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How to Beat the Crowds in London
London is one of Europe's most visited cities, so it's no surprise that it can get crowded. But there are ways to beat the crowds. From advance tickets to night tours to less tourist-packed neighborhoods, here's how to make the most of your visit.
Plan ahead
Save some time by skipping the line.
Take the time to examine opening times and pre-book entry when possible; it can save a lot of time and money during your visit. Advance tickets and skip-the-line access can help avoid long queues for popular spots such as the Tower of London, Madame Tussauds, and the London Zoo. The London Pass also enables you to access many of these using one card.
Put your walking shoes on
You don't always have to head to the Underground.
Many central London sights are within a short walking distance from one another. It can be surprisingly quick to arrive on foot to the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Tate Modern.
Explore beyond the tourist center
Go a little further afield.
The allure of Big Ben and other classic London sights brings many tourists to the same parts of the city. Covent Garden, Oxford Street, and Mayfair are often crowded with shoppers. Heading out to locally loved locales like Hyde Park and Regent's Park allows you to see more of the city and lose the crowds.
Choose transportation wisely
When it's rush hour, consider a cab.
London's Underground is one of the finest public transport systems in the world. You may face crowding, however, at popular stops and during rush hour. If you're short on time, consider hiring a classic black cab that can whisk you around to the sights of your choice.
Embrace the weather
Dress the part.
In rainy weather, most travelers avoid outdoor sights. If you're willing to grab an umbrella, you can see London's top spots without the crowds. If you'd prefer a day indoors, the British Museum, Tate, and National Gallery are great options.
Take a night tour
Stay up late.
When most visitors have called it a day, you can still see the nighttime side of London. With spooky ghost tours and late-night openings, you lose most of the crowds. Early morning is another optimal time to see sights before most people are up.


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"On The 11st Day of Christmas, as Mo's Countdown posts increase"
…It's time for some Heavenly Peace
The Baby Sleeps
In the arms of His loving mother.
The night is still
And the beasts of the stable
Hover near
In soundless adoration.
The world's asleep
In the dreams of this loving Infant,
And our hearts are still
In boundless adoration.
Sleep, Child, sleep
Your sleep of purity.
Sleep, world, sleep
In God's Security.
– Van Varner, published in Guideposts Greetings

subset: commoncrawl


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I read an article encouraging writers to reveal odd facts about themselves so their readers could become acquainted with the person behind the articles. I think it is time to revisit this post because we all need a good laugh now and then.
1. I HATE scary movies. As soon as the music rises ominously, I start pacing. Once in a movie theatre, at The Lord of the Rings, I jumped and managed to throw litres of popcorn in a 8 m. radius all around my husband and myself. It landed in people's hair, on their coats… everywhere. My husband has never let me hold the popcorn again
2. Someone told my mother that I was cute but my sister would be beautiful! I am short, 5′ 1″ and weigh 104 lb. I was a cute little kid
(the grade six girls wanted to cart me around like a doll when I was in kindergarten), a cute new mother and now my youngest daughter's friends think I am cute. As it stands, I will become a cute, little old lady.
3. I love to crochet because I do not have to follow the instructions but can adapt and change to my heart's content.
4. I am the definitive bookworm. I read at least 5 books a week till I was 15, stopping only if I had too much homework. My mother used to beg me on nice summer days to, "At least read outside!" Sometimes, to limit my late night reading, I have read perched on the edge of a cold tub, only to realize 2 hours later that I am frozen and can hardly walk.
5. I love STRONG tea, butter tarts and red wine and cilantro. I love old houses and restoring their beauty, gardening, big windows and old pine floors.
6.The times I have laughed the hardest concern my husband and bathtubs. Once he was stuck in a small bathtub, trying to rinse his hair with a princess shower without getting any water on the floor. The second hilarious incident occurred when he was stuck in a cold bath, with his leg sticking straight out in a cast while I attempted to haul him up! Both times I could hardly stop laughing. My husband did not even smile.
7. I am eccentric, I love quirky, intellectual nerds with a sense of humour. I often laugh in the face of tragedy. It works for me.
8. At 13, I played Becky Thatcher in a Tom Sawyer musical even though I really can't sing. I also I had to kiss him in front of the school, during nightly performances and on a televised production. I STILL cringe at the memory.
9. I can't spell or type, and I am basically just entering the 21st century's computer world. So what would be the most difficult path to choose? Why, become a writer.
10. I love my husband and my kids. I love play dough, looking for bugs, colouring, reading kid's books and making doll houses. I really need lots of grandkids. I speak fluent Baby and I am a Baby Whisperer.
11. My athletic skills are dismal. Michael, my athletic husband, after buying me a junior boys golf clubs, finally gave up trying to find a sport to suit me. He realized the only possible choice was a very gentle game of badminton, but even that sport stretched my athletic skills. However, I am very wiry and flexible; a friend always tells me I would have been great at gymnastics.
12. God has managed to heal and love me in spite of myself and I could weep in gratitude for His patient mercy.
13. If it was not for my daughters buying my clothes, cutting and dying my hair, plucking my eyebrows and teaching me about make-up, I would look very frumpy.
14. I was pregnant and nursing, often both, for 18 years without a break. I never even held a baby before my first-born. Everyone thought I would become a nun-librarian.
15. I am an inefficient square, trying to force myself to roll through chores like a circle. I just recently have begun to take delight in my inefficiency.
16. I need to start drawing and painting again.
17. I hate board games ( especially Monopoly) or competitive card games; I hate losing and I really hate winning because I feel for the person who lost.
connecting with Theology is a Verb


text: Breadcrumb Home News News Toggle filters Search Clear all filters Search Type (-) All types (19) Journals (17) Books (2) Category (-) Clear (90) Neurosciences (73) Rehabilitation (6) Music (4) Cancer Research (3) Partnership (2) dysphagia (1) Environment (1) Subjects (-) Clear (657) Medicine & Health (551) Neurosciences (506) Medicine (22) Rehabilitation (20) Cancer Research (10) Pediatrics (3) Ergonomics (2) Food & Nutrition (1) Public Health (1) Computer Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics (29) Semantic Web (16) Artificial Intelligence (8) Computer Sciences (6) Information Sciences (5) Mathematics (1) Statistics (1) COVID-19 (25) Humanities & Social Sciences (17) Social Sciences (11) Administration (5) Management (3) Policy & Law (3) Behavioral Sciences (2) Economics (2) Technology, Engineering & Architecture (11) Technology (5) Engineering (4) Transportation (2) Urban Studies (2) Marine Technology (1) Natural Sciences (9) Life Sciences (7) Geosciences (1) Digital (5) Environmental & Energy Sciences (3) Environmental Sciences (3) Labs (3) Pistoia Alliance (2) Genetics (1) LD Connect (1) 18 August 2022 Inverse Relationship Found Between Cancer Diagnosis and Alzheimer's Disease Birmingham, AL, USA – With increased age comes the increased risk to develop cancer or dementia. Both conditions share similar risk factors such as hypertension... Read more 11 August 2022 Researchers Explore the "Dark Side" of Alzheimer's Disease Revealing New Biomarkers Amsterdam, NL – Neurophysiological techniques (e.g., electroencephalography, EEG, transcranial magnetic stimulation, TMS) allow an informed investigation of the... Read more 5 August 2022 Strawberries May Fend Off Alzheimer's Chicago, USA – RUSH researchers found that a bioactive compound found in strawberries called pelargonidin may be associated with less neurofibrillary tau... Read more 4 August 2022 Common Viruses May Be Triggering the Onset of Alzheimer's Disease Medford, USA – Alzheimer's disease can begin almost imperceptibly, often masquerading in the early months or years as forgetfulness that is common in older age... Read more 3 August 2022 Study Uses Music to Soothe Dementia Patients and Caregivers Hershey, USA – According to Penn State College of Medicine researchers, a person's own memories of music can span many decades and be associated with key life... Read more 2 August 2022 Overweight was Negatively Associated with Dementia in Women, whereas there was a Positive Underweight-Dementia Relationship in Men Frankfurt, Germany – A substantial body of literature has analyzed the potential association between late-life body mass index (BMI) and dementia. Given that... Read more 1 August 2022 Gender Differences in Behaviors Linked to Faster Cognitive Decline Revealed in Research Prague, Czechia – Men who experience behavior changes including apathy or having false beliefs and perceptions in later life are at risk of faster cognitive... Read more 1 August 2022 Multiple IOS Press Journals Achieve Increased Impact Factors Amsterdam, NL – IOS Press, an independent international publishing house producing peer-reviewed content covering science, technology, and medicine, is pleased... Read more 27 July 2022 Early Work Experiences Are Important for Subsequent Employment for Youth with Disabilities Amsterdam, NL – A primary purpose of special education is to equip students with disabilities for a flourishing future after graduation. Yet, the employment... Read more 12 July 2022 Yonas E. Geda, MD, and Janina Krell-Roesch, PhD, Win 2022 Alzheimer Award Amsterdam, NL – The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (JAD) is pleased to announce the joint recipients of the 2022 Alzheimer Award are Yonas E. Geda, MD, Barrow... Read more 27 June 2022 UTHealth Houston Study: Flu Vaccination Linked to 40% Reduced Risk of Alzheimer's Disease Houston, TX, USA – People who received at least one influenza vaccine were 40% less likely than their non-vaccinated peers to develop Alzheimer's disease over... Read more 23 June 2022 Poor Sleep and Nighttime Wakefulness Associated With Diminished Cognitive Function Among African Americans, Study Finds Pittsburgh, PA, USA – More fragmented sleep and longer periods of wakefulness after bedtime among a group of low-income African American adults were associated... Read more Pagination First page First Previous page Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Current page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 … Next page Last page Last


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Before I started doing film props, I was doing Haunted Houses and carnivals. They're my first love, and I've learned a lot of tricks for decorating a great Halloween party or Haunt.
13 Tips for Decorating a Haunted House
1. Figure out your budget. I get a lot of people who think they can set up a haunted house for a few hundred dollars. A haunted house is an interactive environment. You can decorate a Halloween party for a few hundred no sweat, but for a haunt you absolutely need props, actors, lighting, and gimmicks. If you don't have the budget for a a haunted house, but you want more than just a Halloween party, consider the following – A. a Tunnel of Terror: in attraction in which a small part of a larger party or event is transformed into a haunted tunnel. B. A Sideshow- set up at your Halloween party spaces for an exhibition of oddities with a host, a magician/ card trick table, a fortune teller, seance, and any other unusual performers you might want. If it's an adult party, sideshows performances can include belly dancers or burlesque dancers as well. Also, renting haunted house props and decor is a great way to cut costs by 50% to 90% and insuring that each year will be completely different.
2. Take a Photo – It'll last longer. You'll need a photo op, someplace well lit where photography is encouraged (a lot of haunts are too dark or discourage photography). Preferably the photo op should be clearly pointed out and feature your name, like "Teresa's Torture Chamber- Halloween 2008." A souvenir like that gets shown to friends, posted on the internet, and serves as a reminder in coming years of your haunt. That's great promotion. Popular photo ops include anything the guests can get into, like caskets, electric chairs, stocks, open graves, hearses, etc. Other great photo ops are giant monsters, celebrities, or famous stand ups that guests can pose near.
3. Give them something to talk about. Your haunt needs just one thing that really wows people to become legend, and the best haunt in town.
4.Flow – if your haunt is an attraction, people need to be able to understand where to go next. Try to avoid having guests enter a room and leave through the same door. A good haunt runs like a good carnival dark ride, with guests moving steadily along, visiting each diorama-like scene enjoying the thrills and moving on to the next one.
5. Lighting – randomly flickering lights are the best. I use plasma lamps, flicker boxes or battery powered candles. Strobe lights are migraine inducing and should be used sparingly, only where disorientation, a blow off, or stop motion effect is essential. Randomly flickering lights provide atmosphere, illuminate the area of interest, and prevent the guests eyes from adjusting to the darkness. Light and darkness is key to a haunt.
6. Go with the strengths of your space. If your building is old, go gothic or killer hillbilly. If its modern try mad science or serial killer.
7. Use actors. Make sure they're outgoing but know where to stop (screaming kids good, crying kids bad). Also make sure they can take a punch. People can react without thinking when spooked. Actors transform Halloween decorations into an attraction. Arm them with safety weapons like a chainsaw without a chain or realistic soft foam axes.
In terms of using "plants" or "shills" with the guests, I've found that it often works great. A shills job can be nothing more than starting an infectious laugh, wow, or scream which helps the thrills along and diffuses the "too cool for ghouls" attitude some kids have. Once one person's screaming it's not long before everyone's screaming and having fun. Shills can also be used if a gimmick involves audience participation, but be careful not to do something too transparent. For instance, say you're doing a magic show, a poor use of a shill would be as the volunteer that picks the card. A good use of a shill would be if the trick should go horribly wrong, like sawing a guest in half and having blood and fire erupting from the box, or collecting info so your "psychic" knows his audience. I saw a haunt where a shill interrupted the performer because the gag going on was "unfunny and offensive" the atmosphere quickly became tense and everyone thought a fight was on the verge of breaking out, but instead the shill pulled off his shirt to reveal a dynamite belt that shot confetti. The whole gag went flawlessly from typical haunt gimmick to something tense and real to a genuine threat to a bizarre comedic release.
8. Stay away from animatronics unless your a geek or a gear head. You know if you are. If you have a hard time hooking up your computer to your printer, get someone technical to run the vortex tunnel and synchronize the robots. Also, tech is expensive, and haunts are dark, chaotic, and sometimes wet places. You'll need to be able to repair things on the spot or be left with a 3K paperweight.
9. Don't neglect the details. Things like cobwebs, drapery, bloody plastic, and chains can inexpensively help set a scene. Also set a few surprises just beyond the normal obvious spot of interest. It's always great when people see different things in a haunt (and it encourages repeat trips). Also subtle "is it or isn't it part of the show" kind of things can be very unnerving.
10. Mix distraction and surprises. Gather peoples attention on one large piece that seams to be about to do something. While everyone is watching in anticipation, hit them from the side with a totally unexpected gag. I've done this trick in a spooky doll room where while a giant doll rises and begins to lurch towards the guests, previously unseen doll people swoop in from the sides.
11. Theme is important. It's great if you can tie everything together along a common thread.
12. Decorate your food area too. If you have a bar with bottles on display, mix specimen jars between them. Get a brain jello mold and make salmon pate in it to really look like brains. The Dapper Cadaver edible stage blood is actually a delicious butterscotch flavor, so try mixing it into your drinks or over deserts. Pour it over ice cream for what I call a Sundae Bloody Sundae. Add red food coloring to drinks at the blood bar.
13. Go big. If you're doing a graveyard, remember headstones are at least 4″ thick and average between 2 and 4 feet tall, with monuments as big as 12 feet. Caskets are 80″ long, and cages should be large enough to fit a person in. A lot of Halloween stores sell scaled down merchandise to cut cost. If something looks too small to be real, it's not going to read as anything but party decor.
Thats 13 Spooky tips for putting together a Haunted House, and keep checking the blog, as there will be plenty more helpful tips coming up.


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GEt 20% additional discount use code "arars"
Rs. 2,339.00 – Sold Out
• Care Instruction:- Dry Clean or Dry wash only. The colour of the saree may slightly vary due to photography flash effect and display screen setting. * Saree Colour: blue, Blouse Colour: rani. , Pattern: art butta * • Saree length: 6.20 meters including 0.80 meters blouse piece (saree length 5.4 meters and bloue 0.80 meters). saree weight is 400 to 600 grams
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© 2023 arars-in.
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May 9, 2019
iPhone All-in-One For Dummies 3rd Edition
iPhone All-in-One For Dummies 3rd Edition
Want to get the most out of your iPhone? You've come to the right place. You'll be up and running in no time with easy coverage of iPhone basics, how to use the built-in iPhone apps, setting up security, texting, and more. And of course, it explains all the fun stuff too, like how to use Siri, your voice-activated personal assistant, video-chat with FaceTime, find your way with the Maps and driving directions, and much more. Whether this is your first iPhone or an upgrade to the latest version, get ready to outsmart the smartest smartphone in town with iPhone All-in-One For Dummies, 3rd Edition.
- Fully updated to cover the iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, and iOS 7!
- Five minibooks walk you through all aspects of using your iPhone: Meet the iPhone, Stocking the iPhone with iTunes Apps and Add-Ons, Communications Central, Making Your iPhone Your Personal Assistant, and Letting iPhone Entertain You
- Gets you up to speed with the latest iPhone features, including all the new features in the iWork apps for iPhone!
- Explains how to make phone and FaceTime video calls; exchange e-mails, texts, and multimedia messages; surf the web; find the latest apps, e-books, music, and games; shoot and share videos; sync with iCloud; and much more
- Helps you keep your iPhone safe and happy, as well as troubleshoot and fix common problems
Find a wealth of great ways to use your iPhone at home, at work, or on the go with this fun and easy guide.


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Housing sales, prices increasing
PANAMA CITY — Housing sales numbers and prices in Bay County increased in December 2012 over the same month the previous year.
The total number of closing sales of single-family homes in December 2012 was 197, compared to 144 in 2011, a 36.8 percent increase.
The average sale price per home rose from $170,938 in 2011 to $185,527, an 8.5 percent increase, according to the Florida Association of Realtors.
It was a similar story with sales of condos and townhomes. Sales went from 85 in December 2011 to 97 in December 2012, up 14.1 percent, and the average price rose from $205,811 to $211,476, a 2.8 percent increase.
The National Association Realtors has said homes sales across the country are at a five-year high.
"Realtors from across the state are reporting increases in home sales and median prices," Dean Asher, 2013 Florida Realtors president, said when the numbers were released. "As a result of rising demand from investors and other buyers, there's a shortage of inventory in many markets, and it's putting pressure on prices,"
Looking at Florida's year-to-year comparison for sales of townhouses and condos, 8,470 units sold statewide last month, up 8.6 percent compared to December 2011.
December marks the 12th consecutive month of higher statewide median sales prices for both single-family homes and for townhouse-condo units year to year, according to Florida Realtors' data.
"Inventory levels are now clearly consistent with a sellers' market," Florida Realtors chief economist John Tuccillo said in a commentary statement released at the time of the numbers publication. "When the final year-end statistics are compiled, expect that sales in 2012 will be more than 10 percent higher than they were in 2011. Once again, all the positive indicators are up significantly."
Bay County December housing sales
Single-family homes
Year Sales Average price
2012 197 $185,527
2011 144 $170,983
2012 97 $211,476
2011 85 $205,811


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AC360° hired renowned child psychologist and University of Maryland professor Dr. Melanie Killen to design and implement our study that examines children's perceptions of race. The results are the basis for Anderson Cooper's special series "Kids on Race: The Hidden Picture." We asked Dr. Killen to highlight key findings, offer advice to parents on how and when to teach about equality and shed light on the thinking behind her methodology.
Watch the series of Q&A videos to get deeper insight on the year-long investigation.
Filed under: Kids on Race • Race in America
Race only becomes a problem when a child grows up in an environmental that's not diverse. My school happens to be very diverse, and i don't see race as a boundary, at least for me.
Sounds to me like minority children are taught early, by their parents, to see everything in terms of skin color. Sad really.
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°


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Prosecution witness: Zimmerman's injuries 'insignificant'
A medical examiner testified that George Zimmerman's injuries were "insignificant" and could have been the result of a single blow as prosecutors continued to make their case that the neighborhood watch volunteer was not simply defending himself when he shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Dr. Valerie Rao, who was called by the prosecution to provide her assessment of Zimmerman's injuries based on photos, cast doubt on Zimmerman's claim his head was repeatedly bashed against the pavement as he fought with Martin in the Feb. 26, 2012 incident.
"The injuries are so minor that the word slam implies great force," Rao said in response to questioning by prosecutor John Guy. "There was not great force used here."
Click here for full coverage of the George Zimmerman Trial
Rao said Zimmerman's injuries were not only "not life threatening" but were also "very insignificant." She said the injuries to the back of Zimmerman's head were consistent with hitting the ground but the injuries on his face were from consistent with one punch or strike.
Under questioning by defense attorney Mark O'Mara, Rao acknowledged she was appointed by state attorney Angela Corey, who is overseeing the prosecution of Zimmerman. She also conceded that while Zimmerman's injuries were consistent with one punch, it does not mean that he was not hit repeatedly.
"Could it of been four times?" O'Mara asked Rao, who replied, "That's not my opinion but it is possible."
Earlier, Zimmerman's best friend and the author of a book defending him testified that when he drove Zimmerman home from the Sanford Police Station, Zimmerman told him Martin grabbed hold of his gun as the two grappled in the gated community.
"Somehow I broke his grip on the gun when the guy grabbed between the grip and hammer," Mark Osterman, author of "Defending our Friend: The Most Hated Man in America," said, quoting Zimmerman whom he also he described as "stunned" and "detached" as he drove Zimmerman and his wife home.
"He had a stunned look on his face," Osterman said, "He was wide-eyed. A little bit detached."
Osterman also said that Zimmerman told him that he got out of his truck after seeing the 17-year-old Martin walking through two buildings, which he thought was suspicious.
A video was played before the court in the afternoon of Zimmerman's interview on Fox News Channel's Hannity in which he retells the events of the incident as well as his injuries.
Earlier Tuesday, the lead police detective who investigated the shooting, took the stand for a second day and said the defendant's story remained consistent throughout the investigation. Sanford Police Det. Christopher Serino, who initially wanted to charge Zimmerman with manslaughter but was overruled, said under cross examination by Zimmerman defense attorney Mark O'Mara that the neighborhood watch volunteer stuck to the same story and was cooperative. Although he said he considered Zimmerman's injuries to be minor, he said he found nothing to prompt him to doubt the 29-year-old's story, that he shot Martin in self-defense as he was being beaten.
Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda emphasized profane language Zimmerman used on a 911 call as he observed Martin walking through the gated community, and asked Serino if Zimmerman's use of "a--holes" and "f---ing punks" indicated Zimmerman might have been profiling and following Martin.
The prosecutor also attempted to point out inconsistencies in Zimmerman's statements to Serino, including the defendant's claim that that he could not find the street address. De La Rionda also asked the former lead investigator, "Did George Zimmerman exaggerate the manner in which he was hit?" Serino replied that he felt that he did.
But O'Mara attempted to quell the prosecution's claim that Zimmerman's use of bad language show "ill will" and "spite" bay asking Serino if he would, "agree that a------ is used as a slang term?" the witness replied, "I have used it before."
O'Mara also asked Serino, "Did you think there was anything wrong with Mr. Zimmerman following Trayvon Martin?"
Serino replied, "Legally speaking, no."
Although Serino acknowledged to De la Rionda that Zimmerman had no reason to believe Martin was armed, O'Mara, noting Zimmerman claims to have shot Martin while the youth was bashing his head into the pavement, asked Serino if Martin was "armed with concrete." Serino replied that he was.
The defense attorney asked if Zimmerman's neighborhood had a "rash" of burglaries before the shooting. Serino said he did not believe there to be a crime spree but added that the defendant had believed there was.
Serino testified Monday that at first he did not believe Zimmerman's story, but when he told Zimmerman the fatal, February, 2012 encounter may have been caught on video, Zimmerman's response of "Thank God" changed his mind, Serino said.
Serino's Monday testimony became the latest prosecution witness to appear to do more harm than good to the state's case, recalling a somber conversation that touched on Zimmerman's faith and the fear he said he felt when Martin told him "You're going to die tonight."
On Tuesday, De La Rionda sought to mitigate the damage done by Serino's Monday testimony, getting the detective to concede that, as a neighborhood watch volunteer, Zimmerman would know there were no surveillance cameras. And, he said, Zimmerman would have known if Martin had taped the encounter on his cellphone.
"So he basically knew you were bluffing?" De La Rionda said, before an objection from the defense was sustained.
Zimmerman could get life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder. The state argued during its opening statement that Zimmerman profiled and followed Martin in his truck and called a police dispatch number before he and the teen got into a fight.
Over the first five days of testimony, jurors heard 911 calls from neighbors that included cries for help and the fatal gunshot. Zimmerman's attorneys are adamant that he is the one screaming on the recordings, while Martin's parents have said it's their son.
Jurors also listened to more than six hours of testimony from Martin's friend Rachel Jeantel, who testified that she was talking on the phone with the teen as the fight started.
She testified that Martin told her he was being followed by "a creepy-ass cracker." But it was her testy cross-examination exchanges with defense attorney Don West that commanded the most attention.
West attacked inconsistencies in multiple statements she gave attorneys and law enforcement officials about what she heard, including whether she heard Martin say "Get off! Get off!"
There also was conflicting testimony from neighbors that witnessed parts of the struggle between Martin and Zimmerman. Some said it appeared the larger Zimmerman was straddling Martin, but neighbor Jonathan Good said it appeared Martin was on top.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.


text: Advance your strategic analysis skills in this follow-up to Foundations of Business Strategy. In this course, developed at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, you'll learn the tools to analyze strategy across time (competitive dynamics), industries (corporate strategy), geographies (international strategy), and institutions (non-market strategy). Top-ranked faculty will introduce the tools you need to complete a comprehensive evaluation and understand the strategy dynamics of an industry: Competitive Lifecycle, Internationalization and Stakeholder Analyses, and Diversification Matrices.


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As I have nothing new in the way of yarn makes this week, I'd thought I'd show some more pictures of a doll called Alice (named after my grandma by the lovely Benta). You may have met her a little while ago, when she was waiting for the light. Eventually the rain did stop and the sun came out (briefly) allowing me to take some photos before she went on her way. Really, she is just as much a yarn make as a sewing one…
I wish you a week of sun and yarn!
If you have any yarn makes, I'd love you to link up. The rules as usual are: 1). Posts must include some content – makes or musings or photos – related to knitting, crochet, felting, spinning or yarn. 2). Projects sewn from felt or wool fabric or stitchery using wool are also welcome but please don't link posts that are exclusively about sewing, quilting and fabrics. 3). Posts don't have to be from the past week but please put a link to WOOL ON SUNDAYS or grab the button from my sidebar and include it in or at the bottom of any posts you link up. 4). Visit anyone else who links. Wishing you a happy week :)


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The War Z, a first-person zombie shooter game with 600,000 players, has been taken offline after attackers gained access to e-mail addresses and password data used to play the game and log in to user forums.
The data exposed in the breach also included in-game character names, the IP addresses players used to access user forums and the game, and any other data contained in the forum or game databases, an advisory posted by game developer Hammerpoint Interactive warned. It said the game and forums will be unavailable while outside experts and investigators pinpoint the cause of the compromise. Payment information was not exposed because payments are processed by a third-party and not on The War Z systems.
"If you posted other information to the forum it is likely that such data was accessed as well," the advisory stated. "We do not collect the names or addresses of our gamers so that information was not impacted unless you posted it on the forum. We are investigating whether additional information may have been obtained." The notice warned that e-mail addresses used to register for the game were also obtained.
The hack comes three months after The War Z's debut in the online Steam store was marred by promises made on the game's description page that weren't delivered in the game itself. The War Z is also available for sale directly from the game developer. The breach also comes a few weeks after researchers demonstrated vulnerabilities in EA's Origin game platform and the EA game Battlefield Play4free, where both weaknesses made it possible for attackers to remotely execute malicious code on some players' computers.
The advisory said the passwords were "encrypted," which most likely means they were passed through a one-way cryptographic hash algorithm that converts plaintext such as "password" into a theoretically unique string of characters such as "5baa61e4c9b93f3f0682250b6cf8331b7ee68fd8." The advisory didn't say what algorithm was used or if cryptographic "salt" was added, so without those details, the assurance about encryption is largely meaningless. As Ars documented last year, advances in password cracking can quickly ferret out all but the strongest of passwords unless website operators take pains to thwart those techniques. Chief among them is the use of bcrypt, scrypt, or other hash algorithms specifically designed to store passwords. SHA1, MD5 and most other algorithms should never be used to hash passwords.
Readers who had The War Z accounts should change their passwords immediately. Passcodes should be randomly generated and a minimum of 10 characters that include numbers, letters and symbols. They should also be unique. Readers who used their War Z password to log in to other sites should change their passcodes for those sites, as well.
Hammerpoint Interactive's advisory said that investigators have already "identified number of ways access was obtained and have enhanced our security to improve game and forum safety. We are undertaking a full review and update of our servers and the services we use and adding additional security mechanisms." The company is e-mailing customers to make sure everyone affected is aware of the breach. Hammerpoint reportedly claims that The War Z has 600,000 registered users and a daily player count of 150,000.
"This has been a humbling experience for us," the advisory stated. "While we all know that there is no guaranty of security on the Internet, our goal is to try our very best to protect your data. We sincerely apologize."


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June 21, 2007
After getting stardom with the success of Vikramarkudu, Anushka is the heroine who is being chased by many producers. She is doing high profile projects with big heroes now. Her next film Lakshyam is releasing in the first week of July. Here are the excerpts of idlebrain.com chitchat with this sweet-talking actress -
Tell us about your role in Lakshyam?
I am doing a role that forms an integral part of the story. It is a simple character that is close to my real self. Director Srivas designed the character in an interesting way. There is scope for glamour as well the performance. I avoided make-up for most of the scenes and tried to be my natural self. I am playing the role of a student and my scenes with Brahmanandam gave score for some humor moments.
Tell us about working with Gopichand?
I heard a lot about his dad's work and the way Gopichand involves himself in the film amazes me. He gave one of his best performances in certain scenes of the film.
What are the films you are currently working on?
Okka Magadu, Don, Arundhati and a film to be made by Dasarath with Jagapati Babu as hero.
Okka Magadu: I am doing one of the heroines with a bit of negative shades.
Don: I am doing a carefree girl character. I can't reveal more that that.
Arundhati: It is a performance oriented film. I am doing two characters that belong to two different time zones. It deals with a problem faced by a woman in ancient days. Only 15 days of shoot is left. There will be lot of graphics work. This film is directed by Kodi Rama Krishna and produced by Shyam Prasad Reddy.
Is your height a problem in real life or in films?
I am not the kind of girl who wears heels in real life. For certain roles in films, it is an advantage. But I wish I were little shorter.
Do you mind marrying a guy who is shorter than you?
If he is a guy whom I knew personally long before marriage, I would not mind. But I don't want to marry a short guy if my marriage happens to be an arranged marriage.
Are you seeing anyone?
There were some rumors linking you up with the cinematographer Senthil Kumar?
No. He worked for the first half of Arundhati and we are good friends. That's all!
What kind of guy you want to marry to?
I don't have any set of rules. He should be understanding and I should feel comfortable on 1-1 level.
How do you maintain your physique?
I workout and do Yoga on regular basis. But my schedules have become hectic these days.
You worked with three top heroes Chiranjeevi, Bala Krishna and Nagarjuna? To whom do you feel more comfortable?
Obviously with Nagarjuna because he has been a pillar of support since I entered filmdom. I did an item song with Chiranjeevi and it lasted for 4 days. It was a good experience working with him. Bala Krishna is fun to work with. I was told by others about his short temper before signing the film. But I found him to be easy going.
Who are your favorite actresses?
Soundarya, Simran, Jyothika, Kajol and Julia Roberts.
Who are your favorite heroes?
Hrithik Roshan and Amitab Bachchan in Hindi. Mahesh Babu, Gopichand and NTR in Telugu. I loved the performance of Mahesh in Pokiri film. I am impressed with Gopichand work in Lakshyam.
What do you think are your best performances till date?
Vikramarkudu and Super.
How do you see your growth as an actress?
My career was in low spirits till Vikramarkudu happened. Vikramarkudu got me lot of recognition. People loved my character in that film. Since then I have been getting good attention.
What kind of compliments you get?
I get best compliments for my height, eyes and smile.
Did you ever had any bitter experiences when you shoot outdoors?
No. The people out here are very dignified.
Haranadh Policherla
Ravi Teja on Dubai Seenu
Seenu Vytla on Dubai Seenu
YVS Chowdary on NTR
Manchu Manoj
VN Aditya
MS Raju
Visakha Singh
Raja Sekhar
Sumanth 4
Satish Thati
Krishnam Raju
Shabana Azmi
Mohan Goteti
Ravi Varma
Reema Sen
Nayana Tara
RK (Hyderabad Nawabs)
Mohit Ahlawat
Sumanth 3
Dr. Haranath Policherla
Gangaraju Gunnam
Rama Rajamouli
Meera Chopra
Dil Raju 2
Mahesh Babu 3
Kalyani Malik
Sumanth 2
Sekhar Kammula 2
KM Radha Krishnan
D Rama Naidu
MS Raju
Puri Jagan
Anil Krishna
Allu Arjun
Krishnam Raju
Allari Ravi Babu
Ramana Gogula
YVS Chowdary
Sekhar Kammula
Madhu Sharma
KS Rama Rao 2
Mohan Babu 2
Sania Mirza
Suresh Kondeti
KV Ramana IAS
Vikram 2
Srikanth Chinnamatur
Prabhas 2
Satya Krishnanan
Prabhas 1
MRV Prasad
PG Vinda
Devi Sri Prasad
AM Ratnam 2
Sonu Sood
Ram Gopal Varma 3
Mahesh Babu 2
Vikram 1
Mohan Babu 1
KS Rama Rao 1
Dil Raju
Manyam Ramesh
Raghu Babu
Krishna Vamsi
Posani Krishna
AS Ravi Kumar
Sravanthi Ravi
MS Raju
AM Ratnam
Ram Gopal Varma 2
SS Rajamouli
Mahesh Babu
Ram Gopal Varma


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I have so much to celebrate! Desert Sunrise has received its first review, and I'm excited to say that it was five stars!
Also, I took the opportunity to thank Ann, one of my longtime supporters, by asking her what her favorite part of The Dreaming is so that I could read it on video for her. She told me that the visits with Dana and Lucy were her favorites, along with the sequences in the Dreaming. I chose a scene from chapter 7 where Dana and Lucy have lunch, and Dana tells Lucy about the strange dreams she has been having.
Though live readings by authors are becoming less common now, I hope to preserve part of the fun with my video reading.
Do you have a favorite part of The Dreaming or Desert Sunrise that you would like for me to read on video? Tell me about it.
Thank you for reading, watching, and listening,
Are you receiving my newsletter? I share exclusives and announcements there that you will not find anywhere else. Sign up takes moments, and your information will not be shared with anyone.


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It has taken me a few days to gather this together due to my trip to Las Vegas, however, I am back and honored to accept the Versatile Blogger Award from Nicole over at NMNPHX. Not only does Nicole have a great blog of her own and is celebrating its anniversary, she also has been a great supporter of Grandmother Musings, and has become a friend. So thank you Nicole for the nomination!
1. Add the award to your blog
2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you
3. Mention 7 random things about yourself
4. List the rules (these are the rules)
5. Pass on the award to 15 bloggers or as many as you reasonably can.
7 Things You Always Wanted to Know About Grandmother Musings
1. Cooking is something I love to do. I enjoy finding new recipes to spice up the weekly menu for my family.
2. I didn't figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was thirty.
3. Thank Goodness ear plugs have been invented! I would never get to sleep without them.
4. I love to Improv and I am currently taking classes at a local college. I also teach it to Jr. High kids.
5. Recently, I was diagnosed with a dairy, gluten, and corn intolerance. This was quite a challenge on vacation.
6. Dogs over cats.
7. I am a frustrated perfectionist.
15 Nominations for Outstanding Bloggers
1. Five Reflections
2. Chic Envelopments
3. Studio Kiss
4. Pillows A-La-Mode
5. Joel Higgins
6. Verna Bowman
7. Coloring with Yarn
8. Hazell Cottrell
9. From Scratch Club
10. One Cool Site
11. Photo Nature Blog
12. A Modern Christian Woman
13. Words and Herbs
14. Maggiesonebuttkitchen
15. Kolpona Cuisine
Congratulations to all the nominees! Be sure to visit all of these winning blogs. They are worth it!
Copyright © Jamie Nowinski and Grandmother Wisdom/ Grandmother Musings 2012-2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jamie Nowinski – Grandmother Wisdom/Grandmother Musings with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.


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Winterly Haiku 2338
This photo belongs to my Winterly Haiku series. This group of photos won a highly commended distinction in Digital Camera Photographer of the Year 2010. The motto of the series reads as follows: "Maybe sometimes the meaning of a photograph doesn't reside in transcending the one thousand words' border. Not at all, but, exactly on the contrary, a photo may well fulfill it's goal by simply suggesting that, be it from time to time, moving closer to the gentle fields of silence represents a higher wisdom. By taking and, especially, making the photos above, their author began to remember. He began to remember that, in order to hear properly, what he needed first was a fruitful quietness."
There is no border between photography and poetry. Photography is, just like poetry, full of lyrism. Somewhere, high up, they meet, they mix, they mingle. Photogralysm.
While an art such as literature seeks, through words, the Word, Photography reveals the light within the Light: this is the premise of my visual expression endeavours. Obsessively fascinated by the power with which the photographical art bears testimony that the world is "good from the viewpoint of its purpose, beautiful as making, complex from the perspective of its existence and spiritual through its very materiality" (Horia Bernea), I do my best to acknowledge the assertion in the quote above.


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In Japan, there is a class of 660-cc subcompacts called Kei cars. One of the legendary vehicles in this category was the mid-engine Honda Beat. At the Tokyo Motor Show, Honda showed the spiritual successor to the Beat, but with a twist. Instead of the small, fuel-efficient 660-cc 3-cylinder engine, the 2-seat EV-STER, as it's called, is electric.
The rear-wheel-drive EV-STER (the name is a combo of EV and Roadster)—which employs carbon fiber in its construction for reduced weight—is expected to have a range of 100 miles. Like the Honda AC-X and Micro Commuter Concept, it has twin joystick controls instead of a steering wheel. Top speed for the little 2-seater is 100 mph, and it's capable of hitting 60 km/h in 5 sec. What's more, Honda says the lithium-ion battery pack can be recharged in 3 hours at 200 volts.
Although Honda is emphasizing that the EV-STER is just a concept, it certainly looks like a modern interpretation of the Beat. Although Kei cars are only for the Japanese market, let's hope Honda decides to build this sporty EV and bring it to the U.S.
Full Coverage: 2011 Tokyo Auto Show >>
Photos: Best of Tokyo 2011>
Related posts:
- Honda N Concept 4 – 2011 Tokyo Auto Show
- Honda Townwalker Concept – 2011 Tokyo Auto Show
- Honda Hybrids Benefit From New SH-AWD – 2011 Tokyo Auto Show


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Doctors Prescribe Sleep
In today's world of go-go-go attitudes, many people don't find time to get a full night of sleep. After a short night of sleep we all feel the effects: drowsiness, a lack of energy and just not feeling up to our full potential. But what other effects are caused by not enough sleep? Recently the New York Times published the article "Cheating Ourselves of Sleep," in which they discuss the many harmful effects of the lack of a full night of sleep: "Research shows that most people require seven or eight hours of sleep to function optimally. Failing to get enough sleep night after night can compromise your health and may even shorten your life. From infancy to old age, the effects of inadequate sleep can profoundly affect memory, learning, creativity, productivity and emotional stability, as well as your physical health." To see the full article click HERE. Remember to take time for yourself. Get the sleep your body needs!


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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) >> Kevin Love had 28 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, and the Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the Detroit Pistons for a 114-101 victory Friday night.
Kevin Martin scored 24 points and Ricky Rubio added 11 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Timberwolves, who are trying to mount a push for the Western Conference playoffs.
Greg Monroe had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Will Bynum scored all 17 of his points in the fourth quarter for the Pistons. But Detroit shot 40 percent and lost for the ninth time in 11 games.
Nikola Pekovic had 17 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota.
The Wolves led by 31 points in the third quarter. Bynum got going in the fourth, and his driving layup cut the lead to 112-101 with a minute to play. But the deficit proved too big for the Pistons to overcome.
The Timberwolves came home from an 11-day West Coast road trip that included four wins in five games to move them one game above .500 and 41/2 out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the demanding Western Conference. A four-game homestand against struggling opponents had them cautiously optimistic that they could sneak back into the mix.
But they opened the crucial stretch with a clunker, falling behind 15-2 en route to losing on Wednesday night to the woeful New York Knicks. The loss stung even more when Phoenix, Dallas and Memphis, the three teams right ahead of them in the playoff chase, all lost before the Wolves hit the floor.
With almost no margin for error the rest of the way, the Wolves jumped on the Pistons from the get-go and never gave them a reason to think they could hang around. After struggling mightily from the field and playing tentatively in his previous two games, Martin was very aggressive in the first quarter. He hit three of his first four shots and attacked the basket, responding to prodding from coach Rick Adelman to stop hesitating and start firing away.
Martin's layup started a 9-0 run that gave the Wolves a 29-11 lead that essentially ended all doubt.
The battle under the boards between two of the most physical, tenacious rebounding front lines in the league never really materialized. Monroe picked up two quick fouls and a technical in the first quarter that limited his effectiveness early and Andre Drummond, who was averaging 13.0 rebounds per game and leads the league in offensive rebounds, had just two points and one rebound while playing 15 minutes over the first three quarters due to foul trouble.
Drummond finished with six points and seven rebounds before fouling out.
NOTES: Brandon Jennings had 17 points, five assists and five rebounds for the Pistons, but did not play in the fourth quarter. … Wolves backup PG J.J. Barea, the subject of boos from the home crowd against the Knicks, had another rough game, with four points on 2-for-8 shooting. … The rock band Arcade Fire, including basketball aficionado Win Butler, was in attendance.


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Have questions? Please contact us.
A Natural TranS/4mation Part 1: Prepare for the Future with SAP S/4HANA
Digitization is well underway. New trends and technologies are giving rise to an array of unfamiliar challenges. Companies require a modern business suite that enables them to overcome these challenges and adapt to rapidly changing market conditions.
In this three-part series, I will show you why SAP S/4HANA is the solution to your current and future business needs. In Part 1, I will focus on why SAP has developed the platform and why you need to make the switch.
New Horizons
We find ourselves in times of change. Technologies including mobile connectivity and social media provide consumers with intuitive options for interacting with companies, accessing information, and making purchases. This level of service is something they have come to expect; for modern enterprises, delivering an end-to-end customer experience is not an option, but a necessity.
As a leading global provider of enterprise software solutions, SAP has a responsibility to ensure its clients are best placed to meet their own customers' growing demands. This is why they developed SAP S/4HANA – a cutting-edge enterprise resource management suite for the digital age. With SAP HANA as its underlying platform, SAP S/4HANA offers the classic SAP environment plus an agile innovation layer. This allows organizations to integrate, streamline, and continuously optimize their business processes to guarantee a successful digital future.
An Inevitable Switch
Of SAP's 40,000 clients, 6,300 are already on SAP S/4HANA – and this figure is increasing all the time. Migrating from your current SAP ERP system to SAP S/4HANA is a move you can't afford not to make. This is because existing SAP ERP systems will have reached the end of their lifecycles by 2027, meaning SAP will no longer support their maintenance and they will not benefit from further innovations.
So, for companies currently running an SAP ERP system, moving to SAP S/4HANA is not a matter of if, but when. And the sooner they make the switch, the sooner they can tap into new technologies and trends like machine learning and mass customization. Yet this transition is a significant undertaking and requires guidance from experts like us.
The Next Step
In the second installment in this series, I will explain how to prepare for the switch to SAP S/4HANA with NTT DATA Business Solutions at your side. In the meantime, for a more detailed explanation as to why SAP is moving to SAP S/4HANA – and why you need to follow suit – listen to Part 1 of our SAP S/4HANA conversion webinar series.


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Eric Blom
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Eric Walter Blom CBE (20 August 1888 - 11 April 1959) was a Swiss-born British-naturalised music lexicographer, musicologist, music critic, music biographer and translator. He is best known as the editor of the 5th edition of Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1954).
|This article on an author is a stub. You can help Wikiquote by expanding it.
Everyman's Dictionary of Music (London: J. M Dent & Sons; 3rd ed. 1958)[edit]
- In future editions many of those who may die in the meantime will, of course, be added. All the same, it is hoped that this announcement will not start an immediate wave of suicide among singers and players.
- Explaining that he has excluded living performers. Preface, p. vi.
- Blues. An American dance stemming from the Foxtrot, the speed of which it reduced and into which it brought a deliberately contrived dismal atmosphere. When Blues are sung their words seem to aim at attaining to the utmost depths of gloom and inanity.
- Article, Blues, p. 60
- Crooning. A reprehensible form of singing that established itself in light entertainment music in about the 1930s. It recommended itself at first to would-be singers without voices who were unable to acquire an adequate technique and later to a large public because anything, however inartistic, is likely to become popular if only it is done often enough by a large enough number of people.
- Article, Crooning, p. 121
External links[edit]
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (subscription only)


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Your Benefits With Us
Events in Vienna
Events in Salzburg
Popular Concerts & Operas
Musical: THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Volksoper Vienna , 06 February 2021 - 19:00
Event DetailsCategory: Operas Event: Musical: THE SOUND OF MUSIC Date/Time: 06 February 2021 - 19:00 Venue: Volksoper Vienna Address: Währingerstrasse 78, A-1090 Wien / Vienna (Map)
Ticket categories and prices
DescriptionSalzburg and the surrounding area, 1938
The young postulant Maria is having difficulty in becoming accustomed to the strict rules of the Benedictine convent at Nonnberg. In order to find out whether a life in the convent is really suited to her, Maria is sent out by the Mother Superior into the everyday world once more, to act as governess to the seven children of the widowed Baron von Trapp, a former naval captain and a highly decorated submarine commander.
Maria quickly forms a relationship with the children, mostly through making music with them. But even the strict, serious Baron quickly falls under the spell of Marias high spirits. He leaves his fiancée Elsa Schrader, a wealthy Viennese lady, and marries Maria. However, this private idyll is soon overshadowed by the political situation which develops at the end of the thirties. The Baron refuses to join the National Socialist Party, and he also makes this decision public, and in consequence he and his family come under increasing pressure. Scarcely is the honeymoon over when he receives an unwelcome visit from the naval supreme command in Berlin, instructing him to take over the command of a submarine once more and immediately travel to the naval base at Bremerhaven in order to do so.At the last minute Maria succeeds in delaying the execution of this order: at the instigation of impresario Max Dettweiler, a friend of the family, the entire family has received an invitation to the singing competition at the Salzburg Festival. The Baron is in fact given permission to take part in this competition with his family and to delay his departure by a few days. While the prizes are being presented at the Festival, the von Trapp family manages to escape, first to the convent and then from there over the mountains to Switzerland.
In German language with English surtitles.
Last update: 01 April 2023
Certified Shop


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One of the common complaints about the Maemo address book is that it's easy to get a lot of duplicate contacts as the address book is able to pull your contacts from various IM services. From the beginning there has been a way to merge duplicates, but it meant manually going through all of your contacts hunting down the duplicates.
Today I finished writing the first version of a program that tries to automatically detect duplicates based on the IM names, emails, phone numbers and names. Of course this is just based on heuristics; you still have to go through the list and select the contacts that you want to merge. You can find this utility under the name "Merge your duplicate contacts" in the application manager and it's available in Maemo extras-devel. Remember that extras-devel contains unstable software: enable it only if you really know what you are doing!
After installing Contacts Merger you have to reboot your phone[1] and then you will get a "Find duplicate contacts" button in the menu of the main address book window.
The window suggesting the possible merges
Update: I released 0.1.1 that fixes a crasher in case of malformed contacts.
Update 2: Forgot to say where to get the code.
[1] Sadly the address book doesn't automatically load newly installed plugins without a restart; see bug #10542.


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After our big office remodel in the beginning of the year, we realized we had a lot of unused computers and wanted to donate them. Luckily we found a fantastic local charity, Komputers 4 R Kids! The organization focuses on providing computers to children in the Southern California area and educating the kids on how to repair, refurbish and maintain them.
If you are interested in donating that dusty computer or printer sitting in your closet, check out their website for more information. They accept TVs, computers, monitors, printers, copiers, fax machines, DVD players and so much more. See if you can donate your e-waste today!


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Francisco Rivera knows he's be giving up some height to George Roop, but that's OK with him.
Rivera (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Roop (14-9-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC) meet on the preliminary card of "UFC Fight Night 31: Fight for the Troops 3" tonight on the base at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. Their fight airs on FOX Sports 1 ahead of a main card on the same channel.
Rivera, at 5-foot-9, will be looking up to the 6-1 Roop. It's nothing new to him, and he trains regularly with taller fighters for that very reason that he's likely to be at a height disadvantage in his bantamweight fights – even though 5-9 seems to be right at about the average for the weight class.
"I definitely have a few guys who are 6-1, 6-foot, and I've been training with taller guys all my life," Rivera said.
In fact, Rivera thinks that might actually give him an advantage, being the shorter fighter.
"They're not as fast at that weight, and they're a little fragile at that height," he said. "I just have to move around until he swings and misses and catch him off guard. If he doesn't know how to use it right against someone who has speed and power, it's going to be a bad night for him."
Roop has won back-to-back fights since returning to bantamweight, including a second-round knockout of former WEC champion Brian Bowles. So Rivera knows there's some danger there.
But he also believes a win over someone like Roop could put him right in the hunt for a possible title shot down the road.
Rivera lost his WEC debut in November 2010, then moved to the UFC with the merger of the two promotions, dropping down to 135 from featherweight at that time. But he lost to Reuben Duran and was released.
But after two quick knockout wins for Tachi Palace Fights, Rivera was brought back and beat Alex Soto. He ran into trouble when he knocked out Roland Delorme and UFC 149, but tested positive for a banned substance and was suspended and had the win overturned to a no-contest.
He rebounded in February, though, with a TKO against Edwin Figueroa. A win over Roop could put that no-contest well into the rearview mirror.
"He's well-known, he's on a two-fight win streak, he just beat Brian Bowles," Rivera said. "So I have to do what I have to do to win this fight. Hopefully they see that (if I win) in impressive fashion, they'll see me as a top bantamweight to get a title shot soon."
He'll even get on the microphone after the win if he has to.
"My fists aren't enough, so I guess I have to start opening my mouth and calling guys out," he said. "Hopefully they see that and look at all my fights and know I have all that power that most guys don't have in the bantamweight division."
For the latest on UFC Fight Night 31, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino's Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by "Gorgeous" George Garcia, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian "Goze" Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.


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NBA's Christmas slate weakened by disappointing teams, injuries
NEW YORK – If the NBA had a Christmas wish, it might be for a different holiday schedule.
The one that was drawn up seemed strong enough when it was released, a potentially dynamite five-game treat packed with superstar scorers and championship contenders.
But like an old Christmas sweater, it doesn't look nearly as good now that time has passed.
Back luck and bad play have wrecked a number of teams the league picked to showcase. Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant and Brook Lopez are all sitting out, as are Indiana and Portland, who share the NBA's best record.
But hey, there's two 9-18 teams and one that's 10-16.
The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers got the marquee time slot, but it's certainly no marquee attraction now that it won't feature a LeBron James-Bryant duel.
"That's probably not the matchup they wanted," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.
The schedule is such a letdown that not until the fourth game will two winning teams meet, when Houston visits San Antonio. Rivers' team travels to Golden State in the nightcap.
Before that, Chicago, Brooklyn and the Knicks all get TV time, all chosen for the honor long before anyone could have known they would sometimes look unwatchable.
"Those things are done way ahead of time. You just hope for the best matchups. Unfortunately, the Derrick Rose injury puts Chicago in a tough spot. Brooklyn and New York have not played particularly well," said Jeff Van Gundy, who will work the Heat-Lakers game as a television commentator.
"But I still think people will watch. It's Christmas Day, and people still care deeply about the Bulls and about the Knicks, even though they haven't played particularly well of late."
Christmas is something of a second opening day for the NBA, often the first time a national audience begins paying attention as football nears its conclusion. The league decided to capitalize a few years back by increasing to a five-game schedule.
The Christmas games have averaged more than 33 million U.S. viewers over the last three years, so Van Gundy is probably right about the fans still tuning in, even for a matchup that looks as ugly as those sleeved jerseys the players will be wearing.
"On the NFL, I've seen plenty of weak Thanksgiving games, but we still watch," Rivers said. "Now it's becoming basketball on Christmas. That's the good part, that the NBA has found that niche."
After Chicago (10-16) and Brooklyn (9-18) meet in the opener, Oklahoma City visits the Knicks, matching the NBA's top two scorers in Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony — provided Anthony's left ankle is OK after he sprained it Monday at Orlando. The Knicks are a Christmas tradition, making their league-high 49th appearance, and the league hopes they'll provide a big audience despite their 9-18 record.
Injuries have hit hard around the NBA and the Christmas lineup is no exception.
With Rose and the Lakers' Steve Nash out, two of the six players in the league's holiday jingle ad touting the games and the special uniforms won't be playing.
With Bryant also injured and unable to extend his NBA record for Christmas Day appearances to 16, it's a chance for the lesser-known Lakers to enjoy the spotlight during what's shaping up as a rare season of irrelevance for one of the league's storied franchises.
"Any time a team plays on the Christmas schedule, teams have an opportunity to display their talent — whoever is suiting up for you," ESPN analyst Hubie Brown said. "It just seems that teams play, even though they might not be playing to a high won-loss record, they will play to their maximum potential because of the audience that is expected to watch the games on Christmas."
So maybe Wednesday one of those lowly East teams finally plays to its reputation — even if only to spare themselves embarrassment in front of viewership they may not earn again this season.
"Christmas is a special day," Brooklyn's Jason Terry said. "This is a great opportunity to come up in here against a team like Chicago who is going to make you play hard each and every possession."


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See our Magnum Photos gallery on nudist camps.
The most disconcerting part of my visit to a nudist camp I'll call "Hidden Bush" occurred when I got in a discussion about the benefits of nudity with a longtime member I'll call "Dick." Nudists, nudists will tell you, are very friendly, and Dick had spotted me as a newcomer as I stood naked and adrift by the pool. He came over to welcome me and proselytize for the benefits of nudism. He told me about the cruise he had taken to Alaska with 2,000 other naked people, and as I tried to envision all of this sagging flesh chugging toward unsuspecting caribou, I was distracted by a more immediate, awful sight. I could see myself reflected in Dick's sunglasses. All of me. It was impossible to follow our chitchat as I watched my pale flesh quiver every time I made a gesture.
In Slate's Human Guinea Pig column, I try unusual jobs and hobbies that usually don't require me to take off my clothes. However, a few years ago, I posed nude for art students. So my objection to the suggestion of a colleague that I go on a nude vacation was met with derision by my editor. "You've already crossed that line. Now live the lifestyle!" he said, sounding like a brochure for the American Association for Nude Recreation.
I went to the AANR Web site (one lobbyist for the organization later told me, "We're the NRA of nudity!"), and I found a club within a few hours drive of Washington, D.C. I phoned Hidden Bush and said I would like to come for a solo visit (the club allows couples and single women as visitors but not lone men), and was told an upcoming Saturday would be particularly good because there would be a tropical-themed dinner that evening.
On the appointed day, I was buzzed in at an electronic gate, which opened onto a camplike, woodland setting. I went to the office, and the man behind the counter handed me some paperwork, which I filled out while I tried to act nonchalant about the fact that I could see his penis. He told me a tour was assembling and that I should go back to my car, strip, and join it.
To prepare myself, I had done some reading at various nudist Web sites. The theme that emerged was that as the gate to a nudist club closed behind me, more than my clothes would fall away. I would shed the burdens of my normal life and the hierarchical status-consciousness that clothes enforce. I would experience a relaxation so profound by being around lots of other naked people that my vacation would have double the stress relief of a regular vacation. As a woman, nudism would give me self-acceptance and freedom from the judgments of the outside world. Also as a woman, I was reassured by a page of the AANR Web site that promised clubs were not sexual in nature and male members' members were unlikely to become "visibly excited." In the event of tumescence, a male is supposed to drape himself with a towel and then jump into the pool.
I also found that nudists are the people whose official response to full-body scanners at airports is "Bring it on!"
On the front porch of the main building, our group gathered. Our guides were Bob and Carol (all first names of my fellow campers are pseudonyms—no one at Hidden Bush offers a last name), a trim couple in their 60s. The other visitors were two couples, one in their 20s, the other in their 40s. We were all wearing the only permitted wardrobe: hat, shoes, and towel. A towel is an essential nudist accessory—basic hygiene requires that you drape your own towel before putting your pubic area on any public area. Bob and Carol told us they'd belonged to Hidden Bush for years—their grandchildren now came for weekends. "This is like Mayberry in the buff," Bob said.
A membership at Hidden Bush allows you to come anytime, but the majority of people arrive for the weekend. There are cottages to rent and mobile-home hookups. I wandered in the residential area later in the afternoon and saw a naked man working on his car engine, a naked man wielding a leaf blower, and a naked grandfather showing his clothed grandson the fine points of home repair.
There are nudist clubs that provide the opportunity for permanent residence. I spoke to Carolyn Hawkins, a spokesperson for the AANR who lives full-time at a club in Florida. Ironically, during her workday for AANR, she has to wear clothes to the office.
On our walk to the main clubhouse, we saw couples holding hands, their rear ends swaying contrapuntally. We passed the tennis courts filled with couples playing mixed doubles; it looked like agony without sports bras. The clubhouse has an indoor pool and hot tub. During the colder months there are dances, darts tournaments, and holiday-themed events there. Halloween is huge. Nudists are mad for costumes, which they shed as the evening wears on. They have a pre-Thanksgiving feast, at which no one has to worry about loosening their belts. And together they ring in—what else?—Nude Year's Eve.
As we walked around I realized being naked full-time presents certain difficulties. Lack of pockets is one. I wondered where to put my car keys, and I was told nudists are so honest that I should leave them in the car. I kept trying to stick my sunglasses in the neck of my nonexistent shirt. As we passed the restaurant, let's call it Café Private Parts, I asked how I was supposed to pay for a meal. Bob told me that most people leave a supply of cash in an envelope by the front counter.
Some resorts are clothing optional, but at Hidden Bush nudity is mandatory. This made me wonder whether nudists have a recurring nightmare in which they show up in public with their clothes on. Bob and Carol sat us down at a picnic table as they gave us a low-key pitch for the benefits of becoming members of Hidden Bush. Then we were free to use the facilities for the rest of the day.
Club members drive naked around the premises and scoot around in golf carts. I had to move my own car, so I draped my towel, buckled up, and took off. Of all the things I did that day, driving naked was by far the most fun. As an investment opportunity, a nude driving track could be a bigger draw than go-karts. I wandered over to the pool, reserved a chaise, and got in the water. Immediately, Peter, a chunky middle-aged man, swam toward me and asked whether I was a first-timer. (Nudists are indeed really friendly!) I asked how he could tell, and he replied, "Oh, don't worry, lots of people stay completely white all season."
As we treaded water and talked, I mentioned my husband, and Peter asked where he was. When I said he was at home, a look of alarm crossed Peter's face. I never should have been allowed in as a guest, he said. Married people can only come if both partners show up. From his tone I worried that Peter was going to call security and some burly men would wrestle me into a bathing suit and hustle me off the property. But Peter decided that now that I was here—and naked—I could stay.
He told me they had such a strict policy because the club didn't want to become enmeshed in marital disputes. There have been the cases in which longtime couples at the club turn out to be married, just not to the spouse they show up at the club with. He said the conflict the club sees most often is that the husband wants to come, the wife is reluctant, and when they walk to the office and see naked people milling about, the wife runs back to the car and they speed away. Some potential members, on seeing real naked people, and not their airbrushed fantasies, also make a quick U-turn.
I had expected nudists to go for the natural look between their legs, but they followed the precepts laid out in a recent episode of Entourage in which Johnny Drama explained that, "Everyone goes smooth nowadays." Most people had what I came to think of as the Agent Orange—complete defoliation. Second most popular was the soul patch – a little spot of hair at the pubic bone. A far runner-up was the look known in waxing salons as the landing strip – a narrow band of hair. Nudists are the people for whom a tattoo on the rear end (and there were many) actually makes sense as a piece of body art.
People at Hidden Bush ranged from 8 to 80, but the vast majority were couples from their 40s to 60s. Families are welcome and children are allowed to wear clothing until age 18. The parents I spoke to said that young children are natural nudists, but that around puberty, self-consciousness hits and long T-shirts come out. Most of the naked, young lifeguards working shifts at the pool were second generation members who had grown up as nudists.
You could say nudity is the human default; certainly, being naked has a longer history than wearing clothes. No one knows when humans started covering themselves. One group of scientists dates it to about 100,000 years ago—a figure arrived at by studying when the body louse, which lives in clothing, split off genetically from the head louse. (Another group of scientists disputes this and places the split at around 500,000 years ago.)
In recorded history there have always been societies, such as the Romans, that embraced nudity and those that abhorred it—think of the Victorians. The Greeks were big on doffing their togas. The Olympics were nude events—gymnos means nude, so gymnasiums were places of nude exercise. Given America's Puritan origins, we have never embraced social nudity as easily as the Europeans. Still, some notable Americans would have been happy campers at Hidden Bush. Ben Franklin and Henry David Thoreau both advocated the benefits of naked "air baths," reports the Southern California Naturalist Association. Before there was a Secret Service to put a damper on such frolics, President John Quincy Adams regularly bathed nude in the Potomac.
Modern nudism took off in Germany as the Freikorperkultur, or "free-body culture" movement at the beginning of the 20th century, sparked by the revival of the Olympics. Nudist camps eventually came to America and worked their way from East Coast to West. The nudists—there is a branch of the movement who call themselves "naturists"—regularly battled prudish prosecutors, the publicity from the court cases enticing more people to join. Today, there are about 45,000 members of the AANR, which is only a fraction of the number of people who practice some degree of nudism. You don't have to join the organization to go on what the association's marketing department calls "a nakation." They estimate nude recreation is a $450 million industry.
As the day wore on, I was increasingly aware that other naked people don't relax me. I had read that some nudists call people who prefer clothes "textilists," and I am one. It was true there was nothing overtly sexual about the club. Most members' desirability would have been enhanced by wearing clothing of any kind—a hospital gown would do. I found my own nudity was a source of discomfort. Carolyn Hawkins told me that she loves the freedom from the tyranny of clothes. "With clothes you worry, 'Is my skirt too short, are my pants baggy?' " I was worried that my skin was baggy.
If Sir Isaac Newton had been a member of Hidden Bush, he wouldn't have needed a falling apple to help him arrive at the theory of gravity. The aging breasts of the female members amply demonstrated its effects. One of the most startling sights of the day was that of a lovely, firm young woman whose right breast was completely encircled by an elaborate tattoo. I couldn't help but think about the lower half of the design becoming obscured as time did its work. I also had the opportunity to muse about a taxonomy of male genitalia, which would start with the acorn and end with the salami.
Nudist literature emphasizes that all kinds of people from all walks of life are attracted to nudism. But I tried to figure out whether there was a common thread that drew people to this activity. I discussed this with yet another friendly man who came up to me in the pool. Like many men I spoke to, he was former military, which makes sense, given that nudity is a kind of uniform. He felt nudists' most salient qualities were gregariousness and not taking life too seriously. I had to concede Hidden Bush seemed devoid of sad sacks.
The tropical dinner was scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., and in the hour before that, the pool and tennis courts became deserted. I assumed everyone was off dressing for dinner; then I realized that couldn't be right. Unfortunately, it was. As people began gathering I saw that many of them were wearing Polynesian-style attire. It turns out that a man in a Hawaiian shirt below which his genitals dangle is a much more disturbing sight than a fully naked man. It's also true that a woman wearing the National Geographic look of grass skirt topped by uncovered breasts seems somehow desperate compared to a plain old naked body.
I found it uncomfortable to eat among more than 100 naked people. There is too much congruence between food and body parts. As I viewed my fellow diners, I kept thinking of sides of beef, of the clam known as the geoduck. Sylvia Plath's words from The Bell Jar came to mind, the scene in which the main character sees her boyfriend naked for the first time: "The only thing I could think of was turkey neck and turkey gizzards and I felt very depressed."
I debated whether to put my napkin in my lap, but no one else bothered. I sat at a table with two families with young children. I asked one of the mothers why they came here. "It's weird, isn't it?" she exclaimed. She gave me the list of usual reasons for nudity—it's so relaxing, it strips away social status signals, it feels like another world. Then she concluded, "I admit it's not normal." She said she and her husband weren't open with their families about their hobby and the children had been instructed not to talk about their lack of clothing with outsiders.
At dinner, I saw a demonstration of the divisive power of sartorial choices. Walking by our table was a man wearing an orange-colored mesh sack over his genitals. One mother at the table nodded her head toward him and whispered to the other mother, "What's with the orange underwear? Really!"


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Billy MartinSeptember 13, 2007
Late in his disappointing life, Confucius was sitting with his two most loyal disciples. His two closest friends. Together the three of them had been down every road. What was there left to say? What was there left to teach?
"Suppose you tell me your innermost wishes?" the old master finally said.
His two companions gave their answers, the brash and extroverted Zilu wishing he could share bountiful material wealth with his friends, the more inward Yan Hui wishing for profound, unshakable humility. Confucius may have sensed that both were trying to impress their long-time teacher with their answers. When they returned the question to him he kept it simple, embodying rather than merely reaching for both the spirit of generosity and the spirit of humility.
"I wish the old may enjoy peace, friends may enjoy trust, and the young may enjoy affection," he said.
Tomorrow the last regular season series of the year between the Red Sox and Yankees begins. Whenever I had a chance to wish for something as a child (birthday candles, wishbone, coins in a fountain, etc.) I wished deeply and sincerely for the Red Sox to Win. To Beat the Yankees. To Win Everything. Years came and went and the wish did not come true. Maybe it's because nobody—not me, certainly not beady-eyed Red Sox manager Don Zimmer, not even Confucius—ever wished for something as deeply and ferociously as the wish Billy Martin willed true thirty years ago this October: to manage the New York Yankees to a World Series championship.
In other words, the above card, from 1978, shows a man who has achieved his innermost wish. As Paul Westerberg might put it: Look him in the eyes and tell him that he's satisfied.
Then tell me, what is your innermost wish?


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A federal grand jury indicted on Thursday a former Calpers board member on charges of bribing a chief executive of the California public pension fund and faking documents to gain million of dollars in investments fees.
U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag announced that Alfred J. Villalobos, a former member of the board of the California Public Employee Retirement System who later worked as a placement agent, engaged in a conspiracy to commit corruption, defraud the United States, conceal materials, and conspire to commit mail and wire fraud.
Villalobos was a member of Calpers board from 1993 to 1995 and later founded a placement agency called ARVCO Capital Research LLC that solicited investments by public pension funds in private equity funds, according to court documents.
Thursday's indictment was a revision from one originally filed in March 2013, when Villalobos was charged, along with former Calpers Chief Executive Fred Buenrostro, in connection with a scheme involving a $3 billion Calpers investment in funds managed by Apollo Global Management, a New York-based private equity firm.
Calpers is the largest U.S. public pension fund
Villalobos was the placement agent who orchestrated the transaction between Apollo and Calpers, according to a statement released by the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California.
Prosecutors allege that in 2007, Villalobos and Buenrostro created a series of fraudulent investor disclosure letters, for which Villalobos's firm earned $14 million in fees.
Villalobos and Buenrostro then proceeded to misrepresent and conceal information from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the documents said.
The attorney for Villalobos, Bruce Funk, could not immediately be reached for comment after hours on Thursday.
In July, Buenrostro pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy and agreed to cooperate in future investigations.
In his plea, Buenrostro admitted he had accepted gifts, travel and other benefits from Villalobos in exchange for using Calpers investments, including cash bribes that eventually totaled approximately $200,000 and were delivered to him at a downtown Sacramento hotel in paper bags and a shoe box.
Villalobos hosted Buenrostro's wedding at his home in Nevada, flew the Calpers chief to Dubai, Hong Kong and Macau, and provided valuable casino chips to now-former Calpers board members, Buenrostro stated in the plea agreement.
(Reporting by Robin Respaut; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.


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Note from moderator, Vikki Bynum: The following post was written by David Woodbury and originally published on September 21, 2009, on David's fascinating blog, Of Battlefields and Bibliophiles. I asked David's permission to repost it on Renegade South because author Leonard Todd's subject, Dave, an enslaved potter who lived in Edgefield County, South Carolina, and the culture of pottery-making, dovetails with an important theme of this blog: the personal lives of "ordinary" Southern people of the nineteenth-century. Pottery is a particularly relevant craft; many of the Unionist families (such as the Lathams) who lived in the heart of North Carolina's "Quaker Belt," were potters.
This post will be followed by a second one, also borrowed from Battlefields and Bibliophiles. There, you'll be treated to David Woodbury's Q & A with the author of Carolina Clay.
Categories: Multiracial Families/Communities, North Carolina