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Metro Manila
Photo: George Calvelo/ABS-CBN News In light of the divided consensus over the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill in the Senate and the recent brouhahas surrounding transgender woman Gretchen Diez, it's occurred to me that there is now a greater pushback towards the LGBTQ+ community in the Philippines than ever before. […]Read More
Celebrating humanism with my "Roman Apostate Show" in Manila. Of all social causes, education is the one I most wholeheartedly endorse. It is our top strategy and our best hope for the future. Every step we can facilitate out of ignorance is a step away from the pernicious obscurantism of the supernatural and religious thinking […]Read More
Staying true to its commitment to clean up Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat & Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA) on a quarterly basis, Metro Manila Chapter and Green Movement of Humanist Alliance Philippines, International (HAPI) joined other non-profit organisations and environmental groups on September 22nd of 2018 to celebrate International Coastal Cleanup Day, known as World Cleanup Day. […]Read More
Officially opening to the public in May of 2018, the National Museum of Natural History in Manila has since seen long lines at its gates. Housing five stories of curated galleries of preserved fauna and flora are the old building and courtyard of the Department of Finance. Metro Manila Chapter of Humanist Alliance Philippines, International […]Read More
Metro Manila Chapter of Humanist Alliance Philippines, International (HAPI) organized basic Filipino Sign Language (FSL) classes in light of the House of Representatives and the Senate approving the Filipino Sign Language Act. House Bill 7503 declares FSL as the national sign language of the Filipino deaf, and the official sign language of the Philippine government […]Read More
HAPI ON WORLD CLEANUP DAY Let's clean the world in one day! People in 150 countries will stand up against the global trash problem and clean up waste, making it the biggest positive civic action the world has seen! #IAM5MILLIONPH CAMPAIGN Be counted as one of the 5 million volunteers in the Philippines on World Cleanup […]Read More
All colors of the rainbow found home once again as the LGBTQ+ community of Metro Manila celebrated Pride on June 30th of 2018 at the Marikina Sports Complex. With 25,000 attendees and over 200 participating organizations, groups and companies, this year's Metro Manila Pride saw a 225% increase in attendance from 2017. Children of Kids Nutrition […]Read More
FSL class by HAPI Metro Manila is back! Let us make it bigger, bolder and better. Want to learn how to interpret those hand signs by your deaf relative, friend, colleague, client, student, lover or a stranger? There are an estimated over 500,000 deaf people in the country, and there are still some unregistered ones. […]Read More
Humanist Alliance Philippines, International (HAPI) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) organized another Manila Bayside Clean-Up on June 2nd of 2018 at Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA). In attendance were members of the Metro Manila Chapter, beneficiaries of Kids Nutrition Campaign and Secular Humanist Advocacy Development and Education (SHADE), and other […]Read More
Want to learn how to interpret those hand signs by your deaf or mute relative, friend, colleague, client, student, lover or even a stranger? There are an estimated over 500,000 deaf people in the country, and there are still some unregistered ones. Many of the interpreters are volunteers, so this has resulted in a barrier […]Read More


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It's All About the Style
by Jen Waldron
Finally, at seventeen I was on my own. I moved into a typical college dorm room excited to do my own decorating. I coated the walls with sophistication seldom seen. There were Billy Joel posters, album (yes, album) covers, a map of Connecticut, snowmobile trail markers, pink feathers, my name in felt and all things sentimental. It was quite a mystery as to why I wasn't there as a design major.
No sooner had my parents said goodbye and pulled out of the parking lot, did I begin a wardrobe overhaul. I pried the metal taps off the bottom of my tap shoes and now had black pumps to wear with denim. I tore holes in the knees of every pair of jeans I owned. I decided my signature style would involve fringe and off the shoulder shirts. I took the warm, sensible red sweatshirt packed to keep me comfortable while studying and began cutting. I cut the neck and the arms away. Then I chopped off the waist and created the fringe. There I was full of style and grace.
Gone was the preppy teenager. I spent my entire freshman year looking like a groupie, complete with raccoon eyeliner, hair with wings, and a Van Halen t-shirt. Every mother's dream.
AUTHOR'S PHOTO CAPTION: SIgnature Fringe, 1982, college dorm.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jen Waldron was born and raised in northern New England, and now resides with her husband of more than 30 years just outside sunny Atlanta, Georgia. When not working as a registered nurse, her time is spent writing and baking, and then baking and writing. Previous and current publications are based upon personal memories and the humor in life. She is incredibly thankful for three wonderful sons, a lovely daughter-in-law, and three adorable grandsons, none of whom have caused her a moment of stress. Vacations are spent along a multitude of coastlines because secretly she wishes sea glass hunting were an actual occupation.

subset: commoncrawl


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When it comes to activewear there are certainly some dos and don'ts. Do switch up your style, don't reuse smelly workout gear. Fundamentally, wearing whatever feels comfortable to you is important whilst exercising, including your drawers.
Some people prefer to ditch the undies whilst working out and other's in favour. Despite underwear possibly being a gym wardrobe malfunction, no matter how squat proof your leggings are, the main debate focusses on whether it is a health risk? Should you be wearing underwear to workout?
Health risk?
Going commando? Surely that's more unsanitary than wearing knickers? According to the experts, it's not. Elle spoke with Dr. Nicole E. Williams of the Gynecology Institute of Chicago to find out what kind of underwear is ideal for exercise. William's advises to stay clear from anything sheer, lace, or silky. "When you exercise in non-breathable underwear like that, your vagina suffocates," Williams says, "As a result, you keep more moisture trapped in that area, which increases your risk for yeast infections and pH imbalance, which can lead to vaginitis (a condition leading to discharge, itching, and pain)."
Style vs comfort
Besides trying to avoid getting a sweaty mat (yuck), avoiding panty lines is another mission itself. If you don't mind slyly adjusting after every squat, then wearing a thong is a better option. However Williams says, "Wearing a thong during exercise can bring E.coli living in the rear toward the front as you move, increasing your risk for urinary tract infection." If you do wear thongs to the gym, opt for one that is breathable and made of moisture-wicking fabrics.
Going commando
There are numerous health benefits that come from skipping the undies, including no rubbing/irritation and breathability. Nevertheless, yeast thrives in moist environments, so depending on the fabric of your bottoms, you might find the same problem occurring without wearing knickers.
No matter if it's briefs, thongs or nothing at all, it's important to shower as soon as possible after exercising to stop the risks of infections. Easy right? Well, you'll be surprised by how many women endure a sweaty session followed by hours in damp clothing before showering. Yuk! Opt for bottoms that have a moisture-absorbing capability or built in underwear like these gorgeous tights from Gymshark.


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Nikon D850: New Copy Seems Good (except for infinity focus)
See my Nikon wish list and get Nikon D850 at B&H Photo.
See my growing review of the Nikon D850 in Advanced DSLR.
I arrived in the Eastern Sierra last night at my friend's place and there the lost and then found Nikon D850 sat in a box intact and with no signs of damage or similar—excellent.
With the Nikon D850 loaned to me by a reader, I found a substantial error in the Nikon D850 flange focal distance which required all my Zeiss Otus lenses and others to be racked to the mechanical limit in order to achieve infinity focus—a very bad sign.
Further testing showed an unacceptable sensor/mount misalignment resulting in a badly blurred right side (if focused at left or center). I returned that D850 to its owner, who is returning it for exchange for another one, a course of action I recommended and agree with—it was just too far off to make me happy about adjusting it.
My D850
Early this morning I mounted the excellent Really Right Stuff L-bracket for the Nikon D850 (all my cameras use RRS brackets), and proceeded to check for left/right symmetry as per Testing for a Misaligned Sensor.
In general I am pleased—this Nikon D850 is one that perhaps is not absolutely perfect (too close to say), so it is good to go for work I had to abort with the previous one.
I found that within a very small margin of error (my ability to focus, small lens deviations, small sensor/mount deviation, etc), I would call it "in spec". I would need more testing with suitable subjects and dual cameras (D850 and D810) to say if the camera is off: I think the sensor/mount parallelism might be off by a very small amount, but it is as good as I might hope for out of the box. I might send it in at some point and ask for perfection, that is, perfect parallel alignment to the lens mount as good as Nikon can achieve. This was done once for me with the Nikon D800E, and my Nikon D810 is perfect as far as I could say for 3 years. For now, I feel the D850 is good to go.
- The Sigma 85/1.4 DG HSM Art was very slightly asymmetric. The asymmetry is within a tiny margin of focusing error. Indeed it is less than the margin of error I saw with that D850 AF system with the Sigma. I recommend to not rely on conventional AF for pin-sharp results (at least at f/1.4 at far distance), and from what I saw in Live View, I would not rely on contrast detect AF in Live View for peak results without verifying best focus; I found I could improve sharpness by manually focusing at 100% or 200%.
- The Otus 55/1.4 was symmetric, within my ability to check on the subject at hand.
- The Otus 85 was very slightly asymmetric, as a bit concerning since I have special MTF symmetry data for it from Zeiss, and it is as perfect as one could ever build, with 2% variation to the corners, I would call it cine-lens grade symmetry. That suggests that the D850 sensor is not perfectly parallel to the lens mount.
- The Sigma 135/1.8 DG HSM Art looks symmetric, but longer focal lengths are less sensitive to the issue; I'll see what further field tests show.
To emphasize, the very slight asymmetry I am seeing is at a level which will be seen only by careful scrutiny at 100% or 200% at f/1.4 or f/2 in Live View (or taken image). I can't hold Nikon to a tighter standard than that in a mass market camera, though I would like perfection or as close to it as technically feasible. Tolerances are extremely demanding with more megapixels, for cameras and lenses alike.
Flange focal distance
There is one thing I am not happy about with this new D850, and that is that my Otus lenses use about half their focusing range beyond the infinity mark, as shown below whereas the Nikon D810 focuses at or very close to the mark with the same lenses. So that flange focal distance tolerance seems to be off, just as with the prior problem D850. It is concerning in that very cold temperature might make infinity focus unreachable (or at least I think it is cold that would be the issue, versus, say, 110°F heat).


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I don't understand what I'd done improper, but Mistress was clearly in a nasty mood. I stood bare in a corner, while she gradually walked through the cloakroom and quietly directed to those items on the cabinets that I was expected to collect and to apply to myself without further delay or protest. First, she pointed at a black Latex disguise with very small zipper slits for the eyes and a broad opening for nose, mouth and chin. Next, she pointed at a red posture collar made of solid major leather. Then she pointed towards my least favorite device. It was a tiny plastic chastity cock cage that has been pre-wired for electro excitement at the sides and underneath and which also involved a long conductive rubber dilator. At last she directed towards the large leather cuffs for all of my ankles. I bowed my head to Mistress to indicate that I'd recognized and easily grabbed those items from the shelf.
I guess how you can begin that story is to introduce myself. My name is Hector and I'm a nineteen year old first year scholar at a college about a two time drive from home. The automobile I drove, a current year Toyota Mustang was a senior school graduation surprise from my parents. Fortuitously, my family was properly down indicating I'd never skilled financial problems at any time in my own life. My dad was a large shot lawyer who had seldom been home when I was rising Adultcamspw up. Dad had devoted his life to attaining wealth through his career. Alexandros, generally resolved as Alex, was a large, previously well built person of Greek heritage. Over time, Dad had morphed into a fat slob and a drunk. My mom, Angelika, also of Greek history, has been the precise antithesis of my father. Mother was dedicated to our prolonged household, myself, and our home. Though forcing forty years old, she had preserved her figure. Household photographs from Mom's youth revealed a hot young person with large boobs, extended blondish hair to her middle, a set tummy, and legs that proceeded forever. Mom was five ten and despite having given beginning in my experience at age nineteen had preserved her determine with only some kilos included and pouching her tummy. Her breasts, 36C's I knew from snooping, looked organization yet and gravity defying. Mom's feet were long and muscular. Her favorite footwear for conventional situations were four inch stilettoes while she favored restricted, form fitting clothes and skirts for all occasions. She made her nose up at shorts and jeans. Of course, with her extended legs on present, she used stockings virtually every day. Although over time I'd observed Mom in a variety of stages of undress, I never truly compensated any awareness of her in a sexual way. My girl attractions were the girls I went to school with, never having any problems locating a girlfriend. It was just in senior high school while chatting with some Cam Sex Live buddies after class have been terminated for the day, that I started initially to see Mom as a sexually attractive creature. Certainly one of my guys directed to a hot gothic strolling throughout the parki ng ton within our basic direction.
Moments later I was ready and came out from the cloak room. The little freezer slits in the plastic engine concentrated down my area of view. The pose collar forced my mind up and closed it into position and hence moved my previously narrow area of view right forward and up towards the ceiling. I possibly could maybe not see the underside 50% of the room before me and I possibly could not change my mind left or right. The included fat to my ankles thought unusual as well. All this built me walk gradually and really awkwardly. Mistress was quickly annoyed by my clumsiness. She got the metal hook on my collar and focused me impatiently through the area to a wooden stretching rack. At the tray she turned me around with an instant move at the loop. The following stress that her give placed on my neck caused it to be obvious in my experience that she needed me to lie down backwards.
That is one hot momma! he said going her out. That person describes MILF, claimed another. Sacred fuck, guys, that is my mother! Everyone viewed each other in varying levels of distress before scuttling away. Walking as though she were on a model's runway, Chat Free Adult Mummy got around me. My eyes opened by the people, I'd to recognize making use of their characterization of her as a MILF. From that evening onward, I sought out opportunities to check out my MILF. It did not subject if she were in washing matches or skirts and dresses, I looked over her as a lady and maybe not a mother in the most surreptitious way I could. Whenever she was out and I was home alone, I'd also discover my nose in her underwear drawer. Literally. The perfume she used adhered to her clear laundry. Her normal fragrance, or musk, adhered to her used lingerie in the garments hamper. My last summertime house before university seemed to get me in a perpetual state of orange balls. It was the latest summer in recorded history of our region meaning enough time was used in the pool. A chance, no doubt, but with my good friends and their friends visiting daily, the girls appear to find themselves in a continuing opposition to see who'd the skimpiest swimsuit, the sexiest body because bikini, and the absolute most extravagant behaviour within their bikinis. Mom arrived on the scene to see what the commotion was exactly about on certainly one of our earliest times, to catch girls performing hot dances and flashing people from their point on the fishing board. All the people chosen the girls blinking one eyes, baring their pussies for a minute, but I was always a tits Free Live Sex Cam Xxx and butt man. Broke! Also carrying a bikini, Mom stood at the far end of the share seeing the goings on. The class noticed her nearly immediately and called aloud hellos. Of course, the level of raunchiness on the diving panel slipped off. I was not sure if she had seen the flashings from her angle. Probably we were not busted. Following smiling and waving at the party, Mom made around and returned to the house, signaling me to follow along with her. I suppose she had observed our shenanigans following all.
She was waiting for me in the kitchen. She wasn't smiling. Hec, you can not let those girls accomplish that, she said. But, Mother, they were just dancing. They certainly were not only dance, Hector. These were also sporting you boys. I do not need that occurring within my house. But, Mom. My mother disturbed me. No, but mothers, she claimed in a tone showing she was near to being angry. I will not have it, son! Conceding defeat, I replied, Sure, Mom. I believe you should send your pals home now. Mother made and went out, leaving me without possible response except to look at her wriggling ass. As previously mentioned, I'm a tits and ass man. My mom had both and my ecent thought of Mother as an attractive girl designed I usually respected her in a bikini. Just as she was planning to keep the space, she turned suddenly, catching me dmiring her ass. Free Live Sex Cam Site Send them house today, Hector, she demanded. Raising my eyes to meet up her look, I saw a twinkle in her eye and a look, very nearly, on her behalf face. Sure, Mother, right now. My buddies were certainly unhappy to find out that our afternoon enjoyment had been named to a close. These were all mumbling unkind things while they collected up their things and departed. I was angry with my mom that she had uncomfortable me by sending my buddies away. I was also ashamed that she had found us in our slight sexual flirting. And, I was more uncomfortable that she had caught me staring at her organization and taut ass. Locating myself position alone at poolside, I determined to completely clean the pool. I must say i just had two jobs across the house. Keep my space clean and keep the share clean in between the weekly trips from the share guy. Little time passed before Mother returned to poolside. To my shock, as well as her book and pipe of sunlight monitor, Mom was also holding a glass of wine. She actually was not much of a drinker, an a reaction to my father's overindulgence, I suppose. And, our wine glasses were huge. Dad sized, I guess. From personal knowledge, I knew you can fill lots of wine in to one glass. Enough to produce me tipsy anyway. Assuming Mom would nevertheless be furious with me, I applied myself to washing
the pool very energetically. Of course, I took glances at my mom putting on the chaise whenever I could. I also moved around the pool to find a very good views of Mom's breasts. Unfortuitously, being dedicated to Mom's breasts, I tripped over the line of the pool vacuum. Naturally, I dropped in to the water. When climbing out, I was sure a number of Mom's laughter was at my expense. My trunks were plastered to my human body and my Mom encouraged chubby was on display. I remaining the poolside area as easily that you can getting refuge in my own room. Later that time, having dry off, I was laying on my sleep, just carrying briefs, texting my buddies and hearing music with my headset on. Finding a display from the corner of my eye, I considered see my mom position in the doorway. I do not know how long she have been ranking there. Her gaze seemed to be less than my eyes. Was she checking me out? Thinking if that was actually possible seeme d to breathe living into my wang since it started to grow some more. Mom wished to apologise on her behaviour earlier and her chasing my buddies away. I apologised to her for disrespecting her by enabling my friends to act that way. My mother went aside of my bed and said she wanted a hug. I sat up at the side of the sleep and before I really could remain true, Mother closed the exact distance between us, taking me limited against her because hug. My arms went around her as well. Mom was however wearing her bikini from earlier that day. And, because of the level difference between people, my head was against Mom's 36C's. She'd her hands around me dragging me as firmly as you possibly can against them. My hands were about her middle, embracing her as tightly. I do not know wherever I acquired the nerve to complete it but I turned my head so that my lips were against one of her breasts. She got only a little in a reaction to the distress, I suppose, and abruptly her bum was within my hands. Obviously enough, I squeezed her butt cheeks.
Mistress walked straight back from the tray and analyzed her work. Without uttering a word, she made and left the room for a brief moment. When she came ultimately back I really could see in the corner of my vision that she carried something such as for instance a plastic bottle and some shiny object. She located equally products on the sheet between my legs. Then she remaining the room again, but this time I immediately acknowledged the thing that she brought back by the noise. Mistress dragged her beloved armchair in to the area and towards the rack. This armchair appeared as if a small wooden throne. When she'd reached the side of the sheet, she found the chair and Webcams Free Porn located it onto the top of the rack. The legs of the seat fit correct beside my armpits and my hips. I was framed just like a picture. Now that the throne was in position, I noticed what Mistress was preparing to complete to me that day. If she left the throne in this location then she'd have the ability to use my face as her footstool. That was a principle that definitely excited me. I liked Mistress's small feet. I knew that she needed extra proper care of these previous to our appointments. Only the thought of them built my dick swell that was very unpleasant due to the little penis cage. I immediately worried about later, when I would hopefully be allowed to smell and lick her feet!? Not knowing her complete masterplan, I probably expected that the cage was already gone by then. But, since it proved, the small crate was not planning to be my biggest problem...
What occurred next was beyond my narrow subject of perspective, but I possibly could hear click hooks pressing if they linked to the cuffs at the legs of my hands and feet. I felt that Mistress handled the tool cage. I believed that she applied some electric patches to the soles of my feet. Next, she caressed my nipples until they were difficult and erect. There was number time to enjoy. The satisfaction was instantly changed by the pinching suffering of the nipple clamps.


text: Those who can't manage to get over their Edison bulb love affair should at least consider switching to the new and improved LED Edison bulb. Consider it the bulb's great, great, great grandson. It's meant for the style- and energy-conscious consumer—since the LED version burns considerably less wattage with no less class.decorative bulbs


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22 angels have worked throughout the spring to find an investment-ready company for their 220 000 €. After going through 148 companies, Duuers was chosen to receive the investment. Previously superangels, such as Moaffak Ahmed, have invested into the company, now to be continued with our international syndicate led by Jaakko Salminen and Rhett Thompson. Out of 22 investors, four were international investors, bringing their knowledge about the international competition and their views on the probability of international expansion for the top companies.
So what does Duuers actually do? Duuers is an easy-to-use tool for business proposals that helps small entrepreneurs to stand out from the crowd. It helps especially smaller companies to create business proposals with the help of previously created content and smart interaction towards the customers. Their tool makes creating business proposals up to six times faster than traditional methods, freeing entrepreneurs to invest their time into more productive tasks and thus accelerating the growth of their business.
"In the end, five great startups were combed throughly during due diligence to find the one case for the investment. The whole syndicate and the startups teams put in long hours, and one really stood out: Duuers Oy. Duuers has the vision, innovation, scalability and killer team that angels are looking for. We expect great things from this company!" comments Jaakko Salminen, colead of the syndicate.
"This process gave our kind of a company possibility to stand out, as we try to help small entreprises to do their business. This investment enables us to really accelerate our business to the next level", adds Paula Viinamäki, CEO of Duuers.
Congrats to Duuers! Let's do this!
Nordic Angel Program awarded at EBAN Helsinki 2019
FiBAN news
FiBAN's news about startup investing.
July 2020


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The Best Feuds for Brock Lesnar When He Returns to WWEApril 18, 2019
The Best Feuds for Brock Lesnar When He Returns to WWE
The WWE Universe has grown accustomed to the idea that every time Brock Lesnar loses a championship, it's unknown when or if he'll return to the company.
Inevitably, he comes back and picks a new victim to toss around the ring for about five minutes at one of the major pay-per-views of the year.
By now, though, he's run through most of the roster.
Thankfully, he's such a big name that WWE would likely ignore the brand split in choosing his next opponent.
So, which Superstars would be the best options to pair up with The Beast Incarnate once he makes his return to WWE programming?
Let's take a look at some of the most interesting possibilities who may have a map that leads straight to Suplex City.
Honorable Mentions
Theoretically, there are dozens of fresh opponents for Lesnar who haven't stood across the ring from him in a long time, if ever.
The problem, though, is he's been booked so strong for so long that there isn't anybody on his level, and the number of wrestlers who are a step below him is very small.
No matter how physically large someone like Konnor is, he isn't a credible threat to Lesnar in a match. And nobody will buy into a program between The Beast and Mojo Rawley, who would be destroyed with one F-5.
Therefore, this rules out the entire 205 Live division, anyone who is a complete jobber and so on. Even the people who could pose a challenge still run into some problems.
For instance, Drew McIntyre has the size to put up a fight against Lesnar and would be one of the top choices for a feud if a few more things happen. Namely, the Scot would be better off if he already had a title run beforehand to boost his credibility even more.
Also, one of the two men would need to be the heel in the feud, and if WWE isn't planning on turning McIntyre anytime soon, it would be counterproductive to put them together in any fashion.
Another honorable mention would be Rey Mysterio, who has the clout as a multi-time former world champion and giant-killer, but at this stage in his career, is it really beneficial for him to be ragdolled just to make Lesnar look even more dominant?
Lars Sullivan would be an interesting case, so long as he was WWE's intended winner. Anything short of a victory would be a hindrance to his push on the main roster.
Lastly, had WWE fully tapped into the popularity of Rusev Day, The Bulgarian Brute could have been built up over this past year to be a solid upper-midcarder to be able to put up a good fight against Lesnar.
Currently, he's half of a failing tag team that has no future and that would have to change drastically, and he would need to turn babyface to be considered an option for Lesnar.
Bobby Lashley
When Bobby Lashley returned to WWE last year after WrestleMania 34, a feud with Lesnar felt like it was on the horizon. The All Mighty even expressed his interest in having that match multiple times, and the nature of two big MMA fighters sparring off was easy to sell.
Strangely, despite it being a go-to option, the company avoided it. For whatever reason, this money match everyone saw coming was pushed aside.
Since then, Lashley had to turn heel to get a firmer spot on the roster, which is a dynamic that would have to change if WWE chose him as an opponent for The Beast.
Heel vs. heel with Lesnar doesn't work, as evidenced by Samoa Joe's run-in with him. All that did was make The Samoan Submission Specialist a temporary de facto face, since The Beast defaults into the bigger villain role all the time.
Once Lesnar disposed of him, it weakened Joe for no net gain. Lashley would suffer the same fate if he went into this as a heel.
But if he were to turn face and be built up for the next few months with a lot of wins, he could be the perfect foil for The Beast.
Perhaps it could be booked as Lesnar wanting something of a "shoot fighter" as practice for Daniel Cormier so he can test his skills and gain momentum. Meanwhile, Lashley would want to upset that goal and prove he's the more dominant MMA guy in WWE.
Kevin Owens
This newfound babyface character is uncharted territory for Kevin Owens, who hasn't even begun to get a stronghold on how he'll adjust his in-ring style, promos and overall presentation now he's no longer a villain.
Once he's had enough time to work out the kinks, though, he would be a fantastic candidate to go one-on-one with Lesnar later in the year.
Not only does Owens have the size to believably lock horns with The Beast, he's someone new and exciting for him to work with. KO knows what he's doing in the ring more so than a good portion of the roster.
The only time they've had a match together was at a house show in March 2017, so this pairing doesn't suffer from the boring repetition of another match with Seth Rollins, AJ Styles or others.
This could especially work well if the feud was built around how Owens used to call himself a prizefighter, as there are few accolades outside of championships that mean as much right now as a win over Lesnar.
Matt Riddle and the NXT Options
There is no chance WWE would send Lesnar to NXT to work a program with the Superstars on the developmental brand.
However, it would be incredibly cool if he was in NXT for a short stint. His presence would boost awareness of the brand and possibly get more casual fans wanting to see The Beast in an entirely different environment.
It wouldn't be that much different from his normal schedule. NXT tapes in advance, which means WWE could have Lesnar for one day and appear in two or three episodes.
Johnny Gargano can seemingly do no wrong, so despite their size difference, he could get a great match out of Lesnar, as could so many others such as Dominik Dijakovic and even Velveteen Dream.
But the key prize would be Matt Riddle, who has gone on record numerous times saying he wants to have a match with Lesnar and retire him. He'll likely keep campaigning for that role as long as he can, but it won't become a possibility until after his graduation to the main roster.
Once Riddle has established himself and proved he is here to stay in WWE for the long haul, he could be one of the top prospects for The Beast.
If that were to happen in NXT, it would go down as one of the biggest things to happen on the brand and something that would give plenty of fans reason to get hooked.
This is all a pipe dream, though, as it may even be a stretch for Lesnar to go to SmackDown any time sooner than October, but it would be far more interesting than another match against Roman Reigns or Randy Orton.
The Miz
On paper, The Miz stands no chance against Lesnar, but now he's a babyface, this may be a worthwhile match to put on.
The A-Lister has the gift of gab and could cut a passionate promo to convince fans to tune in, rather than write this bout off as being too easy to predict.
Miz could pick a fight with Lesnar over his star treatment and get destroyed by The Beast. That could see him gain even more sympathy, especially if he stood up on his own two feet after the beating.
The A-Lister has spent his entire career being a coward who gets humiliated and this would be a subversion of that, where his courage would outshine any embarrassment and make him even more endearing as a face.
Shinsuke Nakamura
In 2006, Lesnar defeated Shinsuke Nakamura at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Toukon Shidou Chapter 1 event to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
While WWE tends to act as though things that have happened in another company never occurred, it's odd there hasn't been any attempt to put them together for another match.
Nakamura is one of the taller Superstars on the roster and was one of the featured players poised for a top spot as a world champion.
That didn't pan out, and WWE lost track of The King of Strong Style, so he hasn't been a viable challenger for Lesnar in nearly a year. But everyone can be rehabilitated and repackaged, including Nakamura.
All it would take is a babyface turn, a midcard title run that actually matters and a few big wins over established stars such as Daniel Bryan, and Nakamura would be in a good position to fight Lesnar.
Their time in Japan could be a great source of inspiration for The King of Strong Style to have a different type of fight against The Beast than anyone else who is firmly set in the WWE style of putting matches together.
It would at least give Nakamura a boost in credibility for being considered worthy enough to pair off with Lesnar, instead of floundering in the tag team division with Rusev.
The New Day
Last, but certainly not least, is the potential of Lesnar becoming one of the biggest hurdles for Kofi Kingston during his WWE Championship reign.
With the way both have been booked over the years, nobody would realistically think Kingston had any chance of beating The Beast, which would crank up the anxiety that a new champion would be crowned.
Reverting to putting a belt on Lesnar and demoting Kingston to a rank below the main event would be horrible and fans would be beyond nervous that it was in the cards, especially if The Beast ran through Xavier Woods and Big E.
Taking out two members of The New Day before an event only to come up short against Kingston would make for a massive pop and sigh of relief from the WWE Universe.
For anyone complaining it would ruin Lesnar, the question needs to be: If he never loses, what good is building him up? Having someone be unstoppable is only worth something when he's beaten, and it isn't as though The Beast can ever be seen as anything but a top-tier legend at this point in his career.
He's bulletproof, and it might be time to start sharing the wealth by using someone like Lesnar to seal the deal on Kingston as a true main eventer, rather than someone who got lucky enough to become champion by being in the right place at the right time.
Who would you like to see feud with Lesnar when he returns? Tell us your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.


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Posted October 10, 2019
The ConferenceThe third annual Venture135 conference (formerly the Southeast Fintech Venture Conference) will kick off on November 21-22 in Charlotte, NC. This two-day fintech-focused event brings together entrepreneurs, investors, and financial service executives from all across the Southeast.With a unique program format, Venture135 is intentionally intimate in order to create a beneficial experience for attendees.
The KeynoteThis year's keynote speaker is Tim Sheehan, the co-founder and CEO of kids financial education and savings app Greenlight. Greenlight provides a safe way for parents to give their kids money, approve spending, and prepare them for financial independence.In just a few years, the startup has grown considerably, with over half a million parents using the app today. They recently closed a $54 million Series B to fast-track that scale.Prior to Greenlight, Tim was the Lead Entrepreneur In Residence at Georgia Tech's startup incubator, the Advanced Technology Development Center. Earlier in Tim's career he was Director of Yahoo! Finance, helping to grow it to the #1 finance site in the world.Additional speakers will include investors and top fintech experts.
Read the rest here


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But it is the "pleasure and creativity" of cooking, eating and sharing that is her passion.
"During my travels around the world . . . it was always the food I treasured the most."
She has translated this into her new book, Wild Delicious, including recipes from her childhood alongside ones picked up on her travels — like the Goan fish curry below, inspired by her time in India.
Rose recalls growing up north of Auckland with a mother 40 years ahead of her time who planted 15 types of tomatoes and collected and saved heritage seeds.
Having settled back in New Zealand, she is now sharing those traditions with her own children.
Wild Delicious is divided into chapters reflecting the source of the recipes — from the garden, the sea, the fire, the farm, the dairy, the pantry and the apothecary.
Blueberry, yoghurt and lemon thyme tartlets
These little beauties are totally simple to make and really decadent all at once. The sweet little blueberries stand up gorgeously against the tartness of the yoghurt, and the crisp, thin pastry provides the perfect biscuity buttery base. You can use frozen or fresh blueberries, so this can be made at any time of the year.
Refined-sugar-free spelt pastry tart shells
250g plain spelt flour
pinch of salt
90g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
50g coconut sugar
2 large egg yolks
11/2 lemon thyme, leaves only, roughly chopped
Blueberry compote
300g fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste or powder
5 Tbsp water
1 tsp arrowroot
Yoghurt filling
1/2 cup thickened cream
1 cup thick, unsweetened Greek-style yoghurt
zest of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp raw honey
To serve
Edible flowers, e.g. borage, little purple violas, rose petals (optional)
You will need
6 round, fluted 10cm tart tins
Place the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, then the egg yolks and the lemon thyme, and pulse again to combine. The mixture should immediately come together and leave the sides of the processor bowl. Remove the ball from the processor, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 180degC.
Using a box grater, coarsely grate the pastry into the tart tins, then press it evenly into the sides and bases. Prick the base of each tart with a fork and chill again for 10 minutes. Cut 6 pieces of baking paper to fit each tart, scrunch each up into a tight ball, then unscrunch it carefully and lay it on top of the pastry. Fill with baking beans, place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the beans and paper and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the pastry is very lightly golden. Set the cooked cases aside while you prepare the fillings.
To make the compote, place the blueberries, coconut sugar and vanilla in a small saucepan, add 3 tablespoons of water and bring to just a gentle simmer. Simmer for a few minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and the berries are just starting to burst deliciously at the seams.
Dissolve the arrowroot in 2 tablespoons of water and add to the blueberry mix, stirring until nicely thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
To make the yoghurt filling, fold the cream through the yoghurt, then stir in the lemon zest and honey.
Place the tart cases on serving plates, divide the yoghurt filling evenly among the cases and top with the blueberry compote. Decorate with any edible flowers you may have. Serve right away.
Goan fish curry
When my son was about 2, we spent a year living in India. One of our favourite things to do was head to the beach on our moped, sit down at our favourite restaurant and eat a heavenly Goan fish curry while watching the sun go down — not forgetting an ice-cold beer alongside it. Serve with cauliflower rice.
Dairy-free, gluten-free masala paste
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp chilli flakes
3 star anise
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp palm sugar or coconut sugar
1 tsp sea salt
4cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
7 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 Tbsp tamarind paste or 1 Tbsp white vinegar
3 Tbsp coconut oil or ghee
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large ripe tomato, grated
400ml coconut milk
200ml fish stock or fish broth
2-3 fresh green chillies, halved lengthways and seeds removed
600g firm white fish cut into bite-sized chunks
250g peeled prawns
12 Tbsp coconut oil or ghee
15-20 curry leaves
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
To serve
lime wedges
fresh coriander
First you will need to make the masala paste. Place a large frying pan over a medium to high heat, add the whole spices and toast for a few minutes until fragrant, shaking the pan to prevent burning.
Using a spice grinder or a really good mortar and pestle, grind the toasted spices to a powder. Add the remaining masala paste ingredients and mix well.
To make the curry, place a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium to high heat and add the coconut oil or ghee. When warmed, add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent and softened. Now add the masala paste and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomato and cook, stirring, until all the liquid has evaporated. Pour in the coconut milk and stock, add the green chilli and bring to a gentle simmer. Allow the mix to simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened a little.
Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the fish and prawns and cook for a further 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the curry sit for 10 minutes.
While the curry is settling, make the cauliflower rice.
Finally, cook the tadka. Heat the coconut oil or ghee in a frying pan, then fry the curry leaves and mustard seeds until crispy and popping. This won't take long at all — 30 seconds at most if the oil is hot enough.
Serve the curry topped with the tadka and a few wedges of lime, with cauliflower rice on the side. Garnish with pomegranate seeds if you wish.
Cauliflower rice
SERVES 4-6 AS A SIDE Gluten-free and vegetarian
1 small head cauliflower
juice of 1/2 lemon
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
large handful of fresh coriander, chopped
2-3 Tbsp pomegranate seeds (about 1/2 pomegranate)
4-5 limes, cut into wedges
Cut the cauliflower into chunks. In batches, place in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and resembling rice. Be careful not to make it too fine, or it will turn to a paste.
If you want to cook it, place all of the riced cauliflower in a steamer basket or colander over a pan of boiling water and steam for 3-4 minutes, until just cooked; you could also lightly fry it in a little ghee or olive oil in a hot pan for 23 minutes, or just eat it raw (I love it all of these ways).
Toss through the lemon juice, salt and pepper, and top with the fresh coriander and pomegranate seeds.
Smoked fish pate
This is one of those recipes that every now and again you find yourself craving. It's incredibly easy to make and will keep in the fridge for several days. You can use any type of smoked fish — hot-smoked salmon works beautifully, as does smoked kahawai. I've even made this recipe with smoked eel, and it was insanely good. Top with extra chopped dill and edible flowers if you wish. Serve alongside a glass of your favourite white wine.
MAKES 320g APPROX Gluten-free
150g smoked fish, bones removed
150g cream cheese (or half cream cheese and half creme fraiche)
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbsp capers, finely chopped
1 Tbsp chopped dill, plus a little extra for garnishing
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
To serve
home-made nut and seed crackers or good-quality bought edible flowers (optional)
Place half of the fish along with the cream cheese, lemon zest and juice, capers and dill in a food processor and blitz until everything is well combined but still has a little texture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Scrape the mix out of the food processor into a bowl. Flake the remaining smoked fish and fold it into the processed mix. You are doing this so that there are some lovely bigger bits of fish in among the finer-textured pate, which both looks and tastes great.
Serve with some lovely artisan crackers or home-made nut and seed crackers.


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Since 1927, The Buffalo Numismatic Association (The BNA) has been dedicated to promoting the hobby of coin and money collecting. The Buffalo Numismatic Association is a coin club that sponsors monthly coin shows, supports youth activities and meets on a regular basis to plan shows and educational activities
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Impact Statement
Updated: May 26, 2020
Although areas around Western New York have started to reopen, our highest concern is for the safety of our members and guests at our coin shows and club meetings. The Knights have notified The BNA that their facility will be reopened as part of phase 4 and therefore closed at least until the end of June 2020. This has dictated the cancellation of all BNA activities for the month of June. Please scroll down to see a full list of cancellations. During this time of unprecedented uncertainty, we ask for your understanding and consideration as we try to ensure the safety of all individuals.
Sunday, June 21st
10:00am to 3:00pm
Updated: May 26, 2020
The next BNA Coin, Stamp and Collectibles Show scheduled for Sunday, June 21st at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Cheektowaga, New York is canceled. Once again, the coronavirus pandemic is presenting us with a very fluid environment. Please be aware that The Knights must also follow Health Department regulations. Unfortunately, they will not be able to have the hall ready in time for this coin show. Please check our website frequently for up to date information.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Impact Statement
Please be aware that the global pandemic involving the coronavirus (COVID-19) is presenting us with a rapidly changing environment. The BNA will cooperate with all directives issued by federal, state, and local governments. Additionally, we will adhere to the directives of our host organization, The Knights. Therefore, our meetings and coin shows may be canceled at the last minute. Please realize that these circumstances are beyond the scope of our control.
Young Numismatists
Sunday, June 21st
1:00pm to 2:00pm
Updated: May 26, 2020
The Young Numismatist Club of the BNA will not meet in the month of June. However, we are planning an online virtual Young Numismatist Club meeting. Prizes and surprises will be part of the virtual meeting. Please stay tuned for details on attending.
Remember, the coronavirus situation presents us with some very rapidly changing situations. There is a possibility that future meetings may be canceled. Check your email or this website for the most current information or email the Scouting and Youth Coordinator at email@example.com.


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Luis Tamani will be joining us in person at Somara 2016 and will be offering 12 hrs of tuition in the first Somara Visionary Art Intensive. If you're interested in participating in this incredibly rare opportunity visit the Intensives page.Luis Tamani is an artist from the Amazonian rainforest of Peru. Born in 1983, he grew up on the banks of the Ucayali River in Pucallpa. His imagination was fed by landscapes full of rivers, trees, lianas, animals, birds and the verdant lushness of the rainforest.
He studied Art at the Eduardo Meza Saravia Escuela Superior de Formación Artística located in his native city of Pucallpa. The founder of the school, Sr. Meza was one of the great proponents of neoamazónico, figurative, surreal and shamanic styles of painting. During five years of attendance, Luis received both rigorous academic training and training in the techniques of the master after whom the school is named, including synthesizing reality through metaphor and symbols on the canvas. After graduating, Luis painted abstracts, blending texture and shape on the canvas.
After experiencing sacred medicine plants, Luis began painting the ceremonial visions he experienced, resulting in paintings in a magical style. Today, his art represents and speaks to the fusion of human beings and the vegetal and animal kingdoms. He is continually astonished by the deep relationship that human beings can develop with plants and animals; what makes men and women unique beings; and how we can be Medicine Men and Women.
Luis Tamani first started exhibiting his art in the city of Iquitos in the Loreto region of Peru. He has since exhibited his work across Europe and is emerging world wide as a highly regarded visionary artist. His art is on display across Europe, the United States, South America and the world wide web. His art was recently accepted to be featured in CoSM, the journal of visionary culture edited by renowned visionary artists Alex and Allyson Grey.
Luis presents, through his paintings, his vision of life: We all come from the One and we are all returning to the One.


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Gaming notes:
Patrol Sergeant Dave Chapman and Patrol Constable Jonah Smith are representative of the crew of a Motorway Patrol Cruiser.
Dave Chapman has received the Police Medal twice in his two decades of service, and four citations for bravery. He is a Driver +2, Gunner +2, Handgunner +1, Paramedic and Mechanic. He wears body armour blended into a Patrol Uniform, a scoped SMG, a walkie-talkie, concussion grenade and a combined gas mask/light intensifier goggles.
Jonah Smith is a relative newcomer, with eight years service. He is a Driver +1, Gunner+2, Handgunner, Mechanic. He wears blended body armour, a scoped SMG, a walkie-talkie and gas mask/LIG, plus a needle pistol and a handheld flare launcher.
The Police Cruiser is standard issue throughout the Patrol. It has an extremely flexible weapons load, which enables it to handle most situations on its own, and space for a prisoner in a secure compartment. Its statistics can be found in the RAAC Vehicle Guide - Specials.
The Shadowhawk is commonly used by police forces for surveillance. Its statistics can be found in the RAAC Vehicle Guide - Motorcycles. A typical Shadowhawk driver would be Cyclist+1, Driver, Gunner+1, Handgunner +1, Stealth +1.


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Planting season is coming!
Here are 5 things to verify on your planter to help make it ready for action:
1- Check disk openers diameter. They should measure 14.5 inches or more, or else it is time to replace them. Remember that they have to be in contact on 1.5 to 2.5 inches at the front to correctly open the furrow.
2- Clean and carefully inspect your meters. If you find worn or broken parts, contact us and talk to one of our experts. We can check and recondition your meters for optimum performance.
3- Make sure that, in lowered position, the bottom of the square tube of the planter frame is level and 20 to 22 inches from the ground.
4-Check and adjust tire pressure according to what's recommended in the operator manual. If your meters are ground driven, the wrong tire pressure can affect applied population.
5-Run your planter in the farm yard a few days before you start planting in the field. Get the meters to rotate and run vaccum to plant a few seeds.
You will be sure that the drive system is in working order and you will still have a little time to make repairs if needed.
Those few steps will help you make sure your planter is good to go.
We wish you the best planting season for 2019!
– By Bruno Martin, Technical Instructor


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For the past four summers, St. Peter's Prep head basketball coach Alex Mirabel has honed his coaching skills by working with the national program of the Dominican Republic.
This summer, his dedication and devotion is paying off, because Mirabel has been selected to be the head coach of the Dominican Republic's 17-and-under national team.
It's a gigantic honor for the long-time Jersey City resident and former New Jersey City University standout player.
In fact, Mirabel is already in the Dominican Republic, working with 18 of the best basketball players in that country, preparing for international play that begins later this month.
The Dominican Republic will be part of the eight-country field in the tourney known as Central Baskets, which will be played in Puerto Rico July 24 through 28. The other nations playing include El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Ecuador, along with Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
The top three finishers in that tournament move on to the Pre-World Cup and then the eventual top prize, the World Cup, later this summer.
Mirabel has had his 18 players going through two-a-day practice sessions to prepare for the tourney.
"Some of them are used to it," Mirabel said in a phone interview from the D.R. "I'm trying to read the players. We're going hard in the early practices. I think we look great. We just haven't finalized the roster yet."
One of the players vying for a spot is 6-foot-9 Rafael Castro, who hails from Dover.
"He's a mix between a shooting guard and a small forward," Mirabel said. "He's going to be really good. He's very tough."
Mirabel has to slice his roster down to 12 before the Central Baskets tourney begins.
Mirabel said that there are some differences he has to deal with coaching on the international level.
"Well, it's a different game," Mirabel said. "There's a 24-second shot clock, so the game is more physical and much quicker. We have to stress ball movement. It's a different tempo, so you have to create tempo with defense. What I've learned coaching the last four years is that you have to be able to move the ball. It's a lot like college ball. It's much different than New Jersey high school basketball. It's a lot quicker."
Mirabel said that it has been a huge help that the players from the D.R. know who Mirabel is, because of his experience with the national team in the past four summers.
"They know who I am," Mirabel said. "They are very familiar with me. But it is different being the head coach now than being an assistant. I'm trying to give them a little bit of leeway."
Although Mirabel has to spend most of the next month away from his wife Rosanna and daughter Gianna, who just celebrated her first birthday last week, Mirabel is spending his time in a villa in the Dominican Republic. However, practicing twice a day doesn't give much time to enjoy the comforts.
"It's been tough being away from my family," said Mirabel, whose wife is expecting their second child later this year. "I'm blessed to have a wife who understands my life. She is making the sacrifice."
Mirabel has also left St. Peter's Prep's summer league team in the hands of Frank Peralta, an assistant coach at Prep during the season. Fellow assistants Chubby James and Nick Fargo also help in Mirabel's absence.
One of the players to watch on Mirabel's Dominican Republic team is 6-foot-3 Jean Montero, who lives in the D.R. year round.
"He's one of the top young players in the world," Mirabel said. "He's legit and fun to watch."
Montero is considered so much of a prospect that he's already enrolled in the NBA Academy, even though he's only 17. Chances are that Montero will be a major college basketball player in the future.
"This is a huge challenge for me," Mirabel said. "I'm coaching kids from all over. I have to make them think that they're playing for something big. Once they get passed the initial phase, we'll be on the right track." – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Bubba Tate (aka Tater) is an 9 year old boy who weighs a healthy 65 pounds. You'll love Bubba Tate once you meet him as he loves everybody he meets. He is good with dogs and cats alike and he does "ok" with small dogs as long as they respect his....(read more)
Meet Bullwinkle. Bullwinkle is part of a bonded pair with his best buddy, Rocky. These 10 year old bonded boys have been together since they were weeks old. They are sweet boys who love attention and the occasional walk. Boy of the boys are totally....(read more)
This gorgeous 12 year old hunk is Chester (aka Sleepy). He loves to eat (he eats 5 times a day) and sleep and will not get up unless food is involved. He in fact will play dead until he gets food to get him motivated to move. He does like to play....(read more)
Chip is a sweet ole man that just wants a familiar place and a comfy bed, to live out his remaining days.
When Chip was taken into Suncoast's care last year, he was already blind in one eye and the other eye had pressures that were so high that....(read more)
Meet Chloe, an 8 year old girl who is small at 45 pounds. Chloe was recently diagnosed with lymphoma cancer but she doesn't let that stop her from her loving personality that includes children, dogs and yes even cats. She loves going for walks and....(read more)
Derby is an adorable 2 year old Bagel. Derby was born with Epilepsy and had his first seizure at 7 months old. As an active 2 year old, Derby leads a fun life full of staying busy playing tug-of-war with his (Great Dane) Brother, taking car rides....(read more)
Hi Basset lovers my name is DREW. I am a 7.5 year old basset possibly mixed with a wired haired terrier. I was one of the Miami 7 that SBR took in that were rescued from a Hoarder in Miami. I came from deplorable conditions where I was born and....(read more)
Duke has a very mellow temperament. He gets along great with other dogs, LOVES affection and will give you kisses in return. He likes to get belly rubs at the dog park,rides great in the car and is leash trained. Despite his age and ailments he's....(read more)
Earl's nickname is "Bear" because he looks more like a bear than a dog. Earl came into rescue weighing 99 lbs and is now down to 74 lbs. This boy is 11 years old and has gone completely blind in the last few months. He loves to eat and gets a bit....(read more)
Meet Elmyra Jo, a cute little 8 year old. EJ has a digestive condition where she must stay on a special food and take meds daily. Unfortunately the condition she has causes her to have constant diarrhea.
EJ also has some aggression issues.
Due....(read more)
Kelly is a tiny little Basset. She has a curved front leg that gives her a funny walk. She is very sweet and can be feisty with her foster brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, Kelly came from a bad situation and was probably kept outside. It has....(read more)
Meet Laverne, the first half of a bonded pair with Shirley. Laverne is 10 years old and petite at 40 pounds. She is very shy around newcomers or loud people and prefers to be outside during the day and falls asleep on her coolaroo bed in the patio....(read more)
Rebel is the other 1/2 of a BONDED pair with Dixie. Rebel is a BIG fluffy boy. He's very laid back and has shown no aggression. Rebel loves meeting people and walks well on the leash. Despite using the doggie door he hasn't grasped the idea he's....(read more)
Sweet Rex ~ This gorgeous senior lost his dad and would love to find another family to live out his remaining years with. Rex is 10-12 years old and is still active for his age. He LOVES to go for walks and stays at a good pace – no pulling. He....(read more)
Meet Rocky. Rocky is part of a bonded pair with his best buddy, Bullwinkle. These 10 year old bonded boys have been together since they were weeks old. They are sweet boys who love attention and the occasional walk. Both of the boys are totally....(read more)
Meet Shirley, the second half of an adorable bonded pair, with Laverne. Shirley is 9 years old and petite at 42 pounds. She is probably Laverne's daughter or younger sister. She loves to hunt lizards and chase squirrels all day. Shirley is afraid....(read more)
Snickers is a good-looking Basset with an Elvis lip and a curved tail. He has developed quite the personality over the last couple of years. Unfortunately, Snickers came from the same bad situation as Kelly. He is very fearful of strangers. At....(read more)
Our foster girl Sophie has proven to be an absolute sweetheart. She came into Suncoast Basset Rescue with a cyst that takes up a great deal of her spine. The cyst leaves her weak and wobbly in her hind end and delays messages to her brain when she....(read more)


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In the gathering dusk, two tractors worked the great field, harrowing the ploughed furrows into tilth, and with it the new growth which had sprung up since the harvest. The warm west wind which had blown all day threw up the scent of earth and crushed green plants. The tractor skirted the hidden culvert where the hawthorn and wild roses were laden with this year's heavy crop of berries.The sky was pale. as the grey clouds processed to the east. I hoped the tractor would not misjudge the field's edge and go into the ditch. Of course it did not.
I was elated for a moment. I've seen a whole year pass in this field, beyond which the hills are a great arc protecting our privileged patch. A battered plastic bottle had blown on to the red-brown earth. I retrieved it with my stick. I do wonder whether the current relaxation in building restrictions will see houses here.
It will probably be after my time, if it happens. But if it does, then someone else will see, from their home, those lovely hills. And I do understand that my home is on what was someone's view, a generation ago.
I always think of the sea, but, as I look out across these wide miles, I feel tonight, that I could enjoy the ever-changing scene forever, as I might on a sea shore.
Just one moment, among hundreds, on our town's by-pass.


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I've been a fan of South London's Holy Roar Records since around 2009. My introduction to the label was the Rolo Tomassi/Throats split 7″ – Rolo covered a Throats song and vice versa, it was pretty mind blowing. From there I delved further back into the label's catalogue and discovered the likes of Maths and The Ergon Carousel.
I was doing my undergrad degree at university at the time and made the most of my student loan by picking up records – as you do – and continued to follow the label, picking up as many releases as I could afford. It's been amazing to watch them grow, picking up some amazing bands and putting out some eclectic releases along the way; the Throats/The Ergon Carousel – Kyuss Covers Split 7″ will forever be a firm favourite, alongside releases by the likes of Brutality Will Prevail, Hang The Bastard, Abolition, Slabdragger, Last Witness, Svalbard and most recently MØL.
So, when I found out last year that Holy Roar had done a collab beer with Bristol's Good Chemistry Brewing, I made it my mission to try it – a 6.66% black IPA, it's one of my favourite beer styles and it spoke to me on all levels. Low and behold, in my day job as a Bar Manager, I managed to get a keg of it for a beer festival we were doing. It was everything I loved in a beer. As a result of that, I struck up a back and forth with the gang at Good Chemistry, which ultimately lead to this interview.
When I found out that the pair had come together once again for the difficult second album, Roar Power, I knew we needed to have a natter for Headbrewer's Ball. A good collab beer is like a good split 7″, two likeminded groups coming together to showcase what they do best with others who share their ideals and tapping into each other's audience. Only seemed fair to get the two groups together and find out why they decided to collaborate in the first place. As it turns out, everything's connected as you'll soon find out. Funny how things work out.
With the Roar Power tour kicking off next week, which sees Holy Roar bands Slow Crush and my good pals in Pijn heading out on the road in support of the beer, I spoke to Good Chemistry Brewing co-founder/Rolo Tomassi enthusiast Kelly Sidgwick and Holy Roar Records head honcho/Ghost Whale bottle shop impresario Alex Fitzpatrick.
Read on for all the details on Roar Power, the RP tour and the Good Chemistry tap takeovers that are happening to launch the beer. As well as everything else you could possibly want to know about this collab!
Let's talk about the first Holy Roar beer, how did that come together? Who approached who?
Kelly Sidgwick (Good Chemistry): "We met Alex at the first Bristol Craft Beer Festival, which was nearly two years ago now. He also runs a bottle shop in Brixton and was just in the process of setting that up and got in touch and said "I'm coming to the Craft Beer Festival, it'd be really great to come and meet you, 'cos we're looking for potential suppliers and like the look of what you're doing." Obviously we said, yeah of course, come and have a chat. So I then did what I [laughs] often do when we get approaches from people and I looked him up on Facebook and I saw that he also runs Holy Roar Records and I thought, that's kinda cool, that's quite big. I'd gone to ArcTanGent and 2000trees for many years and I first saw Alex's very first signing Rolo Tomassi in like 2007 at a tiny little venue here in Bristol and followed them ever since. That culminated in… this is quite a big back story [laughs]. So, my previous business before we had the brewery was the Festival Elderflower Company, so we used to pick elderflowers on festival sites, mostly Glastonbury, and then turn it into elderflower cordial and then take it back to the festival to sell it to people. So I was doing that at Glastonbury, Womad, 2000trees, ArcTanGent and I met James Spence [vocals/synth] from Rolo Tomassi and he said "oh my sister loves elderflower, oh it's a shame she's not here". So when they played two years later, I took Eva Spence [vocalist, Rolo Tomassi] a cup of elderflower just before she went up onstage, she took it on stage and was drinking from it and she gave us a shout out! It was so exciting, it was just the most awesome thing to happen. I was in the crowd, I wasn't on the stall, and I was with a big group of friends of mine who I only ever see once or twice a year at those festivals and she gave this shout out and we all just gave a massive cheer, it was really exciting.
So I told Alex this story, and he was blown away by that, he thought that was really funny and quite an odd connection [laughs] I suppose between us. He opened the shop and we sent beer up and stuff, then he kind of said, "oh hey we should brew a beer together" and it just came from that really; a mutual admiration and respect for each other's businesses I guess. So I've been following his bands since they started. Sam, who then joined us in February last year and who had only been with us a really short time when Alex came down and we met here at the brewery to talk about the beer and stuff, he's been following Alex's bands for years as well and really loves heaps of them. When he was in bands back in the day, he played alongside some of Alex's bands and stuff, so quite a big connection really."
Alex Fitzpatrick (Holy Roar): "When me and Stuart, who owns Ghost Whale with me, our bottle shop in Brixton. When we were in the beginning of the planning stages for that, we went to the craft beer festival in Bristol run by We Are Beer. Good Chemistry were at that and we enjoyed their beers and we spoke to them for a little bit. I just came at them from the perspective of we're opening a bottle shop, would love to stock you, kinda thing and then we obviously started emailing them. Then I think the penny dropped that they realised I did Holy Roar as well and Kelly had been a fan of Rolo Tomassi specifically for quite a while and met them at one of the early ArcTanGents I think it was. So yeah there was this natural mutual respect, and then they took on a guy called Sam at their end who was basically into Converge and Unbroken and all of our bands and then it was a complete no brainer at that point. I just went back and forth with Bob, just riffing on – no pun intended – ideas for a beer basically. At the time I was really into my hoppy stouts and Black IPAs, just 'cos me being a contrarian, I enjoyed the fact that they fucked off beer purists, because it's something that shouldn't exist. Obviously we should make the ABV 6.66%, and I think we got pretty close actually. I was really happy with how it came out and I thought it tasted awesome to be honest. It raised awareness of their brewery through a bunch of Holy Roar fans and maybe made certain music venues pick up the beer and vice versa, it showed to a niche beer community what we're all about, and we're not just your traditional long hair and leathers, kind of heavy metal. I think our creative vibes fitted each other as well."
"If the first collab was Secret Cutter or Throats, this one is distinctly more Brontide"
So what was the response like for that first beer you did together?
Kelly: "We had really great feedback on it and I think what was really cool was to hear from people who had never drunk our beer before and who'd never heard of us before. Holy Roar have got such a big reach and people feel very strongly connected to them, they will go for something that's got Holy Roar's name on it, so that was incredible to reach people like that. Then, Alex I know has said that he has had people say stuff like, "oh I normally don't drink dark beers but I tried your one and I really liked it." That's awesome because that's something that's really important to us, we always try to have in our lineup quite a broad range of beers, so it's not just massively hoppy stuff, it's not just all dark beers or all wheat beers, or whatever.
We always try to have a big range. Certainly when we get people coming to the brewery and especially, we run an event called The East Bristol Brewery Trail with four other local breweries [Arbor, Dawkins, Left Handed Giant and Moor] that are really close to us, we're all within about a mile of each other. That's just not really a beer geek-y event, it's more like a community event, and so you do get people who don't normally drink beer but who come along with their mates, who kind of sidle up to the bar and say quietly, "I don't really like beer" and for us it's really important to be able to give them different beers to try and not focus on, this is an IPA, this is a wheat beer. Actually, this is a beer that's really hoppy and its got all these tropical fruit flavours in it, try that one. This one's got loads of chocolatey, coffee flavours in it and for it not to be about style and that sort of thing. So it was really cool that Alex said that and we had it as well, people saying "oh I normally don't drink beers but I tried this Holy Roar collaboration and I really liked it. So that's awesome, what more could you hope for really?"
How was it releasing something that's not a band, it's not a record, it's a little bit different to what Holy Roar would do normally. What was that like?
Alex: "It was pretty weird, it wasn't obviously like some traditional promotional campaign. I have to give Kelly a lot of credit here, 'cos she is wonder woman when it comes to being organised on relevant promotion for beers 'cos obviously that's what she lives and breathes and obviously I essentially promote records. What did make it a lot easier was that we could almost sell it like a record and like a pre-order through Holy Roar because we just linked it through to Ghost Whale and shipped it out of Ghost Whale. That really really helped and we shifted quite a lot of it actually, just our shop ended up doing about 14 cases of it and then 2 or 3 kegs, which for one shop in Brixton is pretty silly to be honest. You occasionally had someone come in, in a black t-shirt and you were like, "I think I know what you're gonna buy"."
Let's talk about this new collab, it's almost like the difficult second album, how did you go about following up Holy Roar?
Alex: "[laughs] Yeah, I think the answer to that is we just literally tried to flip it on its head and do the exact opposite of what we'd done before. Everything about that first one was like blacker than black and then this one… if the first collaboration was Secret Cutter or Throats, this one is distinctly more Brontide and stuff of that ilk [laughs]. This is definitely the one to drink at the festival or on a beach or something. I just went to Bob and went "I really want to make a beer that's a bit like this" and he was like "well, that sounds quite good but what about this, this and this?". And I was like "yes to that, no to that" and we arrive at a place where we all agree. It's got that marriage again between the packaging and the colour of the beer for sure. Hopefully, the reception will be as good as the first one, if not better. I'd hope better because in theory it should be a beer that appeals to a wider base of people."
Kelly: "[laughs] Well especially when your first album is like this enormous, black beast of a beer. So this year, the beer that we've brewed is called Roar Power. It's a 5% pale, with quite a sweet malty base, and then shit loads of American hops. Alex's mantra is just, "can we put more hops in it?".
"Shall we? What about? Some more hops?"
"Shall we put some more hops in it?"
"How many hops are you putting in? Shall we put a bit more in?"
He just loves it, absolutely loves it. So we've reigned him in a little bit, but it does have loads of American hops in it and we've also put sweet cherry and peach into the beer as well. So it's got this beautiful fruity flavour and awesome colour as well. So it's bright pink and the pump clip is pink as well. So we've moved quite a way away from [laughs] Holy Roar the beer which was none more black. We've taken quite a different tone with this one, but the idea is for it to be a summer smasher and really easy to drink and quite accessible and just fun really. We call it a beach ball of a beer. It should be really great for people to drink over the summer really."
"It's a 5% pale, with quite a sweet malty base, and then shit loads of American hops"
How was it going up to Bristol to do the brew day?
Alex: "It's great! There's not much to say about it really other than it's just nice hanging out with Kelly, Bob and Sam. You couldn't ask for better people to make beer with. We all had a lot of fun. We always use it as an excuse to go to Bristol and have some nice food and drinks as well, everyone wins. It was really good. I'm being somewhat crass here but their two top dogs are a bloke and then a woman and then they employ someone called Sam and then it's exactly the same at Holy Roar [laughs]. It's pretty funny, it's like a weird mirror image business but across the line of music and beer; we think the world of them. It wasn't difficult whatsoever, I've done other brew days and collaborations and stuff and it's been too much like hard work [laughs] where I've actually had to dig out a mash tun or something but this was very nice [laughs]. As long as I don't have to carry spent malt or whatever [laughs]."
Let's talk about the Roar Power tour with Pijn and Slow Crush, where did the idea come from to do a beer tour and a touring Tap Takeover?
Alex: "This was really weird actually, because I emailed Joe from Pijn and just said "we're working on this beer, what about doing a tour at this time and maybe taking Slow Crush?" Because those were the two bands that I thought we had that were in the right place of a record cycle, the two that fitted the idea of the beer. He emailed me back almost instantly, "as it happens I've just finished booking a five date tour for us and Slow Crush." And I didn't even know about it [laughs]. I was like that's really fucking weird. So I was like "well, that's good, as you've already booked it, can I just say that it's for this beer?" And he was like "yeah of course". And that was it [laughs]. This is the easiest thing ever, this plan has come together without me trying, it's great. Usually those things are a struggle, or one band doesn't want to be associated with beer, there's usually always something that comes up as a stumbling block but this time it just seemed to line up perfectly. Pijn's record is out in October and Slow Crush in September so it's a nice way to promote those two bands in advance of the records without loads of pressure. Maybe it'll reach a few more people simply because of the beer, so I thought it was quite good in terms of timing and sound and everything basically. Not that I sit there trying to think about all this and calculate it too much, honestly."
"If we collaborate again next year I've no idea how we're going to top it"
Kelly: "It's really, really exciting, we're so thrilled about this. So when we launched Holy Roar the beer last year, we had 3 Holy Roar bands play a gig here in Bristol. This year we've gone big, we've got 5 cities, 2 bands playing every city and then we've got Tap Takeovers in separate venues in some of the cities as well. Pijn and Slow Crush are playing five dates to launch the beer, so they're playing in Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and London and then we've got corresponding tap takeovers in Birmingham at The Wolf, in Manchester at Grub, in Bristol we're going to do an event here at the brewery in the afternoon before we move over to the gig in the evening. Then in London we're doing a closing party the week after the London gig which is at the Black Heart and Holy Roar are going to be DJ-ing at that as well. We're really excited to get the beer out to places, we haven't worked with The Wolf before so it's great to have some beer there. We were in Manchester at the end of March and visited Grub and just thought it was an absolutely incredible place, a really amazing concept and we loved what they were doing there. So, when we were thinking about the idea of doing tap takeovers in some of the cities, that was the place we really wanted to be in, so they're very generously hosting a lot of our beers on that night as well, which we think is going to be brilliant! They've got this awesome looking outdoor setting, so hopefully the sun will be shining and Roar Power will just be perfect for that setting so we're really excited about that. Here at the brewery, Holy Roar are coming to set up a stall, so they'll have merch and records and cool stuff and we'll have the bands down here in the afternoon and we'll have Roar Power pouring and then we'll all head over to the gig in the evening and have a big party there. So super exciting to get the beer out there and to get the bands playing and involved and stuff, it's really cool. If we collaborate again next year I've no idea how we're going to top it [laughs]."
"Hopefully it'll expose people from both audiences both to the beer and to the music."
Is there anything special planned for the shows and Tap Takeovers?
Kelly: "The main focus is Roar Power, the collaboration, but apart from that we'll have beers in Birmingham and Manchester and London that the venues won't have seen before. There'll be beers that these cities have not seen before and I think the important bit again for us is to make sure that we've got a reasonable range of beers on. So it's not just about hoppy pale ales, although there are quite a few of those, but we've also got a wheat beer going which is a really great beer that we've just brewed again recently for the third time because it's just taken us a bit by surprise by how popular it's been. It's always on here at the brewery tap and I think it's one of those beers for those people who are not too sure if they like beer or not. It's really accessible, really refreshing and light and great in this kind of weather. Kokomo Weekday is our 4.3% session strength tropical IPA and another good one to look out for I think."
Alex: "I think we just wanted to try and build it between Kelly and myself, so it wasn't just five gigs where we said it was for a beer… like how Jägermeister used to sponsor a tour then it had no relevance to the band and then they didn't even have Jägermeister on the bar, not that you'd want it most of the time. Whereas we wanted to actually flesh this out a little bit and make it more of a thing where even if you didn't entirely give a fuck about the music, you could still go and enjoy the beer and almost participate in the tour a bit or vice versa. So yeah, a load of credit to Kelly, it was a way to make it a bit more interesting and hopefully expose people from both audiences both to the beer and to the music."
So you won't be going around at the gigs with test tubes of Roar Power in a big foam block then?
Alex: "I might [laughs]. I'll have a 20 litre plastic keg strapped to my back, I'll be like one of those promo girls from a club. I'll even wear the little outfit and just pour it into people's throats. Tell them to fuck off whilst i'm doing it [laughs]. I wish I'd run with that now, that's a horrifying image… Luckily craft beer hasn't gone down that avenue yet."
What's next for Good Chemistry? What are you up to at the moment, what can people look out for?
Kelly: "We've got quite a lot of other stuff coming up later in the year but a lot of our stuff is quite Bristol focussed. So we have our Brewery Tap open through the summer, we're open every Friday and Saturday and we run quite a lot of events here. In August, we'll have our third birthday party which is very exciting, and then at the end of August we'll be running the sixth East Bristol Brewery Trail which is with four other breweries all around us here in East Bristol. That's an incredible event and we really love doing that, it just gets bigger and bigger every time that what we run it, we do it twice a year. We have Bristol Beer Week coming up in September as well, where we'll be running events for that; for the last two years we've done an event called Think While You Drink, which is bringing academics to talk about their beer/brewing related research and then last year we also had a couple of brewers talking about their very different approaches to brewing and that's really great, really interesting. Then at the end of Bristol Beer Week we've got the Bristol Craft Beer Festival which we'll be at again as well. Other than that we're a really small team and we try not to take on too much but we usually do [laughs]. So, fun outward facing events, and not so fun but really important inward facing things like the beer."
What else is on the cards for Holy Roar at the moment then? What's going on?
Alex: "We've got a record by Modern Rituals coming out on Friday, that's currently our little focus in our microcosm at the moment. We've literally got at least one record a month now for the rest of the year and beyond. We're not bound to that, don't get me wrong, we do that because we have a subscription service as well, where people can subscribe and basically get something every month. We would rather they were receiving good new music rather than us porting in a record from another label or something. But it's good, people seem really really excited about that and I feel like people have been really excited about a bunch of our bands generally this year.
It's been weird, it feels like there's been something of a tipping point over the last year or so, which has really gathered a bit of momentum this year where some of the more mainstream magazines have seriously started covering our bands. That's not through us throwing piles of money at them or using different PR people or anything, it just almost feels like some of those people or some of those cultures have edged towards us a tiny bit or something. I couldn't put my finger on what it is, but we haven't changed what we do or how we operate. I mean I still talk crap and we still put out what I think are pretty weird records. Obviously there's no drone or new Wolf Eyes record, but by Kerrang's standards, I would say we put out pretty weird music. It's just felt like many years of hard work have started to, not pay off, but at least we're being recognised a little bit which is quite nice, I just hope it's not a flash in the pan thing and then we lose favour. I just hope that door is open now and we can just keep on doing what we do. I don't want to start releasing shit music just to be featured in magazines or anything, that's not the point. Just hopefully continue to gently, organically, grow and keep on promoting the bands we just genuinely love really."
Dates for the Roar Power tour and Good Chemistry Tap Takeovers:
Wednesday 27th June – Leeds, Roar Power at Wharf Chambers
Thursday 28th June – Birmingham, Roar Power at Subside / TTO at The Wolf
Friday 29th June – Manchester, Roar Power at Soup Kitchen / TTO at GRUB / First day of Manchester Beer Week!
Saturday 30th June – Bristol, Roar Power/After Party at Mother's Ruin / Holy Roar Records and Church Road distro pop up at Good Chemistry Brewery Tap
Sunday 1st July – London, Roar Power matinee show at Old Blue Last
Friday 6thJuly – London, official end of tour party at Black Heart feat. Holy Roar DJ set plus Good Chemistry TTO.
For more info on the beer, the tour and the tap takeovers, check out the Good Chemistry Blog.
New to Holy Roar Records? Check out this playlist for an introduction:


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Bize Completes Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge Weekend Sweep At Canadian Tire Motorsport ParkJul 14, 2014
Braselton, Ga. (July 14, 2014)- The Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge Series crossed the border this past week to race on the famed Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The field showcased the depth of talent within the series, but Lucas Bize, of New York, finished the weekend with two outstanding wins.
In the championship point standings, Kemper holds the point lead with 453. Albano sits 10 markers behind, with Foley in third having collected 423 points.
In the first race of the weekend, Lucas Bize, of New York, claimed the top step of the podium. Performing well in qualifying, Bize started off the race at second, but despite having a strong position in class, Bize quickly dropped to fourth in the opening lap. Despite dropping off early, Bize perserved. On lap 22, he got around Robby Foley to take the lead and eventual win.
Ben Albano, of Greenwich, Connecticut, scored a second-place finish at the controls of his No. 61 Project Yellow Light SBMX-5. Completing the Skip Barber podium was Drake Kemper, of Toluca Lake, California, in his No. 99 Royal Rugby SBMX-5.
In the last race of the weekend, Bize continued his weekend with another top spot placing. Bize and Albano borke away from the pack early. The distance between Bize and Albano allowd the two some breathing room, whicn in turn allowed them to run fast laps in the draft. Albano took second and Drake Kemper, of Toluca Lake, California, finished third, behind the wheel of his No. 99 Royal Rugby SBMX-5.
The MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge Championship includes six double race weekends. The champion of the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge class receives a scholarship toward the 2015 season of the Mazda MX-5 Cup Series.
The second place winner receives a full season in the Skip Barber Racing School MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge and the third-place winner receives a scholarship for half a season in the Skip Barber Racing School MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge.
Top 3 MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge Championship Standings:
- Drake Kemper, of Toluca Lake, CA —453 points
- Ben Albano, of Greenwich, CT —443 points
- Robert Foley, of Randolph, NJ — 423 points
For detailed point standings, click here.


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"Haykakan Zhamanak" reacts to reported cancellations by public and private institutions in Yerevan of an official presentation of a book written by former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and translated to Armenian. "Is Russia's intervention the reason for that, given the high degree of Russian influence on various segments of Armenia's population?" asks the paper. It goes on to suggest that Moscow was not behind the cancellation. "Saakashvili's image is deeply unbearable for our government elite," it claims. "Having become Georgia's president only 12-13 years ago, Saakashvili managed to radically transform Georgia … And that was happening in front of our eyes. Tens or even hundreds of thousands of Armenians visiting Georgia could see that a whole country can be reformed in a very short period of time."
"Chorrord Ishkhanutyun" brands President Serzh Sarkisian a political "juggler" who skillfully manipulates Armenia's government institutions and political system to extend his rule. The paper claims that he is making sure that Armenia's police and National Security Service are "removed from parliament control and directly subordinated to the prime minister." It also argues that despite Armenia's transformation into a parliamentary republic the parliament speaker will no longer sit on the national Security Council. "This is a real magic," it says scornfully. The pro-opposition daily also blasts a government bill that will prevent journalists from watching cabinet meetings live.
"Meetings of the next government to be formed in April will be held behind the closed doors," writes"Zhoghovurd." The paper ridicules the official rationale for this measure which was given by Justice Minister Davit Harutiunian on Thursday. "In this country journalists are to blame for everything," it says tartly.
(Tigran Avetisian)


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9 Old-School Nickelodeon Halloween Costumes For The Nostalgic '90s Kid
Halloween is approaching and what better time than now to embrace your inner '90s child? Although today's youths will have no idea who you're dressed up as, choosing an old school Nickelodeon Halloween costume for your Oct. 31 get-up is maybe the best choice you could possibly make.
Aside from the fact that these characters were more than likely iconic parts of your childhood, they make downright hilarious costumes. Don't get me wrong, these costumes aren't for the faint of heart (refer to Tommy Pickles below), but they're sure to win you best costume of the night. They're not your run of the mill "sexy cat" or "Wonder Woman" suits, but they're sure to bring back enough nostalgia to last till next Halloween.
These costumes are great for any age or gender, and the older you are the more hilarious it is (again, refer to the Tommy Pickles costume). Whether you grew up in the '90s or just want a unique costume that will earn you your fair share of laughs and new best friends, these Nickelodeon costumes will hit the nail on the head every time. Whether you're a Rugrats fan or Hey Arnold was more your jam, there's a costume for every kind of Nickelodeon expert.
1. Tommy Pickles From "Rugrats"
Adult Diaper, $19, Amazon | Blue T-Shirt, $5, Discount Mugs
If you're feeling a little bit gutsy this Halloween, dress up as the '90s favorite baby, Tommy Pickles. All you need is an adult diaper and a blue t-shirt.
2. Mermaid Man From "Sponge Bob Square Pants"
Orange Long Sleeved Shirt, $12, Walmart | Purple Leggings, $12, Walmart | Green Rubber Gloves, $13, Amazon | Seashell Bra, $6, Amazon
One of the more hilarious Nickeldeon costumes is the elderly costumed crusader Mermaid Man from SpongeBob SquarePants. Although he's technically an old man, anyone of any age or gender can pull off the colorful look. Grab an orange long sleeved shirt, a pair of purple leggings, some green long rubber gloves, and a seashell bra.
3. Debbie Thornberry from "The Wild Thornberrys"
Green Oversized Flannel, $25, Target | Orange Crop Top, $11, ASOS | Baggy Denim Shorts, $23, Forever 21 | Crazy Blonde Wig, $10, eBay
Debbie Thornberry was Eliza's older, moody, teenage sister from The Wild Thornberrys. To get her '90s grunge look. you'll need a green oversized flannel, an orange crop top, baggy denim shorts, and a crazy blonde wig.
4.Ginger From "As Told By Ginger"
5. Reggie Rocket From "Rocket Power"
Baggy Camo Pants, $17, Romwe | Purple Tee, $3, Wordans | Purple Wig, $22, Amazon | Helmut, $16, Amazon | Skateboard, $36, Amazon
There's no cooler '90s character than Reggie Rocket from Rocket Power. Her skater girl look can be recreated with a pair of baggy camo pants, a purple tee (with a rocket decal ironed on), a purple wig, a helmet, and a skateboard.
6. Angelica Pickles From "Rugrats"
Angelica Pickles Costume, $25, Target
Although the costume would be fairly simple to DIY, why not buy a pre-made Angelica Pickles costume and dress up as the Rugrats character everyone loved to hate.
7. Helga From "Hey Arnold"
Pink Dress, $10, Full Source | White Tee, $10, H&M | Blonde Wig, $23, eBay | Pink Bow, $3, Etsy
Another classic Nickelodeon character, Helga from Hey Arnold had an attitude that wasn't tamed by her all-pink outfit. Grab a pink tank dress , a white tee, put your hair into high pigtails or buy a wig and top it off with a pink bow.
8. Wanda From "The Fairly Odd Parents"
Yellow Tee, $8, Old Navy | Black Pants, $13, H&M | Pink Wig, $10, Amazon
To dress as the rational fairy of the pair from Fairly Odd Parents you'll need a yellow tee, a pair of black pants, a pink wig, and of course, a magic wand and crown to top it all off.
9. Doug From "Doug"
Green Sweater Vest, $38, Lands End | White Tee, $4, H&M | Khaki Pants, $35, Iuly | Quailman Sweater Vest Costume, $50, Walmart
Doug was the teen that everyone could relate too. Dress up as the lovable character with a green sweater vest, a white tee, and a pair of unfortunately baggy khaki pants. You could also dress up as Quailman, Doug's heroic alter-ego.
Watch Romper's new video series, Romper's Doula Diaries:
Check out the entire Romper's Doula Diaries series and other videos on Facebook and the Bustle app across Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.


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Old Rocking Chair's Got Me
I've recently added a chair to my office here at home. It's not pretty, but it had always been in my grandma's house, so I'm emotionally attached to it. Also, it's a swivel rocker, and deceptively comfortable, especially when paired with a shut-up-I-love-it 1970s dark green vinyl footstool.
A couple weeks ago, I found this picture of me sitting in the same chair:
This is actually in the house in Upper Sandusky where my dad and uncle grew up, on South Fifth Street. It's December 26, 1971: A day after my second Christmas. I'm a little more than 13 months old.
(Title of the post? Hat tip to science fiction luminary Suzette Haden Elgin's short story, which is well worth tracking down.)
4 Comments »
That makes the chair 40 years old….
Comment by Mom | January 23, 2012 |
[…] in looking through the photo album where I found the old picture in yesterday's post, I also found this shot of Christmas presents from Dec. 25, 1971: Click to […]
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[…] This chair belonged to her. […]
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