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Hi Guys&Girls, I have recorded this one on the first or second day of PTR release. This is my longest 3v1 without dying. Nowadays people just leave the game too soon so can't record any longer
Hope You enjoy the clip & feel free to add me on PtR if you are up for duels.
- Hasansabbat
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1Hasansabbat posted a message on WD 3v1 PvPPosted in: PvP Discussion
2Hasansabbat posted a message on Hasansabbah's Panzer Build for MP10&ReflectsPosted in: Witch Doctor: The Mbwiru EikuraHASANSABBAH'S PANZER BUILD
Hey Guys & Girls. Most of you know me from my vids & forums. For the people who don't know me I'm the Doc who can spam endless bears vs Reflect Packs @MP10. This is the sole build which alows you to maintain your top dps on every MP without the fear of reflect packs and it is going to avoid many unnecessary deaths while you play.
Building a good doc requires proper equipment. And when I build my Doc I keep in mind that the equipment should be viable for PVP as well. This guide also going to give tips on good equipment for PVP
I am calling this build Panzer Build since you will have incredible defenses as well as good dps output.
Now Let's gear up our WD properly for this build.
First of all we will want to avoid getting increased attack speed keep that in mind while looking for items.
For the gear get at least 6-7 pickup radius. Since this build plays almost on melee range it is going to cover our needs
Needless to say you are going to need 4 pieces of Zunimasa's Set. For budget issues you may go for lower stats but what you must buy is a chest with %6-7 reduced from elites. You can easily find an affordable chest (5-10m max) with 150-160 int, 70-80 Vit and %6-7 reduced from elites.
When you read Garganutan restless giant rune you will see the following, "Elite enemies include champions, rares,bosses and other players" So I am guessing it will work as reduced dmg from other players which is going to make this gearing good for pvp as well.
Our Dps is top when we have SH/GF Up and our dps gain from our base intelligence becomes lower yet the CHD and CC bonuses benefit greatly. Again if you can't afford helm with 200+ int 5+crit just buy a helm with low int (150-160 int) and mid crit (4-5cc). For example, When unbuffed a helm with 250 int 3 crit may give more dps from a helm with 150 int 5 crit, But when you have SH up the 5 crit will give you more. Just keep that in mind while looking for items.
Zuni boots, try to get armor or all resistance or just get physical resistance they are also cheaper. If you still can't afford, buy ones with 120-130 extra str since it also gives armor.
Ring, İf you can't afford a good one get low cc or average dmg. rings with str are also good for the armor bonus they provide.
Second ring buy a Litany, Again for more affordable ones you may look for average dmg or double int. But get at least %7 reduced dmg from elites.
By far we already got %13-14 reduced dmg from elites by items, which is almost same as our JF passive.
Look for an amulet with high cc and high chd (average damage is plus as well as Tal Rasha's but they are too expensive) Physical resistance/All resistance/Vitality/Armor and High Int is what we should look for.
Belt, Witching Hour preferably with 8ias & high chd. Armor/All resistance/Physical Resistance/Vitality are the stats you should look for.
Offhand, Any offhand with 220+ Average dmg, 8+ cc, Mana Regen is ok. Preferably reduced cost for Zombie bears & vitality are the stats you should look for.
Gloves, Try to get high cc and chd, don't get the ones with ias, look for high int, vit ar
Braces, Rare bracers with 5-6 cc, AR or Lacuni with int,crit (%8ias), Strongarm with 140int 60 AR. Also every other extra stat is a plus.
Pants, If you have Lacuni, use a rare with high int, vit AR 2 sockets or If you have rare bracers buy Inna's with Int and %8 ias. You may look for int+vit but they are more expensive.
Shoulders, A good Vile Ward or equivalent rare.
This is it for the armor parts, now lets get a proper weapon.
This is the tricky one and imho this is where many WD's are confused. Proper 1H weapon for this build is weapons with 1.2 Speed & Black dmg (Black dmg weapons are the ones with +min + max dmg not 300-400 fire, cold, poison etc.)
Q: Dear Hasansabbah I have a Manajuma Knife with 910DPS, and when I compare it with a spear I seem to loose 10k DPS your suggestion is the dumbest !%+@ I've ever seen.
A: Dear WD, first of all your knife doesn't benefit from elemental dmg bonuses. Second is that yours have terrible min dmg. With 350-950 (910 dps) damage range you are going to deal lots of low crits. While with a regular spear you may have 570-950 (912dps) you won't deal low crits since the min dmg max dmg ratio is high. And also your mana won't burn as much. Back to your question, the reason you see your dps become lower is because of the 0.2 speed difference which is fake dps for us and as I mentioned before, we don't benefit from ias at all in this build.
Back to our topic we will also want LS, CHD, int& socket on our weapon, well it is really hard to get so you may just get LS, good dps and socket or instead of socket get high cc. But always invest the majority of your gold on a good weapon since it is the core of your dps.
Now we can focus on our build. Since these equipmnet greatly benefits from our armor.
We have gotten ourselves a good amount of reduced dmg from elites from items, so lets buff it more with our active and passive skills so it . This is going to be our baseline.
I have been using life link dogs since monster power release when mobs started to hit like a truck. Of course I had lower dps and lower defenses but I could survive mid MP's with ease. As the tooltip says dmg you receive will be reduced by %10. With our items it is now 24% reduced from elites & %10 reduced from trash. If your base defenses are high your dogs will be real though and they won't die easily. And each can tank away elites&trash which gives us extra defenses which we don't see on paper.
I hear you yelling "But hey mobs still hit like a truck!!" Well ok, let's add JF too. Now we got 39% reduced from elites (LOL) and %25 reduced from trash.
For the second passive we take GF which buffs our DPS to boot as well as our All resistance.
For the third passive I use GI, even on High MP's it has massive boost to your speed & DPS which is going to be explained with other active skills. Yet if you die a lot you may get Spirit Vessel instead.
For the rest of the skills,
Soul Harvest - Vengeful Spirit, If you have picked GI, You will have incredible DPS over crowded trash, as the trash die you will be able to cast it over and over. Just keep in mind that when you are vs packs, try to keep at least 4 stacks up.
Spirit Walk - Honored Guest, This is our panic button, mana regenerator and since it benefits from GI as well it is great to sprint between trash and you can regenerate your mana way too faster by rapid use of SW.
Big Bad Voodoo - Slam Dance, Regardless for party or for solo this skill is insane. Again it benefits greatly from GI since it allows you to throw it on almost every pack. If you have mana problems, get the rain dance till you gain a good amount of mana/sec & Reduced cost on bears.
Mass Confusion - Paranoia, Another sick skill we have. Provides %20 extra dmg taken by mobs, helps fleeing mobs to stay close so you can nuke them easier and helps you loose aggro so you can be safe & deal more dmg.
Zombie Charger - Zombie Bears, Well nothing much to say about this one. We all know it is the most effective dmg dealer in game.
Well this it for the build, what we have is, http://eu.battle.net...UYdQ!aTY!cYZbcb
Now it's time to give you guys some tactics.
Play on maps where there are walls, narrow areas etc. The effective use of bears is when you put your back on the walls/terrain boundaries etc. Try it and you will see bears going on top of each other and you will also realize a considerable range increase.
Since you will have incredible defenses, you can spam your bears to mobs face to face, or in between crowded areas. And this way you also make sure all yours bears hit your targets.
Always fight vs packs full stack SH not only for extra dmg but also for extra resistance.
For reflect fights, try to merge them with non-reflect mobs around so you won't feel much dmg. Use your SW when you are half way down on HP, and of course pick up globes for further resistance and dmg. This way you may deal with reflect mobs which you couldn't deal before.
As I mentioned on skills keep an eye on your cooldowns in fights so you can spam it over and over.
Personally I am loving this build both for solo&party. If you want to play on high MP this build gives you ultimate dmg output with high defenses. If you are wondering how it goes on MP10, you may watch the vid below.
Try it and you will see the change of your char. And if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.
Merry Christmas!
2Hasansabbat posted a message on Witch Doctor MP10 Solo - Laser DanceHey people, was shooting some vids on MP10 and this idea came into my mind. Hope you enjoyPosted in: Witch Doctor: The Mbwiru Eikura
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subset: commoncrawl


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Can Eliza Coupe's New Show Replace 'Happy Endings'?
Maybe there are a few happy endings after all.
Eliza Coupe, who played the uptight and competitive Jane Kerkovich on the dearly departed ABC show Happy Endings, will star in a new comedy series on USA called Benched. In the new show, Coupe will play a successful corporate lawyer who has a mental breakdown after being passed up for an expected promotion. Coupe sounds like a perfect choice for the character, who sounds suspiciously similar to Jane, who too exuded control but was really only a hair away from a complete manic break.
The half-hour comedy will be written and produced by Michaela Watkins and Damon Jones, while John Enbom, co-creator of Party Down, will serve as showrunner. While it sometimes feels like cable TV is comprised of about 95 percent courtroom shows these days, the comedic talent behind Benched gives us hope that the show will add something fresh to the sameness of the doldrums that comprises most legal programs.
Coupe's previous show lies in the quiet graveyard of sitcoms that ended way too soon. The little comedy was a bright and shiny beacon of laughs that got shuffled in the confusing mish mash of ABC's scheduling. The frantic and quick-witted comedy gave the network a healthy injection of fun and unpredictability, but the show was sadly canceled after its third season, even after fans and other networks launched desperate campaigns to save it from termination.
Maybe Benched is USA's attempt to give fans a little solace after Happy Endings met its demise. The network obviously liked what Coupe brought to Happy Endings, and though that she had what it took to carry her own show. It won't be the show we wanted, but maybe it will be the next best thing.


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"How do you spell bounty hunters?" - Hurley
Popular television show "LOST" has finally gotten around to mentioning cultural icon Boba Fett. In this weeks episode "Some like it Hoth." Hurley and Miles discuss "The Empire Strikes Back"...
"...Luke found out Vader was his father but instead of talking about it, he overreacted and got his hand cut off. I mean-they worked it out eventually but at what cost? Another Death Star was destroyed, Boba Fett got eaten by the Sarlacc and we got the Ewoks. And it all could have been avoided if they would have communicated - cause lets face it the Ewoks suck, dude." - Hurley to Miles
See our Fettipedia page for more details.
The writers on "LOST" must be fans of The Fett. Further evidence that its the smartest show on TV.


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Big R&D projects, building construction, office relocation ...
COPR HAS UNDERGONE A ROUGH UPGRADE: please be patient with us as we restore normal function. Basic stuff will be restored soon but it could be most of 2009 before we are fully rebuilt with a new improved CoPr. Suggestions are welcomed on reshaping CoPr.
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I would use "Mr." unless you know that he is a doctor. In that case use "Dr.".
Student or Learner
This question might appear unnecessary/obvious/ridiculous, but I really need to know. I am a medical student writing an e-mail to another medical student who lives in the UK. I have not met this student nor spoken to him, I know both his first and last name and he is probably around the same age as me (23-25).
My question is: How do I start the letter? (e.g. for someone called John Smith)
Dear Mr. Smith
Dear Dr. Smith
Dear John
I am required to contact many students in the same way and don't want to make a bad impression, because they may have an important role in evaluating me for a scholarship.
Thank you in advance for any help...
Last edited by Alucard7; 06-Jun-2012 at 01:02.
I would use "Mr." unless you know that he is a doctor. In that case use "Dr.".
Thank you for answering!
I will use Mr. Ms. just to be on the safe side...


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howtonetwork necesitaba un nuevo diseño de otro y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 4 diseños de 3 diseñadores freelance.
I want a nice intro showreel which will last about 5-7 seconds which I can use with all the videos I upload to YouTube and similar sites. At the end I want a very short 4 second clip saying 'for more info come and visit us at ....'
Here is a good start:
I run a wonderful IT certification site which helps people from all over the world pass their Cisco certification exams. I use a lot of videos on the site and I want to make some more professional looking videos.
I am looking for a nice little intro piece which I can put at the start of every video. I am guessing it would need to be in a format I can import into Camtasia such as .avi.
I would also like some music like a guitar riff.
I would also like a short exit movie..it can be the same one but needs a call to action saying 'for more Cisco Certification tips visit us at http://www.howtonetwork.net
- logo for howtonetwork.net http://www.box.net/shared/5t1nlqiuzm
- Musical intro and exit (can be the same
- Moving cartoon style image of student passing an exam and jumping for joy with his exam pass certificate
- The words 'Cisco Certification Support Site' on the intro
- Item 1...


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SC09 Hewlett-Packard may not dominate the HPC headlines, but it does serve up a lot of iron that runs HPC applications. And today, at the SC09 supercomputing show in Portland, Oregon, HP is adding two new servers to its ProLiant portfolio aimed specifically at the cluster crowd.
The company is also touting its StorageWorks X9000 clustered network storage arrays to the HPC faithful.
The first new server is the ProLiant BL2x220c G6, a double-density blade server that packs two whole two-socket Xeon 5500 servers onto a single blade. HP put its first double-density blade out in May 2008, using the quad-core "Harpertown" Xeon 5400 processors and their unimpressive frontside bus.
The workhorse ProLiant G6 boxes sport the new quad-core "Nehalem EP" Xeon 5500s and the latest quad-core and six-core Opterons from Advanced Micro Devices, and the BL2x220c blade is the last of the ProLiant machines to be refitted for the Xeon 5500s, which themselves launched in March. The Nehalems, thanks to the QuickPath Interconnect that replaced the frontside bus architecture of prior Xeon, offer nearly four times the memory bandwidth, which is a big deal to HPC customers.
With the double-density blade servers, HP can cram 16 blades in a single c7000 chassis, which is 10U high, and in a standard 42U rack, that works out to 1,024 cores. While the Nehalem cores do not have much of a performance advantage compared to the Harpertowns, Ed Turkel, manager of business development for HP's cross-divisional Scalable Computing and Infrastructure organization, says that some customers are seeing a dramatic increase in performance with the Nehalems.
"We are seeing as much as a 3X gain on some HPC applications - and that is without any optimization of code," says Turkel. Memory intensive applications, such as computational fluid dynamics, are seeing the biggest gains. "We had a lot of customers who were reluctant to move to quad-core Xeons because of Harpertown's frontside bus, which they thought would not give them enough bandwidth. With Nehalems, that inhibition is gone."
Intel's rebounding financials certainly reflect this.
The BL2x220c G6 blade server can use the 60 watt versions of the Xeon 5500s, which range in speed from 2.13 GHz to 2.4 GHz and which have an "L" designation in their model numbers, or the 80 watt versions, which run at between 2.13 GHz and 2.53 GHz and which have an "E" designation. Faster E, X, and W versions of the Xeon 5500s cannot be used in this siamese twin blade.
Each node on the two-server blade comes with 24 GB of memory standard, expandable to 96 GB using 8 GB DDR3 memory modules (which almost no one will buy at current prices). Each server node on the blade has space for one small form factor SATA or SSD disk; 120 GB and 250 GB disks and 32 GB and 64 GB SSDs are available per node. Each server node on the blade has a single PCI-Express x8 mezzanine expansion slot and two Gigabit Ethernet ports.
The base price of the BL2x220c G6 - with two server nodes with 24 GB, one processor per server, and no disks - is $6,059. The doubled-up server blade is available starting today.
HP has not shipped a double-density server blade based on AMD's Opteron processors, and Turkel didn't want to talk much about the possibilities. "We are seeing a lot of interest in Web and cloud computing for denser Opteron configurations, but I cannot comment on specific plans," Turkel said.
It stands to reason that HP probably has "Magny-Cours" Opteron 6100s and "Lisbon" Opteron 4100s slated for double-stacked blades and other dense rack-mounted and cookie sheet servers. The density play is there, and it looks like Istanbul had too short of a life for some serious engineering beyond commodity boxes, as El Reg pointed out back in June in the wake of the debut of the six-core Opterons. (See this story for the latest on AMD's planned server platform rollouts for 2010).
HP is, by the way, showing the Opteron chip some love in its "cookie sheet" ProLiant SL skinless server designs, which were announced in June. With these cookie sheet designs, HP is copying the essence of Google's minimalist server designs, eliminating all unnecessary metal from the boxes and plunking raw motherboards, drives, and power supplies onto metal trays that slide into standard racks.
Today at SC09, HP will start peddling the ProLiant SL165z, the first Opteron-based cookie sheet server from HP; the prior machines were based on the Xeon 5500s.
The SL165z is a the Opteron variant of the SL160z box that was announced in June and aimed at Web caching and HPC database applications, according to HP. The SL170z has room for six drives and is aimed at Web search and database jobs, and the SL2x170z packs two two-socket Xeon 5500 servers into a single 1U tray for HPC and Web front end processing. The SL165z uses the six-core Istanbul Opteron 2400s and packs two of them onto a single board on a 1U tray.
The machine's EATX motherboard has 16 DDR2 memory slots as well as an on-board SATA controller; it comes with a single Gigabit Ethernet port and a single PCI-Express 1.0 x16 I/O slot, too. The tray has room for two 3.5-inch disk drives (you can use SAS or SATA drives), and they are not hot swap because hyperscale shops usually replace a whole tray at a time when something fails. The SL165z is available today, and has an entry price of $2,965.
HP is also announcing at SC09 that the ProLiant SL family of skinless servers will be eligible to be put into CL3000 pre-fabbed cluster configurations. A 72-node setup will run you $189,900.
And finally, the recently acquired IBRIX clustered network storage software is being rebranded the StorageWorks X9000 line and pitched to HPC shops as appropriate for managing large datasets feeding into clusters. (Think life sciences, animation studios, and financial services).
The IBRIX Fusion file system has been ported to HP's ProLiant servers, and the current StorageWorks X9000 NAS boxes use two ProLiant servers cross-coupled to two MSA2000 storage arrays as a basic building block. And X9300 gateway will run you $50,000, and an X9320 module with 48 TB of capacity and using 10 Gigabit Ethernet links costs $140,000. A base X9720 array, which starts out with 82 TB but which scales to 656 TB, costs $160,000. ®
Sponsored: Practical tips for Office 365 tenant-to-tenant migration


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mild thematic elements and brief language
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The Odd Life of Timothy Green
A magical story about a happily married couple, Cindy and Jim Green (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton), who can't wait to start a family but can only dream about what their child would be like.
When young Timothy (CJ Adams) shows up on their doorstep one stormy night, Cindy and Jim--and their small town of Stanleyville--learn that sometimes the unexpected can bring some of life's greatest gifts.
Starring Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, Cameron 'CJ' Adams, Odeya Rush, Ron Livingston, Rosemarie DeWitt, Dianne Wiest, David Morse, Common, M. Emmet Walsh, Lois Smith
Directed by Peter Hedges
Running Time - 1:40
Genre - Drama
Opened in Theaters - Wednesday, August 15th, 2012 (7 years ago)
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Associated Press WASHINGTON - Hundreds of leading business groups and GOP donors called for action on immigration legislation Tuesday, seeking to increase pressure on the House GOP as lawmakers prepare to leave Washington for a five-week summer recess.
Two letters were released separately, one signed by more than 400 leading businesses, chambers of commerce and others, and the second by around 100 GOP donors, including boldface names such as former Vice President Dan Quayle and GOP strategist Karl Rove. Both sought to frame the immigration debate partly in economic terms that could sway majority House Republicans, who are debating how to move forward with immigration legislation after the Senate passed a comprehensive bill in June with visa reforms, border security and eventual citizenship for the 11 million immigrants already in the country illegally. No action is expected in the House until fall, at which point Republicans may advance a piecemeal series of single-issue bills beginning with border security. The potential for the House to reach any agreement with the Senate on a final package that could reach President Barack Obama's desk is very much in doubt. Signers of the business letter include a range of business interests, from AT&T and IBM to the American Meat Institute, the Indiana Farm Bureau and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The letter does not set out specific policies the groups are seeking but argues that the existing immigration system is "completely incapable" of responding to the national economy or global competition and says that "failure to act is not an option." The donor letter makes a political case in addition to an economic one, arguing that blocking action would "risk a long-lasting perception that Republicans would rather see nothing done than pass needed reform." The letter calls for a "path to legal status" for immigrants here illegally, stopping short of calling for citizenship. One signer of the letter, Spencer Zwick, former national finance chairman for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, said that broader language was used to draw as much donor support as possible. "I think what you want to do with a letter like that is be careful not to let one line destroy the letter," Zwick said. "I believe if we come up with a pathway to good legal immigration, part of that does mean citizenship, but let's take things one step at a time." Another signer, Carlos Gutierrez, former commerce secretary and a leader of the group Republicans for Immigration Reform, said that he's seen some "donor fatigue" as his group tries to raise money to fight for overhauling immigration but that it would aim to spend enough to sway 12 to 15 congressional districts. "I don't think we're going to be doing national TV campaigns, which can be so expensive, but we're going to be able to make a difference in local districts where it counts," Gutierrez said.


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Former congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II, the son of Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, said Monday he won't run for the now-empty Senate seat formerly held by his uncle.
The six-term former representative said he'll stay in his position at a nonprofit organization rather than vying for Kennedy's seat. He would've likely faced criticism for his work at the organization, which worked with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to obtain fuel to help provide heating oil for the poor.
Joseph Kennedy said he cared about the country's political future -- but that his best work could be done at Citizens Energy Corp.
U.S. & World
Attorney General Martha Coakley has already announced her candidacy for the seat. Other likely candidates include high-profile Democrat Rep. Stephen Lynch, state Sen. Scott Brown, and several other veteran Massachusetts congressmen.
Read more: MSNBC


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Larry Sanger
From Conservapedia
Larry Sanger created Nupedia and Wikipedia® while working for Jimbo Wales. He left Wikipedia after Wales cut his salary by 50%.
He is currently organizing a rival, expert-edited wiki-based encyclopedia, known as Citizendium.
Sanger's role in the founding of Wikipedia is a matter of dispute. Although Sanger came up with the idea of using wiki software to host their encyclopedia, Wales claims to be the sole "founder" of Wikipedia. Citizendium's FAQ page, presumably speaking for Sanger, describes him as a "Wikipedia co-founder." Digital Universe says, "He was the chief organizer of Wikipedia in its first year and played a key role in its creation." [1]
Wired says:
- Wales started an Internet company called Bomis, a search engine and Web directory. He began hearing about the fledgling open source movement and wondered whether volunteers could create something besides software. So he recruited Larry Sanger, then an Ohio State University doctoral student in philosophy, whom he'd encountered on some listservs. He put Sanger on the Bomis payroll, and together they launched a free online encyclopedia called Nupedia. [2]


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Father Pat's Pastoral Ponderings
Sunday After Holy Cross
September 19, 2010
Although the story of Jesus lost in the Temple — at twelve years old — is chiefly significant for its Christological import, its narrative structure conveys the "action" through the mind of Mary. Indeed, Luke invites us to take this approach in his final comment: "His Mother kept all these things in her heart." Moreover, unless the reader approaches the story through the mind of Mary, he will miss much of its drama.
We observe, first, that the "lost-ness" in the story is objective: Jesus is not lost in the sense that He does not know where He is, but in the sense that His mother did not know where He is. The action — the search — consequently, comes from Mary's side.
For this reason, the narrator does not tell us what Jesus is doing during the three days, but what Mary and Joseph are doing: "When they had finished the days, as they returned, the boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among relatives and friends. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him" (Luke 2:43-45).
The action first moves north. The storyteller does not spend those three days in Jerusalem with Jesus. He leaves town, rather, and travels with Mary and Joseph. He speaks of their worried search, though he does not directly mention their anxiety — and, indeed, it is made explicit only by Mary herself, in the closing dialogue (2:48) — because it is implied in the details of the search.
Not finding the boy Jesus after a day's journey, Mary and Joseph come back south to Jerusalem, to continue their pursuit in the same place they last saw Him: "Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions."
The Lord's parents are bewildered: "So when they saw Him," writes Luke, "they were amazed." Every parent understands the story: This is the child they have raised for a dozen years. Unaccountably, He does not accompany them back home after the Passover, as they reasonably expect. They have searched for Him frantically, but now, when they find Him, He displays not the slightest remorse or concern for their anxiety.
The mother of Jesus finds this insouciance on the part of her twelve-year old a bit more than she is disposed to accept without complaint: "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously" (2:48). Then, the boy, instead of apologizing and promising it will not happen again, turns the question back on His mother: "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about the things of My Father?" From any other twelve-year old, this kind of answer would be called "back talk" and treated as impertinent.
It is useful to reflect, at this point, that Jesus — when His parents discover Him in the Temple — has been engaged (for three days?) in discussion with the rabbis; he has been asking them questions and answering theirs. In other words, Jesus has been engaged in a pedagogical and rhetorical method where a favored device is the "counter-question" — the answering of a question by a further and more probing question. We find this style of debate frequently in rabbinic literature and in the gospels.
Jesus, recently exposed to this pedagogical and rhetorical method here in the Temple, spontaneously has recourse to it as he answers His mother. When she inquires, "Why have you done this?" He responds, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know?"
No, in fact, Mary did not know, nor do she and Joseph find much reassurance in this brief dialogue with Jesus. Luke tells us, "But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them" (2:50). Then, the three of them return to Nazareth — in silence, it would seem.
Mary is portrayed as "anxious" — her own word — amazed, and confused. Considered from her perspective — as Luke clearly intends — the story is most noticeable as a test of Mary's faith.
The angel Gabriel spoke to her nearly thirteen years earlier, when she was perhaps half of her present age. Indeed, she may not have been much older than Jesus is at the time they find Him in the Temple.
From that day when the angel visited her, it seems, Mary has understood rather little of what transpired. Like Abraham her father, she follows God's will in faith but can hardly guess where it is all leading. She walks obediently, day by day.
Luke's story, which chronicles Jesus' growth in wisdom, is told here through the person who witnessed that growth, and was obliged, in a very personal way, to explore its meaning.
Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon is pastor of All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church in Chicago, Illinois, and a Senior Editor of Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity.
Subscribe to Pastoral Ponderings — Fr. Reardon's weekly essay.
Read past essays and listen to podcasts by Fr. Reardon.
Books by Fr. Reardon:


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Another great cover from Gebrauchsgraphik International Advertising Art! This particular issue from June 1970 featured The Best Swiss Poster Designs of 1969, along with Industrial Art by Rolf Harder and Ernst Roch via Design Collaborative Montreal Limited, New Product Make-Ups on the American Market, the Genesis and Function of Visual communication, and also a report on Industrial Art from Vienna. I've searched every single page of the magazine, but much to my dismay, the cover illustration seems to be uncredited...so, the identity of the artist remains a mystery until I do some further sleuthing, which leaves me currently emulating the demeanour of the subject matter in question! I'm assuming that this particular illustration belongs to either the Industrial Art from Vienna or perhaps the Best Swiss Poster category. The fact that it made the cover may suggest that it was the winning entry in the latter―although this is not necessarily always the case with Gebrauchsgraphik covers of this kind. I've also included two more of the Swiss poster designs from the same issue, which I previously featured on the blog a couple of years ago, these ones are the best of the 30 finalists in my opinion.
Gebrauchsgraphik International Advertising Art, 1970.
All images scanned by Sweet Jane from Gebrauchsgraphik International Advertising Art, June 6, 1970. Cover Artist uncredited. *If you are planning on purchasing this issue for yourself at some point, it may be worth noting that both the Lee Jeans & Bell Epoque posters are in reality about a quarter of the size shown , I've enlarged them purely for display purposes.


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|Severus Snape's copy of Advanced Potion-Making
|Publication information
pre. 1940s
- "This Book is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince"
- —Severus Snape's signature in the book[src]
A personally-annotated copy of Advanced Potion-Making belonged to Severus Snape while he attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Snape's nickname for himself was the "Half-Blood Prince", and so he signed this nickname along the bottom of the back cover of the book. Advanced Potion-Making is a Potions textbook used by Hogwarts for N.E.W.T level Potions classes and authored by Libatius Borage. It contains a variety of recipes for various potions, many of which Snape improved by means of amending procedures and scribbling notes in the margins.
Under Severus Snape's possessionEdit
The first known owner of this copy of Advanced Potion-Making was Severus Snape, the future Potions Master of Hogwarts, when he was still attending as a student. Not being well off, the book was second-hand; nothing is known of its original owner, though some theorise that it may have been Eileen Prince, Severus's mother.
When Snape attended Hogwarts as student, he had acquired this textbook for his N.E.W.T. level Potions with Horace Slughorn and then signed it with his own self-proclaimed nickname and signature, the "Half-Blood Prince". Snape, being an exceptionally brilliant wizard even at a young age, had made alterations to the many recipes within the book for even better effects. He also indeed made notes of several spells that he had invented himself in the margins, such as Sectumsempra, Levicorpus, Langlock and Muffliato which he then wrote down in the margins of the book.
When Severus left Hogwarts, he fell in league with the Death Eaters, though never lost his old copy of Advanced Potion-Making. When he eventually returned to Hogwarts to work as Potions-Master, he kept this copy of Advanced Potion-Making in a cupboard in his classroom (perhaps to use its annotations for his own teaching, as it was obviously not meant to be used by students). When he changed teaching positions and Horace Slughorn gained the classroom, he left the book there.
Under Harry Potter's possessionEdit
- "On the other hand, the Prince had proved a much more effective teacher than Snape so far..."
- —Harry's thoughts towards the Half-Blood Prince, ironically unaware that it was actually Severus Snape himself[src]
About twenty or so years later, Harry Potter took N.E.W.T. Potions under the newly reinstated Slughorn. Harry did not buy his own textbook, as he believed that he failed to qualify for advancement. As such, Slughorn loaned one of the older books left behind by previous students. Harry, by chance, received this book. While initially annoyed by the scribbles that made it difficult to read the original instructions, when Harry tried Snape's methods, he achieved better results than even Hermione Granger. When Harry got a new book from Flourish and Blotts, he then swapped the front covers and gave Slughorn the new one with a combination of the Severing and Mending Charm, while keeping this one for himself, much to Hermione Granger's displeasure.
For the rest of the school year, Harry became a better potioneer than he had been in his time with Severus Snape and even managed to save Ronald Weasley's life with a bezoar when the latter had been poisoned. This book also helped Harry to win a bottle of Felix Felicis during his first class, which later proved essential in helping him acquire a memory from Slughorn about Tom Riddle and Horcruxes.
- "He felt stunned; it was as though a beloved pet had turned suddenly savage. What had the Prince been thinking to copy such a spell into his book?"
- —Harry Potter on the book after the effects of Sectumsempra were shown.[src]
Over the year, Harry soon tried the Half-Blood Prince's self-invented spells written in the textbook. However, when he used Sectumsempra on Draco Malfoy, he was unaware of its effects, and Malfoy was critically injured. Nevertheless, Harry was shocked when he saw the deadliness of the curse.
- Madam Pince: "The library is now closed. Mind that you return anything you have borrowed to the correct - what have you been doing to that book, you depraved boy?'"
- Harry Potter: "It isn't the library's, it's mine!"
- Madam Pince: "Despoiled! Desecrated! Befouled!"
- Harry Potter: "It's just a book that's been written in!"
- — Madam Pince's reaction upon seeing the book.[src]
When Madam Pince saw the book with its graffiti-covered pages, she flew into a rage, despite Harry insisting that it was not the library's. She clawed the air for it, and throwing angry claims at Harry for ruining it with the writing.
During one of Slughorn's Slug Club parties, Snape was told of Harry's sudden improvement in the art of potion-making. Snape then suspected that his old textbook may have fallen into Harry's hands. When Harry used Sectumsempra on Draco, Snape was able to confirm his suspicions, but was unable to get his hands on the book, as Harry had stashed the book inside the Room of Requirement and used Ron's book as a decoy.
- "If you had a shred of self-respect, you'd hand that book in."
- —Hermione Granger's resentment in the book.[src]
Hermione Granger resented the book, for it did not follow the "official instructions." She did some research, but the only information she found pertained to Eileen Prince. Later, Snape revealed that he was the Half-Blood Prince, and that he owned the book before. This came as a major shock to Harry, when he learned that the Half-Blood Prince, who had taught him so much over the year, happened to be the person he hated the most (especially after Snape killed Albus Dumbledore).
It is unknown if Harry removed the book from the Room of Requirement after hiding it there, but if not, then it was most likely destroyed when Vincent Crabbe released Fiendfyre in the room during the Battle of Hogwarts.
Altered Potion formulaeEdit
- Draught of Living Death
- Crush the Sopophorous bean with flat side of silver dagger, releases juice better than cutting.
- Add one clockwise stir after seven anti-clockwise stirs to obtain the clear colour faster.
- Poison Antidote
- Simply shove a bezoar down the victim's throat
- Elixir to Induce Euphoria
- Heavily corrected
- Add a sprig of peppermint to counter excessive singing and nose-tweaking side-effects.
Invented SpellsEdit
- Langlock
- Levicorpus (non-verbal)
- Liberacorpus (counter-spell for Levicorpus)
- Muffliato
- Sectumsempra ("for enemies")
- Toenail Growth Hex
Behind the scenesEdit
- Of all of Snape's spells found in the Potions book, only Sectumsempra appears in the film version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
- Levicorpus appears in the film of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix during one of the D.A. meetings, used on Nigel Wolpert - nearly a year before any of the DA leaders should have known about it. Its incantation was also wrongly spoken aloud.
- In the film version, when Harry and Ron saw this battered book and a better condition one in the cupboard, they fought over the better one, with Ron winning it, leaving Harry with this.
- Interestingly, the film prop used for this book appears to have its text comprised of excerpts taken from the Wikipedia article on alchemy, as can be seen on this version of the page from around the time of the film's release.
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Appears in flashback(s))


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Ross Dress for Less because I could always find great deals on the things I want. One the things I love about Ross Dress for Less is that their inventory is always changing. Since Fall is here, you could expect a lot of items related to the season when you visit the store.
*You must also leave me a comment using the blogger comment form for this post to be eligible to win this giveaway.


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Imagine calling a Sunday Mass and everyone shows up.
DETROIT (AP) ? Imagine calling a Sunday Mass and everyone shows up.
That's the challenge that St. Joseph Catholic Church in Detroit faced Sunday, when hundreds of visitors showed up for services at the 141-year-old house of worship near Eastern Market.
The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News say that Sunday's attendance was about 900, compared with the typical 100.
The flood of visitors is part of the Detroit Mass Mob movement, which is modeled on a similar volunteer effort in Buffalo, New York.
Organizer Thom Mann says the goal is to highlight Detroit's historic churches, where many people have longstanding family ties.
The 1.3 million-member Archdiocese of Detroit has been closing urban church in response to declining attendance by increasingly suburban Catholics.


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Bachelor of Arts Degree in Women's Studies approved for UH ManoaUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
KAPOLEI, Oʻahu - The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents voted at its monthly meeting this week to approve a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Women's Studies at UH Mānoa beginning in the Fall 2007 semester. Women's Studies has been a recognized field of study for undergraduates at Mānoa since the mid-1970s, but the BA degree has previously been offered through the Interdisciplinary Studies (formerly Liberal Studies) Program.
"For more than 30 years, our distinguished faculty in Women's Studies have been leaders in the field," said UH Mānoa Interim Chancellor Denise Konan. "Their scholarship and research are cited world-wide, and they are active contributors of time and expertise to the university and our community at large. This new degree program will further enhance the stature of the program and the institution as a whole."
Nearly two dozen students have graduated with a major in Women's Studies through the Interdisciplinary Studies program since 2000, and an additional 59 undergraduate certificates were awarded between 2000 and 2005. It is anticipated that enrollment in the new degree program will expand to 50 student majors within five years.
"Women's and gender issues intersect with virtually every aspect of people's personal and professional experiences and are a relevant subject for study across numerous academic disciplines," said Susan Hippensteele, Women's Studies Program Director. "We are pleased to have this acknowledgement from the Board that our program is on solid ground and of growing importance on the Mānoa campus."
For more information, visit: http://www.manoa.hawaii.edu


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Skeptic Check: Monster Mashup
Categories: Earth
Dec 9, 2013
Monsters don't exist. Except when they do. And extinction is forever, except when it isn't. So, which animals are mythical and which are in hiding?
Bigfoot sightings are plentiful, but real evidence for the hirsute creature is a big zilch. Yet, the coelacanth, a predatory fish thought extinct, actually lives. Today, its genome is offering clues as to how and when our fishy ancestors first flopped onto land.
Meanwhile, the ivory-billed woodpecker assumes mythic status as it flutters between existence and extinction. And, from passenger pigeons to the wooly mammoth, hi-tech genetics may imitate Jurassic Park, and bring back vanished animals.
- Donald Prothero – Paleontologist, geologist, former professor at Occidental College, co-author of Abominable Science!: Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and Other Famous Cryptids
- Chris Amemiya – Biologist and geneticist at the University of Washington and the Benaroya Research Institute, Seattle
- John Fitzpatrick – Ornithologist and director, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University
- Ben Novak – Visiting biologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, lead coordinating scientist of "The Great Comeback" at the Revive and Restore project, Long Now Foundation


text: Yahoo's Pat Forde was first with the news a few minutes ago that Bret Bielema will be leaving Wisconsin for Arkansas. This follows a bizarre day in which Mike Gundy's and Chris Petersen's names kept getting bounced around. Bielema had gone 68-24 in Madison and coached the Badgers to three consecutive Rose Bowls, including the one coming up on Jan. 1. The Rose Bowl used to be the be-all, end-all for Big Ten coaches. Now it's just another category to highlight on an SEC job application.


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Beginning at 7:50 pm, the pre-show music bellowed through the YUM! Center with offerings from Neil Young, Billie Holiday, John Lennon, Sam Cooke, and The Impressions while a black mannequin stood alone on the stage wearing a black leather coat and aviator shades. As the pre-show music drew to an end, two Nazi guards dragged a limp "Pink" to the stage, the center of the rock opera's story of oppression, abandonment, and revival.
Roger Waters energetically took to the stage moments later in a simple black tee and black jeans. Assisted by his two guards, Waters takes on the role of a Nazi officer dressing in the displayed coat and sunglasses for the opening song, "In the Flesh". Bright pyrotechnics showered the stage in white light throughout the first song with load booms and complimentary lighting schemes.
As the theatric filled musical progressed, Waters used every opportunity to showcase the imagery and symbolism associated with the album and movie of the same title. Sayings such as, "I Believe", "Should I trust the government", and "Them. Not. Us." graced the wall from the start to finish. Many words and sayings insinuated liberal thoughts along with a couple F-Bombs for good measure.
Robbie Wyckoff took lead on the vocals normally sung by David Gilmour. Jon Joyce, Kip Lennon, Mark Lennon, and Pat Lennon kept the harmonies smooth and light as back-up vocalists. Waters' son, Harry played the Hammond organ while Dave Kilminster took lead guitar, banjo, and bass. Graham Broad on drums, percussions, and ukulele complimented G.E. Smith (guitar, bass, mandolin) and Jon Carin (keys, guitar, lap steel guitar)
"Another Brick in the Wall" Part II brought 15 talented kiddos to the stage wearing tees that said, "Fear Builds Walls", to help with the vocals on the song. The audience was focused on the children as a larger than life puppet with sharp red eyes descended as the "teacher" to which the children said, "we don't need no education". The children were able to meet and rehearse with Waters at the 5 pm sound check and received a glowing review from Waters following their performance.
Following the exit of children, Roger changed from bass to acoustic guitar and with the help of technology, sang along with a re-mastered recording of a young Roger Waters; appropriate for "Mother". The feelings, thoughts, torments, and happiness were clearly visible on Waters' face as the song progressed. To add to the quintessence of "Mother", a life size image of a woman, arms folded, appeared to the left of the stage. Decorated with polka-dots and what appear to bricks, the woman embodies the feelings of the over protective mother "Pink" endured as a child.
At one point, Roger is seen sitting in a living room set, lowered from the left side of the wall to sing "Don't Leave Me" To finish the first album of The Wall, "Goodbye Cruel World" entranced the audience since the symbolic wall is built, covering the entirety of the stage and hiding the band and vocalists from view.
For 25 minutes, concert goers were able to leave their seats, grab a beverage and a snack during the intermission. During the set break, images and stories of those who fell in service to their country were proudly displayed on the wall, a nod from Roger to the families of service men and women.
Once the break finished, a single blue light shone through the single removed brink to begin "Hey You", randomly fishing through the crowd. One highlight of the show which transfixed the crowd was the pure music of "Comfortably Numb"; the awe of seeing Water perform this jam left people quiet until the end when everyone stood.
Traditionally, the pig must fly at every Floydesque show and Waters ensured this tradition with a black pig flying high atop the audience with red glaring eyes. The pig flew during "The Show Must Go On" adorned with Roger's opinions sprawled across the back, sides, and belly of the pig; "what's with people", No government", and "Too much control" added context to the message of The Wall.
Following "The Show Must Go On", and the retirement of the pig for the evening, an encore of "In the Flesh" flowed into "Run Like Hell". Waters introduced the song by asking, "Are there any paranoids out there", while the word paranoid jolted onto the wall. The percussion of this song literally shook the roof while the musicians clearly played as hard as they could. All eyes were fixated on the stage while ears enjoyed the awesomeness of what they were witnessing.
The show's climatic ending during "The Trial" sees a replica bomber fly through the air and into the wall, crumbling the symbolic efforts of "Pink" to keep the outside world at bay. Appropriately, the concert officially ended with "Outside the Wall" where the entire cast, if you will, joined Waters outside the fallen wall for a final compilation.
Articulate attention to the music, the effects, props, and the enjoyment of the audience came together in perfect tune with the assistance of so many, true professionals, for what was a once in lifetime opportunity.


text: Monarch U.S.A makes shopping easy by customizing the finest quality sofas at the guaranteed lowest prices. You can choose the arm style, leg style, cushion fill, fabric, length, depth, and height. Custom furniture of this quality typically costs tens of thousands of dollars, but our sofas start at just $390! No other furniture company delivers so much value.


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The Center for Understanding Change
leverages the deep scientific knowledge of its partners
plus stakeholder models and data
particularly when stakeholders have trust issues
The Center for Understanding Change (C4UC) is a nonprofit research center focused on understanding the impact of global changes and risk to critical infrastructure. We help our constituents understand the ripple effects of their actions and how specific changes and events affect them. We do this by leveraging the massive intellectual (and financial) investment in deep data models and advanced decision-making theory by tying them into an integrated analytical tool.
Operationally, we have three main functions: perform research in the public interest; develop resources for use by the public to facilitate research in the public interest; and educate the public in areas related to that research.
We have three key components to our research.
First, we are building a resource that allows systems-dynamics models (and other model types) to interoperate in a federation fashion, allowing the ad hoc creation of "super-models" that can run simultaneously, as if the resulting supermodel was created as a single model. At the same time, we enable the reluctant stakeholders to have their confidential models and data interoperate with models and data from other stakeholders (with perhaps conflicting interests), allowing the joint resources to be applied to a common problem without exposing sensitive data or algorithms between stakeholders. The resource we are building will also allow different model types, for instance system dynamic models and agent-based models, to interact.
Second, we are building resources to visualize the findings of these interacting models. Key to this is enabling the non-scientist decision-maker to understand the implication of the results of exercising the "super-models" (above), particularly the sensitivities of those models to various inaccuracies and unknowns. This new, implicit visualization is critical to our third key area.
Finally, our third key area of our research is applies three-dimensional Bayesian analysis techniques to quickly identify where additional research is necessary before a non-scientist manager can make an informed decision. The goal is rapid decision analysis of complex and mission-critical issues.
Better decisions require bigger pictures
Models and data held by stakeholders focus on a specific prospective. This singular view is incomplete because it lacks the bigger picture for identifying and understanding inconsequential effects. What CIPDSS, and other efforts like it are attempting to do, is to provide a basis for exploring challenges within a more complete context. What we really would like is to have combine the models and date from all stakeholders (and other resources), all rolled up into a larger, "supermodel" that we could use to better understand the complexities of our decisions, and to test our theories and proposed solutions. Individual stakeholder often have quite good models and data, but their models have a limited view of the internal workings of other stakeholders. In their models, they must make critical assumptions about other stakeholders.
The challenge is that stakeholders have differing interests are in general have an unwillingness to share their models and data for such a "supermodel." These models and data are often highly sensitive as well: exposing them to outsiders(or even potential competitors) just isn't going to happen.
C4UC's breakthrough technology has provided a path to allow these stakeholders to connect their models and data into such a "supermodel" and to do so from behind their own firewall, never exposing their sensitive information to others. Contact us if you'd like a briefing on how this is achieved.
At the core of C4UC is its leverage of the Critical Infrastructure Decision Support System (CIPDSS) - a set of 1200 interconnected system dynamics models to explore how impacts in one area of critical infrastructure impacts other, seemingly unrelated areas. These models were built in a joint effort by Sandia National Labs, Argonne National Lab, and Los Alamos National Lab. Funded by the Department of Homeland Security, the CIPDSS models are now part of NISAC, the National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center. CIPDSS (and NISAC) was used in exploring potential actions in response to Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, the H1N1 Flu epidemic, Fukashima, and other issues with massive public impact.
Regardless of your position on the subject, "Obamacare" is a given. Many industries will be deferentially impacted. The impact of "Obamacare" on heath and insurance industries has been well explored, but the potential for impact on other industries, seemingly unrelated, has not been subject to significant scrutiny.
Much legistration has been proposed that promises to significantly alter "Obamacare." It is prudent to understand what the impact of such legislation would be on industry sectors (not just health and insurance).
C4UC has developed technology that facilities the integration of models of critical infrastructure with other, public and private models, into a configurable "supermodel" for the express purpose of scenario exploration to support analysis of alternatives.
With the Healthcare project, C4UC have pooled resources with partners in the economic forecasting space to leverage their joint assets to explore the ramifications of proposed healthcare legislation on industry sectors outside of healthcare.


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Wednesday, March 12, 2014
This is Where…
Back in 2006, we took a trip back to my grandparents' home in South Dakota. The last of them, my grandfather, passed away in 1996, and my mother continued on there for another 9 years before moving in with us in another state. The house sat vacant. It had seen better days – wonderful days – of lots of family chatter, savory aromas from the kitchen... it was a safe haven where love and protection permeated the entire house. Everything good about life I learned in that house. And now we were going back one last time to pack things up and to say goodbye. Take a tour with me, if you will.
And, one more, if you don't mind…
2 comments:
Since we just sold our childhood home last fall after my mother passed away, I have to keep reminding myself that I'll always have the memories even if we don't own the house. No one can take those away from us. And you have wonderful memories!ReplyDelete
Thanks for the comment, Debi! It's a hard transition, isn't it?ReplyDelete
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Do you think you'd be able to speak more, or speak better, if some barriers were removed? Put another way, what do you think is standing in your way? I asked readers to share the barriers they think are holding them back from more or better public speaking. Here's what a few readers on The Eloquent Woman on Facebook said:
- Naieema Jackson When I get nervous I tend to get tongue tied and it's embarrassing for me
October 9 at 10:42am · · 1 person
Robin Ferrier 1. Time. If I'm presenting, I'm not getting work done and the work is still waiting when I get back. 2. Finding public speaking opportunities. That's work in and of itself.
October 9 at 10:48am ·
Odumo Tari 1. Grammatical errors 2. pronouncitions
October 9 at 4:44pm ·
You can help the blog today by sharing what's holding you back from more public speaking or better public speaking, in the comments below--you can always make your comments anonymous. I'll be working on posts that help you break down those barriers, so your contributions will help shape content on the blog. Thanks for contributing!


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STOCKTON - Kyle Larson flew to Stockton with Tony Stewart, and he was the one who drove to a victory in the debut race at Stockton's new motorsports facility.
STOCKTON - Kyle Larson flew to Stockton with Tony Stewart, and he was the one who drove to a victory in the debut race at Stockton's new motorsports facility.
The NASCAR Nationwide driver and Elk Grove native outdueled San Jose veteran Tim Kaeding to win the World of Outlaws main event, which finished early Saturday morning at the Stockton 99 Dirt Track at San Joaquin County Fairgrounds. A sellout crowd of 10,572 watched a wild night of racing in which 14 cars rolled over and Larson grabbed the lead for the final time with two laps to go.
"I've got to start off by thanking Tony for letting me fly on his jet to the races," Larson said. "Without him, I wouldn't be here."
On Friday, Stewart flew in from Southern California after qualifying for today's NASCAR race in Fontana, and Larson tagged along. Stewart qualified 10th in Stockton and after the heat races, improved his position to start fourth in the 30-lap main event and finished ninth. Despite the fact the race ended after midnight and he had Sprint Cup practice Saturday morning, Stewart signed autographs for 25 minutes after the race. At one point he smiled and said, "Keep the line moving. I've got to be to work at nine in the morning."
Before going back to Southern California, Stewart praised the event and the track.
"I was pleasantly surprised to see how many people were here for their first race, and it was a fun event," Stewart said. "I've never been to a place running its first race in which the track ran as smooth as this one. I've got a lot of people interested in dirt racing in Fontana who said they wanted to know how this track was, and I'm going to have good things to say."
Larson, 20, was also pleased with the conditions. Racing the Nationwide circuit full-time this season, he was involved in an ugly incident at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 23, when pieces of his car flew into the stands and several fans were injured. He also has extensive open-wheel experience, and now is the first driver to win in Stockton.
"Getting the first win here so close to where I live is cool," Larson said. "It was a great crowd, and I think this is a very good thing for Stockton and California racing."
Larson and Kaeding battled for the lead much of the race. Kaeding had the lead when he got hung up in lapped traffic, and Larson moved past him on the back straightaway.
"I think the biggest thing was lapped traffic; that kind of cost us the race," Kaeding said. "We wanted to win it, but second is good. It beats 22nd or something like that."
Stockton drivers Brandon Furr and Nick Davis did not make the main event, but Furr won the C main event and transferred to the B main. He needed to be in the top four to get to the final race and was seventh.
The Noceti Group Inc. promoted the race, and World of Outlaws chief operating officer Tom Deery said he was looking forward to bringing the series back to Stockton.
"It was the first one, and there's always things you learn from it. This was a great event and it got a great response," Deery said. "We'll be back."
Contact reporter Scott Linesburgh at (209) 546-8281 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The Lincoln Highway was never a rock star road. No hit pop single. No TV show. No "Cars" movies. No Joad family goin' to California as in "Grapes of Wrath."
Route 66 had all that. But Route 66 is 13 years younger and about 1,000 miles shorter than the Lincoln Highway. "Route 66" sings about going from "Chicago to L.A."
Big deal. The Lincoln Highway goes from New York to Chicago and then on to San Francisco.
If Route 66 is "The Mother Road," then the Lincoln Highway is the "Granddaddy Road," the one that gave birth to millions of road trips. There were earlier auto routes across the country, a hit and mostly miss collection of paved city streets, muddy farm roads and the more than occasional dead end or washed-out path.
The Lincoln Highway replaced all that. One road across one country. A paved route with its own map and guidebook that would break the railroads' monopoly on cross-country travel. No more schedules and fares. You could go when you pleased, where you pleased and at the speed you pleased (well, most of the time).
The Lincoln Highway wasn't catchy or sexy. It's hard to get excited about a highway that comes to a screeching halt less than a mile after it starts, at the Hudson River where cars had to be floated across the water on a ferry. Route 66 had all those wide-open spaces in the Southwest. The Lincoln Highway was like a gigantic national class project – let's take your Main Street and build a road to my Main Street until all the Main Streets stretch across the country.
But what a Main Street.
Fourteen states. More than 700 cities and towns. More than 3,300 miles from Times Square to Lincoln Park – the red, white and blue markers showing the way through farms and forests, mountains and desert.
It touched millions of lives. That was the Lincoln Highway I drove around the back roads of Gold Country on my way from Lake Tahoe to Sacramento. It was a block away from where I lived in Lancaster, Pa. I drove its successor, Interstate 80, from the Bay Area to Harrisburg, Pa., for my first newspaper job. When I wanted to write a political story on Iowa, I drove the Lincoln Highway from one end of the state to another to get my snapshot. Four years later, I did it again – in Ohio.
The Lincoln Highway knitted together the country in a way railroads never could. You could safely and relatively swiftly get from one end of the country to the other in your own car or by the low-cost bus services that sprouted up. The success of the Lincoln Highway led to more routes that went north and south, east and west. Yes, a lot of it ended up in urban sprawl, but at the time it unlocked all kinds of possibilities. One of the most important impressions was made on a young Army officer who took part in a pioneering, across-the-country convoy in 1919 to show that military units could be sent from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean if need be.
That officer, Lt. Col. Dwight Eisenhower, became a general and then president. He signed the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956 that built the interstates we drive on. Next week we'll look at how the mobility that the Lincoln Highway encouraged would lead to its near demise, only to be resurrected as a kind of motorists' theme park.
Contact the writer: email@example.com


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Whether you are planning on going on a three-hour tour (like Gilligan) or a multiple day tour, you should be prepared to deal with an emergency that might force you to stay out in the backcountry snow overnight. The backcountry skiing equipment different people bring depends on the person packing but there is certain ski touring equipment which should always be brought along. Another item—which we can't really refer to as "gear"—is knowledge. There's little use to a compass or transceiver (for example) if you have no idea how to use them. In general, prepare for the worst but hope for the best.
Here's a list of the must haves:
Avalanche Probe
Emergency shelter
Map & compass
Down jacket
First aid kit
Sun protection
Gear repair kit
Extra clothing
Cell, satellite phone or radio
We have created a printable PDF of our gear checklist that you can tape on your fridge and in your car (there are two on a single sheet) to help ensure that you don't forget any important items on that big ski touring adventure or day trip. Grab it here and remember backcountry skiing is a high-risk activity and you are responsible for making your own decisions on how to best equip yourself. Everyone's needs are different and different conditions demand different equipment.
Backcountry skiing is an inherently dangerous activity that requires experience and knowledge to travel safely. Any of the routes on this site may be dangerous depending on conditions. You are responsible for your own safety in the backcounty—the team behind backcountryskiingcanada.com disclaim any responsibility for any injury resulting from people travelling on routes described on this site. To read our Terms of Use and get all the details, read HERE.
Copyright © 2016-17 BackcountrySkiingCanada. All Rights Reserved.


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Watté website
It appears that you do not have a Macromedia Flash Plugin installed, or JavaScript is turned off on your machine.
you can follow this link to download and install the Flash plugin.
if you are sure that you do have a flash plugin installed, you can continue to the site here.


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Ariane 5 Evolution
Between 1996 and 2003 the Ariane 5 Generic launcher made 16 launches from Europe's Spaceport. Depending on the payload, the configuration of the upper part of the launcher was adapted for each launch to ensure the optimum accommodation of single, dual or, for Flight 162 on 27 September 2003, a triple payload.
Apart from the initial qualification flight which ended in failure 39 s after liftoff, and the 10th flight where a problem with the storable propellant stage (EPS) placed one satellite in an unrecoverable orbit, the Ariane 5 Generic launcher has demonstrated its robustness and reliability.
Ariane 5 Generic Plus (A5G+)
To improve the performance of the initial Ariane 5 version and to respond to evolution in market demand, a set of small but important changes were introduced on a limited number of launchers. Launchers with these modifications were referred to as the Ariane 5 Generic Plus.
These changes comprised:
- introduction of the lighter P2001 nozzle on the EAP boosters
- modifications to the EPS upper stage: increased capacity of the two MMH tanks (+ 300 kg of ergols); modified mixture ratio of the Aestus engine
- modifications to the vehicle equipment bay (VEB): replacing the aluminium structure with a lighter composite version; a new separation system for the VEB and the main stage to reduce the shock created during separation; new electrical equipment and components
All these modifications led to an increase in performance for a standard geostationary transfer orbit of 150 kg net payload.
The Ariane 5G+ operated flawlessly on the three launches made in 2004.
Ariane 5 Evolution
In the mid 1990s an analysis of the launch market was carried out. This showed that the majority of customers require launches into geosynchronous transfer orbit and identified the need for further upgrades of the Ariane launch capacity.
Decisions to modify and improve Ariane 5 launcher versions were taken leading to the development of the:
- Ariane 5 ECA
- Ariane 5 GS
- Ariane 5 ES


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Out from Princeton Press!
In 1888, astronomer Simon Newcomb made the now infamous quip that we are probably nearing the limit of all we can know about astronomy One has to wonder what these 19th century scientists would make of the wonderful cosmological menagerie of black holes, energetic galactic nuclei, and the topic of todays review. [Read more...]


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Click on the Wedding Officiate listings below to get contact details for each business including phone number, website details, social media links, opening hours, photos and more.
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As world economies become more integrated, economic growth has created environmental problems that demand global solutions. At the same time, policies and politics remain, for the most part, nation-based. Though the international community has launched ambitious agendas in the Doha, Monterrey, Johannesburg and UN Millennium and Framework Convention on Climate Change processes to react to these challenges, it continues to struggle to develop global solutions in a timely and transparent way.
The Round Table on Sustainable Development was established in 1998 to provide an informal setting through which ministers can engage one another and key international business and civil society leaders without prejudice to negotiating positions on cross-cutting issues.
In May 2001, OECD Ministers formally endorsed the role of the Round Table "as a forum for international dialogue among stakeholders". The following year, OECD Ministers again singled out the Round Table and requested that it continue to "generate policy ideas and build consensus for action" to assist them in achieving their "sustainable development objectives".
No other ministerial-level forum gathers such a diverse group. Preparation of the subject matter is intensive and includes an independent paper written specifically for each meeting. By keeping participation limited and exclusive to the topic, following the Chatham House rule and not allowing bureaucrats to substitute for politicians, the Round Table provides a rare opportunity for high-level attendees to engage on a direct and in-depth basis. As a result, they are free to test out their thinking and spontaneously promote future action.


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Diana Buttu the Palestinian representative claims "Hamas did not launch any rockets from civilian area or schools"
People do lie - videos don't.
We oppose Islam, not Muslims. We are against hate, not faith
Return to Video clips on Islam
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Professional Community for Car Dealers, Marketing, Advertising and Sales Leaders
Optimizing your video for search is a crucial step in online video production if you want to capitalize from video's powerful SEO potential. Nor can you just rely on your dealer website alone to ensure traffic is directed to your video. Video search engine optimization (SEO) creates additional paths to reach your video content – and back to your website or landing page - without which your video may garner very little benefit from search. With mobile browsing increasing in popularity, Video SEO helps to ensure mobile-friendly viewing and discovery.
Video SEO is Crucial for Success
YouTube keyword tags are unique or summary words that define a video's key content. Importantly, they're powerful tool that you need to use to make the most of your content. And you need to make the investment to make your video SEO perform properly.
Proper VSEO (video SEO) requires planning and a systematic approach. It's a crucial component of a modern digital marketing strategy.
The Three Options for Video Hosting
At WeSellDigitally.com, we strongly advocate that you do use YouTube. And maintain a YouTube channel as a part of your video marketing strategy.
If your dealership is just starting to explore online video solutions, YouTube can be inexpensive and in most cases sufficient. And, if you need to scale up your video production strategy and distribution, you can always move to a corporate hosting solution like Ooyala, BrightCove or Kaltura down the road (most likely if you are an OEM). You can also connect your YouTube channel to FaceBook using YouTube Channels from Involver (now Oracle).
We believe that branding platforms such as Navigaya are the future of video marketing because they represent the best of both worlds: a "brandable" social video platform built on top of YouTube!
The YouTube Benefit
Why use YouTube instead of a self-hosting solution? Google 'search juice' and VSEO (video search engine optimization), powerful free HD and mobile video hosting, sharing and metrics and tapping an audience of millions of viewers continually searching for new video content.
Needless to say YouTube viewers are not all searching for a car and the downside of using YouTube without a broader video marketing strategy is that its audience is much too general for an auto dealer attempting to find elusive car buyers.
Not Entirely Your Friend
Know Going in: YouTube, which is Google owned, has it's own agenda. YouTube's goal is to keep viewers on the site as long as possible by suggesting you might like to view. This can be bad, if you're not prepared. Why? Right along side your video on YouTube's site, there will be suggestions for other related videos – perhaps your competition!
10 Ways to Optimize YouTube Video Tags for Results
Tags play a big role in VSEO.
Tags – an abbreviation for 'meta-tags' – are used by software platforms to decide how to categorize and display relevant content. When you search YouTube – which is a search engine in reality – it uses the words listed in a video's tags to assist in determining if the video is relevant to you.
The title, description, likes, and closed captioning script and other information also play a role in relevancy too, and we'll cover these aspects in other articles.
Be Relevant for Search. What are viewers searching for? Use words that are used often as key search terms when tagging a video with keywords.
1. Be Concise
If you find discovering descriptive words a challenge, try this exercise: What three words, on their own, describe your video's topic, content and message?
Example, if a video was made as a companion to this article: "video, keyword, optimization"
Those would be the three core key words.
Here's the trick: those three words, if popular enough, will ideally be the combination of words used in a search that'll have your video pulled up as a result! Read on to see what we mean…
2. Provide Context
"Honda" is a broad term to search for. Hundreds of dealers in many cities, Honda USA, all share the name – Google and it's users searching for results can't differentiate without a bit of context.
Using quotations in a tag, you can link words together. Examples: "Honda Dealer NY" or "Honda Dealer near 10466" or "2011 Honda Accord NY" help narrow the term, while keeping the search short.
3. Be Descriptive
Tie in describing words – examples: "used" "low miles" "best price" and "one owner" all can add value to relevant tag. Local geographic area tags such as "New York", Brooklyn", and "Bronx″ help narrow your audience target to people in your geographic market!
4. Don't Use Connective Text
Don't use connecting words in your tags – just skip using words like "or" "and" and linking words like these. These are words that the YouTube search engine will ignore anyway. Example: "The proper methods to fill and repair a car bumper with bondo brand filler for any car" is long and unwieldy as a title for a video.
Using the rules suggested as well, an alternate name which is far more search friendly could be: "Proper Bondo Filling Best Methods for Cars, Video". The only filler word remaining is the word 'for', which is entirely necessary as it shows the context for the bondo filling!
5. Categories are Your Friend
Use YouTube's supplies categories, and use those that apply. A must-do step, one which counts in YouTube's eyes, helping your video get seen.
6. Targeting Counts
In many cases for search optimization, by design it's a good idea to ensure that for most results your video doesn't show! Why? Your video would get buried under a mountain of seemingly similar results!
For instance, if your video is about a rare '1991 Subaru Legacy RS', don't use a common tag like "car" or even "subaru" – far too many results will come up for these extremely broad terms for your video ever to be relevant. A search for "cars" on YouTube brings up 2,210,000 results – far too many, and unspecific. The search for "subaru" brings up half a million results – still too many.
Rather, break up the tags like so: "legacy rs" which is very specific and has a higher chance of being listed inquiry the results. What else is specific to this item that people may be searching for? Add a few more combinations "1991 subaru legacy" "legacy rs rally" "1991 turbo legacy" which hit some more specifics.
7. Competition Matters
Type in a search term you think your video could or should be listed for and take a look at videos that are listed near the top. Are they similar in content to yours? Examine their titles ad an indication of what keyword tags may be relevant. YouTube no longer exposes tags in its video descriptions so the practice of copying the tags from videos targeting similar audiences to yours is no longer allowed. At WeSellDigitally.com, we have analyzed thousands of dealer videos, car videos, etc. and we have compiled a database of video tags, which we update continuously to ensure that our client videos are fully optimized for SEO.
8. YouTube Works For You
YouTube will notice patterns in your tags as you fill out information for your video. It will offer suggestions for keyword tags – clicking the relevant ones to add them will naturally work in your favor. This feature will surely improve with time – it is a good practice to revisit previously uploaded videos periodically to tweak their tags; a service that we also provide for our clients.
9. Use Your Instincts
Use your instincts – what would you search for? You can always tweak your tags later anyway. You can go back and tweak your YouTube tags, title, description, etc again and again (or have us do it for you).
10. Be Persistant
Get started now, but don't let anyone – or anything – get in your way! This needs to happen. If you are not leveraging video marketing and VSEO for your dealership ad your cars, you are missing out on the most effective form of Internet search marketing.
11. Bonus Pro Tip: When working on a broad marketing strategy, it's good to hold onto your search optimization text, especially when the video is broadly used. When working on a client's YouTube marketing, we create and save the tags, title and all other relevant information and in a database.
Those tags can be used over and over elsewhere down the road – flickr, wordpress, SEM, etc – it's worth keeping a record!
Google's Secret Search Sauce
Google's always updating and tweaking how their search engines rank and offer content – as such, it's hard to nail down their current trends. They keep everyone on our toes, which is great for us because we keep publishing what we learn for our clients.
Views: 387
Thanks! There were folks laughing at me, but I am measuring conversions from these: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuhkjOb9REE-TqphJ4f2eOg/videos
Very nice thread Joe...............well done!
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Pressley to be nominated for first VP
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) -- Clint Pressley, senior pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., will be nominated for the office of first vice-president of the Southern Baptist Convention when Baptists meet June 10-11 for their annual meeting in Baltimore, Md. Pastor Ted Traylor announced through the Biblical Recorder he will nominate Pressley.
"Clint is a gracious role model in many areas," Traylor, senior pastor of Olive Baptist Church, Pensacola, Fla., told the newsjournal of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina Feb. 28.
"He is a pastor/preacher that expounds the Scripture week by week to his people. He leads his church to be generous in Great Commission giving and going, and he leads Hickory Grove in numerous compassion ministries in the Charlotte area."
Right now Pressley serves as vice-president of the SBC Pastor's Conference and is a former vice-chairman of the trustees for Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.
He is a graduate of Wofford College, Spartanburg, S.C. and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in New Orleans, La. Pressley is currently completing the doctor of ministry program at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C. He has also served churches in Alabama and Mississippi.
Traylor said, "It has been my joy to get to know Clint and Connie Pressley in the past several years. I am convinced he will serve Southern Baptists in a Christ-honoring fashion. It will be my joy and honor to nominate him in June."
Hickory Grove is one of the largest churches in North Carolina with more than 17,000 members. They have five worship services that meet weekly on two campuses and two Hispanic services. The church operates a Christian school with more than 940 students on the main campus.
Twenty-one of their members are now serving overseas through the International Mission Board (IMB), and they have sent out four North American Mission Board (NAMB) missionaries. The church is a partner with Toronto, Canada through SEND North America, and they have partnerships with church plants in Providence R.I. and Pittsburgh, Pa.
"I love the Southern Baptist Convention," Pressley said. "I'm thankful for the work of NAMB and IMB, and I want to keep supporting the convention. I want to see more younger guys getting excited about the work of our convention and how we do missions -- whether it's in North America or around the world. I think we do it as good as anyone."
Traylor's announcement comes after R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., announced his intention to nominate Ronnie Floyd, pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas, as the next president of the SBC.
K. Allan Blume is editor of the Biblical Recorder, online at BRNow.org. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).


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Wallet TrackR By PhoneHalo Always Forgetting Something? Halo Can Help!
Description: That moment filled with panic when you can't find your keys, cellphone, or wallet! Wallet TrackR from Phone Halo can help. Wallet TrackR provides tracking software and devices so you'll never waste time searching for lost items again. Phone Halo started as a project at the University of California, Santa Barbara's Technology Management Program (TMP) and engineering school in 2008. The idea came to the founders when a friend had lost his phone repeatedly and the founders had a constant problem of losing everything from keys to backpacks to forgetting where they parked their cars in the crowded streets of Isla Vista. They launched the first generation TrackR at the prestigious DEMO 2010 conference and received the elite DEMOgod award. Since then, the product has evolved into Wallet TrackR, an ultra thin device that can slip inside your wallet or be attached to any commonly misplaced item. The device wirelessly connects to the user's iPhone or Android via the TrackR app, which monitors the location of the wallet or the user's items. The device can withstand being sat on continuously, with a battery life of up to two years. Phone Halo has released multiple products to market that help people keep track of their valuables, also helping people locate thousands of items. The next big tech accessory has arrived!
Price: $29.95 to $39.95


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You will need:
- 1 Ouija Board
- 1 Candle (preferably white)
- Incense ingredients for burning, incense sticks or aromatic oil for burners (optional)
- Always have 2 or more people present for best results (it is not recommended for beginners to use the board alone)
- Pen and paper
Conditions for a successful séance:
- Only have people present who are serious and respectful. If the board is used without care or in a joking manner, this can attract unwanted and potentially dangerous negative energies and spirits.
- Do NOT drink alcohol or use any mind altering drugs including marijuana!
- Clear your mind of all negative thoughts or distractions. Your mind must be clean and clear.
- Anybody having any psychosis or psychological disorders or persons who are nervous, anxious or have addictive tendencies must not use the board.
- Never ask questions relating to your own death or death of another person.
- Keep your posture straight and do not cross your legs under the table.
- Make sure you visually protect yourself and have faith that you are protected. Imagine a white light surrounding you and your friends. It is always a good idea to make an affirmation before you begin. For example, "With the power of the elements, spirit guides, angels and higher self, I and the users of this board are protected from all negative spirits, entities, energies and influences." This is what I personally use, but you should say something that resonates personally to yourself.
At first, keep to easy questions that require just a YES or NO answer. It is helpful if one person has a pen and paper and writes down what is being "said". The best time for a séance is in the evening between 9.00pm and midnight. Ideally it should be dark and quiet outside. If there are more than 2 people then place the board in the middle of the table so that everyone can reach it. If only 2 people are using the board, it is better to place the board on both your knees and sit opposite each other – this allows the energy to flow better.
One person should be the main person to ask any spirits to come forward and talk. This same person should be the one to close the board down at the end too (see "closing down the board"). Everyone should lightly place their fingertips on the planchette. The main person should start by asking for protection against any negative influences (by visualizing a light around you and the participants and asking your spirit guides and higher self or angels to protect you and that you are only willing to communicate with spirits for your/our highest good).
Then ask if there are any spirits that would like to come forward and speak. Something along the lines of "Are there any spirits in the room that would like to speak to us. Please communicate with us by using the board only. When you are ready please move the planchette to YES or move it in circles". It is safer if you ensure that the spirits only communicate through the board – make it certain that you are in control of the board and either ignore any other spiritual activity in the room (knocks, bangs, tapping, lights etc) or ask the spirit to either use the board or leave.
When you receive contact through the board ensure that you thank the spirit that has come forward (it is very important that you remain at all times with utmost respect and gratitude). When receiving an answer to your question, each letter must be clearly visible in the hole of the planchette – if it is between letters, ask the spirit to reconfirm the letter and it should move to the correct one. ALL fingers (2-4 fingers per person) must remain on the planchette at all times.
It can take up to 15-20 minutes before any spirit will come forward to talk. Remain calm, keep your fingers on the planchette and clear your minds apart from focusing on the planchette. If nothing happens then slowly move the planchette yourselves in large circles around the board a few times, then pause and wait – usually the spirit will take over from here. If you still have no luck after about 45 minutes then close down the board and try it another evening.
Suggestions to ask:
- Asking the name of the spirit is always a good question to start with.
- Occasionally spirits cannot or do not wish to answer certain questions so respect their silence and do not ask the same question over and over again. Ask once, once again to confirm and that is all.
- Ask if the spirit is a good spirit. If the planchette goes to NO, it is advisable to close down the board and wait at least half an hour before attempting to make contact again.
- You can ask any general questions about your own life, for example:
How can I live better? What am I doing wrong? Am I in the right job? What can I do to improve my life/situation etc?
- Note: Take the answers like you would anything else that somebody tells you (alive or dead). Do not revolve your life around answers you may receive as they may be inaccurate.
Closing down the board:
This is extremely important! The board MUST be closed down properly at the end of each and every séance. Start by thanking the spirits for coming forward and talking with you. Wish them peace and say Goodbye. The spirit should move the planchette to GOODBYE and you may pack up the board.
If the spirit does not move the planchette to GOODBYE, then tell the spirit that you are saying goodbye and that you ask they do the same. If the spirit STILL refuses to leave, then you must move the planchette to GOODBYE and in a stern strong voice say GOODBYE and LEAVE out loud. Remove your fingers from the planchette. If you feel that is not enough you can also slam the planchette down on a hard surface (obviously take care not to break it!) or pass it through a candle flame if it is not made of flammable material.
Safety Note:
Do not use the board for longer than an hour and a half. This is exhausting for both yourself and the spirits, and can be harmful.
It is always advisable to "ground" yourself afterwards by eating and drinking something.
The more you use the board the more spirit activity it will create (similar to a magnet). The board can become addictive to some people and this is harmful, not only to your well being but this can also attract unwanted negative energies and bad spirits. It is advisable to not use the board more than twice a week.
Be safe, be successful – but most of all enjoy!


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Cable management may not be sexy, but neither is rooting around amidst the dust bunnies under your desk, in search of a fallen power charger. Cordies keeps all your wires and cables in order so you can plug in—and unplug—with ease. This weighted but flexible five-pronged design provides a solid grip for all your cords, while a rubber bottom gives stays put on your desk.
I attend lots of conferences during the year and come back with more than I can bear: business cards, mail, and whatever else is lying about my desk for my charger chords to contend with.
I actually have two of these dongles. One I use to keep priority paper organized and in view, the other keeps my chords neat. Which makes for a neat desk. Which also makes for an organized gentleman.
In short: it gets my vote.