependent but he's facing the Browns; who have allowed just 2 touchdowns to opposing running backs over the last four weeks. If you're debating him as a RB2, pick your other option. He's still a decent flex option this week.
Devonta Freeman & Tevin Coleman vs NO: Start
We mentioned earlier this week that both guys could be good plays this week. Look for Freeman to be a solid RB2 option is shallow leagues and Coleman to be a good flex option in deeper leagues.
Latavius Murray vs GB: Start
Murray finished as RB10 in Week 15, rushing for 76 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. That's Murray's 4th touchdown since Week 12. The game script is going to favor Murray; as the Vikings are likely to take an early lead against the Rodgers-less Packers. This, combined with Green Bay allowing the 9th most fantasy points to opposing running backs over the last 4 weeks makes Murray a solid flex play.
Jerick McKinnon vs GB: Sit
McKinnon just hasn't had the same level of volume as Murray. Since Week 13, he has had just 25 rushing attempts for 94 yards (3.7 yards/carry). Although he had a great receiving game in Week 15, he only had 1 other game this season with more than 51 receiving yards. The match-up makes McKinnon is huge candidate for a flex trap that will leave you bitter all off-season.
Samaje Perrine vs DEN: Sit
Perrine's 15 minutes (or 3 weeks) of fantasy glory are over; the once promising back has just 120 yards on 33 carries (2.8 yards/carry) since Week 13. In Week 16, Perrine plays the Broncos; who have allowed the 7th least fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. Over the last two weeks, Denver has allowed just 90 yards on 36 carries (2.5 yards/carry) and they've allowed just one touchdown to running backs over the last 4 weeks. Perrine should be considered as a flex option only in very deep leagues.
Lamar Miller vs PIT: Start
Miller struggled in Week 15, but that can be attributed to a game script that favored the pass. In Week 16, he faces a Pittsburgh defense that's allowed the most points to opposing running backs over the last 4 weeks. In that span, opposing running backs are averaging 104 yards and 2 touchdowns per game. IF the Texans can keep the game close, Miller can make a big impact; he's a must start if he's on your squad.
Christian McCaffery vs TB: Start
McCaffery is coming off a huge Week 15 performance where he caught 6 passes and rushed the ball 12 times for a combined 136 yards and a touchdown. In Week 16 he faces off against Tampa Bay who has allowed the 3rd most fantasy points to opposing running backs and the 3rd most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers over the last 4 weeks. He's a must start in all PPR leagues and I believe he has RB1 upside this week.
Wide Receivers
Mohammed Sanu: Start
We discussed Sanu is our preview of New Orleans and Atlanta this week, however, I'll mention here that Sanu has been consistently underrated this season. Expect him to be a great flex option, and show up for what Vegas pegs as the highest scoring game of the week. Bonus: it hurts, but start Julio.
Josh Gordon vs CHI: Start
Since returning to the league in Week 13, Gordon is averaging 9 targets per game. He's facing off against Chicago in Week 16; the team that's allowed the 12th most fantasy points to opposing wideouts over the last 4 weeks. Corey Coleman has failed to catch more than one pass in 2 of his last three games; making Gordon the WR1 in Cleveland and a solid flex play with high upside in Week 16.
Mike Evans & Adam Humphries vs CAR: Start
In deep leagues, you should already know to start Evans, but I've seen him questioned a lot in shallow leagues. Evans and Humphries face off against a Carolina squad that's allowed 15.5 receptions, 205 yards, and 1.75 touchdowns per game to opposing receivers over the last month. Both Evans and Humphries have had the impact diluted by the vast array of options in Tampa. With injuries to Jackson and Howard in Week 15 these two WRs could both have big impacts in Week 16.
Jarvis Landry vs KC: Start
On paper, the match-up should make fantasy owners hesitate on Landry; the Chiefs have allowed the 3rd least fantasy points to opposing wideouts over the last two weeks. Landry, however, is too consistent to leave on your bench, especially in PPR leagues. He's the only receiver in the league to have at least 5 receptions in every game, and has at least 8 receptions in 3 of his last 4 games. He's WR14 on the season, and we need to treat him like a WR1 this week.
Robby Anderson vs LAC: Sit
Anderson saw a high volume of targets in his first game against Bryce Petty, but caught just 5 of his 12 targets (42%). In Week 16, he gets a tougher match-up; against the Chargers who have allowed just 105 yards/game to opposing wide receivers over the last 4 weeks. In that same time-span, they've allowed just one touchdown; which seriously limits the upside of this possession based receiver who is struggling to remain fantasy relevant following the McCown injury. Consider Anderson a flex option, only in PPR leagues this week.
JuJu Smith-Schuster vs HOU: Start
This is a perfect storm for JuJu's high upside. Smith-Schuster put up 114 yards and caught all 6 of his targets in Brown's absence in Week 15. Expect more of the same, and at least one touchdown, from JuJu against the Houston offense that's allowed 26 receptions, 461 yards and 3 touchdowns to opposing wide receivers over the last two weeks. JuJu is WR 31 on the season, but becomes a high-end WR2 in Week 16, as he takes over as WR 1 in Pittsburgh.
Ted Ginn Jr. vs ATL: Sit
Earlier in the season Ginn was a great flex option. Ginn, however, has just 4 receptions for 37 yards and 0 touchdowns since Week 13. We mentioned this earlier in the week, but avoid Ginn at all costs this week.
Marquise Goodwin vs JAX: Sit
Goodwin has all of the makings of a future fantasy star; but this week he won't look like that at all. I see his volume staying high (33 targets since Week 13) but there little chance the rookie can compete with Jacksonville's defense. The Jaguars have allowed just 7 touchdowns to opposing receivers this season and have given up just 107 total yards to opposing wideouts.
Sterling Shepard vs ARI: Sit
Shepard showed up big against the Eagles in Week 15; he did so, however, on 16 targets. Shepard mas seen more than 10 targets just twice this season, and he saw just 9 total targets in Weeks 13 and 14. In those weeks, he totaled just 72 yards and 0 touchdowns. In Week 16 Shepard matches-up against Arizona; who has allowed the 4th least fantasy points over the last 2 weeks. They've allowed just 18 receptions over those two weeks, and 97.5 total yards/game to opposing wideouts. Shepard should be left on the bench; except in the deepest of PPR leagues.
Tight Ends
Antonio Gates vs NYJ: Start
Gates has seen limited work this season, but had done well when given volume. Gates has caught 20 of his 38 targets (52%) this season. He's averaging 9.4 yards/reception and is coming off a Week 15 touchdown. With Henry out for the season, Gates could put up some big numbers in what very well could be his last playoff run. Look for a flash of the Antonio Gates of fantasy seasons past this week.
Jason Witten vs SEA: Sit
Witten's recent success has been based, primarily, on his ability to score 2 touchdowns in his last 3 games. In Week 16 he will have to score against the Seahawks who have allowed no touchdowns to opposing tight ends over the last 4 weeks and only 4 touchdowns to the position on the season. Witten is always a boom/bust play, and this week seems all but certain to be a bust; leave him on your bench.
Jack Doyle vs BAL: Start
On the other side of this match-up, Doyle also makes a solid streamer. He caught 7 of 8 targets in Week 15, the 8th game this season he's caught at least 5 receptions. The Ravens have allowed 16 receptions to opposing tight ends over the last 2 weeks; giving Doyle a safe floor in PPR leagues. The Ravens have also allowed 90.5 yards/game to tight ends over that timespan; giving Doyle some upside. Just like Gore, don't let Baltimore's name intimidate you, Doyle is a TE 1 this week.
Austin Hooper vs NO: Sit
Please do understand that the Atlanta offense is full of weapons so Austin Hooper really does not have any value this week. The Falcons' game plan will likely revolve around their top 2 receivers and running back duo. Hooper only posted a 4-point performance against the Saints two short weeks ago so you'd be better suited looking elsewhere for a tight end.
Eric Ebron vs CIN: Start
Ebron has been hot over the last two weeks, catching 15 of his 18 targets for 127 yards and a touchdown. In Week 16 he faces off against the Bengals, who have allowed the 5th most fantasy points to opposing tight ends over the same two-week span. Consider the red-shot Ebron a WR 1 this week, and a difference maker in PPR championships.
Greg Olsen vs TB: Sit
Last week we saw the Greg Olsen we've been hoping for; the monster player that can catch 9 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Those 116 yards, however, are 3x the total yardage he's gained in his other 4 healthy starts this season. In Week 16 the Panthers play the Buccaneers; who shutdown opposing tight ends; allowing the 2nd most fantasy points to them this season. They've allowed just 3 touchdowns all season to opposing tight ends and are allowed an average of 4 receptions for 43 yards per game to them. It's easy to get excited about Olsen, but you didn't start him last week and you shouldn't start him this week either.
Benjamin Watson vs IND: Start
Watson caught all 4 of his targets in Week 15, racking up 74 yards and a touchdown. In Week 16, Watson is matched up against the Colts, who have allowed 13 receptions. 212 yards and 2 touchdowns to opposing tight ends over the last four weeks. He won't make a huge impact, but if you're in need of a safe option in a deep league; Watson could be your saving grace.
Follow us on Twitter @Top2Sports for daily fantasy advice and everything you need to know to win your fantasy championship


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Cookie and Cream Tart
I'm a Big a fun of 'Cookie & Cream'. I don't know how can I handle my life without Cookie and Cream!!!??? Is it possible? So, I made Oreo Cream tart before I go crazy! It's no bake. and so easy! You might want to try it♪
from wasyoku.blogspot.jp
Serves 6
- *Tart Crust*
- Cookie and Cream (8)
- Butter (2 tbsp)
- *Cream Filling*
- Milk (100 ml)
- marshmallow (50g)
- heavy cream (50 ml)
- Sugar (2 tsp)
- Cookie and Cream (2)
- *Topping*
- Cookie and Cream (2)
Step 1
In a milk pan, Melt marshmallows in milk over low heat. Let cool it slightly.
Step 2
Make Tart Crust. Crash Oreo with a food processor, mix melted butter, put into 6 inch pie plate. then press with your paw. Keep in the refrigerate for about 30 min.
Step 3
In a Bowl, add sugar to heavy cream, Whip it.
Fold marshmallow mixture in Whipped cream . then, add Crushed Oreo cookies.
Step 4
Pour Cream Filling into pie plate.
Let it cool in the refrigerate at least 6 hours.
Step 5
Decorate with Crushed Oreo.
Step 6
Step 7
Now you made it, don't forget to take a Cooksnap photo to upload below! Recipe authors always LOVE to hear from you and see how their recipe turned out in your kitchen.


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The number of awesome music acts that are on in San Francisco blew me away. I missed out on a great festival this last weekend but managed to catch two great bands during my four days. One was Huey Lewis and the News.The night before the show my friend Erika and I decided that we wanted to go but we thought we'd just buy tickets at the door of Mountain Winery. We arrived about a half hour before it was due to start and just as we were about to buy our tickets, the guy behind the desk said, "Here you go, have these. A man donated them to the desk so they're yours." We looked at the tickets – two VIP passes worth about $100 each! Needless to say, we were stoked!
All images appearing on this blog (solange.posterous.com) may not be reproduced, copied or manipulated without the written permission of Solange Francois. © 2010


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E-cigs Exploding In Vapers' Mouths
Daniel Pickett (24) was driving when the e-cig he was holding made a funny noise. According to his attorney, "He noticed a static-y sound. Literally, half a second later, it vented, or exploded. It just really tore the heck out of his hand and arm." Burn and trauma experts at Harborview … Continue reading


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By Matthew E. Milliken
Dec. 19, 2014
One interesting thing about blogging that I learned this fall is that it helps me make connections — often completely unexpected ones.
I don't just mean the kind of free-association stuff that happened in my car — well, in my head while I was driving — Wednesday night, which I wrote about yesterday. I mean things like actor-director Ben Affleck's connection with novelist Dennis Lehane.
I've written four different blog posts about Lehane — in December 2012, when I discussed his 2008 historical novel, The Given Day; the following month, when I reviewed Lehane's 2003 psychological suspense thriller, Shutter Island; in April 2013, with a take on Lehane's 2010 finale to his Kenzie-Gennaro detective series, Moonlight Mile; and six weeks ago, when I reviewed Live by Night, Lehane's 2012 quasi-sequel to The Given Day.
How does Affleck come in? About three weeks ago, when I was preparing my post about his 2012 Academy Award–winning movie, Argo, I looked up Affleck's directing credits. Argo is Affleck's third feature film. His first full-length movie, Gone Baby Gone (2007), turns out to have been based on Lehane's 1998 novel, Gone, Baby, Gone.
Oh, and not so incidentally: Affleck has a fourth movie in the works. It's also based on a Lehane book — in fact, on Lehane's 11th novel, Live by Night.
Actually, I forgot about this Affleck-Lehane link for a few weeks. It resurfaced just the other day; when I started sifting through some long-neglected browser tab, I caught sight of Affleck's Internet Movie Database page and it jogged my memory.
By the by, there's another Affleck who connects with this blog. (The following link is something I learned about when preparing this very blog post.)
I knew that Casey Affleck, Ben's younger brother, was in a movie I saw recently, Interstellar: Casey has a relatively small role as Tom Cooper, the main character's adult son. (A different actor fills the role during Tom's teenage years.) What I hadn't realized is that Affleck starred in one of his sibling's films: Casey played private eye Patrick Kenzie in Gone Baby Gone.
Oh, and Casey Affleck has a role playing Morgan O'Mally, a character whom I don't recall in the least, in Good Will Hunting, the fine 1997 movie directed by Gus Van Sant. Good Will Hunting — which I haven't seen since it was released — was written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and starred the writers and Robin Williams.
Matt Damon, by the way, has a pivotal role in Interstellar as Dr. Mann, one of the marooned scientists. So that's at least two movies that Matt Damon's been in with Casey Affleck. (The two men are never on screen together in Interstellar; I've no idea whether they share any scenes in Good Will Hunting, although I'd guess the answer is yes.)
And speaking of Christopher Nolan…
He directed Interstellar, of course. And Inception. And a trilogy of excellent Batman movies. And Memento, a fantastic psychological thriller from 2000 about a man with a memory impairment.
I don't remember much (the irony here is unintentional) about The Prestige, Nolan's 2006 movie about dueling British 19th-century magicians — although I distinctly remember reading, and loving, the 1995 Christopher Priest novel on which it's based — but the movie seems to have been well-received. That's also true of Insomnia, Nolan's 2002 Alaska murder mystery starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams, which I'm certain that I've never watched.
What I'm trying to say here is that writing this blog has helped me realize that Nolan is one of the most inventive and exciting filmmakers of our time. Not to get all fanboyish — there have certainly been things I've disliked about Nolan's recent films — but this is a writer-director with intelligence and style.
So one of my mini-projects for 2015 will be to seek out, watch and write about the other Nolan features that I've yet to discuss on this blog: Following (1997), Memento, Insomnia and The Prestige.
It'll make for some interesting viewing, I'm sure. And for some interesting blog posts, too, I hope!


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SIT GL 1048 Silencers Extra Light
Premium classical guitar strings designed for the guitarist looking for something a little different. The trebles are the same high quality trebles found in our Classits Elite set, but are gold in color. The basses are an 80/20 Golden Bronze compression wound string for a smooth feel and less finger noise. The final result is an original classic sound and feel with perfect intonation.
- .030, .033, .041, .028, .035, .040


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This macramé knot is very easy, it called cobra knot.
Since I learned myself how to make it on youtube by somebody that has better video skills that I could ever imagine, check this cobra stitch tutorial .
Now for the fun and fashionable part of the process:
--> the ingredients:
* nylon neon color cord
* matching color thread
* chain about 1 ft
* 2 big clasps
* 2 end caps 5mm
* 2 headpins
* 4 split rings 7mm
* a safety pin
* round nose pliers, scissors, needle and some fire...and your glue gun.
I made the bracelet using two strands of cord to make it bulkier. mine it's 8" long (turned out being a bit big for me, but will be fixed!)
*stitch the tails of the knot hiding inside the knot itself
Don't stitch the strands of the inner side of the knot, just melt the edges, and sew them tight together so that you'll ended up having two ends.
* repeat with the other end cap & headpin.
* spread apart the two loops, like in the picture
* connect the split rings also to the loop on the end cap
* slip the safety pin into the other end of the chain
* start weaving the chain in and out (I left the chain loose between each pass)
* keep going until you reach the other side
* remove the excess glue!


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Kowtow Stance Dress
- from $75.00
Kowtow Stance Dress
- from $75.00
Shipping + Returns
- This item is final sale.
- Shipping from elborne (West Hollywood, CA) to Ashburn, VA
- Estimated delivery dates (when provided) are for orders placed today considering typical order processing and shipping times to Ashburn, VA. However, weather and other unforeseen circumstances may occasionally cause delays.
- Full Shipping Policy Full Returns Policy
|🇺🇸 US Priority
|2-4 business days
|FREE Domestic Priority shipping on orders $100 and over from this store.
|🇺🇸 US Express
|1-3 business days
Straight fit, boat neck dress. - Gathered back sleeve hem detail - Self fabric belt
Something on your mind? Spill! We're here to help!
The Boutique
Sacrificing style for sustainability is not part of this Los Angeles-based boutique's vocabulary. Home to a carefully edited selection of brands and designers that are committed to creating clothes and accessories both ethically and cruelty-free, elborne makes sure that everything in the shop looks good and is good for the environment. Does it get any better? Nope.
The Designer
Kowtow's design ethos goes from seed to garment as their commitment to fair trade and sustainable practices drives every detail of their everyday basics. Founded by Gosia Piatek in New Zealand, the contemporary fashion line uses only 100% fair trade certified cotton and works hard to ensure their employees from Kolkata, India receive fair wages and employee benefits. The brand is also dedicated to creating awareness about the imbalance in standards of living throughout the world.


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Ready, set, sail! It's time to discover the deep blue sea with a fun submarine bath toy. Munchkin's Undersea Explorer is the perfect way to channel underwater adventure on the high bathtime seas. Little voyagers will have a blast dipping, diving, and creating real air bubbles aboard this yellow submarine. Holes in the vessel create air bubbles when submerged in water and the propeller spins freely, adding a realistic touch. With the weighted cabin, the driver always lands right side up, too! This creative bath toy is great for younger babies developing fine motor skills and older kids who love letting their imaginations set sail.
- Yellow submarine toy creates air bubbles when submerged underwater
- Cabin spins to reveal cool rattling beads
- Lightweight tub toy that's perfectly sized for small hands
- Helps develop fine motor skills
- 12+ months
Delivery CostOn all orders to mainland UK addresses we are able to offer an incentivised carriage charge based on your order value with us as follows:
|Order Value (£)
|Delivery Charge (£)
|£0.00 to £49.99
|£50.00 to £74.99
|£75.00 +
- Orders for the Scottish Highlands, the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey), the Isle of Man or Ireland will all be charged at £9.95.
- We are able to deliver to European destinations and other parts of the world. Please refer our Delivery tab (at top) for more details.
Additional Information
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Training and Injury
It's that time again: a reminder that while we attempt to mitigate injuries by using proper form during our training, injuries happen. When they do occur, we have to treat both the physical and psychological effects. The physical rehab is often straightforward, if not a bit tedious, but the mental rehab can have serious repercussions on your future fitness.
On Saturday I was finishing up my workout with some heavy prowler pushes in the alley when I felt something hit me in the back of my left leg. I turned around, only to realize that nobody was behind me, and that the feeling of being hit was actually a serious strain of my calf muscle. I spent the rest of the weekend and most of Monday unable to put any weight on the injured leg. I allowed myself about an hour on Saturday to feel sorry for myself, and then I put all those feelings aside and planned what the next few weeks would look like. While the rehab will likely take a several weeks, it'll probably be a couple of months before I regain full strength and mobility in my leg. I know, however, that with the support of Chris, Armen, Annie, and the rest of the CF818 family, I'll have little trouble in coming back as strong as ever!
If you're dealing with an injury and it's got you feeling down, come talk to your coaches and we'll help you plan on how to stay engaged and recovering actively!
Today's Workout
Half "Luce"
3 rounds for time of:
500m run
5 Muscle-ups
50 Squats
Posted by Zareh.
March 2017


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Food & Drink
8 tools for finding the perfect hotel
By Sean O'Neill, Budget Travel • Updated 22nd March 2012
If you book hotels online, it's time to face facts: Your favorite travel website probably isn't cutting it. In the past decade, some of the best-known travel sites have lost their fastball.
They're not as smart and nimble as the new kids on the Web that now have tools for smarter comparison shopping, searches for smaller B&Bs and niche neighborhoods, and access to blocks of rooms reserved for its members.
Before you try these, one word of caution: No single site is the be-all-and-end-of-all of hotel booking. We recommend using at least two search tools, such as your current favorite online travel agency and one of the hotel shopping engines we've named here, to max out your chances of nabbing the perfect room or upgrade. Happy shopping!
Best for:
Travelers who like the idea of hotel owners competing for their business.
What it does:
Hoteliers often hold back a handful of rooms to sell to last-minute guests, but they don't always fill them. You can book one of these rooms as they're released by logging on to BackBid, which enables hotels to sell rooms to travelers who already have confirmed bookings at rival properties.
How it works:
Book a refundable reservation at a hotel through your favorite website, and then create a free account at BackBid. Forward the email with your confirmed hotel reservation to the site, and it will shoot your reservation details -- minus your credit card information -- to dozens of hotels at your destination.
BackBid will then share with you any counter-offers rival hotels may make, such as a comparable room at a lower rate.
Best for:
Travelers who want an independent source to vouch for the honesty of vacation package prices.
What it does:
Many hotels tout packages that include perks, such as valet parking and a spa treatment, claiming that the package prices represent deep discounts over buying the components separately. DealBase vets each package for its true value.
How it works:
Use DealBase to pick a hotel package at your destination, then click on the listing for a breakdown of the estimated costs of the package's components. (The site even publishes a list of the "worst" hotel deals.)
Budget Travel: 12 elevators you need to see to believe
Best for:
Travelers who prefer staying at independently owned properties.
What it does:
Founded this year, HotelSweep lists more than 50,000 U.S. hotels, motels, B&Bs, and guesthouses, scraping listings off countless websites. (A British version, hotelsweep.co.uk, does the same thing for lodging in the United Kingdom.)
One of the perks of the site is that it lists mom-and-pop properties -- places that generally aim to attract budget-conscious travelers, but are too small to afford the costs of being listed with multinational travel agencies.
How it works:
Punch your destination into HotelSweep's "direct hotel search" tool, and the site will fetch a quick-and-dirty list of properties, which you can sort by nightly rate or distance from a particular location. A Google Street View image of the property is provided, but it's up to you to take the next step and contact the managers and book a room.
If that is too much work, HotelSweep also has a "live price comparison" tool, which is a standard booking engine powered by HotelsCombined.com, an Australian rival to Kayak, though it doesn't include all of the mom-and-pop listings that turn up in the "direct hotel search" tool.
Best for:
Culture vultures and nightlife fans who want to stay in the buzziest neighborhoods.
What it does:
Previously a metasearch site for airfare, Hipmunk last year added hotels to its repertoire. One of its signature tricks is to allow a traveler to name his or her favorite interest, such as nightlife, shopping, and museum-hopping, and the site will filter its listings to only display hotels in neighborhoods with an especially high number of relevant venues, such as bars, boutiques, and museums.
How it works:
Run a search for a hotel like you would on any travel site, and Hipmunk retrieves real-time rates from booking sites, such as Orbitz, Getaroom, Hotels.com, HotelsCombined, and vacation rental platform Airbnb. Hipmunk also assigns an "ecstasy" rating to each hotel, based on an evaluation of the property's rates, amenities, and user reviews on TripAdvisor.
Budget Travel: 15 food etiquette rules that might surprise you
Best for:
Travelers booking hotels overseas who have been disappointed by the selection on U.S.-based travel agencies.
What it does:
In 2010, Momondo, moved beyond being a flight metasearch engine and now lists hotels from major overseas hotel booking sites, such as Escapio and Hotelopia, which tend to be overlooked by U.S.-based travel sites like Expedia. It also includes an option to search for hostels.
How it works:
Like Kayak, you enter your search query, and the site draws up a list of rates from various online travel agencies and hotel sites.
Room 77
Best for:
Travelers whose priority is a room with the most amenities.
What it does: Room 77 is unique in researching room-by-room amenities and floor plans for hundreds of three- to five-star hotels in about 30 North American, European, and Asian cities. It then facilitates booking a particular type of room.
How it works:
Room 77 works like a typical hotel search engine, only it goes into much greater detail about the amenities available in individual rooms at hotels, such as what the view might be from any given window.
Guests who book directly through Room 77 can take advantage of its free "room concierge" feature, in which it contacts hotel managers on a guest's behalf to request a room matching his or her preferences, such as "connecting rooms" and "distance from elevators." There are no guarantees, but the site claims that its customers have a high satisfaction rate with its concierge service.
Budget Travel: 21 girl trips you absolutely love
Room Key
Best for:
Travelers who prefer the consistency and quality control of U.S.-owned chain hotels, and don't want to be distracted with information about other places.
What it does: Seven hotel chains -- Best Western, Choice Hotels (Comfort Inn, Quality Inn), Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental (Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo), Marriott, and Wyndham (Howard Johnson, Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8) -- are listing their rooms together in a new search engine.
Unlike major online travel agencies like Expedia and Priceline, Room Key limits its selection to chains, eliminating most of the uncertainty about what kind of hotel you might end up with.
How it works:
Punch in your destination and travel dates and the site brings up a list of relevant hotels, which you can winnow down using the standard tools, such as distance, price, and star rating.
When you decide to book, you're sent directly to a hotel owned website, where you'll need to enter your credit card number to book the room. Booking directly with the hotel cuts out the middleman and earns you customer loyalty points.
Best for:
Travelers looking mostly for American business-type hotels.
What it does:
Finds the cheapest rooms at major-brand hotels located at America's largest airports and financial districts -- and nearly nowhere else.
How it works:
This consolidator has access to rooms at a volume discount with major brands like Hyatt and Marriott at most major U.S. airports (especially Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.).
By only allowing members to see deals, the site is able to offer rates much lower than major chains and websites with lowest-price guarantees offered to the general public.
A year of the world's
Best Beaches
There's a perfect beach for every week of the year. Join us on a 12-month journey to see them all
Go to the best beaches


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Reading recommendations direct to your inbox!
Are you looking for new books to read? Now, it is easier than ever to find new books that interest you with our new Next Reads service. Sign up for email newsletters on your favorite topics featuring new and backlist titles. Links to our catalog are included so you can place requests easily. Sample issues are available for most topics on the sign up page! Sign up or view sample issues here.


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The more stars a house has, the more comfort you can expect. The star rating includes furniture, equipment and overall conditions.
Very simply furnished holiday home without much comfort, for a stay during the summer-months
Plainly furnished holiday home with little comfort.
Traditional holiday rental, mainly with standard furniture.
Well-equipped holiday home of good standard, with comfortable furniture and extra facilities.
Our best holiday homes. Tastefully furnished and fully equipped.
Spend your holiday in one of these 1-bedroom holiday apartments near Dubrovnik (CDD444/445) right on the water relax and unwind in unique surroundings. The house is close to the owner's property, which houses other holiday apartments which also have use of the sea-front terrace. The nearest pebble beach is around 150 metres away. More pebble and rocky beaches can be found on the beautiful Bay of Zaton. Dubrovnik, with its stunning Old Town, various cultural offerings and diverse events programme, is just 8km away and definitely worth a visit during your holiday.


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Lines drawn create order,
progression is predetermined and known by everyone
Arriving in a timely manner increases when wandering
away from lineation is avoided.
Are you a line follower?
October 10, 2019
Lines that zig and zag
brings adventure and the unknown into light
leaving an arrival time undetermined
and filled with destination anticipation.
Are you a zigger, zagger?


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The RFID system generally consists of a single-chip RFID card and an RFID card reader. The card integrates a radio frequency front end, memory and controller. The RFID card reader can decode the data on the card and then perform appropriate operations (such as opening the door). lock). RFID cards are similar to barcodes, but they store product information electronically. In addition to the security features, the latest RFID cards have the ability to automatically update relevant information as the product is transported over the supply chain. RFID cards can be used to track everything from home pets, livestock to high-end electronics.
RFID cards can be used to track everything from home pets, livestock to high-end electronics. They can automatically collect bridge and road fees and limit access to sensitive areas. Recently, RFID cards have begun to enter more secure areas such as pharmaceuticals, contactless payments, cargo security, and e-passports. STARNFC is professional RFID cards supplier and manufacturer from china. We can supply best RFID cards for you.
These information applications and security-intensive applications must adopt new standards to define RFID cards and readers. Such criteria include the availability of memory on the card, the robustness of the encryption algorithm, the number of different information areas on the card, and security.
Storage density and configuration capabilities
RFID cards must be able to support a more accurate tracking mechanism. Take the pharmaceutical industry as an example. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the number of counterfeit drugs has increased tenfold in the past five years. In the worst case, fake medicine may even endanger the patient's life. The manufacturer's mark on the tablet can be faithfully reproduced to achieve a false effect. The barcode on the package can provide some additional information and security measures, but it can also be easily scanned and copied. It is estimated that 10% of prescription drugs worldwide are fake drugs, and tens of thousands of lives are lost every year.
In order to prevent the spread of counterfeit drugs, Florida states that from July 1, 2006, prescription drugs must have a paper-based medical record, including the name of the drug, the dosage form, concentration, manufacturer, batch number, corresponding invoice/ Shipping/transfer voucher number, transaction date, name and address of each owner, name and address of each drug user, identification certificate, contact information of each wholesaler, confirmation of the drug record information is accurate and complete Sexual signature or oath, as well as information such as the manufacturer's tracking number.
It is very difficult to track so much information for many RFID cards currently on the market, which requires not only a large amount of on-chip memory, but also a plurality of different security areas. For example, the manufacturer's ID, date of manufacture, and product specifications should be readable by everyone, but only the manufacturer can write it; the retailer's ID can be written not only by the distributor, but also at the retail point. Authorized person to update.
This type of data and security-intensive applications may require 64Kb of on-chip EEPROM and up to 16 different user areas.
Design engineers should be aware of whether the card vendor provides sufficient storage density and user provisioning capabilities for the application being developed. Most cards have a memory capacity of 2Kb and below, and usually only have two banks. While this storage density is more than adequate for animal tracking applications, it is not sufficient to track the requirements of each receiving link in a complex supply chain.
RFID security
Security is an important issue for RFID systems, but the security of RFID systems (generally provided by label and card reader vendors) has not been enough. Most of today's RFID cards use an old encryption algorithm with a 48-bit key that can be cracked in a few hours using a laptop.
A block diagram of a typical security process for an RFID system.
However, the situation has improved. Some RFID vendors have introduced cards and readers that support advanced encryption algorithms with 64-bit keys. From 48-bit keys to 64-bit keys, security performance is not only 50%. In terms of the number of factorial combinations of key lengths, the 64-bit algorithm is 64,000 times more powerful than the 48-bit algorithm. Therefore, the 64-bit key is more difficult to crack. Designers should choose a label that provides an efficient and secure encryption algorithm with a key length of at least 64 bits.
RFID card and reader
The security of an RFID card can only be as high as the security of the card reader that reads it. In other words, the 64-bit encryption algorithm on advanced RFID cards is only useful if the card reader or host supports such 64-bit encryption algorithms. Like RFID cards, most card readers on the market today only support minimal security and use old encryption algorithms and too short a key length, making them easy to crack.
The new, more secure reader will support advanced military-grade 128-bit AES encryption algorithms while also supporting simpler encryption algorithms. They also allow password protection and allow for the use of optional encryption algorithms in multiple encryption zones on RFID cards.
As the saying goes, change is eternal. The same is true for security and RFID applications. Encryption algorithms are constantly being updated and improved, and keys are getting longer and stronger. As RFID is an emerging technology, it is expected that the feature set on RFID cards will continue to evolve over time to accommodate changing supply chain requirements.
When choosing RFID cards and readers, keep in mind that some readers can only be upgraded by manually changing the hardware in the device. Imagine disassembling and updating thousands of devices at every point of the supply chain from manufacturer to consumer if you are sending equipment maintenance personnel to each entrance to the building to disassemble and update each card reader. The card reader, this will be a very troublesome thing. Flexibility is a key feature of RFID systems. The new RFID reader simply uploads new firmware and allows all devices on the network to be upgraded over the network. This card reader not only supports Internet-based firmware upgrades, but also allows multiple card reader networks to be upgraded at a single remote location.
RFID cards and readers have a variety of security features, including unique identification numbers (including traceable codes), read and write password protection, unilateral or mutual authentication, and data transmission encryption.
Atmel's RFID cards and readers offer a variety of security features, including unique identification numbers (including traceable codes), read and write password protection, unilateral or mutual authentication, and data transfer encryption.
RFID applications are starting to grow rapidly in pharmaceutical, cashless transactions and identity applications where security is critical. These emerging applications require a large amount of data and security measures, as well as the ability to provide security services to multiple users. RFID system designers should begin with the design of card readers that support the level of security required for the application and can be easily upgraded. RFID cards should be defined as having enough memory to accommodate all the data needed and should be configurable enough to be configured in a separate storage area to support all of the different users in the supply chain.
We specialize on rfid cards and RFID products for more than ten years. If you have any question, welcome to vist our website: https://www.starnfc.com. We will give you the best RFID solutions.


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I was happily knitting away on my shawl, making good progress, when peer pressure got to me. Everyone seemed to be doing Follow Your Arrow. And I peeked at the first clue. And, well…
I cast on. I didn't have enough 4 ply in my own stash, so I raided the Dublin Dye shop and turned up a skein of Merino Silk in Troublemaker that was a bit too purple. Or at least that's my excuse for picking this skein! The yarn is my favourite fibre combination for laceweight, so I'm enjoying the knitting.
To counteract the lace here and in Portico, I've started working on Autumn Whispers again. Three active WIPs is enough for the moment, so although I want to cast on Carol Feller's first Irish Yarn Club project, I think it's going to have to wait.
Also, my poor camera is in the shop, refusing to focus. I'm stuck with the camera phone until further notice.


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Believe it or not I went through a bit of a phase during winter where I didn't buy any makeup. I hadn't put myself on a spending ban or anything like that, there just wasn't anything that was ringing my want or need radar. Come spring however, my makeup spidey-senses awoke with a a vengeance, and apparently I need all of the makeup all over again! Some of the bits entered my wish list when they were only available in the US, so I spent a while filling a Sephora basket, checking the postage and customs charges, laughing and un-filling it again sharpish! Knowing that I was not far away from my Dubai holiday (it's finally here now and I go on Saturday!!!) I thought it was probably sensible to see what the Sephora there stocks and how the prices weigh up compared to a US to UK online order.
First up this beautiful library of matte nude everything from Morphe has been calling my name for a while. I actually decided to buy it a couple of times and found it was out of stock, so it's clearly a popular choice.
Matte liquid lipsticks are just the shiz at the moment aren't they? There's not really anything else I'm attracted to in the lip department right now and it probably has a lot to do with the fact that I gave up trying to get hold of a Kylie Lip Kit and decided to go the dupe route instead. Not that these are dupes of those necessarily, but the swatches I've seen on blogs look nice enough. My in-store swatching experience however has not lived up to expectation, and since I popped these onto my wishlist I think they've been surpassed by some other liquid lippies that have a better colour range.
How could you not be mesmerised by this highlighter palette? I absolutely need this in my life, and although it seems pricey at £39, the pans are huge and this would probably last me an eternity. I do still fancy swatching this IRL before I commit, so holding out hope that I'll get that opportunity in Dubai.
I've had this nude Beauty Blender in both my Sephora and Cult Beauty baskets I think, and now even Boots are selling Beauty Blender, although only the pink one from what I can see. I'd like to try a Beauty Blender finally to see what the hype is about, and whether it's any better than my beloved Real Techniques sponges, and I fancy getting the nude one because but I've heard the dye in the pink one can run when you wash it. Not sure if that's true, but the nude one seems like it would look less gross when covered in foundation and would be simpler to clean.
Another giant highlighter palette... I know I know, but this one's different, and it's called 'skin twinkle' which is enough to make me need it in my life. Last time I checked QVC didn't have this yet (assuming they will get it as some point as they have other bits from the Rainforest of the Sea collection?) so this is sitting on the wishlist until I can get my hands on it, possibly via Sephora. I have the Rainforest of the Sea eyeshadow palette and it's totally dreamy, so I have high hopes for the rest of the range - I should definitely share some swatches of that asap.
More liquid lipsticks, and probably the ones that are on everyone's wishlist. Some of the major makeup queens I follow on instagram wear these and they look absolutely stunning - Pure Hollywood and Soft Lilac really stand out to me as being the colours I need to get. I like Milkshake too, but I think it'd be too pale for me and I've seen people say it's patchy. I'm holding out hope that I can swatch these in Dubai, as at around £20 each, it's a bit risky to go ahead and order these online.
Finally something on my wish list that I've actually committed to buying! I've recently ordered a couple of these online from Boots after failing to find them on the stands at any stores - they have the other NYX lip products but just not these for some reason. I've gone for two of the more pink toned nudes, so I'll update you on how I get on when they arrive. I also popped a couple of the Sleek Matte Me lip glosses into my order too, as although the name would suggest otherwise, they're apparently really great liquid lipsticks.
The swatches of this elusive palette are absolutely to die for, and the shadows smell like peaches! Unfortunately this one is really hard to get hold of - I don't think Debenhams have had it in yet (unless I blinked and missed it?) and it's even sold out on the Too Faced website by the looks of things - they do ship to the UK but it's bloody expensive! I think this one may have to sit on the wishlist maybe until I go to New York later this year, or until Makeup Revolution bring out a dupe - whichever comes first!
What's at the top of your beauty wish list?
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State of Being
Everyone on planet Earth has a different story. We all have to create the conditions to manage our state of being and create our own stories from the resources we have gathered in the course of living. If your life is not turning out how you envisioned it, make adjustments and change your story.
What are your beliefs? Are you influenced by the power of suggestion or autosuggestion? Our mind is a wondrous muscle if used correctly. Our mind can be used to create pain or pleasure. And, depending on how much pain or pleasure we want to hold onto in our lives is exactly how we create the conditions in our lives.
Tap into the subconscious of your mind. We can control our thoughts whether they are good or bad. We create our thoughts and hold on to them or let them subside into the recesses or our mind. What we do with these thoughts are the causes and effects in our life. An effect is nothing more than an experience we have manifested from our own thoughts. When a cause is removed from the effect there is virtually nothing that remains.
What do you want to manifest in your life? Are you sick and do you have chronic pain or illness? By manifesting this is our mind and creating "sick thoughts," we are causing ourselves to be ill. I am not arguing that there aren't people who are really sick. I am talking about people who "believe" they are sick . . . some call them hypochondriacs. Remove the sick thoughts from their subconscious and the illness vanishes. Tell yourself healthy thoughts, see yourself exercising, dieting, not having allergies any longer . . . whatever the case may be. Being healthy is caused by you believing you are healthy.
Do you believe that you are in poverty, you were born into poverty and there is nothing you can do to get yourself out of poverty? This is not true. How do some people make it out of poverty to go on to become some of the most successful people you have ever heard about? These people create the conditions in order to rise above their circumstance. If you want to change being poor, make it happen. No one can do it for you. You have to see yourself being something other than poor. Create the conditions by studying, reading, getting a mentor, follow the guide of someone else who you want to emulate who has made themselves successful.
Along with that thought, who does not wish that they were wealthy? You have to be able to see yourself rich and it is a condition cause by wealth consciousness. The vast majority of people who have become rich were individuals who made it big through hard work and created the conditions to become that way. It doesn't matter if you are an entrepreneur or a company employee who started at the bottom of the corporate ladder and worked their way to the top. You can do anything you set your mind to so don't let anyone tell you differently.
Create the conditions to manage your state of being and see where you end up. Great things can happen if you make them happen and don't rely on others to do it for you.


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Ok, here's a rundown of issues I know are outstanding at this point, that we need to try to get cleaned up before release: snort 2.3.2-3 (bug #311257, bug #311263): missing build on hppa; serious bugs only; could be pushed in on all archs but hppa and synced up at point release time. openldap2.2 2.2.23-8 (bug #255276, #308234): missing build on hppa; rather ugly bugs, but again we could sync archs in a point release. samba 3.0.14a-4 (bug #310982): missing build on mipsel; security fix, can be synced after release. nagios 2:1.3-cvs.20050402-2.sarge.1 (bug #311526): missing build on alpha; is building now, so should be a shoe-in tomorrow if Ryan runs a double cron.daily. Can again be left to sync up in a point release if not. sendmail 8.13.4-3 (bug #311769): filed as critical, but something we could relegate to the release notes if needed. Only made it into the archive shortly before dinstall today, so is currently out-of-date on all but three archs, so not much sense in trying to push this one in. wxwindows2.4 18.104.22.168 (unfiled): RC issue with undistributable code in the previous upstream version; this is really the single issue that I don't think we have a fallback for, so we need to have an upload for s390 before we can release -- that, or yank binaries for a dozen or so packages out of sarge for s390. So, the game plan seems to be to have another cron.daily run (minus mirror pulse) tomorrow before the usual run, followed by a final britney run and the regular cron.daily at the usual hour. There are various other security fixes pending, which may or may not make it in before the lockdown. -- Steve Langasek postmodern programmer
Description: Digital signature


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Ulrich Lang New York
Anvers 2 - Eau de Toilette
Ulrich Lang New York continues to showcase Roger Szmulewicz, a Belgian art dealer who was introduced in 2003 as the face for Anvers. Photographed by American artist Katy Grannan the portrait of Roger reflects the sensual, warm and inviting scent of Anvers 2.
- Top Notes: Bergamot, lime, lemon, black pepper, basil, rhubarb, cypress
- Middle Notes: Rose, jasmine, lily, mimosa, cedarwood, sandalwood, vetiver
- Base Notes: Tonka bean, vanilla, musk, amber, olibanum, oakmoss
- Olfactive Group: Woody
- Created: 2007


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The NBA's trade deadline is fast approaching this Thursday afternoon, and if history tells us anything, it's that we know Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey will make at least one deal. For Rockets fans, it's a tradition like no other — every season since taking over the reins of the Rockets, Morey has been unable to hold off the transaction bug. He will make a deal, people.
This season, however, the smoke being generated is far more cathartic, as Morey's 15-man roster creation, in this all-in season, is teetering on the brink of a massive, unfortunate facelift. At 27-28 at the All Star break, the Rockets need some sort of jolt just to get back into the Western Conference's top eight teams, and it appears that, if that jolt does occur, it could involve the one piece that Morey coveted and pursued longer than any other — center Dwight Howard.
Morey's dangling of the eight-time All Star center was first reported by Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski last week, and was reiterated with some more granular detail yesterday by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News:
Dwight Howard could be moved by Thursday's trade deadline. Miami is talking with Houston about a deal that would include Hassan Whiteside.— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) February 15, 2016
For Morey, whose pursuit of Howard was a multi-year emotional roller coaster and a massive project with numerous steps along the way, dealing the 30-year-old center would have to be about as emotional a transaction as the basketball gods could cook up. After all, it was less than nine months ago that the Rockets were on a run to the Western Conference Finals with virtually the identical group that finds itself sub .500 in the middle of February.
So let's look at the possible trade partners for the Rockets and the likelihood that they get a deal done with said teams. For the record, I think ultimately Morey holds onto Howard, makes a small deal or two involving a few role players, and hopes that the Rockets catch fire in April. It's far from a perfect recipe for a return trip to the conference finals, but the Rockets have put themselves in this spot. No one else is to blame.
Now for the possible Howard suitors...
Any deal with the Heat is likely based around a swap of centers, with Howard heading to South Beach and Hassan Whiteside heading to Houston. In doing so, the Rockets are basically trading for a younger, healthier version of what Dwight is now, with some sign-ability issues because of how Whiteside's Bird rights work. It's not as simple as "just give him a max deal in free agency" with Whiteside. The interesting part of any Miami deal is what could be attached to Whiteside. Justise Winslow in any shape, form or fashion is probably pie in the sky. Goran Dragic is a possibility, but his contract (Tragic is nearly one year into a five-year, $86 million deal) is an albatross. More likely, it would be a bunch of salary filler like Luol Deng and Birdman Andersen. (Note: Any potential deal with Miami has to be considered under the dark cloud of reports that Chris Bosh may be dealing with medical issues again. Who knows how this affects Miami's willingness to deal?)
Likelihood: 25 percent
From a "sensible trade partner" standpoint, Boston has always made the most sense for Morey and the Rockets, as the Celtics have a ton of assets (multiple future first-round picks, young players) that fit Morey's likely criteria (short of getting an All-Star in return), which, first and foremost, means no clogging up the salary cap long-term with bad deals. Any deal with Boston would likely include David Lee's expiring contract just to make the numbers work, and would likely not include All-Star Isaiah Thomas or the Brooklyn Nets' unprotected first round-pick. Any combination involving one or more other first-round picks and one young player (Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Kelly Olynyk) would be a win for the Rockets, and, with Howard, the Celtics would all of a sudden become a contender for the Eastern Conference finals, which would be valuable experience for a young team in future seasons, even if they don't sign Howard long-term.
Likelihood: 20 percent
The drop-off in likelihood of getting a deal done is fairly precipitous, in my opinion, after Miami and Boston. Cleveland makes sense from the standpoint that they are looking to make a deal, and could be having buyer's remorse over the five-year deal they gave Kevin Love this past offseason. Some form of a Howard-for-Love deal — they may need to throw in some more peripheral pieces like Trevor Ariza on the Rockets' side and Timofey Mozgov and/or Anderson Varejão on the Cavs' side — would give the Cavaliers a premier presence on the glass and defensively, and they would not need to be hellbent on re-signing Howard after the season's over either. (Sidebar — how badly would the Cavs like to have the Wiggins-for-Love deal back?)
Likelihood: 5 percent
I mix this one in, courtesy of my SportsRadio 610 colleague, Adam Spolane....
I'm told Rockets, Heat, Hawks discussing 3-way. Howard to ATL, Horford and Teague to Mia, Dragic and Whteside, Anderson to Hou.— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) February 15, 2016
This version of the deal nets the Rockets pretty much the same package we discussed above concerning Miami. This deal may make more sense for the Heat, especially if there are health issues with Bosh, as Horford would give Miami an offensively skilled big with post moves and range. Atlanta reportedly is not ready to move on this deal unless the Heat mix in Justise Winslow, which makes sense.
Likelihood: 5 percent
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This one is completely courtesy of Bill Simmons's podcast, in which he makes a decent case for the Rockets, Blazers and Nets doing some business together in a trade ménage à trois....
Portland gets Dwight Howard. Houston gets Joe Johnson and Mason Plumlee. Brooklyn gets Ty Lawson and Tim Frazier from Portland. So Brooklyn saves $12 million, and they get a flyer on Ty Lawson, because they were going to buy out Joe Johnson anyway, so instead of buying him out, cut $10 million off your cap.
Houston would save about $8 million, and that gets them well under the tax. And you could make a case that putting Plumlee in there, playing him 20 minutes a game with [Clint] Capela and [Donatas] Motiejunas, and getting [Howard] and Lawson off the team from a chemistry standpoint - they might actually be better...
Portland's $20 million under the cap, they're going nowhere, they have no reason not to spend that money - they're owned by Paul Allen. Why not take a look at Dwight Howard for 30 games? What's the downside? Just check him out!
Likelihood: 1 percent
Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 2 to 7 p.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SeanTPendergast and like him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.
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Version: Flash 5+
This information originally appeared in chapter 5 of ActionScript: The Definitive Guide, First Edition. In the interest of space, it was removed from the second edition and is now available online only.
In order to track and manipulate a series of options as efficiently as possible, we can use the bitwise operators. Technically, the bitwise operators are mathematical operators, but they're typically used in a logical, not mathematical, context. Bitwise operators can access the individual binary digits (bits) in an integer. To understand how this works, you need to know how numbers are represented in binary format.
A binary number is stored as a sequence of ones and zeros that represent the number in the base-2 number system (i.e., the binary system). Each column in a number represents the base of the number system to some power. Binary uses the number 2 as its base, so the first four columns of a binary number represent, from right to left, the 1's column (20), the 2's column (21), the 4's column (22), and the 8's column (23). Here are some sample binary numbers with explanations of how their column values can be used to calculate their base-10 (decimal) equivalent:
In binary, the columns we've been discussing are referred to as bits (short for "binary digit"). A four-bit number, for example, is a number with four digits (each of which may contain a one or a zero). The rightmost bit is considered bit 0; the bit to its left is bit 1, and so on. Following is an 8-bit number with a 1 in bits 0, 6, and 7; the bits are labeled above the number:
As with all numbering systems, the largest value for a single digit is one less than the base (also known as the radix). For example, in base-10 (decimal), the largest single digit is 9. Notice that because we're using 2 as our base, each binary digit must be either a 0 or a 1. We know that the numbers 1 and 0 are equivalent to the Boolean values
A bit that has the value 1 is said to be set (i.e., on or
Bitwise programming nearly always involves situations in which a series of properties can be turned on or off. Using bitwise operators, we can concisely represent many options within a single numeric value instead of using multiple variables. This provides better performance and lower memory consumption.
Suppose we're building a Flash site that sells cars. For the sake of simplicity, let's say there's only one kind of car for sale, but users can customize their car with any combination of four options: air-conditioning, a CD player, a sunroof, and leather seats. It's the job of our Flash program to come up with a total price for the car including all the options, and it's the job of a server-side program to track that information as part of the user's profile.
We could store the car's options with four separate Boolean variables, like this:
Essentially, we've got four switches-one for each optional component of the car-each requiring a variable. That works fine, but it means we need four variables in memory and four fields in the user-profile database on the server. If we instead record the car's options as individual binary digits, we can store all four options in a single 4-bit number: air-conditioning is bit 0 (the 1's column), the CD player is bit 1 (the 2's column), the sunroof is bit 2 (the 4's column), and the leather seats are bit 3 (the 8's column). Here are some sample configurations that show how a single number can represent any combination of the four options:
Whenever we want to add or remove options, we just add or subtract the value of the appropriate bit:
So now we know how to store multiple options as a series of bits in a single number. How do we examine those bits to calculate the cost of the car? We need to use the bitwise operators. We'll run through the operators first and come back to the car example after we're done.Bitwise AND
The bitwise AND operator (
The operands of bitwise AND can be any numbers, but they are converted to 32-bit binary integers before the operation occurs. If an operand has a fractional value such as 2.5, the fraction is discarded.
Note that the bitwise AND uses the single-character operator,
Bitwise AND returns a number whose value is determined by comparing the individual bits in the numeric operands,
Bitwise AND operations are most easily pictured by arranging the binary equivalents of the decimal operands vertically and lining up their bit columns. In this format, it is easy to tell which bits of the operands both contain 1s.
In this example, bit 2 (the third bit from the right) is 1 in both operands and is therefore set to 1 in the result. Other bits are set to 0 in the result:
In this example, bits 0 and 3 are 1 in both operands and are therefore set to 1 in the result. Bits 1 and 2 are set to 0 in the result:
ActionScript uses decimal (base-10) numbers instead of binary numbers, which makes it harder to visualize bitwise operations. Here is what the previous operations look like in actual code where decimal numbers are used:
In practice, the bitwise AND operator is used to check whether a particular flag or set of flags (i.e., bits) is
The following example checks whether bit 2 (which has the value 4) is set to
Or, we can check whether either bit 2 or bit 3 (which has the value 8) is set to
Note that the preceding example checks whether bit 2 or bit 3 is set using the
The bitwise AND operator is also used to set individual bits in a number to
The Bitwise OR operator (
The operands can be any numbers, but they are converted to 32-bit binary integers before the operation occurs. The fractional portion of an operand, if any, is discarded.
Note that the bitwise OR uses the single-character operator,
Each bit in the result is determined by taking the logical OR of the bits of the two operands. Therefore, if a bit is set to 1 in either (or both) operand1 or operand2, that bit will be set to 1 in the result. Compare the following pseudoexamples to those shown earlier for the bitwise AND operator.
In this example, only bit 1 is set to 0 in the result because bit 1 is 0 in both operands. The other bits are set to 1:
In this example, all bits are set to 1 in the result because each bit contains a 1 in at least one of the two operands:
In actual code, where decimal numbers are used, this reads:
In practice, we often use bitwise OR to combine multiple numbers that represent individual options into a single numeric value that represents all the options of a system. For example, the following code combines bit 2 (value 4) and bit 3 (value 8):
The bitwise OR operator is also used to set an option to true in an existing value. The following example sets the option represented by bit 3 (value 8) to true. If the value in bit 3 is already true, it is untouched:
Multiple bits can also be set at once:
Bitwise XOR
We're officially getting into weird punctuation symbols for our operators. The bitwise XOR (eXclusive OR) operator is the caret symbol,
The operands can be any numbers, but they are converted to 32-bit binary integers before the operation occurs. The fractional portion of an operand, if any, is discarded.
The bitwise XOR operator differs from the bitwise OR operator in that the result contains a 0, not a 1, for any bit containing a 1 in both its operands. In other words, the XOR result contains a 0 for any bits that are the same in both operands and contains a 1 for any bits that differ between the two operands.
In this example, bits 0 and 3 match in both operands, so those bits are set to 0 in the result. Bits 1 and 2 differ in the two operands, so they are set to 1 in the result:
In this example, all the bits match in both operands, so the result is all zeros:
In this example, bits 0, 2, and 3 differ in the two operands, so those bits are set to 1 in the result. Bit 1 is the same in both operands, so it is set to 0 in the result:
Translated to decimal numbers, the preceding examples become:
The bitwise XOR operator is typically used to toggle options between 1 and 0 (
Bitwise NOT
Unlike bitwise AND, OR, and XOR, which all produce a number resulting from two other numbers, bitwise NOT changes the bits of a single number. It uses the tilde symbol (
The operand can be any number, but it is converted to a 32-bit binary integer before the operation occurs. Any fractional portion of the operand is discarded.
Bitwise NOT simply inverts the bits in its operand. For example:
which, in decimal, read:
It's impractical to go into a lesson on negative binary-number representation systems here, but advanced programmers should note that bitwise operations represent negative binary integers using the twos-complement system. To those unfamiliar with this notation, simply remember that the return value of a bitwise NOT operation is one less than the value obtained by taking the negative of the original operand. For example:
The bitwise NOT operator is typically used with the bitwise AND operator to clear specific bits (i.e., set them to 0). For example, to clear bit 2, we could use:
The expression
The same technique can be used to clear multiple bits at once; the following example clears bits 2 and 3:
The Bitwise Shift Operators
As we've seen, bitwise programming treats binary numbers as a series of switches. It's frequently useful to move those switches around. For example, if we have bit 0 on, and we decide we want to turn it off and turn bit 2 on, we could simply move bit 0 left two places. Or if we want to know whether bit 5 of a number is on, we could move that bit right five places and then check bit 0's value. The bitwise shift operators let us perform such movements.
Bitwise shift operators also allow us to rapidly multiply and divide by multiples of 2. If you wanted to divide a decimal (base-10) number by 10, you could simply shift the decimal point one place to the left. Likewise, to multiply by 10, you simply shift the decimal point one place to the right, and to multiply by 103 (i.e., 1000) you would shift the decimal point three places to the right. The bitwise shift operators let us perform an analogous operation with binary numbers. Shifting bits to the right divides a number by 2 for each position shifted. Shifting bits to the left multiplies a number by 2 for each position shifted.Signed right shift
The signed right shift operator can be used to divide a number by some power of 2. It uses the
All bits are shifted right by the number of positions specified by
Shifting a number right one bit is like dividing it by 21 (i.e., 2). In decimal this reads:
Note that any remainder is discarded:
For negative numbers, just as for positive numbers,
Unsigned right shift
The unsigned right shift operator, created using three successive greater-than signs (
It works like the signed right shift operator except that bits vacated by the shift are always filled with zeros (regardless of whether
The left shift operator can be used to multiply a number by some power of 2. It uses the
All bits are shifted left by the number of positions specified by
Shifting a number left by 4 bits is equivalent to multiplying it by 24 (i.e., 16). In decimal, this reads:
Notice that in prior examples, we "manually" specified the value associated with a particular bit: 1 for bit 0, 2 for bit 1, 4 for bit 2, 8 for bit 3, and so on. The left shift operator is very handy for calculating a bit position's equivalent value:
The left shift operator is also handy for dynamically selecting bits by numeric index rather than bit value. This example counts up all the bits set to one in a number.
The next example is a variation on the previous example using the right shift operator. We can repeatedly right-shift the value and check its rightmost bit (bit 0), instead of using the left shift operator to calculate the bit value associated with each bit.
The variable
We began our look at bitwise operators using the example of a Flash site that sells cars. Now that we've seen how bitwise operators work, let's use them to determine the cost of a car, as shown the next example. You can download the .fla file for this example here.
To avoid hardcoded bit values throughout your code, it's good practice to store the bit values corresponding to specific options in variables, such as:
Reader Exercise: Rewrite the car example using variables and the left shift operator instead of hardcoded bit values to represent the options.Why bitwise?
Although our car example would be easier to understand as a series of Boolean operations, bitwise operations are extremely fast and compact. Anytime we can speak to a computer in its native binary tongue, we save room and gain speed.
For the sake of comparison, consider a situation in which we're tracking a user's profile, and each user has 32 settings that can be on or off. In a normal database, we'd need 32 fields for each user. If we have a million users, that's a million copies of 32 fields. But when we use bitwise programming we can store the 32 settings in a single number, requiring only one field in the database for each user! Not only does this save disk space, but every time we access a user's profile, we need transfer only a single integer, not 32 Boolean values. If we are processing millions of transactions, saving a few milliseconds per transaction can measurably improve system performance.
For further study, see Gene Myers' excellent article for C programmers, Becoming Bit Wise, which was taken down from cscene, but is archived at http://www.elitecoders.de/mags/cscene/CS9/CS9-02.html. (Note: that link may be volatile. Search on google if necessary.)


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Emmerdale spoilers: Val to give speech about HIV diagnosis, reveals Charlie Hardwick
"She believes that she stands a fighting chance of being treated with a bit of dignity if she allays people's fears," says the actress
Emotional scenes to be shown in next week's Emmerdale will see Val Pollard talk to the Woolpack regulars about being HIV positive.
"Val believes that she stands a fighting chance of being treated with a bit of dignity if she allays people's fears," says actress Charlie Hardwick. "She gets this opportunity to tell the pub about the status of the HIV and also talk about the stigmas, myths, misconceptions and bigotry. Knowledge is power."
At the time that Val was diagnosed with HIV in January, Emmerdale producer Kate Oates explained that she wanted to challenge preconceptions surrounding the condition. Speaking to ITV's This Morning, Oates said of the plotline:
"It's about HIV in a straight, middle-aged white married woman, which is not a story that I think soap has tackled yet. Obviously for a lot of soap fans, the last time they came across HIV in a big soap was EastEnders's Mark Fowler, which was a fantastic story and very much of its time.
"Things have changed so dramatically and I suppose I just wanted to tell a story that informed people properly, and made people realise that actually their preconceptions of what HIV is today really probably aren't right."
For Charlie Hardwick, educating the audience is certainly an important part of the story. "We get a chance, as a programme, to allay any fears that our viewers may have, which I think is vital. Val gives a list saying, 'no, you can't get it from kissing or touching'. And she's speaking both to the people in the Woolpack and to the audience at home. It's a brilliant opportunity to put some truth out there."
And what reaction does Val get from her friends and neighbours? "Well, the speech goes really well. People are moved by it and they admire Val's courage and candour. I've found that this storyline mirrors what happens to people with HIV, albeit in a little microcosm and in a truncated space of time. The experience of a lot of people starts off with terror, then you get informed and then hopefully empowered."


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Lesson plan
A litre Please
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to measure and estimate liquid volume, using liters as the standard unit of measurement.
Introduction(15 minutes)
- Tell your students that they will learn about the Litre(l), which is a metric unit of measurement, as opposed to a standard unit of measurement.
- On the board, write the word LitreWith its abbreviation L.
- Show the students the container with the Capacity, or the space a solid, liquid, or gas takes up, of a litre.
- Ask your students where they might see the litre as a unit of measurement. For example, it is found on some grocery products such as canned goods.
Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling(15 minutes)
- Demonstrate to your students what they will do in groups later.
- Collect everything you need for this activity: two medium-sized containers, one 1 litre container, a container of water, a plastic container or sheet to shield objects from water, and the worksheet.
- Give the containers names on the worksheet so that you can keep track of which container you're using.
- In front of the class, estimate if the medium-sized container can hold less than one litre, more than litre, or exactly one litre.
- Pour water into the medium-sized container until it is full.
- Then, to measure how much water you actually poured in, pour that water from the medium-sized container into the one litre container.
- Check the estimate and compare it to the actual result.
Guided practise(5 minutes)
- Group the students in three to four groups of three to four students.
- Give each group two different medium-sized containers, one 1 litre container, a container full of water, and a plastic container or sheet to cover objects. Give each student one worksheet.
Independent working time(15 minutes)
- Instruct your students to complete the activity and the worksheet as you modeled. Make sure they measure both of the medium-sized containers.
- Have them fill out the bottom of the worksheet.
- Walk around and observe the students as they work on completing the activity.
- Monitor the students as they work, making sure the activity is done appropriately.
- During this time, ask questions to make sure the students understand the concept of liquid measurement.
- Enrichment:Have more than two medium-sized containers available for your students.
- Support:Give your students a a smaller container that is less than one litre. Make sure your students understand "less than" before moving on.
Assessment(5 minutes)
- At the end of the independent working time, ask your students to identify the medium-sized containers as less than, equal to, or more than one litre.
Review and closing(5 minutes)
- Ask for a spokesperson from each group to share the group's findings.
- After each group has shared the results of their activity, ask the class if there are any questions or comments.


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If I were to tell you that there is a small (nay, tiny) group of dweebs that take a particular pleasure in either filming themselves unboxing packaged goods or watching other people unbox things on YouTube, what would you think? Well let me just go ahead and tell you what to think: It's kinda stupid. Watching someone slowly peel away the layers of packaging for, say, the latest iPhone is akin to watching someone floss their teeth or wash dishes. It's mundane, it's irrelevant, and by god, it doesn't merit an audience. But, and here's where life always presents its surprises, that's exactly what makes unboxing videos so intriguing. It's like watching QVC for over five minutes. You're dazzled by the sheer ability of someone who can talk about nothing with complete authority. Just picture the biggest d-bag you know opening a box and narrating the process. You'd hate it, but you'd probably watch.
From what I understand, the trend really kicked in when Apple started packaging their products in increasingly creative and seductive ways. If you've ever unbod something that Steve Jobs thought up (in the privacy of your own home and without a camera on you), then you might understand the low, throbbing thrill of witnessing perfectly packaged tech. The way the ear buds are coiled and tucked into a small cavity. The way the instruction manual blends right into the walls of the box. The way top of the box slides on an off without friction. It's enough to, well, make a technophile buy a webcam and film himself opening bos.
So let us begin. Here's a classic example of an unboxing video. Witness "Jon" describe the features of the iPhone 3G box:
Nothing really beats the point-at-cam move in the beginning, but notice the detail of the unboxing, which is key to any thorough unboxing video: He displays the bag, then the box, then opens the box, then lifts the dividing cardboard piece to reveal what's under. I give this guy some credit for expressing genuine excitement over the SIM-removal toy. I hope we can all experience such simple joy, even if materialistic, in our lives.
Some unbors tend to get a little self-righteous, drunk on the power that comes from having something they think you want... something that's in a box. Case in point, a Beatles box set unboxing:
Pay close attention to the thinly veiled contempt he has for his girlfriend when she's unable to zoom in on the White Album in the way that he wants. Notice the series of snide comparisons to his Neil Young box set, as if he's hammering home that this aint the first box he's tapped. And did you pick up on the backhanded praise of the box set itself? "Specialty packaging isn't necessarily great for your discs. They don't seem to have put that much thought into it." Guess what, guy, they probably have. Now go fuck yourself.
Here's one guy who manages to wax philosophical about a Nintendo DSi box for 20 minutes. Twently minutes. Think about that.
And as my final example, I present a Macbook Air unboxing. It takes a simple, silent film approach that you have to admire. This is as close as an unboxing video comes to being arty. Enjoy.


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Just a note to self, as it took a decent amount of time for me to figure this out.
Read this entry.
xmouse is a collection of essays by David House, on the topics of web development and design. The about page contains more information.
These pages contain each and every entry I've written to xmouse. Go to the main archives page for an overview.
Using WordPress as my CMS of choice.


text: Whoa boy! Yes of course symbolism and mythology were interwoven into everyday life in 'every' society and its natural that they use the World around them rather than the false celebrity culture and worship of false gods that exists today. If I were to strip your clothes off, Frags, and suck out all the useless knowledge you've learnt over the last 30 yrs or so and handed you over to some tribe existing amidst pure Nature then you'd soon return to the same Source in which we all appeared from. Its true to say that Chinese astrology still survives. Now I'm not going to dismiss it out of hand without careful study but my criticism of Chinese beliefs - as a whole not just astrology - lies in the sheer insularity of their ideas. And insularity breeds strange ideas which go largely untested. Thus we have Chinese medicine, Feng Shui, Acupuncture and whilst bit and pieces of these ideas and beliefs have some merit they have never truly been tested until very recently. Now in contrast...if you compare it with what 'we' commonly know as Astrology..it began in Sumaria travelled through the East and arrived in Egypt and was then further refined when it arrived in Greece (at which point it was carefully anotated). So rather than being stuck in some unchanging backwater, never developing or being added to or removed according to usefulness and worth it just never really developed. Whereas what we know of Astrology has been refined from the very dawn of time.


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Hire me for journalism, moderation, and sparkling copy
The controversy over France's burkini ban – struck down by an administrative court today (26 August) – has thrown the spotlight on issues of diversity, integration and multiculturalism.
The European Commission, while being quick to push initiatives such as its diversity charter, and legislation to ensure gender balance in company boardrooms does not record the ethnicity or religion of its officials.
At today's midday press briefing EurActiv.com asked the Commission how it was able to ensure an administration that was truly representative of the diversity of modern Europe without such monitoring.
Watch the video to find out what Deputy Chief Spokesman Alexander Winterstein had to say on the subject.
Una llave para salir a la otra Europa de la UE
Journalist, Copywriter and Communications Consultant


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Here's the latest article from the Public Health site at BellaOnline.com. Good Night, Sleep Tight – Now you can, with Lunesta How many of us have woken up bleary eyed in the morning, after yet another sleepless night of tossing and turning in bed! A good night's rest is essential for health....................... http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art43137.asp Please visit publichealth.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Public Health. To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Public Health located here - I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback! Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge! Chris Read, Public Health Editor http://publichealth.bellaonline.com One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com
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Product Specs: 8 US fl. oz. (240 mL) spray bottle
Aqua (Water), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera Gel), Propylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Water, Jojoba Amino Acids, Glycerin, Tyrosine, Calcium Ascorbate*, Tocopherol**, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Symphytum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Parfum, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Yellow 6 (CI 15985)


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Lucaille Maki: Wig Review
First having a sexy Nishikino Maki image.
Now, let's start with the overall quality before we go to the thing I was slightly disappointed in.
Price: $16- $22
Quality: Heat resistant/non-shiney (But doesn't seem to curl with a curling iron)
Thickness: Average to somewhat disappointingly thin (Will expound on this later)
Color/Style: VERY close to the sample photos on actual but on cameras the color can vary of course
Overall judgement:
Wrapping it up:
One last bit, is the fact that it's just awful at the scalp area.
I've seen this sickness before in Grandyoung wigs, via friends and their wigs. And wished that I'll never encounter a wig with this issue.
This and the weird gloss of Grandyoung wigs caused me to stop buying that brand. But now even Lucaille has it which just narrows down my trusted brands to around 2: JIUWIHU and CosplayC/CosC which are both photogenic wigs.
It's not obvious from the front or sides though, just really messy on the top which really irritates the OC-ness in me. I've tried to brush it but it's not that simple to fix it seems. All in all, it's a good enough Maki wig or the price. But am no longer going to get Lucaille.
Of Features and Interviews
Appreciation vs Fame
It's something I just want for my efforts, am not looking for fame as I always vehemently say. I just want people to recognize my hard works and smile at me and say "Good work, Kuri! You did well!"
So am definitely happy with the responses I get from my few friends and awesome kind supporters. They are not fans, as fans are impersonal and it's alittle too snobbish for me to say that. I have no fans only supporters and friends (Which is sometimes one and the same)
There are more of these little features (From sites that declare me as fail, to those who are hands down astounded)
I still fail in the eyes of many people, but you know what? I actually have never been pleased with any of the outcomes in regards to shoots and costumes. There's always the regret, "I could've done this better..." and so on and so forth. But due to my ADHD tendencies it overwrites the OC-ness (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Obsessive Compulsiveness) it's honestly a weird psychological combination in me, and am not really proud of it as it's an embarrassing illness that's portrayed comically by even anime. But that's not the point here! These features are honestly heart-warming and I am forever grateful for them. Although I'd like to do better and WOW myself someday soon.
Japan goes Anti-piracy
According to rumors from a japanese culture centric blogspot blog (Link Here)
Starting August 8, Japan will be trying to implement an anti-piracy campaign.
Yep, heard it right! That would mean all our fresh and raw sources of anime and manga would most definitely be stopped.
From our Perspective
Honestly, if quality CD's were readily available locally I wouldn't mind collecting and buying them for the sake of getting my anime fix. But seeing as we only have at least 2 stores that cater to that (And they're not exactly 'legit') it's not the best option.
And even if blu-ray disks would come out online, not only does that mean that the series has already ended. It can also mean a longer wait due to shipping and possibly customs. And customs aren't the best place to get your goods stuck in.
Possible Solutions
Paying premium:
For people who dislike english and local dubbed anime, like myself. I don't think we'd hesitate to pay for these streaming sites. Main issue is, the convenience of actually getting to watch a series at your leisure is part of what makes the hobby. There's also a huge fanbase of people who make PV's, .GIF's, and the likes that actually garner more audience for a series. It's a form of advertising and spreading the love for a series. If they stop the torrent sites, they basically stop people from making quality fan based art.
Buying online:
CD wise, this is a seriously depressing topic, CD's aren't released as early and the subs would take ages to happen more so if we're going to wait for the series to be localized (But damn, who wants that?)
For Manga, I guess not a lot of issues as you just have to invest a little more in getting the books from bookstores abroad. Which will be unfortunately taxed when it gets here. It's all about money really. Or maybe, we can cross our fingers and someday a Kinokuniya branch would actually take interest in making a store here.d
As supposedly the act of pirating these forms of entertainment is garnering losses of 5.5 Billion in yen.
September 2016