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by Daisy Luther, The Organic Prepper:
Lots of people imagine a flurry of non-stop work when the power goes out for a longer period of time. Sometimes that's the case, but at other times, due to a natural disaster, the safest course of action is to stay in your home. All of that idle time can wreak havoc on your mental state with boredom or your imagination running amok. So, before disaster ever strikes, it's a good idea to think about what to do for entertainment when the power goes out.
In our tech-obsessed world, living without a constant barrage of entertainment and information can feel almost like withdrawal from a drug. Be sure to have some things on hand to keep your mind occupied. (If you have kiddos, here's a list specifically for them.)
Here's how to stay entertained when the electricity goes out.
I asked the group over at Prep Club what they like to do when the power goes out and they gave me some great suggestions. Use this list to stock up on the right supplies to keep yourself entertained and pleasantly busy.
Keep in mind you're going to need some lighting for many of these activities. I absolutely love my inexpensive LED headlamps at times like these.
As for me, I stocked up on yarn to get a jumpstart on the holiday gifts I'm making.
I read…. A lot. And I have candles and lanterns for light in the evenings.
Most of my daylight time would be spent taking care of animals, finishing pens for security, checking gardens and probably canning up anything in the freezer that is left. Since I have trouble being idle, I would be focusing on what I can do and getting as much done as possible.
I love Word Searches, Sudoku, Hidden Words, and lots of books to read help with boredom for me.
Crafts – simple things like friendship bracelets, bead necklaces, and teaching the kids to make things out of paracord. It's also a hidden way to teach knot skills
Luckily I don't need to worry about keeping kids amused and unafraid – it's just me. Since I have so many candles, light sticks, and flashlights, and buy my batteries in boxes of 50, it's not a problem to read and enjoy adult coloring and other things …More often though, I use the time to enjoy the lovely sacred space I have created but often get too busy to use. Light some beeswax candles, smudge, drum, do an angel card or medicine card reading, meditate, journal. And of course if it goes on a long time, I enjoy some nice indulgent snacks and a nice glass of wine, then have a long sleep.
There's always more downtime than you planned during a power outage. My hurricane supplies include coloring books and colored pencils/markers, decks of cards, travel games, yarn and crochet hooks, paperback books, spiral notebooks and pens, and dice. I'm always looking for portable entertainment at garage sales and thrift stores.
Playing cards, horseshoes (if able to be outside), doing puzzles
When we lived in typhoon (hurricane) country, I invested in board games. Even if we didn't lose power, we could lose internet and cable, so lockdowns could get tedious.
Then there are our many books and craft projects. Hurricanes are a great excuse – er, reason – for a shiny new book! Audibooks on charged devices are handy too. When my kids were little, they listened to the Herb Fairies stories while playing with LEGOs and such; we all learned neat things about herbal medicine from those!
Cards of course; Dominoes. Scrabble, backgammon, and Trivial Pursuit. And not to be funny but you can sit around and practice knot tying give each kid a 3-foot piece of cord and teach them knots. When that becomes easy see if they can do it in the dark.
I have a variety of musical instruments. A recorder, drum, tambourine, lap harp and harmonica. No one plays much of any of those, although we all have a little bit of musical knowledge But it's fun to sit around and see what sounds we can get out of them.
Knitting, spinning, and weaving
I bought a 15″ Cricket loom yesterday, so if the power goes out tonight, I will light a candle and figure out how to assemble it. 🙂
We're a bunch of chatty Cathys here…we could sit around and talk to each other for hours!!!
Nothing different. More of the stuff we already enjoy. Musical instruments, knitting, and spinning, board games. Outside fun like archery and knife throwing. But I do have a 200 count box of crayons hidden away, just in case.
Scrabble, reading.
No kids to entertain but the dogs just want to hang out. For myself I probably have somewhere in the neighborhood of easily over 500 to 800 books plus a good reference library, not all read; piano, 3 ukuleles and a few percussion instruments; sewing, needlecrafts such as quilting, embroidery, etc; painting supplies with lots of blank canvases and the tools to stretch more; coloring books; various crafts; a 24 x 24 shed filled with furniture to refinish and repaint; clay and pottery wheel; and a full stained glass workshop.
Read More @ TheOrganicPrepper.ca


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London Fletcher-Baker and I are pretty close. To put it in AIM terms, we're "bffs."
For those of you who are not enlightened as to who Fletch is, let me give you an abridged version of his resume.
He is a NFL linebacker who has led the Buffalo Bills in tackles since he arrived there in 2002.
He won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams.
To put it bluntly, he's the bee's knees.
Oh yeah and he graduated from JCU in 1997.
The relationship between Fletch and I began on a sunny day in Orchard Park, New York.
It was 2004, and another disappointing season of Buffalo Bills football was set to begin.
I stood outside the player's parking lot, trying to match athletes up with the color of the Hummer they drove. That's when I saw Fletch come rolling in.
I yelled "Yo Fletch" and he waved in my general direction.
A security guard stared at me until I left.
The Bills lost that game, but Fletcher stole my heart.
I built a Madden Dynasty around him, the Buffalo Fletcher-Bakers.
Unfortunately, in the first game Fletcher sustained a career ending injury, so I moved the team to Mexico City and that was the end of it.
Then, in the most recent chapter of our storybook friendship, Fletch and I have been working out together.
By working out together I mean that we were both in the Corbo at the same time.
There are not a lot of other schools where you're going to see pro athletes working out in the same facility as the general student body, certainly not Baldwin-Wallace.
I thought about going in with my Fletcher jersey on while he was there.
I would act very surprised when I saw him.
"You're London Fletcher and I'm wearing your jersey, what a coincidence!"
I would then ask him if he wanted to see my dorm room, or if he wanted to hang out later.
Maybe he would like to grab dinner at Parkhurst?
I would use a guest pass on him.
I was also going to ask him if I could just stand next to him while he was lifting, pretending to spot him. We could give each other high fives after each set.
My ultimate goal is to have Fletch tackle me.
Yea, I realize this would cause severe bodily damage to me.
But, when people asked me how I broke my leg, my answer would be "London Fletcher-Baker tackled me."
If I died, the cause of death would simply read, "London Fletcher-Baker jacked this kid up."
Even if you don't like football, you have to respect how hard Fletch promotes JCU.
Nationally syndicated sports talk show host Jim Rome asked him in his rookie season what he would do if the whole NFL thing didn't work out for him.
His response was, "Do you realize I have a degree from John Carroll University? I can get a job anywhere in the country."
How can you not love the guy?

subset: commoncrawl


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Blog posts aren't coming thick and fast from me at the moment. Let me explain why.
A couple of weeks ago I went to turn on my beloved laptop and despite the little light telling me it had come on, nothing was happening. Off it went to laptop hospital and it never came home. Well actually it has come home, in the same way it went, dead as a door nail.
I won't lie to you, I did shed a tear. I love my laptop. It's only two years old, in my naivety I thought paying almost €500 for something meant I would have it for quite a long time. I was the only one to use it, it was minded like one of the children….even better they may argue. Alas, like many other appliances and electronics that we have forked out large sums of hard earned, and often hard to come by, cash for in recent years, it just was not to be, it would seem we are living in a very expensive 'throw away' society.
I do have an old family desk top pc with a dodgy mouse that is limping along at a snails pace, and ordering me more carrots than I need with my weekly shop, so bear with me as I struggle not to throw that through the window and get posts published.
After all I need to tell you about our week at home on an invisible budget. I did have some lovely picnic food to show you, the photos of course were on the laptop….maybe next year. I have tips coming up for cooking with children, healthy kitchen swaps and a lovely crafty piece from the tween.
So, I'm here, things are just going to be a little slower, in the meantime perhaps I should buy a lottery ticket!!
There is some good news however; I am delighted to have been shortlisted in the Littlewoods Ireland Blog Awards 2016 in the Food& Drink category, if you like what I do and would like to give me your vote, just click here.
Do check out the other categories also, they are jam packed with some seriously good bloggers.
Thank you, chat to you soon!


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Free Connector Data Sheet:
Web Application Management Connectors
Streamline the processing of web app scanner findings in Keylight using Web Application Management Connectors.
Replace manual data processing with efficiency of automation
Manually processing web app scanner findings is tedious and time-consuming work. Web application management connectors automatically send these findings to the Keylight Platform. It enables you to resolve web app vulnerabilities faster and to see the potential business impact. Learn more by downloading the data sheet.


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Pearl anti-aging Creme
The Pearl anti-aging Creme contains many different active ingredients such as:
17 amino acids, large doses of active elements such as calcium and magnesium,
zinc, manganese, iron, selenium, strontium and titanium.
Also the cream with a sun protection factor of 15.
The Pearl Cream protects the skin from influences of
outside and makes your skin bright and radiant.
Dark spots and fine lines will fade.
Because Rosehip Oil and Kariteitboter to the creme
is added it is an oil-free cream.
Makes the skin bright and radiant
Wrinkles, dark spots and fine lines fade
Sun protection factor 15
Contains vitamin A, B, E and F
With Rosehip Oil and Kariteitboter
Absorbs quickly into the skin
How do you use Pearl anti-aging Creme?
Lubricate the creme with circular movements on your face.
You can use the cream any time of the day but
preferably use the cream before bedtime.
Ingredients Pearl anti-aging Creme:
Aqua (water), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Powder (aloe vera gel), Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin,
Cyclopentasiloxane, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Octocrylene, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dimethicone,
Octyldodecenol, Propanedoil, Benzophenone-3 (oxybenzone), Ceteth-20,
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (octinoxate), Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (Avobenzone),
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Sodium PCA, Pearl Powder, Zea Mays (Corn) oil,
Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Calcium Pantoth
Disclaimer: The effect of this nutritional supplement might differ from one person to another and can also not be guaranteed.


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1989 Pontiac LeMans Tires
Shop great low prices on 1989 Pontiac LeMans tires
Visit your local Tires Plus location for great low prices on 1989 Pontiac LeMans tires. Shop the full catalog of 1989 LeMans tires and sort your tire selection by size, type, price, and more. Whether you want tires made for better fuel-efficiency, severe winter weather, or hot summer pavement, you can count on our tire experts to help you choose the right tires for your vehicle, and to install each for maximum performance and control. At Tires Plus Total Car Care, we make it effortless for you to fit a tire replacement or repair into your tight schedule. Save time by pre-booking an appointment online and stop by when it's convenient for you. Our stores are open on most weekends and many holidays, just for you!


text: Michel Chavet's Saint-Véran represents superb value for money. Unlike the majority of white Burgundy, it has an affordable price tag and would sit perfectly, spearheading any good list of Burgundies. During production the wine is given a long period of cool fermentation in large stainless steel tanks to ensure it retains its acidity, freshness and expression of fruit, without masking the wine's personality. The resulting wine is wonderfully clean, with crisp refreshing citrus fruit and soft rounded mouthfeel.


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Arcana is now open for limited patio seating as well as takeout!
Our patio tables are first come, first serve, but please check in with a team member before seating. Place your order at the window and we'll bring your food to the table. We do not have indoor seating so if the weather acts up we will be happy to help box up your food.
Takeout is still available and you can place orders through Tock or give us a call at 303-444-3885. If you leave a message, we will return your...
Jacaranda @ Arcana Pop Up
Modou Jaiteh and the team at Jacaranda are taking over Arcana for a week. Modou is from The Gambia, where his mother has been cooking her whole life. His restaurant, Jacaranda, explores the...
Reservation for parties of 1-6$10 deposit per personBook now
Hours and location
Private Events
If you are interested in learning more about our offerings, please fill out the request form and we will contact you to discuss details.Request information


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City of Plymouth, MNHome Menu
Home Disaster Plan Checklist
- Post emergency telephone numbers by phones (fire, police, ambulance, etc.).
- Teach your children how and when to call 911 or your local emergency medical services number for emergency help.
- Show responsible family members how and when to turn off the water, gas, and electricity and locate the main electric fuse box, water service main and natural gas main.
- Keep necessary tools near gas and water shut-off valves.
- Turn off utilities only if you suspect that the lines are damaged or if you are instructed to do so. (If you turn off the gas, you will need a professional to turn it back on.)
- Check to see that you have adequate insurance coverage.
- Teach each family member how to use the fire extinguisher (ABC type) and show them where it's kept.
- Install smoke detectors on each level of your home, especially near bedrooms.
- Conduct a home hazard hunt. Anything that can move, fall, break or cause a fire is a home hazard. Inspect your home at least once a year and fix potential hazards.
- Stock emergency supplies and assemble a disaster supplies kit.
- Take a Red Cross first aid and CPR class.
- Determine the best escape routes from your home. Find two ways out of each room.
- Find the safe spots in your home for each type of disaster.


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APPSC Recruitment 2019
Vyoma Online Exams and Video Classes
APPSC Recruitment 2019
About APPSC Recruitment 2019
APPSC Recruitment 2019 APPSC has Released the notification for Inspector for Boiler Posts Posts and also Candidates Invite to apply the Inspector Officer post in AP Can apply for these posts in Online Mode. Moreover, The APPSC Boiler Inspector Officer Notification Released the 03 Officer Post Interested Candidates check information about age and qualification. Interested Candidates can Apply before the last date 25-01-2019
Dates and Apply links of APPSC Recruitment 2019
|APPSC Recruitment 2019 Application Starts From
|APPSC Recruitment 2019 Last date for Submission of Application
|NO of Post
|APPSC Recruitment 2019 Notification
|Download Notification
|Official Website
Posts & Qualification of APPSC Recruitment 2019
Inspector Of Boiler:
- Firstly The total number of posts to be filled are 03 posts as per the notification
Qualification for APPSC APPSC Recruitment 20199:
- Finally, Candidate has to complete a Degree in Mechanical.
Salary of APPSC Recruitment 2019:
- Finally, Candidate will get the Salary of As per Ap Govt Scale
Exam Fee For APPSC Recruitment 2019:
- Firstly, Candidates have to pay 250 Exam Fee for OBC/GEN
- Finally, the Candidate has to pay 120 as a processing fee
- However, The exam fee is free for SC/ST
Selection Process of APPSC Recruitment 2019:
- Firstly, Candidate should attempt written exam After qualifying the written Exam.
- Finally, Candidate has to attend the interview.
APPSC Recruitment 2019 Application Process
- However, the Candidate Must Open the website of APPSC that is www.psc.ap.gov.in
- And Also, The Candidate have to log in with there OTP in APPSC website
- Firstly, the Candidate must log in with there OTP and username with correct
- After that candidate have a login and fill the details with corretcly.
- However, the candidate to pay according to the exam
- And also After Completing the payment candidate will get Reference id
- However, The Candidate will log in with OTP and also reference id
- Then Fill all the required information in APPSC
- However, Candidate has to check After filling the application once preview and made any edit if is wrong
- Finally, the candidate After that submits the Application form.
- Finally, the Candidate has to take the print out keep it same for further Recruitment for results
- Firstly, all the candidates to know the last date
- However, Candidates has to provide correct Mail and num
Syllabus for APPSC Recruitment 2019:
- General Studies for 150 Marks
- Technical Exam For 330 Marks
Main Examination syllabus:
- Finally, the candidate will attend the Main Will be conducted for total 450 marks
- Finally, the exam will be conducted in two papers
- However, the second paper is Techincal for 300 marks
Final Examination :
- However, it consists of 2 papers.
Paper I:
- PaperI syllabus is General Studies & Mental Ability with 150 Marks
Paper II:
- Finally, PaperII syllabus is Technical with 400 Marks


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HomeAbout the DPAThe AuthorityThe Authority's vision and mission
The Authority's vision and mission
New strategic and management plan
The DPA executive committee will decide on the strategic plan and the management plan, including the annual priorities of the DPA. The executive committee will request the advice of the advisory council and will submit the strategic plan for public consultation for at least 2 weeks.
More information about the vision and mission of the DPA will be published after the strategic plan has been drawn up by the executive committee.
- The Authority
- International
- European Data Protection Board (EDPB)
- European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS)
- Customs Information System Joint Supervisory Authority
- Europol Joint Supervisory Body
- Schengen Joint Supervisory Authority
- Visa Information System (VIS)
- Eurodac
- Global Privacy Enforcement Network
- Working Party on Police en Justice
- European Conference on Data Protection
- Berlin Group
- International Conference of Data Protection and Authorityers
- Conference of the Association francophone des autorités de protection des données personnelles


text: Quite a few, actually! We've tried (and continued to use) Revlon PhotoReady Perfecting Primer. It's got a great texture—a light fluidity that makes for even coverage and a smooth base without feeling like you're spackling over your pores. There are other, more multitasking options, though, too. Physicians Formula Correcting Primer 3-in-1 Corrector + Primer + Sun Protection is a good one if all you want to put on top is a light layer of foundation or concealer. If "natural' stuff is more your bag, you might want to take a gander at Palladio Herbal Liquid Foundation Primer. We don't know that it's actually more than marginally herbal, but it definitely does the job.


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Donaldson Timber Engineering (DTE) has announced the appointments of Rodger Cook as new Business Development Director for Operations and Darren Brown as General Manager at the Buckhaven site.
Reporting directly to the Managing Director, Cook (left) will be responsible for delivering the company's operational objectives and strategy through established teams.
Having joined the company as Special Products Manager ten years ago, Rodger has a wealth of experience within DTE and has worked in his current position as General Manager at the company's head office in Buckhaven since 2011.
Luke Roberts, Managing Director of DTE, commented on the appointment: "Rodger's extensive industry experience and people management skills, combined with his in-depth knowledge of DTE's product portfolio and operations makes him the perfect fit for this role. Based at our Head Office in Buckhaven, Rodger will also be travelling extensively around the UK, working to improve DTE's efficiency and increase output with help from the leadership team. I wish him every success in his new role."
Darren Brown (right) has been appointed as General Manager at DTE Buckhaven following on from Cook's promotion to Business Development Director.
Having worked at DTE since 2005, Brown began his career as a Trainee Design Technician and has worked his way up to his most recent role as Special Products Manager, which he has been in since 2011.
The main goal of his new role as General Manager will be to oversee the running of the Buckhaven site and build on the continuation of the success at the site.
Commenting on the appointments, Cook said: "I'm excited to be taking on this new challenge in the next step of my career with DTE. I look forward to developing DTE's capabilities nationally and working alongside the rest of the team. I'm pleased that Darren will be taking over from me as General Manager of Buckhaven. His experience and knowledge of DTE's products and capabilities will help the site to move forward in several key areas, and I have no doubts that Darren is the perfect fit for this role."
There will be a transition period for both Cook and Brown as they move into their new roles and a replacement for Brown's current role is found.


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Nana Speaks Nanese
Nana Speaks Nanese is now available!
You can buy it here or ask your favorite bookseller to order it.
Two weeks after my son turned three, my parents moved in with us so we could help care for my mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The next six months were the most difficult of my life. Trying to parent a three-year-old is hard enough; trying to parent a parent at the same time was heartbreaking.
I searched for a picture book that would help us explain to my son what was going on. No luck. So we came up with some pretty creative ways to explain things on our own. We were winging it, but it seemed to help. When my husband and I went to a family therapist for guidance, even she was impressed by some of our strategies.
A lightbulb went off: I was going to have to write the picture book myself. Only of course I couldn't; I was living it. It was all I could do to get everyone dressed in the morning.
My mother lived with us for three years, and when it was no longer safe for her to be at home, she lived another two in a nursing home that specialized in dementia. After she died, it took an additional seven years for me to get the distance I needed to be able to write Nana Speaks Nanese.
I found a marvelous illustrator, Maurício Corteletti Água Viva, who captured the warmth of the story and the love the characters have for each other. He worked for months on the illustrations. It all came together.
Nana Speaks Nanese was published on Mother's Day, May 12, 2019. I have dedicated my part in it to my mother, Joan, and my son, Matthew, who always remembered the love.
I hope it helps other families going through this devastating diagnosis.
— Laura
Please note that all images are copyright 2019 Maurício Corteletti Água Viva. Used here by license with the illustrator.
Looking for a Media Kit? Click here.
Want to listen to Laura reading Nana Speaks Nanese? Click the big button below to download a zipped mp3 file.


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Raised Beadwork: On the Fringe Beading Classes and Events
September 14-18, 2016
In a confluence of Raised Beadwork styles, forms, and functions, the International Iroquois Beadwork Conference (IIBC) makes its first gathering in Oneida, WI in September. Two well known Iroquois Raised Beadwork artists, Sam Thomas (Cayuga) and Rose Mary Hill (Tuscaroa) will be teaching classes as well two local Oneida women: Loretta Webster and Judith Jourdan.
Together, the Oneida Nation Arts Program and the Oneida Community Education Center present raised beadwork classes and presentation that are open to the public. An exhibit at the Oneida Nation Museum is also open to the public.
Download the 2016 Conference Summary booket.
Raised Beadwork Exhibit
at the Oneida Nation Nation Museum
Fri. Sept. 16, 2016 at 4:00-6:30pm at W892 Cty Rd EE, DePere WI, 54115
Exhibit Info: (920) 869-6532
IIBC Open House with vendor demos and displays, open to the public
Oneida Community Education Center, Sat. Sept.17, 2016 at 4:00-5:00pm
History of Iroquois Beadwork
by Dolores Elliott, a retired archaeologist and collector of Iroquois beadwork
Oneida Community Education Center, Sun. Sept. 18, 2016, at 1:30pm
All classes and the history lecture will be held at the Oneida Community Education Center (CEC), 2632 Packerland Drive, Green Bay, WI, 54313.
This "Raised Beadwork: On the Fringe," project is
supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts
Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and
the National Endowment for the Arts.


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California's senators want de facto open borders
Well, President Trump has confirmed liberals' fears by defying the rule of law — the problem for liberals is that he has done so is in response to their own demands on immigration.
The administration is almost surely correct in its original reasoning that as a result of the 1997 Flores consent decree and its 2016 extension by the Ninth Circuit, absent legal changes, the administration cannot legally detain families together, as he attempts to do in his new executive order.
But whatever its shortcomings, the administration's effort is still far better than the bill offered by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein — "Keep Families Together" — which is a monument to careless lawmaking that incredibly has been signed onto by all the Democratic, and two independent, senators. The bill was drafted so sloppily that it makes no distinctions between those arrested for crossing the border illegally and those accused of serious criminal acts who are also parents. As Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. — the Senate's most prominent immigration hawk — noted, the Feinstein bill will also encourage further kidnapping of children by ruthless gangs of human traffickers (a growing problem even acknowledged by the New York Times). One provision that stipulates a "strong presumption" in favor of family unity and a "presumption that detention is not in the best interests of families and children" effectively requires the vast majority of illegal immigrants arriving with children to be released into the general population rather than detained.
Republicans have known about the family separation issue and have been attempting to address it legislatively. Both major House immigration bills — introduced long before the latest immigration dustup — contain provisions that specifically supersede the Flores consent decree to allow families to be detained together.
The primary cause of the current crisis was the Obama administration's wink-wink amnesty policies, which encouraged an enormous influx of illegal immigrants. Border crossings of adults with children soared from less than 15,000 in 2013 to almost 78,000 by the last year of the Obama administration. The numbers of pending immigration cases involving unaccompanied minors at the border pending went to 78,000 from less than 3,500 when Obama took office, according to the White House. This was not caused by any enormous objective change in the conditions in Central America, but because of specific policy incentives created by the Obama administration related to deportation procedures and asylum claims.
While the media breathlessly highlights cases of immigrants allegedly fleeing violence, a recent comprehensive United Nations study of thousands of Central American refugees suggested that from 1 to 5 percent of them came to the United States for reasons related to their security. The overwhelming majority acknowledged being economic migrants. But the Obama administration actively encouraged the abuse of the asylum process through changes in how "credible fear" claims (the first stage of an asylum claim) were handled. As a result, claims went from 5,000 in the first year of the Obama administration to 94,000 in the administration's last year, according to Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Almost 90 percent of these "credible fear" claims were accepted, yet half were so disingenuous that the beneficiaries never even bothered to follow up with an asylum application once they entered the country. But in successfully claiming "credible fear," migrants know they can set off a legal process that involves years of appeals.
Meanwhile, amid the media frenzy, fundamental immigration questions go unasked and unanswered: Who and how many people do we let in? And how do we afford it? A forthcoming paper from Yale University researchers suggests that more than 22 million illegal immigrants live in the United States — more than double the "official" total. Beyond that, more than 150 million people want to immigrate to the United States, according to a recent Gallup survey — and the countries where such desires are highest are also growing their population the fastest.
Meanwhile, the ink was barely dry on Trump's order when Sen. Kamala Harris tweeted, "This Executive Order doesn't fix the crisis. Indefinitely detaining children with their families in camps is inhumane and will not make us safe."
In other words, the only humane thing is to release them, where most will eventually skip out on one of their court dates and disappear into the American interior — setting them up to be future recipients of a DACA-style amnesty in a decade or so.
Ultimately for the vast majority of illegal immigrants, de facto open borders is the fundamental position of both of California's senators, and most of their Democratic colleagues. If only they were honest enough to admit it.
Jeremy Carl is a research fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution. Submit your letter to the editor at SFChronicle.com/letters.


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Smartphones have been all over the news and likelihood is you understand what smartphones are. If you will have smartphone content, guantee that Googlebot-Mobile can crawl it and that you are treating it as you'll a smartphone. The similar goes here, within the smartphone domain and actually in many different domains. The operation described here is obtainable only for smartphones and tablets operating on Android OS Ver.4.zero or later and geared up with the one-contact functions (NFC = Near Field Communication). Are launching new smartphones with superior technologies, sensible cameras, and lengthy-lasting batteries time after time.
Apple made a really great effort with its launch of the iPhone 5, providing what was then the fastest processor in any of the brand new smartphones on the market. You can get the most recent smartphones from top brands on Jumis akin to Wiko Lenny 4 , Samsung word 8, iPhone eight, Infinix sizzling 5 and extra. Think of Us gives wonderful offers and gives, difficult to seek out wherever else. Huawei has been aggressively investing in its smartphone business prior to now two years and has seen spectacular growth. It all makes the S4 one of the most exciting new smartphones in terms of features.
Elsewhere, Apple's made a number of improvements to the phone's pace and total construct high quality, however it's not fairly as huge a leap ahead as you would possibly expect from a next-generation smartphone. Jeronimo pointed to the latest launch of Huawei's own synthetic intelligence (AI) chipset , known as the Kirin 970, as a cause why the Chinese agency could problem the top two smartphone gamers.
The smartphone 'badge' is time subjective in that a handset which featured e-mail capabilities at the very starting of the twenty first Century would have been considered a smartphone on the time but would not necessarily be immediately off the again of that function alone. Brands like Huawei saw dramatic increases in market share via compelling hardware accessible at lower-value factors. A smartphone combines a cellphone with e-mail and Web, music and film participant, digital camera, camcorder, GPS navigation, voice recorder, alarm clock, flashlight, photograph album, tackle e-book and a lot more. Additionally, apps likeFourSquare, Google Latitude or Gowalla use a smartphone's GPS to share location.
Whether you wish to obtain films, music, apps, taking selfies now we have one of the best smartphones for you. Tom's Guide critiques dozens of recent smartphones, and we evaluate them in our lab and in the real world based on design, features, performance, camera quality and battery life Based on our testing, the Galaxy S8 (See Plans and Pricing on Samsung) is the only option for those keen to pay $600 or more on their subsequent cellphone. The top and greatest selling smartphone of the year of 2010 is the Blackberry Bold 9700.


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The Sioux Empire Fair is proud to welcome country artists NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND with Ned LeDoux to the Campbell's Main Stage on Wednesday, August 7. The show is FREE with paid fair admission! Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6 - 12, and free for children ages 5 and under.
With a refreshed lineup and newfound energy, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band remains one of the most accomplished bands in American roots music. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band played their first gig in 1966 in Southern California as a jug band and by 1969 had become a cornerstone of the burgeoning country-rock community. Their career breakthrough came in 1970 with the release of the record Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy and the single "Mr. Bojangles," a folksy Top 10 pop hit that remains a staple of their live show. The band secured 16 Top 10 country hits between 1983 and 1990, including three No. 1 singles: "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)," "Modern Day Romance," and "Fishin' in the Dark." The group now includes Jeff Hanna, Jimmie Fadden, Bob Carpenter, Jim Photoglo, Ross Holmes, and Jaime Hanna. When all six members voices merge, the harmonies add a powerful new component for the legendary band.
Joining Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is Ned LeDoux. In country music, a last name like LeDoux casts a big, storied and bittersweet shadow, but it's one Ned LeDoux doesn't mind standing in one bit. Keeping the cowboy in country is important to Ned as you can hear in the song "Forever A Cowboy" also co-written with his dad. Ned puts his own spin on his endless touring with "Brother Highway" about all the time he has spent on the road with various bands since his days in high school.


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Reducing uncertainties in decadal variability of the global carbon budget with multiple datasets
Edited by Douglas C. Morton, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, and accepted by Editorial Board Member Ruth S. DeFries September 15, 2016 (received for review March 9, 2016)
The conventional approach of calculating the global carbon budget makes the land sink the most uncertain of all budget terms. This is because, rather than being constrained by observations, it is inferred as a residual in the budget equation. Here, we overcome this limitation by performing a Bayesian fusion of different available observation-based estimates of decadal carbon fluxes. This approach reduces the uncertainty in the land sink by 41% and in the ocean sink by 46%. These results are significant because they give unprecedented confidence in the role of the increasing land sink in regulating atmospheric CO2, and shed light on the past decadal trend.
Conventional calculations of the global carbon budget infer the land sink as a residual between emissions, atmospheric accumulation, and the ocean sink. Thus, the land sink accumulates the errors from the other flux terms and bears the largest uncertainty. Here, we present a Bayesian fusion approach that combines multiple observations in different carbon reservoirs to optimize the land (B) and ocean (O) carbon sinks, land use change emissions (L), and indirectly fossil fuel emissions (F) from 1980 to 2014. Compared with the conventional approach, Bayesian optimization decreases the uncertainties in B by 41% and in O by 46%. The L uncertainty decreases by 47%, whereas F uncertainty is marginally improved through the knowledge of natural fluxes. Both ocean and net land uptake (B + L) rates have positive trends of 29 ± 8 and 37 ± 17 Tg C⋅y−2 since 1980, respectively. Our Bayesian fusion of multiple observations reduces uncertainties, thereby allowing us to isolate important variability in global carbon cycle processes.
The land and ocean carbon sinks provide a vital climate mitigation "service" by absorbing on average about 55% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and land use change. Research has focused on understanding the relationships between year-to-year variability in carbon sinks and climate (1, 2), as well as the long-term trend over the full instrumental period of CO2 monitoring at the Mauna Loa station (3). Quasidecadal variations of emissions and sinks have received comparatively less attention. However, significant climate variation occurs at this specific timescale (4). Since 1980, the variable occurrence of different El Niño–Southern Oscillation events, two large volcanic eruptions (El Chichón and Pinatubo) and the recent slowdown of land surface warming have modulated the strength of carbon sinks. There are also decadal-scale changes in the rate at which human activities perturb the natural carbon cycle, in particular the recent acceleration of fossil fuel and cement emissions in the 2000s (5) and the slowdown in global land use change emissions (LUC) in the mid-2000s, which appears to be partly driven by reduced deforestation in Brazil (6).
Here, we provide a data-driven assessment of global CO2 sources and sinks at 5-y intervals for the period of 1980–2014. We use a Bayesian fusion approach whereby different data streams of ocean and land uptake, LUC emissions, are optimally combined, and their uncertainty reduced from prior knowledge. This approach estimates the land sink constrained by data, which is a major improvement over the conventional method for calculating the global carbon budget by Ciais et al. (7) and Le Quéré et al. (8), hereafter LQ15, where the unknown land sink was determined as a residual from the other components (emissions, atmospheric increase, ocean uptake). Most of the data streams used in this analysis start in 1980, and about one-half of them give decadal mean values of natural sinks and thus do not allow us to tackle the reconstruction of interannual variability. Our choice of applying a Bayesian fusion approach to optimize 5-y average component fluxes of the global carbon budget is therefore a compromise that maximizes the use of available observations of decadal average fluxes.
The principle of the Bayesian fusion approach is to combine an a priori imperfect knowledge of fluxes with observations and their uncertainties to infer optimized estimates of fluxes. Here, we define a priori values of terms in the global carbon budget that are not from observations. Specifically, we set prior fossil fuel and cement emissions (F) from inventories and the simulated land, ocean, and land use change carbon fluxes from process-based models (Table S1). The fluxes in this study are only anthropogenic fluxes, assuming a mean CO2 growth rate of zero during preindustrial times. Observational datasets independent from those prior values are applied to constrain land use change emissions (L), the ocean uptake of anthropogenic CO2 (O), the land-biosphere sink (B) in ecosystems not affected by land use change, and the net land flux (B + L) (Table S2). We select the constraining data from peer-reviewed publications and evaluate their reported uncertainties and possible error correlations with each other (see details in Table S2).
In the optimization of the global anthropogenic carbon budget (Fig. 1), the prior value of F and its uncertainty (Table S1) were defined from the mean value and the range of different fossil fuel and cement emission inventories, namely from the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) (9), International Energy Agency (IEA) (10), Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) (11), and BP Statistical Review of World Energy (12). These emission inventories are not treated as direct observations of emissions, and there is currently no independent observation to verify F. The prior values of O are from seven ocean biogeochemistry models (8), and the prior values of B are from the nine TRENDY land carbon models (13). These prior values from state-of-the-art models are without direct observational constraints. Some of these models could possibly be tuned using similar observation-based data, but which observational data were used for model tuning was not explicitly reported. The prior estimates of L are derived from the difference of simulated land carbon fluxes with and without LUC in the TRENDY carbon models (13). All fluxes are defined as positive if CO2 is emitted to the atmosphere by the land or the ocean reservoir. Uncertainties in the prior estimates of 5-yearly O, B, and L, are set to the maximum between those reported by LQ15 and the SDs across models. All uncertainties here refer to 1-σ Gaussian errors. In this context, the prior uncertainties are 0.5 for O, 0.9 for B, and 0.8 Pg C⋅y−1 for L, thus not smaller than the values of 0.5, 0.8, and 0.5 Pg C⋅y−1 from LQ15. It is important that the prior uncertainties are not too small, so that adding observations can adjust and constrain the sought fluxes.
Several independent data streams, each with their specific uncertainty and temporal averaging period (Table S2), are combined in the Bayesian optimization with the above prior knowledge. These data streams are as follows: (i) the atmospheric CO2 growth rate (CGR) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) atmospheric network (14), which constrains the sum of all fluxes and is determined very accurately from more than 60 monitoring stations; (ii) the atmospheric 5-y mean (negative) growth rate of O2/N2 in the atmosphere from the Scripps O2 Program (15), which relates to the combined effect of B + L and F changes, while being insensitive to changes in O (note that O2/N2 has a negative trend in the atmosphere); (iii) a set of yearly mean estimates of O from observational products based on in situ partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) surveys corrected for natural ocean CO2 outgassing from carbon delivered by rivers (16) and using a neural network approach (17) and a diagnostic mixed-layer approach (18), and a set of decadal-mean estimates of O from inventories of carbon change in the ocean deduced indirectly from chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) (19) combined with 14C (20), and observed atmospheric mean CO2 level and oceanic CO2 and dissolved inorganic carbon observations (21); (iv) 10-y mean estimates of B from a global synthesis of changes in forest carbon stocks (22); (v) decadal mean B + L from inventory-based land carbon storage change from the RECCAP publications on regional budgets (Table S3); (vi) 5-y mean LUC emissions from two independent bookkeeping approaches constrained by observed carbon stocks (23, 24). The uncertainties in each data stream are either derived directly from the original publications (when reported) or estimated from expert judgments (see details in Table S2). The optimization is performed for seven consecutive 5-y windows between 1980 and 2014.
In the Bayesian optimization, observations that describe mean fluxes during intervals longer than 5 y are still useful to infer 5-yearly fluxes. For example, the mean ocean sink observation for the 1990s (19) constrains the two mean 5-yearly O during 1990–1999, whereas other independent observations (O2/N2 and CGR) help to further allocate O values between the periods 1990–1994 and 1995–1999. Despite no direct observation of F, this flux is found to be slightly improved in the Bayesian fusion, through knowledge of the other terms, and because the sum of all fluxes is very well constrained from CGR observations. We are aware that some observation-based land sink estimates have systematic errors in the way they are included in the optimization. In particular, the estimate of B from ref. 22 is only for forests and ignores other biomes. However, the Regional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes (RECCAP) studies (25⇓–27) and other estimates (22, 28) of the carbon stock change in nonforest biomes suggest that the forest sink alone accounts for most of the global land sink B.
The improved global budget of anthropogenic CO2 is shown in Fig. 2, and all data are given in Table S1. After optimization, the a posteriori uncertainty in each flux is reduced. Compared with the conventional method applied by LQ15 and IPCC-AR5 (7), uncertainties in B and O are reduced by 41% and 46% in this study. In the Bayesian data fusion, the land sink is no longer solely inferred as a residual that accumulates uncertainties from all other terms, and it exhibits a large reduction in uncertainty. The uncertainty in L decreases by 47%, but the uncertainty in F is marginally improved (by 1%) through the indirect constraints of other terms. In the absence of direct constraint on F, this small reduction in the F uncertainties compared with LQ15 and IPCC-AR5 (7) is also because we use multiple emission inventories [whereas LQ15 and IPCC-AR5 (7) only used CDIAC (9)] and start at relatively higher prior uncertainties in F (Table S1) than in LQ15. Despite their improved (smaller) uncertainties, the 5-y mean fluxes shown in Table S1 do not differ statistically in their mean values from LQ15. This indicates that each flux of the Bayesian carbon budget is fully consistent with LQ15 even though we used an array of data with different measurement methods and with uncertainties estimated in different ways. Specifically, we obtain emissions from fossil fuel burning and cement production that are smaller than LQ15 by 0.18 ± 0.19 Pg C⋅y−1 during 1980–2014 (Fig. 2). A downward revision of global F is consistent with the correction of the emissions for China based on evidence of the lower carbon content for coal burned in that country (29). Compared with LQ15, the optimized ocean sink during 2000–2004 is larger by 0.22 Pg C⋅y−1 but lower by 0.18 ± 0.10 Pg C⋅y−1 during all of the other periods. In the past decade (2005–2014), both ocean sink and land sink from our optimization are smaller than LQ15. The optimized fluxes of L are similar to or lower than those from LQ15. The trend of F for the seven 5-y periods is positive (P = 0.003), with a probability of a positive trend for ocean and net land (B + L) uptake rates of 93%; the trend of B or L individually is not statistically significant (P = 0.23 for both). The increasing rate of ocean and net land uptake are 29 ± 8 and 37 ± 17 Tg C⋅y−2 since 1980, respectively. Similar statistically positive trends were also found in the 5-y mean ocean and net land uptake rates between 1980 and 2014 calculated from the yearly budget updated by LQ15 (Fig. S1A). Given the robustness of O inferred by our optimization (Fig. S2), and in view of the many observations constraining this flux, there is a high confidence that the ocean sink has been increasing over time since 1980. The optimized land sink is less variable between different 5-y periods than in LQ15 (Fig. S1A). However, the ocean sink is more variable, with a SD of 0.34 Pg C⋅y−1 compared with 0.27 Pg C⋅y−1 by LQ15 (SDs across the seven periods analyzed).
From 1980 to 2014, the average fractions of F + L emission reabsorbed by the land and ocean carbon reservoirs are 29 ± 5% (mean ± 1 σ of inter–5-y variability) and 26 ± 2%, respectively. The ratios of both O and B to F + L emission do not exhibit any significant trends (P > 0.05; Fig. S1B). Even with their reduced uncertainty in this study compared with LQ15, the variability of O and B between 5-y intervals prevents us from assessing the very small trends in their ratios to emissions. Similarly, we found no significant trend in the ratio of O or B to fossil fuel emission (F). The larger variability of the B-to-(F + L) ratios compared with the O-to-(F + L) ones (Fig. S1B) suggests that the efficiency of the land sink at absorbing emissions is more variable than that of the ocean sink. For instance, during the period that followed the cooling from the Pinatubo eruption in 1990–1994 (30⇓–32), the B-to-(F + L) ratio increased by 46% above its long-term mean. This ratio was also higher than normal during 2005–2009, possibly due to the absence of El Niño and to the occurrence of a cooler and wetter La Niña event in 2008–2009 manifested by lower than normal CGR (3).
In our Bayesian fusion, the CGR constrains the sum of the different fluxes; thus, an overestimation of a component flux due to the use of a single published estimate of that flux would result in an underestimation of another flux, leading to negative correlations between uncertainties in the different components of the posterior fluxes. These negative correlations are clear between uncertainties in B and F (ranging from −0.80 to −0.35), in B and O (from −0.60 to −0.30), and in B and L (from −0.53 to −0.24) (Fig. S3). This indicates that, although the uncertainties for each flux can be significantly decreased, the remaining (posterior) uncertainties are hard to be decoupled. In comparison, we also calculate the correlations between uncertainties in B and other fluxes by classical error propagation rule from mass balance equation B = CGR – F – O – L. The conventional error budget calculation gives a typical uncertainty of 0.76 Pg C⋅y−1 for B. Negative error correlations also exist in that approach between B and F (−0.39), between B and O (−0.79), and between B and L (−0.39). Thus, in our study, not only the posterior uncertainties of B (0.42–0.53 Pg C⋅y−1) are smaller than those calculated by the conventional approach, but also the negative error correlation between B and O is smaller, indicating a better separation between the carbon sinks of B and O. In addition, although the negative correlations between B and F, and between B and L are slightly larger than those calculated by the conventional approach, it does not mean our approach has poorer ability to separate these components because we have succeeded in significantly decreasing the absolute uncertainties for all of the fluxes, thus allowing us to draw more definitive conclusions.
The Bayesian fusion of different observational components of the anthropogenic CO2 budget proposed in this study provides the most robust estimate to date of the strength and evolution of the land sink on 5-y intervals and brings a more robust picture of the current perturbation of the carbon cycle. Future work could apply the same fusion approach to regional carbon budget estimates and to gross CO2 fluxes of photosynthesis, respiration, and fire emissions.
Materials and Methods
Bayesian Estimation System.
Each estimate of the 5-y mean carbon fluxes, called hereafter the "control variables" x, is based on the update from a prior estimate of these variables xb, using some observation-based estimates yo of the fluxes that are connected to the control variables through the relationships H: x→y = H[x]. We follow a Bayesian statistical approach for this estimation. Assuming that the distributions of uncertainties in xb and yo are unbiased and Gaussian, being characterized by the prior and observation uncertainty covariance matrices B and R, respectively, and that H is linear (denoted as a matrix H), the statistical estimate of x, given xb and yo, is unbiased and Gaussian, and the corresponding optimal estimate xa and uncertainty covariance matrix A are given (33) as the following:[1][2]
where the superscripts T and "−1" denote the transpose and inverse of a matrix, respectively.
In the optimization, we update the estimate of the mean fluxes of fossil fuel and cement emissions (F), ocean sink (O), land sink (B), and land use change emissions (L) for each 5-y interval from 1980 to 2014 (Fig. 1 and Table S1). The observation vector contains estimates of 5-y mean global value for the following: the atmospheric growth rates of CO2 (CGR, in petagrams of carbon per year), atmospheric growth rates of O2/N2 (CGR-O2, per meg unit), observation-based estimates of ocean sinks, land sinks, land use change emissions, and net land sink (B + L) (the data sources for these components of yo are summarized in Fig. 1 and provided in Table S2). H is defined for each 5-y interval by the following:[3]
where αF, αB, and ZO2 are constant coefficients from ref. 15.
The prior estimates for the different control variables are built with independent datasets so that there are no correlations between the prior uncertainties in the different control variables. When setting up the observation covariance matrix, the temporal correlations between the uncertainties in different 5-y intervals for CGR and O are estimated using the method in ref. 34. The correlations between the uncertainties in the two data-driven estimates of O (17, 18) are estimated from the series of annual fluxes of the two products by assuming that the correlation in annual fluxes within each 5-y period is an approximation of the 5-y mean flux error correlation.
Data Used to Derive the Prior Statistics of the Control Variables.
To define the prior estimate of F, individual country data from four emission inventories [CDIAC (9), IEA (10), EDGAR (11), and BP (12)] are grouped into geographic regions as specified by the United Nations Statistics Division (unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm). Cement emissions from EDGAR are added into the IEA and BP datasets that do not include cement emissions. Uncertainties for each country (35) are used to create regional uncertainty distributions using a bootstrapping method, with the uncertainties of the highest emitters in each region contributing the most to the uncertainty distributions. This effect is achieved by weighting the sampling probability (Ps) by the relative contribution of each country's emissions (EC) to the total emissions within the region (ER) as follows:[4]
To constrain the temporal component of the emission errors, 10 random samples are drawn from the corresponding regional uncertainty distribution for each country, producing 10 random uncertainties for each country. These country-level uncertainties are used to constrain a random error time series covering 1980–2014, which is then run through an algorithm incorporating autocorrelated random noise, such that[5]
where emission error factors for any given year εF(t) are correlated with the emission errors from the previous year εF(t−1) by an autoregressive coefficient of 0.95 with ε(t) as random error. The autocorrelated time series are then multiplied and added to the fossil fuel emissions for each country, and subsequently 500 samples of global fossil fuel emissions are taken for each 5-y bin. The means and SDs of each bin for each inventory are calculated from these 500 samples. Additionally, the correlation in global uncertainty is calculated between 5-y bins and inventories to produce an error-covariance matrix. The maximum between the uncertainties calculated above and the SDs of the 5-y means across four emission inventories were adopted as the uncertainties in the prior estimate of F.
Prior O values are set from the ocean biogeochemistry model values used in LQ15, which represent state-of-the-art ocean models and are generally consistent with estimates from data-based products (8). Note that LQ15 adjusted their simulated O so as to match ocean observations during the decade of the 1990s and then used these bias-corrected ocean models outside this period (see adjusted values in Table S1). Here, for setting the prior O estimate and uncertainty, we consider simply the spread and the mean of ocean models without any adjustment, because the adjustment performed by LQ15 is already a kind of model data-fusion approach based on the ocean observations used in our study.
Prior values of L and B are set from simulations in the TRENDY (version 2) model intercomparison project (13). The simulations in TRENDY (version 2) are up to 2012, and thus the priors for the period of 2010–2012 were used for the period of 2010–2014. All of the prior flux values are summarized in Table S1.
Uncertainty Correlations Between Optimized Variables.
The correlations of the uncertainties between optimized variables are shown in Fig. S3. In comparison, we also calculate the correlations between uncertainties in the fluxes when deriving the estimate of B using the classical mass balance equation B = CGR – F – O – L. First, the uncertainties in an estimate of the flux i is calculated using inverse variance method, based on the variances associated with all of the estimates of this flux (j = 1, 2, …, m):[6]
The resulting uncertainties for CGR, F, O, and L are as follows: 0.2, 0.3, 0.6, and 0.3 Pg C⋅y−1, respectively. Based on a simple error propagation: and the independence of the estimates of CGR, F, O, and L, the variance of the uncertainty in B is given by the following:[7]
where E(.) is the expectation of a variable. The correlation between the uncertainties in B and in another variable, namely, O in the equation below, is given by the following:[8]
Sensitivity Tests.
Four sets of sensitivity tests were conducted (Fig. S2): (i) using F from different inventory datasets (IEA, EDGAR, CDIAC, and BP, respectively) as priors; (ii) using different ocean constraining datasets (only data from ref. 17, only data from ref. 18, data from refs. 17 and 18 but without other ocean data, and all ocean data except ref. 19, respectively); (iii) using different tiers of constraining data (tier 1 only, tier 1 plus tier 2, and tier1 plus tier 2 plus tier 3, respectively); and (iv) using enlarged prior uncertainties (106 Pg C⋅y−1 except F), prior B and O from CMIP5 models (36) instead of TRENDY (version 2) models, and a subset of constraining data including CGR, O2/N2, L from ref. 24 and O from pCO2 and inventories (17, 18, 20). The constraining data tiers (Table S2) were defined as follows: tier 1, direct carbon observations (e.g., CGR); tier 2, indirect carbon observations unambiguously related to carbon quantities (e.g., O2/N2); tier 3, direct carbon observations with an empirical (data-driven) model used to obtain global estimates, for example, the use of geostatistics to up-scale local data into global values; tier 4, indirect carbon observations not simply related to global carbon flux quantities.
The ocean sink is rather consistent in all sensitivity tests (Fig. S2), implying it is very robustly constrained in the optimization because of the sufficient number and consistency of constraining observational data (see the O constraining data in Table S2). Small changes in optimized F were found (Fig. S2A) in the sensitivity tests using prior F from different datasets, and the land sink is more dependent on the prior F choice. In the sensitivity tests using different ocean constraining data (Fig. S2B), all fluxes are generally consistent, and very slight changes for O appear in the tests using ocean data from ref. 17 only and from ref. 18 only during 2000–2004 and 2005–2009. The decadal estimates (19⇓–21) only have small impact on their corresponding periods. The important point for the sensitivity tests using different tiers of constraining data are that there is no inconsistency (i.e., shift in posterior estimate) between the assimilations of different "observation-based" tiers, although L may change due to the lack of individual constraints in tier 1 and tier 1 plus tier 2 (Fig. S2C). With enlarged prior uncertainties (106 Pg C⋅y−1 except F), the mean flux values do not shift in general but the posterior uncertainties increase (Fig. S2D). Results are also very consistent by replacing prior B and O from TRENDY, version 2, models with from CMIP5 models (Fig. S2D). The sensitivity test using a subset of constraining data underestimate B and L compared with the original optimized results (Fig. S2D) because the L estimates in ref. 23 (used in the original optimization but not in this sensitivity test) is higher than that in ref. 24 (Table S2).
Trend Test.
A Mann–Kendall statistical test was applied as a trend test.
This paper builds on an analysis started by the late Michael R. Raupach and is a contribution to the work of the Global Carbon Project to understand and better constrain the human perturbation of the carbon budget. We thank Alessandro Anav for providing the data from CMIP5 and Peter Landschützer and Christian Rödenbeck for sharing their ocean flux data. We are grateful to the scientists from NOAA/ESRL and the Scripps O2 Program for making the invaluable data from the long-term measurements of CGR and O2/N2 available to the community. W.L. is supported by the European Commission-funded project LUC4C (603542). P.C. and S. Peng acknowledge support from the European Research Council through Synergy Grant ERC-2013-SyG-610028 "IMBALANCE-P." J.G.C. is supported by the Australian Climate Change Science Program, G.P.P. is supported by the Norwegian Research Council (236296), and J.P. is supported by the German Research Foundation's Emmy Noether Program.
- ↵1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: wei.li{at}lsce.ipsl.fr.
Author contributions: P.C. designed research; W.L. performed research; Y.W., G.B., A.P.B., L.C., C.L.Q., R.B.M., and J.P. contributed to design the method and choose the datasets; W.L., Y.W., S. Peng, and C.L.Q. analyzed data; and W.L., P.C., G.B., J.G.C., L.C., P.F., C.L.Q., R.B.M., G.P.P., S. Piao, and J.P. wrote the paper.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
This article is a PNAS Direct Submission. D.C.M. is a Guest Editor invited by the Editorial Board.
This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1603956113/-/DCSupplemental.
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By Devlin Barrett, Matt Zapotosky and Josh Dawsey | Washington Put up
WASHINGTON – Performing legal professional normal Matthew Whitaker has no intention of recusing himself from overseeing the special-counsel probe of Russian interference within the 2016 election, in line with folks near him who added they don't imagine he would approve any subpoena of President Donald Trump as a part of that investigation.
Since entering into his new position Wednesday, Whitaker has confronted questions – principally from Democrats – about whether or not he ought to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, on condition that he has written opinion items concerning the investigation and is a pal and political ally of a grand jury witness.
On Thursday, two folks near Whitaker mentioned he doesn't plan to take himself off the Russia case. In addition they mentioned he's deeply skeptical of any effort to drive the president's testimony by means of a subpoena.
Particular counsel Robert Mueller III has been negotiating for months with Trump's attorneys over the phrases of a attainable interview of the president. Central to these discussions has been the concept Mueller might, if negotiations failed, subpoena the president. If Whitaker had been to take the specter of a subpoena off the desk, that might alter the equilibrium between the 2 sides and considerably cut back the probabilities that the president ever sits for an interview.
On the Justice Division, ethics officers usually overview the previous work of senior leaders to see whether or not they have any monetary or private conflicts that may preclude them from overseeing explicit instances.
Prior to now, senior Justice Division officers have tended to observe such recommendation, however they're hardly ever required to take action, in line with officers aware of the method.
"The constant custom, by means of administrations of each political events, has been for DOJ's senior leaders to seek the advice of profession ethics officers on questions of recusal," mentioned Matthew Axelrod, a senior division official throughout the Obama administration. "Right here, to keep away from irreparable injury to the establishment's integrity, it's essential that the conventional course of be adopted."
A Justice Division spokeswoman declined to remark. Officers there have mentioned Whitaker will observe the common process in dealing with any ethics points that come up.
On Thursday night, Democratic attorneys normal for 17 states and the District wrote to Whitaker urging him to recuse himself from the Russia probe.
"As chief regulation enforcement officers of our respective states, we ask that you simply recuse your self from any position in overseeing Particular Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference within the 2016 presidential election," the Democratic attorneys normal wrote. "As a result of an affordable individual might query your impartiality within the matter, your recusal is critical to take care of public belief within the integrity of the investigation and to guard the important and longstanding independence of the Division you've been chosen to guide, on an appearing foundation."
In 2014, Whitaker chaired the marketing campaign of Sam Clovis, a Republican candidate for Iowa state treasurer. Clovis went on to work as a Trump marketing campaign adviser and has turn into a witness within the investigation by Mueller.
The Justice Division advises staff that "typically, an worker ought to search recommendation from an ethics official earlier than collaborating in any matter by which her impartiality might be questioned." Rules prohibit staff, "with out written authorization, from collaborating in a prison investigation or prosecution if he has a private or political relationship with any individual or group considerably concerned within the conduct that's the topic of the investigation or prosecution."
Clovis mentioned Wednesday that Whitaker is a pal and that he texted congratulations to Whitaker on Wednesday after he turned legal professional normal. The query for ethics officers, if they're requested, can be whether or not Clovis can be thought-about "considerably concerned" within the conduct Mueller is investigating.
On the problem of his opinion columns, Whitaker might argue that he took positions earlier than he knew the complete factual and authorized circumstances of the case and due to this fact there isn't any want for recusal. It's attainable ethics officers might nonetheless advise him that his commentary created the looks of a battle of curiosity however depart the choice to him. In the event that they beneficial forcefully that he recuse himself and he declined, Whitaker might then be referred to the Justice Division's Workplace of Skilled Duty, and his license to follow regulation might be put at difficulty.
The White Home is unconcerned about Whitaker's earlier feedback, a senior White Home official mentioned. He was on the White Home on Thursday afternoon for a gathering on immigration.
Trump is conscious that Whitaker has been crucial of the Russia probe, this official mentioned, including that Whitaker's feedback align with the president's place.
It's unlikely that Whitaker will get the job completely, this official mentioned.
Whitaker's elevation to turn into the nation's high regulation enforcement official adopted the ouster Wednesday of Jeff Classes as legal professional normal. Classes had endured months of public abuse from Trump, who soured on Classes as a result of he recused himself from oversight of the Russia investigation shortly after he arrived on the Justice Division.
Classes felt that Mueller's investigation had gone on too lengthy but in addition believed it was essential that he keep on as legal professional normal as a method of defending the particular counsel's work, in order that when it concluded, the general public would have faith it had not been manipulated, in line with an individual aware of Classes' pondering.
Even after he arrived on the Justice Division, Whitaker harbored frustration concerning the size of the special-counsel probe and doubts concerning the scope of Mueller's authority, an individual aware of the matter mentioned. He questioned Deputy Legal professional Common Rod Rosenstein's capability to present Mueller such extensive latitude and wished to discover the bounds of what Mueller was inspecting, although Rosenstein saved Classes' workplace "walled off" from the matter, this individual mentioned. Whitaker did, nevertheless, imagine that Classes had no selection however to recuse himself from the matter, the individual mentioned.
Rosenstein and Whitaker have come to eye one another warily in current months, folks aware of the matter mentioned. When Rosenstein was practically ousted from his publish over experiences that he had advised surreptitiously recording the president, Whitaker was tapped to take over Rosenstein's place. However after a go to to the White Home, Rosenstein returned and stayed in his job, leaving folks throughout the Justice Division – Whitaker included – mystified as to what occurred, these folks mentioned.
Rosenstein and Whitaker each had been current on the investiture of Supreme Court docket Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Thursday – Whitaker wearing a "morning swimsuit," which included formal trousers, a vest and an extended coat, folks aware of the matter mentioned.
Whereas Whitaker is now Mueller's final supervisor, it was not instantly clear whether or not that meant Rosenstein would step apart. Justice Division officers mentioned that underneath regular circumstances, the deputy legal professional normal would in all probability play an energetic, hands-on position in overseeing such a high-profile probe and that they'd no purpose to imagine Rosenstein would now be minimize out.
Whitaker was just about unknown to Classes earlier than turning into his chief of employees, although Federalist Society Govt President Leonard Leo had been touting the previous U.S. legal professional from Iowa as early because the transition, in line with an individual aware of the matter. Leo had come to know Whitaker as a result of each had been outstanding in conservative authorized circles and he thought-about Whitaker a real conservative and gifted supervisor, this individual mentioned.
Initially, Classes selected Jody Hunt, a longtime Justice Division official, to be the highest aide in his workplace, whereas Whitaker made a reputation for himself in Washington by way of TV appearances and his work with the conservative Basis for Accountability and Civic Belief.
Whereas preferred by Classes, Hunt clashed with Danielle Cutrona, one other aide within the legal professional normal's workplace, in such a method that these round Classes got here to really feel one or the opposite must transfer on, in line with folks aware of the matter. Early within the administration, Hunt was supplied a extra prestigious place – operating the Justice Division's civil division.Leo then beneficial Whitaker to Cutrona, partially hoping he may assist enhance the Justice Division's relationship with the White Home, and Cutrona handed on the advice to Classes, the folks mentioned.
Classes introduced Whitaker in for an interview and got here to love him, folks aware of the matter mentioned.
As chief of employees, Whitaker was a hard-charging aide, imposing on the Justice Division his private philosophy of beginning with the top in thoughts, in line with those that have labored with him. His model rubbed many the flawed method, and at occasions Justice Division officers pushed again on his calls for. Division officers mentioned his taking excessive job from his boss was, on the very least, awkward, as a result of chiefs of employees usually depart with the legal professional normal.
Trump many weeks in the past talked with Whitaker about changing Classes because the legal professional normal, and Classes was shocked when the dialogue was reported in The Washington Put up and felt it left his relationship with Whitaker bruised, an individual aware of the matter mentioned.
On Wednesday night, Classes gathered dozens of high Justice Division officers within the legal professional normal's convention room, in line with an individual aware of the matter. He talked about loving the job and framed his elimination as one thing that occurs to each legal professional normal, the individual mentioned. He additionally mentioned he thought Whitaker would carry the torch, the individual mentioned.
In a observe despatched to the Justice Division employees on Thursday, Classes wrote, "It doesn't matter what your position on the Division and it doesn't matter what your process, I hope that you'll keep in mind that you're serving to us in our mission to guard the American folks and the rights we maintain expensive."
The Washington Put up's Sari Horwitz contributed to this report.


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Fairly slack weekend. Went to karaoke for a friends bday; good times.
Emillie and I are inching ever closer to our summer goal. We now have our tickets booked. Next is passport visas. :>
Last week I also gave my first tutorial at Tait. It went well, except for that it was on a boring and very detailed subject. Gives them some good notes to work from in the future though. My other tutorials should be funner. And I'll probably put something to spice it up, ala one of our ENSC profs. If anyone out there has any good ideas on how to spice up the boring bits, drop me a line.


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Share the love.
"The Devil Wears Nanos" (in teams of 2) 8x 200m (off partner holds plank while other partner runs) 100x KBS 200x Air Squat 100 Lateral Hurdle Jumps 200x Air Squat 100x KBS 8x 200m 35 Minute time cap REMINDER!! 8AM CLASS ONLY!
Back Squat 3,3,3,3,3 Then: 200 Double Unders 21-15-9 Power Clean TTB 100 Double Unders
"Nancy" 5 Rounds: 400m 15x OHS (95/65)


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Domex Black Ice Seeping Bag
A well proven sleeping bag suitable for year round outdoor use. With its synthetic fill it dries quickly if it gets wet and even while wet it still provides warmth.
- Semi-rectangular shape provides more leg room than mummy style bags
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- Double layers of 7DXcell fibre have offset seams to minimize heat loss
- Comfort Temp lining means that the bag feels cosy as soon as you get into it
- NEW hood design with the addition of a shoulder collar and draw cord prevents warm air escaping and cold air getting in
- Twin (side and bottom) zips allow separate body and foot temperature control. When fully unzipped the bag can be used as a duvet
- Side zip has auto-locking sliders which prevent the zip opening up if you move during sleep
- Compression cram sac features a handhold at the end to make it easier to pull out of a pack
Out of stock


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It's said by quite a lot of that reclaimed wood is beautiful, eco-pleasant, sturdy and lots of useful wood available for contractors that already connected included in outdated building. Efficiency includes things like good-dwelling expertise and solar power; design contains flooring and paint; and outside is the whole lot from organic fertilizers to rainwater barrels. Residence improvement might be a brilliant mild in the retail sector with transforming tasks on the rise and customers more confident about investing of their properties," mentioned Ray Walsh, CEO of Market Drive Information.
Relishing the challenge, Ballard put a recurring notice on his calendar to name Nest the second Tuesday of every month at 9 a.m. After more than a year of rejection, he sent workers to purchase Nest merchandise at chain stores and document their experiences.
To the extent doable, all of the constructing supplies are native, and the design borrows from a Texas residential, reasonably than a business, aesthetic. Compact Energy Gear supplies equipment rentals at more than 1,000 shops, and also offers upkeep services at stores like Dwelling Depot.
Moreover, the outcomes confirmed Ace Hardware is living up to its brand promise of being the place with the helpful hardware people," as its associates had been almost definitely to help prospects. Our furniture and lighting are very unique and completely different from the average furniture shops you usually see.
I interviewed at Residence Hardware Shops (Wolfville, NS (Canada)). Unblocking drains is straightforward with the fitting size, diameter and power of brush, but most DIY-ers use small makeshift gadgets which get caught and worsen the problem. The large field retailers know that not all of their customers drive full-size vehicles, so they have giant observe saws and chop saws that can cut your wooden to length for you.


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The playbook for liberal progressives is widely known as "Rules for Radicals" written by Saul Alinsky in 1971.(1) Hillary Clinton wrote her college thesis on the Alinsky model and Barack Obama in his community organizing days taught the Alinsky model and principles.(2)
The core principles in "Rules for Radicals" are:
RULE 1: "Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have." Power is derived from 2 main sources – money and people. "Have-Nots" must build power from flesh and blood. (These are two things of which there is a plentiful supply. Government and corporations always have a difficult time appealing to people, and usually do so almost exclusively with economic arguments.) (3)
RULE 2: "Never go outside the expertise of your people." It results in confusion, fear and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone. (Organizations under attack wonder why radicals don't address the "real" issues. This is why. They avoid things with which they have no knowledge.) (4)
RULE 3: "Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy." Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty. (This happens all the time. Watch how many organizations under attack are blind-sided by seemingly irrelevant arguments that they are then forced to address.) (5)
RULE 4: "Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules." If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules. (This is a serious rule. The besieged entity's very credibility and reputation is at stake, because if activists catch it lying or not living up to its commitments, they can continue to chip away at the damage.) (6)
RULE 5: "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon." There is no defense. It's irrational. It's infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions. (Pretty crude, rude and mean, huh? They want to create anger and fear.) (7)
RULE 6: "A good tactic is one your people enjoy." They'll keep doing it without urging and come back to do more. They're doing their thing, and will even suggest better ones. (Radical activists, in this sense, are no different that any other human being. We all avoid "un-fun" activities, and but we revel at and enjoy the ones that work and bring results.) (8)
RULE 7: "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag." Don't become old news. (Even radical activists get bored. So to keep them excited and involved, organizers are constantly coming up with new tactics.) (9)
RULE 8: "Keep the pressure on. Never let up." Keep trying new things to keep the opposition off balance. As the opposition masters one approach, hit them from the flank with something new. (Attack, attack, attack from all sides, never giving the reeling organization a chance to rest, regroup, recover and re-strategize.) (10)
RULE 9: "The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself." Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist. (Perception is reality. Large organizations always prepare a worst-case scenario, something that may be furthest from the activists' minds. The upshot is that the organization will expend enormous time and energy, creating in its own collective mind the direst of conclusions. The possibilities can easily poison the mind and result in demoralization.) (11)
RULE 10: "If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive." Violence from the other side can win the public to your side because the public sympathizes with the underdog. (Unions used this tactic. Peaceful [albeit loud] demonstrations during the heyday of unions in the early to mid-20th Century incurred management's wrath, often in the form of violence that eventually brought public sympathy to their side.) (12)
RULE 11: "The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative." Never let the enemy score points because you're caught without a solution to the problem. ( If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Activist organizations have an agenda, and their strategy is to hold a place at the table, to be given a forum to wield their power. So, they have to have a compromise solution.) (13)
RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.) (14)
The research papers that I wrote supporting the content of this research blog were written in 2013 and 2011. Here is the story behind their creation. After completing them I had to make a decision on what I was going to do next. In the process I was reminded of a Noam Chomsky quote:
"My own concern is primarily the terror and violence carried out by my own state, for two reasons. For one thing, because it happens to be the larger component of international violence. But also for a much more important reason than that; namely, I can do something about it. So even if the U.S. was responsible for 2 percent of the violence in the world instead of the majority of it, it would be that 2 percent I would be primarily responsible for. And that is a simple ethical judgment. That is, the ethical value of one's actions depends on their anticipated and predictable consequences. It is very easy to denounce the atrocities of someone else. That has about as much ethical value as denouncing atrocities that took place in the 18th century." (15)
Noam Chomsky
Essentially what Chomsky is saying is that if you are citizen of a country doing things that you consider to be wrong, it is your responsibility as a citizen to work towards resolving those problems. Some people like Ted Kaczynski (The Unabomber) and Bill Ayers (The Weather Underground domestic terrorist) interpret this as a license to cause death and property destruction. Myself and people who are not insane see those actions as complete negative manifestations of activism and perversions of logic. It's easy to point the finger, but taking responsibility for oneself and ones own actions during a time of confusion and chaos is all one can do.
Personally, I had a high degree of confidence in my research and the question became what was I going to do about it. I could have tried to publish a book, done nothing, sought journal publications, submit opinion pieces to newspapers etc. etc. but I don't know anything about those things. Those actions require prestige, which I have exactly none of. I decided the only thing I could do was to stick to what I know: Applied Research.
Applying research of this nature against a group of blue ribbon intellectuals, attorneys, politicians, and bureaucrats is almost guaranteed to be trip to hell and back. Especially for someone who is a rookie at political activism. The best chance I had was to get the upper hand first, keep the advantage, show no mercy, and do so by applying their own rules, research, and tactics against them. I already had one advantage, many of these intellectuals had already engaged in one on one conversation with me over email about my research. See those contributions here. My foot was already in the door, so I decided to use the rest of my body to give this group a less than subtle nudge.
Before going into detail on what I did and how I did it, in my next post I want to quickly discuss the differences between "Trumanites" and "Madisonians" as it relates to the theory of double government. It's a small lesson in how elected politicians act/react vs. how the life long bureaucrats act/react on a daily basis to crisis. This knowledge helped me prepare for potential responses to my activism efforts that would be indirect and more subtle. The reason this is important is because followers of Alinsky rarely engage directly in conversation with their adversaries, unless there is a politically advantageous reason to do so. Engaging directly would humanize their opponents, and the job or goal of followers of Alinksy is to demonize their opponents.
In my next post lets look at what Michael Glennon, Professor of International Law at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, says about National Security and Double Government (Trumanites vs. Madisonians).


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93 Points Wine Enthusiast December 2015, A Wine Enthusiast "Best Buy"!
"Made on Isle of Skye, this brisk, briny single malt carries honey and campfire smoke aromas on the nose. On the palate, a salted caramel flavor unfolds, with smokiness leading into the brisk finish that brushed with fleeting notes of citrus and rich espresso. It has plenty of alcohol punch, so be sure to add a generous splash of water." – Kara Newman
1st Place
Best Single Malt Scotch (Islands) – 2015
International Whisky Competition
2nd Place
Best Single Malt NAS – 2015
International Whisky Competition
2nd Place
Best Peated Whisky – 2015
International Whisky Competition
"Talisker speaks of the rugged, windblown beauty of its home by the wild seas on the Isle of Skye. The powerful whisky has been adored by many for its sea-salty nose, peaty, smoky character and peppery finish, since 1830. Created to delight and intrigue adorers of the celebrated island whisky, Talisker Storm is more intense and smoky, with enhanced maritime notes that smoothly balance Talisker's signature warm sweetness. The Master Blender crafts the liquid from both rejuvenated and refill casks at different ages to enhance the vibrant, smoky and intense distillery character in the expression." -The Distillery
Tasting Notes from Masters of Malt
"Nose: Initial brine, but not as abrupt as the 10 Year Old, quite creamy by comparison. Banana. Banana angel delight? Window putty, hint of sticking plasters and barbecues, citrus. White pepper develops towards the bottom of the glass."
"Palate: Thick and mouth-coating with wood smoke, brine, some tin and chilli heat too."
"Finish: Red chilli peppers and oak dryness with a hint of embers."
"Overall: A welcome addition to the Talisker range, and probably the smokiest whisky to be produced on the Isle of Skye."


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Book Blitz And Giveaway: Painting Sky by Rita Branches
I just love the cover of Painting Sky by Rita Branches! It is what made me pay attention to this book in the first place, but it is the blurb that got me all excited. Check out the excerpt of this newly released New Adult novel, and don't forget toContinue Reading


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| 14.8°C Dublin
Amid the strong characters and training-ground tensions that have surrounded Manchester City's push for the title this season, there has been no figure more detached or more outstanding than David Silva, their match-winner against Arsenal and already a candidate for player of the year.
Silva's goal on Sunday means that if City beat Stoke tomorrow they will be leaders at Christmas for the first time since 1929 and, of all their expensively assembled squad, few can claim to have played such a key role as Silva.
Against Arsenal he came up against Robin van Persie, the other individual in the Premier League with a claim to be the form player of the season so far, and it was Silva who prevailed.
Silva's reputation has grown to the extent that he is becoming a benchmark for the new standard of attacking midfielder who can play right across the three in a 4-2-3-1 formation and score goals as well.
The City fans at Stamford Bridge berated Chelsea's Juan Mata for being -- in their own words -- a second-rate version of Silva. Harsh? Certainly, but there is no question that Silva is the pre-eminent playmaker-winger at the current time.
There is one aspect of life at City, however, that Silva says he has nothing to do with: the training-ground fights, most recently demonstrated by Micah Richards' spat with Mario Balotelli last week, which the players quickly resolved. "Stuff like that you can always turn into a positive for the team," Silva said. "Everyone is going at it 100pc in training and stuff can happen.
"But we are very united and there is a great team spirit out on the field. I don't get involved because I am very cool-headed and calm. I try to keep a back-seat view of everything and stay calm."
If City beat Stoke they will pass Christmas Day as leaders with 44 points, the highest of any leaders at that stage of the season since Christmas 2006, when Manchester United had 47 points and went on to win the league the following May with 89 points.
Even Jose Mourinho's Chelsea in their first title-winning season only passed Christmas as leaders with 43 points.
Silva said that the victory over Arsenal had been "a must-win game". He said: "I think we needed a morale and confidence-boosting victory after the defeat at Chelsea and I think this will lift us. We did well at Chelsea but didn't manage to win. We are aware that Manchester United are going to be pushing us all the way, but we have to focus on ourselves.
"We have to keep on the road we have been on up to now, keep our own affairs in order and the rest will look after itself. At the moment it is United just behind us, but others will be gathering towards the end of the season. To keep the gap as it is we have to keep winning our games.
"You might say United have been disappointing but they are right there on our heels and you can't knock that. We know they are going to be right behind us so we have to make sure there are no slip-ups and try and win every game."
City have won 17 out of 18 games at the Etihad Stadium since they were beaten there by Everton on December 20 last year. Stoke have won their last four games and are up to eighth position, just five points behind Arsenal in fifth place.
Silva has six goals this season in 22 games and, in becoming one of the outstanding performers in the division, believes that City's more exuberant style suits the way he plays.
"I think Roberto (Mancini) is doing a great job," he said. "He got us into the Champions League for this season and it speaks for itself the fact that we are top. We are playing some good football, the style of football is good and let us hope he is repaid for this style of football with the league title at the end of the season.
"You have to be demanding, and demand the best when you have a squad of top players like this and push them to the limit -- demand as much as you can.
"Let's hope that this demanding style pays off and we can go on and win the title.
"You don't feel tiredness when you're on top. I had a bit of a knock on my ankle a few games back and a bit of swelling that was a worry, but I still managed to turn out every time. I feel good in myself and am ready to carry on. If I have to drop out any time we have plenty of people who can step in and do well."
On Sunday, City took another significant step towards the title with a win over an excellent Arsenal team. Over the last 11 years, the leaders at Christmas have turned out to be the champions in May on seven occasions. Already this title feels like it should really be City's to lose, despite the threat of United just two points behind them. Another FA Cup will not suffice this time around.
"I am really enjoying my football here," Silva said. "It is great, obviously, when you're top of the league and everything is going well and we are playing some really good football.
"It is enjoyable to play in the team when we are playing that way. Let's hope it all pays off. We won the FA Cup last year and it would be nice to repeat that, but the title is the big target." (© Independent News Service)
Irish Independent


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Aura Speaker Avina is at the top of her field. It is a very small field. Speaking to those who have gone before is a strange talent and she uses it to bring peace and negotiate between the living and the dead.
Utolian left his physical body to wait until he met a woman he wanted to spend the rest of his existence with. Avina's touch brings him out of his orb on a regular basis, and he looks forward to each and every moment with her.
Now, if only he will stop her from playing with his ball at every opportunity, he might just get somewhere.
Available at Amazon
Cara's Review:
As a Paranormal Investigator (aka Ghost Hunter), I was very interested in this book. I know people who can read Aura's now, as well as claim to be Mediums. I thought that Ms. Grace incorporated some nice "facts" into the book, including the goggles that blocked electromagnetic frequency to stop the auras she sees (that is what we use those cool blinking gadgets to do, look at EMF fields).
That aside, it comes as no surprise that I really enjoyed this book. In an investigation that would have done Josh Gates (Destination Truth) and John Zaffis (Haunted Collector) proud, Aura Speaker Avina Jenkins and the Aura of Utolian sweep a derelict space station, looking for dangerous Auras.
As always, a few of my favorite characters make appearances, or at least honorable mention in the Terran Times novella. I'm sure that followers of the Times will find this to be another enjoyable read. If you haven't read any of the Terran Times yet, my first question is why not? My second is, read this one! They don't have to be read in any sort of order, but you'll want to know the back story of the characters the main characters come across!
A good solid read, I'd strongly recommend this book to pass an afternoon!
Available at extasybooks.com


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The Reading Exodus 14:19-31
The readings from Exodus over the last few weeks have been building to the climax that today's reading gives us: the Lord acting powerfully and unexpectedly through nature and Moses to save Israel from the Egyptian army. This is a God of miracle and authority, and the people see and are awestruck. Listen for these themes in the psalm.
The Epistle Romans 14:1-12
The first reading today showed us Egyptian troops following orders to pursue the fleeing Israelites—and dying wretchedly for their obedience. We cheer the victory, but it raises an ethical question: do God's people have the right to celebrate the downfall of others? Paul's letter to the Romans suggests that really being God's people means doing differently.
Further notes
One gets a certain thrill from the reading from Exodus: we're rooting for Israel, the offended-against, to come out on top against the mighty and nasty Egyptian empire. God coming through in spectacular fashion by turning the tide on itself is an occasion that Moses celebrates in Exodus 15.
But is it an occasion to rejoice?
What of the Egyptian households in Exodus 11 and 12 that trustingly lent jewelry and clothing, not knowing that their Israelite neighbors were about to flee with the goods? What of the Egyptian junior officers and NCOs and common soldiers, following orders because that is a soldier's duty, dying by their thousands when the waters surged back into place? What of the Egyptian families bereaved on the Passover night by the loss of all their firstborn?
Paul's epistle and the Gospel take a different tack. Paul tells us not to pass judgment on anyone whom God has welcomed. In the Gospel Jesus commands us to give the mercy we have received (and reminds us that we can't duck by claiming we haven't received mercy)
None of this sounds much like it being acceptable to rejoice over an enemy's downfall.